Phew! It has been a busy week. Thankfully I was still able to squeeze in just enough drawing time to complete the first seven days of Inktober. 🙂 Some of the daily prompts were harder than others and some took a few tries to get the look I was going for, but it feels good to have stayed on track so far. I’ve been posting daily over on Instagram but I wanted to share a roundup of my first seven entries with you guys here on the blog. ❤
Day 1: The daily prompt was “RING” and I decided to go with the kind of rings you would see if you were to cut into a tree as my inspiration, rather than actual jewelry.
Day 2: The daily prompt was “MINDLESS” and I just decided to go with a cute little zombie dude. This one was a quick but doing the blood was fun.
Day 3: The daily prompt was “BAIT” and I jumped at the opportunity to draw an angler fish because they’re badass and interesting, so why not?
Day 4: The daily prompt was “FREEZE” and I decided to draw a guy being pulled down beneath the ice by a skeleton woman. I wanted to go with muted color accents for the “freeze” prompt and I’m pretty happy with how they came out. 🙂 I wish I would have added some bubbles, but it’s never too late to go back in later and add them.
Day 5: The daily prompt was “BUILD” and I made a mad scientist building her own creation. This one was pretty fun since this mad scientist is a character I used to draw a long time ago and wanted to make a comic about.
Day 6: The daily prompt was “HUSKY” and I just drew a husky. Wasn’t really feeling this one, but I still got it done.
Day 7: The daily prompt was “ENCHANTED” and I had a lot more fun with this one, drawing a whimsical fairy moth lady. I also really enjoyed adding some brassy, silver and gold with my new metallic sharpies. This one was such a delight to draw that I’m sure I’ll be drawing her again at some point. I may even utilize her to jazz up the blog a little. 😉
I hope you guys enjoyed the drawings and I look forward to sharing my next batch in a week. Are any of you participating in Inktober or doing any other fun challenges this month? 🙂
Awww yeahhh! October, which is only the bestest month ever (fact), is nearly upon us! That means Inktober is nearly upon us as well. Bust out your ink pens and watch out for paper cuts because we’re talking about 31 days of pure unadulterated, hand-drawn inky goodness. Last year was my first year participating in the infamous art challenge, but I just kinda did whatever I wanted and only ended up doing a few pieces. This year, however, I’m following the official Inktober prompts for 2019 and following the official rules.
I recently went and got my art supply haul for Inktober and am feeling good about my weapons of choice for the year. I’ve never actually worked with India ink before so I’m pretty excited to check that out and give it a whirl. I might add the odd dash of color here and there throughout the month, but ultimately I’m going with the traditional black and white look with the occasional metallic accents.
So, who’s with me? 😉 Any fellow participants for this year’s Inktober challenge? Any past participants with sage knowledge and tips to pass on to a newbie like me? I’m aiming to complete a drawing for each theme throughout the month. I’ll try to share them daily over on my Instagram and will probably share a roundup of my drawings here on my good ol’ blog once a week.
I also plan to follow The Shameful Narcissist’s lead and start prepping for November’s NaNoWriMo challenge. Pile plenty of Halloween fun on top of that and October is going to be a busy-but-very-fun month. 🙂
I don’t know about you guys, but my August was nuts. It really was a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly. My dad just had his 60th birthday and started his sixth decade right in the hospital. He’s doing a lot better now thankfully and was able to return home after one overnight stay, but I know it wasn’t how he planned to celebrate the big 6-0.
Thankfully, the month wasn’t all bad. In fact, I’d say it was mostly pretty damn good, just very busy. Mr. Moth and I started pre-gaming for the Halloween season by going to the ticket launch party for Theatre Bizarre and going to the inaugural Carniville of Madness, a 1920’s themed event where you dress up, watch aerialists, burlesque performances, sideshow acts, play carnival games, check out vendors selling various oddities and crafts, etc.
Ticket Launch Party for Theatre Bizarre at Leon & Lulu
I also got to go stay a very fun weekend out of town with Mrs. and Mr. Cupcakes & Machetes and my fur nieces and nephew, as well as hang out with most of my book club ladies, so that was fun too. There was also a big work party, 2 birthday parties, and other shenanigans so this month didn’t leave me with much free time for reading, writing, or drawing. Fall is on its way though, and that is always a creative season for me, so hopefully I can make up for the lost time asap and get working on some of my projects I have going.
