PARKER GET IN MY OFFICE
Posted 15 years agoI NEED PICTURES
PICTURES
OF
SPIDERMAN
PICTURES
OF
SPIDERMAN
FUCK Artistic Envy
Posted 15 years agoI'm not really proofreading any of this, but here; I'll just spout the silly whining that's on my mind at the moment. I'm sure it's not anything you haven't heard before, as follows:
Apparently, HTTYD hit Korea in a big way, and I was linked to a portal where a ton of korean fan-sites have sprung up. Many of them are chock-full of fantastic fanart.
Among the various links was this board (which I recommend you browse through fully, almost every single submission is fucking incredible stuff) and hidden in there was a short comic that I stumbled upon.
It touches upon some of the same themes I've brought up already in my own project. And even though I don't speak korean, it's mostly silent and it reads very easily.
It's also very moving. In fact, I found it to be amazingly well done, for what it was.
Seeing something like this, which covers essentially the same topic I have been trying to address, and so deftly doing so even across a language barrier...
Well, it's made my attempt look very clumsy and ham-fisted by comparison.
It's frustrating.
Oh, I know that no matter what I do, there will always be artists that are 'better'. And yes, this comic stuff is still new to me. I can only hope to try my best, and push on, right?
I understand all that. It's just that with art, in my experience, there's usually a few degrees of separation between everything. Sure, there are better artists, but they usually have different ideas... or at least, they choose to represent those ideas differently from you. I've never had a moment where I was working on an idea, attempting to realize it; and then suddenly see someone else interpret and render that very same idea, and do so more successfully.
Until now, that is.
On a related point: I know this topic has been discussed to death, (and is prone to sweeping generalizations) but I really do prefer the look of eastern manga-style artwork.
Well, that's probably obvious.
I have been trying to avoid emulating that style in the comic, however. Simply because I know I wouldn't be able do it justice. It would look... forced. I just don't have the knowledge and practice and technical skill to make it feel natural. I have tried before. I imagine it would take many years of trying. It feels foolish, when I try: I wasn't born into that culture, I wasn't taught to draw in that way. It's just the fanboy in me that looks across the pond and ogles at a style that I know I'll never really be able to grasp.
It's silly and irrational, but I know it's true. Especially after it was so deftly demonstrated by this Korean artist, whose name I cannot even read.
Somehow, fundamentally, this Korean artist and I, we stand apart.
*edit* whoops, well apparently my hotlinking has shut down their site for going over bandwidth limits :X
Apparently, HTTYD hit Korea in a big way, and I was linked to a portal where a ton of korean fan-sites have sprung up. Many of them are chock-full of fantastic fanart.
Among the various links was this board (which I recommend you browse through fully, almost every single submission is fucking incredible stuff) and hidden in there was a short comic that I stumbled upon.
It touches upon some of the same themes I've brought up already in my own project. And even though I don't speak korean, it's mostly silent and it reads very easily.
It's also very moving. In fact, I found it to be amazingly well done, for what it was.
Seeing something like this, which covers essentially the same topic I have been trying to address, and so deftly doing so even across a language barrier...
Well, it's made my attempt look very clumsy and ham-fisted by comparison.
It's frustrating.
Oh, I know that no matter what I do, there will always be artists that are 'better'. And yes, this comic stuff is still new to me. I can only hope to try my best, and push on, right?
I understand all that. It's just that with art, in my experience, there's usually a few degrees of separation between everything. Sure, there are better artists, but they usually have different ideas... or at least, they choose to represent those ideas differently from you. I've never had a moment where I was working on an idea, attempting to realize it; and then suddenly see someone else interpret and render that very same idea, and do so more successfully.
Until now, that is.
On a related point: I know this topic has been discussed to death, (and is prone to sweeping generalizations) but I really do prefer the look of eastern manga-style artwork.
Well, that's probably obvious.
I have been trying to avoid emulating that style in the comic, however. Simply because I know I wouldn't be able do it justice. It would look... forced. I just don't have the knowledge and practice and technical skill to make it feel natural. I have tried before. I imagine it would take many years of trying. It feels foolish, when I try: I wasn't born into that culture, I wasn't taught to draw in that way. It's just the fanboy in me that looks across the pond and ogles at a style that I know I'll never really be able to grasp.
It's silly and irrational, but I know it's true. Especially after it was so deftly demonstrated by this Korean artist, whose name I cannot even read.
