Where There's a Will...

Cardboard Princess

2010-10-17T18:17:00.000+09:00

Just a sketch.

エスパー

2010-10-01T17:09:00.002+09:00

格闘

2010-09-24T07:01:00.002+09:00

Next project tease 4

2010-05-30T04:08:00.000+09:00

Catch them all

2010-05-25T11:30:00.002+09:00

So, ready to catch 'em all over again?

Next project tease 3 (update 2)

2010-05-19T03:29:00.003+09:00

Aaand the next project. Background's almost done. Main figure only with linework for now. I think it's pretty obvious what this is, but eh.

Base colours done.

Lighting and shadow done. Minor alterations to base.

Loctopus

2010-05-18T05:03:00.001+09:00

Here's the final work! Laughing Octopus, MGS4's resident camo expert and resident hottie :p Just finished the game a couple days ago and just had to do something on it.

Next project tease 2

2010-05-17T23:50:00.000+09:00

Here we go again...

Metal Gear 'Sona 3

2010-05-05T17:59:00.001+09:00

So this *flourish* is what I've been working on! Fan art/comic for Persona 3 Portable and Metal Gear Solid 3. There just might be one too many things goin' on here...but I'm thinkin' of putting up textless versions of the main portion and wallpaper sizes too.. Lemme know if anyone wants anything in particular!
UPDATE: Main panel crop and simple main panel crop versions provided below..

Next project tease... (updated)

2010-05-02T20:00:00.001+09:00

This is what I'm working on right now. What is it? Wait and see...
(P.S. I heart Photoshop)

UPDATE: Second working shot.

Trapfactory-Ashley Ketchum

2010-05-01T22:48:00.000+09:00

Another genderswap! Ohnoes!!

Sketchy

2010-04-29T21:32:00.000+09:00

Just a sketch for today, done with reference. Tried to do some other stuff but today's not an art day apparently.

Trapfactory-The Heroine of Time

2010-04-28T01:47:00.001+09:00

So I like traps, just wrote a paper on the topic in fact. So it finally dawned on me that I draw stuff, which means that I can create my own :) Drawing guys is boring anyway, so ladies and gentlemen may I present to you the Heroine of Time!

EXE-Page 4 (Red close-up)

2010-04-19T23:53:00.000+09:00

Close-up of the character for the previous EXE page.

EXE-Page 4

2010-04-19T22:23:00.001+09:00

Page 4 of the new manga. May put up a textless, hi-res version since the page is quite detailed this time..

Manga & How To View.

2010-04-14T15:16:00.005+09:00

So will (not a typo; I don't like caps on my name) has this thing where he's trying to get 2 separate original manga projects off the ground, ~~because he's masochistic and thinks that the truckloads of work he gets from school aren't enough~~. He's very slow though, so both projects aren't going very fast. However, to aid readers in viewing what he has done, he's made some modifications to the sidebar on his blog to serve as quicklinks for just such a purpose; as illustrated by the below pic:

As you can see from the image, the updates box that I had prior now has a list of links to individual manga pages, which when clicked will bring you to the requested page and blahblahblah...you get the idea. One more thing is that I also have my blog posts linked to Facebook, such that all posts will appear on the site as Notes. The sidebar functionality however is not available on FB so for readers using FB here is what you can do:

At the bottom of each Note is a link to "View Original Post" if the Note was not originally written in FB itself. Simply click on this link to view the original posts on my blog where you can access the sidebar functionality. ...or alternatively I also have the pages up on my deviantArt page, if any of you are familiar with that:

EXE-Page 3

2010-04-12T23:18:00.003+09:00

Woo, finally! School's out (there's still the small matter of finals, but I think I'm prepared enough so..whatever :p) and I finally have time to draaaaaaaaw again! You have no idea. Anyway draw=my (long overdue) manga so here's Page 3! (and just in case its been too long for some of you Page 2 may be found here. Enjoy.) Now, who would like some oopspotato!?

Holic.

2010-04-10T01:25:00.002+09:00

So one thing I like to do is to design the papers I submit for university. I find it gives a good impression to readers, and it's one way of inserting just a little more art into my hectic school schedule. Most of the time the images I use aren't my own, although I do consider it practise in design in how the elements are chosen, altered and placed within the context of the essays. I'm currently thinking of whether I should upload these papers for their design aspect, as well as of course the content, but in the mean time here's an unused cover concept I had for a paper this semester(the back was made by tearing photocopied strips of a manga and collaging them together).

