Today I Turn Twice the Age I Turned Twelve Years Ago

In Conclusion: The 2009 Edition

This year my two brothers and I spent Christmas Eve at Isis' mother's house with our mother and our mother's boyfriend(how's that for confusing?).
I spent way too much money on Isis. I got her a toy cake set to go with her tea set...that I clearly bought more for my own amusement than hers. The cake was velcro and could connect or disconnect as 6 pieces, and the top is velcro and the cake toppings had velcro on the bottom so you could be all fun and decorative and I even had each piece plated in specific ways and I should totally be on that Ace of Cakes show for being so clever.
I also got her a really nice bowling "tot" set with 6 pins and a ball. But this wasn't no crappy cheap plastic step-on-it-and-the-pins-break set. Of course, these also needed testing, so Josh, Brian, Mum, Brian Frost and I (and eventually Isis too) bowled on the carpet in the living room. The bowling set successfully proved itself worth the $20 in both quality and entertainment.
Sometimes I miss opening gifts with my family - oooh, the excitement of what's in a box! But playing with a 3 year old, eating kimchee chigae and spending an evening with the fam wearing a new pair of earrings and receiving lots of money is way better. (:

On Christmas Day I enjoyed my day off and did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Brian Conde and I lounged around playing video games all day and only left his apartment to the convenience store to buy bacon and eggs for dinner(breakfast. Breakfast for dinner. Not breakfast for breakfast.)

In other news, my birthday is nigh, which also means the end of 2009.

It was ten times better than my awful 2008, just as I was hoping. Although this last month definitely could have been better, this past summer was one of the best I've had. Seriously, from April to September was pretty effin' amazing.

I can only hope Twenty-Ten will be just as good, if not better, and that I actually meet some of my goals so I can stop hating on myself for not meeting them. (Even though we all know how well I work under pressure...I'm already getting anxious just thinking about what I need to do.)

Cheers to you all, and here's hoping you thoroughly enjoy the last days of 2009!

You are my Evangeline

First off, I'm pretty stoked to see that my favorite Skottie Young comic book cover got #1 on the Top 100 Covers of 2009. Over the past few months I've been following his blog as well as his work and I enjoy seeing artists get the recognition and praise they deserve.


When I was a kid I used to dream about working as an artist for Disney films - not Disney/Pixar, but old school animated Disney. Last night I saw The Princess and the Frog. I understand that there was a big controversy over the racism in the film, but it was so classic and beautiful that I encourage everyone I know to see it.
There are tons of similarities to some of the old classics, for example: The Little Mermaid power necklace, the Aladdin Genie-type musical number, the Lady and the Tramp style accidental kiss, and the Beauty and the Beast morals of love. Even the prissy blonde girl reminds me of a teen version of Darla Dimple from the movie Cats Don't Dance. The songs are original and catchy, with my favorite being the "Almost There" number, where everything reverts to a super awesome Mary Blair-style animation.
And the movie is just so freakin' adorable.
If you ever enjoyed the old movies as a kid, and find you can still enjoy them now, The Princess and the Frog is a fresh bowl of hot and bubbly nostalgia soup.

My feet hurt.

I guess it's a good thing I gave up on trying to finish my app for the Spring Semester, because my next day off is Christmas! How am I supposed to get anything doooooonnnnneeee

Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies

Yay, new colors!

Now it's back to playing Fable II and not drawing enough...

Do you know what I can do with these hands?

Brothers was really, really good.

Emotional and depressing, but the acting was well done by all and the movie, just awesome.

It's a giant downer, but extremely effective.

Jake and Tobey both do good jobs being assholes. And the daughter Isabelle was shockingly good for like, a 9 year old.

GO SEE IT.

To defer oneself

During the past month or so, I've been attempting to finish my app for MECA. I don't think it's gonna happen. Shannon Cote was really trying to get me in for the Spring of 2010, but I already know I won't be able to take classes then, so I think I might take the extra time to make my portfolio better than it is right now.
I still need to get recommendations, vaccinations (which is what's gonna keep me back from attending in January), finish my FAFSA on a computer that can handle doing it online, have my transcripts sent over, and to tweak my essay a bit. Plus, I know myself enough to know the pressure of finishing everything in such a short amount of time is going to make me even more unlikely to get it done. Instead, I'll end up finding some means of mental escape to distract me for hours. *cough*Fable II*cough*

Plus it's the holiday season, and since Kat and I aren't doing a book this year, I have no excuse for not creating atleast a FEW cool presents.

