Marina's Stuff

Come and say "hi" on my new Facebook page! :D

2011-02-11T01:49:00.002-05:00

I recently mentioned on my FB profile as well as on TSB's page that I've created a new Facebook page for myself as an artist. I did this because I'd begun to be a tiny bit overwhelmed by friend requests from people I don't really know (mainly from TSB fans! Lol!) who are interested in following me mostly for my artwork.

Until recently I was approving all of these friend requests (I do love to make new friends!) but I found that often it took me a long time to get to them, and other times I'd refrain from posting a status update meant only for my friends and family because my Facebook was becoming more of a networking thing rather than a "friends and family" thing.

Because this new page is a page rather than a profile, all you need to do if you want to keep up with me and my art is click "like" at the top of the page, and you'll get updates from my blog, deviantART and Livestream (where you can watch me work on new illustrations LIVE! Ooooh) without having to wait for me to approve your request. You can visit the new page here.

I've decided that videos, sketches of works in progress (even TSB ones) and the like will only be posted to that page, and not The Stamping Bazaar page. So if you don't want to miss that kind of stuff, be sure to follow me there!

As an aside, I need more "likes" on my Artist page so I can set up a username for it... I need at least 25 likes before I can do this. So your help is very much appreciated. :)

Click HERE to visit and "like" my new FB page!

From time to time, I may even give an occasional digi to someone chosen at random from those who like my new page. So what are you waiting for? Drop by, say hi with a comment and be sure to click "like" before you go! ;D

-Marina

After a long time, finally an update!

2011-02-11T01:35:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone, how have you all been?

I haven't updated this blog for a while. The beginning of the year sure was rocky for me, and very busy, what with my beloved kitty Stimpy dying on me right before Christmas, then getting a new kitten in early January (I didn't want to wait, since loving a new kitten helped distract me from it all) and dealing with the many health issues this new kitten brought along. He had to take many medicines for over a month, but is now a very healthy (and naughty!) little devil. His name is Sweeney and here is a photo of him:

Doesn't he look crazy? That's because he is!!

That aside, I've been working on tons of stuff. I'm illustrating two books at the moment, and have a deadline for them, which is also why you haven't seen much of me in recent weeks.

The book series is called Gumpchy the Little Baha'i Bear. Here are some of the characters from these books:

Gumpchy the Little Baha'i Bear by =marinaneira on deviant ART

Weily the Rabbit by =marinaneira on deviant ART

Sam the Kookaburra by =marinaneira on deviant ART

I hope you enjoy looking at them. Remember that you can see more in this folder of my deviantART gallery.

I leave you with a little .GIF of my sweet ol' Stimpy begging for treats:

This was one of the cutest things he ever did. Sometimes, if there was a little lizard or gecko walking on the ceiling, he would do this too, looking at the ceiling, as if asking the gecko to come down from there and allow himself to be eaten!

We loved him SO much. I am glad that he was mine and miss him like you can't imagine. :'(

Talk to you all soon,

-Marina

If this were a rubber stamp/digi, would you use it?

2010-11-23T02:25:00.000-05:00

I drew this little guy months ago when I first began experimenting with drawing children, and colored him recently:

"Sunday Best"

View on deviantART

What do you think of him?

-Marina

What I've been up to.

2010-11-17T22:33:00.001-05:00

Hello, boys and girls! I've been a busy bee this past month, working on four very big, relatively detailed illustrations for a client as well as drawing a lot of new designs for The Stamping Bazaar's first Christmas release. So many "firsts" for TSB this year, huh? And of course, we're having a Blog-Hop and it's going to be even more epic than our Halloween one!

But I digress. My main reason for this post is to show off those four illustrations. They were great fun to work on for the most part, and the most color work I've done for a client in a long time; the first color work I do for a client on the Cintiq 12WX, and the best digital color work I've ever done for a client period (though I have done colored illustrations for myself that look better to me than these, but only because my favored style didn't match the one the client requested for these illustrations.)

This client intends to use the illustrations on desk mats for schoolchildren. I've been told I will receive samples of each desk mat when they are manufactured in a few month's time and I am REALLY excited about that!

This one, of a little bear teacher, was the easiest one, and the first one I completed:

The one below took over a week of sketches, some research for reference, and a full day plus all-nighter to color (I went to bed at 6:30am that day.) It is my favorite of the four and was the most fun to do:

This next one is my least favorite because it doesn't have animals, except for the dog, and there are just too many "hard" lines for my liking. Still, the client was happy and people I've shown it to liked it as well. But it is my aim to better my drawing of buildings and people in 2011:

Now this last one was the most work of all, for some reason. Coloring it was HELL. I don't mean it wasn't fun, it just took SO long and was SO exhausting:

And now, here is a little something that you may just find interesting if you've ever wondered about how this is all done:

And finally, a little of the coloring process, this time of the Fairy Concert illustration:

I am laying down all the flat or "base" colors here. This is the most time consuming part of the process.

After a full day and a half's worth of work, all the base colors have been added. It's beginning to look alright, but still looks pretty flat:

Below is the finished illustration with all the lights, shadows and added textures and little details:

I've been wanting to share this with you for some time, so I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to reading your comments. =)

This weekend I am going to a "Tree Trimming Party" at the house of a friend in West Palm Beach. I am excited about relaxing a little, as I should be able to do since I am spending the weekend there. I am of course taking my beloved MacBook Pro with me to send any digi orders that may come in while I'm there, but most of all to work on my manuscript. I've been writing quite a bit lately and making steady progress on the rewrite of my book's first draft! =D

Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Marina

Stimpy's Begging and Purry-Munching Ways

2010-11-04T04:22:00.000-04:00

Hello! Long time no post over here. I've been busy --a trip to Orlando, a big freelance project (four complex illustrations; two down, two to go) working on new Christmas designs for The Stamping Bazaar, among other things. Also, trying to better myself as an artist by studying some of my reference books. While my artwork is okay for making a living off, I think a few years ago I put off my efforts to be something less than mediocre, so next year I want to better my skills at drawing realistic animals and people.

Anyway, the real reason for this post is to share this:

That's my cat Stimpy being adorable, especially after the 1:30 mark. He begs shamelessly for treats and eats them noisily. Check it out.

This is probably the last post until late December when I make my obligatory Christmas Eve post. I'll be very busy working to save money for our Disney trip in December! :D

(Oh and did anyone notice the slight change to the blog background by the way? I added Josie in a Hat and Horus Roasting Marshmallows to it.)

-Marina

My Second Visit to Safari Ltd!

2010-10-01T02:31:00.003-04:00

DIGI GIVEAWAY WINNER: First things first, don't want this buried in the rest of my post. The winner of my Blogoversary Digi Giveaway is TEJAL! Congratulations, Tejal. Your email isn't on your profile so remember to EMAIL ME for your prize! You can have any one digi from The Stamping Bazaar shop.

So! This morning, kind of out of the blue, I got invited to visit Safari Ltd a second time (remember my first visit?) By the way, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, Safari Ltd makes realistic animal replicas, which I love to collect and photograph:

The company is located in Miami, where I live, so I went to visit once before. I had already been told that it would be arranged for me to come see the new 2011 lineup, so wasn't entirely unexpected, but I didn't think it'd be today. It was rather a surprise. Anyway, like the first time, I had a lot of fun. I got to see prototypes of their entire 2011 line (click on any photo for a bigger version):

What you see above is a but tiny sample, of course; just my two favorites and a view of the table. After checking these out, I was allowed to dig through boxes of old replicas and take whatever I wanted. They were really very old and most were ruined by paint rubs, but since I had all the time in the world, I rescued all the ones that looked nice, and that amounted to a LOT!

I took many photos in the conference room (over 170!) all of which I am currently uploading to my Flickr.

If you like, you can see my photos of Safari's 2011 additions in this public Facebook album (you don't need a Facebook account to view it.) More high-res photos will come tomorrow.

I'm off to bed. Tomorrow I get to go back to work outside of my house, finally! :D

-Marina

Marina's Stuff 1st Blogoversary!!

2010-09-28T00:32:00.000-04:00

Hello all! In just one day it will be one year since Marina's Stuff, my personal blog, was created. So in honor of my blog's anniversary, I am giving ONE TSB DIGI OF CHOICE to one lucky commenter!!

How to Win

The usual way! Comment on this blog post before Wednesday, September 29th before 11:59pm EST. That's it! One commenter/follower will be chosen at random and be given the choice of any digi they like!

Not sure about time zones? You can always check the current Eastern Standard Time on this link. Remember that you must comment on THIS blog --not the TSB one. Think of this as a special goodie for those who follow --and occasionally comment on-- the long ramblings I make on this personal blog. ;)

Good luck, everyone!

-Marina

Impatiently dreading Tangled.

2010-09-26T10:09:00.001-04:00

So I'm thinking about this upcoming Tangled movie. I've been following its development since it was barely a concept. From the start I was in love with the idea, looking forward to it more than to any other Disney movie in a long time. Yet when I saw the trailers (both of them) I was totally let down. Not by the visuals. Or rather, yes, but not in the way you'd think. The visuals look incredible:

Granted, not as mold-breaking as I thought they would be when I first heard that they wanted the movie to feel like an oil painting come to life (though some things get beautifully close to this effect) but that's because after a couple of years and some stunning concept art I guess my expectations were raised way too high.

No, it's about the characters. God, the characters. I've never seen characters in an animated movie that scream "STOCK!" more than those in this one, at least as far as the trailers go. Not only visually, but also personality wise. First there's that chameleon: your obligatory annoying little sidekick. Maximus, the horse, is just another version of Pegasus from Hercules, with the difference that Pegasus had a design that was fun to look at, while Maximus is Disney's typical tried-and-true horse as far as looks go. I loved Pegasus, which is probably the reason I hate this horse that is an unimaginative copy of him in his mannerisms and expressions. Admittedly, Pegasus's character wasn't that original as far as his personality went either, but at the time it wasn't something I'd seen overdone to death yet, so I enjoyed it.

And don't even get me started about that douche Flynn. Seriously, I want to kick him in the balls, he is SO annoying in the trailers. I can't stand to look at the guy. Maybe he's meant to give that vibe. I don't know. I just hope he endures a lot of suffering in the movie or else I'll be chucking something at the screen every time he appears:

Kill it.

Rapunzel seems like an airhead, albeit one who knows how to use her hair. I do like the fact that she doesn't seem weighed down by that MASSIVE amount of hair. This intentional disregard for logic is absolutely hilarious:

You may wonder why I complain so much about a movie that we've barely gotten a peek of in the trailers, but I waited for it for SO long, and the trailers were SUCH a letdown! I'm throwing my hopes down in a ditch now, and stomping on them, so that when I go see this movie (because I will go see it, no matter what the reviews say, having waited this long) I will have prepared myself for such utter disappointment, that it would have to be as bad as Howard the Duck for me not to enjoy it.

