November 2011
October 2011
I like EVERYTHING about you.
And I love you, sweetheart. <3
I like your drawing style more than pretty much any other artist's. Though I suppose that's true for most people who follow you. I mostly love the way you draw Jeanne because it makes me feel a lot better about myself. And lots of other things but now I feel like a creeper so yeah. |:
asdfghjkl
That’s, oh, gosh. Thank you! I’m flailing a little bit at this one, I don’t quite know what to say. But I’m really flattered! To hear that kind of compliment is just…wow. That’s far too kind of you.
And I’m glad you feel that way about Jeanne, and that my art with her makes you feel better! Don’t worry, I didn’t think this was creepy at all. c:
Frankly anyone who's down with the Qunari is down with me. But I also find that you enjoy your craft and I absolutely love the effort you put into your worldbuilding! It gives everything roots :)
ATAASH QUNARI \o/
My craft, I’ve never heard it put that way before, but I like it! Having roots to everything feels good, it helps things mesh for me…some things are better kept mysterious, but I love questioning and going after all the little details. It’s good to know other people appreciate it too!
You're funny, and sweet, and you have mad skills at drawing and character design. And I love how you draw my shaggy boy. ♥♥♥♥
You are also quite amazing, and I’m so glad we finally struck up conversation! There is much plotting to be had in our future. :D
I LOVE your art style, it inspires me to keep drawing and try to refine my own style and get better. BTW I hope you feel better~
Yes! Keep drawing! It is always awesome to strive forward and keep going. It’s super frustrating sometimes, and there are days when I feel completely wiped out and like I’m not going anywhere, but it’s important to press on.
…That could apply to more things than just drawing, though I still need to take that advice in a lot of other areas in my life as well. ; ;
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoy my art, and I appreciate the well wishes.
I lahv yo face in more ways than seven. You're incredibly sweet and awesome and put up with me in my violent asshole moments. (I.E. Suggesting you throw a brick at the guys knocking on your door yesterday. They deserved it.) Plus I'm amazed we've been working on our stuff for so long at the pace we have. You inspire me to keep my brain from atrophying, even if it's just for fandom benefit.
More ways than seven? Jen, careful, that sounds rather suggestive! ;o
I get kinda sad when people say that I put up with them. I mean, I’m a hypocrite in that sense, I’ve said it too—but I’m not putting up with you. You’re my friend, I genuinely enjoy talking to you, and being able to have you around—even just for a chat—makes my day so much better. There are a few people I’ve only ever had the chance to speak with online that kind of brighten my life and make things easier just by being around.
The creative wellspring we’ve got between us is just—phenomenal. Seems like we can’t go more than a few days without thinking of some new idea and figuring out how to implement it. The challenge of figuring out how things fit and tie together keeps me thinking when I feel like I’ve hit a wall on what I can manage myself.
So…yeah. Sometimes I feel like I stumbled into DARP, but I met some really fantastic people because I decided to take that chance. And I’m incredibly grateful that you’re one of them.
Artistic envy aside, I really admire the amount of thought and passion that you put into your favorite characters and stories. You always make me look at a character from a different view even if I don't agree with them, and I think that's a wonderful thing to find in any fandom.
The amount of discussion that goes on in the various parts of fandom that I like hanging around is really fascinating. There are times when I’ve been pretty adamant about my thoughts on a character, but it’s awesome to see debate that makes me go back and see things that weren’t there for me before, whether they’re strengths or flaws.
I love finding all those details, and it makes me really happy to hear that other people enjoy it too. <3 Thank you, dear~
Not so secretly, you are a talented, wonderful person who was always friendly when I was bumbling my way around tf2 LOL That sort of thing sticks with a person.
Aww! I didn’t think you were bumbling at all, Alice was a great character! I’m just sad I never really got the chance to interact with her, and with you! But I am glad we’ve been chatting more lately, I’d love to do more of that. :D
Reblog if you want your followers to tell you one thing they secretly like about you.
mmm or just ask me things while I work on ask box prompts and have a party that this ring isnt due until wednesday
Most of you know me by now. Constant need for an ego boost lately.
(Especially now that life is sort of sucking outside fandom.)
I am not feeling very awesome at present, so. There’s that.
Or just ask me things…
the first cut (deathfic, malcolm and family)
blame choowy for this! and the weather, i guess. it is snowy and cold and blustery and it inspires moods. everyone keeps malcolm’s beard to the standards he—and they—have grown accustomed. just a short little exercise in making myself miserable. then choowy made some amazing pictures for it which i feel so like, sneaky and naughty posting here, because obviously she drew them and not me and just look at the pictures. OKAY? okay.
