It was an invited crash of a steampunk themed enagment party, and woe! Despite the intense amount of Steampunk clothing I've made, all I have for myself is my rather terrible first attempt at sewing, hardly a good advertisement for my abilities as 'The Steamstress' side brand of Lilly Kitten.
But it was better then nothing I supposed, though it turned out most of the lovely meet up folks were in civvies anyway *sighs* So I could have just put on my favourite roller Derby shirt and hair falls and have been done with after all and done my sewing skills far more justice.

Live and learn.

Anyway, my commission meeting went well, and shall be saved for another post when i have more lovely pictures to show what I'm actually doing with it, and we headed off, via tram to the Edinbugh gardens.
Albeit a little late because we stopped for lunch...

It was a wonderful- but chilly meet. lots of really nice, helpful people and LOADS of beautiful dolls!  (Plus one feeeeelthy pidgeon who took an unhealthy facination in the pretty, breakable, don't-touch-it-you-vile-creature dolls, and a family of feeeeelthy bogans who took an unhealthy facination in the pretty, breakable, don't-touch-it-you-vile-creatures dolls)

Being a little chilly to think, and engaged in most charming conversation, I only really took pictures of the dolls, but they ARE beautiful....

Everyone in a group shot! My lovely Sabine adds to a sort of cluster of red heads ^^


 

Keeping up the tradition of totally ignoring the existance of livejournal until i need it for something, then having a breif run of enthusiasm before losing it again, I've caught the interest bug again. There's a muckle load going on, and a heap happening since I last opened my journal, so iiiiiit's 'Lilly's been a lazy arsed poster catchup time!'

Deleted my many sub accounts. Good idea, but bad for someone with minimal organization skills. *rolls eyes*

So... a quick warning to all with slow internet connections (ARE there any people with slow internet connections anymore?) This is going to be a pretty image heavy post. I'm not cutting anything, but I'll make the concession of making them all ickle and small, as not to upset browsers.

 

"Kanuvya's Guide to things that SUCK" is one of two big new art projects.
 

ART has all but stopped... But it's not bad news! It's stopped because I've finally commited to a Graphic Novel! 'Tilt' is a co operation between the brillian, genius fairy tale writer thirteenthgrace and myself.
No information is let out yet, we're still in construction phase, but to find out more, watch our co-blog here: www.tiltcomic.blogspot.com/

There's also another new artistic venture eating up my time. 'Kanuvya's Guide to things that SUCK'
A ressurection of an intensely popular character from the past, Kanuvya Ibilisi combined with an old idea of a series of one shot images showing those tiny things in life that REALLY Piss you off...
It's got no real deadline and is just a bit of fun that might turn into a 'zine in the near-far future if I feel inclines. It's really an outlet for my gone-but-not-forgotten western cartoon ambitions from my teens.

There's a number of commission pieces and a few ideas for new custom pieces for Etsy, but nothing that will really pop up in the news here yet....



 

"Art Made Material" turning the fashion on my art into wearable garments
 

SEWING is going from strength to strength, I'm making and selling a lot of simple, customized garments and a scant few very complex custom garments (because they're BIG work!) on Etsy. I've just gone in to making corsets and cinchers, but due to my obsession with end of roll fabrics, they're most likely going to be one off or limited runs.

My "Art Made Material" range is great fun. I have heaps and heaps of images, many I don't even show people, with fantastic, quirky, fun outfits, it was a natural progression. They're all customized and for sale, but honestly, it's just for the hell of it! 

Speaking of sewing for the hell of it, COSPLAY is in the works. I have a deep dislike of most cosplay efforts. The "close enough is good enough" cheap fabric, badly sewn, ill fitting attitude drives me nuts, so I'm making up a properly designed, fully tailored, as accurate as possible cosplay outfit of the 'Super Smash Bros. Brawl' edition Princess Peach. It's only just been patterned out and I'll post updates as it's created.


 

My BJD Goodreau Secret, named Sabine, modelling her lovely NeoVictorian outfit
The Suitcase behind her is a vintage piece fromt he 1920's, destined to be her carrier.
 

BALL JOINTED DOLLS... Okay, okay, it's technically sewing, but she's so fantastic I can't just confine her to Sewing.

