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*Demagis

Missy Acker, FCD
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Art Festival

:icondemagis:

Want to see my artwork in person? Of course you do.

I'll be at the Mount Carmel Fine Art and Music Festival this upcoming weekend.

Official Festival Website
Sept 8 & 9, 2012, from 10am to 5pm
7021 Stanley Ave
Niagara Falls, ON

And the usual links:
My website
Demagis @ twitter
The blog

edit: I found out at the last minute that I have pieces accepted into the juried show. So I'll find out on Friday night how that goes. Wish me luck :)
2 Comments
Art Festival September 2, 2012 2 Comments No Favourites

Gallery Showing

:icondemagis:

For any local deviants, I have a show going on right now. It features a selection of my watercolors, inks, and colored pencil pencils. It takes place from Nov 15 until Dec 12, 2011, at Mahtay Cafe in St Catharines.

Here's all the info for anyone interested:

Mahtah Cafe
241 St. Paul Street (corner with Garden Park)
St. Catharines, Ontario,
L2R 3M7
(905) 685 4040
hello@mahtay.ca

In celebration of the showing, I will be uploading a new piece of artwork every day this week. Enjoy!
2 Comments
Gallery Showing November 14, 2011 2 Comments No Favourites

Shredder all done, yay!

:icondemagis:

Shredder Uploaded

Shredder WIP


Was pretty much fully documenting the process of this last painting, mostly to encourage myself to get in the damn studio and get to work. And I pretty much did; I finished this piece in less than three weeks, and am almost done another ACEO. There is another ink painting I have to do this week (it's a Christmas present though, so I won't be uploading it right away) as well.

Busy, busy, busy. Yay for getting artwork (and writing, and drawing) done!
8 Comments
Shredder all done, yay! December 19, 2010 8 Comments No Favourites

I'm back, baby

:icondemagis:

For reals, this time, I swear.

Uploaded Peter

Updated the blog with sketches from my trip to Washington over here

So NaNo is over and done with (I won again, by the way). I ended up donating over $40 to them this year and got my little halo. Good stuff.

I'm not even waiting for New Year's this time. I'm just going to start doing it.

From now on, two hours in the Studio every day, two hours writing every day, and a page in my sketchbook every day. And at least until I get a job, that's what I'm doing.

And if I go more than a week without uploading something, for god's sake start harassing me, people. You can do it here, or on Twitter (Demagis there, as well) or at the blog.
2 Comments
I'm back, baby December 1, 2010 2 Comments No Favourites

(Oct 1:1st Chapter Uploaded!!)ACEO's and NaNoWriMo

:icondemagis:

Scroll down for links to Surly Alloy

Alright, so here it goes.

Originally some of my Partners in Crime and I were going to make an attempt to attend the Night of Writing Dangerously in November. Now they have backed out (not that they didn't have good reasons, but such is life), and I venture on alone.

So here's the deal.

Every ACEO I have is $20, and that includes shipping to North America. All the money I make from these ACEO's will be donated to the organization that runs NaNo at the end of November. And, for every ACEO that is purchased until the end of November, I will publish online a chapter of the book I wrote last year, Surly Alloy (I have been told it is amusing. It's about time I got feedback from people I don't know). I'll upload the prologue/first chapter on Oct 1. If I reach $200, I'll post some artwork from the book.

And if I raise more than that, I'll come up with something else.

So without further ado, eligible artwork listed below!

Peregrine Falcon

Barn Owl

Red-Tailed Hawk Purchased by the wonderful ~vantid

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle Purchased by the wonderful *ArdenEllenNixon

Canada Goose

Silvery-Cheeked Hornbill

Clouded Leopard

Surly Alloy
Oct 1: Prologue and Chapter 1
2 Comments
(Oct 1:1st Chapter Uploaded!!)ACEO's and NaNoWriMo September 30, 2010 2 Comments No Favourites

Devious Journal Entry

:icondemagis:

Blog Update


New Artwork


Working On


Still painting, little by little. Still churning work out, little by little. I am most content, it seems, with a few little pieces and one big piece on the go all at once. There will be an ACEO update coming soon; keep watching!
1 Comment
Devious Journal Entry August 2, 2010 1 Comment No Favourites

I have returned...again

:icondemagis:

The wedding is over, and all I have left to do is write the thank-you notes. I'm so glad it's finally over. Darwin was the most adorable ring-bearer ever.

