the thane of vare

INFO STICKY POST GET

2012-08-01T00:49:47Z

So I largely stopped using this account for (checks) WOW four years; I'm now in a different place in my life, so for anyone new dropping by, here is a little info on me:

I'm a Canadian artist currently working in the animation industry (as a texture artist in a Toronto firm). On the side I make comics and other art: the biggest project I've immersed myself in is my ongoing fantasy epic, Chirault. I did a Kickstarter for it around December 2014, which went really well, and the first volume of the comic is now in print! A second volume will hopefully be coming up around late summer/early fall 2015.

Here's where you can find me in other places around the web:
Deviantart - art!
Chirault (my webcomic) - updates three times a week thanks to support on Patreon!
Tumblr - Trying to make it be an art blog XD only reblogging stuff that is directly relevant ie: fanart for my own stuff, promos for friends starting big projects
Twitter - chatting n stuff!

In closing, here is a chapter cover from Chirault!

Minicomic!!!

2011-09-15T04:04:32Z

So, here is what I have been working on since June or so. It's probably going to be about 48 pages when it's done... ish. I have more pages sketched, but they get progressively less detailed further along so I didn't bother scanning them just yet. XD

Aaaand that's it so far!

EDITED: June 2, 2014

So I finished this! The whole thing can be read online starting here (within the Chirault archives). It's also in print, though I have yet to set up an online storefront so as of this writing it's only available at conventions or in person.

WOOO BACK IN TO

2011-05-17T04:49:34Z

I'm too tired to keep unpacking but I don't feel like sleeping just yet, so I'll make an LJ post!

The plane flight home was interesting. It got delayed a lot, first of all, because apparently the TO airport is undergoing some sort of construction and only one (!) runway was open, and since it was peak time, all departures and arrivals were slowing to a crawl. So we were already an hour late, and then I guess there was some weird weather system passing through town at the same time because the plane had to circle for ages instead of descending right away due to unusual turbulence.

Possibly because of how many delays there had been, the flight crew was unusually easygoing-- normally they ask us to take off headphones and so on, but this time there was no mention of it to anyone. Maybe the policy changed while I wasn't aware? Or maybe it was just a one-time thing. But anyway, as we were descending into the clouds over Toronto, I had a song from the TRON: Legacy soundtrack playing on my ipod. The song was Rectifier; I don't remember what scene it was from in the movie, but I imagine it was something involving the bad guys doing something impressively evil and visually spectacular. The music, of course, reflected that. The song starts off quiet and then builds to a crescendo partway through. This crescendo was neatly timed to coincide with the airplane finally coming down out of the clouds enough for me to catch a glimpse of Toronto at nighttime, spread out below us.

It was... beautiful. It's funny how powerful music can be sometimes, especially when combined with something as stunning as the increadible panorama of lights that I couldn't tear my eyes from through the entire descent. I found myself getting really excited for the landing-- for whatever comes after today, whatever adventures may come. It felt good, specially after all the uncertainty and self-doubt immediately following the end of classes and graduation. Hopefully I can find out how to keep this feeling!*

_{_{*It's kinda funny though because it's very, very evil music. It sounds like corruption and power long-unchallenged and impenetrable strongholds of cyberpunky darkness. WHY WAS THIS THE SONG THAT HIT ME.

I don't normally write stuff this introspective, but I want to remember this.}}

oh my god

2011-04-30T05:03:32Z

kitten! ;A;

I dare you to watch :03-:06 and not snort with laughter at least a little.

HNNNGGHHH

2011-04-26T06:14:37Z

This weekend. It was mad.

Not pictured here: a whole bunch of other things. All drawn between 10am Friday and 3pm Sunday.

Shitty pics were taken, and then my camera's battery died... (and my recharger is in Toronto, derp)

Man I'm tired.

THINGS

2011-04-18T08:20:35Z

THIS IS THE BEST GIF.

Also, done with school now (classes are over, grad ceremony is on the 16th)! And I'm in Toronto! (for a few days, anyway.) And.... thinking about what happens next, awwwk :X

I guess I should find a job now D:

Winged things art dump!

2011-03-04T08:43:04Z

Also, it's my birthday! (Again? Didn't I just have one of those last year?)

WIP time!

