(Science of the) Antlercat

Merry Loveday!

2012-02-15T18:05:00.001-08:00

A little bit late to the party, but wanted to share the Valentines commissions I did this year as a special little one-off offer!

They cost £5.00 and I am pretty happy with the demand and success that they got!
Thanks so much everyone!

And, despite it being belated, I hope everyone did indeed have a great Valentines Day - whether you celebrate it or not. I certainly did :)

Tiny Extra Post: "Mr. Velvet" Story

2012-02-04T19:42:00.001-08:00

I've been posting pretty vague things to Twitter about a 'Mr Velvet' story (complete with its own swish hashtag).
It's going to be the bookends surrounding the account on depression I plan on eventually writing someday, which will be my first non-fiction book.
Well. Almost non-fiction, as it starts and ends with a fairy tale set in the Patchwork Plane. I digress.
Pretty big task, but strangely not overwhelming. I suppose because it's something I am dangerously close to.

Those tweets, for those curious:
I will write 'Mr. Velvet Courts The Cataroose' soon. Title may change. Mr. Velvet's kind of the Plane's Discord, but not as fun. At all.

He's a smokey black monster, with rows and rows of teeth, and has dripping confidence & charisma. I hate him. #mrvelvetstory

And if you can't tell by now, Mr. Velvet is an allegory for Something Else... but I guess that was obvious. #mrvelvetstory

He's based upon depression, but my own personal experience, and the idea that everyone has their sir demon inside of them. #mrvelvetstory

Using the "black dog" analogy and taking it up to eleven, I suppose. The story will be good, if/WHEN I write it. #mrvelvetstory

Needless to say, to gather my resources, expect more mental health posts on this blog - as promised in my previous chattering tonight.

On being overwhelmed.

2012-02-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

I seem to use this painting a lot, but it certainly sums up the feeling I'm trying to describe in a personal sense.

My blog posts have been sporadic (though, they always are, I suppose) lately because, again/still, I'm trying to battle a particularly nasty bout of depression. Since the Christmas rush, I've been on hiatus from work on doctor's orders, and while I wish I had some wisdom to share, the truth is, I have been mostly resting. Depression and fatigue go hand in grisly hand often, and that's how it's been.
I actually sort of miss relaxing, restful sleep. "Depression sleep" is like being in a light coma, and the sense of feeling tired doesn't quite lift. Not until either it's ready to, and you see out it's sentence, or you force yourself up out of it (something I've had a problem with).

When seeing through this unexpected hibernation through, it isn't unexpected to have your brain go wandering.
My dreams have been strange, flexing between nightmares and feedback from things I've allowed myself to enjoy. Weirdly, a lot of dreams I've had lately have seen me shoulder to shoulder with the Life On Mars characters. I wonder if there's something in that..?

If I don't sleep immediately, fatigue drives me to stay in bed and just 'see it out' (the remedy for this is to read, or watch something that isn't too taxing, but I have issues forcing myself to do these things. Expect a further post...), and this is when my mind wanders most of all. I dream up new projects, want to return to old ones, start writing again, work on ongoing online projects. These things rarely come to fruition, though. While depression has it's claws in, sometimes it is best to just wait for them to retract again.

Still, the ideas stay. They wait and they, hopefully, grow and don't fester.
There's a great deal I want to do, and want to share with you. Mental health issues are actually pretty high on the list.

Being overwhelmed is a feeling I've struggled with for as long as my depression. It hasn't gotten easier, but I suspect part of this is because I've not really allowed it to get easier. I've some ideas on how I can combat the feelings, and some theories about why these things effect us. This generation is the generation of the overwhelmed and the under-impressed, and I want to figure out why.

I hope you'll join me on this little personal journey and hopefully, if I do find any ways to take the edge off, I can't wait to share them...

Important Information Regarding Commissions

2012-01-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

I am opening up for regular commissions again soon, after I finished the batch found here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3137396/

I always find it SO very difficult to put prices on my commissions, but after talking with close friends & fellow artists, these are the prices I've got in mind.

• Digital Icon ("Paper cut" style icon, digitally made with Photoshop) - £1
• Scrap Badge (Anthro/feral/human figure, watercolour or marker coloured, mounted on scrapbook paper backing & stickers for decoration) - £15
• Vintage Tag Badge ("Vintage" style luggage tag, stained with walnut coffee for aged effect & lovely scent, watercolour character portrait) - £15
• Watercolour Icon (Watercolour face shot of character) - £10
• Full-body marker illustration (What it says!) - £10
• My Little Pony commission (Similar to full-body markers, but a pony commission of your own pony-of-choice/persona as a pony, etc, watercolour or marker) - £5
• Beatles Hair Icons (Your character wearing a Beatles wig!) - £5
• Patchwork Plane commission (your character as they'd appear in my Patchwork Plane, full colour watercolour piece, with background and design adjustments to suit your character/your interests) - £15
• Watercolour Piece (full background, up to 2 characters (+£5 for every extra character), painted in watercolours) - £30-50 depending on compexity.
• Sketchbook Commission (a Moleskine sketchbook with 'decorated cover' - will explain this when I have some examples to show!, with 3 complete pieces inside for you of your choosing, the rest is blank pages for you to use yourself! I think this is a sweet gift personally XD) - £60 (cost is relative to the cost of Moleskine books themselves. They are pricey but the quality is worth it!)
• Sketch (what it says! fullbody, head shot, whatever!) - £2

I'm also considering keeping my Livejournal open for offers and discounts (I'd post these at the 'teenycom' community if anyone's aware of it) and I DO give large discounts to those who want a number of products (i.e: Phano spent less than £60 on a near-complete set of commissions from me recently).

I am not working much lately due to my depression.
This is likely to be a permanent thing. For my health, I have been advised not to do full-time work. Unfortunately, I can't afford to just stay part time, so commissions will become a VERY important thing when I do return to work & stop getting statuatory sick pay.
Just a heads up.
Anyone who can help out with this will be rewarded greatly and I do promise to be more on top with my commissions and trades etc in the future. The feedback and support I've got recently from all of this has been overwhelming & amazing and I hope it continues to be that way :)

The Travelling Cataroose

2012-01-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

I feel like I need a good break.
Money is, as ever, in the way of this little pipedream, but y'know, when I think about it, I've had the great luck to go to a lot of really beautiful and interesting places...

• Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
• Den Hague (The Netherlands)
• Ostend (Belgium)
• Bremen (Germany)
• Barcelona (Spain)
• Gibraltar (Spain)
• Palma (Spain)
• Malaga (Spain)
• Salou (Spain)
• La Pineda (Spain)
• Krakow (Poland)

And then countless places in my native United Kingdom!
It seems Spain is the place I have visited most - reason for this is my first beach holiday was to Salou, and I spent a few days in La Pineda while there, and the rest are courtesy of a Mediteranean Cruise I went on. Very classy!

I do plan on talking about these trips in greater detail someday, but unfortunately, the only photographs that remain are some from my Amsterdam & Den Hague adventures, and the Cruise photos. The rest were all lost due to a massive harddrive crash last year. Very annoying and gutting!
I do believe there are some from Bremen knocking about though.

I wrote one of my (in my opinion) better zines about my Krakow day trip, and you can purchase it at my Etsy store here.

Next on the list?
I'd love to visit Japan, particularly Tokyo and Kyoto. I would also love to visit Russia, and most of all, many more beautiful quaint European cities like Amsterdam and Bremen. I felt so at home in both of those places :)

Boredom into Custom Ponies

2012-01-28T14:04:00.000-08:00

I was pretty bored this afternoon, so I decided to make some quick & easy custom My Little Ponies.

Pins, my pony persona, and a filly Rarity, to add to my ever-growing Rarity collection!

They were quick and easy because I simply painted on their symbols & repainted their eyes. I've yet to figure out rehairing, but I had some ponies just waiting with bare flanks, and I have an excellent set of model paint, so... why not.

Incidently...:

Here's a shot of all the customs I've made (that I still own - I sold quite a few many years back), minus the mini Rarity.

I'm definitely a novice at this sort of thing.
If you want to see some good pony customs, check out my dearest Rainbow Juice's site:
http://rjpony.tumblr.com/

Motivation.

2012-01-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

*yawn* Hey everyone. We're sixteen days into 2012, and this is my first real blog post? Wow.

Okay, I have reasons. They're pretty tiresome to talk about, but I'll be blunt, honest and brief. Lots of work (and a whole lot of other things happening all at the same time) over the Christmas period really exhausted me. To the point where I was signed off work again due to a depression relapse.
Most of the time spent from then til quite recently has been tossed and turned between me being asleep, crying or freaking out over something or other. Not good.

But then I decided to give myself a metaphorical slap in the face and quit it.
It's difficult, though. Depression is never an easy thing to fight, and though I think, for the time being, this battle has resulted in a Cataroose Victory, it wasn't particularly smooth. It took me a long time to feel the motivation to do anything, let alone start up a whole bunch of new projects and such...

I guess it happened because in my down time, I was getting really frustrated with myself and how I have all these things that I want to do but feel that I can't because, well, Depression is exhausting and, believe it or not, a bit of a mood killer. I kept thinking about how the Patchwork Plane has been tentatively-sort-of-but-not-really around for quite a few years now and, besides some pieces of artwork, I've not really 'done anything with it'.

Okay, so it didn't really need to have anything done with anyway. It's mostly a personal project, a place I can conjour up when I want to give my characters purpose, or just somewhere to run around in, but then, I'm really anal when it comes to these things and I had to give it some sense of importance besides just that.
And on top of that, people seem to actually like it, which is a huge, huge compliment for me, and I don't want to let people down. Especially not the people who are so encouraging towards me and my work, even the really personal stuff such as this.

So.

I caved, and I finally buckled down and started work on a Patchwork Plane website.
I took a lot of inspiration from Capture Creatures, a wonderful project by the creator of the sweet webcomic, Tiny Kitten Teeth. I guess most of the inspiration came from the fact that it seemed something very plausible for me to do. Suddenly, the Plane didn't seem like this HUGE thing that needed a lot of explaining - it could be as simple as me just showing my ideas, explaining them a little, and having fun with it along the way.

And that's just what I am doing.
I am two characters in, and though I have a long way to go before it's "complete" (though I doubt this will ever happen; I'm constantly thinking of more ideas & designs for characters & creatures, and I want to include the 'scrapped' designs on this site as well, just out of enjoyment of character design & illustrating them, I suppose), it doesn't feel like a mammoth task, and it's actually giving me a great sense of purpose. For now, anyway.

It also showed me that being productive is really important to me. If I "get things done" (especially while I am out of work and am, therefore, not doing anything 'important', such as earning money and being a normal person in a job and all), then I don't feel as much of a waste of time, space and effort as Depression makes me believe I am.

To trigger said productivity off further, I also edited both my website and my tumblr sketchblog. I also edited my Twitter account a tad, and made little promises to myself to "concentrate harder" on my artwork because, at the end of the day, art is something that's been there for a very long time and it's always managed to help me express myself in a way that words perhaps couldn't. Like right now, I'm stumbling over said words because it's nearly 4am and I'm writing a blog post instead of sleeping...

My Tumblr sketchblog is another great thing for me to keep myself busy with. I am going to post art stuff there almost strictly, and possibly stuff to do with my writing as well (which I aim to do more of. But that's for another post), including works in progess, like you can see above.
I love seeing other artists show off their work before it's complete, and I love looking at others' sketchbooks, and seeing photographs of their workspaces and materials. Voyeuristic as it may seem, it really fuels my inspiration, and whether or not me doing such a thing will inspire others is unknown for now - but it's making me feel happy, and it's keeping my mind off that fog of bad stuff that depression likes to imagine up for me...

So yeah. That's what I'm up to.
I feel I don't really talk about my artwork properly on this blog, and I guess that's another thing I want to change.

But, hey. TD:RL, here's all the links that I babbled about:
The Patchwork Plane Project
Art by Antlercat (Tumblr)
Antlercat Illustration

Until I write about something more coherant,
Cally

Out With The Old: Welcome 2012

2011-12-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

So. This year.
It's been weird for me, certainly. It will forever be remembered for me as the year I attempted to do something really stupid, but ultimately, got onto starting the rest of my life & heading in a bright new direction.
I've had lots of time off work due to depression and other illnesses, I've been skint and I've been rich, I've been here and I've been there.
I've lost friends, but much more importantly, I've gained new ones and closer friendships with those in my life who mean the most to me. I've learned and grown a lot and second chances for me and many in my life have been in abundance throughout this year's strange rollercoaster...
So, it's had it's ups and downs - but I'm confident that 2012 will be a good one.

I have to say this, too.
Are we going to all die in 2012?
I'll allow Professor Brian Cox to clue you all in:

...happy new year, all ;)

Christmas Present Roundup!

2011-12-27T06:48:00.000-08:00

Well! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
Mine was nice, and filled with so many awesome gifts, but admittedly the day itself was dampened by the fact I spent most of it in bed, so exhausted from such work overkill...

This is my first 'proper' day off in a while, so I'm making the most of it :)
As soon as this post is done, I am heading downstairs to snuggle in front of the fire and play games or watch films - maybe both!

I somehow managed to get quite a lot of frog-related stuff this year! I think I have a certain little albino buddy to blame for that :)
No complaints though - frogs are excellent!

When it comes to Christmas gifts, my family certainly do know me well - all of this brilliant stuff will keep me occupied for a long time, I think!

My dad found this little box of jellybeans and just had to get it for me - look at that guy on the top! Is that my very own Green masquerading as a jellybean?!

Some wonderful gifts from my fox-friend Shade :)
I really love the thoughtful stuff he always sends, and I am overjoyed that I finally have that My Little Pony collector book! Can't wait to sit down with it and tick off the ponies I have!

And speaking of ponies!
Something unique and awesome to add to my Rarity collection - this little colouring book is a French exclusive, I believe, and is full of just beautiful pony artwork! :)

This Bamboo tablet was kinda my Christmas present to myself (one of them, anyway!). I have been enjoying semi-digital work lately (in that, I sketch traditionally then add flat colours in Photoshop) and I like the idea of making some digital graphics and such, so I am looking forward to using this.

Obligatory Lush gifts!
Every year, my mum gets my sister & I gifts from Lush, and these were mine - the 'Merry and Bright' gift box containing shower gel and 'Northern Lights' soap (which is even more radioactive in real life!)

These were my gifts from Antony :)
He definitely honed in on my pony love & got me some silly gifts, including a Crayola create-a-pony! Excited to do this!
He also heard that when I sold my original 3DS a while back, I also sold all my games, including my favourite game of ALL TIME, Big Bang Mini. Naturally, he had to remedy this. I am so glad to have this game back in my life (among other things)!
There were more gifts, but they are at his house!

Pretty dolls!
I finally caved & gave into the Monster High craze. This is my first (and only! I don't want any more, I don't think!) Monster, Ms. Lagoona Blue. Let's be honest: out of all the ladies, it had to be Lagoona.
Also, two new Petite Blythes! The bear girl, and the spider girl, who was another gift from Shade (but didn't end up in the group picture because I'm stupid).
I've got quite a collection of them now! Need to figure out where to display them...

And finally:

Various gifts sent to me from friends or bought myself as a kind of pre-emptive Christmas treat (the Rarity with luggage & the Blackadder boxset, which I have been covetting for such a long time!)
The ponies, artwork & false nails (in Rarity design!!) were from my pony ladies, Ashley and Emma respectively, and we exchanged our festive gifts to each other over pizza, before going to see Puss in Boots in 3D :)

I hope everyone else out there had a wonderful Christmas time, filled with joy and great presents! :)
I can't wait to get New Years all out of the way, admittedly, so work (and life in general!) goes back to normal, but hey. This year started out absolutely vicious and has ended up being pretty amazing...but more on that another time.

Festive Feelings

2011-12-23T17:21:00.000-08:00

This Christmas season, I have been so incredibly busy what with work and all.
Just one more day to go before I am off for Christmas Day - and I cannot wait for it, let me tell you.
I could rant here, and I was going to, about how very few people seem to have "Christmas Cheer" any more & how people are getting increasingly greedier and greedier - but I won't, instead, I will share with you this, my Christmas drawing for 2011 and say that I hope you all have a wonderful time.

Christmas is one of those times of years that I think people seem to believe is "just for kids" - but this belief is kind of what's putting a dampener on the holiday for people like myself, who still feel that it should be for everyone, not just those young enough to not be disenchanted by insanely busy shops, overly long work hours and despicably rude people...

It's a time for family, for love, for sharing, for giving, for recieving (yes, it's a time to be all grabby-handed and NOT feel guilty about it! Something else oft forgotten when it comes to Christmas - really, I could go on all night!) and for just relaxing and enjoying what you have, making the most of it, and making it special for those around you.

Me, I'm working a lot still, but I plan on spending tomorrow evening relaxing and doing happy things before the Big Day itself.

And, Christmas is also a time when most think about the future, and the year that has passed, what with New Years just around the corner.
This year for me has been very strange: very, very horrible at times, but it has truly proven that even in the darkest places, there's still a light that shines. I have had people come and go this year - but I realise now that the people who have gone & not returned were never worth it in the first place.
And I have had people come back into my life who I wouldn't have expected to see again: but I am so thankful for it.

It all feels very pivotal.

I truly do hope that all of you out there who I share my little world with, and who care to listen, have a great time and enjoy all the gifts, happiness and laughter that comes your way. To those who aren't expecting gifts or any joy, please do remember that you aren't alone - there is always someone to talk to (the internet is good for this, and there are various helplines that are open, especially around Christmas time), and though the holidays can be lonely, you will be fine. Keep that thought in mind. I promise this :)

Enjoy turkey, stuffing and gravy.
Or goose, or nut roast. Whatever it is you're eating.
Enjoy carols, Christmas specials on TV & the inevitable silly family games, or silly family arguments - one or the two always happens!
And most of all: ENJOY YOURSELF.

I shall leave you with this little piece of festive cheer, from one of my all-time favourite Christmas films:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Older and Wiser

2011-12-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

The comic above is from xdcd, and it has always resonated with me. Lately, it has been in my mind even more so.

It's not even a week into me being 26 years old, and already I've heard that I'm apparently "getting old", that I'm "nearly 30 - oh my God!", and that I should know that I'm over a "quarter of a century old now".
These things were all said mostly by people in that impressionable age range of 18-20.

This kind of talk baffles me. I've never once felt weird about birthdays and getting older. I don't get how it's a bad thing, really, when you truly are only as old as you feel. This is a saying that possibly gets overlooked because it's so overused, but I really believe it's true.

I would love to meet my childhood self again. I think she would be overjoyed to hear that, as an adult, she is still into all the same things she ever was, has picked up a few more, and is still, in a way, drawing 'Cally Cat'.

True, there are bad things about adulthood.
Dealing with bills, jobs, and bad relationships to start with, and other stuff that seems more prominent once you've finished puberty. But that's the beauty of it: because of all these negative things, it's important and downright neccessary to have lovely things to fall back on. I believe it's mandatory to fall back on your childhood, from time to time. I don't think permanently living in your childhood (which, to an extent, I do, but that's something for another blog post!) is for everyone, but giving yourself time to revisit old literary friends like, for me, the Mr. Men, or Roald Dahl's colourful characters, or to run through the wilds of Africa with Simba, or to speed through awesome landscapes with Sonic the Hedgehog is very important for the soul.

And, if you still don't believe me, take this as an example:
Not long before he died, I remember watching my Grandad absolutely roaring with laughter at a Johnny Bravo marathon on Cartoon Network.
He was 86.

My family have brought me up to believe that, while it's important to mature, it's not wise to let go of absolutely everything. Something that always returns to me is something my ex said about me being 'immature' and 'dreaming too much'.

To that I say: you dream too little.

Christening the new sketchbook...

2011-12-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

I ordered a new sketchbook for myself from Amazon, which arrived the other day. :)
I went for a pocket-size Moleskine sketchbook as I love Moleskines to sketch in anyway but I prefer to work small and so far, so good. I really love the freedom this sketchbook has given me!

The majority of work in it thus far consists of mainly My Little Pony fan art, because I'm really enjoying it right now, it's relaxing and just plain fun to draw!

The book started off, however, with this.
I started a new game of Pokemon HeartGold (my favourite DS-release Pokemon game!) and went for my usual starter, a Totodile. I called him "Newton" after Sir Isaac Newton (I might go with a scientist theme throughout the game when naming my caught creatures!), and decided he was way too cute not to draw. It was a nice piece to get the (poke)ball rolling for this sketchbook!

Then, this. I had the idea for "Raritea" in my head for a few days and just had to get it down on paper. Rarity is, as I am sure you all know, my favourite My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic character, and I just love drawing her. She lends herself very nicely to style experimentation too!

I also made a digitally coloured version of this piece, and plan on traditionally painting (with watercolours) the one in the sketchbook. This is something I want to do with a lot of sketches from now on, to compare styles :)
I will always love traditional art the most (for my style - I love others' digital work to look at!), but it's interesting to see how my stuff looks digitally, and to practice with techniques.

Further ponies!
This was drawn for my lovely Shade, of our two alternate ponysonas(!), Scrollflitter and Octave Moon. The pegasus pair are in a band together. Scrollflitter is a musician and lyricist, and Octave sings. :)
This picture's meant to be a depiction of their first meeting!

And finally, this! :)
While I was sketching, my brother and I decided to throw on a Mr. Men cartoon dvd. Now, I must stress: I'm 26 now, and my brother is 38. You are never too old or young to appreciate great cartoons. :)
A watercolour version of this will follow. :3
I absolutely LOVE the Mr. Men books. They are beautiful and perfect and so sweet and funny and just, such a STAPLE OF MY CHILDHOOD.

My all-time favourite Mr. Man was, and always will be, Mr. Daydream.
Which I think says a lot about me...don't you?

Twenty-Six! =)

2011-12-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

It was my twenty-sixth birthday on Monday, and it was just the most amazing day.
Unfortunately, for the past couple of days, I've been struck down with massive tooth pain - I have an incredibly decayed (I know, I'm disgusting) back tooth & it needs to be removed STAT. All that could be done today was to get it filled in the meantime (dentist bills are huge over here), and I've been pretty much dead to the world all day with the pain & feeling so sleepy...

So, this blog post may end up being a little sporadic!

I felt absolutely floored when I opened all of these amazing gifts. It was way more than I could have ever expected and I feel so lucky and thankful to be surrounded by so many wonderful people who love me enough to give me such material joys :)

From Mum & Dad:
-Big Bang Theory boxset, and complete Tom & Jerry & Pink Panther cartoon collections. GOODNESS.
-Warriors: The New Propechy - the four books I needed! :)
-Comic Con Exclusive pony + December Delight G3 birthday pony!