We spent the last week in Costa Rica, which is probably my new favourite place. The bird watching was fantastic, and we've almost learned how to use the new camera. Just in time for us to buy our new one, the Panasonic G2 we wanted to get before we left.
2 Comments
I have returned...again June 22, 2010 2 Comments No Favourites

RIP Frank Frazetta

:icondemagis:

Sketchblog Update (April 12/10)

Artwork


Working On:
    Pet commission


Another new tutorial is up at EMG-Zine featuring Shell Dragon 2 is up over at here, so go take a look!

RE: journal title.

The man, quite literally, had more talent in his left hand* than I will ever possess. I remember geeking out with my budies in art school over his work. His impact on the art world can not be underestimated; he is the reason fantasy artists are taken seriously at all at present.



*He had a stroke some years ago and had to re-learn how to draw with his left hand. And he was still a better artist than most of the hacks out there, myself included. Go forth and worship the man.
No Comments
RIP Frank Frazetta May 10, 2010 No Comments No Favourites

I have survived

:icondemagis:

Sketchblog Update (April 12/10)

Artwork


Working On:
    Pet commission


Another new tutorial is up at EMG-Zine featuring Shell Dragon 2 is up over at here, so go take a look!

Had my Stag and Doe last Friday. Good fun was had by all.

Less than six weeks left, it's kind of surreal.
No Comments
I have survived May 3, 2010 No Comments No Favourites

Another Monday

:icondemagis:

Sketchblog Update (April 12/10)

Working On:
    Humble Jewel 3


The tutorial at EMG-Zine featuring Gatekeeper is still up over here, so go take a look if you haven't already!

And on a sadder note, is becoming increasingly apparent that my scanner is slowly killing itself, and dying by inches. This makes me sad :(

I have to keep reminding myself that just because I'm not finishing whole paintings doesn't mean I'm not getting anything done; the mural I'm painting in my friend's nursery is slowly coming closer to completion, and I'm doing a little bit of drawing every week as well.

Not life drawing, though; definitely need to do more of that.
3 Comments
Another Monday April 12, 2010 3 Comments No Favourites

I fear regular updates may be happening...

:icondemagis:

Sketchblog Update!!!

New Artwork:


Working On:
    Humble Jewel 3


Baby steps, baby steps. Editing is taking over my life. Seriously.

Anyway, the tutorial I did for Ellen last month is up. So, if you've been wondering how I do my multimedia pieces like Gatekeeper, wonder on over here.
3 Comments
I fear regular updates may be happening... April 5, 2010 3 Comments No Favourites

A regular update? Lies, all lies.

:icondemagis:

Sketchblog Update!!!



New Artwork:


Working On:
  • Humble Jewel 3

  • Dragon tutorial for Ellen


What's this? Have regular Monday updates, perhaps, begun again?

Only time will tell...Stay tuned kids!
No Comments
A regular update? Lies, all lies. March 28, 2010 No Comments No Favourites

I'm working on it

:icondemagis:

I've been unemployed for, let's see, about a month and a half now. I am just now starting to really paint again.

I'm beginning to think that holding myself to the standard I held myself to after I graduated (a painting a week, although I was actually churning out more than that) might be asking too much. But I don't know why.

After all, it's been four years since then, and I'm definitely a more competent painter than I was then. And I don't have a job, so if I really wanted to, I could spend every waking hour painting.

But I find I don't want to anymore. It's strange. When I left school, and for a long time afterwards, if you asked me what I thought I was I'd reply "an Artist" without hesitation. Now I doubt that a little. Are you still an artist if you never paint?

