Gallery of Shadows and Reflections

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:05:01 GMT

So, after some consideration, I'm going to be making some changes with Live Journal.

I haven't used this particular blog in an age. I haven't really pursued crowdfunding since getting back from California, except for a few extremely unsuccessful experiments back near the end of the year. I am still doing art. I am still offering commissions. But this blog, I have to admit to myself, has died. Also, it's being flooded with spam, which really freaking annoys me.

I have another Live Journal, which I've been using as a personal blog. I've also been using it to post my art. It started off as a fandom blog, in which I posted my Doctor Who fan fiction and various fan art, but it's evolved beyond that at this point to be more inclusive. It's mostly friends only right now, mostly just to avoid spam bots, but it's a fairly open blog in which I ramble about anything and everything, post artwork and writing, occasionally fangirl, and generally just be myself.

So, I'm gonna consolidate. In... oh, about a week's time, I'm going to de-activate this blog and use the other one as a one-stop-shop for all things Amyla. I may eventually get back into crowdfunding, though I have a number of projects going right now that are taking up quite a bit of my time. I'm still open for commissions as well.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be tagging art stuff on the other blog (I think I've done quite a bit of that already, if my currently rather patchy memory serves-- I was still on pain meds when I got back to Texas and have a difficult time recalling some things because my head was all fogged up), re-doing the user info page, and modifying the intro post to include other major art and writing (right now it's just fanfic/fan art). I'll also transfer some stuff from here to there-- like the tutorials I did. I cross-posted most of my completed artwork and WIPs there, but I don't believe I cross-posted those.

So, yeah, if you would like to add me over there, feel free! wander_realtai is my URL.

Discounted Character Portrait Days

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:14:16 GMT

Have an original role playing character, or an original fiction character that you would like to see realized in a drawing?

Periodically, I will open up for discounted character portrait commissions. These will be black-and-white, head-and-shoulders portraits only. The discounted price is $40 (regular price is $50). I will be taking these commissions for five days, closing down for requests at 5 pm CST Friday.

How to put in your request for your Discounted Character Portrait:

1) Comment on this entry with:

a) The Name of your character

b) Physical characteristics-- be as detailed as possible. Relative build, hair and eye shade, general shape of face, clothing choices, tattoos, any other defining characteristics will help.

c) Some key personality traits. Is he/she confident, vengeful, excitable, angsty, noble, courageous? This will help with facial expression and pose.

d) Please specify whether you will be okay with me posting your character drawing to a compilation entry on my blogs, or using it as examples for future Discounted Character Portrait Days. No hard feelings if you don't; I just would rather know. :)

e) Specify if you would like the character's name on the art.

f) Any other comments or details you can think of.

Please note: I cannot take paid commissions of previously copyrighted material from television, movies, books, etc. Please be sure any request you make is for characters who belong to you!

2) I'll create the art, upload it to my server, and send a downloadable link to you in a PM on Live Journal within a week or so, give or take depending on how many commissions I receive. If you have your message options set to off, please give me an alternate email so I can send you the art.

3) There will be a pre-set "Buy Now" PayPal button at the bottom of this entry for payment.

And, that's about it! Have at it!

Some examples from previous Character Portrait Days--click to enlarge

Update with stuff.

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 15:18:52 GMT

So, this week I've been doing a lot of admin-type things.

I completely re-vamped my Zazzle account, Amyla's Designs, adding borders to all my pieces and taking away the old genre categories, since I didn't have quite enough pieces in each genre to divide them like that. They're now categorized by the specific piece. If you want one of my designs on a coffee mug, mouse pad, tee shirt, etc., this is the place to get it. :)

I've also updated my DeviantArt and have become very active on that site after many years of letting it languish in solitude. My Deviant account is, I hope, going to be my other main crowdfunding/commission-generating tool, in addition to LJ.

