I landed a job today! I will be starting tomorrow and have a full time position for a company who makes computer hardware. I'm glad to be moving forward again. :D

It's been a while since I updated, I know. Life has turned upside down again for me and I'm in the process of moving again. This time it wont be with my family. So I've been rife with all that 'life sucks' crap and haven't done hardly anything creatively for a long time. When things settle again my muse will return (hopefully soon).

I'd like to share a poem with my readers. It's dark so be warned. It's for all the soldiers throughout time who fought for a worthy cause and died for it. (Note: this is not a reflection that someone in my life has died in war).



Faceless Hero

People sleep soundly in their beds,
Whilst soldiers willingly give their heads.
Battling upon gass'ed fields nigh,
The bodies pile in valleys high.

Lives spent 'pon bullet or blade,
Spilling dark blood to stain the glade.
Pleading eyes search the fading lee,
And find the bravery to be free.

Sweet release the sigh of death,
The courage found to release last breath.
Inured to fear, the duty always harsh,
The soldier dies in a bloody marsh.

A final trip to find cold rest,
With escort and honors in their best.
The colors folded are greatly respected,
Then carried down and gravely presented.

And still we sleep, soundly bedded.

© Sumarra Pethran

Oo! I just had an idea..

I love Star Gazer Lilies and Bird of Paradise Flowers. So I would totally love it if all my readers would post links to any pictures of these beautiful flowers that you may have. And feel free to add other lovely exotic flowers too. I could use them as reference for my art too!.

So reply to this post with your links! :D

I've returned from my trip to Southern Cali and it was really neat being there. I've never been that far south before so seeing all the palms and desert foliage was a treat. San Dimas is a beautiful city. Seems I brought the cold weather with me, however, because it dropped to the 50's, hailed, rained, and thunderstormed most of the time I was there. Heh, sorry guys. :P

Still, it was like spring for me so it was nice to feel a little warmer. I was delighted the find one of my favorite flowers grew down there like weeds - The Bird of Paradise flower. It's a gorgeous bloom. I also found all the cypress and citrus trees unusual to see in people's yards. They're as common there as the cherry and apple trees here.

So It's back to work this week. I have some projects and commissions to catch up on. I'm expecting company next week for most of it so I hope to get something done before then.

Stay tuned! :D

*bouncebouncebounces!!* I got the contract and that's it folks!! Rabbit Valley is my publisher!!! *squeeees*

=^.^=

*bounces off the walls and sqeeees!* Rabbit Valley has accepted me!!! *bounce bounce* It'll be a while before I get the contract but.... I Made The Cut!!! I'll be able to sell my art on their site!! I am so esctatically happy right now, heehee!

=^.^=

I finished up a piece for becky's portfolio and it turned out just awesomely! But I'm not posting it. ;) You all are going to have to get it the folio when it comes out if you want to see. *grins toothilly* I figure it'll have some pics you've seen on my site and at various art postings but most of the book's images will not be posted before hand. Probably not afterwards either. And if I'm lucky, I might have a short story or two about her in there.

Last night I played D&D for the first time in years. It was such a blast! It's in a furry world and I played Sumarra as my character. She's a rogue of course, and so far there has been a bit of excitement. :) I'm so inspired by it all that I want to draw some scenes. I just hope it happens. :D

There's new art in the Adult Section.

There's new art in the Dragons and Anthro Section.

=^-^=

There's new art in the Sketches Section and the Anthro Section.

As for news, Quin finally made it to Iraq. He was en-route for 2 days since the planes keep breaking. He re-enlisted when he arrived and if everything goes well he'll be promoted this month *crosses fingers*. We miss him tonnes here but we're lucky to get a call from him nearly every day. They say the unit will be returning home in May but considering the months of delay to get his team over there we doubt he'll be on that schedule. So we'll see.

Also my residency package was sent back 3 times for minor corrections (the last one being their fault for mixing up the Money Orders). But I finally got recipts for all the forms today. They say it'll take 2-4 months for process. I hope they wont be delayed. But I'm relieved. It's finally in the system and I can breathe a little lighter. :D

There's new badge art in the Badges Section.

=^-^=

Further Confusion 2006

This year was a whole new experience for me. Previously I would help out with setup, take down, and door duty for the art show but not this time. I met up with Ch'marr on Thursday and discovered that he was Art Show Lead this year. Alone. So I offered to help him out and ended up as Co-Lead. It was most exciting! It takes a _lot_ of work to run an art show as I discovered. I absolutely loved the job and working together with Ch'marr, Warren, Paul, Frost, and Dave was a treat. Everyone got along well. The volounteers were priceless to us for getting things done.

