Oh my oh my! Last update was back in May! A lot has happened since then.

So, yes, hellos!

Phew, where to begin? I think I shall begin with: [link]
This is Locke, a 9 week-old kitten ~RareTurkey and I rescued off some small brat-child a couple of weeks ago. He was walking me to the train station when this boy, possibly no older than ten years old, approached us with a little kitten stuffed inside his hoodie. Naturally I went "awwww! Lookit the kitten!", then the brat offered to sell us the kitten for just £10 ¬.¬

...Needless to say, we bought the kitten and brought it back home. We figured it'd have a far happier life with us, or at an animal shelter (one of the options back then). If we hadn't of taken it, the poor kitten would have ended up in a bin, or worse (yes, the kid seemed that desperate to be rid of the thing >.< )

So, we've had Locke for over two weeks now. Spent the first week nursing him back to health (he was riddled with fleas, worms, had a sore back leg and a very high temperature that just made him want to sleep all the time), and even now with a small bought of cat flu, he's growing fast and eating, sleeping and playing as well as any other kitten

That is Locke's tale/tail he's taken up most of my time, energy and money but I couldn't imagine life without him the rest of my time has been filled with work projects (kittens are expensive, you know! ).

So yes, once my life is a little less hectic I should be able to finish and upload arty projects I was working on months ago cross your fingers!

Watch This Space!

[link] Yes. DINOSAURS GETTING FLUNG INTO SPACE!
...Just thought I'd share that

So! Grreeeeettiiings to all! I know I know, its been a long long time since my last Journal (10 months, to be precise), and I'm not really sure why the long gap. Maybe because I wasn't active on dA for several months.

Overall, its been a GLORIOUS year! I've been very very happy with life, mostly due to ~RareTurkey (because he's like that). Its all his fault! Honest! Life in general has been very pleasent; I've made very good friends with ~RareTurkey's crazy bunch, and the odd meetup in London have consisted of a day of tea, Japanese/Oriental food, cake o ' win, smiles and laughter. I really don't see these guys enough!

Over the past two months or so I've been spending a lot of my time in Photoshop. I, uh, "aquired" (shhhh! ) Photoshop CS4 earlier in the year, and immediately fell in love with it. I never bothered with CS3 because, to be honest, I thought the workspace and all the menus surrounding it looked horribly messy. CS4's side menus are docked, locked away from the workspace. That and CS4 has some really advanced 3D support, for painting textures on 3D models. I haven't played with this...yet

Then, I "borrowed" ~RareTurkey's little Wacom Tablet (a trusty old Volito 2, bless it), and just started painting! I took to it like a duck to water, and, despite its age, its really not that bad. I've done one painting and three-quarters (its taking a while to finish!), and then my dearest girly-friend said her brother was looking to sell his Intous 2. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to have a Wacom of my own, so now here I am, with a fully working, good-as-new A5 Intous 2. And ~RareTurkey now has an Intous 4.

Bastard!
_{At least mine only cost £30, and his cost £300.}

*ahem*

So yes, there IS be more art on the way. I've just finished doing some web graphics for a website that ~RareTurkey is working on, so I'm free to finish painting my own stuff! I even made a new avatar for myself, using bits from one of the pieces I've been working on!

I think that's everything for now. I'm off to get some ice cream and to fire up Photoshop. OM NOM NOM!

Phew, the last couple of months have been unbelievably hectic! A lot has happened since my last entry (March is that far away already?!).

I have now officially finished University, successfully finishing at the end of May 2008. My film partner and I somehow managed to finish our 2 minute-long 3D film on time, and its something I'm incredibly proud of. It, amongst Rendered Stills shall be uploaded here in due course.

A week ago I got my Degree Grade: 2.1. That is equivalent to a C grade, which I'm so, so pleased about! I was dancing around all day from that news My film buddy, Samora also got a 2.1 which is fantastic as he really deserves it. He put a lot of work into the film and made the characters come alive with his superb animating skills!

So, two months into summer I am relaxing at home. I spent the first month sleeping a LOT, catching up with family, my friends and just overall getting my social life back...including one very, very special person I now cannot live without!

