Cooper's Blog

Zelda Fanart

2012-01-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012! For my first major artwork of the new year, I've created some fanart for a game series that I've loved to death ever since I was a kid - The Legend of Zelda! This game series has always been an inspiration to me, and I continue to play it to this day. Recently I've been playing through the latest game for the Nintendo Wii (Skyward Sword), which was what drove me to make this illustration. Being more of a fan of older games in the series, I've tried to embue my picture with an oldschool Zelda vibe that longtime fans of the series will recognize. The Link shown here is based off of the character design in A Link to the Past, which many would argue is the best game in the history of the franchise. I've also tried to evoke a more stylized rendition of the Zelda universe by utilizing cel-shading...I personally feel like a cel-shaded art style lends itself better to the heart and soul of the series. I miss the older Zelda art styles...back then they tended to be more light-hearted and cartoony. In my opinion, they were best represented by concept art contained inside the instruction manuals that came with the games. Ah, the joys of reading through those old instruction manuals... =)

Anyways, here's my tribute to the Zelda universe. Enjoy.

Airboarding Pt 2

2011-10-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

Time for a new illustration! Pretty stoked about this one. If you read my last post, you might recognize that the digital painting above is the product of this rough layout sketch. It's essentially the sequel to one of my older pictures that I finished around the middle of 2010. I think my skills have improved quite a bit since then, and this new picture has a lot to show for it. The composition is better, the colors are better, it's more vibrant, has more feel/emotion...I'm just really happy with it, and I hope it makes you feel good! Take a look and see what you think. Been taking a break from my GameSalad game stuff, but now I'm ready to get back on it. Can't wait to show everyone what I've been working on. It's totally different than the stuff I usually do...hehe...

PS - been listening to the new M83 album called "Hurry Up We're Dreaming." It's awesome. Two tracks that helped paint this picture:

M83 - Claudia Lewis
M83 - OK Pal

Some Sketches

2011-09-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks! I've been super busy over the last month and half working on various projects, both work and non-work related. I'm still cranking away on my new game project on the side, but I've also finally found time to start a few new illustration ideas. That being the case, I thought it might be cool to show these ideas in their beginning stages. Have a look...

I'm so excited about this one! It's the sequel to another picture I did a while back called "Airboarding."

This picture will have tons of things I love...a great perspective, sweeping motion, windmills, puffy clouds, and a sweet fisheye lens effect that I'm going to attempt to pull off for added impact on the viewer. Can't wait to get started.

This is an illustration I've been wanting to do for a long, long time. Going for a lot of emotional pull with this one. The sketch as it stands will go through some changes...will probably end up more like the thumbnail at the top left. Those circles in the thumb indicate an awesome J.J.Abrams lens flare effect ;)

This is going to be another emotional pic, and a study in stylized comic book-y faces. I recently came into possession of one of my grandmother's old art books...a book on traditional Chinese paintings. Very very cool stuff that I'm going to try to emulate for the background behind the figure.

I'll have these painted before you know it. 'Til then...

Creature Feature

2011-07-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, so I tried something new this week. For five days, Mon through Friday, I tried to draw one creature concept per day! These little guys are part of a game project that my friend and I are working on using my company's game creation tool, GameSalad (see www.gamesalad.com for more info). Our game has a lot of Zelda influences both in terms of look/feel and the gameplay...as far as art goes, I'm kind of shooting for a more cartoony cel-shaded look that's more in line with the oldschool Zeldas of the NES/SNES days. This particular art style is totally different than what I usually do, which is definitely a good thing! As an artist, it's always good to try something different every once in a while. Gotta keep flexing those creative muscles ya know? Anyways, here's what I've got so far. Check 'em out:

More on the way...am really enjoying making these dudes. =)

Metroid Fanart

2011-06-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Time for a new illustration! This time I'm kicking back to the old NES/SNES days...the days when I was young and the best part of the week was eating a bowl of cereal while watching cartoons on a Saturday morning. Back then I played a lot of games...I'm a Nintendo kid; always have been and always will be. I loved the Mario's and the Zelda's, but perhaps the one series that captured my imagination more than anything else was Metroid. So without further adieu, I present to you my lovingly crafted fanart for two of my favorite game characters - intergalactic bounty hunter Samus and her arch nemesis, the space dragon, Ridley.

For all the Metroid fans out there. Hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it!

Ink Sketches

2011-05-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

It's late on a Sunday night, and before I decommission myself for the evening I wanted to post a couple quick ink sketches. I have a little travel sketchbook that was given to me a few years back by one of my friends in Atlanta. Over the last couple years, it has turned into something I carry around with me in my backpack at all times. I always really enjoy whipping it out to do quick sketches of various places that I visit. You might say that it's become a sort of visual travel diary; a book whose contents I will treasure for the rest of my life. Here are a couple recently visited places that I commited to paper.

This is Barton Springs, a place in Austin that I visited over the weekend. As the name implies, it's a natural spring-fed pool turned into a public swimspot of sorts. Kind of fun because you can go snorkeling and look at fish and stuff haha. It also provides an awesome counterbalance for the 90 degree-plus weather we're currently having. =)

This is about a month and a half old...drew this at Stinson beach, pretty close to where I used to live. Very pretty beach in northern California, but even better is the drive to get there. Beautiful coastal roads and scenery that I'll never forget.

I'm hoping to start a couple bigger art projects sometime soon, so keep an eye out for more posts in the next month or so. I have a few digital illustrations lined up, and a new traditional piece as well. There's always so much I want to do and so little time. Until next post...

Painting Faces

2011-05-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

Here's something I've been playing around with for the last couple weeks. I've never digitally painted a face (or much figurative stuff for that matter), so I thought I would give it a try! Just something to practice on...am sort of gearing up for a new illustration I'd like to start soon. Used a photo for reference, but made some personal additions and tweaks here and there. Definitely tried to go more realistic with her, and I think she turned out quite nicely overall. I'm really happy with the eyes...ah, so pretty. Please ignore the fingers towards the bottom of the pic haha...they came out kind of weird and I didn't want to take time to fix them. =p

And in keeping with my new tradition of posting the music that inspires my artwork, here are some lovely tunes by a few really brilliant fellows in the electronic music scene. Very beautiful, moving songs this time around...good tunes you can just close your eyes and relax to.

Pacific - Unspoken (Anoraak Remix)
Anoraak's stuff had me curiously optimistic when I first listened to it, and it seems to keep getting better and better. This is probably the best thing I've heard from him so far.

The Paradise - In Love With You
This is a track by Alan Braxe and Romuald Louverjon. They created the song under the guise of "The Paradise." Fingers crossed that there's more where this came from, because this piece of audio bliss is simply stellar.

Visitor - Love (Club Edit)
Amy Meredith - Young at Heart (Visitor Remix)
Visitor is a British act that I found towards the beginning of this year. They're sort of a pop-synthy band that produce very pretty melodies and vocals for many original tracks...they also do some remixes. These two songs are my favorites so far. Definitely check their SoundCloud page if you like this track. (I'm a big SoundCloud user, in case you haven't already figured that out)

Queen of Hearts - Where Are You Now (StardonE Remix)
Lastly, StardonE is probably my favorite musical act at this moment in time. I don't think anyone knows who or what StardonE is, but he (or she) consistently churns out amazing originals and remixes. This is my favorite StardonE remix - a remix for a song called "Where Are You Now" by Queen of Hearts. Enjoy. =)

Hand in Water Illustration

2011-03-10T23:06:00.000-08:00

BAM! First finished digital illustration of 2011. I know, I know...the title is so original. "Hand in Water." Unfortunately I couldn't come up with anything clever, so I thought I'd just play the part of captain obvious and call it what it is. This one actually started as a rough sketch about two years ago. Been working on painting it in my free time for the last three or four weeks now. I really enjoyed painting all the water effects and swirly curvy shapes...you can basically do whatever you want with them and still make things look good. I know the anatomy on the hand isn't perfect and the shading isn't correct in a few places, but that's ok. The picture definitely has a more surreal nature to it, so perhaps the little details won't matter as much. Hope you like it!

