Emmaline Bites

'Tis the night - the night.. Of the grave's delight,
And the warlocks are at their play;
Ye think that without .. The wild winds shout,
But no, it is they - it is they.
~Arthur Cleveland Coxe

Manshoon Chembyl

A portrait of a role player's character this is. An undead named Manshoon Chembyl he is. *crackle crackle* ... "Good souls"

"Death, the sable smoke where vanishes the flame." ~George Gordon, Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

My label collection shirt

Studio Friday, part 2
I'm happy to be chosen to pick this week's topic!
Studio Friday October 27th suggested by Silvia: MY COLLECTION(S)!
"Most people collect something, it would be fun to see what others have in their collections."

I used to hate the labels scratching my neck, so I took them off my clothes. Some were so pretty, I couldn't throw them out, so kept them in my sewing box. One day several years ago, I was not able to go to work, and started this shirt, and have been adding to it ever since.

I have several theme sections. Here are the Irish and rainbow labels: (and do click on the pics for a closer view)

Cartoons and Levis:

Lizards:

Unicorns and horses:

Girls:

Palm tree sleeve:


Plants and men:

Words:

That's all folks! ;-} Hope you enjoyed my shirt, I'm enjoying making it!

Ocarinas, Unicorns and Keychains

I'm happy to be chosen to pick this week's topic!
Studio Friday October 27th suggested by Silvia: MY COLLECTION(S)!
"Most people collect something, it would be fun to see what others have in their collections."

Tine says three objects would qualify, so first, here are my three ocarinas :

I used to collect and make unicorns when I was younger. The blue and white wooden one I made, my sister made the little brown fimo one.

When my son moved out, he left behind several keychains, to which I have added many many more. My favorites are the etch-a-sketch, little rubber duckie, and alien in a bottle. Click on the pic to see a close-up!
My daughter collects all kinds of candy wrappers, my youngest son collects all different soft drink cans (Coke is his specialty), and my husband collects "inspected by" tags.

International Artist's Day

Today is International Artist's Day!


I looked up this site, and it said to take an artist for lunch. "Oh that sounds lovely!" thought I. So I told my hubby about it. He smiles and says "ok, I will think of you while you eat your sandwich" So he's reading the paper when I sat down with a sandwich I made, he turns to me and says "See? I'm thinking of you!"
Isn't he sweet? ;-} I had to laugh!

...no one hears my silent tread...

Ghost.. for Illustration Friday

An illustration of a little Japanese girl's ghost, after the bombing of Hiroshima. This song is the saddest song I have ever heard. If you have a chance, listen to the song on the CD, "this mortal coil, blood". I have written down the lyrics:

I COME AND STAND AT EVERY DOOR

I come and stand at every door
but no-one hears my silent tread
I knock and yet remain unseen
for I am dead, for I am dead

I'm only seven although I've died
in Hiroshima long ago
I'm seven now as I was then
when children die they do not grow

My hair was scorched by swirling flame
my eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind
Death came and turned my bones to dust
and that was scattered by the wind

I need no fruit, I need no rice
I need no sweet, nor even bread
I ask for nothing for myself
for I am dead, for I am dead

All that I ask is that for peace
you fight today, you fight today
so that the children of this world
may live and grow, and laugh and play

(original lyrics by Nazim Hikmet)

Daisy Lupin's First [sometimes slightly cheeky] Meme

Daisy Lupin made up a meme, I just saw it this morning on her site. Looked like fun, so here goes...

What was your first childhood pet?
We didn't have any pets, other than my Father's fish tank. We brought home all sorts of animals like snakes, turtles, mice, insects. But we were only allowed to keep the animal for a few hours, and were to let it go again where it was found. The first pet I had was a grey and white cat I brought home when I was a teen, I named her Daisy.


What was your favourite comic?
Superman and Lois Lane.


What was your favourite childhood book?
Not sure it would be a favorite, but quite memorable. "Der Struwwelpeter" The scariest book! Here's the page that frightened me the worst:


Did you ever have an imaginary friend as a child?
I had an imaginary white horse named Dusty, that raced alongside our car when my family drove somewhere. Sometimes I imagined sitting on her and she would veer away into the distance, so we could see something closer up.


Did you play an instrument as a child?
A clarinet

What was the first hit single record you bought?
The Beatles "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"


What tune sums up teenage summers?
"California Dreaming" by The Mamas and the Papas. I wanted to go to California so bad, I wanted to be with all the flower children! I finally did go when I was in my 20s.


What was first pop concert you went to?
The Doors, and a week later, Jefferson Airplane.


Fave teenage TV programme?
Really don't remember, just enjoyed watching really good cartoons, like Warner Bros. and Disney.


