Okay Okay, i guess it's time i finally wrote about the most fantastic of fantastic convention so far on my Wizard World tour.

**WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO**

Fun does not even begin to describe all the fun I had. There were SO MANY PEOPLE. Fans of all shapes and sizes. Admittedly I didn't get to walk around much cause i was drawing at the Hound Comics table.

With me at the Table was Hounds lead artist Sajad Shah, Inker Allen Chickering, and, drum roll please, Former Disney animator Terry Naughton. This was the first time i was meeting the rest of the hound artist. They are a really really great group of guys. At first i was really intimidated. I mean who is going to pay attention to this little girl who only just broke into the comic book industry? i soon came to realize that we all had very very different styles of drawing and there for we each had a very distinct audience. For example Terry was popular with Disney and sports fans, Sajad was very popular with tradition comic fan and i was popular with video game and pop culture fans. These guys along with my boss Brimstone all looked out for me at the con. I really couldn't asked to be apart of a better team of guys. Thankyou guys!!!

For the first time ever at a con i could not keep track of the number of commissions I was doing. I felt like every time i looked up there was someone else to talk to and that lead to a new commission. I got to draw Kerrigan from Star Craft, Tinker Bell, Cheetara, Wonder Woman, Garrus, and some portraits to name a couple. Its always great to challenge my artistic skills with people commission. I get to draw things I wouldn't normally draw. It was totally kick ass!

On top of sharing a table with some of the coolest guys alive I was also asked to judge the costume contest. For those of you who know me very well, you know I was a very very enthusiastic cosplayer when i was a teenager. So When I was asked you can imagine how excited I was. There were more than 150 contestants in the cosplay, for some people that would be a bit scary. Not to me. I LOVE being in the spotlight. So Brimstone was the celebrity judge, Orlando was the costume profession judge and i was the artist judge. I was handed the mic and I introduced myself "Hi, I'm Mina Sanwald. Animator and Illustrator for Hound Comics. And I'm a former cosplayer" The crowd went crazy. They whistled and called me beautiful. I was really flattered. I never got that even when i did cosplay. What a rush.

The costumes were out of this world good. My favorite cosplayers were the Dragon Age guys. One was dressed as Alistair from DA Origins and the other Varric from DA2. Now everyone knows i'm a sucker for anything Bioware. They came up on stage a bickering back a forth just like in the game. Then Varric turned to me and said "Wanna feel my chest hair?" In case your not in the know thats an amusing conversation between Varric and Isabella in the game. I gave them triple million points for having great costumes and being in character.

Another particular cosplayer I remember was a girl dressed Commander Shepard in Normandy casual wear. Jarrett Crippen (The Defuser and the BEST MC ever for a cosplay) had a hard time telling who she was so I grabbed the mic and said with as much Gusto as i could muster "Commander Shepard!" She seemed to really get a kick out of it. She jumped up on stage rased her gun was yelled, "I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite store on the Citadel!" It was awesome.
I wish I could have picked more winners but there were only so many prizes.

Later both of the Bioware cosplayers dropped by to say hi. Commander Shepard was none other than great fanfiction writer xREBEL666x here on DA. She is a super super sweet lady who is very dedicated her her craft. I recommend you check her out. The Man behind the Alistair costume was mrbob0822 and Varric was Kemporer both of DA. It was sooooooo cool meeting you guys!

For all you guys who dropped by and said "Hi" Thanks it really meant a lot to me. Also for everyone I got to meet (You know who you are) big hug!

So i think thats it for now. If you want to see some videos of the trip and pictures check out my Blog. Also keep an eye out, I'm going to opening up for commissions on site soon as well as selling prints online.

I'll see you at the next convention. I'm scheduled to appear at ComiCONN Comic Book Convention in Connecticut this Saturday (08/27/2011) I'll be taking commission and selling prints as always. see you there!

Love Mina

www.CallMeMina.com
callmemina.deviantart.com
www.HoundComics.com

So I am officially a Graduate of AIB and i have my Bachelors degree in Animation and Illustration (BFA). I actually graduated back in May but my life has been a spinning vortex of change. I guess the first thing i need to do is post what i have been working on the past year or so.







yup, Thats my reel, Chase around the Moon and Andy & Eve.

I still have so much more to type but well, I'm a little on the lazy side. Maybe later then.