2011-01-28T22:38:52Z

Lol hi LJ. Have a bunch more pictures! None of these are finished yet. 8C

Hurrr (art dump time YEAAAHHH)

2011-01-21T04:42:28Z

Wowee LJ it sure has been a while!

I have accumulated a lot of drawings lately, maybe I should... I dunno... post them somewhere eventually? WELL HOW ABOUT HERE. Yes I think I will do that.

Starting with a bunch of fanart:

(ohgodwhenismspagonnaupdate hurry hurry hurry)

...wow that was more pictures than I thought. This isn't even all of them.

Also I have been noticing that lately my default expression in drawings is somewhere between :| and >:| . WEIRD. Note to self: draw more other expressions.

15/19 HEADS FACING LEFT

bluh bluh

2010-12-13T13:50:32Z

.....Hunh. I just woke up at 8.30 and couldn't get back to sleep. I don't need to be at school till 1, though, so...

HI, INTERNET!!

OMG A POST (it's a meme, but whatever.)

2010-12-06T00:13:57Z

Take the first sentence (or two) from the first post of each month of 2010. That's your year in review.

JANUARY:
Whooo, today was fun! Spent the morning getting my phone back after I left it at a friend's place during a life-drawing session (whoopsie), then met up with another friend for lunch at a pho place on Spadina.

FEBRUARY:
Silly things! Yesterday I went out on my bike to do a couple of things, and instead of coming straight home afterwards I instead stopped in at a little cafe and stayed there for a few hours.

MARCH:
Ahhhhh so today is my birthday and I suddenly have a paid account here!!

APRIL:
It's my old friend, the ganglion cyst! My, it has been a while.

MAY:
Aaahhh I feel like I am losing touch with everybody (which is probably the case, ahaha... haha...).

JUNE:
back again

JULY:
N/A

AUGUST:
I think I spoiled myself going to RISD.

SEPTEMBER:
N/A

OCTOBER:
...Whoa. I haven't posted here since August? Whoops!

NOVEMBER:
Being as how I am in the middle of writing a Big Essay-Thingy, and I just relocated myself from the cafe to the school lounge where there is internet, I of course immediately decided that THIS is The Best Time To Update My LJ-Thingy (Which I Have Been Neglecting Of Late).

DECEMBER:
[video]

...um. Looking at the calendar function thing, I actually posted quite a lot at the beginning of the year! And then it just sort of... tapered off.

This is so terrible

2010-12-04T21:15:20Z

SO.

2010-11-03T15:06:25Z

Being as how I am in the middle of writing a Big Essay-Thingy, and I just relocated myself from the cafe to the school lounge where there is internet, I of course immediately decided that THIS is The Best Time To Update My LJ-Thingy (Which I Have Been Neglecting Of Late).

...Since there's not much to say about my life at the moment other than to give mention to the conjoined-twin facts of School and INTENSE SLEEP DEPRIVATION (and also MS Paint Adventures), I will just post a couple of pictures. I mean, what is even the point of me having an LJ without pictures? 8D

....my, that's a lot of pictures and things. I... didn't quite realize how many there would be. OH WELL.

Nnn.... ngwoooooooooh!!

2010-10-21T06:15:21Z

Art block please go away now, I am tired of you.

In other news, Ace Attorney: Investigations IS THE MOST HILARIOUS THING EVERY WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO DISCOVER THESE GAMES.

varethane @ 2010-10-07T04:44:00

2010-10-07T07:44:09Z

varethane @ 2010-10-06T16:56:00

2010-10-06T19:56:58Z

...Whoa. I haven't posted here since August? Whoops!

Hmm... classes are going slowly so far. I have so much art history it's harder than I remember it being to get interested and even feel like I'm in school at all. I miss RISD like crazy (:C) and feel like my ability to create an interesting composition has regressed since I returned to NSCAD... urgh. It took having it pointed out to me in critique the other day to really drive it home. 'oh yeah... I hadn't even thought of that D8' Apparently five months really makes a difference in my skill level. Blergh.

I did, however, get into another rp! 53 pages in thus far, and showing no signs of slowing down. 8) And so of course, I've been drawing lots of stuff for it (all in my sketchbook so far, since as soon as I sit down at the computer my motivation to draw leaks away again like water in a sieve). Consequently they are a bit too big to link in a journal entry. So here are some hovercars instead!

