Raffle: 15k+ watchers TY - 30$ free comm raffle!

Journal Entry: Tue Jun 18, 2013, 7:10 AM

Hi everyone!

Today I reached 15k+ watchers. That's really nice having such a huge support from you guys, so I want to do this little raffle as a thank you to you. <3

My free time is really limited, so I we'll have only 1 winner this time though.

To join this raffle, you must:

Be a watcher. However, please DO NOT add watch me just because of this raffle. Only watch me if you like to follow me and my arts later on. This raffle's purpose is a thank you to my watchers, so I don't want it to stray away from that to getting more 'fake' watchers.
Add this journal to your Favourites, or one of your Collections. I will use Random.org to choose the winner from the Fav list.

That's all, you don't need to comment saying anything or do any other thing. C:

The winner will get:

A free commission from me of up to 30$ worth, of your desired character. (OC/ fanart)
Here's my current price list: (click here if you can't see the picture below)

--> So, (if your character is not so detailed) what you get can be either:

A full body basic sketch:

This style:

but full body, OR

A waist up advanced sketch:

This style:

OR

A head shot Refined black and white / Base colored sketch. (I don't really have good references for these types in my gallery but well, you can guess. >v<;

Or any other thing worths around 30$ from my price list. If your character is too detailed I may need to adjust what you'll get a bit, but we can discuss about that! <3

You can also pay the different amount to get a more advanced commission if you like. C:

This raffle will last for 3 days!

So you have till June 21st, 11:59PM (GMT+7) to sign up! <3

The winner will be announced shortly afterwards.

Thank you again for your support, and best of lucks! o/<3

108 Comments

5 Reasons you should learn photography manually!

Tue Jun 18, 2013, 8:00 AM

I once met someone who was determined not to use a D-SLR until he had mastered a Manual Camera first. I thought he was a bit stuck up, maybe a little arrogant of his own abilities too...but actually, he was right. You will not truly value Photography until you go right back to basics and learn how the legendary pros did it first. So here are five top reasons why you should teach yourself photography on a manual camera!

1) It's Cheap

Many people think that Film Photography is expensive. If you're going all out and developing your own photographs rather than taking the to a developer then it might well be expensive! However manual cameras are a dying breed and you can pick up most of the bits and pieces you need to get started, quite cheaply.

2) Manual Focus

It's the simplest reason, but it's so true. Manual Focus will save your life. Learning how to focus your camera the hard way will make you a much better Photographer in the long run.

3) Appreciate Modernisation

Spending hours in a darkroom can be fulfilling, I've done it, and I loved it. But it can also make you appreciate modern photography that much more. Yes it's great to use a manual camera here and there, but it's even better when you can just pick up, snap and post to instagram in a few short seconds. Yes, instagram! Manual Photography will make you appreciate what we have today, so much more.

4) Iso!

Most of the pros of using a manual camera are that it's not all done for you. How easy is it to whip your camera into Auto and let it do all the work? Too easy. With a manual camera, you have the same ISO throughout a roll so you need to get it right the first time in order to get the best exposure.

5) Cost Effective

Not only is it cheap, as mentioned in point number 1, but having a manual camera will not tempt you with all the awesome and fantastic upgrades, add ons and other bits and pieces that modern photography now has. You'll save money, AND be an awesome Photographer, what more could you want?!

Manual Photography isn't for everybody. I will say that you'll need a little more patience than usual and an interest in getting results. You'll have to plan carefully to ensure that you don't make mistakes as manual is unforgiving. But it's worth it, and if you fancy learning the basics then why not give it a go? Check out This article for more detailed tutorials.

25 Comments

Places V

by =Schnitzelyne, 19 hours, 59 minutes ago
Journals / Culture / Art Features

The dark, the wonderful, the mysterious, the enchanted, the abandoned.

The entrance of love by *Ahmed-ALSamraee

Stairs Into Castle? # II by ~Redsterfish

Over the mountains and the sea by ~jup3nep

Scenic Scandinavia - Part 5 by ~Stridsberg

The light at the end of the world by *alexandre-deschaumes

Cypress Hill Color Perspective© by ~Massi-San

i walk a lonely road by ~justashadowleft

04:42 155111527 by ~UnderFloorboardWorld

11 Comments

I want one.

by *NinjaKato, 12 hours, 17 minutes ago
Journals / Personal

So. Damn. Adorable. Oh. My. Lawdy.

