Flynn_the_Cat's Art: where to find me

Flynn the Cat: Art and Other Obsessions

Welcome to my Profile lens. This page lists all my art sites, blogs and shops, as well as my other lenses created to date - for my own convenience and for anyone who wants to contact me.

See my fantasy art, my nature paintings and my photography. Get free wallpapers and earn a commission by promoting my Zazzle store.

For more about ArtRage (my painting program) see the All About ArtRage Lens
For other DeviantArtragers, visit ArtRage Artists on DeviantArt

Or use the Links below to jump to the sections headed "My lenses..."

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Art is hard work

And pencils are tiring on the wrists

moar funny pictures

Almost all the pictures I use on my lenses are mine - because I want to, and because it's less of a copyright worry! If you are trying to track down a specific one, please ask!

Sprouting Wings - An Angel Hatches

I'm Just Flying Through...

I've been honoured by being made a SquidAngel in October 2009.
...I guess I need to dig out, or paint, an actual 'Angel' picture! :D

If I've blessed you, I'd love it if you added the lens or lenses - I'd like to have a record,it will give you a tiny bit of promotion and people can see what kinds of lenses I bless.

Five Random Lenses

See what I've written

Most of my lenses are on ArtRage (and/or Art); Terry Pratchett (and a few other books and webcomics) and random things that interested me, or I know about. Here's a quick sampling, and if you want to see a specific lense, they are all divided by category below.

Scroll down to the next module to see the category lensographies: ArtRage and Books and my Artwork by Subject lenses
Lenses as yet un-lensographied are:

Resources for Artists Lenses (3)

Science Lenses (Science, Nature and Health) (5)

My Lenses: Somewhat Unfinished (5)

My Lenses Made for Others: Cosplay Lenses (2)

Current WIPs - 5 Lenses

ArtRage Artists on Zazzle

ArtRage is an intuitive digital painting program that's a wonderful match for any 'traditional' painter armed with a tablet. It's always been quite special finding other painters using it - and there seem not be that many of us (compared to Photosho...

My Favourite Authors - From Bujold to Pratchett

This lens began as a quick writeup of Lois McMaster Bujold's DeviantArt fanart (that page is still coming) and promptly sprawled out from the recommended artists into a fullblown favourite authors list. I first knew I was in trouble when I tried to q...

Doujin Overload

Doujin Overload is a local art convention for anime and manga fans. Auckland has a small but growing community of anime fans, strongly influenced by the presence of Japan people and products in New Zealand culture, population and economy. New Zeal...

On The Origin Of PCs

The first book in the Order of the Stick series - On the Origin of PCs is exactly what it say. The origin stories of the main characters. This black and white book is only available in print and well worth reading (also cheaper than the full colour v...

"...and then Buffy killed Edward" - the T-shirt

Most of the internet has heard of Twilight. Many of these people have also heard of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Some enterprising people have put these two contrasting vampire fandoms together - best of all in the video below, that began by asking "Wha...

My Lensographies

Collections of Lenses by Subject

As I'm starting to get so many lenses, I'm having to create separate pages to list them!

All About ArtRage: An ArtRage Lensography

ArtRage is a digital painting program that is unparalleled in cheapness, fun and the ability to simulate traditional media. All my digital artwork is painted in ArtRage, and I have created an ever increasing number of lenses to introduce and explain...

My Book Lenses

Well, my main lensography/about me page is getting a little out of hand, so I've moved my book reviews onto their own lens! I'm an avid reader, mainly of fantasy and science fiction, as well as reading a lot of webcomics - on average of twenty update...

Want to use My Art on a Lens?

Then read on!

If you'd like to use my art to decorate your lenses, you are very welcome.

How?

Zazzle

One way is to feature my Zazzle items and use them.

That's pretty basic - you don't have to ask, although I'd be very happy to hear about it. If you want something specific, and want it to be on Zazzle in order to get referral sales, feel free to contact me, and I'll make or find it for you (with a very few exceptions - e.g. fanart I obviously cannot sell).