THE FIRST CUT
I.
The first thing Leandra noticed when they met was the beard. ‘That’s…quite a beard,’ she said, and for a moment thought she sounded like her brother, which made her ashamed. She hadn’t meant it that way—it was thick, well-kept, obviously a point of pride and personal grooming, but it came before everything, even before the glint in its owner’s warm eyes or the flash of teeth when he smiled.‘I thought,’ Malcolm confessed a few weeks later, ‘that I was going to have to shave it off because of you. Carver had a bet running and everything—Tobrius lost five coppers saying I would.’
‘And you?’ Leandra asked. ‘What did you bet?’
‘I bet on the beard,’ Malcolm replied. ‘…And on the triumph of romance too, of course.’
Leandra touched it for the first time that night, fingers against dark bristles, thumbs against the corners of Malcolm’s mouth.
She holds him steady the same way now, on the bed beside him, but his back rests against her chest, and he doesn’t cover her hands with his. She wets the blade in the bucket and dries it against a rag, folded neatly on her lap, dark hair scattered stiff on off-white cotton.
‘You know just the way I like it, don’t you,’ Malcolm says.
Oh goodness. Oh man. Okay, I have to say something on this.
Shimmy’s writing is always incredibly striking. It’s difficult for me to describe, to fully depict just how much I appreciate it: there is so much emotion, so much subtlety, packed into every word. With just a few short paragraphs, she can fully capture a moment in a way that leaves me completely speechless. Sometimes it’s humourous, sometimes it’s very thought-provoking, but it’s always done in a way that tends to stick with you ages after you’ve finished reading it.
But this…I am. Just. I am literally wiping at my face, getting all bleary-eyed and really, really sad. My heart aches over this batch. The parts with Leandra and Garrett in particular just about slayed me; there is so much love and pain and oh my god Malcolm you are the best.
And then, of course, a perfect visual accompaniment: Choowy’s artwork. I’m absolutely in love with the way Choowy draws; the sketchy lines, the way colour is implemented, and how every emotion is perfectly carried out whether it’s in the form of a not-quite-smile or the slump of a character’s back. I could gush about it forever.
A lot of people have made this observation, and I agree; Shimmy and Choowy as a writing-and-drawing pair are an awesome match. I get excited every time I see something of theirs on my dash, and I can’t wait to see what else they come up with in the future.
500 followers milestone event thingie
I’ve been thinking of what I’m going to do once this happens (and it did happened, faster than I thought it would be).
I’d like to say thank you to all of you by running a give away of some sort.
Reblog this post for a chance in getting:
- 1 sketch card done in Copic, sent to wherever you are.
- 2 winners x 1 sketch card done in pencil, sent to wherever you are.
- 2 winners x 1 digital lineart.
Rules as follows:
- No multiple reblog, just once per person.
- I’ll draw a random number for each prize.
- If you win, I’ll contact you through tumblr ask/submit, so please enable your ask box/submission.
- You can request a single character only, and provide me with reference.
- I can do suggestive/sexy pose, but nothing too explicit since I will need to send them out through mail.
- The reblog event will end on 1st of November, 10 AM Jakarta time. I will draw the lot after that.
I think that’s it, and hopefully this will go smoothly XD
<3<3<3
***LOL SMOOOOOOTH, SELF. It’s already nearing the end of October X’D
An early birthday gift arrived today!
Jen got me a little mouse, which I think is her way of telling me I’m going to have to play L4D2 and other such games with her and Shy from now on.
So teeny tiny adorable
(Thank yooouuu, Jennnn <3 lahv yo face)
And I answered the door half-asleep, hair mussed everywhere, in my Morrigan Disapproves shirt. I’m sure the delivery guy was super impressed.
You are amazing, wonderful, great, and terrific all mixed into one.
AWW what!
That is a lot of awesome things to be all at once! And I’m super flattered you think so, Anon. Thank you, that was very sweet. c:
Suggestions for Fan Week 31st Oct to 6th Nov
Here are the suggestions we’ve collected so far. Reblog or reply with your choice or something else entirely that you want to see!
Male Characters:
- Loghain Week
- Duncan Week
- Cullen/Cullen Porn Week
- Carver Week **
- Oghren Week
- New suggestion: Justice Week **
Non-gendered Themes:
- Pole Dancing Week ***
- Dog Week
- Halloween Week *
Let me say once again that we’re not attached to this method of polling to decide the next fan week. If a large portion of the fandom decides to hold a Week on their own, we’ll gladly follow/reblog it. Or if any one has different ideas about how to go about it, we’ll be happy to hear those too.
