The Art of White Noise Graphics: New Year News

Well my significant other surprised me with a really awesome early birthday present. I think he got tired of watching me trying to draw with a track pad on a 15 inch lap top because now I have a 21 in touch screen monitor/tablet that works in tangent with my laptop. I was honestly really leery about it at first because the last tablet I messed with was an old 9x6 Bamboo from 2009, and lets face it, I have some of the worst hand to eye coordination there is. The touch screen is surprisingly sensitive and eliminates a large part of the coordination issues. I did two fast, silly, cute doodles to configure the stylus test out control and pressure sensitivity.

Then things got serious.

I have always celebrated Chinese New Year in my own weird little way and though I do not believe in horoscopes, I do like celebrating both my western and eastern zodiacs and like to read up on the lore, mythology and symbology surrounding them. In the west I am Pisces, the twin fish. In the east I am Saru, the monkey. Now the fun thing about the Chinese zodiac is its based on years instead of months like western zodiacs and in addition to cycling through 12 different zodiacs, it cycles through four different elements where the elements of western zodiacs are fixed. Pisces, for example, is a water element and that will never change. Eastern elements are slightly different from western ones though. In the west you got earth, water, wind and fire. In the east its metal, fire, earth, wood and water. I was born in a metal monkey year. The current monkey year, 2016, is fire. And just as not all the western elements get along or compliment each other, neither does all the eastern ones. Fire destroys and tempers metal. Its both a destructive and creative relationship. Antagonistic, to sum it up. So though this is a monkey year, which normally is a lucky year, this is actually one of the most unlucky years especially for those of us who are metal. BUT, just like many metals, including steel, come out stronger after being tempered, if a metal monkey can make it through all the trials and tribulations of a fire year it can be one of the most lucrative and successful.

I have been absent from the journal because those trials have all ready started on both a financial and health levels and in both the business and personal arenas. I am not going to let it slow me or my art down, and in fact am using it for inspiration, working out my frustrations and issues in my art and we are still moving forward with turning White Noise into a serious business.

So on that note, announcing we will be at the Alaska Steamposium on April 16th and 17th this year and we are working on getting into Senshi Con in October. Commissions are also open so please spread the word!

I am now going to close out with an art dump. Enjoy!