dubiouslog

On Friday I’ll finally have my laptop back :> finally

In the meanwhile, three illustrations for Friday’s exam. All of them are watercolors on A4.

Fried Earth (on global warming). Of course the background is a texture, the original has a white background.

City of Tetris (on sustainable development). I like how this one turned out.

Solar-powered (on solar energy). A bit sloppy in places, but it’s still good enough I hope.

still twelve more to go. lucky me that I brought Jeel’s tablet with me so I can make something digital too.

For Kuroda_Taiki. Froslass is fun to paint :D
also, rescanned version of the Xivilai from a few posts below. My parents’ scanner sucks, this one matches the colors of the original much more closely.

To do list for this week:

1. At least ten drypoint illustrations for that school project. Remember that book about robots? After much thinking, I ended up changing my theme.  It would have been almost impossible to make a tiny illustrated book fit seamlessly with my huge sci-fi canon, especially since said canon is always developing. So I decided to illustrate “The weasel and Aphrodite”, a tale from Aesop. It’s about a weasel who falls in love with a man, gets turned into a beautiful girl from Aphrodite and almost manages to marry his love…were not for the fact that she’s still a weasel in her mind, so when a mouse runs by during her wedding, she begins to chase the mouse and blows up her cover. More about it later.
2. More illustrations for school, blah blah blah
3. A painting for Cercatesori
4. Two more paintings. Their subjects are VERY bizarre, I won’t tell you what they are to not ruin the surprise. I don’t know if I’ll manage to finish them for this week but hey, I can try.

Check this out: drypoint illustrations!

This is that weasel I was talking about a few weeks ago. Although I like the result, I may just go with a pencil illustration for the fanlisting layout. It would look a lot more precise on the very small dimensions I’m used to work with (this is barely as large as a postal stamp).
Though my teacher told me that she could make me try metal incision, which apparently allows for a much higher precision in print. Basically I could
show off my skills with tiny artworks without losing any details. That would require a different kind of equipment, though. I can hope, ok?

This is an illustration made for a book which will be presented on this class’ final exam. I’m following a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk theme with robots because you know how I am. I’m titling it “Electrical mind”.

abrupt change of tone: this is the cutest thing on Earth
awwwwww

I’M NOT DEAD
just been busy with those exams. man. couldn’t get any sleep for days. but now they’re gone! so I can get back to my usual work. I’ve got stuff that’s on hold since a few months now - both for me and for other people. lots of stuff. you’ll see soon.

ANYWAY, SCANS?

This and the following two were made for that techniques exam. They are actually renditions of photos found on the web, so if you search hard enough you should be able to find the references. In any case, fennecs are the most adorable animals ever. Who could hate a fennec?

mantissss
her shadow was fun to draw

A random mask. Mostly for the shadows.

I think they turned out well. At least, the teacher seemed very pleased. He was all omg these are so great yet you’re so young, and you’re even mostly self-taught, you’ve got a bright future ahead…quite an ego boost. See, there are some times in which I don’t know if I can really make a living out of my artwork or I’m just a waste of time and money. Harsh, I know, but sometimes looking at the works of other people I get the impression my work is…not bad, but not good enough either, or at least not as good as theirs. Then sometimes I have to deal with the occasional flamer/hater/whatever, and even though I don’t care about what they say I cannot help but think that there’s people out there who hate me with passion.
What I wanted to say is that I’m happy to receive unexpected appraise, ok? This got a bit off track.

I have no idea, the second before I was working on the exam, the second after I was painting this. You and your magical tricks.
As a side note, this is also incredibly tiny. Smaller than a finger. What’s with me and small-sized drawings?

I don’t feel like writing about those projects now, though. I still have to leave the ideas bubble a bit before writing them down. But you’re all used to it, isn’t it? I mean, to me never being coherent. :B

I have to work on two upcoming exams, but here we go, sudden outburst of creativity to put on hold. Classic. Well that was a fitting metaphor.

Anyway, one of these exams is also about art techniques and stuff. I had to pick some photos and make them into artworks. Pegaso gave me a nice shot of Madonna to work with, and this is what I got:

I didn’t even know I could actually do something like this, so I’m glad it came out so good, but I don’t think I’ll be using this technique again - way too boring for me, I want to have fun drawing. Though I have to admit that the hair was fun.

The next post will be about those projects I’m aching to work on. It will probably involve some thinking up loud, so I’ll be needing your support. :>

Weird feeling, being free from exams after two months of working nonstop. It’s like I can actually do whatever I want for a while without feeling guilty for not working on school stuff! :D
must…not…procrastinate

SAID WHICH, A FEW ARTWORKS

These are taken straight out from that character design exam, so ignore the notes in the first one. Her name is Sheila and she’s a spy. I quite like her as a character, so I might keep her for some comics in the future. also, she’s so cool she has no feet!!11
seriously, what was I thinking

it’s incredible, I’ve been playing Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind since I was seven or eight and I never thought to actually draw the little guy. I don’t get why there’s so much hate towards him. :<

AND WE’RE BACK
this is also an accurate answer as to how can I draw so much of him

Now this one has a bit of a story. I drew the original lineart in my sketchbook in January, re-drew it on watercolor paper later, left this second lineart untouched for about two months, finally colored it some weeks ago and left the finished drawing to rot on a pile of paper in a corner. Then some days ago I was looking for something in that mess and the drawing fell right between the table and the wall and had to retrieve it making a hook out of some steel wire and a ruler, losing a screw from my glasses in the process. Insane, I know. Anyway, I guess it was worth the effort?

