I’ve been meaning to go down to the parks and see some of my mates and their fire dancing.
The idea behind the activity seemed to be:
Grab something flammable
Set fire to it
Spin all fancy like
Repeat
I had my camera with me so I snapped some shots. I’ve got lots that I love, and even more that were just horrible and needed to be deleted on the spot. Please don’t ask me the settings I used to achieve some of the effects… it was dark and I operated more by touch than by anything else. Also I ‘m just lucky my camera didn’t catch fire; i was doing some pretty stupid stuff with it…
Here’s one of my favorite shots from the night.
I love this girl’s expression. It’s so carefree and contented.
Unfortunately I never got her name. So if anyone knows the Wolesly area on Thursday nights, and knows this chick, please let me know.
And yes, she’s essentially got a flaming hula hoop.
I’ve got lots of neat pictures from this night, and I’ll be uploading the rest of the best in another journal entry. I’d like to know if people think certain of these pictures are more spectacularly worse than the others. I’m still learning with this whole photography scene and could use some constructive criticism. But if you really insist on showering me with complements, I couldn’t possibly turn you away.
Don’t Go That Way:
Don’t worry, the city lights can keep me company when you’re gone.
Look out, the link is pretty image heavy. But follow along for some more ‘artsy’ photos.
So like any girl with a sister sibling, I get into a few scuffles with her now and then. Unfortunately I’m the passive sister.
Long story short, we got into another little tiff about something stupid (her fault btw) and it ended up, with me drawing all over her.
It should go without saying that I’m pretty bad at focusing on arguments as stupid as the ones we have sometimes. But she’s a good sport… or something.
I dunno, after I doodled all that crap on her arm, she was all: “Draw me Iron Man!! Draw me Iron Man! Oh oh oh! Draw me a Liger!”
So I did. Here is my Liger. The first I’ve ever drawn in my life, I must add. ( I don’t even know if I did it right, but my sister was pretty happy so I guess it’s all cool. [ Except that I later realized, that if she's happy at the end of a fight... it means I've lost ... again]
Anyway, I’m back, but no one needs to celebrate with too much fanfare. You’re allowed to cheer just a little though of course, if you really want to, in your heart.
So I was pursuing my gallery as an artist on an ego(-killing) trip is wont to do, when I realized something. OH MY GOSH, MY STUFF IS SORT OF SUPER DUPER SHODDY YOU GUYS! Oh noes.
SOOOOooo I’m going to be revamping most of my pictures. (because they suck could do with a face lift) Don’t be alarmed if most of the pictures in my gallery up and disappear. It’s only temporary. Unless I’m in a terrible disaster, and can’t re-upload anything because I’ve lost both my arms.
Ok, and now to the good part that should make you all look like this:
because I am such a totally awesome person. That’s right, I’m fantastic.
That being said, I’m offering 4 Free Sketch requests. to prep. up my sub parTOTALLY AMAZING ARTZ SKILLZ before undertaking my summer commissions.
I’m warning you though, the quality of these super-duper-free-and-awesome sketches is all random, so it’s gonna be a caliber gamble.
You might get something extra awesome (don’t count on it because I suck ROCK) or you might not.
I’ll accept any request so long as it wouldn’t need a mature filter on DA, and doesn’t involve more than one character. You can still request more than one character actually, but your chances of getting a more detailed picture decreases significantly. Don’t want a character? Have a deep yearning for a pastoral scene or maybe two cacti duking it out? I’m down with anything. Visual examples increase your chance of a more detailed picture FYI.
If you wanna make this an art trade I would love that, but it’s not mandatory.
First 4 deviants to comment get in.
Also check out: [link] Make a little dude or dudette and fight me. It’s fun!
Oh hey. The emotes stay too. Cool.
On the bright side, me realizing what’s wrong with my images means I’m improving right? RIGHT? DON’T TELL ME IT’S BECAUSE I’M A LOST CAUSE OF AN ARTIST! MY WEAK HEART COULDN’T TAKE IT!
[Art]
Here are some examples of the last time I did a free sketch giveaway. Don’t judge me ok! These are from 2006, which was ages ago.
I also might need to join a support group for hopeless dreamers. I just wish my passions were a little more practical and a little less “artsy fartsy”. Maybe if I had a 12 hour personal cheer leading service I’d feel better. They wouldn’t even have to be cute cheerleaders. If you’re peppy and optimistic I want you on my team. I’m accepting applications.
