#master draftsman

[blueiscoool]

Remnants of a Legendary Typeface Have Been Rescued From the Thames River

Doves Type was thrown into the water a century ago, following a dispute between its creators.

The depths of the river Thames in London hold many unexpected stories, gleaned from the recovery of prehistoric tools, Roman pottery, medieval jewelry, and much more besides. Yet the tale of the lost (and since recovered) Doves typeface is surely one of the most peculiar.

A little over a century ago, the printer T.J. Cobden-Sanderson took it upon himself to surreptitiously dump every piece of this carefully honed metal letterpress type into the river. It was an act of retribution against his business partner, Emery Walker, whom he believed was attempting to swindle him.

The pair had conceived this idiosyncratic Arts and Crafts typeface when they founded the Doves Press in the London’s Hammersmith neighborhood, in 1900. They worked with draftsman Percy Tiffin and master punch-cutter Edward Prince to faithfully recall the Renaissance clarity of 15th-century Venetian fonts, designed by the revolutionary master typographer Nicolas Jensen.

With its extra-wide capital letters, diamond shaped punctuation and unique off-kilter dots on the letter “i,” Doves Type became the press’s hallmark, surpassing fussier typographic attempts by their friend and sometime collaborator, William Morris.

The letterforms only existed as a unique 16pt edition, meaning that when Cobden-Sanderson decided to “bequeath” every single piece of molded lead to the Thames, he effectively destroyed any prospect of the typeface ever being printed again. That might well have been the case, were it not for several individuals and a particularly tenacious graphic designer.

Robert Green first became fascinated with Doves Type in the mid-2000s, scouring printed editions and online facsimiles, to try and faithfully redraw and digitize every line. In 2013, he released the first downloadable version on typespec, but remained dissatisfied. In October 2014, he decided to take to the river to see if he could find any of the original pieces.

Using historical accounts and Cobden-Sanderson’s diaries, he pinpointed the exact spot where the printer had offloaded his wares, from a shadowy spot on Hammersmith bridge. “I’d only been down there 20 minutes and I found three pieces,” he said. “So, I got in touch with the Port of London Authority and they came down to search in a meticulous spiral.” The team of scuba divers used the rather low-tech tools of a bucket and a sieve to sift through the riverbed.

Green managed to recover a total of 151 sorts (the name for individual pieces of type) out of a possible 500,000. “It’s a tiny fraction, but when I was down by the river on my own, for one second it all felt very cosmic,” he said. “It was like Cobden-Sanderson had dropped the type from the bridge and straight into my hands. Time just collapsed.”

The finds have enabled him to further develop his digitized version and has also connected him with official mudlarks (people who search riverbanks for lost treasures, with special permits issued) who have uncovered even more of the type.

Jason Sandy, an architect, author and member of the Society of Thames Mudlarks, found 12 pieces, which he has donated to Emery Walker’s House at 7 Hammersmith Terrace. This private museum was once home to both business partners, and retains its stunning domestic Arts and Crafts interior.

Much like Green, Sandy was captivated by the Doves Type story, and mounted an exhibition at the house that displays hundreds of these salvaged pieces, including those discovered by Green, as well as mudlarks Lucasz Orlinski and Angus McArthur. The show was supplemented by a whole host of Sandy’s other finds, including jewelry and tools. An extant copy of the Doves English Bible is also on display.

“It is not that unusual to find pieces of type in the river,” Sandy said. “Particularly around Fleet Street, where newspaper typesetters would throw pieces in the water when they couldn’t be bothered to put them back in their cases. But this is a legendary story and we mudlarks love a good challenge.” The community is naturally secretive about exactly where and how things are found. For example, Orlinski has worked under the cover of night with a head torch, to search for treasures at his own mysterious spot on the riverbank.

For Sandy, the thrill comes from the discovery of both rare and everyday artifacts, which can lead to an entirely new line of inquiry: “The Thames is very democratic. It gives you a clear picture of what people have been wearing or using over thousands of years. And it’s not carefully curated by a museum. The river gives up these objects randomly, and you experience these amazing stories of ordinary Londoners. It creates a very tangible connection to the past. Every object leads you down a rabbit hole.”

By Holly Black.

[chronivore]

Austrian Artist Ernst Fuchs “The Spirit of Mercury”, 1954, 47x62cm, ink drawing on paper.

I was fortunate having met him on few occasions between 1974 and 1978 in Graz and Vienna, and even received positive feedbacks from him about my early works before I emigrated to France.

Ernst Fuchs (13 February 1930 – 9 November 2015) was an Austrian painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, architect, stage designer, composer, poet, and one of the founders of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. In 1972, he acquired the derelict Otto Wagner Villa in Hütteldorf, which he restored and transformed. The villa was inaugurated as the Ernst Fuchs Museum in 1988.