From...me:
-Nintendogs Coral Pink 3DS. OKAY WHAT. I bought this for myself out of my loan money as a Christmas gift and lo & behold, there it was in my birthday bag. I was super surprised - I give the best awesome surprise gifts!

From my brother, Chris:
-Totally awesome 80s PONY hoodie!
-George Harrison(!) G3 Pony Custom!

From my sister, Mandy, brother-in-law Andy, and niece & nephew Millie and Jamie:
-Very warm and cosy pyjama set! (Totally neccessary. It's freezing up in here.)
-Slippers! (That I won't fall over like my current cat slippers, I hope.)
-John Lennon Book! (It's a conspiracy book. It'll be so seedy. I'm excited. XD)

Extra gift! from my niece Millie:
-Adorable charm bracelet!! Features charms of a horse, a poodle, a ~~shell~~ (ice cream. It's an ice cream.) and a seahorse - SO CUTE.

Birthday ponies!
I'm overjoyed with these new additions - aren't they beautiful? :)

These were the gifts from my "Ponyfriends", Ashley & Emma!
Ashley got me the fabulous bag, which, in her words, she saw & knew it was a 'Callybag'.. :) It's weird, because I actually wanted a new large bag for work, and I hadn't TOLD anyone this, so clearly Ashley and I have a connection. :)
Emma got me the adorable C bracelet (in Mario box!), Sea Monkeys!, and the DVD of Robin Hood, which is one of my favourite Disney films ever. :)

These gifts were all from my delightful foxfriend, Shade, who you all remember from my Dutch adventure pictures recently, I hope! :)
He sent me Sugarcup, a pony that I needed to complete my Wave 3 G4 collection, a beautiful copy of 'The Never Ending Story', a book I've wanted to read since childhood, and so many other delightful and thoughtful gifts! :)

These gifts were a little late to the party, arriving this morning, but still so awesome & much-loved! They came from my pandalion buddy, Xander! :D The Soft Kitty shirt is fantastic, as is the sweet little Beatles notebook. Not sure what I'll use the notebook for yet, but I'll think of something :)

Just to clarify something: I did own a blue 3DS for a very short period of time, but I had to sell it when extra money for a bill was desperately needed. When I cleared out my debts last month, some spare money fell into my hands, and I put aside some cash at work to buy this beautiful little pink replacement. Just to explain that a little, if it confused anyone who remembered the blue one :)
I purchased Sonic Generations for it on my birthday before I met up with my friends. I can't stress how amazing this game is! I own it on Xbox too, but I think I actually prefer the 3DS version. Anyone who is a fan of the good, classic Sonic games will love this, and the soundtrack is to die for! :D

Now, on my birthday, I felt like doing something super special and fun with two of my best friends, the aforementioned "pony friends", Ashley & Emma.
We always go to Yo Sushi when we meet up, so, for my birthday we decided...

To go to Yo Sushi!

I got a voucher for my birthday giving us 25% off the price of our bill. Coupled with the fact that it was Blue Monday (all plates on the belt are blue, thus being cheaper!), we managed to score an amazing deal and got so much tasty food in the process! :)
The plates, by the way, were cataroose blue specifically. Very fitting.

After this, we got dessert at the milkshake bar next to Yo Sushi (I had a Galaxy Caramel flavour one. Mmm!), did a bit of wandering, then went to the cinema to watch Happy Feet Two in IMAX:

We weren't prepared!
Honestly, if you get a chance, go and see this adorable film. I wasn't too keen on the first Happy Feet (the environmental message was a little too hammered home for my liking), but this sequel is amazing & far surpasses the first. There is still a message to be heard, but it's done in a much more subtle, and therefore, effective way :) And it's just such a fun film, and beautifully animated.
The soundtrack is fantastic, too.
Watching cute penguins was just the best way to end my awesome day out with friends!

After this, I got home & my parents ordered a delicious Indian takeaway for us all to nom on (I had lamb passanda with peshwari naan. So sweet & nice!), but soon after THAT, I felt incredibly sleepy and promptly passed out from 8pm til the next morning!

My birthday was absolutely perfect.
I couldn't have asked for a better day. It made me realise just how loved I am and how important and special my friends are - even those who are far away, I felt so close to you ALL on Monday and I just feel so lucky and happy to know you.

Thank you. :)

The Life Aquatic with Cally Cataroose #5 - A Molly Good Show!

2011-12-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

I'm very sorry for the pun.
Actually, no! I'm totally not!

Tomorrow is my birthday (or, as some friends of mine who may or may not have been visited recently in their native Netherlands are calling it: "Antlercat Day"), and as an early treat to myself, this morning, my dad and I went by the local petstore & I picked up four new babies to go into my tropical tank - which has gotten a little quiet lately.

I inspected every tank, but I pretty much went in there with a mission: more balloon mollies! After Spartacus & Alejandro gracing me with their company, I realised just how much I love these unusually shaped fish, so, meet the four new boys (and girls, I've yet to figure out which is which):

This red lady (confirmed - I asked the guy at the petstore, haha!) was my first pick as she was the only of that colour in the tank. Very elegant, isn't she?

This lovely patchy fellow (I am guessing, by the crest) was a must, too. I love fish with unusual patterns. I love unusual fish in general, though I think my admiration for these little fat mollies said that already...

I can't get pizza cheese out of my head when I look at this guy's strange orange speckled patterns. Terrible.

They all spent a good while adjusting to the tank by hovering around by this ornament & plant in their first hour. They're a lot more settled now that they have been fed, though :)

This absolutely gorgeous specimen is possibly the most headstrong of the bunch - not swayed at all by my incredibly rude betta, Vega, trying to bully them all into submission! Go you, speckle-fish!

And here's the bully in action. Don't worry: I kept a close eye on them, and he was flaring at them (as seen here) to try to intimidate them, and chased the patchy one around a little, but now has calmed down and realised that just 'cause he's fancy doesn't mean he's the king of the tank!

That particular accolade goes to Ghost, my faithful little catfish companion, who I rarely photograph 'cause he doesn't seem to like it - but today, he posed for me! :)

These are all nameless for now, too. I guess I'm not feeling very inspired in the name department lately. I will consult my science books and give them creative names just like my astronomy guppies of old, though. I'm leaning toward the name 'Granite' for the speckled molly, and possibly 'Jupiter' (or something related) for the orange spotted one. We shall see...!

Any suggestions? :)

In the port of Amsterdam...

2011-11-28T15:32:00.001-08:00

My blog has been pretty quiet for a little while, hasn't it?
I've been busy with work mostly, and gathering together Christmas and birthday gifts (December is an important month in my family - my sister's birthday is the 1st, mine is the 5th, my brother's is the 6th, then Christmas - eek!), but I also managed to flit off on a mini adventure to my favourite city in the entire world: Amsterdam!

I tell a small lie: I was actually visiting Den Haag (The Hague in English) to meet my dear fox-loving friend, Shade for the first ever time! But, naturally, we took a trip to Amsterdam too, as it was only 45 minutes away by train and is full of glorious shops and cats!

I had a wonderful time. Just the sort of break that I needed, and so much fun too! Shade & I really got on well, and we have just the same sort of silly humour & personality that it was like being with a friend I've known for years (well, I suppose I have known him quite a while online, but, still!).
We also collaborated on a fun project entitled Hooves of Steel: Clop In Hell, which is an album full of silly My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic song covers, as Shade is a musician by trade. More on that another time, though.

The Hague is a beautiful place, and we enjoyed some shopping (for ponies!) and food here - I had my first experience of tofu & tempeh rotti. :3 Very tasty Indian cuisine comprising of a pancake, spiced vegetables and an egg.

Then later, we visited a nice little tea bistro and had rooibos together while drawing!

Naturally, my travelling friend Sombrero accompanied me on my Dutch adventures. He likes to travel all around, and he enjoys being in lots of photographs to prove it:

A thing that is very noteworthy about the Hague is...

...can you guess what yet?
CATS! My previous visits to the Netherlands were full of them too, but The Hague's Catmaze provided us with more friendly kitties than we knew what to do with!

Our day trip to Amsterdam was wonderful and very fruitful when it comes to shopping. I bought a lot of silly things, as did Shade, and I have to say it here: Shade is an unbelievably generous and lovely man as he gifted me with so many great things to bring back with me from my stay. I felt a little overwhelmed! But in a good way. :3

There was also a kitty or two there, too!

We visited several wonderful stores that sold fabulous toys, trinkets and other treats, and, at the Chimera Fantasy Shop, I bought a pair of dragon familiars for myself & Shade!
(His is on the left.)

We also ate tasty lunch at a lovely cafe (The Neilsen cafe, I believe?)

And we were sure to make time for Cat Time!

The entire day was a success, what with us managing to squeeze in a visit to the Buddhist Temple in Chinatown (no pictures allowed inside!) before it shut, where I bought a red wish candle. The lady at the Temple asked us to write our names on paper, which she then taped to the candle, and we each said a little prayer (secret prayers! I hope we both asked for nice things :)) which will be thought about when medidating with said candle. I wanted a nice candle for my room so it worked out nicely.

After so much shopping and wandering, food was in order, so we ate at the wonderful Snow Lion Tibetan restaurant. Neither of us has tried Tibetan before, so it was a lovely treat - the food was amazing and I would happily visit Amsterdam again to return there!

We opted for the vegetarian dim sum-style starters (just to point out: I am not vegetarian myself, but as Shade is, it was neccessary to do so for correct and polite sharing!), and we had spring rolls, delicious vegetable pastie (I think we both enjoyed this the most!), vermicelli noodles & vegetables, and steamed dumplings. All in all, very delicious!

(Sombrero enjoyed it too.)

The short break I had was amazing, as I think is clear from these photographs (it's difficult not to enjoy ones' self when surrounded by so many cats), and I am excited to visit Shade again some time, or for him to come visit me so I can treat him to a typical day out in Cally land: going to Yo Sushi!

The Netherlands is still my favourite place to visit when I want to feel happy, relaxed and at perfect peace with myself. I have been to a fair few places now but nothing can compare to how wonderful it is where the Dutch eat fries with mayonnaise & the cats are plentiful.

In the port of Amsterdam
There's a sailor who sings
Of the dreams that he brings
From the wide open sea
In the port of Amsterdam
There's a sailor who sleeps
While the riverbank weeps
With the old willow tree
In the port of Amsterdam
There's a sailor who dies
Full of beer, full of cries
In a drunken down fight
And in the port of Amsterdam
There's a sailor who's born
On a muggy hot morn
By the dawn's early light
-"Amsterdam", Jacques Brel.

Purge.

2011-11-06T15:27:00.000-08:00

The cataroose and Dhani, the music spirit, climb to the top of a great hill in the Patchwork Plane. They had been travelling all morning to get there and their burden was heavy, or at least, the cataroose's was. The bounty of old memories she had gathered was enormous, and with Dhani's kind help, she finally managed to purge herself of them.

--

This is an older piece now, but I am still very proud of it, and the sentiment remains, if not even more poignant than before.
I have had a bit of a life changing year. Well, that's an understatement, really. A lot has gone on, and I feel like I am geniunely facing a new, exciting future now.
I think it's important to rid ourselves of the stuff that clings onto us like a bad case of mold.

In a month now, I'll be older...

2011-11-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

And wiser, and happier.
I promise.

Though I have been discouraged in the past, I always like to make a wish list for my birthday on Amazon each year. I don't really expect anything from it, but it's fun to gather together things I might like, and to dream.

I used to believe posting such things would come across as greedy or spoilt, due to what certain people had told me in the past, but then I realised, it's really not. I love it when my friends post their wishlists and I always try to fulfil certain wishes on there, if I can. So why should I feel such guilt in showing off my own? Very silly.

So, without further ado...some of my wishlist's more unique items:

Collector's 1959 Debut Silkstone Barbie
I've never been a Barbie person. Even as a child, I thought she was boring and preferred to play with toy animals instead of toy people (don't get me started on baby dolls. Yuck!). But, as I've gotten older, I quite admire the vintage Barbies and how stylish she looked. This particular one is gorgeous, and if I were to get one (and I would only get one), she would be it.
-See her on Amazon.

Soft Kitty Shirt
I've mentioned before how much I love The Big Bang Theory. Any moments with Sheldon's "sick song", Soft Kitty just make me smile and laugh so much. It is quite apt that this t-shirt is on my wishlist.
(Incidently, I'm a size small.)
EDIT!
-My dear friend Pandalion has very kindly decided to donate her Soft Kitty shirt to me - thank you so much!

Giant Plush Microbes
More science frivolity! I have wanted one of these strange cuties since I first saw them ages ago. While it would be hard to pick just one, I have to say favourites lie with the bookworm, brain cell, common cold, gonorrhea(!), heartworm, sleeping sickness, stem cell and white blood cell (what a strange sentence!).
-See them all at Think Geek.

Chococat Plush
I love Chococat. He's possibly my favourite of Sanrio's creations (along with Cinnamoroll!), and it baffles me that I don't already have some sort of toy of him. This one is particularly cute. I love the almost courderoy material and he just looks so cuddly!
-See him at Artbox.

Awesome sweets!
Pocky is pictured here just as a suggestion. (I do love Pocky though...)
Bonus points for sweets in cute containers.

Kamikaze Girls Bluray
This movie just sounds ideal for me. I really love Japanese culture, and this film just looks so bright, colourful and fun. It sounds really interesting and I would love to watch it!
-See it on Amazon.

Various Books
Books are a must for me. I have recently fallen back in love with reading and I want to gather together a fabulous library again! These particular books were picked with inspiration in mind - I think that's pretty obvious though!

All of these items, plus an embarassingly large selection of others, can be found at:
My Amazon Wishlist

While again I must stress that I do not expect anyone to buy anything and that was not my intention while posting this, if anyone did want to, my birthday is the 5th of December.
My past couple of birthdays have been rather lacking in the fun department, and as this is my first birthday in a very long time in which I will be single, I am really excited to just relax, chill out and really enjoy my day without feeling pressure or being overwhelmed by someone else (I have unusual hang-ups. Or, bad experiences. Don't ask.)

:)

Art Questionaire

2011-11-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

* What sort of artist would you most identify yourself as?

Illustrator.

* What would be your secondary identity?

I'm really not sure! I do some crafts too. Does that count?

* What forms of art do you dabble in, but don't excel at?

Though I've been told otherwise, I don't feel I am that good at digital art. I do want to practice it more, though. I also do some other crafts such as jewellery making and plush toy crafting. My plushies are very amateur at best, but my jewellery seems to sell well at Etsy: http://antlercat.etsy.com

* How would you describe your 'style'?

Colourful and playful. I plan things loosely and let my imagination & pencil add extra flourishes as I go along.

* What medium do you favor most?

Watercolour always. Plus mechanical pencil sketches and marker illustrations are beginning to really grow on me.

* What are your favorite subject matters?

Animals. Though that's probably obvious. Particularly love drawing wolves and dragons. Monsters, too.

* What are your least favorite subject matters?

I'm going to say anthros though I do love seeing them. I feel my own anthros don't look too great when I draw them. I need to practice more.

* List your Artistic Strengths

I think I am good at communicating to others via my art, in a literal or abstract sense. I like to think I am quite good with colour theory and character design, too.

* List your Artistic Weaknesses

I still need help with anatomy, though I don't view it as 'important' as I should. Also backgrounds, I'm lazy when it comes to those. I feel I'm not super great with con badges, either.

* Which of the above weaknesses would you most like to see improve?

Con badges. I want to be able to make more money from my art, being perfectly honest. Anatomy goes hand in hand with that, I think.

* Adult Content. . . yes/no?

Erotic, romantic and suggestive, yes. Tasteful nudes, yes. Out & out smut...not sure. Depends how it's drawn. I am sort of iffy with adult art myself. Part of me wants to draw it but another part is nervous that it will conflict with my style.

* Adult Subject Matter you favor?

I don't really look at much adult art, I have to be honest, but what I said above really. I prefer something to suggest to me rather than to be 'all out on display' as it were. Something subtly seductive rather than plain sexy.

* Schooling/Training received in the arts?

lol nope. I am a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing, though. :)

* Schooling/Training you'd still like to have?

I don't really have the time to take on anything else unfortunately. If I were to go to school again, it would be for science & nature rather than art.

* Would you consider yourself prolific, or a 'quality over quantity' sort of artist?

I am prolific because art is one of my passions and I just love doing it. However, I do wish my work did have a little more quality to it, a more polished look. I plan on working on this.

* Would you considering yourself a Fine Artist, or a Commercial Artist?

I don't know. Do I even qualify as either?

* Where would you like to be in five years?

Honestly, the place I am aiming to currently is a nice place. I hope I'm still there, when I get there.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T05:37:00.000-07:00

All Hallow's Eve is upon us and all the spooky creatures of the night prepare their festival of fright!
My Halloween plans were cancelled, so I am spending my evening being as warm and snug as possible in this cold October weather, but I wish everyone out there a wonderful Halloween, whether you're going to a fancy dress party, trick or treating or simply staying in and watching spooky movies!

Cavalcade of Creepy Cuties!

This is Pumpkin Tart, one of my favourite G3 ponies, and one of my favourites in general. I love Halloween-themed toys, and Pumpkin's colourscheme and adorable cat cutie mark make her a keeper!

Hilarious clips from Oliver the Eighth, one of Laurel & Hardy's short films. It's one of a fair few spooky themed films they did, others being The Laurel & Hardy Murder Case and The Live Ghost.
The Halloween Laurel & Hardy films are some of my favourites, and I highly recommend them to anyone who wants a good spooky laugh!

Halloween Adoptables!

These adorable mini ponies were made by various members of the MLP Arena, to celebrate Halloween!
My own ponies Pins and Twinkle Stah make their spooky appearances here :)

Two of my own Halloween pieces from a few years back, featuring Horse and Hayleigh & Marcus from Rose Petal Tea!

While not a Halloween film, the ghost train scene from Amelie is a lovely example of spooky kitsch!

One of my favourite book series as a child was The Worst Witch, by Jill Murphy.
Though most people today would do anything for Harry Potter, I believe this series was a precursor to it, and it is cheerful, adorable and funny, from what I remember.

And, to round up, this song from The Nightmare Before Christmas, is sure to get you in the Halloween spirit!

Shedding Old For New.

2011-10-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

I've been quiet lately. There have been reasons, most notably being the fact that my long-term relationship ended up fizzling out, then ending quite dramatically, but you know, such is life. If it's not meant to be, it hurts for a little while, but eventually, it's fine, and I have to admit: I am feeling a lot better these days.
Again, there are reasons, but I think it mostly has to do with this:
I feel like myself again.

This year has been hard. Undeniably so, but you know, I'm sure you all know that. I've mentioned it, and I have mentioned my breakdown and depression quite a lot in this blog. It has been very tough, but I am a firm believer in things happening for a reason. The reason may be incredibly clouded up in the heat of the moment, but it's still there, if you dig for it - and when you're down, sometimes it's very easy to keep digging until you are given correct cause to climb back up again.

And I am. I'm climbing. I'm not right up at the top yet, but there's only one way to go now, and that's up. Rock bottom's not a nice place to be, but now that I've been there, I know what it's like, and I'm prepared. Hardened, but still the same old person I always was - the person I should always have been.

So I'm taking pleasure in the little things.
Watching My Little Pony, eating sushi with my best friends, cuddling my cat, returning to old friendships & allowing them to bloom, reading, remembering how good it is just to relax.
Getting on with work, getting out of debt and clawing my way back out of the hellish little hole I'd somehow ended up in.

I feel stronger and happier every day.
I have a lot of people in my life to thank for that, but they know who they are, and I hope I show them the correct appreciation they really do deserve.

I feel like I am on the verge of something now.
It's funny how being held down and feeling suffocated for so long can wind up in you learning again how to breathe & looking at things in a completely new light.

And I am very excited and thankful about it :)

The Life Aquatic with Cally Cataroose #4 - Meet the Rest!

2011-10-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

I realise that my fish posts have been a little sporadic and out of date, so, before I go any further with them, I want to show you the rest of my finned friends who I have yet to introduce (though some of you may know them already from my Flickr!)

This handsome big boy is King.
And no, he's not particularly fond of the camera, so I try to avoid taking photos of him....which is a shame, 'cause he's very cute.
He's a comet goldfish, and he has a large tank all to himself. It used to have other fish in, but that was the tank which had the dreaded outbreak of Ich, and unfortunately, the rest all died, but King prevailed!
He's a tough old thing and he is one of the first things I see when I wake up. And a lovely sight to see in the morning he is too!

This is Alejandro, and yes, he was named after the Lady Gaga song!
He is a balloon molly, one of my favourite species of fish because they are just so unusual and pretty. I love stark white animals, and this pretty boy just stands out in the tropical tank so much.

I love mollies now so much that...

I got another one!
This is Spartacus (his name was inspired actually by something pretty silly and obscure, and not what you might think!).
He's really pretty but these are the only photos I have of him for now. He's orange with little flecks of yellow & white here and there. Very pretty indeed.

And finally:

Vega, my third Siamese fighting fish/betta.
Nobody could ever replace my dear Jubei (my red betta) but I missed having one of these marvellous fish around, so I got little Vega here.

He's black & blue and is tremendously good at hiding so these photos I have of him are probably the best I'll get until he decides to be less shy/less ninja-like!

Expect more of these aquatic posts soon.
I plan on redecorating Alfredo's tank tomorrow, if I get the chance, and there's lots he wants to show you in his new home. Including his new (not-live) friend.

I also heard that there's a new petshop in the shopping centre where I work, so I think I may treat myself and my fishy friends to some goodies next week.
Keep your eyes peeled :)

Pony Customisation Hell

2011-10-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

I've been attempting my first rehaired My Little Pony custom tonight.

Have some progress pictures:

Poor Rarity seems a bit confused by all those sharp objects around her...

Ah! So that's what they were for.
Her beautiful mane!

"Darling! Whatever happened to you...?"

The last tiny bits of hair will have to be pulled out with a needle - I don't have one to hand right now, though.

The Rarity/Twilight mutant waits, ready to pounce...
(The reason this became was because the Rarity bait I had kinda got a bit ripped in the delicate process of beheading, so I had to use the extra Twilight I had hanging around for her body...)

She's just waiting on being painted & getting her new hair, but once she's done, she'll be a G4 custom of my own pony character, Satellite Star. And, Satellite has a unicorn husband, too, so no doubt if she goes well, he won't take long to follow.

Tune in next time at Antlercat's Pony Lab!

MADE BY ANTLERCAT is finally open!

2011-09-29T17:35:00.001-07:00

It's took a while, but MADE BY ANTLERCAT, my Etsy store is finally open!

With lots to buy such as artwork, jewellery, plushies, books and more, Made by Antlercat is set to be a well-stocked online store full of lots of fun things!

