The design is very much that of the Haida & Klinkat nations of the Pacific Northwest. Having lived amongst them for some time I’m recognizing elements of Coyote (or wolf) & Raven. Both are considered tricksters in their cultures, though the Klinkat, at least, also consider Raven as an ancestor.
I can see elements of Raven as well, but I guessed coyote because of the presence of a couple of distict paw-like elements…maybe a hybrid?
Both animal spirits make sense for Shelly, as she is now a shapeshifter like Coyote and Raven, and possesses hidden magic and wisdom. I’m wondering if she’s going to be the cause of mischief now as well…
This is a pin-up, right, not something intended to fit into the continuity of yesterday? (‘Twould be interesting if it did, but I can’t figure out how…)
I forget how long it took me to convert the Whiter Shade of Pale cover to an avatar – i think i spent an hour looking for a close font match to the hand lettering…
(The link to the Amazon page is so you can see how closely i managed it – at least until i change this gravatar and then it’ll confuse anyone doing an archive binge…)
I’ve always thought it interesting that, from Mexico all the way up to Alaska, the native American iconographic art is so similar, even if they do not always portray exactly the same beings – around Seattle, the Northwestern tribes have images of killer whales that the Southwestern tribes don’t, but the styles are similar.
I believe they are so similar simply because the people who drew them were really primitive “artists.” They knew squat about perspective and 3-D shading. Same reason all kindergarten children’s work looks much the same. It seems great to us now because we associate it with long gone cultures and they have a mystic attraction to us.
That is a really ignorant and remarkably ethnocentric, even bigoted, statement. Don’t criticize what you don’t understand.
Among the things you don’t understand is the history of Western art. The bulk of which, over the last 3,000 years, is not oriented toward strictly naturalistic depictions of people.
I’m talking about cultures long before 3K years ago. Tribal groups who lived in primitive conditions. Not Rome or Greece. The original post for this thread was talking about NA drawings of their world and the next. I’m saying they drew in a primitive style because that’s all they knew. Some was stylized somewhat to depict supernatural scenes and creatures, but it was all still crude regardless and they were similar in their simple look.
Mind you I’m saying the art is primordial, not that the artist is bad. The artist may have been quite good at what he did, but the results are, nonetheless, unsophisticated. and chlidlike. In that regard it all tends to look much the same. Though I’m sure some of them were also just bad at their craft, or were done by someone who just tried their hand at something they had not practiced.
They likely share the same ancestry – according to the Clovis theory of prehistorical migrations, humans did not exist in the Americas until a common ancestor migrated across the Bering Strait while there was a land bridge (Beringia) connecting Alaska to Siberia. There’s actually a number of “waves” of migration, each one involving tribes of people which would split, some settling in the north, some travelling further south…
Also, they are neighbors, or neighbors of neighbors. To the East Asian or American eyes of 500 years ago, all West European art would have looked very much alike.
So it seems, though like Picard in “The Inner Light”, the characters will be touched by this experience for the rest of their lives.
I like to pay close attention Monica’s “narrations”– the times when she is telling the story rather than living it. Some of these boxes may (or may not) be such views from hindsight; of special note, considering Coyote and the time loops, is this page: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/hard-feelings/
I find it interesting that the artwork looks like West Coast Aboriginal art, even though Shelly (according to her bio) has Commanche blood. A well done piece, regardless.
“Cliffhanger” ..hmm..Shelly thinking of her dreamquest…not seeing the rabbit (her official animal) but the coyote(Nudge) There is a message here.
I wouldn’t be too surprised if Nudge is going to play an even greater role in the whole “fix Jin” affaire.
On the trojan:While reading the logs and such, it seems to me that the peeps that send the scripts for project wonderful-ads, should check their servers too.
Luckily I am reading wapsisquare on an iPad, that’s happily oblivious to the world of MS vb-scripting an such…( not to mention the fact that it’s oblivious to part of the real-world too. *cough* Flash *cough* …)
Actually, I thought it was two tails – many cultures images of mythic animals have two tails to point up thie difference. I woefully display my ignorance of Native American mythology by not knowing if they follow that tradition.
