Lost In The Sargasso

Photoshop CS5 Brushes

2010-07-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

Well, they added a new type of Brush to the Photoshop toolset. It seems pretty interesting. You actually really have to pay attention to the angle you're holding the stylus.
This is a 1-hour sketch I made trying out the new brush.

Dogs, part 1

2010-05-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

I've been sketching some dogs, and some of them have leant themselves to designs...

Recent life drawing

2010-05-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last week I forced myself to ignore everything else and go to a life drawing open session. It was worth it -- it's always such a wonderful thing to have a pencil in my hand.

WIP: Sea Monster

2010-05-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

Just a quick work-in-progress of the first few seconds of a Sea Monster music video.

The problem with hardware

2010-03-29T13:12:00.001-07:00

My thumb drive was sat on today. I've lost some stuff, including the pic I was working on below. Oh well.

Sneaky

2010-03-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

Just some more preliminary sketches for an illustration.
First Sketch

Tonal Sketch

Color Sketch

I'll keep posting as it progresses.

This blog has moved

2010-03-21T19:55:00.002-07:00

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Photoshop Painting

2010-03-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some painting in Photoshop recently. It's been a while -- I generally don't have the need in my regular animation work -- so I've had to re-learn some stuff. One thing I forgot I knew about was how to make medieval chain mail the easy way. Here's how:

Open a separate document, and paint one link of the chain mail.

Select all, and define a new brush.
The settings of your new brush should make it easy to paint the mail on. So set your spacing, direction, pressure, etc. so you get something like this.

And paint in alternating directions to get the mail effect. You may even want to paint each direction on a separate layer, so you can add highlights across each layer.

I remembered this technique while working on this sketch:

011210

2010-01-12T19:29:00.001-08:00

Found out today.

Whence to pirate?

2008-10-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been thinking about the benefits of being a pirate. I play bass in a little pirate band for kids, and we've been at it for almost ten years. Ten years. We have four albums to our name, and we draw decent numbers for our shows here in Portland. We pour our little pirate hearts into each show, even the ones that are... challenging, and I think everybody has a grand time. Every now and then we get emailed adorable photos of kids rocking out at home, or pictures they drew of us, and it bouys our hearts beyond compare. But on the whole, this enterprise is not a money-making machine. We're generally in manageable debt, and the money we make does help with the bills. But it's pretty nominal, and we all have other full-time jobs. With five of us in the band, with families and loved ones, it gets difficult to schedule and get on the same page. We get told a lot that we must have a lot of fun -- and we definitely do -- but there is a lot of overhead that weighs heavily. The crew are such wonderful people, it's hard to imagine they need to do any other work; but the reality these days... I don't know.

Things I Hate About Flash

2008-07-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

I don't hate easily. I'm usually a very forgiving and nice person. I use Flash every day for work, however, and there are things I genuinely hate about it. Maybe someone working at Adobe might read this, give a little pitying laugh, and fix them. But I doubt it.

Undo. What nonsense. Half the time it crashes, the other half it takes forever to do whatever it is that it's doing.
Non-standard dialogs and text entry fields. Seriously -- use standards, where cmd-. cancels, and tab or return enters the values.
Shape hints. It gives you the impression of functionality, without actually giving you the functionality.
Shape tweens in general. What's up with the random ease values?
The timeline is a nasty piece of work.

There are many, many more problems with Flash. I might add to this list later, but for now I needed to get that off my chest. I hope, lord I hope, that Adobe fixes some of the crap in Flash while they add their selling points for the next release.

Justin Currie, Seen and Heard

2008-05-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to go see Justin Currie perform at the Doug Fir. The short of it all is that it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.

The long of it is: I got there, met my good friend Sarah (who has a quirky face), had a couple of beers, and went downstairs to see the show. Not a lot of people -- I'd say between 70 and 100 -- but clearly everyone there loved JC. He came on, looking sharp, and immediately encountered technical problems which visibly irritated him. It was the last show on his tour, so I can imagine he was pretty exhausted and lacking patience. Once solved, he re-entered to great applause and jubilation. It took a couple of songs for him to relax and have a good time. The show seemed to pass quickly, and he ran off stage after the encore, hopefully to a well-earned vacation. Sarah and I, on the other hand, had french toast and a blt at the 24 Hour Hotcake House.

So what's my deal with Justin Currie? Good lord, he writes the best songs. Three minute gems. I would give my legs to write songs like that. That is not hyperbole. His songs have accompanied me in falling in love, broken hearts, depression and elation. He's a bit frustrating, really. A brilliant songwriter, still a little hung up over not "making it big", all very self-deprecating and Scottish sad bastard. Part of me wants him to either hang it all up and quit, part of me wants him to relax and realize what a gift he can give. In the end, though, I think he needs that self-torture to do what he does.

Anyways, if anyone is reading this drivel, go out and buy his latest solo release or any of his work in Del Amitri.

