deviantART Favorites

I feel like a heathen.
Yes, I'm fully aware that I haven't updated in about two months. I'm sorry... I just had nothing to write about. Hopefully I'll be able to amend that soon. I have plenty of ideas running through my head right now. Yay!

I love deviantART.
It's such a creative outlet for artists who just want to put their work out there and bless us with the fruits of their labors. You can even buy their work there! Whoever had the idea must be banking right now.
I was first introduced to deviantART through FanFiction. I'm a writer and reader of quite a few categories on FanFiction.net and many authors/readers use deviantART to post visual representation of characters, scenes, and ideas from what they read/write.
I was re-introduced, however, by Girls Gone Geek, a fantastic blog by two women who are deeply in love with comic books, like myself. They have made some great finds that have gotten me back into perusing the deviantART world again!
Therefore, I would like to show you a few of my favorite art pieces found on that very site, in hopes of giving y'all the opportunity to share in the sheer giftedness of these artists.

6. Bat Kids by MeesterFinchy

Featuring Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Robin (Timothy Drake-Wayne), and Red Hood (Jason Todd). I love how deeply this symbolizes their relationship as brothers/friends/enemies. Poor Dick is always having to run around and keep his younger brothers in line. Jason's always causing mayhem- half the time causing Tim bodily harm. And poor Tim, who seems to always be hurting emotionally and, most of the time, physically as well.


5. Sapphira by RenaHikari

Sapphira Adi is a character from the Raising Dragons series by Bryan Davis. This picture represents exactly how I imagine her, which is awesome, but beyond that- look at that pencil work! The sketchwork is simply breathtaking.


4.Catty Titans- Dick's Underoos by JBadgr

Years ago, when Robin was first introduced, this is what his costume looked like- "scaly underoos" and all. In fact, it took three Robins to change it. Tim was the smart one who finally said, "Hey, why don't I add some leggings to the this insanely awkward getup."
So it's not beyond belief that the Titans would have a few things to say about his "scaly underoos". I mean, put those glowstick thighs away, please!
Beyond the hilarity of this piece, I have to admire the way JBadgr draws Roy and Wally's faces. They're fantastically well done!

3.Jingle Bells etc. by Tragic Ballerina

Disclaimer: There is a thinly-veiled curse word in the second panel.

Tragic Ballerina has quite a knack for "crack" comics (aka. crazy, weird, the-artist-might-have-been-on-crack comics; see "crack fiction" for more information). The hilarious take on the ever-popular Batman-ized Christmas carol will have you cracking up!
The artwork is great and very cartoonish, a perfect fit for the nearly cartoonish humor.


2. Cold Combat by Jackademus

Batman (Bruce Wayne), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), and Robin (Timothy Drake-Wayne) battle Dr. Freeze in this chilling* piece. This piece looks like it came straight out of the pages of a Batman comic book. Each character is done near perfectly. Amazing work!

*C'mon, you knew I wouldn't be able to resist the pun!

1. Kid Flash by m-lin

Go ahead. Make it your wallpaper and send it to all your friends.
I already did.
This is my absolute favorite so far and I doubt that'll change anytime soon. Not only does this breathtaking portrait feature my all-time favorite comic book character- Flash (Wally West)- but the shading is to die for. And don't get me started on how gorgeous those brush strokes are!
Kid Flash wins as my number one deviantART piece!!!

There were plenty of other pieces of art that nearly made this list that I found, but these are my final (and, I think, well made) decision. So now that I've piqued your interest, why don't you do some browsing and find yourself some favorites of your own!

