Blizzard Speedpaint: Knowing when to quit

Remember this picture that I speedpainted awhile ago?

Well, I did say I was going to return to it and finish it.  And I diiid...

Let's just that speedpainting this really taught me a lot.  Even if the final product is mediocre at best.

Environments are one of my weakest points.  Of course, as a growing artist I have to recognize this and, instead of shying away from them, only work on them all the harder.  As I have been trying to do... with, well, results.  Of some kind.

But hey, everyone's gotta start somewhere!  And now I know things like looking at reference pictures.  (Can we just say I was testing out brushes and that's why I didn't bother to look at a reference?  Yeah let's go with that.)  But it's okay, because I'm learning.  And that's what sketching is for!  And next time will be a whole lot better!  :)  So here's to more environments and better painting!

Also I'm trying to work without textures (besides just brushes).  For someone that abuses textures, that's no easy task!  But I'm getting there.  :)  This might have been a kind of difficult picture, but it didn't start strong, so it's no surprise that it ended on a disappointing note.  So finally you just have to throw up your hands (or tablet pen) and say, "You know what?  I've done my best.  Time to move on and try again!"

And try I will!

All the Right Notes: The Music of Puella Magi Madoka Magica

"All the Right Notes" was originally a title I came up with for a blog series that would deal with music in media (games, shows, movies).  Because ever since I was a kid, I have loved music.  (I also love the name, which is why I sort of convuluted the orignial idea of it in order to keep it.) Although I have realized that my passion does not lie with music, that hasn't stopped me from still appreciating it.  One reason that I truly love movies and videogames is because in order to be successful and meaningful, they must perfectly combine all sorts of different facets: animation, cinematography, lighting, storytelling, characters, sound FX... and of course, music.

Even without having an expertise in music and only an amateurish idea of theory from my years of playing trumpet and singing, I still think that I (and others in my similar situation) have the ability to look critically at music, particularly within media, and discern meaning and excellence within it.

This brings me to today's All the Right Notes review.  Today, I'm going to take a look at the music of the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica.  Now before you take a look at the picture and cast judgment, just stick with me on this; I promise it will be worth your while.  WARNING: I cannot assure you that there will not be spoilers in the following review.  In a show as short as PMMM, nearly every episode is a Wham episode; it is nearly impossible to avoid spoilers.  Although I will not point out specific events, I will discuss themes and ideas that are not initially evident just by appearances.

Check out the review after the break!

All the Right Notes: Ghost Hunt Review

Whenever people see what shows I watch, they usually instantly make assumptions about the genres I like.  Often, this assumption is anime.  That I, in general, am an anime fan.  Often this is a dismissive assumption.  It is not only dismissive, however; it is incorrect.  (I insist on stating that I watch good shows, no matter the genre or style; I may delve more into this topic in another post.)  Now I'll admit that I do have a soft spot for anime styles; my personal tastes find them appealing.  That is no reason to assume, however, that I completely disregard my critical eye when I watch anime.  In fact, because of my "weakness" per se, I am even more suspicious of anime than perhaps any other genre, as it is far to easy too slip into watching mediocre shows of any favored genre without even realizing it.

It might come as a surprise to you that even up to early last year, I was still somewhat staunchly an outspoken disliker of anime.  As a child, I grew up watching normal kid shows on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, but I also grew up on Toonami--Cardcaptors, Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Gundam Wing.  This was before I was even aware of what anime was.  Eventually, probably around the time I entered late middle school, I "grew up."  I became more aware of what I watched, completely threw out what I had indulged in as a child, and turned against anime completely.  (Except Pokemon.  I was always a loyal Pokemon fan, even when I stopped watching the show.)

Up through high school, the only anime that I watched and admitted was actually an excellent show was Trigun.

That, however, was only the beginning of my conversion back into actually accepting shows as I see them instead of foolishly disregarding an entire style.

Right now, we're going to look at one of the "conversion" animes that I was introduced to a little over a year ago by a friend.  There are other animes I could list as well, but of the ones I watched that finally forced me to accept that good and excellent anime do exist, this is one of the lesser-known and underrated ones.

 The main cast of Ghost Hunt, from left to right: Masako, Ayako, Yasu, Naru, Monk, Mai, John (missing: Lin)

Check out the review after the break!

Some kids just won't leave the nest: Pippin!

One of my favorite aspects of storytelling is undoubtedly character creation.  From the moment I picked up my first pencil and started doodling, I was creating characters and stories to immerse those characters in (I'm fairly certain that a lot of these old "books" I wrote/drew still exist somewhere in my house, probably under my bed).  My love of character creation really blossomed, however, when I joined Neopets around the age of twelve.  From there, I took up role-playing, and for several happy years my friends and I developed countless fantastic characters and stories.

