Category: Blog Posts

Prints Clearance Sale & Haiti Disaster Relief

In light of this most recent tragedy in Haiti, I will be donating half of the profits from my current prints clearance sale to the Red Cross. If you haven’t heard of the tragedy, a 6.5 earthquate hit Haiti, toppling hospitals, government buildings, and many homes in the capitol. They need help now!

If you don’t want prints, you can still donate directly here.

My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by this tragedy. The prints sale will be handled via my deviantART journal. You can see the entry here.

Regularly scheduled blogs will return once I’ve had a chance to get some equipment set back up in my room. I’m hoping to get back into the video blog act again, but this requires that I form order from chaos out of the mess that is my current bedroom/studio.

Until then, let’s do what we can to help others in need!

Of Avatar, the Future of Animation, & Uncanny Valleys

Do you remember Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within? You know, that movie with the computer animated people and glowy spirits? I remember thinking when I saw Spirits Within that there was something missing as far as the emotion of the characters and the makeup of their world, though I enjoyed the movie on its own. It was all very shiny and glowy, yes, but there was just the slightest lack of true emotion thanks to the boundaries of technology at the time. They hadn’t quite crossed the uncanny valley. Hair was still clumpy and unnaturally flowing, facial muscles had the expression capabilities of plasticine puppets.

And then James Cameron’s Avatar (not to be confused with Avatar: The Last Airbender) came along. Rather than parroting other reviews, I will say this. I enjoyed it much and did not go in expecting an overly impressive plot. I went for sweeping bio-luminescent vistas and the fascinating blue tribal cat people. It is not a triumph of storytelling, but rather of animation. When the main character is walking in his Avatar body feeling the soil between his toes for the first time without the aid of a wheelchair, I could feel that sense of euphoria. I could see the smile lines on Jake Sully’s face, the intake of breath, the natural gorgeous flowing hair that didn’t look stuck on like a texture mesh hat.

For as complicated as human emotions are, subtlety is key in making an animated character, and yes even works of art, feel real to us. Emotions are not merely the smoldering of someone’s eyes with lust/love/greed/anger, but a combination of subtle movements, body language, posture, breaths, and the numerous tiny muscles in the face that combine to form a smile, a catlike hiss, or the smothering tension of someone overwhelmed by hatred and grief.

I came out of the movie wondering if some day I might be able to see my own stories and characters alive in animation. I’ve certainly thought this before, but never had any faith that animation could make them look tangible and human so much so that I could reach out and touch them instead of merely think of them as moving caricatures on a 3D animated canvas. (2D animation is a whole other other discussion on its own).

This movie also represents a leap in respect for the computer animated method of film making, in my opinion. Where once it may have been considered a fantastical fancy for children’s entertainment, or merely the canvas for Frodo and Sam to journey through, now it is something viable, monetarily and for serious storytelling. Computer animation can be main stage and main actors for a movie rather than merely pretty background elements or distant cg doubles engaged in minor background activities or stunts too dangerous for the real actors or stuntmen.

I, for one, am looking forward to where this style of storytelling and animation takes us next!

Image from avatarmovie.com

Sally Forth into the New Year!

After a weekend of new years reverie, I return to this journal with renewed vigor and the usual contemplation this time of change brings about. It started out with a meme on DeviantART:


2009 A Year of Art in Review by =ladydove7 on deviantART

I started off this past year with a lot of uncertainty about where I wanted to go with my art. I knew the kinds of things I wanted to draw, but not how I would be able to get there or where to take my first step. In February, I was just coming off graduation from SCAD and nearly a full year of creative stifling in which I did hardly any creative writing or art. The previous year was not a waste, however, as I learned so much about advertising and the business side of things that I was bursting with ideas for my creative half once I finally got the time to sit down and think things through for myself.

I wanted to go into more narrative works this year, but due to other prospects, ended up venturing into the soothing pastels of angelic territory for an upcoming project. With a year of possibilities ahead of me, I’m full of anticipation to see how current efforts pay off and also to really push Angelic Shades beyond merely a pipe dream and into a successful business venture!

Here’s the short list of my New Years Resolutions:

* Finish the Rapunzel Project

* Start researching for the Archangels Series (and the subsequent Fallen Archangels Series)

* Hit the art fair and convention market HARD! I’m due for more personal appearances

* Make time for exercise before I turn into a giant McNugget

* Read more books, starting with the rest of the Kushiel’s Legacy series

* Start a sketch group (or at least have one night for doodling and research out of the week)

Things I have no intention of changing in the next year (in response to Hayley’s list):

* Drinking green tea and Godiva coffee. This routine has become regular muse bait.

* Chatting with friends online & networking. Some of the most inspiring people in my life live oceans away.

* Being obsessed with the devil in the details, for he is a wily beast I must pursue! My work wouldn’t be the same without him.

