Alright, I'm pretty excited about this, you guys. I made up three prizes for a pan-internet contest:

• Sherlock hat and Jawn gloves set: The slouchy tam is hand-knit with incredibly soft Knitpicks City Tweed (55% merino wool, 25% alpaca, 20% donegal tweed) and embroidered with swipes of mulberry silk in black, cream and purple-shirt-of-sex violet. The fingerless gloves, which stretch to accommodate larger and smaller hands, are knit with Valley Yarns merino wool in my best approximation of the cabling on John's oatmeal jumper.
• 8" x 10" archival print of "Tremendous echo": A lovely high-quality print of my Gingerbatch drawing, signed upon request, plus the original ink drawing of same.
• John & Sherlock customized Moleskine journal: An 80-page blank journal with a pocket, 5" x 8.25", decorated with sepia ink and white Prisma pencil which holds up to a lot of handling. Sherlock and John handcuffed in an echo of the famous Sid & Nancy photo, with a splash of 221b wallpaper for flavor.

Here's how you enter:

1. Go to the OahuSPCA website, visit their Donation Page and make a donation of at least $5. (They accept credit cards and Paypal.) I've volunteered at this shelter before, and they are amazing. All their animals are so happy, but they are constantly struggling financially.
2. Forward or send a screenshot of the confirmation email for your donation to me at gingerhaole@gmail.com. For every $5 you donate, I will put your name/email into a jar one time. There is no limit! If you donate $100, for example, your name goes in 20 times!

The first-prize winner will have first choice of the prizes, second-place the second, and third will have the prize that remains. Even if you don't win, you'll know you helped care for some really wonderful animals. And if you aren't able to donate, please signal-boost to help spread the word!

The contest begins immediately and will conclude on May 9. I'll announce the winners here and to their emails directly on May 10. Thank you in advance to everyone who participates! You are marvelous!

I finally got off my butt and ordered prints of a bunch of stuff;



For all those who've been asking for Jenny prints, especially of "Fire escape", there yez go! I've got 8"x10"s and 8"x12"s, depending on the dimensions, and little 4"x5"s or 4"x6"s of each one. I've also got one poster-sized print of each of those first three, and they all look AMAZING. I have to say, I'm always thrilled by the quality of these things. (Had to blur out Jenny's boobs in that first one, for all ya prudes, but REST ASSURED, they are pristine in print.)

If there are other drawings in my gallery that you'd really like to see available as a print, let me know and I'll see if it's something I can do!

Click on the photo, or head to my Etsy shop here!

Haven't done one of these in a while. Seems as good a time as any!

This month I'm into;
+ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
+ baking dozens of super-delicious Russian tea cookies
+ re-reading Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential for the billionth time
+ getting a job, at freakin' last
+ trolling for seashells on the Pipeline with Kit (and spying sea turtles)
+ listening to Car Talk podcasts at the gym (to justify all the tea cookies)
+ old friends showing up in dreams
+ dropping flowers on the giant blowfish living in my neighborhood pond
+ Everything and anything by Raphael Saadiq
+ RHUBARB RHUBARB RHUBARB


What are you into this month?

A couple of my very dear and disgustingly talented friends have some t-shirt designs on websites! But they'll only be available for purchase if they get enough votes, so do yourself a favor and check 'em out and rate them. You will be doing a nice thing for two very awesome ladies, and for me, because I really want both these friggin' shirts in my wardrobe.

I know it takes a few seconds to sign up, if you don't have accounts on these sites, but it's free, zero-commitment and both sites are filled with incredible stuff to explore.

[ Fayestardust's Upside-Down Umbrella shirt on Threadless ]

[ Secondlina's Steampunk Heart shirt on We Love Fine ]

My friend Ashley is giving away a brand-new set of Prismacolor pencils! I think Prismas are the absolute best colored pencils you can get, but they're pretty expensive, so this is a nice opportunity to try for a set for free.

The contest is simple: just tell her why you (or someone you know) deserve them and what you would use them for. Leave her a comment here in the Forums:

[ Ashley's Prisma Giveaway Contest ]

Ashley is an awesome human being, and I think this is such a great idea for a contest, although I know it'll be very hard to choose a winner. She has a great big heart and I think she will make a very good choice. I wish I had any extra art supplies to give away, but I'm always using my pencils down to the nubs. There are a lot of people who can't afford good-quality art supplies and would do amazing things with them, so if you have a surplus of supplies, maybe think about doing a giveaway yourself!

