# House of Normal
> A creative space for inspiration, experimentation, and exploring the human experience.
Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts.
Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`).
## Pages
### About this site
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/about/
Last updated: 2026-04-20T01:41:33.000Z
**No ads. No Popups. No Paywalls.**   
  
Just a pure creative space for inspiration, experimentation, and exploring the human experience. 

### [What this is](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/about/#what-this-is) | [Start Here](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/about/#start-here) | [Copyright](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/about/#copyright-notice) | [The Why](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/about/#the-why) | [About the Founder](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/about/#about-the-founder)

---

## What this is

House of Normal is a creative lab, journal, and archive — experiments, reflections, and collected projects by founder Damien K. Quick. Past, present and future.

## Start Here

- **The Lab** → [Capturing Dragons - A fiery photographic experiment.](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/capturing-dragons-a-fiery-photographic-experiment/)  
The lab is where I break down projects and dive deeper into the processes.
- **The Journal** → [A Reconfiguration Phase](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/a-reconfiguration-phase/)  
The Journal is a place of reflection, where I explore the human experience within a creative existence.
- **Miscellaneous Debris** → [Single Pencil - Giant Box ](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/single-pencil-giant-box/)  
Miscellaneous Debris is home for other interesting creative experiences that do not fit within The Lab or Journal categories.
- **Random Thoughts from Mars** →[Stuck on a mundane planet](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/mars/site-upgrade-test/)  
Intercepted signals and stray musings from Mars.
- **Browse everything** → [The Archive](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/archive/)  
Everything in one place, extra category breakdowns for easier browsing.

---

## Copyright Notice

![Creative Commons CC BY](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/image.png)

Creative Commons CC BY

Everything on this site is covered by Creative Commons CC BY.  
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. CC BY includes the following elements:

BY: credit must be given to the creator.

For more information regarding this licence please see [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=houseofnormal.com.au)  
  
If you would like High Res copies of images, video, or audio, please send a message through my contact page which can be found in the footer, Enjoy! ✌️

---

## The Why

From late 2024 through 2025, once again, I was transitioning from full-time work to running my own creative business. I tested countless systems and website iterations, marketing campaigns and spending most of my time on the business side trying to make money—and less time doing the things that inspired the change in the first place.

I was pushing art sales and pay-walling content. Spending *way* too much time on social media, playing the trivial “constant posting” game to help funnel traffic toward sales pages but all the while something about it didn’t feel right.

In November 2025, I finished 12 months on the Australian Government’s [Self-Employment Assistance Program](https://www.dewr.gov.au/self-employment-assistance?ref=houseofnormal.com.au). By their definition, it was not a success—I didn’t reach a sustainable income within 12 months. But the process gave me something more valuable: experience, insight, and a clearer understanding of how I function as a creative and as a person. I spent that year exploring mission and values, and constantly reshaping my web presence as I was reshaping myself. 

Over the 2025–2026 end-of-year break, I recalibrated. Why, after more than a year chasing this idea do I still feel unfulfilled? I removed social media from my phone and [read several books](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/a-reconfiguration-phase/), trying to figure out what was going on.

The main problem here I had “niched down” into a very limited set of creative skills—art and animation. But my interests are broad, very broad and always expanding. Focusing on such a narrow slice of my interests felt extremely limiting whenever I wasn’t actively producing along those lines.

Niching down started to feel like binding myself in chains.

In the past, I’ve moved through many lines of work—sign fabrication, animation, photography, production management, AV and maintenance tech and more—and in my own time I’ve explored all kinds of creative processes. I can’t be an artist without referencing photography. I can’t talk about animation without mentioning the short films that led me into feature films, television series, and animation production management. It’s all connected.

So the key for me is to *de-niche*: open my world back up, allow all kinds of creative experimentation, and create a space where I can share openly and honestly—about both new discoveries and past experiences.

And so we have this website. 

Free for all. No ads. No pop-ups. No paywalls.

Enjoy. 

![House of Normal Founder plays many instruments from synthesisers and DJ turntables to Guitar and the Bass.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/A-man-plays-many-instruments-throughout-his-lifetime.jpg)

A man plays many instruments throughout his lifetime

---

## About the Founder

Damien K. Quick. The “K” means my parents either had a cruel streak or a sense of humour. And given the surprising number of Damien Quicks in the world, I’m officially announcing the return of the long-unmentioned middle name: Kingsley.

I could call myself an “artist” or a “creative” or whatever label fits this week, but honestly? Let's just say I'm a 'compulsive creative tinker-thinker' and leave it at that. 

As a kid I lived all over Australia — the Northern Territory, central New South Wales, and across north and south-east Queensland. We also travelled a lot: northern Western Australia, the Kimberley, Kakadu, Uluru, and the salt lakes of South Australia. I even spent time in remote communities.

School-wise, I was usually behind — constant moving meant constant curriculum changes, and undiagnosed dyslexia didn’t exactly help. But from an early age I was developing a neurodiverse kind of superpower.

By five years old I was already pulling things apart to see how they worked… and mostly putting them back together again, usually with a few leftover mystery bonus screws. My Mum would sometimes throw my “broken” toys in the bin, but to me they weren’t broken — finding out how things worked was a pathway to imagination and future possibilities.

Despite my difficulties at school, I was always learning. I was obsessed with my Dad’s National Geographic collection and the *Marshall Cavendish Insight* magazines from the 1980s. Science and technology, space exploration, robotics — I was fascinated.  
But because I was also considered “good at art”, my focus was guided more in that direction.

After yet another move in 1986, at a new school, I was introduced to the Commodore 64\. A whole world I hadn’t seen first-hand. I became obsessed — games, BASIC programming (which I sucked at), and a whole expanse of sci-fi game cover art to add to the inspiration pile.

Fast forward to my final year of high school in 1993: I left school a year before graduating, with straight A’s and B’s in Art, and honours certificates from TAFE in engineering drafting and visual art & design.

> And welcome to unemployment. 

Back then I couldn’t get into university to study animation, architecture, or fine art because — despite my strong performance in electives, and what I was told was “an impressive portfolio” — my unsatisfactory results in core subjects like English and maths left a lot to be desired.

So that was that. After an uninspiring attempt at night-school English to boost my entry score, I resigned myself to casual work at a supermarket, stacking shelves in fruit and veg.

I saved up enough to buy a Commodore Amiga 1200 with an 800MB hard drive, 16MB of RAM, and a multisync monitor — around **AU$4,000** in 1995, (thats **AU$8,836.92** in 2026 by the way) and considered insanely over-the-top in power and performance at the time — and started teaching myself 3D rendering and animation, digital art, and… game game game.

From there I bounced through random jobs: metal manufacturing, factory work, whatever paid. Until a friend’s dad offered me a short temp contract. He’d left a plastics fabrication teaching job (he literally wrote *the* textbook on it) to start his own business.

That “three-week project” turned into seven years full-time, and then another seven on-and-off part-time.

The steady income, access to tools, and eventually new tech — bench-sized laser cutter, CNC routers, the lot — lit the fuse again. We built custom tools for specific jobs, and in my spare time I was inventing things, building custom stereo equipment, trying new art techniques, playing music… I even played live breaks & beats and drum ’n’ bass in the local night club scene.

I tinkered with electronics, short films, animation, and photography experiments. And with the support of the boss, I took professional animation classes, built a folio, and after a few attempts scored work at an animation and post-production facility at Movie World Studios on the Gold Coast… as an assistant receptionist and production assistant. Not glamorous, but it was a foot in the door.

From there I learned film and animation production processes, edited confidential proposal documents, then expanded into video editing for facility promo reels. Before long I became the go-to guy for everything they didn’t have a dedicated person for: airport pickups, designing and producing printed marketing material, helping IT, and eventually working directly with the company owner and creative director across a wide range of projects.

He became a mentor — the kind who’d grin when I said “that can’t be done”… and then calmly show me how it’s done.

However, after a few years the film and TV industry collapsed in Australia. I moved through a few production management roles and eventually started my own business, **Monkwhy Audio Visual**, working as a freelance AV tech: photography and camera operation, lighting, vision, installing and operating LED screens, and running video switchers and everything in-between. 

Fast forward: after a string of roles across a few industries — mining maintenance, pilot plant work — and an unfinished attempt at an engineering degree, I eventually came full circle and asked myself at 49:  
**What do I actually want to be doing with my life?**  
And so here we are. Compulsive. Obsessive. Creative. Tinkering and Thinkering.  
Following curiosity wherever it leads — exploring, making, and always learning.  
And sharing it all with you — in detail.
### The Archive
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/archive/
Last updated: 2026-01-20T20:53:37.000Z
![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-archive-of-records-2.jpg)
### Contact
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/contact/
Last updated: 2026-01-14T03:33:24.000Z
_No content available._
### Shop
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/shop/
Last updated: 2026-04-20T02:58:14.000Z
These pieces are looking for a home. If something catches your eye, I’d love to hear from you.

I’m based in Samford Valley, QLD. Local pickup is welcome, and I’m happy to arrange shipping Australia-wide (costs will vary depending on the piece and location). 

To enquire or purchase, send me a message via the Contact page (in the footer) or email damien@houseofnormal.com.au. Just include the name of the piece and whether you’re thinking of pickup or shipping, and I’ll get back to you with the details.

Payments can be made via bank transfer or PayPal. Pieces can be held for a short time on request.

All enquiries are welcome

---

## Southern Forest

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/southern-forest-ghost-website.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/Southern-Forest---Damien-K-Quick.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/IpswichArtAward2025.jpg)

Southern Forest - Acrylic on Cartridge Paper - Framed

**$2400 AUD**  
Acrylic on Cartridge paper - 2025  
Art Piece - A2 (**420mm x 594mm**)  
Custom Frame - **580mm x 770mm**  
Non reflective Art Glass - Double Mat.  
Original Piece  
  
Airbrushed Acrylic, Brushed pouring Acrylic, Posca Pens.   
Inspired by the South East Queensland strangler fig trees. 

This piece was also exhibited at the 2025 Ipswich Art Award.   
  
See the full story behind the piece below.

[Tree Root Systems - An inspiration.I’ve always been drawn to trees — especially their roots, scars, and twisted forms. This piece explores how forest walks, flood-marked bark, and strangler figs have quietly influenced the way I build structure and movement in my artwork.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)House of NormalDamien K Quick![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/size/w1200/2026/02/southern-forest-banner-image.jpg)](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/tree-root-systems-an-inspiration/)

---

## Bush Stone Curlew

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/BushStoneCurlew-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/Bush-Stone-Curlew-Painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1.webp)

Bush Stone Curlew - Pouring Acrylic on Canvas 2025

**SOLD**  
Pouring Acrylic on Canvas - 2025  
**300mm x 880mm**  
Original Piece

One of my favorite birds is the Bush Stone Curlew. Their hallowed screams in the night and their large nocturnal eyes. 

---
## Posts
### Custom Art on 'Machete' the 1975 Bedford Motor Home
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/custom-art-on-machete-the-1975-bedford-motor-home/
Last updated: 2026-10-01T02:11:00.000Z
Living in a motor home may not be ideal for everyone, although with the rising cost of living, it has become a more affordable option for some. For me, at the time, it was a complete lifestyle change. Coming out of a divorce and home ownership, moving into a motor home represented a fresh start in life. It seemed fitting, then, that a fresh coat of paint would give *Machete*, my 1975 Bedford motor home, a fresh start of her own.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/090331_Machete_Art_Concept002.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/090331_Machete_Art_Concept001.jpg)

Machete the Motor home - Original Concept Art

Machete? you ask. well yes well the original idea was to paint it in a machete move theme. That's right, the movie with Danny Trejo. But as I delved deep into the rebuild that idea no longer felt right for the project. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-at-The-Dreaming-Festival-2009.jpg)

The Dreaming Festival 2009 - Woodford Folk Festival site.

I had already been living in the Motorhome for several Months, parked at friends houses and eventually parked in the driveway of my workplace when an engine rebuild was required. It was here I decided to tackle the artwork project once all the panel work was completed. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Panel-Work.jpg)

My Mate Damo working on panel replacement. 

I called my mate ROMS and asked if he would be keep to help me give Machete a paint job and also teach me some rattle can techniques. I had a lot of airbrush experience but not a lot of Graff skills. We ordered AUD600 worth of Molotow Belton Cans and a box of different tips, set aside an evening and got to it. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Artwork-by-ROMS.jpg)

ROMS using an industrial skip for high reach. 

Working on my style adding organic eyes under the alias 'Monkwhy' , ROMS added his style of text and his signature flying pyramids. I also gave ROMS an entire side to do what ever he liked for helping out on the project. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Artwork-in-progress-with-Roms.jpg)

ROMS working on the Monkwhy text. 

Taking most of the evening, we eventually got it done, although we did run out of certain colours. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Artwork-in-progress-left--door.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Artwork-in-progress.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Artwork-in-progress-rear.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Artwork-in-progress-Monks.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Artwork-in-progress-front-1.jpg)

Art work in Progress.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Completed-artwork-Front.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Completed-artwork-001-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Completed-artwork-Roms.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Completed-artwork-Rear.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Art-Completed-the-next-morning.jpg)

The Completed Artwork the following Morning.

The original plan with the motor home was to travel up to north QLD Festival hopping and exploring The Daintree rain forest however events didn't go to plan due to meeting a girl. We married and that was that, however we did a lot of festival hopping, The Dreaming, The Planting, Woodford Folk Festival and regular 'Treehuggers' Monthly land care visits to The Woodfordia site. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-at-Woodford-Folk-Festival-Last-day-1.jpg)

Machete at the end of Woodford Folk Festival. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Stanthorpe.jpg)

Machete at Stanthorpe QLD. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-The-Planting-Artwork-by-Mace-2010.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-The-Planting-Artwork-by-Mace.jpg)

My Friend Mace also added some artwork, and the plan was to collect various artists work all over it and its interior. 

ROMS also sent the images into Clouded thoughts magazine which got published. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/10/1975-Bedford-Motorhome-Clouded-Thoughts-Magazine.jpg)

Machete - Clouded Thoughts Magazine

So what happened to Machete the Motor home? Well that's another story. Stay Tuned.
### Learning to dance at 50 years old
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/learning-to-dance-at-50-years-old/
Last updated: 2026-07-19T07:46:38.000Z
Turning 50 can be a big thing for many, but it doesn't have to be a negative one. The decline in ability, health and well-being only becomes a problem if you allow it to be.

Today is my 50th birthday, and I'm more capable, fit and healthy than I was in my 20s and 30s, with 50 years of wisdom to boot. But this was a choice I made five months ago.

I was losing my breath taking the bins out to the street, remembering how fit I was training Shaolin Kung Fu five days a week less than ten years ago. So what happened? How did I become like this, and how did I flip that around in such a short period of time?

## The WHY? 

I spent the last two years working towards creative entrepreneurship... again... as many of us neurodivergent creatives find ourselves doing.

It's not going well!

However, that's not due to a lack of effort. I've been working the equivalent of multiple full-time jobs for near-zero pay, spending hours at home sitting at a desk drawing, painting, video editing, live streaming... you get the idea.

![First person view of my desk with Fluffkins the cat sleeping on my arm.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/07/sitting-at-a-desk-animating.jpg)

Sitting at the desk for long hours with very little exercise.

It's a very different lifestyle from getting up early, commuting to work, having an active job, walking to lunch, then maybe heading to the gym or Kung Fu in the evening. What I mean is, it's much harder to stay active when you work from home, where leaving the house isn't part of your daily routine.

In February 2026, I took my daughter to try out a new dance school, Paradox Dance over at Woolloongabba. It didn't work out for her as the travel was simply too much, but I was inspired by the environment, the music, the vibe, the energy... and talking with Suzi and Yasim was genuinely inspiring.

My wife even said, *"Do they do adult classes? Maybe you could try that."*

They do.

But I brushed it off at the time.

Being in that environment made me realise just how unfit I'd become. I felt **FAT**.

I remembered what it felt like to be fit. To wake up every day feeling like Superman, capable of doing anything I wanted. Although we never went back to Paradox, that experience stuck with me.

Then one day, after losing my breath just taking the bins out, I thought,

*"I'm almost 50... is this the beginning of the end?"*

So I typed exactly that into Google, hoping for... anything. Maybe an article. But since AI has taken over everything, I got one of those responses scraped together from across the internet.

The answer wasn't exactly comforting.

Yes, things decline. Bone density. Muscle mass. Even your mind.

But they don't have to.

These things only become the end if you allow them to, and there are steps you can take to slow, stop, or even reverse much of that decline.

Thus began the rabbit hole.

The biggest takeaway I found was this:

You need a reason.

Not *"I want to be fit."*

Not *"I want to reverse ageing."*

Those aren't strong enough to keep you motivated long term.

I thought back to my Kung Fu days, and even to the brief time I'd returned to it only a year earlier before life got in the way... yet again.

Looking back over my life, I'd done this cycle so many times.

Every few years it was January. Full of motivation.

I'd get back into Kung Fu or mountain biking, lose a heap of weight, get fit... and then by June (winter in Australia) I'd quietly drop off.

That would be it until the following January... or maybe the one after that... by which time I'd put all the weight back on after six to eighteen months of barely moving.

I even had spreadsheets tracking all my progress.

Every one of them showed the same thing.

January to June...

...then the notes stopped.

There was definitely a pattern.

So what did I need to do to keep it going after January?

Not just for six months.

Forever.

I needed a reason.

That was the problem.

I didn't actually know what I wanted to do.

I could go back to Kung Fu, which I absolutely loved, but without a car, and with the constant train line upgrades making public transport unreliable, getting there was becoming almost impossible.

I just knew one thing.

I wanted to do **something**.

So I started with a very simple goal.

## Get capable. 

If I was going to return to Kung Fu, or try something else, it would be extremely hard in my current condition. Maybe I'd even injure myself. So I needed to get capable.

Lucky for me, I have an extensive background in understanding my body from all my previous training, note-taking and years of keeping logs. So I devised a simple plan: daily walking and three light weight training sessions a week.

Easy.

I know how to walk, and I have a small amount of gym equipment at home. Combine that with eating well and removing useless or disruptive things like beer. 🙁

![View of the local creek during one of my daily walks. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/07/the-daily-walks.jpg)

I started walking every afternoon. 

I started with the basics of weight training, hitting all the large muscle groups with a simple push/pull routine using light weights. Just 9kg dumbbells and 10lb Clubbells, not the heavy ones I used to train with. Alongside that, I started walking 2km a day.

