Well, I survived AnimeNEXT... just barely. The most valuable lesson I learned on Friday was: never EVER go to an anime convention with people whose presence you cannot tolerate for an extended period of time. Seriously. Even if you're only going for a day (like I did), do NOT make that mistake. Because I did. And it virtually ruined my first con experience .__. I'm not going to go into exactly what happened because it was a combination of a million things that went wrong and, if I did go into everything that happened, then this would be a super long journal and I don't like forcing people to listen to rants On the bright side, I did get to meet up with ~blackseraph4444 and ~Elf-chuchu, which was really awesome. So, I'll plan ahead for next year and try my hardest to not to make the same mistakes >_<;;

I'm starting work on my fashion timeline project later tonight, so I might slow down a bit with the Disney stuff, BUT I swear I will finish as much of that project as I possibly can this summer! I wanted to finish my sketch of Ariel for today, but it just didn't happen. At least I got Aurora done. She was a nightmare to draw. Here's my current progress:

_{Snow White - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) [sketch completed] [link]
Cinderella - Cinderella (1950) [sketch completed] [link]
Aurora - Sleeping Beauty (1959) [sketch completed] [link]
Ariel - The Little Mermaid (1989) [sketching]
Belle - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Jasmine - Aladdin (1992)
Pocahontas - Pocahontas (1995)
Giselle - Enchanted (2007)}
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Clubs:

What is A Flock of Ravens? [link]

Well, yesterday started the countdown to AnimeNEXT. I originally planned on going to Otakon, but that's just too much trouble. Plus, Otakon has a nasty habit of being held during these ridiculous heatwaves, and extreme temperatures really bother me... so... >O> AnimeNEXT it is! I'll only be there on Friday, though u_u;;; Still, I'm lucky that I'm going at all. And I'm even luckier that two of my old friends from high school will be there as well

_{Maybe sometime in the future I'll be able to sell prints there? Or something... I dunno... It's crossed my mind a couple times in the past month that I should take the next "big step" and start selling some of my work at conventions.}

Anyways... the WIP for Ancestors of Stone is in my scraps for those of you who want to see what the "inking" process looks like. I'm sure it's as close to a tutorial as I'll ever get.

Next Thursday is the last day of my summer class (Literature of Childhood), which I've thoroughly enjoyed. After that, I'm officially going back to work on editing A Flock of Ravens. I'll also be starting my Illustrated Timeline of Fashion (1760-1810). And somehow I'll be squeezing in the Disney Princess Project I'm still figuring out Aurora. I have her costume design... it's just a matter of finding the right pose -___- And my urge to draw chibis is back o__o I dunno if I can fight it.
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Clubs:

What is A Flock of Ravens? [link]

I've gotten everything organized and I'm pretty sure I know how things are going to work out. Thank you for your suggestions and your support, everyone

Here's how it's going to work: Each princess will wear a dress that reflects an era in history and each princess will be uploaded to the gallery seperately as I finish them. At the end, I'll edit them into one groupshot. And I'll be drawing them in the order that the films were released. Until then, you can look at the sketches in scraps (unless you'd rather be surprised). Below is the list of the Disney princesses that I plan to draw (updated from the wikipedia list):

_{Snow White - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) [sketch completed]
Cinderella - Cinderella (1950) [sketch completed]
Aurora - Sleeping Beauty (1959) [sketching]
Ariel - The Little Mermaid (1989)
Belle - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Jasmine - Aladdin (1992)
Pocahontas - Pocahontas (1995)
Giselle - Enchanted (2007)}

I've taken Mulan off the list because, as many of you pointed out, she doesn't actually marry a prince and therefore can't really be considered a princess. The others are off the list because the films haven't been released. I'll most likely draw them as their films are released, though.
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Clubs:

What is A Flock of Ravens? [link]

Official Character Profiles for A Flock of Ravens

[Updated: Profiles for Baen and Faing have been added... at last XDD;; I was originally too lazy to update the profiles and then I just felt kinda guilty spamming in-boxes with AFoR stuff. If you're not familiar with the AFoR project, then you can read about it here: [link] Anyways... 'tis updated :33]

Every Friday, I'll add two more profiles to the list. Otherwise, it'd be way too much information all at once. I know it sounds kind of weird to say I'm looking for "critiques" on my OCs, but I am XDD;; Just first impressions. Or who you'd be more interested in seeing pictures of. That sort of thing.

