What's Been Shaking!!!

Spring Break is over!!!
And now I have to go back to school blah


But I have an appointment for a scholarship application and I'm really hoping it goes well, seeing as how I probably have less than an hour to impress these folks into giving me money so that I may go to college. Oh, and I've been researching Italian superstitions so \m/ (that's the horn sign to stave off the evil eye) 


My spring break was pretty awesome: a five-day road trip from my house to Flagstaff, Arizona,  Las Vegas, Nevada, San Diego, California, Phoenix, Arizona and back here again. The trip, according to our little Stubby (our red Mitsubishi), we logged in 2100 miles. (o.o)

IGNORE THE BLACK BOXES THEY WERE ACTUALLY
SUPPOSE TO SUPPLY INFORMATION >,<

It was a fairly eventful trip, and I got to see some pretty cool stuff, despite seeing the Hoover Dam and getting insanely nauseous. That bridge is horrifying and beautiful at the same time. Humans are either the scariest or ingenious beings ever to make that monster. I mean, seriously...

I almost vomited when I took this picture but I took it anyway. They finished this bridge abnormally fast--five years!!!

We first stopped in Flagstaff after driving across the desert and Death Valley (jk) to see our first landmark, the Grand Canyon. It was grand. That, and there were so many tourists from all over the world. I think my favorites had to be the Asians, as me and my mother, from watching so many foreign films, had fun trying to determine their language and race. Even more hilarious was that a buttload of people thought we were Asians too. Uh, no, we're native Americans :P specifically the Dine. Not to mention a middle-aged Chinese man kept giving me the leer on a bus. It was both flattering and creepy.

I also got a little stuffed owl from the Grand Canyon bookstore. I'm not showing him because he's too insanely cute. My little Chuck B...

Anywhoo, having never went to Arizona until last week, I generalized the climate and brought spring, summer clothing. Big mistake. Me and my family woke to this lovely landscape after a brief respite in our hotel room. Don't get me wrong I love snow  but this is coming from a girl with a little sweater and even thinner t-shirt. I even forgot my wonderful wool coat!!!

I didn't get a picture of our car but it had a foot of snow on top of  it.

I loved it. I'm all for gloomy and wintry weather, and the more gray and cold it is, the better. Of course I didn't like it as much as I didn't have the proper gear, and the obnoxious Europeans  at the Continental Breakfast just rubbed it in more with their fancy shmancy winter gear. Seriously, if they have so much money, why go to a dumpy little hotel and make everyone miserable with their obnoxiousness? I love Europe but some of their inhabitants tend to make me want to, well, assimilate them into good ol' American fashion.

Anywhoo before I go on another tangent: I LOVE KAIBAB FOREST. So much that its my new nickname, bestowed upon me by my hilarious father. And by hilarious I mean he is the funniest man ever and I hope that I can carry that legacy.

On our way to Las Vegas. This is one of my favorite pics out of all the others I've taken. Favoritism!

Las Vegas was pretty crazy. So in keeping with tradition, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Except for this picture with a tips person dressed as Bumblebee SQUEEEEEEE~~~~!

Oh wait no squee...I forgot to save the picture on my phone and thereby I cannot upload it...DANGIT!!!

Well you can check out this picture then, of the fake Eiffel Tower.

We also saw the Bellagio fountains. I love the song that they play its so old-timey and makes me want to dance like a lost old woman. Which I did momentarily before the Asian tourists starting staring at me again. It was One Singular Sensation from A Chorus Line, a famous Broadway show. Here's a link if you want to hear it but you can only really TRULY experience by going there yourself. You might even see me!!! Jk 

But what I didn't know is that the songs are regularly rotated from Whitney Houston (RIP) to Elton John, meaning that the song I heard is different from the others. Technology is so sophisticated!!! I say this because I am sometimes not very good with technological stuff unless its computers or the music genre.

We stayed at the Mirage, a hotel that was really nice compared to the ones I've been to, even beating one I stayed at in New York. Not only did they have a circus, wonderland vibe going on, they had a SECRET GARDEN WITH DOLPHINS AND BIG CATS!!!

The dolphins were insanely cute and I almost leapt into the pool, as windy and cold it was, and the big cats made me depressed, as you could clearly see they wouldn't mind eating some tourists before hitting the road and leaving the zoo. 

It was hilarious, however, when some tourists got sprayed by a male white tiger during his marking territory thing. It was all calm and then PBBBBBTTT!!! CHAOS!!! >:D

After that we traveled a long ways to San Diego, went to Oceanside, and saw the Ocean.