Random sidenote: I'm learning how to dj! I've been thinking about learning for a while, but a friend finally got me hooked...think I might end up buying some audio equipment later this year and start up a new hobby. It's soooo addictive and fun, and it will give me a new outlet for something else I really enjoy - music!!! And speaking of which, here are some of the songs I listened to while painting this piece. I'm kind of going through an 80s themed electro/house phase at the moment...

Love the 80's feel on this...Grum has been a favorite of mine recently:

This one is a great summer driving tune with crazy slap bass:
Venice Beach (Summer Club RMX) by 4TrakZ

This one is dreamy and relaxing. Perfect for late night listening:
mitch murder - remember when by mitch murder

And this is just plain awesome. StardonE took an already great song and bumped it up a notch. Gets me in a great mood every time.
Michael Jackson - PYT (StardonE remix) by StardonE

I've got a few more sketch ideas that I want to paint, but unfortunately time is of the essence these days. Even though I only manage short bursts here and there, I do enjoy painting in my off hours...sort of allows me to mentally switch gears from whatever I'm doing at my day job. AND I get to listen to good music while I'm painting. Nice combo there. I've also decided that since I do so much digital painting on my own, I'm going to splurge this year and get one of the fancy new Wacom Cintiq's. They're basically computer monitors that function as tablets...so instead of drawing on a pad that you hook in to your computer, you can paint directly on the screen! Ah technology, how I love thee. Here's a cool video that shows what a Cintiq is and what it can do:

Yep, can't wait to get one of those baby's. More art to come soon. Peace!

Shinto Architecture Teaser

2011-01-28T22:37:00.001-08:00

Here's a teaser for something I started working on a few days ago...

Think I'm going to try to beef up my 3D work this year. Stay tuned for more soon... =)

Last Art of 2010

2011-01-03T22:20:00.000-08:00

Just a quick art post! These are a few pieces that I did towards the end of last year - my last art endeavors of 2010, if you will. Hope you like them!

This was a wedding present for a very special couple. It's a picture of a Pohutukawa, a native flower of New Zealand. Did the drawing using colored inks. Congrats again Mark and Georgie. You guys rock!

This is a picture I drew on spot at Red Beach in New Zealand. Just some cliffs along the oceanside. Did this on my birthday!

Another picture I drew on spot at Goat Island in New Zealand. Really really cool place where I went snorkeling. That black blob in the bottom center of the pic is supposed to be a kayak haha.

Just another face sketch for practice. Drawn from reference.

Here's to a great 2011, and all of the new art adventures it's sure to bring with it. Cheers! =)

Japanese Lanterns

2010-11-30T21:24:00.001-08:00

Inspired by the lush cultural stylings of Japan and my recent trip to Kyoto, I'm proud to present my latest illustration.

Bonus points if you can read what the kanji says. ;)

Listened to a lot of really good music while painting this. Music is always such an integral part of my painting experience...the songs I listen to really help shape the final image. Here are some of the tracks that helped create this piece:

Michael Cassette - Through the Windows
Michael Cassette - Nevermore
Miami Nights 1984 - Sunset Cruise
Chicane feat Adam Young - Middledistancerunner

On the subject of music, I recently bought the new Michael Cassette debut album, titled "Temporarity." It's probably the most amazing thing I've heard all year (and possibly the last 4 or 5 years to be honest). Beautiful, beautiful sounds, characterized by the warm glow of retro 80s synths, positive harmonic melodies, and energetic beats. I'm absolutely in love with almost every song on the album. Definitely check it out if you're looking for a really visceral and uplifting listening experience.

(the image is linked to the album's webpage)

Lighting Keys

2010-11-02T21:43:00.001-07:00

Well this is a really exciting post for me! I've finally been given the ok to show some artwork I did for an animated short film back at the end of 2009 and into the earlier half of this year. The short film is the pet project of one of my good friends here in California, and is completely unrelated to any of my professional work at Lucasfilm (although I did meet my friend at Lucasfilm).

The pictures I'm posting in this entry are called "lighting keys." To give a brief explanation, lighting keys are storyboard drawings that have been painted over to show what the lighting would look like in those specific shots. They're supposed to be quick and simple, and really just convey the color, lighting, and overall mood of a given scene. Here are all the lighting concepts I did for the short...you might be able to get a gist of the plot by looking at the sequence of images, but I won't go into much detail on that subject. =)

I REALLY enjoyed doing these. The project is still ongoing, although I have no idea when it's going to be finished. In other news, I'm still workin' on that Japanese lanterns illustration from a couple posts back...it's going to be SWEET. The art adventures continue... =)

September Weekly Sketches

2010-09-12T21:26:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm trying to get back into sketching stuff. Here are a couple I did this week:

The 1st was done to practice a female face - done from reference. I'm trying to get better at drawing faces without any help. The second was done when I went on a walk in the neighborhood that I live in. I took a break from walking and sketched this out really quickly in my tiny travel sketch book. It's a pen drawing of Mt. Tamalpais, which is (literally) right next to my apartment.

I'm going to try to do more quick sketches like these and post them here!

Airboarding

2010-08-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

Whoo hoo! Finally, some new art!

This is an illustration that I started last year, and never got around to finishing. I picked it up a few weeks ago, and gave it the extra loving that it needed. Initially, it started out as practice with 2 point perspective, but then I got carried away and started putting in a ton of details. Check it out!

Maybe it's in Kansas somewhere? Although...having driven through Kansas, I can honestly say that there are no plants or clouds in Kansas. Ha! Just kidding. Anyways...pretty happy with that one, but so glad to be done. The details were killing me!

Here's a rough sketch for a piece that I'm working on now. I'm hoping to travel to Japan in about a week, so this picture is sort of inspired by that.

Have started on the colors, as you can see from the bottom pic. Really liking the way it's going so far. I'm aiming for something more ambient and mellow, and I think it's definitely got the right feel.

Well, that's it for now. As always, thanks for checking my stuff out! Keep an eye open for more regarding art posts and...dare I say it...a secret project announcement? (Oooo so mysterious....)

Art Update

2010-07-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

'Sup! I was planning on posting more regularly since my last post, but judging by the fact that the "last post" was made in May, my plan obviously failed miserably. Sigh...Sorry about that.

Even though I haven't put anything on this blog in a while, it doesn't mean that I haven't been busy! Quite the contrary...I've been working NON-STOP for the last few months. As you may have deduced from some of my previous posts, I've been excitedly working on a top secret project with a friend. The project is coming along nicely, although somewhat slowly due to the fact that my friend and I work 9-5 (more like 9-6 actually) jobs 5 days of the week. Gotta pay the bills and all that good stuff.
So long story short...rest assured that while you may not have seen anything live on this blog, I have a ton of material on the back-burner that will be revealed whenever we get around to announcing the project. Believe me, I'm crying tears of sadness as I write this. Hopefully we'll announce it before the end of the year? Hopefully...

Also...I have some art materials from yet another side project that I've been working on with a friend at work. That stuff is a little trickier in terms of posting online, but hopefully I'll be able to show it one day soon. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Now, I have some good news. I have a couple of things I can show that are completely unrelated to anything else. Hooray! I'll file them under a post right after this one, so you can skip the text and get straight to the eye-candy, if your heart so desires.

Thanks so much for reading...and again, sorry about the lack of posts! I'll try to get some more stuff on here soon. =)

Ink Drawing - Orange Gerbera

2010-05-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

Whoo hoo! I've finally gotten back into my ink drawing again, and it feels GREAT! I had totally forgotten how much I loved this stuff. It's been about three years since I've done anything significant with my inks, but now I can happily show you what several hours of tinkering over the weekend produced. Check it out:

The picture is based on a photo of an orange gerbera - a really cool looking flower. I love flower drawings because the colors can be so gnarly, and the shapes of the flowers themselves are usually more abstract and free flowing. I have to admit that I was a little timid starting out, but I'll be darned if I wasn't up and running with the ink in no time. It was sort of like catching up with an old friend. Also, I covered the background with charcoal...a very difficult thing to do on the type of paper that I was using. Another difficult thing was getting the charcoal to hit the edges of the ink drawing just right, since I didn't want to smudge any charcoal on top of the ink! Regardless, I think it came out pretty well considering I've been on a three year hiatus. What do you think?

