Secondlina's Panels

First thing first; the kickstarter is doing well - we made our goal! Yaaaaaaay! We have less backers then the first time though. I'm hoping to have at least 400 backers. That would be amazing. All sorts of flavors of amazing!

In other news, it's bloody cold. This week is the coldest of winter so far (with the wind, we even went down to 40 degrees below zero). I'm glad my days off seem to coincide with the worse of the cold. I can at least stay home. Home has been a bit chaotic though, since Tuesday and Wednesday, the electricity kept going out... And today, the heater is broken. I've been surviving by staying in the studio with an electric heater. I feel a lot less productive though :( Wednesday was a complete bust for comic work due to the electricity frizzing out every hour. My poor computer...

Since my Kickstarter is launched, I gave myself a bit of time after my online work meeting to doodle something fun. There’s a lot of evil-corrupted-by-pitch-Jack-Frost fancomics and fanart going around tumblr in the Rise of the Guardians fandom. I really like the designs of evil Jack - he looks like a big icicle. A depressed icicle. So I decided to doodle corrupted Jack. Tooth sorta slided her way in, her hand on his face slightly melting the ice.



This kinda reminds me of the finale of Howl’s Moving Castle. Anywho. Angst. Fun, amiright? The original creator seems to have enjoyed my dubbing of this jack as "depressed icicle jack" because she drew this response to it :



This all really fits with the cold outside. Maybe i'll draw some more...

- Isa

Illustration of gay princesses from a point-in-click game designed by the creator of Girly seemed appropriate. 

In a bizarre twist, Entertainement Weekly published an article asking if Merida, the main character of Pixar's new film, is gay.

Huh. Okaaay.

This article is a prime example of having a point of view that's really interesting, but expressed oddly. The article claims that Merida might be gay because she breaks the conventionally accept gender roles of 5th century Scotland. Because she breaks gender roles that both straight and gay suffragettes wanted changed in the 1900's, and that women still need to challenge today in many, many countries to get more rights, more freedom.

Let's get this straight, EW. What you article has demonstrated, simply and fully, how gender roles are ingrained in our brains. If someone refuses a gender role, there has to be a deeper reason then just "I don't want it." What Merida wants is more freedom and a better relationship with her parents, which are desires that could indeed be associated to the struggles of a homosexual adolescent with his new identity. But refusing to be blindly obedient, meek and marrying boys you never met doesn't mean you are gay, necessarily. It means you have common sense. Sure, some girls do want, and are, those things. But they are usually raised as such. Merida was raised to be clever and artistic by her mother, which made her intelligent, and to be a fighter by her father. Combine these two elements, cleverness and strength, and yeah, you get someone who usually doesn't take someone else's bullshit.

Don't get me wrong, i'd love if Merida would be gay. In all honesty, I look forward to the day where we will have an openly gay and cleverly written character on a kid's show. Yeah, I know, there's Marge's sister on the Simpsons that got a pretty great episode. But a show that's really for kids, not just animated and therefore watched by kids. But I don't think this is it. The point of the movie isn't that she is challenging gender roles because she doesn't want them. The point is that she doesn't know what she wants yet and doesn't want to be forced into anything. This movie is about challenging gender roles and about finding your place among your family and confirming your identity to the world. I can see how this may serve as a metaphor for budding homosexuality. But if anything, this movie could be a metaphor for anyone challenging a social convention. 

And considering people are either angry or putting on a pedestal the fact that teen Merida stays single, methinks we still have a lot of social conventions to break.

Not a bad article, Entertainement Weekly. But a strange analysis. Some gay people also follow gender roles. There's a difference between sexual attraction and social attitude.

Still looking forward to a real gay princess. But appreciating the move forward for women in cinema. 

- Isa

So, for the past couple of days, me and Link gained Window Squirrels. To get to the balcony of our apartment, there's a door, surrounded by two windows. The windows a composed of an exterior panel you can open, a bug screen, and then an interior panel. Basically, there's space in between the two panels for something like a squirrel to reside. We left the outside panel of one of the windows open. And sure enough, the next day, Link and I notice a little squirrel sleeping there. The next day, a whole family of squirrels decided the window rocked and moved in. There was 5. 3 were sleeping, and two were climbing all over the bug screen. Of course, they were basically destroying the bug screen, so Link had to shoo them out. He stepped out to the balcony, and all the squirrels panicked and climbed to the top of the window on the screen. He basically slid the screen panel until they had to drop and run out. And the the outside panel was closed to prevent further squirreling.

But sleeping squirrels are the cutest thing ever, no joke. :D I could see the squirrels from really, really close. It was awesome.

