Journal Entry

---

I've decided to go ahead and hold the comic page this week. I have a couple of things I have to do in RL. Sorry for the brief delay! Commissions are still welcome though.

Also, there are a few changes to the Commission scheme, I keep editing it up. If anyone has any further suggestions on how to make it more reasonable just send me an email.



Double-4-Double
Refer Friends, Get a Free Commission!

---

From now until the end of September 2010, get rewards for referring a friend! That's right, make sure they mention your fur affinity account / email and you'll get goodies.

Rules & Restrictions:
* If you refer TWO Customers who spend at least $75, you get a free $65 Commission.
* Free work will not be lower quality, you'll be treated like a paying customer.
* This promotion only works once, so if you refer four friends you won't receive any more free work.
* Free Commissions will have a lower priority; paying customers will come first.


As of August 2010, I'm officially accepting requests for Commissions.

---

* I will NOT accept Art Trades.
* I will NOT do gift art.
* I will ONLY work for Money. Why? Well, I'm broke.

Restrictions:

---

* All Commission Work will be Digitally Painted. No Line Drawings, No Markers, No Color Pencils. 100% Digital.
* No Ink work. I do not ink, therefore have no way to provide 'ink'. I outline everything roughly, and they remain that way. My style is often chaotic and line heavy; you've been warned.
* Sexual Content: Sexual Commissions are permitted. However, there are restrictions on Content & Fetishes.
* Fetishes: All Commission Work will be largely vanilla. This means no heavy kinks. Light bondage and depictions of rough sex are perfectly acceptable. Please absolutely NO requests for: Muscles, Use of Objects, Vore, Scat, Bondage, S&M, Cubs, Non-Anthros, Micro/Macro, Fat, BBW, or other estranged kinks not yet listed.
* Sexual Content, Extented: Commissioners are welcome to request works which include my characters interacting in sexual acts with their characters. A list of my current characters as as follows:

*Palma Panda
*Piety Panda
*Epistle
Scorpion Panda
Rachelina
Nova Bunny
Butter & Cup (Twins)
Leanne

*: Most Popular.



Prices:

---

Single (One Character Colored Work): $50

- Positions of your choice.
- May be your character or mine.

Double (Two Characters Colored Work): $65

- Positions of your choice.
- Must include at least one of my characters.

Triple (Full Page, Three+ Characters, Colored): $75

- Scene & Setting of your choice.
- Positions of your choice.
- My characters are Optional.

Special (Full Scene, Three+ Characters, Colored, 3 Pages) $100

- Scene & Setting of your choice.
- Events of your choice.
- Positions of your choice.
- My characters are Optional.



Guidelines:

---

* Commissioners will sign a contract agreement and pay a small down payment via PayPal. The Artist will meet pre-set deadlines, if those deadlines are missed your order will receive a discount reflected upon the final payment upon completed work.
* The Commissioners will provide a brief, four-line description of any character, or characters they wish to have pictured. Artist will supply a brief 'idea' sketch to ensure the Commissioner is pleased with the result.
* Once Contract & Idea Sketch are confirmed by Commissioner, the Commissioner is obligated to fulfill full payment upon time the work is finished; regardless of final product. - Keep in mind, your satisfaction is my primary goal, not the cash.
* Final Products will be displayed in the Artist's Gallery, and can be placed in the Commissioner's Gallery as long as proper credits are provided.
* Method of Payment is PayPal, which requires a functioning PayPal account.


List & Ordering:

---

* Current list of open slots will be listed in my profile.
* If you'd like to submit an order for a Commission, please copy the following questions, answer them, and email them to: BGBCommissions@gmail.com.

[begin] ---- Copy & Paste ----

Commission Request Form

---

Hello, I request a Commission!

1. What type of order? (Single, Double, etc)

2. Featuring? (My Character, My Character & Palma Panda, Etc. *Include 4 Line Description of your character[s])

3. Doing? (My Character is fucking Palma Panda's big titties, etc)

4. Setting? (Only applicable for Triple & Special: Ex: They are in a class room)

5. What is taking place? (Only applicable for Special. Ex: It's after class, and Palma decides to give my character a reward for his 'good' behavior.)

6. Additional Comments & Details?

7. Were you Referred by a Friend? Is so, who? (Provide their Fur Affinity Account and/or Email Address)

---- Copy & Paste ---- [/end]

Journal Entry

---

It's been nice to get a little activity on Fur Affinity page, but I will admit it could use a little more. So I decided to start up a little promotion. I want people to know that provide some very top quality art work for very reasonable prices. My commissions are not over-blown, and I provide some very top quality work. The only problem is, I still have no one takers -- and I desperately need takers or I'm going to get kicked out of my apartment since I can't pay the rent anymore.

So here's to hoping this works! :D

Double-4-Double
Refer Friends, Get a Free Commission!

---

From now until the end of September 2010, get rewards for referring a friend! That's right, make sure they mention your fur affinity account / email and you'll get goodies.

Rules & Restrictions:
* If you refer TWO Customers who spend at least $75, you get a free $65 Commission.
* Free work will not be lower quality, you'll be treated like a paying customer.
* This promotion only works once, so if you refer four friends you won't receive any more free work.
* Free Commissions will have a lower priority; paying customers will come first.


As of August 2010, I'm officially accepting requests for Commissions.

---

* I will NOT accept Art Trades.
* I will NOT do gift art.
* I will ONLY work for Money. Why? Well, I'm broke.

Restrictions:

---

* All Commission Work will be Digitally Painted. No Line Drawings, No Markers, No Color Pencils. 100% Digital.
* No Ink work. I do not ink, therefore have no way to provide 'ink'. I outline everything roughly, and they remain that way. My style is often chaotic and line heavy; you've been warned.
* Sexual Content: Sexual Commissions are permitted. However, there are restrictions on Content & Fetishes.
* Fetishes: All Commission Work will be largely vanilla. This means no heavy kinks. Light bondage and depictions of rough sex are perfectly acceptable. Please absolutely NO requests for: Muscles, Use of Objects, Vore, Scat, Bondage, S&M, Cubs, Non-Anthros, Micro/Macro, Fat, BBW, or other estranged kinks not yet listed.
* Sexual Content, Extented: Commissioners are welcome to request works which include my characters interacting in sexual acts with their characters. A list of my current characters as as follows:

*Palma Panda
*Piety Panda
*Epistle
Scorpion Panda
Rachelina
Nova Bunny
Butter & Cup (Twins)
Leanne

*: Most Popular.



Prices:

---

Single (One Character Colored Work): $50

- Positions of your choice.
- May be your character or mine.

Double (Two Characters Colored Work): $65

- Positions of your choice.
- Must include at least one of my characters.

Triple (Full Page, Three+ Characters, Colored): $75

- Scene & Setting of your choice.
- Positions of your choice.
- My characters are Optional.

Special (Full Scene, Three+ Characters, Colored, 3 Pages) $100

- Scene & Setting of your choice.
- Events of your choice.
- Positions of your choice.
- My characters are Optional.