(Yes, Sonic characters, etc. are examples)
While not Comanche icons, I like what she chose. My uncle lived in Seattle for many years, and has several Northwestern Tribal paintings in his home. Kinda unique down here in Oklahoma. About as much as Shelly’s family up in Great Lakes country.
If the arc is long enough, you might forget several points–either those that need explanation, or those that will help the explanations. (And, confusingly, some points will be both simultaneously.)
The arc can be of extended length, leading to an inordinate amount of material to cover.
Besides, you’ll miss all the fun of the banter and attempted explanations and wacky theories. And the occasional cookie for a right guess.
Oh i will keep reading the comments
Just my brain has given up working it out really 🙂
Was with it up to Shellys apparent u-turn
Now got confuzzled with the dream quest thingy.
Is it a recap of her first dream quest?
is it another?
just seems random to my brain which usually means its a connect-the-dots storyline and i will be able to work it out – eventually 😀
I love your comic it is very full of life and wonderful. Thank you for your wonderful hard work and depth of style. Today’s picture is breathtaking. Blessings
It’s Ravn’yote the best of the most amazing now live at the Cliffs.
Shelly’s been needing this for a long time now. Go Shelly!
Since several of us have been having trouble using the RSS feed via Google I looked for help over there. (Non-Google based RSS readers are all working OK, as far as I know.) I found a help page that was for a different problem: where an RSS feed had never worked at all with Google Reader. Among other things, it suggested trying to subscribe again, but add something like “?foo=bar” to the URL for the feed. That seemed to allow me to subscribe to a working feed, but it didn’t fix what you get if you subscribe with the regular URL. I also submitted your RSS feed to their validator, and it passed.
Since that seems to confirm that the problem is with Google somehow, I wrote this request for help: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/reader/thread?tid=295c4820f41d215a. You might want to keep an eye on it. I’m not sure that’s the correct place to ask that question, but it’s the best that I could quickly find.
In the mean time, if someone is having problems, they can resubscribe adding something like “?foo=bar” or “?apple=orange” to the feed URL and it should work.
The RSS feed validator is at http://www.feedvalidator.org/. I guess it’s not specifically Google’s, but they said to test the feed with it. In any case, yours passes.
Two things: The page title was changed to: “Creative Suite 2 Premium — Sale -182% price off.” (Google is changing the title of your RSS feed to “Free Microsoft Word 2010 Tutorial — Sale -182% price off.”) Also the date is July 13, but it’s showing your update from May 25, as if you had no updates between the two dates.
Hopefully this might be some information that your tech guy can use. I realize the problem is at Google’s end, not yours, but there may be a way to get Google to reset its cache or something.
There was also a bunch of spammy links at the bottom. I didn’t see that at first. Google’s cache of your update pages show the spammy links, too, but they seem OK otherwise. (Example: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:wapsisquare.com/comic/a-complication/) The cached versions of the last two updates are missing the spammy links as well as the project wonderful ad box at the bottom.
Given the similarity between the descriptions on the spammy links and the spammy title Google is using for the RSS feed, there may be a connection between the two, but I don’t know.
I, too, like the colorations you’ve done with this drawing. However, I have to wonder if you may be taking it a bit too far by putting in a sun which was not there in the original. Paul simply made that area brighter and did not show any sun. The black grass would suggest, to me anyway, a night scene. I see the background glow as an etheral, supernatural glow and not necessairly caused by the sun or moon. I don’t think it would have so much gradiation either, just a general softness permeating that area. Finally the colors would be more muted.
If you can’t handle criticism, you shouldn’t put stuff out here on the webs. The hardest one was putting the first one out there.
With my views on mysticism, I look for a ‘mechanical’ reason first, and I guess it holds over to the coloring.