As a result of that job I didn't get to see much of the Con other than the Auction on Sunday which I was working in. It was really fun to egg the bidders on as I displayed the art to them with little whispers of how much they wanted to take that particular piece home. :P

I brought my ren dress to play around with the theme of the con. So I managed to get away once or twice for a walk-around. But all in all I have no regrets about working the show even if I missed all the panels and events. I was really sad to see it end on Monday.

I did manage to get a couple of sketches off in some random sketchbooks in the Creator's Lounge and I hope I get a scan of them sent to me soon. I'll be posting some new art within the next week but there isn't much from this con.

I'm going to be at FC this year. I'll be there from Wednesday until Monday and I will have panels in the artshow. So look for me, if you will be there, and come say hi! I wont be in the dealers room but you can likely find me in the Artist's Den. I will be available for sketchbook and badge commissions, you need only ask. :D

See you all there!

I was a hectic holiday for us. At the last minute Quin was able to return home for 2 weeks but we had to pay out of pocket for the plane ticket. It was worth it though. :)

I had a bunch of plans to make a holiday card for everyone, bake banana bread and cookies, and spread the holiday spirit. But then I got sick. whee! So I'm bummed that nothing got done the way I planned, but I'll just finish up the card for next year anyway. Probably stick it in a portfolio.

So I hope the holidays treated you all well and the gifting and well wishing made some smiles and warmed the hearts.

We had the fortune to be invited to Rick, Tess's, and Stalkingcat's new years party. It was a little far, requiring a ferry ride that gave me fond memories of Gibson's up in BC. It was a blast to see a bunch of furs whom I usually only see at Conifur and I even met a few new faces. Quin and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit, bringing in the new year with our furry friends.

Next on my plate is getting ready for FC's artshow. I can't say how active I'll be. Having to deal with Quin leaving again leaves my muse fairly quiet so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get up this year. Never-the-less I will attend and I would be happy to do sketchbooks and badges so look for me in the artist's den.

I finally finished Doc McDowell's commission! yay! Sorry for the wait, Doc, but I think it's worth it. You can find 'Scarecrow' in the Anthro Section.

Been busy as always, lots of visitors and friends, and I'll be having another gathering this weekend. Also been tinkering with pokemon again. I recently aquired a GBASP (Thanks Branduff! :P ) with Emerald and it's a cute way to waste my time with my cub.

Started coloring a drawing from earlier this year, and I've begun work on a portfolio for Becky. She'll be appearing on a Christmas card for this season. Even though I have a list of stuff to do I'm saying 'to heck with it' this year and I'm pushing the holiday pic ahead of everything else. I never get them out in time because I try to finish what I've already started first... and I never do in time. So stay tuned for more of that sexy, busty model, Rebekah O'Hare!

There is new line art in the Adult Section. It's quite a complicated picture for me. Rated X, look for 'When Dogs Catch the Cat'. :)


In other news, my Residency Packet Finally got sent off! YAY! I am _sooooo_ glad that's done! *bounces* Now I just have to hope they accept it. :D

Did a quick sketch for Yawg. You can look for 'Eevee Girl' (Rated PG18) in the Sketches Section.

Conifur NW 2005

It was a bit of a mess at the start of the con this year. The constaff
lost some people and their domain went haywaire for about 6 months.
Lost emails and a locked website made it difficult for the con to
reach it's full potential. They moved hotels on top of that and I
think all of that scared some of the public away.

But despite all of that they worked their asses off and pulled it off
yet again. It was as fun as usual for me even though 90% of it I spent
behind my table working. Got to see a few furs I haven't seen in at
least a year or two and I loved being in the dealer's den.

I sold many badges and sketchbooks, a few prints, and 1 coloring book
(There is usually more cubs running around at the cons but I saw only
1 this year). None of my original's sold in the art show but I brought
them back to the table on Sunday and two went right away. All in all,
I nearly broke even this year. I had enough to cover all my costs save
for the room cost so next year I hope to break even.

I have most of the commissions from the con scanned save a couple I did after the den closed. If you have a sketchbook or badge done by me and it's not up here please send me a scan! I would love to add it to the rest. For now, you can check out several new pictures in the Adult, Anthro, and Badges Sections.




In other news, my hubby has deployed and will be gone from 6 months to a year. It's a little difficult to adjust to his absence and the muse hasn't been working well because of it. My son spent his 7th birthday playing spirderman and pokemon at the small party I threw for him where he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

And finally the last image for my coloring book. Look for 'Patience Suffers Any Bond' in the Black & White Section.

Image #9 for the coloring book. You can view 'Tarot Reader' in the Black & White Section.

Finished another line art picture for the coloring book I plan to sell at Conifur. You can view 'Lady Gryphon' in the Black & White Section.

Whipped up a new picture of Toby to use in the coloring book I plan to sell at Conifur. You can view that sexy fox in "I Prefer Briefs" in the Black & White Section.

Enjoy!

