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Update: 1/27/16
Life is still crazy but college is done and art gets a chance for a change! Also the themes have started! Whooo!

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So....honestly my life has been crazy and my art has been suffering for it. I launch projects and then life steals away time, enthusiasm and inspiration. So I finally decided to launch two projects that are fairly easy (all thins considered) and meant more to stroke curiosity and ideas more then anything.

Project one is the OTP Challenge No I'll not be doing it in 30 days...I can promise you that right now XD But I am doing it with three different couples and, per the club rules last I checked, they are all fandom couples. I decided to use Graham/Emma (Gremma) from "Once Upon a Time", Claire/Owen (Clowen) from "Jurassic World" and Gwen/Cedric (Gwendric) a fanon creation that my friend Katlyn and I made for "Sofia the First". I decided to do three so that I could explore the themes in different ways due to the fandoms, characters and worlds that they live in.

Project 2 is that I'm going back to doing a 100-theme list. I started one -ages- ago when I first came to Deviantart. I never finished it though and it's hiding somewhere in the archive gathering dust and filled with horrible art. Therefore I decided to just...start anew. The theme list will have room for any and all pictures I do. I intend to use it as a poke if, for some reason, I can't come up with ideas or I need direction or something like that. I'm using a writing prompt list I found some time ago.

The themes are as follows (and kudos if you read all of them)

1. Introduction

2. Complicate

3. Making History
4. Rivalry
5. Unbreakable
6. Obsession
7. Eternity
8. Gateway
9. Death
10. Opportunities
11. 33%
12. Dead Wrong
13. Running Away
14. Judgment
15. Seeking Solace
16. Excuses
17. Vengeance
18. Love
19. Tears
20. My Inspiration
21. Never Again
22. Online
23. Failure

24. Rebirth
25. Breaking Away
26. Forever and a day
27. Lost and Found
28. Light
29. Dark
30. Faith
31. Colors
32. Exploration
33. Seeing Red
34. Shades of Grey

35. Forgotten
36. Dreamer
37. Mist
38. Burning
39. Out of Time
40. Knowing How
41. Fork in the road
42. Start
43. Nature’s Fury
44. At Peace
45. Heart Song
46. Reflection
47. Perfection
48. Everyday Magic Flower In the Hair
49. Umbrella
50. Party
51. Troubling Thoughts
52. Stirring of the Wind
53. Future
54. Health and Healing
55. Separation
56. Everything For You

57. Slow Down
58. Heartfelt Apology
59. Challenged
60. Exhaustion
61. Accuracy
62. Irregular Orbit
63. Cold Embrace The Cold Embrace of Starlight
64. Frost
65. A Moment in Time
66. Dangerous Territory

67. Boundaries
68. Unsettling Revelations

69. Shattered
70. Bitter Silence
71. The True You
72. Pretense
73. Patience
74. Midnight
75. Shadows
76. Summer Haze

77. Memories
78. Change in the Weather
79. Illogical
80. Only Human
81. A Place to Belong
82. Advantage
83. Breakfast
84. Echoes
85. Falling
86. Picking up the Pieces
87. Gunshot

88. Possession
89. Twilight
90. Nowhere and Nothing
91. Answers
92. Innocence
93. Simplicity Morning Coffee
94. Reality
95. Acceptance
96. Lesson
97. Enthusiasm
98. Game
99. Friendship
100. Endings

So I'm hoping this will jump my art output again and get me back on board and out of just doing random doodles in sketch books. While sketching and doodling are vital to the artistic process and learning they do me no good if I never actually create anything complete! If you want to use the theme list feel free to take it! Just let me know--I'd love to see your takes on them!

And I know I -never- say this enough but honestly, those of you who are still here and have stuck around through art slumps and me falling off of the face of the earth for ages at a time....Thank you. From the bottom of my heart thank you!

I have to admit after my spoiler run-in earlier this week I've become increasingly fascinated with the concept of character death in media and its place in plot.

Note--there is ALL kinds of spoilers for all kinds of media in this post(and possibly in the replies)

As far as I can tell there are four basic types that can spread across all forms of media. (There's technically five but 'external issues' really only applies to things like TV shows and movies where actors are involved).