Meet Sabine. My vinyl Goodreau Secret Doll. She's been a fantastic investment so far, the clothing I've made for her has paid for her twice, and bought her a new friend, a Bobobie Mei (who hasn't arrived.) 
Ball Jointed Dolls have now become my new addiction. I signed up to Den Of Angels (though my poor Sabine is off topic as a vinyl doll) and trying not to spend everything I earn on more! 

I'm organizing the next meetup in Melbourne too, which I'm uber excited about! it's in July and I can't wait! 
I feel a little hesitant, I've never been to a meetup before and yet I'm organizing one... But I admit, i enjoy organzing stuff.




SO THAT'S IT.... a catch up! Now you can understand my updates hereon! XD

Been doing a huge re evaluation of my life and myself lately. I tend to hold onto things, both physically and emotionally that go from small irritations to huge blocks. (and huge piles of very dusty junk all around the house...) 

So it's really time to let go- and the best way to begin is start by letting go of the physical things...

So I'm doing one huge Online garage sale. If it's not nailed down (and even if it is, I have pliers...) and I haven't used it in six months, it's going!
 

myworld.ebay.com.au/lillykittenart

Worn Wild is over. I spent months, thousands, and a great deal of effort to get there, and i made it, albeit not really in one piece.

So now what? i didn't make millions, hell, i didn't even make back my basic outlay for the materials. I'm still broke and the government decided that it would be perfectly reasonable to assume someone could set up a fully functioning, profiting business in 12 months, so my government allowance from my business course is cutting off uncomfortably soon.

The option of going against my grain and wandering out to pick up a normal job is now out of the question really, as there are now thousands of people with better qualifications out there for, well just about anything that isn't art.

No, I have to cut it on my own in this doom and gloom and make my own way.

Fashion is working, kinda, I know my sales weren't exactly stellar because my range is pretty tiny now, but with time that will change. My biggest problem is financing it. A trip to Spotlight to make a single full set of sizes range can cost over a hundred. Not bad when you consider what they sell for, but terrible if you don't have that money in the first place.

So yeah, over it right now. Etsy, Ebay, Cafepress, Redbubble, at the moment, you are the only things I am using to stay afloat...
Until i think of something...

Going to appear at 'Worn Wild', the alternative show and market part of the L'Oreal Fashion Festival, on Sunday the 15th launching the Lolita side of my new fashion range! 

YAY!

It's all very exciting... I'm right near the door, surrounded by some pretty impressive names so it's also a little nerve wracking as well, aqnd I'm hoping my little Newbie efforts will live up to the honour of getting a great position.

Anyway, come along if you're in the area. Hugs are free, drinks aren't though- but there is a licenced bar if you're in the mood...

When I'm a bit blue, I have a number of comfort behaviors to cheer me up.

Depending on what's bringing me down, I'll do something different.
- If I'm feeling too full of thoughts and more tasks then time, I'll watch anime while I work- InuYasha tends to be my poison of choice (Probably because it's obscenely long...) 
- When I'm feeling neglected, ignored and passive aggressive about a situation, I'll play Super Smash Brothers (any system will do)
-If I'm REALLY down, I'll eat bakery things. I try and avoid that one now as it never really helps.
-If I'm figity and can't settle, I'll tidy and reorganize anything and everything handy
But if I'm a little of all, but not enough of any, I'll bake.

I found myself in that little of all and not enough of any situation yesterday. I have Worn Wild looming, and more garments to make then days to make them, I'd been forgotten when it came to pay day, and was now $640 short with only $6 to my name, hot bothered and figity and just generally unhappy.
So, I dusted off the Bakery book and found a recipe for muffins.  

The funny thing about my manic bakes is that I often need to alter recipes. I don't know if it's my creative side going haywire, or just pure self destructive impulses (my alterations rarely work) and the muffins were no exception. I wasn't keen on the white flour, butter and castor sugar they asked for, and had some handy dried apple pieces, walnuts and sultanas floating about, begging to be used.
And, in a rare stroke of luck, they worked out really well! 

They're too tasty to be kept to myself- try them yourself and see!