Guidelines:

---

* Commissioners will sign a contract agreement and pay a small down payment via PayPal. The Artist will meet pre-set deadlines, if those deadlines are missed your order will receive a discount reflected upon the final payment upon completed work.
* The Commissioners will provide a brief, four-line description of any character, or characters they wish to have pictured. Artist will supply a brief 'idea' sketch to ensure the Commissioner is pleased with the result.
* Once Contract & Idea Sketch are confirmed by Commissioner, the Commissioner is obligated to fulfill full payment upon time the work is finished; regardless of final product. - Keep in mind, your satisfaction is my primary goal, not the cash.
* Final Products will be displayed in the Artist's Gallery, and can be placed in the Commissioner's Gallery as long as proper credits are provided.
* Method of Payment is PayPal, which requires a functioning PayPal account.


List & Ordering:

---

* Current list of open slots will be listed in my profile.
* If you'd like to submit an order for a Commission, please copy the following questions, answer them, and email them to: BGBCommissions@gmail.com.

[begin] ---- Copy & Paste ----

Commission Request Form

---

Hello, I request a Commission!

1. What type of order? (Single, Double, etc)

2. Featuring? (My Character, My Character & Palma Panda, Etc. *Include 4 Line Description of your character[s])

3. Doing? (My Character is fucking Palma Panda's big titties, etc)

4. Setting? (Only applicable for Triple & Special: Ex: They are in a class room)

5. What is taking place? (Only applicable for Special. Ex: It's after class, and Palma decides to give my character a reward for his 'good' behavior.)

6. Additional Comments & Details?

7. Were you Referred by a Friend? Is so, who? (Provide their Fur Affinity Account and/or Email Address)

---- Copy & Paste ---- [/end]

Howdy Folks; BGB here.

Until Fur Affinity allows for new Accounts, I'm forced to remain under this name. I was hoping to have switched over to a new alias, 'BGB' and begin creation work. For now, this name will do. Just note that once I can make a new account, I'll be switching everything to there.

As of August 2010, I'm officially accepting requests for Commissions.

---

* I will NOT accept Art Trades.
* I will NOT do gift art.
* I will ONLY work for Money. Why? Well, I'm broke.

Restrictions:

---

* All Commission Work will be Digitally Painted. No Line Drawings, No Markers, No Color Pencils. 100% Digital.
* No Ink work. I do not ink, therefore have no way to provide 'ink'. I outline everything roughly, and they remain that way. My style is often chaotic and line heavy; you've been warned.
* Sexual Content: Sexual Commissions are permitted. However, there are restrictions on Content & Fetishes.
* Fetishes: All Commission Work will be largely vanilla. This means no heavy kinks. Light bondage and depictions of rough sex are perfectly acceptable. Please absolutely NO requests for: Muscles, Use of Objects, Vore, Scat, Bondage, S&M, Cubs, Non-Anthros, Micro/Macro, Fat, BBW, or other estranged kinks not yet listed.
* Sexual Content, Extented: Commissioners are welcome to request works which include my characters interacting in sexual acts with their characters. A list of my current characters as as follows:

*Palma Panda
*Piety Panda
*Epistle
Scorpion Panda
Rachelina
Nova Bunny
Butter & Cup (Twins)
Leanne

*: Most Popular.



Prices:

---

Single (One Character Colored Work): $50

- Positions of your choice.
- May be your character or mine.

Double (Two Characters Colored Work): $65

- Positions of your choice.
- Must include at least one of my characters.

Triple (Full Page, Three+ Characters, Colored): $75

- Scene & Setting of your choice.
- Positions of your choice.
- Must include at least one of my characters.

Special (Full Scene, Three+ Characters, Colored, 3 Pages) $100

- Scene & Setting of your choice.
- Events of your choice.
- Positions of your choice.
- Must include at least one of my characters.



Guidelines:

---

* Commissioners will sign a contract agreement and pay a small down payment via PayPal. The Artist will meet pre-set deadlines, if those deadlines are missed your order will receive a discount reflected upon the final payment upon completed work.
* The Commissioners will provide a brief, four-line description of any character, or characters they wish to have pictured. Artist will supply a brief 'idea' sketch to ensure the Commissioner is pleased with the result.
* Once Contract & Idea Sketch are confirmed by Commissioner, the Commissioner is obligated to fulfill full payment upon time the work is finished; regardless of final product. - Keep in mind, your satisfaction is my primary goal, not the cash.
* Final Products will be displayed in the Artist's Gallery, and can be placed in the Commissioner's Gallery as long as proper credits are provided.
* Method of Payment is PayPal, which requires a functioning PayPal account.


List & Ordering:

---

* Current list of open slots will be listed in my profile.
* If you'd like to submit an order for a Commission, please copy the following questions, answer them, and email them to: BGBCommissions@gmail.com.

[begin] ---- Copy & Paste ----

Commission Request Form

---

Hello, I request a Commission!

1. What type of order? (Single, Double, etc)

2. Featuring? (My Character, My Character & Palma Panda, Etc. *Include 4 Line Description of your character[s])

3. Doing? (My Character is fucking Palma Panda's big titties, etc)

4. Setting? (Only applicable for Triple & Special: Ex: They are in a class room)

5. What is taking place? (Only applicable for Special. Ex: It's after class, and Palma decides to give my character a reward for his 'good' behavior.)

6. Additional Comments & Details?

---- Copy & Paste ---- [/end]

Alright! I'm going to get this Commission stuff underway tomorrow. I'll be posting a price board and working up contract information. I will be taking payments via Pay Pal for work done; lowest price range will be $50.

Commission Question: Do you want any?

Well, I can do some good work. But how good is really up to those who are actually interested in receiving something from me. Now I have a unique look, but is it a look that people really want?

So I'm preparing for Commissions. With little to no visits to my FA page, I'd largely have to leave this one to faith and honest interest. So I ask here, if I was to offer low price, high quality work: would YOU want some from me?

Where did I go? What happened to me? Did I fall off the face of the earth.. Sort of! Yes. In a fashion. So happens I decided to write my first novel, and I completed it officially at 9:43pm PST on October 10th 2009 after two and a half solid weeks of writing. The end result is a 104,000 word rough draft that I now have to go back can clean up.
The experience made me think of many more things I've love to write. But sadly I'm pretty devoted to the current project. It's Non-Furry, at least at first. By the time I get into book 2 then we'll start seeing some changes to that. Current the project demands three novels, at least. I'm going to do my best to ensure it stays within the realm of three. But I can not predict the future.
Once I finish the set however, I'm stuck between writing a semi-erotic series about a Dark Lord, or go ahead and dive into my Junk Hounds novelization. I'd probably go ahead and jump into Junk Hounds, because I can get instant feedback from furry fans. Because Junks is actually going to be a Furry/Mecha combo.
So sit tight kiddies. Let's hope I'll turn into a professional writer so I can actually pump this stuff out. Seems I'm enjoying writing a lot more now than I do just painting. For a while I was torn 50/50, but now writing is starting to consume more of my time. Sorry art T.T.

Greetings

The trials of this journey continue to come, and though they are relentless – they will undoubtedly continue to shape my character. I am my own worst enemy, and my time of apathy has come and gone. Being in the middle of no where does not bring these thoughts to the forefront of the mind, no. You acquire them only after you've returned from depths of nothingness to realize what it means to be real. This truth did not dawn on me as I traveled towards San Francisco, and as I set forth from Denver in the early hours of the morning I had no true idea on what all was waiting for me.

