March Thoughts

I know I haven't been posting as much as I was, but it isn't from lack of wanting to, more from lack of feeling like I have something important to say that's worth sharing with anyone.  I used to do a livejournal years ago where I posted about all the things that irritated me, or the drama and hopes and dreams and all the minutia of my life, but found that I didn't necessarily want to share all of that with the world.  It was the realization that everything we put out on the net is there forever and is that really what I want out there?

Today, with the internet, everyone can see things NOW.  And they can respond to those things NOW.  There is little to no time from the moment you read or see something to the moment you write something in response to it and hit 'return' on your keyboard.  And there is almost little to no time afterward that someone responds to you.  As wonderful as that is, there is also a lack of editing that goes on.  When you have nothing but a split-second from a thought to your keyboard, there is nothing between you and saying something clever, witty or insightful - of course there is also nothing between you and saying something hurtful, stupid, or insipid.

This is parody!

And those comments are now out there.  Forever.

While out with Mom, I brought up a theory on the simmering anger that seems to be prevalent in Americans or maybe just people in general.  I wonder if perhaps is due to this instant response (usually negative) thing on the internet.  No matter what your thoughts or opinions are, as soon as you put them out there, people are jumping at the chance to not just disagree with you, but insult you - and not just insult you, but call you names in the most vitriolic manner that you think you clearly must have shot their puppy when they were children.

It certainly isn't a conducive environment to a constructive conversation.

I can give you an example and this has nothing to do with any personal opinions of mine or having my trying to be political or anything, this is stated as an example:

This cartoon was posted somewhere as a political cartoon about the difficulty of a same-sex couple adopting a child when they have a loving healthy environment in comparison to a heterosexual couple who might not have a loving healthy environment.  I looked at it, took it in, noted it and moved on from it.  Then I read the comments under it.  It was nothing but anger and snark.  People were talking about the 'gay agenda' and liberals and how tired they were of hearing about homosexuals etc... It got pretty heated with not one person actually having a real intelligent thing to say about it.  Then, someone posted a link to an article in there about a study some group did which proved that children raised in gay households didn't score high on some social test that they do on adopted children to see how well adjusted they are.  Researching more, I learned that many gay couples don't adopt babies, but rather children so they aren't really starting from scratch so to speak, rather they are dealing with children who are already going to have some social issues to adjust to... proving that the study which was saying that gay parents weren't providing good homes, was really very skewed.

Now, I had to tease the information out and go through a lot to try and get a decent 'conversation' and some information about the subject for myself.  Obviously you always want to try and get the facts, but I tried to imagine this situation in a real face to face environment.  Granted, I have no way to prove this would happen, but if that same group that posted to the picture were standing in a room, I can't imagine they'd be as vocally violent as they were online.  Sure, there might be some rude comments, but there would be fear of confrontation face to face.  On top of that, there would probably be more of a conversation where information would be shared.  For example, if a person said, "Well, I saw a study that said same-sex couples don't provide a good home for adopted children.  According to the report, the adopted children scored lower on a socialization test."  Some people might nod their head in agreement or in gaining that information.  But then, another person would say, "Yes, but did that study take into account that many same-sex couples adopt children rather than babies which most heterosexual couples do...  What is the age range in that study...?" etc...  You would get to the meat of a conversation about a subject matter much quicker than online where it is drowned in insults.

I'm not saying there wouldn't be stupid comments or stupidity.  That happens all over and in all circumstances no matter race, religion or creed... There is always a rainbow of stupid.  But when we are face to face, we communicate differently.

To some, I'm not saying anything new.  I'm not intending to.  Like I said, this is a theory on anger.  And I think the internet and this jump to say something has injured our ability to think things through and find truth in what is being said.  We are self-defensive, overly defensive, waiting for the snark, or the rudeness or the hate and we are quick to jump on the other guy who doesn't agree with us.  Its never "Well, I disagree with you." its, "You're an idiot!"

Obviously we all have freedom of speech and no one wants to curb that, but can we not have decent discourse?  Can we not treat each other with respect and thoughtfulness?  Do we all have to agree with each other?  Apparently from what I see on the internet the answers are No, No and Yes.

