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These past few weeks have kept me crazy busy...and without much opportunity to post since my home machine was unplugged for the most part. So, what's been going on: moved to a new apartment, along with the usual "exercise bootcamp" or what I call moving stuff up/down 3 flights of steps both ways (it's amazing how the pounds just drop off after a few days of 95+ degrees and 12 to 14 hour-long daily workouts...only problem now is finding pants that actually still fit me, heh); and the usual work, work, work; random sketching; penciling my YA novel; and a few friendly social occasions.

Sketch-wise, I haven't gotten back to my fairy tale series (see previous posts) as quickly as I'd hoped, but as of this week I'm slowly getting back in gear along with the ongoing unpacking and sorting of all the crap that's creating a labrynth in my new wee apartment. The current notebook sketches (top and below) I scribbled when I was at a concept art workshop at one point which I unfortunately had to leave early; and at another time as I was getting my hair streaked with more lovely pink highlights as it was the only paper I had with me. Basically explorations on another take with a modern fairy tale twist about Vasilissa. I've got a real deadline for that one rather than self-imposed, so I'll be focused on getting it finished before returning to my other ones already in progress. I'm also working on some pre-production character designs and storyboards that I'm planning on using as a kind of introduction for some prospective feature work. Figured I'd give it a shot. I'll post a few of those eventually. In any case, the next few weeks will be so creatively busy! I'm not even letting myself get reeled back into the new Fall tv season season...I need and really want to focus on these illustrations and visual development projects at this time.

And, then there's discovering Muse....

May I say with intense appreciation to this my recent music addiction: You guys rock!! Wow -- and what a great concert that Sunday, Sep 16th! Love how that Matt plays his guitars...mmmm...and the piano...and what a voice...and writes that music! Yay for YouTube! ha! The drummer and bass player do such excellent support, too; and round out the band most excellently. Been listening to their music entirely too much, heh. It even has me making space and getting my keyboard out again so I can do some wicked piano playing of my own. To be honest, rather poor playing actually, but still fun for me. Funny, I only vaguely recall a mention of the group (this after some deep thought) from a few years ago in one of my 3D classes because one of my old instructors at school said that he was working on some part of a bit of a 3D concert video for the band...which I actually saw yet again at the Muse concert; but I never actually heard their music, even though I usually listen to one of the local alternative rock radio stations in the area. Wasn't until I started reading Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series (over and over and over...sigh) the weekend that Eclipse was released shortly after the final Harry Potter (which I had quickly finished as previously mentioned), and got curious about the music playlist that she posted up for each of her books as a cool soundtrack for her readers...and read about how much Muse inspired her while she was writing these books so that I got curious enough to pick up one of their CD's...and got Absolution. Loved it -- wanted more! And the next day while driving to work I found out that Muse was gonna be in town in a few weeks for a concert...so we had to go, of course!

Ah, well. Enough on that. It's been a weird, stressful summer for me personally so I'm still allowing myself to indulge in this unusual, but most likely temporary, musical and reading wackiness. But, for now...back to the sketchbooks!