Cover it up with pounds of ash

[backupdump002]

So... John got laid off from Microsoft.
It's... I have no idea what to say. I'm shocked. He was so thrilled about that game design job, he got that new house...
I don't know what to say. As scary as the economy is, I guess I never thought anyone in the family would get canned. He'll have to get new work immediately if he wants to keep his house, and--I wish we lived closer so we could help him out. I'm a little worried.

Might take a trip in a few months. We'll see.

In the meantime, could you fill this out?
1. Do I have a distinct style of drawing?
2. If so, what exactly is it that defines my "style"?
3. Would you say my art usually follows a 'theme'?
4. Is there anything I really need to improve on or change?
5. Does my style [if I have one] remind you of/look like the style of anyone else?
6. Judging from whatever art of mine that you've seen, what do you think I do the best at?
7. What do you think I suck at?
Skip what you can't answer, be anonymous, do whatever you need to do. I just want some honest critique.
dA account's back. Only putting up finished art/things I like, though, so there's no point in watching it if you watch this LJ.

If you don't hear much from me for a while it's because I'm too busy being stressed kdfjgh

Edit: Just found out that John's getting something like two months severance and is meeting with people tomorrow to find a new job, so. It's fine, guys. Right now I'm just stressed about things I have to work on adkjfgh too much stuff

Comments

[wishwashing.livejournal.com]

i heard about the layoff on the news this morning. i'm so sorry. :\

[doxinator.livejournal.com]

It's all right, it's not like I'm real broken up over it or anything. I trust John with getting things straightened out. It just came as a shock, you know?

I'm already feeling better since I made this post, though, haha.

[kihanna.livejournal.com]

1. Do I have a distinct style of drawing?
Hahaha of course you do!
2. If so, what exactly is it that defines my "style"?
Your colors are nice yummy and painty while your lineart is well established.
3. Would you say my art usually follows a 'theme'?
Nerdism and dorkyism
4. Is there anything I really need to improve on or change?
I would LOVE to see more full body pictures like "XXX!" As everyone's saying, it'd be nice to see more dynamic poses.
5. Does my style [if I have one] remind you of/look like the style of anyone else?
Actually, the XXX one reminded me a little bit of one of my friends, Nayruchan (http://nayruchan.deviantart.com/). Some of your older doodles and some art kinda resembled Zarla's way too much, but they're way better than that now.
6. Judging from whatever art of mine that you've seen, what do you think I do the best at? I loved loved loved the anatomy on XXX.
7. What do you think I suck at?
Lolololol we all know this question is just silly. X)

*huggles* I hope you feel better. ]:

[wishwashing.livejournal.com]

i'm glad you're feeling better. :>

[doxinator.livejournal.com]

NERDISM HAS BEEN A CONSTANT IN MY LIFE

Ahh, yeah, doing different poses/perspective is a big weak spot of mine. I'm never sure where to start with them, though, or if I'm ever doing it correctly :T I wish I had a teacher or something.

Thanks so much for filling this out! I hope more people do fkdghkd I'm always whining about wanting critique

I'm fine, don't worry. I just feel bad for John. :/ I hope he gets another game design job somewhere.

[puddinchan.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear about that... I hate to say it, but I know how it feels to have a family member fired from their job for little-to-no reason.

1. Do I have a distinct style of drawing?
Yeah, don't we all?
2. If so, what exactly is it that defines my "style"?
EVERYTHIIIIING
3. Would you say my art usually follows a 'theme'?
Nope.
4. Is there anything I really need to improve on or change?
We all have something to improve on, but I don't think you need to improve that much.
5. Does my style [if I have one] remind you of/look like the style of anyone else?
Nope.
6. Judging from whatever art of mine that you've seen, what do you think I do the best at?
Crack pictures. :|
7. What do you think I suck at?
NOTHEENG

[tigerboat.livejournal.com]

Ugh, my dad's having difficulty with jobs, too. We're lucky mum has such a good job, we can still manage well with just one working parent.

1. Do I have a distinct style of drawing?
Yeah.
2. If so, what exactly is it that defines my "style"?
I DON'T KNOW hard question, aaaa
3. Would you say my art usually follows a 'theme'?
a theme of AWESOME
4. Is there anything I really need to improve on or change?
YOUR LINES CAN BE A BIT uh...man, i don't know how to describe this stuff They're often, uh, not very smooth? Something like that. They just bother me a little.
5. Does my style [if I have one] remind you of/look like the style of anyone else?
Not really.
6. Judging from whatever art of mine that you've seen, what do you think I do the best at?
I'm gonna agree with kihana and say ANATOMY especially on XXX
7. What do you think I suck at?
THIS IS TOO SIMILAR TO THE "WHAT DO I NEED TO IMPROVE ON" QUESTION

blagh, i bet that wasn't helpful or anything

[dia-aren-marie.livejournal.com]

1. Do I have a distinct style of drawing?
I think you do~

2. If so, what exactly is it that defines my "style"?
Hmm, something about your line weight strikes me. And you're starting to develop your own style that's distinct from Zarla's I think. :D

3. Would you say my art usually follows a 'theme'?
DORKINESS

4. Is there anything I really need to improve on or change?
Anatomy I guess, but I think that's most people's problems~ and you're doing really good so far!