The other question is: Do we all have to comment every time there is an opportunity to do so?

There are many times I find myself about to comment on something but then stop myself, delete what I am typing and think very specifically, "Do I have to comment on this?" 9 times out of 10, the answer is no (honestly it could be 10 out of 10).  As a whole, we seem to have a need to jump in and start typing something when we see a post or blog, like its our civic duty or something.

I've cut back to just trying to be witty or really having an interesting fact to add.  As far as the rest, I hold back - Not because I don't have opinions - because clearly, I do - but because I don't want to get into an argument or really hear someone disagree with me.  If you post something that states a political party is made up of a bunch of idiots and I disagree with you, I don't know that my saying anything is going to change your thoughts on the matter, so why get into it with you?  It seems a waste of time, isn't constructive, and certainly won't enrich my life or yours.

I also avoid reading comments on articles and other blogs or even videos because usually there is nothing really worthwhile to find there.  Mom mentioned she stopped doing that after looking a site for recipes and seeing the angry commentaries below recipes...  People nastily telling others to keep their recipes for meat to themselves and how it was wrong of people to post things that weren't gluten-free...  No one told you to read these recipes!  Why are you so angry?  Why did you need to post ANYTHING about it?

So again, I wonder if this all has lead to more angry people.  I certainly believe it has lead to the severe party lines in our politics.  Things can only be black and white if the people who don't agree with you are idiots.

But back to my start regarding my blog...  I want to make sure that its interesting, informative or just maybe funny.  Not easy to do all the time or when you find yourself in a stretch of simple day to day activity.  And also because I want to keep readers interested in it.  I don't get much in the way of comments regarding my blog, so I have no idea who, if any, are actually reading it.  I can only hope that as time goes, the number of people will grow and I'll get a following - of course the pressure to be interesting will increase, as will the readers who find the need to say something about what I wrote. 

Anyone out there have opinions on that?  :D

Fan art to Fairies

When I was doing conventions oh so long ago, I would do original work that could be sold as prints at my table at the shows.  While most of the conventions I attended were anime themed shows, I didn't sell prints of fan art.

Original fan art of Misa from Deathnote

Fan art was the big thing at anime cons like Otakon or Katsucon, but after talking to other artists and hearing from creators from all areas of art and fandom, I was uncomfortable making prints or multiple copies to sell of characters that I had not created and did not belong to me.  Any fan art I did, the original was sold in the art shows and no copies to be made or prints of it to be sold again.  While I was using my art skill to create the piece, the rights of the character were not mine and as such, I felt I had no right to make reproductions to sell.  I was often asked why I did this and explained to whoever brought it up that the creators of the characters and anime stories or manga stories that we loved, worked very hard.  Those creators then became lucky enough to be at a popularity level that allowed them to be approached by vendors and such to use those characters on posters, cups, pens, charms... whatever.  The creator sold rights to those manufacturers and the money they got was part of their income.  When this didn't work in explaining it, I would then say, "Imagine you created a manga series and got sort of popular...  You worked hard at it and finally you made it.  You made it enough that a company comes up to you and asks for the right to put your characters on a poster.  They pay you good money for it.  This is your living, this is how you pay your rent... right?  Now imagine you go to some convention and see someone sitting at a table selling prints for less than your poster costs, of your characters.  You won't see any of that money.  They are making money off of your hard work."  That seemed to get the feeling I felt, across to them.

Original fan art of Ein from Cowboy Bebop

Now, I'm NOT knocking artists that do that.  The above is explaining MY reason for not doing fan art prints...  Nothing more.

So, having said that, instead of selling fan art at my table, I did original works of characters I came up with.  I had a few popular ones and some that barely made an impact.  Some of the ones that did seem to be eye catching, were my fairies.  I hadn't intended to do a lot of fairies when it all started out, because I wasn't into twinkly little fluffy fairies.  I was more into the Brian Froud fairies, the Celtic lore kind where they weren't always kind and sweet.  The fairies of my mind weren't simply a human with butterfly wings.

The first one I did was Valna.  She was done in watercolor with little or no real intention in any direction.  The style of her and her wings came about without a real thought process or specific desire.  In fact, she had no name till she was just about done. 

