Easily Amused

2011-11-04T18:42:00.001-07:00

A new direction and one I'm liking way more than the other version. Right now I'm playing around with a couple more fonts and contrasting colors.

2011-11-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

More Dynamic?

Something blue...

2011-11-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Now the question...with or without the contrasting background? I'm kind of liking it without. Less busy and would make it easier to place anywhere. I do plan on using the smaller honeycomb pattern elsewhere in the overall UI design, so I'm thinking it's best to keep it out of the logo.

This is even harder without input from another, or other, artists. I have a tendency to second guess my instincts.

Really just never ending...

2011-11-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

Backdrops make things more cohesive. Hmmm...not sure if I should add anything to the cards. I don't want them to be too distracting. Maybe just to the top one.

Logo not done yet...

2011-11-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

Just a quick idea of adding another game element to the design. Question is: too much or right direction? I'm wondering if I should try something else with the letters, maybe add a slight arch?

Oh, and the idea behind this logo and future mock up is a social card and board game, er game. 'Community' perhaps is a better word. I was a bit inspired after watching Summer Wars, which led me to learning how to play hanafuda. This got me to thinking wouldn't it be cool to have one place you could go, where you can customize an avatar, then play card/board games from around the world with other people. There's more to it than that, which I have organized in a handy dandy flow map. Hopefully I won't have to explain too much and the UI design will speak for itself.

Honeycomb Logo Final?

2011-11-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

So far this is the one I'm digging the most. It kind of makes me think of a Disney title for some reason, which is a good feeling to have.

I think I may edit the 't' in 'the'. It feels a bit too much for such a small part of the logo.

Although it feels a bit well, plain. I guess I have an innate fear of making it too busy. It doesn't take much to go one step too far.

Honeycomb Logo Round 2

2011-11-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Another round of logos. I felt it was getting too dark so I went to yellow. Trying to avoid making it too busy with the shine and the pattern overlay.

The Honeycomb Logo

2011-10-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

Working on logo designs for a fake social game. So far I'm liking the darker outlines; makes the logo easier to read. I'm not sure about the bubble effect over all the letters yet, but it may grow on me.

2011-10-24T21:33:00.001-07:00

2011-07-18T18:51:00.001-07:00

2011-07-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Work in progress. Heavily influenced by Klimt.

2011-05-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

Did a search for 'action' on Crobis.com for morning sketches.

My friend’s former roommate had a dream about said friend learning how to swim, complete with accouterments.

2011-05-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well whaddya know another update already!

2011-05-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

SEE?? I'm updating. Am I not swell?

2011-04-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

I swear one of these days I'll actually update again. Really need to hook up my scanner again.

2011-02-14T19:35:00.001-08:00

Giving Tumblr a try http://nicoleswimley.tumblr.com/

2010-12-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

Last few paintings of 2010! The first is from a project I'm working on with a friend, and the second is a fan art of a young adult version of Indigo from ye olde cartoon Rainbow Brite. I had a whacked out dream once of a grown up Rainbow Brite while sick and on Nyquil, so I did a painting. At one point I thought it'd be a great idea to do all the color kids. True to form that was over a year ago and I have only just now finished the second piece.

2010-09-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

2010-08-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of my friends as royalty.

2010-08-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

Woot, new stuff. It's been a long, long, long time since I've managed to do an entire scene. Then again, vectors take less time.

2010-07-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

All sorts of sketches and stuff I started, but haven't finished. Typical. You can actually see it better on my DA account.

2010-07-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

EDIT: Naturally I haven't finished it yet, and I'm not happy with where it's going. So maybe round II in a couple of days?

I'm terrible at waiting to show people works-in-progress, so here's the start of my colors for Ravana. There's maybe a smidgen of method in this madness. It's okay though, because I'm pretty happy with where it's going. If it's really dark, I'm sorry. It's a bad habit caused by having the brightness on my monitors turned way up. I'll mess with levels when I'm done.

2010-06-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Ravana redrawn/designed. Quite fun, the more I look at the version of his face with a beard the more I like it.

2010-04-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

Quickie lunch time sketches. One of my little creations the 'Pigwidgins', who protect and nurture the environment. I have a little game design idea I'm working on with them. The other characters are from Charles de Lint's book "Someplace to Be Flying", one of my favorite books. The crow girls are hilarious. They live in a tree and exist mostly on sugar and other sweets. Jack is proving to be the hardest to visualize. He's definitely one of those characters you really want to get right.