And, this weekend ONLY, to celebrate the launch:
Get a free gift with every purchase!

Thanks for looking!
-Cally.

Fluffy Voyeur: Pony Bathtime

2011-09-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

So, earlier today, I decided to take a bath and wash my hair.
But not before I'd spruced up some of the newer additions to my pony herd...

Some facts about The Patchwork Plane.

2011-09-29T05:01:00.000-07:00

I've not been posting a lot lately because, very annoyingly, this week I've had an awful stomach bug. Today I just about feel better, so I thought I would share a small post with you regarding my Patchwork Plane, the dreamworld in which all my characters live.

For those new to the Plane, you can find out more here:
-Patchwork Plane Gallery @ My Website
-More info on it in the FAQ Section (scroll to the bottom)

Facts About The Patchwork Plane

♥ The Patchwork Plane is an imagined world where all my characters live. I generally create characters specifically for said world (i.e: Dhani, Tika-Tiri etc), but characters from other projects of mine can be there, too. I purposely created this landscape to be as flexible as possible. It's generally a pet project, but I am happy to say it's proved quite popular and successful online :)
(Copied & pasted from my FAQ section, but it's relevant!)

♥ All of the animals that live there have opposable thumbs, so they can do more when in the Plane. When in the real world, they do not, and a lot of them also lose all their extravagant looks & colours. The only creatures that can look the same as they do when in the real world are the spirits, but they can also become human, to mask their unusual appearances. The demons also stay in their original forms - this is why they tend to shy away from visiting the normal world.

♥ The Plane has been around a lot longer than you might think, though it was never really 'canon', nor did it have any particular name or purpose back then other than a sandbox-type world for me to play around in. The Night Realm of the Patchwork Plane appears most definitely in Indigo Sky, in Norie's dream.

♥ Although it's not stated in the novels, the Patchwork Plane can, in theory, be reached via places in both Indigo Sky and the more unexpected Rose Petal Tea. In Indigo Sky, Christmas Tree Park is the Plane's obvious portal, being filled with trees. The Plane can be reached underneath the ominous railway bridge in Rose Petal Tea.

♥ Dhani was not always the music spirit. When he was a sprout (young spirit), he was intended for a much darker purpose - a spirit of death and fear. He didn't much like the idea of that, so he journeyed around to try and find another spirit he could become. Upon finding the dead body of the previous music spirit, he took his mask and so took on his form & purpose.
Dhani still has ties to his original life, though. If his mask is removed or broken, then he will become the spirit of fear, a violent, unsavoury character, and music will never again be heard in the Plane.

♥ Some of the past stories for the characters in the Plane are pretty dark, the Plane being, in part, a sort of purgatory or afterlife world. I find it very difficult to write or draw the (unrelated) past stories of the characters Sequin and Kite because they are the darkest I have ever come up with and manage to freak even me as the author out.

♥ The easiest way to reach the Plane is through a tree.

Small, but important update!

2011-09-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

I've returned to work, and even though I am only back a couple of days each week for a few weeks, it's pretty tiring getting back into routine!
I'm working tomorrow so this will be brief!

I think the Trivial Tuesday and Friday is Magic features may have had their day. Even though I still have a lot of time before my full time work begins again, I know that my time to blog will be short again soon so I've decided not to update those from now on.
The Tuesday updates will still occur, but sporadically, as they were just fun little lists anyway. As for Friday's weekly update...I'm not so sure yet. There wasn't one this week, because I've been feeling sick for the most part of it, so there isn't even a lot really for me to say, but I will make "life updates" here and there still, I'm sure.

For example, this.
Today was tiring, but it was really wonderful to come home to a small package stacked to the bursting with lovely things inside! Things like ponies, of course.
These were from Tropical Sunset of the MLP Arena, and I am very happy with them all - the stickers were a nice surprise, too!
Lily Blossom is probably one of my favourite G4s so far. Her design is simple, but really elegant, and the little swan friend she came with is adorable, too.

Also, an announcement:
I'm going to be writing a book about depression.

Paraphrasing from Facebook...:
"It won't really be a scientific book, as I am not qualified to write as such, just one about my own feelings and how things have been because really, I'm tired of people getting the wrong idea about depression & what it entails. Also, it feels like something I both need to do and something I should do. Also, I feel it could be a really decent book that may even help others. Self-indulgent, perhaps, but I think sometimes you need to be to deal with such things.
(It won't be miserable, either. I want to try and make it a light-hearted account of something that is a truly terrible thing, without mocking it. And I know how, too.)"

What I mean by 'not miserable' is that I want to write about the bad and good in equal amounts because depression, contrary to popular belief, isn't actually all bad. I've noticed that friends of mine with depression and I can connect in ways that I've found it difficult to connect with others, and a heightened sensitivity, although a pain from time to time, can be really good because you can really appreciate life in a very raw state. Looking at things with the knowledge, if you like, that such an illness gives you, can be really stimulating & positive, when you work out how it is you in particular deal with certain situations.

I'll go into more detail in the book, though, and be sure to keep watching this blog for updates & passages from it as I go along with the writing process!
It's been a long time since I've really shared my written work with people in this way, and I'm quite looking forward to it.
It's also the first non-fiction book I'm undertaking. I've written zines before, and obviously, been blogging for quite a while now, but this is a little different.

All of that said: I am absolutely shattered, and still not feeling 100% well, so I think a bath may be in order for me and a good night's sleep!

Continue to have a great weekend all :)

The Life Aquatic With Cally Cataroose #3 - The Biorb Boys!

2011-09-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

As you can see here, my computer desk has a new, beautiful feature: my Baby Biorb aquarium!

I bought the Biorb after lusting after one for months and months. My tax rebate came & I thought I would splurge. As I keep repeating: this year has been terrible, so, whenever I can, I try to treat myself to happy things (not always with money, mind) and buying the beautiful Biorb was certainly a qualifier for 'happy thing'.
Plus, at £70 total, including the three beautiful ornamental goldfish (no, really, that's what they're collectively referred to as!) who live in it, I feel it wasn't too expensive for something that will last me a very long time and give me many years of joy!

Biorbs are pretty popular among fishkeepers as they're both practical and very stylish. I have to admit, the tank certainly does look cool, and I do prefer the undergravel filtration system over the other filters I have in my three(!) other tanks.
However: for the price, I'd have expected the filter to be a little more whisper-quiet. But, you get used to it, and it's really not that loud.

The Biorb comes with everything you need to get started too, for coldwater fish at least. You can purchase Biorbs with heaters too, and for an even higher price, with a Marine conversion kit. Marine fish are something I really want to get but I don't think I'm anywhere near ready to do that. One day...
Mine came with the filter, natural rocks for decoration, and also some sachets of water treatment (essential for when setting up the tank) and a sample pack of fish food.

It also comes with a pretty blue light!

The Biorbs always come with a light - and mine initially came with the wrong light, a standard white halogen bulb, instead of the advertised 'Moonlight' feature, as seen here. I asked for a replacement & managed to keep both lights because I'd been 'messed around' so that was pretty nice.
The normal bulb lampshades(!) as a reading light for me when it's dark (and my room does get quite dark).

Naturally, my Biorb would not be complete without some dear little fish to live in it.
I went to my usual petstore, and to my delight, the fish I was after were in stock!
After keeping some, unfortunately, very briefly, a while back, I fell in love with 'fancy goldfish' such as orandas, ryukins, and more. Mine were unfortunately the victims of a very vicious Ich outbreak which I discovered when it was too late to save them. But, I guess even though it was the hard way, I did learn a lesson and now keep a fully stocked medicine cabinet for my fish in case anything like that happens again.

So...I got myself two orandas and a ranchu, because ranchus are the cutest fish in existence. Fact! I also intended to buy a black moor but they were out of stock. When I next buy fish for my Biorb (only three more in total, mind, as any more is not safe for the size of the tank), I'll try to get one :)

Presenting: Ogilvy (black oranda), Otaku (calico oranda) and Sheldon (ranchu)!

Ogilvy seems to like the camera the most. In all of the shots I took, this handsome black and gold fellow could be seen in the background, or photobombing his fellow bowlmates!
He is named after the astronomer in The War of The Worlds. His dark appearance made me want to name him something space-related, but I think I had exhausted my efforts of space names with my old guppies, so Ogilvy stuck.

Like all orandas, Ogilvy is quite a fantastic fish. I really love their decorative fins, which are very delicate and, unfortunately, are prone to rot. It's something you really have to keep an eye out for if you want to keep any kind of fancy goldfish, but especially these guys.

Ogilvy is also the proud owner of a small wen - that lumpy, fleshy 'hood' on the top of his head. As he matures, this will get larger & give him an even grumpier cute appearance!
This wen is what gives these goldfish their alternative name of 'lionheads'. You can also get lionhead ranchus and ryukins too. Practically any fancy goldfish can grow one.

Next up (and, appropriately bombed by Ogilvy) is the calico-coloured Otaku!
His name is Japanese and means: "Otaku (おたく / オタク?) is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga, or video games." (courtesy of Wikipedia).
I named him this because calico fish tend to make me think of Japan, and I had been mid-way through watching the Trigun anime at the time, so it seemed only natural.

He's very cute, and like almost all calico fish (and shubunkins), he has very striking black eyes.

And finally, we have Sheldon.
Sheldon was named after the character from The Big Bang Theory, which is one of my favourite comedy series. I didn't intend to name a fish after him, but on the night before buying my Biorb, I watched an episode in which Sheldon was performing experiments on fish to make fish night lights. It seemed like a sign so I went with it.

It's funny, but I actually feel that fish!Sheldon resembles his onscreen counterpart quite a bit. He's also very neurotic, and generally stays away from the other fish whenever he can. They're not agressive towards him, and they all share when it comes to meal times, but Sheldon just...has to be different.

It's come to my attention that several of my friends have been inspired to get fish now because of my blog posts. I have to say that really means a lot :)
I'm so glad to see that my silly posts have encouraged others to keep fish themselves, and also to see that people have started to see past the sadly common opinion of 'fish are boring'. They really aren't!

Another thing: I realise I've not introduced a grand total of four of my fish to you yet, these being Vega (Betta/Siamese Fighting Fish), Spartacus and Alejandro (Balloon Mollies) and King (Comet Goldfish). I will get round to that in my next 'Life Aquatic' installment, I promise.

Retail Therapy with Antlercat

2011-09-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

To say that I've not really been "with it" lately would be a bit of an understatement, and there's not been a sniff of a Trivial Tuesday or a Friday is Magic.
Well...

Tabby here tries to illustrate how I am feeling.

Northstar might seem bright and cheerful, but carrying a stressed-out Petite Blythe around on her flights is no spring picnic.

Depression's hit hard again, and at the worst possible time.
I've returned to work, but thankfully it's a phased return. This gives me the time to get my head together and gather my thoughts.
And, y'know, those thoughts aren't all that particularly bad - because I've had some wonderful adventures as of late, especially those of the shopping variety...

The biggest thing to celebrate is this, really.
My 3DS! I've kind of wanted one for a while, and, with my tax rebate appearing at a time when I needed it both literally and in a way that my silly fragile heart craves, it seemed only right to splurge.
However! I didn't even have to splurge!
Trading in my original DSi (which was Cataroose Blue coloured, so it's a shame really that it's gone!), Kinect plus game collection (consisting of three games) and Wii Fit Plus & board managed to get me enough cash to get my 3DS for...just £14.99!
This ridiculous bargain nearly had me squealing with joy in the shop, I can't deny.
I love it, too. I've been playing Pokemon Black mostly, which isn't even a 3D game!

Hi there, new ponies!
These weren't even bought by me - they were gifts, which makes them even better!
With hugest love & gratitude to my friend Anbessa for the beautiful Blossomforth and aptly sparkly Twilight Sparkle!

Together, these two set me back a fiver, and they were bought with good intentions!
The adorable kitty bag (affectionately known as "Smudge going shopping" bag, 'cause it looks like my cat) is for when I am in work, to carry my 3DS, sketchbook, book, and whatever else I may take with me for on my break.
The monkey lunchbox, perhaps more important (and not only 'cause it features monkeys), is for my lunch, of course!
(What else?)

Now, this one's kind of fun.
From Paperchase, this is an album for keeping stickers in. (My descriptions are very on key tonight, aren't they? I guess my writing style goes out the window the closer it gets to 4am...)

Stickers like these!
I collect stickers to use in various projects. They come in handy when I am making my Scrap Badges for commissions, they're fun extras to throw in packages for friends + people who've bought from me, and they go towards my jewellery making too.
I'm actually pretty psyched that I finally have a place to display them all so it makes for easier crafting when I come to use them!

And, speaking of crafting...

A little work in progress photo from tonight.
Some work for various members of the My Little Pony Arena, and some resin jewellery drying & waiting to be finished off.
I know they look a little messy now (glitter everywhere!), but hopefully, these designs will be pretty enough to go into my store when I eventually(!) launch it soon!

And speaking of said store...

I bought this box, also from Paperchase (and it's not the last thing from that shop in this list), to keep my pendants and other jewellery bits in until they are bought on Etsy.
It's a good enough excuse to have bought such a pretty little bird-box, anyway.

And here's a sneak-peek of what will be available at Made by Antlercat once it launches.
Not all of these are going to be for sale as some didn't work out quite as planned, but I might throw them in as freebies or in a "grab bag" kind of deal once the shop is more established :)

This little kawaii book is the last item here from Paperchase, which, if you've not guessed by now, is my favourite shop to buy fun stationary and cute things from!
I bought this book with quite a sombre-ish purpose in mind, though.
It's for me to write down details of my depression in, as a means to banish a lot of past demons.
I do also intend to write down positive affirmations & mantras in it though, and to remember lots of happier times in my life.

I'm not usually one for 'writing it down' in this manner, but it's something I've been told to do by countless therapists & friends alike, so I'm going to bite my lip and give it a go.

What I think I like best about this book is that it has a lock & keys attached!
I guess that prompts me to use it for my illustrated purposes above moreso, because of the privacy.
(Oh, and don't mind those little Rock Creatures - they are allowed to look in there. They're great at keeping secrets...being rocks and all.)

Something really fabulous now:

These gorgeous little tubes of eyeshadow are from Scaredy Cat Cosmetics (Etsy store).
I treated myself to some new make-up 'cause it's always nice to feel good on the outside too, and the colours were just awesome.
This sampler pack only cost $10 as well, so I highly recommend trying them yourselves!
The colours are, from left to right: Metamorphosis, Draconia, Hirundo, Caged Canary, Chakra, Unicorn Breath, Dysphoria, Pink Elephants, Smooze (loving the My Little Pony movie reference!) and Nevermore.

Arrgh! There's a hyena in my bed!
I got Banzai for myself a little while ago as a treat for completing my first stage of therapy. The Lion King is one of my all-time favourite films, and what with the upcoming UK re-release, the Disney Store has suddenly become abundant in TLK merchandise!
This Banzai was too cute to pass up, and he's so soft and plush, too!

(He can be a little too affectionate, though...)

So, there you have it.
And for the record, none of this stuff really cost too much at all, so it was wonderful to buy and not feel so guilty!

That said: retail therapy isn't always the answer.
In fact, it's never "the answer", but it sure helps!

What can really help during downtime is:

Good friends (even those pulling derp faces!)

Good food!

Good place to feel happy and safe!

and, most importantly....

~~Good~~ adorable companions!

Goodnight!

Friday is Magic #3 - I Want It All

2011-09-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

My last full week off before returning to work after being off ill.
And it was pretty amazing.

However:
Cataroose Frowns Upon
-Nightmares. It's a pretty common side effect of being on antidepressants, but it's one that, understandably? I'd rather not have! And these aren't normal, standard nightmares. They're psychological creepfests. Do not want.

Cataroose Smiles Upon!
Okay, quite a few big things this week!

Antlercat Illustration is Online!
I finished work on my official website, finally!
It's got commission info (or will, eventually. I am on a commission break for now), a store (launching soon!), and a very extensive portfolio section full of illustrations, photography and crafts!
There's also a FAQ section.
Go and take a look at Antlercat Illustration and let me know what you think! :)

Antler Catastrophe! - Sketch Tumblr
On a similar note...I also felt the need to relaunch my sketch tumblr, because I do miss sketching and plan on getting more sketch-time in when I return to work.
If you're not into Tumblr, these sketches will be posted in a new weekly slot on this blog too, but I know a lot of people are die-hard Tumblr fans, so there's options there for whoever might want to see my art.
I'm very excited about this as I feel it'll encourage me to sketch & be more loose and fun again with my art, not to mention being more vigilant with commissions and art trades in the future, too!
The artwork in the banner is courtesy of my wonderful friend, Pandalion, in the style of the adorable Everyday Cute.
Pandalion and I go waaay back. You'll see as the blog progresses :)

New Ponies!
This week has been fruitful in the way of ponies, too!
Thank you, Gothicsugar of the MLP Arena for Dancing Butterflies, Shenanigans and Dream Blue, and my tax rebate for Cheerilee and Star Swirl! :D
Incidently, if you're so kind as to want to help fuel my pony addiction - I made a wish list that can be found on my Livejournal:

Wishlist :)
I'll draw or make you things in return!

We Will Rock You!
Undoubtedly the best thing that's happened this week was last night's trip to go see the amazing Queen musical, We Will Rock You with my ladies (and fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders), Emma and Ashley!
The musical is about a dystopian future on the Planet Mall, ruled by Killer Queen (who was just fabulous), where music (apart from computerized pop) and musical instruments have been banned. It's hilarious and knit together so well. The introductions to the Queen songs are anything but subtle (example: Killer Queen telling her right-hand-man to work his 'alchemy' before they begin It's a Kind of Magic).
We all absolutely loved it and I'd happily go and see it again in a shot. If you've not seen it, you simply must.

It was also a pleasure to see it so soon after the wonderful Freddie Mercury's birthday - it gave the night even more significance.

And finally...
In my previous post, Video Game Heaven, Linus Mynx left a very thoughtful comment and suggested the idea that I do a segment here called 'Video Game of the Week'. I love this idea & I think I'll put it in motion when I return to work, it would be only fitting and add a little something extra to my job, haha. However, I'm thinking a weekly segment, when I already do two (three, when I start the sketch blogs), might be a little too much, so perhaps I'll make it a monthly, as then I can most likely buy at least one "new" game or have time to borrow one to review.
Any suggestions on this? What would you like to see me talk about when it comes to games?

Have a great weekend!

Trivial Tuesday #3 - Video Game Heaven

2011-09-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the fact I'll be back at work next week after a very long medical hiatus, I thought it would be apt if this week's Trivial Tuesday focussed on video games.
(In case you couldn't tell, I work at a game shop.)

Now, in this day and age of violence and games where you get to be a drug addict (and just look at the majority who play these games: I thought videogames were supposed to be a form of escapism? Sorry, sorry...), I tend to laugh in the face of "COD" players (Call of Duty, please. Cod is something you get with chips and peas.) and keep my Xbox Live account well stocked with points for me to buy the oldest, easiest and most amazing games out there.

And occasionally I play other stuff too.

Mortal Kombat 2011
Okay! So I own one really violent game. But it's a good one, so it's okay.
I was never into Mortal Kombat as a kid. In fact, I was frightened of it. My next door neighbour played it a lot & I tried to convince him otherwise 'cause of the 18 rating (yes, I was one of those kids) but, alas, I still managed to catch glimpses of Johnny 'Cake' (as I thought he was known) falling to his doom in a pit of spikes.
Now? I quite relish the fact, 'cause I look back at those original Mortal Kombat games are quite laughable. The new one, though? I love it.
A fighting game where there's an actual long, playable storyline that you can get fully into? Yes please! There's much more to it than just; "Oh! You have an outfit just like mine! We must fight!"
Also: there's so much to do on there, such as the aforementioned long story mode, arcade mode, test your might, mission sections. It's a pretty damn decent game.
And the characters are good, too. Plus there's downloadable extra fighters if you're so inclined to do that.
The Krypt feature, as disgusting as it may be with all the bloated corpses and bodies hanging from trees, is also pretty cool, because you can spend your well earned Koins (pretty much everything in this game starts with a K), which you get for competing in fights, challenges...basically from doing anything in the game. Your Koins go towards unlocking extra costumes, concept artwork, music and more, and if you're into that kind of thing, like I am, you'll end up having hours of fun trying to unlock absolutely everything.
As expected from Mortal Kombat, the fight scenes are brutal, and though I'm not usually into that, they are so over the top that if you're squeamish, you'll probably find them funny. Unless someone does a fatality on you. Ouch.
(For the record: I'm fine with violent games if they're in this genre, like, a fighting game, I'd expect it to be violent. I'm just not too hot on things like Grand Theft Auto where you just play a villain. I don't see the point really.)

Soul Calibur IV
From one fighting game to another, decidedly much-more tame. Soul Calibur is a series of games that started out on the Dreamcast, I believe, an ill-fated but awesome console by Sega.
The idea behind this one is that, yes, it's your standard fighting game fare: press every button and try to get lucky, or, alternatively, be that smart ass in the group who knows how to do everything and wind up your friends! However, it's got a twist. You have weapons. And you can unlock other weapons too. And comedy weapons. Want to fight someone with a big hunk of meat? Check. What about a giant bronze bust? Check. How about a toy hammer so that when you deliver the sweet release of defeat to your opponent, then go down in a flurry of squeaks? Oh yes, very check.
Soul Calibur is lots and lots of fun, and the fantasy element makes it even more fascinating as the characters are so diverse. As you can see from the picture above, familiar faces from Star Wars even make an appearance.
Again, there's extra stuff to it than just fighting. There's a character creation feature, which you can literally spend HOURS on, and the Tower of Souls campaign, which is a little like Mortal Kombat's missions.
I love this game and it was the very first one I got when I got an Xbox. No regrets!

About fighting games...(an interlude)
You're not going to see Street Fighter here.
This may come as a surprise if you know me well because I used to adore Street Fighter to the point of watching all the animes, buying the Udon comic series and even sitting through the Godawful movie with Jean Claude Van-Damme.
However. Street Fighter, in my eyes, is now one of those games that I find kind of loathesome. I don't see the fun in a game where you MUST perform combos in order to progress. Yeah, I'm bad at it. Because, unless I'm playing a rhythm game, that's not what I want to do. Also, I've been at several Street Fighter events in which I've had to come against some, uh, interesting fans. Who are incredibly competative. And don't really realise how rude they're being. Let's leave it there.
In short: Street Fighter, it was great. But you're paving the way to a type of fighting game that's only fun for the uber-fans. Stop it.
(In case you're wondering...yes, I do own the Xbox versions of Street Fighter, but I very, very rarely play them. They look nice. That's about it.)

