Painted Ornaments: A Soultion and Gift

On January 3, 2016January 3, 2016 By R. PettyIn Art, ProjectsLeave a comment

Happy New Year! We’re excited to kick off our fourth year with this site and want to thank all of you for reading! Before we dig into to 2016, I wanted to share a project from this season.

In November, my RevPub partner was having trouble finding ornaments for his tree. You see, traditional ornaments weren’t going to cut it. He wanted a set of something cool. Think unique, a little geeky, and not ridiculously priced.

So, being the problem solver I am, I decided to paint a set of ornaments for him. I made a list of about 20 of his favorite things and decided what my ability would let me do! I narrowed them down to 10 and ended up with 8. The ornaments are a variety of ceramic, wood, and plastic. I used acrylic paints and mixed a lot of colors. Here are the results:

The Psych Pineapple

Psych Pineapple ornament — One of our favorite shows. Psych’s pineapple is an iconic image to all fans, and I added some quick snowflakes that look like its holiday marketing. This was the one I wanted to keep lol.

Cthulhu

Warhammer Ork

James’ Cat Raz

Raz cat ornament — I do not claim to know how to draw portraits, so I used a little shading. This was one of the more difficult ones. Again, I can’t draw, but I was happy with it. You can tell it’s a cat lol.

The X-men Boss

X-men ornament — From the X-men arcade game. X-men, welcome to die! James and I actually played this game, and it’s one of my favorite Angry Video Game Nerd play-throughs. Seeing this always makes him laugh!

Ghostbusters

Hadouken!

Line from Scrooged

Scrooged ornament — Bill Murray says this to his board members after watching the terrible promo. This movie is usually our Christmas movie tradition, and this one line says it all.

This project was a ton of fun and challenged my painting skills to the max. It also led to a few other ideas and possibly future gifts. I had never painted in this detail and want to thank Google images for helping me through it. Here’s to trying new things in 2016: Don’t be afraid; it usually works out!

Christmas Family Traditions

On December 27, 2015February 20, 2016 By R. PettyIn ProjectsLeave a comment

I seldom steal ideas from my partner, but I found my RevPub partner’s X-mas Family Traditions post quite inspiring. Traditions – old and new – are a part of any holiday, but I’m also a fan of changing them. I think this is where people struggle the most because when “we’ve always done it” causes issues, it may be hard to let go. I also have to write a shout-out to my family: Thank you for the flexibility and drama-free holidays. I know this isn’t always the case, and I appreciate you for it.

Christmas Family Traditions — My grandma’s tree 2015. This changes nearly every year, and it’s always gorgeous.

Here are a few of my family traditions, many of which have changed over time:

Story time: I owe my grandmother a great deal, and she is solely responsible for the love I have for Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Every year, and multiple times throughout the year, she would read us this book. She used inflections and brought the story alive. Even as an adult when I read it, I feel like I’m in Whoville. Or, depending on my mood I’m the Grinch!

When I grew up, my son loved Santa more than anything. So, every Christmas Eve I read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. I make sure to bring the same excitement and passion to the story as my grandma did for me.

Christmas Movies: This is a personal tradition. Just as I watch only horror in October, I try to watch only Christmas in December. What makes a Christmas movie? Well, I count anything with snow and if they mention Christmas. This may seem unconventional, but it keeps things entertaining and avoids lame ones with bad acting. As my partner states, we watch Scrooged, and we have seen a number others together. As a kid, Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Grinch were some of our favorites. Looking back, this may have been the best way to shut us up for two hours.

The Food: I come from a family of cooks. Nearly everyone in my family tries to cook, and some are better than others (wink). While we have traditional foods, such as ham and grandma’s sherbet punch, I also remember my grandpa’s fudge and candy-coated Ritzs and the spread of more food than you can imagine. My family tries new recipes all the time, so our traditional menu constantly changes. It’s tradition for us to try new dishes!

This also leads to staples. My uncle has to bring sausage dip. I have to bring deviled eggs. That is a funny story in itself because I was asked to bring them one year and have been designated to bring them to every event since. This year, I used hot and sweet jalapenos because I was out of relish, and they went over a little too well.

