I decided to make another snowflake-drawing video. :) This time I used slightly more dramatic music; there were a few songs I wanted use that included some more energetic parts, and red seemed like the appropriate color to go with them.
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You can see all the RedBubble items with this pattern here.

​Society6 doesn't have a "view everything with this artwork on it" feature, but if you visit the page for this art print and scroll down, you'll see a selection of products with these snowflakes on them.

Here are the links to the items in the collage:

​Tote Bags
Wall Clocks
Throw Pillows
Comforters
Skirts
Towels
iPhone Cases and Skins
Shower Curtains
Wall Tapestries
Coffee Mugs
Rectangular Pillows
Dresses

I've got a handy art tutorial that walks you through every step of the process. You can watch the first video in the tutorial here:

​In this art class, you'll discover how to draw symmetrical snowflake patterns in Krita, and sell them on sites like Society6 and RedBubble. This video provides the intro; you can see the full 41-minute tutorial on SkillShare here.

I drew A LOT of snowflakes during these recording sessions, so getting them uploaded and shared on all my public channels will take time. For now, my supporters on Patreon can get early access to the full set of snowflakes here:

Amethyst in the Ocean
Frost in the Void
Iced Velvet

After a long period of YouTube silence, I finally published another Farscape music video!

John Crichton, meet the Uncharted Territories. Uncharted Territories, try not to kill John.

Farscape visuals, meet Five Nights at Freddy's music. Now kiss.
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Support me on Patreon to get early access to videos like this, as well as exclusive access to sketches and works in progress!
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If you'd like to get early access to videos like this, as well as
songs, artwork, stories, lyrics, works in progress, and other goodies,
​please check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/StephanieOBrien
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I FINALLY FRIKKIN' FIGURED IT OUT. *Takes a deep breath, and disengages capslock.*

There was something about me that bothered me for years. Something I had tried to surmount, with only inadequate fragments of success - until this week.

That something was my infuriating inability to record a good-sounding song.

This was especially frustrating when it came to songs like the topic of today's blog post. Decretum is a beautiful instrumental by Yuki Kajiura, for the amazing and heart-wrenching anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

I wanted to give words to Sayaka's poignant journey, so I sat down one day to write down lyrics that captured her desires, hopes and mistakes.

But the first several times I went to record my beautiful lyrics, darned if I could get my voice to cooperate. Notes that had sounded good as they vibrated through my jaw came out flat, dull and grainy when I played them on the computer.

It happened every single time I tried to record a song. And it bothered me for ages.

Why?! Why did my voice sound right when I sang, but not when I recorded it?

Then, one day, the penny finally dropped. I'll pause for a moment to let you enjoy the results (that's why you're here, right?) before elaborating.
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So, what was this fallen penny of which I speak? There were a few of them, mostly in the form of questions I hadn't thought to ask myself before. Questions like...

​What if I just couldn't sing while listening to music?

What if my reflex not to talk over things and people was causing me to instinctively mute myself?

What if my untrained control over my voice required more concentration than I could give it while half of my focus was on the music?

What if my computer's sound system just plain couldn't handle playing audio and recording it at the same time?

And what if I tried recording the vocals while the music WASN'T playing?

Obviously, the timing of the lyrics could become an issue, but at that point, it was worth a shot.

So I plugged in my headset, activated my sound recorder, and went for it. I sang my heart out. I focused on hitting the right notes, and expressing the emotion of the song, instead of on matching the timing of the instrumentals.

Then, with high hopes, I saved the recording and hit "play"... 

And discovered that, while my voice will probably never be as good as KiyumiArashi's, and my microphone definitely leaves something to be desired, the sound quality was better than anything I'd ever recorded before.

For the first time ever, I could record a lyrical adaptation, and sincerely enjoy the results.

Unfortunately, as predicted, the timing was a bit off... so I decided to try another tactic.

This time, instead of playing the instrumentals on the computer, I played Decretum on my iPod while I recorded the song, and cranked the volume up high enough that I wouldn't reflexively sing softly in order to be able to hear the notes.

Sure enough, it worked - I got the timing right this time, AND the computer recorded the audio properly. Needless to say, I was pretty freaking happy, and I hope you enjoy the fruits of my little revelation.

Frisk's having some trouble dealing with their new favorite plant, but it's nothing a psychokinetic skeleton can't cure.

