Holy ***** *** ****** Batman!!!

Damn it's been a while since i've made a post - tho i've thought about it several times as i was falling asleep. When was the last time i made a post....*checks*............*whistles* - damn, almost a whole month ago. Well a lot has happened since then....lets get it started!

Well let's start with the most recent thing and work backwards then:

My ANM:105 project for 'photorealism'.

We were supposed to pick a building, whether one we pass all the time or one we found online didn't matter, and make a 3D replica of it - complete with lighting, textures; the whole shebang. So i picked this cool little family-owned/operated cafe near my work called He Brews Cafe.













The first step was to create some orthographic drawings (orthographic basically means without linear perspective.....like building blue-prints). I didn't actually do any of the building; what i did instead was the windows - just basic measurements/ratios, and walked around the building measuring certain things (how many verticals were in the metal railling, the dimensions of the lumber, things like that).

















Then you go into Maya (the software we use for the class) and use those drawings for reference (you can import them into Maya and make a 'to-scale' model fairly easily).

After a long-ass period of time getting used to Maya's crappy UI and Hotkeys, i finally got the model finished (it seriously took about two weeks, a little each day, to complete). Once you do a whole bunch of other crap (bookmarking camera angles, blacking out the original building in the photo, and things that make me cringe when i think about them) you end up with an image you can insert 'renders' into:













Here's the model composited into that image with a kind of universal texture and lighting:












After you get the lighting right (basically trial and error), then you go on to texturing the finer details of the building (shingles, wood, metal railling, conrete slabs, painted front/sides, painted window frames, etc.):













Below is the video of all of those elements, but layered so you can see how they really fit together.

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Before that, yesterday morning in fact (Saturday), one of my good friends McKay took me shooting because i wanted to do something since it's been a while since we hung out. This was the first time i had every shot an 'actual' gun (the only thing i had ever fired prior to that was a BB gun), and i have to say that i thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.

McKay's 'Pride & Joy' and the rounds that go with it:

There really isn't a picture of me fireing it, because i preferred to have video....it's just so much better - unfortunately McKay was being a goober and managed to get the moments 'in-between' the ones i wanted him to get....so my initial reaction to the kick-back of this high-powered rifle was sadly not recorded :(

Here's a video McKay got of me, my first reaction (mostly the laughter)

I did get a good shot of McKay holding it....the rifle i mean.....his rifle.....*blushes*













And a video of him shooting it so you can see how good the kick-back is:

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My latest art assignment: Drapery - you better B-leave it.

My last post had me in a pissy mood because my art instructor had given me a C for my work when i thought i should've gotten at least a B- (which of course is a little more that a C+....but still not a "C").

So i was pleased....to some degree....to find out that a much more complex assignment and subject landed me a B (which is what i wanted anyway).

So i bascially submitted each step i took to my instructor to make sure i was doing it right - but since i had obviouslyfinished each step before submitting, had she actually said there was something wrong with it...i probably wouldn't have done anything anyway because it's all in charcoal.....not so easy to undo as graphite.

So here are the steps I took:
- - Pencil Outline (supposed to be charcoal...who cares)

















- - Charcoal outline (fine line, medium tone)

















- - Dual Tone shading (light tone overall, medium tone for shadows)

















- - Final Rendering (of course i skipped the interum steps...but it was mostly *charcoal* *smudge* *smudge* *erase* *rinse* *repeate*)

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Umm.....OH YEAH!!!!!

Holy Christ! I was in JCPennys the other day (Thursday i think it was) and was talking to my grandma who works there. As i was walking away from her register, someone calls out (at the time i didn't know what they were saying...all i heard was my name at the end of it). So i turn around and lay eyes on the last person i had a crush on/asked out/hadn't seen in over two years: Aloina (pronounced Ah-lone-uh...somewhat like 'alone').

Man, you wouldn't believe the mad rush i made to land a hug on her to make sure she was actually there. We used to hang out all the time at work (Wal-Mart) and flirt in passing (well i was flirting anyway...she was just being playful).

Oh man - i honestly can't even try to explain how happy i was - my cheeks were sore from the constant smile i had on my face. *sigh* Ah, the good ol' days.

*will not open in new window because the dimensions are 1200x1600 pixels*

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And then.....

Well i guess i'll throw it in the mix. Because Maya always seems to piss me off when i use it, i started working in Blender (my 3D software of choice and upbringing) making a newer version of something in my story: the Curator's Study.

There isn't much detail in it yet, i only had about an hour or so to get to where i was, but there will be soon. I have a feeling about this version of it too - i think it'll stick if i get everything right as i go.











The layout/design of the rug (red) and the course it follows is based off a design i developed for a mechanized piece of....something - like a compass/altar (have yet to figure out how it's used in my story....all i know is it will be somehow):

*will not open in new window because the dimensions are 1683x1856 pixels*

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I think that's about it. There of course were a bunch of other things that happened...but some are kind of special moments and others were fleeting and can't be recalled at this moment.

So hopefully this will teach me to post more regularly.


Tomorrow's Agenda:
- Start New Art Assignment (same process/length as drapery, but with the human torso)

- Go through and give critiques on fellow students to kind of make up for the lack of it in the previous week.

