Design This! 3

Starting off, I need to apologize to ya'll. I had it pointed out to me that I wasn't very clear in what the goal for the last DesignThis was. That is totally my fault, and I'll try and keep it in mind in the future.
What I was thinking: I wanted all of us to be able to have 151 different options.  You'd pick one or two and design around them.
What I ended up with: You had to design 151 pieces.
Yeah... that is SO not what I was going for XD. So, again, my apologies for that.
I chose to focus on these 5 pokemon.  2 of them are in a 'family' together you could say, and the other 3 are just random ones I really like the design of.
So, here are the five pokemon I picked to work with.
       Meowth  & Persian
  Victreebel
Vulpix
Dodrio
And here are the designs I came up with.

For Victreebel, I really liked the leaf shape, and the roots. So I started thinking about how roots go all over the place and are unpredictable with no pattern.  Which is what led to the wrapping. The leaf would be enameled.
Dodrio, it should be sort of obvious, I was amused by the arrow type feathers on their heads, and came up with a sort of modern pin or pendant design.
For Vulpix, this was always a favorite of mine, it's just too cute! So that cuteness is what worked into the design, a very light, swirly silver pattern, with what's supposed to be an enamel center piece.
Our last two, are Meowth and Persian. Comparing it to the others, it's a rather simple design, but it's got a bit of a story behind it. In the show (when I was growing up at least) Meowth always wanted to grow up and be a Persian and get pampered by his boss. So the 'title' for that piece, were I ever to make it would be Meowth's Dream.
So for this fortnight's character, we've done Tv, and video games, how about a book? This fortnight's character is, drumroll please....



Smaug!
For extra info consider this page.
Good luck with your designs this fortnight, I can't wait to see what y'all come up with ^^.
** The art is NOT mine. I’m not claiming it. And if you’re the artist and you want me to take it down, please let me know, I’d be happy to.
***** Just because I laughed so hard when I found this, I’m sharing this snippet off tumblr regarding Smaug & Benedict Cumberbatch. Hope you laugh as much as I did!

Cast in Fury

 

Hullo Ladies and Gents, welcome to this week's book, Cast in Fury, still by the lovely Michelle Sagara.

I'm only a few pages in and I've been held up. There are only 4 Dragon Lords? Are their Dragon Ladies or other ranks? Does this include the Emperor? Are there really only four of them that could stand to be under the Emperor's rule rather than die or go into the long sleep? O.O

And, backing up to just a bit before that, why is Ironjaw giving Kaylin paperwork??

There's.. a play. A play. XD This is going to be amusing, and possibly chalk full of jewelry ideas.

Oh, oh dear.... I can see how that would be a bad thing.

I have a love hate relationship with the fact that Kaylin is actively worried about being eaten if she messes up at the Palace. XD

"Wondered what a Barrani  romance looked like, and decided she probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between that and one of their assassination attempts."  oh wow, that's good.

This guy, Rennick ... he's like sarcasm and angry writer personified. If you stuffed me into a room, with a deadline and no mirror, and no human contact except people twittering at me, I'd be just like this. 

Yebelline- Earth-brown with green edges, robes.  I'm just going to track her outfit changes here... Simple cream gown, I'm thinking with an aline skirt.

Both the Tha'alani and the Leontines have their own Quarters. For both groups it's for an obvious reason, but do they live outside of the capital as well? Or are the ones that are here, are they it for their entire races?

If Kaylin's power is supposed to be a secret, and not get used... how can she be saving people? Is it because these people owe her and are inclusive communities?

  Ex. The midwives aren't going to tell anyone, they need her. The mothers and fathers of the children, most likely aren't going to remember. Callie was a child, and part of the Foundling Hall, definitely not telling anyone.. But saving people in the Tha'alani Quarter, with this Imperial Playwright there? That... that might be a problem I am thinking.

"...or her hairpin, since she didn't own a hat." Ok, for us, hats are (primarily) a fashion thing. I know this isn't always the case, but most of the time. Is that the way it is for Kaylin's world? Do the Barrani have big fancy schmancy hats? Or the human castelord?

Mallory??? Gah! No! It's Mallory! This just is not right! Gah. I've got half a mind to skip this book now, but I can't.... I reallllllllly hope this gets fixed ASAP.

Severn! You cannot go using the past tense. It's not right and Marcus isn't dead. Now stop.

O.O no betting? What's going to happen to the office if there's nothing to bet on? O.o This is just surreal now.

For the past three books I've had issues with the nameless, faceless Quartermaster. I understand his job and all though, which is why I can't outright dislike him let alone despise him -coughMallorycough- Now, I like him. ^^

"5. The Official City languages will not be used to promulgate obscenities." I can die laughing now right? He's trying to ban cursing and betting? What will Kaylin do?

