Tuesday, August 23, 2005

   Any more suggestions?
Hmmmmmmm....


Hey everybody. How's it going?

You'll never guess what happened last night. It turns out that my orientation wasn't last night. Nope, it's tonight. -_-'
I really don't want to go back to school. Tomorrow is my last day of summer. *sigh*
I woke up feeling pretty depressed, and I went to bed last night feeling even worse. But I felt a little better after I got up and spent today loafing around and looking at cosplay pictures (I found some really cool-looking costumes! Man, cosplaying is a serious art-form!)

I tried to draw last night, but I couldn't get anything productive done. Man, where has my will-to-draw gone? There are so many things I want to put down on paper, but I just can't seem to get into a drawing mood.
Will you guys please continue to pray that my creativity will come back?

And speaking of art, Miyoko-chan submitted a lovely visual demonstration of her take on desert clothing for me! Check it out:


Just like all of Erin-chan's work, it's cute, clean (especially the lining), soft and sweet! Erin's particularly good at outfit design in my opinion, so to heave her input offered to my creative exploration is a real treat!

By the way, I'm still ready and willing to listen to anyone else’s suggestions for character design and clothing for the afore-mentioned setting (you know, the whole fantasy-desert idea).
I'll tell you guys what all this fantasy-desert brain-storming is for pretty soon. Part of it is for an idea I'd like to explore, and part of it is just because I think it's a really cool setting.

Before I go, I'll leave you with another example of the kinds of things you can do with Photoshop (which I want REALLY badly).


Ah, now that's what I call fine art!

Thanks for your time, guys. Please continue to pray for me (as well as everybody else on the Prayer List) and I'll see you tomorrow!
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Monday, August 22, 2005

   Orientation today.
Hey everybody. How's it going?

*sigh*, by orientation for 10th grade is tonight at 6:30. My first day of school is on Thursday. This sucks.
Sorry, I really need to stop whining. Let's move on, shall we?

I'm watching Unsolved Mysteries at the moment. This episode is a one-hour special on alien abductions.
I have NO fear of ghost stories or anything. It's the alien abductions I find creepy.
I personally find being abducted, stripped naked and anal-probed a lot scarier then anything a ghost can do to you. Of course, that may just be my masculinity talking there. XD

Right now they're doing a report on 4 people abducted on a camping trip called "The Alagash 4". After having a series of vivid nightmares, the 4 men went under hypno-regression therapy, and thus remembered all the details of their abductions. All 4 were artists, so they drew a bunch of pictures of what they experienced. Man, them's some CREEPY pictures!
So, do any of you have an opinion on this subject?

Living Doll has submitted another piece of her excellent artwork. Though I'm not the biggest fan of the Harry & Melfina relationship (well, that's not fair to say, because I'm not too big a fan of Outlaw Star in the first place), I can still really appreciate her plot innovation, as well as her obvious artistic talent. Please take a look at the picture by clicking here.
Though I'm a big fan of all of Karen's art, I found this piece particularly great. Like many of her pictures, this one has a unique feel to the clothing using accurate but original costumes. I'm particularly impressed with how Melfina's costume was done. The facial expressions and background are also particularly nice. As usual, wonderful work, Karen!

Before I go, you want to see something sick, twisted, wrong, but VERY funny? Of course you do! I found this absolutely hilarious:

Sailor Gundam! XD Oh man, that's rich!

Brain Work-out of the Day:
What is the most common weapon of murder for female serial-killers?

If you think about this one enough, it'll come to you. The first person to get this right will get a huggle and a cookie.

Alright everybody, I'll see you tomorrow.
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Sunday, August 21, 2005

   Silent Hill Strikes Back!
Hey everybody! How's it going?

I'd like to thank you all for your suggestions and input on my recent posts! I'm still open to anything you have to say!

By the way, if you still haven't seen MadamRyeka's gift for my Otaku-versary and B-day, please take a look by clicking here.
*blush* I always was a Sayoko fan. =^^= Anyway, Parks always appreciates comments, so please do so if you'd like to tell her your opinion.

