Am sat in my room with the easel Grandad bought me for under £20 set up by the sink, a board and my sketchbook in prime position for some painting. So far the colours have come together very quickly. I have class in about 3 and a half hours. Then I have basketball, which is in the building next door.

Missing home but working through it. Listening to a documentary on Fleetwood Mac; never listened to them much before, but it's an interesting show :D.

Hope everyone is doing ok!

The way I like to draw is by using as many different materials as possible, so it's natural for that attitude to filter into my "photography". I used a 200 speed film for this batch. All these pictures were taken in Leicester, some of whihc were in the market. The market is fantastic and has old 1950's cameras (which I didn't know how to work and thus didn't buy yet) to Atari's and Sega Saturns. I need to get in contact with the elder bro' so he can get his filthy mittens on all the retro games, but for now I'll have to settle for showing you all my photos of cheapland!



This pic reminds me a little of my Aunty. She runs a little cafe in Sheffield Market, which funnily enough was photographed for an album cover by Sheffield born (I think) musician Richard Hawley. That's her behind the counter!


( waste of film behind here! )

So, after not getting most of my 120mm films developed fromt he Diana F+, I jumped to buy the Diana Mini. The 35mm format means I have been able to take a roll of film to a camera shop 200 yards away from where I'm staying and have it developed on the same day. They even put them on disc which is great because I'm away from the scanner at the moment.

I shot the photos on 400 speed colour Kodak film, the shutter speed is usually 1/60. Overall I'm quite happy. Having never been that adept at photography. I'm trying to go easy on myself and hope that with practise I can get the hang of this photography business. I'm treating the camera as a sort of sketchbook; not being precious is key.

I plan on doing some long time exposures with the cable release and tripod once I get them off of my Grandad in a fortnight.

double exposures!!
( Plenty more under here )

Living in a hotel cos Uni overbooked accomodation in the halls. Come home and the cat has face tumours. Had him put down this morning.

On a positive note, my physical health has never been so good. I joined the basketball club at Uni.

I have no internet access when in Leicester. I am soooo behind on webcomics.

Uni tommorow. Kinda scared? :P at least i have new jim-jams to wear lol

that Bonnie Tyler survives on the blood of young male virgins.

Not in the best of moods lately. Will be glad to start University - 10 days to go. A change of scenery usually helps.

Some sketchez. I like sending people pictures. I haveaabout 50 manilla envelopes and 5 air mail ones. If you'd like a drawing sending mesage me your address and I'll send away.

( Click on the pictures to make them full size. )

Back from China. Glad to be in a country where I'm not charged 5 times the original price just because I'm white. Glad to not be followed around by someone's camera becuase I have white hair. It's fun the first few times but it easily tires out.

Decided last minute to go to DeMontford Uni. I have less than a month to get my student loans in order. Fuck.

Working a 6 hour shift at the pub on Saturday. Might be working bank holiday Sunday too. Way to 'ease' back into work.

The house is a mess. Must tidy. But first, I shall cook :D 

Last night I went out with the girls to the city centre. Got to see people I haven't seen since school or previous birthday parties and got to meet some new friends. I'd vowed to not have the terrible hangover of saturday morning and sunday so for once I took my Grandma's advice and drank as much water as alcohol.  

Considering I spent most of the time dancing and the bar was packed drinking wasn't too big a problem. Vodka and coke was 80p, entrance was £4. I had on VK cherry which was £2.50 then it was 80 pencers. Including the cocktail (£3) at Fubar (a rock bar up the road from the club) and a bottle of water (£1.50) from M@zeppas on top of £10 taxis I spent around £25 - from 9pm til 3am I consider that to be a cheap night :D 

I don't know how people manage it in London - everything is so expensive - and then you come into the pub and ask for flat beer! flat! I have to repour pints if they are flat haha.

China for 2 months on Tuesday. I got the month scholarship at Fudan University in Shanghai!
I'm taking a new sketchbook to fill in while there.

I joined up. I wrote 500 words of a grotty and grimy possible short story. Looking through it, I switch between tenses, I write very unlikeable characters and the vocabulary is basic at best.

lots of swearing.

community is good
5_for_five   ftw!

It's one of those days where I have 100 things I should be doing and I just can't bring myself to do it. These days happen more and more often.

I need to wean myself off the internet. I can't bring myself to not reading fanfic.

I need to get a schedule set up for drawing and languages. I feel like a failure whenever I don't meet deadlines that I just put off.

I'm listening to the most boring video ever.

How're you guys?

Dunno who he is but I don't know many that has this one lol




Your results:
You are Chekov

Chekov 85% Uhura 80% Mr. Scott 65% Geordi LaForge 65% Worf 65% Mr. Sulu 60% Will Riker 60% James T. Kirk (Captain) 55% Jean-Luc Picard 50% Spock 45% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 45% Data 41% Deanna Troi 40% Beverly Crusher 35% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 35%

Brash, rash and hasty, but everyone loves you.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz

http://comicrazys.com/category/famous-artists-cartoon-course/

http://comictool.blogspot.com

Tireless resources you must check out.

