Geeklish

I'm Not Happy, Bob, Part 2

2009-08-25T00:14:00.005-05:00

Now that I've had a couple of days to let my initial ire subside, I was able to take a closer look at more of the Cataclysm news without my blood pressure shooting off somewhere into the lower Mesosphere. I'm not taking back 100% of what I said, but after seeing some side-by-side comparisons of old zones to their new versions (greened-up Desolace is one hell of an improvement over the abomination that zone is right now) really kinda helps me appreciate the expansion a bit more.

For one thing, this is going to help avert the typical "classic zones = dead" equation that I've found in most of the MMOs I've ever played. This was especially noticeable back when I played EverQuest, after three, four, five expansions came out, zones that I was used to seeing a crowd in were virtually empty. Once the Plane of Knowledge was implemented, the East Commonlands were a virtual ghost town, and that made me kinda sad. I don't notice that problem so much in WoW right now, simply because there's such a massive number of players, but any steps to keep it from happening are welcome.

I'll also be interested to see how the Path of the Titans turns out. I welcome any chance to help make my character a little different from the rest of the pack.

My biggest fear - and I hope this is unfounded - is that this expansion won't keep me occupied. When Burning Crusade was released, yeah, it took them a while to do it, but there was a lot of stuff to do, and it took a long time to do it. I'm pretty sure it took longer to get from 60 to 70 in BC than it did to get from 70 to 80 in Wrath, and I was a little disappointed by this. And since I'm not much of a raider, and PvP pisses me off to the point of distraction, that doesn't leave very much for me to do. I'm not asking for them to shower ubersuperlewtz on my sorry, "casual-gaming" ass, but I do hope there'll be more to keep my interest for a longer period this time around.

I can only hope, at least.

Stay cool.

&hearts,
Fusspot

I'm Not Happy, Bob

2009-08-21T18:02:00.011-05:00

Not. Happy.

Ask me why.

No, wait, don't ask. I'll just tell you. I won't lie, though. This is a big, ugly rant, but judging from the other comments I've seen, I know I'm not alone in my thinking that Blizzard's rehash-a-palooza has reached fever pitch, and frankly, I'm just plain bored by it all.

Now, call me a whiner all you like, but tell me, can you look at these screenshots and honestly tell me how it looks even remotely different from the world we're already used to playing in? I glossed over them three or four times, but it all looks like the same old, same old, right down to the "new" goblin race. (I won't even start in on the worgen. Most anyone who reads this blog already knows about my irrational fear of furries.)

Before you jump all over my ass, yes, I understand that this "cataclysm" is supposed to permanently alter old-world zones, but honestly? It just feels like they're slapping a coat of paint on things and handing it right back, perhaps with a pinch of salt for flavor.

Maybe I'm being judgmental. I'll have to see what the coming months bring, I guess. But as it stands, I don't care about new raid content, and I don't care about more levels or achievements, so I can't say I'm anywhere near sold at this point. I hate saying these things about a company I'd normally say I love the hell out of, but plz, sir, I can haz something new?

Peace out,
-fusspot

*Quote shamelessly ripped from Octopus Pie.

Too Lazy for Titles

2009-08-21T11:07:00.008-05:00

Textures from Mayang's Free Textures

Kind of a two-part speedpaint warm-up thinger, carried over from yesterday. Lighting/proportion/everything's fucked over, and it's obvious that I need to look at collars a little closer, but I wasn't exactly going for perfection. I'm trying my damnedest to get going on my work for Emerald Kingdom. Unfortunately, my room is disproportionately toastier than the rest of the house, and my roommates keep shutting off the air conditioning, leaving me to pretty much roast my ass off. I keep thinking I should buy a box fan, but that's just another thing to plug into my already electronically-saturated room. On top of this, I'm still trying to find a new place to live, no thanks to my bagadouche landlord.

Needless to say, I'm becoming frustrated in ways that I can't possibly express verbally without offending at least someone out there.

Soundtrack: Kaishou (Track 18) - Gankutsuou Soundtrack

Any Plan Vere You Lose You Hat....

2009-08-14T22:04:00.003-05:00

...iz a bad plan.

Saw a hat that I liked in a magazine. Somehow, it led to this. Not sure what to do with it, really.

Amusing quote shamelessly ripped from Girl Genius.

Pink Eye

2009-07-14T12:14:00.003-05:00

Done in Paint Tool SAI. Bout 15 minutes.

A Winner is Me

2009-07-13T22:59:00.009-05:00

This has been a long, long day. After much ado and obsessively checking the mailbox, my package from Popcap containing my phat lewts finally arrived:

(There was also a bumper sticker that says XTREM FVR.)
(Forgot to include it, like a dummy.)

No sooner than I received the gift card did I go out and immediately procure one of these:

(16gb!)

And now I can finally listen to my own music in the car again.

What's funny is that they sent the affidavit that I had to fill out with the prize package. I had to laugh to myself as I read "Congratulations! You've been selected as a potential runner-up!" Talk about potential, already having the goods in my grubby (and blue) little hands.

