http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:eurayo&section=today deviantART RSS for by:eurayo en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:10:12 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/28041036/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/28041036/ Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:05:19 PDT
I tried to rationalize her organization's position by pointing to the AIGA, which regularly solicits donations in the form of graphic design, printing and paper, volunteers, and in-kind donations at the local and national level. Vendors and other professionals routinely and generously give time and money in exchange for a by-line or company logo on a piece of marketing collateral. And it can't be easy getting people to give, especially in lean times. Maybe I should be honored and excited that someone wants to use my work and help me to gain national exposure.

The idea was to provide their members with files that could in turn be downloaded and printed at their own expense, and used as part of their in-store promotional materials. The idea, I assume, is to give customers an added feeling of value to their decision to buy from their store, and not just preview the book and get it for less online. And there's the rub. Whether it's a bookmark, a leave behind, or a poster in the children's section, the art would function like any other form of advertising designed to convince the viewer to spend money. At some point, a vendor, such as a local printer, gets paid to reproduce the pieces. The printer pays its suppliers, rent, and electricity bill. The bookseller pays its dues to the organization, rent, insurance, taxes, its employees.

Who pays me for my work? Doesn't it have value?

The membership dues for the organization's members range from $200 to $300, and they offer listings for approximately 1200 member bookstores nationwide. Somewhere in there has got to be a fair usage fee for my image or anyone else's for that matter. Ya think?

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/27676259/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/27676259/ Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:29:53 PDT
As a start, I'll be experimenting with new tags on my work.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/27610819/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/27610819/ Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:40:27 PDT
In other news, I just read the first three issues of Ashley Woods' Millenia War. I'm really enjoying Ashley's colors and storytelling. The art has a manga feel to it, but it's still uniquely hers. She also spends time designing unique clothes for the humans and elves in the story. Next month I'll be ordering the next two issues.

I've also ordered (finally) the first two issues of Abraham by Stacey Robinson (BLACKSTAR-SHABACH). With so much overlap and similarity between styles in mainstream comics, the art in Abraham is refreshing and alive. Stacey uses a strong mix of flowing lines and a strong sense of color and light that makes the pages I've seen so far nice to look at and easy to navigate.

Looking forward to seeing the full books!

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/27307599/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/27307599/ Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:04:45 PDT
Go to:

[link]

Easy, one stop shopping via PayPal.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/27234202/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/27234202/ Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:50:03 PDT
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After life drawing, I met a nice couple at the café in EC this afternoon. Both were artists, and we had a good time talking about art, animation, and other cool stuff. One works at a local animation studio and he gave me some much-needed words of encouragement. The other showed me her sketches and they were PHENOMENAL! Lots of animal and character concepts. This cheered me up a bit because a young woman sharing my table apparently had her wallet stolen just before I arrived. I had to listen to the detailed interview with the officer who came by to take an incident report from her.

I've been reading Scott McCloud's "Reinventing Comics" and so far it's been great. I especially like how he breaks down the direct market model and the history of "assembly line" comcis.

Sac Anime is coming soon, but it looks like they don't have an artist's area. I'd love to promote the Aroid concept there. I haven't quite mastered the manga look just yet, but I'll keep at it.

I mentioned my Afroid concept to the teller at the bank and she liked the idea. My ATM card had expired and I had to go inside. I mentioned to her the two other accounts that would be needing new cards, one of which was in the Afroid name, and we got to talking about my art.

Gotta get some t-shirts made!!!

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26581566/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26581566/ Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:47:53 PDT
]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26472640/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26472640/ Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:08:22 PDT

[link]

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26335391/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26335391/ Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:45:50 PDT
Next show: Aug 2, 2009 11:00 pm PST [link]

(Portions of broadcast maybe be recorded and archived for future viewing)

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26326982/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26326982/ Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:40:53 PDT
I may want to try feeding through my laptop, which will let me position the camera. I have a couple of Sun Cobra (日のコブラ characters sketched out and ready to finish...

