♥♥♥ Modern Reaper

Just kidding!

2009-07-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Actually, I am over here now: http://filejobean.livejournal.com

Yeah it's old school but I like it more. I'm keeping this blog up but I'll probably be moving a lot of the old posts to the new journal, and archiving all my sketches before I start deleting. So enjoy it I guess.

I am however, keeping blogspot for professional reasons. I'm starting my own little shop on SL as well as doing some renovations for the work I do irl. derpderp. Not now but in the near-ish future.

Here's the blog anyway: http://ookamibot.blogspot.com

There will be a lot of double posting. So don't worry about missing anything.

Ja ne~

The Old Hearts

2009-05-08T21:56:00.001-07:00

In the winter’s lying hush
The death bell tolls
One by one
the ghost upon ghost
To each their own.

No time to mourn for the lost souls
The old times
Dead and buried
The fleeting memory
In the days of old.

We walk that path no more.

I come upon those buried footsteps
White in a space
Of sporadic dots
Of laughs and cries.
Ones which I shall not remember.
I promised to forget.

But I cannot walk away
From the fire
The one that calls back
To the weary heart,
In an echo of half hearted whispers.

In the forest of bare white trees
Of softly falling snow
Of quiet small things
When all is dead and sleeping
I find that path once more.

Everything is frozen in time.
Whispers hang in the trees
In crystalline formations.
Bodies swim in the cascading rivers
Of ice and broken hearts.
Only one is still beating.

I sit upon the old tales,
The good old stories
The faintly glowing heart.
I hang my head
And I sob with anguish.

The road is barren
The fog has come.

The path is forever gone.

Have some dogs!

2009-05-07T18:16:00.001-07:00

Time to spam everyone watching my RSS feed with photos!
This Saturday I adopted a 6 month old Chow/Shepard Mix named Maggie. After a brief depression where I couldn't adopt the Husky pup of my dreams I began to visit other shelters and rescues to see if there were any dogs who charmed me and just to meet dogs in general. My first visit was to the Shelter in Memphis which was ultimately a bad idea, because it was seriously like a Doggie Concentration Camp :( There was a beautiful Shepard puppy but he acted sick. Carin and I saw a huge German Shepard in the kennels who was, to put it simply, absolutely awesome. His muzzle was half the size of my arm. We wanted to take him home and turn him into a pack dog for our amazing journey across the earth. (he was a Worg, not a dog I'm telling you!) But that place was depressing. So that weekend we went to the local shelter, not really expecting to find anyone, but they took us to the back where the outside dogs were and there in the corner was the cutest little dog (she seemed little at the time) who ran right up to the fence and leaned against it so we could pet her and scratch her, unlike the other dogs who shied away, or barked and jumped when we came by. I knew immediately she was the one I wanted to take home.

Maggie was originally adopted from the shelter by someone else. But he moved to Mexico and couldn't take her with him. So he gave her back to the shelter ;w; She's a big ball of fluff with a LOT of love to give and she's the cutest doggy ever. She follows me everywhere I go, licks me all over, runs to me when she gets into trouble, and has already claimed my bed as her own xD

nose

She and Ginny are already like sisters. They fought the first night Maggie was home (over toys.. and food xD) but they play all the time and now Ginny has someone who has just as much psycho energy as her.

Max is getting used to it. At first he ran around the yard the first day and chased them. Now he's kind of moping because a younger dog is around getting all the attention. He mopes and doesn't want to have anything to do with anyone.. He pretends he can take care of himself and nothing is wrong. Isn't that just like any man? xD More pictures of him next time. We have to kind of schedule potty breaks and feeding time.

We are working on crate training her (which is going rather well) and potty training which has its moments. We are trying to teach her who is top dog in the house, where she can and cannot go.. and that every stuffed animal in the house does NOT belong to her. Also.. furniture is not to be chewed on.. and shoes are not for carrying around. xD She's also scared of cars... and the leash. Still a lot to work on but she's so dedicated and so cute and playful and fun. She doesn't mind being lazy when I'm busy or following me around the house when I have to get ready for work. She loves playing with her toys on my bed and running around the yard. I can't really roughhouse with her yet because our border collie is protective but so far she loves me and I love her to death. I can't wait to train her up and get her ready for a life of adventure ♥♥

Uh

2009-04-22T09:26:00.001-07:00

This has kind of become an 'everything' blog but I can't think so I figure I would post here and get the crazy art and writing thoughts down on paper. Or... would that be blog? I'm also ignoring my hunger because I need to eat better and not so much and if I wait until 12 I will be able to form a nice schedule routine for myself. Then I can go back to writing.

