Moving On Up, and Junk!!!

Ms. Captain America
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Nathan Rupert

It's come to my attention that I've been living under a rock lately.  Not literally, but I'm definitely out of the loop.  For one thing.  I used to be a big writer for the online blogging community Squidoo, but now, as it is, that no longer exists.

WHAT!!!  WHAT YOU SAY?!?  Yes, it's true, Squidoo is no more.

Squidoo was bought out by, HubPages, its closest competitor, and I am now a writer for them.  Hey, what do you know!

HugPages
Photo Credit: FLickr Creative Commons License by Sharon

HubPages is fairly similar to Squidoo, in that it allows almost anyone to sign up for an account, and begin writing articles right away.  The only difference that I can see, is that they have a few more rules concerning Amazon links, and to earn money, you have to have your own Adsense account.

I guess, in a way, that puts the ownership of quality on the writers, rather than the editors.

Anyway, that's fine.  I don't much care where I get to write, as long as I get to keep doing it.

Actually, I was lying about being under a rock.  I knew it was all happening, several weeks ago, and I've been preparing for the move.  I just kind of placed myself under a rock until the dust settled, that's all.

Sword Six Concept

Anyway, I haven't been concentrating on my writing, lately, and instead, I've been able to concentrate on what I really love, and that's on drawing.  The first thing I did, was a concept sketch of Sword Six.  Check out my DeviantArt Gallery for a better look at it.

I'm really happy with how it came out, not just by the standard stance, but I've been studying a lot of manga and anime lately, and I decided to change up his armor, and I put a lot into the horse tail from the back of his mask.  I think it came out great.

The second big thing I did, was my first big animation effort.  It an animated short of my newest character, named "Coot."  He's a pervy old man who can't be bothered by the rest of the world, unless that involves some young girl in a short skirt.

Please check out the animation, and let me know what you think.

I'm proud of the animation, because it's my first, but more importantly, I did it all with freeware applications, such as InkScape, Synfig Studios and Audacity.  So, I'm extra special proud of all the work I put in.  It took several weeks from story-boarding to finally uploading it to YouTube.

Suicide Girl
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Suicide Girls

I have a few ideas for my next animated adventures, but I'm not exactly sure where I'll go from here.  I'll just have to wing it.

So, hey, why not just subscribe to my YouTube Channel, to make sure you get the latest updates.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by!

It's Almost the End of Summer, Y'all!!!

End Of Summer
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by carina

Welcome to the end of summer!

It's crazy, right?  One minute, we're buying a new bathing suit, making sure there's enough sunscreen, and all of a sudden, WHAM!!!  And it's back to school.  Kind of leaves me feeling a little in the dust.

Anyway, I guess the big news is, Squidoo is going under.  You know, the place I've been writing articles for since last February.  Seems, they've sold out to their competitor, HubPages.  You can read all about the move, at Squidoo and HubPages.

I've gone ahead and created myself an account over there, and all of my Squidoo articles are supposed to move over flawlessly, but we'll see.  You can find me there, at boneworld on HubPages.

Naia From Strange Frame
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by GB

In the mean time, I have been doing some good stuff.  I recently saw an amazing animated movie, called Strange Frame, and boy was it strange all right.  You can read my review of it at Take a Chance One Strange Frame -- a Different Kind of Love Story.

Strange Frame is a Sci-Fi Jazzy lesbian love story, that follows two star-crossed lovers through riot filled streets, and a corrupt dystopian future on the moons of Jupiter, where people are augmented for servitude, and used for force labor.  It's quite a romp.

I've been drawing quite a bit, and I have a number of things nearly ready, but much of it is still in that, I just want to touch it up stage, that things never seem to get out of for me.  I did draw another concept for Sword Six.  I put it out on my DeviantArt gallery.  You can check that out here, at Sword Six Concept.

It's just a sketch, but I like the way it came out.

Other than that, there's not much else to tell, so have a great rest of the summer everyone.  And leave me a comment if there's anything you want to see.