Why am I totally unsurprised that Kaylin standing in the middle of the Aerie causes several Aerians to come and check what she's up to? I am more surprised by the fact that there is an Aerian that's a Wolf. I hadn't expected that.

Caitlin has rank? 

He is ordering her, without ordering her, to be his eyes and ears. >< !!! I do so love the Hawklord.

Marcus has multiple wives and sons. However, just as with actual lion prides apparently they don't live with Marcus once they become of age. Interesting....

"the long ears that are hard to kill" I'm gasping and wheezing, gah, I can't. XD

I totally don't get the Leontine social rules here. Can someone explain this please?

Why is Kaylin allowed in, even though she's female, and Severn is not. Why could another Leontine male not work for the Hawks but another female sure as hell couldn't?

In order, Kayala, Tessa, Graylin, Reesa, Sarabe. (Lion king much?)

Graylin doesn't leave the Pridelea much.. is that just in reference to Kayala's den or to the Leontine Quarter? Eeesh, someone needs to start a wiki for this series...

I want to do jewelry for each of them, and for Marai, russet-gray Marai... And maybe something for Roshan as well.

So, each of them seems to mother their own kits, but they also can mother each others' ?

=whistles= Red fur is bad among their culture. Got it.

Well there's that question answered. There are indeed other Leontine 'tribes' elsewhere apparently.

Finally a (possible) answer to why Marcus is considered a kit? Because apparently  he only hunts/kills if he has to, not merely because he can, and...possibly also because he is more concerned about the happiness of his Pridlea than himself?

I love that a fight is considered an introduction. It's a pity Kaylin wasn't allowed to introduce herself in this way, and strange.  I hope the book explains more about the complex customs and gender roles...

"You will say it when the skies darken and the Emperor lands" In other words, You might be able to say it, but a whole lot of trouble is going to land on your furry head.

"murder morning" Hrm.... I wonder how that could happen?

Ok.. so why exactly are there no Leontine mages? I get that they're scary powerful, but... that doesn't mean they shouldn't be around does it? I mean they do let  Arcanists exist after all...

O.O Sanabalis, what are you doing?

So... In total there are (as I know, as of pg232) at least six Dragons in the world. That... is not a whole lot. What happens when the race dies? Will there be no more Dragons? D:

Adar has blue eyes... the same as Roshan... So doesn't that mean that he should be dead too?

More and more I realize that Marcus is spiffy. ^^ He dared be hostile to a Dragon. go Marcus!

'Even to the first born, the Dragons, the Barrani and the ones I will never name".... I wonder who/what those are? The shadows? Or something else?

Only Sanabalis would carry a second set of clothes. Yeesh.

I find Kaylin's threat of telling a story interesting.... Speaking of, I wonder if she'll ever get to tell another story to the fire?

Nightshade! :D  (yeesh, I really am fangirling XD)

O.O Kaylin might be able to speak the tongue of the Old Ones? Is she even human??

I wonder where the mirrors would take Kaylin if she ever decided to try her luck? Will it ever be attempted? Oh! There's a jewelry idea, handy dandy wrist mirror. :D I wonder why that's never been invented in this world...

The Outcaste.. ruling a portion of the fiefs? oh... that sounds really really bad, even given the itsy bitsy bit we know about the fiefs. And what in the world is Barren? O.o

Given the Leontine family structure, is Horus Marcus' father's name or his mother? Or the Matriarch of the Pridlea he was born from?

There are apparently seven fiefs, whose boundaries don't change, even if the fieflords do. Three of the known fieflords are Barrani... We know Nightshade, but that means that the other two are Outcaste as well?

Andellan! :D I want him to get more screen time, I really do.

Oh, list of the Fiefs, sort of..?

Nightshade,

Barren

Liatt

Farlonne- ruled by Barrani

Candallar- ruled by Barrani

Durant

Unnamed

So, the 'heart of the fiefs' that we've heard about and feared since the first book, is where the library of this ancient city was?  What if this whole thing, the entire series is centered around a book. One great, big, HUGE book in the heart of the fiefs that is pouring out the shadows, and all Kaylin has to do is shut it. XD That would be very anti-climactic.

Round 2!

Dark stylized armor,  tines rising from the bridge for their masked faces, small thorns adorning their mailed hands, their mailed shoulders. All in a deep grey, lacking color.

Some type of magic, somewhere, somewhen, was done over the two of them, that gave him extra senses about her, other than just the gift of her name.

Don't mind the random Leontine attempt. I just wanted to attempt that....

As always, please feel free to comment in the sections below. Comment on the post, my thoughts, the books, suggestions for down the road.  