* Researching when I should be sleeping (aka. MOAR research!). Let’s face it, I couldn’t stop doing this if I tried.

* Playing video games and watching cartoons. I’ll never grow up! I’m a Toys R Us kid!

*Ignoring the unconstructive naysayers. Creativity & creative businesses cannot survive without constant enthusiasm, positivity, and being willing to face the unknown!

Christmas: Light and Dark

After reading Hayley’s amusing and enlightening post on the Krampus and his antics, I thought I might ramble for a bit about another lesser known winter tradition, the celebration of Saint Lucia (or Saint Lucy). Ever since I saw depictions of her burning crown of candles and haunting procession of light, I was intrigued. I spoke briefly about her in a previous entry talking about the symbolism in my depiction of holiday images. She is the patron saint of the blind, her very name meaning ‘light’.

In Sweden and other parts of Europe, Saint Lucia’s Day is celebrated on December 13th. A young girl representing Saint Lucia wearing a crown of candles and white gown leads a procession of other young ladies, who each carry a single candle. They sing to the melody of the Neapolitan song “Santa Lucia”. Sometimes boys wearing crowns painted with stars (called “Star Boys”) are in the procession as well. They continue through the night singing carols and bringing light to the traditional longest night of the year.

Such a beautiful festival has a darker side, however, and like the morbid artist that I am, I’m delighted by the duality of imagery associated with Saint Lucia. I will relate here a much-abridged version of her tale, which you can read a longer, more detailed annotated version at Wikipedia.

Like many saints, she is also a martyr whose life was cut short in defense of her purity and faith. As a young woman, she pledged her virginity to God, but when a pagan suitor to whom she was betrothed came calling, Lucia dismissed his advances and gave away his handsome dowry to the poor. Angered, the suitor marked her as a Christian before a magistrate, after which she was sentenced to be defiled in a brothel. When the guards came to collect her, she was so imbued with the holy spirit that she was heavy and immovable. They tried to burn her and still she would not be moved. Her martyrdom came at last when the guards drove a sword through her throat and gouged out her eyes. She was said to miraculously be able to see even without her eyes, which is why she is depicted often holding a plate with her own disembodied eyes. Other versions of the tale say she gouged out her own eyes and sent them to her suitor as a sign of her devotion to the Lord, who granted her new eyes soon after.

It amazes me how such a morbid tale was somehow transmuted into a glorious festival celebrating the beauty of youth, abundance, and light against the winter’s dark. There’s something violently primal and yet ultimately beautiful in the imagery left by martyrs in our cultural memories and how they are later transformed into venerated figures bringing joy, light, and feasts. The arrow-battered body of Saint Sebastian, the snow-rimmed form of the dead Saint Eulalia, and countless others all weave a powerful spell that ingrain themselves in continuing traditions (and art!).

Now, would you like a plate of eyes with your Christmas feast?

I hope you all have a wonderful winter solstice. Do you know any lesser-told tales of winter traditions to share? I’d love to hear them!

Image Sources:
Advent Angel by Angela Sasser
Saint Lucy by Domenico Beccafumi

Updates & New Online Galleries!

Just a quick little update while I’m sneaking a moment to myself during the Christmas madness. I’ve still got presents to make in the form of little leather keychains I’ve been teaching myself to make for my novice dabblings in leathercrafting. I expect a few sleepless nights in the days to come!

I’ve finally hit that part in my big semi-secret book project as well where I’m in a most important step: the design of the front cover! I know how important it is for readers to judge a book by its cover, so I’ve been fretting awfully about how to make this cover the best eye-catching thing that will stop a person in their tracks and make them pick up my book. This means also that the project is nearly finished and I will be able to share more details about it soon! I’m so excited to tell you all more.

In other news, I’ve recently joined a few new online art communities! If you’re a member of any of these places, feel free to add me:

Ang @ Paperdemon.com – The place for my more mature pieces. Empty for now, but will most likely have work soon in the coming months! The interface is tricky for this site, but I’m rather pleased with their moderation of mature-themed images and writing.

Ang @ CGhub.com – I’ve heard this site is like a cross between DeviantART and ConceptART so I’m giving it a try. The interface is pretty clean with lots of ways for artists to network together, from what I’ve gathered. Unfortunately, it seems geared more towards digital artists, which I am mainly traditional, meaning my updating here will be slow.

Ang @ Wonderlands – Alas, I wish I had time to update more here! It’s mainly a site for UK authors, but artists and authors who love the fantasy genre are invited to join. They’ve had such great writers as Jacqueline Carey give an interview and seem to be a friendly community to network in.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! I hope to return next entry with sanity intact. Joyous blessings to you all.

Developing Personal Symbolism


So you’ve gotten pretty good at your medium of choice and have even collected a few good commissions under your belt. Confidence is slowly seeping in as a personal library of images begins to grow from a collection of sketches and half-formed thoughts into a gallery of images that one can truly be proud of.

