shadowfire-x's gallery

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02/02/12--11:02: The Great Blue (chan 2077760)

Great Blue Heron, taken at Thousand Hills State Park near Kirksville, MO.

Equipment used:
Canon Rebel T3i
Tamron 70-300mm lens w/Sigma UV filter









02/02/12--12:24: The Mighty Bite that Bit the Dust (chan 2077760)

Skull of a common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). Don't worry, it was dead when I found it. I cleaned it first with filtered water and a bit of very gentle scrubbing, followed by an overnight soak in a container of a hydrogen peroxide solution.









02/02/12--12:28: All Up in my Bismuth (chan 2077760)

Bismuth crystal I've had lying around for awhile. I don't have a dedicated macro lens, so, for the moment, I'm stuck with a 50mm and some extension tubes, which doesn't do wonders for my depth of field.









02/02/12--21:30: More Bismuth as Usual (chan 2077760)

Just some more Bismuth.









02/02/12--21:48: Seek Help (chan 2077760)

A note to anyone who's found themselves where I've been.


It's taken a long time for me to build up the courage to write this.  Typing this has managed to be stressful, cathartic, and emotional all at once.  This isn't just venting from me, but a plea to anyone suffering from depression or any other mental illness.

TW: depression, suicide

What do you think of when you hear 'mental illness'?  You think of the loony bin, don't you – people who are ranting, or raving, or a danger to themselves or others.  A lot of people think of psychopaths, and serial killers – the stuff that horror movies are made of.

The truth is that the general public doe


02/03/12--08:51: Sharp as Glass (chan 2077760)

I'm actually stumped on this one, followers. I have a box of minerals, and this was included. The only problem is, the labels are all missing, and I really don't know what this is.

Any geology nuts willing to help me out?









02/03/12--09:38: Pretty in Purple (chan 2077760)

Some purple amethyst. The facets and shapes are so fascinating.









02/03/12--09:47: Calcite (chan 2077760)

I am almost 100% sure that this is a calcite rhomb.









02/03/12--09:52: Geode, dude (chan 2077760)

Okay, so I keep making my titles horrible puns. I'll stop that soon, I promise... maybe.









02/03/12--12:06: Mystery Mineral (chan 2077760)

I have no idea what this is. My grandfather found it in some mine tailings near Phoenix, AZ.









02/03/12--21:54: Polished Sand (chan 2077760)

Not sure what this one is. Found a bag full of tumbled rocks, and went crazy with the lightbox.









02/03/12--22:06: Ripples in Purple (chan 2077760)

Not sure of the ID on this one, either - more from the bag of tumbled rocks.









02/03/12--22:15: A Study in Red (chan 2077760)

Not sure on this one. I think it's tumbled/polished jasper?









02/03/12--22:28: Stoneswirl (chan 2077760)

Another mystery from my bag of polished rocks.









02/04/12--19:47: The Doktor is In (chan 2077760)

Herr Doktor Fleischer, yet again. Whenever I can’t figure out what to draw, I always decide to sharpen my skills or break an art block on him. I’m really rather pleased with how this came out. I was originally planning on doing a color mask over it, but I may or may not do that now - I think it actually looks pretty good in monochrome.









02/05/12--09:15: To you fabulous artists (chan 2077760)




I really wish you would leave the option to share your work on your deviations.  I can understand why you might not want too, but, when I see a truly spectacular piece, and I want to share it with a lot of people, I share it on tumblr.  Sharing a deviation on Tumblr automatically puts the deviation title and author with a link to the submission itself, and the author's page.  It's great exposure, especially with the way submissions on Tumblr can fan our dramatically if enough of a person's watchers start to reblog it.

If you want a lot of extra exposure (and, I mean, a LOT) and, of course, if it's not too impo


02/05/12--11:29: The Doktor is In... COLOR! (chan 2077760)

Okay, I think he's done now. Nicklaus Fleischer, now in color. Doing values in monochrome and then coloring with linked overlay layers makes coloring a cinch!









02/06/12--14:28: Fool's Gold (chan 2077760)

Iron Pyrite on - wow, my geology professor would kick me for not knowing what kind of rock it's on.









02/06/12--14:55: Pet Leopard Rock (chan 2077760)

Thanks to [link] who earlier identified a different photo of this rock as Leopard Skin Jasper. It's certainly a fitting name. I've had this and a bunch of other rocks sitting in a bag for years, and putting them under a macro setup has really made me appreciate their beauty.









