#Heath Robinson machine

[justbusterkeaton]

Buster The Inventor

Music: Tomorrow’s World by The Dankworth Big Band

[the-witcher-parks]

Mountain flyer par Steve Via Flickr : Steam engine needed to keep warm over Everest

[artnwill]

My art inspirations

William Heath Robinson- He was an English Cartoonist that lived though 1872-1944. Not only do I enjoy his drawings because of the fun elements that he would bring into them with machines, but I really like his use of line. His use of a single width for his line work and other artists have directly affected my own works. I also really enjoy the flat colors that he uses in his works.

John James Audubon- He was a American- French artist and ornithologist ( study of birds) who lived from 1785-1851. He recorded and painted many species of birds that are native here in America. I love his art. The composition, the colors, the accuracy of the birds is to die for. Huge inspiration when it comes to drawing birds. Recommend studying his art if your interested in bird drawing!

(Also the last bird picture is of a Carolina Parakeet, which was the only parakeet native to the southwest of North America)

(unfortunately it went extinct around the 1900's, which is a shame as it looks like it was such a pretty bird)

He also drew some mammals from America (tbh though some of them look a bit..... odd). This guy looks hella cursed lol

(both bird and racoon pics were from my collection of books based on his art)

Joe Weatherly- He is a California based artist that focuses on animal art. His artworks are very dynamic in nature and I love his use of color in his artworks. He also has done multiple books on drawing animals and of his own art (first picture is of his book Animal Essence). I highly recommend him to anyone interested in learning how to draw animals!

Here's a link his website for anyone interested https://www.joeweatherly.com/

(Images were taken from my own copy of his book Animal Essence)

Group of artworks from Pauline Cherrett's book "Chinese Brush Painting: A Beginner's Guide"

I have always been a fan of brushwork in artworks and have always been inspired by Chinese brush painting and Japanese woodblock art. I've always liked nature and landscapes and flowers which tend to be the main subjects of this type of art and honestly I just really enjoy them ( I mean look at the brushwork its amazing).

(all of these pictures come from my copy of the book)

So this was just a small list of some of the artworks and artist that inspire me and my art. Wanted to write this blog for myself as a sort of reference point and to show others different artists that they may not know of. I also have another blog like this one which I'll link if anyone is interested.

Honestly this was so much fun to write! I mainly write a ton for college and it can be a bit taxing but it's nice to write something for myself and on a topic I really enjoy!

[tokidokitokyo]

My Favourite Japanese Children's Shows

My son is 3 and I have watched a lot of Japanese children's shows with him (screen time is family time!). Here are some of my faves and why. These shows are all from NHK E-TV. Would I recommend to use these for personal study? I am using them to help teach my son Japanese, and for this it works doubly well as I learn how children's society operates in Japan and how Japanese people learn Japanese as well as social etiquette. If you don't have a child, you might get bored easily from these as they are not designed with an adult audience in mind, and you can find much better resources online. You also need a subscription to NHK somehow to watch them, which could be difficult or costly to obtain overseas. However, I like the stories and the characters, as well as the little things I learn from watching them. If you are thinking of teaching your child Japanese this might be a useful resource.

いないいないばあっ！ Inai inai baa! (Peek-a-boo!) This show is designed for very young children and features the beloved dog Wan Wan, played by the same actor since it first started airing in 1996. Wan Wan is accompanied by a young girl, played by various actresses in a succession over the year, and other fun characters. There is singing and make-believe and crafts, as well as short segments featuring nature (animals, plants) or short animations. It's very slow as it is made for infants and toddlers, but that makes it very cute. A group of specially selected young toddlers appears for the dances and songs. Why I Like It: The animation is fun and visually appealing, the activities are play based and you can do them at home, and you learn some new vocabulary. Age: Infants to young Toddlers Clip: DVD Advertisement

おかあさんといっしょ Okaasan to issho (With Mother) This show is designed to be watched with mom (it comes on in the mornings and evenings on NHK E-TV). There are a male and female singing talent, and a male and female athletic talent, who participate in singing and acting clips. There are also a group of costumed characters that have a short story that is continued each week. It has a variety of songs, short skits, a collection of human and costumed actors, and a predictable flow that changes slightly based on the day of the week (e.g. teeth brushing days, story days, etc.). It also shows real kids doing real activities, which kids like to watch. Why I Like It: The songs are easy and catchy, the stories are easy to follow and the words are spoken clearly and precisely. Age: Infants to Toddlers/Preschoolers Clip: DVD Advertisement

アンパンマン Anpanman (Anpanman) This cartoon is a long running cartoon for children (since 1988!) with an incredible line of every toy imaginable to supplement your love for the red-bean bun man (anpan = red bean bun pastry). The story lines are simple and predictable, there are a variety of "fairy" characters that are composed of different Japanese food items, plants, utensils, and animals; and in the end the villains are just really hungry. Anpanman works to help people who are in trouble or hungry (sometimes even the villains), or being bullied by the hungry villains and the story always ends well. Why I Like It: The plot is easy to follow and you can learn about Japanese food and drink specialties via the endless supply of characters, and the songs are catchy. Age: Infants to Toddlers/Preschoolers Clip: Ending TV Theme Song

