Editing till my eyes blur

UP TO MY EARS IN EDITING!

It's nose to the grindstone and wearing my fingers to the bone (to borrow some cliches) as I arrive at the last nine days of editing. Picture lock has to be final by the evening of June 9th (and earlier would SO be better).

Vegas shut down on me constantly yesterday so I got almost nothing done, but after running various updates and clean-ups and letting it rest over night, everything seems fairly functional today. So who knows?

I did get the climax scene finished, which has been freaking me out for ages because we filmed it across three different days and we never had all three actors on set at the same time. However for the most part it looks REALLY good. Oh the magic of editing!

Shout-out to my Logitech wireless mouse that one of our dear friends bought me. I LOVE it. It works great! I've been using it for all editing and the battery hasn't died yet. So if you're looking for a mouse, I HIGHLY recommend it.

Oh and while I'm at it, Logitech also has a mono-speaker that I would recommend as well. I got mine at a garage sale for five bucks and the sound is absolutely amazing.

Also, we've finally determined a premiere time and date. You can find out more details at the movie website.

Superheros and Fairy Tales

My theory about why people like superheroes is that when we were kids, we all loved to read fairy tales. Fairy tales are all about things bigger than life: giants, witches, trolls, dinosaurs and dragons and all sorts of imaginative things. Then you get a little bit older and you stop reading fairy tales, but you don't ever outgrow your love of them. … Superhero movies are like fairy tales for older people. All those things you imagined—if only I could fly or be the strongest—are about wish fulfillment. And because of that, I don't think they'll ever go out of vogue

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A Quote from Stan Lee that I just came across.

Once Upon a Time: The World Above

When I'm browsing at the library and just want something fun and light to read, I know I can always count on the "Once Upon a Time" series.

They're teen lit, and definitely not the deepest teen lit I've ever seen, but they do tend to run a notch above the average. They present unique (but not crazy) twists on traditional fairy tales and are quite clean and appropriate for their intended audience. They are even fun for the adult fairy tale fan (like myself) to pick up for light reading.

I just finished "The World Above" which is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. I will admit I went into the book skeptical, but came out of it delighted. Let's just say it's a new twist that works well. The girl on the cover? No, that's not Jack. That's his much more practical twin sister. And that beanstalk was far from random...

Not to mention the story features one of my favorite mythical characters as the leading man... who? You'll just have to read it to find out!

X-Men: First Class --- what does it look like now?

No Spoilers here! You're safe to keep reading!

Yesterday I went on a major spree of watching XMFC clips and reading reviews. Not that I haven't been keeping up (I consistently catch errors in Comicvine's "Character Profiles" for this movie which should indicate that I'm reading even more interviews than they are), but yesterday it seemed the deluge really began. One website actually had 20 minutes of behind the scene footage. Since I'm hard of hearing and can't hear the lines anyhow, it was only about half as spoiler-y for me as it was for everyone else. But even that really showed me that this movie is looking to be good.

What? I'm saying this after all of my naysaying?

Well, keep in mind, I've always said I believe it should be a fairly good movie. You know, production values wise. It's got a solid director, some REALLY good actors and from all we've seen the script looks well-written (if not really in the least accurate).

Recent reviews have reinforced all of this --- in fact, they've been almost unanimously raving. Several have even said that despite the weird line-up and timeline mess-ups, the script actually works around these issues very well -- which was more than I ever expected to hear.

So now I'm getting excited. A part of me wonders if FOX deliberately did a campaign of "let's make it look awful so that everyone will be stunned by how good it actually is."

At the top I said this review was going to be spoiler free. That's because there is SO much I could say, but I don't want to assume that you all want to be spoiled. If you want links to some of the spoiley stuff, or want me to do a post of spoilers, let me know in the comments.

Otherwise --- 7 days and counting down! ;)

DeviantArt and First Complete Comic Page

Having finally accepted that facebook and this blog are not the most efficent ways to display my art (at least not in high rez) I've finally caved and started my own deviantart account. I would love to have you stop by my page (which I'm still uploading my pieces to) and check out some of the new projects that haven't made it on my blog.

Including my very first complete comic page!

Clone Drama by ~Elenatintil on deviantART

Read more about the story behind the page on deviantART!

Do you have a deviant account? Send me a message on the site and let me know and I'll add you to my list of people to watch!

Doctor Who: The Rebel Flesh

Weird as this episode was... on reflection I realize that I rather like it.

