I haven't been online much in the last two weeks (or, rather, at all in the last week). I've been sick, and, although I feel much better, I will probably be working extra hours to make up for the time off work that I missed.

I will be beginning to go through my messages this weekend, so please be patient if you have been expecting a response from me. Artwork probably won't be posted for a week or so while my computer is being repaired, but I will be replying to messages and such either from work or from my partner's computer.

Hope you all are doing well and thanks for your patience.

MSW

The two main characters from Pull Down Heaven, Linan the tiger and Jeckle the rat, are now available in stylized, super-cute t-shirt form!

The design by the wonderful *TastesLikeAnya:



You can find it at either of her online shops here:

[link] (Society6)
[link] (Redbubble)

I actually just got mine in the mail from Society6 the other day, and I am quite impressed with the quality and speed of delivery. Can't vouch for redbubble yet, but I'm thinking of giving them a try (plus, they have stickers; awesome!)

And if rat and tiger aren't to your liking, she has plenty of other cute designs as well!

Just a heads up that, after today, I might not be online much for the new week or two. I will be posting art here and there, but I won't have much time for commenting.

I'm booked for extra hours at work. One of my rats (suddenly and inexplicably) died a few days ago, and her (constantly ill) sister is taking medication twice a day. We also have a new baby rat who is in solitary quarantine, so pretty much all of my free time at home will be dedicated to handling her so that she does not get too lonely.

I'm still working on contest sketches, but they take forever to scan, so it may be another week or two before the first batch is up. I have about a third of them done now, and there will probably be more by the time the Big Scanfest happens.

In the meantime, if anyone has something urgent to discuss, please either note me or send me an email. My notes seem to get "eaten" from time to time, so please email if I don't respond to a note within, say, three days. My email is rattuscrypticus AT gmail DOT com.

Thanks for your patience!
MSW

My current worklist is updated as new steps are completed, and each smaller subset is arranged in (approximate) priority. Feel free to ask for updates at any time if you are curious about progress, especially if it is for a commission! If you are waiting on a collaborative piece or a contest prize, please note that commissioners generally take priority.

I removed a few people from my current work list: a couple of folks that were interested in commissions but both A) never gave me any information and B) never paid. If you feel that you have been unfairly removed, please let me know and we can discuss it!




I am not accepting commissions at this time, and I do not keep a waiting list. I may open a few smaller commissions in the future, but they will probably be limited to photo manipulations and small items like sketches and ACEOs.




In general, due to bad past experiences and general lack of time, I do not take regular art trades. Sorry.




I do trade ACEOs with a couple of different trade groups, most regularly #ACEOfursXchange and #OC-Trades. Although I am closed for private ACEO trades outside of these groups for now, I will be opening spots for them eventually (probably summer at the earliest) with a few rules in place. I will update my journal when they are available!




Page updates will be very slow until at least the commission portion of my worklist is complete. After that, I hope to return to a schedule of updating every week or two. I have had high hopes for maintaining that schedule before and failed, though, so we'll see how it pans out this time.




Due to my partner being engaged in other projects at the moment, Soldier updates will be very slow (effectively on hiatus).




The thus-far unnamed writing project is certainly still alive and kicking, but also takes a backseat to art (in general). Also, I tend to skip around in the storyline a lot, so some parts are finished but not posted yet.

This list was originally on my shoutboard, but I'm moving it to my journal to make it a little easier to find for folks who are waiting on art.

Names are crossed off after the sketch is posted. Some sketches may be marked as "completed, need to post" for a period of time prior to scanning and posting. This is because I wait for multiple sketches to be completed before uploading so that I can post them as a group rather than spamming lots of smaller pieces!

Other contest prizes (ACEOs, paintings, etc) can be found on the projects list on my main page.

List currently being generated. Check back soon for complete names.

1. ~SnowWolf100 [link]
2. =Enaxn [link] Complete and posted
3. ~arcticfox812 Snow leopard; completed, need to post
4. ~echosdusk [link] [link] Completed, need to post
5. ~tidyfallen [link] Completed, need to post
6. ~Veloxirunner [link]
7. ~The-Devine-Rat [link] Completed and posted
8. *Lucky978 [link] Completed and posted
9. ~Vonnai [link] Completed, need to post
10. ~CollisionXIII [link] Completed, need to post
11. ~TheFailedDream [link] Completed, need to post
12. ~Phenebroos [link] Completed, need to post
13. *oMheetu [link] Completed, need to post
14. ~WinkSparrow Need info
15. =DesmodiaDesigns [link] - keychain
16. ~Filly8 [link]
17. =Leland-Adopts [link]
19. *Marlimoo [link] [link] Completed, need to post
20. ~blue-tomorrow [link]
21. ~nero-noms-cookies Snow leopard w/ diamond necklace
22. ~WhiteWolfMoonlight [link]
23. ~Tsuani-Inushiro [link] (Left)
24. ~Ginger-love [link]
25. ~Chaos-Silverwing [link]
26. *LupusDream [link]
27. ~THEoriginalKID [link]
28. ~Kittlums [link]
29. ~Goldenheart06 [link]
30. ~FunnyBuizel [link] (Left)
31. =Animus-Panthera [link]
32. ~micielby A flower (any type)
33. ~KestrelRaptor [link]
34. ~ookaookaooka [link]
35. ~Trickster91 [link]
36. ~Mag015 [link]
37. ~Tsabouna [link]
38. ~TheArtThief92 [link]
39. ~HeartSongWolf [link] Complete and posted
40. ~DancingFerret [link]
41. *Azureith [link]
42. ~WolvenBlue [link]
43. =Killslay-steelclaw [link] Completed and posted
44. ~luveydovey93 [link]
45. *MonsterWolf74 [link]
46. =Penultimate-21 [link] Completed and posted
47. *Mirandarin [link]
48. *Sedillio [link]
49. ~Wolvekit [link]
50. ~Ghost-Fish [link] or [link]
51. *kuiwi [link]
52. *Kaylink White tiger