ピタゴラスイッチ Pitagora Suicchi (Pythagora Switch) Pythagora Switch is a 15-minute long show involving devices (Pythagora Switch) that are equivalent to the American Rube Goldberg machine and the British Heath Robinson contraption - basically, a sequence of events made from household objects that end with (usually) the words ピタゴラスイッチ being revealed. The idea is to encourage children to augment their way of thinking and to solve or understand what the machine will do before they see the movements happen. There are also other segments in which mechanisms are explained and shown visually. And usually there is rock-paper-scissors via a Pythagora Switch where you work out what the device will throw and try to beat it! The language in this show is more complicated because it is geared to a wider, older audience. Why I Like It: It helps me to think and enthralls my son with the moving parts. It's puzzle solving and sparks interest in the way the world works. Age: Toddlers to Elementary School Students Clip: 4 3 2 1 2 1 そうち

[goshdangronpa]

Is Miu Iruma the type of fictional inventor who would build a Rube Goldberg/Heath Robinson-style breakfast machine

[archivist-dragonfly]

Book 406

Heath Robinson Contraptions

Geoffrey Beare, ed.

Duckworth Overlook 2007

Honestly, until this book, I had no idea that in the UK a Rube Goldberg Machine is called a Heath Robinson Contraption. William Heath Robinson (1872-1944) was an English cartoonist, illustrator, and artist, who is best known for his cartoons of whimsically elaborate machines, so much so that he was known as The Gadget King by his contemporaries. By 1912, the term “Heath Robinson contraption” had gained dictionary recognition in the UK, predating a similar recognition for Rube Goldberg in the US by more than 10 years. This book presents a range of Robinson’s wonderful work, from WWI propaganda to his final sketches made during WWII.

[monsterfromid]

Brazil 1985 1080p BluRay x264 YIFY

Oh, apparently I haven’t finished. I think Buster would’ve loved this movie. It’s full of Heath Robinson/Rube Goldberg machines. A man falls in love at first sight then sets about trying to prove himself to win the love of said woman. Bureaucracy is fought against. Buster said that at MGM you had to fill out a form in triplicate in order to get a pencil or words to that effect. It has a remarkably bleak ending that Gilliam had to fight for. Buster knew all about fighting against the studio system. It’s full of dreams. And lastly, it’s just a f***ing masterpiece.

[oneirophasia]

Aw I missed it, but I feel like these don't all connote the same regions on the spectrum of artifice to me.

Device: The broadest term, any kind of designed tool from a screwdriver to a rocket engine could be a device.

Implement: A small handheld tool that has few or no moving parts. A really simple implement like a walking stick might not even be a device.

Doohickey: Very small and finicky, and probably more complicated than its size should allow, but most importantly, not easily identifiable. A tatting shuttle or a travel can opener are good examples. Small components of a larger machine are also doohickeys, like a centrifugal governor.

Gadget: A tool, at least hand-sized, with multiple moving parts and one or more non-obvious functions. The archetypal gadget is a pocket multitool or Swiss army knife. They often do the same thing as a simpler tool but with less effort, but break more easily. Gadgets are more gadgety if the only people who frequently need them are specialists.

Gizmo: Very similar to a gadget, but it shouldn't be immediately obvious what it does, and probably it appears to run by itself rather than be actively used. I also feel strongly that it should make a noise of some kind while it works. The archetypal gizmo is a pocketwatch. Radiometer toys, orreries, and printers are also good examples.

Contraption: I assert that a contraption is large enough that you can't easily move it without taking it apart, and its components are exposed while it operates. (I am heavily influenced by Heath Robinson and Rube Goldberg.) My focus group, however, is willing to call much smaller and more enclosed objects "contraptions" than I am, and made a good point about the Useless Box. We did agree that contraptions are mysterious and it shouldn't be clear what they do until the moment they actually do it, and the term implies being janky, homemade, or repurposed.

Apparatus: Umm. Like a crane, an assembly line, a shopvac, a wind tunnel, or a furnace. Or a pipe organ. But not a computer cluster. I sort of think it has to be installed in a certain location, and be entangled through or around it? And a lot of these seem to be involved in assembling smaller machines? But there's also a sense in which an apparatus is just what you call a contraption to be polite, or to compliment it for being elegant and reliable instead of innovative and fun to watch.

[spinningstreak]

Blogvember

No, not strange Halloween goings-on in France – just a drainage specialist who had been expected all day and finally rocked up in pitch dark to sort out a septic tank. He seemed to see nothing unusual in this, and his Heath Robinson machine attracted a few neighbours so it was quite a jolly party in the end. Not convinced I’ll manage the whole Blogvember month (I know, I’m a whole month late…

[paulfc]

Machine Inutile

Laser cut plywood approx. 10x10x10 cms.