At the Academy, he met Arik Brauer, Rudolf Hausner, Helmut Leherb, Fritz Janschka, Wolfgang Hutter, and Anton Lehmden, together with whom he later founded what has become known as the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism.[1] He was also a founding member of the Art-Club (1946), as well as the Hundsgruppe, set up in opposition to it in 1951, together with Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Arnulf Rainer.

Fuchs’ work of this period was influenced by the art of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele and then by Max Pechstein, Heinrich Campendonk, Edvard Munch, Henry Moore and Pablo Picasso. During this time, seeking to achieve the vivid lighting effects achieved by such Old Masters as Albrecht Altdorfer, Albrecht Dürer, Matthias Grünewald and Martin Schongauer, he revived and adopted the mischtechnik (mixed technique) of painting. In the mischtechnik, egg tempera is used to build up volume, and is then glazed with oil paints mixed with resin, producing a jewel-like effect.

#art #painter #printmaker #sculptor #stagedesigner #austrianartist

[archivist-dragonfly]

Book 531

The Complete Woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer

Dr. Willi Kurth, ed.

Bonanza Books 1946

At nearly 80 years old, this book is holding together quite well. It’s exceptionally clean under the jacket, which lists its price at $7.50. Which is what I think I paid for it around fifteen years ago—a hell of a deal for every woodcut Dürer ever made. The jacket copy says that the reproductions have been made from new plates in the original 9” x 12” size, and they do look good, albeit perhaps a bit over inked. The line thickness looks a little fat, but overall really nice. So with 346 woodcuts from a master draftsman, a brief biography, and a descriptive index, this is well worth the price of admission.

[mybeingthere]

To continue with Croatian self-taught naive painters - next is Ivan Lacković Croata (1932 – 2004), born to a peasant family in the village of Batinske near Kalinovac. After completing his primary school, he worked as a laborer in fields and forests. His first watercolours, depicting village life, were painted in 1944.

When he moved to Zagreb, he worked as a mailman and post office worker, when in 1962 he met Krsto Hegedušić and occasionally worked in his master workshop. His first one-man exhibition in the HAZU Cabinet of Graphics in 1964 established his reputation as a masterful draftsman. He left the post office job in 1968 and became a professional painter.

He painted lyrical and surreal scenes from his native region of Podravina in tempera and with oil on glass (a traditional technique of the naive artists from north Croatia). Detailed winter scenes prevail in his early works. (from wiki)

[germanpostwarmodern]

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s and well into the early 1970s the example of Mies van der Rohe inspired countless younger architects to follow the master’s idiom. The Swiss architect Frank Geiser (*1935) belongs to the successful adepts of Mies who undoubtedly belongs to the country’s most significant architects working in steel. But although Geiser still regards the first 1956 issue of „Das Werk“ dedicated to the work of Mies, Ludwig Hilberseimer and Konrad Wachsmann as a quintessential representation of his architectural thinking, his preference for the square and clear geometry harks back to Geiser’s early acquaintance with art: during his training as a draftsman in Berne in the early to mid-1950s Geiser moved in the circles of the local avant-garde and himself made artworks in the style of the Art concret.

Following his training in Berne Geiser in 1956 moved to Ulm in Germany to study architecture at the legendary Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) where Herbert Ohl was his teacher and from which he graduated in 1960 with a diploma project about social housing. Afterwards he returned to Berne where he also established his office as early as 1962 and in the subsequent two decades realized a number of very Miesian projects, among them the Radio Schweiz high-rise (1969-72), single-family homes and

These projects and many others are featured in Konrad Tobler’s monograph „Frank Geiser. Architekt – Hauptwerke 1955–2015“, published in 2015 by Park Books. Tobler, based on a multitude of interviews conducted with the architect, elaborates on his formation and work. But the major part of the book is dedicated to a selection of projects from the 1960s to the present, all presented in comprehensive dossiers including photographs and plans. The featured projects demonstrate Geiser’s ability to make the Miesian idiom his own and how he rigorously refined the grid as basis of his architecture. And even though the 1980s saw him introduce postmodern elements these were always subordinated to the grid.

Tobler’s book on Frank Geiser is a beautifully designed and highly readable tribute to a lesser-known yet significant Swiss architect that is warmly recommended!

[uwmspeccoll]

Wood Engraving Wednesday

R. P. HALE

Francestown, New Hampshire, named after Frances Deering Wentworth, the wife of colonial governor John Wentworth, was incorporated in 1772, and by the time of the first census in 1790, the town had 928 souls resident there. Today, the town has barely doubled in size with about 1,600 residents. The rural, but entrepreneurial nature of the town is captured in this 2019 wood engraving entitled General Store, Fracestown, N. H. ca. 1858 by New Hampshire artist R. P. Hale. The print was selected by my Wisconsin colleagues Tracy Honn and Jim Moran for inclusion in the Fourth Triennial Exhibition 2020-2022 of the American American wood engravers society, the Wood Engravers’ Network (WEN). This image is from the catalog for that travelling show.

