Monday, September 1, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Hello Kansas City
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| Kansas City, Mo |
Hopefully the worst part will have been getting here. I had flight cancellations, delays and lost luggage but as of this morning everything is resolved and I'm looking forward to whatever else may happen.
On the shuttle from the airport to downtown I struck up a conversation with Michelle Vigeant aka Stormslegacy and her boyfriend. They are attending Spectrum Live for the first time. Check out her portfolio at http://www.stormslegacy.com
They got a table (I should have) and we chatted a bit about art and work and such. She has a biology degree and does paintings that focus on animals. They attend anime conventions usually and explained that setting up a table can be a nice way to pay for a trip, or pay for part of one if you don't sell enough.
This seems to be a big hurdle for me (monetizing the art-stuff) and it's about time that I got over it. In all honesty I would probably be happier selling stuff at shows rather than just attending. maybe I could even bring along student helpers. This will require more thought and action on my part, it is do-able. I just need to do it.
Later, while walking down the street to get some food at the most excellent Cosentino's Market downtown I happen to look at this dude walking nearby and see that it is none other than the most excellent artist Donato Giancola! http://www.donatoart.com We chatted a bit before going our separate ways and I was reminded of why I came. What an absolutely nice guy. I've read articles he's written, looked at tutorials he's put online and bought an awesome painting demo he did for conceptart.org showing his process for the painting "The Mechanic" (DVD available through his website), and now I have the chance to talk to him in person and look at his art up close.
I remember seeing him last year and being too intimidated to really speak to him - thinking 'his stuff is just too good'. and just being in awe. So this year I chat with him while crossing the street. No big deal. ...well, it still is.
http://spectrumfantasticartlive.com
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Box From Japan - Garo action figure review
This post (and possibly the next few) will be about toys ...so let me start off with a disclaimer:
Yes, among my archives there are more than a few toys of one sort or another. This December while I was looking up posable models to use for figure drawing reference I stumbled upon the world of 1/6th scale action figures. One thing led to another and in the end I was powerless to resist purchasing a few odd things for myself for Christmas, (Actually it has been hard to stop – collector of the fantastic and obscure that I am.)
Amiami.com sells new and used toys and the used ones are pretty
cheap by comparison, so it being Christmas and all… I indulged is a few things
that looked really cool.
The thing that really attracted me to these in the first place was the sculpting – and though the figure is still relatively short, the sculpt is no less amazing. The face in particular looks really cool and the armor has all kinds of crazy little details.
Overall the figure is still impressive – just not so much by the size. Did I mention they were small? …cool, but small.
Note: Bigger versions are available but they will run you $60 - $120 or more. 'A man's got to know his limitations.'
Links:
- Big Bad Toy Store has them and will get you in trouble - too much fun stuff
- Amazingly, SEARS online stores carry a wide variety of these things...and a lot more for/from international markets than one would expect.
- I bought mine used from amiami.com. But be warned, there is treasure everywhere on their website.
Yes, among my archives there are more than a few toys of one sort or another. This December while I was looking up posable models to use for figure drawing reference I stumbled upon the world of 1/6th scale action figures. One thing led to another and in the end I was powerless to resist purchasing a few odd things for myself for Christmas, (Actually it has been hard to stop – collector of the fantastic and obscure that I am.)
In my research it was extremely helpful to find toy reviews on sites
like one sixth warriors. There's lots of great information to be found on the forums there. The following is my humble attempt to pay it forward
by providing review of some of my purchases.
On December 28th a package arrived via Japan Post (EMS). It was my order from amiami.com, and it arrived ahead of items purchased from ebay and Amazon around the same time, much earlier than I expected - gotta recognize professionalism in the shipping department.
 |  | On opening the box I got a little note of thanks and things look well packed. – Oh the anticipation… what in god’s name did I order anyway?
|
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| Treasure!!! |
First I'll introduce my new Garo action figures.
As most Americans probably won't know, Garo is a Japanese tv series that focused on the life of a dude who battled demonic creatures while in the form of a golden wolf-headed knight in armor. I've only seen a couple of episodes but the series is a superhero/horror mixture and a bit more sinister and gory than one wound expect.
The photos of the action figures from the show look cool as hell online. Looking at them in reality I am really surprised by how small they are. See coffee cup photo for comparison …and they are still in the packaging! Very small indeed.
As most Americans probably won't know, Garo is a Japanese tv series that focused on the life of a dude who battled demonic creatures while in the form of a golden wolf-headed knight in armor. I've only seen a couple of episodes but the series is a superhero/horror mixture and a bit more sinister and gory than one wound expect.
The photos of the action figures from the show look cool as hell online. Looking at them in reality I am really surprised by how small they are. See coffee cup photo for comparison …and they are still in the packaging! Very small indeed.
Mighty Wolf Warriors
| 
...well, size isn't everything
|
The backs of the packages show the images that I saw online when researching these figures. They look rather majestic and quite ...large in the photos don't they? Never underestimate the power of a stilled photographer.
