But I’ve also noticed something slightly disturbing…

Look at these. They are samples of what I’ve been doing lately. Do you see any kind of pattern or red thread between them?
If you do, please tell me ’cause I fail to see it…

All my favourite artists have their own unique style, and that style is usually the reason why I love them. They have something that sets them a little bit apart from the rest. And everyone who “makes it” as an artist or illustrator does so because they are special somehow.
Like this girl I know from school, Linda. She has a really unique style that she applies to everything she does. It’s simple but personal and you can recognize her stuff from a mile away. Walking past a poster she’s made, or an illustration in a window, I can tell right away that it’s Lindas work.

I have nothing like that. As it is now I’m just playing around all over the place. Not that I’m planning on becoming a famous artist or anything, but I wish I had a distinct style. Some kind of direction. A trademark I could practise to perfection. I’m rather great at one thing than mediocre at many.
But I have no idea where to even start.
How do you pick a style? Can you even do it? Shouldn’t it come natural? Gah, I’m so confused

/angsty artsy existential rant

A while ago I started reading the Twilight series. I read book 1-3 and about 7 chapters into the 4th book and then… I just couldn’t take it any more. I decided not to waste any more time when it’s only making me irritated. I do know how it ends, I skimmed the last two chapters and read the plot summary on Wikipedia, and that was more than enough *shudders*

BOOK 1
The love story is pretty cute. I like her father.
It’s a bit repetitive and not much action, but I guess I can’t expect outstanding brilliance when it’s just a youth novel.
And sparkling vampires = epic fail. Just saying.

BOOK 2
I like that there’s werewolves involved. Bella is really starting to annoy me. Most of the characters annoy me actually. I’m glad Edward is out of the pic… oh wait. He came back…

BOOK 3
Meh. Meh again. Tripple meh. Page by page I’m losing ALL interest in the whole thing. Jacob and Charlie are the only ones I have ANY kind of interest in, and that interest is fading fast.

BOOK 4
Pregnant…? She’s pregnant!? With the DEAD guy?

. . .

*throws book in trashcan* *picks up Silmarillion by Tolkien*

Aaaah, home again…

The “heroine” is driving me crazy. She’s supposed to be the main character, the one I should be rooting for and hope will do well. But she has no personality, no charisma, no fucking backbone. She’s just following Edward like a mindless puppy, oblivious to anything else around her. That’s not love, sweetheart – that’s abusive addiction. And you should probably see someone about it.
And the “hero” is so beautiful and god-like and oh, so unselfish and good and loyal and I just wanna throw up all over his perfect face
It’s painfully obvious that Stephanie Meyer is so in love with her own character she can’t stop boasting him. I was tempted to count every time the lines “topaz eyes” and “marble skin” appear, but realised it would just depress me.
This article have some good points and pretty much covers how I feel about it all.

The villains are unbelievably bleak. It’s like they’re only there so that Edward will have something to save Bella from and save the day. There are no real background stories, no valid explanations or reasons. Please, not that I don’t want her dead too – but give me something more than “just because”. Because that’s what it feels like – it’s not enough plot and not enough story around the bad guys.

I do understand why the books became so popular though…
Everyone loves a love story, throw in a little magic (vampires are all the rage now) and a little danger and the kids are all over it. And “perfect” Edward gives the girls someone to swoon over. I can see the appeal, but this time I’m not falling for it I’m afraid.

Hev said on Twitter that the movies are better. I sure hope so, but I don’t think I’ll watch them.

And for those who compare it to Harry Potter: for the love of all that is holy just stop it
J.K. Rowling has built a whole universe, a highly detailed, complex and original world full off complex, original characters. Stephanie Meyer took a vampire, painted him with glitter and gave him an obsessed teenage girl to play with.
I think this quote by Andrew Futral sums it up pretty good:

“Harry Potter is all about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity… Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend.”

