[MaeradCase]

20 hours ago, Silmarilliane said:

 

My oldest nibling is 17 and has a job... it's terrifying, but I also feel like they've all existed forever (the youngest is 11 and going to secondary school soon!)

I guess seeing kids grow up serves as a reminder that you're an adult who was a kid longer ago than you realize... Which would explain why no one likes it. XD

 

19 hours ago, Sovalis said:

Hope your hands aren't *too* full! 💜

I may need to work on it, because there's some emotional weight I'm carrying around. As for things to do, last night didn't have game night because of chances of bad weather... and I'd spent all day preparing material for their surprise arrival at Tsolenka Pass. 🫠

 

I spent the free time last night watching the first two episodes of Good Omens Season 2 with Cidran, and getting some more doodles drawn. Here's an entire row of fairies: 

Spoiler

 

[Laghail]

GOT IT!!! Your style has been bugging me with it's similarity to some other illustrator and I couldn't figure out who until you posted your fairies - Tony DiTerlizzi!! Your sketches are a dead ringer for his work!

 

 

[MaeradCase]

4 hours ago, Laghail said:

GOT IT!!! Your style has been bugging me

🤣 (This sentence by itself caught my attention and had me in a giggling fit)

 

4 hours ago, Laghail said:

with it's similarity to some other illustrator and I couldn't figure out who until you posted your fairies - Tony DiTerlizzi!! Your sketches are a dead ringer for his work!

I can't say I'm familiar with his name, but I scrolled through a search of his works. I did find a fairy that I could spot the resemblance you speak of...

Spoiler

And I also found a portrait I'd seen via Facebook and had adored, so I accept being lumped with him as high praise even without yet delving further into what books he may have illustrated:

Spoiler

 

Thanks for the comment. I don't keep track of where all my art influences came from, but it's certainly fun to be told I have something in common with a notorious artist. 🥰

[Silmarilliane]

19 hours ago, MaeradCase said:

I guess seeing kids grow up serves as a reminder that you're an adult who was a kid longer ago than you realize... Which would explain why no one likes it. XD

 

Speak for yourself - I was on the swings with my nephew and he said 'you're more like a sister than an aunt because you aren't really a grown up'

[MaeradCase]

3 hours ago, Silmarilliane said:

Speak for yourself - I was on the swings with my nephew and he said 'you're more like a sister than an aunt because you aren't really a grown up'

😆 Wish my nieces would say that. On the other hand, I'd say they have a pretty solid relationship with us as their aunts and uncles, since they're always happy to see us arrive and sad to see us go. 🤷‍♀️

 

Last night I played ACNH while Cidran played RockSmith. When he was done playing, I put aside the game and started sifting through old pics on my phone. This morning, I doodled a few more characters. I'm getting close to the end of the book, but there are pages I drew on both sides, and fewer pastel drawings of backyard wildlife.

Spoiler

Top hat girl has fun aunt energy. 😄

[Silmarilliane]

1 hour ago, MaeradCase said:

Top hat girl has fun aunt energy. 😄

 

I was going to say - how did you manage to draw me so accurately?

[MaeradCase]

I went on a lunch break walk. I stopped doing them when my breathing problems started, but I have been wanting to resume. Today's weather is not too muggy and just a smidge hot. The trees are so deeply green after all the rain we've had, and there were a few butterflies (as well as a stink bug that was far too friendly with where it chose to land on me) and several birds sighted.

 

I found a weird growth on a leaf. My best guess from the internet is that it is a gall? 

Spoiler

It's pretty cool and weird.

 

My breathing hasn't acted up in response. I stretched a little, and I think I'll stretch some more before it's time to head back. Hope you're having lovely weather and that you find the motivation to do a thing.

Maerad

[Sea-to-sky]

12 hours ago, MaeradCase said:

found a weird growth on a leaf. My best guess from the internet is that it is a gall

Erm, well it doesnt look like a gall. Or at least the kind of galls we get in the uk. (They are made by a type of wasp and usually grow on twigs instead of leaves). There is most probubly an insect in there though. Lots of different things do that. We have a kind of caterpillar here that burrows inside the leaves then eates them from the inside. It leaves these lacy patters on the leaves

[MaeradCase]

12 hours ago, Sea-to-sky said:

Erm, well it doesnt look like a gall. Or at least the kind of galls we get in the uk. (They are made by a type of wasp and usually grow on twigs instead of leaves). There is most probubly an insect in there though. Lots of different things do that. We have a kind of caterpillar here that burrows inside the leaves then eates them from the inside. It leaves these lacy patters on the leaves

Maybe it is a different breed, because I was able to confirm a gall that looks like a translucent bubble.