In other news I’ve had a good/ bad idea. I’m thinking about starting a battery recycling program for my old high school. This might be a dangerous idea, what with all the chemicals etc, but maybe it’s better than the alternative (all those chemicals seeping into the soil in landfills)? And if it goes well I could try to bring it to other schools and then my university. I don’t know if it will catch on, but I figure I should go back into my ‘environmental savior’ mode. I do wish people could be less wasteful and more environmentally conscious though. The terrible thing is, it isn’t due to lack of knowledge but more people being lazy and/or greed-heads. I mean “I recycle my newspapers” will only get you so far. My mistake. Will only get everyone else so far, the ‘Mr./Mrs. You’ here simply doesn’t care. So instead of sounding preachy or whining about the state of humanity, maybe I can discreetly do good and initiate some positive change? I really need to think of more projects like this.
Alas I’m but a poor university student and I can only do so much with my (severely) limited budget. I would feel less disheartened if only I could think of a superhero that maintains a positive outlook while being less than financially blessed. (Moral absolutist Rorschach doesn’t count because he eats cold beans and is insane. Mostly because he’s insane.) It’d also be cool if the superhero wasn’t a hooker, and even better if they were between 20 – 45 years old. I figure I’ll do environmental aid until I get the means to do more humanitarian work.
Another thing I need to do is figure out some way to go take photos downtown (or anywhere) with out being mugged/knifed/propositioned for a threesome. Once again I think those cheerleaders could come in handy. I mean would you want to mug a girl surrounded by a loud bright pom-pom waving crowd? I hope think not.
[The Roses]
Here is the line art for the Dripping Alice picture I’ve been working on. From DA:
I’m working on this little lady right now. She’s one of the chicks I’ve mentioned around here, who’ll be in my webcomic Sleep Pending.
[I figured I should maybe draw out my characters at least once before throwing them on my pages officially. I really should have thought of this earlier... with all my characters... before starting the comic...]
Please don’t extrapolate the metaphors here ok. There aren’t any. And please don’t use this without my permission either.
I’m going to colour this as soon as I figure out what colour the roses should be. I probably shouldn’t have put roses in the hair of someone with red hair
This is in traditional art by the way, because the line work was all inked by hand IRL. If you think the lines are weak, you’re right, I totally botched on the inking.
And if anyone’s interested I could do a tutorial on how I did this little baby. It would be titled “How you should neverever do art like this”.
This isn’t mature content is it? Nothing naughty is showing.
I’d probably have a little more confidence in this picture if my dad didn’t keep reminding me how much disdain he has for the thing. I’ll probably like this a whole lot more once I add some colours.
And that bit about not drawing out my characters in advance is true. I’m hoping to get time to sketch all the main characters from Sleep Pending at least once. I only have a vague idea of what my cast should look like in my head and I’m not even sure if I can draw them out properly ignoring the fact, of course, that I really can’t draw anything properly haha. I just need to muster up a little courage to get back to my comic, stop taking it so seriously and remember it’s just for practice.
Cheerleading fairies, I supplicate your aide !! Come unto me! [insert foreign summoning spell here.]
[ME NEWS]
My twitter identity crisis went as follows:
I procured myself a twitter account some time ago because I am a sheep.
I felt like such a tool for a few hours after that.
I then realized the brand identity was actually quite adorable. Also, I love the word “twitter” all by itself.
When typing up my first entry, I couldn’t help but imagine Orxieal** bouncing along a keyboard trying* to type messages.
This image was so cute, it eradicated all tool feelings.
I then later realized that twitter is an awesome service to quickly make notes to myself to not forget things.
I’m so excited at the idea of abusing this and maybe not suffering from my short term memory haha.
In other news, I’ve prepped Anthony (my laptop) up and he’s all ready to be sent off to Acer. Thank goodness I bought that extended warranty.
I’ll probably be even less present online, while he’s gone. Well I’ll still be working on practicing art stuff.
*trying is the key word here
**Orxieal is a Chickadee Angel
[ARTS]
Remember this fun little picture from here? Well while rooting around for something to post up on Deviant Art, I dredged up this guys. Maybe since today seems to be on the topic of memories, I found myself remembering what I had originally thought this picture was about.
It’s a little silly I know, but I have free reign to be as silly as I want with these guys.
Anyway, this is how I think Lazriel sees the carnival at night. Specifically the reflection of the carnival’s lights in the water under the piers. Lazriel is an odd sort of lad who sees things differently than other people do. Nobody’s ever really certain what he’s picturing in that head of his (not even me).
Bonus on Laz’:
Due to a speech impediment his adopted kid (who is a robot – sort of) calls him “ass wheel” also, the bloke is sort of crazy spoiled.