Blur
Unless we're talking Mario Kart or Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, I'm not really a big car game person. And along came Blur...
Blur has been described as 'Mario Kart for adults' and that's a very acurate description because the game has you driving real cars (and they're damn pretty) in real-life locations (which look awesome, by the way. It's a nice little simulator, too!), except, you can collect power ups and blow up your opponents or speed past them using nitro. Nice, huh?
It's a very colourful, crazy game and incredibly competative, with lots of challenging aspects, particularly in the 'Career' campaign, which I am currently playing through. It's a bit different for a racing game. I love it. And you should, too.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2
I couldn't, in all good conscience, not include a Sonic game on this list.
Sonic and I go way back, and the little blue fiend was a staple part of my childhood.
He's been through a lot as of late, featuring in quite a lot of awful games, so much so that the ones that are actually fairly decent (Sonic Colours, for example) got overlooked.
While I'm a huge fan of Sonic, I can't bring myself to play some of the worse games out there. I tried, but they really aren't that good, which is quite sad. When it comes to Sonic, what you want isn't gimmicks or guns (yes, guns. Shadow the Hedgehog, you're a failure and a disgrace) - it's speed. Good old fast-paced fun gaming, awesome music & cute critters.
And when it comes to all those things, you can't really get much better than Sonic The Hedgehog 2. I'm pretty certain every Sonic fan loves this game, and I honestly don't have any reasons why they shouldn't. It is virtually flawless as far as a platform game should go.

I have to admit, I am interested and excited by the upcoming Sonic Generations. It sounds fantastic, let's just hope it delivers.

The Lion King
Another fond favourite from my childhood.
There are three things in this world that will never cease to cheer me up. My Little Pony, Sonic The Hedgehog and The Lion King. They're aspects of my childhood that mean so very much to me still that anything to do with each fandom makes me smile. Aside from Rule 34. A pox on you, Rule 34.
So...it's no real surprise, then, that I loved the Sega Megadrive release of The Lion King action game. One of Disney's famous brilliant platformers - others being Mickey Mania and the later Hercules game.
There was something really fun about controlling a little lion, rolling into your enemies, and, as you got older, roaring at them and swiping little monkeys out of trees.
The beautiful movie soundtrack being played in 8-bit midi while you romped your way through the Pridelands and jungle was something special, too.
I just have such a lot of love for this game.

Ms.Pacman
I mentioned earlier, but one of the very best things about owning an Xbox 360 is the store where you can buy old arcade games. I tend to buy Microsoft points more than actual retail games, so, if it exists, I probably own it.
One of the first retro games I downloaded was this beauty, and promptly spent hours on it, mangling my hands as I tried to get that plump little yellow bitch eat all the damn dots.
Games when games were a newfangled thing and graphics weren't so important, nor was in-depth storyline or realistic whores and junkies (I'm never going to let this go) were...generally, I'm going to say it, better. More challenging, more amusing, more random and a whole lot more fun.
I defy you to tell me otherwise. Okay, maybe you'll disagree. But I bet you've played Ms.Pacman. Or Pacman. Or something similar. And at some point in your life, you loved it.

Big Bang Mini
...and finally.
Big Bang Mini. Just...Big Bang Mini!
This game was recommended to me by someone who was then a friend and who is now my treasured boyfriend, so uh, yeah, this game has power.
Words alone cannot express how much I adore this game, so I'll just show you the trailer for it and be done with it:

It's a shooter, with colours. SO MANY COLOURS. Cats, ghosts, an 80s punk walrus of DOOM (honestly, that's what he's called) and just...play it. Okay? Play it. It's the reason I have a DS.

Welcome to the Herd.

2011-09-03T05:54:00.001-07:00

Warning: This may end up being a two-part feature because I have more ponies & pixels on the way. :)

I love My Little Pony.
I have loved it since I was a wee child, but I promise you, the tales of wonder & car boot sale treasure hunts will come at a later date.
And, like so many others on the internet, I also love Friendship is Magic. I love Pinkie Pie's songs and my adoration for Rarity knows no bounds.

If you're still reading this and I haven't managed to bore you or scare you off, let me introduce to you...my ponies.
Generally, making fan characters makes me cringe, but it's surprisingly easy and not-cringeworthy for me to make my own ponies.

Also: this is in part a post to showcase the amazing talent of my friend & forever ponywife, Ashley aka Rainbow Juice, who makes the most fabulous little pixel ponies. She's responsible for the drawings of each of my characters here.

Onto the Ponies!

Oranda
Oranda was my first pony fan character, neatly marrying two of my favourite things together: ponies and fishkeeping (two subjects that, you should know by now, are pretty commonplace on this blog!).
She is an Earth pony (in that, she's a standard pony - no horns or wings here!) whose special talent involves looking after fish, particularly the coldwater species.
Her cutie mark is her namesake, an oranda, and she owns an aquarium store in Ponyville.
She had a rival in the form of Betta, but the pair soon set their differences aside and decided to make love, not war.

Betta
Betta is a unicorn, and he's a bit of a boastful one. He's arrogant, sarcastic and generally a bit of a nuisance. Yet, he has a heart of gold, and it belongs to Oranda.
He owns a tropical fish store in Ponyville & at first, he viewed the redhaired pony as a threat, but soon realised he had a crush on her.
His symbol is his namesake too - a betta, or Siamese fighting fish. Fish that are proud and, taking a wild guess, I'd say they're probably arrogant too.

Pins

Pins was probably to be expected. I self-insert into pretty much everything I do, and I guess pony fandom is no exception. This is 'the cataroose as a pony', and naturally, she's a blue Earth pony, with white mane & her symbol happens to be a white spool of thread with two antlers surrounding it.
The name 'Pins' is a reference to sewing & taxidermy, though I have no interest in sewing at all really aside from when I very rarely make (terrible) felt toys.
She appeared in Ponyville quite randomly via a portal between the Plane & Equestria. She brought with her a dapper pony friend and the pair are often seen together.

Clockwork
Clockwork is that gentleman that appeared with Pins.
He's smart and funny but also very protective of his blue pony lady. He's an Earth pony, and his symbol is a pocketwatch.
Rumour has it that he has some involvement with time travel...
(Note: Yes! It goes without saying, but Clockwork is the Snox as a pony. The Snox is the cataroose's companion, and the character of my boyfriend, Antony. More on them, and other Patchwork Plane creatures, WILL COME eventually in future blog posts.)

Darwin
Darwin is usually seen as a baby pony who is fond of splashing in mud and exploring, but she's pictured her as an adult.
She's almost always dirty, with mud and grime on her hooves and dust in her mane. She doesn't care, though, because she knows a little dirt is neccessary when it comes to studying wildlife!
Her cutie mark is an African Clawed Frog. Does he remind you of anyone perhaps? :)

Rockstar Scientist
It was only so long before I had to cave and make a scientist pony.
This guy is an scientifically minded unicorn, and he loves experimenting and teaching his fellow ponies all about chemistry and physics (he's multi-talented!)
He's almost always seen wearing those goggles, because, as he puts it, "You never know when you'll have to experiment on something!"
He has a partner in crime in the form of Satellite Star.

Satellite Star
The other unicorn scientist, Satellite is more focussed on astronomy. She loves stargazing & reading up on distant worlds.
She became involved with science after her dear sister, Radio Star, claims she was abducted by aliens. She's out to disprove her sister's wild accusations but also to stop all the fear regarding "what's out there"...
Rockstar Scientist makes her life a little easier!

Twinkle Stah
Finally (for now): Twinkle Stah.
It was inevitable, really. I have been known as 'twinklestah', or variations there of, off and on for eight years. Though I tend to go by the guise "antlercat" more often lately, the name still means a great deal to me, and I had to let it live on some way or another.
Such a pseudonym lends itself perfectly to a pony, hense this little white earth pony was born. She shares my very own 'cutie mark' (i.e: tattoo!), a blue star.
She's not a character as such. Her white & blue design may crop up again elsewhere too. Watch this space. :)

Friday is Magic #2 - Lego and Donuts

2011-09-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

This week has been pretty hectic, but in a really good way!

But to get this all out of the way first:
Cataroose Frowns Upon:
-Having fell over last weekend, resulting in an incredibly sore arm & bruised rib which caused me a lot of pain for most of the week and lack of sleep. It's still pretty sore but it's easing.
-Being let down by the bank and yet again having my lack of faith in humanity rekindled.

I'm also a little nervous about my return to work, but I think that's understandable given the amount of time I've been away, and my reasons for said time off.

Cataroose Smiles Upon:
♥ Antony very kindly got me a year's supply of Krispy Kreme donuts! Well, sort of :) He bought me a gift card which entitles me to a donut every month. It was such an awesome & fun gift and I'm very much looking forward to the times I can go down there, get myself a lovely, sticky-sweet treat, and relax on my days off!
That photo above there is me and my friend Emma, reaping August's benefits - a strawberry glaze!

♥ It's been another week of fun & friends! Seeing three of my best friends - Ashley, Emma, and of course Antony, has resulted in one of my last weeks off being incredibly productive and memorable. Sushi, good films, good entertainment and just good fun. I am so very lucky to have such great people in my life.

♥ I finished my therapy sessions recently, and also got the wonderful surprise of a tax rebate. Such things are few and far between, so I decided, as well as using the money to pay off some debts I owed, to treat myself to some things to celebrate how well I have done with such a difficult year. One of those treats was a Baby BiOrb aquarium and some new additions to my fish family, so expect to meet them soon.

♥ Another of my self indulgent treats was getting my hair done. It's not particularly obvious in the photo because of weird lighting & the fact that the treatment technically still needs work (i.e: adventures with toner & shampoo), but I finally started on my life-long desire towards white hair.
In person, it's much more of a white-blonde-silver-grey mixture and even though I got a feeling that the hairdressers weren't too convinced, I love it.

♥ I saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes with Ashley today and I can say that we both thoroughly enjoyed it. I've never seen the original Apes films, but I definitely want to after seeing this, and I've also ordered the novel by Pierre Boulle.
It was an incredible movie, and I recommend it completely, and due to a moment in the film which rendered the rest of the cinema in total shock & awe, I can say we weren't alone in our love of it.

And to finish:

♥ This little collection of Mini Figures was made by Ashley and I today at the fairly new Lego Store in Liverpool One. It was an attempt at rendering ourselves with our boyfriend...but instead it looks like The Village People, or, alternatively, "Elton John, The Astronaut & the two Bodyguards."

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

The Life Aquatic With Cally Cataroose #2 - The Amazing Alfredo

2011-09-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

I keep promising more of my fish-related blogs and never delivering, so, have something a little different...

Well hi there, Alfredo!

Alfredo is an African Clawed Frog and he may or may not be a boy. I was told he was male when I bought him, but I have doubts now 'cause of his, for lack of a better word, thunder thighs (females have larger legs than the smaller, slimmer males). That said, when I first got him, he was much tinier & more trim. I have a feeling his diet of pellets and bloodworms may need to decrease a tad...

Because he's become a big frog monster!

No, Alfredo, I kid. You're actually one of the sweetest, cutest, silliest pets I've ever had.

He spends his days alone in a tank (I really want to get a friend for him, but I'm nervous to just in case it upsets him or changes his water too much and causes damage.) filled with green and white pebbles, an impressive desert-style tree, and a buffalo skull. All fake, of course, but let him dream...

He was the impulse purchase of my life.
I've made some rather rash payments before - buying a PSP that I never used, getting an eyebrow piercing on holiday in Spain that quickly became infected & had to be removed - but Alfredo is one of the best five pounds I've ever spent in my life.

"Did you hear that, Reflection? She said I cost a fiver! Surely I'm worth more than that! A couple hundred, at least. And throw in some diamonds and dubloons..."

I bought him while I was buying a heater for my tropical tank.
The epitome of "I saw it, I liked it, I bought it."
Literally as my taxi pulled up outside (I had bags and bags of shopping with me also, I wasn't being that lazy), I saw a tank of three little frogs and cried; "THAT FROG THERE. He must belong to ME!"
(Well, I didn't use those words exactly. But it would have been a whole lot more dramatic and exciting if I had.)

Alfredo lived for a tiny while in my "spare" tank, which has since been thrown out and replaced by a much more humane spare, before upgrading to his lovely suite.

Everyone in the family adores him because he's such a little character & so funny to watch. He likes attacking anything inside or outside of the tank that moves.
Frogs generally catch their prey based on their movements rather than sight or smell (senses which they are not too great with), so someone walking by, a pebble, or a misplaced finger, becomes an exciting toy to him.
He is, however, afraid of the wooden wolf cane I bought years ago when in Poland - my dad moved it by his tank once and Alfredo just freaked out. It was pretty hilarious and distressing all at once.

When we clean his tank, which often gets stinky 'cause frogs are flatulent little fiends, he gets put in a white bowl that is generally 'the cleaning bowl' for all my fish.

As soon as he goes in, he starts doing laps up and down it, to little purpose. It doesn't take us long to clean his tank, though, so he's soon back at home, sitting on top of his buffalo skull, pretending it's a prized kill.

As you can see, he's pretty odd looking while against a white background.
He's sort of transparent-looking and so very veiny. He's still adorable though.

And, in case anyone was wondering about my other pet: Smudge the cat is not really allowed in my bedroom much these days 'cause she has her eyes set on making a fish supper out of King (blog post to come, blog post to come!), my giant goldfish. However, she got to meet Alfredo once while his tank was being cleaned:

He reckons he can take her.

In short: wow, yeah, frogs!
I love frogs. I always have. I had two pet common frogs as a kid (though my uncle & I set them free in the park not long after we got them 'cause we felt sorry for them all cooped up in a pretty rubbish tank - nothing like Alfredo's!) called Freddo (my name choices for froggy kind haven't really improved much) and Kermit (of course).
Antony and I once rescued a beautiful large female frog from our two bloodthirsty cats, Sapphire (sadly, RIP) and Truffle a while back before setting her back out in his garden.
And, it was the wonderful documentary Life In Cold Blood that introduced me to even more amazing frog species, and rekindled my love of David Attenborough.

Alfredo certainly approves.

To finish, just look at this collection!

A whole bunch of Alfredo-frogs that I saw in my local petstore today while treating myself to a Baby BiOrb tank!
I think, with that little announcement, it's clear there shall be more Life Aquatic posts to come...

Fish & Froggy Cuddles,
Cally

Art Dump - Handmade Website Graphics

2011-08-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

I'm currently very busy working on my new official website, which will hopefully be launched some time this week!
It's going to feature a massive portfolio section, info regarding commissions, and an extensive shop!

In the meantime, though, now that my old website is down & defunct, I thought I would share with you all the graphics that I painted up for it.

These illustrations were all made in 2010, and they are some of my favourites:

Soliloquy appeared a couple of times in her old design. While this design is nice and definitely makes her more obviously Dhani's sister, I prefer the new, more subtle guise that she appears in today.

Sambuca the lion looks every bit the fun-loving travelling hippie that he is. Well, maybe. I'm not sure "hippie" really sums him up, but he definitely does love to travel!

The Wolves, who you will learn about more when my website is up, aren't actually Patchwork Plane 'characters' as such, but definitely paved the way for the creatures and demons that dwell there as a whole.

Snort, the tapir demon dreameater, was found in three seperate illustrations for my website! I can't remember if they all got used, though.
Notice that his fur changes colour often. Sometimes I paint him black, sometimes brown. I can never decide which design suits him best so it wavers.
I guess, though, a demon can be whatever shade he wants to be!

This delightful piece features Snort after snacking on a nightmare.
He's not fond of them.

Myriad, a lesser-drawn (and therefore, lesser-known) Plane character, in his older design when he still looked a little like the other character he's based on.
Those who are familiar with my Indigo Sky novel may recognise a few things...

Wick, the sleep demon, and his constant companion, Somabre, the insomnia worm.
These two don't get drawn too often, either. I really need to concentrate on all of the Plane's residents, not just the main gang!

...speaking of another lesser illustrated creature, this is The Dewberry Kittenbud.
It's a multiple creature (in that it's one entity, but it multiplies itself across the Plane to get it's tasks done) that is responsible for the Plane's gardening and greenery.
This is one of my favourite creature designs. It came to me in a dream, as have a few of the so-called 'Strange Cats' that mingle around the Plane...

And from strange cats to angry cats...this is Azanti, the cheetah.
Azanti is from a wider world than the Patchwork Plane, but she definitely belongs there, too.
Those who have my Facebook page on their interests might remember me mentioning a teenage fantasy novel. Azanti's story is it.

And yet another creature I never give enough time to.
Feral, the demon. The first real demon of the Plane, and star of a series of poems I wrote a while back. At some point, they'll be collected in an anthology, but...I can't tell you when.

A family of Greens!
I'm not sure if any of these is THE Green, but, still. Look at them.

Staccato, a cat who just happened to wander into the Plane one day and attach himself to Dhani's heart.
Not literally, but, you know, stranger things have happened...

Flambe.
She's another character, like Azanti, who comes from elsewhere, but has managed to settle in at the Plane too. She's the same species that Horse is, of sorts. She's got a few secrets up her fiery sleeves.

One yellow creature leads to another.
This is the first ever drawing of Tangent, and she's changed a bit since then in that she is now orange.
She's the cousin of Dhani, Soliloquy and Tika-Tiri, and she lives up to her name pretty well. She is very indecisive & has several forms and masks because she can't figure out which one suits her best.

These illustrations may be recycled, so don't be surprised if you see them popping up on the new website.
There were a few more but I can't seem to find them, which is unfortunate. I think they may have been eaten up by the internet.

On a final note...my original, unsuccessful, first attempt at a blog was known as Artistic Stah, a name allusion to Marc Almond's "Fantastic Star" album.
I drew up a pretty little banner for it:

...and never ended up using it.
So, there you go. It finally has a purpose, even if that purpose is only to be at the tail-end of another blog post.

Expect my new site, Antlercat Illustration, to surface some time soon!

Friday is Magic #1 - A day too late!

2011-08-27T15:39:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the first official installment of Friday is Magic - the "hot or not"-style list I mentioned in earlier posts, with a much nicer and friendlier title!
(If you aren't a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - shame on you!)

It's a day late because my Friday ended up being quite busy and I've been sleepy, but better late than never!

Cataroose Smiles Upon:
♥ I got Dewdrop Dazzle! My first non-mane cast G4 My Little Pony! I love her and I've been after her a while, so my delightful ponywife and one of my best friends, Ashley, very kindly got her for me as part of a trade!
I love her - thank you!

♥ This week has been fairly busy and productive. I made plans to sort out boring grown-up things such as finance, and I'm also scheduled to go back to work soon. Progress!

♥ My boyfriend bought the first three seasons of The Big Bang Theory on DVD and I can't get enough of it! I'm so surprised I've not been watching this programme from the start - it's like the perfect comedy for me!
Do you watch it? Who is your favourite character?

♥ This has also been a week of lots of food and friendship! Seeing Ashley on Monday and having our obligatory Subway lunch, dinner with my boyfriend & two of his old workmates at Host, a wonderful Japanese restaurant, on Thursday, then on Friday, my dearest friend Emma took me out for sushi at Yo! on Friday. Then on Friday evening, after babysitting my wonderful niece & nephew, we all (including my brother and sister!) went for McDonalds. Not quite in the same league, I suppose, but I'm not a Food Nazi - I love me some McDonalds fries!

♥ I've managed to productive art-wise too, and done a lot of sketches, finished up some model sheets and commissions, and also had time to work on more Cataroose Couture jewellery - phew!

♥ I managed to catch a listen to Darren Hayes' brilliant new single Black Out The Sun.
The video is quite something, too.
Take a look:

I'm really glad to see that he is keeping in the same sombre and dreamlike style of his last album. Definitely a direction I can follow!

♥ Catching up with family is always amazing. Babysitting my amazing Millie & Jamie on Friday was great, as was playing games with them and seeing my sister Mandy. Family is also magic. ;)

Cataroose Frowns Upon:
Thankfully, this week hasn't been that fruitful in the way of frown-making-things, aside from it being 'that time' for me. I know some people find this a little much like too much information, but I'm not one of those people, so there.
It's annoying that, while on the upside my depression has cleared up mostly, there's always that week or so every month where I take a mini-relapse & my mind can't make head or tail of the simplest things again.
Luckily though, that's over for a little while now, so I embrace that. Haha!

As this post was a day late, I'm happy to show you all I have a (cute) planner to hopefully help me with this blog and other important things in the future!

Love,
Cally.
x

Trivial Tuesday #2 - Ten Reasons to Love Trigun

2011-08-22T18:22:00.001-07:00

My first Trivial Tuesday ended up being a bit slapdash. Things always go that way when you're just starting out!
So this one is a little more planned.
Also: the "hot & not" lists are now being moved to a weekly Friday gig - expect the first official one this coming Friday.

Now, this Tuesday's list...

Ten Reasons to Love Trigun

Trigun is an anime series that was first aired in 1998. It was originally a manga series by Yasuhiro Nightow, and it's very good. It follows the misadventures of one Vash the Stampede, a man with an enormous bounty on his head, and those who try to help and hinder him. It's pretty tough to explain in detail without ruining the (quite surprisingly twisting and turning) plot, so, check the Wiki page about it if you're clueless.
This blog post is all about my personal claims for loving the show, won't contain spoilers, and is loaded with ridiculous reasons and pretty pictures.

When I told my boyfriend Antony, who introduced me to Trigun, that I was making a post of reasons I love the series, he said that it would read like this:
1. Nicholas
2. D
3. Wolfwood
...now, while that's partially true, I'll begin with this:

1. The Ensemble Cast

From left to right we have: Wolfwood, Vash, Meryl and Milly. While the series introduces us to an incredible amount of characters, these are the main four, and a wonderful collection they are too.
The characterisation in this anime is brilliant. We are introduced to Vash as this bumbling coward who adores doughnuts. As the series progresses (and as this list does too), we learn that there's a lot more to the "Humanoid Typhoon" than squealing and an adoration of sugar baked goods.
While often Western cartoons can be very hit & miss with their characters, portraying the heroes as just that and the villains as out-and-out psychopaths, Trigun sits neatly in that 'grey area' to perfection.
And this is coming from someone who used to loathe anime.
The series has a bit of a ropey start (I didn't like it at first), but if you see it out, within two or three episodes, you'll be hooked, and you'll realise by the end just why it starts as it does.
And, I defy anyone to not want to be part of this rag-tag team of bandits, outlaws, priests and insurance girls in their dreary desert world after watching.
Again, according to Antony, there were plans to release an Xbox Trigun game in the same vein as World of Warcraft. I'm sort of wishing it happened.