Somehow, fundamentally, this Korean artist and I, we stand apart.
*edit* whoops, well apparently my hotlinking has shut down their site for going over bandwidth limits :X
kantra is probably the raddest guy
Posted 15 years agoHow to Train Your Dragon Blu-ray Release Date is October 15
Posted 15 years agoMy rambling thoughts on anthropomorphism and fanfiction
Posted 15 years agoI received a thoughtful and well-written letter recently, and among the several questions posed was a request for my thoughts on the relationship between mainstream fiction, anthropomorphism, and the furry fandom.
This is an excerpt of my meandering, poorly-conceived reply to him here. I thought I could share it with you, and I'd appreciate your own opinion on the matter!
***
I'm not sure how well I can speak for 'the fandom' in regards to their relationship with mainstream anthropomorphism. There are a lot of contributing factors, I think, that lead up to this curious subculture, and I don't know if I'm the person most capable of explaining it with any of my theories.
Evolutionary biologists are always talking about how humans have evolved to 'see' aspects of humanity in entirely un-humanlike objects. Facial recognition within incidental shapes, pattern seeking, empathy toward the inanimate. Humanity seems hard-wired to instill very powerful emotive baggage to anything they identify with.
Empathy and solidarity are quintessential human qualities, I think. However, it seems like our brains have difficulty discerning when it would be appropriate to furnish these qualities on others. The end result being that people can end up falling in love with just about anything. The more human-like the object, the more likely we are to accredit a human-like response to it. Pets are a good example of this, as well as spirituality and religion.
So, we have people falling in love with their boats, their cars, their pets... It comes as no surprise to me, then, when some people fall in love with fiction. In fact, it almost wouldn't make sense if we didn't. Fiction is like a sort of alternate reality. We create it in an attempt to make real something that intrinsically isn't. We, (as artists, writers, moviemakers) attempt to engender qualities into our characters that are inherently familiar. Inherently human. We know that doing so will generate an emotional response. In fact, we want that to happen. All of us do. We go to a film with the intent of being moved emotionally. It feels good. It's desired. We gladly pay for it.
This sort of emotional reaction is very powerful. My rational mind may know it was fiction, but the repercussions biologically are difficult to suppress. If the work was especially compelling, people may have trouble separating that fantasy from their daily lives. Revisiting the memory of that potent fiction creates a sort of feedback loop. Endorphins are released, reinforcing the desire to explore the memory again, expand upon it, fantasize about it, relive it in our minds.
(As a side-note: this roughly explains why I got into artwork in the first place. These fantasies in my head were constantly battering about in my consciousness. I would lie in bed at night, unable to sleep, simply daydreaming for hours. I could not get it to stop. I don't know if that's normal, really. I don't know if most other artists are like this. Perhaps not. For me, though, I became very frustrated. I wanted to be able to make these things in my head more real. So I started to draw. I think, at the time I thought it would help me get these ideas out of my head... however it only achieved more of the opposite.)
It seems only natural to me, then, when some people begin to blend elements of the original work with their own fantasy. Slash fiction is a huge part of this. Humans are sexual creatures. When they connect emotionally with someone, (or something!) there is a chance that the bond will manifest itself sexually. We create these characters as our own in our minds, empathizing with them, living them. At some level, we want these fictional characters to be real.
The very fact that these characters are so endearing, lead some of us to become endeared to them. It is irrational, but it is also exciting. We like the feeling it gives us to think about these fantasies. It's a very powerful thing.
Now, the flipside is that there is everyone else; the people who happened to not be affected (in the same way) by these works of fiction. They don't want any part of it, and why would they? It's like asking them to kiss a random stranger on the street. They don't feel for that person. There's no emotional connection. There is only the irrationality of it all. So they balk.
Am I making any sense? I'm not so sure. Perhaps I'm just babbling
This is an excerpt of my meandering, poorly-conceived reply to him here. I thought I could share it with you, and I'd appreciate your own opinion on the matter!
***
I'm not sure how well I can speak for 'the fandom' in regards to their relationship with mainstream anthropomorphism. There are a lot of contributing factors, I think, that lead up to this curious subculture, and I don't know if I'm the person most capable of explaining it with any of my theories.
