Hey everybody! Sorry I've been gone. I know some of you guys have really been missing my art. =(

I'll see if I can keep this short: I've been inactive with posting new art for a long time. for various reasons. The biggest one was that I've been busy with college. That ate up a lot of my free time, and it wasn't structured to support 2D artwork. I did more web design than anything in my undergraduate program. x.x I've also had a lot of trouble with posting new artwork unless I was completely happy with the outcome. Since I've been growing gradually more unhappy with my work lately, this has become a problem!

Now that I'm graduated, I really, really want to get better. Things have happened recently that have made me really driven to improving my character artwork, and to make it more appealing overall. I feel my art hasn't improved too much in the last few years. However, if I work hard, I hope I can make up for it!

For the next little while, assuming I can actually stick to my plans this time, expect a ton of character artwork, and not many colored things, or landscapes. I probably will still do them, but just not as often as before. I'm really going to focus on improving my anatomy, poses, and trying things I'm less experienced at like action poses. This means there will be big fluctuations in quality between different postings, depending on how used to the subject I am. But hey, it's better than nothing right? =)

That's all for now. It's hard to believe it's almost been a year and a half since my last journal. x.x Let's hope that doesn't happen again.

Thanks for reading!

Related drawing: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10891383/

So as you can tell, I've been pretty inactive here and elsewhere, for many reasons. (College, gaming, procrastination, wasting time on useless things, etc.) I have this problem I like to call a procrastination snowball, where the longer I put off something, the harder it is for me to start again. I've been this way with making art, replying to notes (which I've had to apologize to a few people for.), replying to messages, cleaning my room, and so on. It's so easy for me to put it off and do something distracting, instead of manning up and getting things done.

Yesterday, my best friend moved away and I felt pretty down in the dumps about it. She was following her dream and it made me wonder what exactly what I was doing. Sure, I'm in college majoring in 3D, which is an industry I want to get into, but I just haven't been doing enough on the side. Barely any sketching, no online presence, just doing the minimum requirement, lots of things.

I really want to turn that around, and get active again just like I used to be - posting journals and art, even if they weren't perfect. I need to stop letting less significant things like games control my time, when it has the potential to be way more productive and rewarding. Will I ward them off completely? Nah, but they've been too much of a time vampire for my own good. I need to rediscover what made me love artwork and being part of a community in the first place.

So, today, expect notes replied back to, artwork posted and cross-posted, and hopefully some new sketches coming in as well, hopefully consistency and frequently. I really do want to improve, and maybe a lack of improvement has been what's holding me back! But the only way I can get better is by doing, not by thinking. I need to follow my dream too, and make that big step just like my best friend did.

So, that is all. I really hope I can stick to my "being active" promises this time. I swear, I've probably written one of these once a year. The first few steps are going to be the hardest, but with enough patience I hope I can get back running again.

Hey everybody, it's me!

I've been away for a while due to a close friend of mine visiting, plus other summer-related stuff. I'm back in school now and just started my first week. So far there seems to be a lot of good news regarding it!

The schedule doesn't seem to be as intense as last semester, such as a free afternoon on a couple of days, plus classes I didn't like (like video) now have been cut away since I'm taking a 3D major. And that's where the fun stuff comes in!

We have this one class which is essentially a portfolio class. We have fifteen weeks starting now to do whatever we want as long as its pre-approved by the instructor. I'm going to be doing a 3D model of my character Temiree, with some redesigns for the sake of him being more suitable for an animation production. I have no idea what I'm getting into, so I can't guarantee the quality, but I'm really excited to start!

So basically, I am more or less back with some cool stuff on the way. I'll try to get sketches up soon! =)

PS: I have some messages and notes to get back to, I apologize for the wait. As mentioned earlier, I've been busy with visitors and all that stuff.

I'm trying to look into what would be the best resolution I should be posting my artwork as. I'd like to be able to post bigger pictures for more detail, but I don't want them to be too big and stretch outside of screens. I use 1024x768, but I think that's outdated now?

Any input would be very much appreciated. Thank you! =D

Cars 2 is being released this Friday, and right now it's sitting at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, getting progressively lower since yesterday as more reviews come in, the first, so far, certified "rotten" Pixar movie.

