A Guide to Lucid Dreaming

I found this today:

Very little of this is true.

If you believe that any of this will make you lucid dream, chances are you are not very familiar with dreams and how they work.

Lucid dreaming is when the dreamer is aware that he/she is asleep. This allows him/her to control what happens in his/her dream.

Dreams only happen during the final stage of sleep known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM). The average sleep cycle is 90 minutes long. It takes between 45-60 minutes to reach REM. Unless you have been deprived of sleep for a longer amount of time than is healthy, you cannot reach REM in less than 30 minutes (and even if you have been deprived of sleep for an unhealthy amount of time, you probably won't reach REM, anyway, and will instead stay in stage 4, the deepest part of the sleep cycle).

Second of all, no one can "begin lucid dreaming on the first attempt." Lucid dreaming is quite a long, arduous process which requires effort. It requires dream journals, alarm clocks in the middle of the night, a strong sense of self-awareness and many other factors that can't possibly be formed in one night.

In short, all this will do is give you a headache, and waste thirty minutes of your time. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there is no shortcut to learning how to lucid dream.

Now, if you would like a more accurate guide on how to lucid dream, continue reading.
Please note that I am not [yet] a trained, licensed professional. I'm basing this guide from experience and what I have learned about dreams.

First of all, you should figure out why you want to lucid dream. Is it because you want to know yourself better? Is it because you want to escape the waking world? Do you just want to brag to your friends that you can do it? No matter what it is, it's always good to know your real reason.

Then, you must regulate your sleep cycle. This means strict bedtimes and waking times. It might be difficult at first, but after a few weeks of sticking to the same sleep schedule, it should become a regular, normal thing for you.

Start keeping a dream journal. Keep it next to your bed at all times. Immediately when you wake up, write down your first thoughts. Try not to write in clear sentences; focus purely on your immediate thoughts and write down important key words.

After you have kept a dream journal for a significant amount of time, you should notice that it's becoming easier for you to remember your dreams. This is very important when lucid dreaming.

Now that remembering dreams is a piece of cake, you're ready to start focusing your attention on actually having lucid dreams.

Set an alarm clock to go off exactly 90 minutes after you are scheduled to be asleep. This will wake you up just as you are finishing your dream, therefore making it easier for you to recall more details from that dream. Record this in your dream journal and go back to sleep, with an alarm set for another 90 minutes after this. Repeat this until your scheduled waking time. Continue doing this every night until you have accumulated a large amount of details in your dream journal.

Read through your dream journal. Make mental notes about repeating patterns, such as a certain person, or clothes you're wearing, or a location you visit, in your dreams. Once you have noticed a pattern, you will now be able to understand what you are likely thinking about in your sleep.

Now that you are able to recognize when you are dreaming, having a lucid dream should not be much of a problem. You should be so well-acquainted with your sleep/dream cycle that your mind should automatically know when you're dreaming and when you're awake.

Your first successful attempt at lucid dreaming will most likely be short. This is because it has surprised you that you are able to do it, and you will startle yourself awake. Staying asleep is a learned process, and with continued practice, lucid dreaming will become easy for you.


I know it's a lengthy process, but many people find it to be an easy way to learn more about yourself. You'll be able to remember things that you can't during waking hours. You'll finally understand why you keep dreaming about that one person. There are more benefits to this ability, and you will learn these as you continue dreaming lucidly.

Have fun, and sweet dreams! :)

Change

Finished project for Studio.

I'm trying to come up with a title for this one. The idea was to show differences between changes in time, etc. Butterfly looking at a caterpillar. AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY TELL IT'S A CATERPILLAR OMG

I. Hated. The. Hair. soooo much. Especially because it was on the edge of the paper. I'm sure we all remember being a child and trying to color with a crayon against the edge of the paper. It's hard. Especially when it's 11:30 PM, you're tired from lack of sleep from the last three days, and your thumb is sore from too much friction from the colored pencils. FML

I decided to use purple this time. It's a color I haven't used for a while, and I like the effect it produces in this case.

I wish I had been able to more properly show that the butterfly wing is painted on her face...not just some random HEY I'M GONNA PUT THIS ON HER FACE LOL

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. I just wish I hadn't waited so long to do it.

Also, I just found out I'll be getting a 4.0 for this semester. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE

YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW

LASKFJ;LKSDJF;ASDKFJASD;LKFJ

I'm so happy. ;u;

The Forever Project

Possible redesign for Anarithia.

