Songs without Words

The long studying days continue, but there’s always just a little time for fun.  Inspired by the art of Ian Jones-Quartey (“Ian J.”), who has gone from high school webcomic artist of the hilarious “RPG World” to astounding professional animator over the last decade or so, I decided to do a quick run sketch.  I highly recommend his art/animation blog at http://ian-j.blogspot.com/ if you have a free moment.  He has such a dynamic, expressive style – and a great sense of humor.  It’s interesting to see how much his style and technique has changed over the years.

Let's go for it!

Oh, and I learned from Lizeth’s DevArt that if you overlay a gradient over lineart in “Color” blending mode, you can get these pretty colored lines!  So of course I couldn’t resist …

Today’s plan: iron out kinks in understanding of anatomy and endocrinology.

I realize that I’ve been merely posting drawings and songs lately without really writing about anything of consequence.  It doesn’t mean that I’ve lost the urge to blog, though.

A lot of things have happened recently around me: MIT and Harvard had their respective graduations; the MIT science library is closed for renovations;

The Boston Bruins managed to spoil a 3-0 game lead and lose 4-3 while coincidentally losing the final game by giving up a 3-0 goal lead to lose 4-3; yet the Celtics are in the finals tied 1-1 after spectacular performances against the Cavs and Magic;

The reeds in the Fens caught fire; the Harvard Medical School Quandrangle labs also caught fire; my dorm’s gym did not catch fire, but the fire annunciator was beeping like a harpy nonetheless, cutting short my attempt to exercise.

All the while, I’ve been trying to find the ‘golden formula’ for optimizing my preparation for the Step I US Medical Licensing Exam.  And yet, it’s always hard each day to get started.

Because in a way, I need someone there to encourage me.  Someone who isn’t going to scare me witless, but someone who can give guidance.  I always imagine that this is the sort of person who loves everyone, and loves me just a little, in that way that I love everyone a little.  I think in a way, my painting yesterday reflects this, because the sweetness of that feeling is the sweetness of vibrant colors – the rosy red of the heart reflected out; the green of the grass drawn in through the feet into the bosom; like colors, the sensitivity of the agape, the unintimate adoration of life, is universal and exposed.  There’s no way to hide it, and when I encounter it, I respond in a different way.

There are moments in life when suddenly, a pang of this color envelops me, and in these moments I feel the most pristine and refreshing love which does not insist on persisting or pursuing, but merely touching and acknowledging, and in those moments I share a smile or a hug and it is the most serene encouragement in all the world.

I hope that when you look at the painting, you can see this, too.  The colors aren’t a fashion statement – they’re a reflection of the colors of her soul.  The way she gazes out without staring, with a peaceful admiration, the layers of her clothes floating together like curtains atop a window overlooking the sparkling ocean.  Human but ethereal, she loves you but she is not your love.

And who I need to find me, broken but of the same race, loving but not quite loved enough, aimless in the mists of the world.

I think this is as faithful as this is going to get to the original … .  Hope you like!  I sketched and inked this in the Countway library and watercolored it in my room.

Line Art

Color adjust 3

Felt like writing an game/anime theme today, so here it is:

Me – Confection Gaze

Update: Fixed the drumline so that the snares playback as snares rather than low toms (which sounded really weird). I finally figured out where the snare was mapped on this staff.

First time using this style in Finale (which is really a classical program), so it took a bit of extra work, but it’s fun get a couple of the guitar effects to sound passable (not great, though).  This follows in the lineage of Days of Sunflowers, Tomorrow, and Aquamarine Stardust, but I think you can hear a subtle jazz/blues influence entering at times.  Hope you enjoy the improvisations in the second interlude!

Instrumentation: Vocals (Oboe), Electric Guitar (Overdrive), Electric Bass (Slap Bass 1), Keyboard (Electric Grand), Synth Strings (String Ens 1), and Standard Drum Kit.  Tempo: q=180.  Played by SoftSynth (Finale MIDI).

Structure: Intro (16) / A A’ (16) / B B’ (16) / C C’ (17) / Interlude (8) / A A’ (16) / B B’ (16) / C C’ (17) /Interlude (32) / B’ (10) / C C’ (18), where A and C are in Ab major and B is in B major.

Lyrics: A simple song like this needs simple words.

Confection Gaze

A:
When I close my eyes, I feel you holding me,
And what can I say, oh! I wish you’d never let go,
But we’re so far apart, and days are lonely now,
So what can I do but* dream of long ago, yeah … (*add artic. on last beat of this bar)

B:
There are days when I just wanna lie in bed,
Waiting for my love to wake me up – with a kiss.
And the days when I’m walking to class and then I think I see your face,
Why can’t it be real?  Can’t a miracle come and change this?

C:
Try to surpass the walls of Heaven,
The endless miles of regret and lost dreams,
Follow the sun’s rays,
Try to believe that I am close by,
And always laughing when our eyes and hearts align,
Your very own confection gaze!

Fun references to catch: Grandia Deck Swabbing song, K-on first OP: Cagayake girls