Treasury Post: Gotta Catch ‘em All

 

This month's geeky post is one that is near and dear to my heart. Pokemon!  (Honestly, I didn't realize that I had this treasury coming up when I wrote this fortnight's DesignThis! post. I had no clue.) 
 
First off, who didn't want to be a Gym Leader? Have a type specific team, a cool gym full of traps and you get paid for battling people.  Can we say “Best Job Ever”?  MRTEEUK has tons of geeky shirts in the shop, but I admit, this one might be my favorite.

Take your favorite pokemon everywhere, or just give your computer a tune up. 
BabeDecals also has decals for the ds and phones.

DirtyRumor pendant is admittedly a little gruesome if you know the story behind this, but somehow oddly cute at the same time. 
This is one of the of the best crocheted pokemon patterns I've seen. Absolutely adorable. Now if only DanniStarr had a Ninetails pattern...
 
The original starter pokemon, in an interesting cut out style by featherweightshop.

A great geeky phone cover by casecover.

If you’re particularly attached to a specific team of Pokemon, VelvetPerlerSprites is willing to create them for you. ( Even if it’s six shiny Rattatas.)

Now your kindle/nook can be a pokedex!  By MongoosePrint

I love the idea, although I admit, it probably wouldn't be able to hold all of my keys XD. By TwikiConcept

Ultimate geek proposal, from the shop of Dreamscapee

Charizard...cookie. I love this combination. CookiePrints even has other options :D

While the new battle option baffled many people, it still has lots of traction with fans, which means people want a Mega Bracelet. By SoHM02

I love the soft painterly style of this, by thekawaiimachine.

This painting is so cool looking, as are many others in GingerZAP’s shop, both Pokemon and other popular characters. 

RespectPrinting has made it easier to dress up your room, and add a dragon, more specifically a Charizard. 

Something to wear to the gym!  By ACEYapparel.
















Did you like this treasury? Did you have something awesome I missed? Suggestions for future treasuries? Post below!

Cast in Secret

This week’s book is Cast in Secret, and it ended up being a very all over the place book. In an enjoyable way though. We get to see a lot of growth from Kaylin, although there are still plenty of moments when I’m yelling at the book. XD Hope you enjoy and find something interesting about the jewelry designs.

 

 

A window that tells time? I could use one of those... Or at least one that can yell at me to get up and doesn't come with an 'off' button XD

I'm glad this one starts out looking over Kaylin's shoulder this time. It's always a fun POV and it's amusing to 'listen' to her cursing, not to mention learning how bad she is at betting. Which explains why she's always hungry.

Severn on the other hand is very good at betting, as is seen by him showing up at the Barrani Court last time. It's mentioned that Teela was betting with him and lost.

Leontines, like humans are likely to have different colored fur when they're first born. Calling on Kaylin is strange though for a Leontine birthing, even if the cub did end up being a pale gray speckled white, which is apparently considered 'lucky'. They also seem to have a very solid gender division, "leontine males, although they loved their kitlings, knew when to stay out of the way."

Severn and Kaylin. These two are going to drive me nuts. He loves her, but how? He's her protector, her guardian, but he keeps himself stiffly held back. Is it from being a Shadow Wolf? Is it because he still only cares about her from when they were kids? What is this? 

A reliquary? Isn't that for the holding of pieces of dead people?

" repository or receptacle for relics."

Apparently Elani Street (magic central, separate from the Imperial Mages) is it's own little world it seems. It's not under the jurisdiction of the Merchant's guild (despite the fact that it is a street just for selling magic) and every year the Merchant's Guild attempts to 'fix' this. Which has lead to bloodshed on a few occasions.

Evanton- He makes me think of Nightshade in a way. He doesn't have the arrogance in every word and gesture that Nightshade does, and instead his voice seems... sort of homey and practical, but it could also be the words that are used to describe him. Stooped, old, wizened, grouchy. (Can you imagine Nightshade being grouchy?) He does love talking in circles though. Based on a few things, I've come to the conclusion that Evanton is a Somebody. 1) He opened a door in his shop and waited, then nodded to himself before going through. 2) the hallway they enter into is so narrow they have to walk single file and if they had attempted to draw swords, (for whatever reason) they would've become stuck in the  wall or ceiling. 3) He says 'Kaylin I continue to allow you entrance here because of the great respect for the officers of the Halls of Law" He's referencing her Nightshade tat. Buuuuuut. The only people that's mattered to are Barrani Lords and Dragons. ie: Immortals. There hasn't been a single mortal that's cared.  Plus, he says that if she was under Nightshade's thrall, she wouldn't  have been able to come in. He's got wards up to stop that type of thing. He is definitely a Somebody.  O.O Just who in the seven is this man?

