Character Description Contest Winners!

*announcer voice* Hello there, folks! This Dee Aethelwyne speaking--er, typing, and I've got some Character Description Contest winners to show you!

...what's that, you say? You have no idea what this "Character Description Contest" I'm talking about is? Well, that's understandable. I never posted about it on here, after all. The short story is that I decided to hold a contest in which writers wrote a short description of one of their characters and then entered it for a chance to win a character sketch from yours truly. The contest was held on the two writing forums I am blessed to be a part of.

The winners were chosen based on the quality of their description. The entries that painted a picture in my head and made me want to draw that character moved on to the finalist round. I then chose the top three from those finalists and drew the characters. The winners were not notified; I sketched each drawing based completely on the description. (And so each drawing is final, unless you want to commission me to do something else with it.)


Now that that's out of the way, let's check out some winning descriptions! Drumroll, please...


Finalists:
Finalists are ordered alphabetically, not by place or quality of entry.
Artemis
H. R. Harding
Megstiel
Martha4Jesus
PickJesus4Ever
Shyly Dekks


Congrats, you six! You all wrote excellent descriptions of your characters, combining precise, unexpected details with a great overall atmosphere that gave me a clear picture of the character you were describing. Well done.

Please remember that if you're not on this list, it doesn't mean you wrote a bad description! I received many entries that intrigued me in the story or in the character's personality, but didn't describe enough physical details to give me a picture of the character. And that's not necessarily a bad thing! Some readers and writers prefer to let the reader develop their own mental image of the character rather than describing them in detail. It all depends on your own personal style.


Moving on to the top three...


Third Place: H. R. Harding
The Entry: 

Her hair was blonde, like the colour of sunlight peeking in through curtains in the early morning. It fell down over her shoulders in loose curls, pulled back from her round face. She had a high forehead and high cheekbones, giving her face a very regal air. Her nose, too, rather wide, but narrowing out and turning up slightly, added to her queenly appearance.

Her mink brown eyes were bright, framed by long eyelashes and arched eyebrows. The corners creased when she smiled, showing straight white teeth. The smile covered her whole face, her cheeks turning rosy and a dimple showing on her left cheek when she laughed. Her face had a tiny sprinkling of ‘sun dust’- my grandmother’s words for freckles.

She was tall, not quite as tall as me though, and thin. She wore a long coat to guard against the cold, but the white of her shirt  showed out at the collar.

She was the loveliest girl I'd ever seen.

Judge's Comments: This entry shows a very crisp, clear picture of the lovely girl in it. I also enjoyed the bit of personality from the narrator. The overall atmosphere left a very regal picture of the character described.

Artist's Comments: I did my best to keep the regality of the girl in the description, using clean, solid lines and making the sketch as refined as possible.

Character credit: H. R. Harding (Art is by me, obviously.)

Second Place: Artemis

The Entry:

Lauren was a five foot high, energetic mess of hay and freshly trimmed llama fur. She burst from the barn and sprinted into the house. "They're here!" She called excitedly as she threw off her boots, which landed in the garage with a thud. Her feet now clad in wool stockings, she slid through the hallway to find a brush in her mess of a room. Her brown almond eyes shone bright with excitement at meeting the new comers. She tore out the brambles and tangles in her thick chestnut hair, then looked herself over and laughed. Her laugh sounded how one might imagine a squirrel might sound if it could laugh. Her rough, tanned skin helped to disguise the fact that she had dirt covering her nearly head to toe. The faded green t-shirt was one of her favorites, and well worn so that the design was barely visible. The cargo pants were practical, as they had many pockets, one of which she realized still had a fluffy, black kitten in it. She grinned and pulled it out, setting it on her shoulder after nuzzling it. After deciding her hair was a lost cause, she shrugged, then donned her signature cap, which was even more worn than her shirt. One would never be able to tell it had once been black, it had pins sticking out of it that she'd collected, feathers and strange little bobbles that held memories for her. The cap shaped scraps of fabric had holes everywhere and some so large you sometimes wondered why she bothered to wear it at all. Spotting a stray thread, she pulled her knife from her pocket and clipped it, quickly and smoothly sliding the knife back where it belonged. "Well... we ain't getting much better than this." She said to the kitten, then went to meet the clients, hoping they wouldn't believe her to be years younger than she actually was, like so many other had in the past.

Judge's comments: I liked the feel of this character--fun, spunky, and energetic. The individual details are the real beauty of this entry, with their enjoyable, honest depiction of Lauren.

Artist's Comments: I wanted the drawing to flow with the entry's quick, energetic feel, so I left lots of the preliminary sketch lines in the finished picture. I also did my best to include as many of the details from the description as possible, such as her pin-covered hat or the kitten in her pocket.

Character credit: Artemis. (yes I have the kitten batting at the loose thread. because I can.)

