Hear ye, hear ye.

I have been on a little bitty bit of a cross-stitching kick lately. I did a Final Fantasy 4 "Rydia" for myself, and then Dark Cecil and Paladin Cecil for a friend of mine. Observe!

These take a godawful long time but compared to the stuff on Sprite Stitch, I consider myself a lightweight.

And then, on Friday, I thought it would be a cool idea of create a coat-of-arms for my family unit. I changed my last name in my early twenties, and my husband took said name, so we really are a totally new unit. I figured it would be a good time to solidify our values and identity in a way that would be both bad-ass and a helpful reminder for the goals we want to strive for (before we get too cranky and old).

I spent some time in the SCA as a kid, so heraldic stuff is not entirely new to me. I think I took to it rather like a fish to water! The hours of research were quite fun and it's really amazing I didn't try to shove more symbols in. There are so many to choose from! I originally meant to put a cool crown/collar and chains on the ox but totally forgot about it when it came time to ink. Oh, well.

The Latin translates (if Google is to be believed) to "wealth (within) skill and knowledge lies". I wanted a real "working class" badge, with a hammer and star representing the quest for perfection through arts/crafts. The star also corresponds to the symbol for a third son, which is what my husband is. The 'X' pattern is a Scottish designation for the first generation of a coat. Shafts of wheat (in place of, traditionally, garish ribbons) and the wheel (in lieu of a helm designating rank) for progress, forward movement, and fruition. The ox represents fortitude/labor and the lion valor/achievement. The owl, of course, for wisdom and learning. Apparently there is a big difference between eared owls and earless owls, so I gave him ears. I will say that the one owl I saw in the wild was earless and pretty damned freaky. Every other culture of the world but the west is into them as harbringers of death.

Jerry says that orange and blue is the best color combination EVER, so what choice did I have there?

What can I say? I love symbolism.

Parallels.

Something I ponder a lot about these days is character design and how much cartooning-down I want to do in general.

We love big, inviting eyes and people that are something like 6 heads tall - because let's be real, when you look in a mirror and realize how tiny your head ACTUALLY is in comparison to the rest of your body, it's actually kind of unsettling - and all sorts of shortcuts that make storytelling potent and hyperhuman. We also like to look at characters with either far fewer details, so we can inject ourselves into them and find them more relatable... or far more details, because then they deeply enrich the world they inhabit and become the opposing forces we pit ourselves against.

Long story short.

I was sketching and did 3 different Mae'houns, sort of as a test of how detailed and non-detailed I could get, with my usual style there in the middle.

Also, you know, to prove this point to anyone who's interested.

Spunky future chick.

I am planning a storyline set far in the future from my others. On a totally different continent. With totally different cultures. And by "planning" I mean "I have a vague idea of what's going on". It's not nearly to the same grueling extent of R&D I've done for Tab'rin, Mae'houn and the like.

So, I bring you spunky future chick.

This is a borderline Final Fantasy character design, I realize.

Something I am really trying to do is take different skin, facial, hair, and other cultural features and put them in a blender for the races on my planet. I think part of this is because I grew up with a very racist parental figure and resent a lot of the stuff that's been drilled into my head. Why not give people with white skin nappy hair? Why not give people with dark skin big Roman noses? It's fun. And hopefully not too politically incorrect? I am not sure; I've never really talked about this before. Anyway, like I said, it's fun - especially breaking out of common racial archetypes. (Yes, the heroine CAN have dark skin without it being A Thing.)

Gangly creatures = always fun.

Don't ask me why wobbly rear legs, bulbousy snouts, and pokey ribcages on critters appeal to me. They just do. And apparently they just come easier to me. Human anatomy? Nails. Emaciated, classless specimen? Pie.

I think I was channeling that Rite Of Spring segment of Fantasia. DINOSAURS?

Political cartoon.

Not my best, but I really just wanted to express this idea. I have actually attended a protest, and been keeping very informed as to what governor Rick Snyder and his supporters want to do in the state of Michigan. Actually, they're already doing it, despite thousands of protestors in the capitol and dozens of protestors following the governor everywhere he goes. The basic gist of it is that education is getting cut by $300-500 per child across the state, the poorest 20% will see a tax increase that is 10 times that of the richest 1%, the earned income tax credit is disappearing, and whenever a municipality enters a "financial emergency" (which they inevitably will, under these conditions) the governor can hand-pick people to replace elected officials. As in, whoever you voted for is gone. These Emergency Financial Managers have no term limits (and a salary cap of $160,000 a year, I hear) and can totally null whatever contracts they want - which is the shrieking pro- or anti- union footnote that's garnered the most attention, unfortunately. Oh, yes, those greedy unionized teachers (?). Meanwhile, businesses see huge - HUGE, as in 80+% - tax cuts. I don't know where these political geniuses think the desperately poor are going to shop, but I don't think the tax cuts will create or support any real, sustainable local jobs, since the poor will only get poorer and have no choice but to sell their souls to Walmart and the like. Cutting taxes to businesses accomplishes nothing unless people have money to spend on said businesses. This, plus the budget being argued about over in D.C. (that I'm too exhausted/cynical to even track anymore) means that it's a popular idea to cut vital services - community health clinics, afterschool programs, and so on - for those who are already un- and under-employed, hungry, struggling in the downturn. How is the workforce of this country supposed to get back on its feet? How do you squeeze blood from a stone? It's an absolutely absurd fever dream of the rich.