Evanton is officially Somebody, and with a title! Keeper is what Sannabalis calls him. (119) O.O How old is Sannabalis? Evanton studied under him? Wait. Doesn't that mean he was just as difficult at learning magic as Kaylin? XD

And this magical garden makes him... stronger somehow? And he's dressed different though, Kaylin says he looks like a noble in a blue robe. He also mentions that he's owned the shop forever, but that it wasn't always open, apparently it's hard getting back from the magic garden?  That he's known Teela since before she was  a Hawk, and that she was waiting for him  with an extremely old greatsword... Teela doesn't usually use swords though? And he thinks it was a named weapon... O.o Just who is Teela?

I wonder how big the city of Elantra is, that there are so many ancient places within it's confines? Evanton mentions that his 'garden' is one of the few that isn't controlled by either Barrani or Dragon. The garden seems to hold all sorts of magical objects. They look like books and boxes, even candles. The odd thing is that Evanton mentions that he doesn't want them lit on his watch. I wonder what they herald? And apparently these books are old and dangerous. Of course. Kaylin's job has her surrounded by powerful people, with powerful people caring and despising her.

A reliquary? Isn't that for the containing of pieces of dead people?
" repository or receptacle for relics." < direct from the dictionary. Apparently, not just for

dead people. Red and gold, leather bands, worn... sounds like something to paint.

=sighs= A child is involved, and there is no way they are going to keep Kaylin from being involved now. XD

For a full page, we see the fearful in Kaylin, terrified of the Tha'alani, and then the Hawk kicks in and she sees that this one is fidgeting and pauses to wonder if they all look/act so nervous. It's an improvement. ^^ Hah! She is growing up! She notices when she's projecting, and that Draalzyn (this particular Tha'alani) is bothered by it. :D  Go Kaylin!

So the Tha'alani don't seem to talk much, and it's also difficult for them to be around humans, since it's so easy for them to pick up on other people's thoughts. I'm going to guess here and say they communicate using their stalks, as a sort of telepathy.  I want to paint the stalks and what it sounds like they'd look like. I've got two very different ideas. And so far I haven't come across a bit of jewelry inspiration D:  As of right now, it's looking like we're going to end up with a painting full of random objects from within the book. :D Yay random! Although hopefully I'll be able to come up with something for Yebelline since it looks like we'll be running into her.

I've noticed that the majority of my ideas for this series have been heavy on the metals, particularly gold. It's not my fault. D: I've yet to see anyone wearing silver. =grumbles= 

The Tha'alani are one of the most interesting races I've encountered in fantasy. They're so well described and put together. Apparently the majority of the group don't deal with outsiders, and they don't understand social customs outside of their own. They also have a 'naming tongue'? Perhaps suggesting that they speak language a and language b is specifically for choosing names of meaning? Even their children wear gold? (and it should be noted that this scene, of Kaylin dealing with a Tha'alni child, goes SOO far towards wiping out her fear XD She loves children.)  Stalks= ahporae. Fear is part of what keeps the Tha'alani separate. It seems that because they can't help but read the minds of those around them (For the most  part) they pick up on the daily fears that people deal with. And in their culture, the... magnitude of fears that people deal with are unknown to them, and they have a hard time dealing with it, pressing in on all sides. They seem a very happy people. 

" Think about it Kaylin- a home where there can be no misunderstanding. Where all anger is known and faced instantly, where all fear is addressed and calmed. Where all love is known and all desire is accepted." < That sounds both amazing and terrifying. You would never have secrets, but you wouldn't have any need for them.  And the Tha'alani that travel among the humans? They go insane and start to harbor the fear and secrets if they go too often or aren't strong enough.

They have a hive mind of sorts? Or a seeming continual connectedness, that allows them to stay their own individual persons. Interesting.

"paler than brown- darker than sunlight" I like the sound of that. 

Severn is good at tying things together that you wouldn't expect to make sense, into a way that Kaylin can understand. It's an impressive skill.

This book is stripping Kaylin of many of her preconceptions, and it's not easy to watch.

The Oracles are interesting. "dark blue with golden swirls and golden stars"

Wait. In either first or second book, didn't they say that the head Oracle was female? O.o  I want to know what happened to this woman now, in the approximately... 5 weeks since this series has taken place. (give or take).

White and edged in gold... what is it with this series and gold???

Oh shoes. Kaylin, RUN!!!! Do NOT go through the Imperial Gates. Don't do it!

XD #1 Rule of being  a Dragon: Never Be Surprised. Ever.
I'm glad to see Tiamaris, but eugh, Dragons you make my head hurt sometimes.

See. This is why I told you not  to go in there.

Ok. I would like to recant that. This is why I said not to go in there. It doesn't matter if Sanabalis says "oh we're just going to the library." phooey!

