deviantART: by:RobinRone

Needed to get this out of my system this morning. Feeling much better now.
*****

I am a woman. I am also a Mechanical Engineer, an occupation which typically is made up of about 12% women on a good day. So when I'm discussing topics in the realm of gender roles, I think I'm pretty justified in my claim of being a "woman working in a man's world." So, to the world's Feminists, I have this to say:

Shut. Up.

Why this sudden burst of frustration? Oh, nothing momentous, really. Just another straw on this particular camel's back that became a burden too heavy to keep carrying without comment. Recently President Obama arranged to have a basketball game, and according to the media he didn't invite any women. Naturally, feminists are up in arms about the "boy's club" mentality and "sexism in the White House," to which I reply: "I'm sorry, don't you have jobs?"

Seriously. Women all over the world are abused, uneducated, and need help. Even in our own, proud, "enlightened" country. And, with all that, you have the time to complain about a basketball game?

And you wonder why men don't respect you.

You know what happened the last time I didn't get invited to a basketball game? I ASKED IF I COULD JOIN, and then I made a point to be the toughest player on that court. I didn't complain, I didn't whine, I didn't run to Media Mom to make my hurt pride feel better. I shut up, got involved, and proved that I was strong enough and skilled enough to do a damn good job. The next time the boys got together to play, I still didn't get a fancy invitation.

You don't need to send invitations to people who are already a part of your team.

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~RobinRone — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:35:27 PST

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Things we say in sleep

~RobinRone — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:40:53 PST

Sometimes, I talk in my sleep. Khan is a night-owl, so often when he comes to bed I've been asleep for hours, but I'll start talking to him when he comes in. He usually tries to engage me in conversation just to see if I'll say anything particularly amusing. This always makes me wonder about my dreams, because it seems for every dream I remember, there must be a lot SO strange I can't recall them. Take, for example, the following exchange, which was just related to me this morning:

Me: "...It is complete."
Khan: "What is complete?"
M: "The Jam Cannon."
K: "What is it for?"
M: "For mopping up the blood."
K: "Oh. Well. You have fun with that."
M: "Yup!"

...Seriously, why can't I remember THAT dream? Instead I get to recall a crappy nightmare. Screw that! Give me back my Jam Cannon, Unconscious!

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~RobinRone — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:21:28 PDT

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~RobinRone — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:35:19 PDT

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A Feature Journal

~RobinRone — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:53:25 PDT

Well, I finally broke down.

The first 15 people who submit a comment to this journal will have their avatar posted up, along with some links to some of their artwork which I particularly enjoy.

If you do submit a comment, I would ask that you do the same for your journal, though you certainly don't have to include me on the list if you so choose.

Total will be 16, as the first spot goes to:

1.
[link] [link] [link] [link]
Not only is Rillid a fantastic writer, but I find his artwork to be raw and powerful in many respects. I appreciate that he commits to whatever feeling and mood he's trying to create, and by his willingness to go there, he takes me along with him. His characters have emotional resonance, and the images tap into something on a gut-level for me. I can't entirely describe it, except that I think it's fantastic, refreshing, sometimes scary, and often very fun.
2.
[link] [link] [link]
There were numerous images I could have chosen from, but I selected these three to highlight on something that I think is a particular strength of Kalyn-Palak: K-P is ALWAYS trying new things. It's a joy to go from the start of K-P's gallery to the present, because you get to see all the growth and experiments along the way. K-P takes risks rather than always go with the same thing, and that takes guts! Whether it's using textures and brushes to create sumptuous environments, or going for the tough-as-all-get-out angle, (holy heck, my hat is off to you for tackling the foreshortening Sending's seam ripper like that) or using unique and interesting page lay-outs, K-P goes for it! That way leads to learning, and with persistence will yield more versatility and skill than someone who settles in a style and never tries to change. Bravo!
3.
[link] [link] [link] [link]
Mmmmm...natural media...Okay, so not everything by Kurayami-Uthmar's gallery is natural media, but I keep a special place in my heart for pencil and paper and paint. That said, there were some fun illustrations using the computer to good effect as well. I particularly enjoyed some of her work that experimented with color and form. She sometimes uses a very limited color palette to create very striking results!

4.
[link] [link] [link] [link]
*twitch* OH GAWD SO DIFFICULT TO CHOOSE! Frankly, I love seeing anything and everything from Sanely-Insane. There's simply so much detail in EVERYTHING and I almost always find something that either makes me laugh, or creeps me out, or both at the same time. I love the character designs, I love the comics and doodles, I love the colors, I love the humor...I'm just in a loving mood I guess. I blame Sanely-Insane.

5.
[link] Page 182

Thoughts on Critiques-My policies & reflection

~RobinRone — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:28:33 PDT

I have put a lot of thought towards the nature of criticism these past few months. The main theme of these musings has been "Why is it so hard to handle on some occasions, but so welcome in others?" So, having finally settled to the bottom (or, at least, a layer of pressure that suspends me) of these thoughts, I decided it would be good to set them to paper.

