The Art of Kyrstin Avello

169 - Day Fifteen

2012-02-15T21:05:00.000-08:00

Trying something a little different!

This was actually based on a graduation card I received from a neighbor. It was adorable, and I wanted to try a different rendition.

168 - Day Fourteen

2012-02-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

I suppose there's something ironic about drawing Wonder Woman on Valentine's Day, but I'll leave it open for interpretation.

Anywho. I kind of dig her "new" outfit, released back in 2010. It's so much more battle appropriate than the iconic costume we're all used to, let's be honest.

167 - Day Thirteen

2012-02-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday and I'll draw my favorite Disney Princess if I want to! ;)

166 - Day Twelve

2012-02-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

"I was just reading books. So, I'm not a moron. Anyway. Just finished the last one. The hardest one. Machiavelli. Do not know what all the fuss was about. Understood it perfectly."

I had way too much fun thinking of books for him to read. The big one that's turned around is Aristotle's biography, of course.

165 - Day Eleven

2012-02-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

90's kids know where it's at! Though admittedly I'm a bit biased, but we had it all. Tamagotchi, Pokemon, Digimon, Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, tie-dye shirts, N64... the list goes on.

Speaking of Pokemon. I always chose Squirtle.

1. because he's awesome, and 2. because he could easily beat Brock. I tried playing once with Charmander and didn't have the patience to level up in order to beat all the rock Pokemon Brock had.

And that is today's nostalgic yet useless information!

164 - Day Ten

2012-02-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

"Those gosh-darn aliens, making all that racket...!"

Great movie, btw.

(Also. Three cheers for cell photos > scanning.)

163 - Day Nine

2012-02-09T13:09:00.000-08:00

SPOILERS.

I have such a love/hate relationship with River Song.

But Alex has some epic, epic hair.

162 - Day Eight

2012-02-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

I'm exploiting this "a quick sketch is better than nothing" loophole all too often.

Also: blahhhh.

161 - Day Seven

2012-02-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

With the exception of two small(ish) snowstorms and a week or so of 20 degree weather, this winter has been really tame and boring. Especially compared to last year's Snowmageddon, where we had drifts as high as seven or eight feet.

The past two weeks have been especially dreary, gray, rainy, and muddy.

160 - Day Six

2012-02-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

159 - Day Five

2012-02-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

Things you should know:

1. I love the color blocking trend.
2. I also love Nadia's blog.

158 - Day Four

2012-02-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

Kind of busy today, so only a quick sketch.

I want to draw Chell more. She's rather awesome and compared to the 'bots (who are also awesome) she gets no love.

Basically, with this game there's no lack of awesome going around.

157 - Day Three

2012-02-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

Trying something a bit different.

GLaDOS always struck me as a sour, old, evil aunt with a crazy-modern fashion sense despite always talking about 'the good ol' days.'

One of these days I'll do something original, I swear.

156 - Day Two

2012-02-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

Fezzes are cool.

155 - Day One

2012-02-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

February Daily Draw Challenge!

The Rules:
1. For the month of February, every contestant must draw and post at least one image a day every single day of the month. That's 29 days. Leap year!
2. You can post more than 1 image each day, but they don't 'carry over'. (so if you post 2 drawings on Monday, you still have to post at least one on Tuesday)
3. You can post sketches, finished art, sculptures, works-in-progress, comic strips, anything, as long as it was done that day.
4. If you miss a day, there isn't TOO much shame in that, but there is HUGE shame (huge!) in posting 'old' sketches as your daily entry. The point of this challenge is to DRAW every day (not merely to post something each day), so the drawings MUST be new. A new stick-man is better than an old masterpiece.
5. Crappy sketches are infinitely better than no sketches at all!

If this isn't the weirdest roundup of sketches I've ever seen, I don't know what is.

(Note: Elana totally gave Nate the clown doll. Also, Elana is really hard to draw.)

154 - First book of the year

2012-01-20T21:51:00.000-08:00

One of my new years resolutions was to read more. As such, I just finished my first book of the year in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was just as graphic as I'd heard, but it was very good nonetheless. Lisbeth is super awesome, and I couldn't resist drawing her.

Somewhere down the road I'll draw her in her "normal" outfits of leather jacket/jeans/boots/etc. But I loved how she forgoes all that "armor" in the latter half of the book, when she's more comfortable in her situation and immerses herself in her work.

153 - Vacation

2012-01-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

2012 has started out really fun! We had a family vacation to Orlando, and went to the four Disney parks. It was crowded when we first got down there due to the Disney marathon last weekend, but afterwards it emptied out nicely and the wait times were bearable. I did lose my sunglasses on Space Mountain - which was a bummer - but the trip overall was a blast.

I received an iPhone for Christmas/graduation, and ever since I've been obsessed with Instagram! As such, here are a few random photos from my trip:

Now to buckle down and get to work!