Honestly, it didn't take long before that became 4km... then 5km... then 6km a day.

Those 9kg dumbbells became 10kg... then 11kg... then 12kg.

By March, I finally felt capable enough to start something.

My weight was dropping, I felt healthier, and I was no longer getting out of breath doing basic everyday things.

All from short weight training sessions and walking for a few weeks ***consistently*** <– write that down!

![view of my home gym, clubbells, dumbbells, a plyo box, pullup bar and bench.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/07/the--home-gym.jpg)

The Home Gym.

So now what?

Increase the weight training? Start running?

I hate running. It's boring as bat shit. (Although, bat shit is far more interesting than running, TBH.)

And weight training by itself isn't sustainable for me.

My original goal was **"get capable."**

Capable to return to Kung Fu...

...or something else?  

## Skills Based Fitness. 

Kung Fu and mountain biking are both forms of skills-based fitness. This is really what I was working towards when I said **"get capable."**

The thing about martial arts is that, when you're doing it, you're less likely to think, *"This is fitness. Just one more rep."* You're focused on learning skills and becoming even more capable.

Your heart is pumping at its maximum and your chest is burning, but that's not your focus. You're more interested in flying gracefully through the air than slogging it out on a treadmill.

You're far more likely to get excited about learning a new skill or finally landing that aerial or flip-up than you are about another session on the treadmill.

Learning to flip up way back in 2016\. 

But herein lies the problem.

I can't get there.

Three hours of travel each way simply isn't **sustainable**. <—Write *that* down too.

So I started looking for local alternatives.

There are Kung Fu schools closer to home, but they're not the same.

Northern Traditional Shaolin was what I loved. Hok San Lion Dance. The friends I'd made. My teacher, Ramesh Patel (legend).

Going somewhere else just didn't have the same pull.

Then I remembered Paradox Dance.

Hmm... maybe I could do hip hop classes or something? I already had a background in the hip hop and drum and bass scene back in the day.

I looked at Paradox's adult classes, then started searching for dance schools closer to home.

Unfortunately, children's dance schools far outnumber adult-specific ones.

I found a few, but the closest were VHub in Fortitude Valley and Mad Dance House in the city.

At that point, I kind of gave up.

But the thought never really left me.

I was still motivated to keep walking and weight training... but for how long?

I even started convincing myself that three hours of travel each way wasn't *that* bad.

It is.

It's not sustainable.

I kept watching dance videos on social media and started following heaps of dance teachers, hip hop dancers, breakers and people from the Brisbane street dance scene.

My daughter and I had been watching 1MILLION Dance Studio videos for years.

Honestly, though, I'd never thought about doing it myself.

I just loved watching the movement. The expression. There was something there that kept pulling me back.

Then I discovered that Mad Dance House was running several introductory courses for absolute beginners.

It was in the city, so it wasn't too bad to get to by train.

So I signed up to the Hip Hop Course.

Paid right there and then...

...before I could chicken out.

Now I *had* to do it.

There was no backing out.

Oh crap.

What have I done?

0:00 

/0:26 

1× 

## Dance

Well... holy shit.

Have I just found a new obsession?

The first lesson was super awkward. I was overly self-conscious. However, I quickly realised this was a safe environment with zero judgement, and the teacher, Loïc, was incredibly encouraging and amazing at breaking everything down into bite-sized, ultra-beginner chunks.

It only took two or three lessons before I started letting go of my ego and became okay with looking stupid.

This may sound a bit harsh, but honestly, I think this is what stops a lot of people from even starting.

Just be okay with looking foolish.

You've never moved like this before. It's going to feel difficult. It's going to be uncoordinated...

...at first.

![View from Studio 5, Mad Dance House, Hip Hop Absolute Beginner Course.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/07/view-from-Studio-5-Mad-Dance-House.jpg)

View from Studio 5, Mad Dance House, Hip Hop Absolute Beginner Course.

By the time I finished the six-week course, I'd learned a handful of hip hop fundamentals, how to string them together, and was starting to understand musicality. More importantly, I was beginning to explore creative movement.

Once the course finished, I kept going with Hip Hop Foundations classes.

Then I took my first Absolute Beginner (Level 1) Choreography class with Jasmin Meakin.

This was on the same Friday night, followed by Hip Hop.

The vibe was insane.

A packed class, learning a 30-second routine in an hour.

It was difficult...

...but accessible.

I was literally on a high for days afterwards.

My body hurt.

But I wanted more.

Over the next couple of weeks, I kept doing Jasmin's Level 1 choreography class and Loïc's Hip Hop classes every Friday, while continuing my weight training and walking throughout the week.

The weight kept dropping too, as dance was burning somewhere around 500–600 calories an hour.

Then I stepped into a Level 2 choreography class.

Honestly...

It was well above my level.

But I had so much fun.

I learned an incredible amount because it was basically trial by fire.

By this point...

I'm hooked.

My whole week revolves around Friday, and it never comes around fast enough.

So I became a Mad Dance House member.

Unlimited classes for one weekly fee.

Now I had Level 1 and Level 2 choreography with Jasmin on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Four classes a week.

Then five.

Then six.

Eventually up to eight classes a week.

I started ballet.

Contemporary.

Jazz.

More hip hop choreography.

And I'm still looking at adding more styles and more classes as my body and brain adapt.

Every spare moment I can, I'm at Mad Dance House.

This has become an obsession.

A consistent...

Sustainable...

...obsession.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/07/waiting-for-Jasmins-classes-Mad-Dance-House.jpg)

Super early waiting for Choreo Classes with Jasmin AKA Megajam. Mad Dance House outside studio 3 and 4\. 

## A Lifestyle

Dance has become part of my lifestyle.

Actually...

It *is* my lifestyle now.

Everything revolves around it.

The food I eat.

My sleeping habits.

I don't drink alcohol anymore because I don't want to compromise tomorrow's dance class.

My weight training has evolved from simply building bigger muscles to strengthening all the little ones. Stabilisers. Core. Strength through flexibility.

Everything now has a purpose.

Jumping for hours without fatiguing.

Being stable on the balls of my feet.

Balance.

Alignment.

Connective tissue.

Mobility.

Even my home gym has changed. It's no longer just weight training. It's become this strange mix of weights, Pilates and calisthenics.

Everything I do now is about becoming a better dancer.

Even the timing of my meals revolves around dance.

In just four months, I'd completed fifty dance classes.

Two days before I turned fifty.

I'd lost 9kg.

Ten centimetres off my beer gut.

I'm stronger and more capable than I was in my twenties and thirties.

I started with a reason.

Then I found my obsession.

Something that's consistent.

Something that's sustainable.

I turned it into a lifestyle.

And honestly...

I'm so motivated now that those three-hour trips to Kung Fu might even be back on the table.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/07/i-finally-have-somewhere-to-wear-my-Adidas-gear-2.jpg)

I Finally have somewhere to wear my Classic Adidas collection.
### Hok San Lion Dance 2015 - 2017
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/hok-san-lion-dance-2015-2017/
Last updated: 2026-05-27T02:04:48.000Z
![Sifu Ramesh Patel sits surrounded by 5 Hok San Lions and Male and Female Monk Characters Chung tian Temple Queensland Feb 2015.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Shaolin-Kung-Fu-Guan---Chung-Tian-Temple-Feb-2015-1.jpg)

*This article was originally posted on the old House of Normal Blog 2024\. It has been rewritten and updated May 2026\.* 

---

If you are lucky enough to train at a Kung Fu school that also practises Lion Dance, you’re almost guaranteed to fall in love with it. At Shaolin Kung Fu Guan, we trained in Hok San, a more modern Southern Lion style originating from Heshan in Guangdong, China, which later became hugely popular throughout Malaysia and Southeast Asia, compared to older traditional styles such as Fut San.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Shaolin-Kung-Fu-Guan-Performance-Team.jpg)

Lion Dance is surprisingly complex, combining high-intensity training, new skills, puppetry, acting, dance, music, culture, performance art, and entertainment. There’s always something new to learn and master.

![Hok San Lion Dance at Chung Tian Temple Brisbane](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Hok-San-LionDance-at-Chung-Tian-Temple-Brisbane.jpg)

I initially started as a tail, which—if you don’t have super-strong hip flexors—is easy to fatigue in that bent-over position. However, for the 2015 New Year celebrations, I was trained as the Female Monk character.

![Male and Female Monk characters at Chung Tian Temple](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Male-and-Female-Monk-characters-at-Chung-Tian-Temple.jpg)

The Monk characters have their own routines and generally lead at the front of the lion line. They act as guides for the lions—extra sets of eyes pointing out people with red envelope gifts and the locations of the Choy (lettuce offerings). The fan used in the routines also helps cool down the performers inside the lion suits, as it can get quite warm in February here in Queensland.

![Hok San Performance team Chung Tian Temple 2015](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Hok-San-Performance-team-Chung-Tian-Temple-2015.jpg)

I had quite a bit of fun with it, playing an over-the-top female character inspired by the comedic female performances in old Jackie Chan and Jet Li kung fu films—fluttering the fan in front of my face, exaggerating hip movements, and kicking one leg up behind me. 😆

It was always hilarious seeing the looks on people’s faces when I took off the mask and they realised the Female Monk had a beard.

![Shaolin Kung Fu Guan Brisbane Performance Team](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Shaolin-Kung-Fu-Guan-Brisbane-Performance-Team.jpg)

From 2016 to 2017, I alternated between Lion Tail and Lion Head roles. Performances were held at Chung Tian Temple, 8 Street (the Asian food court) at Garden City Shopping Centre, and various other events, school fetes, and markets.

![Damien Performing as a Hok San Lion Head Chung Tian Temple Brisbane](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Damien-Performing-as-a-Hok-San-Lion-Head-Chung-Tian-Temple-Brisbane.jpg)

By 2017, I had become extremely busy with work and was unable to train, much to my disappointment. I still attended events in support of the school and occasionally got roped into playing in the band whenever there was a vacancy.

![Damien and Family at Chung Tian Temple supporting The Performance Team](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Damien-and-Family-at-Chung-Tian-Temple-supporting-The-Performance-Team.jpg)

In 2024, it was great returning to training, especially the Lion Dance classes. My daughter also joined the school and began her own Kung Fu journey, quickly discovering her own love for Lion Dance. We started training as a team, with her as the head and me as the tail. We also began building our own Hok San lion, which I’ll post about on this website soon, along with build notes.

## Update: May 2026

Unfortunately, much like in 2017, work became increasingly busy again. On top of that, the constant interruptions to the train network made attending classes nearly impossible.

With the school based in Mt Gravatt, it’s around 40 km from home, and the train line upgrades for the 2032 Olympics have created massive transport problems for those of us without a car. To attend training, I would have needed to ride roughly 28 km each way by bicycle.

As of 2026, the south-side train lines are still offline. (I know, right? WTF?) To make matters worse, the school has since moved even further away.

*Sigh.*

Time to consider an alternative perhaps…? 🕺
### Monster Cheese
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/monster-cheese/
Last updated: 2026-05-25T23:45:22.000Z
![Cheesy blob monsters proboscis reach above like yellow tentacles. Artwork by Damien K Quick.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/251028_MonsterCheese_web-1.jpg)

*"If there's one thing worth avoiding on this dive, its the unassuming proboscis of the Monster Cheese."*
### Present-Moment Awareness
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/present-moment-awareness/
Last updated: 2026-05-24T23:31:43.000Z
![Glowing golden female profile superimposed over an unknown galaxy. Artwork by Damien K Quick. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Wellbeing-1080-1.jpg)

**Transmission:**   
*"Intentionally focusing on your current thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and environment instead of rehashing the past or worrying about the future."*
### Alien Aerial Planetary
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/alien-aerial-planetary/
Last updated: 2026-05-21T00:22:39.000Z
![Signal received, an aerial view of an alien planet, Red Brown and what appears to be sulphur on the surface. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/alien-aerial-planetary-1.jpg)

***Signal Received:*** What appears to be sulphur reserves on the surface could be a trap. I mean, its happened before. They are not too keen on us taking the resources. Sending an unmanned probe to investigate. ***Signal Ended.***
### Totem of Pluto
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/totem-of-pluto/
Last updated: 2026-05-20T01:42:11.000Z
![An abstract totem profile design, extended blue tongue and 3 eyes. Artwork By Damien K Quick. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Totem-1080-1.png)

![The Totem original sketch by Damien K Quick](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Totem_Sketch-1080.jpg)

Artists impression.

Translated from the ancient texts found beneath the ice, this artists impression is widely regarded as highly inaccurate however it is the only one in existence.
### Inflatable Boing - Localised Lifeform Transport System (LLTS)
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/inflatable-boing-localised-lifeform-transport-system-llts/
Last updated: 2026-05-19T00:45:53.000Z
![Resembling a Pool Pony, this squishy lifeform can be used as transport. They are found everywhere around here. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Inflatable-Boing---Localised-Lifeform-transport-1080-1.jpg)

Found amongst the dunes, they appear to be doing not much at all however if you give them a firm kick in what we assume is the stomach they bounce like the clappers. Point her in the desired direction and you've got yourself an organic transport system my friend.

*Note: Stomach could also be reproductive system, really not sure.? Lol*
### A Day to be Remembered
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/a-day-to-be-remembered/
Last updated: 2026-05-18T00:11:36.000Z
![Somewhere deep in space they came, covering the sky like infinite rows of arrows falling from the sky. Artwork by Damien K Quick, May 2026.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/A-day-to-be-remembered-1080-1.jpg)

![audio-thumbnail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/media/2026/05/A-day-to-remember_thumb.jpg)

A Day to be Remembered - Theme

0:00

/236.571429

1×

They covered the sky ... Welcome traveller ...   
Lest we forget!
### It wasn't His Fault
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/it-wasnt-his-fault/
Last updated: 2026-05-15T01:10:55.000Z
![An abstract digital painting depicting precipitation, by artist Damien K Quick. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/It-wasnt-his-fault-1080-1.jpg)

Despite his colleagues’ ongoing opinions, the evidence suggested it wasn’t his fault.

*"Precipitation has nothing to do with a cult."* 

...bloody peasants...
### Memories of Earth - Southern Wine District
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/memories-of-earth-southern-wine-district/
Last updated: 2026-05-14T01:06:43.000Z
![Digital painting of a winery in southern New Zealand, as a distant memory of Earth. By Damien K Quick 2026. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Path-to-the-winery-1080-1.jpg)

Of all the things to remind us of Earth on this day, and its Wine...  
We haven't even seen a Grape in 400 years.   
(v\_v)
### Grasshopper Transport System (GTS)
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/grasshopper-transport-system-gts/
Last updated: 2026-05-13T02:56:29.000Z
![Rough Sketch of a Grasshopper style ship concept that can launch using mechanic leg mechanism.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/grasshopper-ship-concept-1080-3.jpg)

Interplanetary Public Transport  
64 passenger load.   
Mechanical launch capability. 

Primary form of interplanetary transport.   
See also *Interplanetary Commute*. 

[Interplanetary CommuteWe reach for the stars, yet remain as unhappy as we’ve always been.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/icon/House-of-normal-thumb-youtube-17.png)House of NormalDamien K Quick![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/thumbnail/Interplanetary-Commute-1080.jpg)](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/interplanetary-commute/)
### Lost
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/lost/
Last updated: 2026-05-11T23:22:27.000Z
![A slender character stands confused in an unfamiliar black and white environment.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/lost-1080-1.jpg)

"I have no idea what just happened. Where am I?"
### Interplanetary Commute
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/interplanetary-commute/
Last updated: 2026-05-07T00:47:10.000Z
![Hopper space craft launch into the sky over a city scape on a distant planet, Dark, Wet, miserable.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Interplanetary-Commute-1080-1.jpg)

![audio-thumbnail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/media/2026/05/Interplanetary-commute-1_thumb.jpg)

Interplanetary commute

0:00

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And to think we used to complain about travelling half way across the city for an hour... and now... 

Progress... 

I guess. 

We reach for the stars, yet remain as unhappy as we’ve always been.
### Specimen 00 - The Harvest
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/specimen-00-the-harvest/
Last updated: 2026-05-06T01:07:30.000Z
![An artwork depicting the primordial soup as defined by the beginning of mankind. But the beginning on Earth? ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Specimen-00---The-Harvest-1.jpg)

In the Beginning ... 

![audio-thumbnail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/media/2026/05/Specimen-00---the-harvest_thumb.jpg)

Specimen 00 - The Harvest

0:00

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/ˈspɛsɪmɪn \\(0\\)\\(0\\)/ In the Beginning – .- -. -.-. .-. . .- - . -.. --. — -..
### Memories of Earth - A New Dawn
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/mem/
Last updated: 2026-05-05T00:26:32.000Z
![Artwork by Damien K Quick. A dirt trail disappears over a hill into the sunset.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/Memories-of-Earth-1080-1.jpg)

![audio-thumbnail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/media/2026/05/A-new-dawn_thumb.jpg)

A New Dawn - Theme

0:00

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1×

Venus, once a distant star, a resource now forgotten.   
 †ЯΛGΞDΨ 
### Patience went out the door with motivation
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/patient/
Last updated: 2026-05-02T04:51:36.000Z
![light shines through a mysterious open door](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/05/patients-went-out-the-door-with-motivation-1920-2.jpg)

![audio-thumbnail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/media/2026/05/The-motivation-door_thumb.jpg)

The motivation door

0:00

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 NAOEP 
### A New Specimen - 88
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/a-new-specimen-88/
Last updated: 2026-04-30T23:52:44.000Z
![A new species discovered Specimen 88 - A Baller worm, 1mm in length - found on the fourth tier from the top of the Ancient cliffs ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/Specimen-88-1920-1.jpg)

Specimen 88 

A new species discovered - Specimen 88 - A Baller worm, 1mm in length - found on the fourth tier from the top of the [Ancient Terraced Cliffs](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/mars/the-ancient-terraced-cliffs/).
### The Ancient Terraced Cliffs
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/the-ancient-terraced-cliffs/
Last updated: 2026-04-30T03:52:47.000Z
![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/terraced-cliffs-wide-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/terraced-cliffs-portrait.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/terraced-cliffs-close.jpg)

![audio-thumbnail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/media/2026/04/The-Decent_thumb.jpg)

The Decent

0:00

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Explorers attempt to abseil down inverted terraced cliffs, partially filled with water, only the wind can carry them down to the undiscovered depths, one tier at a time.
### The red lakes
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/the-red-lakes/
Last updated: 2026-04-29T01:38:31.000Z
![Overlooking the mountain range that merges with the red lakes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/the-red-lakes-1.jpg)

Covering 90% of the planet and pH2 . Just don't drink the water.!
### Rocks on Mars
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/rocks-on-mars/
Last updated: 2026-04-26T23:19:04.000Z
![A strange mist swirls around a lonely pile of rocks. On ... Mars ?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/rocks-on-mars-1920-1.jpg)

Transmission received: ... - - - ... You can't go to mars without seeing rocks and you cant think of rocks without thinking Mars. 

