Can't concentrate.

Wondering what I'm working on right now?  Yeah, so am I.  Today I've updated a pixel art doll base, worked on a mountain for a background, did an outfit for the magnet doll, worked a little on crocheting a sleeve for a dress, fixed some anatomy problems on a sprite I'm making for the Twin Crowns visual novel, wrote a little more for the script and I intend to do some writing on a different project and possibly a little knitting before bed.  None of it has reached a stage where I have anything to show off, so I feel a bit like I'm running in sand.  Still, at least there's some forward momentum!  There are far too many days where doing even a little on any project at all is a big accomplishment.

To do or to overdo

The first picture I ever attempted to ink with my tablet is still sitting unfinished on my hard drive.  Not because I gave up, or because it's too hard, but because I am a perfectionist.  I scanned the sketch in at a very high dpi then got all caught up in tweaking anatomy and making the lines look perfect no matter how far in you zoomed.  It will be a very lovely bit of fan art if I were to ever finish.  Would you like to see it?

Visual Novels

I don't expect many of you know what a Visual Novel is.  I've found it hard to describe what it is, so I'll just use the definition from the Ren'Py website.

Visual novels are computer-based stories that are told through words, images, sounds, and music. Many visual novels also present the player with menu choices that allow the player to control how the story is told.

 On the one side, it's a complex storytelling medium, on the other it's a very simple game format.  Usually what you see on screen is a background, a bust view of a character and text at the bottom.  The only commercial games I've played in this style are the Phoenix Wright series.

Tried out the magnet dolls today

So I finally got around to printing and cutting out the magnet dolls.  Here's what I've noticed about them so far:

• The skin color turned out a little yellow.  Thankfully it's still on the side of tan instead of spray tan.
• Cutting most of the hair styles and dolls can be done with just a pair of scissors, but I recommend using a nice sharp exacto for the tighter bits and most of the curly hair.
• The curly hair is annoying to cut out.  I'm sorry.
• The round bits with tighter corners should be cut with scissors where possible.  The exacto makes the turn alright, but tears the paper more for some reason.
• If your kids are rough on toys, this probably isn't worth the effort.  There are some thinner spots that lend themselves to bending or tearing.  Don't worry too much though, my 3 year old niece is doing just fine with it.
• Cutting it all out is going to take a little time and patience. 
• The very tips of points don't stick, but if you bend them back slightly, you shouldn't be able to tell.

Overall, I'm pleased with how they turned out.  We got a tin lunchbox to place the dolls in, which works nicely.  The magnet paper was thinner than I was expecting, but it works well enough, and thinner is easier to cut.  My niece is enjoying playing with it so far, even though it doesn't have clothes yet.  My brother has requested a saddle for the horse, which I told him would have to wait until I did a horse set.  I guess I'd better get back to work and get that water clothing set done!

Jack and Jill Magnet Dolls

The base is done for my magnet dolls!  Here are Jack and Jill as well as a few pets.  You'll need magnet paper which you can find at stores that sell office supplies.  Margins are built in, so make sure to turn off "fit to page" or whatever your printer calls it.  Here's the black and white version if you'd prefer your own colors.

I really hope you enjoy it!  I'll be releasing some clothes soon.

The part where I need to be stubborn

This is the hardest part of any project, where I've put lots of work into something, but there's enough left to do that a good push of effort won't get me to the finish.  I get ideas for other projects or annoyed at the one I'm working on.  I start to wonder if there's any worth in what's been done so far.  Sometimes taking a break helps, but most of the time I just need to buckle down, be stubborn and work on it anyway.

Apple Potholder Crochet Pattern

I've decided to make my crochet pattern for Apple Potholders available.  I don't know how clear it'll be to follow, I mostly wrote it down so that I could understand it.  I wouldn't mind help making it better.