Hey Y'all!
So I've been trying to keep consistent with this blog, but lately a few things have been coming up. As much as I dislike making excuses, I haven't been able to post due to my recent job and the fact that my (or more like my parent's) house will be put up on the market. Right now, I'm trying to get all my stuff consolidated, go through a ton of junk since the last time my family moved, and attempting to do all of this in less than one week. I haven't exactly had time to doodle all day, which makes me a bit sad. BUT, that doesn't mean that I haven't been working. In fact, I am working on my second digital painting every chance I get, allowing me practice trying to emulate textures/surfaces with my brushes. It's actually really fun and exciting; for the longest time, I thought I wasn't a great painter. But ever since I started digitally-painting, I feel more confident. It's different than painting traditionally, and because of that, I love it!
Now onto some real business; on this post, I wanted to quickly discuss a video that I found on CTRL+ Paint quite a few days ago titled
Being A Beginner. I recommend to anyone trying anything new to watch this video; in it, Matt Kohr (the man behind CTRL+Paint) talks about what it was like for him to learn something new, and the challenges that came with being a beginner.
After watching this video, I could totally relate. In my case it was a real eye opener for me to go into retail; I never knew how hard zoning the shelves and working the cashier was and how frustrating it is to not know everything right off the bat. It was tough because I wanted to be good from the start, even though I knew in my mind such was not the case. I just had to realize that it would take time, that there would be my good days and bad days, and there would be days where I would learn a lot and sometimes not at all...kind of like how it is with me and art. In the end, so long as I was improving and striving to do better, I felt fulfilled at the end of my day. If anything though, I'd be crazy to say that I don't miss school, because I totally, completely, utterly miss school. I can't wait to go back and have time to do nothing but make art, plus see my friends and colleagues, too.
--RANDOM PHOTO TRANSITION LIKE WHOA--
See the above picture? This is a doodle of a small, squishy toy that I keep finding at work. No matter where I go, or where I turn, or what I do, I almost always find one of these things on the shelves when I am working. It's as if I can never escape from them; when I put one away, two pop up in another place. What's worse is that they're squishy, slippery and filled with "questionable" water. I've never been comfortable with them, and what's worse is that they're susceptible to bursting. PLUS, THAT FACE...IT IS THE FACE OF TRUE EVIL...
As much as I haven't been able to draw, I thought I'd share this little nugget, just because it's...special. And I hope that someone feels the same way I do about these creatures, and will leave them alone rather move them around the store to scare caffeinated employees (or maybe just me).
Now time for the answers to last post's composition test!
The first composition was from--surprise, surprise- the opening title sequence from The Legend of Korra. I absolutely love this compostion; Korra is in the foreground, which showcases her as the title character; the statue of Aang in the middleground representing not only the past show, but the start of a new adventure (Aang is gone, so now it's time for Korra); and finally, Republic City in the background to show where the story takes place. It's a really beautiful composition, and the silhouettes of all the elements are easy to read. Overall, this shot is gorgeous!
The second composition just so happens to come from my favorite sci-fi movie. In the film, District 9, there is this massive spaceship hovering over the city of Johannesburg, and in quite a few shots the spaceship is always looming. One of my favorite shots in the film is this one featuring the ship and the hero,Wikus. Wikus has been on the run ever since the accident, forced to hide, scrounge for food, and overall drop the average life he once lived. At one point he runs into a field of tall grass, then stops to look out at the city and spaceship before calling his wife. The shot is simple, but the balance is there; on the right, we have this giant ship encompassing most of the screen; on the left, we have Wikus, who is smaller in comparison, merely a black silhouette. This really gives the viewer not only a sense of how big the ship is, but how small and powerless Wikus is of his fate. It's a really beautiful shot, and one that has always stuck with me.
The last composition was probably the trickiest one, considering it isn't a shot that's truly memorable or defining. However, this shot from the anime series, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Ep. 19: Death of the Undying) has many of the elements that make up a great composition. It's possible to tell which point of view the audience is supposed to take (the man with the gun) because not only is this moment an over-the-shoulder-shot, but the man takes up most of the screen. There is then a use of foreshortening from the man's shoulder to the smoking gun in his hand (focal point); the gun points to the woman face and...chest, to which the eye then floats along the arms and hair.The red blood also acts as a second focal point, but what's nice is that it doesn't steal the viewer from the entire scene; just heightens the danger.
All 'n' all, I really like this shot; there is only one issue I have with it. While the silhouette of the woman reads fairly well, her left hand is cut off by the edge of the screen. I can understand because this is only a screenshot of scene taking place, where her hand may cut off only for a second; however, I feel the scene would have been perfect if her arm was just raised downlower rather than cut off at the wrist. But hey, if the silhouette is readable and the scene is only for a second, there's no need for it to be perfect. Sometimes a scene just has to be good enough.
Welp, that's all for this post. Apologies that it was mostly text rather than pictures. I promise though, the next post will have more art. Hope everyone's having a great summer break!