R. P. Hale, who runs his press, La Imprenta Azteca, out of Concord, N.H., just a few miles northeast of Francestown, is many things: an artist, printmaker, scientist, educator, master calligrapher, medical illustrator, paper-marbler, draftsman, photographer, harpsichord maker, concert musician, historical re-enactor, and specialist in Mesoamerican astronomy. But it's his highly-detailed, photorealistic wood engravings that he is perhaps most well known for. Trained in medical illustration, astronomy, and chemistry, Hale is a long-time WEN member and comes from a long line of Mexican printmakers. Hale and his wife Alice, have passed on the family arts, crafts, and science traditions to their daughter Alicia who practices in New York.

The image of the original wood block locked up on the press bed is from R. P. Hale's Facebook page.

View other posts withengravings from the WEN Fourth Triennial Exhibition.

View more engravings by members of the Wood Engraver’s Network.

View more posts with wood engravings!

– MAX, Head, Special Collections and juror for the WEN Fifth Triennial Exhibition.

[bullshits-smut]

So caught up on dungeon meishi.

Fuckin wow that's a really good comic.

Spoilers for latest issues.

So it starts off as basically a gag comic about doing a dungeon dive in a generic anime western fantasy world but they are eating all the monsters they kill. It's goofy and fun but nothing really that amazing. Real similar to camp fire cooking in another world.

Unlike camp fire cooking it slowly expands and progresses into a more serious higher stakes plot as the secrets of the dungeon get revealed. It starts to drop the eating monsters gimick and become more about forbidden magic and world ending plots and shit, and it's fantastic.

But the thing that I think sets it apart from a lot of other stories that slowly grow in stakes and seriousness as they progress is the fact that it reveals that the eating monster gimick isn't a gimick. It's a thematic core to the larger story. Eat or be eaten, hunger becomes a metaphor for desire. They are feeding on the dungeon and it's monsters but the dungeon is feeding on their desire. The monsters are ultimately a lure for the heroes to be eaten by the dungeon. Learning to control your hunger or desire is key.

And by the end Laios devours the winged lion, being the only person capable of consuming its unfathomable desire.

It's all tied together. The early fun goofy eating monsters becomes the core theme of the story as it grows.

It's just... Fucking masterful story telling.

And that's not even getting into the art.

The art grows in the same way as the story. It's never bad even from the first issue it's nice art but it's verry standard.

Like this is nice art, but nice in the same way as like a hundred other fantasy manga. Id describe it as 'we have witch hat atelier at home'

But as the story expands and starts to grow out of its initial premesis so does the art. But interesting its less that Ryoko Kui becoming a better draftsman and more either intentionally or unintentionally the scope of the influence she's drawing from expanding.

While the early stuff is clearly drawing from the same pool of influences as a million isekai fantasy manga. As it goes on and becomes more conceptually abstract in its story. The art starts to take on a biblical quality.

Until Laios devouring the winged lion is just... One of the most gorgeous single panels I've seen in a manga.

That's a fuckin renisance painting, her art and layouts start to draw from renisance and baroque art. The ideas the comic are presenting even if in isolation they're good, the art transforms it into something mythic.

Just...

Yo this comics really fuckin good.

[mlleclaudine]

Remnants of a Legendary Typeface Have Been Rescued From the River Thames

Doves Type was thrown into the water a century ago, following a dispute between its creators.

by Holly Black - Artnet, May 5, 2024

Doves Type recovered by Robert Green, 2014. Photo Matthew Williams Ellis

The depths of the river Thames in London hold many unexpected stories, gleaned from the recovery of prehistoric tools, Roman pottery, medieval jewelry, and much more besides. Yet the tale of the lost (and since recovered) Doves typeface is surely one of the most peculiar.

A little over a century ago, the printer T.J. Cobden-Sanderson took it upon himself to surreptitiously dump every piece of this carefully honed metal letterpress type into the river. It was an act of retribution against his business partner, Emery Walker, whom he believed was attempting to swindle him.

The pair had conceived this idiosyncratic Arts and Crafts typeface when they founded the Doves Press in the London’s Hammersmith neighborhood, in 1900. They worked with draftsman Percy Tiffin and master punch-cutter Edward Prince to faithfully recall the Renaissance clarity of 15th-century Venetian fonts, designed by the revolutionary master typographer Nicolas Jensen.

Doves Type recovered by Robert Green, 2014. Photo Matthew Williams Ellis

With its extra-wide capital letters, diamond shaped punctuation and unique off-kilter dots on the letter “i,” Doves Type became the press’s hallmark, surpassing fussier typographic attempts by their friend and sometime collaborator, William Morris.

