Eeks~! It feels strange to change my screen-name after so many years! As soon as DA offered the feature to change names, I knew I wanted to use it, but I was still scared to click the button to do it (no going back!).
Dark Persian is one of the only screen-names I've had since I started using the Internet 11 years ago...

But Dark Persian was a confusing name.
So many people thought I was Persian/Iranian and they would be so sweet and excited if they were Persian too. Then I had to keep awkwardly explaining "No, I'm Maltese English, my name is because of the breed of cat, the Persian and the 'Dark' before it... Well, I was a silly kid and thought it sounded cool."
Besides that, I don't feel like it really suits me any more.

I hope this new name is less confusing. I'm both glad and sad to say goodbye to Dark Persian, but I'm happy to be Meadow Rue now. It's a type of scruffy wild flower, if you wondered. ^^

G-goodbye old screen-name. We outgrew each other. Bye~ ( ; A ; )/~

5 Random Facts:

- I chew my tongue big time when I concentrate, particularly when I'm drawing. People always comment on it! (I look ridiculous!) ^^
- My favourite way to relax is to take a blanket and a book to the local woodland. I take my socks off and put my feet on the grass and I always feel completely refreshed when I come back.
- Even though I love the outdoors, I hate camping with a passion! Mostly because I hate grass in my bed! （＞д＜）I can happily sleep on the grass and I can happily sleep in my bed, but when the two are combined, it just makes me feel sick! I have to pick every piece out before I can sleep.
- Foxes and cats are my favourite animals and my favourite colour is green.
- I would have loved to become either a biologist or a psychologist. I find both subjects fascinating, but I lack the analytical mind to study them professionally, so they continue to be just a hobby.


Tagged by , questions:

1) Why did you join DA?
I used to be on an artwork website called Side7. I'm not sure if it's even still going, but was there too and recommended DA to me. So I joined.

2) Do you like people in general?
I really like to be around my friends, but because I'm an introvert, I need my me-time too. I find being around people for extended periods of time mentally tiring and just need to be alone for a bit to recharge my energy. _{Sometimes people that don't know me so well confuse my being tired with being stand-off-ish/awkward!}
People in general. I don't know. People can be so impatient, unforgiving, uncaring and downright awful towards each other, so much on the Internet especially. It wears me down sometimes.

Most of all I enjoy seeing people happy though and I consider myself a Humanist.^^

3) What's your favourite art/social network? (DA, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook...)
I am on Facebook... but I don't really like it. I have a Twitter account that I only use to stalk people I find interesting or who's work I admire, like Neil Gaiman and Stephen Fry.
Tumber, yes! But it's so easy to procrastinate forever there! ; *endless scroll*

4) Favourite artist, whether professional or not?
Aw man, I have so many artists I love... Uhhh, Brian Froud's artwork still enchants me and Kazuo Oga's background artwork just blows my mind. Miyazaki's sketches too. They're beautiful.

5) Any artist that's not famous yet but that you think time will make them famous?
and . Okay, so they could be considered to be 'Internet famous', but I really believe that these two have what it takes to become famous mainstream sequential or production artists for movies or the comic industry if they wanted to. The quality and consistency of their artwork is through the roof!

6) A series and a song you think fits it?
It's really hard to fit a song to a whole series, instead of just a character or a relationship! >A<
I chose 3 series I adore anyway.

Tsubaba RC
Ellie Golding ~ The Writer - [link]
When I hear this song, I can't help but think of Fay on the piano, duetting with Sakura singing.
All of the lyrics are just a perfect summery of the series and the character relationships within, especially that of Sakura to Syaoran and Fay to Kurogane. ;___;

Nabari no Ou
Slow Moving Millie ~ Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want - [link]
This is originally a song by The Smiths, but think the Slow Moving Millie cover fits the overriding melancholy tone of the series so much better. The lyrics could easily be applied to so many of the characters, in a series where there is no right or wrong side, where all of the characters are desperately wishing for something and so many of them have been denied the things they want their whole lives. This song sounds like a wistful, pleading inner-prayer. ;__;

Moomins
Owl City ~ On the Wing & Strawberry Avalanche - [link] [link]
Most Owl City music reminds me of the Moomins, but On the Wing and Strawberry Avalanche especially, because of these two Snufkin AMVs.
Also, this gorgeous piece of guitar playing by John Butler Trio ~ Ocean - [link] (Mostly thanks to 's Moomins fanart!)
You can definitely hear Snufkin playing this song and all of the creatures and Moomins dancing as the sun starts to set over Moomin Valley. This song is pure celebration of life and happiness, which is what the Moomins is all about!

