*blows away the cobwebs*

Boy howdy, not updated this beast in a while.  Hmm.

Ok so...hello anyone who still follows/reads my DA journals.  To you people I say thank you

Guess I should throw out a life update of sorts to anyone who cares ^-^*  So here we go.

Working on Sarah&Duck



Ok so anyone who's been following me on Tumblr or Facebook will already know that the studio that I work for started airing its new preschool show Sarah and Duck on the ceebeebies channel. It's a series I'm working on as an animator (and loving it.  CelAction is my homegirl), and we're al really thrilled to see it on the big screen.  Currenly it's only airing in the UK, but I'm told there are plans to show it internationally in the future.  There are a couple of low-res uploads of the episodes on Youtube if you're really curious, but in you're in the UK you can find it easily on iPlayer .  If you've already seen it or know kids who enjoy it I'd love to hear what you guys think of the show.  

Despite being a preschool show it is STILL a lot of hard work and long-ish hours (9.30am to 6.30pm every day...later if we're running behind) which means I've been doing less and less personal art because I'm just run ragged XD

But I'm not complaining.  As I say i LOVE my job, but the sacrifice of doing my job means less time on personal projects and less time on DA.  Plus there are other issues stemming from work...


Eye problems

After a freaky week where I was struggling to see things clearly I finally caved and went for an eye test.  Turns out I have astigmatism in my right eye which is a common problem amongst creatives and animators.  My actual vision is fine, but using computer screens strains my eyes to buggery...so I'll need glasses.  This helps explain why I've not being doing much digital art recently because looking at my laptop screen for any long period of time is murder on my eyes, especially after a full day on a computer at work.

However I should be getting my new glasses on monday and that should help fix a few things.  In the meantime I've been focussing on traditional arts and any laptop time is for sorting commissions (because they take priority)

Commissions are still open, so if anyone is interested please check out the details on my front page.


New Housemate!

After living alone for some time I finally have a new housemate, my fabulous buddy ~Araniel who has started a new job in London recently.  This is great for me because we get on great and she forces me to get off my laptop and do other things...which in turn is good for my eyes and everything else.  Plus she's fabulous.  She just is.


All these reasons go towards explaining my quietness and lack of updates.  I'm sorry to anyone who has been left hanging while watching me waiting for new good stuffs.  I have not abandoned DA.  I sneak on quite often to maintain clubs, browse galleries and sneak a peak and what my friends are up to.  Despite my busy RL I do not plan on leaving DA any time soon, because I still enjoy this site and the feedback I get from it.  

You guys encourage and inspire me to keep doing what I enjoy.  Eye problems and work are not about to change that.

On a final note i want to give a shout out to a bucketload of GORGEOUS ARTWORK my DA friends have done for me recently (birthday related and otherwise).  I cannot thank you guys and girls enough, you are all UTTER SWEETHEARTS.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Happy belated Thanksgiving y'all!  I hope you guys and gals in the US ate lots of yummy fuds and spent time with your family and/or friends...and generally had a nice time.  Also best wishes to anyone having to work through Black Friday, you are in our thoughts you brave, brave people.

So with Thanksgiving and Christmas being just around the corner I figured it was time to get some goodwill all up in this HIZAY.  So I'm doing this again

Post a comment telling me about a good deed that you did for someone else.  It can be something relatively small, or a life changing action that you performed for someone.  No good deed is too small or 'unworthy', it can be as simple as offering to walk the neighbours dog or giving things to a goodwill charity, all good deeds should be recognised and praised.  

Post your good deed here and I will post them in my journal for all to read, singing the praises of your goodness.  Lets get some good will and charitable feelings going for this holiday time!

So lets get this party STARTED.

XD  I love you guys, you make me feel speshul

RULES:
* You must post these rules.
* Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create ten new questions for the people you tag to answer.
* You have to choose ten people to tag and post their icons on your Journal.
* Go to their pages and tell them you have tagged him/her.
* No tag backs.
* No crap in the tagging section about "You're tagged if you're reading this". You legitimately have to tag ten people.

