Art and Photography feature

Ok, so I didn't last that long without posting, here is a feature of all the amazing art I've found recently. Some stunning work!! So many talented people out in the world, and I admire all of them so much.

dA - dragorien

dA - KezziRose

dA - Sophique

dA - Snow Mask

dA - ArwenEvenStar16

dA - Sophique

dA - Severa

dA - akaLilith

dA - ?

dA - KezziRose

Thanks for sharing your work with the world people

Today...

I got up super early this morning for me anyway (8am) and I have been working on my photography for the last few hours, preparing to go back on my course and also editing some of my own work.
I finished my art work final piece!!! And I am so releaved it is all behind me now! In about half an hour I am heading out into the rain to stroll up to Matts to see him. Can't wait it's been 2 whole days!!! ;) As it's his birthday next wednesday I need to figure out how I'm going to afford to buy him a present :/ I'm sure I'll find a way haha. Hopefully for his birthday my dad's going to take us to see the new film 'Paul' which looks bloody hillarious. Excited!
Anyway I probably won't be posting again till after the weekend so I hope you all have a wonderful time x

me on my 9th cup of tea this morning :)

My friends think they're so hillarious...who am I kidding they are lol

Photoshoot

As promised here are the photos from my photoshoot on Monday. Everything went superbly. The images are supposed to be representations of 'Victorians' '1950s' 'Roaring 20s' 'Bram Stoker writes Dracula' 'War of the worlds'

Also as promised check the post above ^^ for the funny images

Time is flying...

Life feels like it's moving so fast these days, maybe it's because I have too much to do. I think I'm handeling my workload pretty well to be fair. In about 2 weeks I have my practical driving test, I'm doing the prep work for my photography and art exams of this year, I have media essays to write, I'm still trying to learn tattooing, and I'm trying to spend time with Matt and my friends as much as I can.

This morning I left Matts after an extended weekend, cuddled him until 11.30am and then forced myself out of his bed, to make it home for 12. From there I killed two birds with one stone today. I'd invited some of my friends round to help me with the photos for my exam, which went fantastically and I got some great shots. I'll upload them in my next post, with some funny behind the scenes pics:)

Now, I'm going to go feed my snake, and watch some family guy as I attempt to write my media essays.

Normal...

Normal. What is normal? Who is normal? If normal is simply defined by the common denomenater then 'normal' is constantly changing. Normal people are supposed to be happy, normal people are supposed to not suffer from any physical or mental illnesses. But if we go by what is common, more people these days suffer from depression and definatley a higher number of the population would tick an unhappy box when quizzed on their life. So this would mean normal is to be sad, to live life in a downward spiral, to not function addiquetly in society. But surely normality cannot be justified using numbers and percentages. Who chooses what is normal? Who chooses if you classify as a normal human being? Is normal defined by the clothes you wear? It has become common to dress in skinny jeans and sport an emo fringe. It has become common to dress like a slut, even just to leave the house. If we strive to be normal, does this mean I want to dress like a slut? Does it mean the world wants to be full of depressed teenagers, or people wearing far too little clothing? If the world strives for normality, we want to be overpopulated with teenagers having babies, the cool thing to do to be going out and getting pissed on street corners, to be a world possessed by depression. Or is normal just a bullshit term created once a blue moon ago, to keep the people in check? As higher authorities decided the world should be? Does the word normal hold any meaning any more? Or is it just a term thrown around by any one person to another person they dislike?
But why? Why does the world strive for normality? It is not those classified as normal who have made the world a better place. It is the eccentric artists, the raw literary authors, the true. passion-filled musicians...those who want to rid themselves of this 'normal' name tag. It is their individuality that creates them. It is their passion and drive to produce works that the world really needs. Books that fill a reader with emotion, fill them so much with the disturbing beauty of life that they can't breathe. Paintings and drawings that make the world say 'Wow!', that capture you with every stroke to paper or canvas. Films that make you cry, laugh, despair, love, elated. Music that touches your soul, your inner being. Songs that stay in your head for life after being listened to once.
This is what the world wants...or at the very least what the world needs. People that break away from the norm (whatever you decide that may be) people who do what they want to do, just because they want to do it...no...these people try to fill the world with truth and beauty, because this is what they need to do. Without them, the world would be a robotic, mundane, static place of living. Nobody would think or act for themselves... that is not a life. Clearly not everyone can be an Einstein, or an Elizabeth Wurtzel, or an Emilie Autumn...but do they need to be sheep? Mindless cattle who follow the person ahead of them? We can be individual in ourselves...to better simply ourselves and our own individual worlds, rather than take on the task of changing the world, as those great people have.