(oh, wow, it's been so long since I've posted anything about Anarithia that there's not even a post tag for it yet)

Yeah, I've officially begun on completely reworking Anarithia. I'm starting with character designs, because I think the plot only needs a little bit of tweaking. Compared to the rest, anyway.
Characters, chapters, style, format, dialogue, and even things like the town map and architecture...they all are in desperate need of being redone.

I've decided to name this the Forever Project because that's how long it will take to complete. For real.

Don't mind me, just popping through the walls

aklsdjf;lkasd I'm so sick of looking at thissss
M. C. Escher style self-portrait. It turned out looking exactly like me. Shitty photo, but I really do not care at all. There's a better photo, but I don't have access to it ATM. I'll fix this post when I get it. EDIT: fixed now~

I'm wanting to do more Copic/Prismacolor marker drawings, but I can't really come up with anything. Plus it's hard to make traditional art with markers when you only have 12 different colors, the majority of them being skin tones. And I don't have the kind of money to just throw at buying markers online...particularly markers that I hardly ever use.
I want to use the markers I do not have.

:I

Quite a problem I have here.

Tell me what you know.

Would you still love me
if I didn't breathe?
As you drag these heavy
mechanical limbs across the
scraping tile floors in hopes
that you can find a cure

Would you still heal me
if it took my life?
This crippling cursed disease
rotting my flesh and soul from the
inside out and tearing me
away from what I once admired

Would you still chase me
if you knew it held inescapable?
Running away as fast as my
dead-weight legs can carry me and
screaming at the top of my lungs in
firm belief that someone will find me

Would you still hold me
if I never deserved it?
Please take your justified right
to flee for your life and retreat
to the ends of the Earth as
far away from me as possible

Would you still love me
if I couldn't love myself?

~Cocoa~

My boyfriend isn't feeling very well, so I made him some hot chocolate (if only metaphorically, it's the thought that counts, right?).
Whoa, traditional art
No shirt or mug color porque estoy cansada y no me gusta encontrar marcadores. :<

WELL, LOOK AT THE TIME LOL

Yet another AP project (whoopee)

The beginning to the next AP project (due at the end of class tomorrow, hurr hurr)
We're supposed to imitate the style of a famous artist in a self-portrait. I chose M.C. Escher (my first mistake). Basically, I'm having my head pop out of a 2-dimensional drawing on a picture frame. It's a little hard to see in the photo.
Holy crap, aside from the first assignments due at the beginning of the school year, this is the first traditional piece I've done specifically for AP. O_o

I actually think it's progressing quite well. It has a resemblance to me, for starters.
We'll see. I'm new to this whole "optimism" thing...

No Art School. Ever.

You heard me rightly.

So I kind of made the most important decision of my life. I'd been thinking about it for at least a year, but kept swirling it around my head just so I wouldn't rush to conclusions or make up my mind too quickly.

For the last three years, I've wanted to attend art school after I graduated. This will not be happening anymore. Why? I realized I want to be a Psychologist. Like, a clinical psychologist. A therapist, essentially.
I think this will work so much better for me than being an artist ever would. For one, art has a way of stressing me out. A lot of people would say this is ironic. Whatever. I just feel so pressured to work on my art, and if I don't improve, then shame on me, I am a horrible person. It used to be fun, sure, but that was when I was a retarded 14-year-old weeaboo who knew nothing about art other than pseudo-anime drawings with disgusting bodies and proportions. Now it's just "You have to keep up the good work and produce nothing but masterpieces forever." Even if I continue improving with my artwork, I will never be good enough for my own standards. It's just too much pressure. I'll collapse if I keep this up.

So I've done the research and gotten the information. I'll start applying to schools in a matter of days, and I'll put Psychology as my projected major. I realize I'll end up spending 7 years in college (along with all the financial costs of said college X_x), but I strongly believe it will be worth it for me.
Psychology has always fascinated me. Everything from dreams to drugs to Sigmund Freud (Frood). I believe I'll do more good as a therapist than I would as a graphic designer or an animator of some kind. Mental illness is something that I care very strongly about, and as a Psychologist, I would actually be making an effort to help those people who are suffering from them.

I'm truly doing it for the love of Psychology. Yes, I really am so passionate that I would dedicate my life to it.

So, unfortunately for the few who enjoy my art: My days as an artist are coming to an eventual end. I'll probably still do a little bit of art on the side, but I am no longer seeking it as a career option.

Thank you for supporting me. I appreciate every little bit of it.

YESSSS

*victory dance*
It's fiiiiiiiniiiiiiiishhhhhhhheddddd
AfteronlyaweekOTL

Together we can fly.

Don't worry, you're not the only one

These are progress shots of my actual project for AP Studio.

...


