Pause

I hate to do this, but I want to be upfront. I had a grand plan to get my blog up and going, and keep up with it, and I was doing well for a month there. However, we've had a huge set back in the form of a family emergency. I will be taking a break during this. I'm not sure how long I will be gone. Please, check back from time to time, or subscribe and you'll get updated when I return.

Thank you.

My Non-Illustrated Attempt at Incense

Normally, I like to have at least one image to post with my updates. However, my images, while looking AMAZING, are not currently accessible, and I don't want to wait to post them. Also, while they look awesome, my first attempts at incense: not so awesome.

I read a lot about incense making before I tried it. Got all the suggested materials, and I decided I was going to try two types: self igniting powder incense, and honey incense.

Firstly, the self igniting powder. While this sounds like it could be potentially bad (and it may still have that potential) for me, it turned out to be as dangerous as a newborn kitten. I lit my self igniting powder, and watched it slowly turn into a still mass of non-lit powder, and then just a still mass without any smoke. Bummer. Though, when placed on a charcoal disk, it DOES smell very nice, the whole point of being self igniting is to get AWAY from the disk. <sigh>

Secondly, the honey incense. No, this doesn't mean honey smelling incense. It means incense made with honey as the binder. Apparently, this is a Middle Eastern technique (also, sometimes used are figs or raisins), but when I tried it, I got solid-ish chunks of incense smelling honey that melted when lit, and bubbled like honey-created lava. I was disappointed.

So, the experimenting continues! I will keep you posted. I want to start making all SORTS of stuff for bartering, so you'll probably see more here, and then even more. :)

-Me

Desk Organization Update!

So, let's just start with "I thought I was going to have a lot more time this month!" However, I was able to get some BIG CHANGES to my desk, even though it's far from complete.

The biggest changes came in an increase in space in my home. I now have my art "studio" in my bedroom, freeing up my desk for more academic pursuits, and (gasp) displaying of the photos of family and friends that I've been meaning to put up. I was also able to bring out my DVDs, which have somehow multiplied in spite of my greatest efforts. I was also excited that I could move my repurposing things into a spot in my room as well. This clears a tremendous weight from my desk!

Check out the top of the hutch? HUGE DIFFERENCE!

The bottom, not AS much of a difference, though there are some good changes.

I'm not posting a photo of the bottom of the desk because it's still a disaster zone! 

Normally, I would take a moment to promote another blog (in this case, having to do with organization), however.... I'm sure it's pretty clear that I haven't really been researching organization...

What? -sheepish look-

What I HAVE been researching, you might ask?

Herbal holistic information, how to make my own beauty care products, and other awesome home created things that I might be able to use to start a bartering system! Yay! 

I know, I know, "bartering system, M? Isn't that called money?" Yeah, yeah, so call me a little nutty, but if I can save money by trading stuff I already make for stuff that I would normally buy, wouldn't that be awesome? Am I the only one who's totally geeked out about this? C'mon guys! This is cool!

So, I have been looking at my favorite growing online herbal company, http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/ and I'm eagerly awaiting my new, awesome, incense supplies! Check out their blog here! They're a company who specializes in lowering their footprint on the planet, AND providing high quality organic and non-organic herbs for folks just like me and my mom.

Okay, enough about my favorite herbal company. Let me share with you the newest recipe I came across for spoiling oneself in the bath. :)

Posted by Be Beautiful (another pretty awesome blog in the 'sphere), I bring you, DIY Lavender and Chamomile Bath Melts.

And if you're allergic to either ingredient, or just need some change, Be Beautiful points out,

"Feel free to adapt this recipe to suit your own personal preference and tastes. Other great combinations include lemon and orange with grated lemon zest or shredded rose petals and geranium essential oil."

I'm excited to give it a shot. If you beat me to it, feel free to leave me a comment on how they turn out. Any tips and tricks as well.

Well, that's all I have for now. Off to work. Hi-Ho!

-Me

Artist Review: Todd Lockwood

As an up and coming artist, you draw inspiration from many different sources. My first was my mom. She was able to capture the world in art, and that was a fascinating concept to me. I wanted to do the same: to create a physical memory of something that didn't require camera or film. She showed me my first taste of professional fantasy art in the form of the Hildebrandt Brothers, whom I will be reviewing at a later date.