In other news, today I walked into work at Casablanca and Rick was there, helping set-up for the giant back-issue($1 each) sale we're having this weekend(Fri, Sat, and Sun) in Windham. It actually shocked me for a second walking into the backroom and seeing him because he isn't frequently at the Windham store. But anyway! He stopped me before I walked away and told me how much he and his wife love the signs I've been making(most of them for this weekend, come see them!). Then he asked if I would be interested in not only designing bookmarks, but t-shirts for the store.
holycrapfirstweekendanimeandportcon,nowcasablancacomicsawesomeawesome.
I'm so excited.
I still have to finish and pass the Magic:TG shirt designs by Julie for WA, and I still haven't seen how the PortConMaine shirts turned out...Then it's comic design time!

Stoked.

And Ana commissioned me for Abs' birthday gift, and was giving me grief about not wanting to take money. She wanted to pay me EIGHTY DOLLARS. Silly Ana! I settled for $40, though she tried to insist on $60 and I said $20.

I already spent the $40 on Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast, Amato's for lunch and the Buy 2 Get 1 Free Graphic Novel Sale we had today.

It's no wonder I can't save up for anything...



X-BABIES #3 OF 4 COMES OUT TOMORROW!

I am hungry and cranky and thus, have no patience to form more than a handful of complete sentence-bloggage. Instead, we can play a game!
I shall provide you readers with a list of words and phrases to describe my thoughts as well as the events of the past several weeks. Feel free to max out your imagination and assume whatever you may wish. I can guarantee you'll be wrong about at least one of them. Because my life is so extremely exciting and unpredictable like that!

* X-Babies
* 2 Browns, 1 text
* Tri-Bri circle
* Scrabble
* giving up
* FAFSA
* Fable II
* mellow knees
* pregnant-girlfriend jealousy
* anti-elitism
* PVP vs. PVE
* 1&1/2% milk
* Skottie Young
* Mario Brothers Wii
* anticipation
* regret
* spineless-icity (Oh yeah, I totally just made that one up.)
* Turdface
* Molasses
* pork (the meat, not the verb)
* submission
* Still Life drawings
* Tifa Lockhart
* deadlines
* Dan Krohne: Voice of Reason (x3)
* daily nightmares
* Deadpool's mom vs. Spidey's mom
* 14-hour phone calls
* 78% discounts
* Marvel 1602 & The House of M
* Spaghetti & Hand Banana
* Futurama
* Werewolves > Vampires
* 6-minute absences
* Isisisisisis
* procrastination
* poor-dom (made that one up too!)

And of course, a few for the future:

* food.
* Meatloaf vs. Kiss(?)
* Avatar
* Applebee's Thanks
* December 11th
* SIEGE (JANUARY 2010: ASGARD FALLS)


Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and their moms! I'm grateful that everyone exists!

Night Elves, Secret Invasions, & d20s in Broken-Time Space

It's taken me nearly 24 years to develop a personality. And over the past four or five years, I've started to build actual opinions, as opposed to feeding off of others'.

AND I AM A GEEK.

So what? Wanna fight about it?

A few nights ago, a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) was hesitant about admitting he liked playing Magic: The Gathering. What the heck! How long have I known him now? 6 years? And I'm JUST learning this?

Another friend apparently told her OTHER friends about us gaming-people. Said Other Friends asked if we wore costumes and would show up to our friend's sporting event dressed in such. WTF.

I really cannot stand the stereotypes that come with enjoying nerdy activities. Yes, I play D&D, and I enjoy playing Pokemon, and I play World of Warcraft, and I know how to play Magic, and I like to read comic books. But that doesn't mean I don't like to read novels, or appreciate good music, or go on dates, or hang out with my friends (87% of my hobbies REQUIRE the company of others), or go outside. And I'd like to think I'm pretty far from socially awkward, unless being shy suddenly makes me inept.

