Updates on life....and STUFF ON MY CAT!

Alright alright, I realise it's been a couple of months or so since I last blogged...gosh I am horrible at this! But nevermind, I got a few good things to announce and give links to them too.

Firstly, I would like to congratulate myself (how ego-centric do I sound? lol) and my sister (Muriel) for finally getting our Stuff On My Cat picture posted on their site!! The direct link is here for the actual picture we submitted about 5 or 6 months ago on (August 2007) but I'll also insert the image itself here in case you people can't be bothered going to the linked site, lol.

(the cat didn't have a real name, but we baptised him Alejandro, he was the local cat at my auntie's house by the beach on the Colombian coast)

I promised you I would let you know when this was to happen, and I am happy to say it happened on the 28th of January, 2008....woot! As you can see, many people commented on the picture below, but most of these comments develop into digressiones of tangents of small talk between users who have come to know each other well on the site, they're all frequent commentators. I myself rarely comment on the site, in fact, I believe my first post was on my own submission picture, but I am more of a happy SOMC looker/observer and just enjoy scrolling through the pictures, they really make my day. I would like to submit more pictures, but | need to find a local cat here in Bristol that's nice enough to let it have stuff be put on it, so wish me luck with that!

On another note, I've also been busy launching my new personal website! It's still quite unfinished, very much under construction, but you're all more than welcome to take a look at what's there by clicking on my name: Arianne Wolodarsky. The domain name (url address) will also be changed soon once the site is fully completed, so bear that in mind in case you bookmark the url (not that anyone in their right-mind will! hahaha) ...it will change in the near future so it will just have my name instead. This is the very first time I've embarked on such a task, building my own website. I am no web master or genius, but the hosting service I am using makes it really easy to make really nice professional looking websites that people of all web knowledge levels can use, and so, I've decided it was important for me to get my art out there and have a site to give to potential future clients who may wish to have art works done by myself. This website essentially is my online portfolio for all my art, to showcase as well as to sell. Please feel free to leave comments on the guestbook which is fully functioning. =) I would like personally thank my boyfriend who's pushed and encouraged me to get this project underway, and thanks to him, I feel I've got more control over my own work, and have a real purpose to do what I love doing best.

I've been such a busy bee of late I've even become a volunteer for Bristol Zoo, which is something I should have done ages ago to be honest, as I have a great passion for wildlife and its conservation, and what a better way to spend my days off from uni than at the zoo?? For one, I get to volunteer flexible hours and invigilate the children and visitors, making sure they do not feed or touch the lemurs (I'll be working in the lemur area, yay!). So for a couple of hours, I stand there, which I don't mind, get to see lemurs jump about and probably would have to talk to kids, hehe...and help out in the talk when the expert talks about them. I love learning about animals, and I would love to get to the point where I am allowed to feed them and help out in the talks. That's just the start, I also get free membership to the zoo, meaning I have free access to it and all its services and facilities for free all year! How awesome is that! Also, if I work there a minimum amount of hours, I believe I can invite 6 friends/family for a really low price. I'll have to double check on that. Another positive is, if I turn out to be a reliable, long-lasting volunteer (I see myself volunteering till I finish uni here in Bristol at least...I hope to!) I may eventually be a paid volunteer, which is just a bonus, which is great! I do hope I make some good friends and contacts within the zoo, to get to know the animals well, and to offer my artistic services to the zoo. I'd love to make a calendar for them, for example, with the actual (animal) residents of the zoo featuring in it. Maybe make cards and t-shirt designs, all sorts of things, that can be sold in their gift shop and potentially in other retail shops. This could be an excellent way to get my art out there and earn a bit of money out of it too. Heck, why not right? First step's first though, and that's doing my volunteering bit and being on time, need to build a reputation for myself. I'll hopefully give you progress updates as time moves on. The zoo is also an excellent place for me to sketch animals and people from life, something that would be of fundamental use for my animation course, which is essentially learning how to animate people and animals realistically for my module, and what better way than this. So really, it's a win-win situation for me here. Tomorrow is my first shift at the lemur walkthrough, I cannot wait! Then I shall spend my day sketching the animals, let's hope the weather holds up as it's been so beautiful of late.

Well, that's it from me for now. Can't promise you any entires soon, but keep watching this space!!!