Scandi-Merica #8 - Lights

 

Christmas lights and deep vibrant colors always create a warmth and loving energy to any space during any season, Gulr and Ætta know, but some people just don't get it and prefer to live in a black-and-white world. 

Longest Scandi-Merica strip so far (though there will be short story arcs stretching across a few strips in the future), and I got experimental with the frames here. I ended up drawing the Kiss Army member's legs lower than the first frame's border, and I liked how it stood out so went with it. Same with Ætta's right arm popping just out of the last frame, it's subtle, but I just love how it looks and it feels more expressive. Kind of reminded me of one of Roy Lichtenstein's humorous "Imperfect Painting" series after I finished it.

All art, writing, penciling, inking, and coloring created by me.

View on Newgrounds

New EP, Swans of Urð, out now!

 

 

 Listen to the full EP now on Youtube and the opening title track on Newgrounds (other songs to follow)

 

My new EP, Swans of Urð! Includes three different versions of the title track, and two versions of a B-side, Spooner Looner. The EP and song's title comes from the Norse stories. Urð is one of the Three Norns who inhabit the world tree Yggdrasil, three women deities involved with destiny/fate (relating to past/present/future or could also be a parallel to maiden/mother/crone) Urð represents past, and there's a well/pool there where two swans swim and where all other swans are descended from.

Swans of Urð's main harmonic melody first came to me back in 2023 while I was watching a beautiful swan couple from out my bedroom window, they frequented the lake throughout the year through both summers and winters. This song's been developing since then, and the first track I recorded this year and while centered around that similar melody, I added a bridge that references Rush's underrated suite The Fountain of Lamneth, which has really been resonating with me lately and the similar theme of water stood out. Included are two older versions of the song I recorded last year which I also love the sound of, these have a completely different bridge, which are softer and beautiful harmonies. Spooner Looner's main riff came to me this year, when I was playing around with the higher strings and then got a cool percussive element by hitting the lowest string muted. The two versions of this song also have different bridges, the second one, which I call Morning Dove Mix. This came to me when I was watching several Morning Doves outside my window and hearing their pretty calls, hence this second version have a lot more harmonics. The title came to me as I was thinking fondly of memories of Spooner, Wisconsin, hence the MST3K sample I put in between the two versions.

The cover art is my drawing of Urð and the two swans, and she's weaving rune shaped constellations and throwing them upwards towards the heavens. I've been really inspired by the Icelandic artwork from 18th century manuscripts of The Prose Edda with my cover artwork lately.