On the Subject of my Crazy Life: Drawing 2 Class

Just some work from my Drawing 2 class!  Sorry for the blurry and dark photos, the pieces are much to big to scan, and I took these photos inside where it was rather dimly lit already.  As always, click the photos to see a bigger image!

I like to call this "The Deconstruction of a Petticoat."  The assignment was to draw an article of clothing without any background.  I obviously chose my petticoat because I really like drawing the fabric folds.  A lot.

Petticoat!  First take-home assignment.  Done in pencil (mostly mechanical pencil!)

After a couple of assignments in pencil, we moved on to stick and ink.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this medium, it is literally a stick that has been sharpened to a drawing point at one end and the other end is left brush-like.  Then you dip either end into ink and draw with it.  The whole process is rather labor intensive because you have to press down really hard to get the ink out of the porous stick after the initial ink on the outside is gone.

Still life done mostly in class.  Stick and ink

This is the most recent assignment we did in class.  Technically this assignment is due Monday, so I still have time to do some more editing, but I am happy with it so far, so I might just be done.  I think pen and ink is my favorite medium, even though it is ridiculously time consuming!

Still life done mostly in class.  Pen and ink

This has nothing to do with class assignments, but I do like it enough to share!

Bonus!  Hippo Skull in pen and ink!

The Battle of the Black Eyeliner: Milani Infinite Liquid Eye Liner

The Epic Battle:
It's probably no surprise that I love black eyeliner.  What "alternative" girl doesn't?  So I have started on a quest to find the best black eyeliner for the price.  I want something long lasting, inexpensive, and easy to find in the local store (as much as I support independent makeup companies, I like to be able to easily pick up the basics when I run out).

The Contestant:
Milani Infinite Liquid Eye Liner in Everlast (black)

Yep, my hand.  

The Review:
A few months back I bought and reviewed this same eyeliner in blue and was incredibly impressed with the length of wear.  I finally managed to track down the same eyeliner in black, hoping for similar results.

Is it long lasting?

Please ignore how gross I look! 

YES.  I cannot express how impressed I am with this eyeliner.  I don't know if anyone who reads my blog lives in a hot and humid climate, but I certainly do.  Usually I have to either reapply my makeup multiple times a day (which I feel like my makeup should never make me do), or just wipe off the smudges and end up with no makeup.  Well I had been wearing my Maybelline Gel Eyeliner, because that was the best eyeliner I had.  But after a long day having to walk some distance between my classes on campus the eyeliner was incredibly smudged, to the point it appeared I had a black eye.  I've never had my makeup do something like that before.  So anyway, I saw some of the Milani eyeliner in black, so I picked it up and tried it out the very next day.  It didn't budge one bit.  That picture of myself was taken after 7 hours on campus and sweating while I walked between my various classes.  I never touched up my eyeliner.

How does it feel?
It is thicker than other liquid eyeliners I have used, but it is still very much a liquid.  It is sort of sticky before it dries, and but once it does I forget it is even there.  The only downfall is that it has a tendency to get into my eyelashes (the brush is really unwieldy) and make them all clumpy, but putting on mascara fixes that easily.

How about the price and where to buy?
I've only seen Milani makeup products at the local grocery store, but I'm sure you can find them elsewhere.  I know the nail polish is also sold at various chain drug stores, but I haven't seen the makeup there yet.  As far as price goes, I paid around $4 US for the tube.  Much less expensive than other eyeliners!

Would you buy again?
YES.  I have never had makeup that I could actually forget about before, but this eyeliner changes that!

So does this mean the battle is won?
You know, it just might.  I don't really know what other eyeliner could top this one.  The durability and length of wear are phenomenal, and the price is very reasonable for a college student like myself.  So unless there is an eyeliner out there for a lower price, I think the battle is won!

On the Subject of my Crazy Life: Furries, Furries Everywhere!

My friend and I at the convention!  Isn't he cute?

So where were you all weekend?
As I let you all know in my last post, I had been gone all last weekend at a convention.  Specifically, I was at Megaplex, a furry convention in Orlando, FL.  It's a rather small convention, but it was still awesome!  I went there mainly to sell my soul art, but I wasn't expecting to sell very much so I guess the convention was mainly an excuse to go on vacation for the weekend.  I was pleasantly surprised though when people seemed incredibly interested in commissioning me for on-the-spot badges or take-home art.  I was pretty excited to have gotten enough commissions to pay for my entire trip and then some, so I actually came out ahead for this vacation!  The convention was "retro arcade" theme, so they had pinball machines and other "retro" arcade games throughout the halls for people to play for free!  I didn't get a chance to play one unfortunately, but watching a bunch of people in furry costumes play pinball is a sight!  I spent most of my time in  the Artist Alley, which at this con was basically a hallway with tables set up along one side.  Unfortunately the con staff thought it was a good idea to use round tables for the artist alley, so it was a bit unorganized for us artists, but luckily I only had my art portfolio and sketchbook, so I managed to snag a decent spot every day.