Evolutionary biologists are always talking about how humans have evolved to 'see' aspects of humanity in entirely un-humanlike objects. Facial recognition within incidental shapes, pattern seeking, empathy toward the inanimate. Humanity seems hard-wired to instill very powerful emotive baggage to anything they identify with.
Empathy and solidarity are quintessential human qualities, I think. However, it seems like our brains have difficulty discerning when it would be appropriate to furnish these qualities on others. The end result being that people can end up falling in love with just about anything. The more human-like the object, the more likely we are to accredit a human-like response to it. Pets are a good example of this, as well as spirituality and religion.
So, we have people falling in love with their boats, their cars, their pets... It comes as no surprise to me, then, when some people fall in love with fiction. In fact, it almost wouldn't make sense if we didn't. Fiction is like a sort of alternate reality. We create it in an attempt to make real something that intrinsically isn't. We, (as artists, writers, moviemakers) attempt to engender qualities into our characters that are inherently familiar. Inherently human. We know that doing so will generate an emotional response. In fact, we want that to happen. All of us do. We go to a film with the intent of being moved emotionally. It feels good. It's desired. We gladly pay for it.
This sort of emotional reaction is very powerful. My rational mind may know it was fiction, but the repercussions biologically are difficult to suppress. If the work was especially compelling, people may have trouble separating that fantasy from their daily lives. Revisiting the memory of that potent fiction creates a sort of feedback loop. Endorphins are released, reinforcing the desire to explore the memory again, expand upon it, fantasize about it, relive it in our minds.
(As a side-note: this roughly explains why I got into artwork in the first place. These fantasies in my head were constantly battering about in my consciousness. I would lie in bed at night, unable to sleep, simply daydreaming for hours. I could not get it to stop. I don't know if that's normal, really. I don't know if most other artists are like this. Perhaps not. For me, though, I became very frustrated. I wanted to be able to make these things in my head more real. So I started to draw. I think, at the time I thought it would help me get these ideas out of my head... however it only achieved more of the opposite.)
It seems only natural to me, then, when some people begin to blend elements of the original work with their own fantasy. Slash fiction is a huge part of this. Humans are sexual creatures. When they connect emotionally with someone, (or something!) there is a chance that the bond will manifest itself sexually. We create these characters as our own in our minds, empathizing with them, living them. At some level, we want these fictional characters to be real.
The very fact that these characters are so endearing, lead some of us to become endeared to them. It is irrational, but it is also exciting. We like the feeling it gives us to think about these fantasies. It's a very powerful thing.
Now, the flipside is that there is everyone else; the people who happened to not be affected (in the same way) by these works of fiction. They don't want any part of it, and why would they? It's like asking them to kiss a random stranger on the street. They don't feel for that person. There's no emotional connection. There is only the irrationality of it all. So they balk.
Am I making any sense? I'm not so sure. Perhaps I'm just babbling
Hilarious
Posted 15 years agookay ow my hand
Posted 15 years agoImagine, if you will, the entire underside of your thumb and forefinger
Okay
Now, burn that shit off with a hot frying pan handle
<Bear> I'm used to typing with one hand, just not this one
Okay
Now, burn that shit off with a hot frying pan handle
<Bear> I'm used to typing with one hand, just not this one
If you like HTTYD, this will be a good listen
Posted 15 years agohttp://www.speakingofanimation.com/.....n-your-dragon/
Excellent podcast interviewing the two directors in a very relaxed setting. You can really tell how they bounce ideas off of each other
Excellent podcast interviewing the two directors in a very relaxed setting. You can really tell how they bounce ideas off of each other
My little brother has an FA and now an Inkbunny account
Posted 15 years agoI know you're reading this!
I also know you know that mom knows I'm on Furaffinity (Through googling me, I assume. She calls it "The Site" with particular antipathy and gravitas) Furthermore, if she doesn't already know that you have an account here, I'd be impressed. Perhaps not. I haven't asked. Maybe you've even linked it to her. It seems like something she would have 'mentioned', if she did know.
Obviously, the next logical step would be for her to create an account; Then this bizarre circle would be concluded.
It's awesome that you're getting into drawing, but am I such a bad influence? It's not like I talk about this place to our family.
It probably still is my fault, however. I've let myself become so distant from my family for so long that the only reason they stumbled across this place was because they were desperate for any news of my existence
Probably not the news they were looking for!
