Evening Dress: Petal.

• Evening dress: Petal.

Designer/Maker: Charles James (1906-1978)

Date: 1951

Medium: Silk velvet, silk satin, silk taffeta.

Dry Terrain of the American West Captured in a Brief Moment of Color by Guy Tal

The Badlands region in the America West is known for its arid and unforgiving vegetation. The harsh environment is lifeless, but every so often it sprouts a delicate beauty of wildflowers. Photographer Guy Tal was there to capture this rare sight. He says:  “On rare years wildflowers burst into a stunning display of color, transforming the desert into a veritable garden for just few precious days.”

Swordtember 2020 Part 1

Ok so I thought since I’m uploading old work I shared on Twitter, that I’d discuss my Swordtember stuff, which has been a fun challenge that I used to get out of several art blocks while also studying materials.  My self imposed rules were: No thoughts, head empty. Take prompt and go. 2 hour limit. No longer. It’s okay if you drop it (a bit more relevant in 2021) Somehow i made a bunch of weapons, learned a lot, and had some fun while totally isolated in my apartment in the beginning of the pandemic! So here are some of my 2020 swords! Day 1: Fire.

“A fire blade made of obsidian. A wickedly sharp weapon that cauterizes as it cuts. Great for cooking!”

So this one was the first ever attempt and trying to very quickly find a shorthand for Obsidian and smoke were both shockingly fun and challenging. Despite the rest of the weapon feeling meh, I’m still very fond of this one. Again, two hours, I was still testing the waters. Day 2: Ice

“Her scabbard was lost, which makes wielding this weapon cumbersome at best. Please don’t stick your tongue on the sword, you will be sad.”

This is when I started realizing coming up with short prompts for my swords was… fun actually. So began the design of many cumbersome magical concepts. Day 3: Poison

“Quill and Inkwell, a rapier sheathed in poison that has started to stain the blade a beautiful green. I do not advise licking this blade either.” And here is where a running gag about not licking the swords spawned.  Day 4: Duel

“These blades must clash in order to work together. Good for snipping the tongues off the people coming in here to compare them to kill la kill.” This one turned out a bit weaker than I wanted, but such is the curse of art challenges.  Day 5: Sun

“Its name was Eclipse. His daughter mused how it looked like a sunflower. He preferred that name.” Yeah, I still like this one very much, both in regards to design and the story that was birthed alongside it.  I’ll make a post with the next 5 or so days in a bit, but for now, enjoy.

Sculpture by Ellen Jewett

This artist on Instagram

Start every in-game day with “It’s a bright and sunny day!” Repeat until players get annoyed and ask “when was the last time it rained?”

Come to think of it, where have the druids been for the past few years?