Alcohol…

Since we’re knee-deep in holiday spirits (no pun intended) alcohol consumption is once again at it’s annual heights. Whether it was the bourbon that got you through the thanksgiving get-together, the eggnog at the Christmas party or the bubbly on new years eve. Traditional drinking adds to our regular ethanol intake and hilarity ensues followed by hangovers and newly fueled family feuds.

‘cause alcohol is bad right?

Well no, not really. Drinking alcohol, is not bad (though drinking it pure kinda is), studies show that to some extend it can even be beneficiary against for instance diabetes or heart disease. It’s alcohol abuse that’s bad for you… and your surroundings. Even from a psychological point of view, being able to lower some restrains at times, especially in a safe and familiar environment, can be good for you, again within limits. Taking a break form stress inducing factors may at times give you the opportunity to get an objective view and put things in their right perspective, when the perspective is a spinning room however, you overdid it.

Also there is a big difference between drinking and being drunk. I for one really hate the effect of alcohol at times, being really drunk is an awful state to be in. It’s no secret I am a whisky lover, the fact that drinking whisky gets you drunk severely limits how much I can enjoy this hobby. And seeing how some people behave while drunk makes me want to ban the stuff completely at times, however, if you’re a bad drunk, you should not get drunk.

In a long series of modern day forms of chronic suicide like smoking, sunbathing, stress and fast food, alcohol is one of those that can be managed quite well. It’s the excesses that give it it’s bad rep. Drinking and driving, or as some would call it Russian roulette with chance of collateral damage is one of those serious drawbacks. Then again, is that the booze or the bastard’s fault? What makes alcohol famous and feared is the way it alters behavior, it’s one of those few socially accepted drugs, so we’re confronted with it’s effects more often. However in contradiction to most drugs alcohol can be enjoyed without going for the intoxication or with perhaps the so called “slight buzz”. I personally don’t see anything wrong with that.

Satanic vocalist for Christian party… fun fact

Yes this is old news, but then again it’s not meant to be news, I just wanted to share a fun fact for those who are not “in the know”.

Few people realize that the awesome song “Love is all”  from the classic album The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast by Roger Glover is sung by Ronnie James Dio (RIP), vocalist of Black Sabbath and Dio, both bands have had their share of occult content on their albums. Funny when you think about it that it was this song that was used during Dutch elections 2006 by the CDA, C standing for Christian here.

the fun moment you realize, these are one and the same...

Not earth shattering, World shocking, and yes the title is somewhat “charged” but still, fun fact no? Now imagine the frog singing Holy Diver…..

so full I feel empty, poem

I’m so full I feel empty

So please let me be

I don’t feel like feeling

But stay close to me

I just want to sleep, deep beyond dark and light

Continual dusk, no day and no night

Clouds in my head and mist fore my eyes

Comfortably numb in self force-fed lies

Too much effort even, to give up the fight

Fantasy in ballpoint

I consider myself to be somewhat of an artist. I have had expositions and done some design work, other than that hundreds to over a thousand people are walking around with tattoos designed by little old me.

Now I can handle all sorts of materials, watercolors being a favorite… but somehow I can’t seem to find the time to paint much, so since a few years most of my “work” is quick ballpoint or pencil sketches done at work or in public transport. The drawback is that I have little time to do sketches or studies, so anatomy-wise for instance I am making little progress in developing my skills. This is one of my new years resolutions, to invest more time in my artistic skills, both in drawing and painting as well as training my tattoo skills.

Here’s a few of my quick sketches, if you have me on facebook it’s nothing new though, enjoy!

 

Da Vinci inspired tattoo set-up

Wings are a recurring theme  in my art work, most of the time they are connected to some sort of creature, angels, dragons and faeries, I draw them a lot, I'm a sucker for fantasy.

D&D- esque desing for online store

Dragons, claws, wings. Inspired by "DragonOrb" the name of my wife's online shop

Sharing my "appreciation" for unicorns and carebears.

I did this to shock and annoy, didn't get the reaction I wanted though, maybe I should have drawn more blood.

Somwhere between Alien and a Dr Who episode

Dr Who fans have probably seen the episode "silence in the library", which was an inspiration for this image. A skull in a space suit felt like a very powerful symbol to me, the protective suit becomming a prison. In my mind this is the result of some sort of alien infestation, some sort of evil fungus like mass creating webs in space from which they slowly digest their victims, quite probably keeping their dinners alive through the process.

Not my first Dragon queen

 I like drawing women and while I try to keep the eroticism of the female form I always try to empower them in some way, making them warriors, demons or goddesses. Where the contrast between power and vulnerability creates a powerful tension.

Rising frome water, I use that a lot

I imagined her as flying underwater, like a stingray or something. But in the end, having wings drove her to reach for the sky. As she emerges from the water, she is enchanted by the sensation, the lack of pressure from the deep almost unbearable as her whole skin is tingling from the soft winds and water droplets falling from her body.

It takes patience, but you can draw on the train.

The abuse of power always lurks, this is a sorcerer or wizard with a lot of power. He has lived beyond the years mother nature would have given him, his immense power unnaturally prolonging his life. The more he cheats death, the more he fears it. I did this drawing on the train and used the accidental lines created by the movement of the train to create a sort of underwater like flow that would be created by the magic surrounding this wizard.