(Page 3) My gift to you~*

I saw page three come sailing in, 

Come sailing, come sailing in. 

I saw page three come sailing in, 

On Christmas day in the morning!

       How are you all on this wondrous morning?  Good, I hope!  ...Well, I'm glad to hear it.  Oh, and since I didn't get you anything this year, I thought that it might be worth the while to do a little something:  

Here's page three!
       I wanted to have something to send out on the net for the twenty-fifth, but I couldn't seem to find out just what.  Then, I remembered... "I still haven't posted the third page to my blog!"  So, here it is.
       I don't really know what has kept me from posting this one and I hadn't really stopped that to think about it all that long.  I guess that I just wasn't as excited about this page as I was with the rest, but now I've come to find myself in a good bout of inspiration and I plan to get a lot done towards my comic and to what you folks see on the net (because you don't get to see very much of what I have at all!) during the next two weeks that I am at home.  'Two weeks!' isn't it great!!!

There were a couple of boo-boos made with Page 3, I know.
Just in case their not all that obvious to you, I decided that I would point them out:

  Here is what the page looks like when you scan it in black and white.  The black in the background is far more solid when you do it this way and it really strengthens the lines in the details of the cloud and rock. 

  When I went to fill in the solid black myself, I experimented some in using two different kinds of black to see which would work better.  

  Bottom line: Do not attempt to shade things in two shades of black, using different markers, when planing to scan things in colour!  

The results from mixing "Copics with Faber-Castell" can be messy... 

You've been warned. 

Even when I compare it to 'Grayscale' things begin to look different.  

It's good to know your scanner and your scanner's settings well so that you can use that knowledge to your advantage.  

I myself, plan to scan everything in colour when doing the prologue that I am working on now.  And, although I am only using all of the blacks and grays that I have in the Faber-Castell: Pitt Pen series, I find that the variations between the warm gays and the cool grays comes out better when I scan things in colour.  

It's just helpful to be able to identify what it is you are looking for from your artwork, to then be able to choose the right scanner settings that best suit your style's needs.  

________

Okay, so I know that it wasn't exactly Christmas Day when I posted this, but in my mind I had hoped to have it posted for that day.  However, it is a hustle and bustle kind of season, Christmas, and you must understand that I am a busy man.  

                                                                                                                       -No hard feelings, Right? 

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That's All Folks!

We are now down to... umm, 5 days before Christmas everyone!
I just wanted to take the opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas just in case I didn't get to post something again before the big day.  I hope that I will, but you can never be too sure with those kind of things.

My table's set-up:
Above is a painting that I made a while back, I think that it was sometime last winter.  Anyhow, it was one of the pieces of artwork that I took with me when I went to that Christmas event at one of the high schools in my district on December 7th, and was probably one of my works that received the most comments.

There was such a rush for me to get everything gathered together that night, even after two to three weeks of preparation, that I was literally just throwing things into a book bag, zippering it up and leaving the house, not knowing if I had remembered to pack everything I needed or not.  Luckily for me, I had.


There were some interesting remarks made about my artwork, and some rather awkward and intriguing reactions:
       Some walked around my table as though in a hurry, some approached, stood there for a bit, said nothing and then walked away as though they had seen nothing or had nothing to say, others startled me by tiptoeing there way shyly over to my table as though they were trying not to wake a sleeping giant or otherwise planing to do something illegal, and then piped up suddenly by yelling "Gee sir! These paintings are real swell!" almost knocking me out of my chair mind you.  A group of young girls came along and bickered over which frame they thought was better, which I didn't mind besides for the headache it gave me.  There were I couple of people who asked "if I knew so-and-so, even though it was highly unlikely that I would ever know so-and-so, but they thought that it would be good just to ask if I knew so-and-so, because that particular so-and-so knew another so-and-so who did art", meh... I just said "no?"  Some were actually really helpful though and gave me a good insight as to where I need to improve my art.  There was a lady there who had worked with my mother before, and knew her quite well, that recommended that I get in touch with an old neighbor of hers who moved to somewhere in Ontario and was a well known Canadian artist for his colourful and highly visual narrative paintings.  This, I liked.

