meme dump (and a tiny bit of art)
Sep. 29th, 2009 12:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
backupdump002oh, i forgot to mention that i've been to TWO concerts, lately. one was jeffrey porter and skinfornia, and the other was jacob fred. both were really awesome. jeff porter was held at this tiny little liberal art museum that was very pleasant and comfortable, and the displays were like... well, they were all sorts of things, but the ones that stood out to me were the ones that supported lgbt--there were photos of gay couples, a poem about a transsexual couple, etc. it was really, really great to see those things in this city, especially considering that i was reading all this stuff the night before about how terrible lgbt discrimination is here, and how it's actually still legal for us to kick lgbt people out of their apartments/fire them from their jobs/deny them access to loads of public stuff/etc, just because they are who they are. so it was a relief to see some support there, even though it's small. gives me some hope.
AND YEAH THE BAND WAS GOOD, HAHAHA i had no idea what to expect and it turned out it was tribal drums and stuff. it's not something i usually listen to, but i still really enjoyed it. jacob fred was, of course, great, and a little more up my alley. he just played at a club that was still small, but way bigger and louder than the museum. i felt like both bands tended to drag on a lot, though; i think more concise stuff would've had a bigger punch. but that's just me. i still liked them a lot.
anyway, memes
Changeling Type | Mage Sorter
so ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ basically
i guess that's pretty true
so,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
funkicarus started a sort of meme about art supplies and why you use them. i think i'll also borrow from zarla a bit in that i'll also talk about methods and stuff, since i barely put any thought into art supplies, hahaha
so, sketchbooks.i need to stop starting things with "so"
my main sketchbook is the "strathmore sketch 300," which is a really awesome name for a sketchbook. i rarely ever do FINISHED traditional art (partially because i have a terrible scanner), so i use sketchbooks for... well, sketches. practicing, doing first drafts, laying things out, etc. something about doing these things traditionally is a LOT easier than trying to do them digitally, so i oftentimes do traditional sketches before i ever bring them into photoshop (but not always).
since i keep this sketchbook at home, i like to use my pencil set when i draw in it (though i tend to forget i have it and use a regular ol' pencil a lot of times). i... kind of lost the name for my pencil set, though, so i can't rec it. but i like it.
this is what i carry around in my gigantic bag, for when i'm OUT AND ABOUT and also feel like drawing. since it's small and carried, i keep a generic "cometz" mechanical pencil hooked in the spine, which isn't the best pencil to use for drawing, but it's convenient. i don't wanna lug around art supplies.
like i mentioned, i barely put any thought into what supplies i use, so i REALLY just picked these because they don't have those stupid open spines that i hate. THE PAGES JUST FALL OUT ADFJKGHAadjfghksdfg
i recently got these new erasers, called "moo professional erasers" or something. i actually REALLY like them, since they don't ruin the page when you erase a bunch, don't smudge, and the eraser shavings just roll up into a little log rather than scatter all over the place. it's much neater all around.
that about does it for traditional supplies. i just picked these all up at hobby lobby, haha
for digital art, i use a 4x5 wacom graphire3 tablet. i got it for christmas when i was thirteen, and it's getting all old and grizzled and cuts out all the time for no reason at all, so i'm kind of thinking of getting a new one. it has served me well, though.
i used to use photoshop 7, and i STARTED using it since i was... god, seven? whenever i first started getting into computer art. recently, though, john sent me 3948572934 art programs for my birthday, so i've been trying to get used to cs4. i think the lineart looks a bit better, which i am aaaall over.
SO, i really don't have any kind of special process i go through for art. sketch, ink, color, shade. that's about it. i DO like playing around with colors, as i'm sure many have noticed, and have taken to slapping on various mismatching colors for shading while leaving the darkest parts black (will sometimes use that... one photoshop slider i forgot the name of to tweak shades and colors, particularly for shading, since i can tend to not make them bold enough). THAT'S ABOUT THE ONLY SPECIAL THING I DO
this is what an average rough (REALLY rough) sketch looks like. some people use stickfigures as their skeletons, but i can never seem to get a good feel for proportions and poses when i do that, so i prefer using very loose shapes and lines. i feel like it flows a lot better.
speaking of which, you may notice a curved line that runs through the whole figure. that's just the line of action, which i use whenever i remember to since it's extremely helpful. i still manage to have really lame and stiff poses though, hahaha
since the last sketch was just posemaniacs, i thought i'd also show you what the average rough sketch looks like when it's more stylized and slightly more detailed (featuring a draft of sir cooksalot who you'll see more of later maybe agh shy). you can still see the skeleton underneath.
a lot of times, however...
