alexisjane

So, I made this for my Alpha's Homestead logo.

Thoughts are appreciated.

Also, rewatching Person of Interest and spotted a familiar face. Took me ages, but ended up yelling "Bones! Dammit!" into an empty room about an hour later. It was the Southern assistant that dated Cam's daughter : )

Just a quickie to say...

If one of your New Years Resolutions is to try some new art things,
why not come on over to wedraweveryday.

We're going to be posting a tutorial every Friday that we can all have a crack at during the week, and share our efforts with the group. You can put in as much or as little time as you feel like, and be of any skill level. Some topics might not appeal to everyone but it's very helpful to get out of your creative comfort zone once in a while, so let's try all the things! - read a post about it here

Everyone's free to take a turn at posting a tutorial, whether it be a YouTube vid or whatever, and then if anyone has any complimentary tutorials or web pages, they can add them in the comments - you can sign up to make a tutorial post here

The first challenge is up already - practicing planes of the head. Might as well start the year as we mean to go on! - Challenge No. 1

And of course, wedraweveryday is still a great place to post any kind of arting - fannish or not - that you'd like feedback on or just want to share. So you can do that too : ) xx

So, today has been rather nice!

I won a thing!

This is 100% down to wings128 who I made the thing for, and I have a sneaking suspicion may have nominated me (Actually...I have no idea! Did you?!) So, that was rather awesome.

And it's no surprise to me that so many of my flisties are on the winners rostrum, coz you guys are just wonderful and so, so talented. Congratulations to everyone : )

And then wings...again!!...posted a lovely rec of my Halloween fic! I wasn't sure anyone would read the weird little thing, so for her to make a post about it is super fucking special to me. Thank you so much, Darling : ) Thank you to somersault_j too, for making me post it in the first place : )

And then...Lily, who has been super, super sick with kennel cough, actually hasn't coughed at all today and there's been minimal snottage too! \0/ Which is super awesome as I have a hospital appointment on Tuesday and she has to be well enough to go to daycare.

And theeeen, I got to see my neice (not really my neice but the connection is too complicated to explain so henceforth...neice) in the park and she was adorable!! She even let me hold her, despite her going through a super clingy period right now, so that was lovely.

Also, last night for Halloween I watched Hellboy, which I haven't seen in ages and it was fun! I forgot how much fun it was.
And then I read The Tutor by Bonnie Dee...
...which is fucking fantastic! An m/m gothic romance, in which a guy fakes his way into becoming a tutor for twin boys living in a drafty mansion, with their grief-stricken, and coincidentally, handsome father. I really enjoyed it. The writing is fantastic, and the story is brilliant. Dont be fooled by the "Sound of Music/Secret Garden" comparison in the description. It's a ghost story – more Woman in Black than Jane Eyre if you ask me. I genuinely got the shivers at a couple of points...and not just coz of the sexytimes either! : ) But anyway. Not a waste of pennies. I shall definitely be reading it again : )

So, that was nice too : )

Let's hope the rest of the week keeps being nice. I could use it! Love your faces xxx

Title - Life is...
Art Rating - none
Art Warnings - none
For spn_j2_bigbang 2015

Read namichan89's wonderful story here

( More art...a little spoilery...maybe )

Many thanks to namichan89 for all her encouragement and her beautiful story, and to wendy, for all her hard work...and letting me claim in the first place! : ) xx

I've been having a massive crisis of confidence about my writing.

I haven't really wanted to talk about it as I think it's perfectly normal and I've been trying not to let it get to me. But it's hard when I feel like I don't have the time to properly concentrate on my WIPs so they're rushed and scrappy, and the BB is just endless and wholly unsatisfying to write at the moment. I've been dragging my feet with it as I can't stand writing when every word is vile. And it has to be that way as that's just how my first drafts come out but editing seems like it's a lifetime away and I just...hate it.

And then this morning I received a comment on my BB from last year, on AO3 and...Christ, I cried. It was stranger, which shouldn't make a difference but I think it does as they have no reason to be nice to me. And they were just so complimentary and invested in the characters and the story. They really connected with it emotionally and they asked for more.

I feel like I couldn't ask for anything better. It really helped to remind me that I may not be the best writer but I can tell a story that people want to read when I put my mind to it. It feels like a weight has be lifted and I'm actually looking forward to getting down to my BB this afternoon and making some headway.

Anyway, it made me really think.

Please...

When you read something someone has taken the time to write, please leave a little comment to let them know.

Even if you thought it wasn't all that, pick out a positive thing about it and say something nice.

If you don't have time to write a gushing review, just a smily face could make their day.

If you want to lurk, that's cool. But just a little wave to say you appreciate someone taking the time - to write 2.5k of Samstiel, 100k of crossover gen or some chibi!J2cowboys or whatever you find that makes you smile - doesn't mean you have to give up your anonymity. We won't hunt you down.

Writing is hard. Art is hard.

Typing : ) or ♥ in the comments takes less than two fucking seconds. And it can make so much difference to the way someone is going to feel that day.

Anyway. That's it. Rant over.

And thank you to everyone who comments on my stuff. You lovely enablers, you ♥ xxx