Sunday 26 August 2018

It's A Faaaake! Not The Art Of Star Trek - Seeing Double


 Rather uncharacteristically, I've made a start on this month's Star Trek art challenge well before the last minute!  I thought I'd better set a good example as I was the one who came up with the theme to August's challenge (having won the July art challenge).  Here is my theme:  

For this month's art challenge, I thought we could take a walk on the wild side.
Or a wild Trek, even!

I'd like to see your takes on anything wilderness-related in the Star Trek Universe: A landscape from Qo'noS, perhaps? Big game from Berengaria? A starship decked out in Greenpeace-equivalent livery rescuing a Gormagander? Or whatever those little creatures were that High Society Betazoid ladies used to imprison in their giant wigs!
As long as your piece of art showcases some sort of wildlife or its environs, it's in!

 The reason why I'm publishing this "It's A Faaaake!" post before the end of the month/beginning of next month is that I need your help - More on this a bit further down.

 Harkening back to 2017's Driven to Distraction and Foreign Relations "It's A Faaaake!" posts, I've cut out a few bits of coloured paper/card and fitted them together to make a couple of Starfleet officers to pose about in the countryside wilderness around Château DeVice.
 I've chosen a Chandir ("Tailhead") and an Andorian, and dressed them in a version of my alternate universe 2373 Starfleet uniform for February's Art Challenge (as modelled by T'Cael & Ry'iak down there in the top right, with influences from my Starfleet Occult Operations design, bottom left). 





 Below, my Chandir (standing) and Andorian (crouching) subjects have escaped their paper prison, despite being unfinished(!), and made it out into the garden. As I hadn't yet got around to furnishing them with tricorders and communicators, they have availed themselves of a divining rod and crystal ball (it's amazing what one can find laying about in a witch's garden) to aid in their bid for freedom...



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 This is the bit where you come in. 

 This morning, I obscured myself and surreptitiously followed Lieutenant Commander Koromandis (the Chandir) and Lieutenant th'Thanticar (the Andorian) down the cliff to the beach where they were attempting to use the appropriated crystal ball and divining rod (as well as a staff that they must have picked up on the way) to find a way off this planet.  I took some photos as evidence, and I'd like your help in whittling them down.  
 The photos are in sets of two - the first of each set is unadulterated (apart from a bit of straightening and/or cropping), while the second has been tinkered with to adjust the brightness, contrast, shadow and highlights.  My useless eyes being somewhat colourblind, I'd like your opinion on which looks best, please.  And also which scene/s you prefer - you don't need to know anything about Star Trek (or even like it), I'm just after which looks most pleasing to you (or the least repulsive).  
 Feel free to critique like only an art critic can!  (i.e. devastatingly) 


#1 Geology


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#2 Beach


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#3 Clay 


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#4 Canyon 


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#5 Canyon close-up 


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#6 Not Vasquez Rocks 


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#7 Dunes 


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#8 Scrub 


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#9 Green 


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#10 Cave 


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#11 Cave close-up 


 I have three or four favourites, and two or three horrors, but I'd like to see what you think before I let you know what they are (so I don't unintentionally influence you).



Continued in... It's A Faaaake! Not The Art Of Star Trek - Wild Things

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Previously on It's a Faaaake! Not The Art Of Star Trek:

July 2018 - Revenge of the Baby-Sat
June 2018 - Making Money
March 2018 - Murder On The Dancefloor
February 2018 - Narwhal in a Spacesuit
December 2017 - Unfinished Business
November 2017 - Let's See Your OC!
October 2017 - Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
July 2017 - Walk Like An Egyptian 
June 2017 - Foreign Relations
May 2017 - Driven to Distraction
February 2017 - Of Prophet's Tears and Verteron Nodes (plus the warm up: The Celestial Temple Cries Golden Tears)
December 2016 - "Did the plan fail, Edward?"
November 2016 - Winter Solstice
October 2016 - Twisted October: Star Trek Art Challenge



  As is now traditional, Senator Vreenak insists upon having the last word:




20 comments:

  1. Job done! Sometimes these things just write themselves! Note: MJ in foreground.

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    1. Ew, gods. I can see the Very Mistress's Tribble!

      And, no, you certainly didn't win for that example of muff diving!

      Delete
  2. You go to such lengths for your art...
    I'm still only vaguely aware of what's what on Star Trek, but I do dip me lid to you.