I've been tossing Half Blood in every which direction lately. I was almost 100% on turning it into a webcomic until I read through the chapters. I ask myself a lot "why am I doing this?" and I don't have an answer. Am I turning it into a webcomic because I am too worried about what people will think? Am I just doing it for attention? Am I afraid of rejection? But then if I write it, am I writing it because I'm too lazy to draw it? Am I writing it because I don't have time? My head is full of wondering over what other people might think and I feel bad for sending 2398 e-mails to my reader group telling them plans are changing.. OH WAIT no they aren't.. oh wait yes they are. I write when I have time, I've been so busy with everything else that I forget, and then I worry. I know what I want out of it.

I just want to tell a story. The art part of it is just the extra frills on the hem of the dress. More than anything I just want to bring the project to life and do it with the passion I have for it, and to let everything else I may add to it breathe life into it in different ways. Of course tomorrow I may feel differently but I know I have to make up my mind somewhere... and stop feeling sorry for myself.

Plus I really hate the title.

I think maybe I am just destined to be a writer, even though technical skills are something that need to be touched up. I may look into taking some courses at the University of Pheonix in Arizona for creative writing, although I'd like to go for an English degree SOMEwhere. But those schools are usually hard to get into, because you need to get high scores in High School, you have to take all of the basic education classes which I would ultimately fail no question and I wouldn't even get to advance because I'd be spending more time on my english homework than trig or biochemistry. *gag* Plus I know I would go absolutely insane if i didn't have a drawing class or some kind of art elective but it would all be the stuff I hated in MCAD like photography and painting and stuff like that. No comics or illustration. Considered going back to MCAD for a Masters but I don't know how I could learn anything else about drawing comics but if its all independent study then I could get through it somehow. I NEED SOME KIND OF EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURE!

But one thing I would really like to do in life is write comics or write for games, since I am more of a creator and director in terms of ideas and things. I enjoy writing a chapter and listening to the reader tell me how much they like a character or how something made them mad or upset and though it may sound morbid its exciting because I did all of that with words and ideas and not pictures. It's rewarding.

So I don't know. I may say screw webcomic I'm writing it and drawing stuff for it and if I do a few comics I do. I may turn around in 2 days and say a webcomic would be awesome. But then I know I'll end up, a week or two later, saying "why did I ever decide to do that?"

But I'm mostly so busy lately that I rarely have time to think about it anyway. Oh well.

Moses Supposes

2009-04-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day! I win!

Watching this movie right now. Fucking love Gene Kelly

this will be one of many :D

pfff i edited. Gene Kelly xD I always get his first name wrong.

Dragonball Evolution!

2009-04-14T20:19:00.001-07:00

I went to see Dragonball Evolution tonight. It was hokey, with bad graphics, kind of cheesy and wasn't anything like the original Dragonball.

But omfg I want to see it like 6 more times! xD

Okay firstly... know that I am a nerd. That even though a critic lives in me I liked the Tank Girl movie even if it wasn't anything like the comic xD And is probably one of my favorite movies. Also, I haven't seen ALL of Dragonball and I haven't read much of the manga. So if something is off, feel free to throw anything at me and discuss. Okay let the nerdism begin!!

Dragonball Evolution was like a mix between the original Dragonball, an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Shaolin Soccer. (I think the guy who directed it worked on this movie. amirite? wrong? can't remember). It looked kind of like it should have been a tv movie or a sci-fi special but hey I will commend them on a few things: the cities, the technology, the cast... I was honestly very surprised xD

When they said it was going to be like a high school drama, I groaned. But actually, it was quite cool! Grandpa Gohan kicked serious ass! and it takes place in the Dragonball world, not New York or Japan, no way! It had that Dragonball charm with the cities full of high tech stuff and bright lights and then on the side little bumpkin asian villages! xD Bulma had a kickass bike and Yamcha's geep? Yes plz!

