thatlauralass

@charelan - Thank you! =) I've not done much digital art recently so I need to push myself to get better.

 

@mousey - Ah, thank you so much for that. I feel so out of the loop right now! That really is a shame, I guess ill have to make do with the beauty contest and the art gallery in the mean time! Maybe I'll fire them a question for the editorials (if they're still doing those) and see if they can give an estimate for how long it'll take. Again, thank you for the info!

Hi everyone! So I've been on hiatus from Neo for little over a year now... I basically disappeared just as there was word of JS taking over the site.

 

All the art related contests have always been my thing, so I of course decided to enter the Pet Spotlight last week.

According to the calendar, this was supposed to be updated on Monday, and be a weekly spotlight, so I'm a little bit confused as it has not been updated within the last week of me checking??

 

Does anyone know what on earth is going on? I'm hearing things that other spotlights have been abandoned with no notifications either, what exactly is going on, and is there a way to contact Neo directly and find out what their intentions are with these spotlights? I'd like to know whether I'm ever going to see a spotlight award or if my entry is just floating around on their server, never to be looked at.

 

Any info on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Yeah chances are it's the ads... after so long a period, the ads on neopets refresh and it gathers data from a certain ad site which causes my entire computer to freeze when it's in standby/on for a while. When I go to do anything after a while, it takes a good 5 minutes before my computer registers anything and I can hear it loading like crazy.

 

Try noscript. I use it now and, like I said above, no more problems. ^_^

Okay, I had this problem very recently in that whenever I ran Habitarium or sat on any neopets page for over 10 minutes (or roughly the amount of time I spend on any flash game on the site), my entire browser would freeze up and even cause issues with my computer running other applications. I'd have to force quit my browser (tried this on firefox & Opera, and it was the same issue on both).

 

I decided to give blocking all the ads a go - which I was hesitant about because ads = money to Neo, but yeah, as it turned out it was the ads that was causing me all of the grief. Now I can leave my Habi running without any lag or freezing so definitely try blocking them and see if it solves the problem for you as well. :)

This article here: http://m.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/this-is-why-you-shouldnt-click-on-the-naked-photos-of-jennifer-lawrence-20140901-3eo6s.html

 

It says it all.

I feel so badly for these people, because at the end of the day they aren't just celebrities, they're people. And this sort of thing unjustly happens to a lot of other folk out there.

 

It angers me a LOT when people victim blame, i.e. say rubbish such as "they brought it on themselves by taking the photos in the first place". NO. It does NOT work that way - if a burglar broke into your house and stole something of value to you, regardless of how well it was hidden from sight (jewellery for example), then are people going to turn around to you and say "well it's your own fault for owning jewellery in the first place, and being the sort of person who wears jewellery"? Of course they're not - this is the SAME principle happening here.

 

Finally coloured this lineart I've had sitting around forever. .__.

This is the new design for my kougra, Luanolu. She's slowly evolved from a generic tiger into a gracefull shenkuu beauty. #noregrets

I'm not sure whether to submit this new piece into the stressful BC or try for the pet spotlight.

 

This is my old artwork of her from a good couple of years ago, where she won gold in the BC:

 

It's kinda weird to see how much my style has changed.

Speaking of Tragus, mine was awful! The actual piercing didn't bother me but afterwards, it got bubbly and would drain this clear fluid sometimes. Needless to say, I took it out. It was way too problematic.

Ugh, mine didn't drain any fluid, but mine was definitely the worst for developing a bump right next to the piercing. It's gone now but I had it for months and months. x_x Definitely won't be getting my other one done, haha.

The best place to check is the neoboards. :)

I'm in one called the Crayon Club at the moment; it's an art based guild where we hold monthly activities and basically encourage each other to improve.

My left tragus - which is seriously the WORST pain you will ever experience in a piercing

Ahaha, you've obviously never had a snug! :L Tragus piercings are a delight in comparison.

My tragus was the most temperamental for healing time (it kept flaring up at me up until about 20 months after having it done), but my snug was the most uncomfortable. I don't think the initial piercing was that sore, but rolling over onto it by accident when I was sleeping was one of the most painful piercing-related things of my life. x_x

 

I totally know what you mean about them being addicted. My septum has almost fully healed now, and I'm itching for the rush of something new! I'm not sure what to get next though; the ears are running out of space! haha.

I know, I know. I'm really not good at this.

I do try though.

 

Anyway, onto the point - I'm currently working on a new layout for a petpage, and I'm struggling with a couple of things. http://www.neopets.com/~Luanolu

 

1: The main issue is I want to have the buttons to the right select different sections of info if you see what I mean. At present all of the info is overlaying on top of each other instead of just appearing when you click the correct button. No doubt I'm missing something in the code, but I just can't see it. If someone could help me fix this I'd be super duper greatful - the full code for my petpage is below.