Words can't describe.

All I can say is that, according to my father, as I was on a seawater high and couldn't remember anything, I screamed "IT'S THE OCEAAAAAN!!!" and ran outside with rolled-up pants and nappy sweater, running and dashing in the sand and nearly falling into the ocean.

Basically acting like a little kid that's seen the ocean for the very first time. Picked up some cute shells and chased my sister with some seaweed, yessiree. Also ran screaming and waving into a crowd of seagulls and gaped at a flying pelican. I love those things!!!

Here's a picture that my mother snapped of me and my sister when we were lost in joy:

After that we crossed the border to Phoenix where we stayed at a sketchy, overpriced, malnourished hotel and promptly spent five hours in a mall the next day.

I bought a Hello Kitty style bento pack, two pairs of Hello Kitty hair accessories, and a Choco Cat shoulder purse. Suffice to say I spent it all on junk but IT WAS WORTH IT!

My life goal--be so awesome that I can wear a dress made out of Hello Kitties and maybe have as much charisma as Gaga

Then we traveled through deserts, like the Tonto National Forest, full of desert shrubs and rocks along with those huge caucuses, saguaro if I'm correct. I don't like cactus, and even mores if my mother makes me stand next to one that's ten feet freaking tall so she can get a picture.

I say this not out of spite but out of the fact that I sat on a cactus when I was young. Yeesh. And my relatives were peeking as my exasperated father was forced to pluck the spikes out of my butt. Maybe that's why its so small. 

Then we returned home to good ol Land of Enchantment, but not before visiting my sister and getting a new book from Barnes & Noble.

Funny thing I kept looking for a bookstore in whenever city we went to during the road trip, so much so that my family would try to hide the locations of them, or convince me to go somewhere else. Speaking of which I didn't see the rare bookstore in Las Vegas :( but I did go to some corporate bookstores!!! 

Like any good bookworm I brought books on vacation with me. Ahem. Quickie Review!!!

I'm a big fan of Wertz work and I was finally able to find a copy of her semi-auto-bio of her big move to NYC from San Fransisco in a little mountain town B & N. Needless to say I devoured, digested, and maybe ate it again over the course of the trip. Funny, a little melancholy and a whole lot of self-deprecating humor, this book is one of my favorites. The art is perfectly suited to Wertz's however crude, raunchy humor, and relates a coming-of-age tale without being overly preachy. 

 OMFG. I've been reading the Millennium trilogy for some time ever since the first book came out, and I love the conclusion. On the surface it may seem the trilogy is little more than a crime/mystery novel but its based on real events in Sweden, and Lisbeth Salander has to be the greatest, snarliest, and awesome heroine in literature. This book, tho', concentrates more on the result of her rather violent actions, and provides great build-up, tension, and a great court case. Bravo. 

I'm a big fan of visual  novels, which are like novels but they're more short and contain  illustrations, and are almost always a  series. One such is Spice&Wolf, a wonderful blend of medieval fantasy, economics, and romance.  This is the fifth book in the series, and concentrates on the relationship between major characters and love interests Holo the Wisewolf and Lawrence the Traveling Merchant. The series started as a novel, then an anime series (which I got into with the help of my father who bought me an anime/manga magazine that had S&W as a major feature and review) and a manga series as well.

I read/watch all of them and find the series to be one of the more mature (not in that sense but moreso in that each characters are portrayed realistically and that the research is very well done) and thought-provoking anime I've seen. And the romance is original (A cute deadly wolf goddess and a stoic flustered human male?) and lovely that you can't help but cheer for the two to finally kiss. And this book made me scream, cry, and finally smile, much like Holo whenever she wants some meat. I'll talk more about it in another post.

Don't let her appearance fool you. She will turn into
a giant wolf and eat you in one bite. 

Whooo! So, that was my vacation. Starting tomorrow I'll have to go back to school, but I will surely post as much as I can, alright? I hope your spring break, whether it happened or is about to happen, was as fun-filled and memorable as mine was. And it doesn't even have to be all roadtrippy or fantastic, just as long as you got some rest and whatnot. 