- Heroes (this trumps everything else....all stops when this comes on)


That's about all - Later

Song of the....Week:
Anthony Hamilton & Miri Ben-Ari - Sunshine to the Rain
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-------> Speaking of Miri Ben-Ari, who is an extremely tallented violinist, I start my violin lessons this coming Wednesday (or will at least try to, tho there might be a potential scheduling conflict that may force us to use a different day of the week)



And here's a pic from a long time ago for you Brad:

*will not open in new window because it was made in Can-a-duh*

I don't C Why...

Honestly, i am considering requesting a different online teacher for this FND:110 class. She gave me a fucking "C" for the last homework i posted (not the immediate picture below, but the one i said i did).

Here is her reasoning as to what's wrong with my image and why it got a C.

= The cylinder's top ellipse looks good, except that its right end is a bit pinched.

= The bottom ellipse has a slightly pointed left end.

= The sphere and the cube have good structure. The cone, though, has pointed ends.

= There is also the sense that you're too close to the objects, because the cylinder and the cone are

leaning in the opposite directions.

= Normally, they should both be perpendicular to the table.

= The shading is started very well, but it isn't quite finished.

= The good thing about the shading is that the overall pattern

of light and dark shapes is very effective.

= What makes the shading look unfinished is mainly that most

of the objects don't have the full range of values.

= For example, the cylinder has about three.

= The sphere maybe four, and the cube only two or three.

= The cone has a greater range of values than the other objects,

but it's missing a lighter value.

= The cylinder's left side, and its top, should have more half-tones.

= The transition from light to dark on the cylinder should be more gradual.

= The sphere should have a visible highlight, and the lighter values

should get darker and darker as they get farther away from the highlight.

= Here, too, it would be good to have a softer transition from light to dark.

= The cube should have a couple more values.

= Parts of the darkest side of the cube should be darker.

= There should also be more difference in value between the two lighter sides.

= There is also the matter of outlines

= Right now, there are outlines around most of the objects, and around each of the cube's sides.

= In a finished drawing, ALL of the outlines should be done away with,

because they mess up the illusion of space (they remind the viewers

that what they're looking at is a 2D page, as opposed to 3D space,

since in 3D space, there are no lines).

= For example, the only way I should be able to tell where the

cylinder (A) ends and the table (B) begins is by a shift in tonal value.

= The line in between (blue) should not be there at all.

= The same applies to all the objects' edges, as well as the cast shadows' edges (light blue).

= Be careful about where you want to use the darkest dark that your material is capable of.

= It is usually better to use it sparingly, in small areas.

= This is because when you cover a large area with a very

dark, opaque layer of charcoal, it can attract a lot of attention and be distracting.

= Here, be careful about the dark value on the right side of the

cone (yellow), as well as the area of cast shadow immediately

to the right of the cube (white).

= It would be better to make them lighter, more transparent,

as opposed to opaque.

= Also when working with cast shadows, each cast shadow is

usually at its darkest immediately next to the object, and

gets lighter as it gets farther away.

= Its edges usually get softer with distance from the object.

= To create a better illusion of space, it is often better to make

the front edges of a cast shadow crisper than its back edges.

= For example, the front edge of the cylinder's cast shadow

(red) should be crisper and darker than its far edge (purple).

= Right now, it it the other way around, which can be distracting.

= The image as a whole would work better, and appear more finished,

with some more shading in the background.

= For example, it is usually a good idea to make the background

and the foreground different in value, because it helps create the illusion of space.

An Apple A Day...

...apparently gets you crappy grades. My next assignment for FND:110 is to draw a simple still life set up. So i decided this time i'd see what the teacher looks at when deciding your grade rather than thinking what i've got is worthy of a B.

So i always pass up the "A" grade because my skills aren't that great. So i started on "B", and she mentioned that arrangment of items should be reconsidered for better eye flow, and then, out of nowhere, she actually said (which meant she thought it was important enough to mention) that the apple was 'too tall and thin.'

Can you believe that crap!? It's not like he draw it as if it had the width of an apple core; sure it's thinner than it is tall - but come on...where's the A for Effort?!?!?!?!

I can tell i'm not gonna like how this teacher grades....She gets an "F" (for Fundamental Failure)

Artistic Value...

My homework for my analysis of Form class was to draw the four basic geometric shapes (cube, sphere, cone, and cylinder) and shade them in full value (which is a greyscale basically). So the first one i did (sphere), which i hadn't intended on being my submission, actually turned out pretty nicely - and i enjoyed every minute of it thoroughly. It's not exactly an "A" in the teacher's eye because there are some flaws in it...but i'd give myself an "A" for effort and the end result having never done this before.






This was my second attempt having just finished the sphere. It's a little blurry near the bottom...which is how it scanned for some reason, but you can still see a vast majority of it and i'm proud to say that although it's not a 100% symmetrical cone, and there areshading errors in it...i think this is pretty good for someone with no prior charcoal experience.











This is the picture i took of the four shapes at once (i figured it would take me a while to draw and shade so i took a picture so the shadows would move). This was my reference during the two/three days it took me to do the picture below (which i know kind of defeats the purpose because sometimes your subject can't sit there for that long...unless they're dead - which wouldn't be life drawing anyway).

So here's the end result after two/three days work (including sketching the shapes and contour lines, going over it in one shade, adding contrast by doing black/white, then shading and smoothing out the transitions between values). I'm pretty proud of it - i already sprayed some fixative on it and will probably frame it and send it to someone (not that my art is all that, but for my and what i can do...it's at least a bag of Ruffles)

Here's the second pass at my bumper, with improved lighting and adjusted flare intensity (much improved).