All right, it's been a busy week for me. I have a few things I want to cover this time, so I should get right down to it.
Hosted By
theOtaku.com.
My first attempt at an e-card. I didn't even think I could make those till I tried and it went through here. No surprise it's an inspirational card given that a lot of people tell me I'm good for that kind of thing. So right now, my portfolio is diversifying into areas other than wallpaper and fan art. Maybe someday I'll have something in each active category. For the record, this project wasn't on my list, it came ot me spur of the moment so I had to do it. As with my other non fan art content, I made it in Pixia.
Courage Dear Heart
Hosted By theOtaku.com. Also got an new piece of art to shamelessly plug. the caption info provides the details on it, so I won't bother repeating them here. No, this was not one of the listed projects, but it was important enough for me to draw. With it done, I can direct my attention back to the infamous list of overdue projects. Hopefully, I'll have something to show for that really soon. I am already at work on the highest priority project on the list and will have it finished soon.
I don't know if anyone noticed or not, but I've added a button in the fotter of my blog. That button is linked to the Role Play forum I've been on for a long time. They recently moved to new software, and things are looking good at the moment. I'm not as active on there as I'd like to be either, but I'm not hard to find, I go by cosmictraveller there. I was going to bring that up a while ago, but kept forgetting all about it till just now.
And last, but no least, I know you all are wondering how the Tattoo came out, well there's the finished product. I may have the color touched up in spots, I really like how it came out. The blue I chose was better than I expected it to be, in the bottle it looked a little lighter than it went on, which I'm happy about, I wanted a dark, rich blue, what other color suits the wind so well? Anyway, a lot of you did recognize the Kanji "kaze" (wind) which didn't surprise me at all. I'm sure some of you are wondering "if he's a dragon, why did he have 'wind' tattooed on himself not 'dragon'?" Well, there's a reason for that, a couple actually. Aside from that beign the test tattoo to see if I take ink and "pain" (tattooing really tickles more than it hurts), I have a bit of an issue when it comes to wind. Long story short, wind scares me to no end, especially high winds like during a storm. It's kind of a psychological thing for me really, kind of my joining spirits with the wind that scares me, and hopefully pulling some strength from it instead of fear. We'll just have to wait and see.
Comments:
Hop-Frog:
Yep, you got the Kanji spot on. I just explained why I chose "wind" as my first tattoo right above this, I hope that answers your question. As for the dragon, that's going to go somewhere else on me, either my other arm, maybe my back, or one of my legs. This Kanji tattoo was a test tattoo to see if I could take the needle mostly, my sister's friend didn't think I could handle the discomfort. He also needed to see if my skin would take and hold the ink. My sister's skin doesn't like to take ink that well, so he wasn't sure how I would fare in that area.
Oh no, I'm far from achieving that level of enlightenment. I know what you mean about having that feeling though. I have to have that feeling to be able to start a picture, I can't force myself to begin a new project that I don't feel like doing. The problem I have is keeping at the project once I start. I'm too easily distracted by things, so I kind of have to force myself to sit down and do the pictures all at once otherwise nothing would ever get done.
I'm sure we'll get our projects done eventually.
Kiki-tink:
Sure thing, and thanks. I do what I can and mean every word.
Yensid:
You can alsways go back and answer them if you want. I did that more to challenge people's minds than annything else.
As it stands, I have one piercing in my left ear, and the kanji tattoo on my right arm. It's highe enough up the arm that I can cover it up with a short sleeve shirt for like a job intevrview or another time I need to be "professional" in appearance. I don't have any "unusual" piercings or tattoos either, and I don't think I want anything like that. I'm still having trouble using the term pain to describe the sensation of being tattooed, it doesn't physcially hurt all that much. It is uncomfortable for the body, but it's not really painful. Best I can describe it would be to compare it to a mild-to-moderate sundburn in terms of what it feels like while the needle is being used. The itch is probably the most uncmfortable thing about it. As the tattoo heals, it itches like crazy, but it can't be scratched, that'll pull the ink off. I think the most unnerving thing to a first timer in terms of getting a tattoo though is probably the buzzing the needle gun makes. I know when I was getting the lining for mine done last week, that's what was getting to me the most, that buzzing.
