COVID Blizzard

Posted on by Thor

This phase of the pandemic feels like a blizzard with all data being abandoned and facts being downplayed and obfuscated. A blizzard in itself is not deadly, it is disorienting since you can’t see hour hand in front of your face. Pandemic era support programs have become a thing of the past. Everyone is on their own as COVID treatments will become commercialized. New quack remedies will hit the shelves as no effort is being put into improving air quality and masks.

The Census Bureau reported last year that COVID relief efforts and others sharply reduced childhood poverty. But these programs have now expired.

America is flying blind. Those who claim, “We have the tools”, are lying. With new variants, those tools are being knocked off one by one. Monoclonal antibodies no longer work against the newest variants. Testing has ceased and at home testing isn’t working well to detect the new variants. Most people don’t even know they have COVID when they are knocked off their feet for a week.

The initial infection might be “Mild” but COVID hardens the arteries and is causing blood clots and heart attacks weeks after recovery. COVID is a level 3 bio hazard more akin to HIV that a cold or the flu. President Biden ran on a platform where he claimed he would handle the pandemic. He has instead overseen 700,000 COVID deaths. Within months of taking office he declared victory over COVID and suggested everyone press together for July4th celebrations. It turned out being vaccinated does not stop infections from happening. Sending at home tests effectively made COVID cases disappear since any at home tests were not reported.

Airborne

Posted on by Thor

One of the early mistakes made in public health messaging early on in the pandemic was that washing your hand and using hand sanitizer could stop an airborne virus. Even hospitals today are abandoning masks and indoor HEPA filtration and feel they are keeping their patients safe but washing their hands and disinfecting surfaces. Don’t get me wrong, washing your hands is good but it doesn’t stop an airborne virus from infecting you. In the illustration one guy is wearing a mask but it is a surgical mask which isn’t as effective as an N-95.

Navigating the world in which everyone has abandoned masks and all health safety measures is going to be a challenge. I remain a COVID virgin but that will become more difficult as I mingle more. Another advantage of masking is that it keeps me from touching my face.

Like many people, we used disinfecting wipes on groceries before putting them away in the early days of the pandemic. That practice has stopped but we still use the wipes instead of a rag to wipe down counters. The thing that I refuse to abandon is masking with an n-95 mask indoors and in crowds. I don’t care what people think of me and honestly, I look good in a mask. It focuses attention on my blue eyes.

Other things that should become common practice to help the spread of the virus include,

  • Get vaccinated. (I am amazed at how many refuse to get the jab.)
  • Minimize time in poorly ventilated spaces. (We now use a HEPA filter at home and at work.)
  • Cough and sneeze into your elbow or a tissue, not your hand.

The CDC website has many pages on the importance of hand washing. It was not until recently that they finally admitted that COVID is airborne and can travel long distances like smoke. The six foot rule from early in the pandemic was a farce. All those plexiglass barriers that went up in fast foot restaurants and stores were also a farce.

Twice the virus got into our home and both times I managed to evade infection by wearing a mask and straying close to a HEPA filter. I now survey the air filtration in any room I enter and will position myself near an open door or window whenever possible.

So you should wash your hands and clean surfaces but don’t think that is preventing an airborne virus from infecting you. Clean the air you breath by masking and using air filtration.

COVID World Premiere Screening Tonight!

Posted on by Thor

These are the opening shots of the short 2.5D animated film titled COVID, whose world premiere screening is tonight May 19, 2023 at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, 6pm in the outdoor courtyard as part of the 3rd annual “Film as Visual Art” Fringe event.

Here is the press release about the film:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Local Artist to Premiere Shocking Film Chronicling Pandemic

Over 200 original artworks detail global experience in four minutes

ORLANDO, Fla. (May 16, 2023) – Central Florida artist Thomas Thorspecken (Thor) who formerly worked for Disney Feature Animation, will premiere his newest project featuring more than 200 original digital paintings in a four-minute film. The premiere can be seen at Fringe’s “Film as Visual Art” event this Friday, May 19, 2023, at 6:00 pm in the outdoor Orlando Shakespeare Theater courtyard.

