Hi Everyone!
Just wanted to make a quick little post to let you know I decided to move the blog over to wordpress, and have been posting so much more on their recently. You can check it out at www.paigelavoie.com and https://paigelavoie.wordpress.com/ I'm still working on the layout and all of the pages, but pretty pleased with how it's been coming along.
Wishing you a happy Monday and a fantastic rest of the week,
Paige
Hello <3
It's Monday and I'm sitting at my desk which is in desperate need of tidying. Sipping on coffee sweetened with honey, and eating leftover cookies from the sailor moon bridal shower I helped plan yesterday for my dearest friend. We made dresses with toilet paper, ate lots of food, had an water balloon fight, and sang "Happy Wedding to you!" while she cut the cake.
You know, just the usual things you do at a bridal shower... Maybe?
If ever there was proof of having a good weekend, my face hurting from smiling is definitely it. Now, I'm onto some much needed editing for the Frankenstein novel. I'm on chapter 8 of 15. detirminded to get this story out to beta-readers as soon as possible, and e-mailing with my favorite editor Jen (wordswithjen) talking about all of the things! It's exciting, nerve wracking, and I am so pleased to finally be getting the ball rolling. Just maybe one more cookie first...
Hey!
Man, It's been a while hasn't it? I've missed typing away aimlessly on here. So I figured now would be as good as any to start! I hope whoever you are reading this you've been having a great week :D Mine has been filled with editing. Stories, Videos, Comics, but everything has been coming along slowly yet surely, and though it has been slightly overwhelming at times, it's been good. Oh! Something pretty exciting happened last month that I've been meaning to tell you!
I won Camp NaNoWrimo! Meeeeeeeeeeeep! I already shared a bit about the project on youtube, but I was working on the sequal to my first novel Confidence: The Diary of an Invisible Girl and I'm really really excited about it. It still needs a bit of polish before it's ready for beta-readers. But I cannot wait to share it with you. I'm already brainstorming cover ideas. :p
I'm going to try to keep up on my blog a little bit more. I know by typing that, I've probably already jinxed myself, but I really like writing on here. It's fun to share the little bits about my day, rambles and write about whatever catches my fancy on here, and I feel like I should be doing it more often.
But for tonight there's a lazy puppy sleeping on my legs, and the Playstation calling me with it's ominous glowing light practically begging Matt and I to finish playing Life is Strange. (it's getting crazy!)
Hey Everyone,
PeppermintFrog asked me a really great question about making web comics on twitter, one that I've been meaning to sit down and talk about in a video but just haven't gotten around to it yet. And I wasn't able to answer it within the character limit of Twitter, so I thought I'd share my answer in blog post form here instead. Hopefully you find it helpful, and always feel free to send me any questions you have!
onto the blog post!
@MrsPaigeLavoie been bothering me for a while and I don't feel my art is at the level to start a webcomic yet (sorry for spelling) any tips?
This is a question I've wondered myself before. And I can honestly say, I think getting started making comics is the best way to get better at drawing them. As artists, we're never really satisfied by the level of art we're creating. Our lines could be finer, or backgrounds more detailed. There's always something to work on. And the best way to work on your craft is to actively practice, learn and grow in comics than to start making them.
With every page, every chapter, you're going to get better. You won't really notice it happening, until you open up an old sketch book and you compare them from side to side. But every time you draw your main character the lines will get stronger, sharper, you'll change little details, you'll learn ways to draw faster.
There is no perfection, there's only progress and the only way to see it is to keep drawing <3
I'm not the best artist. There are shots and scenes that I can visualize in my head that I just can't seem to get down on the page, and my storyboards have changed as a result of that. Reference pictures, 3D models have helped me figure out some tricky poses in the past. but there are things I've modified to suit my drawing abilities and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. All we can ever do is our best and to learn from our previous pages about things that work, and things that won't.
I wanted to share these two pictures with you. This is a drawing of Isabell from six years ago
And another from four years ago
And now here she is from the page from today
Looking at the three, they don't even really look like the same character much less like they were drawn by the same person. Someday I'll dig out some of the SUPER old drawings of Isabell I have from when I was sixteen if I can't find them for fun. Back then my comics where really rough, but it didn't stop me from drawing them and sharing them online. People didn't always say the nicest things in the comments section, but I'm so glad I kept going. It hasn't always been easy, being totally transparent a few weeks ago I had a breakdown just wishing I could get my background the way they look in my head. But I know that the only way to get there is to keep going.