Aside from that, I decided to work on some more fanart prints for future cons. Presenting, some idea for Avatar : The Last Airbender. I love most of the canon and fanon couples, so I decided to draw a "kataang" (Katara/Aang) and a "Zutara" (Zuko/Katara) set of pictures that would basically be companion pieces. You could get both, or just your favorite.

Both show the couples together, with lanterns, in a window. In both images, the elements of wind and fire are present. In Aang's case, I used good old sky lanterns and an Indian design for the window. In Zuko's case, we get classical Chinese paper lanterns, and a window inspired by China as well.

YES I'VE BEEN WATCHING TANGLED AND MULAN LATELY HOW COULD YOU TELL!?

Here are the sketches!





I kinda wanted both images to have the mood usually associated by fans to the couple. So one is super cuddly and happy, and the other on the angsty, soft side. Enjoy.

- Isa

Today was long and exhausting. I felt sick and in pain all day. Ah, the joys of womanhood.

So to make me feel better today, I kinda avoided working on comics and just drew some loose sketches. For some reason, they quickly became less... dressed?

Have some "sexy" Tangled art.

( Nudity. But it's pretty classy. )

For a friend who asked me if I could draw some pre-hair-cutting sensual Tanged art. There you go. I CAN.

I just bought something like 6 fairy tale books. Must go read now.

- Isa

P.s. Has anyone else read this? This is a VERY badass Japanese man. He scuba-dived ina tsunami to save his wife. And mom. AND HE DID IT. 

 

A little Tangled fanart to start things off on a positive note!

First off, i,m so happy it's Friday. My god. Work has been insane for the whole week. I plan on pretty much drawing the full weekend. It sounds like so much fun :D

I'm also going to work on getting con stuff ready. I bought all the stuff I needed today after work. I still hate Omer Deserre (local craft store). They never have the stuff I need. And not in the "we don't carry it" sense. In the "we sold it all three weeks ago and didn't bother ordering more". I wanted to buy cardboard to make small postcard-size things to sketch on at the con. They didn't want to cut them for me, despite the whole paper cutting table being RIGHT THERE. So instead I bought small pieces so I could cut them myself with scissors. Gosh, I know the store isn't that bad, but jeez, every time I go, they never have what I need and the employees always act as if I was bothering them (I interrupted 3 employees talking at the cutting table to see if I could get something CUT and they were talking around it...). I'm not impressed Omer Deserre. Not impressed. 


I ended up going to a book store to get most of what I needed.

I'm amused. Kate Beaton did a comic today about a historical personality I really love, Ada Lovelace. I LOOOVE HER. I've been reading a really good webcomic that is basically the "Girl Genius-ish" version of her life, 2D goggles. Actually, Beaton linked this comic below her own comic, which made me really happy. This comic needs more readers.

For those who don't know, Ada Lovelace is like, a mathematical tragedy. She's a countess, and the legitimate daughter of Lord Byron, aka a romantic poet who liked to put his penis in many, many people (he wrote Don Juan, if that's any indication). Her mom got angry at the sexy poet and pretty much forced Ada in mathematics. Ada was gifted, became extremly badass with numbers, worked with Charles Babbage, composed what was essentially the first computer program and died young of illness. 2D Goggles kinda plays with the idea that this woman's life is an ode to math and her enemies are poets. I love it.   

Gosh, i'm such a geek. Love it though.
- Isa

I'm having this strange feeling.

So many of you on my friend list are great friends. A few years ago, I didn't believe I could feel so close to people that are so far. Yet, here I am, adoring a whole lot of you.

Right now, a few of you are going thru rough patches, bad breakups, artistic questioning, monetary problems... And I just discovered the biggest frustration I have ever felt in my life. For a lot of you, I feel like I can't be there. I wish I owned a jet so I could fly to be by your sides and hug you and tell you everything will be okay. But I can't. This frustration even expands to my "real-life" friends and family. Since I moved to a new city, they are now far. This makes me feel limited. And silly. At least I have friends and this area, and i'm able to be there for most of you, if only in spirit. But I never though not being able to run to someone's side on a white horse, ready to save the day, would be so frustrating.

I guess I've got a big "knight (princess?) in shining armor complex or something. But I still wish I owned a teleporting machine. Or a tardis. Then I could lend you guys a shoulder to lean on in real life.

We could also have massive parties. Of awesome. That change location every week.

Since i'm daydreaming, I also want a pony.

*hugs all of you*

Annnnnddd some birthday art! This is for youichiban_victory . It's going to be your new website banner once it's colored! I know I showed you for your birthday, but I liked it so much ,I wanted everyone to see it too. It's Relina, your super awesome elf-paladin with her mount.



