Sunday, June 19, 2016

Hyper Light Drifter + Life Update Soon

Hey Everyone!

It's almost been a year since I've updated this blog...oops...

I've been busy on quite a few cool projects--I'll promise I'll update on that soon. In the meantime, have some fan-art of the drifter from Hyper Light Drifter. Still waiting patiently for the PS4 version--my current Mac copy of the game is too much for my computer to handle. TuT


Saturday, June 27, 2015

Ouran Host Club's Pink Devil Twin

Recently, I got Netflix and found out that all the episodes of Ouran High School Host Club were on it...!!! And while he's not my favorite character (Mori's won my heart), I decided to paint my second favorite character, Hikaru~ Gotta love his spiky hair.


Friday, May 1, 2015

Update/ Tomoe Gozen Process

Hey Everyone!

My Computer Animation class year's Senior Show is tomorrow!!! Super crazy to me that four years has already passed. It's incredibly exciting to see how everyone's grown and gone from little ol' freshmen to kick-butt graduates. While I can't show the film yet online, I thought I'd show some of my work from my final costume design project. I want to come back to this project again soon (but after I take a break from it for a while).

I had to take one character and create two costumes for her. I chose the female samurai Tomoe Gozen. If there's one thing I'm obsessed about, it's samurai and Japanese culture. So this project was perfect for me. :)




Here are some initial sketches--I knew I needed to keep the essence of her while also adhering to the art style. In most Japanese art/prints, the characters are swamped in clothing and armor. Hardly any skin is shown. But, in this case, I used the idea from the prints to influence Tomoe. I figured that she was the kind of woman who enjoyed the battlefield versus the court, so I placed her in samurai armor that was lighter and more form-fitting. Unlike her kimono, which is huge and bulky (symbolizing her as being weighed down by court life).






For the final colors, there was a debate in my head about colors--most prints have her in green and white, some in red and green. I decided red and green would be best, with pink cherry blossoms thrown in to add the womanly flair to her. Plus, the blossoms served as her symbol--she has the same pattern on her sleeves in her samurai outfit as she does in her kimono outfit.

There's still plenty I want to change and refine, but I was happy with how the colors and design come out overall.

Ciao for now~

Sunday, April 26, 2015

A Letter to My Freshman Self (Or A List of Tips to Surviving Art College/ Any College)

I was going to wait to release this list of tips until after I graduated. But, since I'm busy with final tweaks on my film/ other projects, I thought I'd release it now. I'll probably continue to expand on it as I think more about my past years.

Around the beginning of Senior year, I decided to make a list of tips/ ideas about art college that I wish I had told my past self. I thought it would give me a good chance to reflect on what's happened my past four years at school (both good and bad) and hope that it might help other people in some way or fashion. But mainly this is based on my time and art school, though I think the tips can apply to anyone going to college. So here goes:

"Dear College Freshman Self,

Congratulations! You've made it into your dream school and into your dream major! Now before you say you know everything, let me just say to you that YOU KNOW NOTHING. There are going to be so many things you will learn--here are just a few:


1. People will come and go. Some will leave, whether they graduate, go to a different school, drop out, etc. The friends you have now in freshman year will not be the same people you hang out with your senior year. But, that doesn't mean you'll lose them--with the constant growth of technology, you'll be able to stay in contact with them better than 10 years ago. No longer will you have perpendicular friends (people that only intersect your life once and never again). You'll find a way to see them.

2. Don't brainwash yourself into thinking that your school is the only place for the art you want to do. It is not. In fact, there are plenty of places out there to learn, both online and in real life. You'll be able to follow your dream in any way, shape, or form. And don't fret about the money spent in the past--it's gone. You're never getting that money back. So you might as well save and invest for the future by learning at somewhere that best suits you.

3.You will like/crush on multiple people many times, but fall in love only once. And the worst part is that the universe will conspire against you from being with that person--and it is going to suck so hard. But you'll realize that the love you had will be part of the reason why you're motivated to do what you do. They'll remind you again and again that reason why animation is so hard is because it's what you love doing--it's what you want to do.

4. There are going to be people you meet who you do not like. I'm sorry, but there will be bad influences and things you'll need to stray from (especially those who do heavy drinking/smoking, have inflated egos, or a major inferiority complex). There will also be people you will hate talking to for absolutely no reason except pure, animal instinct. Or maybe it will be because of the way they smell, or their narcissism, or their in general "being-a-total-dick attitude". But, you'll have to deal with them on a daily-basis because they use the same computer lab as you do, or have the same friends as you do, etc. In the end, you'll have your wits about you, realize they're not so bad, and move on.