The end.

2010-04-09T22:06:00.000+09:00

Kei

2010-03-21T03:51:00.003+09:00

Digital portrait/present for a friend on her birthday (happy birthday!). Originally done in black and white but added simple colour treatment, inspired by some highlights she had in her hair as well as out-of-alignment CMYK printing effects.
Angled, 90 degree-rotated word placement influenced by videos of kinetic typography, while fonts used are slightly modified versions of BIRTH OF A HERO by Gyom Seguin, and KidTYPERuled by DS Design (both found via DaFont.com).

Unknown

2010-03-07T17:20:00.003+09:00

So I'm taking this class called Advanced Computer Imaging this semester and one of the first projects we had was to create a whole font-set from 8x8 square grids. Not wanting to end up with glyphs that seemed "low-res" due to the restrictions, my set was based on entirely "missing" horizontal or vertical lines and squares which emphasized the straight-edged style. Near completion, I realized that some glyphs reminded me of Unown, a series of 26 Pokemon based off of the English alphabet, and decided to dub the typeface Unknown for that reason. Later, we were tasked with taking our typefaces and creating a poster to illustrate our concepts and again I looked to the Pokemon influence for inspiration. Apparently it's weak to dark-type attacks and this led to the concept of the main catchphrase in the poster being encroached upon by "the darkness", itself being composed entirely of the typeface glyphs.

DAC-Personification (Yamagishi Fuuka)

2010-02-24T17:11:00.003+09:00

Final submission for this month's DAS topic of Personification; a fan art piece of Persona 3's operator Yamagishi Fuuka.

Pearsona

2010-02-16T19:26:00.004+09:00

So there's this Pokemon..and it kinda looks like a pear... Maybe you should summon it?

Happy Heartpiece Day

2010-02-14T02:05:00.002+09:00

Rumour has it...you have my heartpiece. :3

Aigis

2010-02-13T02:05:00.003+09:00

Fan art (and I think this might be only my second...and the first to have been done willingly) of Aigis (<3) from Persona 3. This was done partially for the Digital Art Society's February topic of Personificaion (the 2nd topic's Mameshiba; not doing that one), and I'm kinda surprised at how in retrospect I did not use pure black (or dark tones) "at all"; a feat for me. Also, the background was made with a very simple appropriation of Photoshop filters...but I like the effect. Must keep it in mind...and in future works.

DAS

2010-01-23T00:39:00.002+09:00

Spring 2010 semester poster for the Digital Art Society (full and textless), which I started at the end of last year.

Project EXE character concepts.

2010-01-17T01:29:00.002+09:00

Sorry for the wait; school's started. So here's the first batch of character concepts for EXE and for those of you who're interested some plot details might be gleaned from the concept notes therein. Further pages and stuff to come!

EXE-Page 2

2010-01-08T15:23:00.001+09:00

Aaand the 2nd page of the new series! Just what is going on!? Stay tuned to find out! :p

EXE-Page 1

2010-01-08T15:18:00.002+09:00

Here you go folks, the first page of my 2nd original manga series "EXE". More to follow!

Happy Mew Year + present

2009-12-31T23:41:00.005+09:00

Happy New Year and year of the tiger from the un-named Main Character of Codes (and me)..maybe not from the cat though...cat seems a little preoccupied at the moment. :p
Also, a teaser look at the logo for my 2nd manga series to start next year and run concurrently with Codes. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you EXE! (also it might delight some of you to some degree to know that my New Year's resolution is to have both series reach their respective 2nd chapters by end 2010...which is...3 times as fast as it took to get Codes to its just-concluded first chapter.. xp)

Codes-Page 8

2009-12-31T16:02:00.001+09:00

First page of Chapter 2 for original manga series "Codes". Look out for more chapters/pages in 2010! (..as well as more frequent updates...)

Codes-Page 7

2009-12-31T15:48:00.003+09:00

Finally! Page 7 and final page for Codes Chapter 1. Sorry for the delay guys....been sooo ~~distracted~~busy with school...and anime (finished D.Gray-Man! All 103 episodes! O.o)...and FFXIII (also finished; liked XII better, but XIII's all nice and shiny..)...and ~~lolcats~~. So anyway! Here y'go.

