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Aug. 19th, 2008 @ 11:59 pm (no subject)
New Icon. Thank you, oCeLoT!
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Aug. 19th, 2008 @ 03:13 pm (no subject)
Yesterday my ink exchangers arrived. I keep mentioning them, but what they are are little syringe like ink cartridges that you can dunk into a bottle of ink, pull the plunger to fill, and then load into your pen. The advantage is that you can use a more permanent pigmented ink instead of the watery stuff that comes in the cartridges. Since my inks tend to fade badly when I erase unless I use very good ink, this is kind of important.

I also got the Memory Brushpens I ordered. The tip reminds me of an out of production pen that I see a few artists still use and funnel ink into. It has a brushlike rubbery tip instead of the fraying fiber thing in Micron brushpens, or an actual bristled brush tip like the pentel pocketbrushes. I noodled with it a little and really loved it. It has great line weight control and doesn't dump ink everywhere. I may buy a few refills just in case they suddenly get hard to come by. The only bad thing I've seen so far is that the ink fades just a little when you erase over it, so it'll have to be a final stage inking pen. Still though! I'm glad I bought three sets!

And finally my A3 scanner arrived. Since it was cheap as far as large format scanners go I was expecting something a little substandard in image scanning (this scanner cost about $150, most A3 scanners cost $1K minimum since the majority of scanners are made for 8 1/2 x 11 paper and this one is much larger). But I've scanned my first test picture and it came out better than my old scanner would manage. I only had to do minimal optimizing on my first scanned image when usually I have to tweak and poke and nudge. Once I do some test comics on it I'll try some full color images. If the results are anything like the graytone, they'll be beautiful.

I suppose what I'm saying is that it's the same old same old same old. I fear I'm boring you to tears with all of this, but life's in a slow little loop right now between pets and comic work.

Oh yeah, and there's a tropical storm coming. [info]fiskblack, I'll have to find my cup 'o soup!
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Aug. 17th, 2008 @ 08:39 pm Poor sheep
Current Mood: sad
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Something killed two of our sheep the other day.  We lost our lamb ewe and our adult ram, Ramlet.  I'm really sad about the latter, he was the friendliest animal I'd ever seen.  He would always come up to me and beg for attention.  He loved being scritched on the top of his head.  If you ignored him, he'd tug on your pants leg or nudge you with his hoof.  He's going to be missed.

We lost an adult ewe in the spring (we're not sure why, but there was always something not quite right with her), so we're down to just two sheep left, an elderly ewe and an adolescent ram.  She's nearing the end of her breeding life, and he won't be old enough to breed for another year, so it looks like this flock is going to die out.


These sheep are a rare breed called Babydoll Southdowns.  They're very small and exceptionally cute, like living teddy bears.    Babydoll Southdowns are generally kept as pets, not as meat or wool animals (though they do produce very fine wool and supposedly have flavorful meat, if you could ever bring yourself to kill and eat something that cute).  They weigh about 70-100 pounds and are only 1-1/2 to 2 feet tall, smaller than many breeds of dog. They're fairly low maintanence, live for 15-16 years, are remarkably curious and intelligent, can be trained to walk on a leash, their pellets are tiny and inoffensive (like rabbit pellets) and their odor is not unpleasant (like fresh cut grass).  They do require constant companionship, however; a lone sheep is an unhappy sheep.
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Aug. 17th, 2008 @ 07:12 pm I crawl from post to pillar
Current Mood: blah
Current Music: Simpsons on FOX
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This caterpillar was just dangling by a silk thread.  I almost walked into it.  Taking a picture of something this small hanging in midair is a real pain.
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Aug. 17th, 2008 @ 11:14 am (no subject)
I'm prepping to have a big inking session tonight, then probably spend tomorrow doing computer end work. I should get the art stuff I ordered next week (the pens, the ink converters that will allow me to put India ink in my fountain pens, and the large format scanner) but I'm going to wait until I have a moment where I can deal with hardware failure or other issues if something goes wrong before I start setting things up in earnest.

