Give 'em the Boot

Treachery's boot, that is.

Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo, and guess what- I win!  Woo!  Which means I am putting Treachery and co. away for a while (to simmer and gain depth of flavor in the back of my brain) and will come back to them in a couple of months, with fresh eyes.  In theory I will get some more rewrites done on Sleeping Beauty during those few months- but I think, perhaps, I may take a break from writing fiction for a week or two.  You know how the holidays are- always overfull of Things to Get Done...

All that being said, I must say that I'm pretty impressed/amazed at how far I've come with my writing since the first time I tried my hand at NaNo (in 2010).  Not, perhaps, the craft so much as the ability to make myself sit down, shut up, and write.  The ability to tell my Inner Editor to Suck It long enough for me to get something, anything on the page.  Multiple authors have made comments along the lines of needing to write a million bad words, or three bad books, or whatever, before you can start churning out the good stuff.  I believe I am getting ever-closer to that goal.

Father Issues

Today is That Day.  As such, I did a doodle of Treachery meeting a man who may or may not be her father.  I haven't decided yet.

Her boots, they bug me.

Power Up Girl!

Inspired by the tiny little powerhouses that climb at my gym:

Children HAVE NO MASS.

It was good to get back on the wall today.  Humbling, but good.

Dueling with Stick(figure)s

Much of today was spent on a plane.  As such, all you get is a pair of stick-figures dueling with wands.

You're welcome.

A Teenage Boy

Really there is not much more to say than that.  These aren't of any particular character- just me trying to get teenage male facial proportions down.

Good clean living, and such.

In other news, I really, really hate goodbyes to family,  no matter how much I'm looking forward to hellos with my animals...  ::sigh::

Angel Eyes

I still haven't quite hit on how I want to do the eyes of my angels, but this is a heck of a lot closer than the weird little flames I was doing.

No time to finish wings and things...

PONY MADNESS!

Nathan and I cooked for his clan this evening, which necessitated a run to the grocery store.  Quail, full of seven-year-old dignity, asked if she could accompany us, and after getting permission from her parents we let her.

We ended up stopping at the bookstore on the way home (because I wanted my own copy of Havah but alas- they didn't have it in stock) and while we were there Quail helpfully pointed out to me a "really cool" My Little Pony coloring book.  So I asked her to help me find a couple of other "really cool" coloring books that Toad and Grasshopper might like, and then I bought the lot of 'em, because I'm a grownup and I'll let myself be manipulated if I feel like it.

Anyway, said purchases led to a discussion about super hero costumes, and eventually to pony-design (and I was lectured on what a "cutie mark" is, and how they are obtained).  One thing led to another, and this, then, was the result:

Starshield for Toad and Page Turner for Quail (Grasshopper is too young to care)

One thing I found interesting about this was that although Quail professed to like Rainbow Dash the best (she is the one I wanted to like the best because she's such an obvious tomboy, but really I just find her to be an obnoxious brat), her colors-of-preference were based on Fluttershy (I feel protective towards Fluttershy- she reminds me of one of my best friends, which is to say nothing at all like me, but definitely sweet and worthy of protecting) (which makes me wonder if maybe the reason I think Rainbow Dash is such a brat is because she is the manifestation of my less-than-wonderful qualities...)  (Oh stars help me I have opinions AND THOUGHTS about MLP.)



PS why yes I did draw those in pen and then color them with Nathan's old stash of prismacolors...

A Couple of Characters

Part of the outlaw crew Treachery runs with for a few years- Boss (not nearly there yet) and Kid Savage (pretty damn spot on).

Just bein' cool.  You know.

They are both very fun to write- Kid especially.

Thankstaking

This drawing is not very Thanksgiving-y, except insofar as it was inspired by a book that my mother-in-law and all three sisters-in-law recommended me, a book which just so happened to be sitting around for me to pick up and start perusing after tonight's dinner.  The book is called Havah, and it's about a woman that maybe you've heard of?

Red ink- so appropriate!

Aaaaanyway, they were right to recommend it to me, 'cos hot damn it's good!  Wonderfully evocative prose- I look forward to stealing it...