Amy, Rory and the Doctor land on a monastery island in the 22nd century and warn the inhabitants that they must evacuate before a dangerous solar storm hits. However they discover that the inhabitants are using a cloning system (reminiscent of Avatar) to process dangerous acid and pipe it to the mainland. The inhabitants refuse to leave and when the storm hits, the electricity somehow separates the clones from the humans, making them come fully and completely alive and no longer in need of a human 'driver.' The problem is that the clones have the exact same memories and emotions as their human counterparts... which makes figuring how who is real and who is not a major question.

But the bigger question is -- how are we to say the clones are not real?

And this is what I love about the episode. Doctor Who's brilliance comes from many things, but one of the biggest is that it is not afraid to tackle big ethical questions. The Doctor has always been the biggest champion ever of the right to life and will defend anything if there is even a chance it is sentient.

Ethical questions along these lines were a big part of David Tennant's run, so that may be why they've chosen to follow other plot-drivers in Matt Smith's run. To date we've only really had "The Beast Below" and "The Hungry Earth" two parter to really deal with ethical issues. In fact, one of the biggest problems many fans had with the Silence in 6.1 and 6.2 was that the Doctor basically engineered their genocide -- a move that many of us felt was a strong contradiction to the Doctor's character.

So anyhow, I'm glad we are getting an ethical question again here in episode 6.5. And cloning is a deeply relevant question to our times as our own technology moves closer and closer to the possibility of real human cloning. I'm very interested to see how everything plays out, especially after the twist in the last scene!

Other favorite bits?

The fact that there was this vastly advanced technology in the middle of medieval ruins.

Rory's big brotherly protection of Jennifer. :) This is especially appropriate when you realize that Rory spent 2000 years as a plastic duplicate. This situation is VERY close to home for him.

The human and his clone (I forget their name) reminiscing about when their son was born. The moment when the human realized that his clone really did have all the same memories and emotions... one of the most poignent moments the season has given us so far.

What didn't work?

Too many characters. I haven't had this much trouble following a cast since the Waters of Mars (which this episode had more than a little in common with).

The darkness. Would it really had been impossible to light the scenes better? I get that they're playing with the dark for plot reasons, but there's a point when you just get tired of too much darkness and not enough stuff to... well... watch!

Favorite Quotes

The Doctor: I have things to do. Things involving other things.
Amy: Well, we'll stay with you. We'll do the other things.
The Doctor: Nope.
Amy: Whatever you're up to, I personally like to be a part of it.

The Doctor: Behold! A cockerel. Love a cockerel. And underneath a monastery. Ah, thirteenth century.
Amy: Oh. We've gone all mediaeval.
Rory: I'm not sure about that.
Amy: Really? Mediaeval expert, are you?
Rory: No, it's just that, I can hear Dusty Springfield.

Overhead: Halt and remain calm!
The Doctor: Well we've halted. How are we all doing on the calm front?

The Doctor: How long would you say we were unconscious for, please?
Cleaves: Not long, a minute, two minutes.
The Doctor: I'd hazard we've been out a teensy bit longer.
Cleaves: For how long?
The Doctor: An hour. I've seen whole worlds turn inside-out in an hour. A lot could go wrong in an hour.

(Note from Elena -- in case you didn't get this very meta joke, an hour is the typical airing length of a Doctor Who episode. ;) )

Jennifer: I couldn't get out of my harness. I thought I was going to die.
Rory: Welcome to my world.

The Doctor: Hello. How are we all getting on?
Ganger Cleaves: Why don't you tell us.
The Doctor: Well we have two choices. The first is to tear each other apart—not my favorite. The second is to knuckle down and work together. I'm here to work out how best we can help you.

The Doctor: Before we do anything, I have one very important question. Has anybody got a pair of shoes I can borrow? Size ten. But I should warn you, I have very wide feet.

Cleaves: This circus has gone on long enough!
Ganger Cleaves: Oh great. You see that is just so typically me.

Happy Anglophile

Earlier this week my sister and I were at Target when I saw the Will and Kate commemorative magazines. Of course I immediately started mentally drooling over them, but knew I couldn't afford to shell out $10 for one of them.

Then, this week my sister's car broke down and she needed to borrow mine. She decided to sweeten the deal with this:

It is so awesome! It's got tons of high rez photos that show all the details of Kate's dress... and it's made on really nice stiff paper too. It's truly a collector's edition.

A magazine really is better than the internet sometimes.

But the Anglophile happiness doesn't stop there.

