Dance Commander!

hai2u

2010-02-17T12:49:00.013-05:00

Oh snap, so this is still here, huh?

I rarely draw fanart but Mass Effect 2 currently owns my soul, so I can't really say no...

Mildly spoileriffic! Shep-shep momentarily sad when her BFF Garrus has his face shot off from a gunship. Boo-urns! So then she nukes it to hell and back and then everything's awwwwwwwite.

Also, baby's first render. Learning me some Maya. Slowly but surely.

Aaaaaaaand I don't think I ever posted the Princess Mononoke prop commission I finished back in October/Novemeber.

The client wanted San's gear from Princess Mononoke: mask w/ ears, bead necklace, crystal necklace, dagger. I hit a few snags in fabrication (natch) but it all worked out in the end and she looked fantastic. It was super fun to do and San's gear had been on my list of stuff to make eventually. A+++++++ WOULD MAKE AGAIN.

Materials went something like this: Fiberglass, fiberglass resin, epoxy resin, sintra, microsuede fabric, suede cord, plastic vintage beads, blue melting quartz crystal, half a tube of E6000, and a few other things. Krylon's satin clear coat has the most delightful texture when dry. I love it!

Working on another commission for a palm-sized watch-necklace thing. I'll post pictures of that soon enough.

If you don't think this song is the greatest song ever... I will fight you.

Stuff and things!

2009-09-02T00:12:00.004-04:00

Messing around with the wet edges option in Photoshop. Painted all on one layer. First is about 20 minutes or something, second is... No idea. Need more figure practice.

ENEMIES EVERYWHERE!

MISTER MC GREATCOAT

2009-08-27T16:10:00.004-04:00

His alias is Mr. Dmitri Garsides though his real name if GASP!UNKNOWN. Derp! Rare antique & artifact collector. He's another character from the robot & sky pirate's universe I've been working on building. The pirate works for him occasionally, finding delightfully rare treasures. Garsides is quite hairy.

Textures used are from http://www.cgtextures.com/. I enjoy textures. Lots!

AWESOME IS A SYNONYM FOR YOU!

KITTIES HELP ME DRAW

2009-08-24T12:15:00.002-04:00

In progress! Drawing fueled by Mars Volta and loads of coffee. Derp! Been working on this on and off for a few days. Missing a few adjustment layers/extra goodies in it. I suck at backgrounds and it looks overworked with all the layers on. Ew.

KITTENS HELP ME PLAY HALF-LIFE.

SWEET GUITAR RIFFS, BRO.

2009-08-11T19:37:00.005-04:00

I'm redesigning my site. Only this time it's going to be awesome because I've outsourced the coding to a friend who does that stuff on a daily basis. :D

I made my own damask pattern for that. <3 damask! I took pictures of some copper piping I had and chopped them together in Photoshop rather than making the frame for real-real. It was quite enjoyable, so I think I might explore that kind of photochoppery more.

Also been working on some digital paintings. Nothing too good. Screen shot progress of one of them. Something I may finish actually homahgawd. A silly interpretation of Freya, the Norse goddess of AWESOME and METAL. Sweet guitar riffs, bro.

brb going to stop ragnarok

Needs more jean short-shorts.

2009-07-28T16:23:00.005-04:00

I hate drawing in Photoshop. My linework is horrible and jittery because I have shaky hands. I haven't found a setting to fix that so it's paint in photoshop only. D:<

Thus, man-butt painting. Not the best but I desperately need more figure practice. Drawn from a random photo in my anatomy stock. Worked on and off 3-4 hours while watching a Law & Order: SVU marathon. 'Cause Detective Munch is THA BEST.

He's a nevernude.

Crowbars are for geeky scientists.

2009-07-24T17:16:00.012-04:00

I'm gearing up to take prop commissions again. For real real! Not for play play. I took a couple pictures of the most presentable pieces and collaged them as examples of how I roll. UNF! Older stuff is towards the end.

I've been obsessed with Half-Life recently. I got my hands on a papercraft pattern for Gordon Freeman's HEV suit from Half-Life 2. I started making it for kicks. It'll look pretty horrible on me even if it's scaled (short & stumpy lady /= Gordon) so I don't know if it'll go to the resin & fiberglass stage but... We'll see.