More illustrative stuff on the way...keep an eye out. =)

Crabs!

2010-05-02T22:32:00.001-07:00

Today I visited Stinson beach for the first time. It was a gorgeous day - absolutely perfect weather. The beach was great, and I think the drive to get there and back was even greater. Of course, I took my sketchbook and decided to draw...a hermit crab!

He's kind of cute isn't he? I'm getting back into my traditional art again. Think I need a break from the computer screen haha. =)

New Friends?

2010-04-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

I know you're all scratching your heads thinking "What in the world are these bizarre illustrations that Cooper is working on." Well, soon you will be confused no more. Project to be announced soon. Hehe.

Gardening

2010-03-04T14:28:00.001-08:00

What's this?! More teaser artwork?! What kind of craziness could possibly be behind this illustration? Stay tuned... =)

Astronauts

2010-01-31T16:22:00.000-08:00

It's a new year ladies and gentlemen, and that means it's time for new lessons to be learned, new goals to be achieved, and new projects to be undertaken. Speaking of which, I'm right on the verge of cranking up a new project with a really good friend of mine, and we're both VERY excited about it. This project has been a long time coming - we've been talking about doing something together for a little more than a year now, and I can finally feel the wheels turning. I'm going to keep the details of the project under wraps for now, but I'll be revealing more as the year goes by. Here's some teaser artwork to give a taste of what's in store...

That's it for now, but there's more to come! Keep an eye out, because I have a feeling that this one could be special... ;)

Art Goals for 2010

2009-12-20T22:38:00.000-08:00

Hey all, once again it's been an insanely long amount of time since the last post. A lot has been going on, and it's been an altogether crazy year. I've been doing a lot of thinking about my art lately...specifically, my passion for it, and where it might take me in the future. In the process of thinking about these things, I started to think about goals to set for myself in terms of my personal artistic development for the next year. There are still so many things to learn and get better at...it's a never ending waterfall of improvement, and I'm constantly humbled by how many talented artists there are out there (and you had better believe there are a TON of them at Lucasfilm). Here are some of the artistic focuses that I would like to see myself get better at in 2010:

Facial expressions
Understanding the face in general - improvements on my ability to construct a face
Shape development...going from shapes to more defined concepts
Further development of my illustrative style
Potential development of a more realistic style and more realistic rendering
REAL painting (probably start with gouache)
Understanding of digital and traditional brushes better - what brushes to use when?
Getting faster at digital painting
Lighting - making it more dramatic, understanding how light plays on certain surfaces
Understanding use of color - this kind of goes with lighting

There's a lot more stuff I could add to this list, I'm sure. I don't know if I'll post again this year, since I'm on vacation for the holidays. It's SO great to have some time off. This year has been pretty rough. If I don't post again, then Merry Christmas, and I will be back to blogging in 2010. =)

Creatures, Sculptures, and Playstation Controllers, Oh My!

2009-08-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, life has been BUSY! Lucasfilm is really keeping me on my toes! Overall I've been enjoying the job, but I gotta say that the hour and 10 minute commute to work everyday is really killer! Oh well...I've just gotta suck it up for another 7 months. Somewhere in the midst of spending countless hours in my car and balancing a somewhat mild social life with my new work routines, I've found time to squeeze in a little personal creativity over the last month or so. It seems as though this blog is turning more and more into a place for me to post my art and other creative works!

First up on the list of "crazy things that have come out of Cooper's active imagination" are more creature concepts. I continued with my "plant creatures" theme, and produced a few interesting little guys that I find really amusing. =)

And now, I have some cool pictures from a sculpting class that I'm taking at Lucasfilm! I've never sculpted before, and so far the class has been super awesome. The guy teaching, Richard Miller, has been creating sculptures for Industrial Light and Magic ever since the original Return of the Jedi, so he really knows his stuff! Here are a few pics of my male sculpture in progress:

And last but not least, I've finally had the opportunity to get back into my 3D modeling again! I decided to model my Playstation 3 controller as a sort of "warm-up" model, with the intention of doing more elaborate things in the future. For those of you who aren't familiar with 3D modeling, think of it as sculpting, but simulated on a computer. Here are a few pics of the semi-finished model:

And that's it for now! As always, I'll have new things to show in the near future. I've already started working on a few new illustrations, and let me tell you that these next few are going to be more epic than anything I've done before. I'm a little intimidated to be honest, but hey...art is all about challenging yourself to do things you haven't done before, so you can learn how to do them. Good times indeed. =)

Until next post!

Coop

New Art!

2009-06-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Finally, an art update!!!

I've been working on some artwork over the last month or so, and now I finally have time to show it. It's been kind of tough to get stuff done, as I've only been able to work on things for an hour or so during weeknights, and then a little more on Saturdays and Sundays. It's been tough to keep a decent pace with the new job and all, but my creative spirit refuses to quit on me! And with that in mind, I'm very pleased to present three new digital paintings. Check 'em out!

This guy is part of an ongoing drawing project a friend and I are currently engaged in. Every week we'll pick a theme, and this week's theme was "minion." I wanted to do a more cartoony looking dude, so I ended up with this big-headed medieval guard!

This creature is part of a series of drawings I'm doing to exercise my imagination. The series is "forest creatures," and there are several more in the works and on the way.

I'm very proud of this one. Took me quite a while to finish it (although I'm still not sure it's completely "finished..."), but I'm very pleased with the results! One of my friends at work said it reminded them of Le Petit Prince. =)

The End of Art School?

2009-05-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

After a very tumultuous March and April, I finally have some free time on my hands! I wish I could have posted more over the course of the last 4 or 5 months, but the circumstances of my life were just too hectic to allow me to do any blogging. In any case, I'm back with an update on recent art projects and events in my life, and I plan to continue these posts as regularly as I can throughout the course of the year. =)

Today was my last day of art class...and possibly my last day of art school. ...At least, for a little while. There are a few reasons for this. 1. I've come to believe that I can obtain a similar if not better education at a much cheaper school (The Academy of Art University is a private institute, and boy it ain't cheap). 2. I've got a new full-time job working at Lucasfilm Animation. And 3. I don't need the connections anymore - one of the main reasons I chose the Academy was because it had links to the entertainment industry...and now I'm in!

I think I'm just going to focus on the new job at Lucasfilm for at least a year, and then see whether or not I should go back to school to improve my creative abilities. If all goes well, I might be able to teach myself everything I need to know, and move into a more creative position at work. I'm a firm believer that the level of one's artistic abilities has a direct correlation to the amount of thought and effort that person puts into their work, and that one's ability to draw is simply a result of how much time they spend doing it. I.e., I believe that given time and dedication to the craft, a person can improve their artistic abilities without the need for academic training (although it never hurts, and you definitely need critics and mentors!!!). My plan right now is to do just that - to teach myself to the best of my ability with the thoughtful input of others. I'm incredibly fortunate that I'm able to work in an environment that fosters creativity and houses some of the most talented artistic minds in the entertainment industry...it will certainly help my own abilities tremendously.

All that having been said, I've been working a lot on my own stuff recently. While my figure drawing class was really awesome, it was getting to be pretty draining because ALL I ever did was figure drawing. If I wasn't drawing something in class, I was working on a 10 to 40 hour homework project. I need variety; specifically, variety that feeds my imagination. Hyper-realism just doesn't cut it all the time...at least not for me. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm EXTREMELY excited about cranking out some cool concept art and 3D models over the course of the year! Maybe I'll even animate some characters? We'll see hehe....

The most recent batch of concepts that I did were created within the theme of "cave creatures." Don't ask me why I decided to do cave creatures, but it seemed to have to do with the mood I was in at the time. Maybe I had been playing some old Nintendo games haha. Anyways, here are 4, some still works in progress:

Shell Soldier (unfinished)

Rock Eye Monster

Glow Worm (unfinished)

Cave Crawler (sort of unfinished)

I've got a few more Pokemon-ish dudes planned before I move on to the next theme. I'm actually going to create 3D models for a couple of these guys, which should be fun. Now for some more traditional drawings...a few of the final homework pieces that I did in my art class. I'm so glad I don't have to worry about this stuff anymore!!!