Since January 2009, as a New Year’s resolution, Thorspecken has created at least one watercolor or digital sketch a day documenting arts and culture in Central Florida for his blog, Analog Artist Digital World, culminating in more than 4,000 individual works of art illustrating the vibrancy of this community and beyond. When the pandemic hit in early 2020, he shifted his focus to creating a daily artistic commentary on COVID, politics, and both the global and local impacts of this devastating and unprecedented time in history.

“From the start of the COVID pandemic, minimizers falsely claimed the virus was no worse than the flu. After more than a million COVID deaths in America and mass infection becoming the accepted norm, minimizers persist,” Thorspecken cited as part of the rationale for his having created the jarring revue. The artist completed the film on May 11, 2023, when the United States officially lifted the COVID Emergency, despite Covid’s persistence. The paintings combat the willful denial and obfuscation of the facts of the past three years. The airborne virus cannot be seen, but in these paintings it takes center stage, a statement that ignoring the virus is deadly.

Inspired by an Artificial Intelligence-generated Tik Tok video illustrating Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Thorspecken crafted his own AI (Artist Intelligence) generated film to the music from popular local musician, Andy Matchett’s, song “Just Can’t Wait (For the Game to End)” from his apocalyptic rock musical Key of E. Each gripping artwork flashes by, building on the dark time capsule of our shared experience. Though representing a mere fraction of his overall pandemic series, each was meticulously selected and timed to Matchett’s lyrics before being custom depth mapped and animated.

 More information about the making of this film can be found at AnalogArtistDigitalWorld.com. The film will premiere as part of the 3rd annual “Film as Visual Art” on Friday, May 19, 6 – 7 p.m. before becoming available on the artist’s social media channels.

Thomas Thorspecken (Thor), is an artist, Urban Sketcher, animator, and illustrative journalist living and working in Central Florida. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, before working as a freelance illustrator designing magazines and publications. Thorspecken relocated to Orlando as an animation artist for Disney. He currently teaches at Elite Animation Academy and the Crealdé School of Art. Thor is always seeking new challenging projects, commissions, and ways to capture local life through art. Follow Thor on Instagram: @analogartistdigitalworld, Twitter: @analogartist, Facebook: Analog Artist Digital World, and subscribe to his blog: www.analogartistdigitalworld.com

Poster Evolution: Kinky Boots First Pass

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What I like most about the first pass of the Kinky Boots poster is the hand painted title. In the end the original title treatment was used from the Broadway production. In that treatment the boots create the letter K in Kinky Boots. The boots I painted in this poster almost create that K shape but I held back on being that obvious. Had I moved that front nook to the right bout an inch it would have been a huge letter K.

The other issue with this poster is that there is always a danger in showing a specific cast. The show had not been cast yet so it is usually better to avoid showing specific actors faces since they will never match with the final casting.

I was fun painting the shiny highlight on the red patent leather. I knew however that the Bugsby Berkley version was the winner. so this stayed as a rough pass. I know the show is amazing. I wish I had taken the time away from film production to see the Orlando Shakespeare Theater production.

Poster Evolution: Kinky Boots Final

Posted on by Thor

Kinky Boots was a really fun poster to design. The idea came from watching  Hollywood Bubsby Berkely dance numbers. I saw one scene there the camera trucked down between a long row of dancers legs. I watched YouTube videos of various productions go get an idea of what the show was like but unfortunately I missed the show at the Shakes. I have been so caught up in the film production that the show slipped past my radar.

It is a really fun production, I am rather sad that I missed it. It is about an old show factory in England that has run across hard times since they only produce old fashioned shoes that are going out of style. The entire staff including inflexible yokels are set the task of producing Kinky Boots to keep the business alive. It is a joyous musical.

Anyway my COVID film is wrapped up and I am looking for ways to promote it. I don’t know how to get The challenge will be to get as many eye balls as possible to see it in the coming weeks. The world premiere will be May 19, 2023 at the free Fringe Film showcase inn the Shakespeare outdoor courtyard. I had to put a warning in front of the film. This has to be the first time an Fringe animated film had had a warning. I can’t wait to see how an audience reacts. I’ll be there with my mask on.