5. Does my style [if I have one] remind you of/look like the style of anyone else?
Like I said earlier, your earlier style made me think of Zarla's, but you're getting your own now. :D

6. Judging from whatever art of mine that you've seen, what do you think I do the best at?
Hmmm, well, I think when you do go all out with colors, you come up with really good results!

7. What do you think I suck at?
silly question. :] See #4~?

[doxinator.livejournal.com]

Yeah. They're apparently going to lay 5,000 people off, so John's kind of a drop in the pond. It's still a surprise, though.

Of course I need to improve! I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time.

[doxinator.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I thought about you guys. If Dad loses his job then we're pretty much boned.

Sketchy? :O BECAUSE MY LINEART IS VERY MESSY, I WILL ADMIT
Or do you mean they're shaky dfkgh

[doxinator.livejournal.com]

Huh, it's kind of surprising to me that so many people are saying my old art looks like Zarla's. I mean, I like her art and I'll admit that it influenced a couple of things back in the day, but I didn't specifically try to copy her whole style or anything dkfjghdf

Thanks, though..!

[tigerboat.livejournal.com]

We've had to move everyone into one room to save money on heating, but apart from that nothing much has changed.
(I don't mean we're all in one bedroom, before anyone gets the wrong impression. We just hang out computering in the back room rather than the front.)

THAT'S WHAT I MEANT, MESSY yeah
i don't think they're particularly shaky, though, you're fine there

[dia-aren-marie.livejournal.com]

Well it's not like we're trying to say HEY HEY THIS IS ZARLA'S WORK but more like, "Hey, this bit kinda reminds me of..." so yeah. It's like when you're influenced by a certain anime style, mine was heavily influenced by Cyberteam in Akihabara and it really tried to emulate it (tho I lacked the skills so DURRR).

[puddinchan.livejournal.com]

...That can't be right. If Microsoft of all people are laying 5,000 people off, then that'd mean they're going down the drain. >_>

I think your art's good now, but improvement is always a good thing. Good luck! <3

[doxinator.livejournal.com]

OHH okay, I getcha now :B I agreeeee

Actually, now that I think about it, I remember being pretty surprised when I first came across Zarla's artwork, since we actually had kind of similar styles :O Like, uhhhh... akjfdgh oh god i feel so guilty for comparing her actually-good artwork to this (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v176/sotiko/lolold.jpg), but... hopefully you can kinda see what I mean? Just in the eyes and hands and stuff. Maybe. SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW i'm half-asleep right now
And I had to lazily edit out my real name with MS Paint which is why the feet are all pixelly, haha

[dia-aren-marie.livejournal.com]

Ohhh yeah I see what you're getting at, like certain elements are kinda similar but not!

Apparently my style is similar to a new friend I've made this year in uni, and it boggles my mind because unless it's the anthro art, I can't see it. XD So I'm asking them right now what they meant by similar...

[kihanna.livejournal.com]

Having problems with poses seems like a pretty common problem. ): All of my figures are super super stiff to the max. ugh.

Man, I am too. People don't care enough about art. Like I said to Dia, all the kids on DA are delusional and act like brats when you critique them. I can't stand that. I used to go around critiquing people, but it turned out to be a waste of time.

[roaring-softly.livejournal.com]

*hug* I guess it really shows how much the economy sucks when Microsoft starts laying off, huh? Hopefully it'll get better soon, though.

[doxinator.livejournal.com]

I know, I really thought John's job would be safe. When I heard the news I couldn't believe it; I kept expecting it to be a mistake or something and John would call back in a few minutes and tell us he got it back. Nope.

Yeah, can't wait for this recession to be over. At least the economy will be stronger when it is, right?

[doxinator.livejournal.com]

Aaagh, same here. And my angles are terrible. I'll always start to draw a different angle, but then it never comes out quite right and winds up being the exact same angle I always do dfkjghd

Ughhhh I know, it's the worst. I mean, I can understand feeling a little bad about critique (particularly if you're not used to it), just as long as you ultimately recognize that it's not personal and is meant to help, you know? Not act like a drama queen about it. :|
It is good to know what critique to take, though. I once had this guy who was like YOU SHOULD USE PHOTOSHOP FILTERS FOR REALISM AND ALSO YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DRAW NECKS AT A 3/4 ANGLE NO MATTER WHAT and I was just like lol, okay

[roaring-softly.livejournal.com]

I really hope so... I'm sick of this. I'm terrified I'm gonna go through all that bullshit to go to a good college and get a degree, etc, and then I won't be able to get a job.