... i won't even do a skeleton or anything at all, and will just dive right into the lineart. this IS the sketch layer, for this pic. it's kind of a simple example so i'm sure a lot of people are like "why would anyone need to do extensive planning for this" BUT I DO THIS FOR MORE COMPLICATED THINGS TOO. this is usually just when something starts out as doodling and turns into something else, or when i'm just all impatient. or when i just... forget.
i use pretty thick lines--about 9px and over, generally--because i like really bold art. i like fat lines and lots of rich colors and busy scenery that has a lot to look at (though i need to work on the last part HAHAHA), and doing stuff that's all dreamy and wispy and pretty sounds SO BORING to me. artists liiiiiike aznmextofu, hira-geco, savejanos, and gammon are perfect examples of the sort of art i am helplessly gay for, and i would LOVE to achieve that sort of level someday. it's just so satisfying to look at, y'know?
lately, though, i feel like my art is getting TOO cartoony and stylized and simplistic, to the point where doing cool shading would just make it look weird. i'm currently trying to find a good balance between detailed and simplistic. i'll get there. despite this, i have to say that i'm pretty pleased with how my style has been looking! i felt kind of stressed for a while there since i couldn't really get a style that worked, but then i let things come ~naturally~ and i think i'm getting it where i want.
UHHH WELL THAT'S ABOUT IT, IT'S ALL PRETTY PLAIN
QUESTIONS ARE WELCOME
REAL ART DUMP COMING SOON HOPEFULLY?
and finally, gotta do an anon meme every now and then:
THE "i've always wanted to tell you" MEME
AND YEAH THE BAND WAS GOOD, HAHAHA i had no idea what to expect and it turned out it was tribal drums and stuff. it's not something i usually listen to, but i still really enjoyed it. jacob fred was, of course, great, and a little more up my alley. he just played at a club that was still small, but way bigger and louder than the museum. i felt like both bands tended to drag on a lot, though; i think more concise stuff would've had a bigger punch. but that's just me. i still liked them a lot.
anyway, memes
Your result for The Chess Mess Test...
The Queen's Knight
Congrats! Only 4-5% of the population score this!
The Queen’s Knight is armed with rose-colored glasses. The mundane comes to life and nature becomes expressive of spirit. The interesting thing about this Knight is the ability to switch from fantasy to reality. There are exceptions to the rule, but this is the type that may have had imaginary friends as a youngster. Their stuffed animals also were great companions. The Queen’s Knight will see the good in almost anyone or anything – but their depth of emotion can remain hidden even from themselves. Circumstances tend to reveal sudden responses.
Not all life is rosy and this Knight is not exempt from disappointment or frustration with humanity. They may feel incompetence when dealing with their own ethical values. Things aren’t simply white black, but a grand battle of Good versus Evil. Evil must be reckoned with but Good shall eventually win. It is not that they fight evil, but that they fight for the essence of moral good. Doing something good is quite satisfactory for them and indeed increases their happiness. It is when something is not reciprocated to them that they are saddened and disappointed by others. They learn that others aren’t as self-sacrificing.
The Queen's Knight is dominated by an inner world of intense feeling and deeply rooted ethics. They seek to form their life based on their views. They are highly curious of those around them so are readily accepting of others unless their values are being threatened. They promote insight and understanding amongst others and contribute well thought ideas. They however can be a bit too idealistic.
Check out my other tests!
Changeling Type | Mage Sorter
Take The Chess Mess Test at HelloQuizzy
so ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ basically
i guess that's pretty true
so,
funkicarus started a sort of meme about art supplies and why you use them. i think i'll also borrow from zarla a bit in that i'll also talk about methods and stuff, since i barely put any thought into art supplies, hahahaso, sketchbooks.
my main sketchbook is the "strathmore sketch 300," which is a really awesome name for a sketchbook. i rarely ever do FINISHED traditional art (partially because i have a terrible scanner), so i use sketchbooks for... well, sketches. practicing, doing first drafts, laying things out, etc. something about doing these things traditionally is a LOT easier than trying to do them digitally, so i oftentimes do traditional sketches before i ever bring them into photoshop (but not always).
since i keep this sketchbook at home, i like to use my pencil set when i draw in it (though i tend to forget i have it and use a regular ol' pencil a lot of times). i... kind of lost the name for my pencil set, though, so i can't rec it. but i like it.
this is what i carry around in my gigantic bag, for when i'm OUT AND ABOUT and also feel like drawing. since it's small and carried, i keep a generic "cometz" mechanical pencil hooked in the spine, which isn't the best pencil to use for drawing, but it's convenient. i don't wanna lug around art supplies.