Busting one open I found that yea, they are still pretty cool looking, the size was mildly disappointing though. (I'm trying to get over it.)
The movement in the joints is surprisingly good. There are ball & socket joints everywhere except for the knees and head. The initial stiffness quickly wore out on the sword arm shoulder and it seemed to go a little loose. Pressing the shoulder socket together seemed to help with this.
Changing hands seemed fairly easy and the range of motion was somewhat limited in the shoulders and hips. The upper and lower torsos have a little independent mobility as well. The knees have a a double joint (elbows don’t) and the hands and feet are on ball joints. The head rotates but the neck is stationary.
 |
 |
| But I Feel LARGE!!! |
The movement in the joints is surprisingly good. There are ball & socket joints everywhere except for the knees and head. The initial stiffness quickly wore out on the sword arm shoulder and it seemed to go a little loose. Pressing the shoulder socket together seemed to help with this.
 |
| arm surgery - replacing the fist with the sword hand |
Changing hands seemed fairly easy and the range of motion was somewhat limited in the shoulders and hips. The upper and lower torsos have a little independent mobility as well. The knees have a a double joint (elbows don’t) and the hands and feet are on ball joints. The head rotates but the neck is stationary.
|
|
 |  |
The thing that really attracted me to these in the first place was the sculpting – and though the figure is still relatively short, the sculpt is no less amazing. The face in particular looks really cool and the armor has all kinds of crazy little details.
Overall the figure is still impressive – just not so much by the size. Did I mention they were small? …cool, but small.
Note: Bigger versions are available but they will run you $60 - $120 or more. 'A man's got to know his limitations.'
Links:
- Big Bad Toy Store has them and will get you in trouble - too much fun stuff
- Amazingly, SEARS online stores carry a wide variety of these things...and a lot more for/from international markets than one would expect.
- I bought mine used from amiami.com. But be warned, there is treasure everywhere on their website.
Friday, April 5, 2013
not copying the model
more trying not to copy the model... Feels like I might be getting out of the 'rut" I was in.
demo below - me trying to show constructing the figure instead of copying
and practicing what I preached - long poses
demo below - me trying to show constructing the figure instead of copying
and practicing what I preached - long poses
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Getting back at it - I was feelin pretty rusty at last nights figure drawing class. After a week away it was slow going getting warmed up.
kind of a nice one... but there are still a lot of problems with it
tonight I did some 10 minute poses from the online trainer - this time I made more of an effort to approach the figure 'structurally' - not trying to copy it, more like reconstructing it based on the models pose... I like the results much better.
kind of a nice one... but there are still a lot of problems with it
tonight I did some 10 minute poses from the online trainer - this time I made more of an effort to approach the figure 'structurally' - not trying to copy it, more like reconstructing it based on the models pose... I like the results much better.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
quick studies
I got experimental with the gestures and short poses during my last figure drawing session.
2 minute poses using ink brush on toned paper
5 minute pose using photoshop. I have this recurring digital painting fantasy - that only requires practice to become a reality - but my comfort level with the tablet seems to come and go at random. These days I feel very 'rusty' and unsure of myself when drawing with it. This was a brief attempt to do a little practice. Though 5 minutes is not much. Next class I'll have a go at one of the longer poses.
I did some pencil drawings of longer poses that I am thinking about making into 'comic book' pin-up images... but I have quite a bit inking to finish before I start a big new drawing.
2 minute poses using ink brush on toned paper
5 minute pose using photoshop. I have this recurring digital painting fantasy - that only requires practice to become a reality - but my comfort level with the tablet seems to come and go at random. These days I feel very 'rusty' and unsure of myself when drawing with it. This was a brief attempt to do a little practice. Though 5 minutes is not much. Next class I'll have a go at one of the longer poses.
I did some pencil drawings of longer poses that I am thinking about making into 'comic book' pin-up images... but I have quite a bit inking to finish before I start a big new drawing.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Weekend work
This weekend I got a couple of very different things started.
1. An oil painting of a cow - gonna try for a trompe l'oeil effect and have it 'realistically' looking in through the frame. The weather was so nice on Saturday I sat outside in the driveway and painted.
2. I spent Sunday afternoon inking a page for a comic book project that I am getting tired of looking at - but I'm going to finish ...and I'll just do a better job of drawing on the next one.
1. An oil painting of a cow - gonna try for a trompe l'oeil effect and have it 'realistically' looking in through the frame. The weather was so nice on Saturday I sat outside in the driveway and painted.
2. I spent Sunday afternoon inking a page for a comic book project that I am getting tired of looking at - but I'm going to finish ...and I'll just do a better job of drawing on the next one.
I almost made it through the whole page in one afternoon but I'm starting to feel a little tired and on the verge of making mistakes. I should easily be able to finish this up during the week.
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