Hello one and all!

Nothing will encourage an artist to improve so much as knowing the whole world's about to go blammo. Hey, it's motivation, I'll take it.

I turned a corner in 2010 and found myself heading the other way. Why hello, sailor! The things I did with myself as 2010 progressed became life-changing for me. Another corner and another year, 2011, pregnant with promise (or at least on the rag and bitchy) hove into view and beckoned me onward. Altering course for the three of us (the aforementioned me, myself and I) made less and less sense as I kept on, so--hey!--I kept on. Things didn't get *easier* for me (us) necessarily but the signposts were unwavering in their message. Keep going, young Dragosaur. Change is good for you.

So here I am. I'm embracing the wind. I can make a home out of damn near anywhere. I've started something that feels more awesome every day I live it. Crazy? Is it crazy? Hell yes, it's crazy, what I'm doing. It's the biggest risk I've ever taken for anything.

I've never felt more certain of myself. I have a lot of work getting my head straight for the voyage, but my heart? My heart's totally dedicated to the cause.

I'm starting a Blog dedicated to art and sex, and the way in which those two things cross paths in my life. I'd love to have you join me.

http://sexandgesso.blogspot.com/

Blessed be your pointed little heads, all of you, O Hell-Kites, All!

And *pouf*! I'm another year older! Imagine that!

Got handed a few more lessons this year. Learned quite a bit about me, and what makes me vibrate like a high-quality sex toy, and what I'm willing to sacrifice in order to live my dreams. I've never been poorer....and I've never been happier.

To pay it forward:

Reach out. Isolation is indeed a gift--Bukowski is spot-on about that--but we aren't weak for wanting companionship. Love your friends. Love on those family members who love you back. Cease hunting for love, or respect, or recognition from those who can't (or won't) ever give it. Respect yourself instead.

You're the engine. Bear your limitations in mind but don't be afraid to push the envelope, either; your best work is often the fruit borne by experiments out on the edge of creation.

Love can be defined in awful ways. By providing a dearly-loved puppy a quick path out of a pain-filled existence, for instance. Do the hard stuff when the hard stuff is called for. It won't go away if you ignore it nor will it get a tick easier to face. Waiting causes plenty of damage.

Be good to yourself. Seriously. Don't hurt yourself. Life doesn't need to be made any harder. Happiness can be right next to you. Take it.

May 2012 be a year of joy and success for the whole belly lot of you. *hugloves*

Bellingham is awesome. Fully and completely. Bring on winter! I'm ready to curl up with my books, my sketchpad (thank you, http://www.tombstonejig.com/), coffee and puppy for long days of creative indulgence.

I'm curious: are there any furs up here? Folk who get together and draw? Opinions on the figure-drawing groups up here?

I have arrived in fabulous, delightful, cloudy Washington State, safely and with puppy in tow. A thousand bugaboos to all my friends who wished me well on my journey and those who gave me the sweet grace of their company along the way.

Now the homesteading work commences. Paint, carpets, dishware, bookcases--mother of God, the bookcases I'll need. O_o

It's a new page to scribble on. Another chapter in the Saga of Berbalang has begun! No doubt it will contain more learning experiences (i.e., mistakes) and plenty of new adventures (see also "mistakes", depending on how they turn out). Let's go see what's in store, shall we?

I'm leavin' my fam'ly
Leavin' all my friends
My body's at home
But my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
On a new front page sky
My tears are salt water
And the moon's full and high

And I know Martin Eden's
Gonna be proud of me
Many before me
Have been called by the sea
To be up in the crow's nest
Singin' my say
Shiver me Timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away

And the fog's liftin'
And the sand's shiftin'
I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab
He ain't got nothin' on me, now.
So swallow me, don't follow me
I'm trav'lin' alone
Blue water's my daughter
'n I'm gonna skip like a stone

So please call my missus
Gotta tell her not to cry
'Cause my goodbye is written
By the moon in the sky
Hey and nobody knows me
I can't fathom my stay
Shiver me timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away

And the fog's liftin'
And the sand's shiftin'
I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab
He ain't got nothin' on me
So come and swallow me, follow me
I'm trav'lin' alone
Blue water's my daughter
'n I'm gonna skip like a stone

And I'm leavin' my family
Leavin' all my friends
My body's at home
But my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
Upon a new front page sky
And shiver me timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away


Dream big. But here's something you should know: the price tag will reflect the quality of the goods. You want that big, big dream? Prepare yourself to cough up the dough. There's no other way.

Remember what Charles Bukowski said: isolation is a gift. Take it. Use it. Brave the silence. See what you can find inside it.

Trim your sails and head for deep water.

I'll see you all on the far shore--meaning Washington State, in a few days. Blessings on all your heads.