MAJOR CHARACTERS

FALLYN NEALA RAINECOURT

Age: 18
Birthday: July 12th
Name Meaning: Fallyn: in charge (Irish) Neala: ruler (Cletic)
Sign: Cancer (The Crab) (water, cardinal, personal): Keyword: "I feel". Protective, sensitive, tenacious, family and home oriented, helpful, nurturing, watery, emotional, loving. Can be crabby, clinging, moody, worrying, and pessimistic. From dates June 22th to July 22nd.
Associated Flower: white rose (silence, virtue, purity, secrecy, innocence, reverence, and humility)
Dress Style: robe a l’angaise or redingote (blues, grays, browns, and cold colors)
Likes: Flowers, hats, winter, being with others, writing in her diary, reading
Dislikes: Faing and Baen, being alone, being lied to

Background: Fallyn comes from a wealthy family and has a younger sister (Maeve) and older brother (Rowen). She fears for her family's future since she's aware that her uncle is manipulating her mother. In an attempt to keep her from interfering, both her mother and uncle arrange for her to marry a cruel man named Cain. Fearing for her life, as well as her brother’s and sister’s lives, Fallyn tries to escape from her arranged marriage; however, things don't go as planned. After a chance encounter with a mysterious young man (Nathair), Fallyn’s life is changed forever.

Fallyn is an intelligent, though somewhat naïve and passive, young woman. While she tries very hard to face her fears and stand up to her enemies, she's unfortunately unable to do so. She's weak and usually relies on those around her for support. However, after meeting Nathair, Fallyn is continually thrown into situations that strengthen her and force her to overcome her own inner demons.

Miscellaneous: Fallyn's name means "in charge"... but she's practically the total opposite throughout most of the story. I didn't realize this when I picked her name >_> Also, I decided not to make her a strong female character because I'm so sick to death of that stereotype. Her design was based on Cesia (from Mineko Ohkami’s Dragon Knights).
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NATHAIR VAN LETRE

Age: 23
Birthday: October 31st
Name Meaning: Nathair: snake (Scottish) Van: from, of (Dutch)
Sign: Scorpio (The Scorpion) (water, fixed, social): Keyword: "I desire". Passionate, secretive, powerful, keenly perceptive, deep, complex, analytical, inquisitive, resourceful, magnetic, intense, hypnotic, sexual, perspicacious, creative, vigorous, untamable, ambitious. Can be jealous, controlling, possessive, aggressive, cunning, and cruel. From dates October 24th to November 21st.
Associated Flower: black rose (death, hatred, farewell, rejuvenation or rebirth)
Dress Style: three piece suit (black, blue, brown, dark & cold colors)
Likes: Fallyn, pleasant conversation, reading, being independent
Dislikes: Baen and Faing, being told he’s wrong, laziness

Background: A strange young man without a past, Nathair is unable to recall where he came from and he has no clue where he’s going. The amulet he keeps around his neck is possibly his only hope for discovering who he really is. He travels alone, going wherever the road takes him, but along the way he crosses paths with Fallyn and is suddenly captivated by her; something about the girl is familiar to him and he yearns to get close to her. When the problems surrounding her family escalate and she finds herself in danger, Nathair makes her an offer she can’t refuse and changes her life forever.

On the surface, Nathair is a quiet, agreeable young man in search of his past, but his silence makes him hard to trust. Perhaps it’s best not to trust him though, since it’s hard to tell what his true intentions are. His soft smile might just be hiding something sinister.