Updating with the tally so far.
Tossing my vote in for Loghain week!
Okay I am totally biased here
but
I’m tossing in my vote for a Cullen week.
BECAUSE
November 6th is my birthday and I would probably flip all the shit if the last day of Cullen Week was my birthday.
asdfghjkl
ANYWAY. SO THERE’S THAT. /two cents
I AM LATE AS FUCK FOR HONESTY HOUR BUT IDGAF. How do you deal with writer's/artist's block?
HONESTY HOURS ARE ALL THE HOURS
Hmm. Writer’s and artist’s blocks…yep, those are a bane on someone trying to get work done. Happens a lot. They also tend to give me the worst migraines. :x
Things that help me out:
- Putting my music on shuffle and seeing what comes out of it. A lot of people make playlists that adhere to whatever they’re working on, and that’s awesome. They can really help to get the creativity going. But sometimes someone can listen to the playlists they’ve always had and get nothing—so, you know, try playing something you don’t usually listen to! Sometimes the new songs can rouse up ideas and thoughts you hadn’t considered before.
- Go searching for prompts. One-word or one-phrase prompts tend to work best. They’re usually used for writing—I used to write a lot of one-sentence fics based on prompts like that, and I’m thinking of picking it up again—but they can just as easily be used for art, as well. There are entire communities on Livejournal devoted to lists of prompts like that, or they can be easily found elsewhere too!
- Doing random everyday stuff and turning your thoughts towards stories. Yes, a lot of ideas come from thinking in the shower. (I do that a lot.) And I hate cleaning and chores, but it’s easier to get through them when my mind is otherwise occupied—and with your hands working on something other than staring at a blank page or tapping at a keyboard, sometimes the ideas can come along easier as well.
Of course a lot of the time I end up just staring at the ceiling or the blank page and going WHY WON’T YOU COME TO ME, I NEED TO WORK
And then I scroll Tumblr. :Y
blamethetemplar submitted:
Sending you two-part question because I can. And I love yo face.
What makes Jeanne so special to you? It doesn’t have to be something specific, but specifics are nice.
Also, let’s face it. Jeanne has changed a lot since you introduced her in DARP. Was this something you decided all that once (like when we started outlining back in June), or was it more gradual than that?
Blah blah wall text! (No, seriously, wall o’ text)
youtu*be/ALCx4tEeT_E
AHAHAHAAA, ohhhh my god.
Okay, confession time: I found out about the Disney-and-other-cartoon pairing crossover videos some months back? And out of some kind of curiosity I decided to click through some of them.
It’s…really creative, to say the least. And the mash-up videos have their elements of being both hilariously bad and really well put-together. Sometimes they interest me in finding out what the explanations are for those pairings that their respective creators have!
(One of them made me go look up and watch Rock and Rule, which I hadn’t actually seen before! So there’s that.)
are jeanne's freckles canon for her now
I haven’t drawn her with them since! I dunno, I’m still deciding.
Do you think about the possibilities of Cullen and Jeanne's future a lot? Can't they live happily ever after and have their super cute babies and be a happy family? 8C
The possibilities of their future? Well…there’s a lot of AUs that get played with and whatnot, but in canon terms…
Babies are pretty much impossible. For one, Jeanne’s a Grey Warden, which gives her a slim-to-none chance of being able to procreate. And even if she did manage a pregnancy, there’s a pretty high chance that the child or children could turn out to be mages—which in itself is not a bad thing, but given how events are orchestrated in Thedas, neither parent would be enthusiastic about bringing a kid into that kind of environment. The Circles and Templars have both separated from the Chantry, the world’s in crisis—things would be dangerous for their kids even if they weren’t taken away at the first sign of magic.
As for being together at all, that’d probably be more of a risk they’re willing to take, but that’s dangerous too—a Templar and a mage couple? That already has a lot of implications before everything starts turning towards war and revolution; one can only imagine what’ll happen once things get more chaotic. (That is a regularly discussed plot point, though…)
Happily-ever-afters seem to be few and far-between in Thedas. XD Especially given that all the heroes and big names seem to disappear before they have a chance to settle down from their adventures.
But there are plans! Kind of. You’ll see.
Most embarrassing moments?
TOO MANY.