I've also met some amazing people from my geekdom, including my best friend. So what's with this business that we're all fat, annoying, and awkward virgins? I'm calling shenanigans on this one. I mean, I understand that a good percentage of people who are geeks may tend to meet the requirements to be stereotyped. But it took the shamed admittance of a friend's secret love for me to realize that there are probably a lot of other closet-cases out there. Shit son, for the longest time I used to be embarassed to admit my love.

Not anymore!

"But Mel, why do you like doing it so much?"

Here's why:
Making a D&D character is ridiculously fun. It's my favorite part. And as an artist, coming up with my own character designs makes it even better. And then drawing my friends' characters? Man oh man. Sometimes my designs are better than most of my other material. Plus, the playing itself is never a bad time. If you're with the right people, your day will be filled with laughter.

And I initially started playing Pokemon to keep Julie company/amused on Saturdays when I was at Weekend Anime. Now I play mostly because it's sooo much fun. The world sees it as a "kid's game", and I see it as entertainment. And it beats T.V. because it requires thought and sometimes strategy. How is that any different than playing chess?

And then there's WoW. I love MMOs. I started with FFXI, which I found out after almost two years of playing it that it was balls. And by balls, I mean, it's terribad. I also tried Ragnarok Online until my character and server got wiped and I lost all my play time into the abyss that is the interwebs.
But oh, World of Warcraft. I played it for a long ass time, then I took a long break, then was roped into playing it again. I know I could probably afford to play it a little less and spend more time being productive, but laundry can always wait until tomorrow. (It works the same way Dessert does, and how there's always room for it.)
I must say that the person who came up with PvP was God's gift to the Gaming World. And being rewarded for PvPing with sweet gear/items makes it even harder to stop. I will say though, after taking the long break that I did (a year and a half or so?), I'm much more aware of my play time and am much better at playing in moderation. Because WoW will eat your soul. Like I said, being rewarded in-game for playing makes it all the more addicting.
BUT OH SO FUN.

Magic: The Gathering is the paper version of chess. I know how to play, but the only other players I really know are a bit too Serious Business for me to learn how to be good at it while simultaneously having a lot of fun. I do watch a lot of games, and so much memory is involved, it's almost as if the card text doesn't exist. Someone like me has to take 5-minute turns because I have to re-read every card in play, and even then I still make huge play mistakes.
I remember vividly watching Mick play a game with someone this summer and thinking the entire process was so quick and graceful, I couldn't tell who was winning or whose turn it was. Thinking a step ahead was never something I was good at. Nate once prepped to scoop(which means to pick up your cards before you actually "die" or lose) playing against Dean during one of his turns and said, "Come on, Dean, you're good at this game", implying that Nate knew the exact thing Dean had to do to lock the game win, and Dean would have been an idiot not to do it. It kind of reminds me of Bobby Fisher, and how he offered to shake his opponents hand like, 10 moves away from checkmating him. Shit's impressive.

And then there are comic books. I am a very visual person, and working at a comic shop has really brought out my enthusiasm for novels with pictures. WORDS WITH PICTURESSS. It's so easy to lose myself in a comic or graphic novel, to the point where I'll look up and realize I had almost forgotten where I was. Or what time it is. Or who I am. (Well okay, it's not THAT extreme, but you see my point.) The only problem with comics I've had in the past and why I don't own many is the damage it can do to my bank. Which brings me to my next point.

Money. Geeks have to have just as much money as the next person to afford their hobbies. There is a huge assumption that lots of us live in our Mommy's basement, but the only friends I have that still do are still in High School (cough). So we pay for living expenses, as well as MMO monthly fees, card tournaments, $30+ textbook-sized role-playing books, and reading material.

In conclusion, I ask: How is it fair for anyone to really judge or poke fun at geeks? Atleast we're having fun, and I, personally, love my life for being one.

So if you want to act like you're better than me because of it, you can bite my flat half-asian bum.

:D

Things I wish I were paid to paint...

Lou Romano, you are my goddamn hero.
http://louromano.blogspot.com/2009/06/up-color-script.html

So amazing to see how the picture script comes together based on how well-illustrated every frame is.


THAT is what I want to do. I want to tell stories without the need for words.

Free time on our hands.

I'm bird-sitting until Saturday morning. I have no WoW to keep me distracted from reality, and a lot of my art supplies are packed in the trunk of my car or in storage.