See ya!

p.s a sketch :)

Satan and his sarcastic secretary Sophie
I love alliterations too much
:D

pss! if you guys get bored here's some links to some websites I like to go too when I'm bored 2!

horror:

http://www.creepypasta.com/(IF YOU'RE FAINT OF HEART THAN DON'T GO TO THIS WEBSITE!!! But if you have a fascination for fear and all things freaky, then go right ahead. It contains scary stories (some are even submitted by people) which can be either real or fiction, based on whether or not you want to get some sleep. 

art: 

http://yamino.tumblr.com/ (she has a webcomic and does boatloads of fan art. She's also hilarious and the most insightful person I know on the web. Her blog is brilliant! And she makes me laugh everyday with her gifs, videos, and links to other stuff. Also she posts recent news and provides a viewpoint that most news people tend to avoid. Did I mention she's awesome?!)

http://blog.drawn.ca/ (another tumblr, but they post everything illustrative from cartoons to comics to everything, and a little in between. It's a beautiful site and great if you're looking for some new scenery or a new artist to follow. Plus it can be funny as heck.)

http://mutantmagic.com/ (this is one of many blogs of Jillian Tamaki, a cartoonist I respect and greatly admire. Her comics make me laugh and think and her art style is so brushy and I'm drooling. She also dispenses great advice and always updates. More than me for sure.)

humor:

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/rage+comics I love this website! Makes me laugh whenever I feel crappy, and going through the archives is guaranteed to make your stomach hurt. It's worth it!

THE REAL REASON JAPANESE PEOPLE
ARE A STICKLER FOR TAKING
YOUR SHOES OFF PROPERLY
:D

AUF WIERDERSEHEN~~~!!!

Tomorrow doesn't always mean the next day

OKAY I LIED
BUT I CAME BACK, AT LEAST!!! 


So, since school is over for briefly a week and it is also getting warmer, I'm now on Spring Break. 

Let's do this shindig!!!
Lol a sketch of (l to r) Momo, Lily, and the ever vivacious Violet preparing to do... something...in their sleepwear
Drawn by dear friend and Treasurer, Jasmine Sylvester.
Thanks!!!

COMMENCE PARTYING!!!


I merely jest about the partying. As any good, sane person would know, partying may relieve some stress but too much of a good thing is never really good. Meaning its bad. I'd also like to say that I have never gone to a party, although I have gone to some involving cake, presents, and screaming children.


Anywhoo back to the main thing--I'm going to Las Vegas, y'all! With my parents and younger sister, we will tackle the Strip (not its counterparts the Pole however) and lounge in the luxury of the Mirage. Also, shop. Shop. Shop. Shop. 


For me, I would very much like to go to Bauman's Books.

Yes. There IS INDEED a bookstore on the Las Vegas Strip. See here.


In fact it's the only bookstore on the Strip. Yeah, yeah, I'm secretly an old man in a young girl's body but, my goodness, this place sells such cool stuff! Like the first edition printing of Cat in The Hat, that isn't covered in gunky little kid-prints or slapped with a library sticker! And it's not just old stuff--everything from the 15th century to the latest novels sell here!!!


I'm totally bugging my mom. Besides, there's a pretty nice foodie place nearby as well. Eh....


Of course we'll be go see the other entrancing attractions as well but I think you guys have your own plans as well so I wish you the best, happiest, and awesome Spring Break EVAH!!! But not to "crazy" as I would hate to see some poor soul getting arrested by the popo for trying to recreate Project X. Which, by the way, has to be the most horrible idea for a movie, and is prompting many impressionable teenagers to create or improve upon this really really REALLY crazy party. Yeah.


As I've promised from my last post, I would tell you more about the winnings and book cover for English Expo. So, the book I've read, Everyone Dies, by Micheal McGarrity, is a crime-fiction-mystery-horror novel that explores the notorious and deadly side of serial killers. Especially convicted serial killers with a grudge and their parent's house. It starts off like a bad romantic novel (but not too bad) as police chief Kevin Kerney starts a new, peaceful life with his wife and future child. Then things turn to crap. 


A prominent gay attorney is brutally shot out his home apparently in the midst of jogging. Then, more and more deaths, inflicted on both human and animal in the most cruelest and savage ways possible (trust me it gets pretty gory further into the novel), with threatening, calm notes left, that clearly state: "everyone dies. the last will be the two you love the most." 

Not so picturesque, not to mention I'M FREAKIN' GOING THERE FOR COLLEGE!

Aaaaaand like most heroic cop men with equally heroic wives (this one is serving in the military actually!), Kevin Kerney searches for the killer. 


I'm  a big fan of crime (but not a big fan of doing them, goodness no) and was attracted to this book as it was on the Young Adult list. The others meeehhhhh weren't as interesting. 