There was some stuff missing, like Krillin, Chaozu, Tien, Puar, Oolong, the Kame Turtle, Kami, Yajirobi, and Ox King! And the high school drama part was actually quite surprising. It wasn't that Goku was a wimp or anything. He just was taught not to "fight boys" as Gohan put it. xD I thought Justin Chatwin looked like a Hobbit (and he is quite shrimpy) but he had the Goku charm! Silly, dorky, a bit of an airhead, just a powerful guy who wanted to defend the earth and his friends while wanting to be a normal guy. He showed up the bullies by letting them make fools of themselves and not lifitng his fists to fight xD And hey, his voice even sounded Goku-ish! I tried not to pay attention to the badly parted hair though. I think it was icky in some parts but oh well... it wouldn't be Goku if it was flat and hippy like. *nitpicky*

Emmy Rossum as Bulma? I LOVE HER. She immediately struck me as Bulma. Bitchy, critical of everyone, with a gun and cleavage and the ability to kick anyone's ass. Also a genius with a hot ride. And I don't just mean Yamcha (he was kind of scary looking in this movie actually). Capsule Corp!! She was probably my favorite part of the movie.

Chow Yun Fat as Roshi was actually quite good. He had a bikini magazine and a girl on his shirt and was fun loving and dopey, always dressed in Hawaiin shirts. So, kind of like the real Roshi except without the turtle shell on his back... and without the many nosebleeds. But he did grab Bulma's ass at one point. WIN.

Yamcha was freaked out by EVERYTHING as natural Yamcha should have been but.. DUDE. He didn't even do his wolf fang fist thing! He didn't do ANY martial arts!! But he was a total asshole which was awesome xD And he eventually got the girl. Even if his hair was bad xD

Chi chi... at first I hated her. She was just some hot chick who liked martial arts and seduced the main guy. But she ended up being kind of charming and a total bitch towards the end like the real Chi Chi 8D; She was also rich kind of like in the original but no Ox King :[ My only beef with it? GOKU WOULD HAVE CHOSEN FOOD OVER CHI CHI ANY DAY! Goku, do you want a feast or do you want to make out with Chi Chi? Food would have won, sorry lol. He didn't pig out that much, maybe once or twice, and he didn't once complain that he couldn't fight cause he was hungry! The only reason he agrees to marry Chi Chi as a kid is cause he thought marriage was FOOD! @w@;;

Piccolo... oh gawd Piccolo. Hot actor... interesting design... very... Von Doom xD Black cloak and green crazy alien. No antannae. And he didn't throw up a good Piccolo at all (isn't that how the good Piccolo was born? he threw up an egg or something??). I hated his airship though. WTF Piccolo xD I would have forgiven you if you had somehow joined forces with the Red Ribbon Army.

Mai... sexy and kicked ass. Not like the original Mai. But cool enough. She passes for now.

The Oozaru... me and Carin laughed for hours.

ANYWAY! Overall, it was very true to the spirit of Dragonball and the characters were very true to the originals. They didn't change the names for the sake of Americanization and even called Roshi "Muten Roshi" and used the Kamehameha! The movie was kind of like a parody of the actual series, like a well written fanfic, and if you're a big fan you were able to notice a lot of the references to the original like Muten Roshi's island, Capsule Corporation, Bulma's last name, the Turtle shell training, Gohan's Pole, the slight reference to the Kaioken, the Dragonballs, the Dragon Temple, the tournament (which should have been longer... seriously that's like.. a big part of the whole series is those tournaments!), and Goku's ability to chow down on ginormous chicken legs and eat bizarre food (that he gave up... for Chi Chi..) and his developing super strength. Although I laughed through most of it, I did come out of that movie with a new love for the series, and it made me want to watch the whole thing over again and buy all the manga. I even took my artbook along.

OH and fight scenes were pretty awesome too... the ki and the power fighting were kind of hokey (Piccolo fly/floating looool) but it was still pretty awesome all around. I WANT A SPIRIT BOMB NEXT TIME GOKU.

So if you're in the mood for some nostalgia and comparing notes, go see it! I say go see it anyway because I LOVE Dragonball with all my heart and I think even though the movie was kind of cheesy and... different... it was truly unique! It was also very short. So you won't have to suffer long xD

I will leave with this though... did Goku HAVE to have floaty pants?? Why not the Gi pants??? WHY. Piccolo got them, didn't he?? WHY floaty pants?! Justin Chatwin is already scrawny and miniscule. WHY make him look smaller and dorky with those floaty pants?! GI PANTS ARE THE WAY BABY. FOR CRIPES SAKE! and... NO KRILLIN! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!! AUGH! He was kind of replaced by Chi Chi in importance I think he would have given the movie so much more with their friendship and companionship (no yaoi jokes plz lol) but nooo goku was just tryin to get the girl. AUUGH. KIRLLINNN *cry*AND! Where is my rendition/remix of Cha la head Cha la?! Speed Racer got his theme song!! Maybe Cha la was just for DBZ I don't know but COME ON!