Valna (Please do not copy or distribute)

Valna (which can be purchased here) was so popular that I decided to do more art of fairies.... keeping the idea of a strange being in mind.  The others came along in a similar way... sort of popping in and not revealing any names till near the end of the the completed piece.

Cymboleena (please do not copy or redistribute)

 Cymboleena's name came to me after staring at her for a while (she can be purchased here).  Most likely it was because of the Lord of the Rings movies where there was a flower of a similar name that graced the graves of the dead.  I don't know if she has anything to with death, but the name was ringing in my mind. 

Thornburrie (please do not copy or redistribute)

Thornburrie was one that sort of... forced her way onto the paper (she can be purchased here).  She clearly wanted to be there and was not going to let me be until she was.  Of all the fairies I've done, she is the one with the least amount of good intentions.  Her name definitely clawed its way out like a cough.  I'd be very careful bargaining with her. 

Aliuna (please do not copy or redistrbute)

One of the last intended fairies I did was Aliuna (she can be purchased here).  The previous fairies, as I mentioned regarding Valna, (those above and those not shown here, but all available in my Etsy shop 'print' section) were all done in watercolor, a medium I had felt very comfortable with.  Aliuna was different in that she was done in Copic markers with a watercolor background.  I had, near the end of my convention touring, discovered Copics and began using them instead of Prismacolor markers.  Usually when I did fan art or color commissions I used markers to get a sort of 'animation cell' feel to the art, but seeing others pick up the Copics, I chose to give them a try.  After some trial and error and after stumbling across a great little tutorial, I found I really liked them.  So Aliuna was the first fairy to be done in that medium.  She was also the last 'official' fairy in my series of fairies.

The fairies over all, were popular at anime cons, fantasy cons and literary cons.  The truth is, I was always glad people liked them.  If they made people happy, then I was happy!  There might be more fairies waiting to come out and be found on paper, with interesting names waiting to shout in my ear.  We'll see.

Contest Winner and VFX

My first contest is done and I am happy to announce that the lucky winner is Rachel Flesher!

She'll be receiving a set of my Metallic Dragon Hatchlings and a set of Chromatic Dragon Hatchlings along with a full set of each of my bookmarks!  Congratulations to Rachel!

I'd like to thank everyone who took time to enter the contest and shared it along with my etsy page and Stormwolf Studios' Facebook page.  I am not sure if and when my next contest will be, but of course, I will let you all know as soon as it comes up.  (Maybe if I hit 200 likes on my Facebook page?)

In other news, I've been blindsided by the disheartening situation of the VFX community in California.  I had no idea what had been going on with there with the companies, in particular, the bankruptcy of Rhythm & Hues.  Over 10 years ago, I had gone out to California to try and get a job in the animation industry.  It didn't work out for a number of reasons that I won't go into here, but through my friend (the very talented Steve Lowtwait), I was introduced to a person that worked at Rhythm & Hues.  At the time the company was only known for the first polar bear commercials for the Coke company but later they won some big awards, including an Oscar for their work on Babe.  At the time, such visual effects and computer animation was marveled at.  The people who worked to create the magic on screen were considered artists and wizards.  Over time though, as people wanted things better, faster and cheaper, the artists were called 'technicians', no longer having the mystery woven around their skills.  The great visuals were expected and demanded, but the desire to pay for it did not grow as well.

I won't go into all the reasons that the VFX community is in trouble financially.  There are many articles out there on it that give a rather comprehensive idea of the situation.  But all of this apparently culminated at this year's Oscar event where Life of Pi, a film that could only exist with the skills of the visual effects people, won for just that and earned an award for best Cinematography (which many find a bit unfair considering most of the shots were not real and were done with visual effects) and for Best Director.  Neither the Cinematographer nor the Director gave any thanks to the company that worked so hard to make the amazing visuals of Life of Pi come to life.  That company was Rhythm & Hues and while the people in a tux got to glow in the spotlight, many of the employees of that company were sitting home out of work - unless they were on the street across from the theater, protesting.  The gentleman that accepted the award for best Visual Effects did try to bring attention to Rhythm & Hues, but was played off by the Jaws theme and then his mic was cut off. 

