Tuesday, August 8, 2006

   A New Wallpaper!
I'm a huge fan of the Zelda Series (which is where the images came from)- and I can't wait for the new game to come out (on the Wii of course ^_^)!!!

(click HERE to see it)

Anyways- as simple as this desktop is (it should be in my portfolion soon)- I spent a large amount of time on it. I tend to be more of a minimalist when it comes to desktops and I was trying to get this just right... I still feel like it's lacking something :/ -And I know that the lense flare is WAY over used in Photoshop, but it was my first piece with flare in it, give me a break!

Please let me know what YOU would have done differently! Thanks!
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Monday, July 31, 2006

   Better late then never!
So I finally finished my Fanart for the ‘Art of Otaku’ July contest- Horray!!
(click HERE to see it, phew- barely got that in on time...)
It is a tribute to the creative process and the things I love most about fanart. If you’ve already seen it- here’s some info about this piece that made it very special to me. (I’m starting in the lower left-hand corner and working my way around counter-clockwise).

1.) The Computer/’Art of Otaku’: So if you’ve been to my site before, you’ve noticed that all my fanart is done on the computer, so naturally I felt it was necessary to have a computer in my picture. Although, this is the first piece I’ve done where I chose not to recreate my line art on a computer. This was a very challenging and big step for me artistically (although I still colored it on PS ^_^). Secondly, the ‘Art of Otaku’ logo, although it was required, is important to me because I do not own a copy of the guide and I would really be thrilled if I was able to get a copy through this contest. I’m always looking for ways to improve my skills!

2.) The ‘Hang in there’ Poster: I thought it was funny.

3.) That guy drawing (a.k.a. Me): That’s right, this is a very chibi/sloppy/South-park-y self portrait of myself. I plan on making one that’s a little more accurate eventually.

4.) The Art (Paper/Pencil/Sharpener). No matter how good of an artist you are or how you create your art, chances are we all start in the same place- A blank piece of paper and a sharp pencil (soon to be dull!). Originally I drew this part with the tip of the pencil on the paper, but if your artistic process is anything like mine, you spend most your time erasing ^_^!

5.) Lamp/Clock: Since majority of use have school or a job and we do not pursue art as a career, we end up staying up to the wee hours working on our art. I put the clock at 1:5… AM because it seems like that’s when most my creativity happens.

6.) The ‘Anime Dream Bubble’: This is the most important part of the piece- not because the characters are done well or it’s really cool anime. It’s most important because it represents what I value most from fanart/art/theOtaku/being a human/life. I love our (humans) ability to be creative, whether it is making a cool Anime fanart, writing an amazing poem or discovering gravity. This piece really represents the creativity we all possess and for that reason I choose to make only original characters without any kind of visual assistance. It’s so amazing for me to browse the fanart at theOtaku and to see what people are capable of.

Anyways- On to the anime! (Characters in dream bubble from right side to left side)

7.) Pirate Vs. Ninja: This was my first idea for the bubble when I planed this piece. Where else but in the creative mind of an anime fan would you get to see an epic battle between a Ninja and a Pirate?! Obviously influenced by the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie that came out this summer and the ‘Ask a Ninja’ website. The look of the Ninja definitely is stored in my mind from the Countless hours I used to play the Original Virtua Fighter on the Sega Genesis 32x – Maybe still my favorite fighting game!

8.) Cat and Mouse: I just thought this was a funny image. I was trying to make each set of characters a different style.

9.) The ‘Rock Bot’: My first attempt at Mech drawing. I love the guitar so I felt that needed to be incorporated. A lot of influences here: Transformers (the toys I used to play with for hours with my brother)/The Gundam Series (I’ve never actually seen a whole set of episodes, but those have to be the prettiest robots in all of anime!)/ FLCL(‘nuff said)/Classic ROCK!

10.) The Witch: If there is one thing that sticks out in Anime, it’s the amazing detail and emotion that goes into there characters. This can’t be seen better then all the elaborate, sexy, sometimes mysterious, sometime outrageous women of Anime. Nothing says anime like the amazing eyes of beautiful anime female (although I didn’t quite pull them off ^_^). One influence here would be watching a couple episodes of Sabrina the teenage witch back in the T.G.I.F. days (if you don’t know what that is, you’ve made me feel old!).


