Figure Sketch Dump + Bonus Drawing!

Here's some much needed figure sketches I've been meaning to post here online. These were all done last semester, and I had been meaning to post them. I really do miss figure class.

 And at the end, a bonus drawing of a ninja (?) warrior that I did way back in 8th grade. It's pretty bad, but a good laugh (the ninja design that is).

Being a Beginner + Work Doodle + Answers To Last Post

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!

First Digital Painting + Composition Studies + New Job

Over the past few days I've been trying my best to learn more and more about digital painting (and painting in general). I had always been a bit hesitant to paint on the computer; I once took a comp. art/ graphic design class where I had to work digitally, but I was never taught how to paint on the computer. And whenever I tried teaching myself in the past, I tended to get frustrated with just having to find the buttons, locate the windows, etc.

However, ever since I came to Ringling, I've been introduced to so many resources that I never would have thought were out there. One of them was Ctrl+Paint. It's a great website with tons of tools and tutorials that were a dream come true for a beginners like me. In fact, I've already been through three sections of videos on the site. I then applied what I learned from the site to the painting above.

Now I haven't painted in quite some time, so I'll admit that I was a bit rusty when it came to simplifying values (value was my focus, as supposed to complete and true accuracy). But, using what I learned from Ctrl+Paint, I was shocked that I was able to produce something like this without getting overwhelmed and throwing in the towel. Don't get me wrong--it's not a tank or robot or a massive seaside cliff with beautiful waves crashing on the shore. But it is a bell pepper, and it is a start.

Besides learning how to digitally paint, I have also been researching movies, tv shows, comics, etc., and finding shots that have foreground, middleground, and background. I was surprised to find so many great shots; I've really began noticing the difference between scenes that are shot well and scenes that are shot terribly. However, I've only been concerned with the great ones. Above are three shots from three different movies, tv shows, comics (or M.T.C's, for short) that I love. The first one should be relatively easy; the second one, a little bit tougher; the third one is probably the hardest one. Bonus points if anyone can guess which episode (<~ hint) the third one is from. I'll reveal the answers in the next post.

Lastly, to end this post, I have recently acquired a summer job! I'm now a sales floor team member/ cashier at Target. It's a real eye-opener; I've never had a job where I was working for a well-oiled, efficient company before. It's a bit intimidating and tricky, but it's really nice to be able to analyze what makes a company work, and what doesn't. Plus, it's makes me appreciate the fact I'm able to go to art school and do something that I truly love rather than doing something where I wouldn't find the same amount of fulfillment. And the best part is, I'm making money that I can put towards a (possible) internship and some fabulous art books/supplies.

Well, until next time, I hope you guys are having a fantastic summer. Ciao for now.

NOTE: The green pepper photo does NOT belong to me. Here is the link address to the photo. http://www.clker.com/clipart-72491.html

Bat Designs + Ocean Marketing Article

Recently I've been working on some bat designs just to practice with silhouettes and to research more about the terrifyingly, cute little critters.

It's really fun seeing just how diverse this "flying mammal" community is, and how the way they're built/shaped ties in to where they live/what they eat/what they do, etc. The more research I do, the more interested I become in finding out all I can about them...

Aww, what adorable, big ears!

Oh, look, its like he has his own faux hawk/gladiator helmet. Very cool!

Oh...oh gawd...

Okay, so I would like to research all of them EXCEPT the last one. That one just freaks me out...

The last little bit of this post is well...a bit random. I came across this interesting bit of gaming history on Cracked.com, and couldn't help but research it further. If anyone in the gamer community hasn't heard about this wonderful piece of scandal, they should take 45 minutes of their time to read this article on The Fall of Ocean Marketing. If you want to know how to ruin your life and reputation with just a few emails, this is it.

Anyway, ciao for now.

It's Been Too Long/ Foxhollow Farm Spring Fest

Hey Y'all!

First off, I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while. I'll admit, I'm pretty bad when it comes to keeping up with my blog; most of the time it's because of school or I'm busy with other things. HOWEVER, I hope on changing that soon, especially now that I have the chance to start the blogging habit this summer.

So to start off I just want to say that my first year was amazing! I got to meet such fabulous people, see incredible art, and never did I experience true art block (except during April, a.k.a. Finals/ Hell Month). But, as soon as I got off of school, I decided to take a break and either read, play videogames, or watch t.v. That lasted about three days before I realized I needed a job. 


Unfortunately, despite businesses needing seasonal employment, some are not ready to hire immediately. Because of that, I have been volunteering at the place my mom works--Foxhollow Farm. It's a nice place where they serve local foods, produce, and meats. The best part is everything is organic, and the beef/chicken is hormone free and grass-fed. Not only that but they even have folk-art classes and mediation classes--and heck, even gardening classes, too!

What they also have is festivals; in particular, the Spring Festival and the Fall Festival. I volunteered at the Spring one where I did face-painting and helped out at the food tents. After about 4:00, my shift ended, so I decided to look around and sketch. I saw that they had let some of the chickens out of their fenced in area, so I drew some sketches of the chickens.

I realized at that moment that I love observing chickens.The way they scratched/dug into the ground was hilarious. Of course though, I soon left after I found out that where they had been pooping was the same place I had been sketching; I know this because one got really close to me and just let himself go right in front of me. I made the right decision to leave after that.

After the chickens, I decided to leave and go on one of the hiking trails located on the farm. It was a longer trip than I thought (probably due to the heat). I made my way down some steep paths, and after I  battled through some plants I arrived at my first waypoint: The Nature Trail Pond.

Okay, it was less pond-like and more Legend of Zelda-mystical-magical lake. I'm serious! It even had it's own stone marker!

Which, to me, was a definite sign that I was getting closer to my destination. I continued further into the woods, and came upon a path with the same rocks that markers were made of.

And then finally, after going through even MORE plants and narrow trails, I arrived to my destination: The Stone Circle!

On the farm, they have all of these stone markers placed around in various spots. However, most of them are placed here, a bit farther away from the main farm complex. As to why, I don't know. All of the stones are hand-carved, and have a variety of symbols on them. In fact, I actually took the time to draw/photograph some of them...

...BUT THEN I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! There were bees everywhere! Every time I settled down, the bees would start to gather around me and buzz in my ear. I had to leave my sketch unfinished; I couldn't take it anymore!

Luckily, soon after leaving the inner stones and came across the edge of the forest. There, I saw the most bizarre looking bird. I couldn't get a decent picture of it, so I sketched it as best as I could.

It was a cross between a vulture and a female turkey--either way, it was beautiful, yet terrifying.

After I watched it for a bit, I realized that the sun was getting to me and that I should head back home. I made my way back through the woods, got in the car, and drove back home; I was satisfied with how my Saturday had ended.