Artist: Catherine Karina Chmiel-Guglska

This is yet another of my absolute favorite artists. I found her, of course, through my love of Tolkien, and we share the same favored characters of both Boromir (Lord of the Rings) and the sons of Feanor (Silmarillion). ^_^
Catherine is a Polish illustrator whose works I have fallen in love with and am constantly thrilled and inspired by. Her ink pieces are particularly wonderful (especially since it remains a mystery to me, as to how to use ink... I've yet to claim the tools to try it) with its boldness. One day I shall have to attempt it, I'm sure.
The strength of her characters is really beautiful, their strong features and deep emotions that really show through the eyes and expressions. *sigh* Her works are what want me to be an illustrator (or at the least have that style to my personal drawings... all I illustrate is my own novel -_- ).

- Codi Lyn -

Medium: the unsung drawing hero... Ball Point Pen

Who hasn't doodled something with a handy ball-point pen?


Anytime I have a slip of paper or napkin and I feel like drawing, there's a ball-point pen in someone's purse, on the counter, anywhere. They're accessible, and they're awesome! The more common, bought in large quantities, kind of pens are really the best, too.

I've drawn dozens of pictures with just a ball-point pen and no sketching. You can make a hundred different textures with them, neat scribbles, nice hatching. ^_^ They're uber-fun and easy to find.

Show: Avatar- The Last Airbender

This has always been a great one, but lately Avatar has been my favorite thing to watch on TV. It's an anime cartoon about a boy, Aang, who has to master the bending of all four elements to save the world (in a nutshell).
It's well drawn, not too Japanese, fairly realistic, there are times when they get "chibi" expressions. It has a great plot, something epic, depth of characters, and at points it's just laugh out loud funny (I've caught myself laughing far too loud at certain punchlines or expressions, and I'll be the only one in the room. ^_^)
My favorite character is Zuko, a fire-nation (enemy) prince with an ominous scar covering his left eye and side of the face. For a long time he is hunting the Avatar (Aang) and is a very angry, conflicted young man. And then as things go on, he has a good influence in his Uncle and he helps Aang learn to fire-bend, becoming the new fire-lord by the end of the season and he's a good guy. *yay*
There are a few seasons, and I haven't seen the whole thing through, but as I catch them on TV I love every one of them and can't wait to know the whole story.
Also, M. Night Shyamalan is making a movie (live action) of Avatar that looks pretty cool, but I am really biased towards liking the cartoon best. Obviously, you're entitled to your own opinion. I'll be watching it, but I'll be trying to watch all of my show as well. :D

- Codi Lyn -

- - - Mother's Day - - -

Hope everyone had a terrific day with their moms, or at least in their honor, today! I made my Mom a funny Jane Austen cartoon card, which she loved. My Dad made her crepes (spinach/cream cheese and strawberry/cream cheese), bought her flowers and two music cd's. And my brother sang one of her favorite Christian songs, signed the card I made for her :P , and bought her chocolate truffles.
Last night we played dominoes until we had eaten too much carrot cake and drunk too much sweet tea, and had a great time in lieu of the fact my brother would be gone from 9 to 5 today at work. After a wonderful breakfast this morning, my Mom and I went outside on the deck and watched/took pictures of all our beautiful birds at the feeders. Gold finches, Cardinals, Red-breasted Grosbeaks, Roufus-sighted Towees, Purple finches, Chickadees, Doves, Sparrows... all so lovely, and my Mom really loves to watch them and listen to them. And the cherry on top of her sundae this morning was that we got to see our first Baltimore Oriole that we've been setting oranges out and waiting for since spring began. ^_^ It was joyous.
And then we did my Mom's favorite thing for the rest of the day... Yard work.
Happy Mother's Day!

- Codi Lyn -

Actor: Yul Brynner

I should always begin sentences having anything to do with "The 10 Command-ments," "The King and I," or "The Magnificent Seven" with, "How cool is Yul Brynner?!"
I mean, I've grown up watching said films and becoming enthralled with his characters simply can't be helped when you're an epic-loving five year old like I was. ^_^ He is the significant reason why I respect and appreciate those men who choose to shave their heads.
I didn't really know anything about the man, himself, (except for his name, which became imminently important to know only after I watched "The 10 Commandments" at that age where you finally realize there are *actors* playing these characters, who aren't *really* those characters in everyday life) until I looked up his profile on IMDB.com, which I recommend doing. My Mom and I had the longest guessing game while watching "The King and I" about what nationality he was, since he is *clearly* not some regular American (I try not to be biased against my own "race", but it's hard). Apparently, he's Russian --with some Swiss-- and enjoyed lying outright about his heritage to those he considered gullible! He would say he was part Swiss, part Japanese! O_o And I would have fallen for it, had he told me that in person. *sigh* Innocence can be such a curse... ha ha... Not really.
And the best part of it all? ... We have the same birth-date! He was born on July 11th, and so was I. *Huzzah* for trivial facts that make my day.