The letterforms only existed as a unique 16pt edition, meaning that when Cobden-Sanderson decided to “bequeath” every single piece of molded lead to the Thames, he effectively destroyed any prospect of the typeface ever being printed again. That might well have been the case, were it not for several individuals and a particularly tenacious graphic designer.

Robert Green first became fascinated with Doves Type in the mid-2000s, scouring printed editions and online facsimiles, to try and faithfully redraw and digitize every line. In 2013, he released the first downloadable version on typespec, but remained dissatisfied. In October 2014, he decided to take to the river to see if he could find any of the original pieces.

Doves Type recovered and held here by Lukasz Orlinski at Emery Walker’s House. Photo: Lucinda MacPherson.

Using historical accounts and Cobden-Sanderson’s diaries, he pinpointed the exact spot where the printer had offloaded his wares, from a shadowy spot on Hammersmith bridge. “I’d only been down there 20 minutes and I found three pieces,” he said. “So, I got in touch with the Port of London Authority and they came down to search in a meticulous spiral.” The team of scuba divers used the rather low-tech tools of a bucket and a sieve to sift through the riverbed.

Green managed to recover a total of 151 sorts (the name for individual pieces of type) out of a possible 500,000. “It’s a tiny fraction, but when I was down by the river on my own, for one second it all felt very cosmic,” he said. “It was like Cobden-Sanderson had dropped the type from the bridge and straight into my hands. Time just collapsed.”

The finds have enabled him to further develop his digitized version and has also connected him with official mudlarks (people who search riverbanks for lost treasures, with special permits issued) who have uncovered even more of the type.

A mudlark by the Thames with Hammersmith Bridge in background. Photo: Lucinda MacPherson.

Jason Sandy, an architect, author and member of the Society of Thames Mudlarks, found 12 pieces, which he has donated to Emery Walker’s House at 7 Hammersmith Terrace. This private museum was once home to both business partners, and retains its stunning domestic Arts and Crafts interior.

Much like Green, Sandy was captivated by the Doves Type story, and mounted an exhibition at the house that displays hundreds of these salvaged pieces, including those discovered by Green, as well as mudlarks Lucasz Orlinski and Angus McArthur. The show was supplemented by a whole host of Sandy’s other finds, including jewelry and tools. An extant copy of the Doves English Bible is also on display.

The Doves Bible returns to Emery Walker’s House. Photo: Lucinda MacPherson.

“It is not that unusual to find pieces of type in the river,” Sandy said. “Particularly around Fleet Street, where newspaper typesetters would throw pieces in the water when they couldn’t be bothered to put them back in their cases. But this is a legendary story and we mudlarks love a good challenge.” The community is naturally secretive about exactly where and how things are found. For example, Orlinski has worked under the cover of night with a head torch, to search for treasures at his own mysterious spot on the riverbank.

For Sandy, the thrill comes from the discovery of both rare and everyday artifacts, which can lead to an entirely new line of inquiry: “The Thames is very democratic. It gives you a clear picture of what people have been wearing or using over thousands of years. And it’s not carefully curated by a museum. The river gives up these objects randomly, and you experience these amazing stories of ordinary Londoners. It creates a very tangible connection to the past. Every object leads you down a rabbit hole.”

“Mudlarking: Unearthing London’s Past” is at Emery Walker’s House, 7 Hammersmith Terrace, London, through May 30.

[longlistshort]

For James Isherwood’s paintings for Thaw at Seizan Gallery he has created strange and beautiful worlds with features both foreign and recognizable. According to the artist the work “examines the context of architecture, landscape, subconscious imagery, psychedelic alternate realities, time, memory and place”.

From the gallery-

Writing in Flash Art in 2020, critic Pier Luigi Sacco characterizes Isherwood as a “master of deception.” Buildings and structures are presiding features in Isherwood’s works. They become architectural protagonists through which Isherwood invents alternate realities, inviting the viewer into visual paradoxes in hyper-saturated palettes.

These structures that populate Isherwood’s paintings, alluding to David Hockney’s pools, are always presented absent of people. Sacco writes, “Despite their obvious allusion to stereotypical built forms, they are clearly not inhabited — or possibly even inhabitable.” This absence of human presence enables the viewer to inhabit the structure in a waking-dream space, transported through a cosmos of the imagination. This space has the capability to offer a duality of feeling: playful yet dangerous, otherworldly yet recognizable. Isherwood’s color palette, likewise, engages this duality, evoking everything from a drifting snowbank or a night sky to a chemical burn or a black hole.

While Isherwood begins his process by referencing visual material—often images of particular buildings—his rendering of this material lands the viewer on another astral plane entirely. His method is highly technical, while retaining an improvisational and serendipitous aspect. His technique utilizes washes and often hundreds of layers, also adding renderings that show the hand of a skilled draftsman. At the same time, his compositions allude to Magritte and other Surrealists through his playful, trickster choices.

