Scribbles and Thoughts

Rush

2012-01-31T18:03:00.004-05:00

Most of the time I rush things and it looks like crap, but sometimes I rush things and I think, that would be a good concept to finish. These were done for some people on Gaiaonline, but the concepts are strong enough to be used in anything in my opinion.

Right now I already have two images on the shelf though so I don't have time to think of a reason to take these further.

Hug

2012-01-27T22:36:00.002-05:00

I felt too awkward posting this on my dA. Don't ask because I can't explain it. Anyways, I loved the lines so much, I wanted to post it somewhere so here it will stick and gain digital dust. That's a little boy btw...

I'm glad I didn't colour it.

I Don't Plan Actually

2012-01-17T19:14:00.004-05:00

I usually just doodle about then I get stuck on one. Stuck as in, I really like where it's going, and then I clean it all up and presto. I end up making it more than just a throw away. I'm not complaining. These two usually end up way more adorable then I ever plan though.

Oh, and she is a healer so he always seems to end up seeing her when he is at his worst.

Speech

2012-01-16T12:37:00.005-05:00

If anyone could flip through my sketchbook (or my digital doodles) they'd notice my characters have a lot to say. It's not often I can't find the right words for them since I'm so used to their nature so many doodles have commentary from the characters right beside them. It's fine, I don't mind though some people find it a little unexpected. Still, there are moments when I know something needs to be said, but there is just no one sentence that is going to cover it. Those ones are tricky because my mind just won't leave the space blank, but I think I've found the answer.

The anatomy is a little weird, but I think the body language is there. It was interesting hiding Kyo's eyes for once. I never use that trick so I wanted to try it.

Life Drawings

2011-12-28T18:21:00.004-05:00

I miss having a scanner.

Just Rest WIPs

2011-12-21T15:06:00.005-05:00

I didn't even know I had progress images for this. Anyways this one was pure fun to do. I enjoyed mucking about. Okay, maybe a had a bit too much fun drawing in the blood.

Tea Party WIP

2011-12-19T14:30:00.004-05:00

Am I done yet? No, but check that lizard out. I had no idea what I was doing but 2hrs of fiddling and it's finally looking okay. I wanted to post this all as one work in progress, but I am honestly sick of waiting to get it complete. All that is left is the cake, flower, cast shadow and I'll be done. I hate how the dress looks so flat because the bearded dragon is so textured, but I don't know what I can do about it.

Right now I just need to stop looking at it.

Watercolour Practise: Kyo

2011-12-14T20:29:00.004-05:00

Ooops, that last one is sideways, but you get the idea.

Anyways! This is my last character from my set of three watercolours. I had him done for a while there, but I just remembered to actually get the photo from my camera. Isn't he lovely. Cameras really mess up any chance at all of getting the colours to look like they do in real life. He turned out a little flat when I painted him, but there is no undo button so hopefully I can get it better next time. =]

Take Care of Him - WIPs

2011-12-14T20:13:00.003-05:00

There is one little step missing in between the last and second last image and I dont have it because it was literally a rough brush over on the final layer that I then cleaned up here and there in the important parts. I liked the large brush strokes and randomness of a lot of the black sections and I didn't want to loose them by starting a whole new layer again. Anyways, so first was just a thumbnail and I did 3 of them then asked around for ideas, tweaked and blew it up to full size. Moved forward from there.

Inking practise

2011-12-12T19:16:00.002-05:00

I 've gotta figure out cast shadows...

If I had one of the nice quills with ink, I might just give up on doing things digitally. I kid you not.

December

2011-12-10T13:25:00.003-05:00

This month is very busy for me. I haven't been doodling much, but I am working on some more detailed images. Until then, enjoy this.

Black

2011-11-26T19:21:00.006-05:00

I love a lot of different kinds of visual art,but there is something to be said about a piece that can stand out when it's only black on white. I find this art so impressive because you have to say so much with so little. I love looking through Amano's ink work for that as well as Sean Murphy's because they both put together fantastically dark moods.

As for me, I have trouble committing to so much black, but I don't mind trying.

Painting Practise- Portrait

2011-11-20T19:43:00.003-05:00

Every now and then I dare myself to do a portrait. Faces this close up are daunting since I feel I don't know the planes very well. Still, I looked at some photos and made sure just to do it in greys to keep me from being overloaded. I know I could have went darker on the tones, but I really wanted this to be overall light and airy. So, the lighting on this face is referenced, but this is actually a friend of mine's character so there are a lot of changes.

Today I drew for 6 hours

2011-11-18T18:32:00.004-05:00

It was pretty intense. I livestreamed it so I had friends keeping me company, but it still meant basically nonstop drawing. All of these were referenced from photos or other drawings except the bottom one so if they have an uncanny familiarity to something you've seen, that would be why.

Watercolour Practise

2011-11-17T13:28:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the large files, I didnt really edit them all. I've been fiddling with water colour again so of course, my main characters took centre stage. I've got another one in the wing that I've started, but I'm having trouble finishing him. Anyways, I think it's obvious I'm just making these paintings up as I go. I have a lot of trouble mixing paint and keeping a consistent colour, not to mention I don't tape down the pages in any way so they wrinkle. It's from my sketchbook so I seriously think it's too difficult to smooth down in any way. It's been fun to play with regardless of my lack of training. It's not like me to try something without reading up on it or taking classes, but this seems to work.

Thinking about name

2011-11-17T13:20:00.003-05:00

Ideas are in my head about changing the address for my blog. I realize my profile is up there with my real name so I wonder if I should bother. I like to have all the sites I make linked to one another so you can always see me doing things, but in general I tend to separate people I have met offline from those I met online and censor the content based on that. With that I also think it's a good idea to keep that art theft concern under control. It would be a little awkward to have someone accuse me of stealing my own stuff because they don't know it's me.

It's likely I'll do nothing. I'm not sure I'm well known enough for it to matter.

Ideas from Others

2011-11-10T13:03:00.004-05:00

I do some sketch requests from people who have ideas on the website I surf. They are usually pretty quick, but sometimes someone asks for something that so easily can become a story that I find myself really enjoying it. I don't really reference or colour them, but I think they are promising as concepts for ideas I could come back to and make into a personal piece. So, it's a little strange because the lines are cleaner than a thumbnail I would use, but it's still riddled with sections to improve.

