| Five words |
[Jul. 11th, 2009|08:12 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | cheerful | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Il Balletto di Bronzo- Un Posto | ] |
Reply to this meme by yelling "words!", and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your journal and explain what they mean to you.
1. "Headworld"
This is my most hated phrase among creative types, and I have no idea how it got popular. I have no idea why this phrase bugs me so much, it just sounds so impossibly dumb and cutesy-poo. I don't have "headworlds". I have stories, characters, and concepts. Go up to any famous writer and ask them how they came up with their "headworlds" and see the kind of reaction you get.
That said, I enjoy writing, I enjoy coming up with characters and worlds- I'm still not as happy with my actual narrative skills as I'd like, but I can't say I'm not trying. I'm really trying to push myself out of my comfort zone lately to force me to think of things in a different way, I think that stagnation is the greatest problem that any creative person can face.
2. Finks.
Do you want to know the real reason that finks are such a recurring theme for me (I mean, aside from the fact that they're a blast for me to draw and design)? I'm very interested in the role of animals in symbolism/iconography/anthropomorphism- for example, when you see the image of a wolf, or a dog, or a rat, there are already very strong societal and literary connotations to all of these creatures. "Lone wolf". "Loyal dog". "Sneaky rat". Whether you directly believe that these adjectives apply to these creatures or not doesn't mean that you are immune from the subconscious associations- even with mythological creatures, we face the same connotations. The fierce and powerful dragon. The pure and beautiful unicorn. The courageous gryphon. I use this sort of symbolism and iconography extremely heavily in my writing- but in terms of personal visual symbolism, I enjoy using a creature that does not have these ingrained interpretations. That doesn't mean that I can't think of adjectives to apply to finks- but there aren't preexisting generations of literature and visual art that act as a canon to their interpretations.
3. Caring
I don't think I'm a particularly caring individual- I just don't really see the motivation that people have in doing things to deliberately hurt others. Does it give you power over them? Do you think it contributes to a pleasant atmosphere around you? Obviously no one is immune to tendencies of irritation and exasperation in certain situations, but really, for the most part, I enjoy treating others how I like being treated, myself. I've been around negative and hurtful people long enough to know that if you don't want to perpetuate that cycle of cruelty, the most powerful thing you can do is look at your own behaviour and both question your motivations of why you do things, and what kind of treatment you would like to receive in turn from others.
4. Gifts
I like giving small gifts to people- it's not a huge investment of time, it's something I enjoy doing, and it helps keep me busy/hones my skills by drawing things I wouldn't normally draw.
5. Friends
They're pretty great! I learned a while back that if there's someone you admire or who inspires you in some way- don't keep them at a distance, try to bring them into your life if you think that their personality, insight or work is inspirational or valuable! I think that too many people hold others at a distance, or build them up to be 'above them' and impossible to approach- I don't really think this is true, people are still just people. I don't really have as many close friends as people think- but the handful of really, really close friends I have, mean the world to me (and they know who they are)- I find them (and a lot of other people!) to be hugely inspirational to me with their courage, kindness, and perseverance.
Hopefully that tells you a bit about me.
Now, back to work. |
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| Coloring practice needed |
[Jul. 8th, 2009|11:13 pm] |
I want to practice coloring some icons, and I'm feeling sort of tired of my own lines and want to try something new.. First three people to post icon lineart (of your character or your friend's character or whatever- not for me!) get their icons colored (you can reserve a place if you don't have any lines drawn up yet). Please keep them between 400x400 and 250x250, with 300x300 being the preferred size. Cleaner lines preferred over something super-sketchy. Please also include a color ref so I know what to do, unless you want me to have complete free reign for what the colors will be.
1. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) justblieve
2. ormolu
3. insanoflex
Any character types welcome, I'm sort of tired of anthros lately so humans are preferred, but it's really up to you.
In return I'd like some kind of sketch/small drawing- I have no preference as to what you'd like to draw for me, I'm pretty easy to please. |
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| Inexplicable |
[Jul. 8th, 2009|06:47 pm] |
Last night I dreamt that I was playing the Pokemon card game with members of an all-female gang- I won the game by using a card with a picture of a pink Renamon (from Digimon) on the front. The name of the card was "Pussy Tilt".
What the hell is that. |
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| Home Made Laundry Detergent |
[Jul. 7th, 2009|11:33 am] |
A few people have asked me to post the recipe for the DIY laundry detergent I made recently.
You can find it here.
So far, it's gotten my clothes and linens quite nice and clean. I gave some to corbet , and she has apparently had equally good results using it.
For locals who may be wondering, I found washing soda at the ValuMart and Borax at Home Hardware (both in Frederick Mall, but I am sure they carry it other places too).
If you want to make this unscented, you should note that some washing sodas are scented, so check the box.
