Tuesday, December 29, 2009

"I am eleventy-one today!"

Not that it really matters, as there are a few more days of this year left during which I will read at least one more book, but there are currently ELEVENTY-ONE titles on the 'Books I've Read This Year" list on the side of my blog. Thats right--111. I was entertained by this circumstance, and decided that I might as well share this odd fact with anyone who might be reading this.

I will, of course, post the full list, with thoughts and comments on it, once it is Officially 2010.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Footloose and Fancy Free

Finals are over and I'm home for the holidays! Well, temporarily at least. I'll be heading back down to Provo to work (gotta pay tuition!) but I'm home this weekend, with no homework to do, no finals to study for, and new books to read--what more could I want? When finals ended I splurged somewhat and bought myself a hardback copy of The Christmas Carol illustrated by P.J. Lynch, because I could...and it was on sale, so really, it wasn't that big a splurge :-}. I'm really looking forward to reading it--Charles Dickens was a funny guy, and of course the illustrations will be awesome.

Now that I finally have TIME to tell all you blog readers (like, all three of you ^.^) what's been going on I can't really think what to say. Hmmm... well, some big news of the last couple weeks (heh) was that I got and ARC (Thats an Advance Readers Copy, to you non-book-nerds) of A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner (the sequel to my absolute favoritest book EVER, The King of Attolia) which will be coming out in March or April and is MADE OF AWESOME (in case anyone was wondering). After I finished reading it I promptly passed it onto another obsessed fan, then to the next, then the next, who passed it on to several more, and I just got it back this morning and will be handing it off to the wonderful Shanelle tonight. (I really should try and count up everyone who has read this ARC, just to know, you know?) EVERYONE SHARE THE BOOK-LOVE. Book friends: I'm glad that you all understand me, and the awesomeness that is these books. And I'm glad that there is such a lovely concentration of us in Provo/Orem/SLC area.

We also had our roommate gift exchange and I got--wait for it--a Borders Gift card. Surprise! I also got a rather entertaining bookmark, with a pony on it--and it neighs when you press it. :-) I got Annie Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome... maybe as much for myself as for her, I'll admit, because I'll expect her to allow me to read it to her now. And she will enjoy it. Becasue Jerome K. Jerome was a funny guy.

I really don't have much else to say, so I shall now close :-D

Friday, December 18, 2009

finals...

ONLY ONE LEFT.

THE END IS IN SIGHT.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Finals.

Three down. (Dance, Narrative, New Testament)


Four to go. (Digital Painting, Illustration, Life Drawing, Judaism)

Monday, December 14, 2009

FINALS

One down. (World Dance)

Six to Go. (Narrative, Life Drawing, Digital Painting, Illustration, New Testament, Judaism)


Oh, and Happy Birthday to me. I'm legal now--yay.

Back to studying. Or rather, preparing for finals--art majors have less studying and more painting like crazy people.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Once on a Time

Hooray!
The first book I helped to record on Librivox is now out in the catalog! The book is Once on a Time by A. A. Milne and I think its alot of fun.

check it out here: http://librivox.org/once-on-a-time-by-a-a-milne/

I did chapters 17, 18, 20, and 21.


And just as a side note, I'm still working between homework and life and such to put up more snowflakes at SarahLuAnn.etsy.com, so keep looking there as well :-).

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Etsy store!

Hello friends, family, and associates! For awhile now I've talked about selling snowflakes "for real"... well, now I'm really going to do it.

I'm still working to get this site up and running and just to figure out how these things work, but please look at my shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SarahLuAnn


and especially, Tell anyone and everyone you know that might be interested or might know someone who is interested.. I'm really going to try to get this really going for this snowflake season, and any and all help getting the word out is appreciated.

Thanks all!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Random Pictures

Everyone in costume!


OH NOES ANNILYN IS BEING EATEN.


Together at Brick Oven...


None of the roomies thought it could be done, but I proved them wrong. ALL my books ON ONE SHELF. Though this wouldn't work as a permanant storing methond... I had to give up my idea of reading a bit of Strong Poison before bed because I discovered that I'd very intelligently put it at the very bottom of a stack.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Halloween in bullet points

-sleep in
-drag self out of bed
-put on weird patchwork skirt, art nerd shirt and sparkly flower socks and run and do things on campus
-do homework with a couple reading breaks
-accidental nap
-don Queen of Attolia costume
-ward party at bowling alley
-trick-or-treating with former roomates
-abandon former roommates (candy just isn't worth it anymore)
-go to the wrong place for swing club
-look up correct place for swing club
-arrive at swing club
-dance with (among others) the Cookie Monster, Jack Skeleton, and the Dread Pirate Roberts
-leave early
-write LJ entry

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Costumes!

First I will say that, I have just now added a random quote generator to the side of my blog. Over on the left there, see it? The javascript and I had a bit of an argument over apostrophies, but it is there. I've been entertaining myself the last couple minutes by reloading the page over and over to see what quotes come up. There are more Lord Peter and Attolia quotes than anything else right now--whos surprised?--but I think I will add more quotes and it'll even out with time.

Now, on to the actual subject of this entry...

This Halloween season has started a week early, it seems. Since Halloween is a Saturday, people are scheduling parties a week ahead!

This year I decided to dress up as Attolia/Irene from The Thief, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. (Yes, the title character of the second book.) Yes, I know that nobody else really knows who that is. But if I did something everyone else likes I wouldn't have had near as much fun putting my costume together, and really, my own entertainment was all I really cared about anyway.


I was asked to make a Rustic Apple Tart for the Illustration Association party. (They gave me the recipe.) Here is the finished product:
Photobucket


And now some costume pics.


Annilyn, Me, and Brooke:
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Brooke, Me, Annilyn, and Caitlin:
Photobucket



Photobucket


Shadow Queen...
Photobucket


I was trying to figure out the 'stone face' look. And failing, but I was trying.
Photobucket


Gotta get a hair shot (even though Irene's hair is supposed to be black...)
Photobucket


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Who am I that you should love me?
Photobucket


Happy primary-color-and-metallic embrioidered sheet-wearing cultural royalty:
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Stern primary-color-and-metallic embrioidered sheet-wearing cultural royalty (I'd got in some practice by this time, so I really could do the Attolia Stone Face):
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Monday, October 19, 2009

Books Read this summer

I was just glancing over old blog posts when I saw a post I'd completely forgotten about from last April, saying what books I thought I might want to pick up over the summer. I thought it might be interesting to say which of those I actually did read.

Of the rather long list of books I thought I might like to try reading over the summer, these are the ones I did actually read:

Jane Eyre
The Book Thief, by Marcus Zuzak I started but didn't finish. I did enjoy what I read of it and plan to finish when the Book Chooser Says To.
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is another I started but didn't finish--I really liked it, but then the library recalled it. *grumble* Annie brought back her copy for me to read the next time she went home, but by then I'd kind of lost my momentum with it, yanno? But this is another that I fully intend to finish reading in the future.
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
Ben Hur by Lew Wallace I didn't actually read during the summer, but I did shortly after school started. Well, I listened to it anyway, which counts in my book.
Kenneth Oppel's Airborn books.
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
More Diana Wynne Jones--specifically The Game and re-reading the first and third volumes of the Chronicles of Chrestomanci... and maybe some other stuff that isn't coming to mind at the moment...
I didn't read The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor, but I did listen to Through the Looking Glass, and the original should be even better, no?
I gave Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett another try--one of these days I'll be able to understand her prose. Maybe.
the Lord Peter Wimsey Books--oy my Lord Peter. I am so glad that I did pick these up... :D:D:D
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emma Orczy--Karen Savage is my Hero





Not a bad list. Of course I read many other books this summer, but these are the books that I did end up reading that I had on my summer reading list. And probably nobody is interested in this but me, but ah well.


And NOW I shall go do homework. Actually, I'm going to have dinner first. And THEN homework.

moody

Lately I've just been... less happy. I've been frustrated with classes and work and just kind of for no reason at all. I was feeling this rather acutely during my evening class tonight (Digital Painting). Not for any particular reason--I just was generally frustrated, for absolutely no good reason.



Leave class. Turn right instead of left when leaving HFAC. Enter Library.

And hour and a half passes.

Exit library, with a new spring in step and absurd grin on face.



Oh library, how I love thee.

I have previously demonstrated the greatness of my ode-writing skills (which is to say, non-skills) so I shall fall back on what others have said on this subject.

I have never known a trouble that an hour's reading would not dissipate.
-Charles Louis Montesquieu

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accesible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.
-Charles W. Eliot

When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind.
-Michel de Montaigne



I collected these quotes (and several others) from a quote book mom had on the table in the living room last time I was home. They are of course always true, but I didn't anticipate how very applicable they would soon be.