Calitoph in a High Wind

Doodled this really quick at work this morning- probably going to be a week-long radio silence while I'm visiting family for Thanksgiving, but I'll catch up when I'm back (just finally bought a new sketchbook to replace the now-full moleskin- huzzay!)...

Done in more of an animation style

In the meantime, may your holiday be full of all the things you love best!

Speaks for Itself

::whimper::

A Mer(horse)maid of a Different Color

A friend of mine makes the most beautiful jewelry- I find a lot of inspiration in it.  Today I found the inspiration for this little lady:

Harder to comb hair when you have spines.

I want to put more work into this one, but both dinner and Word Count are calling my name... perhaps tomorrow.

That Looks Essin' Awesome

It's been a To-Do list kind of day (aren't they all?)  At the top of my list was cleaning the house, but just below that was "finish Christmas gift for ______".  Well that's done now, and dried, so I scanned the same bit as yesterday so you can get an idea of the finished effect:

Faux-gilding!  Woo!

Sadly the scan does not quite show the subtle variation in color on the main wheel, so it all sort of looks the same reddish-brown tone, but it's there in real life, scout's honor.

Now I need get on the next item- knocking out my 2500 NaNo words...

Christmas Present in Progress

It's November, so of course that means I am working on holiday presents.  Here's a peek at a piece of one that's in-progress-hopefully-getting-finished-this-weekend:

In other news, my neck hurts...

A Dude... That Looks Like a Dude!

Drawing a horse yesterday was a humbling experience (it always is), so today I thought I'd do another drawing-of-something-I-have-difficulties-with.  Yeah, that's right: I once again tried my hand at a masculine- male.  This time, however, I believe I have had more success:

Smirky McSmirkson.  Pleased to meet you.

I will straight up admit that I started by staring at Robert Pattinson's manly jaw, not so much because I enjoy staring at his face, but because I was cracking up over this, which led me to this.  And I- I fell a little bit for Robert, you guys.  I really, really did.  Plus some of his mannerisms remind me of a friend of mine, which is always going to make me feel warm and fuzzy towards you, regardless of how incongruous...

Hope's Glossy Gold

Since The Consequence of Treachery Best is a western (of questionable origins) you knew that horses had to show up sooner or later.  Here's the one I wrote about today, Hope's Glossy Gold:

Horses am hard to draw, guys.  For reals.

He goes by the  name of Gus, because of course he does.  He's a dun stallion, of a breed called "Sander" in that world, because they were developed to do well in the deep desert.  Hence he is an object of desire for a young Treachery, who needs to make an escape into said wilderness...

(There is also a horse called Seeming, with black and white pinto markings, but those markings need more consideration before I can draw her with anything resembling accuracy...)

My Little Cockatiel

Here is a fun-fact about my husband: he has hair like an animal pelt.  Thick and lush and ridiculous.  It's so thick that it is in the habit of performing gravity-defying feats on a regular basis, to the point where I affectionately call him "my little cockatiel".

Somehow or another this came up in conversation with my mother today, and she was so amused by the mental image that she demanded an illustration.  So here you go, Mom- your son in law the cockatiel:

Long-suffering cockatiel, that is.

Happy Birthday, Isis

Today my dog turned one.  Good job, Isis!  Way to not eat anything too poisonous in your short little lifetime!

She is mostly a pink dog.

Being Brave

I've made a decision about my life.  And it's a scary one.  Scarier than the slackline on Saturday was, and with fewer safety measures:

don'tfalldon'tfalldon'tfall

I will talk more about this decision in the new year.  Right now I'm still trying to remember to breathe.

Dressing Up Like Me

Lara and I had plans for today- plans that involved crafting.  But first we needed to buy some containers, so we went down to the relatively-nearby outlet mall and... did not buy containers.  Although we did spend like four hours there.  As I said at one point,

"You know, for a couple of girls who don't really like to shop, we sure are doing a lot of it!"

It started innocently enough- there were several outdoor clothing stores, and Nathan needed a new coat, so I went looking for one. And found it.  And then one store led to the next and somehow I ended up buying new work clothes for me... not to mention candles!  Ack, it was insane...

