Skirt/Hairbow: Innocent World
Cardigan: Target
Socks: Sockdreams
Shoes: Antaina
Bolero: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Tanktop/Skirt: Target
Skirt: Innocent World
Blouse: Old Navy
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
[Outfit Post] 5/16 ~ 5/20
Skirt/Hairbow: Innocent World
Cardigan: Target
Socks: Sockdreams
Shoes: Antaina
Bolero: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Tanktop/Skirt: Target
Skirt: Innocent World
Blouse: Old Navy
Sunday, May 20, 2012
[Outfit Post] 5/12 ~ 5/15
I've actually had quite a busy two weekends, and thus more outfits than usual over the past 1.5 weeks! Enough to warrant splitting it into more than one post ^_^
JSK: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Bolero: Bodyline
Headdress: Innocent World
Socks: Sockdream
Shoes: Secret Shop
OP: Innocent World
Cardigan/Socks: Target
Flower clip: Claire's
Shoes: Secret Shop
Skirt: Baroque
Parka: Angelic Pretty
Hairbows: Chocomint
Socks: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Shoes: Secret Shop
JSK: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Bolero: Bodyline
Headdress: Innocent World
Socks: Sockdream
Shoes: Secret Shop
OP: Innocent World
Cardigan/Socks: Target
Flower clip: Claire's
Shoes: Secret Shop
Skirt: Baroque
Parka: Angelic Pretty
Hairbows: Chocomint
Socks: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Shoes: Secret Shop
Friday, May 18, 2012
[Lolita Challenge] Day 1 ~ 10 things about your lolita bubble
I've seen this 30-day challenge floating around on tumblr for awhile, and I figured it might be fun to give it a go! But instead of doing one every day, I'm aiming for one every Wednesday, especially since some of them require compiling a series of photos that I certainly don't have on hand XD
So here's to Day 1 ^_^
I'm not entirely sure what defines a Lolita "bubble", but here's my interpretation of the question!
1. I was first a cosplayer, before finding Lolita. I actually found out about the fashion through cosplay.com, where I heard about "Metamorphose Temps de Fille." I thought the name of the brand was charming, took a look and was enchanted right away be the style. I didn't particularly find prints interesting (and I still don't like many Meta prints), but I loved the solid-color designs, all the frills and silhouette. Unfortunately, I was too poor at the time, so I didn't get into it, forgot about it for about 2 years, and rediscovered it (again from cosplay.com), when I found Baby the Stars Shine Bright and fell in love again.
2. My first Lolita pieces (I obtained both at the same time from the same person) were Bodyline Girly Notes skirts in black and burgundy. I think these skirts are some of Bodyline's best items ever, and to this day, they are still among my favorite and most often-worn items (along with the pink version, which I obtained soon after the first two). Yes, I love these so much that I have them in all three possible colorways ^_^
3. I tiptoe the border between classic and sweet styles. While certain prints really call to me, I generally prefer non-print items with intricate and interesting designs. My favorite brand is Innocent World, as the style is often refined, but still more sweet/youthful than more classic brands. Their aesthetic really captures the combined elegance and girlishness that I like when I'm really trying to dress up nicely. Solid designs from Baby and Angelic Pretty I find really delightful when I'm in a sweeter mood, and something I would prefer for every day (when I feel less need to be particularly elegant). They're very girly, and make me feel like a princess, without making me feel quite as subdued or mature as IW.
4. I generally prefer non-print pieces, but I do find certain motifs rather irresistible. These include music themes, birdcages, carousels, and prints based on mythology, fairy tales, and literature. My favorite print pieces that I own so far are Baby's Blooming Snow White, AP's Little Bird Sinfonia, Bodyline's musical children print, an older IW carousel print, and ETC's Pippi Longstocking. I am also inevitably attracted to ballet-related prints, and if I get near any, I will latch on and never let go!
5. My hope is to eventually have a print item representing all of my favorite fairy tales and stories! Thus far, I've covered Snow White, Swan Lake, Thumbelina, Alice in Wonderland, Pippi Longstocking, Peter Pan, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, and Cinderella. If only I hadn't spent so much money recently, I would have been all over Baby's Poison de l'Amour print T_T I can only hope to obtain it second-hand down the line somewhere, along with their Midsummer Night's Dream print.
