Finally Recovered from Dragon*Con...

Yes, it has taken me a full week to recover from the epic annual nerdstravaganza that is Dragon*Con. Besides being a full 5 days of non-stop geekery, the con always falls on my birthday weekend, so add a hangover to the mix and you may be able to imagine just how much it sucked to return to work on Tuesday. (No offense to my fabulous co-workers, but y'all are kind of a letdown after being surrounded by Stormtroopers and superheroes all weekend!)

One of the highlights of Dragon*Con for me is always the Comics and Popular Arts Conference, which provides academic programming on a variety of subjects. I attended some great sessions on everything from misogyny in gaming to portrayals of black masculinity in comics to Buddhist philosophy in Serenity.

My husband also presented at CPAC, with an examination of diversity in comic books. Head over to Journey Into Awesome to check out his Superhero Census Abstract.

Needless to say, I had a fantastic time and way too many awesome and exciting moments to express it all here on my blog. Check back soon, though, because I have a few more Dragon*Con related posts in store!

crappy photo taken by me (also one of my favorite costumes of the weekend!)

Birthday Zombification: A Before and After

I have a new (weird) obsession: creepy 1970's statuary by the R & W Berries Company. These things keep popping up at my local Goodwill, and maybe I'm just lacking the sentimentality gene or something, but they creep me out in a major way. The bug eyes, the little knowing smiles... These are some sinister tchotchkes.

On my last junk-shopping excursion, I happened upon a particularly creepy one, like this:

Before: Creepy

but cast in bubblegum pink instead of beige. As luck would have it, I was in the market for a birthday gift. But not just any birthday gift; this one was for a friend who also harbors a weird obsession. She loves creepy dolls! Not one to stand in the way of fate, I decided to zombify this gal.

Et voila!

After: Still creepy

We have the zombified Happy Birthday girl, complete with grisly skull-topped birthday cake. Mmm, brains! 

I have a few more of these awaiting zombification, so check back to see more before & after goodness!

(Before image via Vintage Rescuer on Etsy. All other images copyright © Carolyn Horne.)

Super Secret Awesomesauce

Yes, I've been absent from blog land, but this time, it's for a good reason! I have been super busy working on a project that I can't really share at this point. I mean, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you, and then there's the body disposal, and the cover story to think of, and it's just a hassle, and as previously noted, I'M BUSY. So. The secret remains.

I will give you a little bit of a teaser and reveal that it is comic book-related. That's right, my skills are far more random than you ever guessed. Or perhaps I am just overly ambitious. Only time will tell.

I'm going to be working on this secret project for a few more months, so bear with me. Posting might be sporadic, but I will be posting. If you get lonely, go check out one of my many talented friends' blogs. There's something for everyone over there on the blog roll. You could also leave me comments... Delicious comments. Like manna from the internets!

Sketchy! Take a peek in my sketchbook

When you're an artist with a full-time, non-artsy "day job," it can be hard to actually, well, make art. In an effort to keep my drawing skills up to snuff, I've been making sure to at least sketch for a while every day. My husband has joined me in this endeavor, and we've made it over a month now. Woo!

I will admit, on some days when I'm too tired and/or lazy to come up with something super awesome, I just draw whatever happens to be close at hand. And more often than not, that is a cat. (Yes, I am outing myself as a crazy cat person a mere three posts in. As a certain obese Coloradan child would say, I do what I want!)

Cats make great models- when they're sleeping. Fortunately, my little chubsters are extra-lazy! So today, for your viewing pleasure, here are a few sketches of my teeny gray cat, Merle, doing what she does best- sleeping and being adorable.


And because I can't quite do her justice, here she is in all her fuzzy glory.

Time for Spring!

The weather here just can't make up its mind. Yesterday felt like spring; today was dark and chilly. I'm ready for some color, so let's hope spring arrives soon!

Here's a little something for those of you in need of a break from gloomy winter weather. I did this piece as a wedding gift for a friend- two cute little birds in a cherry tree.

Worst blogger in the history of blogging?

Writing this post is sort of awkward, like running into an ex or something. It's... been a long time. Almost 2 years, in fact. We've both changed so much. OK, maybe just me. But you look great. Great, really.

Awkward reunions aside, I am finally back! I wasn't able to log in for a while due to some technical difficulties, but honestly, the vast majority of my 2 year gap in posting can be attributed to good old-fashioned neglect.

In my last post I mentioned my boyfriend's BFA show; well, now he's my husband and we just celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Awww.

Anyway, enough about me. Time for some art! I created this image for our wedding invitations. Enjoy!

Daniel Amrhein at AASU BFA exhibition

The opening reception for AASU's BFA exhibition is this Friday, 6:30 pm, Suite 1216 on the 1st floor of the Savannah Mall. The artists will each give a short talk about their work. Refreshments are provided by Bonefish Grill and Polk's Fresh Produce Market. This event is free and open to the public.

The exhibition will run from April 23-May 9th, Mon.-Fri. 2-8 pm, Sat. 12-8 pm, and Sun. 12-6 pm.

Come check this out, my boyfriend will be there along with his awesome paintings and jewelry!


painting copyright Daniel Amrhein