I see this as part of the dawn of a new Shelly, and therefore should have some deference to that.
Just me being me…
Lovely work, as always! As for the sky, may I suggest that you try overturning the fade, so that the darker orange ends up at the bottom. That might look more like a real sky looks.
Coyote?
Once I recovered from brain-freeze that was the first thought that I had as well.
Yeah, and I also see feathers.
Those aren’t feathers, that’s his tail.
Looks a lot like Coyote in Gunnerkrigg Court…
It’s not laughing, causing trouble, or juggling its eyeballs…
That was my very first thought as well.
The first think I thought was bugs and it had nothing to do with the floaty things.
The design is very much that of the Haida & Klinkat nations of the Pacific Northwest. Having lived amongst them for some time I’m recognizing elements of Coyote (or wolf) & Raven. Both are considered tricksters in their cultures, though the Klinkat, at least, also consider Raven as an ancestor.
You are all overthinking it. Predator head with bird feathers, and connected to Shelly. Try Sphinx.
I fourth or fifth that thought – what came to mind the second I saw the post.
Coyote in Gunnerkrigg Court.
must be kin …
Coyote would have some cryptic hint about this.
Cryptic and rather misleading–tricksters love trouble. Even when it’s more trouble for themselves.
Making trouble is the point. For others, for themselves, whoever.
I can see elements of Raven as well, but I guessed coyote because of the presence of a couple of distict paw-like elements…maybe a hybrid?
Both animal spirits make sense for Shelly, as she is now a shapeshifter like Coyote and Raven, and possesses hidden magic and wisdom. I’m wondering if she’s going to be the cause of mischief now as well…
This is a pin-up, right, not something intended to fit into the continuity of yesterday? (‘Twould be interesting if it did, but I can’t figure out how…)
It does say “Vision Quest”. I would think it’s just Shelly looking inside, trying to answer her own questions.
Although her breasts ARE defying the laws of gravity so….who the hell knows? 😀
Pectoral muscles will do that to women’s breasts. No magic needed.
I’m not sure if it will size well but that’s going to make an awesome gravatar.
I wouldn’t even try. WAY too much detail.
I forget how long it took me to convert the Whiter Shade of Pale cover to an avatar – i think i spent an hour looking for a close font match to the hand lettering…
(The link to the Amazon page is so you can see how closely i managed it – at least until i change this gravatar and then it’ll confuse anyone doing an archive binge…)
So the friday cliffhanger is Shelly literally hanging around on a cliff? 🙂
More like Shelly letting it all hang–or float?–loose.
I’ve always thought it interesting that, from Mexico all the way up to Alaska, the native American iconographic art is so similar, even if they do not always portray exactly the same beings – around Seattle, the Northwestern tribes have images of killer whales that the Southwestern tribes don’t, but the styles are similar.
That’s because they’ve been smoking/eating similar ‘sacraments’ 🙂
I believe they are so similar simply because the people who drew them were really primitive “artists.” They knew squat about perspective and 3-D shading. Same reason all kindergarten children’s work looks much the same. It seems great to us now because we associate it with long gone cultures and they have a mystic attraction to us.
That is a really ignorant and remarkably ethnocentric, even bigoted, statement. Don’t criticize what you don’t understand.
Among the things you don’t understand is the history of Western art. The bulk of which, over the last 3,000 years, is not oriented toward strictly naturalistic depictions of people.
I’m talking about cultures long before 3K years ago. Tribal groups who lived in primitive conditions. Not Rome or Greece. The original post for this thread was talking about NA drawings of their world and the next. I’m saying they drew in a primitive style because that’s all they knew. Some was stylized somewhat to depict supernatural scenes and creatures, but it was all still crude regardless and they were similar in their simple look.
Mind you I’m saying the art is primordial, not that the artist is bad. The artist may have been quite good at what he did, but the results are, nonetheless, unsophisticated. and chlidlike. In that regard it all tends to look much the same. Though I’m sure some of them were also just bad at their craft, or were done by someone who just tried their hand at something they had not practiced.
