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Richard Bartrop
Posted 9 months agoAs several folks have already commented, artist Richard Bartrop (
rjbartrop) passed away last week.
I'd known him online and off under various names (a couple of which I didn't know were the same person at first) for many years now. Heck, up until last year, my folder for his work was the largest artist-specific folder I had on FA. While I wouldn't call us close friends (we didn't talk back and forth really often enough for that) we definitely had close friends in common, and a number of specific interests in common, not the least of which was a preference for more 'pin-up' style art over more explicitly X-rated work.
Given that I'm at least somewhat aphantasiac (I don't really 'see' mental images the way a lot of people do), I tend to rely on artists capable of working from verbal descriptions to give me a first visual image of what a character actually looked like, and Richard provided the first picture of more of my characters than anybody else. Especially given his own work with Zaibatsu Tears, that included my own cyberpunk characters, such as Huntress.
MFF was also last weekend, and it had a 'heist' theme... so I was showing around /view/30930627/ to a number of folks at the con, even before I'd heard the news. When I finish the book, I think I'll need to add his name to the dedications.
I'm honestly not sure what to say, I just wanted to get a few memories out into the open.
rjbartrop) passed away last week.I'd known him online and off under various names (a couple of which I didn't know were the same person at first) for many years now. Heck, up until last year, my folder for his work was the largest artist-specific folder I had on FA. While I wouldn't call us close friends (we didn't talk back and forth really often enough for that) we definitely had close friends in common, and a number of specific interests in common, not the least of which was a preference for more 'pin-up' style art over more explicitly X-rated work.
Given that I'm at least somewhat aphantasiac (I don't really 'see' mental images the way a lot of people do), I tend to rely on artists capable of working from verbal descriptions to give me a first visual image of what a character actually looked like, and Richard provided the first picture of more of my characters than anybody else. Especially given his own work with Zaibatsu Tears, that included my own cyberpunk characters, such as Huntress.
MFF was also last weekend, and it had a 'heist' theme... so I was showing around /view/30930627/ to a number of folks at the con, even before I'd heard the news. When I finish the book, I think I'll need to add his name to the dedications.
I'm honestly not sure what to say, I just wanted to get a few memories out into the open.
New Year
Posted a year agoI don't use journals here much, which should be obvious to everybody considering how long the last one has been up...
Anyhow, most of last year was kind of a full scale 'scrambling out of quicksand' year for me, with a whole lot of mess going on (not much particularly major on its own, but just a constant stream of little things) and the plan this year is to try to get a little more of the background work done so I don't feel like I've got this massive pile of 'things that need to be done' ready to fall over on me at any moment.
Mostly what this means is that I may be a little less active on the Thursday Prompt as I focus more on completing some of the writing that has been plotted out already, rather than letting my brain take off with even more new story ideas. Not that I have too much hope of actually keeping my brain from jumping off the cliff on that, I'll just be trying to focus more on ongoing stuff. And, of course, if any of the Thursday Prompt ideas play into what I was already doing anyway, that's not a new thing for me...
Amongst other things, I really want to actually get Huntress done sometime in the next few months and bounce it off a couple of pre-readers before seeing if anybody is interested in publishing it. The main story was actually done... checks ... four years ago. Gah. But having written the story serially in FNC over a few years, it has internal inconsistencies, and quite frankly I'm a better writer now than when I started, and have a much better idea of where I'm going with this. When I started writing this I had the basic idea of how it would end. By the time I got to the climactic scene I realized I'd made the antagonist too smart for the original plotline and had to completely rewrite how it was going to end.
Not to mention that, honestly, I haven't really been reading much the last couple of years, not even of those people I'm actively following. I need to take at least a little time to do that as well.
But first, the cleanup so I don't feel like I'm living under a tower of stuff that's going to fall over on me any minute now...
