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The Realm of Rants and Ramblings

The Realm of Rants and Ramblings: where profound insights and trivial complaints coexist in an uneasy truce, all while hoping to be mistaken for wisdom. It's a cosmic lost-and-found for thoughts that refuse to stay quietly in the mind.

Rants and Ramblings (aka The Blog Archive)

Artist smiling while holding up a watercolor flower painting and a landscape sketch in a cozy, art-filled studio

Sometimes It’s Just a Good Week (and That’s Enough)

June 12, 2025

A quiet week of porch-sitting, birdsong, and unexpected studio satisfaction. Zines are blooming, pastels are cooperating, and the dust layer has been vanquished (with a dish rag from the 1980s, no less). Sometimes, it’s good to pause and celebrate the small, quiet victories.

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A smiling artist in a light shirt and blue tee paints a glowing firefly jar illustration in a sketchbook, seated at a desk with a paintbrush and a ceramic mug nearby.

June Studio Dispatch

June 5, 2025

A June update from the Realmscapes studio: a new zine, a new Realm, and a glimpse behind the scenes as sticker kits and tiny books come to life.

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Collage-style image featuring illustrated pages from a black-and-white zine titled Why Did We Let It Get Like This?, with large teal text overlay reading “My First Zine!”

The Birth of a Zine Habit

May 29, 2025

A behind-the-scenes look at creating my first illustrated Substack zine — why I made it, what I learned, and why this might be the start of a new creative habit.

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Sketchbook held open in Plaza de la Virgen de los Reyes, Seville, showing fountain sketch with cathedral in background

Back from Break: Notes from the Sun, Salt, and Story Fog

May 23, 2025

After a long-awaited creative break, I’m rethinking how I use Substack and WordPress—and reflecting on how artists can adapt in the age of AI. Less polish, more play. More zines. More voice. A travel sketch and a quiet shift in direction.

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A worn, open laptop shows an editing program in progress.

Aliki Book 1 – Editing update

May 2, 2025

I’m still laughing at the draft of Aliki Martin and the Chocolate Cartel. It turns out a lot of the story was still in my head when I wrote this. I’m connecting the dots now, one edit at a time.

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Paintings of mason jars and fireflies clutter a table

The Only Way Out Is Through: Zen, Art, and Doing It Yourself

April 25, 2025

A personal reflection on how Zen philosophy influences my creative process. I explore beginner’s mind, letting go of perfection, and why doing your own work—your own way—is the only real path to growth in art, writing, and life.

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A STrathmore drawing book, black sketchbook, pencil, kneaded eraser, red acetate and masking tape

New Masters Academy Drawing Foundations 1: weeks 2–5 progress notes

April 21, 2025

In my last post Why I Joined New Masters Academy and chose the Illustration Track, I covered Week 1 of Drawing Foundations 1. This update

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The scene portrays an artist's studio at golden hour, where a young artist sketches a female figure at an easel, bathed in warm sunlight streaming through a paneled window. Classic busts, wooden furniture, and soft lighting convey a sense of depth and serenity, with attention to textures and light creating a peaceful, earthy atmosphere

Why I joined New Masters Academy and chose the Illustration Track

March 27, 2025

Curious about New Masters Academy? Here’s why I joined, how I chose the illustration track, and what Week 1 of their structured art program is really like.

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Two girls sit at a table for a lab experiment

Interviewing characters for my new series

March 7, 2025

Ever wondered how authors discover their characters? Join me behind the scenes as I use playful AI-powered interviews to bring Core and Nova—two hilarious, heartfelt characters—to life for my new sci-fi series, Realmspire.

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a young girl sits on a sofa reading a book

The books that shaped how I see the world

March 4, 2025

Books shape us. If I could If I could sit down with all the younger versions of me, and give her the books that would change her life, all in one worn-out backpack, I would. Because the truth is, each one holds a piece of who I am. Today, I’m sending letters to my younger self with all the reasons why her book choices were good ones.

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An elven wizard holding a quill

Can AI replace creators? Not anytime soon.

February 27, 2025

AI has sparked fears of replacing human creativity, but true artistry stems from personal experience and metaphor—something AI can’t genuinely grasp. While AI is a useful tool for brainstorming and simplifying tasks, it lacks the depth of human perspective, ensuring that writers and artists remain irreplaceable in the creative process.

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A woman leans over her keyboard

Behind the Scenes: Writing and Posting My First Novel Draft

February 25, 2025

Finishing a novel feels like stepping through one door and reaching for the next—equal parts triumph and anticipation. Sharing my draft online pushed me to keep going, even when the words wouldn’t come. Now, with Aliki Martin and the Chocolate Cartel complete, a new adventure is just beyond the door.

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An underwater transition zone between shore and ocean

Thriving in the backwater of the online creator ecosystem

February 20, 2025

Feel like you’re drifting in the backwater of the digital creator ecosystem? You’re not alone. Join me in the backchannel—a space where creativity flows freely, beyond the noise of algorithms. Let’s set our lanterns adrift and see where the current takes us.