02/06/12--18:04: To There, Alice! (chan 2077760)

Nothing super special, just testing my new remote shutter release.









02/08/12--05:57: Malodorous (chan 2077760)

A raw sulfur crystal. I only handled it for a few seconds to put it in the lightbox, and then remove it - but, it sure did leave a stink on my hands!









02/08/12--16:58: DIY Macro Studio (chan 2077760)

This is my DIY Lightbox/Macro studio where I've been doing most of my rock and mineral shots. It's just a cardboard box with the sides cut out and covered with transparent cloth where light can be diffused and shone through. There is a piece of white poster board glued to the top inside of the box, and a long piece of black poster board slid in to place the subjects on. I have a length of white poster board that I can substitute in as well.

I got the instructions here [link]









02/08/12--17:11: Anyone else hear The Lion King music? (chan 2077760)

I love love love taking shots of sunrises and sunsets. The only trouble is, I'm still fairly new to this town, and I don't know many people. Back home I could traipse around all over the place for the best sunset viewpoints, because everyone knew me and knew all I was doing was shooting pictures and looking for critters.

I'm hoping I'll eventually find a good sunset vantage point (already have a -wonderful- sunrise one) soon, because driving all over the place trying to find one is getting tiresome!









02/12/12--06:03: Our Birds Shall Blot Out the Sun (chan 2077760)

Snow geese at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge. The goose count that day was very near a million birds. This patch of sky and ground that I managed to photograph was only a very tiny fraction of the flock.

The sight, and the sound, are both something to behold.









02/12/12--06:15: Fly-by Shooting (chan 2077760)

A million snow geese. A -million-, at the Refuge.









02/12/12--06:43: Spooked! (chan 2077760)

I did mention there were around a -million- snow geese, right?









02/12/12--06:51: Blue-bellied Roller (chan 2077760)

Taken at the Desert Dome of the Henry Doorly Zoo - and taken through mesh, believe it or not!









02/12/12--07:00: Scarlet Macaw (chan 2077760)

Another photo from a recent trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo - this time in the Lied Jungle.









02/12/12--07:17: Tender Moment (chan 2077760)

More from the Henry Doorly Zoo - the Lied Jungle this time - a mother gibbon and her baby. The baby would occasionally bounce and run and leap across the vines and trees before returning to the safety of its mother's arms.









02/12/12--07:38: The Grumpiest Owl (chan 2077760)

More Henry Doorly Zoo shots. This one was in the Desert Dome. I'm not entirely sure why this burrowing owl decided to give me such a withering scowl - perhaps he simply doesn't like having his picture taken.

Another photo taken through mesh.









02/12/12--08:09: Cape Thick-Knee (chan 2077760)

Cape Thick-Knee photographed in the Desert Dome at the Henry Doorly Zoo.









02/12/12--10:13: Whipped and Banded (chan 2077760)

Not 100% sure on this one. I'm -fairly- certain it's polished petrified wood.









02/12/12--11:40: I was bored (chan 2077760)

So I drew a boring landscape.









02/12/12--19:40: Pendants, ahoy! (chan 2077760)




I finally manned up and got an Etsy account, here: http://www.etsy.com/people/THSPNat?ref=si_pr

Most or all of what's going to be up there will be handmade wire-wrapped polished stone pendants.


02/12/12--19:44: Stone Pendant (chan 2077760)

Guess who got an Etsy account [link] ...finally.

Then again, I've never found myself getting into a hobby so quickly and with such relatively decent results.









02/13/12--06:30: Stone Pendant 2 (chan 2077760)

Another of the hand-made, wire-wrapped pendants I've been making. I think they're turning out really pretty so far. This one is for sale on my etsy shop [link] .









02/13/12--06:45: Stone Pendant 3 (chan 2077760)

This is another one that's for sale in my etsy shop. I tried a different technique here other than the 'cage' - using loops and swirls to hold the stone in place, instead.

[link]









02/13/12--09:16: Stone Pendant 4 (chan 2077760)

Another handmade wire-wrapped stone pendant. I believe this stone is polished petrified wood.

Available on Etsy here! [link]









02/13/12--09:24: Stone Pendant 5 (chan 2077760)

Polished amethyst pendant, wrapped in silver wire. Handmade, and available on etsy! [link]









02/13/12--13:33: Stone Pendant 6 (chan 2077760)

Polished purple stone pendant wrapped in gold beading wire. Available on etsy! [link]









02/13/12--14:36: Stone Pendant 7 (chan 2077760)

Not sure whether I'm going to put this one up on Etsy, or keep it...









