Kane’s Favorite Things Week of 1/26/15

I know, I’m late. So sorry!! Hectic weekend spilled over, and there was definitely a case of The Mondays at Castle Kane.

This week features new boots, an old movie and some special art work.

Music:
Shattered Dreams was inspired by a Rascal Flatts song, so it was really easy to put together a playlist for the book. Shattered Lies on the other hand, wasn’t so easy. During the first draft of SD, I wasn’t even sure Tori would get a book. But the more I dove into her character, the more I realized the girl had layers. Yeah, she’s a selfish narcissist. But she’s also damaged. So, I was scrolling through the ole Facebook feed, and one of my best friends shared a song. Stacy and I are pretty much cut from the same cloth, so I always watch the videos she posts. The title alone was enough to put me in Tori’s mind, but as the song continued, I realized that Stacy had just done what I could not. She found THE song for Shattered Lies. So here it is 🙂 “She Don’t Love You” by Eric Paslay

Movies:
Today’s movie is a throw back. We’ve all read the classic Romeo and Juliet. Most of us have probably seen two or three versions of it. My personal favorite is the 1996 version directed by Baz Luhrmann. First, I LOVE John Leguizamo, and second- Dagger. 

Who’s John Leguizamo? One of the funniest comedians in the history of ever! He’s the star of my personal favorite, The Pest, and his role in Romeo and Juliet was by far the best portrayal of Tybalt I have ever seen.

When the movie first came out, I was a teenager and too young to truly appreciate the genius and artistry of the symbols that were sort of “hidden in plain sight”. While the language and theme of the story remains faithful to the original, it is the symbols integrated into this modern interpretation that make it so powerful. Mercutio’s Dagger is the embodiment of that.

Romeo and Juliet is currently available on Netflix Streaming. I highly recommend you watch it, and keep an eye out for all the different symbols hidden in this modern portrayal of a classic tragedy. 

Books:
Last week I started looking for a new book to read in my free time. Unfortunately, what I was looking for I just couldn’t find. So I decided to reread one of my favorites- Loving Lies by Lora Leigh. On her Facebook page, Lora revealed the cover for Jazz’s book. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. Loving Lies has been the single most influential book in my writing career, and I am so excited to hear that both Jazz and Zach will be getting their own books!! Click this link to see the cover and read a blurb for Wicked Lies.

Funny:
Easily one of my favorite songs and who doesn’t love watching cat videos?? Besides, I must pay homage to my favorite cat lover Amanda Afterdark 😉

Fashion:
Today’s fashion fave is brought to you by Closet Kane and an Amazon Goddess.
Love, love, LOVE boots, and this week, I added two more pair to my ever growing collection. It’s impossible to pick a favorite, but this is the pair I put on first.

I’m an Instagram addict, and one of my favorite pages belongs to McKinli Hatch. She is a professional fitness competitor and Amazon Goddess, with an amazing eye for fashion. She runs a blog and online store that are quickly becoming my favorite pages to visit. I love her print leggings and can’t seem to get enough of her cardigans and accessories. Check her out!

Epic:
Last Friday, my son brought home a drawing one of his friends made for me. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gift, I HAD to share it. One of my favorite shirts features that little phrase across the front. Thank you so much Pierce! I LOVE it!!!

Honorable Mention: 
A&E for their daily Criminal Minds marathons.

Manic Monday: Adventures in Graphic Design

I’m an art junkie. Written, spoken, visual…I love it all! You already know I love to write. I can’t sing worth a lick, but a few years ago, I took up photography. Early achievements encouraged me to continue with it, and over the years I’ve seen some success. Not enough to quit my day job yet 😉 but success none the less! I’ve been contracted to do quite a few sessions for everything from individual kiddos to sports teams and family reunions. I was most recently hired to shoot a model for a book cover! I’ve got a few more of those gigs in the works right now, so I’m really excited about that! Something about seeing your image on the cover of a book….AWESOME!!!

<squirrel> See how easily I get distracted….

Now, onto the topic of today’s blog post. My most recent foray into the art world has been in graphics design. That book cover shoot I mentioned? The author wanted a calendar made from those images, but since they were taken with a graphic artist in mind, they needed some design work. Crazy woman right here offered to give it a go. I thought “Hey, I know Photo Shop. How hard can this be?” *Snort* Three days later, my “designs” were looking more like something you’d find on a Pin Fail board. So….. I became a veritable sponge, soaking up every book, class and bit of advice I could get my hands on. I learned vectors, rasters, layers, masked layers, adjustment layers, plug ins, you name it. I also learned humility and a new found respect for the knowledge and talent it takes to do this kind of work. The result was a 12-page calendar I’m proud to say “I Designed!!!” Woohoo!

I learned a lot working on that calendar and I was eager to apply those techniques to other designs. So I’ve decided to share some of the graphics I’ve worked on. I don’t see Lions Gate calling anytime soon, but hey 😉 I hope you enjoy looking at them, and please feel free to offer your feedback. I never want to stop learning, and critiques are an artist’s best friend!

 

PS. Hug your designers people. Seriously. Go. Hug them.