Books and V-Day

I finished reading 'Fire' and it was even better than I imagined. I got two new books now, 'Tipping the Velvet' by Sarah Waters, and 'On Chesil Beach' by Ian Mcewan. I'm currently reading 'On Chesil...'. I love the way Mcewan writes, his 'Cement Garden' and 'Atonement' are some of my favourite books. I loved the controversy of the Cement Garden, and the way he kept a childish innocent voice throughout the whole book. Atonement was just stunning! I also really enjoyed the film (which could have been because I love Keira Knightley)

So it's Valentines Day on Monday, and although I hate the commercialisation of the whole affair, me and my fiance still do the whole card and gift thing. But really we believe that everyday should be a day of love...everyday should be a show of affection. Why is there one random day that you're supposed to show someone how much you love them. I'd rather have small displays of love throughout the year (just simply a cuddle and saying 'I love you') it's all the small things that matter.

Final project for photography

These are almost all my photographs for my final project in my photography course. The idea is a set of 8 environments, in which my models will pose, therbey making environmental fine art portraiture photography.

Model

Artist

Writer

Baker

Costume Designer

Musician

Photographer

The last environment I have to do is Tattooist, and hopefully that'll be done soon.

Latest artwork

Keira Knightley
From Pirates of the Carribean


I finally, finally finished this...this is Matts (my fiances) tattoo design. He's wanted it for 3 years, and I finally fixed it, and fitted the drums to the grim.


A piece entitles 'Sweet Dreams'
A personal piece I made, I wanted to do something with colour for a change.

Kate Beckinsale
From Underworld

Captain Morgan

"Writing is a socially accepted form of schizophrenia" - E.L. Doctorow

I've uploaded some more of my novel to my deviant art page, if you're interested follow the link.

http://jade-rat.deviantart.com/gallery/26309894

(please remember all work is copyrighted)

My novel is called 'Captain Morgan' and centers around a ship named 'Calixte ' and it's fearless female captain. I've got pretty much the whole thing planned, but not written yet. In the link are the completed epilogue, and sections of chapters 9 and 6...I write things as they come to me, and infact the whole book stemmed from the epilogue. I already felt connected to the characters and was touched by my ending. (I'm not ashamed to admit it either)

I'm willing to accept critique on my work and style, so feel free to offer me any advice.

Graceling

So, as I've been pretty much bedridden for a week and a half, I've been doing alot of reading. This one book has kept calling to me the past month or so, from it's cosy place on it's bookshelf, in various shops. But I could never quite make up my mind on whether I wanted to read it. Well, now finally I picked it up at the library, worried it wouldn't be good, and that I was just judging it on it's pretty cover.

That book was 'Graceling' by Kristin Cashore
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Graceling-Kristin-Cashore/dp/0575085304/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296636013&sr=8-1
I finished it over the space of a few days, and it was honestly one of the best things I've ever read. Although the world was nowhere near as vast or expansive as Tolkeins' in LOTR, Cashores' world sucked you in...I found myself knowing things about the places, and ways to get to each one, pretty soon after beginning, which really helps you get into the story.
Her characters were although in some way rather typical, still captivating. More so than the individual characters, you fell in love with their relationships. From beginning to end, I was screaming for Katsa and Po, to I quote 'JUST DO IT ALREADY!' But their relationship was so sweet and in an odd way pure, that I was willing to let them take their time :) You fell in love with everyone you were supposed to; Katsa, Po, Raffin, Bitterblue, etc...and you hated those you were meant to hate; Randa, Giddion, King Leck, etc...
And the ending, although predictable to me, was so touching, it genuinley warmed my heart

A wow of a read, and I loved it so much I hobbled down to the library to get the second book.
'Fire'
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fire-Kristin-Cashore/dp/0575085134/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296636474&sr=1-1
The cover for this book even more beautiful than the first. This book is set about 30 years before Graceling, and the main character is 'Fire', the 17 year old monster. I loved that in this book Kristin had invented these 'Monsters', things so beautiful that they stole your breath before entering your mind, and then eating you. Easily you can envision these brightly coloured creatures swarming in this world that now exists in my head. In my opinion the characters in 'Fire' are alot easier to love than those in 'Graceling', I just feel like I was allowed more of a connection with them in this book. I have not yet finished it, and am still currently screaming now for Fire and Bridgon to 'JUST GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!' Although I feel sorry for Archer, and hope that he too is allowed a happy ending.

So inspiring, amazingly written, brilliant characters, touching relationships, emotion stirring...simply stunning.
If you get the chance...no....go out of your way to read these books, and look out for the 3rd installment ' BITTERBLUE', due to come out at some point in the future.