Barnum the Labherd: June 1997 to May 2011

You know what? Run. Go ahead.

Chase those bunnies. Chase that cat, too, if you feel like it (though you never did have that segment of Dog DNA, did you?)

Eat whatever you want. Even poop. I don't get to tell you "no" anymore.

Though at this moment I'd give a lot to have one of those rarely-delivered licks-to-the-face. Death Breath included. I'd take it.

I held you in my hands and watched as the poison was injected into your foreleg. You were there--then you weren't. You just stopped.

Where are you now?

Some place beautiful. Lots of legs to sleep against, friendly hands to scratch you behind the ears or slip you a bit of bacon from the table. Rolling fields of rough green grass inhabited by legions of moles and gophers dumb as a lump of clay. Vast shade trees hold cool patches of green where you can sleep. No leashes. Not an off-limits area to be seen anywhere.

Run, my sweet boy, run as fast and as hard as you want, anywhere that suits you. Home is always around the corner where you are now. Warm beds are next to the fireplace or under the desk. (Your favorite.)

I will miss you so goddamn much. I can already feel the dog-sized hole in me. No endorphines to cloak it. I fell into it the moment they took your body out the door. Yeah, some day I'll get out. Right now I don't want to. It hurts so much because you were that big a part of my life. I will wallow in that pain, at least for now.

I couldn't make that ache up, you see; it means you were real.

Just got back from dinner with  meesh and  keovi, I will do the icon-linkie thing when I figure out how, because I don't at the moment, because I'm a dope. But I say to you, good people: they're awesome! What a delightful evening, spent in the company of two charming critters.

Thank you both for a great evening!!

SoCal, it's been fun, but--I hate to say it--it's time to bring things to a close.

You were both very good and amazingly bad for me. The past four years gave me no choice but to grow and grow I did. I could have done without the financial stress, mind you; we don't always get to pick the packaging for our so-called "learning experiences".

This truth I've always known, that SoCal was never going to be home. Some places are an instant fit, others grow on you, but the vast majority won't ever be home, no matter how hard you may try to make yourself stick. I'm built for cold climates. I love the rain. And great big storms, snow, rocky shorelines and quirky places to get a drink, be that coffee, hot chocolate or beer. In other words: the Great Pacific Northwest.

I don't think you suck. I do not hate you, either, though my skin's getting chafed in the way places that aren't home rub you raw, thus the reason I'm heading out now. I want us to part on good terms.

You keep on being yourself. You make a lot of people happy. In July (sorry Mr. Welles!) I will be pulling up the last of my stakes and shooting for a certain spot quite near the Canadian border. Two friends await me there, generous souls willing, for some mad reason, to shelter me while I get my new endeavors going. I hope I'm granted the chance to return the favor, and sooner rather than later.

Peeps of my peeps, Crown Princes and Princesses of SoCal that I have met, let us get together once or thrice before I leave!

Come July: California, adieu!

http://www.projectmessiah.com/x6/shop.html

This appears to be legit. pmG's trying to get their software known and are willing to sell the stuff for an insane price: 10 bucks for the basic, 40 for the pro, if they make their goal. If not, no harm, no foul, no product, no charge.

Don't know anything about the software. If you've experience with Project Messiah, lay it on me. I'm curious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?featur.....;v=xgFkaE_XD4Q

http://www.georgiafurs.com/2011/02/.....heart-surgery/

This is the state we live in. We've got the best health care in the world....if you're part of the top 2%. The rest of us scramble as best we can. Until we get a proper public option, we need to look after each other.

Every little bit helps. Remember that.

.....if the question is about my birthday. I made it another year, WOOT. WOOT, I say, woot.

Merry positive wishes to one and all (most certainly those who responded to my Xmas post, for whom I can give no response, due to Unforeseen Circumstances, which evidently have something to do with a bunch of tards attacking FA). What will the new year hold for us? It's better to consider what we can wring from the bastard's neck. Sometimes life is a wrestling match, people. Take the motherfucker DOWN, and if you can't then give him some scars to remember you by. Go forth and conquer!!

Merry Crispness and a Happy New Year to all y'all!!!

*hugs*

LINKIE: http://www.livestream.com/liveatchezberb

On NAO

High points of the SDCC weekend:

Having  Syrinoth and  Skadjer as house-guests was a grand thing. I wish I'd been in better health. I was not at my sunshiney best but they were as patient and generous a pair of buds as a Berb could hope for. I had a great time with 'em and so did the puppies.

Seeing some of my friends at the event itself was also a great thing. It was worth wading through the riptide of people to see folks I hadn't hugged and bugged for years. They all seem to be doing well, too. Huzzah for some good news in the midst of a harsh year!

