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Everything is Beautiful...NOT!In the 1960s, Ray Stevens wrote a song titled "Everything Is Beautiful" and it won him a grammy. Perhaps it was the idealism of those times or maybe a personal philosophy that gave birth to this song. It starts out with children singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children", a song I remember singing in church when I was a child.
"Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world"
Like Disney's "It's a Small World", this song has a worm like infectious tune that rolls around in your brain like a marble in a barrel. A child, once he has learned this song, will hum it, whistle it, and sing it until adult ears bleed. Not only is the tune contagious, the lyrics are ideal and Pollyanna to the point of near myopic blindness.
After one chorus of "Jesus Loves the Little Children", Mr. Stevens' song moves into his "Everything Is Beautiful, in It's Own Way" mantra.
The notion he pu

Japan Journal....day one, 11/11/11Time is certainly displaced. We're not really suffering jet lag but it's obvious our bodies are weirded out by being here.
My girlfriend and I traveled today to Atsugi, about an hour train ride from Tokyo. We had some business to take care of there. It was a bit frustrating because we couldn't get everything done we needed to, but the traveling to and from was delightful.
I was amazed, looking out the train window, there was not ONE piece of litter. I think we traveled 20 miles or more before I saw so much as a tissue paper beside the tracks. The Japanese, even in the less affluent areas, are incredibly tidy.
During the morning commute, the subway trains are packed so full there are literally uniformed individuals called "pushers" whose job it is to shove people into the cars as tightly as possible. As the doors slide shut they get very aggressive and carry out their job of sardine commuter packing very seriously… and they do it with smiles and white gloves and a charm that everyo

SOPA, Hypocrisy, Scandal, DMCA, and CensorshipMissing The Point
I've been disappointed to see the various responses to SOPA, especially the "DEVIATION CENSORED" images. They so completely miss the point that I can only assume the people posting them have absolutely no comprehension of what SOPA means, why it's a problem, and what they're actually protesting against.
First off, SOPA is not about censorship. Unfortunately, many of the opponents of SOPA decided to cast it as being about censorship in order to mobilize public opinion. Why did they do that? Unfortunately, they did that for two reasons: 1) they knew that without mobilizing mass support, the bill would go through and 2) they knew that the masses they wanted to get support from simply don't care/understand the real problem enough to do anything - because the truth is much to complicated for the typical internet user. I have some sympathy for that view, because I've discovered over and over again that copyright is, in fact, too complicated for the typi

Today, I am HeartbrokenThis past week our nation witnessed one of the most horrific violations in history. A beast that I refuse to name, planned and then killed 12 people in a theatre in Colorado. I won't go into details of how, why, or who committed this atrocity.
What I WILL address is the idea of our Constitutional "right to bear arms". The misconstrued perception of this "right", saddens and confuses me. The archaic belief that having a gun in our houses will enable us to "defend ourselves" is not only statistically improbable, it is metaphorically AND literally unsettling to those who live with us. A loaded gun in a house says,"I don't trust people", "I am afraid someone will break in and hurt us", and also "I am willing to shoot to kill another human being".
If you have a gun in your house and it is NOT loaded, the statistical probability of you being able to get to it, load it, and confront a home invader AND for the outcome of that confrontation to be positive in ANY way, is insignificantly small.
T

I'm a Puppy!A week or so ago, I read this article that made me laugh and yet feel so sad. Seems there is a guy from India who is in exile and may serve prison time for blasphemy. What he did was investigate what was making a statue of Jesus "weep". Supposedly water is dripping from this statue and people are drinking this "Holy Water" in hopes it will cure their ailments. Tragically, the water is sewage that is seeping up from a leaking pipe! But when this man reported on his findings, the religious were incensed and want him thrown in prison!!!!
I find the story so....well perfectly metaphorical.
http://beforeitsnews.com/christian-news/2012/12/prison-for-debunking-weeping-jesus-man-faces-blasphemy-charges-for-proving-people-were-drinking-sewage-water-they-thought-to-be-holy-2462112.html
I sent this news story to a person I knew, who claims to be very anti church, and it started an email exchange which much to my dismay went ass over teakettle down the hill.
I often post rather anti-religious rant

PayPal-Commissioners January FeaturePayPal-Commissioners Monthly Feature
:iconPayPal-Commissioners::iconPayPal-Commissioners::iconPayPal-Commissioners:
We are a group dedicated to exposing artists who are accepting or in need of Commissions with Paypal-based payments. We hope to also serve as a consolidated database of artists accepting these commissions, for the ease of potential buyers.
Every month, #PayPal-Commissioners chooses 10 members at random--or those who are suggested by other members and deviants--to feature in a news article.
*Forever-Nocturne