Final Homework Drawing #1 - Female Lineart

Final Homework Drawing #2 - Female Rendered

Final Homework Drawing #3 - Male Lineart

Final Homework Drawing #4 - Male Rendered

4th Homework Assignment - Rembrandt Master Copy

There was a lot more in-class stuff that I did for figure drawing, but I don't have the stamina to post all of it right now haha...maybe I'll save the rest for a later date.

Hope you enjoy the artwork, and as always, let me know what you think! Until next post... =)

Art School - Weeks 5, 6, & 7

2009-03-10T23:46:00.000-07:00

Time for another art update! This post will cover the last three weeks of class.

First up is the last major homework piece I worked on - the final rendering of my Grace Kelly photo. Overall, it took me about 3 weeks to complete. I really like the way it turned out...soft, gentle, and absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. This one is for my Dad.

Next up are a couple pictures I've worked on in class. The first is a head drawing of an African American woman. The process I use always involves starting with carefully proportioned lineart, and then moving on to blocking in shapes and values. Observe:

Step 1: lineart with construction lines clearly visible

Step 2: the final rendering

Again, a similar process when drawing the figure. Here's my work from the most recent week of class:

Step 1: lineart

Step 2: shapes and values have started to be blocked in

More artwork to come! I'm doing another Rembrandt copy for my next homework. Should be pretty cool. I'm also working on a 3D model in my spare time...I'll post it here when I'm finished so you can see some of the fancy computer graphics stuff I'm into.

Whew! So much to do, and so little time. Until next post...

Art School - Weeks 3 & 4

2009-02-22T22:57:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while...this month has just been super crazy. I'll try to get you caught up on everything I've been working on at The Academy over the past couple weeks.

For week 3, my homework assignment was to create another master painting copy in black and white. This time, I chose to do a Rembrandt. Here's the original:

And here's how my version turned out:

Here are a couple pics from week 3's in-class long pose:

For week 4, we began what is supposed to be a 30 hour homework assignment. It's being stretched over the course of 3 weeks, so the breakdown is 10 hours a week. The project is to make a copy of an old black and white Hollywood photo, with the goal being to get the copy as close to the original photograph as possible. I've chosen to draw Grace Kelly. She was an absolutely gorgeous actress, and I'm simply amazed by her beauty every time I look at her photos. Believe it or not, she actually went on to become the princess of Monaco after her acting career! How crazy is that?

After getting my instructor's approval, I originally chose to copy this picture:

I finished the lineart on it...

...but unfortunately, there was a bit of confusion when I showed it off in class. It turns out that my instructor had accidentally approved the wrong photo. I'm now working on this photo:

While I don't like it as much as the previous picture, I still feel a good connection to this one. Lots of emotion, especially in the eyes...I think it's going to be really awesome. I just finished the lineart tonight, but I don't have a photograph on my computer yet. I'm a little behind now, but I can't wait to finish it. ;)

I'm actually moving this weekend (that was part of the month's craziness), so I may be MIA for a bit. But neverfear...there are most certainly more art adventures to come!

Art School - Week 2

2009-02-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

This past Thursday marked week 2 of my art class! Time is really flying!

The homework assignment for this week was to make a copy of an old master drawing. I chose to do this:

It's a painting by a guy named Sir Joshua Reynolds. The title of the painting is "Hope." I felt like I really connected with this painting for some reason...maybe it was the surreal nature of it, or the flowing cloth...I'm not really sure. Either way, I really enjoyed drawing it, although it took me a really long time. I think I probably put about 15 hours into this one. Here are some pictures of the work in progress:

Hmm...never did get to finish the background. Oh well. My instructor seemed to like it, saying that he could tell alot of time went into it. However, he didn't like the fact that the edges were clipped. He really wants the homework to fill the entire page. I'll do better next time.

After everyone got to class, we taped our homework to the wall so everyone could see.

Here's the main drawing I did in class...it took way longer than it should have. I think I'm getting better though!

And that's it for now! Next week's assignment is to do another master drawing copy. Hopefully I'll find something a little easier this time around haha...

An Art Student

2009-01-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

Wow. I'm really excited about my art class this semester. Last Thursday was my first day of class, and it was awesome.

For starters, my teacher is great, I've already learned a ton, the homework doesn't feel like homework, and just drawing in a class setting again feels very refreshing. Also, I'm really loving being in the city. My classroom building is right by Fisherman's Wharf, which provides a wonderful scenic view of the Bay and the Bay Bridge. The only downside is that from where I currently live (way down south of San Francisco), the commute is about an hour and a half! Regardless, I'm so thankful for this class and the fact that I've really committed myself to doing what I love. I can't wait to see my progress this semester.

Here are a few pics from the day:

Sunlight hitting San Francisco buildings in the morning

The entrance to my class - room 201

A view of the studio where we draw

Another view of the studio...this is where the models pose

Here are some of the drawings that I did in class...all were done from live models:

My homework for this week is to make a charcoal copy of an old master drawing. I'm thinking about doing a Da Vinci, but I'm not sure yet. Maybe I'll do a Michelangelo or a Rembrandt. Man, this is so cool! I'll update again soon with more stuff! =D

Creative Block

2009-01-26T16:18:00.001-08:00

Well, so far the month of January has been a pretty tumultuous time for me...I've had so much stuff going on that it's been tough to think straight. I'm trying to move, apply for a new job(s), work to pay bills, do my taxes, and get ready for art school all at the same time. Unfortunately, my creativity has kind of run up against a brick wall because all of this other stuff has really sucker punched my ability to focus and just do fun things. That having been said, I've managed to squeak out a couple of sketches in the past 2 weeks that I'm planning on painting soon. So here they are...sneak previews, if you will.

More art to come...I'm going to do another post soon with artwork from last year. Stay tuned! ;)

2008 In Review

2009-01-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

Back to blogging!

At beginning of every new year, I like to look back at the year before to meditate on all of the things I was able to accomplish and all of the exciting and unique things that I was able to experience and be a part of. I believe that by observing the things of the past, I can mature, grow, and think more wisely about the future. So before I forget, I want to briefly take a look back at several of the momentous things that happened to me in 2008. It was a truly wonderful year...I learned so much and matured so much in so many different ways, and I'm now a completely different person - a better person - than I was 1 year ago.

In chronological order, here's a brief list of some amazing things that really "took the cake in '08." Some will make you laugh and some will make you cry...but in the end, every one of 'em had a story attached to it - a unique story that made me stronger, wiser, and more courageous than ever before.

Started playing electric guitar (thanks again Cullen! bigger than you know!)
Went snowboarding for the first time
Graduated from college (HUGE thanks to my parents!)
Got a full-time job
Went on my first mission trip
Performed the hardest manual labor of my life, helping lift somewhere around 3000 lbs of steel rebar
"Switched coasts," effectively moving 3000 miles away from my comfort zone
Learned the realities of being completely independent, paying for bills, food, and an apartment
Learned about startup companies and how they're run
Learned about what it takes to lead a team, and the responsibilities attached to a leadership position
Developed a strong affinity for sushi and ramen
Stood up for my beliefs in the face of a "tolerant" society
Found a new church
Applied to art school
Was accepted to art school
Lost a full-time job and experienced the reality of an economic recession
Gained more freedom and humility, and renewed the light of an adventurous spirit

To conclude, I think 2009 is going to be every bit as amazing as 2008 was, AND MORE! God is so good, and He is always faithful to provide exactly what we need. As a matter of fact, he's already started moving me in incredible new directions...I can't wait to see what this next year has in store.

So what does your year have in store for you? It's all rather exciting isn't it? ;)

"No Boundaries"

2008-09-20T00:29:00.000-07:00

Whoo hoo! After working very sporadically for the last month or so in my free time, I've finally finished what I consider to be my best digital painting ever! It's an image that I've had in my head for a pretty long time now, and at certain points it was so vivid that I would have done myself a great disservice to keep it locked in my imagination. It's sort of an expository piece on how music influences my creativity, and I would even go so far to say that it's a little bit of a self-portrait. Random trivia: the headphones are modeled after my real life Sony's...they're pretty great. =)

So here it is...Click the image for the large version:

Here's another letterboxed version...the way I had originally envisioned it:

Ultimately I'm very proud of what I've accomplished here, although there are a whole bunch of things I dislike and feel I could have done better. I think this was my first really legit piece of concept art...it was a great learning experience, and I'm really looking forward to doing it again. I hope you like the picture; it's very wallpaper friendly, so feel free to use it as your desktop background. =)

Thanks a bunch for looking. I've got a great idea for my next picture and am going to start working on it soon. It's going to be sweet! In the meantime, leave some comments and critique!