7) What's your favourite book?
Fiction:
I'm going to say... the Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien, because they made a huge impact on me. Also the Moomin series by Tove Jansson because they are beautiful and magical and melancholy and full of so much wisdom. Pretty much anything by Neil Gaiman, because I adore his prose, his witty commentary and his unique characters. And 1984 by George Orwell, because, in a strange way, it really strikes a cord with me.
Non-fiction:
The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins for teaching me so much about evolution in a really accessible way, Wonders of the Universe (and pretty much anything else!) by Brian Cox.

8) Is there any song that ever made you cry?
Yes, Sia's "Breathe Me" - [link].
Anyone that's watched the Six Feet Under series through to the end will know why. I cried for hours after watching it and I can't listen to that track without welling up now!

9) Do you believe that hard work will make you better at what you do?
Yes! Definitely! It's pretty much always an uphill climb to improve in whatever you're doing and there are always bound to be inevitable setbacks and failures along the way. But you have to push through and continue on if you want to see the improvement.

10) Do you believe some people are born with a natural talent?
I think people are born with the potiential to excell at certain things. But natural ability will never be all it takes to be good at something. People can often overlook all the hard work someone has had to put into improving at something by just writing it off of them being naturally talented, which just doesn't happen. No one ever picks something up for the first time and intantly finds themselves the master of it. It always takes hard work to be good and continually improve at something, regardless of natural ability.

11) What's the fictional character you identify with the most?
I think I identify most with characters like Amélie or Ofelia (Pan's Labyrinth). I don't know if I'm so much like them outwardly, but I really identify with the way that they seem to exist as observers of the world more than active participants in it. They're both daydreamers and... I don't think either of them are characters that you could become instant best friends with. They operate on unusual wavelengths that takes some getting used to and I really identify with that. Like Amélie, I'll often take an intense interest in strange things that other people might find boring or pointless too.

Guys, guys! Check out this amazing Dashie cosplayer! She used the outfit from my 'Let's Fly' Raindbow Dash x Flutterfly fanart as base inspiration for her costume!
Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ





Doesn't she look fantastic? I think you'll agree, her cosplay really is 20% cooler!!
Be sure to check out the rest of the photoshoot.

I hope everyone had a very merry X-Mas this year!
I spent mine in a very homely fashion; watching Disney movies on Tv, eating cheese and crackers and drinking lots of tea and hot chocolate in front of the fireplace.

This year I was invited to take part in a DA Secret Santa event .
I asked for my present to be a cute, romantic drawing of either Hideki and Chii from Chobits or Raikou and Gau from Nabari no Ou.

was my lovely Santa and she drew me this gorgeous and adorable picture of Raikou and Gau under the stars!


My heart melts for the hug-from-behind pose and she captured their personalities perfectly. ;_______:

Thank you, my Santa, for drawing me such a beautiful gift, although I haven't been very good at all this year.

Hi guys! I was wondering if you could spare a minute and grace me with some info please. ^^

I'm not a particularly experienced con-seller (I've only sold my art at a couple of small English anime conventions in the past), but I'm planning on attending a big con as a seller next year and I'd be really interested in hearing, of those of you that buy things from artists (be it at conventions or online), what is it that you're most likely to buy? Are there any things that you really like to see artists selling? Eg, Sticker sheets, prints (if so, roughly what size), artbooks, doujinshi, postcards, badges, phone/key charms, etc.? Fanart or original?