Anyway, enjoy the cartoon. I have other ideas for our multi-million dollar CEO Snyder's likeness, considering the fact that he constantly hides from any public debate and rebukes legitimate questions about his policies with quotations like the above, and insinuations of the public's baseless hysteria, immaturity, and ignorance. This is the delivery room into which I bring you my first political cartoon. And it is full of rage.

"Can I see your tat'?"

A little warm-up to get the flow going. I really can't wait for May, when the farmer's market opens up again. Oh, blueberries and pattypan squash!

Laundromat!

I haven't been working much this past month because I've been in the process of moving. It's not really about the packing, or the address changes, or being busy in any way. It's really rather psychological. Sitting down at my table resulted in a broken record of "this isn't going to be my home anymore". Creativity just doesn't really happen when I'm in a nesting kind of mood. At least, not the kind of creativity that anyone cares about ("look at this delightful arrangement of incense in a decorative vase! oh, I'm a GENIUS!").

Now that I am here in my new apartment, I do my washing at a laundromat. I thought I'd try doing some marker sketches - the sort I've been ogling at in books. I really do envy how freely and accurately some of these people can successfully reign in something as potent as a wild streamer of manganese blue. My manganese blue sketches still look like blueberry airsickness. Anyway, I want to study this laundromat more. It looks like it hasn't been furnished, painted, or otherwise altered since 1978... complete with the Ms. Pac-Man, "Suds 'n More" vending machine, and absurdly faded posters of wildlife. It's ripe for kitschy sketches.

Matriarch of a dead tribe.

So proud to live / So proud to die!

Mother and child.

A quick doodle for Marguerite.

Writer's block.

Oil.

This thumbnail is a general idea of a visual I'm trying to solidify. It's a dream sequence of sorts - very Miyazaki (gooey) in nature. As such, I have been studying jars of canola oil, water, and india ink in an attempt to work out the metaphorical bugs. Hit and miss in execution.

Mucha hair!

The rider and the poet.

Bowie.

I've been pulled into the Shining Force SOS campaign and plan on sending in some fan art, so here's a quick sketch of the protagonist of Shining Force II. Character design is definitely a fun portion of this game (aside from the fantastic turn-based strategy combat). Between centaurs, wolfmen, phoenixes, pegasi, and other creatures, there's plenty of subject matter to choose from. Bowie is fun in his little blue tights and all, but I have yet to decide on the final piece.

Baby!

Yakmas tidings.

Those who have known me for a few years probably know about a fantasy creation of mine called Yakmas. It's a holiday that basically exists to worship livestock. You can celebrate Yakmas in your own home by giving your pet a can of snooty, extra-yummy food, brushing their fur, and maybe pretending you'll have to eat them if your family gets hungry during the winter. If you're not into all of that, there's always Yak Shaving Day.

This is actually something I'm sending out for the Postcrossing project - something I haven't done in a while, but is a lot of fun.

Two trees.

Multimedia test!

I sold four pieces of art recently, which gave me an opportunity to pick up some india ink and watercolor paper. I've had this insatiable urge to do color washes for the last two months or so, complete with ideas for new work. I've always been terrified of paint, much less watercolor, but I'm already having a blast - testing how the ink works out with colored pencil, marker, and pen overlays. The results are promising. My visions may soon become a reality!

Character designs on both fronts!

You know, I feel like every time I post Long Tom here, I need to make a disclaimer that it's meant to be an outdated black stereotype. Oh, the other disclaimer is that smoking isn't as hip as those new-fangled moving pictures makes it appear. So if you decide to become a racist or acquire lung cancer, please don't send me nasty e-mails.

I'm getting a .3 mm Copic gray in the mail any day now, and I'm happy to say that 0.2 mm less nib will allow me to do tons more detail work – at least in something far less damning than black.

Steamboat designs.

Going for more of a cartoony feel, I whipped up some Steamboat Follies portraits. I'm quite pleased. As much as I long for more realism in my work, caricature comes pretty easy.

I've been going through Tintin In The Congo, having previously read quite a bit about the racism interwoven within Hergé's work. Now, I love Tintin. But you can't deny that the portrayal of blacks is atrocious, from the goofy designs to their total helplessness without any Europeans around. Anyway. Because Steamboat Follies takes place in a hammed-up, southern, post Civil War setting, I decided to give the racist caricature some study. I feel kind of dirty - but excited - to try it. It serves the cartoon well, in my opinion!