My manga run didn't go quite as well as I had hoped (though it's still nice to get out of the house). This was mostly because they're completely out of the volumes I need. No Immortal Rain vol. 7 (I'm not even sure if that's out yet), no Hellsing vol. 2, and no Love Hina vol. 14. Plus, they don't have the 1st volumes of the mangas I'd like to start (I've heard good things about "Mahoromatic", but they have no vol. 1's). On top of that, I was sick on my stomach.
Sorry! I guess that was too much information. >///<
However, I found and interesting one-volume comic called "Silent Hill: Dying Inside". Though the thought of a video-game like Silent Hill being turned into a graphic novel makes me ecstatic, it was kind'a disappointing. The style was nice and dark, but it was WAY too sporadic. It was like it was drawn by a Schizophrenic. You could hardly tell what was going on, because it had no straight lines and NO proportioning.
Oh well, at least it was intense and psychological. Some of the monsters from Silent Hill 2 and 3 even made guest appearances in the story.

Speaking of Silent Hill, I'd like to talk a little about a part of Silent Hill 3 that I found particularly interesting. Remember how I was talking about the monsters in Silent Hill 2 symbolizing parts of the main character's mind (you know, Pyramid Head rapping the other monsters and trying to kill James)? Well, the same type of "personal demons becoming monsters" also occurs in SH3...

Silent Hill 3 centers on Heather Mason, a 17-year-old girl who is now trapped in a twisted nightmare-ish delusion, surrounded by mutilated monstrosities that want to eat her alive. One of the monsters I found particularly disturbing was something called a "Closer". Closers are 7-foot-tall lumbering killers. Here's a quick picture of one (thank-you to morbidobsessions.com):

Since this shows a Closer in an odd position, I made a quick pic showing a Closer in their normal pose. You can see the Closers on the left and Heather on the right.


Anyway, as you can tell, Closers are pretty scary. Their massive stub-like arms can be used to bash you into oblivion, as well as sprout a small knife at their tips to stab you to death. They walk on two long, thin legs that seem to barely support their weight. Their face has no distinguishable features aside from a partially-concealed mouth. Their tiny head twitches spasmodically on top of its thick, stalk-like neck. And the fact that they easily tower over you makes it even worse. *shiver* Man, these things give me the willies!

Now for the symbolism. Take a look at the Closer again. Have you noticed that from the waist-down they resemble a woman in a skirt or apron? What about the fact that their mouth (it's hard to see, but it's on the first picture) resembles a woman's lips when she has make-up on?
Maybe it would help to tell you that Heather feared and resented her neglectful mother, and these Closers symbolize that. Heather suffers from vivid night-mares, and it is thought that she often dreams that she's a young girl again. Seeing her mother's familiar legs (you're only as tall as your mother's waist at the age she dreams she is, thus why the Closers are 7 ft. tall), she runs over to them, symbolizing Heather's obvious wanting to be loved by her mother. But upon reaching those familiar legs in an attempt to receive a loving embrace, Heather looks up and sees that this isn't the comforting and supportive mother we all need, but instead a twisted beast that's ready to slice her open. At this point, Heather wakes up screaming, drenched in her own cold-sweat.
It's actually kind of sad, isn't it? <:(

I had a nice little clip of Heather fighting a closer, but VideoDesk is being a ^@#$%! right now, so it'll have to wait. >:P

Alright everyone, I'll see you tomorrow.
Comments (4) | Permalink

Saturday, August 20, 2005

   Any more suggestions? I'm open for any new thoughts!
Hey everybody. How's it going today?

I'm about to head to Barne's & Noble's in a second, so I got to make this quick.

I'd still really appreciate any creative suggestions or thoughts on the subject I presented yesterday (PLEASE see yesterday's post if you don't know what I'm talking about). If you don't remember, I'm talking about the "fantasy-desert" setting.

Here are some of the things I need your suggestions of for a character in that setting (both male and female characters)
*What kind of hair-style would they have?
*What kind of shirt or top would they wear?
*What kind of pants would be best?
*What kind of accessories (jewelry, clothing additions and stuff like that) would you expect to see on a person from that setting?

And here's the stuff you need to remember about the setting:
*It's hot in the desert (duh), and there's a lot of sun.
*Remember, this is a fairy tale-esque anime. Like I said yesterday, it’s close to what comes to mind in that old story "Aladdin", so I'm looking for an Arabian influenced theme.
*These characters are going to be in both a populated setting as well as traveling through the desert waste-land, so think about how what you wear might change between those 2 places.
*Please stay with the theme, but thinking outside the box is always appreciated.
*The more detail you're willing to put in your suggestion, the better.
*And finally, if you need a picture of what you're talking about to explain what you mean (I really like it when people are that enthusiastic! =D), then I'd love for you to send me the link to that picture via PM.

Thanks for your time, and I really appreciate your help in creative brain-storming! You guys are the best! Put you're thinking-caps on, and let her rip!