Colour

2011-11-09T18:15:00.002-05:00

I practise painting.... I might be getting better. Not sure really since there are large spaces between my practise sessions. I'm finding black and white photos way easier for my eyes to understand shadows with than coloured ones, which is good... but doesn't help me learn to see colours at all.

Playing with Thumbnails

2011-11-09T17:57:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I just thumbnail out ideas I've invented. Even if I don't use them for anything else. Room designs rarely interest me, but I try when I get the itch.

Let's just pretend

2011-11-09T17:45:00.002-05:00

Let's forget about that whole blank space where I didn't post anything and instead let me continue posting images here. I used tumblr very briefly and realized it really doesn't encourage comments... which I hate.

Nothing has changed, still posting random shit here. Be ready for a sketch dump.

Simplier Sketches

2011-04-05T09:56:00.004-04:00

As much as adding details can be fun, sometimes all you need is that rough, but strong body language to sell an emotion or situation. That's why I love sketches.

More of the same

2011-02-10T18:16:00.003-05:00

Seems my boredom at work is inspiring more terribly messy story boards. I just can't help it, I need something to do to pass the time while playblasting. No one is going to know what is going on (much like the last post), but I still think it's worth sharing since I've never really bothered to make boards in my spare time before. Oh and more green, yes, I know you all love it.

Oh, and I thought I uploaded these in order, but they are actually backwards.... enjoy that.

I usually hate showing things in my sketchbook because it's a place where I lay things out and play around, but I'm finding as long as I solve the problem I am working on in the book (even if it takes five tries) then I'm okay with it. It's nice.

PS: I love using a pen, especially black ones... I stole this one from my roommate, I was just gonna borrow it, but now... he might never see it again.

Suddenly Sketches

2011-02-07T20:06:00.002-05:00

I wanted to put these up before I over thought them and decided not to put them up. Yes, my sketchbook is green, despite what some people think, I don't find it a problem because I almost strictly use pen to draw in my book and so colours can never be thrown off.

Anyway, I thought these would be neat to upload because first, you can see how I design outfits. Yes, not very exciting... also... messy. Anyway, the reason I wanted to show you this is because in the last couple months I have had a couple people come to me and talk to me about their characters' clothing. Personally, designing outfits for characters is one of my favourite fun things to draw. I can just do it for hours. So, I took it upon myself to help these people (and their characters) out, they didn't complain and actually liked my end results. This is one I did today, his outfit was pretty simple for me because he is a pretty casual dresser. I barely used reference for a change.

This second one is a sequential set, but I didn't frame most of them, which is normal for me. Still, it's been a while since I did this and they usually don't get this long. There is no dialogue for you, but I know the conversation they are having. Don't worry about it.

Not Impressive, and Yet

2011-01-28T07:56:00.004-05:00

Hey all,

I'll keep this short and a least depressing as possible.

Lately I haven't been up to any serious work at all. It's depressed me slightly, mostly because I don't know how to fix it. It seems like I never come up with a painting idea that seems like it will be interesting in any way, shape, or form. I don't know if that has to do with my attention span or just my thought process. Having no way to solve this problem, it's went on for a couple weeks, but today I looked through my DA and noticed that someone I really like on my devWatch had updated. She hadn't updated in a while so I was pretty excited and I hadn't seen her work lately. The image wasn't very interested, but I forgot how much I loved the way she painted, something about it just made the piece interesting for me. I suddenly REALLY wanted to paint, even if it was something boring, with strokes like that it could be interesting.

So today at work I'm gonna make a list of everything I think of to draw and finally get my butt in gear and make something, ANYTHING to get me practising painting and finishing a piece again.

Hope everyone else is going strong!

scribbles

2011-01-12T21:51:00.004-05:00

I got an art block (which I suffer from a lot) and so I just scribbled on the page and made figures out of it. Very fun actually, but the curves tend to lend themselves to female figures more so it could get boring in the long term.

In other news, I have completely failed at updating this weekly, but I honestly think most of the things I do look exactly like the last and I don't feel I need to be repetitious. I'll try and update when I feel like I've done something amusing or interesting.

That was interesting

2010-12-16T11:28:00.002-05:00

I came across a blog today that showed some neat painting of backgrounds for Samurai Jack. Personally, I really liked that show even though I didn't get to see a lot of episodes. It was neat how often they told the stories without a lot of dialogue. I can't say I learned a lot from watching it, but it was interesting just to watch since I don't know much about professional level traditional painting.

So here ya go, I'll share it with you all. Enjoy.

Been Missing

2010-11-14T18:32:00.003-05:00

I haven't made a post since I moved to Toronto. Sorry about that, but there has been a lot of adjusting to do and so I haven't had much time to draw actually.

My internship position goes well, I'm two weeks in and I can honestly say I'm learning a heck of a lot. It never ceases to amaze meat how much work goes into making an animated series. There are so many steps I just didn't know about and so many little things you have to watch. My supervisor is really cool, I love how much she is will to explain to me. That reminds me, I didn't realize how much I had forgotten about Maya till I got this position. There are so many technical, simple things I just forgot where they were or just forgot entirely what to do. I alway try to remind myself to ask even if I feel like I'm going to look like an idiot because I did warn them I didn't know anything about layout for 3D, needless to say, they haven't complained yet. I hope this week goes even more smoothly, I would like to get less retakes since it would be a sign I was improving.

Since I haven't been doing much art, I don't have a lot to post, but I have been going through old sketches of mine and just playing around with colouring them. Also, yesterday I drew up something and tried to be more painterly and sketchy with it at the same time so the line work was done on the same layer as the painting so some of the colour overlaps the line work. It's been something I wanted to try for a while. I hope to play with it more.

Oh, and I bought a new sketchbook since I lost my other one. This new one is where I plan to do water colour work since I decided I really would like to pick that up again. I just find it very stressful to start a painting since I feel like I have no idea how to water colour paint... Ah well, practise, practise.

Links to cool places

2010-10-17T22:44:00.002-04:00

Hey

For a change in pace I have some cool links to various art places. Thanks goes out to A-2 for not only chatting with me for like, 3-4 hours, but also linking me to these cool blogs. What a champ!

First, this little video I found inspirational: http://characterdesign.blogspot.com/2010/07/pascal-campion.html
Sure, there isn't anything really technical going on there, but it left me that warm and fuzzy feeling.

Next is this funtastic wealth of background images from animated shows: http://animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com/
Which I only had time to glance through, but saw some Warner Bros. stuff so I immediately think it's gonna be cool. You can definitely feel the fact that these layouts were for staging characters in front for animation. I hope to find more time to look through it.

