GREEN Hallowe'en.

I always wanted to be green.

Ever since seeing that green alien in Star Trek.

Oops, no, I meant this green alien in Star Trek...

My friend Kathy (AKA @HelloPhotoKitty) is so talented.

I just love the light she gets...

...and I feel really comfortable with her.

Some subjects are a photographer's muse....but I think Kathy is my muse.

What are you dressing up as?

A safe Hallowe'en to you I wish.
Forget not your teeth to brush.
In Yoda-speak to comment you must.

Kathy Slamen Photography, Body painting  Alex Hansen, Hair & make-up Naita Ratycz.

Trick or Treat.

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Compare your KLOUT Score with your SEXYTIME!

No algorithm needed to predict this particular KLOUT Perk. And prolly the only Klout perk that comes with -K. (<-- see what I did there?)

And no, it doesn't matter which colour is which.

If you were sad to see your Klout Score drop, I hope I've cheered you up.

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My KLOUToris.

WARNING: You have been warned.

My Klout score has been going down on me (<--see what I did there?) since yesterday's Klout Fall. Turns out I'm not all that influential... but the good news is that there is one person in my life I am able to influence and he's giggling over my shoulder as I write this.

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The KLOUT Fall.

The big news today is that Klout changed its algorithm* to be more accurate. Yay for accuracy! I, along with many others, found our Klout scores hurtling towards certain ignominy, without a parachute. Turns out we weren't as influential as we thought we were.

Does this matter? I don't know! I have yet to figure Klout out. Here are 5 things a high Klout score probably cannot do for you:

1. Rub ointment on your chilblains.
2. Comfort you when you cry at movies.
3. Get you a roll of toilet paper when you really, really need it.
4. Draw a funny picture of you.
5. Tell you when Mr. Crusty is hanging out of your nose.
6. Feed you bacon. Wait, that's six. Okay six things then.

But perhaps Klout can actually feed you. So I want to know - have you or anyone you know ever put food on the table, i.e. landed a job or a sponsor, based on what their Klout score is? If so, I'll give you some +K and a big high five.

Drawing stuff about Klout is fun. I like it because Klout taps into a basic human condition: the need to be validated. If you're upset about your plummeting score, it might be useful to remember that Klout is not a social service, it's a business. You are valuable and awesome with -K and a big high five!

*An algorithm is a really amazing and fabulous thing that can predict stuff, like what size underwear your future mother-in-law will wear. Probably. 

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Arrr...!

I've drawn a gal with giraffe legs, and I've drawn a giraffe in a box. But this here pirate giraffe is for my Twitter pal Ed R. Or Ed Arrrrr...! as I like to call him.

Get below ye scurvy weasel an' fetch me my rum. Arrr.

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Watching The NOTEBOOK.

The Huz said he was 90% made of water...until we watched The Notebook the other night.

It's a beauty of a film, directed by Nick Cassavetes, a love story with stellar performances by James Garner and Gena Rowlands. A story of true love, triumphant against all odds.

I had seen it once before, a few years ago, so I knew what was coming...

Yeah, so 90% water and what's the remaining 10%...? Please tell me what movies made you cry.

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I Draw YOU - @AmazingSusan

The Amazing Susan is truly amazing, and she has the eyewear to prove it.



Can't see the Flashy interactive game above? Hmmmm....prolly cuz you're on a MAC or iPad or something. I'm sorry. You'll have to be satisfied with only one drawing. The non-clicky buttons may taunt you, but just try to ignore them.

Susan Macaulay is many amazing things, not least of which is the fact that she is creator and curator of AmazingWomenRock.com. If you're looking for motivation, celebration or inspiration - you will find it there. Susan's glasses always half full! (<--See what I did there? "Susan's glasses"? Okay, I'll stop now.)


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"FRENCHING" ...an independent film.

I made a film!

Have you ever felt like an outsider? A stranger in a strange land...? Joe Ollmann, (a Doug Wright Award-winning cartoonist), plays himself live and animated as an English-speaking transplant fumbling his way through French-speaking Montreal.



Me and my videographer friend Jen wanted to do a film together. I was obsessed with making Joe's characters come to life. Here's how we made "Frenching".