Finished a commission for Ulario of Furtopia.org who won my 'Name That Fox' contest. You can view 'Kjata' in the Dragons Section

I've finally managed to finish the second commission of 'Mac' and she's up for viewing in the Anthro Section. I put the new image next to the old one to make it easier to compare. I have another commission in progress, ready for transfer to Bristol to be colored, and it looks like I'm going to have a 100 members pic due soon for my Yahoo Group The Kama Sumarra.

[start sob story and plea for help]
Sorry.. I know these things are all over the net and they can get tiresome. I detest begging for help but I'm stuck and there's nothing else I can do. Things have been difficult for me over the past two months and it's mostly because of money troubles.

I have been trying to get my residency here in the USA and it's been a rollercoaster of medical tests. I finally got everything done and ready to go when out cat, Bronx, broke his hind leg. This unfortunate event drained most of my residency fund 2 months ago. So we save up again, borrow money, and almost make the entire $800 required to sumbit the package. Then when we take Bronx's splint off we encounter a badly infected case of dermatitis and the fund is drained yet again.

I'm at a loss. The medical tests I had to go through to compile this are soon going to expire and I will have to go through everything all over again and pay through the nose with money and time unless I can get this mailed off ASAP. It should have been done 2 months ago and I am afraid it's already too late.

So I'm putting myself and my talents out there for commissions and asking everyone I know if they can afford to purchase art from me. It's all I have to offer and I refuse to simply ask for charity. So please, if you have some money to spare, take a look around and help out by buying some of my art. Or talk to me about a commission you would like. I am not being very sticky about my price ladder right now.
[End sob story and plea for help]

Wow these past two weeks have flown by! I had many house guests and enjoyed entertaining my friends but sadly it kept me from doing as much as I wanted... (why do I sound like a broken record about this all the time? :P) But I did manage to get some more work done on my commissions and I'm nearly done 'Mac'.

My Yahoo group The Kama Sumarra has grown to 50 members now! I was very excited to see my group grow on it's own for the first time in years. *bounces happily* So I made them a gift pic thanking my members for all their support. You can go see it if you Sign Up.

However, you can go see a birthday gift I drew for my good friend Branduff. It's in the Adult Section titled 'Blow Job'... so no minors peeking in there please. ;)

Neck recovered nice and quickly thankfully. :)

Went to Wolf Haven with a few friends on June 23rd and it was really cool. They have several different breeds of wolf there as well as a breeding program for some of the endangered ones. Though I wish they had larger enclosures I still I highly recommend the place since they rescue wolves from the pet trade or those who've lost their owners.

Spent a lot of time working in and around the house, deep cleaning, re-arranging, mowing that monstorous yard out there and tending the gardens. The weather has mostly been nice so I take advantage, hehe.

Getting closer to completion of my commish of 'Mac' and I've done a few badges for the folks on my Yahoo group (go join if you want freebies like that). You can see them in the Badges Section. Look for Kitt, Alis, and Tabuu there.

This weekend is packed with errands and plans so I will be away from the house for most of it - and away from the computer until Tuesday unless plans fall through. So have a great weekend folks!

Summer is here and working it's distracting ways and there's several RL things keeping me from my art table. So excuses, whatever... I haven't done as much as I wanted to. Yesturday sealed that with my neck slipping out again so I wont be doing much for the next few days either.

Yay.

There's a new badge done for my friend Kittara. Go see in the Badges Section

The polls are closed and the votes are in!

The winning name is Tobias Blackroot! I like Toby for short too. I'm very happy with this name. :)

Congratulations go to Ulario from Furtopia for submitting the winning name. She won the free commission from me. :)

Thank you everyone who participated in my contest. I had a lot of fun holding it and I hope to do more in the future.

I'm on a roll! Finished a new picture of my own character done in black and white line art. It's a naughty one so for you underaged viewers, No Looky! The rest of you can go peek at it in the Adult Section. Look for 'Marra's Cat Toy'.

Enjoy!

I liked Oracle Din's picture so much that I decided to clean it up and fix the porportional problems it was having. Go see 'Oracle Din' in the Black & White Section.

And just a curiosity, I would like to know who is paying attention to my blog. Please post a reply to this and I'll give you a cookie. :P

New sketches!

I've done a couple of quick sketches this week. Hop over to the Sketches Section and look for 'oracledin' and 'arkell-bday'.

Also, the polls are still open! I need your help to name that fox so scroll down to the list of names and vote right here on the blogger! (If you haven't already voted somewhere else that is)

Crisis over!

Site is fixed and secured against hackers uploading to my server. *grins*

Sorry for the downtime folks. Hopefully this wont happen again.

Sorry Folks. We experiencing some hacker difficulties at the moment so the site is temporarilly disabled. I'm working on this problem as fast as I can and I hope to have the site back up by the end of tomorrow at the latest.