Also, I'm working on hand taming two new baby ratties. Tentatively they're called Tidus and Auron in line with my Final Fantasy name theme. Tidus is gray (even though blonde would be more appropriate, I know) and Auron is brown. Both are dumbo rats with splotches of white all over their bodies. Tidus is the more brave and eager of the two, plus he's a little melodramatic. Auron is a lot more laid back, but also more intelligent from what I can tell. He figured out first that to get the tasty nutrical paste off my finger, he'd have to lick it. Tidus didn't get it until he saw Auron doing it and mostly just sniffed a lot before that point. Tidus also acted like I fed him poisonous burning vile acid poison when I gave him a drop of cold medication to try and clear up his sniffles. Rats sometimes do this 'ick' thing where they push then heads along the floor of the cage and rub their chins against it when they taste something they don't like. Thankfully both of them will slurp up antibiotics, which is more important right now.

They won't join the main cage for a couple of months, which is partially why I got two. They're social creatures and need company. they need some time to grow up, plus some time to recover then I take them to the vet for the great snip.

Unrelated, but someone listed Little Tales on the wikipedia entry for The Man Who Was Thursday. Woot, more publicity! The great thing is that from what I can kindasortavaguelymaybe tell from the person who added it, they're not a furry and it tickles me twelve ways that folks outside the fandom are starting to pick up on the webcomic. I'm not ashamed of my associations with the fandom, mostly because I haven't ever drawn anything I was ever ashamed of. I've said lots of dumb things in my younger stupider days, but if someone holds any of it against me I'll happily explain that I was young and stupid back then, just like everyone else was at one point in their lives. (Alas, some folks just never grow out of that stage...) Anywho, I like to think my work is capable of appealing to folks outside the fandom as well. Time shall tell, I suppose. Gah, reminds me that I actually have to do some html work next week. I suck so bad at html.

And now, once I convince my stomach to stop overproducing acid, I think I shall head to the store and procure lunch thingummies.
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Aug. 16th, 2008 @ 09:23 pm (no subject)
Was going to see Clone Wars today, but too many bad reviews made me balk. Instead we went to the Cinema Grille and saw Mummy III.

I know a lot of folks are probably thinking, "Well, you traded one bad movie for another!" but honestly I liked it. One film critic I tend to trust is Roger Ebert, and he said it was fun. And it was. It wasn't deep. It was cliché. But it was silly and exciting and fun to watch. I wish I'd seen this instead of Indiana Jones.

The only thing is, no matter how threatening you phrase it, the words 'Terra Cotta Army' just don't bring chills to my spine.
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Aug. 15th, 2008 @ 07:36 pm Who would you be in AD 1400 meme
Current Mood: tired
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Your result for The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test...

The Cardinal

You scored 61% Cardinal, 33% Monk, 41% Lady, and 35% Knight!

You are the real power behind the throne. No one dares dispute or refuse you. Which is good because that's how you get things done. You are also, however, completely corrupt and highly immoral. This doesn't bother you in the least as you lounge around your rich comfortable surroundings, reveling in wealth and authority.Take The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test at HelloQuizzy

I kinda figured I'd be some kind of clergy.

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Aug. 15th, 2008 @ 12:42 pm Writer's Block: Six-Word Story
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Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” He is believed to have called it his greatest literary work ever. Can you write a story in six words?

Submitted by [info]femspectre


View other answers

Watch your back when hunting quail.
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Aug. 15th, 2008 @ 12:05 pm Food Meme
Current Mood: bored
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Aug. 14th, 2008 @ 11:36 pm Heehee!
Current Mood: giggly
Current Music: King of the Hill on TV
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I think they made Madden 09 a bit too easy.

6 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, 14 sacks, a safety, 1 kickoff returned for a TD and I made 16 out of 20 two-point conversions.

And I was only playing 5 minute quarters.

