where am i going and why am i in this...

And Animals I've Never Seen

More sketches from a series of photos by Vishal. 

I am especially fond of the pug face monkey.

Pictures of Places I've Never Been

Cripplefinger

Things are hectic, the weather is frosty, and the year is almost over! I
can't believe it! My time the past few months is largely filled these
days with crafts and the illustrations I've been doing for an RPG
project dubbed EPHEMORA (of which I've begun posting some of the illos).
I've been commissioned to do 80 small spot illos for the book, due
sometime next year (Feb is my deadline). It's fun work, and something
very different from the usual fantasy based work I've been known to do.

In other news, a need reference and inspiration has led me to begin
utilizing Google's Reader application, which is really lots of fun if
you haven't used it yet. It's a pretty great way to keep track of a
bunch of blogs (I have around 15-20 different art blogs which I try to
keep up with, GR let's me know who updates so I don't have to check them
all the time), as well as any kind of random info I pick up in my
internet trollings. Check out the LOOKIT box in the right hand toolbar
of the blog for the latest of my postings (or just go HERE).

My crochet kick has been short lived after my left hand went numb
despite trying to be extra careful against any hand strain (the crochet
does murder to my hands!), so there won't be much else in regards to the
crocheted excitement. I've started knitting, but it's just not the same
(I really, really loved crochet), but at least I'll still have a yarnish
needle craft. I'm planning on picking up a sewing machine in the new
year with my illustration funds, so that should allow me to keep up
crafting without crippling myself further. Hurray.

Ephemora

Practicing the Craft

Soooo I have waaay too many hobbies. Since last I blogged I mentioned picking up needlework for ha-ha's.... cross stitch was fun, but kind of tedious overall. Sewing in general has sort of always been a troublesome chore for me to get through... so I picked up crochet, and made THIS lovely scarf. I've also crocheted a mobius strip scarf (which there are no pics of as yet), and am also crocheting an octopus. Yes. An octopus. I fucking LOVE crochet.

But do I stop at crochet? Noooooo, I don't stop there! This evening I have been working on holiday cards (shh, it's a surprise). Oh, boy! Hey, and we can't forget the possibility of a commission of 80 scifi themed illustrations. 

So, yeah. I've been busy. Don't expect to hear from me too much over the next couple'a weeks.

crafty

now i have understood

i think i have finally sorted out my issues with dreamweaver, and can now focus on building my site. 

check out [ C U B E F A R M ]. its still really sparse, but now that i've got my bugs worked out you should see some updates real soon. please let me know if anything doesn't work!

scanner

sketches 2008

Dead Things

It rained lots, and lots last night, just like all the weather forcasters said it would.

This morning i entered the fenced in pool area at my mums house to stretch out a sheet that had been soaked in the deluge and was struck by an awful stench. The item emitting the stench was quicly located as a blob of putrid green flesh bloated and slick from the rain. Bones were visible here and there where the skin had melted away.

After viewing the Dead Thing from several angles (firmly clamping tshirt over mounth and nose, breathing in coffee breath to avoid another whiff) I determine it to be mammalian, a large rodent of some kind.

* * *

pictures (beyond the cut for you squeamish types)

squirm1

squirm2

squirm3

i especially like the colors. Aside from upping the contrast a bit I didn't saturate the colors and more, that green is all real. You should have seen it earlier when it was fresh and bloaty.

Also, may I point out the grain like swarm of maggots at its cream center?

Its the food chain!

linkidinks

links be updated

summers end

this summer i heard so many people talk about how fast the season had come and gone.

blink, and its may
blink, and its june
blink, and its swampstock
blink and it’s gone.

granted, the summer isn’t officially (scientifically) over until the 21st of this month, but with the passing of the s.s. holiday weekend, and the start of school, i can’t help but feel it is over in that romantic sense that summer meant when i was a kid; that eagerness for the summer to begin, the long and endless stretch of wonder as it passes at a crawl, and that final, slightly guilty, excitement at the prospect of a new school year.

of course, it’s different now that i’m older and deal with grown-up things like going work in a chilly, air conditioned office, but the days are longer, and when i still leave that office the sun is still warm and high enough for me to enjoy it.

i traveled to foreign lands and experienced a whole new, exciting world.
i painted, and sketched, and dabbled.
i saw the sun rise.
i went into the chilly silence of a cave.
i sun bathed on a rooftop while the city roared below.
went into a castle.
saw mountains, and rivers, and vast stretches of ocean.

and it’s all been a very interesting summer.

but summer is over.

and the anticipation for all of the things autumn brings! the promise of apple cider, and the skitter of dry leaves. school, and those endless, crisp, pale blue skies. i like the autumn. rather a lot. my patience for the beating heat of the sun grows weary, and i long for the days when i can wrap myself in a wooly cloth and jackets, and see my breath in the air. and, of course, the glee of halloween, pumpkins (and jack-o-lanterns!), and warm pie!

another summer come and gone, and autumn looming close behind.
here it comes.


ps:
dear summer,
this is your queue to go away.

