Chibi Quill - a persona custom

Also for my private Advent Swap this year, I did a chibi version of my partner, No Division's persona.  Here's Chibi Quill.

She's been fully repainted and sealed for protection.  It's hard to see her symbol in the picture, but it's a silver writing quill.  She's a very pretty design and was a pleasure to work on.

Elf

G-Anime and Trottawa, 2014

This weekend it's convention time in the Nation's Capital with G-Anime / Trottawa happening at the Palais de Congress in Hull.  I'm presenting panels with some lovely and talented people at both cons this year.  Here's a look at my schedule:

Saturday:

Collaborative Writing - noon - Creativity in a team brings its own set of challenges and rewards.  Advice from those who have travelled that road before.

Collecting 101 - 3pm - We'll be discussing the basics of collecting, including getting familiar with your chosen collectible, joining online forums, and how to budget for your collection.

Collecting 102 - 9pm - Here we'll be discussing some of the hard questions about collecting - when is enough too much, how to talk to non-collectors about your collection, how to live with a collection and a non-collector at the same time, etc.

Sunday:

Living the Creative Lifestyle - 10am - Whether you're already a creative professional or you're trying to break into the field, you need to balance your creative work with the rest of your life.  We'll share some tips and tricks that we find help us.

Customs and Cosplay - 3pm - Have you ever wanted to create a 3-dimentional version of your favourite character, either as a custom toy or a costume, but didn't know where to begin?  Then this panel is for you.

History of MLP - 4pm - In my final panel of the weekend we'll go through the whole 31 year history of the MLP brand, from it's humble beginnings in 1983 to the renewed popularity worldwide that FIM is experiencing now.

Hope to see you there!

Elf

Blind Bag Barnacle

Here's a custom I did quite awhile ago, but as he was for a private Advent Swap, I couldn't share him until now.

He was done from a wave 8 see-through blind bag, which presented some problems.  I'm not sure what kind of plastic these guys are made of, but the paint didn't initially stick to them all that well and it took many thin coats to get him looking good.  He's been fully repainted, including his eyes, and sealed.  His symbol is only on one side.  It's been awhile since I did a blind bag or ponyville custom, but they're just as fun.  I do enjoy all the tiny little details.

Elf

Further ruminations on the topic of risers and shelves

I love the Billy bookcases, but they are tall, and I am short, and seeing the Ponies on the top shelf can be problematic.

This is what the top shelf of one Pony shelf looks like

This is my view from my height.  Where are the Big Brothers?

I ended up removing the first row of Ponies from that top shelf, so I could see the Big Brother Ponies, but it's got me thinking that I may use those top shelves more for storage or display of larger merchandise rather than Ponies, so I can see them better.

The last type of riser that I use for displaying my collection are homemade popsicle stick shelves.  They're not pretty, they're not the most effective, but they're cheap, and back when I was a student, that was a big plus.  And you can build them to different heights, as you need.  The Big Brother Ponies on that top shelf were displayed on these.

Stacks of popsicle sticks, with platforms between.  It's not great, but it works.

Elf

Here's to 2013

Where does the time go?  2013 is behind us, and as usual I'm looking back over all the pony-goodness from the past 12 months.

The first big change was a move into a new house, and the new Pony Room that came with it.  Only now it's not a Pony Room, it's a Geek Cave shared with Roomy and her MOTU collection.  The fun has been doubled!

A new Geek Cave means yet another reorg, and honestly, I think I've gotten more done in the past several months than I did in several years in the old house.  It probably helps to be sharing the space, as I can't leave a mess indefinitely because it's not bothering anyone else.  Now Roomy and I have to take each other into account whenever we make any changes in the Geek Cave.  This, along with us both wanting display space, is a good motivator.  There's still work to be done, however.

July saw another trip to the MLP Fair, and two firsts: the first time Stormrave was able to come with us and the first time the Fair hosted a Friday night banquet.  Stormy had an excellent time and got me all nostalgic about my first Fair trip.  The banquet was so much fun, and I'm glad they're continuing the tradition this year.  And, of course, I got to see all my Pony friends who were there again.  It's like going to summer camp.  Having Bonnie Zacharele there (and asking her to sign my entire collection) was a major highlight of the weekend, too!

Photo courtesy of Roogna

There's been a good deal of geeky customizing this year, as well, and many of the customs I've showcased this year will be for sale at the MLP Fair in Nashville.  I do love making these fandom customs, and I'm sure to do more in the future.  I need to win the lottery so I can spend all my time playing with Ponies.

Finally, the Advent swap didn't take place on the Arena this year, which was quite disappointing to those of us who look forward to it all year.  However, I was able to participate in a private Advent swap, and goodness, wasn't I spoiled rotten by Buttercream Dream!  I think the partner I sent to, No Division, was quite happy with her box as well.

So 2013 ended on a high note, Pony-wise.  Here's to 2014 being another good year of health, happiness...and Ponies, of course.

Cheers,

Elf