Art- shattered skies

my most recent drawing was on my  right fore-arm, it was only roughas i was supposed to be learning but still, im quite happy with it since i did it left-handed! i call it the shattered sky, since ive always visualized an apocalypse where the sky cracks open and just bleeds/leeks with splinters flying everywhere. i lso think its a cute picture, the daisy balances it out a tad.

The Culture Clash, Merging Goth and Indie Fashions

After finishing off my friends article about Indie culture, I suddenly started to wonder whan the outcome would be of combining Indie with a culture thats a little darker/rebellious. The first culture i considered was goth, mostly the vintage side of things. Although they are very different cultures, with different interests and different music, quite a few clothing pieces/acessories can be found in both wardrobes, only presented differently. If i were to merge the two i would go about it by starting with vintage clothing. You often see vintage (even second hand) elements in both wardrobes, particularly dresses.

Today im going to use mostly black as my colour theme to demonstrate, although i think you could very well put a steampunk edge to indie, using tarnished jewellry and soft browns combined with rich/deep colours.  while the purpose of this article is to darken a " fashion friendly" (it is actually becoming quite mainstream right now) culture, we still need to keep elements which play huge factors in the culture such as colour (otherwise we are just ruining it altogether.) in order to darken the tones without damaging the look i strongly recomend you balance it out with brown, white or combine black and white with colours such as dark emerald green, maroon, peach, plum (if your game), dark or pastel blue. (pinks, purples and generally bright colours are simply to bold, subtracting from the age of your outfit.) Another idea is that you could make indie look more steampunk. ( both indie and steampunk use very old styled colour paletes.)You could use a knee-length/long golden brown skirt with a white blouse, matched up with brooches with old-english clocks/watches and pearls like the one i found google. (above)

As you can see these clothing pieces above are both very indie and could be turned quite goth to as well. The outfits above are also very versatile pieces that you can dress up or down,and before i forget, i think white lace doillys could look very nice (okay the truth is, that the possibilities are endless!) Perhaps matched with a nice simple belt would be quite touching.

If your looking to buy anything similar i recomend you visit a website called www.forever21.com it is for the most part indie i must admit, but if your willing to filter through all the things you probably wont wear, i think youll find some very good pieces! they are also quite affordable to, if you look in their sale section  you can buy dresses for $11.00! (US dollar) I found the skirt to the right on this site, in the contemporary section. (click brands, select contemporary, then on the left side it should categorize to skirts, dresses etc;)

Shoe wise, i think some popart heels are quite apropriate, infact theres a really cool pair in TUK shoes online with a recycled newspaper design (you probably already spotted the shoe on the left) you can visit them online @ (insertadress) if pop art shoes really dont phase you at all, TUK also has some very nice varitey of mary-janes and boots! you could also try lace up military boots (of the not bulky kind) and depending on what colour theme you have going, tan/skin coloured shoes will also match very well!

As for Acessories, i think this really makes the two cultures come together. Personally i think pearls, lace and ribbon work very well, so look for things such as your bangle sets, dark floral headpieces (even better with a little neting), old fashioned earings etc; (you can refer to the first picture i posted if your bothered) below ive posted a range of jewelry that is all avaliable from the online shop i previously recomended, forever 21. A little "boho" (bohemian style) wouldent go astray either. although i wouldent stress about it if you really dont know anything about it!!

As for hair/makeup, its probably preferable to keep it very simple, theres no "indie" hairstyle although many indie artists and many indie kids tend to have loose wispy hair (and dreadlocks), it goes along with the whole indie thing very well. If you dont like leaving your hair looking like its "untamed", loose ringlets look nice, especially in red and light brown/dark blonde hair, or perhaps you could try something more done up. Often tighty pulled back hair works, even if you choose to leave your fringe out! this is really the time to twist your hair into a tight neat bun, or a low pony tail. Its probaly best to keep your make-up simple, perhaps just mascara, eyeliner (no wings sorry!) and foundation. If you can control yourself, i dont see why you cant try shading your eyelids a little darker!

Well, its probably time to conclude this post, its certainly become much longer than i expected it to be!Overall, i think anyone who takes time to think this culture clash through properly can very sucessfully dress in a combination of both goth and indie, there are so many possibilities which are absolutely endless! Generally i tihnk the result its quite elegant, classy, mature, aged and very "fashion friendly." Depending on the kind of attire you usually wear, you may find you dont get as many haters! but of course, if you are imersed in any alternative culture you probably find your haters quite entertaining!

Indie

luckily, my friend is going to tell you about indie stuff, so here goes:

"Independent music is not just a genre, for many people it is a lifestyle. You may walk into a second-hand clothing store and realise that this is just not your scene, but for a small minority of people it is. They have houses with floral wallpaper, various kinds of stockings, a large variety of herbal tea, and an old record player. Not really. Some people like those things. Personally, I really do, but I'm not sure I would dedicate my entire home to something like that.

