Wyrd-Sister

So, how was your Christmas?

Mine was pretty interesting. One of my aunts started a heated discussion for a moment there. It wasn't really a discussion, more like her and my dad shouting their opinions at each other. XD

And I'll learn for next year to keep out of my parents' way, as they get stressed out when preparing things for the Christmas lunch... let's just say that when I tried to help, they let all their stress out on me and I found myself being called "useless," among other things. And being nit-picked for every little thing. My mum spent most of the time after she'd finished cooking, and had time to calm down, apologising to me! (But my dad... he was/is just a jerk XD)

I got a new printer for Christmas! I know, it's not really an exciting present, but it means that I can scan my drawings in whenever I want to, and I don't have to deal with a really old and buggy printer/scanner. Also, it's much easier to get to - I just have it next to me on my new desk. Oh yeah, I finally got a desk - I'd been getting sick of leg cramps and sore knees, so I'm glad that I don't have to work on my bed any more!

I've been meaning to write a new journal entry for some time, but I really wanted to finish my Secret Santa gifts before doing so - otherwise I would've been procrastinating! (That didn't stop me from procrastinating through other means, though. XD)

So now that I've finished my gifts, I have so much free time! *Looks over "To Do" list*
Uh... on second thought, I'd better get drawing!

I'm hoping to open point commissions for headshots sometime soon (when I've finished everything else), so keep an eye out for those! I'm not sure about doing digital art, as I seem to muck up the inking stage. I might try inking traditionally for a bit, or practicing with my mouse, but it takes me ages to ink digitally because I have to first decide which of my messy lines to ink, and then spend all my time clicking and adding paths, which takes a long time for me. I'm thinking of only doing traditional for now, and doing digital works when/if I get a tablet. What do you guys think?

Of course, I'll still do colouring with my mouse, so there will be some digital work being done. I'll start colouring collaborations when I open commissions, so please tell me if you want me to colour your work! (It will be for free!)

Anyway, Merry Christmas to you all and I hope you have a happy new year!

Here's my "To Do" list if you're interested:

Coloring Contest - shugarskull.deviantart.com/jou…
Request/gift for SophieHei
Birthday present for my sister (CodeTurtle - she doesn't really access her account, though. I will make her put her work on DA!)
Late Birthday present for Mang0l0v3r
PRIZE Coloured Manga-style headshot for indigo-moogle: Yuki Onna from the manga Nurarihyon no Mago
PRIZE Manga-style headshot sketch for Sadako-xD: Chester Bennington
PRIZE Chibi headshot sketch for Miranthia: M+F's characters in a cuddly wintery theme

Yes, you heard it right! I'll be joining a Secret Santa!

I'm joining 's event here: tajii-chan.deviantart.com/jour…


1) I WANT MY GIFT TO BE... A drawing, preferably. Traditional or digital - it doesn't matter!

2)IN MY GIFT I'D LIKE TO SEE...

I don't have an OC... so it'll have to be fan art for now!
OK, here are Manga/Anime characters that I like:

- Any character from the Anime Series "Baccano!" (Just a warning – it's pretty violent and gory, but awesome! Definitely not for kids. )
My favourite characters from that series are Isaac and Miria, but they have to be drawn together, so if you want to draw only one character, any of the other characters are fine! (I seriously love them all! And the Anime!)

- Any character from "K-ON!" Uh... I've done it again with the "any character" business! xD
My favourite character from that series is Mio-chan – you can probably tell that if you look in my favourites under "requests, Gifts, etc."! But really, I love all the characters. Wait... Azu Nyan (azusa nakano)! You can draw her if you want, to break up my chain of Mio-related requests and commissions!

Other fan art:
Doctor Orpheus from The Venture Bros. If you don't mind drawing two characters: The Monarch and Doctor Mrs. The Monarch. But Orpheus is my favourite character *wink* *wink*

All right, for those who don't want to/can't draw the characters I've mentioned, then I'm happy if you just come up with something! I like surprises... so, surprise me!