Badges? Fursonas? What is this madness?

For those of you who are a bit confused with my terminology, basically people will commission someone to draw their character (sometimes known as a "fursona," or a person's furry persona, although I don't personally like the term) as a small laminated piece of art that they can wear around.  In the furry online community, people are mostly known as their character, so a badge helps people recognize each other in real life when they only know each other from an online community.  I personally like to buy badges of my character because it is art that is specifically of my character, and is usually a reasonable price and size.  Most badges are between three to six inches and laminated so they are easy to wear and protected from the hazards of a convention.

So tell me about the fandom?

Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I really like the furry fandom.  People in it are super nice and open minded, which is refreshing concept after attending anime conventions.  Unlike previous conventions I've been to, people at furry conventions don't really close off into little cliques.  I met probably a dozen or so people that I could hang out with without feeling like I am forcing myself into their friend group.  I feel like I actually made real friends at the convention, despite only meeting these people for the first time at the convention.  It's one of those things where everyone knows they share the same interest in anthropomorphic characters and fantasy-type settings, so everyone has at least one thing to talk about.  Most people there are huge nerds, so video games, books, and general geekery are all topics most furries enjoy talking about.  I honestly could have gone up to anyone, started up a conversation with them, and come out of it with a pretty good friend.  Unlike was a lot of social media says, furries are a pretty normal group, even if some of them do wear animal costumes. But hey, I've always loved costuming, so who says animal costumes are any weirder than any other costume I've worn!

But isn't furry about-?

Guess who else showed up? That's right! 

No, no, just no.  I don't even want to go into it here because it is such a stupid idea to begin with.  The furry fandom is a collection of people who appreciate art and costuming within a fantasy setting.  Just like Star Trek or anime, only with anthropomorphic characters.

Also, My Little Pony is there.







All in all the convention was awesome, and did a lot to re-spark my desire to become a professional artist!

Oh so professional!

Things that I Love: Happy Things

I keep a collection of images and other things that just make me smile, no matter what.  On those days that I feel down, I need the smile that these bring to my face.  I don’t have many images right now, but I am always keeping my eyes out for more!  Here are a couple of my favorites:

Source: tumblr somewhere

I just love pictures of young punks being friendly and sweet to kids or elderly ladies.  The juxtaposition from what people think and the genuinely sweet personality of a lot of punks comes out in pictures like this one, and I just love it.

Click image to read larger

I think this is pretty self explanatory.  I should really look into reading this webcomic to support the artist that makes me smile.

Taking the Plunge: "Extreme" Hairstyles and Razor Shaving My Head

Look Ma!  No hair! (In all honesty,
it's actually really stubbly because I'm
awful at shaving my head!)

Ever since I decided I was going to have a mohawk someday (very early Freshman year of high school), I knew I had to razor shave the sides at least once.  I mean, if my hair was already going to be so short on the sides, what time would be better?  So both getting a mohawk and razor shaving the sides went on my list of things to do in my life.  Now fast forward to today.  Or last Sunday night rather.  I finally decided it was time to take the plunge.  Getting my mohawk, and then razor shaving the sides weren't simple decisions for me, so I want to talk about the thoughts and emotions that surround "taking the plunge" on extreme hairstyles.

Bold Hair and the Long-Term Commitment:

The first time I tried to put my hair up.
I still didn't want to take the plunge.
This is January 2009

Deciding to chop off all of your long hair (coming from where I was when I first got my mohawk), is no easy decision.  Although hair does grow back, making an extreme haircut an easier and more reversible way of expressing your “alternative” style than tattoos or piercings, it is still a commitment.  If you decide to shave your head into a mohawk, and you don’t like it, you have to live with the short hair until you hair grows back.  I’m very fortunate in that aspect.  My hair grows extremely fast (I bleached it out at the beginning of June and I have over an inch of my roots now).  Some people however, don’t have hair that grows so fast.  Even if your hair grows fast, you will still have years of shorter hair before you will have your old hair back.  My hair was shoulder length when I cut it off, and after six months of not cutting my mohawk, my hair was only a cute pixie cut length.  If I wanted my long hair back, I would have to be patient for years and years.  I did discover though, that I look adorable in a pixie cut, so if I had to cut off my mohawk again, a pixie cut would still be a cute short alternative.