The Celebrations: I come from a “nontraditional” family, as my parents divorced when I was a kid. I had a lot of Christmases, but my favorites were Santa in the morning, then going to my grandparents. When I was younger, we’d always gather on Christmas Day after seeing what Santa brought. As our families grew, we celebrate on the Sunday before Christmas. I appreciate this more than my family knows. This allows for new traditions on Christmas Day and gives parents more time with their kids. I’m pretty anti-travel on Christmas Day and try to stay home when possible. This doesn’t always go over well, but people get over things pretty quickly, so don’t be afraid to say no. As long as you visit around Christmas, that’s all that should matter.

Presents: I remember the first time I went to someone else’s Christmas, and they opened presents one at a time. I thought I was going to die from boredom – no offense intended. I also thought how terrible it would be if you got something you didn’t want. You’re sitting there in front of 10-plus people and have to fake happiness. I immediately felt pressure.

You see, my family opens presents at the same time. A couple of people pass out all the gifts, and my grandma essentially says, ready, set, go! It takes 10 minutes tops. We shout thank yous from across the room, hold up gifts to show someone who also likes it, and it’s chaotic. That tradition has never changed, and it’s awesome. Afterwards when all the wrappings are picked up, people walk around and see what everyone received and have conversations about them. In a way, it’s more personal and allows time to talk one-on-one. I realize most families open one at a time, but consider trying this sometime. It’s 10 minutes of chaos, then an hour of real conversation.

We hope you had a nice holiday, and we look forward to 2016! Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year from RevPub!

Thanksgiving 2015: A Reflection

On November 29, 2015 By R. PettyIn ProjectsLeave a comment

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and as my RevPub partner said, it’s a no-man’s land holiday. I see fewer people post what they are grateful for throughout the month. I think I saw one person on FaceBook do that this year. People don’t seem to care much. Thanksgiving has become a gathering holiday centered around food, and that’s okay. However, I do want to take a moment to list some things I am grateful for:

Life – Having lived in the South my entire life and working with people the last 20 years, I am familiar with this scenario:

Me: How are you today?

Customer: I’m <fantastic, good, great>. Any day above ground is a good day.

And you know what? They are absolutely right. There is so much death and sickness in the world, I am simply thankful to have life. Not just to be alive, but also have a high quality of life.

Creativity – I have often said I’m not a creative person. As life continues – and I’m forced to use more creativity – I realize I am a creative person. I can’t write fiction, make a living as an artist, or play most instruments, but when it’s comes to gift giving and problem-solving, my creative mind kicks into high gear.

Abilities – With that said, I am also thankful for my abilities. Many women do not give themselves credit for what true abilities they possess. But we – men included – have abilities and talents that make us special.

My Framily – My friends who are family and my family who are my friends mean the world to me. My own child is one of my best friends. My best friend is a part of my family. My framily is a mix between friends and family who care and love me for who I am, and no matter what are always there. So, to those who are reading: Thank you.

Work – I have always been grateful for my job – no matter what it was. However, I also appreciate work in general. Whether it’s my full-time job or mopping my floors, work keeps me active and feeling accomplished. I would rather work than sit and watch TV, and I’m grateful I can always find something to do.

Entertainment – I don’t always work though! I love books, games, movies, music and some TV. We live in a world full of entertainment, which is a nice break from the day-to-day. I love playing board games, watching movies, and going to concerts with loved ones. Having so many options is pretty awesome and definitely adds to quality of life.

Food – I don’t do diets. I eat what I want and don’t feel guilty. Food is essential and delicious, and there are many people in the world who don’t have enough of it. So, the next time you feel bad about a bagel, think about someone who would give their right hand for one.

Color – We’ve had a pretty dreary fall thus far, so I’m thankful I can fill my home with bright colors – from throw pillows to fresh flowers. I wear neon colors, and Christmas lights have been up for a week. Color not only enhances my mood, it makes things vibrant and beautiful.

Me – I am thankful for who I am. Like me or not, I own who I am and always will. I firmly believe if people were more true to who they are, they would feel more free and happy. I’m not saying don’t improve yourself or change bad habits; I’m saying if you are happy with who you are, then own it. Don’t change for someone else or put on a mask to make others happy.

