Er, right.

Interview
The awesome, lovely, and wonderful interviewed me last week and posted it as a newsarticle here: [link] I've never been interviewed before, so I'm afraid I kind of prattled on a bit about really dumb stuff, but she seemed to like it. If you've ever wondered about where I got my screenname or my educational background, or why I paint really hot men, there's your answers.

YouTube Schmoo
I just uploaded a timelapse of my new painting (Gypsy) on YouTube: [link] Since YouTube links tend to end up with strange smilies in the middle of the url I'm posting the link to my main YouTube site.

Tutorials
I'm working on a new tutorial on how to add a vectorized copyright logo (like the one on my images) to your work easily using Adobe Illustrator, and maybe a workaround for those of you who only have Photoshop.

Rumors of magic and mischief and mayhem
I'm not saying anything, nor promising anything... but I'm seriously discussing a possible collaborative project with one of my deviant friends who is known for her fan comics and fondness for glitter and goblins. We're just talking right now, but if it turns out to be, I think some of you might just wet yourselves. I hope.

Also, I'm working on another project involving some seriously silly little goblins and various kinds of merchandise: aprons, tote bags, t-shirts, coffee tins etc. So keep an eye out for those sometime hopefully soon.

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My Tutorials:
Referencing from Photos 101: Figure Reference
Time Lapse Speedpaint: Nocturne
Painting Ears
Extracting Images in Photoshop
Soft Focus Backgrounds in Painter
Blending in Corel Painter

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Commission Status: No commissions until July 2008

_________________________________


Proud member of:


La Fantastiques:

When I was in college I was in love with a boy. He had a sly look to his eyes, and a wicked sense of humor, and a keen sort of intelligence that is really rare to find. He could discuss profound things and bizarre, all though a curtain of profanity and deep language that rivaled George Carlin's impressive vocabulary. He wrote. Screenplays mostly. A sort of Quentin Terrantino/Dylan Thomas/Stanley Kubrikian kind of writer. I remember distinctly sitting on a futon listening to him type and thinking that it was the most soothing sound in the world.

No surprise, I suppose, that I married a man who embodied the same sarcasm, wit, vocabulary, intelligence and who was also a writer.

Today I found out what that boy is doing now. And it makes me want to take a step back from the world, and make sure it's still spinning on the same axis, because the kid I knew wasn't... well wasn't what he is now. Yes, I'm sure he's still intelligent and witty and everything but... well, he's whitewashed. It feels like I'm through the looking glass, because the boy I knew wouldn't have.

But things change. People grow. And I wonder if the girl I was then would recognize the woman I am now, and what she would think of me, and if she would take a step back and wonder if her axis had tilted the wrong way.



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My Tutorials:
Referencing from Photos 101: Figure Reference
Time Lapse Speedpaint: Nocturne
Painting Ears
Extracting Images in Photoshop
Soft Focus Backgrounds in Painter
Blending in Corel Painter

_________________________________

Commission Status: No commissions until July 2008

_________________________________


Proud member of:


La Fantastiques:

Expect me to be a bit sporadic for the next few weeks. I'm moving. Again. Back to Florida. Yay!

BUT

That means I'm going to spend the next couple of weeks frantically packing and cleaning only so I can drive 19 hours and then clean and UNPACK it all.

Also, my sister graduates next month, and I get to choose between attending a family reunion and my 10 year class reunion. Or neither. Either way.

Life is getting a bit wacky.



"The Labyrinth, huh? Doesn't look so hard. C'mon, feet!"

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My Tutorials:
Referencing from Photos 101: Figure Reference
Time Lapse Speedpaint: Nocturne
Painting Ears
Extracting Images in Photoshop
Soft Focus Backgrounds in Painter
Blending in Corel Painter

_________________________________

Commission Status: No commissions until July 2008

_________________________________


Proud member of:


La Fantastiques:

Day 10,350

10 p.m.
Read journal today by artist who says we like art better when we know the person who painted it. Wonder if this is true. If so, am curious as to how well my watchers know me through my art.

Should have challenge about this!

Should ask watchers to write a Very Sekrit Diary entry based on what they think I do with my day and post it as a comment on my journal. Will give features for my favorites. Extra points if they are original. Extra extra points if they include naked men and/or Jareth.

Now, off to do very sekrit things.

Also, tomorrow I will be 10,351 days old (not aktually my birthday--I was born in December). Will soon have to start looking for wrinkles. v. sad.

_________________________________

My Tutorials:
Referencing from Photos 101: Figure Reference
Time Lapse Speedpaint: Nocturne
Painting Ears
Extracting Images in Photoshop
Soft Focus Backgrounds in Painter
Blending in Corel Painter

_________________________________

Commission Status: No commissions until July 2008

_________________________________


Proud member of:


La Fantastiques:

This was more difficult than I thought it would be, but kind of fun. I think it might be a little while before I do the next one since it does sort of tie up my journal for a whole week. However, the three winners listed below are guarnteed a feature in the next round.

So... to ease your anticipation, here are the winners

LEVEL 1: Easy
Women with Wings Guessed by:

This was so much harder than I'd expected it to be--you guys found all kinds of odd tangents here, and I admit, the Jack/Elizabeth picture was a little bit of a stretch, but threw you all off the mark for a day or two.
Images contained: Woman with crows, female fairies, Elizabeth Swann (bird name) with Jack Sparrow (also a bird name), dragon lady, winged woman, female bee-fairy


LEVEL 2: Medium
Transparent Things Guessed by

Images contained: bubbles, water, glass bottle with clear liquid, windows and transparent sheet of plastic


LEVEL 3: Difficult
Dots, Spots and Specks Guessed by

Images contained: halftone dots, lots of round beads and dot points of light, speckled dots for texture in the third and fourth images, spots on the leopard for the fifth.


A round of applause for our winners! Congratulations.

Okay now... some other things you should check out, while I have your attention:

Some new, official information on the Orphaned Works Bill and no, it's not a hoax.
Portrait Adoption- I've been getting a lot of inquiries about character portraits and stuff lately. Unfortunately, I don't have time at the moment to take on any commissions, but I highly recommend this website for custom character portraits.
Fantastic Portfolios- looking for a place to get good, solid, constructive criticism/red lines/help with your work? Look no further. Fantastic Portfolios is a free service that not only hosts the best of your work in your own portfolio gallery, but the jury process that your work goes through includes critiques from established artists to help you improve.
Epilogue forums When I'm not here I'm usually over in the Epilogue forums. Post your work for feedback and critiques, participate in weekly sketch challenges, or just hang out and chat with other artists on a wide variety of topics.
Pixelbrush.net is a site run by artists *henning and *Kyena. I love to hang out in the forums there, too.

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My Tutorials:
Referencing from Photos 101: Figure Reference
Time Lapse Speedpaint: Nocturne
Painting Ears
Extracting Images in Photoshop
Soft Focus Backgrounds in Painter
Blending in Corel Painter

_________________________________

Commission Status: No commissions until July 2008

_________________________________


Proud member of:


La Fantastiques: