deviantART: by:JRJay

deviantART: by:JRJay http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:JRJay&section=today deviantART RSS for by:JRJay en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:28:44 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png Drawing eggheads http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/28844955/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/28844955/ Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:54:29 PST Weren't you supposed to be drawing?

I am! But I'm horribly out of shape. A little bit at a time, I'm doing basic studies. I just finished one page of Preson Blair's Animation book (the first version, with Disney and MGM characters). It's solid material to work from. I definitely recommend it to anyone learning to draw cartoons!

It's really basic stuff and I'm not proud of it, but I'll submit compilations of my studies as scraps, as a sign of life.

]]> *JRJay Halloween http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/28068826/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/28068826/ Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:54:46 PDT Happy Halloween, folks!

I have a Darkrai Halloween drawing in the works, but unfortunately it'll be quite late. As I don't get paid to draw, other stuff has higher priority. That's just the reality of my current life. I'm not complaining though!

To make up for the lateness, I'll make it extra scary!

]]> *JRJay Alive http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/27960550/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/27960550/ Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:30:55 PDT I declare myself alive again! As an artist, that is.

So far, all my PokÃ©mon art has been 100% digital, created in Artrage. That's going to change. I will be using pencil and paper to lay the foundation of my drawings. I'll try out GIMP for the CG part.

I start with a cheap study, but more will come.

Now get ready for Halloween!

]]> *JRJay Pokémon Quest http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24996641/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24996641/ Thu, 28 May 2009 12:24:25 PDT You wake up somewhere, without memory. You're a PokÃ©mon, that's all you know. What will you do? Who will you become?

Care to find out? Start a thread on my DA forum!

Start the thread by telling me what kind of PokÃ©mon you are and, if relevant, what gender.

You will always be the lowest member of an evolution chain. So you can be a Pichu, but not a Pikachu. If you want to be a Pikachu, you'll have to find a way to evolve. I'll tell you what's required for that.

You don't have a name, as far as you know. Remember, you have no memories yet.

What does play look like?

I'll tell you where you are and what's happening. Then you tell me what you want to do. Then I say
a) that it's not possible,
b) how it works out, or
c) that it requires a test.
We'll keep doing this until we're finished.

The details can be found in the forum.

]]> *JRJay Pokémon Contests are over http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24941540/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24941540/ Mon, 25 May 2009 11:41:27 PDT
The contests were Cool, Cute, Tough, Smart, and Beauty.

Honerable mentions of the Beauty contest

Best of Show: =Saiyuri-chan66
Conner the Arcanine. He was so very soft, furry, and warm!

Crowd favorite: No one!

Public disgrace: ~PurpleTartan
Ness the Milotic belched on stage and devoled in shame!

]]> *JRJay You're a Pokémon in a Beauty contest... http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24780267/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24780267/ Sat, 16 May 2009 02:29:49 PDT It's time for the fifth and final contest! The previous were Cool, Cute, Tough, and Smart.

You're a PokÃ©mon participating in a Beauty contest. You've got one shot at winning!

Tell me, briefly, in a reply to this journal:

What PokÃ©mon are you (species, gender, and name)?

What single move are you using?

What makes you so beautiful?

How much hubris do you have (on a scale from zero to five)?

(Hubris is excessive pride or self-confidence.)

You either succeed and get a ribbon, fail, or screw up badly.

I'll describe how it plays out, in a reply to your comment.

At the end of the contest there will be three honorable mentions:

If you got a ribbon, you might become best of show.

If you failed, you might become crowd favorite.

If you screwed up badly, you might become a public disgrace.

Honerable mentions of the Smart contest

Best of Show: *Foureyedalien
Crow the Cacturne. She surprised the main judge with a spiky hug.

Crowd favorite: ~NaughtyBudgie
Jesus the mini-Arceus. He got buried beneath his own cupcakes.

Public disgrace: ~PurpleTartan
Jade the Crobat. She accidentally bombed the wrong stage.

If you want to know the details of the game, check out the mechanics. But it's not required reading. ]]> *JRJay You're a Pokémon in a Smart contest... http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24731499/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24731499/ Wed, 13 May 2009 03:06:47 PDT It's time for the fourth contest! The previous were Cool, Cute, and Tough.

You're a PokÃ©mon participating in a Smart contest. You've got one shot at winning!

Tell me, briefly, in a reply to this journal:

What PokÃ©mon are you (species, gender, and name)?

What single move are you using?

What makes you so smart?

If you got a ribbon, you might become best of show.

If you failed, you might become crowd favorite.

If you screwed up badly, you might become a public disgrace.

Honerable mentions of the Tough contest

Best of Show: ~PurpleTartan
Stone Cold the Venusaur. He smashed a hooligan Charizard with a massive tree.

Crowd favorite: No one!

Public disgrace: ~NocturnalMoonWolf
Lizzie B. the Persian. She disgraced all Classy Cat PokÃ©mon by choking on her own roar.

If you want to know the details of the game, check out the mechanics. But it's not required reading. ]]> *JRJay You're a Pokémon in a Tough contest... http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24529750/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24529750/ Fri, 01 May 2009 12:09:16 PDT It's time for the third contest! The previous were Cool and Cute.

You're a PokÃ©mon participating in a Tough contest. You've got one shot at winning!

Tell me, briefly, in a reply to this journal:

What PokÃ©mon are you (species, gender, and name)?

What single move are you using?

What makes you so tough?

If you got a ribbon, you might become best of show.

If you failed, you might become crowd favorite.

If you screwed up badly, you might become a public disgrace.

Honerable mentions of the Cute contest

Best of Show: ~blackwing2
Mimi the Ralts. She was so endearing it triggered the mother's instinct of everyone in the audience.

Crowd favorite: No one! So this defaults to ~blackwing2 too.

Public disgrace: *Foureyedalien
Pinky the Hoppip. She's still floating around somewhere.

If you want to know the details of the game, check out the mechanics. But it's not required reading. ]]> *JRJay You're a Pokémon in a Cute contest... http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24302951/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24302951/ Sat, 18 Apr 2009 06:39:58 PDT It's time for the second contest!

You're a PokÃ©mon participating in a Cute contest. You've got one shot at winning!

Tell me, briefly, in a reply to this journal:

What PokÃ©mon are you (species, gender, and name)?

What single move are you using?

What makes you so cute?

If you got a ribbon, you might become best of show.

If you failed, you might become crowd favorite.

If you screwed up badly, you might become a public disgrace.

If you want to know the details of the game, check out the previous contest and the mechanics. But it's not required reading.

I wonder how many contestants show up this time. The poll got more votes than I expected. ]]> *JRJay Pokémon Contest Mechanics http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24302805/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24302805/ Sat, 18 Apr 2009 06:24:36 PDT If you want to know the mechanics behind the contests, read on.

Participation

I call for a contest. You reply with a description of your entry:

What PokÃ©mon are you (species, gender, and name)?

What single move are you using?

What makes you so special in this contest?

How much hubris do you have (on a scale from zero to five)?

Fate

I'll roll a number of six-sided dices equal to your hubris plus one. So if your hubris score is three, I roll four dice.

I look at the result of the roll and determine your fate:

Does at least one of the dice show a one? You succeed and get a ribbon.

If not, does at least one of the dice show a six? You screw up badly.

Otherwise, you simply fail.

Outcome

I'll describe how it plays out, in a reply to your comment. I use your description and fate to make up what happens.

I also total the results of the dice, which is your total score. I'll use that at the end of the contest.

Honerable mentions

At the end of the contest there will be three honerable mentions. You get this if you have the lowest total score in your category:

Best of show is selected from those who succeded.

Crowd favorite is selected from those who failed.

Public disgrace is selected from those who screwed up badly.

Dice example

As an example, suppose your hubris is three, so I roll four dice. Here are some possible results:
1,3,4,5: You succeed with a total score of 13.
1,2,6,6: You succeed with a total score of 15.
2,2,4,5: You fail with a total score of 13.
2,4,4,6: You screw up badly with a total score of 16.

Strategy

It's all about hubris. Hubris is excessive pride or self-confidence. It gives you more dice. The more you have, the higher your chances of winning. But if you do fail, the higher your chances of screwing up badly. It also boosts your total score, which means that the more you have, the lower your chances of getting a honerable mention.

So what's a good strategy? It totally depends on what you're aiming for. You can use the following two tables as guides.

Probability distribution
H Succ Fail SuB
0 16.7% 66.7% 16.7%
1 30.6% 44.4% 25.0%
2 42.1% 29.6% 28.2%
3 51.8% 19.8% 28.5%
4 59.8% 13.2% 27.0%
5 66.5% 08.8% 24.7%

Total score range
H Succ Fail SuB
0 01 - 01 02 - 05 06 - 06
1 02 - 07 04 - 10 08 - 12
2 03 - 13 06 - 15 10 - 18
3 04 - 19 08 - 20 12 - 24
4 05 - 25 10 - 25 14 - 30
5 06 - 31 12 - 30 16 - 36

But don't forget, in the end this is just a silly little game! ]]> *JRJay Cool contest results http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24239132/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24239132/ Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:32:11 PDT The Cool contest was fun! There were seven entries. Three ribbons got distributed, there was one simple failure, and three contestants screwed up badly. And now, as promised:

Best of Show: ~Despearex
Barbell the Rambo Lucario. He gunned down Team Rocket.

Crowd favorite: ~LCTechno
Marly the Banette. She just wasn't intimidating enough.

Public disgrace: ~Zeta-Neubourn
Dexter the Sableye. He face planted and shattered his eyes.

So, anyone up for another contest? See the Cool contest for how it works. I'm not set on a contest type yet, so I'll try out a poll! ]]> *JRJay You're a Pokémon in a Cool contest... http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24055660/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/24055660/ Sat, 04 Apr 2009 10:08:48 PDT You're a PokÃ©mon participating in a Cool contest. You've got one shot at winning.

Tell me, briefly, in a reply to this journal:

What PokÃ©mon are you (species, gender, and name)?

What single move are you using?

What makes you so cool?

How much hubris do you have (on a scale from zero to five)?

(Hubris is excessive pride or self-confidence.)

Here's the deal:

I'll roll six-sided dice equal to one plus your hubris.

Do I see at least a single one? You succed! You get a ribbon.

Otherwise, you fail! You're not good enough, you do not get a ribbon.

If you fail and I see a six, you screw up badly. It won't be pretty.

I'll describe how it plays out, in a reply to your comment.

When I'm done with this contest, I'll post the PokÃ©mon with the lowest total score for each of the three categories. Perhaps I'm gonna draw them too, depends on the turnout.

Succeded with best score? You're best of show!

Failed with best score? You're crowd favorite!

Screwed up badly with best score? You're a public disgrace!

Let's see who enters this contest... ]]> *JRJay People don't Read http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23807872/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23807872/ Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:58:19 PDT Here's a hypothetical situation. You draw a realistic picture of a cat, but you make it a green cat. You name it "The Green Cat". In the description you write a short explanation. Yes, you know that cat's aren't actually green, but this one is, for whatever reason you came up with.

You get a bunch of comments. Lots will say "Dude, cats aren't green!" or "Why is this cat green?"

You conclude people are stupid. Right?

Well, actually, people just don't read. It's all about what they see, or imagine to see.

I'm amused when people get all frustrated about this.

In other news, my cactus decided to flower yet again! It's supposed to do that when the days get shorter, not longer. Silly plant. ]]> *JRJay Eeeveelutions - Jolteon Time http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23758871/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23758871/ Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:31:51 PDT I'm revisiting my Eeveelution Poster Project. I've picked up with some Jolteon studies. So far it's just reference copies, but by now I should know Jolteon well enough. Time to get creative!

Oh and Kelsey, Pixie, Tim, Ken, Rick: don't forget to check out the Our PokÃ©mon Show forum! ]]> *JRJay Our Pokémon Show - Looking for more players http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23522296/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23522296/ Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:01:32 PST While the first play group is happily creating characters, I've started a second play group. Because this whole forum RPG is one big experiment I've decided to approach the second group a bit differently.

For the second group I'm going to focus on three things. Streamlining setting and character creation, keeping the game running when people drop out, and keeping up the pace.

To speed up setting and character creation I'll use a very rough associative approach. This'll result is a very sketchy but running start, with any details emerging during play.

I'll try to keep the game running when people drop out by inviting more people. I currently think a working number is between three and six players.

Keeping up the pace will be done by rigorously continuing even if some people become inactive or fail to show up. Not posting will result in less infuence in the game, but you could jump back in if you become active again. If you don't contribute for a while you will be evicted from the group though.

I'm currently looking for two more people. Give a shout if you want to join. It's first-come, first-served! If I'll need more people I'll ask here again. ]]> *JRJay Our Pokémon Show - First Setting http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23433988/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23433988/ Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:58:33 PST We've brainstormed a bit and arrived at a setting for the first RPG group. I had no clue it was going to turn out the way it did. I'm looking forward to playing in it!

It's a small remote village in a woodland area dotted with little streams and pools. There live some PokÃ©mon in the forest and the shallow water, but nothing special. That is, until some group of people started digging for something, which caused a small volcanic eruption nearby. Now many of the pools have become hot springs and fire PokÃ©mon are showing up. There are also rumors surfacing of an unknown steam-based PokÃ©mon causing a ruckus.
Now the village experiences a surge of popularity and a new PokÃ©mon Center has just been constructed, run by an inexperienced Nurse Joy who specialized in treating burns.

Now we're going to make up our characters. =ShadowFang777, ~Despearex, don't stay silent too long! ]]> *JRJay On bluntness and critique http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23393812/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23393812/ Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:59:12 PST
Whenever I give critique, I'm serious. You do the math.

Here on deviantART it's mostly a popularity contest. It's all about ego boosting. Critique isn't about ego. However, giving unsolicited critique is basically a direct attack on someone's ego. If I would do that, it would be like hitting someone with a sledgehammer. The miscommunication could be profound. I try not to, but sometimes it happens.

Hey, it even happens on conceptart.org, and that's supposed to be the place for honest critique.

So I tend to not give critique, or only very subtly. Only when someone explicitly asks for it, and I care enough to invest time in them, do I get serious.

So never ask for my opinion if you don't want to hear about your shortcomings. And reprimand me if I point them out unasked.

Just felt like saying this. ]]> *JRJay Our Pokémon Show - First Play Begins http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23341719/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23341719/ Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:36:42 PST I've completed the initial draft of the game rules. Time to play!

The first group will consist of me, *LilPixieryn, =ShadowFang777, and ~Despearex. I've created a dedicated subforum for us. I've also kicked off a brainstorm about what we're gonna play there. Now I'm waiting for you three!