I had a bit of trouble in trying to get people to take a handout with them as they went, so I had to put my sign-making skills to the test rate on the spot.  This is what I came up with.  It was a long sheet of paper that was looped and folded on the back so that it sat in a shape of a triangle; until I had made this, I had virtually no takers.  Of the ones I cut out and stapled together, only four were left.  Yet, I still managed to print too much by having seven sheets of them, both in colour and in black and white, to take home with me when I left.  Oh, darn!  I hate feeling wasteful, but I do suppose that it is better than having too little to give.

Things went by so quickly, but, IT WAS GREAT!!  The fact that it went by so fast was partially my fault, having shown up so late, yet I can't held but to seek for more satisfaction.  This surely will not be my last exhibition of my art, so I can look forward to doing something like again, by all means.  I will also have a better understanding of what to expect for next time.

If anything, this was a major confidence booster.  It helped to affirm my ability in art and self reliance to both me and my parents, and we are very grateful for all of the lovely comments we received.
Thanks to all who came~!

It's funny, actually, how the number of Russian views I get has taken a jump.  It's all because of me mentioning there being a town in Kosovo bearing the same name as one of the main settings in my comic.  Maybe I should consider adding Russian to the list of languages I want to learn to write and speak before I die?  Hmm, who knows when that may come in handy?!

Speaking about death, I just realized something!  A year and one day from now, the sun is said to explode...!  Hmm, perhaps that dampens the mood a little too much... Umm, "Marry Christmas! Hoho-haha-ahum" [coughs] ...Yeah.  

Trouble in La La Land

Blogging is therapeutic; that's what it is, therapeutic.  

My life seems to have been taking on the 'upsy-downsy' trend quite recently, and this week was just one of those low parts.  Everything was such a downer.  But hey! I blog when I'm happy, I blog when I'm sad, and in the end, everything seems to level itself out. (only that you hope to find that happy-o-meter more towards the full side of the spectrum.  Which I always do!)

Made this myself, no lies!
Reference image is from here.

Where I find myself standing in the grand scheme of things, I do not know.  Although I am more sure of myself in the present than I had been prior to now within this week, things are still a bit cloudy as this great fog of gloom begins to pass.  If you be a friend, then worry you not! there is no need for panic just yet!  I may not have been as happy and attentive to you all this week, but there lies a good reason and a root to all these grievances of mine: bus trouble!  But, nay, not so much the yellow steed itself, as the riders that commute upon it.  And that is all that need be said on that matter.

However, I am past that now, and every time something like this happens, I gain a seance of pride for having survived it.  Not unharmed, mind you, but my wounds and my battle scars add to my character and will someday make me a stronger, better man.  One cannot fight a war without gaining some new knowledge of life and its complex inner workings, ever if it does hurt at the time.  Not ever!

After careful thought, I have decided to succeed in spite of things and those around me.  Life will continually try to challenge you and strip you of your dreams, but as long as I live I WILL NEVER LET IT HOLD ME DOWN!!!  Revenge is not the most desirable trait but neither is a soft foot on the soils of all to that in which you believe or give cause and reason to.  I may be on the defensive end and the one that has to receive the most hardest blows, but I most certainly do not want to be the 'push over' in the lot.  I can dodge all I want, but ever so often I must take a hit!  To me, the greatest vengeance in life can be won through your own pursuits, and not by dampening the pursuits of others.  That is, love your neighbor, even when love is not mutual, and maybe someday, when you have grown and since surpassed them and their league, they will regret not accepting the love you gave and the possibility of friendship or acquaintanceship they had with you that is long since gone, and the grievance and jealousy will be a most heavy burden on them and none on you.

The ability you have to succeed in life is the best possible weapon you have against those who challenge you in the present.  Use it! for success is the greatest source of vengeance you have to pin against the chest of all foes!~

Ahhhh... It feels good letting that all out.
____________
Edit: My philosophy for this is best stated here:  ~Mother Teresa's "do it anyway!"