But the bulk of the second day's trip was not spent dwelling on the thoughts and images of an idle mind, that was an impossibility. Because once you leave Denver, all that is before you a massive wall of giants that stand as monuments to the awesome power of the world. The reach the heavens with their endless evergreens and snow caps, casting a shadow across even after the sun has long peeked over the horizon. You need to focus on the road in this time, with eyes set clearly on the white lines drawn out before you, and not the wonderful scenic spectacle on either side. This is where the passenger has certain kind of pleasure the driver doesn't.

The driver's trump card is the difficulty of the road, for they require much more concentration than just driving straight through a boring flat land like Kansas. The road weaves in and out, up and down valleys and canyons. You sweep around one mountain only to drive around another, and then through one on occasion through long tunnels cut deep into the stone. Instead of going to I-80, where the trip does its best to avoid certain mountain ranges. I kept heading west, driving until the Colorado mountains slowly transformed from the tall evergreens, to short bushes, and then to tangled shrubs. Eventually they became but mere weather worn skeletons of old mountains that in the midst of their own rubble and dust. Plants aren't common here, but the heat is of abundance.

Indeed, the second day of the trip was haunted by an ever present and inescapable sun. When I finally drove through Salt Lake city, I reached the twelve hour mark of the drive and decided to rest. But I wanted shade. Oh I looked desperately for it, but Salt Lake is but an oasis in the desert, and the absence of trees is something of a concern. I stopped to rest, turning the interior of my car into a shaded paradise with all the windows blocked with blanket, visor, and pillow. But even though I was somewhat cool, Nelly, my very dependable car – could not escape it at all. This was concerning me a great deal, because I was about to undertake a new stage of the trip into the Utah desert and dross into Nevada.

When I embarked, I had a feeling of dread and doubt for the first time in whole trip. An odd feeling dawned over me that I might not make it through this leg of the journey. And as though Nelly was reading my mind, the gas gauge began to jump wildly. My fuel late blinked on and off, and my RPM meter shook. My heart jumped into my throat – could Nelly be giving out on me? With a bit more gas the problem seemed to correct itself, but nevertheless I kept a very close eye on the HUD. I did my best to avoid taking in the reduced octane gasoline you fine further west. Normally, octane levels of gasoline are 87 for regular, 89 for mid grade, and 91 for high.

But out here, you find 85 octane, and my car can't run on such very well. Perhaps I've been tricked at one point, and someone fed me 85 octane instead of the 87 I depend on. And I felt this could possibly have been the trouble. A bad octane mixture in the tank was causing some stuttered and may not be the fuel pump at all. Well, I continued to drive without issue through the white, dusty sands of Utah. In the distance I saw a rain cloud, and felt relief as I would escape the sun. Yet, that wasn't rain – not entirely. The hue of the clouds became milky and pale, and they towered high over the desert with the heavy loom of a dark cloud above that.

This was no rain, this was dust. A dust storm, though mild, was baring down upon me and it wasn't long before the flavor of dirt filled my mouth. I switched my A/C to recycle to avoid dust intake and turned my head lights on. The dust storm was thankfully very mild, and was only as bad as an average rain storm – just without the water. When I crossed beyond Bonneville, I ascended the mounts that service as the boarder between Utah and Nevada and now I had to race against the night to my destination. But what of my car?

I didn't have trouble until I filled my gas tank again. Now it's a very scary thing seeing your gauges jump about when you're in the middle of a desert without an autoshop. And even if there was one; it was Saturday night and ll autoshops were closed until Monday. I decided to stop short of my destination at Elko, Nevada and got the last room in the hotel – and perhaps one of the more expensive ones too. A king bed, $104 easy not including tax. But there was no other place to stay, all the other hotels were booked solid from drivers calling ahead. I called ahead to a different hotel further down the road, but due to my concerns with the car I didn't feel I could make it.

But the night wasn't a comfortable one. Despite being a very classy little hotel with nice furnishings and a solid room. The room I had was smelt odd, and seemed uncomfortable. I only slept three hours before I realized I had bugs in my bed. Little black beetle like things, and indeed they caused a a fair amount of frustration for me. At 3am in the morning I complained to the clerk and got the price knocked down to $74 – much more reasonable. I got the sleep I needed I supposed, and left early. My mind on my car, I felt a lot better about being out on the road since I asked the hotel clerk for information on who I could call if my car had trouble – he gave me the number for the highway patrol.

Good enough for me really.

Greetings Again,

With feet out of the door, the first the ordeal has come and gone. The point in which feeling trapped and smothered has passed, and I took upon the nugget of advice I received and grasped with all I could muster. And that is this; when you feel trapped and you don't know what to do – always follow your heart. My heart told me it was time to join the rest of the world in a place challenging and new. But now my foot falls again as I proceed with the second step of this undertaking, which is the great journey across the Unite States to find a home I can truly call my own.

For nearly a week I made Anna, TX my launching pad for the next leg of my journey, and with the kind aid of my aunt I found a great deal of care and assistance. I left late Thursday night at 11pm, baring a well prepared lunch bag and other important little things provided to me by my aunt to take a fairly good chunk out of the long, long drive to California. The trip will take a few days, the least I could do is try to gain more ground each day – reasonably of course to stop at wise locations as to not over tax my already aged vehicle.

That seems to be a great concern among the bulk of my family too; that shabby looking red 97' Dodge Intrepid. I do not blame them really, I haven't exactly kept very good care of the external appearance of the vehicle. Overall, it's my first car, yet not technically the first vehicle I've driven. Before the Intrepid I drove my brother's hand-me-down truck until someone collided with it and sent it to the scrap yard only weeks after a new engine was installed. The Dodge however has been my trusty road companion for many years. I've even come to jokingly call her “Nelly”, as I have quite the pride in her long distance performance. Nelly is very car that too me to Florida and back, more than five full round trips. Nelly also took me to Utah and back, and now she is taking me to California.

I don't like to over work my vehicles on long drives, there truly is no hurry. What is the point of going faster than the speed limit when over the hill there is just more miles, and beyond that more miles, and more miles beyond that. Perhaps that is where I have taken heart to my mannerisms of patience. When you spend many hours on the road alone, you have no other alternative to be patience. Impatience earns no merit, for speed doesn't ultimately get you where you are going at all. Long distance driving is not the same as going to and form work, nor is it is like driving a few hours to a relatives place. When you have more than two thousand miles before you, how many you can burn in an hour becomes moot. Setting yourselves limits is the wiser course of action, and understanding that not only you are merely human – but your vehicle is ultimately just a limited machine as well.

When I first set out from Texas I felt like I could drive all the way to Salt Lake City, and perhaps I truly could have done it in under a twenty four hour period. It was only a twenty two hour drive by calculation. Yet the road reveals that the best laid plans and energetic motives never quite materialize in the way that one would quite expect. Even as I carefully viewed the weather before I departed on Thursday night, I crossed paths with a truly frightening storm not but a few hours into my journey. Texas as it would seem, wold not let me leave without a fight.

As I traveled northward towards Oklahoma City, I could see for many mines the dance of distant lighting. The more miles I traveled, the more intense and rapid the beautiful flowing displays of static electricity became. Eventually I could see the classic, telltale impression of a storm you'd see on the weather channel. A black, massive super cell hovering low over the ground, leaving a light gray emptiness beneath it where the lightning bursts like white hot flame to the earth and beyond. The random display became so violent that the storm was almost always illuminated in the death of the dark night. At the time I was about ninety miles out from Oklahoma City, and the storm was north west of me.

