Haven't written a good post in a little while, guess I can now...

It's Monday the last day of January (2011)
This weekend was pretty great. I'm still thinking about it and how cool it is/was to have gotten to meet animators who have worked on shows and movies that I grew up absolutely loving...
Pretty Amazing(!!!!)
So all weekend I was charged and Inspired. I was on Photoshop drawing all yesterday and a lot of today too. It's half past six now and I'm just wrapping up the day, Steve should be home soon and we'll prob. go for a walk but before that(!) I wanted to post some of the drawings I've done. I added most of them to FB already but hey (wth!) might as well add them here too.

I'm getting much more comfortable with my tools and hopefully as that happens more and more the art will improve as well!
**fingers crossed**

These are a some of the sketches from yesterday at the coffee shop. I actually had a lot more from there but I accidentally erased a few pages... ughh painful... haha, but oh well luckily I can just draw some more next time!

These are okay though, just a couple of the people sitting around in the shop.

This is Steve! Mostly.. haha, just a quick sketch in the library while we were there for a couple of hours.

My favorite of the Day! CoCo in his Jeggings, the proportions need a little help but besides the scrunching I feel like I captured some parts of him... lol.

I'm getting better though! Nothing like drawing with a pencil in my hand.

This one is from one of the Sheets I brought home from class, just to try something different. I thin I'm going to do that a lot more in the next few weeks... branch out and mix it up. Hopefully I'll loosen up more. It's been almost three years since I've really used drawing as my primary creative outlet. I think it's going to take a bit more time to get back to the natural feel I remember having..

This is also inspired by one of the sheets. I tried to practice more with building the frame beneath the drawing with all of these drawings but with this one in particular I showed it more. I think as I ease into photoshop I'll also play around with background textures and effects, shading and whatnot. I know it will all come with time, not really trying to rush it and not to brag but I do learn very fast... from that learning I get very, very excited and inspired so I'm not so much rushing myself as I am becoming fueled.

But I will have t find a balance between my own personal work and the work I have during the week at ADC.

Here's the last one I did... more of a digital painting than a sketch. Here I was just working with layers and shading more. By the way this is Not me.. hahahaa...

Sooo.. Yeah I'm really enjoying this learning experience... it's great to have a place to post and share my work and my progress, a diary slash sketchbook... I don't know why I didn't do this sooner!

-sKc

Conan Doodle

Haha... this was fun! CoCo in his gorgeous Jeggings looking hot

Getting more comfortable with the tablet and Photoshop... 

First Animation Seminar

Yesterday we (the ADC people) went to LMU for their Animation Clubs second Animation Panel. It was pretty sweet!
There were about six animators on the panel and the host asked some really great questions. All in all I think the questions lasted about two hours, I might be a little off with that guess-tamate. I was amazed at how many projects each of the animators had worked on. A couple of them had been in the industry for a good twenty or thirty years.
Really fun though and very awe-inspiring. It made me even more grateful for my opportunities here. Even being at the starting line is a good place to be considering some artists don't ever get their foot in the door.

I came home and sketched a little bit in Ps.. here's one of the cat ladies

This too will be a very short post, I think I'd rather draw now and talk later...
Had a great time though and very proud of my mentors, they did an awesome job yesterday!

sKc

Practice..Practice..practice!

Been regaining my strength this weekend, or trying to...
I biked about an hour and tried to be out in the sun a bit more.
I'm learning quickly that in becoming an animator I might have to forfeit many hours of sunlight...
That will be a tough one, going to try to find some way to work a little more outside time into my day.

My class on saturday went well, learned a lot and started work on my own character, now I have to keep the ball rolling with him and keep practicing with Ps and the tablet.
Yesterday I added some color/texture to a friends art. It wasn't filled in and crying out to be colored so I asked and he said I could! Very cool

I think I did an Okay job with it... I'm sure I could do about a hundred different renditions and maybe improve on my technique. For now I'm trying to take it slow (not too slow) and find a good pace for learning that keeps my arms moving but doesn't wear me out. It's amazing how tired I feel at the end of the day and at the end of the week... I Love It!