Christmas At The Lobby

Hey! Glad you could make it! (whoever you are?) ...Gosh, this is exciting, isn't it?
Just to let you know, I haven't really ever invited anyone else to come and see my blog, personally that is, besides a couple of my close friends, so this is definitely a new venture for me.  It's kind of like my first exterior viewing of my blog in a sense, and it truly is this great and wondrous feeling.
Everything feels so peachy for me now; just rate fine and dandy, you know what I mean?

It's been a busy past two weeks, but it looks like I've finally made it here!  This is my first time having my art on display, ever, so if I seem a little nervous, that's because I probably am!  I may not look it, seemingly calm and collected as I am, but I'm probably screaming inside!
     "Oh-gosh, oh-my-gosh! What am I doing here? ....And with all these people?! Why did I ever think that this would be a good idea? Why did I bother coming...?"
     Ha-ha, yeah, that sort of thing.  But, don't get me wrong!  Maybe I won't get that way, but just to worn you, I have been known to do that in the past, so be gentle, okay?!


I am apologizing to you in advance about the little amount of stuff I brought here tonight.  I could have arranged to gather some more, but with such short notice... eh, I couldn't be bothered.  "This is all you get!"
It's kind of funny, actually.  I just reminded myself there of that one famous moment in 'Oliver Twist' when the little boy is like "please sir, can I have some more?" and the older man at the cauldron is like "More? You say you want more?!"  I feel bad now. You're still enjoying this though, right?

For all of my school friends and others who have been to my site before, you may have noticed somewhat of a change in the overall structure of my blog from the last time you visited.  I decided to form a list of the more noticeable ones in this post, just so that you have a general idea about what's going on, and so that you don't get lost in all of its "newness."

List of Changes:

• Added a "Labels Display" blogger gadget to the side bar. 
• Minor changes to my profile information. 
• Swapped profile pictures. 

Here is the imaged I used as my old Profile Picture. Would you believe me if I told you That I had drawn this?  This was actually from around two years ago, back when I was in grade 9.  That was back before I even knew about copic markers or inking pens and I think that this was probably done using a simple package of fine-tipped markers from Steadler and just your regular a black ballpoint pen.  I surprised myself when I looked at the date that was marked on this one.  It said that it was from March 31st of 2010, and that's just the date the printer placed on it after it was scanned.  I don't think that I could draw an eye that looked quite as well if I tried here today.  I'm a little bit out of practice in drawing eyes with such detail in this way, and I can remember watching a lot of YouTube videos while doing studying this particular kind of art style in order to own my skills.  Long-story-short, I made this, yet, I don't know how?!

Hmm... It seem to me that there was one other little change. Now, what was that?  O-Oh, yeah...

• I RENAMED MY WEB-LOG!!!!!

For all of you newcomers and soon-to-be fans, the title of my blog (that's short for 'web-log') prior to now was just the name of my comic project I am currently piecing together, called "Knight's of Mamus'sa" (Pronounced: MAH-moos-sah.) Yes, yes, I know that's a tongue twister, but it is very original, and as far as I know, nobody anywhere is using that name.
{unless you consider that little Turkish town of 'Mamusa' in the rural parts of the Kosovo, and I don't think that the town of 5,513 people care to much.  Trust me on this, okay?  I even Wikipedia'ed it and everything!} Hahaha!

But seriously, 'Lonely Totem Pole', so much of a better name!  Plus, it's way easier to pronounce.
Pronunciation wasn't the only factor that lead me into deciding this, it also has more of a symbolic meaning to me as well.  It suits my website for its purpose more so than having my comic's title there.  Originally, I was only going to post things pertaining to 'Knights of Mamus'sa' on here, but then as time past I found that to only be a slender portion to the entire make-up of my blog.  There are so many different sections of my blog devoted to almost everything I do, so it just didn't seem as 'fitting' anymore.
(I also hear that it is a good idea to have a single pictorial representation of your enterprise, from a selling point of view, because it makes your products more commercially viable...)  I'm rambling on again, aren't I?

On another note...  