Edit: I managed to fix it myself; it's some sort of miracle, haha! I've updated the code below in case anyone can help me with me other query.

 

2: I'd REALLY like it if the buttons change image when you hover over them (I have images of plain clouds, which I'd like the buttons to be by default. Then when you hover over them, they change to the clouds with the text on them). I've tried a couple of codes but they don't work unfortunately. I read somewhere that for neopets that you need to treat mouseovers like a table or background or something, but I really don't know enough about it. It's not exactly as important as the issue I'm having above - more of an aesthetic thing, but I'm just wondering if it's possible at all?

<style>
.luanolu {
    background: transparent url("http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y450/thatlauralass/lupetpagelu_zps938ba0a8.png");
    width: 580px;
    height: 651px;
    top: 300px;
    left: 120px;
    z-index: 10;
}
.sf {
    display: none;
}
body {
    background-color: #FFD897;
    background-image: url("http://i.imgur.com/rcQLVDt.png");
    top: 200px;
    background-position: 100px 100px;
    background-repeat: no-repeat;
    background-attachment: fixed;
}
#nav {
    width: 550px;
    height: 500px;
    top: 225px;
    left: 470px;
    text-align: justify;
    font-family: verdana;
    font-size: 8pt;
    line-height: 15px;
    overflow: hidden;
    padding-right: 10px;
    padding-left: 10px;
    z-index: 5;
}

#scrollingboxes {
    width: 550px;
    height: 500px;
    overflow: auto;}
</style>

<div class="luanolu" style="position: relative;"></div>
<div style="position: absolute; left: 1050px; top: 100px;">
<a href="#about"><img src="//images.weserv.nl/?url=http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y450/thatlauralass/1b_zpse7127e3f.png"></a>
<a href="#i"><img src="//images.weserv.nl/?url=http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y450/thatlauralass/2b_zps354aa496.png"></a>
<a href="#art"><img src="//images.weserv.nl/?url=http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y450/thatlauralass/3b_zps063f6dee.png"></a>
<a href="#adopts"><img src="//images.weserv.nl/?url=http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y450/thatlauralass/4b_zpsc8c2a329.png"></a>
</div>


<div id="nav" style="position: absolute;">



<div id="scrollingboxes">
<a name="about"></a>
Luanolu is a slender feline, with her build closely resembling that of a cheetah. Her markings remain like that of her kougra heritage, but the colour of her fur is more subtle - from her time spent in Shenkuu, perhaps?

Her dainty little paws are little use for the knit & grit of battledome life, but her agility is perfect for avoiding tough situations if need be.
<br><br>
</div>

<div id="scrollingboxes">
<a name="i"></a>
Mystery Island.

<br><br>It all started there; amidst the carefree palms and serene waters. A young kougra wandered the beach, watching the birds of the island swoop and swirl in the crystal blue sky. The feline's eyes sparkled their golden hues of delight at the sight of the birds' carefree play; a flicker of envy too, perhaps.

<br><br>The cat's name was Luanolu. A delicate and shy little thing, she was a lot more slender and gentle than the other kougras her age, which caused her to become quite withdrawn and timid. She sighed slightly, and looked back towards the bustle of the tourism at the busier end of the beach. She had been brought up here, but yet only daydreamed of the adventures the rest of Neopia held to her. Where would she begin? She wondered.
<br><br><i>Under construction; check back later!</i>
<br><br>
</div>

<div id="scrollingboxes">
<a name="art"></a>
<br><br>
Under construction! Art here.
<br><br>
</div>

<div id="scrollingboxes">
<a name="adopts"></a>
<br><br>
Under construction! Adoptables here.
<br><br>
</div>
</div>

So yep, if anyone could help me out I'd much appreciate it!

Pascalla - My understanding is that both words (terminally which means at the end/is used in conjunction with illness a lot, and capricious which can mean sudden/unaccountable changes of mood or behaviour) can relate to mental illness, or bipolar disorder, and mental illness of any form shouldn't be discussed on neo.

 

As for scandalous... I'm not sure. It doesn't directly mean anything banned on Neo, but as Shelley's said if you have to ask, maybe it's just not worth risking another warning/silence/ban over.

 

Regardless of whether it's an innocent quote or not, if it could have an ulterior meaning in any way, shape or form, then it's best to avoid putting it into your neo signature.

I've edited already existing code, but not anything from scratch no.
I'm getting there though I think; I just need to figure out what I'm going to do with the contents now. :)

Okay, so... do I just use this with an existing code or...?

I'll have a go and see how I get on, thanks.

 

Edit:

Okay, I think I've managed to make my background scroll and whatnot... all the contents are still all over the place and not really very visible.

Hi there guys!

Okay, so I have a piece of artwork that I'm keen to use on my userlookup as a background.

