Start of Summer!

Well, summer has officially started! I just got back home after a harrowing 11 hour long train ride. The past 36 hours have been very hectic and stressful for me, but it's all behind and done! On to the noteworthy items!


This painting is pretty much finished. I won't be able to work on it for three months, but hey! The only thing I really feel the need to fix is the hand behind the head, which isn't finished. Her face still looks kinda pig-like, unfortunately, but I had a really tough angle with the face. That should count for something! Also note the floor tiles.

Here are some pics of our last sculpture in class. It's a pretty basic reclining nude full figure. In many ways, this was easier to make than Marcel's head. The only really tricky parts were the hands, feet, and face. The base we were working on was something like a 16" square, so small forms like the hands and face were harder to sculpt. One wrong move and hours of work could be undone! Luckily, oil based clay doesn't really dry out, at least not within the time frame we were working in.

Unfortunately, I couldn't take it back with me, so I ended up leaving it behind in the sculpture studio with a big "Give Me a Home!" sign on it.

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On another note, I was surprised to see my room rearranged when I got back home! Here are some photos because I feel like it!

The view from the doorway. I get a good view of the neighbor's backyard, full of grass and a storeage shed. And the satellite dish that we never really used. It's so nice to see green on a regular basis again.
Enter my room and turn left to see part of the madness that lies dormant in me. My box-o-swords is just chilling in the corner there. Not that there are any actual swords. Well, actually, there is, but it doesn't count 'cuz it ain't sharp enough! The rest are wooden and props I made for cosplaying.
Right next to my door is my Wall of Nerdiness. Everything from manga to Playstation games to stuffed animals is here. My mom compressed my collections to the max to make room for everything. I'll rearrange it to fit my aesthetics later!
Aaaand the magic area where I usually can be found is here! Directly across from the doorway and facing my bed is my desk! With added shelf! As you can see, my Transformer collection is here. Well, the new stuff, anyways. I have a lot of Beast Wars toys in the clear case next to the desk. I expect the desk to get more and more cluttered as time goes on this summer.

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Speaking of summer, I've always associated the season with one thing (and it's kinda silly): VIDEO GAMES! Yes, summer is the one time of year where I can allow my brains to turn to mush and play video games like mad. Speaking of video games, some friends of mine are playing through Persona 3:FES in sort of a MST3k style. Check 'em out, if you will! There will probably be a lot of them, seeing as how the game easily has an 80+ hour play time...

I've got a decent backlog myself...Little time for gaming at FIT! But I also plan on trying to find a job and working on my drawing skills. Can't lose what I've gained! MUST STAY PRODUCTIVE!

That about sums it up for now. I'll make sure to keep everyone posted!

OH SNAP! Almost forgot! OVER 2,000 PAGE VIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I were any good, I'd have a new banner up to commemorate the event. But I'm not, so meh!

Well, now I'm back at home and
I'm looking forward to this life I live

-J

Lazy Summer Days

*insert lame excuse for no updates here*
This might be a pretty long post...

Summer has been pretty darn good since the last update. Recently, the Durham Arts Council opened their annual exhibit featuring the work of members of the Durham Art Guild. As a junior member, I had this piece on display:
The Death of Tomorrow

I think this is the first time any work of mine has actually been in a public exhibit place, so I feel honored to be a part of it. Apparently, the drawing was awesome enough to win 2nd place and score me some munnies!



Pictured above is what is currently on my makeshift workbench. Production has been slow because of a lack of space.


I got tired of using black, so here are some experiments...


Another PenZilla for my karate master.



And a friend wanted a ZombiePen, so here is a new version. As you can see, there are exposed rib bones and a number of new wounds.

I move to New York City on the 15th of August. From the 6th of August to the 13th of August, I'm going to be in California for a few weddings. Time is running short, so I'm trying to tie up some loose ends here. A lot of that is finishing some games and work that I can't take with me. GanPen production will probably be put on hiatus for a few months, at least until I figure out if I can work on them un the city.

On to some other news! On July 12th, I officially earned my black belt in Ishhin-Ryu Karate!
It was a very exhausting test, especially since I was testing alone; this meant there was little time to catch my breath and little energy from the outside to feed off of. As per tradition, I walked away with a few injuries. Both my feet had bruised heels from attempts at breaking bricks. The big toe on my right foot was black and blue underneath the nail because of a brick falling on it after a break. We had to take a drill bit and drill a few holes in the nail to release the blood and pressure. And my right wrist is bruised because of another break attempt.

All my injuries were pretty much self-inflicted...
Weird.

Other notables include having to fend off 5 really big guys (and promptly being thrown around like a rag doll), showing off my hand speed, and having a board broken over my head.

Here's a parting pic of me and my master, Shaw-sensei



Until next time!