#haylan makes stuff

[haylanmakesstuff]

Portraits of My Friend

'Portraits of My Friend' is wood colored with acrylic paint and colored pencil, from 2023. It will probably always remain one of my favorite things I have ever created. Each side of the octagonal box has a different portrait.

The 3D effect is very thick layered white acrylic.

'Portraits of my Friend' is SOLD.

[karkats-longsleeves]

If you've never seen Rainlan before and like him, He is a Prince from a almost medieval time- and he has really bad depression just sorta naturally- and doesnt know how to cope so he drinks right now. (Plus theyd do stuff like bleed you with leeches and cuts to "help" so he's not keen on doctors his parents assign to him) His Mother and Father cover up for him being kind of dead weight in the royal duties right now. He has a best (and only) friend named Haylan (who is also an OC) who's the total opposite of him. Hyper, loud and annoying and driven in life. Rainlan's story is one of learning to cope with depression, getting hard truths from the ones he cares about and learning to better himself and his life from his own effort and choices he has to learn to make... I don't have much art of him yet but he is honestly very near to my heart.

[vancilart]

day 3: bold

bro not where the other nobles can see noo haha broo stoooppp

[vjestyca]

Well tell us more about your OCs :)

since there’s only five on that list and i don’t see any more of these asks coming in i’m just gonna lay down the basics. because i love them.also tagging @haelens bc she wanted to hear about my digi-ocs.

cami ono / digimon.cami was one of my first ocs, though she has gone through a lot of changes over the years.  i watched digimon and the digimon adventures movie so much that my mother wrote about how much she hated it.  originally her partner digimon was gazimon (love those lil bastards), but the movie cemented my love for lopmon and terriermon.  cami lives in japan with her mother and stepfather after her bio parents divorced, she hasn’t seen her bio-dad in years.  she had a twin sister, ava, who died when they were ten.  ava’s digipartner was terriermon, who disappeared when ava died.  cami’s a bit of a quiet kid, but mostly an angry kid, she tends to act without thinking. she keeps a diary where she addresses the entries to her sister.

ikeda keiko ‘kei’ / digimon.listen, you have to understand, i make digimon ocs like an insane person.  i see a cool digimon and i make an oc.  kei is one of those because how could i not?  it’s a bee digimon, it’s cute, i love it.  anyway, ikeda keiko, aka kei, is the daughter of two very busy individuals.  she practically raised herself and spent most of her summers at camp as to not be left home alone. she’s a little bit of a crybaby and not quick to anger, or really act at all.  she didn’t really have any friends until the whole digi-plot.

also, yes, i did have cringy crests for both of these two, because i live to please myself.

peninnah ‘nina’ / dragon oc.nina is honestly one of my favourite ocs that i’ve written on tumblr.  she’s a dragon oc that i put a lot into and i rped her for a while before i lost the log-in to both her blog and email.  she’s about 4200 years old, an amphithere, has adhd, and was the youngest of nine siblings (neziah, tyrus, apollonia, damascus, tirzah, rhesa, rumah, nimrah, lydda).  she was briefly married to another dragon named haylan and had a young daughter named synnove, but both they, nina’s siblings and nina’s parents were all killed by the king’s army.  she was the only one to survive and went on to hoard stuff and run a pawn shop.

twyla lune / descendants oc.an entirely self-indulgent oc that i made after watching the first two descendants movies.  she’s a light talent fairy and was ‘raised’, so to say, by zarina the pirate fairy.  i wrote a whole ~15000 word story about how she got from pixie hollow in neverland to the isle of the lost.  in short, she showed up on the isle, befriended harry and eventually uma and gil, was briefly captured by captain hook before being rescued.  also she’s got a sword!  and a magic necklace!  like i said, self-indulgent.

penemue / good omens oc.actually one of my newest ocs because good omens is the only book i’ve finished in months. she’s minorly based on the enochian angel by the same name (who was technically fallen but fuck it).  she’s an angel who spends a lot of her time on earth.  she treats aziraphale like an older brother and crowley like half-a-friend, half-an-annoyance.  she wasn’t directly linked into the apocalypse + devil’s son issue, as opposed to on the outskirts, wildly in disbelief that they’d managed to misplace a child so important.  in the beginning, she taught humankind how to read and write; she was also invoked as a curer of human stupidity (seriously, that was one of the original enoch penemue’s things. curing stupidity).  she had a girlfriend, mallory, that died and pen wears a carcanet that previously belonged to her.  in current times, she has a new human gf named stacey.

[that-bookworm-guy]

Character Creation Tag (Alexander)

@pens-swords-stuff did this and this looked cool so I thought I’d do it with my baby Alexander

1) What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.?)