152

2011-12-29T21:35:00.000-08:00

The last days of 2011 are upon us! I'm kind of excited for the new year; lots of unknowns, but lots to look forward to as well!

I recently opened up a print shop on Society6 - I've been seeing more and more artists use the site, and I caved upon seeing the neat things you can opt for in regards to products. Check out my page here.

The image above was actually going to be a print, but the resolution wasn't adequate. Opening the shop not only made me realize the lack of work I have - an utterly sad realization - but it's also really inspiring seeing the diverse work of other artists on the site.

Happy viewing!

151 - Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T22:32:00.000-08:00

I actually made something Christmas-y this year!

Confession 1: I totally had a red velvet dress like that when I was 3.

Confession 2: I also totally had one of those furry hand muff... things.

Confession 3: Can we bring back that look for kids? Because it's adorable, and I question kids' styles of today.

Despite the fact I've been in "Christmas mode" since the day after Thanksgiving, I find it hard to believe today is the big day! I spent the morning with my mom doing some last minute shopping - something I thought would be terrible, but the crowds weren't bad at all! My dad then made dinner, and we spent the afternoon watching the BBC America Doctor Who marathon, because yes we are in fact a house of nerds.

And because I can, my top Christmas songs! In no particular order:

1. Do They Know It's Christmas, Band Aid
2. Little Drummer Boy, Josh Groban
3. Dominic the Donkey, Lou Monte
4. Mary's Boy Child, Boney M
5. Little Saint Nick, The Beach Boys
6. Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Bruce Springsteen
7. Wonderful Christmastime, Paul McCartney
8. Last Christmas, Wham!
9. Snoopy's Christmas, The Royal Gaurdsmen
10. Happy Holidays, Andy Williams

An honorable mention goes out to I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. I also like Christmas Shoes, but it's a miracle if I'm not sobbing by the time it's over. In regards to songs I hate with the passion of a burning sun? John Lennon's Happy Christmas. And Jimmy Fallon's bit on Santa Baby will always hold a special place in my heart. That song... just: no.

150

2011-12-14T21:23:00.000-08:00

Today was my last official day of classes. It was pretty bittersweet, really. It's funny: I've been looking forward to graduating for a while, and the finality of it is only now sinking in. I kept thinking of all the "last times" I had today. (Ex: Last time at the loop campus, last time using my CTA pass, last time using the open labs, last time getting caffeine from the Starbucks across the street, etc.)

I was running around getting signatures for my graduation release part of the day, but had the chance to sit in on the last day of life drawing with one of my favorite instructors.

I think the times were 10, 10, 10, 15. Apparently the last one is a yoga position called the mermaid. I can only dream of being that flexible!

I'm super rusty, but it was a lot of fun heading back to ye'old life drawing room. That's definitely a "last time" I'm sad over.

149 - 2011 Art Summary

2011-12-08T14:56:00.001-08:00

Saw a bunch of artists I admire on Tumblr doing this, so I jumped in on the fun.

Full confession: I cheated a bit, because May/November were kind of lacking in terms of work.

Sadly, I didn't draw as much as I would have liked, but I did animate quite a bit more than last year, so I guess it evens out a bit. ~~At least, that's what I'm telling myself.~~

148

2011-12-04T21:55:00.001-08:00

Digital re-painting of Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles. Because I can. And I love this painting, for whatever reason.

Actually, I'm going to attempt to do an experimental animation... thing. Here's hoping it turns out, as I've been wanting to do it for months and finally made time today between work and my ethics paper.

It was a lot of fun to work on thus far! I liked trying to imitate the paintbrush strokes in Photoshop. And if it isn't obvious, I had a ton of fun painting wood.

147 - Capstone paper

2011-12-03T23:07:00.001-08:00

After six(ish) weeks, my research paper is finally complete! I had the help of some amazing friends in terms of proofreading, and I can finally say it's finished! 17.5(ish) pages on the history of animation and where it's heading. Deep stuff, I know. It was so hard condensing it to such a short paper! Yet, I swear when I print it out it feels like a book.

I'm sorely tempted to pass it out to people on the train and downtown for all to read.

I also failed to mention the fact I bought stickers of my work! I used Moo.com, and they turned out amazing. I only recently ordered my business cards, so they haven't come yet - priorities, I know - but I'm in love with these babies.

Sorry for the image quality - my phone is showing its age!

I'll have art coming along soon, I promise. School/work have been fighting for my time, and the stuff I do have I can't show yet.

146 - Biggest post ever!

2011-11-29T20:20:00.001-08:00

Dug this sketch out from a while back and played with it a bit. Anyway... my dad is on a Christmas movie spree, and that means the holiday ritual of watching Holiday Inn has arrived. I'm so ready for winter and the holidays!

The day after Thanksgiving, I ventured into the garage and dug out our Christmas decorations. (This in and of itself was a feat, as my garage terrifies me, but I digress.) Last year we bought a tree with built in lights, so half the hassle of putting the tree up was taken care of. Above are two of my favorite ornaments - the Rapunzel one I bought last week at Hallmark, while the Ariel I bought at the Disney Outlet store in Orlando last November.