Now, I think most of my colleagues will know this link, but heck let's just share it again: http://theartofglenkeane.blogspot.com/
It kind of speaks for itself, it's the art of Glen Keane. Ya, I should spend more time reading through this too, the guy is pretty frigging amazing.

Finally there is this blog, which by the way updates practically every SINGLE DAY. Yeah, I don't know how he does it either, but the guy is amazing. You may know James Gurney from his work on Dinotopia, but his posts here vary into a wide rage of topics: http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/

Anyway, other that that I have been drawing, but meh, this should keep you busy for a while.

Later

This Week

2010-10-04T16:04:00.002-04:00

I didn't really have time to draw, I was stressing over animation applications. I did get a test sent away today though so let's hope my efforts bear fruit.

Hope everyone is doing well. Later!

Sketches this Week

2010-09-27T23:49:00.002-04:00

I'm in a hurry. Last one is a work in progress, I'm dreading the tiles so it might end up like a small pool of water, go lack of confidence, go. I think she is singing... I also think she might be able to see the future. Hey, all of these are chicks... I don't know how that happened.

PS- I'm going in for an animation test this weekend coming... wish me luck. =D

Sketches this Week

2010-09-20T09:19:00.003-04:00

Slightly late.

I had a birthday to attend on the weekend and that meant a lot of travel time. As a bonus, I drew while on the train. That would explain how disjointed the images were. Since the train was in motion, I couldn't see anything for more than a couple seconds and most of what I could see was tops of roofs soooo there ya go, pipes and metal things on roofs. Other things are digital work. One I forgot from last week and the other I just really like that jacket. Designed it myself, I dunno about the colours though... but it reminds me of Dune. =D

Sketches this Week

2010-09-12T12:06:00.005-04:00

Okay, they aren't all from this week, but they are still never before posted. My poor Deviant art is neglected...

For a while there I was going to the local coffee shop and sketching what I saw outside the window or off the terrace. It was nice. Yes, I still have that green sketchbook A-2 gave me, I never seem to be able to keep stuff to one book or even to a book. Usually I'll just grab what's around and draw on that. I don't mind though, the sketches are mine and it's not like I have to format or display them. The one with colour was just me trying to get back to doing something in colour, I have been doing a lot of rough sketches then leaving them. A lot. Ummm, the creature in dark red/pink, that was from when I came home this week and felt very frustrated so I whipped her up. Just played around with the shading today, but I hope to finish it and focus on values so there shouldn't be any colour. Colour seems to distract me a lot so I've decided I should think more about light and value. Perhaps I'll get off my lazy butt and do more finished work. Oh, forgot, the tree trunk. I did that yesterday because I realized I had no idea exactly how to draw bark or trees as they enter the grass. It turned out better than I expected.

On a completely different note, the other day I ran into a fantastic blog by the wondrous James Gurney. I suggest you all check it out. He seems to update his blog every day, which blows my mind. It's nicely set up and talks about a variety of different things, which is fun. It made me realize how lacking in interest my blog is, but hey, I do what I can; I'm not gonna compete with his organizational skills.

See ya next week!

Haha weekend, what?

2010-09-01T23:52:00.004-04:00

Ya, totally missed last weekend as far as posting what I've been drawing. Aw well, still been working on animating so I haven't done much.
Just punched this out before bedtime. Took somewhere between forty minutes to an hour. Made me feel so much better though since I haven't coloured anything in.... weeks. Eck.

It's incomplete, but like I said, I just had to do SOMETHING. Hopefully better things to come this weekend.

Later!

Oooops

2010-08-22T22:57:00.001-04:00

Was I suppose to post something this week? A heh heh too bad. Too tired.

Maybe next week.

Gone Camping

2010-08-13T08:53:00.003-04:00

Sorry, no sketches, gonna be gone camping all weekend and I've been focusing on animation so I haven't had time to draw as well as work and animate. I plan to take a bunch of pictures from the camping trip so they might end up on Facebook if I remember.

See you all next week.

Sketches this Week

2010-08-02T15:03:00.003-04:00

Wh0a!

A friend of mine came down and visited me for the whole long weekend! It was great, I felt like I got a lot started, even if I don't seem to have a lot finished. It was fantastically motivating to have another artist over I could immediately call on for opinions. I even started a new animation piece. Below are some sketches I finished. I must have filled up at least four pages in my sketchbook too, but I'm not in the mood to scan them in this week:

Sketches this Week

2010-07-18T10:26:00.002-04:00

Yeaaaa.

My sister decided she was moving out this weekend so I don't have a lot of time for sketches. Instead, check out the WIP files for this art I'm still finishing. Does anyone have tips on how to paint marble floor tiles?

Sketches this Week

2010-07-10T11:41:00.003-04:00

Hey again,

This week has been... interesting. Yesterday I spent almost all day trying to figure out what inspired me and coming up pretty empty handed except for admiring Amano's inkwork. Problem with that is, I wanted to make a watercolour piece so that doesn't help. I'm finding I am more interested in techniques than subject matters so there are all these things I want to try, but nothing to try them on. I want to do some serious work, but I can't seem to find a topic I really want to put that much time into. It's very frustrating and I'm not sure what to do about it.

Anyways, here's what I've sketched with this week:

Last one is pretty much me drawing stuff from my Amano book. I actually have had a huge fear of drawing anything Vampire Hunter D related since I like it so much so this was me kind of working through that. Bottom left girl is just me playing with inking though.

See ya next week.

Sketches this Week... and Stuff

2010-07-04T20:50:00.003-04:00

So it turned out A-2 couldn't come down for the whole weekend this weekend, but we made the most of today. We spent a surprising 5 hours at the closest Tim's then hit the Chapters to peruse some books we had discussed.

Talk was pretty random, there was a lot of nostalgia and I'm gonna miss how much we think alike and say the phrase the other one was thinking. Still, I suppose we could try to do that over the net, but it just won't freak people out the same. It wasn't very surprising that most of the talk was about art and we swapped a few artists we liked, promising to email one another their sites to check out. I thought we would get time to sketch, but I never got pen to paper, not that I mind, we talked a lot about plans for pictures and concepts, even the idea of getting the monthly challenges back up. Overall I think it was a good and productive time that reconnected my love for all things art and animation. Few things are better than having someone engaging to talk to.