The name. I knew he would be a bookworm too 

2) Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

Nope, he was the first character and everyone else was built around him.

3) How did you choose their name?

always loved the name, since I was tiny. I never knew anyone called Alexander so I have no idea where I got the name from, but it was also a name I was considering when I came out as trans but it didn’t suit me, so my character’s name was born. 

His last name is Fawn, which just came to mind and seemed to fit.

4) In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

Oooo so in the first book he loses his family. I wanted to really concentrate on his backstory at the start to show how normal his life was and how unprepared he was for everything to go tits up. Everyone has a special power and his is enhanced intelligence and he experiences everything from being able to read minds (Not a lot), to having visions about the future and hearing his powers voice. He wants to get rid of it, so I really wanted to show how much it affected him.

He has ADHD so I wanted to show that through his every day life and I made sure it was mentioned in passing. I wanted to show how he was in school because there are some important characters that come back from there.

His family were well off with house staff and technology because I wanted a clear contrast between his old life and his new life on the run. 

5) Is there any significance behind their hair colour?

Nope

6) Is there any significance behind their eye colour?

Nope

7) Is there any significance behind their height?

Nope, he is average

8) What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

He has bad anxiety and depression. I didn’t want to hide it and I’ve had it all my life so I wanted to write a hero who had a mental illness and although it does slow him down, it doesnt stop him.

9) Are they based off of you, in some way?

The whole story came to be because I had a dream where my sister was taken and I had some kind of powers that helped me to get her back. This is basically the outline to the whole of book 1. So in a way yes.

Same with the anxiety and depression, a lot I wrote about it true and was how I was feeling at the time. I feel it made it more realistic to a reader that way. 

I can be quite cheeky and was often got told off for it when I was younger, so I really wanted to include that element of fun into his character.

10) Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?

I knew he wasn’t going to be straight. Whether he knew that about himself yet was another story. But it’s turning out to read like he is bi, so I will definitely be sticking with that.

11) What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: Writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

So there was a scene where he got caught and basically got beaten up but a police officer (They are all working for a corrupt government and know it). I knew I wanted him to get caught and I knew he was going to get treated like a mini adult (He is 13) and that it was going to be a massive shock to him. 

But when I wrote that part, it seemed too light. He was basically being interrogated in a cell where they police have no rules. 

Then it was too harsh, like way too harsh. 

And he didn’t care if he died at this point, he thought he lost everything and in this situation he would have given up. I needed to give him a reason to fight, to be brave and not quit. He needed to get his sister back but thought there was no chance.

So I thought back to my anxiety. If i want something I can’t do it (like ask for sauce in a restaurant) but if my friend with anxiety wants it and can’t ask, you bet I’m going to try to ask for some. 

So I put in his best friend (and the guy he may or may not have a crush on) with him, but he was beaten up worse. So he could find some will to fight again.

12) How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

Oh god I have planned this so much. SO basically I had it so well planned out that me @izzytheheartbrekker and @lantern-keeper had a half hour convo about how I could get my characters to break into this one building. All the reasons they gave couldn’t work because I basically wrote myself into a corner that made it so the ideas would not work at all. They needed to break into this building to find files. The files can only be found in this building, I tried to move them but they just didn’t make sense to be anywhere else because of how I wrote the first book and the characters. But they are on the run and trying to lay low so have no reason to enter this building at all. 

They can’t just walk in. It’s guarded because of how I wrote the building in the first story. It was basically a suicide mission. But the character’s traits also held an issue. They wouldn’t break in for fun or a dare.

I did work it out in the end. 

But their story is always going and I have ideas that will never get put into the story. I have everyone’s back stories wrote that I could form another book on

13) If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

Anxiety. Anxiety controls his life. He wouldn’t do certain things or act certain way because of it. 

He loves his sister, in the book I’m currently writing (book 2) I know the first few chapters are missing their interactions. Everything that happened in book 1 was because he was trying to get his sister back, I need to remember that.

14) What is something about your OC that can make you laugh?

His cheekiness, he always answers back, and he doesn’t always mean to. 

15) What is something about your OC can make you cry?

His love for people. I cried when I wrote the scene his sister got taken, because I know how much his life revolves around her. 

‘“Trust me.”

These were the last words that Alexander said to his little sister before… well you’ll see.’ - start of chapter 9

‘Rosia didn’t look so sure. She ran towards her brother and leant against his chest. He wrapped his arms around his little sister and lent over her like a shield. Protecting her from the world outside of his warmth. If he could take all the pain away from her, he would in a heartbeat. She didn’t deserve this, she didn’t deserve any of this. His shirt felt wet against his skin and he realised they were the tears of his sister. He bent down and rested his hands on the side of her shoulders, before leaning forwards and gently kissed her forehead. Looking into her watery eyes, he tried to smile bravely. He couldn’t bare to see his sister so scared. He wiped away her tears with his sleeve and held her against his chest once again.