Bold Hair and Reactions from "Normal" People:
I've heard horror stories about how people react to extreme hairstyles, but honestly, I have never really gotten any horribly negative reactions (at least to my face!).  My friends are a very joking kind of group, so they made fun of me, but I know them well and know that they were only joking around with me.  They are altogether very accepting, so suddenly having a mohawk didn't faze them at all.  (I think they may have expected it from me in the first place!)  My classmates and teachers all thought it was totally awesome, so I got lucky there as well.  I've never been obnoxious about my hair in class though, and I always try be respectful by sitting either on the sides of the room or in the back so I don't block other students' views.  What about people on the street, you might ask?  Most of the time they don't say anything.  Occasionally someone says they love it but would never be able to do it themselves, it's interesting, or that I am very brave for having it.  Sometimes people ask to touch my hair, which I generally allow, even if it is a bit weird to me.  I mean, it's just hair with a bunch of hairspray in it, but if I make their day more interesting, that's cool to me too.  I get asked a lot how long it took to put up; to which I surprise them and say 15 to 20 minutes depending on how long my mohawk is at the time.  I think I spend less time on my hair than a normal girl with long hair!  Most of the people that ask me questions or comment on my hair are elderly ladies, college-age "alternative"-looking guys, or African American women.  Little kids are the cutest because they stop and stare or point me out to their parents (who try to hush them up quickly)!  Once I had a little girl point me out to her father, who then told me he loved my hair and asked his daughter if she wanted to have hair like mine someday.  She nodded and he said something along the lines of "good girl!"  However there are some annoying people out there.  The most annoying/rude people are the ones who try to take stealth pictures of my hair.  I mean, if they would just ask, I would allow them with no problem, but they don't even say anything to me.  It's obvious they are taking a picture on their phones, so I don't understand why they don't just ask!  I haven't confronted any of these stealth photographers about it yet, but I might if it starts offending me enough. Do any of you have any experience with these kinds of people?

Bold Hair and Inner Emotions:

My mohawk right after I first got it.  My mom thought it was
so cool, haha!   This is February 2009, about a month after
I first tried to put my hair up!

Emotionally, deciding on a big change like this is a draining experience.  You have all of the long term commitment things to thing about, you’re worried about how you will look, and how people will react, among other things.  But when you actually make the final decision and either go somewhere to have you hair cut, or do it yourself, the adrenaline kicks in and it becoming the most exhilarating experience ever.  When I first cut off my hair, it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of me, and I was a new person.  I was still scared about how people would react, but I knew I could handle it.  I’ve always been a shy person, but chopping off my long locks that I used to hide behind forced me to come out of my shell in a way I never could have expected.  Not only could I not hide behind my hair anymore, both literally and figuratively, I just didn’t want to.  I strove to be more outgoing in all aspects; I knew I had to be a lot more outgoing if I wanted people to look past the extreme hair and see me.  I cut my mohawk off once and let my hair grow out a bit, but even the short hair (especially when I dyed it brown for a church trip that I had to look normal for) made me close back up and feel more shy than ever before.  I'm not going to say that I don't ever miss my long hair, because I do all the time, especially after going through all my old photos to find these pictures, but I wouldn't give up my mohawk for anything.  Cutting off my long hair was possibly the best decision I have ever made for me personally.  At the time I got my mohawk, I needed the big change to distance myself from the emotional situation I was in and who I once was, but now I love it for reminding me everyday to be a strong and outgoing person.  As I am always careful to say though, making a decision like this isn't for everyone, and I strongly encourage people to think about it carefully before taking the plunge!  But if you do decide to, I love to hear the stories and see the pictures!

Bonus Picture!
Some people have been asking me what my "natural" hair looks like.  Honestly, before I started coloring it with bright colors, I was putting blonde highlights in it all throughout high school, but this picture is about as close as it gets!  This is in my second year of college, when I didn't get highlights put in, so the light streaks are mostly from the sun.  Hooray for embarrassing awkward photos!

Yay Renn Faires!  This is sometime in mid 2008.
(Good gawd, don't look at my eyebrows!)

Things that I Love and Inspire Me: A Pictorial List

1. Mori Girl/ Natural Kei/ the hippie aesthetic

Source

I just love the sense of freedom and naturalness that these styles portray.  I've always wished I was an elf or some other creature that is so intrinsically linked to nature and a more innocent time.  I know it seems silly, but for a girl who grew up turning to fantasy books to escape reality, these styles are as close as I can get to actually being one of the characters in my books.

2. Mohawks (especially on girls)

Me circa 2009,
right after I cut my long hair into a mohawk

I feel a bit egotistical using my own hair for the picture, but this time in my life was an important one to me.  I've always wanted a mohawk and it suddenly became time to get one (after a particularly horrible breakup).  To me, mohawks have radiated strength and self confidence, none of which I had in great abundance at the time, and still don't to an extent.  I put the "especially on girls" part because I admire other girls who rock such a seemingly masculine hairstyle in their own feminine way.  On guys, mohawks are just hot!

3. Pin ups 

The beautiful Bettie Page

Let's be honest, who didn't see this coming?  I love 50's pin ups.  They are so sexy, and yet not trashy like a lot of females I see in ads today.  Also, as a girl with more curves than a stick, I love seeing beautiful women that were/ still are considered beautiful that are very close to my own size and shape.  It makes me feel more confident about my curves.  And the clothes and makeup and just amazing too. (on a side note, I told my mom that my new slightly V bangs were inspired by Bettie Page and she decided to look her up.  I hope she didn't run into any of the erotic pictures because that might be a bit awkward, even for me!)

There are more things I want to put on this list, but think I'll break it up into sections because there are a lot!