_{_{_{_{_{_{Someone was watching "Rise of the Guardians", lawls}}}}}}

45 Comments

Cuidado con los Hackeadores!!!

by ~HappySadLife, 18 hours, 26 minutes ago
Journals / Personal

Escuchen esto!

"Hola Amigos, os escribo para advertiros, porque no quiero que os pase nada...
Escuchad: HAY UN HACKER SUELTO EN DEVIANT ART. Si en tu perfil o un dibujo aparece un usuario anónimo diciéndote "This has been stolen" y te deja un link de una pagina web, Presta Atención: NO ENTRES A LA PAGINA, Porque si entras tu cuenta sera HACKEADA, y elimina el comentario si o si. Pero si quieres saber si es verdad, escucha esto: MIRA CON ATENCIÓN EL URL DE LA PAGINA, Míralo con atención, si el URL no termina en .com NO ENTRES
No caigas en el truco

Por favor, reenvía la nota a otros usuarios para que no les pase nada.

Gracias por tu atención."

48 Comments

People and Portraits Spotlight Vol. 65

Tue Jun 18, 2013, 6:19 AM by =yvART

=yvART's

Spotlight Vol. 65

People and Portraits

The Spotlight

the one only
by ~zznzz

Touch Of The Wind
by *Saju90

die stille
by ~WeissChristian

more futbol
by ~cenevols

Alice in Wonderland: The White Queen
by *mariannainsomnia

Never leave the ground
by ~vbagiatis

Doll
by *Kat-D

dark
by ~ChuTuliu

Dandelion I
by *FlexDreams

bambieffekten
by ~Snowfall-lullaby

00258
by *NunoFigueira

Dandelion
by ~AnitaAnti

Believe
by ~IMustBeDead

genie.
by *Senju-HiMe

Angel
by *RebecaSaray

_lace and beads.
by *Bloddroppe

Float
by ~Miss-MischiefX

UNDERWATER HILL
by *puken

bmx bandits
by ~stevenfields

Love Is Blindness
by *Nazrin-Polad

Alexandra
by ~letters-2-sky

Fade
by ~fae-photography

2013-19-June
by ~Astaraath

Cobbler 2
by *dukeofspade

See a piece that should be featured?

Don't hesitate to note me with the thumb! I'll do my best to get it in the next feature.

Undiscovered Talent

~bulavina

For Paul Mitchell
by ~bulavina

Give love. Write comments. Collect Favorites. Watch Artists. Make Art.

=yvART

People and Portraits Gallery Moderator

11 Comments

Still Life Stills Features: Berries!

Wed Jun 19, 2013, 1:00 AM

This weeks feature suggested by =Isalovesphotography and ~pepikaboo
If you have any suggestions for future still life features, let us know!

Credits:

Journal Design and CSS by ~PreetikaSharma
Strawberrys by ~spanjebob

4 Comments

Weird Dream

by *GingaAkam, 7 hours, 6 minutes ago
Journals / Personal

So I had this weird/awesome dream last night, here's what happened:

I was in some kind of concert area place, but everyone was waiting for the event to start. I had no idea what it was, but I was hoping it was Hollywood Undead or Linkin Park or something cool like that. The setup was more like a movie theater, but the stage was like something you'd see at a concert. So I'm there alone, just waiting for the damn thing to start or figure out what the hell it was.
Then someone came by and sat next to me, some stranger. I didn't acknowledge or greet him, because you know, kind of antisocial with things like that. Just sitting there waiting for the thing to start. Some time passes by and my eyes started to wander. I noticed the guy sitting next to me has some awesome tattoos, they looked just like the one's that Xavier has, as in the serpent like dragon winding down his arm.
So I'm like "Hey, I like your tattoos dude." And he's like "Thanks." and then that voice, sounds so familiar. And I look at his face, and I realize it's Skrillex. And I have no idea why Skrillex is sitting next to me, so it's weird. I'm not a big fan of Skrillex yet, but I do like him. So I don't know how to respond. So I just respond "Yeah they're cool, I also like Deadmau5's tattoos" and Skrillex replied "Yeah I like his tattoos too" and I asked "Do you know Joel personally?" and he replied "Yeah I do" and I asked "Do you know Daft Punk personally?" and he replies "Daft punk? The video game?" and I'm like "WAT."
But then we started talking about video games and stuff, started talking about the new SSBB game thingy. He had his Ipad or laptop or something and we watched a trailer of it. And it was amazing, because Kagekao was one of the playable characters, and he was really badass.
Anyway, Skrillex and I were just talking about random things, music and video games and things of that nature. He was a pretty nice guy. And then after like two hours of waiting the concert event FINALLY starts. The announcer person says 'And now presently, the collaboration of Justin Beiber and One Direction!'
So Skrillex and I stand up at the same time like "NOPE" and then get the hell out of there. Outside we just start randomly talking again. It was weird, we saw a lot of celebrities. The only ones I can remember are Kanye West and Snoop Dogg. But I think I saw Kurt Cobain as well. So yeah, we ended up good friends. And we friended each other on Facebook.