And…what now?

I feel like I’m at this point lately with my artistic evolution. I’m proud of a select few of my pieces and gaining the confidence to start marketing myself as a ‘professional’ on art show forms, but I still feel like I’m not quite there yet. There’s a key ingredient missing and I’m still in the process of discovering what it is through trial and error. Lately I’ve been turning back to my roots, to the artists that made me want to draw in the past and the artists that keep me inspired to draw each and every day. They show me a glimpse of the worlds I could create and the emotions I could convey if I could just get myself there.

What is it about their art that I enjoy so much? Why am I drawn to them? Why do their pieces feel ‘finished’ to me and why do mine don’t? I turn to artists who are my contemporaries. Meeting them at shows and admiring their work is an extra kick in the butt for inspiration that makes each convention a joy. I see the work of folks like Matt Hughs, Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, and Tom Fleming that strike a deeper chord with me because of the dreamlike, and oftentimes dark ethereal quality of their work. What do they all have in common, I wonder?

And it hits me. Their work has a deep core rooted in symbolism and heavy with emblems reflective of their own stylistic choices. The root that grows from mother to fetus suggesting a piercing tactile bond. Alighting swarms of butterflies indicative of the freed soul. The bleeding apple representative of Eve’s sin. Each artist spins a tapestry of symbols unique to their own choice of colors, emblems, and compositional style.

I won’t say this is key to success for all artists, but I do know that the presence of a system of symbolism really draws me to the work of most of the artists on my favorites list. I’ve seen the embryos of symbols creeping up in my own work. The climbing, barren vines blooming with white roses at the angel’s presence. Candles burning in the dark where forgotten ideas lay undiscovered or discarded. There are so many fragments of symbols I don’t quite understand and haven’t yet fully given birth to yet. If I keep drawing and painting and observing, I’ll find them waiting in nooks and crannies of my perception, some obvious and some not.

But I suppose finding one’s own system of personal symbolism is like finding Enlightment, a fleeting perfect thing that will never last as long as the mind keeps searching for meaning in everything.

And how boring would it be if our symbols never changed or evolved at all?

Why I Wanted to be a Warrior Princess


A virile man with glistening muscles and an impeccable tan wields a gleaming sword over his head that rightly should weigh more than he does. But he can lift it because he’s the hero. At his feet, an equally athletic woman scantily clad in chainmail and still shrugging off the bindings of her rescue appears surprised with one hand lifted to her mouth in a gesture of delicate fear.

This is your classic fantasy. Conan the Barbarian, Heavy Metal, what we might call high fantasy, sword and sorcery, or fantastic realism…and it’s an image that’s become one eternally linked to what makes fantasy Fantasy.

I grew up watching Schwarzenegger’s “Conan the Barbarian” over and over till my parents were sick of it. And yes, I even watched “Red Sonja” and “Super Girl”, all the sparkly spinoffs of the boy fantasy stuff made for girls that was just plain 80’s horrible. But it wasn’t till shows like She-Ra and Xena: Warrior Princess came along that I decided in my pubescent wisdom that I wanted to be a warrior princess.

Why settle myself to pink ruffles (or a chainmail bikini) and waiting to be saved when I could be like Xena and fix my own dislocated shoulder with a quick shove into a nearby wall? Here was a fantasy figure I could latch onto. She was smart, independent, as good a fighter as any Conan, but sensual and caring when she needed to be without ever losing her edge.

There was just something missing from the chainmail bikini-clad women of popular fantasy. They were a plot device, an archetype designed to make the hero whole. But why be a device when you could be the hero? It appealed to that independent streak in me that admired the ability to take action for one’s self. Xena still saw her share of sexy outfits, but through it all, she defined herself as a well-rounded character who took command of a central plot for countless seasons of storytelling. But many people like to watch her only for the outfits and her sexy looks, since we all know sex sells, that’s why many adult sites are really popular now a days, and some people even go to sites as gayporn.wiki to find the type of adult material they like.

Nowadays, I wonder what we think of when we think of fantasy and the figures we wish we could be. What art comes to mind? Vallejo, Bell, and Frazetta are some of the big few who formed our classic foundations, but who will form the archetypes of our future? What images will strike us and inspire future generations to leap about the living room in raucous games of Pretend? Will we just keep building on these archetypes or will they ever be replaced entirely?

Will it be sparkling vampires? Half-demon antiheroes? Quick-witted thieves with hidden streaks of morality and guilds at their backs?

(While dragons, it seems, are impervious to the passage of time, as far as popularity goes).

Only time will tell, I suppose. Meanwhile, I will enjoy my Xena reruns and sharpen my knives. X-actos will have to do till the time comes that I fulfill my childhood aspirations of being a warrior princess.