Alright everybody, I'll be back later today! See ya' later!
Comments (3) | Permalink

Friday, August 19, 2005

   Willing to share some creative thought? ^_^
Hey everybody. How are you today?

I got some good news! ElvesAteMyRamen is back, and she's feeling a lot better! Thank you to all of those who prayed for her!
Lindsey's decided to keep 2 of the 3 pics that were accused of tracing up rather then taking em' all down. I think this is a good decision, because she, nor I, nor anybody else should limit the sharing of their artwork just because some retard says it's "traced". Rock on, Lindsey.
Freddie's still having a rough time, though. However, she's a trooper, having already lived twice the average life-span of Doberman Pinchers. Freddie's going to be on a new medication that should help her out, so let's continue to pray for her, OK?
You can read about all this on EAMR's site.

In other news, I finished my summer reading yesterday! Damn, that was a pointless book. If you don't already know, I read "Shizuko's Daughter". Fairly short, but pretty boring. "Lord of the Flies" was WAY better!

In OTHER other news, I'd really appreciate hearing your opinions on my latest submissions if you haven't seen them already. Please take a look at my portfolio. ^_^ Pleeeeeeeeease?

Alright everybody, I'm gonna' need to borrow some of your creativity and artistic thought for a second. I need your insight into character and out-fit design for a pic I'm trying to do.
Here's the deal:
For a fantasy-desert setting, what sort of cloths, accessories and design should be used for characters? When I say "fantasy-desert", I'm talking about a setting that's a desert location with a fairy-tale atmosphere. Something like that old story "Aladdin", but as a newer-styled anime.
Ya' know what I'm talking about? I'm talking Turkish swords, flying carpets, desert bandits, crowded markets, massive royal palaces, stuff like that.
I'm looking for a more middle-eastern or Arabian feel for it. You know what I mean?
The thing I need the most help with is outfits, so think of stuff you'd expect to see people wearing in that setting (both male and female). Though your input is of course optional, the more detail you give me the better. If you need a picture to explain what you're talking about, you can send a link to me in a PM if you're willing. (I'm not requesting you go and find a picture of what you're talking about, I've just noticed that people often coincidentally have a pic of exactly what they mean sitting somewhere on their PC.)
So, get your imagination revved up, because I'd love to hear any and all of your creative suggestions as long as you're willing to share them! b~_'

I'll see you guys tomorrow, and thank you!
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Thursday, August 18, 2005

   Hey everybody. How's it going?

*sigh*, still depressed. Big surprise, eh?

Please continue to pray for the people mentioned yesterday (ie: EAMR, Psyconorika, Kashin and Emmy-san).
If you didn't read yesterday's post, I'd really appreciate it if you did.

There's a new Quote Of The Week up if you're interested.

Ooh, and I submitted another 2 new pics last night. I'd really appreciate it if you checked em' out and commented (it's the only way I can improve).
I'm really disappointed with how the first one came out (the Shotgunned Ghost), but the second one is a lot better. I think I'm slowly getting better at blood, which is a really hard thing to draw (but fun! :3).

Since I don't have much else to post about today, here are some new song tags:

A tag for "Civil War", by Guns N' Roses (awesome ballad). Can you read it OK?


Another twisted-text tag for Metallica's "Fuel". Can you read this one?


A tag for "Out Of The Silent Planet", off of Iron Maiden's "Brave New World" album.


And finally, another tag for "Until It Sleeps", by Metallica.

So, what do you think? ^_^

I'll see you all tomorrow!
Comments (4) | Permalink

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

   (I know this post looks long, but it’s not. Please just bear with me and read)

Hey everybody. As you've probably already heard, our beloved ElvesAteMyRamen has been wrongly accused of tracing official concept art to create some of her artwork. The artist mentioned has and shall remain nameless for the purpose of preventing a flame-war (which we really don't need right now, especially since the "pepsicola" incident, which reached dangerous proportions).
Elves's account was frozen for a while, but thankfully Lindsey was able to smooth it over with the TheOtaku moderators (Adam's never let us down). Regardless, Lindsey really had her feelings hurt by these ridiculous accusations, which continue to be plastered over the afore-mentioned artist's site. Lindsey will even be removing the 3 pictures said to be traced from her gallery, for the sake of not being hounded by any more of these little dinks.
On top of this, Lindsey's dog Freddie is sick. Freddie's got a tumor on her spleen that's been causing her to collapse and seem like she's too tired or unable to get up. As Lindsey has told us, Freddie is a like a part of the household (Freddie's been with her for 14 years). You can read all the details of this on EAMR's site by clicking here.
I want to ask you all to pray for Lindsey as she enters a difficult part of life. Please pray that God will relieve some of her emotional and spiritual burden and sooth her heart.

