Smashwords Coupon!

More Coupons: Use coupon code KZ98D at Smashwords to get 50% off The Pathos of Rowan Jun eBook throughout May!

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/141710 


Cuddles,
Tamara

Collern's Axe Collage and Print

Collern's Axe Collage Original Artwork

I'm having a blast making these. Just two out now. 8 more to go!

Buy the original here, with coupon codes SUMMERTIME and HALFOFF to get free shipping and 50% off your purchase through May!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/99503296/collerns-axe-original-art-novel-collage

And the print here (same coupon codes apply!):

http://www.etsy.com/listing/99504010/print-collerns-axe-original-art-novel

Cuddles,

Tamara

My 2012 Creative Schedule

I'm a busy bee, or at least I INTEND to be a busy bee a lot. Here's to my compulsive listing complex for helping me organize the remainder of my creative year. Seems to be the only way I ever finish anything, when a deadline is looming. But wonder how much I coulda finished if I did some of those creative things INSTEAD of making this chart. Oh, well... :D

Here's part of my creative chart for the rest of the year. I'll be updating it frequently on my website, hopefully with plenty of ahead-schedule notifications and checkmarks of completion, but possibly with sad notes of deadline extensions.

MONTH	NOVELS	MYTH-BABIES	ART	RAGDOLLS
May	Silver Empress Rough Draft	1. Functional Sculpt, BJD 2. MB-Reborn 1-3: Cutesies for sale	1. Begin novel illustrations and cover designs, drafting 2. Illustration Collages, for sale (Finished: 1 of 10)	1. Complete Heritage Collection, for sale 2. All clothes
June	1. Silver Empress Revised Draft, Story Adjustments 2. Full Second Draft, Incorporate Changes	1. Refine MB-BJD sculpt appearance 2. Cast joints, hands and feet in resin 3. Prep major body sections for molding. Test-string for balance.	1. Decide on list of novel illustrations and finalize compositions 2. Draft Silver Empress covers and lettering 3. Sketches for Unatan and Azelan World Profile THS website content	On hold until Heritage Collection is sold and 2nd novel is published

Full Creative Schedule:
http://www.tamarahensonstudios.com/schedule.htm

Cuddles,
Tamara

Half Off AND Free Shipping in the THS Store!

We'll call this the THS Grand Opening Sale! Use the coupon codes "HALFOFF" and "SUMMERTIME" to get 50% off your purchase AND free domestic shipping during the month of May! Original art, prints, ragdolls, and The Pathos of Rowan Jun novel!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TamaraHensonStudios

The store has T-Shirts, The Pathos of Rowan Jun novels, the entire Heritage Collection from The Ragdolls of the World series, original collage art pieces from Rowan Jun, and prints of that art. This promotion will also apply to any new products I post in the store throughout the end of the month, including additional art, prints, and the Myth-Babies Reborn elf I'm working on!

Cuddles,
Tamara

Rowan Collage Print

Completed novel collage. Available on Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/99385795/rowan-jun-original-art-novel-collage-1.

Cuddles,
Tamara

Free Shipping Throughout May!

Free Domestic Shipping in my Etsy shop on all items, throughout May! 


Enter coupon code "SUMMERTIME" at checkout... 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TamaraHensonStudios

Coupon is good for ALL products listed in the Tamara Henson Studios Etsy Shop, including books and dolls! 


Enjoy your summertime!

Cuddles,
Tamara

Myth-Babies Reborn Preview!

As part of my series of Myth-Babies Reborn vinyl dolls, I started with a small Berenguer-designed doll called "Lil Cutesies". I removed the thick, stylized hair with my Dremel and sandpaper. I removed the existing paint with acetone and then washed the head in soapy water. Then I sculpted (and will paint) elf ears.

Later, I'll be adding finishing touches with  paint and hand-rooting hair to complete the doll. When he/she is finished, I'll make a post in my Etsy store:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TamaraHensonStudios

Cuddles,
Tamara

Myth-Babies Info:

Based on the creatures from Centaria, a world in my novel series Pathos, Myth-Babies are cuddly anthropomorphic versions of your favorite legends, myths and fairy-tales. Many Myth-Babies will also feature main characters found in my novels.

Myth-Babies will be released in the following forms:

1) Myth-Babies Reborn: Existing vinyl dolls, sculpted and modified to include realistic and fantasy characteristics. Reborn Myth-Babies are one of a kind, hand-altered, handpainted art or prop dolls.

2) Myth-Babies Cuddlers: Resin ball-jointed or cloth-bodied vinyl baby dolls, Doll with eyes and rooted hair or wig, Character Story and Numbered Certificate of Authenticity. These dolls will initially be hand-cast from my sculpts, and as such, in very limited editions! (Blank dolls may be fully customized through Commissions process to create a one-of-a-kind art piece!)

3) Myth-Babies BJD: Asian style Ball-Jointed Fashion dolls: Doll may come with eyes and wig, Faceup, 1 Simple Clothing Set (called a "Fullset"), Character Story and Numbered Certificate of Authenticity. (Blank "base" dolls may be made available, as well!)

4) Myth-Babies Plush: Chibi Character Dolls with painted faces and non-removable felt clothing.

5) Myth-Babies Accessories: Customization parts, Additional Clothing Sets, Iconic Artifacts from the Novels, BJD Weapons and Armor, Wigs, Eyes, etc.