And now, praise be to  Fatpanda, we get to find out just how furry Berbalang is. Hot Damn Tamale!

[] you meow/bark to get attention
[] you find pets toys amusing
[] you get hyper by the smell of catnip
[] you growl/hiss when someone gets too close to your food
[] you growl/hiss when someone you dislike is too close to you
[] you purr/shake your leg when someone shows you affection
[] if someone tosses a ball, you chase it and brings it back
Total: 0

[0] you love to be scratched behind the ear
[x] you love fish/meat
[] you like to stick your head out trough the window of a moving car
[] you like when people pet your head
[] people can make you stop doing stuff by hitting you on the nose with a newspaper
[x] you think feathers are fun to play with
Total: 2

[] you sleep a lot during daytime
[] you enjoy scaring birds
[] you lick peoples faces to show you like them
[] you bite people if they annoy you
[] you tend to steal food from your friends/family's plate when you have eaten all of yours
[] milk or water is your favorite drink
Total: 2

[] you own a collar and you enjoy wearing it
[] you own a leash and enjoy wearing it
[] you own animal ears/tail/paws or a fursuit
[x] you enjoy long walks in the park
[] you meow/bark when you see something you want
Total: 3

[] you call your hands and feet "paws"
[] you tilt your head when you do not understand what someone is talking about
[] you run to the door when someone mentions a walk
[x] you really enjoy cuddling
[] you stretch your body and whimper a bit every morning when you wake up
[x] you can wake up and go back to sleep right away after looking around
Total: 5

[] you have your favorite spot besides your bed where you like to sleep
[] you meow or bark very often
[] you hide when you get scared
[] you run to the door to see who it is every time someone comes in to the house
[] you like to chase flying insects and try to catch them with your bare hand
[] you tend to chew on stuff a lot
[] you like to do tricks to get a treat
Total: 5

[] you own a wearable item/tag with your name on it
[] you refer to your self as an animal
[x] your username has something to do with animals
[x] your e-mail has something to do with animals
[] if you get a bleeding wound, you lick it to make it feel better
[x] you look for edible stuff often
Total: 8

[x] you often find yourself looking through the window for a long time
[x] you like to say hi to strangers
[] you like to be petted when you have done something good
[] people think you act like a pet
[] you growl/hiss at stuff you do not like
[] you like to eat grass
[] if you get wet, you shake to get rid of the water
Final Total: 10

Now, take your score and multiply it by two to get your final score.

If being a furry has anything to do with these silly-ass questions, I am 20% furry. Fuckin' A, man. Nuke me from orbit.

LINKIE: http://www.livestream.com/liveatchezberb

On NAO

Hey-lo dere!

Hot Damn Tamale, I swear, Charlie....all of a sudden there's a hundred more of you kind people watching me. Thank you for over and hanging out! I'm happy to have you here.

Folks have helped me come to a conclusion about the animation background idea, Kami in particular. I'm going to run with her suggestion and do the Mountains piece, the Shroom Trees piece and the Clothesline piece in that order. It makes for a nice progression (wilderness to cityscape) and gives YOU-all lots of flexibility when your turn comes to play with 'em. I think I'll expand the Dollop-Homes rough to provide more of the city in the background, and fool with the Temple Grounds piece too, so expect all of those roughs to get taken to a finish over the course of the following weeks and months. Next up is finishing Spanish Afternoon and DeWiwi's trade, which I'm planning to nail down this week. I'll be on Livestream this afternoon from 2pm 'til 4pm (EDIT: that's PST!) at least, maybe 'til 6, depending on how much I'm getting done (or flailing about). Then there's the other roughs that came of last week's adventure, the one that resulted in Dead Stick. MAN it feels GOOD to be PAINTING AGAIN!

To reiterate: I'll be doing these pieces as if they were backgrounds from an animated movie. i expect to play around stylistically; some I hope to give the polish of a Disney background, others will feel like Warner Bros., and others (like Spanish Afternoon) will have a Uesugi-esque touch. If you (yes, YOU) see one and go "Hey, I have an idea how I could plug some characters into that scene!" then note me and I'll use Sendspace to get you the full-size file. When you're satisfied, plug your signature next to mine and upload our collaboration for all the world to see!

*hugs*

I've been battling illness since the beginning of June, which stinks, and I think it's won for today. I will aim to finish up Spanish Afternoon tomorrow, probably late afternoon, 4 pm to 7 pm. Will let you know. Sorry for not showing this afternoon, folks, this bronchitis/lung thing sucks butt.

ALSO: with regard to the previous post and the idea of posting animation backgrounds for you (yes, YOU) to plug characters into, I'm about to upload three possibles in their original roughened state. I'll see which ones get the most attention, if any, and roll from there.