Yeah, it was a weird dream. I think it might be a sign from God that I should start listening to Skrillex. I don't know.

67 Comments

Mood: Enjoying The Show
Listening to: Daft Punk
Reading: IT
Watching: South Park
Playing: Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

Ivan Bilibin

Wed Jun 19, 2013, 3:06 AM

Иван Яковлевич Билибин, or for those who can't read the cyrylic alphabet: Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin, was one of the most important illustrators and stage designers in Eastern Europe of the 20th century.

Ivan Bilibin painted by B. Kustodiev by `SylwiaTelari

Education and inspirations

He was born on the 16th of August 1876 (it was Wednesday) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Before he became a student of the great Ilya Repin, he studied at the Art School of Anton Ažbe in Munich in 1898, so you can see that he gathered quite a good art education.

From 1902 to 1904 he travelled around Russian North. He became fairly inspired by the folklore of these areas, as well as by its architecture; he noted his collected impressions and described them in a monograph entitled Folk Arts of the Russian North. As you can probably notice by his works, he was also influenced by Japanese prints and Art Nouveau.

Illustrations and design

His illustrations to Russian faery tales from 1899 made him famous. The most recognisable pictures from that year are the ones of Vasilisa the Beautiful (one of them you can see next to his portrait painted by Boris Kustodiev at the top and some other below).

Later on, during the Russian Revolution of 1905 he painted revolutionary cartoons. Bilibin also worked as a stage designer for a number of Russian operas and plays, of which the most famous one was The Golden Cockerel produced by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

10 years of homesickness

Bilibin left Russia when the October Revolution struck and through Egypt he travelled to Paris, where he settled for about 10 years. He missed his homeland, though. In 1936 he decorated the Soviet Embassy and that was too much to bear - he decided to return to Russia, which had already turned to Soviet Russia by then, and his birthplace Saint Petersburg was renamed to Leningrad.

In Leningrad, he accepted an offer to be a lecturer in the Soviet Academy of Arts and he worked there until 1941, when the great Siege of Leningrad started. He didn't survive the deadly 872 days of the siege - Ivan Bilibin died on the 7th of February 1942, 5 months after it started.

journal skin by `SylwiaTelari
textures by ~YT-stock and subtlepatterns.com

8 Comments

A few simple photography tips

Tue Jun 18, 2013, 7:32 PM

Thought Id share a few simple yet effective photography tips for the creative photographer.

Macro done easy

Set your lens to its closest focusing range and move physically towards the subject until it is sharp.
If you are using longer lenses it really helps to lay down and hold the camera and lens almost like you are shooting a gun, and remember your breathing when shooting.
This is also a great technique for bokeh shots, with a 50 mm at its closest focusing range and background further away you will blow the background to bits.

Don´t be stationary

It is very easy to put down a tripod and just stand on the same spot shooting, instead try moving around a bi, experiment with angles, left, right, high, low until you hit that perfect angle for the scene.

Slow the shutter

You don´t always need a ND filter to block out light to get even slower shutter speed, you can either use this technique with your hand or better with a cardboard (black if you got colored one).
Wave your hand or cardboard slowly back and forth in front of the lens to block light while shooting, this only works if you already have a shutterspeed of 1 second or more.

Cheapest flash ever

Super simple, take a mirror and reflect any lightsource to your subject.
If you are into macro photography a pocket mirror will work wonders for you if you cannot afford flash setup for macro photography (sunlight ftw).

Hope these small tip helps.

Have a superb day.

[link]

10 Comments

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