2010-04-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Zoo and Earth Fest sketches. Good times!

2010-04-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Weekend sketches! Had fun doing these; I have more to upload later :)

2010-04-15T15:14:00.001-07:00

....And you thought you had bad hair days.

2010-01-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

Self Portrait

So I decided to do a self portrait next using the following image:

Sorry for cutting you out Coreen. I love you!

I had actually forgotten this around step 3 or 4, so I had to go back and do the underpainting, which is why there's a wee bit of color here, and why it's not in the next step.....

Demon or zombie phase...take your pick.

Look for the final steps tomorrow!

2010-01-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

Jenn and her portrait. I like how it turned out, not bad overall :D Learned a lot, There's a very strong likeness...I see I did make her face too long, but that's always been a bad habit of mine.

EDIT: I forgot, I'm using Photoshop. Face too long? Nothing a quick lasso tool won't fix.

2010-01-25T09:20:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, it's been a while. Anyway, I'm going to be doing a step-by-step painting of my lovely cousin Jenny. Hopefully I'll be learning a lot in the process. So here's the picture I'm working from and the first sketches.

At this point I'm utterly surprised at how easy this sketch came out. Usually it takes me several tries to get the likeness down, but one sketch in 5 minutes.

Despite being close, it wasn't close enough, so I spent some time up close trying to get her features right, and I think now I'm ready to move on to the underpainting.

Getting somewhere. I'm surprised at how fast this is going. I think I need to do some work on her nose, her hair, add in her earring, and bump up the highlights and I can call it good. Learning a lot right now. It's been a long time since I've felt even remotely happy with painting skin color, but I think I'm figuring out a good process. On a random side note, while painting this I was listening to the Wicked! soundtrack. It seemed appropriate to listen to a musical since Jenny has a beautiful voice, and a great love of theater.

2009-12-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

I do have a lot of stuff to upload, so stay tuned. Maybe I'll get some of it up at lunch, but most of it probably in the coming week because I have it off.

RIP Roy Disney!! You will be missed greatly. I'm so happy I got to see him talk a year ago at the Newport Beach Film Festival.

2009-11-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

Much, much better! Ok, now I can move on.

2009-11-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

I tried, it was hard....I need more practice. But I'm loving the new brushes I got! If I can find the link to them, I'll share.

2009-10-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

Beware the Noms!!! The ocean is a dangerous place, that's why I don't go in it. It's when you're minding your own business that things will sneak up on you and BAM you're missing an arm or a spleen. In this case, this silly diver is too distracted to notice all the other fish disappeared. Tsk tsk.

For Sketchy Wenches blog, theme "fish". Could be better, but what couldn't be really? If I didn't post now it'd never see the light of day.

2009-10-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

Just a quick WIP of a piece. Same girl from my previous painting....this time with clothes and machete!

2009-09-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

Not so sure about brightness of the tattoo, but I don't want it to disappear into the shadows too much. No, it's not Nasira. This is actually inspiration for a story that has some similar elements (ie immortality, fantasy, tough bald chicks). Some people might find it in bad taste or a sign of poor creativity to reuse elements or characters from your other stories, but I actually like the idea of experimenting with elements and characters in different genres. Kind of like what Marvel does with their alternate universe comics.

2009-09-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

Since I joined Sketchy Wenches, I need a self portrait. Messed around during lunch. Quite fun. Learned lots!

I can't take myself too seriously when doing self portraits, so I had too doof it up and purse my lips rather than smile normally.

Give me a beard and I could be Snake Pliskin. But the eyepatch is in honor of Speak Like a Pirate Day, which is September 19th, arrrrrrrrr!

2009-09-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

Theme at http://sketchywenches.blogspot.com/ is 'Fish'. Just playing around with a variety of ideas. Not sure what I'll end up doing, although the second page was gettin' kinda weird. Maybe I'll never get around to it because I have too many ideas!

2009-09-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Edit 9.9.09: Had to get rid of the huge white spot at the bottom of the image. It was screwing up the rhythm of the picture. See? Now you can actually focus on Doubt, rather than that glaring white void.

Quickie during lunch. Playing with values is fuuuuuun. I wanted to paint something dark and menacing-ish. The idea has been floating around in my head all morning (tells you my mind-state today no?). It's quite satisfying seeing it actually evolve into an actual painting. Don't like his hand though.....meh. Oh well, that's why it's a speed painting.