University is finally over for the year and that means a breath of fresh air, and me hopefully, finally having some time to myself. Life’s been her usually ‘exciting’ self with me. I’d share, but whining online isn’t really my scene; It’s totally soooo un-fetch. And by “un-fetch” I mean juvenile. I’d rant about kids using the internet for virtual pity posses, but ranting isn’t really my dig either. There have been some very nice moments in my recent history of course, and that’s all fair game for the internet. 3.5 GPA by the way. I’m a little disappointed but I’ve only got myself to blame so no whining about that either. 3.5 isn’t that bad anyway I guess.
It’s spring up here in Canada, and everyday it’s smelt different and delicious outside. Today smelled like oranges, yesterday smelled of hickory smoke, day before was roses (which is strange since no roses are up yet) and the day before that was cut grass or something. That last day may not be right, but whatever it was, it did make me think of fresh cut grass…even though our grass is just turning green now. Tonight smells like hyacinths. Same story with not many flowers being up yet and this being impossible (though hyacinths come up early early spring anyway). Maybe it’s all in my head or I’ve just been (un?)lucky enough to walk into huge clouds of perfume every time I step out side. This is all dandy though, since it’s been a nice spring experience. Also, songbirds waking you ever morning is beyond fantastic. I missed them in the winter and I’ll miss them if they aren’t a phenomenon when/if I move.
Did I mention we’re having an unnaturally chilly May? How chilly? Snowing chilly. It’s snowing. Right. Now. I’m worried that if I blink, I’ll have missed spring and we’ll have jumped right into summer. That’s the thing I love about Canada-land though; the weather is always so unpredictable. I do get all four seasons at least. Sure, the seasons aren’t in equal servings, but every four years or so, they even out. And baring death by freezing, Canadian weather isn’t too dangerous either. Don’t get me started on Canadian wildlife though. Friendly woodland critters snuggling up to your tuque, don’t seem so friendly when they can easily kick your face in.
The little fleurettes of green in all the trees are quite darling to look at. Forgive my french, but the word is much too appropriate. It’s like the trees are already blossoming, and I guess they are in one sense of the word. Still, I can’t wait till more flowers actually come up. I fully intend to practice my paltry photography skills. Also, back with the image of les fleurettes, I keep thinking of Ezra Poud’s imagist poem:
IN A STATION OF THE METRO
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
Quite a charming image isn’t it? Even if different readings of the poem can lend to a more sinister air, both are relevant and rather appropriate. I don’t think I’ll get into poetry analysis today (or maybe ever in this blog), but if the ‘haiku’ tickles your fancy, I’d wouldn’t hesitate to recommend looking up further analysis of the thing. Pound isn’t my favoirte American modernist poets but he’s not bad. And who knows, maybe this summer is a good couple of months for poetry immersion. I might even link some more in later posts.
A long overdue haircut finally happened to me too. More on the silly events of that later. For the record, I think it’s shorter than it’s ever been. Short short pixie cut.
[Sketches / Art bit]
I haven’t forgotten my webcomic but I’m currently so horrified with the paltry quality of my art that I just can’t force myself to post the more recent pages. Note that there are more recent pages. Give my fragile ego a little bit to get over myself, and we’ll be good to go. Concurrently, while I try to garner a little more time for myself, I’m also trying to get back into the groove of drawing/painting/ and just art in general. Maybe when I get back into the swing of thing, my comic won’t look so stiff. No promises though. It still might take me some time to get used to the comic medium.
Any-hoo, here’s some sketches I did trying to get some late night drawing practice in.
I would call this lady an ‘alien’ but that’s hardly polite behavior, now is it? She’s a relatively unimportant minor character from A Paper Flower Carnival. I Just felt like doodling her, because being an extraterrestrial [more like Extra Special amirite? -- no discrimination on my part] means that I can make up her culture and mode of dress and all that. Lots of liberties to me. Don’t you just love not being wrong?
Her name is Ümlautie. It was a hard choice on which vowel to put the umlaut, and it’s really still up in the air. I’d like to point out by the way, that she’s got ever vowel except Y in her name (a Y would have looked stupid… bit now that I think bout it, might look sort of cool with an umlaut). Since her colour scheme is white and old lady pinks, I was always calling her ‘Roza’ in my head. Digression but, I had a hardy Italian naighbour named Roza – (married to Tony and with two kids named Camilla and Carmen respectively — loved the names of everyone in that family!) – who would call me “Anna”. I would have stuck with Roza too, if it wasn’t the same amount of syllables as Tisha (and both end with an ‘A’– not a pretty lexicality). Tisha is a (huge joke of a) character, and he’s a whole bunch blue. Their babies would be purple or something.