C-XXI

2009-12-12T00:32:00.004+09:00

An original character design and design sheet. This was my final project for this semester's Computer Imaging class, the requirement being that it had to reference two other short assignments that had been covered prior. The first was a historical reference on my surname, from which I derived the pirate motif since my ancestors were apparently descended from Chinese pirates. The second part was to create a year-by-year matrix using a single visual image per year of my life, for which I chose video games upon realizing that most time spent and influence derived from any singular thing would probably be from the video games I had played anyway. The individual games were used to inform the various aspects of the character and her costume etc. For example, the XXI text (I'm 21) is reminiscent of Final Fantasy, the cat's eyepatch reminiscent of Metal Gear's Big Boss and the character's armguards are Link's, taken from The Legend of Zelda.

That's not all though; the work is quite literally brimming with game references (and a couple others as well)...so can you find 'em all?

終わり。

2009-12-09T23:33:00.007+09:00

Completed (albeit really short) Flash animation for a class I took this semester. First time using Flash, and the character designs can be seen in an earlier post here. ..oh and by the way the phrase she says means, "It's over!" and the word at the end means "to be continued", though that was to coincide with the tune more than to indicate an actul continuation.

Flight.

2009-11-27T16:03:00.003+09:00

One-off piece done for the university's Digital Art Club's November theme of "Flight". Translation of the text reads, "That day... I tried to fly, but didn't think that gravity... would be that heavy." It's not really supposed to make sense though.. :p

New challenger

2009-11-10T10:59:00.001+09:00

Characters created for a quick Flash-based animation project.

SUICA week map

2009-11-10T10:51:00.002+09:00

Visual design assignment. I recorded my train card use for a week and turned the information into the visual form above.

SU.I.CA Wars

2009-10-22T14:06:00.003+09:00

For an Intermediate Computer Imaging class I'm taking right now. The task was to record information of a daily activity for one week, and to translate that information into a sort of visual map. For my activity I chose to record my SUICA card (prepaid train/bus card) use, and when I viewed the information the steadily-decreasing amount left on my card reminded me of Hit Points gradually drecreasing as in an RPG game. I will be turning the daily-recorded information into a series of fictional game screens, but in the mean time here's the main protagonist of the work to come.

Good morning.

2009-10-17T17:21:00.003+09:00

Made to illustrate a simple GIF animation for today's Web Design class. Oh yeah by the way I've been hired by the university/teaching as a part-time instructor for the afore-mentioned class.

The Raven

2009-10-13T17:05:00.003+09:00

Motion Typography project made for Computer Imaging class. The text is an excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven; music from the Silent Hill 3 soundtrack.

Better quality version available here.

Project Codes-Takeuchi Karae.

2009-10-05T15:34:00.003+09:00

AA.

2009-10-05T14:19:00.001+09:00

This is what happens when you go karaoke'ing with me when I have my tablet and laptop. :)

Codes-Page 6

2009-09-13T06:27:00.001+09:00

Codes-Page 5

2009-09-07T14:26:00.003+09:00

The Club.

2009-09-05T17:22:00.002+09:00

And we're back in full swing! I was once again given the task of coming up with the Manga & Anime Club's poster for the semester. My idea was to utilize the club logo, along with the concept of not one poster, but a series because we've lost a number of members recently to graduation and an influx of only single-semester students who transfer here for the "Japan experience" and then leave. So with that in mind the idea was to increase exposure, increase awareness and interest in the Club by having a different poster design placed on every floor of the university. Each poster features a supposedly well-known character from the anime/manga-verse and, well, here's how it came out:

Also, as was the case with last semester's screening of the Evangelion movie, we will be opening this semester's events with "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time". The illustration below was not drawn by me, but all the other designs are and it was interesting to see how easily the poster design template was able to be applied to the open screening flyer without any pre-planning on the matter.

In short, if you're a TUJ student, if you're interested in manga and/or anime, come join us..or Haruhi will so own your ass. :)

Heads Up

2009-08-30T21:21:00.005+09:00

So I'm done with my internship. Did lots of stuff, but unfortunately due to a non-disclosure agreement these are about all I can put up here. More in about...5 years when the contract term ends.

Codes-Page 4

2009-06-21T18:39:00.002+09:00

Codes-Page 3

2009-06-16T01:40:00.002+09:00

Project Codes-Dead Girl Helen Kawasaki.

2009-06-12T01:28:00.002+09:00

A girl falls from the top of school building to her apparent death. The tragedy of her passing makes the daily news and she is famous..for a time; she becomes the "Dead Girl", a moniker bestowed upon her by the gods of media and common hallway gossip; she becomes a symbol. But what are the events surrounding her untimely demise? What repercussions will there be for those involved? And, most pivotal to this tale...what does she leave behind..

