I miss LiveJournal. I really really do. When Facebook came around and started picking up momentum, I was relieved that the social network all my friends had jumped ship to wasn't a cacophony of jumbled info like MySpace. But Facebook, and Google +, and Twitter, all fall a little short when it comes to actually keeping in touch with friends. There's a lot of meaningless chatter, and very little communication. Whether that's because that is all we've grown interested in offering or if the sites are specifically engineered to be that way is irrelevant. I think I'd like more. A couple of my friends have come back to resurrect their LiveJournal accounts, and I hesitated to join in only because I have a blog for my website, and was trying to figure out how to make this account not be redundant. Which occurs to me now is silly, since that blog is for my art updates only. Since I made this new LJ account partly as a fresh start, partly to focus on art updates, I'll make a rule. All personal posts will have a picture or some bit or version of art that I don't post elsewhere. This may or may not work out, but it's worth a shot.

On the note of personal news, I'm thrilled to say I've been doing a bit of occasional art for the fine folks at BPAL (both lunacy tee designs and perfume bottle label art), and am especially very excited about the current project. And with a little focus, perhaps can get some of my own back-burner projects out of draft stage limbo. Also have been taking ATS classes with a friend and am currently about to undertake the second round of Level 2. My instructor encourages her students to come dance with her at a monthly drum circle, and despite my trepidation at belly dancing in public for the first time, was absolutely hooked, and not just because no one could hear my atrocious zill-playing amidst all the noise. I'd be going with them to a Ren Faire today, but Pandora has developed an infection that requires frequent medications, and I was told at her check up yesterday to expect this to continue for another couple months. I'm a bit emotionally exhausted from that, but I am so thankful that it is something she can heal from, and she's finally starting to act like herself again. And last year we moved into a much, MUCH nicer apartment for a negligible bit more much closer to Derek's work. We actually know and like our neighbors. It's taken some time, but we have since acquired a proper (and quite comfy) couch, a dining table (that has yet to get chairs), and a cat tree taller than I am. We haven't gotten around to hanging artwork yet... we have yet to purchase a hammer. XD

And last but not least, the art, a molluscmaid.

Mostly just goofing around. As is typical, I've gone and started new projects before having the time and focus to finish the current ones. One of these days my muse will take a sabbatical and I can play catch-up. Many ideas never even get jotted down.

What's currently cramping my hand is a five page journey into graphic novel format, as a test for a larger scale adventure story. This one is based off a dream from a year ago which, for some reason, I felt compelled to draw rather than write. The finished product has very few changes from the half-asleep scribbles, layout and text I laid out that morning before I had to get ready for work. As I've worked on it, I've come to realize it is a tale about abundance, and how we sometimes fail to believe in it. Or maybe it's about something else entirely. I've been stuck on the penciling, so I gave myself permission to go back and start inking the first page. The linework has reminded me to have respect for the time it will take to complete, and seeing the ink make it that much closer to a finished work has me encouraged.



I've seen comic art templates, and I know they're far larger than the finished print. However, my scanner is small, and thankfully so is my art.



Here's a sneak at some character sketches for the adventure story, which I can hopefully hold off until I at least finish this and two illustrated stories. :)

Well, not really. My day to day life has changed so drastically since moving to LA, and it seems somehow LJ got left behind. While I am more active on Facebook now (easy to digest snippets, and seems less of a deluge than Twitter), I'm still reading here, dear friends. But here's a synopsis of what I've been up to.

First, we got hitched! An adorable cheesy civil ceremony with a couple of our dearest friends and immediate family. We plan on having the full party hoopla wedding (complete with kambriel gown!) later down the line, even if it will still be on the small and intimate side. But for now we're legit, and blissfully happy.



My dear friend Korina was in the area house/critter-sitting, so not only was she able to be there for the ceremony, but we got to spend a good deal of time together over the course of a couple months. Time with her always does my soul good. There was much sci-fi and pumpking pancake consumption.

( Korina Bambina!Collapse )

I've also been doing some modeling for Miss Kerrie of Opal Moon Designs ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/OpalMoonDesigns ), who is my birthday twin! We stayed up until the wee hours enjoying red velvet cupcakes, wine, and candle wishes. :)

And of course, the art. I've also been attempting writing, stories that of course will have illustrations made for them. There are three, very different tales, in various stages.

( a few random commissionsCollapse )
And of course, the guts & plants continues!



( one more WIPCollapse )

May have been the cheesy 3-hour movie with a chess-playing unicorn and sea-dragon puppet. Thinking today I'll ink in some of the other stuff I've penciled into my little sketch journal.

I will be showing my artwork at the C16 art show in Park City, Utah in August!

Doodle I did on Dan & Rosa's holiday card: http://descendingchaos.livejournal.com/922892.html

And upcoming Sharktopus movie: http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=16795&count=0


Thank you for pointing that out descendingchaos!

This will be me in two weeks' time.


*dramatization

Artwork inspired by the amazing Ego Likeness, with a Donna songbird, and elements from Steven's artwork.

Making off with his ill-gotten goods!

for those with two heads, or merely one! Book cover design for kambriel's 1909 publication of her book on conjoined dress design.



And a picture of her with it at the venue for the recent Evelyn Evelyn show in NYC. She made their dress, of course!