2009-09-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ate some pastries, did some drawing, now I'm dying of heat.

Anyway, below. Below are two sketches for the Conceptart.org Character of the Week.

Ti'phar of the Ararita
Ti’phar is the third wife of Tao’a’teh ruler of Ararita a small planet known for its civilizations artistic beauty, whether it is in architecture, sculpture, painting or general creativity. Ti’phar is determined to be more than a pretty consort for the king though: and she has become a force to be reckoned with in the political system of the planet, having established herself as Prime Minister, and rumours persist that the real power lies with her, rather than her husband. She has become the chief negotiating officer for inter-galaxy matters of state, and her upbringing though formal and staid, has been useful in diplomatic situations where tact and empathy have been important.
She sees no conflict with her two offices, that of Queen and central executive officer, and is a stickler for formality and custom, precise in her dress, and fashionable to a fault, following the strict rules of her planet’s customs; decorum always being a priority, which dictates modesty and elegance. She is proud, graceful and sophisticated, and above all clever.
Her species are known for their beautiful looks; humanoid, tall, thin with elegant refined features.
Open to interpretation, but stick to the description. They are humanoid, but you can elaborate on that to a degree within the limits of 'humanoid'.

I'm going for something with a long neck and eyeless. If you read this and have any suggestions speak up. Ideas are welcome! Yes, she has six digits on each limb. I figure their propensity for art is aided by extra digits and having very sensitive, dexterous hands. They see via vibrations, like bats, but theirs is even more advanced. They have a special larynx that allows them to keep an almost constant clicking/humming noise going even while eating/breathing/and talking. Because of this their voices are also quite strange. Also because they can't see, they have tactile memory. They can easily remember where things are, how the work, etc. because of touch.

And for a change here's a little treat. A recipe I mushed together from two others and made even more delicious:

2009-09-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Goofing around with fashion design. What would it take to make Steampunk styles more mainstream? Will play around with these more later. I am by no means good at this :p Just experimenting.

Liked one of the steampunk designs I did and decided to make an outfit out of it. The belt and pouches are essentially made to hold art supplies. The wristband on the left hand holds pencils and the like.

Sketched this on a spare piece of paper. Steampunk bug has struck again.

2009-08-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

For the last three weeks my friends Dave, Gavin, occasionally Gavin's roommate, and myself hit up Pierce Street Annex for some Sunday night boozing and good conversation. This was last night, and definitely a "you had to be there" moment. There's nothing as amusing as listening to a drunk hippy artist and a literature major going at it. I believe at this point we were working on our fifth pitcher of Hefeweizen. I was fairly drunk myself, and distracted by an overly friendly palm frond that, I kid you not, moved over the course of the night. But I still managed to catch a bit of the subjective vs. objective truth, and according to Dave in his world that pitcher is a bird. Because no one has told him otherwise, that is truth. To someone else it's a pitcher, but to him it's a bird. I'd go on, but my brain is much too tired. Planned to leave around midnight, but I stayed until 2 and drove Dave home then crashed on his couch (literally 3 blocks away). I think when your fingertips get tingly it's a good sign to a) stop drinking and b) not drive.

2009-08-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

Details, details. Getting into dangerous territory where the foreground is mixing with the midground.

2009-08-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

I don't know where it's going exactly, but I'm liking it.

2009-08-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

Went back to the B&W to put a bit more detail in. Make it feel more forest-like.

2009-08-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Lazily plopping in colors. The next step is usually where I get out of hand and effectively ruin a painting. Need to take it slow and easy, and actually think about what I'm doing.

2009-08-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

Round 2 of the WIP. Went back and actually attempted to play with values/compisition/focal points. Also, reference makes a big difference. I didn't find any one image like this, but just grab a bunch and make it up :p Let's see if I can succesfully transition from B&W to color and details, that's typically where I screw up.

Batman as a janitor cleaning up the Joker.....................don't ask. I have no idea. I saw Skottie Young's tweet about how he has a hard time avoiding cliche villain traps. My brain being my brain was like well what if you switched the roles and made the villian the hero and vice versa. Then I though naaah, that could be lame, why not put them into a role/job they'd probably never do (even lamer?)? Out of this my brain though of Batman cleaning up a puddle that is the joker's face. I'm not even a big fan of Batman....but there ya are. I even did prelim sketches, which I'll upload later.