I'm only posting about this because

well

it's only fair to warn and prepare those who choose to enter the battle that is my mind versus itself

and say that there will be updates this week.

Probably a lot of them.



Like





more than two.


YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Rule #1: Cardio

You would think only seeing him once a week wouldn't make it so hard. But with every break up comes vulnerability. I feel so very brittle.

Rule #2: Double Tap

The previews to Zombieland at Smitty's in Biddeford were as follows:

Transylmania - Awful-looking vampire parody, that I would only see to support the mocking of all the overdone/overused theme of the mythological creature.

New Moon - Okay, I'm sick of Twilight and sick of hearing about it. But having read the books and seeing the new preview, I've concluded that I might not hate it as much as I thought. It still looks so angsty, but Jacob DOES look pretty gorgeous, and I feel it may be worth paying $9 to see him save Bella from her cliff-jumping while half-naked.

Legion - I'm not quite sure what this movie is about, other than fallen angels and Gabriel coming to Earth and attacking people. A good amount of my friends showed interest in it, so the chances I'll be seeing it are probably pretty high.

2012 - Standard end-of-the-world movie. Except the entire world is crumbling/caving in on itself? Look intriguing, but simultaneously looks like every other end of days movie ever made. C'mon John Cusack, what happened to all the cute romantic comedies?

And then the movie started.
Right from the very beginning to the end, lots of laughs were to be had. (I will warn anyone with a weak stomach, however, that there are a handful of parts that may induce cringing.) There is a small plot, and the main character even learns a few lessons on the way about life. The "rules" for Z-land that are listed or repeated throughout the movie make for a clever touch. I personally enjoyed the characters not having names and instead being referred to by a place they were either going to or coming from.
Woody Harrelson makes a very good bad-ass, insensitive, survival of the fittest kinda guy, and his background story will really make you "awwwwwwww".
The main character reminds me a LOT of Michael Cera. I almost feel like the part was written for him, but he didn't audition and someone else got the part. This probably comes from a slight bias of watching Arrested Development over and over for the past 5 years. But I have to say, I really liked the character and the actor did a great job giving him a solid personality.
There are only a few other characters, one being a fanTASTIC appearance by an extremely well-known actor that made me giddy to see.
Obviously there are a lot of things that happen I wish I could discuss without spoiling anything, but considering it was only made available to the public toDAY, I'll refrain. All I can do is recommend it to anyone who thinks they might like it, because they will not be disappointed. (Recommending it to anyone who doesn't think they'll like it makes me wonder why I really associate with them anyway.)

LOL JK



...no, but seriously.

Stalling on my bedtime

I love my new job. I get to draw a lot; what's not to like? And when I'm not drawing, I read comics.

Too bad I despise my other job. And needing it to pay bills makes me hate it even more.

It's also quite tiring working two jobs when I end up working 7 days a week. I consider myself lucky though; this stretch was only for 11 days. Theoretically, I could go months without having a day off.

And that makes me tired. And it makes me want to stretch. A LOT. As if my muscles are being pressured into each other like an accordion, and my body doesn't seem as though it'll be satisfied until I'm roped up to a medieval times machine with horses pulling apart my limbs.

I complain about being tired and then I stay up late. I do this because I have this mindset at night where I think sleeping is a waste of time. And then I sleep and don't want to wake up for work. It's a vicious cycle, really.

Sometimes I wish I saw Nate more often. But dating someone in high school should have clued me in on how much time we'd get to spend together. But my mom and brothers have all said on separate occasions that they enjoy his company, more so than any other boys I've dated. Statements such as this make me happy, and so does he. (:

WoW makes me happy too. I partly blame The Guild for me playing it again. All the nerd talk made me miss being up to date on all the sweet lingo and having uber gear, lul. I also blame being a half hour drive from Portland. (I also blame the two dudes that talked me into making a druid threesome with them...it's ALMOST as dirty as it sounds.)

But now it's time for stretching, then sleeping! Tomorrow is day 10 of 11. zzzZzZzZZZZ

Hypocrisy at its finest

Why is it that people make claims and state theories such as my "not being single means Mel ditches friends" (which is entirely untrue; I've been extremely busy and poor), and then said people neither:

a) respond to an invitation to do anything, nevermind attend them,

or

b) make no effort whatsoever to invite me to anything because they believe their theory to be correct so much, they assume I would refuse the offer?