Friday, October 16, 2009

an odd thought

So I just had an odd thought while doing my Judaism reading, but it isn't a very complete one, if that makes sense. But it makes sense to me as far as it goes, and I rather feel like sharing it for a few reasons, the main one perhaps most easily said through the bromide of "two heads are better than one"--I'm interested in your thoughts on my Random Odd Thought.

As I said, this thought occured to me while I was doing reading for my Judaism and the Gospel class. How it came to me was this: I was reading an article which, in short, said "This is the way things were done". Then I got to the next section of the article, which was attempting to answer (or simply discussing the question of)--Why?

Why? All the way through the article up to that point I hadn't really thought to ask this question. What was being said made sense with what I knew and had read elsewhere, and the question of why things were that way hadn't really occured to me. In the back of my mind, almost far enough back that I didn't fully realize I was having this thought, came the words: Why (heh) didn't you ask why? The article seems to assume that readers should be asking this question. Almost before I realized I was asking myself this question, the answer arrived almost right on top of it. Because you're not a person who asks why. You're a person who asks how.

This answer is what brought the original mostly-subconcious train of thought to the front of my mind. But it made sense to me. Some people ask why--the most obvious group to point out would be scientists, or people who think like scientitsts. Instead, I ask how. This question is a bit less inquisitive and more active, it seems. Though the questions are really very similar--if you ask why something happens you will usually get a very similar answer to the question of how something happens--but its the feeling behind them that is different.

And then I was thinking, what if we all have our different questions? To some who? is more important, to others, why? where? what? when? or how?.

I rather liked this odd thought as it occured to me, but I also have this feeling that it...isn't complete. So I come to my blog readers. Do you have any thoughts on my thought?

(My computer crashed during the writing of this entry. My first frustrated thought wasn't, why did this happen? but rather how do I keep this from happening again?. And then I thought about it, and laughed to myeself.)

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

pet peeve

I can't really call it a Pet Peeve, because that is just something that kind of rubs you the wrong way, but doesn't really make you extremely angry.

Last week one of my roommates had one of her guy friends over. I talked with them a bit, and he seemed nice enough, though not exactly the type that I could really hit it off with, if you know what I mean. (Which is to say, he was very not nerdy.) So they continue chatting while I go over to my usual end of the couch with the lamp and start reading. He's kind of on his way out--they're gradually getting closer to the door while conversation continues--when they get on the subject of their aspirations, etc. and my roommate admitted that what she really wants to do is write for children.

"Oh," says her friend, "thats easy." He made a motion like he was just scribbling something really fast. "I mean, you just... you know?"

This is far from the first time someone has made a similar suggestion to/in front of me when someone admits to aspirations in childrens literature--either writing or illustration. Its hard for me to believe that they don't realize how utterly tactless, and of course wrong, they are. (How would you like me to say in a sort of brush-of way that your major sounds easy?) But what is also hard for me to believe is that, knowing how unthinking and common, etc., this thinking is, I still become, like, swellingly angry whenever someone makes this kind of comment. But, probably fortunately, I am not a person who yells, or even one who shows much emotion or says much of anything. So when my roommates friend says that writing childrens books is "easy", its only inside that I'm screaming,"EASY? Yeah, well you know what ELSE is EASY? JUMPING OFF A CLIFF IS EASY. So why don't you do the world a favor and go DO that. And be sure to aim for those SHARP ROCKS AT THE BOTTOM. And by the way I've decided to HATE YOU FOR ETERNITY." But while I'm thinking this, I'm still apparently calmly reading, though they probably never noticed that I've stopped moving my eyes over the page, or turning pages.

I waited for my mostly-suppressed explosion until after he was out the door, which was fortunately not long after.
"How can he not know how utterly tactless that was? Not to mention entirely wrong," I said.
"What was?" asked Annie, who had entered just as I said this. I told her what he said, and how this has happened to me several times before, and how it always makes me see red, but I never, ever say anything. So in a very small way it is my fault, for not correcting this thinking when I encounter it, right?
"Well, kind of," Annie said, "I'm not saying that that kind of thinking shouldn't be corrected, but really, I think it's better that you don't say anything when you're as angry as all that. And I know it's hard, but you should probably try to get used to the fact that you're going to keep encountering this kind of thinking and you should try and just let it roll over you, or you're going to keep getting angry about something you have no control over."
And of course she's right, but that doesn't make it any easier.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Life is good.

Life is good. It is also very busy, kind of crazy, full of work and classes and drawing and homework with reading and sleep and suchlike filling in the cracks--but life is fundamentally, firstly, and generally... good.

I have noticed over the last few weeks that I smile alot more than I used to. A gentle smile, as opposed to a slight frown, has become my neutral I'm-just-walking-from-here-to-there-and-thinking-of-nothing-in-particular expression. I had come to accept that a slight frown is just my regular neutral expression, that I'm not a smiley person. I still don't think I'm a smiley person, but that does not mean that I can't or won't be "neutrally happy", if that makes any sense to anyone but me. Devins favorite joke on me is, "Stop looking so happy, Sarah." Of course he means it sarcastically, but seriously--I don't want to stop, now I've learned how. :D

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Second Day of Classes

I'm going to like my Tuesdays and Thursdays. My classes are New Testament, World Dance, Narrative 1 (which is going to be AWESOME), and Illustration 1 (which will probably be my hardest art class, and probably my hardest class PERIOD, but it is also going to be AWESOME.)

And, now that I'm in the BFA program, I get Studio Space. Oh yes. I am really, really excited about this. No more trying to carefully arrange the easel and palette and towel and turpenoid all on my desk at once. I AM OFFICIAL NOW.

Not much more to add. Except that the phone chord is still lost. I don't really know where to look. And I'm wearing my nerd rock and it makes me happy. And one day I will be Brave and Wear It In Public and people will be like, "Oh.... I, uh, like your necklace." And I will be Amused.

Monday, August 31, 2009

First day of classes!

So today was the my first day of classes--woot! Not really all that much to report about it, to tell you the truth. I had work all morning (8-1) and right after that I had Advanced Life Drawing with Brother Hull. I'm pretty excited about that class. I feel that I'll learn alot, and most of the work will be in class (drawing from models) or stuff that I already do (sketchbook). Then I had my Advanced Computer Applications for Illustrators class, which might be more accurately titled "Digital Painting". If you want to see my teachers work, his blog is http://davemcclellan.blogspot.com/. It seems like most of the work for this class will be done in class. In addition, we can basically paint whatever "interests us". This means FANART.

On a completely different tangent, I've lost my phone chord. You know, the one you charge your phone with. This means that I am Without A Phone. So if you've tried calling me in the last few days and were sent straight to the answering machine, thats why.

Another completely different tangent--Scarlet Pimpernel at Hale Center Theater THIS FRIDAY. I am really excited to see it. Becky went to see it and told me that she thought they did a GREAT job. (Of course they did. This is Hale Center Theater we're talking about.) So that is one BIG THING I've been looking forward to for MONTHS that is Coming Right Up.

I'm planning--hoping--to try out for the folk dance team this Wednesday. The catch? If girls want to try out, they have to bring a Man with them. I have two days to find a man...


The Second Semi-Annual Utah Thief-Con was AMAZING. I now have a Nerd Rock. Well, its supposed to be Hamiathes Gift, but somehow in the two days since I've made it it has acquired the endearment "Nerd Rock."

"Hey, I like your necklace."
"Thanks! Its my Nerd Rock."

This amuses me immensely.
I'd show you all a picture of said Nerd Rock, but the way I would do that would be with my Handy Dandy Camera Phone which, as I said, is out of battery and not likely to be charged until next weekend (when I'll go home to Witness the Awesomeness of Sir Percy.) So maybe later.

Also, I'm planning on having Annilyn the Amazing help me make some awesome Nerd Shirts. They will be hilarious and nobody will really understand what they're about unless they've read Awesome Books.

Speaking of books, I'm going to be getting a couple free ones in the next couple weeks. I am rather pathetically excited about this.


Yes, it's been awhile since my last entry. But thats because not much has been going on. Now that friends and roomies are back and classes have started, hopefully there will be more Things Of Interest (To More Than Myself) to share.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

fer rills this time.

OK, so now I'm REALLY a librivoxateer. My first chapter is recorded, edited, and uploaded.

Hopefully it will be easier after this. :D

http://upload.librivox.org/share/uploads/mla/onceonatime_17_milne.mp3

After all the recording and editing time, I'm pretty sick of my own voice. I think I'll wait awhile before tackling my other chapters...


I'd say more if there was more to say. Life is life. Not very eventful.

Monday, July 20, 2009

A Librivoxateer!

I have officially spent all the money on myself that I'm going to for the whole summer. That is, on stuff other than food and housing. I really have. This is the last For My Own Amusement And Enjoyment purchase I will make for the next six weeks.

Really.