This exhibition represents a strong passage, following a highly inventive period in the pandemic lockdown, into a newly deepened visual vernacular of Isherwood’s own invention.

This exhibition is on view until 6/15/24.

[fashionbooksmilano]

Gardens in Perpetual Bloom

Botanical Illustration in Europe and America 1600-1850

Nancy Keeler

MFA Publications, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 2019, 136 pages, 19,5x23cm, ISBN  978-0878467495

euro 25,00

email if you want to buy booksinprogressmilano@yahoo.it

Originally developed as an aid to professional herbalists, botanical illustration quickly blossomed into an art form in its own right. The first flower books were intended as medicinal guides, or else illustrated volumes that catalogued the elaborate and extensive gardens of the well-to-do. But when Carl Linnaeus first classified the plant kingdom in 1735, the botanical book quickly took on a more scientific cast. By the nineteenth century, the flourishing of botanical publications reflected both the rapid rise of gardening as an amateur hobby and the desire of artists and decorators for new visual resources. Gardens in Perpetual Bloom: Botanical Illustration in Europe and America 1600–1850 traces the appreciation of flowers and their depiction, from the studious world of monks and princes to the era of the gardening enthusiast. The book's 110 prints and drawings―which include masterful engravings by Georg Dionysus Ehret, the eighteenth century's most accomplished botanical artist, and hand-colored prints by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, the premier draftsman of flowers for Marie Antoinette and Josephine Bonaparte―are remarkable for their technical virtuosity, delicate tonalities, scientific accuracy and seemingly infinite variety. Gardens in Perpetual Bloom is both a valuable historical survey and an affordable, attractively designed volume of jewel-like beauty.

95/12/23

[pandiongames]

Banda's Grove Overhaul Devlog - Design, Maps, and Terminology

Why are we overhauling Banda's Grove? See here: https://www.tumblr.com/pandiongames/711176177895735296

This will be a series of design deep dives. We want to share not just what we're changing about the game, but why we're changing it. Perhaps it could help someone in the future. I'll be using "#banda's grove overhaul" tag in each post if you would like to follow along.

Page Design

Check out the images if you want an idea of what Banda Grove's current rules are. This isn’t final text in the v2 image by any means, but we’re walking down the path of making new master pages for layout.

A Refreshed Color Palette

The background color is lightened up, and the vibrancy of all the colors is increased just a little bit for further contrast. We played around with changing the palette completely, but after a couple of hours of going back and forth, we decided to tweak the existing one because it feels unique and iconic to BG now.

New and more fonts

We stuck with Oil Can as the header and title font after looking at a ton of different options. This is a special font for me because it is no longer available from Lost Type co-op and hasn’t been for almost a decade now. Back when we started this project, I emailed them to get reconfirmation of a commercial use. I covet and backup the .otf file religiously. That certainly increases the likelihood this will remain a unique look.

But for the body text, we’ve swapped out Courier Prime with three fonts, two of them are on display here. The Paragraph is Bitter from Google Fonts, while the in-game handwriting is KH Sober Draftsman from Kern + Hide.

The callout boxes (post-it notes) in the game will use Ultra-Classified by Kern + Hide - this wonderfully jaunty typewriter/newsprint type of font.

We will be working with columns where it makes sense, but there will be a mix.

This is all to give the book a cleaner, easily readable interior. Previously, I was using different colored callout boxes to differentiate between “in world” notes from Ranger Murie, and game text. Now, however, we can represent that by font styles, which keeps the pages a bit more tidy.

The rectangle and pink triangle in the header is an anchor design and be used throughout everything to tie things together.

Maps, Mapping, and Hexes

We’ve been working the last few days on the mapping system in Banda’s Grove. Please note, things are still influx, and may change more.

Mapping in Banda’s Grove has been tedious at best from the very beginning. It originally had a tetris-style chunk of hexes you could lay down on a massive hex grid. That was replaced with a simpler 19 hex flower, and you started by building out 7 of them to start. But each individual hex also had its detail map of another 7 hexes to track little details. This was a lot to manage, to say the least, and made online games dang near impossible.

I had a big conversation today with another designer on the purpose of a hex on a map, and Banda’s Grove does not have any travel or time mechanics tied to traversing a hex. It is not a hex crawl or point crawl. The purpose of the map is to draw, sketch, and laugh together when you talk about the worlds you’re building.

So, we are getting rid of hex grid and detail maps entirely.

Instead, we are working on implementing a single free form map, plus a shared notebook. We’ll still provide a themed map, but players can also just use the biggest piece of paper they can get their hands on to draw the twisting, winding, Planes converging at the Grove. Players still draw together with Jamboard, Figjam, tldraw, aggie.io, or Miro for online games, or ignore the map aspect completely.

We’ll provide tips on how to setup your shared notebook or gdoc and offer optional templates in PDF and .gdoc formats. We’re investigating other online worldbuilding tools to build templates for them as well.