When I started tabletop roleplaying at around 11, my own art grew out of the need to give a visual representation of the characters I was making. They had personality, histories, and stories, but no visual reference. I knew that fantasy art existed in my games, but it was a sort of periphery experience. The Brothers, and my mom were really still the only influences as I began bumbling my way through learning anatomy.

I began playing D&D in earnest in 1995 with some buddies in high school. They had actual D&D books, and suddenly, the monsters were illustrated, the races were comparable. With the advent of D&D version 3.0 and 3.5 in 2000 and 2003 I began noticing one artist above the rest. I began developing a "favorite".

How could he not be my favorite after this?

What totally drew me in about Lockwood's art is his ability to capture light. It excites me in a way that makes me want to TYPE EVERYTHING LIKE THIS!!!

Especially in acrylic medium, I am very challenged by capturing light, and yet his art seems to glow! It absolutely fascinates me. Most of what I see shows me that light capturing talent, and it's amazing to me.

In addition to capturing light, Lockwood has a tremendous talent for grasping the conceived anatomies of animals and creatures that .... well ... don't exist. How do you know what a dragon looks like? You don't. So to make it believable, to bring it into the realm of possible, you have to make it appear like it might actually work. That's a talent in an of itself.

A little bit of info on Todd: He's about the same age as my mom, and went to school for art at the Art Institute of Colorado (which is partially owned by Goldman Sachs, but I'll forgive Lockwood for that.. :) ). He graduated and was doing art for some mediocre companies before he finally started building his fantasy art portfolio. 

From there, he was eventually hired on at TSR, which became Wizards of the Coast, and he's been propelled into the fantasy art genre ever since.

Thank you, Todd, for being amazing, and inspiring. He works on book covers, roleplaying tabletop game as well as roleplaying card games.

Here is his website. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, and just allow yourself to enjoy his rich colours, shades, and the grasp on the surreal that he has: http://www.toddlockwood.com/

He's also got a blog! Yay! http://www.tolo.biz/

I'll leave you with an awesome last piece of his, an oil painting. Look at the shades and light!!

-Me

WICKED!!

I'm just going to leave this here...

So, take a wild stab at what I FINALLY got to see last night?? Holy. Freakin'. Crap!

So, I won't go into a lengthy review. Many have already done that. Even reviews for the specific touring company that I saw perform it last night. I will say that it was more than I even though it was going to be. I was so impressed by the colors, the staging, the sets, the music, the dancing. It was AMAZING. The whole experience was surreal for someone who's been listening to the soundtrack since 2007, read the book, collected the calendar and posters, and feels, probably like many other women, like they relate to the protagonist.

I WILL, however, tell you how awesome THIS place is.

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas is a hub of culture in a city of tacky stage shows that are put together by (no doubt) talented performers, but for the benefit of the tourist machine here in the city. In order to catch these shows, you have to tolerate crowds, traffic, sometimes even the show itself.

In this troubled landscape of quick stage shows, having an actual hall where the Las Vegas Philharmonic orchestra is able to perform, a place where jazz and Broadway are celebrated and not just marketed, is a true mark that the city is growing to become an actual urban hub, and not just a flashy, loud light show. 

If you can see ANY show in Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center, DON'T turn it down! The place is breathtaking! Huge! We had "nose bleed" seats, and were still able to enjoy the show just fine! I was so impressed. :) (There's no way you could tell that, could you?)

This was all due to my dad. He managed to find tickets to this show, and even though he couldn't go because he wasn't feeling well, he was able to really spoil the shit out of me!

That is all. I'm cranking up my soundtrack and in a sort of green bliss...

-Me

Desk of Doom!

So, I didn't take the time with my update of my graphite piece of Laura Roslin to do a proper update!

I actually have an ongoing, month-long project. Now that there's more room to wiggle in my house, I'm working on trimming down the clutter on my desk. Now, I know, we all think our desks are the Mos Eisley of the house (No more wretched hive of scum and villainy), but I want to take a moment to impress upon you the monstrous project ahead of me for the month of September.

My desk has a basic open bottom, and a hutch. On top of the hutch, I've placed two smaller corner shelves on either end, and crammed stuff in the middle.

Example:

I originally numbered these photos with the idea that I would list off all my massive amounts of junk. However, I think that it speaks for itself. Just the highlights? 2: my printer/scanner, 6: my craft box, 7: my office supplies, 11: my repurposing stuff, and 12, 5, 15, 17, and 19? All art supplies.