It certainly makes one feel pretty alienated.

A sugary slice of Humble Pie

I cannot stress enough how much I truly value praise, despite my inability to receive compliments well. (I believe it was Nate Anaman who told me I do a great job of making people feel like a moron for trying to say something nice about me.) And I mean no offense whatsoever to anyone who isn't, but receiving compliments from another artist is like picking apples from the garden of eden. So delicious and yet, i feel so...dirty.

Catching things like this is one [awesomely super great] thing. But the current bi-weekly challenge of one of the forums I frequent involves drawing a cat using the style/technique of another member.(Get it? "Copy Cats"? Ah hyuk!) Two people have used mine. Two! Out of like, 15!
Things like this make me giddy and happy.

They also inspire me to draw more.
So you know what this means...










...it means I'm filled to the brim with inspiration while I stare at the list of art I need to produce.

GO MEL, WOO :D

A Cross-Posted Review

..and the Half-Blood Prince was not my favorite of the movies. A lot of things were changed, cut-out, or just plain fabricated. It wasn't a terrible movie at all, but it wasn't as accurate or as epic as I was hoping. I understand the need to cut back a little(the movie is two and a half hours as it is), but set your priorities, people.
The parts I was looking forward to most were sort of disappointing (especially the one that was cut out completely), save the cave scene.
Snape was too sympathetic, and Greyback hardly existed, and Michael Gambon as Dumbledore still hasn't completely won me over. Rupert Grint and Jim Broadbent as Slughorn both did a fantastic job. Daniel Radcliffe is really a talented kid, and I look forward to the day when he's cast in another huge role and has a chance to show off what else he can do.
Overall I was entertained, and going with a huge audience to anything is always more fun than not. I definitely need to see it again when I get my vision back, and I would still 100% recommend any Harry Potter fans to watch it.

In other movie news, it looks like Natalie Portman will now be playing Jane Foster with Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston in Thor. I'm still sad the movie's been pushed back to 2011, but I hope the extra time just means it'll be more awesome. (:

Side tracked

Eventually I'll post my full review of PortCon. I've typed up about half of it - it's gonna be a big one.

It's official. I am the PortCon Maine 2010 artist! My art is on the website, as well as the 2009 program schedule. My art for the Maine Boffer Games seems to keep showing up everywhere as well.

It feels strange to be an "official artist" of anything. It sounds too much like I'm working, doing what I love most.

And it is fantastic.

Although I will say that Julie very much seems to enjoy the stuff I find terribly mediocre. If nothing else, it's driving me to provide even more for her, so she has more to choose from

...but it's probably bad that I almost completely forgot about the fact I'm supposed to be working on a portfolio as well.
I don't expect my degree to get me a job. But I'm hoping it will get me another degree that WILL get me a job. I might be in my mid-30's when I finally become successful(hey, that seems like forever to a 23-year old), but I'm sure the feeling will be spectacular.

PCM : Day 3, Part 2

935am Saturday: Second coffee of the day(third of the weekend) and it's almost gone, very little sleep, losing voice, neck hurts, and having drinks every night in Julie and Ryan's room after the con closes continues to be worth the loss of an extra hour's worth of sleep.

Dead baby jokes ftw (:

Today is the busiest day! STOKED

PortCon Maine : Day 2, part 1

It takes a lot of balls to dress in skin-tight spandex.

That is all.

I am already exhausted. Maybe later I will feel more awake as well as clever enough to post something more amusing. The run-ons will be spectacular.

Maine State Looney

Pick any combination of four numbers, from the numbers 0-9.
This combination costs 50 cents.

This lady spent 41 dollars.
41 U.S. Dollars.

That means she paid for 82 different combinations of four numbers.

Before filling out one of the tickets, the lady asked me when MY BIRTHDAY was.

Gosh, the things I would do with my SSI/retirement money instead of spending it on lottery tickets!

With some art, age IS beauty.