Tamara Henson Studios now has an Etsy shop!

Until (and in addition to) my main website's store is complete, I'll be selling my paperback novel, merchandise, Ragdolls of the World and a slew of other things through Etsy! Give it a look and let me know what you think!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TamaraHensonStudios

Cuddles,
Tamara

Myth-Babies BJD Progress Collage 4

My first Myth-Babies girl just got all pointy-eared! She's gone through a lot of work that you can't see, too. (She's lounging on my work table, on her towel and cookie sheet.)

Here's what I've done since last time:

1. I reworked her head and face to have the pointed ears I originally planned. I refined her eyes and re-sculpted her nose. I adjusted her mouth and worked on the socket for her neck.

2. I cut out her knees and sanded down the too-large elbows to make a flat-sided knee for her. Then I attached the knee piece to the front of her knee. Added clay to fill in the empty spots and smooth it.

3. Sculpted new elbows using smaller beads and Sculpey. Sculpted feet over a foil-and-wire armature attached to a wooden bead. Mr. Dremel helped with the cuts in the bead.

4. X-Acto'ed and sanded and sanded and carved and sanded some more to hollow out the limbs so they could receive the knees, elbows, wrists and ankles and generally refine overall sculpture. I. Now. Hate. Sanding. Will follow instructions to make these joints BEFORE baking in the future... But she's finally starting to look smooth rather than lumpy. :D

5. Fitted upper and lower torso better by adding clay and making another impression.

6. Painted hips and shoulder joints to prep them for casting in resin. (That's why they're absent in this collage.) I want to have duplicates in case I mess up!

7. Prepped some beads to start the hands soon!

Let me know if you have any questions on this first-time process. I'll try to help where I can. I also appreciate constructive criticism! (Which translates to "Pleeeeease help me if I'm messing up!)

Cuddles,
Tamara

(I plaster my website on there, but it's in need of an update. So far, dA is more up-to-date...)

OTHER PROGRESS SHOTS:

Head Sculpt : http://briescha.deviantart.com/#/d4v3fnq

Progress Collage 1: http://briescha.deviantart.com/#/d4v5ddt

Progress Collage 2: http://briescha.deviantart.com/#/d4v5mx3

Body, Arms, Legs: http://briescha.deviantart.com/art/BJD-Progress-Arms-and-Legs-295628812

Progress Collage 3: http://briescha.deviantart.com/#/d4wwgrz

Reference VS. Outta My Head

I posted the following on DeviantArt and am waiting for the potential backlash. I don't have many watchers over there, so I doubt it'll create a stink. But it IS a legitimate concern I have. Let me know what you think:

"In the extensive browsing I've done here on dA, I noticed how far I have to go to reach my full artistic potential. Some pretty amazing stuff on here! But then I realized that the major disconnect in my art and "theirs" is the extensive use (legal or otherwise) of reference material for the completion of many of these works. As I work mostly out of my head, but don't disdain use of reference, I found my work doesn't compare to many for this really basic reason. Most of my art is doodled when I don't have access to reference, or when I want to preserve a stylistic approach that reference would affect.

I have noticed repaints over copyrighted photography or artwork, blatant redraws of anime/manga pages, and impressively-drawn/finished digital art that may or may not have used "reference material" in the completion process. Reference material is to be looked at for inspiration, not to be ripped directly from the source material. Now, I know such a staunch position on use of reference can't be all that popular in this community. I doubt many people who misuse reference will respond to this message unless they are angrily defending their process or angrily denying their process. So in that case, please don't bother commenting. I mean no personal disrespect. Your methods, while they may garner much attention and praise, simply are not my methods.

I could discuss at length how the beloved Masters used mirrors and other tricks to exactly copy the portraits of their subjects onto the canvas, and that these methods were considered acceptable for accuracy's sake. It wasn't the resulting "copied" drawings that made the Masters... Masters. It was the finishing of the work. But when photography came into existence, the need for accurate recording of an individual's face by an artist dissipated. Art was freed to be more organic and less "perfect." (That's just the Master's degree talkin'. Teachin' art is a habit and one-time profession.)

Now, apparently the "change three things" rule exonerates copiers from the copyright laws. And, more apparently, as long as an artist doesn't make money from that art, it's okay. (The originator of the character or concept COULD sue you for damages, especially if your work is wildly popular.) You're not going to see someone paint a near-exact work of the Mona Lisa and expect someone to believe they originated the concept. Also, I do not count useful "Master's Copies" among blatant copyright infringement. They have their place in a student artist's skills development. Sharing techniques, skills and procedures is an age-old method of creating improved artistic techniques, skills and procedures. And deviantArt is very generous in this respect. So even THAT isn't the issue.

I think, at the core of what bothers me, is that some artists soak up praise for their work and don't readily admit that they used or abused the reference process. Why? Because they wouldn't get as much praise for it. I'm not good at keeping up pretenses. If I use reference for more than it's basic intention, I'll let you know. And if you've read this far and would like to answer my questions, I welcome your opinions...

Now, I know we're all "deviants" here, but at what point does use of reference lose it's respectful position in artistic society? Do you agree that money-making is the fine line between okay and not okay? Or is over-use of reference without commentary a breach of trust to viewers, who think some artists are awesome without basis?

Curious as to what all...2 or 3 of you will think! :)"

Cuddles,
Tamara