Sorry for the delay in posting. Last weekend the site was down for server maintenance/issues, and I've been a bit sick all week so I hadn't felt up to getting online and really posting a whole update till now.
First off, Hope you all (those who celebrate it), had a great Halloween, I couldn't resist getting in touch with my inner zombieish thing. At any rate, enjoy the meager attempt I made to show off my effects make-up skills for you. I know I talk about them a lot, but never really went out of my way to show you what I can do. Granted, that's far from my best work, but then again I don't have access to the green room at my high school anymore, so I make due with what I have to work with. Yes, I know how to make a life cast and do the full face latex applications (any sci-fi series alien is done that way), but I don't have the alginate to really go overboard with doing those kinds of things yet. Someday though, I'll do up a really cool application for you guys here, when I get a couple more quarts of latex, and the alginate to make the molds.
I'm still working on those wood burn pieces, they should be finished up this week, and I hope to have another piece or two from my back-log finished up as well.
While I am here, I will mention that I'll be cutting back on my regular updates here for a while. Something came up this week that's got me in an uncomfortable position, so I'm going to step back from my blog for a while and watch a few things unfold before I decide what step to take next. I will not go into detail for personal reasons, but this is something my gut tells me I have to do for now. Don't worry, I'll get around and comment to sites more while I'm taking my leave from active blogging, so, some good will come of it in the end.
Comments
timechaser:
The words of encouragement are always appreciated, they do so much to lift my spirit, I can't even begin to say how. With my work, I'm taking some time off from actively soliciting it to research the genre I've been marketing it under. I may be missng the mark because I'm shooting the wrong direction. Hopefully I'll get some ideas and maybe, just maybe spark some interest in my writing style.
In my short stint in art classes, and my whole High School theatre career, I heard that very thing many times over. My pride is in the work I put out to get to the point where a company could tell me "no", it is in the finished story, the labor of passion stirred by my own desire to get somewhere in life on my own and with the help of true friends. I have no energy to waste on pride in a useless rejection that tells me nothing. There's no point in being proud of a message that says a company is too high-brow to even offer a single piece of useful information to market the work elsewhere.
Oh, I'm useless in the woods too, that's where Boy Scouts will get you. The park has cabins that are pretty well modernized with central heat, indoor plumbing and a refigerator. I enjoy the environment out at the park, it's peaceful and a good source of inspiration for me. Too bad I can't get out ther emore often.
Shireishou:
Thank you, the support I get from my friends is what keeps me pushing to see that work in print. If I have to self-publish, I will go that route, there are a couple avenues I can take in that direction, but I'd like to avoid having to do that if I can. No one ever said getting published would be easy, and there isn't a really solid roadmap for how to do it, but that's the kind of challenge I enjoy pursuing.
What strikes me is, I wrote my piece from the theatrical perspective of an actor or director, and Cassie wrote from a completely different one. Tthe concept really boils down to the same basic elements. Whether it's called feedback ( for a convention) or critique (for an actor in a play or a piece of art), there's a right and wrong way to do it.
That's not much of a surprise, I hear tell of other characters that have differences in their personalities between the manga and the anime. I do like the character, and I'm still looking for that first DVD so I can see what the anime is like.
Those links are a big help, I got what I needed from them, thanks for sharing.
I'll come up with a way for you to hear it, don't worry about that. I just have to find it first.
I'm late with this suggestion, but the best stiff wire I know of for anything is that of cheap coat hangers, like you might get from a dry-cleaner.
Oddly I enjoy reading as much as writing, but I've never really tried to read something in another language. I suppose if I got a book in another language, I'd have to learn the language to be able to read it, and that would get tiring for me.
Magnus Lensherr:
When your mind can center on the art, it is a great place to work from. This last time though I couldn't get my mind to work at all.
Yeah, there are less conventional ways to publish than the "old school" traditional publishers. Those methods usually make the end product cost more, and less accessable (the industry isn't really set up to handle the modern age of publishing on demand yet) than traditionally published books. I'd prefer old school publishing to self publishing in any form because I want it to get the best exposure and distribution possible.
Apparently that's the case, given what I've come across in my research. I'd like to forego the agent, but most publishers don't want to even waste time on direct contact with authors. They probably think agents will screen out the worst stuff so they don't have to work as hard doing all that themselves. Whatever the reason, it's frustrating to say the least. Having to court agents as well as publishers is really mind-boggling.
I heard about those strikes over there. You know, one thing the US government did right was make it so certain unions couldn't strike, the ones working Postal Service jobs are among them. Might be a model worth suggesting to the politicians over there, it would at least keep mail flowing while deals are worked out. As for the survey, yeah, it'll be a couple questions, not too many, about the piece and some related stuff.
All in good time.
It was a refreshing break for me. I'll probably have pictures up with my next update, which is a while off at this point.
GIDRA:
The site's been having some issues lately. I think the bulk of them are handled by now though. I had that comment thing happen to me a couple times, but anymore when it does, I chalk it up to the tinkering being done to ready the site for Version Vibrant as Adam is calling it.
If I knew the camera was there, I'd have flashed it a sour look (I hate cameras unless I'm behind them), but it goes to show you the casual nature of the convention's down time. I looked through the other pictures on the site, and didn't see me in any others.
The line art is actually done now, but I'm going to hold off on posting it till I run it by the guy doing the tattoo. If he gives it the okay (in terms of not being overly detailed to the point ink would bleed and not look good), I'll post it in my next update, and by then, I should have a color scheme in mind of it as well to post too. I'll check out your pics when I get done posting here.
