Seems like every artist is on Tumblr now, so I am making my cyan-splattered mark there too. SykoGrafix on Tumblr will act as a companion to SykoGrafix.com, and will feature quicker posts and more frequent updates. Of course, there will be finished art there, but there might also be works in progress, silly doodles, pictures of stuff I find, interesting links, video games, toys, other artists’ works, and all sorts of inspiration and insanity for artists/ninjas that I either find, make, or want to share. I will also be using it to announce if I am doing any game or art streaming.  I will probably set it up to post once every day or two for the next while, but don’t worry, I’m not going to spam your dashboard. I hope to be able to build an audience over there, so please check it out and add it to your following list.

As you may know, this is not my first foray with Tumblr. I’ve been using it for awhile now with my other web-based project, Ninjapocalypse. I wanted a way to connect Ninjapocalypse to SykoGrafix as a part of this new Tumblr, so I made a random Ninjapocalypse character trading card widget. You’ll find it on the right side of this site and in the left sidebar on the Tumblr. Each time you load the page, the widget randomly chooses a Ninjapocalypse character and creates a trading-card style image, complete with nameplate and a link to that character’s entry. Here are some examples I screenshotted.

I don’t know anything about using jQuery, or even what jQuery actually is, but I managed to figure out enough to make this happen, and it’s pretty much exactly as I imagined it. Some characters work better than others, but most turned out pretty good and some are pretty funny once they’re inside the widget’s confines.

More new artwork is on the way. With all of this web-stuff out of the way, I feel like I am just getting started.

Sayonara.

Finally!

I am so happy to unveil this long awaited new design for my webpage! It has been in the works for longer than I care to admit, but I think the results have been well worth the effort. This new design is much more in-line with my artistic sensibilities and does a much better job of showcasing what I’m all about. This new SykoGrafix.com is not meant to serve as a portfolio of my finest work, but more of a hub for what I am doing and what I am into.

Early Pencil Title Sketch Concept

The visual concept for the site was to create this strange, nonsensical, ramshackle computer that is powered by and/or processes the tubes of cyan ink. I wanted my website to look less like web-graphics and more like something I would draw. There is old and new technology combined together to make this machine do whatever it is that it does, creating lots of funny or unique details that you can find if you take a closer look. At this time, there are 5 random images on the main page for both the left and the right sides of the machine, potentially creating a new configuration each time you reload the page. You’ll find old computers, video game accessories, an old VCR, a kaiju brain, and even a frozen drink dispenser!

Early digital sketch mock-up.

Beyond the visual aspect, this new version is just a much better website overall. I took an online class on HTML and CSS, so now the coding is much better and closer to modern standards than the 1997 style of web design I first learned about. The width of the site can also scale up and down depending on your window size. Try it out. I think it looks pretty good any way you wanna stretch it!

The biggest change to the site is that I switched the main index weblog from Blogger to WordPress. This was the biggest reason that things took so long to finish, as many unforeseen quirks and problems had to be ironed out before I got it looking like how I wanted. Almost all of the posts, going back to the very beginning, have been transferred over, but I decided to get rid of many of the shorter or less informative ones. The old version, weblog.sykografix.com, will still exist but will no longer be updated, so if you are following that site, please follow this one instead.

Pencil drawings for the random alternate image designs.

A few things have not survived the trip. The guestbook and message board were quietly done away with some time ago. I think they broke and stopped working and I didn’t feel like it was worth fixing them. The Articles page is still around, but no longer linked from the main site. It would be too much work to go through them all, extract the content, and revamp the code to bring them up to the new standard. Maybe someday I will do a few of them over again. We’ll see.

The Illustration page now works in a gallery style where a page opens up within the center of the main index and overlaps the other content. This is much easier to manage for the future, but it means that I can not link directly to a single page. Most everything is also up on DeviantArt though. I wish I had more artwork to show here, but now that the hard part of getting the new site up and running is out of the way, I hope to get on that soon.

So, what’s next? I want to do more blogging, more content, some new fan art, some more Ninjapocalypse characters, learn new techniques, and get my stuff out there more. I am excited about doing some streaming and connecting with an audience, and I will be offering commissions soon too. The best way to keep up is to follow me on Twitter. More stuff is on the way, but until then I hope you dig what you see so far, and feel free to get in touch or leave a comment right here.