No really, I do that thing where I can do something that’s only a minor social embarrassment, and then I will dwell on it for-freaking-ever. Sometimes, years after the events, I’ll suddenly remember something I did and just want to curl up in a ball. Ugh, it’s the worst.
But I guess most of the most embarrassing moments can be filed under ‘Things I Did That I Thought Were Okay in Other Company but Are Not So Okay in the Company that I Am With Currently.’
And realistically, they are pretty minor. It’s awkward for a while, but the other people in question seem to be fine and have no problem talking to me afterwards. (Unless we kind of drift apart.)
I always linger. And I am really terrible about it.
y u so in love w/ your warden
Ummmm…
So are you asking me why I lavish attention on my Warden? Why there’s so many drawings of her, why I write so much backstory and do so much planning?
…Because she’s my character and I can? Is that somehow problematic? Plenty of people like to write and draw for their Wardens and their Hawkes, and I’m no different.
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, / Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, / Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, / One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne / In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. / One Ring to rule them all, / One Ring to find them, / One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them / In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
Oho, the Ring Verse! Did you do that from memory, or copy and paste?
I don’t know who keeps leaving lyrics and quotes in my askbox, but I quite enjoy them. XD
Honesty Hour. No questions are deleted. Nothing is off limits. Ask me anything. →
hyperbali.tumblr.com
do it
Lol why not, I’m trying to draw a bit but meeting mixed results. Might as well.
Just woke up from a nap, ready to take on—the night, apparently. Bring ‘em on!
Wow. That all sounds delish.
I’ve been subsisting on whatever I could scrounge and creatively combine from the pantry for a while now (and a whole lotta ramen), so tonight is like…I want to cry. And shove all the food in my face.
(so delicious)
*lurks around in your doorway looking for handouts* Oh god that sounds amazing
AND IT TASTES AWESOME. Come here, I will give you foods <3
Cookin’ dinner. Barbequed cheesewurst, corned beef hash, and potatoes that were slightly fried with garlic and butter, then broiled.
My eyes are so watery
But it smells
So good
Then back to drawing for the evening. :x
Did you or are you attending art school? If so, where? Hehe that sounded really formal :) I was just curious because I'm starting to look into my college options and I'm so overwhemled I'm not sure where to begin xD Thanks in advanced!
Hahaha, oh no, not at the moment.
I’d like to attend art school—I’m aiming to go to UCA in England; a friend of mine who’s been helping me research the school just recently started going there!
That’s like, best case scenario for me personally, but there are plenty of good schools over on the North American side of things as well (which I’m assuming is where you are; if not, I apologise!) I’ve had a lot of friends who went to places like CCAD, LCAD, CalArts, DigiPen (though the last one’s more focused on technology and art in terms of video games)…
Basically it all depends on what majors you’re looking at and what schools would be best for you in terms of location, cost, etc. I’m still doing a lot of research, myself!
Anonymous asked you:
How do you manage to draw Jeanne’s hair? Anytime I try to draw something besides straight hair is comes out terrible. Pointers?
Well, I did put this up a little while ago:
But seriously: it’s always good to have references. Look through hair magazines, go searching online for examples of the kind of hairstyle you want to draw! Take note of the things you see: how gravity works on a certain style, the way the hair changes when you put it up in certain ways; texture, shape, all of it.
How does it frame the person’s face? Is there a certain kind of look you’re going for? How thick/thin is the person’s hair? Questions like that will change the way you draw it.
And don’t be afraid to practise! Hair can be really difficult to draw, given how much detail there can be.
Do you know what I want?
A CULLEN WEEK.
I would do various troubling things for this. Including murder. Seriously. Point me in a direction.
I WOULD DROWN US BOTH IN BLOOD
TO KEEP YOU SAFEfor a Cullen week.
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES AND YES A THOUSAND TIMES MORE!
THIS
AND A CAILAN WEEKYESSSSS!!
I would love this. I would reblog everything Bali has ever drawn of Cullen and all would be well with the world.
I could probably get a whole damn month going with how much Cullen I’ve drawn
It’s good to plan for the future and all, and it would be nice to do a Cullen Week at some point, but right now it is Serendipity Week! And we’ve only just begun!
And she will be drawn and I would love to see things written about her as well!
YOU INTIMIDATE ME CUZ YOU ARE AWESOME AND GOOD AT ARTZ, ORZ ORZ ORZ
YOU’RE THE ONE WITH THE PUBLISHED WORK AND THE ADORABLE DRAWINGS AND THE HOLY-DAMN-THOSE-ARE-CUTE BUTTONS AND THINGS
asdfghjkl
shoosh
come here for hugs
We used to RP in the past but it's been so long that I'm really shy to ask you to start again. I don't know if you consider that intimidating but there you have it.