The only issue is that it's quite long, and I'd like to make my lookup scroll horizontally instead of the default vertical scroll.

I can't find any tutorials to do this anywhere, so could someone help me please? I only really know the basics when it comes to coding so I'd have no idea how to do this without a guide of some sort.

 

Hey guys; I think I managed to figure out the problem; feel free to check out my userlookup and give me some feedback on it! x_x' It took a while but I think for now at least I'm happy with it.

Hi there Jenks, welcome to TDN! n_n

 

I'm Laura, nice to meet you! I still have my original account, but I'm using it as a side instead of my main now. I love gardening too! I can't wait until I have my own house so I can design the garden, haha. At the moment I'm still living with my parents, but I've been making hanging baskets and such.

"I feel like the last man left alive whose skin crawls at the sight of these crass daubings."

^ People who make such ignorant comments really irk me. That guy might think they're 'stupid scribbles' but are they being forced onto his body? No. He's not being forced to gawk at them on other people either. We're each entitled to our own opinion and what we do with our OWN bodies that we are born into is our own choice.

I feel equal measures of exasperation and sorrow for people who think every single person's choice in life is done to appease them, personally. Why they can't get off their high horse and stop being so pretentious is beyond me.

 

Anyways, minus the rant about the article linked to by the OP, I'm currently saving for and making little preparations for my very first tattoo. ^_^ I've recently graduated with a BA in FA Painting, and I want to get a little paint brush behind my ear in tribute. The first of many, more than probably!

You're welcome! n_n

 

Also not exactly any new work, but I've made a tumblr for all my digital artwork (at the moment it's all neo related), so feel free to check it out! http://shenkuucrayon.tumblr.com/

Imogen Heap - The Moment I Said It.

Leona Lewis - My Hands.

 

I used to always cry at these two when I was going through a hard time (and at the end of FFXIII, haha). I honestly can't think of any songs that make me tear up nowadays though.

Why should it matter?

Like thunder's said, it's only weird if you're doing it to take advantage of other players or for perverted reasons.

 

So you just enjoy playing as a male character; so what? I RP as a male all the time. I don't think it's weird. I feel sorry for people who think it is, really, since it must be quite limited in such an ignorant frame of mind.

I've answered your questions below, but honestly I don't see what a lot of it has to do with the 'meaning of life', per say. It can be different to everyone.

Ahaha, or 42, as Shelley said. :P

Your past defines you
No. I'm constantly changing and evolving as a person, and even if part of who I am remains the same, I have to say there are a lot of past events and situations that if I had the opportunity to go back, I would act completely differently and I do have regrets. So no, even if I'm the same person, I'm growing and becoming different to who I was.

Yeah some might say I've grown because of some of those past events, but I strive to change myself for the future. So I don't look at it that way.

 

Your upbringing and childhood defines you

Yes. I think it's ignorant to suggest otherwise. Who you become is a great deal to do with what your parents have taught you and given you the freedom to do, up until you're an adult and can make those decisions for yourself.

There is no definitive meaning to life, and thus we should not search for a 'true' meaning
Everyone is different, and their motivations, inspirations and goals are all different. Everyone has their own meaning for living; there is no one 'true' meaning of life for everyone, but for each individual to discover for themselves? Certainly. Mine is to live and let live, be kind to others, and appreciate the beauty in all that is around us. Life is short and precious, so I feel like it should be treated as such, for every case.

The meaning of life is to live a life with meaning
Similar to the above question; I think that meaning is subjective and what's meaningful to one person might not be to another.

We should acknowledge more antiquated theories in science as possibly holding some merit, so long as they have not been outright disproven or corrected

I don't see what this has to do with the meaning of life.

If life has no definitive meaning, then we should oppose all institutions which attempt to impose an arbitrary meaning on life on others

It's up to each individual to decide what to believe. You can't force someone to decide what to life their life for.

 

People care far too much about small topics

No. What's small to one person might be a big deal to another. No one has a right to tell someone not to make such a big deal about a topic they might be severely passionate about.

 

Nothing new is being made nowadays

False. Humanity is evolving every day. Even if in some small areas such as art where we are seeing a collective inquiry on the subject which has been ongoing for many years, some of the concepts behind it are definitely new. Even if Visual artists are struggling to advance, we are seeing more contemporary approaches that are pushing the limit of Fine Art entirely.

 

Nothing new has ever been made

False.

 

Mental disorders are not illnesses, but dangerous life opportunities

Absolutely false. They are not opportunities, they are illnesses. It can severely effect upon a person's living.

 

Intelligence is a method of discrimination

False; no more than anything in the world is a method of discrimination, in the hands of someone who discriminates.

 

A utopian society is non-existent

True. Sadly whilst we all are our own person, our own ideals also differ. If we lived in a utopian society, in my mind there would be no war, no discrimination. But some people still live with the ideals that some people are below them, which is a cause for a lot of the world's pain.

