tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2970242088968382402024-03-05T19:38:02.495-07:00Cosmic Jingle UniverseBekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-65254690592789068292019-04-16T10:00:00.000-06:002019-04-16T10:00:01.060-06:00Special OniSan Announcement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Today is the day! Launch Day!!<br /></b></h2>
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I have opened a <a href="https://www.patreon.com/cosmicjingleart" target="_blank">Patreon</a> to help me to
finish funding <i>OniSan</i> and continue to fund similar stop
motion/graphic novel projects in the future. All the existing updates
are being tidied up and moved over and all new updates will get
posted there first. (The newsletter will still exist for early
announcements on the costume design book launch, my convention
schedule, shop updates/sales, etc.)
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I have two starter <a href="https://www.patreon.com/cosmicjingleart" target="_blank">Patreon</a> tiers:
Designer and Fabricator. Designer patrons will get access to general,
story and development art while Fabricators will also get
technique/tool content as well. I have a few priliminary goals set up
– as I meet them I will add special content or upgrade the content
and tiers that I have depending on what my patrons want. I'm hoping
to cram as many quality posts into a month as possible to make the
tier levels worth it.
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I really hope that you will join me
over on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/cosmicjingleart" target="_blank">Patreon</a>. If you could give it a share that would be
appreciated too!</div>
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-34441600865035484302019-01-03T14:06:00.000-07:002019-01-03T14:06:57.353-07:00Old Sequential Artwork<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was sorting through old work and found these - the beginning sketched pages of Proposals and The Ugly Bug Ball in graphic novel form. Talk about a time warp. With that amount of pencil work I don't think I'll ever finish them, but I thought I'd share for those still here who might remember. <br /><br />Much of my work these days is in puppet fabrication - which I try to post weekly updates over on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cosmicjingleart/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. But I am still diligently working on OniSan which is both puppets and graphic novel. Normally I post progress to that on my newsletter, but if things keep chugging along as they have been lately...there may be more public announcement posts popping up this year. Exciting!! <br /><br />Hoping you have all survived 2018 and are as thrilled as I am to be starting off 2019 with a renewed energy and optimism! <br />
<br />Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-65367969533759356582018-03-30T12:27:00.000-06:002018-03-30T12:27:29.583-06:00A New Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Burnout can be a serious problem for me. Sometimes it's the physical limitations that entails, most of the time it's the overwhelming guilt about not being as productive as possible. This time it was the perfect storm. The longer I go without addressing the problem head on, the longer it takes me to recover. So it's been a while. <br /><br />This tiny Sunbonnet Sue is about 5 inches tall. She is made of medical wrap, wire, beads, magic sculpt, acrylic paint, various fabrics and glues, raffia, latex rubber (which I didn't like working with, so I may do something different for the rest of them), and a plastic 3D printed head (Digital sculpt completed by my lovely husband). Time lapsed it probably took me about a week, but it's been spread out over many months. <br /><br />I enjoyed making her and look forward to making more. Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-13211253100472531682017-11-11T20:42:00.000-07:002017-11-11T20:42:41.369-07:00CTN Animation Expo 2017 Pre-Game Post!This has been a year of serious ups and downs. I'm sure everyone can relate to that. <br />
Shortly after returning from CTN last year we lost our Tito to heart failure. Recovering from that, moving apartments and starting a new training position at work made it hard to keep up with the early goals I had set. I rallied a bit when we brought home Yuffie and family started showing up for the Wedding. Work was challenging, but exciting and fun. I took a couple classes at the Portland Fashion Institute which were great despite the mind-numbing traffic to get across town. After the Summer of Discontent came a joyful relief of the intolerably high temperatures and finally I find myself approaching CTN...without a table. <br />
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While I don't have a table this year, I will be at the Expo and excited to see everyone. On Friday from 12:15-1pm I will be participating in a presentation in the Workshop room called <a href="http://www.ctnanimationexpo.com/axPanelsDetails.php?schedulingcreateId=207" target="_blank">"The Role of Costume Specialists in Animation, Gaming and Illustration"</a>. Chris Oatley will be hosting and my fellow Talking Threads gfs Gwyn Conaway and Jessie Kate Patterson will also be there. Updates on the book will undoubtedly follow. On Saturday from 1-2pm I will be doing a demonstration called "Translating Design through Fabrication" at the Traditional Demo Station 2. (Which I think is supposed to be inside the building as opposed to in the tent - but it is not marked on the map, so don't quote me on that) This will be me walking through my process of interpreting a costume design into a fabricated asset. I'm not sure how much I'll actually be able to do in just an hour, but I'll be open to questions throughout. Later on Saturday from 4-6pm I'll be doing Character Design portfolio reviews in the Portfolio Review Lounge. I will also be available for portfolio reviews at the Oatley Academy table (T243) periodically on Saturday and most likely Sunday too. I'll also be able to walk around and catch up with all my tabling friends! <br />
I do feel a bit sad that Raul and I don't have a table...but it was just too expensive what with everything that happened earlier in the year. (And man was that wedding cake worth it) Next year we've discussed tabling again - at both CTN and DesignerCon. And who knows...maybe we won't just be there for a visit. <br />
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I'm hoping to update a bit more in 2018. Lots of exciting things coming up!! Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-33378458838426730742016-09-12T11:00:00.000-06:002016-09-12T11:00:28.739-06:00CTN 2016 Preview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, this year has gone by RIDICULOUSLY fast. My last post was in March, so let's see...the remainder of spring and summer went to fabricating puppets for OniSan. A rare non-newsletter update can be seen on <a href="http://raulramosart.blogspot.com/2016/07/onisan.html" target="_blank">Raul's blog</a> where he talks about the 3D printed parts that I had him help me with. I'm still chugging right along on that - progress to be featured this year at CTN. <br />
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In August <i>Kubo and the Two Strings </i>came to theaters - my first movie credit! I've been rolled over to the next film, presently still an RPQA. All the tiny faces! <br />
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The Costume Collaboration I spoke of last time is going strong. You can find out more about it now online through the Talking Threads <a href="http://www.thetalkingthreads.com/" target="_blank">Website</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Thetalkingthreads/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thestorywewear" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://vimeo.com/thetalkingthreads" target="_blank">Vimeo</a>. We're really excited to launch <i>The Story We Wear </i>at CTN this year with a panel on Costume Design in Alternative Industries. <br />
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Hoping to see you all at CTN this year! :) Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-74276810579907603682016-03-07T10:00:00.000-07:002016-03-07T10:00:12.220-07:00Collaborations and Complications<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">A quick doodle of me, Raul and Tito.</span> <br /><br />My part on Kubo and The Two Strings is now complete. What started as a three month temp position stretched into a year's worth of crazy fun times - wrapping up with my department's <a href="http://www.oscars.org/news/11-scientific-and-technical-achievements-be-honored-academy-awardsr" target="_blank">Academy Award</a> win! I have now rolled directly onto the next film. <br /><br />I had to take a week off though right at the end of January due to sciatica. For those of you not familiar with it...please continue avoiding it if you can. Take care of your body. Hydrate with water. Be mindful of what you eat. Don't skimp on stretch breaks. Stand as much as you sit and sit with good posture. Yoga and hiking are awesome. You do have time for these kinds of things. This might sound a little lecture-y, but seriously SCIATICA IS EVIL. <br /><br />Post-CTN I was approached by fellow Oatley Academy students to participate in a unique collaboration opportunity. <a href="http://houseofcandysushi.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jessie Kate Patterson</a>, <a href="http://www.mariakercher.com/" target="_blank">Maria Kercher</a>, <a href="http://www.blytherussoillustration.com/" target="_blank">Blythe Russo</a>, and <a href="http://gwynconawayart.com/" target="_blank">Gwyn Conaway Bennison</a> are my partners in crime for this crazy costume adventure! I look forward to sharing more about that project later. ;) <br /><br />Another thing greatly occupying my mind of late is a different kind of collaboration. Last year <a href="http://www.raulramosart.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Raul Ramos</a> proposed on my birthday and of course I said yes. After debating it we've set our ideal date a year from now and are in planning mode. My dress has been purchased. Venues are narrowed down for tours and will be hopefully booked by the end of the month. And the invite list is more or less finished...provided people stop dying. :( <br /><br />We have also been discussing the issue of "co-branding." This would obviously apply to the big event, but include other events where we display or attend as a unit - such as our shared table at CTN. With our different areas of interest and specialty, it would visually make sense of us together as a unit. If we showing separately then we wouldn't need to pack everything along - we'd still have our own self-branded things. Raul's been working especially hard to streamline his presentation lately. But mine is another matter entirely. <br /><br />This upcoming status change brings the chance to really do some necessary tweaking - starting with my name. For as long as I could write, my name has been a problem. When small I never dreamed of the various details involved with fancy weddings and such...I dreamed of ditching my needlessly complicated name for something simple or at least less likely to be butchered by everyone and their "standardized" software. But now that I've gotten traction - my first movie credit for one - should I change it? The arguments for and against are sometimes heated and I'm not looking externally for answers - this is definitely a personal decision I trust others to respect once I've made it - but it is certainly something I've been struggling with more than I thought I ever would. <br /><br />Can we just fast forward to the part when I get to leave for the honeymoon please?? Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-48249962118865328062015-12-07T06:00:00.000-07:002015-12-07T06:00:03.636-07:00Post CTN 2015 and Does Anyone Remember...?