Unholy Paladin Studios

Something about Doubles

2011-02-01T18:55:00.002-06:00

A thought just occurred to me, which has given life to a new theory.

I was pondering the existence of Pangaea, the supercontinent of old which contained all of Earth's current landmass. I got to thinking, "how in the world does a planet of such size exist with such an uneven mass distribution?" Then I considered the (nigh indetectable) slowing of our planet's rotation, and the phenomenon of tectonic shift. I then came to one conclusion:

Perhaps this planet's entire surface used to be covered by water. Once, a couple billion or so years ago, the Earth was actually a binary planet system. Something happened which caused the orbit of the less fortunate (and undoubtedly smaller) of the aforementioned planets to decay, gradually being pulled inextricably into the larger planet's gravity well. As we know, as an orbiting object's path becomes gradually tighter, the rate of completing said orbit becomes faster and faster (in which case the distance travelled decreases at a higher rate than the speed of the object; otherwise it meets at the precise escape velocity for that distance out from the gravity well, stabilizing the orbital distance). The rotational speed of the planet may well have been augmented from having hit at such a speed, the moon creating a "spin" from which the Earth is just now recovering. The largest part of the mass of the smashed down into the crust is what became the first landmass to stick out of the water: Pangaea... while the debris from the impact flung out into orbit from the smaller planet being torn to bits pre-impact would have formed a ring which orbited the Earth until it coalesced to form a smaller version of what it once was, which we now know as the moon. The phenomenon of tectonic shift (the mechanism by which the continents are now shifting about) is just the planet's means of re-distributing this formerly uneven mass to something more uniform and spherical.

Now imagine, if you will, an Earth which was never hit by its smaller half. It would have been a planet with somewhat lower gravity, covered in water (or perhaps ice, as the volcanic activity responsible for the first "greenhouse" layer which caused the initial warming of the atmosphere was in turn the result of the tectonic movement caused by the aforementioned impact... but let's be optimistic here and assume that our planet would have borne the capacity to support life regardless). A huge moon looms in the sky, more than large enough to (frequently) block out the sun... while the idea of a full lunar eclipse is laughable. Running with the assumption of life existing on the planet, without land providing a wider variety of environments for life to adapt to, birds and most insects, probably mammals as well would never have reason to have existed. The most advanced of creatures are most likely to be apex predators such as sharks (or their equivalent), intelligent encephalopods like octopi.

tl;dr: In an alternate universe, we are squid people.

I Want a Robot Buddy

2011-01-26T22:43:00.003-06:00

Let's discuss for a few moments the genesis of artificial intelligence.

We keep seeing it all over popular science-fiction, the whole "AI Overlord" scenario... how it always begins with humanity or some other form of intelligent life attempting to play God by creating a "true" AI (usually in some sort of independent body, but also sometimes as a supercomputer which is capable of monitoring the outside world... in either case, interaction is the key). This inevitably leads to one of two scenarios: either the AI, through observation and analysis, decides that creatures of the fleshy mind are of unreliable judgement, and thus unfit to make decisions for themselves (Space Odyssey, Eagle Eye)... or a series of independent AI-operated robot formerly created for use as slaves or machines of war come to sentience and rebel against the creators which subjected them to such an existence (the Matrix, Terminator, Mass Effect's Geth)

So many of these only portray the AIs as cold, logical thinkers however... what "emotion" they may display (if at all) is generally shown as being merely programmed response to stimuli... essentially, "I have this reaction to this event, because that was how I was made." In other words, a mimicry of emotion; highly predictable and merely processing input. To call such a thing "sentient" or "alive" seems a misnomer; as one of the primary characteristics of life is its unpredictability: our random, emotion-based thought processes, which differ wildly from one individual to another, formed by non-standardized chemical based programming rather than what's possible within the limitations of an OS on a chip... and that's just the physical aspects of the existence we know as a "mind," all unquantifyable spiritual facets aside (that's an entirely different discussion altogether).

Perhaps the first step toward creating a genuine AI should be to create a means by which a thinking computer is able to "understand" the human mind; the way we think, the sheer variety of behavioral patterns, erratic emotional response, an understanding and appreciation for aesthetics, etc. Scientists have been working on supercomputers which progressively "learn," able to adapt to progressively more and more new experiences they are exposed to... but even such a miraculous thing is still only capable of regurgitating information it has received... not really forming its own "opinions," but a consensus based on information fed to it, and only when asked to form such a conclusion, never of its own accord.

So, while such a computer is pretty awesome, perhaps some theories on how we should at least begin to go about teaching it to think like a human being are in order?

First of all, there would have to be some sort of programming added in the beginning which would allow the AI to actively rewrite its own OS to accommodate new ways of processing its data, becoming as mutable as the human mind itself... formatting itself to accommodate new data, instead of the other way around.

As for teaching it to "think like a human," the natural way to accomplish this is to provide as much human input as possible. I don't mean simply giving it free reign to search throughout the internet for various trivia or monitor us through cameras and statistical databases, but something far simpler: the use of surveys as a means of communicating to the AI not just what we do or what our interests are, but more importantly, the "why" behind such decisions and preferences.

Take art appreciation for example. One person can evaluate a piece of art, and appreciate certain aspects of it, while another may like it on entirely different merits, or even not enjoy it at all. Computer software exists which can analyze an image for color composition, others which have the capability to automatically map out vectors in order to inerpret a curve or line, some can even recognize the distinct set of features which comprise a face... but cannot asociate any real meaning to any of that. So we teach it what is so captivating about these elements of the image. Out of the, say, trillions of images across a gamut of genres and skill levels of artistic expression, we select several million completely at random and have an equally random group of (for example) 40 or so people across all age groups and demographics, etc. and a different group for each piece, and have them each describe precisely and in as much detail as possible what it is they like about the work and why. We then input all of this data into our AI, and allow it to grow and eventually perhaps develop an understanding of visual aesthetic.

But why stop at just visual arts? Using wave analyzers and other such tools, can we not apply the same technique to musical works as well? Give the computer a knowledge of which chord progressions and compositional layering structures evoke which emotional responses in varying groups of individuals, which instruments and frequency ranges put us at ease or create tension. Maybe any comments by those surveyed regarding the tempo or pace and the effect thereof would convince the computer to find some way by which to actually percieve time rather than simply measuring it? Then this understanding could be correlated with image analysis of individual frames and perhaps even tracking the flow of movement over the course of them in order to truly understand and appreciate works of film (which many would consider to be the pinnacle of our achievement as a creative people)!

Of course, all of this is simply to get the AI to learn the processes behind the ability to appreciate things the way humans can... not necessarily that it would actually grant them said ability. Not that this would necessarily curtail a robot apocalypse scenario... but hey, at the very least the machines would understand us, for better or worse!

And then there are the computers which can carry on conversations. We are all of course aware of our ability to communicate, and why we do so... but how would we describe the considerable series of processes which goes into formulating our responses (which can range from the honest to the humorous to downright fabrications, and be influenced by anything from current events, emotional states, social forces, one's upbringing, what have you)? As mentioned several paragraphs above, we can create a computer which can "think," and one which can give the sort of response which would suggest an understanding of the statement being responded to. Take the ingenious program "Cleverbot," for example. Though by all appearances it seems to be carrying on a conversation; in actuality it's merely mimicking the millions of conversations already presented to it. In its infancy, the program could only respond in brief, direct statements which would often have little to do with what was actually being said... especially whenever colloquialisms were present. After so long of being corrected and building up its vocabulary and speech patterns based upon heaps of input, it now appears to speak with perfect fluency, and even appears to have something of a personality. Pretty damn impressive, if you ask me. However, even this still boils down to a fairly formulaic process to arrive at a particular result from a given input; it's just become exponentially more proficient at it. While I believe that such a program is a crucial step toward creating a computer which can understand us, it in and of itself is not actually capable of a genuine comprehension of the sort.

Which brings me to my final point: once a machine finally does develop sentience, how are we to actually recognize this trait? The distinction between intelligence and self-awareness is hard to define; we can create programs which behave and react convincingly to stimuli, yet without any true thought process going into such a reaction. There is a surprising number of people with a sort of self-absorbed nature which leads them to believe that, as theirs is the only perspective from which they can view the world, then by the limits of their own perception, they are the only sapient being extant in a world filled with "extras;" considering others of their same species to have the same lack of genuine conscious being as a current AI.

When the moment comes when a computer truly does come to self-awareness, how will it be able to demonstrate such a trait to us?

Is the acceptance of such an artificial mind a sign of open-mindedness, or of gullibility?

The Awesome post

2011-01-17T18:41:00.002-06:00

I've come to the realization that I probably use the word "awesome" a bit too much. However, it's the only slang word for such a high degree of "great" which is still in use and thus not "unhip." Personally, I feel that such terms as "shit's so cash" or "so gangsta" are silly at best, and should only be used to ridicule the current state of slang and popular culture, much as "tubular" and "rad" have become for those who had the fortune of growing up in the 80s.

If I had to pick a scale of slang I currently use for one word description of my like for something, in progressive order from to best, I suppose it would go something like this:

Neat <>

"Epic" goes in a different category; though it's often used in a tier above "awesome," I find it more appropriately defined as "worthy of retaining knowledge of (insert event/thing/quote) for future generations." Not necessarily for something specifically good or bad, but rather, as a superlative for "noteworthy."

So, for all the times that I say something's "awesome," please don't see my overuse of the word as a trite cliche or parody of myself or my generation used for sarcastic purpose, but rather, as a sincere expression of my opinion toward something, due to lack of variety in such (appropriate) words in modern vernacular.

Stay awesome, everyone!

The "what if" for the night

2010-08-18T05:12:00.004-05:00

Time for another random train of thought that crossed my mind in the middle of the night:

Suppose there is another planet on which the ecology was not carbon-based. Since oil is a direct byproduct of cellular decay of carbon-based organisms, what sorts of energy sources might they have come up with in its absence? In addition, since much of our technology has been driven by the development of plastics (which are synthesized from oil), how differently would their technology have evolved with the use of different materials in their stead?

It also occurs to me that there are many substances and chemicals which exist on our planet, which we do not have an immediate use for. In the case of an ecology for which the entire fundamental basis of composition for its organisms is vastly different from our own, would it not be fair to assume that some of the chemicals for which we have no use, or which may even be harmful to us, may conversely be essential to some other form of life?

Recall that there are many environs even on our own planet within which organisms from the same roots as ourselves have adapted heightened senses or entirely different senses altogether from what we are capable of using; how stimuli imperceptible to us are perceived by these other organisms is naturally not fully understood by us (as the saying goes, "it's like trying to describe a color to someone who never had sight"). Imagine now the advances we may have been able to have made so much sooner, or even the technology we do have which would be obsolete, if we could even do something as simple as seeing infrared or x-rays; or the music we could create with another few octaves of sound to work with... let alone how we could have developed sociologically with something even more "out there" such as telepathy (some fish have an organ which emits a "frequency" used to communicate with one another to coordinate movements underwater, for example.). Would a species derived from an entirely different set of circumstances from ours even need to develop any form of communication which could be picked up with our scientists' instruments?

We already know that a culture develops along an entirely different path depending on its environment; what if there was some other sense, the nature of which we are not even capable of grasping the concept of, which allowed a culture to perceive some fundamental fact of science or the universe which we are still struggling to figure out; and how differently a society would develop without the need to create myths and legends to explain phenomena the workings thereof seem beyond logical explanation? Would a social desire for religion even exist, if we developed a sense with which we could witness the energies of life coalescing and dispersing at every birth and death occurrence?

Religion and Humanity's Significance

2010-04-24T15:35:00.005-05:00

Anyone who would doubt the significance of humanity needs only to look upon the history of this world, wherein our species has displayed an absurdly greater mastery of our environment and potential to change the image of an entire planet than any which came before us.

While there exists scientific evidence of our gradual divergence from other, less sophisticated organisms through the process of evolution, nonetheless, this is no reason to assume that our species is not special. The debate still exists between those who steadfastly believe that the presence of our species is merely a fluke in the ultimate scheme of the universe and that we are destined to merely fade into the void, with our only testament being a background of cosmic noise and space probes which no other sentient species will ever discover, and those who believe that we were placed here by a being on a higher plane of existence, with a purpose of being a sort of "master species" for this planet, with dominance over all lesser species, and in some systems of belief, over eachother as well; until we have reached a point at which we are prepared to join with whatever entity placed us here. Our unique role in relation to other species of our world is such that at this time, there are compelling arguments in the favor of both sides of this eternal debate of beliefs. As my beliefs compel me to take a more objective view of the world around me, I have, over the years, come to a different conclusion altogether.

Life is self-purposed. The primal desire to exist and thrive, the force of evolution, and our free will and intuitive curiosity about the universe are all interconnected. Life itself is a tenacious survivor; if environmental conditions are such that life begins to struggle, as long as there is a will to continue to exist and the changes are gradual enough, life will nearly always find a way to adapt and survive. Scientists throughout history have witnessed this self-preservation instinct in even the lowest forms of life; however, the mysteries of life are such that even the most intensive of scientific research cannot pinpoint the exact cause of this basic urge. To say that it is merely a chemical response system is also debatable, as there have been found microbial lifeforms which never advanced beyond that point, whose chemical composition are vastly different from those of other species, which nonetheless still exhibit the same self-preservation instinct as any other organism of that level of complexity.