Sayonara.

The ultimate fan run Canadian Transformers convention experience has come and gone once again. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the main events from this year’s TFcon.

The big deal of this year’s show was that Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime, was a special guest. This was a bit of a homecoming for him, as he was actually born in Canada, and we let him know just how much the Canadian fanbase loves him.

To get to meet him would require paying for an extra VIP ticket. I did not want to pay for that (and in fact, I didn’t pay to get in the show at all since I won a Twitter contest for a free ticket), but his Q&A panel was free for everyone. the questions had to be submitted for per-screening ahead of time. I sent one in and was pretty confident that it would be chosen. And it was!

[youtube]https://youtu.be/2Qo_3XowOGw[/youtube]

Here is a video of the first 20 minutes of the panel. Mine was the second question, at about 6 minutes in. Even though I had a good feeling about my question being asked, I was still very surprised when I was called up so early. The camera doesn’t catch it, but when my name was called. I was pumped, and I yelled “Oh my God!” or something like that, which is why you can hear the audience laughing. As he answered my question by discussing his admiration and involvement with NASA, I was quite captivated and wanted him to keep talking!

The costumes at TFcon get more and more elaborate each year, and there were some very creative ones this time.

Of course, there were plenty of toys to buy. Even if you’re not buying, it’s fun to look around at what’s available.

But this is what it’s really all about. Hanging out with friends and cool people. The TFcon community has become more like a family and seeing everyone again is always the true highlight of the show.

A funny moment happened shortly after the convention ended on Sunday when we suddenly found ourselves sharing an elevator with voice actor guest Michael McConnohie. The show wasn’t over yet after all!

Here’s everything I bought.  The big item in the batch is the Generations Metroplex, who is absolutely gigantic. I also got Generations Sky-Byte, Rattrap, Crosscut, and Waspinator, Beast Hunters Megatron and Shockwave. Transformers Adventure Nemesis Prime, the Tokyo Toy Show Exclusive Black Convoy, a Captain America figure, some Star Wars stuff, and a SNES Stunt Race FX cartridge. Also pictured are some World of Nintendo figures that I bought the day after TFcon during a return visit to the mall I used to frequent before moving away. Decent haul overall this time, but wish I got more for my money. Don’t we all, though.

The pictures in this post are not mine, they were taken by Guber, my usual wing-man and unofficial TFcon mascot. Guber didn’t make it last year, and it wasn’t the same without him. We were all happy to see him back, despite his ridiculous beard. Please encourage him to exploit his brand.

TFcon is the one time of the year when, as a Transformers fan living in Canada, everything seems right with the universe. It was only a few weeks ago, but it seems like too long. I eagerly await the next installment.

Sayonara.

The main event of the summer, at least for me, is this weekend! TFcon Toronto takes place in Mississauga, Ontario on July 17th to 19th. And not a moment too soon, because I have been eagerly awaiting this event all year long.

I did not do any artwork for the show this year and I’m just attending as a fan. I hope to participate in as many events as I can, including the script reading and the Q&A panels. Perhaps we may even see a reunion of the Ninja Consultants in the Faction Feud. Of course I’ll be hunting for bargains at the dealer room too. But, the best part of TFcon is seeing all my fellow fans as we hang around the hotel and catch up with each other .

If you’re going to be at TFCon, come on over and say hello! Just look for the weird dude in the bandana. I’ll be there for the entire show and I can’t wait to see everyone and have a chance to chill out and talk about some transforming robots. See you there!

Sayonara.

I put up a few more art pieces on my DeviantArt page, including this one. It was a school project from the first semester. I got an A, if it matters to you

A few weeks ago I got around to organizing and scanning some of my school stuff, including projects done with traditional media and pads of paper from life drawing class.  Then there was a small amount of flooding and all of my artwork got wet. Even some of my visuals from my early days as a teacher and my old paintings where dampened. Luckily, the damage was not too bad and nothing was seriously damaged as far as I can tell, but I’m glad I scanned everything I wanted ahead of time.

I’ve been working on a new version of SykoGrafix.com, which I hope to begin to show this month. It’s about time that this place gets an upgrade! There will be new graphics and a new way of viewing the artwork. After that, I hope to be able to make more cool illustrations instead of just scanning old stuff. Until then, look forward to it!

Sayonara.