Down to the wire... almost missed it this month!

Sorry for the brief absence; had a lot of personal- and work-related things going on the last week and a half, so I haven't been online much. I will be working on going through my messages over the next week, so please be patient.

On that note, I have now heard from a few different people over the course of a year that either

A) A note that I sent did not reach them (including at least one note that appeared in my outbox as being "read")

or

B) A note that they sent did not reach me

If I have failed to reply to a note that you sent more than a week ago, it might be due to one of these issues. I try to respond to everything that isn't needlessly offensive or creepy (which is quite rare), so please be assured that I'm not snubbing you! Feel free to resend your note, leave a comment on my main page, or even shoot me an email: RattusCrypticus-AT-gmail-DOT-com  (with the appropriate symbols in place of the upper case words)

For what it's worth, most of the people that have mentioned missing a reply from me were using their mobile phones to check the site, so that may have something to do with it. I would like to think that this problem is very uncommon, but I worry that more communication is being missed than I am aware of.

Thank you for your time and patience!
MSW

After collating the scores from all of the judges, we are now pleased to announce the contest winners for the Vesper Facility character design contest! There were a lot of wonderful entries, and I certainly appreciated the extra assistance from *Kaylink, =Blueneonn, and ~EvilInstinct.











Thank you to everyone who entered! I will be noting winners shortly. I will begin giving entry prizes this weekend. Entrants, please allow 72 hours for me to send you your points. Sketches may take several weeks to complete, while winners art prizes may take considerably longer (due to complexity).

Please check out all of the wonderful entries that we received and give them some love:

:thumb348415232:

So I sat for many long minutes trying to express exactly how impacted I was as a child (and, later, as an adult) by Clare Bell's profoundly beautiful Named book series, starting with the first book Ratha's Creature. But words are not my medium of choice, and they refuse to bend to my will.

So instead I will simply share the link to the new and exciting graphic novel project that is in the works from a collaboration of Clare Bell, Sheila Ruth, and three very talented artists (two of which have DA accounts, *viergacht and *deathmango): [link]

Please consider making a monetary contribution to help back this wonderful project! Even if it is just a dollar, every little bit helps. If each of my watchers donated only a dollar, we would have enough to see this project come to fruition. And please spread the word if you get the chance, either in your own journal or on other websites! The more people that know about this, the more likely it will be that they can make their goal.

A sample page from the graphic novel:

And if you haven't read the Named books, I highly encourage checking them out. They are cleverly written and unafraid to tackle difficult themes, teeming with dynamic characters that are equal parts compelling and psychologically deep. You can find them reasonably priced in both e-book and hard copy form through amazon (or, if you are lucky, at your local library).



Thank you for the consideration!
MSW

My partner ~EvilInstinct and I are holding a character design contest, and everyone who enters will receive a little something so long as their submission adheres to the rules.

Please read all of the contest information FULLY if you would like to participate, and feel free to ask questions if something needs clarification!




Create a character that might live in the Vesper Facility, the world in which Pull Down Heaven and Soldier are set.

Perhaps your character is a tamarin who makes his living fishing tilapia in the expansive tanks of a huge hydroponics farm. Or perhaps a rat priest who dons a mask to conceal her identity from demons. Or perhaps a drunk mink who hunts in the deep, wet bilges for mollusks to trade to the macaques for algae wine. The possibilities are endless!