Wave Bye To Summer
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Alex Dram

Thanks for stopping by.

Heating Up Heavy Metal and Pencil Drawing

Memorial Day Weekend
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by yarntail

The summer heat is upon us, and it is Memorial Day weekend, for many of us.  It's a good time of years, as schools are letting out, vacations are being planned, and schedules are changing.

One thing this brings out is the barbecue, and later sundowns.  It's great, really.

Anyway, what have you all been up to?  Because, I've been doing quite a bit of drawing, myself.  I have nothing  ready to publish, just yet, but there's a few things I'm excited about on the horizon.

A couple things I am very excited about, are two lenses I wrote over at Squidoo.

Heavy Metal Cover Oct. 2003
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Rene Walter

The truth is, a lot of people may come to realize, I took to drawing later in life.  It was something that was always sort of boiling in the back of my mind, but for some reason, I always had some other priority on my mind.  But do you know what always stuck out to me, a number of animated films.  And one of those was Heavy Metal, an 80's Cult Classic.

Heavy Metal is one of the all-time most amazing cult classic adult animated films.  It's loaded with drugs, sex and mind blowing rock-and-roll.  It's the kind of movie you either love or hate, but either way, you'll remember it.

Pencil Drawing

The other lens I wrote, had a lot to do with my Philosophies in pencil drawing.  As most people know, I took to drawing sometime in 2011, and in that time, I've progressed quite a bit.  I'm obviously no master, but I draw almost everyday, and I've learned a considerable amount, about Pencil Drawing As a Hobby, and I was eager to share what I've learned.

The article is a list of six things that I think many people probably stumble upon, when they are trying to learn to draw, or at least just follow along with a lesson.  It's the kind of thing that people who draw frequently are familiar with, but someone who's just picked up a pencil for the first time, may not know.

A couple other things, I still haven't watched Metal Hurlant Chronicles, although I am still very excited to see it.  It's now available on both Vudu and M-Go, which are services available to Roku customers, but I just haven't had the time to watch it.

I have, however, connected with two of the actors of the show on Twitter and Facebook.  They are M H Rahman and Marem Hassler.  I couldn't tell you which episodes they appear on, but I can't wait to find out.  However, what this does mean, is me and these two people are totally friends, and we could totally get together, like right now, and junk.  I'm serious!

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Awesome Entertainment Without the Hassle!

Playing With Fire
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Si Hammond

I feel as though I've let myself down a bit.  I had started on the Squidoo Challenge, which I kept to diligently for two weeks.  But then, tragedy struck.  No, no, not anything for real, just a whole bunch of, waaah, waaaah, you know the drill.  I guess to be perfectly honest, I just didn't want to continue.

It's almost like I was on this super strict diet, and then I ate a doughnut, or something, and that little derailment was all I needed to just say screw it, and fold on the whole thing.  So, I've kind of decided to get back to my old routine, and not try to force anything.  Because, the truth is, I really just started doing Squidoo because, I wanted to promote my drawing, and encourage myself to continue drawing, but the truth was, I was so caught up in trying to keep up with the challenge that I wasn't really getting a chance to draw.

I mean, I have a family, and a full-time job that my boss expects me to show up for every day.  So, I've set my own schedule, which I'm not going to tell you about, so that I don't have to feel bad when I break that.  Anyway, I can at least get back to drawing sometimes, which is what I really want to be doing.

Space Ninjas

Along the lines of all the Squidoo business, I did manage to finish another article on How To Draw a Ninja.  I think it turned out really good, and it demonstrates a number of ways to draw three different ninjas.  Or, if you want you can check out the ninjas on a t-shirt at my Zazzle Store.

Along with the ninjas, I updated my How To Draw Breeds Of Cats article with a new cat, a Siamese.  I'm pretty pleased.  I think it turned out great.