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, CTN 2015 is over. It was a bit of a whirlwind this year...which is probably telling in that I am just now realizing it's over and writing this blog post about it. <br /><br />Day One - Thursday <br />Our plane down to Burbank left very early on Thursday morning. Raul and I were able to check into our hotel room shortly after arrival which was nice. Then instead of the normal OA Day festivities, we opted to check out the La Brea Tar Pits. What can I say? I promised the man prehistoric dead things. Veronica and Desiree (Lovely ladies I work with) came with us and introduced us to Korean BBQ. When back at the Marriott we went over to the Main Hall, got our badges and started setting up. We sat between Meg Park and Brynn Metheney at T123 - and they were great neighbors. :) <br /><br />Day Two - Friday<br />We finished setting up and the Hall opened at 12.30. Traffic was noticeably higher than it was the year prior and the air conditioning was a blessing. I talked to many amazing people - I think I might have been the only Stop Motion person with a table. I wasn't selling anything again, but I hope I can in 2016. Raul sold out of sketchbooks. He sold prints and a few sculptures too. We both collected emails for our newsletters - to keep everyone updated of progress and when new things became available. I didn't buy as much this year. I think this may be due to the fact that many people I regularly bought from decided to go to Designer Con this year - unfortunately the same weekend. <br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGZp1Csev2Fqqn-yM0VXLRcDosPS4AaRJMY1JR1WFZc4R8xSdot0JNB-F7gvZb08_WhwH-JM6Fsp7O2ppwmSfgNdc7Q3zaxi_XhSAyWbmNwRrzd_iFy2V95es6HawYtnWVmy55lQlwfo/s1600/20151120_100318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGZp1Csev2Fqqn-yM0VXLRcDosPS4AaRJMY1JR1WFZc4R8xSdot0JNB-F7gvZb08_WhwH-JM6Fsp7O2ppwmSfgNdc7Q3zaxi_XhSAyWbmNwRrzd_iFy2V95es6HawYtnWVmy55lQlwfo/s400/20151120_100318.jpg" width="250" /></a><br /><br />Day Three - Saturday <br />I got out and attended a panel that fellow Laikan Toby Froud gave on bringing puppets to life. He had puppets from his short <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1401146961/lessons-learned-a-practical-puppet-short-film" target="_blank">Lessons Learned</a> with him and they were absolutely gorgeous. It was a fantastic talk and I got the chance to chat more with him later that day when he was walking around the hall and passed my table. I was unfortunately not able to attend the Laika panel that Brian, Steve and Georgina gave. I spent time at the fire pits that evening to catch up with OA friends. <br /><br />Day Four - Sunday <br />This day was calmer in comparison to the last two, which was nice because we almost lost our voices. The hall closed a bit earlier and while we were packing up they had champagne (which neither Raul or I drank) and cake (which both Raul and I ate). The disappointment of this day was that we could not immediately renew our table for next year. I like having things in place as soon as I can so that was a bit irritating. We had dinner with our friends Katherine and Owen which was great since we hadn't seen much of them since moving away. <br /><br />Day Five - Monday <br />We flew back early that morning and picked up Tito from the vet/boarding. He seemed happy to see us in the waiting room. But as soon as we got him in the car he started in on us - barking incessantly until we all went to sleep that night. He even refused french fries! Unfortunately since then he's been sick. I don't think we'll board him again. Raul and I followed up with as many people as we could that day and napped intermittently. <br /><br />It's such a rush - we're already stoked for this next year!! :D <br /><br /><br /><br />So...straight up, does anyone remember fondly those holiday specials that come on year after year? <br />
<i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? <br />Santa Claus is Comin' to Town? <br />The Year Without a Santa Claus? <br />Jack Frost?</i><br />
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They were my favorite. I didn't even know it was Christmas most of the time until I saw those. (They seem to show them earlier and earlier each year) Until I was running around singing at the top of my lungs about how people called me Heat Miser. I was too much. Those were the days. <br />
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Rankin and Bass made many movies (Not all in stop motion - fans of The Last Unicorn or the animated Hobbit?) and shows (ThunderCats GO!) but the most influential to me where those stop motion features. I was always in awe of the magic in them. <br />
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So now that the holidays are in full swing, I'll be relaxing with my buddy Nostalgia as I watch those specials again - trying to say Burgermeister Meisterburger as fast as I can. <br />
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Happy Holidays everyone!! Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-46089876857320062952015-10-05T06:00:00.001-06:002015-10-05T06:00:07.879-06:00Surviving the Holidays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />So pretty soon here we'll be in Holiday season once more. I know nobody likes thinking about it - especially this early - but what happens when it's the middle of November and a big deadline is looming and you've been so distracted with planning planes tickets home for Thanksgiving that you forget that your book needs to be at the printers last week? <br />
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Ouch. <br />
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Well, the best way I know of avoiding this scenario is planning ahead and setting boundaries. <br />
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The biggest part of planning ahead for me is knowing that I will be less productive during this season. Colder winter weather always brings me down, so I anticipate a few more free hours than normal just keeping positive. I do this by hanging out with friends more, by allowing myself more time on tasks and by just having some ME Time. <br />
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I make it a point NOT to work on holidays, like any other job. This more or less solves my problems for the second point - setting boundaries. Since I avoid working on holidays this lets me hang out when others also have more time off. (Of course this is easier said than done sometimes) <br />
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That's all nice sounding, but what happens when you're already THERE? When it's already the 11th hour and stuff needs to start magically getting done?? <br />
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This my friends, is when we prioritize and out source. <br />
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First apologize to everyone around you. Next, look at the things you need to do or have done first. Focus on one thing at a time to decrease the overwhelm. Shut off Facebook and Twitter. You don't need to be reminded about everyone else having a great time skiing when printers are waiting. <br />
If it's something you don't need to do - consider asking for help. There is absolutely no shame in collaborating or admitting you are human. Be reasonable. If it's a MASSIVE thing, scale it back into something that is manageable. Quality over quantity is a real thing. I know I'd rather see one awesome thing than a wave of boring, badly constructed things. <br />
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Lastly, don't hurt yourself for "failing." Failure is a good thing - refer to my PD1 audition on Youtube - you learn a lot more from it than from what you do right. Ask questions and have an extra sugar cookie - because YOU are going to keep doing awesome things. :) Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-69361304418716137232015-08-10T06:00:00.000-06:002015-08-10T06:00:11.950-06:00Wanderlust: Gathering Inspiration & Reference while TravelingSometimes a thorough house cleaning isn't enough to get those creative juices flowing. About every five years or so I get an itch - the travel bug! <br />
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2007: I head to Japan with my camera and a blank journal. Man, do I wish that I had taken more pictures. I do, however, bring home many brochures from the places I went.<br /><br /><br />
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2010: I venture to New Zealand again armed with camera, blank journal, and rolls of tape. You can never take enough pictures. And it also helped budgeting to save receipts along with train ticket stubs. <br />
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Moral of the Story: Always bring a camera and extra batteries/charger. Also recommended is a blank journal or a sketchbook to take notes, scribble, etc. If you like doing this digitally - remember your charger! You never know what will inspire or aid in your next project, so start building your visual library now!! <br />
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Who else has felt the itch of the travel bug? How do you appease it? How do you plan for trips and how do you save those memories? Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-63848750209038812562015-07-06T06:00:00.000-06:002015-07-06T06:00:06.415-06:00The Life of Cut PaperIn which I ponder = coherently or not = the connections and nuances of my favorite art forms: <br /><br />When I think about stop motion animation as a type of performance art, I am of course going to starting drawing some interesting comparisons: Various forms of Japanese theater influenced OniSan, including the puppet-based Bunraku. <br />
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Bunraku dates back to the late 1600s - in Osaka - and is a combination of musicians, chanters and puppeteers. That's not too far off of how we consume stop motion today - with a soundtrack, voice actor narration and animators. <br />
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Of course we see everyone on stage during a Bunraku performance, but to varying degrees we ignore their presence. For the Boxtrolls end titles we get to see Travis Knight animating in lightening speed as the characters wax philosophical about the nature of freewill - the reverse of the original intent to keep the puppeteers hidden. <br />
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Bunraku puppets utilize three actors that must be in perfect coordination for the performance. Some stop motion puppets can be acted by several different animators - but they all have to work together to make that character believable as one person. <br />
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The puppets themselves in Bunraku can be very simple and very elaborate. Some of my favorites are those beautiful ladies that have face mechanisms which reveal them to be scary demons. A particularly interesting trick they use on many female heads is a pin on the corner of their mouth - so they can bite their sleeve. <br />
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Stop motion puppets are getting more and more advanced, with tricks like Neil's belly-mover in ParaNorman or the watch-like facial mechanics in Corpse Bride. I was very impressed with the glow of the Boxtrolls' eyes - when you snap the faceplate off it breaks the circuit and the eyes dim, but when you snap the faceplate back on the circuit completes and Ta Da! Glowing eyes!! <br />