One of my favorite lifestyle/fashion blogs, Nicolette Mason, has done a series of wishlists, and it was only a matter of time before I fell victim to this trend. And if this isn't the strangest holiday wishlist - or wishlist in general - than I don't know what is! This mostly consists of things I've been eying for a while now, but for whatever reason haven't had time nor the chance (or money) to get it.

I found it somewhat therapeutic to do this! So despite how egotistical it may seem to round up material goods you long for, I recommend it. We all need "goals," am I right?

For curious minds... Or, in the chance the fam reads this! ;)

01. I'm a sucker for quilted bags lately. F21 02. Leopard print... my achilles heel. ASOS 03. Epic necklace is epic. And gorgeous. F21 04. Aren't they adorable? As part of the Glen Keane/Mark Henn animator collection. Ariel, Rapunzel 05. I'm probably the last person on Earth to buy/play this... In an attempt at being responsible I've forced myself to wait until after graduation before I do so. Amazon 06. What'd I say about leopard print? It's sad, really. F21 07. Sadly I wasn't able to see this in theaters, but owning the Art of book and the DVD works for me. Amazon 08. As of late, I'm really interested in color scripts. I chalk it up to sites like this and this. Amazon 09. If this isn't on your wishlist, you either have one, or you're lying to yourself. Apple 10. Don't judge. Amazon 11. I admit I didn't care for this season, but episodes like The Doctor's Wife and The Girl Who Waited (as well as my OCD, as I own the previous seasons) necessitate me getting this. Amazon 12. I actually have several art history books on my wishlist. It's so hard to choose just one! Amazon 13. If these are as cozy as they look, I'll take five. F21

145 - CTN

2011-11-18T11:41:00.001-08:00

Due to monetary reasons, I'm stuck in Chicago this year for CTN. I was really hoping to attend, as it sounds like such a fantastic experience, both in terms of the panels and the wonderful talents you meet. Perhaps next year!

I spent the day in class, and afterwards worked a bit on my lipsync animation. It's still in stepped, but progress was made. Brownie points if you know what the audio is from!

144 - Numb

2011-11-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

My great grandmother passed away today. She was 96 years young.

She had the biggest heart, and was one of the strongest, most stubborn women I have ever, and will ever know.

Growing up, we were somewhat of a troublemaking duo. She'd babysit me a lot, and we'd go for walks and keep my dad awake when he worked midnights. On weekends, I'd spend the night at her apartment where we'd make fresh orange juice and thin pancakes. When she got older, and couldn't come out to the suburbs as much, I'd call her. We'd sit on the phone for hours, sometimes talking, sometimes in silence as we went about doing things.

We also had many "inside jokes," so to speak, involving squirrels. She once told me that all squirrels had rabies, and I believed her for years and years. (I became especially concerned about this after seeing Old Yeller, but I digress.) She also had a squirrel at her apartment once. He'd found his way inside by chewing through her A/C unit, and to this day I remember sitting at the window, scolding the animal on her behalf once we'd managed to get it out.

She also loved her sweets. French donuts were her favorite, but in terms of homemade goods, kolache were her forte. My mom jokes, saying those kolache sealed the deal on my parent's marriage.

Needless to say, I'll miss her terribly.

143

2011-10-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

Been inspired by a lot of posts over at Lookbook.nu as of late! Loving all the fall colors/trends. (Reference.)

Also, this may be my last post for a while. Or, at the very least they will be far less frequent. This until late November as I have lots to do with school, work, and my great-grandmother's health.

142 - More Blair Flair

2011-10-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

I found myself working on more of these last night and into this morning. They're quite stress-relieving!

I actually had plans for a few more, but family things came up today and that included spending a vast part of the day in the ER. Today was kind of an emotional train-wreck in that regard.

That said, I may very well have a few more of these girls coming along the pipeline, as I could use more stress relieving.

141 - Mary Blair

2011-10-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Mary Blair's birthday - she would have been 100!

I remember when I was in my design fundamentals course, and I was looking up various artists for a paper and stumbled upon The Art and Flair of Mary Blair in the library. What a wonderful surprise - so much eye-candy!

I love how recognizable her style is.

(Also, check out Google's tribute!)

140

2011-10-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Astrid!

Goodness, this is becoming a fanart sketchblog, isn't it? I'll have original stuff coming soon to amend that, promise.

139

2011-10-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

I recently bought Thor on an errand trip to Target - it was on sale, and we never had a chance to see it in theaters. I'd heard good things about it from friends, so I was banking on it being good. Lo! It was. It really, really was. Originally I was under the impression it was going to be terrible- I'd though it was rushed to get made/released in time for The Avengers next year. But I couldn't have been further from the truth.