Anyone who tries to say that cartoons are made only for kids are sadly misinformed. The majority of my watching, of course, comes from my love for the visual arts, and the studying of things like backgrounds, framework/animation, and overall visual delivery. Ed, Edd, and Eddy in particular has always intrigued me a little, as do most Squigglevision cartoons. (Home movies started out with Squigglevision, and later moved on to flash animation.)

As with graphic novels, I enjoy art that projects a feeling of movement. I can definitely see why it would appeal to children to use this type of animation as well; the constant motion, even while the subjects remain in static poses, is hypnotic. It makes me grin to think just how easy it must be to get away with so many adult references, just for using this one particular process. Because while keeping the kids distracted, the parents slash guardians slash babysitters have plenty of reasons to also enjoy watching it. This show in particular uses a wide range of vocabulary words I never would have understood pre-high school. It isn't unheard of for some jokes to be on the verge of crude, but mostly I just find them funny.

For example, today's episode of the Eds involved the first day of the new school year. The stereotypical, middle-eastern kid walks by them in the hall and says, "Prepare yourselves, boys. It is here we shall be mercilessly judged."

About a minute later, the schizo-kid that carries a piece of wood around named Plank is seen, miserable, leaning against a vending machine. The plank is resting nearby, and the boy, clearly suffering, says, "Keep looking, friend! I've had a hankering for a bag of nuts alllll dayyyy."

It's moments like these on the Cartoon Network that make me wish I had cable.

I'm Actual.

To be completely honest with myself, a tiny, miniscule part of me is relieved. I won't have to wonder, or whine, or worry anymore.

It doesn't matter if I was expecting it - I saw it coming.

But it doesn't even matter!
It still sucks.

Funny, today was right on the dot for the 3rd-month-since-he-left mark.

But okay, I won't say anymore about it. I'll get over it, and I'll suffer it all in silence from this point on.

[the end.]

A word of praise for a Visual God

Mike Krahulik was born in '77, and was 22, nearly two years younger than I am now, when he and Jerry Holkins created and started the webcomic Penny Arcade. The comic is now a national (and likely international) hit. They are up to their 5th published book, and Krahulik has illustrated for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, World of Warcraft, and several other well-known games. They have their own Expo, they both appear all over the country at different conventions, as well as E3 every year.
His work has improved immensely since 1998. Today's comic in particular is absolutely gorgeous.

Part of the reason I bring this up is because as far as I know, he never went to college. Drawing every day - doing what he loves most in the world - has given him the opportunity to succeed as a professional artist.
Topics like these are what make me wonder if spending more than $100,000 to go to art school would really be worth it.

Just a thought.

First Brosgol Vera Second Book

OH GOSH.

Vera Brosgol is producing a graphic novel from First Second Books. (First Second Books also published Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa.)

Stoked!

Is it over?

Isn't it funny how the things we fear other people will do, sometimes end up being things we end up doing?

A lesson in Eff Yuu Enn.

From UrbanDictionary.com-

FTW (For The Win):
An enthusiastic emphasis to the end of a comment, message, or post. Sometimes genuine, but often sarcastic. Originated from the game show Hollywood Squares where the result of the player's response is expected to win the game.

FTL (For The Lose):
The opposite of for the win. Used to describe a situation or thing that is undesirable, whether that situation was caused by the speaker or by someone else. Often shouted when someone is killed in a multiplayer game. Most commonly used by gamers, though it's gaining popularity in general online culture for anything that's disliked.


Both of these combinations of letters would totally make my Top 5 Favorite Acronyms list. I find them hilarious, and often perfect as a way of getting my point across.
Also, as a gamer who spent 2 years playing FFXI Online, and 3 playing WoW, "ftw" and "ftl" are pretty much the best tri-letter terms anyone could ever use, ever. The only one that even comes close is "lul", a complete mockery of the over-used "lol", and that seems so rarely used by any other than yours truly.
Any term that can be used in a humorous way, with OR without sarcasm, is immediately listed as Gold in my book. For instance, in this picture I drew of Link from the Legend of Zelda-
"ftw" can be interpreted however you may wish. One who is a fan of the Zelda series might think, "OMG IT'S LINK HE'S TOTALLY FTW", whereas one who couldn't tell the difference between the Triforce and a fucking falafel might think, "WTF IS THAT, HAHA HE'S SAD SO HE'S LIEK DEFINITELY SAYING FTL, NOT FTW. IRONY IS SO COOL RIGHT NOW. SO IS MISUSING THE TERM IRONY." So you see, in nearly any situation involving the term, everyone wins.