Two of my favorite British actors, David Tennant and Catherine Tate (Doctor Who) are currently playing the leads in my favorite Shakespearean play, "Much Ado About Nothing." Since going to see the play live is one dream that's not going to happen, I decided to buy myself the special edition of the script complete with cool cover and interviews (Oh, and it was on sale too).

Half the fun, of course, was getting a package from England. I was so delighted that I cut out the postage and taped it into my journal with other papers of note. Too much fun. :)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Release Day

POTC 4 comes out today! My sister has just left to go see it and I'm waiting anxiously to learn what she thinks! Unfortunately it'll be at least a week before I can see it since no theaters in our area have it captioned this week and I refuse to shell out for a movie ticket if I can't understand what people are saying.

The reviews I've read have been pretty lackluster, so I'm really curious to know what you all think. When you see it, would you leave a comment here to let me know how it was?

Lawn Mowing Joys.

I really like mowing the lawn.

Okay, I'm pretty much a girly-girl and I'm not knowing for doing terribly outdoorsy things. But there is just something so peaceful about lawn mowing! Plus it's a great way to get sunlight and fresh air... and use the riding lawn mower! And I like the sense of satisfaction each time I cut a new swath across the lawn.

Only downside? After cutting the former Dandelion City, the lawn now looks like Dandelion graveyard.

American Girl Nostalgia

I'll never forget the birthday I pulled away the wrapping paper from a long white box and first met my Kirsten doll. It was the beginning of a long and wonderful friendship with the American Girl Company. Over the years I received four dolls, subscribed to the magazine, joined the girls club, bought most of the paperdolls, craft books and dramas, participated in one Kirsten play, and read all (and owned most) of the novels.

Yesterday a friend linked to a wonderful article that was full of wonderful memories and nostalgia. The comments below it in particular were eyeopening into just how widespread the love of American Girl was (and still is).

What Your American Girl Doll Says About the Rest of Your Life

By Chiara Atik

Samantha Parkington:
Did you know, when you picked her out, that Samantha was the cool one? Or were you simply drawn to her glossy brown hair, sophisticated accessories (she had a fur muff!) and rich demographic? Either way, every girl wanted a Samantha. If you owned her, you quickly learned the value of cachet.

By virtue of acquiring a status symbol early on (a Samantha doll was the designer jeans of third grade), you never quite had to worry about things the way other girls did. You therefore grew up to be confidant, capable, and nonplussed. You've always been well liked. You aren’t the funniest in your group, but you’ve never really noticed or cared. If you thought about it, you could probably recognize other women who had Samanthas. But that’s not that impressive: everybody can.

Molly McIntire:
If you had Molly, you probably wanted Samantha instead, but contented yourself with Molly because you too wore glasses, liked books, were bad at math, and would concoct various schemes to get attention. (Oh, Molly.) If you were a Molly, and had a Molly (as opposed to being a Molly and aspirationally owning a Felicity), you were imbued, then and now, with an immutable sense of self... (Continue Reading)

Wedding adventures

So this year I'm experiencing my first time as a bridesmaid. Well, first and second but they are happening kind of all mixed up together. It never rains but it pours, right?

We went dress shopping for my brother's wedding last week and it was really cool. I didn't know this, but you have to make an appointment at the dress shop when you're doing a full party, and they write down all the measurements and information on everyone. Then we tried on tons and tons of dresses. And of course they didn't have our styles in the actual colors, so we had to try styles and ignore the colors of the dresses we were trying on.

Thankfully we think we did find a dress that everyone seemed pretty happy with. It's short, but not uncomfortably short, and it's got one shoulder strap and doesn't show any cleavage, so I'm quite pleased. And with a little alteration it's perfect for wearing again afterwards.

Afterwards the bride to be and her mom took us out for a lovely meal at Biaggi's. I have to say I am getting such a considerate sister! They made sure that there were gluten free options and I didn't have to worry at all about it. I even got GOOD gluten free bread which I had begun to believe didn't exist!

Weddings are work. And finding a dress/color that works for everyone can be stressful. But that doesn't mean there can't be fun and delight mixed in too. :)

The Doctor's Wife

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Well...

We knew from the first there was a pretty solid chance that the title was metaphorical. However I don't think the reveal was at all a let down. After all, it was such a unique chance! The Tardis talks! And walks! And... kisses. Or bites. Or whatever.