Yesterday I actually did draw something, actually I drew a lot of things, but only one was on paper so I've scanned it in to post here. I'm also including the magazine I picked up while at Chapters. I bought one copy for myself and one for A-2 as a parting gift; I told her I expected to see more pictures because of it, but I'm sure she draws plenty and just doesn't get it up on the net. Anyways, the book's focus is on anatomy and I adore it. It's a special issue from Imagine FX, but I think I mention that mag enough to everyone I know so I won't say more.

I actually played a video game this week soooo ya, tried my hand at some fanart. Probably will never finish it, but I adore Guilty Gear, I honestly do. I want Blazblu!!

'Kay, that's all I've got this week. Have a safe trip A-2!

Getting a Visit, also Update on Life

2010-07-02T11:07:00.002-04:00

So, A-2 is coming down to see me this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. It gets lonely down here, you know? Anyways, hopefully we can sketch our little hearts out and I'll post the results of our efforts on Sunday night or something. The weather should be nice so there are plenty of places I wanna take her since she doesn't know the area that well.

In other news, I'm being switched to the day shift at work, which sucks because that means work 5 days a week instead of 4. Not looking forward to that, but I am doing an animation test so, crossing my fingers I'll get a call back on this one. Hope, hope.

Anyone know if there are studios hiring in B.C.? It's the only place I haven't scouted out yet.

Sketches this Week

2010-06-24T18:20:00.003-04:00

Ya, I'm trying to sketch a bit before work everyday. Not that I manage all the time, but w/e it keeps me going. Also, inspired by the web comic Hanna is Not a Boy's Name; it's wicked, I love the style. I tend to want to post the prettier sketches I do, but then I realized I shouldn't be so judgmental, my Deviant art is for pretty stuff (which is why I rarely update it >.>;;;).

Some classmates might remember those cheap recycled paper sketchbooks. Ya, I just found mine so I'm filling the remaining pages. This means pen works best. This also means simple is best because you can't get gradients or details on that rough paper. Or I can't anyways. My sketches aren't very random, mostly just me trying to be simple in clothing and poses. Also, that's my work gear.

Oh, Paper

2010-06-13T16:50:00.006-04:00

I miss paper sometimes, I really do. I'm trying to get back into traditional stuff, it feels more engaging. I have a roll of paper I found in my parents' basement and instead of letting them throw it out, I now use it to sketch on. Once it gets too annoying to unroll to a blank section I cut it off. The roll is pretty big so I should be at it for a while, but I like the fact that I can unroll a long piece right over my desk and just get to it.

For some reason, when I upload these they are rotated, so rotate them to the correct angle... in your mind.

Joy to weekends. I also plan to go out every Friday and sketch at the local coffee shop. It reminds me of Toronto, overpriced drinks and all.

AWOL - sorry guys

2010-06-12T22:20:00.003-04:00

Hey,

I know I've been missing for a while, but I have been sketching stuff. I got a reminder from a friend of mine telling me I should remember to post more stuff so thank you, you know who you are. Always cool to know people are looking at my stuff.

I got into this online comic called Hanna is Not a Boy's Name and I just love the graphic style the artist uses on the characters. I can't emulate it much myself, but I wanna try drawing focusing more on the total gesture and motion of the character then the details of the anatomy and realism.

Anyways enough of that. Now for some sketch stuff.

I paint sometimes, honest. XD

Weekend Scribbles - Cleaned

2010-03-15T11:31:00.003-04:00

Took a few minutes to pick out the scribbles that I really liked from the weekend and colour them up real quick. Aren't they cute? I don't think the walrus looks diseased enough, but I don't know what I could add to it.

Weekend Scribbles

2010-03-15T10:13:00.003-04:00

Had a friend of mine down for the weekend to draw and watch movies and have an all around good time. We got a lot accomplished art-wise including some fun doodles while we watched "Dune", okay, we didn't really watch it very much, but that's not the point. It somehow ended up being hilarious. Anyways the sketches are fun too and basically have nothing to do with the movie.

Enjoy.

They may be sideways and out of order from time to time, but we drew on this long roll of paper so we just kept pulling more over as we went along. That also explains why some is cut off; the paper was too wide for the scanner. She's red, I'm blue. Let the laughter ensue.

Working - Ashbel, plus art forum

2010-03-14T23:34:00.004-04:00

Once again I come with a sparse update. Not much going on over here, but I have been making good progress on an animation of mine. Current time consuming art is this:

Also, opened up an art forum in hopes of getting more active and creative with my work and people from Seneca. Any past/present/future student curious to join is totally welcome as the thread isn't very active right now with only two regular members and some other classmates who stop by from time to time. You can join us in monthly art challenges, just post up work for critique, or even let us know about some cool art you saw on the net. I'm really looking forward to a tight community of students who want to share their thoughts and creativity.

More Sketches

2010-02-19T18:28:00.004-05:00

This is a coloured version of the image I did for a friend of mine. She insisted it be coloured and I agreed without complaint. I think the colouring really added to the feeling I wanted and I tried to fake that copic marker feel I adore so much. Overall, it makes me smile so that's good.

Did this for someone's mascot in their thread on Gaia. I got a lot of freedom so I just played around. I dunno, it's kind of neat having the gold turn to water. Needless to say, the thread was named something along the lines of "wishing well."
This is a little something I am making for a friend by request. He is going away to film school and said he wanted something to put on his wall. I filled in the blanks, I mean, what guy doesn't like something a little sexy for his wall? Nothing outrageous, but it's been fun and perfect practise for drawing pretty women, which I used to have a lot of trouble with. Hmm, no plans to colour this, but plan to give it a comic inked feel. Drawing in all of those film reels will be annoying, but should look cool in the end.
Hmm, this was me being influenced by some rather off the wall music, no, not something I got from my old roommate. Imagine that. Anyways, I wanted to play with framing some more and I think the rabbit failed in that aspect, but I drew in a car bumper and wheel there and it looked much better. A possible art piece I think with some more tweaking. Yes, that is a nuclear explosion, no, the song had nothing to do with the images here.

These are two banner variations I made for the art challenge forum I started for my friends from college. That reminds me, if anyone else is interested, we just started so ask and I'll link you there. Please keep it to Seneca students. This didn't take too long and was really fun. It's not often I get to play with custom brushes so much so it was a real treat. It's amazing how a bunch of simple actions can result in a cool statement.

As always, feel free to comment.