As for the next movie (which there will obviously be) please please PLEASE do not let Little Son Gohan be some dorky child star. For the love of god and all that is holy. As much as I love him, thank God Haley Joel Osment is all grown up.

ffft UNTIL NEXT TIME! Go see it! Go show your love and support for Dragonball even if you hate this movie. I'm going to buy it when it comes out. Because I adore you Akira Toryama Senseeeeiiii *foams at mouth and slides down the glass clawing towards the sky*

Someday I hope to be as great as him ;w; The movie didn't damage my perception of him at all xD It just made me love Dragonball even more xDDD

Example of me and Carin in the theater watching: http://vanheist.deviantart.com/art/shut-me-up-117729541 cept we were the only two in the front with two people in the back. i was afraid they were going to leave because of us xDD

Some buildings!

2009-04-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

for a project I am working on. :) I'll let it be a surprise...

argh so many windows.

Some Wolflings

2009-04-09T21:20:00.001-07:00

Doodled some Ajah to loosen up. I don't like my website header so I drew up a new one. With some predatory Ajah and some ghosties. She has a Maxil smile which I instantly fell in love with the moment I drew it. Kind of how I felt at the moment anyway. W/e she looks more grown up in this. I guess that works.
100 Themes #2: Love. Will be vibrantly colored even though the subject matter sucks. I wish I had a happier story to tell. But I don't, really. The decision to include water surrounding her or not eludes me. A space that can't be filled... except by one thing. Even water flows right through it. It's such a small piece of the body but crucial, and destroys everything in the process when it is destroyed. I shouldn't have to spell that out but I guess musing helps.

Whatever. It's 11pm and I have to go to bed.

New Fullmetal Alchemist!

2009-04-02T20:17:00.001-07:00

Airs this Sunday! I will be haunting youtube for subs >_> ARRRGH PLEASE LET IT BE GOOD. Or I will never forgive you Arakawa sensei T_T I still need to read the rest of the manga;;;

The GREAT Adventure

2009-04-01T18:47:00.001-07:00

x-posted @ DA so sorry if you see this twice but... I felt kinda proud posting it so here ya go again.

I get really tired of reading people's criticism against writers who write a long winded series. Yes, I understand that sometimes the story can get diluted, if there isn't enough variety with the characters, if its the same shit all over again in every single book. I get that, it gets really annoying.

But botching the idea to even go near a book just because there may be more than a trilogy or otherwise to follow it? I certainly hope no one does that with my books :[ Don't get me wrong, the longest series I have read so far is Tamora Pierce's books, her quartets and trilogies that take place in one world, on the same timeline, with the characters you have seen before reappearing or making their debut. I don't adventure to the big fantasy stuff cause I think the writing is boring (Iiiii'm a loser I know. I keep trying to read Drizzt but the style of writing bothers me a little bit) but I don't know...

I guess all I'm saying is, don't give up on a series just because its more than 5 books or something. Don't tell a new author "well you better not do that". Are you his mom? Are you going to punish him if he does? What if he wants to? Leave him alone. And then complaining if the characters don't make any more appearances after the trilogy (talking about specific series, if you get my drift). It's one way or the other. LEAVE HIM ALONE xD

Half Blood is going to be about... 12 volumes, which isn't bad considering how long the chapters actually are and how much art will be inside filling up the empty spaces. And yet there is history I will want to tell at some point, there are future stories I will want to write. Their world is just so vast and full of stories that I find it hard to just cram everything into 3 books. The first part of it is about Rakka: growing up, finding his place in the world, meeting the love of his life, having a family. The second part will be about those who follow in his footsteps, the resolution of his world and the battles and experiences that shape it. It sounds boring now but for me it's an adventure, an adventure where children become heroes. Battles are fought and won by the means you would least expect. Friends betray one another, lovers find each other, brothers war against their sisters and vice versa, people lose families and create new ones. Dreams grow and then are shattered. The shattered dreams become whole once again. Half Blood is everything I've ever treasured in my heart, the world as I see it, through the eyes of a character who is forever timeless to me. I can't know if it will feel that way to someone else, I don't know if it ever will, but I would hope that someone wouldn't shy away from it just because of how long it is or how many other stories crop up because there was another character who needed to tell their story. Whether it is 12 volumes or 20, or even just 5, I am going to tell them whether someone likes them or not. Whether someone publishes it, or I have to publish it myself.