2. Animation Mood Whiplash
(Why yes, I do read TV Tropes a lot. Move on.)
The animation of Trigun seems dated to some, using a lot of still images and typical trends in Japanese character design (Vash's anti-grav hair, for example), but there's one thing to be said: it's incredibly effective.
There is a lot of cartoon elements to it - a character appearing realistic and normal in one shot, followed by a shot of him with a chibi cat-face to accentuate his sneakiness and playful attitude (yes, this crux usually involves Vash).
I haven't read the original comics, but I am guessing this style is a hark back to those. Either way: it can be either very funny, or very unnerving depending on context. Again, I would prefer not to spoil any elements of the show outright, but people who have seen it will hopefully understand what I mean.

3. The Soundtrack
Now, I'm pretty much a fan of soundtracks in general, but I'll say this: the Trigun soundtrack? It's damn good.
As the series is...sort of a Western, there's a lot of elements of classic Spaghetti Western themes in the soundtrack. However, to add to the whole futuristic element of it, you also get bits of trip-hop in there, and definitely heaps of J-rock to enjoy, too.
The theme tune itself, H.T is amazing, as well as personal favourites Philosophy in a Tea Cup, the playful Cynical Pink and the haunting and lovely Rakuen (Paradise).

4. Kuroneko-Sama!
Who? You may ask.

Kuroneko-Sama.

Adorable black cat with giant green eyes?
Kuroneko-Sama.

Appears in every episode at least once?
Even as a logo on a beer bottle?
Meows in a very silly and almost patronising way?
Kuroneko-Sama.

Need another reason to watch Trigun? Haven't I convinced you already?
...Kuroneko-Sama.

Okay, really: Kuroneko-Sama indeed does appear in every episode (and in every comic too, I believe) as the artist considered the cat really fun and easy to draw. I love this little element about Trigun - I adore cats and it's just always fun spotting the cat in every episode.
Though, sometimes it's pretty obvious.

(In fact, it's always pretty obvious. But, whatever. Who cares. Kuroneko-Sama.)

5. Milly and Meryl: The Insurance Girls
Milly and Meryl are a couple of lovely ladies who work for the Bernardelli Insurance Company. It's their job to keep an eye on Vash & make sure he doesn't get into trouble. Though, at first they find it hard to believe that the crazy blonde in the red coat is Vash at all (they get over it).
As far as animes go, from what I've seen so far, it takes a lot for me to admire the female characters. Perhaps I've been subjected to too many where the girls are just too kAwaII-deSU<3<3~~! for my liking (I must stress, not by Antony. He watches good things!) but, at first, I wasn't too impressed with these two.
Milly: your typical cutesy girl. Tall, silly, bubbly.
Meryl: your typical angry anime girl. Cute haircut, permanent grimace.
Pretty much always get into trouble with the boys, get kidnapped and squee a lot. Silly, silly girls.

...wait, what?
Yeah, Milly & Meryl aren't your standard issue token adorable girls.
As pointed out earlier, characterisation in Trigun is bang-on, and these two really do grow on you as the series goes on when they reveal who they really are and what they're about.

Oh, and...Milly and Wolfwood?

The more (or less, your mileage may vary) said about these two, the better.

6. The Villains
Yeah, anime does villains well. I've not yet seen an anime yet without an enemy who manages to squick me so much my spine shatters from sheer repulsion or who freaks me out to no end because they're so damn calculative.
Trigun's no exception. But, their villains aren't really that obvious sometimes, so I'm keeping zipped here and telling you to believe me, watch the anime, and be sucked into their perversities.
In a good way! Of course.

7. It's actually dubbed well!
Um. Unfortunately, YouTube was unsuccessful in helping me out with #7 on this list, but this is the one clip I could find that didn't particularly spoil anything, plus Vash has a lovely singing voice, so I'm sure you'll forgive me.
I tend to watch my animes dubbed. It's a personal preference, and I tend to really get annoyed by purists who complain at others for having such preferences. I've watched animes in Japanese with subtitles, I've watched them in English. Doesn't really matter. Move on.
I've noticed, though, with some animes, the dubbing can be really, teeth-grindingly bad. When it works, though: it works.
This isn't for all of the characters, but the main four, certainly have voices that not only fit the characters but (mostly) don't sound contrived or over acted. Honestly, I know if you watch it you may think I'm foolish for saying this when Milly in particular opens her mouth, but just hear me out.
Special mentions here go to Vash and Wolfwood. Their voice actors (Johnny Yong Bosch and Jeff Nimoy, respectively) are just ideal for the characters. Wolfwood's voice is somewhat gruff and sarcastic, but when he delivers a monologue, you're with him on every word. As for Vash, his voice can shift from ridiculous and silly to cold and menacing...which brings us nicely to:

9. Vash has layers...
...and not just in his hair! Oh dear.
But, no really.
Look at him! He's so sweet and silly. Such a silly little darling, awww....

Er...um. Oh.
Perfectly complimenting together the animation mood whiplash I mentioned earlier, the fantastic characterisation and brilliant voice acting...you get Vash. A character so well developed that he confuses most around him and mostly winds up with people wanting him dead. Aw.
Seriously, there isn't a lot I can say here about Vash and his nature, because I want everyone to see Trigun with fresh eyes (none of those dirty eyes that lurk spoiler forums, I tell you! Filthy!) and to see Vash's character breakdown as it happens. I promise you, it's well good.
Also, I like my characters to be in that grey area, too.
Positively monochrome.

9. A healthy dose of Bromance
Everyone loves a good bromance, am I right?
Bromance is the modern equivalent of your Laurel & Hardy, your Morecambe and Wise, your Chandler and Joey if you like!
Want bromance? Ask Vash & Wolfwood.

Their friendship and on/off rivalry creates some of the funniest (and indeed touching and tense from time to time!) moments in the anime.
It can also lead to fans craving more than just bromance...
I'm not a slash fan. Ever. So we'll leave it at that.

Vash doesn't aprove of this slash. Wolfwood thinks it's hilarious because people always draw Vash as the 'sexy one'.

And lastly, one final reason if you're not convinced, to watch Trigun!

10: Nicholas D. Wolfwood

Boom.
Can I get an amen from the crowd?

....okay, seriously, all jokes aside: Wolfwood is (constantly dripping with suave attractiveness aside) one of the most well-developed anime characters I've ever met. His story is a fantastic one, and I really want to say more but really don't all at once because anything I say might ruin how wonderful it is for those who have yet to see Trigun. Just, trust me on this.

He has a pretty big fanbase, and a pretty big cross.
One is full of mercy, the other is full of ladies.
I'm not sure which is which any more.

So, there you have it.
My list of, possibly silly, possibly plausible, reasons for you to love Trigun.

I clearly do.

With much
,
Cally.
x

Cataroose Couture: Handmade Jewellery - First Batch

2011-08-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

As some of you already know, I am going to be holding a stall at Dismembered Empire this October.

The event is a Steampunk-themed cabaret where local crafty types (such as myself!) will also be selling their wares.

I'm selling artwork, of course, but I also decided to dip my fingers into the world of jewellery making. I made three little experimental pieces the other night (same night as the ink drop paintings - I was a busy thing!) and I'm pretty pleased with the results:

Clock and Key Necklace
Handmade necklace featuring a vintage clock face and a tiny brass key.
This is the first of many steampunk designs to come!

Run Rabbit Necklace
A very simple necklace I made for myself: a red rabbit sequin glued to a wooden tile.
I really love it, actually.

And lastly:

Fishbone Earrings
A pair of fishbone earrings, made with fish skeleton cabochons, glued to brass post earrings.
I'm wearing them right now! :)

There will be lots more jewellery to come, including resin necklaces, filigree rings and other fun accessories. I'll eventually sell them in my upcoming Etsy store!

Let me know what you think!

Art Post - Ink Drop Paintings + Trigun Fan Art

2011-08-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Ink drop paintings are some of my favourites to work on. They're so free and spontaneous and can be inspiring, too!

They are achieved by simply dipping an ink-loaded brush into water, then hovering it over your page & blowing the ink onto it. You can try to manipulate the ink into your own choice of pattern by selective blowing (haha!), or you can just go with the flow and see what happens.
Then, just draw over the ink (or around it, whatever you like), with whatever your chosen subject is, or try to turn your ink splatter into something!

Mixing colours can be pretty fun and experimental, too.

Here's what I did last night:

Wick's Tree
Wick, my sleep spirit, of the Patchwork Plane, sits beneath a tree in the day-time realm. Even sleep spirits need to rest!
This was one of the "planned" pieces - obviously I painted the tree's trunk in seperately.

And suddenly, Green
This is Green, that strange little philosophical creature who also dwells in the Plane (for the record, all of these particular ink paintings are Plane characters!).

Playful Mockery
Tika-Tiri, the fox spirit of joy & play, doing what she does best: being mischievious.
(She is, I swear!)

The next three feature Soliloquy, a Patchwork Plane veteran who I very rarely draw. She's Dhani and Tika-Tiri's older sister, and she is a muse, particularly taking favour of writers.

Soliloquy

Running Away With It

Mood Killer
She's sort of like a cat/monkey/otter hybrid.

And finally:

The Time of the Season
Fan art of Wolfwood from the anime series Trigun, which my boyfriend and I finished watching earlier this week. Expect more about this!
I'll say one thing though: Wolfwood is without a doubt one of my favourite anime characters ever. :)
And, I was listening to The Zombies while inking this, hense the title.

(Listen to it!)

Love and peace,
Cally.

Trivial Tuesday #1 - The First Random Batch

2011-08-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first edition of Trivial Tuesday, a new feature I'll be posting (almost) every Tuesday which will be in the form of lists, and/or "Hot and Not" style charts.
This first one may be a little ropey - it's never easy to start things off!
However, without further ado...

10 Facts about Twinklestah
♥ I can't help it: if I see a dog in the street, I tend to smile at it. It always winds up with me getting looked at pretty funny by the person on the other end of said dog's lead, but it's something I've noticed I pretty much always do. Dogs are just such friendly things (most of the time) that it's pretty hard to resist 'saying hello'...!

♥ Without a doubt, Timothy Dalton is my favourite Bond. He looks and acts the part to me, and just about sums up the Bond character in my eyes. It helps that he's rather handsome and incredibly charming!
My next favourite is Pierce Brosnan, and my least favourite is Roger Moore because I just find him quite...off-putting. That said, The Man With The Golden Gun is one of the sillier Bond films that I really love. Possibly just for the wonderful villain Scaramanga, as portrayed by Christopher Lee!

♥ I love animation with a passion. However, I'm really not fond of 'shock cartoons' such as Ren & Stimpy, Courage the Cowardly Dog or Rocko's Modern Life...which is weird, because I loved them as a kid. As an adult, something about that super gross style just bothers me. Creepy claymation & some 'art animation' irks me too.

♥ Generally, I don't like remakes. Some of them can be good, and I'm quite looking forward to seeing the new Conan The Barbarian movie, but on the whole: remakes = no.
The one I find particularly irritating is the Tim Burton version of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, in which Johnny Depp introduces us to a whole new style of creepy for Mr. Willy Wonka. The original 1971 film starring Gene Wilder is my Wonka. While Burton's version is most likely good in it's own right (I didn't like it personally, but I'm sure others did!), for me, it just lacks the charm & imagination that the original has.
Also: don't get me started on Laurel & Hardy remakes! They are not only awful but incredibly disrespectful!

♥ While I love The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tim Curry's portrayal of Frank-n-Furter really scares me!
Curry doesn't bother me in other films (note: I've not seen It yet!) but the psycho grins & turns he pulls in Rocky just...pushes those fear buttons.
(The scene with Eddie possibly had a lot to do with this fear.)

This Tuesday's Hot & Not List (Title needs revising :P)
You know in (terrible) magazines where they have a chart (or sometimes even a thermometer. My small knowledge of this is based on what I've been given to read at my regular hair salon) giving their opinions on what's hot or not, what's cool or crap and so on?
Yeah, here's me trying to attempt that...

Cataroose Smiles upon:

Yo Sushi
Yo Sushi is definitely one of my favourite restaurants. It's the best place to go before or after watching a movie (for us Scousers: there's one right next to the city centre Odeon!), or for a quick bite to eat & catch up with friends.
The prices aren't exactly cheap, but for the quality of food, they're reasonable, and I haven't had such tasty sushi anywhere else (until I visit Japan, at least!).
My favourites are the chicken katsu, salmon teriaki & pumpkin koroke. I always order these three dishes, no matter what!
Take a look at their website to see restaurants near you - definitely give them a try!

Anime
I never used to like anime. In fact, way back when, when my knowledge of it was limited to "whatever people obsessed over at Deviantart", I hated it!
It all looked the same to me, until I discovered Studio Ghibli. Their films were so rich in story & character that I fell in love, and the animation style is always so lush & beautiful to watch.
Now, I tend to watch anime with my boyfriend, who is a much bigger fan than I, and he's introduced me to a fair few brilliant series.
We're currently watching Trigun, hense the illustration up there of Vash the Stampede.

My Little Pony
It most likely goes without saying, but I really love ponies at the moment.
I promise I'll blog about my pony collection soon - I have a fair few now, and some stories to share about them.
Little memories from our childhoods can often keep that playful spirit alive: ponies do that for me. What about you? :)

My Aquariums
My three aquariums make me smile. I've got a tropical aquarium, a small tank for my frog, and a larger tank to house my BIG goldfish. I'm highly considering getting another tank for some coldwater fancy fish, too.
The rumours are true: fish are very relaxing creatures to share your homes with! They are wonderful to watch, and, if you're anything like me: take photographs of.
Keep watching the blog for more fish posts :)

Photoshop Actions
I'm rather late to the party here, but, Photoshop Actions are one of my new favourite things!
They're great to use in photo editing and to give your pictures a rather unique look. I like that they are obviously edited, too. While I love vintage photography, I prefer the real deal for that thing rather than using filters & programmes, so these Actions are really fun for me to play with right now!

Cataroose Frowns Upon:
Thankfully, not a whole lot this week!
But one thing comes to mind:

Disrespect of the Dead
I read in one of my mum's magazines about how the comedian Katy Brand was pulling Lady Gaga down for 'preaching' about Amy Winehouse's death.
To my knowledge, Gaga was asking for people to understand that Amy was not a bad person, but someone with 'monster addictions'. Brand's reaction to this statement was sarcastic and rude, mentioning how Michael Jackson also "just needed some Nytol to get to sleep" and that George Best "liked a bit of wine sometimes".
While I get that Amy Winehouse (and indeed Jackson & Best, too) did have addictions and were often offered help that they didn't take up, I really hate this sort of negative media.
On the flipside: my friend Ashley and I were discussing the other day how just a while ago, everyone was laughing about Amy Winehouse & now all the music magazines are mourning her and saying how wonderful she was. The same happened to Michael Jackson, and no doubt countless others before.
Make up your minds!!

Cataroose Couture #1: Pony-Pony-Pony

2011-08-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Lots of people do these outfit themed posts, and I've been wanting to myself for a while but never really had the courage. So, on Saturday, I finally decided to go for it and dressed up in a My Little Pony themed outfit for the occasion!

The pony on the shirt is Sundance, who was featured quite prominently in the original 80s cartoon series.

I often get asked about my eye make-up, so I thought with these fashion posts, I'll share my make-up 'styles' and advice.
However: for this outfit, my make-up was fairly simple: blue eyeshadow, black eyeliner & mascara. I'd left it a bit late dressing up & had a bus to catch!

This amazing bone necklace was made by my very talented friend, Cate, who crafts fantastic jewellery and accessories. They can be found at her Etsy store, La Grande Belle Fleur.
Gorgeous handmade stuff, definitely worth a look! Everyone should own a piece of Cateaclysmic jewellery!

That's about it for my first fashion post. I promise more (hopefully!) exciting and adventurous outfits to come!

Outfit Details
♥ My Little Pony T-shirt: Primark
♥ Red Tartan Skirt: Primark
♥ Patterned Tights: Also Primark (this entire outfit was bought on the cheap!)
♥ Suede Faux-Ug Boots: I honestly can't remember. These were a Christmas gift years ago and I love them!
♥ Bone Necklace: La Grande Belle Fleur
♥ Watch: Ice

Inspiration Fodder: Role Models

2011-08-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

Everyone has role models. And in the current crisis here in the UK it seems that those role models are the thugs, vandals and thieves that are causing havoc in our streets, ruining businesses and homes and wrecking lives...

I can't explain the fury I felt when I saw that Liverpool had also succumbed to the mob and in certain areas, riots had broken out. Typical, really.

But I want to make it clear that, despite the old stereotype: we're not all like that up North. Not all of us Scousers want to hurt you or rob your telly.

Especially not me. Here are the people, in no particular order, that influence my life:

Sir David Attenborough
Is there anyone who doesn't like David Attenborough? Sure, there are some who find him and what he has to say 'boring', but I've never heard a bad word said about him, and with good reason. Mr. Attenborough is without a doubt one of my favourite people ever. As a child, I watched him and his animals and sat in awe of the lions and meerkats he told me about in a soothing tone. Now that I'm older, not a great deal has changed except that every time I watch his programmes, I am inspired so much to learn more about the wonderful creatures this world has to offer, and to draw them myself and study them. It is to David Attenborough I owe my love of animals, as well as to my family, who have always supported and encouraged my nature obsession, as such a thing should be encouraged.
The Life Collection has pride of place in my dvd collection, as well as other personal favourites, Attenborough in Paradise and the oft-acclaimed Planet Earth.

One of my favourite Attenborough quotes is this:
“The question is, are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book?”
Poignant, isn't it?

See also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czgc56Vfz4w
-Perhaps infamous footage from Attenborough's classic documentary, Life on Earth, which shows him mingling with those beautiful great apes, gorillas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdK6NPZSUQw
-This very funny and cleverly-done parody of Sir David rapping(!) about birds.

Marc Almond

Sadly, there are too many people who know the wonderful Mr. Almond for either "Tainted Love" or a false joke that has done it's rounds on the internet for years, but the truth is, this here is a man with such courage and an amazing attitude towards life that he will always remain high on my list of most-loved-celebrities.
I discovered Marc Almond's music, like most, through Soft Cell. While Soft Cell are good, I much prefer his solo outings, with a special mention going to my favourite albums, Mother Fist & Her Five Daughters and Vermin in Ermine, for being a very strong & brave first solo attempt!
It's not just his music though, which I hold fully responsible for my writing style and indeed my debut novel, Rose Petal Tea, but his general attitude.
If you read his autobiography, Tainted Life, you will be treated to a lush, lavish writing style and a brutal honesty that I find especially engaging. Yes, he talks about his sordid past, a broken childhood and drug abuse - but he talks about it in such a way it becomes almost like a cautionary fairy tale.

Marc Almond taught me about the more twisted side of life that I will always be so enamoured by but never want to venture into myself. My love of the theatrical was enflamed by his songs and I always feel so confident and happy whenever I listen to a song by him - even the ones about prostitutes and dealers!
I honestly feel like I am the person I am today because of growing up listening to Marc Almond. Give him a go, his music is so broad and versatile, you won't regret it!

See also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpYQPj9jNjk
-The promotional video for Melancholy Rose, from the formerly mentioned Mother Fist album. One of my favourite songs and a very fun video, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDS-mZDovIw
-Marc Almond performs Child Star from his album, Fantastic Star, on his anniversary tour in Glasgow. I was lucky enough to see the tour when it came to Liverpool and this poignant piece was definitely the highlight.
Clever listeners may notice a familiar book title hidden in the lyrics early on in the song... :)

Darren Hayes

The second musical artist on my list is no other than Darren Hayes, most famous for being the frontman to now-deceased Australian pop band, Savage Garden.
Darren Hayes is yet another, like Almond, to whom I owe small portions of my personality. Growing up a confused, impressionable teenager in a school where you're not particularly liked or understood is tough, sure. But it's a whole lot easier if you have your own musical heroes singing there and guiding you.
It sounds cheesy, yes, but tell me: weren't you the same when you were younger? And for that reason, Darren Hayes has forged a place in my heart forever.
I think what I like best about him, like Marc Almond again, is not only his beautiful music, but his attitude. He is mostly seen as a happy, quite quirky and funny character, but in interviews, he doesn't hold back and lyrically, he is a poetic genius, seemingly unable to lie.
His personal songs Neverland, The Only One and Walk Away sum this feeling up best, and all three can be found on his wonderful double album, This Delicate Thing We've Made.
Like a fine wine (so I've heard, I prefer bourbon), his music has improved with age, changing from the sweet sensibilities of Savage Garden into the raw and experimental electronic music he produces today.
Again, I urge you to give him a try, because once again, like Marc Almond, Hayes is often overlooked.

See also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plioElDbpO0
-Official trailer for This Delicate Film We've Made, an animated film set to the score of Hayes' famous solo album. Really unique stuff and definitely worth a watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjqHA8x1rOk
-Darren Hayes demonstrates his amazing range by performing a duet of O Sole Mio with the late, legendary, Luciano Pavarotti.

Professor Brian Cox
Brian Cox has been getting a lot of attention lately, whether it be in the news, on television or from hoardes of teenage girls on Twitter...
And, yes, I am yet another female fan of Brian's, but I like to actually listen to him as well as watch him!
Wonders of the Solar System, his series about space & the interesting things in it, was a curveball thrown in the opposite direction from usual astronomy filmmaking, which can often be portrayed as, sadly, quite boring and purely for those 'in the know'.
Cox's work presents science in a way that is reachable and entertaining, as it should be. I remember as a child never being interested by science at school, nor being particularly good at it, instead enjoying researching the planets in my own free time, and learning about animal biology from documentaries and books and not from lecturers.
I view Brian Cox in a similar light: he has a geniune love for what he does and this shines throughout his series, which combines CGI footage of the worlds he speaks of, and beautiful shots of him on his journeys across the globe as he presents to us the many wonders that the universe has to hold.
He also writes books, which are admittedly much more academically-based than his shows, but still entertaining and incredibly informative.
It is because of Cox that I am so deeply interested in science today. He reminded me that it's a fascinating and very broad subject that deserves to be explored and indeed cherished. I also implore everyone to give his programmes a go as, even if you don't take any new knowledge away from you on viewing, you may find them just as exciting and incredibly relaxing to watch as I do.

See also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALPPs7SefLY
-Brian Cox experiments with Sodium. Enough said, really! Watch out for the explosion!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFNxTKZ8gMI
-We really are all made of stars.

The Beatles - noteably George Harrison and John Lennon
It is not just because I am a native Liverpudlian that I include this ridiculously famous band on my list, nor is it because my love for George Harrison knows no bounds. Instead, The Beatles are listed here because their music brought me out of a very dark period in my life, and fuelled so much inspiration in me to change my life and to focus on the more colourful, happier things that were at my hand. I must mention also that around the time of my Beatles renaissance (naturally, I was brought up loving this band as well), creativity surrounding my Patchwork Plane universe was at an all-time high, and I owe that entirely to the work of those four lads from Liverpool.
I mention John and George because, like with any ensemble cast, you always have your favourites. Many list these two (particularly Lennon) as being inspirational in their lives due to the many things they did for the peace movement, but to me, their inspiration lies in their senses of humour and, perhaps obviously, their beautiful music. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were without a doubt the geniuses behind The Beatles' songwriting, but George had some wonderful tricks there too - While My Guitar Gently Weeps, anyone? Plus, he could play over twenty different musical instruments. I definitely can't! But I can sing. And always do so, when I hear a Beatles song.

