Ahh.... Thursdays off... I think I Love it!!

So, with school starting up I have the good fortune of taking Thursdays off wooty woot!  This mainly because I will need to be dropping off and picking up from Kindergarten and 3rd Grade, as well as take care of my 13 month little princess.

Nap time is a wonderful time to sit down and crank out some painting!

I did a bunch of work on my Epic Doomshaper.  Love the rules... hated the goofy looking pose of his fig.  So I took some liberties and repositioned his arms... now the goofy looking fig looks freakin rad!  Looks like he's ready to go all Bruce Lee on some ones A---errrr... Butt! ;-)

Anyhow I am probably 95% finished with this guy, just thought I'd throw him up here for ya'll to look at.

Oh, and don't worry I got plenty done on my Beastman as well... I'll be finishing him up and posting my final on him tomorrow.

Anywho, enough with the talk...

 

 Well there he is... I'll get him finished here this weekend Im sure.  Ill post him up ASAP.

Thanks for watching!

-Grim

Glory to the Herd... Part 3

Alright, had a bit of time to do some more work on this crazy dude.  I have completed the flesh and started on the fur and the hair, slapped a basecoat on his axe haft as well.

With the flesh I started with Rackham Tanned Flesh, I diluted it down with water and some VMC thinner medium. It was diluted almost to wash consistency... just a smidge thicker, this only tinted the model.  I followed up with a GW Gryphonne sepia wash.  I came back and highlighted with some GW Tallarn Flesh mixed with the Rackham Tanned flesh... I really don't know the exact mixture... I just kind of plop a drop or two of each color on my wet pallette then I mix 'em together till I get about what I think I need.  (Sorry for the vagueness here :( )  I applied the highlight mix to the top portions of the muscles.  After this application I washed with a bit of GW Asurmen Blue.  After the Asurmen Blue wash dried I mixed some Rackham Ephren Blue with the highlight mixture, watered it down a bit and highlighted again with this mixture.  I then washed again with GW Gryphonne sepia.  After which I introduced some Rackham Red into the initial highlight mix.  ( A tangent here, I use a drop of this Rackham Red in every flesh tone I create in order to get the redish tint to the the faces of all of my models... very useful pot that one :) ) I applied the redish mix to the cheekbones the nose and mouth area of the figure.  Followed up with a thinned down wash of Rackham Ephren Blue, GW Tallarn Flesh, and Rackham Red, essentially a purple wash.  After which I highlighted again with the tallarn flesh mixture and a little bit of Andrea Color White Paint set pot number 2.
I really hope you understand what is going on here... I may have to do a step by step tutorial of this sometime if there is enough interest.

Here are the pics:

 

Thanks for watching and stay tuned for more!!

-Grim

Quotes that inspire me

Work in progress.