Silence is a Gift from Hades
by Mina Sanwald

The truth of the matter is I just don’t care.
You, oh ignorant in the present day,
do not understand because you have taken a lie as the truth.
You do not understand why I turned to see her.

It was not to check for my wife’s existence
but rather to confront her.

Hades and Persephone are a special breed of obamacre.
Dishing out their own twisted medicine to my dear Eurydice.

With a firm handshake and a bow to the underworlds overlords,
the deal was agreed.
But I could smell the perfumed scent of something queer.

As we, Eurydice behind, ascended the narrow corridor between worlds,
Her voice picked up like our pace.

A dormitories' fire alarm erupted from behind me.
It was my wife, Eurydice.
She took aim and fired.
My backside was under attack by words as sharp as Spartan’s valor.


“Perhaps if you were a warrior rather than a damned pansy artist we would not have to climb so high. And I would not be so dead.”


My ears began to boil like the feeling of strumming a series of wrong chords.
Eurydice’s onslaught was amplified by long corridor we traveled through.
It was my tomb of inescapable criticism.
I could have swore my ears were bleeding.

Finally I could take it no more.
Like a thermometer in outrageous heat,
My temper swelled and overflowed.

I spun on my heals, digging tiny holes under my feet,
Beginning my counter attack.
Taking her meager like the awkward shift in the seasons.

Poof

My dear, sweet, pain in the ass, Eurydice popped out of existence,
like a bubble pricked by one of the fates’ needle.
And the loud whines of pestilence faded away,
until I could only hear the rise and fall of my shallow breath.

Our deal, Hades and mine, was broken,
and Eurydice was forever lost to me.
My anger and sorrow subsided leaving a striking epiphany.

I do not care anymore.

For her sweetness in life cannot rectify her bitterness in death.
And nothing in this world can compare to the ripe taste of this new found silence.

Oh, bitter and twisted Eurydice, may you rot in the underworld
While Orpheus, your patiently tormented husband,
Enjoy this gift from Hades.

I remember a long time ago, I think I must have been nine or so, my family took a trip way down south the the Florida Everglades with my Grandfather. The Everglades had what you would expect a swampy marshland to have, Swamps, marshland and Alligator farms. I remember having a ball when we all went on an air boat tour. We didn’t see to many wild alligators; not that alligators can be domesticated. It was all good and fun until we stopped for food.

My Grandfather is known for being a bit eccentric at times. A fearless man who gets his kicks from scaring and teasing his children and grand children. He was, and still is, the definition of a pain the ass. His idea of a good lunch stop was a secluded restaurant in the backwater country of the Everglades. I remember him rearing off the main road to an exit that was not paved. Inside the car i watched the trees get thicker and thicker the farther down the exit we went. Slowly the Oldsmobile we were station in pulled up to a large white tent. We all exited the car, my mother holding fast to my sister and I.

I noticed under the tent sat six aged and faded wooden picnic tables. Connected to the tent was a mobile trailer. A man came up to greet us from inside the Mobile trailer. He wore a, what used to be white but now is yellow, short sleeve shirt. Over the shirt sat the straps of dirty denim overall. What i found to be the most amusing about the man was the way he spoke. All the words that left his mouth inflected in a southern twang.

Being so young I had never bared witness to an actual southern accent before. I couldn’t help but giggle as the man greeted us. My sister joined me after a couple seconds. The fit of giggles were abruptly interrupted as my mother yanked both my sister and my arms, giving us a glare that prompted us to, ‘shut the hell up or else!’.

Our host lead us to a picnic table towards the front corner of the open tent. The picnic table had a red checkered table cloth over it, it made me wonder how old and dirty the table actually was. He left us to get comfortable and soon returned to give us utensils to eat with. What he placed in front of me is still one of the most juxtaposed objects i have ever witnessed in the everglades. A plastic fork and knife rapped and sealed in their own plastic baggy. It was just strange for a backwater everglades restaurant to have the modern convenience of disposable utensils.

He then handed out the menus to the four of us and went on his way. The menu was even stranger. I didn’t think much to look at the menu at first, i already knew i wanted a burger but when my mother shrieked in horror from the content my curiosity peaked. My mother was not one to be grossed out easily. She is tough and blunt woman of New York. If she shrieked in terror, there had to be a good reason. I picked up my menu and whipped it open. My Grandfather, always quick to poke fun at his daughter, began to laugh in a uproar. As he laughed I flashed over the menu as fast as my eyes could read, and there i found what had bothered her so much. There under the entries section was

‘Alligator,’

I think my eyes bugged out because my Grandfather leaned into the table towards me and asked, “Whats-a-matta kid? You never seen aint never seen ‘Alligator’ as a main course?”