There's always going to be new levels to unlock and a laundry list of things to work on. But the point I'm trying to make is you're always good enough to start :D That's the easiest way to get better. There will be good days, and bad days, but as long as your creating jokes, stories, and characters your proud of, starting a webcomic to me is always worth it. It's an archive of your growth as an artist, it's a new adventure, and if it's something you want to create, I say start creating it!
Wishing you luck, and inspirations to keep drawing and growing your skills,
Oh goodness <3 Yesterday was a day of indulgence that's for sure. My friend Erin and I have been wanting to check out the Dragon Ball Z themed ramen shop "Soupa Saiyan" ever since we heard about it. Fandom, Food and Friendship all in one day? Sign us up! We headed there for lunch, and I thought it would be fun to do a little vlog of our adventures. Sidenote: I am so thankful to have a friend who doesn't judge me for filming my food.
....and you know, also her food... :p
I had the veggie broth with udon noodles, steamed veggies and fried tofu. If you can't tell by my face, I was very excited.
After we devoured our bowls of Ramen, we shockingly still had room for more! To satisfy our sweet tooths we headed on over to Quickly Boba for the first time. It was so cute and colorful in there and I loved it!
<3 <3 <3
Could this picture be any more colorful? Enjoying a Earl Grey and Lavender flavored milk tea with pearls. It was my first time trying this combination (normally I go for Taro or Honeydew) and I think I found my new favorite.
That's all for today! Hope everyone is having a happy Monday <3
I really like writing short stories, and I've been looking for more excuses to write them more frequently. As soon as I saw the"Premise Party" writing decks in the dealer room at Holiday Matsuri a few years ago I was so intrigued, and regretted not picking up a deck before the room had closed. Ever since, I've been wanting to give them a try. So when I saw them vending at Megacon I knew I couldn't let the chance pass me by again! They come in a few different themes, and after debating for a while I decided to go for the "Anime Tropes" set! I've been so excited to try these out that I thought I'd turn my first experience into a writing challenge and invite you to join in the fun.
There are three types of cards in each deck. Cards filled with possible protagonists. Cards filled with conflicts, and cards filled with some sort of outcome. I shuffled up the deck and drew my cards! Here's what I ended up with.
A king's youngest child is cursed into the form of an animal, and learns to live for themselves.
Here's how I got along over on my vlog,
I had fun! I had a few too many breaks and my story ended up being double the word count goal I had set. But I cannot wait to try this out again, and am even thinking about making it a weekly thing.
You can pick up a writing deck for yourself over on Hitodama Craft's storenvy, they are $15 a piece and the printing and design is really high quality.
Now as promised, here is the unedited short story, typos, plot holes and all, hope you enjoy it, and please tweet your creations at me @MrsPaigeLavoie on Twitter I can't wait to see!
"Despite being extraordinary. I’ve always been the most ordinary
of all of my brothers and sisters in line for the throne. Drusella can sing
with a voice more beautiful than a dove, with her twin Alexander following her
flawlessly on the piano. Arthur is charismatic charming his many suitors from
neighboring kingdoms with just a wink and a bow. And Emilie a brilliant swordsman.
My only talent is a worthless one.
I turn into a cat.
Which might sound like an impressive skill is I could
control it. But unfortunately, it’s instinct based. We first discovered
it when I was nothing but a toddler, and The King and Queen of Aristacllo dined
with us, and tmy parents had the embarrassment of their daughter transforming right
before their eyes to chase a mouse who had gotten into the castle.
It didn’t help that when I caught it, I proudly placed it on
the visiting Queens dinner plate.
They said it was a curse. but no sorcerer bore of any ill
will- and not even a slight scent of magic lingered on me- Still...My childhood was a
never ending list of witches and doctors who each came with a new and insightful
potion for me to drink.
None of them worked. And at the age of sixteen, they still
haven’t given up hope…But I have, and I’ve accepted that I’ll always be hated by
them.No matter how big they smile at me. No matter how pleasant
their greetings. I know they must despise me. For the way I scratched up all of
the furniture in the parlor when I was trying to take a nap, for the way I After
all, if they didn’t- why would they insist on trying to change me? To fix me.
Because I’m more of a house pet than a royal.
“Katherine!
Come on!” Emilie voice rang through my head, snapping me if just for a moument
out of my melancholy. She smiled brightly, her dusty rose colored hair hanging
long past her shoulders. She was the closed to my age, being two years older
than I, and always tried to make an effort.