Most often I have little trouble getting started, I could sit here, read a comment and suddenly pop an idea comes to me and I rough it out on printer paper in like two minutes. My trouble is keeping focused once I start. Like I mentioned to Hop-Frog, I'm easily distracted by things and that makes it difficult to concentrate on getting a piece done. Once in a while though, I do fall into that butter zone and things move along quickly for me without my even having to push myself. I'm hoping I can hit that with even a few of my projects that are due.
Mostly, I try to stay away from convention coverage because it's exhausting for me to try to relate to that material, not having had the experience of a convention myself. I'm trying to get to Tsubasacon this year, that's the clostest convention to where I live. I won't really know for sure till the last possible minute if I'll be going or not, so no promises at the moment. For me, commenting that I "wish I could have been there" just isn't really doing it anymore. the convention experience is something I won't be able to fully appreciate until I see it first hand.
Not much I can offer on the AX statements.
Yeah, I'm going to study up some designs, and would appreciate if anyone sees andy nice Japanese dragon pictures (tattoo or not) to direct me to them.
KanuckGrrl:
Actually, there are several Kanji for Dragon that I am aware of, all pretty much sound the same, but are used in different contexts. You have "tora" (I think that's tiger if I recall). on your right arm in almost the same color pallate as my "kaze"? Wow that is frightfully freaky. Mine's on my right arm at the shoulder (to be covered up with a short sleeve shirt if necessary). I don't think the outlining on mine took all that long, but's it's a lot of really long straight lines so it's not that hard to do. The coloring did take a while, and it'll need some touching up too as you can see in the picture. I don't know if bleeding means the needle was set too deep or not, I'll have to run that by my sister's friend, he's good with the gun and knows a thing or two about the art. My guess is the needle went in too deep. Given that I'm a guy, and 26 years old, I think I qualify for the grown man descriptor, but see, I have this odd personality trait. I come off as a timid, and weak constitutioned person in real life most of the time, but that meek exterior hides a wealth of personal strength that I can tap when I need it, which is what I did when I got that needle. The guy who did my tattoo(my sister's friend) told me he was surprised that I took it as well as I did, which, to be honest, so was I. I admitted that to him when he was done the coloring.
My second tattoo will probably be my last (though I won't rule out a third one, "kaze" was just the technical test), and it'll be a dragon that I design myself. I'll be looking at a lot of pictures over the next week or so to put together a really nice piece of lineart to transfer. Depending on the size (I don't want anything too big given that he's doing them for nothing and that ink is expensive), It'll either go on my left arm, or a leg, though I won't rule out my back either. I was born in the year of the monkey, but that Kanji didn't really appeal to me, so I chose kaze instead. Dragon would have been the predicable one for me to get, what with my online persona and all, but, I like to keep people on their toes a little so I didn't go with that one.
I haven't seen Miami Ink, but then again, I'm not really into the tattoo sub-culture. You know how some people are all about the ink and the artform, that's not me. I have my resons for getting this Kanji, as well as the dragon I'm designing, but it's not to find my place among the tattooed in society. I mean no offense to anyone when I say that, it's just that culture is not who I am.
Funny, I never really thought of it like that. I don't see my style drastically changing mid-work if I take a break from it. Often times I'll end up starting from scratch if I left a pic too long and can't seem to get it jumping again.
I don't mind discussing either, but art is more my forté.
InuYashaFan4-ever:
I haven't even started drawing it yet, so I don't know. but I know the needlwwork will be great no matter what I turn out.
If you've ever had a bad sunburn, if you've ever scraped your knee, or if you've ever been stung by a wasp, bee, or fire ant, you can handle a tattoo needle. I have to admit something though. While I can take the "pain" I can't actually watch the needlework being done. Seeing a needle getting stuck into me, that makes me queasy.
GIDRA:
I have some tribal dragon flash that looks really cool, but I'm not into the tribal thing in terms of tattooes being done on me. I'm taking as much reference material as I can to be able to produce the best looking dragon tattoo flash I can, and tribal dragons are good for postitive/negative space studies.