1. "What you’ve been through, and what you still carry, has made you into who you are. And for better or worse it’s you, man." - Shawna Howson
2. "I don't care if the world or anyone in it tries to drag me down. Because I know that in the end, they will be the ones left tired from  the struggle to hold me back." - Hayley Williams
3. "If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person." - Fred Rogers
4. "The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. Because it's only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies, that last. Stone crumbles. Wood rots. People, well, they die, but thing as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on forever." - Chuck Palahniuk
5. "You can choose to blame your circumstances on fate, or bad luck, or bad choices, or you can fight back. Things aren’t always gonna be fair in the real world, that’s just the way it is. But for the most part you get what you give. Let me ask you all a question; what’s worse, not getting everything you wished for or getting it all and finding out it’s not enough? The rest of your life is being shaped right now with the dreams you chase, the choices you make, and the person you decide to be. The rest of your life is a long time and the rest of your life starts right now." - 'One Tree Hill'
6. "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." - Mary Anne Radmacher
7. "Be brave and fearless to know that even if you do make a wrong decision, you're making it for a good reason" - Adele
8. "Your good intentions mean absolutely nothing. So you want to make better choices? Then make better choices. Smarten up and change if it’s that important to you." - Shawna Howson
9. "It's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you." - 'Batman Begins'
10. "To anyone that ever told you that you're no good... they're no better." - Hayley Williams
11. “Sometimes, the truth isn’t good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes, people deserve to have their faith rewarded.” - 'The Dark Knight'
12. "Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” - 'One Tree Hill'
13. "The first step - especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money - the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. To model and demonstrate the kind of world you demand to live in. To write the books. Make the music. Shoot the films. Paint the art." - Chuck Palahniuk
14. “ I know that when you're a teenager — sometimes when you're an adult — what sets you apart can sometimes feel like a burden and it's not. A lot of the time, it's what makes you great. ” - Emma Stone
15. "Do one positive thing each day to get yourself closer to the person you want to be" - Hayley Williams
16. "If you're not willing to risk it all then you don't want it bad enough." - unknown
17. "Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?" - 'What a Girl Wants'
18. "Things won't start your life for you. I'm learning that. You have have to start your life for yourself." - Hayley Williams
19. "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off''
20. "You can't live your life for other people. You've got to do what's right for you, even if it hurts some people you love" - 'The Notebook'
21. "Some people can never believe in themselves, until someone believes in them." - 'Good Will Hunting'
22. "People are gonna label you. Its how you over come those labels, that’s what matters.” - 'One Tree Hill'
23. "When we think we know people inside out and we think we know what's best for them we should try to remember we don't even know what's best for ourselves." - Hayley Williams
24. "We are who we choose to be" - 'Green Goblin'
25. "Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want." - '10 Things I Hate About You'
26. "A life without love is no life at all" - 'Ever After: A Cinderella Story'
27. "The brave do not live forever but the cautious do not live at all." - 'The Princess Diaries'
28. "You are your own torch carrier. Don't let anyone steal your light." - Hayley Williams
29. "We walk away from our dreams afraid we may fail, or worse yet, afraid we may succeed." - 'Finding Forrester'
30. “Happiness comes in many forms. In the company of good friends. In the feeling you get when you make someone else’s dreams come true. Or in the promise of hope renewed. It’s okay to let yourself be happy, because you never know how fleeting that happiness might be.” - 'One Tree Hill'
31. "When writing the story of your life, don't let anyone else hold the pen" - Unknown
32. “Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand.” - Hayley Williams
33. "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do" - John Wooden
34. "Everybody does stupid things, it shouldn't cost them everything they want in life." - 'House'
35. "That's how life can be. Any struggle or pain you experience just gets to the top. And you can't get there without making the climb. A few years later, you won't remember exactly the way the pain felt or how long it took. You'll just remember the view from the top. In fact, you might smile at the fact you had to work to get there" - Hayley Williams
36. "Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things." - Ray Bradbury
37. "Don’t judge. Don’t stay inside all the time. Get out and let somebody know who you are." - Hayley Williams
38. “If you had a friend, you knew you’d need never see again - what would you say? If You Could do one last thing for Someone you love. What would it be? Say it. Do it. Don’t wait. Nothing lasts forever.” - 'One Tree Hill'
39. "You are gorgeous. and honestly, whether you are super thin or bigger than most... you could lose weight, gain weight or stay the same forever and you know what wouldn't change? Your heart. It will always be what makes you even more beautiful." - Hayley Williams
40. "The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." - Elbert Hubbard
41. When you’re at the lowest you can possibly go, it’s kind of freeing. Because the very worst thing that could possibly happen has happened, so what is there left to be afraid of? You won’t be happy forever, but you won’t be sad forever. You know, it’s like a tipping point.” - Florence Welch
42. “Our job is to love people. When it hurts. When it’s awkward. When it’s uncool and embarrassing. Our job is to stand together, to carry the burdens of one another and to meet each other in our questions.” - Jamie Tworkowski
43. "There’s no need for drama and hate, y’all. Let’s love each other! We’re all human, right?" - Taylor York
44. "You don't need courage to live fully. I mean, to an extent I guess you do... but really it's just about even opening up your mind enough to accept that behind someone's shell is an entire being. A whole lifetime of stories. Experiences that shaped that person. I think I just lived a few good long years feeling like I was closing out the world and when I finally quit trying to fit into one mold and quit living in a bubble, I realized how much I was missing out on. I don't mean that there was all this fun to be had as in some new crazy lifestyle... but like, people and stories and wisdom... that sort of thing" - Hayley Williams