Anyway, I've been waffling so long about getting an iPod. I was gonna get a Nano when they released the latest generation of them, but one thing or another always got in my way, and there was no way in hell I was going to do the iPhone. Can't afford the extra (required) monthly fee. Even though I've already got another touchscreen phone, it's an LG Vu and they're really bitchy to get accessories for, I've come to find, unlike the iPod which practically shits its own cases, cords and what have you.

Plus, it's just good to have a music player that doesn't freeze every other time I hit the Next button.

So that's that. I could have killed for some of those stuffed Chuzzles, and there was no mug, but I'm very happy with what I got.

Besides, my mug is cooler, anyway.

Peace out, yo. And sorry for the cruddy photos. My room is somewhat cave-like in its lighting levels.

&hearts,
Fusspot

Nerding OUT!

2009-07-11T02:13:00.019-05:00

Okay. I don't usually freak out over action figures, but THIS?!

Thought I might do a little fan art at some point in the future, and in the midst of my snooping for reference pics, I happened upon this crazy-fantastic thing you see right here.

I was the biggest damn Ronin Warriors nerd when I was younger, around 7th or 8th grade. Went out of my way to get them all on tape way back when they were originally on, cripes, WCIU? UPN? Aside from Grimm's Fairytale Classics, it was my first real exposure to anime. I remember wanting the action figures so, so badly but I was scared to death of telling my parents that I was into "boy stuff". I'll tell you, if I had 70 bones laying around RIGHT NOW, I'd be all over this one.

Since this is part of Bandai's "Armor Plus" line which includes other series, I'm not holding out any hope of seeing the other four done up like this. But damned if it wouldn't be cool if they were.

Oh God, give me some freakin' strength here.

Suave. Doan U Luk Smrt?

2009-07-10T23:25:00.006-05:00

(ref) (site)

He's got a face for th' commercials.

I'm gradually beginning to realize that my lack of artful enjoyment is stemming from my utter lack of MAD SKILLZ in the departments of anatomy and color. So I'm making a point of looking at things and trying to make what I'm drawing come as close to them as possible.

The eyebrows here are wonkymuch. But I'm pleased, overall.

Took about two hours, give or take. Practicing my Painter IX.5 Kung Fu.

Synchronize Yer Watches

2009-07-05T17:12:00.005-05:00

His mouth is crooked. But I don't wanna fix it right now.

Worked an overnight and I can't sleep. Decided to give Paint Tool Sai a try for lack of anything better to do. Blends like a dream. Wish I could spare the cash to pick it up, but car insurance is a bitch this time around.

Don't know if I'll ever finish the drawing, but it's just something I wanted to get out. Science-y guy and his girl-in-a-watch.

'Scuse me now, gonna finish watching Aladdin.

Bluefella, Take 2

2009-06-29T21:10:00.003-05:00

Better than the last time.

Babyface

2009-06-29T16:08:00.007-05:00

One of the things I'm currently working on. Oh god, this is so overdue it's not even funny. Straight-up photo-referenced portraiture is the bane of my existence.

I'mma Just Put This Here...

2009-06-26T21:29:00.011-05:00

Well, the results of the Peggle Art Contest are officially in. I didn't win, but frankly, I didn't want to take a trip right now, anyway. Have to wonder if maybe I'd been better off if I'd sent my entry in a little earlier, though. Goddamn deadlining. On a lighter note, the prize that I am getting will be put toward an iPod Touch so I can listen to music/doodle/web browse on the go.

My entry isn't anywhere to be found among the finalists, however, and that's a bit of a pisser. So I'm tacking it up here as some self-righteous show of defiance or something. Maybe I'm just being an insufferable brat, but if my stuff is liked well enough to pass, I'd think it's liked well enough to be seen:

Cheerio.

I LOVE Kah-Boom!

2009-06-21T21:07:00.013-05:00

Yeah, no new art. Yet.

This is older'n shit by internet standards, but I just found it today and it makes me giggle like a drunken schizophrenic:

(c/o splininka on YouTube)

Probably makes much more sense if you've played TF2. My appreciation for the soundfiles it contains grows on a daily basis.

EDIT June 28, 2009: Ed, Farrah, Michael, and now BILLY MAYS is dead?!

Folks, this is the end. I feels it in my bones.

Rest in peace, Mr. OxiClean. Thank you for making our homes more splendidly effervescent and fresh.

Redheads Has Moar Funs

2009-06-21T01:36:00.006-05:00

Or, "Red Chick Is Red".

To hell with anatomy. For tonight, anyway.

30 minutes, tops. Painter IX.5

Current Tune: Dust In The Wind (Intro Mix) - Arnej

Piece-O-History

2009-06-20T20:52:00.006-05:00

It's been said a million times before, but I gotta say it again: You never know who you're working with. Even at a grocery store.