2009-08-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

Just a little preview of a WIP I started during lunch. Playing with comp and values. I blocked out the environment first, but the way I did it put the characters in the center (something I try to avoid) so I'll be adding on to left side of the image. Looking at this small isn't making me very happy with it O.o

2009-08-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

'Nuff said.

2009-08-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

Wait a minute...........I'm not left handed....

Oh look, another typical Friday night in Orange County. While I do cherish some downtime at home it's f*ing Friday night. I'm 24, single and I'm at home. Someone....anyone? Oh right you all have SO's or other friends to hang out with. That's fine, that's cool. I'll just go eat my left over pasta and watch Asian Dramas and contemplate on the mysteries of why so many of the actors are prettier than me. Damn you Wu Chun and your perfect complexion!

Me with man on the brain.

Oh and my Black Adder dvds are being shipped. Whoop!

2009-08-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

The Cheerio and the String.

Step 1 - Find an unsuspecting victim. http://www.sexypeople-blog.com has some awesome subjects.
Step 2 - Draw your "Cheerio". Basically an oval. This also the eyeline.
Step 3 - Draw the "String". This is where you place the foundation of the face. Exaggerate as much or little as you want. Give them a huge forehead and a teeny chin, or the opposite: a nonexistant forehead and an enormous jaw.
Step 4 - Add the details.

2009-08-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

Usually I see myself as pretty even keeled, but for the last couple of months seems I've been going through a rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows. I'll complain about "surface" problems, but there's a lot I internalize and don't really talk about. Part of it is that stoic "Quit being stupid, and just get over it" syndrome I have. There's things that bother me but they feel so trivial. It's been taking a toll lately, and there's an excess of restless energy. So I've been fueling it into drawing. Not sure if it's doing anything in the way of therapy, or if it's just keeping me from focusing on "feelings". Unfortunately it's also keeping me up way too late; I didn't fall asleep until 5 this morning. But that's why they make Red Bull.

So yeah, me fighting off insecurities/worries/sources of stress. They suck, but they're kind of adorable. Looks like Shy is out for the count, mwahaha! I was planning on drawing more, but just stuck to the ones that are most prevalent right now. Random portrait-ish pose. I was thinking more about the insecurities thing and drew Doubt as a monster king who shackles people to himself. I'm sure there's something all inspirational and deep, but I'll let you decide its meaning because I'm too tired.

People should read more. Find a friend and hang out and read. It'll be good for you. I really like this one, even though laying like that would probably be rather uncomfortable. Oh well, it's cute. Would love to color it, but no promises.

Caricatures from last night's visit to Gypsy Den with Gavin and Ashley. SO MUCH FUN. How ever did I miss the "cheerio and string" method of drawing caricatures? Makes it a lot easier. I still think I need to exaggerate more, but it's much better than my previous attempts.

Random sketches, some of these are from last Sunday, the others are from last night.

Playing around with designs for my friend Melissa's photography logo. EGADS! I haven't done graphic design in years! It shows.....but I will keep truckin' away on it.

2009-08-10T00:18:00.001-07:00

Three somewhat minor, yet still important characters who'll appear in the beginning of Soulstone.

Nasira and Raven approaching Alcaeus, and then teasing him about his wedding ring. "Oh it's just gorgeous, darlin'."(Yes I'm aware of the height issues in the second image...and the fact that Alcaeus' face is not consistant). If there's two people Alcaeus doesn't want talking to his wife it's probably these two. They know everything, and would be more than happy to share. Because that's what best friends do.

Just playing with poses, getting to know her. After 10 years I have finally found the character. I just can't imagine her with hair now, bald so fits her personality! Plus it'd be a personal habit, since Ancient Egyptians shaved off all of their body hair. (Quick breakdown: story is about immortals, takes place in the future in space...no really it'll work, and Nasira was born in Ancient Egypt).

Some random guy in Gypsy Den, and a moment in Nasira's past. No that's not Alcaeus, I need to come up with a new look for this guy. But that's the guy's dad, and apparently he and Nasira don't see eye to eye. And you know...it's not because he's taller.....mfff bwahaha. Sorry, it's late, and bad puns are amusing.

Nasira's birth 'rents. Her mum is expecting, and what is she up to? Tsk, tsk, lady.