Next post will be about my Platinum team.

YOU GUYS
HOW DO YOU DARE PASS ON VIDEOGAME MUSIC
I HATE YOU ALL, I’M GONNA CUT MYSELF NOW
hahahah no just kidding
you’re the only ones losing from this anyway >)

In any case, here goes the artwork post! I gave an exam today so I’ve got some free time tonight, let’s make the best out of it, but be wary: this is going to be wacky and weird, please fasten your belts, thank you.

TOLD YOU
I have no idea what this is about but I sort of like it

Here the idea was to draw Flint sitting on some doorsteps taking a cup of coffee from Volkner, and ended up studying how could I make it work. It should be able to stretch that way.

having at least one Samus drawing in each artwork post is a must

if you ever meet a young red-haired man claiming to have something in common with a blue punching-bag thingy please don’t offer him any alcohol
after a drink he wanted me to draw a Rhyperior by memory

SEVEN SECONDS

Pokémon Platinum nonsense

These are all part of an assignment that was due last week. Basically the teacher gave us these sketches from which we had to develop some characters. As you can see, I had quite some fun.
also the fourth one is not really a character and the situation is not really imaginary. I’d say it’s definitely not imaginary. dammit

This painting was part of today (well, as I write it’s already yesterday)’s exam. I had some paper birds I could put on the top of this so they would appear in the jungle and such, but as of now those birds are…well…let’s say they had a hard day and they’re needing some sleep. read also: I’M NOT PUTTING THEM ON AGAIN, SORRY
also, sorry for the quality :( couldn’t get a better shot

the best part of that exam was when the teacher referred to Flint as a she. tee hee tee hee

why Volkner I didn’t know you were such a sissy

I AM SO PROUD OF THIS
(also drawing mancrotches is fun)

most of you already saw these but I’m reposting them anyway. I wasn’t joking when I said I wanted to build a fanlisting for those two, it’s what I’m doing, and I want to have a sprite adoption center in it. Now you know what these are for.
Also, I’m working on more Volkner and Flint artworks. I’ve got sketches for five of them right now, just so you know.

Let’s end this post with the infamous sneezing chair. Today I had a meeting with an illustrator and while I was there I heard a sneeze coming from a place where no one was sitting. I therefore resolved it must have been the chair. (gotta change drug dealer lol)

ok so this was one huge art post. am I forgetting something? probably.
AH YES

BYE

you know what? Ubuntu is a great system and stuff but its scanning utility simply sucks. And if someone tells you that’s just “difficult to use” is lying. I know how to bypass horrible interfaces, I mean, I was using The GIMP five years ago when it had the most confusing interface ever conceived, and even like this I often ended up fine-tuning everything until I had a perfect preview only to get an ugly mess of an actual scan. In the end I gave up with setting everything up before scanning and had to retouch everything afterwards, but doesn’t it defeat the point of having, you know, scanning options?
The funniest part is that this utility’s name is XSANE. yeah. talk about my mental sanity.

Now with the artwork:

Let’s start from the artworks I made for this exam whose results I’ll get to know on Monday. This was supposed to be a background for some cartoon. No, it’s not really going to be used in a cartoon, but still :B

A cartoon-esque Death Valley. This was made on black paper, so you know why the colors look that way.

Another idea for the Death Valley. There would be more sketches but they’re not really worth looking at, so.

The final work for the exam was about choosing a song and making some evocative backgrounds inspired by the lyrics. My song of choice was Pearls of Light by Within Temptation. Tons of better songs out there, but you know how it goes, its lyrics were short enough to have each artwork match some part of the song and they setted both the scene and the mood, so.
This one matches the first part of the song: “After the cold, the darkness in the heart of the forest”.

“Where birds are singing for the newborn sun”

“In the womb of the leaves, on the branches of the trees
Lies the treasure in the morning, the pearls of light”

“Carried away by the traculence of my world, I got lost in the search for the enlightment
The blue rain covered my roots and I forgot where I came from”
quite my favorite. the teacher liked this one better than the others too. Her only critique was that the huge difference between the lighter drawings and the darker ones could make people for which I could be working in the future object that they don’t look like works from the same person. Well, here I was experimenting a bit with techniques, but she’s right. I need to work more on consistency.

random doodles ahead
(hi there Flareon)

PARASOL WADDLE DEE

I’m in ur interwebz
maeking ur teeth rot

Do Sparkies look like mice? VG says they do. I’m not really getting it.

you may be forgetting something Meta Knight
aren’t you forgetting something

I don’t know if this should be cute or scary
By the way, up until now I thought Kirby was the one fandom completely porn-free. Well…I was wrong. Now I want to poke my eyes out for what I saw/read because seriously. Kirby porn. What may be next? Smut involving a phone and a cube? D:

AND NOW, FOR THE MONOCHROMATIC STAINS ANIMATION PROJECT
HERE COMES THE MAIN CHARACTER!
who is way too handsome to die after only three minutes. :( I’M SORRY

that’s it
oh and I’ve added a link to JaN aka K aka Kane aka … ’s blog. :D

Should post later and should post more. I’ve got a few issues I’d like to write about. Also read: you’re going to be bored. :B

isn’t this just one of the best engrish out there? it makes me crack up every time. lol thundercrap.