One thing that's been on my mind, has been the coming of Metal Hurlant Chronicles to Syfy Channel.  I've been really excited about this, but I still haven't watched it, because I dropped my cable, which you can read about when I Cut the Cable, Go With Roku.  Anyway, because of that, I won't be able to keep up with the series until its completion, and then I can buy it on Amazon, or some other place like that.  I'm really looking forward to it, and I'd love to hear what others are saying about it, who've watched it on Syfy.

Hot Chick
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Ben Salter

Along these lines, did you know that in the UK, there is something called Now TV, which gives UK Roku users access to several main stream cable channels for only 4.99 Euros?  The cable networks available include Discovery, MTV, Disney and HBO.  Yes, that's right!  In the UK, you can get HBO, that's Game of Thrones without all the bells and whistles of a cable subscription.  Doesn't that just blow your mind?

When will such as service be available in the US?  Never you say?  Come on people!  We need to rise up against the evil cable companies and demand that we have direct access to channels such as HBO and MTV if we want them.  We don't want to pay exorbitant monthly prices on hundreds of channels that include lifetime and oxygen or whatever else you may not really care about.  I mean come on.  What's the deal?  We want Game of Thrones without the hassle!

Keeping It Hot and Heavy Metal

Girl Rocks
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Iris Laguna

Keep on Keepin On, as Bob Dylan used to say.  I've just completed week two of the Squidoo Challenge.  It has been a little difficult for me, because I had only intended to do Squidoo as a side dealy to help promote all of my other arty stuff.

I did finally achieve my goal of graduating from the Rocket Squids, and don't you know, I was immediately inducted into the Giant Squids.  I am very proud of that, so it kind of re-invigorated my drive to continue writing articles.  Keeping myself going at two-per week for the time being.  I'll keep this up for at least a little while longer.

Akira - Tetsuo
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Dale Spencer

That being said, let me tell you about the two articles I wrote this week.  The first was about my all time favorite anime movie.  It's called Akira, Messiah or Nothing?  The article poses the question of the main character Tetsuo, who is weak in a time of terrible distress and corruption.  He's a protagonist and a villain in many regards, who's been given a gift, and when he tries to use it, so many things blow up, it's unimaginable.  Akira is a landmark piece of anime, and if you've never seen it, you should definitely check it out.

Bad To the Boneworld Hot Wings

The second article, I wrote this past week, was on my Bad To the Boneworld Hot Wing recipe.  You see, I love me some hot wings, I mean real hot, but the cost of ordering out all the time can add up, so I came up with this simple recipe that anyone can handle.  I'm talking real simple.  I'm no cook.  In fact, anything that involves more than the microwave can befuddle me, at times.  But this recipe, is a no brainer.  It's quick, easy and bone-fide delicious.

On to other news, the countdown to the Syfy Channel debut of Metal Hurlant Chronicles is down to just over two weeks.  April 14, at 8:00PM, and it's on.  Tell me you're not blowing your biscuits over that.  I mean really.  I cannot wait!

Heavy Metal Magazine
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License Photo by Rae Allen

In the same vein, the Americanized magazine inspired by Metal Hurlant is still alive and well.  You to can get Heavy Metal magazine, in online version or delivered to your door.  Why not check out the art.  It seems they're emphasizing the wild comics rather than just the art, so it's kind of cool.

Something else I've stumbled upon is KR Animations UK, who is a Flash animator who has created some amazing Flash animated games, in record time.  He also offers tutorials, as well as some amazing finished products of what he's done.  It's pretty amazing.  You should check it out.

Out Of the Cold, and Feeling the Warmth!!!

Metal Hurlant

Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons 

Photo by amintore fanfani

Captain America Girl -- The Winter Soldier
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons 
Photo by pinguino k

Yes, it appears to final be rolling into Spring, and how could I be any more pleased with that.  The Winter months were long, and difficult.  I sustained a minor injury to my left hand from all the shoveling I had to do.   But don't worry about me, I'm right handed, and that hand is still fine.

As many people may know, I write articles on Squidoo.  And I most recently decided to take up the Squidoo challenge.  Basically, the Squidoo challenge, was a number of steps laid out by an entrepreneurial young man, named Marc Guberti, who'd like to encourage strong writing and quality articles on Squidoo.

