I enjoy a challenge, but I've redrawn my most recent commission about five separate times, and most of that was done today. I'm not sure when she showed up over break, but the perfectionist part of me is becoming a pain in my ass. It's been a slowly productive day. Well, it's been a hell of a lot better than the past week. Here, for you who are curious as to why I kinda vanished, is the shortened version:
Monday: try to install the video card in my computer. I epically fail'd getting the drivers to work. Had to get a local tech friend (and fellow STO-beta member) to help me install. I get it up and running, and play CoH on it for a few hours.
Tuesday: Beta Launch. I turn on my computer and it doesn't recognize the Ethernet port on the motherboard anymore. Much chaos ensues, more help from local tech friend and an NIC card later, and I'm skimming across the universe in a light cruiser-class ship.
Wednesday: Spent about an hour or two on the game before it shuts down for an epically LONG repair period. So far a hectic week, but an enjoyable week. I go to school to find out why I'm getting a refund on tuition (it turns out their website paying option for tuition is a bit buggy this semester, so they took that and the check I had written for them before realizing the mess up.)
Thursday: Turn on the computer, monitor stays in hibernate. By 8pm that night, find out it's my motherboard that decided to stop recognizing the PCI-E slot that the new video card was in. Freaking out for most of the rest of the night because I specifically preordered STO to get into the beta.
Friday: Preoccupied myself with everything but the whole computer thing. By the end of the night, I have a computer in mind to purchase. Okay it with the folks, who are helping me pay for it, and make an online transaction to have enough money in checking to buy it.
Saturday: I try to buy the computer, debit card is denied. I go and look at my statement and I'm $2000 in the hole. The bank has no idea why, and the Financial Aid office isn't open.
Monday: Get the runabout from Financial Aid saying that it's not their fault, and says that banks sometimes try to cash checks twice. I'm curious as to why, because this would mean someone would owe double if they ended up overdrawing twice. Get told politely that it's not their fault, and that I need to talk to my bank if the money doesn't show up in my account tomorrow. I tell them VERY firmly that they need to fix their online payment option, otherwise this wouldn't have happened in the first place.
Today: The money's in my account. I want to smack all of the people who were patient but condescending to me while I interacted with them. I'm a college student who gets epically huge projects that take up most of my free time, I can only do commissions and the odd sound tech gig to try to have money for things like food and occasional new pair of jeans. At the same time as all of this is happening, I'm trying to price out the next six months so I can make the security deposit on the house I'm moving into in June. Unlike the college students they might be used to dealing with, I'm REALLY concerned about my cash. I still have to call the bank to see if they took out any money because of the whole overdraft thing.
Okay, yeah. This week's been rough. Not trying to be whiny/needy/emo about it, it just has really been hard on my psyche.
*ahem* on to better things! I've got a lot of stuff to look forward to in the future. I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but I'm going to actually go to a convention this year. And no, it's not Anime Central, regardless of how fun it might be. No, I'm saving up for the Valhalla of geekdom - GENcon Indy. Two years ago I got to play a demo of Champions Online (despite how much the visuals made my eyes bleed, it was still a decent play. Still not gonna pay for it though.) and meet the guys at Cryptic. Now that I'm following a few of them on Twitter (and actually have names of some of them, too) I'm going to go see if I can chat art stuff with Matt Highison, aka the Lead Character Artist for Star Trek Online. I want to pick his brain about how he got to be where he's at - cuz from the interview on the site, this was his first job outside of college. Guys like him give me huge hope for my future. Plus the con's going to be filled with different gaming groups that will need artists down the road. I might still be in college for another year, but if they like my stuff now, they'll keep me in mind if I strike up a chord with 'em. The only thing that's not really decided on (well, the one thing that's kinda important in my head right now) is how the hell I'm going to dress. This is one of those places where if you come in a business suit, you're either cosplaying someone in a suit (MIB, Blues Brothers, Agent Smith.....list is endless) or you're hopelessly lost and trying to find your way to the bathroom. So yeah, that's a tough one to decide on. If you're going to GENcon, lemme know if you want to hook up.
Once the spring semester gets settled in, I'll start taking commissions (Well, actively whoring((*coughAdvertisingcough*)) for them). I'm serious! I've got a button that leads to paypal and everything. Ha.
Now, back to drawing that @#%#$%# %ing juggler.......
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Redbull and Mermaids
I'm sitting here, in the current CasketStudios (ie, my Apartment), with a red bull by my laptop. I'm watching Star Trek on my poor and crappy little TV, chuckling at the interactions between the "new" versions of Bones and Kirk. I can't watch the old series because I keep laughing at the special effects. We've honestly come a long way as far as special effects are concerned (surprise surprise), and it's amazing to see.
Where the fuck did Winter Break go? I've got two weeks and then I'm back in college for the spring semester. I'm not complaining entirely, just thought I'd have a longer chance to go and do stuff. ((random moment: watching the first red matter scene and going "Oooh! Shiny!!" and also giggling with glee at Spock's eyebrow raise)) I realize life is going to get 3x as busy. (still waiting for a paycheck to be involved with a lot of the stuff I do) I'm actually happy about that. The more active I am, the more creative I am, and the more chances I get to do some fun stuff.
((Random ST Moment: I want Sulu's Katana. Nuff said.))