Anyhow, most of last year was kind of a full scale 'scrambling out of quicksand' year for me, with a whole lot of mess going on (not much particularly major on its own, but just a constant stream of little things) and the plan this year is to try to get a little more of the background work done so I don't feel like I've got this massive pile of 'things that need to be done' ready to fall over on me at any moment.
Mostly what this means is that I may be a little less active on the Thursday Prompt as I focus more on completing some of the writing that has been plotted out already, rather than letting my brain take off with even more new story ideas. Not that I have too much hope of actually keeping my brain from jumping off the cliff on that, I'll just be trying to focus more on ongoing stuff. And, of course, if any of the Thursday Prompt ideas play into what I was already doing anyway, that's not a new thing for me...
Amongst other things, I really want to actually get Huntress done sometime in the next few months and bounce it off a couple of pre-readers before seeing if anybody is interested in publishing it. The main story was actually done... checks ... four years ago. Gah. But having written the story serially in FNC over a few years, it has internal inconsistencies, and quite frankly I'm a better writer now than when I started, and have a much better idea of where I'm going with this. When I started writing this I had the basic idea of how it would end. By the time I got to the climactic scene I realized I'd made the antagonist too smart for the original plotline and had to completely rewrite how it was going to end.
Not to mention that, honestly, I haven't really been reading much the last couple of years, not even of those people I'm actively following. I need to take at least a little time to do that as well.
But first, the cleanup so I don't feel like I'm living under a tower of stuff that's going to fall over on me any minute now...
A little folder rearrangement and other things
Posted 3 years agoSo, I've had a few long-overdue things to do here in terms of how images are categorized.
First I created a folder specifically for characters that overlap with some of the RP I've done with
newtypex over the years. Sara's in a few of them as well, but Sara/Skunkworks has her own folder already (and she actually predates those RP sessions, if not by much).
I may add a couple of other new characters folders as well, it just takes a while to go back and find some of the older images.
The other case involved
Virginia_Baker, who contacted me a little over a year ago now with regards to commissions, and who I created a folder for. Now, she'd always said that she was working as an agent for someone else, so I wasn't entirely surprised when that somebody else (
-LedyKatyMoor-) showed up and started posting some of those same images (though it was interesting that I heard about it on Discord rather than here, and a month and a half after the first image was posted; I guess people figured I already knew somehow so nobody mentioned it). So I've finally gone through that folder and re-labeled all the images to list Virginia_Baker as the agent and -LedyKatyMoor- as the artist, as well as linking those images to the actual postings from the artist.
That said, as much as I like the artist's work, the fact that the artist pretty openly lists involvement with NFTs (including an OpenSea membership) is something I'd prefer not to deal with, so I probably won't be getting art from them again. Personal preference, and it's not as though I'm lacking in artists I can commission.
First I created a folder specifically for characters that overlap with some of the RP I've done with
newtypex over the years. Sara's in a few of them as well, but Sara/Skunkworks has her own folder already (and she actually predates those RP sessions, if not by much).I may add a couple of other new characters folders as well, it just takes a while to go back and find some of the older images.
The other case involved
Virginia_Baker, who contacted me a little over a year ago now with regards to commissions, and who I created a folder for. Now, she'd always said that she was working as an agent for someone else, so I wasn't entirely surprised when that somebody else (
-LedyKatyMoor-) showed up and started posting some of those same images (though it was interesting that I heard about it on Discord rather than here, and a month and a half after the first image was posted; I guess people figured I already knew somehow so nobody mentioned it). So I've finally gone through that folder and re-labeled all the images to list Virginia_Baker as the agent and -LedyKatyMoor- as the artist, as well as linking those images to the actual postings from the artist.That said, as much as I like the artist's work, the fact that the artist pretty openly lists involvement with NFTs (including an OpenSea membership) is something I'd prefer not to deal with, so I probably won't be getting art from them again. Personal preference, and it's not as though I'm lacking in artists I can commission.
