Graphite scale

Graphite Grading Scale Explained

There are two graphite scales used to measure the hardness of a pencil’s graphite core.

NUMERICAL GRAPHITE SCALE

The first graphite grading scale is a numeric scale. Using this scale, the hardness of the core is often marked on the pencil — look for a number (such as “2” “2-1/2” or “3”). The higher the number the harder the writing core and the lighter the mark left on the paper. As the pencil core becomes softer (through the use of lower proportions of clay) it leaves a darker mark as it deposits more graphite material on the paper. Softer pencils will dull faster than harder leads and require more frequent sharpening.

HB GRAPHITE SCALE

The second graphite grading scale is known as the HB scale. Most pencil manufacturers outside of the U.S. use this scale, using the letter “H” to indicate a hard pencil. Likewise, a pencil maker might use the letter “B” to designate the blackness of the pencil’s mark, indicating a softer lead. The letter “F” is also used to indicate that the pencil sharpens to a fine point.

Historically, pencil makers also use combinations of letters to tell us about the graphite — a pencil marked “HB” is hard and black, a pencil marked “HH” is very hard, and a pencil marked “BBB” is really, really black! Today, however, most pencils using the HB system are designated by a number such as 2B, 4B or 2H to indicate the degree of hardness. For example, a 4B would be softer than a 2B and a 3H harder than an H.

GRAPHITE SCALE COMPARISONS

Generally, an HB grade about the middle of the scale is considered to be equivalent to a #2 pencil using the U.S. numbering system.

In reality however, there is no specific industry standard for the darkness of the mark to be left within the HB or any other hardness grade scale. Thus, a #2 or HB pencil from one brand will not necessarily leave the same mark as a #2 or HB pencil from another brand. Most pencil manufacturers set their own internal standards for graphite hardness grades and overall quality of the core, some differences are regional. In Japan, consumers tend to prefer softer darker leads; so an HB lead produced in Japan is generally softer and darker than an HB from European producers.

Finding what works best for your own artistic and writing needs is generally a matter of personal preference and experimentation with different brands of pencils.

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Frog Applause is trending again...

Something tells me that if GoComics had its way, Frog Applause would never appear as a trending comic. When your own syndicate snubs you on Twitter, Facebook, and on every other venue regularly, you know that you mean squat to them. We all know that Frog Applause is around because it is a fan favorite, not a syndicate favorite. We are a thorn. An embarrassment. A comic that should never grace the website of any respectable comics venue. That said, there is an algorithm in place that hasn't received the memo and continues to spotlight Frog Applause whenever the comment count or whatever is triggered. We don't know how many times we've shown up as "Trending..." but it's been a lot. Readers have sent me screenshots to prove it. Anywho, Frog Applause only appears in one category: TRENDING IN OFFBEAT. Other comics in this category appear in multiple categories, but not Frog Applause. We get it. We are grateful for one, even though we technically qualify for at least one or two others. So be it.  The world is inherently unfair and we are glad to just live in it.

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ggrumpy (PREMIUM MEMBER)

The old Frog Blog used to repost comments from readers often. It was almost a mainstay, actually. Back then, haters ran rampant on the Frog Applause GoComics page and their heated vitriol (when the comment got a screenshot* before being flagged or censored by the Overlords) was hearty entertainment, particularly when dissected on Frog Blog. I can only imagine how betrayed some haters felt when their hate backfired and became a source of laughter instead. Good times. I'm posting the comment from ggrumpy because 1. He (or she) has, apparently, NEVER left another comment on any other comics page, despite a large number of comics he follows  2. He (or she) is a premium member so it stands to reason that this is not some contrived "inside job" meant to drum up fake hate. 

ggrumpy (Let's be informal, please, and just call you grumpy, okay?)

Anyway, grumpy is not peddling any hate today. We don't know how long a reader he (I'm tired of adding she) is, but he can't be a founding reader because 1. He didn't mention Shoecabbage which was about as educational a comic as you can get before it got the ax. 2. Merkins have been mentioned more than once, maybe even twice or thrice (never miss the opportunity to use thrice in a sentence) in Frog Applause comics of yore.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I guess I just appreciate a new reader who decided to leave his only ever comment on a Frog Applause comic. That alone is worth celebrating.