6. I love punky boots worn with Lolita, particularly sweet Lolita. I think they form an interesting contrast with the silhouette and aesthetic of the clothing, and if styled right, are actually really cute. Maybe I just find blobby little feet to be cute because I happen to have blobby feet :-P
7. I prefer buying skirts rather than JSKs or OPs. While I love full-body pieces, I wear Lolita on a nearly-daily basis, and skirts are just more appropriate, allow for more combinations, and are cheaper. However, they do require a bit more contemplation to come up with a really great coordinate for, so I guess that's a trade off when it comes time to put together outfits for a meetup.
8. I have a fascination with Lolita winter wear. I love all sorts of Lolita coats, and if only I had an endless supply of money and space, I would probably have an entire closet of just coats. Given reality, I do not, but I really would like to eventually find or commission a Lolita raincoat! Instead of so many coats, I just satisfy myself with a pastel rainbow of scarves to wear with my outfits in the winter ^_^
9. I've gotten quite good at styling my own hair since I started wearing Lolita. While I do own a number of wigs, and I love them, I generally prefer to use my own hair if possible. Part of it is due to comfort - my hair is very long and thus wigs tend to fit very tightly and cause a headache after a full day of wearing. Another part of it is just that most of my wigs are long and down, and I would prefer not to mess up the fibers trying to pull them into various updos. Instead, I just mess up my own hair XD I would like to eventually look into getting some hair falls to use to make my curly buns poofier, for example, but matching hair color is so difficult to do through a computer screen.
10. I absolutely adore my local community, and just wish that I weren't so socially awkward and anxious so it would be easier to actually get to be friends with everybody. Unfortunately, that's not going to change anytime soon, but despite my anxiety, I always enjoy myself at meetups, and I'm just so glad everyone in my community is so lovely!
So here's to Day 1 ^_^
I'm not entirely sure what defines a Lolita "bubble", but here's my interpretation of the question!
1. I was first a cosplayer, before finding Lolita. I actually found out about the fashion through cosplay.com, where I heard about "Metamorphose Temps de Fille." I thought the name of the brand was charming, took a look and was enchanted right away be the style. I didn't particularly find prints interesting (and I still don't like many Meta prints), but I loved the solid-color designs, all the frills and silhouette. Unfortunately, I was too poor at the time, so I didn't get into it, forgot about it for about 2 years, and rediscovered it (again from cosplay.com), when I found Baby the Stars Shine Bright and fell in love again.
2. My first Lolita pieces (I obtained both at the same time from the same person) were Bodyline Girly Notes skirts in black and burgundy. I think these skirts are some of Bodyline's best items ever, and to this day, they are still among my favorite and most often-worn items (along with the pink version, which I obtained soon after the first two). Yes, I love these so much that I have them in all three possible colorways ^_^
3. I tiptoe the border between classic and sweet styles. While certain prints really call to me, I generally prefer non-print items with intricate and interesting designs. My favorite brand is Innocent World, as the style is often refined, but still more sweet/youthful than more classic brands. Their aesthetic really captures the combined elegance and girlishness that I like when I'm really trying to dress up nicely. Solid designs from Baby and Angelic Pretty I find really delightful when I'm in a sweeter mood, and something I would prefer for every day (when I feel less need to be particularly elegant). They're very girly, and make me feel like a princess, without making me feel quite as subdued or mature as IW.
4. I generally prefer non-print pieces, but I do find certain motifs rather irresistible. These include music themes, birdcages, carousels, and prints based on mythology, fairy tales, and literature. My favorite print pieces that I own so far are Baby's Blooming Snow White, AP's Little Bird Sinfonia, Bodyline's musical children print, an older IW carousel print, and ETC's Pippi Longstocking. I am also inevitably attracted to ballet-related prints, and if I get near any, I will latch on and never let go!
5. My hope is to eventually have a print item representing all of my favorite fairy tales and stories! Thus far, I've covered Snow White, Swan Lake, Thumbelina, Alice in Wonderland, Pippi Longstocking, Peter Pan, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, and Cinderella. If only I hadn't spent so much money recently, I would have been all over Baby's Poison de l'Amour print T_T I can only hope to obtain it second-hand down the line somewhere, along with their Midsummer Night's Dream print.
