Wednesday, 24 December 2014
Merry Christmas
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and hope you get some nice gifts if you celebrate. If you don't celebrate or noone loves you, then work on that for next year. Happy holidays you creative bastards! :)
Friday, 5 December 2014
Keep App - Fastastic Free App for Android Users (Keeps You Organized)
I used to write everything down. Monday to Sunday, a list of things I had to do whether it's drawing, design, freelance, personal project and the list goes on. I killed a lot of trees. Fear not android users, for people like me I have come up with a solution. I'm going to tell you to use the pre-installed app that comes with a lot of android phones that other people have designed and developed...
You can make notes for each day of the week and make a list of it. You can check them off, and even set a reminder for it. I looked for 20 seconds to find an image online. As you see above, you can change the color of the background to diversify the content. I have 7 green blocks created for the 7 days of the week. The other blocks have different colors to separate the content. You can even take images and add them there to make a note of it.
By no means is the app perfect, but it's still fantastic and free. The reminder for example is incredibly basic and you can't add your own sound effect for it to make it more prominent. It would be nice if there were different sections or folders. That way, you have one section where you have weekly list, another section for work list, and another section for other. Arranging blocks could use a bit more fine tuning, though it's still pretty good. Add subsections to lists would be nice. So Project 1, has 2 mini lines with work #1 and work #2 for example. Enough of these ramblings however. You need to have some type of list app/routine to stay on top of things, and this app does it for free.
iOS users, the app doesn't exist for you all. I'm certain there's similar apps for iPhones, but I can only help android users in this case.
it's useful and looks might pretty & intuitive
You can make notes for each day of the week and make a list of it. You can check them off, and even set a reminder for it. I looked for 20 seconds to find an image online. As you see above, you can change the color of the background to diversify the content. I have 7 green blocks created for the 7 days of the week. The other blocks have different colors to separate the content. You can even take images and add them there to make a note of it.
By no means is the app perfect, but it's still fantastic and free. The reminder for example is incredibly basic and you can't add your own sound effect for it to make it more prominent. It would be nice if there were different sections or folders. That way, you have one section where you have weekly list, another section for work list, and another section for other. Arranging blocks could use a bit more fine tuning, though it's still pretty good. Add subsections to lists would be nice. So Project 1, has 2 mini lines with work #1 and work #2 for example. Enough of these ramblings however. You need to have some type of list app/routine to stay on top of things, and this app does it for free.
iOS users, the app doesn't exist for you all. I'm certain there's similar apps for iPhones, but I can only help android users in this case.
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
Youtube Copyright Changes - You done good Google
You done good Google, you done good.
I have been complaining to my friends, making facebook statuses about it as if anyone cares, and to random strangers on the street that Youtube's copyright policy is pretty terrible. How dare Google have their own way of doing things for a free service that they provide to me?
I create illustrations that are recorded then uploaded in a sped up process into an average of just over 5 minutes of said illustration. I upload them on the first of every month. I generally have to look everywhere to find a song that doesn't get copyrighted, or just use a Ramin Djawadi/Two Steps from Hell song since their music doesn't get flagged. I never monetize any of my videos. My idea is not to make money on this personal, monthly project of mine. It gives me deadlines to paint digitally every single month. I get to learn more about programs like Adobe Premiere, Audition, and AfterEffects. Of course if I am lucky, a video blowing up would give me the opportunity for a lot of potential clients in the future as well. The more people that would see the work, the more likely I have freelance, job opportunities.
As you see above, it states that you can have music background as long as you don't monetize it. All I can say is thank you and about time, because I'm as entitled as the average person albeit quite self-aware of it, which I do not believe makes it any better.
Normally I would have to go back to AfterEffects, change the song, change the image icon of the song and re-upload everything again. This might not include all songs but if it does, it's all I ever wanted Google. Well.. it's one thing. I am human, which means I'll always want something else the second that I get or attain something that of which I've longed for.
I hope that "2" icon isn't a copyright flag, as it
still states good standing on my account....
I create illustrations that are recorded then uploaded in a sped up process into an average of just over 5 minutes of said illustration. I upload them on the first of every month. I generally have to look everywhere to find a song that doesn't get copyrighted, or just use a Ramin Djawadi/Two Steps from Hell song since their music doesn't get flagged. I never monetize any of my videos. My idea is not to make money on this personal, monthly project of mine. It gives me deadlines to paint digitally every single month. I get to learn more about programs like Adobe Premiere, Audition, and AfterEffects. Of course if I am lucky, a video blowing up would give me the opportunity for a lot of potential clients in the future as well. The more people that would see the work, the more likely I have freelance, job opportunities.
About time!
As you see above, it states that you can have music background as long as you don't monetize it. All I can say is thank you and about time, because I'm as entitled as the average person albeit quite self-aware of it, which I do not believe makes it any better.
Normally I would have to go back to AfterEffects, change the song, change the image icon of the song and re-upload everything again. This might not include all songs but if it does, it's all I ever wanted Google. Well.. it's one thing. I am human, which means I'll always want something else the second that I get or attain something that of which I've longed for.
Tuesday, 2 December 2014
Speed Painting 30: The Hobbit 3, The Battle of the Five Armies
With the final Hobbit movie coming out, I decided to make this the speed painting of illustration. I hadn't painted a dragon in a long time, so I thought why the hell not? I already created a speed painting on the first Hobbit movie, with a very light tone. This one on the other hand, is much darker as you can tell by both the illustration and music choice between the two illustrations.
I chose a pretty good reference point of Smaug demolishing Lake Town and played around with a few things. I decided to add someone in the middle of the lake pointing an arrow where Smaug's chipped armor is located. I tried to use some of contrast of red, yellow, orange with blue.
Monday, 10 November 2014
Talent or Hard Work?
He is talented. She is very talented. How many times do we hear this? This term is used for people who excel at anything, whether it's sports, music or other examples I can't think of at the moment. Well, I'd like to talk about this term being used as often as it is when it comes to illustrators, whether it's about 2D, 3D, concept art, all the way to traditional. We see artists being labeled this term all too often, and I believe people are making a mistake when they say or write this.
The artists who are that good are at that level because they work their asses off. They study and paint at a rapid pace, far more than others. Illustration for me is certainly a skill that you can improve on the more you do, and I'd like to believe this applies to anything else. 10,000 of practice to become a master in your profession. This quote that's overused makes a lot of sense. I say this for people getting into the business or simply fans of these artists. It's a backhanded compliment. You don't have to take my word for it, you just have to take my word when I say that I've heard and read interviews of people far better than I state this.
I'm not saying talent is irrelevant. There are freaks out there that have incredible talent. Tesla, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Musk are all freaks of nature when it comes to their fields. But you can bet that they've worked their asses and engross their lives into their field. Look at Romario or Ronaldinho for Brazil, incredible talents that could have been much better if they had a better work ethic despite being freaks of nature when it comes to football. Now look at Cristiano Ronaldo, whose won every title for two of the biggest clubs in the world. He doesn't drink and is the first in training and works his ass off given by many interviews of football players who have played with him. What's my point? That even talented people need to work their asses off.
The artists who are that good are at that level because they work their asses off. They study and paint at a rapid pace, far more than others. Illustration for me is certainly a skill that you can improve on the more you do, and I'd like to believe this applies to anything else. 10,000 of practice to become a master in your profession. This quote that's overused makes a lot of sense. I say this for people getting into the business or simply fans of these artists. It's a backhanded compliment. You don't have to take my word for it, you just have to take my word when I say that I've heard and read interviews of people far better than I state this.
Doesn't matter how good you are, everyone needs to work their ass off to succeed.