- Codi Lyn -

Movie: AVATAR

O_o

Thanks to a lovely and dear friend who sent us (my family) a little bit of "fun" money, this afternoon my brother and my parents and I all were able to go and see James Cameron's "Avatar" movie.
I've heard so much about it, from friends and from reviewers online, and (at least from my meager gleaning) it seemed to me that the response is almost half and half: people love it, or people hate it. The ones who played 'nay-sayer' often commented that it was too long, that the plot wasn't original, or that they got bored. So, taking all these with a grain of salt, I went today to see the movie with expectations both of the best and the worst (so that I wouldn't have my hopes too high if they were to be dashed).
The result?
...
I AM SO IMPRESSED! I need to find some synonyms for 'epic' because it was epic-ly epic!

- I love long movies, I wish all the good ones were 3 hours anyway! ^_^ Also, the friends I have that commented on its length being "too" long, are somewhat immature (at least in the sense of quality movies) and have short attention-spans. Too bad for them.
- The plot is not incredibly original, because good versus evil is NOT original! Those people are just asking for too much. Is there really any original movie plot? In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon says that, "there is nothing new under the sun," and he was and is right!
The plot had nothing wrong with it, in my opinion. You'll have to watch it for yourself to judge, because I won't spoil it by describing details of it.
- Being the creative author, artist, reader and fantasy-loving lass that I am... I ate EVERY BIT of it up with hungry eyes! There was so much to take in: the landscapes, the creatures, the plants, the culture... it was immensely creative and imaginative. Personally, I *adore* creating and making up new races and creatures, and this movie was full of beautiful and foreign animals and customs. Like I said, I just couldn't get enough.

My only two qualms are these:
The race of aliens called the "Na'vi" were very Native American tribe-like (which I loved, that's not the problem), and therefore had very scant clothing consisting of thong/loincloths, leather bodice-like wraps that only cover the lower rib-cage and waist, and necklaces. On the women this was especially a problem for me because, though they're blue and... slightly different, you often saw too much. A little more modesty would have suited me better.
Also, since there were a lot of military men and a few scientists (all clearly not God-fearing folk), there was cursing that I hadn't expected. It didn't seem necessary to me (crude language is never necessary, however), and for one who isn't used to that kind of talk, it was a something of a shock.

Other than these few things, I *completely* recommend it to anyone who has the least interest in fantasy and sci-fi, or even a good story. I came away feeling great and you really get into it without realizing it. The effects were done SO well (How could they not have been? Industrial Light and Magic [Star Wars] and Weta Workshop [Lord of the Rings] helped to create it all!) that the characters and creatures looked and sounded absolutely REAL.
Plus 3D was fun, we had good glasses, and I actually 'dodged' a few things. ha ha My Mom was also 'brushing' away some ash that was supposedly on my leg from an explosion. ^_^



If you get the chance, go and see it in theaters. If you don't, absolutely rent it when it comes out. Have a terrific beginning of the week!

- Codi Lyn -

Medium: Fan Fiction

Firstly, let me wholeheartedly exclaim:
Beautifully written fan fiction exists! And it is not all just 'piggy-back riding' on an original story the author couldn't himself come up with!