Working - On Life

2010-01-27T09:46:00.003-05:00

I've been gone for a while, not that I've been really busy, but I've had a lot on my mind and the little stuff has taken up more time then I thought. Also, I've been trying to be more focused. Here's a dump of some things I have done recently. Sketchy

I'd scan in the stuff I did at the Jam, but I have no scanner. Crap.

Places to Learn Online and Elsewhere Part 2

2009-12-10T14:16:00.003-05:00

I searched back into my older posts and found I never completed my thoughts on searching out places to learn about art. Keep in mind, this will to write something useful for a change was inspired by my teacher's and some friends' posts on their blog, which I always seemed to find enlightening and inspiring in some way. I'm sure my posts won't be nearly as helpful, but nonetheless, here I go to finish what I started.

Okay, so in this entry I'll try and make some comments on observing. Once again, I'm no expert and I got this particular idea from an old roommate of mine; he always had a fantastic frame of mine for art.

So, being an observer is different from just looking at things around you. Sometimes we are so bombarded with images and colours they all just blend into our surrounding and then are quickly ignored or forgotten. In my limited experience I find this frame of mind to be a waste of a perfectly good opportunity, after all, art is about translating the world around you into a 2D space so what better reference could there be then studying your surroundings?

So let me give a real life example to help explain why I think this is useful. Last summer I worked a boring old, questionable, factory job. Now, most people would drag themselves into work and trudge through the day in a dazed, reluctant manner, I know this because I knew some people who worked there that did this. Initially, I was a little unimpressed with the condition of the building I worked in, certainly nothing classy, but that's just where I realized something. What an old relic this building was, run down and some rooms filled with dusty machines abandoned on the spot. This building had character! What better place could there be for me to gain some reference into old machines or what old buildings had that made them look old. Or, even, what rays of light through dirty windows looked like. I had all the real life reference I could ever want on industrial atmospheres if I only would take the time to observe the place in which I worked.

Now, try and apply this to the places you see everyday, be it the public transit, your office, that quirky restaurant you pass by on your way to a friend's house. Anything around you could have character, could be unique to where you live and could be an excellent setting for a picture you many want to do. Heck, it could even inspire you to want to draw something with that atmosphere. If nothing else, always look for something in real life that you have trouble drawing in your work then break it down and see why it looks the way it does. What makes it work.

Some people, like myself, find it difficult to take real life objects and break them down into their technical pieces to figure out why they work so don't get frustrated. I try and start simply, first, why am I observing this? Usually it has to do with the lighting since I have a lot of problems with that or, more recently, reflective surfaces. So let's take this desk in my room as an example. I know it's brown because it's made of wood, but it's also highly polished so the light from the window is reflecting the things around it. So I start thinking about the colour, the desk may be brown but the light is a white/grey because it's overcast outside; the clouds are reflected onto the surface of my desk. Now, most of the top of the desk is this colour, except where the objects on it are casting a shadow, in them I can see the wood grain and colour coming through. And the shadows may reflect the object they are from, but you an hardly see that because of the grain of the wood. So, next time I do a reflective surface, I should really keep in mind the colours surrounding it (especially if those colours are creating the light) because I know those will be reflected back off the surface, also if the surface is dark or heavily patterned, the objects that cast shadows and are relfect onto the surface will have little detail. Now, I'm not gonna run off and paint a desk right now, but it will be good to keep in mind in the future and test out, if nothing else.

Observing things and breaking down why something works applies to people too. The attitude of people on the streets doing what they do, their character as it were. How do they act and what makes them convey the emotion they do? What is their posture like? What is their pet's posture like? Animals can convey emotion just as well as people and they have body language too. I think the key to storytelling is being able to convey emotion between people without words.

Keeping your mind interested in the places and things around could be an endless source of education without paying a dime for it. I've often taken up interest in advertising and graphic designs for the sheer artistic value of it rather then what they are selling and I know some friends who do the same. I think analyzing whatever you can and making notes about what you observe keeps your mind active and more inclined to see things to fix in your own work.

Now, think of something you have trouble drawing and go out and observe the world for answers.

New Styles

2009-12-10T13:50:00.003-05:00

Hey there, posting yet again as I realized that I have tried some new things in this long span since posting.... sometime last month? Ah, I don't remember, but I'll just post some experiments I have been up to. I didn't find them... polished enough for my Deviant account. More cartoony and cute then my usual train of thought plus a series of sketches I did while I let my mind wander.

Animation - Flight

2009-12-10T13:02:00.002-05:00

Been working on this in between life, which is slowly moving along. I still can't figure out how to export it from Flash cleanly and I want to have my new demo reel done for Christmas (a nice gift to myself I think) so I figure there will be many frustrating nights ahead before I can figure that problem out. Working in Flash isn't my strongest suit since I hate making models, but doing this in a sort of traditional way makes it easier on my brain.

Still want to finish a ten second dialogue piece to go with this so I'll need to get started on that a soon as possible.

In other news, I plan to get a new computer soon so being able to animate in Maya will once again be possible. I'm excited, but I worry I'll have forgotten it all.

More updates to come, just kept forgetting about posting.

Grey's progression

2009-11-09T21:17:00.006-05:00

Posted a new image up on my Deviant art and noticed I had a few progression shots laying in my Photobucket. I was just gonna delete them but I asked around and there was some vague interest in seeing them so there ya go. Also, totally easy post that makes me feel like I'm using this blog.

These last two look similar because they are. I was gonna have more detail on the mane and leave it like that, but after looking at it as asking around, I ended up reverting back to the original idea. It doesn't hurt to test things out though.

Span

2009-11-08T19:11:00.003-05:00

Okay, second post in one day. Whoa!

Ha ha, well it's just now I have some time to actually go through my stuff and find things to upload, maybe speak about.

That last post down there, let me make some mentions. It's on old printer paper from, I dunno, the early 90s or something. Anyways, it's that and a good ol fashion 0.5 mechanical pencil and a HB 2 pencil. Nothing fancy at all! It's turning out really good and I still don't regret using these seemingly lame materials. When it's done I'll be putting it up on my DA for all to see.

More to the point of these post, I noticed I haven't posted anything for a month or something. Whooops, I didn't notice at all! I dunno why that is. So, below I shall post some things I've been up to, quality or otherwise:

In other news, I picked up the November issue of Imagine FX and am totally loving reading threw it. The Q&A always has questions I have been asking myself for a while.

Guess that's it. Later.

Working in Pencil

2009-11-08T13:28:00.003-05:00

Been missing, but still doing stuff. Just no time to organize my thoughts to write or time to upload my stuff in an organized way.