Next broadcast: tentatively TONIGHT 11 pm PST..

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26307046/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26307046/ Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:12:20 PDT

[link]

Stop by and say hello!

-e

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26017344/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/26017344/ Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:51:05 PDT
Let's see how last this iced mocha buzz from a couple of hours ago lasts. Wish me luck!!

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/25953682/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/25953682/ Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:04:17 PDT
G.I. Joe was also a deeply character driven story told through the file cards printed on the packages of the toys, and the comic book. Everyone had a story. I think this is one of the unappreciated aspects of the G.I. Joe story. They made a genuine effort to depict the Joes as a diverse team that included men and women from many different walks of life. Cobra, being a homegrown terrorist organization, relied on several tired villain archetypes of the "Boris and Natasha" variety. For a time, Cobra's secret base of operations was a quiet town called Springfield, which might have been interpreted as a jab at white suburbia being a breeding ground for white supremacist groups and the like.

One of the earliest forays into weirdness in the comic book involved Dr. Venom and his mind-altering S.N.A.K.E armor. Both Snake Eyes and the Inuit mercenary Kwinn were used in the armored suits against the Joes in a major battle. The suits had the ability to control their minds. Zartan was another strange, shape-shifting character who might have been more at home in an X-Men comic. Tomax and Xamot had a psychic link that enabled one to feel the other's pain (like Cheech and Chong's Corsican Brothers). Characters like the genetically engineered Serpentor, and Globulus from the Cobra-La story from the G.I. Joe movie, really took things into the realm of fantasy. Similarly, Destro's origin story described in the television show features a monstrous creature living at the bottom of an ominous well.

Many of the original characters, including Snake Eyes, Hawk, Stalker, Grunt, Short Fuse and Breaker share a basic uniform with subtle variations, different weapons and equipment. Zap and Grand Slam also shared similar padded uniform designs. The uniforms clearly were not from a specific branch of service, but still had an authentic battle fatigue look and feel. Greens, tans, browns, blacks, and jungle camo were the norm. Scarlet was a noteworthy exception. She wore a grey body suit with tan boots, gloves and what looked like a custom one-piece tan swimsuit. Future Joes would also deviate considerably from the basic grunt design in favor of expressing the individuality and expertise of character. This is why the movie designs work for me thus far. They blend a slick, sexy, high tech look with a general purpose MARPAT fatique. The team looks like it belongs in this era. The Delta-6 is the sort of thing that has been mentioned in technology news as the future of infantry warfare. So featuring it something like that is consistent with the tradition of the G.I. Joe being a few steps ahead. I expect to see a lot of cool tech in this film.

Cobra on the other hand, was little more than a mindless, faceless horde led by a few key, twisted characters. But they were also the embodiment of evil: totalitarianism, militarism, war profiteering, world domination, biological and chemical warfare, and anything a mad scientist could imagine. Recently, Dreamwave's Transformers/G.I.Joe depicted Cobra as something comparable to the 3rd Reich. And it's an easy comparison to make. The basic Cobra trooper looks a lot like a WWII German soldier. They also carried Warsaw Pact weapons, such as the Dragunov sniper rifle and the AK-47. They mostly wore masks, which might have been a way to tap into our cultural aversion to losing our individuality, or possibly even our fears of masked terrorists featured in news reports from the Middle East at the time. Today, a Cold War inspired en... ]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/25663903/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/25663903/ Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:55:52 PDT [link]) So since Frank Welker returned to voicing Soundwave for the film, it's interesting to hear his voice sound so close to the errors from the series.

Regarding Mudflap and Skids: much ado about nothing. In fact, I would have liked to have seen the writers build on their ability to merge in to a single vehicle. They're the classic bickering brothers with a love/hate relationship who have each other's backs when things get rough. I didn't catch what actually happened to The Twins after their contact with Devastator. I'll pay closer attention when I see it again.