Ok so i got tagged by and LITERALLY at the same time, so I'll answer both their questions at once

~Brawldrawer's questions

1) You've been turned into a Sonic character from the 90's, who are you?
I don't know my sonic characters that well, so I'd probably just be Amy Rose XD

2) You only have 200 seconds to collect at least 1,000 coins! Quick, Mario or Luigi to help you?
Luigi :3

3) Bonbon or Lyra?
Bonbon, because candy

4) Wreck it Ralph is coming! Which of the main characters do you consider yourself?
I've not seen this film yet so i have no way of being able to answer this question accurately XD

5) Mario or Luigi?
Wasn't this question 2?  Luigi again

6) If you've seen my gallery, which of my characters are your favorite?
Ramona

7) From Mario kart 7, Wiggler, Metal Mario, or Lakitu?
THERE'S A MARIO KART 7?! XD

8) Rayman 2 or Rayman Origins?
Rayman origins

9) I meet you with a big smile at your front door, what do you do?
Invite you in for tea and cake

10) If you were a mare or colt, what is your cutie mark?
I don't know...probably something goofy and simple like a paintbrush painting a rainbow or something



~GamefreakDX's questions

1. What's your favourite TV show?
Currently that would be Gravity Falls

2. Muffin or Cupcake?
ARGH.  It would depend completely on the time opf day and type of muffin/cupcake.  Right now I'd say cupcake

3. What's your favourite anime character?
Black Jack

4. What's the thing you regret doing the most?
Loosing my temper at someone who didn't deserve it

5. Pokemon or Digimon?
Pokemon

6. What would your reaction be if the end of the world was ACTUALLY in 21st December 2012?
I'd be pissed because I didn't get to finish my advent calendar

7. What's your favourite gaming console or hand-held?
The GameBoy Advance

8. 3 chests. One has a Fire Flower, a Super Leaf, and a Frog Suit. What would you choose?
SUPERLEAF I WANNA FLY LIKE THE RACCOON

9. Classic or Modern games?
Classic

10.  Is this a question?
...maybe?


Ok, I tag these unlucky people:



HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS TO YOU

1) What one thing are you currently obsessed with?
2) Do you like McDonalds?
3) What is your favourite bird?
4) If you could have a life supply of ONE particular junk food, what would it be?
5) What's the strangest/most unusual animal that you have ever encountered (i.e. it has to be something you've seen in real life, not on TV or the internet?)
6) Do you glow in the dark?
7) A strange box covered in mystic symbols and pentagrams appears suddenly on your doorstep.  Do you open it?
8) Are you young enough to remember this show? [link]
9) Do you currently own a pet?  If so what is it and what's it's name?
10) Will you be dressing up for Halloween?  

GO IN PEACE, CHILDREN

So I figured I should update this with some life stuff provided DA has stopped being a dickweed and will let me post journal entries.  I'll be keeping the commish journal updated too, there are still slots open for Pony -Heads

Adventure Time

So anyone on my facebook or who are fans of WeLoveFine might have seen I got runner up in their most recent Adventure Time t-shirt design contest, and despite a mix up with the judges and wotnot WLF are total bros who sorted the whole thing out.  

All the winning designs were fantastic and are worth a look, you can find a link to my shirt (Bat and Belfry rock AKA Bringing Down the Belfry) in the comments on this image:


If you do buy my shirt I'd love to know   I haven't been able to buy any shirts from WLF so I have no idea what they are like in reality!


Tumblr

So i finally caved in an got myself a couple of tumblrs to post art and comment on nutty tumblrs I frequent.  So if you're on tumblr don't hesitate to drop in

[link] - Raygirl's Ramblings
This is a general chatting/reblogging tumblr for sharing things and chatting and questions (if people have any).  It's kinda empty at the moment but I will get a more funky layout set up soon

[link] - Dizzymosquito
This is basically a portfolio tumblr so when people ask me 'OMG SHOW ME SOME ARTS' I have a clean site of my best work to show em.  All of the stuff on here will be on my DA page, so there probably won't be any surprises for people who watch my DA page XD


MCM

Finally I'll be attending MCM London this weekend, but ONLY ON THE SUNDAY.  I don't think i can handle a full weekend right now XD  But I'm looking forward to seeing some lovely peeps who I know are going to be there *joooy*  If you're going to MCM on the sunday let me know what/who you're cosplaying as (if any) and I'll keep my eyes peeled.  I'll be in my Derpy Hooves costume (pics can be found in my favourites list), so if you see me PLEASE come over and say hi.  I love meeting new people!

Sooo if you're watching my gallery you might have seen I put this info up:


Yes I'm offering to draw -HEADS for OC pony characters in the style of the other ponies you can find in my gallery.  I'm posting this journal to keep a tally on who's put their name down for a picture, the progress of their picture, and finished results so people can see the type of thing they'll get

Thank you to all the people who have said they like the pony -HEADS series, even if you can't afford to buy one at the moment.  I appreciate the support and kind words Even if you just spread the word around that I'm doing these commissions that would be amazing and super helpful ^-^

Star Guide

- Paid for
- Sketch in progress
- Colouring in progress
- Picture complete

Commissions list

1) - FireFeather



2) - Unity



3) - DW



4) - Prisma



5) #open#

...and I'm not afraid to use it.

Soooooooooooooo internet at home is still a major problem.  BT are still being a bunch of lying, useless incompetents, so i've resorted to buying an USB internet dongle from O2 (ANOTHER long and not funny story) so I have some access to the web.