5.You will pray at least seven times before you leave school, despite being agnostic or unreligious. You will also feel the cold hand of death on your shoulder in the wee, late hours as you're working last minute on a final project. This is art school--this is the norm. But you'll tell the Reaper to hold off--after you finish your film, then he can get you (but even this will be lie, as you'll go all The Seventh Seal on him).

6.You won't be able to please everyone with your art/ideas, and you know you shouldn't. You'll try to do it once, and quickly realize it was the worst thing to do, for both you and your art. But you'll learn quickly, and will get everyone on-board with you and your vision. If they can't get with the dance of your ideas, you'll teach them the moves--otherwise, you'll have to leave them behind. Even if it means dancing by yourself.

7. You are going to make so many connections and learn so many things about the industry. Not only that, but you'll even meet the man who was basically responsible for your childhood. You're going to work creating graphics/images for a show that won't even exist until your sophomore year, and it is going to be awesome! YOU are going to be awesome!

8. There will be a moment your Junior year where you'll feel the world crumbling around you. This is the year of make or break. When you thought you might be great in one thing, you'll actually only be in the infancy stages; when you think you're doing fairly well in animation, you'll have your teacher tell you that you'll never be an animator. In fact, not only will your college life start to corrupt, but family drama will also get in the way of your work. It will feel like an endless cycle of depression and anxiety...but, there will be people who will support you in the end. Your friends, your mentors, your family--they will all be there for you at your lowest point. And you will meet people who will even help you pick yourself up again--they'll teach you things you didn't even know you could learn. Everything will work itself out...and you'll be even stronger than before.

9.Age doesn't matter--there are going to be people in their thirties better than you; there will be people two years below you who will be better than you. But, it's not about age as much as experience. And you'll soon realize that everyone in life plays the long game. Because like Leonardo DaVinci, he didn't just wake up a genius--he failed miserably. But that didn't stop him from sketching--and in the end, it all paid off. Same with you--all the work you'll do will pay off in the end. Just keep at it.

10. You'll have read these two articles and feel like you understand life a little bit better: http://markmanson.net/not-giving-a-fuckhttp://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/01/opinion/sunday/what-you-learn-in-your-40s.html?referrer=&_r=1

11. There will be drama. Sorry 'bout that--it's unescapable.

12. Self-Talk is so important--don't put yourself down when you know there are plenty of other negative factors around you. You know you're not the best artist, and that's okay to know that. But don't remind yourself 24/7 that you suck--because you don't. Go into a challenge with the demeanor that you are the greatest! It's not ego--it's about pumping yourself up. Believe in yourself, and others will believe in you, too (or learn that you're not backing down).

While there are plenty more tips, I believe that these are some really important ones to remember. And trust me--they may not seem as prevalent now, but they will be. Even if it takes four years to learn them.

Best Regards,

Your Current, Graduating Self"

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Figure Paintings/ The Final Thesis Push

Ahhh, I haven't updated in so long. Thesis has basically owned my life, and it has been my number one priority (I have about two-and-a-half weeks left to finish my film--pretty crazy, right)? But despite that, I've been able to take some time to participate in a figure painting workshop run by my awesome friend, Andrew Theo. Here are some of the paintings I've done.


3 Hour Study (mostly focused on upper body/torso)


2 Hour Study

I have one more, but it requires photography--maybe I'll post it with the last painting I do for the workshop.

I've managed to learn A LOT of stuff through the class--it's been really nice to be able to paint in an academic setting and just relax. I recommend it to anyone who can make the time to do it (or is like me and just does it regardless of time, duties, etc.).

Ciao for now~ 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Flower Lady Revisted


As part of a birthday gift to my mom, I revisited a character I created a year ago that she really liked and colored it. There's still a bit I'd like to change on it, but for now I'm happy with the progress.

Here's where you can see the original black and white version: http://dodadoodles.blogspot.com/2013/09/design-lab-paintings.html

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Update + Mystery Skulls: Ghost Video

Hey y'all!

I don't usually post videos on this blog. But when I do, it's when I think it's something that's just super awesome. This is too cool to pass up.


Watch it. Repeat it. Love it!

And I promise to update again soon--thesis is hectic, but it's a blaaaaast. Ciao for now!