INGREDIENTS: 
1 cup of Wholemeal flour
Teaspoon of baking powder
2/3 cup of brown sugar
cinnamon to taste
2 eggs
tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence

(These are optional. You can add berries, cooking apple, banana- whatever!)
1/4 cup of chopped dried apples
1/4 cup of sultanas
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

METHOD
Grease a muffin tin and preheat oven at 180.

Combine all dry ingredients, (excluding nuts, sultanas and apple) Make a well and add eggs and milk. Mix until smooth then add olive oil and vanilla essence. Mix until they're combines and add the apples, sultanas and nuts (or whatever you like!) and mix in well.

Pour into the muffin tray and cook for a half hour or until cooked (I used a fan forced gas oven). Pop 'em out onto a cooling rack and wait until they're not absolutely fresh-from-oven-scorching to eat (this is the hard bit!)



Tada! Happy muffins! Give them a try and feel the happiness too!

First of all, I've started sewing looking to make it professional, which is something I never knew I could do in the first place, let alone do on a professional level...

I mean, realisitcally, I only ever made a shitty  skirt during highschool textiles classes, and let's be honest, the sewing machines made Neolithic bone needles with sinew thread look like modernistic technological breakthroughs, and some tote bags for my stall, which were calico squares (well sewn, using my own pattern, but squares all the same, hardly rocket science)

I had my mind changed by thirteenthgrace 's fabulous birthday party this past November. With a lack of funds to buy a nice outfit, I designed and made my own costume using altered patterns, heeding a long ago suggestion by an Alternative designer many months previous. With foolish confidence, I took my ridiculously complicated design, bolts of cloth and fiddly patterns to my sewing machine....

And I loved it.

I'm no great shakes at the basics, oddly enough, but getting my head around the fiddly bits was enormous fun!

Stunned by how effective, i immediately started seeing possibilities. On every side of me I had people telling me the art industry is suffering badly at the moment, I had both of my writers complaining (with perfect justification, I'd like to point out) that i never worked on my comics, and my own passion for my art was being steadily crushed by doing it 24/7 as a job, a hobby, a passtime, extra cash and pretty much anything else you can think of, so some form of distraction and possibly extra income is in despearate need.

I found a sewing teacher absolutely thrilled to have me int he new year, and beside herself to teach me not only how to sew PROPERLY, but  also how to design from scratch.
So... in the new year, I'm starting a new artistic occupation!


Which leads on to my next piece of big news....


Lilly Kitten has split up!

I'm well tired of having a positive mismatch of art. I jump from Pin Ups to Fantasy, back to Loli's with tedious frequency, and I find it's hard to pin down a fanbase, a focus or even a way of catagorizing your art on Deviant Art when it's a bit of too many everythings.

Now that my designing-sewing is starting to kick in, I decided to split Lilly Kitten up again to match the three styles I design clothing for. 
I had it split before, but I confess, it was done really badly. One side was fan art, which I tend to do and only really do for attention, another commercial illustration style, which i also hated and did purely for profit and the last was everything else.
Clearly, that's not the way I'm going this time. Instead, I'm splitting it into my three favourite subjects and scrapping the rest.



postergirl_lka                                              postergirl.etsy.com
For the art I'm known for best- my funky, sassy pin up girls (and boys- there is a special Poster Boys section!) Big boobs, lots of sexy curves, an awful lot of attitude, punk, goth, pink and black, stars and unusual piercings. It's also the home of the funkier outfits I've designed (and will soon make)



thesteamstress                               thesteamstress.etsy.com 
During my "rebellious" teen years, I was heavily into Romantigoth (Neo Victorian Goth). I never could afford much, as the outfits cost more then I earnt from waitressing, so i soon gave up. But the passion for Neo Victorian lingered and in consequence, I have become very much enamoured by Steampunk.
My party outfit was Steampunk, and i find the clothing an absolute joy to design, so I set up "The Steamstress" to cater for this passion. I haven't drawn much steampunk (as I sadly thought it wasn't commercially viable) but now i plan to go beserk!



thelolishop                                                 thelolishop.etsy.com
The last split was to the Japanese fashion, Lolita.
For some reason (I can't remember now) I started drawing Loli's a few years ago, and now I've collected around thirty different drawings. There's something about the design that makes me want to draw it, makes me want to design the dresses, pose them and play with their hair. perhaps it's the doll like factor, a reflection of a girlier me from the past? 
Ooo, Freaudian!
Also, it was my Lolita designs that first attracted GeoMythik, the creator of the Worn Wild event, to my stall and started me thinking about becoming a designer, so Lolita has a fond place in my heart ^^ 

 

So that's my three new sections. Minimal art (which is very contempory, but I absolutely HATED drawing it) Fantasy (Which i only really drew when i couldn't think of anything else) and Fan Art (Which I mentioned above) have all been given the flick. No more for Lilly. Art is now for Comics and fun.

