>Still needs a little work, but I had the camera set up for Mark's photos - the eyeball needs to be glossed and there's a little detail work I didn't notice till I saw the pic around the cornea. I also have to decide where to embed the headphone jack and volume control - really.
Just an idea I had. Turned and carved tupelo, painted with airbrush colors. I think I'll make a series of these, they're fun. What'dya think?
I bet nobody got an eyepod like this in their Christmas stocking!
You are an insane and creative person, er, an insanely creative person. I've decided you are my new hero and I want to be just like you when I grow up.
What size is that "thing"? Seeing it looking at me makes me want to pack up and send you chunks of cocobolo, ebony and burls just to see what you would do with them.
(Have you seen Michael Lee's pods? Incredible style and detail but IMHO none so spooky/funny/crazy/creative.)
>I absolutely know that my preferred "type" of woman was derived from the cartoon based Mad Magazine girls. No doubt about it in my mind. None. Sadly, they only exist in Mad Magazine.
>Thanks Ed. The airbrush is kind of fun. As soon as I let go of the "line drawing" kind of airbrushing I had in my head, and realized I was going to be doing more coloring and shading, things got a lot easier. It sure opens up a whole new world of possibilities.
This could actually have served as a great example during the recent "plagarism" debate. As I told a few other people, I literally rose from sleep with this idea in my head. I set almost immediately to making it, and then part way through, I used google's image search to look for "pod" examples. Guess what popped up - Michael Lee's pods. I was so discouraged I nearly stopped making it. I honestly have no recollection of his work, but in the back of my brain I must have seen it somewhere. Instead of quitting, I just tried to make sure it was very different. His work is much more polished/professional, too.
Now, when you look at the two, it is hard to believe I didn't copy his work, but in my heart I know I did not, and was unaware of it from the start. My unconscious brain may know otherwise.
The styles are so different in both concept and execution that the thought of copying never entered my mind. I just thought it interesting. (FWIW, I like your idea better!)
Actually, I thought inspiration for such pods came directly from nature. I've seen seed pods that were somewhat similar and I've picked up pine knots that were even closer - sometimes the tree will rot away leaving a pod-like shape where the grain is wrapped around the knot with two opposing end spikes. (The knot almost lookes like an eye!) Even human and many animal eyes have the basic shape with opposing points.
But even if our unconscious (or conscious) minds pull concepts from another work, so what? Nearly everything we create is influenced to some amount by other things we have seen in life - that's part of being human. For example, if every bowl shape was entirely unique, we would have long ago run out of ideas!
Now if next year the distinguished Mr Lee (or anyone else) creates a carved pod with an eyeball inside, it would likely by either an interesting coincidence or influenced by your art.
Hey, how about a whole series of eyeballs in unusual things?
>John, I will be doing a series of these. Besides being fun and making folks laugh, there are tons of possibilities for improvement and diversity (ooh, did I just use that word? (I feel dirty)). But I really need to get back to making bugs. I have loads of orders and requests for them.
The thing about copying is - if I manage to get to the level I seek, it just won't be permitted. Its too small of a circus, er..group at the top - everyone's work must be different. Fortunately for me, thats still a million miles away. The bugs are different enough - at that level the pod would be too similar.