This change has an additional upside: We can remove an entire technical term from the game, reducing jargon and confusion.

Before, we used the word “Fragment” to denote we were talking about a hex tile in general, and “Plane” to talk about the biome and culture on that Fragment. The word Fragment has now been completely removed from the game, and we only have Planes.

As an example, Maps in Banda’s Grove will become more free form like this, rather than the more bounded hex grid style. And no, I cannot draw. This is why I hire artists!

And this actually opens up some interesting possibilities for using mechanics to add limits, encouraging players to use the Convergence Event move, which also risks adding blips to the map, which in turn causes more narrative friction.

I’m playing with limiting the number of facilities you can build on a single Plane - we have to make sure we don’t overcrowd the environment! However, now a Convergence Event can add a new Plane you come up with yourself, or expand an existing Plane (you still need to roll to see which Plane is extended). Extending a Plane doesn’t add any new overhead to your note-taking now. You just continue adding details and notes under the “Cluthar” section.

When blips occur, you still roll a pebble over the map, and the Plane it lands on becomes shrouded in primordial darkness and is unavailable until mended.

Actions, Phases, & Quantum Events

First, let’s discuss a quick term rename I did. We mistakenly used the name “Action” to represent the special abilities of a playbook, facility, or downtime phase that cost a pebble to use. These are now called Moves. This will free up the word “action” for another mechanic to reduce confusion further.

The other piece I’ve been working on is how Phases work. Phases were always meant to represent the passage of a week, but their naming and how I implemented them muddled that, and it was… confusing at best.

I’ve always had this idea that the “Downtime” phase was the weekday, that’s why you have 5 actions to take. One for each day of the week.

The Update Phase was supposed to represent Sunday Evening, when you’re settling in and taking a moment to prepare for the weekday.

And the Quantum Event phase, was meant to be the weekend, a time of adventure, and shenanigans around the campgrounds.

The phases and quantum events have been renamed to reinforce that weekly cycle concept fully:

The Weekday - You take 5 Weekday Actions. You can spend pebbles to perform Weekday, Playbook or Facility moves, or have slice of life roleplay scenes to gain pebbles.

The Weekend - This is when you go on Weekend Adventures! Time to get into and out of trouble, help peoples, and discover hidden mysteries.

Sunday Night - This is the time to settle in after your big adventures, take stock, reduce your dice, and prepare for the Weekday.

Even though these are just terminology changes, they help reinforce the concepts of the gameplay loop, what it means, and connect the mechanical concepts together better.

And speaking of the Weekday Phase, we have simplified the “Downtime Actions” (now called Weekday Moves). Before, you had Downtime Actions. Some were nestled under a “Grove Projects” action, which itself was several possible actions. Wow, that’s confusing. That is all rewritten and organized, so there’s no nesting. Just a list of comprehensive Weekday Moves now.

Because The Weekend is a cleanly defined phase of free form adventuring and roleplay, but with the limitation of not being able to use Weekday or Facility moves, I can also organize gameplay better.

The biggest one here is Events (previously “Festivals” & “Special Events”, also simplified). They were always a free form adventure. They were designed as roleplay heavy, low stress, celebratory “Quantum Events” with boons and bonuses for your efforts - they have an introduction, complications, and your reward for participating.

But, they didn’t really fit in the Weekday phase’s gameplay, where they currently take place. But that’s where they had to live because The Quantum Event Phase was for Quantum Event. As written, it didn’t leave room for anything else.

Now the Weekend is a phase of adventuring where you just can’t use Weekday or Facility Moves, only your Playbook Moves, inventory, and wit. By default, a Weekend Adventure takes place - either one we wrote, or one you create.

However, now an Event can replace that Weekend’s Adventure. There are some Facility Moves that also initiate Events, like putting on a play at the Stage. That will take place during the Weekend in lieu of a Weekend Adventure now as well.

All these little tweaks and changes are to streamline and organize play, reduce jargon and drastically increase clarity.

Until next time!

-Andy

[rptv1]

The Baptism of Christ

by the Nuremberg Master

Pen and brown ink, ~ 6 x 4.5 inches

-

The presentation of this composition within a medallion leads us to conclude that it was probably a design for a window.  The strong influence of the art of the Middle and Upper Rhine is evident.  The arms of the Fürleger family at the bottom of the drawing indicate that the unknown draftsman worked in Nuremberg.

Date unknown (late 1400s or later)

[adamporcher]

The Origins of Origami

Origami, originally known as “orisue,” is a well-known Japanese artform with a long history extending back to 105 AD. While the creation of paper itself has been credited to Cai Lun in China, the art of paper folding has grown and developed in Japanese culture.

