I'll have to do some fundamental changes to the way I ink and color. I think I need to rely less on solid lines and more on color and value to express form.

I don't like my current style too much.

Commissions:
 randomonlooker

Trades:
 emmielikesfish
 fursonalitydisorder (DONE)
amarathimi @ DA (I'm late!)

http://www.formspring.me/shortwings

It's true. I received the first 4 books of Margery Sharp's Miss Bianca series today, and while they all smell a little like damp storage rooms, the first volume also smells like cut grass and lawn chairs and the second one a lot like peppermint.

And somehow, I thought this was important enough to let you all know.

Commissions:
 randomonlooker (not paid) (okay, now I'm really getting to this, sorry for the wait)

Trades:
 emmielikesfish
 fursonalitydisorder (DONE)
amarathimi @ DA (I'm late!)

http://www.formspring.me/shortwings

...but not with a vengeance. Instead, I bring peace and love.

Cheers,

Commissions:
 randomonlooker (not paid) (planning)
(open slot)

Trades:
 emmielikesfish
 fursonalitydisorder (DONE)
lupineassassin @ DA
amarathimi @ DA (I'm late!)

http://www.formspring.me/shortwings

Yep, me and my brother are moving. Even for the two of us, it'll still be bigger and cheaper than our current ones put together.

Anyways, that means I might be cut off from the internet for a few days. Might. We'll see what happens.

Sit tight!

Commissions:
 randomonlooker (not paid) (planning)
(open slot)

Trades:
 emmielikesfish
 kaittycat (icon trade) (DONE)
 kur-kur (I'm late!) (sketched)
 fursonalitydisorder (DONE)

http://www.formspring.me/shortwings

So there.

http://www.formspring.me/shortwings

Also, thanks to everyone who hinted me animation software in my last journal. I haven't tried any of them yet, but I definitely will, once I'm done with the stuff I'm supposed to be doing.

Commissions:
 randomonlooker (not paid) (planning)
(open slot)

Trades:
 emmielikesfish
 kaittycat (icon trade) (DONE)
 kur-kur (I'm late!) (sketched)
 fursonalitydisorder (DONE)

...can recommend me an art program I could animate with. I want to try animating, it might do loads to help keep my artings consistent.

Commissions:
 randomonlooker (paid) (inking)
 randomonlooker (not paid) (planning)

Trades:
 emmielikesfish
 kaittycat (icon trade)
 tax-rabbit (I'm late!) (sketched)
 kur-kur

Done: (but these people are cool, so I'm going to keep their icons up here for a while)
 kiqo
 swiftcutter

Okay, it might be a good idea to keep track of things I'm supposed to be doing.

Commissions:
 randomonlooker (paid) (inking)
 randomonlooker (not paid) (planning)

Trades:
 kiqo (done)
 emmielikesfish
 kaittycat (icon trade)
 swiftcutter (done?)
 tax-rabbit (I'm late!) (sketched)

On the off chance you're interested in trades or commissions, comment here or note me. You might have to wait a little, though, depending on how crowded the lists above are.

It's on the 21st, so I'm a bit early. Happy FC to the rest of you.

EDIT: Hey peeps, I've decided to do a lot of sketching for practice. So, who wants me to sketch their character? I'll make no promises on the quality, though. :D

Just a splitting, splitting headache.

I passed math. My student benefits are practically guaranteed now for the rest of the year.

Yeah. I hope this year treats you all (even) better than the last!

It's the birthday of "the unconquered sun". How awesome is that? The festival was celebrated in ancient Rome with similar customs (gift giving, feasting) that are done to celebrate Christmas today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn.....n_to_Christmas

The University of Alaska is doing a survey on furry culture, and I wanted to see what it was about. And then, just for the hell of it, I decided to post my answers here, too.

Take it or don't, the link is here anyways: http://uafurvey.org/

You

-Do you think of yourself as a furry?
No

--Why are you furry?
As I said, I do not really consider myself as a "furry", although I acknowledge that people outside the fandom would be likely to label me as such.

In short, I like cartoony, anthropomorphized animals. I like drawing them, looking at them, making up stories about them with my friends on the internet and then trying to illustrate said stories.

-About how many of your friends are furry?
Some

--About many friends do you have?
20

-Does religion play a major part in your life?
No

--If you feel comfortable doing so, please discuss your religious beliefs.
I am an atheist, and would rather religion not play any part in my life.

-If you have someone you think of as a best friend how did you meet that person?
In high school, we had classes together.

