Rope-Pull: Poetry Broadside
And here we have a new poetry broadside. Rope-pull by the ever prolific Roger Hooper. I loved the darkness and desperation in this poem, there are also some wonderful things that happen with the word sounds when you read it aloud. Something I admittedly did not pick up on until dialoging about it with Roger. Enjoy!
Weekly Whirly
This weeks copter: The Helipillar
This copter is a small sized passenger vessel capable of carrying up to 22 passengers plus a pilot. It’s not particularly fast, or maneuverable but it’s very well equipped for long journeys. It is unusual in that it’s design is modular in nature. Passenger units can be added to or subtracted from the main body extending is passenger load or increasing it’s speed an maneuverability respectively. The record for passenger units installed into the Helipillar was set quite a few years ago at 10 units, which then carried 90 passengers on it’s journey. The trip was cut short due to dangerous weather. There were other attempts and longer Helipillars in subsequent years but after a several failed take-offs and 2 crashes that ended in fatalities further attempts at this record became illegal.
Weekly Whirly
This weeks copter: The Grasshopper
Capable of carrying only a single pilot and co-pilot or passender this copters usefulness is extremely limited. However, what it does, it does very well. It is fast, very fast. It is the clear winner in any speed comparison. If you need to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, then look no further than the Grasshopper. Don’t expect any fancy flying out of it though, it’s long design doesn’t lead well to quick turns or fancy maneuvers, and many over-zealous hotshot pilots have met their end trying to make the Grasshopper fly in ways it wasn’t meant to. It’s also been known to be outfitted with pontoon landing rails making it one of the few copters capable of water landings and very popular for those making long journeys across the ocean.
From the Clouds
Welcome to “From the Clouds,” a webcomic in a slightly differentformat than you are probably used too, but I’m trying this out. There’s a chance I’ll build a seperate page for this project down the line more in tune with standard webcomic formats. Anyway, keep visiting to see new pages as they are finished. Admittedly the process for this has been pretty slow. So easy to get sidetracked.
Weekly Whirly – truly this time
Okay, so I denied everyone a true weekly whirly yesterday due to the anti SOPA action that was sweeping the internet with great strength. I’m glad to say that it appears the out-pouring across the internet has had a dramatic effect on legislators all over the country. It’s certainly not a done deal as yet, but things are looking much much brighter.
But now, onto the whirly…
This week: The Bison
This beast of a copter boasts huge load capacity and massive sheer hauling power. It’s primary usage is hauling lots of stuff great distances. It’s quad rotor design also also for fairly adept mobility for a copter it’s size, certainly pale in comparison to the smaller copters but respectable none the less. It is also very adaptable and capable of hauling goods or people. Modular seating units and flooring can be placed to seat as many as 72 passengers. This versatility lead it to be one of the most popular large craft of it’s time.
Weekly Whirly
Todays Weekly Whirly has been redacted. Please continue to use your internet on the approved channels.
Find out more. On Wikipedia
Take Action. Through Google
Or do it your own way. That’s what’s great about the internet.
Let’s keep that possible.
-Jerel
From the Sketchbook: TROLLLLLLL!
I watched the fabulous movie Trollhunter this weekend. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you need to, like right now. It’s fantastic. Also it has trolls in it. I want to believe. All those trolls in the woods and the mountains brought back this awesome childhood memory- Did anyone else read this book cover to cover on a weekly basis from age 8 to age 12? There are some amazing trolls in there too.
Weekly Whirly
So you waited a whole week, and now it’s time again!
This weeks copter: The Mosquicopter
The triple rotors on top of this copter add serious stability and lift power. While it’s name might imply use in a swamp or woods, the Mosquicopter is most at home zipping through valleys, up cliffs and over mountains. This copter can power through the strongest gustiest gale force winds and keep its pilot and cargo warm and safe. While not the roomiest of cabins, this copter boasts a very safe and secure piloting space. It’s full enclosure allows for flying at extreme altitudes and comes equipped with plenty of oxygen and built in heaters. Lastly the quad landing legs are each equipped with with independent hydraulics which allow the Mosquicopter to make it’s landings on mountain tops and cliff ledges a piece of cake.
Weekly Whirly
Here’s a copter to get you through your week. I’ve been drawing a whole lot of these lately. There’s an inkling of a story world whirling round in my head. In the golden age of Whirlybirds that might as well have happened. You might remember the Ostricoptor from a few weeks back. Anyway, I’m going to post one of these helicontraptions each week for your viewing enjoyment. To lift you up and over the mountains past mountains.
This week: The Pigeon, aka the messenger.
A light weight coptor capable of traveling at speeds higher that most coptors. Not the fastest coptor out there, but pretty darn respectable all the same. It’s primary use is mail delivery as it’s light and somewhat agile, though it looks less than graceful, it can turn on a dime. It zips through cities with ease and land on very small landing pads or any flat area for that matter. It’s maximum range is a little limited which prevented it from becoming more common.
Sketch Crawl: MFA
Hey, just got back from a lovely sketch-crawl with a handful of comics buddies at the MFA. What’s a sketch-crawl you ask? Why it’s a trip with a few friends to a locale that has interesting things to draw. It can be a roaming varied all day thing, this summer we took trips around Harvard Square or Waltham or something a little more sedentary like a trip to the Greek section of the MFA to look at and draw sculptures, a perfect location for a day as chillingly winter-like as we’ve had in nine months.
Things you need:
Paper (or other drawing surface), drawing utensil
Other recommended additions: friends, things to gab about, inspiring art, good food.
Have to say I’m a little disappointed with the MFA’s lack of seating in much of the exhibit rooms, though they didn’t seem to hassel us camped out on the floor. The art more than makes up for it though.
Thanks to Kimball, Andy, LB, and Ben, awesome day of drawing!
Here are a couple of my sketches.
Both are ink-pen on paper, I went straight to ink on these for the practice, no pencils. Also I picked the first one to focus on the folds, I’m working a lot on my drawing of cloth and fabrics these days so I gravitated toward the most sumptuous sculpture of cloth I could fine. Unfortunately she was missing an arm. Though as can be seen from the second sketch, doing much better than most of the figures in the wing.