1. Haven't heard anything from the Chinese Scholarship yet. I hope I got it in on time, I hope I get one! :D

2.Bar work is wonderful, it's doing wonders for my confidence and social skills lol

3. Have a deadline on Friday but after that will post some art. I haven't really been sketching as much.

If there's one woman I would love to meet now it would be Eva Ibbotson. I go through her books like kids through chocolate eggs. I've just gotten my grubby paws on "Magic Flutes" and am reading it now,.....with The Magic Flute playing in the background! :D 


so what if I have tonnes of assignments to hand in?

so what if this comic is due in 8 days? 

EVA IBBOTSON BOOK NEEDS READING NAO!

If i get any slacker my pants will fall down I swear. The Winter exchange has been my first intraction  with the fanfiction world, other than as a reader and rare reviewer. :D I have to say, it's been incredible being able to  read a new fic everyday of my fave pairing, same goes for the art that was in there! leandra713  wrote me a wonderful fic called Second Chances. It deserves your attention :D I must apologisse to her for not plugging it sooner. It's just pure laziness on my part.

:D

Title: Second Chances
Author: </a></b></a>leandra713
Rating: Teen
Warnings: None
Summary: An accident in detention brings unexpected results.
Original Prompt: I chose prompt #1. POST-CANON Hugo and/or Rose do magic with an artifact they find in their uncle's potion classroom, Professor George Weasley, who works now as potions Professor, and accidently fetch Snape back from the dead. Whether he is fully alive or not is up to the writer, but Hermione as her position in the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, comes in to try and resolve the problem. Ron is up to you.
Author’s Notes: Thanks for a great prompt—I hope you enjoy the story. My thanks to my long-suffering beta who reviewed several drafts, and listened to my moans and groans when my characters refused to cooperate.


NOW GO READ!

In other news, the wonderful comic book store boy gave me the free comic book gear today....thats about 4 days early lol. I picked up a book of Guy de Maupassant's short stories in the library, which I am loving, and I cornered a comic that had been reduced from  £6 to £3. It's watercolour and ink which I just adore :D Work in the bar is very good. Not hard at all, and apart from some dicks that ask if I take it up the arse it's easy and rewarding work. Pulling Carling right has prooved tricky, but Guiness and John Smith's is easy haha.

P.S - if you buy me a drink, I'm partial to half a Guiness and black right now haha.

So; I have a job and I have the chance of a scholarship. Unfortunately, Offshore Account, on whom I had £2 each way, decided he'd stay in first place for Grand National right up to the 28th fence, then he fell back to 15th position. He got my hopes up and subsequently I was gutted when Mon Mome ran stright in front. I didn't get a single number on the lottery for the third time running (I should stop using lucky dips maybe) and I will thank no one to jinx me there lol

So, today, I got my laptop. Using Photoshop is a dream,but not only that, I can now use Corel Painter without being overtaken by a snail! :D

Which means Grandparents are getting my desktop computer and can therefore be introduced to the world of the internet!....which means I need to make sure they don't search "Toffeeliz" or my name in Google 0_0

Or has the possibility too. I'm so happy but its only now iI realise that th things that I'm happy for aren't set in stone.

1. I have a job at the local pub. The landlady said she'd put me on a shift in about 2 weeks to show me what to do and everything then give me more stuff from there. I know almost everyone who goes into the pub, almost everyone who works there. It's also 10 minutes walk from my house.

2.I had an email on the 20th but it went straight to my junk folder - here's the innards
            Dear HSK candidate,
 
 We are happy to inform you that based on your 2008 HSK test score you are
 eligible to apply for a Summer 2009 short-term HSK scholarship. The scholarship
 consist of 4 weeks of intensive Chinese language tuition at one of China's
 major universities, usually in July/August, and covers study fees,
 accommodation and living allowance for the duration of the course.
 
 Please let us know as soon as possible whether or not you are interested in
 applying. Many thanks.


If i apply that means that I need to sort out my flights myself and a visa. I have some flights booked with my bro in august already, but thats for 3 weeks. I'm going to phone the Institue tommorow to see whats going on. BTW, HSK stands for HanYuShuiPingKaoShi - the Chinese Proficiency test. I'm taking a higher level in May.

I know I can't afford the flight and via by myself, but my parents already give me so much money and invest so much into my education and lifestyle. They get almost nothing back. I need the pub job to work and get plenty of money so that I can get to the scholarship (assuming I am successful in applying and not too late to apply). I can't do my chinese lesson on sundays when at university, so the added study time is invaluble.

Hope everyone is fine and dandy!

My prayers are answered! F.Scott Fitzgerald's "Head and Shoulders" is public domain!

I wish to make this into a comic >:D 

A guy with rabbit ears sown onto his hat - gouache - and a girl in a leather jacket - ink.



This was reffed from a book of clothing refs. Was a good excericise. I liked it when I was doing it but I think it's rather bland now :(

I went to see about a job at a bar today. I hope I get it. Its in the local working men's club where the average age is 80 I swear. Plus i hear the pay is good. Really miss my mum =_= she wont be back for another 19 days.