I had a terrible nightmare about being attacked by a T-1000. We got him stuck in a closet and escaped only to have biological warfare zombies come after us! There was a long sequence in which I was in a library and frenzied people were outside. We made a slow retreat (we being me and lots of the MFA's) and then I woke up in a sweat.
I spent today cleaning house. My room was a wreck. Tidied up, cleaned the kitchen, cut out some stuff from magazines, threw out the trash. Did something so not finals to distract from, well, finals. I will document Monday morning, that is my plan. The whole weekend now is set aside for my grand illustration piece. Whoohooo!
Did I mention that there was a redshirt in Star Trek? There totally was a redshirt.
I had a date tonight. Ohhh! How exciting. It was with Travis, the comic liker and animation major from AI. We met at my place at around 8pm and walked up to 21st. The Spike and Mike Animation Festival was playing at Cinema 21 so we went to catch that. We arrived early so we had some tea and Italian soda at Coffee Time. The Spike and Mike festival was very wonderful. Just lots of weird little shorts. Some were sweet but most were weird and a few were just plain gross. But hey, a reaction is still a reaction. My favorite was Aurthur De Pins's Crab Revolution:
Afterwards we walked back and had a pitcher of beer at Goose Hollow Inn. We talked mostly about art and our different approaches to it. Art is wonderful. We both like it. And comics. And school. Yup. After our single little pitcher we decided to take a walk up Washington Park. It was a lovely clear night but it got really chilly. Still we sat on the swings and the bench and shivered and chattered until we could take it no more. With Lucky Luna print in his hand, we parted ways (he only lives about 5 blocks away).
It was a nice little date. I like taking walks around Portland. If only I was in better walking shape (biking yes, walking no). Now to dream hopefully nice dreams.
hi
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
STAR TREK!!! COMICS!!! PERCEIVERS!!! YEAHHH!!
STAR TREK WAS AWESOME! The new movie, oh so very good. Great action and all that. Clean effects, lovely casting, nice references to the original series without being out of place. Waah! Saw Midnight showing even though there were ones all through the day for some reason. I am PUMPED!
I slept in because math was just the cube. Whatever. Had a tuna fish. I can solve the cube in under 3 minutes. I even got it under 2. Amazing.
Digital illustration was frustrating. I started over and started over again. I just can't get my head around the project. Had to take a mental break and talk to the crew in the library.
Oh and Simon Pegg was wonderful as Scotty. It was just, ahh. The audience was excellent. There were cheers when lines were said and when some characters showed up. There was even a hot green skin red hair alien. Sylar as Spock was seamless. Leonard Nimoy was there as well. Time travel! Phasers set to stun! Hitting on sexy alien chicks!
It was First Thursday as well and that brought around crackers and cheese for the Illustration Juried Show. We had a little table and everybody gathered around and snacked. Terry, Matt, Nathalie, Amanda, Erin, Karen, Dom, Sally Jablonski, Jen, myself. You know, the crew. Everyone who showed and got in got a free sketchbook! There were even moleskins to grab so I now have a shiny new moleskin to draw in. Fancy. The awards were also given out:
Bronze: Karen's Hank Williams silkscreen poster.
Silver: Jen Lee's watercolor collage Clint Eastwood
Gold: Erin's watercolor portrait of a lady singer that I forget.
Honorable Mentions: Matt's Mama Cass and Trillian's Katie with Jade Plants.
That's right. I got honorable mention! Which means out of the top 5 pieces, mine was around 4 or 5. This show was juried by high ups from around the country that Martin brought in. People totally unaware of us, just looking at the cohesiveness of the piece. And I was high up on the list! AWESOME!
I stuffed my face and Karen, Erin, Erin's boy and I walked down to Floating World Comics. We ran into Shaun, the math teacher, and I declared how fast I could solve the cube. Morgan has a show at one of the galleries and looking at his paintings and prints, it makes perfect sense. Fits just wonderfully in accordance with who he is.
Floating World Comics has a Kitty Pryde inspired show which the proceeds from the print sales are going to fund research concerning hemophilia. Kitty Pryde is a member of the X-Men. She is the one who can go through walls. So it was tons of different artists all drawing her in whatever way they wanted. It was really cool. I can't wait to check it out when it is more vacant. Farel had a piece, Matthew Seely had a piece, Zachary Baldus had a piece, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Joelle Jones, Nathan Powell, and just more and more. It was real neat. Karen bought a silkscreen. We walked back up and talked about our plans for our own comic/art/print collective we are forming: The Perceivers.
It was a surprisingly easy ride back home. Relaxed. Ate some pasta. Katie and her friend Eric are going to see The Shins tonight. At 11:20 I met up with Karen and we drove to the Lloyd 10. There was a slight panic at the sight of a full parking lot but there was a 11pm show. We were in the massive theatre and found side seats pretty easily. STAR TREK WAS AWESOME!! The audience cheered and clapped. A guy had a lightsaber which he whipped out during the trailer for the second Night at the Museum movie. He brought it out only once when Darth Vader came on screen. It was awesome. It really got the energy going. Nerd audiences are the best. When the movie was over, all I could say was how brilliant it was. Ahhh I just want to see it AGAIN! Go see it people, it is way neat.
I have to document my work over the weekend. And finish my illustration. After that it is just study for group theory and finish digital and turn in said documentation. Endgame for my fourth semester at PNCA. I will be a junior. I will have one year until my senior thesis. I am half way done. I am halfway done and getting honorable mentions in juried shows and selling my comics and forming collectives.
I slept in because math was just the cube. Whatever. Had a tuna fish. I can solve the cube in under 3 minutes. I even got it under 2. Amazing.
Digital illustration was frustrating. I started over and started over again. I just can't get my head around the project. Had to take a mental break and talk to the crew in the library.
Oh and Simon Pegg was wonderful as Scotty. It was just, ahh. The audience was excellent. There were cheers when lines were said and when some characters showed up. There was even a hot green skin red hair alien. Sylar as Spock was seamless. Leonard Nimoy was there as well. Time travel! Phasers set to stun! Hitting on sexy alien chicks!
It was First Thursday as well and that brought around crackers and cheese for the Illustration Juried Show. We had a little table and everybody gathered around and snacked. Terry, Matt, Nathalie, Amanda, Erin, Karen, Dom, Sally Jablonski, Jen, myself. You know, the crew. Everyone who showed and got in got a free sketchbook! There were even moleskins to grab so I now have a shiny new moleskin to draw in. Fancy. The awards were also given out:
Bronze: Karen's Hank Williams silkscreen poster.
Silver: Jen Lee's watercolor collage Clint Eastwood
Gold: Erin's watercolor portrait of a lady singer that I forget.
Honorable Mentions: Matt's Mama Cass and Trillian's Katie with Jade Plants.
That's right. I got honorable mention! Which means out of the top 5 pieces, mine was around 4 or 5. This show was juried by high ups from around the country that Martin brought in. People totally unaware of us, just looking at the cohesiveness of the piece. And I was high up on the list! AWESOME!
I stuffed my face and Karen, Erin, Erin's boy and I walked down to Floating World Comics. We ran into Shaun, the math teacher, and I declared how fast I could solve the cube. Morgan has a show at one of the galleries and looking at his paintings and prints, it makes perfect sense. Fits just wonderfully in accordance with who he is.
Floating World Comics has a Kitty Pryde inspired show which the proceeds from the print sales are going to fund research concerning hemophilia. Kitty Pryde is a member of the X-Men. She is the one who can go through walls. So it was tons of different artists all drawing her in whatever way they wanted. It was really cool. I can't wait to check it out when it is more vacant. Farel had a piece, Matthew Seely had a piece, Zachary Baldus had a piece, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Joelle Jones, Nathan Powell, and just more and more. It was real neat. Karen bought a silkscreen. We walked back up and talked about our plans for our own comic/art/print collective we are forming: The Perceivers.
It was a surprisingly easy ride back home. Relaxed. Ate some pasta. Katie and her friend Eric are going to see The Shins tonight. At 11:20 I met up with Karen and we drove to the Lloyd 10. There was a slight panic at the sight of a full parking lot but there was a 11pm show. We were in the massive theatre and found side seats pretty easily. STAR TREK WAS AWESOME!! The audience cheered and clapped. A guy had a lightsaber which he whipped out during the trailer for the second Night at the Museum movie. He brought it out only once when Darth Vader came on screen. It was awesome. It really got the energy going. Nerd audiences are the best. When the movie was over, all I could say was how brilliant it was. Ahhh I just want to see it AGAIN! Go see it people, it is way neat.
I have to document my work over the weekend. And finish my illustration. After that it is just study for group theory and finish digital and turn in said documentation. Endgame for my fourth semester at PNCA. I will be a junior. I will have one year until my senior thesis. I am half way done. I am halfway done and getting honorable mentions in juried shows and selling my comics and forming collectives.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
blue ink, my new foe!
Arrived at school in time for a supposed comic class meeting. Then no one else was around. Grabbed some cocoa and a muffin. And still no one showed up. Uhh. Yeah so later Lacey texted me to inform me that it was delayed till next week. Ha. Okay. Oh well. I was more than on time for the final printmaking critique.