Drawings and stuff

2010-08-08T07:08:02Z

Blargh art block. I have been venturing back to paintchat, though, which (if nothing else) usually gets me to draw SOMETHING. Have started trying to unravel the stubborn knot that is the current scene in Chirault, and hopefully I can have another page up by Monday (here's hoping!).

Art dump!!!!

(So apparently a symptom of art block for me is that everyone starts always having the same expression. Hmmmm.)

Oops

2010-08-06T04:44:17Z

I think I spoiled myself going to RISD. That entire semester was so exquisitely perfect, so much everything I have ever wanted out of school ever, that.... much as I like some of the teachers at NSCAD, I am now dissatisfied. NSCAD wants me to switch out of a few classes I'd really wanted to take in order to fill my degree requirements.... which are very much fine art degree requirements, because that is how NSCAD rolls. They want me to switch out of Illustration and Sotryboarding in order to take art history.

Fuck that noise.

MEME

2010-06-28T03:44:22Z

Comment saying 'BILLIONS OF BLUE BLISTERING BARNACLES' and I will tell you

1. Something random about you.
2. Which color you remind me of.
3. My first memory of you.
4. What random character I associate with you.
5. My favorite thing about you.
6. What fandom I associate with you.
7. Challenge you to post this on your journal.

augh

2010-06-26T05:06:49Z

So I actually had a pretty good time today but now that I'm home and not doing anything else to distract myself I am realizing that my wrist is hurting a lot. In fact, I can't really move it at all. Hmm.

STUPID CYST JUST GO AWAY ALREADY.

regarding the film adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender

2010-06-24T03:57:11Z

So, I love the cartoon and am planning to watch it again in the future, maybe get the DVDs when I have a bit more money to put down on them (or find them secondhand).

I'm not going to watch the movie coming out soon. I'd explain why, but this post does it much better. Although I may be a member of the majority group, it nonetheless disgusts me that things like this are still happening.

mememememe!

2010-06-12T20:26:56Z

Stories I will draw from: Chirault, Kaerik rp, Clockwork, Maelstrom, Wychwood.

Years writing: Uhhhhhh idk? FOREVLARRRR

Least favorite character?: probably the first version of Kitty? Still working on trying to fix her.

Male or female characters?: Male, predominantly.

Oldest character written?: Scythian! She was in the first story I ever truly wrote (not counting that weird superhero thing), and proceeded to make more appearances later.

Longest you've written a character?: probably the Wychwood cast-- Felix, Kitty, et al.

Newest character?: Astrid (who showed up out of nowhere in Chirault and turned out to be cool enough to stick around and even take on a fairly major role in the plot!)

Which character of yours would be most likely to...

Jump off a bridge?: Delphinian (post-Maelstrom.... and also technically pre-Maelstrom I guess 8D OH THE JOY OF TIME TRAVEL and insane immortal ids trapped in an infinite loop of reincarnations... also, alliteration.)

Get drunk and pass out?: Kees, if only because he wouldn't know what he was doing until it was too late.

Kill somebody in a very unorthodox way?: Farquhar would be the first choice, being a vastly powerful mage who managed to institutionalize his way of 'experimenting' on live subjects. The results of 'accidents' alone would provide him with ample material should he ever wish to turn his powers to murder, and may already have done so. (Second choice would be Astrid, who is not as mild-mannered as he seems and who can be pretty devious and sadistic when he wants to).

Be far too hyper for their own good?: Teeko (being nine years old and all, it's almost par for the course).

Be raped?: D: ....Kitty, probably.

Get lost and refuse to ask for directions?: Erik, ahaha. HE IS THE MASTER TRAVELLER SHUT UP AND JUST FOLLOW HIM. but we're going in circle-SHUT UP

Get lung cancer?: I don't think I have any smoking characters ._. WAT. Soooo....Tiara, the resident pyromaniac? Smoke inhalation, whoo!

Star in a horror movie?: Kitty as the damsel, and proto-Kiran as the OMGWTFBBQ IS THAT FUCKING HELL AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH

Star in a whore movie?: Hmm.

Star in a video game?: Kees, probably. As a NINJA!!!