Of course school taught me that you paint whether you feel like it or not, damnit, because you're a artist, and you'll never get anything done if you mope around waiting for inspiration to strike. And this is true, so I am trying not to put much stock into the fact that I rarely actually feel like painting now. I think I just have to get back into the habit of it, churn out a couple paintings I really like, and that will keep me working.

But it is depressing to look at everything I've done in the last few years and only see three or four pieces I really like.

Or maybe I just need to go buy some more clayboard. Clayboard always makes me want to paint.
16 Comments
I'm working on it March 18, 2010 16 Comments No Favourites

And another one bites the dust...

:icondemagis:

Another year almost done and over with. One day, I'm gonna figure out how they keep sneaking up on me like that.

Well Nano is over and done with, almost a month over now. It was an absolutely ridiculous amount of fun, and I hit 50,000 by day 12. By day 30 I had over 100,000 words. But, most importantly, I finished the story. It is wrapped up, done. And now, the editing begins.

Cause, ya know, I really needed something else to suck away at my art time. And now I'm a writer.

And in other news, I handed in notice at my job last week. My last day of work will be January 30th. I was trying to hold out until Sept, I really was, but I just can't take it anymore. If I don't get out now, I never will.

So anyway, like every year, I'm trying to decide what I'm gonna do different in this upcoming year. For my health, I vowed to start taking some kind of class of some-sort, and, as luck would have it, my fiance and I just started taking jujitsu classes. So, as long as I don't crap out of those, mission accomplished.

I've decided that writing and I get along just fine, thanks, so I'm going to continue with it. I'm going to finish editing my draft by May, and in addition write at least one short story (7,000 - 20,000 words).

But, artwise, I'm having trouble nailing down specific goals. Completing a certain amount of work a month doesn't work very with me, for some reason. I was thinking perhaps of doing a long series of work with white or black subjects, but I'm not sold on it yet.

Suggestions?
4 Comments
And another one bites the dust... December 23, 2009 4 Comments No Favourites

NaNoWrimo?

:icondemagis:

I'm sure most of you have heard of Nano (but for those who haven't linky linky), the online challenge where you try to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. It's something I've always been interested in, but I finally decided that this year I'm going to try it.

So I'm Demagis on the Nano site, so if anyone else is doing it here and wants to friend me there, go nuts! We can compare word counts, mock and challenge each other, etc.

And yes, I'm looking forward to the surely-upcoming madness.

I think.

***Edit***
Word Count on Nov 6th: 22,088
**********
17 Comments
NaNoWrimo? October 30, 2009 17 Comments No Favourites

On why I can't sleep tonight

:icondemagis:

Today (and by today I of course mean 'Sunday,' because it isn't Monday until I've gone to sleep god damnit), was a very long day.

Some of it was due to the regular ridiculousness that is my family, stupid stuff that bothers me because I let it and don't deal with stress in a healthy way.

The rest of it was about Shatzy.

She spent all day at the park with the regular dog park people, having our end of the year bbq. She wandered, she patroled, she chased down anyone getting too rambuncitous.

When I got home that night, around 8:30, she seemed really needy and restless. This isn't extremely unusual for her, because she has some health problems. I left the house just before 10, and Rich took the dogs out for a walk.

I got a call from Rich just after 11, telling me I needed to come home because we probably needed to take Shatzy to the vet. Thankfully I was at my friend's house who was just down the street, and I was home within five minutes. Rich and the dogs were out in the backyard at the time, and as soon as I saw Shatzy I noticed she looked really, really bloated. She was underweight to begin with, so it was really noticeable. The torsion issue briefly crossed my mind, but I dismissed it, cause she's so small, and it's much more common in bigger dogs.

We raced her the animal hospital, and how Rich didn't get pulled over I'll never know, since he ran at least two red lights. The whole time Shatzy was crying and wimpering in the back - she'd never made any sounds like that before, ever.