Just the other day, one of my co-workers surprised me with this:

(crappy photo, sorry)

This is an original Gasoline Alley strip from 1935, hand-drawn and signed by Frank O. King, complete with a stamp on the back from the Chicago Tribune's engraving room. Holding this strip is like holding a piece of history in my (gloved, for protection) hands. I can even see the places where he goofed and had to scrape the ink off of the paper.

I forget what my co-worker said her exact relation was. I think she said Frank was her great-granddad or great-great uncle, or something of the sort. Either way, she said a whole mess of these strips were passed down through the family, and I'm incredibly psyched that she decided to give one to me. It'd be enough to have an original piece from any comic, but Gasoline Alley is a classic.

More than that, it's nice to have someone have enough faith in my work that they're willing to give me a gift with as much meaning as this.

Now I need to find a trustworthy framer. Or someone with framing equipment. Oh boy.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm sorry for that last, terribly short post. My electricity was completely out and my only window to the outside world was my cell phone which I'm too cheap to buy a data package for.

Yay for SMS.

2009-06-18T12:41:00.001-05:00

Electricity is out. Yippee. Is it strange for me to want to take over some bills because of this?

Oldy-Moldy

2009-06-15T11:47:00.009-05:00

I devoted maybe 20-25 minutes to this because I just didn't feel like taking more time with it. If I feel like messing with it later, I will. Got bigger fish to fry right now.

(Lani, of Final Fantasy 9)

Apparently, she has a very large butt.

This is a sort of revisitation of a picture that I did many, many years ago, back in high school. I was looking over some files on my computer and stumbled across some crummy old work, and after looking at it I now realize why Rupert hated me so much:

(also Lani, circa 1999)

Can you believe this probably took me the better part of 8 hours?

If I had a time machine I'd go back and bust my former self right in the schnozzle. I don't know how I ever thought that old thing was good.

*Mr. Rupert is my version of that quintessential Teacherzilla everyone has at least once in their life, whom they hate at the time but come to appreciate much, much later in life.

Moleskine Strikes Back

2009-06-13T09:09:00.004-05:00

I've been working a straight week of overnights at the store. While it's infuriating, tiring and just plain boring, not having a manager breathing down my neck leaves me some time to work:

So, yeah.

In other news, I heard from the folks behind the Peggle contest. I'm in the running to be a weekly finalist. Don't know when they post them, but hopefully it's soon. Waiting absolutely kills me, heh.

Star Photographer

2009-06-03T10:57:00.009-05:00

I don't necessarily think I needed to do this, but since I was going to the trouble of designing a character I figured I might as well do a back/front shot that I can stick into my portfolio:

Technically she has a camera, but that would have just been too much to pile onto this. It'll be in the background illustration I'm doing.

The judging for this is June 30th, so I'm going to abstain from posting my final entry here so as to avoid completely shooting myself in the foot. Rules didn't state anything about posting to your own blog, but I don't want to ruffle anything I shouldn't.

God, it's been a fucking blast working on this. No sarcasm that time.

I Dream in Technicolor

2009-06-02T21:39:00.008-05:00

Well, not really, but I'm having a hell of a time deciding on which color scheme to use for this Peggle entry:

Once I decide on some colors, finishing the entry will be a no-brainer, really. It took longer to design her than I'd hoped, but I'm really pretty satisfied, overall. I think I'm pretty much set on using the blonde, but I still want to think on it some more.

I'm not holding out any prayers of winning, but here's hoping anyway.

I Ran Out of Monkey Puns

2009-05-31T17:26:00.008-05:00

Sick of these yet? I need to work on my variety a little.

As much as I loved the glasses, I think they were way too big and drew all the attention away from Annie's face, so I dropped them in favor of a simple headband. I've also been trying to push the primate features a bit more, because the previous sketches still left me feeling like she looked a little too human. (Incidentally, the one on the left here reminds me of a fraggle for some reason.)

It's taking all of my strength not to go completely crazy with this. I have to look back at the artwork of the other Peggle Masters to remind myself of how simple their designs are. A person might look at them and think "I can draw that!" but it's really tough to create something as memorable as they are with as little detail as they use.

So...pink hair? I know Kate would approve.

PS: Austin, I know you're reading this. I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't get on AIM sometime this century.

Love and hearts.

Moar Monkey Business - LOLz

2009-05-28T19:52:00.011-05:00

Well, after the Dom War turned into a perfect storm of fail on the home front, I've turned back to the Peggle art contest which I almost completely forgot about until this, just about the very last moment (deadline is June 3, yikes!).

I couldn't think of a good idea for the life of me, but then something dawned on me. Remember the monkey girl I blogged about a while back? Seems she had a higher purpose than I'd originally planned:

(I strayed from Painter this time and used Photoshop 7 instead.)

Meet Annie the Aperture, star photographer with an unhealthy obsession for shiny Peggle pegs, and taking dazzling photos thereof.

This contest doesn't have nearly the scope of DW, but it's nice to kick back and do something fun instead of trying to create some grandiose, hyper-detailed magnum opus of a character and getting bored with it half-way through.

I could technically leave it at this, but I really want to make this shine. Still have a few days to complete it. I'm sick as a dog though, so here's hoping I don't hork up a goddamn lung before I finish.