Just because I am spotlighting grumpy doesn't mean I value my founding or off-and-on readers any less. Readers come and go and I get that. I've even had a few readers die on me. My favorite was a reader (Rudy T) who told me that my comic made his cancer more tolerable. I consider that a high compliment. This reader ultimately left this world, but I will always be grateful to him for telling me that. Other readers have also shared things that made my heart go pit-a-pat because of what my lame comic meant to them. Believe me, most cartoonists live for this kind of acceptance or gratitude, and I am no different. It's nice to feel appreciated in some small way. For example, I will NEVER forgot the campaign organized by various readers when GoComics wanted to send Frog Applause to the comic strip graveyard. Postcards and comments of support rained down until the ensuing flood was too much for GoComics to ignore. I don't know for sure, but I don't think any other comic on the chopping block was saved after the infamous emails from you-know-who started to appear in the inboxes of various cartoonists. I was a little surprised that The New Adventures of Queen Victoria didn't survive the carnage, but I guess Pab had his reasons to end things. I could go on, but additional thoughts are best left privately between me and my core (founding and most trusted) readers, who know who they are.

As always, forgive my typo-filled stream of consciousness.

 

*not sure how to treat this word as a verb. Screenshotted sounds ridiculous. Even as a noun it comes across as clunky. Help me out, somebody. I have many wordsmiths in the wings.

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Frog Applause for Monday, November 15, 2021

Not sure why the comic below 

repeated itself. The only explanation I have is that the intended comic was hopelessly lame and had to suffer the ultimate consequences: banishment from GoComics.
 

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Thanks to The Old Wolf for his ever-vigilant eye for typos. (Because in panel 4 was misspelled. I detest typos! So embarrassing.)

The anus is #1

The anus is developed in the human embryo before the heart or brain. The mouth is second.

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Six types of bellybuttons

Which one do you have? This is one of the questions asked of employees at the Froglandian Bath Mat Factory. 

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Forensic art

I. Forensic Art Certification Scope and Role

The field of forensic art includes three main disciplines. They are composite art, image modification/age progression, and post mortem reconstruction. The forensic artist is a multi skilled professional. Though drawing and/or interviewing skills are paramount, there is other knowledge required as well. The forensic artist should also have an understanding of victim psychology, facial anatomy, human memory, aging trends and digital imagery.

The field of forensic art relays heavily on artistic abilities. It is the art that gives the forensic artist the potential to help an investigation when forensic science can not. Though scientific concepts relating to facial anatomy and memory are implemented during the performance of this field, the primary tool is drawing or sculpting. Because of this, there is an underlining artistic skill set required for all three forensic art disciplines. An applicant applying for IAI forensic art certification must demonstrate this required artistic ability. The artist that has achieved this professional skill set can declare on the certification application an emphasis in any one or a combination of any of the three disciplines in the field forensic art. This will be directly related to the applicant’s previous training and case experience. Once an artist has been certified, their artistic skills have been acknowledged. After which, their continuing forensic art training and case experience in all the three forensic art disciplines can be documented and acknowledged in the recertification program.

II. Basic Definitions

Forensic Art
Forensic art is the artistic technique used in the identification, apprehension or conviction of a wanted person. This person may not necessarily be a criminal, but could be a missing person or an unidentified deceased person. These forensic images can be admissible in a court of law.

The three main disciplines in the field of forensic art:

Composite Art or Imagery
The technique of creating a sketch of an unknown subject from individually described parts into a single graphic image. It is intended to be a likeness or similarity of a victim’s or witness’s perception of the subject at the time the subject was seen.

Postmortem or Facial Reconstruction
This involves the rebuilding of facial features of unidentified badly decomposed or skeletal human remains. These images are created digitally, by sketching or three-dimensionally with clay. They are used for identification. Additionally postmortem drawings are also reconstruction images. These are the facial drawings created by viewing photographs or the remains themselves of an unknown deceased person. In these cases the bodies are relatively intact and not as decomposed. These drawings are used for identification.