When we got her to the hospital she got x-rays done and they confirmed that her stomach had twisted. Her bloodwork showed very elevated levels of lactose; normal is like 0.3 to 2.9, and hers was 11. So the surgeon says he has to try to get her lactose down to around 6 before he can do surgery, so he's giving her fluids to try to combat the shock.

So we wait, and about a half hour later the vet says her lactose is down to 7.1, so he's gonna try one more dose of fluids, which should take an hour. But now her blood sugar is ridiculously high - like a 29 when it should be like 2, so now he needs to check to see if she's diabetic, which will not only mean insulin shots her whole life, but greatly increase healing time from the surgury.

After the dose of fluids, vet comes and says he has good news and bad news. Good news: she's not diabetic. Bad news: her lactose has gone back up, so at this point he has to risk surgery before the acid starts destroying stuff, even if the lactose is still above 6. So we give the okay for her to go into surgery and put the $3,000 on the credit card.

When we got home Rich went to bed, and I kept the cell phone, 'cause he has to work in the morning. An hour and a half later, I'm starting to think I'm not going to get a call because everything went okay when the phone rings, and it's the surgeon saying that her stomach isn't quite necrotic, but it's well on its way and in real bad shape. Even worse, the blood vessels are oozing, and there's no guarentee they'll be functioning even after he stops the bleeding and sews everything up; recovery time in the hospital's gone up to five/seven days from one day, and in general he said it looks really bad.

So after talking it over with Rich and the vet, we decided to let her go.

We only had Shatzy since August, when we decided to foster her - because of her EPI, it was difficult for the American breed club to find a home for her; so they contacted the Canadian one, who in turn sent out notices to all their members. Rich drove half-way to South Dakota to pick her up. We had her maybe two days before we decided to keep her; Darwin adored her, she got along great with the cats, and she had these ridiculous brown eyes.

Darwin is actually staring at the door right now, like he does when he's waiting for Rich to come home.

Shatzy
10 Comments
On why I can't sleep tonight October 26, 2009 10 Comments No Favourites

DD?

:icondemagis:

So I left my laptop alone all weekend, being offically Busy and all, and log in this and notice I have 1074 activity messeges.

Huh.

I didn't have that many to sort through when I stopped submitting artwork for a year.

So after some searching I figured out that apparently Kookaburra recieved a DD yesterday, damn near three years after I uploaded it, which was a very unexpected and welcome surprise!

So thanks for all the praise and adoration guys! It is appreciated!


ps: Also sort of funny, as Kookaburra is the only diptych I've ever done, and I just started my first triptych painting last week because I had so much fun with it back in the day; it will probably take me weeks to finish, but maybe this is fate telling me I made a good decision? Or it's random, whatever.
20 Comments
DD? October 18, 2009 20 Comments No Favourites

I have returned!

:icondemagis:

Couple of things to cover, now that I'm back.

First off, commissions are closed, probably until next August at least. I barely even have enough time to work on my own art, nevermind artwork for other people. And, in part because of that, the prices on my original art going forward have gone up. I was selling my artwork too low anyway, and the prices weren't relecting the time and effort going into them. So, to sum it up: originals for sale, commissions closed. If you are interested in buying something, you can note me, but email is usually faster (got push email on the phone; I spend a lot of time with my phone...).

My Blog still gets semi-regular updates, and also features sketches that I don't post here. I am also on Twitter now, I go by...wait for it...Demagis. The originality is mind-numbing, I know. Since that gets updated on my phone, it's often updated a few times a day. Especially when I'm having a bad day.

So, what's happened in the last year...well still in retail; the managerie quota has grown to two dogs, four cats and a turtle; still playing with my old group, and still tyring to find time to paint.

So what's happened around here lately? What's this ' portfolio ' thingy? Any fun drama I missed?
9 Comments
I have returned! September 30, 2009 9 Comments No Favourites

New Laptop

Journal Entry: Mon Aug 11, 2008, 12:50 PM
Decided, on a whim, to treat myself and finally buy my tablet pc. It's smaller than my other laptop, but overall very easy to work with and I'm quite happy with it. It has meant upgrading to Vista, and after working with it, I don't see what all the fuss has been about. I haven't had any problems with it at all; my computer hasn't exploded once.