-Andrew Futral

This last week was spent at Markus’ parents house. We’ve been swimming, relaxing on the patio, watching the European Athletics Championships 2010 and just generally enjoying being in a house (rather than in an apartment) and having food thrown at us every 10 minutes What’s the deal with mums and food? I think I’ve gained 5kg in 5 days *burp*

The best event was on Wednesday when we took a trip to a lovely little fishing village out on an island in the sea. We had to take a ferry to get there, which was pretty fun. I hardly ever get to be in a boat!

On the island we had picnic on a mountaintop overlooking the village and the bay. To bad the weather was rather grey and foggy. But at least it wasn’t to hot.

Pretty old house.

The chapel. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside is covered from floor to ceiling with amazing paintings. It was built in 1622 and the paintings are from 1719 and still very well preserved. I heard a guide say that the priest only came to the island twice a year and in the summer. So during the winter the chapel was used as a storage shed for fishing equipment(!), and that meant it was never heated. No fires or candles or anything. Otherwise the paintings would’ve been long gone.

Inside a cute store. Lots of cool old stuff to look at!

And now I’m home again. Already dreading the alarm clock on Monday morning…

Here’s a few sketches I found good enough to save:

Sad part is, this is the most creative I’ve been for months… Seems my muse has run off somewhere and refuse to come when called. Stupid muse.

Alice, an unpretentious and individual 19-year-old, is betrothed to a dunce of an English nobleman. At her engagement party, she escapes the crowd to consider whether to go through with the marriage and falls down a hole in the garden after spotting an unusual rabbit. Arriving in a strange and surreal place called “Underland,” she finds herself in a world that resembles the nightmares she had as a child, filled with talking animals, villainous queens and knights, and frumious bandersnatches. Alice realizes that she is there for a reason–to conquer the horrific Jabberwocky and restore the rightful queen to her throne.

Written by Jim Beaver

Visually it’s breathtaking. As always when Tim Burton is around it’s beautiful and imaginative beyond my wildest dreams! Everything is a perfect mix of cute and creepy.
I really liked the Chesire Cat, and I was very pleased to hear Alan Rickmans voice as the blue caterpillar But unfortunately I didn’t like Alice very much. I just found her dull and stiff. But on the other hand it can’t be easy sharing a stage with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter…

Actually, I think the Mad Hatter got a little too much screen time and other characters to little. Sounds strange, huh? Didn’t know there was such a thing as “too much Johnny Depp”
The characters were all so charming and funny and I wanted to see much more of them! Like the Dodo bird, Tweedledee/Tweedledum and the White Queen! I also don’t think I got to know enough about Alice, about her personality and thoughts. (Btw, where’s the Mock Turtle? )
The last scene with the Jabberwocky was also a little… I don’t know. It didn’t feel as epic as it should.

All in all I think it was a good movie, I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t GREAT. I’m a huge fan of Tim Burton and was pretty much prepared to be blown away. But it didn’t happen. I really thought the movie would be better.
Maybe my hopes and expectations were just to high?

Alestorm

How can you not like a band that plays pirate metal? I was looking forward to see them live. Unfortunately there was something weird with the singers mic, the sound kept disappearing every now and then and it was pretty irritating. But the band had LOTS of energy and on stage and when the sound worked it was good. The singer was really funny.
I was a little disappointed they didn’t perform in pirate outfits though.

Stone Sour

We only saw the last 20 min of this concert. I had never heard about them before and was just passing by, but the sound captured me. They were really good! Classic, heavy rock n’ roll always does it for me. And the singer made these hilarious dance moves on stage. I have to look them up on Spotify.

Sabaton

All I can say is WOW! This band is nothing but amazing live! And the audience loves them, I can’t believe how many people were there to see them. And everyone was singing along to every song. Wonderful atmosphere!
The funniest part was when they sang a cover of an old Swedish song (Långa Bollar på Bengt) and all of a sudden the elderly man who is the original artist (Svenne Rubin) comes up on stage and takes over
If I have to complain about anything, it would be that they never played their song Wolfpack. But rest was so great I can live without it.

Jorn

Another concert we only saw a fraction of. We catched the last 15 min while waiting for Danzig to come on. Jorn is a great artist so it was nice to see him, and what little we saw was pretty good.
He’s actually coming to our local festival here in my town, so I can go see his complete concert next Thursday if I want to I’m tempted.