Codes-Page 2

2009-06-10T17:56:00.002+09:00

Powerpoint

2009-06-06T23:59:00.003+09:00

Single-slide self-introduction for an upcoming internship. This's up here for the sake of the design, and the 3 illustrative boxes therein.
While an internship at a large company usually infers a more conservative, formal approach be taken I thought opting for a more interesting slide to grab attention and dispel lethargy would be more effective; that, and the illustrations also present from the outset my area of interest and skills...which is valuable when considering the allotted time for this self-introduction is a mere minute, no more.

Zero

2009-06-05T23:54:00.002+09:00

Ayanami Rei from the Evangelion series, drawn for the Manga & Anime Club's Open Screening of Evangelion 1.0.

Edit: This's what the pic was used for. Page also designed by me (background image by Gainax).

Codes-Page 1

2009-06-04T00:10:00.002+09:00

You are not alone

2009-06-03T02:23:00.003+09:00

Background image by Gainax, poster design by me. We've been losing members to this thing called graduation so this is the ~~ploy~~ plan to bolster our ranks. As the Invaders in Gatekeepers 21 say, "我らの世界、来い".

Project Codes-Main Character design.

2009-05-28T23:11:00.002+09:00

Allow me to introduce the central figure in this upcoming tale. Central, not because the events to follow naturally revolve around said figure, but because she will, for better or worse be the unwitting narrator of the story. She is the silent protagonist, the heroine, if her deeds warrant such terms; we will see. In the mean time be nice, say hi...more will soon follow...

But first, a teaser

2009-05-27T19:26:00.002+09:00

OCPW 9, Nana & Hachi.

2009-05-03T12:56:00.002+09:00

Okay so...this's cheating a little but, watcha gonna do? :p Did this one up for a birthday present for my host family's kid; during the homestay period I remember visiting quite a few aquariums, and there was this particular time when one of the kids stood up against a measuring tape on the wall with a plastic model of a giant tuna beside it and the tuna just dwarfed her, so..
Heh, just a little amusing to me. Okay I'm done now.

My Works from Spring 2009 Intro to Painting.

2009-04-27T20:51:00.004+09:00

Clothed Female Model
Time-based (~10min?) model sketch with oils on canvas board. Done over a previously-painted (fail) image of a hat.

Nude Male Model
Time-based (~10min?) model sketch with oils on canvas board. Several paint sketches were painted, wiped out and painted over on the same surface for each sketch.

Clothed Male Model
Model-based work done spanning several sessions.

Old Master Reproduction-Rembrandt's Young Woman in Bed
The assignment was to choose from an array of Old Master works and "Reproduce" them. Admittedly the woman in mine bears small resemblance to Rembrandt's original...but this was partially a conscious decision since I did not like the young and slightly chubby woman in the first place; a quick comparison would show mine to be slightly older and with sharper features.

The Other Self
Definitely my favourite work from this semester. The task was to do a self-portrait or similar "from-life" reference. I chose to combine a self-portrait with the character of Chie Satonaka from Persona 4, a decision which was bolstered by the fact that someone rode past me at my transfer station wearing the character's signature green sweater the very day I was supposed to start work on the project. I tried to replicate the effects of my digital art in this work..to what I think is a successful attempt.

TUJ End-of-Semester Art Exhibition, Spring 2009.

2009-04-26T16:10:00.003+09:00

Rena Yoshino-Love Me-Oil on canvas

Pierre Klein-Untitled-CG

McKenna Marvin-Self Portrait in Da Vinci Style-Ink, pencil, tea on paper

Kyle Fewell-Kitty & Blobs-Oil on canvas

Kristen Weldon-I Never Got Her Name-Charcoal

Kira Hachtel-The Misunderstanding-Oil on canvas

Kira Hachtel-AV Momento-Oil on canvas

Erin Vignali-Old Master Reproduction-Courbet Self Portrait-Oil on canvas

Here we go again! Pics of my favourites from the end-of-semester exhibition. Once again pics of my works will be shown in a separate post, and once again sorry for the bad picture-taking...I don't actually have a camera camera. :o

OCPW 8, Helena M.

