Year: 2011

Blue and White Gown, and a Vacation Announcement

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Click for larger version (PNG); click for PDF version. Click here for the list of dolls.

Well, I may as well make it official… I haven’t really felt inspired to draw for some time now, and I have some other projects that I’ve been really into lately, so I’m going to take a bit of a paperdoll vacation. I’ll post if I happen to feel like drawing something, but I won’t stick to a schedule. I’ll come back, because I always do, but I couldn’t say when; I am thinking probably within a couple of months.

If you’re wondering if I’m still alive, your best bet is to check my Twitter feed. (But I don’t lead a dangerous life, so there’s no need to worry!) Thank you all for your patience with me, and check back in a while!

Queens of the Sea Bonus #1: Sasha Soren, Pirate Queen

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Click for larger version (PNG); click for PDF version. Click here for the list of dolls.

Here’s my rendition of what Sasha Soren, author of Random Magic, might wear if she was a paperdoll pirate queen! This was vvb’s idea — without her, this whole fun piratey time would have never happened, so we thought it would be fun. If you’d like to read an interview with her, click here!

To my shame, I still haven’t finished reading Random Magic (although I will post a review when I’m done). This is largely because the language is fun and I’m taking my time with it, as these days, I mostly read very easy things in Japanese or non-fiction, so it’s a pleasure to enjoy vivid English writing. But in any case, my copy is a review copy, and it came to me wrapped in bright pink and blue paper — hence, the color scheme.

This concludes the official tour; I’m going to draw another outfit for each of the two poll winners (I’ll say Thursday and Saturday), though. Thanks to everyone who read along and entered my contest! I’ve enjoyed this theme a lot and I hope you have too.

Check out the tour schedule here! And for more information about Random Magic, here’s the trailer for the book.

Queens of the Sea: Contest winners!

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Thank you for following the Queens of the Sea series… Now, it’s time to announce some winners for my two contests! I chose the winning comments using a random number generated by random.org, and here’s the results…

The winner of my first contest, for the original art of the winner’s choice from the Queens of the Sea series, is comment #28, Corissa!

The winner of my second contest, who will create an original black and white pirate design with me, is comment #29, Sofie!

Congratulations to both of you!

As for the winners who are long past being excited by earthly polls, Awilda won “Best Back Story” with 28% of the vote, and Anne Dieu-Le-Veut took “Best Costume” with 24% of the vote. (I didn’t vote, but actually those were my favorites too.)

I will start the Queens of the Sea followup drawings on the 30th — come back next week for just a little more pirate fun!

Queens of the Sea #10: Striped Shirt and Vest for Mary Read

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Click for larger version (PNG); click for PDF version. Click here for the list of dolls.

Welcome to day ten of the Queens of the Sea series, part of the Random Magic Pirates book tour! Here is the mini-bio for today’s pirate, provided again by Lyrika:

Mary Read: The Last Woman Standing

Mary Read was an English pirate and contemporary of pirate Anne Bonny. She’d spent her early days as a soldier and innkeeper, and her character was marked by bravery and resoluteness, as this snippet of a story from her short but tumultuous life illustrates:

An occurrence soon happened that put the attachment of Mary to a severe trial. Her lover having quarrelled with one of the crew, they agreed to fight a duel on shore.

Mary was all anxiety for the fate of her lover, and she manifested a greater concern for the preservation of his life than that of her own; but she could not entertain the idea that he could refuse to fight, and so be esteemed a coward.

Accordingly she quarrelled with the man who challenged her lover, and called him to the field two hours before his appointment with her lover, engaged him with sword and pistol, and laid him dead at her feet. (From: The Pirates Own Book (1837), by Charles Ellms)

She was one of only three people standing to defend the ship she sailed on when Captain Jonathan Barnet’s crew attacked in an October 1720 battle. Mary Read, Anne Bonny and an unnamed seaman fought off the pirate hunters, while the rest of the crew remained in the hold.

The battle ended in the capture of the ship, Revenge, and all her crew; Mary and Anne were both imprisoned and Anne’s lover, Jack ‘Calico Jack’ Rackham was hanged. Anne vanished from historical records and her final fate is a mystery, but Mary died of a fever.

I like the contrast here between her tattered striped shirt and that spiffy black and silver vest – the intended implication is that the vest is, shall we say, a new acquisition.

Take my poll and let’s choose the Queens of the Queens of the Sea! They’ll both expire on the 28th, but I’m not sure when, so if they’re not closed by noon PST on the 28th, that’s when I’ll pick the winners.

poll by twiigs.com

poll by twiigs.com

The contests will be open until May 27th, 11:59 PM Pacific time. So if you haven’t entered, today and tomorrow are your last chance! Click here for the chance to win an original drawing, for those of you who can give me an address if you win, and click here for the chance to design a pirate outfit, open to everyone!

Check out the tour schedule here! And for more information about Random Magic, here’s the trailer for the book.

Also, check out the Rum + Plunder treasure hunt for more pirate prizes!