Another great artist on this site, Psyconorika, has also come under emotional stress. Michelle had her feelings and artistic self-esteem deeply hurt recently due to an Otaku post she read. The post (whose author shall also remain nameless) detailed how "the new artists on TheOtaku blow the older artists like Seifer-sama, Psyconorika and EAMR away". Even though that is total BS, Michelle took offence to this. Combined with the fact that her mom has been harping on her about her art (as she always has been), Michelle started to loose faith in her artistic talent. I dare you to go look at her artwork and then tell me she has not talent or future in art. You can't, because it's so beyond obvious that she does, just like Seifer, EAMR, Snow Fox, Vankala 86 and all the other fantastic artists on this site.
Please also pray that God will watch over Michelle and help her realize how special she is.

On a smaller note (I know it seems irreverent to put it like this, so please forgive me), please also pray for Kashin and Emmy-San. Kashin is going on a mission trip and a temporary leave from TheOtaku, and Emmy-San has hurt her ankle.

If I may back-track for a second...
First off, EAMR didn't trace.
Secondly, she observed official concept art and put it onto paper free-handed, not tracing. (The only other technique she used was occasionally using a grid-system for some getting the proportions right when mimicking the lining)
EVERYBODY does that! The only other option is original poses (which EAMR has proved she's fully capable of)! My buddy DrunkenMaster's art is a prime example of how free-hand drawings using official images as a guide are legitimate. It sounds weird when I explain it, but ANY artist knows that!

Though you probably can't tell, I use the same technique, just to a lesser extent (that's because I'm too crappy to correctly re-create another image free-hand). My pictures "'It's OK, I'm an Expert!'" and "Resident Evil Megan" used pictures of Rebecca Chambers (Resident Evil) as a reference for the correct way of drawing her clothing. "Victim 205" and "Burning Ghost" are based off of ghosts from Silent Hill 4. Andrea's hair style has evolved over time, often based off of pictures sent to me by other artists as a suggestion for how to draw it. These reference pics span from Naru (Love Hina) to Ariel (The Little Mermaid, which some of you have likened to Andrea).

Like EAMR said, that's how you learn! It's no different from drawing a still-life!
If you sit on a park bench and draw a picture of the park, is somebody going to say, "Hey! You totally traced that park!"?
No, of course not. >:-P

Anyway, please pray for those people, and I'll see you tomorrow.
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Tuesday, August 16, 2005

   Hey everybody. How's it going?


Norman Rockwell's always been one of my favorite artists, and this is one of my favorite pieces by him. Just by looking at it, you can tell what's going on and what's going to happen. And even though you come to that conclusion on your own, everyone comes to the same one! That's what made Norman Rockwell so great.

If you haven't seen my new artwork, please go check it out. Votes and comments are greatly appreciated.

I uploaded the second album Josh loaned me since our manga run. This time, it's Iron Maiden's 2nd album: "Killers". Though it's definitely not my favorite album compared to Somewhere in Time, The Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, etc., it's still got some great moments. My favorite songs off the album are "Wrathchild", "Murders In The Rue Morgue", and "Killers". Just some musical food for thought.

My brother had his first day back at school today. >:D But, that also means it was Josh's first day back as well. <:( Sorry, buddy.

*sigh*, the hormones are back again. That little artistic/emotional high didn't last long. I couldn't draw at all last night, plus I'm back to an emotional slump. The zits aren't helping either. Ah, the wonderful teen-age years (blatant sarcasm, if you didn't notice).

I made 2 new music tags today. I've always loved the song by Metallica called "Until It Sleeps". It describes the feelings and psychological placement of some of the characters in my manga so well that I can't help but want it for the theme of my manga. :3
Anyway, here are the song tags (Please note that I did NOT write these because I'm angsty or am ever angsty. I wrote these 'cause I love the song, not because I'm an Emo/Goth or anything, like most of you already know.):


I re-wrote the last chorus of the song (yes, I'm a Metallica-Nerd, so sue me) to better fit my manga. These are written to the same pattern as the last line, if you've heard it, as well as the same tune:

So, what do you think?