--Would this person describe themselves as a furry?
No

--Would you describe this person as a furry?
No

-Do you have friends who you first met online?
Yes

--Would you be as inclined to help them if they encountered life difficulties as you would an offline friend?
To clarify a little on the question above, I have a few people I met online, yet have never met in person. However, I consider these people to be my friends all the same. I do not think "online friends" are inherently any less important than "offline" friends, but instead I think it all depends on your level of interaction.

By all means, I would. However, the great distances involved generally limit our interaction, so besides talking and giving advice, there often isn't all that much I can do.

--Do you often find that you help your friends, online or offline, with life issues/problems?
No, I would not use the word 'often'.

--Are they supportive when you are sad or "down"?
Generally yes, if I choose not to hide it when I have the blues.

-Do you expect to be a furry in five years?
Yes. //Disclaimer: I do not expect to call myself a furry in five years, although I do not see myself liking cartoon animals any less at that time.

-Do you feel comfortable discussing your furryness with people who are not furs?
Yes

--If not who are you uncomfortable talking about your furriness with?
I would like to note that 'furriness' is not really my defining attribute, so I generally do not talk about it very much, and I don't even think there is so much to talk about it, really.

Furries

-What is a furry anyway?
That is a good question. In part, it's the internet punching-bag term for people who have sexual kinks for drawn anthropomorphic animals, and in part it can be used for people who just like to draw, look at or make stories about cartoon animals, such as myself.

It's become such an ambiguous term (and not to mention silly sounding) that I prefer not to use it.

-Do you think that anyone who thinks of themselves as a furry is a furry?
Yes

--Why or why not?
If someone wants to call him/herself a furry, then who am I to argue? It's not like the definition is set in stone, anyways.

The Furry Community

-Please describe the furry community as you perceive it.
I do have somewhat mixed feelings about the community. There are some people involved in the community who are super open about their sexuality and either seemingly want to push it on other people, or otherwise like to flaunt about it excessively. People like these are probably where the community got its internet-stigma.

However, people like that are a minority, at least in my experience. That may either be true, or be because I like to surround myself with classier people. Needless to say, does not solely consist of weird people or I would not want to be a part of it. There are some very cool people around as well.

-What is your favorite aspect of the furry community?
Because anthropomorphic animals do not exist in reality, the community inherently has to rely on art and artists, which I think is the best aspect of the whole shebang. Also, I like to be able to share my art with others who have similar tastes in art.

Your involvement in the Furry Community

-How did you feel about yourself before you joined the furry community?
Regular? There are always ups and downs in life.

-Did your feelings change after you joined the furry community?
No


-Do you feel that being involved in the furry community helps when you encounter stressful life events?
No, not really. My involvement in the "community" has been somewhat loose.


-Have you ever been to a fur con?
No

Today, the infamous cat pianist reputed for numerous kidnappings was finally apprehended, and dozens of cats kept as hostages subsequently freed.

Cat City sleeps safely again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj4RBmU-PIo

And why does the narrator sound so awesome? Well, he should. It's none other than Nick Cave himself.

But seriously, during the whole eternity that FA was down, I only managed to draw two small sketches? I have seriously been slacking off, and that needs to change. I'll never get to the top at this rate.

In my defense, though, a whole cluster of exams is approaching rather fast, so I've been studying hard for the past two weeks. My last exam this year will be on the 17th, and then I'll be free to spend all my time on artistic pursuits instead of having my nose buried in a textbook.

Wish me luck,

I was thinking about getting vaccinated against swine-flu and I just got an email telling me that it'd be my turn. They are not mandatory, but they're offered free of charge and are definitely recommended.

The people I know who've taken it tell me that it makes you feel just like you had swine flu the very next day after the injection. While there's no live (or even dead) virions in the vaccine, there's a compound in it for amplifying the immune reaction of the body, which while making the vaccine more effective, also makes you feel ill. In some cases you may even get a fever, but then that'll be pretty much it. No swine-flu for you.

I would like to hear your thoughts on H1N1 vaccination, and whether you think there's any reason I shouldn't take it. Personally I can't think of any good reason not to, and if you disagree I'm willing to defend my views. Also out of curiosity, I'd like to know how much trouble one has to go through to get a vaccination where you guys live.

Next Tuesday, I have a math exam, which naturally means I'm going to have to get some studying done. It is imperative I pass this exam! Otherwise I might not be able to afford my apartment anymore!

