If Looks Could Kill - Graphic Art & Design

Perpetually fascinated by the subconscious, this intrigues me:

• Rats deprived of sleep die faster than rats that are deprived of food
• Some sadist actually implemented and tested the aforementioned bullet to the point of death.
• Memory consolidation takes place (defragmenting)

…if our brains did what they do during dreams while awake, we would be diagnosed as mentally ill. Yet we enter into this cousin of delirious insanity every night. “Do we go mad at night to prevent ourselves from doing so in the day time?” Hobson has asked. “Or do we go mad because the brain temporarily gives up certain of its controls in order to regain them, in better order, when sleep ends?” - Harvard sleep researcher, J. Allan Hobson

(Source)

For me, anyhow, these are totally out of character. It’s been too long since I last posted, and I am filing these away from a Drawing course, so I figured why not show ‘em and put them to some kinda use.

Never, ever, in my life have I drawn so many Western-themed sketches. In Texas, they automatically assume you dig it. For me, it’s an exercise in discipline and self-restraint to not bludgeon myself from boredom and frustration - there’s no feeling to it, no mood, no atmosphere other than perhaps dirty and definitely stinky.

Below are some (presumably) less-smelly subjects. Click to view larger images.

The sketches where I got to use my own stuff are the ones I like best - the African sculpture bequeathed by Angelguts. I love its lines and love drawing it. In the color image where it’s present, I made use of an antique double-necked green and yellow glass bottle, Benedictine something-or-other, with wax seals. Also present is one of my favorites from Japanese culture, the Maneki Neko cat.

At least one more country sketch is forthcoming as I procrastinate on here - Willie Fucking Nelson. I’m entertained by him and his non-pretentiousness, and his music is amongst the few rare country acts I can stand (the other is Dolly Parton). Manalive, he’s difficult to draw - all craggly and Willie-like, but cute in that he’s ornery and true to himself.

Far too frail, Spain has disallowed use of lithe mannequins in stores because it “contributes to eating disorders.”

Personally, I don’t get it. Clothes, fashions, etc. look BETTER on physically appealing specimens - it helps move product. If an enormous ass is devouring the seat of some pants ‘tween its massive cheeks, it’s less flattering to the clothing, thereby potentially affecting sales. I’m being extreme though, their mandate limits it to Size 6 and up, which isn’t big at all. I just get riled when people imply that the media is responsible for girls’ feelings of self-loathing.

What I dig about this article, is that “designers will standardize women’s apparel so a given size will fit the same way no matter who sells it.” YES! Do this. I hate shopping, and if sizes were universal across designers it would make life so much easier!!! Do it to shoes too, then I can order everything online and never set foot in a store again.

Futuristic Badassedness:

To get a better idea of the shapes of Spanish women’s bodies, the government is employing some heavy technology. Using laser-fitted booths that can take 130 measurements of a body in 30 seconds, the Health Ministry is fanning out across the country to assess the sizes of Spanish women.

I demand an uprising, we require this in America, too - the standardization of sizes, that is, NOT the banning of mannequins!

SOURCE

Kat Von D is a hellaciously talented tattoo artist currently on the TLC show Miami Ink. She’s opening her own tattoo shop, High Voltage Tattoo soon! Creator of absolutely stunning portraits carved into flesh, which you can see here.

You can see my piece above featured prominently on the Official Kat Von D fan club on MySpace, which got me an illustrious spot in their Top 24 friends. Probably would have done a portrait of her eventually, as I totally dig feisty chickies who have their own thing going and she is fierce! This just gave me a reason.

It’s beyond my comprehension, how she creates these masterpieces on human flesh with blood gushing over her work all the while. I find Miami Ink to be a fascinating study. I love hearing the customers’ ideas, how the artists work with those concepts and placement with consideration for body contours. I love seeing them trace it out and ink it. Of course the end results are most gratifying, when the customers love it, but I am fascinated by the whole process.

Also, peep the gallery for this and other work in the Design section. Don’t forget to nab some icons too, devil chickies, mermaids and creepy dolls abound!

Weird stories about body piercings lately.

Not the norm, but something to be aware of: The first is a rare case of “necrotizing fasciitis” or gas gangrene, a “flesh-destroying infection”. An 18 year-old woman had her nipples pierced, but reportedly was not forewarned that her diabetic condition would make her more prone to infection. It became infected and spread from her breast to her lymph nodes necessitating the removal of one of her breasts. (Source)

In other news, a teen’s tongue piercing causes ’suicide disease.’ Basically, tongue barbell irritates nerve, triggering excruciating pain, like being electrocuted - in your face. Again, not typical, but good to know. (Source)

I’m not opposed to piercings, personally. I just don’t have any, beyond the rows in my ears that I wear nothing in. I did some of those piercings myself with safety pins. This was ignorant, I realized, once my ears began greening around their new holes. :B

Another overdue post, playing ketchup (catch-up).

Victor “Larry” and Gabriel “Danny” Ramos Gomez are the fifth generation in a family, in which almost every single member has hypertrichosis

What I love about this, is that at least they aren’t terribly isolated or alone. Everyone in their family had an over-abundance of hair, until the generation following their own.

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