There is one factor that could make this movie my favorite in years despite what I've seen in the trailers: Alan Menken. He is my favorite Disney composer and one of my favorite composers ever. There isn't a score by him I don't absolutely love. Heck, I thought Enchanted was a pretty dumb movie (that, granted, had its moments) but it was Alan Menken's songs that made me go nuts for it, and years later I haven't grown tired of listening to the Enchanted soundtrack. Over. And over. And over!

I'm surprised the trailers for Tangled haven't shown any of the songs. And kind of glad. I do want them to be a surprise.

Agh, I'm filled with hope and apprehension and dread about this movie. More than likely I'm going to love Tangled, but until it's released I'll convince myself that I'm going to hate it, just in case.

-Marina

A New Dream Stirs in my Heart…

2010-09-24T23:30:00.003-04:00

Last Wednesday my mom and I were having a quick breakfast at the Starbucks of an unusually empty, large Barnes and Noble store. We had been talking about the Paperback Book-X-Change and its quirky owner Mike, and I found myself toying with an idea that I'd often mused about the past: opening a bookstore of my own.

"Neverending Books" by Troy Holden

It would be either a used bookstore, or a bookstore geared exclusively toward children. Possibly a combination of the two: a used bookstore with a really generous children's section. I always thought it would be a pleasant way to spend my later years.

I've been thinking about this a lot since that conversation with my mother, and the mere idea fills me with such joy, that I think I'd like to do it sooner than in my old age. In fact, much sooner. I don't know when --I think I just have to let life happen and see when it would be a good time to do this.

I used to think a used bookstore was a silly fantasy, and a bad idea because it could not even make enough money to run itself. I've seen wonderful used bookstores up and close in more than one occasion because they simply can't make enough money to survive. But then I look at the ones that DO, and think: what makes them able to do so?

Take, for example, Downtown Book Center Inc, the only bookstore in Downtown Miami. It opened its doors in 1965 and is still going strong. I have only seen this bookstore in passing (I plan to drop in for a better look tomorrow if the weather allows) but I think the main secret to their success is location: they are on a very busy street in the middle of Downtown Miami, with pedestrians going by non-stop.

This isn't Mike's case, and yet the Paperback Book-X-Change is never empty. It is never full, either --not that it could accommodate too many people at once-- but I've never been there and not seen at least one person in the store with him, and several come and go during the time I am there. Who knows --he might not be able to keep the store if he didn't also live in it, but the fact is that he's doing something right and the store, in its own way, thrives.

Just the idea of having my own little bookstore feels me with a joy that I can only compare to the thrill I got when I began to fantasize about making a living as an artist. Whenever I am inside an used bookstore I am also reminded of the old library at the boarding school I used to go to as a child.

This school had once been an orphanage, and the library had been locked for God knows how many years. During my only, miserable year as a boarder I was friendless, lonely and missed my mother terribly. I was the very definition of homesick, with an emphasis on the "sick" part. I did not want to eat or do anything. Life was horrid --but sometimes I found relief in a book.

Everyone knew how much I loved to read; I was regularly scorned, congratulated or teased for it, because of how much I preferred the company of books to that of my schoolmates. Perhaps this, or pity, is what prompted the principal to give me the old key to those library doors. I was told no one else could have them, no one else could go in there with me, or borrow books from it.

I will never forget (and have probably mentioned it here before) holding that cold key in my fist, looking up at the principal in disbelief, and then, after thanking her, running down the hall like a crazy person (and hearing her yell, "No running in the halls!" behind me.)

I really should look this woman up and send her a letter, because she effectively gave to me what is possibly the most magical day of my life. The library had an arched double door, with green chipped pain and glass panes so dusty you could barely see the inside of the dark room. I remember going in to a scene of chaos: dusty books on dusty shelves, cow-webs, dusty books on the floor with dusty footprints on them. So much dust everywhere. I was at once outraged (for then, like now, I tended to humanize books and this neglect seemed unforgivable even to my young mind) and enchanted: what book-loving little girl wouldn't be, when given the key to a library that seemed to have been all but abandoned and looked like a perfectly magical place in which I could escape everyone who teased me for my glasses, my stuttering and my anti-social ways?

It was here that I first became acquainted with the Countess of Segur, Mark Twain, Louisa M. Alcott, Robert Lawson, and so many other excellent writers. I doubt that I would be the same person I am today if it hadn't been for that key, that place, those books. When, a few months later, the library was officially reopened, I was distraught! My kingdom was no longer my own, my refuge was taken from me. Or so I felt. I was rather a selfish child then, though not in a malicious way. I did not know anyone else who loved books as I did and truly believed that no one else would enjoy them as I did. I am sure now that I was wrong.

But I digress. Every time I go into a used bookstore now, I am strongly reminded of this little library full of old children's books. And suddenly an image comes to my mind, of myself in a little bookstore of my own, neither too busy nor too quiet, merrily working on my manuscripts while sitting at the register with a cat at my feet, waiting for new costumers to come in.

My vision is admittedly very romanticized; an used bookstore is a business like any other. But I think used bookstores manage to fill a certain need in people that seek either the atmosphere or the bargains, which big box stores will never be able to satisfy in quite the same way. This must be why, in our age of Kindles, nooks, Amazon.com and stores like Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million, used book stores refuse to die off.

The situation may have changed by the time I am able to make my dream into reality, or life may simply take me into a different direction. But for now, I am taking this idea from my "Daydreams" box and filing it under "Future Plans."

I just may end up doing it.

-Marina

The Paperback Boox-X-Change

2010-09-20T23:46:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I went on a little trip to buy used books with my friend Jen. We went to my favorite used book store, the Paperback Boox-X-Change. I took a crate full of books with me!

This is a very interesting little place. The owner, Mike, actually lives in the store, along with his adorable cat Janie:

Mike is an eccentric character by account of all of those who meet him (at least those whom I've spoken to) and you're bound to notice this the moment you meet him, too. But he's also very friendly and makes you feel right at home, that I wouldn't take my books anywhere else but to him. At least I haven't found any other place where one is treated with such friendliness and politeness, and that gives such good deals. You always do have to pay a little, but he is fair as can be when you give him your old books to exchange them for your new finds in the store, and I regularly leave the place feeling almost as though I robbed the guy!

My latest excursion yielded a haul of 22 books, with many gorgeous hardcovers among them, including “Gnomes” and “Secrets of the Gnomes”, both by Will Huygen. This brings my current book total to 735, not counting the 10 comic books I've got coming in the mail, gorgeous reprints of old comics the majority of them. I'm pretty set on holding a party the day I reach 1000 books. I might get crafty and make book related goodies for my friends, and have a pile of Bookcrossing books to give away, too. =)

Today I had the luck of spotting a HUGE Back to School sale at Things From Another World with many comics at 60% off, so I was able to get seven books for just $45.00 (plus free shipping to boot!) If you like comic books, I recommend you check it out while it lasts.

As usual, I'm reading more than one book at the same time. After finally reading Little Women (okay, okay: I listened to most of the audiobook and read the rest when I found the actual book at the Paperback Book-X-Change) I have a lot of Louisa M. Alcott to go through. At the moment I am reading Little Men, and then it'll be Under the Lilacs and Jo's Boys. Besides Little Men, I'm reading The Incredible Journey and my three-books-in-one volume of Guardians of Ga' Hoole. I want to finish that one before Sunday, when I'll be going to see the movie. That way I will be prepared to complain about everything that has been changed from the original version after I see it! ;P

Well, that does it for my long overdue book-related post. Expect another one after the Miami Book Fair International and the Miami-Dade Public Library 10th Annual Book Sale, when I'll be getting literally as many used books as I can carry home with me! :D

-Marina

Fun times with friends at Rapids Water Park!

2010-09-20T22:39:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was pretty sweet! I got to go to Rapids Water Park with my friends Jennifer and Melida. We were very lucky because my friend Jen had free tickers (tickets on a weekend are $40.00 per person.) It was my first time ever going to a water park!

Rapids Water Park is located in West Palm Beach and I live in Miami, so it was a heck of a drive. Melida was gracious enough to pick me up as I don't have a car. We drove to Lauderhill to pick Jen up, got us a little breakfast at McDonald's and ate it on our way to West Palm Beach. After a drive of almost an hour, we were there!

From left to right, my friends Melida and Jennifer, and me.

As you can see on behind us on the photo below, some of the slides were very tall with steep drops, so the ride down would be fast and wild:

The entrance to the water park.

I could not go on most of them, because the thrill of speed is not pleasant to me at all. However, I enjoyed the wave pool, the tamer slides and the “Lazy River” that took you all around the park gently floating on an inner tube. There was a funny moment when my inner tube got stuck on a “dead spot”, and would not go anywhere, while my friends got more and more separated from me, and I tried everything; from “rowing” with my hands, to kicking my feet, all to no use. Eventually other tubes got stuck behind me and pushed me away from the “dead spot” so I could find my friends again.

I was in very low spirits for a little while after we got off the Lazy River and Jen and Melida went down “Big Thunder” (this monster.) They tried to convince me to go with them, but I was too scared.

While I waited for them, at least two people who walked by me declared to their companions that they would NOT go down that thing. I don't think it was dangerous or too crazy, and frankly I wish that high speeds didn't give me such an unpleasant feeling. I wanted to go down it, but knew I would not enjoy it.

Later on, I tried a few of the tamer slides, and even one of those was unpleasantly fast for me, even though it looked like nothing. So I am glad I stuck to my decision on the others!

For me, one of the highlights of the day was getting a chocolate soft serve on the way out. I'd been craving one for months!

Afterwards we went to my favorite restaurant, Cracker Barrel, and at the gift shop I got a few gifts for my mom: a big lollypop, two scented candles, a candy stick and a little bat beanie baby. Except for the candy stick, which was cotton-candy flavored, I picked things that sort of matched... The lollypop was orange, the candles Thanksgiving/Fall themed, and the bat beanie had Halloween colors. She liked everything.

That is all for this post! But stay tuned for another post coming up shortly after this one, finally a book-centric one which is long overdue!

-Marina

I never want to go through this again.

2010-09-18T00:36:00.000-04:00

How we (or I, anyway) can take something as dear as the day-to-day company and conversation of a close family member such as one's own mother for granted, all for the sake of pride.

If you read yesterday's post, you know that I was pretty down in the dumps, in the midst of a fight with my mom. We had not spoken for two whole days. My mother and I are everything to each other and we've always lived together, just the two of us for most of the time. We are extremely close. The reason for our fight was silly, but it happened at a time when I was particularly touchy, and as neither one of us would buck down, we spent a couple of very sad, very uncomfortable days without speaking.