I'm not saying talent is irrelevant. There are freaks out there that have incredible talent. Tesla, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Musk are all freaks of nature when it comes to their fields. But you can bet that they've worked their asses and engross their lives into their field. Look at Romario or Ronaldinho for Brazil, incredible talents that could have been much better if they had a better work ethic despite being freaks of nature when it comes to football. Now look at Cristiano Ronaldo, whose won every title for two of the biggest clubs in the world. He doesn't drink and is the first in training and works his ass off given by many interviews of football players who have played with him. What's my point? That even talented people need to work their asses off.
Thursday, 6 November 2014
Concept Artist Exposition: Steven Messing
This is another blog post where I fanboy over another fantastic artist. This time around, his name is Steven Messing. I intend to become one of the best illustrators in the world in the future, so I look at what the best illustrators in the game can do. These guys have amazing capabilities through many years of working their asses off and crafting their style (or talent, as people who don't know shit about working hard call it). One thing I notice is that quite a few of them incredibly skilled, their creativity is not at the same level as their illustration ability. Steven Messing on the other hand, has both the ability to paint at a very high level on top of having the creativity to back it up. That's why he is one of my favorite artists.
Now there is little point in reading me ramble on and on about how good he is. Use this wonderful tool known as the internet, with this lovely NSA data mining website known as Google and search him up. I follow him on facebook as he regularly updates his work there, I'd recommend you do the same.
His official website: here
that color composition...
Now there is little point in reading me ramble on and on about how good he is. Use this wonderful tool known as the internet, with this lovely NSA data mining website known as Google and search him up. I follow him on facebook as he regularly updates his work there, I'd recommend you do the same.
His official website: here
Monday, 3 November 2014
Personal Projects - Pushing The Schedule, Taking Your Time
Note that this does not include work with a client. Once the date is set and the contract is signed, there is no turning back. If you need extra time, then you really have noone to blame but yourself. This is about personal projects. Artists generally have an issue of knowing when to let go of a project. People get better at this unsurprisingly enough the more they keep painting. This recent project I worked on was the opposite case. I had a plan of when the project would end. I finished the project. But, it didn't look all that good. It was "ok".
I create a youtube speed painting every month, and release it on the first of the month. If you look at the dates, most are released on the 1st of every month. The few that are not were videos that I had to re-upload due to song, copyright infringements despite not monetizing any of my videos. Now before I start on another rant on Youtube and their idiotic policies, I'll try push my ADD away and try to focus on the topic at hand. I decided for the first time to take an extra day and work on the final illustration and improve it to a level that I was satisfied with. This is my 29th speed painting, and it's a shame that my run of releasing my videos on the first of every month was finally broken. Lets hope my next run is more than 28 speed paintings!
Make sure you know when to let go of your illustrations and in some rare occurrences, going back and improving your work!
I create a youtube speed painting every month, and release it on the first of the month. If you look at the dates, most are released on the 1st of every month. The few that are not were videos that I had to re-upload due to song, copyright infringements despite not monetizing any of my videos. Now before I start on another rant on Youtube and their idiotic policies, I'll try push my ADD away and try to focus on the topic at hand. I decided for the first time to take an extra day and work on the final illustration and improve it to a level that I was satisfied with. This is my 29th speed painting, and it's a shame that my run of releasing my videos on the first of every month was finally broken. Lets hope my next run is more than 28 speed paintings!
Make sure you know when to let go of your illustrations and in some rare occurrences, going back and improving your work!
Sunday, 2 November 2014
Speed Painting 29: LittleBigPlanet 3
LittleBigPlanet 2 was one of my favorite games last generation. With LBP3 coming out, I really wanted to make my next speed painting about this franchise. Considering my last speed painting was quite dark, this is a refreshing change.
I decided to create the typical planet with Sackboy on top of it as we have seen but add my own spin to it. I chose to add Toggle and add Batman with Redhood since they both star in the next Batman game, Arkham Knight. Considering Sony always shows the Batman games on their shows, I picked that as the costume theme. Also, I always look for excuses to draw Batman.
I added a town and some colors with the background robots so the blue light would bring the illustration together. The little Roboto also has some good information there if you look close enough! ;)
I decided to create the typical planet with Sackboy on top of it as we have seen but add my own spin to it. I chose to add Toggle and add Batman with Redhood since they both star in the next Batman game, Arkham Knight. Considering Sony always shows the Batman games on their shows, I picked that as the costume theme. Also, I always look for excuses to draw Batman.
I added a town and some colors with the background robots so the blue light would bring the illustration together. The little Roboto also has some good information there if you look close enough! ;)
Monday, 13 October 2014
Technology & Humanity
I work with computers every day. I have a PC at work, an iMac at home, and a macbook that I use both at work and home. When I go home, I use my computer to either paint digitally so I can further improve my skills, or work on personal projects that may or may not change my career in a big way in the future. Still failing on that latter point mind you, but the point remains that I use computers quite a bit.
I realize people use their tablets, computers and especially cellphones everywhere they go. It seems the technological items that can bring us together take us further apart. I go to lunch with some of my co-workers and at times they're all looking down at their cellphones. It's probably because of how bored they are talking with me, but that's besides the point.
I just mentioned that I use computers exessively, but I try to minimize it when I can. I never buy ebooks, I prefer looking away from a computer if I am reading a book. I use my cellphone sparingly though I imagine I am an exception in North America in this regard. This video greatly illustrates how important technology is and some negative effects it has on society. I was in 5 different countries in Europe over a month ago and noone used cellphones like people in Canada and America do.
Also stop taking pictures of your food everyday and posting it online. No one gives a shit. :)
Saturday, 11 October 2014
Jerry Seinfeld Hilarious Speech on the Clio Awards Ceremony
Jerry Seinfeld has given a hilarious design speech when he won the Clio award. I love design, but this was hysterical how on point he was for everything. Be careful when you give a comic an award when he's already won everything and doesn't give a shit, you might not like their reaction.
"I love advertising, because I love lying." - Jerry Seinfeld
Thursday, 2 October 2014
Speed Painting 28: Supernatural
With season 10 of Supernatural coming out in October, my sister suggested I illustrate one of my favorite TV shows of all time. Same & Dean have been through hell their entire lives, especially once the series picks up. The episode where they go to jail was used as inspiration for my entire speed painting.
I decided to put them both next to one another making poses. Dean is being silly, and I add a bit of intensity to Sam, especially with the whole Lucifer arc that revolved around him. Dean is wearing black, and Sam is wearing white, though with those eyes looks can be deceiving. None of my previous 27 speed paintings have a song that fits the illustration/topic lyrically as well as this one does, so make sure to pay attention to the lyrics. Enjoy.
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Music Suggestion: Beck - Morning Phase
So an album for people who need something relaxing in the morning for your creative minds. Beck - Morning Phase. I would suggest to listen to the album the way it was created and not shuffle the tracks, but that's just my preference.
You're welcome!
You're welcome!
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Age & Storytelling
So I'm getting older every year. In case you don't know, this happens to everyone. Now since I've been a kid, I've been watching movies and TV shows religiously. In terms of different professions, I surely could have been a movie/tv critic but trying really hard to find flaws into something and then blowing it out of proportion seems like a snobby job in my eyes. I've only ever seen a few reviews and they bothered me, so of course I make the illogical conclusion of categorizing everyone based on 10 reviews that I read. My point is that what I look for in stories seems to have changed.