There is a long standing trope among makers, of pointless or overly complicated machines, in the US they are known as Rube Goldberg and in the UK as Heath Robinson and the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely made some magnificent automata in this vein that are sometimes referred to as 'machines inutile' , useless machines.   

I wanted to confirm for myself that laser cut plywood gears could function as bevel gears about a ninety degree bend and decided to make a small machine inutile to test this.  

So we have a small square base column with eight gears driven by a single crank and it does nothing but turn the gears, it is essentially a fidget spinner.

In actual fact it is not quite useless, as it does indeed turn gears that are at 90 deg to each other, and it also demonstrates that even number gear loops can turn, odd number gear loops do not.  So had this had three or five sides the gears would not have turned and the machine would have been genuinely useless.

[poecatherinek-g]

Illustrators

Raymond Briggs:

Briggs was an English illustrator and cartoonist who was known for works like; The Snowman (1978), Father Christmas (1973) and Ethel and Ernest (1998) and many more. Raymond Briggs's work has a very recognizable soft look to it which is probably down to his use of charcoals and soft crayons in his illustrations. Briggs's style is also quite distinctive as he draws his characters in a specific way, giving them small dots for eyes and lightly blushed cheeks which I think give them an endearing look. I think Briggs's work is quite different compared to other illustrations Iv'e seen in books as he doesn't usually work in black and white and use intricate line work instead, he relies more on colours and shading which makes the end product look soft yet defined.

Maurice Sendak:

Sendak was an American author and illustrator known for many books including: Where the wild things are (1963) and Outside Over There (1981). Unlike other illustrators I’m looking at, his style has a gritty look to it which is probably because of how Sendak uses pen lines/hatching to shade to create texture, especially when he draws fur and other details on the "Wild Things". As for his characters, Sendak's is able to portray a characters emotion and personality well through their poses and interactions throughout the story. For colouring his illustrations, Sendak usually used water colour which is probably why his pieces consist of a more muted colour palette (centered around blues, greys and greens).

Tove Jansson:

Tove Jansson was a Finnish author and illustrator most well known for being the creator of the Moomin book/comic series (1945-1970) as well as doing illustrations for other novels like The Hobbit (1962). Jansson’s work is often characterized by her unique character designs and ideas that she portrays through her story lines and characters which reflect her own personal life. With the first installment of the Moomin series "The Moomins and the Great Flood" being released in 1946, the characters in that book looked different compared to how they were drawn at the end of the series which shows Jansson's development of her own style throughout the time she worked on the books. Dissimilar to most illustrators (at least the ones I've reaserched), Tove's drawings (excluding book covers) seem to mostly be in black and white with extreme amounts of detail and line work being packed into the scenes. When she does coloured pieces however, she opts for bright, joyful colours which I think suites the playfulness of the characters and setting.

W. Heath Robinson:

Heath Robinson was an English illustrator and author know for books like The Adventures of Uncle Lubin (1902), How to live in a flat (1936) and Heath Robinson at war (1942). Many of his illustrations depict quirky and whimsical machines or circumstances that show Robinson's satirical personality. Weather that be creating silly drawings poking fun at potential "secret weapons" that could be used by countries in WW2 or creating cartoons in response to the changing domestic trends at the time, Heath Robinson is able to create illustrations that need little if not any description to go with them despite them being a little out of the ordinary. Robinson's style has a somewhat traditional feel to it which might be because of the lack of colour in his drawings but that doesn't stop them from being quite detailed in terms of line work and shading.

[rosarubicondior1]

As with any overly complex machine, the more complex it is, the more opportunity there is for something to go wrong, so, because this error-prone Heath-Robinson machine which is there to protect us can sometime treat us as a threat, we have all the autoimmune diseases.

As an example of 'intelligent' design, it is almost as amusingly inept as a Heath-Robinson machine, but as an example of utilitarian evolution by natural selection, is illustrates neatly that no intelligence, no foresight and no ultimate plan was involved and suboptimal solutions which are better than what went before will be retained and become the basis for future development which will often include improving the efficiency of sub-optimal systems or mitigating the effects of failure.

[ayulaoneone]

Making someone gender-fluid by filling them with my gender-fluid if you know what I mean

[EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER] Fucking is the least interesting sexuality/gender force-change vector. Build a big scary Heath Robinson machine.

[bbd-6p]

これが噂のピタゴラスイッチ…！

This must be a sort of super famous Heath Robinson contraption/RG machine… Cute.

ダバダバに泣くルーピンかわいい💕

RL never tries to hide his tears and that makes me dead.

When I opened the bag of donuts, they flew over my head and landed on my plate. This is a true story that I recently experienced🍩🪶

[c86]

W. Heath Robinson

[sad-robot-grc]

Inktober day 20, Tread.

#inktober #inktober2019 #inktoberday21 #Tread #weirdMachine #idkwhatsgoingonhere #drawing #blackandwhite #feet