We've made peace now. I called my dad earlier today to ask for his advice, and the conversation ended with me sobbing almost hysterically. My poor dear father, who lives in Argentina and whom I have not seen in over eight years as I've said before on this blog, was very distressed by this, obviously; I don't think he's heard me cry since I was little girl. I'd had a knot on my throat for two days and upon hearing his kind, calm voice giving me what advice he could, I came undone. But it did me good, and when my mom got home, I was able to talk to her again, first some awkward chit-chat --a greeting, the news of the past two days condensed in a few sentences-- and later about what happened between us.

Regardless of who was at fault (in the end, we both offended and hurt the other) we both agreed that this "not talking" business is a horrid idea that should never ever be repeated as long as we live. It was so lonely and painful. I don't mean to repeat it even if I have to stomp over my own pride to prevent it.

Now I feel so happy and light, as though I were walking over clouds. What peace this is, to know my mother is my friend again! Now I can sleep at ease again, and enjoy myself with my friends this weekend, and concentrate on my work without a heavy heart or guilty conscience.

-Marina

Bummin' Out...

2010-09-16T21:33:00.001-04:00

Today was not a very good day. Neither was last night, or any part of yesterday, or part of the night before. I need to vent somewhere, so I am coming back to my blog, where I still feel I can relieve myself of these nasty bottled-up feelings that disturb my rest as well as my daily work.

I am under a lot of stress at home, to the point that the uneasy feeling in my heart has returned, and minor sounds startle me out of my sleep with my heart pounding so hard it seems as though it might burst out of my chest. Last night I put my fingers to my lips after one such incident, and I could feel the throbbing of my lips on my fingertips, or perhaps it was the throbbing of my fingertips on my lips, as the blood flooded through me with each heartbeat. It was very frightening, it always is.

I pressed my little Gryphon Hatchling plush to my chest, as I usually do, as if that will quiet my heart's desperate beats. It does help, sort of. I squeeze that poor little Gryphon so tightly that sometimes I fear I will end up tearing it to pieces.

My mother and I are having a "fight". We've had them before, as people who live with each other for almost 30 years are bound to do. However, it has never happened before that we go an entire day without exchanging a word. Our fight began the night before her day off, and during the next day, which is usually pleasant and full of conversation, we must have exchanged a total of ten words between the two of us --nothing but the indispensable.

The night of the day before yesterday I was having a pleasant text conversation with my best friend. It suddenly came to a screeching halt when a word I wrote was taken in the wrong context (due in part to my native tongue being Spanish, I believe, and in part because my friend was under a lot of stress and I was unaware or rather clueless about it.) This trifle of a word, said in a very endearing way but taken in a way that I did not expect or imagine, almost brought three years of friendship to an end on the spot, and ended up with both my friend and I in tears.

It was all over in a matter of minutes, but left me in pain that stings even until now. Aside from my mother and a couple other dear people, this friend --my very best friend-- is everything to me. Were I to lose his friendship, especially when taking into account the relationship I lost earlier this year, I would be crushed in a way I cannot very well describe but which would probably be somewhat like having someone die. It would be difficult to go on. So, while feelings have been smoothed over, the fear that I might have lost him so easily still haunts me.

I was explaining to my mother what was happening. At one point, I told her that things were mostly okay now, but I was still trying to convince my friend that indeed we were still friends, because, like me, he'd gotten quite desperate about the repercussions of our first fight ever. My mother chuckled. I don't know why she did. Earnestly, I told her, "It's not funny." It wasn't. I was trying not to cry. I guess she didn't notice.

When I said this, she got angry with me, saying that if I was in a foul mood I shouldn't even speak to her in the first place. With that, she left the room, leaving me stunned by this outburst. I did cry then, too worn out by the anguish I'd experienced moments ago, and the very hot anger I experienced toward her at that moment.

These exchanges between my mother and me do not happen often, but when they do happen, it is to be understood that they are always my fault, for I never, ever receive an apology from her. I must always be the one to wave the "peace" flag.

That night I'd had enough. Having composed myself, I went and told my mother how insensitive it was of her to chuckle when I am telling her, near tears, that I am struggling to salvage a three year friendship which she knows means the world to me, and then to yell at me when I tell her that it's not funny.

I don't remember what she said, because for once in my life I yelled louder, and did not stop when she tried to talk. I always do, but this time I wanted to have my say. I reminded her how she often did this and never apologized, and said that I knew she wouldn't do it this time, either. She retorted that she had nothing to apologize for; I interjected some sarcastic remark, and then she said she "wouldn't do it anyway" as I was not letting her talk. I spat another sarcastic remark, quite venomously, and went back to the bedroom.

We did not speak the rest of the night. I thought somehow this would settle itself the next day, but it was spent without speaking to each other, and besides some "Hello's" the same was the case today; my mom has been home almost five hours, and we are still not speaking.

I feel sick with all this. My heart won't give me peace and my breathing problems have returned. I have good news to share with my mom that on a regular day I would have phoned her at work to tell her. It feels very strange to talk so little over the course of almost two days. I feel lonely, exhausted, angry and sad.

I can't allow myself to be the bigger person and apologize first, if only for my yelling, which isn't something I like to do, or that indeed I ever even have the guts to do. I want her to understand that this hurts me every time it happens, and I don't forget it. I forgive it, but I don't forget it. I can't. You can't force yourself to forget such things, little things, but painful ones. They accumulate.

My mom is all the family I have in this country, and she is my best friend in a way different from my "other" best friend. We have a relationship that most mothers and their daughters can only DREAM of having, we are so close to each other. That is why this is tearing me apart.

We all make mistakes, and I've made so many, and hurt her too, I'm sure, but I always apologize. This time I need her to do it, or I can't go back to normal.

We probably will, however, and this event will be another nasty, thick little drop into that very, very small cup of resentment I carry with me and on rare occasions make the mistake of peering into. That is the truth, guilty as I feel by writing it (alas, while I carry a tiny cup of resentment, I carry a much deeper vessel of guilt!)

That is all I had to say, and I don't feel much better by saying it, but at least I've killed some time, and the unpleasant silence that hangs in the air here as been temporarily broken by the sound of my typing.

-Marina

I'm crazy! Too much coffee! And other stuff you don't care about.

2010-07-23T03:24:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone. It's been a little quiet over here in my personal blog, busy as I've been over at The Stamping Bazaar blog. Time to catch up! But first, version 2.0 of cat bugging. Now it's "Bugging Stimpy" instead (with the obligatory "surprised" shot):

Anyway, as I posted over at the TSB blog, I actually experienced a mild panic attack a few nights ago. I stayed up late so many times drawing, writing for the blog, working on the website and, admittedly, playing World of Warcraft (only a little bit, I swear!) that it got to me. One night I went to bed at 3:00am, another at 4:30am, and finally well past 5:00am. That night I could not sleep until past 7:00am and was lying on my mom's bed after messing mine up completely tossing and turning so much. My mom had gone to work by then, around the time I went to bed.

My kitty Shampoo, who normally tolerates a limited amount of affection depending on her mood, came to me, lay on my chest, and allowed me to pet her mercilessly for the two hours I lay awake, having trouble breathing and with my heart pounding. Petting her calmed me down somewhat, but I was so jumpy that every little noise, even the air conditioner going off, felt loud and alarming.

This kind of thing has happened to me three times, and usually the biggest culprit behind it is coffee. This time was no different. I drink way too much of the stuff. Then I can't sleep and start freaking out, and by the time the caffeine leaves my body, my heart starts pounding as an effect, making it all worse.

Before I even had the first one of these, I had read something about "night terrors" online. Stumbled upon it, because I hand't experienced anything like that. I really didn't understand what it was about, until a very long time afterward I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, trembling with FEAR. Just fear. And get this: being fully aware that there was nothing to fear. I wasn't scared of anything in particular, I was just scared. Terrified. I think it lasted five minutes and it was over, but wow.

Having your body freak out on you from too much coffee is no fun, and I feel guilty to boot, for not taking care of myself. But, masochist as this will sound, I was amused by the "night terror" thing (the next day, of course.) It was horrid, but for someone who writes, the experience of sheer terror with full awareness that there is nothing to fear, is fodder for interesting writing. So I put it in one of the little boxes of ideas inside my head. =)

Hmm, what else. Futurama is back, and it seems to be getting its heart back with the latest episode, "Bender's Physical Perfection". The ending is good ol' Futurama, the kind that really tugs at the heartstrings and makes you FEEL. Something The Simpsons used to know how to do over ten years ago, and which Family Guy and (ugh) South Park have NEVER been able to do. This is something Futurama has in common with Daria and King of the Hill, I think.

So! My birthday is next week. I'll be 27. Woohoo! My friend Chris and I are going to the movies to celebrate. We're going to see Despicable Me. I hoped that Jennifer, another good friend of mine, would be there too, but it cannot happen, unfortunately.

I really have nothing more to say, except that Tropical Storm Bonnie seems to be headed this way. Here's hoping it doesn't cause too much damage.

By the way, thanks for your continued support of The Stamping Bazaar, everyone! =) I am touched by all your kind comments and most of all for the orders you've placed! Right now my future rent is depending heavily on the success of this kind of crazy venture, so I do need your patronage, and thank you for it profusely.

-Marina

Major rubber stamp related news... The launch of TBS!

2010-07-10T23:21:00.000-04:00

Everyone, I have a very important announcement to make today.

As you know, I got my start in the wonderful rubber stamp business by designing characters for Motivet. There I was discovered by Marie from The Greeting Farm and got my first exclusivity contract --a very happy event, and one that effectively changed my life. Working with Marie is the best thing to ever happen to me as far as my profession goes. I also made many new friends and became better known as an artist.

My contract with TGF comes to an end this month. I know there is demand for my designs, and I've come to love this line of business so much that I don't want to leave it behind to pursue other projects --at least not for a good while yet! So, drum roll please... I have decided to open my own rubber stamp store!!!

Over the past few months I have been quite busy designing the website, adding a blog, manufacturing the first rubber stamp, and other related things. And the day is finally here! I am happy to announce the official launch of...

The Stamping Bazaar!
www.thestampingbazaar.com

Right now there is only one stamp available for purchase both in rubber and digital versions. More will be added soon. But first, I need a design team --and that's where you come in! ;)

Please click here to view TSB's Design Team terms and requirements. I look forward to receiving your applications! Currently, five positions are available, and you have until July 29th to apply. Chosen DT members will be announced on August 15th.

But that's not all the big news today: visit The Stamping Bazaar blog right now for a chance to win the first digi giveaway, Hansel the Deer!

I hope you enjoy browsing the new website, bare as the store is at the moment. As usual, you will have a say in what I draw and also what is released first via polls and comments, except it won't be on this blog, but on the TSB one.

I hope you look forward to this new venture as much as I am. I wouldn't be daring to start something like this without all the support you've shown for my work.

Cheers!