That was my hutch and above. THIS is my actual desktop. You know, my "working space". Notable features include a stack of binders, by XBox 360, my monitor (computer is behind it), and ... you guessed it ... more art supplies.

Lastly, as if I didn't have enough shit, this is what is under my desk. An old monitor, some boots, my trash can, and my corded drill, just to name a few things.

I'm sure, now, you get an idea of why this is a MONTH LONG project for me. Whew!

In other news, I will be working on my Laura Roslin some more, and along the lines of awesome black and white work, swing on by http://artwithapencil.blogspot.com/ to take a look at some awesome pieces!

ALSO!!! Don't forget to vote! This is the last week to have a say in what I draw in October! Head over to here to vote: http://artsytude.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-next-piece-you-choose.html

Thank you!

-Me

Graphite - Laura Roslin

Hey all!

Hope your week has been cool. I know a lot of people were getting their miniature humans settled in the schooling routine this week. In my house, not so much that, though there was adjustment, chaos, and evolution! I know, vague, right? But I'm not going to write it all out! This isn't Facebook, silly!

What I DID get done was some work on a piece that I've been wanting to start for a LONG TIME NOW.

If you're unsure, I'm a geek. Figured I'd clarify. And one of my favorite geek institutions is the show Battlestar Galactica! Not the one from the 80's. Sadly, I couldn't watch that with a straight face, even though I DID have a crush on Noah Hathaway as a child.

 Not THIS Noah!

 As a child, THIS Noah. How many preteen girls can really appreciate a bare chest... c'mon!

There we go... Much improved with time.

...But I digress.

Because of my near-obsession with Battlestar Galactica of now, I've already drawn Starbuck, and I really wanted to capture the characters Laura Roslin and William Adama. Preferably in the same piece. I love the dynamic between these two, and I really enjoy how those actors pulled those characters off! Their tension and respect are palpable, and by the end of the show (no spoilers) I was bawling like a 4 year old without a nap!

I began my Piece with Roslin, in hopes to have a message of her looking directly at the viewer, and Adama looking away. This is in contrast to current marketing in ads that usually has the woman looking away, and the man looking at the viewer. 

Unfortunately... my lack of spatial perception led to Roslin taking up the whole paper. D'oh. So this will end up as two complimentary pieces, side by side.

For now, the work in progress:

I'm working with this source:

I'm not sure how I feel about it quite yet. I'm not truly comfortable with how my eyes turned out. However, I'm not sure if they'll shape up once the hair is in. Thoughts? Opinions? Let me know! Comment here, and I will definitely appreciate the criticism.

-Me

Reminder!

Hey all,

Just a gentle reminder that there's a poll open regarding what piece I will draw for next month.

The choices are:

Gaius Baltar, the character from Battlestar Galactica, as played by James Callis

(I may not pick this exact pose)

Or

Jared Leto, lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars, actor, director and producer

(Again, I may not pick this exact pose)

Here's where you cast your vote!

http://artsytude.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-next-piece-you-choose.html

Let me know! So far I only have one vote in!!

-Me

Kitchen Tin Cup Utensil Holder

It's been a long time since I've posted anything substantial, and I'm trying to remedy that. I've had a lot of changes in my life, and most are good, and making me evolve into a better human. Thank goodness! One of those changes is a re-shaping of my spiritual knowledge. I feel like we are supposed to be creators, and to that end, I want to keep using this blog to feature other creators, artists, repurposers, gamers (creators of imagination) and the like!

So, without further delay, I'd like to feature my creation in the realm of repurposing, for the month of September!

I've seen quite a bit on Pinterest (please, excuse my addiction) about re-using tin cans. It intrigued me, and I had a whole tote of them waiting for the creative bug to bite. They got in the way, they were shuffled around, moved from one apartment to another, etc. Until, eureka! I found what they were meant to be.

I decided to take the old door to a set of shelves, and create a vertical storage in my kitchen for utensils.

Here's what I started with, only with 4 cans:

First, I painted my board and my cans to reflect my kitchen colors. (Please, excuse my crummy camera shots in the beginning.):

Secondly, I drilled holes to mount the cans, and some cup hooks to hang other utensils from:

Lastly, I put the hanging assembly together. For this, I needed wire that was sturdy, looked nice, and would be able to handle being tied. I have several sets of ear buds, and so I snipped some old ones apart, and used that white-coated copper wiring to hang the piece:

What it looks like finished:

What it looks like filled with stuff!:

The only pieces that were not repurposed from somewhere were the screws used to hang and assemble the pieces! I'm super stoked!

