Affinity Poem

Hellooo, not posted for a bit. Thought I'd post a poem today - you know, just because. It's actually an old one that I re-wrote this morning about the strong and important bonds of friendship during difficult times.

Affinity

An affinity in meeting
unbroken chain, robust in the
face of reality.

When feelings comatose
know this;

That first meeting where the bond
of friendship was made,
is the crux that carries
us through the tribulation of
numbness.

A connection that won't be maimed.

Even under the anaesthetic of
despondency.






Cat Hill 2012©

Vintage Type Poster

© Cat Hill 2012

Disclaimer: This poster is intended for humorous purposes only and is not directed at any particular friend.

Wild / Double Trouble

After struggling with an animation project I decided to pause and write a poem about the way it has been making me feel. The creative people among you will probably recognise some of the feelings expressed. After I wrote it I showed it to my poetically gifted friend, Tony Maude. He then used my poem as fuel to write his own version of it, which you can see here. (I think it is very interesting that he made the unruly creativity female and I made mine male....)


Wild

Foe to my own creation,
he laughs as I struggle to enforce
my will.

Refusing to be harnessed,
it is a lion captured from the wild.
His captor's remains hanging from his jaw.

Relentless

fangs draw near as I flail.

Control is an illusion,
a mocking mirage through scorching heat.
Creativity bows to no-one.


©2012 Cat Hill


Don't forget to hop over to Tony's blog Rumours of Rhyme to see his version (his other stuff is worth a read too)

Iron and Wine - Upward Over the Mountain Animation

Today I have decided to post my own Stop Motion Project. The challenge was to illustrate a song of my choice. This one (Upward Over The Mountain by Iron and Wine) stood out for me because of it's ambiguity in meaning and Indie folk style.

My personal interpretation of the song is of a son leaving home for the first time. He is trying to assure his mother that he will be fine on his own and for her not to worry. At the same time there seems to be dark undertones about his upbringing and the way his mother treated him as a child. I have interpreted this from lines such as these:

"Mother remember being so stern with that girl who was with me?"

"So may the sunrise bring hope where it once was forgotten. Sons could be birds, taken broken up to the mountain"

"Mother I made it up from the bruise on the floor of this prison. Mother I lost it all of the fear of the Lord I was give."

With this interpretation in mind I used a suitcase for the stop motion set. I then created an abstract world where the son's house as a child (dark and prison like) is shown. The river symbolises him moving on and crossing over to a better life (the quaint blue house with a garden). A cot also appears floating down the river, this is taken from the line "Mother forget me now that the creek drank the cradle you sang to" in some rural areas of South USA it is traditional to throw old furniture into rivers when leaving home.

This was the first time I've attempted stop motion and I enjoyed it immensely. I also had the pleasure of working with my photographer friend Kate Hogg who helped me with the set up, photography and sticking little bits of blue tack on hundreds of bits of paper.... 

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No Words

I want to dance
With you,
To step inside
The moment.
Believe there is
No tomorrow.
Swing between
Melodies,
Breathe in unison,
And utter no words.
 

Cat Hill ©
 

Christmas Card

This afternoon I decided to put uni work aside and design a Christmas card. I scanned in a drawing and then played with textures in Photoshop. This was quite fun to do and now I don't have to stress over buying any - result. And of course it had to be penguins...

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Welcome / A-ha's

Hello and welcome! I decided to wipe the slate clean and restart my old blog. A close friend of mine inspired me to start blogging again after telling me the benefits that his own blog is having for him. He explained that it has created a sense of community and connection with people who share similar interests on a personal as well as a professional level.

I will be posting some of my own design work in the hope that invisible people will comment and share their constructive criticism. I also intend to post the work of others that inspire me - be that music, animation, illustration, typography, graphic design, painting, film, creative writing or just randomness. I believe that inspiration comes from unexpected places.

For my first post I've decided to share a classic music video from the 80s that was shown to me by the same friend mentioned above. It is by the A-Ha's titled 'Take on Me".  It may seem a bit odd that I like it so much as I wasn't even born in 1985. Still, if you bare with me you'll see why. Firstly it's difficult to resist a bit of synth-pop (come on admit - you tap your feet too). Secondly the video is stunning. It used Rotoscoping to achieve the sketch animation effect and combined this technique with live action. The result is impressive and advanced for its time. Plus the romantic twist of the story leaves you with a feel good vibe, well it does for me anyway.

I think those of my generation and younger are missing out if they have never seen this. Even if you find the music cheesy I recommend watching the video. Once you get over the mullet hairstyles and retro clothes you'll hopefully see why it belongs in the gallery of 'All Time Greatest Music Videos'.

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