Is it time to move on?

The issues of both google's and redit's move against publishing nudity on the net, has a lot of folk worrying, In all probability you are likely to wake up and find everything gone, So there are some solutions & cautions, that are sensible for anyone publishing grown up topics on their blog. If nothing else, go and make a backup today (it creates an xml file, that can be reloaded into a few other blogging platforms and some photo book, ebook publishing applications). But before you panic take a deep breath, take you time to figure out if you want to stay put and toe the line, move somewhere else that "at least for now" allows you to publish that grown up stuff or even shut up shop and go home (ie dissapear)

I already have a couple of sketch book style things set up in Tumblr, its  really a microblog (a kind of bigger version of twister) and not a full blogging service. I don't mind it is probably a lot easier to use BUT my work remains largely unviewed. In other words I'm happy to have an each way bet by having my stuff spread across a few services like twitter. flickr, tumblr & google+ as well as the post here

Nude but not Lewd

Google/Boggler are apparently about to "disappear" blogs with explicit adult content, those specifically concerned where sent an email (which I didn't get, so I'm assuming I'm not one of those involved) that this was about to happened and without any option or little recourse, other than self censorship ie so long, goodbye!

Checking out the terms of service and the published part of the email. Google will allow some nudity

We'll still allow nudity presented in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts, or presented where there are other substantial benefits to the public from not taking action on the content.

Pen & watercolour wash

So I hope my work is artistically justified, I certainly am not trying to be Lewd or Rude. The naked human body is a great learning tool for sketching and painting, There are lesson in line, tone, texture. mixing skin tones and even just seeing, how light defines form, lost lines, positive and negative forms. Not to mention trying to capture gesture & emotions. It will be a great pity for thoee interested in art. if they can not publicly share the challenges and joy of such things.  I really am only interested in sharing the beauty I see and try to render, I don't care much for the lewd and exploitative nudes. So I]m cautiously ok with this for the moment.

I just hope google doesn't throw out the baby with the bath water!

The great unviewed

“Is #art on social media more about #voyeurism than #creativity?” http://t.co/DCCjzmcr7K pic.twitter.com/anrKEtWoHw
— norton elissen (@sighclone) November 25, 2014

I'm not writing this out of malice or even much research, this is really more about some observations. I have enjoyed trying to get back involved in the social side of the web, well mainly on sites other than facebook.  Specifically I have sent myself the challenge of doing something (eg a sketch Creative each day and post that). I started out trying out tunblr, and I really like the tumble log idea and simplicity of how to post.

The real problem I have with tumblr is I remain largely unwatched. I've tried hashtags and reposting as tweets but I have so few hearts/likes I know I am posting into a void. The few I have followed up seem to be from the more voyeuristic, reposting porn side of the troll community and I'm sure my art doesn't appeal to them. However there has been more interaction via twitter, particularly once I found #thedailysketch hash tag. Twitter still feaes like posting into the void but the trolls there are mainly celebrity chasers or wanna be celebrities and a tine community of artist who don't mind sharing their inspiration and some of their works. However it is two services I have used for a long time (and had drifted away from that clearly gve me the highest interaction. They are Flickr, and I know most of the folk that still interact with me have known me for a long time and Blogger, which still gets a reasonable number of hits/views daily (without as many comments). A little surprising is my google+ profile, which I only set up so I could keep using blogger (it was almost 100,000 views?) and it definitely brings folk to my blog posts (hopefully those that can understand and appreciate it.

So enough navel gazing. I think there can be community on the net for art, and a good place to practise and share but there is a lot of superficiality and trolls to avoid. Perhaps it is important to think about where and who with your want to share rather than number of hits/views/likes or 1+'s

with apologies to Lord Lytton for the misquoted title

That wasn't so bad

Its a dull day here ... drizzly rain, which we need badly but not art inspiring I'm afraid ... and after my third coffee of the morning and a twitter read or two ...I got an itch to change my blog template

I was scared this would be a big technical issue, requiring too much patience and text editing ... so I had keep avoiding even looking ... ok I was wrong

I soon founf Deluxe templates, and liked their creative art template as I was seeking a sketchbook look & feel ...i still have to tweak that stuff over on the right but overall I'm please and it was easy to change the template (just read the instructions that come in the zip file with xml when you down load it. the step about backuping your previous template is good advice) :)