Characters must be created specifically for this contest.
Entries must be submitted to DeviantArt between the time that the contest is announced (i.e., now) and the contest end date (listed below).
Your submission must include a drawing. Bases and "dress-up game" submissions are not allowed. However, pose and/or anatomy referencing is certainly allowed and even encouraged! Tracing is only allowed if you have permission from the original artist or photographer AND you link the original image.
Your entry can be as simple as a single character on a white background or as complex as a full-blown reference.
Species may be chosen from the pre-approved list found at the bottom of this announcement. You may choose a species that is not on the list. HOWEVER, if you choose a non-listed species, you MUST include (either in the artist comments or on the image itself) the original purpose for that species to be in the facility (e.g., research specimen for X, food source, endangered species breeding program, etc). You may also include details such as how the species escaped, the areas that it prefers to live in, how it survives, and so on, but this is not a requirement.
Hybrids of species that can naturally breed are allowed, as are laboratory-created chimeras and hybrids. However, I highly recommend including an original purpose for any artificial hybrids and chimeras.
You must name your character. You may include other statistics as well - such as age, history, and gender - but this is not a requirement!
You may base your character design on a character or concept that you already own, altered sufficiently to fit within the Vesper Facility universe, as long as your new character conforms to all other listed rules.
Once the contest is over, you may do whatever you please with your character. It's your character after all! You can change the statistics or design or leave everything the same. You can leave it a part of the Vesper Facility mythos, or you can change it to fit within your own stories, RPs, etc, or you could even sell it.
Your character will never be used by me without permission (although if I really, really like it, you might get some extra fanart sometime).
You may either link your character in the comments on this journal or to me through a note. Along with your Vesper character link, please also link me to a reference of or provide a description for the character that you would like sketched.
You may enter more than once, but you will only receive one prize! So it is probably better to submit one good entry rather than three or four smaller ones.
Please feel free to ask any questions that you might have about the Vesper Facility or its denizens if you feel that it will help to design your character. I will answer as best as I can (without spoilers for the comics). There is a lot of supplemental material available over at as well, including many things not seen in my *MoonsongWolf gallery, so please feel free to peruse the group!



Each character will be scored up to a hundred points in the following areas:
Creativity: 40
Design Aesthetics: 25
Fit within the world: 25
Skill: 10

Please don't ask for your final score!



January 16, 2013 at 11:59 PM EST (23:59 GMT -5).  
Winners will be announced within 5 days of the closing date.











First Place
400 DA Points or commensurate cash value
Six month DA membership (or commensurate value in DA points or cash)
8.5" X 11" drawing of the character of your choice OR 9" X 12" comic page featuring the character that you designed for this contest.
Sketch of the character of your choice that was linked with your submission
*Includes free shipping of the original art anywhere in the world

Second Place
100 DA Points
Three month DA membership (or commensurate value in DA points or cash)
4" X 5" drawing of the character of your choice OR 8.5" X 11" drawing of the character that you designed for this contest.
Sketch of the character of your choice that was linked with your submission
*Includes free shipping of the original art anywhere in the world

Two (2) Honourable Mentions
50 DA Points
One month DA membership (or commensurate value in DA points)
ACEO (2.5" X 3") drawing of the character of your choice OR 6" X 9" drawing of the character that you designed for this contest.
Sketch of the character of your choice that was linked with your submission
*Includes free shipping of the original art anywhere in the world


All entrants
All entrants adhering to the rules will receive:
20 DA Points
Sketch of the character of your choice that was linked with your submission

If winners choose cash option, this will be transferred via paypal, and paypal fees may apply.
Sketches will be similar to this quality: [link]
First place and runner-up drawings will be similar in quality to this: [link]



(Species in italics have their own extensive entry, while all others are listed only in the "related species" portion of the given link)

Rat [link]
Degu [link] (links to "rat"; scroll down to "related species")
Wood Mouse/Apodemus [link] (links to "rat"; scroll down to "related species")
Tiger [link]
Fishing Cat [link] (links to "tiger"; scroll down to "related species")
Fossa [link] (links to "tiger"; scroll down to "related species")
Fox [link]
Mink [link] (links to "dog"; scroll down to "related species")
Macaque [link]
Uakari [link] (links to "barbarian"; scroll down to "related species")
Tamarin [link]
Snub-nosed Monkey [link] (links to "tamarin"; scroll down to "related species")
Capuchin [link] (links to "tamarin"; scroll down to "related species")



All contest entries will be added to the Contest folder in my favourites. However, I will not be commenting on the image itself so as not to influence any of the other judges. So please don't be offended if I "fave and run," there's a reason!

:thumb348415232:

Happy whatever holiday you choose to celebrate!

Sorry I haven't been active in the last week. I'm just now getting over a wicked cold (or flu?) that put me under for a while. I'll be trying to get through my messages over the next few days, which I mercifully have free from work. Although, of course, I will also be spending some time with friends and family... including the newest member, Isis, a very lovely blue dumbo rat baby that we fell in love with! We weren't looking to add to our current colony, but, you know... some things just happen!

Anyway, I also got another cool new art toy that I am itching to play with. So post refs for your characters (or a description or whatever), and I will pick a few to sketch later. Don't expect anything fancy, just some sketchy doodles, since I'm just experimenting. Finished with all that my cramping hand could handle for now!

Thanks and take care!

MSW

I have a (very occasionally updated) stock photo account, ~MoonsongStock, and I always enjoy seeing the creative and beautiful things that are made with my photographs. Here are a few of my favourites, some with comparisons to the original photos.


Original photo:


Artwork created from it:



Original photo:


Artwork created from it:
:thumb148465430:


And a sampling of other artwork created with the use of my photos:
:thumb318887124:

I came across a fascinating art project a while back that I thought I would share.

The Monster Engine project, based on the idea of creating realistic paintings from children's drawings: [link]

Here is a sampling of a few of the pieces on the website. Please check the link above for more!







It actually makes me wish that I had some of my old artwork saved to "redraw."