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| Ow....my heart.... |
[Jul. 7th, 2009|06:24 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  sad | ] |
.....in all of the slapping together of plans to leave, one thing has come up that really hurts.
I can only take 2 cats.
I have 3.
So I had to sit down and decide.
Now I have to find a home for Juan.
The reason it's Juan, and not Bill or Rivet, mostly comes from the fact that her and Bill don't get on well (and in effect, her and Rivet seem to only tolerate each other). Bill goes everywhere with me, but he's really attached to Rivet. Really really attached to her. I'd be afraid that if I seperate them, he'd die.
I don't know what to do.
They are the closest thing to children I'll ever have.
If anybody can either take Juan, or knows somebody who can, PLEASE tell me.
She's a brown tabby, about 12 years old. No health problems. VERY friendly. Fixed.
Doesn't like being picked up, but enjoys attention.
I'll defer the costs of having somebody take her (I'll send you money for food and litter for as long as I can afford to).
Please.....anybody. |
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| Driving |
[Jul. 6th, 2009|09:54 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | accomplished | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Bubu- El Viaje De Anabelas | ] |
I got my learner's permit today. I always felt kind of embarrassed about not driving until I realized I know quite a few people who were well into their twenties or even thirties before they learned to drive, so, better late than never.
Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to do about a car/insurance. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 6th, 2009|11:08 am] |
Saw Public Enemies, it was... alright, I guess? It was a good way to spend an evening at the cheap-o theater near my house, I can't say I'd recommend it unless you're really into gangster movies, and even so, it's been done before.
I've still got a lot of commission stuff to reply to, but right now I'm just sort of exhausted, I've been working my ass off the past few days, on commission work, on offline stuff, on personal art (I posted an image that I'm incredibly proud of to shivashivari, and it's rare for me to honestly be proud of something I've done, art-wise- it's a good feeling!).
I've got a ton of trades and requests to finish, too- if it seems like I'm taking forever on something, just remind me/give me a prod. |
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| Doll icons |
[Jul. 4th, 2009|12:18 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | commissions | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | excited | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Il Balletto di Bronzo- Ti Risveglierai Con Me | ] |
Disco and I are selling collaborative icons to raise a bit of money. They are 6$ each, or 2-for-10$- you will receive the 300x300 image as well as 100x100 .gif and .png versions. If you're interested in buying one, please send payment (you can use this site to figure out paypal fees) to oobyscoobydoomsday[at]gmail[dot]com (don't forget to include your name in the payment details so I know who you are!) and comment here with refs to be added to the list. Thank you so much for your interest!
1. whatwith
2. smellymo
3. tinyfishbowl
4. neekko
Edit: Slots are currently CLOSED- expect them to open in a while, after we recuperate! |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 3rd, 2009|05:46 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  awake | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Modernettes - Surf City Strangler | ] |
I realised something the other day.
I'm actually a patriot.
I love my country......I just hate the people who control it.
I was reading some dude's blog about how much Canada sucks, and blah blah blah. I got quite offended, thinking about how much great stuff we have.
At one point, we had a very prominent culture. The culture is still there, but unfortunately the powers that be refuse to admit it exists.
This isn't a totally new problem, tho (see Stompin' Tom's Protest), as we live in a country dominated by a government and media that wish we were The U.S.A.
It's time for a new revivalism of our great culture and history.
Time for people to stop being embarassed of being "America's Hat".
Support your country (and NOT it's governing powers. I mean it's people, artists, etc.). |
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| Tiny accomplishments |
[Jul. 3rd, 2009|12:55 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | accomplished | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Le Orme- Contrappunti | ] |
I take pride in a great deal of things about myself. My handwriting, however, is not one of these things. I've known people with such excellent handwriting, perfect extensions of their aesthetic and persona; in comparison, mine is jumbled and disjointed, the letters rarely matching even each other in shape or size. However, I have successfully switched my lowercase "a" from a single-story to a double-story form, which I like much better. Now, I write it this way without even thinking, and moreso, I have touched on a newfound enjoyment of the actual and physical writing process.
Small steps. |
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| Strangers, Teredroni |
[Jul. 2nd, 2009|10:00 am] |
I thought it'd be as good a time as any to let you know that the evolved finks (i.e Condroni, Ladroni, anything ending with -droni, Sistrini, Corderi- the ones I go into detail about) are no longer called finks. The name didn't suit them- they're now called Strangers. The four-legged finks, the ones that are more like real-world creatures in form (and not strange abstracted beasts), are still called finks. Finks with eye-markings (i.e. this guy) are called "strange finks".
Strangers and standard finks have become so different in terms of what they do and what they symbolize that I can't call them the same thing anymore. But if you still call strangers 'finks', I'm not gonna get annoyed or anything, this is mostly just for reference when I refer to them in future writing/art.