Lets start with the Avengers storyline, to ensure that I piss off 95% of people that love going to the movies. Now before you point your finger and call me hippie douche that's going against the mainstream, trying to be different maaaaan, just hear me out. I enjoy the movies, they're fun to watch once. Then, I couldn't care less about them. The stories are generic, there's few things that are really deep during the story and all villains fall on a scale from below average to terrible. Characters are great and movies are fun. You put this in contrast with Nolan's Batman trilogy that blows all of them out of the water other than Captain America 2 that's also up there. CA2 is an exception to those movies and an amazing movie. Go watch it if you haven't!
I think in the past, I would have enjoyed said movies a lot more. Now, I seem to constantly look for stories that make you think, that make you talk about the movie or want to see the movie again and again. Maybe again due to age or seeing so many storylines so many times, I find a lot of the stories recycled with a slightly different color. Especially now that tv shows have completely overtaken movies as more engaging, taking more risks and the quality overall being much better, movies themselves aren't gravitating me as much as they did when I was such a young kid. I think the lack of quality is part of the reason why an above average franchise like the Avengers is printing billions of dollars. (in my opinion, I think this should be obvious since it's blog). Or the case me not being to accept that other people have different opinions and preferences than me.
Maybe due to age, we become more cynical as well, which might be partly a reason of my pessimistic view on the movie media. Regardless, I think this may related as design, illustration and web. We see so much, but for me, this gives us a chance to soak it all in like a sponge. When we do so, we use the little things that we see from so many references to create our vision, that is different enough to stand on its own. To me, advertising in particular has gotten better and better. Commercials are far more engaging and better thought out, on top of all the intrusive ways companies find to tell or sell us a product via a cellphone, table and/or computer. So while so many things are being repeated, I think we outta do something about being fucking creative. We're in this business for a reason, not to recycle the same shit over and over again.
Lets start with the Avengers storyline, to ensure that I piss off 95% of people that love going to the movies. Now before you point your finger and call me hippie douche that's going against the mainstream, trying to be different maaaaan, just hear me out. I enjoy the movies, they're fun to watch once. Then, I couldn't care less about them. The stories are generic, there's few things that are really deep during the story and all villains fall on a scale from below average to terrible. Characters are great and movies are fun. You put this in contrast with Nolan's Batman trilogy that blows all of them out of the water other than Captain America 2 that's also up there. CA2 is an exception to those movies and an amazing movie. Go watch it if you haven't!
an interesting take on creativity by Steve Jobs
I think in the past, I would have enjoyed said movies a lot more. Now, I seem to constantly look for stories that make you think, that make you talk about the movie or want to see the movie again and again. Maybe again due to age or seeing so many storylines so many times, I find a lot of the stories recycled with a slightly different color. Especially now that tv shows have completely overtaken movies as more engaging, taking more risks and the quality overall being much better, movies themselves aren't gravitating me as much as they did when I was such a young kid. I think the lack of quality is part of the reason why an above average franchise like the Avengers is printing billions of dollars. (in my opinion, I think this should be obvious since it's blog). Or the case me not being to accept that other people have different opinions and preferences than me.
Maybe due to age, we become more cynical as well, which might be partly a reason of my pessimistic view on the movie media. Regardless, I think this may related as design, illustration and web. We see so much, but for me, this gives us a chance to soak it all in like a sponge. When we do so, we use the little things that we see from so many references to create our vision, that is different enough to stand on its own. To me, advertising in particular has gotten better and better. Commercials are far more engaging and better thought out, on top of all the intrusive ways companies find to tell or sell us a product via a cellphone, table and/or computer. So while so many things are being repeated, I think we outta do something about being fucking creative. We're in this business for a reason, not to recycle the same shit over and over again.
Monday, 22 September 2014
Missing Champions League on Tuesday/Wednesday due to work
The hard life. There's people in Africa that don't have enough food to feed themselves every day, but it's me who suffers more. Me. In my previous job, I worked from home and handed in my work via email. It was great! Horrible segue aside, I am a football fanatic. By football, I mean the sport that the entire world calls football other America and Canada, who decided to be "different" (or self-centered douchebags, who am I am to choose between the two descriptions).
The greatest club competition in Europe is the Champions League, where the games are played on Tuesdays and Wednesday. Now in Europe, those games are played roughly around 5 or 6PM, after everyone has finished their basic 8 hour shift. In North America however, all those games start at 2:45PM. Now the conundrum is that my new job is the typical 9-5 job, which means I can't watch Bayern Munich play. Sometimes, in the Bundesliga (German league) they also play on Tuesdays/Wednesdays when they have two league games per week, which adds to the burden of the tough life that I have to live. What is the point of this post you ask, what's this have to do with design, or is this maybe some small piece of information informing students who read this of the unfortunate events of having a steady 40 hour/week job? No, no, lets not be silly. I just feel like venting and since no one actually reads my blog, I allow myself to write any nonsense that pleases me. It's also a good stress reliever.
Bayern Munich will be champions of this year's Champions League (will edit later if it doesn't turn out to be true & if I don't forget).
The struggle is real.
The greatest club competition in Europe is the Champions League, where the games are played on Tuesdays and Wednesday. Now in Europe, those games are played roughly around 5 or 6PM, after everyone has finished their basic 8 hour shift. In North America however, all those games start at 2:45PM. Now the conundrum is that my new job is the typical 9-5 job, which means I can't watch Bayern Munich play. Sometimes, in the Bundesliga (German league) they also play on Tuesdays/Wednesdays when they have two league games per week, which adds to the burden of the tough life that I have to live. What is the point of this post you ask, what's this have to do with design, or is this maybe some small piece of information informing students who read this of the unfortunate events of having a steady 40 hour/week job? No, no, lets not be silly. I just feel like venting and since no one actually reads my blog, I allow myself to write any nonsense that pleases me. It's also a good stress reliever.
Bayern Munich will be champions of this year's Champions League (will edit later if it doesn't turn out to be true & if I don't forget).
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Personal Projects & Freelance
So I'm officially back from Europe after two wondrous weeks. My wallet is rather empty, due to buying a maxed out iMac a few months prior, then going to Europe for 2 weeks visiting 5 countries, and having to spend a decent amount of money on a personal project that I'm working on at this point in time.
Good news is that finally after so long, I am moving towards the end of this phase of the project. I've been working on it for quite some time and the last few months I've been working so much, I have had 0 time for freelance. I actually worked on it even during my vacation as sad as that may sound to some people, but I didn't mind much. Now, the project might either go to another stage where I will be able to talk about it in the future, or stay likely as something that never materialized into anything.
The point here is as I daydream for a bit, it's time for freelance. I need to make a bit of extra cash and the good news about the creative business, is that freelance work is always an option. I also realized as I had a conversation with a friend of mine, as we discussed that working on a personal project, you will always give it a bit more than you would working on any other project no matter how much you're paid. Of course there are people who are just as passionate and are completely ok with working on someone else's vision, I should generalize and pretend I know every creative human being in the world.
But for the most part, it is the case. I had to pay someone to work on part of my secret project, and my friend did warn me that no matter what, no one will work as hard on this project as you will, because it's your baby. Saying that however, the illustrator I have working with me is doing a fantastic job, and I'm not just saying that because he might accidentally stumble upon this link. If I have to say anything that isn't all about me, I'd say work on that personal project. At worst, it's a great stress reliever even if nothing happens with it. On the upside, you could be making money doing the job that you're most passionate about, your own, personal project!
So get your ass to work on your personal project when you're done doing your 9-5 cubicle job.
Good news is that finally after so long, I am moving towards the end of this phase of the project. I've been working on it for quite some time and the last few months I've been working so much, I have had 0 time for freelance. I actually worked on it even during my vacation as sad as that may sound to some people, but I didn't mind much. Now, the project might either go to another stage where I will be able to talk about it in the future, or stay likely as something that never materialized into anything.