If there's a great, timeless adventure out there, between the pages of a book... why wouldn't you want to experience it?

Some Lineart

2009-04-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

I rarely ever get to post any of my lineart here but since I'm on the brink of coloring things I figured I would post them anyway, before I go into the commitment part. This is a doodle of Rakka, probably going to be one for each "book" (instead of chapter... I effed that one up). So there will be an illustration followed by a little doodle of Rakka or another character telling you which book it is. So here is #1.

Gasmask! For my website. I gave in and decided to work on it today. I can't stand having it down and I keep getting frustrated with everything else. So a Hewlett-esque Ajah for the website. Kind of makes you want go see it right now, don't it? yes?

Bah I inked all of these with my brushes and nibs. No microns or staedlers this time.

A comic I started back when I was going to try my hand at turning Half Blood into a comic (again). Recently I've been fighting with myself again as to whether to webcomic it or not. I think it would be huge amounts of fun, but the only problem is there are some parts of writing that are just impossible to put into comic form, and for an epic deal like Half Blood, a lot of work is needed, much like Drowtales, it would need a whole team of artists to work on it. I wouldn't be able to do what I see in my head any justice, but then again I have my moments where the writing just all out sucks and I can't get my head together. Like right now. I'm so stuck I don't think any amount of pulling is gunna help. *sigh* I tried.

Anyway, I don't think this will go into the book, maybe just some extra bits for my portfolio even though they aren't that great. Nora has a dream telling her she is destined to find someone... and from there the book starts. Aum, the god of death, sends his messenger to Nora in a dream showing her the way. The first chapter of the book starts with her on her way there... can't give much more info from there... I don't want to spoil it :p But if you saw my senior project you probably recognize that guy. He fights giant crows, turns them into kings, and invades the dreams of little sleeping wolf pups.

dun dun dunnn...

back to the slave mines.

Some Gas Masks for you

2009-03-30T19:59:00.001-07:00

I joined Abandoned Places over at LJ and recently someone posted photos from the Chernobyl town and inside one of the elementary schools were broken toys and a gask mask left in a hallway. It fascinated me yet broke my heart, and ever since I've wanted to make an image based off what those photos made me think and feel. Plus they're so damn cool and fun to draw. I'm not too happy with the sketch but I think once I redraw some stuff and ink it, it will work out.

Some Hewlett-esque Ajahli goodness. I would totally own a coat like that and walk around in nothing but a duffle coat, suspenders, underwear and a gas mask. I don't know about the odd shoes though. I'm pretty clumsy as it is. Hopefully this will be something for my website if I can keep my head in the game long enough. I'm happy with it now but tomorrow... no telling.

Another Ajahli. Wanted to do some rough practice. I don't usually draw people crying, it was a last minute decision. Ajahli isn't really a crier, but even when she cries she still acts tough. Her hair changes just as much as she does. Maybe it's from watching Xam'd, maybe its the personal transformation stuff... I like the new Ajahli but I like the old Ajahli too. I haven't worked on Shademaster in a month or two... I'm thinking of Half Blood-ing it... going to the beginning and writing about before she became all this. But her past life is even uncertain. So much has changed about her, I really don't know where to start anymore.

Website is down

2009-03-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

I shut the website down for a bit. Not because I really wanted to, but just because it wasn't going anywhere. Updating it with art is becoming troublesome and most of the time I just want to crunch it all up and throw it into a dark corner where I don't want to see it anymore. I thought about starting a webcomic to post there, but I already have GRS. Maybe I just need a break from GRS to start something new? I don't know. I don't really want to give it up.

So GRS is still there, but the website isn't. Well it is, technically, but just an intro page with GO HERE OR HERE. It may just end up being a portal for all my other projects eventually but, I'd like to think maybe one day it will be a home to my ideas instead of trying to make it a dinky showoff and replica of a portfolio website and a storage spot for everything I've ever done IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. It's really hard to find an interface to work with where I can update it easily and still make it look like I know what I'm doing. I try wordpress but it becomes a hassle, full of spam and shitty coding or awkward layouts.