I liked it. It was kind of obvious in some areas but I found that the mystery was taken out as the writer also wrote part of the story in the killer's POV, although it was in brief, needful excerpts. Some, not as much. Kevin is also kind of an a-hole but what entitled cop isn't? I suppose it was probably because I read into a series without bothering to read the first book, so that I could better understand this character, but even that alone didn't alienate or confuse me. Quite a page-turner, and the increasing levels of tension and murders were enough to keep reading through. 


It was a realistic take, too, at serial killers, as most writers tend to exaggerate or glamorize vicious crimes for the sake of keeping a paycheck. (I mean you, Dean Koontz!) The possibility of homicidal feelings emerging in an otherwise "nice" person after a wrongful, brutal encounter with the police are quite plausible, and I've seen it before. Not to mention that New Mexico, or at least Albuquerque, is infamous for the many shootings and gang encounters that proliferate the state and further adds to the reality of this really happening. I don't know about you, but the cops in Abiqui can be quite dirty. 


If you would like to know more, you can always go here. It's an informal but really informative website that offers and updates current corrupt cop occurrences (such as cover-ups and revenge killings) around the Four Corners. If thats not your cup of tea, don't even click it. (Because, sadly, its all very too true.) I know it made me and the librarian sick to our stomachs and heavy on our hearts. 


Otherwise, written in a proper but not too proper style that fits the genre, its a novel that offers a quick and dirty mystery that, depending on you, may or may not stick with you for a long time. 


Sorry for the lengthy review but thats just how I roll with my books. 


So! What did I do for the cover? Well, I did it in black and white with minimal color, as I found overuse of color to be distracting and not very meaningful, especially in book covers. Such covers pique interest instead of crazily done, headache-inducing ones. HERE'S AN EXAMPLE.

Good book design!!!

WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING HERE?!

I opted for this. Now, as any good designer would know, book covers should not just grab, hell, YANK your attention and demand your eyeballs to look at it!!! If there's any good advice I'd like to digress, it's to make drawings/posters/covers/illustrations/whatever look so good that people would steal it.

Yes. Steal it. 

Here is my book cover, done in ink, permanent marker, and a red colored brush pen. Sorry its a photo and not a scan but my mother's hogging the computer as of now.

Chillin' like a villain

Personally I find it to be one of my more better covers. I'm still learning. So, what I was going with, and what I told the judges, was that the red colored objects served as integral symbols for the killer. Such as the red cloth he's wiping his gun with--it serves as his last, final action before committing his last crime. As for the red dot on the map, which details the back roads and dirt paths in Santa Fe, it shows the location of Kevin Kerney's future house, and also serves as the stage for the final climax. The red circle circles Kevin's photo in a newspaper clipping, as the final target, amidst the already killed targets above him. And the red highlighting on the book, about Samuel Green, the best and worst serial killer ever (seriously read THIS but thats if you want to okay?). The killer emulates this SOB like a girl emulates Barbie--and so takes notes of his killings and makes sure his are done in a clean, efficient manner.

I chose the setting of his small home (actually the home he was raised in, but he killed his parents and lives there alone despite the overall creepiness) and room with all of his tools because it is only briefly mentioned in the book. In fact its only a couple of pages. I found that really unsettling and interesting at the same time, as if Micheal McGarrity, the author, wanted to keep him enigmatic, like most boogeymen. 

So I decided to waylaid future readers into thinking this was a novel about a murder mystery through a serial killer's view. The reader goes into this book, thinking, wow, does EVERYONE really die?! But you don't really "see" the killer until the end. And for the reader, who knows nothing of the symbolism and history, will go in headfirst, until they finish, flip the book, and scrutinize the cover. Thats when they have the OH!!! moment. 

I love OH!!! moments, because you feel like Einstein and a brain-dead bug at the same time. 

So that's what I was going for.

Hope you liked it!

Yesh Yesh I Know Well I'm Back!!

Wow.
Whooda thunk it that Senior Year would be so busy?
Even busy for someone such as I, Kayla, drawer of doodles and sayer of sayings, to be so engrossed in various activities. Including:


-Fighting ninjas
-Doing homework for every class which takes 30-60 min long EACH
-Managing the Anime Club as the Presidente
-Co-creating a self published magazine
-Getting over "stuff"
-Work
-Chores
-Art projects
-Scholarships/college applications
-Whatever else that ate up time but neglected to label itself


Well, you get the drift. Never fear, as I have gotten a new present (psssst it starts with m and ends with c) that can enable me to post more. 