Poster Evolution: Zoom in

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Since the door seemed to predominate the first pass of this poster, the easiest solution was to create a version that was zoomed in.That allowed the tile and author information to cover the door and camouflage it. The scene was still a bit to bright and cheery. I needed some urban grunge but wasn’t sure which way to turn yet. The director of the show was shown the poster and she had some magnificent suggestions.

She sent me on a search of a particular style of portraiture that uses unexpected colors in skin tones. This allowed me to keep the bright colors I was drawn to in the steps but use those colors to paint skin. I was no longer limited to painting variations of flesh tones.

The show is about love and acceptance but also about intolerance, to a hint was needed of conflict. The director helped me find that balance in the final poster.

Though set in an imagined future utopia the themes of the show are particularly relevant today.

First Concept: Apologies to Lorraine Hansberry

Posted on by Thor

This was my first poster concept for Apologies to Lorraine Hansberry by Rachel Lynett which ran at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. After reading the script I was fixated on the brownstones in what was an all black utopia after a civil war in the future. It is a play about race and gender and trying to find happiness only among others who are truly black.

I added rainbow colors to the steps to add color and lighten the mood of the poster. It was felt that the door took up too much of the composition. It takes up about half of the image. I also felt that it had a bit of Sesamie Street feel as apposed to an urban feel. For a start I just had to reduce the size of the door so it didn’t dominate.

Apologies to Lorraine Hansberry

Posted on by Thor

With the film wrapping up, I am realizing there are many images I have not shared here yet. I wanted to back up some files into the portfolio section but this first image could not be found on this site. I will share the evolution process for this poster over the net few days. This is the final version of the poster. The director of the play sent me some magnificent reference material that sent me in this direction.

In wandering Times Square when I lived in NYC, I used to sketch the intricate patterns created by layers of theater posters being ripped off of the billboards. I can’t imagine any other artist has ever paused in Times Square and sketched these patterns while the crowds rushed past. I used that sort of abstract layering of posers for the background for the final poster. I felt it gave the urban vine I needed.

I did get to sketch the play itself and I am glad I did because I fell in love with the cast and the message of perseverance they all shared. As an artist I identified with their strength of spirit. Seeing the play inspired me to keep pressing forward.

Pandemic Film: Plague Doctor

Posted on by Thor

The film has been wrapped up and sent off via WeTransfer. I actually spent most of today reworking a number of shots that had minor glitches. The final render was again a head ache to set up but I managed to juggle all the right settings eventually. Rendering the film was without a doubt the most stressful aspect of producing the film although Premiere Pro crashing and erasing all the past saved versions of the film was also a contender.

I actually went back to some of the earliest shots in the film today since I learned what settings worked best over the course of adjusting over 200 shots. I suspect I will hold off sharing the film until the free world Premiere at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. That screening will be on May 19, 2023 at 6pm at the Shakes outdoor courtyard.

The challenge over the next week will be figuring out how to promote the film and then how to distribute it. My primary goal is to get as many eyeballs to see the film as possible. I have never shared video on social media before but it looks like I will need to learn how. It will also reside in the animation portfolio section on this site after May 19th and I am sure to post it on YouTube as well.

Pandemic Film: Another COVID New Year

Posted on by Thor

This shot was added in the 11th hour, right before rendering the film. Three times in the film I include a new year illustration for each year of the pandemic. I had an illustration of a skeleton leaning over baby new year but at the last minute I decided this works better.

The background had a depth map added and the other layers went on top. All the confetti animates down and on top of it all another layer of confetti was added in VoluMax Pro 7. I added chaos to that animation layer and just realized that some of the confetti is blowing back upwards in the background. That is chaotic but I find it distracting, so I will be dialing back that animation and re-rendering the scene.

After rendering the movie I saw it at a large scale for the first time. There are about 5 other shots I want to revise, so I will be spending the day making those changes. I already submitted a render to the Fringe Film Festival but I have until midnight tonight and I plan to resubmit the changes before that deadline. I spent most of yesterday struggling with technical issues trying to get the film to render. After hours of research I found that I had to change the audio bitrate from 384 to 320. Trusting a youTube video for the settings got me into the trouble to start and another youtTube video resolved the problem.

Anyway the shot above is the first I will be adjusting, I am off to the races to get these in on time.