Any input would be much appreciated by this newbie. :3


EDIT: Hmm, seems that a lot of the messages from you guys that have been appearing in my message center aren't appearing or being counted in my journal. :/
I have read them all anyway, and noted all your opinions. You're all being very helpful, thank you.

1. PAID
2. PAID
3. PAID

Thanks very much!

I Will Draw
Straight, shonen ai and shojou ai pairings (can be sexy, but no porn)
Original characters
Fanart
Pre-existing characters x Original characters
Humanised animal characters
Chibis

I Won't Draw
Mecha / machinery / vehicles
Detailed architecture
Gore (blood and minor wounds are fine, but no guts)
Anthromorphic / Furries (animal features such as ears, tails and wings, etc. are fine)
Loli / Shota (as in, pairings or sexy illustrations involving very young characters, young characters on their own is fine)
Heavy-weighted, elderly or very ugly characters (I'm afraid I'm just not good at drawing them.)

_{I'm generally pretty accommodating, but I reserve the right to refuse a commission that would make me uncomfortable to draw, even if the reason isn't listed above.}

PRICING
_{currency converter
Please bear in mind that my prices reflect the high cost of traditional art supplies, particularly Copic markers}

For colour with minimal / basic decorative colour background

One character:

¾ body character
$40


Full Body character
$50


Additional character(s) - max 3 characters per drawing
¾ body +$15
Full-body +$20

More detailed background/props (i.e: flowers, scenery, animal mascots, etc.) +$10 to $35 depending on level of detail.


Budget Options

A5 size (half of A4)

Bust-up character in colour with minimal / basic decorative colour background
$30


Full body chibi character in colour, no background
$20

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU

If you are interested in commissioning me, then send me a message here on DA, or an email (to: donna.headintheclouds @ gmail.com) with:
The subject 'COMMISSION'.
Your postal address (+ email address if messaging through DA)
The type of commission from the list you would like.
Reference images and / or a brief description of your character(s); Their age and any personality traits you think would be useful to me when drawing them.
Any additional information (eg: if you have a pose or colour scheme in mine).


GENERAL INFO

Commissions are coloured with Copic markers and drawn on A4 extra smooth Bristol Board (250gsm)
I will upload the finished drawing to my DA gallery with a link back to your gallery (if you have one) in the image description (chibi commission are uploaded in batches).
I will email you a sketch of your commission for you to approve. You may tell me at this point if any details need changing.
Shipping is not included in the commission price but is usually no more than a few dollars.
I attempt to complete all commissions one month from payment. If, due to circumstances, I am unable to complete it within this time, I will keep you notified and may offer a discount, depending on the reason.
Payment is required upfront, but I will only take payment from you once I start your commission.
Paypal is my preferred method of payment. My Paypal email address is: donna.headintheclouds @ googlemail.com. I can invoice you on request. You can also send cash, money order, or cheque, but you do so at your own risk - Remember that real cash can go missing in the mail and I will not be responsible!
If I do not receive information / payment for your commission within one week, I will cancel it and give your slot to someone else. I may refuse commissions from you in the future.

All commissions are for your personal use only. You may make copies of the image for yourself, friends or family, but you may NOT reproduce the image for sale in any format!

:thumb158266498:

_{Journal Skin by ~White-Nuts
Header artwork by Me - *meadow-rue}

Tues. 4th Oct. EDIT: I'm in the middle of revamping my journal, so the links for commission prices and FAQ don't work right now. I will be uploading a new list of commission prices either later today or tomorrow. Sorry for the confusion!