Uploaded Images
You are free to use any of my images on your lenses, with the caveat that you credit me and link back (the credit can be the link). Whether you link to this (or one of my art lenses) or to the original on DeviantART I do not mind.
If you need a specific format or cropped version, contact me and I will be happy to provide.

I will not send print quality files, for obvious reasons ^_^ - but am very happy to help otherwise.

Other
Got another way in mind? Go ahead and suggest it!

Some of my Paintings

Some of my artwork

<a href="http://flynn-the-cat.deviantart.com/art/Negative-Space-126935673">Negative Space</a><br />
June 24, 2009<br />
Artrage

<a href="http://flynn-the-cat.deviantart.com/art/Negative-Space-126935673">Negative Space</a>
June 24, 2009
Artrage

<a href="">Leia in Pencils</a>
October 25, 2009

Prismacolor pencils and moleskine sketchbook

<a href="http://flynn-the-cat.deviantart.com/art/Suddenly-122563920">Suddenly</a>
May 15, 2009
ArtRage

<a href="http://flynn-the-cat.deviantart.com/art/Symbolic-Flows-96094023">Symbolic Flows</a>
August 27, 2008
Artrage

<a href="http://flynn-the-cat.deviantart.com/art/Tui-Feeding-139683979">tui feeding On Cherry Blossoms</a>
October 10, 2009
ArtRage

<a href="http://www.squidoo.com/new-zealand-native-bird-the-tui">more about the tui bird</a>

<a href="http://flynn-the-cat.deviantart.com/art/Waterborn-80762864">Waterborn</a>
March 23, 2008
ArtRage

<a href="http://flynn-the-cat.deviantart.com/art/YinYang-111166569">Yin Yang</a>
January 30, 2009
ArtRage

<a href="http://flynn-the-cat.deviantart.com/art/Buffy-Portrait-Practice-145557052">Buffy: Portrait practice</a>

Sarah Michelle Gellar, as Buffy Summers, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
December 2009
ArtRage Studio Pro

My Art Lenses

My artwork, by subject matter

For mermaids and cats, see the lenses below for all my artwork!

My Cats - Paintings, Photography and Drawings by Flynn the Cat

This lens collects all my paintings of cats, so far, as well as photos of my pet cats that are worth uploading. I like painting, but I can never stick to one subject - mostly I paint cats when I need a gift for someone! Not to say I dislike drawing t...

My Mermaid Paintings and Drawings

Mermaids are one of the staples of fantasy - throughout history, myth and legend they've appeared in various terrfying and alluring forms, in art and story. This trend still continues today, with a mermaid lurking in the gallery of almost every f...

My Lenses: Resources for Artists

Blessed By An Angel

The Best Art Lenses on Squidoo

TinEye

TinEye - The Reverse Image Search Engine

TinEye is a different kind of search engine. "It's being used by researchers who need to find where an image came from to provide attribution, even people who are trying to find out who people are in old photos. We had somebody who had a...

Doujin Overload

Doujin Overload is a local art convention for anime and manga fans. Auckland has a small but growing community of anime fans, strongly influenced by the presence of Japan people and products in New Zealand culture, population and economy. New Zeal...

The Best Art Lenses On Squidoo

Squidoo has a great many lenses reviewing and explaining different aspects of art - but the trick is often finding them. So welcome to my still-in-progress lens - always in progress - collecting some of the many wonderful tutorials and reviews of art...

Free Wallpapers

Download some of my art to keep your desktop company!

The below are free wallpapers from my artwork.

ot for commercial use.
Click through to the DeviantART page, then click 'Download' up on the left.

A Matter of Moleskines: My Drawing Book

My favourite sketchbook

Latley I've started using a Moleskine, and I have to admit I love it. The paper is strong and smooth and easy to draw on, the creamy yellow creates a nicer effect than plain white, and it holds up well when coloured.

