Digi-Scrappin', Comics and Things....

Here we have young master Raven, first time I've digi-scrapped him. Slowly moving up the line. Nearly finished the off the page project of Monika, and posting shortly. This week though is going to be buzzzy.... I've got two assignments due Friday, naturally this means I've got to do some actual real thinking and work hard. Of course, I would rather be playing and making and doing, but I do actually have to make myself do these things.

Big disappointment, if I do a radio play it has to be non-fiction (I had a screen play sooo ready to be adapted - might still anyway for hope it may get taken up by a local or net based radio, who knows. Synopsis is: (true story) A man kills his wife because she gosses too much on the phone. I kid you not.) Anyways, screw doing a current affair type thing, I'm going to review something... something fresh in my mind would be Watchmen by Alan Moore. Now that was a fine piece. I really, really like his full spectrum use of the medium. Not a huge fan of the super hero genre per say, but this isn't quite straight forward in that way. Much more about the death and rebirth of the super hero entity. Moving from the fight the good but small crime to global change with a view a little bad is justified if a whole lot of good stuff comes from it. I liked that, I just didn't like the characters as much as I did some of the characters in say Sandman or even X-Men. I like X-Men over Spidey and I despise Super. I like a Super Hero with a darkness to him/her... I like depth to a character. Spider Man and Super Man reek too much of sterile goodness for me, and the other Justice Leaguers excepting Bat Man of course. He's nearly insane. I like a spectrum of sanity too...

The Paludarium is being completed as I speak, and pictures will be taken and posted in the next day or so. My neck and shoulders are sore due to my bursa being overfull of fluid and sadly enough I still haven't managed to get the letter from my GP to the physio yet, which was given to me weeks ago. I'm starting to notice again, so I really have to do something about it, at least it isn't what a friend of mine is suffering from - Rhuematoid Arthritus. Nasty, nasty stuff that. I feel for her, but its all looking up I think.

I'm going to do another post now, on the birthday party we went to yesterday... Cheers, Q.

Our first attempt at comic panels!

Dante made this dragon fly early last week, and I decided to share it today:

Raven's DinoMatch worksheet:

Below is our first attempt at telling a story between panels, like a story or a comic. Dante got into this activity, and really tried hard, while Labyrinth got into it she struggled with the concept, while Kai didn't have the concentration or the concept. We'll forgive Kai as he has a fever today! But I'm still glad they achieved these...

Labyrinth has written: The Bratz are famous. They watch movies. They are cool. They go shopping.

Dante has written: The snake sleeps. The fish swims. The brachiosaurus fights... the allosaurus fights back! Andrew thought that last bit was particularly cute as it reminded him of star wars...
Here is Kai's; he attempted to write: The army shoots up the cactus and shoots the man. I love how his "war scenes" are made up of happy gun toting people.
This is just cute! At least Raven made some wonderful marks, but being 2 and a half and not writing yet I think its fabulous:

We've done these types of maths worksheets before. Its a simple math addition like paint by number but its colour - in by addition. They all attempted T. Rex today.

Labyrinth, Dante and Kai:

Tommorrow looks like it is going to be a good day. We are getting a strawberry plants tommorrow, going to a social picnic/bbq at a park with lots of other homeschooling families, and hopefully swinging by the library in town as there are great teaching resources that are only available to school teachers or registrared home edders. I've been itching to get in and check them out!

On Saturday a state wide picnic is organised, and I'm looking forward to that! On Saturday week we, as a family, are planning to go look at natural rock pools and see if we can't set up a native salt water tank at home. We are also building wooden models, but until we finish them I won't be adding them here.

Yesterday was a mix of good and sad. Andrew was deeply depressed. I got some really good scrapping things and presents. I am finally going to be able to read The Watchmen by Alan Moore, which I have already begun, I've read chapter 1. One day I'm going to write a comic, but I'm not sure who I'll get to illustrate just yet, I don't think I'm good enough artist really. With this is mind I should read the father of the modern comic's work. I have got and enjoy reading The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, and he exemplifies in this comic how well this medium can work (prestigious literary awards people!) To me comics are that inbetween medium between film and novel, and as a medium isn't nearly used enough to its own advantages to tell a great adult tale.

There are many stories that are bubbling within me, and I've gotten some good ones out, I just have to get writing more. I have to write a radio play for a uni assignment which I am very much looking forward to, but I still have to research format and such... very soon, in fact.

Having a few issues on the Tassie Cichlid Scene at the moment. Its a shame really, twas a good place to visit, and I like quite a few of the people on there, particularly someone else who blogs who I visit sometimes who puts up a brave face despite two emotional setbacks this year. We've gotten to know some people as well, so I feel sad that some personal and public dissing by a mod happened!

Well, all smiles here today, much done which always feels great :) Q