I can also start a second group with ~TriforceDragon and ~Yoshi-Pichu, but you've been awfully quiet. If it stays that way I'll invite other people. ]]> *JRJay Our Pokémon Show - Supporting Cast http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23211394/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23211394/ Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:06:37 PST Our PokÃ©mon Show. That's right, you can play other stuff too! Here are two examples. Bonus points if you know where I got the Heavy Storm from!

Arena Audience
1 Cheer!
2 Make an awful lot of noise
3 We want more!
4 Panic breaks out
1 Boo!
2 Throw toilet paper
3 Demand action
4 The crowd goes wild!
5 Pick crowd favorite

Heavy Storm (conflict: Do the Exeggcute get blown away?)
1 Clouds obscure the sun or moon
2 Scary lightning
3 Things get tossed through the air
4 Downpour
1 Things become wet and slippery
2 It's getting hard to see at a distance
3 Massive thunder
4 Lightning strikes
5 Gale-force winds

Oh and ~TriforceDragon, ~Yoshi-Pichu, I haven't heard from you yet. Your slots will expire today! ]]> *JRJay Our Pokémon Show - Example character http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23140479/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23140479/ Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:44:54 PST I've released the RPG rules I've written so far, up to character creation. They're available on the forum. Here's an example character sheet.

Rainbow, female Kecleon. A wild PokÃ©mon that follows a group of trainers wherever they go.

Moves:
1 Attract attention
2 Frame someone else
3 Mimic others
4 Invisibility

Traits:
1 I get others into trouble
2 I like to get yelled at
3 I don't want others to get hurt
4 I'm independent
5 Nobody pays attention to me

(Rainbow will always remain a wild PokÃ©mon. The group of trainers will never lose her.)

Yes, that's it. I thought her up in a couple of minutes. She's not created in the context of a show, but you could imagine her following Ash & Co. in the anime. ]]> *JRJay Our Pokémon Show RPG playtesting http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23122790/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23122790/ Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:50:23 PST I've set up a small forum for my RPG experiment, which I've named Our PokÃ©mon Show. Indeed, the basic idea is that you create your own PokÃ©mon TV show together! You're gonna play the PokÃ©mon.

It's a forum RPG, so no graphics or downloads or anything, just writing. It's also not a MMORPG, you'll play in small groups.

If you're interested I invite you to take a look. I'm still writing down the rules but I'm already looking for a few playtesters. Some people get first dibs though, they are ~TriforceDragon, ~Yoshi-Pichu, *LilPixieryn, =ShadowFang777, and ~Despearex. As I'm initially looking for five people they might fill all the slots, but who knows. You five have until sunday to claim your slot!

The policy of the board is that I request three things: use your real name, use correct English, and stay nice. Read the Forum Policy topic over there to find out the details. ]]> *JRJay Potential Pokémon PbP RPG http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23005173/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/23005173/ Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:26:34 PST I've been thinking about a little experiment. Something fun to do online with other people. I was wondering about play-by-post forum based PRGs. I've been looking at what's available, but I've constrained myself to the PokÃ©mon themed stuff.

You know what? I didn't like what I found at all. Wanna know what I'm looking for?

The freeform, friendly, nothing-exciting-ever-happens nonaction? Not that stuff.

The unfocused, boring experience of just being there? Not that stuff.

The bloated write-a-novel-every-post threads? Not that stuff.

The stay-nice-or-be-banned atmosphere? Not that stuff.

The ubiquitous fear for the so-called godmoding? Not that stuff.

The total dependence on the whims of all-powerful admins? Not that stuff.

Hey, why the whining? It is a test. If you're still reading and don't seek to demonize me by now, then you might share some of my interests. If you can't identify with me at all, then just keep doing your thing. It works for you, so it's good.

Playing without a central authority to boss you around or restrict you? That kind of stuff!

Really doing exciting things, making a difference? That kind of stuff!

Not fearing opposition but actually counting on it? That kind of stuff!

Making up a story together, with clear structure and with everyone as equals? That kind of stuff!

Being able strive for something imporant to you, with a fair chance to win or lose? That kind of stuff!

Playing with a set of rules that are focused on story creation and conflict? That kind of stuff!

Basically the only thing you need is a group of people that want to play and are mature enough to stick to the rules of a game. Most of us can do that, right? So all we really need are some game rules. What rules? That's a little something I'm working on right now.

You still with me? If so then you might be the kind of person I'm looking for. Speak up, because I want to know if I have a potential audience. ]]> *JRJay Profile upgrade complete! http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/22737978/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/22737978/ Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:10:50 PST Updated my profile page so it looks good with the new global design. With all the extra power given to me I could finally give it a more uniform PokÃ©mon flavor!

I also separated the clubs from the journal and put them in their own little container. I always wanted to do that and now I can! All my custom CSS does right now is hide the silly mood/reading/watching list that I do not want displayed.

