Drawings from the Danger Booth

I always come back from one of Rachel's conventions feeling inspired.  That's enough of a reason to keep going.  So, I drew this picture of myself being goofy.  He photo was taken in a prank photo booth with a friend.  It's an interesting challenge to draw a strang expression.  You can't assume things.  Maybe that's why this sketch came together so quickly.

Have some fun!
Be silly!
Take photos!  Maybe you'll find yourself in the Danger Booth, too.  ;)

Making Madness

What have I been making lately?  A lot, actually!  My own deodorant (after a terrible breakout from the one I bought from Lush,) a new purse, a lot of artwork for my friend's movie, a corset for another friend, and food.  Lots of food!  Friend, memories, and plans to travel to NY.  So here's to marathons of crazy busy madness, because sometimes you need it.

Anathema Still Needs Your Help!

Anathema is nearly half way funded, but Rachel still needs your help!

She's got five issues, FIVE to fund with this thing.  I know what's coming and let me tell you, it's going to be an exciting ride!  Forbidden romance, action, mystery, Monsters created by a monster fanatic?  What more could you possibly want?

Now, I know some of you are probably thinking that comics are for kids, or for geeks, or are wondering how you even read one.  Let me tell you though, that it's an amazing way of telling stories.  You see, like a film, you have the option of telling things with words, or with pictures.  Rachel's got this incredible way of selecting which tells what, for the best results.  She wrote one comic for an upcoming anthology in which all the text comes from actual letters, but the story is told in pictures.  Glorious!

We're going to be at C2E2 this weekend, promoting this thing.  She's only got a couple of weeks to raise the remaining $10K!  So please help!

Why would a person need to raise that much for a comic, you wonder?
Well, it's like this:  Rachel is not an illustrator, so she has to hire one.  He'll do an 11x17 drawing for each page.     There's 22 of those per issue.  Then, because the illustrator only does the pencil and ink, you have to hire someone else to color those.  It's a basic fact that there is a LOT of work involved. Christopher Mooneyham is the artist, and he's stellar.  Check him out!

I Love the Library!

I've had a library card for about a week and a half.  In that time, I have checked out three books on deep sea life, two on William Morris, one on face painting, two on comic books, and a movie.  This is amazing!  Why didn't I get a library card earlier?

Seriously, people.  And if you're one of those e-book people, you can rent those too! I don't know how that business works.  I'm a paper purist.  But I saw the station.  I know it works.  I love buying books, and I do when I can.  But now I don't have to stop reading because I don't have cash.  If you're lucky enough to have a public library, USE IT!

Thank you for listening to my rant.
Soon, you'll see what I've been putting all this research towards!

Excitement!

I have only a brief update for you:

The house buying thing is going well so far.
So is the wedding planning.
The arting, gardening, etc, has all kind of been put on hold.  But once we get in the house and I have a space where I can leave my stuff out, watch out!

I'm so excitement!  Yes, excitement, not just excited!

So it's off to the south for the weekend to relax, and take care of business.  Who knew you could do both?

Vacation in a Nutshell

• Always take lots of caffeine, and when you find the energy shots you like, stock up!  They don't have them where you're going.  
• Avoid the Pennsylvania turnpike.  And Pennsylvania drivers.
• Avoid NY city at all costs.
• Don't depend on your GPS - it doesn't know that construction will force you off of your route and into the Newark NJ airport.  Eek!
• Try not to bother the people who live in the affluent, neighborhood-watched neighborhood where the things you're visiting are located.
• Touristy hiking trails with amazing views of mansions and the ocean are best experienced early in the morning.  And you can get sunburn in October.
• Graveyards are cool, but it helps to know what their hours are.
• Restaurants are great, but it helps to know what their hours are.  Evidently, some places don't serve food between 2 and 5.  Weird.
• It's best to stick to seafood and poultry when you're eating on the coast.  Burgers are better in the midwest.
• DON'T STAY IN A HILTON!
• Don't visit Salem in October.  It's a very cool place, but it's too busy during that time.
• Beauport/Sleeper House was friggin amazing.  Who says you can't build secret stair cases and build your rooms out of doors?  This guy did it in the 20s!
• The Marriott is a most excellent place to stay.  They CALLED ME to see if everything was to my liking!
• If you want to take pictures at night, have a good flash, or other light.
• It's impossible to take a picture of a white stone mausoleum in broad daylight of a woman with grey hair and have it turn out looking right.
• There are very few street signs in New England towns.
• Those streets will confuse the crap out of a GPS.
• Packing a case of water with us was the best idea we've ever had.

