Kalayna Price

I'm having one of those days where things just aren't clicking. I know what I should be doing, I even have plenty of ideas...I just can't concentrate. So, after hours of staring at the list of projects I wasn't doing, answering most of my emails, and haunting a couple of blogs, I decided to declare it a holiday. So today (whatever day it is) is now officially "I can't concentrate, here have an ostridge" day. Now everyone, lets go outside and play. (Or just sit there stupefied saying "what??" I think that's what this ostridge was doing.)

The new design is up and in record time considering I finished painting the 'focus' graphic Monday and worked my way up from scratch starting there. I'm hoping too many hours staring at code is the reason my screen looks blurry and not that my colors are glaring. While I'm thrilled to get this design up (I think I actually might not hate it tomorrow...wouldn't that be grand?) but I probably pushed all my time into it because I'm frustrated and avoiding another project...one I'm theoretically getting paid for. I cut the rant I just wrote because no one really needs to hear it. On the upside, I have a site redesign that I actually put effort and time into, so no longer is my site the cobbler's bare-foot child. (Hopefully...) So, what is everyone else up to? The romantic times convention is coming up fast. I know a couple of people going, and I really wish I could, but I doubt I'll go to any cons this year. Maybe next year. Those of you who have been to...

It has been a really long time since I did an art post, so I decided to write a 'tutorial' style post on the process I used in my latest watercolor painting, Petals. To the right is an image of the final product. Like all the images in this post, click on it to see a larger version. STEP ONE: SKIN Watercolor is a very unforgiving medium (it is translucent, so mistakes show through the paint) so the very first thing I did was very lightly sketch a rough outline of the girl on my piece of clayboard. I then very slowly started working on the skin. The color here is actually Cadmium Red, Cad Yellow, and Lemon yellow mixed together. On my pallet this creates a disturbingly red-orange color, and I remember, years ago, thinking I couldn't possibly have mixed it correctly when my watercolor teacher told me to use those colors. On top of white paper (or clayboard, as in this case) it does make a nice peachy skin tone. I actually know no other recipe for pale skin tone with water...

I find there are many different ways to spell the names of 'mythical' races/creatures. You have fae and fey, vampires and vampyres, griffin and gryphon, and fairy and faerie. (and others I'm probably forgetting.) What I want to know is if certain spellings annoy readers. Me personally, I hate the spelling vampyre. In fact, I once passed up reading a book someone said was great just because the author favored the word and I guess I was in the mood to be easily miffed. I have no preference on fae, fey, or faeries, but I know someone who says he can't help but thinking of Disney and Tink when he reads the name fairy and he can't take the story seriously. So what about everyone else: are certain spellings deal breakers? Do you think some spellings apply in certain situations and not during others? Opinions, anyone?