Lamesauce

2009-05-25T17:35:00.005-05:00

Surprise, surprise. I didn't get to finish the Dominance War. It didn't help that my internet went out for a week, during which the deadline passed, but I also got really, really bored with what I was working on. Part of the problem was that I didn't spend enough time with my concept, and she wound up looking sort of plain. I need to work on my impatience.

That said, here's what crap I managed to shell out.

I feel like I started out strong and went backward. I have to spend some time loosening up, because you'd be amazed at how damned much time I spent working on the last bit, without even finishing it. My work sucks when it's structured.

And now, I nap. Been working too much these last few days.

Noggin Farts

2009-05-13T01:25:00.006-05:00

I'm trying desperately to be a good girl and work on this damned entry, but I'm putting out more and more fail as I go. Still, here's proof that I'm actually putting stylus to tablet these days:

If I'm lucky, I'll be able to at least finish a complete turnaround that I can use as a start to my portfolio of craptastic proportions. I'm honestly not completely satisfied with where this is going, but it's too late in the game to do anything about it.

Current Tune: The Luckiest - Ben Folds

I can still hear the cicadas outside the church at Zoe's wedding when I listen to this. Makes me kinda weepy.

Brainpuke Pencil

2009-05-05T22:59:00.005-05:00

Yeah, there's no way in hell I'm going to finish the Dom War. Work has been bitchy, but I'm going to give it my best shot anyway.

Have a crappy sketch. Gotta get myself motivated again. For now, I'll settle for trying to get a convincing pencil effect:

I need a new goddamn keyboard. This one is acting all pissy.

Bad Kids Go To Hell

2009-04-30T18:50:00.005-05:00

Srsly.

Alright, my friend from high school is about to start bustin' shit up in the comics world. He's got a big book coming up in June called Bad Kids Go To Hell.

(Hint: Clicky the link and check it out!)

He posted up a couple of pictures on Facebook and I can say quite honestly that it looks hellishly good.

*sigh* They grow up so fast. Seems like it was only yesterday that our design teacher was using Snickers bars to bribe him to sing in class...

In other news, my mother made her first sale in her Etsy shop, and I'm extremely proud of her. I've been trying like hell to keep her from quitting, a bad habit which I'm afraid I might have picked up from her, so I'm doing everything I can to push off that little trait.

And hey, Mother's Day is coming up. Go to www.oohsandoz.com and take a gander at what she's got to offer. I'm sure you've wasted your time on worse things before. ;P

Ladyfingers

2009-04-26T14:40:00.003-05:00

This post has absolutely nothing to do with art (of the visual type, at least).

Ladyfingers is a fantastic musician, especially if your tastes veer toward the oldschool. Right now he's offering his latest album at the can't-beat-it rate of pay-what-you-can (suggested donation is only 10 bucks).

Go to his media page and take a listen to a couple of the samples he has there. If you like what you hear, you can download the whole shebang right from there.

Good shit, folks. Really.

Nerding Out

2009-04-14T11:58:00.003-05:00

First of all, I finally posted something new in my Dominance War thread. Go check it out if you're daring enough.

Second, I don't tend to get that excited about anime anymore (The "moe" revolution helped with that. Ew.) but if you have half an hour to blow, go check out Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East).

So far, it's pretty fantastic. Just don't watch it at work, or if you're allergic to manbutt. (The male lead is naked as a jaybird during his first appearance, save for the white squiggly providing the obligatory censorship.) Honestly, aside from the modern-day, action movie atmosphere, I coulda sworn I was watching a Miyazaki film, so you know the animation quality is quite good.

So yeah, alright, back to work.

It Came from The Mo-leh Skee-neh

2009-04-13T11:42:00.007-05:00

I forget when I even bought the stupid thing, but at some point I decided to look past the ridiculousness* of the cost and plunk down a few greenbacks on a Moleskine sketchbook.

Course, lazy turd that I am, I haven't really used the goofy thing. I started something last, uh, Summer? But then I promptly fell off the arting wagon for the umteen-millionth time. Part of the timidity probably comes from the fucking ridiculous talent some people have put into their books, and I guess I got skeered.

Well, I think I've clawed my way back, but I'll try and save that declaration for when I've drawn on more than one page:

This is part of the evolution of the same character, seen here and here (you're smart enough to tell which one). I've been chomping at the bit to finally get my graphic novel/game/whatever-it-turns-into idea down on paper once and for all, but for the sake of staying organized I think maybe keeping the brainstorming in book form might be best.

Plus, I miss pencils.

A lot.

Srsly.

*I have since revised my opinion about the ridiculous cost of Moleskine books, simply because my prior opinion was forged based on the crappity books I was used to using being so much cheaper.

Seriously, if you can afford to buy one and you haven't, go do it. I promise you won't kick yourself in the ass for it.

Dom War Mini Finalists

2009-04-11T10:35:00.005-05:00

I don't know when they posted them, but here are the finalists from the first Dominance War mini-comp.