Returned from Beyond

Im back, and I have many, many pictures! Yay!

The whole lot of them can be seen HERE at the tattered remains of my non-existent website. Be sure to check out the subfolder of cool stencil graffiti, too! You can also go to my Facebook photo gallery for a more friendly version of the album which also has little captions of whats what. Stencils HERE.

The trip was absolutely fantastic, I couldn't have asked for a better vacation. Lots of kudos to Anna-Maria for being the fabulous guest-giver she is, I couldn't have gone without her, especially with the current exchange rates what they are (ouch!). So, huzzah to her! 

 My trip was filled with fabulous dorkiness (watched Doctor Who to an almost embarrassing degree), good food, and lots and lots of sight seeing, there were some fantastic museums of the art and weaponry kind, there was movie watching, and laughing, and art making. 

When can I go again??

In the end though, coming back through the yellow layer of smog to the chemical red sunset of New York it was nice to be back. One misses so many little things while away, most especially being in your own space. It was nice to return to my cats, and my stuff, and my art supplies. Even work seemed (for maybe five minutes) less evil than it was when I left. 

And now Im back, returned to the subway, and the people, and the noise. And knowing how much I really love this hot, horrible city.

Dude.

I can't really believe Im going to be in Austria in like, two and a half days. Dude.

enyaguy

there is someone in my neighborhood
i can HEAR them through my window
and they keep playing enya's ONLY TIME
over and over and over
again.
and i really rather like enya
embarassing as that is to admit
but
this is getting a little ridiculous

The Meeting :: A comic

this is what i do in meetings.

Nightdancer

Chomp!

Brainwave!

I've been stalling my updates because I still haven't found the base thingie for my digicam, no linking into the computer, you see. I know its here SOMEWHERE, but as to where, I am not certain.

But I have found a way around this dilemma using hightech gadgets (my scanner). So here you are! Meet the Piranha!

CHOMP!

Post 501 And the Continuation of the Burning Wheel

What a neat weekend full of exciting things!  

****pictures to come!!!**** First and foremost -- I have a new tattoo.
It is the hawtness extreme!!! Inked indelibly into my flesh on Friday by
Daniel Santoro of NY ADORNED. He did a lovely job, and was a fantastically
sweet person. The line work is mine, the colors are his (and boy does it look
pretty!).

Next, I have finished another four illos for Burning Wheel (see below). Belt of
Flying, Priapt of Fortitude, the Burning Wheel, and Hunters Boots. Im
amazed at how these came out (sometimes I surprise myself). I was a
little late hitting my deadline, the wheel and the belt illos took me
forever to work through -- mostly it was just me being wonky and unsure
about how I wanted to compose them. Once I got over my anxiety (a decent
nights sleep, and being home for the weekend helped) these worked
themselves out quite nicely. Pats on the back all around. Yay.

In other arty news, you should all go check out Anna-Marias blog. Shes
been posting some nice portfolio pieces of hers along with some neat progress 
shots. CHECK HER OUT!

I saw AVENUE Q on Sunday w/ Kat  and Corrie which was pretty cute, and
had a bunch of extra catchy songs like "The Internet is for Porn", and
"Everyone is a Little Racist." The whole puppet thing was really neat,
since the actors themselves aren't hidden behind any kind of screen,
they run around w/ the puppets in hand, but manage to make themselves a
part of the character, it was pretty impressive. Especially the lead
actor/puppeteer/puppet who had all of his movements perfectly
synchronized to his felty googlie-eyed puppet friend, which gave this
weird shadown quality to everything he did. It was neat, and not nearly
as corny as I feared it might be.

Many of you know I have a raging nerdie hard-on for DoctorWho, and I
keep having waves of excitement as the new season begins on April 18.
Seriously, the 18th cannot come soon enough. Im also excited to begin
watching the new season of Battlestar Galactica, which is also fabulous
in its own right (if sometimes a little depressing). I was so excited to
be going out regularly on Fridays and Saturdays, but now all plans must
be put on hold for my nerdiness.

Fear of a Number

From Dan's Blog I bring meme:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment here once you post it to your blog so I can come see!

From the always excellent FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS by Hunter S. Thompson, a surprisingly tame passage:

"Killed?" He almost whispered the word.
"In Vietnam!"

BurningWheel Illustrations

Here they are! My four pieces for Burning Wheel!