First up was Junko's butterfly piece that felt very trapped. It was registered like a dream. Patrick's piece was confusing both in technique and execution. It was printed on yupo, which didn't take the ink at all and made it very brittle and in need of a spray sealant. The image also didn't read all that well. Bre had a lovely Audrey Hepburn that was critiqued as seeming a little contradictory and unfinished. Still, it was pulled nicely.
Everyone loved Luna! It also probably helped that I handed out the single image posters to bribe everyone. The cat was said to just have an aura of indifference and even when the registration was off, the cat just didn't care. I loved it. One of my favorite critiques. I like that my art brought a little joy to people. Everyone loves it when I give them a poster. I can't print them fast enough, or give them away quick enough. It's great!
Lunch was met with about 20 minutes of comic club where Taylor spaced and didn't show up for. Went and got a burrito after Daniel bought another Luna for a buck (I had given him one, which he gave away, and a second to replace that). Had a delicious burrito.
The other half of critique was Devin, Phil, and Brandon's collaboration zine silkscreen. They worked on making images together and putting them together in a little booklet that folded out into a larger poster. It was so rad. It really came together, which was good because Yoshi had been on their case from the first hint of them working together. The colors really tied it all together I felt. Some of the styles were a little different. It was a neat form of folding, I'll have to look into it. Right now I'm thinking of single image prints I could easily make oodles of. Hmmmn. Diana's 14 color owl print with pretty much perfect registration was met with a, "YOU ARE CRAZY!" I don't know how she got it so impeccable 9besides talent and patience and perfectionism). A really beautiful piece.
We were let out early but I stuck around to print more Lunas. I bought some nicer paper but when I cut it down she didn't quite fit so I don't know how I feel about them. I got a few more newsprint though and used up some ink. Then I was pulling the ink across the screen and DISASTER the block holding the screen up slipped and the screen clattered down and ink got all over me! A huge strip on my shirt and pants! Cherish helped grab my spare shirt out of my bag (I had ink all over my hands) and I dashed to wash the wet ink off my clothes before it stained. It came out of the shirt alright but I needed the private bathroom to remove and wash my pants. The person took forever and I shall name that person: TABOR! Took for freaking ever while the ink began to set. But it all came out. A lot of water and brisk scrubbing in the sink and it came out. It was not fun to wear the sopping wet pants. I just had to wear them long enough to get my yoga pants. Whew for spares!
In yoga duds I cleaned up my station (and washed my screen out which now has an insane big blue stain). Got everything folded. I felt a little doofy but at least I was comfortable.
At a little after 5, I helped set up the Illustration Juried Show! In the hallway! Outside the bathroom! Seriously, someone dropped the ball and we didn't get a halfway decent spot. We had to set up our fancy juried show in the hallway that we normally have for our classes. Bullpucky! Still, I got in. There is some serious talent in the show.
Then yoga! I remembered to do it. A new gal joined us. It wasn't so tough but I was stiff. I gave away prints after the session.
Then it was time to go home and do my laundry. Wash the ink victim pants and shirt and all my other regular dirty clothes. It all came out and they are folded and warm. Mmm.
I get to sleep in tomorrow because it is just a Rubik's cube solving day. I don't really need to spend an hour and a half solving something I can do in 5 minutes without almost any notes. Yeah. Go me.
First up was Junko's butterfly piece that felt very trapped. It was registered like a dream. Patrick's piece was confusing both in technique and execution. It was printed on yupo, which didn't take the ink at all and made it very brittle and in need of a spray sealant. The image also didn't read all that well. Bre had a lovely Audrey Hepburn that was critiqued as seeming a little contradictory and unfinished. Still, it was pulled nicely.
Everyone loved Luna! It also probably helped that I handed out the single image posters to bribe everyone. The cat was said to just have an aura of indifference and even when the registration was off, the cat just didn't care. I loved it. One of my favorite critiques. I like that my art brought a little joy to people. Everyone loves it when I give them a poster. I can't print them fast enough, or give them away quick enough. It's great!
Lunch was met with about 20 minutes of comic club where Taylor spaced and didn't show up for. Went and got a burrito after Daniel bought another Luna for a buck (I had given him one, which he gave away, and a second to replace that). Had a delicious burrito.
The other half of critique was Devin, Phil, and Brandon's collaboration zine silkscreen. They worked on making images together and putting them together in a little booklet that folded out into a larger poster. It was so rad. It really came together, which was good because Yoshi had been on their case from the first hint of them working together. The colors really tied it all together I felt. Some of the styles were a little different. It was a neat form of folding, I'll have to look into it. Right now I'm thinking of single image prints I could easily make oodles of. Hmmmn. Diana's 14 color owl print with pretty much perfect registration was met with a, "YOU ARE CRAZY!" I don't know how she got it so impeccable 9besides talent and patience and perfectionism). A really beautiful piece.
We were let out early but I stuck around to print more Lunas. I bought some nicer paper but when I cut it down she didn't quite fit so I don't know how I feel about them. I got a few more newsprint though and used up some ink. Then I was pulling the ink across the screen and DISASTER the block holding the screen up slipped and the screen clattered down and ink got all over me! A huge strip on my shirt and pants! Cherish helped grab my spare shirt out of my bag (I had ink all over my hands) and I dashed to wash the wet ink off my clothes before it stained. It came out of the shirt alright but I needed the private bathroom to remove and wash my pants. The person took forever and I shall name that person: TABOR! Took for freaking ever while the ink began to set. But it all came out. A lot of water and brisk scrubbing in the sink and it came out. It was not fun to wear the sopping wet pants. I just had to wear them long enough to get my yoga pants. Whew for spares!
In yoga duds I cleaned up my station (and washed my screen out which now has an insane big blue stain). Got everything folded. I felt a little doofy but at least I was comfortable.
At a little after 5, I helped set up the Illustration Juried Show! In the hallway! Outside the bathroom! Seriously, someone dropped the ball and we didn't get a halfway decent spot. We had to set up our fancy juried show in the hallway that we normally have for our classes. Bullpucky! Still, I got in. There is some serious talent in the show.
Then yoga! I remembered to do it. A new gal joined us. It wasn't so tough but I was stiff. I gave away prints after the session.
Then it was time to go home and do my laundry. Wash the ink victim pants and shirt and all my other regular dirty clothes. It all came out and they are folded and warm. Mmm.
I get to sleep in tomorrow because it is just a Rubik's cube solving day. I don't really need to spend an hour and a half solving something I can do in 5 minutes without almost any notes. Yeah. Go me.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
two projects left
I ate a huge bowl of spaghetti like 2 hours ago and now my stomach is grumbling. No fair!
Math was a quiz in group theory to show us just how little we really got it. Then it was question and answer time about the cube. I was golden but I stuck around.
I redid the transfer for my silkscreen. I taped it together before I applied the oil to make the paper transparent. It worked! The only strange part is barely noticeable. Did the emulsion and exposing part and then it was the last student council.
Elections! Nathan came in as mediator, Carlson is the events promoter, and a couple other people. Karen is club coordinator now. Hurrah! I hoped someone would take it over. It is nice being a part of school but I'm not really an organizer type. Karen would be better suited for it.
Just lolled about till class. Helped Karen with her printing. Well half got in her way, half helped haul around her massive screen.
My critique went well. Minor suggestions were given about making the background hazy and not so textured. Everyone seemed really impressed. Well the people that payed attention did. But it's cool, it is hard enough to keep focus in critiques when there isn't a computer in front of you.
Then I printed! And it went fairly well. Took a while to get the stripes to line up with the image. After I printed my edition I printed up about 35 Lucky Luna posters, which are just the image of Luna on newsprint. Wanted to use up the ink. It worked out well. I don't think it is that remarkable of an image but only critique will tell.
Had a huge bowl of spaghetti and sauce for dinner. Nikki stopped by with pizza to share with Katie. She is due to pop her baby out in a month! And Karen is an aunt now! Babies everywhere!
Watched Life Aquatic. So sad, it gets me every time but such a wonderful movie.
The drunks are outside being insanely loud. A car was honking and they were hollering.
I feel that I should write more but after nearly 2 years of mostly daily writing, it is getting tough to get all the details out of a day that is pretty close to other ones I've had. Do you want more explanation of the screenprinting process? More about how I approach art? My theories? My ideas? Gossip?
Math was a quiz in group theory to show us just how little we really got it. Then it was question and answer time about the cube. I was golden but I stuck around.
I redid the transfer for my silkscreen. I taped it together before I applied the oil to make the paper transparent. It worked! The only strange part is barely noticeable. Did the emulsion and exposing part and then it was the last student council.
Elections! Nathan came in as mediator, Carlson is the events promoter, and a couple other people. Karen is club coordinator now. Hurrah! I hoped someone would take it over. It is nice being a part of school but I'm not really an organizer type. Karen would be better suited for it.
Just lolled about till class. Helped Karen with her printing. Well half got in her way, half helped haul around her massive screen.
My critique went well. Minor suggestions were given about making the background hazy and not so textured. Everyone seemed really impressed. Well the people that payed attention did. But it's cool, it is hard enough to keep focus in critiques when there isn't a computer in front of you.