1: The plot-device death. This is a character death that does something to move the plot forward. Disney is actually surprisingly good at this one--most every parent death they've ever had fits into this category--but it also fits things like Star Wars where Luke's aunt and uncle are killed or Spiderman where Uncle Ben is murdered. It's Maes Hughes getting murdered in "FullMetal Alchemist" just so that Roy's private investigation will dig up the government corruption. It's any death that forces a character to grow up, removes the last thing holding him to a place, forces him onto a revenge quest or opens the door for other characters to learn plot information. Also a lot of the sad endings in romantic stories are this or they cross over with heroic sacrifice down below.

2: The  Heroic Sacrifice. Action/sci-fi flicks love this one...you also see it a lot in video games and in romantic stories. I first noticed it in "Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force" when the one jerk on the team ended up sacrificing himself to hold off the bad guys until reinforcements could arrive. It also tends to be a popular death for Lawful Good like Norrington in Pirates of the Caribbean. Another great example is Jack in "Titanic". This type tends to proceed the next category.

3: The Casualty. This is really only seen in big epics like disaster films and war movies. It would feel unrealistic to have ALL of your characters survive the huge battle with the bad guys so a few get knocked off for realism's sake.Trudy and Tsu'tey in "Avatar" died for this cause. Also Wash in "Serenity" was kind of lumped into this one...and the one down below.

4: The Shock Value: Finally the one that prompted me on this mental musing. This is the death that....really seems to have no point in the grand plot scheme but is merely created to go "Ha! You didn't think we'd kill off THAT character, did you?" Usually it's the harmless character, the nice one, the funny one...one who's there and then randomly gets axed. "Once Upon a Time" gets the gold star for this category--they'd completely overused it halfway through season 2. Carson Beckett on "Stargate: Atlantis" was also a victim of this one.

To me the shock value death seems like the cheapest trick. It's really easy to shock a response from your media consumers by killing a character. I just don't think it's too effective, especially if it's overused.

Sorry if I rambled on but since I'm getting into writing and creating again, and I'm focused on action/adventure media I know character death is inevitable. I just don't want to turn into that creator who's basically an axe-wielding lunatic randomly cutting down innocent characters. That only appears to work for George RR Martin.

Do any of my creative friends have thoughts on this subject? Or observations?

So...I've been on DeviantArt for eight years now. I started when I was fifteen, mainly trying to find an outlet for my art, inspiration and friendship. I found all of the above here on DA even if, sadly, I've been getting more and more scarce on this website. Unfortunately, as much as I LOVE doing art...life steals the time for it lately :/

I still adore this site completely and have been so happy to be a part of it for so many years! I love how we can make connections, comment on art and help share each others work in a way that wouldn't be possible on any other site! To that tune I found some pieces that I wish to feature and talk about...'cause they're awesome. Also, setting up for this feature made me realize I should do more! I wanted to feature so many pieces that I had to reign myself in!



"Smooth"--SteevieWoo
What is there to say about this piece? Honestly? It is so ridiculous, insane, and clever that it almost defies words. Who would even THINK about a woman hitting on a buffalo holding a war axe at a bus stop? SteevieWoo apparently XD. At least the man at the car in the background knows what's up is crazy! Aside from the crazy concept this work is a technical marvel.

First off is the real, weight he puts into this piece--the buffalo isn't just a joke. He is a real, tangible part of his world--the bus bench has broken under his weight because he's so big and far, far too heavy for it. The woman has real form in this world too, responding to the broken gravity created by her bench-mate and using it to her advantage. My favorite part, however, is the gorgeous, gorgeous detailing in the hair of the buffalo especially. The way the light catches it is initially what made me know this piece was destined for the favorites list.

"Devil vs. Jesus"--ongchewpeng
"Devil vs. Jesus" might be considered a more personal choice because of the religious subject matter, in a world were such topics are quickly becoming a taboo, but I loved this one from the very moment I saw it. I love the harsh cut-offs between the two worlds, no gentle blend here. Just a sharp snap-and-cutoff between Good and Evil. I love the intensity of the stares, the deep-seated malice in Satan's face and the calm, collected patience in Jesus's eyes.