Speaking of Devastator, man, brilliant design. I didn't see that coming. It was like the Decepticons under the guidance of The Fallen had this monster of a chess piece in place, just waiting for the call to "unearth" their ancient machine. The no-nonsense functionality of Devastator that impressed me the most. He was essentially giant wood chipper retooled for rocks.

Opitimus Prime came across as a battle-hardened soldier in the film, which I never saw in the television show. When he executed the 2-wheeled Decepticon (Scavenger) after the opening battle with a shot to the head, it seemed out of character. He was more or less the voice of reason in the series, and even in the first film. Ironhide was always the brute.

One big error was Jetfire leaving the Air and Space Museum in D.C. and walking out into an airfield with rolling hills in the background. That made no sense. But he was another well-designed character. The cane/landing gear was brilliant. Jetfire's ability to teleport may have been a subtle reference another G1 Decepticon, Sky Warp, who was also black jet. Similarly, Starscream seemed to be doing double-duty as Thundercracker when he fired off an EMP burst toward the end of the film.

Something about the Mudflap and Skids ice cream truck configuration really worked for me. It seemed harmless enough not to attract the suspicions of humans and Decepticons alike. The idea of putting these two lower rung Autobots on point during a critical search and destroy mission makes me wonder if they were seen as expendable, experienced operatives, or young soldiers trying to earn their stripes. I also thought that their "upgrade" happened too quickly in the film. Their ability to combine into a single vehicle could have been explored a bit more.

Few have mentioned that the twins are not a new concept to the Transformers universe. Hasbro released a series of Decepticon toys called Duocons. A Duocon consisted of two autonomous vehicles with separate personalities that combined into one robot through a push-button, spring-loaded action. [[link] I bought Flywheels several years ago. On his stats card he's described as having a split personality and as being both a danger to himself and to Autobots. I actually came across a Mudflap and Skids ice cream truck toy review online before seeing the film. The toys have come a long way and it seems that engineering a reasonable amount of articulation is becoming the norm for this genre of toys.

I own the original Japanese Microman version of Ravage. I think it was called "Jaguar". It was and still is one of my favorite toys. Ravage was always an infiltrator in the television series, or used to terrorize humans. He never seemed to do too well against the full-sized robots. Anyone who has cats knows how they occasionally cough up fur balls, so the ball bearing bots he coughs up were a nice idea that introduces a new ways of imagining how the others might have smaller, symbiotic and self-aware machines living inside them and maintaining their bodies from within. The parts transplant from Jetfire to Optimus also shed some light on the possibility of their bodies sharing some fundamental compatibility matrix.

In a nutshell, lots to love about the movie. I may take time out to see it again soon.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/25306648/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/25306648/ Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:21:17 PDT
]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24920463/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24920463/ Sun, 24 May 2009 08:23:15 PDT
I also noticed that it was an incredibly young crowd, unlike many of the comic book conventions I've attended where I'm used to seeing other men my age. Now, the enthusiasm I saw in the cosplayers was phenomenal, but being twice the age of the average attendee, and about half the fanatic, I had to ask myself if it was worth spending the day feeling like a chaperon at a junior high school party.

Much of the con seemed to be about youthful togetherness. These kids obviously spent a ton of time and money on their love of anime and manga, considering how most of the costumes were really well-built. (I can't say the same about most of the wearers of the costumes, but that's another issue.) They also arrived in groups. Without a doubt, everyone was happy to be there with friends. I was alone and feeling really out of place, so I left. That's what I get for ignoring my "no more cons unless I'm there as a vendor or guest speaker" resolution.