Oh and I added a twitter display too, just because I could. Twitter's nifty! ]]> *JRJay Not much happened http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/22667736/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/22667736/ Mon, 19 Jan 2009 07:28:21 PST Didn't do as much as I wanted to lately. I caught a slight cold and though it wasn't bad, stuff like that kills my productivity. Gotta get back up to speed again!

The rest of this journal is just .

Instead of being usefull I watched some anime, played Fate and dreamed up half a computer roleplaying system. Heh, the last thing I need is another project right now!

Last Christmas my cactus decided to grow flowers for the second time that year. Right now it's in bloom again. Silly plant!

A magpie couple has started to build a nest in one of the trees in front of my apartment. They're early. I wonder if they'll stick around. It's the fifth nest in my line of sight, but I'm not sure if all are permanently inhabited.

Oh, and I decided I'm no longer writing userpage comments for

s on stuff more than half a year old. I'm getting few enough

s that it's manageable, but I gotta stop somewhere.

Clubs

]]> *JRJay New year's cleaning http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/22432693/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/22432693/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:57:22 PST It was gallery cleaning time! I deleted my worst old stuff, or only scapped some because I still like them (those'll probably go next year). Then I got rid of all needlessly specific gallery folders and settled on just four: Pokemon, Moogles, EPP, and Old 3D stuff. More than enough!

So now I'm back from 99 deviations to just 56. That 100 mark sure is elusive!

I also updated my journal's CSS. I modified the overall look a bit and separated the club icons from the main content. Now it should be clear what's what.

Clubs

]]> *JRJay 2009, the year Eevee collapsed http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/22324720/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/22324720/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:57:11 PST Truth be told, I'm working on another project right now, but the Vee game is still on the agenda.

So what's all this about collapsing Eevee? It's called physics. Rigid bodies. Rag dolls. You know, the stuff in games that allows your enemies to be tossed about. I've been applying it to our little friend.

So I'm happy to inform you that Eevee will be able to collapse in a heap and be tossed about mercilessly.

Now I could've limited it to that and slap a keyframe animation mechanic on top of it... but I'm being difficult. I'm going to experiment and see if I can build the animation directly on top of the physics engine. Think marionette instead of stop-motion.
I don't know if it's going to work and I know of no games that do it this way. I might give up after a while and resort to blending keyframe animations after all. But if it works I'll have a very dynamic Eevee!

So when will there be something to see? After I have figured out the physics part. Then I'll have the fundaments in place (either physics or keyframe animation) and I'll rig a complete Eevee model on top of that. Give me two months.

Clubs

]]> *JRJay Information gathering: move that Pokémon! http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/21862028/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/21862028/ Sun, 07 Dec 2008 09:38:09 PST
Anyway, if you ask me, Eevee move like dogs, though they might bunny hop too.

So how does a dog move? It turns out that after all these years an animator's best resource is still Eadweard Muybridge (even better than real life, because a running dog simply moves too fast to be able to observe what's really going on). I never expected to be animating an Eevee based on a set of photos that are more than a century old! I guessed he would've been replaced by a more recent study by now, but today everyone still points directly to Muybridge.

I'm going to use 3D modeling and key-frame animation here, but I think there's a lot to learn from classical 2D cartoons (check out John Kricfalusi's blog if you're interested). Again the old stuff. I'm starting to see a pattern here...

By the way, I haven't actually started modeling Eevee yet. I'm still in the information gathering and tryout phase.

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay December 2008, creating a Pokémon game http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/21759697/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/21759697/ Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:40:34 PST So what have I been doing last month? Well I sure didn't submit anything here! Instead I've learned the basics of Unity, Blender, and GarageBand.

Anyone interested in a 3D PokÃ©mon game? I'm gonna make one where you'll play as an Eevee.

December will be about game creation for me!

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay November 2008 http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/21251292/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/21251292/ Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:13:29 PDT

November 2008

I dropped down to montly journals. Haven't much to say anyway and I'm done with seeking out artists to feature for a while.

October was a pretty productive month! Multiple submissions and I learned quite a bit as well. Don't know how November is going to turn out yet... I have to split time among various important activities. Anyway, it is likely that more non-PokÃ©mon art is going to show up.

The new *pokedorks contest, Pokemon Chef, is quite daring! Slaughter a PokÃ©mon and make it into a dish! Lots of room for creativity. It'll be fun to see how far people are going to push this idea.

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W42 2008, featuring ukitakumuki http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/21106000/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/21106000/ Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:33:06 PDT

Someone to check out: `ukitakumuki

W42 2008

Blargh... my feature battery has run dry...

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W41 2008, featuring tarrzan http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20984264/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20984264/ Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:15:51 PDT

Someone to check out: *tarrzan

W41 2008

Whoops, another late jounal. Totally forgot about it. But I did find an awesome feature!

Multiple submissions this week, which is good. Having a sketchbook on conceptart.org gets me pumped!