Then I printed! And it went fairly well. Took a while to get the stripes to line up with the image. After I printed my edition I printed up about 35 Lucky Luna posters, which are just the image of Luna on newsprint. Wanted to use up the ink. It worked out well. I don't think it is that remarkable of an image but only critique will tell.
Had a huge bowl of spaghetti and sauce for dinner. Nikki stopped by with pizza to share with Katie. She is due to pop her baby out in a month! And Karen is an aunt now! Babies everywhere!
Watched Life Aquatic. So sad, it gets me every time but such a wonderful movie.
The drunks are outside being insanely loud. A car was honking and they were hollering.
I feel that I should write more but after nearly 2 years of mostly daily writing, it is getting tough to get all the details out of a day that is pretty close to other ones I've had. Do you want more explanation of the screenprinting process? More about how I approach art? My theories? My ideas? Gossip?
Demon Hunter - what do you think?
Final digital illustration with a few enlarger detail shots.
Photoshop.
Monday, May 4, 2009
I accept the things I cannot change, like rain for three days
I got to school when the rain was just beginning to start but it never really let up. It is still drizzling. Boo.
We did a little critique of our next stage. Most of the work turned in wasn't quite on the money in terms of assignment fulfilment. Some had only color studies, some had really rendered final pieces, and some had more of a thumbnail stage(me). We broke for lunch early. Robin was craving Pho so I went with her to Silk to get some to go. It was a little pricy so I dipped into my Stumptown money. It was good though not piping hot. Honestly the Pho Hoa stuff is better, seemed like I got more with it. Still it was a delicious lunch.
Ran into Madeline, who was still on Germany time. Introduced her to Jen so the tweaks of the illustration juried show could be resolved.
Rest of class was open work time. I revised my sketches and took off a little early. Weird that when Joe let us have work time people complained about not using class time and now we are all for it? The difference finals makes.
Madeline and I exchanged cubes and scrambled and solved them. The colors look so odd to me. Took me a while to get oriented.
Read Bangkok Haunts with a passion. Almost done! Just have my digital piece to finalize tomorrow and my silk screen to finish. Over the weekend I will have to do a lot of documentation for class turn in so wow, you might see some of my traditional work!
We did a little critique of our next stage. Most of the work turned in wasn't quite on the money in terms of assignment fulfilment. Some had only color studies, some had really rendered final pieces, and some had more of a thumbnail stage(me). We broke for lunch early. Robin was craving Pho so I went with her to Silk to get some to go. It was a little pricy so I dipped into my Stumptown money. It was good though not piping hot. Honestly the Pho Hoa stuff is better, seemed like I got more with it. Still it was a delicious lunch.
Ran into Madeline, who was still on Germany time. Introduced her to Jen so the tweaks of the illustration juried show could be resolved.
Rest of class was open work time. I revised my sketches and took off a little early. Weird that when Joe let us have work time people complained about not using class time and now we are all for it? The difference finals makes.
Madeline and I exchanged cubes and scrambled and solved them. The colors look so odd to me. Took me a while to get oriented.
Read Bangkok Haunts with a passion. Almost done! Just have my digital piece to finalize tomorrow and my silk screen to finish. Over the weekend I will have to do a lot of documentation for class turn in so wow, you might see some of my traditional work!
lunch with a boy, again
Look at that, it isn't even 12:30am and I'm blogging to say I got my stuff done!
I did five color studies of the shifting light. I didn't do exactly the correct times but I really learned. Each one is different because I didn't get really good shots of the same thing. The assignment was to take a picture of the same thing at 5 different times of the day and do color studies with 12 colors of the shifting light. I did 10am, noon, 2pm, 4pm, and 8pm. We had to do 6am and I thought I took that picture but I couldn't find it. Anyway. Watercolored those up! Took about an hour for each one but I'm fairly happy. Then we had to come up with an image with the thought of "waking up" based on a theme in our photos. Mine had a jade plant so I'm doing a little scene similar to my four color woodblock. Sort of the same angle but with a lady and soft colors.
Today I had another lunch date! Lunch appointment? Uhh. Travis from AI's comic club met me at Stumptown and gave me his card and we decided to meet up for a little late afternoon nosh. We planned on Ole Ole but guess what, I forgot they were closed on Sunday! So we went to a PSU area McMennamin's. I had a milk shake. Jen surprised us and sat next to me and said a quick hello. I'd been caught! With an Art Institute kid! Egads! Nah, it was totally cool. We talked about comics and the differences in school and time based arts and lots of stuff. I showed off my cube solving skills. Well sort of. I got all jumbled when it called for me to perform. It was just a little hour or so long thing. I had homework, he had stuff to assist with, so we parted ways with an agreement to maybe see Spike and Mike's animation festival later on in the week.
Then I did my homework!
Gabe made chicken soup with potatoes. Mmmm. They watched Let the Right One In, a vampire movie I saw months ago with Jen. I took breaks from my painting and watched as well.
I did five color studies of the shifting light. I didn't do exactly the correct times but I really learned. Each one is different because I didn't get really good shots of the same thing. The assignment was to take a picture of the same thing at 5 different times of the day and do color studies with 12 colors of the shifting light. I did 10am, noon, 2pm, 4pm, and 8pm. We had to do 6am and I thought I took that picture but I couldn't find it. Anyway. Watercolored those up! Took about an hour for each one but I'm fairly happy. Then we had to come up with an image with the thought of "waking up" based on a theme in our photos. Mine had a jade plant so I'm doing a little scene similar to my four color woodblock. Sort of the same angle but with a lady and soft colors.
Today I had another lunch date! Lunch appointment? Uhh. Travis from AI's comic club met me at Stumptown and gave me his card and we decided to meet up for a little late afternoon nosh. We planned on Ole Ole but guess what, I forgot they were closed on Sunday! So we went to a PSU area McMennamin's. I had a milk shake. Jen surprised us and sat next to me and said a quick hello. I'd been caught! With an Art Institute kid! Egads! Nah, it was totally cool. We talked about comics and the differences in school and time based arts and lots of stuff. I showed off my cube solving skills. Well sort of. I got all jumbled when it called for me to perform. It was just a little hour or so long thing. I had homework, he had stuff to assist with, so we parted ways with an agreement to maybe see Spike and Mike's animation festival later on in the week.
Then I did my homework!
Gabe made chicken soup with potatoes. Mmmm. They watched Let the Right One In, a vampire movie I saw months ago with Jen. I took breaks from my painting and watched as well.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
five minute monsoon
In honor of my 700th blog post, I did absolutely nothing today! Okay, I did nothing because I just couldn't get up to doing nothing. So used to be slack that I can't unslack myself.
Forgot to mention that yesterday, Katie, Gabe and I went to Goodwill. Katie needed some stuff for a project. We were also going to go to a military surplus store but we spent too much time in Goodwill so that didn't happen. I found this great green corduroy jacket and a gray tiered with a tie to cinch it tank. Took forever to get a dressing room. Seriously, it is Goodwill. You only have to decide if it 1:fits, 2:doesn't have any stains or serious holes, 3:looks a little bit decent. Even then, 3 isn't really needed.
I got into the Illustration Juried Show!! My silkscreen Katie With Jade Plants was the only one of three to get in, which I'm fine with as the other two were digital and would have required that I find a way to print them out all nice like.
It took a long while to get out of bed. It was warm and all that.
I met up with Jason for a lunch date of sorts. It was misting a light rain but we still walked. A little rain never harmed anyone. We met at my place and walked down into the depths of the Pearl District to go to the Tea Zone. I had a black forest ham and cheddar panini and he had the vegetarian panini, it looked good. We shared a pot of green tea. I showed him how awesome I was at solving my Rubik's cube but I forgot a turn in the final step and screwed the whole thing up. Whoops. It was a nice long lunch.
When we went to leave we were met with a helluva sudden storm. We and the other patrons and staff just stood in awe. The door banged and one of the outside chairs was swept away. The rain poured in a violent horizontal and no one could be seen outside. A block away was absorbed in gray. It was really amazing. For about five minutes we chatted with the staff about thunderstorms. Jason bought some loose leaf green tea. It eventually diminished to a soft rain so we ventured over to Oblation so he could pick up a card for his friend's birthday. It had stopped by the time we left to return to the Goose Hollow area. We parted ways as he had a semi surprise party to get to and I had the alleged homework to do.
Which I didn't. I'll do it, no problem. You guys know me well. I think my semesters worth of panic was spent on the comic so right now I have none for my other projects.
Gabe and Katie have been gone for most of the day. Around 9pm it hit me that I'll actually have to cook for myself. Pasta and sauce it was then!
I'm just powering through Bangkok Haunts. Though right now it is reaching its grand finale and the book is leaving me feeling disturbed so I had to put it away. It feels good to read.
I responded to Rustin's email about an internship at his printing press this summer. Hopefully that goes well.
So I didn't actually do nothing today. Just nothing of the stuff that is due Monday or Wednesday.
Forgot to mention that yesterday, Katie, Gabe and I went to Goodwill. Katie needed some stuff for a project. We were also going to go to a military surplus store but we spent too much time in Goodwill so that didn't happen. I found this great green corduroy jacket and a gray tiered with a tie to cinch it tank. Took forever to get a dressing room. Seriously, it is Goodwill. You only have to decide if it 1:fits, 2:doesn't have any stains or serious holes, 3:looks a little bit decent. Even then, 3 isn't really needed.