I think this is an episode that is really going to grow on me. Unlike the first two, which are very plot driven, and the last one, which was very cheesy and light, this one really is (as Neil Gaiman put it) a "Love Letter to the Fans". It's full of in references and deep emotions that will make it an episode worth watching again and again.

It was wonderful to see the Tardis as a woman. Full of life, humor and wit, perhaps the most delightful and poignant revelation was that she "stole the Doctor." How touching is that? And who wasn't misty-eyed at the end of the episode?

(Plus, who didn't squeal when we got to spend a bit of time in David Tennent's console? WIN!)

Only downside of this episode? The Doctor destroyed the pool. NO! NOT THE POOL!

(Well, and Rory died again. But only for about thirty seconds so I am holding off on the assassination order.)

Favorite Quotes

Rory: What is this place? The Scrapyard at the End of the Universe?
The Doctor: Not end of. Outside of.
Rory: How can we be outside the Universe? The Universe is everything.
The Doctor: Imagine a great big soap bubble with one of those tiny little bubbles on the outside.
Rory: Okay.
The Doctor: Well it's nothing like that.

Idris: Time and Relative Dimension in Space. Yes that's it. Names are funny. It's me. I'm the TARDIS.
The Doctor: No you're not! You're a bitey mad lady. The TARDIS is up-and-downy stuff in a big blue box.
Idris: Yes, that's me. A type 40 TARDIS. I was already a museum piece when you were young. And the first time you touched my console, you said—
The Doctor: I said you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever known.
Idris: Then you stole me. And I stole you.
The Doctor: I borrowed you.
Idris: Borrowing implies the eventual intention to return the thing that was taken. What makes you think I would ever give you back

Idris: You're the Doctor. Focus.
The Doctor: On what?! How? I'm a mad man with a box without a box. I'm stuck down the Plughole at the End of the Universe in a stupid old junkyard! Oh.
Idris: Oh what?
The Doctor: No, I'm not.
Idris: Not what?
The Doctor: 'Cause it's not a junkyard. Don't you see it's not a junkyard?
Idris: What is it then?
The Doctor: It's a TARDIS junkyard. Come on!

The Doctor: Oo. Sorry. Do you have a name?
Idris: Seven hundred years, finally he asks.
The Doctor: And what do I call you?
Idris: I think you call me... Sexy.
The Doctor: Only when we're alone.
Idris: We are alone.
The Doctor: Oh. Come on then, Sexy.

The Doctor: Yes. Yes, I have actually rebuilt a TARDIS before, you know. I know what I'm doing.
Idris: You're like a nine-year-old trying to rebuild a motorbike in his bedroom. And you never read the instructions.
The Doctor: I always read the instructions.
Idris: There's a sign on my front door. You have been walking past it for seven hundred years. What does it say?
The Doctor: That's not instructions!
Idris: There's an instruction at the bottom. What does it say?
The Doctor: "Pull to open."
Idris: Yes, and what do you do?
The Doctor: I push!
Idris: Every single time. Seven hundred years. Police box doors open out the way.

The Doctor: You know, since we're talking with mouths—not really an opportunity that comes along very often—I just want to say, you know you have never been very reliable.
Idris: And you have?
The Doctor: You didn't always take me where I wanted to go.
Idris: No, but I always took you where you needed to go.
The Doctor: You did.

Idris: Do you ever wonder why I chose you all those years ago?
The Doctor: I chose you. You were unlocked.
Idris: Of course I was. I wanted to see the Universe so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away. And you were the only one mad enough.

The Doctor: What do you think, dear? Huh? Where should we take the kids this time?
Amy: Look at you pair. It's always you and her isn't it? Long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and his box off to see the universe.
The Doctor: Well you say that as if it's a bad thing. But honestly it's the best thing there is.

The Doctor: The House deleted all the bedrooms. I should probably make you two a new bedroom. You'd like that wouldn't you?
Amy: Okay. Um. Doctor, this time could we lose the bunkbeds?
The Doctor: No! Bunk beds are cool. A bed. With a ladder. You can't beat that.

Little bit of Shiny

My friend Alicia and I have been working almost daily on a story for about four months now. Because we're writing it on a forum, we of course have pretty signatures... Alicia (who does professional graphic design) made this one for me. I am in love.

Also... X-Men fans... there's an upcoming issue that looks like a must have for fans of Gambit, Jubilee, Wolverine and X-23. It's got one of the really good writers and absolutely GORGEOUS artwork. I've not yet gone into a store and bought a full priced comic, but I think I am going to have to for this one!!!! See the art preview and an interview with the writer here!