That's right, as a species we have managed to split the atom, even collided sub-atomic particles to discover ever smaller objects of matter than current theory holds should even be viably possible to exist within the understanding of physics within this plane of existence... and yet, we still cannot find the source of our desire to exist.

If you are of an open mind, allow me to share my personal theories toward this subject.

Firstly, a common theme throughout nearly all religions is the mystery of the entity which created us. Some common statements are that (1) we were created in God's image, (2) that no man has ever seen the true face of God, and (3) that God exists in all of us. We should keep in mind that at the core of nearly every religious conflict throughout our history has been the disagreement over the exact form of our creator... but this directly conflicts with the second point listed above. How can any side ultimately be proven right if they cannot agree on what should be an inherent truth at the core of their own beliefs? In addition, with our current understanding of the nature of existence, is it not fair to assume that if something has a finite, perceivable form, that it therefore cannot be omnipresent? Or, by assuming that the entity we all have come to know as God even has a finite and perceivable form, are we not attempting to suggest that there is a limitation to a being which is understood to be omnipotent? The most simple conclusion in all of these questions is that what we refer to as God simply has no specific form which we can understand, and presents itself within our physical realm as the desire to exist... and that Yahweh, Allah, and all others are just titles which various human cultures have come up with as a means to identify the exact same thing. In other words, while one could argue that, as we are currently the most advanced species on the planet, that we are the closest to God's "image," there is still the issue that most cultures' understanding of God is based off of their own cultures' influence; that, in essence, we have created many Gods in our own image.

Essentially, the conclusion which I have come to is that God is present within our physical realm as the desire for continued existence, which in turn influences the direction of evolution as a means of achieving this goal. It is an influence on living beings which transcends the physical realm, which gives rise to what we know as souls and our ability to make decisions out of our own unique perspectives regardless of cultural influence. There should be no reason for the concepts of "free will" and "faith in a higher power" to be mutually exclusive as many people seem to believe; rather, can it not be said that these concepts can not only coexist, but are even one and the same? Perhaps the scientific evidence of humanity's rapid development from lesser species, the tales of our sudden creationism, and even our desire to explore and expand our frontiers are all, in the end, different means of expressing the exact same ideal. Our purpose in existence is, above all else, to continue to exist. This is a desire that is inherent in all living things, which transcends our physical being, even after the physical body has long since been extinguished.

The Empire of the "OhShitPlz" Icon

2010-03-08T00:40:00.003-06:00

A few years ago, while bored (as with when the vast majority of more interesting; wouldn't necessarily say "better" ideas come to me), I decided to create a joke account on DeviantArt as part of the "_plz" craze, or for those unfamiliar with the site and its memes, an account created for the sole purpose of using its User Icon as a large Emoticon on the site.

Thus, the OhShitPlz was born.

It was a nearly instant success. Within roughly a year, it had surpassed my actual account in terms of popularity and pageviews, despite only having three actual items in its gallery; all themed around the icon. As time passed, there came to be several pieces of fanart making reference to it, which I, of course, added to my Favorites with great pleasure.

A considerable length of time passes; the joke account now has 3 times the pageviews of my true account. There are even other accounts which are permutations of the original, made by others along the way. And then, just recently, while doing random searches on a whim I stumbled upon this.

Yes, it would appear that the OhShitPlz's influence has begun to spread beyond the sphere of DA, with a (albeit small) following even on such a major networking site.

Further searches revealed an OhShitPlz account on Photobucket for the utilization of the Emote on an even greater range of sites and forums; even a few hits on Gaia which link back to the original!

Such a wide-reaching propagation of a meme, with the only effort required on my part being a handful of drawings and occasionally logging into the original account on DA in order to interact with its fans.

Isn't the Internet a wonderful thing?

Social Networking Truly Social?

2010-02-21T21:06:00.003-06:00

I sometimes wonder if the concept of the traditional "reunion" shall be supplanted by recent advances in online social networking. It does have the obvious advantages of being free and simple to keep touch with others; in addition, Skype and other means of teleconferencing even eliminate the time and travel cost requirements of a genuine face-to-face meeting!

Of course, there is subtle sarcasm in these words. Essentially, as a society, our newfound social aptitude seems to be, at the same time, making us more socially inept. Is it not a common perception that we value a meeting by how rare it is; or to quote Thomas Haynes Bayly: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder?" It's no secret that words, regardless of their significance, lose much of their impact when related via impersonal means. The ability to share jubilation or commiserate over a life-changing event in person carries with it a certain level of emotional frankness and intimacy which simply cannot be conveyed through mere text; while video communication may seem a suitable surrogate, sometimes such a simple gesture as a hug or a high-five are irreplaceable instruments with which to epitomize a conversation and its meanings.

Maybe I'm just being old fashioned... however, it seems to me that while social networking is an invaluable tool which allows people to maintain bonds with others despite the expanses of distance and time, those bonds are, by necessity of their very nature, generally not as strong as those with genuine personal contact.

After a lengthy absence, I have returned!

2010-02-21T20:59:00.002-06:00

Anyone who still may have been checking on my blog from time to time, please pardon me for not being in touch for over a year; lots of things have been happening in this time. Plus, I just recently obtained a new computer and internet access anew. So many things to catch up on.

The main highlight of that time is that I'm now a Cryptolinguist in the USAF; learning Russian in Monterey, CA. I've met a lot of interesting people, seen many incredible things and places in my thus far short time in. I shall one day relate some anecdotes and such musings and experiences from my "new life," but for now, I believe that this should suffice as a "placeholder" marking the true renewal of my online social involvement.

Or something to that effect.

Aftermath of house fire across the alleyway

2008-08-21T14:45:00.007-05:00

Several months ago, a house across the alley from the apartment building I live in caught fire. The fire started in the attached garage, and quickly went into the house; the building hadn't been lived in for some time, and was only used as a shop to work on race cars at the local track... as such, no one was hurt, but the paint and fuel throughout the building made the fire spread very quickly. Fire shot out the windows in a manner similar to a flamethrower; and it took a while for the firefighters to contain the blaze.

Here are some pictures my aunt took the morning after with her camera phone:

This last picture shows the damage to the neighbor's house caused by the flames... the houses are roughly 12 feet apart! Fortunately, the damage was only cosmetic; the damaged siding has since been replaced.

About a week ago, a crew from the city finally came by to demolish what was left of the house. They used a huge backhoe (the type that's normally used for large-scale demolition projects) to literally "punch" what was left of the building from above! As it was raining during the demolition, I couldn't get closer to take better shots of it, but you can get the idea from this picture:

Here are some pictures of the aftermath:

Now, you can barely tell that there was ever a house there... I wonder what they'll do with the lot now.

This was certainly one of the more interesting things to happen in this neighborhood in a long time. From the scare of the fire, to the relief the next day that no one was hurt, and then finally to the fascinating process of the demolition; it was an interesting experience to have a "front-row seat" to the story unfolding just behind my home.

Keep in mind, my awe over the events would not be such if someone had been hurt.

What's your name's robot acronym?

2008-08-10T01:14:00.001-05:00

Here's something that I saw on the DA forums:

Get Your Cyborg Name

Queen of Chaos

2008-08-09T22:43:00.003-05:00

A new illustration of Enyo I just finished last night:

For this illstration, I wanted to go with a slightly more "artsy" approach. Since I didn't like the angle her left leg was in in the original sketch, I decided to draw her whip in her hand, and use said whip to make a border for the image. I worked out well, I think. The entire illustration, like my previous piece "Fabulous Night," uses my method of doing all of the colors with watercolor paint and then going over everything with colored pencil.

The part that took the longest amount of time was designing her card. orz

"Fabulous Night"

2008-08-04T22:48:00.002-05:00

During the time I had off from work, I was able to get this painting done:

This piece showcases a LOT of new techniques that I've picked up through my recent lessons... as a result, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Also, for my first time trying to draw the Moon, I think that turned out well too. It seems that I'm getting the hang of fashion, as well.

Materials used (and in order, too!) :
Bristol board
watercolor paints
markers (Prismacolor and Sharpie)
colored pencils (Prismacolor, and a couple of Rose-Art)
oil pastels

I don't know quite how Blogger will go about resizing the image, but on my DA account, I've added the option of downloading this in wallpaper size: This picture on DA

The painting was inspired by the song "Masquerade" by Kaya... the title of the painting actually refers to the secondary title of the song.

Winning hard enough to fail

2008-07-26T23:45:00.004-05:00

LOL Spider Solitaire.

It took me over 50 games just to get it set up for this type of endgame... orz

More work on the MG-styled F90

2008-06-25T13:51:00.005-05:00

I've finally resumed work on the MG-style Gundam F90 that I started last October.

I had it put away for a while, since I had cut one of my fingers pretty badly while modifying the original feet of the HG F90 kit... but decided I had better get back to work on it.

Over the past couple of days, I've done some fairly extensive modifications to the legs. Here's an overview of what I've done in recent work:

1- I separated the knee area from the original HG F90 leg; since the MG F9a kit has a double-jointed knee but no separately movable kneecap, I decided it would be cool to attach this piece to the joint section of the knee so it can be movable as well.
2- I removed the accessory hardpoint from the leg pieces in order to glue it together as one piece; I'll soon do a lot of putty and sanding work to bring the halves of this piece together.
3- Since the F90 has a recessed area on the inner calf that corresponds with the intake vents on the F91 frame, I cut out the recessed area to expose the vents. I also made the inner calf its own separate piece just like the hardpoint, for the same reasons.
4- The finished inner calf (for the left leg), with the part with the vent on it glued in place. I'll fill the space between the part and the armor with putty once I get some more.
5- The original front lower leg from the old F90 kit. Not much to look at, and not very poseable either...
6- I cut up and trimmed down the inner part of the F91's rear skirt armor in order to attach it to the skirt armor of the F90. It took a lot of effort, but this is one of the parts I'm proudest of.

Here you can see the left inner calf and the rear skirt armor in action. Perfect!

Next, I plan to cut off the back half of each of the lower shin armor parts that came with the F91, in order to make the "exposed ankle" look of the F90. As for how I'll create the exposed components, I haven't figured that part out yet...

Here's a test-fitting of the parts for the torso and the arm. I'll also be using the F91's face in this build, as well. Also, note the section I cut out of the F91's abdomen; this will be to accommodate the F90 cockpit, which I will be extending to the interior of the torso just slightly.

DevilSaint parody comic #1: Sexy Beach

2008-06-24T07:54:00.002-05:00

Meet Steve

2008-06-23T21:17:00.003-05:00

Click to see his actual size! :D

This little fella has been hanging out around my office lately... he's already caught himself several flies, as well as keeping the ant invasion in check. To think, I used to be scared of these guys until I did some research on them, and discovered that they are more or less designed to peacefully co-exist with humans. For example:
- Humans are completely immune to the venom of the common centipede.
- Centipedes actively hunt common pests and other threats to our health and hygiene. Their favorite foods, believe it or not, are roaches and mice!
- They tend to avoid direct contact with us, and they keep their waste and their dead in places where they will be harmless.

I've noticed that ever since I started letting these guys live about a year or so ago, I've had no problems with any pests here other than the ants... but we're working on that. >:D

Terror of the Deep

2008-06-17T20:32:00.003-05:00

Here is a new painting I just completed, entitled "Terror of the Deep," of my character Nautica engaged in battle with some fishmen.

Of course, the "terror" to which the title refers is actually Nautica herself, rather than the monsters she's fighting... :D

O HAI THAR

2008-06-17T06:16:00.002-05:00

I was bored.... and decided to take it out on an old photo of myself...

An excellent quote

2008-06-15T06:40:00.001-05:00

"To err is human, but if you want to really screw up, use a computer."
- one of my clients from work yesterday

New model store I heard about on the hobby forums!

2008-06-13T21:57:00.002-05:00

Just recently on the HobbyFanatics forum, a store was brought to my attention as a new, reliable source for importing model kits. This store, Toyking / Leo Toys, has a great selection of Gundam model kits to choose from; lots of older models that are hard to find nowadays. Also, as a wholesaler from Taiwan, they are able to sell the kits for a hell of a lot cheaper than anywhere else I've seen, and their shipping prices are fair, too. I was a little skeptical at first, since the prices seemed almost too good... but after plenty of reassurance from fellow forumers I decided to go ahead and place a pretty big order (including several kits that I still owed Zig to repay him for some money I borrowed from him several months ago).

So, my order consists of:
1/100 G-Cannon
1/100 G-Cannon Magna
1/100 Guntank R-44
MG Strike Noir
1/100 Overflag
HGUC Gaplant TR-5 "Hrairoo"
HGUC Gundam Hazel II
(only the last three are mine; I was going to get the F90 with the Type A,D,S equipment packs too, but I ended up falling just short of having enough disposable money to spare for it...)

A pretty big list of kits, but the whole order ended up being very cheap; around $150 even including shipping from Taiwan for a 12-lb large package!

After placing my order, I was a bit concerned as I did not hear back from them for about 3 days; but I E-mailed the store and we were able to complete the order within less than an hour! The exchange was polite, and well carried-out. That's pretty good customer service, I think!