Spoiler

 

I didn't doodle this morning and I haven't gone on a walk yet (though I may), but I did see an unfamiliar bird outside the window. I can't guarantee I'm right about it, since I didn't take a picture, but it could've been a brown thrasher (which sounds like a very metal bird). He looked like a miniature road runner. X3

Spoiler

 

I've been fiddling with my compositional notes before I start writing the third draft of my book, and today I hit 17,000 words in the document I'm compiling the notes into. Just last week it had 11,000 so that's a fun bit of progress.

 

Also I finished reading Doughnut by Tom Holt, and I liked it so much I bought some of his short stories to sample them, too. I think it's time to dive back into Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde and read books 5-7 (and once again cry that there's not yet a book 8), especially since it takes place so much in the book world that I think it'll be a lot of fun to contemplate how my characters feel about the developments in their narrative and backstories. 😄

 

Anyway! Have a great day!

Maerad 

[Sea-to-sky]

9 minutes ago, MaeradCase said:

Maybe it is a different breed, because I was able to confirm a gall that looks like a translucent bubble

Oh wow. Thats cool and very different to ours. Uk does not apparently get those. Our oak galls are solid green balls that harden into a brown nutlike object (they make an excellent ink and can also be used in natural dyeing as they are very high in tannin).

 

I love tom holts books. Have you read only human? Still my favourite.

jasper fforde also excellent. I have the 2nd shades of grey book on my bookpile. Havent read his thursday next series, are they fun?

[MaeradCase]

3 hours ago, Sea-to-sky said:

Oh wow. Thats cool and very different to ours. Uk does not apparently get those. Our oak galls are solid green balls that harden into a brown nutlike object (they make an excellent ink and can also be used in natural dyeing as they are very high in tannin).

Maybe it would've changed colors. It looked like a tumor, though, which made me sad for the tree so I intervened.

 

3 hours ago, Sea-to-sky said:

I love tom holts books. Have you read only human? Still my favourite.

Doughnut is the first and only book I've read of his yet. I investigated which ones were available on Thriftbooks and got one of them for free thanks to using a reward before it expired. 😃 So I'll have several of his stories in hand soon.

 

3 hours ago, Sea-to-sky said:

jasper fforde also excellent. I have the 2nd shades of grey book on my bookpile. Havent read his thursday next series, are they fun?

I also ordered that from Thriftbooks. XD I meant to pre-order it, but kept putting it off. I am intrigued, though it's been some time since I read Shades of Grey, so there may be a reread beforehand.

As for Thursday Next, I love her. She is the most realistic thirties-to-forties-to-fifties human woman I've ever encountered in a book, and I love her exploration of the world of fiction by jumping into books. *chef's kiss* 

[Everstorm]

50 minutes ago, MaeradCase said:

As for Thursday Next, I love her. She is the most realistic thirties-to-forties-to-fifties human woman I've ever encountered in a book, and I love her exploration of the world of fiction by jumping into books. *chef's kiss* 

*discretely takes note for next library trip*

[MaeradCase]

18 hours ago, Everstorm said:

*discretely takes note for next library trip*

*discreetly whispers* The first book is called "The Eyre Affair" even though one of the sequels is named "Thursday Next", just so you grab the right one.

 

Last night I tried my hand at making Cidran's specialty, bell pepper casserole. It turned out really good. I also finished off the cheeses from that finale a few weeks ago. They were starting to show their age. But I think I'll get more brie. It was nummy!

 

Still no doodles. I spent last night playing CMS with CR on in the background. Cidran fell asleep, but I was loving this week's episode. 😍 Also I turned on Epic the Musical, and was enjoying it in the background while I worked on dinner. This morning I turned on the last few songs and was BAWLING over my breakfast as the songs of the Underworld Saga played. 😭 May need to test if that always happens. 🤔

 

Anyway, hope your day is lovely!

