smells like coffee ice cream

Head study before I go to bed:

I hate to stay up this late, but I couldn't resist. I need to get back to muscle study after this.
No more chopped off skull, but it looks like I've forgotten how to draw hair.

To Mackenzie who seems to be my only reader (thank you):
Actually anybody can draw real people (or anything that is real) because it's a learnable skill. The most common mistake that people make (which leads them to think it's impossible to draw a realistic portrait) is that they draw what they think they see instead of what they see. I'm still trying to overcome this false thinking stage.

It's sad how utterly trashy this is, but the movie was beautiful.

Rare one

No more trash for today. I really want to stay up all night drawing, but I need more sleep.
My mom was like, "Why don't you draw real people instead of imaginary ones?" << This is why I never, for once, feel comfortable showing my art to family members.

serious like a joke

In the end I managed to find some educational stuff on Tumblr. So much to learn...... Challenging but fun.
Haven't drawn muscles since 10th grade Anatomy so this brings back memories. Wish I had paid more attention in that class. All I remember is that we watched some funky bloody videos about Chuck E Cheese some guy chopping off his own (frostbitten) fingers and the like lol. And that it was cut short because of lunch. Why yes we always did weird 'stuff' before having lunch I miss those days.

Now I need to think about how many muscle studies I should mess up a day.

I reopened FB yesterday to keep track of my travel plan and happened to see this:

Really, people, really? I could never make a motivational poster out of this, much less labeling it "Just for Fun". I guess this is the kind of compassion/humor they will be teaching their children.

And what are the Japanese doing while certain Americans are enjoying sick jokes like this?

I'll just get back to drawing all day long so I won't have to think about how heartless some people can get.

Words of Wisdom - May 5

"Using reference is essential. There are many things you wouldn’t come up with if you are only working from memory and imagination."

"...no matter what I’m painting I always start out rough and lose. You can add the details later. The image has to read at a rough stage already. I’m also always aware of the lighting before I do my first stroke."

"When I start a painting I’m thinking in shapes rather than in lines. Often times I don’t even do a drawing and start blocking in shapes directly. But it all depends. If I have a specific idea in mind I would start with a linedrawing. The key is to keep it rough and fast in the beginning."

"The most important thing is that you love and have fun at what you do.
Work hard and eliminate your weaknesses step by step. Not all at once.
The key is to stay focused on your goals. Never be scared of Failing. Failing is good and necessary for you to grow."

-Goro Fujita

People who I called frands let me down yet again. I should just stop thinking about them.
Then again, they started to get back to me and gave me happy heart attacks as soon as I stopped thinking about them. Works like magic.
FRANDS I HATE YOU Y U SO KIND YOU MADE ME FEEL BAD.

Anyway, trashy morning practice with ref.  and an empty stomach using a chalk brush:

Maybe I'll try to work on it some more after lunch.

May 4

Chalkboard madness looool. See any Portal or Zelda references?
It hurts my head just by watching people playing Portal.

I painted an aisle runner for the first time this morning. I forgot to take picture of the final result, but it was pretty crappy so yeah.Weirdest job ever. Fortunately my customer didn't mind my amateurness.

Lesson learned: Acrylic is pretty sticky. It almost glued the painted parts onto the board I put underneath the runner. Why am I such a retard.

And my teacher gave me this book today. I'm a happy panda.

I'm about to fly to the other half of the world in a couple of weeks. Oh summer... You never fail to give me headaches. I'm hoping to have a Final Fantasy party and a beach trip with my frands before I leave.

P.S. I found Ulquiorra's favorite Pokémon: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Trubbish_(Pok%C3%A9mon)
You learn something new everyday.

Sleepyheads say things they shouldn't be saying

Deformed random figure from mind (mild nudity)

I need to work with reference. I might have to stare at some kind of anatomy chart every night before I go to bed lol, this just doesn't work.

I just noticed today that an artist who used to be my main inspiration does not "know" his anatomy that well. I'm not trying to give a critique (because I'm not good enough to do that), but some of the muscles from his most recent work were off when I looked at it this morning. I always thought his works were flawless. Maybe my vision is improving a little bit.
Again, a terrible art maker such as myself has no right to 'criticize' anyone, but I expect much more accurate anatomy from someone of his level and experience.