Make the world a better place?: Kaeden, maybe? The durned goody-two-shoes. Use his powers for good, indeed! He's pretty meddlesome, compared to the others (whose 'do-good' impulse is usually confined to their own actions and/or the lives of their friends, as opposed to strangers.

Have a torrid gay love affair?: It's easier to say who would NOT: nobody in Chirault (except maybe a couple of the mages). That is all.

Relate each word to a character of yours:

Love - Teeko
Hate - Dameneses
Money - Harper
Seduction - those chicks in Verser
Lies - Kaeden
Tragedy - Kero
Manipulation - Astrid
Violence - Kiran
Politics - Jenneth
Fire - Erik
Ice - Heryan

Would you ever...
Write a prostitute?: Yes
Write a musician?: Sure
Write a pilot?: Yeah
Write a homosexual?: Uh-huh
Write a pedophile?: I like to think not, but honestly, if a story called for it, I would.
Write a politician?: Yeah
Write a character who commits incest?: See answer for 'pedophile'.

Character you'd most like to have over for tea?: Kiran! It would be the most awkward tea ever, he'd be tongue-tied the entire time and probably spill something.

Character you'd most like to have as a sibling?: Astrid would make a great older sibling.

Character you'd most like to be friends with?: Hmmm... probably Felix! He's pretty easygoing.

Character you'd most like to have as a cousin?: Teeko! She'd be a hilarious relative.

Character you'd most like to have an adventure with?: uhhhh absolutely anyone D: Kiran, perhaps? He'd involve the least 'you must prove your worthiness to be my companion' and the most potential for badassery. Either that or Erik, who is a bigger douchebag but more likely to have really bizarre adventures.

Favorite quirky character?: 'quirky'? Ummm.... I am not sure what 'quirky' means here.

Favorite love-to-hate character?: Probably Dameneses.

Favorite bad guy?: Viraigo and/or Farquhar. They both think they are totally in the right and are both totally out to lunch!! (the degree of out-to-lunchness directly correlates to how right they think they are) It seems to be a trend with a lot of my villains...

A few more!

2010-06-10T05:16:54Z

Some more letters to imaginary characters, circa 1997!

I did that, Tri. Ther exists,that's for sure. She likes to wear weird outfits,and has short dark-blonde hair that's diyed bright blue at the top and bright red at the bottom.Her eyes are a funny sort of neon green. She looks like one of us. She also likes sports a lot.Any sport. She plays basketball, baseball, badminton, volleyball, soccer, and even football. She swims, too. I don't know why you haven't seen her, she's on your swim team! She likes to paint on herself. You have seen her, haven't you? You just didn't know her name at the time.

There's a lot more to this one (something about fake letters) but I don't feel like transcribing it. The envelope contains two receipts and a doodle on graph paper with a sticker on it.

Delphinian Lasley
Re: System

Young Ms.Lasley:

We at the System are sorry that the turn of events has forced us to place you under arrest. When Mrs.Havenaugh comes to collect you, please do not resist. We have the mutant known as Robyn, and we will not hesitate to despatch her if the need should arise.
Please remember that a rescue attempt would be a foolish and pointless waste of your talents. In the event of resistance, the System will have no choice but to exterminate the perpetrator(s). Thank you for your co-operation.

In the same envelope is a scrap of paper folded until it is the approximate size and thickness of a coffee straw. In large, messy letters it says:

D- I don't kno u, but if u r agens' the S I em w u. Use the ring. I don't have much time to

Another, another!

This large envelope contained two tiny envelopes folded by hand out of graph paper (each only about 5cm long) and stuck down with red circular stickers.

One envelope contains a tiny scrap of folded graph paper and a short length of metal with a sticker at the end (presumably the 'key'). The note reads:

THIS IS A KEY THAT CAN OPEN ANYTHING!AND IF IT DOESN'T OPEN SOMETHING, WHOEVER OWNS WHATEVER IT IS IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THEM!

The other tiny envelope contains a bunch of the round stickers I apparently had plenty of access to, and a note that reads:

HERE ARE SOME EAVESDROPPING AIDS! IF YOU PUT THEM ON A DOOR, YOU CAN HEAR WHATEVER'S GOING ON INSIDE> AND IF YOU PUT THEM ON SOMEONE, YOU CAN HEAR EVERYTHING THEY HEAD THROUGH THIS!