Coop

Massive Photo Update!

2008-09-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

Man, I have been seriously slacking with my blog posts! I think that instead of writing an essay on all the things that have happened over the last couple months, I'll just do a quick photo update. Here's a brief glimpse into some recent happenings of my life through the lens of my camera. Enjoy! =)

I'll kick off the photos with my work life. These are the guys that fund Graspr! They're one of the largest venture capitalist firms in the country. At the end of July, I had the privilege of attending a board meeting at their corporate headquarters.

This was the room where the board meeting took place. I swear, it looked like something out of a movie. So cool.

Aaaand when we're not going to board meetings, we're playing with Nerf guns in the office. Haha.

As you can see, I've taken the liberty of updating my bobblehead collection. Darth Vader has taken a worthy place on my desk next to Dwight Schrute. From what I can tell, they get along pretty well.

This is the kind of car that venture capitalists drive. It's kind of awesome.

This is what my table looks like now. I think I almost have the whole surface occupied with some kind of design or art-related thing.

One of the great things about where I live is that the beach is just a little less than an hour away...and in the spirit of summer, I took another day to go to Santa Cruz and draw. Drawing on the beach is great.

There's this awesome place close to where I live called "Sky High"...it's basically a warehouse that's been converted into a mighty trampoline arena. You would be amazed at the workout your legs get from constantly jumping on these things. Oh, and I must admit...dodgeball on trampolines is really fun.

Hey, I know that guy! Cullen came out to visit about a month ago. He and his friend Thomas stayed a my place for about a week. We had some good times.

We went down to Carmel for a weekend. That's the Carmel beach behind them.

Frisbee on the beach...doesn't get much better my friends.

I think this is probably one of my favorite places in the whole world.

Whilst Cullen and Thomas were gallivanting around San Francisco one day, my front left tire's hubcap popped off. Rumor has it that a homeless guy might have stolen the hubcap before they could retrieve it. Unfortunately, they never did find it. I should probably replace it sometime soon. Ha.

After Carmel, we drove down a little of Route 1. It was...phenomenal. Absolutely spectacular scenery. Took my breath away.

Another shot of route 1's gorgeous coastline.

This was quite possibly one of the most amazing sunsets I've ever seen. At the risk of sounding extremely corny, it almost felt like I was staring into heaven. The camera doesn't even do it justice.

Same sunset as the previous picture, but taken at a small beach just south of Carmel. California sunsets are just so unreal.

Believe it or not, there are actually conservatives in this state. McCain/Palin '08 baby. =)

This is a hike that Cullen, Thomas, and I did. It's in the hills behind the Stanford campus...you can almost see the entire Bay Area from here.

Golden, rolling hills. It's beautiful.

As luck would have it, the Braves were playing in San Francisco while Cullen was visiting! Unfortunately, they lost. It's always a treat to visit the stadium though. =)

Alright, I admit it...I went to Toys 'R' Us to buy legos. I'm getting back into Legos ok? Legos are one of the best toys ever conceived in my opinion. I would even go so far to say that if I hadn't been raised on Legos, I wouldn't be in California doing what I'm doing right now. Thanks Mom and Dad. Haha.

This car set was awesome. From what I could tell, it was sort of like what you would get if you mixed a Ferrari with a Delorean. =)

I recently went on a retreat to the mountains with a church group in the area. These are some of my friends from the trip. Really great Christian guys. We'll be hanging out more for sure. =)

Saved the best for last. My official California license plate. Now I'm really not in Kansas anymore. =)

That's it for now! Hope you guys enjoyed the pics. I'll try to post more frequently now that I'm a bit more settled with everything. I've got an art update coming soon, so stay tuned! Peace dudes.

Creators

2008-07-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

You know, it never ceases to amaze me how incredibly magnificent the world is. I constantly look around me and marvel at the beauty, ingenuity, and uniqueness present in all of our physical surroundings. Every time I try to think about how God did it, my mind is blown so far out of proportion that I usually give up the thought completely...and ultimately the only conclusion I ever come to is that my feeble brain simply can't comprehend it all. But then, once I give in to the fact that I can't understand exactly how God did it, my mind is blown even farther when I think about the fact that God has put in every person the ability to be creators themselves - the ability to replicate His creation to some degree.

How awesome is that? The fact that we can take God's creation and use it to create things ourselves. Certainly, we aren't able to create anything completely "new" in the sense that it doesn't fit into the physical ruleset God placed into the universe we live in...but we are able to take great joy in the ability we have to mimic and expand upon everything He has done. To know that I have this ability inside of me is one of the most unbelievable and exciting things I've ever felt. That I have the ability to create...and in creating, I have the ability to explore and dream of new possibilities that are further revelations of the greatness of God's creation. As an artist, whenever I draw, this theological context always seems to sit happily in the back of my mind, silently supporting and enhancing my creative prowess. I think it's one of the main reasons I love art so much.

Recently, I've been studying the human figure...specifically, the face. As I delve into its features more deeply and completely, the human form consistently shows me how brilliantly constructed we really are. There are a staggering amount of mathematical proportions that go into the face's framework. And in all of the mathematically precise logic, the face is molded into an incredibly organic, soft, and breathable shape that can be one of the most pleasing and familiar things to the human eye. It's funny - I used to be afraid to draw people and faces, because they were so complex...but now that I'm starting to get into them, I'm constantly in awe of the level of detail, precision, and beauty to be found in the human form. In fact, the extreme level of complexity present in the human form's architecture is something that now makes me even more excited to continue studying it. It has truly captivated my heart.

I suppose that through my artwork, I'm coming to a greater understanding of the fact that we are literally the pinnacle of God's creation. I can almost just imagine God creating the first man, sitting back, looking at what He had done, and smiling with an air of satisfaction at his ultimate craftsmanship. The same thing happens to me when I draw something I know is good. I believe that you've probably felt it in something that you've created as well. Inevitably, I am constantly more appreciative of my own God-given ability to be a creator. We are ALL creators in some way.

Here are a few of my face drawings from the past week and a half...all freehanded again. Hopefully they're a little better than the last ones I posted. =)

Now a couple of non face-related drawings.

This is an image I've had in my head for the last 3-4 months. I finally took some initiative to get it on paper. Just a quick sketch that will act as a blueprint for the final drawing. =)

Wall-E is coming along nicely. You can compare this picture to the last picture I uploaded of him a couple weeks ago. I think he's much cleaner now. Haven't gotten to the detail stage yet...still just blocking in colors and shapes at the moment. I'm going to continue working on him to get better at digital painting.

Man. How could any artist possibly not be astounded by the craftsmanship of THE master artist? It's just too amazing...haha...

California Update

2008-07-13T23:49:00.001-07:00

Phew! It's been a while since I've given an "real" update on my life out here in California. I think I'm about due, and I have some exciting new things to share. =)

Last week was incredibly busy, mostly due to a very intense (but suprisingly fun) work schedule. After many hours of effort by our wonderful development team, I'm very pleased to announce that Graspr.com has officially come out of "Beta" status. As of last Thursday at 6AM PST, we went live with a bunch of major site updates that will hopefully put us more into the public eye. Graspr.com now has a completely new look and feel; a look and feel that I personally designed...and am still working on. I'm very proud to have my work on display, since this is one of the first times I've ever had any large-scale professional work published for many people to see. Also, we launched our online editing studio - the "remixing studio" as it's lovingly called - which allows people to do very casual video editing right on our website. Simply upload some video clips to your account, hop into the editing studio, and start mixing and mashing your clips together by adding fancy transitions, subtitles, slides, and music. The editing studio is part of our initiative to build a collection of on and off-site tools that will hopefully make the creating and sharing processes much easier and more enticing for our users. Finally, on the marketing side of things (which I am not as knowledgeable about) we spoke to several major press sources to declare that we are, in fact, out of our beta mode and officially launched as a more complete competitor within the how-to videos field. For more information on all of this stuff, you can view our blog entry related to the new site updates here. Also, an official press release on our launch can be found here. =)

So that was work. Work was crazy. What about the non-work related sphere of my life? In general, the last couple weeks have given me two fairly awesome weekends that have pushed me a few steps closer to feeling more at home out here on the west coast. Being the kind of person who often feels the need to "get out of the house," I decided to do a little exploring after July 4th. I'm very big on exploring. As a result, I ended up hanging out at this place called Capitola beach. It's a pretty chill little town that carries all the amenities a beach town could ever ask for - surfers, coffee bars, restaurants, a pier, you name it. Overall, it was very quaint and had a nice California vibe to it. I wanted to relax a bit by myself and take it all in at my own pace, so I made the trip solo. I took my art pad with me, and basically just sat out on the beach and drew people for a few hours. It was great.