For anyone with knowledge of 3D programs! You can make papercraft patterns out of files from 3D programs and then print & build them for serious. The software Pepakura Designer has a free trial but its save and export functions are locked unless you fork out the 38 bucks. Cool stuff though.

Great job, Gordon! Throwing that switch and all, I can see your MIT education really pays for itself.

CAPTAIN BEYOND

2009-07-15T15:55:00.012-04:00

IT'S A POST! IT'S A POST! I never posted the results of the whole mold/cast/wear saga I was working on a few months ago. I'm going to take decent pictures of it eventually, but here's something in the meantime. Photo by Kuroki.

All the hardware is sintra and cast epoxy resin. Software is moleskin, some cotton lyrcra, brown stretch vinyl, and god only knows what for the cape. I got my hands on some Rustoleum "hammered" black spray paint for the spaulders. The hammered paint creates a really nice texture. Starting another project soon with a huge scythe. Over-sized props are the best!

I've been working more on the sky pirate animation I rambled about so long ago. Script in progress and a character animation/style test in underway.

I really need a new scanner... But have some concept sketches.

STORMING CASTLES WITH ABANDON AND RAINBOWS BY FISTFULS

CAST ATTACK! RAAAGH

2009-04-05T23:30:00.006-04:00

Like I've been saying, been casting stuff lately. Here's some of the goods curing. Epoxy resin and transparent dyes. When they're done I'm gonna back those suckers with foil tagboard and watch 'em shine. Reeeeeeeeeeeeally like using epoxy resin! It's good stuff!

A fraction of my Zeiram 2 DVD is in one of the pictures. Only mentioning it because I freaking love the Zeiram series hurrrr.

Also got a new sketchbook (HOMYGAWD IT'S SQUARE WTF LOL) and I've been doodling a bit. I've got some airship & Vanlande sketches that I'll post later this week.

COOL STORY BRO

LAMESAUCE

2009-03-30T21:07:00.003-04:00

Redesigning some characters for a story I've been working on for a while. Heavy Norse mythology themes and such (surprise surprise!) Here's a quick sketch of Rigg. Your basic roguish smart ass. I have no idea what's happening with his leather armour.

Been sculpting/molding/casting props lately. I'll post pictures of that whenever everything decides to cure... Sometime this week.

Of Simon and Garfunkle the one that is not Garfunkle. ...Sean Connery.
- Can you repeat the question?
Of Simon and Garfunkle the one that is not Garfunkle.
- I Garfunkled your mother.

2009-03-04T13:55:00.002-05:00

It snowed on Monday. It snowed a lot on Monday. Have a sketch from said snow day.

So they may be standing in snow but the stuff that's falling? Not snow. That's ash. From their burning ship nearby. See what I did there!

I'm attacking the darkness!

2009-02-22T18:17:00.008-05:00

NEGLECTED!

I've been busy with work and by the time I get home I have no motivation to do anything. But that's how it's supposed to go, right? ...Eeeeeyugh.

I haven't been idle though! Seriously, I do stuff! I'm doing some prop/costume work with an April-May deadline, and I pretty much finished a sculpt of a talisman today. Ok, maybe not "finished" but "got to a decent shape where I can cast it." I've run out of RTV silicone so until I get some more I'm at a stand still with this particular part. But anyway, this is what you get!

Eventually it'll be cast in red translucent epoxy, the base sprayed gunmetal, and if all goes well, have an LED rigged inside so it'll light up. Gotta make 4 of these suckers.

This is actually the third or fourth sculpt for this thing. I like sculpting a lot, but I'm pretty bad at it so I don't do it too often, hurr. It probably was the worst route for this kind of prop since I want it to look machined/not lumpy/etc but, uh... Oh well! I can sand out imperfections in the final casts? I've got plan Bs and Cs incase of irreparable suckitude.

MAH TOOLZ. Nathan gave me a sweet pick set for Christmas, which came in super handy for this. It's also a decent set of weapons too if you wanna get in any knife fights. Derp.

Also, enjoy the ridiculous color palette so far. Moleskin ftw!