Thoughts and Updates

2009-09-29T16:28:00.003-04:00

Well, I finally got that picture done. It's okay, but I think I might have to come back to it and add some mentioned touch ups to it. If you want to see it, it's up on my Deviant account so feel free to go there and leave comments. I don't think I'll be back to touch it up for a while....

Next thing on my mind, I should totally get back to my little blurbs about learning to draw. As mentioned, it's not like I feel I'm an authority on the subject, but I thought I could help people find resources or at least get motivated to draw if they wanted to; I believe that is the hardest part anyways. I'll try to look into it when I can collect my thoughts better.

The real reason I thought to post (besides to mention I finished my piece) was due to me reading a manga (japanese comic). I have an artist whom I really adore for her style and story-telling. Today I was reading through a volume of one of her series again and found myself startled at some posing choices and details. I don't know if it's just my animator's mind at work and my own will to strive for more detail in my pieces, but some of the shots just didn't impress me.

There were times when the characters would be posed rather stuff looking in my opinion or even just one piece, most often the hand would look awkward and I would immediately notice it and think to myself, "Oh man, I've been there before and I'd never let that pass as complete." I would think to help enhance a mood, posing should never be left stiff, well it should never be left stiff anyways because if there is one thing I've learned, bad posing can't be hidden no matter how shiny to make it after that. It's the reason I'll sometimes have to go through 7 or so poses before I settle on a pose to clean.

I found the lack of details to be far less important since I know how annoying it is when you need to draw a million frames to tell a story or show what the character is doing. Still, I couldn't help but notice it, perhaps because the artist does such detailed clothing wrinkles (wrinkles everywhere, I swear!) and the real world does have a lot of wrinkles so it's kind of neat.

Hmmm, I guess what I'm trying to say is, everyone has things to work on. Haha, I dunno, I just thought it was interesting to point out. I'm sure all you people who don't like comics laughed reading this, but it does take skill to tell stories shot for shot no matter what the style.

Man, what a ramble...

Working - The Wind 3

2009-09-24T14:29:00.001-04:00

Feels like it hasn't changed at all but I swear I've been working on it for a couple hours today. Uploading this is my break, ya, not much of a break. Maybe I'll go out for a while.

Line Tests in PS

2009-09-24T10:11:00.005-04:00

See spot run. People are gonna start to think I have this obsession with dogs, but I don't. They are just really easy to reference since I have two at home. I had this terrible tendency to make this guy look like he was limping. Ya, ya, it doesn't loop because I'm super lazytastic. Sorry guys.

And now for some thing completely different. I was gonna have a jellyfish, but after looking at real reference of jellyfish, they don't really move this much... so what does it look like to everyone? Should I add tentacles and make it a octopus or does it read as a jellyfish?

Working - The Wind 2

2009-09-22T11:06:00.002-04:00

I think I like the brush strokes being visible. Anyways this is with the light rays out, I'll put them back in later. They will be hardest part since I've never done them before.
More than halfway done... I think

Working - The Wind

2009-09-12T19:11:00.004-04:00

Piece I started today.
Need suggestions for eye colour though any comments would be appreciated.

So far, gonna tone down the sunlight a bit. I'm not used to having things so messy.

Demo Reel Sept 2009

2009-09-08T16:47:00.003-04:00

Can't seem to get the Flash animation to look clear, it's very annoying! Looks fine in the original file, but uploading it makes it bugger up.

Not much has changed, but I am working on another piece. Thinking about doing some traditional animations in Flash, just have to think of some ideas first.

Portraits

2009-09-03T15:52:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to figure out faces. I would like to learn to do speed paintings for portraits at least. Just something I want to have a grasp on, I still have no intention of doing realistic or highly rendered work. I'm thinking I just have trouble using so many colours... perhaps I'll try some grey scale images.

Feel free to comment with suggestions.

It's been a while...

2009-08-31T13:19:00.005-04:00

... since I posted any of my sketches and work so this will just be a huge dump of stuff I haven't posted on Deviantart for various reasons. I think they are in order from oldest to newest. Almost all of them are requests of avatars from online so hopefully that will explain some odd costume choices. Feel free to ask me anything about them via comments.

All done in Photoshop with a tablet.

Places to Learn Online and Elsewhere Part 1

2009-08-13T14:40:00.003-04:00

I bet someone thought I forgot about this place again, but I didn't I just had some internet trouble.

Now, I've added some nice links on the side of my blog listing important places on the net I like to go or recommend other people go to when they get started in drawing. I'm not saying everyone will find them useful, but hey, give it a shot.

Speaking of those links, there are a ton of places online that can help you with your drawing skills. the few I listed there are for a variety of people as far as skill and interest are concerned, but I find the most interesting for me in the past few months when I was in school was ImagineFX. They release a magazine every month with tips on painting digitally including tutorials and interviews with famous painters usually in the concept art business. Now, that doesn't mean run out and buy them, I mean, they are pretty steeply priced at $20 a pop (because they come with some shareware programs) so flip through all the pages at your local book shop and see if the stories inside are going to be helpful to you. Once you're done that, take notice of their website. This is a nice little gem too because on there they have some old tutorials posted up for you to look through for free and everyone likes free. So, the website has some cool tutorials on it, but don't forget to actually try them out! I find I usually need to try a technique three times with the tutorial beside me before I start to retain it! You don't get better by just reading it.

When you have had your fill of the tutorials, they also have a cool forum section. And I don't mean cool as in flashy, the forums are pretty tame, but if you found Conceptart.org intimidating to post on, these guys should be more comforting. On the forum they have monthly challenges and neat little "draw something every day" threads, which I find totally amusing. There are help threads (like the one I linked to) there and also book recommendations from other artists. It's like everything I wish I had time to participate in. Oh, and as a bonus, if you win the monthly challenges you could get your image posted in the ImageFX magazine. How is that for self advertising?

Okay, I think I went on a rant with ImagineFX and I'm not even getting paid for this shameless advertising. Jeez. So, forums, always a good place to get information. Like I briefly mentioned, you can also look into Conceptart.org for cool art, but I'm not sure what exactly is on there besides people's personal art posting. I assume it's very much the same as ImageFX, but more professionals on there. Deviant art is also a cool place for art, but I'll be honest, I find it disappointing at times. It's easy to post work and that I like a lot, but getting comments, critiques or feedback is next to impossible without already having a network of friends on there. Now, I've looked into the forums on there briefly (yes, they have them), but I didn't find anything really going on that interested me. More calls to talk about general aspects of life or personal opinions on some fine artist I didn't know. So, maybe I'm just unrefined, but I was looking for more of a sharing of work and ideas thing. If anyone knows where that is, leave me a comment.