It's kind of sad, but it really seems like Cars 2 is more of a merchandising gimmick than anything. =/ I heard Cars, which being critically the lowest performing, was their best for merchandise, so I guess it shouldn't be any surprise. Why would they make a sequel of that movie, versus a new original idea?

Hopefully whatever money brought in from this will benefit future films, and not just line the pockets of executives.

I'm questioning seeing it, given I'm trying to save up for a new computer. It would probably cost me $17 to see it... Hmmm... I'd almost rather see Kung Fu Panda 2 again. =P

I'm thinking of getting a few markers to practice with because I can't afford to get a nice big set of them. For those who have experience with these, could you recommend two or three colors that would be the best to practice with? o.o? I don't mind if I have to make monochromatic pictures. xD I just want to get used to them without the price.

Thanks for any advice! =D

***SPOILERS IN THIS ENTRY! DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN AND WANT TO SEE IT!***

I have to say I really enjoyed this film! It didn't seem like a movie solely made for Dreamworks' bank account, but rather it came off as a very appropriate sequel story-wise.

I enjoyed it more than the original, even if it started a bit slow. I understand they had to get the audience familiar with the characters again, but I was really worried this movie was going to be very similar to the first one based on how it started, with the same characters doing the same jokes and Po's flipping enthusiasm for everything.

I'll admit that's my main gripe with Po. x) They seem to set up jokes for him involving Po being super enthusiastic over an idea or action, then having second thoughts and him change his mind a few seconds later. =P That got old for me fast, even if it were part of his personality. Those jokes fell flat for me.

I really appreciated how serious the film got, particularly Po's flashbacks and the scene with him finding his inner peace. I thought it was very brave of them do what they did with that. It added a lot to the story emotionally and endeared us to him some more. =)

Baby Po was so friggin' cute! Lovely animation for him to match the baby babble. xD

As for the ending, I heard a friend say they didn't like the idea of Po's Dad still being alive, which I can understand, but I'm a huge sucker for bittersweet endings. It is an obvious hook for a third movie yes, but even it's never made, I like the idea of Po's Dad being alive, Po not knowing, but still having inner peace with what he has and knows anyway.

But yes, great movie! I might even go see it again. =D

The soundtrack was brilliant too. Here's my favorite track from the OST: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq3E.....el_video_title

I'm very near finishing my first year of college. It's been so stressful, but now knowing I'll be off for the summer to learn what I want at my own pace, it feels very very nice. It also means, more arts for you guys! =D

What is everybody's summer plans?

I'm planning to raid the college library and teach myself stuff relevant to the animation industry. Animation, character design, layout design, storyboarding, script writing, comedy writing, general design and the like. I'll have to see what I can find!

Cheers everyone!

Hey guys!

I made a tutorial the other day and I was wondering what the resolution limit is for submissions? It's approximately 900 pixels wide and almost 7,000 pixels long. Would I need to host it elsewhere for the image being too long?

Thanks for any answers! =D

I talked to somebody from Spain, and mentioned how I was eating ice cream at the time, and he was incredibly surprised that I willingly have it when its below freezing outside.

Does anyone else do this? I can't be the only one. x)

I'm sitting here working on assignments, and the thought came back to me about how the WoW world is going to change with the upcoming expansion, in some places pretty heavily like The Barrens and Desolace.

I decided to go and listen to the soundtrack (which I think is going to be replaced somewhat), and man... what a huge wave of nostalgia.

I'm really going to miss the way things used to be, or the atmosphere of it all at least. xD I haven't played it in a year and a half but I still remember it so well.

It kind of feels crappy knowing you don't have much of a chance since you could rarely rarely be as coordinated as a decent premade alliance of people. =/

Sure, it's always nice to play with friends, but still.

As always, with anything, it seems to come down to who you know.

Hey guys, I've made a short film for class, but I'm pretty lost on what audio I should lay over it. Our teacher strongly recommended having music to lay over it to get rid of the "dead air" since it's silent and all.

The premise basically involves somebody being bored to death while working on an important, huge assignment due the next day. Two friends come into the class room and try waking him up with some entertaining things. Then the next day he wakes up and runs to class to hand it in, which has been canceled. It's just over two minutes long.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions. ^^ I'm basically just looking for something energetic, but not distracting from the story.