like i mentioned, i barely put any thought into what supplies i use, so i REALLY just picked these because they don't have those stupid open spines that i hate. THE PAGES JUST FALL OUT ADFJKGHAadjfghksdfg
i recently got these new erasers, called "moo professional erasers" or something. i actually REALLY like them, since they don't ruin the page when you erase a bunch, don't smudge, and the eraser shavings just roll up into a little log rather than scatter all over the place. it's much neater all around.
that about does it for traditional supplies. i just picked these all up at hobby lobby, haha
for digital art, i use a 4x5 wacom graphire3 tablet. i got it for christmas when i was thirteen, and it's getting all old and grizzled and cuts out all the time for no reason at all, so i'm kind of thinking of getting a new one. it has served me well, though.
i used to use photoshop 7, and i STARTED using it since i was... god, seven? whenever i first started getting into computer art. recently, though, john sent me 3948572934 art programs for my birthday, so i've been trying to get used to cs4. i think the lineart looks a bit better, which i am aaaall over.
SO, i really don't have any kind of special process i go through for art. sketch, ink, color, shade. that's about it. i DO like playing around with colors, as i'm sure many have noticed, and have taken to slapping on various mismatching colors for shading while leaving the darkest parts black (will sometimes use that... one photoshop slider i forgot the name of to tweak shades and colors, particularly for shading, since i can tend to not make them bold enough). THAT'S ABOUT THE ONLY SPECIAL THING I DO
this is what an average rough (REALLY rough) sketch looks like. some people use stickfigures as their skeletons, but i can never seem to get a good feel for proportions and poses when i do that, so i prefer using very loose shapes and lines. i feel like it flows a lot better.
speaking of which, you may notice a curved line that runs through the whole figure. that's just the line of action, which i use whenever i remember to since it's extremely helpful. i still manage to have really lame and stiff poses though, hahaha
since the last sketch was just posemaniacs, i thought i'd also show you what the average rough sketch looks like when it's more stylized and slightly more detailed (featuring a draft of sir cooksalot who you'll see more of later maybe agh shy). you can still see the skeleton underneath.
a lot of times, however...
... i won't even do a skeleton or anything at all, and will just dive right into the lineart. this IS the sketch layer, for this pic. it's kind of a simple example so i'm sure a lot of people are like "why would anyone need to do extensive planning for this" BUT I DO THIS FOR MORE COMPLICATED THINGS TOO. this is usually just when something starts out as doodling and turns into something else, or when i'm just all impatient. or when i just... forget.
i use pretty thick lines--about 9px and over, generally--because i like really bold art. i like fat lines and lots of rich colors and busy scenery that has a lot to look at (though i need to work on the last part HAHAHA), and doing stuff that's all dreamy and wispy and pretty sounds SO BORING to me. artists liiiiiike aznmextofu, hira-geco, savejanos, and gammon are perfect examples of the sort of art i am helplessly gay for, and i would LOVE to achieve that sort of level someday. it's just so satisfying to look at, y'know?
lately, though, i feel like my art is getting TOO cartoony and stylized and simplistic, to the point where doing cool shading would just make it look weird. i'm currently trying to find a good balance between detailed and simplistic. i'll get there. despite this, i have to say that i'm pretty pleased with how my style has been looking! i felt kind of stressed for a while there since i couldn't really get a style that worked, but then i let things come ~naturally~ and i think i'm getting it where i want.
UHHH WELL THAT'S ABOUT IT, IT'S ALL PRETTY PLAIN
QUESTIONS ARE WELCOME
REAL ART DUMP COMING SOON HOPEFULLY?
and finally, gotta do an anon meme every now and then:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-09-29 07:40 am (UTC)i got the Rook's Hawk which as you'd expect with me is all RULES RULES RULES ARE GREAT HIERACHY DUTY WOO
hahaha, i just use whatever art supplies happen to cross my path. people give me lineless notebooks if they see them, and i just grab whatever pencil happens to be convenient at the time. i've never had any trouble with rubbers (FINE ERASERS YOU WEIRD YANK) spreading rubbish everywhere, but whenever i lend them to someone else they do it. you just need a ~gentle touch~
OOH ARTISTS I AM CHECKING THOSE OUT RIGHT NOW
no subject
Date: 2009-09-29 06:28 pm (UTC)i don't know how much your COLD ALOOFNESS really rubs off on me, though. seems like it's kind of the other way around, heheheh
hahah yeah, i don't really have any brands i favor over another or anything like that. just, whatever's convenient.
THOSE GUYS ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITES
I THINK I LIKE AZNMEXTOFU THE BEST THOUGH adkfjghk so cool
no subject
Date: 2009-09-29 01:41 pm (UTC)You need to draw more. Or post more. Whichever one's the issue hahaha.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-29 06:29 pm (UTC)DRAW MORE, DEFINITELY