From the Desk: Color and Shape and Time

Things are a bit slow for me right now. Work is busy, had my birthday, and other random things have been slowing down my updates. Plus, I've been working on eSkarre, and this model is magnificent. It's worth putting tons of time into, which is what I'm doing. Probably another week of work at my current pace.

So, in place of a normal update, the following are some photos I took recently at an Orchid show, and down at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Part of my paint goal this year is to get better with identifying and choosing colors. Taking photos of different subjects is part of that goal. So, without further delay, here's some photos with some personal commentary.

	The stippling effect on the petals here is remarkable. I've been intrigued by stipple patterns in nature as opposed to smooth color transitions as seems to be the norm for many things.
	The colored veins of the petals here are remarkable. It inspires me to use this sort of pattern for my Legion models. Here though, the edges of the veins are pretty fuzzy and not clearly defined as one might think.
	The bark and moss was particularly interesting to me here on this mounted orchid. The mount point of the orchid has a lot of color variation. Oranges and greens are both present, and create an interesting effect between them.
	These stalks are a good example of a striated surface, another natural pattern I've been fascinated with. I think the key here is that the striation have a lot of color variation in a very narrow space.
	Now this was just alien. How does this happen in nature? The pattern has a fairly crisp edge to it, creating stark contrast. The effect makes the petals look painted and unnatural.
	More curiously mounted orchid color. Here there's an interplay between green and white, which creates less interest to my eye.
	The weathering on this hydrant is pretty interesting. I can understand why it weathers so heavily on the base and the top, but the other random weathering places are curious. The color interplay is interesting as well. The is a combination of smooth and stalk transitions from the yellow paint to the oxidization.
	This has two intriguing surfaces to me. First the bolts: They have clearly been exposed to the elements for quite some time, and the oxidization has completely obscured any metal. The color of the oxidization ranges from dark brown to a fairly bright orange. There's even a hint of yellow present. The wood on the other hand has a reverse effect from the exposure. Instead of layers building up, layers are being stripped away. As the paint is worn off, it reveals the surface pattern of the wood, showing the grain of the wood as well as nicks in the form of paint being left behind in the lower (protected) surfaces
	More weathering, as above. Something interesting here though is the layer of oxidization and deposit on top of the graffiti. The graffiti paint becomes like that of a tattoo where it seems to be below the surface.
	I don't know what it was. Don't ask. Some sort of former-plant matter. It was hard to the touch. I loved the effect of the sun on the surface of both it and the sand. The complex and minute shadow effects reveal the true pattern and shape of the material more than the color variation of the surface.