I'm just so unhappy with everything right now. Maybe it's just the limbo, maybe it's because I'm not even happy with myself? I don't really know. Just not happy. Not happy with anything. I look at everything and shrink away. My website was cool at first but then it just became embarrassing. So I don't want to look at it for a while. Maybe closing it up will do me some good. The internet just hasn't been doing me any favors at all lately, really. Everywhere I go I run into a wall. No doors yet. Still looking 8[

So, sorry for any inconveniences and whatever. I made a forum thing if anyone wants to discuss projects and the webcomic but other than that, the blog is where its at, GRS is where its at, DA is where its mostly at.

So stay tuned. I'll have something good for when my creative eye finally opens.

~Ajah out

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-03-26T09:19:00.001-07:00

Beach Monsters

2009-03-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

More and more recently I wish that I had the mental capacity to become an engineer, but I suck at math and don't know very much about architecture and machines. I hope one day I meet a gracious mechanic/engineer who is willing to experiment, so that I can design an airship and say "okay here's the outside and what should be on the inside. Now you build it and make it work."

But doesn't everyone have that dream at one point and time?

Take a Bow

2009-03-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

Let's see if God or whatever higher power can give me the otherworldly patience to write the eloquent speech I had prepared for this image. Especially after DA decided to be a douchebag (forgive my explicit french) and my laptop shut off on me about 400 times. And I have to leave for work in 30 mins and hope my Ramen cooks fast enough because our bread was moldy and we don't have anything else to eat. HUZZAH!

*ahem*

Anyway, this was an image I had planned out for a long long time, one that I had always associated with Ajahli but never had the courage to reveal about her. There's still so much people don't know about my characters and I have a hard time "coming out with it" and getting to the point. Many also assume that I'm only influenced by comics and animes and such, which is partially true since it encompasses most of my interest, but I have a great love for Shakespear, Greek mythology, and the theatre. Okay so, maybe I had to read the cliff notes for Shakespear and download an audiobook just so I could stomach the Illiad in three weeks but still! If I had not become a shy, introverted artist, I might have become an actor (ask my parents and my childhood friends how many times I put on plays and acted out scenes from random movies I loved and experiences I had), and not a movie actor though one with that ambition is insane, but a stage actor. I still want to be one, to a degree, but with my self confidence being at a near zero (heh) it's still a distant.. fleeting... very faded dream.

But the icon of Ajahli bowing to the audience is something that I have always seen as part of her character and as a part of my life. I travel a lot, I have friends far away and family whom I rarely ever see. When it's time to go, it's a time to bow out gracefully and say "farewell, see you next time", just as the actors do for an audience, which I often find the saddest part of the play: when it's over.

There is a scene I have yet to find a place for in which Ajahli is introduced to a government official (she's part of a demon hunter group and has unusual connections), and the official says to her "It's good to meet you. I have heard you are quite the character."

To which Ajahli heartily replies, "Then you must know everything about me."

There are times when she must leave her friends and her distant family to journey far away and go on adventures worth sharing later on. So she takes a bow, a grateful bow, a graceful gentlemanly bow, and walks away into the mist, her heart swelling with sadness, but with hope for what lies ahead. It is a journey I have embarked on several times.

If only I knew how to follow my own advice. I've forgotten what it was like to bow, say my goodbyes and leave. I guess its because this time, I'm afraid that whatever is left behind in the mist will never appear again, and I'll be alone without a road to follow.

But that's another story for another bit of work.

The image itself is for my website, on the intro page, and will also be on the back of my artbook, without the full color but just the lineart, so I wanted to make it attractive yet not too busy so that it can be reduced and reprinted. I colored it just for the sake of having something.

Ah well. Here goes. Let's hope DA gives me another chance.

work

2009-03-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

working on the website again... so excuse the mess if you go have a look and things are helter skelter. I'm working on a comic... so that people actually have a reason to go to my website @w@;

Umm yeah, that's it I guess.

wtfrite?

2009-03-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

Just some nonsense before bed.

Something Small, cute, and full of blue venom

2009-03-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

More info about the character = HERE
01 of 100 themes = HERE

/lazy will make post later

Back from vacation :) I can has some artistic rehab? I can also has good things on horizon?

Thank youuuu karma gods. I will pay back that rain check with new sweaters I swear.