But despite being able to pootle about online I have found a weird flaw.  For SOME REASON UNKNOWN TO ME browsing using the dongle makes the 'send' button on comments on deviantart COMPLETELY VANISH.  I have NO WAY to send comments or reply to people outside of the message centre, which means I can't comment on pictures, journals, news posts or anything else.  If I have a message in my inbox I can reply to those because the send button appears, but not on deviations, journals, front pages etc.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.  Anyone have any explanation?  Any helpful tips?

And NO it's not my computer or browser (I use google chrome btw), if I use an internet cafe or my parents home internet it works fine and I can comment away happily.  So I'm baffled.  Why would using an internet dongle effect my browser?!  So far DA is the only site I've found this problem on, and the only other problem I've found is that images always load at low rez unless I shift+click them...not a huge problem compared to the 'send' button deal.

If anyone has any idea why this might be happening I'd love to hear em ;_;  thanks!



In other new Gravity Falls is making me consider buying a Sky box, Rayman Legends makes me want to buy a WiiU, The Tiger and Bunny movie is ok...just ok....and the brony fandom is starting to worry me.

EDIT

So if you've seen my featured deviation recently you might know I've entered my 'Bringing Down the Belfey' design to WeLoveFine's Adventure Time T-Shirt contest.  I would really appreciate any and all votes because this contest has a LOT of quality entries.  If anyone has a WLF account and wouldn't mind bopping over to the link below to vote on my entry I'd be amazingly grateful.  If I win the shirt design will be made into an official shirt and sold via WLF *excited*

[link] < my entry

ALSO if you happen to have entered the same contest and submitted a design TELL ME and I'll pimp your design in this journal too

Thank you for your time




Yeah I still have no internet at home because British telecom are a hive of scum and villainy and lies.  But here's hoping they might get their act together by tuesday and I'll FINALLY have broadband internet in my flat. *siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh*

Oh I saw Brave.  It was frustrating and How to Train Your Dragon is WAY better.  I can't wait for Paranorman (I'M SEEING IT ON WEDNESDAY OMFG) and Wreck it Ralph and Rise of the Guardians.  There's lots of good stuff coming up

Oh, I should also say that I'll be opening commissions for Rayian characters VERY soon.  I just need to come up with some examples to show what you get for your money :3  Is there anyone out there who would commission me for anything else?  I'm also planning customised -HEADS artwork to get me back in the swing.

Also these are still avaliable


:3

Hi guys and girls, sorry for the relative internet silence but I still have no internet in my flat and have to rely on work's interwebs to check DA and do anything more complicated than checking facebook XD

I just wanted to give a shoutout to promote a RAYGIRLS ART TRADE we're having over at .  It's basically a big trade where you enter with a character you want drawn, get paired up with someone and they draw your character while you draw theirs

Currently we have 11 entrants, but we need an even number to get started, so really we need ONE MORE entrant to get going.  So if you have a female Rayman fancharacter (they don't have to be called 'Raygirl', they just have to be a female character of Rayman's species) and you like doing art trades for peoples then please come and join us and take part

For all the info GO HERE: [link]

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF RAYGIRLS CLUB TO TAKE PART

Thank you and god bless ;D

Howdy all by DA buddies

Well just a quick update to say I'm still without internet at home, meaning the time I get to browse online, reply to messages and comment on artwork is limited by when I'm at work (and not...yano...WORKING) and when I can sneak into my local cafe for interweb tea-breaks.  I can also pick up notes and messages on my phone, but because my iphone is a little unreliable I cannot reply to anything with it.

I seriously have a huge backup of artwork, comments and faves to get through and thank you and nice things to share, but so little free time to do it.  The good news is that in that free time I've been working on something lovely new artwork...which would be great if I could get my scanner work *le sigh*

But hopefully before the end of this month I'll be up and running with my own interwebs and I'll be able to post messages anew.  in the meantime I just wanted to see if anyone is planning on going to the LONDON DEVMEET at the end on this month?

Join us for a deviantMEET in London, England!

I know a few of my devmeet veteran London based buddies are going, but give us a holla if you're going to be there and I'll make extra special effort to come over and say hi, make you feel welcome if you're new to devmeets

Seriously, devmeets are so much fun, I even wrote a special guide about it

If you have never been to a meet, or don't even know what one is and you live in London or the UK in general then you might want to read this guide and JOIN US!

It's basically like a big picnic in the park with a bunch of random artists, photographers, developers and crazy people.  There will be cake and bubbles and costumes and people getting hugged and glomped by the truckload.  You are not under any obligation to be arty, but it would be nice if you brought some candy to share

So to all my DA buddies i say much love and snugs   I'll be back out of radio silence soon!