First Place: Martha4Jesus
The Entry:

The color of her hair reminded me of tarnished copper, like an old or dirty penny. It fell in thick, tousled waves down her back and over her shoulders. Her eyes sparked fire, a feat I found impressive coming from such soft, deep brown orbs, like the eyes of a young deer. From her height, one wouldn’t think her more than a child, but her pretty figure and the forwardness of her attitude dashed any such thought like that to pieces.  

Her face was sprinkled with freckles—just a smattering of them crossing over her small nose from her cheeks. Her eyebrows were angled in a dangerous slant, though the hint of a smirk played on her partially chapped lips. Her small feet were bare and tanned, as if they had never worn shoes. Which, judging from her dress, probably wasn’t that inaccurate of an assumption. 

All this flitted through my mind in less than a second, and the only clear word that came to mind when I saw her was: fun. She looked fun.

Judge's Comments: I'm absolutely in love with this description. The character is described so enjoyably. I felt the fun rolling off of her before the main character even pointed it out. The unexpected details, such as chapped lips or dangerously slanted eyebrows, really helped to put a clear picture in my mind.

Artist's Comments: At first I wanted to draw a chibi of this character, because what's more fun than a chibi? But I decided instead to just have fun with the drawing and used a cute, very unrealistic proportion style that I'm quite happy with.

Character credit: Martha4Jesus (bare feet are hard, man.)

Congrats to the top three, the finalists, and everyone who entered! You all did a great job, and I can't wait to see how you do in the next contest I hold!




------

BUT WAIT! There's more:
Didn't make the top three? You can still get your character drawn, and for a discounted price! This weekend only, I'm running a special sale on my Etsy store. Everything is 20% off--even the things that are already on sale, like my magnetic paper dolls (which will go back to normal price after this weekend as well). Just enter the coupon code "WKNDSALE" during checkout, and you'll get 20% off your entire purchase. The sale is open now, and lasts until 11:59 P.M. ET on Sunday.
You can check out my store website here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FaerytalesandFantasy?ref=hdr_shop_menu
/end advertising Dee

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Book Review - Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

(See, I told you I'd actually post these. I'm so on top of things this year.)


Challenge 1 - Read a fairytale retelling.
 

The cover art is gorgeous, isn't it?

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else.

And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out, she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now, it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him. Hazel finds, however, that these woods are nothing like what she's read about, and the Jack that Hazel went in to save isn't the same Jack that will emerge. Or even the same Hazel.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.

Breadcrumbs was a surprise read for me. My little sister got it from the library and I found it on her shelf. The cover art was pretty, so I read it. I'm so glad I did.

I related to the story and to the characters quite a bit--more than I expected from a middle grade novel. I think that's partly because it isn't really a middle grade story. The writing style might be difficult for a fifth grader to get through, but I loved every word of it. It sounded like it was written by someone like Hazel--someone who'd read more books at the age of ten then most adults ever would. The book is full of quotable lines, and if it had been my copy, I would have highlighted like crazy.

The plot is a bit slow. The book is split into two parts: part one covering Hazel and Jack's "normal" life, part two moving into Hazel's quest into the woods. Because it takes so long to get into the woods, I feel like there should have been a third part--or at least an extra chapter!--as the ending was a bit rushed.

 Another thing I really enjoyed about the story was the way Ms. Ursu handled some tougher topics, such as Hazel's parents' divorce. It wasn't a "book about divorce," yet it portrayed the situation very accurately and delicately. 


Overall, I'd give the story four out of five stars. If you're looking for a fantasy with lovable, relatable characters, I would recommend it.



(I'm so fab at book reviews aren't I. We'll see how long I can keep up the formality before I find a book that has me completely fangirling and/or ranting over it.)

Chibis, charms, and, um... photography?

 So yesterday, I drew a chibi Miku. And I liked how it turned out. Like, /really/ liked it. I still like it and it's been 24 hours. So obviously I drew Luka as well, and now I'm working on Gumi, Len, and Rin.

The precious.

You remember how I was talking about the charm bracelet I made for my friend Nixie for Christmas? Well, using the same stuff I made for her charms, I made some keychain charms this afternoon.

Luka, Katniss, Mira, and Miku. There was going to be a third Katniss, but I accidentally cut her foot off. Oops.

With beads. I had too much fun with these.

My original idea was to list these on Etsy, but I'm not sure I'm 100% happy with the quality of this batch, so these are just my giveaway charms. (Most of them are spoken for already.) I'll make another batch in the next few days and make nicer ones.
I've got some key rings and little bead charms and such coming on Monday from Amazon, so the ones I list will hopefully look really good.



This is an old picture, but I found it on my mum's iPad today while I was getting photos of the keychains. I took it at my grandparents in Minnesota, back during Thanksgiving when we went out to visit them.