...which I began at 11:30 this morning.
It's due in less than 24 hours. askldfj;asd;k

WHY AM I ON THE INTERNET RIGHT NOW AAAGGHHH

Another Work In Progress

Holy crap, this has been a productive few weeks. I have so many WIPs it's not even funny. What is happening here.

Together We Can

That's the theme for a new AP Studio project.
I like the idea for this theme. I've proposed a solution or two.

The first idea is "Together we can survive."
This goes along with the idea of fighting mental illness, a subject for which I'm very passionate. I need to draw up some sketches. My idea for this is having two people sit next to each other, holding hands. Each person is scarred, bandaged, and bruised. And the other person is the only thing keeping them alive. The finished drawing would only show the hands and laps of the people sitting.

The second idea is "Together we can fly."
This is a bit more lighthearted than my first idea. Two people are standing together, facing away from the viewer, with their arms entwined, holding hands. Each person has one wing on their back, and seems to be missing the other.

Thinking about composition, I think the first idea would work better. With the second idea, I'm unsure of what I would put in the background in front of the people. I kind of want the back to be just a solid color, to allow the foreground to speak for itself. However, I think this would upset the balance. Or something.

I dunno. I like both ideas. If I don't do one for the assignment, I'll probably do the other just as a personal project.


I love being inspired. ;u; Doesn't happen very often.

These headphones rock.

Really, these are the best headphones I've ever had in my life. I take them frickin' everywhere.
When I was inspired, I think I was listening to "In The Dark [Tiësto 2010 Remix]" by Tiësto.

Yes, I have sunflowers on my wall. :]

I'm also making a speedpaint video for this. I'll be using the final painting as my ID on dA (I've needed a new one for a while, and all my past ones have been photos of my face. I figure it's time for a little bit of variety 9v9).

Knitting

This will be a baby blanket by Saturday.

Edit 10/11/10:

...

okay, I lied.

I'm not even halfway there.

I failed.

Where making this happen.

We are the coolest people to ever exist.
Left: Takara
Middle: Me
Right: mobo

I tried to throw in little quirks about each other. Like mobo's Pokewalker and Takara's alot shirt.
I also drew a ring on my finger to show how I'm married to Takara.

Notice that I hand-wrote mobo's name with a lowercase m. You will never escape this, mobo. Never.

So yeah, we're pretty much just awesome.

I live in my dreams.

Here's a WIP. I've been working on it for a day or two.
Basically the idea behind this is inspired by the music video to "Must Be Dreaming."

"Must Be Dreaming" was the first song that I ever heard of Imogen Heap's. It's easily my favorite music video. I listened to that song on repeat for weeks after hearing it for the first time. For this, I must obsessively thank my friend Clancy, who introduced me to this song. It kick-started my fandom (or obsession as many would call it 9v9) with Imogen Heap. Oh, my goodness. This song brings back so many great memories~

I still love this song, even 3 years after the first listen.

This particular digital painting is inspired by the part at 1:50 (music video) where she opens the door with the fish, etc etc.~

Someday I kind of want to do my makeup like she has it at the end. ;w; Just because that would be awesome. I'd walk around with my eyes closed and people would think I was looking right at them ahaha~


So yeah, I was doing a bit of this on Livestream.


Oh, and, uh.
I never mentioned.

I got a new tablet.

;w;
I finally got it last Wednesday. I. LOVE. THIS. THING.
Seriously.
I wasn't sure if there was really that big of a difference between my Bamboo and this intuos4 that I have now, but ask;ldfjdlaskf it's SO MUCH BETTER. Omg it's amazing. Really.

So hopefully I'll get this painting finished soon.

You'll get what you deserve.

Karma's got me in a chokehold, and I'm about to fight back. But now I'm caught in a battle with myself with no sign of relief. Now the air has drifted out of my lungs and I'm floating on a comatose breath. I can see everything before my eyes, but there's nothing I can touch. Nothing but a shattered shiver and a crumbling cry resonates from my withered hands.

My cracked voice shakes out one last effort before evading me forever. It's a little slice of what I deserve, unable to defend myself or destroy the chains that bind me. I am an executioner of worlds, a swallower of dreams, and a butcher of loves. These sinned hands may smother out the lives of my enemies but know not of the aches the others feel in their hearts.

Three strikes and you're out, well, this must be my fifth offense. Perhaps a sixth or ninth. I've lost track of all the crimes of which my conscience does not know. Maybe it will take a hailstorm or a hellhound to hammer me into submission. I don't know, but I've got myself a problem here: to rouse my heart and inflate my lungs. Maybe I'm regretting my decisions, or maybe I'm just conspiring my next plan of action.