6. I love punky boots worn with Lolita, particularly sweet Lolita. I think they form an interesting contrast with the silhouette and aesthetic of the clothing, and if styled right, are actually really cute. Maybe I just find blobby little feet to be cute because I happen to have blobby feet :-P
7. I prefer buying skirts rather than JSKs or OPs. While I love full-body pieces, I wear Lolita on a nearly-daily basis, and skirts are just more appropriate, allow for more combinations, and are cheaper. However, they do require a bit more contemplation to come up with a really great coordinate for, so I guess that's a trade off when it comes time to put together outfits for a meetup.
8. I have a fascination with Lolita winter wear. I love all sorts of Lolita coats, and if only I had an endless supply of money and space, I would probably have an entire closet of just coats. Given reality, I do not, but I really would like to eventually find or commission a Lolita raincoat! Instead of so many coats, I just satisfy myself with a pastel rainbow of scarves to wear with my outfits in the winter ^_^
9. I've gotten quite good at styling my own hair since I started wearing Lolita. While I do own a number of wigs, and I love them, I generally prefer to use my own hair if possible. Part of it is due to comfort - my hair is very long and thus wigs tend to fit very tightly and cause a headache after a full day of wearing. Another part of it is just that most of my wigs are long and down, and I would prefer not to mess up the fibers trying to pull them into various updos. Instead, I just mess up my own hair XD I would like to eventually look into getting some hair falls to use to make my curly buns poofier, for example, but matching hair color is so difficult to do through a computer screen.
10. I absolutely adore my local community, and just wish that I weren't so socially awkward and anxious so it would be easier to actually get to be friends with everybody. Unfortunately, that's not going to change anytime soon, but despite my anxiety, I always enjoy myself at meetups, and I'm just so glad everyone in my community is so lovely!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Italian Fouettes Are Evil
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="(Photo courtesy of grishko.com)"]
[/caption]
I've had maybe 9 or 10 pointe lessons so far now, and I'm really pleased with how well they're going. Considering I went from super-wobbly barely able to hold first position releve for more than 16 counts in my first lesson to actually attempting Italian fouettes in my lesson yesterday, I must say I'm pretty chuffed :-P Of course it helps a lot that my shoes are now actually broken in, and I've figured out the optimal configuration of padding for this new style of shoe.
With that, I'd like to just say that I'm quite enjoying these shoes (Grishko 2007). I don't think the Bloch Serenades I had before were bad, but the shoes I have now feel quite different, in a very good way. I haven't actually danced that much in them, and they've formed to my feet much better, and also, I can actually roll through demi-pointe in these (I remember having so much trouble with the Serenades). I don't know that I would characterize it as "floating weightlessly across the floor" or whatever words my teacher used to ask me how they felt, but they certainly make doing lots of things way easier!
Like... pirouettes!! I'll just say I really suck at all things that involve rotation around a stable axis. I much prefer jumping and leaping, because I just really feel like I'm terrible at turns of all types. Even before I went on my hiatus, I could do lots of things, but I just always sucked at turns, pirouettes and chaines, specifically. I still suck at chaines, but I CAN DO A PIROUETTE NOW!! My teacher even hinted that I should start trying for doubles yesterday... I'm not sure I'd go *that* far in my celebration, because I can't consistently do them even in soft shoes, but hey, I guess it's a good sign? Actually though, once I got my shoe padding right, I often feel like I'm actually more stable with my turns en pointe than in flat shoes... but then again, I've yet to actually attempt a double en pointe, so who knows. So yay progress! Still terrible at hops though, that's going to take awhile to rebuild, I think. 32 changements en pointe I can do with some fatigue at the end, but I can't even do little fake-hops on one foot really. I can "do" them, but every other one my ankle does something weird and I have to stop so I don't break something XD
The last 2 lessons, we've spent some time on a variation. It's the "Variation de la Reine des Dryades" from Don Quixote. It get used as the female variation of Le Corsaire pas de deux sometimes, as exemplified by Margot Fonteyn.