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    1. Thank you, Dinah. I was in the woods today and down on the beach again with Koromandis and th'Thanticar. They both got wet feet this time, though!

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  3. What a FUNtastic project! I like all the scenes--very creative and magnificent composition! I spent a lot of time scrolling up and down, admiring the great scenes. But I'm going with my initial and gut reaction:

    Love the #8 Scrub, then #9 Green, and the Caves (#10 & #11), with #1 Geology. They all look captivating and intriguing. Thank goodness no large birds swooped down and ate the adventurous paper explorers! Good thing they weren't redshirts and it wasn't raining.

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    1. Thank you for your time and scrolling, Eros. Koromandis and th'Thanticar were lucky that the crows were otherwise engaged!

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    2. Would it be cheating if you did a collage? They're all pretty neat and marvelous scenes!

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    3. Actually, collages are allowed! Only one submission is allowed for the challenge, but it can be made up of many images. I just don't k now if I can be bothered to stick them all together! Besides, I "accidentally" went out and took more photos on Thursday, so now I've got even more of a choice...

      Delete
  4. I'm afraid the picture I like absolutely best is Jake Gyllenhaal's bum which keeps distracting me now there is no mobile version of this blog.
    I did manage to look away for long enough to decide by and large I prefer the photoshopped version except for some reason in number 10.

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    1. Ah, yes, Jake's bum. See what you've been missing out on by looking at the mobile version!
      I'm glad you brought this up, actually. I've pretty much ignored the mobile theme until recently, but while I was mucking around in the blog settings and such like, I thought to have a look to see what it's like: HIDEOUS!
      The layout is all to pot, the fonts are wrong, and the pictures are all over the place. No! I'm not having it! I spend too long crafting these posts and getting them to look like they do, with the pictures just so, and the colours just right (to my colourblind eyes, anyway) to let some upstart "mobile theme" undo all my hard work.
      The thought that people may be looking at my blog in that haphazard state thinking that I just slap things up willy-nilly with no regard to form, function, and aesthetics, just about had me on the verge of apoplexy!

      *and breathes*

      Luckily, one of the SubC's stepped in and dealt with it all before I blew a gasket.


      Ummm… What was I saying?



      Oh, yes. So, anyway, thanks for your input (I prefer the "adjusted" photos, too), and apologies for the rant.

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  5. #10 and 11 looks just like the entrance to the baths at the Virgin Gorda. The maid and I often take to the waters there.

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    1. Ooh, that looks lovely! (I've just had a quick google) The pictures are surprisingly free of people. I hope there's no riff-raff there when you and Carmen drop in?

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  6. I like the highly saturated versions of #6 Not Vasquez Rocks, #1 Geology and after going through a few times, #8 The Scrub. xoxo

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    1. Thank you, Savvy. I'm glad you like the adjusted photos, as they're my favourites, too. I think the originals look a bit washed-out because the sunlight (what little there was) seems to fade out my little figures' colours.
      I've taken some more since then, and the originals look better - probably due to the angle of the sun or somesuch - so I probably won't fiddle too much with them.

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  7. I like the canyon shots! And Dinah's right.... you show a great passion for your art! I did something similar with cut outs many moons ago - no way as impressive as what you've done though!
    Sx

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    1. The adjusted canyon ones are my favourites! #3 Clay is a complete horror, and I'm not keen on #1 Geology as I think the gravel just makes the figures look small.

      Thank you for the praise. I don't know about "impressive", but I do really enjoy all this buggering about with bits of paper! However, I don't think anyone's going to get the wrong end of the stick so this blows up into another "Cottingley Fairies" drama, though... What was your cut-out project?

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    2. My 'project' was something I did at art college during the taster weeks. During the sculpture week I made some sort of random wooden thing, and I wanted to make something more of it, so I cut out a couple of people from a magazine, stuck them to card to give them more support, and gave them a stand. I then photographed them looking in awe at my sculpture - they made it look giant size! This was before the days of digital cameras, sadly. I will see if I can find the pictures :-)
      Sx

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    3. P.S And yes, I was thinking Cottingley Fairies as I scrolled through the pictures!
      Sx

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    4. How intriguing! I hope you can find some photos.
      I remember the days before digital cameras all too well. My first FGES Caption Compo was performed with one of those cheap disposable cameras (although, I believe digital cameras were around then - I just didn't have one).

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Tickle my fancy, why don't you?