Though I'm older now and I've mostly retired from role-playing, I still look fondly at the vast spectrum of characters I hold close to my heart.  I've no regrets about my role-playing; thanks to it, I learned a lot about creating well-rounded, believable characters that can truly touch someone.  If you go on my deviantART, you can actually find a link on my Journal that will take you to a Freewebs page that basically lists all my "canon" characters.  Although I do not draw or write about these characters anymore, I still like to remember they exist (which is why I have yet to retire that page from the public eye, I suppose).

There are other characters, however, that refuse to be simply set aside with fondness.  There are some that just somehow take hold of your attention and, no matter what you do, won't leave you alone.

Continue reading after the break!

Spoilers and Stories

As you might know, I am currently writing/drawing a graphic novel entitled Everdusk (which can be read here).   Really quick, here is a short summary of ED: "Everdusk is the story of Sol’aar, a country that has been under the whip of slavery by its southern neighbor, Galena, for nearly two centuries. Now, the pieces of revolution are falling into place. In the face of crushing oppression, four god-blessed heroes must come together in and overcome their individual bitterness order to obtain their country’s independence and learn what it truly means to become an everdusk."

Obviously, Everdusk is a fantasy-adventure genre tale.  I've always been a fan of fantasy, magic, medieval things, etc.  And just as obviously, as I work on Everdusk, I draw the cast of ED a LOT.  This includes drawing the magical characters using their magic.

Now I have struggled with one question constantly as I have drawn these pictures.  Should I post them on my deviantART (or the Internet in general, such as here), or not?  Is it spoilers to post some of these characters using magic?

I think there are kind of two circumstances here.  One is that the character already knows he/she is a magic-user.  In that case, I don't think it would be any problem posting pictures of them using magic.

What about characters that are introduced in the comic who are not initially aware of their powers, however?  In one way, it's almost as much as a surprise for the audience as for the characters when their powers are revealed.  To be honest, though, I think we can all admit that it's usually clear when a character is going to have magical ability of some kind.

Let's look at some pictures in question.  Both the following pictures are of Mai, the main character in Everdusk.

The one on the left was a speedpaint I just completed this evening.  The picture on the right is a commission by Hchan on deviantART (QUICK PLUG she is an awesome artist with her own awesome webcomic, dream*scar, and you should totally check it out!).  Both of these pictures show Mai quite clearly using some kind of magic.

At this point, it's silly to pretend otherwise as to Mai having magical ability.  Although Mai learns this fact early on in Everdusk, it still has yet to be officially "revealed."  (I have to add, though, that I have not yet revealed to anyone the nature of magic in Everdusk, so although you see this sparkly fun, I don't think many of you could accurately guess what it exactly is.)

So, is it a spoiler to post art like this about things like graphic novels you're working on?  Should you keep all this kind of art from the public until it's officially been introduced in whatever you're writing/drawing?  Why or why not?  What d'you think?

All the Right Notes: Pokemon Indigo League Retrospective, Part 2

Time to finish up my retrospective on the Indigo League episodes of the Pokemon anime!  In my previous post, I discussed some of the odd things I noticed in the show that you tend to miss when you watch it as a kid.  With those in mind, I'm now going to address why exactly Pokemon has become such a phenomenon, especially against other similar franchises that have attempted to do the same.  To do this in the most organized way possible, I'm going to actually discuss the two main reasons I think are key to Pokemon's success despite a shakey first season.  So, let's delve right in!

Check out the review after the break!

All the Right Notes: Pokemon Indigo League Retrospective, Part 1

I love Pokemon.  I'll admit it outright.  I watched the show obsessively as a kid (even up to most of the Advanced Generation and a few of the Diamond/Pearl episodes), have some of the cards (because they looked cool), and love the games (playing Yellow via Pokemon Stadium for the N64? I think so).  Recently, just for kicks, I started watching the episodes again from the very beginning.  And it's been a very interesting experience.  Becaues let's face it, while many of us have fond memories of the original Pokemon, how many of us have actually watched some of those episodes recently?  Memory is a funny thing, as I discovered when rewatching Pokemon!  So, without further ado, let's head into today's AtRN: A Retrospective on the Pokemon Indigo League!  Part 1 will focus on the oddities I ran into while watching season one, while Part 2 will be a discussion on the success of the anime in America.

The first Pokemon opening.  Just as catchy now as it was then!

 

Check out the review after the break!