But, if anyone really is following me at all, they should know that my posts will be spontaneous.


To start off here's a lovely sketch of Lily.

Shorry for my lateness... :(

Also, did I forget to mention that I had to also take a month-long break due to my mother's and doctor's worry of tendonitis? Well the scare is over but I still need to take breaks and refrain from all-nighters and "craziness", which may or may not involve penciling and inking ten pages in a row.


So yes, that is the main reason.


I'll post some of my sketchbook pages from the beginning of my senior year to now to make up for lost time, but I'll notify of any new developments.


Like this one!!!

I love sketching in pen!!! <3

UPDATE!!!


1. Okay, well, first off I'm working hard towards attending a college, specifically an INSTITUTE (oh fancy!) in Santa Fe, so I'll post some of my portfolio work and preparation and whatever news I have regarding this...stuff. I wish me luck in my costly college endeavors!


2. Homework SUUUUUUCKS

oh dagnabit my intelligence was thwarted 

3. The Anime Club is currently racking up some money in order to raise funds for our summer trip. As the President and as a Senior AND as a foundation member of the Anime Club, they wanted to throw me a little trip before I go into the fun but busy (read:chaotic but hellish) warp hole that is college life. We've been doing the usual, selling candy and asking for donations, but I felt the best way to use our skills was to create our own comic-zine. So, until the week before graduation, we'll be creating and producing biweekly issues for 3.50 a pop along with anything else we can do to raise 700 dollars for the trip. If anyone is at all curious (read:"I want that!") then shoot me an email and we can talk. Of course I'll post whatever I'll put in so look forward to that!

!!!coming soon to a comic-zine near you!!!
GRAPE NINJA, BEECHES!!!
(LOL that's not school appropriate)

4. At my school we have an annual tradition of attending the New Mexico English Expo, a sort of competition/get-together for students that like literature, writing, and all that good junk. Anywhoo we get together in a Death Star-esque high school in Albuquerque, stay there practically all day, and students can participate in two different contests while teachers judge the finished work. Mind you its very scholary and a little sketchy but its great for meeting people of like minds. Between the two contests (which vary from Short Story, Formal Notes, Social Letters, Literature Quiz, Shakespearian Monologue, etc.) there is a quick lunch, another contest, final judging, a Poetry Slam, a spelling bee (which my friend Derek won, the second time in a row WHOOP WHOOP) AAAAAAAND the ever delightful, ever long and tiring, Awards Ceremony. Your dear little artist competed in 


BOOK COVER
(I read Everyone Dies by Micheal McGarrity, a pretty good crime/mystery novel that takes place in Santa Fe and involves all sorts of delightful dismemberments and investigation)
(If anyone's curious as to what it looked like, I'll post it tomorrow along with my explanation and the judges' notes but NO PROMISES!!!)


CHILDREN'S BOOK
(In which I submitted the prologue to Come&Sleep, my own comic which has been on the blog before in a nice little preview which you have not or have read...meaning GO READ IT ALREADY~~!!!)

read it now! i command thee to do so atop my hipster duck!

So, there I was, seated with my fellow underclassmen (I hate the people in my class they are ABHORRENT) and fellow teacher (who shares a name with a certain bumbling doctor privy to a super savvy detective with extreme OCD) waiting to go home on a bus to badly sing pop songs.


My teacher encouraged me to do the Expo, as she had seen my work and well, loved it. I agreed but secretly I was worried--I've been to the Expo since I was a freshman, and always did horrible. Sure it was a fun trip filled with friends but you know how competitions work--winners win and losers get horribly depressed and whatnot.


Henceforth I was completely caught unawares when the speaker called my name, announcing:


KAYLA SHAGGY! SECOND PLACE FOR BOOK COVER!


Stunned I ran downstairs and bowed my head, full of blush by now, to accept the red-ribboned and surprisingly heavy medal proclaiming my prize.


I also got Second Place for Children's Book as well.


:)


Anywhoo, just something I wanted to say. 


I'm back, baybeh!!!!! >:D


ps. if it seems i'm a tad bit sarcastic, its due to the members of the club that overestimate my abilities thinking i can do anything but i can't :( so thank you to the followers that still come by, whoever you are out there, and thank you for waiting for little ol' impudent me.


pss. I'm really sorry. It won't happen again!


psss. Prepare to have your MIND BLOWN!!!

Methinks someone had a lot of sugar today O.O