I've been here too long, maybe its time to start broadening my horizons??
### Control System Installation
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/control-system-installation/
Last updated: 2026-04-22T23:59:22.000Z
![Drawing of 3 alien structures on a barren landscape with shapes of people for size comparison](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/Control-Installation-1.jpg)

Control System Installation

```
    \ /
    oVo
\___XXX___/
 __XXXXX__
/__XXXXX__\
/   XXX   \
     V
print "Watch them install their own cage ... All is going to plan ..."

```
### Umbilical of  the Wastes
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/umbilical-of-the-wastes/
Last updated: 2026-04-20T01:12:13.000Z
![A long organic umbilical pipeline off into the distance and disappears into a sand storm.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/Umbilical-of-the-wastes-1.jpg)

Umbilical of the Wastes

¨ƒî©þÜï;4D  
Umbilical maintenance to commence Ÿí¹d2õ  
Ý¢ÜßZéP' .. MSD = ⁠JD − 2451549.5/1.0274912517⁠ + 44796.0 − 0.0009626

![audio-thumbnail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/media/2026/04/251118-forsaken-umangst-the-stars_003_thumb.jpg)

Umbilical of the Wastes Theme

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### Signals from the past
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/signals-from-the-past/
Last updated: 2026-04-17T23:55:52.000Z
![The sky at night, 4 light beams shoot across the sky as we listen for signals or life.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/das-sky-copy-1.jpg)

Radio interception - we are always listening.

![audio-thumbnail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/media/2026/04/Signals-From-the-Past_thumb.png)

Signals From the Past

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Signals from Earth or elsewhere?
### əˈliːvieɪt
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/li-vieit/
Last updated: 2026-04-17T02:54:58.000Z
![Reflective spheres sketched into a dusty desolate landscape](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/brush-test-004-1.jpg)

Some changes take several lifetimes. 

alleviate/əˈliːvieɪt/  
  
*verb* ‹Œ  
C›Ub8í–Æmf(i,hvËÄÚŒ\`Ó9Ô·

1. make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe."he couldn't prevent her pain, only alleviate it"

?—Õ…K“ò(ç¦'
### Terraform stage 4
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/terraform-stage-4/
Last updated: 2026-04-16T01:03:33.000Z
![Terraform stage 4 almost complete, artistic rendition of mars surface earth date. 01010011 01001111 01010011.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/test-blushes-2-1.jpg)

Terraform stage 4 almost complete.

Terraform stage 4 80% complete.  
ÿØÿá  
­Exif MM \*   
3
 !1AQa"q2‘¡±B#$RÁb34r‚ÑC %’Sðáñcs5¢²ƒ&D“TdE£t6ÒUâeò³„ÃÓuãóF'”¤…´•ÄÔäô¥µÅÕåõVfv†–¦¶ÆÖæö7GWgw‡—§·Ç×ç÷ 
 5
 !1AQaq"2‘¡±B#ÁRÑð3$bár‚’CScs4ñ%¢²ƒ &5ÂÒD“T£dEU6teâò³„ÃÓuãóF”¤…´•ÄÔäô¥µÅÕåõVfv†–¦¶ÆÖæö'7GWgw‡—§·ÇÿÚ ... Transmission incomplete ... 01010011 01001111 01010011  
... escape detected...
### Tired from a long journey
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/tired-from-a-long-journey/
Last updated: 2026-04-16T01:17:36.000Z
![Brush tests and experiments in Clip Studio Paint Ex A spiral, a void, black and white art space travel.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/charcoal-brush-test-1.jpg)

Tired from a long Journey

Almost, home?
### Sometimes I miss the blue sky
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/sometimes-i-miss-the-blue-sky/
Last updated: 2026-04-16T01:17:48.000Z
![A perspective drawing experiment focusing on 3D cloud elements.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/more-brush-tests-clouds-1.jpg)

Sometimes I miss the blue sky

The sky is not blue here.
### Stuck on a mundane planet
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/stuck-on-a-mundane-planet/
Last updated: 2026-04-20T01:23:48.000Z
![A sketch focusing on perspective and shadow, a bunker on mars, the first strong hold. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/04/bunker-study-1.jpg)

Stuck on a mundane planet

Then again, all the planets are mundane... ?  
builtinProof proofCMYK 8BIM; -  
 printOutputOptions  Cptnbool Clbrbool RgsMbool CrnCbool CntCbool Lblsbool Ngtvbool EmlDbool Intrbool BckgObjc ... Transmission Incomplete ...
### A Reconfiguration Phase
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/a-reconfiguration-phase/
Last updated: 2026-03-31T00:36:57.000Z
Towards the end of 2025 I went through a huge “what the fuck am I doing?” moment. I’d spent a year working on building a business around art, but I didn’t really know what that even meant. Did I want to sell art? Did I want to sell services? But the answer was always no.

So in a drastic move, I deleted all social media off my phone for 3 months. I stopped live streaming on Twitch, stopped posting anything, anywhere. What I really wanted to be doing with my time still eluded me at this point, so I took a step back and entered a reconfiguration phase. I had several books recommended I should read, and so this was the time I rediscovered a love of reading.

**NOTE:* This article is not paid marketing, nor is it a book review, merely a reflection on the change brought about by these books.*

These books covered a lot of subjects, but also many similar and crossover topics. The main thing I was looking for was clarity around the subject of capacity.

In short, capacity is your available ability to do useful work well. It’s a combination of time, energy, focus, skill, and resilience that determines what a person can realistically take on and sustain.

This, as you may have realised, is very difficult to understand and implement into your daily life. And so I needed to explore this subject further, and these were the books I read in a surprisingly short time that helped me make decisions on future projects and daily life in general. In fact, the idea for this very website was formed as I read through these books.

Starting with *Flow* by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the following books I read in this order as they introduce subjects that are referenced in the books that follow. *Flow* especially is referenced in almost all of them. If you are a creative looking for clarity, or looking for inspiration, I highly recommend taking the time to read them.

## *Flow* by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

This one is more of a clinical neuroscience and psychology book, focusing on motivation, engagement, and energy. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the leader in this field and, even though my wife found this book hard to read, I personally loved it and managed to get through it quite quickly.

Despite being the heaviest read of the list, I believe it’s essential to read first to understand the concepts introduced in the later books. He talks about ideas and research around the concept of flow. The flow state of being so engaged in a task that everything else ceases to exist.

It’s fascinating, and honestly I might go back and read this again since finishing the others.

## *Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us* by Daniel Pink

Daniel argues that people do their best work when they have autonomy, mastery, and purpose, and that rewards alone are often a poor motivator for complex or creative work. Backed up by some very interesting research, this one is a good read whether you are a creative or an office worker. However, after reading it and assessing your workplace, you may just quit that job and look for somewhere else to work.

## *Deep Work* by Cal Newport

My second favourite book from the list. Cal explains capacity for sustained attention and how modern work kills it. Why some tasks drain you even if they are important. He argues that the ability to focus without distraction on demanding tasks is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable, and that cultivating this skill leads to better work, faster learning, and more meaningful output.

I immediately implemented these concepts into my own workflow and discussed with the family how we could implement them into the entire household. We spend most of our work life working from home, and our daughter is home schooled. So making room for deep work was one of the most important changes we made, and the reason I’m able to focus on writing articles on this website, which I will delve into more deeply in a future article.

I thoroughly recommend reading this book, however be warned, you will view social media in a completely different light. Ie. delete it and never look back.

## *Range* by David Epstein

Hands down my favourite book. I could not stop reading. Chapter after chapter in a single sitting, and I am not a “reader” and honestly hadn’t read a proper book in many years.

David argues that broad experience, varied interests, and exploring different fields can be a strength, especially in complex creative work, because people who draw from many areas often adapt better and make more original connections. It’s almost like he was describing my life. Before, I felt that I had a weakness as I didn’t have a speciality in any one field, yet broad experience in many fields. Which is why I often fall into tech support or “all rounder” roles.

Honestly, I cannot recommend this book enough. Each chapter starts with fascinating stories about people you may or may not have heard of, all of which are highly influential, from sport to art to a prime example of an ethical CEO, then followed up with discussion and referenced research. I think about this book daily.

## *Atomic Habits* by James Clear

Now I have read this book previously and had already implemented a lot of it into my daily life for many years, so there were no surprises in there for me. However, if you have never read this, it may blow your mind.

James Clear’s main idea is that big change usually does not come from huge bursts of motivation, but from small habits done consistently over time. He breaks this down into steps that you can implement into your daily life, and it’s well worth the read.

## *The Power of Full Engagement* by Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz

Now honestly, I could not read this book. It’s like stabbing yourself in the eye with an 80s letter opener with the words “I love business” inscribed on it. Honestly. WTF guys.

**HOWEVER!**

If you are into business as a business and don’t have a creative bone in your body, then go for it.

For me though, I read another review and summary to pluck the concepts out of it, the main one being: time management is not the key, it is in fact energy management.

Consider this scenario. After a morning of reading emails, then several far too long or unnecessary meetings, you find yourself crashing at 2pm and no longer able to focus, yet force yourself to battle through the rest of the day. Returning home exhausted, a glass or bottle of wine and TV into the late evening, terrible sleep, rinse and repeat, the self-defeating spiral.

Managing energy is far more important than managing time. Our whole family has made many changes using this concept. Eating healthier, increased exercise, which leads to better sleep, more energy the next morning, with the ability to focus on deep work. This is something we all need to take on board and make drastic changes in some cases.

I was once told by a world champion sports coach, “What’s the first and most important thing you spend your money on when you receive your pay cheque? If it’s not food, then it’s the wrong thing.”

High quality food is expensive, but your body will love you for it. This gives you the energy to be more active, sleep well, and be more focused on the important tasks. Which in turn will free up more time to enjoy a healthy life.

This is the list of books I read, in this order, and I implemented many changes as I read through them. Our whole family now have more organised time to focus on deep work, which then opens opportunities for flow state. We are eating far better, sleeping 8 hours a night, more active, and overall have more time and a clearer understanding of self and direction.

This site was born out of this list of books, and who knows what you may get out of them?
### Riverfire from the Roof
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/riverfire-from-the-roof/
Last updated: 2026-03-30T02:30:55.000Z
I spent several years working as a contract Audio Visual tech, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Anything from camera operator, camera and vision switching, rolling out mountains of cabling, LED screen installer and operator, and an awful amount of projection installation and operation. And one of the most unique places to operate a projector? On a roof in the CBD for Brisbane Festival and Riverfire.

![View of Southbank over Reddacliff Place. Canon 5D mkii](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---3-.jpg)

View of Southbank over Reddacliff Place. Canon 5D mkii

Not the tallest building in the city, but enough stairs to know you’re a long way up, as the lift didn’t go all the way. A hidden back lane entrance leads to a lift, then the above-mentioned stairs up and up, through several ghostly abandoned floors lit only by emergency light, through maintenance access, out through more decommissioned rooms, onto the roof, up ladders, and out onto the perfect spot to project a 10-storey high image onto a neighbouring building.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---4-.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---5-.jpg)

The projector rig in all its glory 2 x 15k Sanyo Projectors. Canon 5D mkii

The crew had already set up the rig, and I feel for them, as lifting those projectors up those stairs and ladders would have required a nap. I was run through the setup: rack mounted PC's, 2 x Sanyo 15k projectors blended, just fire it up and off you go.

![View of the Brisbane Square Library (Left) and roof access point (Right)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---6--1.jpg)

View of the Brisbane Square Library (Left) and roof access point (Right) Canon 5D mkii

We had set times, all controlled over radio by the show director. I would turn on the rig, hit play at the start time, sit back, and freeze my ass off, as I was unaware just how much colder and windier it would be up on the roof compared to the ground. At another planned time, I’d receive a radio call: “kill the projector”, which goes on vision mute so we don’t need to warm the projectors up again. The Riverfire show runs, me with one of the best seats in the house, and at the end of the show another radio call: “ok good to go”, and projectors back off mute and run for another few hours.

![The Roof Access walkway. Kodak Porta 160 35mm  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---16-.jpg)

The Roof Access walkway. Kodak Porta 160 35mm 

Once the night was over, shut the whole thing down in the correct order, isolate power, and cover the entire rig in tarps and ropes to protect it from the weather. I did this on rotation with other crew for the entire month.

![The moon directly overhead during the show. Canon 5D mkii](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---7--1.jpg)

The moon directly overhead during the show. Canon 5D mkii

After the first night of almost turning blue and realising the opportunities I had with a camera up here, I rocked up the following nights with my trusty Everlast bomber jacket and a whole stack of cameras. Digital and 35mm. Honestly, this is the first time anyone has seen these, as I just took photos for the fun of it, never to show or exhibit anything. All experimentation.

![Air Con units for the abandoned levels below](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---8--1.jpg)

Air Con units for the abandoned levels below

![Looking down at the top end of Burnett Lane facing North. Kodak Porta 160 35mm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---13-.jpg)

Looking down at the top end of Burnett Lane facing North. Kodak Porta 160 35mm

The digital images were still in unedited RAW format, and the film tucked away in storage folders, never printed. The colour is odd on the film. Kodak Portra 160, which is really for daylight portrait shots, not long exposure evening experiments in a vintage camera, but hey, it’s just for fun. Also, old cameras are **very** difficult to assess light and exposure with at night without a proper light meter, and that’s the length of my excuses. To be honest, I really like the look anyhow. It captures the eerie feel of the abandoned levels.

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Timelapse captured with Canon EOS 5D MKii - No Sound

I also shot 1200 frames of full-res long exposure timelapse (above), which was still in frames and never viewed until I put this together, taking up masses of hard drive space. I also finished off a roll of Kodak EBX Elite Chrome Extra Colour 100 in the Canon EOS 1N.

![Experimental Photography Canon Eos 5D mkii](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---1-.jpg)

Experimental Photography Canon Eos 5D mkii

**The abandoned levels**

Ghostly as they were, lit only in emergency light, several levels of the building were left abandoned. An international education company was running there and, for some unknown reason, ceased to operate, leaving everything packed in boxes and desks pushed into corners. No one around, just the constant hum from the building itself.

![The stairs leading to the roof. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---9-.jpg)

The stairs leading to the roof. Kodak Porta 160

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---12-.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---11-.jpg)

Abandoned hallways lit only by emergency lighting. Kodak Porta 160

We had to walk through these levels at the top of the building, as it was the last stop for the elevator and then into the stairwell for the rest of the way to the roof. I tried to capture the feeling of these levels and, even though I felt quite uncomfortable the first few times, after spending time taking the photos it became less eerie and kind of sad to know this was once a busy business, with many students coming and going, to what it is now.

![Desks gather in groups in the corner of the room. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---18-.jpg)

Desks gather in groups in the corner of the room. Kodak Porta 160

![Desks gather in groups in the corner of the room. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---21-.jpg)

Could they be developing a personality. Kodak Porta 160

![Desks gather in groups in the corner of the room. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---10-.jpg)

Maybe a soul?. Kodak Porta 160

![Abandoned office experiment using a torch to paint light. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---17-.jpg)

Abandoned office experiment using a torch to paint light. Kodak Porta 160

![The ground level maintenance elevators. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---19-.jpg)

The ground level maintenance elevators. Kodak Porta 160

**The Square**

Part of the time waiting on the roof, as there was a **lot** of waiting, I spent people watching. There is a lot going on in the streets below, and several events in Reddacliff Place in front of the Brisbane Square Library. Markets on one night, Latin dancing on another. Latin music funnelling up the towering building walls. Families walking, and crowds heading home after the evening’s events. You almost want to be down there and be a part of the festivities.

![Reddacliff Place. Care for a German Sausage? So close yet so far! Canon 5d mkii](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---2-.jpg)

Reddacliff Place. Care for a German Sausage? So close yet so far! Canon 5d mkii

**Old Brisbane**

After a few days of sitting up here you start to notice the hidden skyline. The old Brisbane now buried beneath the skyscrapers. Original rooflines that are only visible from this elevated position. From street level, it’s all covered by awnings, and from a distance it’s blocked by the ever-expanding construction. It wasn’t that long ago that Queen Street was a **street** and not a mall, and roads once filled what is now King George Square.

![Original Queen St Mall Myer Centre roof line hidden below the Brisbane city skyline. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---15-.jpg)

Original Queen St Mall Myer Centre roof line hidden below the Brisbane city skyline. Kodak Porta 160

![Barry & Roberts Limited - Myer Centre original roof line - Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---14-.jpg)

Barry & Roberts Limited - Myer Centre original roof line - Kodak Porta 160

What was a simple AV tech gig paid much more than just an hourly rate. It became time for reflection, photographic experimentation, and an insight into parts of the city I didn’t know existed. I had never seen the old Brisbane hidden in plain sight, and I was also unaware that there are quite a few empty floors throughout the city, just sitting there abandoned. Out of all the AV gigs I did, this had to be the most unique, and one of the most memorable experiences I had in the industry.

![Brisbane Festival 2011 - Kodak EBX - Canon EOS 1N](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---24-.jpg)

Brisbane Festival 2011 - Kodak EBX - Canon EOS 1N

![Brisbane Festival 2011 - Kodak EBX - Canon EOS 1N](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---25-.jpg)

Brisbane Festival 2011 - Kodak EBX - Canon EOS 1N

![Burnett Lane 2011 - North East facing. Kodak Porta 160](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Brisbane-CBD-rooftops---20-.jpg)

Burnett Lane 2011 - North East facing. Kodak Porta 160

---

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### A Beginner’s Guide to Culling Photos
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/a-beginners-guide-to-culling-photos/
Last updated: 2026-03-17T22:37:05.000Z
Returning from a photo shoot or a holiday with hundreds — or even thousands — of photos can feel pretty overwhelming. Where do you even start?

There are many ways to sort through a big batch of images, but I use what I like to call **the culling method**.