In the mean time go view my Yahoo Group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kamasumarra ) or my VCL archive ( http://us.vclart.net/vcl/Artists/Sumarra/ ).

And go vote in my poll! You can do it right on this blogger! Scroll down to my previous post. :D

List is closed and the Polls are open! Vote on your favorite names now!

I'm going to list the names here and everyone can vote in their replies.

Everyone is welcome to vote in this! Please pick 3 (ONLY 3) of your favorite names from the following list. The winning name is for this Sexy Fox: http://sumarra.reddra.com/art/anthro/foxboy2-c.jpg . (Note: You _are_ allowed to vote on your own entry. Annonymous votes will not be counted so sign your name!)

:::Here are the entries::::

Daniel 'Danny' Touche ( tush )
Anthony 'Tony' Foxtail
Serano 'Sera' Christov
Richard Marcell
Milo Vasylko
Loki Wyldefur ( low key . wild fur )
Vig Rodriguez
Jimmy Flufftail
Gasusip Ohosw Sanomagmot ( gaw sues ip . o hose wah . sano mage mawt )
Russell Reynard
Sean Sionnach ( shon . shon ack )
Ken DeFarge
Trent Lefebvre
Fritz Jayme Feygelman
Rajeyl De`largo ( Raz shayl )
Kenta Rimierez
Nouké Rougsky ( Noo keh . Roog skee )
Zyrim Riahkal ( zir im . ray kal )
Tobias Blackroot
Claudio Marcellus ( mar sell us )

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

-=:: Name That Fox Contest! ::=-

##
QUICK DESCRIPTION: You name the character. If your name wins then you get a free commission and print of said commission from me (with option to buy original). If you're interested read on, otherwise disregard this message.

Contestants must be a member of one of the following groups:
- The KamaSumarra (Yahoo group)
- No spam/ads/chat 6-12 msgs/year mailing list
- Furtopia Forums
##


I've had some really good responses to this fox I drew and I've decided to give him a character. Problem is I need a name so I'm starting a contest! You get to submit your ideas for his name then I'll put up a poll to find the best one. This is being held between Furtopia, my Yahoo Group The KamaSumarra, and my alternative mailing list.
Once all the votes are in I will tally them from all 3 sources. The creator of the winning name will get a free colored character commission (without BG) from me. You get to pick which character you want - your own, one of mine, or one you've obtained consent for from the creator. (Note: this doesn't have to be strictly furry. I do fantasy as well.)

!! Please read the rules carefully before submitting your ideas. !!

--- PICS ---
Rated G:
Click here

Rated X (please do not click this link if you are a minor):
Click Here

--- HIS BACKGROUND ---

Here's what I have so far...

He's gay, lives in a prolific gay district, is a sub, and is pretty open about his sexuality. He's single, polysexual, and nearly always horney. He has many female friends, not holding gender against them hehe, but most males he knows are Friends-with-Benefits or just aquaintances because he doesn't connect easily with most gay males. He has a hard time being around straight males because he firmly believes there's a little gay boy trying to beat their way out of every one of them and it's his job to free that pour soul. This has gotten him into trouble before. *laughs*
He's currently working nightshift as a waiter and does quite well with his tips. He loves to shop for clothes, gifts for his friends, and home decor. He's studied interior decorating and applies his feng shui interest to that field. He likes to swim and loves sailing on the small boat which he owns and lives in. He loves to read romance novels and gay biker magazines, and plans to own a motorcycle some day. His favorite band is The Pet Shop Boys, his favorite foods are stewed wild rabbit and roast venison, and his favorite color is blue.

--- RULES ---

- Each contestant may not submit more than two names.
- Each submission must contain a First and Last name. A nickname version may be included with each submission.
- If you are on more than one of the competing lists you may vote only once in one place. Double voting will disqualify you from your prize and it will go to the next runner-up.
- Submissions will be closed upon reaching 15 entries or on May 31st (whichever comes first)
- Only members of my list, my group, or Furtopia may vote in the polls.
- Polls will close on June 15th.
- The winner is entitled to a free print of their commission if they pay for shipping and handling.
- The winner will be given first dibs on purchasing the original at a special price. (price will depend on how complicated/detailed the image will be).
- If a copyrighted character is involved in the prize then the winner must obtain written consent for me to draw, reproduce, and sell prints of this one picture from the owner of that copyright.


Content I will draw:
- Ratings G (pretty much anything G) to X
- Pin-up
- violence and torture
- Bukakke (wet and messy)
- Anything you already see drawn on my website Go Look
- More stuff but I'm too lazy to come up with more for this list... ask me if you're unsure if I'll do something and it's not already listed.

Content I will not draw:
- anything illegal (pedophilia, beastiality, snuff, etc...)
- scat or water sports
- babyfur/adult babyfur
- copyrighted characters without written consent from the creator of said character.
- Adult content for any minor.
- anything else I'm uncomfortable with that I forgot to mention here... again ask if you're unsure.