I believe it was what happened at the Oscars that sent the VFX community into overdrive to draw attention to their situation.

 Now, many people have fought the wave of support for the VFX people saying that, "This is just the way things are." or that all of this is due to mismanagement of funds etc.  I have read enough to understand that this is not just a situation of mismanagement of funds.  Take a look at this post: http://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1969o6/more_than_400_vfx_artists_protest_at_the_oscars/c8l8eg8

The other part about "this is just the way things are", to me, is a joke.  Or the idea of, "this is how it is, if you don't like it, do something else.'  Is that how we do things here in America?  We don't like things so we just eat it?  Well, good thing people didn't look at candles as a way to light a room and decide, "that's just the way it is" or else we wouldn't have light bulbs!  Part of the outcry is to draw attention to the problem and then begin getting courses of action to make a change.  We can't live in a world of acceptance or else nothing changes and we never move forward. 


On top of all of this, for me, is the greater issue that artists are not respected in general.  People have a problem, it seems, in paying an artist for their work, whether that artist is a graphic designer, a guitarist in a band, or a writer creating a novel.  There is an idea that such things are not worth a high price, or very much at all - especially when so many people feel that they could get it cheaper somewhere else (and sadly, because artists undervalue themselves, this holds true often).  In no other industry to I find such an attitude.  Art, in whatever form it takes, is a skill set.  Yes, artists do the work because it is a joy and a passion for them, but that doesn't mean they don't have a mortgage, bills and a family to feed. 

At conventions, I was often told I was charging too much for my work even though I was only charging about $20 for a full color image.

Baseball players 'love the game' but they are paid insane amounts of money to play professionally.  No one says, "Hey, listen, I need an outfielder...  You won't get paid, but it will be really good exposure for you and you'll get some experience."  I can't imagine that conversation EVER taking place in the Yankee clubhouse.  Yet, that same conversation will happen with artists all over the world. 

I personally have been underpaid, undervalued and offered the 'experience and exposure' as pay.  And the person looks at you as if they are doing you a favor.

So, yes, the VFX community is having a situation where they are being severely undervalued, but it is symptomatic of a greater issue with artists and those that want those skills.  Perhaps by drawing attention to it, we can start shining a light on the situation. 

Pay the writer!  Pay the artist!  Pay the musician! 

They work hard doing what they love!  Don't penalize them for it.

100 Likes = Contest!

After my last posting, through some amazing support from friends and family, my likes on Facebook jumped up to 100!  It was such a great feeling seeing people urge their friends to check out my art and jewelry and connect to Stormwolf Studios.  I can't express my gratitude enough...

But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try!

So... In that spirit I'm holding a contest!  My very first one so please forgive me if its a bit rough around the edges.  I'm using Rafflecopter as a template for this since I've never done anything like this and needed a bit of help in trying to set it up.

Its pretty simple but I'm sure you guys want to know what the prize is...   In the raffle it is listed just as "An Awesome Prize" but I'll let you in on a little secret, its this:

You will win a set of my Chromatic Dragon Hatchlings, a set of my Metallic Dragon Hatchlings and a full set of my bookmarks!  If you aren't sure what these all look like, you can see them on my Etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/shop/StormwolfStudios.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The contest will run from February 5th to the 28th.

So I hope you'll enter and try for your chance at this prize and let others know about it too!  On the 28th, the winner will be announced and shortly after, their prize shipped out to them.

Keep in mind I have extended my no shipping cost holiday sale till February 14th (Valentine's Day) so if you're looking for something for your special loved one, now is a great time to check out my shop for a great piece of jewelry or for a print for them to hang on the wall!

Good luck to everyone and please let me know what you think of the idea of the raffle?  If it goes well, more may come along.

Thank you again to everyone for all your support and I wish you luck!

2013, Year of the Snake

So, its a new year and we are drawing to the end of January...  I have been looking forward to 2013 since I've been trying to make plans and this year is the time for them to come into fruition.  I'm applying to VFS and Red Engine School and hopefully I will be able to start successfully heading towards my goal of becoming a concept artist.