Big sapphire, size of an egg, surrounded by diamonds, rubies and gold.

pg 266 Kaylin, you are making me cry. Why do you always get things in the moment, but not outside of them? Dang it girl, stop being so awesome.

I want to paint Sannabalis's eyes, bright orange with a heart of red...

"Fair Enough. We don't usually arrest weapons for murder."  ><

Nightshade. You are a great big ball of confusing, and I like you anyway.

You're supposed to be Barrani! Stop being so sweet or I'm going to think you're in love with this girl!

O.O The Castle gave her the dress? 

Ok, apparently there have been other people to get the same/ a similar dress.

Sannabalis, I know it sounds crazy, but really, you have to trust her on this one.

O.O She... so is that a forever thing that she can do, or is it like Sannabalis' necklace was in the last book?

Did you like the book? Did you like me reading the book? What about the designs? Any thoughts there? Please comment below.

Article Dissection/Response

I’m subscribed to a host of jewelry email lists, including Beading Daily. The article below is taken directly from one of the emails they sent out, perhaps a week ago, and is my thoughts and comments while reading through it. Let me know what you think? I’ll start any of my thoughts off with >>> so ya’ll can be sure they’re mine ^^.
 
Confessions of a Torch Enameling Junkie: Experimenting and Exploring New Techniques
More than a year after I first tried it, torch enameling is still holding the top spot of my favorite jewelry-making techniques. But it's a fickle love affair; I can't seem to get consistent results, so for now I'm just going with the flow and enjoying the happy accidents--of which there are many!


Just this week I've experimented with overburning, layering transparent enamels on opaques and vice versa, metal stamping into hot enamel, applying copper designs on top of enamel, enameling in selective spots on a surface, and intentional quench crackling. (All of these samples are enameled on copper using a MAPP gas torch with a nearly full moon. Your moon phase will likely produce different results!)
>>>>I have the same issue of being unable to get consistent results with my torch enameling, although I'm not using an MAPP gas torch, I use a Jumbo Max Flame. (Itsy bitsy studio has me nervous about using a MAPP.) 
Overburning or Overfiring Enamels


For overburning or overfiring enamel, I simply torch-fired my samples as usual, but once the enamels reached the glassy state, I kept going a couple of minutes or even more and then allowed the piece to cool. Most often the results were very interesting spotty designs but, unfortunately, the colors are too dark for them to be very distinctive or attractive--in other words, kind of a muddy mess. The egg yellow turned out pretty well, though, and mixing a sprinkle of robin's egg blue onto an overfired white surface created an interesting speckled pattern as well.
>>>>O.o  I never would have considered intentionally overburning. I just though I was screwing up XD.  It does make me wonder though, could you do overfiring and remove some of it selectively? Create a space type picture? Or would it be too muddy?


Applying Copper Patterns Over Enamel


This is my favorite. After enameling using rich, deep colors (transparent Harold purple and opaque cobalt blue, in this case), I simply removed the torch for a moment and placed a pre-cut piece of patterned copper on the still-molten enameled surface and immediately applied the flame again, just long enough to see the copper sink just a bit, securing it to the enamel.
This is kind of tricky; I recommend patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time before you try it! Seriously, it is tricky and you need to have the patterned copper positioned on the edge of something so you can easily put down the sifter and pick up the copper with tweezers or pliers and place it on the enamel, because you'll be holding the torch in your other hand. I don't recommend turning off the torch and taking time to place the copper and then going back to the piece with the flame later; the cooling that will happen during that time can cause the enamel to crack off when you reapply the flame.
After the enamel has cooled, you can give the copper a scrub with steel wool to clean off some of the firescale and bring back the bright copper on the high spots, or you can pickle it. It doesn't hurt the enamel.
>>>>This is something I've thought about for a while, but since I couldn't entirely get my enamel to cooperate, I didn't want to try layering until I managed it XD. I love layering techniques and patterns though, and it makes me think of some of the old antique pieces I love pinning and creating reproductions or riffs on those. 