Star Trek was playing at the theater a couple of blocks away, so rather than head home, I decided to see the film. It was okay, but not great. Some of the jokes fell flat, and the dialogue was predictable at times. But the characters were for the most part fun. I don't quite get why engineering looked like a giant oil refinery. I'm sure Eddie Murphy was smiling at the obvious nod to his classic joke about Kirk "fuckin' some green bitch". The director seemed to be doing something different with the aliens. He didn't seem to want to let us gaze at them for very long. When an unfamiliar (and grotesque) species appeared on screen, I got only a few seconds to process what I saw. I don't know if this was intentional or just a result of the pace of the editing.

While waiting for the train, I overheard a conversation between a blind man and a woman about a game for the blind played with a ball with bells inside. He had one with him. It was about the size of a soccer ball, and made of a really dense, blue, rubbery material. The idea is to make the ball noisy so that the players can find it. I'm surprised that I've never heard of the game or the balls.

The Cerrito Theater is closed. I loved that theater!

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24858627/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24858627/ Wed, 20 May 2009 15:11:37 PDT
I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures if I go.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24711484/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24711484/ Mon, 11 May 2009 20:46:58 PDT
My ex-girlfriend sent me a link to a crazy site with an Alice in Wonderland video that's tiled 936 times with a staggered playback and weird soundtrack. I hope it didn't load any bugs onto my system.

Is Epilogue.net down again? I posted a comment to their forum earlier today, and now it's down. Oh well. Elfwood's taking submissions again!

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24685708/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24685708/ Sun, 10 May 2009 12:00:08 PDT
Our AIGA student chapter had its first student show. The reception went well.

I may get to take a conversational Japanese class this summer, which would be a good way to keep some momentum going from the last class I took, which ended last Thursday.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24616581/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24616581/ Wed, 06 May 2009 11:08:47 PDT
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]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24324818/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24324818/ Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:54:02 PDT
Yaa.

Now let's talk about FOOD!! I'm hooked on baked Fuji apples, pecans, walnuts and brown sugar in oatmeal for breakfast. The apples really get flavorful and juicy when they're baked.

Yum!

Yikes! I'm looking at a Tommy James and the Shondells video of Crimson and Clover and damn, he looks like Prince during the 1999/Purple Rain era. Even sounds like him!! I had no idea. Prince's recent cover and video led me to seek out the original artist and what a surprise.

Doug Chiang's book Mechanika's a good read so far.

Almost done with Imaro 1. Good bedtime reading.

I'm also liking the new Elfwood. A bit messy, but nice new features.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24229397/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24229397/ Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:31:30 PDT
Just picked up Imaro I again. I'm almost done with it. I just read the part about the scary hippo monster lady.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24228851/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24228851/ Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:51:36 PDT
I found another painting process book at the library that carefully lays out several techniques that I hope to apply to my digital work. I used a Shari Joy (Roseonyxis) photo for reference in a piece where I plan to use the Venetian technique of glazing over Venetian red.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24122033/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24122033/ Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:13:50 PDT [link] and see if it works. I don't have a proper rig to put my webcam directly in front of my monitor, and but for a slight blue cast, it's working!

Watchmen was pretty good. The soundtrack was really disappointing though. I was looking forward to hearing some Smashing Pumpkins.

Also watching Better Man. Fun stuff! Dark and comedic!

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24071977/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/24071977/ Sun, 05 Apr 2009 08:58:21 PDT
Almost done with the Nymphs and Satyrs piece. Looking forward to getting some feedback on it here and elsewhere.

I hope we get some rain this week.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23944121/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23944121/ Sun, 29 Mar 2009 01:56:14 PDT
But, on the positive side of things, this is forcing me to reassess how many sites use those e-mails for ID purposes. This is also a good time to close any forum or site memberships that I"m not using, starting with good ol' MySpace.

I saw the Wrestler Thursday night. Our Japanese teacher didn't make it to class, so I decided to treat myself to a movie at the Cerrito Theater. I ordered a burrito, which was a little bland and disappointing. I'll stick to the pizza from now on.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23622756/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23622756/ Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:16:32 PDT
Keeping up as much as I would like to hasn't been easy at all. I have kanji, vocab, along with new grammar, listening drills, and homework to complete before each class. But the more I struggle with it and concentrate, the more I retain. Sometimes what feels like a wild guess is spot on accurate, which suggests that something is starting to sink in on a deeper level.