The point here is as I daydream for a bit, it's time for freelance. I need to make a bit of extra cash and the good news about the creative business, is that freelance work is always an option. I also realized as I had a conversation with a friend of mine, as we discussed that working on a personal project, you will always give it a bit more than you would working on any other project no matter how much you're paid. Of course there are people who are just as passionate and are completely ok with working on someone else's vision, I should generalize and pretend I know every creative human being in the world.
But for the most part, it is the case. I had to pay someone to work on part of my secret project, and my friend did warn me that no matter what, no one will work as hard on this project as you will, because it's your baby. Saying that however, the illustrator I have working with me is doing a fantastic job, and I'm not just saying that because he might accidentally stumble upon this link. If I have to say anything that isn't all about me, I'd say work on that personal project. At worst, it's a great stress reliever even if nothing happens with it. On the upside, you could be making money doing the job that you're most passionate about, your own, personal project!
So get your ass to work on your personal project when you're done doing your 9-5 cubicle job.
Monday, 15 September 2014
Speed Painting 27: Destiny
With the biggest game of the year coming out this month, I thought I'd illustrate Bungie's new franchise series Destiny. It's from the creators of Halo, who have always made games on Microsoft platforms. While I've played the previous games, I've never owned one so this is a big change for the company.
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
European Trip - Backpacking
in 6 days, I will be going to Europe on a 13 days vacation with one of my best friends. It's my first vacation in 2 years, and I can't wait for it. Lisbon, Portugal to Barcelona, Spain to Copenhagen, Denmark to Munich, Germany and finish it off at Amsterdam, Netherlands. How do I feel about it you ask?
This should be a great time to relax and be away from computers. I use a PC at work along with my Macbook, and use my iMac and my Macbook at home. On top of this, I'll get to see new places, & meet new people. I'm bringing my shitty old camera that has a decent lens with me, having recently bought a 2nd battery & 2 extra memory cards. As an illustrator, I should have a lot of new content and references to use for future illustrations. I will also be able to imagine more when I paint, hopefully due to being at drastically different settings than the one I live in.
So I urge fellow hard-working creatives, get your fucking ass out of the chair and go to a completely different place to enjoy yourself the earliest you can. You need it, as I need to insert my ideologies forcibly onto you even though you're not asking for it at all. In all seriousness, I hope and think I'll have a great time and urge others to go on some crazy/relaxing adventures of their own. :)
I wish I could dance like this magician
This should be a great time to relax and be away from computers. I use a PC at work along with my Macbook, and use my iMac and my Macbook at home. On top of this, I'll get to see new places, & meet new people. I'm bringing my shitty old camera that has a decent lens with me, having recently bought a 2nd battery & 2 extra memory cards. As an illustrator, I should have a lot of new content and references to use for future illustrations. I will also be able to imagine more when I paint, hopefully due to being at drastically different settings than the one I live in.
So I urge fellow hard-working creatives, get your fucking ass out of the chair and go to a completely different place to enjoy yourself the earliest you can. You need it, as I need to insert my ideologies forcibly onto you even though you're not asking for it at all. In all seriousness, I hope and think I'll have a great time and urge others to go on some crazy/relaxing adventures of their own. :)
Sunday, 10 August 2014
Make Time for Personal Projects
One thing I would recommend to almost everyone is that you make time for personal projects. I say almost everyone because some people are already doing everything they wanted to at a company, but that very specific minority is a bit of an exception. There's also a few that work 60 hours or more with the company they work for, which means they simply don't have the time to do so. There's also the bosses of certain companies who are doing everything they want at the time. I personally do this by releasing 1 youtube speed painting of an illustration I make the 1st of every month, a Christmas card that includes the Grinch for Christmas obviously, and a personal project that is a bit hush hush at this point in time.
I think based on the PhD in psychology that I don't have, that doing things you really love on your own time makes you generally happier. It gives you a great sense of purpose. I don't know how everyone is, but I have to do certain things my way for some personal projects, which makes it easier doing something else either for a client or your boss on your full time job. You're already doing what you love on your time and really enjoying what you do (hopefully) during the jobs that pay the bills.
I think based on the PhD in psychology that I don't have, that doing things you really love on your own time makes you generally happier. It gives you a great sense of purpose. I don't know how everyone is, but I have to do certain things my way for some personal projects, which makes it easier doing something else either for a client or your boss on your full time job. You're already doing what you love on your time and really enjoying what you do (hopefully) during the jobs that pay the bills.
Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Office Politics
I'm a pretty straightforward kind of guy. I tend to say things as they are, likely with some sarcasm added and tend to act like a child essentially everywhere other than any time when I work. I believe that if someone is paying you money for any type of work, you are getting paid to do the work on top of being as much of a professional as you can be. The two have to go hand in hand. Anyways, where I am getting at is that the only place you can't disconnect all conversation or let issues escalate further is the work place.
The problem with getting in arguments or lettings problems with a co-worker escalate is that it's always there. You can't come to work the next day, and the co-worker magically disappears because you don't want to see them anymore. The problem is the diffuse the situation without acting like a bitch. Just agreeing to anything, you may end up having a complete asshole co-worker who may take advantage of you being too nice. Then they are there every day, like the stereotypical unnaturally big high school football bully that's dumb but lashes out their family problems and insecurities at you. So you have to handle it delicately, like diffusing a bomb. Have I ever diffused a bomb or been in such a situation? No, but I've seen a lot of movies of people doing, that's got to be the same thing. Plus, I have no better metaphor.
The less time you interact with a troublemaker at work, the less likely there's going any trouble. However, do not try to ignore going to the washroom/water cooler/etc because that's when you look like a bitch, and they could sense it. Use short answers. Don't ask questions when addressing them that could take more than 1-2 words to answer unless it's work related. Keep the conversation short. I generally laugh at passive aggressive people when they talk to me like I don't understand what they're doing. It's hilarious how angry they get, but this might rank in the asshole but deserved way of handling such a situation. This should be obvious but if someone bothers you, being passive aggressive or insulting them will just make the situation worse.
Now I rarely ever get in confrontations work or elsewhere (not sure how to write that part without sounding like a high & mighty douche). I have been fortunate to have awesome co-workers for the most part everywhere I worked at. In real life, I instantly end it because I don't need high school negative drama and in the work force there's been two incidents that I remember which happened and I had to handle them as best as I could. I don't like drama and therefore surround myself with people who don't either, and I'd suggest you do the same.. based on my imaginary PhD in psychology and a lot of movies that I've seen. I really feel bad if people take my advice to heart or as law. Here is a disclaimer that if things go horribly wrong, don't sue me because my opinion should not under any circumstance be taken too seriously.
The problem with getting in arguments or lettings problems with a co-worker escalate is that it's always there. You can't come to work the next day, and the co-worker magically disappears because you don't want to see them anymore. The problem is the diffuse the situation without acting like a bitch. Just agreeing to anything, you may end up having a complete asshole co-worker who may take advantage of you being too nice. Then they are there every day, like the stereotypical unnaturally big high school football bully that's dumb but lashes out their family problems and insecurities at you. So you have to handle it delicately, like diffusing a bomb. Have I ever diffused a bomb or been in such a situation? No, but I've seen a lot of movies of people doing, that's got to be the same thing. Plus, I have no better metaphor.
office politics
The less time you interact with a troublemaker at work, the less likely there's going any trouble. However, do not try to ignore going to the washroom/water cooler/etc because that's when you look like a bitch, and they could sense it. Use short answers. Don't ask questions when addressing them that could take more than 1-2 words to answer unless it's work related. Keep the conversation short. I generally laugh at passive aggressive people when they talk to me like I don't understand what they're doing. It's hilarious how angry they get, but this might rank in the asshole but deserved way of handling such a situation. This should be obvious but if someone bothers you, being passive aggressive or insulting them will just make the situation worse.