In conclusion, the acronyms "ftw" and "ftl" are both "for the win".





Oh yeah, and here's an owl. Too bad he doesn't give a hoot about acronyms.

Melting Doll : Origins

Whenever I read a graphic novel I find visually appealing, it's hard for me to get the art out of my head. Sometimes it is very clear as to which book it is, just by how drastically my style seems to suddenly change.
But I think it's safe to say that every artist who has established a distinct type of style has established such through the inspiration of others'. I've seen a lot of online discussions/forums where people say that it is actually beneficial to mimic another's technique, as long as they have no intention of taking full credit for it, and are willing to derive and develop as an individual artist.

I myself have lots of different inspirations, and am in no way afraid to admit to it. Sometimes I use the same ideas/techniques I've been using since I was nine years old, no joke:
I still make very round, wide, and sometimes squarish heads. (2004)
I am still shakey with shoulders, arms, and torsos. (2004)
My love for drawing legs and bare feet (2008) still overshadow my delight in drawing hair (2005).
Color is still my absolute weakest point (2006). So many drawings, thrown in the trash because of my obliteration of crappy coloring jobs (2006) , whether it be paint, marker, colored pencil, or pastel. Digital colors are the only colors I've found myself to be atleast somewhat consistent with, but still weak (2008).

Despite having so much to learn, and feeling old knowing it, I feel it appropriate to acknowledge those who have inspired me most over the past five years, helping me establish what I draw today.
Mike Krahulik, artist of Penny Arcade.
Vera Brosgol.
Jen Wang.
Clio Chiang.
Andrew Hussie (and Cindy Marie, "betelgeuse").
Chris Eliopoulos.
Kazu Kibuishi, editor of Flight.
Bryan Lee O'Malley.
Alexandria Neonakis.
Craig Thompson.
Cyril Pedrosa.

If you take the time to see their art, it isn't hard to find them seeping through mine. It is also interesting to see what catches my eye most, are those that show similarities to the classic Disney art legend, Mary Blair.
She would most definitely be my top "What dead person do you wish you could have dinner with?", aside from Cornelius Swarthout, who patented the first U.S. waffle iron.

But enough of my babble. It's time to mourn the ending of my paid vacation with The Office.

Color blind

I made fun banners for my site!

Too bad HTML codes melt my brain.

The colors look terrible at the moment, but I'm giving up for now.

#1 Chronic Worrier of 2009

Worst Case Scenarios:

A. "I've met someone else."

B. "I think it was a bad idea, and it's not gonna work out."

C. "Don't bother waiting for me."

D. "I don't like you."

E. "You're creeping me out."

F. "I'm filing a restraining order."

G. "(All of the above)."

Some, I would hope, aren't likely, but all are 100% possible.

I always fret when I go long periods of time without hearing word. And by "long periods", I mean more than two days. Sure, I spend lots of time with friends, and I'm rarely ever at home anymore, but time doesn't fly by quite as quickly when you're counting the minutes. Please tell me, Audrey Niffenegger - why IS love intensified by absence?

Bleh. I've got nothing.

Although if option A comes into the picture, I will fight. I will no longer reserve pistol-whipping for grouchy old ladies, if that's what it takes.

Beware my quality seal, bitches!

Because my boyfriend says the cutest things (:

According to Norse Gods Weekly, the Easter Bunny was laid off last week due to the Nation's economic recession. Cupid, known world-wide for his accomplishments during the holiday Valentine's Day, has been hired to take Bunny's place.

"This is bullshit," stated Bunny, now well over 100. "I just can't believe it. What am I supposed to do now? Work as one of Santa's elves?"

People worldwide seem shocked by the appearance of the winged love symbol, but not displeased. Matthew Major, popular for his famous haiku such as "Miss Spider Bucket", commented Thursday, saying there's "just something great about stuffing [baskets] with your loved ones". Major plans to spend the holiday in bed with his mistress, Brian's mom.*





*Not to be confused with Melanie's mom.

"Art blog", what?