-Marina

New addition to deviantART gallery: Merry Stroll

2010-07-01T13:57:00.000-04:00

The new airbrush system I bought for my face painting business arrived in the mail two days ago. It's keeping me busy as I am learning how to set it up and make it function properly. I've already tried using it a little and it's a lot easier than I expected... Apparently, the key is to learn the nuts and bolts of the equipment throughly, and keep your guns and other tools very clean and well maintained. The airbrushing part seems easy enough.

Now I have to modify the mobile work center (tool-box on wheels) that I got at Home Depot to build an airbrush station that I can easily take anywhere. Then, after a little practice, I can venture into the face painting world once again.

In other news, here is the latest addition to my deviantART gallery, another old drawing (though not quite as old as the others I recently posted) colored on the new Cintiq:

Merry Stroll - Color by =marinaneira on deviant ART

That aside, those exciting news I keep going on about are coming soon. It's something that is taking a lot of work and preparation, so I can't say what it is just yet! Only that it is coming in a few weeks. :)

On a completely unrelated note, I made my first alt in WoW, a Dwarf Hunter named Sepia (see her here.) Truth be told I wanted to play a Hunter from the beginning, but the only race that I liked, appearance wise, were Gnomes, who cannot be Hunters. So I started as Mirdza, a Gnome Mage, and a difficult combination for an absolute noob to learn. I started working on Sepia just a few days ago and should hit level 20 today, something that took me weeks on Mirdza. Plus I get to have a pet (mine is a Boar named Greasy) and soon will be riding my favorite kind of mount, a Ram! :D

Well, I got a pretty busy day ahead of me. I only woke up a couple of hours ago after staying up until past 4:00am yesterday. So I better get to it.

-Marina

Feliz Dia Del Padre, and some other stuff.

2010-06-20T19:58:00.000-04:00

Hello again! I hope the weekend is treating you well. First of all, I'd like to wish a Happy Father's Day to all dads out there, but especially to mine:

My Papi and Me

My dad lives in Argentina and I haven't seen him for the last eight years. He is 80 years old. I miss him. Feliz Dia Del Padre, Papi. ♥

I woke up this morning to some crazy thunder and lightening, but the rest of the day went fine. Did some work on a certain new website (wink, wink --exciting news to soon!) ordered a pizza, and in the process of taking a new profile picture for my Facebook, had some silly fun annoying Shampoo with the Macbook's camera:

I love her... But she really hates these indignities! Ha ha! Anyway... On to other news, I colored yet another oldie on my new Cintiq. You can see it below; just click on it for a much bigger view on my deviantART page:

Kellioth by the Fire - Color by =marinaneira on deviant ART

Remember to click on the thumb on dA to see the bigger version as it won't show automatically. You cannot fully appreciate the textures in the thumbnail.

I am starting to get a little more daring with Photoshop CS2 and the Cintiq. I found some great royalty-free paper textures online that I am dying to try in whatever I color next!

That's all for today's post; I need to get back to work.

Umo and Toro Sleeping, colored on the Cintiq!

2010-06-18T03:05:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago I finally got my Cintiq in the mail. In case you don't know, a Cintiq is a graphics tablet that is basically a monitor on which you can draw directly. It feels almost as natural as using natural media right on paper --but the work is faster, much less tiresome on the wrist, and the results are awesome!

Below you can see an animated slideshow showing the progress of the second drawing I colored, from rough draft, to clean sketch, to crisp, textured pencil line art (all real pencil-and-paper to this point) and finally to full-color version as I painted it on my Cintiq:

UMO AND TORO SLEEPING

Click here to see a bigger version

on my deviantART account.

Toro and Umo are characters from my webcomic Paleo, which you can read here. It's been on hiatus for some time now, unfortunately, as I am too busy with other projects.

I added a paper texture to the final image on top of what texture was left from the real paper I drew the line art on. You can better notice this on the larger version on my dA account. I think it looks pretty close to the "real" thing (meaning, traditional artwork.) The Cintiq was a HUGE, budget-destroying expense for me, but I am happy I bought it. It will eventually pay for itself.

Here is the brand new Macbook Pro together with the Cintiq:

(I've been watching a lot of Daria lately!)

That is all for now. I have an updated map of Meganeea to upload but frankly I am too entertained with this new shiny piece of equipment. I also really need to do a book-related post soon, agh...

Wow, it's past 3:00am. Time for bed!

Have a happy, creative weekend, everyone!

-Marina

How My Facebook Wall History Brought Me Full Circle

2010-06-07T02:53:00.000-04:00

May was a pretty difficult month for me. A combination of things basically pulled the world from underneath my feet. I felt so empty, and so numb, that as days and weeks went by I began to wonder if I was still falling, falling, and would came to an abrupt crash against the deep low to which my reality seemed to have suddenly sunk into.

And I feared that possibility. I am a person of extremes --I don't get sad: I get depressed, I despair. When I feel happy, it's almost a mania: I will get SO happy that the joy of everyday things --my family, my books, and other blessings-- can be enough to cause me to tear up if I think about them too much. And when I --very, very rarely-- get angry, I'm so overwhelmed by the feeling that I just cry; I can't even yell.

So I feared that the recent events hadn't really sunk in for me yet, and that when they did, I would fall apart.

You see, my first serious relationship, which lasted six months, came to an abrupt end early last month. In addition, I learned that I would lose my part-time job, a job that I absolutely love, in mid June. My life, which felt perfect until then, seemed to fall to pieces. I'm a very optimistic person by nature, but I could only see dark, difficult times ahead --and lonely ones too.

Today I was going through every post on my Facebook wall up to May 2009. I was looking for a particular comment that a friend made. Before I began, I asked myself, "Do you really want to look at everything right now, just to find that silly comment? All those happy status updates, all those pictures, all those memories." I told myself I would scroll through all that as fast as I could until I found what I was looking for.

Didn't happen, as you can imagine. Of course, one's eyes will linger. It couldn't be helped.

I kept scrolling down, looking, reading. I read everything that I posted to Facebook for the past twelve months--what I did, where I went, how I felt.

It was a wonderful year.

I had so much fun! I went out with my friends. Got the two biggest freelance deals of my life yet. I saw great movies, went to Disney with my mom, and to two conventions. I discovered World of Warcraft and made new friends there. I got to visit the company that makes the animal replicas I collect. I read so many new books. I tried kickboxing. I went camping for the first time in my adult life and actually had fun. I met the person with whom, almost a half year later, I would have my first relationship. And such an enjoyable one! It will forever be a sweet memory for me. I don't regret a thing.

I read on my wall how things went from bad to good, to bad again, then to great, and eventually to amazing, to levels I never thought I would experience.

Now they've taken another little dip, and I finally know not to worry.

This Facebook wall reminds me of the way my life has been since my childhood. There are always those dips, and then happy times come back with a vengeance.

I may not know what my future holds, but I know it'll be good, sooner or later. In the meantime, I can help myself by keeping a positive outlook, like I've always done.

I think I tried to pretend that nothing had happened, which is what numbed me to it all. I locked it all somewhere deep inside myself. Now that I've taken it out, tenderly held it in my hand and looked at it from different angles, I don't feel empty or numb anymore. It's a beautiful memory. I'm glad to have it.

Now I can put it away, and go make some more.

-Marina

Back to WoW, and more CC3 maps!

2010-06-03T19:17:00.000-04:00

Hello all!

Well, my World of Warcraft account has been reactivated. I haven't played the game for the better part of a year so I'll have to re-learn everything. I will admit that what made me decide to make the jump again was the chance to own this little cutie of a gryphon hatchling --in plush AND game form! It comes with a code for a bonus in-game companion.

Those cute little paws~!! ♥ Ooh, I just can't wait for it to arrive. In the meantime, I'm reinstalling WoW all over again, this time on my new MacBook Pro.

That isn't the geekiest of my recent acquisitions, I must confess. Recently I began to work on Campaign Cartographer 3 once again. I feared I had forgotten all I learned about using the program. I found it very confusing when I first started learning how to use it, so becoming easily discouraged with it now was a concern. To my relief, I still remembered how to do mostly everything! I've fiddled a little more with the map of Meganeea:

You can click on it to see a bigger version. And the original is enormous! It was wonderful, thanks to my powerful little new MacBook Pro, to be able to export this map at a crazy high resolution without CC3 freezing on me. So I thought I'd add City Designer 3 to my arsenal, and hope to get Dungeon Designer 3 somewhere down the road as well.

In preparation for possibly harsher times to come, I've added another year's subscription to my deviantART account and renewed my Netfirms hosting three months in advance. I'll probably get me a half year of WoW in advance as well. I just purchased a month's worth of game time to see if I still enjoy the game.

I'm also thinking of making the monthly donations to Manyulli, the little girl from Guatemala whom I sponsor, all at once, in case I can't afford it later. I don't want to have any worries other than my medical bills and the rent when the tough times come around again. I already know I likely will have to cancel my cell phone if things get bad enough, but God willing, they won't.

Soon I'll be making another book-related post, it's more than about time especially with all the reading I've been doing lately.

But more importantly, very soon I'll have some BIG stamp-related news for you all. And I mean HUGE. I can't tell you just yet --I can only promise you it's going to be really exciting, and it's coming soon! So please keep an eye on my humble little blog.

Before I go, I wanted to respond to some comments on my previous post:

Amy: Thank you for your suggestion! In the end this design was completely redrawn and the canvas removed altogether. You'll see when it's released. Ricky stayed the same in his farmer outfit.

Frarin: Thank you for the kind words about a personal favorite of mine. That was a difficult piece for me to color! And the character in question is Soraya, from Meganeea, the series of fantasy novels I'm writing. I'm glad you like her! :) And thank you so much for the link... I am so honored! Your scraproom is lovely, by the way. ♥

Melanie Rawlings: I'm happy to hear that they remind you of children's books, since my goal is to write and illustrate for children! If there is a design you would like me to do, please let me know in a comment.

-Marina

Some TGF Sneak Peeks!

2010-05-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I had new TGF sketches to show you. There have been plenty, I just didn't get around to uploading before I had to ink them. There's Toby getting a little creative, a little boy eating spaghetti and meatballs and Ricky dressed up as a farmer:

Hope you like these, and don't forget to tell me what you think of them. There should be more to come in the next few days, so stay tuned! :D

-Marina

Fair Souvenir and Wildlife Wonders Polar Bear

2010-04-13T10:46:00.000-04:00

Remember that I mentioned getting myself a souvenir at the Fair in my last post? I usually get souvenirs that are not Fair specific; just things that the random vendors there sell. Like pins --every year I buy at least one pin from The Pin Specialists:

I am very glad they keep coming to the Fair every year. This year I bought a Blondie stamp pin from them. I would have gotten more, but to my joy, this was the first year that the Fair itself had a huge booth dedicated solely to souvenirs from "The Miami-Dade County Fair." Everything from stuffed toys pens, hats and caps (one of which I needed, and bought) to less conventional things such as this beautiful pencil holder with a tile featuring a lovely fair-related painting:

Here is a close-up:

I am delighted with it; the colors look very good in my studio/bedroom, and I kind of needed a pencil holder anyway (okay, maybe not so much, but it's so damn pretty!!)