Here are a few quick pics from the trip:

Capitola's beach was really cool, although it was a little crowded due to the July 4th weekend traffic.

My essential beach stash. It's just about everything I could possibly need for a beach trip. The only thing missing from this picture is a frisbee. =)

A couple guys I practiced drawing. I was really diggin' the whole skateboarder/beach look.

In addition to the beach-drawing segment of the trip, I found a great coffee bar that served awesome coffee-flavored things and had free-wifi. I stayed there for a bit and did some work. A nice place to work, if I do say so myself.

People were actually very kind when they saw me drawing. Even if the drawing I was doing wasn't very good, they would still take time to say they liked my drawing, and that they thought it was cool I was drawing people. Although, I would personally try to be as stealthy as possible for the people that I was actually using for reference. It was a great exercise, and I'm definitely planning on doing that sort of thing more often, since drawing from life is one of the best ways to improve your figure drawing skills.

Last weekend, I also had the opportunity to do a couple of fun things. For starters, I decided to brave a 1 1/2 hour line at the Apple store in Palo Alto to get one of the new iPhone's. I've had an old Nokia cell for about 5 years now, so I've been waaaay overdue for a new cell. Needless to say, I'm heartily enjoying all of the capabilities that the new iPhone has to offer. I've made good use of Google Maps, GPS, and the speaker phone. I've also browsed the Internet, and uploaded my entire iTunes library to the phone, which I may or may not use as a replacement for my iPod in some cases. I'm also getting a kick out of being able to create custom ringtones. So much fun. =)

Here's a comparison of my old phone to the new iPhone:

My trusty brick phone was a trooper. He will always hold a special place in my heart.

In an effort to continue meeting people and be involved in local activities, I went out to the Stanford campus to play Ultimate frisbee on Sunday afternoon. It felt awesome to get back to doing something athletic, and I met some great folks in the process. I'm going to hopefully be playing with them on a weekly basis from now on. Ah...Ultimate frisbee. How I love thee.

Anyways, that's about it for now I think. I'm gunning for another art update sometime this coming weekend, so check back soon. =)

Peace dudes.

Fireworks

2008-07-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Today was a special day for three reasons.

1. It marked the day that I celebrate my country’s Independence. Happy July 4th everyone.

2. It marked the realization that I’ve been in California for a whole month. Pause for a second. I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what I just wrote. I’ve been in California for a month. A MONTH. Good grief, that’s amazing.

3. It marked my coming to grips with how important it is to make other people feel wanted. To make them feel like they’re a part of something special. To make them feel loved. Let me explain.

Throughout the entirety of the week, I’d been taking in information from various sources (idle talk at work, family plans back home, status messages on Facebook, etc) about what people would be doing for their 4th of July celebrations. And as I looked at what everyone else was doing, I felt a slight tinge of jealousy; a wanting desire to be a part of something special myself. But as it stood, my 4th of July was turning out to be a series of things that “might” happen. And realistically in my mind, it was going to be a series of things that probably wouldn’t happen. On Thursday evening as I drove home from work, a startling realization came to me. I had nothing to do for July 4th. I might not get to see fireworks or hang out with friends. July 4th just might not feel like July 4th. It might just be a “rather uneventful” day.

I was a little shaken. I thought, “Is this ok? Is it ok if I don’t get to see fireworks or be a part of a July 4th celebration?” Yes, of course it was. But it didn’t feel ok. So what was the deal? We can actually take a moment to do some psychoanalysis on my thought processes here. Notice that I immediately jumped to saying, “if I don’t get to see fireworks.” That most certainly wasn’t true. I COULD have seen fireworks if I really wanted to. But apparently that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that I didn’t want to see fireworks by myself. “Social acceptance” is the term I believe. I felt…lonely. And nobody likes to feel lonely.

Fast forward to this morning (the morning of the 4th), and I’m waking up to the sound of my cell phone vibrating silently on my clothes dresser. Who could that be? It was my friend Luke Brodine - Luke and his wife Sara are two very wonderful people that I met through a church I visited the second week I was here. It turned out that Luke was calling to invite me to lunch. Awesome right? It certainly deserved a big “thanks God,” that’s for sure. We enjoyed a great lunch at their place – hotdogs, potato chips, and baked beans. True American food. We ate, we talked, and we watched the semi-finals of Wimbledon. It was fun. But I still couldn’t help but think about the fireworks. July 4th needed fireworks. Maybe they would want to go? So I asked them. And as luck would have it, they said they would like to go with me. (That was another big “thanks God”)

The Brodines are actually new to the Bay Area as well. They’re originally from Clemson back in South Carolina. Remember the southerners I wrote about a couple entries back? Well, there ya go. Anyways, since we're all new to northern Californian July 4th hot spots, we really didn’t have a clue regarding the logistics of seeing a fireworks show. Ultimately, we ended up winging it at this place called Shoreline, which is where the Shoreline Amphitheatre concert venue is located. Although I have yet to see it from the inside, I hear that the theatre is a pretty cool setup. $75 would have gotten us an up close and personal listening experience with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and seats closer to the fireworks. But we didn't do that. $75 was a lot of money. It was actually more like one of those "Ha, yeah right" moments. However, we DID sit outside the amphitheatre in a rather large dirt field. From our vantage point in this field, the amphitheatre was situated directly in front of us, and looked almost like a series of circus tents whose canopies peaked over the trees. To avoid getting our butts covered in soil, we found a few blocks of broken cement to sit on.

The fireworks started around 9:30. We had a flawless view. As I sat there in that dirt field amidst a bed of weeds and thorns watching the fireworks illuminate the night sky, I think I started to get a little teary eyed. Yeah, it was a little uncomfortable. But I was with two great people, and I was watching a fireworks show. I had been given everything I could have possibly wanted for a July 4th celebration. All of my fears of loneliness and isolation had been calmed. I had the company of two other people – two Christian people that not only had selflessly befriended me, but who also sympathized with my situation of feeling somewhat alone.

You see, we all have social urges placed inside of us…we want to feel like we’re “wanted,” like we’re a part of something special. Like we're loved. The fireworks thing today really caught me offguard. I found myself scared, and praying that someone would be there to just be with me. Nobody wants to go through life's special moments by themselves. I certainly didn’t want to see fireworks by myself. I was so fortunate to receive God's grace in this moment. He allowed me to enjoy July 4th with Luke and Sara – two people that I barely know but can feel a bond with – and it was so much better because of it.

It breaks my heart to think of all the people in the world who don’t have a feeling of being part of something special...who don't have a feeling of being loved. The Bible tells us that God and His angels rejoice at our joy in Him. And I can’t help but think that the same context applies to our interactions with other people here on earth. God created us to be socially wanting creatures, because that is the design that He ultimately embodies. He wants us to want Him. And when we want God - truly want Him - and rejoice in Him, He takes joy in that as well. It’s a perfect circle. Am I saying that God needs to feel wanted by us? Certainly not. God doesn't need anything from us. BUT, I am saying that God has designed us to feel a need for love and social acceptance, and to give that same kind of love and social acceptance to others...because it is a design that reflects the type of relationship we should have with Him.

So what's your fireworks show? How could you make someone else feel loved?

Here is a verse to close:

"The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy."

- Zephaniah 3:17

1st Art Post!