Marc is encouraging Squidoo participants to strengthen the site, and help the site get more hits on Google searches.  His steps are incredibly well thought out, including being active on Squidoo, and liking and commenting on the articles of others.  His other two steps include writing two quality articles a week, and updating three older articles per week.  Each of these steps makes a great deal of sense, and will hopefully bring up the hit-counter on Squidoo.  However, the overall challenge isn't to just increase the hit-counter, but create an environment, where internet searchers cannot avoid Squidoo, by offering better and more quality content.

Boneworld Logo -- Sword 6

Along with that, I've just finished my first week of doing this, by perusing the site for my favorite articles, and making sure I leave my own personal mark on them to let the writers know what I liked and why.  I also made sure to promote any that really struck me on my very own Facebook page.

I went ahead and updated three of my old articles, and added two new ones, that I believe to be of fairly strong quality.  I added a review called Mass Effect, and Almost All Lost, which is a review of the Mass Effect animated film.  Please check it out if your a fan of animated films or of the Mass Effect games.

How To Draw Breeds Of Cats

I also added another How-To Draw article, called How To Draw Breeds Of Cats.  It shows the step-by-step process of drawing a domestic house cat, as well as a Persian cat.  Right now, it's only those two, but I'll be adding more as I go.

With all that going on, I've had precious little time for anything else.  However, I am keeping a close eye on the count down to Metal Hurlant Chronicles on Syfy Channel.  In case you haven't heard, the heavy metal inspired magazine, Metal Hurlant, has inspired a TV series, that up until now has only been aired in France.  However, on April 14, 2014, at 8:00PM, the episodes will begin to air on Syfy Channel for a much larger audience.  The first night will air two episodes, and each following Monday will see two more, until all 12-episodes have aired.  I am so excited!

Heroes Of the North
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons Photo by 5of7

On that note, I've stumbled across an indie TV show, that I'm enjoying, called Heroes Of the North.  I haven't seen many episodes, but what I can tell is, it's a super hero program of specifically Canadien style heroes.  Each hero seems to be inspired by something specifically Canadien.  One is named The Canadien, one is named Fleur-de-Lys, and one is named Nordik.  You get the idea.  It's a low budget indie TV show, with poor acting, dialog, and resources.  But the shows I've seen are pretty cool.  There's adult content and language, and the skin-tight body suits of the heroes doesn't hurt, either.

You can watch Heroes Of the North, on their own website heroesofthenorth.com, or on BlackFlag TV.  I believe the episodes are aired on Black Flag every day.  And Black Flag now has a Roku channel, if you have a Roku.

Purple Stars For Everyone!!!

Purple Star

Wouldn't you know it, I got me another of them Purple Stars.  It seems all those nice folks over at Squidoo must really like me.  I'm not sure what it is, but I got my third Purple Star for Understanding the Genres of Anime.  Click the link to check it out.

It's really a more detailed and pruned down post of the Anime vocabulary I posted on this site, called Making Sense Of an Anime List Of Vocabulary.

You see, I like many people didn't understand anime for a very long time, and I felt the need to discover what it was really about.  Along the way, I discovered that anime wasn't just one thing, it was a plethora of things, and once I identified the major genres of anime, I felt I needed to share my vast knowledge.  And there you have it--Purple Star!

This brings my total for Purple Stars up to THREE!  My other chosen articles are I Wish I Could Draw and My Art Gallery.  Click the links to view them.

If you're unaware of what Squidoo is, it's really a place for writers, like me and possible you, to find a voice, and let it be heard to as many people as possible, while making a little bit of money.  Squidoo is a highly visible unified blog that many people in all different areas of interest are using to build an online reputation.  Squidoo is much like any other blog, but it offers a more unified movement, so the strength of the voices of those that have written before can carry those new comers to find more readers than they otherwise would.  This is the real benefit to Squidoo.  So, if you have something to write about, and you think Squidoo might be for you, why not start a Squidoo account today.