Anyway, the red sketch was done last night and the black one on the lined paper, was done maybe 5 months ago in an English course. Both sketches were done using those fabulous 4 coloured Bic pens from France. Points on Ümlautie’s design:
Those weird swirly patterns on both sketches are supposed to remind me to get some visual research on those coral fish. Shame on the artist that doesn’t collect proper visual research!
She doesn’t have large / elf / animal ears. The bigger shapes behind her head are essentially bits of her nun’s wimple.
She has a heavy circular pattern going on, dots in her eyes, and even has an umlaut-esque headress sort of thing (I pretend they’re antennae for catching radio frequencies when her life as a nun gets too boring – it isn’t – and her nun life is boring).
That isn’t a mask, its more a fleshy cartilage like tissue extending from her face; the same sort of biological tissue from her lower half. I drew it too red and too far separated I’ve decided. (more a note for me than anything else) .
No that isn’t a piercing and yes she’s overdressed for a nun (in my canon).
No she isn’t a ‘priestess’, she’s a nun. That’s different. Nun = boring repetitive devout life, Priestess = running around barely dressed fighting ogres and being sacrificed to volcano gods.
She’s from a place called Tebit Lamdala. Yeah. Don’t even get me started.
Shut up, I can’t draw symmetrically, leave me alone.
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And because this post lacks hot topless babe, here’s a sketch I’m working on right now of Alice. I know her colour scheme, I know how I want to clour this and in what traditional media… I just don’t know what to colour the roses. BRB, praying to the colour wheel god.
Don’t get too excited about this sketch though, I completely slaughtered a copy when inking it. I’m really really rusty at this whole art gig. I’d making drawings in the most uneconomical fashion imaginable. … Maybe I should make tutorials on how not to go about your art business.
Everyone likes journal polls right? I mean I sure do. So because I love all of the following terms, I thought I’d incorporate one of them in a drawing. I’d do all of them but I don’t have the time. So dear reader please pick one of the following words, and I’ll sketch a character with whatever design element you choose. This should be fun.
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Time to learn some new words. All the following are design related words and are pretty good to know for internet searches if you like this sort of imagery. There are some great images out there, and I find browsing through them pretty inspiring sometimes.
Damask (Arabic: دمسق) is a figured fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Made with one warp and one weft in which, generally, warp-satin and weft sateen weaves interchange. Twill or other binding weaves may sometimes be introduced[citation needed]. The term originally referred to ornamental silk fabrics, which were elaborately woven in colours, sometimes with the addition of gold and other metallic threads. Damask weaves are commonly produced today in silk, linen or linen-type fabrics which feature woven patterns featuring flowers, fruit, forms of animal life, and other types of ornament.
Damask was first produced in China, India, Persia, and Syria, then the Byzantine Empire followed. In the West, it was first known as diaspron or diaper, the term used in Constantinople. In the 12th century however, the city of Damascus, famous for its textiles, so far outstripped all other places for beauty of design that it gave the cloth its modern name.
I never knew the word for this type of pattern, but think it’s great to know. Resource wise, I now have a key word to search for when I want to incorporate damask patterns in the fabric I’m drawing. I also think this stuff would make for great textures. The thing about damask is that it is often so pretty. It makes for more visually interesting fabric which I quite like in a room.
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The next word is much more common knowledge, but is : ‘Filigree‘
Filigree (formerly written filigrann or filigrane; also known as telkari, the name given in Anatolia, meaning “wire work”, and cift-isi, pronounced chift-ishi, meaning “tweezers work”) is a jewel work of a delicate kind made with twisted threads usually of gold and silver or stitching of the same curvy motif. It often suggests lace, and is most popular in French fashion decoration from 1660 to the present. It is now exceedingly common for ajoure jewellery work to be mislabelled as filigree. While both have many open areas, filigree involves threads being soldered together to form an object and ajoure involves holes being punched, drilled, or cut through an existing piece of metal.
The word, which is usually derived from the Latin filum, thread, and granum, grain, is not found in Ducange, and is indeed of modern origin. According to Prof. Skeat it is derived from the Spanish filigrana, from “filar”, to spin, and grano, the grain or principal fibre of the material.
While the word is derived from the metal work, it is very commonly used when referencing those gorgeous, spirally, ornate organic curves you often see used in graphic design nowadays. I’m a big fan of the stuff.
Cloisonné, an ancient metalworking technique, is a multi-step enamel process used to produce jewelry, vases, and other decorative items. (The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné.)