I've noticed a pencil called a Black Warrior with the Mitsubishi brand showing up again and again as a favorite for artists, including animators, in Japan. Kinokuniya's stationary shop had them instock, and I even found one and tried it out. Didn't really notice anything special. All pencil brands have their own character. Berol's Turquoise line of drawing pencils tend to be a little more silvery than Koh-i-Noor's line, which has a nice, velvety and dense quality. General also has a series that didn't seem to get dark as easily. Come to think of it, I haven't really used my set of Derwent's much at all, but I don't remember them giving me any problems.

Midterm exam is Thursday. I'll do my best.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23607589/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23607589/ Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:27:09 PDT
I wasn't expecting much from the small, one-day con. But that "what the hell am I doing here?" feeling starting to kick in after about five minutes. But I liked seeing the younger folks enjoying themselves. Lots of groups of high school age and younger kids were there, some in costume, but most really passionate about whatever it is they're into. I came across some impressive toys and got a good deal on a Drew Struzan book (20 bucks!). Some folks are still selling Riddick toys, but they never have what I'm looking for. Almost bought a vintage P-38 kit, but I can get a better deal elsewhere on a newer kit. The kit inspired the design of a fighter called the Double Dodger that I've been drawing since I was seven or eight. There's also a little Revoltech But I still have two models in the hopper. The video game room had some rocker game, and Street Fighter 4 (I think). The food was lousy. I had a "hot dog" with canned chili and some chopped onions on top and a bag of Sun Chips. But they had hot tea which was a pleasant surprise.

Two more conventions are happening in Sac this year: a horror con, and an anime con. Ray Park is scheduled to attend which is kind of cool. I'm curious about the G.I. Joe film.

If I ever attend another con, I will be there as a creator, rather than an attendee. If that's successful, I'll become a regular again...

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23553537/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23553537/ Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:24:57 PST
Got back my first Nihongo journal writing assignment covered in red ink, but I'm finally starting to understand the past short form for verbs and nouns. The next chapter is going to get harder. I need a way to stop confusing the kanji for "thing" and "to write", and lots of new vocab to memorize...

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23530703/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23530703/ Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:22:38 PST
I'm enjoying the last, gooey, buttery scoops of homemade guacamole. This batch took an odd turn when I decided to add a bit of red bell pepper and lime juice. It really doesn't work. The pepper gives it a bite that reminds me of the first time I tasted rum in food. Tonight I dropped in a scoop of cooked brown rice and now it's working. Just a few chips left. Gotta savor it.

Might be doing my second Juneteenth project soon.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23530523/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23530523/ Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:12:50 PST
]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23495636/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23495636/ Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:16:33 PST
Midterm's here. Lots to do...

6-D Pen on its way.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23477021/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23477021/ Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:48:28 PST
But my 2-day Wacom tablet intensive workshop went well. I hope I get to teach another one. Great group. I even had a former classmate from CCA enrolled in the class.

I'm judging the last batch of entries for a local media arts award tonight and getting some well-deserved sleep.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23206871/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23206871/ Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:14:33 PST
We have a big storm coming in Sunday night.

I have just a little bit left in Donald Tyson's Alhazred.

Another calm and relatively uneventful Saturday has come and gone.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23131594/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23131594/ Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:26:23 PST
The rains are back. I like it when the weather is polite enough to wait until after most people's bed time.

Our new Loard's Ice Cream shop in El Cerrito has a really good halo halo flavored ice cream. It reminded me of what I think used to be s Swensen's at the same mall years ago. I used to treat myself to a strawberries, banana and cream on a waffle cone. That was the best.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23071352/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/23071352/ Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:04:59 PST
I rented "A Good Day to be Black and Sexy", Afro Samurai: Resurrection, and Str.AI.N. today. The first two were a little disappointing.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22725389/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22725389/ Thu, 22 Jan 2009 02:11:58 PST
My work never looks like what's in the annual. It never has the smartness and sophistication, the craft, scale. It's as though something always comes along as part of the approval process that takes what I initially believe to be a good idea and plunges it into the doldrums of mediocrity.