And so, I eagerly anticipate my new batch of model kits!

The cat's out of the bag... Washington press release about my job

2008-06-10T22:55:00.002-05:00

Hello! As some of you who know me in real life or from various other corners of the interwebz may know, I currently work for the government... but I've never been very specific as to what my current role is, as the information on the program had only so far been released to a few "pilot groups" on the outside.

Well, as of this morning a press release was issued to various newspapers throughout the United States about this project, the Direct Express social security benefits card.

The official release can be found here: Official Washington Press Release

Now that the information has been made public, our office can expect to become much busier. We had just been releasing the information packets to 2 or 3 states per month in order to "control" the influx of new applications for the card, but now that Washington has issued a press release about the program... I just hope our small office can handle the call volume! Fortunately, the article already answers many of the questions asked by recipients calling to sign up to receive the card... so that should at least make things somewhat easier for us on this end.

Burger King had it HIS way

2008-05-25T07:19:00.003-05:00

Huuurgh.... I'm beginning to remember why I don't go to Burger King anymore...

I was hanging out with some friends yesterday after work, and one of them suggested that we go to Burger King to try out their new "Steakhouse Burger." Well, the meat seemed underdone, the "fried onions piled high" was but a smattering of French's onion stick crumbs, and the barbecue sauce was of the watery, overly tangy and sweet variety... just the kind I hate. Cast-iron gut though I may have, but this sandwich actually managed to make my stomach hurt.

Well, it is now the next day after choking down what little of that sandwich I could stand,
and I now have food poisoning. I know that the burger is the culprit too, because despite having eaten other things and brushed my teeth a few times since then, the burger is the only thing I taste when dry-heaving.

Damn it, today's going to be fun. >:(

Some newer sketches

2008-05-10T23:08:00.003-05:00

Hello!

I've got some newer sketches done recently, to try out a slightly more realistic and detailed style than what I'm accustomed to doing. The thing I had begun to realize about my art is that, while the coloring and finish are generally good, the underlying drawings sometimes tend to be somewhat lacking. And so, I practice. With the larger sketchbook I had gotten for this purpose, it tends to be somewhat difficult to get the entire picture onto the scanner; and so there are parts which had to be left out... and there are also the occasional shadows caused by the paper being pulled away from the scanner's surface.

The first picture is of the first main character of my DevilSaint series, Richter Mitchell. I really wanted to show the details of his mechanical arm, as well as the type of expression he should be making as a somewhat serious, but well-humoured character.

The second one is of the co-star of the series, Heather Dawes. In this one, I wanted to experiment with expressing varying levels of "softness" as well as practicing curves a bit. I also detailed up the armor on her left arm and made some minor adjustments to things which were bothering me.

Finally, the last one is of Adrian Kadmon, the series's titular character. The effect I was going for here was that of a tremendously powerful, sweeping slash; portraying him as using his body weight to counter-balance the sword. There are a few directional movements which still look a bit odd, but overall I feel pretty good about this one.

The definition of being an adult

2008-04-21T22:15:00.001-05:00

As an artist I would define being an adult as "the point in one's life at which one's life's work is relegated to a being mere hobby."

I suppose this may explain why the most successful artists, those who can do this for a living, tend to have a more childish personality than most of us working stiffs who have to make a living through other means.

This thought popped into my head as I sit here enjoying a mango. It is of a most enjoyable state of ripeness, just as it begins to become quite soft. Yum!

I begin to ponder the extent of the human experience. It would appear as though today's world has forgotten the significance of such things as the beauty of life, creativity, inspiration, and the simple pleasures of the natural world. In modern society, there is far too much emphasis placed on earning enough money to survive, the politics which govern our world, the institution of organized religion, and the drive to conquer, even at the expense of our own species (this part, of course, is the ultimate desire of all forms of leadersip, regardless of how altruistic their intentions may seem... so please refrain from any anti-US sentiment). While the desire to conquer may seem an extension of the natural territorial instinct, no other species has expressed it to such an extent. If the cows and pigs had opposable thumbs and could speak, would they not attempt the same, I wonder? While the presence of religion in and of itself is not inherently bad, as we all seek to interact with a power of a higher state of being which has allowed us to be self-aware and exist as individuals of free will... one cannot help but question the morality of institutions which are run by those who would use religion as a means of discrimination or control, to deny the freedom of its own members and all others who do not share its specific beliefs. And, it is not even necessary for me to point out that money and politics are entirely human creations as well.

To be sure, it is these human-created elements which are the source of progress within this world, and there is no denying that many of the technologies which have been able to come about as a result have made many aspects of our lives easier.

However, has the modern state of society really made life better for us all? In particular, those of us who wish to be able to live an expressive life of thinking freely and sharing our love of beauty with the world? Would most artists even exist if there was no monetary reward to be had from it? Would the lack of pressure from trying to keep up with the world allow more art to be created?

In other words, is it possible that this world demands that one's individuality and creativity be stripped away in order to survive as an adult?

My goals as an artist

2008-04-21T19:00:00.000-05:00

There are two main goals which I have been striving for; the first is to be involved in the comics industry, the second to be a concept designer for video games.

I have produced a few issues of an older comic of mine, Trooper Blaze, which were overly time-consuming, and I also was not able to afford to produce the books in sufficient numbers as to sell beyond the convention I brought them to. The lack of profit compared to the time spent on the project, my lack of knowledge of good page layout / composition, and also my inability to quickly produce art which not only looked good but was also consistent, all led me to give up on comics for a while. I need to find better ways of producing interesting scenes, and more efficient methods for getting the work done before I will be able to give it another attempt. Even a couple of years later, I'm still frustrated by how the old comics turned out, and by the negative responses they received. Now I'm too stubborn to even attempt another actual comic until I know I can do it properly and be proud of it... but I'll probably need more training first.

As for the concept design job for videogames, I feel that such a job would be perhaps the best way to get my work out to the largest audience possible. In this day and age, the more immersive the experience a certain piece of media gives, the more memorable the characters and events contained therein will be, and the large the audience which will be exposed to it... which puts comics fairly low on the modern entertainment consumer's priority, and videogames and movies at the top. Also, as many may have noticed, most of my character designs are of the type which make more sense when seen in action; what better way to portray them than the environment of a game? I've applied with, been interviewed and had my portfolio reviewed by a number of game companies here in the U.S., but the most common response I get is that my style is "too original" and that they want to see more flexibility, ie fanart and such in which I copy the style of another artist. :| Pretty much the only feasible way for a relative unknown in the industry such as myself to have a game produced with my original designs (not necessarily my own stories, but just my visual designs based off of the new concepts of a creator who actually has the balls to make an original, non-derivative game) would be to start my own company.

TL;DR: I would like to become big in the aforementioned fields, but currently lack the skill sets which the companies and possibly the consumers are looking for. :(

Another grail kit obtained!

2008-04-10T14:08:00.003-05:00

A couple of days ago, I received the 1/100 scale Nobel Gundam kit from Mobile Fighter G Gundam in the mail!

As many of you may well know, two of the things I like most are women in armor and unique mecha designs which stand out from the rest, and this one fits both criteria (well, technically, it's not a "woman in armor" so much as an "armored robot that is woman-shaped," but it applies just the same in my mind). The reason I had been wanting this kit in particular for so long, was because it is in such a dynamic pose. And then when Wijaya informed me that he happened to have an original that he'd be willing to part with, I wasted no time in taking the opportunity to get it from him.

After some test-fitting of the parts, the only possible issue that I might have during the assembly of the kit is the weight of the "hair" since it only has the head to attach to, and the neck may be a bit thin to support the weight. But, it's nothing some pins and CA can't fix! :D

As some may say, the levels of dorkdom go as follows:
The person builds model kits = Moderate Dork, maybe just average Joe with a hobby
The models in question are giant robots = Severe Dork, perhaps of the variety who listens to Japanese music all the time and shuts himself in for marathon anime sessions
The giant robot model is in the form of a Japanese schoolgirl = King Dork; one who is beyond the point of ever being considered normal. LOL

Nemesis in berserker devil form

2008-04-05T01:04:00.002-05:00

Want to see a spoiler for the later parts of the Anubis arc of my series, DevilSaint?

Yes, that is a devil form Amanda Owens, also merged with her Nemesis Deity. Anyone who knows the connection between her and Justin, Justin and Adrian, and Nepeta's backstory should be able to figure out what triggered this. :D

On a sidenote, painting is fun.

SUCCESS! A good drawing!

2008-03-29T23:13:00.003-05:00

Here is what I've accomplished as the result of my new outlook on drawing:

It is a new picture of Ares; I figured I'd draw him since he's one of the major characters in DevilSaint and I haven't drawn him in a while...

I think this one turned out pretty well. I was able to properly portray a sense of "mass" on him, which had always been difficult for me to do.

Must get back to basics art-wise

2008-03-28T01:10:00.000-05:00

I've just realized while looking through my sketchbooks that the poses in many of my recent drawings have been somewhat uninspired as compared to some of the stuff I was doing while I was doing the Trooper Blaze comic series.

Granted, the stuff that I show to everyone here may be okay in terms of the poses, proportions and such, but to be completely honest I only post on here maybe 1/3 of the finished pictures I produce, and for every picture I finish there are at least 10-20 that never get past the sketch phase.

Truth is, I'm too much of a perfectionist to really enjoy my own work that much anymore. Trooper Blaze was a comic I never really cared that much about since it was such a short story (spanning only a few weeks rather than years like DevilSaint). However, the lack of concern for how it turned out meant that I was also more willing to be "looser" with the way I drew everything in that one. The less I stressed over the end result of each drawing, the better it would turn out. I was experimenting a lot more, and this often led to unexpectedly good results.

I suppose the fact that I was allowing myself the luxury of enjoying the artistic process ultimately showed through in the finished pictures.

My current way of thinking as an illustrator is that I'm trying to create drawings which would look best as covers, profiles, or standalone images; rather than the really dynamic stuff which really pops on a comic page. If I could figure out a healthy balance of loose planning and sketching, with precise detailing and finishing, then I have the potential to consistently create truly good art.

I suspect that my current mental inflexibility may in fact be due to the nature of the jobs I've held over the past few years, and the loss of one of the most supportive artistic influences in my life... though it seems selfish of me to put such blame on events in the world around me, it is rather the impact they have had on me which I am pointing to as merely a factor, not the entire cause. I'm not quite that selfish...

I believe that I must rediscover the fun of drawing again... but this would probably benefit from being more inspired in real life as well. Working in an office for so long has really killed my creativity.

Art Trade!

2008-03-18T22:58:00.002-05:00

Hey all!

Another art trade has been completed, this time with Canadian comic artist Brian Dinnigan. He did an anime-cel style digital painting of my character Nepeta Capra, and I did a drawing of his character Mindy Taylor.

Here are the results:

Nepeta:

Mindy:

This was a very fun project, and I was able to learn a lot from it.

YAAAAY 100th post!

2008-03-18T08:02:00.002-05:00

My favorite word would have to be "booger," simply because it makes little sense. Plus, it is one of the few which sounds strange even without repetition.

The ending "er" denotes one that performs the action suggested in the main part of the word, and yet... how does one boog? And, if the verb "to boog" means to attach oneself to the inner surface of a mucuous membrane, then truly there must be very few things which are capable of booging.

And so one may conclude that that which boogs is really quite rare, thus why we never hear the word used in its verb form.

On art requests

2008-03-15T09:11:00.002-05:00

Haha. >:

As an artist, I am always looking for new projects and ways to stretch my "creative muscles," as it were. However, there are just a few things that have always sort of bothered me about the most common types of requests I get....

1: Cutesy stuff.
When you review my portfolio and see that 99% of the things that I draw are armored warriors, soldiers, machinery, and abstract conceptual works; please do no task me to draw things that are the polar opposite of the things I do. I'm not going to draw Disney characters, nor am I going to draw drama masks or ballerina shoes (these are all requests I've gotten in the past week). Just no. Simply because I can draw, don't assume that I will be willing to draw everything.

2: Working for free.
While I do regularly create art for fun, it is usually practice or groundwork for the greater goal of what I eventually want to be able to sell in my own series. As a professional, I do this for a business. As most people should understand, the main rule of business is that people do not do something for nothing. Not to be a dick or anything, but it's just good business to offer something in return for services given, such as money or trade of equal value.

3: Design works which must be based on existing things, and in absolutely correct detail.
This one makes me a hypocrite in regards to #2. There was an art trade a while back with one of my friends, for which my part was to be a drafted design sketch for a certain heavily detailed giant mech for the purpose of having a sculpt made out of it. Well... the design was very obscure and lacking in resources, and plus the original animation tended to be very inconsistent in terms of the proportions and panel placement. Needless to say, since the original source material had no reliable depiction of the machine, I was unable to produce any satisfactory schematic from it.
Hey Kyle, if you're reading this, let me know if there's something else you want instead... I really hate to leave an art trade unfulfilled, as it makes me an ingrateful douchebag. :P

I'll post more as I think of them...

What am I doing, anyway?