All the cool kids are doing it, so I finally got a Tumblr account.
I'll be uploading my sketches, drawings and some photos and random whatnots there. So if you would like to see my spam on your dashboard you can follow me here:

~~~:: darkpersian.tumblr.com ::~~~

MY LIVEJOURNAL

EDIT: Just to clarify, I do like stamps! I think they're great fun, the ones that actually have coherent and important statements or messages on them. It's the stupid, unfunny, (or worse) ones full of utter bullshit that bother me. And I still think that all DA fun related graphics shouldn't show on the front page.


I'm sooo bored of logging onto Deviantart to see the front 'most popular' page covered with shallow, vapid stamps with slogans that either make no sense what-so-ever, or are just so idiotic they make you want to smash your face into your keyboard! I'm getting pretty sick of all those De-motivational Posters too... They're just screencaps with unfunny captions added! >___<

Once, DA used to have awesome artwork adorning it's front page. :/ It seems to be slowly turning into a combination of a teenager's ratty old school backpack and Photobucket.

MY LIVEJOURNAL

NOH8!

MY LIVEJOURNAL

Why DA? WHY?! Of all the fake icons you could have stuck me with for April Fools Day it had to be Twilight . Lady Gaga I could have tolerated, but Twilight? You guys are sooo not funny!

Still, thanks for my Llama badges! Llamas ARE awesomesauce and I'm now at level Super Llllaaama faaace~!

Some pimpage now, if I may.




has finished putting together this gorgeous artbook, that I was happily able to contribute to. It features progressive sketches and illustrations but some really wonderful artists including:


Kaiki
Aileen Strauch
Wing Yun Man
Susan Yan Mach
Nana Li
and many others!


The artbook includes...:

90 full colour pages
Matte laminated cover (300gsm)
120gsm pages

PREVIEWS
[link]
[link]
[link]

The artbook is now available for order and will cost £13.
If you'd like more details, or to order a copy just email at karen_lusted@hotmail.co.uk with these details:

Name:
Email:
How many copies:

Last week it was Ayacon here in the UK - one of the biggest anime and manga conventions of the year. It was a lot of fun, so if you're interested in seeing some photos, or just want to watch a video of two very cute men dancing the famous Dirty Dancing dance together (and frankly, why wouldn't you?), clickith the image or text below. :3


Aya Revolution

Okay, to the people that have been sending me annoying forwarded notes about a 'virus' account here on DA, thank you for the heads up, but the message that you're forwarding on is FAKE

The message reads:

"If someone by the name of Alfred Hundana (dragon_heart620) wants to add you to their list, don't accept it. It's a virus. Tell everyone on your list because if somebody on your list adds them you will get it, too. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus. Please pass this on to everyone on your list. We need to find out who is using this account. Sorry for the inconvenience. Right click on your group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all plz"

This fake warning originated on MSN and has nothing to do with DA. You cannot get a virus simply by visiting someone's DA account or by them friending you, so please stop panicking and stop sending this message on!

Thought I'd pass this on to anyone that hasn't read the news article yet, since this thing seems to be spreading quickly and I'm getting a lot of these annoying comments on my gallery.

If you receive a comment saying "Hey. I think i saw your picture on this website/blog here CLICK HERE" (or something suspiciously similar), DO NOT click on the link! It will take you to a fake dA login page which will steal your login details if entered.

If you receive a comment like this, MARK IT AS SPAM using the Mark as spam button on the comment. This will alert moderators to it and will also hide the comment it so others won't be caught out.

[link]<---- DA news article

If you DID click the link and enter your details on the fake website, CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD, then run a scan on your computer to check for Spyware.

A few people were wondering where my Deviation, 'Quoth the Raven' went. Well, unfortunately it was deleted by the trigger-happy DA Mods.
Someone reported it as needing a Mature warning (despite the fact that nothing but the smallest amount of breast and bottom cleavage was showing). The Mod reviewing the case however, decided that the image was actually under-age nudity, if you can believe it! Apparently, due to this new fictional character rule DA has come up with, you're not allowed to post even slightly nude or erotic fanart of a character that is considered under-age in their original series, as I understand it... So although the Raven depicted in my artwork was very clearly a grown woman and looked nothing like under-age, and although the Mod couldn't tell me how old Teen Titans Raven actually is in the original series, it was still removed.

Personally, I'm very glad to see the DA staff enforcing their no child nudity rules, but to be honest, their logic behind removing a lot of the images I've seen removed is ridiculous and trying to communicate with the Mods after your Deviantion has been removed is like beating your head against a brick wall.

I may resubmit the drawing sometime, clearly stating that she's over 18 and perhaps it will be allowed to stay this time...

-
AND LOTS OF THEM!


~:: HERE ::~</b>