With all this admin stuff, my artistic inspiration got a little rusty, and I haven't been able to really put myself into "Ocean Lord." So I thought I'd exercise my artistic muscles with a little speedpainting yesterday. I intend to refine this and add a background (I'm considering a nebula, actually). So far, it's called Shadowdancer, but I may change the title. I used a stock photo by Faestock as reference.

"Ocean Lord" update

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 01:53:30 GMT

Today's work on "Ocean Lord."

Mostly just color blocking on the figure.

"Ocean Lord" updated!

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 01:59:08 GMT

I've finished the background. Tomorrow, I will start on the figure. =)

WIP update: "Ocean Lord"

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 15:02:38 GMT

More background work on "Ocean Lord."

The ocean is done. Now for the stormy sky.

New work in progress: "Ocean Lord"

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:52:35 GMT

This is my next project:

This is a sketch I did several years ago with the intent to turn it into a painting.

Starting with the background; still very loose and sketchy, just blocking in the basic colors at this point. I'm going with a cooler palette than I used in my last painting. I'm going to call this one "Ocean Lord."

Will post updates as the painting progresses!

Like what you see on this blog? Feel free to tip the artist! Contributors who are in the US will receive a free print of their choice, either of an already completed work, or the work in progress contributed toward, once complete. Also, size of print depends on contribution amount and sizes available. So if you tip, please let me know in a private message so I can contact you regarding your print.

Prints for sale!

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:50:22 GMT

So, I thought I'd gather several pieces that are available as prints on ImageKind and post them here with the links to their sale pages. Click the images to be taken to the print-on-demand site; there are numerous options for sizing, matting, and framing. :)

Tears, Blood, Diamonds

Star Diver

Woman of the Mists

Ghostlight

Trickster

Soulless Sword of Desire

Vampire

Transcend

Sylph

New Art! "Tears, Blood, Diamonds"

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 02:43:31 GMT

$5 Sketch Day

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:00:32 GMT

Today's $5 Sketch Day is now closed. Thanks for participating!

Good morning friends list, visitors, and lurkers! It is Tuesday, which means that it is the weekly $5 Sketch Day that I host on this blog. So, come on in, make yourselves comfortable, and leave your one word prompts.

1) For $5, I will create a sketch for every prompt left.

2) For $8, I will create two sketches.

3) The first three prompts will be free.

4) Every person who leaves five linkbacks (via LiveJournal, Facebook, Tumblr, etc) will get a free sketch in addition to the one paid for. And yes, if you are one of the first three to leave a prompt and also give linkbacks, you'll get two sketches for free!

5) Paid sketches from US-based prompters will also receive a free mini-print (4x6) of the sketch in the mail. Be sure to PM me with your contact details if you want the print! Sorry, this only applies to prompters in the US.

I'll stop taking requests at 5 p.m. CST; at that point I'll start screening comments for this post. Also, please allow time for me to get to your prompt, especially if there are a lot of prompters. I will make every effort to get to all of the prompts today; barring that, tomorrow. Again, it depends on how many prompts I receive.

Please, no fan art requests, due to legal concerns.

Previously, I held weekly Free Sketch Days on this blog. I can no longer afford the time and energy to create a large number of prompted sketches for free on a weekly basis, but that's not to say that I won't periodically hold a Free Sketch event, where I take a handful prompts for a few hours every now and again. Be sure to stay tuned for those events!

Don't forget to leave your one-word prompts in the comments of this entry when you pay!

Some sketches from previous Sketch Days.

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:01:41 GMT

Update on "Diamond Tears."

Face and body complete (will probably do some touch up at the end). Still have to complete the drapery, rose, and background.

Work in progress: Diamond Tears

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:48:07 GMT

After sketching this about a thousand times, I finally broke down and used a web cam to get a pose.

No, this doesn't look like me. :P

Digital painting in progress: Diamond Tears. Click for larger.

First Weekly $5 Sketch Day

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:10:23 GMT

Good morning, friends list, visitors, and lurkers!

After some time away, I've returned to pick up some recurring crowdfunded projects again.