- Isa

 


So yes, as this comic puts it, the exterminator never showed up. They canceled on us. 

The bedbug situation is currently this : Link and I cleaned everything we owned, thoroughly, and packed it all away in plastic bags to prevent bedbugs from going in the cleaned stuff. We also vacuumed, bleached, scrubbed and generally exuded cleaning revenge upon the little critters. Basically we did all (and then some) of the things listed on the document given to us that needed to be done BEFORE the exterminator showed up and sprayed the floor with deadly poison. And he NEVER DID.

He re-scheduled on Tuesday. So now everything we own has to stay in boxes and bags until then, because if bedbugs get int here, we pretty much have to start over. 

This situation is honestly ANNOYING. Those who know me well know I much I love being in boxes/suitcases/etc. It realyl plays on my nerves. So i,m having a bit of trouble concentrating. 

I did draw a bit, mostly sketches I won't finish because there's always a little detail that bugs me. This time : MEGAMIND!



Click for bigger version on deviant art. 

Aw, yeah. I bet he has an anti-bedbug gun. That he invented as a child. Because he feared the nursery rhyme.

- Isa

Just a little drawing I did for gullwhacker , as commissioned by his lovely bride-to-be, earthstar_chan . It's the characters from a game/anime called Umineko. I don't actually know this series, but I found the main character, a powerful witch to be quite badass and fun to draw. 

I also think i'm getting better at inking gradually. It's fun to see actual improvement in your personal work at a gradual pace. It's encouraging. Makes you feel like you aren't trapped in inspiration limbo. 

Happy new year to everyone! I didn't do anything to celebrate. I got hit pretty hard by an illness, so i'm staying indoors, sitting on a futon and reading Kenshin. Doesn't mean this year won't be fun because it started "badly". Naw, if anything, i'm actually relaxing, which is good! :D

I want to draw mermaids...

I'm trying to think of a good background drawing to put on my tumbrl page... It's not created yet, i'm in the process of it and I have no idea what to draw for my background. Suggestions please?

- Isa

This drawing is for YOU, angelchan_2004 ! It's Aang and Katara hugging with winter coats. I always loved hugging my boyfriend when I was wearing a coat because it was always extra squishy and comfortable. So yeah! Aang has wool on his coat. Little detail, just like that.



If it's not obvious, i'll be continuing with this whole gift-art thingy past the holidays. I just had way too much to draw to finish them all before hand. :D

I'm going to be offline starting tomorrow for a few days, since i'm running off to see my family in Ottawa and then my extended family in Quebec city. But it's the hoidays. I think most people will be busy, eating, being guilt-tripped by a family member, drinking, playing with toys and younger family members, decorating trees, painting cookies, watching snowflakes, drinking coffee, skating, driving, wondering why there's so much people on the bus, working, dreaming, sleeping, smiling and crying BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE HOLIDAYS ARE ALL ABOUT, AMIRIGHT?

Seems a lot of people go thru as much bad as good during the holidays. Maybe it's because everyone is stressed. Maybe it's because some people just have horrible family situations. Maybe because that's just human nature.

But at least from me, you'll all get hot cocoa and a warm hug for the holidays. Because I love the lot of you! *huuuugs*

Best Holidays to all. Ad if your holidays aren't quite so fun for some reason, remember that you still have next year, and friends that love you!

I sent emails to a few people I know have been offline for a bit due to the season and the things to do. So if you guys stumble on this post, consider yourself HUGGED TWICE.

- Isa

 I had a bit of free time this weekend, so I drew this. You know that as soon as Minion puts them down, they are going to Accio a can of woop-ass. I love these three movies to bits, even though I haven't seen "Tangled" yet. I've seen Harry Potter though. I want to draw jokes about it, but i'm gonna wait another week and give everybody the time to see it before pummeling you guys with Potter-humor!

However, I have to say, my favorite part of the movie was the animated sequence where they told the story of the deadly hallows. Death looked great. I also want to draw pictures of the trio. A few people have asked me to, actually. They wonder what the trio would look like by my hands.

Anybody else feels Hermione is too pretty? Wasn't she suppose to be sorta homely? I guess the movies needs sex appeal. The twins grew so tall too!

I wish Voldemort was a bit more human. He looks, moves and talks very un-real and campy-like. I dunno. I would find someone who looks like THAT but talks in a dignified, regal, normal voice and moves like a gentleman to be much, much creepier. I always imagined Voldemort to move in a really regal fashion. More like Snape I guess. 

Happy late thanksgiving to all the Americans on my F-list. I hope you all celebrate with your families. I kinda want this holiday to evolve into "family and being thankful" then "Pilgrims offing some natives with guns and diseases".

- Isa