Thanksgiving and Haircuts

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! Eat a lot of turkey and... whatever else it is you like.

If you don't celebrate thanksgiving, EAT A LOT ANYWAY. It's good for you.

Being grateful for what you have is a universal thing. I keep finding myself forgetting what the holiday's really about, but such is human nature. But this year's brought me so much, i suppose I needed a day to reflect and meditate.




In other news;

I got a haircut finally, and while I usually like it short have I gone too far this time?!

(No, I didn't Photoshop it. My camera's just broken. I can't even get colors to look right. I have turned PURPLE!)

I'm kind of intimidated by the shortness. The cut didn't look this short when it had all that gel in it, and I washed it out and it looks like this! Hairstylists like gel, and it makes things magical.

I dunno, I'm not too distressed by it, despite the picture. I like short, low-maintenance hair, and it'll grow back anyway. I'm just hoping my friend will recognize me...

Which applies only to specific people.

Ayumi, you want me to bring you anything specific that you can't get over there? Like LemonHeads?

Fellow SCAD students: When do our grades come in?!

Anyone who has anything to do with FaceBook: Stop nagging me about not getting on it. I visited for the first time since June. And stop sending me application invites. I don't use faceBook and will not use your applications unless it has to do with drawing or Pokemon. :P

[EDIT:] Since I realized I didn't sound like I was joking around, I shall show my stats.

Friend requests: 19
App/group invites/Etc: 54
Inbox: 29

I was overwhelmed! I wanted to play that superhero thing that people sent me quite a few of... but instead I went GUWAAAHH (waving my arms about too) As per usual.

In all actuality I like getting sent all that stuff. Makes me feel loved in a "You've been fried with French Toast Laser Vision! Click here to retaliate!" kind of way. Which is certainly not a bad thing.[/EDIT]

To anyone else! Comment so I don't feel like I'm talking to the air.

In Which Nothing Important is Said

Taking a moment to say nothing important. Just happy to be home.

My dog missed me. He won't leave me alone!
Also, finished up my finals, here's the one for Animation 1.

Also messing with the blog layout. New banner drawn with refs from Marey's photographs on movement.
I've always like these photos. They were actually made in the name of SCIENCE! as Marey was actually a physiologist, rather than an artist. Just goes to show that everything connects to each other.

In Which There is Collaboration

I've been thinking lately... how incredibly cool it is to be at a school where collaboration is so encouraged.... or maybe it's just my major.

I got to be a werewolf in a friend's Vis. Effects film. Dressed up in this awesomely bad costume and run around in a graveyard. Then another friend who's in Interactive Something-Or-Other Game Design is creating a game (on paper) and was encouraged by his teacher to get friends to do some concept art.

Despite thinking I had absolutely no time, I did some anyway. I like this kind of thing. There isn't much pressure so I can just draw whatever. I even convinced myself I didn't have to take time looking for reference. True enough it doesn't make for a good drawing, but it helps to loosen up a bit. I need some time to draw for myself during project crunch time.
Since the game is based on Dante's Inferno, and there was no specification on what I should do, I had to draw Lucifer (Final Boss? Heck yes.). Of course, I spent no time on research so I didn't really remember what the 9th Circle of Hell looked like other than ice and Lucifer halfway encased in ice. So I just made a Biblical kind of Lucifer, like a pretty angel with horns or something. Nothing very creative.

He told me later about Dante's Satan having three faces and six wings that beat the air to get free and constantly re-freeze the area over.

So here's a more appropriate vicious dragon sort of boss. I don't really like the drawing though, so it's smaller.

Then a character design of Dante, based on said friend because he asked for it. I'm trying to get more stylized with my imagined figures, but this is ridiculous. So much for practice.

In which the author remembers her inept sense of direction

I remember coming to SCAD, and being overwhelmed by the layout of Savannah. I'd never really been in a city that had a grid-like layout before. It really threw me off at first, but now I know how to get around really easily... that is, while walking. I don't remember the one-way streets so I tend to confuse drivers when giving directions.

Even the hyper-simplified map SCAD gives its students is a little confusing and overwhelming, but it's fine once you figure out the main streets. It only took a little while to be able to look at the map without my heart to sink with disappointment as I was well aware I'd get lost. Again.

I digress.

So I bought our 'textbook'. The Tokyo City Atlas: A Bilingual Guide. Of course I took a peek as soon as I got it.



Well, then.

In which there is an Orientation

I want to go now!

Orientation seemed to be full of lists. Not surprising, but tedious. Still, the professors are pretty cool, so they made it a lot of fun.

"How many of you have flown internationally before?"

Half of the room, hands raised.

"How many have never flown before?"

No hands.

"How many of you have killed a yeti before?"

Without hesitation half the room raises hands.


Also awesome famous sequential artist whose name I've insolently forgotten came and showed us some work. Crazy amazing stuff. I'll remember his name in an hour when I'm away from the computer, I know it. I suppose I'll update that later.

[edit] Mark Shultz, I remembered after I had turned my computer off. Anyway, the only think that can compare to his pencil work, is his ink work. I think seeing the originals made some part of my brain explode.

I just did a quick search on the web of him and found one of the exact images he showed us. Pitifully itty-bitty image but I don't think any size would compare to seeing it in person. This was one of my favorites.

Anyway, it's such an honor to be able to take some workshops with him, and in Japan no less. True enough, he's there more for the Sequential Majors, but fortunately us animators get to hang around him too. I hope he won't be too overwhelmed by us.
[/edit]


Anyway, note to self learn phrases in Japanese:

"Thank you."
"Excuse me." (Or other apologies.)
"How much for..."
"Where is..." and directions, like left, right, north south, etc.
and of course, we can't forget:
"I'm sorry, I don't speak Japanese."

Really, I'm hopeless at learning languages. I'll probably attach a notecard to my sketchbook or something.

Fortunately not only do I have a friend in Japan I am hoping to meet, but apparently my roommate for the trip knows a little conversational Japanese. Schaweet. I like it when things work out.


I hate blog posts without images. I'll try to find one for this one.

In which the passport is recieved

I got my passport in the mail today, so I've decided to begin.



Keeping a journal's never been easy for me, I get too lazy and feel kind of stupid about talking to nothing in particular. I'm hoping blog may be more interesting. This is an attempt.

Anyway, for those who somehow stumble upon this page or if I've sent you here and you don't know me too well, I'll be keeping a blog of everything during my trip to Tokyo, Japan.

I'll be going with SCAD, taking animation courses, so there'll be a lot of drawing in here as well. As I learn about animation, maybe others can learn with me.

But, for the time being, I'm still down in Savannah finishing up fall quarter. There won't be much posting around here until I actually go in a couple of weeks.

Hopefully I'll get a camera by then.



Next post probably about Orientation.