I do not handle criticism well. That said, I'd challenge any of you to name someone you know that is naturally gifted in this regard, and requires no effort to accept having their short-comings pointed out. However, I have noticed that in some cases it is quite easy to get past the knee-jerk reaction of "SHUT YER FACE" and transition to the point of acceptance and incorporation of the comments into improving future work. This transition being, ideally, the entire point of criticism. In other cases, the "SHUT YER FACE" instinct wings off the other way, blowing into full-force anger or depression. Trying to determine the reason for that has lead me to examine how the delivery of the particular comment can change how it is taken. To illustrate, I present you with the following analogy:

A mother is at the playground, sitting on a park bench as she watches her little boy play with the other children. A stranger approaches and sits down next to her, noticing the child the mother's eyes are following.

"Is that your boy?" the stranger asks, pointing him out from the throng of excitable kiddos.
"Why, yes!" the mother replies, beaming as only a doting mother can.
"Wow. What a fat kid," the stranger comments nonchalantly, sitting back and returning his eyes to the sea of motion, color, sound, and rug rats before him while the mother sits in stunned silence.

Now, that's just a statement of fact, and I imagine you can take a guess at how the mother is feeling. What if we added sarcasm to the comment? Or a back-handed/passive aggressive insult? Or swearing/rude behavior? Maybe a judgment as to the way the child has been raised, or the kind of mother the woman is?

I think you can see how quickly we'd have a raging soccer-mom on our hands.

The fact of the matter is, most art is very personal. It is a means of expression, and as such is often an extension of ourselves. The closer the person is to their work, the harder they'll take the comments, even well-meaning ones. Now, maybe it is important for that comment to be made. Maybe it can result in growth and improvement, which I think is something almost every artist would like. For the most part, I think most people WANT to help, rather than hurt, others. So how could this situation be changed?

Well, let's return to our mother on her park-bench, only this time when the stranger approaches, the conversation goes something like this:

"Is that your boy?"
"Why, yes!"
"I don't mean to be rude, but I'm a little concerned by his weight. Have you looked into that issue?"

Now, this stranger still comes across as an obnoxious busy-body, and chances are the mother's going to snap at this (hopefully) well-meaning stranger, but she may think about it afterward. I received a comment in a similar vein on SoG once and, although I bristled and got defensive (SoG is VERY personal, so I struggle not to take criticism personally there in particular) I DID think about it a lot afterward, and have come to keep an eye out for that particular problem in all the pages I've made since.

So let's take this scenario one step farther.

"Is that your boy?"
"Yes, it is...I'm a little worried about him. People all talk about this 'child obesity' problem now, and he is a little overweight, but I don't know what to do about it."
"Well, have you read about..."

Here the mother is already aware of the situation and requests help. This might be a little forward when it comes to a stranger, but it might be the topic discussed with a friend or loved one. Here, there is little resistance to comments that, unasked for, would probably come across as rude.

So what is the key element that distinguishes each type of criticism? In the end, to my mind, it boils down to respect. In the first interaction, there is no respect of either the child OR the mother. There is no room for discussion, and there is a violation of safety. The mother is put on the defensive, and people rarely are at their best when they feel hurt, or think they are going to be hurt. In the second interaction, there is a little more respect than the first. The stranger makes it clear that they want to help, that they are concerned, and sets the stage for a discussion. That said, it violates respect because it makes the assumption that a complete stranger knows what's good for a child, more so than the mother does. This might be the case, but equally possible is there may be an entire set of exte...

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~RobinRone — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:15:05 PDT

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Updating early again, as I have another business trip this week and don't know if I'll have internet access during that time.

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~RobinRone — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:03:37 PDT

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Posting early, as I will be out of the state on a site visit for work all week. Internet, at best, will be hard to come by.

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~RobinRone — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:04:31 PDT

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Page 177 and Clarification

~RobinRone — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:38:03 PDT

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CLARIFICATION - I AM CHANGING SCHEDULE, NOT GOING ON HIATUS!!

Based on several comments I received, there seems to be some confusion about my last post. Many of you seem to think I'm going on hiatus, which is NOT the case. SoG will never, ever, EVER go on a Hiatus. Scheduled breaks for travel? Yes. An undefined period of "I'm not going to post"? No. I don't care what I have to do. Worst case, I'll post doodles, but I will ALWAYS post SOMETHING.

So, to repeat and clarify, I:

AM posting on Wednesdays
AM posting vote incentives every Wednesday AND Saturday

AM NOT posting on Saturdays
AM NOT going on Hiatus

Is that clear?

Reduced SoG Schedule

~RobinRone — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:00:17 PDT

I have an announcement to make - I'm reducing my updating schedule to one page a week. Now, before you blame the OG OCT, Frost has nothing to do with this. When I have solid script to work on for SoG, I can easily produce both. When I'm in a block (which is often, these days) Frost gives me something to work on to at least be doing SOMETHING. The problem is that I'm having trouble GETTING solid script lately.