Here are some ideas to help you out:

- Dragons. I like dragons, so if you like drawing them then this could be for you!
- Christmas/snow themed
- Animals. I like cats and cute fluffy things like pandas, etc. I also like awesome-looking animals. This is not at all specific! xD
- Draw what you think I look like! And yes, you only know my age and gender. (This could be interesting...)
- Something evil and mysterious... muahahaha!

3)EXTRA INFO:


Baccano!

Info on Baccano:
tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php…

I found some Isaac and Miria art/fan art to help you, but a Google search should give you more.
I should tell you that Isaac and Miria are the comic relief in the series, and are always happy.
They are also always together - they act like best friends all the time - and they like to wear disguises while stealing from mafioso and rich people (innocently, of course!).

Original Art:

img2.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spir…

junkuchan.org/a/src/1270244710…
www.japanator.com/elephant//ul…

Fan Art:

This one's a bit of a spoiler, so I just put the link and not the thumbnail: chiky-uu.deviantart.com/art/Is…

Baccano in general:

2.bp.blogspot.com/-XDKtdiSK3fM…

There are too many characters in Baccano! I... I stopped searching for them...
And some of them are spoilers in themselves! (And I don't want to spoil this awesome anime for someone who hasn't seen it! )

K-ON!

userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/2…

Mio Akiyama:

img-cluster1.dannychoo.com/cgm…
www.scenicreflections.com/file…
parsonator64.files.wordpress.c…
images.wikia.com/k-on/images/f…
wpshrine.com/uploads/subc/wpsh…

azusa nakano (Azu Nyan):

images.wikia.com/k-on/images/5…
images.wikia.com/k-onpremierec…
3.bp.blogspot.com/-SKLJYkl2sW8…

Azusa Fanart:

images4.fanpop.com/image/photo…

Venure Bros.:

Doctor Orpheus:

t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:AN…

2.bp.blogspot.com/_izEzh1Hp16Y…

The Monarchs:

2.bp.blogspot.com/_vCJ5ph6Hw5w…

4)I WILL BE WILLING TO GIVE...: A drawing, or a piece of literature. I would like to work on my drawing skills, but I wouldn't mind doing a piece of writing! I just want something to help my creativity to flow!

Only ten days left until the end of the contest! Make sure that you get those entries in!

Hey everyone! I'm running a mini Halloween contest for my new group, The-Artist-Lounge~!

Please go here: the-artist-lounge.deviantart.c… for more info!
This is where I'll be updating the prize list first, and where I have the list of entrants, so you'll have to go there to see the changes! Hopefully I'll be able to add more stuff to it!

Please Note: As this is a Halloween contest open to any mediums, I've discovered that there are quite a few people who want to have their entries added to multiple contests. I've changed the rules to allow this, but submissions not created specifically for the contest will be at a disadvantage when it comes to judging. This is only fair to those people who do not have the chance to win other contests or gain more recognition because of that.

Therefore, please make sure that if you are submitting your work to this contest only, please write the club's name and info about the contest in the artist's comments on your deviation's page!

Hey everyone! The-Artist-Lounge is running a Halloween contest! This is only a mini contest as the group is quite new and I don't have that many prizes to give away at the moment, but hopefully we can make it bigger!

This contest is open to anyone on DA, and all mediums and all styles are allowed! However, you must make sure that your contest entries do not break DA's Terms of Service, and that they do not contain excessive nudity or sexual themes.  


If you would like to donate anything – llamas, requests, features, etc. – please post below with what you would like to donate! If you would like to donate points to the contest, please go to Wyrd-Sister's page and donate in my donation pool there!

Special Thanks to our Point Donators:

Special Thanks to our Point Donators:




If you donate prizes you can still take part in the contest!

I hope you can join this Halloween contest, and I hope it becomes a success!

Rules:

Entries must have a Halloween/spooky theme
Entries must be received before 11.59 PM (GMT - 0) on the 30th of November.
You can enter as many times as you like! (Only one of your entries can be a winner, however, so try your best!)
Entries created for this contest only will be favoured in the judging - you can submit works not created for the contest but this will impact your score on the "hard work" section of the judging criteria (part of technique and skill).
Entries must not have been submitted to DA before the 3rd of October, 2011.
You cannot submit/copy another artist's work.
No hardcore nudity or sexual themes, please.
All styles are allowed, including fanart of all types.
Please don't bribe me or any future judges or complain if you don't win! The winners will be there for a reason!