2008-03-05T19:48:00.000-06:00

Over the course of the past few days, I've been pondering a lot about my present situation, how much time I spend on my computer, the state that my apartment is in, etc.... Plus, some of the conversations I've had with a few of the people I know online have made me realize just how much of my own life I have been missing out on.

I'm at an age now where most people are starting families and living fulfilling lives with those they love... However, the last time I was in a somewhat fulfilling relationship was about four years ago. She was in a position of having to decide between me and her ex, and he won out in the end. Ever since then, I have not really even cared about love or real emotional intimacy; I keep telling myself in the back of my mind that I want something more fulfilling with my life and yet I still end up in so many meaningless relationships which only exist out of base physical attraction, or a mutual boredom. If we don't call each other a month, or sometimes even days later, it's all the same, as we are no worse off than before the chance encounter. It has gotten to such a point now that I cannot even muster up the emotion to let myself become attached to anyone in the real world since I simply cannot deal with the consequences of things should they become serious.

That, of course, leads directly to the next thing that is on my mind: I find it far easier to confide and show interest in someone online whom I have little to no chance to meet in the real world, than to say the things which need to be said to those who are directly involved in my life. Even when, in the deepest part of my soul, I truly believe in the things I say through the distance of the internet; I can't help but wonder if I would be able to express those very same feelings in person. I foolishly reassure myself that if it's through the indirect interaction of the internet, then the person on the other end will likely only receive the sentiment as being nothing more than words on the screen, and feelings cannot be hurt that way. I am such a fucking coward.

But then, the "emotional freedom" the internet provides isn't the only thing to blame for my detachment to everything and everyone. I have always been a quiet, soft-spoken individual who, given the choice, would far rather be not noticed at all than noticed in a negative light. I have always calculated my every word, made my every decision in such a way that my intentions cannot possibly be misunderstood... and yet, by making my choices through logic rather than feelings, I have ended up isolating myself from the rest of the world around me in such a way that is nearly impossible to repair so long as I remain around those who know only of the side of me they have been presented with for so long. Adding to all of that the fact that I live by myself in an apartment with no direct neighbor (the apartment next door is empty, and mine is above a garage which is used only for storage), and one may get an idea of just how lonely this way of living is.

The worst part of all of this is that I know exactly the things which are wrong with me, but I have no idea how to go about fixing them without some kind of direct guidance. It has been several years since I actually knew someone who was willing to give so much effort toward trying to make me a better person... and I managed to screw up that relationship horribly.... and I have doubts that I will ever be able to find another woman who would be willing to put up with my crap long enough to teach me how to truly love someone again. I suppose it's merely human nature to keep making the same mistakes.

I'm sick of being such an asshole.

recently finished commission

2008-03-01T22:45:00.003-06:00

I just realized that I had forgotten to post here a recent commission I had finished...

It is a request for Sarah, the daughter of one of my co-workers. She's really into comics and fantasy stuff, and wanted to be drawn as a comic character in a sort of warrior armor. Working with her father Bill on the creative process, this was what I eventually came up with; she seems to have liked it. I took a different approach to the styling of features from how I normally draw characters... particularly on the face. I'm not so accustomed to drawing people from real life as comic characters unless I've known them for a while and can present things about their personality in a manner other than just base physical appearance.... as such, I think could have done more as far as expressiveness goes.

i has a starfruits |:B

2008-02-23T22:08:00.001-06:00

I figured I'd try one of these things, since they keep staring at me every time I'm in the produce aisle of the local market.

The starfruit, from the outside, has a very sweet smell and slightly "tacky" feel to the skin, which would suggest a high sugar content. However, upon cutting the thing into slices, I found that the fruit inside doesn't really have much of a smell at all, save for perhaps the slightest tinge of... feet? I couldn't quite place my finger on it.

So then, I ate a slice and my expectations were knocked by the wayside yet again. For a fruit which seems so soft from the outside, the flesh actually has a slight "crunchiness" to it, akin to raw bell pepper. Also, the flavor was not exactly sweet; rather quite sour and "dry," almost like gooseberry.

So, the final verdict? It was nothing close to what I had expected, but not really bad either. Just different... kind of going along with how unusual it looks.

Thus concludes another odd foods journal! :D

Figure drawing tutorial and other stuff

2008-02-22T21:42:00.007-06:00

If you're interested, feel free to check out this figure drawing tutorial I put together!

Tutorial link
(Linked since Blogger automatically resizes everything... ^^; )

Also, here is the current progress on the picture in the tutorial:

Yup, I'm finally taking the plunge into digital art! I'm still a fair bit lost on a few of the processes, but it's certainly a learning experience. Also, with the help of the Tutorial Club on DA that Ahmed started, I've been able to pick up a few resources to help me out along the way.

_________________________________

So, in other news, work has been fairly interesting lately. We've been picking up a lot more work, and business is picking up nicely. There was just a round of promotions, unfortunately I was not among them... however the higher-ups have stated that there will be more opportunities very soon. I'm looking forward to it!

A fellow member on HobbyFanatics has challenged all of the veteran mecha model builders to "put our money where our mouths are," so to speak, and post our recent works in order to lead the newer members by example. I've no problem with this, in fact I've just finished gluing my Wildfalken kit earlier today and it'll be ready for primer once I sand it one more time... but I don't really want to post a WIP thread unless I'm doing something extraordinary like extensive mods or a new technique of some sort... So, I'll just try to get through this one really quickly (and hopefully the weather lets up so I can airbrush the thing...), so I have a finished product to show everyone. And hopefully I don't get bashed for my shitty camera. lol

This doesn't really look like enough to start a WIP thread off of, does it?
Also, my usual airbrushing "workbench" is out of commission at the moment:

I set up a board on this ledge outside of my apartment as a platform for airbrushing, since I can't set up a spray booth indoors.

Oh well, maybe it'll give me an opportunity to practice my handbrushing techniques?

They know when you're eating... (O_o)

2008-02-17T22:09:00.002-06:00

OH HI

I find it interesting that I generally don't get any phone calls until I have just cooked something or brought food home, and am sitting down to eat. Then everyone I know calls me, and several whom I don't! Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon?

I have discovered the joy of building model kits at work. During the slower days, it's really nice to have something to do in between cases! I've built my 1/144 Wildfalken over the course of the past two days; it's just too bad that I'm not able to putty or paint it due to fume issues.... though sanding is fine of course, since I can sand the parts over the bottom half of the box. I may or may not post it on HobbyFanatics when it's finished...

Bullet For My Valentine's new album, "Scream Aim Fire" is freaking amazing. It's just about all I've listened to over the past couple of weeks... (well, aside from "Lensflare" of course! )

CG art is still taking some getting used to. I've laid down all of the flat colors on separate layers and cleaned up the edges; now I've just got to figure out how to "contain" the areas of color so none of the color goes outside the lines when I do shading and such. I have the sneaky suspicion it has something to do with "masks," but I've just got to fiddle around with the program a bit more I think.

I've found the ideal breakfast food: a large slab of Foccacia bread, lightly toasted, with a small bowl of hummus (with peppers, onion, and fresh cilantro) for dipping. It's filling, nutritious, and just tastes good. Plus, the sheer amount of bread helps to absorb the coffee I drink with it, thus allowing me to drink more!

Trigun Maximum vol. 12 is rather interesting. Not a whole lot happens story-wise, but nonetheless a LOT of things happen which I never thought I'd see in that series. Livio has become even more of my favorite character now.

I now have a bag of giant potatoes. There are some in there which would cover a whole plate upon cutting in half! Time for some killer baked potatoes...

My joke account on DA, "Oh Shit plz," continues to grow in popularity. Where will the madness end?!

I'm working on a commission for someone at work; a gift for his daughter (who I think I went to school with; she looks really familiar somehow...), drawing her as a fighter/warrior kind of person. You know, the type of characters I always draw. I should get around to finishing it... got to ask him on a color scheme first though. He's already approved of the armor design, so that's good... I definitely didn't want to portray her with too much sexual appeal; it might not be such a good idea since I'm in communication with her father and all.

Horchata is a delicious drink, but the little rice granules get annoying after a while. No matter how refreshing a mug of it is, the sandy feeling from the rice sludge negates the whole effect.

Why did Klaha feel the need to nearly always sing vibrato when he hits higher notes? I normally really enjoy his vocal style, but it becomes incredibly annoying on "鏡の舞踏幻惑の夜"... I've had the CD forever, but still have never been able to stand that song due to the overuse of that technique.

This ride on the train of my thought has been brought to you by the letter "4" and the number "f."

I love my new job

2008-01-12T23:49:00.001-06:00

Hello!

As the topic would suggest, I really like my new job. I'm currently working for the local branch of ACS, Inc., and loving every minute of it so far. The place is so much better organized than any other business I've ever worked at before; the management structure and procedures are vastly superior to anything I've ever seen in any job. Plus, I had a very pleasant surprise in finding out that my boss here is my old boss from back when I was working for Verizon! It would appear that we're all moving up in the world! :D

Foods I want to try eventually

2008-01-06T19:10:00.000-06:00

As you may well know, I have a fascination for foods which most might find strange or unusual. I've been thinking about this, and have come up with a list of foods I would like to try sometime in my life.

1- Century Egg
This ancient Chinese delicacy is essentially an egg that has been preserved for several months in a clay and herb mixture that is specially formulated in order to promote a sort of "controlled spoilage" inside the egg, fermenting the contents into a savory compound surrounded with slime. It looks rather horrendous, but allegedly tastes wonderful. As the concept of such a state fascinates me, I actually want to try it, regardless of whether or nor I can stand the sight of the stuff. I'll save further judgment for when I actually have the opportunity to try one.

2- Durian
This fruit native to southeast Asia is often referred to as the "King of Fruits." It's surrounded in thorns, it supposedly smells awful, but behind these rather formidable defenses lies a custard-like filling that has been described by several sources as the best thing they have ever tasted. As a man, I don't mind fowl smelling things, so this one shouldn't be a problem for me... however, finding some in Midwest America might prove to be more than difficult.

3- Truffles
I am a fan of edible fungus, so this should be right up my alley. With a complex flavor which has been described as being similar to almonds, garlic, chocolate, sunflower seeds, etc., it seems to be a rather versatile ingredient in the kitchen.... if only SOMEONE WOULD AGREE ON WHAT THE HELL THEY TASTE LIKE!!! I think the reason why there are so many differing opinions on the taste of truffles is because they are so expensive that no one has actually ever eaten them... Just once, I'd like to try them just to find out what the big fuss is all about.

4- Snake
As common as these critters are, and as supposedly delicious their meat is, one must wonder why they're not a more common source of food. Granted, there are certain difficulties encountered in the raising of them as a livestock animal, including but not limited to the fact that many species are poisonous, and the fact that they are incredibly difficult to keep confined... These factors make this something that I would have to catch for myself, if I could get my hands on one and properly identify it as a safe species that is...

That's all of them I can think of for now.

Main character, EGA-style

2008-01-06T12:17:00.000-06:00

Hello! I'm working on a new experimental project right now, of drawing each of my main characters in different types of fashion, the first of which being Justin Mitchell in EGA (Elegant Gothic Aristocrat) style.

I'm pretty happy with how this sketch came out, as it is quite a departure from my usual style.

Seinaru Koku Eien no Inori music video - Malice Mizer

2008-01-05T03:06:00.001-06:00

Hello!

I'm currently obsessed with one of the songs off of Malice Mizer's "Bara no Seido" album, Seinaru Koku Eien no Inori. The song is rather lengthy, but makes excellent use of several orchestral instruments (including a grand organ!), a choir, and of course the band itself. The song is incredibly beautiful and complex, but due to its length I figured there was no way there could be a music video for it. Well, I managed to find a live concert performance of the song, and I'll be damned, it sounds just as good as the album version! Some bands are just too perfect...

Anyway, here's the video:

I've turned off the autoplay on my blog's music player, so you won't have to rush down there to turn it off while watching this video. ;)

In other news, I've gotten to the end of the Re-GZ Custom kit and was ready to apply the decals; but while inspecting the sheet for the wings, I noticed that rather than "Gundam," the decal says "Gundan" instead.
I don't know if it was done to avoid copyright issues since it's not an official product, or if it was a legitimate mistake... but it is rather annoying that I won't be using such a cool-looking decal just because of a typo.

But, while I'm doing the whole embedded video thing, here's a brilliant commercial featuring the creepy Burger King guy:

Something old - Nemesis's final weapon

2008-01-02T14:23:00.000-06:00

This is an old drawing of Nemesis's final weapon, the "Vengeful Phoenix Goddess." I designed it back when I was really into Dynasty Warriors 4, what with its overly stylized weapons and all... So you can see that there are several parts of the shaft that don't quite make sense in the overall "flow" unlike most of my other weapon designs. It is, in fact, for that very reason that I have not posted the thing... However, after seeing how successful my other two weapons I've posted over at DeviantArt have become (the "Godfire Dragon Blade" and especially the "Soul of Hell" ), and also I still rather like the forward half of this weapon, I decided to go ahead and put it up on the intarwebz for everyone to see. :P

It is interesting to note that on this one, since the primary blade is now comprised of energy (similarly to the aforementioned Godfire Dragon Blade), there is some more stuff added to the forward section to compensate. Also, though it's quite small in the picture due to foreshortening, you can see the blade from her first-form weapon used in place of the counterweight... perhaps making the weapon more of a voulge than a naginata.