It is Tuesday, which means that it is the new weekly $5 Sketch Day that I will be hosting on this blog. So, come on in, make yourselves comfortable, and leave your one word prompts.

1) For $5, I will create a sketch for every prompt left.

2) For $8, I will create two sketches.

3) The first three prompts will be free.

4) Every person who leaves five linkbacks (via LiveJournal, Facebook, Tumblr, etc) will get a free sketch in addition to the one paid for. And yes, if you are one of the first three to leave a prompt and also give linkbacks, you'll get two sketches for free!

5) Paid sketches from US-based prompters will also receive a free mini-print (4x6) of the sketch in the mail (be sure to PM me with your contact details if you want the print! Sorry, this only applies to prompters in the US. Shipping costs are too heavy outside of the country.).

I'll stop taking requests at 5 p.m. CST; at that point I'll start screening comments for this post. Also, please allow time for me to get to your prompt, especially if there are a lot of prompters. I will make every effort to get to all of the prompts today; barring that, tomorrow. Again, it depends on how many prompts I receive.

Please, no fan art requests, due to legal concerns.

Previously, I held weekly Free Sketch Days on this blog. I can no longer afford the time and energy to create a large number of prompted sketches for free on a weekly basis, but that's not to say that I won't periodically hold a Free Sketch event, where I take a handful prompts for a few hours every now and again. Be sure to stay tuned for those events!

Some sketches from previous Sketch Days.

Trickster

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:30:00 GMT

New art completed!

"Trickster." This print is for sale on Imagekind.

Click for larger.

Getting back in the game

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:44:57 GMT

I've been getting myself back into the game artistically since getting back to Texas. I have yet to dip back into the crowdfunding, though, and I'm afraid it has more to do with a lack of confidence than a lack of desire or need.

I desperately need to raise prices, because I need the money--especially after the insane number of medical bills I have incurred and am still incurring--but I'm afraid I'm going to shoot myself in the foot by doing so. I have tentative plans. For one, I'm considering hosting weekly $5 Sketch Days, rather than Free Sketch Days, but taking the first five prompts for free. Detailed black and white drawings will ordinarily go for $50 and up, depending on complexity, and Discounted Character Portrait Days will be re-instated on a periodic basis at $30 per portrait. I'll also offer story illustration, both black and white and color, for $50 and up.

I have to remind myself that even these prices are very low for a professional, but I still have this nagging voice in the back of my head that tells me my work isn't good enough to charge that much, that no one will want to pay that much. It's a voice that I'm determined to ignore.

I hope to be delving back into the crowdfunding sometime this coming week. I may test the waters with a $5 Sketch Day.

But anyway! I also come bearing artwork. Paintings and fan art sketches. As always, click for larger.

Ghostlight. This is for sale as a print Here.

Woman of the Mists. This is for sale as a print Here.

Dean Winchester from Supernatural.

The Eleventh Doctor, from Doctor Who

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:35:13 GMT

Just a drive-by posting with another sketch. This concept is actually one I've explored before several years ago, but my skills have developed some since then and I wanted another go at it. I might develop this one later.

I think I might be ready to finish up some of those unfinished pieces.

Diamond Tears

Recovering day by day

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 22:35:00 GMT

I am now in Texas, and starting to feel much better. I think being out of the hospital environment is helping. I'm still easily tired, and very sore, but I'm getting there.

I did another sketch today. My hand is getting steadier, and I'm able to do a bit more detail work. I hope soon to be able to catch up on back projects and then start producing some new material.

I did art!

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:14:37 GMT

So yesterday evening, for the first time since the surgery, I tried some sketching. Just a bit of line art, and my hand's still very wobbly, but it'll be good to keep practicing and re-build my dexterity. Here's one piece I did.

Credit goes to Faestock on Deviantart for the reference.