That’s it!! If you’re still reading, I commend you! Sorry about the drawn out description, but I wanted you to have a chance to really see into my mind, even though the piece dose it pretty well! If you haven’t checked it out- please do, and let me know what you think of it. Thanks for your interest!

Your brother from another mother (Mark 3:35),
Brad (Jethro)
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Thursday, July 13, 2006

   Parrot and Ferret - NEW ART!!
Ok, So I posted a new piece today (click
HERE to see the new pic...)- finally. Although, it' not exactly Anime but I thought some of you might enjoy it anyways. That being said, there is quite a story attached to the picture:

I was hanging out with a friend and we were in an incredibly goofy mood. We started talking about restaurants and got to the topic of 'Red Robins.' It came to our attention that Red Robins has quite the monopoly on birthday celebrations (at least where I live). So, this in mind, we decided to come up with our own restaurant that would compete with Red Robins and eventually blow it out of the water! Anyways, after a long time discussing, we came up with a restaurant that could best be described as Rain Forest Cafe meets Red Robins meets Hawaii. Are mascots were, as you probably guest, Parrot and Ferret (and yes, the monocle and the Top Hat were part of the discussion).

If you've made it this far, I commend you! I hope you like it even though it isn't anime. I had fun with it.

(P.S. If you haven't noticed, I'm starting to get into the HTML formatting a little, so chances are my site will be seeing a lot of changes ^_^!)
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Thursday, June 15, 2006

   A Post!
Hey y'all!

It's been awhile since I added a post, so I felt like I should. No new work to report, although I am out of classes now and and started a new one not too long ago. I got a job at Arby's for summer, but it's not that bad- our group has fun! I should have some free time when I'm not working.

You may have noticed that I also changed my introduction. I have a new major I'm pretty excited about- East Asian Studies. It requires 2 years of Japanese and 30 credits of other History courses. I'm really excited to start it next fall.

Anyways, thanks for those of you who check up- I've been trying to keep up with you, even if I haven't posted in awhile. Catch ya later!

Your brother from another mother (Mark 3:35),
Brad (Jethro)
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

   100 VISITS!
That's right- I made it to 100 page visits. I realize this might seem like ages ago for some of you 'big dog' Otaku veterans, but I'm pretty excited.

In honor of my 100 visits, I'm reconstructing my page. It's still under construction, but let me know what you think of it so far. Thanks for all you who visited my site- can't wait for my next 100!
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Sunday, April 30, 2006

   Finished... FINALLY!!!
So I finally finished the Mai-Otome Desktop that I've been working on for... well, a long time. I enjoy the show, but definitely thought the original (Mai-Hime) was much better.

I hope you get a chance to check out the newly posted desktop (I also put a preview in my fanart section, but the completed piece is in Wallpapers).

As always, comments of any kind welcome- I want to get better!

Peace.
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Monday, April 17, 2006

Happy Easter
So, just on time (about once a month) I have submitted another piece. Unfortunately there were a couple little things I want to change, but I had to submit some art (you know how it is!!). This is the second part of the Mai-Otome desktop I am making.

I finished the series (with my buddy spacecowboytv) and thought it was 'all-right,' but it was nothing compared to the original (Mai-Hime). None-the-less, I love the bright colors and the characters. Anyways, keep your eyes open for the desktop that should be coming soon.

Finally, Happy Easter. For those of you who know the Lord- 'He has risen! He has risen indeed!' For everyone else; you don't know what your missing ^__^

Your brother from a different mother,
Brad
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Wednesday, March 29, 2006

   New Wallpaper
Hey ya’ll!!

I added a wallpaper- nothing too exciting. I’ve had if for a while and felt like I need some diversity in my portfolio. It’s just a simple desktop I created with the ‘Concerned Misato’ piece using some of the many exciting filters Photoshop has to offer!

On a side note, I attended my first anime convention (I went with my buddy, spacecowboytv) and let me say- it was AMAZING!! I had a great time I am strongly considering attending again next year (of course in costume next time ^_^).

Thanks for checking up on my site/work!

Your brother from a different mother,
Brad
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