Were you a naughty or a good girl at school?
Good, except for my dress. I was always being called into the principle's office for wearing my skirts too short.


Miss Popularity, Artsy Pants, weirdo or geek, which of these groups classify you at secondary[high] school?
Artsy/Weirdo. I made my own clothes, and they were quite wild! Psychedelic-Hippy style. Nobody wore what I was wearing.


Girl most likely to [as in year book]?
End up in California living in a commune. I did live in a commune, and I did end up in LA.


What colour did you paint your bedroom as a teenager?
I had murals of landscapes with space rabbits and willow trees, and many flowers. Rest of the walls were pale yellow.


Very first paid job ever?
I made a sign in the 60s for the Dutch Embassy (in Wash. DC) which is still to this day standing in thier lobby.


Have you ever been really drunk?
Really drunk, no. Really sick from eating strawberries out of a punchbowl, yes.


Did you smoke dope? and if so did you do a Bill Clinton [ smoking but not inhaling]?
Yes, I was a hippy, I did all kinds of "interesting" stuff.


A stupid thing you did?
Rather not say, but nothing bad came of it in the end.


Left handed or right handed?
Right.

Should you play a board game with me?
I'm not a big fan of board games. I used to play with my hubby, and I would win. He would then take his turn back and we would continue till I won again. Then he would take his turn back.. etc etc. I got tired of playing board games.


If you came to visit me what would we do?
Take a walk around the countryside, or a cycle. Visit our local castle in Trim. Maybe have a little drive in the area. Home for a home-cooked dinner, with veggies and herbs from the garden.

Florizel, Calpurnia, and Zut

This week's topic for Studio Friday October 20th suggested by Kerri:
AUTUMN INSPIRATION!

"Autumn inspiration - According to my calendar, today (Sept 22) is the "Autumnal Equinox," and it's my favorite season, so show me what you love about the fall - the colors?... the leaves?...etc."
~ Kerri

What I like about this season, is the coming of Samhain, the beginning of the dark half of the year. A magical, frightening, wonderful time of the year.. Spirits and witches and undead roam the lands.. autumn fruits such as apples, pumpkins and nuts are plentyful, the pumpkins and turnips carved into grotesque or fantastic faces. Bonfires are set on All Hallows Eve, and people dance and cavort around the fire all evening.
In my art room, I have a giant plant in which hang these three witches. They remind me of this fun and exciting time of the year.

Velvet, the Night Fae

O wild and wondrous midnight,
There is a might in thee
To make the charmed body
Almost like spirit be,
And give it some faint glimpses
Of immortality.
~James Russell Lowell, Midnight

Dread, panic and worry

This week's topic for Studio Friday, October 13th, suggested by Casey: FEAR!

I haven't got a lot of fear, or even a lot of worry. Maybe just a tiny bit...
I once had a fear of getting old, but now that I'm older, it doesn't bother me a whole lot anymore. I have a few old hags sitting around my room, they are cute in a strange way.I have a slightly more worry about getting a disease, where you lay in bed wasting away, depending on others to feed you and such. Here's a little statue of a cartoon character, mutilated by a fellow animator.
But this is my worst fear of late.. the fear of going blind. I was trying to do some work I had not done in many years, clean up of animator's drawings. It is exact work, the line needs to be sharp and precise. My eyes kept blurring and any amount of blinking and rubbing was not helping. I went to see about my eyes, and found I needed glasses! Wow, what a difference! I can see! But for a short while there, I was panicing about my eyesight going away. One of my first thoughts was "well, I can still smell the scent of my plants, I'll be choosing a lot of scented and tactile plants when I go blind!"
;-}

Faeries Steal the Gold Braid

Trouble! Faeries create havoc in the garden!
This past summer, on Daughter of the Soil's blog, she wrote about faeries stealing the gold tread she marked certain plants with. I loved the image I imagined it to be, and finally got around to create it.


"We the Faeries, blithe and antic, Of dimentions not gigantic,
Though the moonshine mostly keep us, Oft in orchards frisk and peep us."
...Thomas Randolph

See how others have imagined trouble on Illustration Friday.

Memories and Funnies

This week's topic for Studio Friday, September 22nd, suggested by Jill:
STICK IT TO THE... BOARD!
" It would be interesting to see the variety of bulletin/memory boards in our studios. What is pinned to them? Photos? Notes? Reminders? Ideas for future projects?"
~Jill

Memory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food. ~Austin O'Malley

On the board next to my animation desk are tacked up drawings, photos, comics, cards and presents from family and friends. Not really inspiration, but rememberences of things past, love from people, happy times, funny stuff. Makes me smile...

Zjorjie Fabulous

"We must remain as close to the flowers, the grass, and the butterflies as the child is who is not yet so much taller than they are." ~Friedrich Nietzsche