I figured I wouldn't make it, but for once I'm not one ounce of bitter about it. Probably because I didn't feel cheated. Everyone who made it deserved to.

I Maked U A Samburger...

2009-04-07T16:22:00.007-05:00

...but it is inedible.

(ref)

I don't normally do this much referenced work, but this was a special mission.

I think I'm starting to see the appeal, Betsy.

Dance-O-Matic

2009-04-07T15:04:00.004-05:00

It becomes increasingly obvious that I need to study hands more. They bug the shit out of me.

Reference pictures pulled from the hyper-awesometastic gallery at atistatplay.deviantart.com.

Let's Do This Thing

2009-03-17T08:56:00.003-05:00

So, the Dominance War has begun.

My progress thread is situated here for the time being. I won't be posting updates here unless I come up with something completely ingenious that I HAVE to tell EVERYONE about...

But I sincerely doubt that will happen.

Wish me luck.

My Insomnia Is Showing

2009-03-15T01:45:00.004-05:00

Days off of work are fantastic, and yet the worst things in the world at the same time. I wanted to spend most of today drawing, but it kinda got pushed off with the old "I'll do it later" excuse. Of course, it doesn't help that I slept in, and somehow managed to sneak a nap in on top of it...Oops.

I did manage to get one doodle done, more of the gal I showed you last time, but moving in a better direction (I think):

I wanted a girl with a boyish look, but the last hairstyle was a little too boyish in an accident-with-a-pair-of-scissors way. This bitch cuts her own hair like she means it.

Alas, the fedora is still forthcoming. Not a permanent accessory, so not really as important.

Man, that rainbow-tongue cat picture gets me every time.

Good night.

Mom's A-Doin' That Etsy Thang

2009-03-14T20:21:00.004-05:00

My mother finally got her butt in gear and got her Etsy store going. So swing over to Lulu's Oohs and Oz when you get a minute. She does beaded jewelry, and she'll be adding stuff as she goes. (Even though I KNOW she has a huge backlog of stuff to photograph...Hint hint, Mother.)

Concepting Sux

2009-03-14T00:35:00.016-05:00

Okay, so this updating thing isn't going as well as I'd hoped, though happily, I haven't exactly fallen off the earth within a week of starting this thing (again).

Right now I'm floating around in sort of an uncertain bubble as I wait for the Dominance War to start, and work has severely cut back on hours. But instead of doing something constructive (say, DRAWING?!) I've kinda kept plowing through Xenogears. Doing that sketch of Margie kinda brought back memories, so I've forsaken the handful of games I haven't finished in favor of finishing that one again.

I think part of this mania stems from a small discovery I made a short while back. Some kind soul on Flickr set himself to the task of translating the Xenogears Perfect Works. This was the game that, above all, made me decide that I wanted to make (or more specifically, design the characters for) games. To finally be able to read the designers' notes made for an instant geekfest.

I was also reminded of an idea I had for a doujinshi (fan comic, for all the weeaboo-phobes out there) way back then, concerning the "M-Plan" and a bunch of characters involved with it. But my shit skills and lack of knowledge kept me from it then, and the fact that nobody would read it these days keeps me from doing it now. Even so, I decided to goof around for old time's sake and make a few doodles of the main protagonist:

Hm. Needs a fedora.

There's numbers on it, so yeah, originally I'd planned to make some explanations, but that'd just be too fucking boring and self-important for anyone to have to sit and read, so just consider them to be the order I drew these in. 1 was way too "pretty", and 4 went too far in the other direction with that big-ass nose and fugly hair of hers. (I was also dicking around with the digital watercolor tool and hahahaha yeahhh...whatever. It's yuck.) I wanted a boyish look, and I'm happiest with 3. I may flesh her out more in the future if I have spare time, just for shits and giggles.

I've still got a ton to learn, really. My biggest hurdle is the fact that concepting isn't an instant process. I know exactly what I want inside my head, but getting it out onto paper is a challenge, and I get disappointed and impatient every time it isn't right. Is there anyone else out there who goes through this, or am I just nuts?

Bleh.

So, there you have it. Sorry for letting my geek out like that.

Link-O-The-However-Long-It-Takes-To-Post-A-New-One:

Kunihiko Tanaka's homepage. Character designer for Xenogears and the first episode of Xenosaga. His page is in Japanese, but there's a few pretty things in the gallery. He's also got a blog, if you're able to read that stuff.

And boy, can he work some acrylics, baby. They're my favorite medium, and I wish I could learn a thing or two from him.

Make a Peggle Master, Get Stuff

2009-03-09T10:34:00.007-05:00

I know you artists out there will probably appreciate this one. The guys over at PopCap Games are having an art contest as a promotion for Peggle. (As if Peggle needed promotion, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth here.)

It's simple, really: Design a new Peggle Master (or more specifically, design a new power and a master to go along with it) or a new level. I know I'm going to be busy with the Dom War, but I'm keeping this one in the back of my head as well.

