Erm. Yeah. Vectors!

Like all my "journals" throughout my life, my updating has been random, with bouts of renewed interest. Lately whenever I've felt like maybe posting something (like more art, imagine that) or ranting about This, That and the Other I've been dissuaded by the fact that I doubted anyone actually read this, besides one person who I would rather didn't know any more about my daily life. Also, I'm lazy.

But apparently I'm interesting enough to have VerveEarth e-mail me. Of course they want me to advertise for them, which I have (look at the widget. Look at it!). But if this gets my blog any more attention so much the better, because maybe some day someone will see some actual art and want to hire me. So on the off chance of that happening, I'm willing to add a widget for the chance of more (positive, not creepy thank you very much) attention.

It's summer, whoo. All jr.s have to have a "mentorship" over the course of the summer, and I pestered Jack Unruh to be my mentor (http://www.jackunruh.com/home.html) and he agreed. The poor man. So I'm working on that currently, we have to complete at least one project under our mentor's tutorledge. If I don't frick up it should turn out pretty awesomely. As soon as I scan in and send in the sketch to Jack I'll....I was about to lie. I may or may not put in extra effort and post it here. Ooooh, suspense. Will she or won't she?

Alright, some arting. Besides the mentorship and some emo-ness, I've been making happy vectors.







The pandas are from my Maya class, we had to design a room, and make some art using an Adobe product to put on the wall. Bleh. I like my octopus. If you want to see these bigger, and some other stuff, go here: http://roguehobbit.deviantart.com/ Maybe I'll get around to posting some of the watercolors I did at the end of the year. Mm. I should. I want to do a giant acrylic painting of the octopus vector, I think it would just be cool to have that on a wall and have it attack some poor smuck's eyeballs upon entering the apartment. Perhaps after the mentorship is over.

Currently I'm watching a group of young 19-20 year old males play Pixel Junk Monster. It's rather amusing. Watching them gathered around the tv on the floor playing a cute game while cursing at towers and insulting each other, I mean. Though the game is fun too (dancing on towers I can do). My amusement may be due to the fact that it's 6:30 in the morning, but hey.

Oh, I caved and am whoring some vectors on cafepress merchandise. Care to buy a button or t-shirt and help me buy more supplies? :D? http://www.cafepress.com/roguehobbit

Alright, I'm finished blabbing for now. Laters (but how much later no one knows...do doo doooo).

Snow Day

What horrible Edward Gorey Death will you die from?


You will be smothered under a rug. You're a little anti-social, and may want to start gaining new social skills by making prank phone calls.
Take this quiz!

Rugs are fun.

Woke up this morning and checked if my school was open, since it was supposed to be pretty bad out today. It was closed. I blinked at it, and then called the school to be sure. WGAL wasn't lying. So I told Trisha school was closed, and then I went back to bed. Weird dreams, and at one point I woke up trying to breathe. Ug, I hate being sick and stuffy. I read my Edward Gorey book. Quite depressing, but loved the illustrations. I want to doodle some of his creatures he put in this one ("The Hapless Child").

Inspired by this guy's work :http://michaelpaulus.com/gallery/v/character-Skeletons/ I've started drawing monster skeletons. I love bones. Soon as I have more of a collection I'll try and put some up here. Been thinking of getting a smaller sketch book, since I like to work small with ink. Have work tomorrow, but I'll get to sleep in. I like sleep. I had sleep today but it still feels like I need more. Always. It's like I'm in a constant state of sleep depervation. After work I think I may get my ears pierced, if I'm not too out of it. I've never had my cartilage pierced, and I've heard varying accounts of if it's painful or not. Let's help I'm not queasy.

AWOL Teachers and A Small Encouragement

Quote of the day so far: "16 grand a year and I can't get a thumb tack?" A classmate ranting about this school's lack of supplies.

There is some nice things about snow. Sneakers make a satisfying "cruunch" noise when walking on the snow, and sneakers usually only squeak. But it's cold. Boots, some gloves that actually have fingers and another layer were my consensus to the weather today, but I should have included ear muffs. Anywho.

Our teacher didn't show up today. Can't chalk up too much sympathy for the man, who is sick, because I'm sick. But him not being here is kinda a good thing. My class all wanted to run away when we discovered he wasn't showing up, but our "clients" are here to check our sketches. Our assignment is to do a cover for PENNAG's magazine. Yay. Agriculture. Barns are so fun to draw. :/ Even knowing that a lot of people wanted to leave. You can tell our dedication to this project is high. But we trooped up to the other illustration class, and we had our sketches reviewed by the representatives. I would like to leave now. But I think Ellen, the other classes teacher is going to tell us what we should have for next week, and then my class can skedaddle. Hopefully.