I leave deviantart for less than 12 hours to go and do life things and cry about not having internet and everyone changes their usernames and NOW I DON'T KNOW WHO ANYONE IS ;0;

WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? WHAT WORLD IS THIS? WHO AM I? IS THIS A DREAM?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH















XD I'm only arseing around, change your names however you want but be aware I'm a complete twonk who might forget XD  Forgive me


But I won't be changing my username   I'M A STUBBORN OLD BAG

Howdy folks

First i want to give a little shout out to some GORGEOUS artwork I've received recently but didn't get the chance to post in my last journal.  These people deserve lots of love and kittens

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

So anyone who is friends with me on facebook might know that i'm currently in the process of moving into a new flat.  This has been a very long and drawn out process mainly thanks to the complete incompetence of the contractors for the building and somewhat hampered by work and the process of my family moving out of London around the same time.  Currently I'm bunking with my godmother and stealing her internet

HOWEVER with all that I might finally be able to move into my new home tomorrow!


...the only downside is (again thanks to the incompetence of the contractors and BT) I won't have internet access right away.  My only internet access will be at work or at internet cafes...which is fine, because it gives me time to get on with other things without the internet as a distraction.  Such as artwork   So if i suddenly go very quiet over the next few weeks please don't think I've dropped off the face of the earth or anything. I'm fine, just less interwebs :3

After getting into my new place the next thing I would like to do is open up commissions to get some savings.  At present the only commissions I have running are my Chibi-Postcard commissions:



These commissions are STILL VERY MUCH OPEN.  I have a tonnes of postcards to get rid off and my promarkers are primed and ready for action

But i figured those alone won't raise much money, so i have 2 more commission options I'd like to throw out there.  THESE ARE ONLY IDEAS, THEY ARE NOT OPEN YET.

One is an offer to the Rayman fan community for colour/B&W drawing of their fancharacters, similar to these below:

So either the more 'angular' style of line art or the smooth style.  I figure a full colour character picture would be priced at $15 (about £9).  B&W lineart might cost less, i have not decided.  This would be open to Rayians as well as any other Rayman-themed fancharacter (Fairies, Nymphs, Lacmacians etc)

Does this sound interesting to you?  Is the price something you'd want to pay for such an image?  Let me know!

Second is an idea i've been throwing around for a while, and something for the brony community.  The chance to have your pony character redrawn in the -HEADS style, like these:


Since these tend to take me longer and require more planning I would probably price these at around $25 (about £15), but you get your unique Pony -HEAD decorated based on their cutiemark and personality or job (if they have one).  And I will happily make them into a wallpaper image for your desktop at your size of choice

Does this sound like something you'd want to buy? Let me know!



Bear in mind nothing is concrete at the moment.  Also remember I work a full time job so commissions might take a while.  However i wouldn't expect you to pay full price until completion so it's in my best interests to get the picture done swiftly.  

let me know what you think!  Alternatively if you see something else in my gallery and you think 'I'd love to see my character drawn like THAT' let me know.  It doesn't have to be pony or Rayman related

LOVE AND SNUGS TO YOU ALL

So yesterday was my birthday

....and thanks to my rotten luck I woke up with a head full of snot

...and I was supposed to be moving out of my flat

....so.....yeah....great birthday!

But despite all that things went smoothly with the move (now I'm back in parents house until I move into my new flat), and once home I was treated with cupcakes and pizza and presents, and life was good.    But because of the insanely busy day, my family home's dodgy internet connection and the head cold that was forcing me to talk like Droopy I didn't have much time/energy to get onto DA or facebook and reply to messages.

So imagine my surprise when I opened my inbox and was FLOODED with wellwishers and love   Seriously, i was blown away by all the lovely comments people had left me, some of which were full of smilies and pictures that brightened up my day no end!  Certainly made me feel better despite my cold

I just wanted to post a little journal to say thank you so much to all the lovely people of DA who sent me messages. I will get round to replying to everyone in time, but please forgive my taking a while

Also LOOKIES I GOT PRETTY CARDS:

:thumb287943128:


Thank you so much!  I keep saying that, but really what else can i say?  I'm so blown away by the charity and kindness of my DA friends, and I can't express how thankful I am.  Thank you thank you thank you!


In other news I might be posting up some new commission information for any ponyfans and bronies out there.  I'm still working on a BIIIIIIIIIIG picture for my 1,000th deviation, as well as lots of other ideas and bits and bobs that i want to draw for myself or for other people.  Thank you for sticking with me!