My Thoughts on Fan-Based Movies

There are thousands of movies out there and even more coming to theaters every week. Nearly all of us watch them. Nearly everyone has a favorite. I, personally, have watched about 6 movies in the past two days, since I've been confined to my dorm room attempting to stay warm. (In case you haven't heard, Dallas has been ravaged by ice in the past few days.)
I digress.
Many movies, both recent and old, have been based off of sturdy fan-bases. From the popular Batman Begins to the disappointing failure of The Last Airbender, from the fan-freakin-tastic The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian to the disappointing Voyage of the Dawn Treader, we've all seen them.
There's a danger in adapting our favorite comics, books, and cartoon shows into movies, though. And it seems that the 'misses' far outweigh the 'hits'.
Why am I bringing this up? Well, with major comic book names like Green Lantern and Superman on the horizon, trying to live up to hits like Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, while battling the shadows of Eragon and The Last Airbender (and for Superman in particular, fighting tooth and nail to get past Superman Returns)- I am legitimately concerned.
This is the reason I've never been one who begs for big screen representations of my favorite fandoms. I know Hollywood and I know that far more often than not, they make me wish I wasn't a fan in the first place. Sure, I'd love to see my favorite comic book character, The Flash, in his own feature film IF THEY DID IT RIGHT. However, I'm far too scared that they'll botch him up so badly that no one will have respect for him any longer.
I'll not give the lecture on accurate representation of the actual characters, no matter how much I want to strangle the creators of Green Lantern already. (The ring chose Hal Jordan because he's virtually fearless, and yet they're already saying in the trailer that he's never been fearless and now the responsibility of being a Green Lantern scares him. Are you kidding me?!)
My point is, by looking at the history of movies based on previously established fanbases, don't expect too much.You'll probably be disappointed. I've learned from one of my best friends to go in with low expectations. If it's bad, you won't be as disappointed; if it rocks, you have something to be excited about.
Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news. And you'll definitely find me standing eagerly in line outside of the midnight showing of Green Lantern, the Superman reboot, the Spiderman reboot, and many others (even Marvel movies, of whose comics I am not a fan, but I have trouble resisting anything superhero-esque when it comes to entertainment). I'm just prepared, after seeing all that I have, for it to be ill-represented.
So, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, even if the ridiculously hot Ryan Reynolds doesn't do you justice, I still know how awesome you are!!

10 Things I've Learned in My 1st Week of Nannying

1. The proper way to do the splits.
2. Bring band-aids to any exercise-related activity.
3. There's a difference between ballet tights and "regular" tights.
4. When lost, ask the kids for directions. (And be ready to turn around alot, because they won't tell you you're supposed to make a turn until after you're past it.)
5. There are two Dallas Public Libraries.
6. I am old enough to be married, therefore, I ought to be married.
7. Some candy canes are spicy.
8. Superheroes are for boys.
9. Male best friends are automatically "boyfriends". (And if you tell the girls one of your best friends is, in fact, a boy, they will sing, "You have a boyfriend!" together until they get distracted by something else.)
10. Nothing cool ever happens at school.

My first week as a nanny has been fantastic, though still quite tiring. I'm so grateful that I was able to get this job and can't wait to earn money doing stuff I love with two great girls. I actually get paid to drive, color, read, and watch TV! Of course, the job still has it's challenges, but it's totally worth it!

Nanny Diaries: I'm Gonna Marry Him!

My first day as a nanny was yesterday and I already love it. I watch two girls, H (8) and L (5), and they are ridiculously fun to hang with. From my first day, I can already tell I'm going to love this job, even if it wears me out at times.
For my first day, I stayed for 3 hours. Only getting 30 minutes of TV a day, these girls are crazy creative and keen to do as many things as they can lay their hands on, often forgetting about one project when they dream up the other. We even found ourselves playing Sorry and putting together a Spongebob puzzle at the same time.
All in all, we have fun. We walked to the park, colored, put together puzzles, played with Aquasand, ate lunch, and went to ballet class.
It was after the aformentioned ballet class that the girls and I had this conversation:

H: I love him, he's my boyfriend.
L: But I thought Luke was your boyfriend.
H: I have two boyfriends, L. Two boyfriends.
Me: I'm pretty sure you can only have one boyfriend at a time, H. *long pause (we were getting in the car and getting buckled)* Does this boy know he's your boyfriend?
H: No, I've never told him.
L: I'm gonna tell him!
H: No!!!
Me: L, don't tell him she likes him if she doesn't want you to tell him.
L: *huffs loudly* But if you don't tell him, how are you gonna marry him?!
Me: I think she's got plenty of time for that, sweetheart. It'll be a while before she's old enough to get married.
H: Yeah, L, I have to be, like, older than a teenager. Right, Kirsten?
Me: You have to be at least 18, which is as old as me.
*both girls ponder this new information for a minute*
L: Then why aren't you married, yet?
Me: I haven't found a boy I wanna marry yet.
L: Can the girl ask the boy if he'll marry her or is he supposed to ask the girl?
Me: The boy is supposed to ask the girl.