“We’ll be alright Rosia. We’ll make it somewhere safe tonight and then we will get away from all of this.”

Rosia lifted her head and looked at her protector. With her face red, eyes puffy and gently sobbing, she opened her mouth and gently whispered one word.

“Promise?”

Alexander stood up and held out his hand.

“Trust me.”’ - end of chapter 9, book 1

WHY DO I DO THIS?

16) Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

I want him to be an arsehole sometimes, like it would be easier to write, but he is just so darn nice and lovable. 

17) What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

He doesnt want to burden anyone, he is struggling and didn’t tell his best friend. His talent has grown out of control.

“He’s been repressing his power which means he isn’t focusing it, which means it’s growing and every time he relaxes the hold even a tiny bit, that will happen” He pointed to Alex. “and it’s only going to get worse the longer he does it. And by longer I don’t mean days, I mean hours. His mind is developing at a fast pace just as teenagers brains do, except quicker. Christ Alex we’ve spoke about this and you didn’t listen.” Theo was becoming clearly more and more agitated by the second.

“You spoke about this, without me.”

Theo looked at Alex, who looked like he was about to blackout again any second. He calmed down a bit, feeling sympathy for him. “He didn't want to worry you.”

Jathan turned to Alex, “You’re my best friend, I want to know if you’re suffering I want to help Alex.” He turned back to Theo “Isn’t this why we placed the seal in the first place so he wouldn’t lose control. Can't we just do that again?”

“You saw what happened the first time we can’t risk that again.”

“What will happen if he continues to repress it?”

“Worse case scenario, it takes over, he can’t take it, his brain shuts down. But that’s if he doesn’t give up first”

“He dies? Shit, Okay, okay and best case?” He inhaled deeply.

“It takes over, it leads his life for him until he goes mad.” He paused. “Then his brain shuts down.”

“That’s exactly the same just worded differently.”

“It’s exactly the same apart from one takes longer.”

“I am still here, and I can hear you.”

Jathan turned to Alex quickly “Shut it, you don’t get a say in this after you didn’t listen the first time.” He turned back to Theo. “So what do we do?” (First draft)

18) What is your favourite fact about your OC?

“I think the scars showed that you survived, you fought and you won. They show you were brave, that you’re stronger than you think. You got these scars so Haylan and Leo didn’t get any. That’s incredibly brave.You’re incredible…. bly brave.”

Alex looked back up and saw tears running down his face. He lunged forwards awkwardly and hugged him, succeeding in knocking him over. Jathan laughed in between sobs as Alex laid on top of Jathan.

He thinks he is smooth, but boy is he not.

I tag @immzies-adventures-through-books and anyone else who wants to do this because I have been lacking on the writeblr side so I’m not sure who writes anymore and I also tag @phantom-solitaire because they are reading my first book currently so I want to show them more of my baby

[haylanmakesstuff]

Gaming Table

This customized gaming table was probably one of the more challenging things I've ever taken on; I had no experience doing anything similar and there was A LOT to learn during this process. It was made as my BFF's wedding gift.

Finished Product:

It functions as a normal coffee table until you take the top off. Inside is a fully felt lined gaming table, complete with the tabletop becoming a giant chalkboard.

First, this required thrifting a suitable table that met my needs. Here is the as-is table before any alterations:

First, we had to take the top off. Wooooo, Spring Break!

Next, and the worst and longest part, was sanding. Sanding, sanding, sanding. and more sanding.

What's happening here? I have no idea. I apparently felt it was necessary to take 6 similar pictures posing like this though.

You can see we have now built in the new bottom of the table, and added the sides. This took a lot of math that I have wiped from my memory.

Of course, the paintjob was my jam. Emerald green and black are her favorite colors.

The felt gaming surface was the last piece added, after a good protective coating. Now a shot of the finished table with the top off you saw earlier!

[haylanmakesstuff]

Ugly Sweater

I made this sweet thing for an ugly sweater party for work. Of course, a typical sweater with garland and tensile stapled to it won the contest, but I feel like I won when I sold it online for a pretty penny later. This is felt and embroidery on a thrifted sweater, 2016.

 details: 

and of course, it wouldn’t be complete without an awkward school photo of me in it:

[haylanmakesstuff]

Jem and The Holograms film: Synergy

for three years and 5 days I spear headed a ridiculous project; a Jem and The Holograms fan film. I edited, directed, made music, designed costumes, did make up, made props, kinda sorta everything, along with the help of my amazing novice movie making coop, Homespun Horror, who all donated their time for free so graciously for this and all of our other projects. I’ll share props and pieces of this film and others over time. Today, let’s look at Synergy, a mastermind AI who makes Jem who she is.