Cloisonné first developed in the Near East. It spread to the Byzantine Empire and from there along the Silk Road to China. Chinese cloisonné is arguably the most well known of all the varieties of cloisonne and enamel making. Russian cloisonné from the Tsarist era is also highly prized by collectors. Chinese cloisonné is sometimes confused with Canton enamel, a similar type of enamel work that is painted on freehand and does not utilize partitions to hold the colors separate.
Ever since I was a little girl my Dad’s been teaching me about antiques. Cloisonné was probably the first decorative metal term I remember learning. Whenever I hear this word I think of my old man and the little trinkets he would get me.
Resembling a large comma or twisted teardrop, the kidney-shaped paisley is Indian and Persian in origin, but its western name derives from the town of Paisley, in central Scotland.[citation needed]
Some design scholars call the distinct shape boteh and believe it is the convergence of a stylized floral spray and a cypress tree: a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity.[citation needed] A floral motif called buta, which originated in the Safavid Dynasty of Persia (from 1501 to 1736), was a major textile pattern in Iran also during the Qajar Dynasty. In these periods, the pattern was used to decorate royal regalia, crowns, and court garments, as well as textiles used by the general population.
The pattern is still popular in Iran and South and Central Asian countries. It is woven using gold or silver threads on silk or other high quality textiles for gifts, for weddings and special occasions. In Iran and Uzbekistan its use goes beyond clothing – paintings, jewelry, frescoes, curtains, tablecloths, quilts, carpets, garden landscaping, and pottery also sport the buta design. In Uzbekistan the most frequent item that can be found featuring the design is the traditional headdress doppi.[citation needed]
The modern French words for paisley are boteh and palme, the latter being a reference to the palm tree, which, along with the pine and the cypress, is one of the traditional botanical motifs thought to have influenced the shape of the paisley element as we now know it.[4][not in citation given]
In Pakistan, pais
ley designs are widely termed the carrey design. Carrey in Urdu means mango seed.[citation needed]
One last theory on the shape consistent with the time frame of its origin is that the design is a representation of the leech (Hirudinea): the Paisley design often incorporates pregnant Glossiphoniidae leeches, and a body cavity containing baby Glossiphoniidae leeches.
You see these guys on lots of bandannas and men’s ties. I was actually quite late to learn this word. I had always thought it was some sort of vegetable, but now i think i was mixing it up with parsley. I figured out what a paisley was when I was first doing research on henna designs.
Brocade, the name usually given to a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in coloured silks and with or without gold and silver threads. Ornamental features in brocade are emphasized and wrought
as additions to the main fabric, sometimes stiffening it, though more frequently producing on its face the effect of low relief. These additions present a distinctive appearance on the back of the stuff where the weft or floating threads of the brocaded or broached parts hang in loose groups or are clipped away.
This word sounds rather pretty I think and I’ve always liked it… not that that stopped me from thinking it meant something else entirely. A few years ago I had thought the word meant a type of jewelery I think. A broach maybe, I can’t remember, it was so long ago.
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Also check out this GORGEOUS Kyo-Satsuma Ceramic Tea Bowl (Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum) from: http://www.khulsey.com/travel/japan_cloisonne.html. It’s just so beautiful! I want to own it so badly hahaha.
Also I have the next comic page done, i just don’t have time to scan it or add the text yet, so comic pages will still be late. Aside from Real Life, you can blame my crazy exam schedule. I should probably be panicking right now. I also need a haircut.
In other news, I’m thinking of doing a little daily gag comic strip with the Damned if you do, Damned if you don’t cast, since they’re kicking around in my head. This of course will be running along side Sleep Pending, which will resume it’s regular schedual when my death week is over.
I also need to throw together a few more copic pictures for a demo I’m doing next week. I don’t think I have any good linearts laying around. I need to pick some characters to draw really soon.
This was done with pencil crayons, oil pastel, markers, and lots of crayons from my elementary school days.
I’m not entirely satisfied with this, but at least I finished it right and proper. I was at the university till 1 am pretty much. I hit all the required points for this assignment and ho boy, if I don’t get a rockin’ grade on this baby, there will be hell to pay plenty of indignation and argument forthcoming.
In other news, I had a bit of a blues period which now seems to be over. Good job Angela-self. Now I’m just angry. This is actually good news, because maybe now I’ll harness my rage!energy™ (300 horse power) and get a whole bunch of partying work done this weekend.
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Oh noes.
because I am such a totally awesome person.
That’s right, I’m fantastic.
And because this post lacks hot topless babe, here’s a sketch I’m working on right now of Alice. I know her colour scheme, I know how I want to clour this and in what traditional media… I just don’t know what to colour the roses. BRB, praying to the colour wheel god.