They have ruled and grid and watercolour versions, as well as a variety of sizes, but it costs so much in New Zealand ($40) that I have to make the most of what I have! A larger one would be nice, but I couldn't carry it around with me easily.
Here are some recent examples of my moleskine work:

All within the last couple of months, using plain pencils (F and 2B) and Prismacolors. Colour differences are due to scanning issues and colour balance errors. The pale yellow ones (e.g, the Leia portrait) are the most accurate.

And below is the one I use.

Moleskine Sketchbook Large

by: Moleskine

Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 12/29/2009)

Some other people's opinions:

"I use the Moleskine Sketchbook as a journal. I often like to adhere mementos to the pages, as well as draw diagrams and sketches, so I prefer the unlined, archival pages. Additionally, I am a bit touchy about ink showing through the back of the page, and find the thick pages of the sketchbook adequate for even a fine Sharpie. The pocket at the back is handy for odd receipts and such, and the elastic keeps larger notes in place. Also, I admit I get a cheap OCD thrill from the uniform line of perfect black books on the bookcase. And they smell divine."

"The Moleskine sketchbook is a pleasure to draw in. It has very heavy, creamy smooth paper, much heavier than the Moleskine blank journal. The paper takes all dry media (pens, graphite, charcoal, pastels) well with no bleed through on pens and markers. There is some bleed through on drawing ink. If you want to use wet media, get the Moleskine watercolor sketchbook instead."

"As a designer, needless to say I sketch a lot. Inspiration is found everywhere around me and this sized Moleskine notebook is incredible to carry around.

How so? It's lightweight, the cover is great, the band to keep it closed is a lifesaver for keeping my pages clean & flat, the stock is wonderful for sketching in, and I use the folder inside on the back page to keep plane tickets, foreign currencies, and whatever else I find inspiring. A very famous designer first introduced me to these notebooks and told me he used nothing else. I bought my first one 3 years ago and never looked back.

Also, if you are traveling and are seeking a travel journal- the Moleskin travel journals are incredible. They have maps, locations, linguistics, sketch pages, lined pages, a folder and more... Moleskine City Notebook Paris (Moleskine City Pocket Book)

These notebooks were the legendary notebook used for the past two centuries by great artists and thinkers, including Van Gogh, Picasso, Hemingway and Chatwin... and hopefully by you soon. You won't regret it."

Awards and Recognition

Significant successes with my art

A Fish For My Sister - surreal underwater green, little black cat, and golden fish.

First Place in NZ Art Contest

Creation by =Flynn-the-cat on deviant ART

First place in the Youthline Art contest for 2009, in the over 18 category, for the theme of 'Identity'.

My Daily Deviation on DeviantART

Foam: Stock by =Flynn-the-cat
Daily Deviation, 2009-03-30
TimeFalcon said Foam: Stock by =Flynn-the-cat This image is not only a beautiful photograph, but generously offered as free stock by the artist! It really gets the imagination flowing, and creates the perfect background/setting for fantasy artists. (Suggested by =TimeFalcon and Featured by ^Hanratty-Stock)

My Homepage Feature on RedBubble

Careless by Flynnthecat

Today's Best Awards on Zazzle

My Artwork: The Range...

Traditional, mermaids, birds, dragons, fanart, realism...

I've begun grouping my artwork into categories, to make for easier browsing (because my gallery is getting out of control - my stats as of the 12th October 2009 say "Every 1.6 days Flynn-the-cat uploads a new deviation"!)
Flynn the Cat's Fantasy Art Store
Original, unique and colourful fantasy paintings on Zazzle

A sample of some of my work available for sale. Feel free to browse around, and if you like the look of something - feel even freer to buy it!
If you prefer RedBubble to buy art from; I sell cards and prints Here (it's more Fine Art orientated - no badges or cups or postcards or postage and is based in Australia)

I also suffer from internet issues and distractions and don't upload /make everything I could with my art - if you are interested in anything specific, be it picture or product, feel very free to say so. All my work is in my DeviantART gallery, but most of it isn't uploaded as a print file... ^_^

Some of my favourite Greeting Card designs

Unique greeting cards from my original paintings - most are blank, some have corner images inside, to match the theme.