Today I'm helping out more on the current project, learning more as I do. I have a couple of hours before the day begins for me and I'm tempted to draw and work now but I think I'll hold off.

I'm going to bring my bike and try to ride it on my lunch break just to keep the blood flowing.

Will write more soon...

-sKc

Trying to get a handle on this "blog" deal. Since I make multiple forms of art I thought it best to compartmentalize into different blogs to keep everything tidy. Guess that's kind of the theme in my life right now. Taking on many things at once and trying to keep them "organized"... Not too many things though, I have finally achieved a pretty good balance.

This page is primarily for my paintings, I'll have another for photos and my DoodleBlahhG strictly for my drawing and animation work, which is slow-coming... but I'm hopeful!

 

Tomorrow is my third class at ADC ... excited as usual, finally feeling like I belong and less like I'm in the way. Since I've been helping out (apprenticing) on the project I haven't had a whole lot of time to do my own thing but def. not complaining!! I love what I am getting to do and it's all a great learning process.

The work I have been doing during the week will aid me (big time) in creating my own personal work.

It's amazing how fast it's all sinking in and to boot I'm getting in while they're in pre-production so I'm going to get to see the whole process up close... very, very good deal!

Today (after working there for a few hours) I did some research on my animation short idea... I think I have some pretty good ideas, now I just have to get the plot situated and draw up some character ideas.

I did a little bit of this kind of work at the Art Institute but that was a couple of years ago already and now it's a bit different being more hands on. It is a big perk that I have an idea of how the structure works and the process... very lucky to have had that experience.

It's getting late so I'll leave this here and hopefully post and get my other pages up soon.

g'night! sKc

Some of My First Color Work

    I have to make this quick because I'm off to the Studio this morning... but I asked and got permission to post some of my work...
I didn't draw these but Right now I'm working on getting comfortable color testing in Photoshop. I've learned a little about Photoshop here and there but I've never used it as much as I am this week, learning the short keys, and how to maneuver around efficiently through it. These are really just practice pieces but none the less! I'm excited to have been doing them!!

One of my first tests... pretty simple, no background but getting comfy with the PS tools...

A little Warhol-ish but I'll get positioning savvy as I go... I didn't really pay too much attention to the layout. In my more recent pages I have. Here I was just trying to change up the outfit to suit the character and mood. Still need practice but hey! I'm pretty excited

This one has more of a "me flare too it" getting ahead of myself.. I just wanted to try out placing characters on a background. Nothing too fancy but learning...

So that's it for now. I think soon in the future I will organize my blog so that I have a different page for each art form but I'm pretty new to all of this blog/site stuff... Definitely a great asset and I intend to use it (finally!) 

-sKc ^L^

It's Not Even Midnight..

Only quarter of Eleven and I'm Exhausted!! I'm so happy to be though. I never realized how tiring learning an application could be. I've been working on a project for my animation class. Not my persona work but an apprenticeship project. I'm learning how to rough-color (first in Photoshop).
It is so fun but very involved. I really don't want to stop but I should. I need to sleep so I have more energy tomorrow to pick it back up.

I'd like to post the images but they're not mine... so I can't but!! I can use what I'm learning to improve my own work which I plan on doing soon.
I'm so glad to be learning this. It's really all I've thought about since I was a little girl and now to be doing it(!!) Amazing. I've also figured out that it's pretty simple to do what I intend (combine my abstract sense with my animation). Now I just need to roll with it! Luckily my boyfriend can help me along the way and I know if I stick to it all will work out.

So, so, so Excited about this! That's it for now, very short but I've got to get ready for bed. It's so great to regain hope(!)
Guess we'll see where it goes from here...   (^L^)

-sKc

Woken By The Crows

Good Morning People!

Still groggy but awake. The crows outside my window are yapping extra loudly this morning. I wasn't intending on getting up this early on a saturday...oh well.