Now I rarely ever get in confrontations work or elsewhere (not sure how to write that part without sounding like a high & mighty douche). I have been fortunate to have awesome co-workers for the most part everywhere I worked at. In real life, I instantly end it because I don't need high school negative drama and in the work force there's been two incidents that I remember which happened and I had to handle them as best as I could. I don't like drama and therefore surround myself with people who don't either, and I'd suggest you do the same.. based on my imaginary PhD in psychology and a lot of movies that I've seen. I really feel bad if people take my advice to heart or as law. Here is a disclaimer that if things go horribly wrong, don't sue me because my opinion should not under any circumstance be taken too seriously.
Friday, 1 August 2014
Speed Painting 26: Guardians of the Galaxy
August 1st. Guardians of the Galaxy the movie comes out. This movie was practically begging me to illustrate on my youtube channel where I create one youtube speed painting a month on the 1st of every month. I focused on Groot and Rocket for this illustration. One because I didn't want to illustrate all 5 of the main characters, and two because they seem to have a pretty good bond together.. based on 0 actual knowledge and only basing it off off the 3 trailers I've repeatedly watched over and over again. Played with light and colors a lot. Still a long, long way from where I need to be, but it was still a great exercise for me.
I have to go see the movie. You have to watch my video first. You read this far, might as well spend over 5 minutes watching a video that hopefully you like. I'm really exuding a lot of confidence in that last sentence...
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Show Others Your Tricks in the Creative Field
This may be an area where it may depend if my advice is good or bad. I don't want to superimpose my ideology on this subject since it isn't always the case. When it comes to what you know, I always am of the opinion that you should show others your tricks. I am competitive guy, but I think being competitive should be beating someone working your ass off rather than being the weird, I'm not going to show you anything since you're my enemy. Friendly competitive creative work is always best, especially since you have a more positive attitude on this subject.
You know some Photoshop tricks? Show them to someone you either work with or that asks for it. Someone who could do the work a bit faster in AfterEffects if they tried using the hotkeys, show them. In group projects, this will always be beneficial since your co-workers will know more and do the work more effectively (and likely better), which means you all benefit. They will also appreciate you more and the working environment is much better. If they are decent human beings, they will help and show you their tricks so you can also improve yourself.
The only situation that I can think of where it would be a bad idea to show someone your tricks is to an asshole. Someone who has a metaphorical knife that they constantly try to stab you in the back with and will use anything against you. In that case, the obvious answer is not to be so forthcoming in regards to showing your tricks. Again, this is my outlook on this but there's plenty of professionals that are more reluctant to help others, and I can't put their ideals down. That's their outlook on this subject, and this is mine. You have to choose yourself what type of person you'd like to be in the creative world.
a really bad & cheesy helping hand photo
You know some Photoshop tricks? Show them to someone you either work with or that asks for it. Someone who could do the work a bit faster in AfterEffects if they tried using the hotkeys, show them. In group projects, this will always be beneficial since your co-workers will know more and do the work more effectively (and likely better), which means you all benefit. They will also appreciate you more and the working environment is much better. If they are decent human beings, they will help and show you their tricks so you can also improve yourself.
The only situation that I can think of where it would be a bad idea to show someone your tricks is to an asshole. Someone who has a metaphorical knife that they constantly try to stab you in the back with and will use anything against you. In that case, the obvious answer is not to be so forthcoming in regards to showing your tricks. Again, this is my outlook on this but there's plenty of professionals that are more reluctant to help others, and I can't put their ideals down. That's their outlook on this subject, and this is mine. You have to choose yourself what type of person you'd like to be in the creative world.
Monday, 28 July 2014
Podcast Beyond
This one of the 3 podcasts that I listen to as I sit in my cubicle, for those that also need something to listen to. This one is a bit different, it's about games, specifically PlayStation hosted by Greg Miller, Colin Moriarty and a third chair. If you have any interest in gaming or PlayStation in general, I'd listen to this when you put your headphones in.
The good thing about this Podcast is obviously that it's enjoyable. They have charisma and don't always stick to games all the times like heartless, boring robots. It goes off the rails most of the time, which is always good. Ok, I can't really sell this anymore to you. If you sit in a cubicle, you use headphones and want something to listen to while being a gamer or wanting to be one, this one is a solid shout. It comes out on Tuesdays of every week.
Beyond!
The good thing about this Podcast is obviously that it's enjoyable. They have charisma and don't always stick to games all the times like heartless, boring robots. It goes off the rails most of the time, which is always good. Ok, I can't really sell this anymore to you. If you sit in a cubicle, you use headphones and want something to listen to while being a gamer or wanting to be one, this one is a solid shout. It comes out on Tuesdays of every week.
Sunday, 27 July 2014
Apple Rant: Updated Programs, Shittier Products
Lets hope no Art Directors ever read this post if I'm ever looking for a job in Toronto, otherwise I probably won't get it. About 50% have some weird blind loyalty when it comes to Apple.
I bought the new iMac and it has the new OS. Shortly before that, my Macbook broke down again and had to replace its hard drive. The people at Best Buy upgraded my OS to the newest one, which made me quite happy at first. Then I started to use Pages. The UI must have been made by some high school students that don't know a thing about design. Something as basic as changing the font, you have to use "command + T" just so the font options show up instead of.. I don't know, maybe having it at the top of the fucking program like it's always been? I'm not one of those people who instantly hates change, but why do you make changes that make a program worse? The UI is a mess and even the add/remove options for it are clunky, which is not typical of Apple's UI in their programs that is always about being as easy and fast to get to the point as possible.
I use Quicktime Player to record my screen for my youtube speed paintings. I realized when using this that the only options are the ones they give you, one. One option. 60fps, with the given HD settings that won't change. The issue at the moment is that when I edit work using the HDV files on Adobe Premiere, they go as high up as 30fps, and the original videos along with the settings don't particularly match up. This causes me issues during my editing stages. Shouldn't the updated programs be better than its predecessors, not worse? I've looked online and Apple apparently dropped the ball with many features missing, which includes more than the two programs I'm ranting about.
Then you get the inverse trackpad. You move your mouse left, it moves right. You move it up, it moves down. Can someone.. anyone, explain to me why Apple does not give you the option to change it back to how I use my mouse? It's fine if they give people the options to change it up if that's effective for them, but why do I have to go and download the Reverse Scrolling app just so my mouse works properly? This is the typical douchebag hippie thing that Apple does to show everyone how different they are.
Now that I've trashed them enough, it's good to know that I've likely burned a bridge to one of the best places I could have possibly worked at in the future. There is however, always the possibility that I didn't look hard enough for some of the options, because I tend to make tons of mistakes so please don't take my comments as law. Look it up and research it yourself if you must.
I bought the new iMac and it has the new OS. Shortly before that, my Macbook broke down again and had to replace its hard drive. The people at Best Buy upgraded my OS to the newest one, which made me quite happy at first. Then I started to use Pages. The UI must have been made by some high school students that don't know a thing about design. Something as basic as changing the font, you have to use "command + T" just so the font options show up instead of.. I don't know, maybe having it at the top of the fucking program like it's always been? I'm not one of those people who instantly hates change, but why do you make changes that make a program worse? The UI is a mess and even the add/remove options for it are clunky, which is not typical of Apple's UI in their programs that is always about being as easy and fast to get to the point as possible.