Not but fifteen miles later did I encounter the heart of the storm; a massive wall cloud dipping down on the southern most tip of the super cell. Now for those of you not well versed in the tornado anatomy, this part of the super cell where a tornado is often born. I knew I was approaching a potentially deadly situation as too many of the clues lined up. For starters, I was coming in from the south, which is one of the most dangerous places to be. As I grew closer, the wall cloud got lower... lower... and soon I could see a deep, wide cone forming. No, there was no confirmed tornado, but there was potential that one could form at any moment. The cone was very close to the interstate, not even a mile away when I drove past it – speeding now as I wanted badly to get into the northern segment of the storm.

The southern part is often calm, no rain or wind really. This is because the vortex gathers up much of the energy of that part of the storm, as the northern portions feed the circulation. So the northern part of the storm, less than a mile from the core of the vortex is where high winds and rain are drawn back in towards the vortex itself. This is where I wanted to be. Indeed, I was thrust into one of my many nightmares, doing what I've always done in the thousands upon thousands of times I encountered tornadoes in my darkest dreams. I used what knowledge I had of them to my advantage. These violent outbursts of mother nature have always fascinated me, and I've always been a sucker for watching tornado documentaries on television. The knowledge I took from them was put to the test as I drove into the northern segment of the storm.

I endure the harsh winds and rain for about five miles before I could stand no more and pulled off to the side of the road until the high winds stopped rocking Nelly and I back and forth. I knew there was no real danger where I was, the potential tornado was behind me heading in a south eastern direction and I encountered no hail. So despite my concerns, the vortex probably never had enough strength to truly develop into anything work taking note about. But if anything had awesome power, it was the lightning storm itself as a tremendous whole. Beyond the southern tip the storm only gets worse. I returning to driving into it when the rain eased and the wind died down, and when I did was greeted by blinding flashes of white hot light.

The sky was a blaze with lightning. To say that I was driving through giant strobe light is a vastly under descriptive comparison. Night turned to day, and I could see the green of the grass and the blue of the road signs as clear as though the sun were shining, and the lights flickered with such vigor that many were as bright as flash grenades making the road impossible to see. For those of you who do not venture out and drive at night, it is reasons likes this why I wear my sun glasses at night. My lightly tended frames are perfect for night driving, as I can still see the road clearly – but all the blinding glare of oncoming lights and violent lightning are all too common for the average night driver. So I highly recommend it.

The bursts of lightning where so powerful, that even as the storm faded far into the distance behind me – the road was often light up by the momentary flashes of the most powerful of bolts. The continues for many miles, and the ware zone that was the storm finally faded into memory. Much of the rest of the first days trip was rather uneventful. Truth be told that Kansas is perhaps the most devilish state to drive through is no joke in the slightest. The state will suck your juices dry, and beat you down with a firm 70mph speed limit and many highway patrolmen waiting in the shadows for you to slip up. I barely made it out of the state with my sanity intact, as I had to take a near two hour nap to rest my eyes and hands nearly two hundred miles from the border into Colorado.

Though the first one hundred and sixty five miles of Colorado look just like Kansas, you just feel better driving in that state. They are much nicer, allowing you to drive a solid 75mph as the common speed limit. Not to mention that once you cross the border, you feel as though Denver is only a heart beat away. I pulled myself together for one more three and a half hour long hall into Denver, where I finally decided to pull in for the night at about 3pm Friday afternoon. Why so early in the day? Well Denver is over shadowed by the Rocky Mountains, and you can see their massive walled structures rising above the horizon well before you enter the city. I could have gone on for perhaps five more hours, knowing the sights of the mountains would have thrilled me to no end.

But I had already driven 852 miles and more than 14 hours in one day. Poor Nelly needed a break! So before I ask her to endure another trip to the mountains, I decided to give her a night to rest her pistons and cool down a bit. The road isn't going anywhere, and it's important that I have a vehicle that can drive on it. So my car's health comes well before my own on occasions like this. I estimate that it will take me two more days to get to California from Denver, and I intend to make the most of them. I even decided that I'm going to bypass I-80. I didn't take it when I left Salt Lake City, actually I went south through the Utah desert and into Price. I'm going to do the same on the return trip, just so I can truly retrace my steps the last time I came I this way. Perhaps this time, I can dust over my foot prints so I won't know the way back home.

Greetings,

With so much happening these past few weeks, there is no surprise that a lot has been stacking upon my mind. Something had been festering inside of me: searing beneath the skin until it slowly began to gnaw at the very fabric of my soul. Perhaps the route in which my life was traveling was one I could not live with any more, and that is what lead me to the position I am in now. So I found it fitting that I would find myself in the middle of the night with an urge to spill my thoughts upon the page. Those who know me, know that I have a love of writing, and through that medium I can find the words that I normally can not express in person. And now I reflect upon what has lead me to this point; the turning point -- a new beginning within San Francisco California.

More than half a year ago I technically graduated from Memphis College of Art, departing from my more than five year enrollment. I witnessed a lot of changes happen inside that building, and sadly I could not share in much of the better ones at the end. I tried, I truly did, but it was a time in my life were I was beginning to discover myself. Through that time I recall even leaving for Florida for a year, and that was one of the many critical building blocks in learning both the strengths and weaknesses of my overall character. There is no surprise when I state that I have not yet become a man, and I would be lying to myself if I stated otherwise. College felt more like High school for more, and I don't mean in the sense that it was an extension of High school – no.

I mean that I didn't learn anything in High school, nothing. Such wasted years of my youth spent within thick concrete walls, surrounded by the brooding insecurities of mindless spoiled youths that turned four years of my young life into a hellish nightmare I dare not ever desire to even think of repeating. I know now how little I learned, because I took away so much from my college years that I felt I actually could truly utilize the brain that I had been given. But that brain felt dormant and underused when I left College with a BFA, and though I created works of art and writing I could not help but feel I was missing something.

That something I found several months prior when I was lucky enough to spend my summer in Salt Lake City Utah, where I interned with Sensory Sweep Studios under Greg Davis. That was a wonderful experience, and even though the level of the company's overall standards of production and work flow were slightly under par - the people who worked within the walls of the company had a fantastic talent that ignited my own. I drew from their energies and transformed it into a creative muse that fueled many works throughout the entire summer. The feeling was similar to rare moments I had when I would visit the Furry Convention in Memphis Tennessee and spend my weekend with other talented artists far better than myself in skill.

I found that I desire the close proximity of other artists to inspire me and drive me, and without them I feel as though the flame within me begins to wither and perish. My passions become snuffed out, unable to feed off the creative energies I alone can not generate and without an external source - such as college briefly allowed - I found myself sinking into a stagnant state of uselessness. The months after my graduate churned on, and though I kept job hunting I felt as though I was missing out on many opportunities that could have fueled that flame. Memphis, TN is not exactly known for being a very creative place - overall. Certainly there are splendid minds and a fine college of arts, but the overall city drowns it beneath a very unpleasant stench that drives away many.

Memphis feels as though it is the sitting rain water tucked away in a discarded tire in America's backyard. There is no real flow, and the parasites thrive in the darkness and brood a form of life that is commonly found to be displeasing to many. I was brought face to face with this reality once again at Fed Ex. True, I had encountered this reality once before, but distance and time draw away on the true weight of its meaning. In many ways I am thankful for my mother's insistence at working at Fed Ex again after my years of retirement from that dank and dusty way of life. Many ghosts haunt that Memphis World Hub, and they are but the living dead which moan through the halls each and every day - living out a hell they had made for themselves without merit or reward.

