It’s rare that I actually run out of pages in a sketchbook. Usually, once I’m partway through one, I unwittingly migrate to a new one through osmosis. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I actually filled an entire sketchbook—it was probably in high school.

Well, today I actually finished off the last page. Of course, I’d managed to fill it up quickly because about two-thirds of it was timed sketches from the past few months, which I’d never done before. I’ve already started thumbnailing a couple of things in my new one, which brings me to a tangent.

I still can’t fathom all the people from my school and all the fancy pro artists with the amazing sketchbooks, the ones filled with gorgeous ink sketches and mixed media stuff (“experiments” my ass). Surely they must have ugly, scribbly ones hidden away somewhere that they don’t show off?* And if so, then how can they possibly call the show ones, ‘sketchbooks’? To me, if I was going to do something like that, I’d consider it an art piece, because that’s really what it is.** Just because it’s drawn/painted/whathaveyou in what is sold as a sketchbook doesn’t make it one, imo.
[/rant]

But I am going to try being more conscious of my pages (we’ll see how long that lasts, and how long it takes to make me paranoid and uptight about what goes in it, just when I’d started loosening up about what I put in my sketchbooks).*** I don’t think I’ll ever end up with a pretty sketchbook, unless I do one that way on purpose, but maybe I can make it more engaging and interesting to look at?

* Those are the ones I’d really like to see, to be honest.

** And that’s about the only way I can think of to wrap my head around it. Do they plan what they’re going to put in there, and test it out beforehand, or are they just that good? Somehow I think (hope) it’s at least partly the former, so they can make people think it’s the latter. Unfortunately, I have no brains to pick about this, and even if I did, it’s probably all secret society-ish.

*** For a very long time, my sketchbooks were reserved for drawing only. No thumbnails, no drawing from life/timed sketching (though I wasn’t really doing either of these ’til recently), no notes for stories, no random little scribbly doodles, no pasted-in stuff (ok, I still don’t do this unless forced, but I may start)—those all had other places to go (or no place at all). I still don’t really experiment much in my sketchbooks, but then, I don’t really experiment much.

This started as a 3″ high scribble, which—after multiple, frustrating attempts at inking in Photoshop and Painter—I ended up blocking in with color (which fixed the position of the leg I’d been having trouble with, effortlessly). And I’ve been fiddling with it on and off the past few days, refining and building. It’s not speedy, but so far, I’m pleased. Eventually, I’ll decide I’m finished and post a final version.

And then I’ll change my Rae icon again. :X

Unrelatedly—
After reading about the proposed changes to basic LJ accounts the other day, I started thinking about moving to a wordpress blog on gloomday. Before that, I had planned to switch to a paid account when I finally get a job, but now I don’t think I want to. Of course, that sort of sucks in terms of friends I have on here, so I’m still debating (though I do have everyone’s journals on RSS feed now). Depends on what they decide to do, too. <shrugs> Chances are, I won’t be bothered to move in the end. Heads up anyway, though.

Edit

Wheee Dark Knight. ♥ I was disappointed there weren’t more people wearing Batman shirts (like me), but at least it wasn’t sold out when we went. The showing after ours had a nice long line, though—buahaha.

I loved it. Of course, I loved the first one, too. Where Batman Begins was focused on Bruce/Batman, Dark Knight focused more on everyone else. And the new cowl doesn’t make his chin look fat (+points for that). Heath Ledger was very much not like Jack Nicholson (+more points), a fact which I had been concerned about in early trailers.
Read more ››

Roomie saw Yorkshire pudding on TV yesterday and was intrigued (though he had no clue what it was), so I made some for the first time, and they came out quite well. Today I’m on my own for dinner, so I’m making a second batch, but some are toad in the hole (such an American dinner for 4th of July, I know).

So I tinkered with it more today; much more finished-looking. I like it a lot better, but as a permanent style? Probably not so much. I dunno. Poking around at style for me is like going clothes shopping: nothing quite fits. I have a drawing style (I mean really, how hard is that? it’s how I draw), but not a finished art style. Of course, that’s probably cuz I’m so lazy about doing finished pieces, buuut… I mean, I’m getting better, right?

Aaaand the new gloomday re-remodel is up. Finally.
I’m quite pleased with it, but then, I was pleased with the last version, too…well, briefly, at least.