See also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpJUSkRUWuc
-The Beatles perform I'm Down at Shea Stadium. This video really showcases how funny and silly John and George could get together - elbows: the only way to play piano!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sAKRpjmZj0
-All Together Now..!

Roald Dahl
Being a writer myself, I suppose it only makes sense to include one on this list. The one I consider to be my greatest role model is no other than Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox and several other classic books, enjoyed by children and adults alike.
Dahl was always my favourite author when I was a kid. I remember sitting there eagerly as my mum read to me about Charlie's adventures meeting the wonderful Willy Wonka, and how utterly disturbed (but amazed!) I was to hear of the fate of the hunting family from The Magic Finger.
His books truly do stand the test of time. I don't know of anyone who doesn't find themselves enraptured by his brilliant, quirky storytelling or who hasn't fallen in love with his unique characters. I think one of my favourites would have to be the kindly old BFG, who I wanted to meet and go on adventures with as a kid!
On a personal note, Dahl is high in my estimation also because it's him I have to thank, in part, for my Patchwork Plane. I watched a documentary about his life and work a few years back, and found it fascinating how, although his books may be unrelated, they could all easily link up to one and other by being placed so vividly in an imagined version of our world. It was perfectly plausible to think that the grand Chocolate Factory could stand in the same city that the orphanage where Sophie met the BFG was, or that Matilda's school could be just down the road.
After seeing this documentary, I decided that I wanted to create my own fictionalised version of the world where I could do the very same. Many months down the line, and I think I have. Thank you always, Mr. Dahl!

See also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QakMSCAhAOQ
-Roald Dahl tells us about the dangers of witches. Take heed to his warnings!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-uV72pQKI
-The poignant and beautiful Pure Imagination from the 70s film version of Willy Wonka.

Hold your breath, make a wish, count to three...

Welcome to the Patchwork Plane.

2011-08-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

"After her fight with the monster, she lay battered and bruised,
bloody and mostly broken.
All was not lost, though. First, she repaired herself - then,
to her surprise, she was surrounded by colours...
She had created the Patchwork Plane."

The Patchwork Plane is something I mention a lot in my artwork, but I've never fully explained it. Now I'm going to try.
The idea behind the Plane is that it is a world (but really, it's called a "Plane" for a reason as it's not exactly a big, fully-fleshed-out world, but rather a portal towards other worlds, most noteably ours: 'the real world') where all of my characters live & work, headed by the Cataroose, who, I've explained somewhat in an earlier post as being my own Author Avatar as it were, but is also a means of suspending disbelief & creating my own fantasies...

The cataroose is not some sort of weird godlike figure, because I certainly don't think of myself as such, so why should I think of 'her' that way? She is, however, responsible for the creation of the Plane due to her own past torments becoming too much for her to deal with physically, so they manifested themselves as a coloruful world.
This is sort of semi-autobiographical, with a very obvious fantastical twist: I'd gone through my own fair share of monsters and demons and it was very clear that I needed a change.
Perhaps now the fact that the cataroose is what she is (a taxidermy creature who can stitch herself up if need be, complete with defensive antlers and a pouch for hiding & storing her most-loved-things) is also a little clearer!

With all that in mind, though, the cataroose is not without fun & games in her little world, and though when she's "out of the Plane" as it were, she's my 'persona' & the character I use most in doodles, she spends an awful lot of time "in character" too, mingling with the Plane's more...fanciful members.
But enough existentialism for now: I prefer for the art to do the storytelling.

Pretty messy! But this is a depiction of the cataroose's victory (yes, victory!) in battle, which eventually leads to the Plane's beginning.

...which looked a little like this.
The blue "fluffy" thing on her chest? A window into her insides. She's got a blue star instead of a heart. Blue stars have always been something I've used in my artwork, and the fact that the cataroose is powered by one is again, somewhat relevant.

This is a precursor to a novel I may or may not write (still very much in the development stages & it's a little personal to me as well) which has the Plane's main gang (minus Azanti - more on that later) visiting 'the real world', which is apparently where the cataroose hails from and where Snort was banished from. Hmm!

The easiest way to get into the Plane is via tree.
There's a central tree that is larger than any other which is the cataroose's home. It looks a little smaller here though. Artistic license. :P
It acts a little like The good Doctor's TARDIS - it's much bigger on the inside, though nobody really knows what's in there apart from the cataroose herself.
Pictured here is Dhani, the large blue creature playing the mandolin. He is just one of the many spirits that live in the Plane, and a small selection of the others are happily listening to his night-time song...

Essentially, the Patchwork Plane is a homing ground for spirits, ghosts, monsters and demons. They're not all as good or bad as they sound, but they all share a common feature: they are all there for a purpose and they all have a mask.

Dhani, the music spirit, has the most famous of all masks, being that he never takes it off. Some say the mask is his face, and if it's removed, he, and music, will be taken away from the Plane forever.

The reason for the denizens to have masks is unclear, but it is definitely NOT something to do with deception. (Most say the masks have a lot to do with Author Appeal. I couldn't possibly comment!)

The masks may change & hide the appearance of their wearers, but the Plane's inhabitants are nothing if not brutally honest about who they are, and what they want...

...even if what they want is to snack on your dreams, like Snort here, the tapir-like demon (inspired by the Japanese mythic dream-eating Baku). Though he himself & his actions may appear somewhat scary, he is in reality one of the kindest, most gentlest souls of all the Plane.
And that's another important thing about the Plane: appearances can be deceiving. Which brings us back to the masks...which are worn out of fashion, most likely, and have nothing to do with deception.
It's becoming more and more apparent that the Plane is somewhat a paradox...

...but then, the cataroose herself is a bit of a paradox too. So essentially, logic has lost all meaning when you enter the Plane. Through a tree.

The Plane loses all sense of time with day & night, at least.
One portion of the Plane is perpetually day time (the part that gets illustrated the most), another is always night-time (here pictured with it's main guardian, Wick, the sleep demon and his friend, Sonamber, the nostalgia worm) and then the central area, where the cataroose's tree is situated, goes by standard rules of day-then-night and so on.

The Plane has, quite accidentally, grown in size & population a lot since it was first thought-up, then known as the "Many-Coloured World".
Originally, there were only a handful of residents, and all of them, minus two (the cataroose and again, poor Azanti) are in this picture.
Tika-Tiri the fox spirit of play, Sambuca the travelling lion, Horse the wanderer and Green (squint! He's on Horse's back), the mute philosopher.

As the Plane was originally created to be a holding place for all my characters, they ended up there from other stories. Horse was first seen in a (now defunct) collaborative project I was involved years ago called "Hellfire and Grimstone". Green has been a part of my art for longer than I can believe, first appearing as a very late night doodle in my sketchbook. Tika-Tiri was created with the Plane in mind, except the Plane was a nameless landscape then, purely around for the purpose of being 'somewhere' in a childrens' book I had rough ideas for.
Sambuca came after her, an out of the blue character created after watching a documentary about lions. His personality & history has grown a lot since then.
As for the others: the cataroose is my favourite thing to draw and has been (somewhat) since age 11. Azanti is another character of mine who seems older than dirt. She was in a short story I wrote as a teenager, which is being brought back and revamped as a novel.
She's here:

Now, the Plane has spirits and monsters crawling out of every orifice - though the 'main cast' still remains pretty standard with the cataroose leading the crew, followed closely by Tika-Tiri, her brother Dhani, Horse and his best buddy green, the two big cats Sambuca & Azanti, and the friendly demon, Snort.
Not to mention the cataroose's close companion, the Snox (and the only 'collaborative' creature in the Plane), the other Spirit Siblings (it's not just Tika & Dhani!), a few ghosts, one zombie (really. Though you'd never guess who...), some more typical, frightening monsters, and anyone really who creeps into the grassy world that is the Plane!

(Do any of you recognise him?)

Mostly, the Plane is around for my own enjoyment, but it's been pretty well-recieved online (and off, to an extent), which has encouraged this blog post.
I get asked a lot whether I'll release a book about it, and I am still quite tempted, but there are drawbacks that I hope are quite obvious when reading this little article. A collection of short stories seems harmless enough, though, and certainly an art book at some point.

The bottom line is really this: I love creating characters & the Plane is a great tool for me to do that with. I get little sparks of inspiration all the time that lead to designs & concepts that, without the Plane, would be all but useless aside from in the name of art. Which is not neccessarily a bad thing, but I prefer to keep everything organised.
Also, my biggest interests in life seem to be based around the (perhaps conflicting themes of) mythology, storytelling, science, animals & to a lesser extent, art therapy, so the Plane fits in nicely with all of that.

Now that I've invited you into the world that I paint in watercolours, I hope you'll stay for the ride as I feel obliged now to tell you about all the creatures that live in it, and a little more about their stories.
I promise they don't bite, and those that try will be sent packing by means of a sturdy oak. :3

RIP, Little Warrior.

2011-08-06T00:22:00.000-07:00

It was inevitable, but little Jubei passed on during the night.
He had been acting rather tired for the past week or so, finally giving into just sleeping and laying on his side for the past two days.

I was in such conflict because I've had a fish who has died like this before, so I knew it was coming, and I've read on various fish forums that others tend to euthanise their pets when the time comes. I know it's possibly the kinder thing to do, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, just on the off-chance that he might pull through. Perhaps I should be a stronger person, I'm not sure.

Either way: I made sure Jubei was as comfortable as he could be - fed him still, but less food, and put all the plants in a clump for him to hide so he wouldn't be disturbed by the others, and yeah, he seemed happy enough, so I'm glad I could offer him that at the very least.

Something I didn't know until now was that pet stores sell betta fish once they're already a year old (I believe this is to do with their appearance rather than anything else - people tend to go for the brighter, larger fish.) so, with that in mind, I don't feel so bad. I had Jubei for five months.

In case anyone is wondering: yes, I will be getting another fighter. They're beautiful fish and I have really took a liking to them. They're so interesting to observe and of all the fish I've had so far, they've got the most personality & character. No offence meant towards my other scaly friends!

I'm considering having a re-think with my tank overall, though. It's fairly small, but big enough for the fish I've had in it. That said, I've also lost quite a few, so I'm thinking perhaps changing things slightly, maybe just focussing on one or two species at a time. Guppies seem to be my worst nightmare, as much as I adore the little creatures. They're easy enough but I think possibly need more experience than I currently have. Bettas are, as stated, definitely one of my favourite species, but with the fact that they're already a year old before they even get to their home tank, I'm now somewhat dubious.
It'll sort out.
:)

Jubei was without a doubt one of my favourite little fish.
He was an awesome little companion and very friendly towards me (but not that one time when I held a mirror in front of his tank to see what he'd do. Sorry, pal). Very active until that last week and pleasant towards his tankmates.
And, has to be said: what a handsome guy!

You'll be missed, little friend.
Even though I'll get more fish, that doesn't mean you can ever be replaced. And this is how I feel about all fish. I've had many, but I remember and love them all. That's why I pride myself on my photography of them, and writing about their personalities and little foibles.

Many people say fish are boring. I say: fish are amazing pets if given the time to just be watched & admired!
I can't imagine my life without my tanks :)

See also:
Aquarium Photo Gallery.

Meet Mia & Prudence!

2011-08-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

Recently, a beautiful partnership was made.
That was the partnership between Blythe and Littlest Pet Shop.

It's no secret that I love collecting toys. Littlest Pet Shop figures were a staple of my childhood, and even though they have changed a lot since then, I still have such a soft spot for them (though I don't "collect" them as much as I do, say, My Little Pony).
I actually prefer how the pets look now with their big eyes and cute bobble-heads. It's a style that's been done to death, but with them, it really works, I feel.
I love the special edition pets too, which are what I tend to collect. I prefer the more unusual creatures & the ones with funky patterns all over them!

As for Blythe dolls... I don't actually own any 'real' Blythes, but just the Petites. I prefer them. The larger dolls are lovely, but I've had a fondness for the little ones since I got my first, Charlotte, in the awesome Thunder Egg store in Manchester.

So! When I saw that Blythe & the Pets had teamed up, I had to get in on the action...

This is Mia, and her faithful little pink cat, Prudence.
I found them for a very reasonable price (just £4.00!) in a Home Bargains. They were also displayed with a huge selection of regular Littlest Pet Shop sets, again, for very reasonable prices. If you're a collector yourself, or just want to take a look & get started, I'd suggest making a trip to your local Home Bargains 'cause they're so much cheaper there than anywhere else!

There were three Blythe dolls with pets at the shop, but I took an instant liking to Mia because, well...she's paired up with a cat! And I have a thing for novelty animal hats as well. She also came with awesome headphones as an accessory, so everything about her just seemed to fit my particular loves...

Chilling out and floating away with music is one of my favourite hobbies too!
Particularly on a long journey...

Mia came packaged as "Blythe Loves Littlest Pet Shop: Fashion Cats", so she needed me to give her a name.
I was trying to think of something suitably cat-related, but nothing too obvious like 'Kitty'. I was thinking of 'Purrl' as in Pearl/purr, but it looks funny written down.
'Mia' came to me because it's like a half-meow, which is cute, and it gave her kitten friend the perfect name as well...

Prudence!
Both names are inspired by The Beatles song, Dear Prudence:

When the Beatles were in India, they were accompanied by actress Mia Farrow and her sister, Prudence. The story goes that Prudence wasn't enjoying the trip very much, so John Lennon wrote 'Dear Prudence' to try and cheer her up and encourage her to come out & soak up the sunshine & culture.

Mia is a very welcome addition to my small collection of Petite Blythe girls:

From left to right: Charlotte, Mia, Loretta and Sioux-Zioux.

I may have also ordered another Blythe-with-Pet to come live with me too, and once she arrives and you meet her, I'm sure you'll be able to tell just why I had to give in and get her too!

A Day at Chester Zoo...

2011-07-31T14:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my parents and I took advantage of Merseyrail's Chester Zoo offer (£18.50 return travel and entry to the zoo!) and spent a lovely day meeting all the animals.

I took my trusty Nikon D3100, Maximus (yes, I name my cameras - you'll meet them soon enough!), but unfortunately didn't get too many photos as the weather was blisteringly hot and kind of took me out of the mood.

That said...

Buffy-headed Capuchin.

An African Wild Dog.
This photo is another reason I didn't take so many shots - it's difficult to get decent photos in a zoo sometimes on account of the glass the animals are behind, like here, or being unable to get close enough.
The lens that came with Maximus is pretty decent, but I would love to upgrade to a really wide zoom one day...

Grevy's Zebra.
Zebras have always been favourites of mine. It's not so much of a secret, but I love equines, and any animal who looks as fabulous as these guys do in black and white stripes is a winner :)

Scimitar Horned Oryx.
These beautiful creatures are thought to be extinct in the wild. This is one reason I do fully support zoos such as Chester. Well-maintained zoos where the animals are given proper care & treatment are definitely something to be admired because they do help animals by setting up breeding programs and protecting them in the wild. I felt happy leaving the zoo knowing that the money we spent on our trip will go towards conservation of animals such as the Oryx, and many others. It was very uplifting. :)

This Oryx had a baby! And what a little sweetheart he/she was, too.

I have to say something, though: this little calf looked as though it was only a few days, possibly a week, old. As I went through the zoo, I realised that this calf had more manners and politeness in it than all of the kids running around the zoo put together. I don't want to complain, but it really does annoy me to see how (a lot of) kids are being brought up nowadays.
When I was a child, a trip to the zoo was like finding the Holy Grail. I was brought up with a love and respect towards animals and a fascination for them too.
While I don't expect children to know the names of all the animals there, I can say this:
1. A rhino is not a "black camel with a horn". It's not even black! It's called the 'Black Rhinoceros' because of its diet.
2. The fences are there for a reason. Just because it isn't a large cat or a wolf doesn't mean it isn't dangerous: respect the zoo rules and keep yourself safe, stupid!
3. Be happy that you've been taken to such a lovely place. I know it's a hot day but these animals are something to be loved and treasured and, y'know, your parents were only trying to make you happy. Screaming and dragging your heels because you don't want to see "boring" creatures is something that will instantly annoy your local antlercat...
And, my favourite comment of the day:
4. A sitatunga is certainly not a pony!

Moving on... a Tapir!
Tapirs are another favourite animal of mine. I even have one as a character, but I'll talk about Snort at a more appropriate time.

Lastly, the Asian Elephants.
The elephants are the first animals you come to as you enter the Zoo, and they are certainly very lovely. Like the Oryx, they also had a baby (or two!) and they were definitely getting a lot of 'oohs and aahs' from the crowd! :)

That's literally all of the photos that I took, but I did take a trip a year or so ago with my boyfriend to the same zoo and took a lot more, so I'll share those at a later date if anyone would like to see them. Another reason/excuse perhaps for not taking more yesterday!

I notice that I took a lot of pictures of lesser-loved animals rather than your standard monkeys, lions and tigers here. I love all animals but I sometimes go through phases where certain types intrigue me more. I guess I am having an ungulate kick!

This may or may not be the first of two blog posts tonight.
I had intended to write up another but the weekend proved much busier than expected, so - keep your eyes peeled. Maybe!

Fluffy Voyeur #1 - Books With Pictures

2011-07-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

They say you can learn a lot about a person from the books they have on their bookshelf...

...I wonder what my collection says about me?

Dreamscapes (and what's to come)

2011-07-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

I haven't been feeling 100% today, which is why I pretty much just ended up asleep all day.
However: my subconcious decided to treat me to a little in-flight movie while I was wasting my Thursday... and I greatly appreciate it whenever it does that!

The setting was this beautiful art deco house, gold decorations everywhere, and clockwork things all over the place. Sort of like art deco meets steampunk. The centrepiece of this house was a magical fireplace...which wasn't a fireplace at all, but a waterfall that was a doorway to another world/dimension/I'm not sure.
There was a war going on beyond the waterfall, and the rich household were all worried because this war signalled the end for their wonderful city and...such. I think they were the royalty, I'm not sure.
Anyway: the only person fit for war was their young son, who sang a glorious song about his upcoming fight. He took the staff of his elders (this black iron rod which, I'm presuming, was a weapon) and went beyond the waterfall.

Now, this 'story' was interesting because the battle was completely bypassed - as though the battle itself wasn't even the important part. Years later, the family are all still alive (they come from a lineage of people who, while not quite immortal, can live considerably longer than average. I am even thinking that they were Atlantean citizens, or something similar) and the waterfall fireplace shakes with the sound of a young man singing joyfully about his success at war - the prince is back and he's all grown up and rather handsome, too. In tow with him he has a strange, noble steed which can only be described as a mixture between a horse and bird. I MUST draw it. It was white, with a very distinctive profile.
As well as his steed; who could talk, by the way; was his Girl (almost everyone referred to her as this, more so the commoners and the bird-horse than the richfolk and the boy's parents). I'm not sure of her name, people kept calling her 'Kate' but she denied it a lot. (I believe this was from reading various things on the internet last night, something about Prince William & Kate being one of them). She fluctuated between being blonde & black haired, and she was a native of this Other world in which the war took place.

Everyone was well impressed that the son had returned victorious and with a beautiful bride on his arm. Everyone aside from the butler(?), I believe, a large man who had taken over the prince's quarters while he was away and who completely believed him to be dead in the...however many years he was gone.
I am almost certain he would have been relevant to the 'plot' of this fanciful dream, perhaps trying to overthrough our prince or even murder him as it went on.

It ended with the girl and her prince jumping on a bed proclaiming "This is ours!" joyfully, waking up the rotund butler much to his annoyance. Their bird-horse warned 'the Girl' that perhaps the butler was not to be trifled with. The girl saw it as nonsense and followed her husband/husband-to-be? (it wasn't clear) out to the waterfront (which was suddenly there, beyond their golden balcony) to see a party of sailors singing their praises & drinking in their honour. The port was full of magificent ships, and a great time was had by all.

WEIRD, HUH?
I love dreams like that and I am quite tempted to write a little story about this one, or at least draw the 'characters', especially bird-horse and the handsome prince.

Speaking of which, I'm sure it was all fueled by my latest project (which I started character designs for last night), Myriad and Exit, a comic I intend to work on very soon which involves a girl becoming lost in a sort-of anti-Patchwork Plane, her only companion a mysterious dog-beast with one white eye, one blue.
As well as starting work on this, I plan on writing Azanti's Journey (name is a work in progress), which follows Azanti, one of the 'original', if you like, Plane residents, on her journey in a false Africa, with her friends Exile and Mwogo, and what happened to her before she discovered all things Patchwork...

RIP, Little Buddy.

2011-07-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

Sadly, little Capricorn died today, which is unfortunate 'cause I've just added some new decorations to their tank & poor guy couldn't enjoy them.
Seriously though: I've lost a lot of fish in my time keeping them due to lack of knowledge (I will blog about this, promise. I hope it will help other potential fish owners!), or malpractice on the part of pet shops and their 'guidance', so I sort of expected this what with his tail injury.

I mentioned that Jubei may have been the culprit, but he was raised with guppies and is fully climatized to them, and if it was the case, then it was purely out of stress - I plan on cleaning their tank in a different manner next time.

He (Capri) was a happy fish, though, and lived for a long time as far as gups go, and he was one of the few who did survive who was bought in 'that' petshop (I won't name names but, if you are in the Liverpool area and are curious/cautious, feel free to email me and I will let you know!), so that's good.

I just felt I should let everyone know as I had only just blogged about my fish.

RIP Capricorn!

The Life Aquatic with Cally Cataroose. Part One: Guppy Love!

2011-07-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

I apologise for the title.
(Actually, no, I don't!)

I've been promising this blog post to those who have me on Twitter for a long time now, so tonight I finally stopped being lazy and got all my photos ready on Flickr to share with you!

Earlier this year, I was given the gift of a small tank, three red crabs and a white goldfish by my boyfriend.
From that moment I was hooked (pardon the pun!): I love keeping fish!

I excitedly upgraded my tank, bought a few other smaller tanks and started my huge fish family - tropical, coldwater - you name it, I was adding them to my lovely watery homes.

Unfortunately, those original pets sadly passed on, due to a few reasons, most noteably the outspread of Ich disease in my coldwater tank and, admittedly, inexperience with my tropicals...