This weekend I’m ending the month by doing a LOT of yard work. By the time September officially begins, our backyard should be looking vastly different. This labor day weekend is pretty much all work and no play even though I’m off from work, but that’s okay. Happy Labor Day to those of you who celebrate it, and wishes for a happy weekend to everyone! ❤
That moment when you’re doing your best to concentrate on character sheets for your writing project and your fuzzy cohort says “Screw that shit, it’s cuddle time!”
Bailey cares not for productivity. She demands pets and undivided attention from all mortals.
It’s isn’t easy resisting those giant imploring kitty eyes when you’re trying to work on stuff. Still, I wouldn’t trade my writing minion for the world. ❤ Generally she’s pretty good about just relaxing by my side while I write, but today she wasn’t having it, rolling over onto the books I was referencing, meowing at me incessantly.
What are your biggest and/or cutest distractions when you’re trying to get your creativity on? Do you have the willpower to resist or do you succumb to the cuteness? I’m a sucker for all things adorable so I’m pretty sure you already know what my answer is. 😉
Woo! We’re officially one week into the bestest month around: OCTOBER! 😀 If you’re like me, October is basically a month-long celebration of Halloween and just fall in general. After seeing the lovely weekly update post Cupcakes & Machetes put together to sum up her adventures throughout each week of the month, I decided to be a copycat and join in on that fun. So here we have my first of four weekly updates for the month of October:
The first thing I decided to do once October hit was to bust out the sharpies and ink pens and finally participate in Inktober. (If you don’t know already, this is a month-long art challenge held each year where artists produce a new ink drawing each day of the month.) Anyone can participate and it’s a good way to brush up on your ink/art skills. 🙂 I know I have a very busy month ahead of me, so I’m going to do as many as I can each week, but I’m not putting pressure on myself to get all 31 done. I’m doing this strictly for fun and practice. 🙂 Here are my new ink drawings I was able to get done this week:
This one is based off some cool vintage Halloween art I found.
Other Halloween/Fall-related activities this week included:
Making delicious apple cider slushies.
Getting gifted (and trying) some delicious types of apples I’d never had before.
Watching a couple horror movies. I started off slow, only watching The Witch and Hell Fest, but it’s a start, and the month is still young! 🙂
Mr. Moth and I worked on putting together our costumes for a big, upcoming event we’re attending for Halloween. (More details on that at a later time!) 😉
I worked more on decorating my room at work for Halloween. One of my bulletin boards is decked out in The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and the other is a big tree I made with fall leaves filled with skeleton owls I had my group work on for Arts & Crafts day. 🙂 It turned out really cute.
I finally finished reading (and will soon be posting a review for) the book Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues, by Diana Rowland.
Aaaand that about sums up my first week of October. What spooky and fall type fun have you been up to so far this month? 🙂
It’s October, boys and ghouls, so that means things are about to get pretty spooky around here! Halloween is fast-approaching, so what better time to sink your teeth into a bunch of horror movies, new and old? My first horror movie review for the month is for a film that just hit theaters September 28th called Hell Fest.
I’d seen the trailers and felt pretty indifferent to going to see it or not, but Mr. Moth was just curious enough about it to want to check it out, so I agreed. ‘Tis the season, right? 😉 Plus, he’s going to see the new Halloweenmovie with me when it comes out, so I kind of had to be a good sport. 😛
Unfortunately, it didn’t take very long into the movie for even him to say, “I think this may be one of those bad horror movies that’s just actually bad.” Not to say that it was a total disaster of a movie, but it was pretty middle of the road in my opinion. I’ve seen worse, but I have definitely seen far better and more memorable. I will say, though, that Hell Fest does a good job of making you excited for Halloween and haunted attractions. If Hell Fest itself was a legit thing I would want to go and experience it for myself (minus the stabby stabby parts, of course!)
The movie also (briefly) has horror icon Tony Todd in it, so that was cool. 🙂
Hell Fest is your basic sort of slasher film, set in a massive horror themed amusement park. If you’ve seen your fair share of slasher flicks, I think it’s safe to say you probably know the drill by now: masked killer picks group of young adults to terrorize, lots of stabbing, making out, and questionable decisions ensue. I think the main thing Hell Fest does have that sets it apart is the cool setting it takes place in. If you love Halloween and haunted attractions you’ll probably be able to appreciate how much effort must have gone into all the different sets, mazes, costumes, props, etc.
