Should be working on an assignment that's due Friday... too difficult to focus so instead I'll update my journal...

my song of the day: [link]

I apologize for the lack of updates and slow replies! In the last months I have not had any time for art or writing... sometimes not even sleep. I hope to again in the next month or so, but right now, my work requires all my time and energy.

Thank you all for your support and for your interest in my work! There will be more pictures and chapters of Lyrium and Ashes in the coming months. In the mean time, I would like to share some wonderful fantasy artwork I've come across this year.

I hope your year is off to a good start! I apologize for the lack of updates/artwork/chapters lately. This semester has me busier than ever and going in every day to work on experiments. I am enjoying it, but I need to manage what free time I do have better so that I can still get art and writing done.

In other news, I invite those of you who are fans of Bioware's Dragon Age to check out the new Dragon Age supergroup!

The first five people to comment on this status will receive from me, sometime in the next calendar year, a gift, but it will be a surprise! There will likely be no warning and it will happen whenever the mood strikes me.
The catch is obviously that those people have to do the same, the whole paying it forward thing - so feel free to do so!

The gift will be an artwork sent in high resolution, most likely a photomanipulation. If there is a particular theme, subject, whatever, that you would like to see, feel free to include that in your comment, but I make no guarantees. I shall do my best.

Have fun!

_{*The idea for this journal was taken from the talented =TitusLunter}

I shall be updating several chapters of Lyrium and Ashes tomorrow Monday! There are some improvements in the flow of the story and additional exposition to set the scene and characters for readers who have not played Dragon Age. Those of you following the story won't be missing anything except, you may wish to have another look at the first chapter when I post it tomorrow. You might find some hints of things to come as well as more of what happened "that night"
_{*It also includes the first... intimate scene I have written}

And now to share some of my recent faves!

If you'd like lovely artwork at a reasonable price, please check out *shutterbones'  journal [link] and commission details on Tumblr: [link]

She has been having a rough year and is now going through an emergency. I have commissioned her before (and will again now) and can vouch for her work.

:thumb289597656: :thumb289854040: :thumb244319575: :thumb293812008:

Do any of you have aquariums? How about marine aquariums? Once you get them established, they really aren't that difficult to maintain (barring unfortunate accidents such as untimely filter failure ) Anyway, I got a long-spined black sea urchin the other day. They are really interesting and elegant creatures. Here are some pics I found on dA of the species:
:thumb325043852:

And now for a feature of a variety of these amazing creatures
:thumb180424704:

I hope that you enjoyed the photos! Now back to your regular scheduled programing...
_{wait, I have a schedule?}

because all love is beautiful





Spirit Day 2012"Ultimately, I want Spirit Day to make just one person feel little bit better about his or herself, to feel safe enough in their own skin and to be proud of who they are" - Brittany McMillan
In memory of the young LGBT people who lost their lives to suicide, Brittany encouraged her friends to wear purple on a day in October -- a day that came to be known as Spirit Day. Since then, GLAAD has helped turn Spirit Day into a global event that inspires millions of individuals, celebrities, TV personalities, media outlets, companies and schools to wear purple in a stand against bullying.
While Spirit Day does focus on the LGBT community, I believe that it's anti-bullying message is relevant to every community.  It only get's better, if we take the pledge to make it so. 
Practice compassion and understanding, and treat others how you would like to be treated and we can make a difference. 
Show your support for this anti-bullying me

  

More often than not, finishing a piece does not feel like accomplishment to me, but rather like I have finally given up on getting it right.
Maybe that is why I take so bloody long to finish anything?
I should probably do more work directly from reference before I will be able to really portray what I see in my mind... Or perhaps just drawing anything regularly... What do you think are most important for improvement?

Okay, enough rambling, now for some art!

So I have been a lazy bum this weekend. So many plans, so little done... I think I need to work on time management, even on my weekends...

But since I have spent waaay too much time on dA this weekend, allow me to share with you some ridiculously awesome art!

Getting settled in and finally back into writing. I need to get back to art again too, I have the itch and I think I owe quite a few pieces now, yes? Oh yes... But I have no complaints - so far everyone has requested something I shall enjoy drawing/photomanipping!

Many thanks to everyone for their patience!