Right now, I'm going to push the buttons that will buy me a basic, not-fancy microphone for this computer. So I can be a real librivoxateer.

Here goes.


....


Ok, I did it.

I'm pretty excited about it, I'm not gonna lie. Reading audiobooks has been a sort of vagueish dream of mine for quite awhile. Mom says she thinks she can find the recording I started of The Phantom Tollbooth from about fifth grade. I'm really interested to hear it... I don't really remember if I did well. In my head, my memory of it sounds good (The lines I remember being "You're... in... the Dooooooldrums" and "My, my, my, my, my, my, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome To the Land of Expectations, To the Land of Expectations, to the Land of Expectations. I'm the Whether Man, do you think it will rain?), but if she finds the casettes I'll be curious to hear how well I read then. My roommies assure me that I read very well now.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Experiments in Gouache

What have you been doing for your July Fourth? I've had mine mostly to myself, since most of the roommies are out with family, to do whatever I want. I decided to spend a bit of time getting a little better acquainted with Gouache.

Ok, so for the first experiment I used very thin paint on smooth white board. The Lovely Anne was the model for this piece--I went through all the picures from the day of Calebs baby blessing and just grabbed a couple that I kind of liked. Though I've learned that it isn't really very good, I don't think I'll ever learn to stop loving pictures with the sharp contrasts you get in very bright sunlight. I wish I had a better way than a cameraphone to show these to you--the colors are in reality a bit brighter than they look here.

anne

anne


For the next experiment, I used dry paint on very rough black paper. I've had this fancy black paper since my first semester when I had to get a huge sheet of it for my 2D class and didn't use it all. Its not really made for painting on, but as I said this is all experimental anyway. Because of its great texture, It was very easy to get the paint to break--the hard part, in fact, was getting it wet enough to fill in the gaps without becoming too thin to see.

dry bush girl

cutegirl3

Friday, July 3, 2009

Life couldn't possibly, not even probably, life couldn't possibly better be!

The Last Week-or-so--in bullet points!

-The trip to California was great and relaxing. I got to read The Scarlet Pimpernel to my mom and siblings (see book blog) on the drive and they enjoyed it. (Of course. Sir Percy is Made Of Awesome.)
-visiting cousins is fun. Its great to be back with my roommates though. We have Good Times.
-When I did laundry after getting home from CA I made a discovery. My Art Nerd tee-shirt officially has a big smudge of Thalo Blue on the back. I figure, it was only a matter of time. It was going to happen sooner or later. I'm just not quite sure how it did happen.
-The Book Slump continues, but thank goodness for Librivox.org, Karen Savage and the Awesomest Job Ever.
-I think that Conspiracy of Kings should come out sooner. Or that I should get an ARC. I should probably work on that...
-A cleaning check on FRIDAY? Fortunately it was a light one and I woke up early enough that I got all my cleaning done, and they didn't look too closely.
-I think this is the first year in several that I will NOT be participating in any parades. Have fun with that, guys!
-I love the Court Jester. It is an awesome movie.
-little babies are fun to sketch.
-ANNILYN CAME TO VISIT. AFTER SHE SAID WE WOULDN'T SEE HER UNTIL AUGUST. WE SCARED HER FAMILY WITH OUR DELIGHTED SCREAMS. ANNILYN, DON'T STAY AWAY SO LONG EVER AGAIN.
-made Rolo cookies for the first time today. Yum.
-a weekend to do whatever I want. I've done some baking, watched a movie with the roomies.... reading, painting, and more of the same will follow I'm sure.
-I still need to take reference photos for Noah's Ark.... mom, if you could upload the ones that we manages to get that would be MARVELLOUS.
-I love Tonks and Sunny. One day, I will have my own house. In it, there will be birds, books, a studio, a kitchen, and a dance floor. And maybe somewhere to sleep.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The last few days we've had completely clear blue skys. Which is nice and all.

But today, I woke up, stepped out side, and there were....

Clouds.

Today, my friends, is going to be a good day. I'm tired, frustrated with my current project at work, but today the sky is full of beautiful clouds.






Ok, Twilighters shut your eyes. Or, if you don't, be forgiving. I'm sure we can understand each other on other points, just not on Those Awful Books.

song chart memes
see more Funny Graphs

Monday, June 22, 2009

Obsess much?

He is the last of his kind...


...all that remains of a once powerful nation...


...some think he is a myth...


...some believe he is the Chosen One...


But mostly, he's just awesome.



Sunday, June 21, 2009

Awesomest Short Ever

http://www.gobelins.fr/galerie/animation/gen2008-04-Garuda.htm

Go. Experience the Gorgeous Awesomeness in less than a minute.

Whats going on in my life? Well, other than work... see book blog.
I think I want to cook things more. I will get myself Ingredients tomorrow. I will.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Fanarts!

Ok, so this is kind of like a follow-up post to the last one. Because what do I do when I obsess about things? (That is, Aside from being all giggly, and talking about them to people who don't care about whatever it is I'm obsessed with AT ALL or, even if they do care about it, I talk about it so much that they get SICK of them or...
Well, yeah. Anyway.)

The answer is, I DRAW PICTURES.

Aside from my current "obsession", my excuse for drawing these was to learn how to paint in photoshop. Which I'm still kinda figuring out. If you click on them, and then on the little magnifying glass with a plus sign above them, you can see them big. :)

So here they are.

First, we have
Moira From The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner

moira

I painted this in less than an hour and a half. For that kind of time, I think it looks alright. I kind of like this idea, I might either keep painting on this one or do another one of basically the same thing, but... better. I was drawing it from my memory of the scene, so when looking back at the actual text it is interesting to see which details I got right and which I didn't.


I was walking up steps into a small room with marble walls. There were no windows, but moonlight came from somewhere to fall on the white hair and dress of a woman waiting there for me. She was wearing the ancient peplos that fell in pleated folds to her feet, like one of the women carved in stone beside old altars. As I entered the room, she nodded as if she'd been expecting me for some time, as if I were late. I had a feeling I should recognise her, but I didn't.
"Who brings you here?" she asked.
"I bring myself."
"Do you come to offer or to take?"
"To take," I whispered, my mouth dry.
"Take what you seek if you find it then, but be cautious. Do not offend the gods." She turned to the tall three-legged table beside her. It held an open scroll and she lifted a stylus and wrote, adding my name at the bottom of a long list and placing a small mark beside it.
When I woke a moment later, Pol had dinner ready.

.....

I had been dreaming again of the lady in the chamber; her hair was held away from her face by a string of dark red stones set in gold. She used a swan feather pen to put a second mark by my name, and she seemed concerned for my sake...



Irene Dancing under the Orange Trees

orange trees

I really should have planned this out better before starting. As it was, I was moving things around and such halfway through painting and trying to make it work--almost just because I could more than anything. (Hey, if you have layers in your painting, why not use them??)

This is a fanart piece for Megan Whalen Turner's The Queen of Attolia. AWESOME book, just by the way.


"Before he died, my grandfather used to bring me to your palace so that I could see it for myself. There was a party and dancing one night, and the palace was full of people. I went to the kitchen garden to hide because it should have been empty, but once I was inside, the door opened from the flower gardens, and you came in my yourself. I watched you walking between the rows of cabbages and then dancing under the orange trees. I was above you, in one of the trees."
Attolia stared. She remembered the night she danced under the orange trees.




And then for the other Obsession,
The Elusive Pimpernel
sirpercy3

This is a fanart piece from a scene of The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. Since I'm still trying to learn to use photoshop, that was one of the main goals of this piece. Notice that the pattern on his coat revolves around a five-petaled flower . I had to look up what a chapeau-bras was in order to draw this--thats the style of hat he's wearing. I'm still learning how to draw expressions and ages, so he looks a bit younger/more feminine than I'd want, but then again... this IS Sir Percy we're talking about.


This is the passage illustrated:

"Dishonour and ridicule! Derision and scorn!" [Chauvlin] murmured, gloating over the very sound of these words, which expressed all that he hoped to accomplish, "utter abjection, then perhaps a suicide's grave. . ."

He loved the silence around him, for he could murmur these words and hear them echoing against the bare stone walls like the whisperings of all the spirits of hate which were waiting to lend him their aid.

How long he had remained thus absorbed in his meditations he could not afterwards have said; a minute or two perhaps at most, whilst he leaned back in his chair with eyes closed, savouring the sweets of his own thoughts, when suddenly the silence was interrupted by a loud and pleasant laugh and a drawly voice speaking in merry accents:

"The Lud love you, Monsieur Chaubertin! and pray how do you propose to accomplish all these pleasant things?"

In a moment Chauvelin was on his feet, and with eyes dilated, lips parted in awed bewilderment, he was gazing towards the open window, where, astride upon the sill, one leg inside the room, the other out, and with the moon shining full on his suit of delicate-coloured cloth, his wide-caped coat and elegant chapeau-bras, sat the imperturbable Sir Percy.