02/13/12--15:47: Stone Pendant 8 (chan 2077760)

Another handmade wire-wrapped stone pendant. This one is available on Etsy for $7 + shipping! [link]









02/13/12--16:20: Stone Pendant 9 (chan 2077760)

Another of my wire-wrapped stone pendants. This one is also available on etsy. I'm really pleased with how these are turning out - they're a lot of fun, and, no two are alike! [link]









02/13/12--17:33: Hope (chan 2077760)

The first time I saw my therapist she gave me this Hope stone. It’s been on my monitor stand for almost three quarters of a year now, and I decided to ‘modify’ it a little so I can take it with me more easily. It is absolutely not for sale.









02/16/12--08:52: Stone Pendant 10 (chan 2077760)

Another handmade, wire-wrapped stone pendant. I did some experimenting with coiling finer wire around the 20 gauge and looping it. I'm not entirely sure whether I like the results, or not.









02/16/12--15:47: They Can't All Be Winners (chan 2077760)

Three pendants I made today that just didn't come out very well. I'm afraid they might be beyond salvaging, as well. Oh well, I suppose all I can do is learn from my mistakes and move on.









02/16/12--18:55: Stone Pendant 11 (chan 2077760)

Another handmade wire-wrapped pendant. I'm much more pleased with how this one came out. It's definitely one of the more complex pieces I've done.









02/17/12--08:02: Flow (chan 2077760)

Another handmade pendant. I'm not sure whether to sell this one or wear it. I personally like it, but I was experimenting with the wirework on this one and it kind turned out bird's nest-y.









02/17/12--12:45: Loopy (chan 2077760)

Another wrapped stone pendant. This one is still a little odd, in my opinion, but not entirely a mess-up.









02/17/12--12:47: Twist and Turn (chan 2077760)

Another handmade pendant - I can't stop myself from making them, it seems! I must have upwards of 20 of them floating around here, by now, and the equipment I use to make them has taken over my desk!









02/17/12--18:13: Tumbled Violet (chan 2077760)

Yet another pendant. No, really, I can't stop making these, someone send help.









02/17/12--18:15: I need your help, followers (chan 2077760)




I can't stop making pendants.  I literally make like, at least three of them a day.  They're starting to pile up, and I don't have a place to put them all.  Please help me clear my desk with a little trip to etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/THSPNat?ref=si_shop .  I sell  internationally - pricing is based on the complexity and therefor time it took to make each piece.


02/18/12--09:44: Yet Another Pendant (chan 2077760)

These are really fun to make, but, I don't think I'll be putting any more up on my Etsy shop until some of them actually sell.









02/18/12--13:30: Wave (chan 2077760)

Yet another pendant. I'll try to make this the last one I do for today. I think I have a problem.









02/19/12--15:35: Feel Good Drag (chan 2077760)

Okay, I had made some minor effort to draw Fleischer in drag, before... but, it didn't come out all that well. This is try two, with more oomph. This is about as out-of-character as a 6' 6" Aryan BLU Medic can be - but, I think he looks rather pretty.









02/19/12--18:41: Whorl (chan 2077760)

Rough blue crackle quartz hand-wrapped in 20-gauge gold-toned wire. This and more are for sale on my Etsy shop! [link]









02/20/12--08:43: Amber (chan 2077760)

When I was in college, they made the mistake of letting you buy IBC Root Beer at the cafeteria with your meal plan money. I cannot tell you how many bottles of this stuff I went through. I cleaned a bunch of them once I was finished, and lined my windowsill with them. It was only once the sun was shining through them that I realized how pretty the work on the glass actually was.









02/20/12--09:06: Crackle (chan 2077760)

Another rough piece of crackle quartz, this one dyed red-orange. It's been hand-wrapped in silver-toned 20-gauge wire. This one was kind of a challenge, given its larger size and somewhat unusual shape.









02/21/12--15:51: Apache Tear (chan 2077760)

This -large- pendant (~2" across) is made from rounded, polished obsidian, known as an 'Apache tear'. It is translucent, and light will shine through in bands if the edges of the stone are looked at.
This piece is available for sale, along with others, on my etsy page. [link]









02/21/12--17:38: A Study in Red 2.0 (chan 2077760)

I absolutely love how this one turned out. This is a large piece of red jasper, hand-wrapped in silver-toned wire. It is available, along with my other pendants, at my Etsy shop [link]