45. “I feel like people get lost when they think happiness as a destination. We always think that someday we’ll be happy. When we get that car or that job or that person in our lives who will fix everything. But happiness is a mood and it’s a condition, not a destination. It’s like being tired or hungry. It’s not permanent. It comes and goes and that’s okay. And if people would think that way, they’d find happiness more often.” - 'One Tree Hill'
46. "When you reach the end of your life - trust me, you won't look back and savor the moments you spent alone." - Chuck Palahniuk
47. "Everything will work out! There's a purpose for everything, good or bad." - Taylor York
48. "Be aware of your power. We have the choice to live positively or in our own destruction.” - Hayley Williams
49. "You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it" 
50. "Its all about your mindset. Like if you want to be miserable you can  absolutely be miserable. Or if you kind of just want to point out the  good things then you can make the best of it." - Taylor York
51. "If you’re feeling alone, know that the world can be a lonely place but it would be lonelier without you in it." - Hayley Williams
52. "One day, you'll be just a memory for some people. Do your best to be a good one" - Unknown
53. "Please know there are much better things in life than being lonely or liked or bitter or mean or self-conscious. We are all full of shit. Go love someone just because. I know your heart may be badly bruised, or even the victim to numerous knifings, but it will always heal, even if you don't want it to keep going. There are the most fantastic, beautiful things and people out there, I promise. It is up to you to find them." - Chuck Palahnuik
54. "There is something beautiful about all scars of whatever nature. A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed and healed, done with." - Harry Crews
55. "There’s so many people in the music business or even in general who will tell you that you can’t do this or that just because you haven’t already had success but I feel like anyone can do anything they put their mind to as long as they stay devoted and stay passionate." - Jeremy Davis
56. I don't think things should be weighed on finance. If I'm doing what I love and am making enough to live then I am happy. If I make more than what I need, I am ecstatic. Go where your passions take you, my friend. Don't worry about the end result. Work hard, do well, make enough to eat  - Shawna Howson
57. There comes a time when every life goes off course. In this desperate moment you must choose your direction. Will you fight to stay on the path while others tell you who you are? Or will you label yourself? Will you be honored by your choice? Or will you embrace your new path? Each morning you choose to move forward or to simply give up. - 'One Tree Hill'
58. "The night is coming to an end. The sun will rise, and we will try again" - 'Truce'
59. "Don’t let someone steal your tenderness. Don’t allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart. Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to truly be affected by things. Whether it’s a song, a stranger, a mountain, a rain drop, a tea kettle, an article, a sentence, a footstep…feel it all – look around you. All of this is for you. Take it and have gratitude. Give it and feel love.” - Zooey Deschanel
60. "Did you ever look at a picture of yourself and see a stranger in the background? It makes you wonder how many people have pictures of you, how many moments of other people's lives we've been in. Were we part of someone's life when their dream came true, or were we there when their dreams died? Did we keep trying to get in, as if we were somehow destined to be there? Or did the shot take us by surprise? Just think, you could be a big part of someone else's life, and not even know it... "  - 'One Tree Hill'
61. "Do you ever wonder if we make the moments in our lives? or if the moments in our lives make us?" - 'One Tree Hill'
62. “It's not always easy to do the right thing. But, doing the right thing makes you strong, it builds character, it forces you to make decisions based upon your beliefs and not what other people think." - Queen Latifah
63. "Sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can fall together." - Marilyn Monroe
64. "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." - C.S. Lewis
65. "Memories are what make up our human lives. The experiences we can take with us and the people we hold in our minds can shape us." - Hayley Williams
66. "Your illness is the negativity within you. Turn negative energy into positive energy. Your persona becomes the positivity within you." - Audrey Kitching
67. "We often forge the bonds of our llives from the scraps of one that were broken" - Jamie George
68. "You are confined only by the walls you build yourself" - Andrew Murphy
69. "You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage - pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically - to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside. The enemy of the ‘best’ is often the ‘good.’" - Stephen R Covey
70. "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." - C.S. Lewis
71. "Love people, not things. Use things, not people." - Hayley Williams
72. "There’s nothing romantic about death. Grief is like the ocean. It’s deep and dark and bigger than all of us". - 'One Tree Hill'
73. "There is a voice inside of you that whispers all day long,"I feel this is right for me,I know that this is wrong." No teacher, preacher, parent, friend or wise man can decide what's right for you--just listen to the voice that speaks inside.” - Shel Silverstein
74. "If I was a good friend I could right this wrong. I'd kick away your crutches and make you walk on your own" - 'Chaos and Piss' by Pink
75. "I don't wanna be flawless, When I go I want the cuts to show" - 'Timebomb' by Pink
76. "Everyone starts off as a kid without a clue. Why not be someone who does something about it? Become someone. Some day kids somewhere might wonder if you ever felt small like them. And the ones who realize you did might become something better because of it." - Shawna Howson
77. "The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt" - Sylvia Plath
78. "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted." - Andy Pausch 
79. "I'd rather be a comma than a full-stop" - 'Every Teardrop is a Waterfall'
80. "Sanity is not statistical." - '1984'
81. "All that is waiting for you won't come any closer you've got to reach a little more" - 'Careful'
82. "Be unforgettable." - Hayley Williams
83. "Nothing's going to stand in my way, 'cause I'm not done, even if the sun sets I will start a fire to change your mind." - 'Crystal Clear' by Young Guns