Ahh, that sounds familiar…I’ve been in a few RP groups over the years, most of which have died, or I don’t talk as much as I used to with some of the players.
(And I have much the same problem—after I haven’t spoken to a person in months and months, it’s so hard for me to try to talk to them again, even if I just want to say hello and see how they’re doing ; ; )
But I still do it! Not as often as I did, and not so much in groups anymore (save like, one or two on Tegaki), but I enjoy it. So, you know, if you still want to RP with me, just drop me a line?
Tonight's Drawing Agenda
- Couple of birthday presents for people who had birthdays this week
- A laaaate gift trade that’s been a long time in coming
- Work on the next commission
Time to fire up Ceremonials and get this underway!
If you're intimidated by me, go on anon and tell me why →
I never really questioned if people were intimidated by me (I always assumed they weren’t lol) but sometimes I get anons asking about myself…and it’s usually things that I wouldn’t mind sharing!
so please, I would love to know your input on the subject! c:
(also you don’t have to go anon, but if it makes you more comfortable then go for it~)
I really hope none of you are intimidated by me, but if you are…..
My anon is always on.
Also, stop being intimidated, if you can. There’s no need to be. <3
Indeed.
I have been told this is the case a few times! And if you’re curious about anything, feel free to ask.
Crochet News
Ellen, I’ll try and send your scarf out to you tomorrow!
Psst, Bali… check it out…
(Sorry for the crappy cell phone photo, my camera kept turning the purple blue)
Anyone want to commission me for a scarf or mits or something else?
I’m charging $25 for a scarf
Scarf Example
Another Scarf Example
$30 for mits
Fingerless Mit example
Another Fingerless mit example
i haven’t actually made a real hat you but you’re welcome to buy one of these tiny top hats.
$5 for the smallest, $10 for one of the other two.
Mini Top Hat
I dare you to challenge me to make something I haven’t tried before. If I can’t manage it, I’ll give you a 50% discount on anything else.
Sorry, I just can’t (financially) justify giving things away for free :(
(Except of course the carrot scarf. Don’t forget to REBLOG it if you want to be entered into the draw. If you only liked the post, I’m afraid I can’t enter you in!)
OH I AM SO EXCITED RIGHT NOW
It’s looking adorable so far and I can’t wait to see the finished scarf, Eggie! Oh my goodness sdhjfkjd
And SIGNAL BOOST, the mitts and scarves are absolutely amazing!
Seconding the previous Anon. I love that Jeanne isn't a wispy stick figure like the characters in-game. ♥ And also, Cullen's many scars. ♥ Why do none of the warriors in games have scars? They're warriors, hello.
Well! I think it’d be cool if there was more of a difference in body types in-game. All kinds of different varieties! More choices would be awesome.
Cullen’s many scars are the result of Templar duties and, of course, what he endured during the rebellion at Kinloch. I have the ones I draw on him almost completely memorised in placement, though of course, that’s more of a headcanon thing than anything else…
Probably just game mechanics that make it so nobody has scars, but yeah, it’d make sense for the warriors to have them.
I just wanted to say I love you how draw Jeanne. I love her curves, I love her softness. She's realistic in that, and I always look forward to your art because of it.
Awww…thank you very much, Anon! I’m glad you like her, and enjoy my artwork.
I love to draw Jeanne! It’s always a pleasure. c:
So I went to log into the Ask Cullen blog…but I can’t.
The e-mail won’t let me log in, either.
Did Jen change the password and forget to tell me…?
Hrmm. Will have to work on something else until I can pester her about it when she’s awake.
How do you suspect Thane's story will end in ME3?
I hope it ends in a way that will give him some kind of peace. The fangirl part of me wants him to be able to stay with a romanced Shep, whether their story ends with the Reapers or at some point after that.
What I suspect is that something might lodge in the way and make things complicated, possibly even devastating. (I say devastating, but that’s just an opinion; Thane makes me sadface on a regular basis.) I mean, yeah, the spoilers we have on his appearance so far in ME3 give me hope, but they were pretty vague. And there’s a lot of different outcomes possible from what little they gave us to go on.
I also think they might bring Kolyat into it again? I mean, like he said in ME2, he feels like Kolyat’s the only good thing he ever brought into the universe…his son is definitely an important part of the story. So I’m curious to see how that will pan out.
FINGERS CROSSED, BEING OPTIMISTIC, ETC.