I didn't quite beat the score in Georgia Tech vs. Cumberland College in 1916, but it was close.
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Aug. 14th, 2008 @ 10:09 pm Perception Personality Image meme
Current Mood: exhausted
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Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

NBPC - The Daydreamer

Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Color

You perceive the world with particular attention to nature. You focus on the hidden treasures of life

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Aug. 14th, 2008 @ 07:49 pm (no subject)
Firstly, thank you all for the birthday wishes. It means a lot to me that people keep me in their thoughts like that and care enough to wish me a happy one. I'm really lucky to have such great friends.

I'm doing okay, although my motivation to do work today is absolutely zero. I mostly have wanted to just get out of the house, so I have a few times, including a trip to the vet one last time to give them Garnet's body for cremation. The vet was very sorry to hear about it, and I pick her ashes up in two weeks. She'll be with her sisters at the St. Francis garden once I get them back.

I went to a PetSmart today and looked at rats just to try and console myself. They had a really beautiful male dumbo, but it was really skittish and jerky about being touched. I don't really want to deal with calming down an aggressive rat so I reluctantly passed. That's when I was taken to the back and shown some babies that the store had just gotten in and couldn't sell yet, but they told me when they could. I ended up falling in love with two baby dumbo boys with adorable markings. I'm going to give it some thought, but I might get them as soon as they're available. One of the babies was amazingly docile, and the other one was squirmy but still an adorable little thing.

LeBlanc has been put back in the main cage and after some dominance grooming integrated just fine. This weekend I'm going to wash and bathe their cage and their little furry butts. Meanwhile everyone is on antibiotics to make sure that nobody gives anybody any germs. Wakka is still impossibly hard to medicate. He likes the taste of the meds but doesn't like drinking from the syringe. So I have to shove it in his mouth and force it into him. Of course, he's a big freaking crybaby so he makes all sorts of noises.

I watched The Air I Breathe via netflix a couple of nights ago. I'm trying to decide if it was uplifting or depressing. I'm leaning more towards depressing. Still, I'm always happy to see Sara Michelle Gellar act.

Anywho, I need to prep for tonight's update. The comic's been done since last week, but I need to craft the update post.
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Aug. 14th, 2008 @ 03:29 am (no subject)
( Sad news )
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Aug. 13th, 2008 @ 01:11 pm (no subject)
My day so far...

Go to the vet, drop off Garnet.

Drive back to the vet, pick up Garnet along with new meds. Thankfully this trip wasn't very expensive.

When I arrive home, find that the meds were put in a non watertight container and spilled out. Curse a bit.

Call vet. Told to drive BACK AGAIN to pick up replacement meds.

Consider napping first.

Blrghblrngh.

Edit: I also had about a third of one of these instead of birthday cake. I may just put the rest on a little platter and stare at it whenever I crave something sweet. I bet I get enough sugar just looking at it to handle any craving.
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Aug. 13th, 2008 @ 03:32 am (no subject)
HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

This is repeated from the Little Tales community, but I wanted to say it here in my personal journal too.

While drawing The Man Who Was Thursday, I've learned things in a sort of fly by the seat of your pants kind of way. I have a specific script to follow, 'sets' that have defined things and people, and events happening certain ways and at certain times. I wish I could properly express the hundreds of things I've learned by doing this comic in the past five months. And how I see visible improvements in my art, thanks to the fact that I am drawing every single day now.

But as I draw Thursday, there are pages that I wish I could get over and done with. Pages that drag, or pages I'm not looking forward to doing. But there are also a few pages I can't wait to draw. And today's page is one of them. I get to deliver my first big story whammy. I love reaction moments like this. Not just because I get to draw reactions from characters, but now I get to sit back and observe the reactions from the readers too.

Considering I really don't have much experience in comics, I'm really happy at how the project chugs along. And I'm so happy that one of the first big story whammies I've been wanting to draw so badly pops on my birthday.

(By the way, there's a desktop available in exchange for donations, it's what I worked on during insomnia moments during the beach party. Peek at the bottom of the comic page.)
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Aug. 13th, 2008 @ 01:52 am Super Fast Bacon Shrimp Alfredo
Current Mood: sleepy
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This meal took almost no effort or time to prepare, but it was pretty tasty.  Sorry, I don't have exact quantities, everything is to taste, but it's so simple, you really can't go wrong.