This is my first repurposing project, and I'm glad it was so painless!

Some of my repurposing inspiration comes from Fab Rehab Creations. This repurposer goes some amazing furniture work, while being a stay at home mom to three boys. I love the idea that her kids are learning from example to reclaim things that will be able to serve a purpose even longer with a little work and creativity! Got check out her blog and see what creating she's doing!

On a totally unrelated note, my next project will be a graphite drawing, so keep a look out for that, and don't forget to vote for next months graphite drawing! That will be what you see me create for the month of October!

That's all for this week!

-Me

The Next Piece: You Choose!

Lack of Inspiration?

There has been a decided lack of inspiration to draw since I started playing an awesome game: Skyrim.

Now, before you tell me that I'm behind the times, understand that I am NOT a competitive gamer AT ALL. I enjoy my games on my time and terms. This game just seems to have terms that involve taking all the free time I have. Ever.

Because I'm not competitive, I didn't pick this game up for months after its release, and technically, I'm simply playing someone else's copy.

However, I can safely say that I'm feeling inspired to not only create art, but I'm also on a repurposing kick. So be prepared to see posts regarding that.

-Me.

WOW. Just Wow.

Holy cow, time flies, and I'm super distracted by life!

A lot has happened in a month. Wait, 2 months??

So, I moved into a bigger, more awesome place in April and I haven't painted much of anything for awhile, in preparation for the move, and also in recovery. But I'm starting a commission tonight. My coworker wants me to paint her and her daughter. So I'll be posting WIP photos for that soon!

I've gotten a couple new games started! Woot! I'm running two 3.5 D&D Forgotten Realms games, and participating in another, and also a D20 Modern game. Whew! Busy gaming times! But fun. I will try to take photos at some point (if my gamers let me).

Aside from being busy, not much has been up. Trying to get a handle on the new energy bill at the place has been fun. And by fun, I mean, stressful.

Also, my Mac died (cue Taps music) and I got my PC running again (yay!).

I will post more when I have something more substantial to post!

-Me

I Am Not Dead

I promise.

In the last month, I've had new roommates move in, started working on a character for one friend's game, started a game of my own, and I'm helping mom with another. On the art front, I've gotten a handful of commissions requests after my art went up in the cafe at work. Also, I've started a huge piece for my living room. It's going to be a very large project.

I will post more as I get more to post. Right now, the big piece is sort of ... well... a blob of background colour. However, as I knock out some of these commissions, I will be able to show those off.

I got my scanner working, so hopefully, pieces from here on out will be well scanned if they're not too big.

-Me

Update on Life

So it's been a little busy in my house the last couple of weeks!

I had two new roomies move in: Zasha and Siobhan. They're settling in nicely, and looking for work. It's nice to have a family feel in the home again. Also nice to have another couple of sets of hands to help out from time to time. We're anticipating much gaming. :)

In addition to that, I got my commissioned piece to its new owner, and he apparently loves it! I'm glad, because I really enjoyed working on that piece, and working with both ink and graphite. I have a few other commissions in the works now that the Ram is completed.

However, my big project is one I've been putting off, and putting off, and finally pulled out (with the encouragement of my new family) and began working on.

I had this massive canvas that I'd worked with awhile back, and the person who requested the piece and I had a falling out, leaving me with a partially completed piece. Well, I hate to waste a perfectly good canvas, so I've re-gesso'd it, and I'm working on a piece for our living room.

My mom decided she wants to do our living room in steampunk, which I am ALL FOR. So, I'm going to paint a deep sea nautilus submarine on this 5' by 4' canvas for us to put as the centerpiece for our evolving steampunk decor. I'd give a WIP shot, but honestly, it's just blue and green washes on a massive canvas.

I'm super excited, and will post pics as soon as I have something worth posting. :)

I'm off to nap for now. I will post more later, I promise.

-Me

Art - Work In Progress! Commission, Pt. 2

Some shots of the last part of the work, and the finished piece. Again, crap camera. It couldn't get the whole piece in the shot.