Pixel practice.

I want to do more animation. :I

Departure

I've started on my novel, Departure. Beginning a story is always the hardest part for me. After the beginning is over with, the rest of it is basically a breeze. The sample I posted on deviantART, I think, was not a fair quote. It made it seem as though the whole novel is about high school. While high school is an important aspect of the setting and such, it would be wrong to say that "high school" is the subject of this novel. So here's a longer sample than what I posted the other day.



Sneakers slapped onto the floor in beat with the rock song Allison pumped into her ears at full blast. It had been a good day so far, and she planned to keep up the momentum of her energy. As she swayed her hips across the hallway on her way to the cafeteria, she suddenly found herself under Blair’s gaze. Allison staggered, a bit startled.
"Oh!" Blair exclaimed. "Hey there, May!"
Allison regained her footing. "How’s it going?" Last year at this time, Allison felt uncomfortable talking to Blair; it was mostly due to how strangely she acted. After putting her freshman year behind her, however, Allison had grown to appreciate Blair’s uniqueness.
Blair smiled. "I’m good." A brown messenger bag slipped from her shoulder and spilled its contents onto the dirty tile. A fleeting look of concern crossed her face; luckily nothing flew too far out of reach. She stretched and slid down against the white brick wall. "Sit down." She offered to Allison, patting the cold floor next to her.
"I, uh..." Allison gestured toward the ever-growing lunch line. "I’ll be right back."
Behind a pair of cheerleaders and before an unfriendly sophomore, Allison placed herself into a dark corner of the cafeteria entrance. She couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the girls in front of her.
"Did you hear about Andrea and Shane?" said the blonde.
"No," her companion replied, "did something happen?"
The blonde rolled her eyes, as if it were common knowledge by now. "She cheated on him. With, like, three other guys."
"Are you serious?" The friend with too much makeup stifled a laugh.
"It’s not funny," the blonde said, "I’m going to have to put up with her whining and shit when he dumps her."
"You mean they’re still together?"
"I know, right? I don’t understand Shane, either. He’s so cute but so stupid."
The two fell quiet for some time, and the line inched closer to the counters. Allison felt uneasy after hearing what she had. She had known Andrea Schultz for at least five years. At some point they had even labeled each other with "best friend" until a falling-out three months previous. Allison had always thought Andrea was a drama queen. She became bored so easily, and the only way to have satisfied her was to make up a rumor about an innocent person or to destroy a relationship in which she was perfectly comfortable. Allison had made countless attempts to talk to Andrea about her unnecessary behavior, all of which had been completely ignored.
Some 80’s music rattled through the ceiling speakers. It appeared Allison’s turn at the food counter would come soon. Deciding that she didn’t want half the sides, she chose the spaghetti meal. A lunch worker named Margaret spilled the pile of noodles and marinara sauce, letting it drain into every compartment of the lunch tray. Lip curled, Allison stepped away from the counter, paid for the meal, and proceeded back to the entryway hall where Blair had sat with a pair of soundproof headphones suffocating her ears. Allison practically had to fall on top of Blair until she realized her friend had returned from the lunchroom.
"That took a while," Blair raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Allison simply replied.
The two sat in silence for the remaining twenty minutes of lunch, and then proceeded to their separate classes. "I’ll see you later, May!" Blair waved.
Allison smiled. "Okay. See you." She had no idea why Blair always called her May. After a few reminders, Blair had come to the realization that her name really was Allison, but continued repeating the nickname. Allison didn’t really mind.
The day transited into a blur as each thought melted into the next inside of Allison’s head. However, a single worry nagged at her thoughts for the remainder of the school periods and into the late afternoon. Had those statements in the cafeteria been true, it would mean Andrea had become more of a nuisance since she and Allison had last quarreled.
Although Allison seemed to not care, a part of her inside had agonized as she slowly cut ties with Andrea. She had given her so many chances; "benefit of the doubt" resonated within her skull countless times between effort and failure. She so desperately wanted to change Andrea into a better person. It finally reached the point where Andrea had evolved into a burden upon Allison’s fragile shoulders. A collapse was imminent. Nothing could change without Andrea’s total surrender to Allison’s intentions, which would never happen in their lifetime. No, Andrea was always too stubborn to admit that she could ever be wrong in any situation. Wasteful breaths had always escaped Allison’s lips in all of her spent efforts.
It could be supposed that Allison sought refuge in improving Andrea’s character, in order to protect her own flaws from breaking her in their exposure. Worn and ragged, Allison’s powerless strains hardly made an impact upon Andrea’s diamond exterior. Defeat had eventually swallowed Allison’s hopes.
Halos of smeared sunlight glowed on the panes of the bus window. A storm cloud fast approaching from the west, it quickly became evident to Allison that she would be spending the evening locked up in her room. Rain showers like these often had a way of soothing her into an undeniable tranquility, and she didn’t want to be disturbed.


