Sprite Stitchery

I know I said I'd try Setzer first, but the 8-bit sprites have such a lower color count, I figured it would be best to try the easiest possible option first. Considering it was my first attempt at cross-stitch, I'd like to think it isn't half bad, but obviously I'm biased.

I chopped out the sprite and stitched it on to my belt, then went over the remaining white with brown and black sharpies. I do have some black cross-stitch fabric and some waste canvas for stitching directly on to other articles, but like I said this was my first attempt, so I didn't want to waste anything fancy. And I certainly didn't want to just let it sit on some stretch of white uselessness...not when it turned out so nice.

So if you live here in Denton, tag the guy wandering around campus with the black mage on his belt to win a prize!
(Don't...don't actually touch me, that'd just be weird...)

Anyhow, there's a lovely little freeware program called Stitch Color that I used to go about this. It takes inputs from many different image types, then converts them to DMC colors (the official cross stitch rainbow, I guess you could say, each with a reference number so you can run out to your local fabric store and buy the ones you need), and charts it out nice and large.

I would encourage anyone nerdy enough to put videogame sprites on their clothing to give it a try. Just be warned, it takes real manliness to bust out the sewing kit. You better be up to the task.
-_-




And now for something completely different (if you don't want to listen to me rant, stop reading now or skip to the bottom for the condensed version).

I started the sprite last night while watching the film adaptation of the Golden Compass. I originally heard about the books as a result of the film's release, but I never actually saw the movie before looking into the original version. As I've mentioned recently, the books had a rather heavy impact on me, and as such I feel it is my responsibility to put a message out, to everyone within the sound of my voice, about this movie:

Chris Weitz is a mutilator and a destroyer of quality!

I haven't seen any of his other works, so apologies if anyone happens to be a fan, but I can say that, as someone who read (well technically listened to) the books in their original splendor, that that movie was the most, rushed through, watered down, censored piece of refuse I have ever willed myself to witness.

And the worst part is it wasn't 100% wrong! They nailed the steampunk-esque environment, and they had a nearly perfect cast. Scoresby was a little older that I'd imagined him, but that inexplicable cowboy from the end of the Big Lebowski fit the role perfectly. Daniel Craig? Nicole Kidman? Abso-freakin'-lutely. Some of the kids might've been...well...better, but it's hard to nitpick with child actors. For the most part they performed admirably. As much as I love Sir Ian McKellen (after embodying both Gandalf and Magneto, what nerd couldn't?), I actually think he was an odd choice for Iorek. Though, I don't think I would've had nearly as much issue if he'd been given the lines he was supposed to have.

Defeated in single combat, my backside...He's Iorek for Jeebus' sake. He was exiled for being too badass.

The whole thing was an exercise in purging all subtext and just forcing the characters through immediate twists and turns, aiming only to hit the high points of the story, and never explain why.

"Okay, I'm running away from Mrs. Coulter now. Oh look some guys, let's not explain why they're after me. Blamo, there's some Gyptians. Okay, now we're on a boat. Oh look at me, I can read the Alethiometer without even thinking twice about it. No no, don't tell me who my kickass father is now, let's save that till the end so we can have some effing Darth Vader nonsense, where I get to be Luke and say 'you can't be my mother, it's not true, it's impossible!' Oh look, now the movie's over and we didn't actually reach the end of the condemned story. Boy, the part of Lyra sure was fun."


HAAAARGH! >_< style="font-style: italic;">incredible series based on the atrocities carried out in that God damn movie.

Sigh...

That is all.






Grargh, even the soundtrack was rubbish! >_<