Yep I'm totally a photographer man.

I had some fun with a few filters on an app Mum has, and that's the finished result. So yep.


Also.
I keep forgetting to tell you guys, but I'm doing a reading challenge this year (it's only 16 books long, so I'll probably have it done by May). My friend Tia put it together, and we're doing it with a bunch of other people on the writing forum we're on.

Here's the list of challenges:

1. Read a fairytale retelling.

2. Read a book with something shiny on the cover.

3. Read a book with a character name in the title.

4. Read a book that someone in your family loves.

5. Go to the library, pick a shelf, and count to your age in books. Read that book.

6. Read a book that's over 500 pages.

7. Read a book that's been in your TBR (to-be-read) for awhile.

8. Read a classic.

9. Read a sequel.

10. Read a book without reading the synopsis.

11. Read a book you can finish in a day.

12. Read a book that takes place in the future.

13. Read a romance. (OR [if you don't feel comfortable reading romance] Read an OYANer's novel [preferably get your hands on one that's published])

14. Read a book by an author you've never read before.

15. Read a book based on a movie (not the other way around)

16. Read a book set in this century (post-2000).

 I've got two challenges finished so far. I think I'm going to review them on here as I go to make it a little more challenging. Those won't count as my weekly Friday posts, of course, so who knows how often I'll actually get around to writing those.

Off on an adventure...er, vacation.

Heading out tomorrow morning for a trip to visit out-of-state family, so I'm posting on Thursday rather than Friday. I know, it's terrible, I'm sorry. But at least I'm posting.

Cisla chibi. Yes.

Mira darling.

Elsa doodle.

And a matching Anna doodle, of course.

And here we have a very poor quality photo of a birthday card doodle.

 I haven't been drawing a whole lot this week, honestly. My hand dislikes me for some reason. (I have been working on a few commissions as well, so that's where my time has gone. That and Marvel.)

I've got archery practice in 20 minutes, and I want to put some more time in my Marcia project (I haven't worked on it at all this week, or I'd post an update), so I'll sign off and leave you guys with this tiny post.

A long post in which I say nothing.

  My sister and I were supposed to go to a concert with some friends today, but then the weather happened and now it's too icy to drive in. So I've got plenty of time to blog--or at least, an hour or so until the two kids we were going to the concert with show up for a "fun day with friends." (Why do I always end up blogging the day people come over? It's supposed to be my day off. Sheesh, people.)

...Okay, wait. I'm going to complain for just one teensy-tiny second.
You know how I picked Friday to blog, because that's "my day off" and so it'll be easier for me to keep up? And you also know how the universe just loves to throw off all of my great, well-thought out plans?
Yeah. So we had a family meeting, and "sleep-in day-off" is now Sunday. (I voted for keeping it Friday, but was outvoted. Extremely outvoted.) I think I'd be cool with that, except that Sunday is my "get up early and be productive" day. It's always been. My internal alarm clock gets me up at 6:30 AM sharp every Sunday. And now it's my one day to sleep in.
Why, universe. Why.

Amity doodle. She looks like she's going to punch someone in the face. Maybe it's the universe.

Our scanner is weird. It likes to lighten up everything. That took a while to get used to, but now I've learned to use it to my own advantage. Light sketch lines + dark outlines = no eraser necessary. It's lovely.

Bianka darling.

That's actually an older sketch. I had to double check that I hadn't posted it yet, because it's one I really like as well. I rarely like my pencil sketches. And when I do, I'm terrified to color them because I'm convinced that I'm going to end up ruining them.

Cislaaaaa

 Remember those Percy Jackson fanfiction characters from a few posts ago (*cough*October*cough*)?

 Here they are again.

Isla's the girl, and Cody is the boy (duh). Cody's my sister's character--not the one I forgot to draw in the last post; that was Ember, who is a girl--and I kindasortareallyshipthem. 

They're just cute, okay? Isla's always so busy setting up other couples, and it's really because she believes she's going to be single her whole life because no guy will ever actually like her, and she tries to make herself feel better by getting other cute couples together. And then Cody...

Well, Cody's an idiot. But she's been trying to find him a girlfriend for like five years and I just think it would be adorable if the two of them ended up together.

/end fangirly Dee-ness

...and then there's Hans.

 Yeah. Um. Digital art practice?

No, actually, the story behind this one is: I sketched out that pose as a possible commission design, but she wasn't such a fan so I changed it and used the pose for my own purposes. Yep.

Another digital thing.

 Just to make sure everyone /really/ gets that I love fashion design, I drew that up there. Because outfits. And flow-y fabric. And sparkles.

Pretty dresses are just fun to draw. I think I'll be doing more outfit designs like that one up there, because it was really, really enjoyable to draw. Maybe I'll even start doing outfit design commissions on Etsy...