So here's Loki! Because Tom Hiddleston was awesome in that role. (And I may or may not have wanted an excuse to draw that epic helmet.)

138 - Igor's Reveal

2011-10-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

I find it sad that I hardly ever post animation on here, and so I'm going to fix that! Above is a quick tidbit I did using one of the characters from my team animation course last quarter. (For curious minds: Ivan Hobbs is the awesome fellow who created the character.)

137

2011-10-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

A quick doodle I did while Skyping with my sister. (Is Skyping a verb now?)

Inspired by the fact that I actually branched out and tried the Pumpkin Spice Latte Starbucks is so famous for. While Vanilla Lattes are still number one in my book, it was actually pretty good!

I was playing around with pastel colors, and wound up saturating it anyway. I'm a sucker for vibrant colors.

Also: I'm endlessly amused at the cup looking like cardboard... but the Skype call ended, and I kind of forgot about this.

136

2011-10-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

Last of the Portal 2 art I've done... I promise. Mild Portal 2 spoilers.

GLaDOS gets even. (That poor bird hanging around the lab will never have its eggs hatch.)

On a much more serious note: the news of Steve Jobs' passing is terribly sad. Granted, everyone knew it was coming- especially given him stepping down- but not nearly so soon. Then I think back to the video of his commencement speech at Stanford I watched a few months ago, and how the doctor who first diagnosed him had predicted he wouldn't last a few weeks let alone several years. Remarkable.

His ingenuity and drive for success was inspiring, and his vision of "simple and great" helped shape so much- from the computer I'm using to the industry I aspire to work in. He truly was the modern day Walt Disney, as Austin stated. There have been so many tweets, Facebook statuses, and blog posts about him and his legacy, and rightfully so. He'll be sorely missed.

135 - Range Day

2011-10-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today my dad, grandpa, sister, my dad's friend, and I all went to a sportsman's club to use the shooting range. It was a blast! (No pun intended.)

It was my first time using a rifle, and while it was intimidating at first, it became fun fast. The first two I tried had a ton of kick-back, especially the latter.

One of my AR-15 targets, shooting from about 40 yards away. (Note: I sound so much more educated on the subject than I really am- trust me!)

Oh, so story time. While shooting was fun and all, it gets to be repetitive as you're constantly going to and fro to see where you hit. So repeat this short comic several times over and my feet are killing me. (Not to mention my shoulder, and my middle finger, etc.)

134 - More Portal 2 - SPOILERS!

2011-10-01T22:52:00.000-07:00

Yea... more Portal 2 stuff. Be warned, there are blatant, blatant spoilers in this post. So... you've been warned.

Re: the final cut scene. I can see GLaDOS taking a page out of Ratigan's book: "Goodbye! So long! Farewell! Arrivederci!" Etc, etc, etc. Then, after making some off putting comment under her breath, she'd retreat back into the lab, dead-bolting the door with umpteen different locks.

I'm sure going through the stages of depression while floating in space for eternity, he'd sit in a huff in the anger stage for quite a while...

Poor dude.

Oh to have random encounters between these two, post-Chell's departure. Wheatly would totally be a bit of a snot, making random bird calls when it's least expected. This of course would scare the pants right off GLaDOS. (Can you blame her?)

Oh, and the bit where he's yelling about not being a moron? Heartbreaking.

133 - Portal 2

2011-09-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

I finished Portal 2 tonight! (I know, I know. I'm five months late to the party. Don't remind me.)

Oh, Valve. Such perfection! Amongst the overall amazingness of this game, I have to applaud the writing. Fantastic! I was dying of laughter the entire time. And I was utterly crushed with Wheatly's arc. Goodness.

So what did I do upon finishing the game? I jumped on the Let's-make-GLaDOS-and-Wheatly-human bandwagon. I apologize for nothing- I love them both dearly.

Speaking of video games- one month until Drake's Deception! Can't wait!

132 - Spaghetti Western

2011-09-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

Recently, True Grit (the 1969 version) was on TV while I was visiting my great grandmother. I only caught the first twenty minutes or so, but I'm kind of on an old-western kick now...

131 - Blood, Sweat, and Tears

2011-09-22T08:51:00.001-07:00

Here are some screenshots from the film I worked on as part of a team animation course. It was eleven weeks in the making, and in the final two days we were able to make everything come together rather nicely. This film has everything- 3D animation, 2D animation, and 2.5D animation.

There were a lot of frustrations, but overall I really had fun working on this. I'm so appreciative of all those who contributed- we had some extremely talented people in the class (some of which graduated now), and I'll miss working with them a lot!

130

2011-09-17T17:31:00.001-07:00

Recently I wound up redoing my skeletal study from a few months ago, to make it more accurate. And of course, more Bonnie sketches:

And here are a few quick sketches I did while watching Craig Ferguson's "Does This Need to be Said?" stand up routine on Netflix. For the record, I'd definitely recommend it- it was hilarious.