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The final stretch of Aliki Martin and the Chocolate Cartel

February 18, 2025

After a lot of writing, rewriting, and balancing key moments across Chapters 11, 12, and 13, I’m happy to say the final act is nearly complete. Chapter 14 is in progress, which means the first full draft of the book is almost finished. That’s a big milestone.

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My adventure writing a sci-fi murder mystery

January 8, 2025

Turning spaceships and chocolate into a murder mystery has been a wild ride—but Aliki’s adventure is just getting started.

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Aliki’s Next Mess: Chapter 4 is up!

November 23, 2024

Aliki thought managing a used spaceship dealership would be straightforward—at least as straightforward as it gets on Earth. In this chapter, she finds out otherwise.

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Chapter 3 of Aliki Martin and the Chocolate Cartel is LIVE

November 19, 2024

The third chapter (in draft form) is posted on the web site. Please let me know what you think of the story so far!

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How Storyteller Tools by M. Harold Page makes plotting addictive

November 13, 2024

Lost in the messy middle of your story? Storyteller Tools by M. Harold Page transforms planning into play. With conflict diagrams and clever QABNs, it’s like story sculpting on steroids. Fair warning: once you start, you might not want to stop plotting. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

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The draft of Chapter 2 is finished and posted!

October 30, 2024

The plot is thickening! Writing it felt like piecing together an intergalactic puzzle, but it’s all starting to click.

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The power of observation for artists and writers

October 25, 2024

On a recent trip to Japan, I left my laptop behind to focus on something different: pure observation. By immersing myself in unfamiliar sights, sounds, and routines, I discovered how these experiences can deepen creative work, enriching the worlds we build with authentic details and fresh inspiration.

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Chapter 1 (draft) is completed!

October 1, 2024

As a plotter, I love creating outlines that start as faint ideas and gradually grow into detailed scenes. However, the real challenge comes when it’s

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Navigating the future of illustration (and my own)

September 29, 2024

I fell off the illustration bandwagon this week while working on a novel. But I did manage some drawing practice, learning “Weight Drawing,” and had a realization while reading Heller’s The Education of an Illustrator about how AI is just another evolution in the industry, much like photography and digital tools were.

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How the Loomis method makes me a better artist but steals my soul

September 22, 2024

In this week’s SketchAwesome challenge, I explored the Loomis method for sketching heads. It improved my technical skills, but I found the sketches lacked expressiveness.

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Overcoming little struggles and rediscovering how tech can be good

September 22, 2024

This week’s progress in my Illustration Quest came with some challenges, like tackling flash pose drawing and rethinking my routine.

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How to layer gouache: my third week with SketchAwesome

September 15, 2024

This week, I faced my challenges with gouache in the SketchAwesome program, navigating tricky color mixes and layering techniques. Though it’s not my favorite medium, these exercises offered a welcome break from structured practice and helped me find joy in creative exploration, complementing my ongoing Illustration Quest.

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Exciting beginnings: my self-taught art journey, week 1

September 14, 2024

My first week on a self-taught art journey has been filled with unexpected challenges, inspiring discoveries, and a renewed sense of creative freedom. Join me as I explore foundational skills, face new trials, and uncover what it means to truly learn the art of illustration.

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Sketching scary sea life for SketchAwesome week 2

September 8, 2024

Check out this fun sketching session of a scary looking shark and a goldfish that looks like it’s been spooked!

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Creating a flexible ‘map’ for my illustration quest

September 6, 2024

Check out my plan to boost illustration skills: improve drawing, composition, and storytelling. Learning at my own pace with no pressure!

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The start of a new journey

September 5, 2024

When I retired, I thought I’d finally dive into art, but despite tutorials and new supplies, I felt stuck. I realized I needed guidance, not just inspiration. So, I’m creating a self-taught course to grow my skills. Follow along as I document my journey and share insights for fellow creatives!

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Can soluble graphite be used like watercolor? SketchAwesome week 1

September 1, 2024

SketchAwesome has started, and week 1 is all about experimenting with watersoluble graphite. It’s an interesting media that has a learning curve.

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SketchAwesome: a new sketchbook habit?

August 15, 2024

I’ve given up on an online business. But there’s one thing I’d like to do: make sketching a daily habit. SketchAwesome might help with that!

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How to make a good art composition: start the right way!

February 18, 2024

Before making thumbnails, even before making decisions about what you want to include in your drawing, the most important thing a beginner can do to improve a composition is to ensure that the drawing will be made in the same proportion as the reference or view that’s being drawn. A viewcatcher makes this easy.

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Art is wine: metaphors, AI and a book review

February 10, 2024

Do artists have an advantage over AI? In this post I look at metaphorical communication and try an experiment with an AI image generator.

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15 tips for staying safe while urban sketching

August 15, 2023

One of the best ways to learn is by making mistakes. In this post, I talk about how I self-critique when my art fails.

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  • Home
  • The Realms
    • The Curious Realm of Studio Second Street
    • The Free Fictional Frontier
    • Aliki’s World
    • The Realm of Rants and Ramblings
    • Dominion of Doodles and Art
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • The Realms
    • The Curious Realm of Studio Second Street
    • The Free Fictional Frontier
    • Aliki’s World
    • The Realm of Rants and Ramblings
    • Dominion of Doodles and Art
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

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