You forget these things, or let your mind simply become distracted when you encounter them from afar. But in short period I worked at Fed Ex again, I found myself so dangerously close to these pathetic shades that I could not ignore them any longer. On the first of July, 2:43am, I had a revelation as I sat idle and pointlessly under utilized in the screening hall waiting for my car-pool buddy. Sitting there was like setting outside the gray gates of predatory, and I watched the spirits move in and out of with a look of glassy eyed dread transformed into a stern faced demeanor of necessity and hopelessness. Clear as crystal it all became, as these pour souls were bound to those pitiful gates - forced to cross through them day after day after day to do the same thing over and over and over again.

I, did not truly have to... Such a simple thought, but the impact of it was as weighted as a brick wall crumbling down upon my head and crushing me with the sheer truth of it. I was not bound to these walls by any true necessity other than the respect and devotion I have for my mother's judgment and clever common sense to form a logical prospective on live. That is how she survived, and that is how she raised me. But I felt the flame of my creativity slowly wither away with each passing night I came there, and if I did not act upon those realizations I would commit myself to the moaning purgatory I was now so dangerously close to being drawn within. I had to get away, far away, very far away.

This year's independence day had a completely different meaning for me. No, it was not about the fireworks, the family, or the food. It was about outlining the battle plan of my next, most startling leap of faith I had ever committed to -- leaving home. I did not want to waste the chance either, so I aimed for a logical place where I could utilize every resource I had at my disposal - San Francisco. My idle time after college wasn't wasted, as I encountered a couple of people who will make the location rather ideal for me. Not to mention a few other perks, such as it's near Silicon Valley, San Fran is also a bustling new age city on the very tip of modern society, and it's a very artistically driven place. I'm young, and I have every desire to succeed on my own without people holding my hand. Most of all, I want to truly be able to call myself a man - and every boy must undergo a right of passage.

For the longest time I've felt as though my development as a socially acceptable human being has been seven years behind the normal curve. Though I am nearly twenty seven, I do not feel as though I am even twenty one in mental growth. A lack of suitable surroundings has stunted my growth, and that is more a fault of geographical location more than the lack of proper rearing. Indeed, a lack of father figure in ones life does have an impact! Such a fact is only of the many reasons why I would desire to fully grow into a true man worthy of being able to bare children so that I could rear them with proper and dependable outlining to actually be of true benefit to society rather than just more space filler.

So where does this leave me now? -- I departed from home in a flurry really. Leaving much of my belongings behind, bringing with me only my computer and clothes I can actually wear. I left with my uncle, aunt, and cousin who were visiting Memphis for the week of July 4th and together we drove down to Texas. This has been my launching pad for the past several days, as I desired to stay put for a little bit longer as I continue to try and land a job in San Francisco. I have a place to stay, certainly I do, a cheap little hole in the ground somewhere in Oakland, CA but a mile away from the San Francisco bridge and walking distance from the many public transits. As much as I'd love to get there, I'm in no particular hurry.

In fact, I arrived in Texas on Saturday, and now it's Thursday of the following week. I don't intend to really set out until the weekend rolls around. I was anchored for a short time because I had some vibes of a potential job in Michigan, but since most of the people in charge of hiring just now decided to take a month's vacation -- it wasn't exactly logical to wait them out! So I plan to continue my trip soon, and with now with considerable funding and support from my family I have pocketed more than $500 in basic starting funds. This doesn't include the food stamps and general assistance I hope to enroll upon when I actually reach California.

My next step will take me on a two, perhaps three day trip to Salt Lake City Utah. I felt like it would be a delight to swing through there again on my way to California. I don't like driving through the desert, so I'm going north bound from Texas to avoid much of the barren emptiness and replace it with the tall evergreens of Colorado and the salty breeze of Utah. It will only add a meager four hours to my trip, so I see no real harm in the difference of route. Besides, I-80 is comfortable and familiar. I've driven that road before, and I will do it again. The more I think about it, the more I assure myself that San Francisco truly is the place for me. I intend to have a rough start, as such is a reality for everyone who wants to strike out on their own. But there are many things to look forward to!

I hope to be able to embrace my artistic side there and not feel awkward about my beliefs, furthermore there is even a furry convention in San Jose called Further Confusion that I'll be able to attend in January. Of course there are even people in the area that I've spoken with for years, and will finally have a chance to actually meet in person. So yes, there is quite a bit I can do there. I won't be alone, despite being on my own. My family has been very supportive of my choices, and I do not wish to disappoint them. But the one person I don't want to disappoint the most, yes even more than my mother, is myself. I have quite a task before more, a challenge I have never faced before. I believe in myself, know myself, and am comfortable with myself. That took a lot of soul searching, but without those qualities I would surely fail.

I will keep you all informed as things progress. There will be a lot to share. I don't turn my back on those who have supported me in the past, and I look forward to hearing from you all in the future. 

Signing off for now,

Orlean Knight

Welp, I've been on a art production bendge as of late. Finally, I can sit back and do work I wanna do. For nearly 5 years I've been following the criteria of the college. Now after some relaxation and downtime, I've kicked into high gear drawing, painting, and even 3D Modeling on a daily basis. The commission I still owe from previous cons will be getting worked on very soon, as now I can provide the quality of work I can be pleased with for people I respect and have befriended.

But, what about my Portfolio? I'm making it, but as I do, the potential places where I can actually submit a resume has steadily vanishing. As my college said, this is a bad time to Graduate.. That is true, and I won't argue that point. But I really don't want to be stuck in Tennessee. I really want to uproot myself and get the hell outta dodge. But is it really the right time? Should I cool my jets and bide my time, settling myself with sending my resumes to friends in the business and just waiting for an opening?

Perhap that may be the best action at this moment. So far likely places of occupation are Capcom USA and Stardock, but both aren't hiring but do want my stuff nonetheless. In the meantime I'm trying to mellow myself out by expressing visions and fantasies on paper. It's nice, but I certainly can't do it forever. The clock is ticking, and the period of my life where I spend 100% of my time locked in a room infront of a computer working on art is going to be a limited one.

God, I wish the current US Administration would bring back the old post-war ideals of Government Funded Arts and Artists. I'd die from the bliss of being paid for the purpose to explore my own artistic potential. Hmm.. Maybe I should submit an essay to my district's rep.

Greetings!

No, I haven't gone from the furry scene, as a matter of fact I am completing my Senior year at Art College. My Gallery is up, my finals are finished, and frankly all I'm waiting for is a handshake and a nod of "good luck" as final day of College career is closely coming around the corner.

The past several months have been the development phase of my new artistic technique that I'll be using in many of my latest artworks. Originally started with the "Lance of Sorrow" piece I gave away for FurFright, the evolution of art has continued and now given new light in my latest Gallery debut.

I can show you a sample of the work, perhaps one of my more popular ones in the gallery. Until then I'll be working on the foundations for a series of work I call "Junk Hounds", you'll be seeing some progress in that department soon. Building the materials will take a while, but once done -- ohh boy. :)

Check ya later peeps!

Mephit Fur Meet - Memphis, TN is home to my first art track panel.