129 - Platform Velvet Pumps

2011-09-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of obsessed with velvet platform heels right now. I think they look adorable. Should I find a pair in gray or red, they would be an instant buy. Never mind the fact that it'd be impossible to walk in them- especially as most of the pairs I've come across have a heel anywhere from 5 to 6".

Take these, for instance. Adorable! And, here's the best part- with shoes like that, who needs pepper spray? Take those puppies off and you got yourself a weapon. (I kid, I kid... kind of.)

128 - Lineart

2011-09-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

Worked on this a bit in between animating in Photoshop/After Effects yesterday, and then just went all out and finished it tonight. (Referenced used: my 3D diner)

(I intentionally left out any and all text, only because that's a beast in and of itself... a beast I'm going to face another day.)

127 - WIP

2011-09-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a small taste of an illustration I'm working on in my free time.

I've never really posted "teaser shots" before. I see people do it on various sites, or on their own blog, and after working on this a bit, I figured, "Why the heck not." It's kind of exhilarating, not gonna lie! Except now the pressure is on to get this done.

I haven't decided if I'll keep it 100% digital, or work in pens and watercolor. I'd love to go the traditional route, if only because I haven't in ages and would like to do something fun. We'll see!

126

2011-09-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

There comes a day when one realizes the amount of plaid they have in their closet, and today was that day for me. I finally got around to organizing clothes that had created a mountain on my IKEA comfy chair, and it's almost embarrassing how many plaid tops/tunics I have.

Also in that category of didn't-realize-how-many-I-had: leggings. Goodness, I remember back in the day I thought leggings were "so dumb," and I "wouldn't be caught dead in them." Foot in mouth, guys. Foot. In. Mouth.

I guess this could be categorized as a What I Wore post! While I didn't wear this exact outfit today, I did wear it recently. So it counts in my book. (That, and I haven't done this since March, so I figure I'm due, right?)

Shirt: Forever 21.

Leggings: Von Maur

Shoes: Walmart (Hey, now. Don't judge.)

Belt: Penny's

Hope everyone has a relaxing Labor Day!

125 - Overflow of work

2011-08-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

I spent today adding color to the keyframes in my animatic, as well as working on some breakdowns of the major movements. Next stop, 3D! (Goodbye, comfort zone!)

I also learned a bit about animating in Photoshop this week, and am working on a scene for a group project pertaining to Alexis. It's fun! I just started the clean-up process, and am hoping that by Monday it'll be complete. Fingers crossed!

124

2011-08-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I downloaded some new brushes that mimic pencils and watercolors, and have been playing with them ever since. I really, really love them! If you're interested, they can be found here.

123 - Animatic

2011-08-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

Here's the animatic I made for my proposed short (as in 20ish seconds, so short literally means short); basically, what these motion studies were based on. Eventually this will be done in 3D, and currently I'm working on the keyframes/planning it all out in 2D.

Really stressed out planning out my reel, but also very excited! It's going to be a crazy few months, up until Christmas.

122 - Smorgasbord of Sketches

2011-07-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

Alexis, Bonnie motion studies, and some life drawings. Wish I had something interesting to share, but alas!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

121 - Alexis

2011-07-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

Work done for a team animation project for school.

The look of the film is going to be based on works by Yuriy Norshteyn, as well as the Deathly Hallows tidbit from Harry Potter.

Speaking of. I saw Part II today for this second time, this time in 3D. It only got better the second time, be it in terms of emotion, VFX, what have you. And the score is just... fgkhdfglkhg. Lovely.

120

2011-06-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

Checking in from a random wifi hotspot! We had some bad weather last week, resulting in loss of power for two days, and have been without cable for upwards of a week. As a result, I've relied on DVDs to keep me occupied, as well as rewatching Life on Mars in its entirety.

Which... resulted in me making yet another Master/Rose manip. (I know, I know.)

119 - New look!

2011-06-21T07:49:00.001-07:00

I got a haircut this past weekend- got about 10 inches taken off. I also bought this ridiculously large (and awesome) floppy beach hat. (Thinking that over, I suppose it sounds as though I'm going through a life-crisis or something!) I actually am donating my hair to Pantene, and my will power wasn't enough to resist such an awesome hat.

Summer break has been relaxing and fun thus far; here are some Debbra studies I did recently:

119 - Bonnie Final

2011-06-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

The end of the quarter was today; here's the final turnaround of my model!

Front close up.

Side close up.

Ambient Occlusion.

(Rendered in Maya Software)

117 - Misc sketches

2011-06-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

It's the last week of the quarter, so everyone's in the same boat- rendering, fixing issues, and rendering more. As a result, I found myself sketching a bit while waiting around for renders to finish. (I have to say- I'm really loving the pants on Bonnie. Props to my teacher who suggested the change!)

This quarter was very "heavy" so to speak, with two advanced courses and a special effects class. But next quarter opens up a bit, and I'm excited/sad to be in the second to last quarter.