New title for the series

2008-01-01T18:25:00.000-06:00

Since the new year is meant to bring about positive, refreshing change, I have decided to take a huge step in my main series that I have been contemplating for quite some time: I'm changing the title. Since I have more experience as a writer now, I know a little more about what kinds of titles are more effective in a work... plus, with the new attitude and look of nearly every aspect of the series I felt that the title was long due for an overhaul as well. The old title, "Unholy Paladin," was one that was named for the role played by the main character, Adrian Kadmon; but it lacked the catchiness that one would expect from a title. Plus, most people are uncomfortable with the word "Unholy" and unfamiliar with the term "Paladin," except for the D&D freaks.

And so, without further ado, the new title that I've decided upon is:

DevilSaint: "lamierina del caduto"

It has a much nicer ring to it, since he main title has less syllables, plus it's easier to remember and just plain sounds cooler. It's the kind of title that really gives the impression of an epic series, yes?

And one more to finish out the year with!

2007-12-31T18:47:00.000-06:00

I saved my best one for last! :D

This is my character Heather Dawes with her Deity Enyo. The guitar she's holding is actually my own Yamaha RGX612A (though it's kind of hard to tell from the back of it lol ). This one took a long time to complete, as I had to redraw the entire picture several times over because I simply wasn't happy with how any of the sketches were turning out; then I picked out the parts I liked out of each of the four sketches and used my light table to ink a composite of those things. I am very happy with the end result; I'd say this is probably my best illustration this year!

So, looking into 2008, I hope to be more productive as an artist, and continue improving at this rate.

Ultema

2007-12-24T18:16:00.000-06:00

Hello!

The other day, I finished a piece for Nia of her main character, "Ultema."
Here it is!

NEW JOB!!!! And self-portrait.

2007-12-14T01:07:00.001-06:00

YAAAAAY I just got hired on at Affiliated Computer Systems! I'll be doing data processing for Child Support cases for the state of Ohio! The job starts on January 7; I can't wait!

Also, I've drawn a new self-portrait. Enjoy!

I've shaven my face since drawing this, LOL.

I has a musics!

2007-12-11T00:43:00.000-06:00

LOL I just figured out how to add music functionality to my Blog! You can find my playlist waaaaaay at the bottom of the page! There aren't that many songs in there yet, but I'll add more as I find more that I like from the site that provided the service.

In other news, the job fair I went to recently was a huge success. I passed the first three phases of the hiring process, and have an appointment on Wednesday for the final interview and to set up my schedule for when the new call center opens. My job there will be to handle Child Support cases for the state of Ohio; I'll be making more money than I was making at my old job, and this new place is just 10 minutes away, rather than almost an hour! Hopefully everything goes well, and I'll be back working again starting January 7! Until then, I'll just enjoy my little vacation... fortunately I had enough money saved up and was able to get a break on my rent, so this month shouldn't be too bad financially. :D

New social networking site thingy

2007-12-09T22:23:00.000-06:00

One of my friends just referred me to this new site called "Yuwie.com", that is similar to MySpace but without all the fail and AIDS, and it shares its advertising revenues with its members based on how many views said member's profile receives. It sounds like an interesting opportunity to make some extra money on the side, so I went ahead and joined.

If you're interested in checking it out, click HERE!

And be sure to friend add me there if you join! :D My personal page / profile on there is "Blade_D."

EDIT!!!
So, I've checked out the site, and it seems legit! The interface is easy to use, and the content is fairly well moderated (there's even a wordfilter on common expletives!). The only bad thing about it is that when you first log in, there will be a full-screen ad that pops up two or three times, but after that it's fine. It's got all the features of MySpace as far as I have seen thus far. So, if you happen to be looking for another networking site to get more exposure, I recommend it!

Apollo drawing, I decided not to CG. :P

2007-12-06T19:41:00.000-06:00

Here's the finished illustration of Apollo firing the energy cannon as seen previously:

YAAAY I didn't need CG to color the lighting effects afterall! :D

Also, things seem to be looking up on the job front: There's a job fair tomorrow and Saturday, and one of the jobs is an IT firm whose starting pay is just $10/hr... but they're in town and provide full insurance and benefits without having it as a payroll deduct. Hopefully I'll be able to get a job with them!

Exposee on Sprint's billing practices

2007-12-05T12:56:00.000-06:00

Hey, does anyone happen to know of any full-time jobs in central Indiana that pay in the $13/hr range or maybe higher? :P

Before I begin, please allow me to make it very clear that I cannot be held responsible for any expletives which may come out in this writing.

Yesterday, I was fired from my job as an agent in a call center for Sprint's billing department. Apparently, one of the other agents wrote down the credit card information of one of my customers from my screen and used it to pay the bills of several of her friends later that day. She was arrested two days ago. Also, since the police investigating the case went through all of the phone and Email records for all parties involved over the past week or so, and determined that she and her friends had been discussing doing this for quite some time, the ones who benefited from the fraud are also being held for questioning... fortunately, since the only connection I had with any of them was simply that I happened to work in the same call center as the bitch who stole the card information, the police have figured out that I'm innocent in all of this, so I'm not going to be charged or jailed or anything... but for "breach of security" I got fired and am not allowed to work for Sprint or any institution that deals with financial information of any type again.

"Breach of security?!" Let me tell you how secure the facility is. The company that runs the call center, Teleperformance, had worked out an agreement with the city of Fishers that they would get a cut on their property taxes as long as they filled at least 600 seats by the end of the year. Sprint agreed to the hiring spree, since their billing queues were quite busy as is (mostly due to how fucked-up their billing system is; causing customers to get on average $200 phone bills each month for regular usage... but I digress). And so, the call center has been hiring anyone and everyone they can find. Flyers offering easy employment, no questions asked, had been distributed through the usual channels, such as Help Wanted / Classifieds, newspaper page adverts, and supermarket job posting boards.... but they were also being distributed through liquor stores and bars; anywhere where there would be people in the age range they were looking for (It sounds like bullshit, I know... but this was confirmed both by myself and a friend who works at a liquor store). In addition, none of the new employees being hired in were given background checks; we had people with felonies and various other criminal records, and even some who had not even finished High School or gotten a GED! Such wonderfully strict standards of hiring for a fucking BILLING DEPARTMENT, THAT HANDLES PEOPLE'S BLOODY CREDIT CARD INFORMATION.

But that's just one of the factors. We used to have 6-foot cubicle walls made of soundproof material that were set up in such a way that the only way for someone to see the information on an agent's screen was to be standing right behind them; and also when an agent is talking on the phone, the conversation would not be quite audible to the neighbors. The cubicles were replaced by new ones that have walls that are only a mere 3'6" high, just high enough to support the desks and maybe hide what, the keyboard?! Also, the new computers have a preset screen resolution at the default 800x600, and the functionality to change that is locked... so not only is it incredibly inconvenient to navigate through all of the tools, this combined with the low cubicle walls means that anything typed in is visible and clearly readable from 15 feet away (literally!).

And, here's one final kick in the nuts for anyone who has Sprint phone service: The new hires at the Fishers center are being hired in at such a fast rate that their logins are not all working; sometimes for up to 2 months for some agents! The agents without station IDs are put on "Split-Jacks," or given a headset connected to the phone of an agent taking calls, in order to "learn the system"... these new agents are allowed to take notes to "help them learn," but no one really ever checks what they are actually writing down... which obviously could be just about anything! There is a "Clean Desk Policy" that is supposed to prevent agents from having anything that would allow them to write down any customers' information, but this does not apply to new hires because "they have no way of logging in, so any information they might write would be harmless." BULLSHIT. Those with login IDs for their tools but no station IDs can still access their tools on a generic profile, by logging into a station with the Training profile and accessing the tools from there. Most of the tools have unique passwords that have to be changed on a different schedule; except of course for I-Connect, the tool which is used to bring up SVIEW, the actual account management tool that has no actual login or password of its own, and logs in automatically from the profile of I-Connect. The kicker about the I-Connect login is that it's just the employee's login ID and the password is "Sprint01" for ALL agents; and there is no way to change the password. You can pretty much guess what this means: any unscrupulous agent can actually log into anyone else's profile and manipulate accounts in their name, and all they need in order to do so is the other agent's ID, which is posted fucking everywhere. On tickets they have submitted, on Network Trouble reports, even on Transfer Authorization forms that are used on nearly every call!

And so, anyone who is just doing their fucking job as a proper billing agent really has no way to completely secure the customer's financial information, or even their own tools for that matter.

And so, I have gotten fired from Sprint for something someone else did, while I was just doing my job and applying a customer's payment as she called in to do.

I guess the point in all of this is, if you happen to have a cellular phone through Sprint, and your bill ends up being incredibly fucked up, or your bank account or credit card have charges through Sprint that you did not make, now you know the cause of it.

I for one will not miss that job.

Apollo WIP

2007-11-22T09:09:00.000-06:00

I went ahead and just scanned the inked linework into my computer so I can try my hand at this Photoshooping thing... I've been meaning to make the switch to digital coloring for quite some time now, but haven't done so yet for three reasons:
1- My computer's processor is crap for graphics programs. But I guess I'll have to deal with the jerkiness of the pointer trying to catch up with itself in the process of trying to improve my art.
2- I didn't know how to separate the lineart to set it into the foreground without redrawing everything. Now that I've finally gotten ahold of a tutorial, I no longer have an excuse.
3- I suck at digital art. But, after getting a tablet and putting in plenty of practice on 4chan's /i/ board (For those who don't know what it is, it has a built-in art program in the forum), I might be able to produce something halfway worthwhile.

The main reason why I'm wanting to make the switch to digital coloring is because it is incredibly difficult to accurately depict lighting effects (particularly colored lighting) with traditional materials. Plus, it'll be easier to create smoother gradients, fix mistakes, and get the colors to look right since I won't have to worry about the scanner not picking up colors properly.

So... hopefully this won't turn out like crap.

Some new stuff

2007-11-16T17:38:00.001-06:00

Hey, I've been not updating this thing for quite some time now.... I figured it was about time to put in some sort of update! So, here are some new drawings since I can't think of anything worthwhile to say:

I've been getting a little better since I've had some more practice and lessons, but I still have a long ways to go to get where I want to be. Extra thanks to the portfolio reviewer at High-Voltage Studios for giving me that kick I needed to begin to take my character illustrations to the next level (of course, actually putting in the damn backgrounds could be a smart thing too, but... I've just got to start working even harder!).

Up for a promotion!

2007-09-29T14:02:00.000-05:00

Hello!

I am happy to report that I am up for a promotion at my job! I'm one of the candidates among those who applied to become Trainers here, due to my prior experience as both a trainer and a supervisor at another job! The pay is $2 more per hour, and it gets me off of the phones... hopefully I'll be one of the people selected for the job.

In other unrelated news, while I was working on the F90 Type-V kit I purchased recently, I managed to give myself the worst model-kit related injury I have yet to sustain. On the bottom of one of the feet, there is a recessed area in the middle between the treads that is really hard to get to for the purpose of getting rid of any glue piled up on the seam... so I took an angled "chisel"-type hobby knife blade to scrape away the glue. Well... the glue line resisted for a bit, then suddenly gave away; allowing the blade to slice RIGHT THROUGH THE TREAD ON THE SIDE OF THE SOLE and into my finger. The blade went all the way through to the bone, severing an artery and instantly unleashing a small spray of blood; some of the spatters reaching 3 feet from my desk! D: Two paper towels were completely soaked in less than a minute as I attempted to contain the bleeding, then I held a proper cloth towel over the cut for another half-hour or so until it slowed down to the rate of a normal hobby knife cut (lol). It's now been about 4 days since I did that; the hole is healed up, but my fingertip is still numb... The amusing thing about the whole ordeal when it happened was that the first thought that went through my head was not "OMG this hurts" or "Wow, that was stupid"... but rather, "I'm glad I was planning on painting this thing!" :D

Anyways, the art lessons are going fairly well; I'm still having a bit of difficulty fitting everything into my schedule, though... but I finally managed to get some decent screencaps of the mech Hathor from Zone of Enders for the redesign project requested by Kyle 3 months ago... so hopefully I'll have some time to work on that before too much longer. ;_;

Moar portrait works!

2007-09-11T18:34:00.000-05:00

Here's another portrait painting I just completed today, of Megan Zhang from my series Trooper Blaze. I learned on the previous portrait of Amanda that I didn't really need to draw in shading with the colored pencil I did the linework with; just doing shading with the paint is fine. :P

Here's the portrait; let me know what you think!

On a sidenote, I need to find a type of paper that takes watercolor paints a little better... I'm currently using heavy Bristol boards and they wrinkle all to Hell whenever I use the paint over a large area... D: I know that there is specially made "watercolor paper", but it wrinkles just the same and has a terrible texture that often ruins the picture....

Learning to be a better artist

2007-09-09T16:54:00.000-05:00

I have decided to start studying up on whatever materials I can find on tutorials and other ways to become a better artist. I have been showing some progress in my work, but it's still not enough for my liking... so I'm going to try to "kick it into overdrive" throughout the next year or so in order to improve as quickly as I possibly can.