That's right, and as you can see, the blue looks great for the meaning of the symbol.
In my family, only my Dad is bothered by the tattoo, of course he's an ordained minister so I understand his reasoning for being less than enthusiastic about it. The extended family might be a little surprised at it when they find out, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. My mom's got the lining for a dolphin on her leg (coloring to be done next week), my sister probably has more tattoos than she cares to admit but I know of three for sure, and I've got the Kanji right now, with the dragon on the way. It's a family affair for us, I think we're all wild spirited in some way or another. I can't say that I'd go out and keep on getting tattooes after getting these two done, I'm not sure that would reflect on my personality very well, but I can say that it is an experience I'm better for having gone through.
Hope you enjoyed the picture, it will need to be recoleored, and of course, when the dragon is in the works, I'll have pictures of it up here too.
Shireishou:
Really? That's a neat little bit of info to share with me about that kanji. That's cool. My nick-name Hal, translates to a two Kanji string which didn't really appeal to me, and I don't really need my nick-name tattooed on me anyway.
It wasn't painful to me at all. As I said before, I have reserve of strength I draw upon when I need it, so I may just be able to tolerate something like that more than someone else. I do know that the level of discomfort depends upon the part of the body getting the tattoo, some areas are more sentitive than others.
A belated Happy Birthday to your father, hope you got to meet him already, if not, hope you can real soon.
AngelBest Dream:
That is nick-name I like the sound of, and you know, it's fitting given that my username in a couple places is phantomzephyr (zephyr being the west wind of course :P).
You've just given me a valuable piece of help in the design process of the dragon tattoo. It may seem like a little thing, but your advice will guide me in the right direction. Interesting enough, while green is my favorite color, I hit on the "black gray" you mentioned. That one feels right to me. Black is too dark, and green, like I said is a nice color, but it's not the inner me, I can feel that. My personality is very much like a thunderstorm, dark and brooding, yet peaceful and serene at the same time. I've got a brainstorm to work with now, I hope the image comes out how I want it.
I've got a plan in motion to get all those overdue pictures done. Hopefully, I'll get them finished soon because I have some more longer term projects I'd like to put my attention into.
I know I'm missed, that's why I'd like to update more often, to let you guys know I'm all right. I don't get around to pages like I want to, but I do try, and I'm not stressing out over it. I'll get my routine back soon enough.
kitbug69:
A lot of other people have covered it already, but it reads "kaze" which means wind. I'm sure you'll remember it now, cause the tattoo will come to mind when you see the kanji anywhere.
I've missed a few of your posts so no problem there. We all miss a post now and again.
I'll just have to see if my plan to get them done works. If it does, I'll be back in the swing before you know it.
I know that feeling. Most of the reason I've been offlien the past few weeks has been pop-up inclement weather. I never run my computer durting a storm, and they like to hit when I'm trying to be online usually.
lifes burden:
Very true, I wouldn't have chosen a character that didn't in some way reflect my personality. It reads kaze, which means wind.
You know, I actually thought of that, having had one interviewer directly challenge me on the earring, I wasn't going to make the mistake of having a tattoo in an obvious place. That's why the kanji is actually on my right arm up at the shoulder. Even if I have a short-sleeve shirt on, the tattoo will be completely out of sight. It's only visible when I've got a sleeveless shirt on and I woudln't wear something like that to a job interview anyway. I won't ever get a tattoo in a place that's not easy to conceal for the very reason of hiding it from job interviewers. I have enough trouble getting a job without helping myself do worse at it.
I don't really care what anyone else thinks of it, or the dragon either. That's not my reason for getting them done. I have my reasons which are kind of personal, and I won't be swayed by anyone from doing it. The discomfort isn't easy to really describe, I can tell you getting burned by hot cooking oil, being spattered by bacon grease, or even being burned by steam hurts much worse than tattooing. Being clawed or bitten by cats hurts worse, bee stings, ant bites, those are more painful. Stepping on a thumbtack or broken glass, that's more painful, taking a bicycle's handlebars across the chest, that hurts more, and having a TV fall onto your chest, that's much more painful. There's a lot out there that's more painful than being tattooed, but the only real way to know if you can take it would be to have someoen you know with a tattoo gun and some extra sterile needles actually give you a dry buzz (run the needle without ink). That'll give you an idea what it feels like. I will warn you ahead of time that getting the tattoo is the easy part, keeping yourself from scratching out the ink as it itches like mad while the wound heals up, that's probably the hardest part of the whole thing.
