#western106

Designing with Tom Mix in Malaysia

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I had actually started doing this design prior to the official start of #western106 back in October. I was starting to look at cowboys and media.  Tom Mix was the tangent I was reading – who he was etc.

I found these in my files as I was cleaning up things. I had forgotten it was a quest to try and create a design assignment for #western106. Good community practice is if you create or suggest an assignment, you need to do the assignment and provide the first example for others to take off from and improve and extend.

I had seen an article someone suggested on Malaysian puppet art and super heroes –  The visuals stood out and fascinated me and I immediately thought #ds106 could really do this justice and create many different rifs.

I started playing with the concept in the #western106 theme rather than superheroes. I had actually gotten to a point of creating some pieces, but put it aside thinking I would come back to it and actually make it into something more complete.

Just want to get it posted so I remember to get back to it. I still think this could be really cool. I have some memory of looking ofr patterns so that they were part of the design. The holes for light seemed to be necessary as well  – and how do you put in the sticks??? From the outcomes I have right now – not sure I hit the concept I was going for – which is why they were probably not posted and just loaded into Flickr for keeping. I also remember using multiple applications. Photo Shop, Paper53 – so again – never figured out a path to the end result I was going for….

So here they are – maybe someone else can figure out how to make it a viable assignment or maybe I will get back to it again in the future. And with the shadows – doesn’t that shout out gif to you?

Western106

The Duke Impersonator/Western Reflections

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Daily Creates #1477 Do a Duke Selfie and  #1481 Western Window Reflection

It has been almost a month since making resolutions. I had resolved to do more ds106 Daily Creates – at least 3 in a week. I have fallen short already. One thing I did learn from the 365 Photo a Day was that if you missed don’t use it as an excuse, get back up on that horse and ride! Here are 2 Daily Creates.

Daily creates of creating a imposter selfie and seeing the western landscape in your own window.

croppedrighttdc1477

Used Photo shop and cut out John Wayne’s face with a photo of me trying to do a Duke face. Changed all to B&W and then cropped it.

tdc1481 Western Window Reflection

Added a photo from @searaympmuffin of a California desert landscape and reduced the opacity. Also altered the perspective to make it fit the angle of the window.

#tdc1470 Cowgirl Name Generator – My Intro

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I have been tardy and absent in official Daily Creates. So much for resolutions and keeping up with #western106. In December the all call sounded that Daily Create runs on ideas submitted by the community and to “pony up”. I had looked at #western106 types of things and came across a name generator – so I submitted the idea used for #tdc1470 to TDC.

Dang nabbit! it made the cut and showed up today. How can I not do the one I submitted? Guess this is the keg of dynamite I needed to go off under me to get up to speed and get at least 3 in a week done and posted. Now mind you – I have created each day – just not the tdc prompts. I do read and view others work each day and try to add a comment for a creator on their blog as much as possible.

When the name generator assigned me the cowgirl name of Annie “Tiny Dancer” Jones – my mind immediately went to Elton John’s Tiny Dancer – but that was way not cowboy – well it could be – but not the kind I was looking for and the only Elton John song I found was Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy – interesting – but not what I wanted. Elton has some good music but never fits where I am for some reason. He was the “surprise” artist at the Harley Davidson 100th Anniversary Celebration. We scrambled and were 3rd row from the stage. All sorts of rumors of who was going to be the surprise headliner. As the day went by waiting and the vendors were “Rocket Man” t-shirts it seemed imminent. On the one hand a great opportunity to see a great performer live – but so not what the mood and vibe was for a 100 year celebration of a motorcycle company and lifestyle. Some day – maybe – an Elton John song will connect with what I am seeing in my head – but I ain’t going to worry about it.

I searched YouTube for Cowboy Tiny Dancer and it gave me some choices. I stumbled upon the work of Scott David Winn- a film maker, song writer and director. The video is Old West Dance Battle – Cowboy vs Outlaw. The music pulled me in – catchy tune that reminded me of Zumba class – “Boom Boom Red”. One of the things I have done for me besides creating art, is Zumba classes – mind you – Zumba Gold – more low impact and not as much twisting and hip motions – but the group does get its groove on for sure. 🙂

While the song and music video is longer and tells a story, a short part seemed just right for introducing Annie “Tiny Dancer” Jones. What I did like about the video is that it takes the old west and plays it in a more modern context and it works. Again the western genre for me seems timeless and just the overlay of looking at culture, life, and what is going on. The structures and components don’t seem to have a date stamp on them.