84. "My horizon lies a jagged line, I can clearly see the mountains that I've yet to climb, I'll get there if it kills me." - 'Weight of the World' by Young Guns
85. "A scar is just a mark, not a burden but a start of something new." - 'Crystal Clear' by Young Guns
86. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Gandhi
87. "Want to be one of a kind? Be yourself." - Hayley Williams
88. "Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The key word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for." - Ray Bradbury
89. "Don't be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try." - Michael Jordan
90. "What's more important? What we become or how we become it?" - 'One Tree Hill'
91. "We can be our own knights in shining armour. We can be our own damn horse." - Sophia Bush
92. "We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are." - Anais Nin
93. "Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything, it is because we are dangerously close to wanting nothing." - Sylvia Plath
94. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." - Marin Luther King Jr.
95. "Just because I'm hurting doesn't mean I'm hurt." - 'Lost'
96. "You don't need anyone's permission to be exactly who you want to be."
97. "Love yourself as best you can" - Hayley Williams
98. "What I have done is not who I will be." - 'One Tree Hill'
99. "Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss in life is what dies inside us while we live." - Norman Cousins
100. "Our scars remind us that the past is real." - 'Scars'
101. "One of the scariest moments in life is when you come to the realisation that the only person that can save you is yourself." - Demi Lovato
102. "Let's believe that if we all stand together, we're a force that can shake the whole world." - 'This is The House That Doubt Built'
103. "Don't let pain define you. I do that a lot... but we can fight it all together. That's what I love about us and our fans. we fight together." - Hayley Williams
104. "I can't control my destiny. I trust my soul." - 'Another Day'
105. "Life is a huge opportunity to interact with people totally different than you and find out you have even one thing in common." - Hayley Williams
106. "I guess I'm learning that you can't prove to anyone who you are, you just have to be it."
107. “She believed in dreams, all right, but she also believed in doing something about them. When Prince Charming didn’t come along, she went over to the palace and got him” - Walt Disney on Cinderella
108. "If you give up, you'll get what you deserve" - 'For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic'
109. "No-one is worth you hurting yourself." 
110. "If love isn't the foundation then things will fall. For even if they stand, they mean nothing." - Pink
111. "There was never a good war or a bad peace." - Benjamin Franklin
112. "Always use humour as your therapy." - 'Stand Up'
113. "Perception is real, even when it is not reality." - Edward De Bono
114. "Life is way too extraordinary to be ungrateful." - Mindy White
115. "What we see depends mainly on what we look for." - John Lubbock
116. "Were you born to resist or be abused?" - 'Best of You'
117. "Your past is just a story. And once you realise this, it has no power over you." - Chuck Palahniuk
118. "Maybe I'm not perfect, at least I'm working on it." - 'Hello Cold World'
119. "I want to be important by being different." - Sylvia Plath
120. "Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars." - 'Who You Are'
121. "You are important, you have a story to tell, and we are on your side." - Hayley Williams
122. "You've hit your one wall, now find a way around." - 'For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic'
123. "To me mood is the equivalent of weather. Weather is real. That’s the important thing to remember about weather. It is absolutely real. When it rains it rains. It is wet. You get wet. There is no question about it. It’s also true about weather that you can’t control it. You can’t say if I wish hard enough it won’t rain and it’s equally true that if the weather is bad one day it will get better." - Stephen Fry
124. "Negativity destroys more souls than wars, plagues and earthquakes. Don't let it destroy you." - Philip Arnold
125. "Don't feel discouraged. Being who you are is all about not knowing who you are. But I think sometimes it can be just as important to know who you aren't!" - Hayley Williams
126. "Be a voice for the voiceless y'all. This world needs more love and hope!" - Taylor York
127. "We are not our losses. We are only the extent to which we love" - 'The Castle Builders'
128. "It's what you do right now that makes a difference" - 'Black Hawk Down'
129. "We're broken but still breathing, we are wounded but we are healing" - Hairline Fracture'
130. "You've got to jump off the cliff all the time and build your wings on the way down." - Ray Bradbury
131. "The Universe has shouted itself alive. We are one of the shouts." - Ray Bradbury
132. "The best gift you can give yourself is an open mind." - Hayley Williams
133. "Nobody gets to name you. You are not forgettable. You are not replaceable. You are not your pain. You are sacred and special and alive." -  Jamie Tworkowski
134. "Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." - 'Batman begins'
135. "You are alive tonight for a reason. You were created to love and to be loved. You were not meant to be alone. You are not alone. You were meant to do life with other people. You need people who know you. You need to know people. Your voice matters. We are certainly strong. But we are also certainly fragile." -  Jamie Tworkowski
136. "Some cause happiness wherever they go some whenever they go" - Oscar Wilde
137. "Even if the whole world's forgot, try hard to remember" - Emeli Sande
138. "To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong" - Joseph Chilton Pearce
139. " I know these will all be stories someday. And our pictures will become old photographs. We’ll all become somebody’s mom or dad. But right now these moments are not stories. This is happening, I am here and [...] I can see it. This one moment when you know you’re not a sad story. You are alive." - 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'
140. "It isn't what we say or think that defines us but what we do" - 'Sense and Sensibility'
141. "Life is hills and valleys. As low as you feel, you will have triumphs in your life that far outweigh the trials" - Hayley Williams
142. "Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." - Buddha
143. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace" - Jimi Hendrix
144. "I don't stop when I'm tired. I only stop when I'm done" - Marilyn Monroe
145. “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars" - Martin Luther King Jr.
146. "If you never fail, you never have any opportunities for growth. Welcome failure because you'll become a stronger person in the end" - Lindsey Smith
147. "Believe your voice can mean something" - 'Futures'