[youtube dLItQ3vFUZk nolink]
I can actually do it, kind of! My balance is terrible, so I need to work on that so I'm not like stumbling all over the place, but we got through most of the variation and I can actually do everything so far!! And then we reached the part where I have to do like 10 Italian fouettes... Nooooooope... I've had some time to actually process what the physics and the sequence of motions should be, so I have a better idea of what I *should* be doing for them, but that doesn't mean I can actually execute it. I spent some time dancing in my socks in my living room after class yesterday, and yes, I've figured out what I need to do, but I can't really do it very well even not en pointe. So that's the last barrier before I'll have successfully learned the variation. Let's hope I don't break my ankle trying to get it!! XD
[/caption]I've had maybe 9 or 10 pointe lessons so far now, and I'm really pleased with how well they're going. Considering I went from super-wobbly barely able to hold first position releve for more than 16 counts in my first lesson to actually attempting Italian fouettes in my lesson yesterday, I must say I'm pretty chuffed :-P Of course it helps a lot that my shoes are now actually broken in, and I've figured out the optimal configuration of padding for this new style of shoe.
With that, I'd like to just say that I'm quite enjoying these shoes (Grishko 2007). I don't think the Bloch Serenades I had before were bad, but the shoes I have now feel quite different, in a very good way. I haven't actually danced that much in them, and they've formed to my feet much better, and also, I can actually roll through demi-pointe in these (I remember having so much trouble with the Serenades). I don't know that I would characterize it as "floating weightlessly across the floor" or whatever words my teacher used to ask me how they felt, but they certainly make doing lots of things way easier!
Like... pirouettes!! I'll just say I really suck at all things that involve rotation around a stable axis. I much prefer jumping and leaping, because I just really feel like I'm terrible at turns of all types. Even before I went on my hiatus, I could do lots of things, but I just always sucked at turns, pirouettes and chaines, specifically. I still suck at chaines, but I CAN DO A PIROUETTE NOW!! My teacher even hinted that I should start trying for doubles yesterday... I'm not sure I'd go *that* far in my celebration, because I can't consistently do them even in soft shoes, but hey, I guess it's a good sign? Actually though, once I got my shoe padding right, I often feel like I'm actually more stable with my turns en pointe than in flat shoes... but then again, I've yet to actually attempt a double en pointe, so who knows. So yay progress! Still terrible at hops though, that's going to take awhile to rebuild, I think. 32 changements en pointe I can do with some fatigue at the end, but I can't even do little fake-hops on one foot really. I can "do" them, but every other one my ankle does something weird and I have to stop so I don't break something XD
The last 2 lessons, we've spent some time on a variation. It's the "Variation de la Reine des Dryades" from Don Quixote. It get used as the female variation of Le Corsaire pas de deux sometimes, as exemplified by Margot Fonteyn.
[youtube dLItQ3vFUZk nolink]
I can actually do it, kind of! My balance is terrible, so I need to work on that so I'm not like stumbling all over the place, but we got through most of the variation and I can actually do everything so far!! And then we reached the part where I have to do like 10 Italian fouettes... Nooooooope... I've had some time to actually process what the physics and the sequence of motions should be, so I have a better idea of what I *should* be doing for them, but that doesn't mean I can actually execute it. I spent some time dancing in my socks in my living room after class yesterday, and yes, I've figured out what I need to do, but I can't really do it very well even not en pointe. So that's the last barrier before I'll have successfully learned the variation. Let's hope I don't break my ankle trying to get it!! XD
Sunday, May 13, 2012
[Outfit Post] 5/2 ~ 5/11
Yay outfit snaps! My camera's getting more and more obstinate... not only does it refuse to go into preview mode, but now it's even failing at focusing correctly T_T Time to save up for that Panasonic Lumix!! If only I could afford the actual Leica version XD
Dress: H.Naoto Frill
Boots: Sugar
JSK: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Boots: Sugar
Skirt/Brooch: Bodyline
Shoes: Antaina
JSK: Innocent World
Shoes: Secret Shop
OP/Headbow: Innocent World
Dress: H.Naoto Frill
Boots: Sugar
JSK: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Boots: Sugar
Skirt/Brooch: Bodyline
Shoes: Antaina
JSK: Innocent World
Shoes: Secret Shop
OP/Headbow: Innocent World
Sunday, May 6, 2012
[Outfit Post] 4/2 ~ 4/13
I've actually taken a few outfit snaps throughout April, but been too busy with all the pre-ACEN preparation to remember to upload them. So new you get the backlog all at once!!