Goofing around with panels. All I can say is: practice, practice, practice. I really want to do a fight scene between Nasira and Fear Liath More (dude with the chain and no eyes). Nasira's cerebral arch enemy is a man named Savan, but her physical match is Fear. Many epic battles have ensued, and will ensue without a clear victor. Oh, in case you're wondering read left column first, top to bottom, then the right column.

2009-08-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

Poor Tomato is having an identity crisis. Who should he believe? The vegetables or the fruit? Just some quick colors. I'm thinking of submitting that one to Threadless.
And random Happy 'Stache! I was thinking of the Sherlock Holmes panel where Robert Downey Jr. talked about Jude Law's 'Tache.

2009-08-09T23:07:00.000-07:00

I had such a good day today I had to draw a couple of Happy Buddhas! I haven't done one in a while. It'd be fun to do a new one every day. I've done no research on Buddha's or Buddhist hand hand gestures, I just like drawing chubby, happy monks...holding rice and chopsticks. It's fun! May you have good karma this week!

2009-07-28T23:41:00.001-07:00

Nasira gets revamped again. Surprise surprise. Longer, leaner, meaner. She looks much more badass without hair. Not so sure I like the colored version, but whatever. At least I did one.

2009-07-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is the old spirit who inhabits drivers in the vehicles in front of you when you're in a hurry.

My tribute to rock and mohawks.

A tribute to my Grandma Hogan who passed away last year in May. She loved nature and birds. The little girl she is holding is Mary Ann, who died two hours after birth. Personally I hope the two finally got to meet.

2009-03-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Dominance War IV is upon us! I'll post up some of my doodlies later. For now here's a quicky I did in about 2 hrs. Yeah her left leg is very broken....plan to fix that!

2008-11-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a heaping helping of new and like-new sketches. It's been a while, but it's nice when there's a seemingly endless supply of inspiration. Without further ado:

Upper Left: A sketch of Agent Pendergast and Liuetenant De Gosta from the second book of the Pendergast series: "Reliquary". Pendergast gets completely into character while his friend is a bit more apprehensive about turning transient.
Right: Ghost and specter sketches that found life around Halloween.
Bottom: A pretty maiden and her potential "prince" or stable boy, whichever you please. They don't quite go together though, it's the eyes, and lover boy looks like Zac Effron.

Some sketches from a new idea I had about a steampunk-esque world that exists within wormholes. The inhabitants travel from world to world through space-time. Originally it was a time travel game, but it wasn't as imaginitive. I'm still getting used to and learning about the subculture, so don't come stabbing me if it doesn't match your image of steampunk. If this were a game I'd like it to be an adventure game that involves creating objects and using ingenuity to solve puzzles.
Upper Left: Derigible-ish contraptions that our main characters fly around in. I played with an idea of the cockpit being a bathtub.
Lower Left: Our hero and inventor-adventurer extraordinaire. He's of Asian stock, about 12 years old, and loosely (I mean very loosely, as in he doesn't have any resemblance anymore) based off of this guy. Very inquisitive and creative. His ingenuity knows no bounds when it comes to tackeling an obstacle, whether it's unlocking a door or finding a new way to fry eggs.
Bottom Middle: A mayor-type character. I'm not sure his exact function, but he was fun to design.
Bottom Right: Our hero's best friend and the second main character, though he's about 8 years old. He's definitely my favorite. If he had a voice it'd sound South African and very much like an eight year old. What he lacks for in wisdom and grown-up knowledge he more than makes up for it in sheer brain power. Unfortunately for his parents, he is smarter than they are. He's typically found all over the place and loves climbing on things, hanging upside, and running around barefoot. Favorite phrase: "Du-uuh." I imagine he'd move and make faces like young Tarzan from Disney's version.
Upper Right: Our hero's parents. His dad is an accountant and his mum is a school teacher. I don't much like the mother's face, I need to work on female eyes. Her's seem too heavy, as if they wouldn't animate well.

The boys of Soulstone (for those who don't know, the same story as Nasira; see previous entries in blog). I'm not really going to go into who they are, as some of them really need work.

Nasira Egyptian style. The top left is an icky sketch, did not turn out well. Bleah. The upper right is Nasira and her step-mother (she is Nubian); the two were very close. The bottom left is an 11 year old Nasira and her two half-siblings. I love the baby, I just want to pinch her cheeks! The lower right is a quicky sketch of the kids welcoming home their father.