I got into the Illustration Juried Show!! My silkscreen Katie With Jade Plants was the only one of three to get in, which I'm fine with as the other two were digital and would have required that I find a way to print them out all nice like.
It took a long while to get out of bed. It was warm and all that.
I met up with Jason for a lunch date of sorts. It was misting a light rain but we still walked. A little rain never harmed anyone. We met at my place and walked down into the depths of the Pearl District to go to the Tea Zone. I had a black forest ham and cheddar panini and he had the vegetarian panini, it looked good. We shared a pot of green tea. I showed him how awesome I was at solving my Rubik's cube but I forgot a turn in the final step and screwed the whole thing up. Whoops. It was a nice long lunch.
When we went to leave we were met with a helluva sudden storm. We and the other patrons and staff just stood in awe. The door banged and one of the outside chairs was swept away. The rain poured in a violent horizontal and no one could be seen outside. A block away was absorbed in gray. It was really amazing. For about five minutes we chatted with the staff about thunderstorms. Jason bought some loose leaf green tea. It eventually diminished to a soft rain so we ventured over to Oblation so he could pick up a card for his friend's birthday. It had stopped by the time we left to return to the Goose Hollow area. We parted ways as he had a semi surprise party to get to and I had the alleged homework to do.
Which I didn't. I'll do it, no problem. You guys know me well. I think my semesters worth of panic was spent on the comic so right now I have none for my other projects.
Gabe and Katie have been gone for most of the day. Around 9pm it hit me that I'll actually have to cook for myself. Pasta and sauce it was then!
I'm just powering through Bangkok Haunts. Though right now it is reaching its grand finale and the book is leaving me feeling disturbed so I had to put it away. It feels good to read.
I responded to Rustin's email about an internship at his printing press this summer. Hopefully that goes well.
So I didn't actually do nothing today. Just nothing of the stuff that is due Monday or Wednesday.
May Day Soiree and the end of Focus Week
Didn't take that much to get up for Terry's, even though I was up till 3. I've been totally hooked on Bangkok Haunts. Just powering through it. It is a nice soft read. Anyway, got up for Terry's. Straightened my hair instead of washing it as a preliminary step for later prep for the school dance.
From Burnside, it was a semi drag race between my bicycle and Karen's new Rav4 (new to her, it isn't a new car). I had the benefit of having my lane all to myself so I could keep a constant speed. I beat her by a few seconds. Erin was also in a car but it wasn't a race.
Terry's proposal was that he is doing a series of concept illustrations for The Tempest. He is doing the concepts as a set up for a live adaptation so he will have full costumes and color schemes and all that. He totally killed it. His presentation was clean and clear and he spoke with insight. All the questions were answered in a way that made sense. His panel had Joe and Trevor and so they came at him with the illustrator questions and the literary ones. Morgan was there and just seemed to have fun. It was a lovely proposal. Professional but easy going.
After was the long loiter till lunch. I sat with Daniel, BT, Taylor, and Sean Carney. It was curry and rice and fortune cookie day. Mmm. We sat around for a long time chatting. Daniel has a Becky Cloonan tattoo on his side! I was so excited to see that. BT makes his own moustache wax and sells it. Eventually I rode my bike back home.
Groomed myself, picked through my clothes, read some of my book. Gabe made me a pasta meal that was delicious. I wore my red halter dress that is knee length with the white and blue flower print. I wore my wedge heels with that and just had a light sweater for the bike ride. It was a nice little summer number. The heels/wedges clashed a little with the dress but I made them more.
I arrived early to help set up. It started at 8:30 but it didn't really kick off till 9:30. Karen was in a saucy pencil skirt. Robin had a lovely ruffle top. Adam was in full suit. Natalie was in a white halter and she was born to dance. Katie and her friend Tom came, Katie was in a slinky gold dress and Tom in a little vest and scarf and hat. Terry wore what he had on earlier. He and Colin chilled. Nathalie wore a gold dress with a nice little cinch. Tabitha wore an old high school dance dress. A few people seemed to recycle something left over from high school. It was a wonderful mix of dressed up formal, summer wares, casual, and regular. Thom was in the regular. Matt had a photobooth set up and took Polaroids of people. I had some with Junko taken. Terry created a lovely unicorn backdrop for the photos.
The live band was loud. The beer garden was lively but not packed. The dance floor was far from packed but it was nice to have room. Some people just stayed in the beer section. I went back and forth but I only had one to start my night. There was free food out the wazoo! Pepperoni, crackers, cheese, cake, cheesecake, vegan cheesecake, gluten free cupcakes, cookies, and there was soda and iced tea and juice and water. Ohh so much! Way too much. A huge overestimate. But better to have twice as much. People got to walk away with some nice cakes for their personal consumption. I have two liters of soda and a cookie plate right now.
I danced with Tom (not Thom) and Katie. Did some twirls and some jigs. Lots of walking around. Lots of pain in the feet by the end but far better than if I had worn my heel heels. The party only lasted 4 hours and before we knew it, it was time to tear down decorations.
It was about 12:30 when I left. It was raining but it was a soft, warm rain. It was very nice on my bare legs as I rode home. It was also nice to use a different part of my leg. Lot of strain on the ball.
Ahhh the weekend. I'll sleep in and then take count of all that I have to do by Monday and then do it.
From Burnside, it was a semi drag race between my bicycle and Karen's new Rav4 (new to her, it isn't a new car). I had the benefit of having my lane all to myself so I could keep a constant speed. I beat her by a few seconds. Erin was also in a car but it wasn't a race.
Terry's proposal was that he is doing a series of concept illustrations for The Tempest. He is doing the concepts as a set up for a live adaptation so he will have full costumes and color schemes and all that. He totally killed it. His presentation was clean and clear and he spoke with insight. All the questions were answered in a way that made sense. His panel had Joe and Trevor and so they came at him with the illustrator questions and the literary ones. Morgan was there and just seemed to have fun. It was a lovely proposal. Professional but easy going.
After was the long loiter till lunch. I sat with Daniel, BT, Taylor, and Sean Carney. It was curry and rice and fortune cookie day. Mmm. We sat around for a long time chatting. Daniel has a Becky Cloonan tattoo on his side! I was so excited to see that. BT makes his own moustache wax and sells it. Eventually I rode my bike back home.
Groomed myself, picked through my clothes, read some of my book. Gabe made me a pasta meal that was delicious. I wore my red halter dress that is knee length with the white and blue flower print. I wore my wedge heels with that and just had a light sweater for the bike ride. It was a nice little summer number. The heels/wedges clashed a little with the dress but I made them more.
I arrived early to help set up. It started at 8:30 but it didn't really kick off till 9:30. Karen was in a saucy pencil skirt. Robin had a lovely ruffle top. Adam was in full suit. Natalie was in a white halter and she was born to dance. Katie and her friend Tom came, Katie was in a slinky gold dress and Tom in a little vest and scarf and hat. Terry wore what he had on earlier. He and Colin chilled. Nathalie wore a gold dress with a nice little cinch. Tabitha wore an old high school dance dress. A few people seemed to recycle something left over from high school. It was a wonderful mix of dressed up formal, summer wares, casual, and regular. Thom was in the regular. Matt had a photobooth set up and took Polaroids of people. I had some with Junko taken. Terry created a lovely unicorn backdrop for the photos.
The live band was loud. The beer garden was lively but not packed. The dance floor was far from packed but it was nice to have room. Some people just stayed in the beer section. I went back and forth but I only had one to start my night. There was free food out the wazoo! Pepperoni, crackers, cheese, cake, cheesecake, vegan cheesecake, gluten free cupcakes, cookies, and there was soda and iced tea and juice and water. Ohh so much! Way too much. A huge overestimate. But better to have twice as much. People got to walk away with some nice cakes for their personal consumption. I have two liters of soda and a cookie plate right now.
I danced with Tom (not Thom) and Katie. Did some twirls and some jigs. Lots of walking around. Lots of pain in the feet by the end but far better than if I had worn my heel heels. The party only lasted 4 hours and before we knew it, it was time to tear down decorations.
It was about 12:30 when I left. It was raining but it was a soft, warm rain. It was very nice on my bare legs as I rode home. It was also nice to use a different part of my leg. Lot of strain on the ball.
Ahhh the weekend. I'll sleep in and then take count of all that I have to do by Monday and then do it.
Friday, May 1, 2009
now that's what I call acti-oh nevermind
Today had a double dose of thesis defenses. Oh wait, triple.
Started off bright and early at 9am with Nathalie. She gave us storytime with her book and showed off her illustrations. It was a lovely little discourse about recreating a story and working through the pain. It was a cozy little thing. We cheered her on.
Killed time until lunch, which was sandwich and salad again. I had a lot of salad and a sandwich half. Their was gossip and nerd talk and rooting for the people coming up. Sat with Nathalie, Matt, Daniel, and Lacey. I had this test print of Luna that I was handing out and Craig saw it and found me in the computer lab and said that I had better saved one for him. I'm glad that so many people like my little poster. I'll have to do more.