CanFurence scanning and signatures
Posted 3 years agoGoing through all the images from CanFurence, and have discovered that one of the pictures in my 'dancing' sketchbook isn't signed by the artist at all (does anybody know who the person was near the hall entry for the Artist's Alley on the last day that was doing $15 for 15 minute sketches?) and one of the pictures in my superheroes book has a very simple and generic signature that's just a few curls and not a name I can read (she was at the second table from the far end on Saturday, I think?). There was one other person who hadn't signed the picture originally but her I managed to catch and get to sign it before I took it home. I've had this happen occasionally at previous conventions as well.
Artists, please sign your pictures somewhere! Or at least make sure there's a business card tucked into the book at that point. I generally don't post things unless I know who to credit the picture to; aside from the actual legal requirements for that since the artist still technically holds the copyright, it's just good manners, and it helps show other people I know what artists are out there. But if I don't know who did an image, I'm probably not going to post it.
Artists, please sign your pictures somewhere! Or at least make sure there's a business card tucked into the book at that point. I generally don't post things unless I know who to credit the picture to; aside from the actual legal requirements for that since the artist still technically holds the copyright, it's just good manners, and it helps show other people I know what artists are out there. But if I don't know who did an image, I'm probably not going to post it.
July and conventions
Posted 3 years agoSo, I'm basically not at work all of July.
First couple of weeks I'll be with family over in B.C.; then I'll be attending Fur-Eh in Alberta from the 14th to the 16th; then I'll be at home doing some cleaning up and fixing things; and then I'll be at CanFurence in Ottawa the 29th to 31st.
Among other things it will be the first time I've been on an airplane since MFF in 2020, and the first time on a jet plane in even longer.
Anyway, it will be good to see people again; I haven't seen family in three years, and I haven't been to Fur-Eh in four.
First couple of weeks I'll be with family over in B.C.; then I'll be attending Fur-Eh in Alberta from the 14th to the 16th; then I'll be at home doing some cleaning up and fixing things; and then I'll be at CanFurence in Ottawa the 29th to 31st.
Among other things it will be the first time I've been on an airplane since MFF in 2020, and the first time on a jet plane in even longer.
Anyway, it will be good to see people again; I haven't seen family in three years, and I haven't been to Fur-Eh in four.
CanFurence scanning, Furnal Equinox, and beyond
Posted 3 years agoSo, after three months, I finally got my big graphical scanner dug out and started up again... it had been having some odd issues before thanks to a power outage at exactly the wrong time, but that seems to be done with now. (Probably was one of those mechanical 'pull the gear up until it reaches the sensor, and if it's already past the sensor when we start then we don't know when to stop' sort of things, and was fixed just by moving it around some while it was off.) I've got a dozen or so images to scan, anyway, and since I try to stick to only posting one thing a day I won't have them all posted before I go to 
FurnalEquinox
Yes, I am going to FE; it's not like I even have to stay in the hotel, so it's a day trip that I can do fairly easily since I just have to take the subway down from near where I live down to Union and the convention isn't far from there. Definitely going to be there. And I'm fully vaccinated and boosted.
I'm also currently planning on hitting up Fur-Eh for the second time ever later this year. If I wrangle things right, I can do the family summer cabin and Fur-Eh in the same trip. (I would be visiting my parents before going to the convention, as I'm a lot less likely to be carrying anything contagious in that direction.)
Not exactly getting 'back to normal' (not that I ever really was by most definitions), but at least getting chances to see friends again.
FurnalEquinoxYes, I am going to FE; it's not like I even have to stay in the hotel, so it's a day trip that I can do fairly easily since I just have to take the subway down from near where I live down to Union and the convention isn't far from there. Definitely going to be there. And I'm fully vaccinated and boosted.
I'm also currently planning on hitting up Fur-Eh for the second time ever later this year. If I wrangle things right, I can do the family summer cabin and Fur-Eh in the same trip. (I would be visiting my parents before going to the convention, as I'm a lot less likely to be carrying anything contagious in that direction.)