Car Camping

I believe it's time to tell you about our weekend mini adventure.

Saturday night (at apparently 11:04) we made the decision to drive on down to Rachel's homeland.  It has been a haven for us, in times when life gets too hectic.  Most would think it's crazy to leave for a long drive at such an hour, and it's certainly not in my nature to do such things.  However, I appreciate spontaneity, and so we set off.  We made a road trip music compilation, grabbed the few things we'd need (pajamas, dog food and leash, bedding, caffiene.)

While the ride is beautiful, there's not much to see but darkness driving at night.  That's part of the charm though.  There are few places where there isn't any light pollution, and to be able to see the stars whizzing by from the car is soothing.

When we got there, we parked out at one of our favorite spots on the lake.  There happens to be a big parking lot, so that's where we made our camp.  Now, we've learned a few things since the last (only other) time we tried to sleep in the car.  Our creation was fairly comfortable, although cramped.  Maybe that's why we only slept for about three hours.  Poor Hazel didn't sleep much either.  Either way, here it is:

We took the head rests off the front seats, and reclined them as far as they would go, while moving the seat part up as far as it would go.  We draped our legs over the front seat, and it was the best sleep in a car I've ever had! 

We left the windows open, and it was a perfect evening for such a thing.  And not a bug bite to speak of! 







We rose early, to this beautiful scene:

It's a large lake, but this is the first glimpse you get coming down the hill from the parking lot. 

We came down here at night once, and sitting on the dock, under the full moon, it was not hard to imagine there were strange creatures just under the surface of the water, waiting for the right moment to attack!

Did I mention I have an overactive imagination?

This is the view from the dock.  Serene doesn't begin to describe it.









After a quick stop at the local grocery for some world-class hot dog sauce (that makes it so even I can eat one), we headed back home.  Rachel spotted this guy on the road as we drove by, so I told her to turn around, and we'd help him out.  Thankfully there's not a lot of traffic at 6 am on Sunday morning on this stretch of road.

He might have been scared, but it was better than squished!  This was the first time I have ever seen an orange turtle!

We were confident that he was trying to get to the pond, so we set him down here. It's funny how good a simple thing like that can make you feel.






And so, though it was a brief visit, we got ourselves re-attuned to nature, and returned feeling much more centered, and recharged, and very, very sleepy.  Poor Hazel was so happy to be home that she started HOWLING when we pulled into the apartment complex.  I love my family, and our little adventures.

Miscellaneous Madness

Things have been a bit crazy since last we spoke, dear readers.  Saturday night involved a spontaneous trip to the little town of Grayson.  There, we parked at the lake, and slept in the car.  With about three hours of sleep, we drove back up.  Even a small visit like that has a way of recharging a person. 

Then Tuesday, I drove to UC for the annual senior art show, and they're continually raising the bar.  It was a great show, and I'm so very proud of everyone who participated this year.  I don't know very many students there anymore, but that's ok.  I still enjoy seeing all the work, and I know how difficult it is to get there. 

Yesterday, at the traditional First Watch breakfast with my friends, I learned that one of my painting teachers passed away last winter.  I can't say I'm surprised, as he was a ridiculous chain smoker and it was lung cancer that finally beat him.  Still, I hate to hear that he won't be sharing his knowledge anymore.  He was tough, opinionated, and never sugar coated anything, but he would push you.  When you got it right, he would let you know.  TC, we'll always remember your "color modulations" and strive never to "swim in a sea of mediocrity."  Every time someone says my work is "off the hook," we'll think of you. 

Slowly, oh so slowly, I'm finding art is seeping back in to my life, and that is fantastic.  Indescribably wonderful, in fact.  I've got some new pieces in the works and I will be posting progress pictures soon.  I'm hoping to open an Etsy account to sell some of my older stuff.  And once I have some solid pieces in the vein that I'd like to work in, I think I'll be joining Blue Canvas.  I found the magazine not long ago, and I simply love the variety of work you'll find in there.  Wish me luck!