The Enchanter's Theorem

Originally published at Curse & Quanta. Please leave any comments there.

And a lot of briefing/bringing y’all up to speed, because boy howdy, a LOT has been going on. In fact, I don’t even know where to start, so I’ll just start in the middle and work my way out.

First off, the campaign for the fourth card, the Imperatrix, is now live! You can find it here:

We’re already at 42% funding, which blows my mind and humbles me.

So, the Major Arcana continue to drive ahead, shredding the track. The Magician is days away from shooting. Here, have a peek at some stuff:

The High Priestess has already acreted a fair amount of fabric and props. I’m hoping that once I get the Magician in the can, the High Priestess will (prop and costume wise) come together quickly.

Because we hit a bit of a snag. The location that I chose initially for the High Priestess in NoCal…won’t work. It’s surrounded by a fence and a jog to get out to it. Unlike the Magician or the Fool, there’s an actual set piece that needs to travel to the site. The same is true of the next two cards, the Imperatrix and the Imperator.

So. I’ve had to rethink a few things. In a perfect world, I’d be able to get cast, crew, and set out to the locations that I want with no problems. Except I’m not Annie Liebowitz, Mark Milller, or Ridley Scott and with the attendant budgets that go with them.

YET.

So my current plan is thus: me and my camera have already begun to go out to the locations on my list and started shooting ALL of the master plates NOW that I will need at the exact time of day and place that I want. It only costs gas and me. And the occasional scramble over obstacles. And falling on my ass.

But I digress.

tl;dr: I’m accelerating the shooting of the master plates/backgrounds and discovered some good news in the process. As of today, I’ve shot the Echo Park Secret Swing, the old abandoned Los Angeles Zoo–seriously cool!–two different art deco underpasses, one in Pasadena and one over the LA River. Next, I’ll be heading out to Murphy’s Ranch, aka Hitler’s Bunker.

No. That’s not a mistype.

Then I need to rebalance the next locations I want, because every one after those is further out. Most likely, the Edwards AFB Boneyard will be next, then the Victoria/Laguna Beach tower, and the ship wreck trail.

In between all of these shooting loops, I will build all the sets that I need, until Cristi and others are available, which won’t be till October at the earliest. Then I rent a green screen studio, put model and set in front of a green screen and go to town. In fact, if I play my cards right, I’ll be able to shoot all damn day, rotating models and sets. For the NoCal models, I can have them all meet me in one location. Ditto, the SoCal models.

There’s actually a lot of upside to this. My producer-husband happens to do exactly this sort of work (it literally pays our rent) and knows how to talk to green screen lighting grips. I’ll have total control of the entire environment. It’ll also bring up the comfort level for the models. Instead of sweating their ass off in the desert, they will be in a climate controlled location with showers and bathrooms and kitchens. And down here in La La Land, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting three green screen studios. Competition is fierce and the cost is really low, compared to dragging everyone and everything out to a location.

As long as I match light and color temp… Well, I think I might dare you to spot the difference.

I have the time. I just have to build and shoot as much as I freaking can. And like most things in my life, this may be a felix culpa. I seem to always land on my feet in a better situation when things go south like this.

Ooo! Also, once again, my primary model for the Imperatrix said YES! WOO! Two for two!

* * *

In the meantime, my jaw started aching like you would not believe last night, y’know, night before launch. I couldn’t tell if it was my teeth that were hurting and it was referring or if it were the ear and Eustachian tube that was giving me shit. It was the ear. It’s much better as of this evening, but gods, it fucking sucks. I got sick near the end for the High Priestess too.

Hello, Resistance.

Oh, and there is nothing worse than feeling an ear drain. GAH. It’s not painful. It just feels fucking gross.

And that’s it for the fish report with a beat! *random Roger Waters reference* I apologize for the novel, but I wanted to let everyone know what I’ve been up to while being relatively quiet here and elsewhere. I’ve been building and sewing and driving and shooting and… I’m a wee bit tired.

But I’m happy. Happier than I’ve been in a long long time. It feels good.

Originally published at Curse & Quanta. You can comment here or there.

Greetings, War Party!

As of this writing, we are t-minus 11 hours and counting till the end of the campaign for the Magician! WOO! Aah! It is too exciting.

Right now (as you can see in the handy dandy graphic linkie beast) I have raised $230 of my $500 goal. That’s a whopping 46%!! I say again, WOOO.

I just returned from Joann Fabrics with the second round of materials for the Magician. DUDE. I found the perfect faux red leather for the boot covers and straps. IT IS EPIC LOOKING. The challenge coins are arriving from the mint to the warehouse on Monday. Things are cooking along. BUT, but I’m not quite there yet. If I don’t raise the other 54% in the next 11 hours, the Apocalyptica will be delayed for weeks, if not months. I don’t think that’s something any of us want. I know I really really don’t want. Do Not Want, as the kids say today.

You still have time to make a pledge if you want to get involved. Even a share today on any and all social media makes a huge difference to how well this campaign ends. For reals.

In the meantime, you are all the best war party evar. EVAR. I mean that. Without you, I wouldn’t have even started the engines. THUNDER UP. Let’s get the buzzards off this rig!

Originally published at Curse & Quanta. Please leave any comments there.

I realized that I’ve not been blogging over here, my head has been buried so deep in art. Which is great! But is bad that I am not sharing with y’all! So! Have some stuff!

Sepulveda Dam I

This is looking down the spine of the Sepulveda Dam and where I intend (hope!) to perch the Mouse as the Fool. I didn’t hike all the way down to the location because at the time, I was without sunscreen and could tell my exposure was nearing too much.

Sepulveda Dam II

If I can’t find a war rig or other suitable vehicle for the Magician, this will probably end up being the backdrop for the Magician. Basically, this is Plan…D? I think? I have multiple plans in mind. Perfect world, I will find the perfect vehicle at the Wasteland Weekend Car Show and people happy to play with me.

Fool Challenge Coin

This is the prelim mock up of my art for the challenge coin that Coins For Anything are doing. I am deliriously in love with them. The dark gray will be raised and shiny silver, the recesses will be sandblasted dull. IT IS PERFECT. I can’t wait till I hold one.

Hair Test for Fool

This is the finished hair and feather and bell extension tested on the Mouse’s head. Her reaction? “Can I have these for real and permanent?”

I said for the summer. The school already looks at me weird for helping her shave her head. What’s the big deal? It’s her head! Your either believe in bodily autonomy or you don’t!

And there’s a ton more, but I figured I’d keep the fire hose to a moderate attack for this time around.

In the meantime, the campaign for the Magician holds steady at 21%. I would really really like to hit 30% by Wednesday, so that’s what I’m pushing for. If you can contribute, please do. Remember, this is the only way to get a print of these images, once the campaign closes, that’s it. And if you can’t or don’t want said goodies, spreading the word helps more than I can say.

And now I go back to embroidering till my fingers fall off. Whee!

Originally published at Curse & Quanta. Please leave any comments there.

So, when the first idea for the fevre dream hit me, it was rather a no brainer to ask the Amazing A to be my Puck. For one, how many circus arts red-dreaded flying models do *you* know?

Exactly.

Then the challenge became one of logistics and design. Getting her rig into my backyard where it mightily befuddled the neighbors for many months and became impromptu swing set for my daughters. Making a costume that kept to both my theme and era, *but* could be flown in without impediment. Not as easy as it sounds, though the eventual solution was elegant and simple.

And then to put her into it and get that first shot in the setting sun where it all came together?

Oh yes.

I kinda like this one.

Yes.

Heh. What backyard? What rig? I asked real fae to pose for me.

*CACKLE*

Buy Puck HERE