Now, this panel is not at all the type in which I will stand infront of a small bunch of people and try to give them pointers based on my own experiences and art work. Actually, I hope to do something a little more for the community that I feel will be profoundly helpful. It is my belief that everyone within them has the potential to become an artist, and the panel itself will be a stepping stone in the direction of how one can do that.

I've learned that talent is a fiction, and is merely a labling for someone whom has spent more time working on their skills and attemping to better themselves. I will be breaking down various elements of this, as well as pointing people in the direction of how they can begin, or even carry further their own venture into the artistic world. Also, I will go over some observations I've made about the fandom, and also the find of feedback one will earn from the community based on what they produce.

There is a lot to go over, so I'll also be using my writing skills to put together a fine pamplet for people to look over and read well after the panel. Within it will be notes on everything I will say, as well as a way to continue onwards on your own to develop your skills in your own time. With it will be some pointers on who to listen to, how to accept critique, and also what books may be insightful reading for those looking for some interesting ways of looking at things.

Hopefully some of you will be dropping in at MFM this year, and if so be sure to drop in on my Panel. The title will be You Are the Artist, at least it should be like that. I'm paired up with another panel, hosted by someone else - their panel is You Can Draw. So be sure to drop in on that combo to learn a thing or two! Cheers!

- Orlean Knight

With FA finally functional again, I can slap up a major update of a lot of my work created over the downtime. Naturally I can't post -all- of the work, since a lot of it is officially under NDA and property of my temp employer. But at least I did have time to churn out some interesting pieces, one of which is so large I'm still working on it, but I have taken a break from it to work on other pieces so I don't get completely burn out of the painting.

I'm putting together several blogs, one of which is for Capcom and coming Wednesday I'll release a lot of the work that will go up with the blog. That same day, I'll toss up a nice lot of stuff a little at a time, that way I don't flood everyone's submission folders! Even better, MFM is coming up at the end of the month and I'll have a lot to show off in my little portfolio. It'll be some very different work, considering instead of a giant pile of sketches, there will actually be several works in color! I can paint, but looking at my present gallery you'd think otherwise.

Ha, let there be color!! (starting Wednesday)

Greetings everyone. I know no one ever reads my journals, but hey -- I can still vent over um. It was of course my plan to do some art this weekend, and I was going to settle in and do some painting on Sunday when Saturday Night I was once again assaulted by the vicious Malware that trashes my system before last weeks reformat. Rearing it's ugly head in my system again forced me to reformat not even ONE WEEK after the previous, and even after reformatting FOUR TIMES Sunday, I still managed to find out it pieces of the virus snuck back into my system via the driver restore I did from the previous week's reformat.

*Sigh* Before, the Malware hit me in full force. Preventing me from using source search engines like Google in hopes of figuring out a way to stop it, because no standard Virus scan (purchased, free, downloadable, etc) could ever locate the damn thing. After the numerous reformats on Sunday, I realized pieces of it remained -- though doubtful the whole damn thing -- and I could now search the web to figure out how to kill those last bits of it. Monday morning I discovered this piece of ware was called svghost.exe, which cleverly looks like the important svchost.exe your computer needs functioning in order to run properly.

I found a detailed thread at http://forum.aumha.org/viewtopic.ph.....30&t=34090 which helped to solve the problem, and I highly suggest everyone check this out if they are having strange issues with their Windows Automatic Update. If you don't know whether it's on or off, check your alerts window. Right click on the bottom bar on your screen (Windows XP = the long blue bar that the start menu is on), select Properties, then Customize at the bottom of the window, ensure that Windows Security Alerts is Always Shown. If it is, and no messages pop up informing you that your Automatic Updates are Turned Off, then you're fine.

Note: Going to the Control Panel and clicking on Automatic Updates doesn't work, it'll always show it as turned on even though they'll be off. To be 100% sure about Windows Automatic are on or off, go to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services, and the list of Services will be alphabetical order so you can see Automatic Updates near the top. All you have to do is glance at the list and see if it is set to Started - Automatic, if it is then you're fine; however if it is days Disabled, you may be in trouble.

Just thought I'd share this with everyone. ^^

This week is a turning point for me in a lot of ways, and should have a great impact on much of my work for many years to come. Last weekend proved to be quite fruitful, as I not only created a new character (Piety Panda), but I also managed to churn out three full paintings of her in bascially two days. The work has gained my confidence in forms of painting quickly using photoshop, as well as just a mouse and keyboard (sadly no tablets of any sort).

So Monday, when I began crafting one of my first successful and fluid 3D human models in Maya I decided to focus my next work upon Silvermane's request for artworkd for his convention. Basically, entires for the Book of the Dead which will be sold a fund raising device. Now I not only wanted to do a piece for this, but I wanted t omake it a special one. I created several character sketches until something poped up, namely this image:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1412541/

Despite pss-poor quality in the image, I provided a good solid character idea to work with. Also allowed me to begin outlining more a dynamic foundation for the project I'm under taking. This weekend will be dedicated to the advancement of this piece, and I'm not sure if I can finished it during the weekend alone. This character is goinging to be quite complex, with a lot of various subtly. Now that I'm nearly 26 years old ,I feel now more than ever is time I buckle down and really take the time to create some serious work.

Up until now I was already with half-finished paintings and mounds of sketches, but I feel the tide changes. To help support this feeling of new foundation, I went ahead sat down to enjoy another Pixar film -- Wall*E. Now mind you this was the first midnight showing, but the entire presentation was far better than anything I could have imagined. And to be honest, it is very hard to really imagine a pixar film before you go to see it. Their unique style and character work is something to behold, and shows that they put quite a lot of effort into everything they do.

So without a doubt, there is no reason why I should not give my all into my work. Throughout the week I've been doing just that, and I've been feeling the effects sure enough. Throwing one self into the work pays a heavy toll, and I even took off work EARLY today (gasp) in order to get some rest away from a computer. Some to save my eyes, which were actually starting to 'burn' from day-in-day-out PC montior exposer. They still do in fact, but I have deadlines to meet.

I'm pleased to say that the assets for the painting have come out wonderfuly, and it took me a full day to make them both. All they need now are some touch ups, and one I finsih my project for work I'll be sure to begin setting the scene for my Fur Fright entry. I look forward to having some solid monochrome bases by the end of the weekend, and hopely some chance to apply some color. To make it even more interested, I was considering sticking to a color pallet of three hues, which should not only compliment each other but give the piece some overall 'heat'.

I'll have to ask Silvermane if he doesn't mind me posting it online when it's through, I've no idea how much of an impact that'll have on the value of his book. If I can't post it, then you'll more than likely have to waint until early November to see the piece complete - yet let's not hope that going to be the case. I'm a sucker for good critique.

I failed to mention before that also earlier in the week I set up my ever so belated protests and concerns for the structure of MFM's artist alley. I provided so very indepth details on how that short work on the MFM website, in the Community > Forums of course, so please check it out of you have time and give your support to my cause. Finally I've been green-lit to host my first Art Panel at MFM this August, and believe it or not I am firmly intend on not doing art for this panel. It'll be something of a different course of action, so more on that as it developes - all in all you may enjoy it if you don't consider yourself an artist.

So feel free to let me know if you guys have any thoughts on this journal or any of my latest entires. It's going to be a very productive Summer for me, so expect to see a lot of work coming. Since I now have a temp-jon doing artwork that is more my own - one can not help but keep making it once you get started. That is one thing that College has beaten out of me - a good work ethic. Funny, you'd think they'd only increase the desire t odo work - but that's not the case at all. All I know is that I have the most fun and am the most productive in all facets when I'm surrounded by like minded people. Sadly my college is fresh out of people who think as I do.