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W40 2008, featuring yanimator http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20857494/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20857494/ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:31:20 PDT

Someone to check out: *yanimator

W40 2008

Don't really have anything interesting to say about last week. In fact I nearly forgot to write this journal entry...

The truth of the matter is that I've been doing some sweet stuff, but it has nothing to do with PokÃ©mon or drawing in general, so why bother to write about it here?

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W39 2008, featuring MrDream http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20735690/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20735690/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:53:35 PDT

Someone to check out: ~MrDream

W39 2008

My criteria for featuring people combine skill, interesting subjects, varied content, popularity, and whether I can make a good thumbnail composition with it. It's getting tougher to find weekly features.

I haven't done any drawing last week. I was kinda burned up from extra work-related events. Spent a good part of the weekend playing Warcraft 3 The Frozen Throne, which I hadn't finished yet.

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W38 2008, featuring ertacaltinoz http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20600418/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20600418/ Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:09:34 PDT

Someone to check out: ~ertacaltinoz

W38 2008

Thought about doing something for *pokedorks's PokÃ©mon Abilities contest - I had Run Away in mind - but I'll be skipping it. The voting results of last contest haven't even been announces yet, and that was months ago! (By the way, winner without a doubt is On White Wings by ~DawnAllies. I voted for it as well.)

Eevolution Poster Project additions
Won't be showing those here anymore.

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W37 2008, featuring nJoo http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20505886/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20505886/ Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:19:46 PDT

Someone to check out: *nJoo

W37 2008

Well I finally finished the Eevee drawing. With that out of the way, I'll be doing some practicing for a while because I want to improve my basic drawing skills. I'm gonna check out Andrew Loomis's books. I also was bold enough start posting at conceptart.org.

Saw The Dark Knight at IMAX size. Friggin' awesome!

Played some D&D 4^e for the first time (as DM). It's a fun skirmish game. Like to do that more often.

Eevolution Poster Project additions

I think I'll do Jolteon next.

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W36 2008, featuring VegasMike http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20377427/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20377427/ Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:01:45 PDT

Someone to check out: *VegasMike

W36 2008

Has anyone noticed I added a custom Creative Commons logo to the Ho-oh vs Mega Castform image? It allows people to locate me in case the picture end up lost somewhere on the internet. I think it's snazzy and not obtrusive.

In other news nobody cares about: I've been fooling around with iPhone programming. Fun stuff! I'll definitely make a game for it at some point. Hm... perhaps I should try out pixel art.

Eevolution Poster Project additions

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W35 2008, featuring Aminako http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20273583/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20273583/ Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:19:34 PDT

Someone to check out: ~Aminako

W35 2008

Last week was vacation for me. Yay! Spend some time with my mother in the eastern rural part of the country. Didn't draw anything except a little EPP update. In fact, I just got off the train home and really need to go to bed, but wanted to push out a journal entry. Does anyone actually read this?

In other news, *UnseenArtists had another upload spree (I put my Castform drawing in its journal section). Combined with *pokedorks's regular entries and my other friends, I've got quite a backlog of deviations to check out! Will do that later.

Eevolution Poster Project additions

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W34 2008, featuring xSheepi http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20151101/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20151101/ Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:27:42 PDT

Someone to check out: ~xSheepi

W34 2008

I finally got that Castform out of my system. At last I uploaded something again!

Eevolution Poster Project additions
Only Castform this time, Eevee & Co get no love...

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W33 2008, featuring akelataka http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20024354/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/20024354/ Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:24:16 PDT

Someone to check out: *akelataka

W33 2008

Hah! No art whatsoever to show for last week. As penance I cut one of my fingers while making dinner today! Right... Anyway, typing with only nine fingers is a hassle.

In other news that interests no one: I got an iPhone 3G and it's a fun little gadget. The thing has lotsa potential! I want a PokÃ©mon / FFTA game for it!

Eevolution Poster Project additions
I should really get back to this...

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W32 2008, featuring niv100 http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19899314/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19899314/ Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:37:08 PDT

Someone to check out: ~niv100

W32 2008

Hey where did all the time suddenly go? I guess I lost track of it and now I'm left with a week without any uploads... and plenty of submission I still have to check out...
Ah well, have some teasers:

Eevolution Poster Project additions
Did other stuff...

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W31 2008, featuring extvia http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19753611/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19753611/ Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:02:05 PDT

Someone to check out: =extvia

W31 2008

As I hinted at last week, I created a Quagsire drawing (plus supporting cast).

In case you're interested in my art process (I perform all drawing steps in ArtRage):

A drawing usually starts as a creative impuls which I write on a note somewhere.

Whenever I feel like it, I draw some quick doodles to work out that concept. Sometimes I end up with something completely different, which is almost always better than my initial idea.

Next I draw on top of the sketch and turn in into a rough line drawing which I use as a guide for the real drawing.

At this point I decide what technique I will use to draw the image. Felt pen, oil paint, or something else. Felt pen is good for quick light drawings without much background, usually funny. Oil paint is good for elaborate works with atmosphere and weight.