I'm a complete eBay noob, so I have no idea if any of my DA buddies are officionados but if you are you might be interested in a couple of things I'm selling on eBay

Firstly I'm selling off three boxed Sonic Adventure figurines, completely new and unopened, perfect for a collector
[link] - Sonic
[link] - Knuckles
[link] - Tails
These are ReSaurus figures...and apparently they're hard to get or something...so yeah, any sonic fans want to give them a new home?

I'm also selling on a whole load of Grateful Dead Beanie Bears
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]
I have no idea if these are collectable or not.  The sites i went to were selling these for about $15 each, but I don't know how popular they are so they're cheaper

And I will happily post overseas.  UK and US prices are listed, anywhere else just drop me a message and i can find out postage costs

Thanks!

Anywho to fill out the rest of this journal i stole a funny little quiz from

Basically cross all the boxes that apply to you and add up your scores

[ ] Dust scares you.
[ ] Your mother had more than two children.
[ ] You are a smoker.
[ ] You drink a lot.
[ ] You like to write.
[ ] You are religious.
[ ] You like to burn candles.
[X] You prefer juice or water over soda.
[X] You have ridden a horse.

Subtotal: 2

[ ] You have done drugs.
[ ] You are currently a drug addict.
[x] You are very artistic.
[x] You like stuffed animals.
[x] You are attracted to shiny things.
[ ] You have eaten a bug before.
[ ] You love cars.
[ ] Cats are your favourite animal.
[ ] You hate animals.
[x] You are spontaneous and random.

Subtotal: 6

[ ] You like fruit a lot.
[x] You drive.
[ ] You make/made good grades in school. (I don't want to jinx that...)
[x] You are are in/have been to university.
[x] You like things to be very clean.
[ ] You are very messy.
[x] You love to eat.
[x] Christmas is your favourite holiday.
[ ] You like the beach.
[ ] You hate the color pink.

Subtotal: 11

[ ] You wear glasses or contacts.
[x] You chat online a lot.
[x] You always use correct grammar.
[x] You like to take quizzes.
[ ] You eat out at restaurants more than you eat at home.
[x] You enjoy swimming.
[ ] You have more than five pets.
[ ] You have more than ten pets.
[x] You believe in ghosts.
[ ] You have seen a ghost.

Subtotal: 16

[x] You prefer comedy movies to romance movies.
[ ] You like dancing, either doing it yourself or watching.
[ ] You have been to a strip club.
[ ] You drink coffee in the morning.
[x] You like to be awake at night.
[ ] You don't go outside often.
[x] You love to read.
[x] You believe in an afterlife of some kind.
[x] You have had short hair.
[ ] You know how to cook well.

Total: 21


Results:

0 - 1 = Mosquito.
2 - 3 = Weed.
4 - 5 = Daisy.
6 - 7 = Janitor.
8 - 9 = Goose.
10 - 11 = Rock.
12 - 13 = Fireman.
14 - 15 = Rose.
16 - 17 = Mouse.
18 - 19 = Cow.
20 - 21 = Rabbit. IMMA BUNNEH *SQUEEK*
22 - 23 = Mental patient.
24 - 25 = Grass.
26 - 27 = Water.
28 - 29 = Bat.
30 - 31 = Hippo.
32 - 33 = Crocodile.
34 - 35 = Vampire.
36 - 37 = Horse.
38 - 39 = Hawk.
40 - 41 = Spider.
42 - 43 = Flea.
44 - 45 = Princess / Prince.
46 - 47 = President.

I blame you *shakeyfist*

RULES:

1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 5 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
5. Go to their page and tell them you have tagged him/her.
6. No tag backs.
7. No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this". You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

ABOUT ME:

1.  My fave animal is the manatee
2.  I'm currently working on an animated kids series for pre-schoolers
3.  My lucky number is 3 because my birthday is the 3rd of March
4.  My favourite pony is Rarity, followed by Derpy Hooves
5.  Programs used: Photoshop, Flash, After effects, CelAction


QUESTIONS:
1. What was your New Year's resolution?

Draw more artwork.  I was ashamed of how little i drew last year

2. If you could be any fictional character which one would it be?

aaaaaargh hard to choose...I'd like to be someone/thing who could fly.  Maybe Urd from Ah My Goddess, because she's seriously awesome and just floats everywhere XD  And her costumes are freeking cool.

3. Are you more Daily or Nightly?

Daily, i'm an early bird who doesn't like staying up late

4: What's your opinion on drawing backgrounds?

I suck at them, so the simpler the better with me.  Really, my backgrounds are awful

5: What is your favourite food?

Spaghetti bolognese :9

6: Your favourite piece of art from your dA gallery (link please!).

NRRRRG why you make me pick only one?!

Gonna have to go with my most recent christmas picture.  because it was such a marathon and it turned out way better than i expected

7: If you could change your name for a year (or forever) what would you change it to?