If any of you visit the site, will you tell me if you see an entry form anywhere? I saw it mentioned several times in the rules, but I'll be damned if I can find one. Am I just blind?

PS: I know some folks out there will be all "OMG don't do spec art!" at me, but seriously, I'm looking for every chance to get seen here. It won't kill me to spend a few brain cells on a chance to foist my work upon the poor souls at PopCap. :P

Too Tired For Titles

2009-03-05T20:35:00.006-06:00

I've still got monkeys on the brain. Here's something just from observation of a photo. I'm still a little burned out from the last stretch.

source

This was useful. I still have a lot to learn about Painter before I can truly compete with others.

Dom War Mini: Been There, Done That

2009-03-02T11:57:00.011-06:00

Is my blog still here?

Yes, there it is.

Ahem. I couldn't get the day off of work today so I had to cram all my work into my piece this morning even though the deadline isn't until 11pm here in Chicago. I'm mildly pissed about this, but at least this isn't the main competition.

So, my entry is all sewn up and in with the rest of the (highly superior) pieces. I don't like it all that much, and I wish I'd gotten started on it earlier, but then again I also wish I'd taken more time to get my painting skills in order. It's colorful, yes, but it doesn't have the depth and range that it should. No es bueno.

Anyway, go check out my entry as well as all of the others. Use the site titles at the top to navigate to all of the other teams' pages.

So now that I'm free, here's the last few progress shots:

And finally, the finished product pre-logo/contact info:

The longer I worked on it, the more it just seemed to take a free-fall straight into the shitter. Of course I didn't really have the luxury of taking long breaks from it, except to go to work. When I put it down and come back to it is when I'm able to better ferret out mistakes, as opposed to when I'm in a hurry, and I make mindless boo-boos.

Anyway, best of luck to everyone, and here's hoping I can do a better job on the next one.

Test.

2009-03-02T11:55:00.000-06:00

I think I broke my blog.

General Chow Cont'd

2009-02-28T17:54:00.011-06:00

Ditched the trashcan lid, at least for now. I'm just gonna see where this thing takes me. It's amazing how much you learn when doing stuff like this, like how much I love the lasso tool. I used to feel like a cheat, using it to fix my proportions, but really it's a time-saver.

These are the last progress shots I'm gonna post here for now. Don't have a lot of spare time, sadly. If you want to see how the comp is going, go here and jump to the end of the thread for the newest posts.

I don't tend to listen to upbeat music much, but Lenka has been my best friend over these past couple of days. Sure, I only discovered her because I was watching Grey's, but it's not often that a song hits me like Trouble Is A Friend did.

I just freaking wish iTunes would stop getting the BSOD shits. I've been subsisting off of IMEEM and Pandora, and it's making me crazy. Boo.

On the other hand, they use less RAM. Yay!

Peace out.

I'm A Bear!

2009-02-28T10:47:00.005-06:00

No more thumbnails. If I waste time on that when I know what I want is right in front of me, I'll never finish.

Still looks like a bear, but hey, it's a sketch.

And so beginneth the fun. Beginneth wasn't a word before, but I now declare that it is, in fact, a word.

Thumbnailing

2009-02-28T02:52:00.006-06:00

Just a brief update. I didn't get to do much yesterday because I was tired in the morning and then I had to work all evening. Going to sleep a bit this morning and see what I can do once I wake up.

This is only a thumbnail. I was gonna do more, but I'm kind of liking what's here. Plus, I don't have much time to waste on piddling crap elsewhere in the image. I know it won't be a winner, but I have to start somewhere:

As it stands, he looks less like a chow and more like a bear. This is just a sketch, though. I'll fix his face when I have my composition going. I still have to decide whether or not I want to make him tubbier. I like the idea of a big, fat general, but at the same time, they have to look like an army would follow them to the ends of the earth, and I can't see an army following a big schlub around.

But with body language, you can do most anything, so we'll see.

Here's hoping the day ahead will bring better results.

General Chow

2009-02-26T23:32:00.005-06:00

Well, I don't know if I'll be able to finish on time, but I'm going to give the war general mini-comp the old college try.

I didn't want to draw a human because every freaking person in the universe was drawing a human, and that's all I ever draw. I need to challenge myself more. Then I decided I wanted to draw a walrus, but someone already posted one of those early on and I didn't want to go down that road for fear of being called a copy-cat.

I decided on an afghan hound, but after looking at them, I thought they were a little too knightly for the whole rough-and-ready motif that I was going for. I browsed through a few more dog breeds and came upon the chow chow, which absolutely fits that aesthetic. I tried drawing both, just to be sure this was what I wanted, and dare say I enjoyed drawing the chow so much more, so that's what I'm going to stick with:

Here's hoping I can pry a miracle out of my ass.

Monkey!

2009-02-25T16:34:00.010-06:00

I haven't dreamt in so long. Granted, I've had plenty of nightmares, but it's usually recurring and I don't tend to remember too many details when I wake up. The dream I had last night was pretty vivid, though. It was like watching a side-scrolling game, featuring a little monkey girl that I decided to scribble out before I completely forgot about her:

It's not exact, and I still have to work at her a bit to bring her closer to what I remember seeing. Her ears are also too big, making her look like a mouse more than anything else.