I feel as though I'm being a bit redundant in those last few paragraphs. :/ I dunno. I'll figure it out later. I'm only beginning, after all. Editing/revision comes later.

Even with this extended quote, I don't think I've still quite established the beginning of the point that I'll be making with this story. But I don't think that's a problem right now. It's only the start of it, after all. As the story progresses, it should become more evident what message I'm trying to get across.

So, this is what I've been doing this weekend. Writing a novel that I probably won't finish and playing Car Town on Facebook (I hate you for that, mobo).

Why do I waste my time like this?

Speeding Cars

I finished my enormous drawing, Speeding Cars. 23x14.5 inches (58.4x36.8 cm). Graphite (4H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B), Strathmore paper.

I don't know how much time I spent on this thing, but it felt like for-freaking-ever. Mostly because I dislike drawing stable structures such as buildings, sidewalks, and cars (especially cars, gah I hate drawing cars). There's a bit of a shine due to the light being reflected by the graphite pencil. Sorry about that, please bare with me on the quality of the photo.

"Here's the day you hoped would never come
Don't feed me violins
Just run with me through rows of speeding cars
The papercuts, the cheating lovers
The coffee's never strong enough
I know you think it's more than just bad luck

There, there, baby
It's just textbook stuff
It's in the ABC of growing up
Now, now, darling
Oh, don't lose your head
'Cause none of us were angels
And you know I love you, yeah"

- Speeding Cars, Imogen Heap.


Allow me some time to explain the entire motive behind this drawing. If you care enough to read about a serious subject that is often overlooked, please continue reading.

This girl is standing in the middle of traffic. She is in immediate danger, and yet no one is going to help her. She's on her own. It seems somewhat obvious that she is standing in the middle of the road, raw in the danger of being hit. And yet none of the people in the cars care to look and see that she even exists. The girl seems to have willingly thrown herself into this situation, otherwise she could easily escape it (step onto the sidewalk).

In case it isn't apparent, this drawing was meant to target the subjects of depression and suicide.

Suicide is something that is so easily overlooked and unnoticed. People generally accept it as something that "just happens" and there's nothing that can be done about it. Or that depression is "being hormonal" or "whiny" or that the person with depression is a brat who needs to get used to the real world. Some people even think that depression is a tool used to gain attention from others.
...I'm not just making this up. This is actually how some people think.

The people who think "depression is a tool to gain attention" are horribly, horribly wrong. Clearly, it's not getting very much attention, so this is the last thing people should use in order to gain attention. Anyone who shows signs of depression needs some help. Or even just some support. A friend. Anything.

Suicide, unfortunately, is something that people never actually consider until it's been done. And once it's been done, it cannot be undone. They think "they wouldn't do that" or that they know the person better than that. And suddenly they're gone.
In this drawing, the spontaneity of the girl flinging herself into traffic is symbolic of how people can just off themselves so easily without warning. It's scary.

I intended to write more, but right now I'm just tired and a little sick, so perhaps I will revisit this post.

As for a final statement: Please, try to be aware of your surroundings. You never know when depression may strike someone you love. If you're not careful, you might end up losing them due to pure ignorance. It's no laughing matter.

Thanks,
- Dawnne

I'm almost ready.

Project #4 of 5 projects for school work. It's about halfway done.
The ones I've decided to include are:
- Imogen Painting (digital)
- This
- "Eyeclock"
- Book Project
- Self portrait

I think this provides enough variety just in my summer work that I should be able to go in whichever direction I decide to go. I'll be doing my self-portrait on canvas with paint (gulp).

My portfolio needs to be whipped into shape. I think I have a good foundation, now the next step is to build upon it.

I'm terrified.

Please hold me. ;_;

Last few days...

WARNING, BOOBIES BE LURKING AHEAD.


I'm just practicing with charcoal. I always forget that charcoal is erasable. Either way, I like it because it's a fun medium. It's messy, too! I kind of like that "artist hand" that I get from using messy media.