Character studies of Nasira. I'm so particular about her face. It's a bit ridiculous.

Isn't it amazing how truthful people will be when their throats about to be cut? Just a random sketch, I don't know who the guy is but apparently he has information that Nasira wants. And what Nasira wants Nasira gets, providing physical violence is a means of getting it. The other sketch is of a Brother of Attla. Attla was a Greek god who was "unmanned" (ie neutered, fixed, lost his kebabs) by a Greek goddess. Somehow that became a sign of fertility and the followers of said god and goddess would sometimes enter into such a frenzy they would "unman" themselves. So here's the crazy, eunuch followers in my version. They're not trustworthy and don't like women. And yes one of the requirements is to emasculate yourself in front of an altar and all your already cajone-less brethren. At least they all have great singing voices.

2008-07-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

Finally another post....So Game-Artists is having some new 3D battle that's all about bugs. While I know I won't ever get around to creating a 3D version, here's my 2D. This is the June Bug F'eerce and his Crimson Steed. Yes, fear him because he's fierce!!

Hahaha oh bad, bad puns. I crack myself up.

2008-05-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

A lot to upload.......again. Not to mention a lot of fun news about what I've been up to!

That is Don Hahn, Producer of many Disney films. I went to see him and Roy E. Disney present several Disney shorts, including the new Goofy short. Awesome, awesome night, even though I didn't get to meet Disney.

The kid is kind of based off of my friend/co-worker Gavin.

Working on some ideas for one of my favorite personal characters. I don't have a name for him yet, probably because I haven't looked into it yet. If you know of any fun African names (like tribal, and the older the better) share them! I've been trying to flesh him out for a long time, and watching Disney's Tarzan again last week gave me a lot of inspiration. The character doesn't speak....at all. He makes no sounds as he has no voice box. So a lot of pantomime and imitation. The Tarzan influence comes in the way he moves and fights. It's going to be fun coming up with more ideas for him.

I didn't draw this, but I had to post it. My friend Amy hijacked my sketchbook temporarily while we were at an event in Beverly Hills (will explain below). Amy loves Giselle and Amy Adams. We have an inside joke about why Giselle isn't in the Disneyland parades. There was an "incident" involving Amy and stolen dresses.

More work on the pirate-ninja game idea. Olena is the piratess captain. She's greedy, cutthroat, very bold, and loud. More likely to shoot a door down with a cannon then to climb through the open window type. I'm not sure what style I'm going to go for yet, but I want it to be something that lends well to animation. The unfortunate side effect of doing a character like this is that she's looking disturbingly like myself O.o It's just the curly hair, not the evil look in her eye.......really.

So Friday I got off of work at 4:00 to head up to Beverly Hills for the 12th Marc Davis Celebration of Animation. The theme was Drawing on the Future: Mentorship in Animation. When I saw the guest list I about passed out: James Baxter, Andreas Deja, Pete Doctor, and Eric Goldberg!!! Needless to say it was an amazing night. Each animator spoke briefly about how the Nine Old Men and animators of past influenced them. Then they showed a specific clip from one of the Nine Old Men that directly influenced a following clip of their own animation. Andreas was the first to speak and showed a clip of Maleficent (bare with me I can't remember all of the animators who did what parts) and then showed a clip of Jafar. Pete showed a clip of Baloo and Mowgli and then one of Sulley and Boo. James chose a clip of King Louie followed by a scene of Rafiki. Eric selected a portion of the Three Cabilleros and then the Genie's "Friend Like Me" song.

James and Eric were absolutely hilarious, especially Eric. He was so small I just wanted to put him in my pocket and take him home with me. We were lucky because we had front row seats (I bypassed the handouts in the lobby to claim what I could). Had we stayed right where we were at the end of the show we would have met all four animators. Even though security blocked off the stage, the animators came down the steps and met the crowd.

As it were I met Pete first (the dude is a giant) and then Andreas...Andreas almost walked away from me, but I perservered and followed him. So I managed to nab his signature and have a very, very brief conversation with him. In the lobby I managed to get James's signature, unfortunately Eric was not spotted (probably because everyone's taller than he is). My only regret is that I have nothing of interest to say to these guys, I get so nervous that my mind goes blank. Anyway, the following image contains my precious signatures.

