There's Always Something.

I got up early this morning. I love getting up early, despite my equal love of sleeping in. It's quiet, which it almost never is in this house, and I'm the only one up. I can sit and write, or draw, or just get a head-start on schoolwork. It's the definition of peace.

Except this morning, all of my siblings decided to get up with me.

Anyway, I pulled out my laptop despite their racket and continued my work on the Etsy store. I finally got everything listed that I have so far, and with a great internal celebration, clicked, "Next."

Payment Information. The very name sent a shudder through me.

I opened my very own bank account last week, and got a debit card. As my mom put it, I'm "all grown up with nowhere to go." (Which is, sadly, quite true.)

So I began filling out the payment information. Card numbers and social security and what-the-heck-does-this-even-mean and then...

You know those lovely red words that let you know when you've filled something out wrong? I hate them with a burning passion.

You must be at least Eighteen (18) years old to open an Etsy store.

Hai's face fits my mood.

I hate you, dear Etsy.

On to less depressing matters.

I read a book yesterday. Yes, I read a lot of books. But this one... this one was different. It was special. I actually liked it. And still like it. I'd reread it right now if I knew where the copy was.

It's called Story Thieves, by James Riley.

It's actually a Middle-Grade book, I believe. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend to everyone. Especially writers. If you're a writer, read this book. Read it now. The author jokes are hilarious.

Life is boring when you live in the real world, instead of starring in your own book series. Owen knows that better than anyone, what with the real world’s homework and chores.
But everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen—his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany’s half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character.
Bethany can’t let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen’s favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he’ll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father…
…Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany’s secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot’s final (very final) adventure.

I can't even recommend it strongly enough. The characters are amazing. The plot twists are the best. The dialogue is realistic (a big one for me). And the entire thing is absolutely hilarious. I was laughing so many times through it...

I'm also planning a Kiel Gnomenfoot cosplay. And convincing either my sister or Nixie to do Bethany so we can walk around and just be a fictional character and his half-fictional companion. It would be way too much fun.

Signing off to go eat breakfast now. I think there's pancakes left from yesterday.
~Dee

My brain needs to chill with the character ideas.

Sometimes my brain is completely dry. I sit down with my sketchbook and my pencils, and the only thing I can do is twirl the tip across the page in circles. No ideas. Useless brain.

And then there are times when I honestly believe I'm going to start losing track of all of these characters if my brain gives me one more of them.

I'm finally getting the hang of coloring with Photoshop.

On Sunday after church was over, me, Nixie, and her cousin were sitting together and chatting about anime, MBTI types, and Sherlock. (Okay, so I was doing most of the Sherlock talking.) Nixie kept pulling up various MBTI character charts, while the cousin and I discussed whether or not we thought the type was accurate. (He enjoys MBTI almost as much as I do. I think Nixie only knows about it because I can't shut up.)

After that, I headed off to my archery awards banquet (where I actually didn't get anything special, for the first year ever. Not complaining though, because this year was the first time I got an actual competition award). I cosplayed as an ENTJ schoolgirl from Poppy's story who I seriously need to name because I adore cosplaying as her. The ENTJ colors are just way too much fun, and the skirt I wear suits her exactly.

ENTJ school crest. My sister actually made one of these for every single personality type. (They also have banners under the crest with the type "label," but I don't have those versions saved on my laptop.)

So anyway, after I got home from the banquet, I started texting Nixie while doodling with my pen tablet.

This happened...

And then this happened.
(There's a lovely example of what happens when my fingers work too fast for my brain in there...)

So that's what I'm working on now. I don't know when I'll actually have time to write/draw it (what's the proper word here anyway? A manga is kind of both...) but I really, really love the idea. Maybe over the summer.

Random chibi.

What I doodled today when I should have been working on Algebra... *innocent smile*

Prepare for sketch dump.

Nixie's character Amie. Colored pencils and inks.

Princess Kasseiopeia Karlisla. Or Kas for short. (Copics.)

You guys remember Liesl, my December Drawing Challenge character? I redid her character design. (Colored pencils and inks.)

Random eye. Colored pencils.

I've now got the overwhelming desire to go work on some outfit designs. I'll probably be back to post them when I'm done. (Will you guys be able to handle that? Two posts in one day?)

Dee's posting again?!

Is the world ending? The time and space continuum has been disrupted? Did I finally figure out a way to be simultaneously at my laptop and school?

Naw, I'm just bored and feel like typing.

I decided to try drawing something (digitally) with only three colors. Maybe it's cheating to draw an eye. I don't know. I don't care.

Sketch.

Basic colors.

Adding some details and shading on the skin.

Working on the actual eye.

More shading on everything.

Um... It was asking for a scar, okay?

All done.

I want to try this again. I really do. I have so many different way I could color this... Black and white except for the iris, mismatched colors, all neons... I'll probably be here till the world really is over, still drawing and coloring eyes.

(I can just see me during the zombie apocalypse - "Just hang on, I'll look for shelter in a minute. I've almost got this eyebrow all shaded. Do you think blue or purple would be better to accent the colors with?")

Outfit inspired by my sister's character, Jack Bloodrayne. He's a pirate, in case you didn't pick up on it.

Modern genderbent Pitch. I actually have this whole outfit but the jeans... Might have to wear it someday.

Admit it. You knew this one had to get in here somehow.

I just really love Sage.

My laptop is warning me that it's going to self destruct restart in a few minutes to apply some "necessary updates," so I shall bid you all adieu. The last time it did this, I was waiting for an hour for one update. You'd think a new laptop would load a little faster than the old one, but nope. It still acts like a tortoise.*

*Just kidding there--tortoises are actually pretty fast. You should've seen the one we used to have when we set a piece of banana on the floor near her. She could beat a Weeping Angel to it.

Sorry.

I'm out of good apologies and excuses for not posting in weeks a month. So I'm just going to throw artwork at you and pretend that never happened.

Drawing I did for a friend. The character's name is Zandor. I used my Copic markers, because they were feeling lonely and neglected.

Sagey-Chibi. <3 He looks so depressed sometimes... The lineart is traditional, and the coloring digital.

All digital. This is my friend Nixie's character Catherine. Isn't she adorable?

RACHAEL. All digital, again. It's been a while since I drew her, so I doodled this earlier today.

And, uh, I liked her outfit so much that this happened.

Okay, but lets talk about that last picture a minute.

I love designing outfits. It's part of the reason I love drawing so much. Having the freedom to express whoever-I'm-drawing's personality through their clothing, however I want, is an amazing feeling. Recently, I've been paying more attention to what I wear, even though it makes me feel like a clothing-snob. Although I'm not exactly a fashionista, it's fun wearing clothes that reflect who I am.

So as I've been embracing my inner fashion designer, I've been making those sorts of things. Mostly just for characters, though I came up with the idea earlier today to design an outfit for each of the sixteen MBTI personality types.

I'll be posting outfits like this on here more often, I think. Hopefully you guys like them! If you have any suggestions for outfit themes, let me know in a comment. I'd love to design something for you.