PS: Bring tissues when you see Wall*E. No it's not sad, but the short before it is so funny you're going to cry.

Well as I found myself painting this evening -- I could not help but think to myself what it was that I was much enjoying the material I was working. Well it's true I'm biased of furry art and still hoping to find that style is that is my own. When I look at my pandas, it is there where I think a style does indeed exist. Recently I created Piety Panda in the short duration it took me to drive home from work (5 minutes flat).

Before that I wanted to draw something a little tangy, perhaps even erotic before I left home from work, and so I whipped up a quick thumbnail, and then a full blown sketch of a stripper panda. I liked her, and now here she is not but a few hours later on my FA page. So yeah, I suppose I like pandas -- and I guess I'm going to go ahead and create more work related to my panda characters -- if not something of a picture series.

The idea excites me ,it does, and it relaxes me to paint these things in black and white too - as I can churn them out quickly and still retain the classic 'panda' look, not to mention the color scheme of the images just flat out work with an animal that is void of noticeable color. Perhaps I should continue to press on the panda path and just make them one of my specialties. Cheers!

Greetings ghostly nonreaders of FA -- this is another furry artist barking up on the journals again. Welp, if you've ben following my previous entires, then you know I've landed an internship with a gaming company in Utah. Well here I am -- in Utah, in an apartment, painting, drawing, and building models on Maya.

I've a lot do in these few months, and already I'm getting to work on games that'll be released at the end of the year. I can't say what, but I can at least say they are somewhat furry related. Heck even my first really full model can be an anthro, and will be actually once I land the design I want to use.

Right now I've finally got internet up and running at the apartment, so I can sit back and relax a little in my big, snuggly lazu-boy recliner and between work hours. Which frankly isn't much, as I tend to clock in 10 hour days at least every weekday in order to maximize my exposer time in the gaming industry.

My feet are wet, couldn't be wetter. And as my one of the Art Leads on my team says, "You're already wet, now jump into the cesspool with the rest of us" - Not doubt I will. By next MFM I should have a nice portfolio of fun stuff to show off, if anyone cares of course. ^^ I have a feeling I do mot really have many people following my progression here, as I don't tend to post a lot.

Greetings all.

No I haven't vanished off the face of the earth, on the contrary I've been busting my butt -- just not really posting very much on here. What can I say? There isn't much to post at the moment. Much of what I've been working on these past few months has no only been writing related, but has also been more tactile. You see I've been working on an armature for stop motion animation. Quite the complicated piece, standing now at twelve inches high with a structure as strong as stone, but as light as an action figure of the same height.

Well what is it of? Oddly enough, it's of an avian bird man, and that is exactly what I call him. Sporting plastic wings and several feathery plumes -- he has come to be a fine piece of sculpture I am proud to display. However, his appearance on FA will be a few days as I need him for another project due at the beginning of the week. For that project I'll be taking some photos of him, and creating a full diagram to be posted online along with him. So that is soon to come.

So what else is happening? Perhaps few of you remember in my previous journal of October 2007 -- of how I stated I busted my rump to try and get an internship with a gaming company stationed out in Utah. After several months of waiting, I finally got the news that I've been invited to join in the program. Not only this, they are also providing housing to me as well -- something they haven't done before to any other intern. Perhaps I'm rather lucky, or maybe I have some 'talent' after all (naturally I lean to the prior).

At the ending of May I'll be heading out for a twelve week program, from June to August, and surely when/if I return to MFM (Mephit Fur Meet) this year, I'll be fresh out of Utah. Who knows, I could have more good news then as well -- It has come to my understanding that this company is looking at their interns as potential employee material. In short, I must do nothing short of my utter best to finally show what I'm made of. So unlike FA, they'll be getting my very, very best stuff.

Presently I'm an working on Finals for my Spring classes, and looking forward to another class starting up May 12th. Beyond any doubt I'm a very busy body at the moment, and it don't mind in the slightest. Typically after these periods of labor, I tend to produce something nice to slap on my FA page. ^^

Well anyway, wish -someone- would leave some comments on my new works. I've had nothing by the stock (3C) at the top of my FA screen for months now. Sure it's a little saddening, but what I can say? It isn't like I'm really busting my ass to become some furry sensation. As those few who've met me in person, you of all people should know I really don't give a damn about being popular. But comments, oh I do care for comments. -- I like critique.

I live to pleasure myself with my work (not the self-satisfactory 'ha-ha' I'm a furry sensation - bow to me sort of way), and sometimes I like to know if maybe, just maybe it pleases other too.

Take care everyone, updates soon!

Well, last year didn't end so great -- but that isn't going to put me down. I've rested, and now I've done what I could to make the next few months very enjoyable and endurable (I changed classes which put my away from a Teacher who was quite litterally, driving me completely insane). So now with my sanity in-tact., I have time to think! So I've been fiddling with various ideas for my novel, mainly the third in the series while at the same time doing experimental sketches with things I haven't done too often before.

I've noticed a lot of my work looks a-like, either in pose or structure. In order to better my abilities, I'm just trying to do different things, while at the same time doing study into some old artwork techniques from the 80s which were very successful in my eyes -- but seem to have been completely forgotten! Odd.

Well, I'll be slapping up some new sketches I did this year for everyone to chew on to look at my progress. But wait, what about my animations? I haven't forgotten them, I'm just taking a short break from After Effects, but I'll return with a few new experiments soon enough. In the meantime I'm playing around with stop motion animation, which is very, very tedious. ^^

Howdy everyone,

Felt I'd go ahead and wish everyone a Happy Halloween the best way I can manage. For well over the past week I've been busting my ass, with hardly any time to really stop and rest. Ever since Monday the 22nd I've been working 'round the clock on several things -- most importantly one the rare rays of light shining in my direction.

Last week I was informed that my school will be having a visiting artist. This said artist was a former student of the college, and he was going to drop in to give a presentation of his job. And what is that job? -- Art Director at a solid gaming company. He was due to come in town the 30th not only to talk about his job, but to also look for interns and job seekers.

So with the foreknowledge of his writing I put together the best portfolio I could manage. As well as a Demo Reel, DVD, Business Card, Resume, and everything else you can think of. Come the 30th I put on my best clothes and shadowed the fella for the first few hours of the morning until we had a chance to talk. Which happened a couple of times actually. Great guy, easy to get a long with. When we got around to the portfolio he really enjoyed it.

Now all I have to do is hope that the portfolio is acceptable to the company as a whole. Their internship program is taking on a new face, pitting several schools and local sources against one another for eight position slots. I'm confident I provided my best work, my best face, my best everything. In short, if I fail to get the position my best just isn't enough and I'll have to strive to do better.

As for the verdict, I should know in a month or show, maybe even as late as the first week of December. But I've no time to be too concerned with the results of that, as I've just married myself to a long ass animation project. With 5 weeks to develop with SOB, I'm going to give it my all. The core of it will consist of at least 43 paintings that I must make flexible for use in Adobe After Effects. So you're going to see more of my animation trials soon, as with no more time to experiment -- I've got to put the experience to use.