X = amount of dislikes
Y = something related to the video, but usually an insult

Is anyone else really sick of seeing these comments? It's like 25% of comments of Youtube videos are composed of these now. They were clever at first, but now...

yeah. :| I regret to inform you that your tastes aren't universal.

EDIT: I forgot to add that a rare few do make me giggle. They were better when the trend first started, but now...

I just finished up a piece involving a ferret and a guitar. It's just a quick piece that sort of came to be after viewing Lou Romano's work.

I purposely made it stylized and not very accurate in perspective, detailing, symmetry and what-have-you, but I've gotten a couple of comments saying that they're off and should be fixed.

So what I'm trying to ask is: In art, at what point does a bad drawing become a simply stylized picture? Or a stylized picture become a bad drawing?

What do you guys think? I'm actually kind of unsure of posting now.

Hey guys, I just want to give a shoutout to all those who have given me comments and messages lately. Sorry I haven't gotten back to any of you all. With all the stuff going on, replying to comments like I usually have is on the backburner a bit. x)

I assure you I have more than likely read them, but I just know that some have warranted a response from me and I just haven't done so. I also have gotten a handful of new watchers lately that I need to thank individually, but I have a feeling half are just re-located accounts with registration opening again. =P

It's a long weekend this week, so hopefully I can get enough outstanding work done and posted, as well as reply to some people that need replying too. x)

Thanks guys! Cheers!

I found this short film tonight and I love it, I've probably rewatched it five times now. The visuals are beautiful, the effects and animation are satisfying to watch, and the beaver character is awesome! =D Enjoy!

No gamerscore for you. D:

So I wrapped up the end of my fourth week today. It's been a crazy experience so far. Getting up at 6:30AM most days (+30 minute commute) sucks, but I've met such great people and been inspired every day to try something new. (whether it be from the instructors, or from my fellow classmates)

We've been told from a handful of instructors that we are the most talented group of students to come along yet. One said that our work is much like last year's graduating class! =D (I fear they say this to every class, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt)

My thoughts on my classes, in point form:

Intro to DMT: Lots of Photoshop work so far, so I know 99% of what's been talked about to some capacity already, but that's a given. It should get to some new stuff for me later on. =)

Basics of Form: This is probably my favorite class of all. The teacher is awesome and really "understands" us, and doesn't try to act uber professional. He is just himself, and we learn lots of awesome things! We've been studying composition. =D

Intro to Animation: More modeling than animation so far, but that's to be expected. Maya has quite the learning curve!

Writing for the Web 1: Discussions of branding and image, and that stuff. xD The instructor is fun!

History of Graphic Design: Well like any history, it's kind of dull for me. =P

Web Development 1: A lot more enjoyable than I expected! I never liked coding so I was afraid this would be the same, but so far, inputting code for a graphical output = love.

Interface and Navigation 1: I'm still not sure what this class is about exactly. o.O?

Principles of Drawing: Lots of drawing exercises! (four hours worth + weekly sketchbook assignments)

Audio/Video Production: This class is probably the hardest for me, as it's very unlike everything I've done up to this point. Also I'm a weakling so lugging around 80lbs worth of camera equipment sucks. =P (these cameras are 10 years old, but are not unlike ones that would be used for news reports)

I'm not sure what else to say beyond that! Hopefully I'll get to show some of my classwork soon, such as an otter-related collage! =D Cheers!

I want to do some commissions soon, I really do. My bank account is dwindling due to college related expenses, I can't get a job, and I'm just feeling frustrated tonight I can't do some things I want due to being broke.

However, I have certain things I owe to begin with. I'm also really afraid of overwhelming myself with this in combination with college. I don't want to hurt my grades by taking them. (if masses of people end up wanting something anyway, but I doubt it would be that crazy as I don't think I'm that good.)

I also have had some people contact me in the past about them, but I lost my list.

I was considering just taking strictly $10 character sketch commissions for now. Any ideas? Or interest?

I just saw an ad for a 'no touch hand soap dispenser.' The selling point was to "never touch a germy soap pump again!"