Otherwise, if you'd like to take a look at some more of my work, please check out Boneworld on DeviantArt.

Angry Birds Love Anime, Maybe???

Angry (Love) Birds
Photo Credit: Drawn By Me in Inkscape

Check it out!  So, there I was, trying to find the perfect thing to combine drawing and Valentine's Day, and nothing came to mind--I mean nothing, zilch.  But I didn't give up.  I scoured the interwebs, like a maniac, and all I came upon were love birds.  Now, love birds are fine, if you're normal, but not if you're me, so I kept going, until I finally had a brain fart.

The opposite of love birds, are Angry Birds!?!

And the idea was born.  I'd create an article on How To Create an Angry Birds Valentine's Day Card.  Isn't that sweet, a personalized love birds type card for your sweety, with Red Bird and Female Red Bird in an intimate snuggle.  Go on and click the link, if you want more details.  But, if you want Angry Birds, click their link instead.

Black Lagoon - Revy
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Joriel Jimenez

Toonami is quickly becoming my favorite thing ever.  If you don't know what that is, it's really a time slot on Adult Swim on Saturday nights, from 11:30PM to 6:00AM, and it's just loaded with some awesome anime.  I know it's late, but it's totally worth it, and you can just DVR it, and watch later.

The latest show is Space Dandy, and I've loved the episodes, so far.  It's incredibly creative.  But Toonami is already stating that in March, the lineup will be changing, yet again.  This time, Soul Eater (which I dislike), is being replaced by the show Black Lagoon.  Everything I've read about Black Lagoon includes the words bullets, blood and babes, along with adult action, so I'm pretty pumped for this.  It's due to start March 22, 2014.  So, it's still a couple months away, but coming up soon.  I believe there will be a few other changes to the lineup, as well, but this is the only show I'm aware of right now.

Vampire Hunter D
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Lord Ketchup

While we're on the topic of anime, I stumbled across a list of the Top 10 Horror Anime.  I don't know most of the titles on the list, but a few of them are doozies, like Death Note, Devil May Cry, Berserk and Blood+.  The movie in the number one spot is a great one, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.  And, if you click the link, you can stream an English dubbed version of the full movie from YouTube.  It's great!

Finally, I wanted to call some attention to a blog I occasionally follow, called Galaxy Zento.  It's written by a guy named David Wilde, who uses each post as another part in his fantasy universe story, which includes elements of fantasy, sci-fi and magic.  I believe he does his own art, and he's in talks with an agent for a novel consideration.

I don't keep completely up to date with his stories, but I read them when I have time.  One thing that stuck out for me, was his bio states he's an advocate for autism research, and after some digging, I discovered he himself is dealing with autism.  I was about to write that he is suffering from autism, but he's married, has four children, and is a writer, so I'm thinking he's overcoming it, instead of suffering from it.  Check out David Wilde's Google Plus, by clicking the link.

Tips To Draw the Grinch Who Stole Christmas

So, you've decided you like to draw the Grinch, that is the Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  He's a greasy black banana, and as slippery as an eel, Mr. Grinch, from the books by Dr. Suess, and later animated into a seasonal villain that everyone loves, dearly (I know I do).

Well, here it goes.  These are two distinct versions of him.  One, as his average nude self, and the other in his make-shift Santa costume.  Both are fairly similar, and actually quite simple.  He's basically a single line from top to bottom, with rudimentary shapes like a heart, oval and angles.

You ready to get started?  Then let's go.

First, let's draw him o-natural.

Step #1:

Step #2:

Step #3:

Step #4:

Step #5:

And now, for his Santa suit.

Step #1:

Step #2:

Step #3:

Step #4:

Step #5:

And, that's it.  If you'd like some more details on this, check out my Squidoo article, How to Draw the Grinch.  This is actually the second in my series of How-to-draw something.  The first was How To Draw Nightmare Before Christmas Characters.  If you like, you can mix them up, and draw the ultimate Christmas villain pic, with The Grinch and Jack Skellington.  I hope you enjoy!