WORLD OF WORKCRAFT IS NOT A FUN GAME. NOT AT ALL.

ODE TO MY VIDEO CARD

2008-12-06T12:41:00.007-05:00

I think my PC's video card is fried which is kind of a huge pain because my baby's using obsolete AGP cards. I... Might want to build a new computer... But my 6 year-old PC runs fine otherwise <3<3<3 Drawing that comic on my Crapintosh--I mean Mactop--was painful. Flash is as fast as a dead squirrel and the damn thing is not compatible with my scanner or printer, and basically sucks in general. (I am very anti-mac if you couldn't tell.)

brb cleaving things with axe in a fit of rage

Dodged a bullet! Found and tested some old parts, and the monitor's on the fritz! Not the video card! I'm never too good with Occam's Razor. TIME FOR A SWEET NEW MONITOR.

Excellent plan, Simmons! Invite 'em to dinner and shoot 'em in the back! Classic holiday "gotcha!"

Hurf durf

2008-11-25T00:15:00.007-05:00

"Oh, airship parts can fuel a decent fire. How lovely! " VanLande takes a seat on her scavenged armchair, opens her novel, and flips to the page she left off at--page eighty-five. "Warrick, when you're done collecting the ship's engine, please brew me a cup of tea. I am parched, my friend, dreadfully thirsty!"

Quick and crappy sketch of a possible scenario for the film. It'll make sense later when it's not a bunch of lines, hurr. Gonna flesh it out in Photoshop or something, that's the plan.

VanLande remains calm when she crashes ships. Warrick, however, does not. And usually ends up leaking coolant everywhere...

Spider Jerusalem: cheap, but not as cheap as your girlfriend.

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL, OH GOD WHY

2008-11-13T20:37:00.006-05:00

Work has been crazy busy for the past month and a half. I go home covered in paint and dust every night. I somehow split the soles of my last two pairs of boots... My poor babies! D: You will be missed.

Needless to say, I haven't had time to draw or animate. I did, however, have a brilliant set idea for that animation I keep mentioning.

Sup concrete facility. I haven't fully scoped out the place or talked to the management, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Could make for some interesting outside shots if it actually goes through. All the metal seemed too appropriate.

Also, the street it's on looks like something out of Silent Hill during foggy days. Quite epic.

Here, have some failed spaulders for a costume. One unsanded, one sanded. Wonderflex and Plasti-paste. Think I'll slush cast them instead. Or fiberglass. Eh.

I just got a big bag of red moleskin in the mail, so I'm going to go roll around in it and then sew some pants! BOOSH!

Where is Babar?
- He-He's taking a shower, buddy.
Elephants shower with their nose! BRRRRRRR!
- Nearl... I'm gonna kill Babar.

GO FOR WALKIES.

2008-10-07T22:31:00.006-04:00

Uh, a walk cycle not even 1/3 done? Haven't even completed the cycle itself. Basic outline that I've been poking at every now and then for the past week and a half or something. She'll have her cane in her crooked arm and kind of strut when I'm done. That's the goal at least.

I'm pushing buttons, I'll do a dance
With my skivvies on outside my pants

COEUR

2008-09-22T22:32:00.004-04:00

Really quick post. Gonna chug some Nyquil and conk out afterwards. ...Or wait for the Warhammer MMO to finish downloading. Dwarf tank, awww yeeeah.

Massart representin' at Ottawa! And Kara totally owned at awards night with her film. Fabulous stuff, go look!

So I always get back from Ottawa feeling totally inspired and needing to make stuff. This time I'll actually do it because I'm sick of being lazy. So far I hit the ground running. Pre-production like whoa for a Vanlande & Warrick animation. Conceptualizing a script, started a test walk cycle for Vanlande and started trying to lock down a style for her. Getting closer, still not right. My pencil sketches look worlds better than my Flash ones, so I may end up doing ink and paper for this...

Enjoy some half-assed texture variants on one of the style tests. She'll be animated, printed on aged looking paper (or textured like hell in photoshop, we'll see how that goes) cut out, and reanimated in stop motion sets alongside Warrick in all his puppety glory.

Major inspiration for this short is coming from Stephane Berla's video for "Tais-toi mon coeur" and Anthony Lucas' "The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello". Both are amazing, go watch them as well.