Joe is as nice as he is funny and talented, and I'd work with him again in a heartbeat. The animators had fun with his characters too. I also loved the music by Tom Mennier.

Recognize any famous Montreal landmarks?

PS: I embedded the directors' cut here cuz it has the credits and I think the team deserve credit. Here's the Bravo!FACT version; we thank them kindly for assisting in the funding.

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Pulling G-rank.

I was busted by the Google Police for breaking the G-law. Oh, how I languished behind bars!

My 96 year old Grandma came to my rescue: she totally pulled G-rank.

You see, Google had put my G+ account under review for using the name "JC Little".

Maybe they were suspicious of the name "JC"...? Maybe they thought it was a nym?

You can't argue with my Grandma. She's a retired Judge. And she was also the Chairman of Hallowe'en for the whole province of Quebec when UNICEF started their Trick or Treat collection thing back in the day. Someone had to organize the schools for that and my Grandma was that someone.

I know you're impressed right? So how 'bout a +1 for Pickle Weasel?

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The KING of the CORN.

We got up early today and went to the Jean Talon Market. Man, I love it there. We picked up a few dozen corn on the cob - fresh farm picked from Le Roi du Maïs* - with no pesticides. How awesome is that?
*The King of Corn.

So this evening I'm shucking this fabulously fresh pesticide free sweet corn thinking about butter and I get to about the 9th cob. I peel back the leaves and notice a tiny dark spot on the tip. So I take a closer look and the darn thing begins to extrude itself from the corn right before my very eyes. A worm! And it's waving at me!

"AAAAAAAAA!" I screamed and dropped the corn into the sink. Everyone came running.

Now you may not know this about me but I'm squeamish when it comes to larvae of any kind, including caterpillars. Something about their undulating, blobby shapes just makes me wanna hurl. BLEGH!

The 17 year old daughter felt sorry for the worm so she scooped him up and found him a cozy spot in the garden compost. As for me, I totally lost my appetite for a whole ten minutes. I was truly grossed out. But even so, I was thinking, wow, this pesticide free corn means I might encounter a pest or two. Hmmmm....

Folks, squeamish as I am, I'll take the pests over the pesticides any day.

Vive Le Roi du Maïs!

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Get INSPIRED!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Yeah, this is what I've been squirming about for the past month.

Remember my quest to get Wacom's attention? Well, it worked! I've been featured on their new "Get Inspired" site.  They sent a team to film me right here in my home studio. Check out their video of me while I was drawing my new film "Inspiration". You even get to see some of the junk on my desk!

It's hard to talk about yourself when you're terrified shy. I was filling up my shorts brave. 

If you don't know what a Wacom is - it's a pen tablet. I use one to draw straight into the computer. You'll often see it in my drawings of myself drawing.

There's some cool artists up there with me; it's worth checking out just for that. Plus there's a "One Thousand Forests" contest you can enter (whether you use a Wacom or not). For every person who participates, they'll donate $5 to the International Child Art Foundation. It's all very, very cool and right on.

Go get inspired!

A note of thanks to the person behind the @Wacom on Twitter. Also @TheGoToMom, @MarcyMassura and especially the lovely @DotandLil; she kicked my butt and started all this.

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Inspiration.

This is what it's like to be me.



Where do ideas come from? Are some people more likely to get them than others? Do you agree there's a difference between inspiration and creativity? I wonder what motivates someone to turn an idea into reality...questions that need answers!

I'm struck by new ideas all the time. I want to do them ALL. And I'm determined to try!

What inspires you?

Share. This film was featured on Wacom's Get Inspired site.

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MORE Funny One Liners.

Okay, here's another FREE drawing lesson for you. It's easy, all you have to do is follow these simple steps. Ready?

We're going to start with a few simple lines. Just grab whatever it is you use to draw, and go for it - wiggly, straight or bent. Lines have a hidden personality, so let's discover it.

Next you just add some dots...put them anywhere you wish!

A few extra little dashes here and there to refine the pose...

Words magically put everything into context.

And a splash of color to give it that extra zing!

WARNING: Try to work quickly; you don't want to miss your dead line.

Lemmeno how it goes!

PS - When I googled Tarzan's cry, the 17 year old daughter said it sounded like "auto-tune on crack". Which it kinda does.

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