148. "Life is like photography, we develop from the negatives" 
149. "Every day is a chance to change the story" - 'I Was Born, I Have Lived, I Will Surely Die'
150. "It can be easy to forget that we all have a story worth reading. We're all significant and precious. Whether the world knows your name, or you fade out of existence without ever having your story told, no-one is more or less important to God than you." - Kyle Rictor
151. "No one can be you as good as you can" - Hayley Williams
152. "Most of us idolise all the wrong people, and barely glance at the true life-changers" - Mindy White
153. "Yes, terrible things happen, but sometimes those terrible things - they save you." - Chuck Palahniuk
154. "If you aren't happy being single, you'll never be happy in a relationship. Get your own life first, then share it."
155. "I don't think anyone loses by trying to be loyal to their dreams." - Hayley Williams
156. "Life is not about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself" - George Bernard Shaw 
157. "Do what you do because you love to do it. Not for anyone else or any impression. Life shouldn't have to be a chore" - Tay Jardine
158. "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted" - 'The Lion and the Mouse'
159. "Get out there, take risks, work your butt off, but never get so caught up in your dreams that you turn into something that you're not." - Mindy White
160. "There is no certainty of what will or won't be in our lives. All we have is this moment. The last is gone, the next isn't here yet." - Curt Mega
161. "When you start to beat yourself up, remind yourself of how worthy you are of love." - Demi Lovato
162. "What's love got to do with it if you don't love yourself?" - Emeli Sande
163. "Never let success get to your head, never let failure get to your heart." - Curt Mega
164. "Tie a noose around your mind, loose enough to breath fine and tie it to a tree, tell it, "You belong to me, this ain't a noose, this is a leash and I have news for you, you must obey me"." - 'Holding Onto You'
165. "I am strong, because I've been weak. I am fearless, because I've been afraid. I am wise, because I've been foolish" - unknown
166. "Write hard and clear about what hurts." - Ernest Hemingway
167. "If you’re gonna put your faith in something, then it better shape who you are and what people see in you." - Hayley Williams
168. "Sometimes you have to step outside of the person you’ve been and remember the person you were meant to be — the person you wanted to be — the person you are.” - 'One Tree Hill'
169. "Behind my eyelids are islands of violence. My mind’s shipwrecked. This is the only land my mind could find. I did not know it was such a violent island, full of tidal waves, suicidal crazed lions. They’re trying to eat me, blood running down their chin and I know that I can fight or I can let the lion win. I begin to assemble what weapons I can find, ‘cause sometimes to stay alive you got to kill your mind" - 'Migraine'
170. "There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind." - C.S. Lewis
171. "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart" - Helen Keller
172. "Don't let your happiness depend on something you may lose" - C.S. Lewis
173. "Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts" - Charles Dickens
174. "The loneliest people are the kindest. The saddest people smile the brightest. The most damaged people are the wisest. All because they do not wish to see anyone else suffer the way they do" - unknown
175. "The palest ink is better than the strongest memory" - Mark Matteson
176. "You are perfect exactly as you are. With all your flaws and problems, there's no need to change anything. All you need to change is the thought that you have to change." - J. Cole 
177. "We are defined by our actions toward others. Not others actions toward us" - Unknown
178. "An artist who stops making art is committing emotional suicide. Get off the couch and start painting again"
179. "Don't be scared to embrace the way that it hurts just to grow. You'll look back and your heart will thank you for not standing still when what you needed the most was to move forward" - Hayley Williams
180. "It doesn’t make sense to call ourselves ugly, because we don’t really see ourselves. We don’t watch ourselves sleeping in bed, curled up and silent with chests rising and falling with our own rhythm. We don’t see ourselves reading a book, eyes fluttering and glowing. You don’t see yourself looking at someone with love and care inside your heart. There’s no mirror in your way when you’re laughing and smiling and happiness is leaking out of you. You would know exactly how bright and beautiful you are if you saw yourself in the moments where you are truly yourself." 
181. "To dream of the person you would like to be is to waste the person you are" - Tim Menchen
182. "The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself" - Mark Twain
183. "Never undervalue who you are and what you're capable of"
184. "Actions prove who someone is. Words prove who someone wants to be." - Kemmy Nola
185. "It's hard to wait around for something you know may never happen but it's even harder to give up when it's everything you ever wanted."
186. "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
187. "You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight." - Jim Rohn
188. "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Mahatma Gandhi
189. "This world is but a canvas to our imagination." - Henry David Thoreau
190. "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
191. "There are 6,775,235,842 people in the world. Why are you letting one of them ruin your life?" - Alfredo Flores
192. "Success breeds success. Happiness breeds happiness. The more you are of what you want, the more of what you want to be will be a part of you." - Audrey Kitching
193. "Never be ashamed of how you feel. You have the right to feel any emotion you want and do what makes you happy." - Demi Lovato
194. "Butterflies can't see their wings. They can't see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that as well." - Unknown
195. "Judging a person by their weakest attribute is like judging the ocean by observing a single wave."
196. "Create a life that feels good on the inside, not one that just looks good on the outside" - unknown
197. "When people hurt you over and over, think of them like a sandpaper. They may scratch you and hurt you a bit but in the end, you end up polished and they end up useless" - 'The Fighting Temptations'
198. "Be a voice, not an echo" - unknown
199. "Nothing is permanent in this wicked world, not even our troubles" - Charlie Chaplin
200. "The want for new friends doesn't negate the importance of current ones" - Shawna Howson
201. "In the moments that you feel change happening and you feel your heart, mind, body and soul resisting it with all your might, try not resisting for only a moment" - Hayley Williams

