Hug A Union Today

My husband is about to work a "shut down", which is a term his factory uses to describe him working every day, 8-12 hours straight for two weeks+.

As such I am not posting again till probably Saturday so that I can spend time with him before we all go insane for two weeks.

I thank you for your patience.

Tbt #26: Jelaut

This character is the embodiment of amusement and merriment. The original is kind of a fun harlequin, but for the redraw I went straight clownin'. I think she manages to be cute and not fall into the tiresome trap of “uh oh, as an adult all clowns must now be creepy and scary ”. I hate that shit.

Saxuality

Happy Murder Fun Misogyny Hour: Criminal Minds Reviewed

Do you ever wonder about the shows that are really popular on TV that you (hopefully) don't watch? Sure, it's easy to visit websites like the The A.V. Club and come away with a very specific idea of what is popular and what isn't when the truth is that the majority of network TV watchers aren't watching Adventure Time or Mad Men or even The Walking Dead. So what are our parents and grandparents and people in coma wards actually watching every evening when they sit down to some prime time TV?

Suzanne Warren

Hand drawn with sharpie, color added digitally. Flowers created digitally. 

Want season 4 of Orange is the New Black to be better? Give Uzo Aduba more to do- she's an amazing actress and I want to see more of her character!

And Now a Word From Our Sponsor . . .

I like to think that, even if it takes me a long time, I always eventually get around to doing things that need to be done. Spiffing up this blog page has been one of the things on my to-do list for a long time

Hopefully it looks a bit more engaging now. I streamlined a bunch of stuff, removed and overrided some ugly code, and added some color, which I am of course all about.

Erica

Psych!

Tbt #25: Hebe

Hebe is another goddess from Greek mythology, specifically the goddess of youth. Her story sucks. As the goddess of youth she was expected to do a bunch of menial tasks, like drawing baths and helping other gods into their chariots. She is also the person who served the drinks, which is why she is depicted with a cup usually.

Samantha

Battle of The Embarrassing 80s Music Videos

Pete Burns from Dead or Alive. So pretty, mmm.

When I was a kid I'd sometimes go hang out with my artist Dad in whatever studio space¹ he was using at the time. One of the things that registered so powerfully about all these spaces was the fact that he knew just what he needed to make them comfortable and inviting. I too have a need for such a space these days so my art space is pretty, bright, and filled with things I love. One of those things I love to fill it with is music, much as he did as well.

I'm not very tech savvy when it comes to music or, I should say, that I don't really give a shit about music related tech. I listen to CDs. I watch YouTube videos. I move on with my life. BUT. I recently discovered the YouTube playlist making feature and hoo-boy has that taken me back to a time in my life when I was MUCH more interested in the care and keeping of a musical collection.

For my first foray into the magic of mix making I decided to recreate a kick-ass mix I made as a teen with a dial-up connection and a Limewire account. It's an 80s mix of the fun shit from the 80s (sorry Morrissey!). The one hit wonders, the pop classics, the era defining fluff. No cock rock and no hair bands, which I hate like poison².

One of the things I didn't realize though is that since the playlist is videos that meant that I would be seeing a bunch of music videos I had never seen before. Having watched many of them I can now definitively say that music videos in the 80s were bananas.

Tbt #24: Semira

Since I might have some new eyeballs today from Deviantart or Twitter, let me begin today's entry by refreshing everyone on what the hell it is exactly that I'm doing here.

I'm on Twitter!

You can now follow me on twitter @misstwosense.

Check out my new twit banner here.

Perhaps I haven't mentioned this at length before but I am an insomniac who keeps very irregular hours so it should be interesting to see what pithy comments I can come up with at 4 a.m.

Also, side note: My deviantart gallery has been updated. From now on the ONLY place to see the TBT "before" drawings is here on this blog.

Tbt #23: Poppy

Ba-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, ba-na-na-na-na-na-na-na CAF-TAN!

Unsolicited Opinions

I Command Thee: Watch This TV

Welcome back to Tasteful Nerdity! This is part three of shows that I've watched and maybe you should too.

1. Roseanne

Is Roseanne the real person kind of batshit crazy? Yes. Does that mean you shouldn't watch this show? No. This is quintessential 90s millennial-generation viewing. It's a show that, for me, has been something that my perspective on has changed over time..

When I was a kid I identified with Darlene and her experiences feeling like an outsider. As an adult I identify with Jackie a bit more- kind of being a little kooky and falling into things and learning to just roll with it. Also, Dan. DAN. Some people say that a woman want to find a man who's just like her father. I always just wanted to marry a man like Dan Connor. AND I DID. #lifegoals

Episodes to watch: The Halloween episodes were always my favorite as a kid. And adult. Just pure sitcom joy.

Episodes to avoid: Do not watch the last season. I am a completionist so please know, I don't give that advice lightly. It is so bad you guys. So bad. "Ruins everything that came before it" bad.

I'm sensitive, should I watch this show?: What I always liked about this show was that it always felt so authentic. It was very similar to my own family at that time for one thing- we even had afghans on our couches and a plastic Godzilla of our own. So for me, while the show does touch on some serious issues, I would say it never feels maudlin or forced because it is so based in reality. So it's safe for the sensitive (except maybe that last season- you've been warned!).

Granny

Since I didn't publish my own comic last Sunday, I thought I'd make up for it with one of my favorites from around the web.

Check out his other comics here.

Tbt #22: Carrie-Ann

When I was a kid my Dad rented Poltergeist (1982) on VHS for my family to watch together on a movie night. (Side note: remember the middle class? It was great.) This had three long term effects on my family. 

Tbt #21: Nairopeti

My second super conceptual drawing, Nairopeti is the physical embodiment of water. When I was conceiving of her redraw I had a similar problem as I had with Sartep. The original drawing on the left, which is at least 12 years old, is cute and fun. But my thoughts about water when sitting down to draw the new version were not.

Updatels

First off, happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans! Usually I remain submerged in water for the entirety of this holiday, only popping a hand out to occasionally receive a fresh beer. Sadly, due to scheduling, that won't be happening for the first time in many years but regardless I hope everyone else has a safe and fun time.

Project updates:

Tbt #20: Vega

Hey, did you know that braids are hard to draw? I didn't until I started this drawing!

For this redraw I tried three different things I had never tried before. One is to make a more realistic looking braid. I think it turned out . . . ok. The second attempt was also in the beginning drawing stage where I tried this pose here. On my first draft her neck appeared to attach to her body somewhere around her right elbow. Upsetting! I scooted it over more and basically had to completely draw it over the arms and then erase it later to see if the pose worked. I turned out . . . ok. I don't think it's too rubbery.