Skiasma profile picture

Skiasma

Can't come up with anything witty. Maybe later?

About Me

Short version: Illustrator, artist, pleasantly bonkers.Click here for my (soon to be revamped) online portfolio!Generally confused and absent-minded. Possibly overly intellectual. Long version: I'm a still-struggling professional illustrator, and have currently been flatting comic books, which is more amusing than profitable. I'm trying to wrestle the US/UK art industry into taking me to its dapper devil-may-care heart. My last exhibition in London, I mounted everything on carefully torn bits of cardboard. "Ooooh," said all the poncy artists. "What a bold statement." I replied, "Yes. It states that I'm too cheap to pay 10 quid for foam mounting board that I'd mess up anyway. Besides, I had less than five hours before the show opened, and the cardboard was at hand." Honesty doesn't go far in the fine art world, no one believed me. I'm now looking into the computer gaming industry. They work the hell out of you, but they also don't ask you for your "emotive 'feelings,' dahling" either. I've just started a mural painting business, Illusory Arts, feel free to ask about it. If you've made it this far, you're probably looking for actual info (or possibly fitting me out for a strait jacket), so... I'm an INTJ on the Myers Briggs test. I'm intellectual, irrascable, a bit of a show-off, generally amusing, and can tell some good stories. Very good stories, thanks to my being a magnet for weirdness. I'm a collector of odd knowledge. I have a low voice for a woman, with a hard to place accent, thanks to being British and American. (You might say that the Boston Tea party was a family feud.) I have long dark hair, which is betraying me with a few shiny silver traitors. I've been to Japan to study paper-making, with the traditional ancient revered master who heckled and gave students a hard time. I have drawn naked people on three different continents, and am shooting for the other four. My first BA was in Latin. I enjoy travelling (who doesn't?) and don't really mind where I live. I'm currently working on a children's book, but that's a hit and miss sort of thing. I like to hear tall tales and watch Discovery channel. I have never sunk so low as to watch reality TV. I play video games, role-play and have dressed up for science-fiction conventions. (There, my dirty secret is out.) I bite my nails on plane flights because I'm irrationally scared of flying. Aaaaand I think that covers it. Feel free to ask.

My Interests

Hah. Where to start. Books. Art, illustration, and most things related to my profession. Paper-making. Story-telling. Geeky things like anime and video games. Translating Vergil, and making snarky comments about Ovid. Translating Japanese comic books and making snarky comments about fan-girls. Most things interest me, however.

I'd like to meet:

Interesting people. I need new friends. I'm rather geeky, and like the type. I'd rather meet smart and articulate people than the drop-dead gorgeous (not that I'd mind that either...) And please oh please, people who can write properly. I don't do L33t, and bad grammar/spelling makes me wince and reach for the delete keys. I'm getting too many emails from people with rubbish writing. Grr.

Music:

I listen to soundtracks and audiobooks as I work. I'm very partial to ska and jazz. Ambient and and J-pop take up a large part of my hard drive as well. I'm a massive fan of a Japanese jazz band called Orange Pekoe. My only musical limits are that I won't listen to country/western that dates past the mid-80's (when c/w became either whiney or hyper-patriotic) or the really un-lyrical section of rap music that tends to be a shopping list for bling instead of an actual song.

Movies:

I find cinemas to be over-priced and too loud for me to enjoy the experience of watching things on the really big screen, sadly. They seem to set the volume at 'deafening'. I tend to see about two films a year, usually CGI or animated.

Television:

Discovery channel or Animal Planet if I bother at all.

Books:

I've got way too many to list. So, the books I reread and/or use the most: The Count of Monte Christo (the new Penguin translation, with all the kinky Byron/vampirism and opium den stuff put back in); my pocket Japanese dictionary and the massive kanji book from hell; Any of the Lord Peter Whimsey books by Dorothy L. Sayers, but especially Murder Must Advertise. I find Tamora Pierce's Living Circle series a lovely re-read.

Heroes:

Batman is my hero. My Dad is very nifty too, but lacks a utility belt.

My Blog

JustFive drawing, plus fun with hospitals

So, didn't mention that yesterday, after my ohsohelpful consultancy at the RU Hospital Bath (yes, my jaw is not repairable via surgery or meds. Am I depressed about this? Hell yes.)  I left a me...
Posted by Skiasma on Wed, 03 Jan 2007 03:13:00 PST

Sketch 2.

Had a busy day, so my (last minute) sketch for today is that great standby, the self portrait. I rather like working white on black. As I had time to spare, I went and added a few strokes using 20% ...
Posted by Skiasma on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 03:43:00 PST

Well, giving it a go.

My first under-five min sketch of the year. I was vaguly wishing that our local pub would allow for some Callahan's Bar style glass smashing. Alas, they don't. Despite the fact they've the perfect 400...
Posted by Skiasma on Mon, 01 Jan 2007 02:24:00 PST

New Years Resolution

Not often that I bother. But this year... Well.I used to do at least once a week, one sketch under five minutes on my wacom tablet, mostly as a loosening up exercise. Good practice, good fun, and of g...
Posted by Skiasma on Sun, 31 Dec 2006 06:10:00 PST

Raaaargh!

Noooo! Was a good hour into doing one of the flats for Giulia, started saving... and then whammo. Blue screen of death. And the whole file is corrupt, and I've got to go get the file again. Aaaargh!! ...
Posted by Skiasma on Fri, 29 Dec 2006 05:28:00 PST

A typical holiday.

My family has innumerable crazy but true stories, and we gained a new one this Christmas.It was after the present exchange. A particularly uninspiring set of socks, those freaky 'The Dog' and 'The Cat...
Posted by Skiasma on Thu, 28 Dec 2006 05:30:00 PST

Start the panic.

So, started up this blog on the rec of Giulia. This will be primarily for art posts, commissions (try me!), and contacts. With luck. My online portfolio is here . Feel free to drop me a line, abo...
Posted by Skiasma on Fri, 15 Dec 2006 11:48:00 PST