Not exactly getting 'back to normal' (not that I ever really was by most definitions), but at least getting chances to see friends again.
CanFurence report and scanning
Posted 4 years agoSo, CanFurence went quite well, especially for my first con in 23 months (previous one being MFF in 2019). They hit the attendance cap of 500 people, but CanFurence has always been a relatively cozy and friendly con of about that size anyway, so it didn't feel all that much different aside from having limits on how many people could be in the dealer's room at once. (Limits which I know a number of the dealers liked anyway as it avoided people crowding around the tables so much.) As a social event it was fun, getting to see people I hadn't seen in a couple of years. There weren't a large number of panels, and about the only one I actually went to was the Greymuzzle panel. I probably should have actually brought my ConFurence 3 T-shirt from 1992 for the bragging rights.
I did get a few new sketches at the convention, as well as a couple of new little sketchbooks (in part because a lot of the people there had drawn in every single one of my sketchbooks already, since both they and I go to all the relatively local cons), but scanning them will have to wait until I did the scanner out from under nearly two years of disuse and make sure it still works. In the mean time, I do have a few digital commissions that I've received in the last couple of days as well which I'll be posting.
I did get a few new sketches at the convention, as well as a couple of new little sketchbooks (in part because a lot of the people there had drawn in every single one of my sketchbooks already, since both they and I go to all the relatively local cons), but scanning them will have to wait until I did the scanner out from under nearly two years of disuse and make sure it still works. In the mean time, I do have a few digital commissions that I've received in the last couple of days as well which I'll be posting.
Going to CanFurence
Posted 4 years agoYes, next weekend I will be off to Ottawa for CanFurence, marking my first in-person convention since MFF in 2019. So just about one month short of two years.
What a long, strange trip it has been, indeed.
I'll be taking the train up to Ottawa, as usual, because why not?
What a long, strange trip it has been, indeed.
I'll be taking the train up to Ottawa, as usual, because why not?
Writing
Posted 4 years agoUnfortunately my motivation for writing has been rather stop and start of late, depending a lot on my sleep schedule and how much energy and time I have that isn't being taken up by other things.
I currently have a somewhat X rated story that's sitting with someone else because it involves one of their characters as well (including at least two sequel ideas in that universe), ideas for the Sketch Upgrade story (and I may just skip the chapter I've developed a mental block on and move past it, since it's more for pacing anyway and isn't set to a specific time while the chapter after it is more plot-crucial and a 'tings change here' situation), the big Huntress cyberpunk novel I need to re-edit because some of the earlier chapters no longer really work with what comes later (a hazard when you're serializing something over several years), as well as another short story idea for a friend here that I've mentioned, and other semi-abandoned ideas I should get back to. Which all kind of adds 'Paradox of Choice' on top of the motivation and energy issues.
I am still planning on getting back to things, of course.
I currently have a somewhat X rated story that's sitting with someone else because it involves one of their characters as well (including at least two sequel ideas in that universe), ideas for the Sketch Upgrade story (and I may just skip the chapter I've developed a mental block on and move past it, since it's more for pacing anyway and isn't set to a specific time while the chapter after it is more plot-crucial and a 'tings change here' situation), the big Huntress cyberpunk novel I need to re-edit because some of the earlier chapters no longer really work with what comes later (a hazard when you're serializing something over several years), as well as another short story idea for a friend here that I've mentioned, and other semi-abandoned ideas I should get back to. Which all kind of adds 'Paradox of Choice' on top of the motivation and energy issues.
I am still planning on getting back to things, of course.
So, a little bit of a plug...
Posted 4 years agoA little late for me to have noticed it, but the Celestial Dancer commission I got from 
GoldenDruid has limited edition prints on sale over at https://goldendruid.com/shop/canvas.....estial-dancer/.
(I knew this was going to happen, but I suspect it was announced on Twitter, which I wasn't following.)