So, here's a stranger named the teredroni...using a different art style from the older bestiary entries, too...these guys are related to the drosodroni, but not quite the same...their bodies are like sheets draped over shapes that aren't there. They largely ignore people. They're about 9' high and congregate in groups around people who can see them.
There are a few other similar stranger forms- the bolodroni moves like a huge black tarp pushed up by enormous gusts of air beneath it, tiny legs clutching for dear life at the ground below (but of course, this gust of air does not really exist). The teresilidroni is a much larger teredroni with a much more ragged/wispy appearance to the edges of its form and through its eye-holes you can see eye markings and the surface of some huge creature...of course there is nothing on the other side, these holes are just 'windows' to the creature's real form (you think all these 'skins' are the real thing?)
But I haven't drawn all of these yet. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 29th, 2009|08:21 pm] |
I don't have the money to buy things for people right now, but I'd like to do something to cheer someone up... if you or someone you know have been going through a rough time, toss some character refs up and I'll see what I can do. I make no guarantees so please don't get your hopes up (I'm only human), but hopefully I can do a few things. Comments are screened.
(Today hasn't been so great, but hopefully doing some stuff like this will cheer someone up and help take my mind off of things.)
And again, don't forget to check out these, all the money from these is going towards helping out Bakkar right now, so it's going to a good cause.
Don't forget I'm doing requests for fink icons over here, if you want one, just toss me a comment. |
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| Pricing update, future collab commissions |
[Jun. 29th, 2009|02:46 pm] |
 
Pricing update: Bakkar/Felix collab commissions are now 10$ each, down from 15$ each- if you have already bought one, you can buy a second for 5$. Please go here if you are interested- thank you so much in advance!
I've been having a lot of fun doing these kinds of collab commissions- is there anyone else who would be interested in going in on something like this? I can either ink/color, sketch, or sketch/ink- preferably on smaller images (icons, small pin-ups) as opposed to full-scale pics. If you think our styles would work well together, just toss me a comment- I don't want to put too much on my plate, so I can't guarantee I'll do stuff with everyone- but please don't let that stop you from replying! |
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| Two Redstairs |
[Jun. 29th, 2009|01:41 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | photos | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Il Rovescio Della Medaglia- Alzo Un Muro Elettrico | ] |
 
C-A-M-W-H-O-R-I-N-G [apologies]
( right click > view for larger )
And on the subject of putting myself out there...I've been single for a long time, and I feel like a lot of this is due to my own hesitance in making it clearly known that I'm interested in a relationship. I'll talk about my frustration with not finding a partner, and I'll be spoon-fed the same "you'll find someone eventually" platitudes, but I don't really do enough to actively change my pursuit of some kind of companionship. I've always had a hard time expressing my wants/needs without feeling guilty, and I've always had a hard time with taking the initiative even to a point of saying "yes, I would like ___", so, here's to changing that. Here's to putting it out there that yes, I'm interested in meeting someone to be in a relationship with.
Especially after reading the replies to this, it's clear that a lot of people are intimidated by actually approaching people in many social arenas, not just romance. My advice, to everyone, is this- if you find someone you're interested in having any interaction with at all- go for it. Don't let anything stand in the way of your well-deserved happiness. You have no reason to be shy- you are all excellent human beings.
And on a very unrelated note...Last night I dreamt about a house huge and open like the gutted center of a ship, a maze of stairways and decks, a mish-mash of platforms; no rooms, no point, just passageways to nothing. I dream often of houses like this- places with no structure, places with no focus, just a progression of mindless chambers leading into mindless chambers. Spaces and architecture fascinates me, I love dreaming (and day-dreaming, too) about these places, I love wandering through them, I love everything about them. I would love to visit this place someday, but never on a tour, I've never been one for tourist things unfortunately. |
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| A Q-U-E-S-T-I-O-N, part III |
[Jun. 28th, 2009|09:29 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | a question | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | contemplative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | I Giganti- Seconda Parte | ] |
I got some fascinating answers to this, and I thank everyone who answered...I have been thinking a lot of the role that transportation plays in a narrative device, specifically referring to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, as well as Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation Apocalypse Now- trains however, not rivers, are my main interest, and Hell as a literary device is something of a draw to me whether we're talking about Dante Alighieri, or Sartre's No Exit (or, in visual form, Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights- one of my favorite works of art since I was a kid)...in case you were curious why I asked and what lead up to it.
So, something lighter, interpret it as you will.
Do you feel shy?
Tell me why.
(Comments are screened.) |
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| A Q-U-E-S-T-I-O-N, part II |
[Jun. 28th, 2009|03:11 pm] |
You are riding a train through Hell. What do you see outside your window (describe as few or as many sights and sounds as you'd like)? What is Hell to you? What is the train like? Where are you going? How did you get there? Is there anything else you'd like to add?
(Thank you so much for answering. It is not my intention to offend any religious sensibilities.)
Comments are screened. |
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