Jason Powell's thesis was the hotspot to be. He has been installing it in the room all week long. Just bringing in plants and piles of dirt. Very hush hush and top secret till the time came. And it did! he did a large scaled installation of a dinosaur towering over you. It was set up in this little room you go into so it is very dark, moist, noisy, and suffocating and there is a strobe and you look up and ahhhh its a dinosaur about to attack you!! Very awesome. A big endeavor, more so because he is an illustration major. He talked about the role of pop culture in his work and movie effects and all that. My mind wandered a little bit but he had a lot to talk about. The room was packed. Easily 40 people, could have been 60.
Matt's was next. It was a crowd of nerds in his audience. The Robopocalypse crew was there, some upper level published people, Bryan, Nathalie, BT and the rest. His comic was drawn straight from his life and retold in a steampunk fashion. As he was talking about his family and how he related that to his current work, it got me thinking. Yeah.
Anyway, Powell's is having a nifty deal. Taschen books are on super sale and if you spend $30 you get a Powell's pint glass. Karen, Lacey and I tool a stroll in the nice sunny sun to Powell's after the thesis. I hard trouble finding the amount and wound up with Catcher in the Rye, Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch, and an encyclopedia about ways to die. And I got a couple magazines to push me over the amount. The glass was mine! Karen got a sweet deal on a Taschen book (none interested me). It was a nice ride back. Lounged.
Went to the Midnight showing of Wolverine with Karen and Adam. Hugh Jackman was sexy, Liev Schreiber was brutal, Ryan Reynolds was funny in the start, Dominic Monaghan was adorable. The computer graphics were often very noticeable. The story felt pieced together and in a hurry to get to the next spot. It needed like 20-30 extra minutes. It felt like a very short movie. I didn't get really overly excited or pumped while watching it. Had some cool sequences, sorta. Worth a rent down the line I guess but nothing really worth racing out to see. The bit after the credits was lame.
Tomorrow is Terry's proposal and the May Day Soiree.
Started off bright and early at 9am with Nathalie. She gave us storytime with her book and showed off her illustrations. It was a lovely little discourse about recreating a story and working through the pain. It was a cozy little thing. We cheered her on.
Killed time until lunch, which was sandwich and salad again. I had a lot of salad and a sandwich half. Their was gossip and nerd talk and rooting for the people coming up. Sat with Nathalie, Matt, Daniel, and Lacey. I had this test print of Luna that I was handing out and Craig saw it and found me in the computer lab and said that I had better saved one for him. I'm glad that so many people like my little poster. I'll have to do more.
Jason Powell's thesis was the hotspot to be. He has been installing it in the room all week long. Just bringing in plants and piles of dirt. Very hush hush and top secret till the time came. And it did! he did a large scaled installation of a dinosaur towering over you. It was set up in this little room you go into so it is very dark, moist, noisy, and suffocating and there is a strobe and you look up and ahhhh its a dinosaur about to attack you!! Very awesome. A big endeavor, more so because he is an illustration major. He talked about the role of pop culture in his work and movie effects and all that. My mind wandered a little bit but he had a lot to talk about. The room was packed. Easily 40 people, could have been 60.
Matt's was next. It was a crowd of nerds in his audience. The Robopocalypse crew was there, some upper level published people, Bryan, Nathalie, BT and the rest. His comic was drawn straight from his life and retold in a steampunk fashion. As he was talking about his family and how he related that to his current work, it got me thinking. Yeah.
Anyway, Powell's is having a nifty deal. Taschen books are on super sale and if you spend $30 you get a Powell's pint glass. Karen, Lacey and I tool a stroll in the nice sunny sun to Powell's after the thesis. I hard trouble finding the amount and wound up with Catcher in the Rye, Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch, and an encyclopedia about ways to die. And I got a couple magazines to push me over the amount. The glass was mine! Karen got a sweet deal on a Taschen book (none interested me). It was a nice ride back. Lounged.
Went to the Midnight showing of Wolverine with Karen and Adam. Hugh Jackman was sexy, Liev Schreiber was brutal, Ryan Reynolds was funny in the start, Dominic Monaghan was adorable. The computer graphics were often very noticeable. The story felt pieced together and in a hurry to get to the next spot. It needed like 20-30 extra minutes. It felt like a very short movie. I didn't get really overly excited or pumped while watching it. Had some cool sequences, sorta. Worth a rent down the line I guess but nothing really worth racing out to see. The bit after the credits was lame.
Tomorrow is Terry's proposal and the May Day Soiree.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Demon Hunter - what do you think?
I'm not sure about which crop. Full version seems a little empty. Not even sure if I am done. What do you guys think?
Photoshop.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
ahhh I forgot yoga!
Came before lunch for Daniel's thesis defense. He is reconstructing a three volume edition of the 1818 first printed edition of Frankenstein. He had a very clear proposal presentation. Twas good.
Lunch was an enchilada or something with rice and salad. Delicious! I grabbed tons of extra cookies. Sat with Matt, BT, Nathalie, and Karen. I solved my cube. We sat around for a while. Eventually we pulled apart and I went to work on my digital piece till Maddison's thesis defense.
Digital stuff is going along. Not quite sure what I want to do with it yet, coloring wise.
Maddison finished up his scroll illustration about the fall of Lucifer. While a little nervous but still aware of what he had to say, he gave a lovely synopsis of his work and the story and the symbolism. Some of the panel questions were hard and a little difficult to answer but he handled it like a pro. Matt asked a great question about how Maddison knows when a piece is finished (because he has a rough style). Some of the audience questions were out of place.
Got some toilet paper and headed home!
FORGOT ABOUT YOGA! Totally went right over my head, dang!
Gabe made burgers. MMmm.
Nathalie, Matt, and Jason have their defenses tomorrow.
Lunch was an enchilada or something with rice and salad. Delicious! I grabbed tons of extra cookies. Sat with Matt, BT, Nathalie, and Karen. I solved my cube. We sat around for a while. Eventually we pulled apart and I went to work on my digital piece till Maddison's thesis defense.
Digital stuff is going along. Not quite sure what I want to do with it yet, coloring wise.
Maddison finished up his scroll illustration about the fall of Lucifer. While a little nervous but still aware of what he had to say, he gave a lovely synopsis of his work and the story and the symbolism. Some of the panel questions were hard and a little difficult to answer but he handled it like a pro. Matt asked a great question about how Maddison knows when a piece is finished (because he has a rough style). Some of the audience questions were out of place.
Got some toilet paper and headed home!
FORGOT ABOUT YOGA! Totally went right over my head, dang!
Gabe made burgers. MMmm.
Nathalie, Matt, and Jason have their defenses tomorrow.
demon hunter - some dusk color added
Threw in some color once I finalized the figure lineart. Not sure how I really want to proceed.
Photoshop.
no more play, I mean it!
I've been into my Easter candy. Almost done. I got a package of the good stuff from Grandma and Grandpa on the Saturday of Stumptown so in the whirlwind of that weekend, I forgot to mention it. It was awesome! I like candy!
Slept in, but not for long. Arrived at school at around 11:30 and found out that some of the receipts for comic club have gotten lost in transit. Trying to sort that out.
It was sandwich day so I grabbed one and a couple cookies and sat with Nathalie. BT, Thom, Chelsey, Karen, and Jen also sat at our table. We ate a good, solid meal and decided to go see the children's book illustration lecture.
Deborah Hopkinson has written many historical fiction books and she talked about working with illustrators and how to get into the business (a little bit). It was a nice little starter lecture, I hope they bring in more illustrators to school.
I didn't see any thesis today, I just worked on stuff. From 2:00 to 5:30 I was in room 110 and just worked on my digital piece. Got a good chunk of the drawing done. Need to think about background and coloring but the focal point is nearing completion so yeah. I like working digitally because I can post, with greater ease, more of my process work.
After digital, I went to silk screen once the studio was open for pressure washing. With Diana's encouragement, I printed two of the stripes! Now I just have the last one, hurray! It looks interesting. The last layer is sort of make or break. I will think more about placement because it might look better with the cat away from the stripes. Hmmn.
Around 8 I departed and arrived home to an empty nest. Made up some rice and settled in. When they came back, we tried to watch Zoolander but it was too scratched so we watched Ghostbusters 2 instead. Relaxing evening. I have some illustration stuff but the photos need to be taken when I'm home and I've been gone. Uhm. Well that will be a busy weekend I guess. Oh well. I'm ahead in printing, at good pace in digital, and am a whiz at the cube.
Slept in, but not for long. Arrived at school at around 11:30 and found out that some of the receipts for comic club have gotten lost in transit. Trying to sort that out.
It was sandwich day so I grabbed one and a couple cookies and sat with Nathalie. BT, Thom, Chelsey, Karen, and Jen also sat at our table. We ate a good, solid meal and decided to go see the children's book illustration lecture.
Deborah Hopkinson has written many historical fiction books and she talked about working with illustrators and how to get into the business (a little bit). It was a nice little starter lecture, I hope they bring in more illustrators to school.
I didn't see any thesis today, I just worked on stuff. From 2:00 to 5:30 I was in room 110 and just worked on my digital piece. Got a good chunk of the drawing done. Need to think about background and coloring but the focal point is nearing completion so yeah. I like working digitally because I can post, with greater ease, more of my process work.