I wrote this a year ago, and it looks like it's time to say it again.

It's not okay to come tell me to draw something other than what I'm drawing. It's not okay to bitch about how much fanart I put up, or to tell me to draw less of this or that. It's incredibly rude. I draw for fun, to please myself, and I'm not going to change what I do because somebody tells me to. If you don't like what I have to share, don't come to my gallery. DA is a huge place, and you can find what you're looking for somewhere else if you don't find it here.

Does this really need to be said? Seriously?

To everyone who's stuck with me through my various fandoms and who enjoys my art no matter what the subject, I'm hugely, sincerely grateful. You don't ask more of me than I want to give and it means a lot.

Lantern light prints are up in the shop, along with a few other Potter-themed pieces!  I took my prices down a bit because times be tough.  They are totally beautiful, though!

If there are any other pieces in my gallery that you'd like to see made available as prints, please let me know and I'll see if it's possible!

I had no idea that little one-off Severus Snape comic page would make the rounds the way it did.  It sort of exploded my inbox here and on Tumblr.  (A lot of people are feeling the Harry Potter withdrawal pretty hard right now, so it's not a huge surprise, but still.)  It looks like it made a lot of people overwhelmingly sad, which was exactly the opposite of what I expected... but at the same time, it seems to mean something special to a lot of people, which I'm so grateful for.  Getting this much attention for any reason gives me the heebie-jeebies, but it's been very nice this time.  Awesome, even.  

SO awesome, in fact, that a number of people have already written some amazing fanfic and made gorgeous art with that little comic in mind, and I wanted to share it with everybody!

Kind of goes without saying that these contain spoilers.

[ fan fiction ]
+ Heroine Of My Life by Verbose Renaissance
+ Waking Up by venomqueen-83
+ Heaven by QuillArtist
+ The Dream by brandi1498
+ Always by JessicaTaylor117
+ And He Was by gimme-da-money
+ Their Eyes by LoyalSubject
+ Time is a harsh mistress (poem) by onigiribunnyskies
+ The Road Less Traveled by Just An Inkling
+ Real Life by Conflicts
+ In Another Life by MyPhoenixLament
+ The Awakening by fandinginthedark
+ In Another Life: Wake Up by Enter The Stargate
+ Heaven by moosewoodson
+ Open Your Eyes, Reset by Gabrielle13Faye

[ fan art ]
+ love and pancakes by Moony92
+ A New Life by fadinginthedark

Also, if you enjoy my Fred & George drawing (or you just want to read something AWESOME), do yourself a favor and read this:
+ Woe-Be-Gone by SonoUnPoeta


I am so honored, and totally jazzed that anybody is inspired by stuff I do!  If you have a story or art inspired by my wee comic and you're okay with me adding it to the list, please let me know so everyone can enjoy it, and give these writers and artists a lot of love!

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Hey guess what! The Snape comic is making the rounds on Tumblr, so I decided to do a little kiriban.  Whoever adds the 10,000th note to this post will get (if they want) a little Harry Potter-themed drawing of their choice from me (two characters max). I'll keep an eye on the numbers and will know who added the note.

Just thought it might be fun! I do love big round numbers.

We're back, a couple days later than I'd written originally, but here I am.    Had a stone-cold blast in stormy Ohio!  Major and minor-league baseball (where my Captains fans at?), zoos big and small, museums from Western Reserve to Rock & Roll, pirogi hunting at the West Side Market, toy shopping down in Coventry (where my Big Fun fans at?), gorgeous Metroparks, boss historical sites, and best of all I got to be with my amazing in-law family and my Dad, the all-time most wonderful man I know.

And it's always nice to come home to Hawaii.  Home is where the heart is, and mine's kind of all over.

So once I settle in a little, get my laundry done and buy some groceries, I'ma finish up the commissions for those still waiting (thank you for being so wonderful and patient), and then as soon as I can I'll open up a second round!

Most of you know that I started taking commissions to help out my sister Kit, who recently got out of a horrible job situation.  Kit's been taking commissions as well, and I just wanted you guys to know that because of your incredible generosity, she's able to make rent and get everything she needs with some to spare while she looks for another job!  I'm overwhelmed by you guys sometimes, how giving and loving you can be, even to total strangers.  If someone's in need, you're there to help out, and I don't have words to tell you how much I appreciate that.  I want you to know that Kit is absolutely worthy of it.  She's the best human being I've ever known and works very hard, so know that when you help her out you're doing something good for someone who really, really deserves it.