Obi Wan Kenobi is Dead.

CORUSCANT — Obi-Wan Kenobi, the mastermind of some of the most devastating attacks on the Galactic Empire and the most hunted man in the galaxy, was killed in a firefight with Imperial forces near Alderaan, Darth Vader announced on Sunday.

In a late-night appearance in the East Room of the Imperial Palace, Lord Vader declared that... (Continue Reading)

Two friends pointed this out to me simultaneously on Facebook and I just about died laughing. Nevermind that I'm both a conservative Republican and stanch Rebel, this piece is hilarious! Star Wars Fans --- enjoy!

Thor

Summer's off to a bang with a smashing action flick that's got a little bit for every fan of science fiction, fantasy, high adventure and romance!

Thor Odinson is the eldest born of an alien race that medieval humans once mistook for gods. And considering the powers the inhabitants of Asgard have to display, that's not surprising! Not to mention their space age technology and dazzling dimension jumping travel bridge.

In fact, Thor doesn't have much to complain about. He's got a loving father and mother, a devoted younger brother, and a band of fun sidekicks (which, believe it or not, include a girl member!). He's also got a super awesome hammer of power and is about to be crowned king of Asgard.

Then those Frost Giants had to meddle and Thor (who is a bit of a hothead) gathers up his gang to go give those Frosties a pounding. Dad Odin isn't too happy about this rash act and thinks that maybe Thor could use some lessons in humility and patience before taking on the duties of king. So with a whiz and a bang he sends Thor off to planet Earth.

There Thor gets more than a bang on a head as he's discovered by scientist Jane Foster. She helps him learn the wonders of the modern world, and he enchants her with his sweet chivalry(Okay, so the cup smashing bit doesn't count as chivalry and Jane wasn't too happy about that, but boy was it ever funny... yeah, you've got to watch it to understand).

Thor, naturally, wants to find his hammer and get back home. However, government agency S.H.I.E.L.D. is interested in the hammer too, and back home, little brother Loki has made some disturbing discoveries that could destroy Asgard.

Humorous, epic, jaw-dropping and sweet, "Thor" may be one of the funnest and most enjoyable movies I've seen in awhile. Delightful acting (including screen veterens Stellen Starsgaard, Natalie Portman and legend Anthony Hopkins), fine directing (by the magnificent Kenneth Branagh), and fantastic special effects (seriously, they managed to make the rainbow bridge the coolest thing ever, and that's no easy feat! I mean, seriously, the 'rainbow bridge'?), this movie has got it all.

Even better it features a positive message, champions good old fashion honor, respect and selflessness, and manages to achieve this without ever coming across as preaching. Furthermore, parents are treated as lawful, good authorities (a rarity in film these days!) and the hero refrains from doing more than planting a simple kiss on the heroine's hand.

There's action, but no explicit gore or disturbing violence, no sexuality (even the female costumes remain fairly modest), and little language. It's PG-13, but a light one that seems made for family viewing.

Best of all, it's just plain fun.

Editing, teaching, and birthday.

Editing takes a lot out of a person. Well, editing on top of teaching a sewing class.

Not that I'm complaining! I love both tasks. Actually, I rather adore my sewing class. I teach four little girls and they are so sweet and so polite! And our classroom is this gorgeous four season porch looking out over a lake. And it's spring. So happiness!

Also, I would like to wish a VERY happy birthday to my dear friend Alicia! Friend, co-writer on a story we've written together over four months (and only missed a handful of days!), co-conspirator in evil schemes in that same story, and a wonderfully encouraging art mentor. Thank you so much for your friendship, Alicia! Happy Birthday!

Now I'm off to get some sleep and rest up before tomorrow brings another round of editing. Hmm... what scene should I do next? I've been doing a lot of Rose heavy stuff lately. I should do something with Blanche...

Happy Mother's Day

Where would we be without our wonderful mothers? What if God had never created them? Just had us appear out of little clone pods that grow on trees? NO THANK YOU!

So... Thank you, God, for creating mothers.

Doctor Who: Day of the Moon

How do you keep count of how many aliens are invading earth when you can't remember them? Simple. While you're looking at them, you make a tally mark on your skin. Then, when you look away, you'll still have visible proof that they exist. And if the marks start randomly appearing, say, by the dozens while you're in a creepy abandoned orphanage, you know that you're probably surrounded by them.