Danzig

WOO DANZIG!! *cough* Sorry, just had to shout a little. I just love Danzig. As excited as I was to see him I had rather high expectations – and he met them. He did a really great performance with only a few minor dead parts. I couldn’t be happier The greatest moment was (duh) when he sang Mother and the whole crowd sang along to every word.

Aerosmith

This is the second time I’ve seen them, as they were here for SRF 2007 as well. I really like Aerosmith, they are an excellent live band. Lots of good songs and very entertaining personalities on stage… BUT. When Steven Tyler pulls out that harmonica you know it’s time to go home. Playing harmonica is impressive, but it’s only cool for a minute or two. A 10 min harmonica solo is to much. And so is a 20 min drum solo. You’re all great guys but please, solos are supposed to be interludes – not 40% of a concert.

. . .

I just have to mention a band we saw in the beer tent on Saturday: The Cougars
Me and Markus didn’t have tickets for Saturday so when everyone else were watching Guns n’ Roses ( ) we headed for the pub and the tent. And there was this band of 5 women in their 40′s, looking more or less like a mix of Cher and My Chemical Romance. And they rocked
Actually, I’m not kidding, they were rather good. I was impressed. And the singer was smoking hot

We took the bus to Markus’ parents on Friday the 4th to spend the weekend with them and drop of Zaphod. Which is like sending him to dog paradise, they spoil him rotten
Tuesday we arrived at the festival, Sunday we got back to Markus’ parents and this Monday we finally got back home. It’s been a great week with good friends, greasy food, lukewarm beer and loud music.
I’m still a little “jet lagged” to be honest…

The road trip

For the past 3 years it’s been a tradition among our friends to drive down there. It takes about 14 hours so it’s quite a road trip. Even if it’s a long drive I still love it, we cross almost our whole country so you get to see a lot.
And one of our friends is a taxi driver who owns his own car, so we got to drive down in a cab. Which was kinda cool, when people asked how we got there we could just say “oh, we took a cab”

The camp

As always we lived at a campsite right next to the festival area. We made a really cosy camp too, with the tents in a half-circle around two marquees protecting us from the rain.
The weather was kinda blah. Grey and windy with occasional rain. But I had a winter jacket (yes, really), gloves, rubber boots, you name it. I was 100% water- and windproof and not bothered at all
The campsite gets pretty crowded and after a few days it always look like a war-zone with garbage (mostly empty beer cans) and dropped food everywhere. But it’s part of the charm if you ask me. It’s supposed to be a little rough and rugged. The “garbage tree” was a bit much though…

The people

There are lots of odd, original people there. And inevitably you also get to see lots of rather… interesting outfits. The green men were pretty strange, even for SRF. Seeing Eddie there wasn’t much of a surprise though But the most amazing thing is that everyone’s so nice and friendly. There’s virtually no violence or crime even though there are over 30 000 people there from all over the world. Metalheads may look mean, but the spikes are only for decoration

At the campsite we met John from England who couldn’t stop raving about how beautiful the Swedish women are and tried to teach us to speak cockney It was pretty cool meeting someone who speaks British English since I’ve only met people speaking American English before.

I only saw one penis though. Normally you get to see quite a few of them, seeing as most people there are not exactly shy and also quite drunk I probably should be appalled by it, but I don’t really care, I have an unusually high naked-people-tolerance.

Shopping

What better place to shop then at a rock-themed marketplace? I can’t find stuff like this at our local stores:

1. Werewolf t-shirt. Have I mentioned I love werewolves? Well, I love werewolves.
2. Opeth t-shirt. A band I really like.
3. Skelanimals hoodie. The back is so cute! “If you’re warm hug me.”
4. Skull kitty hoodie.
5. Chain skirt! The chains can be removed if I want to look slightly more normal.
6. Two pairs of over-knee socks and a turquoise glittery scarf.

