KudosCon

Short note -- KudosCon is a convention specifically focused on fanworks, and will take place in January in Minnesota.  Funds are being raised via Kickstarter, which is the only way to register.

Logo Talk

I've been asked two questions about the ARTxGEEK logo several times, so I thought I'd talk about that a bit.

The first question addresses the legality of using appropriated images.  Long Answer Is Long; short answer is that it's my understanding that it falls under the umbrella of fair use.  I work at a university and am also a grad student; a couple of semesters ago I took a writing class on hybrid and experimental forms and we spent a lot of time discussing appropriation and collage-style art.  We'll talk more later about appropriation and collage and "derivative" art (it's not only a hot topic in certain circles, it's a personal passion)... but that's part of the long answer. 

In the meantime, yes, I do believe I can legally use the images in this way.  However, if any of the companies in question tell me to stop, then I'll change it.

The second question concerns where I got each letter.  "I don't recognize..." so here's the list:

A = (Star Trek) Uniform badge, TOS design.  ST:TOS captured my heart as a girl.  I remember writing little stories about the characters on my own, literally decades before I ever heard the phrase "fanfic".  Also, Captain Kirk was my first-ever tv crush, but... have you met James T.?  He's totally crush-worthy.  I am not ashamed.

R = (Batman mythos) Uniform insignia, Robin's costume.   The "About Me" doesn't lie: I learned to read by reading Batman comics.  ("Mommy, what's homicide mean?")  I also attempted to draw a life-size Batman by my bed that year, beginning with gluing seven feet of pages from my Big Chief tablet directly to the wall.  Mom was not amused and the project was aborted before the crayons came out.  Censorship!

T = (Torchwood/Doctor Who)  Torchwood logo.  Jack conveys his regrets that the Doctor could not be here himself, but assures us all that in the event of an actual emergency, the Doctor will be notified.  (You probably won't be, but trust that the world's in good hands.)

x = (X-Box)  Hi, my name is Monique, I'm a video game junkie.  I'll tell you almost anything about myself in excruciating detail... but I will not reveal the hour-count on my Oblivion, Skyrim, or Dragon Age characters.  That information helps no one.

G = (Stargate)  Broken stargate.  Stargate: SG-1 was my first experience with online fandom.  Over a decade later, I still have friends from those listserves.

E = (Firefly/Serenity) Partial ship's logo from the Serenity exterior.  Because: Joss.  I had to have one of Joss Whedon's shows represented; his body of work has affected me greatly over the years both as a viewer and as a writer.  (Also: Browncoats Forever!)

E = (Star Trek) Partial ship's logo from the Enterprise exterior.  Gotta admit, I don't like how this E looks; it's a bad screencap, and I will have to replace at some point. 

K = (Highlander) Conner's quickening after killing the Kurgen.  If you've spent any time at all in the Highlander fandom, you know the joke already.  For the rest of you -- the word "immortals" got shortened to Immies by the fans, and then so many of the bad guys had names beginning with K (Kurgen, Kronos, Kallas, Kane, etc.) that bad-guy-immortals came to be called Kimmies.   There can be only one!

Allons-y!

Welcome to my little corner of the internet!  Pull up a chair and feel free to help yourself to whatever's in the fridge.  (Don't expect "food", but there should be beer.)

Hi, my name's Monique, (hi, Monique!) and I'm a huge geek.  If you're going to hang out here -- and I hope you do -- expect fandom jokes and squees about whatever show I'm watching and rants about whatever tempest is brewing on the convention circuit these days.

Oh, and you can expect talk about jewelry and art, too.  Sorta the point.

The thing I love about fandom is that joy and a spirit of community are the foundation of the experience.  Fans love out loud.  We get a lot of crap for that -- love always looks a little silly from the outside -- but we long since ceased to care and instead concentrated on having fun and taking over the world.

Fans aren't content to watch a show, turn off the tv, and go eat supper.  We want more -- we want to interact with the art that's been created: touch it, taste it, make it our own.  We want to discuss plotlines and character arcs, dress up in the clothes, listen to the actors and show creator commentaries on our DVDs, play versions of the characters in role-playing games, and argue about the Kobayashi Maru.  We want to write fanfic and knit Jayne hats and latch-hook ourselves a carpet in the shape of the Enterprise. 

Case in point: a couple of Doctor Who fans, inspired by the TARDIS set graphics, designed a code for Circular Gallifreyan, the written language of the Time Lords.  As soon as I saw it, I was captivated.  I love Doctor Who, language, and strong geometric graphics... I was immediately scribbling circles and figuring out how to turn it into physical art.

The end result was my Etsy store and bronze keychain fobs.  I picked fobs because they are a unisex item and the Doctor Who fanbase doesn't have much of a gender bias.  Keys and fobs take a lot of abuse, however, so I decided to work in bronze.  I also like the fact that the bronze lends itself to the "alien artifact" concept -- it looks ancient, which I emphasize in the designs.

Future posts will feature pictures and specifics, but for now let me say again: welcome.  I'm glad to have you. 

Let's love out loud together.