**Culling** simply means sorting through your photos and removing the weaker ones until you’re left with the strongest collection.

The good thing about this method is that it helps break a huge, messy folder of photos into something much more manageable. It also makes editing easier later, because you’re only working on the images that are actually worth keeping.

Most importantly, you do not need to make perfect decisions on the first pass. The whole point is to make it easier by doing it in stages.

## Step 1: Make a Copy and Sort

Before you delete anything, make a copy of all your photos into another folder and call it **Original**, **Raw**, or whatever naming convention works for you.

This is important because it means you are not deleting your only copy. If you make a mistake, change your mind, or accidentally save over something later, your originals are still safe. This avoids those “oh crap” moments.

If you have thousands of images — for example, from a holiday — it can also help to sort them into smaller groups first. You might organise them by town, by week, by day, or by location. Just choose whatever makes the most sense for that batch of photos.

Smaller groups are much easier to work through than one giant folder.

For example, on a seven-week tour of New Zealand, I broke my photos up into weeks. (below)

![Unsorted holiday snaps from New Zealand](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/lots-of-photos-to-sort-through-can-be-a-daunting-task-1.jpg)

Unsorted holiday snaps from New Zealand

## Step 2: The Cull — Phase 1

Now go through the collection one image at a time. Honestly, I just use the PC’s basic photo viewer for this.

Start by deleting the obvious weak photos:

- accidental shots
- random photos of your leg or the ground
- badly blurred images
- out-of-focus photos\*(see Step 5)
- badly exposed photos\*\*
- images with someone blinking or pulling an unflattering face

This first pass is not about making difficult artistic decisions. It’s just about getting rid of the obvious rubbish.

**\*\*Note:** If you shot in RAW, poor exposure can often be salvaged, so don’t delete those too quickly unless they are clearly beyond saving.

## Step 3: The Cull — Phase 2

Go through the images again.

By now, you’ll already have a better feel for the overall set because you’ve seen everything once. This second pass is where you start removing the duplicates or near-duplicates.

For example, if you have Uncle Ted in front of the house, Uncle Ted beside the house, and Uncle Ted back in front of the house again, this is the stage where you start choosing the best one.

That might be the sharpest one, the best expression, the nicest light, or simply the one that feels strongest.

If that feels too hard, don’t stress. You do not need to choose perfectly yet. Just leave the difficult ones for the next round and keep moving.

## Step 4: The Weakest Link Loop

By now, your numbers should have come down a bit. If you still have far too many photos, consider breaking them into smaller groups again and repeating the same process.

This next part is what I call **the weakest link loop**.

It’s exactly what it sounds like: flick through the photos again and look for the image that feels weakest compared to the others.

At this stage, don’t overthink it. Just look at the images as a group and ask yourself things like:

- Which one feels bland?
- Which one has weaker light?
- Which one has a less interesting composition?
- Which one doesn’t add much to the set?
- Which one feels less memorable than the others?

Sometimes the answer will be obvious.

You might find yourself thinking:  
*“That’s a nice one... the kids look great in that shot... this one’s a bit boring... that one’s not as strong as the others...”*

That’s the photo to remove.

Sometimes this round will only remove one or two images, and that’s completely fine. You’re still making progress.

Then repeat.

Each time you go through the collection, it gets easier to spot the weaker images. Over time, you’ll whittle the set down to a collection of genuinely good photos.

By “good,” I don’t necessarily mean prize-winning photography. I just mean the best of what you captured at your current level.

If you started with 1,000 photos, your final set might be 50, 100, or 200\. There’s no magic number. The goal is simply to end up with a set that tells the story well without loads of unnecessary extras.

## Step 5: Remember That Story Matters More Than Perfection

This part is especially important for beginners.

A technically perfect image is not always the most meaningful one.

If you’re sorting holiday snaps or family photos, think about which images best relive the experience or capture the feeling of the moment.

Sometimes a slightly blurred or imperfect image can still be the best one because the expression, timing, or memory matters more than technical quality.

For example, I have a photo of my wife from when we were dating, and it’s quite out of focus. But the expression on her face, captured in that moment, is far better than the sharper images from the same place and time. It still feels like the best memory from that moment. (below)

![My wife try's to escape the photograph and although a very out of focu image it captures the moment ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/A-blurry-photo-can-still-be-a-good-photo.jpg)

Although quite out of focus, this photo captured the moment 

So yes, keep technical quality in mind — but don’t let it be the only thing you judge a photo by.

## Step 6: Edit

Once you have a collection you’re happy with, then it’s time to edit.

Because you’ve already cut the folder down to your strongest images, the editing process becomes much easier and less overwhelming.

If you don’t have photo editing software and you’re happy with the photos straight out of camera, that’s perfectly fine too.

The main job is simply to end up with a smaller, stronger collection of images you actually want to keep, share, or print.
### Building Death’s Sword for Brisbane Arts Theatre’s Mort
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/building-deaths-sword-for-brisbane-arts-theatres-mort/
Last updated: 2026-03-12T04:53:14.000Z
I was commissioned to build a prop sword for Terry Pratchett’s character Death for the Brisbane Arts Theatre production of *Mort*. This is the same production that I helped [airbrush the mask](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/airbrushing-death-stage-adaptation-of-mort-2015/) for, for the same character.

This was the first sword I’d ever made. Up until then I’d only made a [wooden dagger](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/the-quest-for-the-wooden-dagger/), so my understanding of sword construction was fairly limited and mostly based on what I’d seen in movies. I did have a conversation with the theatre’s set builder, who was also into medieval re-enactment, and he gave me a few pointers, but a lot of it came from what I could find on the internet.

The sword had to take some minor blows in a fight scene, so I used a piece of spotted gum decking board, as it’s strong and this kind of timber is often used for training swords. That said, I made a few rookie mistakes right from the start. The biggest one was building it as if it were a steel sword, in separate pieces, with a blade and tang and then a separate handle. For a wooden training sword, I really should have made the tang more like a full handle shape and left more material there instead of thinning it down. That ended up being its downfall.

The other issue was the pommel. I had planned to sculpt and cast a skull, but ran out of time and used a purchased ornamental skull instead, which turned out to be much weaker than I expected. At the time, I also hadn’t been told that the sword would need to be thrown across the stage. As you can probably imagine, that became a problem pretty quickly.

Even with all that, it was a huge learning experience, and I’ll go through as much of it as I can.

## Designing the sword

![Deaths sword design on large to scale roll of paper](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-002-1.jpg)

Deaths sword design

I started with an initial design in the sketchbook, based on descriptions from the book and something that would also work on stage. We settled on a design with a skull as the pommel and a guard resembling a rib.

From there, I transferred the design to scale onto rolls of paper. I like this process, as it gives you a much better idea of how the finished piece will turn out, and it also acts as a guide for the individual parts. It’s a process I continued to use in future projects.

![Cutting the initial blade shape with a hand saw](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-003.jpg)

Cutting the initial blade shape

Once I was happy with the full-scale version, I measured and cut the piece of spotted gum to closely match the drawing, then removed most of the waste material with a hand saw.

One thing you’ll notice is the lack of quality tools here. I didn’t have the budget at the time, so I made do with as little as possible.

![Comparing the blade shape and size to the 1:1 scale design on paper](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-004.jpg)

## Shaping the blade

The idea was to use traditional hand tools as much as possible. However, due to time constraints, I ended up using several power tools such as an electric planer and orbital sander. The planer was used for shaping the rough blade profile, then I continued the more detailed shaping with a rasp and smoothed it out with the orbital sander.

![Cutting the bevels with a plane](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-005.jpg)

Cutting the bevels with a plane

I used a grinder with a flap disc to cut the fuller, which, despite being a power tool job, still took quite a long time as it had to be done with a lot of care to keep it straight. The fuller was then finished by hand, sanding with regular sandpaper wrapped around a thick piece of dowel to maintain even pressure.

With the basic blade shape done, it was on to the guard.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-006.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-007.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-010.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-011.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-012.jpg)

The blade shaping process

## The guard problem

Ok, so I didn’t think this through, and I was in a bit of a rush. I didn’t have a proper piece of wood for this task, and I also hadn’t really thought about how I was actually going to make it work. So, in my haste, I grabbed a piece of who-knows-what old scrap from the wood pile, marked out the shape, and hoped for the best.

![Marking out the guard shape on scrap wood from the firewood pile](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-013.jpg)

As you can see in the image a, not only was it a softwood, but the grain direction became a huge issue. The shape was never really going to work, and in hindsight I would have used cast plastic or something else entirely. If I was going to do this again, I’d probably cast it, or maybe use a scrap chunk of nylon from a local plastics fabricator or something similar.

![Drilling holes to make it easier for the jigsaw](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-014.jpg)

Drilling holes to make it easier for the jigsaw

I cut the outer shape with a jigsaw using the wrong type of blade — again, budget job — then started drilling around the inner shape to make cutting easier. It was a bit too tight to simply jigsaw around those curves. The problem became very obvious once it was cut out, as I could physically wobble the tips of the guard along the grain with my hand. It would snap under slight pressure, let alone survive shaping with tools, and definitely not a stage fight.

![The very weak guard shape](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-015.jpg)

The very weak guard shape

So when I finally did snap the ends off, I decided to just work with it and reshape it using what I had. It still kind of works as a rib, or at least some sort of random bone. I drilled out the centre and used various files and a chisel to create the shape needed to fit over the tang.

![Guard adjusted for strength](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-016.jpg)

Guard adjusted for strength

![Guard adjusted for strength](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-017.jpg)

## Handle and pommel

For the handle I used a scrap piece of bamboo. The original idea was to make a carved wooden handle like the dagger, however due to the deadline I used a piece of bamboo I already had lying around. Probably not the best choice, as it has the potential to split, but it was what I had to work with. The main challenge there was drilling out the centre and then filing it down with a round file.

![Scrap Bamboo and my ultra neat tool pile](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-019.jpg)

Scrap Bamboo and my ultra neat tool pile

For the skull pommel, the original idea was to sculpt and cast one using Barnes Products TC-808, which is commonly used for doll heads and is super strong. But again — deadlines. So I grabbed a skull from a cheap shop for 12 bucks. It was slightly too big and had a bird on its head. Classic, right?

So I had to cut that off and fill the hole with a plaster-type compound, partly to repair it and partly to add weight, as it is a pommel after all. The handle was glued and plastered into place, then screws were put through the eye sockets to secure it. After that, I wrapped and glued on some twine I had left over from a previous project as the grip.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-018-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-020.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-021.jpg)

Pommel and handle assembly

## Painting disasters

![Painting the sword with special undercoat](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-022-2.jpg)

Painting the sword with special undercoat

Now while we’re on the subject of disasters and adaptation, I didn’t realise until fairly late in the day that the whole thing needed to be painted. After starting the undercoat and seeing it bloom and separate, I did a quick search and found that you can’t just paint spotted gum due to its high oil content. WTF.

Apparently you can fix this with a special wood acid wash that removes enough oil for paint to stick. So it was off to Bunnos yet again to get the acid wash and a special undercoat to suit the timber. Seriously, if this article helps anyone avoid these problems at all, it was worth writing. The whole process became pretty stressful with the tight deadline and several trips to the hardware store, which at the time was over 45 minutes away.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-025-copy-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-023.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-026.jpg)

The wood acid (left), Silver Enamel (middle), the sword drying (right)

Not really having much experience painting swords, I ended up using a silver enamel, which takes days to dry in ideal conditions. We, however, lived in a rainforest on top of a mountain, where 80% humidity was normal. I probably should have used an acrylic, but I was also worried about chipping and didn’t want it all falling off on stage.

![comparing the finished sword to the original design plans ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-027-1.jpg)

Other than that, I added some airbrushed detail to the cross guard, fuller and pommel to make it look a little worn and used.

![comparing the finished sword to the original design plans ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-028-1.jpg)

comparing the finished sword to the original design plans

But yes, the enamel still had not dried by the time I had to take it to the theatre, so I had to devise a special hanging method to suspend the sword in the back of the van for the trip in.

![A creative way to travel with a wet enamel prop sword in a van](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-030.jpg)

Delivering the sword with wet enamel paint

Behold, the sword of Death in all its glory… that is, until...

![The completed sword in all its glory sitting in the garden against the rock retaining wall](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-029-1.jpg)

The completed sword in all its glory

## Dress rehearsal disaster

After the dress rehearsal, I received a call where it was explained that the sword actually gets thrown across the stage and hits the floor and walls. Oh, and also gets stood on to prevent Death from picking it up. Ha ha ha. Excellent.

![The returned package containing all the broken pieces of the shattered prop sword skull](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-031.jpg)

The returned package

The result? A shattered $12 cheap shop skull pommel. I had originally weighted it with plaster filler and thought, “This will do the trick so long as it doesn’t hit the deck or anything.” Lol.

![The damage is quite severe, many pieces lay all over the bench in an attempt to piece it back together with hot glue](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-032.jpg)

The damage is quite severe 

So now I had about three days to get a new skull made, and one that could handle heavy blows every night of the show for a few months. Back to the original plan. I was going to have to repair the old skull, make a mould from that, and recast it using TC-808\. So it was another '*quick*' trip to the Barnes Products store for Pinkysil, J-Wax, foam filler, and my old favourite, TC-808.

![Barnes products TC808 and Pinkysil](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-040.jpg)

The Barnes products bounty

## Rebuilding the skull

I started by repairing the original skull using hot glue to bond all the jigsaw puzzle pieces back together, then filled the larger gaps with foam filler as it dries fast and is easy to cut and sand. Once the skull was sanded back, I filled the smaller holes with a light coat of plaster and sanded that smooth as well.

![A shattered prop skull sits covered in far too much expanding foam](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-033.jpg)

That spray foam expands A LOT! 

I then built a tiny box just big enough to fit the skull and used Pinkysil to make a mould of it. Pinkysil is a silicone-based two-part casting product from Barnes. It’s great for copying items like this, and I still have the mould to this day, although I only ever used it that one time.

![The repaired skull ready for casting](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-034.jpg)

The repaired skull ready for casting

Once it had set, I trimmed the outside of the mould down a bit to allow enough flex to remove the skull, which popped out with a little gentle persuasion.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-035.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-036.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-037.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-039.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-041.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-042.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-043.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-044.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-045.jpg)

The casting process

The Pinkysil did a great job of preserving the detail, sanding marks and all. Then it was on to the TC-808\. I remembered this stuff from my days making RC car parts with it. Nice and strong. The copy turned out well, so with a little airbrushing, a lot of glue, some more secure screws, and then packing it with big nuts, bolts and spray foam, it was ready to go.

![The sword as it was returned from the theatre](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-046.jpg)

The sword as it was returned from the theatre

The theatre set builder had also replaced my dodgy twine grip with a much more appropriate thick blue-black rope, which looked far better. I hadn’t really considered that the thin string I used originally would look pretty weak from a distance on stage.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-047.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-048.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-049.jpg)

The new skull all good to go

I also deliberately cast the back of the skull thicker so it could handle harder hits. Thankfully, that did the job, and it lasted the entirety of the show, although it did require some extra attention from the theatre props department.

![Behold! The prop sword in all its Glory... Again](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-050.jpg)

Behold! The prop sword in all its Glory... Again

## After the show

After the show they didn’t have a use, or room, for it, so while packing up props they offered it back to me. It was then that I noticed the join at the cross guard, where we had placed a screw to secure it, had been drastically weakened from the beating it sustained on stage. It didn’t take much to snap the handle clean off.

But luckily for us it mostly lasted the entire show, and after a bit of a nightmare of a project, it was completed successfully. I also came away with a lot more experience than I had bargained for.

![What remains of the prop sword March 2026](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/House-of-Normal---Sword-of-Death-051.jpg)

What remains of the prop sword March 2026

---

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### Boredoms - Boadrum 111 - Byron Bay, NSW - 11 November 2011
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/boredoms-boadrum-111-byron-bay-nsw-11-november-2011/
Last updated: 2026-05-05T00:40:15.000Z
It’s Friday, 11 November 2011\. A crowd gathers in an old island quarry on the outskirts of Byron Bay, Australia. Something unique is about to happen here.

**Yamantaka Eye** and **Yoshimi P-We** stand at the centre, surrounded by giant concentric circles of drummers and cymbal players. At 11:11am, on the 11th of the 11th, 2011, the show begins.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/BoaDrum111-Poster-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/boadrum111---setup-map.png)

Boredoms - Boadrum111 Poster (left) player layout map (right)

**Boredoms**, a noise band from Japan, were strangely unknown to me at the time — despite forming in the 1980s and my own interest in noise art. This performance became an epic introduction.

I was in Byron Bay for several days leading up to the event, spending time with the Hydrofunk Records farm with Dave Atkins, Tones McCall and Al Mawdsley, mostly to hang out and take photographs.

I carried two cameras. A Canon EOS-1N loaded with Ilford Delta 3200 black and white film — gloriously textured with heavy grain — and, at the other extreme, a Canon AE-1 loaded with Fuji Velvia RVP50 colour slide film.

I developed the Ilford rolls in my home lab, printing only a handful through the enlarger. Over time, I forgot about the photographs entirely — until I rediscovered the scanned contact sheets in Feb 2026.

![Boadrum111 - Ilford Delta - Contact Sheet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/Boadrum---Ilford-Delta---Contact-Sheet.jpg)

Boadrum111 - Ilford Delta - Contact Sheet

Digging through my archive, I was relieved to find that my past self had carefully stored everything in labelled film sleeves — dated, catalogued, film stock and camera noted — all tucked neatly into a folder.

I have carefully rescanned the negatives and the handful of surviving prints, preserving them as they were originally captured.

Until now, I was the only person to have seen these images.  
Now they are released as a small documented fragment of music history.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/boredoms---boadrum111---scan-process-001.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/boredoms---boadrum111---scan-process-002.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/boredoms---boadrum111---scan-process-003.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/boredoms---boadrum111---scan-process-004.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/boredoms---boadrum111---scan-process-005.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/boredoms---boadrum111---scan-process-006.jpg)

Boadrum111 - The Scanning Process

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![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/image.png)

These images are covered by Creative Commons CC BY  
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. CC BY includes the following elements:

BY: credit must be given to the creator.  
  