Plus, the weather is starting to stabilize and be warm consistantly, so bring on summer! I can't wait.

Also: I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 a few weeks ago! It was gorgeous. I prefer the first one in terms of character development/story, but this one was absolutely lovely in terms of visuals and continuity of design. Everyone should go see it!

116 - Another Bonnie WIP

2011-06-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

My Bonnie model is slowly but surely getting done! It's rather shocking how much I've enjoyed modeling her, as I really struggled early on with the various aspects of modeling. Nevertheless- having finished the UVs last week, I started texturing her on Wednesday. Haven't touched her face yet, but the clothing is coming along. I also gave her a basic rig, and overall I'm really excited with how she's turning out. I'll be sure to post the final renderings after she's complete!

I can't believe it's June already, and the quarter is almost done- May went by so fast! Lots of animating being done these last few weeks: my 3D final consists of Moom having some issues getting his mailbox open. Hopefully it'll be good for a larf.

115 - Ben and Leslie

2011-04-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

It's Ben Wyatt and Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation! You guys all need to watch this show - it's like sunshine and rainbows and unicorns and everything that's good in the world rolled into one half hour segment each Thursday night on NBC.

(And I needed all that sunshine/happiness after The Office this week. I'm not above mentioning the fact I cried my eyes out.)

114 - Bonnie WIP

2011-04-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Drew up a skeletal study for Bonnie, the character I'm working on in my modeling class.

And some random WIP images of the actual model. They go oldest to newest from the past week, top to bottom. I'm actually really having fun with her- and I never thought I'd say that about modeling! Alas, it's going well and I'm enjoying this assignment immensely.

113 - Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T13:00:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time, and finally got the motivation I needed this holiday weekend. Inspired by James Whistler- I love his sense of depth and texture, though I tried to go for more hope and inspiration than in his stunning works.

Hope you all have a lovely Easter. ♥

112 - Have you met miss Smith? She's my best friend.

2011-04-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

Via Blogtor Who:

"It is with great sadness and unbearable sorrow that this post even exists.

Elisabeth Sladen, the world's favourite Doctor Who companion Sarah Jane Smith, has died at the age of 63. Her first appearance came in 1973's The Time Warrior alongside Jon Pertwee and carried on until 1976's The Hand of Fear with Tom Baker. Sladen would return to the role in the first Who spin-off K9 & Company (1981) and again in the 1983 special The Five Doctors.

Sarah Jane's popularity, a testament to Sladen's wonderful performances, continued into the new series with her return in 2006's School Reunion alongside David Tennant. This would lead to her own show, The Sarah Jane Adventures, which has so far spawned four complete series (a fifth being already partly filmed) whilst also starring in both the Doctor Who Series 4 finale and The End of Time Part 2."

I loved watching the classic series - it's cheesy, and the FX are side splitters, but it's fantastic in its own way. She and Tom had such great chemistry, and I was sad when I reached the point where she left the show. Sarah Jane was so great, breaking the mold of Mary Sue's and being awesome and amazing.

I could hardly believe when I heard the news. She will be missed.

111 - Poses

2011-04-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Some poses done for my animation course. Looking back, I really would like to clean up the silhouettes to make them read more clearly, but this was a really fun assignment overall. Next up is power centers!

110 - Sick

2011-04-01T16:38:00.001-07:00

Made this to get my mind off the fact my throat feels like I swallowed a baby porcupine. The sad part is, I can't tell how many of the kleenex around my bed are from being sick, and how many are from watching Toy Story 3.

I never fail to get sick on spring break. Perhaps it's a good thing this is my last one, ever?

(For curious minds- yes, my bed does have a built in shelf. And yes, every DVD/book I own sits atop of it. So instead of counting sheep to fall asleep, I guess I can count DVD box sets?)

109 - Fish!

2011-03-22T20:47:00.001-07:00

My sister bought fish this past weekend as a birthday present to myself and my other sister. So, meet Cleo and Cary. Sadly, Cary died Sunday night, but Cleo is still hanging in there!

108 - What'll you have?

2011-03-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

Drew this when I was in my Acting for Animation class (I miss it terribly!), and just got around to coloring it this weekend.

So. Many. Spots!

107 - What I wore...

2011-03-18T18:09:00.001-07:00

The ever talented Tiffany Ford does a Draw-a-Day with each of her outfits, and it's nothing short of inspiring. Combine that with all the free time I waste browsing on lookbook and it's a recipe for me to follow suit! We'll see how often this will be done, but it was fun!

Jacket: Northface

Jeans: Torrid

Scarf: Forever 21

Boots: Payless

Purse: D&G

And for the record: Starbucks' vanilla lattes can solve most of life's problems. Also on that list, warm weather.

106 - Debbra Walk

2011-03-16T15:10:00.001-07:00

This was a quick test I did last night, seeing how her neck would stretch/fall on each position. In my free time that I don't have, I so want to animate this.