According to Hanban.com: 2013 the year of the black Snake begins on February 10th shortly after the New moon in Aquarius, the humanitarian of the zodiac. This 2013 year of Snake is meant for steady progress and attention to detail. Focus and discipline will be necessary for you to achieve what you set out to create. The Snake is the sixth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 Animal Signs. It is the enigmatic, intuitive, introspective, refined and collected of the Animals Signs. Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means that your family will not starve.

Snake Chinese Zodiac Print

Steady progress and attention to detail, along with focus and discipline to achieve what I set out to create... Sounds exactly like the very thing I am trying to do.  I am not looking for overnight success (not that I am going to turn that down should it come knocking), I am looking for the slow and steady path to win the race.  Hanban.com also says that this year is compatible with the Ox, which is my sign, so I am hoping that is a definite good omen overall. 

Meanwhile, I have to develop an idea for a game I would like to do for Vancouver Film School and I think that might be the hardest part after the essay to apply for the Women in Games scholarship.  I will admit my fear and worry about doing the best that I can, but I'm going to try and overcome that as I enter this new stage of my life - and there is no doubt in my mind that 2013 is going to be a step into a new life or at least a different one. 

And I keep Neil Gaiman's inspirational speech in mind as I move forward, keeping my mountain in sight and trying to reach its top.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikAb-NYkseI

I recommend watching it no matter what stage of your life you are in.  Its a great pep talk on top of being charming and funny.

The snake above is available in my etsy shop in the Baby Chinese Zodiac section: http://www.etsy.com/shop/StormwolfStudios?section_id=12681924

There is a print available of each of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac and there is a description of each one and what years they represent if you don't know which one is yours.  If you're having a baby this year, perhaps you might like to add this cute little snake to your decor - Or perhaps you are looking for one for the year you were born? 

Please take some time to check out the prints, bookmarks and jewelry in my shop.  The holiday sale is being extended through till February 14th (Valentine's Day) so this is a perfect time to jump in and get something for your Valentine!  Click over there now: Stormwolf Studios Etsy Shop

With that being said, I wish you all steady progress and I hope you achieve what you set out to create, no matter what it is!

Chanukah Challenge

First, I'd like to wish those celebrating, a very Happy Chanukah.  While I know it isn't one of the High Holidays, it is one that is special to me, because I really do love giving gifts. 

That sounds cheesy, I know, but its true.  My favorite moment is that one when I hand someone the gift I have chosen for them and they open it - the expression of unexpected surprise on their face which says, "I got it right".  I always try to find unique items that the receiver of the gift wouldn't expect - if its something they didn't ask for but didn't even know they wanted till they got it... Or maybe it is something they wanted but didn't realize someone else knew about it.

I love that simple joy. 

And it is cheesy.

I have good memories of Chanukah and some of them revolve around the time that my mother would take time to take each of us shopping for our siblings.  Certainly we would all go together at some point or another, but my mother would make a special day where we went, one on one with her to purchase the items we chose for each other.  It was great to have a special day with Mom who had to work often, but it was also fun to take time to figure out what to get my brothers.  At first Mom would have a list of things that we would get each other, but as we got older, we were able to pick and choose ourselves.

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah and I decided I was going to challenge myself and make a new piece of jewelry each night.  They aren't going to necessarily be holiday themed pieces, but I wanted to create something and I figured it was a good way to motivate myself.  Each item will immediately be put up for sale on my etsy site so you can purchase them if you want.  I won't think about the designs till the day I have to make them, so none of these will be planned out.  Hopefully being spontaneous will help me create something good!

I made earrings today that are Steampunk inspired.  Brass clock face earrings:

Check them out here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/117577395/brass-clock-face-silver-cog-and-bronze

If you like them, please head over to my etsy shop and pick them up! 

I have new jewelry in my shop and as mentioned in my last blog entry, I have other new items - cards, prints, bookmarks etc...  My special is still going on, so all items, no matter how many, ship across the U.S. for only 99 cents!  If you order now, they will arrive in time for Christmas!  So take advantage now! 


We'll see what I come up with tomorrow!