 

01

 

02 - Skull 

 

03 Final

 

04 Final Left

 

05 Final Right

This is ink outline with graphite detailing on illustration board.

 

Better photo.

Gaming - Systems

So, if you've ever heard a gamer debate systems, it can get heated. There's nothing more passionate than a geek defending their existence.

That being said, also know that there are geeks defending their gaming consoles just as fiercely. I've heard the Xbox 360 vs PlayStation 3 debate ad nauseum. However, this blog is mine, so I'm focusing on tabletop systems.

There are a few systems I've tried over time. Let me type out a list real fast:

System	Pros	Cons
Dungeons and Dragons (versions 2.0, 3.0/3.5, and 4.0)	Depending on edition, it's the system I know best. I have a love for "high fantasy", and can adapt characters to this system well.	4.0 = death. They're progressively dumbing the system down, and making it less like a table top and more like World of Warcraft. Not a fan.
World of Darkness (two different versions that I don't know the numbers for)	Nice and dark. Fills the little holes in my gaming life that are craving horror and chaos.	After playing d20 based systems, it's actually very open to interpretation. That can be either confusing or awesome, depending.
Call of Cthulhu	I LOVED this system. It was so tense, I was chain smoking through it!	I didn't get to play enough! That, and there wasn't a whole lot published, either.
White Wolf (non WOD titles)	Scion and Exalted. Had a blast. Both alternate ideas for settings that were amazing to immerse my characters in.	Again, not enough content. Also, the WOD d10 system has the same "loose interpretation" issues that WOD has.
RIFTS	Tons of material. Very customizable.	Can get very hard to wade through the books. Rules are NOT well organized.
Shadowrun	Nice setting (I honestly played it only once).	At the time, I was looking for less a sci-fi flavor, and didn't appreciate the setting. So, a con for me as a player?
homebrew	Getting to build whatever you need.	Being responsible for ALL content. Nothing published.

So, gamers out there? What are your favs, and why? What will you NEVER play again?

Non-gamers: any questions for the blog? Let me clarify stuff!

Art - Work In Progress! Commission, Pt 1

This will be updated a couple of times throughout the night, until this piece is done. So come back to see if there's anything new. (Or better yet, follow my blog, and you'll get a notification anytime I update. :D )

Here's the first shot. This is on illustration board, and it going to be graphite and ink. Again, taken with my crappy camera, so it doesn't look like what *I* am looking at...

01

This is grayscale as well (again... shitty camera jacked up the slight sienna colour of the board)

 

02 

 

03

I may go back and add more dark to this. It looks dark in the pic, but it's really not. Lilies done, now moving on to the skull. Bwahahaha!! 

 04

Last update tonight. Heading to bed, and will have more tomorrow. :)

-Me

Art - Commission: Rams Skull Drawing and Products: Graphite Pencils

So after drawing the Ram Skull Tattoo piece for my buddy, I got a TON of requests on Facebook. Apparently, it was a very sought after piece. So I'm working on a commission for the concept of a ram's skull, but I'm seriously thinking about doing this one in ink. I've been craving working with ink for a bit now. I'll post progress pics on here (and should probably move my OLD progress pics off Facebook).


This piece will be brought to you by coffee in a can, by Starbucks,  the number 7, and orzo pasta with alfredo sauce.

In other news, I decided to track down some information about the supplies I use, and just give everyone a head's up about what I work with.

When I first started out, it was to draw characters for my games. So I began drawing about the same time I started gaming. My supplies were easy:

and

That's it, folks. A kid who really wants to draw will not need an arsenal of drawing supplies. It takes motivation, and I was very motivated to put an image to the characters in my head that I was rolling dice for. I started off with profile images of faces. And OH DAMN, did they suck. I'm glad they don't still exist, because I would be mortified.

Nowadays, I have a whole desk crammed with stuff. Brushes, pencils, paper, canvases. Some things I'm cheap about (acrylic paint) and some I'm not (coloured pencils). I buy the bulk of my supplies from Blick's Art Supplies, and use their website, which is easy to use, and their deliveries are always top notch. I've even ordered frameless frames from them, and they were in amazing condition, packed with care. My paper from them, always beautiful.

To start off my "these are my supplies" segment, let me talk a little about pencils. I know, I know, what a boring subject. Really? Pencils?