If you would like copies of the high res scans, please send a message through my contact page which can be found in the footer, and I will send you a link to the archive. Enjoy! ✌️

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![A man assembles art sculpture at Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--1-.jpg)

![4 men watch the sunset at Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--9--1.jpg)

![Island Quarry Lake at Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--2-.jpg)

![a path leads to a small jetty in the Island Quarry lake - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--3-.jpg)

![The sun rises overlooking the Island Quarry Lake at Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--4-.jpg)

![Sunrise at Island Quarry - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--5-.jpg)

![Early morning setup at the Island Quarry Byron Bay - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--6-.jpg)

![The path leading into the Island Quarry - Byron Bay - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--7-.jpg)

![2 people sit atop the cliffs at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--10-.jpg)

![Early morning setup at Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--11-.jpg)

![Rehearsals at Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--8-.jpg)

![ Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--12-.jpg)

![ Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--13-.jpg)

![A crowd gathers at Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--14-.jpg)

![ Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--15-.jpg)

![ Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--16-.jpg)

![A gathering of cymbals at the Island Quarry. Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--18-.jpg)

![ Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--19-.jpg)

![A crowd watches from the cliff tops at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--22-.jpg)

![Tones McCall adorns the Pangaea shirt at the front of the Island Quarry Venue. Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--23--1.jpg)

Tones McCall adorns a Pangaea Shirt at the entrance to the Island Quarry - Byron Bay 2011

![The Crew setting up installation art at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--29-.jpg)

![Drummers discuss plans at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--32-.jpg)

![The boys at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--24-.jpg)

![Drummers discuss the plans at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--31-.jpg)

![Audio equipment used for the PA and recording the event at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--34-.jpg)

![An audio engineer operates a mixing console at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--35-.jpg)

![Yoshimi P-We at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--25-.jpg)

Yoshimi P-We at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011

![Tones McCall at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--26-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--28-.jpg)

![Tones McCall sands down burrs on drum sticks at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--27-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--30-.jpg)

![Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--33-.jpg)

![A crowd stands atop the cliff overlooking the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--38-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--36-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--37-.jpg)

![Yamantaka Eye - stands one hand in the air singing into a microphone as he ques 111 drummers - Boadrum 111](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/Boredoms---Yamantaka-Eye---Boadrum111-2.jpg)

Yamantaka Eye - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay 11 November 2011

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--39-.jpg)

![An enthusiastic cymbal player in the moment - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--40-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--41-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--42-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--43-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--44-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--45-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--46-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--47-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--48-.jpg)

![Al Mawdsley chilling back at the Hydrofunk farm studio after watching Boadrum111 rehearsals ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--57--1.jpg)

Al Mawdsley chilling back at the Hydrofunk farm studio after watching Boadrum111 rehearsals 

![A section of Hydrofunk Records studio Vinyl Collection](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--49--1.jpg)

A section pf Hydrofunk Records studio Vinyl Collection

![An old 4wd at the Hydrofunk Recording Studio Farm ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--56--1.jpg)

![A Chicken at the Hydrofunk Recording Studio Farm ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--58-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--53-.jpg)

![The players await the official Aerial Photography from an approaching helicopter - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--50-.jpg)

The players await the official Aerial Photography from an approaching helicopter

![The players await the official Aerial Photography from an approaching helicopter - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--51-.jpg)

The players await the official Aerial Photography from an approaching helicopter

![The players await the official Aerial Photography from an approaching helicopter - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--52-.jpg)

The players await the official Aerial Photography from an approaching helicopter

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--60-.jpg)

![Cliff Divers at the Island Quarry - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--62-.jpg)

Cliff diving at the Island Quarry

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--64-.jpg)

![Yamantaka Eye - Boredoms - Boadrum111 rehearsals - Byron Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--66-.jpg)

Yamantaka Eye - Boredoms - Boadrum111 rehearsals - Byron Bay

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--67-.jpg)

![Tones McCall - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--68-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--69-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--72-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--71--1.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--74-.jpg)

![Yamantaka Eye - Boredoms - Boadrum111 rehearsals - Byron Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--75-.jpg)

Yamantaka Eye - Boredoms - Boadrum111 rehearsals - Byron Bay

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--76-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--77-.jpg)

![Yamantaka Eye - Boredoms - Boadrum111 rehearsals - Byron Bay](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--78-.jpg)

Yamantaka Eye - Boredoms - Boadrum111 rehearsals - Byron Bay

![A lady tells a story about being a Luddite - Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--81-.jpg)

The Luddite (left) Tells a story 

**The Luddite (above)**  
We met a local lady from Byron Bay while resting in the shade before the Boadrum 111 performance. She told us a story about living without modern technology.

*"I consider myself a bit of a luddite,"* she said, *"you know, I live without modern technology… oh… except for my iPad… and my iPhone, of course — I can’t live without them!"*

We all burst into laughter. The story was delivered with the precise timing of a stand-up comic.

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--83-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--84-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--85-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--86-.jpg)

![Boredoms - Boadrum111 - Byron Bay November 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/03/house-of-normal-com-au---boredoms-boadrum111--59-.jpg)

---

## Video from the Boadrum111 event

The only video I shot on a hand held pre smart-phone device.

A much better video by nandacoole

Video of the rehearsals by Sven

---

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Subscribe to receive the free monthly newsletter, and you’ll be able to comment on posts.  
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### Tree Root Systems - An inspiration.
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/tree-root-systems-an-inspiration/
Last updated: 2026-04-20T03:01:32.000Z
'I love trees’ is a bit of an understatement and, well, a tad misleading, as it is actually tree root systems I love. However, I didn’t want to open with “I love tree roots” as it sounds a bit sus.

Tree root systems — especially those of the South East Queensland strangler fig, or *Ficus watkinsiana* if you’re an arboriculturist nerd — are fascinating to me. Not only do they murder other trees (“COOL!” says 10-year-old me), but the way they do it creates some truly inspirational organic forms which have become a heavy influence on my art style.

![Southern Forest - Acrylic on card - 2025](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/southern-forest-ghost-website.jpg)

Southern Forest - Acrylic on card - 2025

I have spent quite a bit of time walking and hiking in forests, admiring these alien giants — observing them, taking photos, and sometimes bringing a sketchbook to jot down shapes and forms.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/a-part-through-the-centre-of-a-large-strangler-fig---Bunya-mountains-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/a-fallen-strangler-fig-branch-lays-on-the-road---mount-glorious-queensland-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/strangler-fig-mid-kill.jpg)

Walkway through a Strangler fig Bunya Mountains (left) A fallen branch (middle) A young fig in the dance of death (right)

It’s the way they flow, the way they climb and twist around the host tree — it’s like nothing else in the forest. They have a certain life to them beyond simply being a tree: like muscle, like tentacles, as if they have skin, tendons and blood flowing beneath, breathing and moving like some kind of ancient creature lying dormant in the forest.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/tree-root-drawing-expedition-southbank-2024-3.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/tree-roots-art-expedition-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/GumSketch-1.jpg)

Field Sketches from the Sketchbook

But it’s not only strangler figs. I’m equally drawn to trees that are knurled and beaten by the environment — like those in our local creek system in Samford Valley. The area floods, and the water can rise several metres above the regular stream height, inflicting serious damage on a particular group of trees. I frequent this spot often, drawing sections of stripped bark and exposed root systems, observing how light interacts with the pitted surfaces where bark has been sheared away by floodwaters.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/exposed-and-gnarled-roots-in-the-creek---Samford-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/battered-and-worn-tree-roots-in-the-creek---Samford.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/gnarled-roots-in-the-creek---samford-2.jpg)

Floodwater weathered and scared trees in the creek bed - Samford Valley

Strangler figs aren’t confined to the outskirts of Brisbane either — they’re everywhere in and around the city. Some have even been integrated into children’s playgrounds, like in New Farm Park and South Bank Parklands — the latter forming the inspiration for my *Southern Forest* piece featured in the 2025 Ipswich Art Awards. (Below)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/strangler-figs-at-Newfarm-park-playground.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/IpswichArtAward2025-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/a-strangler-fig-in-a-playground-at-southbank.jpg)

Newfarm park playground Brisbane (Left) Me and the Southern Forest Piece - Ipswich Art Award 2025 (middle) and its inspiration at Southbank playground tree (right)

These playground trees have immense character. They bear the scars of years of children climbing in, on and around them — some even covered in initials and slogans carved into their surface. I’m a sucker for texture. Over the years I’ve collected hundreds of photos of textured surfaces.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/a-gnarled-stangler-fig-in-Maryborough.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/closeup-of-a-gnarled-strangler-fig-3.jpg)

Tagged and initialled fig - Maryborough, Queensland

Trees in general, for me, are inspirational — a source of magic, fantasy and wonder — but also a place to collect thoughts. I love walking in forests, even taking multi-day hikes by myself, listening and watching. It’s amazing what you see when you sit still and quiet for five minutes. The hidden creatures begin to re-emerge from their hiding places. I once had a green tree frog appear at my feet while I was drawing a root system, as if it had popped in to see what I was up to.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/close-up-of-a-textured-fig-in-queensland.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/black-and-white-close-up-of-a-textured-tree-1.jpg)

Texture and form photographic expedition - Toowong Cemetery

We have a giant gum tree in the backyard that I can see from the bed with the blinds open. It’s here that I solve a lot of problems in my head — thinking through story ideas or reading a book. I watch the leaves and branches sway in the breeze, clouds shifting behind it and creating ever-changing backdrops. Birds come and go — crows, butcherbirds and kookaburras eyeing off food in the afternoon. Sometimes I even fall asleep watching the gum tree… though, to be fair, I am lying on a bed.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/a-gnarled-hand-creatire-directly-influenced-by-tree-textures.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/a-gnarled-tree-inspired-by-nature.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/bark-and-gnarled-root-system-exploration.jpg)

Tree Root System inspired ink sketches

I’m not sure exactly why I’m drawn to them. There’s a sense of connection I can’t fully explain.

I gravitate toward forested areas and mountains. Even though I’ve spent much of my life in the city, I’m always heading out to what’s left of the forests and parklands — walking, riding my bike, wandering. It’s where I feel most at peace, and where a lot of my crazier ideas seem to surface.

![Post edited photo of a tree root system](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/photo-of-a-tree-root-system-artisticly-edited-2.jpg)

Post edited photo of a tree root system

Some people are coastal. Some are rural.

For me, I’m definitely at home in a forest, and I guess that’s why it’s so heavily reflected in my artwork.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/a-very-old-piece-2002ish-inspired-by-tree-root-systems.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/cascade-style-developing-from-strangler-fig-root-systems.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/dragons-wing-directly-inspired-by-tree-root-systems.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/blades-and-designs-inspired-by-trees-and-leave-forms.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/tree-inspired-design-2001.jpg)

A collection of Tree inspired organic shapes and forms. 

---

![Southern Forest - Framed is currently for Sale AU$2400 inc shipping - contact via the contact form for details](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/framed-art-for-comp_1080.jpg)

Southern Forest - Damien K Quick

The original Southern Forest is available for purchase. Please see the [Official Shop](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/shop/#southern-forest) for details.
### This Spider Be Thirsty – Animated Short
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/this-spider-be-thirsty-animated-short/
Last updated: 2026-02-18T21:36:28.000Z
0:00 

/0:10 

1× 

The concept of the thirsty spider was another random idea that popped into my head while riding my bike. It was a hot day and, for some reason, this image appeared in my mind with the “pherrrrrhh, so thirsty” line, which made me giggle a little.

Simply, a spider runs down a web line, which snaps as he runs out of web. He turns to camera with a dry throat and a “Pherrrh,” and says, “So thirsty!”

![This Spider Be Thirsty - Project in Clip Studio Paint EX](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/This-Spider-Be-Thirsty---CSP.png)

This Spider Be Thirsty - Project in Clip Studio Paint EX

It’s a really short one, and the entire project was completed within four hours — a total of 184 frames — which is a nice break from the huge projects like [Elytra Pilot](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/incompetent-elytra-pilot-a-minecraft-animated-short-film/).

I first recorded the voice in DaVinci Resolve, then used music from Epidemic Sound (ES). I actually think finding the right music took just as long as the animation itself. The additional sound effects were also from ES.

The animation was straightforward, using keyframes for the camera motion at the start, and again for the swinging side to side. Then all that was left to animate was the lip-sync mouth and eyes.

![This Spider Be Thirsty - project in Davinci Resolve](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/This-Spider-Be-Thirsty---Davinci.png)

This Spider Be Thirsty - project in Davinci Resolve

A problem I ran into here, though — the old rookie mistake — was that I animated at 30 frames per second in Clip Studio but failed to correct this in DaVinci, which was set to 24 frames per second. Fortunately for me, I needed to shift some of the lip-sync frames as it was running a bit fast, and the change in frame rate between programs seemed to fix that on its own, so I adjusted the audio to suit.

The youtube short can be found on the [House of Normal Youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wEn4SVMnl3Q?ref=houseofnormal.com.au).
### Cho Dan Bo – Ambition Before Skill in Game Development
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/cho-dan-bo-ambition-before-skill-in-game-development/
Last updated: 2026-03-01T06:12:13.000Z
Cho Dan Bo is a game I started with far more ambition than skill. Deciding to seriously attempt learning game development, I devised a project that I thought was a simple idea — but it turned out to be far more advanced than I had bargained for.

Cho Dan Bo is a term used in Taekwondo. It varies between styles, but in the school where I trained it was the name given to the final trials before grading to 1st Dan black belt, symbolised by a red and black striped belt.  
  
I never made it past Blue III belt before moving on to other things. However, during my time training, I had designed a character called “Cho” and drawn a comic about his disdain for learning the foundations. He was always daydreaming about becoming a highly skilled practitioner — jumping high into the air and performing incredible feats of martial arts.

Kind of fitting, really.

![Cho Dan Bo - The Importance of Basics - The Comic](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/ChoDanBo_The_Comic.jpg)

Cho Dan Bo - The Importance of Basics - The Comic

The comic (above), apart from being enormous (over 1m wide), shows Cho drilling punches. He falls into a daydream and imagines all kinds of advanced techniques, only to be rudely awakened by his teacher and sent back to drills.

The game was going to follow that exact structure. The opening menu would show Cho running through drills on the page. When you pressed any key, the menu would animate into a dream bubble. Once selected, you would enter his dream — and the game would begin.

![Cho Dan Bo - Mini Game Level Select Screen Example](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/ChoDanBo_Game_Select_Screen_Example-1.jpg)

Cho Dan Bo - Mini Game Level Select Screen Example

The entire game was going to be hand-drawn and scanned. Every background. Every animation frame. All pencil-coloured, like the comic itself. The idea was to make it feel like you were playing inside Cho’s notebook, exploring his daydreams.

![ChoDanBo - The Game - UI Flowchart](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/ChoDanBo_The_Game_UI_Flowchart.png)

Cho Dan Bo - The Game - UI Flowchart

Initially, there would be only one mini-game: a basic endless fighting game of skill. Cho would stand in the middle of the screen while enemies (his classmates) approached from both sides. As he defeated them with simple kicks, they would fall to the floor and begin piling up behind him. Once that worked, the plan was to expand it to four selectable mini-games. Each would gradually increase in speed and difficulty until defeat, with a high-score system encouraging replayability.

Nice and simple.

Or so I thought.

![Cho Dan Bo - The Game - Original Concept](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/ChoDanBo_The_Game_Original_Concept-1.jpg)

Cho Dan Bo - The Game - Original Concept

The gameplay sounded simple. The execution was not — and it was definitely not a good idea for a first solo game. Not only was the concept more difficult than expected, but the idea of hand-drawing everything was wildly unrealistic. And what makes it even more laughable — I gave myself three months to complete it while working full time. 🤣...😐

That didn’t stop me from trying.

I had already been experimenting with interactive elements in Unreal Engine, so that felt like a logical place to begin. I created a game design document outlining the concept, character and level ideas, audio notes, gameplay thoughts, and control systems. I saved that as a reference point, then began a second working document so I could experiment without drifting too far from the original idea.

![First prototype running in Unreal Engine](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/ChoDanBo_The_Game_Running_in_Unreal_Engine.jpg)

First prototype running in Unreal Engine

I built a basic background and a controllable placeholder character — essentially a simple frame with a foot that could perform six-direction kicks and a jump. I reused the same sprite for enemies. They moved toward the player and were destroyed when hit.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Cho_HitBoxes2.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Cho_HitBoxes-1.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Belt-Concept.png)

Unreal Engine Highboxes (left & Middle). Belt colour swap out system prototype (Right)

Progress.

But this is where things began to unravel.

Bugs stacked up quickly. I didn’t like the control system. The enemy AI needed far more specific behaviour. I was using Unreal’s Blueprint visual scripting, and it was beginning to feel overwhelming and messy.

Around this time, I read something that stuck with me: visual scripting is powerful, but eventually you will hit a point where understanding real code becomes essential — and you’re often better off learning it from the start.

"HELL NO!" 

However, I knew I wanted to move the project to a different engine. When I looked at how large the compiled Unreal project would be, I couldn’t help thinking about old Commodore Amiga games fitting onto a single floppy disk — tightly programmed and optimised.

So I experimented.

![Cho Dan Bo overlaid on the IK+ background on Amiga 500. Markup for mobile version](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Screen-Scale-Dec-2024-controls.png)

Cho Dan Bo overlaid on the IK+ background on Amiga 500\. Markup for mobile version

I moved the project to GameMaker. It also offered visual scripting, but it didn’t quite click. I tried Unity — again, it didn’t feel right. After a lot of reading, testing, and deliberation, I decided to bite the bullet and learn Godot properly, which meant learning to code. 😮‍💨

Talk about down the rabbit hole.

It didn’t take long to fall in love with Godot’s interface and structure. Having direct control over code felt surprisingly clean compared to bulky visual systems, even though the learning curve was steeper. 

It took weeks to rebuild in Godot what I had originally assembled in Unreal.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/PlayerSideKickTest256_sheet-1.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/PlayerSideKickTest256_sheetgif.gif)

Cho Dan Bo - Kick Sprite Sheet for Godot

By this point, I had already abandoned the fully hand-drawn approach and shifted to using colour. It simply looked better and was more manageable. But once again, I hit the limits of my skill.

Just like Cho dreaming of skipping the foundations of Taekwondo, I had skipped the coding fundamentals. I’m good at problem-solving and troubleshooting — but without foundational knowledge, there was nothing solid to troubleshoot from.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/ChoDanBo_Flow_InitialControl.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/ChoDanBo-Control-Simple.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/ChoDanBo_Flow_UpdatedControl.png)

Cho Dan Bo - Various Control System Concepts

I mentioned rabbit hole right?