Recovering day by day, bit by bit. And I chopped off my matted dredlock-mop of hip-length hair because it was driving me insane. It feels so much better, though I need to get it trimmed and styled. Here's a pic of yours truly sitting in the bed at the rehab center, earphones in. I might be a little high on pain meds here. Also, hospitalization as a weight-loss program-- effective, though not exactly recommended. I lost a good twenty pounds since my admission date.

Current State of the Artist

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:27:42 GMT

So, it's been a hell of a summer.

As most of you probably know, I left Texas in May to work a summer job near Yosemite, after spending some time with family helping to care for my grandmother, who has Alzheimer's.  I went with the expectation of putting off the artwork for awhile, but I didn't expect to be unable to keep in contact with my friends here on Live Journal. I'd worked at the Green before, and the internet was iffy then, but nowhere near as bad as it was this year. I barely had enough bandwidth and signal strength to post to Facebook every now and again. So, I put most of my focus on my job and, unfortunately, let the art take back burner for awhile.

Then my body decided to turn on me about a month and a half ago.

It started with a trip to the ER for extensive bleeding. By the time the bleeding stopped, my hemoglobin count was at 8.8. The ER did a bunch of tests, everything but what I asked them to do (an ultrasound), and did nothing at all for me. I went to a clinic a couple of days later, which didn't even examine me.

So, I was out of work for a week, barely able to get up due to the blood loss (they didn't even transfuse me at the ER). After a week, I was still feeling iffy but went back to work for five days, and promptly went down again with a flu.

Then my left leg began to hurt like a bitch.  By this time, I was so tired of all of this health-related crap that I tried to ignore it and let it go away on its own-- the absolute worst thing I could have done, really.  I'm lucky I'm still alive.

Finally I decided to go to the hospital-- a different hospital this time. They almost immediately did an ultrasound on my leg and found a sizable blood clot. They admitted me and set to treating it with blood thinners for a few days, and when I told my doctor about the bleeding incident, he had a CT scan done on me. They found a huge, benign mass on my uterus which was pressing against the vein in my leg, causing the clot.

So, they had to do surgery to remove the entire uterus, because the mass was so extensive.

After the surgery, it's been taking awhile to recover. The blood clot has been slowly dissipating (they started up the blood thinners again after the surgery), and my leg feels much better. (I have lost about twenty pounds of leg swelling weight in three days)   I'm currently in a rehab facility, and restless as hell, ready to leave.

I'm going to be flying back to Texas as soon as I am released.

Also, once I'm recovered, I have a few promised pieces to catch up on for people, and then I'm going to start working with the art and the crowdfunding again, at long last. More on this later.

Anyway, feel free to comment and say hello and such. I'm stuck here in rehab with little to do, but I do have WiFi! (what a novel experience after this summer) So I should be able to respond in a more timely manner now. :) Hope everyone has been well!

Look! It's an update!

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 18:35:38 GMT

So, before I say anything else, I must apologize profusely for not being online much at all since getting back to California. It is in part due to busy-ness at work (we are full-swing into the busy season at the resort), but mostly it's due to the lack of reliable internet. It was bad the last time I was here. It's even worse now.

I'm writing this entry in Semagic. I have no idea when I'll be able to post it, but hopefully it'll be soon. (Here it is a week after writing it that I am finally posting it! Better late than never? Just think of it like snail mail.)

Artwork update! I've managed to complete a decent amount of art in the last few weeks. erigeneia, your portrait should be ready very soon. timelord1, your portrait is finished, and will be uploaded as soon as the internet cooperates. I also completed two quick paintings, which I may or may not be able to share here, depending on the internet situation. I hope to be able to.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to stop taking any further commissions while I'm out here, once I complete those still outstanding. The internet is just far too unreliable. I have some plans to sell artwork to the tourist crowds out this way when I get a decent body of work to offer, but that will be some time in the future. My goal is still to shift to creating art full time, with maybe some supplementation at the resort.