"I heard you muttering such pleasant words, Monsieur," continued Blakeney calmly, "that the temptation seized me to join in the conversation. A man talking to himself is ever in a sorry plight. . . he is either a madman or a fool. . ."

He laughed his own quaint and inane laugh, and added, apologetically:

"Far be it from me, sir, to apply either epithet to you. . . demmed bad form calling another fellow names. . . just when he does not quite feel himself, eh?. . . You don't feel quite yourself, I fancy, just now. . . eh, Monsieur Chaubertin. . . er . . . beg pardon, Chauvelin? . . ."

He sat there quite comfortably, one slender hand resting on the gracefully fashioned hilt of his sword - the sword of Lorenzo Cenci- the other holding up the gold-rimmed eyeglass, through which he was regarding his avowed enemy; he was dressed as for a ball, and his perpetually amiable smile lurked round the corners of his firm lips.

Chauvelin had undoubtedly for the moment lost his presence of mind. He did not think of calling to his picked guard, so completely taken aback was he by this unforeseen move on the part of Sir Percy. Yet, obviously, he should have been ready for this eventuality.....was it not a fact that whenever or wherever the Scarlet Pimpernel was least expected, there and then would he surely appear? ...

Aye! it was all so natural, so simple! Strange that it should have been so unexpected!


I'm not sure I want to put these on the "art" blog, because they're not really very professional. I look at them and all that I see is FLAW. FLAW. FLAW.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Whats going on? OBSESSIONS! What fun. I love obsessions.

So maybe you're wondering whats going on with my life. I certainly haven't said a whole lot about it. So, I'll tell you.

I work.
I read.
I eat.
I read.
I sleep.
I read.

I love life.

I am currently caught up in two obsessions, which is quite fun really. Its always nice to have something to get excited over, what? (Sir Percy is rubbing off on me.)
One obsession is an old one, the Queens Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. The King of Attolia has been my favorite book since I first read it a couple years ago. Well, guess what. You never will, so I'll tell you--just over the last few days, the title, release date, cover, and blurb were discovered by the Sounis livejournal community. So now I'm extremely happy, in a rather hyperactive way, for A Conspiracy of Kings, coming Winter 2010. Less than a year. I can wait that long, can't I? Marvellous title. And we get more Sophos--I miss Sophos! But its looking like he'll be a major player in this next book, along with other such awesomeness. :-)

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The other Obsession, as you may have guessed if you've looked at the book blog, is The Scarlet Pimpernel. I'd read and enjoyed the book before, but this time I got caught up and curious, and guess what--there are over 13 books about that Demmed Elusive Pimpernel! YES. Sir Percy is AWESOME. And guess what. The Musical will be at Hale Center Theater in a couple months! I am DETERMINED that I will see it when its there. I WILL. (*HINT HINT*) I've been listening to the Original Broadway Recording on Rhapsody.com, most specifically The Riddle which is and AWESOME, dramatic song, which I think fits the story extremely well.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Painting

So today, instead of reading or watching Avatar or doing whatever after writing my review of The Count of Monte Cristo, I painted. Working mostly on those angel paintings I started awhile ago and will probably hate soon (come save them before I give them flying lessons, mom, because I'm running low on unused boards and canvases and Hated Paintings are almost as good) and a new one, which is mostly finished because its small and simple and was basically just a "I haven't painted in awhile so I'm gonna take things easy to get into the swing of things" painting.

Lisa watched most of the time I was painting and I was actually able to mostly forget she was there, which was a good thing, or I would have been all self-concious and stopped painting. Though apparently watching me paint is rather entertaining...?

I took this picture and sent it from my new phone, just by the way. I'm still trying to get used to the new phone.

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

Whatever flips your cookie

So now that it's summer I have time to do all sorts of things that I didn't really do much of during school. I've been using most of this freedom time for drawing and reading and watching avatar and hanging out with roommates and such. Today, I decided to do something I love but haven't really done much of recently--bake!

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Macaroons and Chocolate Chip Cookies! The recipes I'd usually use for these are in recipe books at home and not in my recipe box, so I searched online for recipes. I'm really happy with the results, I need to keep these recipies for future deliciousness.

http://www.joyofbaking.com/CoconutMacaroons.html
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Wear the old coat and buy the new book. -Austin Phelps

Yesterday was payday. Today was a bookstore day. I spent less than twenty dollars. Only got three books. I feel pretty good about myself.

Todays haul:

The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Barnoness Emmuska Orczy. Because I loved this book and read it a few times growing up and I need my own copy that ISN'T the Readers Digest Version. No, I'm not joking--the copy we had at home was part of the "Readers Digest Abridged Classics" series. And all fiction was 25% off, so it was only $3.71 even before you also subtract my employee discount.
Crown (and Court) Duel, by Sherwood Smith, because I've been wanting to re-read it for awhile and I wanted my own copy and it was paperback and therefore cheap.
Amulet: the Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibushi, a graphic novel, because I read it awhile back and I really liked it. And it has nice colors. :D


While we're on the subject of books, I'm in the middle of Too Many, but I'm mostly enjoying myself anyway. Nausicaa and Harry Potter are paused while I finish Poisonwood Bible, which is quite good, and King of Attolia, which I'm marking. Since Deidre seems to be in a similar situation as far as reading too many books at once, Thief is also paused. Count of Monte Cristo is going well, but I'm not sure how much I actually like it. There is cool intrigue and such, but I just really don't like the Count at all. I'll expound upon this subject more when I finish the book, so keep checking the book blog.


And, if you haven't already, check out my art blog to see what I've been doing at work these last couple weeks.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

So

I haven't posted anything in awhile. This is mostly because I haven't really got much to say.

The job is awesome (as I've said) and I'm still getting used to, but rather enjoying, my free time (see book blog/list). Except for the fact that the hours of the MAC lab in the summer are cut short. Which means its only open for an hour after I leave work. Which is barely enough time to do anything. And I was going to develop my Drawing On The Computer Skillz this summer (*sigh*). I've been doing ALOT in Illustrator for Work (speaking of, I want to check with my supervisor to make sure its fine to post it in my art blog--it probably is, but just precaution, you know) but nothing in Photoshop. So me and the Pen Tool are good friends, but me and the Brush Tool & tablet.... eh, not so much. I guess I could draw here, but that would require borrowing Annie's computer and Jocelyn's tablet at the same time. Which is just... kind of alot of Simultaneous Borrowing From Roomies for Quite Awhile? Which I might do if I start to get desprate.

One day (*waving prophetic finger*) one day I will own my own MAC (complete with adobe suite) and tablet! And nice camera (that shoots raw but isn't too coplicated)! ONE DAY THEY WILL ALL BE MINE.

Anyway.

Shanelle is coming over tomorrow and I'm excited!

Shannon Hale is going to be at the Provo Library this Saturday and I'm excited!

Life is good and mostly stress free and I love it!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Realization

So I realized something today while I was working in the bookstore. (Which was very nice, just by the way. When I'm not there for hours every day I don't get sick of those shelves that I have practi-mostly memorized...)

So all the time I'm doing in the bookstore is alternate Saturdays, and then I'm on call if someone goes on vacation or something.

Paydays are alternate Fridays.

Yesterday was payday.

Today was my day in the bookstore.

This pattern will continue. Payday Friday, followed by Hours in the bookstore I haven't been visiting as much lately the day after.



Do you know what this means?

This means that the day I feel rich is the day I'll be spending my day surrounded by books. Books for sale. Beautiful, beautiful books for sale.

Today I only got five. And they were all from the bargain table. And they were all worth it. I am a better, happier, more fulfilled person for owning these books! Ok, well, you know what I mean.

Todays haul:

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, because the hardback was on the bargain table for less than I would spend on a paperback
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusac for the same reason, even though I haven't read it yet (and I DON'T BUY books I haven't read as a general rule) because I fear Dire Punishment from Shanelle if I don't read it soonish
That Book Woman, a picture book with a great story and pictures--wonderful gesture in the drawings, *love*
We the People, a kids history book that I needed because the watercolor illustrations are phenomenal and the illustrator is Officially one of my All Time Favorites.
Cheyenne Medicine Hat, a book about Native American horses with Really Boring Text but gorgeous illustrations.


All of these, hardback, for less than twenty dollars. Oh, and I grabbed three ARCs for myself. I mean, seriously, how could I resist?

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Oh Yeah. I have a Blog.

This week has been a good one. I started my new job, and it is wonderful. I'm being paid to look at and make pictures. Sweet. There are some catches/difficulties--I can't just draw whatever I want, of course--but thinking of ideas to fit the assignment is kind of fun in its own way. Challenging, yes. But enjoyable.

Though I did make a rather stupid mistake yesterday. Or this week, I guess.