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What other connections do you see? How do your favorite mediums compare or contrast? Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-81985884003093211192015-06-08T15:45:00.000-06:002015-06-08T15:45:00.613-06:00End of 2nd Quarter: Never Too Late To Start Something<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-1d3ede83-1256-4e33-154e-f8c1cd4a4f85" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br />My host father told me that it takes 9 repetitions of a new word for a child to understand it, while it takes 36 repetitions of the same word for an adult to comprehend. At least, I think that’s what he said. My Japanese wasn’t great at the time. But what I understood from this was that it is far easier to learn new things when you are young than when you are older. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But that doesn’t mean you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">can’t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> learn new things or that you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shouldn’t try </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to learn new things when you’re older. It’s just more challenging. And I applaud those who take that challenge. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ve passed a quarter century now and there are times when I feel old. Just typing out quarter century makes me feel it. It’s easy to forget how young that really is when all around you your peers start settling down and having kids. Kids who are your little brother’s age and younger are getting hired in management above you and trying to explain to you how to use the new iPhone. There it is again, that feeling of being ancient. I wish that could mean I could apply to assisted living. I would love some assistance with my chores. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But that feeling doesn’t mean you’re behind, that you haven’t accomplished anything. Even if you only have one major breakthrough each year - that’s only what 25? Year one you learned to sit up. That’s big. Year two and you can talk. MASSIVE. Those years keep passing and seem shorter since 1 year out of 6 takes ages but 1 out of 12 flies, by 24 you start forgetting people’s birthdays and leaving your keys in the fridge, so finishing one painting comes just as monumental. Did this painting finally make sense of light and color for you? That’s like learning to talk. WAY TO GO!! Seriously. I am super proud of you! Didn’t reach a goal? Don’t give up, just gain some perspective and try again. Watch this video: </span><a href="http://vimeo.com/84022735" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://vimeo.com/84022735</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Now watch it again. You’re welcome. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So. Do you feel like you’re too old to start a new project? To pursue your dream? Just because the year’s half gone? Give yourself permission to change the thought from I can’t, maybe later to I CAN AND NOW! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What do you want to start? What do you want to learn? </span>Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-36439285851621321642015-05-11T06:00:00.000-06:002015-05-11T06:00:00.621-06:00OAnniversary: Moving Right Along<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-1d3ede83-1241-65ba-c799-4bc65925a503" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It was this month, two years ago now, that I reached a pretty serious low in terms of my creative life. I had been graduated from school for a year so of course the loans were in full force, transitioning from one job to another - neither within my field and no way into the field I wanted to be in, I didn’t have many friends and what friends I had I was struggling to keep, and my family was two states away - as much as I wanted to move home I couldn’t, mainly because my room was already taken. This put me into a compulsive loop. I could not get past the first 8 pages of anything before starting over. Again and again until I just didn’t care to do it anymore. I went to work, I came home and I went to bed. My brain just went numb. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It was this month, two years ago now, that I was introduced to Chris Oatley’s <a href="http://chrisoatley.com/category/podcasts/" target="_blank">podcasts</a>. I hadn’t really been into podcasts before then, and I suddenly found them essential to working efficiently during my day shifts. Suddenly I was inspired to think of my approach differently. Suddenly I found the passion to start pushing forward again. It was announced that a new course was opening, <a href="http://chrisoatley.com/digital-painting-in-photoshop/" target="_blank">The Magic Box</a>. It was crazy reasonable in terms of price, but I was still a bit hesitant. I had also heard about Painting Drama. Which should I start with? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I messaged Chris and asked him, doubting that I would hear back anytime soon. He was after all a very busy man. But the very next morning a message sat in my inbox - assuring me that there would be more Painting Drama offerings and recommending starting with Magic Box. So I was one of the first to sign up when it opened. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the first month of lessons I learned more than 1 year of computer illustration classes at the college I attended. I went to Denver Comic Con and met Chris in person and I connected with other OA students in the area - even went on a field trip to the DAM. Two months later I was on a steep upwards climb, energized by the other passionate students around me, all over the world, encouraged by everyone. I got critique that I could actually use. It was like I sat up and turned on a lamp. A few months after that I auditioned for Painting Drama and leveled up my compositional skills. Almost two years later and I’ve exhibited at CTN, made huge progress on my passion project, and left the miserable gray cube for a position at Laika. <br /><br />I know right?!? Sometimes I pinch myself because it feels so surreal. <br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I just want to thank my OA family for having my back, for taking me seriously, for lifting me up and keeping me amply supplied with crazy cute animal pictures. And thank you Chris for being an amazing mentor, teacher, and overall fantastic person. I am working on a MOVIE and I wouldn't be here without you guys!! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Raul will be leaving Denver towards the end of this month to join me here in Portland. We are both very excited for this new chapter in our life - and to see what adventures await for us. :) </span>Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-10840301883649483272015-04-06T06:00:00.000-06:002015-04-06T06:00:00.786-06:00Sketch Dump! Time just keeps slipping away...so this calls for a sketch dump! These are some of the ideas and such that I've been playing around with for the beginning of this year: <br />
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Settling in fine to Oregon life. Working very hard at the new job, but trying to have some fun too. It's a world of unexpected craziness and bizarre inspiration that's for sure. Anxiously awaiting the rest of my furniture and supplies - which should be here towards the end of next month when the lease there ends...especially looking forward to the return of the bed. Missing friends and loved ones, but I should be seeing them before too long. :) </div>
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-85478429855958559022015-03-09T06:00:00.000-06:002015-03-11T20:30:36.297-06:00End of 1st Quarter: Spring Cleaning<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-1d3ede83-1216-9c73-3687-97469bd68117" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">A Monday Sunbonnet Sue...Baking.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This March 14-15th please join Raul at the Fossils & Flight Founders Symposium presented by the Western Interior Paleontological Society. It will be at the Green Center at the Colorado School of Mines, Golden. There will be all kinds of displays and lectures about dinosaurs, etc. Raul will have a booth and even be selling some pretty awesome stuff!! I can't make it unfortunately - but Raul will pass on all the hugs. :) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br />Spring at this point is more of a state of mind than an actual season in Colorado. More accurately it’s known as “Mush” since it can’t decide if winter is over or if road construction can start yet. This “Mush”-y feeling certainly inspires me to clean things…</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whistle While You Work: I try to work as tidy as I can - which isn’t very tidy I suppose considering the materials I use - but after each project I’ll clear off my workspace, put reference books back on the shelf, sharpen pencils before placing them in their respective slots, clean off the whiteboard, re-pin the styrofoam, replace the paper on the top of my desk, quick inventories so I can refill depleted items, switch out wallpapers on my laptop and bravely seek out the dirty dishes on Raul’s desk. (I don’t clean his whole desk mind you; I just do search and rescue for glasses, plates and forks - might as well if I’m doing the same for my desk) This will prevent me from early procrastination on my next project, so I’m not pondering messes while trying to brainstorm ideas for characters or waiting around when I’ve run out of col-erase pencils. At least once a year I do this to the whole apartment - sometimes I find more art supplies hiding away that I forgot! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Meditative Approach: Sometimes projects are emotionally draining which can be good and bad. I need time between projects so I can “detox” from the last subject to engage the next one with the same enthusiasm. This can range from a few days of relaxing (Read sleeping) to a week of “do-anything-else-but” activities - like traveling to visit friends and family, hiking, trying a new restaurant, giving the chihuahua a bath, holiday traditions, etc. Too much time spent away makes me feel equally “Mush”-y, so balance is key. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What are some ways that you participate in the spring clean?</span>Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-1537617224541398582015-02-09T06:00:00.000-07:002015-02-09T08:30:14.729-07:00Creative Couples: Balancing Work and Family, an Insight into Creative Living<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-0cc951f6-6b06-de78-969a-b9a5d3e7dd61" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-0cc951f6-6eea-617d-9a83-46c0939a0c8e" style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Just Married by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ânia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As a creator it’s important to have the support of your family and friends. To have those you can bounce ideas off of, to comfort and encourage you when a pitch goes wrong or another rejection letter shows up, to keep you grounded and still returning your mother’s calls in a timely manner. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With Valentine’s Day around the corner, one might wonder about that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">particular</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> brand of relationship - how it can work with or work against being a creative. So the fabulous <a href="https://ania.artstation.com/" target="_blank">Ânia Marcos</a> and I pondered a few questions with our Circles of Trust, to explore the various shades in which a significant other might add color to a creative’s life. No creative is the same, so our relationships are equally as diverse, but we did start seeing common threads.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Clarice and Silvio by Beki</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Idea One: Where and when did you meet? How long have you been together? What are your professions and pursuits? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ânia:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Luis and I met at a punk concert! That was around 8 years ago, while I was in high school and he in University. We got together 4 months later (after he did the hand stand on my skateboard, got me chocolates, pancakes and made puppy eyes). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He’s a brilliant software engineer while I’m a designer and artist at the company we both founded, after getting out from University, 4-5 years ago. We’ve been working together ever since, and though it’s not an easy pie, we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Beki:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Raul and I met in art school. It was a small school, so it seemed like everybody dated everybody. (Potentially disastrous in hindsight; My mother was hoping I’d fall for an Engineer like my father) We’ve been together over 3 years and recently got engaged. We were in the same major (Illustration) so we had several classes together in the beginning and all of our classes together at the end. While we have many of the same skill sets, we have very different strengths and career goals. He is a Paleo Artist and Creature Designer with an interest in collectable toys - currently employed as a Concept Artist/Illustrator at a video game company. I am a Character Designer and Puppet Fabricator with an interest in costumes/fashion - currently open to opportunities and building my own business. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Immediately we saw an interesting distinction between “dual creatives” (Two creatives in a couple - defining someone as “creative” for being professionally or pursuing a career in a creative field) and “singular creatives” (One “creative” in a couple). While dual creatives weren’t uncommon, singular creatives pairing with Engineers or IT seemed most common. Notable dual creatives include: Sarah Marino and Shane Richardson, Mike Yamada and Victoria Ying, Brian and Wendy Froud. </span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-0cc951f6-6eeb-0f4c-405d-967ec0f4893f" style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On Two Wheels by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ânia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Idea Two: What does your support system look like? In terms of balancing careers? Compromising? Sharing your passion and finding mutual interests? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ânia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Eeeer…. Well, we have the same career goals, since we started our own company: Make Games. The difference is he wishes to code them and I want to do concepts for them. And even though he LOVES sci-fi and I LOVE medieval themes, we both make an effort to understand each other. We work GREAT as a team and are super used to working together - as long as he does not try to give me feedback on my art (I’ll explain later).</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Compromise-wise… well… I started watching Big Bang and listen to his infinite mumble about the galaxy, his physic theories and how AWESOME that code is and in return he takes me to watch animated movies and listens to my rambles about how that scene was gorgeous and how well thought that composition was. Yup. OH and he gets me cake sometimes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Beki</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: It’s been an epic balance for us since we’re both very ambitious. We more or less take turns or try to do things that will ultimately benefit us both. Example: I stayed in Colorado after graduating so that he could gain experience in a studio, which has given me time to further develop my skills and refine my goals. This Spring we’re moving to Portland so I have a shot at studio work and he has some time to do more personal work. We both do events like CTN-X since it applies to both of us. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s great that he’s a fellow creative because I never have to explain why I’m up so late working. Chances are good he’s up too. lol When I rant about storytelling he’s on the same page or adding fuel to the fire. We overlap interests in weird places - like our Asian interior decor - and seem to be very flexible in terms of what movies or music we’ll consume together and separately. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes it feels like the biggest compromises aren’t necessarily creatively linked. Since we both have deadlines we’ll let dishes sit a bit too long, or the laundry. I feel like these are normal couples issues?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We found this could be a sticking point for many creatives. Not necessarily in terms of interest or compromise, but in terms of understanding and communicating the passion for being creative. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While a few of us found our partners to be very supportive, regardless of them being a creative or not, a good number of us also needed an outside net - our Circles Of Trust - to feel “secure” in our artistic pursuits. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Belladonna from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Which Witch</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> by Beki</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Idea Three: Are you able to collaborate with your significant other? Would you prefer to or not? What does that process look like? Can you ask/accept critique? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ânia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Doesn’t matter what project we’re working on, if the talk is about logistics and the best way to act, then we’re a GREAT team. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When it’s art time for me, I just shoo him away - seriously, the guy uses his logical brain to see the weirdest, most unimportant stuff. “Hey, does this scene work for you?” - me, while showing him a sketch. “Hmm, the painting sucks you know? So weird. And where’s the colour?” - Yup. It’s like that. Don’t get me wrong, he TRIES. Same way as when he asks me to see how WELL that thing works and I just stated “that looks disgusting, I did NOT design it that way! - “MY POINT IS THAT IT WORKS, ANIA!”...I now learned how to see his work</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and he learned to nod and smile/stay quiet.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In short: I resort to my Circle of Trust for critique when my art is in-the-making, BUT always ask for his opinion when I’m done, since his eye ALWAYS gets something. Nit picky Luís…I love that guy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Beki</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: We haven’t collaborated much in the past. We have very different styles, speeds and preferences, so we’re more likely to just focus on our own things. We’re trying to do more together, playing to each others’ skills (The ones we don’t share, like knowledge of Zbrush to make face plates for puppets or business/marketing for launching new products) and so far we’re enjoying it. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Critique was an issue. Back in school Raul got a lot of flack for giving me critique, so he would just keep quiet. It took about 2 years to break that habit. As with any other disagreement we have to approach it with the right attitude: choose our words/tone carefully and not posture defensively/offensively. We have to step outside of our relationship. Which is hard because of the next point.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We realized this is universal and probably a fundamental relationship/communication issue that needed consideration on a case by case basis. Some people work really well together. Some people don’t, so it’s not a sign of a “failed relationship” when you can’t get on the same page for a project. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Idea Four: How do you separate work from personal life? What challenges and benefits are there to being a creative or living with a creative?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ânia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: It’s hard to completely separate them, especially when you run a business together. We enjoy talking about our next moves and organize our schedules at dinner, but we also learned that we need our own space. We’re together 24/7 and our work is essentially at the desk, so I send him on his bike rides with his friends and make sure he has some time with them, while I try and make time for my friends too.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes it’s SUPER hard; </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">even if Luís is an awesome person and supports me however he can and I try and give him and us as much space as needed, when work stress is strong, it is doubled.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If a big deal of a business goes down, our personal work is postponed yet again or a client is a butthead, we both lose it at the same time. If he’s down, I’m down and we bring each other down even if we try not to. It’s really hard to get over something like that. This was a very serious problem before I met art friends and got my other job at the Oatley Academy. Since now I have another job I have to worry about and a personal project - I’m currently working on an illustrated book with two other art friends! YAAAY! - my attention get divided between all of this and I get out of the rabbit hole way faster. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When we’re on tight deadlines he works like a crazy man and I barely see him - besides the office. Like, we get home at 8pm, he showers while I cook dinner, he eats and then disappears into the void (the void being the home-office). On those days I magically wake up around 5 am to pick him up from his desk or the extra bed we have in there.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then I get ready and go to the office while he sleeps a bit (I’m unable to work that late, so I rather wake up earlier and head out).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fortunately we usually have our holy Friday night, which consists of watching a movie or a series at home while eating something we WANT. It’s super relaxing and we have one rule: no phones, no computers, no internet for a few hours. And one day of the weekend is booked for us - unless we have group hangouts or family stuff.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Beki</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Simply put, we don’t. Our workspace is currently our dining/living room so it all spills over - no separation of space! I’m drawing on the couch watching Netflix (I spread out and get messy - opposite of how I am outside of art???) and he’s sitting at his desk listening to Podcasts. (He’s super stationary and tidy - opposite of how he is outside of art???) This is a typical evening. I imagine some people might find this incredibly lonely. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Even though I have him right there for immediate feedback, I do still need my COT within Oatley Academy. I’ve always been the person with a few good friends - so sometimes I rely a little too much on those few. I realize that can potentially strain those relationships. When I open it up - still being mindful as to quality - my perspective is that much more enriched. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s great sharing all of our supplies and making trips to craft stores a regular thing, but sometimes I do wish we had a more structured time set aside for relaxing together. Even when we’re watching movies we’re sitting there analyzing color, accuracy, composition, narrative structure, etc. We can’t turn it off, but then it also doesn’t bother us. It’s easier I think when we have separated spaces - like our old apartment had a dining room separate from our workspace which was separate from our living room. It was easier to focus and disengage when necessary.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This was another point where we saw differences, but many similarities again. The idea of having an outside Circle of Trust also came back up as a positive way to create a “buffer.” Separating your creative/business space from general living space also seemed to help - sometimes you have to physically remove yourself from an area of stress to relieve the stress and not bring it with you to another area. </span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-0cc951f6-6eeb-e581-d635-f11b35e19ad9" style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Merry Christmas by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ânia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Idea Five: Can you remember the best/worst moment you both had with you career pursuit? Be it a critique or a situation, does anything come to mind?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ânia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Maybe one of the toughest was this time when he was super flooded with work (I usually do my part and then pass it on to him. His part takes a bit longer than mine, so it’s not unusual for me to be waiting on him) and the company was not going well at all. The ambience between us got super thick and heavy. The stress kept building up and we were both super aggressive to each other, even if we didn’t realize it. It was bad. Really bad. I can’t remember how we got over that time honestly, more than half of it was deleted by my brain. But we’re just glad it’s in the past.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The best would probably be when we get together to have our game brainstorm ideas and explore the possibilities and come up with plans. Super exciting, we have tons of fun all the time with those!! Can’t wait to actually have them out there!!!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Beki</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For me the worst was during school, when we were first starting to date. We had a grad class together and the crits were generally horrifying. People seemed to enjoy ripping into Raul for no good reason. Nobody ever commented on my work or when pressed would just say “that’s nice.” Equally frustrating. Once Raul tried to give me some feedback, but this group of girls pounced on him saying he was being especially harsh. So Raul never gave me another crit for the rest of the term. Even when I asked he couldn’t - they had him convinced he was being a jerk. I couldn’t get them to leave him alone either. I got discouraged. That stuck to me for almost a year post art school - beyond the almost 2 years it took to get him critiquing me again. I am very glad to say that’s behind us now. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Best moments...I always like to think those are still to come. Recently, our experience at CTN-X sharing a booth was fantastic. It was very encouraging and energizing. Can’t wait to do it again this year! :)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We found it helpful and insightful to reflect on direct positives and negatives. The retrospective let us problem solve on a larger scale, let us see “issue” areas where we can ease future disagreements and boost each other into a positive mindset. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">La Belle et La Bete Sketches by Beki</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Idea Six: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Any piece of advice you’d like to give to our readers?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ânia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Don</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">‘t let stress eat you alive. If your work is mainly at the desk, do some sport, try and eat as healthy as you can and give each other the space you need. Log off from the technologies from time to time too. When you two are together, then let it be just you two. Don’t let tweets and Facebook notifications ruin your moment.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Beki</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: I agree with Ânia - definitely take care of yourself! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m also going to advocate for therapy. I know some people don’t like the idea or feed into the stigma, but it’s given me MANY tools to communicate better with all my relationships and in my art too. It makes all the difference between “I feel stuck and unhappy and I don’t know how to fix it” and “I feel empowered to make the changes necessary to get my point across.” Like any other skill, it just takes practice and patience. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fred</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Just pick up your pencil and put it to paper. Anything that happens after that is success. Just keep picking up your pencil.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lise</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: One: Keep at it. Don't give up, continue to push yourself and you'll get there. Two: Join the Oatley Academy, even if you're not a digital artist the community there is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amazing</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and you learn so much more than things that only apply to digital mediums! You'll meet people who are dedicated to becoming better artists and that will cheer on everyone else in the process as well. Three: keep an Achievement Book. A small notebook where you write in your achievements, ALL and ANY achievements. It doesn't have to be huge, it could be that you actually dared to remove the spider that somehow found it's way inside your home even though you are terrified of them. It could be that you finished a piece and felt good about it. That you managed to give someone else a critique that they found helpful. That you kept on working on your art even though you felt like crap and just wanted to throw it away. Eventually it comes to a point that some of the challenges you struggled with earlier aren't a problem anymore.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Angela</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: Being in a relationship doesn't mean you always have to agree or like the same things. Patience, empathy, and understanding can open the doors to new connections you never would have thought you could make, enriching your relationship in ways you probably never would have planned on!</span></div>
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-21942507023346246652015-01-05T06:00:00.000-07:002015-01-05T07:47:18.922-07:00Establishing Goals and Staying Organized <div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-67a77540-ca1b-07d2-70e9-d93e6a74a607" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObCkCCZxjMkSjhdr3y491AwoZ2amoziRjaqJUzMSL3MKBWHRWgrapc4WT8miXOmwgs6pI90YXg7XFVd8FRp4SDdQR23-vqE6i1IpdF9gtANH0zPmHSdgApVYCXinEXaZ8zrobN_SksnE/s1600/20141230_194903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObCkCCZxjMkSjhdr3y491AwoZ2amoziRjaqJUzMSL3MKBWHRWgrapc4WT8miXOmwgs6pI90YXg7XFVd8FRp4SDdQR23-vqE6i1IpdF9gtANH0zPmHSdgApVYCXinEXaZ8zrobN_SksnE/s1600/20141230_194903.jpg" height="320" width="242" /></a></div>
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1:8 scale yukata. Hand-stitched.</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Happy New Year Everyone! I will be going about things a little differently going forward. I’m hoping this will help me post a bit more consistently - especially since this year will be very busy! This comes along with the introduction of the monthly email newsletter. I want to make it clear that the content of the blog and of the email will be different. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The monthly email will feature the current running project, which is<i> OniSan</i>. It will also include a brief overview of everything else I’m posting all over the webs. If you’re interested in <i>OniSan</i>, I recommend you sign up for the emails since most of these special updates probably won’t make it to the blog. To sign up, look to the right - there is a short form in the panel that you can fill out to join the party. :) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The blog will still have updates of other things I’m working on at the same time. Beyond just updating whenever I have a new piece to share, I’ve planned a short series of posts that will hopefully be entertaining and insightful. I hope you’ll hang around - I’m super excited to get things rolling this year!!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">__________________________________________________________ </span></div>
<br />
There are a lot of blogs and websites dedicated to New Year's
Resolutions and I don't intend this to be in that vein even though
timing and title would indicate the opposite. Let's face it – you aren't just starting up projects in January.
<br />
<br />
While it is neat to have a build up and launch that coincides with
a new calendar year, inspiration might still be recovering from
turkey dinner or funds may just not be in the cards until April's tax
return comes in. You may already be bogged down with enough life
changing routine alterations to make yet another set more than you
can be expected to handle.
<br />
<br />
So this is for everyone starting something – in any season that
suits them – one approach to starting strong and keeping things on track. I'm not saying you should immediately adopt any or all of
these methods – definitely do what works for you! I'm simply
sharing with you what works for me.
<br />
<br />
<br />
Firstly, I determine what it is I'm trying to accomplish. In this
initial phase I'm thinking BIG, aiming high and setting that bar as
far up there as I can. I'm thinking about what story I want to tell,
where I want to go, all those BIG questions. I'm writing a wish list.
I'm not limiting anything...yet. (<a href="http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/" target="_blank">Seth Godin</a> has many excellent insights into projects as portfolios)<br />
<br />
<br />
Secondly, I'm making another, more sobering list. It
has things like budget allowances and time commitments and the inevitable “I don't know how to do that.”
After making this list I'm returning to my first and modifying it. A
lot of my dream projects are things that I can't do on my own,
so they either have to be shelved for the time being or adjusted to
fit within what I can do. (Or I factor in the time necessary to learn that skill) Of course I still want to challenge myself
and each project is for a different purpose (Read <b>Chris Oatley's
blog series about project types</b> and his podcast about <b><a href="http://chrisoatley.com/artcast-58-artistic-growth-is-not-a-goal-how-to-become-an-early-riser/" target="_blank">Artistic Goals</a> </b>– they are some of my favorites!),
but if I ever want to finish something...it's got to be something I
can actually finish.
<br />
<br />
<br />
Third comes milestones. I write out the finished product and back
track all the steps, in <i>exacting detail</i>, to where I am at the moment.
I learned this from a class taught by <a href="http://somethingtocherish.com/" target="_blank"><b>Cherish Flieder</b></a>. Once I
have this task list I reverse it and start looking at
my calendar. If I think I can get something done quickly, I set a
short deadline. If I think it needs more time to develop
properly, I set the deadline out a bit. I do research on
product costs, specifications and turn-around time for printers. I know what I need
and when I need it and don't waste time designing something I'll need to reformat. This also comes from timing myself on similar
tasks, so it takes a bit of trial and error. Never forget that
you can always <a href="http://nic-gregory.squarespace.com/blog/2014/10/14/journey-through-a-fairy-tale" target="_blank"><b>re-evaluate</b></a> your plans, because life happens.
<br />
<br />
<br />
One of the most exciting things about starting a new project for
me is next when I get to bring out my label maker and colored
sharpies. I know the time I dedicate up front to get everything in
place will save me hours if not days or weeks down the road. <br />
<br />
So what is my system? For each artistic endeavor I begin with a 3
ring binder. I am a tactile individual, so I need a physical copy in
addition to a digital backup - otherwise I forget about it and become hysterical when my hard drive fails. I
also prefer to sketch traditionally and then scan to color in Photoshop,
so it gives me a place to store those sketches as well – crystal
cleared and in page protectors so the pencil doesn't get smudged.
<br />
<br />
<br />
Once I have my binder – labeled with whatever working title I
have chosen for the new project – I give it a set of tab dividers.
I established this system back when I was actively creating
video games and attending play rehearsals, so I still label them
accordingly: Cast/Dramatis Personae, Locations/Sets, Items/Props,
Script, Misc.
<br />
<br />
Any work I do for the characters goes into one section, maps and
environments into another, etc. When I get to Misc. that's where I
stuff anything related that doesn't fall into the above – like
branding or research articles. Larger projects eventually outgrow the
1” and graduate to the 3” binders – I set them up the same
unless there are new requirements dictated by the project.
<br />
<br />
If my Cast tab is a red tab, then I use my red or pink
highlighter/markers when writing out tasks on the calendar or taking
notes relating to characters. Usually that is the case. And usually
Environments fall under green, scripts under blue, items under orange
and misc under yellow. <br />
<br />
<br />
While I try to advocate for eco-friendly products like cork boards, I prefer a sheet
of <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/CelloFoam-3-4-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Polystyrene-Foam-Insulation-Board-PF012-216-768PG/100320366" target="_blank"><b>Styrofoam</b></a> to pin things to – mood boards and sketches
alike - for reference and critique. I've had the same three sheets (Purchased at a hardware store,
about 2'x4', very cheap) for at least 6+ years and they're still in great
condition. They are white – usually like my studio walls - so they don't distract from the work. They are
easily mounted with T pins or can "float" so if I'm pondering a design while making dinner I can bring a board in to glance at while not cutting up my fingers. <br />
<br />
<br />
I match my digital files to my hard copies – color wise,
labeling, etc. I regularly use Open Office (Because it's free and
compatible with Microsoft Office) and Google Apps – Calendar,
Drive, etc. <a href="https://trello.com/" target="_blank"><b>Trello</b></a> and <b><a href="http://www.filemaker.com/" target="_blank">FileMaker</a></b> are my favorite task trackers.<br />
<br />
In terms of general research organization, while I don't
have every dinosaur divided up by their scientific names...I do something similar with my fashion
plates. Everything is divided neatly into countries, time periods/movements, and
income levels. (So I can better navigate trends) I've also started using Pintrest more in this regard –
so I don't have to take up the space on my hard drive.