Prepare pasta according to package directions.  Fettuccine is traditional, but pretty much any kind of pasta will do.

Pour a bottle of alfredo sauce into a saucepan.  Add frozen cooked shrimp and real bacon bits.  (You can get both of these fairly cheap at Costco or Sam's Club).  Cook until shrimp are heated through, stirring occasionally.

Pour sauce over drained pasta.  Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Takes about 15 minutes (depending on the pasta), serves 3 or 4, costs about $5-6.
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Aug. 12th, 2008 @ 05:25 pm Flutterbys
Current Mood: curious
Current Music: Family Guy on TV
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There are hundreds of these butterflies outside now. They're tiny, only an inch or so across, but they gather into swarms of 20-50 or more. You can be walking along and accidentally disturb them and they'll all start fluttering around you. It's really neat, but there's so many of them and they're so small, it's hard to avoid stepping on them. I know I've killed a few of them accidentally; they've gotten too close to the water buckets while I was filling them, they've been trapped in the garage, and I'm sure I've run a few over with the car.

I think they're Eastern Tailed-Blue butterflies, but I'm not really sure. I haven't been able to get a photo of them with their wings open, but they appear purplish as they flutter around.
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Aug. 12th, 2008 @ 04:18 pm (no subject)
EEEE!!!!

You remember There She Is, and Cake Dance, right?

Well, check out There She Is, Step THREE!
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Aug. 12th, 2008 @ 01:51 am Ode to a Floater
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Family Guy on TV
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Oh, squiggly line in my eye fluid,
I see you lurking there on the periphery of my vision.
But when I try to look at you, you scurry away.
Are you shy, squiggly line?
Why only when I ignore you, do you return to the center of my eye?
Oh, squiggly line, it’s alright, you are forgiven.
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Aug. 11th, 2008 @ 05:19 pm (no subject)
The momentum continues. I was afraid I'd get lazy during the beach party but instead I caught myself twitching until I cranked out an image that I plan to offer as my first donation desktop on Wednesday. And today I cranked out the comic for the 18th. I'm going to do one completed comic a day until I'm three weeks ahead again, and then start working on commissions, more desktops, and personal images and other side projects two days a week and comics the other three.

I should really look up some photoshop tutorial sites though. I love what some people do with the program, but my own computer coloring-Fu seems a little weak. I still prefer traditional mediums like markers and pencils and such. But digital is faster and makes a better desktop.

Also, I bought my birthday presents for myself. Firstly the large format scanner I'd been eying for a bit, and also some art supplies. I needed to get some Rotring ink converters and swooped up some Phoenix and Dragon pens on a really sweet sale. they might not be all that great, but they're portable brushpens and on a very nice sale.

The beach party was fun as always, by the by. I'm tempted to work the hilights into a comic but I'm not sure how coherent it would be. It was toned down a great deal though, and also this year we lifted the moratorium on children. Anthony's daughter was there, who is cute as a button. Also M&L's two boys who are little junior geeks in training. And J&L's son who is turning into a very charming and fine young man. In a year or so more, he will be a little heartbreaker, I'm sure.

The only main downer was that our bed was hard as a rock, and so Scott and I slept fitfully. We ended up having to take naps, and then had long sleepless nights that resulted in us being zombies for part of the day. I think when I got home yesterday I crashed in the early afternoon, woke up to make sure Scott's flight had landed safely, and then crashed again until late at night, then crashed a third time. On the good side, I feel fine now so that sleep deficit is paid off.

I'm going to try and catch Clone Wars this weekend, and Scott gets home on Wednesday (Scott is lukewarm about the movie, I'm trying to remind him that Lucas didn't write it, and quite often when someone who loves the genre writes something in Lucas' place, they turn something stupid into something kind of nice. You never know, and leastwise it'll make for a fun matinée before Chinese food.

And now, back into Photoshop I go!
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