I think it's Nyquil time.

MY GOD IT'S FULL OF STARS.

Yachts

2008-09-14T23:17:00.006-04:00

Another junk post.

Caught an episode of Samurai Jack on TV the other day. Absolutely adore the sound design in that show. And the art style too. It got me thinking about trying a more geometric, angular style. Just for kicks I scribbled something while watching it but I haven't scanned it. Alas!

I've got a D&D character that I'm really digging. Err, more like her design actually. Or whatever pieces I have of it. I'd like to maybe use her for an animation or something, but if that happens I'll be taking the character in a different direction (more thief, much less berserker... Huuuurrrrr) She's an angular, surly, pointy type of lass.

Quickly scribbled while waiting for my hair dye to set. Hurr. She's lookin' a little Monarch in that head-on one...

Color idea.

Maybe I'll have something of substance soon.

YOU ARE MADE OF MEAT. EVERYTHING THAT IS YOU IS MERELY CHEMICAL REACTIONS. YOU ARE NOT A MAGICAL SPACE BABY.

HALOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

2008-08-21T13:36:00.004-04:00

Fun with pepakura! Grab your .pdo files and go at it!

About 3 days on and off to cut and assemble. 12 pages of cardstock and a buttload of tape, only because this was just a test. You really can't get it too clean using scotch tape. You really need glue.

I may end up making Master Chief's armour eventually. The helmet was a pretty fun project.

Master Chief? More like AWESOME CHIEF, AMIRITE?

OUR WEAPONS ARE USELESS

2008-08-18T19:48:00.007-04:00

Another junky post. Nerdism to the extreme.

So I found some photos from a quick shoot I had while I was in Baltimore. They came out beautifully, I'm totally ecstatic. Major props to LJinto for being so awesome.

Got a few projects clogging up the pipelines. Half is prop related the other half is animation related. More on that later...

I'm currently waiting for a package of epoxy resin and silicone RTV mold making supplies. That should get here Thursday and I can't contain my excitement! NICE MOLD MAKING SUPPLIES. <3 Expect a post on how much I love (or hate) the RTV stuff. I've never had the pleasure of using nice mold-making compounds. It's always cheap plaster, blargh.

In the meantime, enjoy some scrapped spaulders of Wonderflex and Plasti-Paste. Solid as all get-out but totally the wrong shape.

"Illusion," Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money.

I AM ALL THAT IS MAN.

2008-08-12T15:12:00.008-04:00

I can now say that I make award-winning props and costumes. Pretty rad, right?

so i herd u herd taht i liek dressing up. Well, I do. Remember the sword I said I was working on and all? I lugged that around in costume this past weekend at Otakon in Baltimore.

If you've ever read/watched Claymore then this'd look familiar, but if not just remember that I'm dressed up as the most badass character from the series, okay? Hurr hurr.

It was a mildly epic weekend. I placed second in the Journeyman in Friday's costume competition. I also played temporary booth babe/promoter for Funimation, the company that acquired the distribution rights to Claymore.

LOOKIT THEM BOOTH BABES. Carloyn (left) and I were asked by the brand manager of Funimation to hang around the booth and do some promo work for the show. We did a 5 minute interview for their site, got lots of pictures, and exchanged cards with them. I didn't get anything out of it except a free DVD of the show but damnit, they have my card.

Also, these are some of the people I roomed with. They are phenomenal and my head almost exploded with all the Mighty Boosh quotes flying around the room.

It was a good weekend in all... Minus the flight back. Remind me never to fly AirTran again. The past couple times have been shite service and organization.

I'm open for prop commissions, preferably weaponry and such as I'd rather not start out trying to fit armour for people I can't readily measure. I don't want you guys to look stupid in my gear, duh. Although I could make some exceptions...

I'm itching to make something new now that this project is done.

So he says to me, 'You wanna be a baaaaad guy?' And I say yeah, baby! I wanna be bad! I SAYS, SURF'S UP SPACE PONIES! I'M MAKING GRAVY WITHOUT THE LUMPS! Aaaaaa-hahahahaha!

Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea

2008-07-20T15:21:00.004-04:00

This is going to turn into a prop & costume blog if I'm not careful. So here's art-related stuff.

Found a pretty sweet site for quick figure drawing refs. Pose Maniacs! They have a tool where it'll do a set of timed poses. No substitute for a living model of course, but it works fine. Gonna practice later.

Pirate party was awesome. We ate, plundered, drank, and plundered some more. Drew a picture of the costume I had put together since I didn't get pictures. I totally plundered some booty, hurr hurr. .......No, really. There was a treasure chest filled with candy there and I stole some.

I modded a Nerf gun for the costume. It kind of fell apart (yeah hot glue) but I'll post pictures of that when I fix it up. YAAAAAAR.

Dammit! I haven't been to the Olive Garden in, like, forever!

A WEE CASE OF THE INSOMNIAS

2008-07-11T01:26:00.012-04:00

FILLER POST FILLER POST FILLER POST FILLER POST

A little too wired for bed at the moment. No drawings this time as I've been knee-deep in fiberglass and adoring it........Uh, kind of. So here's a bit of in progress of ZOMGPROPS and ROFLFIBERGLASS.

This is the honkin' 54" sword that I made in March. Most of it was churned out the week that I needed it... Which was like, two weeks after my tumor surgery. Totally awesome timing. Totally awesome procrastinating.

I (stupidly) cranked that sucker out while I recovering so it's... Not the of best work. It's falling apart; missing an enamel inlay in the top, it's lumpy, and the weathering was all done with my fingers and some ink the night before I needed it. SUPERSMART! Also? I love insulation foam with all my big-as-the-moon heart.

I'm remaking that sucker for an event in August. Just 'glassed and rough sanded the first half of it yesterday.

Oh, those glorious football shoulderpads from hell are just getting spot-filled for divots and other little marks I missed since March. Then a fresh, better coat of paint. That brick of plaster there is my second successful two-part mold. Woo hoo!

The fiberglass cloth goes all transparent when you pour the resin on it. It's a beautiful thing, really.

SUPERB.

HELLO, BONGOPHONE?

2008-07-09T00:18:00.003-04:00

"OH HAY GUIZE IM REDY 4 D N D LOLOL wait why ddi u clos teh d00r on me??/ ....guize? ......GUIZEE???!!!!? ...........halp itz cold oot heer rofls D:"

HOLY DICK I CAN HEAR HOW UGLY YOU ARE.

HOLA FRUTA.

2008-06-30T18:15:00.007-04:00

I'm going to a party in a few weeks. It's on a boat and it's PIRATE THEMED!

Awesome, right? So what did I decide to do? SKY PIRATE. ... On a boat in the water.... Yes. Of course. With a touch o' the steampunk flair thrust upon it somehow. Here's a thing. Of my costume. Pose was referenced. In a perfect world I'd make this stuff and have that sweet leather bolero jacket but I have like, 2 weeks to pull this off. Maaaaaybe not.

I'm playing around with textures. Uh, clearly. Ignore the throw-away background and wood stuff. Just wanted to test it out style-wise.

Sewing leather without an awl is a terrible, horrible experience. This is why i can't have nice things.

What do rich Pokemon wear?
PokeMONOCLES.

WHAT IS A MA--...Wait, we've all ready been through this...

2008-06-25T21:55:00.004-04:00

Kind of a trash post...

After I finished the portrait earlier I went to do another painting. She's my Shepard in Mass Effect. It's a great game, I love it. Couldn't remember what armour she had, couldn't remember what gun, etc. So here's what I started anyway.

And then I found this one while digging through some files earlier. Drew it a couple months ago. So I slapped a texture on it and called it a day. Alfhild lookin' nice and pissy. And fuzzy.

Next post will probably be prop related. Been fixing up a 4.5' claymore I made back in March. Have some Dragon Force ready to go on your iTunes. You'll need it.

The mullet says "business in the front, party in the back."

WHAT IS A MAN? A MISERABLE PILE OF SECRETS

2008-06-25T13:22:00.009-04:00

I got hit with an incredible OH MY SWEET JEEZUZ DIGITAL PAINT attack this morning. Must've been something in my coffee.