Image Modification or Enhancement
This is the alteration or enhancement of a photograph or image of a person for the purpose of updating, clarifying or identifying a subject. Age progressions and age regressions are image modifications. These images can be drawn or done as digital images.

III. Certification Requirement

The artist applicant is required to meet the listed qualification for forensic art certification. They must submit the completed certification application and present a portfolio that illustrates their emphasized discipline(s). The certification board will review this application and portfolio to determine if the applicant’s declared expertise is demonstrated. Once the certification board has approved the applicant’s application and portfolio, the applicant will be required to pass a written and practical test.

The artist successfully completing the application and test procedure will be granted forensic art certification. This certification insures the applicant’s artistic skills and general forensic art knowledge. The artist would have shown the expertise in at least one of the forensic art disciplines and the artistic ability to perform in the remaining disciplines. However, additional training and study may be required by a certified artist to further their education and skill sets in their non-emphasized discipline. These artists will use the recertification program to be acknowledged for their continued education and experience.

IV. Certified Forensic Artist

Composite Art or Imagery
The certified forensic artist has demonstrated the skill sets to conduct a composite session with a victim or witness for the purpose of creating a composite sketch of an unknown subject. A composite session requires the ability to draw and interview.

Postmortem or Facial Reconstruction
The certified forensic artist has demonstrated the skill sets and understanding of facial anatomy to create a post mortem drawing of a relatively intact unidentified DOA. In addition, the certified forensic artist, with the emphasis on facial reconstruction, has demonstrated the skill set for creating a facial reconstruction from a skull with the input of a forensic anthropologist or medical examiners report. These artists are only certified to create a reconstruction from a skull in the technique he or she has demonstrated in their IAI certification board approved portfolio.

Image Modification or Enhancement
The certified forensic artist has demonstrated the skill sets and understanding of facial anatomy to create an age progression, modification or enhancement of a photograph or digital image of a person. The artist is only certified to create a modified image in the technique he or she has demonstrated in their IAI certification board approved portfolio.

V. Additional Information

The skill set required of an artist compared to a technician or scientist is different. The black and white world of science is in direct contrast to the gray world of art. Though the measure of professional level artistic abilities can be determined, there is individuality to each artist’s technique. This results in an artistic interpretive element to all forensic art methods. It is because of this that the individual artist is responsible to self assess their own abilities. For most first time certified artists, additional training will be required. This will help maintain quality images in the field of forensic art.

It should also be acknowledge that many forensic artists achieve extensive experience with the human face. These experienced certified artists can offer helpful opinions based on an analysis of a comparison between multiple facial images. This is for determining the possibility that the images may be or may not be the same individual. In most cases, facial image comparisons will not yield definitive results. A degree of possibility is the norm as related to a positive identification; however, as an exclusionary tool, this opinion comparison may yield more definitive results.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_arts

https://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,4643,7-123-3493_22454-59999--,00.html

http://forensicfaces.weebly.com/what-is-forensic-art.html

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Skirts

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Glass eyeballs

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Scrotal necrosis

Doctors in the Netherlands have recorded the first known case of "scrotal necrosis" after a highly venomous snouted cobra bit a man on the testicles while he was sitting down to use the bathroom.

Abstract

A 47-year-old man received a snouted cobra (Naja annulifera) snake bite to his genitals while on holiday in South Africa. His penis and scrotum were noted to be swollen, deep purple in color, and painful on hospital admission. Scrotal necrosis was diagnosed, and he received multiple doses of a non-specific snake venom antiserum and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Although no neurological sequelae developed, he did require hemodialysis due to acute kidney injury. After stabilizing, he was repatriated to the Netherlands for further treatment and has since made a full recovery.

Read more here. Be prepared for graphic photos of the injury.

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Vagina dentata myths from around the world...

Stories of the mythical vagina dentata (Latin for toothed vagina) exist in virtually every culture. While many of these tales are cautionary for men to beware where they put their dicks lest they lose them, other and far more disturbing versions involve non-consensual penetration of women in order to remove said teeth.

Read more here.

Rooty toot toot (1951)

 

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Miscellaneous vintage illustrations

Could this be any more racist?

Times and words change....

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