This little strip of paper is probably what most of you are holding in your hands rate now.  (and if you  don't have one then grab one now!) It's your personal invitation to my blog!  The address and everything is rate on there, so as long as you have a working computer, connection to the internet, and hands, then getting onto my blog should be a cinch!  (no excuses people!)  



My mother was generous enough to let me use her computer in displaying my blog here tonight.  So, if you don't mind, please stay within the bounds of my 'Lonely Totem Pole' blog and its pages here tonight.
"Don't go bustin' up me mum's PC, ya hear?!"

Also, feel free to check out the rest of my pages on my blog (just don't go hogging my mother's computer!)
To get started with your journey of touring 'Lonely Totem Pole', just click on the little collection of Labels in various sizes that I posted to the right.

*If you have any questions about my artwork, blog, or other things, I shouldn't be all that far away.  Finding me in crowd of people can sometimes be a bit challenging, as my mother can tell you, but keep an eye out for the one that looks like he's trying to hide, and the one who resembles the little character I use as my profile picture at the top of this page, chances are, it's me.  

Tag, You're It!

     This has been a very busy week for me, and I won't go into the specifics with what all went down like I usually do, but I will tell you that I was very tired when it came to Thursday's end ("Hurrah" for there not being any school this Friday!) and, although I am proud that I took some leadership in organizing and coordinating the grade 11 classes at my school, I do hope that I never have to do it for something so tragic as this ever again.

     Anyways, to get to the main point of things.  It is no real shocker to you all that Christmas is soon on its way, and so too are all of its corresponding festivities: Decorating, cooking and all of that 'fun stuff'.  But, what would Christmas be without its Concert Gatherings!  If you know me, you know that I am not much of a stage performer myself, or at least not as much as others from my school.  However, as you were informed in my last post (and if you haven't read it, then you should go and check it out!), I told you all that I was interested in showcasing some of my artwork at a local Christmas event, and, good news is, I got accepted!

{Hurrah for that, too!}

     It was kind of funny how it all happened, actually; I kind of got myself signed onto this on a whim.  My mother had told me about it a number of weeks back, and it really hadn't crossed my mind again until just two weeks ago.  

     I was like "Mom, do you know if they're still doing that Christmas thing at the high school this year?" 

     And her response was, "As far as I know, yes?" 

     Then I told her that I was still thinking about signing up for it and that I would like to know more about it before I went, so that I would know what to bring, how to bring it... Blah b-blah b-blah.  She told me that she would look into it for me, and come back to me when she knew more about it.  As it turned out though, when she finally did find the rest of the information online and got back to me, registration for it, she told me that morning, ended at 3 o'clock that day!  

     The rest of that my Friday was spent scrambling around my school asking teachers to recommend me, and for my mother, it was spent exchanging emails with representatives and people in charge of the program.  But, in the end, I did get accepted, and everything fine. (only now I need to scramble around trying to get things ready for the big show, December 2nd, and I only have a couple of things ready to bring!  Yeash!) 

     I will let you guys know a little bit more on it latter, but for now, I think that's good enough.  

     You are probably wondering what 'Tags' have to do with Christmas concerts, so let me explain.  In order for me to feel confident enough to let a lobby full of people probe around my site, I decided that I have a little bit of 'tidying up' to do.  I wanted to make my site more user friendly in order it to handle the mass influx of people that will be visiting it from the community, and placing Labels on all of my posts is one of the best ways I know how.  Here are the first batch of labels you will see floating around my site:

• Comic
• Holidays 
• Inking/Colouring
• Life Stories
• Notifications/Updates
• Pages
• Seasons
• Sketches
• Thoughts
• Video Games

     On another note, I have tons and tons of more content getting towards finished on my comic.  Some of such content includes Page 3 of my prologue to 'Knights of Mamus'sa'.  That will be heading your way real soon, once I get finished with this Christmas event of mine.  You can also expect to see some slight aesthetic changes to my website (leading up to/after) the 7th of December, so let's keep an eye out for those as well.

     Thank you for taking your time to visit my blog and I hope to see you all at Wednesday's big show!