Yo, Santa.  We got it this year.

---

Girl Power!

If you like what you see here, please check out my other work on Boneworld on DeviantArt, or possibly check out my art on some t-shirts on Boneworld Zazzle Store.

Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Hey, Animated Films for Adults Do Exist

Anime Girl in Black
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by intruzo..99

I love cartoons, and especially most anime.  You see, I watched tons of cartoons as a kid, I was immersed in them--G.I Joe, Transformers, Exosquad, Starblazers, and so many others.  But somewhere along the line, I guess I started to think maybe there's an age limit for cartoons, so I stopped watching them. But, in the last few years, I've rekindled that love of cartoons, that I lost so long ago, and it's been wonderful.

The thing is, I think this is very common in adulthood.  We turn our backs on so many things we used to like, sometimes for the better, but in some cases, it's just because we have this preconceived idea that adults don't do that.  I think it's this way with cartoons, and I really wish I could call people out on it more often, because I believe if people would give it a chance, more adults would be watching 2-D animated cartoons.

Heavy Metal
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Rene Walter

Some of my favs now, are Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal 2000, Titan A.E., and a great many anime movies that I've discovered.  One of my favorite anime movies, is Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa, which I recently did a review of on Squidoo, called Fullmetal Bringing Back the Brothers.  Click the link to find out more about it.

There is another movie, however, that really brought back my love of animated movies.  It's a documentary that fleshes out all the ins-and-outs of the anime industry in Japan.  The movie is called, Anime: Drawing a Revolution.  It's a movie chock full of interviews and information about the burgeoning industry in Japan, and what it really means to be an anime movie.

Fullmetal Alchemist
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by mimimeow_

The thing is, all major nations have an entertainment mecca that developed over time due to different influences and needs.  It's kind of a cause and effect type relationship.  America has Hollywood, India has Bollywood, and Japan has anime.  The economy and culture of Japan doesn't lend itself well to big budget blockbusters that rely on big named stars or effects.  Most movies in Japan have a small budget, and require that the small number of big named directors work magic to eek out epic films with little but pennies on the dollar, or Yen.  This has lead to anime studios.

You might think, well anime is still just a cartoon, and technically you'd be right.  However, anime is actually a revolution in Japan.  It's swept the country, just the same way the big named actors in America take control every big movie season.  Anime movies are the movies of Japan, and with that, they aren't the typical silly child-like cartoons, such as Scooby Doo.  Many of them are dramatic pieces, that can create an emotional tie to the stories and characters.

Akira
Flicker Creative Commons Photo by ORAZ Studio

Some of the big ones are Akira, Summer Wars and Grave of the Fireflies.  Akira starts off with an atomic detonation that levels all of Tokyo, and brings on an apocalyptic setting, which for the Japanese is something many actually have feared, at one time or another.  Summer Wars is a movie that depicts a nation submerged in the internet, so much so, that when a virus cuts things off, the world plunges into complete chaos.  The only thing that keeps them all alive, is family and friends bonding together.  And Grave of the Flireflies is a movie of two children trying to survive in the ravaged country of Japan after World War II.  Their parents were killed in an air raid, and they have little to go on, but their wits.  It's a depressive story, but one that is all too real for those in Japan.

The difference here, is an emotional tie that isn't present in most animated movies.  However, in anime, this is an important factor, to find something true to hold on to, and press beyond the black lines and colors, to reach out and touch the audience.

Afro Samurai
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Nuno de Azevedo

That's not to say that anime movies don't have their fun movies.  There's always Trigun, Redline and Afro Samurai, which are all amazing anime films that are more likely going to just entertain with violence and exhilarating action.  And that's not always a bad thing.  It all depends upon what you're in the mood for.

So, before you pass judgement on an animated feature-length film, please try and consider its background first.  If you know of any more films you think deserve consideration, I love to hear about them in the comments section.  Otherwise, I hope your holidays have been great!

