Infernal-Imp

This past year has been very very busy, what with bouncing around states and nannying and then experimenting with college.

Admittedly, my 52 project did not turn out completely. However, there was much success nonetheless. I did not keep many if any pictures, yet I managed to turn out 17 commissions, 9 drawings, plus 7 purses and 4 tshirts with my designs on them. This only leaves 15 weeks unaccounted for, and I count for myself a win - because if we counted the cakes (I'm into all the piping and stuff nao) we can say only 4 weeks failed.

I learned several things about myself as an artist:
-The pros don't know everything, fancy tools are often overrated - a real artist should be able to do things with the bare minimum - and I overthink things and hesitate too much.

For this year I have set for myself a schedule that allows 45 minutes for drawing each weekday, and my focus for the new year will be speed. To complete a drawing in 30 of those minutes, and spend the last 15 on a big idea that'll finish when it's finished. It'll be great. And I'll do my best to post them.

Avoiding dA is nao over. Though, I am not going through 4000 deviations. I was going to go through the artists I always support, but as many people have apparently changed their names, I cannot promise anything. And if you posted more than like, 40, I can't promise anything either.

My children, are not, getting, electronic, toys.  ESPECIALLY ones that sing or congratulate them. No. I have four little siblings who loved them, and I babysit kids who love them, and now these two babies adore them. I'm done. My children can run around and hit each other with sticks. I have served my time of canned nursery songs sung by starving musicians, stuffed animals intent on being your friend and obnoxious ambulances with sirens.

Still drawing, though. Did a mermaid this past Saturday, actually. Be proud.

First, let me just give you all an update on the 52 project:

I have been awesome at it. Truly. I have been kicking its ass.

But you'll only get to see two of the works, becauuuuuuuuuuuuse SOMEONE BOUGHT DA REST!

I KNOW. They were actually a request that I ended up getting paid for, and they were purses with various Tangled scenes on them. Why shall there be no evidenceee? BECAUSE. I thought I had a lot more time than I did - an entire week, in fact. So I ended up reviewing some finishing-touches (like sparkles) ideas with the person (before I did them - I'm a great client that way), and got a "Well, that's a great idea - can you have them done in an hour?"

The prospect of getting paid awakens abilities in me that nothing else can. I did; handing them promptly over before I could take pictures. Seriously, I did the final thing when it was in her hand. And I don't know if I shall ever see them again. <le sigh> Sad, right?

Not really. I really like getting paid.

Other news - I have now snuggled a baby zebra, and had a dolphin swim within two feet of me, hugged a baby giraffe and a baby water buffalo, finally grew my nails out (ten year endeavor) and now speak a second language well enough that I was fine holding a random unexpected conv with a native speaker.

A productive February, to be sure.

And I have over a thousand messages waiting for me to sort through in being away from dA for 5 weeks. I shall procrastinate until I get home in another week.

And Since I doubt I will have either the wherewithal or time to pick up the 365 Project (Yeah, drawing something every day. I would fall off that wagon so fast we wouldn't know I was ever ON.), I've decided to take the 52 Project Challenge.

Most of my art done in the last half of this year has, excepting a few completed works, just been lots of crappy, thrown out sketching to keep my muscle memory intact - because I simply haven't been interested. 2010 was more productive, but that was pretty much just screwing around as I could be bothered to as well. In years 06, 07 and 08 I drew constantly and went from stick figures to actual realism portraits of people, even better than fav.me/d35o1lo.

Then I abandoned it and haven't much been bothered to be serious about it since I started poking at it summer of 2010.

So, I'm tired of flat-lining and being trapped between my visions and now-insufficient skill. The 52 Project dictates the completion of one full piece every week starting on Sunday and uploading on Saturday for a year. I won't always be around on Saturdays, obviously, but I shall be honest about whether or not I do it each week.

This of course means that what I'll be actually doing may look worse than usual, 'cause I'll be going outside what I know.  But it's time I actually picked art up as more than a last line of defense against boredom and more as a priority.

You all should know, I am resolving to do this instead of "being nicer" in the new year.

That is all.

<--- That jerk tagged me.

RULES:

1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves in their journal.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create eleven new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 people to tag and post their icons on your journal.
5. Go to their page and tell them you have tagged him/her. (or not)
6. No tag backs.

Let's get this party started.

About... Me:
1: I think it's unfair to block profanity in scrabble.

2: "Pumped-Up Kicks" is the best song that came out this year. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDTZ7i…

3: The majority of 3rd-graders, and many 2nd graders, have surpassed or equal me in shoe size.

4: I will never forgive Seether for ruining Evanescence. =_=

5: I haven't cut my hair since an unfortunate accident in my childhood that left me a "cute little boy."

6: Ask, and you shall likely receive. Assume and we're going to have issues.

7: I hate history. And teenagers. So I think I'm going to teach it to high-schoolers for a living. I make that much sense on a regular basis.

8: The only thing I guarantee when I babysit is that the house and the kids' bones will be intact when the parents get home.

9: I had a bad habit of eating paper and plastic, and sucking on batteries and metal when I was a kid.

10: The only way food is getting to me via chopsticks is by stabbing. Shut up.

11: About the only way to make sure I'm not going to do something is to try to force me to do it.


Answer the Tagger's questions!

1. Change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
A) Likeeee, right now? Work ethic. Or physical appearance.

2. How do you cope with stress?
A) I internalize it. After a point I get testy, but usually not.

3. Time and money aside, what would you rather be doing?
Ghost-writing with my brother.

4. If you could hop into the Harry Potter universe, where would it be?
A) Uh. I... know absolutely nothing about that series. Except that two friends of mine had an argument over whether I'd belong in ... "Slitheran" or "Ravenclaw"(?) for about ten minutes.

5. What legacy would you want leave behind you after you die?
A) It'd be cool to die in a way that earned me "Big damn hero" on my gravestone. Raising little hellions is my second choice, and that's more doable.

6. Chocolate pudding or vanilla?
A) Vanilla. All the way.

7. Favorite color eyes?
A) Depends on the hair and skin. I think the only kind I DON'T like are the ones so light blue or green it's hollow-looking.

8. Favorite holiday?
A) Green Day's! ... bad joke. I dunno. It's not Christmas, tho.

9. Favorite movie? (yes, you have to narrow it down to one)
A) Very well. You force my hand. The Brave Little Toaster.

10. Do you believe in the supernatural?
A) I believe in the supernatural AND super-natural.  0_0!!!

11. What were you supposed to be doing while you were fillings this out?
A) <thinks> I dunno. Something about a job...

My eleven questions for you to answer!
1: What is your favorite painkiller?
2: If you were given the opportunity to go to a way advanced civilization on another planet, would you?
3: If you had to pick between death by a hippo or death by a crocodile, which one would you pick?
3: Do you wear glasses?
5: How often do you like to wear shoes?
6: Do you know what "quixotic" means without looking it up?
7: Did you notice there were two "3"s and there was no "4" before now?
8: What was your most terrible fashion blunder you ever made, thinking it was cool before you knew better?
9: If you could hybrid any two animals, what would it be and why? (My brother picked a velociraptor-cheetah for instance..)
10: If you could have three wishes from a genie, what would they be?
11: Push-ups or sit-ups?

TAGS (Spread the pain.)
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.... Screw it; I'm done...