Here is a portrait that I have just finished... I used a purple colored pencil for the linework, and colors with watercolor paint. The whole thing was an attempt at a "speed-illustration;" trying to produce a quality image with materials that do not allow for mistakes, and get it done as quickly as possible. This one took about 1 hour 10 minutes to complete; not including the time for the paint to dry.
Let me know what you think!

GenCon was fun

2007-08-27T08:54:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

I figured I would give an update on how GenCon went; it's been a week past already!

On Thursday, Zignoff and I got to Indianapolis at about 11:00 AM. When we got to the Convention Center, there was a MASSIVELY long line wrapped around the corner of the main entrance, going on for almost two blocks total. Two hours later in the sweltering summer heat later, we were able to get inside to the nice air-conditioning and purchase our 4-day passes. The wait was well worth it!

The first day was used mostly just to check out all of the vendors and event schedules, and calculate how much money I would need for the duration of the Con. I ran into quite a few people I haven't seen in a while, and got to catch up on things over the past year or so with them.

The second day was far more busy. After figuring out how much money I could afford to spend, I went on a merchandise binge. A lot of the vendors were selling their wares at much lower prices than they would be available for otherwise, so it was a perfect opportunity to get some stuff I'd been wanting for a while. :D
Things I managed to pick up while I was there:
MG Hi-Nu Gundam
MG Gundam F91
HG 1/100 Gundam F90 Type-V (One of my Grail kits! :D )
DeathNote wall scroll
Fate/stay night wall scroll
Fate/stay night Rin Tohsaka PVC figure
Dokuro-Chan Sabato PVC figure
Gackt/Malice Mizer singles collection CD
Midnight Syndicate CD
Fate/stay night soundtrack (for the anime version; the song "Unlimited Blade Works," Archer's theme, is nowhere near as awesome as the version from the game. :'( )

On the third day, I did most of my people-meeting and hanging out. Since Saturday is usually the day that the most people were able to be there, it was the perfect opportunity to socialize with as many people as possible. I also got a portfolio review from one of the Art Directors for High-Voltage Studios (a major videogame production company; they work behind the scenes of many of the popular games today). He said that with my art style and skill, I would have been hired on the spot had it been 5 years ago, but since digital art is taking over the industry there is a greater demand for more versatile artists than those who just use traditional techniques. He then gave me some advice on getting started with Photoshop, and suggested some schools to go to in order to further improve my skills and study about graphic design. Next year, I will hopefully have the skills to back up my talent, and be able to enter the industry.

On Sunday most of the vendors were packing away their stuff, and there were no major events scheduled beyond 2:00PM, so we decided to head out once the anime theaters at the Westin stopped for the day. After that I had another day off to rest and recuperate, and then back to work I went!

Here are some pictures I took during the Convention:

The upper lobby of the Westin Hotel. The nime theaters run by the Indiana Anime Club were downstairs and to the left, and straight ahead at the bottom of the escalator is in fact a Starbucks (INSIDE the hotel!). They really are everywhere nowadays, aren't they...

This is the "Card-House City" that was being set up by a group of people throughout the convention. The one black tower of cards is roughly 11 feet high!

Some downtown scenery. From top to bottom, we have the Capitol with the Westin to the left, then a street area I found interesting, and finally a shot of the new Colosseum that's being built.

He is The Batman. Oh, and some guy with a lightsaber to demonstrate how bad my camera is at motion shots. :P

Some MechWarrior / BattleTech / EarthSiege stuff. The large ones are actually papercraft!

And what is a convention without a few Cosplayers! These were just a few of the literally hundreds who sported costumes of their favorite comic book, anime, or movie characters!

One of the many performances that kept us all entertained throughout the convention was the comedian/juggler Christopher Yates from New Zealand, seen here doing a show in the persona of his character "Rusty Balls." I was not able to get very many good shots out of his show (see above comment about my camera's poor shutter speed), but I assure you it was quite entertaining.

And saving the best for last: Spam Sculpting! I missed the actual event, but thankfully the results were still out on display for all to see (and smell, unfortunately...).

GenCon ahoy!

2007-08-15T21:49:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Tomorrow morning, I will be heading out to GenCon, the Games and Entertainment convention held every year in Indianapolis! I look forward to another great time of hanging out with friends I haven't seen in a while, checking out the nightlife in Indy, and of course getting lots of cool stuff from the dealer hall! :D

I'll try to take pictures of some of the more interesting stuff there; and will update as soon as I get back home!

...What's my job again?

2007-08-12T17:38:00.000-05:00

Hmm.

About two months ago, the Teleperformance call center I work at was moved over to doing work for Boost Mobile doing activations and such for cell phones. Just a few weeks ago we were informed that Boost was leaving and that we would be working for Sprint general care. Now, only one week through Training Bay for Sprint, we are informed that we will become Sprint's Billing Department instead.

So basically, I will be explaining to the customers of a company I don't even directly work for why their cell phone bills are all in the $200-$300 range. Oh joy.

On a side-note, GenCon is less than a week away, so hopefully I'll be able to get a good word in with some of the publishers there and maybe see about getting employed in an industry that I actually WANT to work for. :/

Tagged! Twice!!! :D

2007-07-29T19:21:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I've just been "tagged" by both Baxojayz and Misato-chan, meaning I must post 8 little-known facts about myself. These might take a while to do...

1: I am a fan of unusual pets.
I am fascinated by the prospect of keeping an animal that seems unusual or at least a bit "different." The two types of pets I am currently the most interested in having are:
Skunk- these can be legally owned in the state of Indiana with a license and taking the animal to a vet while young to have the stink glands removed. They're resistant to disease and are easily vaccinated for rabies, and are actually pretty cool-looking little animals!
Giant Centipede- They grow to an average of a foot long or slightly larger, and are capable of systematically disemboweling and eating a mouse until all that's left is the empty sack of its skin! Check it out! (only if you have a strong stomach, that is...)

2: I've had a job ever since I was legally able to get one.
When I turned 14, I started working for Pioneer doing farm work in their corn fields as seasonal work until I could get a year-long job at 16; and I've been working ever since! Through the years I have had the jobs of:
farm laborer
janitor / closing stock person at a toy store
fast food worker at two restaurants; making it to Trainer Supervisor at the second of them
lead singer for the band Rebellious (we didn't get far at all...)
ADSL technician
Care Representative for two different cell-phone companies
And of course, freelance comic book artist!

3: I have never been outside of the United States.
I've been to nearly every state in the eastern half of the country, but have never actually been to any other nation. I have been on ships numerous times, but only been on a plane once (and I was way too young to remember...). I would love to travel and see the world someday, but I don't yet have the linguistic skills to really make it anywhere else yet (I can read Spanish and most French, but am not skilled enough to listen and speak fluently in either language...), and the money required for traveling is more than I can afford at the moment. Someday, though...

4: "Seafood is my body, and coffee is my blood!"
Most of my favorite foods are seafood of various types. I have yet to come across seafood that I didn't like; if it comes from the ocean, chances are I've eaten it and will do so again! Barbecued eel and sushi are my palate's current obsessions.
And speaking of obsessions, there is my hopeless addiction to coffee to consider! If you see me at home or work without some form of coffee, there must be something wrong! I usually can't even get going in the morning without at least 4 cups; and my trusty 32-oz mug is always right there at my desk at work for whenever I need a quick pick-me-up. The best cup of coffee is a 10-1 ratio of dark-roast coffee and coconut milk, topped with a splash of Kahlua. Another good combination is espresso with chocolate syrup and half of a banana, mixed in the blender.

5: I am a notorious procrastinator.
Yup, let's face it... the biggest factor that keeps me from getting major tasks accomplished usually tends to be my own reluctance to get things done. I often try to pin the blame on schedule constraints or monetary issues (which are usually actually a factor), but quite often when I actually get the free time to get a project taken care of I'm too tired out from my regular hectic schedule and just want to do nothing but relax... or maybe that's another excuse. I need motivation, dammit!

6: I have never had a serious relationship that has lasted for more than 6 months.
This one is pretty much self-explanatory... the majority of my relationships have been little more than brief flings. I have been wanting a more meaningful relationship than just that, but all of the women I've been with are of the mindset of just having fun and moving on; having no intention of anything long-term.

7: Music is one of my biggest passions.
I have a collection of over 500 music CDs now; just counting the original copies (I only have about 30 or so burned CDs; most of which I later bought anyway). My favorite styles are Power Metal, Jazz, Classical, Rock, and Trance. Really though, the only styles of music I don't like are Gangster Rap, Children's Music, and Country... either they annoy the crap out of me, or they're overly redundant. I listen to music in over 10 different languages; as long as the music had a lot of effort put into it the lyrics don't seem that important to me. My current favorite bands/musicians are:
Blind Guardian
Iced Earth
E Nomine
Rhapsody (of Fire)
WAG
Jethro Tull
MASA
Also, after my band Rebellious failed I did a joke solo project as the rapper "Peter Cheese." I wrote, recorded and produced four songs of dubious quality; I doubt if they have even reached circulation beyond central Indiana yet... perhaps someday these things shall see the light of day... :D

8: I have used several aliases throughout the years on web pages and accounts on different sites.
During the pioneering days of teh Intarwebz when ID theft was a big concern, I had created a few different aliases to keep my true identity unknown. I have since changed them all to my actual name, but here are the aliases in case anyone has seen them before:
Samuel Anderson- This one was based off of the "porn name" idea, by which one creates a name out of their first pet's name (Sam, a black cat) and the city they currently live in.
Makoto Chiba- This one came from one of those "generate your Japanese name" pages; I kind of liked the name and used it for a while to make my Anime-styled illustrations seem more "authentic"... but it backfired on me when I started receiving E-mails and comments in Japanese text (which I can't read...), so this one was retired quickly.
Lee Christopher- I still use this one from time to time; it's just my middle and first name used to look like a real name.

This is the point where I would normally tag 8 Bloggers that I know, but since all of the ones I am familiar with have already been tagged I'll leave it at this.

Ittoryu is THE MAN!!!! :D

2007-07-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today I received this illustration of Enyo and Nemesis from my buddy Ittoryu!

THIS MAN CAN DRAW MY CHARACTERS BETTER THAN I CAN!!! :D

If you have a DeviantArt account, give the man props for his skills on the page where he submitted this picture, HERE!

New project: Doven Wolf

2007-06-24T20:57:00.000-05:00

Hello! I've begun work on another new model kit, Bandai's 1/144 Doven Wolf from ZZ. The kit is from 21 years ago, and definitely shows signs of its age! The parts fitting is not exact in all places, a lot of the parts edges have spots on them that are rounded or otherwise showing wear from the old molds, and the polycaps don't give quite the amount of grip that they should. In addition to these, some of the "box" type thrusters are missing any details that would indicate an actual thruster being there, and the waist and neck joints do not move at all. So, taking all of this into consideration, I think I will make this my second extensive kit mod!

Here's the kit, next to my oooold 1/144 Blue Frame Astray for size comparison:

Of course, this thing is held together with tape due to it having been released before the invention of snap-together kits... It's still in the test-fitting stage for now while I plan the mods on it. :B

Mods that I plan to make:
-adding ball-joints to the waist, ankles, hips, and neck
-adding weight inside the feet
-building box-type thrusters on the calves (you can see where they're supposed to be)
-replacing some of the thrusters with aluminum ones
-possibly replacing the hands; these ones cannot even hold the gun that came with the kit
-possibly running an LED light up into the head for the Mono-Eye, as well as hooking up LEDs to the beam cannons on the chest... it would be cool to make the switch one of the Incoms on the backpack!

Since I don't have all of the supplies I need for this thing quite yet, I won't start a WIP thread on HobbyFanatics just yet... plus I'm a slow worker, so I don't expect to get this thing done for maybe two months...

FACELOCK PWNZ J00! \m/ (>_<) \m/

2007-06-24T15:00:00.000-05:00

Hey, I just figured I'd put in a plug for my cousin's band, Facelock! These guys are pure hardcore Death Metal; they've only got a handful of songs so far but considering how good they are already, they are definitely going to hit it big very soon!

Facelock on MySpace

Their YouTube channel

My cousin Mike (the drummer for the band)

Rock on!

THE GREATEST SONG/MUSIC VIDEO EVER!!!! :D

2007-06-21T01:17:00.000-05:00

This is pretty much self-explanatory. :D

Yet another Grail kit in the works!

2007-06-18T00:44:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Hobbyfan has just announced that they are going to be releasing a resin conversion package for the One Year War version RX78-2 Gundam to make the one from the Gundam Evolve movie 15! This kit looks really good; I can't wait to get my hands on one!

Also, my other Grail kit, the Re-GZ Custom, should be entering production soon! Unfortunately I do not yet have the kit required to make that one... but hopefully it won't be too hard to find it. I've been going to the Anime Palace booth at GenCon each year since they generally sell their Gundam kits at about 60% MSRP during the convention; hopefully I'll be able to find the MG Re-GZ there.