I retain the right to refuse any commission (don't worry, I'm pretty laid back and fair.) ;)

Good Luck Everyone!
-- Sumarra Pethran

There's a new sketch in the Sketches Section for Lazar's sketchbook. A request I found sitting in my pile of ToDo stuff since Conifur 04. Sorry Laz! Better late than never though, right? Look for "Bad Teddy" (Rated G) on that page.

Had a very busy weekend... but it was really great. Spent a good portion of Saturday and most of Sunday working on the garden. No one has touched this thing in over 2 years and it's overgrown with weeds and grass. Heck! It has more grass than our lawn (which is all moss and weeds). I hate rentals. I bet anything the landlord took that last two tenants' deposit because they didn't do anything with the garden but then never fixed it herself. :(

But what makes me feel great is I've made a lot of progress with it. I'm nearly halfway through it (it's like 12'x4') and I've managed to slavage a lot of the flowers and ground cover in it. Some of the weeds have 3' long roots. Heh, I'm pretty sore from digging but it's the good sore from a good workout. So I'm pretty proud of myself. :D

We also had Branduff over on Staurday and BBQed marinated pork loin at our neighbor's *drools* it was so incredibly good. Branduff brought bratwurst too so it was a gut-filling dinner. hehe.

There's a new sketch to see. Look for mmmcandy (Rated X) in the Sketches Section

I stuck a background on Shad's pic. Look for "She's Mine" in the Anthro Section

I got onto Fur Affinity too!

I signed up to DeviantART and I even set up a Yahoo Group named The KamaSumarra ( I love that name! ;p ). So feel free to go check them out or sign up. I figured some folks like to chat about the stuff I draw so the group is a good place for it. I'll still keep my mailing list because I know some prefer to have no ads, no chat, and no spam coming into their inbox every week/day. I'm going to maintain both. :)

The Art Jam on Saturday was great! It was in the U District of Seattle this time at Doc McDowell's place. I had so much fun. Didn't draw as much as I had hoped to, but I needed the socializing more, hehe. Got home at 4 am. *smirks*

Mother's Day was really fun. I had a few friends over and went for Sushi! (of course) ;p
Recieved a really nice Orchid from Calico and Trinity, hubby got me a much-needed new leather jacket ( I'm so practical sometimes ;p ), and some wonderful cards and artwork from my son.

New Art! Whee! I'm on a roll. ;p

I finally finished the art trade for Sharadack. Look for 'She's Mine' in the Anthro Section.

:)

Site Update

Since Becky is such a big part of my muse, and following my desire to make her a popular character, I've created a Characters section where I've put a picture of the character next to a write up about them.

I've also gone through and updated which pictures I have sold and priced the remaining ones I wish to sell. So go through the thumbnails and see if you would like to buy one of my originals.

New Art!
"Wow!... she actually did some art for a change!" ;p~

Yeah, well... I can't avoid it forever. I do have some commissions I should finish. I'm not usually so lazy about it but the accident and injury afterward put me off of any serious work for a while... then it seems to be difficult to get started again.

So! This is just a sketch to get me going again. I was watching Cirque du Soleil last Friday night and the costumes are so amazing. I put Becky in one. You can find her in the Black and White section titled 'Cirque do Soleil' of course. :)

Imma Geek!

But a very pretty one. ;p

I'm currently working on some projects on Tapestries MUCK - MPI scripts. And I'm at the point where (as I inevitably do when it comes to scripting) I just want to take this thing, bite it, crush it, chew it, burn it, throw it against the wall, jump up and down on it a few times, then shoot it, throw it in a pit with 30 grenades and blow the buggar up!

The pisser about MPI is you can't leave script notes in the script itself on the MUCK. 3-4 years ago I didn't consider the value of script notes... heh, I hate myself for this. So now I sit and hack _my_own_ script just so I can work with it! Bah!

As you can imagine I now keep pretty good documentation in notepad. >:D

Whee!

Everyday is a windy road!

Quinthera had monday off this week so he asked me out for a date. :) We had planned at first to see a movie but when the sun decided to show we went for a drive out to Tumwater first. It was a really nice drive too. Reminded me of last summer when we used to drive around a lot. We love the new car too. It's really comfortable and makes us feel like there's a little bit of class in our lives. ;p

We stopped by a pick-a-part to take a chance and see if we could find anything to fix my car. Unfortunately there wasn't, but that disappointment was quickly chased away by the beautiful country roads he took me on. All that new spring green sprounting out there is incredibly refreshing.

Then we decided to go see Sahara in the theatre. It was a fun movie, not too over blown for an action film and the plot was cute. I'd say it was worth an $8 ticket but not more than that. Rent it if you have access to a big TV, you wont miss much if you do.