Oh, final mention, artist's blogs are a nice place to get the inside scoop on their working habits (sometimes) and maybe get to know them so they would be more inclined to help you... don't look at me like that. In my next post I'll try and talk about being an observer and hopefully more on places to learn.

Hope that got you thinking.

Keep listening

2009-08-03T20:54:00.004-04:00

So my blog is usually a place I post my pictures I don't bother putting on Deviant Art, but recently I have been wanting to add a little more usefulness to this place (thanks to a friend of mine having a very educational blog). I think that is really important because I know I always get excited when an artist I like or just one whom is really good sits down and shares his or hers knowledge about their work.

Recently I have been watching ebas on Deviant art and I know he is a professional comic book artist so he is filled with useful information about the industry and how to set up a good picture. Now I originally started watching him because he drew some very idealistic women and hey, I could use some help in that department. I mean, sexy women always sells. Anyways I soon realized I had hit on a gold mine. Ebas's descriptions about his pictures are always fully in depth stories about how he designed the picture, why he posed it the way he did, where he was when he did and even the problems he had while designing. This, for me, is the perfect opportunity to learn about new techniques, what to pay attention to and , most importantly to me, how the artists' mind works.

Now, I'm an artist too, so obviously I know how I think, but I mean, you have to always be atentive to your seniors; you never know what you could learn. Learning a new approach to art can be very helpful when you start reaching out of your comfort zone, which I think is very important for an artist to do too. One should always keep learning to better their craft.

So that was a bit of a ramble, but in short I too would like to help artists out however I can. Now I am by no means professional, but I don't mind explaining my struggles with art because I have many. So hopefully I can post descriptions with my scribbley sketches or failed attempts at drawings/paintings, whatever here and write a little blurb about them and what I've learned.

I'll try and post art soon.

Frustrations for the Day

2009-07-29T16:05:00.003-04:00

Today has been met with frustration. The newest piece I wanted to tackle was to be a portrait of a Geisha, but I am starting to think it is beyond my means to portray. The problems arose in the simple, yet important step of collecting reference.

I knew from previous looks into Japanese culture that most traditions are very particular and have elborate details that are best no overlooked; the Geisha is no exception. From the placements of the ornaments in their hair to the way she ties her obi (sash or belt), everything has a very specific place and look. It took hours of research just learn how to differentiate between a full fledged Geisha and the trainees known as a Meiko. To top it off, in the end, it turned out their apprentices were the more elaborately dressed and ornate of the two.

Realizing this truth, I still spurred myself on to set up for an authentic looking Geisha. Somewhere along the lines I had to submit to the idea that I would have to copy an entire outfit, right down to the patterns in her kimono, from a single photograph. I simply lacked the time to learn how to match accessories' and obi's colours to a kimono, not to mention decorations and colours closely coincide with seasons and events so misplacing one object could make the whole picture inaccurate or confusing to someone who knows the culture better. These continual sacrifices for accuracy only seemed to suffocate the inspiration I had inside when I was initially thinking up the idea.

I currently find myself lost and lacking the resolve to finish or even start this piece.

In a culture so steeped in traditional etique, where does the artist draw this line between making something beautiful and creative and honouring the culture with accuracy to their art?

Job: I has one

2009-06-29T13:25:00.000-04:00

First off, I have got a job doing designs for laptopart.ca. The company is really new, but I look forward to using this opportunity to make more varied designs and improve my skills. Anyways feel free to check out the site and see what's on there. It's a little rugged right now, but it's due up for a revamp sometime this week, which will include the addition of my work. I find it a very unique experience getting to work so closely with the person who runs the company and we talk often about future changes. It's a very cool mutual learning experience.

Oh, if you like the art or fancy yourself a designer/artist, we are looking for people to do some more work at laptopart.ca so send me a note or email and I can forward you to my boss.

Secondly, with this work being in Simcoe, I'm moving back to my folks' place. I was originally upset I had to move away from my network of friends, but I know I can drive up and see you all for special occasions. Being at home with the trees and simple lifestyle is refreshing and seeing the backyard in the summer is always a treat. I will be up shortly to grab my stuff and move out so I hope I can see some folks so they don't wonder where I disappeared to.

Finally, a quick note. I'm still working on being an animator... I really don't think I can give that up, but I sure am being slowed down a lot by this new job. Hopefully I will have a new demo reel done for September.

Hope everyone else has found something fun to do for the summer or as a spring board for their future careers!

Dermatitis Herpetiformis

2009-06-03T11:58:00.004-04:00

Hey all,

Yesterday I started to indulge in a rather informative gluten free diet book. I know that sounds corny, but as any of you many friends would know, I have a allergy to gluten. As I read through this book I realized that maybe I should be explaining my condition better to everyone around me so I don't have to feel so awkward when declining food from other people; sometimes I have to be quite picky.

My condition is called Dermatitis Herpetiformis and it's a form of gluten intolerance that manifests itself in the skin in the form of severe itchiness and blistering.

Now how about some more information on just what gluten is to help all you bakers out there. I am learning some new things from reading this book and I plan to be more strict on my diet in the future so don't be surprised if I turn down some things I have accepted from you before. Sorry.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye contaminated oats (oats that have been grown, harvests, or processed in a gluten-containing facility), and a bunch of other products I'll try and mention later. So basically, gluten is the substance that gives breads and pastas their elasticity and texture. Now because gluten is a stabilizer and thickener, manufacturers add it to a wide range of consumer products. Medication, marinades, condiments, coffees, packaged spices, envelop seals, lipstick, hair sprays, and even daily multivitamins can contain gluten.