Marcia digital work-in-progress.

This is taking me forever to finish. I've been working on it for days, and that's how far I've gotten.

Although, in fairness, I haven't actually spent that much time on it. Just an hour a day or so, whenever I can sneak it in. So I've probably only put like 3 hours of work into it so far.

But yeah, I'm really getting back into digital art. Practicing up a bit so I can start some digital art commissions.


Wrapping things up with some Copic headshots...

Abbie...

...and Annie.

 No, they're not related. I didn't even realize how similar their names were until now.

In other news, I officially have foot problems.

I sprained my ankle pretty badly a few years back, and I guess I started compensating for the pain by walking on the inside of my feet. I never stopped doing that, though, and now I'm suffering the consequences. Like, literally suffering. I can't stand for longer than twenty minutes before my feet start hurting horribly. (They hurt just about all the time these days, but it's worse after standing for extended periods of time.)

So I've got an appointment with a foot-doctor (I forget the fancy word for that at the moment) coming up soon, and Dad says I might have to get braces for my ankles, since they're so weak. I'm currently wearing these inserts in my shoes that support my arch better and supposedly will make things better, but so far they've just been hurting my feet.

There's a bright spot in this, though--I now have an excuse to sit down a lot. Which means more drawing time. *evil cackle*

I've got a little more time before friends show up, so now I'm going to skip off (figuratively speaking) and do some digital art. I want to do an outfit design--steampunk circus ringmaster, anyone?

Two New Etsy Listings!

Hey there, folks!

You're probably all shocked to be reading this right now. "What? Not only have you started posting every Friday, we're also getting random Monday posts?!"
Yes. Yes you are.

I've been brainstorming ways to "promote" my store ever since I opened it. (Seriously, I think about it 24/7. My job is my new obsession.) An idea I had that I quite like is having a "sale" every month. I might be trying out a new product or style, or I might just feel like having chibi sales. It'll depend on my mood.

This month, I've decided to focus on my magnetic dolls. I love making those. They're super cute, and super fun to draw, color, and play with. Plus, you're never too old for dolls.

Regular paper dolls are on sale for $5 off, plus you get a free metal tin. And shipping is still free. All month. Click here to see the listing.

I'm also trying out chibi magnetic dolls. I sketched out the base for them recently, and now the "test drive" listing is up. Check that out here.

So that takes care of one new listing and one new sale. What about the second listing?
Well, I've added a new chibi listing as well. It's for a quick, inexpensive chibi sketch. Because chibi, guys. For only $3, I will draw your character or yourself or Tom Hiddleston or whoever you want. Here is the link for that.

So yep, that's my news. I'd love for you to purchase something from my store! If you can't, advertising is also always appreciated. ;) Have a superfantabulous day, guys.

New Year, New Blog Schedule.

Yes, I've finally decided to try making a New Year's Resolution. I've never liked making them, usually because I forget what the resolution is at all within two weeks. But for 2016, I've decided to focus my new year on blogging more regularly.

I'm going to be posting at least once a week, every Friday. (Unless there's an extreme emergency. Like no wifi.) Fridays are my day off, so I won't have "I'm too busy to blog" as an excuse.

I'm also going to try posting more about the same characters, describing a little more about them, etc. So if you have any questions about certain characters, ideas you want me to draw with them, or whatever, comment and let me know! I'd love to hear from you.

....And this week's art dump is full of characters that aren't mine. Off to great start, aren't I?

Nickolette, my fabulous soldier tough girl. <3

Vina, small but fierce.

Reece, the homeless albino violinist.

Nova, who is fabulous with her bright red hair.

Zephyr, the sassy darling with a mechanical arm and leg. And a ponytail.

And last but certainly not least, Mirari, who's pretty much the main character.

All of the above are my friend Nixie's characters. I drew them for her Christmas present--I printed them out on my lovely Grafix film (which is basically the same as Shrinky Dinks) and then made the little tiny chibis into a charm bracelet/keychain. It turned out really cute, but I forgot to snap a picture of the finished thing. I'll have to ask her for one.

Christmas was pretty awesome, by the way. Apparently I proclaimed my love of Marvel and Captain America loudly enough, as I ended up with a Marvel sweatshirt that's the softest thing in the world, a Captain America bracelet that came in an awesome Marvel tin, a backpack shaped like Cap's shield, and the most amazing Captain America hoodie EVER. I saw a picture that Josie posted on her blog a while ago of her Cap hoodie, and I've wanted one ever since.
AND I GOT IT. SO HAPPY.



I'm working on a study of facial proportions and the difference between male and female faces, because I've been hating my style lately and I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong. It's turning out all right, better than I thought it would, so maybe I'll post it as a tutorial next week. We'll see.