The issue is that this section is very, very difficult for me to write, as it is very, very personal. I'm basically attempting to take unconscious patterns of my own, bring them into the light, and consciously work them out. Surprise, surprise, these complexes aren't playing nice. I keep writing script that lasts for a few pages. Then I'll draw something and suddenly "feel" it's wrong, but have no idea how to make it right. I have to scrap that page, and sometimes the pages before it, back-track and re-write. I probably could make a small book just out of the pages I've gotten rid of, and that's just for this chapter and the end of last chapter. The best part is, every time I hit one of these wrong pages, I'm usually thrown into a Combo writer/artist's block when it comes to SoG. Not pretty.

So, the way I see it, I have two choices. I can go on a Hiatus until I figure it out, or I can give myself more time between updates. Since I have seen too many comics never come back from a Hiatus, I don't want to take a chance on that route. It is important for me to finish this, for myself as well as for my readers. As such, I've chosen the second option. It will be slower, but I hope that you are willing to be patient with me. This is a difficult time for me.

I will continue to post vote incentives according to the original schedule, so if you don't want to get out of the habit of visiting on specific days, you'll still get a comic for your troubles. It just won't be SoG.

Updates will occur every Wednesday. SoG will resume a twice-a-week schedule once I'm sure I can maintain it. Once again, thank you for your understanding.

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~RobinRone — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:48:43 PDT

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~RobinRone — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:09:43 PDT

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The Judging challenge

~RobinRone — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:44:57 PDT

To anyone in the OG OCT who's still whining about the judging not being faster, I get where you're coming from, but let's put it in the perspective of "you have to earn your whine to have with your cheese." The judges are busy people, and they're coming off (or in the middle) of Convention Season. Should they have a deadline like we had? Probably. Did we get an extension for the craziness going in our lives? Oh, wait, that would have to be a yes.

So, how does one earn one's whine?

Well, you face what they have to. I challenge you, Wish-to-Whine, to go through each and every entry and write out a fair and balance critique. Not just a sentence, or a few lines. I'm talking quality paragraphs here. For Every. Single. Entry. Post them in the comments, or, (if you have the critique feature) use DA's system. Don't say which one "won" as we're not built to be impartial here. Just state honestly and tactfully the strengths and weaknesses of the entries, and where you think improvements could be made. This includes yourself, and don't claim there are no weaknesses. We alllll got 'em. Goodness knows, there's a lot I could have done better too.

IF, once you have completed each of these (32 in total) there still has not been any ruling from the actual judges posted, you will have officially earned your Whine.

You'll get a little badge and everything.

So go out there and make yourself useful. The entries are all posted: [link]

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~RobinRone — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:44:21 PDT

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~RobinRone — Sat, 30 May 2009 08:58:32 PDT

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ARMY OF AVATARS - The Epic Continues...

~RobinRone — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:22:24 PDT

by the wonderful who moves the stars for no one, but will make avatars for people if they ask sweetly.

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~RobinRone — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:37:40 PDT

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~RobinRone — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:23:45 PDT

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~RobinRone — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:43:20 PDT

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I meant to post this last week, but I forgot. THIS is the song that I think of, when I think of Hans. It's one of the songs my Chorus is singing right now and, since I am the Tenor (aka - High Soprano) part I think of it the way I sing it. So there's a recording of me singing it on my own. Since the other four parts aren't there to complete the chords, it can be a little shrill. Sorry about that. I did the best I could. I just thought you might be interesting in knowing what it sounds like in my mind.

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~RobinRone — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:30:36 PDT

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~RobinRone — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:09:58 PDT

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SoG Will resume updating this Friday!

~RobinRone — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:01:24 PDT

Hey all. I have a working computer again (yay!) but not one that has any of the programs I need installed, the drivers for my tablet, or any other equipment (alas). As such, I will NOT be updating tonight. That said, updates WILL resume this Friday, so please tune in then!

Robin's Spectacular Computer FAIL

~RobinRone — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:01:56 PDT

Soooo I spent over three hours in the Apple store, only to find out that, no, my computer is not coming back from the grave. Thankfully, we were able to pull 7+ years of "Shades of Grey" material AND Frost stuff before it bit the big one in a slow, lingering death.

New Harddrive, here we go...joy...I didn't need that $500 anyway.

Oh wait, yes I did. TO EAT.

In the meantime, the only access I have to the internet would be via my apartment complex's "internet cafe" so my presence here will be sparse.

"Shades of Grey" comic updates are, out of necessity, suspended until I have a functioning computer. Hopefully in the next five days. Blurg. I can't believe, after seven years of updating SoG, this is the FIRST TIME I have missed a scheduled update. Urg. That was a track record I was very proud of, you know.

*sigh*

Well, I guess I'll go back to my silent, empty, music-less apartment now. Later kids, and remember, ALWAYS BACK-UP YOUR BABIES.

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~RobinRone — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:05:37 PDT

Shades of Grey update on schedule!

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New vote incentive added.

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~RobinRone — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:47:54 PDT

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Because tormenting someone a little isn't NEARLY as fun as tormenting them a lot.

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~RobinRone — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:47:45 PDT