Random Ancient Blog Post Number one: Illustration Friday prompt: Ahead

HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 10,013
edited September 2023 in Carrara Discussion

Hi dragging up an old blog post and put it here ;)

Feel free to contribute to: Illustration Friday: Ahead 

This V4 with daz snakes and custom face paint 

Could be PhilW eye highlights too 

 

 

 

 

"The God of Traffic Lights".

 

Well, I've always been fascinated by Medusa.

 

But why?  Why Medusa Gorgoneion?

 

Is it because I am a male, and the strange, alluring, dangerous female has an attraction fatale for my sex? Sirens, spiders and Medusai. Death; war; shipwrecks; blood.

 

Art Galleries; rushing off to see the Post Modern Modernists Expressionist Paintings' room, I often fly past ancient images of a fellow named 'Perseus' carrying some ugly head or another. Turns out that, if I'd ever stopped and taken a quick breath, I would have long ago discovered that the bloody head on the silver plate was, in fact, Medusa's. (You can see the line now, in your grade three French textbook, Arrêtez-vous, Finnie! La Tete de Medusa et sur la pleit argenté .)

 

Medusa of course, as every primary school boy knows, had two sisters. And the whole family had hair of entertwined snakes -venemous naturally. And each sister could turn a man to stone just by looking at him in the eye. What a family, eh?  Imagine the wild parties they must have thrown.

 

Not to mention the excitement of hair washing day.

 

Sadly for Medusa, only her two sisters, Stheno and Euryale, were immortal.

 

So, after wreaking a little havoc all around ancient Greece circa 490 BC (ever notice the Greeks have thousands of life like statues in odd positions?) poor old snake-haired Medusa was slain by Perseus, who, from memory, used the reflection in his bronze shield to line her up for the fatal blow. The coup de tete.

 

As you probably guessed, The Medusa  fits in nicely with the story of The Case Of The Fossilized Dog (see previous posts). And was kindly suggested by our well read friend LDahl  (who I see has finally come clean and revealed her secrets.)

 

The original inspiration from this image came from Arnold Bocklin's "Medusa" which you can see on this page. Bocklin has some amazing work, odd, spiritual and symbolistic. 

 

And speaking of 'odd', remind me to tell you about the bottle I found washed up on the beach last week. Inside was a neatly rolled up piece of blue notepaper. On one side of the paper was scrawled something like: 

 

"Help, I am imprisonned in the body

of a two year old boy.

My real name is Ghenkis Khan,

but my parents won't believe me.

Signed Tim."

 

 

'Odd' things happen in two's, not three's - have you ever noticed that?

 

Just the day before, while driving to work, I saw another 'odd' thing - "The Man Who Makes Traffic Lights Go".

 

He was in his early sixties. He had a long dirty grey beard. As he shambled along the footpath, towards the pedestrian crossing, he showed all the signs of alcohol induced neural damage. When he reached the curb, the Walk Sign was red, so he stood there wavering on his feet, gesturing shaman-like at each of the four traffic lights, one after t'other, like the conductor of a silent orchestra.

 

It sounds silly, but, when he waved his hands, his fingers danced like finger-puppet ballerinas.

 

As he stood at the curve, nodding back and forth, he flicked his wrists and splayed and pirouetted his dirty fingertips, pointing at each of the lights in turn. And when the lights changed on cue, unsurprised, he waved the traffic on with all the authority of the God of Traffic Lights.

 

As his hands danced through the air he had each driver waiting at the lights bewitched..... and each driver and passenger turned and watched him with admiration as they drove away.

 

And finally the grey haired God of The Traffic Lights flicked his fingers at his own "Don't Walk Sign".

 

On command it flashed green. Now it was his turn to cross. As he stumbled across the road, shambling and talking to himself, he waved on the traffic behind him with out looking back.

 

I peered into my rear vison mirror as I drove off and watched him as he dissappeared from sight. 

 

It was hard to believe, but I think The God Of Traffic Lights was heading towards the pub.

 

Post edited by Headwax on

Comments

  • your medusa link doesn't work for me (I probably could google it for myself but too lazy) your renders look great yes

  • I saw an old scruffy man who looked like Gandalf once stagger across a road and I swear he held up his hand and muttered "you shall not pass" as the cars braked for him

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,711
    edited September 2023

    Nice Medusa !!!

    Alien & UFO - Ahead of us in technology !

    Post edited by Bunyip02 on
  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 10,013

    Bunyip02 said:

    Nice Medusa !!!

    Alien & UFO - Ahead of us in technology !

    ha ha nice reply :)

     

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 10,013

    WendyLuvsCatz said:

    I saw an old scruffy man who looked like Gandalf once stagger across a road and I swear he held up his hand and muttered "you shall not pass" as the cars braked for him

    heh now that's style :) I was in a newsagents once when the "god of Traffic Lights' walked in. It turned out he was deaf!

    Sorry about the link I just copied my old blogg post.

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 10,013

    two m4's Ahead with fresnel

     

     

     

  • Bunyip02Bunyip02 Posts: 8,711

    Continuing the Alien theme - Ahead - Alien Portrait

  • StezzaStezza Posts: 8,133
    edited September 2023

    it's Fridegg laugh

    webguy.png
    800 x 600 - 819K
    Post edited by Stezza on
  • Bunyip02 said:

    Continuing the Alien theme - Ahead - Alien Portrait

    hard to get a head in life ;) great eyes!

  • Stezza said:

    it's Fridegg laugh

    ha h! :) have you seen Tom Hanks in "Larry Crowne' worthit just to see Hanks in makeup :)

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,626

    Bummer that all of my old stuff is HORRIBLE!

    I made this back when I was still brand new at using Carrara - still using WinXP and its MovieMaker before it changed to MovieMaker Live, which I never liked.

    It's fun to compare progress. This was turned out a year later, using my 30 day trial of Sony Vegas MovieHD Platinum (since I was now using Win 7)

    And this year

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 10,013

    Dartanbeck said:

    Bummer that all of my old stuff is HORRIBLE!

    I made this back when I was still brand new at using Carrara - still using WinXP and its MovieMaker before it changed to MovieMaker Live, which I never liked.

    It's fun to compare progress. This was turned out a year later, using my 30 day trial of Sony Vegas MovieHD Platinum (since I was now using Win 7)

    And this year

     

    beautiful lighting very renaissance (if only I could spell re nai sance ;) ) !

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 10,013

    waxfin_c9ea3eab69 said:

    Stezza said:

    it's Fridegg laugh

    ha h! :) have you seen Tom Hanks in "Larry Crowne' worthit just to see Hanks in makeup :)

    sorry Stezza et Bunyip02 , that was my comment. Logged in on another device!

  • ed3Ded3D Posts: 2,221

    **  pretty nice  **   All of them  +  Thanx

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 10,013

    thank you ed3D :)

  • ed3Ded3D Posts: 2,221

    Headwax said:

    thank you ed3D :)

    you're welcome  (: 

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,626

    I knew that was you. Maybe not at first sight of the name, but as soon as I read the post... Ah... that's HeadWax under a secret identity!

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,626

    BTW - it is You who does Amazing Lighting!!! As always, love your renders!!!

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 10,013

    Dartanbeck said:

    BTW - it is You who does Amazing Lighting!!! As always, love your renders!!!

    thank you Dart,

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,626

    Please, Headwax...

    Thank You!

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