ArtRage Paintings 2009
ArtRage paintings from 2008
ArtRage and traditional paintings from 2007
Pencilwork
Poetry
Memes and Graphic Design
Linearts and Fanart

Oddments
Closeups and Details
Deviant IDs
Kiribans, prizearts and Trades

Photography
New Zealand photos 2006-now
Australian Photos 2007
UK-photography-2006
Aquariums-06-now

My Free Things: Stock, linearts, wallpapers, tutorials...: ArtRage tutorials, free photo stock for reference or manipulation...
My Traditional Art: Mostly pencil drawings. I've been using ArtRage exclusively for the last couple of years, and it's only this year I've started relearning how to draw traditionally.
Mermaids: My mermaids!
Linearts and Sketches: Most of my linearts are actually sketches and uninterpretable sketches, but anyone interested in colouring any, or cleaning on up, is welcome to look here.

Earn a Commission!

Promote my Zazzle store!

Promote My Gallery: If you like my products and store, feel free to feature them on your Facebook page, or blog and earn 7% commission. Promote My Gallery: User Name: flynn_the_cat

You can promote as many artists as you like - although I'd obviously appreciate you including me!

Places To Find Me

My art sites, shop and other places

Want to get hold of me, or see more of my work? Or better yet - buy some? Then follow the links below.

Flynn_the_Cat on Zazzle: My shop! Fantasy art, nature paintings, nature photography and a great deal of colour. I sell postage stamps, postcards, greeting cards, posters, bookmarks, button badges, ties, mugs and even shoes of my original art (And yes, it is all mine ^_^). All fully customizable - add your name, or someone else's, write your own greetings, add silly captions, change the borders and backgrounds... or just buy them as is; whatever you like.
This is where I gently point out to the Non-US customers, Flynn the Cat's RedBubble Gallery. I don't offer as many paintings, but the ones that are there are my best. The reason I mention it is that, depending on where you are, and the current exchange rate, you might find them easier on your purse - especially for shipping.
Flynn-the-Cat on Deviantart: My Deviantart gallery - come see all my paintings, from the old and dreadful sketches in scraps the newest random inspirations. All in ArtRage - except for the odd nature photo.
Imagery: My Livejournal Art and Icon Blog: My art blog is Ashuriel_le_Mad on Livejournal - I crosspost from Deviantart, track random progress across the web, keep track of other artists and... upload lots of Livejournal icons!
Flynnthecat - RedBubble: My RedBubble Gallery.

If you're on RedBubble, my profile page - Please visit!
Ashariel on Elfwood: My Elfwood profile - again, not overly developed yet, but I intend to explore it further.
Flynn the Cat: Fantasy, life, art, and Randomness: My Blogspot - where I compile random reviews and notes of interest. A place to put writeups that I wish to keep. It does not update often - quality over quantity!
the_cat_icons - Live Journal Icon Community: Icons I've made.
Free to use with credit, on Livejournal.
Flynn the Cat on the ArtRage Artist Network: ArtRage Artist Network profile and gallery
FlynntheCat's Profile | RedGage: FlynntheCat's profile where you can view all the blogs, videos, photos, documents, and links created by FlynntheCat.
Squids Downunder: The Squidoo Downunder Blog.

Reviews, Interviews and Random Appearances

Tat2 T's: Interview with designer Flynn the cat: A short interview, in which I daresay I rambled and wrote too much, at 2am in the morning.