You see, I've stayed On Call at the bookstore--not because I wouldn't want to work my other job full time, but because they asked me to. And I rather like the bookstore's employee discount. And having access to ARCs. And books in general.

So anyway, my bookstore supervisor asked me to help in the bookstore Friday evening because of Womens Conference. So I tried to calculate the hours I worked that week so that I could work that evening without going over 40 hours. Unfortunately, I didn't count the hours correctly. I was thinking of the week as starting on Monday... forgetting the fact that I worked Saturday, and Fridays are pay days. So Saturday was part of this work week.

Fortunately before clocking in at the bookstore I went and asked how many hours I had, just to make sure--and I found that I'd already worked all my hours, because the hours I thought I'd kept free to work that evening I'd worked on Saturday. Ugh.

So I went and told the General Book people what had happened, feeling immensely stupid and apologetic. Then I walked home to eat.

As I walked I was thinking, now what am I going to do? I feel stupid and guilty and just plain bad for letting my supervisor down, I didn't plan anything for this evening because I was going to be working.... I guess I could just read... thats it!

I hurried and ate at home and headed back to the bookstore. I told the people at the general book desk that I wouldnt be shelving or anything and wouldn't be technically working, but I would be reading against the back wall in case anyone needed help finding stuff in the Childrens Section.

I had brought Dandelion Wine and The Poisonwood Bible with me, but I decided to read something else. Shelves of books were at my disposal. Having talked to my mom about the book The Perilous Gard the night before, I had that book on my mind, so I went and grabbed Elizabeth Marie Pope's other novel, the Sherwood Ring, which I read 2/3s of while I was not-really-working-but-avaliable-to-help at the bookstore (I only ended up helping one person, but I felt less stupid by being able to slightly make up for my stupid mistake) and I finished it when I got home afterward.

But sitting in a bookstore not as an employee for a few hours is not really such a good idea for me, or at least my bank account if you know what I mean. I went home not only with a shiny new copy of the Sherwood Ring, but also a pretty copy of Jane Eyre (There are four or five editions in the bookstore, I chose the one that didn't have an ugly painting on the front. I'm one of those shallow people that judges books by their covers) and a hardback copy of The Princess Academy from the bargain table (one that they forgot to put the Newbery sticker on. I was looking for one that had a less-rumpled sticker, and I was very happy to find one with no sticker at all.)

I've got to take advantage of my employee discount while I still have it, eh?

Speaking of books, Emily and I are starting a Book Review Blog. We're still in the process of getting it up and running, but we've both got a book review up. Predictably, mine is much more rambly and much less to the point than Em's, but what can I say? When it comes to books, I get pretty rambly.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Grades

So grades were posted today. I got all As and Bs, with a semester GPA of 3.55, which is pretty decent I think. In Public Speaking and Intermediate Life Drawing I got As, which is nice--probably the two classes I stressed the most over through the semester. Oddly enough (or maybe not so much) the classes I was less stressed over are the ones that I didn't get the As in. Ah well--I'm not complaining. I'm just glad the semester is over.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Another List

So I think I like lists. Or, rather, I like the idea of lists. I am definitely a person who isn't particularly Organized, and lists carry with them the idea of organization with a fraction of the effort. And the benefit, but yanno, you get what you pay for. Or... well, you know what I mean.

So here is another list, for your amusement.

Responses to the statement "I'm An Illustration Major":
-Oh, you're in the artist apartment!
-I... didn't know that was a major.
-Oh, thats cool. I'm in *insert intellectual sounding math-or-sciense-based major here*
-Like, for kids books?
-I know. (nod toward notebook margin, which is filled with doodles.)
-Thats, like, art, isn't it?
-What is that, exactly?
-My (*obscure relative*) wrote a book, you should do the pictures!
-Thats awesome, I really need a logo for this business you're trying to start.

Can anyone think of more that could be on the list? (Artist people, I'm looking at you specifically.)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Summer Reading List

I've done this in summers past and I've been interested to see what I actually do end up reading--no, I don't expect to actually be able to read all of these, but I like to have some in mind so I don't have a big crisis over what to pick up next.

This list is in No Particular Order and Subject To Change. That said, if you have something to say about any of these titles (either to bump it up or push it down or add it), please comment!

To Be Read summer 2009:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Because I LOVE the new movie and for some strange reason I haven't read this book yet. And I have decided that this deficiency MUST BE CURED.
The Book Thief, by Marcus Zuzak. For Shanelle. And Lots Of Others who say it is good.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Everybody else is doing it! I'll give in to peer pressure! However, I've glanced through a few pages and it looks like its in present tense. I am most definitely and unashamedly PREJUDICED AGAINST BOOKS WRITTEN IN PRESENT TENSE. I've tried a few, got impatient with all of them and stopped reading.
Graceling, by Kristin Cashore, because I've Heard Good Things.
Dandelion Wine by ray Bradbury because apparently it is Excellent.
I think I'd like to try some Patrick O'Brien, see if I prefer it to Horatio Hornblower, which was fun but didn't thrill me.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, because I don't know how many people have told me to read this, I've just never happened to pick it up. yet.
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, for Annilyn. Though I think I might try the book on CD route for this one, since I'll be working on a computer at work and I might as well hear a story while I draw, right?
Anna Karinena by Leo Tolstoy, while we're on the subject of Very Long Classics, and lets throw on a couple more for Good Measure.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens, because I believe I need to read More Dickens and apparently this is a Good One.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, because I started reading this in three times and got bored, but haven't tried again since middle school. Time for another try, I think.
Ben Hur by Lewis Wallace, because, well, why not?
The Once and Future King by T. H. White, because I've decided I am Not Knowledgeable Enough about Arthurian Ledgends
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, because I think I've put Too Many Very Long Classics on this list
I think I'd like to at least try some of Kenneth Oppel's books, maybe the Airborn books.
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, because it looked like it might be fun
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier because pretty sure Vermeer was a cool dude. And I'd like to see the movie, but only after reading the book.
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, because apparently it is Made Of Awesome.
More Diana Wynne Jones in general, because she is awesome, I think I will try The Game
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor looked like it might be interesting, and I happen to have an ARC of the third book, so...
Savvy, The Underneath, and A Curse Dark As Gold, because I think I'd like to keep up with those ALA awards. I'd also like to start chipping away at that Newbery list, and eventually at least try reading all of them, Kira, Kira, The Westing Game and A Single Shard are a few that look interesting.
I'd like to read some more graphic novels, because this medium is seriously growing on me (I mean, long picture books with compex [ish] plots and cool artwork? I am so there!) I'm not quite sure where to go for these, but I think I'd like to try the Bone books, I'll have to look around for others that look interesting too. I think I've heard that there are Nausicaa graphic novels? Maybe I could find me some of those...
(Some more I've thought of:)
Til We Have Faces by C S Lewis
Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
the Lord Peter Whimsey Books
Some Terry Prachett, though I'm not entirely sure where to start with him

re-reads:
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman, because its hilarious
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, dunno whether I'll actually get around to this tome, but it is a funny one
The Chosen and/or My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emma Orczy
Harry Potters 2-6 before the movie comes out





I plan to come back and edit this list later, but these are the titles that are coming to mind at the moment.

and...

I GOT THE JOB! YAY!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel

Finals are almost over--I just need to turn in my projects for Illustration and Computer Applications and I'll be done. Finished! Its so good to have them almost finished.

Just don't look at the time that this is being posted. Because, well, I had to reward myself somehow. And I wanted to watch Jane Eyre one more time before I might possibly be going where I won't have access to it anymore (still haven't heard back about that job yet... gah) and its seriously like my new favorite movie... and its a very long movie and I watched all of it. While fixing up my Illustration pieces. And now I shall sleep.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Fianls

Public Speaking, Dance, and Typography done.

Life Drawing, D&C, Illustration and Computer Applications to go.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Clouds

Everyone says that blue skies are the prettiest, but it is my personal belief that they aren't half as pretty without some nice fluffy clouds.
-SarLu

YAY!

I made it into the BFA PROGRAM!
-SarLu

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

The Illustration Portfolio is turned in and is being looked at RIGHT NOW.
What if they dont like it? What if I didn't see some horrible flaw in one of my pieces? What if its just not as good as everyone elses? Only fifteen are going to be accepted... aaaagh.

We'll find out the results April 20th. Which I'm glad about, because its not far off and we know which day it is. I'm glad that the Illustration People aren't like the media arts people...

Monday, April 13, 2009

Apologies

It has become rather clear to me in the last couple days that over the last week or so I have been becoming increasingly short tempered. I have responded less than kindly to roommates, family, and acquaintences when they have done nothing wrong. I am sorry. I wish that I had the time to call and tell everyone individually how sorry I am, but the very reason I am short tempered makes that completely out of the question. (In fact, I really should be doing something other than writing up this blog entry right now...)