 

Philosophers should be granted far more merit than they are currently given

I think for those working nowadays, this is true.

 

People are ignorant, brutish and will always be that way. Human beings are detached and artifical and will always be that way

To put each individual in the same boat is discriminating and ignorant. Human beings are very diverse, and whilst one individual might be, that's not to say we all are.

 

Insight into the future requires knowledge of the past

True. 'Learn from your mistakes' is a motto we should all use, and generally do.

 

Debating on arbitrary topics provides little relevance to the 'real world' - i.e. Philosophy is overrated

False. Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems. Without it we would never learn from our mistakes, nor how to conquer them. It certainly has a part in the 'real world'. Saying philosophy is overrated is like saying that logic, ethics and aesthetics are all overrated.

I guess it's so expensive because Adobe have invested so much marketing and research into it. I suppose if you look at most sports and fields of expertise, the leading technologies and equipment are always crazy expensive.

 

Well, A4 is your typical sheet of white printer paper; if you fold it in half, that's A5.
If you fold a sheet of A5 in half, that's A6, and in the same instance, if you sit two sheets of A4 together, you get A3, and so on.
Here's a quick snap for a visual; A4 printer paper next to my A5 tablet. You can see the tablet's just slightly off of A5 actually, but it's pretty much there.

 

 

 

Haha yeah, I can imagine an animation is a huge accomplishment to finish, but the amount of effort it would take (drawing each individual frame) makes me constantly put it off. x_x'

It could be an issue with the adverts on neopets. I've had security warnings in the past, but I use an adblocker now and I have no issues. So maybe try using an adblocker temporarily and see if it fixes the problems you're having. :)

I don't play Key Quest anymore. It lags horrifically on me, which I don't understand because my computer is really good with every other browser based game out there.

The last time I played, I had to quit barely 2 rounds in because it was skipping my turns it was lagging so darn much. The mini games are jumpy, and the other person gets max points in every game.

 

My internet connection occasionally drops too, and after becoming aware of how many people report on this game, it's just not worth the risk for me anymore. It's a shame because it kinda reminds me of Mario Party and I'd love to enjoy it, but the game just doesn't like me for whatever reason.

 

I'll stick to Habitarium, where I can let it run and not be in danger of someone reporting me for "cheating" when the game is just laggy or the internet drops.

Haha it's not a problem; ask away! :P
Yeah, Photoshop is in the hundreds; over a grand for the latest version straight from Adobe too, I believe. I was very lucky that a friend of mine already had CS5 for Mac, so it didn't cost me much. I won't be upgrading that anytime soon though. .___. Gosh golly.

I've not actually tried GIMP; Photoshop has animation capabilities on it, although I've rarely ever used them. Maybe that's something I should set a project for in the future! There are a couple of other programs I want to try like Illustrator and ArtRage; I think I have demos of them from a digital art magazine I had subscribed to kicking about so I'll really need to dig those out. Who knows; there might be a copy of GIMP hidden away in one of them too.

 

I don't believe you can really get anything smaller than A5; if you could I wouldn't though. I've never tried a larger tablet so I can't compare, but I've never had any problems with a small tablet and all the digital art I've ever shown has been made using my little one. I do hear from other artists that a larger tablet means you can draw a lot more freely, without having to zoom in and out and whatnot, but again, it's never bothered me because I've never known any different.

 

I think it very much depends on the type of tablet, but I know that mine doesn't work through paper. What you CAN do though, is if you have a scanner, just scan your sketch in, open it up in your art program, throw a new layer over the top and trace it that way. :)
You can get a couple of really quirky products that enable you to transfer sketches into digital format, for instance the Wakom Inkling (£60+) allows you to simultaneously create a digital vector of sketches as you draw them (I have one but I've not fully explored it's capabilities yet).

Ahh, yeah I can see how the background especially could look watercoloury. ^_^ Haha yeah I did, I'm playing around with the noise filter a lot at the moment. I might try something else on my next one, though.

Honestly I think the most user friendly program I would recommend starting with is Paint Tool Sai. I had it for a while and the lineart you can create with a tablet on that thing is just sublime. A couple of completely free, simple programs to maybe check out to get used to layers, etcetera would be Artweaver or Open Canvas (just search them and they should come up), if you don't want to spend any money on Sai. Photoshop of course is a king for any kind of digital art, but it's crazy expensive. I used to have Paint Shop Pro but honestly after trying Photoshop elements, PSP just seems old and clunky to me.

 

You can pick up an A5 tablet from Wacom (I wouldn't recommend any other brand) for as little as £35; so yeah you should look into it or put it on your bday wishlist. ;) I got mine for my birthday when I was... 13 I think? And I've had the same tablet all this time. I'm thinking of upgrading when I next get paid though.