But what can I say, it excites me. To get a good graphite pencil, for me anyway, it has to meet some basic needs:

1 - Fluid, unhindered motion of the graphite onto the page. Ever had a pencil where it feels like something is stuck on the paper, stopping the pencil from moving? Add a little force, and it moves like a small earthquake, leaving a gouging dark mark in it's wake. Other who work with graphite know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. The lead should be smooth, consistent, and buttery almost in it's application to the paper. The only resistance I want is in the paper itself, when I am working with textures.

2 - Ease of sharpening. How many times have you sharpened a pencil and the lead breaks? Or maybe you sharpen it, and the wood comes off in clumps? This can have to do with a dull sharpener, or a cheap one, but also it can be the pencil itself. I used to ADORE the pulp pencils when I worked with the standard yellow number 2. Smoothly sharpened, and not broken. Oh yeah. I've since learned that the high pressure pulp pencil isn't the best for graphite quality. So if it sharpens decently, that's fine with me.

3 - Can I drop it? This is important for me. When I'm knee deep in a piece, and I decide to take it everywhere with me with the tenacity of a mother taking her ill tempered four year old into EVERY Walmart to find a specific cheap romance novel, I want to know that I can accidentally drop my pencil and not be ruined for the day. I've tried woodless graphite, and while the graphite itself is AMAZING quality, the fact that they break when I so much as look at them cross eyed is enough to make me pass.

4 - Is it decently priced. Nuff said here. I'm not selling my car to buy this thing. Sorry.

For my recommendations, I like the Prismacolor Turquoise graphite the best, I suspect. Originally Berol Turquoise, produced by Sanford, these are made now by the Prismacolor name (coincidentally, also owned by the same people who make Rubbermaid, Graco, and Papermate products). I have some originals (or vintage) displaying the Berol name, and also some newer Prismacolor. They're both exceptional for the job. I rarely have issue with the graphite quality, or the wood. Other names I use from time to time are Staedtler Mars Lumograph and Derwent Graphic. Staedtler is produced in Germany, and Derwent in the UK. Both are decently priced, however.

The brand I do NOT use is General. While I'm sad to say that it's a choice that takes business from the "Made in the USA" market, I can't abide supporting a product that I feel is inferior. And that's what General pencils are for me. Now, everyone has preference, but for me, the above standards that I need in pencils are consistently not met by General. I especially have issues with the pencils falling apart while being sharpened, even with a new sharpener. The wood quality and graphite is not worth it to me when I end up just throwing it away, and reaching for one of my other pencils after minutes of frustrated sharpening.

So that's my "review" for this post. I will have work in progress photos up (with my awful camera) once I get started on this newest piece!

-Me

Gaming - The WEG

I've been playing tabletop or LARPing* RPGs** since I was 11 years old. Now, that might not seem impressive (and I am dating myself now...) but that's 20 years of gaming. That is a LOT of time devoted to one hobby. I often think, "What if I had played an instrument that long? What if I had learned business savvy that entire time? What would I be now?" But quite frankly, I am SO fulfilled by this one little piece, that it has become a HUGE piece of my life. (Plus, the only other hobby I've done as long, started hand in hand, and that was art.)

The fine art of roleplaying, for me, involves sharing a story with friends. You'll find all manner of gamers out there. Those who love the system, those who love their characters going through certain scenarios so that they can feel empowered, some who love the equipment and "character building" that comes from creating a person to plop down into the game. But I'm all about the sharing.

I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself. Who can blame me when it's such a big thing in my life? Let me lay out the basics...

"Gaming" for me (even though I live near Vegas) has nothing to do with sports, gambling, or anything so mainstream. It deals with consoles sometimes, but most times, it's dealing with role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, World of Darkness, or other games. It's part acting, part story telling, and part dice rolling. It involves creating a character, setting that character into a story being told primarily by one person, and then adding a random factor to the luck your character has.

The person running the game is the Game Master or Dungeon Master, depending on which term you prefer. Some call that person the Storyteller. And there can even be more than one. They create the setting. Non-player characters, events, buildings, etc. It's a daunting task. It's a task that I love.

 

The reason I'm bothering to explain all this is because inevitably, at some point, my posts will bring this up. I'm not JUST an artist, I also play tons and tons of RPGs. I text game with buddies, I run a weekly session online with friends who are in different states, I collect books for systems, even if I rarely play said systems. So, there will come a day when it's a blog topic.