And what if you can't remember what they look like? Embed a recording system in your hand and record a verbal description while you're looking at the creatures. It'll blink when you're done recording, so when you look away from the aliens you will see the blinking light and know to listen to your messages.

Am I making sense so far? Good. Because those are just about the only two facts that are absolutely clear in "Day of the Moon." Beyond that, all I can really say are questions.

Is Amy Pregnant or Isn't she?

Who is the little girl? Why did she have to live in the space suit? How is she a Time Lord?

Why did the Silence kidnap Amy? Why did they tell her "You will bring the Silence?"

And if the Silence are aliens, what does the phrase mean "Silence will Fall?"

Why were Amy, Rory and River running around for three months chased by the FBI?

Why was the Doctor a Prisoner?

There's no way the Silence are gone for good. How will they come back? Why did the Doctor brush off everything so quickly?

Over the past week I have discussed and read SO many theories regarding all of this. I was going to compile them all here but...

My theory? The little girl is Amy and Rory's baby, and she became a Time Lord because of Amy's exposure to the the crack in her wall and the Tardis. I think there is also a pretty decent chance that the little girl is River Song.

I'm also still not entirely convinced that the Silence are Evil.

I was furious that the writers decided to torture poor Rory some more. Hasn't he gone through enough? Brilliant, though, that they referenced his time as a Roman.

All around very good acting in this episode. Karen Gillian especially! I loved her costume for the orphanage scene.

Most heartbreaking moment? When River Song realized that this was her last kiss with the Doctor. And not a very amazing kiss at that. Poor River!

Now... who is ready for some Pirates tonight? :)

May the Fourth be with you!

Happy Star Wars Day! May the Force be with you!

My siblings and I grew up on Star Wars. Our cousins got us into it, and we spent much of our childhood playing in a Galaxy Far Far Away. We had the action figures, the Legos and the lightsabers. One Halloween I dressed up as Princess Leia and my brother went as Luke. There wasn't another girl character for our little sister, so we created a third sibling "Princess Molly" for her.

My Dad taught us our first steps in filmmaking using Star Wars as an inspiration. We shot five minutes of multiple scales, including a miniature X-Wing flying across a black sky, with a flashlight shining through pinholes for stars.

We were estatic when the prequels came out. When the second came out, we were so excited, we convinced our mom to give us the day off and take us to the movie. When the third came out our entire family went. It was my first movie in the theatre with rear window captioning. I then went to see it twice more with friends.

In college I was able to take a class on Modern Mythmakers. This included George Lucas and we spent some time studying his influences, especially Joseph Cambell's "Hero of a Thousand Faces."

Then I nannied kids who also loved the trilogy, and had about six lightsabers between them. We spent many hours battling enemies in various personas. My favorite part? Hearing the lisping three-year-old adorably call me "Princess Weia."

Nowadays I faithfully follow Darth and Droids, which consistently provides me much amusement on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

My first crush was on Han Solo, embeding me with a lifelong weakness for the "dashing scoundrel" character type. Princess Leia remains one of my role models to this day. My appreciation of Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor definitely dates back to their Star Wars days. And I still drool over Padme's costumes in movie #2 (and cannot get over my annoyance that she got such a lame part in movie #3).

I Love Star Wars.

May the Fourth be with you.

Ink and Fairydust - May 2011

Ready to visit Vincent Van Gogh? Or find out what kind of college major might suit the artistically minded? Or maybe take a look at the spiritual contemplation of and truth in art?

Then check out May's issue of I&F here: http://issuu.com/InkandFairydust/docs/may_2011

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

And the Winner of the Oscar Dress Design...

Remember back in February I held a drawing for a custom design of an Oscar red carpet-worthy dress? Well the project took a bit longer to complete than I expected, but at last I'm able to share the completed design with you!

The winner of the drawing was Amanda B, and she wished for me to draw a dress that was similar to this on top and this on the bottom.

We were both very happy with the finished results!
I decided to paint in the color rather than go digital. I used watered down acrylics to create a water color effect. Have I ever mentioned how much I adore acrylics?

This is also notable because it's the first time I've ever tried painting a human. All that time working with digital color has paid off -- it actually turned out fairly decent!

My one regret is that I don't have a better scanner. Although I was able to import the picture into GIMP and touch up the contrasts, it still doesn't have the level of detail as the original. Oh well!

(For those who are wondering... I&F and my review of "Day of the Moon" are still coming. I've just been delayed by a virus in... of all places... my brain. Some days my health makes me think I'm living in a science fiction novel.)