I also know you know that mom knows I'm on Furaffinity (Through googling me, I assume. She calls it "The Site" with particular antipathy and gravitas) Furthermore, if she doesn't already know that you have an account here, I'd be impressed. Perhaps not. I haven't asked. Maybe you've even linked it to her. It seems like something she would have 'mentioned', if she did know.
Obviously, the next logical step would be for her to create an account; Then this bizarre circle would be concluded.
It's awesome that you're getting into drawing, but am I such a bad influence? It's not like I talk about this place to our family.
It probably still is my fault, however. I've let myself become so distant from my family for so long that the only reason they stumbled across this place was because they were desperate for any news of my existence
Probably not the news they were looking for!
My Twitter and Inkbunny
Posted 15 years agoSketchbooks
Posted 15 years agoanother very cool Sanders blog entry about sketchbooks
I have been reading Chis Sanders' blog
Posted 15 years agoand he's currently been chronicling his exploits in Japan on the eve of Dragon's premiere there on the eighth. It's funny to see him go crazy over the multitude of cute little mascots they have a propensity for over there, like at the bottom of this particular blog post
Maybe I'll get up the nerve to send him a note on dA just to say hi, it couldn't hurt I suppose
Also, I drew a Stitch for Stitch Day in Mek's sketchbook downtown yesterday, but it is pretty boring so I think I will sketch something else for it as well
Maybe I'll get up the nerve to send him a note on dA just to say hi, it couldn't hurt I suppose
Also, I drew a Stitch for Stitch Day in Mek's sketchbook downtown yesterday, but it is pretty boring so I think I will sketch something else for it as well
Tomorrow is 6/26, and that means...
Posted 15 years agoHTTYD movie posters
Posted 15 years agoGREAT ODIN'S GHOST, PATTO
Posted 15 years agoRad new avatar
Posted 15 years agoNot a HTTYD journal
Posted 15 years agoWell it is a little, since I am working on page 3, though slowed somewhat by a large commission for Inkbunny, among others
Inkbunny! Yes! You've all heard of it.
It's swell. Competition is swell. Diversity is swell. Alternatives are swell.
It's all swell
Inkbunny! Yes! You've all heard of it.
It's swell. Competition is swell. Diversity is swell. Alternatives are swell.
It's all swell
HEY PATTO I NOTICED YOUR PICTURE WAS MISSING
Posted 15 years agoomg
Posted 15 years agoI must admit I never expected fanart like this
Posted 15 years agoHow should I censor my artwork?
Posted 15 years agoI'm talking about the TOS/AUP stuff, of course
I suppose I could just swap out the image files with something else
I'd rather not delete them entirely
In other news, The movie poster signed by the cast arrived today! Yeaaah it is awesome
I suppose I could just swap out the image files with something else
I'd rather not delete them entirely
In other news, The movie poster signed by the cast arrived today! Yeaaah it is awesome
Contest update - PRIZES
Posted 15 years agoHm, well the book and the game have arrived, but no signed poster yet!
I would imagine it would ship separately, I just hope they didn't forget it, is all. It's the one prize I am really looking forward to!
I would imagine it would ship separately, I just hope they didn't forget it, is all. It's the one prize I am really looking forward to!
Artist pimp, go fill her page with watches and comments
Posted 15 years agoThis artist is doing like, a million HTTYD fanart pieces, and it really puts me to shame
Please check out her art and favorite the shit out of it
Also, thanks for the feedback on the dA issue, I'll start uploading stuff sometime soon
Please check out her art and favorite the shit out of it
Also, thanks for the feedback on the dA issue, I'll start uploading stuff sometime soon
dA account?
Posted 15 years agoWell, I recently got one for browsing but people have been suggesting I start uploading stuff there
Should I? I mean, I guess it's a good idea just because it's so well known
I've just never really been a fan of the place
However, since I haven't really given it a shot, maybe my misgivings about it have been unjustified
I realize this is probably eight years late to the party but you have to start somewhere!
Well, generally you have to start at the bottom
Should I? I mean, I guess it's a good idea just because it's so well known
I've just never really been a fan of the place
However, since I haven't really given it a shot, maybe my misgivings about it have been unjustified
I realize this is probably eight years late to the party but you have to start somewhere!
Well, generally you have to start at the bottom
FIFTH
Posted 15 years agoTIME
Also I never noticed before but Hiccup is left-handed
Also I never noticed before but Hiccup is left-handed
FA+

kantrawulf
silvanias