A felt pen drawing usually gets one color layer, a shade layer, and a line art layer. The background, which is minimalistic, also gets a layer. Highlights aren't on a separate layer but are created by drawing on the color layer with a white felt pen. Separate elements often have their own layers for a while, but always get merged later on.

For an oil painting I start with an underpainting to get the colors in place and then start refining until I reach a detail level that I'm satisfied with. The number of layers I end up with depends greatly on how much overlapping shapes there are and how much I care about precision.

Once I'm done with it I upload the drawing. At this point I usually spot a glaring oversight or two, fix them, and then I'm done.

Eevolution Poster Project additions

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
*JRJay W30 2008, featuring Apofiss http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19644566/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19644566/ Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:10:52 PDT Someone to check out: *Apofiss

W30 2008

My Skitty drawing amassed 20 s within 24 hours after me posting it. I've never seen it go so fast before! I guess it being put on *pokedorks within a few hours had a lot to do with it. Beyond that, it must be the power of cute!

Meanwhile, people are dumping their galleries of PokÃ©art on *pokedorks because of their free for all week. As I didn't have a pile of art laying around, I couldn't add to the fun except for one drawing I created for the occasion.
There's more to July than the free for all though! Quagsire needs love too!

Eevolution Poster Project additions

done some thinking, but no drawing...

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W29 2008, featuring GessyTheHedgehog http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19520995/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19520995/ Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:15:36 PDT Someone to check out: *GessyTheHedgehog

W29 2008

No exuses, I simply slacked off last week! Drew a Skitty today. Wohoo!

Eevolution Poster Project additions

none...

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W28 2008, featuring SoulDew http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19372458/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19372458/ Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:14:35 PDT Someone to check out: =SoulDew

W28 2008

As I predicted I didn't draw anything last week. I did regain energy though, so I'll pick up the tablet pen again.

Eevolution Poster Project additions
Still Nothing...

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W27 2008, featuring emily-e http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19254427/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19254427/ Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:43:46 PDT Someone to check out: ~emily-e

W27 2008

I got sick last week. Payment for a busy June? Probably... I managed to throw out a Marshtomp pic and then died.
I got better, but am low on energy now. Assume no new stuff from me this week. Need lots of sleep.

Eevolution Poster Project additions
Nothing...

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W26 2008, featuring Jinx-Midnight http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19111933/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/19111933/ Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:14:15 PDT Someone to check out: ~Jinx-Midnight

W26 2008

June is practically over and so is the birthday party run that I've been experiencing. So far July only has one housewarming party and the regular events scheduled. Time to get some rest!

I took a little brake from the EPP to create something for the *pokedorks PokÃ©mon of the month June: Marshtomp. It's kind of a rush rob but I hope you all like it nonetheless.

Eevolution Poster Project additions

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W25 2008, featuring UdonCrew http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18985573/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18985573/ Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:15:39 PDT Some group to check out: *UdonCrew

W25 2008

It seems like half the people I know have their birthday party in June!
June appears to be little-content-month for me... just some sketches. The birthday parties might have something to do with it... I'll try to post a real submission next weekend.

Eevolution Poster Project additions

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W24 2008, featuring Zueuk http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18856780/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18856780/ Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:38:46 PDT Someone to check out: *Zueuk

W24 2008

Lots of stuff happened last week, but no art. Well ok, just one EPP WIP addition, shown below.

Eevolution Poster Project additions

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W23 2008, featuring tracyjb http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18724195/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18724195/ Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:15:28 PDT Someone to check out: *tracyjb

W23 2008

Didn't submit anything last week except for two EPP WIPs; was busy with other stuff instead. It happens.

Eevolution Poster Project additions

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W22 2008, featuring yanekthedarkangel http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18611523/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18611523/ Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:06:38 PDT Someone to check out: ~yanekthedarkangel

W22 2008

Not much to say about last week, except that Pikachu Seals was well received.

This week I'll focus my attention on the Eevee Poster Project. It's still in the discovery phase, but I'll elevate it to the digital realm.

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W21 2008, featuring SneakySir http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18488693/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18488693/ Sun, 25 May 2008 03:33:43 PDT Someone to check out: *SneakySir

W21 2008

All's well, I'm coasting along.

Got scared witless when my mac wouldn't boot after it got bumped, but after pulling out all components and putting them back together it worked again! If everything was so easy to fix...

I've started an Eeveelution Poster Project. It's a gallery section where I'll be posting my sketchbook / WIP of a poster-like image of Eevee and all its evolutions together. I'm serious about this, it's not going to be at the same sketch-level as my other PokÃ©mon stuff so far.

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W20 2008, featuring sushifreak http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18385244/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18385244/ Sun, 18 May 2008 15:10:57 PDT Someone to check out: ~sushifreak

W20 2008

I feel like I gained a level! I evolved from Worthless artist into Someone who can hold a pen! This means that drawing with a tablet is no longer a hindrance to me, I feel at home with it now. That took a while.

So with pen firm in hand, it's time to learn how to actually draw something halfway decent! Colored doodles will no longer do.