After digital, I went to silk screen once the studio was open for pressure washing. With Diana's encouragement, I printed two of the stripes! Now I just have the last one, hurray! It looks interesting. The last layer is sort of make or break. I will think more about placement because it might look better with the cat away from the stripes. Hmmn.
Around 8 I departed and arrived home to an empty nest. Made up some rice and settled in. When they came back, we tried to watch Zoolander but it was too scratched so we watched Ghostbusters 2 instead. Relaxing evening. I have some illustration stuff but the photos need to be taken when I'm home and I've been gone. Uhm. Well that will be a busy weekend I guess. Oh well. I'm ahead in printing, at good pace in digital, and am a whiz at the cube.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
demon hunter - work in progress
step 1: sketches and thumbnails
step 2: collect reference photos
step 3: start sketching!!
step 4: add some red and blue to make your eyes bleed.
Marker in sketchbook, digital camera, photoshop. Thanks to Llyw for posing.
Monday, April 27, 2009
chat chat chat go team!
Barely a moment to rest and I'm back at it!
Well, sorta. I got to rest a little bit before heading out.
Only a minute outside and I knew I had terribly misjudged the weather. A hoodie, a scarf, a shirt, light jeans, and sandals were not enough for the gray. Not even the start of enough. Still, I dealt.
First up was Amanda Hamilton's thesis proposal! She is illustrating some horror narratives from her childhood favorite fairy tales and creating a few of her own invention. It was a late start because some of the discussion panel was very late. Most of the questions were about the medium and what it means for her as an illustrator to be using oil. Why the crap does it matter if she uses oil if she says she can use it? Seems like they are doubting our department.
It was a break from then till lunch. I applied and exposed my screen in a jiffy. It didn't come out so I left it to dry and redo once the thesis above was over (the power washers disturb the people presenting). I grabbed some lasagna and salad and cookies and sat with Terry, Matt, Amanda, Nathalie, and Kim and we all talked about how awesome meat was. Jen was going to sit with us but decided against it. We will declare war on Jen later, for now we will just tax her peasants.
I got down to it with my Screen and it seemed to work the second time around.
I sat in on this expert Googling yourself course ran by Dan at the library. Then it was time for the Thesis Finale of Paul Wagenblast and Aiden Koch.
Paul and Aiden worked together and did fashion interpretations of love poems. Each one was both a direct symbol and something deeper based on the adjectives and thoughts the poems conjured up with the creators. It was a collaboration thesis. There was even a little performance where models walked slowly, showing each of the garments. It made total sense as an illustration thesis as well. It was a clear visual projection of a conceptualization of a piece of text. They illustrated the emotions perfectly, so what if they were 3D? Aiden is already pretty acclaimed and sure in what she does (and she just turned 21, I thought she was at least 25).
It was standing room only when I arrived 15 minutes early. Thom, Amanda and I were stuffed in the back. It was a lovely discussion about collaboration and the tradeoff.
I am almost too 100% memorized cube solving.
I was pushing right up to the time for the next thesis when it came to washing out my screen. Two people came down at like 5 till to inform me. I was like, "Yeah I know but I still have 6 minutes" or something. They were very frantic but I guess that clock was ahead and it was probably very noisy. I got the initial Luna print, printed. It is two transfers pieced together and the line where I put them together shows. I'll get a better transfer later. Right now I have three colors to do, which once I started getting done took no time at all. I'm only doing 24 prints of the Luna Plaid. If I do a color a day, I'll be in more than excellent shape. Tomorrow I plan to get another one done and knock out a chunk of my digital project. Long work day, here I come! But it ain't so bad, I get a free lunch.
I was in sandals and it was raining heavily so I took the streetcar. 8 minute wait! Argh! And then it went from 1 minute left to 2! The streetcar was going back in time! Sure I wimped out but soggy sandals do not make for good biking shoes. On the ride back I ran into Travis, this AI guy I met at Stumptown. We chatted a bit (well we have been chatting online because we want to connect the comic communities of our schools).
I kicked up my feet, ate some of Gabe's pizza, and read some of my book.
Well, sorta. I got to rest a little bit before heading out.
Only a minute outside and I knew I had terribly misjudged the weather. A hoodie, a scarf, a shirt, light jeans, and sandals were not enough for the gray. Not even the start of enough. Still, I dealt.
First up was Amanda Hamilton's thesis proposal! She is illustrating some horror narratives from her childhood favorite fairy tales and creating a few of her own invention. It was a late start because some of the discussion panel was very late. Most of the questions were about the medium and what it means for her as an illustrator to be using oil. Why the crap does it matter if she uses oil if she says she can use it? Seems like they are doubting our department.
It was a break from then till lunch. I applied and exposed my screen in a jiffy. It didn't come out so I left it to dry and redo once the thesis above was over (the power washers disturb the people presenting). I grabbed some lasagna and salad and cookies and sat with Terry, Matt, Amanda, Nathalie, and Kim and we all talked about how awesome meat was. Jen was going to sit with us but decided against it. We will declare war on Jen later, for now we will just tax her peasants.
I got down to it with my Screen and it seemed to work the second time around.
I sat in on this expert Googling yourself course ran by Dan at the library. Then it was time for the Thesis Finale of Paul Wagenblast and Aiden Koch.
Paul and Aiden worked together and did fashion interpretations of love poems. Each one was both a direct symbol and something deeper based on the adjectives and thoughts the poems conjured up with the creators. It was a collaboration thesis. There was even a little performance where models walked slowly, showing each of the garments. It made total sense as an illustration thesis as well. It was a clear visual projection of a conceptualization of a piece of text. They illustrated the emotions perfectly, so what if they were 3D? Aiden is already pretty acclaimed and sure in what she does (and she just turned 21, I thought she was at least 25).
It was standing room only when I arrived 15 minutes early. Thom, Amanda and I were stuffed in the back. It was a lovely discussion about collaboration and the tradeoff.
I am almost too 100% memorized cube solving.
I was pushing right up to the time for the next thesis when it came to washing out my screen. Two people came down at like 5 till to inform me. I was like, "Yeah I know but I still have 6 minutes" or something. They were very frantic but I guess that clock was ahead and it was probably very noisy. I got the initial Luna print, printed. It is two transfers pieced together and the line where I put them together shows. I'll get a better transfer later. Right now I have three colors to do, which once I started getting done took no time at all. I'm only doing 24 prints of the Luna Plaid. If I do a color a day, I'll be in more than excellent shape. Tomorrow I plan to get another one done and knock out a chunk of my digital project. Long work day, here I come! But it ain't so bad, I get a free lunch.
I was in sandals and it was raining heavily so I took the streetcar. 8 minute wait! Argh! And then it went from 1 minute left to 2! The streetcar was going back in time! Sure I wimped out but soggy sandals do not make for good biking shoes. On the ride back I ran into Travis, this AI guy I met at Stumptown. We chatted a bit (well we have been chatting online because we want to connect the comic communities of our schools).
I kicked up my feet, ate some of Gabe's pizza, and read some of my book.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
crowdsurfing singers and menomenamenamenamenomena
Friday:
I took an earlier train(12:15) up because with seeing Bloc Party at 7, it was best to drop my stuff off at Llyw's apartment and meet him at work than rush from the station to his place and then the venue or deal with my bags at a concert. It was a gray day but a quick trip to the station (I managed to catch the streetcar). Amanda, not Townsend the senior Illustration major Amanda, was on the train and I showed off my cube solving skills. Grabbed my usual hotdog and waited.
The train ride up was uneventful. The movie was Valkyrie but I napped through it. Started reading Bangkok Haunts, the third in these Bangkok crime novels that Auntie Celia and I like. Picked up Bangkok 8 at Costco years ago, listened to the Bangkok Tattoo audio book during my car commuter days, and now I have this one. They are a nice easy read and them seem well researched. Very charming but also detailed and scary. Anyway, it was sunny and lovely in Seattle. Made my way to the new bus tunnels and caught the 73 Express to the U District. Llyw was text messaging me directions and information all day so I wouldn't get lost or worried. I did end up getting off the Bus early but only a little farther from his place. I lounged for a little bit, waiting to take the 5:11 number 30 downtown.
The 30 was a very long journey. No outright crazy people. Just normal Seattle looking folk. Fremont people mostly. It took some nervous walking from the place where I got off before I located the massive building Big Fish Games was located in. Nervous in that I didn't have a clear idea where I was heading. "Go down Denny several blocks till you see a big building with a 5 on it" is not as clear as I like my directions to be. But I found it. I loitered a bit outside and inside while he finished up. Then at 6:30ish or whatever, it was time to head to the Showbox for BLOC PARTY! WHOOO!!
Caught another bus downtown. The line for the venue was full of noticeably younger people. Three fourths of it was I would venture. A Vitamin Water promotional van stopped by and gave us all free little samples. Both of us being over 21 got us into the over 21 section. So we grabbed a table and chilled with a generally nice view of the stage. The teens were in standing room only. We stayed in our location the whole time. While the crush might have been fun, it isn't so nice on people who have shoulder bags or sweatshirts. The opening band was Menomena, which I haven't heard of but Chris Peeler and Katie knew. The lead had way too tight pants. Even I don't wear pants that tight. They were good but didn't get my blood pumping. They changing instruments a lot and were generally good on all of them. I wished that they had committed to either learning a few instruments REALLY WELL or just gone all out and had like, 50.