So, I'm going to check in with my peers in the industry and fire off a few submissions. Same goes with Spectrum. Every year I let the deadline slip by, believing that my work is just not up to snuff. But again, it might be worth submitting something.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22704723/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22704723/ Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:08:01 PST
]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22612836/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22612836/ Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:21:36 PST
I'm going to call it a hobby, since I don't really need Japanese for anything useful. While watching the occasional film or anime series, I might catch a few words and phrases here and there.

Almost done watching the third Aquraion DVD. It's a little unexpected to see homosexual and bisexual themes in seemigly youth-oriented anime. It was also a pleasant surprise to find Aquarion toys online. The did a great job of making the three-part mech work. I wish I know how the model shown by the director in one of the DVD extras was sculpted.

I've started scupting parts of the Sun Cobra, and I'm getting better at drawing it's overall form from different angles. But it's hard to resist the temptation to alter the design. A good model might help me to burn in some of the shapes. Gonna start small and take it from there.

Just got news from a friend whose plans for college might be put on hold indefinitely because of a lack of money. That sucks. This is a person who works really hard and really wants to go back to school. I hope it all works out.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22480202/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22480202/ Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:49:38 PST

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22390059/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22390059/ Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:14:57 PST
It's funny how the vehicles I drew as a kid were done with such confidence. The designs were for the most part rudimentary, but they did evolve over time into sleek, sophisticated forms. One concept was almost identical to the droid fighter in Star Wars Episode 1. Most of the variations were inspired by the ones I regularly saw in Japanese anime mech designs.

I might catch a screening of Slum Dog Millionaire this afternoon, depending on how much work I can get done this morning.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22372343/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22372343/ Sat, 03 Jan 2009 11:21:43 PST
The Day the Earth Stood Still started playing at the Cerrito this week. I enjoyed it, though it felt like a bit of a propaganda film that puts the suggests a parallel between the fictionalized higher wisdom of aliens exterminating humans to save the earth and the current models of climate change. They even managed to work in the terms "tipping point" which borrows directly from current global warming rhetoric, and humanity's ability to "change". The latter suggested that someone involved with the film was strongly influenced by Obama's presidential campaign.

I just got rented Aquarion. It's a bit of a disappointment thus far. I think the story is moving too quickly, plus the mech looks awkward, though it's rendered in phenomenal detail. How do they design this stuff? In fact, I'm starting to feel a little disappointed in my Sun Cobra design, having hit a few walls while working on the shoulders and back of the torso. It might be time to pull out a few clumps of Sculpey and try sculpting those parts. It's funny how that first sketch still feels the strongest. I'm going to do a quick search of legless and serpentine mechs to see if I can find some inspiration.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22261701/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22261701/ Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:41:46 PST
Estudillo Joso's Monster Book of Manga has a really good coloring tutorial that has made coloring digital inks a lot easier and faster for me.

This weekend I learned that not all undies are created equal. Socks are easy, but the wrong cut of whitie-tighties spells instant doom for a man's nether regions. I won't name the brand, but they're as comfy as the cuff from a blood pressure monitor. There's gotta be a way to take the guess work out of shopping for nut hammocks.

And did you know that penile crush injuries in little boys are in the news? The culprit seems to be falling toilet seats made of heavy materials.

And speaking of little baked red bananas, I'm still amazed by how good red bananas taste baked. They might go well with gelato. My favorite gelato spot in Berkeley has waffles for sale now! I gotta stay away so that I don't get hooked on them.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22191134/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22191134/ Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:09:00 PST
I also saw the first volume of Big-O. I might stick with it. The similarity to Batman is more than a little distracting.