I was walking down the hall and noticed a piece from my Alternative Illustration class on the wall. Then I noticed another wall that had maybe 5 more pieces from the class. Since Freshmen year I haven't had anything put on the wall, as an example of the work from the class. It's really rather depressing, and always seems to happen fro random reasons. Like a portrait project in Anatomy. He only had so much room to display, and sine mine and one other classmate did portraits of people other then ourselves, our two weren't displayed. Or I do a great job on a project that isn't picked to showcase at all. Over and over again things like that happen and after 2 years of it it begins to feel like a conspiracy. Or I just suck. That's the one I lean to. But this time mine was up there, and say haff of the classes weren't. So mine was one picked to showcase. Yay Spielberg. Drawing and painting you has payed off. It's a bit depressing that this made me as happy as it did, considering most people have their work all over the school, for every project. Bleh. Sam's made it up too, but I just realized it was on the edge and I didn't get it in this shot. <.<

We're supposed to stay with the other class. Yeah. Right. My classmates are so going to do that, when all we had to do was sign in for Fowler to establish that we came. The reps liked one of my pieces:



And they didn't say to change anything. The sketch is done, I'm not working on it anymore, besides maybe adding a plate. Moving onto final sized sketch, and color comps. Screw tweaking. They liked it.

I want to get my ears pierced, upper cartilage. Hm. Maybe today, maybe this weekend. Maybe next year.

Brandywine Trip, Spielberg, and Missing Friends

By God it's cold. There was one short day of wonderful weather, and it's been freezing since. Random snow, and even though I do enjoy looking out the window and imagining ash is raining down on Pompeii, I am wishing for some warmer weather. Heating costs a lot, and my apartment building is skimpy in that area. So is Jason now that he found out how much the heating bill was.

Been some time since I updated. 18 credits is a lot to juggle and try to have a social life at the same time. Jason and I are back together, since early January. I have doubts and hopes at the same time, and I tend to experience extreme highs and lows in this relationship. We shall see. So far I've been able to handle the school work with only some slight losses (skimping on my Ethics homework, sorry Achtermann, the art classes tend to take more precedence then Kant or Plato). I'm the only one I know that still has 18 credits, and it's kinda daunting that everyone else is dropping a class. I'm not the best at time management, and work's hours have been cut, but once they pick up I may have more of a problem.

On Tuesday my History of Illustration class went to the Brandywine River Museum. Saw some great stuff, and some things that didn't really interest me, though they were like the best of American illustration. Saw a Nancy Ekholm Burkert piece, of the evil stepmother having created the poison apple. It was watercolor and colored inks and I loved it, I want to try out the technique. Example of her work, but not as detailed as the piece I saw:



Trisha made an improvised bento boxes for herself, me, and Christine (Christine drove us, thus we were able to go). They were nom nom indeed, though my onigiri tended to fall apart while I was eating it. We went to McDonalds and Christine and I bought Shamrock shakes to go with the bento. :D


I bought an Edward Gorey book in the gift shop, and I'm savoring it. :x I may have found a new artist to add to my favorites, who I learned about today, Paul Klee. My favorite piece of his is called "The Twittering Machine" thus far. The simpleness but creepiness explains my interest there. :P

Art wise I haven't been very good at scanning or photographing much. But I did have to scan in a project for Alternative Illustration to put it on the school's server, and now I can show it here:



Yay Steven Spielberg. He's part of two projects of mine, so I've been drawing him a lot, and have various watercolor paintings of him. I should get around to putting them on here. This is a collage, using ripped up magazines, acrylic paint, and pen, and printouts of info on movies he did. There's about 10 hidden images in his shirt and coat and glasses, but it's very hard to see here, but ah well.

I'm going through bouts of lonely-ness, considering my best friend since high school is currently in Budapest, and is a horrible e-mail correspondent. I've also just managed to lose a friend, over reasons I'm not entirely clear on. There seems to be a habit of people coming into my life, establishing themselves as people who are planning on sticking around, of being there for me, and then they leave, either physically or just never talking to me again. I'm sick of this occuring but can't ever seem to stop it from happening even though I take precautions. :/ I've written to my friend, apologizing for what I can, and asking questions. I knew it was possible he wouldn't respond and said I'd leave him alone if if he didn't. He hasn't so far, and I fear that he'll never talk to me again. Not sure that there's anything else I can do except accept that the friendship is over. Meh. Still have hope.

I'm currently at Jason's and he and Chris are giggling over a Ghosthunters episode. Been missing most of the show, since I needed to update this. Guess I'll tune in now, since somehow I managed to get the homework done for tomorrow all ready. Yay cable I can not afford.

Oh yeah. Should say I didn't fail my portfolio review. Got chewed up pretty well, and some of my favorite pieces apparently suck according to some teachers, but hey. Can't please everyone. :/ Right?

Robby the Robot is Fun to Paint

Been awhile since I posted...figured I should, what with the possibility of being booted out of art school and all. Okay, that's not entirely true, but all the Jr.s had to submit a portfolio to be judged. The fine artists had to have a crit, with things said directly to them about their work. Illustration majors don't get that. We just drop them off and listen to the rumors and stress out until we come back from break (the 9th of January). That's a long time to stress about being riped to shreds under the guise of a helpful critique. I'm not saying most of us don't need a kick in the pants to really hanker down and care about our art, but I'm just not looking forward to 6 of my best and favorite pieces being deemed as trash.