105

2011-03-12T06:07:00.000-08:00

Some sketches I did for Portfolio a few weeks ago. It's all due next Friday; crunch time!

104 - Tumblr fun

2011-02-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

Made these for a Tumblr challenge! The theme was First Meetings.

From top to bottom: Being Human (Mitchell and George), Torchwood (Gwen meets Torchwood), and Chuck (Chuck and Sarah). I cannot express how much I love how they shot Gwen's entrance to Torchwood. So pretty!

103

2011-02-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

Some sketches I did a while back of people on the train. Finally getting around to scanning a bunch of things!

102 - Character Page

2011-02-23T20:19:00.001-08:00

These were inspired from an illustration I did last year, based on Bonnie and Clyde. (Haven't gotten around to Clyde, yet!) Trying to iron out her design a bit.

101

2011-02-16T14:21:00.001-08:00

Just have to finish painting weights for tomorrow, and she'll be ready to animate! (The 3D version, that is.)

100

2011-02-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

I've been rather bad at posting every day... I'm drawing like a fiend for portfolio class, it's just a matter of scanning, really. (Excuses, excuses, I know.)

Today was a lot of fun: we went out to Cheesecake Factory for my birthday dinner, and watched Despicable Me afterwards. I'm so blessed with such a wonderful family, and great friends, I can't even put to words how grateful I am for all of them. ♥

099

2011-02-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

Day three: Wonder Woman!

098

2011-02-02T21:02:00.001-08:00

Some quick storyboards I did for a friend who's an advertising major. She's "selling" Hubba Bubba Glops, and the basis is similar to that of the old Air Head/Fruit Gushers commercials.

In the end, she opted to have the product be pink, so as not to confuse it with blood. (I'll admit, it was a very good call in the end.)

097

2011-02-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

I'm attempting the February Draw-a-Day challenge. Day one: done. Though it was easy enough, seeing as there's literally a blizzard outside... hence the theme today.

096

2011-01-31T10:00:00.001-08:00

Here are some storyboards I finally got around to laying out for my animation from a while back. On that note- I'm getting together my animated short from the summer, having only recently scanned all the drawings. So watch out for that in the near future!

I also have at least two more sets of storyboards to make in the next week or so: One is for a friend who wrote a script for a bubble gum company, and the other is for my 3D animation short. So those are on their way as well!

And here's a small manip I made over the weekend after having the sudden urge to watch good old retro SciFi. (Read: Tom Baker's era of Doctor Who.) There's something utterly endearing about him. It's a shame the quality of the episodes/photos are such low quality. What did we do before HD cameras...

095

2011-01-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

I've yet to meet any girl who wasn't in love with her at one point. I have over a dozen of the graphic novels from when I was in middle school.

Admittedly, Sailor Mercury was always my favorite- timid and book-smart, but she could still hold her own.

094

2011-01-26T09:17:00.001-08:00

Amy Pond, from Doctor Who. I broke the cardinal rule of drawing and did this on lined paper, as I may or may not have been in a math lecture... (Thank goodness for Photoshop, am I right?)

093

2011-01-19T06:37:00.000-08:00

Wow; hard to believe it's been nearly a month since Christmas!

I received Epic Mickey for the holiday. It's a fantastic game- interesting twists, gorgeous animation, and the whole premise is brilliant- brilliant enough to take up three whole days of my break! I love the storyline, and how Oswald came into his own as a character. Such fun.

The winter quarter started two weeks ago. (I'm telling you, time flies!) I'm enrolled in Intermediate 3D Animation, as well as Portfolio Prep. There's a lot of potential in both classes, and I'm super excited for the coming weeks. Here's to a great quarter!

092

2010-12-24T14:33:00.001-08:00

Every year I set out to do some kind of Christmas card- something heartfelt and cute, or something biblical and meaningful, or even something witty and funny- and every year Christmas comes and I've got nothing. This year's no different.

I did manage to whip this up. I was up until 3am wrapping things last night; there are mountains of presents in my room, for anyone and everyone in my family. Sadly the sketch just looks like I'm a brat who's not content with the mountain of presents behind me, but rest assured that's not the case!

I'm currently running on 5 hours of sleep, and just finished baking cookies for the fam (snickerdoodles, chocolate chip, and chocolate biscotti), so I'm pooped.

Anywho. Merry Christmas, and God bless.

091

2010-12-20T11:15:00.001-08:00

My family and I went to the Shedd Aquarium yesterday, and it was a blast. I haven't gotten around to scanning the few sketches I did, so in lieu of them here's a few random things I made a few weeks ago.

090

2010-12-15T17:22:00.000-08:00

My 3d diner, finally finished! Only 11 weeks in the making: two weeks modeling Debbra, four weeks modeling the diner, three weeks of UVs/texturing, and a week to light/render, leaving week eleven for the stress to melt away. (Rather, attempt to fix render issues, most to no avail.)

Close up of Debbra's front.

Phew! Bring on winter break.