Following the import of paper manufacturing technology from China to Japan, the material’s popularity rose among monks, who used it for writing. A poem from the 17th century refers to origami butterflies called “ocho” and “meccho,” but the actual date of the first folded creations remains unknown. Due to its decorative aspect, origami was incorporated in gift wrapping. The Japanese referred to a folded paper attached to a gift as “origami tsuki.”

The 18th century was an era characterized by significant interest in origami. Sadatake Ise published the first manual providing origami instructions in 1764. The book covered more than 10 ceremonial folds. Almost three decades later, another manual, called Sembazuru Orikata, outlined the method of folding interconnected cranes.

During the Edo Era, Japan enjoyed political peace and economic prosperity. Consequently, paper supply increased and interest in the arts flourished. More than 70 common, present-day origami shapes (such as the crane) originated in the Edo Era.

In addition to its creative value, origami can be a beneficial form of meditation. The process of folding paper can be an exercise in patience. People can use origami as a method of mindfulness, as research shows that it can result in relaxation. It also improves memory and concentration.

Figures outside of Japan promoted the art of origami around the world. For example, the German educator and creator of the kindergarten, Friedrich Froebel, used origami as a tool to teach geometry. Soon, the Froebel method propagated on a global scale, traveling to Japan, as well. As Japanese schools slowly incorporated origami into their curricula, production of the European 15x15 thin square paper grew in Japan. Origami also had a significant impact on design education. The German Bauhaus school of design relied on paper folding to train design students.

Other avenues through which the influence of origami rose include literature and philosophy. Spanish author Miguel de Unamuno was a big fan of origami who frequently integrated it into his writings, referring to it in Spanish as “papiroflexia.” The spread of origami among Spanish-speaking populations can be attributed to the work of Argentine physician Vicente Sagredo, who published several origami manuals in the Spanish language.

Akira Yoshizawa is perhaps the most critical figure in origami history. A technical draftsman by trade, Yoshizawa mastered the art of paper folding and utilized it to visualize geometrical problems. After publishing the seminal book Atarashi Origami Geijutsi in 1964, Yoshizawa offered the world new insight into paper folding, a notation system for origami designs, and realistic diagrams of many animal shapes. Most importantly, he established a new origami form called wet-folding. This method entailed dampening paper to create softer folds that could be more easily shaped into origami models.

In the 20th century, mathematicians such as Robert Lang broke down the principle of origami folding to explore more complex designs. Lang’s work culminated in the creation of a computer software called Tree Maker. The software facilitated the development of highly complex, hyper-realistic origami designs, which continue to evolve today.

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Master printmaker, draftsman and painter Martin King was born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1957.

Martin's life as an artist and print-maker has seen him travel the world. While born and raised in Melbourne, Martin has also been based in France, Spain and London. He's also worked across wide cross-sections of Australia, as well as teaching in varied locations such as Darwin and Canberra.

In 1996, was invited to work with Aboriginal artists on printmaking projects in Jilamara, Melville Island in the NT. Again, in 2000, he worked with Aboriginal communities in Millijidee, WA.

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Career Opportunities After Completing Piping Modeling Training

Piping modeling is a crucial skill in industries like oil and gas, power plants, chemical processing, and infrastructure development. As industries grow, the demand for skilled professionals in piping design and modeling is increasing. Enrolling in a Piping Modeling and Drafting Course in Chennai can help aspiring engineers gain expertise in industry-relevant tools and techniques. Completing a piping modeling training program at Conserve Academy can open numerous career opportunities in India and abroad.

Why Choose Piping Modeling as a Career?

Piping systems are the backbone of industrial projects, and accurate modeling ensures efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness. With advanced 3D modeling tools, companies optimize complex piping networks, creating a strong demand for certified professionals.

Career Opportunities After Piping Modeling Training

After completing training at Conserve Academy, you can explore roles such as:

1. Piping Design Engineer

Designs piping systems using advanced CAD and 3D modeling software.

Works on industrial projects, ensuring efficiency and compliance.

2. Piping Draftsman

Creates detailed technical drawings for pipeline systems.

Assists engineers in converting designs into practical layouts.

3. Piping Stress Analyst

Analyzes stress, pressure, and load factors to ensure durability.

Works in sectors like oil refineries, power plants, and offshore platforms.

4. Piping Layout Engineer

Plans pipeline placement in industrial plants.

Ensures space optimization and adherence to safety standards.

5. Piping Material Engineer

Selects materials based on environmental and operational factors.

Enhances pipeline longevity and performance.

Industries That Hire Piping Modelers

Graduates from Conserve Academy can secure jobs in industries such as:

Oil & Gas – Refineries, offshore platforms, and pipeline projects.

Power Plants – Nuclear, thermal, and renewable energy facilities.

Chemical & Pharmaceutical – Industrial manufacturing and processing plants.

Water Treatment & Infrastructure – Wastewater management and public utilities.

Construction & HVAC – Industrial and commercial piping systems.