Aaaaand, in case you missed it, here’s the trailer:
So, that pretty much sums up my review for Hell Fest. I’m looking forward to feeding into my horror cravings more throughout the rest of October. How about you?? Watched any good horror movies recently? Planning on binge-watching a bunch before Halloween? Let’s talk about it! 😀
It’s taaaaag tiiiiime, guys! Big thanks to Random Melon Reads for tagging me for the Three Things Tag! 😀 If you haven’t yet ventured on over to their blog, I suggest you rectify that and experience their humorous and entertaining posts for yourself. 🙂 Now, onto the tag at hand:
3 Read Once & Loved Authors:
Well, might as well start with my most recent newly loved author! 🙂 After hearing so many good things about V.E. Schwab, I’ve finally begun my first venture into one of her books, A Darker Shade of Magic! I’m loving her writing and fully intend on reading more of her stories in the future. ❤
V.E. Schwab
Of course I would have to include Leigh Bardugo on this list. Her writing is always a treat for me, but it just seems to keep getting better and better. She’s definitely one of those insta-buy authors for me.
Leigh Bardugo
This list wouldn’t be complete for me without mentioning George RR Martin.
George RR Martin
3 Titles I’ve Watched But Haven’t Read:
I mentioned in a recent blog post that I happened upon 2 of the books in the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz. I enjoyed watching the film version and am definitely looking forward to reading the books that inspired it, starting, of course, with the first one.
Another set of books I would really love to sink my teeth into, would be Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. ❤ I love the show and have only heard amazing things regarding the books.
Although I wasn’t too crazy about the third and final season of Hemlock Grove on Netflix, I did really enjoy the first 2 seasons and would definitely love to check out the source material some time. It’s been on my TBR list for a while, so maybe I’ll make this a priority on my reading list for October. It certainly seems like a fitting time to give it a go! 😉
3 Characters You Love:
Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer. He’s just such a good character overall. 🙂 I can’t wait to read more about him and the other amazing characters when Laini Taylor’s Muse of Nightmares hits the scene in October!
I’ve always loved the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. From his crazy grin right down to the very way he speaks.
It’s always been difficult for me to narrow down my favorite character from GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, so I’m calling it a tie between Tyrion Lannister and Arya Stark.
3 Binged Series:
I binge-read George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books after having the first one literally thrust upon me by Cupcakes & Machetes years ago. Still waiting (and waiting) on the last 2 in the series to come out, but those two books will no doubt be binge-read as well upon release. 🙂
If memory serves right, I think I also binge-read Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy a while back. I’m pretty certain I read the three books very quickly.
And, in the graphic novel arena, I definitely conquered Joe Hill’s Locke & Key series in quick succession. It was an excellent and imaginative series I just couldn’t seem to put down.
3 Unpopular Bookish Opinions:
Prologues don’t bother me. I know a lot of people seem to hate them, and I understand why to an extent, but as long as it is at least interesting, I’ve got no beef with a good prologue. 🙂
If I’m studying a certain topic, and I’m reading an informative book about it, I bust out the highlighters and cover those pages in neon streaks. It’s quicker than writing the notes out by hand, makes for a quick reference, aaaand it’s my book so I do what I want with it! 😛 Oddly enough, though, you’ll never see me dog-ear a page. I mean, I’m not a complete monster. 😉
Call me crazy, but I hate book jackets (or dust jackets if you prefer). I know they’re to protect the book, and I get it, but they’re just so bothersome to me for some reason. I’ve gotten better about dealing with them in recent years, but they still tend to irk me just a bit. Plus, I always like the way the actual book looks underneath.
3 Current Favorite Book Covers:
Leigh Bardugo’s books are always lovely to look at, but I really like the cover for The Language of Thorns.
Another book I just love the cover artwork for is My Life as a White Trash Zombie. The colors, the badass look of the character, it just all works for me.
I had a really tough time picking three covers for some reason, despite always drooling over new cover art. I dunno, for some reason when I’m put on the spot my mind goes blank and I flounder about. But, I had to give some love to The Girl From the Other Side, with a cover and internal artwork that gives me the warm fuzzies. It blends two of my favorite aesthetics, monsters and cute shit.
3 Goals For The Year:
Hmmm . . . well, there isn’t a whole lot of 2018 left at this point, it being September and all. That said, I really want to spend the remaining months of the year writing my ass off. NaNoWriMo is in the not-so-distant-future, so I definitely plan to participate in it again, but I also want to push myself to make more time for writing in general.