After I returned from our holiday to the Mediteranean (I promise, that will be documented via blog too...eventually!), my family of fish had shrunk to my betta, catfish and a few guppies in the tropical tank, Alfredo the frog in his own tank, and King, the comet goldfish in his own tank.
Realising where I had made mistakes in the past, I decided to keep my numbers small, and it's only very recently (yesterday, to be exact!) that I have added any more aquatic inhabitants to my home.

Would you like to meet them?
Of course you would!

This is Jubei.
He is a Betta (otherwise known as a 'Siamese Fighting Fish' or 'Japanese Fighter'), and he is my pride and joy.
He is named after the wandering fighter, Jubei, from the anime movie & series, Ninja Scroll. Jubei (of the anime) is a quiet, 'lone wolf' sort of character, but a very tough competitor. He's also handsome and elegant when he fights, so the name just seemed to fit the bill of my beautiful red fish!

He is a really handsome fellow, and he knows it, commonly swimming to the front of the tank to parade himself. He is a very elegant creature, and his long, flowing fins often give him the appearance of a little underwater dancer as he moves.
He has his shy moments, too. He is often found curled in between the various mock plants I have decorating the tank.

He is a placid guy, apart from when I am cleaning out his tank, when he can get a bit rowdy. Being placed somewhere small and not familiar (i.e: the white bowl he and the others get stuck in when their tank's out of use) makes him anxious and he has been known to attack the others, but only in this stressful situation.

Otherwise, he's really friendly, as this shot with one of my guppies shows!

Jubei's not my first Betta. I had another named Attenborough, who very sadly took a great decline in health after my tank became overloaded. I will write about him, the others that passed on and the perils of first-time fishkeeping, in a further blog post.

Onto the guppies, then!...

This is Sputnik.
She is one of my original female guppies, and she is named after the first shuttle sent into space.

Almost all of my guppies are/have been named after space and science related things.
The reason for this is that I was really into watching Wonders of the Universe, with Brian Cox, at the time, and my love of all things science had been rekindled around about the time the fish came into my life!
My original three guppies (all male) were Hale-bopp, Mercury and Triton. I wish they would have lasted longer, but, sometimes you have to be very strict and only buy from reputable pet shops. Being my first tropical fish, I wasn't entirely aware of the signs to look out for in healthy fish, and well, I learned a harsh lesson.

Sputnik is quite a shy lady. I don't have many pictures of her (or her 'sister', Ikeya) yet. She is often found hiding in the plants, and generally flits off when the camera appears.

Ikeya.

Speaking of Ikeya...I have virtually no pictures of her alone!
She is named after a comet, Ikeya-Seki.

She has her moments though, as this shot of her apparently 'waving' at us shows!

Ikeya was also one of the original females, along with Eleanor Rigby...

Eleanor was named after The Beatles song for her dark colouring which makes her look as though she's attending a funeral!
Don't worry though, she is a happy fish and a pretty lady with her distinctive little black spot on her nose.

I am a huge Beatles fan and Eleanor originally had some sisters (i.e: tank mates from the pet shop I got her from. Another un-trustworthy one, unfortunately!) named Lucy, Michelle and Penny (as in "Penny Lane").
Perhaps if I ever upgrade to a larger tank, I'll add more Beatles-related fish!

Back to the space-themed guppies...this is Capricorn, the only surviving male of the second original guppy lot. He is named after the constellation (the goat) and therefore also the zodiac sign.
My sign is Sagittarius, so I didn't name him for a personal reason - something about his colour just told me Capricorn should be his name. He's feisty, too. Goats can be feisty!

Of recent days, Capricorn has been sporting a bite in his tail, which I believe may be Jubei's doing while he was stressing out in the white bowl. He hasn't been hindered much by this, and he is still swimming, eating and behaving as normal. That said, his injury has been treated, as should any changes that are noticed in the tank.

Although there are four more guppies yet to talk about, I want to break it up a little by introducing Ghost, my corydoras catfish!

Ghost is an albino, and his pink eyes and almost translucent white body give him a very striking look.

I've always wanted a catfish, so, when I was adding more fish to my tank, I had to get Ghost. He's proved to be quite a hardy character, too.

He can almost always be found hiding amongst the gravel at the bottom of the tank.
Catfish are bottom-feeders, so it's rare I ever catch a glimpse of Ghost doing anything but this - occasionally, though, he will leap to the top of the water, even out of it. He is more active at night, too.
Despite his placid, relaxed nature, he is the most difficult to catch when cleaning the tank!

Now, I mentioned earlier that I got four new guppies yesterday.
I had intended to just get one, but I was advised to get more, and told it was safe to do so.
Overcrowding has been the main issue with my tropical tank in the past, so I was aprehensive, but I now get all my fish and fish products from Pets At Home - a very reliable and reputable dealer, where the assistants ask you to fill out a questionaire regarding your tank and the fish you have in it before you purchase any more.
They are also very knowledgable and I would recommend them to anyone. Their fish are kept in great condition (as are all their animals) and, unlike other pet shops I've been to, I've not noticed many dead animals in their tanks (it's common to see at least one or two in the odd tank, but Pets At Home don't seem to have many - I've been to stores where they have had up to TWENTY dead fish unattended to in their tanks. Rotting flesh will in turn pass on any illnesses that may have killed those fish to the other tankmembers who, quite horribly, but naturally, will cannibalize the dead.)

My intention with yesterday's visit to Pets At Home was to buy another male guppy, to keep Capricorn happy, but there was an offer on to buy three guppies for £7, and I asked the very helpful lady in there if it was a good idea to do this, what with having 6 fish in my tank already. I filled out the questionaire and she also advised me to buy another female, so that there was one girl to every boy guppy in my tank.
So... with three surplus fish in hand, I went home to introduce them to the others...:

This is Ophiuchus.
He is named after the constellation ("serpent-bearer") and what would be the 13th sign of the zodiac to some.
Incidentally, had I been born much later, Ophiuchus would be my sign.

Being the only one in the male tank with this gorgeous blue, red and green colourisation, immediately, I knew he was the one I wanted.
He is my smallest male, but quite confident already, particularly with the tank's residents...

Though all of my tropical fish are small Ophiuchus is so tiny that he makes Jubei look like a giant!

And here he is, with Sunspot.

Sunspot was named after, perhaps quite obviously, the phenomena that occurs which causes darker spots to appear on the sun.
He's named this for his fiery colours, and also because I did have a fish named Sunspot (a platy) in my original, overcrowded tank, who didn't last very long at all. I liked the name, and in a way, it's a nice memory of that original fish.

Last male is Caelum, yet another who has been named after a constellation ("the chisel") and I love his vibrant orange colour.

As far as my males go, he's quite a large one, but he is still smaller than most females (aside from Sputnik):

...particularly my last new addition, and the largest female guppy I've seen yet, Hyakutake.

I picked Hyaku for her very vibrant green/yellow tail. Green seems to be an uncommon colour in standard pet fish (or at least, the fish I've seen).

She is named after a comet, like Ikeya, and though her name's a bit of a mouthful, it's quite pretty, I feel.
This isn't the most flattering picture of her, however, please try to ignore the strand of poo...

That just about wraps up the first of my fish blog posts. Yes, more are on the way, with photos and the knowledge I've gained in my short time keeping these lovely, relaxing creatures in my home.

If you want to see more of my fish, please visit my Flickr gallery:
Aquarium.

Next up (at some time in the future!): My Past Tropical Fish, and a little guide of warnings and information on safely keeping tropicals.

Unstitching the Cataroose...

2011-07-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

I've been promising a post about the history of the cataroose for a long time now, and at my old blog, there was a perfectly good one - but I did seem to waffle on a bit in that, so I'll try and keep this brief.

What is a cataroose?
The story goes like this: it was a dark and stormy night...
Nah, actually. It was more like a hot and sticky summer in 1997.
11-year-old Cally was your normal schoolgirl, really. Obsessed with dinosaurs, My Little Pony, Sonic the Hedgehog, cartoons and pretending she was a cat and walking up the stairs on all fours. Hmm. Possibly not that normal, then.
Anyway, I digress, she (and I'll say "she" because talking about myself in the third person makes for this sort of thing to be a whole lot easier!) wasn't feeling too great. It was the year that marked the first visit of that Black Dog (you know the one), and it came as a bit of a shock.

Nothing particularly spurred this visit, apart from perhaps the inevitable "growing up" and moving into a new school (which caused years of distress for the little 11-year-old. But shh. Don't tell her. It'll make her a whole lot tougher and wiser in the longrun!). But, never the less, she felt rubbish and something had to be done.

So, what, then? All she really knew in life was how to write a story, that cats are awesome, and, unless coated with Dip, cartoons never die.

With pencil in hand, she scribbled on paper and the cataroose was born!
Well... Cally Cat was:

While that's not one of the originals (it's from 1999, roughly!), that was pretty much your standard "CC" - blue and white cat, perpetual smugness. Bandage on tail.
I'm almost certain I was channelling Furball from Tiny Toon Adventures with that one, but, as I'm quite the clumsy thing from time to time, it's pretty apt.

Anyway: for many years, that's how it was. I took comfort in drawing that little cartoon kitty and portraying myself in that way. It made sense. I loved animals (and quite obviously: still do) and felt some sort of connection with them. Cartoons were much more interesting than all the depressing stuff in the news (remember a particular event that occurred in 1997? yeah) and it helped. It was a nice deal.

Then:
I just sorta stopped drawing animals.

Present company at the time encouraged me that drawing cartoon animals was childish and I guess I was naive enough to believe them (don't get me started on all the other junk I was naive enough to believe during that pretty dismal time!) so I tried to draw Humans.

There's nothing wrong with drawing any sort of art, by the way. Let me get that one straight. But, at the time, I became a bit of an art snob. Never intentional, but I do regret it.

ANYWAY...really, I said I wouldn't waffle!

Time passed, and I got bored of drawing these two-legged abominations (look back at them, I'm not kidding), and I craved the comfort of my past. But somehow, Cally Cat wasn't really there any more.

I suppose it had gone on too long. I'd hidden the stuff I really enjoyed away for such a while that when I knocked on it's door again, it couldn't answer. Possibly because, in some weird way, I'd killed off Cally Cat - and, let's get existential a bit here: during that period in my life, with the "company (I assure you, the link is relevant if you read between the lines/know me personally a little!)" I kept, I had killed off a huge part of myself.
Not that I'm a blue cat really. It would be hard to type with paws. But, I'd killed off my love of cartoons, drawing animals, loving animals - basically, I'd took all the fun parts of that little 11-year-old who was DEFIANT against growing up and...well, made her grow up.

SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE.

Enter the Cataroose.

You know I said I'd "killed off" Cally Cat? Let's roll with that for a moment.
What do some people do with beloved animal companions that pass on? Well, the more colourful people of this world get apermanent reminder of them, and, as a later blog post will explain (keep poking me to write it, though, I'm useless otherwise), I have quite an interest in taxidermy.

I've never been elbow deep in animal innards, nor have I any experience in tanning at all, so don't ask me to stuff your budgie: it ain't happening.
But, I do see past the initial "oh good GOD!" reaction and can see the strange and tragic beauty of taxidermy. This feeling was perfect for my mood. The idea of a creature that is alive-but-not (think Schroedinger's Cat, if you will. The love of Science is evident in this farce as well!) with appendages that are probably necessary after all the scrapes it's been in was music to my ears.

The cataroose was born!
Or, uh, reborn, if you like.

The antlers were added at first purely because I love antlered/horned creatures. The pouch, I'll always explain that one like this: where else does she store her pencils?
The antlers have since took on an added personal meaning to me, too.

So, there you have it.
The condensed (ish) history of the cataroose.
Also known as antlercat.

And basically, yeah, it's a persona of sorts. I'm one of those people who likes "drawing it out", as it were, and I know it's sometimes laughed at, mocked or even frowned upon by a lot of people but...y'know what? I don't care.

I've learned something: if something makes you happy, and it's not hurting anyone, then DO IT. Really, just go for it. Other people pulling you down and telling you otherwise really aren't worth your time or effort.
And that is what I've learned today, Princess Celestia.

As well as being a persona, the cataroose is also central to my web of ideas I like to call the Patchwork Plane; a tentative world in which my characters all live.
But, future blog posts will tell you much, much more.

Antlercat, away!

100 Techniques Meme

2011-07-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

I found this list of art prompts on Deviantart, and I have to admit, I am quite tempted to do it - but maybe not all of them. Sorry, but some of them aren’t really my thing. ;)

I like the idea of doing something a little different, trying different subject matters & techniques and, most of all: it helps pass the time and keeps my mind off the preverbial “stuff”.

Wish me luck!

1. Draw an image, copy it three times and colour each differently/with different colours. Bonus!: use different media for each.
2. Draw something with a stereotypically feminine theme or style. (Flowers, pastel colours, beautiful subjects?)
3. Draw something with a stereotypically masculine theme or style. (Action, explosions, rough lines and angles?)
4. Draw something that is supposed to arouse positive emotion from the viewer (amusement, joy, sympathy). you can use both technique and the subject of the drawing to achieve this.
5. Draw something with no same colour used twice.
6. Draw a short comic of 3-7 panels.
7. Drawing using only two colours.
8. Cg a drawing, colouring it with three depths of shades and three depths of lighting.
9. Cg a drawing in black and white.
10. Draw an imaginary object.
11. Cg. Sketch, lineart, colour. Use an hour or more for every step.
12. Traditional. Sketch, lineart, colour. Use an hour or more for every step.
13. Cg a drawing using tools that mimic brushes and tools in traditional media.
14. Cg/traditional draw a face, male or female. Design a decorative makeup/tattoo to decorate the face.
15. Traditional inks. Colour with colour pencils.
16. Sketch a dynamic pose of a human. Feets can't touch ground and hands can't be on sides of the waist. No matter if you finish or not.
17. Draw something with not your usual style. Be it a mock or not.
18. A 10-frame animation. (Flash, Flash Player. Adobe Imageready, etc)
19. Do a pencil-drawing with pencil/charcoal and eraser only, and finish it with proper shading and such.
20. Draw something very detailed.
21. Work out a traditional work that has 3d elements added to it, like fabrics and plants and etc
22. Draw something very simple.
23. Draw something very small. (for example; A5/500 x 500)
24. Draw something very big. (for example; A3/2000 x 2000)
25. Draw something that is supposed to arouse negative emotion from the viewer (sadness, nausea, anger). you can use both technique and subject of the drawing to achieve this.
26. Draw anything with animals. If you usually draw these often, draw an animal you have never EVER drawn before.
27. A traditional painting using ONLY acrylic/watercolour/oil-colours, et cetera.
28. Draw something you've never drawn before, not even scetched.
29. Do several scetches of the object/organism you have the most trouble drawing.
30. Traditional draw something using colourpencils only
31. Draw a zoomed in image of a bodypart of a human, something from neck down.
32. A traditional inked lineart, coloured with one or two colours only.
33. Draw something from the bird-eye view.
34. Paint something with coffee, strong tea or any other food-substances. Go crazy!
35. Draw something surreal.
36. Draw a battle.
37. A traditional pencil-sketch coloured with watercolours.
38. Draw a nude human. No exaggerated tits or penises.
39. Take two photos of ordinary everylife objects. Try and combine the two by drawing them into a whole new object.
40. A pixel-drawing with pixels only. Atleast 100px x 100px big.
41. Draw a bird flying.
42. Do a cg using magic-wand and fill-tool only.
43. Draw a vehicle.
44. Do a collage. Of magazine-clippings, fabrics, buttons, pins, etc + you can use an ink-pen to create effects or details.
45. Cg a drawing without a sketch or a lineart. Begin with the colours and continue with the colours only.
46. Draw a portrait of a live human of your choice. Caricature or realistic.
47. Design a decorative outfit of your liking.
48. Do a small sculpture, no more 20 cm or less than 10 cm in height. You can use clay or even play-doh.
49. Draw a drawing and colour it with three shades of one colour only.
50. Draw an animal with surrealism added to it.
51. Draw an imaginary/existing landscape.
52. Draw something with foreshortening.
53. Pick two characters (your own or someone elses), male and female. Genderbender them.
54. Take a photo, and cg a drawing on it, like the character or the drawings belongs into the photograph.
55. Draw something using only one line aka not lifting your pencil off the paper. You can do this with tablet too but it might be harder seeing how the work-space is limited?
56. Draw someone chubby.
57. Draw an imaginary/existing building.
58. Draw a character doing two things at once. Standing/breathing et cetera not allowed, something dynamic and lively please.
59. Draw a character doing four things at once. Same notes as above.
60. Draw something traditionally and Photoshop it so it looks digital.
61. Draw an anthromorphic character.
62. Oekaki, 500 x 500
63. Draw someone thin.
64. Draw your least favourite thing, presentable, not a mockery.
65. Copy a famous painting and change things to your liking but not so much it's not recognisable anymore.
66. Draw a picture copying famous styles, art noveau, children's illustrations, church paintings, et cetera
67. Open a book near you and draw what's happening on the page.
68. Listen to a song, and illustrate what it reminds you of or what visuals it brings to your mind.
69. Close your eyes and draw five scribbles on a piece of paper. Then, try to make a drawing or character out of each scribble. You can add on to each as much as you like, but you can't erase any part of the scribble.
70. Do a drawing using your feet.
71. Do a drawing using your non-primary hand.
72. Do a fingerpainting.
73. Put tiny splotches of watercolour on paper and wait for them to dry. Add lines to the splotches with a pen and see if you can make them something else than just drops of colour.
74. Draw a person with one exaggerated bodypart
75. Draw a diarylike comic-illustration of your day.
76. Illustrate a person's change of expression through a comic (3-5 panels)
77. Draw a character (yours or someone elses) in a style of another series or person. (Not your own style.)
78. Create a wallpaper for your desktop. (Preferably from your own drawing)
79. Draw something beautiful and ugly. Use your imagination!
80. Draw an image, copy it three times and colour each with a different light-source and/or type of lighting
81. Choose a character or subject and draw it in a single or three different compositions three times, experimenting with a different line type/weight/dynamic in each one.
82. Choose three different media and three distinct textures and create a triptych composition in which you experiment with rendering each texture in some way: realistically, abstractly, etc.
83. Take a sheet of paper and fill it by drawing objects and people from life. Make it a pile of sketches rather than a controlled piece. Try and colour the finished result.
84. Draw a picture without erasing anything, including the sketches and mistakes
85. Draw a huge insect with all the details visible.
86. Design five different underwear in five different materials.
87. Draw something seasonal.
88. Draw something using shading only. (Black on white, etc)
89. Draw something using lighting only. (White on black, etc)
90. Have a friend you haven't gift-arted yet? Surprise them.
91. Take three or four pieces of traditional media and make an image using only those tools. (Like for example a piece of coal, a red colouring pencil and a normal pencil. ) Eraser doesn't count!
92. Draw something that deciphers an emotion with technique and colours. Avoid drawing the face, if you must add a person in it as well. Extremes are very good, like misery, anxiousness and joy.
93. Draw character-interaction, preferably something you don't usually do (like if you normally do "boylove" then hetero-pairings would be a nice change? same applies to people who always draw girls and boys together.) also if you usually do erotica, try friendship, and if you've never tried anything steamy, now's the chance.
94. Draw an image that supports something against your beliefs. A presentable one.
95. Draw an image that has a message you support.
96. Hit "random deviant" button until you find a deviant with an original character. Draw it, and no skipping! (Show it to the person too!)
97. Put your playlist on random, pick a song, find the lyrics for it and choose a random line or two which you will illustrate.
98. Draw one of your human-characters as an animal/one of your animal-characters as a human.
99. Pick one of your old, old drawings, and redraw it.
100. Congratulate yourself for a work well done and do an appropriate image of CELEBRATION. This is obviously the final task. I hope you had fun.

PS: My cat Smudge appears purely to stop this post being an entire block of text. Sorry. :)

Hark! An antlercat appears...!

2011-06-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

It most likely goes without saying, but...I've not been around here much lately, have I??

Well, I've been around, here and there. Mostly there, but what can you do?

Since returning to work after a four week hiatus due to depression, I've been busy busy busy...
I went on a wonderful holiday with my boyfriend and his family - a cruise around the Mediterranean!
It was a week full of sailing and sight-seeing, and I got to see some wonderful new places. It was my first cruise holiday and I found it exciting, overwhelming, exhilerating, expensive (haha!) and definitely an experience.
Needless to say, I suppose, but I will most likely blog about the times I spent in Barcelona, Malaga, Gibraltar and my time spent just plain sailing!

I came back from my voyage & took a dive right back into being busy with work & trying to get a bunch of stuff organised...

Not to mention how busy I've been with drawing:

And by drawing, I mean, watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic ad nauseum & doodling my own pony creations.
I took a whole lot of commissions for them too, and plan to do more in the future, if you are interested in getting your own Antlercat-styled pony!

I set up this blog with great intentions and plans, and though things have been a little quiet on the antlercat front, I do intend to share it all with you!
I want to blog about my interests, my travels, my projects... basically everything.
But I thought it was neccessary to have a little break from it all until things got back on steadier waters again, as it were.

On another personal note, I just want to say a big thanks to the support & feedback I got on my previous post regarding depression. It is a subject that is very close to home for me and I want to continue spreading the truth & knowledge about "the black dog" in an attempt to rid at least some of the great stigma surrounding the illness.

It was a difficult post to write, but I am so thrilled to see how it inspired others and how people could relate - I'm glad it met the desired effect. :3

Walking a Black Dog: thoughts on "The D Word"...

2011-04-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

"Depression" is a word that can sometimes be heard within a whisper, sometimes even hissed, and uttered behind closed doors, away from prying ears.
It is also a word that can be thrown around as frivolously as confetti, used as an excuse, or a call for attention.
It is also used often as a cry for help.

I have had an unintended blog hiatus since my last visit, and this word is the reason why.

For many years, I have been quite nervous to admit to my 'problem', but quite recently, the issue came to a head and I went to a place I would rather never return to. Having hit the preverbial "rock bottom", I got help. It came in the form of medication and counselling, and most importantly: by revealing some of my deepest, darkest fears and anxieties to friends and family.

So, what is depression?
It's certainly something that cannot be described easily, or even really condensed into a blog post.
It's a tricky one to tackle because, unlike physical illnesses, such as a virus or headache, depression isn't that easy to find an origin.
Similarly, constant trips to the toilet after a particularly devilish Vindaloo and several pints of lager is no mystery.
With depression, though, and other ailments like it, it is sometimes difficult to determin where it's come from, why it's there, and what to do about it.
As it involves the mind, which is undeniably a labyrinth of events, people, times and places, it's not as easy to put a pin in the exact cause.

