The First Shirt Artist I Follow

I am now following artist Megan Lara because of her Art Nouveau shirts.

The Labryrinth shirt mentioned in my last blog lead me to TeeFury. Then an email showcased pop culture characters like Harry Potter. I had liked the outline used, but the sneak peek at Megan Lara's other works drew me in because they had more Art Nouveau aspects. Here's a poster of 3 Nintendo heroines:

Art Nouveau is one my favorite art styles and Lara's use of it is breath-taking. I just started adding more layers of color and sections when influenced by Art Nouveau. Lara also has the intricate designs, double outlines, and a foreground that pops out!

Recently, I decided to check out other era styles like Baroque or Rococo. But after seeing Lara's work, I want to still be influenced by Art Nouveau at this time. With all those features, Lara's composition still holds together. Maybe the glue is in color theory.

Thank you, TeeFury for showcasing her work. And thank you, Megan Lara for listing your Facebook and website. :) I am geeking out.

Shirt for Labyrinth Fans-Hurry!

One of my lifelong favorite movies is Jim Hension's Labyrinth from the 80's with David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly (There's only 3 other actors. The rest are puppets and animals). =)

For you Labyrinth fans, I wanted to share this Art Nouveau-styled $10 tee shirt I found at TeeFury.com

Click HERE for the link.

There's a one-day countdown maybe from expected popularity so buy it now! I have already ordered mine. =)

When You Eat With Others

Hello. A few weeks ago I visited some of my college friends and remembered a literary observation in high school.  My senior English teacher said that characters who ate together are connected with harmony or communication. Think of scenes such as the political dinner in The King and I where food is used in attempt to create harmony. Also think of fictional meals with disconnected characters which is shown by a character not touching his food or a disruptive, early departure from the table. Interesting demonstration of the relationship between characters.

Because I can get cranky without food, I try to include it in get-togethers or at least eat beforehand. In addition, people are usually comfortable talking at meals. One reason could be that your attention is divided from eating, listening, and talking so you are not concern only with the impression you make.

During my visit, I met some girlfriends over sushi because it was fun last time and the place has excellent deals. Afterwards, I continued talking to one of my friends over yogurt (more food). In our long talk, I remembered about connected characters eating together and my persistence to include food in a meeting with a different friend the next day.

Then I realized that when you eat with others, food is more than an activity you share. Because food is a need, you are sharing a satisfied need. If you're comfortable sharing a personal aspect such as a need, then you are more comfortable sharing about yourself as well. I think the yogurt helped opened up the conversation more between my friend and me. =)

With characters that eat together, you can also see the passion between them. My teacher had mentioned sexual tension portrayed through two characters gorging themselves at a dinner. One unsatisfied need is shown through the satisfaction of another one, but at the same level of intensity.

If you are interested in more metaphorical interpretations, then I recommend How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster.

The Hunger Games trailer

A short trailer for The Hunger Games was shown at the MTV VMA.

When I read The Hunger Games, I rooted for Katniss and laughed at her remarks and social commentary. Not knowing the next move and the outcome was a thrill. Now that I know the pain she'll go through, seeing it may make me teary.

I wanted more from the trailer, but I'm already affected by hearing Gale's words over the visual of a young girl  trying to survive because of a dystopic punishment and for entertainment sake. What I know added to the trailer make Gale sound to me like he's trying to convince Katniss and even fate of her chance for survival. But he still sounds confident in her.

I'm glad I read the first book before the movie (thanks, sister). I'm also glad I have not read the second one yet because then I can feel the full weight of the ending. =) Save myself some thrill and suspense in the movie.

The anticipation though may win me over. But that's how The Hunger Games book was as well. You say you'll read just one more chapter and stop after three or four chapters instead. Haha.

The Hunger Games comes out in theaters in March. Katniss is played Jennifer Lawrence, who was Mystique in X-men: First Class.

1984 in Monk show

I finished Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell today. Like I said before, the book is a slow read, otherwise you're not actually reading the whole book. The slowest pace is when the character Winston reads the book inside the story (that's meta!), but then the pace quickens and hooks you until you finish the story.