Stormwolf Studios on Etsy

Back to my Roots

Some of you might not know this, but I am a traditional artist at heart.  I started out going to school for it and spent many years traveling to different conventions on the East coast to sell my prints.  My most popular pieces ended up being something I did on a whim, which were my Chromatic Dragon Hatchlings, based on the Dungeon & Dragons design concepts.  This lead to more cute baby animals, not just for prints but for commissions.  I also did images of fairies, warriors, maidens and mythological beings and found many people liked my style and imagination.

Katsucon 2001

I used to be a steady attendee to conventions like Otakon, Katsucon and Dragon*Con, but as time went on the economy dropped and so did the sales.  I had to cut back on many of the shows I attended and then eventually stopped going because I could not make back enough to even cover for the trip (gas prices didn't help either).

My convention trips were really a love/hate relationship to be honest.  Packing and prepping for the show was definitely not always my favorite part of the weekend.  I usually ended up working up to the very end and last minute on things for the show and getting prints done.  Traveling was whatever it was, though driving from New Jersey or Pennsylvania to Georgia was always a long trip no matter how you lay it out.  I actually sort of liked that part, the travel I mean.  We got to see different parts of the country and since we went yearly to some conventions, we would get to see familiar places or make familiar stops.

Getting to your location didn't mean things quieted down either.  When we finally arrived at the hotel it was then always a mad rush to get the car parked, check into the hotel, unload all the stuff, THEN check in for the convention, check in for the art-show and artist alley and set up as much as possible before crashing for the night.  The next morning it was an early rise to head down to the artist alley to finish setting up and making sure we had everything at hand (which many times we didn't and would lead to someone running out to get something).

Nekocon 2008 pic care of Dierdre Mcclintock

Sitting down at the table in the artist alley usually had me feeling inadequate in the face of some of the talent I was surrounded with.  As the years went on I also felt like I was too old to compete around the much younger artists in the alley and their styles.  It basically became me beating down on myself as sales for me were always slow that first day and other artists appeared to be doing better.  By the end of that first day though, things would turn around and the weekend would sweep along: Sales would pick up, I'd see my convention-friends, talk to a lot of great people and sometimes even get to see the convention sites.

Otakon 2009

I never got enough sleep at the conventions and would be fairly exhausted on the last day as I tried to pack everything up to get it in the car.  But I also usually felt pretty good about how it all turned out and was also usually grateful that I had gone.

I miss those trips and the times I had but I have a lot of great memories.  I also have some really great friends that I am still in touch with because of those conventions and I definitely would not want to trade them for anything.  Having said that, if I was able to start attending the same conventions as I did years ago, I would not be able to capture the magic of that time.  Its not just because I am a different person, but the whole convention scene isn't the same as it used to be.  The attendees have changed and the markets that drew them to the conventions has changed as well.  Conventions like Otakon and Katsucon were the only places where people could see or purchase anime or manga many years ago, but stores carry the same items and everything is available on the internet.  The same can be said for the sci-fi/fantasy conventions.  The buyers are different as well - they are not willing to spend as much money as they used to on original art.

Perhaps one day I'll start going to shows once more, but it might not be focused on anime, or sci-fi/fantasy.  Instead it might be more for jewelry.  We'll see!

Chromatic Dragon Hatchling Set

I still have prints and such from my time attending conventions and there is no reason that it can't be made available to people to purchase again so I decided to post a lot of my work on etsy as items friends, family and fans can buy.  It has been great to look through my art and remember working on each one and the reaction of the fans at the cons to them.

Of course I have favorites in my shop like my Chromatic Dragon Hatchlings, but I also have some of my prints and bookmarks for sale.  Below are just some of the items I have available at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/StormwolfStudios

Gray Wolf Book Mark

Tiger Woman

Aura

To make it a little easier to navigate, I set up different sections in my etsy shop so that if you want to see my jewelry you can easily click over there, or if you just want to see the Chinese Zodiac prints, you can just click on over there.  My holiday sale is still going on which means everything shipping in the United States ships for only 99 cents, no matter how much you choose to purchase, so take advantage of it.  Or if you want to take a walk through memory lane, check out my work on etsy!