Yeeeaaaaahhhhhhhh..............I don't know a whole lot about Photoshop, except how to fill in colors on a lineart that I draw. I want to know how to apply shading to make it look really good.

Did I mention I'm also a writer? A story I had been working on in my first two journals will finally come to life as an actual story submission. Yes, Padreki will become a regularly updated story by yours truly. Here's a sneak peek:

Living in a small two-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Prunatila, Newfoundland, Taikei and Denny Padreki think life is hard. However, what they don't know is that an age-old conflict between humans and Acanians is about to resurface, and they're right in the middle of it. When their hometown is attacked, they seek to find answers. The more of the truth that is uncovered, the more uneasy they become.

One of the artists I'm +watching, , is going through some really tough times right now. She's drowning in debt, and can't seem to make any progress, no matter how hard she tries. She needs help and support. PLEASE help her out. I would do so, but my paypal account is limited because they need more information from me or some stupid shit like that, which means I can't send money.

For more info, visit http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/...../#cid:25164878

I just got a 1st-gen iPod yesterday, and I can't figure out how to add/delete songs or add podcasts. Can anyone help me!?

Sorry I'm taking so long with these raffle requests. I have a very busy schedule, as I work Sundays and Mondays, and go to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also, it takes me a while to get things right, especially complex backgrounds. I'm working on these in the order in which the requests were made. Thanks again for entering, and I'll get these done as fast as I can.

Now that I have Photoshop on my *sighs* internet-less computer, I hope that my pics will be of better quality!

Due to the low level of participation in this raffle, I have decided to accept the four current entries as the winners! Congratulations to all of you, and thank you so much for entering!

Note: As specified on my front page, all of my drawings are hand-drawn with pencil, pen, and colored pencil, and are uploaded via 3DS camera.

Hello, everyone! It's me, bawlbowolf! Happy New Year to all of you! To celebrate, my first drawings of 2012 will be your requests, hence this free art raffle! It's very simple. Here's how it works:

1. Fill out this template:

-Type of picture (sketch, black/white - in pencil, full color w/o background, or full color w/ background
-Background (if chosen)
-Reference
-Pose (action)

2. Post a journal on your page promoting this raffle.

3. Once I have received 20 requests, I will randomly select 5 winners, and I will work on their requests!

Good luck to all, and Happy New Year!

Hey, check out the link below if you're interested in some free art!

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/...../#cid:23460345

There's an awesome art raffle going on right now. Three winners will be randomly chosen by tonique. See the link below for details:

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2955017/

"Hey, check it out! I just got a couple of new friends online!" Denny said from his computer.

Tai was sitting on a chair a few feet away, watching TV. He looked over at Deni and smiled. "Any of them real?" He asked.

"Of course, they're real. I'm not a loner."

Tai chuckled as he stood. He headed for a door on the far wall.

"Where're you going?" Denny asked.

"Out to the garage, "Tai answered as he walked through the doorway.

The garage was somewhat small, with just enough room for two medium-sized cars. A metal workbench sat against one wall. Various tools hung on the wall above it. In the center of the garage sat a large jet fighter. several parts were missing, and in some places, the plane's interior framework and wiring were exposed. Various parts and sheets of metal were strewn all over the floor around the plane.

Tai sat down in an office chair and slid over to one side of the plane, a toolbox in hand. He picked up a piece of metal and held it over a rectangular hole in the fuselage. Using a pen, he marked off the needed lengths on the sheet of metal, then used a buzzsaw to cut the metal down to size. He then reached down and picked up a welder's mask and put it on. Next, he picked up a blowtorch and began welding the piece of metal in place.

"You're still working on that thing?"

Tai jumped. He'd been so focused on his work that he hadn't heard Denny walk in.

"Geez, Denny," Tai said.

"Sorry."

"Anyway, yeah. I'm hoping that once it's done, it'll be worth some money so we can sell it and get a nicer place."

"No one's gonna buy this," Denny said. "People just aren't into customized jet fighters."

"I'm sure someone'll want it."

"I hope you're right."

Denny turned and went back inside.

"I hope so, too," Tai said, mostly to himself. If we aren't able to sell this plane, we'll have to use our emergency funds to pay for a new place, he thought.

One thing was certain. He didn't want to have to stay in the apartment any longer than they had to.

After he was finished welding the piece of metal into place, he took off the mask and set it down on the floor, then went back inside.

"Hey, Denny, did you still want to go to a football game?" Tai asked.

Denny walked out of the kitchen, a pair of tickets in his hand. "I thought you'd never ask."

An hour later, Denny and Tai were sitting in their seats inside Gillette Stadium in nearby Foxborough.

"Do you think we'll get any grief for not being Pats fans?" Denny asked. He was wearing his favorite Green Bay Packers sweater.

"I'm sure we will," Tai answered. He himself was wearing a Brett Favre Packers jersey. However, he and Denny weren't alone. As usual for Packers road games, there were Packers fans by the thousands.

"I'm gonna get a soda," said Tai. "You want anything?"

"Yeah, a Pepsi, if they have it."