I downloaded the clip, made some cuts, added a title and end. Just enough for a daily create.

The other bag of gold I found was the next video of behind the scenes of making the music video. Some great commentary on steps and thoughts of creating the production and some chuckles too. So very #ds106.

 

 

Westerns: The ride began for me

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westerntownWestern = what does it mean to me?

Excellent question! I am not totally ready to deeply reflect or describe what Westerns mean to me or what I think they are, but I gotta get something down in this first week. Our scout Alan Levine – has a wonderful read or Sandy Brown Jensen a mesmerizing story teller,  both of which I would love to follow as a model – but will have to come back to do another day.

When I look at “Western” and how I have viewed them thru out my life I can pretty much sum it up as my imaginary world.  Riding a horse on the open range – adventure. I don’t remember ever thinking of the violence or the inequalities. I was always drawn to the outdoors – the views of the mountains, the hills, the desert, campfires, adventure and travel. The pioneer spirit. When I reflect now I think I saw the westerns as an extension of the pioneers. Wagon trains, discovering new territories and establishing new communities. Characters who faced challenges and overcame them thru relationships with others around them.

Westerns to me were people who were building and creating. Creating culture, society, rules, norms, towns. It fascinated me – and now with this journey of #western106 it does again.

smithjonesOther girls were watching Dark Shadows and General Hospital when I was young – I was watching Wild Wild West, Laredo, and Alias Smith and Jones. Alias Smith and Jones was a favorite show that I didn’t miss. Peter Dual and Ben Murphy were posters on my walls. Dr. Quinn – Medicine Woman, Little House on the Prairie – people who worked hard, respected each other, faced problems and were building community.

The Legend of Billy Jack – (Tom Laughlin) and the song One Tin Soldier – I’m not sure it was a true western – but it was to me. I  was a Billy Jack junkie and didn’t miss any of the film series.  I am not sure it qualifies as a Western – but it was a guy who wore a cowboy hat and usually out in the western USA taking on the bad guys.

I  watched Zorro. Bonanza and Gunsmoke were occasional watches but not followed faithfully. Wild Wild West was a favorite.  It think that was during my “spy and secret agent” phase, just with a Western theme.  The Lone Ranger, F Troop, Maverick – so the light-hearted as well. Cat Ballou with Lee Marvin as Kid Shelleen,  and Jane Fonda I enjoyed as well.

littlebigmanI was  attracted to westerns because of the Native Americans and their stories. Dances with Wolves and Little Big Man.

Many of the stories and portrayals we now know were not correct. The stories would talk of nature, of spirituality, of being one with nature and family to me. I was always rooting for the Indians and for the cowboys who learned from them.

This path also led me to be a faithful fan of Kung FuKungFu West with David Carradine. Yes – grasshopper – I think this is a western.

The classics like Fistful of Dollars, High Noon – those did not hold my interest at the time. So they are on my list to see what they are about.

Yep pardner – this Western thing has a lot of trails to cover….and the good thing is – even if I can’t get a decent post about it now, having to try to get something down helps expand my thoughts and ideas and start to focus on what lies ahead in using the theme for some #ds106 art making……So affirmation as to the ds106  processes – doing them keeps the momentum and pace going.

Man with No Course – This is for the checklist. Moving down the trail.

 

 

Watch out for the Trunk! #giffight

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http://konarheim.tumblr.com/post/137264082420/duhtakes-me-a-while-forgot-that-the-original


This was just calling out too much fun! But by the time I got to it – so many had created and done such awesome solutions that it was intimidating to attempt and hard to think of something that might be different. BUT that is giving up and remembering this is fun and play and competition is with myself fueled by the ideas and work of others.

I am heavy into baby shower planning and creating for my daughter and first grandchild. Elephants are the theme around our parts now – so after creating invitations and book labels I moved on to this GIF, but continued the elephant theme.

I found a short clip, pulled it into PS and it came out to 327 frames. I scanned for a part that had movement and stayed as much in one spot in the frame as possible. Got down to 17 frames. Cut the cowpoke out of the image for the gif fight and put him on the elephant in different angles. I was able to get rid of 10 more frames as the movements were too small to make a difference. Added a horizon to the top of the frames after things were set so that it was the same and went into each frame. Final was to make each frame B&W and play with the timings.

This was fun. And also raises questions about Westerns on the plains of Africa???

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