Anyway, this lady here is completely out of proportion. Big head is big. Tiny neck is tiny. Thick arm is thick. Adjective noun is adjective.

am I good at anatomy yet ;A;

HELLO

I just got a new computer today! Surprise! I woke up today thinking I was just going to be cleaning around the house and stuff, but we ended up going out to look at computers~
I ended up with a 4 GB HP with an Intel processor. I have no idea what any of that means. But from what people have told me, this computer is supposed to be fast. And it is.
I LOVE WINDOWS 7
I can actually do stuff on this computer. Holy crap.
Actually, I really don't know much about computers. Like memory, speed, etc. I just know how to use them. I'm the friggin' Queen of avoiding viruses (that's not to say I've never gotten them. I'm good at fighting them, too. ;D).

I think this thing has a Blu-ray player, too, but I'm not sure. I don't even own any Blu-ray DVDs anyway. :/

I was looking at my digital art made on my old computer and...wow. You can clearly see the difference in the resolutions. |D I also realized how DARK my old computer's screen is.

I've moved all my files and stuff over. But some things I can't get completely set for a few days. The keyboard took a little while to get used to. There is now a "calculator" button where my CTRL key used to be.
I've played Cat Planet, finally. ;w; Factory is so hard. D:

Anyway, I need to work on my Artist Statement. Unfortunately I don't have Microsoft Word on my new comp yet. So I'll be working on that with my first computer (comp #1 because it was the first computer that truly belonged to me and no one else).
So long for now~

No Photoshop necessary.

Suddenly Dawnne's a photographer! notreally

Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to get a decent photo of myself?
It's about as hard as wrestling a starving grizzly bear for the last salmon on Earth while wearing a suit made of steak and barbecue sauce.

Not that I've ever done that. I'm being metaphorical, here.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share.

Happy Birthday Takara~

Sorry I'm a little late with the post. I was busy. Social interaction and whatnot.

Watch me draw!

Yeah, I'm enjoying this too much.

Check this bitch: ♥

90% of the time, it will be offline. But you can watch my old recordings that, at one point, WERE live. The video quality is pretty shit. Sometime I'll try to figure out a way to record high-quality streams without crashing or overheating my computer.

I discovered that I love doing Livestreams even if I have like 1 viewer total at any given time.

If I actually have a viewer or two I'll use my mic and do a voice commentary while I draw. If not, it'll probably just be music (I don't like to look like I'm schizophrenic :c). You've been warned, I have very strange taste in music.

I also amuse myself very easily. So if you're watching and I'm laughing at seemingly nothing, it probably is some unnoticeable detail that only I can see and I find it humorous for some reason.

So go check it out.



What?
I'm done talking now.

Go home.

Gratitude.

You're not perfect, but neither am I, so let's share our imperfection together.

You have changed me more than any other force of the universe. I can't put into words the full spectrum of emotions I've felt towards you.

I just want you to know that I'm always here if you need me. It's the least I could do.


♥

Meet Alexis

This is Alexis. She's a new OC, as I have mentioned. This is only a bust view of her, however.

Alex is 19. She's obsessed with the color blue, as you can tell.
Alexis was made to reflect my love for Trance and Electronica music.

The white stripes were a last-minute addition, because I felt her top was rather bland without it. Her initial sketches do not have these stripes.

I'll come up with a better biography of her later. For now she's just a mysterious character, desu~

STILL don't have a name for the male OC I created with her. I like this dude, though. D: He's fun to draw. I just wish I could give him a naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame. RAGE.

WIP? + Takra read this

I really badly wanted to do a speedpaint for Youtube. So I decided to make one of my new OC, Alexis (Alex). Well, all was going well. Until my computer decided to overheat in the middle of it (It always overheats when I do speedpaints. It's relatively normal for my piece-of-shit computer). Instant black screen. I hadn't saved any of the video content, so all I was left with was the amount of the drawing I had saved to that point. This is what I have.


I'm still debating whether or not to finish it. There are significant errors in anatomy, posture, shading, etc. The whole reason I even started this was to have a speedpaint, which I now completely lack enough material to work with in order to make one.
However, this is the first time I was planning on introducing Alex. This is obviously only half of her, but I was planning on making a reference (ughhh I hate making refs), anyway.

For some reason I keep making shoulders way too big lately. W/e, I don't care that much at the moment.~


So Takara's birthday is coming up here in about 2 weeks *rlyplz*
And I already have my gift for her done *rlyplz*

For all of 4 days, we'll both be the same age. *rlyplz* And then I'll be old. AND the world will end. Awesome. I'll live to see 17, just what I've always wanted. :'D

Anyway, because if Takara's anything like me (read: Takra is exactly like me), she'll get impatient and want to see it like rite nao. So I made a preview for you, tarka:



Isn't it beautiful?
I know, it really brings a tear to my eye to just look at this.

And, before you ask, NO, THERE ARE NO POKEMON.