They likely share the same ancestry – according to the Clovis theory of prehistorical migrations, humans did not exist in the Americas until a common ancestor migrated across the Bering Strait while there was a land bridge (Beringia) connecting Alaska to Siberia. There’s actually a number of “waves” of migration, each one involving tribes of people which would split, some settling in the north, some travelling further south…
Also, they are neighbors, or neighbors of neighbors. To the East Asian or American eyes of 500 years ago, all West European art would have looked very much alike.
Is everything all hunky dory time and space wise now then?
So it seems, though like Picard in “The Inner Light”, the characters will be touched by this experience for the rest of their lives.
I like to pay close attention Monica’s “narrations”– the times when she is telling the story rather than living it. Some of these boxes may (or may not) be such views from hindsight; of special note, considering Coyote and the time loops, is this page: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/hard-feelings/
really nice artwork here paul!
I think this is my favorite so far. Lovely. 🙂
Huh!
…So!
…THAT happened!
“Coyote” a la Haida? Sweet!!! Yeah, this is a favorite for me, too.
I find it interesting that the artwork looks like West Coast Aboriginal art, even though Shelly (according to her bio) has Commanche blood. A well done piece, regardless.
Gorgeous!
Today’s page would make a fantastic T shirt or mousepad.
“Cliffhanger” ..hmm..Shelly thinking of her dreamquest…not seeing the rabbit (her official animal) but the coyote(Nudge) There is a message here.
I wouldn’t be too surprised if Nudge is going to play an even greater role in the whole “fix Jin” affaire.
On the trojan:While reading the logs and such, it seems to me that the peeps that send the scripts for project wonderful-ads, should check their servers too.
Luckily I am reading wapsisquare on an iPad, that’s happily oblivious to the world of MS vb-scripting an such…( not to mention the fact that it’s oblivious to part of the real-world too. *cough* Flash *cough* …)
Amazing! Marvelously done. 🙂
Is that a Haida representation of a Sphinx? It looks awesome!
Oooo – people have been talking about seeing what look like feathers as well as the coyote elements – maybe it is a sphinx!
Actually, I thought it was two tails – many cultures images of mythic animals have two tails to point up thie difference. I woefully display my ignorance of Native American mythology by not knowing if they follow that tradition.
(Yes, Sonic characters, etc. are examples)
Other traditions use the number of tails to indicate how much power the form has. (Anime, IIRC?)
AND … Where does she go to sit and think?
While not Comanche icons, I like what she chose. My uncle lived in Seattle for many years, and has several Northwestern Tribal paintings in his home. Kinda unique down here in Oklahoma. About as much as Shelly’s family up in Great Lakes country.
Paul, you put the “eful nu” in “tasteful nudity.”
So..
Well..
These muffins in confusion corner really are tasty.
*decided to wait until the end of the story arc and work it out then*
I’d suggest not waiting too long.
If the arc is long enough, you might forget several points–either those that need explanation, or those that will help the explanations. (And, confusingly, some points will be both simultaneously.)
The arc can be of extended length, leading to an inordinate amount of material to cover.
Besides, you’ll miss all the fun of the banter and attempted explanations and wacky theories. And the occasional cookie for a right guess.
Oh i will keep reading the comments
Just my brain has given up working it out really 🙂
Was with it up to Shellys apparent u-turn
Now got confuzzled with the dream quest thingy.
Is it a recap of her first dream quest?
is it another?
just seems random to my brain which usually means its a connect-the-dots storyline and i will be able to work it out – eventually 😀
I love your comic it is very full of life and wonderful. Thank you for your wonderful hard work and depth of style. Today’s picture is breathtaking. Blessings
It’s Ravn’yote the best of the most amazing now live at the Cliffs.
Shelly’s been needing this for a long time now. Go Shelly!
Re: The RSS Feed.