My coincidental reward for finishing Nineteen Eighty-Four today was understanding the allusion in the Monk episode I happened to watch later. From memory the line was, "I just want 2 plus 2 to equal 4 again." I gasped, giggled, and wanted to give a high-five to somebody! Thank you for the reward. =)

At this point I started thinking of Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The episode was "Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum" in season 1, and the allusion is given when the criminal is caught.

SD Comic Con

Hello! Sorry I haven't posted for a while. This summer has been busy (such as working at Legoland), but great.  I want to share some photos and panel news from the San Diego Comic Con this past July.

I love how even the attendees are a part of the experience. In the photo below, I stand next to a cosplayer from The Green Hornet (2011):

Me with a Kato (Green Hornet) cosplayer!

Cosplaying is dressing up as a fictional character. I have cosplayed before, but now I just dress-up somehow. On the second day, I wore my Super Maio Bro's mushroom hat along with a blue vest and blue pinstripe pants. Next year I'll wear my new Luigi hat. ;)

More cosplayers:

Kiki and Tombo from Kiki's Delivery Service

Luna and Artemis from Sailor Moon

On the right: Frank the 6-foot bunny in Donnie Darko

Planet of the Apes

Angry Birds the game

Katniss from The Hunger Games

I appreciate the cosplayers who depict small details. The Katniss cosplayer is not only carrying her bow, but also the bright, orange pack used in the game!

Speaking of The Hunger Games, I stopped by their booth and got THE golden mockingjay pin as a freebie!

Movie posters as big as a door were also handed out.

Some Panel News

There were at least two panels that discussed fandom and cosplayers. I had hoped to attend one of the panels but I volunteered and had other panels as a higher priority. I also did not have a chance to stop by David Malki's booth to say I submitted to the Machine of Death anthology. Accepted entries are announced in October.

Anyway, here are some lines from the two panel descriptions:

Comics Arts Conference Session #1: Fan Studies

Scott Daniel Boras (Arizona State University) relates his experiences as "Ethnography Man," researching the world of cosplay at Comic-Con and investigating how cosplay both subverts and reinforces codes of conduct, and in the end is more about transcendence than escape. Beverly Taylor (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) presents her research into how the culture of physique athletes -- body builders, figure, and fitness athletes -- is influenced and inspired by superheroes, even to the point of considering their lives outside the gym to be their secret identities. ...

Obsession: How TV and Movies Go from Fascination to Phenomenon

 ...what does it take to turn a series or movie into something special that we can't live without? This panel from BuddyTV.com examines that topic from all points of view: the writers and producers who create the projects, the actors who star in them, and the fans who consume them. ...

Hopefully, the discussions can be found online or in print.

The IDW panel mentioned its program "Sparkles for Blood." You can trade a Twilight book for their comic "30 Days of Night" to learn what a real vampire is.

 The IDW staff even gave away traded Twilight hardback novels which can be traded back for the vampire comic.

Last bit of news I'm sharing is that even Football players co-write comics.

Lance Briggs at Top Cow panel

Lance Briggs joined the panel of comic-distributor Top Cow to discuss his comic idea, Seraph, which combines his Christian faith with his passion for comics. The comic is about of a man who committed suicide, and then he is given a second chance as a warrior for Heaven. He must follow God's guidelines in his battles.

Lance Briggs' comic pilot Seraph

Lance Briggs is a co-writer of the story and competing with other new comics in Top Cow's Pilot Season. More may  be stated Brigg's social network of comics at Lance's Comic World.

And Legos!

Because I'm working the summer season at Legoland, I had to check out the booth for Lego. I saw smiling, engaged children like I do at work plus Scrappy!

Scrappy cosplayer crawls over legos to his father dressed as Scooby-doo.

 Iconic figures made from legos were found in the whole exhibit hall.

Batman made from legos

Well, I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of my visit at SD Comic Con. If you are interested in going, then I have to warn you that this past year, tickets sold out on the first day of registration. So start checking for the day of registration in Feburary at www.Comic-Con.org. There you can also find out about a few other comic cons such as APE and Wonder Con.

New Blog Address!

I shortened the address for this blog.  So it changed from StoryNAudience.blogspot.com to StoryNAud.blogspot.com.

Plus I extended the comment option to Google account owners instead of blogspot members.