Interview with Flynn the cat

What inspired you to start designing tee shirts?
T-Shirts aren't my main product - I started off simply painting pictures. I started painting because I've always drawn, I've always had too many ideas and wanted to capture sweeps of line and curves of colour - and because I see things, and they give me ideas...
The Zazzle Reviewer: Flynn the cat: Another Zazzle Reviewing Blog I managed to be first to reply to! (there's now ten or so waiting on each, I believe)

This is more of a review, with a short, mad introduction from yours truly, and some brief discussion of three of my most popular (at the time) products.
A short read, worth investigating.

Why do people expect artists to be able to write?

A little background on myself. I promise no honesty.

Began plotting world takeover around age 5, but soon realised that the number of competitors made this unfeasible and ostensibly changed future goals to being Robin Hood, in order to pick off my rivals while undercover.
Part of this plot involved moving to New Zealand, when I was ten, and then I utilised my super-secret skills to completely fail to lose my English Accent (insert Men In Tights quote here).
Spent my school years covered in paint, buried in a book, occasionally at different times and was thereafter known as 'that one with the book and the hair' (see the brilliance of my disguise? You all thought I was sane.)

At some point I failed to achieve anything higher than a very rare 'Merit' in art and completely failed to get into a Fine Arts degree, so I gave up on life and did a BSc as filler, in hope of one day getting a job in Burger King. Halfway through my first year, I discovered I could do Marine Biology and seized on this excuse for scuba diving. Concurrently with this, I set out to actually learn to draw properly. This was stalled when I ran out of floor space and leftover acrylics around the same time... at which point I turned to an obscure and little known painting program known as ArtRage and spent every night for the next two years painting on my computer (and putting it all online - DeviantART was a huge boost here; see Flynn-the-cat on DeviantART. Actually, just search 'flynn-the-cat' and every art site it brings up is probably me)

I mostly draw fantasy things, females, dragons, animals, abstract stuff, and have a lot of trouble NOT painting with lots of colours. More recently, I've started painting a lot more realism (animals, people) as gifts. Occasionally get blackmailed into creating Amnesty posters (you may have seen them around this and last year - yes, I like the candles.) Actively trying different subjects and art styles and work almost entirely on whim - if I get bored, that's it, painting is finished, and initial sketch bears NO resemblance to the finished work. Also, I cannot sketch for the life of me - I am the original messy drawer).
And now? Now I can draw faces, so I finally consider myself an artist. An artist on the prowl... for minions in my future rule. Oh, and illustration jobs. And just, generally money. I sell prints and cards and things.

New Zealand based? Most of the printing sites are based overseas and I doubt anyone wants to pay US dollars at the moment (...not that I object, mark you), so if you want any prints or posters from me, send me a request.
Awards and Recognition

Debate Lenses

What's your opinion?

Are Pregnant Goldfish Called Twits?

Recently my family mentioned that 'twit' is apparently the word for a pregnant goldfish. My father promptly tested this on a number of his staff and was surprised to find the answer was unanimous. A pregnant goldfish is a 'twit'. Curi...

Is Flynn a Guy or a Girl?

Alright, first off I'll make it easy and say I'm not something else. But what my actual sex is has apparently been a source of question and confusion, and so of course, I had to make a page about it. One's choice of presentation online, being not ne...

Would Buffy Stake Edward?

This page has been written partly in gratitude to the video featured below, and partly because the subject seems to be lacking here - and because I feel it is a statement that needs to be made. Buffy would stake Edward to dust. Thrash him from Sunnyd...

Biology and Writing

(insert 'science' for 'biology' at will)

All Biologists must have a thorough grounding in their language, (ie English); be aware of the endless shades of meaning, themes, appropriateness of metaphors, apparent contexts, possible interpretations by various readers. - To prevent the casual misuse of phrases and descriptions, create awareness of the varied and differently emphasised, the difficult, interpretations by the general population, by dissenters, the objectionable and bigots, the uneducated, that can seize on rigid-seeming reasoning and phrasing, quibble over details, fail to fully comprehend the intentions of the writing, and the gullible student,inflexibly indoctrinated and pursuing a wholly erroneous interpretation, wasting time, intelligence, resources, and creating arbitary divisions within the field of science, and meaningless, undermining, challenges to credibility and theories.