Bloc Party was awesome! They didn't come out till around 9:15. After every song for the first 20 minutes they demanded more energy and eventually the audience delivered. People jumped and clapped and hollered and things warmed up. The Dir en Grey show I went to was mental from the start but this kept a nice even pace. No one seemed to be elbowing one another. Hunting for Witches was the second song. I wish they had played it later when the audience was more engaged but if they hadn't played it maybe the audience wouldn't have become as engaged. Tricky to say. Near the end, Kele the singer and one of the guitarist, starting crowd surfing. He was singing Mercury and he kept it up really well while being transported over the packed youth. He made it into the 21 and over section on the left (we were on the right) and performed for them. It was just wonderful and all the staff and security were looking very very worried as he sailed over people. They came out for like, 5 more songs and it was wonderful. I didn't get really sweaty but we were pretty far from the core of the action.
The bus back didn't come for another hour so we just took a cab. Quick quesadillas and it was time to sleep!
Saturday:
A gray day but still overall pleasant. We wandered around the U District. The staff who took a long hard look at my ID at the Showbox came into the Sureshot cafe while we nibbled on cheesecake, hot chocolate, and coffee. Small world.
We walked up to Scarecrow Video, a two story video store that really does have everything and everything in multiple orders. There is a section for movies by country, director, horror with genres as specific as what type of monster or critter, and just. Well it was very very specific. It was a treat just to wander and look at all the many many titles. Some were so rare that they needed a $150 deposit. We ended up with Hold Up Down, a Japanese movie we both saw the trailer for when we were in Japan but never got around to seeing. There was a long list of maybe rental but Hold Up Down seemed the best.
After we went to Trader Joe's to get some much needed foodstuffs. Instead of making foodstuffs into lunch, we went to A Burger Place (not THE Burger Place, just A Burger Place)and got some really good custom burgers from their very straightforward menu (just check off what you want and they make it just like that). Very delicious.
Did I mention we saw some ducks outside of Trader Joe's? We saw some ducks.
Hold Up Down was hilarious for about the first hour and a half. A perfect whacky, if slightly bent, comedy about a heist gone wrong, some cops that don't follow the law, a frozen hippie, and a priest who has lost his faith. Then they go to a hotspring and get possessed and it breaks into a 20 minute fight scene that is really really weird. It ends on a happy note but seriously, no idea how to end it. Just, okay it got all spooky and now they are fighting. Still, an amazing black comedy for the most part. I was ready to call it one of my favorites but then the ending happened.
We also watched some Pushing Daisies. So sappy, so good. Llyw helped me out with some reference pictures for the digital piece that is due Tuesday (not this Tuesday, next one).
Showed Llyw how to solve the Rubik's cube. I have the formula almost memorized. Go me!
Sunday:
The weekend ended so quick. We wandered around the district some more. I got a really bad headache, which sucked. Took some medication and once I perked up, we attacked each other with nerf guns till Llyw had the majority of the Nerf ammo. We left early so we woulc grab some food at Uwajimaya. Pocari Sweat was nowhere to be found! We got some Korean food but in the end, all that meat/salad/rice combination food tastes the same to me. Just the sauce is different. Ehh. We got to the station with time to spare. I got one of the sucky seats where they normally combine family so I didn't have any leg room. Like, four seats with the pairs facing each other. I napped and read my book.
One of the ladies from my quad of seats walked with me to the Max. Her name was Malini and we chatted till my Goose Hollow stop. Everything at home was mostly where I left it. I had a great time. Now: sleep and school work.
I took an earlier train(12:15) up because with seeing Bloc Party at 7, it was best to drop my stuff off at Llyw's apartment and meet him at work than rush from the station to his place and then the venue or deal with my bags at a concert. It was a gray day but a quick trip to the station (I managed to catch the streetcar). Amanda, not Townsend the senior Illustration major Amanda, was on the train and I showed off my cube solving skills. Grabbed my usual hotdog and waited.
The train ride up was uneventful. The movie was Valkyrie but I napped through it. Started reading Bangkok Haunts, the third in these Bangkok crime novels that Auntie Celia and I like. Picked up Bangkok 8 at Costco years ago, listened to the Bangkok Tattoo audio book during my car commuter days, and now I have this one. They are a nice easy read and them seem well researched. Very charming but also detailed and scary. Anyway, it was sunny and lovely in Seattle. Made my way to the new bus tunnels and caught the 73 Express to the U District. Llyw was text messaging me directions and information all day so I wouldn't get lost or worried. I did end up getting off the Bus early but only a little farther from his place. I lounged for a little bit, waiting to take the 5:11 number 30 downtown.
The 30 was a very long journey. No outright crazy people. Just normal Seattle looking folk. Fremont people mostly. It took some nervous walking from the place where I got off before I located the massive building Big Fish Games was located in. Nervous in that I didn't have a clear idea where I was heading. "Go down Denny several blocks till you see a big building with a 5 on it" is not as clear as I like my directions to be. But I found it. I loitered a bit outside and inside while he finished up. Then at 6:30ish or whatever, it was time to head to the Showbox for BLOC PARTY! WHOOO!!
Caught another bus downtown. The line for the venue was full of noticeably younger people. Three fourths of it was I would venture. A Vitamin Water promotional van stopped by and gave us all free little samples. Both of us being over 21 got us into the over 21 section. So we grabbed a table and chilled with a generally nice view of the stage. The teens were in standing room only. We stayed in our location the whole time. While the crush might have been fun, it isn't so nice on people who have shoulder bags or sweatshirts. The opening band was Menomena, which I haven't heard of but Chris Peeler and Katie knew. The lead had way too tight pants. Even I don't wear pants that tight. They were good but didn't get my blood pumping. They changing instruments a lot and were generally good on all of them. I wished that they had committed to either learning a few instruments REALLY WELL or just gone all out and had like, 50.
Bloc Party was awesome! They didn't come out till around 9:15. After every song for the first 20 minutes they demanded more energy and eventually the audience delivered. People jumped and clapped and hollered and things warmed up. The Dir en Grey show I went to was mental from the start but this kept a nice even pace. No one seemed to be elbowing one another. Hunting for Witches was the second song. I wish they had played it later when the audience was more engaged but if they hadn't played it maybe the audience wouldn't have become as engaged. Tricky to say. Near the end, Kele the singer and one of the guitarist, starting crowd surfing. He was singing Mercury and he kept it up really well while being transported over the packed youth. He made it into the 21 and over section on the left (we were on the right) and performed for them. It was just wonderful and all the staff and security were looking very very worried as he sailed over people. They came out for like, 5 more songs and it was wonderful. I didn't get really sweaty but we were pretty far from the core of the action.
The bus back didn't come for another hour so we just took a cab. Quick quesadillas and it was time to sleep!
Saturday:
A gray day but still overall pleasant. We wandered around the U District. The staff who took a long hard look at my ID at the Showbox came into the Sureshot cafe while we nibbled on cheesecake, hot chocolate, and coffee. Small world.
We walked up to Scarecrow Video, a two story video store that really does have everything and everything in multiple orders. There is a section for movies by country, director, horror with genres as specific as what type of monster or critter, and just. Well it was very very specific. It was a treat just to wander and look at all the many many titles. Some were so rare that they needed a $150 deposit. We ended up with Hold Up Down, a Japanese movie we both saw the trailer for when we were in Japan but never got around to seeing. There was a long list of maybe rental but Hold Up Down seemed the best.
After we went to Trader Joe's to get some much needed foodstuffs. Instead of making foodstuffs into lunch, we went to A Burger Place (not THE Burger Place, just A Burger Place)and got some really good custom burgers from their very straightforward menu (just check off what you want and they make it just like that). Very delicious.
Did I mention we saw some ducks outside of Trader Joe's? We saw some ducks.
Hold Up Down was hilarious for about the first hour and a half. A perfect whacky, if slightly bent, comedy about a heist gone wrong, some cops that don't follow the law, a frozen hippie, and a priest who has lost his faith. Then they go to a hotspring and get possessed and it breaks into a 20 minute fight scene that is really really weird. It ends on a happy note but seriously, no idea how to end it. Just, okay it got all spooky and now they are fighting. Still, an amazing black comedy for the most part. I was ready to call it one of my favorites but then the ending happened.
We also watched some Pushing Daisies. So sappy, so good. Llyw helped me out with some reference pictures for the digital piece that is due Tuesday (not this Tuesday, next one).
Showed Llyw how to solve the Rubik's cube. I have the formula almost memorized. Go me!
Sunday:
The weekend ended so quick. We wandered around the district some more. I got a really bad headache, which sucked. Took some medication and once I perked up, we attacked each other with nerf guns till Llyw had the majority of the Nerf ammo. We left early so we woulc grab some food at Uwajimaya. Pocari Sweat was nowhere to be found! We got some Korean food but in the end, all that meat/salad/rice combination food tastes the same to me. Just the sauce is different. Ehh. We got to the station with time to spare. I got one of the sucky seats where they normally combine family so I didn't have any leg room. Like, four seats with the pairs facing each other. I napped and read my book.