---- Randomness: Wow, never seen a red squirel before. Adorable little thing is hopping about my balcony in the morning mist as I write this. :)

Raw Fishy Goodness!

We had a good weekend. Branduff came over on Saturday and treated us out to Sushi for dinner. :d I love sushi... it's probably not normal just how much I love sushi. A couple of years ago you would find me in a sushi restaurant at least 4 times a week. Talk about a reflection of a persona! hehe. I was familiar with at least 5 sushi restaurants in each city in and around Vancouver in BC and even out into the lower mainland. There was a time when I started thinking seriously about opening up sushireview.com or something along those lines. I could gauge the quality, freshness, value, and service of every place I went to.... Ahhhhhh... I miss those days. ;p

Thanks Branduff! *snugs*

Stress Anyone? I have plenty to spare. ;)

Last week we received a letter in the mail, "You're a Winner!" and we almost threw it away. Luckily (I suppose...) the hubby decided to read it and it turns out there were no strings, no catches, no "buy this and win!" bs in it. It was legitimate. So Monday we go over to the place to collect whatever it was we won. Turns out it's at a car dealership in Olympia and they're promoting their weekend sale with these prizes. .. still no catch, don't _have_ to buy a car... or even look at them. So we pick out an online shopping spree. But then Quin decides to look at the cars just for the heck of it and crunch some numbers to see how much it's going to cost to get a new car. Find out what we can get approved for... I makes sense, we'll have to replace his old Prelude sooner or later. It is starting to break down a lot and mine's toast until we dump a few hundred (or more) into repairs (see 'Bad Luck' entry below).

Bad Idea.

Ok, first, I'm the kind of person who Hates (and I use that word strongly here) Hates! shopping without the means to buy anything. If I have cash saved up for a car then I go find something I can buy with that cash. Quinthera, on the other hand, is the kind that goes shopping to find out how much he needs to buy what he wants. Man! That would depress me! So anyway, I indulge him and try enjoy the test drives.

We get this silver-tongued, steriotypical, epitome of a salesman who takes us around in 3 or 4 cars and shows us a dozen more. This guy _loves_ his job. Once we start crunching the numbers I'm asked how much we can afford to pay and put down (on top of the trade-in)... since I'm the one who manages the budget around here I start thinking, "Hey! We just might be able to afford this now!" And the sales rep slides his way into a decent deal (for them moreso than for us but that's how they all go).

I'm skeptical and I can see Quin being swayed. I like the idea, but there are some serious cons sitting next the the pros. So I try to sit the fence and present both sides to him... but still... it's a tempting deal. And after 8 hours at the dealership he signs the contract on an '04 Oldsmobile Alero. We go home feeling sore around the rim from someone who took advantage of us the night before after the nightclub... You know, like when you feel good because it happened but totally used because you know they wont call back.

And the next day it all sets in... especially after we find out how much it is to insure this new car... more than we thought. So we have stress ready to be served up to anyone who wouldn't mind a snack.. or meal.. or 8 course dinner. Fun!

Did you know you're not allowed to smile on your passport photo?

What's with that?? Seriously. Do they look at it when you cross the border and say, "Oh no! We have a smiler! This one's too happy! She must be up to something. Red alert! Get the probes out!" Then they arrest you and put you in some prison for happy people? It's not like you can't reproduce the smile in the photo, sheesh! ;p~

Bad Luck

On the way to the Art Jam last Saturday I got into an accident. Loads of fun. It's my first one in all 7 years safe driving that I've been at some fault. I've been hit twice before but they were very minor taps. This time I rear-ended someone who wasn't paying attention to the traffic in front of her. She slammed on her brakes, I slammed on mine, and whether there was ABS or not, I slid and couldn't get out of the way. It's the first time my reactions let me down. I've spent the last 3 days saying, 'I should have...', 'If only...', and any number of curses at the pain I feel now.

Nasty.

So I pull over to the side of the road (car still starts by some incredible feat) and get out on the passenger side.. then shock digs in and I can't stand. Fun! *smirks sarcastically* The woman who was hit by the girl in front of me gets me to sit and tells me to stay put until shock wears off (she was only slightly tapped. I got the worst end of the deal since I hit an old resold cop car from '92. Bloody thing's made of steel not fiberglass like my car which is crumpled to the point I can't see over my hood. Looked like someone used it to pitch a tent.). Then the worst thing decides to show up..... neck pain. Wheee! *sighs*

Next thing I know I'm not allowed to move, the ambulance showes up and they strap me to a board and head vice. Damn those things are Nasty!! Sure they're uncomfortable, if you only stay in one for 10-15 mins or so. I was stuck in it for over an hour! We got caught in traffic when a driver had seizures behind the wheel and cause a big mess on the highway. The head-vice was so painful by that point I couldn't feel my neck pain... or my arms and legs up to my elbows and knees for that matter.