I've been taking more photos of my new Safari Ltd replicas. Here is my treasured Wildlife Wonders Polar Bear. Several shots, because I like her so much (can't help of thinking of it as a she... Probably because one of the characters in the Seekers series I am currently reading is a female polar bear called Kallik):

*Sniff Sniff*

Right side...

...left side.

Little by little I am taking more photos of everything that was in the big box from Safari Ltd so stay tuned.

This Friday I am off to the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens with my friend Crystal to take some toy photos. Looking forward to getting a couple of shots that are decent enough for the Laughing Giraffe photo competition. Now I'm off to work!

-Marina

Tourney of the Rose and The Fair

2010-04-12T00:49:00.000-04:00

Hi, everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend. I'm finally back home and looking forward to inking this month's TGF designs tomorrow!

So this past Saturday my boyfriend and I went to the Moose Lodge in Palm Beach Gardens, where the Tourney of the Rose was taking place. Thanks to a friend's kindness I had pretty garb to wear, which was nice. Plus Will was nice enough to buy me a belt on the spot, and I also had the pendant he got me at Gulf Wars to wear along with his token and all the little site tokens and other things I've collected since I started going to SCA events with him.

The thing I enjoyed the most at this event was taking photos. In fact, since I can't seem to become interested into any particular SCA craft or activity, I think this is what I will dedicate myself to: get a really nice camera and just go around taking pictures of everyone. I'm sure everyone will enjoy looking at them later and at least I feel that I am doing something helpful that isn't easy to screw up very badly.

This is my favorite of all the photos I took:

On Sunday, as planned, we went to the Miami Dade County Fair! It was SOO awesome. Every year I look forward to the Fair almost as much as to, oh, I don't know, Christmas. I love it! As soon as we went in we ate a couple of arepas, then I bought a hat and souvenir pencil holder and we asked one of the salesguys to take a photo of us together:

One of the best things in the entire day happened almost immediately after: they had a petting zoo! Full of goats and cows and other critters like zebras and giant tortoises and kangaroos, but most importantly... GOATS!

Many of you know I love goats, and if you didn't, well, now you do! Goats are one of my favorite critters along with deer, owls, squirrels and garden snails. That one up there totally loved a good scratch! They had little cups with sliced carrots for sale at $1.00 each, and I bought six. This is one of the photos Will took while I went around feeding these cuties:

Isn't that adorable?! It's so cute I can hardly stand it! I even submitted it to Cute Overload. First time I submit anything there. I hope it gets posted!

Another interesting thing was that they had a large display of dioramas made by schoolchildren, and I recognized a lot of Safari Ltd animal replicas in them. You can visit this thread in the Laughing Giraffe forum to see those photos; here is just one of them:

As you can see it was a very fun weekend for me, but very exhausting as well as expensive. I am looking at my bank account and can't figure out some of today's charges... One shows up as a very unhelpful "Miami" for all reference and I cannot remember what it was. At this point I am beginning to fear I got swindled on something, and when it happens on the last day of the Fair that is Bad News. Hopefully I will remember whatever it was.

Wishing you all a nice week,

-Marina

The package from Safari Ltd is here!! :D

2010-04-11T00:41:00.000-04:00

So! Thursday night, just as I am about to leave work, I get a call from my mom letting me know that there is a big (did I mention BIG?) box waiting for me at home:

I knew my Safari replicas had arrived!! :D I couldn't bike home fast enough to get to them.

*DRUMROLL PLEASE...*

★★ TA-DAAA~!! ★★

It was a really good haul. Below is just a part of it!

As much as I would like to, I can't post photos of all of them at the moment. Too many are still in their boxes and bags because I simply don't have the space to display them. What I hope to do is take them on outings to the park and such, one at a time, where I can take good photographs. Still, I would like to ~~brag~~ share a few of them with you:

Incredible Creatures Hamster

Such a cutie pie --the photo doesn't begin to do it justice.

Barnyard Buddies Boer Nanny Goat and Ewe

The goat looks as though it could come to life at any given moment!

Incredible Creatures Hamster and Mouse

Fairy Fantasies Ollie the Elf on Snail

Ollie is very cute but the snail is my favorite of the two.

Incredible Creatures Bald Eagle

Majestic!

Incredible Creatures White Lipped Snail

This little guy is so realistic! I just love snails.

Wild Safari Opposum With Babies

Incredible Creatures Prairie Dogs

Safari Farm Goose on Nest

Such a lovely pose and expression!

Incredible Creatures Flying Squirrel

This one impressed my mom; it's especially well done.

Bears at Discovery Rock Cave
My Black Bear Cub and Brown Bear now have a lair!

Speaking of collecting, recently I've come across a very interesting website via a link in the Laughing Giraffe forums (an online hangout for toy aficionados that I've been frequenting since my visit to Safari Ltd.) It's called Collectors' Quest and allows you to keep track of your collections, no matter what you collect. The website is still growing and changing, but it's definitely worth a look. My own profile is here.

I've had a fun but exhausting Saturday with my boyfriend at the Tourney of the Rose (an SCA event) where I took LOTS of photos. Tomorrow we are going to The Fair. I'm really looking forward to eating all those good fair foods, especially chocolate soft serve ice cream! And corn on the cob... arepas... candy apples... YUM!!!

Well, that's all for today. But I will be back during the week with more TGF sketches! Hopefully you will like them as much as you liked the last ones I posted.

Have a great Sunday!

-Marina

A ☆NEW☆ Critter, and more!

2010-04-06T22:25:00.000-04:00

Hello again! Big news today: I've got a brand new Critter Crew member to introduce to you! He will be featured in future designs for The Greeting Farm.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ MEET BETO THE KITTEN! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Beto is a chubby little cat, a little shy and little clumsy, but very sweet. I hope you like him!

But wait, there's more! Here are two more design drafts for your viewing pleasure. First, a pouting Toby:

And Ricky the Bunny merrily playing the flute. It's been a while since I drew Ricky, hasn't it?

This month I'm drawing a lot of music/dancing themed designs for Marie featuring the Critter Crew. Stay tuned to see more sketches throughout the week! :D

-Marina

My visit to Safari Ltd!

2010-04-06T11:11:00.000-04:00

Hello, everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was crazy fun, what with Paint Your Heart Out in Friday, seeing How to Train Your Dragon on Saturday (AWESOME movie, by the way!!) and then the Palm Beach Zoo on Sunday. Whew!

But that's not all --and this is going to be a photo-heavy post so I apologize in advance! (and just so you know, you can click on each individual photo to be taken to its Flickr page for more info.)

On April 1st I had the incredible, amazing, unbelievable luck of being invited quite suddenly to visit the Safari Ltd company. Safari Ltd manufactures some of the best animal replicas in the market --detailed, durable, with great attention to realism and lots of personality. I've always been an avid collector, lately adding new replicas to my collection on a more or less weekly basis. I also have a Squidoo lens and Flickr group dedicated to this hobby, so when company president Ramona Pariente kindly invited me to come visit on Monday, I was absolutely over the moon!

Here I am at the front desk. Below is what was the best part of the entire tour: the conference room! I had never seen so many animal replicas in one place; in fact, many I did not even know existed! I was left to my own devices in there for a good while and went all around the room, staring at everything open-mouthed for SO many times. They were all so beautiful!

I was even allowed to choose a whole bunch of replicas for myself. I didn't get to take them home yesterday (I'm sure that if they let every visitor raid their conference room displays it would be quite an annoyance to replace them, ha ha!) but they have my address, so I suppose they'll show up at my doorstep one of these days. I can't wait!! ♥

Vice-president of sales Alexandre Pariente took time out of his very busy schedule to give me a full tour of the premises (thanks again, Alex!) It was a wonderful experience. The warehouse was a fascinating place! I really wish I had taken more photos, but I guess I was just too distracted by everything around me... Anyway, at least I got a few! Below you can see quality control...

The first photo below shows the room where the posters and printed and laminated, and the second one is one of the dioramas Safari Ltd uses to display their replicas at toy trade shows:

Finally, here are a couple more shots of the warehouse:

This was truly a wonderful experience, though I'll admit to feeling just a little bit guilty that I got to go while so many other Safari Ltd enthusiasts that would love to visit don't get the chance. I hope that you enjoy looking at these photos and getting a glimpse of where all the magic takes place. =]

-Marina

Books and Wicked

2010-03-30T16:10:00.000-04:00

Lately I have been doing quite a bit of reading (what am I saying? "Lately?" I never really do stop reading.) Anyhow, a while back I picked up the first book of Erin Hunter's "Seekers" series about the journey of three bears (Kallik, a polar bear, Toklo, a grizzly bear, and Lusa, a black bear.) It has a writing style that for some reason I don't find very easy to follow. It isn't difficult, but from time to time it becomes uninteresting, and then my mind begins to wander. I do like the story and the characters, though, so I've gotten all four volumes that have come out so far. I am currently reading the fourth volume, "The Last Wilderness."

This has been an exciting month. My new Kinetic bike trainer came in the mail a couple of weeks ago, so I should be exercising a little more regularly now. That, and my mom gave me three books, completely by surprise. One I don't care much for; it's a picture book about Passover, and since I'm not Jewish, nor particularly interested in the writer or illustrator, I will most likely trade it for another on my next trip to the used book store. But the other two are swell, and just my kind of books. One is titled "The Crystal Prison" and written by Robin Jarvis; it is part of the Deptford Mice Trilogy. The other one is part of The Mistmantle Chronicles, titled "Urchin and the Heartstone" and written by M. I. McAllister. Both are the second volumes in each of these series, so I may get the first volumes before I begin to read them. They smell of Redwall ripoffs to me, especially the latter one, but I don't care. The writing in both books appeals to me no matter where I flip them open, while I find only the first book in the Redwall series at all interesting. And in any case I may be wrong.

Also on my reading list are "Beryl: A Pig's Tale" by Jane Simmons and "The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo. About how I picked up Despereaux, it's kind of funny. When I first came across the book, I was put off by the ragged-edge pages (a pet peeve of mine) and when I saw the trailers for the movie, I was not interested in the story. But just the other day, while browsing my favorite section at the bookstore, I noticed that it was written by the same person who wrote "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane", which I found absolutely charming. So I picked up Despereaux, ragged edges and all.

Ah, books. I am so happy to have a boyfriend who loves reading as much as I do (incidentally, my boyfriend is back from Louisiana --hooray!) It's so much fun to go to bookstores together, each of us getting lost in our favorite sections to find one another an hour or so later carrying our finds in our arms.

