Awesome art, and some story wangsting

I've found a new favorite among artists, seriously right up there for me with Waterhouse and Burne-Jones, and that's saying a lot.

As most of you are painfully aware, when I get what most people are pleased to call "writer's block" (which is really just an "Oh, Me" phrase for "lack of ambition,") I like to draw something to inspire me to write. Well, not so much that I like to draw, because I actually dislike drawing very much. As I've always said, I only draw pictures because no one else will draw what's in my head. I'd much rather lick broken glass while being flogged, or wear a hair shirt or something, than draw a picture, because I despise it; it frustrates me.

Sometimes I can't even be assed to draw a picture, and instead I go looking around the internet for drawings or paintings or anything at all to inspire me. Stupidly, because my main character is named Leander, I go googling for images of anything named "Leander." Usually it's a picture of a tombstone or someone's cat, sometimes it's the actual painting of Leander (of the "swam the Hellespont" fame) drowned on the shore whilst Hero poses dramatically in the background (not to be snarky or anything, it's actually one of my favorite paintings.) That painting and that character, I affectionately term "The Other Leander" in my mind. Because mine is much more significant. ;D

Anyways, so I was googling for Leander when I found this painting, to which my first reaction was "ONG NAKIE!" because I am really ten.

Then, of course, I grew up for a minute and actually looked at the painting and said, "holy crap, I have to see the rest of this gallery."

The rest of this gallery.

As far as art goes, I live pretty much under a rock, which is very unfortunate and gloomy, I know. I haven't taken an art class since 8th grade and I think that was, you know, drawing things like grass and flowers, and painting those little clay sculptures you did from the mold. (I did the cat one and painted it black. Didn't believe my teacher that every spot of paint would show up after baking and glazing, and just to test this theory put a spot of grey on its back which did not show up when I painted it, but lo, honestly did show up after baking and glazing. Sometimes teachers know things.) Point is, yeah, I've never heard of this artist before.

Here are some of the ones I really like:

Whaddup, my homies?

The choice is clear, I think.

Get that thing out of my blowhole.

A spanking, a spanking, there's going to be a spanking tonight!

Dude, check it out, he's totally cuddling that sheep.

Nothing funny to say, this is just incredibly beautiful.

Her expression is perfect.

I jest, because I like to make up captions that amuse me, but seriously, this stuff is amazing.

I still don't quite feel like writing, though! Damn.

But yesterday, I did buy the 2006 Writer's Market for like $30. My hands were shaking and my palms were sweating as I was buying it. I get such panic about trying to get published. Am I ready? Do I suck way too much? What if I suck way too much and manage to get published anyway somehow, wouldn't that be worlds worse? Inflicting my nonsense on the unsuspecting world like that? Published, when I'd rather google "Leander" than write about my own character named Leander? It doesn't seem right.

You read all of these books and web pages about writing, you listen to your teachers and editors and other writers, and they all say the same thing: Write. Write constantly. Write whenever you can, even if what you're writing sucks. I only write maybe a few times a week anymore (and I think it shows.) Me, buying the Writer's Market, as if I were any kind of Real Writer? Me, the hack who has ideas for nine books but can't seem to sit still long enough to write them? Me, who will take the time to make up an animated commercial for books that mostly don't exist?

Publish, even? What am I thinking? What is driving me to even begin to consider taking this crazy step?

Oh, that's right. Fan art. ;D Cause, dude, even Anne Rice gets it. If that POS can do it...

Awesome art, and some story wangsting

I've found a new favorite among artists, seriously right up there for me with Waterhouse and Burne-Jones, and that's saying a lot.

As most of you are painfully aware, when I get what most people are pleased to call "writer's block" (which is really just an "Oh, Me" phrase for "lack of ambition,") I like to draw something to inspire me to write. Well, not so much that I like to draw, because I actually dislike drawing very much. As I've always said, I only draw pictures because no one else will draw what's in my head. I'd much rather lick broken glass while being flogged, or wear a hair shirt or something, than draw a picture, because I despise it; it frustrates me.

Sometimes I can't even be assed to draw a picture, and instead I go looking around the internet for drawings or paintings or anything at all to inspire me. Stupidly, because my main character is named Leander, I go googling for images of anything named "Leander." Usually it's a picture of a tombstone or someone's cat, sometimes it's the actual painting of Leander (of the "swam the Hellespont" fame) drowned on the shore whilst Hero poses dramatically in the background (not to be snarky or anything, it's actually one of my favorite paintings.) That painting and that character, I affectionately term "The Other Leander" in my mind. Because mine is much more significant. ;D

Anyways, so I was googling for Leander when I found this painting, to which my first reaction was "ONG NAKIE!" because I am really ten.

Then, of course, I grew up for a minute and actually looked at the painting and said, "holy crap, I have to see the rest of this gallery."

The rest of this gallery.

As far as art goes, I live pretty much under a rock, which is very unfortunate and gloomy, I know. I haven't taken an art class since 8th grade and I think that was, you know, drawing things like grass and flowers, and painting those little clay sculptures you did from the mold. (I did the cat one and painted it black. Didn't believe my teacher that every spot of paint would show up after baking and glazing, and just to test this theory put a spot of grey on its back which did not show up when I painted it, but lo, honestly did show up after baking and glazing. Sometimes teachers know things.) Point is, yeah, I've never heard of this artist before.

Here are some of the ones I really like:

Whaddup, my homies?

The choice is clear, I think.

Get that thing out of my blowhole.

A spanking, a spanking, there's going to be a spanking tonight!

Dude, check it out, he's totally cuddling that sheep.

Nothing funny to say, this is just incredibly beautiful.

Her expression is perfect.

I jest, because I like to make up captions that amuse me, but seriously, this stuff is amazing.

I still don't quite feel like writing, though! Damn.

But yesterday, I did buy the 2006 Writer's Market for like $30. My hands were shaking and my palms were sweating as I was buying it. I get such panic about trying to get published. Am I ready? Do I suck way too much? What if I suck way too much and manage to get published anyway somehow, wouldn't that be worlds worse? Inflicting my nonsense on the unsuspecting world like that? Published, when I'd rather google "Leander" than write about my own character named Leander? It doesn't seem right.

You read all of these books and web pages about writing, you listen to your teachers and editors and other writers, and they all say the same thing: Write. Write constantly. Write whenever you can, even if what you're writing sucks. I only write maybe a few times a week anymore (and I think it shows.) Me, buying the Writer's Market, as if I were any kind of Real Writer? Me, the hack who has ideas for nine books but can't seem to sit still long enough to write them? Me, who will take the time to make up an animated commercial for books that mostly don't exist?

Publish, even? What am I thinking? What is driving me to even begin to consider taking this crazy step?

Oh, that's right. Fan art. ;D Cause, dude, even Anne Rice gets it. If that POS can do it...