It is a personal account. Maybe so much so that you'd have to know me first in order to more appreciate some of the things written. I try to vary the point of view from piece to piece, so it's not always through my eyes.

After reading your last piece I'm not sure I could give much advice. I think the pacing in this one is spot on, I especially appreciate the treatment of Ben being almost an innocent bystander during this struggle between life and death, very realistic.

So, I guess my only advice is get a publisher?

I'm so swamped with COD4 dlc that I'm trying to wait. Let me know what you think though.

here you are, a small bit of it to read... so you don't get too depressed.

feels weird putting this out there, my original idea was to create something for my kids.
i sent it to a dear friend in Boston and she liked it so i thought i'd expand on it a bit.

The idea now is to have poems flanked by short stories at the beginning, middle, and end.
I know my writing style is a bit like a drunken caveman so unlike Tom go easy...

Chapbook Prelim

I don't think the details are harped on in fact i enjoy them laid out there for me to dechiper from. I suppose I'm really just trying to find any little thing. I think i'm just thinking of a small change in pace during the description to hopefully create more drama. I quite like the Joe Friday subtones... I guess i should've been born in another time. I've never watched Columbo, and Monk is so unique that i never even thought of it until you said something.

My wife loves these kinds of stories. Now the play "Rice & Beans" could go even farther risquee...

Yes, a Chapbook... (i know old terminology)
I'll post a small pdf version.

Tom,
Not all the way through Two Birds but so far like the way the story is written. You can tell it is written by someone who has the vocabulary of an architect. The descriptions of the scenes are spot on. My only remark regarding what i've read so far, (pgs.1-8) is that sometimes the scene descriptions seems heavy or elongated. It's not that they are too wordy, I think it's the rhythm with which they are delivered. As it's written now i can see Joe Friday delivering the narration which may not be what you were after but that's what comes to mind.
I'll let you know more thoughts once i'm through the rest of it.

Incidentally I've been working on works for a chapbook, so i was very interested when i read your post.

@khshahen said:

@daniel said:

Nice rendering. Would that soffit light be clad with stone (how would you support it?)? If so, wouldn't you see the thickness of the stone on the underside?

Dear Daniel, honestly I didn't get your point.

He's referring to the linear light or lightwell just above the paintings.. it looks like the face of that is clad with stone like the wall. if so, you will need a lintel of some type.
if this is just for kicks then no harm, just the architects will notice such things.

That looks like a comm center that Nick Fury would be at home in.

yep, i play COD4 pretty regularly.

I think I saw this method posted over on the Maxwell site last year. I never thought of combining the two images to create native sketchup version. Thanks Gaieus.

Anyway, here are the guys who posted the tutorial:
http://www.realistic-design.com/

And the PDF link for Maxwell.
http://gallery.realistic-design.com/tutorial/Grass_tutorial.pdf

And the texture bundle over at the MXM Gallery.
http://mxmgallery.maxwellrender.com/search.php#page=1&mode=1&search=grass

I'm not sure how familiar you are with these guys but you might like their work.
So, if you get a chance take a look at Bart Prince, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Bruce Goff and of course Gaudi. Always a pleasure to see the freedom that you design with.

I like the shading devices. You could even take them a step further and use Boo's mushroom picture as inspiration. Maybe allow them to create some movement on the structure. Like on the south you could drop some of them down to create a light shelf. See the link below.

http://www1.hunterdouglascontract.com/HDWeb/Cultures/en-US/Products/SolarControl/LightShelves/SystemDescription.htm

In general horizontal fins work best in southern exposure and vertical fins work best on east/west exposures. On the north side you can leave them off all together.

Mr. Bruder used vertical fins in an effective way on the Phoenix Central Library.
http://www.commercialwindows.umn.edu/case_pcl.php

Here is a good book on the subject.
http://www.amazon.com/Heating-Cooling-Lighting-Methods-Architects/dp/0471241431

Hey Fred,
Love your work and sorry for being critical.
The thing I most like about the cluster of leaves, in your picture, is the pockets of shaded areas created by the overlapping and curling leaves. Your imagery doesn't address that aspect of it. Maybe the terraces could cantilever over the window walls to create shade.
Just a thought.

here's the skippy

Juju,
thanks for the comments, i worked on this image and did some post process.
i'm not sure really what i'm doing with it. it may be too muddied up at this point.

thanks Eric, I definitely owe it to Biebel.
here are two more sitting on top of the hood of Eric's truck... just don't ask me to pan out.

Updated renderings using Podium.
Thanks Biebel for the inspiration.

here is the stand sitting atop David R's Greene & Greene table.
http://www.sketchucation.com/scf/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=863

here is the final product