Waiting for the number 13 bus, I had a lucky encounter with these beautiful shapes and colours.
Rod Duncan
@rodduncan.bsky.social
Writer. Writing mentor. Printmaker. Photographer. Lecturer. Dyslexia. Aphantasia. ADHD. PhD. Shortlisted for the Philip K Dick Award & the John Creasey Dagger. He/him. No AI slop.
Plotting a novel feels very much like trying to neatly fold a fitted sheet.
The whole ‘learning to cut mountboard’ thing came about because of this print - The Crow Catalogue. I've now, inexpertly, framed it up. I still have lots of learning to do. But the imperfections are the mark of my hand, so I'm not too displeased.
Learning to cut the 45 degree bevel on mountboard. I'm slowly slowly getting better at it. Happily, I have a bag of offcut mountboard pieces from Gadsby's to practice on.
It's difficult to catch a moment with a novel, in those 3 minutes while my tea steeps. But with a handy pile of scrap paper on the kitchen table and a box of homemade willow charcoal to hand, I can make a mark or two. The results may not be much to write home about. But the process gives me joy.
I have fashioned some weirdly misshapen but tasty and gluten free objects.
Why is the top story on the BBC news about a family deciding to move back to Britain? My mistake... the top 2 stories...
'I'm also just a Thailand-based crypto billionaire standing in front of the leader of a political party asking him to love me.'
Tickets still picking up nicely for Edge-Lit this year - be sure to get yours ahead of our twelfth edition on the 19th September! www.derbyquad.co.uk/events/edgel... #Derby #Derbyshire #horror #scifi #sciencefiction #fantasy #writing #writers #readers #books #authors
Edge-Lit 12
Edge-Lit makes it a dozen with its return in 2026, once again serving up a wide array of interviews, talks, workshops and more for lovers of genre fiction.
derbyquad.co.uk
I find it impossible to 'separate the art from the artist' when the artist is using the profits from their work to fund campaigns that persecute vulnerable minorities.
A very late birthday present has arrived for me. (Ordered in plenty of time but taking months to get here...) I'm really interested in the work of this artist, Sybil Andrews. I suspect the book may have been shipped from Canada.
Very pleased with the position of my print The Lemon Counter in the Sock Open exhibition in Loughborough Town Hall.
Abstract expressionist design - a creative collaboration between the sports court behind County Hall and the dusk sky a few days ago.
Delighted to have had my print The Lemon Counter accepted for the Sock Gallery Open Exhibition in Loughborough Town Hall. The exhibition opens 1st August and runs for a month.
A bit of left handed sketching practice this morning. (Don't worry. The right hand isn't too bad. Just giving it a rest after aggravating a strain yesterday.)
Took my camera and favourite lens to Beacon Hill yesterday, under clouds and with the tantalising feeling that it might rain for the first time in many weeks. Or it might not. The landscape tinderbox dry.
Having a lovely relaxing 39th wedding anniversary. We went for a walk around Beacon Hill. Passed this old friend along the way.
A brief trip to Loughborough this afternoon. Past the Sock Man to the Sock Gallery.
It seems to have taken me most of the day to prepare two prints for submission to an open exhibition.
I framed up the print so I can leave it propped up in the hallway and catch glimpses of it unexpectedly from time to time. That's the only way I know how to decide if I like it. How do you try to achieve objectivity about the things you create? I'd love to know.
I think this is the final iteration of the design - for the time being. I've printed up two, with slightly different background variations. I'll need to frame one up and live with it for a few days before knowing if I like it. But that aside, I've learned a lot through the process. #Printmaking
