In case you missed it elsewhere, here is my complete output from Inktober this year. I scanned all 31 entries and combined them together into one image. During the course of the month, there were a few times were I would notice a that the pictures had a lot of shadow on them, the contrast and clarity wasn’t very good, or there were a couple things that could have used a touch-up right after taking the picture, so this combined image is a much better look at all 31 cards I drew. Clicking on it will take you to my DeviantArt page where you can enlarge it and take a closer look.

I’ve also got a video on my Instagram showing all the cards together in a binder. It’s cool seeing them all in one place!

Inktober was challenging but fun. I’m glad I got something done for every day, and maybe I learned something in the process. But I’ve been enjoying going back to other artwork in full color on my Cintiq since the month ended. I’ll have more to share soon.

Sayonara.

Once again I am participating in Inktober, where artists are encouraged to do a drawing every day using ink. Last year, I just kinda did whatever I felt like and just did them all in my sketchbook. This time, I am following the official daily prompts list as suggested by Inktober creator Jake Parker to get ideas for what to draw every day. But I’m also keeping to a theme of my own, with every entry being some kind of weird girl character. Hey, what can I say? I just like drawing weird girls.

Also, all of my drawings are being done on artist trading cards, which are 2.5″x3.5″. I was thinking that choice would make things easier and less time consuming, but maybe not! It has its own challenges drawing that small, but the results are pretty cool when a bunch of them are together. Here’s a look at the first 6 days worth of drawings in a binder.

You can follow my Inktober adventure on Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram!

I wouldn’t say that all of my drawings thus far are really good. Some of them are ok, and some of them could have used some corrections. But Inktober isn’t really about that. It’s about trying your best to make something consistently and practicing new things. So far, I have not missed a day, and I plan on seeing it through to the bitter, ink-covered end.

Sayonara.

I had not added any artwork to the Illustration page in over a year. I suppose that I thought that I did this already, because I drew these months ago. Well, anyway, here they are.

We’ve got a few fan arts and some original pieces that I think are pretty cool. A few of these newly added images I made using a style I’ve been experimenting with. And there’s even a new traditional painting, which I had not done in a long time.

This is not the end of it, though! I have more artwork besides these in the bank. I’d have them up now too, but that would be too much for one update. It won’t be long before I add them here as well. At least, I don’t anticipate that the next time I do this again will be another year from now.

Sayonara.

Earlier this summer I sold a few Transformers items that I didn’t want in my collection anymore. I had figured I would just use the money to buy the toys that I did want, but instead I decided to try to try to improve my situation.

I had been doing art using a Cintiq 12WX for about 9 years, and getting it was life changing at the time. It saved my aching wrist from pressing too hard and helped to make me a better, more productive artist to be sure. But it was time to move on. I found myself hunching over too much while using it, which made me less likely to draw. I had always used a screen protector with it, which had become so scratched that it was getting harder to see a clear image. I had to decide whether to get a replacement screen protector for the aging tablet or go after what I really wanted and get a newer, larger model.

Also, I had a laptop for about as long and while it was also great in its time, it was getting slow. It was still useful to me with its 18.4 inch screen and BluRay player, but I knew I would need something else before long, and hopefully I could get one that I could draw with anywhere.

I wound up making a lot more money from the sales then I thought I would, so I figured I could solve at least one of my problems get either getting a new tablet or a new laptop. Instead, I did some digging and got a used both.

My new (or at least new to me) Cintiq is the second 21UX model. It has a 21 inch screen, and it’s not a widescreen. The screen is big and bright, and there are plenty of handy ExpressKeys that I’m still getting used to. Best of all, I’ve got it attached to an Ergotron arm, so I can move it around to different positions without having to hunch over anymore and even draw while standing up if I want.

My new laptop is a Fujitsu Lifebook. This model was released a number of years ago, but it’s been refurbished and upgraded with more RAM, a faster processor, and an SSD drive. The screen can flip around and become a tablet, so I can draw using the included stylus. I wouldn’t want to use it all day for everything, but on the go it’s perfectly fine. I used it for my panel presentation at TFcon without a hitch and it’s even proved useful for streaming while working on traditional art from my drawing desk.

I couldn’t go for the absolute top of the line, but I got stuff that is good for me now and better in many ways than what I had before. Hopefully this will help take me to the next step. Whatever that is.

Also, I have a regular job this summer so I did wind up buying the toys I wanted anyway.

Sayonara.

July 13th – 15th brought us yet another fantastic TFcon experience in Mississauga, Ontario. I had a mostly great time. At least,  when I was able to. When I wasn’t, I was working on something! Let’s take a look at what went down.

It was great to see Transformers voice actors David Kaye and Gary Chalk at the show. They have both attended TFcon before a number of times, but having them both making a rare convention appearance together was great. Also there was Hal Rayle, the voice of Shrapnel and Snarl in the original series, who  fit right in, and David Mendenhall, who played Daniel. This was David Mendenhall’s first ever convention appearance and his insight on working on the show as a kid was amazing. He told a lot of fantastic stories and I made sure to tell him that what he shared with us was very special.

Here’s some costume pictures. There were a number of impressive entries but I think that the young ones stole the show this year. The little Grimlock was roaring and swinging his tail around all day!

Speaking of young ones, I did a “How to Draw Transformers” panel for kids on the Sunday afternoon. I showed the kids how I think about drawing a robot in 3D using basic shapes and a simple pose while drawing Optimus Prime. I did not go in with any planned material and just kind of made it up as I went. I was thinking that maybe the 3D aspect was going to be too complicated for the little ones, but that’s what they asked for!

I did another panel this year, this time about “How Transformers Changed Around the World“. It had information on what the Transformers brand was like when it came to other countries like Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Italy, and Germany. It was the last panel of the show before the Organizers’ Q&A, and on one hand that meant I couldn’t really enjoy the show until it was all over, but on the other it meant that if my panel went a little bit over time it would probably not be a big deal. Well, that’s exactly what happened.  I had so much information to go through that I was about 5 minutes over time, and there was enough stuff that I cut for time that I honestly could have kept going for another 30 mins. People responded in a huge way and loved the Chilean laser shoes commercial and the Italian Beast Wars song. When it was all over, they were chanting my name!

I had missed out on a lot of the show because I was still working on the presentation. I couldn’t hang out much after hours and I had to pass on doing Faction Feud. In the end, it was all worth it. I enjoyed doing the panel and I’m glad that everybody seemed to like it. But next time, I’m going to have to find away to finish everything I need to get done earlier, because I don’t want to miss that much of the show again.

The highlight of the weekend was definitely the Annual Slurpee Run. Imagine a conglomerate of about 50 Transformers fans descending upon a 7-11 store at around 11pm on a Saturday night. Even though I had work to do, I couldn’t miss out. It was hilarious and amazing. Even guests Aaron Archer and David Mendenhall joined us. For those wondering, I had a sour watermelon flavored Slurpee and it was delicious.

And here’s all the stuff I bought. I did pretty good this year. Amung the highlights are Sixshot, Overlord, and Defensor all from Japan. You can read more about my haul on my Tumblr and keep an eye on there for more toy pictures.

This was the 15th time I’ve attended TFcon and it’s hard to imagine my life without it. The people I’ve met there have become some of the best friends I’ve ever had, and the convention has hosted some of the most memorable moments I’ve experienced in my life as a fan of anything.

I’ll see you there next year. Till all are one.

Sayonara.