Selective Enameling


My next experiments, selective enameling and intentional quench crackling, were definitely more miss than hit, but a few of the pieces did turn out interesting. For selective enameling, I used a binder like hairspray (or Klyr-Fire) to put enamel just where I wanted it on a piece of copper. In some cases I sprayed on the liquid, and in some cases I  dotted it on using a chopstick; then I sifted enamel on the liquid and tapped off the excess. The enamel powders adhere to the liquid but not the dry metal. I allowed the binder to dry and then applied the flame, resulting in spots of enamel on the metal.
>>>>Hair spray??? How did I never run across this? I knew you had to get klyr-fire, but held off due to pricing atm. But if I can use hairspray... Ohhh... I think Im a very happy woman. Please someone tell me I'm not the only one that didn't know about this?
This was more successful in some cases after pickling the enameled pieces to bring the bright coppery finish back to the metal, though this piece hasn't been pickled. I love the colors on it, both the enamel and the heat patina, but I have no explanation for the line down the middle!
I can't stress enough how important I believe it is to experiment with enameling or any jewelry-making technique you're interested in, after you've learned the basic methods. Next I have liquid enamels, sgraffito, and decals to play with. Once you're comfortable with the torch and the supplies, you can be free to try new ideas--which is how all kinds of interesting designs appear! That's how I made the discovery that you can in fact enamel on brass, though I later learned that many people say that you can't. You just have to find brass that has less than 5% zinc content, which can involve some trial and error. (Barbara Lewis has a selection of brass that can be enameled at PaintingWithFireStudio.com.) Transparent enamels are especially gorgeous on brass.
If you too are in the experimental stage of torch enameling or if you're interested in learning this fun technique, we have a great enameling kit offer for you. Pauline Warg, a master at enameled jewelry making, has chosen a gorgeous color palette of enamels just for you, and we've bundled that sampler along with her scrolling tool, a sifter, a trivet, some copper blanks, silver foil, and three popular torch-enameling resources--Barbara Lewis's Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry book (the book that started it all for me!), her Creative Torch-Fired Enamel Techniques DVD, and Pauline's Basic Jewelry Enameling: Torch Fired TechniquesDVD--all at an incredible savings. Just add your own torch and you'll be making gorgeous colorful enameled jewelry in minutes! See below for details on our exclusive enameling kit.

P.S. There was too much to include here, but you can read about intentional quench crackling, mixing opaque and transparent enamels, and metal stamping in enamel on the blog.
>>>There is so much in just this one post that I want to try and play with... So many ideas and things to try. Hopefully I'll get  a nice day at some point and be able to post up some enamel experiments. :D Do you have any experience with enamel? Any tips or tricks to try? Let me know in the comments below!

Design This!

I don't know if that title will stick around, I might change it to something different, for these posts, if any of ya'll have suggestions, please feel free to suggest them below :D
So, our last challenge was Jafar, and while I can't say that anyone submitted anything, a lot of you did come and check out the post. Thank you :D.
This is what I came up with for jewelry regarding Jafar.

I admit, a good bit of it would be covered in the usual all covering garb that he has, but I can't imagine that he's /always/ wearing that. Surely there must  be times when he's going sleeveless or something. So I started thinking about things that would be Jafar like. Working with his love of snakes was easy. I also tried out something new and tried adding different metals in, because although he's the Sultan's Vizir (think chief advisor) I don't see him wearing much gold. I see him more in bronze or maybe a silver/copper alloy. He would have a signet ring of some sort, for official seals and the like. Most likely carved from turquoise, since it was supposed to be a protective stone.
I can also easily see him wearing an armlet. However the last piece that came to mind for me was a medallion. I did a little digging, and with the magic and concepts that Jafar used in the Disney movie, he probably would've had some sort of heavy medallion that he would identify himself with to other alchemists.
This next fortnight's challenge is, drumroll please, Pokemon! I wanted something with a little more color variation, and design option for this one, so for this challenge, you can use the first 151 pokemon. There's a ton of artwork all over the net, and way too many pokemon. So, in the event that you don't know a thing about them, I've got links and images to help out :D.
http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/List_of_Pok%C3%A9mon_by_Kanto_Pok%C3%A9dex_number < A listing of all the pokemon (with little images next to each one. This is one to go to if you want to really learn more about the specific pokemon.)
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/060/2/6/kanto_pokemon_roster_by_petsu_chan-d3aop1d.jpg  < This is a visual listing of all of them, with names in English & Japanese, and could be used if all you want is the name and what they look like.
And my last link, well. Not really a link. XD Just a tip. Once you've picked a pokemon you want to do a design/piece around, go to either Google(Google.com )  or Deviantart (http://www.deviantart.com/) .
Just make sure you have the maturity filter on, because some pieces of art people do are not going to be relevant XD.

Hey Lookie Here!

I talk all the time about jewelry and making things. I talk about tutorials and treasury posts, and I even review books. Plus there's the Book Design and Design this posts, both weekly and bi-weekly respectively.

Here's the thing I realized though. I haven't talked about my shop. At all. When I thought about that, my first thought was "Well, people aren't really going to want to be bombarded with info about it right? I don't write my blog just for attention for my shop." This is the absolute truth, I don't. I run GlassEternal to keep track of books, to do reviews, and push myself to write and design on a regular basis, and hopefully help others do the same. 

However, if ya'll are here, and you find that you're interested in what I have to

say, or learning more, I do have other places that I'm located at.