And to you our readers, we give thanks to you! As we enter our fourth year, we appreciate all the follows, likes, support, comments and ideas. Without you, we would just talk to ourselves.
Happy Holidays from RevPub!

Halloween Art Contest: Rats in the Walls

On November 18, 2015November 18, 2015 By James CastroIn Art, ProjectsLeave a comment

Even though I’ve been an illustrator essentially my entire life I’ve never been one to receive accolades or awards for my artwork. While friends genuinely seem to like my work, my experiences in college tended to show me that a lot of people enjoy the “art school” look rather than my kind of improvisational home-spun style.

When my RevPub partner suggested I enter the Halloween art contest at a local art supply store I was hesitant. I’ve previously lost two painting competitions and an illustration award so I didn’t have high hopes, but it sounded fun and different. The catch was it could be done in any media, but had to be on black canvas.

After some consideration I thought I’d try my hand at drawing “in the negative” using white chalk on black, filling in the light rather than shadows. Not only did I enjoy it almost as much as pencil, it reinvigorated my creative side as doing something new made the entire creative process seem like an entirely fresh experience.

It had to be “Halloween” based but that could just be anything horror or creepy related. I decided on an interpretation from H.P. Lovecraft’s Rats in the Walls.

20151117_192908 — The Original Pencil Sketch. I always start with little rough drawings that to give me some idea where I’ll go when it gets real…

20151007_202808 — It started well. My pencil sharpener ate the chalk…

20151007_204523 — I sketched it in pencil first and wished I hadn’t. It didn’t erase as cleanly as the chalk.

20151011_193508 — I did a shape of a figure back-lit in the door.

20151011_200125 — HP Lovecraft is writing the tale in the background.

20151011_193044 — The rat designs were inspired by the Skaven books I’ve read.

Not only was it fun, but it turns out I won the staff pick! Great fun at Jerry’s Artarama in Nashville!

Jerry’s Artarama Facebook page.

Aliens (1986): The Perfect Organisms

On September 2, 2015September 1, 2015 By James CastroIn Movies, Projects, Reviews2 Comments

Sequels are worse than original films. That is a near decree that has been handed down from the high mountains of Hollywood, carved into the living stone of film history. Very rarely does a sequel live up to the standard set by the original and almost never does a sequel surpass the original. I can only think of two that have definitely done so, both were Jim Cameron movies and both had a strong action presence. One is the imitable Terminator 2: Judgment Day the film that set the standard for summer action blow out movies when I was a kid. The other, and in my opinion, superior film, is Aliens, Cameron’s action-horror-sci-fi follow up to Ridley Scott’s taught, tense original.

What makes Aliens so successful where so many other sequels, and hell, sci-fi/space movies have failed? Allow me to heap praise:

Story Continuation: Alien ended with Ripley’s quick thinking and courage helping her survive and enter stasis. This is precisely where the sequel picks up. Found by a salvage team Ripley awakes 57 years later than expected, faces a new world she doesn’t know, a company that doesn’t believe her (and even blames her for the occurrences aboard Nostromo), the loss of her daughter, and constant nightmares of the events that brought her here. We see Ripley try to restart her life, but she is forever haunted by the alien and is driven to face her fears for closure.
Story Advancement: How often does a sequel not just continue a narrative but add wonderful concepts to the universe and lore AND develop previous characters while introducing excellent new characters? Almost never. Here the story isn’t about a small expendable crew sacrificed for some corporate suit’s private agenda. It’s a military mission that takes us back to the source of the alien in the original film. We see more of the world in which these characters live. We learn more about the aliens as species. This film is the first appearance of the canon source of the facehugger eggs (barring deleted scenes from Alien largely ignored by later narratives). The first appearance of Colonial Marines and their bevy of weapons and equipment. The first appearance of Aliens as organized, strategizing hive minds. These concepts not only influenced the rest of the franchise, but science fiction as a whole as other franchises took these concepts and borrowed liberally from them.