My battle plan is to actually create the project in reverse. Why? Because I feel I can probably churn out the best work for it early on before I get burnt out. I at least want the conclusion to look smooth and sleek as to drive the emotions I want to strike in home. I'll be posting packets of the work as it progresses, hopefully you all can give me some feed back on how it's growing! Keep an eye out for animations from yours truly in the few days.

Right now I'm going to spend my Halloween night sleeping, because damn it -- I'm tired. And finally I get a day off, and I don't want to do anything other than laying in a warm bed right now.

Orlean, signing off!

After doing some work, I finally broke down a method to use to create deeper, richer animations within Adobe After Effects CS3. Now I'm going to take it a step farther, creating a series of examples which may help refine the technique. It seems to me like a number of small projects will certainly do the trick, and here is a list of the things I will tackle:

1) Figure, Hammering a Nail in a Wall. (Easy)
2) Breast bounce and jiggle. (Moderate)
3) Girl sucking a juice pop. (Difficult)
4) Jumping up and down (Complex)

Once I complete each example, I'll post them in Flash format for everyone to enjoy. However, I will do far less breaking down and focus more on showing the advancing results. I'm certain that if I can nail these, I can more on to far harder things -- such as multiple character interactions. For example, a lewd Palma Panda breast fucking.. which is something I've been wanting to animate for close to a year now.

Let's hope I can get to that point! :)

Ohhh now the time has come for something I've been itching to do all Summer long -- animation. After accquired the ENTIRE new Adobe CS3 Master's Collection, I have new toys to play with -- and most of them are animation tools. Now is the weekend I'm going to cracking down on the few frontier of furry art production.

Come Tuesday I'll have no choice be to have some solid animation examples, I'll post them here in either Quicktime format or Flash format. I'll also break down the production method for anyone actually remoted interested in what I'm breaking into here.

Now I felt going ahead and writing a journal entry on this particular subject. I dunno why, but since it's fresh on my mind I'd might as well give it a go. For those of you have been paying attention to any XBOX 360 titles, perhaps you are familiar with an RPG which was released at the closing of August entitled Blue Dragon. Now this game hasn't gotten very high ratings. This is a dissapointment, considering having playing the game for a solid weekend -- I can certainly say that there is a lot of merit to this title.

Perhaps the reviews were a little shabby because it was based on the beginning of the game, which is a little vague. The first couple of disks are indeed rather easy in difficulty for the expert RPG players because you have complete control over your character's skill development. Far more control than Final Fantasy will ever give you, and the combat system is extremely well thought out. You not only have control over spells your characters can learn and cast, but you can also determine the power of these spells during combat.

You can also expand classes, mix them, and make more complicated builds which even mix all the classes together. Indeed, there is an endless arrangement of choices. So the battle system does offer some very good thrills when there is actually something worthy of fighting, which sadly doesn't happen often. Most bosses are easy in the terms of RPG combat until you enter Disc 3. Then the difficulty ranks up on you, tossing some very nasty bosses at you.

Disc 3 is also less linear than the previous discs, allowing you to have a lot of control on where you want to go. I went ahead and skipped to the end-game dungeon, feeling I could tackle the final boss because I desired a good, memorable fight. Note that guides suggest you at least be 55 or 60 for fighting him, but I went head to head with the final boss at level 45. To my surprise, he was much stronger than I assumed he would be.

Preparing for the boss is not an option once you defeat the game's running villain Nene. So in order to properly equip myself for the boss, I would have to fight him, lose, then go back to a previous save to figure out what I need to bring. Turns out that I need to do a little more leveling, as some things I needed at critical moments were not open to me. Towards the end of the fight he keeps skipping turns, doing double -- sometimes even triple attacking without giving much pause for me to recover.

There are also lots of sever sub quests to do, and plenty of things to keep me busy long after I choose to even beat the game. After facing the boss and getting stomped with my current build, I now have to redesign a build for that fight alone. And it has dawned on me that I did not train certain characters in those fields. This is where the game shows its light once again.

As you can change everyone's class up, though they retain their level and strength, the game is as hard as you make it. I can extend the life of the game by switching classes, reducing equipment, and tackling several optional dungeons and bosses before once again combining my full might to defeat the boss. Though the game lacks in variety of Monsters, it still has wonderful effects, a great battle system, and the option to constantly switch character builds and levels on the fly.

I also got quite a few laughs when I found the "Time Travel" option provided late in the game, as you can just watch all the cut-scenes move in reserve at high speed to relocate yourself back prior to the end-game state. Some reviews say that there is nothing memorable about this game -- perhaps not early on, but the late game is certainly worth it. The only downside about the late game is the ability to Summon appears in Disc 3. Though the scenes for it are worthy of in-game movie cineamatic qaulity -- they are indeed lengthy in duration with no option to skip.

Fun to watch, a must use for big bosses, but not desired for casual on-the-fly monster battles. I recommend this game for anyone with a taste for classic turn-based RPGs and is longing for something to wet their whistle. It's very good, and I'm very pleased that I chose to purchase this game. Did I mention it even appeals to my furry side?

Yes it does. Because in a strange fashion, you are actually fighting with Anthropomorphic shadow creatures. Go figure.

Oh oh, now this was a fantastic weekend. I worked my tail to the bone, but I had a lot of fun doing it. Thursday I came in and started to warm up on sketches. I had a few, and manged to catch some really interesting things. Ever seen the original He-Man on DVD? Ever seen it at double-speed? It actually makes the show worth watching. Get a bunch of friends together and watch it, just like this -- it's a F%@#ing blast!

Friday I bumped into Vermilion, a guy who got some of my free commissions from MFM'06. While chatting with him I warmed up by drawing some Avians. The rest of the day I relaxed and really let lose. Visiting several panels and getting to know some of visitors. Saturday I worked my tail off doing Free Commissions in artist alley, and continued to do so throughout the night. Thankfully I finished them all that same day and make nearly $100 off the investment of time.

Beowolf made a shocking appearance on Saturday, but I didn't get to see him until Saturday night -- yet I never really spoke to him until Sunday when I did sketch which he really, really loved. So I gave it to him. Long story short, I networked, got an all expenses paid invite to Fur Fright, did Free Commissions, started up a local fur meet between cons, got hired on doing local Movie Effects job, and got to drink 2 ounces of favorably good wine while chatting with Catwarrior and Grant the GM.

Good times.

Well it's June, that means MFM, the one and only FurCon I ever make time to visit (because it's local) is slowly drawing close again. Since I decided the last Image of Palma didn't shape up to be be Conbook material -- I'm now creating Skunk themed T-Shirt designs that I'll be happily submitting to MFM's T-Shirt contest. For this task I'm using Adobe Illustrator, which is a program I've never been a big fan of, but I'm forcing myself to use it to so I can get a better handle on it.

I hate to be intimidated by a program I don't fully understand. So far the best way I've learned to solve that hurdle is to just sit down with a box of donuts, a pack of Mountain Due, and bag of patience to work your way through. That and lots, and lots of time and practice. After I complete the three T-Shirt designs, I'll begin reintroducing myself to Adobe Aftereffects to try and tackle some very complicated animation techniques.

By the way, anyone going to MFM this upcoming year, I'd be very interested in having a room mate from Thursday to Monday at the Holiday Inn. I'm one of those wacky folk who'd actually like to somewhat know whom I'm going to be staying with for a weekend! Ha! Just leave a reply to Journal and we'll go from there.