One of the things we're hearing is that we are all terrible editors. None of us picked our best pieces and some of us put in too many (6-8, but some of the 2 there apparently sucked and dragged down the whole portfolio). Um. I only submitted 6. What does that mean for me? Probably nothing good, that's what. And those were my best. If I have to resubmit a portfolio I don't know what I can show...those are my best, I didn't not include anything. So I'm screwed. Oh, except for one watercolor painting, which wasn't finished in time to put in the portfolio:


It was the final for my illustration class, the genre being 1940s Sci-Fi. (weird flash on this photo, btw) I grew up with these movies (so I didn't need extensive research and re-watching of these films in the limited time we were given to do this painting combined with all the other classes that a certain teacher seems to think doesn't exist, take that Fowler!) Sorry. The man irritates me extensively.

I told myself I wasn't going to think about the portfolio review over break, but what with the nightmares and all it's kinda hard. Anyway. On to other things. I'm getting 40 hours at work this week, yay. Today I have a day off and I have plans after 6:00 today, but for now I think I want to work on some of my unfinished watercolor pieces (some featured in one of my previous blogs). Like the Frodo one. Hm. More coffee and I think I'll get on that...

Oh yeah! Saw the Golden Compass. Not sure what to think. It was pretty and all the actors seemed to fit. I thought the girl who played Lyra did wonderfully. But the script for the movie seems to be making all the characters black or white...but really a lot of them are a mix of good and evil. Like Lord Asriel. They ended the movie before you could see a major character twist. He's not a good guy, he just happens to be on the "good" side in the pursuit of knowledge...But it's his obsession, he'll do anything to achieve his goal...and they ended it before we get to see the fate of Roger. Which makes me wonder if they're just not going to make the characters have any real depth, besides Ms Coulter and Lyra. Like the Master of Jordan College. They didn't have him being the one to try and poison Asriel, because he's one the "good guys". Well that just makes it kinda boring doesn't it? The world is full of gray, and especially in a movie based on such a controversial book series about sin and free will, you'd think the characters wouldn't be so plain. I just hope the next one follows the book just as much, but includes the depth and meaning.

Press save to cancel this relationship

Mm. Been a bit since I posted, since I was doing it pretty regularly. Homework is crashing down on all of us in waves, all the teachers seem to want to swamp us before we escape for Thanksgiving Break. Not much of a break anyway. I'll be working, and then maybe 2 days with my parents and grandparents and then more work and then school. Yeah. Sigh.

On Wednesday November 7th Jason and I broke up. It was mutual, and had been in the works for awhile. We were together a year. "Press save to cancel this relationship" is what Facebook says when you change your relationship status. I find the phrase hysterically ironic. We're still friends and still have fun together, but it's definitely not the same. I feel pretty empty. I think I'm more distressed then I admit, according to the drawing I made during Anime club, while everyone else was playing video games:



My sister came up this weekend, so I was distracted from my issues by taking her out to eat, and giving her her birthday presents which she enjoyed very much. On Sunday we went to Jason's and she played her new game and I worked on my comic class layout. It was okay, not too awkward. But she went home yesterday. Katie and I are heading to the mall after class, and I think I'll get my hair cut. Then she's sleeping over, so I'll have more distraction. This week is full, I have so much work to do. Hopefully I'll be able to concentrate on it. One more emo sketch before I go:

Tuna Subs are Yummy

My Dæmon had changed a bit, it went to a wolf and then a bobcat-like creature, and now it's back to an ermine. I don't know who or how many people keep taking the quiz and changing the animal. But it's interesting.

I should post some Halloween party pics, but I'm too lazy right now, and I'm on my lunch break eating in the classroom, like a loser. So only one for now:




We're still working on the gender project in my anatomy class. Guy-Me still looks like a monkey. Sigh. I hate it.



At least the one of girl-me looks better now. Have much coloring to do still.

I've been going through something lately. It's still ongoing and is causing some inner turmoil, and might have tainted Halloween for me (though that's not really when it all started). Fun times, but I'm not going into details. I skipped class yesterday because I didn't get enough sleep the night before because of it, and I felt horrible when I woke up at 6 AM and couldn't go back to sleep no matter how many times I switched positions on my bed. So I finished my homework (color comps) and emailed them in. Later that day Katie came over and I had my coffee. Then Sam came and we talked about my cat, and we discovered he has fleas. Oh joy. So Katie and Sam skipped out early from class and we went to Pets mart and I spent around $40 on my cat. I'm going to try to take him to the vet on Monday before my classes. Sigh. I am going to be very poor.

Today is November's First Friday, and also the start of Diplocon (at F&M College). I'm working. But Jason and I may stop in at the con after I get out of work, or at least before I start work on Saturday. There's an artist coming to the school today to talk about her gallery showing, and I really hope she doesn't run over, since I need to get out early and go get my work uniform and then catch the bus. Busy busy busy.