I'm still laughing over it. :)

2011 Reading List

Edit (4/14/11)
*Books that have been struck out are the ones I've completed now

As some of you already know, I have a journal that logs each book that I read. I've kept it since June of 2007 and have since read 118 books. This seemed like a monumental accomplishment to me, up until I checked Oxford University's English Department website. They're required to read 100 books per school year.
Talk about making me feel dumb.
I started making goals for how many books per year I read last New Years Eve, when I realized that I'd read 30 books in 2009. So I made the goal to hit 35 in 2010. Sadly, I slacked off during the summer and fell just out of reach at 29. *shakes head sadly*
*Edit 6/25/11: Turns out, I actually hit 31, but forgot to record 2 in the notebook, having written them in my phone instead. :)
Since I don't see myself hitting 100 right off the bat, for 2011 my goal is 50 books. I'm already working on book #1: The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks.

In honor of my challenging New Year's Resolution, I'm going to fill y'all in on my reading list for 2011. These are the books currently waiting on my (and my brother's) shelf, just dying for me to read them.
Here they are:

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks [almost halfway through it and loving it!]
Comma Sense by Richard Lederer and John Shore [this is more of a read-a-few-paragraphs-and-set-it-back-down kinda book]
Elyon by Ted Dekker and Kaci Hill [last book in the Lost Books series]
The Princess Adelina by Julie Sutter
What He Must Be by Voddie Baucham Jr.
Inside a Cutter's Mind by Jerusha Clark with Dr. Earl Heslin
Honor's Reward by John Bevere
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen [read about 1/5 of it so far and didn't quite get into it, though I thought it was good. I'm sure I'll like it once I'm invested in it.]
How Fiction Works by James Wood
Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar
DragonKnight by Donita K. Paul [3rd in a very good series!]
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott [somewhat of a sequel to Little Women]
When I Don't Desire God by John Piper
Yours, Jack by C.S. Lewis
Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef
Starlighter by Bryan Davis

Now obviously, that's not 50 books, but there'll be plenty more for me to read soon enough! Speaking of which, The Rescue is currently begging me to delve into it's pages again. What's on your reading list?

My Top 3 Graphic Novels

I really only got into comic books over the past year. I bought my first grapic novels in France (one which I still haven't read because it was actually in French), though my "superhero obsession" started long before that.
Anyway, I actually went through my collection the other day so I could write down which issues I have an hopefully be able to keep a better eye out for some of the storylines I'd like to finish reading.
((i.e. I only have parts 3,4, and 7 of the Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul series and would love to finish the JLA Quen of Fables story arch, but I'm missin part 3 of 3))
It turns out, I have 55 comic books and 8 graphic novels (with one headed this way in the mail!). I'm ridiculously excited and, while it's a far cry from Leonard's 2,600 comic books, I feel quite accomplished.
In celebration of this fact, I've decided to show you my top 3 favorite graphic novels.

1. The Killing Joke

One of the most reputable story archs of the the Batman saga, The Killing Joke is a story that will shock you from beginning to end. It's all about how one bad day can change a person forever. It encompasses the beginning of the Joker, the end of Batgirl, and so much more. The art is superb and the storyline compelling.
I've never read a better graphic novel and doubt I ever will.






2.The Brave and the Bold: The Lords of  Luck

Speaking of artwork, the pages of Lords of Luck are stunning to no end. They really went over the top with this one and it paid off. The imagery is both beautiful and mind-blowing. Major props are due to George Pérez for this one.
This storyline follows The Book of Destiny, a stolen book that forecasts the future to whomever bears it. Clearly, all hands are vying for it and our heroes have to get it back to it's rightful owner before some serious damage is done. Craziness, of course, ensues and we have everything from Supergirl and Lobo teaming up to Batman facing off with the Legion of Superheroes (in which, he pwns, of course. Only Brainy would be stupid enough to underestimate the Dark Knight.).
You'll be on the edge of your seat the entire time.
Sure, I may be a bit partial because this is the first graphic novel I've ever owned and I pored over it religiously for weeks, but it still wows me and I'm sure it'll do the same for you.