I'll post this on your birthday. And then you're going to steal it and use it for your facebook picture because you keep complaining about how you can't take a good picture for it. I know you too well, wifiu.

;sdfjasklfjas;ldjf

That's all I have to say for now. :')
k bye

Oh, by the way.

Remember way back a long time ago when I said I started my first canvas work? Yeah, I'm still working on it. But it looks a lot better now than it did when I first started writing about it.

Before you look at the photos, please have mercy on the fact that it's my first time using canvas AND my first "real" acrylic paint work, as well (might as well kill two birds with one stone, right?).


It's bad, isn't it?

Like, really bad.

You should have seen it yesterday LOL.

In the right lighting it looks...decent... D:

The entire base coloring is done with oil and chalk pastels. I tried painting over it on the body but...you can see how that turned out. Not to mention the ugly shading attempt on the shoulder/neck/breast area.

What is it with me and naked ladies, jeez.

sadklfj;asdklfjsdfj;asldkfjadskljf;l I HATE ACRYLIC. IT'S MY WORST ENEMY SFKASLFJ;KLSDF

It's time for me to go to bed. :c

There's a first for everything...

Why have I never posted any of my writing on here? It's pretty much the only creative work of mine that I'm actually proud of. Admittedly, I used to hate poetry, mostly because I didn't understand it. But now it has a nice, warm place in my heart.


This is all for a school project. I'd say more, but I know of some people who have the same assignment, and I don't want my ideas stolen. ;) I'll talk more about this project after it's finished.

All of these are little quotes from original poems/blurbs that I've written.

Sometime I'll post an actual poem or two. Preferably a new one, so that I don't resort to dragging out the old stuff.


I'm currently brainstorming for an animation idea I have. It was triggered on my way home from work, while listening to Immi's Speak For Yourself CD.
I'm probably going to work around "Clear The Area."


I'm also working on coming up with some new OCs. I realized some time ago that all the OCs I ever had, I never draw anymore. Nor do I really like them as much as I used to. So I'm trying to come up with some new ones that, hopefully, I'll draw more often.

Happy Fourth

We did fireworks early due to threats of rain. Here's a photo I captured when the zoom was too high on my camera. I thought it looked really cool. I didn't crop it or anything.
So happy fourth of July to all Americans. :)

Finished Buri Hamachi

Look at me, I'm on a roll right now.

I finished Buri Hamachi finally~~~

Video:

Aha!

I actually finished this a few minutes ago. 8D
I did this in 2 sittings, in a little under 10 hours total.
I've had iTunes on shuffle the entire time, and JUST NOW the first Immi song is coming up. Ahaha. Funny. I have 64 songs by her, and none of them played while I was painting this.

I'm very surprised and very happy with my result.
And it actually has a resemblance to her! :')

Here's the reference image I used: -LINK-

I don't know if I want to include this in my portfolio or not. I plan on having a Design portfolio, not a Drawing portfolio, so...
I guess I could include it anyway, even if it isn't very design-oriented. I could totally bullshit my excuse. :D "It's design because it's the DESIGN of her face that makes it identifiable to her fans." Pffffhahaha

This is actually the first time I learned what color her eyes are. Seriously. I'm a huge fan, but it seems like her eyes are a different color every time I see them.

She does not look like she's 32 years old. She really doesn't.

Please give me feedback~ I would love to hear what you think I should improve on!

Imogen

I'm doing a digital painting of my favorite person ever, Imogen Heap. It's kind of my first of this kind of art. I'm doing this all on one layer, which is something I never have really done before.

The bridge of the nose was the easiest part. ;_;
I have, admittedly, been using the eyedropper tool. Buuuut I don't think that matters because I think it's coming out pretty well.

Blah, I'll update more later.

New Camera + Old Art

Better quality photo of Starstruck from This Post.

Guess who just got a new camera ITWASME

It's a Sony (I love Sony), I don't know exactly what model. I don't pay attention to that kind of thing. But it's blue and it's amazing. The screen is absolutely enormous. I would take a picture of it but...that's kind of hard. Without, like, a really difficult arrangement of mirrors and such. I'd use my old camera but that bitch has been REJECTED.
When I turn off the flash, instead of making everything hella blurry, it just kind of...softens things. It's hard to explain. Here, I'll show an example.

Yeah, yeah, I have a huge forehead. I know.
This was taken yesterday without the flash. The thumbnail looks fine, but if you blow it up, you can see how "soft" the picture looks. Which isn't a bad thing, exactly. I really like how the colors came out. With my old camera, I'd be just a blur of grays and browns.