Interested in Japanese culture

Enjoys using Copic Markers

Artistically interested in fashion; loves drawing crazy outfits

~Sky-Byte-Haiku

Enjoys working with others to give their ideas visual representation

Loves creating fanworks, especially for Transformers and other 80s media, as well

Grow some balls.I don't mind people voicing that they don't like my work or the content of my silly little cartoons. Most of the time I find it funny! But what really grates is when the individual doesn't have the spine to do so via their day-to-day DA profile.
They set up a new one. One which they use to rattle off whatever flatulance they believe passes as worthwhile commentary in the real world, most likely in the wake of mummy and daddy slapping them on the wrist over something - angsty, juvenile pricks that they are.
And juvenile they must be, as anyone with a mite more experience would realise that any weight you hope your words might have is completely lost when someone visits your "slander" profile and reads the numbers "0 Deviations", "0 Favourites", "0 Watchers", "No Journal entries", etc.
It renders your words as vacuous as your gallery.
So if you're going to type stuff like "I feel like some of the smut you draw takes away from the credibility of your art as a whole." or

Announcing Rolled Fine Art Paper Prints!Prints Shop
Fine Art Prints
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Starting immediately, deviantART is upgrading our rolled Fine Art Paper Prints to a more professional grade print process. The new and improved product will now ship with an additional 1.5" (3.81 cm) bright-white border ready to be hung or framed! This change will not affect the way in which we currently provide Photo Prints, Canvas, or Frame Art Prints.
Bright-white, ultrasmooth, 100% cotton rag paper
Matte finish
Acid- and lignin-free archival process
Advanced digital drying process in order to guarantee vibrance
Prints c

Top 10 Prints of 2011Congratulations to deviantART's 10 best sellers of 2011.
:shop20922256: :shop681483:
By =agnes-cecile By *begemott
:shop23264223: :shop21061880:
By `alexiuss By *Apofiss
:shop3731411: :shop19205959:
By `spyroteknik By ~DawnPaladin
:shop24456584: :shop3713787:
By `DanielaUhlig By `loish
:shop24100704: :shop5269145:
By: `alicexz By :devadoniswerthe

Kim Jong-il is Kim Jong-deadHere are some of the things that The Supreme Leader, the Dear Leader, the General, Lodestar of the 21st Century and Eternal President, Kim Jong-il has been (no joke) credited with:
* Even before his birth, the future leader of North Korea was triggering miracles. Official biographers say his birth in a cabin on the slopes of Baekdu Mountain in February 1942 was foretold by a swallow and heralded by a double rainbow. When he was born, a new star appeared in the night sky.
* The first time he picked up a golf club, in 1994, Kim reportedly shot a 38-under par round on North Korea's only golf course, including 11 holes-in-one. He then decided to retire from the sport for ever.
* Kim has the ability to alter the weather simply through the power of thought.
* The fledgling leader was a genius as an infant, with official North Korean biographies stating that he had learned to walk at just 3 weeks and was talking at 8 weeks.
* As a junior high school pupil in Pyongyang, he corrected and chasti

The man of small steps.Some people you just think of as being immortal.
RIP - Neil Armstrong
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19381098

The Pelican is still around!!!!It took a couple of friends and me about 3 hours to delete all the images from my gallery. There are a few left, but no nudes.
I will keep an account here on DA and pop in occasionally to see what's going on but for the most part, I am moving on. It had become increasingly obvious to me that this is not the site I should be on. I have been looking at the front page of DA for 5 years now and wondering why I am here.
Anyway - I've blabbed enough about that topic. If you look at my last journal, you'll get the idea.
Here is where you can find me these days AND you can see ALL the nudes I had here on DA plus a bunch of new ones AND more coming. I just did another shoot with Scar last night, so there are some cool images from that shoot! I'll give you a hint… "Fire chandelier!"
Also check me out on Google+
https://plus.google.com/u/0/110194891566542336120/photos
You'll find all the nudes I had here and MORE!!! You will have to send me a friend request. I like that because i