There's my Pinterest. I keep track of jewelry designs/inspiration I like. I keep hold of recipes galore, and character ideas (which we will eventually dip into). I've got diy projects and polymer clay stuff. Plus there's an entire board dedicated to my geekiness ;). You can see that on the side bar if you scroll down some.

Over at DeviantArt, I'm building up a gallery, slowly but surely. I've also got a billion different favorites that I love browsing through when I need ideas, or the tutorial folder I have. You can look at all of these.

Then there's my shop over on Etsy. It's small, but it's growing. With everything I learn, everything I post up here, it's growing.

All of these things are extra aspects, not only to my shop, but to me, and to this blog. While I do have the links here, you can also click the "About Me" Page at the top. There's also the "Gallery" tab and that shows all the jewelry I have made, not just in my shop atm, but a continual list of things I've made since I revamped the blog. That will continue to grow and be a gigantic page with time, showing off all the things I've learned.

Stray

So, I know I said yesterday that I wasn't going to get to do this week's post until Saturday at least. Well, it seems I fibbed. I was thinking about the last book I read just for fun (Stray by Rachel Vincent) and all of a sudden, all sorts of ideas for jewelry came to mind. Even for the villain of the book! O.O

Let's start off with this, it's not a straight fantasy ladies and gents. This is a departure from our norm (do two posts make a norm?) and into urban fantasy.

This takes places in Texas, a place I may or may not be seeing soon. Oddly enough I didn't know where the book took place when I picked it up. XD

We are introduced to our lovely FMC when she's on her college campus, at the University of North Texas. We find out within just a few pages that she's a type of werecat, more specifically a Pride cat. In this universe that means that she is part of a family of werecats, and part of the werecat community at large. She was born into it. She's not a stray (which is someone who was scratched/bitten by a werecat and not claimed by any of the ruling families.) She's also not a wildcat, which is a family born Pride cat, that willingly left the community to live on their own.

She's stubborn, she's headstrong, and one of the most defiant characters I've read in EONS. For the most part though, I get it. She doesn't want to marry and raise a bundle of children, nor to marry just so that her husband can rule her Pride's territory after her father steps down. She wants to be a lit major. Well, more accurately she already is, and she's already getting her master's degree when the book starts. All of these things mixed together said leather to me.  For more or less all the characters that was what I thought of. But different types, different styles, well, you saw it up above XD.

So the two bracelets in the top left, those are Faythe's. I figure that she'd want something simple and soft. At the same time though, they'd go with anything. And they're in her favorite colors of black and red. The hardware on these would be bronze rather than brass. I also think they would be a gift from Marc, the one thing from him she couldn't leave at home.

I'm not going to go into as much detail as I've been doing, simply because it's hard to talk about one thing, without stumbling into giving away something important. I will say this though, the book was good and I really enjoyed the characters. There's a writing 'rule' out there that says "Put your characters through hell. Then make them do it again.". Basically saying to give your characters hell and torment if you want to have a solid plot. It's good advice and boy did this author follow it.

Next up is Marc. Marc is Faythe's father's second in command. Oddly enough Marc was a stray (so, turned not born) but he's risen high in the ranks. Apparently this is a rarity. He grew up with Faythe and, surprise surprise, he's absolutely in love with her. But if you're looking for the 'boy next door'? This isn't him. From the get go Marc has this very solid, very in control vibe to him, and one hell of a temper. He never takes it out on Faythe though, which I find interesting. For him, I think more browns, and only one cuff, although it would be broader than  Faythes, it would also be rougher and more textured than hers.

I'm thinking more claw marks than cat paws for him. So closer to a bracer than a bracelet?

Next up is Jace. Every urban fantasy seems to be required to have a 'love triangle' and Jace is the author's tricky way of working around that. He's a bad boy, but without really being a bad boy? He's also absolutely devoted to Faythe's father, as one of his enforcers. Apparently he's also the twin one of her brothers was born without. You never find one without the other. Jace makes me think Black leather and silver. Softer than Marc's but more substantial than Faythe's. That's why I went with a braid, wrapping  around a silver claw. It's got a club look to it (to me at least), bad boy and yet it's got serious sentimental value for him.

And last but not least Miguel. Miguel is the villain in this book. And he's one heck of a villain. If it wasn't for the fact that I dearly wanted to see Faythe overcome everything that happens in this book, I would've put the book down when he and his plan were introduced properly. This book is not for the faint of heart. With all this in my head, I was rather confused when I came up with a jewelry piece based on him. Horribly, horribly confused. However, it is a rather interesting piece, in my opinion anyway. Miguel is a stray cat, but more than that he's a jungle cat. Apparently the werecats that live in South America never felt the need to become more 'civilized' and live quietly among humans, with rules, established territories and what not. Instead they live for the most part deep in the Amazon and kill anyone that looks at them funny. (Ok so I'm exaggerating, but if you read Miguel, you'll get why I say it.) The piece that came to mind then was just as rough and raw as he was. The sketch I managed to knock out doesn't really do the idea justice, and when I've got some time I might revisit the idea.