Justin Currie, Portland

2008-04-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

Justin Currie is coming to town. He'll be playing the Doug Fir on May 14th.

I haven't been this excited about a show in a long time.

In Los Angeles

2007-07-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm in Los Angeles on a work trip. It's been a while since I've been here. It's a little strange trying to fit in with the work crew here, but I'm definitely getting a lot done.

Pen & Ink

2007-05-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

So I just discovered the artwork of an american illustrator I've never seen before. His name is Franklin Booth, and his work is pretty incredible. I can't help but imagine how it would look animated.

Checking out his stuff led me to Joseph Clement Cole, another fantastic line artists. And then to Mark Schultz. There are so many great illustrators out there.

Walking the Plank

2007-05-22T22:32:00.001-07:00

I found this video on YouTube... its from a Miz Kitty's Parlour here in Portland. It's a bunch of fun to find old video like this. It totally surprised me how animated Kevin is!

In The News

2007-02-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

This is a short article about the place I work:

Portland Animation

Happy in my new digs... note the plastic bag on the monitor to stop the rain!

House

2007-01-26T15:37:00.000-08:00

Jina and I bought one.

What now? Pay mortgage.

Departed Friend

2006-11-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

On wednesday Jina and I learned that our cat Carroll had been hit and killed by a car on Hawthorne.

Two years ago we decided on a lark to go caroling through the neighborhood. It was a bone-chilly night, and we didn't get a lot of open doors. But at the end of the evening a black kitten came right up to us, mewling and fearless. And he was tiny, and without a collar on such a cold night. We picked him up, and checked the nearby houses to see if anyone knew of his owner.

At the time, we assumed it was a girl, so we named her "Carol". It seemed appropriate. When we later learned he was a strapping young man, we changed it to the Irish masculine name "Carroll." Pronouns for those who didn't know him well were always a problem.

We took him home, and he set about exploring the apartment like it was the most natural thing -- no hiding under chairs or running from people. While I went to get some cat food and temporary litter, he curled up on Jina's lap and promptly fell asleep. We were going out of town for Christmas for a few days, and a friend offered to take him in. When we came home again, she was having a party -- and guess who was the life of the party. Carroll, the tiny little kitten, was mixing it up at the party, playing and meeting people. His courage and easy going nature were astounding. Even the vet commented on his boisterousness as Carroll hunted him into the corner.

He was deep in our hearts from the first day, but we knew he couldn't stay long -- we needed to find his owner, and besides, our landlord strictly forbade cats in the apartment. But after postering, posting to websites, calling shelters, no owner came forward. And once he started sleeping curled up on our necks, kneading and purring, we knew we would do anything to find a way for him to stay. The seige to get our landlords to let us have a cat was hard fought, but we did it. The first time he ever met Carroll was when he was over fixing a socket. As he was kneeling down, Carroll jumped on his back and proceeded to make himself comfortable. Everybody knows how difficult it is to get up with a cat on your lap, but its a different story when the cat is on your back. Our other landlord was showing the upstairs apartment to potential renters this year, and just as she was telling them that pets were absolutely not allowed, Carroll strolled into the apartment right in front of her and started looking around as well.

Carroll get quickly into a large cat, but never lost his desire to play or to sleep on our necks. Once he was an indoor/outdoor cat he asserted himself as the top cat of the block, and it was a regular sight to come home to him and three other cats hanging out in our driveway. He had one friend who would wait for him outside of our door, and another named Triage that he would tussle with. These cats would often sneak into our house, but Carroll would never chase them away, even when they tucked into his food bowl. He was always exploring, and we would hear reports of him on roofs and in houses. Only a few days before he died he was just starting to climb trees -- a late bloomer. He would go for walks around the block with us, and would often try to follows us to work, leading to many a late arrival trying to get him to stay at home.

At home, Carroll wanted to play. All the time. He would bring his little mouse toys over to us, for us to throw. He and I would chase each other around the apartment. Jina could get him into a state of frenzied, panting exhaustion with just a piece of string. His favorite toy was a box I had carved holes into -- he would sit in it to let us know it was time to play. When really excited, he would charge into it and hide just his head in one of the holes. It was a joy to have him around to play with, and we always wanted to play with him more than we ever could.

He was a charismatic, patient and loving cat. He would let me carry him around in his "Carroll Throne", belly out and looking around. When Jina would smush her nose against his head, Carroll would calmly wait for her to finish. He would make a little gurgle noise whenever he landed from a tall jump, and had the loudest purr I have ever heard. He didn't like tuna fish or chicken, but enjoyed cantaloupe and loved youghurt... never pushing his way in, he would always wait for us to hand him the spoon to clean. And he was always waiting for us to come home, to play some more with him. We know he loved us, and we loved him too. He had a good life. We were looking forward to getting old with him, but we cherish the time we had with him. He was a fearless and curious guy, and we know we couldn't keep him away from the dangers of the outside world, but we could never keep him inside. Its incredibly painful to be without him, and I hope he is in a better place, filled with things to chase, necks to sleep on, and plenty of youghurt.