I'm really loving my long bloomers that I got recently... now I must find a way to buy and/or make more!! ^o^
Skirt: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Headbow: Innocent World
Shoes: Geox
Skirt: Innocent World
Hairclip: Chocomint
Shoes: Geox
Skirt: Emily Temple Cute
Necklace: Chocomint
Skirt: Innocent World
Cutsew: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Shoes: Geox
Bloomers: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
I'm really loving my long bloomers that I got recently... now I must find a way to buy and/or make more!! ^o^
Skirt: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Headbow: Innocent World
Shoes: Geox
Skirt: Innocent World
Hairclip: Chocomint
Shoes: Geox
Skirt: Emily Temple Cute
Necklace: Chocomint
Skirt: Innocent World
Cutsew: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Shoes: Geox
Bloomers: Metamorphose Temps de Fille
Monday, April 30, 2012
ACEN 2012 ~ Artist Alley Report
Phew, crazy ACEN weekend is over!! I'm not sure my brain's ready to return to being a grad student yet, but hopefully it gets there soon since I have 40 midterms to grade ^_^
This was my first time doing an Artist Alley table ever, and luckily I shared a table with my friends (especially with all the crazy fashion show stuff going on!). I went into it not really knowing what to expect, and not wanting to run out of things. I need not have worried, since I have tons of leftovers, which incidentally will be going up in my store very soon! In fact, the rose headdresses are up already ^_^
Our table setup ended up working out perfectly, and we had enough variety of shelves to have multiple levels without ending up with a wire cave of doom or anything like that. Look, Lauren even remembered to take a picture!! (I did not, so thank you muchly, Lauren
Isn't it beautiful? ^_^ I'm really quite pleased with how well the table layout worked. Also, Lauren's pony display is amaze-pants!
There was pretty decent traffic through our spot, since we were right at the intersection of two large aisles, and also thanks to everyone else being much more vocal than I'm comfortable being.
I think we all ended up doing decently well, and my last-minute mustache necklaces were quite the hit. Time to make more of them, and embellished ones too? XD Also, lots of business cards were taken, so hopefully at least one or two of them end up being looked at again XD
Since this was my first AA, it was a lot of a learning experience. My first conclusion is that I really don't enjoy being a salesperson at all. My second conclusion is that mustache necklaces and fuzzy bows seem to be the preferred items at ACEN. My puffy bows weren't really much liked, and I think my rose headdresses were just outside the general price range. Hopefully I can manage to sell them online, since I really don't need more than a hundred puffy bows all for myself... My third conclusion is that I need to wear an eyecatching full-on OTT Lolita outfit, complete with elaborate hairstyle. Preferably in pastel pink, although my Sunday outfit seems to have been reasonably eye-catching. Maybe bringing my own tablecloth would help too, since then the entire table would be a different color than the standard.
Since I was so busy running around like a crazy person, I ended up not actually doing any of my Saturday or Sunday cosplays I had planned. I did do Zekrom Lolita on Friday, but I was too busy and forgot to take any real photos. Lauren again to the rescue took a photo, kind of. It was after I'd shed my wings and tail, unfortunately, and rearranged my hair to be less painful, but still, general idea exists... Basically kuro-Lolita but with some electric blue bows in the hair (one on top, on at the end of the ponytail bunch going down my back - you can see it in the table photo). So yay!
And of course, my Sunday outfit - the one "real" Lolita outfit I wore all weekend, since it was the only day I wasn't either cosplaying or needing to have my hair in a way that was suitable to being stuffed inside a wig at a moment's notice.
I'm wearing the skirt and headbow that I bought at the AP booth, in fact. I had seen this birdcage skirt on the Japanese site, and really really wanted it. And they had it at the booth! In black! In skirt form! It was just too perfect to resist. I thought about getting the socks too, but couldn't really justify spending the money after I also bought a purse from them. It's a really nice purse, and roomy too! Hopefully I get some good use out of it, since I've been needing a nice black Loli purse for awhile now ^_^
All in all, a really exciting ACEN! A report about the fashion show will probably come next, but I want to wait until I find out more about whether it's okay to post my photos or not. I already posted two of them, since I didn't realize we might not be supposed to (nobody said anything about it at any point), but I want to refrain from doing anything else for now.
This was my first time doing an Artist Alley table ever, and luckily I shared a table with my friends (especially with all the crazy fashion show stuff going on!). I went into it not really knowing what to expect, and not wanting to run out of things. I need not have worried, since I have tons of leftovers, which incidentally will be going up in my store very soon! In fact, the rose headdresses are up already ^_^
Our table setup ended up working out perfectly, and we had enough variety of shelves to have multiple levels without ending up with a wire cave of doom or anything like that. Look, Lauren even remembered to take a picture!! (I did not, so thank you muchly, Lauren
Isn't it beautiful? ^_^ I'm really quite pleased with how well the table layout worked. Also, Lauren's pony display is amaze-pants!