I dunno, i kinda like my name the way it is....but if i could I'd make it legal for people to refer to be as 'Baroness' XD

8: Do you listens to music while drawing or art making?

Heck yeah, it's great for getting into the 'zone' and stirring up new ideas

9: Summer or Winter?

SUMMER, NO LIKEY COLD ;_;

10: What would your perfect weeding be like?

I assume you mean 'wedding' not 'weeding'   I dunno, close family and friends maybe, white dress...kinda need to get a boyfriend first.

11: What's your favourite language?

English, because it's the only one I'm any good at



I TAG


and

And for you guys your questions from ME are:

1) On the day you post this in your own journal did you have a nice day?
2) What was the last film your saw in the cinema and did you enjoy it?
3) Do you like spiders?
4) When was the last time something really 'spooked' you (sleeping with the lights on scared)?
5) What is your favourite type of sweet? (cake, candy etc)
6) What was the last thing you ate, and was it good?
7) Do you have a favourite toy from your childhood?
8) If you could do any job in the world regardless of pay or practicality what would it be?
9) Post a link/thumbnail to the last thing you favourited, why did you fave it?
10) When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
11) What pattern/picture does your bedcover have?

ENJOY MY DUCKIES

Hey guys and girls   It's been a LOOOOOOONG time since i updated my journal, but life has been pretty busy as of late.  But rest assured i have some works in progress including a BIG piece for my 1000th deviation.

I'm aware that at least 4 awesome people i know are having birthdays this month, and I apologise in advance to those wonderful people, I will make every effort to draw/make something to celebrate your day of birth, just right now I don't have the free time what with work pulling later nighters and I'm getting ready to move flats as well as my family moving out on London, so quite a few weekends away from my lappy where i do most of my arts   That and i have to rest my art from time to time or it gets uncomfortable to work with, so my free time is even more precious.  I will endeavour at the very least to wish you a happy birthday, and you will get arts....though maybe not on the same day ^_^*  Please forgive me

As for the rest of you, thank you for your enduring patience, more Rayman, pony and original character art to follow

So for this journal i just wanted to give a shoutout to an artist who definitely needs more love...not because it's his birthday, but because he's done some lovely art and i wanted to shout about it in a journal






See these?  This talented deviant asked permission to use my artwork to make these awesome canvases, AND THEY ARE AWESOME.  Seriously, I'm always impressed by stencil and spray-can artists because making work that neat takes oodles of patience and I DON'T HAVE THAT PATIENCE .  Tyl3r's gallery is well worth a gander, and i wanted to dedicate a journal to him to say thank you making these lovely pieces of work using my art, I'm hugely flattered!

More of Tyl3r's work


If you have a moment go give the guy a thumbs up for his hard work   i know he'd appreciate it ^_^  Thank you!

Also, in the UK we had snow this weekend.   and I made a snowman and we called him Jailbird :3

I was just going to post a quick message on facebook along the lines of 'omg Rayman origins is SO AWESOME'...but then I figured i could ramble a bit more in my DA journal



So in the post today I got Rayman Origins for the Wii, and because my housemate is a badass he set up his Wii for me to play it *joy*

So what did I think?

...well...

wow...

don't know where to start o0o

I mean, we Rayfans have been waiting a LOOOOOONG time for a new title in our favourite gaming hero's library.  We've had to sit through endless re-releases of the same game (are they going to make a port of Rayman 2 for EVERY CONSOLE IN EXISTENCE?) not to mention the Rabbids era (I actually don't mind the rabbids at all, but they weren't Rayman yano?).  We've had a long wait, and now finally at the hands of Mr Ancel and the UbiArt team we are presented a new Rayman game



AND HOLY COW I LOVE IT

I mean, i know i played a demo at the Gaming Expo and at MCM, but even so, you can't really appreciate all the nuances of the game while standing in a booth.  The lush environment, the many ways to take on enemies, the slick controls, the colourful and fun animation, the fact that even i, a complete gaming n00b could happily rumble through the first few levels without too much control grinding fury (I suspect that will come in time!).  I love this cheeky new Rayman, I love all the fairies and lums and electoons and monsters, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the sexy new world combining all that was glorious and good about all the previous games.  The cartoonyness of Rayman 1, the lush forestry of Rayman 2, the sparkle and colour of Rayman 3, and even the occasional bit of rocking grunge from Rayman Raving Rabbids   

Seriously, i could take endless screenshots of the game and have everyt single one of them as a work of art on my wall.  THAT is how effective and detailed and beautiful the world is.  And yet the far simpler animation style of the characters doesn't seem out of place at all in this madcap little world



OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGI'MGUSHING

I'm blown away, I'm not kidding....I've only got to the end of the first 'world' so far, but it has given me so much hope and pride in our fandom.  It's a beacon of excellence and joy, up there with Rayman 1 and 2.  All I can really say is THANK YOU UBISOFT TEAM.  Thank you for this amazing reward for our patience   Thank you for taking Rayman back to his roots and creating a beautiful new game.  THANK YOU!