089

2010-11-03T18:10:00.000-07:00

Above is a concept for my materials and lighting class; this is one of the original drawings from last year. Wowzers!

088

2010-11-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

Some designs for a book based on the classic Pooh Bear look.

087

2010-10-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

Next stop: Thanksgiving!

086

2010-10-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

I don't think I can put to words how much I loved this episode. It was emotional, pretty, and eloquent in its handling of Van Gogh's suicide. So much love for it.

085

2010-10-11T19:30:00.001-07:00

This is a painting I did in between being sick this past weekend. Took about 3 hours total. Painting in Photoshop is the bane of my existence.

I have to say: I cannot wait to see this movie! November 24th, despite being on vacation, I will definitely be in a theater waiting eagerly for it to start.

084

2010-10-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

I recently made a LinkedIn page! Feel free to add me. :)

The new quarter just got underway, and I'm so excited. It'll be tough, but I have so many ideas and can't wait to get started. First up is finishing my Debbra model, and inking my 2D short!

083

2010-10-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Inbetween inking my 2D short and working in Maya, I've been playing around in Photoshop a bit. Above is what ensued!

But! I did get a lot of my 3D model of Debbra done- I finished her head, neck, body, and am 80% done with her arms. I'm also still stuck on the fact I willingly opened Maya on my break. (Amazing, I know!)

082

2010-09-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Everyone and their brother has already done this, and since I have some time off I wanted to give it a go.

I had a lot of fun makings this! I love and respect everything/everyone listed on here. And I know as soon as I hit submit I'm going to think of someone I forgot, as I tried to include people I look up to, presently and in the past.

The list:

Alphonse Mucha and Art Nouveau

Lois Van Baarle

Norman Rockwell

The Kiss by Rodin

The Chicago Cubs

Photography (Pictured: David Tennant and Billie Piper)

Hilda by Duane Bryer

Brittney Lee

Master and Rose by Kat

Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes (and their amazing cinematography)

Brianna Garcia

Lindsey Olivares

Glen Keane and The Little Mermaid

Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway by J.M.W. Turner

Doctor Who and video editing

Billie Piper

The Cradle by Mary Cassatt

Disney and Concept Art (Pictured: Rapunzel/Tangled)

Chris Sanders

Template can be found here.

081

2010-09-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

Above is a sketch I did for a contest with a theme, "Lazy bones."

I've been feeling really inspired as of late! I went with my family and saw Despicable Me today, and loved it. Great story, beautiful animation. I also bought these two Tangled books, because the illustrations inside are gorgeous and I can't wait for the Art of book.

Here's to a productive week off!

080

2010-09-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

My turnaround assignment for Drawing for Animation. 16 drawings, played on twos.

I recently inked it, so it'll read better when scanned. I also fixed the cigarette wobble, because it drove me craaaaaazy.

I'm really pleased with how this turned out! It's really cool to see her "in 3D."

079

2010-09-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the massive amount of sketch posts; animating leaves little time for bigger projects.

078

2010-09-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Some sketches from a short animation I did. I needed a superhero who's cape could blow "elegantly" in the wind.

077

2010-09-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is a color study based on Van Gogh's painting, Bedroom in Arles. Between my art history class and the emotional Vincent and the Doctor episode of Doctor Who, I found myself intrigued by his life and work. Done in colored pencil in a moleskin notebook.

076

2010-09-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

Meet Tisha A. Jones, secretary for an ever expanding ad agency. She enjoys romance novels, shopping for hallmark cards, and carrot cake. When she's not answering phones at work, she's attempting to cook at home. She also has a thing for the night guard who was recently hired.

075

2010-09-08T12:54:00.001-07:00

Research papers. Oye.

Once I get going, I can fly. But it's getting them started that kills me.

For those keeping score, the paper did get done (fairly early in the evening, actually), met all the requirements, and was turned in on time. Phew.

074

2010-09-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't drawn Debbra since the spring quarter ended, and was feeling nostalgic. That, and I was attempting to procrastinate on my art history paper. And so, seeing as I'm about to crack open four very large Chinese art history books, Debbra remains uncolored- for now.

073

2010-09-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

A style sheet for my characters, Rose and Wesson, done for my Drawing for Animation class.

072

2010-09-02T16:27:00.000-07:00

My sister asked me to help her with her Italian homework, and somehow that translated to drawing Merlin and Arthur on a poster for her. Not that I'm complaining; I love that movie.

Yes, this was done in crayon. I haven't used crayons since middle school, and it was awesome.

Sadly, my scanner has not been awesome as of late, thus I have to settle for a really bad scan. Sorry!

071

2010-08-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on a rig for my 3D character (who is still nameless, sadly), which is harder than I ever imagined. I say harder, but I mean more complicated and intricate and tedious. But I'm excited to have it finished, and hopefully I can use her rather than free rigs for some animating!

070

2010-08-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Doodles from playing with this addicting website.