Man, I haven't drawn anything for three whole weeks, and I'm just itchin' to get back at it!

Firstly: I will be away visiting my hometown from May 9th to the 25th, with limited computer access, so don't worry if you write me and don't hear back right away.  Everyone who still has commissions on deck, I will be working on them!  Thank you everybody for your patience.

But MORE importantly, you know I had started taking commissions in the first place to help out my little sister, whose shitty bosses cut her hours at work to get out of having to pay for her medical insurance.  Well, they decided it'd just be easier to fire her, so now she's in an even tighter spot.  I'll be taking more commissions as soon as I can, and in the meantime, Kit herself is offering really super-bitchin' commissions, and they're totally affordable.  Check 'em out:



Kit's Claymates [ examples: 1 | 2 | 3 ]
Two to five inches tall, anything you want including fan art and original characters.
Price: $10

Kit's drawings [ examples: 1 | 2 ]
Inked and colored with illustration markers.
Price: $15

Kit's paintings [ examples: 1 | 2 | 3 ]
8" x 10" canvas, lovely stuff.  I am the proud owner of two of her original blowfish paintings.
Price: $60

The best part is that if you feel like you really want one of these but can't afford it, she will cut you a deal because she's just that awesome.  She's my biggest influence, best friend and without a doubt the most excellent human being I've ever met, and if you commission her it will prove what a smart and charming person you are.  

You can also check out her Etsy shop to see what kinds of other goodies she makes.  All her commission info and such is on her DeviantArt journal.

For those of you who've been waiting anxiously, the brand-new Chapter 20 of Heather Remaly's Ghosts of Babylon is up!

AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING.    Also, there's a Facebook page for Ghosts, and anyone who'd like to share their fanart will be eagerly welcomed there!

And for anyone who doesn't know what the heck I'm talking about, I have a bunch of fanart for Legion and specifically for Ghosts up here to pique your interest.

Alright kiddos, it's that time again!  It's first-come first-serve; the first five people to comment on this entry with their request will fill the slots.  When I've finished up those commissions, I'll do another round, so don't be discouraged if you don't get a slot this time.

At the moment, I'm only taking commissions for line drawings, not for journals or knitting.

[ COMMISSIONS ]
1. indigohippie
2. niangao
3. Zannid
4. OpalLynn
5. nativecentaur

[ COMMISSION INFO ]

Line art [examples: 1 | 2 ]
Price: $25 per character

Color [examples: 1 | 2 | 3 ]
Price: $35 per character

I'm not really good with backgrounds, and I have zero experience doing anthro, but otherwise I'm game.  I can do fanart, original character, couples, etc.  I'll send you a high-res, unwatermarked copy of the finished piece, and if you'd like the original linework, I can mail it to you.

I only accept PayPal. My email address for PayPal is [bonemeadow @ hawaii.rr.com] -- remember to include your DeviantArt name! I'll confirm your request, and then please send your payment within five days.

Anything I earn from commissions is going directly to my sister Kit, who needs some help right now.  If you want to be incredibly awesome and donate to her, her Paypal address is [mambo_lotus @ hotmail.com].  She's also offering commissions for paintings and her super-amazing claymates!

Most importantly, thank you to EVERYONE who's interested, and my extreme love and appreciation to those who donated.  You're wonderful human beings!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 2 AM my time (which is 12:00 PM GMT), I'm going to open five commission slots.  It's first-come first-serve; the first five people to comment will fill the slots, and when I've finished up those commissions, I'll start up again.

At the moment, I'm only taking commissions for line drawings, not for journals or knitting.

[ COMMISSION INFO ]

Line art [examples: 1 | 2 ]
Price: $25 per character

Color [examples: 1 | 2 | 3 ]
Price: $35 per character

I'm not really good with backgrounds, and I have zero experience doing anthro, but otherwise I'm game.  I can do fanart, original character, couples, etc.  I'll send you a high-res, unwatermarked copy of the finished piece, and if you'd like the original linework, I can mail it to you.

I only accept PayPal. My email address for PayPal is [bonemeadow @ hawaii.rr.com] -- remember to include your DeviantArt name! I'll confirm your request, and then please send your payment within five days.

Anything I earn from commissions is going directly to my sister Kit, who needs some help right now.  If you want to be incredibly awesome and donate to her, her Paypal address is [mambo_lotus @ hotmail.com].  She's also offering commissions for paintings and her super-amazing claymates!