I’m also still working on my goal of reading 50 books/graphic novels for the year. With so little free time I’ve fallen a bit behind where I’d like to be by this point in the year in terms of my reading goal, buuuuuuut I’m confident I can catch up in the months to come. 🙂
Aaaand my third goal is to continue being a boss bitch and getting shit DONE! 😛 Haha and by that I mean to keep attacking my goals head on for the rest of the year. No sense losing momentum now. 😉
Now, for the tagging! Mwa hahaha! If you’re reading this still at this point, consider yourself TAGGED! (Or not . . .) No pressure or anything. You know the drill, do it if you think it looks fun! 😀
It is always an honor and literally brings a smile to my face whenever I get nominated for a blogger award or tagged for one of the many fun tags floating around out there. Despite how much I always appreciate being nominated for tags/awards, I must confess that I am a forgetful master of procrastination who is normally horrible about getting around to actually doing them.
Buuuuut, when the lovely Shameful Narcissist created, and was kind enough to nominate me for The Eclectic Blogger Award, well, of course I am going to participate in that! 😀
So, what is The Eclectic Blogger Award you may ask? And what are the rules, you also ask? Allow me to bestow you with the answers to those burning questions:
“The Eclectic Blogger Award is presented to those blogs that are both eclectic and engaging, where conversation flows freely, where new and different ideas are always welcome. It’s to recognize blogs that always have interesting content to match the amazing, creative, and hard-working creators that make them possible. These are the blogs that inspire you to read, watch, play, and/or create content to further enhance not only the blogosphere but also the general zeitgeist, because they themselves enrich it with their existence.”
THE RULES
Nominate whomever and however many bloggers you want for the award.
Share links from your blog for some of your favorite (or most eclectic!) posts.
So, that said, let the nominations commence!!
Read Rant Rock & Roll: Flower Fridays, Music Mondays, book reviews, Breakfast and a Book posts, adorable pets, this blog has a lot to offer and definitely falls under the category of eclectic. There’s always a fun variety of posts to enjoy and topics to discuss.
The Happiest Pixel: Tasty recipes, creative writing tips, and a variety of other types of posts, there’s a lot of different things going on at this blog. Speaking of their tasty recipes, this blog is a bounty of meatless recipes, so if you just so happen to be vegetarian or vegan you’re bound to find some delicious ideas for things to make at home and promptly stuff in your face! 😛
Imperial Rebel Ork: The passionate hobby of creating and painting miniatures is a big focus at this awesome blog, but IRO also presents a variety of questions and topics meant to get us bloggers talking, like his recent “Real Life Vs. Hobby Life” post. Creativity and hobbies are definitely the fuel that sets the blog ablaze and it’ll no doubt inspire you to make more time to enjoy your own hobbies as well. I’m always blown away at the variety and creativity in his work.
All the Trinkets: This amazing feel-good blog is just filled to the brim with inspiration, motivation, humorous and endearing writing, as well as tips for personal growth. She also shares her own struggles, triumphs, and creative endeavors with us in the process, making it extremely relatable and a great place for discussion among bloggers!
Invisibly Me: This is another inspiring blog that I just can’t help but admire. 🙂 Spanning topics like invisible illnesses and awareness, Frugal Friday posts, and product picks, there’s always something to be discussed. I’m also always impressed by this lovely bloggers openness and fantastic and inspiring outlook on things.
Aaaand even though I always tag these 2 ladies for things when I actually do tag people and even though one of them MADE this award, I gotta mention my BFF and partner in crime and general mayhem Cupcakes and Machetes along with the always-awesome and impressively organized The Shameful Narcissist. If you enjoy honest book reviews, yummy recipes, adorable pet photos, and only the cheesiest of puns, these blogs are for you! 😀
There are so many other blogs I could (and want to) nominate, but I’ll spread that love on another day because after this dreadfully stressful day I am amazed I’ve managed to keep my eyes open long enough to make this post. Sleep calls to meeee . . .
Thanks, as always, for reading. ❤ This is a snazzy new award, so if it looks like something you’d like to participate in just jump on in, and help spread this baby across the blogosphere. 🙂
Wow, it’s still hard to believe we’re already SIX MONTHS into the year. Luckily, 2018 has been a great ride so far, so I really can’t complain. (Although, to be fair, there is some occasional whining before/after work.) 😛
My spirit animal
The biggest change for me so far in 2018 has been moving in with my boyfriend to our very first house. It was a big, scary leap, but it’s been great. We make a good team and he always inspires me to push myself toward bigger and better things, so I’ve got some fun projects/ideas I plan to really get going on in the days to come. Next month my little blog will be turning 2 years old, and I’m planning some fun stuff as this Ignited Moth begins her terrible twos. Mwahaha!
I’m having some friends over this upcoming weekend (my first non-family visitors since I moved in) for my book club’s June meeting. I can’t wait for them to come see the new house and hang out. 🙂 Aaaand, speaking of books . . .