Maerad 

[MaeradCase]

Well, after missing two days of posting doodles, I made sure to get some done, even if only by getting a head start last night after a relaxed weekend of work 🫠, Fall Guy 🤩, Epic the Musical 🤯, CR and 4 sided dive 😍, and CMS 🥰. I also put in some more time doodling for tomorrow's row, but here's a belated post of today's. 😉

 

Spoiler

 

We've got a couple weapon wielders, but I gotta say I do like the bird. It turned out cute. Oh, it's not distracting you from the gorgeous fighter in the middle? Yeah, me neither. 😅

 

In other news, I'm pondering if Darebee has a Rapunzel workout thanks to having to thoroughly scrub the egg that fried onto my cast iron skillet. 

 

I started a new book today called March Upcountry which is doing a far better job interesting me in a time-spanning journey than Sword of Shannara was doing with its beginning. It's good for my brain to read books that aren't like my norm, and MU definitely wasn't on my radar til it was recommended on a reading group. Just the first chapter had me giggling, which is a good sign for keeping me engaged. Now I'm several chapters in, and it's developing toward the trek in a very clever way. 😃 

 

Hope you had a chance to laugh/giggle/cackle today. 😘 

[MaeradCase]

Well, I didn't expect to finish the book so soon, but as of today it's completely doodled!

 

Spoiler

I had a lot of fun doodling the dancers. And I'm amused that the last drawings I made were of fairy tale characters.

 

The final page in my book was an illustration by my favorite librarian. He drew it. I colored it. 😅

Spoiler

Can't say I like the shell, but love the blue. Should I color over the pastels with my Prismacolor pencils?

[Silmarilliane]

11 minutes ago, MaeradCase said:

Should I color over the pastels with my Prismacolor pencils?

 

Why not? You've got a copy/photo of it as is  

[Sovalis]

I love your sketches so much. ❤️ 

[Laghail]

On 5/7/2024 at 1:56 PM, MaeradCase said:

And I also found a portrait I'd seen via Facebook and had adored, so I accept being lumped with him as high praise even without yet delving further into what books he may have illustrated:

 

Thanks for the comment. I don't keep track of where all my art influences came from, but it's certainly fun to be told I have something in common with a notorious artist. 🥰

 

Please tell me I'm not so old that the kids have forgotten about these books?? Like it's fine if the kids have moved on, I'm just not ready to crumble into dust.

 

 

13 hours ago, MaeradCase said:

I started a new book today called March Upcountry which is doing a far better job interesting me in a time-spanning journey than Sword of Shannara was doing with its beginning. It's good for my brain to read books that aren't like my norm, and MU definitely wasn't on my radar til it was recommended on a reading group. Just the first chapter had me giggling, which is a good sign for keeping me engaged. Now I'm several chapters in, and it's developing toward the trek in a very clever way. 😃 

 

 

 

Zero shade for Terry Brooks not gripping you. I swear dude writes the same book over and over and over. If that book works for you, then you're set - sorta like fans of Brian Jacques, the similarity between each book is a feature, not a bug. Brooks doesn't make my brain happy, so I mostly avoid him. 🤷‍♂️

 

 

2 hours ago, MaeradCase said:

  Hide contents

 

SNART!!!

[MaeradCase]

4 hours ago, Silmarilliane said:

Why not? You've got a copy/photo of it as is  

Fair point... 🤔 And it saves me the effort of tracing it. 😄

 

3 hours ago, Sovalis said:

I love your sketches so much. ❤️ 

🥰🥰🥰 Thank you. I'm contemplating if I want to give them more space, or if I want to doodle through another book. I think it'd be fun to select characters from the doodles to draw in full. 😃 But also a lot of work. Worth it? Probably. 😄

 

2 hours ago, Laghail said:

 

Please tell me I'm not so old that the kids have forgotten about these books?? Like it's fine if the kids have moved on, I'm just not ready to crumble into dust.

 

 

Don't crumble to dust. I have heard of them. In fact, they were even recommended to ten year old me by the snail-art librarian. But my mother said "no, you can't read this spooky goblin monster book" and I haven't read them yet. But I haven't forgotten them. 😉

 

2 hours ago, Laghail said:

Zero shade for Terry Brooks not gripping you. I swear dude writes the same book over and over and over. If that book works for you, then you're set - sorta like fans of Brian Jacques, the similarity between each book is a feature, not a bug. Brooks doesn't make my brain happy, so I mostly avoid him. 🤷‍♂️

 

I may be more inclined for Redwall than when I first picked it up a decade ago thanks to loving the heck out of Humblewood - it's a D&D game that takes inspiration from various media featuring woodland critters being the protagonists. Otherwise, my go-to mousefolk heroes are Reepicheep (🤩) and Despereaux (for whom I think the book was superior).