Miscellaneous: He’s the mysterious one of the group. Nathair’s kind of unusual for a main character because you know almost nothing about him until the very end. He’s also probably one of the most difficult characters I came up with. He was hard to write and even harder to design. In the end, he turned out looking like a dark-haired Sanzo… >O>
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ROWEN CAITH RAINECOURT

Age: 20
Birthday: June 29th
Name Meaning: Rowen: red haired (Irish); Caith: from the battlefield (Irish)
Sign: Cancer (The Crab) (water, cardinal, personal): Keyword: "I feel". Protective, sensitive, tenacious, family and home oriented, helpful, nurturing, watery, emotional, loving. Can be crabby, clinging, moody, worrying, pessimistic. From dates June 23rd to July 22nd.
Associated Flower: Rue (regret)
Likes: Being in control, taking care of his sisters, Nell
Dislikes: Faing and Baen, his mother and uncle, being manipulated

Background: Rowen is Fallyn’s and Maeve’s older brother. As his father’s only son, he realizes that it’s his duty to carry on his family’s name, but other things occupy his mind. With his father away in the capital, Rowen’s mother has become involved in an affair with his uncle, who hopes to seize control of the family’s fortune. Being the dutiful, yet rash and impulsive, older brother that he is, Rowen takes it upon himself to deal with his mother and uncle. Despite his good intentions, he becomes so focused on his uncle that he inadvertently puts his sisters in harm’s way.

Rowen does more harm than good and continually finds himself in trouble. After his confrontation with his uncle, his life is changed forever and he soon discovers that he’s not as strong as he once thought he was. However, after meeting Nell, Rowen realizes that he can’t give up.

Miscellaneous: For all practical purposes, Rowen is your typical bishie angst-muffin^^ I had originally intended for him to be a much stronger character, but he turned out rather pathetic in the end. His design went through a ton of revisions, too. Overall, a very annoying character to deal with *kicks him*
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NELL KERRY

Age: 19
Birthday: March 15th
Name Meaning: Nell: light (Greek)
Sign: Pisces (The Fishes) (water, mutable, universal): Keyword: "I believe". Imaginative, sensitive, compassionate, feeling, idealistic, spiritual, accepting, undiscriminating, creative, mystic, self-sacrificing, artistic. Can be impractical, neglectful, escapist, lazy, distracted. From February 19th to March 20th.
Associated Flower: Sunflower (pure and lofty thoughts)
Likes: Rowen, painting, ravens, folklore, flowers, taking care of her friends, daydreaming
Dislikes: Baen and Faing, being serious, being alone

Background: Nell lives alone and has no known family. She makes a modest living as a painter, but money is the last thing on her mind. As a little girl, she was captivated by folktales, and as an adult she still has her head in the clouds. She worries little about herself and instead does everything she can to take care of her few friends. Her closest friend is Skena, a street urchin and pick-pocket who often visits her. One day, Nell is shocked to discover Skena at her doorstep with Rowen, who’s been terribly injured. Naturally, she’s unable to ignore him and she soon finds herself nursing him back to health and taking care of him. She also finds herself falling in love with him, though perhaps it’s for the wrong reasons.

Nell is an optimistic young lady and exactly the sort of person Rowen needs in his life. However, sometimes Nell gets ahead of herself and she’s oblivious to the consequences of her actions; she only sees what she wants to see. Her love and affection towards Rowen seem genuine, but it’s possible that it may only be infatuation.

Miscellaneous: She’s the other female lead and a much more pleasant character than Fallyn. Sometimes, I wish Nell was the real main character, but she’s not. Fallyn is. My oldest design for Nell featured a girl with long, straight, black hair and no bangs. I changed it because it made her look like a little “goth girl” and straight hair just seems so out of place in an 18th century setting XDD
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BAEN EVAN GRITHITH

Age: 24
Birthday: July 27th
Name Meaning: Baen: fair skinned (Scottish); Evan: young warrior (Irish)
Sign: Leo (The Lion) (fire, fixed, social): Keyword: "I will". Generous, proud, theatrical, passionate, sunny, bright, kingly, powerful, loves attention, dramatic, independent, noble, creative, leader. Can be arrogant, bossy, boastful, egotistic, snobbish. From dates July 23rd to August 22nd.
Associated Flower: Lobelia (malevolence)
Likes: Luxury, spending money, women, attention, being in control
Dislikes: Being alone, boredom, rules

Background: As a child, Baen dreamed of a life of comfort. When his fortunes changed and he finally attained the wealth and power he desired, he became a different person. He became obsessed with material possessions and he learned to take pleasure in manipulating others. However, despite having power and wealth, Baen still craves more. He’s restless and curious by nature, so when he encounters Nathair, he becomes interested in him and his past. When he learns that he won’t be able to control Nathair, Baen turns his attention towards Faing, who he considers to be a livelier and more interesting travel companion.