I use Quicktime Player to record my screen for my youtube speed paintings. I realized when using this that the only options are the ones they give you, one. One option. 60fps, with the given HD settings that won't change. The issue at the moment is that when I edit work using the HDV files on Adobe Premiere, they go as high up as 30fps, and the original videos along with the settings don't particularly match up. This causes me issues during my editing stages. Shouldn't the updated programs be better than its predecessors, not worse? I've looked online and Apple apparently dropped the ball with many features missing, which includes more than the two programs I'm ranting about.
Then you get the inverse trackpad. You move your mouse left, it moves right. You move it up, it moves down. Can someone.. anyone, explain to me why Apple does not give you the option to change it back to how I use my mouse? It's fine if they give people the options to change it up if that's effective for them, but why do I have to go and download the Reverse Scrolling app just so my mouse works properly? This is the typical douchebag hippie thing that Apple does to show everyone how different they are.
Now that I've trashed them enough, it's good to know that I've likely burned a bridge to one of the best places I could have possibly worked at in the future. There is however, always the possibility that I didn't look hard enough for some of the options, because I tend to make tons of mistakes so please don't take my comments as law. Look it up and research it yourself if you must.
Friday, 18 July 2014
gumroad, tutorial videos from the best artists by paying a bit of cash
I really didn't know how to make a title that was both very short and gave you an exact idea of what this blog post is about... well that's not true. I just didn't want to waste more than 20 seconds thinking of one. Ok? That's the absolute truth. Now, gumroad. It's a website that people can upload a video off which involves anything from 2D, 3D illustration in areas of concept art, creating environmental art, how to make fire, characters all the way into how to work using different programs. Only thing is that you pay a bit of cash for it, in some cases some videos are even being offered for free for the absolute cheap bastards. There's plenty of videos based on the 10-12 that I have seen so far ranging mostly anywhere between 1-7$. There's another video that's 35$ that's a 9 hour tutorial. My advice would be to stop being a cheap asshole and buy at least one video that relates to an area you know you need to work on. Why am I being so insulting and rude? Honestly, partly because I don't think anyone is reading this even though that's a bad excuse. Plus a bit of harsh love is sometimes needed to spring someone to action.
A lot of talented people are getting on this and you can learn a lot from them. I have seen one and will be buying two more from the same artist today. If you are afraid of spending so much money on the big files, just spend 2-3$ on one of the cheaper ones and see if they are worth it. This could be very helpful to young creative people that may be in school or just out of it. My ideal is that you should always look up to others regardless of time or experience to see what they can teach you to further improve yourself as an artist, developer and/or designer, but that's just me. We're in this world for a very short amount of time, so we might as well learn as much as possible in the time we've got. Some notable people uploading videos in the illustration/2D, motion graphics and 3D fields are Dan Luvisi, Maciej Kuciara, Ash Thorp, and.. I really didn't do any research for this to look up more names. I would apologize but I'm not getting paid for this blog, so I'd like to do as little work as possible while simultaneously updating people on some (hopefully) important news in the creative world. Enjoy it boyos & start learning.
A lot of talented people are getting on this and you can learn a lot from them. I have seen one and will be buying two more from the same artist today. If you are afraid of spending so much money on the big files, just spend 2-3$ on one of the cheaper ones and see if they are worth it. This could be very helpful to young creative people that may be in school or just out of it. My ideal is that you should always look up to others regardless of time or experience to see what they can teach you to further improve yourself as an artist, developer and/or designer, but that's just me. We're in this world for a very short amount of time, so we might as well learn as much as possible in the time we've got. Some notable people uploading videos in the illustration/2D, motion graphics and 3D fields are Dan Luvisi, Maciej Kuciara, Ash Thorp, and.. I really didn't do any research for this to look up more names. I would apologize but I'm not getting paid for this blog, so I'd like to do as little work as possible while simultaneously updating people on some (hopefully) important news in the creative world. Enjoy it boyos & start learning.
work by Dan Luvisi, an example of what it looks like
Thursday, 10 July 2014
Bill Burr Podcast - Monday Morning Podcast
As I stated in my last post, here is my other favorite podcast to listen as you work at home or at your cubicle. While the Collective Podcast is all about knowledge that you can obtain as you work through it all, this is all about comedy. In case you don't know, Bill Burr is a comedian, currently my favorite to listen to.
It comes out every Monday. Billy boy generally talks about news or what he's done during the week. Then around the end of the podcast, people send him questions through his e-mail in regards to advice which is hilarious. Basically if you need your mind to be at ease, this is the perfect podcast. I like diversity, which is why I sometimes listen to music, listen to a podcast that will give me information on the fields that I want to work on, or a podcast like Bill's where I can laugh as I work. Sometimes, I even take out my headphones out and talk to the awesome co-workers I've got so I don't remain as a social fucking hermit.
It comes out every Monday. Billy boy generally talks about news or what he's done during the week. Then around the end of the podcast, people send him questions through his e-mail in regards to advice which is hilarious. Basically if you need your mind to be at ease, this is the perfect podcast. I like diversity, which is why I sometimes listen to music, listen to a podcast that will give me information on the fields that I want to work on, or a podcast like Bill's where I can laugh as I work. Sometimes, I even take out my headphones out and talk to the awesome co-workers I've got so I don't remain as a social fucking hermit.
Wednesday, 9 July 2014
The Collective Podcast
I'm sure many of you are sitting in your cubicle, listening to music as you work until your 9-5 workday is over. Well you're in luck, because I'm going to shove my preferences down your throat so you can enjoy exactly what I enjoy. I initially started listening only to music when I worked through projects or during 9-5 jobs. Then I began listening to podcasts to mix it up. I'll be uploading a few of the podcasts I listen to hoping that it will help the only person who reads this blog post through their day.
The first to start it off is the best one for people that work in creative fields. I say creative because it can range to too many mediums and I don't feel like listing them all. My blog, my rules. The one you need to go listen to is The Collective Podcast, hosted by Ash Thorp.
https://soundcloud.com/the-collective-podcast
Ash works in the motion graphics industry but dabbles in illustration. I know this not based on knowing him personally, but merely by listening to his podcast and following him on facebook. He questions many people in the concept art, design, 3D/2D, video game/movie industry, film making and even a student trying to get into concept art/illustration. He covers a lot of bases and asks some good question. Thankfully he isn't a stiff robot that only sticks on the subject matter the entire time to bore us all to death, instead the podcast feels organic which makes it far more interesting in its set up. He has interviewed some of best guys in the industry, so I don't see why you wouldn't listen to his podcast. Go to the link, start at #1 and keep moving on up. He and the people he interviews are more experienced and far more knowledgeable than any of things you will read here, unless it's a statement that's copy & pasted by the same people that know more than me. Now that I've trashed myself enough for the day, here is a link to some of his great work:
Your cubicle work sessions will be a lot more informative from now on.
The first to start it off is the best one for people that work in creative fields. I say creative because it can range to too many mediums and I don't feel like listing them all. My blog, my rules. The one you need to go listen to is The Collective Podcast, hosted by Ash Thorp.
https://soundcloud.com/the-collective-podcast
Ash works in the motion graphics industry but dabbles in illustration. I know this not based on knowing him personally, but merely by listening to his podcast and following him on facebook. He questions many people in the concept art, design, 3D/2D, video game/movie industry, film making and even a student trying to get into concept art/illustration. He covers a lot of bases and asks some good question. Thankfully he isn't a stiff robot that only sticks on the subject matter the entire time to bore us all to death, instead the podcast feels organic which makes it far more interesting in its set up. He has interviewed some of best guys in the industry, so I don't see why you wouldn't listen to his podcast. Go to the link, start at #1 and keep moving on up. He and the people he interviews are more experienced and far more knowledgeable than any of things you will read here, unless it's a statement that's copy & pasted by the same people that know more than me. Now that I've trashed myself enough for the day, here is a link to some of his great work:
Your cubicle work sessions will be a lot more informative from now on.