For now, some features, and a song that fits both how I feel tonight and suits Kaiden and Fenris well too. [link]

EDIT: I want to thank everyone who entered! I am pleased by the variety of themes and styles and the thought and time that went into creating your entries! It was a difficult choice because a few pieces stood out to me for different reasons. I will say more on this and there shall be additional prizes, but I do not want to prejudice the voting, so for now I shall just announce the first grand prize winner:


by *elfkin

I love this piece - the portrayal of Kaiden and Varric and illustrating a scene in the Fade from chapter 7!

VOTING: I am now starting the poll so vote for the second grand prize winner!
All winners shall be announced next Sunday.

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And so my contest comes to a close...
So many wonderful entries - how shall I choose???




Yes, I FINALLY have Internet again now! Took longer than I was promised but... ah well, have it now...

UPDATE: I have arrived safely in San Antonio, really like the apartment, and am getting settled in and prepared for orientation and then classes in two weeks.
I will have good Internet service, but not until Friday (I am told that is fast but it's longer than I'd wished to wait! ) Right now accessing from the library.

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Packing the truck today and leaving tomorrow!

I will be back online sometime next week, hopefully earlier rather than later. I need my dA fix, lol.

I have printed out my Lyrium and Ashes chapter WIPs and shall be working on them on the road (don't worry, I'm not the driver, lol) and you can expect TWO new chapters when I return!

There's little more than two weeks to enter my contest:
Still plenty of time to create an entry! There are eleven prizes and so far eight nine entries! So there is a more than good chance of winning at least a drawing and 120 points!

Entries so far:

My thanks to everyone who has voted on my polls. Here are a few updates:

The deadline for my Lyrium and Ashes contest remains August 20th. The voting was nearly split, and I realized that with the deadline posted everywhere, trying to change it would just create confusion. Can't make the deadline? Never fear, since I would like artwork for the rest of the story that has not yet been written, I shall hold a second contest once I finally finish it in a few years.

I shall put together more photomanipulation walkthroughs as I create future works. The focus of the next shall be blending elements together. There are many artists who do this better than I do, but maybe I know a few basic tricks that shall be helpful.

Hopefully, problems alluded to in previous journal entry are resolved. I shall be moving across country next week and therefore offline from August 3rd through 7th.

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And now without further delay, a dark feature because it suits my mood today.

A special feature for the winners of the Dark Riders contest at

It was a lot of fun and I encourage all you photomanipulators to check out the group!

Congratulations to the winners!

Level 1 Winners:

by

by

Level 2 Winners:

by

by

by

Level 3 Winners:

by

:bigthumb304398276: by

by

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Current contest at #DarkArt-Challenges Shaman Totems Hear Ye' Hear Ye'
Shaman Totem Picks
This was a great contest and I could tell a popular subject. We ended up with 20 entries in all. Its so nice to see you all active and watch the group growing the way it is.
Everyone did a wonderful job displaying your animal totems you should all be proud
Now there was not any entries in level one, and only 3 or 4 in level 3. Most of the activity was in level 2. This in itself is very curious...

Consigliere level 2 (Intermediate)

Know your Totem - Owl for Wisdom by ~NataliaAlejandra
I feel like this one has one of the best imagery that says "Shaman Totem". The overlapping and the  transparencies  really add to the beauty of this image.

Sister Wolf by *Anarielhime
Despite the few "tweaking" needed, the idea came together well. I especially like how the wolves are placed around her. They not only look  menicing, but protective at the same time.
:thumb309

Another dark contest that may interest you: When Darkness Falls... Contest reminder: 'When Darkness Falls'Darkness falls across the land . . .
The midnight hour is close at hand . . .
Creatures crawl in search of blood . . .
To terrorize your neighborhood!
- Michael Jackson, Thriller
You decide what happens when darkness falls!
Is it macabre? Is it fantasy? Is it emotional?
It is up to you.
Welcome to our 2012 Photomanipulation Contest, "When Darkness Falls."
This contest is being held by ^Aeirmid and ~The-Sacred-Space.
We are grateful to Community Relations for backing this contest.
Any photomanipulator can join, and all are welcome.

Your task is to complete the sentence:
When darkness falls, _____
using a photomanipulation!
[In other words: Show us what happens when Darkness falls!]
You can interpret the sentence to mean anything you want.
It doesn't have to be dark or horror/macabre,
but it must be very clear that