Before long, I was deep into Harvard’s CS50 course, learning computer science fundamentals. I was studying different programming paradigms and continuing to learn GDScript through GDQuest. But life intervened, and the project slowed. Other creative commitments took priority.

Months later, around December 2025, I finally recognised what had been happening.

I had designed a game that required advanced coding techniques.

I was effectively switching off the built-in physics engine — the very thing that makes engines like Godot so powerful — and attempting to recreate movement systems from scratch. I constantly fought gravity, disabled physics in certain states, tried to prevent sideways bumps, and battled strange wobbling behaviour.

0:00 

/0:12 

1× 

Cho Dan Bo - Godot Physics Bug Out Fail - (Background borrowed from the interwebs)

It was only then that I realised just how advanced this type of game actually was — and that it was absolutely not the right choice for a first project.

Cho Dan Bo isn’t lost or forgotten. I still love the concept, and even the rough prototype was surprisingly fun to play. For now, though, it’s going into the vault.

Instead, I’m starting simpler.

A square character.  
Add collision.  
Make it move.

One system at a time, starting from scratch for every iteration, without tutorials. 

I’ve also developed a structured process for learning code properly, which I’ll explain in a future article.

So far, it’s working. I’m learning — slower than I initially imagined, but steadily.

Just like Cho. 

Never underestimate the importance of fundamentals. Understanding the basics will carry you further than any tutorial out there on the interwebs.

!['Cho' - Cho Dan Bo - The Game](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/cho-character-1024.png)

'Cho' - Cho Dan Bo - The Game

---

**Everything on this site is free for everyone.** 
**No ads. No popups. No paywalls.**  
Subscribe to receive the free monthly newsletter, and you’ll be able to comment on posts.  
If you’d like to help keep this project sustainable, there are [**Supporter** and **Sponsor** ](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/my-early-airbrush-work-1993-2000/#/portal/)tiers available - Totally optional.
### Airbrushing Death – Stage Adaptation of Mort (2015)
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/airbrushing-death-stage-adaptation-of-mort-2015/
Last updated: 2026-02-12T02:54:27.000Z
In 2015, I was asked by my friend Stevie if I could airbrush a mask used for the character of Death in the stage adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s *Mort*.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/2015-08-16-17.01.55-2.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/2015-08-16-17.29.57-2.jpg)

The white mask as I received it (Left). A light first coat (Right)

The mask was originally silver or gold in colour. It had been fitted with a hood and mesh over the eyes so the actor could see, and it had been painted white. However, the white paint would wear off each time it was placed down on a bench, leaving silver patches on the teeth that had to be repainted after every use.

![The trusty Iwata Eclipse HP-CS](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/20150819_120240.jpg)

The trusty Iwata Eclipse HP-CS

Another issue was that the stark white paint didn’t look great under bright stage lighting. It appeared flat and washed out, so I was asked to add some detail to help it stand out better under those conditions.

![The mask from above under bright lighting for reference ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/2015-08-16-17.45.39.jpg)

The mask from above under bright lighting for reference 

To get an idea of how it would look on stage, I set up two 500-watt work lights overhead to simulate the intense brightness. If I had painted it under normal lighting, it would have been too light and still looked washed out once under stage lights.

![The mask under bright lighting for reference ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/2015-08-16-17.45.33-1.jpg)

The mask under bright lighting for reference 

I began by touching up the exposed silver patches on the teeth. Then I airbrushed a light mustard-yellow tone across the bulk of the face. Once that was dry, I added darker browns into the shadows, finishing with deeper detailing in an almost black tone.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/20150816_174554.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/2015-08-16-17.46.04.jpg)

The completed mask ready for the show

In normal lighting, as mentioned, the mask looks far too dark, and I was slightly concerned I had overdone it. However, when we saw it live on stage, it worked beautifully — the added depth gave the mask presence and clarity under the harsh lights, as you can see in the show’s promotional photo (below)

![The finished mark live on stage - Terry Pratchett's Mort 2015 - Brisbane Arts Theatre](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Scene-for-the-stage-adaption-of-Mort-2015-1.jpg)

The finished mark live on stage - Terry Pratchett's Mort 2015 - Brisbane Arts Theatre
### Incompetent Elytra Pilot - A Minecraft Animated short film
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/incompetent-elytra-pilot-a-minecraft-animated-short-film/
Last updated: 2026-02-09T00:59:57.000Z
0:00 

/1:20 

1× 

Incompetent Elytra Pilot - A Minecraft Animated short film

After defeating the Ender dragon and 5000 blocks from the portal, the quest continues on the hunt for the most ultimate of special items.

The Elytra. 

However the gruelling quest finding it is one thing, using it, well that’s another story.

---

After successfully completing [*The General*](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/the-general-and-the-chocolate-biscuit-prank/) and [*King of Hearts*](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/king-of-hearts-animated-short/), I decided to tackle a much larger project — 120 seconds long, with around 1,900+ frames across 28 shots/scenes, compared to the previous 20-second single-shot sequences. This also meant it took much longer to complete. The whole project took around 100 hours over six weeks and covered a lot of material I had never encountered before.

![Failing to engage the Elytra after jumping from an End Ship](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/A-minecraft-character-fails-to-use-an-elytra-after-jumping-from-an-End-Ship.jpg)

Failing to engage the Elytra after jumping from an End Ship

Firstly, there was much more planning involved: timing, layout, audio recording and mixing. I also spent a lot of time in Minecraft just watching how Shulker Boxes animate. Despite appearing quite difficult to reproduce, I ended up using a much simpler technique.

There were a few other challenges to overcome as well. One six-frame sequence required a zoom in and upward movement, which meant the entire background had to be redrawn on every frame to adjust for perspective changes. However, by reducing the sequence to only six frames and having it move so quickly, it creates the illusion that far more is happening than actually is.

![Incompetent Elytra Pilot - A Minecraft Animated short - Youtube Promo Poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Incompetent-Elytra-Pilot---Promo-Poster.png)

Incompetent Elytra Pilot - A Minecraft Animated short - Youtube Promo Poster

## The story origins

Believe it or not, this is actually a true story — well, an in-game true story.

During a live stream on Twitch, playing Minecraft with my daughter, we defeated the Ender Dragon for the first time and discovered that the ability to fly could be obtained using an item called the Elytra. (Elytra is based on the real-world “elytron,” defined as each of the two hardened wing cases of a beetle.)

![Daughter and Damien playing Minecraft live on Twitch ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Damien-and-Daughter-playing-Minecraft-live-on-Twitch.jpg)

Daughter and Damien playing Minecraft live on Twitch

These are not easy to obtain. They’re found in “End Ships” floating around End Cities in a dimension called *The End*, which only becomes accessible through a small portal that appears after the Ender Dragon is defeated.

Once located, the safest way to access the ship is by building up from the ground using blocks of your choice. Sounds straightforward — however, these cities are surrounded by Endermen and heavily guarded by an enemy called a Shulker. If you’re hit by a Shulker bullet, it causes you to float upward for several seconds, and once the effect wears off, you plummet back to the ground.

![An End Ship floats near an End City](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Incompetent-Elytra-Pilot---The-End-City.jpg)

An End Ship floats near an End City

I eventually found one of these cities and ships and finally got my hands on the coveted Elytra. Guided by Twitch chat, I equipped it and was given a brief rundown on how to use it — basic controls and timing. I walked to the edge of the ship and jumped.

![The Elytra - Only found inside End Ships](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Finally---The-Elytra.png)

The Elytra - Only found inside End Ships

In a panic, unable to get the flight to engage, I hit the ground and lost everything.

In most cases, this sends you back to spawn in the Overworld (the main Minecraft dimension). Which means gathering enough equipment again, travelling to The Nether, returning through the End portal, retracing your steps across The End, and making it all the way back to where you hit the ground — just to recover your gear and hopefully find somewhere safer to learn how to fly.

![The scene of impact after a failed flight attempt](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Incompetent-Elytra-Pilot-Death-Scene.jpg)

The scene of impact after a failed flight attempt

For me though, after an extensive mid-journey briefing from chat while travelling back to my death spot, I decided to climb the End City again and jump off a second time.

I got there eventually.

And over the following weeks, I developed surprisingly advanced flying skills.

But the story is a familiar one. Many players get the Elytra for the first time, fail to use it correctly, and are forced to make that gruelling journey back to recover everything they lost after hitting the ground.

## The Process

Once the concept came together, the character was designed, and the storyboard completed, I moved on to working out the timing.

Normally, you would record all the audio first. However, I was still developing the idea and wasn’t sure how I wanted it to come together. So I loaded all the storyboard panels into Clip Studio Paint and stepped through the scenes, speaking the parts aloud as I adjusted the timing of each frame.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Incompetent-Elytra-Pilot---Storyboard-1-of-3-1.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Incompetent-Elytra-Pilot---Storyboard-2-of-3-2.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Incompetent-Elytra-Pilot---Storyboard-3-of-3-2.png)

Incompetent Elytra Pilot - Storyboard

Once I had a rough pass, I exported a video and imported it into DaVinci Resolve. There, I recorded my voice parts and collected additional audio from in-game — footsteps, enemy sounds, a Shulker bullet hitting a shield, and so on. After building a rough audio track, I brought it back into Clip Studio Paint so I had both timing frames and audio to work from.

![A shulker bullet is blocked by my shield - Using custom brushes on each frame for smoke](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/A-shulker-bullet-is-blocked-by-my-shield.jpg)

A shulker bullet is blocked by my shield - Using custom brushes on each frame for smoke

Using these as a guide, I then had to draw the backgrounds for each scene. The storyboard had been drawn from memory, so to make the scenes accurate, I spent a lot of time in Minecraft capturing screenshots that would work. This took far longer than expected, as it had to be treated like a film set.

For example, in the shot of the potions inside the End Ship, there was a wall blocking where I wanted the camera. To capture the correct angle, I had to remove the entire wall and switch to Creative Mode to position the camera properly.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Health-potions-aboard-an-End-Ship.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Animated-health-potions-aboart-an-End-Ship.jpg)

Health Potions captured with wall removed (Left). Animated Scene (Right)

To keep the frames accurate and save time, I traced over large sections of the screenshots, simplifying forms and adjusting areas to better suit the shot.

Even working this way, it took a very long time. There were far more shots requiring detailed backgrounds than I had originally allowed for, and it began to feel endless as additional shots had to be added to clarify the story.

Once the backgrounds were complete, it was time to move on to character and enemy animation. Not entirely sure where to begin, I started at the beginning and worked my way through scene by scene.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Screengrab-on-board-an-End-Ship.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Animated-Minecraft-Scene-aboard-an-End-Ship.jpg)

On board the End Ship

There was also far more layer management involved than I had anticipated. I hadn’t initially accounted for characters moving between foreground and background elements, so extra layers had to be duplicated and separated to make that possible. The same applied to the Shulkers — even parts of their bodies required separate layers to animate correctly.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/a-little-comedy-hidden-within-3-frames-of-a-minecraft-animation.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/a-minecraft-inventory-drawn-by-hand.jpg)

A sneaky 3 frame joke briefly flashes on screen in reference to childish naming of equipment

What began as a relatively simple idea turned out to contain far more detail than I had first envisioned. I suppose that’s just learning by doing — and now I carry that knowledge into the next project.

![The entire Incompetent Elytra Pilot Timeline in Clip Studio Paint EX](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/02/Incompetent-Elytra-Pilot---A-Minecraft-Animated-Short-Film---CSP-Timeline.png)

The entire project timeline (Right click and open in new tab to see high res image)

It also didn’t take long to realise that I should have animated each scene separately in Clip Studio Paint and then assembled everything in DaVinci Resolve. However, by that point I had already committed to building it as one large project file and I didn't have a clear idea on the process to start with. Instead, I adjusted my workflow by limiting playback to just the scene I was actively working on. That way, the software didn’t have to render the entire project every time I previewed an animation — which saved a significant amount of time and frustration.

## After the credits

During the process, my daughter had the idea of the Enderman picking up the Elytra I had dropped on death and flying off with it.

It instantly reminded me of the final scene in *The Matrix*, where Neo, having discovered his control over the system, flies upward and off-screen.

I thought it would be a fun way to end the animation — both as a visual gag and as a subtle nod to *The Matrix*. So I decided to add it as a post-credits scene.

You can see a comparison of the original Matrix ending below. I had sped up the Elytra Pilot version for pacing, so for this comparison I slowed my footage down to better match the original scene.

0:00 

/1:33 

1× 

The Matrix / Incompetent Elytra Pilot End Scene Comparison - playback adjusted to match

---

This project started as a simple retelling of an embarrassing Minecraft moment, but it became something much larger. It pushed me technically, forced me to rethink my workflow, and taught me a lot about planning, timing, and scene construction.

Every project has that moment where you realise you’re in deeper than expected. This was one of those. And while it wasn’t perfect, it marked a clear step forward from the previous animations.

I have several larger projects to get stuck into however for now I need a break from Animation. 

The youtube version can be found on the [House of Normal Youtube Channel.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnKUo2b6OJs&ref=houseofnormal.com.au)

---

The entire process can be viewed from youtube below. This is a timelapse recording from Clip Studio Paint EX, 100 hours work condensed into 30mins. 

The entire animation process in 30 mins.

---

## Credits

Incompetent Elytra Pilot   
Written, Animated and Voiced by  
Damien K Quick aka House of Normal   
  
Music  
  
Funky Suspense  
Music by Bensound.com/royalty-free-music  
Artist: Benjamin Tissot  
License code: ZX24MFGIJ1KF6ZWY  
  
Closing Credits   
  
Doing Damage  
Music: Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos  
Artist: Dollshade  
License code: XKDDWXUEQIBR9X6J  
  
This film was made possible with the support of   
 \- Hard Dr Fuss -  
  
Special Thanks to  
Elderwolf569   
Mammabearalwayz   
NefTheLorekeeper   
Rosanna & Suki   
  
This Production is 100% Hand Drawn in Clip Studio Paint EX.   
  
Software   
Clip Studio Paint EX (2D Animation)  
DaVinci Resolve (Edit and Audio Recording)

---

**Everything on this site is free for everyone.** 
**No ads. No popups. No paywalls.**  
Subscribe to receive the free monthly newsletter, and you’ll be able to comment on posts.  
If you’d like to help keep this project sustainable, there are [**Supporter** and **Sponsor** ](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/my-early-airbrush-work-1993-2000/#/portal/)tiers available - Totally optional.
### My Early Airbrush Work (1993–2000)
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/my-early-airbrush-work-1993-2000/
Last updated: 2026-05-05T00:41:14.000Z
1993 was a huge year for me artistically. I moved from a private Christian high school with no art program to a state high school with Art, Visual Art and Design — plus integrated TAFE subjects. I spent most of the week in the art classroom, In fact I did so many elective subjects that on wednesday I would only have one math lesson, then the rest of the day was in the art class. We didn't even leave for lunch, but that is another story. 

It was in this class I came across a book called The Complete Guide to Airbrushing Techniques and Materials published in 1983\. This book was fascinating and had everything from the unbelievably photorealistic to Terry Gilliam's airbrushed animation from Monty Python. I read through it so many times the teacher let me keep it despite the stamp on the inner cover which states 'Property of the schools art department' . I still have it to this day. *(Below)* 

![The Complete Guide to Airbrushing Techniques and Materials published in 1983.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-Complete-Guide-to-Airbrushing-Techniques-and-Materials-by-Judy-Martin.jpg)

The Complete Guide to Airbrushing Techniques and Materials published in 1983.

Up until this point I had only played with an airbrush, some basic masking and water colour using one of those cheap sets *('3' below)* that came with everything. Syphon feed with various jar attachments, ultra thin hose and cans of compressed air. It wasn't great but as funds were tight that's all I could get my hands on. 

![A selection of airbrushes from The Complete Guide to Airbrushing](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/A-selection-of-airbrushes-from-The-Complete-Guide-to-Airbrushing.jpg)

3\. Similar to my first Airbrush. 5\. The Second Airbrush I purchased

In 1994 I upgraded to a Paasche kit *('5' above)* — the best thing I could find locally at the time. Still siphon feed, still fiddly, and it blocked constantly. Mid-painting I’d be dismantling, cleaning, rebuilding, and every teardown increased the odds of damaging the needle. I carried spares, which got expensive fast.

I also developed a deeply questionable skill: straightening needle tips by slowly rolling them between my teeth. Not recommended — but I got good at it.

![A failed attempt at masking which I abandoned. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/A-failed-attempt-at-masking-airbrush-art.jpg)

A failed attempt at masking which I abandoned. 

Despite the difficulties, I wanted to learn properly, so I enrolled in a short TAFE night course. We used automotive acrylic and mixed colour by hand: eye droppers, tiny ratios, then thinner to get it flowing right.

![Hand made masking made from old high school engineering drawing sheets coated in thinned varnish](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Hand-made-airbrush-stencils-from-varnished-paper.jpg)

Hand made masking made from old high school engineering drawing sheets coated in thinned varnish

We also learned how to make our own masking/frisk film *(Above)*. Paper plus spray adhesive can work, but once it’s wet with paint it tends to shrink and pull away, leaving tiny gaps. The trick was to coat paper in ultra-thinned varnish — both sides — and let it dry. After that it stayed stable for cutting masks. I used that technique from then on.

By the end of the course I completed a copy of a Judge Dredd artwork from 2000AD as my final piece.

![Airbrush painting by Damien K Quick - Judge Dredd copied from 2000AD cover](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick---Judge-Dredd-copied-from-2000AD-cover.jpg)

Airbrush painting with automotive acrylic at TAFE - Judge Dredd copied from 2000AD cover

---

Around the same time I was heavily influenced by H.R. Giger. I’d read that his paintings were huge and mostly freehand, which made me want to push in that direction too — less reliance on masking, more control through the airbrush itself.

Freehand airbrushing is unforgiving. The trigger control has to be steady and deliberate, and it only takes one attempted “sharp line” to turn into a splat, a splutter, and a run down the canvas.

![H.R. Giger influenced, First freehand attempt - 1996 acrylic on card. A1 - 841 x 594 mm ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1996---Eye.jpg)

No 1\. H.R. Giger influenced, First freehand attempt - 1996 acrylic on card. A1 - 841 x 594 mm

Up until then I’d mostly been painting abstract work in oils. Apart from a few experiments, this was my first real attempt at a complete airbrushed piece. I used standard artist acrylic thinned with water and mixed until it was smooth enough to flow. After the TAFE course, I eventually bought 500 ml tins of automotive acrylic — the primary colours plus black and white — and a big tin of thinners.

