Tattoo

So I did a tattoo design for a long time internet buddy of mine, and it's really cool to see a design I did, translated to skin!

Overall i'm incredibly happy with the result, but part of me knows it's not quite the same...
I honestly don't know how hard it is to draw on skin, or the process in how they copy a piece of work, so i'm apologizing in advance in case the following statement offends tattoo artists or anyone who knows their stuff...


Seeing how my drawing translates into a tattoo, while it looks absolutely fantastic no doubt, it's just not quite the same and I think it puts me off from getting tattoo work being done on me. I mean, if I were to get something done, it would be my own art, but I would want the artist to make it exactly the same or somehow better. If i'm not happy with the result, well...  unless you can afford laser removal it's there to stay. Again, I do apologize if how I feel is taken as an insult to tattoo artists, I mean, i've seen some pretty AMAZING stuff out there and this one still turned out great, i'm just a picky artist I guess!

 

A big thank you to Valentino for picking me to design a tattoo that will forever remain as a mark on him. It is an honour and despite what I said above, i'm still happy with the result and it really does look fantastic. I look forward to, someday, seeing the rest of the tattoos you get, and the smoke and fire added on. 

Borderlands 2

Between electives and being on top of film work, i've been able to set time aside to enjoy Borderlands 2, and i've been enjoying it immensely! If you're thinking about picking it up, I highly recommend playing the first game, while not entirely necessary, I think you'll understand more and overall get a deeper understanding and appreciation for everything in the second game.

Anyway, our internet has been out for about a week, thankfully it's back now but I created some critters that I thought would be cool to see in the Borderlands universe. Allow me to introduce you to them!


Species: Unknown - Have yet to be given a name.

  

Found in caves, this creature blends with the surroundings by digging themselves a nook, sitting still, and waiting.

These creatures eat a lot, their tongues are much like frogs and can snap out at any moment and for a long distance. The tongue itself is covered in a very thick mucus that causes corrosive damage if it catches prey. Not knowing when to stop eating, they often have swollen throats full of loot. The upper jaw has several rows of hooked back teeth, a death sentence for anyone who can't get away by the time its tongue drags you in.

Their main diet consists of scags or spiderants, however, since humans started to move into the caves for refuge, it has been easier to snag a meal and has contributed to their exponential growth in size. Originally, this creature could easily swallow only younger creatures, but have been growing to sizes comparable to the light runner vehicles.

If you stumble upon this beast, it is dangerous to take on by yourself. The tongue can be eventually broken by multiple melee hits and is highly resistant to corrosive. Critical area would be the throat, but considering how much these guys eat, be prepared for anything when it bursts open!

Species: Charger

  

Found in the Highlands, Chargers can be found in herds of 2 - 4 with perhaps a few adolescents. At a distance these creatures are no threat, but if engaged they will scatter and regroup to charge. Their heads and necks are protected by strong plates, so it's best to shoot them in their flanks. Like scags, if they challenge you by exposing their open mouths, that is where you'll find the critical area.

Their claws are flat on the ends so they can easily traverse grassy and rocky terrains without sacrificing speed. Chargers have long thick horns on their bottom jaw, when charging they'll often throw their heads back once they make contact, and the horns throw their opponents away from them. This gives the Chargers time to regroup and attack again.

Generally, there is one leader to the herd, often times it'll be coloured different. If the leader is taken down first, the rest of the herd will not attack collectively, and are generally easier to take down.

Chargers feed on stalkers and threshers, which is why they travel in herds. It's easier to take one of these creatures down as a whole than if solo.

SHARK WEEK

 

This shark is too cute. 

Summer Update

Wow, apart from the post about Alison Theus, I am months behind on an update...

Oh jeez... Well I apologize for that, I have been working on a little bit of art between working and living life. See below for the details!

 

Mike and I love Corgi's. So I DREW one.

 

I think the person was just joking when they told me to draw this.

Then I drew it, and it became real.

 

Somewhere in my blog i'm sure I mentioned my family loves them

miniature daschunds. I think they're absolutely adorable, but when there

is food around... it just has to be illustrated.

 

Caracal and a Secretary Bird. it's not really all that great of a combo

if you look at it, but with the Secretary's stabbing leg power and the Caracal's 

springy jumping capabilities... it had to be done.

 

A commission for 'Rooth R'agon' 

Advice

I had the opportunity to speak to Alison Theus this evening, which was so cool!
I've loved her work for a long long time so it was special to be able to ask about her time in the industry, as well as ask for advice.

Although, I don't think i'm ready for the concept world, it's a path that I wanna take someday but for now, i'll see where life takes me!