One of the ladies from my quad of seats walked with me to the Max. Her name was Malini and we chatted till my Goose Hollow stop. Everything at home was mostly where I left it. I had a great time. Now: sleep and school work.
Friday, April 24, 2009
grease is the word
Another day with a tad misjudged weather. Dressed in light short pants and shirt and a hoodie and I should have worn full pants and maybe a thicker coat. Anyway, I stayed inside most of the time anyway.
Solved my cube for real for the first time! We got more group theory (closure, identity, associativity, and that other one). We also got the grading rundown. If it takes us under 10 minutes to solve the cube without notes, we get an A. With notes it is a B. I can do it real fast with notes. Well, I haven't solved it again since. It kinda broke open during a twist and I think I put in a piece upside down (which I didn't think would matter). Anyway, trying to solve it. I solved Madeline's cube so I know I can do it.
I wasn't feeling too good so I mostly just sat at a table in the library and talked to who came and went. Mostly Jon and Terry. Well, mostly Jon. Cool guy. We both agree drawing ladies is much more fun.
Had some meager lunch munchins. Didn't have much of an appetite, I just had to get something in me.
Digital tools was goofy. We went over thumbnails an rough sketches and joked about ideas. A lot of people were just in a laughing mood (or a weird car discussion mood). I left a little early because Madeline called and said she had an extra ticket to see Grease at the Keller Auditorium! It is the travelling version with that Taylor Hicks fellow who was on American Idol a few years back.
Anyway, changed into much needed warm clothes and pedaled down to 3rd and waited for Madeline to show. We had balcony seats but she came with binoculars. It was a fun show. NOT the high school edit. The binocs allowed me to see the actual expressions and sheen of sweat as they performed under the lights. I do hope Madeline has extra tickets in the future for shows. Whee musicals! Made me think of Ma.
Anyway, when I got back Katie and Nicky were watching Fatal Attraction so I sat with them and watched that. Okay, if the police tell you that a crazy stalker lady can't be found, why do you leave your wife alone for longer than a minute? Like, go on vacation or something. I get that you don't want to show that you are afraid of the crazy stalker but come on! It had some lovely direction.
I'm going up to Seattle for this weekend. Going to see Bloc Party, going to hang with Llyw, going to kick back and relax before returning to Portland for final projects. It is focus week, which means everyone is giving Thesis so I get a few solid days to just work (with exception of the proposals that I see).
To do:
Digital Illustration! (just need references, a tablet, my headphones and I am good to go)
Screen Print! (three of the transfers are on one screen and the final just needs to be applied, four colors in an edition of under 38? Please, I could always add a few more stripes if I see fit)
Revised sketches, color compositions, light passing by paintings for Illustration! (a little more tricky, I just need to sit and work)
Rubik's cube practice!
Anyway, like I said. I will be up in Seattle so I probably won't be blogging. Full report Sunday night.
How to solve a Rubik's Cube (or what I have to remember, in order, so that I can):
R'D'RD
URU'R'U'F'UF
U'L'ULUFU'F'
FRUR'U'F'
RUR'URUUR'
URU'L'UR'U'L
R'D'RD
Solved my cube for real for the first time! We got more group theory (closure, identity, associativity, and that other one). We also got the grading rundown. If it takes us under 10 minutes to solve the cube without notes, we get an A. With notes it is a B. I can do it real fast with notes. Well, I haven't solved it again since. It kinda broke open during a twist and I think I put in a piece upside down (which I didn't think would matter). Anyway, trying to solve it. I solved Madeline's cube so I know I can do it.
I wasn't feeling too good so I mostly just sat at a table in the library and talked to who came and went. Mostly Jon and Terry. Well, mostly Jon. Cool guy. We both agree drawing ladies is much more fun.
Had some meager lunch munchins. Didn't have much of an appetite, I just had to get something in me.
Digital tools was goofy. We went over thumbnails an rough sketches and joked about ideas. A lot of people were just in a laughing mood (or a weird car discussion mood). I left a little early because Madeline called and said she had an extra ticket to see Grease at the Keller Auditorium! It is the travelling version with that Taylor Hicks fellow who was on American Idol a few years back.
Anyway, changed into much needed warm clothes and pedaled down to 3rd and waited for Madeline to show. We had balcony seats but she came with binoculars. It was a fun show. NOT the high school edit. The binocs allowed me to see the actual expressions and sheen of sweat as they performed under the lights. I do hope Madeline has extra tickets in the future for shows. Whee musicals! Made me think of Ma.
Anyway, when I got back Katie and Nicky were watching Fatal Attraction so I sat with them and watched that. Okay, if the police tell you that a crazy stalker lady can't be found, why do you leave your wife alone for longer than a minute? Like, go on vacation or something. I get that you don't want to show that you are afraid of the crazy stalker but come on! It had some lovely direction.
I'm going up to Seattle for this weekend. Going to see Bloc Party, going to hang with Llyw, going to kick back and relax before returning to Portland for final projects. It is focus week, which means everyone is giving Thesis so I get a few solid days to just work (with exception of the proposals that I see).
To do:
Digital Illustration! (just need references, a tablet, my headphones and I am good to go)
Screen Print! (three of the transfers are on one screen and the final just needs to be applied, four colors in an edition of under 38? Please, I could always add a few more stripes if I see fit)
Revised sketches, color compositions, light passing by paintings for Illustration! (a little more tricky, I just need to sit and work)
Rubik's cube practice!
Anyway, like I said. I will be up in Seattle so I probably won't be blogging. Full report Sunday night.
How to solve a Rubik's Cube (or what I have to remember, in order, so that I can):
R'D'RD
URU'R'U'F'UF
U'L'ULUFU'F'
FRUR'U'F'
RUR'URUUR'
URU'L'UR'U'L
R'D'RD
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Fortune Cookie Concept Sketches
In class, Joe gave us a fortune cookie to determine our next assignment. Mine was "The next full moon brings an enchanting evening" or something like that. Here are my initial idea sketches: me getting attacked by a werewolf, dusktime demon hunter who looks a lot like a certain friend, pretty lady, pretty lady about to assassin a guy with a fortune cookie.
Marker and micron in flimsy moleskin.
rumbly in my belly
12:30 already? Oh they day just went by.
Woke up early and sat around on the computer while waiting for things to happen.
Left at 10:30 to get paper. Bought 13 large sheets of Stonehenge paper, which later turned out to be twice as much because I misunderstood what a "half sheet" was. Now I can do twice as many prints! Or do the amount I was thinking of and save the paper (that was Karen's suggestion, been thinking about it more actually even though I blew it off a little when she first suggested it which was mean. I think I've been more mean lately. Maybe stress, maybe irregular eating habits).
Printmaking was half productive but half counterproductive. I have my transfers and stencils cut and ready. All that is good to go. I just had a lot of trouble getting the flat color to work. In the end, after about an hour or twos worth of effort and piles of newsprint, I decided to nix the idea of a flat background and just go for the stripes and Luna design. Yeah, I'm doing Luna art. Actually people really did my representation of her and her recent weight gain.
It was mellow. Had a mellow little lunch in the library. Talked to Jim. Worked on my cube.
I got some silkscreen ink on my favorite shirt but I caught it just in time and washed it off. I just changed into my yoga shirt for the rest of the day.
Yoga was nice but my tummy was hungry.
Gabe made lamb thing. It was tasty.
I did two loads of laundry, now I am set on clean tees and pants and everything else. Hurray!
Finished Arrested Development. Yeah I liked it but it got so disjointed in the end. Now I have to put my laundry away if I wish to sleep in my bed tonight.
Oh, I also entered a couple things into the Illustration Juried show. I totally failed at how to submit things though.
Woke up early and sat around on the computer while waiting for things to happen.
Left at 10:30 to get paper. Bought 13 large sheets of Stonehenge paper, which later turned out to be twice as much because I misunderstood what a "half sheet" was. Now I can do twice as many prints! Or do the amount I was thinking of and save the paper (that was Karen's suggestion, been thinking about it more actually even though I blew it off a little when she first suggested it which was mean. I think I've been more mean lately. Maybe stress, maybe irregular eating habits).
Printmaking was half productive but half counterproductive. I have my transfers and stencils cut and ready. All that is good to go. I just had a lot of trouble getting the flat color to work. In the end, after about an hour or twos worth of effort and piles of newsprint, I decided to nix the idea of a flat background and just go for the stripes and Luna design. Yeah, I'm doing Luna art. Actually people really did my representation of her and her recent weight gain.
It was mellow. Had a mellow little lunch in the library. Talked to Jim. Worked on my cube.
I got some silkscreen ink on my favorite shirt but I caught it just in time and washed it off. I just changed into my yoga shirt for the rest of the day.
Yoga was nice but my tummy was hungry.
Gabe made lamb thing. It was tasty.
I did two loads of laundry, now I am set on clean tees and pants and everything else. Hurray!
Finished Arrested Development. Yeah I liked it but it got so disjointed in the end. Now I have to put my laundry away if I wish to sleep in my bed tonight.
Oh, I also entered a couple things into the Illustration Juried show. I totally failed at how to submit things though.
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