For those who may be wondering, I've been keeping up with my grandmother's condition. She is evidently still having trouble eating, and is getting most of her calories through Ensure Plus and Boost. My family has been able to get some limited in-home care for her, and has applied for more aid, though they have yet to hear back about that.

Out here, it's lovely, with wonderful weather (warm during the day, cool at night most of the time). I've been working odd shifts these last few weeks, going between mornings and nights, which is rough but I'll survive. The resort has been packed with guests, and of course, that means a plethora of cabin laundry to do. We also opened the pool a few weeks ago, and so now we're flooded with large blue pool towels (pun intended).

The day before yesterday, I spent the day by the pool drinking daquiries and rock slides and reading a book. I got very sunburned on one side, because the umbrella by the pool chair wasn't quite close enough. Later, I took a soak in the jacuzzi and then played Marco Polo with some friends in the cold pool, then soaked in the jacuzzi again. I'm really just a kid in a grownup's body.

I desperately needed that day of doing absolutely nothing, though. You wouldn't think so, but laundry is a very physically taxing job, especially when you're repeatedly thrown into your shift until midnight or later with no help and no backup, doing the job of about three people. Imagine a resort with eighty-nine cabins. Now imagine the sheets and towels ALONE that are cycled through those cabins on a daily basis. Now add bath mats, cleaning rags, sofa bed packs, camping packs, pool towels, blankets, and every other miscellaneous thing The Powers That Be can come up with, and you've got an average day in laundry at the Green.

So, anyway, there is my update, whenever the internet decides to come back up so I can post it. I hope everyone is well! Drop me a note or comment to let me know how you all are, and I'll try to respond as soon as I can. :)

Transition

Mon, 07 May 2012 17:24:08 GMT

It's been a whirlwind few weeks.

I don't remember off hand what my last update consisted of, except that I had spoken of leaving Texas to return to California. Well, it's all settled, and I will be on the plane tomorrow.

I am excited and a touch nervous.

I have two portraits to complete. I just haven't gotten to them in the rush to pack up everything and get them ready to go. I will be getting to them as I have time, but they *will* get done, as will the handful of promised color pieces I have in the works. I'll be working full time, and probably overtime, over the summer, so things may be extremely slow in the art department. But I'll get it all done.

Once I've caught up, though, I'm going on a bit of an artistic hiatus. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop doing artwork altogether; I'm just going to let it take a bit of a back burner. I may play with fan art in this time-- it'll help keep my skills up to date.

In the autumn, work slows to part time (at least in my experience), and in that time I'm going to shift focus back to the artwork. And I have some plans to implement as well-- for instance, I'm going to be offering book illustration specials, both black and white and color. I may also hold the occasional Free Sketch Day, though I won't be able to do that regularly.

I am absolutely not going to abandon this blog for any extended period of time, though. If I've got art to share, I'll share it. If not, I'll write updates or other entries. I might be able to do a bit of creative introspection writing, as I used to do. I will also do regular signal boosting as things catch my attention.

It's going to be a challenge, juggling life and work at a resort with art and crowdfunding, but I am determined.

Help to support Mammie's Country Candles!

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:36:39 GMT

My good friend Wolfe-- greyeagle2007 on LJ-- runs a marvelous little curio shop in East Texas with his partner. They sell a plethora of unique items, candles, antiques, and handmade crafts and jewelry. This is the sort of shop you always think belongs in a mystical urban fantasy, a little half-hidden building that hovers somewhere between this world and the next, trembling with magic. And it's about to go out of business.

You see, their air conditioner broke down some time ago, and their landlord refuses to fix it. They lost over $6000 in merchandise last summer due to the excessive Texas heat. They're expecting the same this year if they can't get it repaired.

So, they've been setting up a couple of things to try to help fund a replacement a/c unit, or to fix the old one.

They're going to hold a gathering and silent auction at their shop on May 26th.

But Wolfe has also begun a campaign on indiegogo to help pay for the unit. There are perks-- handmade jewelry.