I haven't done this in a while so it called for a quick 5 minute warm up. That thing is one of the many (many) stupid looking animals I made in Spore's Creature Creator.

Then the actual painting. Self portrait because I'm an egomaniac. Done with a reference. No, I didn't botch the eyes. I look like that on a good day 'cause I've got a mean case of the Thom Yorke.

Excuse me, I'm off to go release an album online that you may or may not pay for.

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo

You like eels, boy?

2008-06-09T21:59:00.004-04:00

'kay, cool. Second half of the first wave is cleaned (to a degree) and up here. I'm on a roll! Now to scan the second half my book. Let's see how much that'll produce...

We're super magic men!
We stay up till five a.m.!
Although we're bound by shaman law,
What goes on tour... STAYS ON TOUR!

FOR BRITISH EYES ONLY~

2008-06-08T21:50:00.006-04:00

More sketchbook stuff. Most of these were done from August to February. Posting this makes me feel... Kind of uneasy. My anatomy is terrible. Aaaand as fearful as I am of being called out on my crappy anatomy... By all means, please do.

I need to find more naked people to draw, dangit.

First up: VANLANDE AND HER TINY HEAD. I laughed when i scanned this in. Terrible. This was the first fleshed-out drawing of her. Also, she's no longer sporting some crappy generic ray gun. She'll have a pistol and a cane. Doesn't really use the pistol but she'll cane you to death good and proper.

That's the flying/I'm-trying-hard-to-show-off outfit, next is her regular lounge about wardrobe.
Cue random drawings. Mostly of a stock character I've got. And wouldn't you know it, she's a berserker. Lulz.

Still got quite a few more sketches up my sleeves. Hopefully some newer stuff that I won't get all "omfgeeeergh D:" when I post. Hopefully I can get around to that before my new video card comes. Once I boot up Mass Effect, I'll probably be gone for a while, haha.

It's not my trick, Michael. .........It's my ILLUSION!

Coffee at 9 pm.

2008-06-05T23:05:00.004-04:00

'kay, cool. Cleaned up a few more sketches. Not saying much, as I've still got a bunch more to scan and clean... Have some character designs. One unfinished for my surly Vampire: the Masquerade character, two for a berserker chick (...I really like berserkers), and one of Warrick--version 2.0, mind you.

It's impossible to be unhappy in a poncho.

IS DAT SUM PENCHILSH?

2008-06-04T23:25:00.008-04:00

I started the ungodly task of scanning my sketchbook. I'm done for the night. Expect a huge ZOMGROFL SKETCHBOOK image dump in a day or two. I... Really need figure drawing classes.

With that said HAV SUM VANLANDE AND WARRICK.

So he says to me, 'You wanna be a baaaaad guy?' And I say yeah, baby! I wanna be bad! I SAYS, SURF'S UP, SPACE PONIES! I'M MAKING GRAVY WITHOUT THE LUMPS! Aaaaaa-hahahahaha!

WHARGARBLE

2008-06-03T00:27:00.002-04:00

This is what happens when I try to buy plane tickets at 12 am.

Oh, I saw your poster. I saw your tiny little Patrick Swayze eyes. You got those crazy Swayze eyes.
Publish Post

IT'S LIKE I CAN TOUCH YOU!!

2008-05-29T21:25:00.028-04:00

Haven't posted anything for a while. So you know what time it is? FILLER TIME (Not to be confused with Miller Time)...

I make props and costumes and stuff. Yeah, I play dress up. Wanna make something of it? Don't cross me, man. I've got handful of vertebrae and a headful of mad.

Seriously though. Sewing is a total pain, but--oh man--do I enjoy the prop making. I absolutely love to play with the toxic stuff. Fiberglass, resins, plastics, THEY ARE ALL FUN. So! Here's summadat. (Only the best ones, of course)

First off, a full "metal" arm with an extendable blade. Made of heat-shaped ABS plastic, a thermoplastic called Wonderflex, and epoxy putty.

The blade part extends with a fishing line ripcord. That's fancy-speak for PULL THIS STRING WOOLOOKATDATGO.

I can't find any good picture of the 5' fiberglass sword, spaulders, and fauld I made so let's pretend you were utterly amazed by it.