Bogg & Salty Video

2006-10-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

Check it.

Well, This Sucks

2006-10-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is the fourth day that our cat, Carroll, has been missing.

Its been really tough, a low-grade anxiety all day punctuated by great sadness and pain. I know there is still a good chance that he will come sauntering back, but knowing that he doesn't ever stray very far makes me terribly worried. Luckily, I haven't had any work recently, and have been able to spend my days postering, going to shelters, and talking to neighbors.
This whole thing sucks. Its time to come home, Carroll.

Registering With Technorati

2006-10-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

I mean, why not.

Technorati Profile

Andrew Bird

2006-09-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Jina and I went to go see Andrew Bird the other day at the Aladdin. Luckily Shawn and Laura were there already, and kindly saved us some seats in the sold-out theatre. A good use of my cell phone. That doesn't exist.

The show was pretty incredible. Not as intimate as the Doug Fir show, but still great. He seems much more confident every time I see him, joking around and dancing. He played the three songs I wanted to hear, and they were excellent. Very different to the recorded versions -- I love the way he evolves his music. Its wonderful to hear him assemble the songs as he goes, which is a fantastic feat... but I was more impressed this time by the throw-away little phrases he would play on the violin or guitar, small glimpes into his virtuosity that are off-the-cuff (he certainly makes it appear so). He was backed by a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing keys and drums at the same time. I didn't catch his name, he was appropriately anonymous. I can't wait for Andrew Bird's next album... the new songs he played sounded interesting.

It happened again

2006-09-20T23:12:00.000-07:00

Every year.

32!

Allergies

2006-08-24T00:30:00.000-07:00

I can't stand them.

In-betweens

2006-08-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

So I'm currently doing an animation test to work in the Laika commercial traditional animation department. Its been a while since I've been at my animation table, and it feels good. I'm super rusty... flipping? I used to be able to do six or seven sheets at a time. Now, I can barely manage three. Flash has destroyed me. But boy, its nice to have a pencil in my hand again.

Snap into a chumstick!

2006-07-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

Sweet & Sour

2006-07-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

So yesterday the band and I had a great opportunity to shoot a music video with a local film production company. The director donated his time, a local company donated a bunch of beautiful 16mm film, and about 15 local crew worked for dirt for over twelve hours. We even had the thing catered, by the Russell Street BBQ. There were interns! Everyone was very professional and laid back at the same time, which was very cool. We had a bunch of kids show up to be our audience, and to be in little gags during the video. Its off for processing and editing, and hopefully will be in our grubby little hands in about three weeks.

The sucky thing was on the way home, while we were stopped for a celebratory beer. Someone broke my rear window of my car and stole my bass amplifier, the same one I've been using for every single pirate show. There were people around who saw it "go down", and were a great help with the report to the police. I'm spending this morning trying to track down the serial number to stop it going to pawn shops, but I'm skeptical I'll ever get it back. It was a great amp, and its going to be missed.

Things could have been worse. The bass I made myself was in the trunk, along with more equipment. The rest of the band's gear was in a van right in front of my car, and if it were dark or more secluded, they could have easily broken into that as well.

And hell, we'll have a fantastic-looking music video soon.

Work

2006-06-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

So, I've been working at this animation company here in town. Its been pretty good; what I thought was an animation job turned out to be more of a producer/checker job, and that was okay. But now its turning into more of a techie job, looking into switches and routers etc. etc. chiz. I would rather be working on Flash design stuff (the devil) at home than do this.

Deductables

2006-06-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Why is shopping for health insurance such a pain?

Why do you need to pay for insurance for a year before you can get allergy care?

Losing Lunch

2006-06-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

I had lunch with my good friend Shawn yesterday, at Taco Del Mar. He told me about the new condo he just bought.

I had the shits for the rest of the day.

Shawn, soon you will move into your new condo. I hope that every time you come home to it, you remember the time you gave me diarrhrea.

Not Anymore

2006-06-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I am on a temporary "sabbatical" from PNCA... at least from the Technician side of things. I start teaching "Flash Animation" next week, which will be a lot of fun. The last time I taught the class was for teenagers, which was a very cool and uniquely challenging experience. Its been a while since I taught adults.

Benefits

2006-05-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

Right now, in the next room along, the PNCA benefits meeting is going on. As someone who does not qualify for benefits, I resent the free pizza and soda pop being liberally enjoyed while discussing the health care options I don't get. In the next room. Pizza smells, wafting.

I didn't have breakfast.

So if I trip at work while on my way out to pay for my own lunch, I don't get my broken leg covered.

Back Again

2006-05-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

I have had to recreate this blog due to technical difficulties. Its now using Blogger as the publishing engine. We'll see if it works well. One immediate benefit is that I can now upload photos, and link to other Blogger people.