 

Good afternoon, everyone!

 

I saw a rabbit on my way to work, and chose to walk while the weather was still pleasant. I may need to bring my umbrella or bike to use on my lunch hour outdoors time when it gets unbearably hot.

As for on today's walk, I encountered a white butterfly that fluttered right before my face, two swallows swooping overhead by the pond, four pieces of trash I picked up returning to work, and a little sprig of five tiny yellow flowers growing in the grass.

 

Now it's time to put food in my mouth! Salad, tortellini, and an apple! Whoo!

[Everstorm]

6 hours ago, Laghail said:

Please tell me I'm not so old that the kids have forgotten about these books?? Like it's fine if the kids have moved on, I'm just not ready to crumble into dust.

Not only are they unforgotten, they are getting a revival due to a brand new TV series on Roku, just released last month.

[Silmarilliane]

17 hours ago, Laghail said:

Brian Jacques

 

14 hours ago, MaeradCase said:

Redwall

 

Ahhhh, Redwall was so much of my childhood/teen years until I was recommended Discworld! I wonder if I'd still enjoy them...

 

14 hours ago, MaeradCase said:

I saw a rabbit on my way to work, and chose to walk while the weather was still pleasant. I may need to bring my umbrella or bike to use on my lunch hour outdoors time when it gets unbearably hot.

As for on today's walk, I encountered a white butterfly that fluttered right before my face, two swallows swooping overhead by the pond, four pieces of trash I picked up returning to work, and a little sprig of five tiny yellow flowers growing in the grass.

 

This sounds lovely ❤️ I'm glad I'm not the only one who takes an umbrella to use as a parasol when it's hot!

Also, I got a great tip from a travel website that having one of those thin material scarf/shawl things is handy as you can use it when it's cold and then as a shade when it's hot!

[MaeradCase]

21 hours ago, Everstorm said:

Not only are they unforgotten, they are getting a revival due to a brand new TV series on Roku, just released last month.

Yay, fun shows!

 

9 hours ago, Silmarilliane said:

Ahhhh, Redwall was so much of my childhood/teen years until I was recommended Discworld! I wonder if I'd still enjoy them...

❤️

9 hours ago, Silmarilliane said:

This sounds lovely ❤️ I'm glad I'm not the only one who takes an umbrella to use as a parasol when it's hot!

Also, I got a great tip from a travel website that having one of those thin material scarf/shawl things is handy as you can use it when it's cold and then as a shade when it's hot!

Thanks for the tip! 

 

Had a long morning today, so I finally sketched out the first doodle in full page. Used a portrait for reference that zoomed in closer than I prefer, but *shrug*

 

On 4/29/2024 at 10:34 PM, MaeradCase said:

 

  Hide contents

 

I might hunt for other iterations later, but here's the portrait I drew today of the sword girl on the left of day one's row.

Spoiler

Enjoy! 😊

[MaeradCase]

On 5/9/2024 at 2:27 PM, MaeradCase said:

I finished reading Doughnut by Tom Holt, and I liked it so much I bought some of his short stories to sample them, too. I think it's time to dive back into Thursday Next by Jasper Fforde and read books 5-7 (and once again cry that there's not yet a book 8), especially since it takes place so much in the book world that I think it'll be a lot of fun to contemplate how my characters feel about the developments in their narrative and backstories. 😄

I got a book order delivered today in which I acquired three "omnibuses" which pair Tom Holt novels into sizable bricks. I also got Red Side Story, so Shades of Grey is parked with it atop the shelf for future reading. But Thursday Next is still at the top of my TBR list once I've sated my interest in March Upcountry. I'm a quarter of the way through, and it is still going strong. ❤️

[Sovalis]

I think your sword girl resembles Ashley Johnson. 🥰 

[MaeradCase]

On 5/15/2024 at 10:34 PM, Sovalis said:

I think your sword girl resembles Ashley Johnson. 🥰 

She has got some cool sword pictures from when she was Yasha. 😄 

 

Went on a walk yesterday on my lunch break, and listened to Dr. K talking to Thor with Cidran last night.

Spent this morning in contemplation after an attempt to meditate and journal my thoughts. That's all for now.