Winners should hopefully be announced by the day after the contest (the 1st of December)

How to Submit Your Entry:

To add your entries, submit them to Deviantart, write in the artist's comments that they are for The-Artist-Lounge's Mini Halloween Contest (unless they were created for another contest - please state which one), and then send The-Artist-Lounge or Wyrd-Sister a note with the title "Halloween Contest Entry" and include a link to your entry in the body.  
I will then add your entry to a folder in the group favourites. The folder can be found here: the-artist-lounge.deviantart.c…


Prizes (these will be updated in the The-Artist-Lounge journal if more prizes are donated):

All contest entrants will receive a llama badge from Wyrd-Sister, unless they have already received one from her.


First Prize winner gets:

50 points from Wyrd-Sister

A full-coloured anime/manga style headshot from Wyrd-Sister

A detailed full-colour manga-style piece from haha-whatever

A black and white drawing request from Mang0l0v3r

A full-body request from indigo-moogle

Your entry featured on the front page of The-Artist-Lounge

Your entry added to the "Featured" and "Contest Winners" sections of our gallery

Your entry added to the club's "Contest Winners" Section of our favourites

A journal feature from Wyrd-Sister

Llama and feature from Pokemoncrazee

Llama and feature from oblivionhaze

Llama and feature from Mang0l0v3r

Llama from CodeTurtle

Llama from haha-whatever




Second Place winner gets:

30 points from Wyrd-Sister

A detailed anime/manga style headshot sketch from Wyrd-Sister

A detailed black&white/lineart manga-style piece from haha-whatever

A chibi request from indigo-moogle

Your entry featured on the front page of The-Artist-Lounge

Your entry added to the "Featured" and "Contest Winners" sections of our gallery

Your entry added to the club's "Contest Winners" Section of our favourites

A journal feature from Wyrd-Sister

Llama and feature from Pokemoncrazee

Llama and feature from oblivionhaze

Llama and feature from Mang0l0v3r

Llama from CodeTurtle

Llama from haha-whatever


Third Place winner gets:

20 points from Wyrd-Sister

A chibi headshot sketch from Wyrd-Sister

A manga-style sketch from haha-whatever

A chibi request from indigo-moogle

Your entry featured on the front page of The-Artist-Lounge

Your entry added to the "Featured" and "Contest Winners" sections of our gallery

Your entry added to the club's "Contest Winners" Section of our favourites

A journal feature from Wyrd-Sister

Llama and feature from Pokemoncrazee

Llama and feature from oblivionhaze

Llama and feature from Mang0l0v3r

Llama from CodeTurtle

Llama from haha-whatever



Please note that prizes in the form of requests may take a while to give out to the winners, depending on the drawing speed of the artist and when you make contact with them.



Judging


Your Judges:





CodeTurtle is my sister, and she said that she will help me with the judging! This is great because we have different methods of judging - I tend to focus on what's good in a piece of work, and my sister's better at critical analysis. That way, it'll be easier to pick a winner! (I'm horrible at decision-making! >.< )


We will try to be as honest as possible and we will judge the entries according to these criteria:


Creativity and Originality:

These are the main criteria we will be searching for. Make sure you create something that is unique and make sure to make use of your imagination – create something no one has ever seen! That way, when we see your piece, it will stand out from the rest!  


Technique and Skill:

We will focus on the amount of effort displayed through your entry for this, and not solely on how good you are as an artist, so that everyone has a chance of winning! The more work you put in, the more you're likely to win! (But you should still make sure that it looks nice and clean and easy to see!)


Visuals:

Make sure that your piece looks good! Use of dynamic colours, positioning, perspective, the objects in your image and which ones are in focus, and other artistic devices will all aid you when we judge the winners!


Thanks for reading this, and I hope to see you take part in the contest!