I also got to go with my mom, my friend Jennifer and my boyfriend's sister Kate to see Wicked. I waited for Wicked to come back to Miami for over a year, and all of my expectations were exceeded. I love my Wicked CD, and having listened to it countless times, I thought I would be disappointed when seeing it live, since it's never exactly the same, and they were not the same performers either. I was so nervous and excited as it started, fearing I would be disappointed! Then Glinda started to sing and her voice was so heartbreakingly beautiful that tears started rolling down my face almost immediately. I was just so happy.

I know it may sound like I am exaggerating but that was one of the happiest nights of my life. So of course it makes sense that I would spend $50.00 on a huge poster signed by the ENTIRE CAST!!!

Anyway! Next weekend is going to be great. This Friday my boyfriend is picking me up really early to go participate on a Paint Your Heart Out charity event. Never done something like that before, but it should be fun. Then, on Saturday, we're heading to IMAX to see "How to Train Your Dragon." I've got mixed feelings about that movie, because the trailer got me interested in the book by Cressida Cowell (which I loved) and I later found out that the movie respects its source material very little. It's still gotten rave reviews, so far anyway, but I'll just have to see for myself.

On Easter Sunday we hope to go to church and to the Palm Beach Zoo. And next weekend there's an SCA event aaand... THE FAIR!!! I love The Miami-Dade Fair and go every year, so I am really excited about going with my sweetie. But more than anything I am happy to hang out with him after not seeing him for three whole weekends. ♥

So yeah. Life is good right now.

-Marina

Laurie Digi, and a ☆NEW☆ Critter Crew set!

2010-03-30T14:30:00.000-04:00

Hello, everyone! Sorry I haven't posted for a couple of weeks, but I was busy inking all those sketches I shared with you throughout the past month.

Thanks to all of you for your votes on the poll. I loved receiving your feedback! I was a little surprised that the "Boy Lost First Tooth" was one of the most popular designs. But since he was, and someone requested it, I will make a matching "Girl Lost First Tooth" design next month.

Unfortunately I don't have any more TGF sketches to share with you today (those are coming very soon!) but you are still encouraged to give me your suggestions and requests --I NEED THEM! Then you will see your design ideas sketched here on the blog.

Also, since this little girl drinking a glass of milk was requested too (having first showed up on my blog's background image) she will also become a design for The Greeting Farm sometime in the near future:

Drink of Milk by =marinaneira on deviant ART

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ NEW LAURIE DIGI! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Don't forget to check out this week's DIGI GIVEAWAY at TGF! It's Laurie, by yours truly, holding a tray of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies:

I hope you like her! REMEMBER you must COMMENT on The Greeting Farm Blog (CLICK HERE) for a chance to win Laurie.

Also, coming this THURSDAY to The Greeting Farm shop:

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ "GET WELL" CRITTER CREW SET! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

You know, I love seeing everyone's cards, but I will admit that as much as I like all of them, I do have my favorites! This card by Mary Giles, featuring a poor sick Ricky being looked after by doting little Maggie, has the most wonderful color scheme, and I love the way in which Maggie's ears are sticking out:

Isn't it lovely? Be sure to drop by Mary's blog and say hello. Another one of my favorites is is card by Randi Wall, featuring Laurie tending to baby Toby, who has a little bump on his head:

This card's color scheme is so soft and original, so pleasing to the eye. I love it! You can visit Randi's blog by clicking here.

I really hope you like this set and enjoy using it to create your cards. I already have it (just one of the perks of being the artist, HO HO!) and I can tell you it is really well made as all TGF sets always are.

Well, that's about it for now. Please keep giving me your suggestions. I haven't had many more. So get on with it, people!

Hope you all have a WONDERFUL rest of the week! ♥

-Marina

Critters, and a poll!

2010-03-05T23:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, folks! Are you excited about the weekend? I know I am! I have a lot of fun planned, including a whole lot of inking, designing my new portfolio website, movie watching, card-making, hanging out with friends, going the Heat game on Saturday night, and spending some quality time with my boyfriend who's gonna be out of state for three weeks (not so happy about that, sigh!) But anyway, on to the stuff you actually care about: more TGF sketches!

It's been all kid designs this week so far, so I thought I should add at least a couple of critters to my monthly quota of stamp designs for The Greeting Farm. Here's Toby, who has gotten into a spot of trouble:

And Mother's Day may not be until May, but I thought I'd start making a few designs for this date in advance. Here's the first one, a Mama Chipmunk and her little boy gathering nuts and fruits:

And just one last kid design of a little girl ready to play tennis:

Hope you enjoy these when they are made available in the TGF shop! I look forward to creating more designs based on your suggestions and requests next month.

And don't forget to visit today's post at The Greeting Farm blog, introducing the NEW Critter Crew Design Team!

★ THE FAB FIVE! ★

Jami Bova

Mercy Kerin

Sandra MacLean

Heather Schlatter

Sparkle Smith

They will be using stamp designs featuring the critters designed by yours truly through the end of July. Be sure to drop by their blogs and congratulate them!

And now... your input is needed again, ladies! So vote below --I'll be sure to let Marie know which designs you're itching the most to get your crafty hands on!

Which of this week's designs would you like to see made into rubber? (You can choose more than one!)

Toothy!

2010-03-04T19:34:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone! Hope you've had a nice Thursday so far. As promised, I've got more TGF sketches to show you! But first, I would like to answer a few questions and address certain comments from the last couple of posts:

Joni: Thank you for your concern! ☺ There is no need to worry, though, as these are not the finished designs. They are only rough, low-res pencil sketches, that would print poorly. I certainly do watermark when I am posting inked designs (unless they are free digis, of course.) Thank you for your sweet words!

Sprytebyrd: There is actually a baking-themed stamp of Laurie that has yet to be released!

Kristyn: There is also a jumping-rope themed design of Penny, the little girl mouse, which I *think* hasn't been released yet either.

(The stamp designs I create for The Greeting Farm every month are released at a slow pace. There are, in fact, DOZENS ready and waiting to be released --including new critters you have yet to meet! Lots to be excited about.☺)

Normajean: All the kid design sketches you have seen so far have undergone Marie's approval. So I am sure they will show up on the store at some point in time, though I don't know which ones will be made into rubber and which ones will only be digis. Since the muddy boy with frog has proven popular among you gals, I've put a word in with Marie in hopes that he will be released as a rubber stamp. First, of course, I have to ink all of them!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ NOW FOR THE NEW SKETCHES! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Maylee suggested a boy who just lost his first tooth. I instantly fell in love with the idea!

Thanks for the inspiration, Maylee! Now then, this put me in a generally "toothy" mood, so here's one more: a little tooth showing some very good hygiene habits!

You can expect more tomorrow --including a brand new design featuring your favorite baby bear! (remember Toby?) Don't forget to let me know what you think and keep those design ideas and suggestions coming!

-Marina

Dress-Up Girl & Soccer Boy!

2010-03-03T19:46:00.000-05:00

Good evening, everyone! I have a couple more sketches for you, based on the suggestions I've received. But first... notice anything different? Yup, it's a ~BRAND NEW~ blog design! You see, my previous background was a scan from a funny animal comic from the 40's or thereabouts --it wasn't my own artwork. I was okay with that because this was my personal blog. But now that I am using it more for my illustration business, I think it's time it reflects what I do so that there is no confusion. When I have a chance I'll update my linking stamp/button to match this new theme.

Anyway, I hope you like this new look! It took me a few hours, but I am happy with the results.

Moving on! Jenn, Callie and Kristyn asked for a little girl playing dress-up with Mom's clothes, while Maylee suggested a boy playing soccer. I'm happy to oblige! ♥

Are you enjoying being a part of this creative process? I sure find it a lot of fun and hope even more people will get involved so I can create the kind of stamps you want to use to make your beautiful greeting cards. Let me know what you think of these kids and keep throwing ideas in my direction. I will be sketching all day tomorrow, so expect more surprises shortly!

-Marina

A Muddy Little Boy and other TGF Designs!

2010-03-03T01:04:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a nice Tuesday. Mine was spent sketching thanks to all the inspiration I received in the comments section of my previous post (and by the way, I tried to reply to everyone there, in case you didn't see it.)

I've got a couple more sketches of upcoming designs for The Greeting Farm that need to be cleaned up before I can post them here, but for now I have these three to show you. First, let me introduce this dirty little boy, who looks ready to trail mud into his mother's freshly mopped kitchen floor:

He's my favorite of these three new kids. =D Callie, I hope you like him! ;) I thought it would be cute to include a happy frog as you suggested.

Here are two more: a little girl whose egg has just hatched into a cute little chick, and a boy who isn't looking very happy. I am going to be playing with different expressions more in upcoming designs.

I look forward to your feedback in the comments section! And PLEASE keep the suggestions for new designs coming. ASK ME for what you WANT! =]

-Marina

★ ☆ Calling all TGF fans!! ★ ☆

2010-03-01T02:25:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone! Long time no post. I've got big news: from now on I will be asking for --and using!-- much more input from all of you, so I can create stamp designs that you REALLY like! You will also be getting little "sneak peeks" of sketches of upcoming TGF designs. So let's get the ball rolling! =D

So far you have only seen me create cute little animals for TGF's "CRITTER CREW" line. Now I want to take a shot at drawing some little boys and girls. Here are some sketches of the first designs of children that I created for The Greeting Farm in the past month:

Mind you, in the finished design, the little girl is holding a flowerpot. I'm still trying to find my own style when it comes to drawing kids, but what do you think so far? =]

Please tell me, in the comments, what would you like to see the children do? You know, poses, situations? What scenes, holidays, themes, etc. would you like me to tackle? Give me all your suggestions, and don't be afraid to be detailed! If I can use them, I will. And be sure to keep checking the blog --if your suggestion happened to inspire me, you may see it a sketch of it right here, even as soon as hours after you posted your comment!

I hope you will find this as exciting as I do. I'm looking forward to making you a part of the creative process of making new designs for The Greeting Farm!

-Marina

Happy New Year!

2009-12-29T01:38:00.000-05:00

Toby - Baby New Year

Card Crafted by Kadie Ensley

Hello, everyone! It has been an insane month for me, so I apologize for not linking to this sooner: the very talented Kadie Ensley is the first one to make a card using my Toby New Year freebie which you can get from The Greeting Farm or by clicking here. I was *SO* delighted when I saw it on the TGF blog! I think she did a fantastic job with the color scheme and all the little details.

Besides the revamping of my Etsy store which was mentioned in my previous post, I've also been extremely busy on deviantART, uploading lots of deviations, including the cards I made for friends, family and loved ones, mostly for Christmas but also a couple other occasions:

This was in addition to my monthly designs for TGF, of course, along with the rest of the craziness that come with the holidays. It was an out of the ordinary month for me when it came to socializing: busy as I was, I went to a bunch of Christmas parties (including one I hosted at home for a couple of good friends) had to do some out of the ordinary, fancy dress shopping for said parties, and had so much stuff to do and take care of all around that I hardly know how I did it all. December truly flew by!