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Finals

1 Down (Public Speaking)
6 To Go (Illustration, D&C, Social Dance, Life Drawing, Typography, Computer Applications)

Friday, April 10, 2009

Hello! I AM ALIVE.

Still living, still breathing, still insantely busy. But the end is in sight! Just hang in there, Sarah Lu!

Just got back from a job interview. The job is illustrating for Independent Study Courses. I feel that the interview went pretty well. I won't find out whether I got the job for another week or more, and I won't deny that I have high hopes, but we'll have to see.

On a completely different note, we watched this video in typography the other day and I thought it was extremely clever/nerdy/hilarious. There are a couple swear words, unfortunately, but very clever all the same. Get with the times, New Roman!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

I love clouds. and i love that I can blog about them as I walk to class.
-SarLu

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Monday, April 6, 2009

I'm at FHE right now, and We're dying easter eggs! Here are mine... I did a bunny, an egg (on an egg!) and a baby chick. Crayons are awesome.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

I'm trying out this thing I found--blogging by text message! Lets see how this turns out...
-SarLu

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Thursday, April 2, 2009

Art Blog

Some of you may have noticed that I deleted all the posts from my Art Blog (sarahscanvas.blogspot.com) a few days ago. I have just got some new posts up with some of my most recent figure drawings along with some past paintings. I'll work on scanning and putting more images up over the next couple weeks. I hope that I will also be motivated to keep the blog updated. You can help by proving to me that people look at it by commenting there or following or something ;-).

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Letter of Intent.

I don't want to write it. I don't know how to write it. I wish I had known about this earlier. I guess it is my fault, but they also conveniently and completely failed to mention it when they went over the requirements for the BFA Application. They mentioned basically everything except the letter of intent, I think.

So thats why I'm writing it now, when it is due tomorrow. Or rather not writing it now, because I don't know what to say. Or, most specifically, how to start.

I'm missing dance for this?

I have to get into the Illustration BFA program. That is what will make it all worth it. I need to keep telling myself this.

Besides, there is still August.

*headache*

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Thumb drive Nightmare

I haven't really put up any entries lately, but thats because so much has been going on. And I haven't had a whole lot to say. But I guess I could tell you all about my thumb drive nightmare, because it was pretty exciting.

Our most recent project in my Intermediate Computer Applications (for Artists) class was to illustrate a fairy tale together--my teacher found a fairy tale and divided it into 20 sections and each of us chose/was assigned a section to illustrate. We needed to do a good job on these, because the whole story with our illustrations would be put up in the Juvelile section of the library.

I worked very hard on my illustration. My normal tendency would have been to procrastinate a bit more (though not until the last minute! I'm not that bad!) but since I'd never really used photoshop (the program we were required to do it in) and the picture would be on display I wanted it to be my best work. So from the day I knew which part of the fairy tale I would be working on I started work on my picture.

The day before the picture was due I had some problems saving it onto my thumbdrive, which had never really given me any significant problems before. I kept getting an error message telling me that there was not enough space on the drive. I ended up deleting all old/obsolete files, e-mailing the important ones to myself, and deleting an uneeded layer of my picture before it would finally save. Doing all this took time that I would have been in my D&C class.

Fortunately, mom was visiting that day. After hearing a long tearful account of my thumbdrive woes, she took me to the computer section of the bookstore and got me a new, bigger thumb drive. Halelujah, I thought.

So the next day I moved all my files from my old thumb drive to my new one. Most of them I still had in the form of e-mail attachments, except, of course, my fairy tale illustration file, which is like ten times to big to be attached to any normal e-mail.

The next day I planned to watch the George Pratt demonstration. I went to the HFAC early and worked in the computer lab to put the finishing touches on my illustration before printing it to be hung that night. When the demonstration was going to start, I saved the file and went up to watch the demonstration, but it turned out not to be in the place I thought it was going to be. Rather than wander around, I went back to the computer lab to finish my illustration.

It wouldn't open.

It kept giving me an error message:"This file was created in a different version of photoshop and cannot be opened on this computer." A different version of photoshop? No way! I was sitting at the exact same computer I had just saved it from less than twenty minutes before!

Well, long story short, the file had become corrupted. And I had backups of all of my other, less important files, but not that one, not the one that was due in a few hours. I tried whatever I could think of to recover the file--opening it on a differend computer, in a different program, anything... nothing.

So I started over.

But I only had a couple hours, and the illustration didn't look presentable in the least. Since I had done the whole picture before and figured out the program in the process I got much further than I would have done, but even so, the illustration looked... bad.

So in class that night I told my teacher what had happened and, fortunately she was very understanding about the whole situation. She told me that I had until the next Friday to have something up.

A week. I could finish again in a week.

I won't go into all the details of how it happened, but in trying to recover my original illustration file, the one that I had started new with ended up getting ruined. So I had to start over again over again.

And I swear the new thumb drive mom got me hates Mac programs, because it ruined my Indesign File, as well as both Photoshop ones. So I have another thumbdrive, and I'm saving all my files on BOTH, as well as e-mailing them when possible, to prevent another nightmare like this from happening.

So yesterday I finally got the illustration up with the others. And it looks.... not very good. Especially when I compare it to the piece that I was actually able to put the time into. But I did learn my lesson with this.... NEVER TRUST YOUR THUMB DRIVE.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Wanna play?

I've seen this meme passed around different places, so now I'm actually going to participate! But you gotta follow the rules...

Here are the rules...
The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! This offer does have some limitations:

1. You will not know what it's going to be, and there are no guarantees that you will like what I make! It may be something simple and small or I may go crazy and do something amazing.

2. It’ll be done this year. Translation: you may be waiting a little while. (And you may have to keep remindming me. You know how organized I am...)

3. Most importantly, you must offer the same deal on your blog - the first 5 people to comment on your blog (or Facebook or whatever, if you don't have a blog) get something made by YOU!



Random Experimental Artwork which may or may not look presentable is what you're likely to get from me--just sayin'.


And just because I just posted something five minutes ago doesn't mean you shouldn't scroll down and look at that post too.

BRAIN IS EXPLODING WITH AWESOME.

Just got back from listening to a lecture by George Pratt. Well, lecture isn't really the word for it... something like "overload of visual awesomeness" would be a more fitting term.

Behold: http://www.georgepratt.com/


He's doing a demo tomorrow morning. I have class... who cares? Now-or-never demo or twice a week class?

Do you really need me to tell you the answer to that question?

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Green at the White House

You know, holiday celebrations are fun and all that, but I think this is just a little excessive. Whos gonna clean it? What is the die gonna do to the little critters when it goes down the drain?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5007158/White-House-fountains-run-green-for-St-Patricks-Day.html

Friday, March 13, 2009

Life is good.

Insanely busy, yes. Often stressful, definitely. But good... undoubtably.

Had another very good week. And, if I stay on task this weekend and don't play around TOO much, next week should be pretty good as well.

Part of this good mood is probably due to the fact that its Friday. My schedule Monday-Thursday is INSANE (less than 3 hours of in-between time through the day) and Fridays is a sudden, blissful emptiness of no classes.

TGIF :-)

Why are Cornelia Funke's books so long? I feel like I'm not getting any reading done because it takes forever to get through all those pages...

What will I read next? I have a hugely long list of books to read, and there are at least five that are fighting for the top position...

In my Illustration 1 class our second still life will be due next monday. This one is in color (Halelujah!)

still life color

Monday, March 9, 2009

I found my phone!

Last week was less happy than it would have been because of missing-phone frustration. But it has been found! Hoorah!

Friday, March 6, 2009

On a Star Lit Night

On a star lit night
Was a girl in white
Sitting right in the middle of the moon

And that girl in white
From that splendid height
Took flight down the path between the stars

Over cobweb cloud
Over forest proud
She bowed, looking ‘neath the star-strewn sky

For a flower white
Blooming in the night
She had dropped from her perch up on the moon

Over barn and spring
Over folded wing
Searched the girl, for her flower made of stars

Toward its shim’ring light
Gladdened by the sight
Did she soar, dropping down from purple sky

Taking up the bloom
Rising through the gloom
Of the dawn, toward the slowly sinking moon

From her lofty perch
Tired from her search
Watched the girl as the fading of the stars

Took away the night
And the dawns first light
Sang its song of brightness in the sky
And the girl laid down to wait for night.





Most of this poem was written in the last hour and fifteen minutes or so. Beacause the rhythm planted itself in my head out of nowhere while I was work. (Nowhere! I was shelving books and dusting and helping customers like a good little bookstore personage! I wasn't reading poetry or anything!)

Edits entirely possible, I'm not entirely happy with it... suggestions?

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Complimentary, my dear.

Today was a day full of wonder and excellence.