There was pretty decent traffic through our spot, since we were right at the intersection of two large aisles, and also thanks to everyone else being much more vocal than I'm comfortable being.
I think we all ended up doing decently well, and my last-minute mustache necklaces were quite the hit. Time to make more of them, and embellished ones too? XD Also, lots of business cards were taken, so hopefully at least one or two of them end up being looked at again XD
Since this was my first AA, it was a lot of a learning experience. My first conclusion is that I really don't enjoy being a salesperson at all. My second conclusion is that mustache necklaces and fuzzy bows seem to be the preferred items at ACEN. My puffy bows weren't really much liked, and I think my rose headdresses were just outside the general price range. Hopefully I can manage to sell them online, since I really don't need more than a hundred puffy bows all for myself... My third conclusion is that I need to wear an eyecatching full-on OTT Lolita outfit, complete with elaborate hairstyle. Preferably in pastel pink, although my Sunday outfit seems to have been reasonably eye-catching. Maybe bringing my own tablecloth would help too, since then the entire table would be a different color than the standard.
Since I was so busy running around like a crazy person, I ended up not actually doing any of my Saturday or Sunday cosplays I had planned. I did do Zekrom Lolita on Friday, but I was too busy and forgot to take any real photos. Lauren again to the rescue took a photo, kind of. It was after I'd shed my wings and tail, unfortunately, and rearranged my hair to be less painful, but still, general idea exists... Basically kuro-Lolita but with some electric blue bows in the hair (one on top, on at the end of the ponytail bunch going down my back - you can see it in the table photo). So yay!
And of course, my Sunday outfit - the one "real" Lolita outfit I wore all weekend, since it was the only day I wasn't either cosplaying or needing to have my hair in a way that was suitable to being stuffed inside a wig at a moment's notice.
I'm wearing the skirt and headbow that I bought at the AP booth, in fact. I had seen this birdcage skirt on the Japanese site, and really really wanted it. And they had it at the booth! In black! In skirt form! It was just too perfect to resist. I thought about getting the socks too, but couldn't really justify spending the money after I also bought a purse from them. It's a really nice purse, and roomy too! Hopefully I get some good use out of it, since I've been needing a nice black Loli purse for awhile now ^_^
All in all, a really exciting ACEN! A report about the fashion show will probably come next, but I want to wait until I find out more about whether it's okay to post my photos or not. I already posted two of them, since I didn't realize we might not be supposed to (nobody said anything about it at any point), but I want to refrain from doing anything else for now.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The Velveteen Rabbit
Inspired by nothing in particular, I've succumbed to a sudden desire to make the decor in my room more coherent to a particular aesthetic. For the longest time, my room's been vaguely girly with random splashes of J-idol and anime fandom posters. At least all my furniture is mostly white or neutral wood, but that's about it. I've decided to take it in a more coherently romantic girly direction (which means taking all my posters and putting them away in a different place, not that there's enough wall space for even half of them anyways). Maybe if I ever get to a larger room, I can put them all up on a dedicated fandom wall ^_^
The first bit of my renovation was addressing my wall clock that I've had for the past four years. I bought it because the shape was nice, and the color scheme, but I'm honestly not a particular fan of Marilyn Monroe. So I figured, why not redo the clock face myself?!
I've always loved The Velveteen Rabbit, it's one of my favorite childhood stories and definitely speaks to my heart. I figured it would be perfect to have as a clock face - I had a lovely mental image of the rabbit slouched in an arc just right for the edge of a round clock. Plus, the color scheme would fit right in with the aesthetic theme ^_^ And with that, I just started sketching
Once I got the position and shapes about right, I went ahead and inked the main outlines of the rabbit and the star. I also inked in the shapes marking the main hour positions.
Next was coloring the design! This was a great excuse to finally bust out my Prismacolor Art Stix, which I've had for quite awhile, but never actually used until now. Well, I was missing out, because they're quite amazing. The rectangular prism shape is really interesting, because you can use the wide edges for filling, and the corner points for details. The texture is also really nice, the colored areas feel kind of glossy, but not waxy like if I had used crayons. Blending is really nice, and as a last step, I buffed all the colored areas with a Kleenex, which softened all the colors together and gave it a nice finish.
