Relocating to a new blog

I was planning to start posting art here on the regular, but I've decided that I want that to be separate from the stuff I posted when I was five. So instead, I'll be posting art and possibly other random nonsense here: arsdraconem.blogspot.com

Spooky ghost owl thing

Got our surface tablet working; this is my first bit of artwork with that.

Some art I've done recently

This creature is a demon from Egyptian mythology. She eats the souls of the wicked.

These three are from Norse mythology: Loki's sons Fenrir the wolf and Jormungandr the Midgard Serpent, and his daughter Hela, the Goddess of Death. Not sure I'm happy with the shading on this; turns out shadows are hard on the computer.

This dragon is Owl, my OC (original character; fan character) for the Wings of Fire series.

What I've been reading lately

As usual, I've been reading a lot these past few months. So, here is a list of what I've been reading lately.
REREADS

• The 39 Clues, by several authors: This series is awesome. I highly recommend it. This is my second time reading the series, and it's better than I remembered. When their grandmother dies, siblings Amy and Dan Cahill are thrown into a worldwide scavenger hunt against their relatives, all of which would kill to get the prize, which is only world domination.
• N.E.R.D.S., by Michael Buckley: In this great story by an amazing author, a team of six superspies travels all over the world to stop villains. However, there's one thing...the spies are all school-age nerds.
• The Alcatraz books, by Brandon Sanderson: These hilarious, witty books follow a boy named Alcatraz Smedry in his quest to save the world from a cult of evil librarians. This is my third or fourth time reading the series. There are four books out so far, and book 5 is coming out next year.
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus, by Rick Riordan: This is my third time reading these books, and they're just as good as the day I first picked up book 1, The Lightning Thief, if not better. These are a must-read if you like magic, mythology, or just a good story. Heroes of Olympus is better than Percy Jackson, but they are pretty much one series with two names, so read Percy Jackson first. 

NEW READS

• Sisters Grimm, by Michael Buckley: This has the same author as N.E.R.D.S., and it's just as good. When Sabrina and Daphne Grimm's parents vanish, they're adopted by their Granny Relda, and she tells them an astonishing truth: they're descended from the famous Brothers Grimm, and fairy-tale characters are real. They have to solve mysteries related to the fairy-tale characters, and rescue their parents from a mysterious organisation called the Scarlet Hand. I didn't really like Sabrina, the main character, but the rest of the series is totally worth it.
• Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb, by Kirsten Miller: A band of six girls discover a lost world beneath New York called the Shadow City, and they must protect it, while solving mysteries surrounding their members. That's sort of a summary for the first book. Oh well. I read the first book several months back, and I just got this one from the library. This series is super cool.
• The Copernicus Legacy, by Tony Abbott: I thought this was a great book...until I reread 39 Clues book 1. It's pretty much exactly the same, and 39 Clues came first. Don't bother reading it. Just go read 39 Clues. 

Dragon Art

Lately, I've been drawing a lot. Mostly dragons from the Wings of Fire book series. Here are some of my drawings:

Three variations on a NightWing dragon


I didn't position the eyes right, but otherwise, it's pretty accurate to the books.

Three variations on a SandWing dragon

This one I'm not sure if I got the snout quite right, but I mostly did okay. They look way better when shaded and/or colored, don't they?

And, finally, Merry Christmas, everyone!

Glory the RainWing-with a Santa hat! (Yes, her horns are supporting the hat.)

Oh, and I've been watching too much Doctor Who. Yesterday I said something along the lines of, "Santa is a cult of ninjas from outer space!" Unless you live in Doctor Who, you're unlikely to get extraterrestrial Santa ninjas, although you might find Santa ninjas.

Oh, weird joke:
Person 1: My life stinks.
Person 2: So take a bath!

The Demon Doll From...um...Somewhere Terrifying!

Okay, all joking aside. I was in Mom's room with her, Dad, and Jack. I was moving a doll that was on the bed. I put it on the bedside table and, suddenly, it talked. We were terrified. I gave it to Mom, and she figured out what button made it talk. It said it was thirsty. And hungry. In the most horrifying voice possible. "I'm soo hungry. Hugs and kisses!" Who would say that except a vampire? Or possibly post-End of Time Master's daughter. "I'm thirsty, mommy. Can I have a drink?" It. Is. Evil. I swear. Mom said it would have been terrifying if it had gotten activated in the middle of the night. Wait, exactly what time is it right now? "Sing with me!" I can totally imagine that with a cute little evil laugh and maybe the scare chord from Doctor Who. Let's just hope it doesn't start asking if we're it's mother...or wearing a gas mask... If I ever become a horror writer, I shall remember this day. Okay, five minutes later. I went to get a quote from it to put here. Guess what it says if you leave it long enough. No, not, "exterminate". That would break the tension and probably make it a Nazi, except that it's black. It says, if you leave it long enough, "Mommy, where are you?" Gah. If that had been when mom was getting up to go potty, and she'd stepped on it... Oh great. It does have an evil laugh. "Can I have a drink? Heeheehee!" Wait, what's this? The off-switch! We're saved!

Leucism in Cyanocitta cristata

I just saw a Blue jay with a white head in our front yard! It got chased out of the pine tree by another Blue jay. At first glance, it looked like a normal Blue jay, but then I got a clear view of it's head. That is called Partial Albinism, or since it's not truly albino, Leucism. Oh, and yes, I am completely lexiphanic, and lovin' it. And the Google Spellcheck thinks lexiphanic and Leucism are spelled wrong. And Time Lord. Which has absolutely nothing to do with Blue jays, Leucistic or not.