---

![2nd freehand painting 1996 acrylic on card. A1 - 841 x 594 mm ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1996---swirls-1.jpg)

No 2\. freehand painting 1996 acrylic on card. A1 - 841 x 594 mm 

**No 2\. 2nd freehand painting (1996)** — Acrylic on card, A1 (841 × 594 mm) *(above)*  
Heavily influenced by H.R. Giger, I pushed for a lot more detail than the previous piece. I was still using standard acrylic watered down until it would flow — not ideal for an airbrush, but it was all I could afford at the time. It caused constant blockages, and occasionally a sudden burp of paint. You can see one of those moments in the splattered highlights around the central top eye. I didn’t have the patience to fix it… so it’s still in there.

---

![One World Order 1997 Airbrushed Acrylic on canvas board](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1997---old-man.jpg)

No 3\. One World Order 1997 Airbrushed Acrylic on canvas board

**“One World Order” (1997)** — Airbrushed acrylic on canvas board, 24" × 30"  
This is one of the more detailed pieces I attempted in the ’90s. It started as an A4 sketch, then I used tracing paper to build an old-school grid for enlarging it to the final size. Notice I added more detail on the overlay. *(Below)* 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Oldschool-way-of-enlarging-an-image-using-grids.jpg)

One World Order original sketch with tracing paper 1996

My parents were away for the weekend, so I moved indoors and painted into the evening — compressor *inside* as well. Big. Industrial. Loud.  
They never knew. Drop sheets everywhere, no trace left behind. 🤣

![Airbrushing in the lounge room when the parents are away](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/airbrushing-in-the-loungeroom-when-the-parents-are-away.jpg)

Airbrushing in the lounge room when the parents are away

---

![No 4. Dream State 30cm x 25cm ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/dreamstate-a-small-airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick--1997.jpg)

No 4\. Dream State 30cm x 25cm 

---

![No 5. Endless 'Mushroom Man by Damien K Quick](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1997---Mushroom-man.jpg)

No 5\. Endless 'Mushroom Man - Airbrushed acrylic on ply

**No 5\. “Endless (Mushroom Man)” (1997)** — Airbrushed acrylic on ply, 1200 × 500 mm  
Mushrooms for hair, a pierced tongue, and exaggerated facial features

---

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-art-by-Damien-K-Quick-1997---Cyclops-Baby-2.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Mutant-baby-artwork-original-sketch-1997-1.jpg)

 No 6\. Bizarre Waste of Power 1997 — Airbrushed acrylic on masonite and Original Sketch 1996

**No 6\. Bizarre waste of power. 1997 — Airbrushed acrylic on masonite.**  
This one was sparked by a set of disturbing reference photos I was shown at the time — preserved medical specimens, including a “cyclops baby” image. They were *claimed* to be connected to Chernobyl, but I’ve never been able to verify that, so I’m treating it as part of the story of how the reference found me, not a statement of fact. Everything beyond that central idea is artistic licence.  
It also ended up with a custom frame, with runes burned into the timber using a soldering iron. *(I will update this post when I find where it is)*

---

![No 7. Skull. 1998 Automotive Acrylic on ply.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1998---Automotive-Acrylic-Skull.jpg)

No 7\. Skull. 1998 Automotive Acrylic on ply.

**No. 7 — “Skull” (1998)** — Freehand air brushed automotive acrylic on ply, 1800 × 600 mm  
This one’s huge. I painted it using automotive acrylic (mixed by hand — I can’t remember the exact ratios now, but I loved the finish). Humidity can be a pain with this stuff too; if it’s too cold or too wet you can get that white “blooming” in the paint. This piece has two clear coats.

---

![No 8. Mutant Trolley Boys 1998. Automotive Acrylic on card](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1998---Mutant-Trolley-Boys.jpg)

No 8\. Mutant Trolley Boys 1998\. Automotive Acrylic on card

**No. 8 — “Mutant Trolley Boy” (1998)** — Airbrushed automotive acrylic on card, 600 × 500 mm  
This was a character concept from a comic idea I called **“Mutant Trolley Boys.”** I never got past the design stage, but it’s one I still want to revisit.

The premise was pretty simple: the Mutant Trolley Boys formed while dragging abandoned shopping trolleys out of creeks and parklands. After pushing them for long enough, they eventually became *one with the trolley*.

I’ve still got the storyboard for this, plus another related idea: **“Maggot Man vs the Mutant Trolley Boys.”** That one could work as a comic, or even an animated series. 

---

![No. 9 "Alien" (1997) — Airbrushed acrylic on ply, 1200 × 1200 mm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1997-Unfinished--Alien-Encounter.jpg)

****No. 9 "Alien" (1997)** — Airbrushed acrylic on ply, 1200 × 1200 mm

**No. 9 "Alien" (1997)** — Airbrushed acrylic on ply, 1200 × 1200 mm  
Unfinished. This one’s been living with a friend for years — I moved into a motorhome for a while and it definitely didn’t fit.

I might ask if he wants me to finish it and give it a proper final clear coat. If he does, he can keep it as a gift for looking after it for so long.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/alien-artwork-original-sketch-full-page.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/alien-artwork-original-sketch-up-close.jpg)

****No. 9 "Alien" (1997)** original sketch designs

---

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick---EyedeathSteve002.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Death_me_painting.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Death-being-painted-on-Steves-Bedroom--Wall-1997.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick---EyedeathSteve004-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick---EyedeathSteve001.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Death-painted-on-Steves-bedroom-wall-1997-2.jpg)

****“Death” (1997)** — Airbrushed acrylic on concrete

**“Death” (1997)** — Airbrushed acrylic on concrete  
I was living at a friend’s place at the time, and they let me paint on a couple of the walls. This one was based on an artwork I’d seen on a postcard, enlarged by hand (no projector back then). The plan was to paint the rest of the wall black… but I’m not sure it ever happened.

---

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Damiens-bedroom-artwork-original-design-concept-1997.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-artwork-on-my-bedroom-door-1997.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Damiens-bedroom-wall-and-paintings-1997.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Damiens-bedroom-wall-partially-completed-1997.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Damein-K-Quicks-Bedroom-Wall-1997.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Damiens-bedroom-cupbaord-artwork-1997.jpg)

**“My Bedroom” (1997)** — Airbrushed acrylic on concrete (and various other surfaces)  
Directly behind the *Death* painting in my friend’s room was my room. My parents randomly decided to leave the country, so I suddenly needed somewhere to stay. My friend and his parents had a spare room, so I moved in.

The place was still mid-renovation — bare walls that needed paint — and I suggested I paint the room with artwork instead. They agreed, which honestly surprised me. The walls, door, and even the inside of the cupboards ended up covered in airbrushed pieces. The main wall was never finished before I moved out.

That house has been sold since, and I was told the room artwork got painted over… but the cupboard artwork apparently still exists to this day.

---

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Car-Bonnet-painted-with-a-demon-in-space---Airbrush-automotive-acrylic.jpg)

**“Demon in Space” (1998)** — Airbrushed automotive acrylic on a Chrysler Charger  
Some friends were heading down to the Bathurst 1000 from Queensland and wanted something to show off. The original plan was to paint the whole car, but time (and reality) meant we only finished the bonnet.

Unfortunately, the artwork has since been destroyed.

---

![Airbrushed T-Shirt which failed to sell at markets. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painted-Tshirt-Design-by-Damien-K-Quick.jpg)

Airbrushed T-Shirt which failed to sell at markets. 

**Painted T-shirts (1998)** — Airbrushed screen print paint  
This was my (mostly failed) attempt at hand-painted T-shirts. I used screen print paint, which is probably the hardest stuff to thin for an airbrush — and this was before there was decent T-shirt paint formulated specifically for airbrushing.

A friend and I painted about 20 shirts for the markets and sold… nothing. We only tried one market once, then never went back. Looking back, we probably should’ve stuck it out, because we *did* get a bunch of enquiries for custom designs. We even took a small setup to demonstrate painting live.

I still have some of those shirts in a box in 2026\. They see me hoarding. 🤦‍♂️

---

Although I did keep going with the airbrush for a while, it eventually got pushed to the side when music took over — writing tracks and getting deep into techno and drum & bass. I spent the next few years focused on that, playing around the local live scene, and I didn’t really return to airbrushing until 2003 and beyond… which is another story for another time.

Apart from a few paintings I gave away, I kept most of these early pieces and dragged them through house move after house move as “art for my own walls.” Unfortunately they were stored in a couple of places that later had water and flood damage, and a lot of them were ruined. I still have what’s left, but I’m not sure they can ever be properly restored.

And honestly? I’m not that concerned. These were experiments — practice pieces. I never meant for them to be grand artworks or anything to sell. I just painted because I wanted to paint. I do look at them now and feel a bit disappointed that I didn’t take better care of them… but I’m actually fine with it. They did their job.

> Here’s what a few of them look like now — scarred, watermarked, and mouldy. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1996---swirls-Damage-Wide.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1996---swirls-Damage-Close.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Airbrush-painting-by-Damien-K-Quick-1997---old-man---damage-wide-1.jpg)

2026 Current state with water and flood damage. 

---

**Everything on this site is free for everyone.** 
**No ads. No popups. No paywalls.**  
Subscribe to receive the free monthly newsletter, and you’ll be able to comment on posts.  
If you’d like to help keep this project sustainable, there are [**Supporter** and **Sponsor** ](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/#/portal/)tiers available - Totally optional.
### King of Hearts - Animated short
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/king-of-hearts-animated-short/
Last updated: 2026-01-28T07:55:43.000Z
0:00 

/0:26 

1× 

King of Hearts - Animated Short Film

The King of Hearts is seriously on edge. After being placed on the table yet again, the expectation to perform is starting to feel overwhelming. Trying to keep cool, he notices something in his periphery that gives him the shock of his life… only to realise it’s just himself.

![King of Hearts - Animated short - Abandoned Blender Project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/King-of-Hearts-Animated-short---Abandoned-Blender-Project.png)

King of Hearts - Animated short - Abandoned Blender Project

I initially started animating this using Blender’s Grease Pencil, since I’d recently used it for [*The General*.](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/the-general-and-the-chocolate-biscuit-prank/) But my lack of experience caught me out — I ended up setting up all the layers incorrectly, and the confusion got so bad I decided to move the project over to Clip Studio Paint EX (CSP). By “move”, I mean: completely start again from scratch. 🤦🏼‍♂️

![The King of Hearts rough storyboard](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-King-of-Hearts-animated-short-rough-story-board.png)

The King of Hearts rough storyboard

For some reason, I always do this. I bought CSP specifically for 2D animation… then thought, “Hey, Blender has Grease Pencil — that could be worth learning for future projects that might need 2D/3D integration.” (I’m imagining Futurama-style stuff here.) But since this project is entirely 2D, CSP really was the perfect choice. It just took hours of messing around in Blender to admit it.

![King of Hearts project in Clip Studio Paint EX](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-King-of-Hearts---Animated-short-project-in-Clip-Studio-Paint-EX.png)

King of Hearts project in Clip Studio Paint EX

Starting with the initial card, I drew everything that stayed still: the main body, with no face or arms. I wanted to give some movement to the “still” image by adding line wobble. Unlike Blender, in CSP you have to do this the traditional way — which meant drawing three full frames that were all very similar. That took a surprising amount of time.

![The King of Hearts - Animated short timeline in Clip Studio Paint EX](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-King-of-Hearts-Animated-short-timeline-in-Clip-Studio-Paint-EX.png)

The King of Hearts - Animated short timeline in Clip Studio Paint EX

Once I had that looping on its own layer, I added the arms and hands on separate layers, like cardboard cutouts. The face became its own layer group, containing all the mouth shapes needed for lip-sync.

You may notice the face, mouth, and arms don’t have line wobble — I didn’t want to expand my workload too much.

To make the arms work properly, I also had to add a partial shoulder/robe layer that sits *above* the arms layer (see below), so the arms sit between the robes and the main body.

![King of Hearts Animated short arms layers explained](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/King-of-Hearts-Animated-short-arms-layers-explained.png)

Arms and Robe layers 

The face layers were separated into face and mouth. The face layer handled blinking and eye movement, and the mouth layer was the lip-sync frames. One detail: the mouth also includes a bit of white around each frame to cover some of the face lines, plus a little nose movement that overlaps the face layer underneath. It helps add expression without needing to redraw the entire face every time.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/King-of-Hearts-Animated-short-mouth-layers-explained-001.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/King-of-Hearts-Animated-short-mouth-layers-explained-002.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/King-of-Hearts-Animated-short-mouth-layers-explained-003.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/King-of-Hearts-Animated-short-mouth-layers-explained-004.png)

King of Hearts mouth layers explained

Once all that was done, I added the camera movement keyframes — pans, zoom-ins, and the final reveal of the whole card at the end for titles. This was one of my favourite parts. The camera moves really help sell the story: the pan-in at the start, and the extra emphasis zooms on his shocked face. Getting the timing to feel right took a lot of trial and error.

The reveal at the end was something I added while I was working on the camera moves — originally it was just going to cut to the title. But the little zoom-out and tilt gave the short a bit more character.

![King of Hearts - animated short DaVinci timeline](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/King-of-Hearts-Animated-short-DaVinci-timeline.png)

King of Hearts - Animated short - DaVinci timeline

Other than the voice, all the background audio was added after the frames were imported into DaVinci Resolve. To give it a bit more character, I went with a cocktail-party vibe: martini glasses clinking (which I separated out and placed at specific moments), plus a few extra tracks of general party crowd noise. The final touch was some lounge music — *podcast-jazz-waltz-cozy-relaxing-vibes-233733* — which I found on Pixabay by [Denis Pavlov Music.](https://pixabay.com/users/denis-pavlov-music-35636692/?ref=houseofnormal.com.au) 

The King of Hearts youtube version can be found on [the House of Normal Youtube channel](https://youtube.com/shorts/Q9grSpV%5FADM?si=bFBsYsG4ZHFAxYpK&ref=houseofnormal.com.au).

---

100% Drawn by hand Clip Studio Paint EX  
Tablet - XP Pen Artist Pro 15.9  
Edit / Sound - Davinci Resolve 18  
Written, Voiced, Animated by Damien K Quick 

---
### Building a stainless Gorget for HEMA
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/building-a-stainless-gorget-for-hema/
Last updated: 2026-01-26T05:42:57.000Z
Need gorget, but no money for gorget, because all money spent on swords.

And such is life when you discover there’s such a thing as Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). You dive in head first, and before you know it… you’re a sword collector.

So now you have many swords 👏🏽 — but if you want to use them, you’re going to need armour. After all, no one wants to lose a limb. But let me clarify a few things here for those of you who’ve just realised HEMA is actually a thing.

We don’t use live blades — well, at least not when training with opponents. For longsword training, we use specially made, [historically accurate training fedders.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feder%5F%28fencing%29?ref=houseofnormal.com.au)

The “armour” is also specially crafted, and mostly **not** metal. Generally: a gambeson, padded pants, a box for floppily-doppilies, shin guards (motocross ones work fine), special plastic gauntlets, and various types of fencing masks depending on what swords are being used.

One of the only full-metal parts commonly allowed in training and competition is the **gorget** (pronounced ***gaw-juht***).

![Copper rivets and buckles and the marked out pieces of stainless](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Copper-rivets-and-buckles.jpg)

Copper rivets and buckles and the marked out pieces of stainless

I am **not** a fan of getting stabbed in the neck, and due to a lack of remaining funds (plus a collection of appropriate tools), I decided to make a copy of the Winter Tree Craft (WTC) gorget — which is a pretty common choice.

One of the HEMA club members lent me his so I could take measurements and work out how it was built.

I had some scrap stainless steel lying around, just enough for the project. I drew it all up to scale on paper first so I could test the shape and get an idea if it would fit, then roughly cut it out with a grinder. I wish I had a plasma cutter. Oh how I wish.

To keep it authentic, I’d need copper rivets, plus buckles and leather straps from [Crispin Leather in Brisbane.](https://crispinleather.au/?ref=houseofnormal.com.au)

![Bending the stainless pieces on an old singer machine body](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Bending-the-stainless-pieces-on-an-old-singer-machine-body.jpg)

Bending the stainless pieces on an old singer machine body

With a bit more careful grinding, I cleaned up the initial rough cuts. Then I finished it off with a belt sander using a steel linishing belt. The cheap Ryobi belt-and-disc sander works fine, but it doesn’t have the custom adjustment angles of higher-quality (and higher-priced) metal linishers.

![All the stainless pieces bend and ready to drill](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/All-the-stainless-pieces-bend-and-ready-to-drill.jpg)

All the stainless pieces bend and ready to drill

I have an old cast body of a Singer sewing machine — rescued from the depths of a friend’s garden — that I use for moulding shapes. You can bend parts like this by hand, or use a hammer to bash in the tighter curves.

![Stainless gorget pieces drilled](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Stainless-gorget-pieces-drilled.jpg)

Stainless gorget pieces drilled

I probably should have drilled all the holes first, but I’d never done this before, so I inadvertently skipped a few steps. Once all the holes were drilled on the drill press, I did a final clean-up using the best sander.

We don’t need burrs and sharp points here. This thing is designed for my neck.

![My cut stainless piece compared to the original WTC gorget](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/My-cut-stainless-piece-compared-to-the-original-WTC-gorget.jpg)

My cut stainless piece compared to the original WTC gorget

This is the copy I made, on theeft, and the original WTC gorget I borrowed on the right. Then I cut out the leather lining to suit.

![Adding the rivets — cut to size and peened.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-copper-rivit-needs-to-be-cut-and-peened.jpg)

Adding the rivets — cut to size and peened.

![My leather strap cutting is rough as guts, but I’ll clean it up before finishing.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-leather-buckle-loop.jpg)

My leather strap cutting is rough as guts, but I’ll clean it up before finishing.

![A nicely peened copper rivet.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-copper-rivet-mid-install.jpg)

A nicely peened copper rivet

![I drilled shallow holes in my makeshift block of mild steel to help with the rivet process.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/A-single-copper-rivet-sits-on-a-block-of-steel-with-a-hammer.jpg)

I drilled shallow holes in my makeshift block of mild steel to help with the rivet process.