Well, here's some art that I couldn't upload because I had no way of getting a decent digital file until now.


This assignment came out very odd. It was a better idea in my head. The glass is too white and you can't even tell those are hands inside the hourglasses.


Here the assignment was to draw ourselves while we were drawing. Or draw someone else while he/she was drawing. But since I'm lonely and I don't talk to people, I grabbed a mirror and drew myself. I wear that same jacket every day. OTL


This was my favorite out of all the things I did during Intermediate Drawing. We basically had to gather up a bunch of knickknacks and arrange them with a good composition and draw them. Here I have a rubber duck, a candle, sunglasses, a sharpie, a magnetic bracelet, one of those backpack hook things, and a metal cat. Yes, a metal cat.
I liked this because it helped me see more things relative to what it's next to and to help learn to add details better.


For my Buri Hamachi video, I've taken a short break on that, but it's more than halfway finished. I'm almost done coloring all the frames. All I need to do is create a background and then arrange it in the animation.

I've started on my very first canvas piece. I'll post a WIP sometime after it doesn't look like a green sea monster (it really does). For now I'm off to play Sims.

Hello Fascination

Hey, there! Just updating with a thing or two.

The sketch for this drawing was made in early May. In College Algebra. We basically had like a week of free days. So I just cranked up Breathe Carolina and drew to them. The sketch was the result. About a week ago, I decided to finish it. I inked and colored with Prismacolor pencils.

Please note that I didn't know anything about anatomy and proportions when I sketched this. They are utterly hideous.
I have no freaking clue who these people are, they just came from my imagination. And I don't know why I dressed them in odd clothing. She's dressed for winter and he's ready for summer. And the color scheme(s) is(are) funky.

Inspired by this song: -LINK-

The background was inspired by the album artwork, and the drawing itself is inspired by the last 50 seconds or so of Hello Fascination, the "whoa-oh-oh" part. I have no idea why. My inspiration is few and far between, and from odd things. OTL


This is a (very, very rough) sketch for a drawing I'm going to do. I've already received a few suggestions on DeviantART, but I would still like to get as much critique as possible before continuing.
I plan to finish this on canvas with mixed media. Hopefully. *Gulp* I've never done anything on canvas before, but with the new supplies and stuff, I'm feeling confident that there's nothing to be afraid of. It's just really thick paper made of fabric...sort of...not really... >_>; I fail at making myself feel better... OTL

Let me know if there are any changes that could be made to make it better. :)

This piece is very special to me, as it carries a meaning that I feel very strongly about. I'll talk more about it when it's finished.

Buri Hamachi

I've seen a couple different versions of this video: -LINK-
Despite the fact that I have to get all OMG SUPER-HUGE SHOUJO EYES about it (I've been working so hard to get out of that style...), I think it's a good project to work on in order to get myself back in animation.
Obviously, it's nowhere near being finished. What you see is what I've got. I only have the lineart for three frames out of seven. So I just need to finish up drawing the frames and then color them. Then arrange it according to the video pattern. And upload it, and yay, it'll be done!

Eugh, I hate my digital art. Things would be so much easier if my version of Photoshop had the pen tool. ;A; But it doesn't, so lineart takes forever. Sob.
I may or may not decide to stay up late tonight to finish it. I feel like if I take too long of a break, I'll just give up on it. OTL

asfj;aslkjf;lsj


In other news.

I just spent almost $100 on art supplies today. Correction, on canvas, an easel, and a portfolio tote bag. If the items were regular price, I would have spent over $200. But the art store (it was my first time going to this place, it's really cool!) was having a huge sale. Buy one canvas and get 2 free. How could you pass that up?

Even though I have 5 canvases, I haven't used any of them yet. ._.; I'm...kind of scared to. Two of them are the same size, so at least if I mess up on one, I still have the other one.

Oh, this easel I bought...♥♥♥
It's wonderful. I've never had a "real" easel before now. I used to have a plastic one when I was little, for my crayon drawings and such. ;)
This easel would normally cost around $80, but I got it for less than $50 because of the sale.


Sorry about the crappy photos. I plan on getting a new camera sometime over the summer.
(It didn't come with the canvas, btw, I just put it there to test out the clamps and such)

I love this easel so much. It's adjustable and it also has a little drawer on the bottom for supplies. :D

Okay, well, this post is long enough, so I'm going to wrap it up now and work on my Buri Hamachi. Bye~

Hello~

Here's some stuff, in case you didn't see them on my dA.






A hand study, Self-portrait (lol), Uhhh"Starstruck," and a charcoal drawing of strips of paper.

I just wanted to post something, I really don't feel like typing right now. .-.