Sorry, I should be more focused on my stuff, but the combination of the awesomeness of the movie and the fact that I'm going to be trying STO in a few weeks is making me giddy. I have been playing City of Heroes for nearly three years now, and while it's been fun, there's a substantial lack of any decent new content. The fact that the main brain behind "Going Rogue" is also the same brain behind the Cimerora zone does not give me any hope for the future of CoH. It doesn't help that much that I have been a part of a large and very structured Super Group (hero side) that does NOT want to participate in Villain activities at all - "Going Rogue" will obliterate any type of coherent single-side SG system that is in place when it drops. I've gotten a little used to intelligent, semi-militant - based group that has a bit of a crazy streak in them. We're all fun, really. It's going to be interesting in Star Trek Online.
Anyway, enough non-art stuff. Thanks to a few different discussions I've had over the break, I've been in the mood (though probably will be unable) to do some redesigns on a few well-known series. One as a possible commission, the other as stock for my portfolio. I've found out that Highlander is getting a reboot. How it's going to be scripted, I'm not entirely sure, except that the original producer/director team is going to be doing it, plus several of the writers from Iron Man have signed on to do the scriptwriting.
((Nother Random ST Moment: Kirk really sucks at hand to hand combat in the beginning. Either that or Vulcans become Vikings when angered. Hehe. Vulcan Vikings.))
I have been bouncing around ideas as to casting for the reboot of the Highlander series. So far, one of the forerunners is Karl Urban as Connor MacLeod. He's proven to be versatile (both as Eomer from LoTR and Bones from ST), has combat training, and for the love of the Celtic gods, he's Scottish! It'd probably be more accurate than Christopher Lambert, bless his heart for trying though. I've been putting together updated versions of all of the characters (Connor, Rameriez, the Kurgan) in my head to try to make them a little more appropriate for 2010. The original version kicked ass, but let's be honest, it'd be a little hard for Connor to blend in with his current look. He needs a little bit of work.
If I can, I'd love to be able to get character designs set up for that project. One of the things I've always loved about drawing was designing outfits. I've made a homecoming and prom dress that way, and I love to continually do these things. It's part of the fascination I also have with being a character conceptual artist. I would, in a very bizarre sense, years down the road, love to be attending a convention (either as a patron or a guest) and see someone in a cosplay of a character that I've created. Admittedly, I'd love to see it on a person of appropriate body type (ie, not several hundred pounds more than the actual character would weigh)
Wow. It's already the end of the movie. I thought it would last longer....Anyway. I guess that's enough rambling from me for now. I'll try to use this blog more as time goes on. I'm feeling talkative this semester anyway.
Where the fuck did Winter Break go? I've got two weeks and then I'm back in college for the spring semester. I'm not complaining entirely, just thought I'd have a longer chance to go and do stuff. ((random moment: watching the first red matter scene and going "Oooh! Shiny!!" and also giggling with glee at Spock's eyebrow raise)) I realize life is going to get 3x as busy. (still waiting for a paycheck to be involved with a lot of the stuff I do) I'm actually happy about that. The more active I am, the more creative I am, and the more chances I get to do some fun stuff.
((Random ST Moment: I want Sulu's Katana. Nuff said.))
Sorry, I should be more focused on my stuff, but the combination of the awesomeness of the movie and the fact that I'm going to be trying STO in a few weeks is making me giddy. I have been playing City of Heroes for nearly three years now, and while it's been fun, there's a substantial lack of any decent new content. The fact that the main brain behind "Going Rogue" is also the same brain behind the Cimerora zone does not give me any hope for the future of CoH. It doesn't help that much that I have been a part of a large and very structured Super Group (hero side) that does NOT want to participate in Villain activities at all - "Going Rogue" will obliterate any type of coherent single-side SG system that is in place when it drops. I've gotten a little used to intelligent, semi-militant - based group that has a bit of a crazy streak in them. We're all fun, really. It's going to be interesting in Star Trek Online.
Anyway, enough non-art stuff. Thanks to a few different discussions I've had over the break, I've been in the mood (though probably will be unable) to do some redesigns on a few well-known series. One as a possible commission, the other as stock for my portfolio. I've found out that Highlander is getting a reboot. How it's going to be scripted, I'm not entirely sure, except that the original producer/director team is going to be doing it, plus several of the writers from Iron Man have signed on to do the scriptwriting.
((Nother Random ST Moment: Kirk really sucks at hand to hand combat in the beginning. Either that or Vulcans become Vikings when angered. Hehe. Vulcan Vikings.))
I have been bouncing around ideas as to casting for the reboot of the Highlander series. So far, one of the forerunners is Karl Urban as Connor MacLeod. He's proven to be versatile (both as Eomer from LoTR and Bones from ST), has combat training, and for the love of the Celtic gods, he's Scottish! It'd probably be more accurate than Christopher Lambert, bless his heart for trying though. I've been putting together updated versions of all of the characters (Connor, Rameriez, the Kurgan) in my head to try to make them a little more appropriate for 2010. The original version kicked ass, but let's be honest, it'd be a little hard for Connor to blend in with his current look. He needs a little bit of work.
If I can, I'd love to be able to get character designs set up for that project. One of the things I've always loved about drawing was designing outfits. I've made a homecoming and prom dress that way, and I love to continually do these things. It's part of the fascination I also have with being a character conceptual artist. I would, in a very bizarre sense, years down the road, love to be attending a convention (either as a patron or a guest) and see someone in a cosplay of a character that I've created. Admittedly, I'd love to see it on a person of appropriate body type (ie, not several hundred pounds more than the actual character would weigh)
Wow. It's already the end of the movie. I thought it would last longer....Anyway. I guess that's enough rambling from me for now. I'll try to use this blog more as time goes on. I'm feeling talkative this semester anyway.
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