I remember opening my mouth to answer but not getting the chance. Our server had returned to our table a pad and pen ready for out orders.

“It taste like chicken, ya know.” our server stated with his southern twang. He lifted his pen and pad ready to write, “Ya’all ready for yur orders to be taken?” he asked.

My mother closed her menu and order cheeseburgers for her, my sister and I. Unfortunately i don’t remember what it was my Grandfather order. no doubt it was something that made my mother wretch. With that she finished off the order with a can of Pepsi and two glasses of water.

Our server returned in minutes with her soda and our water. We all thanked him and went back into our trivial conversations. My sister and I talked about the alligators and crocodiles we had seen that day while my mother and grandfather talked about adult stuff. As my sister and I got louder and louder my mother turned to tell us to be a little more quiet. Upon turning her elbow clumsily knocked into the open can of Pepsi. The can tipped over spilling the contents, soaking the red checkered table cloth. Needless to say my mother flipped out. All of her nerves and worry about the backwater restaurant came flooding out. She cried, which is quite the statement. I had never in my entire life had ever seen her cry about anything.
My Grandfather looked at my mother and said, “Oh knock it off Colleen! It’s just soda. Your being ridiculous.” Our server ran over with a series of napkins and started to dab at the soda dampened table cloth all while trying to calm my mother.

“It’s alright darlin. My son, Junior, just did that the yesterday. I told the boy ta watch his elbows. and ya know what he said ta me? ‘But Pa, I can’t watch ma elbows, its just not possible.’ “ Our server laughed and continued,
“ And so i told ‘im, it was an expression for being a little more careful. Kinda like crying your pretty little face off over split milk.”

With his point made and the soda spill no longer so damp Our server smiled and went to the trailer to pick up our orders. My mother sat quietly and continued to do so after our food was brought out. My sister and I quietly chatted to each other. We didn’t say to much to our mom, it was very noticeable that she was still very shaken by the surroundings.

Now that I’m an adult i have my own thoughts on what was going through my mothers mind. A couple days ago my mom told me that my grandfather took my young cousins to the Everglades. I wondered momentarily what kind of adventure they went on while down there. My wondering was soon crushed by my mother. she stated that the kids complained the whole time. With the topic ripe for picking i then asked my mom why she was so tense while at the everglades tent restaurant so many years ago. She then confirmed my suspicions when she said, “Have you ever seen the movie Deliverance?”

The Annoying Sickly Sonnet by Mina Sanwald

I sit here, at my desk with the feeling of being bored;
My thoughts a mess from the feeling of sickness pending;
I cannot help but stare at the glass of airborne i have poured;
This sonnet i know must be written, for that there is no bending;

I look up online how to write a simple sonnet;
As i breath in and out, in and out, i can hear my breath wheeze;
I just want this sickness and sonnet to be gone, dog-gonnet;
The annoying tickle in my nose erupts to a full out sneeze;

Alas i will never have this sonnet written with my current state of mind;
Desperately i try to clear the disgusting sickly heavy content of my throat;
It is because of skipping class that i am in this horrible bind;
I recite back but what conjures from my mouth is the noise a goat;

Perhaps it would be best if in my room i would remain;
I’m sick after all, it won’t hurt to skip class once again;

So a lot has happened. I'm kinda just sitting here waiting for the shuttle to come. I have about 40 minutes. Its really about time i update this thing.

The Month of October can best be described as "crazy". A lot happened in a very short amount of time. the first of which that i will quickly summerize was my birthday.

On October 5th i turned 22. Although it was my birthday i was going to treat that dreary Monday like i would any other school day. I did treat myself by skipping Yoga class. (I was slowly starting to realize Yoga class was turning into a burden, it was just too much after working about 25 hours over the weekend) Instead of getting up at 8 to be at Porter exchange i happily slept in.
I think i got up around noon (not that it matters) and hopped the shuttle to Boston. At 3:20 Projects class began, i decided it was time to pull out "Andy and Eve" an animation i started last year and never finished. Then came Video game class, I fairly cool class with the great Instructor Lajos (uncredited animation director of many secondary Disney movies). At the time we were still working on the Beater projects. It was just an introduction to basic coding. Anyone who knows me knows how much i loath coding, i just cannot seem to retrain any of that information. When i was younger (13 or so) i had actually began coding a basic rpg thanks for plot-scripting and a simple game engine. At 9:05 pm the class ended and i was home free.