The music

… Will be covered in a later entry. I think this post is way to long as it is

First off I got hooked on the webcomic Questionable Content.
Melly posted about it on Twitter, I read one page, then read a few more, realized it was actually pretty good and decided to start from the beginning. I’m now on page 950-something and find it strangely addictive. I can’t stop reading! If you haven’t read it yet I can recommend it

I also caved in and got a Tumblr blog, perfect for those random things you find online and want to keep somewhere. But that’s all it is, random online stuff. This is my real blog. And I actually have a few drafts here waiting to be posted, including some new drawings and my thoughts on the Twilight books.
But I’ll finish those later.
I’ve also been trying to design a new layout for this place, but my muse seem to be avoiding me atm.

Other than that I’ve been mostly working and spending time outside. Spring is finally here! Last week it was crazy hot, I walked around in a miniskirt, eating ice cream and pretending I had been teleported to Spain
But now it’s cold and raining again. Ah well… back to normal I guess.

Oh, and as I said on Twitter, I’ve bought purple shoes. They’re awesome!

Anyway, can you tell I’m posting just for the sake of posting? Heh.

My face is all red now…

The Sunshine Award

The Rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog within your post.
2. Pass the award on to twelve bloggers.
3. Link to the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and the link to the person from whom you received this award.

I’m passing this award on to:

1. Hev of Amarantine
I think you were one of the first persons I came in contact with online. I’m rather introvert around strangers but you always seemed so friendly I liked you straight away. You totally deserves a Sunshine award

2. Taversia of Taversia.net
Web-comic creator extraordinare and fabulous red-head, do I need to say more? I haven’t visited your blog in a while and I’m sorry about that, but I want to tell you I still like you very very much <3

3. Alyssa of Lyssness.net
You seem like a really nice person and we appear to have a lot in common – like our love for Halloween I just plain like you and your blog.

4. Jessica of Wolfsheart.net
You love wolves just as much as I do – which makes you pure awesome in my book And I’m so envious that you’re a web developer, I wish I was too!

5. Kya of Kya.nu
You create such adorable, colourful layouts and always come off as sweet and helpful. To be honest I’ve been stalking you ever since I got sucked into the world of fanlistings

6. Angelica of Whirlwind.nu
Have to give this award to a fellow Swede, don’t I? We seem to have the same taste in fashion and interior design, and I love how your site is always dark and elegant. You’re simply my type of blogger

7. Anne of Only Anne
I think your blog is so so beautiful. Not only the layout, but also the entries and the photos you choose for them. Every post seem to be put together with great care. I love visiting your site.

8. Christine of Crumpled Paper
I’m a huge fan of your comic and doodles, all your characters are so cute and funny! Your site always make me smile and think happy thoughts. Meow :3

9. Sparky of Spark In Darkness
You’re one of the funniest bloggers I’ve ever come across. People write LOL all the time but most times it’s just a figure of speech, I rarely actually laugh out loud. When I read your blog though, I laugh. Out loud. Loud enough to make Markus pop his head in the room and ask what the fuck I’m doing. Please keep writing <3

10. Reannon of Taken By The Wind
It wasn’t that long ago I first stumbled upon your blog, but I was immediately hooked. You lead such a fascinating life and I’m totally envious of your travels and adventures. I wish I was brave enough to do the same.

11. Louise of Un-Ordinary.net
I know your site is currently on hiatus, but I’m giving you this anyway. As a fellow nerd, pixeler and random creative person I’ve always liked you and your blog. Just a little FYI

12. Manda of Breakthesky.net
For being nice, friendly and a good blogger! I always like reading your posts as they’re well-written, interesting and I often find myself agreeing with what you’re saying

Anyway, I took these with my new camera a while ago and thought I’d share. I know it doesn’t look very spring-like but it’s the best I got. The grass and flowers are still a few weeks away I’m afraid.

On our way home from work.

Zaphod jumps out in the snow after a stick only to discover it’s much to deep for him.

Snowy fields. That big green thing is a lorry trailer and the two black dots in the middle are people.
In case anyone is wondering.

Floppy ears are flying

More snowy fields.

This was taken on March 27, when I took a walk in the woods during Earth Hour. It was snowing like crazy.

Also from Earth Hour. As you can see I encountered a possessed demon dog (unusually fashionably dressed) out there…