Protip: It's good to look at a picture of what you're trying to draw before you draw it, lest you wind up like those artists back in the olden days who didn't know how the hell to paint a lion because cameras hadn't been invented yet.

Okay, that wasn't the only reason, but you get the idea.

Itteh Bitteh Kitteh Teefs

2009-02-25T11:45:00.002-06:00

It's not terribly often I come across something so jarringly awesome that I have to immediately set out to spread the word as much as I possibly can, but today is one of those days.

If you're not reading Tiny Kitten Teeth, you probably should be.

You should also peruse the artist's dA gallery for good measure.

Hot Dog!

2009-02-25T00:00:00.006-06:00

Okay, I'm back. But only for a second. If you haven't seen it at Kotaku yet, look at it now. I hereby proclaim this ad to be one of the greatest (or at least the most amusing) things ever:

Force-A-Nature

I could go on and on about how much I adore the stylings of TF2, but I can't remain conscious for that long. At least not tonight.

Good Luck, Bart!

2009-02-24T22:22:00.014-06:00

I was looking through some pages from the Xenogears - Perfect Works art book a couple of days ago and boy, that sure brought back memories. It's nice to see the artwork that never makes it into the game, but even more than that, I was amused by some of Kunihiko Tanaka's drawings of Margie:

The humor inherent in these serves as a good reminder that artists shouldn't always take themselves too seriously, really. I mean, I did that and wound up in a slump for almost four years. Yes, it takes a hell of a lot of work to make it in the industry, but I worried about producing 100% polished work 100% of the time, and I burned myself out before I even left college. So yeah, no more of that.

I was going to work on my entry for the Dom War mini-comp today, but after a lengthy scrap with my computer, I decided that just doing a sketch was more my speed. So, inspired by Tanaka-san's drawings, I bring you Marguerite, Holy Terror of Nisan:

Come on, I'm sure anyone who's played Xenogears remembers Margie and her Ineffectual Stars of Lamey Lameness. She was right there as you got your butt kicked by Ramsus in Bledavik. Those were good times.

I'm half-tempted to drag my copy out of the mothballs now, but I still need to finish Odin Sphere.

Beanie (my pet red-bellied parrot) was with me the whole time I was drawing, critiquing away:

Of course, any parrot owner knows that they love to make their opinion known 24/7. They also like to chew on things. The more expensive, the better. Let this serve as a testament to Wacom and the quality of their pens. The eraser on my stylus managed to hold up quite admirably to Beanie's assault, and this is the first real damage it's suffered in the 7 years I've had it.

Good stuff.

Yeah.

Time for sleep. Peace out, all.

-Amy/fusspot

Dominance War Mini: War Generals

2009-02-24T09:35:00.006-06:00

So, the first mini-competition before the main Dominance War event is in full-swing. I'm pretty sure I want to enter this year, but I'm still intimidated. Everyone's bringing out the big guns and I have no idea how I'm going to be able to compete.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose.

Even if you don't enter yourself, you should at least check out some of the competition. I'm going to be rolling with the cats at GameArtisans if I do wind up entering, and if you compare the genius popping up at that board with the piddling bits I've posted here, you can certainly see why I'm worried.

Cheers to the other competitors, and here's hoping they don't rip me a new one.

&hearts,

Amy/fusspot

"The Bachelor"? Pshaw.

2009-02-23T20:08:00.009-06:00

Yup...nothing quite like sitting down in front of the old tube on a Monday night, watching women verbally feast upon each other's rotting carcasses like a pack of starving hyenas.

I now remember why I hardly ever turn on the TV save for Thursday's obligatory Ugly Betty viewing.

In other news, I finally picked up the latest issue of Hi-Fructose and was ecstatic to find a feature on Camilla d'Errico. When you look at her work, you can instantly see why, when I first saw her work, I finally didn't feel like such a weirdo for drawing what I do. Granted, I know it takes a lot of work to be embraced by the fine arts community, but I also know there's hope for me in arenas other than those I'd originally aimed for.

That said, have a doodle:

Was worried that I was losing my momentum after spending so long on that Tegaki drawing, but I managed to pick it back up. I started with the creepy-looking guy with the crooked nose at the top and worked my way clockwise. Girl in the front morphed out of a previous sketch, and shirt-dude was referenced from a pose at posemaniacs.com.

Bleh, pretty soon I'll have to try and figure out ways of promoting this blog, once I have more content up, that is.

Meanwhile, I'll be checking out the sketchbooks at concepart.org for some inspiration. Either that, or I'll spend the rest of the night in the fetal position, shuddering in fear of the talent there.

Peace,

Amy/fusspot

I dare you to put more links in a single post.

Noooo, Ingway!!!