Alright everybody, I'll see ya' tomorrow.
Comments (7) | Permalink

Monday, August 15, 2005

  
Do not adjust your screen. You are in fact seeing what you think you see. Yup, it's a solar-powered flashlight. Coming next spring, the same company that brought you this will release their newest product: the helicopter ejector seat. XD

Hi everybody. How's it going? For the first time since arriving home from the beach, I've been able to draw and get something productive done (George walker and Wicked Sid don't count, because I drew them when I was really pissed off). ^_^ It feels good to have my creative juices flowing again. Plus, my brother goes back to school tomorrow. >:D
Anyway, as I said, my creativity returned last night. I finished and submitted 2 new ghost pictures last night, both of which I'm at least a little proud of. So, may I please request that you go take a look at these new submissions and tell me what you think? Voting and commenting are greatly appreciated. ~_'

There's a new Quote, Poll and Song of the week if anybody's interested. The Song of the Week is Dyers Eve, which is the song I posted the lyrics to last week. Please give the song at least one listen.

I've been enjoying the first of Josh's CD's that he's loaned to me: The self-entitled album of Iron Maiden. This was their very first album, but it's just as good as the rest! I'm especially lovin' "Prowler", "Remember Tomorrow" (which has an awesome segment that I may have to show you all), "Phantom of the Opera", "Transylvania", "Charlotte the Harlot" and "Iron Maiden" (yes, Iron Maiden recorded a song called "Iron Maiden" on an album called "Iron Maiden").
"Transylvania" is an instrumental that I think would be great for a Hellsing AMV (for obvious reasons).

I just want to take a quick second to show you a piece that I found particularly interesting. This was submitted by Vankala 86 today:

Rosa has improved her shading and coloring to a point beyond anyone could have expected. Just look at her shades, shadows and textures in this piece. The subject’s facial-expression is so full of life and emotion, she almost looks real. I'm particularly impressed with the detail in the hair. It looks so soft and fluffy! Fantastic work, Rosa, as you always seem to do.

Before I go, here's another awesome picture of Eddie (Iron Maiden's mascot, if you didn't know already). I always liked this pic of him in particular:


This is the cover for "A Real Dead One", the flip-side of "A Real Live One". I just thought Eddie looked awesome as a DJ from and in Hell. He looks so sleep-deprived and tired, but like he just drank a bunch of caffeine. His eyes are glowing through his sun-glasses as he screams the song-transitions into the rusty mike in his smoky, dusty, dimly-lit radio station.
Eddie: "ALLRIGHT!!! WE'VE GOTTA' NOTHER' COUPLE HOURS OF MICHAEL BOLTON, *NSYNC, BACKSTREET BOYS, MEGADETH, MARLYN MANSON, GORILLAZ AND THE 'THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS', COMING UP RIGHT AFTER THESE WORDS FROM OUR SPONSERS! BE THERE, BI-OTCH!!!
Smooth-voiced radio announcer: "You're listening to 66.6 FM, 'Radio Hell'."

XD I'll see you all tomorrow!
Comments (4) | Permalink

Sunday, August 14, 2005

   Hey everybody. How’s it going?

MadamRyeka requested that I post this pic on my site:


That's Parks and her Shaman King fairy Morphine (that's the fairy's name in Japanese, so don't ask). Pretty cool, huh?

*sigh*, still fighting off the depression. I still feel like total crap for multiple reasons.
There's a storm moving in right now. How appropriate, eh?

At least my manga run with Josh yesterday went well. We read manga, then went to eat some lunch (he had Sushi, I had a McCheeseburger). When I ordered a shake as we left, they were giving away a free caramel sundae, so Josh was pretty glad that we ate there. They said it was free because it was a little messy. As you guessed, Josh didn't mind. ^_^
Then we went and hung-out at the local GameStop. After that, we went to the near-by pet-store.
=^^= That was awesome! I know I'm a 16-year-old guy and all, but I can still like bunnies, right? Bunnies are frikken' awesome, and if you don't think so, we can go a couple rounds right here, right now. >:P
Then, we went back to B&N's, and guess what they had...
Chrno Crusade vol. 2! I bought it right then and there! I haven't splurged on anything for a good while, but that's OK! ^_^ That's the third manga I've ever bought! Man, I've been waiting so long to read it, so I can't wait to settle into bed and crack it out!
While there, I finished Immortal Rain vol. 5 and 6. Are those the last ones released so far? I certainly hope not. I also started a manga called "In Dream World" or something, but it was so lame I had to put it down. The art was OK, but the story was so full of anime stereotypes I couldn't stand it. @_<

Anyway, I'll see you all tomorrow, OK?

Comments (4) | Permalink