That sounds like a really neat concept. Fore people who are close like that, I can see it being a meaningful gesture to both of them. Whether you decide to do it or not, you're lucky to have each other.
That sounds like something my classmates in school would say, back then I was a real pansy and they made sure I knew it all the time. I hope this thing is more permanent than not, because, even though it's a test tattoo, I like the way it looks, and I'd like to have it for years to come. Yeah, mine's on my right arm, just below the shoulder.
Cheshire Madness:
The dragon isn't going with the Kanji, the Kanji was just to see if I could take the needle without passing out or something. with that one successfully complete, I can design up a dragon that will go on me somewhere, and I'll post pictures of it when it's ready.
There is kind of a stinging burn to the process, I'd say it's more like someone with long fingernails pinching the heck out of your skin, it doesn't really feel all that deep. With the way my sister's fridnd was talking, I thought it would be like my gasteritis (for anyone who had gall stones and you gallbaldder removed, you know what I'm talking about), which felt like my stomach got ripped out, heck I've felt any number of things that were more painful. I will say the itch that follows as the tattoo heals up is insane, but it's worth it.
BASH:
I suppose that would be a problem, mine was a shaky arm when the guy was doing the lining. He had to stop a couple time to let me rest because I wat twitching so much the lines almost weren't straight. Gettign the color wasn't as troublesome cause I knew what to expect. As long as I don't watch the needle going into my skin, I'm fit as a fiddle.
Yeah, I have to agree that the revelation I experienced while getting the needle was probably a bit odd for the situation, but it is pretty much the truth. The body and mind often struggle over things, and the trick is to get the mind to win out over the body to get things done.
japanese kitten:
Yep, that's it. A lot of people who visit me are familiar with that kanji. I shoudln't be surprised as this is an animé site. Aichmophobia huh? I can unserstand that. Knowing there's a needle coming, and that buzzing the gun makes probably would be unsettling to some people. i can tell you I was nervous when I got the lining done on mine, the sound of the gun still puts me on edge a little.
Try Celestial Seasonings "Sleepytime" tea, Bigelow "Sweet Dreams" tea, or Full Circle "nighttime blend" tea. If you're into organic foods, the Full Circle brand is the way to go. those all have chamomile in them, but they have some other tea ingredients that help relax the mind and body. Never sweeten tea with bleached sugar (white sugar), always use raw sugar or honey, those are much easier on the stomach. Hopefully one of those will help you relax enough to get some rest.
scorchbird12:
It certainly is a neat looking Kanji, I like the look of it, and it fits my personality. There's no going back now, it's on there to stay.
I'm glad to share any enlightnement I have to suffer to realize. Glad the info was useful, I hope it works for you in the long run.
Alphonse122:
Thanks, and being 26, I don't have to worry about what my parents don't want me to do. I do think my Dad isn't too happy with the idea, but I am a man unto myself. It didn't hurt all that much no. The most discomfort I've gone through is the persistent itching as the tattoo heals. Scratching the tattoo while it's healing will pull the ink out, so it's kind of uncomfortable because I just have to tolerate the itch. You know, it's the people who think they can't handle something like that who usually turn out to be the strongest people.
FF 333
The Kanji reads kaze, which means wind. Thanks, I like how it completed tattoo came out, that blue is better than I hoped it would be.
Thank you, I'm sure she'll appreciate the kindness.
With the ambiguous username, and a track record of being called a girl, I thought it best to share one of my faces (no camera has caught my dragon face yet) with you.
Iruka Sensei:
I'm still a little slow to action, but I'm working on getting back in full. We get around when we can anymore it seems. Hopefully, I'll get around to you more often.
As you can see from the picture, it's finished, though it might need some touch up work in a few days, it was completed on Sunday (Jul 22).
I'll let her handle the details in her next update, but the well wishes are appreciated I'm sure.