For me, I have a time. The year 1997. That summer will forever stick out to me as the year it. all started. Suddenly, I was finding it harder to ignore triggering images or news reports. Violence in films was repeated at night in my dreams. I was afraid of things that had previously never even occurred to me, and though I thought that it was something that would leave in time, something that could be blamed on inevitable 'growing pains' or puberty - it seemed to stick around a lot longer.
I was 11 in that summer. I'm 25 now.

How it feels?

Depression can come out of nowhere. It's an unfortunate truth for many people.
The extreme side of it can lead to desire to self-harm, violence, alcohol or other substance abuse, and of course, the dreaded consideration or even attempt of suicide.

This is because depression can make life seem pretty unbearable.
It can feel as though an invisible monster has visited when you weren't looking, and taken away the things you most love.
Family and friends can seem inaccessible, even though they are right there and, in most cases, more than willing to listen.
Previous hobbies and interests, like reading or playing a game are suddenly meaningless, although perhaps a day or even an hour or two before, they were something that made you smile.
Work seems like a mountain that you've been asked to climb without any safety equipment.
Relationships suddenly become frightening, although that person still loves you and will stick by you.
Getting up in the morning is difficult. The sheets you happily drifted off to sleep in the night before have become a web that you can't struggle out of.
Your appearance has changed and when you look in the mirror, you see somebody horrible, somebody you don't know - but you're still there!
You're not a hideous creature, you are loveable, you can work, you will have your hobbies again - right now, you are just shrouded within the black mask that is 'feeling depressed'.

The Depression Spectrum.
There are many different kinds of depression.
Depression can be spurred on by grief, stress, bullying, abuse. There are lots of reasons.
There's also various disorders: bipolar, manic depression, seasonal effective disorder (SAD), post-natal depression, emotional instability, extreme anxiety - or simply "just feeling down".
I am grateful to say that I am on the lower end of the spectrum, able to experience periods of great joy and spurts of strength and confidence, though often, I can become very withdrawn, very anxious and easy to overwhelm. I'm very sensitive. I tend to cry at Disney films, or avoid the news.

Though there is no particular "name" for what I am going through, I want it to be clear that 'depression' is not a title to be thrown around. Sadly, I have seen too many people throughout my life who claim to be 'depressed' for attention.
I really don't admire this behaviour and find it personally very insulting and unfair to those who do have problems who can often find themselves shunned because they are thrown into the same category as those who are pretending or saying they're bipolar because it's "cool". The trend at the moment seems to be bipolar. Back when I was younger, it was manic depression.
Please. If you are truly upset, get help.
If you are just 'doing it for attention', be considerate and rethink your actions. Tell your friends or whoever what you strive for: you'll earn admiration then instead of pity, and you will be appreciated without a bad reputation.

What to do.
Listen carefully.
This is the best advice I'm going to give you ever.
GET HELP.

It doesn't matter where it's from.
A doctor, a friend, a family member. Just get help, in whatever way you can. Tell somebody about how you are feeling. Write it down, shout it out. Cry, nobody will hate you for crying. Hug your dog. Email somebody. Call a helpline - there are plenty of them around.
Just get help. Honestly. Don't be afraid. It's the best thing you'll ever do.

I mentioned earlier that I am on medication.
It's a very mild form, and in the past I have been against the idea of tablets but this time around, I am willing to give them a go.
That said: meds are NOT for everyone.
Doctors are responsible and do not just hand out pills to everyone.
Medication doesn't agree with everyone and it is not a quick and easy fix.
Most tablets take at least 4-6 weeks to properly work their way into your system and can come with some unpleasant side-effects (most commonly nausea and drowsiness).
On the flipside: they are there for a reason, and there are many varieties of tablets out there to deal with different strains of depression. Your doctor will give you the ones best suited to your own personal condition, but again I must stress the fact you need to talk first before taking medication - by being truthful and open to your GP about the way you have been feeling, even if it means talking about some very dark times in your life, he or she will be able to help you in the best way they know how.

Talking to people is a crucial part in helping you cope.
It takes guts to admit to having any problem, but with depression, which is still treated by some as quite a taboo subject, it can be incredibly hard to talk about.

I truly wish this wasn't the case.
We're not living in the dark ages (pardon the pun), and I believe that depression should be as natural a subject of discussion as the weather or world events.
Everyone goes through a form of depression at least once in their lifetime for whatever reason: it should NOT be a shameful subject.

If you feel that you can't talk to a friend or family member about your worries, there are helplines.
Samaritans (UK) - 08457 909090
Childline (UK) - 0800 111111
These are British numbers, but search online or look in your phone book for helplines local to your area. I assure you, they exist. Don't be afraid to call them. It's okay to be nervous, but take comfort in the fact that the people on the other end of the phone are there to help you, to offer confidential support and simply to listen.

In more extreme cases, if you feel you are going to cause harm to yourself or others, most hospitals have 'crisis teams' on call 24 hours a day where you can go and explain to them your situation.

You can help yourself.
Though I have stressed it's crucial to talk to someone else, often, the best person to help you through your worries is yourself.
Yes, really. That person you looked at in the mirror and hated.

Give yourself time.
Breathe.
Consider your thoughts and why they might be there.
Take into account what you have, and what you don't have.
What do you need?
Write it down. It's very cathartic to do this, and, if you're creatively minded, draw it down, or sing it. Whatever it is that you do: turn your fears and darkest thoughts into sometihng beautiful. You don't need to show anyone the results if you don't want to, and you may surprise yourself at what you can do when you are feeling at your lowest - you could make something really wonderful.

Rest.
Don't give in to sleeping all the time, but if you're tired and have no prior engagements: curl up and sleep. Sometimes "sleeping it off" does wonders.
Listen to music.
Avoid triggering subjects - melancholy songs, violent movies, newspapers, even websites you usually frequent. Even if you love these things, it might be best to stay away if you're not feeling 100%, and they'll still be there for you when you're in a better frame of mind.
Eat good food. Don't over-indulge, but treat yourself good.
Fish and fruit are good options. If you're vegetarian, nuts and pulses. Warm soup. Fresh, hot buttered bread.
Chocolate.
Drink tea.
Learn to walk away.
Be apologetic, but don't let it rule you.
Exercise.
Visit an animal shelter, zoo, or aquarium. Animals are soothing, wonderful things.
And above all: give yourself time. The feelings aren't eternal. They might come and go and there might not be much you can do to permanently remove them from your life: but they will pass if given the time.

You don't have to do all the things I've said.
Figure out yourself what makes you happy, even if it's the most silly-seeming little thing in the world. It makes you smile, doesn't it? Do it.

Feeling really down from time to time is probably always going to be a part of my life.
Depression is part of who I am, but it doesn't define me...and it doesn't have to define you.

-Cally.

Further Reading
Wikipedia Entry on Depression.
-Explains things in much greater detail than I could have here. Definitely something to read and think about.
Churchill's Black Dog.
-Article on where the phrase 'black dog' came about.
Famous People With Depression.
-Nothing particularly helpful or useful here, but it is interesting to see how many famous people are affected by the illness too.
"I Had a Black Dog" by Matthew Johnstone.
-A beautiful picture book that I highly recommend. The illustrations are endearing and the text explains depression in a concise way that is incredibly accurate and to the point. A sequel, Living With a Black Dog, is also very good, and is recommended to those who have loved ones with the illness.

Blue + Yellow = GREEN.

2011-03-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

Sulphur is a non-metal element, a chalgocen.
It is a solid, has a boiling point of 444.7 oC, and it's name derives from the Arabic word 'sufra', which means 'yellow'.

It is what the Bible referred to as 'brimstone', is commonly used in secondary school Chemistry experiments and, most importantly: it smells bad.

So, it is with much aggrivation that I have to note that I have been subjected for the past day or so to an infestation of such a smell, thanks to building work going on in long-since abandoned & empty houses in my street.

As my bedroom is front-facing, the smell has pretty much been wafted exclusively into my room.

It is not good.

What's in a name?

2011-03-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

I told you this already, but I named my blog Science of the Antlercat on a whim, and here I am, browsing through Amazon & adding various scientific books to my wishlist.

I guess it was a moment of accidental brilliance when I named my blog. I called it so because I, like many, like to know how things work. The science of everyday things is something that greatly interests me.
My interests also rummage down in leaf-litter among insects & perched in trees, putting on vast displays of colour and song with birds of paradise. They also fly higher than the birds, up above the atmosphere, freezing in the rings of Saturn & comforting Pluto in his dismay at 'no longer being a planet'.

I desperately want to do a science degree, but the drawbacks of such are huge to me right now. Not having time, not having the money, being very afraid of mathematics & being somebody easy to overwhelm, to name but a few.
However, friends have pointed somethig else out to me: the important thing is passion. If you have passion in something, whatever that is, be it astronomy, nature or designing worlds & creatures in my case, or simply a tv show or series of novels, then that's worth something, right?

I recently bought a bluray player. I think I mentioned this in one of the earlier posts of this blog. It came with Planet Earth, which is breathtaking, Life, which inspired one of my better short stories (I promise, I'll share these one day!) and Wonders of the Solar System, which, after months of wanting to watch but being nervous to (don't ask), has sparked and fully refuelled a deep-rooted love of space that had been lying dormant since my childhood.
Nearly all of my DVD/Bluray collection is made up of documentaries (or animations). The same can be said of my bookshelf. It's a rather ecclectic creature, actually. It houses books on animals, ecosystems, space and science, as well as books on fantasy, imaginary, spirituality and mythology. Hmm.

These passions have, admittedly, without going into too much detail, been helping me greatly to ignore, or perhaps, work through "other things" that have been plaguing me for quite a while now. They all mix together nicely to create the vague and multipurpose tapestry that is whatever the heck an 'antlercat' is.
Again, promises and more promises: but I do swear that I will tell you, in great depth, with pictures!, what exactly makes a cataroose.
Hint: That deep-rooted childhood love of things included taxidermy, too.

This blog has been wonderful to write so far, and I have received such brilliant and encouraging feedback. I am glad you are all supportive of my Regurgitated Knowledge™, so much so that I intend on doing it more so.
Right now, I can't partake in a science degree, but I definitely can read and read and watch and watch and inhale and share.

Just call me Antlercatbird.
Hmm. Now, there's a creature I'd like to see David Attenborough discuss!

(Picture is ancient, but relevant.)

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVE AND ENCOURAGEMENT :)

Snottin' to do with me...

2011-03-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

While it seems somebody has already blogged about these creatures, after watching the 'Aliens' episode of Wonders of the Solar System, I felt the urge to draw them as well.

I'd never heard of them before, but to be honest, that's what I love about documentaries. It seems a little arbitrary to say it, but, learning new things is what I watch them for. It's a mixture between inspiration, fascination and the desire to Know How Things Work.
The very idea that these strange organisms exist (and with such an amusing name, too!) sparks my imagination in ways that kind of suggest...perhaps I should have opted for something more academic than Imaginative Writing in university.

But see, to me, creativity & fantasy go hand in hand with science & reality. If something imaginary can be backed up in nature and therefore, be concieved as plausible, the better!
(Or worse, depending on your reading material...)

As for life on Mars...do I believe it?
I'd certainly like to believe it, and I am open-minded when it comes to these things (in that, if I could, I'd like to literally open up my head and have all the factual people from this world pour their goodness into it so I can become akin to Deep Thought, the super computer from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and know the answers to life, the universe and everything*). I want to say yes. I want to tell you all that I do love the idea that very primitive life exists on Mars, on Europa, on Titan, wherever it can, but then, whose to know? Without concrete evidence, it's all left up to (very interesting) debate.
There are rovers on Mars taking pictures & exploring right now as we speak, so perhaps one day, they could send something that could go beneath the surface. Let's hope nothing that shouts "Ulla!"** is lurking....

Honestly, I used to have a fear of aliens, and indeed, a fear of the unknown in general. It's not a good fear to have, because basically, it's like being afraid of your own shadow.
As a child, I lived without this fear, being taken in and out of museums almost every week by my dad. The nature and astronomy sections were always the places I lurked most.
While the idea of xenomorphs running around freaks me out to no end, I am fascinated by the concept of 'life out there'.

It has to be said: I find it very arrogant of some human beings who believe that Earth is the only planet where life can exist. The only planet likely to sustain life, yes. The only planet likely to have intelligent (though that can be debated) life, again, yes. But really. Life is not as black and white as "human", "cat", "dog".
The simplest forms, that apparently look like the kind of danglies you get with a bad flu, are still 'life'. And to think of them teeming around some moon way up there in space is thrilling. To me, anyway.

And I'm done.
Perhaps it was a bad (good?) omen in calling my blog SCIENCE OF THE ANTLERCAT on a whim, but I'm really enjoying sharing all this regurgitated knowledge. I promise, though, later posts I make will be related to my own worlds & the art and stories that I create about them. Pinky swear!
:)

* I'm sure some of you know what this is already! And if not, read the book by Douglas Adams. It's really fantastic.
** HG Wells' The War of The Worlds. Another fantastic read (though admittedly, I prefer Jeff Wayne's musical version a whole lot more!)

Look to the skies!

2011-03-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Tonight, the moon is fuller and brighter than it's been in 18 years, so get out there and appreciate its beauty!
Unfortunately, the light pollution where I live is so bad that I can't really see it properly, but the sky does look a lighter shade of dusky purple than it usually does.

Read more about the 'supermoon' here:
National Geographic: "Supermoon" Tonight

Recent artwork, or, "How Cally discovered masking tape & a new obsession".

2011-03-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

While I tend to post artwork seperately in my other blog (well, one of my other blogs), Twinklestah's Treasure Trove, I felt like posting a bulk load here on my "proper" blog, to give you a taster of my artwork if you've not seen it before, and to get the ball rolling artistically.
Ahem.

Here goes:

As you can see, I tend to work traditionally more than anything else, and I love my watercolours. And masking tape. Masking tape is a godsend.
I've been drawing a lot of catarooses lately. My next post will be about her, and I'll eventually post about the Patchwork Plane, and the other creatures that live in it.

Oh, and incidently, if you like my artwork, please feel free to follow my work at the following sites:
-Deviantart.
-Furaffinity.
-Flickr.

x

The Patchwork Plane & the Entropy Theory.

2011-03-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

Firstly: if you have wandered over to this blog without prior knowledge of who I am, or my artwork & the stories that I write, perhaps this will be a little confusing, as I've decided to talk about something within the world I write about rather than first tell you about that world. I like to do things upside-down sometimes.

To get you all briefly up to speed: the Patchwork Plane is the name I give the world where all my characters 'live', if you like. I have a lot of characters. Most of them are from other stories, such as my novels Rose Petal Tea, Indigo Sky, and any others that are blossoming (yet not being written for a while).
It's a kind of vague, flimsy plane of existence created by the cataroose (or myself, depending on whatever way you want to go with this) after a series of quite bad things happening. Think of oysters, and how the beautiful pearls within are only created after mass irritation. Something like that. I'll explain all of this in another post, I promise! Maybe I'll even write the story down one day...

ANYWAY!
Like many people, I have been spending my Sunday nights glued to BBC 2 and the quite remarkable Wonders of the Universe, presented by Professor Brian Cox. I adore astronomy, and I find his programme to be one of the best on the subject. It's nice to learn things of that vast intellect without feeling I am being patronised. Certain people from The Sky At Night who are NOT Patrick Moore (because the man is, and I don't use this word very often, a legend in his field), I am talking to you....

In last week's episode, Cox discussed something called The Entropy Theory.
Rather than try and dilute it myself, I'll allow the good professor to explain it:

So, with that in mind, I suddenly became much more inspired for my Plane and the stories within it than I had been in a long time...
Even with fantasy worlds, I prefer to have some sort of scientific basis behind what goes on, and this theory has set my mind & inspiration flowing once more!

The basis of the Plane is that, that very tiny chance that things can be different to the way they are in our plane of existence, i.e: on Earth or what have you, is heightened greatly. Hense why there are music deities and blue kitties roaming around the paper-thin existence of this extra dimension...

Also, to back up or perhaps have a giggle at the Entropy theory, please watch this clip from classic British daytime quiz, Countdown:

The fact that letters can be randomly picked out and spell things like "poo" proves this theory!
(All credit for this Countdown conundrum goes to my dearest Antony, without whose YouTube links and clever perversing of my recent rekindled science love, I would be nothing. <3!)

PS: No, I'm not 100% sure if I believe in said theory! Honestly, I just like it when I can apply things to my stories or get inspired again. I love to learn and I love to create, plus I love to share things I have learned with others! :)

Insert. Pun here.

2011-03-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have been hiding from the internet for about a week or so, and intend to do so again because generally I've found I'm a lot happier and more productive if I do that.

Anyway: last Friday, something momentous happened.
I watched my very first James Bond film.

My boyfriend Antony had managed to score the entire boxset (minus Die Another Day, but we don't really care for that one, as you'll see if you read on) for quite cheap at work, and this caused mass excitement to catarooses in the vicinity...

How I'd never seen a Bond before in my life is beyond me, but, after much deliberation over which one should be first, I took the plunge and watched GOLDENEYE. The N64 game gave me motion sickness, but I won't hold grudges...

This post isn't about Goldeneye, though. Or Bond movies as such.
Rather, it's about the theme songs.

I've always known the themes. I mean, who doesn't? I defy anyone to not feel the urge to sing along to Goldfinger, as brilliantly purred out by Shirley Bassey, or get slightly excited by Paul McCartney's Live and Let Die.
In fact, ALL the Bond songs, with the exception of the 'Queen of Pop' Madonna's Die Another Day (see?) are quite fantastic. I can even spare Lulu for her rendition of the FANTASTICALLY 60s The Man With The Golden Gun (even though the film was released in 1974. Whatever.)

My logic is this: if the theme song is fantastic, then the movie must be.
But if that's correct then Tomorrow Never Dies and Casino Royale must be Oscar-worthy epics.....

And of course, while watching Bond movies, my mind likes to wander...
What would a Bond-inspired cataroose be like?

Apparently, like this. With revolving gun-antlers which can be removed for easier weapon firing. I like to think she's a bad girl turned good by the charms of Mr. Bond, and possibly dies in a horrendous and hilarious way involving like, pirahnas or something. (Don't worry, she's a taxidermy creature. She'll be fine.)

Also: post script. I've since watched Tomorrow Never Dies, and, in my experience of all but TWO Bond films so far...it's the better movie. Maybe my musical logic works after all.

"Not poems and rubbish! SCIENCE!"

2011-03-02T11:03:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty certain that I'm in the minority when I ask if people like my blog's title, so I'm going to 'explain it' a little...

As a kid, I was never much interested in Science, preferring creative things like art and English. I did, however, devour nature documentaries like I devoured crisps (and Cadbury's Astros. They were fantastic and need to be brought back!).
My grandad (very sadly no longer with us) and I used to watch the likes of Survival all the time, and, if it involved meerkats in any way, the entire family would gather round the little black box (because of the Clorets advert, before the time of Compare the Meerkat).
I also had a fascination with space, thanks to my dad taking me to the museum a lot, where I'd sit in the planetarium and gaze up at the dome screen above us, marvelling at the stars and Jupiter and Mars...

Everything comes full circle, they say.
So I suppose it's no surprise that today I am happiest when found goggle-eyed in front of my TV set, watching Brian Cox conduct experiments with umbrellas, thermometers and tin cans, or listening to David Attenborough's dulcet tones as he describes the mating rituals of a Madagascan fossa.

I suppose I called this blog 'Science of the Antlercat' for those reasons, and also because it's sort of here, like most blogs, to show you how I tick...

...plus it was the only one I came up with recently that didn't sound nauseating, so have it.

SCIENCE!

Some sort of magic number.

2011-03-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

I suppose I should introduce myself.
Chances are, if you're reading this blog, you already know me to some extent, but if you don't, my name is Cally Anne Highfield.
At the time of writing, I'm 25 years old, I work full time at a video game shop and I just got a bluray player and intend to watch and marvel at many documentaries on it.

Let's think about the number 3.
There are three things in a trio, three bears, three little pigs, and three strikes and you're out.
There are also three spots on each of the cataroose's shoulders and flanks. Who or what is a cataroose? You'll find out, if you didn't already know. It's also called an antlercat, and it's a small, blue and white creature I have used to represent myself in drawings & doodles since I was a wee babe. Age 11, to be precise. But the antlers and pouch (yes, there's a pouch too, for storing pencils and sweets) weren't present then.

There are also three main things I want to tell you about myself regarding what I do, and what you'll see on this blog as it grows.
They're the creative things that I do, and usually I'd have a website to show off about them, but right now, I don't. So...

Art
It's an old cliche now around like-minded folk, but, I've been drawing since pretty much I learned how to hold a pencil.
Animation, the natural world, fairy tales and folklore fueled my imagination back then and still does today. I mainly work traditionally because I find sitting down with pen and paper to be cathartic and a lot more fun than just staring at a computer screen. I sell commissions, I illustrate my own stories, I create endless characters and worlds for them to live in. I mainly deal with my own personal (huge) project, The Patchwork Plane, a place where all my characters, plots and ideas sort of mingle.
I have more sketchbooks than I know what to do with.
Zebra brand mini mechanical pencils and watercolours are my best friends.

Writing
I also like writing, though honestly, I prefer coming up with stories more than actually physically writing them down. I have a BA Hons in Creative Writing. I studied for this in my home city, Liverpool (I love it here. But more on that later.). I have two published novels to my name: Rose Petal Tea (2005) and Indigo Sky (2008). I do have many more ideas and they will, eventually, be published too, but I seem to be busy/lazy most of the time, depending on how you look at it...
I also write poetry sometimes. I tend to like writing from the perspectives of planets as though they were petulent children.
Indigo Sky and I have had a turbulent love affair; regard posts about this novel with caution.

Photography
The final creative hobby of mine is probably the most free, least stressful. It's so much easier to pick up a camera, point and shoot, than it is to write something without feeling it's not correct or good enough, or to sketch something great then ruin it when inking. The main irritation with photography is cats that won't stay still.
I have a fair few cameras & play around with my digital baby, Nautilus (I name most electrical goods I own), as well as traditional film and lomography-style toy cameras too.

Photos go hand in hand with my other love, which is travelling.
But, really. You'll see more.
Because I've got a backlog of like a billion holiday snaps, doodles, character designs, poems, story concepts, photographs of animals, and adventures that I'd like to tell you all about...

I just hope some of you out there want to listen. :)

In a manner of speaking...

2011-02-27T14:11:00.000-08:00

I don't have a whole lot to say here right now, but a blog without anything to read on it is, to quote Edmund Blackadder, like a pencil without lead: pointless.
So, let me redirect you to a few older, archived blogs of mine that didn't stay around as long as I hope this untitled (for now) one does:
http://twinklestah5.blogspot.com/
http://twinklestah1.blogspot.com/

Watch this space.
Or the space in the sky. It's a great deal more interesting.