Refreshing

I've been working on many things, mostly internal things about who I am and who I want to be.  It has been a blossoming experience and it excites me for the future.  I've done more art work this year than the last few combined, I'm very pleased.  This piece here I did for my Grandmother's 80th birthday, it's 14"x16" printed on white canvas.  It took about 10 hours total using a tablet on the PC.  I can't help but notice the deflating affect of telling people you made something on the computer.  My tablet pen is no different from a pencil, the time it takes is just as long if not longer because I won't leave a line that I don't like.  No offense to my family, this is just a general observation, that computer work is some "easier" form of doing anything.  It's such a misconception that one almost feels discredited for work done using it.  I suppose if things were in color that it might be different, but I doubt it.  There's also the difficult task of finding space in any home for white canvas on the wall.  It's proven harder than I realised.  I may have to dabble back in traditional for a little while...I have a few ideas.

A Sign of Things to Come

I did this some time in July before we moved.  I wanted a new art piece to hang on my wall in our new home.  Just playing with chalk pastels on a 14x17 illustration board.

July Gone By

This month is crazy, enough said.  Animation and Modeling projects are on hold. I'm moving this weekend to a new location. I'm also getting a kitten. YAY!

On the sidelines I've done a piece in chalk pastel, I hope to get that made digital after the move when I have my camera back.  This was the first time I'd done any art for art's sake in a very long time. It will be going on the wall in my new Art Room at my new house.

I owe this blog a lot of art.  Trust me, there will be a night where I upload all the wonderful things I have in my sketchbook and in other places.  You won't be disappointed I promise.  Even with the setbacks in my life right now, art has still found a way to emerge from my time, and that's what's important.  It's when the pen runs dry that I should be worried, not when projects are set aside for more projects.  :)

Love you guys and look forward to showing you all things new very soon!

Addendum

There's been a change in plans, I'm going to make the 3D characters of said illustrations that I've made for my once hoped traditional animation.  For one I shall have character models, and secondly rigs, and thirdly animation if that time comes and I still feel the fire of motivation to give them life.  It will be a while from now surely.

But yes, I'm going to model and rig the main character in low poly for now, and soon following will be the rest if I'm going to design the cast.  Or at least their models.  It will be delicious.

New Projects

Well it's been a very busy few weeks with a new job at Quicken Loans.  I'd forgotten the demands of full-time reality and I've been able to invest very little along the lines of creativity.  SO!  Here are some updates on the plans I have for future projects and commissions:

I have 2 clients in line waiting for some quotes on some really neat commissions.  I'm liking the ideas people have in mind.  :)

I have 3 free commissions on the backburner as they're low priority.

Now I have 2 very large projects that will be taking some presidence in my free time, if and when I have some...  The first is modeling and animating some very simple concept characters for a new demo reel.  Right now I'm not that anxious to dive in, not just yet, because I just started a new job.

So prequel to this endevour is my latest project that I just started yesterday.  I plan to do a traditional animation to "The Mariner's Revenge" which is a 9 minute song by The Decemberists.  Come to find out the song doesn't have an official video, but there are a lot of fan made ones and I would like to aim at something more professional.  :)  I totally understand the scale of what I would "like" to do, so it may turn into an art series or perhaps a motion comic.  We'll see what the future holds and/or allows.

That's everything!!  I do have sketches started which I will share soon.  I'm very excited about the style and some of the key frames I want to do.  So sit tight!

Redwall

As a friendly update to say hello and let you know what's been happening on my side of the road.  I've been working 2 jobs and they have been rigorous!!  So I took a vacation to go camping, got hired for a job on the way there, gave my two jobs their notice of my soon departure, and am starting this new job on monday.  I will be working a few weekends still at the greenhouse for the remainder of the month, but come July I'm moving and will have to discontinue my service there as well.

So there is much happening and much to look forward to.  When I acquire my new job and residence I will be back to my art and exercise, it is already overdue.  But I'm having a wonderful time and I had a wonderful time camping as well.  My good friend was reading aloud around the campfire from Redwall.  And so I give to you this little illustration.  I'll be painting it soon.

Mother's Day

This holiday I didn't actually celebrate on sunday with the world, I worked 22 hours that weekend instead, but being the planner that I am I was able to visit with my mom the friday prior and spent the evening at home.  I took her out to dinner and we caught up on things.  I also showed her the images of the canvas I had coming late in the mail that I had made for her.  I am curious what space it will occupy.  I did another for my sister.