Almost done with the the orthographics for my Sun Cobra mech. Now he needs a story. I'm going to try inking him and coloring him.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22189894/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22189894/ Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:05:34 PST
I still remember struggling at CCAC in Michelle Wetherbee's Typography 3. Every wall crit, every dead end, every bad idea, bombing the midterm, and the final. The final was a bit of break through.

The first half of the semester was spent working on a history book design. This included a grid, two page text spread, part opener, illustration and text spreads, cover, title, half title, copyright, TOC, and several other parts. My book was to be on the history of funk music. But it ended up being a seemingly endless struggle with type. I got a C at midterm, which was generous. My goal was to redeem myself with the final project, where we were to make an experimental book based on our topic.

Being a fan of sci-fi, I imagined a late 19th century time traveler with a fascination with funk music and the arts and crafts era. My instructor strongly encouraged me to do something less elaborate and strange, so I ended up applying what I'd learned from the history book to another design. The book was called "The One" and featured a formal design applied to an informal form of music. I also created patterns with some of the iconic symbols of the era that spawned funk music, and wrapped the book in a black and brown William Morris-like floral pattern.

But the original idea of a Victorian time traveller's guide to funk still haunts me as one of those projects I need to finish before I die.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22094652/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22094652/ Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:13:47 PST
Just before that I spent a couple of hours drawing and drinking tea at 33 Revolutions Café. Their Year of the Wildcat line up played, starting with a petite Souxie clone, followed by a very mod and skinny girl with short hair dressed in a short, goldenrod dress. A guy sat across from me and started drawing some comic booky type pin-up stuff. Based on what I could see, he was really good! But I focused on my goofy mech design. I'm working on his neck and back.

Just rented Rah Xephon. Beautiful mech designs. They remind me a bit of the stuff from Evangeleon.

Going to a dinner tomorrow.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22025221/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/22025221/ Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:24:51 PST
I'm sitting here with this beautiful arrangement of thin, mango-bright hachiya slices, blueberry yogurt, almonds, and slices of strawberry. Somehow the combination counteract the icky texture, but not completely. I have two left, but I'll be sure to let these ones ripen.

Bought another spaghetti squash tonight. What an amazing veggie. I need to find something to flavor it, or just make a tomato sauce. It reminds me of vermicelli, but it's more firm. Also got some turnips, broccoli, bean sprouts, spinach, and snap peas for breakfast.

I'm enjoying my sweet potato, pear and green onion concoction. I tried a batch with olive oil, but corn oil seems to be best for this dish. I also add some walnuts for texture. I slice the sweet potato into thin strips, quarter and thinly slice the pears (firm bosc), and cook them in a bit of oil in a non-stick pan. These pears have a strong flavor that reminds me of the plum wine I had at a Japanese restaurant years ago. I usually get a blast of sweetness from a bowl of fruit in the morning but the sweet potato and pear have a satisfying and balanced mix of sweet and veggie flavors.

This is my last day to fool around a bit. Lots of final projects to review and grade beginning tomorrow. I wonder if I'll have time to finish my Eva model before winter ends. It's really cold here now. Tonight I saw two queen(?) ants in transport from the sink in the bathroom to a hole in the wall. I couldn't bring myself to kill them. I think they'll be gone by morning.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21972803/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21972803/ Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:02:23 PST
It's a noisy place. My guess is that the carpeting was taken out for health and environmental reasons. At least I think there used to be carpet. I miss smooth and inviting transitions from one exhibit to the next. Now, the planetarium and the rain forest dome take up much of the building's core, flanked by other exhibits. The aquarium has also changed a bit. One of the spaces has beautifully sculpted wall with a wavy, iridescent surface.

The temporary Howard Street facility actually had a much nicer feel, even though it was considerably smaller. The most memorable exhibit at the old site was all about ants.