On website-related news, I updated two of my fanlistings. Now Clear Bell has got some sprites for linking back, as I noticed other webmasters like to link to their affiliates using these sprites. Scroll down the page to see them. Yeah I know this makes it look like it’s a Kris fanlisting but I really don’t know what other sprite could be Pokémon Crystal’s symbol, aside from the silhouette of Suicune running. Maybe those Suicune sprites from the opening?
I AM² got a big update, as I added some screenshots and made The Birth of Mewtwo available for downloading in both Japanese and English. I also wanted to upload a subbed Japanese version but couldn’t find the translated script anywhere. Anyway, the point is that while I was looking for that on the Internet I found a great piece of writing about Mewtwo and his connections to Frankenstein’s monster. Apparently, this was a university school project from 2007. Good stuff, really. Any Mewtwo fan should take a good read at this.

This also makes me think that I could write about the Pokémon phenomenon for my next exam. after all, the exam is about pop culture, and there’s nothing I know better than Pokémon in pop culture. yeah, I could really do that.

As for that anatomy exam, I didn’t pass it, and I’m still feeling shit for that. This may sound as making up an excuse but really, I didn’t deserve that. The teacher said my work was too theoretical and then that it was too complex and too simple and…yes, he’s been a total asshole. I made some stuff which looked exactly like on the anatomy book I used as a reference. What can I say, I’ll have to repeat that exam all over again just because of his inability of judgement. So I’m not really in the best mood lately. Not the worst but by any means not the best either.
Other than this, there were two more things that really pissed me off. First, the whole absence deal. See, attending classes in my school is obligatory, and if you miss too many lessons your marks will decrease no matter of how good you are. This is how it works in theory. Then this girl makes some awesome work for the exam and, though she had more absences than everyone else, she still got the maximum. I don’t want to question her ability because she fully deserved that mark; I’m questioning the teacher’s judgement, because some other people actually had their marks decreased for much less. Not fair at all. Also, it looked like the teacher already knew what marks he was going to give. I mean, he didn’t even look at one girl’s work. Is this some sort of a sick joke?
I really hope he’s the only teacher like that because if that’s not the case I may have to reconsider my school choices.

As you can imagine, the rest of the day utterly sucked for me as I couldn’t stop thinking about my failure and about what my parents would have said (though in the end they were a lot more supportive than what I would have expected). Also, on the same day I apparently forgot my favorite pencils while leaving the class. Nice.
I wouldn’t want to completely forget that day though.

On a brighter note, I was thinking about what to do with Blind Dreaming. I decided that the main site is going to have all the artwork and stuff; the collective is going to be linked in the main site but will also have its own name and layout, a bit like Plushies’ Rainbow for Angeltower Page. Good thing is that I may have some nice ideas for the name.

Anyway, my last post is still there for you to comment. You don’t have to comment on the latest post about the older ones, as Wordpress alerts me of any new comment in any post. What I’m really waiting for is Ellemme’s post, but I know you’re very busy lately, isn’t it? Take your time. :)

Artwork post later and sorry for writing too much.

anatomy. D:
though I’m actually at a good point with that exam

ON OTHER NEWS, ART POST!

Let’s start with a certain bounty hunter

These may be two of my very favorite Samus renditions to date. I also forgot to put that reference sheet back in my block after scanning it so if I got wrong some details you know why. I’m stupid. :B
also, I was making another fine artwork of her with the tablet at school, but then Photoshop froze. on a mac. either macs are not as stable as they say or I’m ridiculously full of failure.

Some hand studies for school. the model was my left hand, thus explaining why fingers look so stubby. I’M UGLY AND I’VE GOT UGLY HANDS, K? XD

Last Friday there was a three-hour gap between one class and the other and I was feeling bold enough to spend those hours in the park even though it was freezing cold. These two drawings are among what I did that day. The first one is apparently a male black redstart. man. he couldn’t stay still for more than five seconds. he liked to get as near to me as possible and then fly away when I started drawing him, hence the title of this entry. >(

School assignment. so cute it’s depressing. if you can’t tell, Ai is actually a figment of Mewtwo’s imagination here.
the worst part about this is, it took about one hour and looks WAY better than any Frozen Truth artwork. this is both awesome and frustrating.
also: Denise, this is what I was talking about before! :D you can post it in Copycat’s gallery, if you want.

I already said it before, but I’m also working on the very early stages of an animation project. The finished work will be a hand-drawn music video of Monochromatic Stains by Dark Tranquillity. yes Ellemme you’ve heard me. I’ll post the script in my next entry. :)

ALSO, IT COULD SNOW AGAIN TONIGHT