Hobby Terrain: Simple Foam Terrain

Because of other projects I was asked to do I had been working with foam more than I ever had. This simple terrain piece came from it. I took pictures along the way and made a tutorial out of it.
Cheers,
John...

Paralympics

The London Paralympics start today! Yeah! The pressure is on for all the countries participating....

Paralympics logo at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square

Good luck to Team China, Team GB and Team Hong Kong!!! Wooo!!!

中國、英國同香港加油！

Glory to the Herd! ... Part 2

Looks like its down to the wire!  One week left on the challenge... so who is going to finish.

Ill tell you, this summer has been a lot busier than I ever thought.  Finding time has been extremely difficult.  However I finally got this bad boy all primed up and ready to go.

Now for some pics:

I should be slingin' some paint on this dude during the week.  I will be posting up WIPs a la our friend Journeyman over the next few days.

Thanks for watching!

-Grim

Howling at the moon... part 2

Well this base was fun to do and just came together. It was one idea after another until the finished product. There were a couple key elements I wanted to have on the base, the skull being the one I really wanted. How to do that and make it look like it belonged. So I just started building and thinking. Got the bones done for it and then added the sheep skull but I really wanted the shield now. So that is how the ax and gold pieces happened. This is a sacred place for warriors of their kind. Trinkets and warrior remains litter this area. Sounds good anyway. Now to put some paint and try and make it work.

These close ups kill me though. You can see all the little mistakes. Next time it will be at arms length. :) Hope you enjoy this.
Cheers,
John...

Pigeon paranoia

With flying rats like that littering our skylines, is 

it any wonder a number of us have grown paranoid?

Friday was one of those days, one of the great ones that is ruined only by the fact that you know it will likely never happen again. Like, a midnight screening of a long-awaited new release or the feeling that you are overwhelmed with after a concert.

“It was great, but it won’t happen again, and that makes me sad.”

Megan has been one of my best friends since 2006. Ever since, we’ve had a type of weekly tradition where we’d hang out with each-other on Friday. Cupcake baking, sushi eating and watching ‘Fight Club’ is how we usually spent our nights.

She is going away to Glasgow next week to start an acting course at college.

