A new, (pseudo-)static site

It’s been a long, long time coming – years, really – but at long last I have a site I can maybe take enough pride in to use seriously and keep everything together. At least, theoretically; because strictly as I write this the site for it to appear on does not quite yet exist. I have spent weeks on development and testing though, with uncharacteristic productivity, so it should be all ready to go live more-or-less pending only these words.

For a while I’ve wanted to bring my various shenanigans together in a unified site that would present it appropriately …

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Limulus lotus

It’s no secret that I like and respect horseshoe crabs – for reasons that deserve to elaborated on some time. So when someone shared this CRABTCHA, I had no choice but to respond “Front and centre where it belongs 🧘‍♂️”

Happy World Ocean Day now prove you are not a robot.

(This CRABTCHA is brought to you by @jopabinia.bsky.social and yours truly.)

spoof captcha telling people to click on images containing crabs, but the images are of various true crabs and false crabs

—franz

To which came the response “I'd like to see a horseshoe crab attempt a lotus position.”

Well, challenge accepted.

A horseshoe crab on a sandy surface, with its body upright. Unless someone told you, you wouldn’t notice the lowest pair of legs are crossed.

Phone picking

Lockpicking a phone through the USB port

How to unlock a phone

A silly idea I’d had for a while, made manifest over the Easter weekend.

This particular picture holds the dubious honour of being suspected to be “AI art that somehow knew how to make hands.” Or “probably traced off a real image.”

I confess – as a possessor of two hands, I did dare to glance at them a few times throughout.

Asteroid outpost

Some sort of complex built on and around an asteroid. A large spaceship is docked to it at the left.

This picture began all the way back in April 2023. I painted the rock fairly quickly and sketched some bits of station stuff, but it didn’t look all that great and was forgotten not long after. Fast forward to the very end of that year when it was spontaneously unforgotten, and I reworked the sketch into something decent. Then kept on sketching and outlining until, in the end, the actual process of painting the complex amounted to duplicating those hours of effort by doing little more than colouring in the fairly rough lines. Oops.

All in all, 283 days …

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The drunken master

The words “Behold! The drunken master!”, below which are a Tyrannosaurus with an alcoholic beverage and a pair of cliff racers

Morrowind is a game where you can consume vast quantities of sujamma. No further explanation is warranted or necessary.

Somehow I included Red Mountain but neglected the Ghostfence. I have no comment.

2023 inktober roundup

Last year was nice and all, but by the end of it I thought, this is nothing like what I ‘usually’ (implies free time) do; if part of the goal is to practise then next time I should do something more in line with my typical approach. So, more about shapes and shading than lines and stark contrast.

Hence were born the RULES:

  • one hour

  • one layer

  • one colour

  • one scale

  • one attempt

Basically a bunch of things to focus on streamlining the drawing process and not get hung up on diversions. It’s not really ‘ink’ besides the lack …

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Pointy stick

Some sort of draconic biped wielding a three-pointed polearm in a somewhat threatening manner, rendered in greyscale

An attempt to focus on texture, tone and shading without fussing with colour. A rather successful one, I believe!

I did later try to apply colour but the various blending modes just don’t seem to work in the right way. No matter.

Alien creature

Quadrupedal, arthropod-like alien creature covered in spikes

Quick sketch of the sort of thing that’s fun to do and I should do more often. He’s probably quite friendly.

Came the verdict, “Worst. Pterodactyl. Ever.” Can’t argue with that.

HMAS Sydney II

The cruiser HMAS Sydney II, viewed from a low angle toward the starboard bow

Drawn for a relative who has a particular interest in the navy vessel HMAS Sydney II.

The Liquidator

An ominous furnace, with a conveyor belt leading into its gaping maw, above which a sign read ‘LIQUIDATION’

When returned products are liquidated, this is where it happens. I presume. Maybe it’s just the complaints division.