Thank you. I needed to let that horn 'toot' before I started explaining what fan fiction truly is, since I've had *ahem* people make the assumption in the past that writing a fan fiction is like copying a story and calling it your own, or being uncreative by using someone else's plot and abusing it.
Although that does happen-- invariably too often, I'll admit, but what are you gonna do?-- there are many piece of writing in the fan fiction realm that are so deeply and wonderfully interwoven with canon, that contain a plot all their own aside from the main story-line, and that give an entirely new dimension to a character ( even one you may before have thought yourself to have been thoroughly acquainted with), so that I feel I must defend the honor of the few, and the proud, well written fan fictions.
What is a fan fiction? It's a worthy question, since it's not typically something people know about in general. I know, because I've explained it... many times.
The dictionary definition of 'fan fiction' is this: "A fictional account written by a fan of a show, movie, book, or video game to explore themes and ideas that will not or cannot be explored via the originating medium." (You can also call it 'fanfic')
Personally, I would only add that I use fan fiction as a way to finish a story (in my case, from a movie or a book) the way I wanted it to end. Let's say my favorite character didn't end up with the gal I wanted. I can write a story about how he ends up with another canon character... or I can make up my own character, which is an OC (Original Character-- you could say OFC, Original Female Character, or OMC, Original Male Character as well) and have them be together.
I'm a romantic, through and through. I love an epic love story. So when I become acquainted with a fantastic movie or book, where I love most, or even only some of the aspects of its plot, its world, its characters... I like to incorporate my style into it.
I'd be one of those terrible scribes who is commanded to copy a scroll, but does so with his own flavor, so that by the time you've read the scribe's scroll it is a different story than what was in the original scroll. ^_^
For a wonderful example, you can take one of my fan fictions, which is for the Lord of the Rings movies. It's called "Faril Nin, My Huntress" and is about how my OFC character, Gwaeron (Gw-EYE-ron), the younger sister of Aragorn, develops her relationship with Orophin, an elf in Lothlorien who loves her despite the contrast of his immortality and her human mortality. It's about fourteen chapters (including an epilogue) long, and goes along with most of the plot of the movies. I only added my character (because Aragorn has no sister in the books or movies) and chose the other main character because he is a fairly anonymous one and I could really play with what happens to him, since no one really knows much about him.
That's an example of mostly following the plot, whereas you could easily write an AU (Alternate Universe) story. I love those too. If you have never heard of an alternate or parallel universe theory and don't at all understand what I'm talking about, try watching a select episode of Star Trek, or Stargate SG-1 in your spare time. But if you have no spare time, I guess I can just briefly explain it in the context of fan fiction.
An alternate universe story is one where you may have the same characters, or setting, or plot, but somehow the characters are in different positions, maybe they're the same characters in the real world, you might even make all the characters personified animals... although I don't know why you'd want to. One way I have used AU is that, since a character I liked dies, I add an OC that somehow prevents this death, or at least prolongs the life of this character just enough so that I'm personally satisfied with how the story ends. Alternate universe basically means you can do whatever you want to the characters and plot, regardless of what canon is.

Now that I've told everyone how attached I am to this medium and explained just a little bit about it, let me flare the warning signs. By absolutely NO means am I applauding all fan fiction. I would safely say that at least half of it is terribly written (bad grammar, misspelled words, inconsistent quotations, translated poorly from another language... i.e. not edited), and half of it is disgusting. By disgusting, I mean entirely inappropriate for anyone with morals. Mature.
Browse fan fiction the same way you would a movie, by its rating. I promise you, the little guide of G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 is your best friend.

I hope I've enlightened some of you to the possibilities contained within the world of fan fiction. Maybe you'll try to write some yourself, which I highly encourage everyone to do, a one-shot vignette, a multi-chapter novella... have at it! It's a great way to satisfy your curiosity when you're watching a movie or reading a book and say, "I wonder what would have happened if..."
I bid you all happy reading!

- Codi Lyn -

Artist: Anke Katrin Eissmann

I have been into the Lord of the Rings since the movies came out when I was younger. I don't think anyone could have known how much I would love that world Tolkien made. I gathered all the pictures I could find from the movies online. I read the trilogy of books some time after adoring the films. Then I found fan-fictions of the movie and the books, online. I've written a few, myself. But then, I started searching for art work of the stories.
I'll probably never recall the exact moment I found one of her drawings or paintings, but I knew my reaction: "How can anyone create so much detail with water color!?" I adore using water color with my own art, though I don't as often as I'd like, and what she created with her medium just awed me.
Her name is Anke Katrin Eissmann, she's a German illustrator for many books and a graphic designer. And she loves J.R.R. Tolkien. Look at her galleries, and you'll see she has a slew of them for each book, and for the books that house tales from before the Lord of the Rings that Tolkien wrote. (Books such as: the Silmarillion [the History of the Elves], the Children of Hurin, Unfinished Tales, etc. Most of which, I've read, or plan to read.)
Her favorite character (I assume it is, since nearly-- or more than-- half her Tolkien-inspired work is of this character) is Faramir, son of Denethor. I have to do a happy dance in my office-chair every time I see those works, too, because he is also my favorite character from the books.
Her medium varies, though I believe her most beautiful pieces are mostly watercolors, and she has many drawings and sketches with pencil and charcoal, as well as black ink for other finished products. I admire her style, her skill, and the objects and stories contained within so many of her works. I have to recommend her to you, and I advise you-- if you have any interest in fantastical dragons, knights, or Tolkien tales-- to browse through her galleries on her website and check some of them out. Her English site is here.