WTF YOU'RE WASHING YOUR HANDS ANYWAY WHATS THE POINT WHYYYY? :|

I also like how it starts off as "fact: your soap pump handle can harbor a lot of bacteria." ...thanks for being 'you-cant-sue-us-now' vague enough there, Lysol. :|

It's probably selling really well too...

EDIT: Maybe it's beneficial if you have say, raw meat on your hands while cooking - but there's still alternatives like bar soap for that kind of stuff. The commercial never mentions it, just 'fragile' kids using the product who would just get their hands as dirty 5 minutes later - unless the over-protective moms have sanitized the house to just short of having the children in plastic bubbles.

I hate products who use the "YOUR CHILDREN WILL DIE IF YOU DON'T USE THIS" angle - because it works so well.

I honestly, completely forgot about this. Sorry! x.x My mind was elsewhere the last two weeks. xD

Here are the final results to the Scribblenauts tournament. The four remaining entrants are...

Longcat [ Border-Walker]
Vs.
Death [ LoneJackal]

Cthulu [ Border-Walker]
Vs.
President Andrew Jackson with a Revolver [ Dimby]

And here is the results!

---

Longcat (yes, I can't believe it either)
Vs.
Death

Cthulu
Vs.
President Andrew Jackson with a Revolver
[Andrew Jackson was doing well until he got too close, and Cthulu one hitted him. :c ]




THIRD PLACE MATCH

President Andrew Jackson with a Revolver
vs.
Death

Death gets third place!






FINALS

Longcat
vs.
Cthulu

Longcat wins the tournament!



Yes, I can't really believe it either - but after further research I've concluded that Longcat is unkillable, but unlike the roach, it can deal some damage and not have matches end in draws. So perhaps it can be considered a slower version of the vampire. x)

If I do this again in the future I don't think I'll allow the longcat since it's a sure-thing to win, but I didn't expect it go this far - so kudos to  Border-Walker for both winning and getting second place, you win the free sketch! =D Congratulations!

Also congrats to Dimby and LoneJackal for making it to the semi-finals! =)

Thank you for playing, and thank you for watching ESPN, the world-wide lea-...wait.

I'm going to be starting school in nine days, on August 30th. I got my two books yesterday and tuition paid for.

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
Learning Autodesk Maya (with the theme of Roadside Romeo)

For some reason seeing those books in my hand got my very excited. I'm going to finally learn to use 3D, I'm actually going to learn a bunch about illustration. Also going to learn about design, composition, color theory...

So excited! I'm nervous too yes, both on how I might handle the workload, the stress, and what kind of job I might get after, if I get one. It's such a thrilling and unusual time - like standing in line for your first roller-coaster ride.

I hate it when someone asks you how you are doing, but you forget to ask the same thing back - which causes me to feel a bit like a self-centered ass afterwards.

:C

Here are the results for you guys. =)


ROUND OF 8 RESULTS

Giraffe with a Blowdryer
Vs.
Longcat
[It was a long battle, lasting at least thirty seconds, but Longcat pulled off the victory!]

Death
Vs.
Manticore

Cthulu
Vs.
Cockroach with a Sewing Needle
[The cockroach once again was unkillable, however this time the side of the coin didn't flip it's way. Cthulu moves on.]

Medusa
Vs.
Former President Andrew Jackson with a Revolver
[All Medusa could do it seems was freeze President Jackson over and over again. However as soon as he got an opening, Medusa easily succumbed to President Jackson's revolver.]

---

ROUND OF 4 MATCHUPS

Longcat
Vs.
Death

Cthulu
Vs.
President Andrew Jackson with a Revolver

Mini-golf is fun though.

So I've been diagnosed with Golfer's Elbow today. It sucks, but it's nice to get a diagnosis to the pain I've been having the last few weeks. =P Anyone ever had this before? Or Tennis Elbow?

I guess mine started due to playing Mario Kart Wii all afternoon with Windash one day, and daily activities since just agitating it and not letting it heal very well. Some days are better than others but it's still not perfect. Hopefully the brace I'm getting will help it out.

Scribblenauts Round of 8 results will be posted tomorrow. My Mum took the DS so I'll have to wait until then. >>

Cheers! =)