Oh yeah, I can be wicked stubborn when I want to be, and getting published is something I want to be stubborn about.
Yeah, Camping does relax me, and it rained when we were there, it was really nice.
I sure will come up with something.
japanese kitten:
I know. If I knock on many doors, one is bound to open.
Nature and I get along very well.
I wasn't counting on being sick this week so they got delayed again. Hopefully I'll have them done and up next week.
JD Person
All we can do is wait and see right now. With VV coming up withing the next month or two (barring any other delays), we'll know soon enough.
AngelBest Dream:
It certainly did trigger something in me, and you can bet I'll find a use for it.
I'll take some time off from that, but go at it again full force with renewed energy to do it. I have had it looked at and got great feedback on making some changes and polishing it out some more so I'm good there. I don't want to have to rely on too many people to get this project done though. That;s just cause I'd want to make sure everyone who offered me any advice on changes and such was acknowledged. Too many manes would be very hard to remember when writing that part up.
With my next update, I will begin posting some of my short stories that I have posted over on the message board, just to give you all a small example of my writing style which isn't really easy to explain. I've been meaning to share my work with you for some time now, I just never got around to doing it.
BASH:
The day I give up is the day my non-evil (I'm the evil one) twin is posing as me, and feel free to kick his butt all the way to Pluto for me. I know if keep at it, something will happen, but I do need a little rest right now and I'll go at the whole thing with reneweed fervor in a week or so.
I let myself be too lazy for too long, and I have to get all my stuff done, I want to be completely free of old projects by the end of the year to start off next year fresh and new. I kind of have to work through my doubts and all that to get these things done, and never let myself fal so behind again ever.
Actually, I'm a horrible editor, go back through my posts, you'll see any number of spelling and grammar flubs I missed while typing and proofreading. There are no local people worth talking to about anything, they're only interested in helping themselves and their inbred cousins here, but if I could talk to people from anywhere, I'd certainly try. I don't really want a "job" that way, I need the income, but if I got a job, that's all it would be is for the income so I could pursue my passions like writing and my art mch better.
Yensid:
The "powers that be" are too art-centric these days, focusing more on visual rather than anything else. Sure it takes some writing to do manga, but not every fiction writer is capable of drawing out their story, or is willing to seek out someone who can draw it out for them. Aside from that, there's no way to submit joint projects here that equally applies credit to both drawer and writer. I know I'm not really comfortable with my art enough to take on a fan manga project yet, nor would I be a very good partner to work with in terms of having someone else do the artwork for me even though my writing is really good.
Funny little thing people never seem to be aware of. An idea cannot be copyright, the expression of the idea in tangible form can, but not the idea itself. I think it would have to be moderated by intelligent people with a few years behind them so that they could properly evaluate pieces when a question comes up, but a literary section would be a nice addition to the site. Sometimes people come up with independantly similar concepts, it happens all the time. The right people would be able to spot those versus the shells that some people would try to pass off as original having only changed the names and places a little. On that note, Deviantart is a much bigger site that TheO, yet it still has a thriving literary sector with few problems of the type you describe that I'm aware of, and if they'd happen anywhere, that would be the place youd expect to see them. Problems will only arise if the people submitting, and other members of the site create problems for such an area like they do on the art sites here now.
I'd volunteer my time to a literary cause in a heartbeat. Granted, I'm no Hemingway, but I do have some sense when it comes to literature and stories and such.
I did have a good time, thanks, and I'll mark your vote.
Yeah, time and patience seem to be key factors in a lot of things.
Alphonse122:
I know the feeling. I've been so busy myself it's hard to keep track of things anymore.
So do I. After a week or so of research, I'll go at it again and keep going till something comes up.
I did have a good time, it was relaxing to not have the daily beat of checking the e-mail or posting on the board, or even seeing the regular TV shows.
SunfallE:
First off: Welcome to my little corner of the Otaku universe. Pull up a chair, grab some biscotti or a cookie, have a cup of hot tea, and enjoy yourself.
I've seen your name around the whole site quite a bit myself. It's nice of you to stop by and say "hi" to this somewhat timid dragon. Yeah, been trying for a little while now to get into print. The things worth doing in life are never easy.
I agree whole-heartedly, and "getting away" doesn't have to mean going out to a cave in the middle of the woods either, there are ways to "get away" right at home. Turning off the TV, the computer, and putting on a nature sound CD (I have thunderstorm, ocean waves, the Bayou, light rain, and a few other nature sound CDs I use for that purpose), lighting a scented candle or some incense, and just closing your eyes and letting your mind go on a journey once in a while can work wonders to recharge the mind. Even if all you have is 20 minutes, you can get a mental refresh that way. I don't do that enough myself, but it does work.
BASH:
Hello again.
Can't say that I have. At this point, I'm looking for work for the incomee, not for the joy of working. My passions, I'm looking at ways to see if they can be a source of trickling income for me (I doubt I'd hit it big with them - then again I don't know that I'd want to). The book is still in limbo, still waiting to get the green light from someone willing to take the risk on it.
No comment is ever useless. And I did have a good time camping. I am somewhat recharged, though a little under the weather this week, but I'll manage. Thanks for the luck I'll need it. Oh, funny thing, I can only remember how to spell endeavour because of the Space Shuttle. I recall reading one of the articles about it way back when it was still a young shuttle, and the space program has always fascinated me.