Characters: I won’t even add “great” or “memorable” to this bullet point as they go far beyond that. Characters make this movie. Ripley is still one of the best characters in all of sci-fi and here she grows from a survivor to a true action heroine on par with anything Schwarzenegger has achieved. Tough, resourceful and smart without becoming the kind of “bad-ass” cliché a 13 year old boy or Quentin Tarantino finds interesting, Ripley personifies how to make a good action character without removing his or her humanity. Then there are the marines, the quiet cool of Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn), the loudmouth braggart over-compensation of Hudson (Bill Paxton), the inexperience of Gorman (William Hope), and the absolutely kick-assness of Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein; and who, again, Jim Sterling rightly called “one of the toughest bastards in all of sci-fi”). There isn’t a marine wasted. Even characters you only see for a moment on screen or just in text, Drake, Vasquez’s incinerator partner; Wierzbowski and Crowe, marines whose camera feeds go fuzzy as their squad mates call for them; Dietrich the medic who is the first to get grabbed; Frost whose unfortunate job it was to carry the ammo. This is all off the top of my head, that’s how memorable these characters are. My personal favorite is Sergeant Apone (Al Matthews). Dripping personality, every word he speaks is a poetic verse of glorious career military jargon married with drill sergeant cadence. I personally would have gone back into the Hive for him just to have him chew me out for taking so long. Other than the marines we have Lance Henrickson in his signature performance as Bishop the “synthetic person,” corporate shill Burke played to slimy perfection by Paul Resier, and Carrie Henn as the lone colonial survivor Newt. Newt is an unusual character. This could easily have been one of those little kid characters so precocious and useless that audiences hate her. Instead she shows us how she survived on her own for so long and even helps with ideas and planning. I’m pretty sure I’d be more useless in that situation than Newt is…

Quotability: When people think of quotable movies the same names come up; The Godfather, Scarface, Goodfellas… Usually crime movies or movies with carefully designed catch phrases like Jerry McGuire. I’d posit that Aliens has some of the most memorable quotes of all time. From Apone’s ringing “Absolute BAD-asses” to Newt’s quiet “They mostly come at night….mostly…” And from Vasquez’s, “I only need to know one thing: Where. They. Are” to Ripley’s marvelous “Get away from her you BITCH.” There is more that is used and reused in pop culture, especially in the sci-fi pop-culture sub-genre than in almost any sci-fi movie ever. Maybe even surpassing Star Wars in some circles… Even phrases like “5 x 5” are now owned by Aliens. And of course…the most epic give up cry in the history of entertainment “Game over man…Game over!” Hell…Hudson could have his own quotes section…

Aliens succeeded by not trying to remake the original, while sticking to its formula, adding new effective elements that made sense in the world, introducing characters who feel real, and telling an absolutely terrific story. I love every second of it, and actually recommend by a wide margin the longer director’s cut, which includes memorable character-building scenes and an amazingly suspenseful sentry gun sequence. The only flaw is you actually like all the characters (well except Burke…) so much you don’t want any of them to die…

Perfectly written. Perfectly cast. Perfectly designed. Perfectly acted. Perfectly executed in every way.

A perfect organism receives a perfect five panicking Hudsons out of five.

See my original thoughts on Aliens from last year’s “Best Horror Sequel” post here.

New Revenant Publications Merchandise on Redbubble

On August 23, 2015 By R. PettyIn ArtLeave a comment

Exciting news! Many of our original designs have new products available on RedBubble, an online community of artists and creators.

With the holidays approaching, these make great gifts. Or if you want to treat yourself, we have lots of great ideas. Here’s a sampling for your viewing pleasure:

Cute pencil skirts in many of our designs! Look at this cute Moogle pencil skirt!

Moogle laptop skin — Laptop skins and phone cases too!

skull slime stationary — Skull slime stationary! Have original designs just in time for getting back to school. Regular slime and Halloween designs are also available!

Mega Byte Me bags — Our most popular design is now in bags, skirts and more. Great old-school throwback!

Mega Byte Me cups — Cups too! These make great gifts.

Revenant Publications scarf — You know I’ll order one of these! With winter coming, I’m going to stay warm in style.

If you’d like to view Revenant Publication’s complete portfolio, check us out at http://www.redbubble.com/people/tigressmuse

Thanks to all of our readers and followers, and if there’s a design up that you want in a specific product, feel free to let us know in the comments below!