The keyboard is a little different to get used to; the left shift key and the enter key are placed differently and I keep hitting different keys. And there's no DEL key, just a huge backspace key.

But overall, yes, quite happy with it. I might pay it all off at the end of the month, or I might take a few months, haven't decided yet.

1 Comment
New Laptop August 11, 2008 1 Comment No Favourites

Another Update! I Live!

Journal Entry: Mon Jul 21, 2008, 9:16 AM
Artwork
-uploaded Desert Shadows

Working on:
-just doing something, i hope..

It's starting to seem like ever since I moved in, my art life has been in chaos and I'm hardly doing anything at all. The last few months have been pretty bad; I've actually got a half-dozen paintings sitting around that I've started and abandoned. Which is really weird for me, I usually don't have a problem with that kind of thing.

But with me working full time now, and the dog, and that I've started rp'ing again (after a seven year break, I really needed this), there just isn't time anymore. It's really depressing. And I'm slacking in all my online stuff; not only am I almost never here (I check my inbox every day for notes and to clear out deviations, but I don't have time to comment or whatever), but my online presence as a whole has basically shut down.

So a quick rundown of what's happened to me in the last two months since I've updated:

-got another cat from a friend moving out of the country, which brings the four-footed tally up to four cats, the dog and the turtle
-got engaged
-went to RVBTO 08; CTF FTW! RED TEAM RULZ!
-started rp'ing with my old group again, and it's one of the few things keeping me sane.

Anyway the one thing I have managed to do this year that I don't usually is see a buttload of movies at the theatre. So here's some quick reviews from me to make up for my long absence:

Iron Man: Holy crap, so glad I saw this movie in theatres. Honestly didn't expect much at first, and then all the good reviews started coming out, and then I saw it, and awesome. Just awesome. Good thing it came out early enough in the year that Batman didn't steal all the thunder.

Hulk: Better than the first one (and I thought the first one was just boring, not terrible). Actually not bad at all.

Indiana Jones: Managed to capture the spirit of the first three I thought. Some of the scenes in it were a little ridiculous though. Overall I thought it was fun.  

Wall-E: OMG this movie is amazing. I saw this movie and then went out and bought a little movable Wall-E toy to keep in my studio, and I've never done that before. He's so damn cute it's just about unbelievable. Only flaw with this movie is that it seems like the first half and the second half are two different movies stuck together, but overall it's just sublime.

Wanted: Meh. This movie was very styish, but that's about it. And the action wasn't even that great; in a world where every other action movie has crazy ass 'matrix' effects, this movie just seems like a shallow, cynical attempt to smash together a couple stars and some special effects to make some money. Which is a pity, cause I heard good things about the comic.

Hancock: The first half of this movie is fantastic. Then the stupid 'twist' (that was predictable, stupid and cliche) happens, and the movie just about goes straight to hell. The last twenty minutes or so aren't too bad.

Hellboy II: Pretty much on the same level as the first one, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Very pretty movie, just like most of this director's work.

Kung-fu Panda: This one was a lot better than I thought it would be; of course everyone is going to be comparing it to Wall-E, which is stupid, cause they can't really be compared. But this movie was beautiful, funny, and really well-animated, and I enjoyed it a lot. I actually bought the 'art-of' book for it (which is also beautiful). Very good movie.

TDK: I don't think I can say anything about this movie that hasn't been said already. I saw it at the midnight showing on opening night, and let's just say, the movie lives up to every bit of the hype. Which pretty much never happens. Disclaimer: I never liked Heath Ledger and found all the hype about 'this is his last movie!!11!! very irritating, but he was awesome. So yeah. Oh and I'm going to see it in IMAX tonight.


When Oct/Nov roll around and these movies start coming out on DVD, I am going to be very broke, cause I'm buying at least five of them.  

And now I go back to lurking in my hole.

4 Comments
Another Update! I Live! July 21, 2008 4 Comments No Favourites

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