So yeah, if you're eerrring on whether to get Rayman origins or not I cannot stress enough how worthwhile it is   I would recommend it to anyone, even the hard core shooty-game lovers.  It's colourful and fun and full of JOY

:thumb266147519:

As mr Ancel himself said after being asked 'why should people play this game?'
"BECAUSE IT'S FUN"

Hello my duckies ^-^

It's been a while since i did one of these, but I have been able to catch some anime recently mainly due to Youtubes recommendation system, so YAYFACE.  Also three cheers for dubbed anime :3

But to start with I wanted to review an anime movie that i was going to do WAAAAAAAAAAY back when it came out, but I got distracted.

So lets go go!  As always it's five 's for a great show, one or none for a really BAD show XD

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The Borrower Arrietty/The Secret World of Arrietty



Yes this review is a little late, but since Disney had recently gone to town on this movie I felt it wasn't too late to make my point

Based on the classic Mary Norton childrens book the Borrowers, Arrietty and her mother and father are part of a race of little people (Borrowers) who live under the floorboards of an elegant country cottage.  Their name comes from their habit of 'borrowing' items from the big people (humans) who live in the house, little things that humans won't miss but that the Borrowers need to survive.  Their life is secretive and peaceful until Arrietty forms a strange friendship with a young boy staying with his great aunt in the cottage.  Suddenly the little people's way of life is put in danger, and Arrietty must take risks and place trust in her new human friend from whom they have been hiding from for so long.

I was SO excited for this movie when i saw that the great studio Ghibli would be making it.  Miyazaki's clear love of the British countryside (see Howls Moving Castle, Laputa, Earthsea) and of some of our classic fantasy stories put me in good spirits knowing that it would be a pure delight filled with colour and delicate detail.  And for the most part I was right.  The film is STUNNINGLY beautiful, the fine detail in all the backgrounds, the subtlety of the character animation, and the amazing lighting and layouts throughout are all tropes of a great Miyazaki film.  The lush greenery, both the human cottage and the borrowers little house are so packed with detail and care that a frame-by-frame rundown would be a work of art in itself.  Basically if you thought Howls Moving Castle was pretty you're going to LOVE this.

.....buuuuuut I still left the film feeling disappointed.  

Why?  Well despite the film being a treat for the eyes, everything else was rather a bust.  The characters were lackluster, the story was rambling all over the place, and the movie as a whole seemed to be very lacking.  In comparison to Ponyo, which despite a slightly more 'childish' art style, the film just had no real heart to me.  In Ponyo i loved all the characters, even the bit characters with next to no screen time.  I cared about the children, worried about them despite the fact that they weren't going to come to harm.  The story was a little rambly but in the end the ride was totally worth it.  But in this? Arrietty was by far the strongest character, but that's not saying much.  Her parents roles were complete opposites (one stoic, the other hysterical), Haru was a very lackluster antagonist, Spiller didn't get NEARLY enough screentime he deserved, and any other characters were kinda forgettable.

But the worst offender had to be Sho the human boy.  When he wasn't floating about the plot and generally being kinda vague and creepy he was basically being downright rude to Arrietty, and THEN turning it around to a giant 'pity-me' speech about his stupid heart condition (note this wasn't in the book at all).  And he's supposed to be our hero?  Some people have problems with Arren from Earthsea being a spineless little chump and a weak protagonist, but i found Sho to be far worse with his righteous attitude backed up by the 'oh he's sick we should sympathise with him!'.  BUGGER THAT

The film just came off as hugely forgettable to me.  Beautiful yes, but I remember being blown away by Princess Mononoke, enthralled by Nausicaa, delighted by Ponyo, amused by Cagliostro and charmed by Totoro.  Arrietty had none of these qualities story and character wise, leaving me feeling very cold.  It slips down on my list lower than Laputa or Porco Rosso, because at least those films had a core to them to latch onto and some redeeming and fun characters to make the ride worth it.

Oh, and while were on the subject WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THE DISNEY MOVIE POSTER

I mean really, in europe we had this:
[link]
And in the US you guys get this:
[link]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH THAT IS THE UGLIEST POSTER FOR A GHIBLI MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN *RAEG*

Just...UGH....look at Shos blank emotionless stare devoid of wonder or expression....and the fact he's not even looking at Arrietty >_<  Loot at Arrietty's weird ass pose, is she sneaking? Walking?  It's so awkward!  And why the hell is Sho OUTSIDE looking in through a window?!  WHAT WAS WRONG WITH OUR POSTER, DISNEY?  Was it's too arthouse looking for your audience to comprehend without their brains imploding?  Is that it?  You got what appears to be the designers of the new Winnie the Pooh movies to put together a completely new picture for you?! SERIOUSLY?