Monday, 7 July 2014
Game of Thrones special, how good writting of one series is ruining my enjoyment of others
I am a massive fan of Game of Thrones. I haven't read the books yet, and I'd imagine that short statement is going to send alerts to the snobby GoT book readers who want to ruin the enjoyment of this series to everyone who hasn't read the books because they're assholes. Jesus, what a way to start, insulting the only follower of my blog and making them run away. Upon finishing season 4, I went to see the new X-men movie which many people were raving on about it being so amazing and the best one yet. It's not, First Class is by far the best X-men movie (I tend to forget my opinion isn't worth as much as I think it is).
very minor spoilers of X-Men: Days of Future Past
After finishing the movie, I had a bit of an awkward reaction. I didn't know what to feel. It ended on a really good note, and by that I mean the typical everything is dandy and happy. Now having watched Game of Thrones where bad things happen to good guys and good things happen to bad guys, it felt weird. Maybe 2-3 years ago, I would have just said allright and moved on. But this felt so Hollywood-like that I ended up being very disappointed for the ending, overall movie was a 9/10. Now maybe I am turning into the people I dislike that are wannabe critics who didn't get much attention from their divorced parents and want to be the most cynical people on the internet to get attention .. who knows.
Not to mention comics have always been known for reviving and bringing up dead characters like it's a fucking game, something that bothers me overall. You can't kill a main character, to make us all feel and thing bring him 10 issues later. Or you can always go about the way shonen manga and just kill them only to show them 3 chapters later that they're not really dead. Great job everybody, you're really giving me a sense of danger, especially knowing at the back of my mind that they will come back eventually for marketing $. Can characters just stay dead?
Game of Thrones makes me feel for characters, the sense of danger is real and not fabricated nonsense. I like that the bad guys had good qualities and that the good guys have qualities you see in bad guys usually, because none of us are perfect. We're all extremely flawed starting from me and then moving on up to much better human beings. I think great, realistic storytelling may have influenced my preference and opinion on storytelling after becoming such a big fan of Game of Thrones. Cheesy good endings have always irked me a little bit, but it's now more apparent after watching a series like GoT that's brutal in too many ways to list. I hope writers and directors take a note from GRRM and others like him to write more realistic storytelling from now on.
very minor spoilers of X-Men: Days of Future Past
After finishing the movie, I had a bit of an awkward reaction. I didn't know what to feel. It ended on a really good note, and by that I mean the typical everything is dandy and happy. Now having watched Game of Thrones where bad things happen to good guys and good things happen to bad guys, it felt weird. Maybe 2-3 years ago, I would have just said allright and moved on. But this felt so Hollywood-like that I ended up being very disappointed for the ending, overall movie was a 9/10. Now maybe I am turning into the people I dislike that are wannabe critics who didn't get much attention from their divorced parents and want to be the most cynical people on the internet to get attention .. who knows.
Can dead characters just fucking stay dead?
Not to mention comics have always been known for reviving and bringing up dead characters like it's a fucking game, something that bothers me overall. You can't kill a main character, to make us all feel and thing bring him 10 issues later. Or you can always go about the way shonen manga and just kill them only to show them 3 chapters later that they're not really dead. Great job everybody, you're really giving me a sense of danger, especially knowing at the back of my mind that they will come back eventually for marketing $. Can characters just stay dead?
Game of Thrones makes me feel for characters, the sense of danger is real and not fabricated nonsense. I like that the bad guys had good qualities and that the good guys have qualities you see in bad guys usually, because none of us are perfect. We're all extremely flawed starting from me and then moving on up to much better human beings. I think great, realistic storytelling may have influenced my preference and opinion on storytelling after becoming such a big fan of Game of Thrones. Cheesy good endings have always irked me a little bit, but it's now more apparent after watching a series like GoT that's brutal in too many ways to list. I hope writers and directors take a note from GRRM and others like him to write more realistic storytelling from now on.
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Unforeseen Problems in the Creative World
Unforeseen problems happen in our lives constantly, so it makes sense that they also happen for work as well. I have been using an Macbook Pro for roughly 5 years now. For as good as it has been even upgraded with RAM, it still isn't anywhere where I needed it to be for Photoshop and AfterEffects, and Cinema 4D at times as well. Last month, I received a maxed out iMac that I bought which should hopefully do well enough for the next 5-6 years before buying something better in the future. I make a youtube speed painting and release it on the first of the every month (or 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on when I have to re-upload it because Youtube flagged one of the niche songs I used by a company that is not connected to the publisher of the song at all). When I was rendering the video of my latest speed painting, I realized on Adobe Premiere that the quality of the files was not up to par. I even took the next day off work and worked until 9PM that night to eventually get a solid quality on the Premiere file with the issue being very few minor things. This caused the video to be released a day late which was frustrating. The entire process before took roughly 70 hours and the complications afterwards took an additional and grueling 20 hours.
The point here is that if you do design, web design, illustration/concept art, motion graphics or 3D, unforseen issues will come even if you do everything beforehand to ensure that no future problems will happen. My best advice based on 2 years on the professional field is to do the work early. If you are working for a client, send them a timeline in the contract that is later then when you expect to finish it. This way when you finish it as quick as you expected, then you're ok and everything is dandy. You feel like a fucking superhero and can either relax or do your own personal work during the extra time you have on the contract. However if you get some random, unforeseen issue that no one could even predict, then the normal timeline gets pushed back by a day, 2, a week, 2 or even a month depending on what type of work and/or scenario. This is where the contract comes in because this way you finish it last minute and it ends up being the same quality as intended even with the issues you couldn't predict. However, your contract says 3 weeks because that's how long you believe it takes and an extra week gets added, you either send them a shitty product and lose a potential long term client, or ask for more time. Now if you have built a realationship and they aren't in a massive hurry, this won't be a major issue. If that's not the case, lots of complications where both the work doesn't end up being good and the relationship goes down the shitter. You are in a lose-lose situation since this is work you don't even want to put in your portfolio or your website at this point.
The reaction we have to unforeseen errors.. well my reaction...
Friday, 4 July 2014
Youtube, the place for crap customer service
Ahh youtube, yet another niche song that I pick for one of my speed paintings.. yet another time I get an infringed mark from a company that has nothing to do with the music company that published it. Well done Youtube and Google, I can only hope that one day the monkeys that are running behind that lengthy programming can end up finding a better way how to not screw over the people that originally made them money. Google really needs to find a better middle point.. or rather to find a middle point. Do better testing in regards to what company calls for an infringement, and adding a human contact after contacting the 12 customer service robots and their answers after which you never hear from them again.
It's unfortunate the amount of suits making decisions for Google that have bit by bit, transformed Youtube into a soulless website. Hopefully in a few years, there will be a competitor because at this point, I don't see a company doing a cruder job than what Google is doing with Youtube. I would imagine this post will fall more in line of either people sympathizing with this ideology or calling me a whiny, entitled prick who should waste less time on things he doesn't like than the things he does enjoy.
Thursday, 3 July 2014
Speed Painting 25: The World Cup 2014
If you have been living under a rock that's living under another rock, you may have missed that the World Cup has started in June. It's located in Brazil this year, Russia in 4 years, and the slaves of Qatar are ensuring that stadiums are ready 8 years from now. Before I start going on a rant that the entire population of two people that will ever read about this post on the Qatar bid, let me just try and get past the ADHD to get to the point. I love football (or sawker as the only two countries on the planet like to call it) and decided to make a speed painting about it. I created a bunch of characters and added a bit of flavor to the story to attempt to make it interesting to watch.