Career Growth & Future Prospects

With experience and additional certifications, professionals can advance to roles like:

Lead Piping Engineer – Supervises design teams and major projects.

Project Manager (Piping) – Oversees the entire piping engineering process.

Piping Consultant – Provides expertise for large-scale industrial projects.

Piping & Pipeline Engineering Specialist – Works on high-profile international projects.

Why Choose Conserve Academy for Piping Modeling Training?

Conserve Academy is a leading institute providing industry-oriented training in piping design and modeling. The academy offers:

✔ Expert-Led Training – Learn from experienced industry professionals. ✔ Hands-On Experience – Work on real-time projects for practical exposure. ✔ Advanced Software Training – Master tools like AutoCAD, PDMS, SP3D, and CAESAR II. ✔ Job Assistance – Get guidance for career placement in top industries.

How to Get Started?

Enroll in Conserve Academy’s Piping Modeling Course.

Gain Software Proficiency – Learn essential tools for piping design.

Work on Live Projects – Apply your knowledge in real-world scenarios.

Earn Certifications – Improve job prospects and salary potential.

Apply for Jobs or Internships – Gain industrial exposure and start your career.

Conclusion

Building a career in piping modeling can lead to diverse opportunities in industries like oil and gas, power plants, chemical processing, and infrastructure development. As industries continue to expand, the need for skilled professionals in piping design and modeling is increasing. By enrolling in a Piping Modeling and Drafting Course in Chennai, along with a Piping Modeling Certification Course in Chennai, you gain hands-on experience with industry-leading tools and techniques. Completing a piping modeling training program at Conserve Academy provides the expertise and certifications needed to secure rewarding job opportunities, ensuring long-term career growth in this dynamic field. Ready to start your journey? Join Conserve Academy today!

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Richard Williams: Master Animator and Visionary

Richard Williams (1933–2019) is celebrated as one of the most influential animators in the history of the medium. Known for his exceptional craftsmanship, relentless pursuit of perfection, and commitment to advancing the art of animation, Williams left an indelible mark on the industry through his life, work, and innovative contributions.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Richard Edmund Williams was born on March 19, 1933, in Toronto, Canada. His interest in art and storytelling was evident from a young age, and he studied at the Ontario College of Art. Seeking broader horizons, Williams moved to England in the 1950s, where he began to establish himself as a talented animator and artist.

His first significant success came in 1958 with the animated short film The Little Island. The film, a thought-provoking allegory, won a BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film and showcased Williams' ability to blend complex ideas with expressive animation.

Career Highlights and Acclaimed Works

Williams' career was defined by his involvement in both commercial and artistic projects. Some of his most notable works include:

"A Christmas Carol" (1971): Williams directed this animated adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale. The short film was highly praised for its atmospheric design and attention to detail, earning an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

"The Thief and the Cobbler" (1964–1993): Often referred to as Williams' magnum opus, The Thief and the Cobbler was an ambitious feature-length project that he worked on for nearly three decades. It was intended as a masterpiece of hand-drawn animation, showcasing Williams' dedication to traditional techniques. Despite production challenges and studio interference that led to a compromised release, the film remains a testament to Williams' visionary artistry.

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988): Williams served as the animation director for this groundbreaking film that blended live-action and animation. His meticulous supervision ensured the seamless integration of animated characters into real-world settings. The film won three Academy Awards and is credited with revitalizing interest in animation during the late 1980s.

Commercial and Title Sequences: Throughout his career, Williams produced iconic title sequences for films such as The Pink Panther Strikes Again and What's New, Pussycat?. His commercial work demonstrated his versatility and ability to create captivating visuals in a variety of styles.

Contributions to Animation

Williams' contributions to the art and industry of animation were profound. He was a master draftsman and a relentless advocate for high standards in animation. Key contributions include:

Preservation of Traditional Animation Techniques: Williams emphasized the importance of classical principles such as squash and stretch, timing, and exaggeration. His work celebrated the craftsmanship of hand-drawn animation in an era increasingly dominated by computer-generated imagery.

Educational Impact: Williams shared his knowledge and expertise through his influential book The Animator's Survival Kit. Published in 2001, the book is considered a cornerstone resource for animators worldwide, offering practical advice and insights into the art of movement and character animation.

Mentorship and Advocacy: Williams mentored numerous animators and collaborated with industry legends such as Ken Harris and Art Babbitt. His dedication to passing on traditional techniques inspired a new generation of artists.

Awards and Recognition

Williams received numerous accolades for his contributions to animation, including multiple Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, and an Annie Award for Lifetime Achievement. His work continues to be celebrated for its technical brilliance and artistic ambition.

Legacy

Richard Williams passed away on August 16, 2019, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire animators and filmmakers. His commitment to the craft and his vision for what animation could achieve have cemented his place as one of the medium's greatest pioneers.