The little girl is Avianna, my niece, my sister's little girl, my mom's first grandchild.  We all love her to death.  <3

The one on the top was for my sister, the one below for my mother.  Both have captured her features really well.  I was inspired to do this for them thanks to my great drive towards art these days.  It's been on and off, but always strong.  Work hours are really the only thing slowing me down.  But I need to do what I need to do to keep my boat afloat while I continue to make these wonderful pieces.

So as long as the time continues to permit, I will keep making wonderful art for everyone to enjoy.  :)

Commissions

I'll be able to post these a little more easily now that their "gift" dates are approaching.  Here is my most recent, completed last month.  Mike and Donna.  I will have a few more to post after this weekend.  :)

Akuri

My first free commission is complete. Now to move on to more!!! I'm not tired yet! :D

April Continues

This month has been busy!! Not only have I started a second job, but I also have started several other commissions promised to several fans of mine on Deviant Art. I plan to tackle them all at the same time to keep the canvas fresh. Once they're done I'll be adding them to my small storefront page on Facebook as sample works.



Here we have Zee the electronically enhanced human, Akuri the fennec fox, and Isdes in 2 forms (human and dragon). They're all very creative characters and deciding on poses has been very difficult. I used reference for the first two images and the last is still in the concept stage.

I'm hoping to finish the first two before the end of next month and the third by the end of June. The last will be a full-render color painting. It'll be challenging. But I'm really looking forward to it. :)

2004 and 2012

It's really fun to look at. I had the HARDEST time with his right arm!! I'm satisfied with it though, for sure. It was a great project to work on to see how I've evolved in the last 8 years. I'm thinking I might pursue it again a little later to embellish the color. I might have to completely paint it if I go in that direction. But we'll see. I currently have robots to draw instead.

Enjoy!

Current Projects

Well everyone. My first commission portrait is done and I will be sharing that next month after it's gifted. In the meantime I haven't gone stagnant. I've continued to doodle and browse art and write with my friends.

While looking for a new desktop:
...a nice Mushishi one...

...I was browsing a lot of Final Fantasy galleries and was surprised how buried it's gotten beneath newer FF titles. It made me kinda sad that the classics might be forgotten by future generations. It reminded me of an old fanart I submitted to DeviantArt of Cloud and Aeris. This inspired the idea to revisit my old art piece and redo it. This will compare my abilities from 2004 to my abilities now in 2012.

The process has already begun.



This will be my current project for a little while. Following that will be more commissions for friends while I wait for more paid commissions.

OTHER GOOD NEWS! I'm picking up a second job at a garden center to double my income for the summer. It will mean I have less free time, but I have a feeling if I keep up this momentum, I will feel carried by it. :) I might also have new specimens to base some art on. We'll see!

Sincerest Apologies for my Absence!!

But there's good reason!! So many things to tell all of you! Oh, and here, have these cats as proof I have not abandoned you.

So where to begin. I suppose it would be best to start where I left off. :)



Since the funeral for my mom's cousin in January the sketchbook has filled 12 pages or so with doodles, ideas, sketches and drawings to express my thoughts and imaginations. Most recent were these cats whom I've lovingly named after Devil May Cry characters. I also did these two birds shown exclusively here on my blog :3 All of these were done as my fiance and I discussed pets and names.






THAT'S RIGHT!! I'M ENGAGED!!
Andrew proposed to me on February 11th of this year. We will be planning the ceremony for next year some time.

Since then I have been working on a Digital Painting commission for Andrew's Uncle that is due the end of this month. SO! That's where all my free time has been invested. I'll be putting up a WIP of the work when it's complete as it's supposed to be a surprise present for his wife-to-be in August.

I'm very pleased with it's progress so far and can't wait to show you all :)

In the meantime, enjoy my little doodles and I will have lots more to share in a week or so!! Love you guys!

How do I want to be remembered?

This question was on my mind the other day while I debated on going to a family funeral in a few days. What is my passion that people will talk about? Who do they remember me as and did I have a positive influence?

My career was on my mind, and if it's the right one. The aptitude test brought up the same path I'm on with a mix of construction work. But why don't I do it every day?

My answer came in the least likely of places. A Miyazaki movie, Kiki's Delivery Service, has an artist character in it who talked about her childhood painting and one day she couldn't anymore. She started to make copies of art, but they weren't that good. She needed to figure out what and why she wanted to paint.

I see it as she didn't need what and why as a child, but as we grow and need purpose in life, what and why we do things becomes our passion. I need to discover this for myself. I need to discover my own style, my message, my medium, my content. And I need to find my inspiration. Without it I can't do anything.

I need to discover what and why I want to create art. If I don't do that now, so many more years of comfort in the average will pass when it could have been so much more! I want to feel something from my work. The sketchbook has begun to fill. Let us find out what and why I will draw. Wish me luck.