<br />
<br />
<br />
I can find all the physical items at Office Max, Staples, or
Office Depot – really any office supply store unless otherwise
indicated – for fairly cheap.
<br />
<br />
<br />
What do you think? Do you have any methods for your project
organization? How do you set goals? I'd love to hear them in the
comments!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5phlQJHIFsGOpjkXpIUBNS2BZp-Xmr8Z6SIn3UvKuNUwB9entwmfT2qrmnNeJZFyYQDISYxx0ZzIoh99OfcxvuCM6tcQ4P5SmSbGvhH-G0YlM8oSM4fqfuSUR5lAb-Zfbcn_7xMQDPE/s1600/20141230_194926.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5phlQJHIFsGOpjkXpIUBNS2BZp-Xmr8Z6SIn3UvKuNUwB9entwmfT2qrmnNeJZFyYQDISYxx0ZzIoh99OfcxvuCM6tcQ4P5SmSbGvhH-G0YlM8oSM4fqfuSUR5lAb-Zfbcn_7xMQDPE/s1600/20141230_194926.jpg" height="320" width="244" /></a> </div>
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-27553683839591312632014-12-30T08:43:00.000-07:002014-12-30T08:43:01.629-07:00Another Miss Julia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXrmndLMSrM7i4J6ZAVfmpC4xAO3XasG-NdJhYkoDb789BbhFzM1zRkY-0BPY7eslJp0hydZHF61LUyMdU4BsC4XjqM_f1z_glLfEux55X47CWtIE9Z6Q88rHDze8xPlOGpNadY-AXEg/s1600/DSCN2494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYXrmndLMSrM7i4J6ZAVfmpC4xAO3XasG-NdJhYkoDb789BbhFzM1zRkY-0BPY7eslJp0hydZHF61LUyMdU4BsC4XjqM_f1z_glLfEux55X47CWtIE9Z6Q88rHDze8xPlOGpNadY-AXEg/s1600/DSCN2494.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
My dear friend Britt had a character named Julia long before I did. (Incidentally, I named my Julia after my Grandma - and sisters Rosalyn and Emilia after my great aunts Emily and Rose - no other real resemblances known or intended) For Britt's Birthday and Christmas this year I decided since I had already done a picture of her character Gabriel (<a href="http://terrizae.deviantart.com/art/Gift-for-Zenuva-150665656" target="_blank">My unofficial boyfriend from back in the day</a>), that I would now do a puppet of his wife - the second Julia. <br />
<br />
Beyond the challenge of blonde hair (a variety of yarn, not embroidery floss) and matching a different artistic style (I tried to make her appear <a href="http://terrizae.deviantart.com/art/Another-Julia-Portrait-216477514" target="_blank">more like how Brit draws her</a>), I also had the interesting task of late 1800s fashion. How is it so different than the first Julia??? <a href="http://terrizae.deviantart.com/art/19th-Century-Fashion-Timeline-462575158" target="_blank">Oh, the difference 10 years can make.</a> The early-mid 1870s of Great Britain saw much more bustle - a different silhouette on top of much more draping - than the early 1860s of Holland.<br />
<br />
Check out more of this Julia's story on Britt's blog <a href="http://authorerinlounsbury.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a>. <br />
<br />
Biggest lesson of all on this puppet - Brocade is even more of a pain to work with at a smaller scale. Time for more in-depth researching on fabric types!<br />
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-3013549605822466962014-11-25T13:33:00.003-07:002014-11-25T13:33:36.017-07:00CTN Wrap Up 2014
Tis that time of year – the post-CTNX slump/high. It's both
because:
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Slump – I'm back in the gray cube again, anxious to get
home and really dive into those crazy ideas and plans I got from the
weekend. Colorado is cold and snowy and miserable as always. My OA
friends have dispersed home as well, so I miss them as much as I
miss the weather.<br />
</li>
<li>High – I made lots of new friends. I learned a few new ways
to improve and innovate in my process. :) And OMG those ideas and
plans I mentioned earlier are going to be AWESOME...<br />
</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
This year's epic quest began at 4am on Thursday. We got to the
airport and flew out at 7am. We had a connection in Las Vegas (Which
I was concerned about mainly because I forgot that they are on PST
not MST) where we met up with Maria K. from PD1G3. When we got
to Burbank we gathered everybody in OA at the hotel and departed for
the Getty. I did make a small miscalculation in van capacity, but all
considering it was a definite step up from last year. (Everybody got
a seat belt this year) After the traditional Getty exploration, we
stopped back at the hotel to check in and pick up our exhibitor
badges, then went to the Center Stage Gallery for the Lovely Opening,
which lived up to it's name for sure. After that I had the best
chicken and apple hot dog ever and promptly crashed once I got back
to the hotel.
<br />
<br />
<br />
Friday morning started at 8am with table set up, which went
smoothly. Oni had broken a tooth in transit, but that was easily
glued back in place. Nic and Aimee were one booth up from us. Blythe,
Jessie Kate, Keith and Shawn B. were across and two down from us. It
was way too much fun to have everybody so close. The Hall opened at
10am for VIPs and 12pm for everyone else. I don't remember eating
lunch that day...Raul might have been the only one to leave the booth
at all until 7pm when it closed. Raul crashed right away. I stayed
out on the Patio with OA until 10-10.30 when I too felt pretty dead
and went to sleep.
<br />
<br />
<br />
Saturday morning was up at 9am. This was the day I got a bit of
time to walk around. If possible it was packed twice as much as last
year. Craziness! Claire sold out of her new art books which bummed me
out a bit, but otherwise stayed in budget...for once. So many people
came to talk to me about making their own puppets – there was only
one other person who had a puppet on display and LAIKA didn't have a
booth. It was really great seeing the enthusiasm and swapping
techniques with all the insanely talented people. Lunch was at 3pm –
I remember because I went to get it. Floor closed at 7pm. Was at the
Patio until about 11pm. Crashed.
<br />
<br />
<br />
Sunday was another 9am day. It was slower which was nice. It let
me regain my voice a bit from the past two days. Floor closed at 5pm.
I passed on the Champagne and went straight to sign up for next
year's booth. Ate dinner with Raul and we both watched TV (We don't
have it at home...certainly do not miss commercials) and relaxed
until we crashed.