Like today.

So, part of running a game is building a sense of anticipation. Players have spent time, creativity, and energy building characters, and usually get a little attached to them. So, one of the tools I employ is the Wicked Evil Grin (WEG). This is where I tell a player something seemingly inane (the forest is still ... too still) and then flash my WEG. They know at that moment, they're in deep shit. But they're not sure what or why! That's the beauty of it. 

Using the WEG too much can make it lose effect. I would estimate that I use it once every six months, across ALL the games I play or run. But when I do use it, I save it for choice times. It's an amazing tool. I recommend it highly to all out there running games.

So now, it's my turn to ask questions, and hopefully get some comments.

Have you ever participated in an RPG? Was your character badass? Was there a specific moment you will ALWAYS remember? Share that and anything else. :)

-Me

*LARP: live action role play. Meaning, go out, act like your character, beat each other with sticks and use fake spells. It really is as nerdy as it sounds, but SO FUN.

**RPG: role playing game. As explained above.

Art - Procrastination

I have one more piece to finish for my series. It's due by February 10th.

All I want to do is relax, read a book, and play with my new kitty, Morgan.

So, I analyzed my procrastination, and figured I'd compile what I found here, and see what I can find specifically for artists.

The first thing I realized, when I typed "Artist procrastinator" into Google, is that there are as many different ways to combat this beast as their are artists. It feels very much to me like that saying, "All roads lead to Rome." Basically, there are a ton of different paths and techniques to overcome this. The start of any of them depends on the person. Ultimately, you have to WANT to achieve whatever you're putting off. If it is something you don't want or need to do, the drive will never be there to do it.

Let me lay out some theories, links for further reading on them, and summaries:

Structured Procrastination: Just that. Using procrastination to its advantage by giving it structure. Then, you can argue that it's a "technique".

Procrastination - How to Overcome It: Has a couple of techniques for getting every bit of your day out of your day, along with how to combat avoiding a task.

Waiting For The Muse: 4 tips for procrastinating artists: Good tips, especially number 4. (As I find a place to stash my iPod)

Unlearning The Art of Procrastination:"Procrastination is a habit, which means it’s something we learn, then do it so automatically we don’t even realise we’re doing it until it’s too late..."

How to Be a Productive Procrastinator: Really good radio interview on NPR with transcript with Dr. Timothy Pychyl regarding perfectionism and procrastination, specifically with artists.

So, take a look. I'm going to make some tea, get out my pencils, and damnit, I'm going to get this piece done tonight!

-Me

Art - The Series

I learned about the idea of people doing a series for art years ago. But I decided to finally do so. I'm going to post what I have so far in my "Strong Women of Sci Fi TV" series.

Before you get too critical, these are poor photos taken of 11x14 drawings done in graphite on sketch board. All done in 2012.

The first, drawn after finally finishing "Battlestar Galactica" on Netflix, is "Starbuck"

 The second, from "Firefly" and the movie "Serenity" is "Zoe".

Third is "Scully" from the older series "X Files" (some have argued this to not be sci fi, but since I'm holding the pencil, and it's my series, I have the say. So there.)

The series isn't done yet, but I wanted to talk about my choice of topic.

I don't JUST watch sci fi TV, however, when I do, I often get drawn to these roles, this template. I think it's directly due to my upbringing. To me, this series is a making of those whom I feel (as fictional characters) uphold the values of strength.

Often times in this society, a "strong" woman is automatically labelled a "bitch". She stands up for herself, "Oh, she's a bitch." She stands up for her choices, "Stupid bitch." She defends her family or her partner, "Close minded bitch." She leads people at work, "God, my boss is suck a bitch!"

It's a shame that even with the amount of equality we have, that we still don't REALLY have it. When a man has those qualities, he's not automatically assumed to be an asshole. He has to actually do something mean to be put in that label. But strength in a woman labels her a bitch.

So my series is a tribute to "bitches" in sci fi TV. Strong characters, written to be controversial, or sometimes weak even while giving a bravado. Human characters.

-Me

I Can Explain It To You... But I Can't Make You Understand It

So, I work as a dispatcher for tech support. This week was a very, highly busy week. We were totally inundated with requests. People needing help on a level that was unheard of.

Our techs helped, our admins helped. NO-ONE complained. Not the people needing help frantically, not the workers (some of which were on OT on days off, or coming in at ridiculously early hours). I realized:

I am f*cking blessed.