Science, Nature and Technical Lenses

Health and Nature

Blessed by an Angel

The NZ Tui Bird

How To Make A Tui Feeder

Every New Zealander knows about the tui. A bold and beautiful honey-eater, the tui is one of the commonest native birds, frequently found around houses on the edge of the bush, and now spreading into urban areas. This bird is black (and occasionally...

Scurvy

Ah, scurvy, that charming and debilitating, and so-easily-cured disease. Scurvy is the term for vitamin C deficiency and the gruesome symptoms caused by this condition. It has had a vital role to play throughout human history and has strongly influen...

Skimlinks

As of December the 7th, 2009, Squidoo signed up with Skimlinks - a service that adds affiliate links to any links on your lenses without an affiliate link of its own. This lens explains what Skimlinks is, how it might affect you and what you can expe...

Dermographism - The Skin Writing Allergy

Dernatographic urticaria or dermographism (or dermatographism, dermographia, pressure urticaria, urticarian dermographism...) is a form of physical urticaria, usually due to allergies. It's is my peculiar honour to suffer from this rather interes...

The New Zealand Tui Bird

The tui is a well known and wonderful endemic New Zealand bird. It is somewhat larger than a blackbird, and if seated on my shoulder would have its head level with the top of mine. They are rather common around the house, as we live in the Waita...

My Lenses: Somewhat Unfinished

These are lenses that I either published by mistake or ran out of inspiration for, or are very recent and still need work.

The Nethernet - A Browser Based RPG

I'm considering offering this lens to anyone interested in finishing it - you'll need a squidoo account of course. Contact me for details either on this lens (leave a comment) or send me an email using the 'Contact me' button from my...

We need marine reserves that you aren't allowed to fish in! Ever!

We need marine reserves that you aren't allowed to fish in! Ever! The ocean is in trouble. Marine biodiversity is suffering from excessive fishing pressure worldwide. The most effective means of protection has been no-take marine reserves. Howeve...

Mary Seacole - the black Nightingale

Mary Seacole is one of the forgotten heroes of the 19th Century. She was "a woman who succeeded despite the racial prejudice of influential sections of Victorian society". Half Creole, half-Scottish, she was a determined and caring wo...

My Mermaid Paintings and Drawings

Mermaids are one of the staples of fantasy - throughout history, myth and legend they've appeared in various terrfying and alluring forms, in art and story. This trend still continues today, with a mermaid lurking in the gallery of almost every f...

ArtRage Artists on Zazzle

ArtRage is an intuitive digital painting program that's a wonderful match for any 'traditional' painter armed with a tablet. It's always been quite special finding other painters using it - and there seem not be that many of us (compared to Photosho...

Fandoms - Film and Cosplay Lenses

NB: Cosplay lenses put together for a friend

Princess Leia - Gentle Giant's Maquette Cosplay

As soon as I saw the Maquette figure of Leia, I knew this was the next costume I wanted to do! The figure is based on the ANH dress, but it has a more modern look, and is done in the 'Clone Wars' cartoon style. (Disclaimer/notice The text and images...

Cosplaying Anna Valerious from Van Helsing

This costume was made for the Armageddon Convention's Cosplay event of October 2006, and won the 'Best Skit' award. Below is the tutorial for how I constructed this costume. Larger versions of the photos can be found in the gallery! Disclaimer/noti...

Slave Leia Cosplay

Almost everyone has heard of Slave Leia and her famous metal bikini costume. This costume appeared at the beginning of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, when she was the prisoner of the crimelord, Jabba the Hutt, and is now the subject of fansites and i...