The inspiration I've garnered from seeing Disney and now these guys has gone through the roof and beyond. I've been drawing all the time if I can, and have finally realized that even though I love my job and love working in the game industry 2D animation is, and always will be, my first love. Unfortunately I can't afford to go back to school, so I have to teach myself. There are few things in my life that I can really feel certain of, and this is one of them. I have to do it. Even if it takes me 10+ years to get to a professional level, I'll do it.

2008-04-26T08:12:00.001-07:00

Lots of stuff to upload! This is probably why I should upload the day I draw these things.

I was very tired that day at work....

Random crap..I like the little catapillar thing

Is that Cthulu's dog?

Layout idea for the temple that holds Nasira's body....long story.

Trying to draw ethnic specifics.....not working too well

Random old guy and trying to draw faces from memory at Disneyland

I love these guys. I'm trying to come up with a style for the Flash game idea I had. My brother knows programming in Flash, so we're going to work together on this one.

2008-04-03T21:28:00.001-07:00

The new sketchbook is magic. It has to be. I've drawn yet again, and I'm still pleased with the results...O.o

These are from yesterday. A different idea for minotaurs on the left - a bit more human looking. Seeing as my characters are really, really old they would have run ins with such mythical creatures. On the right is Raven (temp name till I find a good Mongolian one...that I can remember). She's Nasira's best friend, Mongolian, and very short. That doesn't stop her though. I couldn't help avoiding the petite, food lover sterotype. It just works so well.

Aww, it's Nasira's family...or not so awww if you knew the entire story, bwahahaha!! I made her dad look too holier-than-thou priest-ish. I want him to be stern and a bit distant, but not snobbish. Her mom is the suggestively drawn one, I think it tells a bit about her personality. Maybe that's the reason her husband's looking at her in disgust. Oh if she only knew what her errant ways would get her in to. I think she's my favorite sketch out of the ones I've done so far. On the right is Nasira's stepmother, and a not so toddler looking Nasira. I need to work on drawing babies...at least cute ones. Anyway, her stepmom is the one who raised her, and was the very wise daugher of a Nubian merchant. Needless to say she ran the household finances.

Note to self: research Nubian culture and Egyptian baby toys....

I've been going crazy trying to research the exact ethnic origins of Egyptians. You've got two sides, one saying they were purely Arabs, and the others saying they were purely Africans. Honestly it seems they would have been something in between, a rather open mix of the two seeing as Egypt was located at the meeting point of Africa and Asia. Historians seems to skimp out on what the earliest tribes are predicted to have looked like before the Phoenicians took over. Honestly I'm not really reaching back that far, but it'd be nice to know. Personally I'm going with my theory - that it was a reasonable mix. Most of the ruling class would most likely reflect whatever empire invaded during each time period. I think they typically had a habit of instilling their own royalty into such places. It's kind of like how the Russian Tzars were 90% German.

2008-04-02T21:21:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to sketching again. I bought this neat little blank sketchbook from Borders. It must be magic, even my bad stuff makes me happy.
I've been mostly doing character sketches for my character Nasira. She's been with me since my early high school years, and has evolved immensly. Perhaps the only things she has in common with her original predecessor would be the curly hair and the immortality. Thank goodness, because she was practically a Mary Jane back then. Now she's her own character, who is giving me a tough time figuring her out. I think I'm learning to let her speak through me, rather than me forcing her personality out.

Basic sketches of her doing her thing...you know jumping out of aircraft without a parachute and annoying scribbled in people.

A timid attempt at facial expressions and open mouths. I noticed my current style doesn't seem to lend to very many emotions, or talking. Which is basically saying I can't draw open mouths. That's something I need to work on...

Which is why I decided to draw her in a disney-esque style....or at least that was the idea. I was watching 101 Dalmations at the time, so her proportions are sort of based on Anita. I think my note at the bottom of the right hand page sums up that sketch. I guess I was thinking of what she'd do if she saw a shiny pointy things use for stabbing in a store window.

2008-01-26T23:35:00.000-08:00

So this is my art blog, and I'm hoping to update this more than any other site......figure I'd use Myspace for personal stuff only. So without further ado: ART!!

I don't usually draw really sexy women, not my thing, but she was fun. She didn't start out as a hooker, but I drew her right leg too high and added the curb to compensate. Oh wells, her boots are awesome.

2007-09-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Test Post........