![The finished forget from the top](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-finished-forget-from-the-top.jpg)

The finished gorget from above

![Copper rivets are all set in place](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Copper-rivets-are-all-set-in-place.jpg)

Copper rivets are all set in place

![behold the finished gorget](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/behold-the-finished-gorget.jpg)

Behold! The finished gorget

![The finished gorget from the side - much neater straps ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-finished-gorget-from-the-side.jpg)

The finished gorget from the side - much neater straps 

![The finished gorget from the rear](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-finished-gorget-from-the-rear.jpg)

The finished gorget from the rear

![Fitting the gorget straps](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Fitting-the-gorget-straps.jpg)

Fitting the gorget straps

![The gorget fits nice and snug around the neck](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-gorget-fits-nice-and-snug-around-the-neck.jpg)

The gorget fits nice and snug around the neck

Overall it works well. If i made it again i would reduce the height slightly. I think I made this slightly larger than the original WTC design. I’m keen to attempt a full suit of steel armour someday.   
*(Update: I did give it a go (below) — I managed to make a single pauldron, but the lack of a proper shed made it difficult. Cold-beating steel is *a lot* louder than I expected, so I had to pause until I can secure a more suitable space.)*

![The single pauldron beat from a flat piece of mild steel sheet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/a-single-pauldron-sits-on-a-bench.jpg)

The single pauldron beat from a flat piece of mild steel sheet

---

**Everything on this site is free for everyone.** 
**No ads. No popups. No paywalls.**  
Subscribe to receive the free monthly newsletter, and you’ll be able to comment on posts.  
If you’d like to help keep this project sustainable, there are [**Supporter** and **Sponsor** ](https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/#/portal/)tiers available - Totally optional.
### The General and the Chocolate Biscuit Prank
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/the-general-and-the-chocolate-biscuit-prank/
Last updated: 2026-01-28T07:56:05.000Z
0:00 

/0:20 

1× 

The General and the chocolate biscuit prank

**The General** was an exercise to learn Blender’s Grease Pencil and test lip-sync techniques. I’d already recorded the audio during a livestream as part of an OBS mic plugin test, so it ended up being the perfect length to use.

Now, I have a habit of rambling on — opening my mouth before I’ve actually thought about anything — and sometimes strange things come out. This recording is a prime example. After listening back (which genuinely made me laugh), I’m pretty sure it was influenced by the *Blackadder* Season 4 character General Melchett, played by the legendary Stephen Fry. And when I think about it further, it’s actually a blend of General Melchett and the Season 2 character Sir Walter Raleigh, played by Simon Jones — especially his line: “Well, on Tuesdays he’s normally in bed with the Captain.”

0:00 

/0:16 

1× 

The General original audio recording from obs

We’d recently rewatched all of *Blackadder* (Series 1 to 4), so that’s most likely where the inspiration came from.

That’s exactly what sparked the animated character, which is obviously based on General Melchett. I found a screenshot from a scene in Series 4 to use as reference.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Steven-Fry-and-Rowan-Atkinson---Blackadder-the-Fourth.jpg)

Stephen Fry and Rowan Atkinson - Blackadder the Fourth

I started with a static drawing of the character, then used the line wobble effect, with the face broken into separate layers — which meant the face was basically all I needed to animate. Nice and simple as a starting point. I also added a slow camera zoom to bring in a bit of extra motion.

![The General animation blender timeline](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-General-animation-blender-timeline-1.png)

The General animation blender timeline

The line wobble is a built-in Grease Pencil function. It mimics the 2–3 frame wobble that’s traditionally achieved by drawing multiple separate but very similar frames.

Once the animation was finished, I rendered it out as individual frames (1920 × 1080 px PNGs) and imported them into DaVinci Resolve. Extra background audio was also added at this stage, such as the bomb and gun noise. 

A quick tip: make sure your DaVinci project and timeline are set to the same frame rate you used in Blender. Otherwise, your audio will slowly drift out of sync. Sounds silly, yes — but I forget often enough that it’s worth the reminder.

![DaVinci final edit](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/DaVinci-final-edit.png)

DaVinci final edit

**Programs used:**  
Clip Studio Paint Ex  
Blender 4.4  
DaVinci Resolve 18.6

[Click for the youtube shorts version](https://youtube.com/shorts/yRVAlmaPnlE?si=xKE1NSCEWQRYtNTA&ref=houseofnormal.com.au)

---

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### Single Pencil - Giant Box
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/single-pencil-giant-box/
Last updated: 2026-01-23T06:12:35.000Z
Recently I've been experimenting with a small set of Faber Castell Polychromos pencils. I got the smallest set available just to see what the fuss was about. And yes, they are awesome. The price of the full set is a tad out of reach for me at the moment (Around 400 bucks Australian). So when I noticed the office supply store sells individual pencils, I thought I could just pick up a few colours when I need them. I had a few other items to order anyhow so I'll add a darker green and a darker blue to the order and have it all delivered together, easy.

![The smallest set of Polychromos pencils. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/A-small-set-of-polychromos-pencils-on-a-table.-1.jpg)

The smallest set of Polychromos pencils. 

The order went through ok, but it wasn't too long before I received an email which contained the following message.

> This order will be sent in multiple deliveries

Crap! Ok that's fine, I was only charged the single delivery fee, but within a couple of days the first package arrived with everything except the 2 pencils. 

Next I receive another email, this time explaining that they are unable to supply the darker green pencil, and a refund has been issued. Again, that's fine, it just means they will send the single blue pencil by itself. I was expecting another email with bad news regarding the blue pencil, but a week later a box arrives. Interstate. Melbourne to Brisbane. 

![The packing slip inside what appears to be an empty box.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/The-packing-slip-inside-the-giant-box.jpg)

The packing slip inside what appears to be an empty box.

Honestly, I can’t complain — it arrived perfectly intact. For a $4 pencil, that’s genuinely impressive. High five to the staff who used what they had on hand to protect it on its 1500km journey.

![A tiny package taped to the bottom of the box](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/A-small-package-is-taped-to-the-bottom-of-the-box-1.jpg)

A tiny package taped to the bottom of the box

In future, I’ll be a bit more mindful ordering small items online. I assumed it would all ship together, but it didn’t — and the result was a lot of packaging for a single pencil, despite it being packed brilliantly and arriving unbroken.

![Behold. The Blue Polychromos Pencil.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/behold-the-blue-polychromos-pencil.jpg)

Behold. The Blue Polychromos Pencil.
### The Quest for the Wooden Dagger
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/the-quest-for-the-wooden-dagger/
Last updated: 2026-01-21T22:30:33.000Z
After playing through The Witcher 3, it's only natural to go straight into building a forge and start making swords, am I right?   
So I started researching equipment and watching youtube videos about forging, and I came across one piece of very useful advice. 

*"Everyone wants to jump right in and make a sword but this is one of the most advanced things you can do with metal"* 

Hmm sounds about right.

The advice continued, which recommends starting with a simple wooden dagger.  
That way you learn shape, form and how the individual parts fit together. 

![The Dagger shape marked out on hardwood decking offcut.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4570_960--1-.jpg)

The Dagger shape marked out on hardwood decking offcut.

I'm thinking, "Well, early game in Skyrim you learn to forge a few [basic iron daggers](https://skyrim.fandom.com/wiki/Iron%5FDagger?ref=houseofnormal.com.au) so this is a perfect place to start."   
I had a day off work so it's an ideal time to give it a go. There were limited tools scattered about the place and the only wood available was a hardwood off-cut from the newly installed deck, and some pine kindling for the fireplace. I measured and marked out the rough shape onto the decking scrap. 

![Cutting the decking piece in half. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4578_960.jpg)

Cutting the decking piece in half. 

The decking board was a tad too thick, so had to split it in half using the old hand saw. After all, I didn't want to end up filing and sanding 6mm of material. This was difficult to do neatly with no bench vice or guides, but with a little patience it worked out fine. 

![Successfully halved. Time for shaping](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4582_960.jpg)

Successfully halved. Time for shaping

I used the hand saw to roughly cut the shape, and old rusty files for the blade.   
Honestly I really should get some new quality tools, but no time now. Must make dagger. 

![The rough shape cat with the hand saw. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4583_960.jpg)

The rough shape cut with the hand saw. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4585_960.jpg)

The rough blade starts to take form using rusty files. 

![Rough blade and guard taking shape. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4591_960.jpg)

Rough blade and guard taking shape. 

The Blade, looking more like a dagger, I cut a guard out of a piece of scrap, which I totally mangled, but it's a learning process. Better to mangle the wooden ones before moving onto steel. I also made sure I had nice rounded corners where the tang meets the blade for strength, something I learnt in my time building signs. 

![Guard meets the blade.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4593_960.jpg)

Guard meets the blade.

Despite the mangled guard, it still fits nicely, although not super tight.

![The fuller rough shape cut with a grinder and 'flap disc'](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4595_960.jpg)

The fuller rough shape cut with a grinder and 'flap disc'

I originally wanted to add a fuller down the centre of the blade but I really didn't know how. I would like to avoid the use of power tools but for this I had to resort to using a grinder with a 'flap disc' to cut the basic concave scoop, then sand the rest by hand.

![A lump of kindling pine takes shape as the handle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4597_960.jpg)

A lump of kindling pine takes shape as the handle.

Now for the hilt. I was never intending on making a separate pommel for this basic piece so I made the hilt as one. For this I used a piece of pine kindling from our wood fire pile. Rough as guts and I don't have a lathe. So hand carving it is.

![Romanian Steel knife I used for carving](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4604_960.jpg)

Romanian Steel knife I used for carving

Once I drilled the hole (again with a power drill) I began the blind task of carving. Blind I say as I have NEVER carved wood before. Ever! Which turns out to be quite relaxing, as I was completely unaware of the 2 hours passing by. I used a Romanian steel knife I had laying around in the toolbox for the task. 

![Just making sure it fits nice and tight, and ready for carving.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4605_960.jpg)

Just making sure it fits nice and tight, and ready for carving.

I just couldn't work with those old rusty blunt files any longer so went off to the hardware for some new ones. I had a limited budget so just grabbed a cheap pack which contained a few various large files and pack that had 5 or 6 tiny ones. After 2 hours of carving and filing its starting to look more like a dagger.

![Test fit and almost done](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4608_960.jpg)

Test fit and almost done

Another hour or so worth of sanding and fitting, I glued the pieces together and left to dry overnight. The next morning I applied a final coat of oil and the project was complete. I'm quite happy for a first attempt. I've used techniques I've never used before which took a lot of forethought and patience. I mangled a few things but I'm now aware of the process for next time. The blade is nice and straight which was honestly the hardest part. Plus, it's sharp enough to slice paper, which was a surprise, so caution is advised. 

![The completed wooden dagger. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_4618_960-1.jpg)

The completed wooden dagger. 

Quest of the Wooden Dagger: Achievement unlocked. 🏅  
**Total Time:** Around 12 hours over 3 days. 

---

*This project was originally documented on my old blogger site - July 2015 as part of the RPG-IRL project. Since then I went on to make full size stage prop swords, hardwood and forged steel training swords. I joined a HEMA club and trained in 14th Century German Longsword, and later onto The Montante, and dabbled with Iberian Rapier.*
### Capturing Dragons - A fiery photographic experiment.
URL: https://www.houseofnormal.com.au/capturing-dragons-a-fiery-photographic-experiment/
Last updated: 2026-03-01T06:11:38.000Z
![Fire captured at high speed in a photographic experiment. f/2.8. 1/8000 sec. ISO250. 50mm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Fire-captured-at-high-speed-in-a-photographic-wxperiment-2.jpg)

Unedited flame capture. f/2.8\. 1/8000 sec. ISO250\. 50mm

During my years working in the sign industry, I spent a lot of time around fire.

At first, I did a bit of everything. But as the business grew and more staff were employed, I moved into the specialist role of mould maker. I’d mark everything out by hand using 1:1 scale plots, then build the moulds and any parts that needed curves, like the letter **S**, **D**, and anything with serifs.

Traditionally, you’d use a purpose-built oven to heat 100mm-wide, 3mm acrylic strips, however here, we used propane torches instead. Much faster but far more temperamental. Heat it unevenly and it warps. Move too slowly and it blisters or catches fire. Once it blisters, it’s basically a write off: it releases nasty fumes, crackles and pops as it burns and the piece is ruined. Doing it well takes years of practice.

![Playing with fire - Propane torch mounted in a bench vice.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/playing-with-fire.jpg)

Playing with fire - Propane torch mounted in a bench vice.

During those years, I became comfortable around fire — around flammable gas, and even the occasional gas leak. Compared to the YouTube fail-compilation panic of someone screaming at a small kitchen flame, I felt at home standing there with twin propane torches blasting intense heat like miniature jet engines, right up near my face.

![CIGWELD BlueJet LPG Burner Torch Starter Kit](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/CIGWELD-BlueJet-LPG-Burner-Torch-Starter-Kit.jpg)

CIGWELD BlueJet LPG Burner Torch Starter Kit

A propane torch is simple, mechanically speaking: a regulator sets pressure from the bottle, gas runs through the line to the handle, and a valve controls flow. When it’s lit, the nozzle draws in air through vents and mixes it with the gas to create a tight, hot blue flame.

In simpler terms: valve on, spark = jet engine in my hands.

That blue flame — brutally hot, roughly 20 - 40cm long — had to be moved quickly and evenly over the acrylic to avoid burning it.

Every now and then, purely for the drama of it (and **no, don’t do this**), I’d partially block the air intake. I wore heat-resistant gloves in that workshop anyway, because we handled hot acrylic all day. But the effect was instant: the clean blue “rocket” became a much larger orange flame — the kind you’d expect to see at the top of an oil refinery flare stack.

![Blue flame (Left) compared to blocked air vents (Right)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Fire-laping-against-a-mans-face-1-1.jpg)

Blue flame (Left) compared to blocked air vents (Right)

Giant orange flames upwards of 1 meter high dancing around and the heat against your face. It was *mesmerising*.

One day after work — with the boss’s permission — I decided to try capturing that dance at the highest shutter speed my camera could manage: **1/8000th of a second**. Tripod, 10-second timer, blocked off the air vents and shot away. Back then I shot in black and white. The images were RAW (so the colour data was still there), but I liked judging tone and composition without colour getting in the way. Honestly, I still edit that way: contrast and exposure first, then bring the colour back in later.

![A figure appears amongst the flame. f/1.8. 1/5000 sec. ISO 100. 50mm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/a-figure-reveals-itself-amongst-the-flame.jpg)

A figure appears amongst the flame. f/1.8\. 1/5000 sec. ISO 100\. 50mm

What happens if i introduce more flammable fluids like Methylated Spirits into the mix. Rather than do this in the air and risk burning down the work shed. I cleared a large area of concrete floor, with a bucket of water and a fire extinguisher just in case it got out of hand. I poured water all over the floor, mainly to reduce heating of the concrete or potential cracking, and the propane torch laying on the floor with some weights to hold it in place. I then used some thin makeshift tin to cover the air vents, now with giant orange flame flowing, I proceed to pour methylated spirits into the already roaring flame.  
The experiment didn't last long, just 5 mins or so.

But the results are spectacular.

In one shot it appears as if a hooded wraith rides atop an ethereal dragon. In others, you can see the individual droplets of methylated spirits before before it ignites, and the reflections rippling across the wet concrete. Even in daylight, the extreme shutter speed reduced the background to near-black and let the flame expose correctly — bright and sharp.

![A hooded wraith rides atop a fire spirit dragon. f/2.8. 1/8000 sec. ISO 250 . 50mm. Colour temp pushed into blue.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_3792-copy.jpg)

A hooded wraith rides atop a fire spirit dragon. f/2.8\. 1/8000 sec. ISO 250 . 50mm. Colour temp pushed into blue.

![Droplets of Methylated Spirits slash onto water before catching on fire. f/2.8. 1/8000 sec. ISO 250 . 50mm.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/IMG_3798-copy.jpg)

Droplets of Methylated Spirits slash onto water before catching on fire. f/2.8\. 1/8000 sec. ISO 250 . 50mm.

![Close up. Droplets of Methylated Spirits slash onto water before catching on fire. f/2.8. 1/8000 sec. ISO 250 . 50mm.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Methelated-Spirits-splash-on-the-floor-and-catch-fire.jpg)

Close up. Droplets of Methylated Spirits slash onto water before catching on fire. f/2.8\. 1/8000 sec. ISO 250 . 50mm.

![Lifted exposure and standard colour temperature, the propane torch nozzle visible (bottom right) and Methylated spirits tube (top Right) f/2.8. 1/8000sec. ISO250. 50mm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/demonstration-of-how-the-fire-experiment-was-conducted.jpg)

Lifted exposure and standard colour temperature, the propane torch nozzle visible (bottom right) and Methylated spirits tube (top Right) f/2.8\. 1/8000sec. ISO250\. 50mm

I ended up with more than 350 images. A lot of the early “torch-in-hand” shots later became layer elements in photo-composite work — little pieces I could use as texture or effects. 

*TECH NOTES:* Some images have been manipulated to show more depth. The overwhelming red is reduced by dragging the raw image colour temperature deep into the blue (around -95 or raw 2400k ), which removes most of the colour information. Then a vibrance and saturation increase is required to bring back the colour. The image at the top of this article is straight off camera with standard RAW conversion, colour temperature and saturation at zero.  
The camera used for this experiment was a Canon 50D and a Canon 50mm f1.8 (nifty fifty) all of which was quite cheap at the time. (November 2009) 

> *DISCLAIMER:* Please do not play with flammable gas in this way. I have extensive experience working with flammable gas and have undergone fire safety training. I am aware the risks and had many safety precautions in place, more than have been explained in this article. Flammable gas is capable of exploding and causing serious injury and or death. 

![an example of many photos taken during the experiment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/an-example-of-many-photos-taken-during-the-experiment.png)

An example of many photos taken during the experiment

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Flame-dances-over-the-floor-colour-adjusted-do-bring-detail-to-light-1.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/high-speed-fire-colour-manipulated-to-show-more-depth.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/an-alien-head-appears-within-the-flames.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/another-figure-appears-in-the-flame.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/flame-dances-like-a-distant-nebula.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/fire-twists-like-flowing-silk.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/06/f506ab6d-e203-43c2-a0f2-3799d8a41c9c/content/images/2026/01/Gas-flame-appears-as-if-it-were-a-glass-sculpture.jpg)

The Fire Experiment Gallery

---

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