Alison Theus: Her Work

To 1st, and 2nd Years

Well congrats to everyone for the completion of the films! Apparently we're the first year to have completely animated films handed in on time! Woo hoo! I have my own thoughts about the films this year, I think it's safe to say Poof, and Apocalatte were the best in terms of animation...

... buuut third year is about the experience of working with a group of people, working with deadlines even though you have other classes, and of course, getting yourself a portfolio and a co-op.

Unfortunately in third year you can't always get the quality you expect under a full school load. Especially since not all your group mates are going to be as strong as you or the next student, or even have the same initiative or drive to work hard on the film.

My overall experience was delightful, and even though our film, Steeped, wasn't the most fantastic one in the lot, i'm happy with what I contributed, and the rest of my team did as well.

By the way, if anyone gets to watch the films again, ours was really layout heavy and I hope some people noticed that and were able to appreciate it! :)

Car Show 2012

 

So around this time of the year we would be heading over to the Toronto Zoo, but this time we had to go to the Toronto Auto Show.  When I was younger I would go to the car show with my dad, which was fun for the first hour but then it just gets a bit boring (sorry dad). Being older and going for the sake of art made it a bit more fun, but I honestly was just more interested in looking at the cars and taking pictures.
            Anyhow here are my sad attempts at drawing cars hahah, I tried!
Also for some reason I just cannot get tires to look right in the wheel well. It seems so simple and yet I can never pull it off, just makes me want to practice drawing cars more often.

 

So this VW I was my first car I tried to draw but eventually I just gave up. I just couldn't quite get it and at this point it was getting into the afternoon so our area was getting busier. I also tried a Ferrari in pen but I ran out of space on the page... which was a shame because I felt like I was getting somewhere with it.

 

The top one was a Maserati. I tried to draw it a lot smaller on the page but I ended up taking up the whole page again and I think it caused me to subconsciously shrink it. It looked fine at the time but after scanning it in and looking at it on the computer, I feel like it's shrunk and weird looking.
The VW was fun to draw with that bubble trunk but again, once I scanned it in, I feel like it's not quite right. 

Overall the trip taught me I need to work on my cars for sure, 

but I had a good time and will probably continue to attend.

Switching

For life drawing we had to create four characters based off of costumed drawings we've done in class. Now, I can draw people but i'm more inclined to draw animals just cause I enjoy that more so I was trying to think of a way to make this assignment more fun to work on.

Enjoy the result!

Overdue Update

Heeeey it's been awhile hasn't it?
School has been nice and busy lately with preparing for our summer internships, I have applied to a few places but we'll see if I hear back! *crosses fingers*
Anyhow here are some drawings of tigers, and my attempt at line-less digital painting. As well, I brought my Botany for the Artist book to school and was inspired by the beautiful renderings to create critters based off of a pitcher plant, a pinecone, and various types of fungi.
Enjoy!

 

So I felt like drawing a sea horse dragon hybrid and thought of some fun facts to go along with him, so here we go... This sea dragon acts much like a typical sea horse, but is about the size of a Great White. Using its tail, it will grasp rocks and thanks to the spikes, it can hang onto the most slippery of surfaces. Despite its size, the sea dragon feeds on only small fish and octopi. When faced with another sea dragon or predator, the boney plates on its chest open to reveal a swollen, bright red belly with black markings. This feature is likely to frighten attackers or impress a female.

 

A wyvern and a harpy

 

This guy is based off a pinecone and here is a little bit about my design decisions.

I gave it chunky, curved claws so it would be able to dig up bugs, bulbs, and any vegetable gardens it comes across. This medium dog-sized critter has boney plates that are almost like a mane. When relaxed the plates are flattened but when threatened, they stand on end and flare out like a shield. If the attacker doesn't get the message the pinecone critter will rattle the plates along its neck or attack with its tail.

 

To the left is a fungi critter that lives in deep forests (think rainforests of British Columbia) or wet caves as it can't survive in direct sunlight. It likes to spend its days sleeping and soaking up moisture, and when it's not lazing like a sloth, it feeds off algae by still waters or off trees. This creature will move away from any threat it hears, but if cornered, parts of its body will combust and throw a spore cloud out at the attacker, giving the creature time to escape. This could choke the attacker, but if they survive they will be sick for a couple days until the spores are out of their system. 

To the right is a creature that acts just like a pitcher plant. Using its bright tongue it lures in small nectar feeding birds and bugs. Using its long serpentine body, this creature hangs from branches and thanks to its wings, it's able to relocate to new areas. This creature will try to travel as little as possible as it can't defend itself from predators.

 

And last but not least... Tigers!! Just playing around with designs, and below is my attempt at line-less photoshop work. I think i'll have another go at line-less work during this long weekend, it was fun and challenging.