This is just a note after you watch the video. I had Suarez sketched up 1 day before a certain incident happened. If you would like to know what my thought process was in regards to the speed painting, head to either my youtube video and read the description, or go to the videos section of my website. I wanted to try something different as I sometimes do and instead of copying and pasting the entire description on my blog, I would instead talk a bit about the project from a different angle.
Football is my passion. You take the work I do professionally (illustration, design), and you get 1/2 things I'm most passionate about. Hopefully that passion translates in a fun 5+ minute youtube videos for the two people that watch the video! I don't want my massive following to be disappointed.
Thursday, 5 June 2014
Speed Painting 24: The Last of Us
With a summer release of the hit PS3 game The Last of Us confirmed to be coming out in the summer of 2014 to the PS4, I decided to illustrate one of my favorite games for June. Since it's E3, and they will announce it what month it will come out, I thought it would be a good time to do it now.
The illustration was pretty basic (but too a while to do) and used 2-3 references to really recreate it. However, I added a few easter eggs for fellow Naughty Dog fans from their previous franchises. Can you find them all?
Saturday, 3 May 2014
CG Hub down officially, potenially new website for designers, 2d/3d illustrators & more
CG HUB is officially down.
They have closed it and their reasoning is "because they feel like it". One really has to question why they didn't at least sell it to several potentially, rumored suitors, but I guess they felt like it. Exact reasons have not been given and a lot of this have been vague, but many artists are wondering why the fuck this has happened the way it did. CG Hub for people that don't know was a website where artists in 2D, 3D, caricatures, concept art, and many more uploaded their work. This involved anything from personal projects to movies, tv, videogames, and books. Many of the best artists in the world uploaded their work there.
Besides CG Hub opining a "Pro" version which allowed many artists to pay for the full year and start to get a few extra benefits. This happened roughly 2 months prior to the website shutting down. So this if not illegal, is incredibly shady. People paid money and got screwed over it since CG Hub decided to close the doors.
At the end of the day, it's their product and they have every right to do with it as they please. However since part of freedom of speech has not been completely closed off by government officials on the internet, I'd say this is a pretty douchey and illogical move from them. They could have at least sold it off to another company that would have kept going.
However there is hope that there might be another website made in a very similar fashion to CG HUB, where they take the best design/UI aspects and take off the crappy variations. There is a potential Kickstarter coming out soon, but until then I can just send you the link to the company creating the website, Shakuro. I'm still skeptical, but at least it's something.
Link Here
They have closed it and their reasoning is "because they feel like it". One really has to question why they didn't at least sell it to several potentially, rumored suitors, but I guess they felt like it. Exact reasons have not been given and a lot of this have been vague, but many artists are wondering why the fuck this has happened the way it did. CG Hub for people that don't know was a website where artists in 2D, 3D, caricatures, concept art, and many more uploaded their work. This involved anything from personal projects to movies, tv, videogames, and books. Many of the best artists in the world uploaded their work there.
Besides CG Hub opining a "Pro" version which allowed many artists to pay for the full year and start to get a few extra benefits. This happened roughly 2 months prior to the website shutting down. So this if not illegal, is incredibly shady. People paid money and got screwed over it since CG Hub decided to close the doors.
At the end of the day, it's their product and they have every right to do with it as they please. However since part of freedom of speech has not been completely closed off by government officials on the internet, I'd say this is a pretty douchey and illogical move from them. They could have at least sold it off to another company that would have kept going.
hope of a new website
However there is hope that there might be another website made in a very similar fashion to CG HUB, where they take the best design/UI aspects and take off the crappy variations. There is a potential Kickstarter coming out soon, but until then I can just send you the link to the company creating the website, Shakuro. I'm still skeptical, but at least it's something.
Link Here
Friday, 2 May 2014
Speed Painting 23: The Amazing Spiderman 2
With the new Amazing Spiderman 2 movie coming in a day, I thought I'd give it a shot since he's one of my favorite comic book superheroes. Also the idea of Electro and Spiderman meant that I could go crazy in terms of colors when creating the illustration.
I used part of a scene from the movie and change it around a bit to my choosing. Enjoy it!
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Speed Painting 22: Game of Thrones
So Game of Thrones season 4 comes out in a few days. I don't usually paint black & white illustrations, but I decided for it this particular issue, partly from a creative side and mostly from a lazy side. For this piece, I decided to illustrate Oberyn and Tyrion accross from one another as I get the impression they will play a massive role both in the Kingdom and among one another (I haven't read the books).
The sparrow and the tagline "all men must die" in Game of Thrones season 4 promos have been everywhere, and gave me the idea to make something stark in contrast (color wise) with the rest of the illustration. The two songs are also part of the GoT promos, and I thought I'd give some love to two good songs. Joffrey sitting on the throne like the douche that he is, and I included him there because I have a feeling he's finally going to die.
I was going to initially illustrate Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and even begun the speed painting. However during the early process of painting the piece.. for the first time ever, I scraped the piece and started from the beginning with very little time. This also explains part of my reasoning to go B&W in terms of color. Enjoy :)
Sunday, 2 March 2014
Speed Painting 21: inFamous Second Son
I've got a PS4 and inFamous Second Son looks to be one of the hottest games of the year (or so I hope). I played the previous two, the new rebooted version looks absolutely kickass and I thought it be fun to illustrate. Since the game itself comes in March 21st, this became my choice for the March speed painting.. obviously.
The general idea is Delsin fighting basic DUP soldiers and creating him in an action shot that's interesting for the viewer. I decided to use both his chain and his hand and gave him a darker look (hint of evil Delsin?) with that shit eating grin that he seems to have. I added some small tidbits trying to trick people that I'm clever, adding 3 small badges from Sucker Punch's previous big franchise, Sly Cooper and another one from an early game that they made called Rocket: Robot on Wheels. However while I was looking for pictures of Delsin as reference when I had already thought of this idea, I saw that those sly bastards Sucker Punch had like me, created one of the badges on his chest with the official Sly logo.
A bit off topic, but the composer for this song is Lazerhawk, and their new album which includes this song is absolutely amazing. Check it out if enjoy the song in the video.
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
Speed Painting 20: Fishing in Space
So after my last two caricatures, I need something fun and silly to draw for my next speed painting, especially considering what comes after. So obviously, the only choice was to create a fisherman fishing in space. The fisherman here is your typical fisherman in space, his ship has an anchor when it drops onto a new planet, sea or a big enough creature. The yellow light at the top left of his ship indicates that this is a fishing ship, different colors in space are used for identifying mining ships, explorer ships, etc.
Every fishing ship also needs Jets Air Conditioner, the best air conditioner turned fishing ship engine around. The name of the ship is barely seen due to the crappy state it's in. It's called the Shark S.D.S. .. or the long name, the Shark Super Duper Ship. As you can see on the right, there's a massive whale which might take the bait. I would have liked to add a few little extras but unfortunately I ran out of time, so I hope you enjoy it regardless!
Speed Painting 19: Nelson Mandela
With the recent death of Nelson Mandela, I felt I should do one more caricature styled speed painting illustration before jumping on a different style for the upcoming months. Most should know what his accomplishments are, both good and bad. If not, try reading a book. Or I can give you a quick rough idea of course. A basic background pictures taken to simply add something rather than just having a white background.
I put a prison behind his back since he was in jail for 27 years and it's past him, and what he had to look forward afterwards was people cheering for him.. loving him.. to the point where he became the President of South Africa for 5 years and then quit after his first term. I gave him an earing illustrating South Africa as a map. I also put what I consider his best quote in regards to what he learned, achieved and something applicable to society nowadays as well.
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