The paintings I've posted are: Above- "Hall of Fire" (2002) and Below- "The Nazgul Attack" (2005)

Book: The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas

From the beginning of my learning French, my brother (who owns, and has read the book) has been telling me, "You need to read the Three Musketeers!" So, he's let me borrow it and I am currently in the middle of the beginning of this FANTASTICALLY swash-buckling novel!
I can't tell you how much I love swash-bucklery.
His cover is the one seen here, which is entirely hilarious in its own way, and denotes that the book is not all mystery and seriousness. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and it makes you laugh to yourself as you do with all the banter and author-to-reader side notes. It's definitely something I recommend.
And, my brother was correct to recommend it for me now that I'm learning French. It has plenty of expressions, names of places, names of things, along with titles and names of people that are fun to pronounce and get me used to reading French. (i.e. You learn that 'rue' is the word for 'street' very quickly)
And thus far-- and I do not see this changing-- my favorite musketeer in the book is Athos (who, if you've seen that movie, is Kiefer Sutherland's character).
Happy reading!

- Codi Lyn -

P.S. I'm understanding rapidly how insanely little dexterity you have in the Winter up here. My typing is uncommonly slow. O_o

Actor: Lambert Wilson

I've mentioned that I periodically get very into one actor or movie or other... Well, recently this actor as been a favorite of mine.
Lambert Wilson
He is a French actor who (I'd say) is mostly known in America for his role as the 'Merovingian' in the second and third Matrix movies.
I like him because, as I am into French things right now, he has a *wonderful* accent, he is French, he has a great chiseled face which I am instinctively drawn to when I draw mens' faces, and he's a good actor. He's very full of pomp and is very much the "arrogant French-man" in the Matrix, but seeing him in other movies like Sahara (1983) with Brooke Shields, or even his smaller role in Timeline with Gerard Butler, I like the characters I've seen him play and it's a pleasure to watch him act in his roles. Unfortunately, most of his roles are (you guessed it) in French movies, speaking the French language fluently. It's really difficult to get a hold on those kinds of movies! Especially with sub-titles... yikes. Suffice it to say, I've watched one (probably not even the full version) movie completely in French with no sub-titles in English or otherwise, and I did not *get* any of it. ^_^ Serves me right. But I will continue! I'm sure I shall.

- Codi Lyn -

P.S. And did I mention he sings???

Allow me to introduce myself...

So here I am,
this is the first of the beginnings. The end of my "non-blog days..." Alas, but what happy and simple times those were. No longer! Well, hopefully I shall still be happy, it is one of my most favorite things to be.
My name is Codi, I'm a senior in high school (will graduate around June, huzzah!) and have been home-schooled all my life. I'm a photographer, an artist, and an author. And through all those means I shall contribute to this blog. Beginning with photography! The photo to the right was taken by me in Mississippi in the spring of 2009.
So... ... ... What's this blog going to be about? Well, as you've seen, I have many interests. And we shall explore different facets of those interest together. Many questions will be posed, hopefully many answers as well. What kind of cameras do you prefer? Are you more of a traditional artist, or digital? What's your favorite movie? Where would you go, if you could travel anywhere? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie-Pop? (I actually prefer Blow-Pops... but eh, it matters little)

- I am known to go through phases with movies/actors I like, so there will be many pictures and a few reviews and opinions (which is really all a review is) about the likes of that.
- I have begun to teach myself French (without a concrete curriculum, wish me luck!) and enjoy it very much! I possess a friend or two that think my accent is très bien [very good]! So there will likely be blips of what I have learned scattered throughout my paragraphs.
- I write fiction all the live long day! (Or wish that I could) A fair amount of fan-fiction for movies and books that I think could have played out a different way. I may deposit links to those stories here if you have an interest in reading those. I also have vignettes and short stories that are original works which I shall share. Along with an original novel that I'm fleshing out, but that, my dears, shall not be open to the world's eyes for a long ways yet.
- Drawing and painting being a talent of mine, I will post drawings, doodles, and comics that you may find amusing or of interest.
- I adore reading classic fiction! I have far and away too many books I desire to have memorized, but I'm working on that list as we speak. Fiction, ah sweet fiction, how I love thee. Well, biographies and historical books are wonderful too, I just don't get to those quite as much. :)

I hope my writings don't bore you, and at the very least I hope they amuse you. Have a very wonderful beginning to your week. Bonne nuit [good night]...

- Codi Lyn -