Baen is just as cruel as he is charismatic. He loves to control others and feel superior; he also loves attention and companionship, often proving himself to be extremely loyal to those he considers his friends. Those who are foolish enough to cross him unfortunately learn how two-faced he can be.

Miscellaneous: Baen’s one of those characters who’s been around for a while. Of all the characters, he was easiest to come up with. Even his design was easy to come up with; it hasn’t changed much since the early stages of the story. People have told me that he looks like one of the Malfoys XDDD
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FAING TOREN ASHEN

Age: 24
Birthday: November 18th
Name Meaning: Faing: from the sheep pen (Scottish); Toren: from the craggy hills (Irish)
Sign: Scorpio (The Scorpion) (water, fixed, social): Keyword: "I desire". Passionate, secretive, powerful, keenly perceptive, deep, complex, analytical, inquisitive, resourceful, magnetic, intense, hypnotic, sexual, perspicacious, creative, vigorous, untamable, ambitious. Can be jealous, controlling, possessive, aggressive, cunning, cruel. From dates October 24th to November 22st.
Associated Flower: Bird’s foot trefoil (revenge)
Likes: Women, gambling, sleeping, freedom
Dislikes: Angelo, rules, being controlled, acting civil

Background: Little is known about Faing’s past. He was born to a poor family and abandoned at an early age. Living on the streets forced him to survive by any means necessary and eventually hardened him. He shows little compassion for others and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants, even if it means killing. At heart, he’s a risk-taker and he enjoys the thrill of putting his life in danger. He meets Baen and Nathair by chance while trying to pursue Angelo, who’s supposedly wronged him in the past. However, Faing takes little interest in the two, though Baen takes great interest in him.

Faing enjoys being rude, callous, and vulgar. He survives by stealing from those he’s killed and not once does he question his actions; he has no conscience. Perhaps his only redeeming qualities are that he’s dedicated and he’s loyal when he wants to be. He’s spent the past years of his life hunting down Angelo, and nothing seems to be able to deter him.

Miscellaneous: Faing’s actually a recycled character from a past project that failed, but he fit so well into this story I had to bring him back. I like writing twisted and immoral characters; they’re just more fun because you never know what they’re going to do next. His appearance was originally based off two of my favorite rock stars (cookies if you can guess who :33), though it’s changed somewhat since the start of the AFoR project.

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Clubs:

What is A Flock of Ravens? [link]

If you've gone through my scraps, then you've noticed that I have a growing stack of sketches that I need to ink and color. Needless to say, I'll be uploading more sketches in my scraps gallery as I finish them. I'm getting back to my character profiles for AFoR and this time I'm doing them right. For real. I swear. *crosses fingers* But rather than wait for the pictures to be finished, I'm just going to stick the profile information in a journal and I'll be adding two profiles each week (so that way it's not too much info all at once). The profiles do leak out more information about the story, so I'm hoping to get some feedback from you guys ^^

Anyways... I admit that I get annoyed with the vast amounts of mindless fanart on DA, but that's mainly because it's always the same old thing; no one ever does a different take on the characters. Several months ago, I had the crazy idea of doing a little fanart project with the Disney princesses... but I wouldn't let myself since it's so out of character for me to draw fanart. However, now that I'm kind of on a Disney "high" I think I'm going to go ahead and do it ^_^ Because I think it's an awesome idea: What type of historical dress would the Disney princesses wear? I have to do it!!! Each dress will based on their traditional princess dress, but it'll reflect a different era of fashion. I don't think this has been done before, and I want to do it before someone else does. If you look through my scraps, you'll see my sketch for Snow White, so that should give you an idea of what the princesses will look like in my style.

Here's my question: When they're done, should I upload each princess seperately, or do you want them all in one picture?
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Clubs:

What is A Flock of Ravens? [link]