That was the most traumatic part of the whole ordeal. (I wont go into detail here, it's just not very nice)

5 hours later I got to go home. Finally!

Yesturday we picked up my car from the tow yard and got it home on another tow truck (wallet is significantly lighter... moths don't even see enough in it to attract them). And the front end looks like that PB&J sandwich you stuck into the VCR when you were a kid after it was extracted. It's going to cost quite a bit to repair.... but at least it's salvagable!

So here I sit, in a neck brace, on muscle relaxants and _really_ nice pain killers for the next week becoming re-aquainted with every nook & crany of the house that needs cleaning - trying to figure out where we're going to get the money to fix the car and manage to pay bills this month. Maybe I'll trade the car for some magic beans.

If any of you were thinking of buying some art from me, now's the time to do it. I would appreciate the cash right about now.

Went to Game Works in Seattle last Sunday with Branduff. It was pretty cool, right up there with Playdium back in Burnaby. It was awesome to find DDR Max Extreme there and no one playing it! heh. Nearly had it to myself, much to the complaint of my legs afterwards, hehe. They have two stories of video games there plus a bunch of old school ones like Pac-Man and Raiden. In the back they have the old carnival type games that spit out tickets to buy cheap toys with. And with the restaurant and bar up top one could spend all day there.

They also have this neat hot-air balloon game there that straps you into a seat and shoots you up and down in front of the two-story screen while you try to pop your opponents' balloons with the spike on the bottom of your basket, hehe.

If you go there make sure to try bowling on a rocking pirate ship... just bring gloves to save your hands from a lot of slapping. ;p~

w00t!

Ok, it's bad. I've been sucked into playing an out-dated game and I'm addicted. ;p~
I thought my son would be more into it than me but it's the other way around it seems. *sighs* Now who am I going to battle with? ;p~

So maybe I'm going to do a little personal posting for a change. ;)

------------

It's official... I am old. How did I find out? I made the mistake of going into GameStop to buy my son a used Gameboy so we can play pokemon together. I walk in and go to the back of the store and for the first time in my life I found myself clueless in a game store. *sigh*
I was at the mercy of the sales rep and I could have been taken for everything I had in my wallet. And the sales rep reminded me of that acne-covered teenager off Simpsons, complete with breaking voice and all. I doubt he was old enough to have a job. You could see him rolling his eyes and dreading every step I took towards him. He knew what was coming. And so he starts rattling off all the stuff about the games and gameboy and I'm like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uhh.. I need that? Sure... how do you work it again? And I need that to play it on N64? uhh.. duh.. Ok." *double sigh*

So it's official. I am over the hill now. It wont be long.. I see the bengay coming... ;p~

-- Sumarra

Switched over to Blogger for onsite updates. It's pretty nifty and I encourage you to post your thoughts about the news and updates I post here.

Added a Collaborations section to the site for shared work. Also uploaded an image to the section. Look for 'Tickle! Tickle!' there.

Added a new section to the site. Browse some of the Badges I've made over the past few years. Unfortunately I haven't been able to scan all the ones I've done previously. If you have one that isn't in that section I would love to get a scan of it for my site. Contact me if you do.

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Further Confusion 2005
The con was busy! Rumored to have over 1800 attendees this year. Quin and I both went, much thanks to our friend Branduff for making it possible - who makes reciprocating as difficult as pulling wisdom teeth but is going to get it none the less! *grins* We had a great time though. I set out _not_ to work at this con and managed to get away with only doing one badge, one sketchbook, and a little on 'Yours' found in the Sketches section.

I saw many friends whom I haven't seen for a long while and managed to learn quite a bit about properly matting and framing my art. Caught 2 The Ranting Gryphon's show and split both sides. If you haven't heard this comic's rants before I suggest you go to his site and give it a try.
(Warning! Content of this site is of Adult nature and may be Offensive. Not recommended for children under the age of 17)

Nothing went in the art show this year and I'm not surprised. It was incredibly competetive for excellent art that far surpassed my abilities.

So another year passes and I have grown a little wiser, a little older, and a little sillier for it.

Moved 'Sethrech K'rath', 'Quinthera' and 'Grooming' lineart from Sketches to Black & White after cleaning them up and running prints.
Also added a new image to the Sketches. Look for 'Yours' there.

Did a new portrait of a kitty. Look in the Black & White section for 'MallCat'.
(Rated G)

Desktop Wallpapers are now available to list members. Request your copy today!
Not a member? Join Now!

Teasers:
Becky - Redhead in a Red Dress
Your Place or Mine
Try and Take it!
King in Play (Rated X)

Uploaded a new color picture to the Anthro section. Look for 'Mac' there.

The Auctions have ended and the 'Ice Tiger' painting has been sold!
There's also a new pic to see in the Adult Section. Look for 'King in Play' there.