I know most of you live in countries where college costs money, so let me clear this up. Yes, where I'm from, we get paid to go to college! And this is not a special scholarship either, it's a standard procedure. At any rate, I get paid only if my studies are advancing, and to advance, I need to pass exams.

How this impacts my ability to draw and post new art, I don't know, but I can't promise a multitude of updates either. I'll do my best though!

I think my skills as an artist are regressing again.

It's like I'm Peter Pan and I've forgotten how to fly. The memories of flying still linger, but they are starting to feel like faraway fancies and daydreams of yesterday. Looking at this site now, it's like going through someone else's galleries and sketchbooks. And it's not a very happy feeling.

You see, there's this Comic Strip Superstar contest going on, and from a total of 5000 entries, Dana Simpson's (the author of Ozy & Millie) comic strip "Girl" has made it into the final top ten!

However, because now the winner will be picked by popular vote, we need YOU to go and vote for "Girl". So, if you want to lend a hand to the person who gave the world Ozy and Millie (and you know you do), follow this link:
http://www.amazon.com/books-used-books-textbooks/b/?ie=UTF8&node=2128878011
have look at the contestants, then vote for Girl.

You need to have an Amazon.com account to be able to vote, but registering really takes just a single minute (I know because I had to register) and all you have to give out is your name and email.

Voting is only until the 6th, so don't leave it to tomorrow! http://www.amazon.com/books-used-books-textbooks/b/?ie=UTF8&node=2128878011

And because of that, you will now have to go here
http://pics.livejournal.com/shortwi.....s/pic/0000d5qh
to see the sneak peek I was supposed to post.

In other news, (and I might have mentioned this before ;) I just got a hold of the old 2D animation film Cats Don't Dance, and holy jumping mother o'God in a side-car with chocolate jimmies and a lobster bib, is that one good movie or what! I've only watched so far some 5 minutes from the beginning because I still have 2 exams I have to study for, but I loved every second of it. Cats Don't Dance is like pure, distilled joy and happiness!

How did I not know such a film even existed? Curse my geographical handicap for these things!

EDIT: It's cool now, FA's behaving nicely again.

I just got a hold of the old 2D animation film Cats Don't Dance, and holy jumping mother o'God in a side-car with chocolate jimmies and a lobster bib, is that one good movie or what! I've only watched so far some 5 minutes from the beginning because I still have 2 exams I have to study for, but I loved every second of it. Cats Don't Dance is like pure, distilled joy and happiness!

How did I not know such a film even existed? Curse my geographical handicap for these things!

Next week is riddled with all kinds of exams, and I'm a little behind my study schedule, so I don't know how much time I'll be able to spend online. So expect only minimal updates until the next weekend!

...some days I just don't think I'm getting anywhere.

...meaning sketches, inked, inked and colored, fully colored and shaded with backgrounds, or something like that, would YOU be game? How much would you be ready to pay? I was thinking around $5 - $15 (about 3,5€ - 10€ ).

You see, I'm finally planning on leaving the nest, but there's only the small but significant problem that such a plan usually costs money. I've been trying to get a part-time job, but the job market for people with next to no education (such as me) is dismal to say the least.

However, being a full-time student, the Finnish government will sponsor me with roughly 500€/month, provided that I live somewhere else than in my parents' basement. The minimum rent for small apartments in these parts hovers a little over that, so if I can scrape together that difference (I'm looking at around 30€/month) I'll be in the cool.

So if you'd be willing to commission me, LET ME KNOW, and thanks for keeping me sheltered.

...and all the people reading this, especially those who live in my household. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

What do I want for Christmas? World peace? Of course, that's a given, but in the event that it cannot be acquired, I would also like to have the following fleeting material possessions:

- Ozy & Millie albums. Although I'd like to have them all, any will do, really. There's only so many presents I deserve this year
- Flight comic anthologies. Any volume will do, although again, I'd like to have them all
- This shirt: http://www.thearrogantatheist.com/mensbbq.html Classy!
- A towel with the words "Don't Panic" written in large, friendly letters
- Love, but in case there's a shortage of it this year, I guess cash could do too. Or maybe not. Scratch that. Can't buy me love! Unless, of course, you visit the animal shelter and get me a puppy or something
- Artwork, because it's the thought that counts, and art is thought made solid
- Or, you could surprise me. I'd prefer it to be a nice kind of surprise, but meh. A surprise's a surprise.

What would YOU like for Christmas?