The Adventures of Squicken... Week OneMy name is Cameron Michael but all my friends call me "Squicken". It's a mixture of "Squid" (what Mommy calls my Dad) and "Chicken" (what Daddy calls my Mommy). I was born last Tuesday the 18th, and have learned SO MUCH that I asked Dad if I could write about it here in his journal.
Dad gave me permission so here goes… my first attempt at writing. Don't judge me too harshly because I'm only a week old and I've got my hands full trying to learn stuff. For instance, eyes!!! Wow, eyes are tough to control! It's hard to focus them and move them all around. I can't really see all that well yet but I think I recognize Mom and Dad and I CERTAINLY recognize a fine nipple, which makes Dad proud. Of course, I don't have much experience with other nipples but, I have time to fix that.
I spent a few days in ICU (Mom, Dad, and I called it "jail") at the hospital because Mom ran a fever during birth and the docs said they found some indication of infection in the blood samples they took from me

advice on some stuff to look up before tutorialsso im gonna be starting to make some tutorials soon
before that you should look up some informations
you probably noticed that in my work it is often hard to distinguish if im using a zbrush model or just painined it all in photoshop
reason for that is simple.
my realism rendering is greatly based on 3 d rendering processes.
by this i mean as i learned 3d i became aware of the stuff we usually visually take for granted.
qualities of material, importance of reflectivity, ambient occlusion, and subsurface scattering.
to any 3d  artist these are everyday terms, while 2d artists usually paint them without often even being aware of wheat they are really doing
for instance , a 3d artist will at any given point use 2 types of shadows. cast shadows from a direct lightsource, and ambient occlusion shadows which naturally appear  more intensively  the closer planes of an object are together.
i can get into this  and make it a long discussion , but easier w

Is Reference Bad?I feel like I've addressed this before at some point, in some other journal, but I find myself either discussing this with people a lot, or coming across people who on their work proudly claim to have "used no reference."
The biggest problem, and misconception, regarding references is that people feel like it's cheating or that it somehow cheapens their work. While I can understand the sense of accomplishment coming from using no reference to finish a painting or drawing, people who consistently do it are only hurting themselves in the long run. So in short, no, reference isn't bad.
Artists have been using reference since the days of the old masters. They would reference life, whether it be landscapes, objects on a table, or models standing in a studio. They would even reference their own sketches or other people's work in order create convincing paintings.
For some reason, a lot of people today seem to think that in order to be a good artist, they have to be able to do things without

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Crossing the Line

by `Pelicanh, Mar 20, 2012, 7:20:09 PM
Journals / Personal

Almost 99.9999% of the comments I get on DA are very nice and complimentary. For this I am grateful and appreciative. I also appreciate the occasional criticism that suggests I try a different crop, color, or lens choice. Even after 35 years I feel it is vital to listen to all the input I get because there are occasional jewels of ideas that come from learned professionals and beginning amateurs alike. Sometimes I even like it more when someone who is new to photography makes suggestions because they aren't stifled by the "rules" we all learn when we start out.

Recently, I've had a few people say some interesting and absurd things. These comments are related to my having taken down my gallery of nudes. First of all, let me say, my motive for this action was simply time management. I run a business so I don't have time to respond to all the comments or even read them all.
The suggestion has been made that by me removing the nudes, by responding to horrid comments then hiding and blocking that user, and by not allowing comments in the first place… that means I am "chicken". That "if I can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen". That "people are welcome to their opinions".

As a professional photographer in Los Angeles, the suggestion that I can't take criticism is absurd to the extreme. One does not survive in one of the most competitive markets in the world by hiding from criticism or shrinking down when it comes like a hail storm. I choose my battles, see what merit is in engaging in dialog with whoever makes criticism, and decide if my return on investment is worthwhile.

Cyber bullying is becoming a MAJOR problem on the net and several states have now passed legislation making it a crime. I'm not going to go into specific cases but type in "Cyber bullying deaths" on Google and read what you get. Kids are taking their own lives because of the horrid things said about them on line. And our response should be, "Well, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen!"  That might be the stupidest, most horrid, and terribly noncompassionate remark ever.
Someone once posted on an image I shot,"Your model should be taken out back and shot like the whore dog she is". I am VERY protective of my models and this is NOT OK behavior. This is NOT an "opinion". This is NOT a "criticism" or simply "their opinion".
I posted a journal (actually a few) about how outraged I was. Mostly people agreed…. but I also got this from one DA member "Taken out back and shot like the whore dog she is?" Really? Fuck that's an epic quote...
I'm gonna have to start using that!"
Or there is this  "Commenting, then blocking is known as "Internet Cowardice"--of which you're a repeat offender. Which means you're pretty immature."

See the problem here? Not only DA, but the internet in general has a SERIOUS SERIOUS issue. People who say horrid, hateful, vitriolic things with no consequences are rife on this and other web sites. But thankfully, it is slowly changing.
Keep in mind, people, that if you say something horrid about a model and she takes her own life, you stand a chance of being dragged into court and doing time. And I sincerely hope you do.