Obviously, I can’t go down to Glasgow every week, and she can’t come up to Aberdeen every week, therefore the only option for us is to break the tradition and see each-other, at best, once a month or so.

Life’s a bitch at times

I suggested that we go out for a meal to mark this occasion:

MEGAN: Where do you want to go?

ME: I’m not fussed. You choose!

MEGAN: NO! You choose.

ME: It’s your last ever Friday…

*Mum shoots me a look*

MUM: That’s morbid!

ME: I mean…. your last Friday in Aberdeen, that is guaranteed?

Hopefully not her last Friday, full stop.

We decided that the best thing to do was go to Union Square and pick one of the restaurants there to go to.

We decided on Pizza Hut, but upon seeing how busy it was, continued walking, so far that we had almost reached the other end of the centre.

ME: That’s Zizzi.

MEGAN: Is it good?

ME: Kelly had a pasta dish and said it was really yummy. *stops at Zizzi, which is the last restaurant in the centre, but Megan carries on walking* Dude, there’s no where else…

MEGAN: There’s a pigeon *points towards pigeon casually minding it’s own business* Can I chase it?

ME: Sure. Sure, go ahead.

Megan then proceeds in running at the pigeon, scaring it away.

NOTE: Megan turned eighteen on the sixth of May. Yes, eighteen year olds still take pleasure in chasing animals.

It seems as though my night wasn’t the only one made. A couple in Zizzi laughed as Megan came back to me, beaming. I point them out to Megan and she just laughs and gives them a cheeky thumbs up.

In Yo! Sushi (old faithful) I pointed out that Megan’s pigeon was sitting on a pillar, waiting for Megan to come out so it could attack her.

We looked away for a moment to order, and when we looked back? It was gone.

Lock up yo’ kids. Lock up yo’ Mamma, 

ninja pigeon is on the loose.

Word of warning: Never order a sushi that contains Japanese chilli powder. It will burn the taste buds off of your tongue.

They didn’t have tofu for Megan’s tofu katsu curry, so we left pretty soon after that to go to Pizza Hut for desert…

Even at eight, the place was still busy. So we went on a coffee pilgrimage instead.

It’s hard to tell if Starbucks is the God or devil 

in this little metaphor.

Obviously, being later on at night, very few places were open. So we decided to try somewhere new. Kilau coffee is a place I’ve heard a lot about, but never actually went in. We chose there. And I’m glad we did.

There was a DJ spinning some Jamaican style reggae tracks (among other genres) in the corner.

ME: You should have brought your rasta.

Tonnes of local art hung on the wall, which you could apparently buy.

The ‘art’ was mostly abstract framed pictures made from quality street wrappers.

ME: I think that one’s meant to be a face.

MEGAN: … *looks at me like I’m an idiot* I don’t think they’re meant to be anything.

We looked at the menu for a few minutes (lots of crepes, so you know where you need to go if you’re in Aberdeen and you’re desperate for a crepe) before Megan realised that our drinks were on the bar.

MEGAN: Our drinks are on the… *look of amazement* They’re going to take the coffee to us? No… NO!

But that they did.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone look so happy.

Apart from maybe this dog.

Pizza hut was the last place in town that was on our list. It was only at nine o’clock that it had died down enough so we could get a seat without waiting around.

But guess what?

They still made us wait around.

Megan wasn’t that happy with this.

MEGAN: They’ve clearly seen us. What the fuck do you think we’re doing here?!

But then a cute wee waiter came to see to us and that anger melted away:

WAITER: Hey guys, how are you doing tonight?

MEGAN: What?

WAITER: Are you okay?

MEGAN: Wehh! *throws hands in front of face*

The waiter clearly thought that she was in love with him and went out of his way to be wonderfully charming.

They made us wait ten minutes before the served us. Again, this wasn’t Megan’s idea of a good time.

MEGAN: *whispering menacingly* They’re having a laugh. What the fuck are they doing? *insert a random string of offensive words here*

Then the guy came over.

WAITER: Has no-one seen to you yet?

US: No.

WAITER: Oh, I’ll go get someone! Hold on.

US: Thank you!

*Megan turns to me*

MEGAN: … *offensive word landslide continues*

ME: You remind me of my Mum when you do that.

MEGAN: Do what?

ME: *impersonates Megan’s rant, aimed at the floor, looks up and smiles charmingly, only to resume whispering offensive words to the floor* She does it all the time with sales calls. “Oh, you’ve been so helpful!” *pretends to slam down the phone* They were not helpful at all!