“The
dress maker is in Drusella’s room. Mother’s trying to gather us all to decide
on our gowns for the ball.”
I couldn’t
help but scoff, “Wouldn’t you prefer the blacksmith?” I asked. Emilie wasn’t one
to wear long flowing gowns, often dressing more like a knight than a princess.
“Even the
strongest knight might own a frilly garment or two.” She laughed, taking me by
the shoulder, and leading me down the hallway, with a grip just strong enough
to force me to follow. It was strange… I felt both mad at her for making me go,
and yet happy she was taking me with her. As unwanted as I felt I must be by my
family, I still wanted to be around them.
I just didn’t want them to know it.
The room
was overflowing with lush looking fabrics of silk, brocade and velvet. I
imagined what it would feel like tearing against my claws, and had to take a
deep breath. I would not transform! Not in front of everyone! Carefully I
walked in to the mock-delight of my sisters and mother. They wanted to see me
in a cloud of lilac fabric, light and flowy “With a crown of flowers to cover
up your ears-“ My mother suggested.
“What if I don’t want to cover them…” I snapped
“Katherine-“
“No! Why should I even go to the ball- What if I saw a bird though
the window and my hunter insticts went wild? What if I am yet again reduced to
a pile of fluff buried in this fine fabric. No… I won’t go. Not this time…”
“But Darling” My mother began “You never ever go, you never
let yourself have any fun…Your father and I think-”
Ignoring her words, I studied her face, unable to figure out why she looked so concerned, which filled me with confusion. Why
should she care? All I’d ever done was cause trouble.
I wanted to get away.
I didn’t want to be apart of the royal family anymore.
So I ran.
Out of the bedroom, Out of the palace, Far away from anywhere
my feet had ever taken me. I could feel the fabric falling off my my body. And I
pounced through away from the castle gaurds and towards the village. Not sure
where I wanted to go, and not really caring. I just wanted to get away, once
and for all.
Away from the shame, the smiles, but mostly I wanted to run
from the one thing that would follow me no matter where I tried to hide. I
wanted to run from myself.
The
village was dirtier than I thought it would be. Not the people- but the place.
Little pockets of dust formed flouted up into tiny puffs each time my paws hit
the ground. And unlike the castle, it was loud. Merchants shouted sometimes at
potential customers, sometimes at each other. And the new sights and sounds left
me feeling dazed. I stalked around like a stray careful not to get too close to
anyone and before I knew it, the sun was setting, and the air began to grow
cold.
I
wondered if I should go home. I stopped, looking towards the castle. I wondered
if anyone was looking for me. I hadn’t seen anyone in town.
“Hey
Kitty! Are you lost?” A voice that sounded high pitched yet kind filled my ears
and before I could think to react I was being scooped up in her arms. “Aww! I
think I saw you scrounging around earlier you must be hungry.”
…scourging. I wasn’t ‘scrounging’ Princesses didn’t-
Before I could even finish my thought my stomach gave me
away. Growling loudly, she carried me past a few of the stands, until we reached
the fish merchant, which I had avoided walking past during the day trying to
avoid the pungent smell. I’d walked past so quickly I hadn’t even noticed the
small house that stood behind it, with only a curtain for a door.
“I’m
home!” She shouted as she entered, kicking off the sandles by the doorway. “And
I brought a guest for dinner”
“My my! What do we have a member of the royal family?” A man
I assumed was her father joked.
She laughed, lifting me up in the air “Ah-huh! Princess Tabby
Cat” She announced, spinning around with me in her arms. I felt like I was
going to be sick. But there was something refreshing about her. She didn’t know
who I was, she wasn’t worried about how she should act. To her, I was just some
cat she picked up off the street.
She sat me down on the floor, and began to rummage around in
looking for a plate. I could smell some kind of soup brewing, something with tomatoes
and carrots. And I could here her parents proudly talking about bartering their
fish for the ingredients. It smelled good, and I could feel my mouth watering
with every passing second.
“Here you go kitty!” The girl said, slamming down a plate with
nothing but a raw fish, the stench filled my nose, and made me gag.
“Ah- come on just try it.” She urged, the more she looked at
me, the more she seemed to grow concerned.
“What’s a matter are you sick?”
Her eyes where filled with so much sincerity I couldn’t bare
it. Her mother called her away to their own table, and even as she ate her soup
and bread, she starred over at me.
