V is for Vampire Diaries

My guilty pleasure.

Given the amount of quality televisual experiences available, I do worry that my two 'must watch' programmes are a series about teenage vampires and a matchmaking show for people with more money than sense.

Maybe I just need a complete break from the more serious side of my life. Today I've been writing about the acquisition strategy of a cloud hosting company - I need some light relief.

The Vampire Diaries is delightful in that it doesn't really take itself too seriously. The plot has more holes than a pair of torn fish net stockings, but well, who cares? It's the eye candy that draws me in. Such pretty boys... I am but a shallow creature.

Firstly there's delicious Damon who likes to take his shirt off at regular intervals (though possibly not as often as one would like) and mainly wears black. He has this slightly wonky smile that sets the heart a-flutter and a very hard stare when he's being protective of those he loves. He's flawed, he's angry, short-tempered and fun.

Elijah is back. It wasn't fully explained where he went, but I figured it out as I saw him pretending to be a doctor in another show - must have been handy to be near all those blood bags. Elijah is a more of a gentle soul as vampires go; a romantic, less impulsive than Damon - but possibly easier to handle.

Klaus is a proper baddie. The cast seem to forget this on occasion and cut him the kind of slack not normally given to someone that murdered members of your family and close friends. Sometimes the script writers like us to see into his troubled soul when he gets his paints out and comes over all sensitive. However, underneath the oil paintings and creativity he is still a psychopath - albeit one that has a rather 'puppy dog' meets 'come-to-bed-with-me' smile.

Alaric was rather tasty too but unfortunately they killed him off.

So, we await with bated breath the next instalment. Will Elena recover her humanity? Will Caroline fall for Klaus? Will the scriptwriters come up with a more interesting plotline than Silas - the supernatural creature that can pretend to be anyone he wants to be (conveniently negating the need to pay for an extra actor)?

Stay tuned...

Food shortages

I have this recurring dream, well nightmare really, that the world has been hit by a zombie apocalypse. Few humans remain and those that do live under the radar of the predatory flesh eaters.

In my dreams I am pursued by hordes of these repulsive creatures, shambling towards me like a never-ending tidal wave of rotten flesh. Vacant eyes stare as they are propelled by just a primeval instinct to feed.

And how they feed – ripping into limbs, gorging without taste, smell, or indeed any other sensory pleasure. It’s pure savagery, like the proverbial fox among the chickens.

As creatures from horror go, they lack and little need any form of sophistication, intelligence or cunning. It’s all about the power of the pack, a very large and greedy pack. There’s no thrill in the chase, no sense of victory when you capture your quarry. It’s just mindless feeding for seemingly no purpose, after all it’s never really explained why the zombie must eat flesh. Will they all die when they run out of living creatures to provide their three meals a day?  Is it just an unnecessary compulsion? What's the point of zombies anyway?

And then there’s the issue of them destroying what few humans remain on the planet - that’s where I have a real issue. You see, I'm not particularly concerned about being eaten by the vile creatures myself… it’s more that I worry about what they’re doing to my food supply....

;)

Seriously, nobody ever thinks about how the poor vampires will manage during a zombie apocalypse do they?

[For the uninitiated, this devilishly handsome fellow above is the rather delicious Damon Salvatore. Mean n moody, but ever-so-sexy blood sucker from the Vampire Diaries. Obviously he shouldn't be confused with flesh-eating rotting Doris at the top of the page. She lurched her way out of my imagination and dragged herself onto the page dripping pus... nice....].


Vanessa, from A Fanciful Twist is having a Halloween Party. I like to pen a few words of fiction on these occasions. This is a little on the short side this year, but what it lacks in substance I hope it makes up for in drool-ability. And, if you have any zombie nightmares, here's hoping Damon Salvatore will be on hand to rescue you!

A book with bite

If you loved Twilight but craved for the story and characters to be just that little bit more 'grown up' or you got rather frustrated with 50 Shades (no, not that kind of frustrated... more the kind where you fancied the touch of some actual plot that holds together or characters that you might actually enjoy spending time with), then you'll love this!



It's one of those books that found its way onto my Kindle. I've not really any idea how it got there. Perhaps the saucy cover picture caught my fancy while I was browsing the lists on Amazon or maybe it was free that week.

That's the trouble with Kindle I find. It's not quite the same as having a pile of coloured paperbacks waiting patiently for their turn to be read. I'll buy a book then promptly forget all about it. I'm a bit of a sucker for the freebies you can pick up every week so my home page tends to get clogged with The Complete Works of Shakespeare or anything that looks a bit steamy or opens the door to a fantasy realm filled with fae and vampires.

What is it with the sharp-toothed immortals that so captures our imaginations? This is a vampire romance with a heavy dose of adventure and intrigue thrown in among the fang fascination. Naturally the lead man is devilishly handsome and lucky for our heroine his 500 year existence doesn't show on his features - just his cultured mind.

The villain was born in the tradition of a Bond baddie (think lots of henchmen and a tendency to unveil his dastardly plans so he can revel in their glory, while giving the game away should the good guys live to fight another day).... but there's nothing wrong with a bit of Blofeld mixed in with your psycho Klaus (Vampire Diaries fans will know who I'm talking about!).

Anyway I have to go now. I've just finished Book 2 in the series and can't wait to get my teeth into the next one...

PS - Oldish drawing of mine which you may well remember.