So, again, my apologies for the post yesterday, I hope you enjoyed this unscheduled break, and the designs that came with it :D

Have a good weekend everyone!
Have you read the  book? Do you think you will? Do you like the designs or have an idea for another book? Comment below!

(I've just realized after three weeks of doing this, that this is sort of my version of fanart. O.O XD)

Temporarily Delayed!

Unless by some miracle, this week’s Book Design post is going to be delayed at least until Saturday. Things have been a little crazy this week, and this is the thing that’s suffering for it unfortunately. I’ll have it up for ya’ll on Saturday, or Monday at the latest. Have a good day!

Bizenghast Update!

Wow, I just wanted to let ya'll know how this was going, and found out that thanks to ya'll this project has made it up to 40,825 as of this morning! Thank you all so much! (I'm acting like I've got something other than fan love riding on this XD. Silly me.)

So, that was all I just wanted to say, thank you, and show off more awesome artwork and ideas from the artist's work and ideas she's put forward for the project.

This one is definitely worth reading the artist’s description as it talks about what type of role Vincent might have in the game, and more about his character.  

Art for the upcoming game, and I love the city! O.O I’ve always tried to draw cities like that (not necessarily in giant floating hands, but you get my point), and I’ve yet to manage it.

An original page from the chapter pages for the manga.

And this next one is just something I adore. Her setting design. If she’s got any say in how things are designed (which given what bits of I’ve collected I’m assuming she will) it’s bound to be a rich and highly detailed atmosphere. Just like at this!

Keep tweeting, tumbling and pinning ladies and gents! The more attention this project can get before the deadline, the better!

(P.S. While it should be obvious, I like to make sure there isn’t any confusion. The art is not mine! I’m not taking credit for it, it all belongs to the lovely M. Alice LeGrow. I’ve even got links back to all the original pages. Capiche?)

P.P.S. Btw, I know some of you are probably looking at me like I’m crazy to be so excited, when we’ve only got 8 days left. BUT I know two things, 1) fans love a challenge. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if we managed to get the 125k over the next week and pinch at all. 2) According to the lovely Miss Alice, the game, if it draws enough attention, might get made anyway . But the requirement is that we get as much money into the project as possible. =puts on fancy glasses and suit= “Ahem, So as to properly gauge the market.” =throws the suit and glasses away=. So that’s why we still need as much help as possible!

Treasury Post: April Fool’s!

 

So while I know that I'm a bit late to do this, I put together a jewelry treasury based (mostly) around the April Fool's holiday. It seems that it's celebrated primarily in Europe, and has connections to several other feasts, including the Feast of Fools. Along with these concepts I found out that in Europe a common phrase is "April Fish!" and although I don't fully get that, it did influence the pieces I chose for this treasury.

I love how GoddessOfJewelry takes something so simple and makes it both funny and kind of chic.

This fish by acteon is really cool, and I find the reverse interesting. Kind of makes me think of having the fish whole looking on one side, only to turn it over and find it's only skin and bones.
These next two, although done by completely different artists, start from the same basis and I loved them just for that. They both use pyrite or 'fool's gold' and I've got to admit they would make a terrific joke on someone.

A necklace of the natural stone by WindustDesigns .

A ring of the same, by Prisonher.

This piece coming from ratherpoetic, is for those with a more wordy disposition. Or if you want to warn people that whoever you give it to is known for being a joker. ;)

 
Another joker by MarinaPendants this time beautifully painted on a highly polished slab of agate.

This beautiful bracelet is by karamboola, the ministry of silly walks!
 

Ooohhhh, ahhh. An imaginary wood ring! One of the rarest types of woods in the world! ;) Made by the extremely talented IanGill .

While the humor for this one is a little darker than the rest, it's certainly fits right in made by OoakCraftsShop . 

While possibly one of the oldest 'jokes' around, this one is still a classic,, made by BooBooAndTed.

For those of a more intellectual bent, this pendant by TarryTiles is perfect fit.

 
If you're always wishing for Canary Cremes, this necklace by CircleTreasures might be for you. 

I can't think how many people would squirm at this, making it a good practical joke.  Created by lepetitebonbon.

Do you have a friend that is perpetually distracted? These earrings by JoyceAlice2 might be a good fit then.

By PrettyLittleLincolns.  (I didn't know what to say for this one, any thoughts?)


If I'm looking for silly or unsual jewelry, I think this one by LiciaBeads takes the cake.
Did you like this treasury? Have ideas for future themes? Feel free to comment below!