Dethklok’s rescheduled set was last night; pretty much identical to the Berkeley show, but still nice to see. Plus, I got a soft pretzel on the way there.

Oh, and Kungfu Panda was cute, but I wish they’d done the whole movie like the opening scene, which was absolutely gorgeous.

It’s actually fairly nice weather today, not too warm. Of course, it is getting a bit sticky in here now that I’ve closed the windows down to avoid the grass fire smell (anything which adds to headaches should unquestionably be avoided). Oh well.

Will probably be posting again later with some more colored heads, if my night isn’t too full of other things. Right now my tummy is gurgling, which means it’s time to go make enchiladas.~

I love my new icon, even if it did end up being pink and purple. Cuttlefish = ♥. Photoshop ink & color from some scribbles I did a few months back.

Dethklok tomorrow night!

Also possibly going to see The Fall earlier in the day. I’ve heard mixed things about it, but as long as it’s as pretty as The Cell (of which I have no doubt), I’ll be happy.

It’s been, what, two or three weeks since I last posted? I was in such a nice rhythm, and it’s taken me this long to start getting back into it. On the plus side, my main design portfolio’s all done (barring extra pages to add in for different jobs).

On the whole job note, I’ve been toying with the idea of putting all my gloomday work under a nom de plume so I don’t have to worry about somebody someday thinking something that’s up there is inappropriate. But I googled the name I had my heart set on, Maggie Doom, and discovered someone’s already been using it for a couple of years already. I’d rather not get confused with her. My brain has yet to come up with a single good idea since (and my roommate hasn’t been any help, either). Anybody else got any suggestions?

As for Indy… I went in knowing some of the issues people had with it, but still really desperately hoping I’d be able to see past that stuff and like it anyway. Fat chance. Isn’t this one of those movies where they were waiting for years and years for a script they liked? …And this was that script…? <shakes head sadly>

I rediscovered lovely, tall collars watching North & South* last week. They’re so flattering and smexy.

I was been playing around with various inking tools recently, but decided I’ll most likely be inking digitally for finished stuff from now on (of which the above is an example—something I scribbled by hand last night and scanned/inked/colored today in like, no time). It’s just easier/cleaner-looking/faster for me. I don’t know if I just suck at inking by hand** or if crowquills/brushes/microns just aren’t the tools for me. I used microns for Alice, and that was ok, but….

* Recommended if you like somewhat bleak, but romantic, period pieces.
** Most likely.

Having absolutely despised working in Photoshop (compared to Painter) in my digital painting class a couple of years ago,* I’ve pretty much been a Painter addict ever since, believing that it’s shinier in about 80 different texture- and brush-related ways. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been playing with Photoshop since high school, and I use it a lot for image editing, but for actual image creation? Not so much.

That being said, I’ve noticed a lot of artists I admire swear by Photoshop, and after having seen some gorgeous one-hour “warm-up”** paintings done in Photoshop earlier today, I began to wonder if I shouldn’t give Photoshop another go. So, after poking around the exceedingly unfriendly brush palette for a few minutes (really, would it be so difficult to make the brush list like it is in Painter?), I was pleasantly surprised to discover a) a brush I like very much*** and b) that Photoshop painting feels surprisingly effortless compared to Painter. I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m just really “on” today, but I didn’t feel like I was struggling with the program at all. Also, I randomly became friends with a 1pt brush eraser.

The black hatching is actually me erasing to the background layer. The blue was added last, which is why none of her face shadows are blue.

Each of these were done in about an hour (give or take).

In other news, I started reading semi-old (circa 2002) issues of 2000 AD. It makes me happy. Some day, when I’m rich and famous and have finally acquired the drive to devote myself to comic-making, I’d like to be published in it.

* We had to do at least one project in each program. Though, truth be told, I pretty much hated that class and what I made in it, so maybe it’s not a very good measure to go by. Even with my great bias towards it, I still suck at making pretty pictures in Painter, although fiddling with it lately has taught me quite a bit about the types of brushes I like and the look I want to achieve.
** Seriously, their so-called warm-up paintings look better than my several-day attempts at final pieces. <oozes jealousy>
*** 28pt charcoal flat, in case anyone was wondering