This is my last post of the year. It wasn't a bad year for me at all, yet I leave it behind joyfully and full of excitement for what this New Year may bring. I hope it brings you everything your heart desires!

Wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Lucky 2010,

-Marina

43 THINGS: How to re-vamp my etsy store

2009-12-21T00:35:00.001-05:00

"I decided to start from scratch and change the products I offered entirely, switching from decorated canvas totes and wood panels to bookmarks."

How I did it: First I prepared my stock of laminated bookmarks, which between buying plenty of colorful tassels, lots of cute vintage cards and laminating the latter cost me roughly $80.00.

Cutting the excess lamination had to be done with a X-Acto knife to achieve the precision I wanted, and left my hands sore for many hours, but the result was worth it. The bookmarks came out so beautifully, that I kept many of them for myself!

Lessons & tips: I recommend patience and tenacity --especially when it comes to putting your finished product up on Etsy. When you accumulate a whole lot or are setting up a new store, uploading over 30 items can be grueling. But the end result should be worth it!

Resources: www.etsy.com

It took me 1 month.
It made me hopeful.

See more progress on: revamp my Etsy store.

Free New Year Digi!

2009-12-09T01:19:00.000-05:00

CLICK ME TO DOWNLOAD!

Hi everyone! Sorry I've taken so long to post this --it's been available for download at The Greeting Farm blog for a few days now. There are other things I've been wanting to share with you also, but this is just about the craziest month I've had in a long time!

Anyway, this baby bear's name is Toby, and I created him for Marie at TGF a short while ago. When it was time to choose a character for the freebie design I wanted to create, I thought it would be cute to do a "Baby New Year" sort of thing with him.

This digi is my token of thanks and appreciation to all of you --not just to the TGF Design Team, but to everyone who supports the Farm by purchasing their stamps-- for the warm welcome you gave me when I joined and the continued support you show us day after day. I hope you like Toby, and that you have fun designing your New Year's cards with him.

Cheers, everyone!

-Marina

The Land of Meganeea - Map Progress #2

2009-11-17T20:39:00.000-05:00

I've made a bit of progress on the map today --added a town, a lake, a river and forests. You can click on either image to see a bigger version. Everything is infinitely small, and still it looks too big to me. I'm gonna have to try to be less detailed. Even in the close-up below it's hard to spot the little town hidden among the trees, close to the river:

Nothing much to say today. I have the house to myself today because my mom went to the movies, so I'll use the opportunity to write without distractions. Not that my mom distracts me... Usually I get distracted because I want to talk to her! Ha ha...

-Marina

The Land of Meganeea - Map Progress #1

2009-11-17T00:13:00.000-05:00

Today I began to work on my first map of Meganeea. This will take a long time and even when finished it will be a kind of rough: I've thought of just a few places and landmarks I want Meganeea to have, and I will be placing those first, then creating the rest as I feel inspired, and use that finished map as a basis for drawing my own, pen-and-ink map in my usual style. It wouldn't feel right to use anything else in my books.

For those at all familiar with the story, the longer mountain range represents the Earth Dragon, and the tiny little tower on top of one of the mountains represents Davran's castle, where Soraya lives with Zad and his father. I recommend clicking on it to fully appreciate the detail. The scale is probably too big considering how vast a land Meganeea is supposed to be, but I will adjust that as I go.

The contour shapes representing mountainous areas are, too, guidelines. I have found it easier to add them in after I've placed the mountain symbols rather than before, so my method is to rough them in first, place the mountains over them, and then remove the contour shapes and redraw them to better fit my mountain ranges.

I will be adding updated versions of this map as I work on it. Stay tuned! :)

EDIT: Whoops, almost forgot to post about this. I've been adding some stuff to dA recently, and I love how this particular piece came out. Darla (along with her long-suffering, ill-humored goat Randa) is also a character from Meganeea, however she appears in one of the later books. This illustration, done in pen and ink, features them both. Just click on it for a bigger version:

Merry Stroll

by =marinaneira on deviantART

Okay, now I'm done. Happy Tuesday, everyone!

-Marina

My First Campaign Cartographer 3 Map

2009-11-15T22:29:00.000-05:00

(PLEASE CLICK ON MAP FOR A BIGGER VERSION)

So last week I found this really cool program by ProFantasy Software, and I can't believe I didn't know it existed until now. Campaign Cartographer 3 is a program used mostly (in my understanding) by role-playing gamers, you know, Game Masters, and such people who need to make maps of the worlds or dungeons from their role-playing games. However it is also used by authors wanting to map out the worlds they've created in their books, and you guessed it: that's exactly why I'm so excited about it!

If I can map out the world I created for Meganeea from one end to the other it will not only make my writing easier but I'm sure it'll inspire me a lot. It's bound to take a long time, and what I can do with CC3, without any add-ons, is just the beginning. Eventually I'll map out the most important towns and cities with the City Designer 3 add-on as well. I may even get the Dungeon Designer 3 add-on and design floor plans for the main castles, inns and other buildings in my books.

I created the simple map above by following an excellent, lengthy tutorial by CC3 user Joseph Sweeney. I did not stray much from his tutorial so there isn't much of my own creativity or imagination put into it. I'm waiting until I get a good hang of the program, which has a rather steep learning curve, before I start working on the maps of Meganeea.

In other news, I just got a new haircut --bangs for the first time in many years. I look very different, but I guess it suits me.

I'll be posting again tomorrow with links to (and a bit of commentary on) some of the latest pieces I've added to my deviantART page.

Hope you all had a nice weekend!

-Marina

More Little Monster Poses

2009-10-26T11:50:00.000-04:00

Five Little Horns - Poses

by =marinaneira on deviantART

Good morning, all! Here are a couple more poses of my yet-to-be-named little monster with five horns.

Today is off to a pretty good start! When I went to bed last night I got a sudden feeling like I was supposed to go to work today. So this morning, after I got up, I had to hurry to get everything done early just in case, while I waited for my boss to text me back and let me know whether I was needed today or not. Happily, it turned out I wasn't, which resulted in me having taken my shower, fed the cats, cleaned the litterbox, done the dishes and had lunch all by 11:00am.

Now I have the entire day ahead of me, to draw and practice my watercolors, and not a single other chore to do. I am delighted! I'm probably go and lie down for a bit right now since I didn't have a great night, not being sure whether I was really off today or not.

Something really strange happened to me as I was drifting to sleep last night, probably the product of stress and three cups of coffee in one day, one of those right before bed, too.

You see, it happened to me once before, after lying awake in bed for some time, that I began to have trouble swallowing. I was basically thinking about it too hard, suddenly wondered what would happen to me if I couldn't swallow anymore for some reason (crazy, I know) and wouldn't you know it, all of a sudden I couldn't swallow. The mind plays funny tricks. It was like I'd lost control of those muscles. Maybe I was half-asleep, who knows, but I sure as heck panicked. Eventually I could swallow again but it took a lot of concentration and for a few seconds I was sincerely frightened.

Well, last night something similar began to happen, only this time I was concerned with my breathing. Basically I began to worry about what would happen to me if I had that same experience as that time, but with my breathing rather than my swallowing. It didn't happen, but I had a hard time relaxing and falling asleep. These worries seem to assail me when I am stressed out, and make me wish I had someone next to me in bed that I could cling to for comfort. I can't wake up and bother my mother who gets up at 4:00am or so to go to work. So it's a little scary. I know my mind is only playing tricks on me and my body isn't going to forget how to swallow or breathe. But I am scared that my own stress could do something like that to me.

This reminds me of a couple of night terrors I had some years back. It was only twice, I think two nights in a row. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling the most pressing fear you can imagine. Think of what it would be like to suddenly feel all the fear that it was possible to feel, but without a real reason, and what's more, being aware that there is no reason for your fear, yet being unable to do anything to control it. Those times I did wake up my mother, who was very confused and never really woke up completely, so it wasn't much comfort.

Looking back, while I don't want to experience that again, I'm half glad I did. It's amazing what the mind can do, all by itself. To think that one could experience such abject terror with no logical reason is fascinating, don't you think?

Anyway, I'm off to draw, or paint, or work on my book, I don't even know yet. All I know is I should try to drink less coffee today --just in case!

-Marina

Five Little Horns

2009-10-24T13:30:00.000-04:00

Five Little Horns by

=marinaneira on deviantART

Hey everyone! Just wanted to share this little guy with you. All the "Wild Things" excitement made me want to create a little monster of my own. He doesn't have a name yet, but I love him so I'd like to use him for something interesting. Haven't decided what just yet.

I completed this month's batch of The Greeting Farm rubber stamp designs a few days ago, and they include some of my favorites to date. Too bad it will probably be a very long time before those are put up for sale! Only a tiny fraction of the work I've done is on the TGF shop right now, and I don't upload them to my deviantART until they are available there.

Last night I bought my first Halloween costume ever (a blue Star Trek uniform, boots and a phaser, ha ha) and tonight I am going to my first Halloween party. Wish me luck!

-Marina

Saturday Recap

2009-10-18T13:11:00.000-04:00

What a nice, cool morning we had today! I guess fall is finally here. I'm glad! It's my favorite season.

So I finally went to see Where The Wild Things Are yesterday. It was really good --visually stunning and very deep. I can't say I'd call it a kids' movie, though; and some adults may be put off by it. It's a strange movie. I know it was good, but I'm still processing it.

After the movie, as I had planned, I went and bought this adorable plushie of Carol. Now, the tag listed his name as Moishe, so I was confused. If you've wondered about this, there's more information here (well, sort of.)

I wanted to get the book too, and there was just one left on the window display before we went in to see the movie. Afterward, it was gone! And it was the last one too. But that's alright. I bet they will be on sale everywhere once the movie hype has gone down a bit. :)

It was a wonderful day, and I have a lot of inking to look forward to today and tomorrow. With that, this month's batch of TGF rubber stamps will be complete, and I may have a little time to practice watercoloring and to work on my book before the next one.

Next month, I think, I will finally go out and shop for a new wardrobe. I've been putting it off and it's about time. I need more dresses! It's been so long since I bought any.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

-Marina

Just Worn Out

2009-10-17T02:45:00.000-04:00

Hey, everyone. I've been crazy busy and just kind of a mess this last couple of days, hence the lack of posts.

For some reason I feel really sleepy and tired throughout the day, even though I have been sleeping properly. Yesterday morning I fell asleep three times while having my breakfast (as in, I suddenly started awake with half-chewed food in my mouth!) I slept as much as I could today and it made some difference...Maybe I'll perk up completely after I have my coffee.

I just read the first few reviews of Where the Wild Things Are, which I am going to see tomorrow. They weren't all raving, but I'm still excited to see it. I would like to buy a stuffed toy of Carol as well as the book itself the same day I see the movie.