And despite the other Journals, this journal will remain as a more personal, behind the scenes sort of journal and inclue updates on comics, life, reviews and all the funner stuff XD

Enjoy a little sexy steampunk! 
Anton is a Mechanistic Alchemistic Jeweler from a new conceptial comic. Can't say much more then that, as the ideas are still sketchy... But keep an eye here for more little hints, and sexy art ;)

The jewel of my collection so far. Specially drawn for sale at the aformentioned Worn Wild event, this little darling took a marathon effort! 

I started it YEARS ago, shoved it in a folder, intimidated by the  idea of a fulkl background (backgrounds are my weak point), and luckily found it again, two weeks before the event. It was finished on a crazy impulse... But I am SO GLAD I did!

For the Worn Wild market, I've been going nuts with art. Mostly Lolitas, which I'll post here when I'm done, (There are 26 in total, and I have still 4 to go...) but there are five fabulous new original pieces!

PREVIEWS: 
    
 

I'll be appearing in the "Worn Wild" Market this Sunday in La Di Da venue in Melbourne. It's an exceptionally exciting chance to get into the public eye! Many thanks to Geo Mythic for loving my art so much and inviting me to something that's majority fashion designers, and making room for me!

I've gone nuts with designs, adding heaps of new designs, finishing reams of art and adding tonnes of new products, including prints and for the first time, original works! I'll also be participating in the Discount hour, selling all prints, that's prints, print cards and Canvas Prints, for 25% off!

Seven weeks ago, my brand new shiny, just out of the factory computer had the tiniest weeniest.... STUPIDEST accident.
It seems that a combination of (coffee table+milk)+laptop+cat+panic grab lilly= DISASTER



And so, tearfully, my new laptop went in for repairs. They told me it would take three to five days
...
...
...
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...

Two weeks later, there was a "delay" getting a new keyboard, and it would take five to seven days....
...
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Five weeks after I put it in, there was a misunderstanding with Toshiba in American and it would end up taking TEN weeks from when i put it in.
...
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Seven weeks after I put it in, I get a call. It's ready! So a purse full of cash later...

And I have my laqptop back with a hard earned lesson. If you HAVE to ruin a laptop, make sure it's not the newest model... Because the parts are hard to get.

It's really surprising how much you rely on your computer, especially when you're 50% digital artist. I missed it like a limb over the past seven weeks.

I've been a Nintendo Boffin since the old grey 8 bit box my brother got one Christmas many moons ago.
It started with my alarming sharp shooting on Duck Hunt (Weren't the expressions HILARIOUS?) and evolved into mario 3 champion some years later, it went through a scary ability to absolutely whoopass at Mortal Kombat on SNES, to an uncanny ability to clock a game in less time then it took to get it out of the box when the hallowed 64 reached my lap. 

Along the way, certain games have endeared themselves to me for fond memories and actual ability to challenge
me for more then a few minutes. Amoung these has been the Smash Bros. Trilogy. 

Super Smash Bros was unbelievable. I thought nothing could top it.
Untill Smash Bros. Melee came out....

Smash Bros. Brawl lived up to its predessesors promise, by being bigger, better and more challanging then ever. With a positive WALL of records to break, levels to meet and times to live up to, it gives me something to exersise my fingers when simply kicking Sonic's arse gets a bit passe. 

'Subspace Emissary', a platformer game within the game showcases beautiful graphics, entertaining storylines and relitively challanging gameplay (set it at your own level) and with stickers, trophies, CD's, extra levels, mini challanges and a whole host of characters to choose from (albeit, many unfamiliar to the western eye) SSBB is woth the money you paid for it... and some.

So, you have the game, but with a plethora of characters, fast, slow, weak and powerful in varying combinations, each with their own set of moves and tricks, where do you start?