And here's the miscellaneous stuff. Things I've sewn, things I've assembled, and some wacky visceral things I made when I was feeling surly.

Hopefully something less of a cop out next time.

SUPERB.

He bleeds energy.

2008-04-27T21:44:00.003-04:00

Something was reading my mind earlier today. "Oh, I'd like to draw. But I'd much rather play this MMORPG." Half an hour later the internet cut out. LIKE A SIGN FROM THE HEAVENS.

I only recently learned the pen tool in Photoshop. I can do everything in Flash but it's just somethnig you should probably learn, right? It's handy. Granted this would've taken me 1/10th the time in Flash but it was a nice experiment.

All pen tool and some circle marquee-filled-with-color and brush for the OMGGLOW. I don't think Photoshop 5.5 has a circle shape tool... Unless I'm not looking hard enough. I got excited and went overboard on the glowy. I don't know what was going on here. I did everything overkill but it was fun nonetheless.

Warrick running at full steam--OR FULL AETHER HURR HURR. I think he's probably gonna end up being a stop motion puppet in the animation. I have the perfect idea on how to set up the tubes and tank. ... I think.

Plastic parts and glue, doing everything I can do to build the robots

Skullcrusher Mountain!

2008-04-24T21:55:00.007-04:00

So I broke out good old Photoshop 5.5 and doodled for a bit. It's been a while since I straight up drew in Photoshop. I have shaky overlapping lines and I use Flash to correct my icky line problem (loves me some 50% smoothing) but that's just being the delightful cop out that I am.

I've been listening to this Jonathan Coulton song "Skullcrusher Mountain" for the past few days. I love it! My goal is to build a secret compound on a mountain just so I can make this my theme song. I lie. ....Or do I? It's a love song about an evil genius and their crush being held against their will at said genius's complex on--GUESS WHERE--Skullcrusher Mountain. :D So this was inspired by some of the lyrics:

You know it isn't easy living here on Skullcrusher Mountain
Maybe you could cut me just a little slack
Would it kill you to be civil?

So I drew my super villain alter ego. She's getting out of a chair to be like OMG I POINT @ U!!1! Pardon the crap anatomy. She was outfitted on the fly as well. Half finished lineart right now. I'm gonna try and color it eventually. ...Keywords try and eventually.

If you could find some way to be
A little bit less afraid of me
You’d see the voices that control me from inside my head
Say I shouldn’t kill you yet

I ESCAPED A BLACK HOLE AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS AWESOME SCAR.

2008-04-22T23:35:00.009-04:00

Well, well, well! I made an art journal. I hate the word "blog" so this is a journal. JOURNAL. Good? Good.

My name is Alfhild. I'm a level 12 dwarf berserker with a +5 Great Axe--waaaaait... I told myself I wouldn't put down my D&D stats here...

REROLL.

My name is Shannon and I'm a superhero. And an artist. Animator! I'm not much of an illustrator, more like a character designer but I'm gonna work on that. I work with everything. More specifically Flash, pencil and paper, cut paper animated in the round, fiberglass, resin, thermoplastics, insulation foam, acrylic, etc. Basically a jack-of-all-trades, master of one... Hopefully. I make costumes and props as well but that's for another post.

I guess I made this because I'm just crawling out of an 8 month creative void and I want to share. Apparently I decided to grow a rare tumor at some point, and spent 6 months in nervous breakdown land after being told my voice would pretty much be reduced to a hoarse whisper because of it. I named said tumor Charles. He was removed in February and ended up being something completely different from what the surgeons thought. By some freak chance, it lit up on all the scans when it shouldn't have. Go figure.

So! I have my voice, and I have some sweet nerve damage, a freak eye, and egg beaters where my hands should be, but I am GOOD TO GO! Oh. Also? I photoshopped a top hat, monocle, and mustache on pictures of the tumor. I may post those...

But to start... Have some of the preliminary designs for an upcoming animation about an airship pilot named Ginny VanLande and her automaton Warrick. MORE ON THAT LATER.

I like ending posts with random quotes, aka FLAVOR TEXT (hi M:TG cards!) This art journal? NO EXCEPTION.

And that's why I don't like cricket.