Anyway, I'm off to take care of all my chores, go to the bank and ink rubber stamp designs for TGF the rest of the day. I'll probably post again on Sunday.

Enjoy your weekend!

-Marina

That's It!

2009-10-12T12:33:00.000-04:00

Ever since yesterday's post, in between drawing, writing and watching Star Trek, I researched, read and thought about my main character's motivation until I believed my brain had effectively melted. I fell asleep thinking about it, woke up thinking about it, had breakfast and made by bed thinking about it, and then sat down at my computer and began to research again.

I found the answer I was looking for in the comments of another blog, in a post about giving your characters motivation. Someone mentioned a character from a book I've never heard of as an example of a character with no motivation, and the blog author pointed out that that character's motivation was to find his purpose. And boy, did that hit me like a ton of bricks!

Of course that is what my main character is looking for. She has another, unrelated motivation at the very beginning of the story, which she soon loses, and at that point she finds herself with no purpose. The rest of the book is her discovering her purpose, then running away from it (literally) then actively chasing it even though she fears it, and finally coming to terms with it at the end. Now that I realize this is her motivation, I can see that it moves everything else in the plot--only when she finds her purpose and embraces it can the story end. It also makes sense now that she is the only character in the entire book who doesn't have anything she obviously wants!

I'm going to keep rewriting while keeping this in mind. What a great way to start my day!

-Marina

My Brain is Melting

2009-10-11T17:29:00.000-04:00

I have a bad case of Writer's Block. My book is well over halfway done, but I see many problems with the beginning of the story, and my main character has no motivation. Is it okay, I wonder, to simply throw stuff at a character and have her reactions move the story forward even if she doesn't have something she wants "more than anything in the world"? I've heard this is required when creating any character, and I wonder if it's the kind of rule than can't ever be broken, or if it can at least take a little bending.

The things my protagonist wants change depending what I throw at her. And yet all the other characters in the book DO have things they want badly --every one of them! Why can't I think of what she wants? Arrgh.

Maybe I should join a critique group. But the one time I did that, I was so shy that not only I couldn't read my book out loud, but I did not dare give my opinion to anyone either. I went once and came home feeling miserable and embarrassed.

Right now I feel as though nothing could help me as much as the opinion of more experienced people --that and some writing classes. I'm currently trying to find out if there are any colleges that have writing classes open to the public. I'm willing to invest my time and money to learn if only I can find someone to teach me, so you know of any creative writing classes or workshops in the South Florida area, please let me know!

Ah, well. As frustrated as I am with the difficulties of writing, I still love it. It's a challenge, and I'll learn how to overcome these bumps as I go along.

Okay, I better get back to inking those TGF designs if I want to be done with this month's batch of stamps by the end of the week...

-Marina

What a delightful surprise from Kadie!!

2009-10-09T19:28:00.000-04:00

I just HAD to write an extra post today! When I got home from work, there by my computer my mom had left today's mail for me. There was a little envelope, and when I opened it, just look at what I found inside!

I was so pleasantly surprised to find this gorgeous little card so nicely crafted by Kadie, featuring Maggie The Bunny! Maggie as you know is one of the characters I created for The Greeting Farm.

I am always in admiration of the cards you talented girls make, so to hold one in my hand, and such a pretty one too, makes me happy beyond words! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Kadie! I've placed your card in a memory box that hangs on the wall of my studio, so everyone can see it. ♥

Sorry for the blurry scan! I'm afraid our digital camera died right after the Orlando trip. :P

-Marina

Happy Friday!

2009-10-09T11:16:00.000-04:00

Snail Weather by

=marinaneira on deviantART

Hello everyone, and a very happy Friday to you all! I'm feeling better today. Got all my chores out of the way so as soon as I get home from work this evening I can begin to tackle the second half of this month's batch of rubber stamp designs for The Greeting Farm. (Speaking of which, all the stamps that were released on October 1st have been uploaded to my deviantART and added to a new gallery, along with the piece you see above.)

I've also started writing again, thanks to the wonderful little laptop my boss gave me. I'm trying to revise what I have written so far. Some time ago, a friend told me that I use way too much passive voice. I was kind of upset at the time because I loved the sound of passive voice and didn't know it could be abused so easily! Well, a couple of days ago I sat with my manuscript and a little book of grammar, and soon realized with much horror that I use passive voice almost exclusively. It's terrible! Ha ha... So now I want to take some writing classes, but I can't find any in my area. Anyway, I'm sure I will manage somehow!

The other day I heard a writer say on the radio that perhaps one could not write an entire novel, but one could certainly write one page a day, and that by thinking in this manner he had finished and published eight books to date. I found that inspiring and will try to do the same: one page per day, even if I feel like I hate my manuscript that particular day.

Be sure to drop by Jessica's blog today and let her know what you think of this wonderful little card she made featuring Laurie The Skunk, one of the characters I created for TGF. Isn't the flocking she gave to Laurie's coat precious!

That's it for today but expect to hear again from me this weekend. Enjoy the rest of your day!

-Marina

Back From Orlando

2009-10-08T02:28:00.000-04:00

I arrived from Orlando a couple of days ago, and I am having a surprisingly difficult time adjusting to my usual routine, as much as I missed it. I had an alright time --let's just say I didn't choose the best time of the month to take a trip, and was very moody and sore all three days.

To tell the truth, I did not feel like going at all, and wished I were home many times during the three days we spent there, but there was no helping it, the reservations had already been made. I do regret spending so much money to go to the frickin' "Happiest Place on Earth" and then pass the time brooding. If we had gone one week later it would have been very different. It only makes me want to go back again all the more, when I'm my usual cheerful self. Hopefully we will get to do that soon.

It was fun looking for gifts for my friends, and of course I bought a lot of junk for myself --a whole lot of postcards, the tank top I'm wearing in the photo, an I Love Lucy keychain, a Chilly Willy stuffed toy and a few Disney and Universal pins as well a sleek album to put them in among other things. So it wasn't so bad, but I felt bad for not being better company for my mom.

Something is heavy on my mind since our return, and that is the health of my beloved, overweight, ten-year-old cat, Stimpy. I noticed he was limping slightly the morning of our departure, and tried to forget about it when my mom insisted I was imagining things in my worry to leave our pets alone for three days (our landord took care of them while we were away.) I was quite successful at forgetting the incident entirely, and did not give it any more thought until we got back late Sunday night. Then Stimpy's limp was evident to my mother as well, and you can only imagine my guilt, as much for leaving him alone as for forgetting that he was in pain in the first place.

The vet saw Stimpy on Tuesday, gave him a couple of shots for the pain and ran a blood test on him to rule out diabetes. Apparently, it is arthritis. We will have to wait a few days to see how he reacts to the medicine he gave us to sprinkle on his food. He is taking it with no problems but the limp has not subsided. I am worried and heartbroken to see him like this. That may be what is making it harder to concentrate on anything else --but I can only pray that, if he cannot be cured, at least his pain can be lessened enough to make him comfortable.

I am slowly getting back to inking, so keep an eye on my blog the next couple of days if you want to see what I've been working on.

-Marina

A New Writing Station

2009-10-01T19:37:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago I was fortunate enough to get a hand-me-down laptop from my boss. It's old and heats up quickly, but it's also very fast, especially after being reformatted. I won't hook it up to the Internet. Rather, I will use it solely for writing. I think it's high time I got back to work on my stories, and all the children's books I've been buying lately have me bursting with inspiration.

One of the nicest, biggest, most colorful gems I found is Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever! and in excellent shape, too, other than a bit of scuffing on the corners. So I scanned an illustration for it and used it as the wallpaper on my "new" laptop, as you can see on the photo above. :)

It's a crazy night --packing and getting everything ready to go to Disney and Universal. Woohoo! I've been to Magic Kingdom once before, but I was only there for six hours. It took us just about as long to get there (by bus!) as the time we spent at the park itself. So, we did not enjoy ourselves as much as we might have liked.

This time, we're staying two nights. Needless to say, I am very excited! XD I hope to take lots of pictures and buy some books and toys, too (no matter where I go, I have to buy books and toys... sigh.)

I won't be be able to update until Monday, but I should have lots to tell! Maybe I'll get some ideas for new TGF stamp designs, too.

Well, I'm off! Have a great weekend, everyone!

-Marina

Laurie, Marlene, Maggie and others now available at TGF!

2009-10-01T01:48:00.000-04:00

Laurie

Today is a VERY special day! I've created a large number of rubber stamps for The Greeting Farm in the past couple of months, but today the first three rubberized designs --Maggie, Marlene and Laurie-- along with a few holiday digis are finally being released and put up for sale in the shop. It's so exciting!!

I did my very best to create adorable characters and draw them in situations and poses that are cute and fun to color. I hope everyone will enjoy them! More than anything I look forward to seeing the beautiful cards folks will create --though I must say TGF's talented Design Team has already blown me away!

Everyone at The Greeting Farm has given me such a friendly, warm welcome. I am very happy and grateful for this. Of course if you have any particular animals that you'd like to see me draw, or if you want certain characters doing certain things, feel free to make suggestions, and I'll see what I can do. I can't guarantee the design you want will get made, but if it's an idea that sounds fun for me to draw, I'll sketch it up and pass it on to Marie. Just let me know in a comment, or shoot me an email!

Hope these new stamps bring you as much pleasure as I had in designing them. ♥

-Marina

My Artwork

2009-09-30T22:55:00.041-04:00

As you may or may not know, I am a freelance illustrator. Drawing (and writing) is my hobby and my passion! In the past I've worked for The Greeting Farm, Motivet, All That Scraps and Tickled Pink Stamps, creating characters and rubber stamp designs featuring them. I now have my own rubber stamp company, The Stamping Bazaar, but I am always open to new projects (including rubber stamp designs for other companies) so if you think my style fits your needs, don't hesitate to drop me a line!

My Latest Work

Below you can see a few samples of my artwork. This slideshow shows a selection of my latest work --rollover any image to see more information, or to view the slideshow in snazzy full-screen. ;)

Some of my Personal Favorites

These images all belong to Meganeea, a series of fantasy novels for children on which I have been working on since I was a child myself. It is my most important project, and you can learn more about it here.

Clicking on any thumbnail will take you to that illustration's page on my deviantART page.

...and the images below are related to my webcomic Paleo, about a little alien child who crashes her spaceship on pre-historic Earth:

I have more artwork available for viewing on my professional portfolio, and over two hundred illustrations on my deviantART page, which you can visit by clicking here. If you drop by and have an account there, feel free to leave a little comment to say hello! :)

-Marina

A New Blog

2009-09-29T20:18:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a few months since I last blogged, and a much longer time since I last had a Blogger blog. So I guess I'm back, if for no better reason than it's been a while and I want a place for my random thoughts (other than Facebook) once again.

...

Mmmyep.

-Marina