I've set out a list of my personal top ten characters to give you a hand... or just a laugh....

1st: WOLF 

Imagine, at the end of Smash Bros. Melee, Fox started taking a steady course of steroids.... 
That's what it's like playing Wolf. His moves mirror Fox's, from the firey upward launch (or kick, in Wolf's case) to the lazer, reflector thingy, right through to the somewhat annoying shoot-yourself-off-the-edge-of-the-platform across B... except with less range and a whole lot more power.
But it wasn't just the power and the much needed moderation of the moves that won my vote. 
In all honesty, I love Wolf because he howls as a taunt and sounds like George Liquor*... petty, probably, fun? HELL yes!
(*Obscure Ren and Stimpy character)


2nd: PRINCESS PEACH

I think its fundamentally impossible to be a female Nintendo gamer and not get a certain, dark satisfaction to see Princess Peach (or Toadstool, if you're o the old school and still can't adapt to this "Peach" nonsense) absolutely trounce the opposition. 
It's my personal suspicion, that this girly slapping, frypan weilding lassie is quite a deal more powerful then she should be, going by the normal speed-power thing, because a lot of little girls will challange their brothers using her. I hope I'm wrong, because it shows the Nintendo executives need a kick up the arse for assuming little girls NEED help instead of nutting it out themselves and getting a more realistic satisfaction by arsewhooping on their brothers equal level.
But whether I'm right or not, doesn't matter. We've been left with a high powered, floating, singing, skipping painfully blonde, slightly terrifyingly neurotic powerhouse in pink!


3rd: FOX

My old favourite. Fox is light, fast and highly manouverable. He doesn't have too many fancy arse moves, which suits me fine, and he's as familiar as an old pair of comfy socks. 
His only drawback is my aformentioned dislike of his across B shoot-off-the-edge-of-the-platform move which his very little use for me, as it seems only to be effective as a defensive running away move, and I'm a very offensive player (especially when I'm losing. Oh the profanities fly!) 
I was sadly excited to see his new design... do I small a new Starfox coming out for the Wii? with Falco and Wolf's new designs set out (and the other cast, if you look in your trophies...) it looks like it's going to be good!


4th: MARTH

I've yet to play Fire Emblem, and I'm not too sure i want to, as it seems to have the Final Fantasy-esque use once and throw away approach to characters. 
Nonetheless, I'm grateful for Marth, from his well preened hair and girly tiara-aliceband thing, to his shiny polished toes. His hacky-slashy moves can be combined into lethal combinations, and he's still light enough for me to find playable (wheras Ike is like trying to control an amblatory brick with a blade)
He does have an enormously amusing run, however, wich seems to defy gravity, and rather puzzling Japanse taunts and announcements when he's won a brawl, which I would dearly love to find out the translation of.
Marth continues to be as entertaining and fun as is debut in Melee.


5th: LUCARIO

I appear to have a dog themse happening, what with Wolf, Fox and now Lucario, I'm almost ashamed as a cat person!
Lucario, totally random Pokemon has managed to totally devour his fellow Pokemon challangers (I wish! I hate Pikachu and Jigglypuff!) despite having newbie syndrome.
He has some rather nasty attacks, including an energy ball similar to Samus'. Unlike Sasmus, he holds it infont of him,  which seems to make him hard to attack when he's creating it! Bonus!
Like most of my favourites, he's light, poweful and has some amusing traits, which in this case, is his humourously unexpexted, deep  voice. 


6th: PIT

I was very tempted to dislike Pit.
I loved the Kid Icarus game, and in Captain N (Does anyone remember that cartoon? Where some dumbarse was sucked into the Nintendo universe and hung around with a few of the Nintendo greats of the time?) he was my favourite character, so i was very excited to see this reinvented version.
And he didn't let me down, looking all shiny and new, with a cool cutty-spinny move and a bloody useful flying up B escape move when you were off screen, i was thrilled...
Until he opened his mouth. 
No offence to any Americans out there, but I really dislike strong american accents of a certain type (Don't feel bad, my Yankee friends, I dislike strong Australian accents, too) and Pit's is bang on the kind I hate. Coupled with a repotoire of THE most obnoxiously cheesy phrases, I almost gave up on him then and there.
But he was just too good a character.
You win this round, Pit... but just you wait until the NEXT Smash Bros....