Currently reading this one for book club. I’m enjoying it so far, I just wish I had more time to really dig into it. I was struggling to stay away the other night while reading this and wound up succumbing to sleep, thus letting my kindle slip from my grasp and bash me in the face. Not the nicest way to wake up. Profanities ensued.
I cannot wait to get to read this one! I’ve been enjoying The Iron Druid Chronicles, so I can’t wait to read Kevin Hearne’s first big epic fantasy. He’s been great in the urban fantasy department, but I am looking forward to seeing how he really turns his brain loose for this one.
Like the book above, this was a recent buy due to a fantastic deal pointed out to me by Cupcakes and Machetes. Not only does she make killer book suggestions, but she also points out great deals when she finds them. She’s like a fairy godmother of all things literature, waving her magic wand around and making good books appear on your TBR list. 😛 I’d heard good things about this one, and with such a great deal how could I possibly pass it up?
In other news, I bought some fantastic watercolor markers just recently. I’ve gotten to tinker around with them a little bit, but I’m really looking forward to going wild and getting the hang of them soon. With some encouragement from the always-awesome Imperial Rebel Ork, I’ve decided to post more of my scribbles, doodles, and artsy stuff on the blog. Which, of course, made me want to get some new tools of the trade to make it happen. 🙂
I feel like there are a thousand other things I could babble on about right now, but I’ll keep this brief. Just know: all is well, I’m feeling inspired, and there is plenty of fun new stuff coming to the blog in about a month. In the meantime, it’s business as per usual (AKA: random, unfiltered chaos.) 😀
I hope everyone had a great weekend! ❤ What’s been going on in your little corner of the world lately? Feel free to let me know what recent excitement you’ve had going on or what neat stuff you’ve been working on lately.
I had a lot of fun last week, answering the first seven questions from Luna’s 30 Day Video Game Challenge over @ Gamers United GG. She came up with so many great prompts, so here we are for another batch of answers from yours truly. 😉
Day 8: What’s your favorite video game pet?
Lamarr from Half-Life. Lamarr may be a headcrab, but ya know, I always found her adorable. Maybe because she was rendered harmless and is so obnoxious and troublesome all the time, I don’t know, but I’m giving this one up to Lamarr. ❤
Day 9: What is your favorite childhood video game title?
I would probably have to say the original Sonic the Hedgehog games I played on the Sega Genesis. I have several games I absolutely LOVED as a kid, though, so it’s hard to pick just one. Another game I was all about but haven’t really gotten to talk about yet would be Banjo Kazooie for the N64. SUCH a fun game, and with so many cool and different levels. I had a ton of fun with that one.
Day 10: What childhood video game would you recommend and why?
I’m going to try to suggest one of the ones I haven’t babbled on about yet in either of these posts. When I was a kid, I really enjoyed playing *SOME* of the Disney games that I played on the Sega Genesis. Specifically The Lion King and Aladdin. They were just so much fun, and I loved the Disney movies that inspired them, aaaand that animation in the game was SO. DAMN. SMOOTH. Look at this shit!
Day 11: Which video game has the best memories?
Mario Kart 64, without a doubt. From childhood to adulthood, I have so many fond memories of this game. From racing against my family and friends like Cupcakes & Machetes, to playing it tournament-style at parties with friends and strangers alike. This game is my jam. One of my favorite memories of it was destroying this one guy a few years back in one of the party tournaments who insisted girls couldn’t play video games. The same guy also got destroyed by Cupcakes & Machetes and I in doubles air hockey after making more sexist boasts.
Day 12: What is the hardest game you have played? Why was it hard?
Hmm . . . probably Super Meat Boy? Although . . . The Binding of Isaac comes to mind as well. Both games involve a whole lot of dying, sooo . . .
Day 13: Do you have a favorite video game villain?
Because I am eternally twelve and thus poop is funny to me, I’m gonna have to say The Great Mighty Poo from Conker’s Bad Fur Day. Because it’s a villain made of poop. Yes, they went there. They even gave him corn kernels for teeth. This guy sticks out to me because of the utter ridiculousness of it, and what a complete WTF moment it was when I first encountered him.
Day 14: You jump down Mario’s Warp Pipe, where do you end up?
Peach’s Castle, just like how you start the game in Super Mario 64. I’d love to visit that place. I didn’t think of it at the time when I answered Luna’s Day 2 question about what video game world you would live in if you could, but it’s definitely a place I’d love to visit. The castle itself is awesome, but then with all the worlds you can visit from there by hopping through paintings. There would never be a dull moment, that’s for sure.
IgnitedMoth 