3.Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn

After the death of Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson takes on the mantle of Batman with Damian Wayne (the son of Bruce and Talia Al Ghul) as his Robin. What ensues is bloody havoc wreaked by both the bad guys and Damian, who's known for executing his opponents, to the dismay of both is departed father and his new mentor/older brother, Dick.
Under Dick's guidance, Damian must learns what it means to be Robin- to fight evil without becoming evil himself. It's a hard lesson and even to the end, he hasn't learne it, but he's on his way there.
Again, the artwork in this book is something to be commended. Paired with the gore that runs rampant within it's pages, it's enough to make you queasy, but still very well done.
I can't wait for it's sequel: Batman vs Robin, which is due in the mail any day now!




So these are my top 3 from what I own. Enjoy and let me know what your top 3 graphic novels are!

'Christmas Break' Resolutions

Well, the end of my first semester in college is practically here. My Bible school lets out on December 10th, but I'm skipping the last two days. Why? Because I can. Therefore, Wednesday is my last day of school for an entire month!
There's nothing like finals to make someone want to drop out of school for the rest of their adult life. Especially when that person was an idiot and forgot to read the three books each due on the day of that class's final. Yes, children, that was me. I was dumb enough to procrastinate and paid for it in three all-nighters in the space of a week. No, it wasn't fun, either.
I didn't even finish one of the books on time that I spent an all-nighter on! Waste of time much?
Anyway, Winter Break is coming up for everyone. High school students may only get a week or two, but that week or two will be highly treasured, I'm sure. Though we college kids get a month, it'll likely seem as quick.
So in order to take full advantage of my break, I've started to write out all the things I'd like to accomplish this month. Now, it's not a huge list. I'm hoping to actually fit some rest in there, ya know. And I need it, seeing as I couldn't even keep my eyes open during class today and was almost late to one because I'd fallen asleep in my chair from the class before it.
Here's what I have so far:

1) Keep Quiet Time/Prayer Time consistent. Due to the consistency of my class schedule each day, it's been quite easy for me to set a time for these and follow through. All I had to do was wake up an hour early and spend it with God. My main problem has been not carrying it through to the weekends, though, because I'm so tired that I'm sleeping through my alarm set for ten. You can imagine what difficulties would arise if I were still attempting 6am. So I'm going to have to create a set time to wake up this entire break if I want to accomplish this goal.

2) Read as much as possible. In the year 2009, I read exactly 30 books and my New Year's Resolution for 2010 was to hit 35, or at least 31. Sadly, I'm coming up quite short on this goal, having only read 24 at this point. I'm pretty confident that if I start A.S.A.P., I ought to be able to at least hit 31. This may be the only one of my resolutions to actually reach fruition, so here I am with fingers crossed and book cracked open.

3)Write like the wind, Bullseye! Wow, that was pretty cheesy... Anyway, I've got multiple 'writing projects' going on at once and haven't been devoting much time to them. As Ray Bradbury put it, "Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you're doomed." And John Irving makes a similar point when he said, "The way you define yourself as a writer is that you write every tiem you have a free minute. If you didn't behave that way you would never do anything." These remind me that if I want to be a good writer/author (which I very much want to be), then I need to be far more devoted to my writing, instead of getting distracted as I so often am. This means I'll have to make myself sit down and work on this blog, work on my Fanfiction stories (you can find those at www.fanfiction.com/~kirstenerin if you really want to), and especially start cracking down on the book I've been trying to write for a few months now.

4)Spend plenty of time with family and friends. This honestly goes without saying. I mean, it's pretty much what distracts me most often from these other things I'm trying to accomplish. I love my family and friends so much and this opportunity to spend hours on end with them only makes my smile brighter!

That's pretty much it, my little Christmas Break Resolutions. Haha. Of course, my list is a bit more detailed, having to do more with specifics, but this is the main jist of it. What about you? What are your 'Christmas Break Resolutions'?