Most of all I love the concept. When the battle of Good vs. Evil is discussed it's usually pictured as a full spread of armies and loud trumpets and the clamor of warfare. But it really is more of an arm-wrestling match. It's quiet, between two contestants and it constantly is carried on behind the scenes. There's no fanfare or noise--just a constant struggle that goes on underneath the surface. That's what makes this piece timeless to me.

"Once Upon a Time Evil Queen"--Audreymolinatti
Ahh...this show. Talk about one that I've struggled with--started out loving it and now I rather loathe it. My dislike of the show aside there is one character I STILL utterly and completely adore and that's Sheriff Graham/Huntsman. In fact it was largely the gross mishandling of his story and it's aftermath that took me away from the show.

I fell in love with this piece because it taps on one of the cruelest and most twisted relationships on the show: SPOILERS! The Huntsman, sparing Snow White, has his heart stolen by the Queen and becomes her slave. Finally, she ultimately kills him when he chooses freedom over being her toy. END SPOILERS! This picture sums that relationship up in all of its entirety. It's simple on the surface but the more you look the more layers you see and the more unsettling it becomes.

"Across the Water"--liiga
It's penguins kissing in front of a full moon across ice that is forming a heart! How is this not one of the most perfect things in Human history? Also this piece is a freaking marvel!

The color palette is cold...but the subject matter and expert mixing make it appear warm and welcoming. The moon lights up the scene perfectly and its reflection in the water ties everything together. Finally the mix and blending of the blues and the blacks is superb! Finally....IT'S PENGUINS KISSING!  It wins at all things.

"The Fairy Catcher"--Wildweasel1339
Wildweasel1339 has a fantastic collection of fantasy artwork and this piece is one of my favorites! It's so rare to see fairies in distress that it's worth noting--and it's especially rare to see them in this kind of distress. The entire piece smacks of a story behind it--why are the fairies being sold? What are they used for? What kind of market is it? It is a black market or an accepted part of their world?

Along with the story elements in the fact that this piece is mind-blowingly good. The careful seperation between the warm forground and the cool, mysterious dark forest is nearly tangible. The world of the NOW and the other world beyond it. The forest grove seems inviting but, at the same time, the goblin casts a sinister pall over it.

This is the kind of painting that short stories and novellas are born out of.

And that is the five for this round. There will be more...this is fun to do XD

Hiiiii everyone!

I know I've been gone for ages and let my OUAT comic crash and burn (mostly because RL took over and I grew increasingly detached from the fandom/show so I felt like I wasn't really doing any of it any justice). But I shall strive to be more active again now that I'm getting back into the swing of my art.

I moved almost all of the art I've done into the files. I won't delete any of it since I know a lot of people Favorited and liked a lot of it and I personally hate it when people delete things I had in my favorites so...none of that here. Still I just want to stop directly looking at it and sobbing over how bad it is. Most of the photography has stayed though since I still like most of those...and expect lots more of it in the future. I've been traveling a lot and have a whole file worth of it.

Not sure how much original art will be going here. I do have an original art account which I also need to reboot ;; I shall post a link soon. In the meantime this one will be, as always, mostly fanart and photography^^

If any of you are even still around thank you for sticking around! I went through a rough patch personally and artistically and drew away from a lot of things that I used to love and enjoy but now I'm hoping to be past that and back more regularly around here!

Hiiii people!

Sorry for the long delay to anyone who is still reading my OUAT comic...but I've been thinking a lot of things over rather seriously. The ultimate decision has been to start the comic over. I'm not happy with the direction it's taking, the long gaps in between updates and the art style I'm using. I've been reading some absolutely mindblowing webcomics, both original and fan-created, and I realize I need and want to step my game up.

The old pages will stay up. In the meantime I'm putting the re-start date of the comic tentatively in the beginning of August with two-page-a-week update. This should be more steady as I plan on drawing the chapter out completely before I start posting, like many long-form webcomics are doing.

Thanks for being patient! Round two should be much better since this Resolutions made a great warm-up!