Look into my eyes

What to do this evening? Hmm...

How about spending a couple of hours staring into the compelling eyes of Damon Salvatore (who I am missing terribly since the last season of Vampire Diaries finished), or...

Paint a picture of a vampire for the Butterfly Effect challenge....

Now, I wonder, could there be a way to combine the two?

And if the end result doesn't look much like him? Well, who cares?  I got to gaze at the dreamy Ian Somerhalder for an hour or two which can only be a good thing! Shame I didn't quite capture that sardonic grin. Oh well, always next time...

He does look pretty creepy though, sneaking out of the darkness with all that blood-red light reflecting off his features. I don't think you need to see the fangs to know that this is no ordinary mortal. This is predator, danger, but at the same time there's something that draws you inexplicably in... Swoon....

I don't often draw men, but this whole exercise has actually taught me an important lesson. It's really rather a pleasant way to spend an evening! I'm off to practice some more. I do believe Hugh Jackman needs to be captured on canvas next...

Sharing for Paint Party Friday too.

A postcard from Romania

It turns out that Romania has these nesting dolls as well as Russia, which is just as well because I was having a hard time coming up with a postcard design this week that didn't involve vampires in capes in Gothic castles.

Even this little lady nearly got fangs. What can I say, I've already told you I watch too much Vampire Diaries...

So, we're back on the Postcard challenge where the apparent Lothario Y has meandered across to Eastern Europe from Singapore on what appears to be a quest to find beautiful women in all four corners of the globe. I think we need to read between the lines though...

When will these two ever explain to each other who they are and what they are doing gallivanting about the place so much?

(Back story here)

***

OK, couldn't resist one little Dracula reference... This is a digital play I did a couple of years ago. Silly Mina!

Original post here

She saw red...

My first thought for a creation for the MMM challenge 'seeing red' was a flamenco dancer in crimson frilled skirt, but I confess that sounded a bit too tricky. So, I took myself off down a slightly more literal translation. Red eyes have been glaring at me from movie billboards all summer, so I thought I'd pursue the gothic vampire route.

Poor Virginia. She was a Southern Belle at the peak of her beauty when one fateful night her sparkling blue eyes were turned by the deep penetrating stare of a handsome stranger. As the music billowing from the ballroom of her family's mansion carried her and her dark-haired seducer further and further from the safety of others, Virginia was lost in the magic of the moment. She felt love for the first time and gave her trust most foolishly to the one with the silken words... trust that ran away with the blood down her neck as the sharp teeth made first contact.

She roams the grounds still, looking for the one who made her who she is and seeking her revenge. She's a lost, tormented soul, but don't be fooled by her frailty and be tempted to help, for she's also... very hungry...

An experiment in the dark side. Does she look deadly but with a certain fragility? Not sure! Her eyes are too big, nose the wrong angle and her hair looks like she's wearing a wonky wig - perhaps it is, after all she's several centuries old... you should see the state of her dress around the seams...

Maybe next time I'll stick with the flamenco dancer!

Acrylic on acrylic paper. I used just three colours - crimson, titanium white & mars black.

PS - I'm having a giveaway

PPS - Found another challenge site that is just calling for Virginia to pop by.... Spooky Mondays! A mixed media site, you're welcome to post about anything from decorations to costumes, art and crafts, recipes and stories about Halloween or anything spooky in between...

Not everything is black and white

An intriguing play with this week's theme at Mixed Media Monday - not everything is black and white. Quite. Let's face it, life rarely is - there are always so many hidden agendas, particularly in the world of fiction and drama.

I've been reading the third in the Twilight series this week where for our poor heroine, life's twists and turns keep the poor lass in a state of permanent confusion where nothing is even close to black and white. If it's not a vampire declaring undying love then its a besotted werewolf. What a state of affairs to find yourself - and that's without all the maniacs trying to kill her.

Anyway, Bella and 'friends' inspired me this week. I thought it would be fun to create a soulful face and then take away that innocence with a drop or two of blood and some disturbing eye contact...

She began as a pencil sketch, then I gave her a bit more form with some acrylics mixed with glazing medium (so you could still see the pencil). I decided to scan her in before transforming her to a creature of the dark side. Well, dear readers, this is where something strange and mysterious happened. For look what happened when my simple black and white portrait went through the scanner... I don't know about you, but I'm sleeping with a ready supply of garlic tonight...

***

I loved the idea of creating a black and white piece with a tiny splash of significant colour. This is a fabulous theme and one I may continue exploring over the coming weeks. It is quite a challenge to reign in my love of colour!

If you were 'enchanted' by my entry last week and would love to own it as well as contribute to charity, well you can. It is currently up for auction on the Inspiration Avenue Etsy team blog together with a gallery of other treasures. All money raised is for Angel Faces, a charity that supports young girls with burns and facial disfigurements. If you have a moment do pop along and have a look at all the pretty things.

Why you should always wrap up warm in winter

May this be a lesson to all those fair maidens out there who don't heed their mother's wise words. Keep your neck and chest wrapped up darlings!

This little bit of digital fun was for SoArtfulChallenge. They invite you to take this little picture below and make something of it.

Well, in the olden days vampires weren't of the dashing Edward Cullen variety I'm afraid and young girls like Mina were far more foolish. I'm sure that Bella or Buffy would have successfully sent him packing! I wonder if he stole her hat when he'd finished drinking her blood, it really is rather fetching...