This is my first comic dub, and I wanted to take it beyond the level of simply talking while pictures show. I always appreciate it when dubbers can actually get me into the mood of the comic, and enhance it with well-timed and well-chosen music and effects, so that's what I decided to do with this one.

I hope you enjoy it!

You can see the original comic in my Undertale Art Gallery.

If you enjoyed this video, and you want to get extra content, advanced viewings
of new creations and works in progress, and other goodies,
​please take a minute to check out my Patreon!

With Undertale and its numerous creative offshoots sweeping the internet, it was only a matter of time before it infiltrated my computer and captured my heart.

All of the characters are entertaining on the surface, and complex and multi-layered underneath, and Sans in particular fascinates me in a way that only two other characters ever have.

One day, a set of lyrics started popping into my head, and I thought they were a great fit for the hopes, fears and secret motives that drive the goofy but enigmatic skeleton's interactions with the protagonist.

So I pulled up Audacity, imported Sans' matter-of-factly-named theme song, added words, and inflicted the result on the internet.

The song contains spoilers for both the pacifist run and the murder run, so make sure you're safely spoiler-proofed before you proceed!
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​Here are the lyrics, minus Sans' capitalization-averse speaking style:

Come, take my hand
Take a break at my hot dog stand
Although you’re human
It’s my hope that we can be friends

I’ll use my pranks
To read your response and I’ll thank
You not to reset
If you’re the anomaly I think

You’ve seen it before
What lies beyond the Ruins’ door
But guess you never
Found whatever you are looking for

So what do you seek?
Is it home or a family?
You can have those here
And I hope I can help you see

You don’t need to
Use time travel or execute
Your foes to find peace
‘Cause the life that has been given to you

Isn’t so bad
You’ve got friends, good food and bad laughs
I think your new life
Can be better than the one we use to have

Sometimes, it's fun to speculate about what characters would be like if they got drunk. Especially the ones who you know would never compromise themselves like that in canon - leaving plenty of room for creative shenanigans when drowning their wits in fan works.

I recently created a video for Scorpius from Farscape, exploring what would happen if his usually clever and calm personality ended up spinning on an alcohol-soaked emotional roller coaster.

If you like Farscape and want a chuckle, take a few minutes to check it out:

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Once upon a time, there was a song and a story.

The song was beautiful and evocative, but it made very little sense. It was like a pretty tossed salad made of randomly tossed words.

​The story was also beautiful, stirring and complex. But there were many incarnations of it, many of which had never come into being.

One day, a tragic incarnation of the story poked its head into the room of an artist and said, "I could be something real and wonderful, if you paired me with that song.

"I could make the tossed-salad lyrics make sense, and the song could give shape to the untold story that is me."

So I brought the song and the story together into the cathedral of Windows Movie Maker, and through repeated clicks of an editing mouse, they said their vows and were wed.

Then they joined in the holy union of the "save video" feature, and soon thereafter, a new music video was born into the world of the internet for you to enjoy.

​So enjoy it.
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Over a year ago, I made one of the best music videos I've ever created. Magia is an awesome song, from the best anime I've ever watched, and it fit remarkably well with my favorite fictional character from my favorite sci-fi show.

Needless to say, I was excited when it was complete. I uploaded it to YouTube, painstakingly added captions to translate the Japanese lyrics, and grinned as I hit "Publish"...

Only to watch in horror as Sony instantly blocked the video worldwide.

Can you guess who is NOT among my favorite companies?

Disappointed, I moved on to other projects, fitting video clips to music from less territorial companies. For over a year, my Magia video sat neglected in my computer, inaccessible to anyone but me.

Then, it finally occurred to me: there are several altered versions of Magia sitting unmolested on YouTube, so why not make my own?

It was worth a shot.

A few minutes in Audacity, and a few more in Movie Maker, and voila - a slightly higher-pitched version of my video was ready to be uploaded.

Then came the real test: would Sony allow a video that included a pitch-adjusted version of their carefully guarded song?

I uploaded it and added the captions again, silently praying that my work wouldn't once again be wasted, and wishing that I could know one way or the other before I went to the trouble of adding captions.

I could have just published it caption-free, I guess, but I'd hate for my subscribers' first impression of the video to be a fruitless battle with the caption button.

I published the video, held my breath, and...

SUCCESS!

Magia is published, and as far as I can tell, it hasn't been blocked anywhere! :D

I can't wait to hear what you think of it. This is one of my favorite creations, and I'm happy to finally be able to share it with you.
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