I looked at the fish, and then back at her, then at the fish
again. The hungrier I got, the less repulsive it looked. I was a cat after all…
I was supposed to like this kind of stuff.
I started with one cautious lick, then a bite, in the blink
of an eye I had devoured the whole plate. And it was nothing like how I thought
it would be.
There was
a small fire that I curled up by after dinner. The girl flopped down next to
me, wrapping us both in a blanket. “My name’s Lena by the way, we’re going to
be best friends.” She was so confident in her statement I could feel myself
blushing, wondering when the last time I had never been so close to someone
was.
Once she
had nodded off, I heard her parents, talking about how bad business had been. It
seemed for some reason or another travelers had stopped coming into village.
There where trolls guarding the bridges, roads covered in dust. The more they
spoke, the more I realized something had to be done.
“Maybe we should send Lena away…” Her mother finally said. “She
can make a decent wage as a house maid…”
“For who? That twat your sister works for?”
“It would be a secure job.”
“It would be miserable”
They argued in hushed tones until Lena began to stir, then
promptly fell silent. Blowing out the fire, and going to sleep themselves.
I snuck
away from Lena’s arms, and found myself
slinking around the rest of the village. The blue skys in the daytime
distracted from how run down it had become. Bounded up windows, dead trees, and
stands merchants had let go to ruin, leaving and finding a better town.
A pair of
green eyes glaired at me in the darkness, and loud barking filled my ears. We
had many dogs in the palace. Most of them payed me no mind. But there was
different.
The dog that stood before me ready to pounce seemed…hungry.
I lunged out of the way, and began to run. Leaping onto
railings, and rocks to try to get out of his line of sight, but he followed me
mercilessly.
I needed to run- I needed to hide!
Thoughts began to flash through my mind quicker than I could
process them. I had to fix the town.
I had to help Lena. I couldn’t let this dog stop me.
“transform” I thought
“transform” I thought again, closing my eyes tightly.
“TRANSFORM!”
My body began to grow, the hair retracting back into my skin,
my paws stretching out into long graceful fingers, a light illuminating from
around me.
The dog ran away with his tail between his legs. And I fell
to the hard ground on my knees.
And I could feel soft rich fabric being draped around my
shoulders. Emilie.
I looked up and saw her. Bags under her eyes, and a relieved
expression.
“Ready to come home?”
I paused thoughtfully for a moment, looking around at the
run down village… Our village.
“Yes… I think I’m ready.”
My father
was the most surprised surprised, when I his youngest child, who had never
showed any interest in doing anything but hiding in my own room, strode into
the throne room, asking-no demanding that we open up the ball to the townsfolk.
Even inviting neighboring villages to join for a huge festival. But it didn’t
take much convincing. And in the weeks before the ball, we spent our resources
not only on the palace, but also helping to put the village back together.
I still
kept away…except at night when I’d transform, checking on things for myself,
making sure there was progress being made.
When the night of the ball came, I wore the dress that
looked like lavender clouds and walked shyly behind my other sisters as we
where announced.
My eyes searching through the crowd, feeling just as lost as
I had in this crowd as I had in the village, until I felt a tap on the
shoulder.
“Hey Kitty…” A familiar voice whispered in my ear, and I
turned to see Lena, wearing a dress just as blue as her eyes. “Are you lost?”
Her smile told me she knew… But it was impossible-
She reached out and touched my ears- The furry ears I
decided I didn’t want to cover up tonight.
“So you really where a princess after all” She laughed
Shyly I held my hand out, and lead her onto the dance floor,
standing a little taller than I had before, unable to hide my smile.
If the gift I had hated my whole life, had been the very
treasure of a moment, then maybe changing into a cat wasn’t such a bad thing
after all." That was it! I think it turned out pretty cute, and I would love hear your thoughts and see what stories the prompt lead you to! Wishing you a weekend filled with wonderment and brunches <3 Paige
Hey Everyone!
Recently I had the absolute pleasure of twirling around Megacon in my friend DaVid J McCarthy's Ariel Gown! We met at Dapper Day a few years back, and I've been admiring his work ever since, so when he posted that he wanted to wrangle a few girls to model his pink princess dresses, Well, I couldn't have been raising my hand any higher! A week before the convention, Matt and I drove out to his studio for a fitting and to pick up the costume.
