Box of Awesome Review ~ Box 2

Being savvy enough to guarantee a free Box of Awesome by subscribing I wasn't hugely surprised when this one arrived. Weighing in a lot lighter than the previous one I was very eager to find out what all was hidden away inside.
Much less neon orange ribbon than last time, and the contents seem decidedly paper orientated. There's less in this box than the previous one and the quality of the items are about the same.

OMG 99p Bargain Beauties

Just before Christmas last year OMG Fashions ran an offer on their website for a 99p dress. The nude dress with gold sequins and peplum detailing was a massive success with the story spreading to television, newspapers, social media and finance savvy shoppers. The site repeatedly crashed under the weight of over 100,000 shoppers; restocking 3 times and selling over 1000 of the dresses. The back lash from those unlucky enough to miss out was extreme and unnecessary, but the staff remained friendly and courteous, repeatedly explaining the limited sock issues.

Now they're back to brave the tyrants of the internet again with a fresh new offering ideal
for Summer. A light weight black dress, maxi length is on trend and the fabric flows beautifully to suit a multitude of body shapes.
The ruched detailing under the breast is great for slimming the silhouette and the sweat heart neckline flattering for all. The silver clasps on the straps resemble metal slinkies, and are adjustable to show more or less skin.

Ruminations of The Feline Principles

Some people are dog people, some cat people. With a dog you know where you are, train it well and it will follow you to the end of the earth, tail wagging the whole way. It will always be pleased to see you, even after doing something wrong, it will still bounce with joy at your return. 

No-one truly owns a cat, their independence doesn't allow for domestication.

When you share your life with a cat, you make choices. If both the temperament and the location are suitable then perhaps the easier option of restriction to the home is viable. However not every feline is happy with such an arrangement. Many prefer being free roaming animals, free to indulge in their feral tendencies, away from the strictures of the home environment. 

Box of OMG Review ~ Box 1

Box of OMG is from the individuals who brought us Box of Awesome . Aimed primarily at girls and advertised primarily through social media sites, this is another sure-fire popular craze. Companies have saw the proof of advertising in the first Boxes and have been more generous with this one. The box is filled with goodies, collectables and digital options.

Skinny- Tones and Shading

A lot of my sketching has concentrated primarily on scenery and landscapes and, as the previous post proves, my people skills were lacking. So I set my self the task of portraying bodies in a more realistic way. Concentrating on skin tone and shading, I discovered that I have a habit of working in cooler shades. In particular, blue became my default shade for initial sketching and detailing of bone structure and shadows, whilst yellows and greens were lighting and highlighting. I can't bring myself to do stylised and popular body shapes, preferring the natural curves and style of the voluptuous Rubenesque. Particularly with female shape, I believe that naturally women are curvy and fuller figured, perhaps this is merely a reflection of myself.

 A sketch to work on my leg shading. I was pleased with the whole effect and even satisfied with the chair. I think the red toenail adds an extra bullet point to the image, with the leg drawing the eye down to it.

Sketching The Time Away

There's something to be said for the time before the internet and public sharing of our inner selves, fewer people were exposed to our failures and hopes. Though I have found as time passes, even the poorer of my artistic attempts shows a glimmer of talent in one area or another.


















Both of these are images of real people, and though I may have to squint to work out who, I  feel happy with them. More time was spent on the clothing in both of them, and I think the end result is effective. Textures for me have always been a pest, shading-wise, but I was content with the out come.

Murals of The Imagination

Like so many others I have more than dabbled with my artistic side, and generally come to the conclusion that mine has been on a permanent holiday since I left behind finger painting. Right through school I was constantly doodling and scribbled in the margins of every jotter. Losing my 'art work' in a house move shortly after leaving school seemed like a giant cosmic sign.

However of late I have suffered from crazed notions that my art is not only worthwhile, but also beautiful. Needless to say the old adage of beauty being in the eye of the beholder still applies, but I dare say there's a partially sighted person out there whom would fall in love with my work. Unfortunately for them, most of my work is firmly attached to the walls of my house.

Black Op's 2 League Play ~ The Watcher

Today I faced a new low point in my pixelated existence, I had to check the date Black Ops 2 was released. I would like to state that this is due to post-traumatic stress disorder. The origin of my 'shell shock' stemming from years of suffering slaughtered, face-less online enemies, whilst bearing the responsibility of appeasing the Controller's irrational complains and outbursts.

It was with Call of Duty 4 that the Controller truly seemed to find 'his' game, and to this day the maps seem familiar and comfortable, although the servers hold little more than tumbleweed. Now 9 games later the franchise has churned out Black Ops, laden with future tech, multiple endings and Zombies. It's fair to say the campaign just seemed more of the same to me, not that many buy it for the single player any more, and the Zombies more convoluted and less enjoyable than previous versions.