So go take a look at the campaign and their shop site, and do help spread the word or contribute if you're so inclined! Also be aware that they take online orders from their web site. Feel free to browse; you might find something perfectly suited to yourself or someone you love!

A/C Fundraiser Site

Mammie's Country Candles Home Page

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:56:03 GMT

So, I have a final date for flying out to California! I'll be leaving in about two weeks.

I'll be working the same position I had when I was there previously, which is a bit of a disappointment. But at least I know what I'm doing in it. It will be pretty easy to slip back into a normal routine again.

They've been extremely busy and understaffed in the department I'm returning to, so I'm probably looking at overtime. Which unfortunately means that I'll probably not be able to do very much artwork for the duration of the summer. Hopefully I'll be able to do something here and there on my days off, but I'll have to see. I may just need to get out and do some hiking and other nature-oriented activities, since it's been far too long since I've been in a place like that. I miss it terribly. And I need the emotional reprieve, and the spiritual connectedness that comes from being in a natural environment.

In Autumn, business slows down, so I'll have more time to devote to art things. I'm still wanting to find a good way to balance the artwork with the day job (or evening shift job, as it will probably be) without sacrificing too much art productivity. I probably will just have to work in cycles... when it's busy at the resort, lessen the focus on the art, and when it's slower, increase the productivity on the art. Also, the resort's closed in January, so I can either stay there or go on vacation, and focus on the artwork full time.

Internet access will be somewhat unreliable, though we do have it. It's just that limited bandwidth for the entire group of employees tends to be used up rather quickly. So I will probably make posts on days that the internet works.

So, in short, I will still be doing artwork, just won't be quite as regular.

I have so much packing to do, between luggage for the flight and boxes for later shipping... eep.

Artwork update

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:17:48 GMT

Hello, friends!

So, I know it's been awhile since I've posted artwork here, so I thought I'd post a few of the character portraits I've completed.

I have two left, but here are the four I've completed so far. You guys know the drill in how to enlarge. :)

timelord1's Maeve Kennock, dulcinbradbury's Aileann, just_the_ash's Moraiwe and Angamarth (a special order), and timelord1's Roghrid.

I also started a new painting to try to coax my muse out of hiding. Well, it's sort of a new painting-- this is actually a redo of an older piece that I never finished. I call it Masquerade. I'm using more of a color-sculpting technique for this one, rather than using a tight line drawing and building on that. Keep in mind that this is VERY rough still, just blocking in basic colors and shapes. This painting has now gone through three re-works. It started off similar to this, with her standing in a maze of arches, in the water. I then moved her into open ocean, with the ruins of an arch in the background. But I think I like the more claustrophobic feel of having her standing within the architecture. I also changed the color scheme a little-- she was wearing a purple gown before, but it blended too much into the indigo/violet shades of the background. And I changed her pose. She will still be standing in seawater, and the mask will be weeping. No clue how long this one will take me, as other projects will take priority, but it'll make a good warmup piece to work on at the beginning of art-days.

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:04:45 GMT

So, an update!

I've still not heard back from the manager at the Green. I'm going to try to scrounge up an email address and contact him that way; it may be easier than trying to catch him on the phone up there.

I am feeling better stress-wise, slowly but surely. I still have my moments, but it's improving.

I completed another portrait last night. Three more to go! (timelord1 and erigeneia, these three are yours!)

So, I did a little updating of my gallery site and my Zazzle. Mostly, I just uploaded the boat-load of newer artwork to my gallery page. On Zazzle, I changed the category cover art, and added some products. The products won't show up until they're approved, but do feel free to browse what's already there! It's slowly but surely expanding. I also lowered the royalty percentage, so products will be less expensive than they have been.

I started a personal blog with the intent of visualizing certain accomplishments and mindset changes in vivid detail as if they had already happened. I wrote in it several times yesterday as a precursor to things I set out to do, and wouldn't you know it-- it was very effective! I'm going to keep up with this, I think.

And, that's about it for now. Hope everyone's been well?