The librarian's tangents.

Doodled this this morning, fancied posting it up:

It’s a little bit of Brushes and a little bit of Pixelmator…

And to all a Happy New Year. Personally I can’t wait until 2010 for a variety of reasons. We’ll see. A mixture of hope for the future, a few projects I look forward to working on and a slight lack of enjoyment when I think back to 2009… Hope it’s a blessed and peaceful start to the year for all concerned.

So, Christmas eh? Prepared? Organised? Hope you are. Me: less so.

But have been taking stock for a short while, apropo of a few things. Health wise this has not been my most successful year, neither for myself or for those around me. Work wise ditto. Some things have been lovely, some awful. Hey ho.

But some things have been ace and no mistaking. So, looking forward to 2010 I think. Couple of ideas hammering around my head if tomorrow does indeed come by as normal.

So: hoping you all have a wonderful Christmas and a peaceful New Year (if that’s what you’re after, some like it loud, I’m told). Here’s an old card I did a long time ago (at least a decade) which is still my mum’s favourite and one she made me dig out so she could email to a friend. It either shows early talent or a lack of progress on my part. Who knows… But to all a Merry Christmas and to all a good night…

is, alongside www.abduzeedo.com (occasionally nsfyourgrandma), my favourite websote to sit on and noodle around.

This week they’re doing three awesome things and, I assume, a fourth to follow. The first is the Hubble pix advent calender which is awesome. The next three are a collections of the pictures of the year. If you’ve never been there have a look it’s staggeringly impressive, moving, awful and sometimes unintentionally humorous stuff.

Doodled on two busses. See? They are useful for something. Not much on this evidence I’ll grant you, but hey ho.

Normally I’d update the image on the original post but this is the update on the Boilermoo pic to show how it went from the original pic to the update.

In other news rubbish week at college. That’s all for the mo’.

Doodled on Brushes. It’s a Christmas card, of sorts, although I’m only going to pass it onto one place. Basically my staff room at Guildford College also goes by the name the Boileroom. However if you put that into a mobile phone it comes out as Boilermoo and so it will stay for me, forever.

Anyhow: happy Christmas Boileroom! Loves ya, loves ya noodles. Even if you are dumping me this week by being shut because the ACM’s students have all left now.

… beautiful images captured by the Hubble space telescope on www.boston.com/bigpicture at the moment. Well worth a look and a peruse (and a gander if you so wish). It’s an advent calendar so I’ll be checking in often to see what else is added but, 13 pictures in so far, it’s stunning stuff. Can’t image what the image will be on the 24th…. (well, I can actually as there are a couple of pics which would seem to have a suitable naming/interest but we’ll see).

I do find it strange, on that subject, that Mr Dawkins and the followers of his religion can look at the pictures and say they prove there is no God while I can look at them and feel theopposite but hey ho: in the eye of the beholder and all that.

Sorry to bore but… well…

Tapestry’s troubled upbringing continues apace with cover problems causing issues all over again. This is the newly redone one which astounded me by having a very small gamut issue (the difference between an rgb monitor and a cmyk printer) when I thought it would have a million problems.

Still going to be the very beginning of next year although we’re hoping to have a limited number ready for Christmas. By all means get in touch if you want to buy a copy. The bizarre thing is that if you had a copy from the Guildford Book Fest and a copy from this printing (and one from the final shelf version) you’d have something oddly rare and unusual which doesn’t make the issues and roadbumps any smoother for me, just makes me smile that, in more than one way at least, my mums going to be one in a million

Artwork all done in Pixelmator which I retain a huge love and affection for, even though it struggled badly doing the cover at the print res it had to be outputted at. Lots of frustrated waitings about and teeth clenching but, for what it is and what it delivered, still like it loads.

Similarly, well, with less issues to be frank, the Brushes 2.1 update is due to hit the apple store anytime now. It’s a corker and no mistaking well worth a look-see. I’ve become wedded to the app and my iPod touch and it is my favourite art application of all.

In other news: birthday yesterday and, apart from the fact I was working on this cover for 12 hours straight, it was  a lovely one filled with friends, family, food and facebook comments Onwards, although slightly blearily….