Today is my second animation class. I'm psyched but a little nervous. I still feel like the drawings aren't flowing "naturally".  I've been practicing with the Simpson's characters but leaning more toward just getting a feel for my own style, trying to figure out what that is again. I guess I've always drawn from other peoples work, characters that inspired me. I didn't really think about it before though, it was just "doing" now I feel a little pressure but I'm sure I can use it to produce some great work. I just need more inspiration.

Being in a new place with practically no friends, no family, and no clue where I belong in this new place is definitely a road block. I'm out of my comfort zone a bit more than usual. I've been in this situation before but I was much more eager to wedge myself in. Now I'm a little apprehensive because I've been through the "ringer" so to speak. I need to get over all that. Making art is definitely helping. I guess I should give myself more credit than I do. This is just the most vulnerable I've ever felt in my life.
It's exciting and terrifying but at the same time I feel guilt... (?)
Maybe over going after what I've dreamed of doing since I was a four year old, not working the normal crap job or paying attention to everyone telling me what steps to take next in life. I'm going after what makes me happy.

That used to be the "dream". Now, in this economy... that's insane. I'm lucky to have Stephen to support me, he's pretty amazing. If it weren't for him I'd probably be back in Troy, working at the Daily Grind and wishing I had some way to get out of New York. We're both pretty lucky

Life is short, so if I don't take a swing at this I'll regret it the rest of my life. I'd rather live more simply and starve once in a while than conform to this hopeless "American Dream" that wasn't even my dream to begin with....

So, I'm so glad I found this class. It's a good start and I intend on making the most of it.
I'm still a little tired...guess I'll lay down until I really need to be up
Hopefully the day goes well and I make some amazing art... If so I'll post some up soon.

-so many I's in this post.. me..me..me..me..ME! ^L^

sKc

Getting "Re-Connected"

Today I'm adding more ArtWork to my DA site. I just made it yesterday and it's a good venue for showing work, getting feedback and browsing other artists' work. It seems like most of the people (on DA) are very young but maybe I just haven't gotten good at looking around yet(?)

So I'm making art, adding art to sites, back on FB, really putting myself out there. I've even told FB everything I like so that they can adequately advertise to me... whatever, I guess if your going to jump on the band wagon you might as well sit up front.

I don't mean to be skeptical but it seems like a frantic shouting match between everyone in the world. "Look at me, look at me!" I quit FB so that I could mellow out a bit and not revisit myself and all of my thoughts continuously and now I'm doing that... x three, and then showing it to everyone in the universe. Maybe I should just slow down and not post so much at once. Not feed the Ego fire for a little bit and take things one step at a time.
I prefer the slow pace. I know that everything in the "real world" is traveling faster and faster but I'd like to slow down a bit... and I'm only 26! I used to do everything at my own pace, I enjoyed it. I see that life expects you to keep up, or rather society expects it. I think I'd rather slow things down to my pace though, otherwise I won't see the beauty I admire, I won't have time to reflect meaningfully and I won't have time for the people that mean the most to me. That's what my life should be about. Not rushing to respond or to produce the most.

Ah well... I'm just happy I get to share it, if the internet didn't exist we'd be waisting a lot more paper and complaining about how slow correspondence was. Guess I should just plot a course and take lots of breaks.
I'll feel better when my headache's gone, and maybe I'll stop whining...

On the good side of life! I'm using my Wacom more. I definitely need as much practice with it as I can. It's probably going to be a major part of my cartoon drawing process. Less paper more digital (eventually) which will be great(!) I just have to get my laptop organized and cleaned up. I'm not the best at organization but I can always improve from where I am now with it.
Enough of this blabbing! I'm going to post some of my light Photo's! (Yay)

There's three for now. These are some of the first I ever took after learning how. 

I have a Canon G10 which is a Great little camera and I'm not a professional by any means but It definitely gives me hours of fun... snapping away and seeing what I can do with it. I'll add more of this at some point. I have better images now but I just stumbled upon these in my folder and thought I'd put them up. Enjoy!

-sKc

I'm In!