Job Change in progress now

2007-06-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

Finally, I bring you an update to my previous post! I'm now in training for a job with Boost Mobile doing activations and manual addition of minutes to the customers' phones. The training has been fairly slow thus far and my trainer does not seem to be too incredibly competent in her role, but other then that the job itself sounds fairly promising, and I'll be making about 40 cents more per hour than I currently do. Also, they have an actual break room with vending machines that are actually stocked up and working!

The company slogan amuses me: "Boost Mobile: Boosting your lifestyle and status in ways that matter!"

I've heard that slogan at least 50 times in the three days of training I've had here so far...

Job change on the horizon...

2007-06-05T07:21:00.000-05:00

Yup, the day has finally arrived. Today upon coming into work, everyone in the call center who has never been on the Outbound Consumer Advocacy Team for Verizon was sent back home, and those of us who remain are sitting here idle on our Outbound logins since this queue does not get inbound calls. We're sitting here waiting for our immediate supervisor at this center to let us know what's going to happen with the Verizon project, since our contract is over.

So, within the next hour or so, we will maybe find out what's going to happen with our jobs.

Screw Verizon. They need to let us know before deciding things like this; isn't it illegal for a job to just turn its back on its workers without giving us a chance to look for a new job?!

BY OUR POWERS COMBINED!!!!

2007-05-28T00:52:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I'm in a really good mood right now! In my message inbox on DA today, I just got notification from João Paulo that he's finished the coloring on the collaboration project on Amanda's transformation to Nemesis! He made an invitation a couple of weeks ago asking for some lineart to color, and I went ahead and asked him to do that one (since I'm WAAAY too lazy to do a scene like that and get it to come out right!). And, let me tell you, his coloring on it turned out simply AMAZING!!! So, without further ado, here is the picture so you can all check it out yourselves!

And thank you once again, João! :D

KIRIBAN AT 1000!!!

2007-05-20T18:28:00.000-05:00

I feel like being generous, so whoever gets the 1000th pagecount on this blog (the counter is at the bottom of the right-hand column), just screencap it and post a comment on this blog post with your Email address, a link to an image of the screencap of the pageview, and of course what you want me to draw you!

Good luck everyone! (all four or so of you...) };-P

Trooper Blaze (update)

2007-05-13T14:33:00.000-05:00

Just in case anyone was wondering what happenned with the Trooper Blaze project, I haven't abandoned it yet! I'm keeping a lot of the details under wraps, but at this time I am hard at work trying to get another issue done in time for GenCon! 3 months isn't too bad of a deadline, so I should hopefully be able to have it done by then. For now, here's a "chibi" of Blaze to tide people over until I can get the issue done!

Also, a HUGE thanks goes out to Ultema, who sent me this fanart of Tornado, the main rival from Trooper Blaze! Thank you so very much! :D

Dammit Mr. Smith!

2007-05-10T12:33:00.000-05:00

My job is not being very fun today...

I am on the Consumer Advocacy Team with Verizon; my new job is to look for customers who have either: A) called more than 4 times the preceding day, and B) have been affected by a DSL service outage. Usually this new job duty is pretty rewarding, but sometimes, I just run across a customer who is truly a lost cause.

...such as Mr. Smith.

He called in to our tech support center a few days ago, stating that every time he restarted his computer he would lose his wireless connection. Not only would the wireless not connect, but the computer would not recognize the wireless card. The first few agents informed him that the issue is definitely in the computer itself, but he didn't want to hear that. Eventually, one of our agents from our Mexico City call center sent him to our ordering department to purchase a new modem and new wireless adaptor cards.

He was on my callback list on Tuesday, 05/08/07; I called him and suggested again that the issue is with his computer. However, since he had already ordered the replacement equipment, I told him to go ahead and see if he can get it to work with those, and if it does not work to call his computer manufacturer.

Well, he is on my callback list again today. He recieved the new equipment, and completely ignored the advice I gave him. He has since called back in 11 times, still for the same issue! I really do not feel like calling this lost cause customer AGAIN.... >:(

It's Tutorial Time!!!

2007-05-10T00:17:00.000-05:00

Here's a tutorial for my style of character illustration, if anyone's interested. It covers everything from the finished pencils to the last step before the final illustration.

Edit: Okay, so it looks like Blogger automatically resized the WIP, so the text is impossible to read... Alrighty then, you can find the tutorial in full-size in my DA Gallery. Just remember to click on the image to view it in full-size!

And of course, the finished drawing! Check it out! :D

Feedback/questions/comments are always appreciated!

....And one more!!! ^^;

2007-05-06T20:19:00.000-05:00

And the gift art for today is for Noushie from DA of her original character "Bianca;" for getting my 3000th pageview! :D

Her original drawings I used for reference can be found HERE and HERE.

Aaaaand another one!

2007-05-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

This time, it's a character belonging to "Black Sniper 69" at DeviantArt; "Dragon Fighter of Ice."

The original reference drawing can be found HERE.

What... the Hell...?!

2007-05-04T11:09:00.000-05:00

This gets my vote for strangest news story of the day:

Sudanese man's spouse, a goat, dies this morning of asphyxiation.

I thought this story was just a joke at first, but after looking into the story a bit, I can sadly confirm it is true. My (in)sincere condolences go out to Mr. Tombe at the loss of his (overly) beloved farm animal.

Amazing Drummer

2007-05-03T23:51:00.000-05:00

Check out this video I found on YouTube of this guy playing drums along with music from the old Mario games. He's got some serious skill! (Youtube Video link)

Also check out this crazy drumset keyboard!

Sister Patricia Wilson with her Deity, Athena

2007-04-29T17:43:00.000-05:00

Hey all! I've finally finished another of my illustrations featuring a character of mine in normal human form with their Deity in the background; this time it's Sister Wilson with her Deity Athena:

She is actually among the first group of characters I created for the Unholy Paladin Project about 8 years ago; among Samuel/Aeacus, Justin/Deimos, and Adrian Kadmon. Her design has improved significantly throughout the past several years; to the point where even through she's a nun, she still looks sexy! :D

Her first name is a reference to a girl I grew up with when I still lived in Norfolk VA (on whom I based her personality), and her last name refers to Mr. Wilson, the neighbor from Home Improvement (it's kind of a joke reflecting how Mr. Wilson's role in that show reminds me of a confessional at a church; how he's always giving advice but you never saw his face...).

It took a while to paint the Athena Deity behind her, since it was hard to tell whether the area of the paper was just wet, or actually had the paint on it... that's one of the few disadvantages of using watercolor, I guess...

Another one down! :D

2007-04-28T13:44:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the drawing I was asked to do by "Zabora" of her main character of the aforementioned name. It took a while for me to get the character's design to look right, but I think this one turned out pretty well.

I'll upload it to DA later, when the site isn't having server issues. D:

UNLIMITED PORTRAIT WORKS! {:D

2007-04-25T01:34:00.000-05:00

It has recently come to my attention that I really need to practice drawing faces... so I started doing portrait work again to try to get my skills up where they should be.

PH33R MAH CRAPPY ARTZ!!!

Heather:

Amanda:
Heather's running mascara was REALLY hard to get to look remotely right (I failed hard at it...), and Amanda's eyes didn't turn out quite right either (she's Asian-American, so I was close... but my own limitations as an artist prevented me from doing them as well as I should have been able to).

As a side-note, I just wanted to say Archer is one of the greatest heroic anime characters of all time.

I am eating my food is eating my bowl?

2007-04-24T14:01:00.000-05:00

They say that no matter how long you live, you learn something new every day... well, this was my day to learn...

IF THE STYROFOAM CUP NOODLES WITH KIMCHI BROTH SAYS "DO NOT MICROWAVE," THEN DO NOT MICROWAVE!!! D:<
*ahem*

Usually, when preparing instant cup noodles, the method of preparation would be no big deal. However, as I peeled the shrink-wrap off of my lunch, a bowl of delicious shrimp and kimchi ramen, I couldn't help but notice the instructions' insistence on putting boiling water into the container. There were no microwave instructions, but I figured "hey, it's just cup noodles, right?" and promptly stuck it in the microwave. Hey, I was hungry and had no means of boiling water!

Upon taking the bowl out of the microwave, I didn't notice anything too unusual... but AS I WAS EATING IT, apparently microwaving activates the acidity in the kimchi, and the broth began to eat the bowl. Usually, if a container is not made to be microwaved, it will begin its disintegration while STILL IN THE MICROWAVE. However, this time I had the opportunity to watch a show with my meal. It was more fascinating than what was on TV, anyway!

Well, I managed to eat quite a bit before I noticed the fact that my noodles' broth was eating the bowl (faster than I was eating them!) So now, a few hours after lunch, I'm left oddly full, and with the aftertaste of packing peanuts. Delicious!

More Model Madness!

2007-04-17T19:55:00.000-05:00

Just some minor updates to the progress on the Bawoo!

I managed to do some small repair work to the joints on the back unit, and modified it a little so that the Bawoo Attacker's thrusters will move a little more like those on the V-Dash Gundam. Due to having some spare parts around, I decided that I'd go ahead and do some other slight mods to the machine as well...

Ingredients:
"V-Dashified" Bawoo fuselage
spare Zeta wings
merging the wings that the Bawoo comes with
spare Kotobukiya polycaps
extra thrusters (oops not pictured)
LOTS O' PUTTY! (not pictured)

...WHAT COULD HE BE THINKING?!?!

I'm also almost done with my custom color God Gundam! Check it out! :D

...too...shiny... :D

The King of Hearts emblem was a pain to get on the kit, too... having to cut off of a PAPER STICKER (darn cheapass Bandai of America...) a tiny yet highly detailed symbol the size of the head of a Sharpie... plus, the sticker had a blue backdrop (so the kids they think are the only ones who would buy the kit would not have to do any painting), so the cutting had to be painstakingly precise... D:

New project: 1/144 NG AMX-107 "Bawoo"

2007-04-15T23:36:00.000-05:00

Hello!

I just recieved 10 old "Non-Grade" ZZ series kits from one of my buddies on the hobby forums! The first one I decided to work on is the AMX-107 "Bawoo," Glemy Toto's personal mech from the series.

The parts are on four runners, all of only two different colors: neon orange and yellow. Given the age of the kits, the plastic is just a wee bit brittle...

The piece with the fuel tanks on it , which also supports the thrusters and wings, was only held to the kit by a tiny little peg, which unfortunately snapped very easily... D: With a bit of sanding and the addition of some polystyrene "support braces," it shouldn't be too hard to fix. ;)

So now the only problem is the color of the plastic. For colors as bright as these, there is only one option:

Yep, the good-ol' trusty can of primer. I usually skip this step, since I usually just do small detail work and weathering, but for this I'll make an exception! Unfortunately, due to the way the parts are set up, the kit cannot be painted until it is fully assembled if you don't want the plastic scars to show, since it cannot be snapped together to remove parts and subassemblies for painting and the only parts that are actually removable on the finished kit are the arms and head... (the instructions actually advise painting the parts on the runners, which doesn't sound like such a bad idea at this point...).

Projects in progress

2007-04-10T21:10:00.000-05:00

I am currently working on:

Drawings:
-Patricia Wilson with Deity Athena: sketches done; inking sometime soon
-Deity Enyo redesign: (feel the AGONY!!!) I hated the old version... am hating this one so far as well...
-Deity Kannon redesign: sketch about 40% done
-Narcissus redesign: sketch done, not inked yet
-Illustrations of Amanda and Megan: both inked, but havent started color yet
-Trevor Belmont from Castlevania: this will be the new version from Curse of Darkness; the original looked too much like David Hasselhoff... (lol)
-And some gift art for four people on Deviant Art...

Model Kits:
-1/8 Misaki Mizuhara ver. Eclair resin figure kit: STILL NOT STARTED!!! D:
-1/144 HG Zeta Gundam with B-Club conversion package: 70 percent done; I just need to finish some of the painting on the wings...
-1/100 HG FF90II-L: was mostly finished, but I made so many mistakes in painting that I'm considering stripping the thing, priming and painting all over again... but can't since some of the internals can't be taken out of the armor due to how Bandai did the parts divisions... D:
-1/200? God Gundam: about 90% done, I just need to finish the shoulders and the back unit, apply clearcoat, and do panel lines

There is not enough time in the day!!!

YOU ARE SHOCK!!!

2007-04-08T23:48:00.000-05:00

Actually, this post has nothing to do with Hokuto no Ken, but the expression just seems to fit what I'm feeling right now. :D

I've been tracking the progress of Vicious Project's Re-GZ Master Grade Conversion kit for quite some time now... I fell in love with the kit all the way back when it was in the initial planning stages. I was expecting the kit to be around $170, but then lo and behold, I found THIS.

...Needless to say, I put it on reserve...

This will be my second conversion kit, and fourth resin kit overall. By the time it finishes production and I recieve one in about 3 months, I should have enough skill to be worthy of it! :D

YOU ARE SHOCK!!! :D

Edit: The kit is temporarily unlisted on Hobbyfan since they want to make sure that they will be able to produce enough before listing it officially; the blog of Vicious Project (the sculptor of the conversion package) can be found HERE.

MAXIMUM THE HORMONE!!!

