Giglamps rambles

  Haven't got much to show for this week, because everything I've been doing is stuff that will have to wait until later; a few more round-ups of Cats ; another edition of Laid Back Logos that needs some art doing for it; more pages of Facts About the World; rough ideas for cross-stitch patterns and preparing to finally release That Big Project that's been waiting in the wings since 2023. Oh, and laundry. So much laundry. I can't really wring a blog post out of that. So in the meantime, please accept some photos from my walks into work. Above is some lovely cat graffiti by an artist whose stickers I've seen around town on numerous occasions, featuring similarly pleasant cats. Taking a little detour through the park near the House of Spiders. Literally had this place on my doorstep for an entire year and barely ever came here. To be fair, the other, larger park with the pond and bandstand was 30 seconds' walk away, so I would usually go there in the mornings and ...

Once again, I've been 'round the internet, and found more cats (and a rabbit.) The colours and cartoonish style on this rabbit are really nice, but the bug-hotel-looking/trypophobia-ish surround of the thermometer is just plain jarring. And of course, here's a palate cleanser. I love the exaggerated, gangly style, the big ol' ears and the world-weary charm with this lad.

Well, my notions of updating this blog regularly might have had water poured on them again, but to be fair, that's because I've got a big art project on. No point being secretive about it, really; Facts About the World is finally returning after 7 years in the void. Six pages are complete so far and yeah, that's not a massive amount, but it's very time-consuming to make, and I'm challenging myself with the artwork, so that means redrawing things numerous times, messing about with colours, layouts, shading, all that fun stuff. For now, here are some pictures from earlier today, having a leisurely wander in the sunshine. I forgot it's a bank holiday, so town felt eerily deserted. A bit of peace and quiet is lovely, but there's a point where the quietness just becomes a bit unsettling, and it was circling around that vibe today. Heading up the 108 Steps, the appropriately named Short Street has been reopened after being closed off for a while, as the drystone w...

Friday is here and I've been thinking about Panzer Dragoon again, mainly the fact that back in January, I finally worked out how to set up a Saturn emulator with RetroArch, started on Panzer Dragoon Saga with a view to finally playing the full game after all these years... then life and responsibilities happened, I completely forgot about it, and it's still there waiting around the end of the first disc. There are quite a few screenshots though, and that's what we're having a look at today. Our adventure begins, as all good adventures ideally should, with a dangerous apple. (It does serve some purpose, but despite having played this first disc countless times over the years, I have never committed to memory what that purpose actually is.) A majestic red worm leaping in the desert. The muted rumbling of the air flowing in these tunnels when you're travelling through them has always been strangely relaxing. I also like the tricks of perspective used here to create a ...

Okay, now I know it's pretty lazy to say that a rough, dilapidated place feels like Silent Hill, same with foggy streets (although, to be fair, I will always make that joke when there's fog on Sunderland Street. I mean come on, it's right there ) but this place legitimately gave me Blue Creek Apartments flashbacks. Not going to show the outside of the house for privacy reasons, obviously, but for the record, on the outside at street level, it looks perfectly normal. There's a slightly worn out old gate, but that's not really a reliable indicator of the true horrors within... brace yourself, we're goin' in (but only via the medium of photos, fortunately.) We start lightly - the living room is bleak but with some TLC, it would likely make a nice space. Bay windows are always a winner, a very charming feature indeed. (Also, only just noticed - is that a model giraffe in the fireplace?!) The kitchen is where things are stepped up a notch. It's pretty run-dow...