Tai stood up and headed for the nearest concourse, ignoring the jeers and smirks directed at him. He looked around at all the people still filing in to take their seats. Among them, he noticed an Acanian family: a man and woman, together with their young daughter.

He was just thinking about how unusual it was to see more than one group of Acanians at a human-sanctioned event when he bumped into a large man. The beer he had been carrying spilled all over them.

"Dammit! Way to go, mutt!" the man snarled. He smelled strongly of alcohol, and it wasn't from the spilled beer.

"Look, dude, I'm sor-"

"Why don't you shut up and buy me another fucking beer!?"

"I don't have time for this."

Tai started to walk away when the man grabbed him by the shoulder, turned him around, and decked him in the face. Surprised by the blow, Tai stumbled backward and knocked over an entire snack kiosk. He was wiping blood from his nose when a security guard approached them.

"Gentlemen, I'm going to have to ask you both to leave," the guard said.

"Nice going, you sonofabitch," the man said to Tai as he walked away.
[not finished yet]

TAIKEI PADREKI TOOK A sip of his coffee as he flipped through the channels on TV. He found himself watching some sort of soap opera he'd never heard of on one channel, a rather boring game of baseball on another.

Tai wasn't like most people; in fact, he wasn't even human. He - along with his brother, Denny - was an Acanian - a race of humanoid canines. Acanians were originally from a planet known as Acanius. However, Acanius had been overrun by crooks and thugs from neighboring systems several centuries ago, and it wasn't until recently that the Acanians finally found a promising planet to call home: Earth.

Tai looked up as Denny strolled into their small living room and sat down on the couch next to him.

"Anything good on TV?" Denny asked.

"Not really," Tai replied. "It's the middle of the afternoon; nothing good's ever on during the day."

"I know." Denny sighed. "Hey, you wanna go into town?"

"Sure, why not?" It'll probably be more interesting than this two-bedroom excuse for an apartment, Tai thought.


Prunatila was easily the largest city in North America, being home to over seventy-five million people. A restaurant of some sort could be found at almost every corner of the downtown area, the entirety of which rested atop a vast underground community that could easily pass itself off as a regular city save for the giant rock ceiling held up at intervals at by twenty-foot-thick concrete supports.

The city's most well-known feature was its beachside community, which consisted of a long row of shops and restaurants.

Tai and Deni were sitting down at one of these restaurants. Denny looked over as a couple of young Acanian women strolled by. He winked and flashed them a smile. They giggled as they kept walking.

"You know, you might get somewhere if you'd actually ask a girl out instead of flirting from a distance," Tai said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Denny asked.

"It means you have no social life."

"It's not like you've ever asked anyone out."

"True."

Soon, their lunch was served: a roast beef sandwich for Denny, and barbecue ribs for Tai. Once they were finished eating, they paid their waiter, then headed down to the pier.

"Hey, you wanna catch a football game or something?" Denny asked.

"Sure, why not?" Tai replied.

Just then, a human couple walked by. Tai just caught a glimpse of one of them rolling their eyes at them.

"Freaks," he heard one of them say, almost inaudibly.

Tai turned to his brother. "Maybe some other time."

"It's the humans, isn't it?"

"What is it with them? we're not that different from them."

"Eh, they're just not used to the fact that we don't look like they do. But don't worry about it; someone gives me trouble, I just tell 'em to put up or shut up."

"Yeah, how's that been working out for you?"

Denny thought about the two or three times he'd actually been in fights with humans. "Actually, not very well."

"Well, to be honest, it's getting a little old."

"Yeah, I know."


About a mile away, Yorkshire Industries was bustling with activity. On each of the building's seven floors, employees were hard at work, sitting at desks and tapping away at their computers. The company's CEO sat behind a large wooden desk in his office on the seventh floor.

Luczo was a man of pure business. When he gave assignments to his employees, he expected those assignments to be completed exactly as instructed, and not a second late. He once fired an employee for not showing up for work and failing to inform him that he was with his wife in the hospital.

Luczo looked up as a short man with long black hair entered the room.

"Hello, Daniel," Luczo greeted his secretary. Just the year before, Daniel had been injured in a car accident involving one of the company's delivery vans. Even now, Luczo could tell from Daniel's slight limp that for some reason, he still hadn't quite fully recovered, and maybe never would.

"Good morning, sir," Daniel replied. "I have the latest sales figures for you." He slid a file folder across the desk toward Luczo, who opened it and began to look over its contents.

Luczo frowned. "This is the fourth month in a row that our numbers have fallen. We cannot afford to have this continue for much longer."

"I know, sir."

"Well, what do you intend to do about it, Mr. Smith?"

Daniel held back a shudder. It was only when the company was in a tight spot and it was Daniel's job to fix it that Luczo adressed his secretary by his last name. "I plan to look over our production charts and-"

"That won't be necessary," Luczo interrupted. "We've produced more than enough products."

"Right. I'll figure out how to deal with this."

"Please do."

Luczo watched Daniel exit the room, then gazed out the window. He scowled as a small group of Acanians walked past on the sidewalk below. Then a strange thought came to him.

Could this be his chance?


[Stay tuned for Chapter II.]