But what makes me so happy about my little spending spree (and believe me- me spending money on stuff like clothing is such a rarity that Nathan actually encourages me to go do it) is that I finally have a few outfits to wear to work that make me feel like me.  For the past ten years, whenever I've had to buy work clothes I've said to myself, "What would [insert friend-with-office-job's-name here] wear?" and based my purchases upon whatever answers my brain answered.  Now, this method has served me well for a decade, but it has also resulted in me feeling like not-me while wearing work clothes, which in turn leads to resentment and sullenness.

But now, gentle readers, there is this outfit:

I always feel better in my knee-high doc martens.

Rolling with Rocks

Tonight we went and saw the Reel Rock Tour 7 at Kiggins, followed by an after-party at the Source.  Good times, good times!  I was so inspired by the lady-climbers in that movie (and so hopped up on adrenaline) that I pretty much sprinted to the top of a 5.10- as soon as we got to the gym.  I'd say my ankle is finally, finally back up to snuff.

Pardon me whilst I do a jig.  Because I can.

And after that I attempted the slackline- attempted and failed, but hey- it was fun!  And afterwards one of the little girls who is a member at the gym (and is a very good climber, actually) came up to me and said, "You did really well!" in an encouraging voice.  It was so sweet.

The other exciting part about tonight was that Nathan's photography is being featured at the Source.  Woo, first public exhibition!  Who knows- we might even get a sale out of it!  Speaking of which, go look at his shiny new site, where you too may buy Nathan-prints of your very own.

Happiness in an Overflowing Couch

Lara and Chris and Moose are here- hooray!

Couch for eight?  Why not!

(Our couch is crowded, but happy)

Doing the Best You Can With What's Been Broken

I think it is fairly well established that, in the Buffyverse, Willow is my favorite.  We have stuff in common.

Yesterday the new Willow miniseries hit shelves, and of course I scooped it up.  Thus today we have doodles like this:

(She's levitating, not just standing weird.)

Standing on a Cliff in the Rain, Staring Out at the Ocean

Yeah, that about sums it up.

Storytellers Within Stories

I'm making some pretty good progress on NaNo this year, with the idea that I'll not have to worry about it so much while I'm traveling for Thanksgiving.  Fortunately my muse has been cooperative, and provided me with plenty of fodder for the writing.

I'm something of a discovery writer- I often go into things just trusting that the story is there and I need only uncover it.  Thus I was absolutely delighted when a character I'd tossed out as a "need more siblings for Calitoph" name turned into someone I'm ridiculously fond of.  And he's a story-teller, to boot, which is a difficult calling in a town where lying is tolerated only during one small portion of the year.

Ansan's hair cannot be tamed.

Needless to say, he makes the most of it.

Twenty-Five Words

"Just write a death scene where the person dying says 'Argh' twenty-five times in a row," said my husband to me earlier this evening.  I was twenty-five words short of my NaNo goal of twenty-five hundred words, and he was being extra helpful as only he can.

Amused, I posted his suggestion on Facebook, which led to a long string of twenty-five word statements bandied about to tell a ridiculous story.  As you can see,  I've not been able to stop myself since; I even upped the challenge to make it twenty-five per sentence.

But that's enough for tonight, I think- after all, too much drilling can drive a girl to distraction, and where's the fun in that, eh?

This doodle has nothing to do with any of that, but instead is of my dog, who manages to be both derpy and good.

The Best Treachery Yet

This is by far the closest-to-my-mental-image of Treachery I've drawn to date:

Nice scar.

And the second-best part of this is that today's sermon led me to some excellent passages to use as chapter headings!  Woo!

Simplified Babies

Sometimes I work with my mother to make patterns for stained glass.  By which I mean, sometimes she likes a drawing that I've done, and I volunteer to simplify the lines so she can make them appropriate for patterns.  I told her I'd do these last night... I didn't, so I whipped them out this morning.  Ta da!

Babies babies babies... and balls!

Saga Best

(Saga being Treachery's Mother)

She has Secrets.  Capital S Secrets.

NaNoWriMo 2012 Gets Underway

...and new characters are popping up out of the scorched earth like stubborn little weeds.

More adorable than he might like to be represented.

This is Calitoph Blessed.  Apparently it is his POV from which the novel is being told.  Who knew?