I Fight On! // This is definitely something I don't even

Uh.

So, I was out and about all of today, so getting something drawn got... a mite challenging. So...
Okay, drawing this was easy enough, but the end result is too workmanlike for my taste. Still, it's something. I have no idea what's going on in there, though. Some sort of a crossing guide for tentacle insect things?

I still have today's writing to do. I didn't transcribe it today, either. I've averaged about one page per day, so that's... okay. Yes.

A Tiny Pointless Animation.

There are two parts to an animation: The motion, and the image. This is just the motion, clearly. Toolchain was PAP - Export individual frames - Paint.Net with GIF plugin.

A total of 37 frames, which is about 3 seconds in twos. One of my bigger problems is doing consistency and camera pans. My timings are far from perfect, but I can do them, if necessary.

If this doesn't work, I'll have to go and put it up in Youtube, I guess. Or try Blogger's embedded video thingy. AVI created with Virtualdub, although from the GIF. My toolchain is not all the way there, yet.

Youtube has some interesting things, naturally, such as Animator's Survival Kit clips, as well as plenty of Glen Keane clips.

Zero no Tsukaima has god-awful animation, by the way. The character designs are fine and such, but I really noticed the low quality when watching Princess no Rondo.

John Singer Sargent and OpenCanvas.

John Singer Sargent is one of my favourites. I'm also very out of touch with OpenCanvas. Tragically, I started painting with a resolution that was way too low, so this ended up being pretty much pixel painting later on.

I initially wanted to study Sargent's pencils, but this turned up, and since I did intend to do it with OpenCanvas, I though I'd try just painting it.

It... didn't end up being that good a practice, due to the too low resolution.

The source was a painting called "Louise Burckhardt aka Lady With a Rose". Is it just me, or does she totally look like someone who could be the Doctor's companion?

I was happy with today's writing; I will need to start transcribing  the initial drafts to computer. The writing itself is completely horrible, but that's what editing is for, right.

Today failed, scheduling-wise, really.

Worm Fanart: Skitter

Cue Mook Horror Show.

Meet Skitter. 

She can control every single arthropod within half a mile radius, perfectly. 

She can make wasps sting your eyes, spiders crawl into your lungs, and spin webs. 

She can see and hear through the insect eyes, and sense what they touch. 

She breeds black widows, 

She made her costume out of Darwin's bark spider's silk, which is the toughest biological material ever studied, making her somewhat bulletproof. Even when she's not hit in the armor. 

She's the protagonist. 

I wasn't quite satisfied with the fan art I've seen of Skitter - none of it displays how terrifying she can be from an objective point of view. 

The skirt and mantle were originally an improvised costume made out of scraps of spider silk, but since it offers an extra layer of protection, it seem she's taken to wearing them into potentially dangerous situations.

Overqall, Im satisfied. Still messy, but I have some interesting things going material-wise. Shoes are just thrown in there, though.

Also: Hey, I'm on time! It's still two and a half hours to midnight!

Early to sleep. Also, I like writing in cafés.

I gotta get to bed early, and I was somewhat satisfied with this, so this is what I'm posting. Um.

I've found out that I can get much more written with a pencil, in a notebook, preferrably in a café somewhere. The output is very first-drafty, but I have to transcribe it to a computer at some point anywhere, so I get a minor edit step at that point. I'm not writing a whole lot, yet - I think I average about a page per day - but it's still something more-or-less consistent.

I have one story idea.
Wait, I lie. I have, um, five-ish, I think, at this point, but there's one in particular that I think has a beginning and an end.

I want to get it written down - it'll be about, ten-ish pages when done, I think. Less than twenty, in any case. Point is getting something done relatively fast - I'll do at least a couple of edit cycles on it, too. Still, it's not my favourite idea. I'll start working on something full-length after I'm done. I'm not entirely sure yet, what... but I'll make it painfully honest. It's the only way an inept writer such as myself can create something compelling.

I was thinking about the parallels between drawing and writing, or the lack thereof... but there is one - an that is coming up with stuff. While writing, you think of an item, character quirk, name, something you want to use. Similarily you come up with things while drawing - outfit, accessory, shape.

So, basically, coming up with story elements has similarities with concept art. So... story concepts to concept art parallels?

Shikkari, Shikkari. Also, a Punch Line, of Sorts.

I was looking at "On Writing" and this popped up from the early parts:

     But there is a simple rule of thumb to help you decide that. Viewpoints belong to the characters who are the most deeply, emotionally involved in whatever is at stake in the scene. When you're wondering which character should have the viewpoint in any given scene, all you have to do is to pick the character who has the most to lose. THAT person is the one who is going to have the strongest goal, and his pursuit of the goal will be fertile ground for the best conflic

I ended up playing Diablo III during the afternoon, and then I went to the gym, so that took a lot of my time and energy for today - that is,
yesterday. 

I really need to get a grip here. Meaning, get my commitment for drawing & writing done daily, as well as physical exercise. Apparently my cholesterol is wildly high. Thus, gym.

So, let's talk about today's drawing.

It's clearly some sort of a fighting.... person, wearing a clothy type vest and fistguards. The hair shine is too glaring, I do like the picture-right side shoulder, though. Body is too messy, needs flattening.

I also need some reference for drawing toned bodies. Something of a issue, as right now I'm choosing to draw in a location away from my computer. Well, except when working with OpenCanvas, naturally... but I don't really have anything to show for that, yet.

The head was interesting - the current version is HUGE compared to what I initially pencilled down, but it's looking much better than what I had there initially. I'm not sure if the angle reads properly, though.
...
Maybe I should draw some still situations from some sort of a fighting match, if I want to put some more work into this specific theme.

My all around goal right now is improving and regaining my skills.

No inspiration today.

well, not exactly true. This drawing was basically random lines, which I followed to make forms and trying to end up with something not nonsensical.
Also, I sometimes draw really skinny bodies for characters.

This is pretty much junk, but there IS something I like about this drawing, otherwise I wouldn't have posted it. It has... some  energy and a bit of three-dimensionality which I find somewhat compelling. The silhouette isn't all that strong,though.

I played a bit of Diablo III and then ended up chatting afterwards, so I didn't have much time to draw or write today. I did give OpenCanvas a spin, but that produced nothing I could approve of. I did consider posting some of my old Oekakis, but the point isn't in posting something - It's in working my skills.

So, um. I guess I'm trying to write 'sufficiently' here, too. However, blogging or chatting is very different from storycrafting.

I have this whole big thing about the Silver Millennium I've -- I've actually written, but into a notebook, with a pencil. I do intend to post it at some point. Well, probably.

I may have to rely on drawing some fan arts. In the off chance that I get more than one image done per day, I'll create a backlog so that the images come out in sequential days. I'm trying to use the Seinfield method here. In this blog. Now.