The Winter one never had

2009-03-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post about my adventure through the paths that wind around Collierville but I those are mostly depressing and don't have happy endings. So I'll stick to the snowy day we had in Collierville, which was truly magic for me. I miss snow so much. I hate when its cold and wet and barren (attarctive and lush landscaping in Collierville=fail). Even though it was hell to drive through I still loved it.

Everything was blanketed in it, even though it wasn't necessarily cold outside, everything felt soft and quiet, like the few winters I spent in Grand Rapids. The dogs and the kids were all thriving, partly because there would be no school the next day and partly because dogs here don't really know what snow is. The other thing is that people in Memphis wig out whenever there is rain or snow, mostly snow, and it creates a huge cluster...feck.... *ahem* of chaos and crazy random driving and early closings.

But that's not really what I wanted to blog about~

That night was awesome. I kept my shades open (bad idea in residential neighborhoods I would think) while I slept just so I could see outside. Everything had that soft streetlight glow, everything was quiet and at peace. Everything was ten times brighter than it would have been on a normal night. It reminded me of winter nights in Minneapolis, the nights where I would curl up in a corner of the apartment in a robe or heavy blanket or stare longingly out the window from behind my art table to watch people run by. They were also nights I would trek far across Minneapolis to uptown or downtown to find a coffee house to sit in and stay warm in for a while, freshman year when we were oblivious to danger and more adventurous (and less piled with homework you could say). They were nights we would find rabbit prints and dog prints and catch the snowflakes on our tongues if we weren't afraid to know where they had come from.

I remember one particular day, when a past love and I had been walking back from MCAD during the day. He had on his black trenchcoat, and at the crosswalk he stopped and said "look." He showed me the snowflakes that had caught on his sleeve. Each of them crystalline pieces stuck together, tousled from their fall through the air. I could see each pattern clearly and I imagined what it might be like to take them apart and see them for what they were and it made my heart flutter, it put butterflies in my stomach. I always knew each snowflake had a pattern of its own, but I had always just walked through the snow, and thought of each pieces as clusters of white fluff that fell down from the sky. I was amazed, which may seem childish, but I adored it. I wanted to catch them and keep them in a jar. I wanted to keep that moment forever.

The day before it had snowed a little and I walked my little sister to the bus stop. She hated that she had to go to school, which was understandable but I looked down at my black bag and had an idea. While we were waiting I said "look" and held the black canvas close to her. I showed her each piece of the snowflake clustered together, each piece unique and precious. I told her of the day when I and that person had been walking together, how amazed I was, and I watched as she slowly went from tired and lethargic to wide eyed and enthralled. She began to point out more and more, to catch more on her gloves so she could examine them, just as I had done on that day. When her friends arrived at the bus stop she showed them and they joined her in the fun of collecting more snowflakes to learn from. I smiled warmly, proud that I could bestow her with this same gift I had been given only a year ago. She hugged me and got onto the bus and waved to me from the window as they passed by. I secretly hoped that she would tell her other friends and continue to be amazed all day.

When it snowed like hell the next day, when I laid awake at night staring at the warm glow of the snow and the streetlights, I tried to hold each moment dear in my heart.

I didn't want to forget.

More pictures can be found on my FLICKR

ARE YOU MAD?!

2009-03-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

Some emo artness inspired by the song "Vacancy" by Kylee
And also on DeviantArt: http://thedansemacabre.deviantart.com/art/Vacancy-115726543

I feel better if I can draw out my feelings rather than emo spout them everywhere else.

The beginning of a Tinderbox cover

WHY IS THERE NO SAUCE ON THIS BACON??
the beginning of all things retarded lol xD Also... peek at new character! OHNO!

and some [s]crap art. An early Ajahli before she becomes all cute and happy. Didn't work lol. 100 themes I hate you.

Also, scanner cord was under my butt :p

2009-03-12T14:26:00.001-07:00

I think a brownie stole my scanner usb cord...

or the bog troll that followed me home yesterday ate it.

OH what a cruel world.

GRS page 37

2009-03-11T13:09:00.001-07:00

Grim Reaper School updated with page 37! (Chapter four, page 9). Charlie brings on some kickassery, but there's some surprise danger lurking in the dark!

http://www.ajahli.com/GRS

nggff I had so much fun inking this page and drawing Charlie. I am studying Maka from Soul Eater to see how they animate/draw scythe maneuvers. I have quiet a few characters with scythes as their main weapons or at least pole arms. So studying does goot I think. I watch a Soul Eater music video (not a big fan of the anime yet) and I get pumped. "I want Charlie to do THAT! and THAT! OHHH and what if Ajahli did THAT?!"