I then colored in the hearts and the dots marking the seconds using Sharpie. The numbers are silver stickers. I went with just the four cardinal ones because putting on more numbers would end up covering up quite a lot of the design :( I had to cut a slit to get it into the clock (I couldn't actually pull out the hands), and didn't notice how badly it showed in the finished photo - unfortunate lighting. It's not actually very visible at all once the clock's back on the wall.
And there we go, all done!! I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, considering I drew it freehand, and it was my first time coloring with the Art Stix!
The first bit of my renovation was addressing my wall clock that I've had for the past four years. I bought it because the shape was nice, and the color scheme, but I'm honestly not a particular fan of Marilyn Monroe. So I figured, why not redo the clock face myself?!
I've always loved The Velveteen Rabbit, it's one of my favorite childhood stories and definitely speaks to my heart. I figured it would be perfect to have as a clock face - I had a lovely mental image of the rabbit slouched in an arc just right for the edge of a round clock. Plus, the color scheme would fit right in with the aesthetic theme ^_^ And with that, I just started sketching
Once I got the position and shapes about right, I went ahead and inked the main outlines of the rabbit and the star. I also inked in the shapes marking the main hour positions.
Next was coloring the design! This was a great excuse to finally bust out my Prismacolor Art Stix, which I've had for quite awhile, but never actually used until now. Well, I was missing out, because they're quite amazing. The rectangular prism shape is really interesting, because you can use the wide edges for filling, and the corner points for details. The texture is also really nice, the colored areas feel kind of glossy, but not waxy like if I had used crayons. Blending is really nice, and as a last step, I buffed all the colored areas with a Kleenex, which softened all the colors together and gave it a nice finish.
I then colored in the hearts and the dots marking the seconds using Sharpie. The numbers are silver stickers. I went with just the four cardinal ones because putting on more numbers would end up covering up quite a lot of the design :( I had to cut a slit to get it into the clock (I couldn't actually pull out the hands), and didn't notice how badly it showed in the finished photo - unfortunate lighting. It's not actually very visible at all once the clock's back on the wall.
And there we go, all done!! I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, considering I drew it freehand, and it was my first time coloring with the Art Stix!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Back En Pointe (^~^)/
Excuse the emoticon in the title, but I'm just so happy to be back en pointe again after my hiatus... (^~^)/
Right now, it's just once-a-week private lessons, and the promise of a pointe class in the future. Even if not, I'll just continue with the private lessons - I'm more than fine with sacrificing other parts of my budget for this XD Back en pointe!! Yay!! Now time to work on rebuilding the strength... muscle memory is still there, but I just physically can't do certain things anymore >_<
Things also feel a bit different because of my new shoes. This is my first time wearing Grishkos. My very first pair was some sort of Capezio that I decided I really didn't like much, and I wore Bloch Sonatas for basically the entire time I've been dancing en pointe. And now these... they feel somewhat different - I think better, but I'll leave that verdict until I've worn these a bit more. I generally dislike ankle elastics on my pointe shoes (another thing I discovered early on), but I don't know if it's that these shoes are just the tiniest too big or what, but I may have to resort to them because the heels keep slipping on demi-pointe, no matter how much I tighten the drawstring. All those complaints aside, they photograph beautifully...? XD
Also, just YAY BACK EN POINTE!!
And that, my friends, seems to be the theme of this week...
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
[Outfit Post] 2/13 ~ 2/29
I've been lax both about taking outfit snaps and about posting, unfortunately. Part of that is due to my main laptop going into a sudden decline... Luckily I've gotten a new netbook to tide me over until I can get a real updated laptop next year!
So here's all the snaps I managed to take for the 2nd half of February:
Skirt: Emily Temple Cute
Shoes: Sugar
JSK: Emily Temple Cute
Shoes: Geox
Skirt: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
JSK: Innocent World
Blouse: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
So here's all the snaps I managed to take for the 2nd half of February:
Skirt: Emily Temple Cute
Shoes: Sugar
JSK: Emily Temple Cute
Shoes: Geox
Skirt: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
JSK: Innocent World
Blouse: Baby the Stars Shine Bright
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