Until I look back on it and realize that, while it was somewhat above average, the only real difference was feeling so happy. Maybe it was getting so many worries off my chest this weekend (Symposium speech, job interview, first swing team performance--all of which went quite well, yes, thanks for asking).

I slept in over an our later than I usually do this morning. This has a very simple explanation. I use my phone for an alarm clock--on vibrate under my pillow, so hopefully Caitlin isn't any more disturbed by my waking up than she needs to be. Well, I lost my phone yesterday. And Inkheart is a more gripping book than I was planning on, which I read before bed last night.

So I was about 40 minutes late to Intermediate Life Drawing this morning.

How is this good? My teacher lectures the first 30-40 minutes of class. It is all valuable information, etc., but he could really work on the animation in his voice, so I usually end up zoning out anyway. I arrived just as they were breaking up after the lecture and were starting the actual drawing... awesome.

My figure drawing looked decent, I thought. This is a good thing.

It was a beatuiful, blue-sky fluffy-cloud smile-at-the-sun day.

I had two hours before work. I had the leftover half of my ceasar wrap from the day before (delicious), checked e-mail and such, and did a couple quick run-throughs of the speech I'd be giving in my 4:00 class, public speaking. Today was the informative speech, so I would just be delivering a very summarized version of my Friday morning speech.

Work was good. I didn't have that many books to shelve, so I started dusting. I got a good excuse to stop dusting because there were alot of pulls from the shelf I had done and would be more in the next. (Yes, I know alot is supposed to be two words. This is me, not caring :-p so there.) I didn't want Janice to hate me for burying her desk in pulls she hadn't actually asked for, so I just wandered around asking customers if they needed help finding anything (they didn't, usually) and checking to see if the books were out of order (they weren't, usually).

Then I got to leave work early to go to public speaking. I ran down to the Lost and Found on my way (ish) to check if they had my phone... which they didn't. I'll keep checking, though.

Public speaking went very well. I definitely had much more preparation and practice than the others giving their informative speeches that day because I'd written a hugely long paper on the topic and given a presentation four times longer a few days before. I'd forgotten the visual aids I had wanted, which turned out to be a good thing because I probably would have gone overtime if I'd had them. As I went to sit down after the speech, a girl leaned over and whispered, "Wow, that was really good!" and the boy next to her nodded. During the break a couple people talked to me about my speech and complimented me on my choice of topic.

What can I say? Hero's Journey=awesomeness.

XD. (<= :D with squinty eyes.)


After public speaking I went to the Wilk Ballroom for Swing Club lessons. I had half an hour before they started to actually sit and read... oh joy! I wish I could have relaxed more during this time, but I didn't have my phone to check the time so I was wondering whether it was cancelled this week or....? But then people showed up.

Inkheart is exceeding my expectations, random side note. I am sometimes distracted from the story by reconstructing the prose (why didn't she just take that simile all the way to a metaphor? That sentence would flow better if she reversed those elements.... that is such a cliche.) but overall, very good. Mind you, I'm not even halfway though and my opinion could change.

Anyway, swing lessons. Before lessons actually started we were all standing around and the girl next to me said out of the blue, "I love your nose. Its, like, perfectly shaped and proportioned. And, just, yeah." An odd compliment, but I'll totally take it :-)

Today the intermediate group lesson was on girls working within the lead/letting the girls work within the lead. Like, not highjacking exactly, but just the girl taking control for just a couple counts and then letting the guy take up the lead again. All I've really learned to do with dancing is FOLLOW FOLLOW FOLLOW DON'T ANTICIPATE TONE TONE TONE FOLLOW FOLLOW FOLLOW so this was a great lesson. The lesson ended early ish so we had more time for social dancing afterward than we usually do. This was one of those good times where I was asked to dance alot and only sat out a couple songs. One time the swing coach (of the team I'm not on) asked me to dance and commented, "Wow, you're getting so good! You're really improving!" I, uh, did mess up a few times after this, but there is a no-reurns policy on compliments ;-).

Later another swing regular, Ben (there are like at least three swing regulars named Ben, which is fine because it makes the name thing that much easier, except for confusing them with the Dans...) asked me to dance and it was alot of fun. We didn't do any fancy moves or anything, but it was a really interactive eye-contact dance, with lots of silly grins and O RLY? faces and just playing around with simple steps.

Then we headed up for swing team practice. Before practice started a bunch of swing people were standing around in the hall talking and I joined them. Again out of the blue, Ben told me that I had really pretty rosy cheeks. "Whenever I see you, they're so round and pink and rosy, like that picture in the MOA." I knew what picture he was talking about, a very pretty one. The conversation turned to why my cheeks are rosy ("well, you always see me after I've been dancing,") complimenting my beautiful pronounced cheekbones and the classical beauty of my face. We went to team practice before I could start feeling really awkward.

At swing team practice we took a break from doing our routine. We learned that we're going to start learning another routine for an informal competition in a few weeks. We worked on doing a couple moves to use in later routines--one jump-and-spin one that I need to work on my landing for, and one jive one that I caught onto pretty quickly--and left early.

I had leftover Thai Ruby for dinner, thanks to the beautiful Caitlin. I love my roommates, especially the ones that feed me. :-)

Now I will do my reading for D&C, read Inkheart, and sleep.

Monday, March 2, 2009

GUESS WHO WAS IN THE NEWSPAPER TODAY.

(And guess who isn't doing homework right now in order to tell you about it.)


I actually completely forgot that I was going to be in the paper until this evening. There was just so much going on these last few days that it slipped my mind.

Monday nights I have my Beginning Social Dance class. My teacher usually asks us to tell stories about our weekends, which I didn't do because I didn't have much of a story. We all separated out and were about to start class when the teacher said, "Oh yeah! One of your classmates was in the paper today. Sarah, why don't you tell them about why you were in the paper."

So I did.

The article is here: http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/71483

I don't particularly like the way the part about me is worded, but there isn't really anything I can do for it. I just wish they would have let me write the paragraph summarizing the topic of my paper myself. Then it wouldn't use the words "technique" or "create", which aren't really correct.

< / nit picky >

Yes mom, I picked up five actual copies of the paper, in case you would want them for some strange reason.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Religion Symposium--its coming up!

So here is the official schedule for the BYU Student Religion Symposium:
http://religion.byu.edu/event_single.php?eid=33

It's coming right up! Only two more days. I feel that I'm at least moderately well prepared. It doesn't help that this coincides with the finishing up of midterms--though thankfully I don't have so many of those, with all my art classes and such.

A couple friends and acquaintances have come up and told me they saw my name on the program even though I hadn't told them I would be speaking and told me that they'll come. I've also asked/invited several other friends/acquaintances. (Co-workers, visiting teachers, my Writing for Children teacher...) I hope that I can give them something worthwhile to listen to that morning, and not have them wondering what they woke up early on a Friday morning for.

And, well... thats about all I was going to say.

Have I mentioned that I'm nervous? Because I am.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Lets Play "Spot the Differences"!

I'm making progress! You'll notice I've cropped it a bit closer and moved the horizon line. It's due tomorrow, but I may still make changes after if the teachers suggest them in order to get a better grade. As it is, I don't particularly love or hate this painting... its pretty meh.

cg1

cg2

cg3

cg4

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Books. Lots of Books.

Whoever guesses what book the subject line is a quote from is special!

Unfortunately, I don't think anyone who reads my blog has read that book.

Anyway, so I decided to do that book thing that everyone else (well, a couple other people) is doing--down below all the other random stuff
(<--) over there I'm putting up a list of all the books I've read this year. Which might get rather long.

Currently the list is as follows:

Books I've read this year (reverse order)

* Currently being read to me by Jocelyn: The Perilous Guard, Elizabeth Marie Pope
* Currently reading (to Deidre and Annie): Howl's Moving Castle
* Currently reading: Taran Wanderer, Lloyd Alexander
* The Castle of Llyr, Lloyd Alexander
* The Black Cauldron, Lloyd Alexander
* The Book of Three, Lloyd Alexander
* Peony in Love, Lisa See
* Neverwhere, Niel Gaiman
* The Demon's Lexicon, Sarah Rees Brennan
* The Graveyard Book, Niel Gaiman (read to me by Annie)
* The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner (to Deidre)
* The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart (unfinished)
* The Empty Kingdom, Elizabeth Wein

Monday, February 16, 2009

Cowgirl Painting

Well, I spent basically all day I wasn't either doing inventory or eating on this painting. Most of that time was just trying to DECIDE ON A COMPOSITION. I decided on one, started painting it, saw that it was actually really bad, started all over. Took alot longer deciding on a composition the second time around, because I didn't want to have to start all over AGAIN. *sigh*

cowgirlpainting1

My desk light is over on the right side, that is why it looks alot lighter on that side.

feb 15 2009 187

Friday, February 13, 2009

Friday the Thirteenth

People make up the most random words for the most random things.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia, for example. Thats more random (though less ironic) than hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliaphobia.