And 'The Secret World of Arrietty'?  What's up with that?  i know you can't call it the Borrowers, but what was wrong with 'The Borrower Arrietty'?  Do you think your audience are thickies who can't tell this and the John Goodman film apart, Disney?  IS THAT IT?

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURGH

Ok ok I'm done   Again I don't hate it just because it's Disney, i just don't understand WHY THEY DID THIS.

Final thoughts.  if you're a fan of Ghibli I would recommend seeing this for the pure eyeball pleasuring this movie gives you, it really is a feast to behold.  But for the rest of it just turn your brain off.  I don't hate this film or anything, and i wouldn't stop people seeing it, but to me it didn't have the same heart and soul of other ghibli classics, and it CERTAINLY wasn't a patch on Ponyo




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Peach Girl



Life is tough for Momo Adachi.  While in western countries her tanned skin and light hair (from her dedication to the swim team) would be a plus, in her school she is teased about it as well having rumours about her being promiscuous floating all around her.  On top of that her 'friend' Sae is the one spreading these foul rumors while playing innocent, turning the whole school on her due to jealousy.  But there is hope in the form of the light of Momo's eye, the handsome Toji who she has a crush on, as well as her dorky friend Kairi who always knows how to cheer her up.  However nothing is ever simple as Sae also has her eyes on Toji to spite Momo, and Kairi harbours his own feelings towards Momo despite knowing she loves another.  It's all drama and love triangles, backstabbings, blackmail, guilt, love, heartbreak, friendships and madness in this one teenage girls life!

Normally i don't go for slice of life anime unless it's surreal and funny like Azumanga or Pani Poni Dash, but having the english dub on youtube made this show easy to listen to while working...and considering the animation is kinda cheap and cheerful I wasn't missing much by not watching it.

After the first few episodes i have to admit I was hooked.  Momo has to be one of the most unfortunate creatures in the world.  Despite being kind, pretty and likeable she's unfortunate enough to be friends with Sae, one of the most manipulative and dastardly anime antagonists I have ever seen.  She's hilarious and awful, and makes the show worth watching just to see the webs she weaves around these characters.

And BY GOD do these webs get tangled o0o  To be honest this show is pretty silly and revolves PURELY around the relationships Momo has with the two boys Toji and Kairi, and her flitting back and forth between both (sound familiar to anyone? *COUGHTWILIGHTCOUGH*) while she struggles with her own feelings and the machinations of Sae as well as the complexities formed by other characters including a model who falls in love with Sae, Kairi's douche brother, the girls his douche brother has manipulated and the other kids at school who pick on Momo because it's apparently the MOST EASILY LED SCHOOL OF PEOPLE IN JAPAN

Seriously, in one episode a whole lunch room of people go from being against Momo, forcing her to her knees and making her beg for forgiveness from Sae (whom she slapped for making rude comments about Kairi), to turning on Sae just a few moments later and offering a feeble 'we're sorry' to Momo to fix everything.  Seriously, the citizens of Townsville were smarter than that XD

But mentioning Twilight I would recommend this anime for the HUGE TRAINWRECH OF SOAP OPERA DRAMA this anime gives us XD  Seriously, if you love a good dose of 'IF YOU LEAVE ME I'LL DIE' or 'I WILL STAY WITH YOU AND MAKE YOU LOVE ME' or 'I'M GOING TO STEAL THE MAN YOU LOVE TO HURT YOU' then this anime is packed to the brim with laughs in that area.  A box set of Eastenders doesn't have this much 'drama' XD  Momo only stops being Bella Swan because she's actually happy and kind and doesn't threaten to throw herself off cliffs when things don't work her way, but her whole life seems to be based purely around her relationships with Toji and Kairi.  There are no filler episodes explaining more of her personality outside those relationships.  But her interactions with Sae make this anime worth giving a look over, if only to watch Sae squirm when her plans fall apart XD  Plus Kairi makes for an interesting male character being a honest to goodness friend to Momo, and doesn't force his love on her knowing she doesn't initially return it.

In short this anime isn't AMAZING or anything, but if you're a lover of spectacle or if you like slice of life anime this would be worth a watch.  However if you're like me you'll find yourself facepalming at some of the poor decisions made by the characters, and then sitting back to watch them suffer for being such idiots XD



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.....so...yeah

wow, i had a lot to write for 2 anime titles   I really need to watch Only My Railgun, that series looks amazing.

MY ARMS ARE TIRED NITE NITE