Now before your collective heads starts spinning, remember there are things I can still eat. There are some things that are naturally gluten free and I'll list them below for quick reference and reassurance:

Grains:

Quinoa
buckwheat
corn
millet
arrowroot
many types of rice
and many others

Fruits
Vegetables
Meat (untreated)
Chicken
Fish
Nuts
Seeds
Eggs
Spices in their pure form

To jump back to the matter of things I shouldn't be eating, there are many foods that I have to watch out for that have more hidden sources of gluten. By that I mean, the labelling of the ingredients are not so clear as to label them with wheat or other allergens in them. In these cases, reading the ingreients is the best idea so when I'm out don't be surprised if I avoid a lot of things. A lot of foods I have to be weary of include:

Bacon Bits
Beer
Blue cheese
Brown Rice Syrup (this syrup usually has malt in it)
Coffees
Dairy Substitute
Deli meats (sausages, hotdogs salami especially)
Gravies
Imitation seafood
Licorice
Marindaes
Salad dressings
Seasoning and spices (labelled to have declumping agents or are "ground spices")
Soy sauce
Soup bases

Now I want to make a little mention of cross contamination while I have your attention (if I still do). I had never thought about it much before, but avoiding using the same spacula or pot that has had a glutenous product in it and has not yet been washed is also important. This is just a an obvious example, but the more you think about all the things something with gluten could touch and then be used for something gluten free, well, it can get a little scary. Now this is something new for me, I want to try harder on watching out for cross contamination in the future so I'd love some help and understanding from all of you to get onto this more diligently. This being said, don't expect me to ask a lot of questions while we are out at restaurants, I know how dumb the general populace is so I won't waste my time explaining myself to every waiter that comes in contact with me. I'll likely eat out less often and frequent places that serve more gluten free foods, like Thai and sushi. It beats eating at a fast food joint any day so I'm not complaining.

As a final note, anyone who stumbles onto restaurants that serve gluten free foods, please let me know. I appreciate having a wider variety of places to eat out. Now I try and frequent (though I do it poorly right now) this blog called http://torontoceliac.blogspot.com/ for my information on places to eat in Toronto and area. The blog is really nice and the person who runs it is obviously dedicated so anyone who wants to eat out sometime with me, just remind me of this list and let's try something. It will be an adventure!

I'll keep reading and the more I learn, the more I can hopefully teach you so dealing with me should become even easier.

Demo Reel 09

2009-05-19T10:41:00.005-04:00

This took a little scouring in my back up files to find a size that was small enough to upload. It makes me wonder how I got so many copies of this in the first place. Aw well. It's a tiny screen, which makes me sad, but I don't think there is anything I can do about that.

I'm already working on a new lip sync to replace the one on here.

Squint and enjoy.

In my spare time I kill people

2009-05-18T12:11:00.004-04:00

I joined a fun thread that has you pick one weapon and make a character design then draw pictures of you killing other people's avatars on the thread. Now this might make some people raise an eyebrow in confusion, but I find the idea kind of creative because you can only use that weapon. People on the thread are really nice too and no one take offence to being killed so no worries about offending people. To top it off it's great practise for testing different style of work, dynamic posing or even comic panels depending on your fancy. We just started a beach themed week on the thread so I'll see how that turns out (my beach weapon is water skis), but for now I'll just post all the kills I've done.
My regular weapon: A guitar.

School over forever?

2009-04-18T11:44:00.007-04:00

So I have one week left of school, of which I will probably only be there until Wednesday... freaky. Hopefully my transition to a full time worker from a full time student will go over well. There is really no way to tell at this point.
Anyways, I plan to keep learning even if I don't have classes. I think that is an obvious course of action for an artist. You can learn from everything all the time if you really look at things. Hopefully if there are any summer courses my teachers are setting up I can get in on that.

And now something I did this morning:

Too many martial arts movies? I think not.

I'll keep working on this.

Edder days

2009-02-19T23:50:00.003-05:00

So this last few days I've been watching many, many episodes of Ed, Edd and Eddy. I remembered how much I love that show. It's funny in so many ways. Watch it if you can, some episodes may be a little dry, but some are just golden.
Anyways it inspired these fun sketchies... I know, I don't usually do fanart, but I actually had a lot fun with it and I think they are quick on model too.

Gaia sketch dump

2009-02-18T09:01:00.006-05:00

Fun sketches I did with a little inspiration from Gaiaonline. I tend to go there to practice poses and quick work as well. It gives me some freedom to try some variations on styles. The two images at the bottom took way more time than my usual quick work, but getting absorbed into an initial idea and wanting to give it a more finished look is all part of the fun.

More sketches

2009-01-28T20:34:00.002-05:00

Few things are better then a good sketching day.

Stuff you might not have seen

2009-01-17T14:29:00.004-05:00

As not as experimental as some, but I try to have fun.

Tablet woes

2008-12-23T15:10:00.004-05:00

So I left my tablet at my house while I went home to my parents, which was not something I chose, but this is my substitute for lacking a tablet... yes, I used my camera phone. I'm all kinds of not pleased. Anyways, I'm trying to learn to draw canines.

Enjoy your tablets over the break if you have them!

...and so it begins.

2008-12-14T18:04:00.007-05:00

So I finally decided to start a blog. I had been fighting with it for a while, but who wants to hear about that. Anyways I sketch a lot, so I figured you all might want a look at what rarely gets online or in my sketchbook. Also I think I secretly wanted a place where I could rant and see if anybody liked it.

Special thanks goes out to my proverbial twin for unknowing finalizing my decision. Talking to you today made me think all the way home.

Having nothing to do with this art (so you can skip this if you want), I was talking to my twin about anime today and she, luckily, was very receptive. I took her to her first convention so I once again got the pleasure of being a tour guide and explaining everything (I secretly love it). I felt I had to make a comment on the one line up we had avoided once we got into the convention. So here is my rant about voice actors, which took a tangent on the way home. First, I have no issue with voice actors, I just see no reason to wait in line to get their autographs. This has always been a loss for me, though I must confess I waited in line with my friends on many occasions for them to get things signed, but I myself have only done it once for a purpose I felt worth it. In my opinion though, someone gives voice to a character has a special (and very cool) job, but them signing something with the character's face on it doesn't make the image more special. How come you can now sell the image on ebay for more money? They touch it with their pens and now it's different? Sure they helped the character come to life (unless they suck at their job), but a person is just a person and the character you love so much is just an image. I don't think anyone, including the character designer or animators could sign an image of a character and make it any better. I love characters for their personality, which is built throughout the show, by everyone working on it, and in a way, I think that makes them their own person. Does a real person not become who they are by interacting and sometimes being guided by others in their life? So really, what's a signature in all that? Or is everyone just so caught up in the signature's dollar value or rarity that they lost the reason for liking a character in the first place?

Just my twist on it, hope it made you think (because you can apply the thought to real actors too), it tends to make my twin compliment me on my uniqueness. Apparently I have it.