Here is the original machine from the cartoon:

Here is a look of the no-secrets, flash on one I made for our movie. It’s probably the roughest prop we’ve ever used that wasn’t literally a can of Bean with Bacon Soup from the cabinet. It was just me and some old carboard boxes and a steak knife in the garage. 

Of course, it looked a lot better in its intended lighting of near total darkness, so she can light up.

Synergy was made pretty quickly from spray painted cardboard, an old keyboard, LED lights, scraps of whatever worked. It was placed in front of a TV that played the previously recorded footage of our actor.

This was the only crowd funded project we ever made, and even what we raised didn’t cover the costs of filming/completing the movie. We were on a super tight budget, as we always were, so we made do. But honestly, we’ve always made B-Movies gorilla style, and it was really part of what made it so fun.

I’ll be posting more stuff from this fan film over time. You can always check out the finished film and the bloopers on youtube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RoBuU3uGsY&t=6s

[haylanmakesstuff]

Old Tricks

This isn’t normal art, this is the art of trickery. A long time ago in high school, I decided to go to my senior portraits in disguise. Normally, I looked like a weirdo. No regrets! I’m still a weirdo. I looked like these two pictures throughout school:

I thought it would be really funny to disguise myself as someone else when I went into to take my senior yearbook photo (I had a shaved head at the time). The photographer was very suspicious of my wig and even rubbed the texture between her fingers when she “needed to adjust my collar”.

When the yearbook came out, I heard some jock bullies of mine talking about how they didn’t know the girl in the picture, but she was HOT. Jokes on you, losers! So many friends and teachers came up to me worried my picture had been mixed up and replaced with whoever this girl was. Just took a wig, fake boobs, contacts, make up I never wore - The drama! 

Ironically, a while later as an adult when I got laser surgery to get rid of my glasses, let my hair grow out dark, and grew boobs, I didn’t look unlike these disguised photos. Trick’s on me! 

[haylanmakesstuff]

For Sale: Unique Ghost Box

“Portraits of my Friend” is a six sides box, hand painted, and one of a kind. It’s available on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HaylanMakesStuff). Each side of the box and the inside are completely different from one another!

It’s an upcycled box, with acrylic and colored pencil to create the design. I wanted to consider what a ghost would do while they spend all their time trapped in the haunted house to which they are bound. 

It opens up to reveal 4 little box containers inside. 

I have really enjoyed creating all the Halloween boxes and clocks in the last few years, and I really, really an in love with this one. 

[haylanmakesstuff]

Charlotte Charles, 2008

A painting from 2008, ‘Charlotte Charles’, the Lonely Tourist. I love the show Pushing Daisies, and have a few paintings inspired by it, and this one is almost a screen cap from an episode. This show is so clever and stunningly beautiful, it will always be a favorite. 

This is acrylic on matte board. 

[haylanmakesstuff]

Tonight is the Night

A two-part acrylic and marker painting from 2007. Getting photos/scans of paintings was difficult back then. I could do it by camera and get the inconsistent coloring you see in these pictures, or could pay $50-80 bucks to get it professionally scanned, which tanked any profits I’d make selling paintings back then. 

[haylanmakesstuff]

A Call to Arms

My most recent painting, a commission called 'A Call to Arms'.

Acrylic, 2023.

Detail:

I was given absolutely no parameters for this commission (isn't that the best kind??). Instead, I thought about the person commissioning it and found them inspiring. I'm not one to break down my paintings with a meaning and pigeon-hole them, but while painting my thoughts centered on overcoming trauma and growing around and above it.

[haylanmakesstuff]

Love It or Leave It, 2009

‘Love It or Leave It’ is an acrylic portrait on matte board from 2009 (I think). 

[haylanmakesstuff]

Johnny Cash Tattoo

I almost forgot about this tattoo I designed until I came across this old photo! A Johnny Cash tribute tattoo, I still love how it came out. I am always thrilled and sincerely honored any time a human being wants to get something I designed and drew permanently tattooed on their body. Hardly anything more humbling. 

[haylanmakesstuff]

My muse the Lady J

I could wait until Lady J’s birthday, but why wait ten months to do that when I can appreciate her every day of the year. She is one of the nicest, kindest, most absolutely stunningly beautiful people I have ever known or seen. I have painted her a few times in the past, over 10 years ago. Please, enjoy my pieces of the Lady J. 

“A Girl Needs a Gun These Days” acrylic on matte board, 2009. 

Untitled, from who knows when. Pen, colored pencil, and film on matte board. This was really before I started naming my paintings or anything. She’s a long-term muse!