I thought a little bit about my boyfriend. Every year since we started dating he has come up to visit me or i had gone down to New York to visit him. We (or I) decided not to see each other this year for a number of reasons. The first being at that time supposedly Josh's father and Mother would finally be divorced (something that so desperately needed to happen) Upon the divorce they couple were supposed to switch living quarters. In other words Lance (josh's dad) would finally be the soul owner of the house and Josh's rotten mother would have to live in the apartment. (personally i like the apartment better than the house, it is just nicer.) Anyway, josh needed to make sure the date was clear so he could make the move. the second reason was a week after my birthday was The Ottawa International Animation festival. Something i needed to request off of work for and spend a nice sum of money on. So it was just not a good time for either off of. In the end I felt it was alright.

After class i decided to head out to Andrew and Katrina's apartment. It had been a while since i had seen Katrina and well to add to the super awesomeness Jackie was up from new york to visit (Jackie was an AIB student who, for reasons unknown, did not come back this semester. I wish her the best of luck in whatever she pursues.) It just seemed like a great idea. Andrew gave me directions to his apartment over the phone. I'm really not to familiar with he bus system in Boston (or anywhere for that matter) so this was a scary experience for me. It is safe to say i much rather take the Subway everywhere, is that weird?

Evan, the security guard at AIB, helped me a long by pulling up a timetable on his computer and showing me exactly where to get on and off the bus. As much as i wanted it to, it really didn't make me feel much better. Not to mention i was a jackass and did not have much money of my T-pass. None the less i headed out the doors of the 700 beacon building and made my way around the corner towards Boston University. As i walked I texted Josh to let him know i was going out and probably wouldnt be able to talk till a little after 12. I crossed the street and T-tracks to the little bus overhang while listening to the i-pod josh got me last year on my birthday.

Josh text me back, "are you hungry? you could order food over foodler, my treat!" It didn't take long for the bus to roll up. i got on, tapped my T-pass and relocated to a seat. "No, that's okay. Thank you but I already ate." I looked nervously at the girl sitting next to me and mentioned the stop i had to get off at. "Josh texted me again, "ya sure, you could get whatever you want." I smiled and replied, "really that's okay, if i get hungry i can probably grab something by Andrew's'. A couple stops passed. I checked my phone to try and locate where i was but didn't have to much luck. even with a GPS on my phone i didn't recognize the area. Then my phone started to ring. I thought it would be Jackie or Andrew calling to see how i was doing, but no, it was Josh.

I quickly answered my phone while checking to see what stop i was at.
"Hi Baby, whats up?" I asked.
"He, do you want to hang out tonight?" Josh replied. I felt my heart stop, "uh what? what do you mean hang out tonight?"
Joshed laughed,"I'm in Cambridge right now. I'm your birthday gift." I could tell he was smiling. "i was dropping you hints trying to get you to go back to your dorm room. I know how much you love food."
The past couple nights josh had been talking about the gift he had ordered for me, he refused to tell me what it was and said when he got it in the mail he would show it to me over the webcam. In all actuality his reasons for not telling me what his gift was, was because there was no gift, he instead had planned to surprise me with a visit on my birthday. A sweet idea...

When he said that, my eye twitched and i felt a rush of anxiety. I was on a bus, heading in the opposite direction of Cambridge. I had a panicked feeling, i had to get off the bus and head back to my dorm, but i have no idea where i was and how i would do that. A frown creased my lips, i gritted my teeth. "oh! you could have just told me you were coming." I said flatly. A wave of annoyance swept over me. I really didn't know what else to say. "But I'm heading in the opposite direction, i don't know how to get back to Cambridge from here. I was going to see Jackie, who i haven't seen in a long while. This is kinda putting my in a position." my voice cracked.
"Um, okay, then go to your friends, just remember I'm going to be here for one day." Josh said making me even angrier.

As soon as i was off the phone with josh i called Andrew and explained my situation. Despite the fact that josh was up i still really wanted to see my friends, i kinda had my heart set on it most of the day. Andrew told me to calm down and not to be angry. He was right after all. Josh drove a long way to see me on my birthday and i was angry because it conflicted with my plans.