2009-02-21T03:45:00.010-06:00

Mercedes: "Excuse me, Pooka, what's in this stew?"
Pooka Kitchen Chef: "Why, frog legs! It's a new recipe! Do you like it?"
Mercedes: [bent over, puking her guts out]

Excuse Me, Whats In The Stew? by ~fusspot on deviant ART

I'm absolutely hell-bent on beating Odin Sphere. I bought it months ago, but shit happened and I kinda lost track of time. I'm back on it though, and the more I play teh game, the more I like it. Although, I thought I was going to hate Mercedes the moment I started playing her, but she's really grown on me. The challenges inherent in her character have proven to be more of a delight than anything. I haven't felt so much like I've been playing a button-masher during her book.

Anyway, this is the result of about 6 hours of work, off and on as I went back and forth between playing the game and drawing.

This just in: Tegaki E is not for pussies.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to sleep, and pray that my fingers uncramp themselves during the night.

Catbonnet Coma

2009-02-19T19:25:00.005-06:00

It's been the longest time since I broke down and just drew on whatever I could get my hands on. Taking my sketchbook to work is a bit clumsy because I work at a checkstand and not a desk, but I'm so tired of being uncreative that I finally broke down and drew on a scrap of receipt tape:

It started as something else, but it gradually morphed into a fat housecat/person/thinger in a bonnet. What?

Honestly, the last four years since I graduated from college have felt like I've been in something of a coma. Granted, I don't know what an actual coma is like, but without my creativity it just seems I've gone from day to day without really living at all. Doesn't feel very good.

Anyway, this last doodle may be crappy, but it's a start.

Housekeeping, Cont'd

2009-02-17T16:29:00.012-06:00

For months now, I've been meaning to set up my studio space. It's just a corner in the basement with no natural light, but I'm a cave troll anyway, and it's not like I'll be keeping plants down there. Just this last week I finally got around to sorting out some stuff. It's been filled with boxes since I moved in at the beginning of October, but I got a bug up my ass to clean it out, and this is what it looks like now:

There's still some junk burying my work surfaces, but I'm going to be hunting around for some (hopefully) cheap shelving that'll solve that problem. Then I'll be left with a nice spot to sculpt and another surface for painting smaller items.

And just for the record, the offending boxes of junk:

They take up more space than you might think. And hey, if you know anyone who wants something like 20 issues of Shojo Beat, vol. 1 of Wolf's Rain or some old graphic novels (and I forget which ones they are right now), you know where to find me.

Meanwhile, I have big plans (I hope) for that big canvas in the corner, once I finish up some commission work, that is. I've been plotting for a few months in fact, but I never had the time nor the space to work. I feel good about this year, though. I'm drawing again, which is something I haven't done regularly in ages.

I sketched this out before my latest five-month slump. It's a stereotypical magazine study, but something about the girl in the ad struck me in particular:

I wish I knew who she was. I'm pretty sure I cut her out of an issue of W magazine, but I'll be damned if I can remember what month it was from. I guess I'll just have to dig.

Anyway, that was a mouthful, but an exciting mouthful. I don't think I can recall the last time I ever attempted to regularly post about my life or my art. I've been spread so thin. It's easy to do these days, with all the social networking sites, blogs, image hosts, you name it. I certainly want to branch out again in the future, but I think I need to focus right now.

With any luck, I can keep this going.

&hearts,
Amy/Fusspot

PS: I want to apologize in advance for the watermarks on my images. I don't like having to put them there, but I feel the need to be proactive in protecting the content I post on my site, be it my art or just some photos. You all deserve to see things in the best possible way I can present them, but there's assmonkeys out there who'll use any opportunity to exploit another's hard work.

Thanks for understanding.

Housekeeping

2009-02-17T15:00:00.005-06:00

Blah.

I think that pretty much sums up how I feel. I meant to get so much more drawing done today, but of course my mind started to wander, as it often has a tendency to do. First I wanted to look for an image viewer I could use with Painter to display references and always have them on top. I found one that works delightfully well (IrfanView), but then I had to go and use it to browse files in my folders, camera, etc, which essentially helped me blow an hour or two.

In doing this, however, I came to realize how much crap I hang onto. I've always had this obsession with not losing anything that I've done, making sure it's accessible at any given time, to the point where in exploring my hard drive, my Photobucket account, Facebook, MySpace, etc, I've discovered that I saved several items at least four or five times in different places.

Obsessive, non?

What bothers me most is I wasted time looking for another free image host when I really wasn't all that unhappy with Photobucket in the first place. The only problem is that it was cluttered to hell with stuff I didn't really care about. Yeah, sure, I think I just about obliterated every entry in my Xanga by getting rid of all of those images, but hey, I don't really use Xanga anymore either.

I think I'm starting to figure out why I haven't drawn or painted anything serious for years, now. Constantly looking back on what you've done and obsessing over how crappy it looks is useless. Fretting does nothing. Time to simplify and move the hell on.

Yeah, I feel blah. But it's a good blah.

Testpost

2008-12-12T08:43:00.003-06:00

Bam.

Forgot I even had this thing.

Let's do this.