And I'm not making these up.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Post Number seventy! (yay randomness!)

I started a new painting today. I was working on my still life for Illustration 1, but... that painting is soooooo boring. Not only is it a still life, but we have to do the stupid thing in black and white. And I'm sure everyone reading this blog knows how I feel about black and white.

Even though I don't like it much, I'll let you see what it looks like. As well as a camera phone will let me, that is.

The assignment was to do a still life about either child abuse or the commercialization of Christmas. I did Christmas (if you can't tell.) Its a manger, but instead of the baby Jesus, it's holding candy and presents. The animal at the manger scene is... a piggy bank.

still life

The painting I started today... well, I was looking though our Mexico pictures and... I liked this one. So I did a painting of it.

calebpainting1

An inch or two from the top and like 1/4 inch from the bottom aren't in the photo. But here it is. Dunno when I'll finish it, but I really should do real homework now.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

State Placement Test!

http://jimspages.com/States.htm

Me:

Score: 86%
Avg Error: 31 miles
Time: 363 sec.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Caldecott winner

So today I got to read the Caldecott Winner, The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson and Illustrated by Krommes.

Did it deserve the Caldecott?

Well, I can't really say. But I will say that I really, really liked it. A simple story that reminded me of poems like This is the House that Jack Built or The Napping House, but with a more poetic feel. The illustrations were simple and stylized and very different from my own work, but they were very... charming is the word that comes to mind, but I'm not sure its the word I want. I liked them, anway.


I'll just say that they could definitely have chosen a worse book to give a gold sticker. If you haven't looked at this one yet, give it a try.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Ode

Kneaded eraser, how I love thee.
Thy sticky, lumpy grey shape has been much missed these past days.
My figure drawings have been smudged by thy inferior, the Pink Pearl.
Thy ability to distract and amuse is greatly appreciated, even more since you have been missing.
Soft and hard, lumpy and smooth, thy soft grey shade is a comfort to me.

I rejoiced when I discovered thy hiding place beneath my desk. Pray, do not leave me again, I could not bear our separation a second time.


***********


*bows to deafening applause*

*reads over the above*...

You know, maybe I should go to bed. But its only 10 and there is a cleaning check tomorrow.

Life is good.

It's insanely busy and difficult and tiring, but even so, life is good.

I've set myself up for a pretty insanely busy semester. Or maybe I should say awesomely busy, because although my schedule is very tight its chock full of a whole lot of awesome, not to mention that I set myself up for it all, so I can't really complain.

Monday through Thursday the day starts at eight in the morning. Monday/Wednesday its Illustration 1 from 8-11, Tuesday/Thursday its Intermediate Life drawing. After Illustration on M/W I have D&C from 11-12.

After those classes I go home for 1 (MW) or 2 (TTh) hours and head to work from 1-4:30.

My Monday Evening Class, from 5:10-6:50, is Beginning Social Dance. Lots of fun.

Tuesdays I leave work early for Public Speaking from 4-6:30. Swing Club lessons are from 7 to 8:30 ish, and Swing Team practices are right after that. On busy homework days I can skip the club lessons, but not the team practices.

Wednesdays I'll go to Writing for Children from 5:10 until 7ish, unless homework really needs to be done. From 7-11 is Typography, but usually it doesn't go the whole sheduled time.

Thursday nights I have Intermediate Computer Applications (for artists) from 2-10, but I leave early for Swing Team Practice.

Friday I have NO CLASSES. *wipes forehead* WHEW!I do still have work, though. This is my do-homework day.

Saturday there are no classes, of course--another homework day. Swing Kids Club Saturday nights, lessons at 7, dance starts at 8.

Sunday is 9:00 Sacrament meeting and ROommate Dinner sometime late in the afternoon.




And that is life.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Awards... what good are they, anyway?

So how about those ALA awards? What did you think of them? No opinion? Wait, whats that? You didn't WATCH them? Or even look the list of winners afterward?

I feel like a lonely book nerd right now. "Why were you late for class?" "I was watching the ALA awards." "The what?" "You know, the Newbery, the Caldecott, the Printz... those are the big ones, anyway."

Full list of awards here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28857052/

So, the Newbery. How about those Fantasy books, eh? We're not focusing on pedantic historical novels kids won't read this year, no sir! Go Newbery committee!

Medal:
"The Graveyard Book", Neil Gaiman

Honors:
"The Underneath," by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small
"The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom," by Margarita Engle
"Savvy," by Ingrid Law
"After Tupac & D Foster," by Jacqueline Woodson

I've been meaning to borrow The Graveyard Book from Annie for awhile now, but I think I may now have to steal it from Deidre, who really should be focusing on KoA anyway ;-). I've had my eye on The Underneath and Savvy for awhile now too, I may have to actually pick them up now.


Caldecott:
Medal:
"The House in the Night," written by Susan Marie Swanson

Honors:
"A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever," written and illustrated by Marla Frazee
"How I Learned Geography," written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
"A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams," illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant

Ok, unlike the Newbery, the only one of these I'm familiar with is How I Learned Geography, which I read awhile ago and I think I may now have to take another look at it because I don't really remember the artwork. I'll have to look at the others too.


Mo Willems got the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award this year. Who's surprised? Anybody? You know, guys, you can, like, not give him an award one year. Though I will admit to being rather fond of the Elephant and Piggie books in general, and the Pigeon books are entertaining even if they are all basically the same thing.


Well, I might add a bit to this later, but work starts in, um, nine minutes. So off I go.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I made it onto the swing dance team.

Bring on the awesome.

Sorry for calling you so late, Em. But I had to tell somebody.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Letterpress Studio

Typograpy yesterday was totally awesome. Gah. I loved it so much! It was really, really hard though.

We went to the Letterpress studio and actually hand-set type to print. How are you at reading upside-down and backwards?

Most people did shorter messages than I did, so they didn't have the problem of multiple lines of type. My own fault, I guess. So, so, so.

It took the teacher explaining it to me twice before I understood in what order we were supposed to do the letters. You start with the first line but at the end of it, then you put in your leading, then start at the end of the second line, etc. And you're putting this all together upside-down and backwards. And if that doesn't get your brain all tied up in knots, you are more skilled than I am.

When I was getting close to finished setting my type, I realized I had my camera and could document the experience with photos... sweet.

PICT0080

They had lots and lots of drawers, each drawer being a certain font and point size. The font I chose was size 36 optima. We were each given a chart, showing how the letters were arranged in the case (if they had been put back correctly.)

PICT0081

Finally, the whole message was put together. It is a scripture, but after getting all of that on there I hope you'll forgive me if my mind was too tied up in knots to transfer it to a big tray just to do another line upside-down and backwards. So I didn't put the reference on there.

PICT0087

I did a rubbing to make sure I did it right. After doing a rubbing, it is still backwards (but fortunately you can turn it rightside-up... phew). To see it the right way you have to hold it up to the light and look at it the wrong way. Fortunately, I'd done it correctly and didn't need to make any changes.

I bring it over the table so I can... well, I dont remember the term for it. You put pieces of lead around each side of the message and get all the letters in snug enough that they don't drop out if you lift it up by the edges, then tie a string around it. More easily said than done. I probably spent more time on this step than any other, but at least it was a straightforward concept (don't let the letters slide out!) rather than an upside-down and backwards one.

PICT0088

I figured out the trick after spending far too long doing this. What you do is get the letters in all snug, then tie a string around it, which won't ever stay as tight as you want when you pull the knot snug. But this doesn't matter, because once you have the knot tied you wedge in a few more pieces of leading on the edges, which pulls it all tight again. Keep that in mind if ever you are setting type. The teacher did comment afterward that my message was the most successful in keeping all the letters from falling out... hooray!

My message was finally ready to print. There was a bit of a line, so I got to watch a few people do theirs before I did mine. Brooke and Tanner had used a really large type face with big letters and they just completely skipped the Tying the Letters Together step, because the letters were big enough that they just stayed down with their own weight. Which was a little frustrating, I'll admit... but I did do it the right way!

I got Brooke to take pictures of me when I printed my message.

I bring my try of letters over, waiting for the previous message to be removed before placing mine on the press.
PICT0092


The teacher helps slide my message off the tray and onto the press.
PICT0094


Here it is, on the press.
PICT0104


I ink the roller...
PICT0099


Then ink the letters.
PICT0100


The teacher checks to see that I've inked all the letters evenly.
PICT0096


I place a piece of paper over the message...
PICT0098


And crank the roll over it.
PICT0097



I do this eight times.
PICT0103

PICT0105


So now I have eight copies... ta-da!

If GOD be for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31

That thingy by the D is called a dingbat. Not necessary or even very nice-looking, but I just really wanted to use something called a dingbat. Probably would have looked nicer at the end of the message... ah, well.
PICT0107