All I Want For Christmas Is Loads Of Awesome

Santa Grinch

'Tis the season for everyone to spend too much money, stress over the little things, and hope that they can please all of their friends and family with assorted trinkets.  All the while, being asked, "well what do you, or your kids want for Christmas this year?" and each time, if you are anything like me, the first thing that pops into your mind is something that will likely be way overpriced.  But before you blurt that out, you change over to, "Well, there is this, under $20.00 item, that I'd be interested in."

Ya, It's kind of like that.  Why was Christmas as a child, so much fun, and as an adult it's so damned blah?

Any who, being that I like to draw, there are a number of things that I'm interested in getting this year for Christmas, that won't blow the budget.  In fact, many of them are down right cheap.  Let me tell you about them.

Sharpener

I have a pencil sharpener.  It's an electric battery powered sharpener, that doesn't take up much room,  but I have heard rumored that the kind I have occasional breaks, so I'd really like to have a backup, since I draw every day.  Also, the electric one I have works great, but inside is basically a rotating single hole sharpener, like the ones kids use in grade school, so I suspect that the blade will eventually dull.

I've discovered a hand crank sharpener that's very small, has replaceable blades, and it adjusts during sharpening, to get a better point, as well as reduce the risk of snapping off.  This is especially important to me for my colored pencils, since they seem to break more frequently.  I am talking about the Kum AS2 or AS2KM, Two Hole Automatic Long Point Pencil Sharpener.  It costs like $7.00, so no biggy here.

Drawing Tablet and Scanner

I have a drawing tablet.  It's a DigiPro WP5540.  I've had it for over a year, and it's still working, but it is a fairly cumbersome drawing tablet.  The pen is thick and heavy, due the the battery in it, and the pad is loose, and doesn't have a very good feel to it.  I'd really like to upgrade to a Wacom tablet.

The Wacom I've been looking at is, Wacom Intuos Pen Small Tablet.  Wacom recently discontinued its Bamboo line, which was its former play pen line, and has replaced it with this $70.00 version.  It's very similar to the old Bamboo, and comes with Autodesk Sketchbook Express and Art Rage 3 Studio.  I'd kind of like to get it.  And if no one buys it for me, I will likely buy it for myself, eventually.

Books

The next one is a book I've had on my list to get for some time.  Whenever I tell anyone I'm learning to draw, everyone says, "You have to get, THIS BOOK!"  The book is, Drawing on the right side of the brain by Betty Edwards.  The price tag is like $15.00, so again, this one is not much.

This next one is a two-fer, and I find it very hard to believe anyone will buy it for me, but here goes.  I don't get to draw nearly as much as I'd like to, but I had a revelation one night when I learned that many people draw on their tablets.  So, I was thinking, if I could find one that wasn't too pricey, but could still do all of the things that I needed, maybe,  just maybe, some kind soul would have pity, and buy it for me.  Then I'd need to buy the right stylus for the drawing part.

Pencils

The tablet I found is the 7-inch Dragon Touch Tablet, and it runs about $80.00.  It's a capacitive touch screen, so it requires a certain type of stylus to get the best results out of it.

The stylus I chose is the Adonit Jot Classic Fine Point Stylus for Touch Screen Tablets.  This is an amazing stylus specifically designed for drawing on capacitive touch screens.  It's designed to draw accurately at any angle, and give artists the freedom to draw like they would on paper.  It costs around $20.00, so it's in the ballpark.

Paper

So, there you have it--the list.  Is that too much to ask for?  Now, I'm not asking for the world.  I'm not even saying I expect to receive all of these things.  In fact, I'd expect pigs to fly out of my butt a whole lot sooner.  However, this is a comprehensive list of all the things that I'd actually like for Christmas this year.

YEAH ME!!!

If you have an artist in your family who you still need to buy a gift for this holiday season, take a look at this article on Squidoo, What To Buy the Artist In Your Family For Christmas.  It'll give you some ideas to help you get started.

Anyway, I hope everyone's shopping is going great, enjoy.