There are many bands fitted into the indie genre, but I don't like putting bands into genres and groups. Its like putting your friends into groups of best, close & good. So I just listen to a whole heap of bands, many that people have not even heard of, as my friends call me a hipster.
I really enjoy listening to bands such as Washington, The Wombats, Art Vs. Science, Foster The People, The Jezabels, Boy And Bear, Gypsy & The Cat, Jinja Safari, Josh Pyke, Vampire Weekend, Regina Spektor, Florence & The Machine, Marina & The Diamonds, LIGHTS, Dan Sultan, Cloud Control, Sparkadia, The Waifs, John Butler Trio, Bluejuice, Philadelphia Grand Jury, Missy Higgins, etc;"

well, you got that part from her! unfortunately she didn't have time to get into the visual aspect of it but i think i can give you an acceptable description from my (alternative) point of view:

Indie culture is often quit distinct for its combination of hippie and "old school dress code" fashions. Rather than the tight jeans and vibrant colours, it is quite common to see an "indie kid" (particularly girls) in loose clothes with vintage floral patterns, old knit cardigans, naturally coloured jeans, anti-short skirts, sandals or boots (no skate shoes.... EVER!!!!! converses are quite acceptable though)
Over all, they are quite happy folk, and while I would never consider immersing myself in the culture, I certainly wouldn't dis anyone who does, like anything (culture/music/fashion) it requires a certain amount of creativity to be a "good" indie, especially without becoming cliche!
Another thing that comes to my attention (and quite random to) is the indie bop, as their music is often quite folk orientated (well, right now most independent music is) its become a growing trend to awkwardly bop (almost like a squat motion where your feet are together) in tune with the music!

Overall i hope this gives you a good insight to indie culture/music/fashion, perhaps (if i can convince her) she submit another article regarding her fabulous world of Indie!


(Posted by .itsdannibitch @ weheartit.com respectively)

Poetry Time!

I'm not convinced that I'm that good at poetry, but I'm doing better than most of the people around me! i hate to be negative but writing is a very good way to let yourself flow.Many people use it to express themselves. For each small exert on this post, ill start a new line. the last one, is my reflection of society and how selfish it can be (not always) Yes, you may be inspired by my work, but please do not claim it as your own work. (if you scroll to the bottom of this page, you will notice everything here is copyright.)

Twisted thorns of icy roses

Is what this situation poses

Darker daylight fails to cease

Intense fragments of this belief

Strike like lightning through your anger

Watch how they have been dismembered

Fall forever on broken wings

Listen to the pain they sing

Every soul ever lost to a false execution

Reborn, hearts and mind stand to fight

Never again will they suffer the blackout

The darkest hour which swallowed the night

Within its own expertise.

Like coiled hands, bony, pale and brittle,

The snake curls around something precious and little.

Once more it steals the prey, what was once rightfully theirs.

Like that, you seek revenge yet you never held ownership.

All your dreams are just to far from your grip

Despite all the stares, you only act for what you care.

The snake slithers, away at the end. of another woeful day.

And so do you! So, do you. When will you learn?

This world has nothing for you, only failure standing firm.

Yet the snake will only outdo you, it has better understanding

It only takes what it deserves, not what its demanding

That’s where you went wrong. That’s how you turned into prey.

You became the victim, the snakes very own slave.

Like coiled hands, bony pale and brittle,

The snake curls itself around you, insignificant and little.

Once more you learned the hard way, it is not rightfully yours.

The Glass Needle

so this is only a rough half finished sketch of whats going on in my head, but I'm sure you get the point. (i am truly sorry that the photo is angled and distorts this pic.) The needle is a concept of pain, and the hourglass represents the miserable society which is growing today. The way i see it, so many people are miserable, and they feed off others misery to feel good about themselves. the hourglass is a cliche example of this, as it requires the needle to function, unlike an ordinary hourglass.

Drawing!

Since last time i posted some drawings, Ive made quite a few more, some that i will post haven't yet been finished, and like i explained last time, the photos Ive taken are quite basic, but I'm sure you get the idea of how they look! ill post them all eventually.
Today's picture is of a girl, perhaps a faerie? I'm not quite sure! but I'm quite happy with how she turned out. Sadly the picture doesn't show the finer shading. Anyway, its just pink ink in my textbook. (clearly i was supposed to be doing something academic)

Recent drawings

recently i was scribbling some quick ideas, they re not great but I'm sure you can make out what i drew. the first one is of a spider veil! i thought that it would be quite a nice thing to own. and I'm sure that spider veils would be available somewhere out there. the second one is an eye, i don't know what it is but eyes are such wonderful things to draw!