To suggest that someone (ME) who blocks people for cyber bullying and making hideous comments is "wimpy", "can't stand the heat in the kitchen", or is "Immature" is like telling the world Hitler was just "voicing his opinion". The classic psychological tactic to reverse the tables in a  situation like this is simply childish foot stomping from ill mannered infants. I've had 3 death threats here on DA… and the response is supposed to be,"Well, Michael, if ya can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen"?

So where do comments "cross the line"? Again, as I have said MANY times here on DA, on MY gallery, I will decide. MY gallery is not a democracy. Neither is my house, my property, or any comment of a horrid nature about my models. HERE, I am the boss and if you wanna test to see if I am a "coward", "wimp", or "immature"…. then cross the line. I value those who say, "Im not crazy about this color, crop, or that the background doesn't work". But negative comments about my models don't really work for me. Go somewhere else and get your jollies or do it on your own page.

I would be in favor of everyone on DA having to post their REAL names and where they live. It MIGHT help a tad. I hope so because as I see it, DA is having some growing pains. I also think DA and their staff are VERY VERY bright people and will get through whatever comes their way. It's a wonderful site and I've met a lot of cool people.
I'll be hanging around for a while!!

Time for a sunset beer!!

353 Comments

Listening to: the hum of the G5
Drinking: Heineken

Crossing the Lineby `Pelicanh

~~fear 0 0~~

~~neutral 0 0~~

~xtranho Mar 8, 2013 Student Digital Artist

Oh God. i just realised that this entry is a year old. Hehe, just passing time reading your journal

~xtranho Mar 8, 2013 Student Digital Artist

Fuck me. I never realised how bad it was/is for you. Lots of respect for you and your work.

*JeffPrice Jul 5, 2012

Sending toxins through the mail is a Federal crime. Call your local postal inspector. They are in the white pages under US Gov, or I'm surprised (well OK maybe not) the local PD didn't refer you to them.

You're fecal mailer also endangered every postal worker between you and him. The USPS tends to take that personnally.

[link]

I cannot for the life of me figure out why some people think they should behave badly because they think noone can touch them. What has happened to humanity? First, it's wrong to be an ass to other people. Second,the Internet isnt as anonymous as they think.

cheers
-jeff

=CathleenTarawhiti Jun 19, 2012 Professional Photographer

Well said!

~Xenaris Jun 14, 2012

I agree that it should be not without consequences when someone is hateful towards others. In the net or outside. However, I am strictly against having to use my real name online, because for me, that would mean I loose a sacred division: The difference between my professional life and my hobbyist life, which I live out here. I work with children, and I don't want somebody who wants to get back at me easily find my poems or something I said in a forum or comment, take it out of context, present it to some parents and get me in trouble. It's not that I don't stand behind what I said online, but I always take the nastiness of some people into consideration. I also wouldn't want a kid's parent to contact me via dA trying to talk about their kid's problems, because here, that's my private life.

Also I would like to point out: If everyone on the net was forced to use their real names, many people in China, in Syria ertc would be not only in trouble, but loose a way to voice their protest and even be in mortal danger. The right to be somewhat anonymous on the web is precious to me. But it can never be an excuse to forget that the other side is a human being too and hide behind that anonymity to post hatefull comments or death-threats. In my eyes a political lobby is using these poor children who couldn't stand the bullying anymore toforce a real-name-duty on all of us.

~RosieApplesworth Jun 12, 2012

It's such a shame that people on here post such horrible things. I liked your nudes a lot - they really were great art. I don't consider all nudes art, there's a very define line, but yours really were. I have had a lot of offensive comments on my last user here, and also decided to disable comments - and that's on photos of cows grazing on a field! I never got why they had to write rude comments on photos of happy cows on grass...

I really hope that you're right about it slowly changing. I agree truely in all you wrote here.

Have a nice day.

`Pelicanh Jun 13, 2012 Professional Photographer

it's sad that people feel free to make such horrid comments on line. Says a lot about their true character.
I LOVE happy cows!

~hopless-romantic Jun 8, 2012 Hobbyist Photographer

you know my friend, i added you a long time ago to my watch list and ill admit it was for the nudes, but here lately you have been opening my mind to how great a photographer you are REALLY. The last post of the "market" in (that country i forget the name of now) with the cannibals....you are a lot deeper than i expected. You are an amazing photographer and actually an inspiration to me now that i think on it. Thank you for opening my mind, eyes, and heart to photography in a new light.

`Pelicanh Jun 8, 2012 Professional Photographer

thanks Kyle. I love all forms of photography!

~geekiest Jun 7, 2012

I love this! I agree that the tide may be turning. Perfectly said!

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