Again, please don't leave comments for commissions yet -- they'll open at noon GMT on Wednesday.  Thanks to everyone who's interested, and double thanks to everyone who donates!

Leeward Oahu is being evacuated after the tsunami in Japan. We're going up to my mom's in the mountains. My sister Kit and her man are also on very high ground. We're going to be fine. Let you know how everything goes as soon as I can.

ETA; Friday 10 AM: Everyone is fine.  We're extremely grateful for this very brief interlude.  I'm actually kind of shocked Hawaii didn't catch more of the wave.  My husband, one of his friends and his friend's pregnant wife and I all slept on the floor of my mom's little apartment by the light of the news ticker, woken up every hour by the tsunami sirens, which, if you've never heard them, are terrifying.  In the end, all I want to do is get on my knees and thank God that things were no worse.

The images from Japan are harrowing.  Seeing that tar-black wave eating up the countryside, carrying giant fires on its back.  A giant whirlpool in the harbor, drawing in a boat.  Who could even invent a nightmare like that?

I'm grateful that Japan is so (on the scale of things) well-prepared for disasters like this, that the number of deaths isn't higher, that there will be systems to care for the displaced people.  But nothing can make up for losing your whole world.  Keep them close in your hearts, and kiss everyone you love.

You WCMI fans have been incredibly, ceaselessly patient -- the new comic chapter of When Curiosity Met Insanity is up!

You guys deserve better than my shenanigans, but I put a lot of work into illustrating the script given me, and hope it was worth the wait.  It was fun, and NOW we can finally get to the good shit, when Bri takes it over for the next segment!

What are you still reading this for?  Go go!

Well, that was an exciting day.  Power was restored sometime last night -- I think we were all expecting to go without for several days.  And it wasn't due to the union getting their way, oh no.  Other electric companies stepped up in a crisis, and hopefully those workers will be getting big bonuses.  (I feel like there's a time to strike and bargain, but not when a not-insignificant chunk of the island is living in the dark.)

So there you go.  Which means there should be a new segment of the WCMI comic by Sunday!  Barring any other unforseen hilarity.

Late last night, 6,500 people in Leeward Oahu (where I live) lost power when nearly all the local telephone poles were blown down in a windstorm. On top of that, the local electric union decided that now was the perfect time to strike. So it looks like we might be without power for quite a while. Thank God for J's iPhone.

Just thought I'd let you guys know! Hopefully I'll be on sooner rather than later.

So I went and made myself a Tumblr, which I mention because a number of people had asked me if I had one.  So there you are, kiddos.  There's not much to it yet, mostly photos from the island.  I'll try to put up some sketches and stuff that won't make it to DA, just to keep things interesting.

My Pops has been visiting, as he does yearly.  Adventures have been had, mountains have been climbed, good food has been consumed.  The Black Pearl (of Pirates of the Caribbean) is docked just outside my dad's hotel.  Today we're off to Chinatown and Hanauma Bay, neither of which should be missed if you ever make it to Oahu, for the record.

Stuff I'm into this month;

+ Kevin Durand

Pretty much.

Happy mother-grabbin' Valentine's Day!  C:

I'm a big fan of Regretsy, even when I'm not a fan of their defense of meanness.  It makes me laugh and is always interesting, and despite the authoress' insistence that she has a shriveled black heart, her endless charitable efforts have done worlds of good for a lot of great organizations and people.  Still, I feel a twinge of butthurt over her loathing of wristwarmers/fingerless gloves.  I know they're basically useless, but I knit the shit out of those things because I don't know how to knit closed fingers.  That, and hell, a lot of people really love them.  But she apparently hates crafts that feature owls and octopuses, too.  At least she hasn't condemned elephant crafts.  I might pull a turncoat if that happened.  Who doesn't love an elephant?

And there's my paragraph of crabbing for the day.  C:  Here's your chance to share if there's some trendy shit you secretly love (or hate).

a few of my trendy guilty pleasures;
+ Ke$ha's radio hits.  I hear them and see montages of people in suits dodging gunfire and running from explosions.
+ I personally wear a pair of those (prescription) bigass Randy Jackson spex that all the hipsters are wearing for fun, and I could conceivably go bigger.
+ taking macro photos to disguise my shitty photography skills
+ slouchy suede boots with shorts

I can't actually think of anything else.  It's hard to be trendy when you're white in Hawaii!