MEGAN: We’re like twins then.

ME: Apart from my Mum doesn’t swear, like, EVER. Sometimes, when she gets really angry, she lets out a little crap.

Megan then stares at me for a split second before erupting into laughter. I do the same.

ME: *Between laughs* Not… not like that!

We saw guitar wifey at her usual spot (outside the Monkey House) and took this as a sign that the night was going to end well.

Which it did. We ended with our usual, ‘Fight Club’, before driving Megan home. I gave her a cuddle. She broke the sentimental moment:

MEGAN: Oh God, don’t cry!

ME: I’m not going to cry!

I didn’t. I know this is what she wants to do and I know that she’ll love it. It sucks that I won’t get to see her weekly, or fortnightly, and even monthly might be a stretch, but so long as she’s happy, I don’t mind too much about that.

Lauren xxx

P.S. This also happened:

ME: … And then Sara, you remember Sara?

MUM: Is that the girl who has a fetish for giraffes?

ME: … Yes Mum. Yes it is.

Didn’t know how to include that within the post. So there you go.

P.P.S. Also, got a tweet from a Highland Cow after admitting to the twitterverse that I would rather have a Highland Cow as a pet than a horse. Make of that as you will.

P.P.P.S Just attacked a Daddy Longlegs with a lightsaber. Honestly.

P.P.P.P.S Did anyone think that it was actually called a Dandy Longlegs? Or was that just me?

P.P.P.P.P.S I’ll shut up now.

Chicken Katsu Curry Cheat

One of my all time favourite Japanese cuisines is chicken katsu curry. I tend to order this when I'm in Wasabi because it's just so good. ^^ Once in a while I like to make my own version of this, and I would tend to cheat with the chicken katsu (fried chicken part), because I can't be bothered to use fresh chicken, mix it in egg and flour then sprinkle on the panko breadcrumbs... That's just time consuming! I also use frozen vegetables instead of a fresh carrot and a potato. Here are the pictures first...

Southern Fried Chicken - I like this one because it's spicy

This was less than £1

I like the Hot version of this - it's not as hot as Indian curries though...

Comes in breakable blocks

It dissolves easily if you cut it into smaller chunks

Rice is cooking in my small rice cooker

Frying the Southern Fried Chicken - 1 got really burnt because I wasn't paying attention!

Cooking the curry sauce - Yummy!

All finished - and it was absolutely delicious!!! ^_^

And now I'm going to show you how to cheat and still enjoy chicken katsu curry!

Ingredients:

- 1 or 2 pieces of frozen southern fried chicken - just because it's spicy (or any type of frozen breaded chicken) - cheat!

- 1 (or 2 depending if you like the sauce to be very thick) piece of curry roux - chopped into small pieces (Japanese, Korean and Chinese supermarkets have these)

- 1/3 mug of frozen vegetables (this is a cheat too)

- 1 mug of water (for the curry sauce)

- Vegetable oil (for frying the frozen chicken)

- 1/4 cup of short grain rice (sushi rice) - washed

How to cook (for one person):

1. If you have a rice cooker (which I have - but most of my friends look at me dumbfounded and have never seen or used one!) use it to cook the rice, otherwise if you use a pot - make sure you keep a watch on it! I'm actually quite rubbish at cooking rice in a pot (I will burn it!), so I rely on a rice cooker heavily!!!!

2. Heat a frying pan, make sure it is hot and put about two tablespoons of oil into the pan

3. Place in the frozen fried chicken and fry as indicated on the package

4. Whilst the chicken is frying, heat the water into a pot; as the water starts to boil add in the frozen vegetables and cook for about 3 minutes (at this point keep checking the chicken and remove from the heat if ready - and  slice the chicken into 6-8 pieces)

5. Whilst the frozen vegetables is boiling, add in the chopped up piece of curry roux, and stir. Boil this for a further 5 minutes...

6. Hopefully at this point the rice has cooked (usually takes 15 minutes - I have timed a rice cooker many times!). Scoop out the rice onto a plate.

For display and showing off: Spoon out the rice into a small rice bowl, if you don't have one use a teacup, then turn the cup over and gently remove (by tapping or shaking) the rice onto a plate

7. Place the fried chicken next to the rice (paper towel the chicken if there is excess oil)

8. Finally remove the pot of sauce (cool this for a few minutes so it thickens) and then pour the sauce over the chicken

Total cooking and prep time: 20 minutes

And there you go! My small cheat to chicken katsu curry! ^^""

My geeky rating (for my own cooking): 5/5 - even if one of the fried chicken pieces got burnt!