7th: METAKNIGHT

As my nephew's favourite character, I try to avoid using Metaknight too much. Strangely, in my Nntendo playing family, we seem to have formed a perculiar ettiquite, where we pick our favourites, then choose our seconds, thirds and fourths, carefully avoiding picking anyone someone else has picked.
I guess it's just a little offensive having your own favourite kick your butt when you're using your second. 
Anway, Metaknight is an excellent character. Some of his moves are a bit fiddly for my tastes, but he's high powered and packs a good punch if you learn how to use him to the best of his abilities.
And, like Lucario, he has an amusingly surprising deep voice. 


7th: Zelda

Kind of like Peach, Zelda is a breath of fresh, and statisfying air for female gamers. Finally decending out of her tower and onto the playing feild, Zelda delicately wallops her way through enemies with a series of devestating moves. With the added advantage of turnign into the usefully wall clinging Sheik when you like, it's like having the choice of two characters midway, should things turn ugly. 
Unlike Peach, she hasn't been hyped up for little Maddison and Kaylee so they can occasionally win against Tyler. I'm quite thankful for that really.
My only real gripe with Zelda is her absolutely PATHETIC jump. it's a real drawback, dropping her from a possible higher place in my standing.


9th: SAMUS

Nintendo's golden girl. Samus was one of those characters that made my inner feminist dance for joy.
Alien killing, cannon wearing badass girl, Samus never had to use gravitatonally impssoble boobs, tight suits and arse shots to sell games...
Until Zero Suit Samus. 
Much was the disappointment, but sadly, there ARE far more boy gamer then girl gamers, so my fantasy about one, JUST ONE female main character not having to flash cleavage to get attention was doomed fromt he start. 
Anyway, Samus has been a constant rock. She's a great character, but as my brothers favourite character from the original Smash Bros., I just can't bring myself to use her all that often. 


10th: Link

He's clunky, has pretty shit moves, not all that fast and rather weak...
But he's Link!
The Zelda series is my Nintendo drug. I LOVE them. I paly them and play them until my fingers ache. I clock the game in record time, then I spend months and months getting all the heart containers and sundries....
Then I do it all again! I own the horrible cartoon series based on Adventure of Link on DVD. I have every game ever releadsed. I love them to pieces, and for that reason, and that reason only, Link wins a place in my top ten.
He's a pretty terrible character, but hell, I'LL MAKE HIM WORK!



So that's it. If you don't own it. go buy it. Go now. If you don't own a Wii, get one, just for this.

WARNING: From now on I'm going to rely heavily on header graphics, like the one above, and small images, like the ones below to create a dynamic, fun journal that fits me perfectly. This might be a problem for some with slower internet connections.

destruction of my old journal, it's given me a cleaner slate then i ever dreamed to start anew with this blog... and I've attacked it with probably over the top zeal...

Welcome, then, one and all to my... 

Journal! This is a journal that will see more frequent updates, ranging from personal entries, new art, new merchandise, and convention appearances, to reviews, photo entries and comic analyzing!

Watch this space, and you won't be disappointed!

****

  On a personal level, my business pretty much bombed over the last few months, leaving me in a rather depressed rut, no art, no real activity, just running week to week, living off the governmental paycheque. 

A friend of my Mums offered to do my website (out of pity perhaps?) and went through all the possibilities, leaving me with some webcomic sites to glean layout inspiration from. But the layouts (though good,a nd inspiring) weren't the best thing i got out of the whole experiance.... 

I read webcomics, good, bad and ugly and started to notice almost all of them, no matter how badly drawn, or terribly written, were making money

Suddenly, I discover, I CAN do what i dreamed and live off of it!

After a hiatus from LJ (a LOOOOOOOONG Hiatus) I returned, prepared to knuckle down, clean up shop and make a journal to be proud of....

But all my old entries are missing!

I've spoken to the LJ staff, and there's a long, boring, complicated and perfectly legitimate reason, facinating, I'm sure, to the handful of technical buffs out there, but dull to read for the rest of us plebeian civvies, and even duller to repeat, but it was still a rather unpleasant surprise. It seems my start anew policy will have to be far more extreme then I intended....