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W19 2008, featuring riftryu http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18283811/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18283811/ Mon, 12 May 2008 04:30:36 PDT Someone to check out: ~riftryu

W19 2008

The new project at work turned out great! Nice people, great location and lots to do. The hardware is junk but you can't have everything.
The commute I set up contains ten minutes of biking and a fifteen minute walk (aside from using the the train and tram), which is awesome with the nice weather we're having right now!

Due to Whit monday it was also a long weekend, which I used to enjoy the weather and do nothing else worth mentioning.

So what about art, you fool?
I slacked!

I am pleasantly surprised that Porygon-Z and Pokemon Glitches has been given the most of anything currently in my gallery, within one week after it was submitted! Didn't see that one coming. I guess most is thanks to *pokedorks, which is awesome!

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W18 2008, featuring kerembeyit http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18166343/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18166343/ Sun, 04 May 2008 14:23:20 PDT Someone to check out: *kerembeyit

W18 2008

Being a member of multiple clubs means my deviantWATCH message count has gone through the roof! Considering my own submissions last week: none! I'm working on something new though, it just isn't finished yet.

Starting this week I'll be going to the main office of my work again, which will increase my commute time. I'll have to get used to that again... But I'm sure it's gonna be fun work, so it'll be worth it.

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W17 2008, featuring Sc0t0ma http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18053559/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/18053559/ Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:29:01 PDT Someone to check out: ~Sc0t0ma

W17 2008

More Moogle and PokÃ©mon stuff last week! You can consider it the start of a trend for the next few months. Though it's not that I won't sneak in something else if I feel like it.

I also joined two more clubs: *pokedorks and *UnseenArtists, both having a good track record. It's worth noting both are subscriber accounts as well, which adds to their credibility.

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W16 2008, featuring Diarment http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/17937732/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/17937732/ Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:52:04 PDT Someone to check out: ~Diarment

W16 2008

No new art last week, too bad!
In other news, I got bombed by ~LunarOcean so he gets a

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA
A PokÃ©mon club: *pokedorks
A club for everyone: *UnseenArtists ]]> *JRJay W15 2008, featuring Zinacat http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/17834273/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/17834273/ Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:54:24 PDT Someone to check out: ~zinacat

W15 2008

I think Final Fantasty and PokÃ©mon are a powerful combo. Anyway, I like both so I think I'll mess with them some more in the future.

I've been looking at DA clubs for a while but I'm sure what to think about them. If anything, seeing plenty of failed and dead initiatives makes one sceptical at best. Keeping a club running requires commitment and responsibility, let alone building a succesful and active one. Regardless, I've decided to give one newborn club a try, to see where it goes. It's one that meshes well with my recent focus on moogles. My latest submission was prompted by it, so we're off to a good start.

I got bored of displaying my scedule all the time so stopped. It still exists though.)

A Final Fantasy club: ~FinalFantasyDA ]]> *JRJay W14 2008, featuring umbra-rockchick http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/17712037/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/17712037/ Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:53:31 PDT Someone to check out: *umbra-rockchick

W14 2008

No new art last week, too much stuff going on. Birthdays, evening events at work, had to get a new corporate laptop (which I won't use)... Oh, and I got glasses. Now I can see sharp at a distance again.

72 - Unassigned
40 - Work
16 - Art
16 - Upkeep
08 - Programming
08 - Social
08 - Family business

]]> *JRJay W13 2008, featuring el-grimlock http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/17575520/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/17575520/ Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:08:47 PDT Someone to check out: ~el-grimlock

W13 2008

Yay, an early journal entry!

My last two submissions were a blast to make. Some people actually enjoyed them a lot, which makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I changed my avatar appropriately.
I should say it's official now: I love ArtRage to bits!

The Pikachu drawing was a bit over the edge but I didn't immediately set up a maturity warning. Sorry, I screw up sometimes.

*hides in a corner for a while before continuing this journal*

So what's in store for next week? I dunno... too much ideas actually. It'll be ArtRage stuff, but that should be a dead giveaway by now. Moogles or Pikachu... can't decide. Perhaps both?

Oh, and on a whim I got a Twitter account. So if for some reason you want to know what's on my mind: that's the place to look.

72 - Unassigned
40 - Work
16 - Art
16 - Upkeep
08 - Programming
08 - Social
08 - Family business
]]> *JRJay W12 2008, featuring balaa http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/17487019/ http://JRJay.deviantart.com/journal/17487019/ Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:02:43 PDT Someone to check out: *balaa

W12 2008

Should've posted this yesterday but I was busy eating a lot of eggs with friends. Anyone else had a (partially) white Easter?

Didn't do much art - watched Kaiji instead, which is an interesting anime about gambling. There's an ArtRage moogle oil painting in the pipeline though, here's the sketch:

I created a Twitter account, for fun and... whatever.

72 - Unassigned
40 - Work
16 - Art
16 - Upkeep
08 - Programming
08 - Social
08 - Family business
]]> *JRJay