*hugs*

I'll be on the Livestream thing from 12:15 to 2pm, off for a couple hours, then probably back on from 4pm to 6pm, PST. Got another beast I want to wrestle down. Plus I think I can make at least two more paintings out of yesterday's session, maybe three, so there will be more paint-o-jammin' goin' down in Berbytown verra soon.

LINKIE: http://www.livestream.com/liveatchezberb

I've got another idea, though. I have been wanting to make some big, lush, animation-style backgrounds for years. You know what would make a good excuse for painting those backgrounds? YOUR participation. If I were to paint some animation-type settings and put them up here, would any of YOU be willing to populate said backgrounds with a character or two? Doesn't matter what they're doing (though I am a big fan of storytelling: a kid being chased by an adult for stealing an apple pie off a windowsill, or two hobos fishing at a pond, a woodsman off to the forest at the start of a day's work, two oldsters playing chess and arguing at a bistro table, etc. Do that and you'll make me ridiculously happy).

What are your thoughts? If interested, let me know here.

Hey there!

http://www.livestream.com/liveatchezberb

Come on in
Take off your skin
Aaaaand dance around in your BONES

'twas a late late night so I'm downshifting the Livestream event to this affanoom. Will post soon as I'm ready to roll, ninety minutes or so from now.

Berbles

I decided, after watching Thorn of the Rose doing her art thang, that I'm gonna do it too, by God. Tomorrow, probably starting around ten am PST and going 'til I've finished DeWiwi's collab. I'll probably start with a warm-up piece, too. Expect a two to four-hour session.

http://www.livestream.com/liveatchezberb?t=999409

Join me if ye likes!

Berbles

Hokay folks, let's at least set something up so I'm not springing it on you as a surprise every time.

I'm aiming at making this a weekly thing, probably around the same time: Saturdays from 4 to 6, PST. I might do a midweek thing as well, depending on how fired up I am. Is there a general consensus as to when the best times are for doing Livestream shows?

http://www.livestream.com/liveatchezberb


THANK YOU KOMPUTAR. Fucker. >:(

Okay, do-kay, whatever. I was watching that young whippersnapper Thorn Live-Streaming and thought oh HELL WHY NOT.

So. Painting now, for a couple hours or less. Come on by if you like.

Berb

Independent as a hog on ice
Flappety flap flap
Oh fuck

How manly am I?
The manly meme...

01) [ ] You own tools that you use regularly
02) [x] You carry a wallet
03) [x] You prefer movies or shows where there is more action than romance
04) [ ] You spit on the ground when not in a building.
05) [x] You scratch where it itches when it itches
06) [ ] Your idea of good footwear is boots or tough tennis.
07) [ ] Your wardrobe only changes if you gain weight or the clothes fall apart.
08) [x] You don't count calories when eating.
09) [x] You have deodorant strong enough to make you socially acceptable but not strong enough to make you smell like it.
10) [ ] You tend to wipe your hands on your clothes instead of a napkin.

Total So Far: 5

Do you love:
11) [ ] Video games
12) [ ] Working on mechanical items.
13) [ ] Building things.
14) [ ] Working out at a gym machines
15) [ ] Getting in and out of stores as quickly as possible.
16) [ ] Football
17) [ ] Baseball
18) [ ] Wrestling
19) [ ] Boxing
20) [ ] Hunting and/or fishing

Total So Far: 5

Do you shop at:
21) [ ] Home Depot
22) [ ] Lowe's
23) [x] Big and Tall men's stores
24) [ ] Hunting and Fishing supply shops
25) [ ] Auto supply stores or other mechanic shops
26) [x] Hobby shops
27) [x] Comic book stores
28) [ ] Sports supply stores
29) [ ] Video game stores
30) [ ] Electronic supply stores

Total So Far: 8

Do you say:
31) [ ] Son
32) [ ] I can fix it.
33) [ ] Man-up
34) [ ] When I was your age - followed by how far you had to walk and in what weather conditions.
35) [ ] Don't be a wuss.
36) [ ] It's just a scratch
37) [ ] Take it like a man.
38) [ ] That's not how you do it.
39) [x] (Shit)
40) [ ] Here's your (insert profanity and what the person just said).

Total So Far: 9

Do you read:
41) [ ] Field and Stream.
42) [ ] Bear Magazine (There's a bear magazine? For bears? Bears can read?)
43) [ ] Playboy
44) [ ] Sports Illustrated
45) [ ] Pro Football Weekly
46) [x] (European) Comic books
47) [ ] Men's Health
48) [ ] Men's Fitness
49) [ ] Men's Journal
50) [ ] Private Media Group, Inc.

Total: 10

Multiply your total by 2 and then you have your percent: 20%

Yeah, that's about right. Beaten by FatPanda. :/