Salad fingers

Just a quick word on the show:
I'd say a good 70% of people have seen at least one episode of salad fingers (which can be found on YouTube). The thing the majority of people seem to have a disliking/concern for Salad Fingers. Why? I still ask myself this question as I feel there's nothing to hold against the series. While I must admit some of the things brought up in the series are a little creepy, its all in the name of entertainment! So what if its so different from other shows? I like to scout for unique things, and for me finding Salad Fingers was like gold!

Anyway if you've never seen the series ill post an episode down below. Its basically a flash cartoon about a guy named Salad fingers who lives remotely in the middle of nowhere, talks to himself, has many fantasies and takes interest in random things, "I like rusty spoons".  Its enjoyable if you can appreciate it for what it is. Although i warn you, its certainly not for the feint hearted.

Along with all the dislikes and complaints, come with many rumours, some probably are true and other not so true.

1. the guy who makes the animations is on trips and is simply showing what its like to hallucinate. (There may be a Fraction of truth in that, although its up to you to decide.)

2. Salad fingers is a survivor from the war and is now schizophrenic.

3.Salad Fingers is "Post Apocalyptic" (phrase from wikipedia)

The three rumors/ideas i posted above are probably the most common although there are quite a few more, you can choose what you'd like to believe however for me its more about salad fingers rather that all the facts that surround it. Watch it the be done with it!
So i really enjoyed writing this, and i hope you enjoyed reading this. i'll possibly write a part 2 with a more interesting history of the artist and series.

Hand Held Fans

As we all know, there are three basic purposes of a hand held fan: Practically to refresh oneself with a productive air flow, as a source of communication, and more importantly today, as a fashion accessory.
Where did the fan originally come from?
the earliest known fans come from china, in 2yrs BC. Back then all fans were made of fabric mounted on bamboo. They were also used in similar countries such as Japan and Korea. originally they did not fold into a simple to hold strip, however that idea did follow shortly after.


Materials:
Fans were often made from bamboo, with thick paper, lace, Silk (you get my point i think)


What occasions are hand held fans appropriate?
Back in Korea fans were used in the Bucheachum dance. ( i doubt your going to one of those soon) However, if your looking for a good occasion to use a fan, i recommend you bring a fan to a outdoors formal/semi formal occasion. Theyre the kind of think that fit in nicely to a scenery wth tea, cake, sunshine, roses and pretty gardens.

Hand held fan ettiquette:
You would all recognize a few fan gestures, but have you ever thought about what they mean? I decided to write down a list of the basics for you:
Resting fan on lips: "I don't trust you"
Quickly fanning self: "I love you so much!"
Carrying fan from left hand behind back: "Im engaged"
Carrying fan from right hand behind back: "I want to be engaged"
Hiding the sunlight (face) "Your ugly"

Where can you get a hand held fan? okay, so ive looked around and here are my fave online shops to get them from! If you dont want to go online, try your local antiques, they are bound to have some very nice ones!

http://www.japanesestyle.com/catalog/partywedding/hand-fans
JapaneseStyle: quite cheap and very nice designs, much variation of colour to, which is always conveniant.

http://www.chinatown.com.au/shope/default.asp?categoryID=135
China town online, the fans they stock are quite sweet and oriental looking, some also came with brightly coloured tassles.

http://www.sunriseimports.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=531_621&gclid=CLqX-MeQ7KkCFYUdHAodyTTfXg
sorry about the really long adress! sunrise imports is probably my favourite online shop! and i would say it has the most variety!

here are some of my favourites

(above) supplied from "china Town"

(above) supplied from sunrise imports
(below) sandalwood fan from Japanese style

http://www.ideco.com/fans2/language.htm (resource for fan ettiquette)

Gothlit.com (gothic literature)

okay, so the other day i was just browsing the Internet (as you do) looking for something to do. i just so happened to stumble upon a rather interesting site called Gothlit, which i couldn't help but share with you! so basically its an online community where people share their poetry (Gothic obviously) like any forum there are those posts that really aren't that great, however i found many amazing poems based on many things. here is a recently posted piece:

Fly Free, submitted by DevilsTears (Kenneth Weaver)
We are trapped,
We are chained,
We are tamed.
Breaking free, we depart,
All of us are split apart,
No longer tied down, we were drowned.
Flying free we soar, raging a useless war,
Promising I will take no more.
We fly free, with only glee,
No one can see,
The dark depression within me.
As we fly free away,
Wild today, gone away.
Never to be seen again, sleeping in my den,
I ignore, their useless war,
We will fly free and soar,
And I shall take no more!

as you can see some of the poetry submitted is just exhilarating! if you choose to join, it is free (we all love freebies) and there is a thread on "how to" which has some excellent tips.
just to add icing on the cake gothlit has a lovely layout that i am sure you will enjoy, everything is black and most headings are written in red Gothic inspired writing. (as in the photo below)Please do check out the website, you certainly wont regret it!

click here to visit gothlit.com