Auctions! There's Originals, Limited Edition Prints and Clearance items. Go here and here.

Hey! There's a mailing list for art updates! Join now! Click here ! No Spam! No Ads! No Chatter!

Uploaded a reworked Sketch of a commission. Look for 'Mac2' in that section.

Uploaded a new Sketch of an old character. Look for 'seth-casual'.

Adjusted the prices on the Prints page to reflect the new postage. Prints are now $2 off! (until further notice.)

Fixed the CSS problem for Mozilla 1.7 users. Please notify me of any more script or viewing errors..

Uploaded 3 new images to the Sketches section.

Conifur 2004
It seemed quieter this year than it was last year. Now that I live rather close to Tacoma I was able to attend very easilly and covered the hotel cost with my sales this year. Nothing sold in the artshow, however, so I will be putting a few originals up for auction soon. It felt as though there weren't as many people there this year but still the warm and friendly atmosphere as always. I really enjoyed myself and was happy to meet a few furs close by my new home.

My 5 y/o son, 'Dennis' attended the con some on Friday and Sunday and wanted to be just like mom so he drew a badge for one of my friends, Lazar. Lazar then showed it to some people and next thing you know I had an enthusiastic Kenket at our table wanting to do an art trade with him for a badge. Dennis did a few art trades over the weekend and it was adorable. He even picked a "fursona" for himself for the first time - Dennis the red dalmation with rainbow colored spots who is a pizza fanatic. *laughs* Everyone loved him and his energy for furry art. We speculate that he may be the youngest furry artist in the fandom to barter for his work.

Since my move to Washington State is finally completed and I am no longer working a job I have been able to get caught up on some things. Fixing this website for instance. And I should be stepping back into my artwork without much more delay. Look here for new art coming soon!

Attended Further Confusion 2004. Con report has been lost.

New image in the Anthro section! Look for 'Your Place or Mine?' there.

New image in the Anthro section - Look for 'Try and Take it!' - and 2 new images in the Fan Art section, images by Nemos Ochon.

New image in the Sketches section. Look for 'Skitzodragon' there.

New image in the Sketches section. Look for 'tarotreader' there.

--- 2003 ---

10.07.03

Redid the website's PHP to make updating art archives easier and illiminated the need to return to thumbnails between images while browsing them.





10.05.03

Conifur 2003
It was very fun. I spent most of my time in the Artist's Alley doing con badges and sketchbooks after quickly getting a small pile of them on Saturday morning. In the evenings I did some socializing but for the most part I spent it again drawing away with the large Art Jams happening.

Some cons are remembered for their great events, some for the things you bought while there, some for those hard-to-believe room party stories. For me, it was the awesome collection of creative minds bent over sketchbooks for hours into the night. The Art Jams.

I learned a lot about working with markers this year thanks to Todd Smith. On Sunday I even resolved myself to buying a good set when I returned to BC. But luck stepped in and I won a great set from Snowwolf for being the most profitable in the Alley.

The Art Show was also lucrative for me, selling better than I had expected considering last year and Anthrocon a couple of months ago. Five originals went in the show and I sold another off my table late Sunday for a total of six. That's half what I brought with me to the con and I'm very pleased. These are the pieces that sold:

Becky in 'Scout's Discovery'

Becky in 'Blue Ribbons'

Shadow Dragon

Rapunzle.. let down your tail

Little Boy Blue (Rated X)

Arabian She (Rated R)





9.19.03

New image in the Sketches section. Look for 'shydragon' there.






9.11.03

Switched over to new List Manager for update list.





9.10.03

New image in the Sketches section.





9.10.03

Auctions Still Going!
Prints, LE Signed, and Oversized!
Go right now to FurBid and iOffer to see!





9.06.03

Added even more to the Sketches section.





9.03.03

Added a Sketches and Fan Art Section. Each has new images to see.





8.29.03

Added Character Names and Titles to all Thumbnails.





7.20.03

New Artwork uploaded to Anthro section!





7.10.03

Website Revised with new look and navigation.





6.25.03

New Artwork uploaded to Anthro section!





5.27.03

New Artwork uploaded to Anthro section!





4.09.03

New Artwork uploaded to Anthro section!





3.18.03

New Artwork uploaded to Dragons section!





2.26/03

Message Board now open!





2/03/03

New Artwork uploaded to Dragons section!





1.23.03

New Artwork uploaded to Anthro section!





1.08.03

New Artwork uploaded to Adult section!

--- 2002 ---

12.23.02

New Artwork uploaded to Anthro section!





11.26.02

New Artwork uploaded to Adult section!





11.17.02

New Artwork uploaded to Dragons section!





11.11.02

New Artwork uploaded to Adult section!





11.01.02

New Artwork uploaded to Black & White section!





10.22.02

Site launched.