Doh! And dots and thanks and stuff...

[ellenmillion]

crap. (Which was not at all the first word that came to mind...) The Dragon*Con ad deadline of today was the *check* in hand deadline. They don't take on-line payments. Serves me right for not checking that out earlier. No program ad for me! Whelp, that frees up some advertising budget! Shall look for a good place to re-direct it. Add this to my list of dumb things done this week. Which is rather longer than usual...

Anyway, we gots dots.

First off though, thanks to you folks who have been commenting. I have grand plans to go back and comment back, 'cause don't we all adore the commenting and the counter-commenting and sharing the love and all, but in the meantime, you've been so helpful! Don't think I don't treasure your input... I go back and read 'em over and over as I'm thinking these things through.

Now you get art.



Now my rationale for making this my Epilogue entry is that it's dots, which you won't see much of, it's got sort of a classic look (draped cloth, big clouds), it's got nudity (a staple of fantasy art, let's be honest), and I think it's a strong, balanced composition. On the downside, I'm not sure how much I like it. That may have something to do with the fact that my fingers and wrists are going OW OW OW and I know I still ought to darken up those mountains a bit. I'm not convinced with her anatomy... she was supposed to be turning into/merging out of the mountain, but I got carried away with the drapery, so I'm not sure it works anymore...

Whatcha think?



I was sort of leaning towards Key of Renewal (wow, I didn't think folks would like that one so much... it didn't even place in the contest it was done for, and I made the cardinal mistake of mixing dot sizes. NEVER mix dot sizes when you stipple... it turns out muddy-looking) and Bad Snowy instead of this one, but Bad Snowy just doesn't have the Mad SkillZ that I think would result in more than just flipping past it saying 'cute.' So I'm thinking this one and Key of Renewal. They're definitely 'me,' and unique. And if they have a quota of black and white pieces to fill, I think I have a good chance of getting one of them in. (Might be my only chance... I'm sure most of the entries are out of my league and full impressive, memorable color.)

I tend to chatter when I'm nervous... and me, I am nervous. I'm so much better at selling other folks' art. I can prattle at customers about Ursula's colors or Jennie's dip pen technique until their eyes glaze over, but we start talking about my art and I get all stammery and yeah and um and oh thanks, aren't you nice.

Comments

[ursulav.livejournal.com]

AGGGHH! BOOBS! MY TENDER EYES!

Ahem. S'good. The stippling came out very well in the cloth. (And I know how you feel--I'm awful at selling at a table, because I feel so egotistical saying "Hey! Look how cool my stuff is!" This is why I make my friends man the table whenever possible...)

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Think of the children!!

Heh. Thanks! :) I had fun with the cloth.

[waltzingdog.livejournal.com]

Ellen - she's really quite lovely! I like the pointialism on the cloth, too - and the heavier outline really works well. Nice!

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I had to think hard before I decided to add the heavier outline, but I think it was a good gamble. I'm glad someone else agreed!

[asathena.livejournal.com]

To be honest with you, I'm not superfond of this piece. The cloth is beautiful, don't get me wrong (and it's far better stippling than I could do in my dreams with some kind of jackhammer magical stippling pen), but the pose and expression feel stiff to me, and the arms...look short, for some reason. It's just not as compelling as some of your other pieces...

If you don't mind my suggestions (Rude, rude, I be), consider

http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/art/m/i/million/unicornkeyink.jpg.html

or

http://www.epilogue.net/cgi/database/art/view.pl?id=66988

?

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

If it hadn't been too late, I might've switched. You're very right about the overall stiffness.

*ponders* A jackhammer magical stippling pen, you say? Well doesnt' that give me ideas...

And always feel free to be honest and suggest! Suggest away! I don't consider it rude at all.

[jaenanda.livejournal.com]

looking at this as an artist, I can agree with the above coment: it's lovely, but not your best work. The arms do look a little "stiff". Not unnatural, just... posed. I don't get the feeling that she's preparing to take flight. I get the feeling that she was preparing to take flight, and then some stupid tourists came along and said, "Wow! can I take your picute? Stand just like that..." and then proceeded to spend several mintues fideling with the f-stop on their pentex camera, so that when they finally were ready to take the picture, she'd been stading that way, trying not to breathe or move, forquite a while.

On the other hand, I must agree with the general concensus: the folds in the cloth are exquistie, so much so that they really make the image. It's great work, really. The folds make the image visually interesting and compelling. It's definately an image that would get at least a second read if it were shown in a gallery setting, so that says a lot.

I love the mountains, too. All of your mountains look like that. is in an Alaska thing?

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

*laughing* You know, that's exactly what it looks like. Thanks for the input and the much-needed laugh.

I think that I do happen to draw very Alaskan-looking mountains.