<br />
<br />
<br />
Flew home 8am on Monday. Unpacked, picked up Tito, took Raul to
his last class at the Science Museum, and napped a bit. (Oni broke
his other tooth on the way back, but it was another easy fix) Rather
ironically my car decided that it was just as not happy about the
weather as I am, so will need to take care of that sometime in the
next week. Tonight I will be tweaking a few things in the Plan and
helping Raul get set up for all that he has a mind to do for next
year. It's going to be BIG. ;) <br />
<br />
I brought a camera. But I only took 3 pictures (Of the booth we were in all weekend) and they didn't come out the best...so yeah, at least I didn't forget completely this year. <br />
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-66758620577011750332014-11-18T11:05:00.000-07:002014-11-18T11:05:23.222-07:00Cosmic Jingle Art Newsletter!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluRonMJOTJBDPjXRRZTQ2nO7pKGyNTkPlUYApBwicWV7Jr-koT9qj2tQMJUZckPEZfQtsfsFkayM_TSOD7D-o9rcbaSxOKBrcZAk_CrBKKCpsLttSdj-WcCznHvZBHkDZws9wlrp7ByI/s1600/Table+Piece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluRonMJOTJBDPjXRRZTQ2nO7pKGyNTkPlUYApBwicWV7Jr-koT9qj2tQMJUZckPEZfQtsfsFkayM_TSOD7D-o9rcbaSxOKBrcZAk_CrBKKCpsLttSdj-WcCznHvZBHkDZws9wlrp7ByI/s1600/Table+Piece.jpg" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you like following your favorite creators on multiple platforms...but feel like you’re missing half the conversation because you don’t have time for platform hopping? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you like the feeling of being in the “inner circle” of your favorite creators? Getting exclusive content? Getting updates before the crowd? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I answered yes to all those questions, so it dawned on me that I should extend these perks to those who like my art and follow me all over. Starting January 2015 I am gift wrapping my content just for you, delivering it to your email inbox no more than once monthly. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Announcements? Special content? Social media highlights? Sketchbook snippets? Blog summaries? OniSan updates? All included, so don’t miss out - sign up for my email newsletter and join the adventure! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Check out the sign up form to the right OR<a href="http://eepurl.com/8nREP" target="_blank"> click here</a>. </span>Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-35313001073967886852014-11-04T10:18:00.000-07:002014-11-04T10:18:43.112-07:00The Big Pre CTN Post of 2014! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nope. Not dead yet. I’ve been a very busy bee for the last few months getting everything ready for...well, everything that needed getting ready. I really appreciate those who've stuck with me! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I saw the Boxtrolls...twice. Believe me if I could afford the time and money to see it again in theaters I would. It was BRILLIANT. I had a few friends who worked on it and I squealed when I saw their names in the credits. Kudos guys!! I am stoked more than ever for it to come out on DVD so I can watch ALL THE SPECIAL FEATURES! (Same goes for Book of Life - though I saw it but once, I was equally squeal-ly through the credits) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We moved. While I was very much hoping to avoid another winter here, there was a sort of series of events that lead to us opting for one last short lease here. So the Big Move has been postponed - but still very much on the radar. This shorter move allowed us the opportunity to have a little more saved and downsize a bit. (If you or someone you know is interested in a art/craft desk please let me know) It also freed up more time and funds to prepare for CTN. And now with a later departure date, we can have cross-country assistance from my mom - who is much experienced in such things. Love you, Mum. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tito is doing well. Old as he is, odd as he is. The Vet we took him too recently said he was an adorable geriatric patient and put his image up on their Facebook page. Hearing him referred to that way really drove home the fact that I live with a grandpa dog. (Apart from the lumps he doesn’t really look all that old) As if the snoring and hobbling about and sleeping all the time didn’t already confirm that. lol</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Speaking of lumps and moving, I found one unexpectedly during our move. Doctor 1 thought it was either a cyst or a fibroadenoma. Doctor 2 thought it was a fibroadenoma or a malignant tumor. And Doctor 3 confirmed that it was a fibroadenoma - which is good news. The hole in my chest is healing quite nicely and I also discovered they make ice packs designed to fit in your bra. The amount of cool that is cannot be described with words, only silly grinning faces. Truly a lifesaver in this case. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I finished Painting Drama I. Finished as in the class is over and there are no more assignments. Not finished as in it will never really end. Which is immensely cool. Probably in the Spring I will try to take Painting Drama II. It was a great class with amazing students - I’m so proud of everyone and privileged to be a part of the cookie madness. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I finished the New Julia and the New Oni, both of which will be on display at CTN. I didn’t have much time to document the process unfortunately - much of it was the same as last time, but there was a lot more care in the details now that it’s less an experiment and more of a product mindset, no use of sewing machine and minimal hot glue (Almost everything is hand stitched), and I used furniture foam to have more control in shaping things and keep things light. I tried a few other new materials such as Raffia for Oni’s hair too. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">CTN draws ever closer!!! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Raul and I will be at T148</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. We aren’t selling anything this year, but Raul will be gauging interest in an exciting new endeavour and I will be gathering names for an email list as I prepare to take Onisan THE NEXT STEP. (Ooooooh. Ahhhhhh. What could that be I wonder?) There are a few other Oatley Academy fellows exhibiting in the same area with exciting things to see and buy - so I believe we shall hold a special OA rave. lol Both Raul and I are extremely humbled and really excited about being a part of the show this year. It promises to be even bigger and better than the last. AND I WILL BRING MY CAMERA FOR TAKING PICTURES. </span></div>
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<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And that’s the update! There’s more to come post-CTN - including information about the new newsletter and ALL the pictures!! Thanks for reading! </span><br />
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Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-27040427968386662092014-08-05T19:55:00.000-06:002014-08-05T19:55:12.643-06:00OniSan Update!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
He does exist!! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I just finished sculpting him last night, so I should have him painted by next week. It's been nuts fitting him in on top of everything else, but he's finally making some head way. Raul has been working on his face sculpt - while it won't be ready for this puppet version, it will for the next. Both Oni and Julia (The new one!) will be with me for CTN - which draws ever closer and ever more intimidating and ever more exciting! :) <br />More to come soon, for now - back to work!! </div>
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-51643076103120636192014-07-08T19:03:00.002-06:002014-07-08T19:03:31.387-06:00Let Them Eat Cake!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw05IEwxThHZPKjgtKyDq9W_qsEtISLZO4Gg1YxYgAf38BQZKl2CJlsiamQzg2zkyeBlZBZdll2HZabc_nfr43vpAX_wz-P8mCQGnWBw3RaA0Qta0i-FkEXP8aeKbF9vOSgc1PBIaWRQw/s1600/Marie+Antoinette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw05IEwxThHZPKjgtKyDq9W_qsEtISLZO4Gg1YxYgAf38BQZKl2CJlsiamQzg2zkyeBlZBZdll2HZabc_nfr43vpAX_wz-P8mCQGnWBw3RaA0Qta0i-FkEXP8aeKbF9vOSgc1PBIaWRQw/s1600/Marie+Antoinette.jpg" height="380" width="640" /></a></div>
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June was full of cake. Seriously, my diet was pretty much entirely cake for 2-3 weeks. And yes, my body still hates me for it. It got to the point that my boss limited Birthdays to once a month...and for once I am totally okay with that. <br /><br />Denver Comic Con went really well. I was only there on Sunday, but I got to meet up with several Oatley Academy students - always a blast! I took copious notes on booth set ups since Raul and I will be sharing a table this year at CTN. :) <br /><br />I've started a SECOND OniSan so even if this puppet doesn't turn out well, I will still have an Oni to show in November. Raul has started digitally sculpting the puppet's faces. I should have some process photos soon - of both versions.<br />
<br />Painting Drama 1 started up the same weekend as DCC, so I've been busy busy on those homework assignments too. It's a challenge, but it's totally blowing my mind with awesome! <br /><br />We went to see Raul's family for the 4th of July. It was...adventurous. I particularly enjoyed climbing over all the boulders and trying out a s'mores shot. This weekend he'll be going back to pick up his dog - a 14 year old chihuahua named Tito. Tito didn't like me the first 5 or so times I came home with Raul, but I think he's significantly less grumpy now that his hip is doing better. Hopefully he doesn't find our lifestyle too boring or lonely. <br /><br />Now I need to wrap this up since it's Raul and my anniversary and we're going out for dinner. Thanks for hanging in there, everyone. I'll be posting more artwork soon!! :) Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-34947101986420433992014-05-19T13:19:00.000-06:002014-05-19T13:19:08.292-06:00Month 8 Tree Lesson WIP + Godzilla's Origins in Classical Theater<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GXRzTMiVkfN-MyPHejOarXZZ7I8DpB2O2rvsCyRcne-WPmEcj4-N2NM1eKTqSHGIuL7TbjNdo_KpvNYLBD3tTqrmHZHHsBJpyCO1UcgqqKurZnnojkRDz3MtjY4FZ0mxRxWRNZsKgbo/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GXRzTMiVkfN-MyPHejOarXZZ7I8DpB2O2rvsCyRcne-WPmEcj4-N2NM1eKTqSHGIuL7TbjNdo_KpvNYLBD3tTqrmHZHHsBJpyCO1UcgqqKurZnnojkRDz3MtjY4FZ0mxRxWRNZsKgbo/s1600/tree.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
<br />
I thought I'd take a few days to try and catch up a bit in Magic
Box before leaping into Painting Drama. (Both very excellent classes
offered by the <a href="http://chrisoatley.com/digital-painting-in-photoshop/" target="_blank">Oatley Academy of Concept Art and Illustration</a>) Don't
worry, I'm still chugging along on that OniSan puppet and hope to
have another update soonish!!
<br />
<br />
<br />
There's been a massive amount of content added to the lessons
since I was last able to spend time in the Secret Lab, so I picked a
month more or less at random to resume. I will go back and complete
all the lessons eventually. So much learning!
<br />
The WIP is for month 8 – on various ways of handling trees as
part of the Environment Set.
<br />
The idea is to tell a story where the tree(s) features prominently
– no skirting around them in this exercise. If I have time I might
render it in the three different styles we've been looking at as
well, but that greatly depends on the master time table for this
year. It's crazy to think it's already almost half gone.
<br />
<br />
<br />
My tree piece was inspired by a comment Chris made about the tree
as a Sun Worshiper. The last time I was in a church I observed many
people raising up their hands and crying out. This startled me at
first because I has been raised in a different denomination (And even
then a seldom participant...I don't even remember why I was at this
particular church in the first place) and thus unused to anything
other than quiet kneeling and sitting in contemplation, the
occasional reserved hymn-ing. But I certainly see nothing wrong in
expressing such joy and devotion in this more open way. I had been
doing sketches of Japanese Maple trees (I love their vibrant colors)
and I imagined my maple as a radiant follower of Amaterasu – Shinto
goddess of the Sun.
<br />
<br />
<br />
Originally my composition was larger and I explored secondary
elements like a fairy village and a maiden – in accordance with the
Kwaidan story of the girl with a tree's soul – and other such
yokai, but I felt that took the emphasis too far from the tree
itself. If I'm going to focus on the tree might as well cut the
filler and just do it. So then I sought to balance my tree's gesture
between what a maple looked like (Some of them are pretty gnarly) and
how a dancer moved (Aiming for a sprightly sort of grace). I'm really
excited to jump into value and color studies. A little nervous about
the rendering bit, but much more confident with the first 3-4 months
worth of lessons under my belt.