How many people work for a company where they are not only treated with respect on good days, but ON BAD DAYS, TOO??

It drive home exactly how privileged I am. I really hope that never changes, and only grows. Amazing.

-Me

I love ferrets.

I can't really describe why this is the case. I had a pet ferret, Crookshanks, and he's the only ferret I've had grace my home.

That was a random piece of trivia.

I'm trying to decide what to do with this blog. While sharing my feelings with myself in order to vent them is pretty cool, it's going to get old real fast because, well, unless something is happening to me or with me, I'm pretty chill and my feelings are pretty relaxed.

I thought about maybe making this blog about my spiritual journey, but damn that's so weighty. I mean, I don't know if I want to bog down readers with the intricacies of my path.

I did tell my therapist that I would start journaling, detailing the progress I was making there. I don't really want that public.

So....

I'm thinking about detailing games, art and books. Three things I love.  I know there are a million blogs about those topics. But I don't care. It's what I'm interested in. :)

-Me

The Letter You Will (Probably) Never Read

Dear James,

While you will never read this, I wanted to type it out in the hopes that doing so will prove therapeutic for me.

It's been several months since you shocked all who knew you by making a terribly immoral decision. Added to that shock is how irrelevant the emotions and well being of all who love and trusted you seemed to become to you. In one fell swoop, you chose to walk away from 27 years of hard work instead of working to fix it, chose to bed an absolutely abhorrent "woman" (I use the term loosely), chose to tell those who reacted in shock and dismay to "get over it" and "deal with it", and effectively destroyed a tight knit and loving family who were under the mistaken impression that you cared about them.

It seems to me that you are mistaken in thinking that people are upset that you left Angel, and that's why they're reacting. Let me explain that while that's an upset (you did seem to be with your soul mate in my eyes, and seemed to genuinely love her), the real issue at hand for the people who love (or loved, depending on how hurt they are now) you, is that you decided to become an adulterer. 

Here in the good ole' U.S.of A., getting a divorce is like buying toilet paper. Anyone can do it. Hell, it's one of the most popular things to do (with cheating being just below that on the list of relationship fuck ups). So, why then, throw all moral face to the wind, and show your sons how NOT to treat a person whom you've loved and cherished for 27 years? Why cause such turmoil when it's SO EASY to just do it "right" and get the papers?

I have a theory about that.

See, since you were a teenager, you've been playing "good guy" and "white knight" to Angel's "damsel in distress". It's a lot of pressure to always be the good guy. To always be the provider and the saver of the day. Add to that some kids and the economic well being of the household, and you have a highly pressurized arena to fail. There's no thriving when there's constant pressure. 

So you had some issues come up as your kids got into their teen years. Your oldest made some hard choices, and eventually came out on top. Your house got taken, your son moved out, your wife began drinking once she lost her oldest to talk to. A lot of negative change was swirling around. It makes even the most noble of white knights pale to think about. And you were the one who was supposed to fix it all.

Except you weren't the ONLY one.

See, you put this pressure on yourself, and told your wife that it was the reality. So then she put that pressure on you, too. However, if you'd told her, "Hey, I can't be the only one holding us up here, I'm crumbling", then she would have had to step up, too. But white knights don't ask for help.

Your answer when the pressure got too much? Not a divorce, no sir. Going rogue. That's what a noble person does when they snap. They "go rogue". They cease to be honorable people. And that's what you've done. And guess what?? In your mind, you're still good! Because you know what's going on in your head. But the rogue you're becoming is pushing everyone away, and delights in causing pain, because you've been forced to heal pain for SO LONG NOW. The rogue you've become is hyper critical, abusive, manipulative, and likes to present a double standard (I should be allowed to say whatever hurtful things I want, but when someone else does, I rant and rave, and continually harass them via phone call).

So, you have reasons for what you've done? That's fine. It doesn't make your actions right. You're being immoral. You're hurting people. You're being selfish. And you know, in the end, you'll end up alone because of it. Because that's what happens to rogues, they end up alone.

Your "pretty" piece of ass is a cheater. She will cheat on you. She's also abusive to you and those around her. Don't get me started on what cancerous past has created the person who've decided to stick your dick into.

Congratulations: you've just ruined all you worked a quarter of a century for.

-Me