I may need to return on a day that isn't as busy. The plan was to spend a day sketching, but with the crush of people and noise, that wasn't an option. The California Museum of Oakland's natural history section was a much nicer place to sketch stuffed animals, but the lights are hot in some areas.

After the Academy I met up with a friend at a cafe and worked on my Sun Cobra mech. Several photos of skulls and snake parts and a horseshoe crab are helping me to tighten up and unify the design.

Today the first major storm of winter arrived, and I may want to stay in and draw.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21776970/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21776970/ Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:16:30 PST
]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21745916/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21745916/ Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:09:31 PST
But I made it home, thank goodness.

I saw Toys Are Us, a documentary on the vinyl toy movement. Weird and cool stuff. Kind of wish I was one of the cool designer kids involved with that stuff.

Today I studied more Japanese at a café and had some fun working on my new Getter Robo inspired robot design. A pianist came in. She sounded a bit like Tori Amos. I got through a few new head, arm and shoulder designs, and worked on its tail. Lots of fun!

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21715955/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21715955/ Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:31:23 PST
]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21691115/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21691115/ Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:03:53 PST
This had to have been the most tedious fruit-eating experience ever. Tedious and bizarre. I will say that the melon has one of the most beautiful insides of any fruit. It's like a living, green, multi-celled crystal inside. Each translucent cell is a little blob of jelly that surrounds a single seed. A gentle squeeze releases the blobs a few at a time, at which time they can be slurped up. Sucking the jelly while simultaneously ejecting the seed took a bit of practice, but after a while I got into a rhythm and finished the half. It's one of those things that takes sustained concentration, like knitting, but with your teeth and tongue. But the satisfaction isn't really in the flavor, but in getting through all of the little blobs and savoring the thin orange rind. As with other exotic fruits I've had the pleasure if trying, the flavor is light, slightly sweet and aromatic. It teases the senses without overwhelming them. I think it gave me weird dreams. But it didn't make me sick. It's supposed to be high in vitamin A and iron.

I'm considering juicing the remaining half and tossing the seeds. This is one fruit that could use a bit of genetic tweaking. A seedless breed would be worth its weight in gold. I also bought a cantaloupe but cut into it too soon. Not quite ripe yet, but sweet and firm. There's a breed of raspberry that's gold and just as sweet. They go well with strawberries.

Hopefully some Santa Clause melons will hit the supermarket soon. I've only had one and it was by far one of the best melons I've ever tasted. I think there's a Tuscan melon that I haven't tried yet as well.

I rented the last disc of Noein, the first Inuyasha, and Kung Fu Panda. Might stay in tomorrow. Need to rest.

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21672776/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21672776/ Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:28:01 PST
]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21640527/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21640527/ Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:16:18 PST
]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21543928/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21543928/ Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:52:39 PST
It's hard to explain how studying this kind of language seems to be rewiring my brain and forcing me to invent or rediscover ways of memorizing. Repetition and constant review seems to work for me. It also helped a lot to figure out how to get the MP3 files on my cell phone's memory card. I now can take the entire semester's audio with me anywhere and practice, practice, practice.

I'm getting rid of a of old books, files and other crap that's been piling up for years. If I don't need it, it's got to go.

Gotta feed the kitty now...

]]> ~eurayo http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21413960/ http://eurayo.deviantart.com/journal/21413960/ Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:57:48 PST
The sad part was running into two guys from Silicon and having them not recognize me. Man, that sucked. One was on the panel I moderated and the other spent damn near an hour chatting with the table next to mine in the artist's alley. I can't take any of this personally, but I thought I'd made a genuine connection with them.

And people in general have been acting weird lately, especially after the elections. It's like 911 all over again. All of a sudden, people have a fresh reason to look askance at me. Damn, I'm the same person today as I was on November 4th. And you know what, if you're really honest with yourselves, you'll look around and see that your communities also haven't changed. Nor have your personal situations. Same shit, different day.

]]> ~eurayo