Will’s Response
If you read the post just prior to this one then you know all about ‘cyphers’ and ‘hip-hop’ and ‘getting called out.’ You may also know that I called out my friend Will Hyler (willhyler.com). This is why:
Archive for August, 2009
Oh yeah, I made this
Oh, and you can download the mp3 here:
Open Your Eyes.mp3
Haha, I heard the beat this dude made for his Youtube “cypher” and I thought the synth line was really catchy and cool and I was initially totally impressed. Then I found out that its a sample from some ‘Lady Gaga’ song that apparently everyone except for me and my grandma has heard a bajillion times. Gah. Oh well. This video attempts to articulate the kind of imagery that comes to my mind when I hear a synth line like this… Mmm… brain flavors.
By the way, I was called out in ‘The Summer Cypher’ by an MC named Knoxie Ty. For those that don’t know, getting ‘called out’ in a ‘cypher’ is a good thing. Like getting an ‘invitation’ to a ‘rap party.’ Check her out, she is good:
Yeahyeahyeah that vid ^ is from a different cypher (with an obnoxious intro on the beat, ugh), but I chose that one because the audio quality is really good and I really like the line, “I rap for freedom, listen to the message fool. You rap for what? I still question you.” If you want more lines like that, check out her free mixtape “Respect My Opinion in the Shade”, here:
Respect My Opinion in the Shade
How did I do that veiny effect, you ask? Black lights and yellow highlighter.
Easy.
Maiasaura Doodle
This doodle makes me happy.
I’m not typically happy with my quick sketches of dinosaurs for both aesthetic and scientific reasons, which is why most of what I am willing to share on the web are detailed pencil renders drawn with careful attention to whatever images of skeletal material I can get my hands on. ^This is an exception. I was just doodling, and this came out, which is satisfying because it’s a pretty good sign that I’m finally developing an instinctive sense of reasonably accurate proportion and posture for ornithopod dinosaurs.
Speaking of proportion and posture, this Maiasaura just spotted a predator and is falling into a bipedal run from an upright “lookout” posture. The funny horn on it’s head is my own interpretation of some small bony extensions on the skull of Maiasaura. Typically this projection is not enlarged in reconstructions, but I think it is entirely plausible, if not likely, that small (presumably) ornamental structures seen in the skeletons of dinosaurs supported much more elaborate soft tissue or horn structures when the animal was alive. If you take a look at the skulls of birds or reptiles with casques or horns or crests, there is a pretty substantial amount of horn and soft tissue attached to the bone. Also, I think it looks cool!