Hell yes I'm a nerd.

100 Themes

2009-03-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

nngff I know I have made many declarations of this but I'm going to stick to it this time. I'm going to do the 100 themes, because I need some hardcore practice.

1. Introduction
2. Love
3. Light
4. Dark
5. Seeking Solace
6. Break Away
7. Heaven
8. Innocence
9. Drive
10. Breathe Again
11. Memory
12. Insanity
13. Misfortune
14. Smile
15. Silence
16. Questioning
17. Blood
18. Rainbow
19. Gray
20. Fortitude
21. Vacation
22. Mother Nature
23. Cat
24. No Time
25. Trouble Lurking

26. Tears
27. Foreign
28. Sorrow
29. Happiness
30. Under the Rain
31. Flowers
32. Night
33. Expectations
34. Stars
35. Hold My Hand
36. Precious Treasure
37. Eyes
38. Abandoned
39. Dreams
40. Rated
41. Teamwork
42. Standing Still
43. Dying
44. Two Roads
45. Illusion
46. Family
47. Creation
48. Childhood
49. Stripes
50. Breaking the Rules

51. Sport
52. Deep in Thought
53. Keeping a Secret
54. Tower
55. Waiting
56. Danger Ahead
57. Sacrifice
58. Kick in the Head
59. No Way Out
60. Rejection
61. Fairy Tale
62. Magic
63. Do Not Disturb
64. Multitasking
65. Horror
66. Traps
67. Playing the Melody
68. Hero
69. Annoyance
70. 67%
71. Obsession
72. Mischief Managed
73. I Can't
74. Are You Challenging Me?
75. Mirror

76. Broken Pieces
77. Test
78. Drink
79. Starvation
80. Words
81. Pen and Paper
82. Can You Hear Me?
83. Heal
84. Out Cold
85. Spiral
86. Seeing Red
87. Food
88. Pain
89. Through the Fire
90. Triangle
91. Drowning
92. All That I Have
93. Give Up
94. Last Hope
95. Advertisement
96. In the Storm
97. Safety First
98. Puzzle
99. Solitude
100. Relaxation

wish me luck bDX

In the works

2009-03-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

I am devising projects to use as Portfolio pieces. One of them is a story I have been wanting to do for forever: my own adaptation of Hans Christen Anderson's "The Tinderbox", one of my favorite fairy tales of all time.

Okay maybe its not really a "fairy tale" but still... it has all that is mystical, dark, and full of lessons you won't forget. Well... maybe.

After weeks of art block I want to try something more experimental... something more colorful... something dear to my heart and personal, but told with the same whimsy and love that his stories have been told in for many years. Although I can't promise by saying it's done by my hand that any good may come of it for readers, but I think it will be something cool to post as a webcomic and finish in a short time, and have something I can add to my portfolio and carry around with me. That's just me musing, though.

Here's a brief summary for those who are lost and perhaps unfamiliar with the tale. Beware: my adaptation is fairly different from the original, but still pretty close. If you want to read the original, someone has kindly posted a version HERE.

The story is as follows:

Agnus is a fairly unimpressive, unlucky girl who joined the King's patchwork army at the will of her family, in hopes that she would never ever (and I mean EVER) return home. Much to their misfortune, the war "ended" when Agnus accidentally set a canon aflame, and, well, some things are better left unsaid. Agnus takes the short cut back home only to come across a curious old witch sitting by a hollow tree with a large cloth and a request that seems innocent enough: go into the tree, gather as much money as she wants from the chests into the cloth, but bring the old witch the Tinderbox that is guarded well by three strange dogs.

Terrified, Agnus embarks on this strange mission, only to cut off the head of the nice old witch turned psycopath by the sight of a simple old box of secrets, and from there Agnus begins a life she had never even imagined: a life of riches, balls, handsome princes, magic, and new friends. It seems that this unlucky girl's life is about to change, but what dangers await Agnus and her troupe of brand new good luck? Join her for this unsual fairy tale, an adventure of the unlucky few, and a discovery that happiness CAN be found in the strangest of places.