2008-06-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Welcome to another weekly blog update. Aside from my usual California updates (which I will continue with shortly), I intend to use this blog as a place to post new art materials that I produce.

As some of you may know, I'll be applying to a master's program at an art school in San Francisco this September - The Academy of Art University. At the moment, my portfolio required for entry is about 80% complete - an advisor recommended that I produce a few more specific pieces of artwork in order to give the faculty exactly what they're looking for. Anyways, in light of applying to The Academy, I plan on drawing a LOT over the next several months. I'm going to try to do a drawing a day. Realistically, that probably won't happen...but it's a good goal for me to shoot for.

This week has been my first week of truly getting back into an art groove. I've been away from my art for so long (Georgia Tech had a tendency to consume most of my time), that I think I had almost forgotten how strongly I'm attached to drawing. It's incredibly exciting for me to finally have time to work within that aspect of life again. Like I've said before...art is my passion. And I want to get a lot better at it.

Right now I'm concentrating on human anatomy....specifically, faces. I've never been able to draw people very well before - if you were to ask me to draw a person without any reference, I simply wouldn't be able to do it. So I'm trying to gain a better understanding of the human figure, with the goal of eventually being able to produce poses and facial expressions from nothing but my own imagination.

To kick off the art craziness, I have several sketches to show from the last few days. All were free handed, but with reference materials to draw from. Check 'em out and let me know what you think. I love to get feedback on this stuff! =)

I love this one. Lots of emotion involved. Not to mention she's gorgeous.

This is my least favorite and the one that gave me the most trouble. I screwed up the proportions big time right off the bat and didn't step back from the drawing in time to realize what I had done. After about 30 minutes into the sketch, I saw my mistake, gasped rather intensely, and had to go back in and make major changes halfway through. Not a fun experience, but she turned out ok I guess.

My favorite so far. I love the eyes and the smile - bright, warm, and inviting. I also think she looks the most realistic out of the 3.

"Waaaa-AAAAlll-E!!!!!"
I'm incredibly excited about the new Pixar movie right now. So excited in fact, that I've decided to do a digital painting in its honor. This is a work in progress, and I'll be posting more updates soon. ;)

Oh yeah!!! One more thing. Since I'm doing sketches of people's faces right now, I thought it would be fun to sketch some of you guys! Soooo, if you would like me to do a quick sketch of your face, send me a picture at my e-mail address (cooperwelch@yahoo.com) - OR - send me a link to a picture you've already got online either through a message on Facebook, or a link in a blog comment. You KNOW you want to see yourself as a drawing. Of course, I can't guarantee that it's going to look anything like you...but you'll get a kick out of it anyways, and you'll be helping a good cause. Ha! ;)

2nd Week in California

2008-06-20T23:30:00.000-07:00

Today is June 20th - a day that marks my survival of week number 2 on the west coast. Time is FLYING by. It's ridiculous. I thought it was fast before...but man. The adults weren't kidding when they said it only gets faster as you get older.

This week has seen the completion of several important tasks. First and foremost, I was able to get Internet set up at my apartment. Hooray! I feel slightly more connected to the outside world now. It's not wireless yet, which is unfortunate because I'm unable to simultaneously use the Internet and sit on my couch at the same time. My cable just doesn't reach that far. Durn.

Secondly, I was able to pick up a few pieces of furniture that have rocketed my apartment's look and feel from "Ok, you're still getting settled" to "Wow you have a nice place." I now have a dining room table, which is incredibly awesome (thanks Mom for doing the search on that one). It's expandable/collapsible and makes for a perfect drawing table. Actually it kind of reminds me of the table I used for all of my work back home. This wonderful new table has claimed the spot that my white desk was sitting in (refer to my "Moving In" blog entry for a picture), because it completely and totally eclipses the desk in terms of overall niceness and efficiency for my artwork.

There she is. You can see my artwork hanging on the wall too.

Also, I picked up these nifty little stools for the living room area (once again, thanks Mom). They're pretty sweet - great for propping your feet up to watch TV or play videogames. Not that I'm able to watch TV or play videogames yet...but I will be soon. Additionally, the tops of the stools flip over to become mini-tray tables. Dinner and a movie? Aw yeah.

Cool no?

Mmmm...footrests. Now if only I had a TV. That coffee table sure does look lonely.

On the work front, I've been able to complete several large design tasks over the last few days. Generally speaking, work has been going great. They're keeping me super busy at Graspr, and it feels good. So far I've really enjoyed everything, and my coworkers have really liked my work. I have a ton of creative freedom, and my tasks thus far have catered towards being broad, varied, and challenging. One of the main reasons I've been so busy is due to a massive deadline coming up. On July 1st, we're going live with several major updates to the site - updates that will hopefully put us more into the public eye. On a more personal level, July 1st will also mark the first time any of my professional design work will be published for the rest of the world to see. And that's a pretty awesome thought...that hundreds of people could see and interact with stuff that I've worked on. Take a good look at the site now...because I'm pushing for some pretty radical changes to happen soon.

This is called the Adobe Creative suite. It's a $900 software package that I use for a lot of my work. I finally got my own copy this week. And that makes me a happy camper. =)

On the social side of things, I made a big step towards actually meeting people out here. For the first 4 days of the week (Sunday through Wednesday), life was a bit monotonous - I would get up in the morning, go to work, come home, and make dinner/twiddle my thumbs for the majority of the evening. However, due to my appetite for activity, I was determined to change the routine. So on Thursday evening, I went to hang out with a local group of young adult churchgoers. And they were really great people! Turned out that a bunch of them were from the South too! Nobody from Atlanta, but the closest to home that I remember was a couple from Clemson. It was great to make a step towards getting plugged in somewhere...especially with people who appreciate college football and BBQ pork sandwiches.

Anyways, I think that's about it for now. I'll close this entry with a little taste of west coast economic reality. This is a picture I took at a gas station the other day. You'll notice that Regular Unleaded is $4.49 a gallon. This is the CHEAPEST gas I've found so far....the cheapest. Yeah. Could someone please go ahead and come out with a better fuel alternative? Geez.

I believe the word "yikes" would be appropriate right about now.

PS - Am really missing everyone back home. Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support. I'll keep updating my blog with more info on my life out here in California! =)

1st Week in California

2008-06-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

Wow. I’ve been in California for a whole week. And it’s very tempting for me to say it almost doesn’t feel real.

But it IS real. And I can’t even begin to tell you how quickly this last week has flown by. Ever since arriving last Wednesday, my mom and I have been moving at a seriously breakneck pace to get my new apartment in order and take care of other specific home and work related materials. But aside from continuing to get settled into my new life here on the West Coast, this week marked the first 5 days of officially stepping into my new job at Graspr.com.

Before I move on, a little about what I do at Graspr. I’m a “designer.” I’m the idea guy. I’m the equivalent of an architect for the Internet. I come up with cool ideas for new technologies and web interfaces, draw up the blueprints, program interactive prototypes, and make everything look pretty. At Graspr, I am currently THE designer. I am THE idea guy. It’s a pretty sweet gig being one of the creative leads for the company…but believe me when I say it’s a lot of responsibility.

Speaking of which, the “responsibility” thing hit me pretty hard on Monday. I went in to my first day on the job extremely nervous and scared…and the whole time I think I kept asking myself whether or not I really did the right thing taking a job with a startup company nearly 3000 miles away from my comfort zone. The day turned out to be a whirlwind of activities - I met some new people, got my desk and computer set up (I was given a new 15’’ MacBook Pro for work! Whoo hoo!), and started the process of figuring out exactly what I needed to be doing. I had a brief session with my boss and mentor, John Robinson, regarding what I would be working on soon…but I was so nervous with the realization of my new position’s heavy weight, that I had a hard time taking it all in. Regardless, I shook my head in approval and tried to look happy, but ultimately questions unspoken went unanswered, and I felt swept up into a giant abyss of anxiety and fear. At the end of the day, I was left feeling very overwhelmed.

On the plus side of things, Monday wasn't too bad - I did get a free lunch courtesy of John (free lunches are a tradition for new employees in Silicon Valley companies). And honestly, I don’t let new situations get my down that easily. It just takes me a little while to get accustomed to a new place, and more often than not I place too little faith in my own abilities. So I took a deep breath and tried to relax a little.