GoldenDruid has limited edition prints on sale over at https://goldendruid.com/shop/canvas.....estial-dancer/.(I knew this was going to happen, but I suspect it was announced on Twitter, which I wasn't following.)
Going to MFF
Posted 6 years agoI am planning on being at MFF this December. It will be the third time I've been there: I was at both the 10th (before they moved to the convention centre) and 15th MFFs, so it seemed appropriate to be there for the 20th as well.
Looking forward to it. I'll be seeing a lot of you there!
Looking forward to it. I'll be seeing a lot of you there!
At CanFurence
Posted 6 years agoAnd, once again, at Canfurence. Already got art by the guest of honour, Betsy the Beaver; will have to scan it to show people once I get home.
Scanning and life
Posted 6 years agoSo, over the last couple of weeks I've had...
- Crazy time at work trying to finish a major project that has been eating my life for the last couple of years
- Panicked (and ultimately incomplete) preparation for a convention
- The convention itself (which was fun and introduced me to some new people)
- Crazy time at work trying to finish off another major project that had been on hold for months because of the previous major project
- My home computer primary hard drive dying literally the night before I was about to copy everything off of it
- Pathfinder gaming over Skype
- Issues rebuilding my home computer because UEFI can be annoyingly particular about things
- My first unscheduled Saturday in three weeks starting off with a text message from my boss because a customer site for the first major project had run into a bug that hadn't shown up in testing
....... yeah, I haven't had time to scan anything from Furnal Equinox yet. That will come soon. But first, here's an image I commissioned a while back that I received while dealing with the dead drive, finally posted for all to see.
- Crazy time at work trying to finish a major project that has been eating my life for the last couple of years
- Panicked (and ultimately incomplete) preparation for a convention
- The convention itself (which was fun and introduced me to some new people)
- Crazy time at work trying to finish off another major project that had been on hold for months because of the previous major project
- My home computer primary hard drive dying literally the night before I was about to copy everything off of it
- Pathfinder gaming over Skype
- Issues rebuilding my home computer because UEFI can be annoyingly particular about things
- My first unscheduled Saturday in three weeks starting off with a text message from my boss because a customer site for the first major project had run into a bug that hadn't shown up in testing
....... yeah, I haven't had time to scan anything from Furnal Equinox yet. That will come soon. But first, here's an image I commissioned a while back that I received while dealing with the dead drive, finally posted for all to see.
On a train
Posted 6 years agoProbably should have posted earlier, but as of December the 28th I boarded The Canadian train in Vancouver, to arrive back in Toronto on New Year's Day. Should be fun. Already seen some elk around Jasper, Alberta.
At Canfurence
Posted 7 years agoSee some of you at 
canfurence!
canfurence!Grandville: Force Majeure
Posted 8 years agoBack from Furnal Equinox
Posted 8 years agoNot that it was much of a trip, given that I live in town and this year the convention was right on the subway downtown rather than out by the airport...
Anyhow, scanning and posting stuff bit by bit. I mostly tried to focus on artists that I didn't already have half a dozen images from this year, so several new people will show up in the postings.
Anyhow, scanning and posting stuff bit by bit. I mostly tried to focus on artists that I didn't already have half a dozen images from this year, so several new people will show up in the postings.
Scanning stuff
Posted 10 years agoSo, I'm finally getting around to scanning some of the pictures I've collected in my sketchbooks over the last several years. (Haven't even started on my first sketchbook which dates back to 1992.) Most of them aren't going to be posted until after I've had a chance to check with the artist about whether or no they want it posted, so expect things to come out in dribs and drabs over the next few months. (And given I've had artists want to rip pages out of my book before, I know things like Benton Bunnel's pic likely won't ever get posted. Not to mention that one would probably require a good deal of historical explanation anyway...)
Wanted to get at least some of this done before FA:United.
Wanted to get at least some of this done before FA:United.