Overall, I'm feeling a THOUSAND times better than I did in March; it is not uncommon for me to practically bouncing around the place being stupidly happy with a huge grin on my face! I have fantastic friends, a wonderful family and that one person that is just...well, I don't think I can describe how amazing he is (okay, I'm being just soppy now. Bad Vamp, BAD!)

So yes, renders WILL be appearing very soon! Also, thanks to the two-month break, my creative streak has returned so I'll be drawing more in the near future.

Stay Tuned, kids!

EDIT: Oh yes, here is my Animated Short Film [link] Enjoy!

I'm back, after many months of silence. I had hoped to update much much sooner but due to life issues I have had to put lots of things on hiatus for a period of time until things were resolved.

Hm, where to start. The last 6 months have rushed by so quickly, yet a lot has happened in that time. The biggest (and easily the most important) thing to happen to me is the status of my relationship. Or rather, the finish of it. For its last couple of months my/our relationship was becoming less and less stable, until at last we decided to go our separate ways, and to finish the 3-and-a-half year relationship. Gone. Everything. Just like that in a couple of words.

That happened just over a month ago, although it seems a lot longer than that...and to be honest, I think the end of the relationship and the events that have happened following that were the best things to happen to me in a long time. I feel like a completely different person now, and for the better too. I'm not entirely sure how this has happened, but the cause has probably been a lot of different events and people. My counselor (which I just so happened to start seeing just before my relationship broke down) and my friends have been an incredible support to me, but it has been me that has been the most supportive. Never before have I felt so confident in myself before, never before have I felt so truly and utterly FREE. Of everything.

Despite the furious rage I had felt in the first week of being "abandoned" (which is exactly how I felt), the aloof-ness, the loneliness I have felt there is without a doubt I am the one to have come out so much stronger; my ex is still recovering and feeling somewhat insecure of things while I am more focused than ever before, firmly looking forward and only looking back to make sure I learn from the mistakes of the past.

I am fully aware of the ups and downs though. I know I'm still "grieving", and as with any loss, the only healer is time. I'm so glad my friends are with me though; they've all noticed a significant change in me and seem genuinely happy at the new "me". I know its going to take some time for my wounds to truly heal, especially after such a long relationship. 3 years is a long time and I'm going to have to be patient to fully get accustomed to being single again.

Right now things are going extremely well; I'm starting to become motivated with my coursework again (which I dearly need to catch up on), I'm confident and I no longer hide my feelings - something I haven't been able to do for so many years. Me and my ex are getting along very well too; we talk often just like old friends. No matter what has happened I still consider him my best friend, and I know he feels the same about me.

I have also learned to cry again. For almost a month I didn't cry once, but I finally let out my sorrows in tears. It is said that tears cleanse and wash away the pain, and I believe crying is an essential part of the grieving process. With time and my gift of patience, I know all wounds will heal.

University started up again today. The tutors just want to remind us 3rd years' that it is our final and most important year by explaining how much work we will need to achieve (which, by last year's workload is anything to go by, it's going to be tough). Also, they were so kind to give us not one, but TWO small projects to do. Same deadline date. In two weeks.

Lovely.

It was fantastic to see my Uni friends again. This was the first time I've seen them for four months, and I'd almost forgotten how loud they can be at times guess it was "First Day Back" excitement hehe.

My trip to Luxembourg back in August was fucking amazing! 10 of us in total, me being the only girl I was astounded by the level of hospitality and politeness of the Luxembourgish people, as well as all the online buddies. I guess it's just how the culture is in Europe. Nothing at all like in the UK. I wish people here were as polite as those in Europe. I miss my Eve Online friends; I know I see them online from time to time but it's not the same as seeing them in person Hopefully there will be a meet-up at Christmas time.

My stick insect pets are doing well. One more Macleay's Spectre egg hatched three weeks ago (to my surprise; I'd almost given up on them). She shed her skin last week, and is strong and healthy My two elder female Peruphasma Schultei, Ebony, and Sabbath are both healthy adults now (photos coming soon), and are due to lay eggs very soon!

Well, that is the very basic summary of my last month. It is time to stop gaming (for a while, anyway) and to pick up a pencil and begin designing characters for this year's important Degree film.