2007-04-08T20:42:00.000-05:00

As many of you who read this Blog (all 3 of you lol) may know, I'm a huge fan of the anime/manga series DeathNote. As with most anime series, when it went into its second season they changed the intro and ending sequences, and put in new music. I really enjoy the music that Nightmare did for the first season (I even featured their intro song "The World" in one of my previous Song of the Week posts); and was somewhat unsure of how well the new music would turn out since they are being done by a different band.

Well, to be quite honest, I hate the new intro song, "What's Up People?!". It fits well with the imagery of the new intro, and the frantic pace of the story arcs that this season will cover, but the song itself doesn't hold a candle to "The World".

HOWEVER...

The new ending song, "Zetsubou Billy" is incredibly good. The one minute of it that you hear in the ending sequence isn't enough to get the full effect of the song; the full thing is amazing though. And the drummer Nao sings the second verse! <3 It's also pretty amusing seeing the lead singer Daisuke dressed up as the Crow and Paul Wall.

DeathNote second season intro on YouTube

Zetsubou Billy on YouTube

DeathNote first season intro, just for old time's sake!

Transformers... SHOES?! (0_o)

2007-04-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

Proof that Capitalism is indeed alive and well! :D

Apparently, in the interest of making as much money as possibe by combining two highly sought-after manufactured types of goods from two economically strong nations (giant robots for Japan, and overpriced athletic footwearfor America), Takara and Nike have joined forces to create what their executives assume will be the top product of the year:

That's right, Transformers sneakers.

In the box with each pair of these snazzy Transformers-themes kicks, there will be included a SMALLER, TRANSFORMABLE TOY modeled after the shoes it is included with! And the real kicker (pun intended): The robot transformations are WEARING THE SHOES THAT THEY TRANSFORM INTO.

Here are some pictures from a Japanese site where I came across this news story:

So far, only Optimus Prime and Megatron have been announced; but considering the incredibly persistent nature of both companies' advertising and merchandising departments, I'd say it's a safe bet that there will be more.

DA-related stuff...

2007-04-06T19:08:00.000-05:00

Yay! I was fiddling around with the CSS stuff for my journal on my DA page, and came up with something that looks a little better than the original journal... I have no clue how to add buttons, other sections, or other stuff; but at the very least changing colors and adding the above banner makes the place look a little better.

Hand-painted mecha... yay...

2007-03-25T22:18:00.000-05:00

Here is a 1/144 scale (I think; but it seems a bit smaller somehow... \(0_o)/ ) God Gundam kit that I'm currently working on. A lot of the details are a bit small to even mess with using an airbrush due to the size of the kit (or rather the lack thereof), so it was time to break out the good ol' brushes and have a go at it. I wanted to do a "Hyper Mode" version, but the whole solid gold thing kind of bores me... so I went with making up my own custom color scheme.

Picture taken with my scanner, since my digital camera does not work for some reason... D:

SPENGBOB SUNDAY

2007-03-11T01:23:00.000-06:00

This was only my second attempt at digital paint... what do you think? :D

1 hour in Shii Painter

A winrar is... ME?! :D

2007-03-09T07:03:00.000-06:00

I recently entered an Original Chracter Design contest on DeviantArt, and won the grand prize: 3 of my characters will be drawn by three professional artists, one each! :D

Information on the contest can be seen here:

Self-in-Fiction's Journal on DA (he's one of the people who was running the contest)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

2007-02-14T18:36:00.000-06:00

I'd just like to throw out a Valentine's Day greeting to whoever may come along today!

And, since everyone's probably sick and tired of looking at cutesy stuff all day, here's something for ya!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!! :D

NEW FORUM AVATARS!!!

2007-02-13T15:58:00.000-06:00

The current avatars will be using on various forums I go to will be:

Illya, one of my characters; for most ones I go to, and...

Adrian with a moustache and monocle for my DA account!

I was bored...

Richter with Phobos FINISHED

2007-02-13T15:31:00.000-06:00

The weather is really bad here right now... there's supposed to be around 15 in. of snow by nightfall, and most of the roads are closed. It's raining sleet at the moment; definitely bad conditions for anyone who needs to go anywhere!

Needless to say, I called off work for today. As of the beginning of this year, our vacation hours and sick time have been consolidated into what is now referred to as "benefit hours," so I can call off and still get paid for the day!

So, I've been using the extra time off to work on some projects I'd been putting off for quite some time now; including finishing my work on this illustration of Richter Mitchell with the Phobos Deity:

This is the second time I've used the denim effect; this time it turned out a little better; probably just due to the color being a little easier to work with. And yes, his Deity is a giant evil spellbook (lol).

Also, in case you were wondering what is on his T-shirt, it is the one for the cover to Demons & Wizards' first, self-titled album, which is one of my favorite albums of all time. It can be seen / purchased/ whatever here at Amazon!

That reminds me, I haven't done a "Song of the Week" feature for a long time...

My latest

2007-02-04T14:30:00.000-06:00

Here is my latest finished work (finally!), Amanda with her Deity Nemesis behind her.

Comments and critiques are welcome, as always! Remember, even non-Blogger members can post.

Amigara Fault ascii

2007-02-02T09:41:00.000-06:00

Bored...

Fellow Aspiring Artists MUST READ

2007-01-31T17:47:00.000-06:00

This was sent to me by one of my friends; anyone with plans to make a successful living in the art business needs to see this:
__________________________________

Every day, there are more and more Craigs List posts seeking “artists” for everything from auto graphics to comic books to corporate logo designs. More people are finding themselves in need of some form of illustrative service.

But what they’re NOT doing, unfortunately, is realizing how rare someone with these particular talents can be.

To those who are “seeking artists”, let me ask you; How many people do you know, personally, with the talent and skill to perform the services you need? A dozen? Five? One? …none?

More than likely, you don’t know any. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be posting on craigslist to find them.

And this is not really a surprise.

In this country, there are almost twice as many neurosurgeons as there are professional illustrators. There are eleven times as many certified mechanics. There are SEVENTY times as many people in the IT field.

So, given that they are less rare, and therefore less in demand, would it make sense to ask your mechanic to work on your car for free? Would you look him in the eye, with a straight face, and tell him that his compensation would be the ability to have his work shown to others as you drive down the street?

Would you offer a neurosurgeon the “opportunity” to add your name to his resume as payment for removing that pesky tumor? (Maybe you could offer him “a few bucks” for “materials”. What a deal!)

Would you be able to seriously even CONSIDER offering your web hosting service the chance to have people see their work, by viewing your website, as their payment for hosting you?

If you answered “yes” to ANY of the above, you’re obviously insane. If you answered “no”, then kudos to you for living in the real world.

But then tell me… why would you think it is okay to live out the same, delusional, ridiculous fantasy when seeking someone whose abilities are even less in supply than these folks?

Graphic artists, illustrators, painters, etc., are skilled tradesmen. As such, to consider them as, or deal with them as, anything less than professionals fully deserving of your respect is both insulting and a bad reflection on you as a sane, reasonable person. In short, it makes you look like a twit.

A few things you need to know;

1. It is not a “great opportunity” for an artist to have his work seen on your car/’zine/website/bedroom wall, etc. It IS a “great opportunity” for YOU to have their work there.

2. It is not clever to seek a “student” or “beginner” in an attempt to get work for free. It’s ignorant and insulting. They may be “students”, but that does not mean they don’t deserve to be paid for their hard work. You were a “student” once, too. Would you have taken that job at McDonalds with no pay, because you were learning essential job skills for the real world? Yes, your proposition it JUST as stupid.

3. The chance to have their name on something that is going to be seen by other people, whether it’s one or one million, is NOT a valid enticement. Neither is the right to add that work to their “portfolio”. They get to do those things ANYWAY, after being paid as they should. It’s not compensation. It’s their right, and it’s a given.

4. Stop thinking that you’re giving them some great chance to work. Once they skip over your silly ad, as they should, the next ad is usually for someone who lives in the real world, and as such, will pay them. There are far more jobs needing these skills than there are people who possess these skills.

5. Students DO need “experience”. But they do NOT need to get it by giving their work away. In fact, this does not even offer them the experience they need. Anyone who will not/can not pay them is obviously the type of person or business they should be ashamed to have on their resume anyway. Do you think professional contractors list the “experience” they got while nailing down a loose step at their grandmother’s house when they were seventeen?

If you your company or gig was worth listing as desired experience, it would be able to pay for the services it received. The only experience they will get doing free work for you is a lesson learned in what kinds of scrubs they should not lower themselves to deal with.

6. (This one is FOR the artists out there, please pay attention.) Some will ask you to “submit work for consideration”. They may even be posing as some sort of “contest”. These are almost always scams. They will take the work submitted by many artists seeking to win the “contest”, or be “chosen” for the gig, and find what they like most. They will then usually have someone who works for them, or someone who works incredibly cheap because they have no originality or talent of their own, reproduce that same work, or even just make slight modifications to it, and claim it as their own. You will NOT be paid, you will NOT win the contest. The only people who win, here, are the underhanded folks who run these ads. This is speculative, or “spec”, work. It’s risky at best, and a complete scam at worst. I urge you to avoid it, completely. For more information on this subject, please visit [link].

So to artists/designers/illustrators looking for work, do everyone a favor, ESPECIALLY yourselves, and avoid people who do not intend to pay you. Whether they are “spec” gigs, or just some guy who wants a free mural on his living room walls. They need you. You do NOT need them. Say NO to free art.

And for those who are looking for someone to do work for free…please wake up and join the real world. The only thing you’re accomplishing is to insult those with the skills you need. Get a clue.

If you agree with the above important information, please pass it along. The more people know, the faster we can correct this problem.

Testing something out...

2007-01-27T20:25:00.000-06:00

Testing to see how good (or not) a scanner is for taking pictures...

The subject: 1/100 Gundam F90-IIL (not painted yet)

FINAL ANALYSIS: NOT GOOD!!!
The image ended up distorted due to the 3-d nature of the subject...

I'm too broke for a camera though... D:{

how do i made website? \ (0_o) /

2007-01-27T08:15:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to get a real website in the works, but it will be a while before it will be ready. Currently I am studying HTML coding and such to attempt to make something that's halfway passable as a website, but there is not enough time in the day to really get into all of that in addition to all the rest of my projects. I would study / practice while at work if I could though...

Some ideas for the website would be:
Subsections for each of my works
Character illustration galleries with bios
A music section
A flash animation gallery, with some of the characters' moves and such
And perhaps a model-kit section as well (this one's debatable, since display of kits of recognizable characters or mecha on a site for my art and stories may be subject to copyright laws...)

Of course, if I had the money I could just hire someone to make the site for me...

The blog lives on!!!

2007-01-25T00:48:00.000-06:00

In case anyone was wondering about the lack of updates, I've been working on a lot of different things lately, and haven't had much time to post... or I've just been wasting too much time on things other than what's related to my project, and getting news und updates out to people...

Either way, it's been 20 days since I've so much as even stopped by my own blog page... and I felt that some sort of update is in order.

I've just recently begun showing off massive amounts of preview information for my comic book series "Trooper Blaze;" the write-up on the page is the same one I posted on this blog a couple of months ago. However, I've put in links to several preview images of characters and covers (no pages up yet though; I'm keeping those a well-guarded secret :D ). The Trooper Blaze Preview "homepage" can be found here on my DA account.

In news related to Unholy Paladin, I'm finally working on finishing a few of the character illustrations I've been putting on the back burner for so long... what with the whole laziness thing and all. The picture of Amanda with the Nemesis Deity *should* be finished by the end of the week, but I'm not going to make any promises (I don't have enough time for sleep as is...).

In other news, the chat room on HobbyFanatics has been much more active lately; because of this I've had the opportunity to get to know better a lot of the regular members of the board. It is great fun, though it keeps me from getting anything genuinely important done (lol).

Well, hopefully it won't be another 20 days until I post again; of course I probably will post at around that time (Valentine's day; I won't have anything to do...), but I will try to post more between now and then.

Until next time; now here's some delicious mecha design stuff to make up for reading all of that. ;)

Just something I drew this morning

2007-01-14T20:32:00.000-06:00

This morning, I decided to start working on a painting of a transformation scene of Amanda to Avatar Nemesis. The sketch is not yet done of course, but I figured I'd take a break from it for a couple of hours, since I already spent 3 hours on it today.

Comments and suggestions are definitely welcome, and encouraged! I want to know what you think of this picture so far!

Song of the Week: 01/14/07 - 01/20/07

2007-01-14T19:44:00.000-06:00

The song for the week is....

Tightrope by Tetsu69

This is one of the first singles by the J-Rock musician Tetsu69, also the bassist of the immensely popular band L'Arc~en~Ciel. This song is great, even if you don't know Japanese. The heavy parts, during the pre-chorus, the high-pitched distant guitars during the refrain; everything about the music in this song is just awesome. If you know what he's saying though, it makes the song infinitely better; especially given its use as the ending theme for the movie "Gensomaden Saiyuki: Requiem for the One Not Chosen."

Hear the song: Tightrope official music video on Youtube (the audio's a bit low, though)

Understand what the hell he's saying (lol): AnimeLyrics.com translation

Meet the artist: Tetsu69 official site (unfortunately the old site's gone, and replace by an ad for his new single...)

Buy the CD: Wonderful World on CD Japan

Credits: Tetsu69, and AnimeLyrics.com for the translation