Recently in Of Interest Category

John Asaro's Planes of the Head is a book that has been around for some time, and it was accompanied by a bust that contained simplified head planes on one side and slightly more complex ones on the other. Now to this material has been added several more heads.

I just bought the very simplified one, pictured above, and I find it excellent and well made. It even happens to have a screw hole in the base that looks designed to allow the head to be installed on a standard tripod.

I think this head would be useful for practicing portraiture lighting as well.

Planes of the Head

Although typical gas masks and similar items may have log since passed into photographic cliche, I've often wanted to buy a leather Bob Basset mask because they are so beautiful, unusual looking and well made. On an impulse I picked up this clown-styled one today. I'm looking forward to its arrival.

Gort, originally uploaded by jfrancis.

I'm enjoying my new Nikon D3s. It practically sees in the dark.

The grain is non-existent throughout most of its range, quite pleasant at ISO 6400, and starting to be a bit more noticeable, but well within the reach of NR software at ISO 12,800.

I picked up a fun book on the internet on Fifties pinup and cheesecake photography called Best Photography Trend Book 157. It was sold as being full of original model signatures. That wasn't the reason I bought it, but it was a fun plus.

When the book arrived I carefully leafed through it. Sure enough, there were the signatures, as promised: Sandra Edwards, Vivian Melody, Mona Miller, Marilyn Hannold, Jody Nelson, Virginia de Lee, Arlen Hunter, Betty Brosmer, Mishe Swanson, Donna Fisher, Jackie Hilton, Diane Weber, Marilyn Masters, and four others. Turns out one of the 'four others' was Marilyn Munroe. Wow! Hey, wait a second, that's not Marilyn Munroe's signature. Come to think of it, all the other signatures are in the same pen, and in the same handwriting.

Those aren't unique signatures. Looks like somebody - not sure who or when - made some notes in the book. Oh, well. Not so bad. Like I said, I bought it for the content.

I was going through some artwork I've been meaning to frame or display and came across this original pencil drawing by comic artist Josh Howard. I like to by original drawings from time to time (read: when I have the money) from comic artists I like. It's fun to see how they construct their work.

Woomera Rocket 1957, originally uploaded by jfrancis.

Woomera Rocket 1957

I was intrigued by the recent story of a boy's 1957 rocket design being rediscovered.

I wanted to test out some aspects of Maxwell Render 2.0 and I thought it might be fun to render up the 1957 child's drawing in the process. I hope the original designer doesn't mind.

I was thinking of a treatment something like Dave Devries' paintings based on childrens' drawings.

Or like photographer Yeondoo Jung's work with childrens' drawings.