<br />
<br />
<br />
As a parting note, and not to spoil things, I was okay with the
new Godzilla movie. I wish there had been more Godzilla in it, but I
was not quite so bothered by the design as some where. I liked that
he still moved like a man in a suit. There was in fact an interesting
documentary on Youtube that Raul had me watch beforehand, on the suit
actors themselves. Many of them were Kabuki actors, so it was a
fortunate overlap in interests for the two of us as he watched to
assist in designing a kaiju for a contest and I watched to see the
poses, movement, and storytelling. I had already been looking closely
at Kabuki demon masks when designing OniSan, so it was great seeing
them in action. And I can totally understand why they would enlist
Kabuki actors to play the monsters...some of those traditional
costumes were absolutely nuts.
<br />
<br />
<br />
If you've got time and love seeing crazy cool stuff:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1IQMqB0uoQ" target="_blank">Godzilla Suit Actors Part I </a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfSARjZ0OXc" target="_blank">Godzilla Suit Actors Part II </a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvq7O6sukUc" target="_blank">Kabuki</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44dH7j-rITw%20Kabuki-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvq7O6sukUc" target="_blank">Bunraku Puppets</a> <span dir="ltr" id=":j9"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44dH7j-rITwKabuki-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvq7O6sukUc"></a></span><br />
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-26201941168081123062014-05-13T12:31:00.000-06:002014-05-13T12:31:06.487-06:00Calling All Global Exchange Students and Families!!
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<div style="text-align: center;">
(Takachiho, Japan)</div>
<br />
Now that the family visiting has finally subsided and I'm getting
back into the groove of things...<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm sure I've told many of you this story and you are certainly
welcome to skip ahead, but for those who don't know, it started with
a teacher's strike.<br />
<br />
When I was in 7<sup>th</sup> grade we basically got November off
from school. At the time it was a welcome break since one of the
several things Montana doesn't believe in is “Snow Days.” But we
did have to make up the time out of class...which meant Saturday
classes and substitutes. The sub for my Geography class was a
pleasantly quirky woman who instead of going over the boring
landmarks of the surrounding states for the umpteenth time decided to
pitch us all an idea – why not learn geography from someone who
lives there? Why not host an exchange student? From what I recall,
most of my classmates were asleep (Seriously, Saturday morning
classes? No thank you) and maybe one other guy was interested in what
the Area Representative had to say.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
(Muriwai Beach, Auckland, New Zealand)</div>
<br />
<br />
I was held in thrall for the whole presentation and as I willingly
admit to being a bit stubborn in terms of pursuing things I want, my
family started hosting students the very next school year. I guess
you could say that was my “rebel phase,” to wear knee-high goth
boots and collect foreign siblings/friends who would curse with me in
anything but English. Due to my familial background, we started
hosting students from Germany. I learned so much from them, that the
itch to get out and be an exchange student myself just grew and grew.<br />
<br />
But my application was rejected. Pretty crushing for a 16 year old
considering the amount of work that goes into one of those YFU
applications, but I wasn't going to let one form letter stop me. I
applied again the next year and I got in. My initial reaction upon
receiving that package with the T shirt that could fit 3 of me was:
“MOM. MOM. MOM. I GOT IN! I'M GOING TO...Japan? Wait. What?” I
had spent all this time preparing for an adventure to Germany –
language lessons, cultural tips from hosting students, etc. I really
had no clue how I was going to survive in Anime-Tomorrowland.
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
(Kumamoto Jo, Kumamoto, Japan)<br />
</div>
<br />
<br />
Obviously, I not only survived – I thrived. So many things just
clicked for me that it was the most trans-formative experience I've
had yet. Of course that inspired hosting more students and a second
trip for me in college to New Zealand for a semester and
volunteering/mentoring exchange students here and someday I'll
probably go back to hosting. It's a cycle. I'm cool with it.
<br />
<br />
<b>So as an avid advocate for study abroad and as a way to share that
initial experience with others, I've been working on the personal project entitled OniSan.</b> I felt
the perfect way to communicate discovering my love for the Japanese
culture was to express it through an adaption of an existing,
universal tale with similar themes – Beauty and the Beast. I've
already received a lot of positive feedback on the development and
I'm really touched by the people finding those posts not only
inspiring, but helpful.
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1l1ycFd3WpQgDu1anBIGCEaLNT4fq29tzUZr5OkL4bM01RPONXRJAMOrC4hJKGC9LcolE9NMuTEda35mPfMvVw9K4sssvakLipJcTAyibt0rnRGR4DvRZsKg1G4d9CimqUV2AP5MwnFw/s1600/163768_1496111765356_631288_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1l1ycFd3WpQgDu1anBIGCEaLNT4fq29tzUZr5OkL4bM01RPONXRJAMOrC4hJKGC9LcolE9NMuTEda35mPfMvVw9K4sssvakLipJcTAyibt0rnRGR4DvRZsKg1G4d9CimqUV2AP5MwnFw/s1600/163768_1496111765356_631288_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Pt. Chev Beach, Auckland, New Zealand)<br />
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<br />
That said, I am aware that many people will be...surprised by my
interpretation. My experience of Japan is unique to me, as are my
personal preferences. (Big shock: I didn't respond strongly to the
pop culture aspects – this is a big reason why I avoided a more
direct retelling set in 2007 when I was there) So I imagine those who
expect or want one thing may be quite confused to see something
seemingly unrelated to their own ideas. I encourage them to be open
minded. I am equally as sure that there will be others who see pieces
of OniSan and feel it resonate with their own stories and
experiences...and laugh at how silly it seems in retrospect. ;)
<br />
<br />
<b>Now, to all my exchange friends and family, I want to hear from
you!!
</b><br />
What was your exchange experience like? Did you go somewhere or
did you host/interact with foreign guests? What inspired you to participate in
this global exchange? What was your biggest challenge? What was your
biggest success? If you could tell your younger self one thing, what
advice would that be? Would you recommend studying abroad or hosting
to others? How does your experience affect your life now?
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(Imperial Palace, Tokyo, Japan)<br />
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<br />
I'm really interested to know what you think! Please share in the
comments or email/message me!! :)<br />
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Here are some awesome resources
for those interested in joining in the international fun. <br />Remember
to check for scholarships (That's how I was able to go to Japan):
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Youth For Understanding</div>
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<a href="https://www.yfu.org//">https://www.yfu.org//</a></div>
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Cumulus International Association
of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media
<a href="http://www.cumulusassociation.org/">http://www.cumulusassociation.org/</a></div>
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(Check with your University or
College for details on their own programs)
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<br />
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Volunteering/Interning Abroad</div>
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<a href="http://www.goabroad.com/">http://www.goabroad.com/</a></div>
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<br />
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Teaching English Abroad with TEFL</div>
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<a href="http://www.onlinetefl.com/">http://www.onlinetefl.com/</a></div>
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US Peace Corps</div>
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<a href="http://www.peacecorps.gov/">http://www.peacecorps.gov/</a></div>
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(Weta Workshop, Wellington, New Zealand)</div>
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297024208896838240.post-19385143175312397192014-04-14T13:27:00.004-06:002014-04-14T13:27:50.956-06:00CGHUB and My Bleeding Heart
<br />
Since learning about the Heartbleed, I've been taking stock of my
online presence. (Nothing like a major security gap to get the heart
pumping) It's nice to have a better handle on where I am, what I use
the internet for, etc. But it was also quite a headache getting
everything updated.
<br />
<br />
<br />
Almost at the same time, I realized this was happening:
<a href="http://conceptartworld.com/?p=32801">http://conceptartworld.com/?p=32801</a>
<br />
I can't say I've been that active on CGHUB. I only had a modest
selection of my art posted and didn't follow anyone there that I
didn't already follow everywhere else. So it wasn't so great a heart
break for me personally. That said, I do know people who are very upset; this was their go
to place for posting, interacting, and finding inspiration. It is
very difficult to loose a community like that, especially so suddenly
and without much reason given. There are many other communities out
there (some listed on the page linked above) and I'm sure they will
find a home again soon. <br />Thank you internet.
<br />
<br />
Am I going to go out and join another art community since CGHUB is
gone? Probably not. I have enough trouble remembering all the changed
passwords. I don't need another one to get confused.
<br />
<br />
<br />
April update: Working away on the Oni sculpting parts. Sue's
Monday is thumb nailed and ready for a nice line drawing and some
color. And I spent the majority of this last weekend writing. It's
been a long while, but I woke up Saturday with an urge to write.
OniSan's story just spilled out of my fingers and I'm almost done
with the first draft. Guess it was done incubating and ready for
hatching. :)
<br />
I also applied for Painting Drama 1 – the original <a href="http://chrisoatley.com/digital-painting-in-photoshop/" target="_blank">Chris Oatley class</a> – so that will be starting up in June/July. Definitely need
to catch up a bit with Magic Box...<br />
<br />
This weekend I'll be gone for Easter. Hoping to dye some eggs. The
following weekend (Starting Thurs actually) I'll be up in Montana
visiting – for those who want to meet up, txt me for I may not have
my car while I'm there – mainly just playing with/staring at my
sister's baby. Baby!! :D<br /><br />Speaking of babies - Congrats to <a href="http://2dbean.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Brett and Julie Bean</a> on their adorable son!! Best wishes to everyone and I'm super excited and happy for you! :) <br />
Bekihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10577689140838298131noreply@blogger.com0