I wish those were real. :C Anyway, another!

Ther:
They're onto you! You'd best run!

The envelope also contains a metal keyring, a button, and a large paperclip.

Another!

Dear Kor:
I know! That other kid, Kitty, she's been getting them too! But we have a clue:a letter hasa signature:
[illegible]. It could be aname! But it's more likely a pseudonym. How's it all back there?Thisplace is great. They don't check your letters, so you don't have to deliver private ones secretly. So I can give you this-- stop looking at the letters.

Next:

Triannon: you have been spending too much. The school has decided to limit the amount of money loaned to students to a maximum of 5 dollars. You have been forewarned. Good day.

Man I was such a weird kid.

Oh my goodness

2010-06-08T20:57:22Z

My current task is organizing all of my really, really old shit... one side effect of being an art student who moves around a lot is that you never really realize just how much STUFF you have. And not just any stuff, but art stuff! Art stuff that nobody (including yourself) has the heart to throw away.

I'm trying to organize it now-- for starters, I'm trying to categorize it, which is no easy feat. It roughly breaks down like this:

1. My portfolio, and associated portfolio-worthy stuff (this should remain separate from the rest for obvious reasons)
2. Work that is both current and good, but not really worthy of being in my portfolio
3. Work that is old but neat, or new but meh, which I still enjoy for whatever reason and would want to look at again (things like sketches of characters or scenes from stories on loose paper-- I've been trying to organize these into books for ease of perusal).
4. Work that is really super-super old, but which I get a kick out of looking at (I am finding a LOT of this, I still have shit from when I was seven).
5. Stuff that isn't mine but is cool- SUBCATEGORIES
-Posters
-Really cool stuff that other people have made for me or that I have bought, which will totally go up on a wall somewhere as soon as I have a place of my own (one more year, one more year!!)
-Group projects
6. Stuff that is a resource in some way-- photographs, textures, scans or photocopies of comics/other artwork
7. Art supplies that somehow got lost amongst the other stuff-- old copper plates (I didn't know I still had those!), blank sheets of Bristol, etc
8. Special category for stuff that is too big or unwieldy to be stored with the rest

It's actually sort of fun. I'm finding a lot of things I didn't remember I had, and coming to realize what a strange, strange child I was (and, relatedly, how I guess I've been a dork since birth). For example, I found a large envelope filled with mail I had written to my imaginary characters. Envelopes meticulously addressed to imaginary addresses, and filled with whatever the nine-year-old me thought they should be-- dramatic notes and letters, monopoly money, old game pieces, paperclips, drawings... and they were all addressed from other imaginary characters from the same universe.

Reading them is hysterical. Here is a sample, taken at random from the pile:

Dear Ther:Congratulations from Vayringham! I knew you could get in. All it takes are good acting skills and a big A.Brain!!Like yours. Have you met one of Them yet? If not,get amoveon, you've only got 3 years down [scribble] from home! And Hellana says Kar is thinking of making it 2 years. Be mysterious around anyone of the suspects we discussed before, so that they'll come to you. And whatever you do, don't tell anyone about where you REALLY come from!
Your hopeful sister,
[signature illegible]'

P.S-Here are some things to help you along.

(The envelope contains a white poker chip.)

ACT MYSTERIOUS AND THEY WILL COME TO YOU!!!!

Anyway, back to the pile!

meep

2010-06-03T05:51:13Z

SOOOooooo.... I am back in Toronto! Hooray! (Joy!)

Unfortunately the first thing I did upon returning was to.... lose my cellphone in the rain. I suspect it may have fallen out of my pocket somewhere along Dundas street without my noticing, whereupon it was probably crushed beneath the wheels of a car (or just swept up by the torrential rain that washed in immediately after I had biked along that stretch of road).

Anyway, I am temporarily phoneless! I will keep the same number (for once) because I still have my account, but... I haven't gotten a new phone in about seven years, and so I've never bothered to back up my contacts list. Thus (unless I find the phone again and it is miraculously unharmed), I have lost every single phone number I have ever known. This is bad for all sorts of obvious reasons.

So, could people send me their numbers again? Email them to ly.delta(at)gmail.com. Thank you!