Since several of us have been having trouble using the RSS feed via Google I looked for help over there. (Non-Google based RSS readers are all working OK, as far as I know.) I found a help page that was for a different problem: where an RSS feed had never worked at all with Google Reader. Among other things, it suggested trying to subscribe again, but add something like “?foo=bar” to the URL for the feed. That seemed to allow me to subscribe to a working feed, but it didn’t fix what you get if you subscribe with the regular URL. I also submitted your RSS feed to their validator, and it passed.
Since that seems to confirm that the problem is with Google somehow, I wrote this request for help:
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/reader/thread?tid=295c4820f41d215a. You might want to keep an eye on it. I’m not sure that’s the correct place to ask that question, but it’s the best that I could quickly find.
In the mean time, if someone is having problems, they can resubscribe adding something like “?foo=bar” or “?apple=orange” to the feed URL and it should work.
The RSS feed validator is at http://www.feedvalidator.org/. I guess it’s not specifically Google’s, but they said to test the feed with it. In any case, yours passes.
@Paul: The only response I got so far (not from a Google employee) pointed out that Google’s cache of your home page has similar problems. Look at http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:hCIGIdUhvWEJ:www.wapsisquare.com/
Two things: The page title was changed to: “Creative Suite 2 Premium — Sale -182% price off.” (Google is changing the title of your RSS feed to “Free Microsoft Word 2010 Tutorial — Sale -182% price off.”) Also the date is July 13, but it’s showing your update from May 25, as if you had no updates between the two dates.
Hopefully this might be some information that your tech guy can use. I realize the problem is at Google’s end, not yours, but there may be a way to get Google to reset its cache or something.
There was also a bunch of spammy links at the bottom. I didn’t see that at first. Google’s cache of your update pages show the spammy links, too, but they seem OK otherwise. (Example: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:wapsisquare.com/comic/a-complication/) The cached versions of the last two updates are missing the spammy links as well as the project wonderful ad box at the bottom.
Given the similarity between the descriptions on the spammy links and the spammy title Google is using for the RSS feed, there may be a connection between the two, but I don’t know.
Is it me, or does Shelly have a bigger bustline now? (Being changed into a Mythic Sphinx will do that to you…) 😛
Not entirely happy with the sky, but here it is.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/96/visionquestcolor.png/
Lovely!
I would have left the NA style artwork in B/W, but otherwise I find it an excellent coloring job.
Whoa – very nice!! 😉
I have to say that I love your coloring work and this wallpaper all the same.
Superb coloration.
Coloring the totem red and black is so full of win…
1024×768
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/visionquest1024.png/
Ooh! Ah! (Hm, maybe I should change wallpapers again.)
I, too, like the colorations you’ve done with this drawing. However, I have to wonder if you may be taking it a bit too far by putting in a sun which was not there in the original. Paul simply made that area brighter and did not show any sun. The black grass would suggest, to me anyway, a night scene. I see the background glow as an etheral, supernatural glow and not necessairly caused by the sun or moon. I don’t think it would have so much gradiation either, just a general softness permeating that area. Finally the colors would be more muted.
Yeah, I know, everyone’s a critic.
If you can’t handle criticism, you shouldn’t put stuff out here on the webs. The hardest one was putting the first one out there.
With my views on mysticism, I look for a ‘mechanical’ reason first, and I guess it holds over to the coloring.
I see this as part of the dawn of a new Shelly, and therefore should have some deference to that.
Just me being me…
Lovely work, as always! As for the sky, may I suggest that you try overturning the fade, so that the darker orange ends up at the bottom. That might look more like a real sky looks.
Nonetheless, the whole looks quite beautiful.
I wasn’t that keen on flipping the sky, but it did lead to another sky that I like much better.
Thanks for the suggestion…
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/535/visionquestcoloralt01.png/
Sweet! This one I really like.
Me too! That’s really nice. I’ve chosen it for my avatar here I hope it shows up. My last choice didn’t.
By the way, HAPPY YELLOW PIG DAY!