With that being said, I will not plague you readers with my lack of cleverness today, and instead just smother you with my love for "the art thing". Remember you can click on the picture to see the full image!

Reality Strikes.

I love all of my friends.

And from here on in, I will always make an effort to both tell and show them every day.

Don't ever put it off until tomorrow, because who knows if there will be a tomorrow.

Where the Waffle-things Are (or should be).

Paying for oil heat is not a good idea, and I would encourage anyone that has been told otherwise to punch the person saying it right in the head.

Also, make sure your hands are not cold if you're testing the water in a shower before getting in.  You won't realize that there is no hot water until you get in, when suddenly your back is freezing, your hands burning, and your body confused.

The only amusing part of this life-scarring experience is the wretched picture you may or may not take of yourself  to prove your terrible misery to the world.  

But only if you're a vain asshole. ;D

As for "the art thing" (as a girl from work has referred to it), I'm still on slacker-hiatus, but will be back on it again this week.  Mostly because Brian is back from Cancun and I won't have an excuse to browse the web all day instead of make real attempts at being productive.

Really, though?  I blame my lack of waffle consumption.  It's clear that more waffles = more creative thought processes.

So, you know.

Buy me waffles.

Confessions of a Not-So-Teenage Dirtbag

The tricky part about not owning a computer is when you suddenly have full use of one, trying to pry yourself away from it proves to be incredibly difficult.  This results in a lack of productivity, and therefore, I am completely empty-art-handed.

I also find myself a little poor..er.  The internet has reached out to me with its grubby fingers and tricked me into subscribing to Netflix.  I feel as though spending any more time exploring these so-called Series of Tubes may cause permanent damage to my wallet, as well as my innocence.  I mean, $4.99 a minute(or should I say, per browser?) doesn't look quite so bad when the only thing I have to look forward to in my immediate future is walking in the bitter cold for 30 minutes so I can work for 480.  Okay, no, not really.  Because $5 is way too much to pay for any sort of pornography - I know because The West Wing told me so.

On a completely unrelated note, I think it should be said that I am a needy, high-maintenance little turd of a chronic worrier.  Don't ever date me.  The next year is going to be long and dreadful, but I will fight.  Because thanks to Pat Benatar, I am prepared for...well, fighting.

And since this is an "art blog" and I feel obligated to post something of the sort, I have dug up what I think is an appropriate picture I drew back in '05.

So, thank you, P. Benatar.  You have given birth to one of my favorite one-liner-song-titles ever.  These are words to live by, people.

Next up:  Hell is for Children.  Illustrated with or without the Corinthian, I've yet to decide.

Poetic Interpretation Illustration

My favorite thing to do is illustrate another's idea. Whether it be songs, poems, stories, spoken word, or even art, the amount of fun I have creating my own images from them is immeasurable.

Lately in particular, due to circumstances involving my personal life(teehee), I've felt extremely...inspired. I came across the following poem by Margaret Atwood, and managed to produce one of the best watercolors I've painted in weeks (I really need to start using brushes to ink more often.) I'll be scanning it in full color, later on. (:

Variations of the Word Sleep

I would like to watch you sleeping,
which may not happen.
I would like to watch you,
sleeping. I would like to sleep
with you, to enter
your sleep as its smooth dark wave
slides over my head

and walk with you through that lucent
wavering forest of bluegreen leaves
with its watery sun & three moons
towards the cave where you must descend,
towards your worst fear

I would like to give you the silver
branch, the small white flower, the one
word that will protect you
from the grief at the center
of your dream, from the grief
at the center. I would like to follow
you up the long stairway
again & become
the boat that would row you back
carefully, a flame
in two cupped hands
to where your body lies
beside me, and you enter
it as easily as breathing in

I would like to be the air
that inhabits you for a moment
only. I would like to be that unnoticed
& that necessary.

Transatlanticism - DC for C.

the atlantic was born today and i'll tell you how:
the clouds above opened up and let it out.

i was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere when the water filled every hole.
and thousands upon thousands made an ocean, making islands where no island should go.

those people were overjoyed; they took to their boats.
i thought it less like a lake and more like a moat.
the rhythm of my footsteps crossing flood lands to your door have been silenced forever more.
the distance is quite simply much too far for me to row; it seems farther than ever before..

i need you so much closer.