I got into the group at the Art Center! (Yay!!!) Pretty happy about that. I can show work in their galleries if/when my work is chosen by the judges now, I just have to prepare my work to be shown and keep producing paintings and possibly other works. So that's that for the Art Center until I have more news and events there.

Now I'll work more on my animation, my class is on Saturday and I've been drawing Simpson's characters all week for practice. I really need to get back into a drawing mode. It's been too long since I just naturally drew a little every day. Now I'm going to try to make it the biggest part of my day... we'll see, might be a tough transition.. but I like a challenge.

After I finish this post I have email some of my work to my mentor then maybe add it to FBook. I'll put it on here one of these days.

Here are some more of my paintings for now.

Peas and Carrots!
-sKc

Today I went to the Art Center I joined here a few months ago, here being SoCal (my new home!) I had an "interview" with the ladies in one of the many, many groups there. Nothing too important just showed a few of my paintings and explained that I am new here and wanted to join a group that would be open to a young artist who is just starting out. Experimenting with different mediums, but mostly acrylics. I'll have to wait to hear back from them but I think it went well. If I get into the group I'll be able to show and sell paintings which would be nice but truthfully not the most important thing to me... The showing would be great, if I sell something here or there it'd be nice but I'm not really expecting anything too big.
At the rate that canvases are filling my apartment it would be a good thing to have some of them exiting too.

Here are two of the three paintings I brought with me... the third hasn't been photographed yet but I'll get to that soon!

This one is really the first (finished) acrylic abstract I ever did.
I started it about three years ago and it's been a "work in progress" ever since.
I think I'm ready to call it finished.
This other one I started in Dael's class.
Dael is the first and only instructor I've had at the Art Center so far. She's an amazing Abstract Painter and really just a great woman! She's in her early eighties and has been teaching for fifty or so years. I'm not sure which subjects within the the realm of Art though, I should definitely ask. I think I'm going to ask her if I can record an interview with her sometime... maybe post it on here with her permission.

So, this next one I started in her class, I don't feel like it's finished yet, but I'm sure I'll find the solution at some point. In this one I explored the use of texture gels a little bit and also experimented with spray paint. There is a lot of white space which is really something I don't often do but I'm willing to try it out.

That's all for now. I'll add more paintings later this week. Bye
-sKc

Trying something New

So, I've wanted a blog for a few years now... but I never really knew what I'd write about. I've had many ideas, I won't bore you with them yet, not until there is a "you" to bore I suppose. I think now I finally have something with substance and truth to blab about to the Internet and whoever aimlessly wanders onto my Blog...

It seems the world around me is lacking in those two areas lately, but I feel a change is coming and I'd like to be a part of it in some small way.

I want to write about Art.. wait don't leave!!!! Not just about art, but about what it can do for human beings.
 This doesn't mean I'm going to theorize about all the different Art Movements and the impact they've had on humanity. I just want to have a corner to write about how it can connect, motivate, and change us in ways we don't even acknowledge until it's already happened... sometimes long after it's happened.

I myself am an artist... I can finally say that out loud without feeling like I have to defend the word and myself... distancing from a pretentious stereotype that I often assume everyone envisions.
It's a word with many meanings especially in this day. To me, Art is more of an outlet than a label. It's a voice that I was born with and if I'm lucky I will be allowed to use it to communicate with many people in my lifetime.

My two favorite forms of Art are Animation and Abstract Painting, eventually I'd like to combine the two but for now I'll simply work on each separately.
Each has their own appeal to me, and others too I'm sure and I think both together would be phenomenal!

Abstract painting is like an emotional detox.
 It comes to me right when I most need it, I often go weeks, months, even years without painting.
But when I do, It can be as therapeutic as an empathetic friends' ear.
I've just begun drawing again but I expect it to lend a more structural crutch to my life. Storyboarding, organizing scenes, creating characters... this is something I really Love! It's about celebrating the humor and irony, really every part of life. It's also about reflection... and this is something I really need right now.

Well, I think I'll end here for now. I'll be adding paintings and hopefully many of my drawings in time to come. Thanks for reading through and welcome.
-sKc