When i finally got to the apartment everyone gave me a round of hugs. Katrina gave me a rather inquisitive after to the problem where everyone could win, kinda. She suggested that josh drive to the apartment and spend time with m and all my friends. I text Josh the idea and he seemed okay with it but did not know the area very well. In the end he preferred i come to him, and i was angry once again. By bus i would another 40 minutes to get back to Cambridge and well... i only barely had money on my T-pass. Katrina offered me a ride back, something i am most thankful for. We all hopped in her car and she drove me back to my dorm where josh was waiting.

Josh had been waiting outside for about 2 hours (i had only been at the apartment for 15 but the commute to the and stay as a whole ended up being that long.) His car was parked on Oxford street, as i approached it i felt a frog for in my throat and i wanted to scream at him. My mind just kept thinking bout all of the work i had to get done the next day... and now that he was in Cambridge i had to entertain him instead. He had only the best intentions, only wanted to make me happy on my birthday. Instead of appreciating his visit i viewed it as a burden. This was the first time we had seen each other in a full month, i should have been happy... should have but wasn't.


We got into a fight, I made him feel like an asshole for trying to do something nice for me...
It still really stings... I just don't know why i did that to him. What makes it worse is a while back Josh had said he didn't like coming up to see me because i felt i didn't appreciate it, when i did with all my heart. He really hurt me when he said that, i didn't know what would possess him to say that. Well in this particular situation i did not appreciate his visit... after we fought we kinda just sat quietly for a while. I knew i had fucked up...

I feel like things haven't been the same since. Josh wants me to be happy and forget it... but i can't let it go. I'm also under so much stress that i can't really be happy. Because I'm not happy he blames himself. I still feel so fucking bad about it. Why did i have to act and feel that way?

More than a month has passed but i feel no more better about it... I'm disappointed in myself.

Okay, so this is my second day back in Boston. I am officially done packing and sitting in my new single. Because Jenn graduated last semester, i'm by myself (cause the idea of a new room mate is just a bad one) so yeah. The room is much bigger than i expected. And i am kinda excited to be back. here are some pictures of my new dorm room:







oh and here is a picture of my cat Cloud (who i could not bring with me cause he was Josh's cat first)



lastly here is an updated version of the teela picture i did a while back. I finally decided to work on it a little bit.



more to come later... maybe.

So about a month ago i picked up an issue of the comic previews and read a little bit. I was really happy to see that Catwoman would be staring in a new series "Gotham City Sirens". this will finally fill the empty spot in my heart that has grown since the cancellation of her monthly comic, "Catwoman". I have the first to issues and I'm pretty happy with it thus far. aside from my joy of the new on-going series i also so an image of Batgirl. The top part of her head was cut off by the top border. Her jaw line, unlike the current Batgirl was uncovered, her lips were curved upward, smirking. around the border of her mask were little loose stitching not unlike Cassandra Canes Mask. i was pretty flabbergasted when i read the caption that there would be a new Batgirl.

To me, that makes no sense, Casandra Cain, who currently holds the mantle as Batgirl has not stepped down at all. The last i read she was trying to lead the scrambling team of Outsiders, since the passing of Bruce Wayne. Further more, she was one of Nightwings team, the network, during the mini-series "Battle for the Cowel". According to the new Batgirl comic descriptions, this new heroine emerges during the wake of Batman RIP arch. This just doesn't make much sense because Cassandra Cain is still Batgirl during that time period.

The the questions "Who is the new Batgirl?" keeps getting tossed around. I feel the real question is, "What happened to Cassandra Cain?"

I tell ya what, ever since Batman died, the entire Bat Family has gone completely upside down. Dick is Batman, Tim and Red Robbin (and going out of his fuckin mind) and that little hell spawn Damian is the new Robbin.

Oh yeah, one last thing, for those of you who are DC fans and haven't been reading Blackest Night, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I think the series so far is pretty amazing. i love the writing, not to mention the references to one of my favorite DC arks, "Identity Crisis." I'm not a big Green Lantern fan but I'm slowly learning to like it. Personally i only really picked up this series to see batman get resurrected *fingers crossed* of course with Bruce Wayne's head now missing... i may not get to see that. (i haven't read Batman Blackest night yet)

I thinks thats all for now... maybe some art will be posted later...

Its time for an ART DUMP. HOORAY!! Some complete, others not so much.