Thank You

A Thank you to Courtney, and a Thank you to YOU!

This is a cap I made for courtney at the Haven.  Courtney is great and is always going out of her way to help the haven and everyone in it.  Rachel sent out a message to everyone asking them to send Courtney a thank you cap, and I joined the masses and made this.

When I recieved Rachel's message I immediately wanted to join in, but I had a problem.  I was in the middle of a major case of writers block.  I posted this originaly on August 17, 2010.  My last cap had been posted almost three months earlier.  I wanted to cap... but I just didn't have the mojo.  I had recieved several caps in the meantime, but couldn't even get my act together enough to make a return cap.  I would go through the process of looking at someones preferences, getting the basic idea for a cap, look for images, find one that matched up, open up word.... and then nothing.  I would start writing, and nothing but pure crap came onto the screen.  I was worried I had found the end of my capping road.

But even with all that swirling around in my head, I wanted to make a cap for Courtney.  I knew that I wanted the cap to be about Erik 'thanking' someone.  So it would be a thank you cap involving a thank you.  Not all that creative, but it is what my mind offered, and I grabbed onto the idea like a drowning man grabs a life preserver!

I don't recall what search terms I was using, but I came across this image and fell in love.  The look in her eyes, those shiny lips, that provocative pose, that dress... it all sang to me.  But I hadn't had problems finding images.... I now had to write.

I opened up word and started typing like my life depended on it.  This first pass was like stuffing your fingers down your throat and hoping the vomit comes out looking beautiful.  I had no hope that it would work, it was painful, and the result was a stinking pool of vomit.  But I wasn't going to give up.  Not only was I making a cap for someone that I really respected, I was fighting for my capping life.  I figured that if I couldn't make this cap work, I would just have to turn my back on the whole idea of making caps.

So I read through the vomitus first try and found a few little gems.  I deleted everything except for those gems, and started over.  Pass two was about as successfully as pass one.  It just wasn't good.  But I had expanded on one of the ideas, and made a few others.

On the third pass.... well it felt like someone flipped a switch in my head.  It all fell together.  Beyond a few phrases, the third pass is what is in the cap now.  I don't think its my best work, but I wasn't shooting for the stars... I was shooting for a cap that didn't make me cringe.

I threw it in Photoshop, dusted off the rust on those skills and quickly came up with the finished cap.  I don't believe i have ever felt so much relief when posting a cap.  While I didn't know if this meant I was 'back', it at least meant that I could still cap.

I feel it fitting that this 'Thank You' cap was next in line to be posted, as I also wanted to send a big thank you out to fall of the visitors here at Caitlyn's Masks.  I started the blog as just a way to have a blogger ID to make posting comments easier on other blogs.  But I hate to waste something and decided to throw up a few caps.  I figured that if nothing else, I may throw a viewer or two over to the Haven.

Now just over a month later, I have 45 followers.  I have received over 64,000 page views (I thought it was impressive that I had 500 page views in November... until I received over 2000 on December 2nd!).  I have received comments from artists that I love and respect, and comments from people new to me.  I have been linked to by blogs that I visited on a regular basis, and sites that I hold very dear to me.

In short I am thankful that you all take time out of your day and visit with me.

As I mentioned I never intended this to be a big hubbaloo, So I didn't put much thought into what people would like to see.  So I'd like to ask... is there anything you would like to see from me?  I know the standard answer will probably be 'more caps!' (its my standard answer when any capping blogger asks a similar question!).  But understand I am not very prolific in cap making.  These first few months it may seem like I churn out a lot, but it is only because I'm posting caps that I have made over the past year and a half.  Eventually that well will dry up, and you will be stuck with the smattering of new caps I make.

So beyond more caps... is there anything you would like to see?  Lemme know and I'll do my best to provide!

Thank you all, and have a Happy New Year!

Caitlyn