How about yourselves? What figures comes to mind for you when people say ‘Fantasy’? What fantastical figure did you want to be like growing up? Those of you with children, who do your kids pretend to be like?

Image by Earl Norem

Etsy + Amazon Holiday Shipping & SALE!

Etsy Sale! FREE Shipping

I saw that many folks on Etsy were running sales and thought I'd jump on the bandwagon! From now until December 31st, get FREE standard shipping on all items within the US.

I've also marked down many of my items, including the new leather butterfly keychains, so grab em while they're cheap and available!

Free shipping also counts for custom butterflies and pendants. Note that I do not take custom orders on anything but pendants and butterflies.

My Etsy Shop :pointr: [link]
Sample Offerings:
Amazon Sale! 15% Off

As long as we're talking sales, I've just set my Amazon shop to 15% off ALL items! Remember that these items are bought directly from me, meaning all products are autographed by the artist with all proceeds going directly to the artist. It's a great way to show your support and give the gift of something extra special.

My Amazon Shop :pointr: [link]
Sample Offerings:
Christmas Shipping

If you'd like your items to arrive before Christmas, I recommend you shop early so I can have it out to you ASAP! I make no guarentees on the quickness of USPS, which is my main source of shipping for local and international shipping alike. Expidited shipping will be available on Etsy by special request & handled separately, but is still not guarenteed!

Shipping Times
Orders within the US –
Prints, Pendants, Keychains, Small Originals, & Matted Originals – USPS First class – 3-7 business days

International orders
USPS Air Mail – 7-10 business days

Don't forget the limited supply mini calendar+sketch sale is going on too!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season.

:holly::love::holly::love::holly:
Ang

Limited Mini-Calendar + Sketch Sale!

If you missed this on my DeviantART journal, here it is again!

If you’ve had your eye on my calendar of classic work, then this is a chance you can’t miss!

I’ve gotten my hands on four miniature 2010 calendars with a shiny metallic gold wire spine. These are roughly 5×7 in. when closed and open up to a full size for display on your wall at 7×11 in. They’re the perfect size to fit in any corner of your room, dorm, or otherwise!

In addition, I’ll be sending these with an original 5×7 in. ink sketch of a subject of your choice! (generic suggestions and no fanart only, please. Sketches will have a minimalistic background) Calendars will also be autographed on each page by the artist. When you’re done with it at the end of the year, tear out the pages for framing. A calendar should never go to waste!

Example Ink Sketch:

Dance of Parted Flame by =ladydove7 on deviantART

How much is this fine thing, you ask? For an autographed mini-calendar AND original sketch, the price is $25 with FREE shipping within the US. For international shipping, we’ll sort things out via note.

I only have 4 total. Get em while they’re hot! Note me on DA or comment here to secure your calendar and sketch.

1. n/a
2. n/a
3. n/a
4. (Reserved for Sonettie. Awaiting payment)

An Artist’s Thanksgiving

After spending Thanksgiving with family, I settled in to write a post that would be both enlightening and interesting, but thanks to the turkey-induced half coma, I figured I would just list a few things I’m thankful for, as an artist.

I am thankful for…Photoshop. Seriously, I would not have the first clue of how to change the colors of my images, resize them, or scan them in without this program. Sure it sounds silly, but after having reformatted my computer recently, I lived without Photoshop for a week. There was much flailing and hair pulling.

I am thankful for…tube paints. Believe it or not, this is a fairly modern innovation! Artists were mixing their own pigments up until the the 19th century. Though this sounds kind of fun on one level, I am notoriously lazy and give thanks for being able to find the exact hues I need in a handy dandy tight and cute tube of paint that is ready for my gentle squeeze onto the palette.

I am thankful for…illustration board. I love the stuff. It may not be as absorbent as pure cotton Arches, but I love this paper’s mixed media capability and the fact I don’t have to mount it on something because it’s hard enough to stand alone. There’s nothing more annoying than finding a painting you love with creases and dents in it because the paper was too fragile.

I am thankful for…the internet. I wouldn’t be able to talk to so many fine folks nor share my art with the world if it weren’t for the ability to mass communicate beyond word of mouth. I feel like the world is at my fingertips and that I’m more connected with kindred spirits who are many miles away. I would not be able to achieve much of anything as an artist without the internet (or at least not as easily!).

I am thankful for…Crayola. I know, I know! It’s pretty low quality stuff, but who didn’t grow up with the familiar yellow box with big child-friendly font? I need only smell the wax of my old Crayola crayons to get nostalgic. Crayola (and Twinkies) make me think of everything good and pure about my childhood. I can’t imagine a world without them.

There’s much more to be thankful for this season, but this is where I leave off and you take over. Tell me what you’re thankful for, as an artist, a writer, a crafter, or as just a person enjoying the spirit of appreciation.