And then Tuesday came. I met with Teresa Philips, our fearless leader and head honcho at Graspr. She’s an awesome person, a very experienced businesswoman, and a true visionary. We talked for a long time. She gave me her rundown of what Graspr was all about, and what she had in mind for the company in the near future. And to my relief, she gave me a clue about where I would fit in. To say the least, I felt MUCH better after our meeting was over. My energy was coming back to me. Tuesday afternoon was a blur, but at least I felt better.

On Wednesday morning, I met with John again. We had a great session, and were able to really nail down exactly WHAT I should be doing in the ‘here and now.’ I think figuring out my most immediate task was the breath of fresh air that I needed – it finally felt like my feet had hit the ground. And man, if my feet were moving, they sure did take off fast. I was right into the heat of things on day number 3! (These startups don't waste any time). I did a few design mock-ups that afternoon, all hand sketches…and it was during those sketches that I remembered exactly why I choose to be a designer. I absolutely love it.

So I went in to Thursday morning with a much more confident attitude. It was a good thing too, because I had my first design review session. A quick note for those of you not in the know: design review sessions are when designers really get tested. It’s when your stuff is put out there for the other smarter people to make cake batter out of. Bearing this in mind, I was a little nervous. Teresa, John, and I went over the designs I created on Wednesday afternoon. And much to my chagrin, they really liked them. They liked them! Obviously, they didn’t let me get away without suggestions, but the important thing was that they fed off of my ideas in a really positive way. They related to my designs. And most importantly, I finally had a good feeling about what I was doing.

And that was when everything clicked. Graspr felt right. I guess I never realized how much doubt I really had in my mind until I got out here. But doing those designs and getting that positive feedback was the encouragement I needed.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt now that this is the place I’m supposed to be. Without question, God has led me here. And after talking to Teresa and getting a feel for what Graspr aspires to be, I can confidently say that this company has the potential to do great things. And I’m going to do my best to help them get there.

I'm still in the process of getting things settled in my new apartment...but California is just as awesome as I remember it to be - great weather, a relaxing atmosphere, and amazing sunsets....And I've got a good feeling about this job.

Here are some photos from my first 5 days in the California working world!:

The outside of the office

Getting closer...

Hooray for flowery welcome signs!

My cubicle was so empty that first day...but wait. Was that a new 15'' Macbook Pro sitting on the desk there? I believe it was. =)

It's like a little bundle of joy.

And there she is in all her glory.

My buddy Amol. He's a Flash wiz.

Hey! Now I'm getting somewhere with my cube decor.

My new whiteboard. An absolute must for any designer. Believe it or not, all of those scribbles actually mean something.

Another shot of the cube...I've got my art kit ready to go on the right.

I set up Christmas lights in the hallway behind my cube. You can see some of my sketches starting to take over the wall...I plan on turning it into a design wall of awesomeness.

MK, this is for you. I've still got Dwight with me. My office just wouldn't be complete without him. =)

Moving In! - Day 1

2008-06-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

WHOOHOO!

Guys, it's official. I've got my own place. My own digs. My own pad. My own casa. My own APARTMENT.

Aw. Yeah.

Today marked the first day of moving my stuff in. Having successfully unloaded all of my boxes and furniture from the truck, I think I can confidently speak for both my mom and myself when I say "good riddance" to the 16' Penske beast. That thing was not fun to deal with, believe me.

As luck would have it, it turns out that the apartment is a pretty sweet setup. It's in a VERY nice complex (which I plan on exploring later), has a ton of space, lots of windows for ambient lighting, a porch, my own walk-in closet, and a great kitchen that I plan to make full use of.

Anyways, the roadtrip is over. I've made it to California. I'm here to stay for a while. And I'm absolutely stoked. I've still got a long ways to go in terms of getting settled, but it's really starting to feel like my new home!

Here are some pics from the trip and of my new place. You can click on any of them to get larger photos. =)

The truck and me.

My mom, the truck driver.

THIS is why moving is expensive. We were averaging 75$+ a stop...

A nice walkway in my apartment complex.

This is the guy I park next to. Hehe.

Thumbs up, let's do this.

Welcome welcome! There's my couch on the wall over there.

This is my work desk, aka, my art desk. It's lit really well, and it looks out across my living room onto the patio. I'm going to set up my TV (when I get one) so that I can watch TV while I draw. Oh, and that's the kitchen in the back.

And this is my patio.

Here's the view from my patio across the living room.

I even have my own walk in closet! I've never had my own walk in closet before! =)

That's it! We are DONE with this thing.

And this is just a random mirror shot. Because I like to take these kinds of pictures.

And that's it for now! Tomorrow I'm going to be doing less of the "moving stuff" and more of the "moving in." Supposedly I'll have a bed to sleep on by tomorrow night as well. So that'll be sweet. My first night officially sleeping in my new apartment. Ha! This is so cool.

Change

2008-06-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Welcome to the inaugural post of my new personal blog! I've been meaning to start a blog for quite a while now, and I'm super stoked about finally having this new outlet for sharing my thoughts, ideas, and general inner workings with you.

For my first blog entry, I'd like to write about something pertinent to the newest chapter of my life. Something fairly heavy that I know many of you can relate to. I'd like to write about change.

By worldly standards, this is a very "big" time in my life. I've recently graduated from college (hooray!), and am now on the path of pursuing my first professional career in the working world. God has been very good to me - I'm moving to northern California, am starting an exciting new job, and am financially secure for my first foray into true independence. Life is good, and I'm very thankful.

A friend said to me a couple weeks ago, "Cooper, you're an adult now!" I thought about his statement for a second. Then I realized, I didn't like it very much. In fact, I think my subconscious might have gagged a little when he said it. His words, as playful as they were, made me realize that things were drastically changing in my life...and I became a little scared for a minute.

Over the last month or so, I've had a lot of people ask me how I feel about moving my life to California. "Are you excited? Are you nervous? Are you scared?" And my answer to all of those questions is a resounding YES. Moving my life from the east coast to the west coast is a change that is simultaneously exciting, nerve wracking, and incredibly terrifying. But what's interesting to me is that all of those answers could be classified as good things or bad things. And while thinking about those answers as being good or bad is all fine and good, I can't help but think that the good vs. bad context is missing the point.

Here's what I'm getting at. You always hear people talking about change like it's good or bad. You hear them say, "Change is good!" or "I don't like change..." or something along those lines. But you know, I've been thinking about change being good vs bad...and while it certainly can be good or bad, change in and of itself is so much more than that. Change is NECESSARY.

Certainly, A change can be good. A change can be bad. But the process of change goes beyond being good or bad. It's a tool that God uses to grow us as individuals. If we never experienced changes, then we would be stagnant. We would never mature; we would never continue in our walks of becoming the people that God wants each of us to be.

In thinking about change and how it matures us, I've also been thinking about qualities needed during changes. Specifically, there are 3 main characteristics that I keep coming back to as I go through these big changes in my own life.

First, Courage. Without courage, we wouldn't have the fortitude to take on new tasks that God places before us. Always have courage, and change won't ever scare you.

Second, Perseverance. Without perseverance, we wouldn't have the stamina or mental attitude to continue in our changes. Have perseverance and change won't ever get you down.

And third, Wisdom. Without wisdom, we wouldn't know what a change was for. If change presents itself to you and you don't learn anything from it, then it hasn't really served it's purpose. Ask God for wisdom to discern what a change is doing for you, and you'll certainly grow and mature from it.

Change is an intimidating thing, for sure. But it's also a wonderful tool that God uses to add color and excitement to our lives. It's a NECESSARY tool that God uses to GROW us. So, if change presents itself to you, keep these things in mind. Remember that change is God's tool. Be courageous enough to face it. Have a persevering attitude. And ask yourself how God is using it to grow you.

I'm really going to miss you guys back home. But I'll also be praying that you will continue to grow towards becoming the people that God wants you to be. For those of you who are about to experience big changes (and I know many of you are!!!)...don't be afraid or depressed. Be exceedingly joyful in knowing that God is speeding up your growth process. =)

FYI, I'm about a day away from being at my final destination. I'll write again very soon, and post pictures of the trip and my new apartment.