"I think I'm going to put you in Ariel" He said, as we stood in the room, surrounded by elaborate costumes, and bolts of fabric. Before that moument, I wasn't sure exactly who I was going to be cosplaying. And funny enough,earlier that day. The fitting was really fun, and probably the first and only time anyone will ever say, "Wait! Do you need a dinglehopper?" and hand me a bedazzled fork in my life <3
Words cannot describe how beautiful this dress is, so I'll just show you instead! All of the little details, the lace, the beading are all apart of the whimsy and charm of DaVid's designs. His work is perfect balance of elegance and razzle dazzle.
I've cosplayed before, but I've never been essentially a walking model of someone's work. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. In motion I felt like a floofy mermaid princess, but when I was stopped to take a photo..I won’t lie, I panicked a little. I wanted to do the dress justice you know? Don’t get me wrong it was a lot of fun. But my inner monologue was very…”where do i look...how should I hold my hands- did i make a derp face...oh I think I blinked” Princessing was very new to me! But as I talked to other cosplayers, I realized, these are things everyone worries about to an extent.
I mean really, no one wants to be tagged in a picture, and feel like they look like this,
Or maybe you do, I don't know your life.
My favorite thing about wearing this cosplay? (besides the clouds of billowing fabric of course) had to be all of the cute kids! Hearing a squeaky voice say “Ariel can I take my picture with you?” was the most adorable thing, one little girl even told me she “loved my movie” and It was so unbelievably precious! In that moment to her, I was the real Ariel. And that was something unexpectedly wonderful about cosplaying a Disney Princess.
After floating...and sometimes tripping... around the vendor room, we headed on over to The Disney Meetup. I always see photos from things like this at conventions, massive groups of people crowded together on a staircase or in the lobby, but it's something I've never actually been apart of before. I was the first of DaVid's girls to arrive, but I didn't really have time to feel anxious, as I was quickly welcomed into the group of disney fans. One of the other cosplayers warned me that people's hoops had been getting caught in the railings of the staircase, and helped offer to carry the back of my dress, so that I wouldn't find myself in the same predicament. (which was so kind, and if you're reading this thank you!) I seldom feel like I can walk up to a stranger and start talking. But here it was different. It really did have a community feeling. And was seriously awesome! There were tons of cosplayers gathered around, snapping selfies, chatting with each other. And the craftsmanship and originality blew me away.
We gathered up on the staircase, not sure which camera to look at, the left, the right-You know, One thing that these time lapsed convention videos don’t tell you? By golly is it hot outside. After the big group shot, all of the girls wearing David’s designs broke off into a group trecking across the convention center to a cute grassy field to go forth and shoot with Themed Shots. (pictures coming soon!)
I felt this strange bubbling mix of nerves, excitement, and a little uncertainty. The rest of the girls where so kind, helpful, but also had way more experience than I did. So, I definitely put some pressure on myself to make sure I was doing my best. It's been a while since I've felt the vulnerability of a new experience. But luckily everyone was so welcoming and helpful, One of the girls Dani helped me fix my wig and the photographers at Themed Shots,and gave me some great guidance for posing. And Matt was the sweetest real life prince I could ask for, and ran and brought us bottles of water, so that we wouldn't melt away in the sun. And somehow he knew just when to give me a wink and a smile to encourage me.
DaVid, Themed Shots, and The "Pink Princess Posse" and Good Fairies where all so wonderful to collaborate with, and I think I’ll always have a fond place in my heart for my first cosplay photo-shoot ever. Sure my heart was pounding, and I was so nervous, but would I do it again? Oh absolutely.
Megacon this year was filled with new experiences. I’ve been going to conventions for what...9 years now? And so much this year was new to me. Waiting in crazy lines, wearing a ballgown, doing a photo shoot! and through all the new adventures and experiences, I started thinking a lot about Confidence, my own...and also my book that shares the same name. I kept wondering how my character Barbara would deal with all of these situations, I empathized, related to her, and tried to soak in all of the ideas! For all of the nerves and worries I felt, I had twice as much fun, and in a way doesn't that describe conventions pretty perfectly?
I want to thank DaVid and Themed Shots for letting me be "Part of their world" Sunday at Megacon #PinkPrincessPosse forever <3 If you'd like to see more of his work, or inquire about a commission, all of his info is linked down below, and seriously a dream!
The Girls! (who are on social media) Belle: -Taylor
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/simonds_says/
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQLi3KVPDUFIaDEWCV6fpA
Aurora "Maid Of Might"
https://www.instagram.com/maidofmight/