2009-04-26T15:19:00.002+09:00

Not really clear in the picture but the concept was to create a sort of gun-mage character, with colour-coded shotgun-like shells stored in a bandolier pouches across her chest. The required shell would be retrieved, loaded into the shotgun and fired at the taret where the desired "spell" would take effect upon impact. The concept of spells stored in capsule form is derived from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, where characters do not themselves possess agical powers but are able to pick up elemental spells from the field as if they were ordinary items. Beneath the equipment and armour the costume design was intended to be more or less congruent to the present day.

OCPW 7, !

2009-04-13T00:58:00.002+09:00

On the cusp of Finals Week. The very cusp, I tell you! With that, I'm amazed I got in an entry this week at all. Enjoy...?

Excuses.

2009-04-04T23:36:00.003+09:00

Dear William,

Can I skip this week's OCPW quota entirely because I'm really, really swamped with end-of-semester deadlines and am already drowning by inches in the bottomless sea of...um...watery workloads?

Please?

I'll buy you that awesome conbini cake you like so much if you say yes. I don't think you'd appreciate cherries much though so I'll leave those out. Okay? Pretty please?

[Okay.]

Awesome! You're the awesome-est William evah! So awesome it's even affecting my spelling!

Thanks much,

William

OCPW 6, 大戦電説

2009-03-30T03:36:00.002+09:00

Let's make this quick (because it's past 3:30am and I've school tomorrow). Here's the backstory: 大戦電説, roughly translated as Legend of the Cyber-Wars (with, yes, an intentional mis-spelling for "densetsu") is a popular online game released sometime in the near future. Centred solely on player-to-player battles, it is an evolution of the PvP function present in many MMO games today...with the exception that technology has progressed to a level where players are able to fully experience the game-world with their senses via the game's interface. Smell, touch, all these senses are replicated save for "negative" reactions such as pain; after all, when you fight in the gameworld no one wants to really feel the "punch"...do they?
User-generated mods have been around for decades, and with the manic popularity of LCW it was only a matter of time before someone, somewhere created enhanced battle skills and simulated reactions for pain in the pursuit of a more realistic, "hardcore" gaming experience... Reports started to circulate of random player accounts being "infected" by the mod programming, reports fervently suppressed by the company behind LCW in an effort to maintain the game's already record-breaking sales.
And then an unprecedented outbreak occurs, an anonymous user claims responsibility on the official LCW boards, infected players realize the "exit" icons on their visual interfaces have disappeared, seemingly wiped off the game code leaving them no way of logging out.. The Cyber-Wars truly begin...

OCPW 5, 無名の槍

2009-03-22T19:03:00.002+09:00

So here's another one that took quite a lot of time and effort. Interestingly the character came out looking kinda Chinese...which is probably why the final composition looks like a Chinese comic cover, and the title has some allusion to Dynasty warriors (三国無双) as well. I've actually gotten pretty interested in the copy of Soul Calibur IV which we have in the school lounge so maybe that fighting, weapon-based combat also got into my head some. It's also got quite an interesting character creation mode; yea that's got me hooked.
Translated, 無名の槍 means The Nameless Spear, both an allusion to the spear itself as well as the woman in orange who's supposed to be this mysterious, vengeful combatant out to right whatever wrongs that she's out to um...right. The concept of a nameless character might seem lazy, but it's actually quite common in both games (Persona 3's main character is called "The Other Self" and Persona 4 uses 主人公, or Protagonist) and other media (Jet Li's character in Hero is literally called Nameless) so I think having a nameless character entirely given character by her weapon of choice is an interesting concept. That and no particular name came to mind when I tried to think of one so...a-hem.
Another nod towards Soul Calibur is the strange power coming from her weapon, signified by the blood-red glow. The concept is that the weapon seeks to fulfil its purpose; that is to kill. To that end it places its wielder under a spell of bloodlust, offering heightened battle prowess in exchange for...well even temperament and anger management perhaps? This is another reason why the woman is nameless, in that she has no one who would call her by whatever name she had been given as her devotion to revenge has made her unapproachable to those around her. The phrase on the right, translated says, "She has but one companion," that being the nameless spear, the weapon that offers her revenge..but not peace, a name..but no name.

OCPW 4, Glasses girl

2009-03-15T23:30:00.004+09:00

Random girl. No backstory this time. Tried to do a different style and make it more anime-ish.

OCPW 3, Eddie Sykes

2009-03-08T15:40:00.002+09:00

Edward Normanton Sykes IV lives for music, his headphones as much of a permanent fixture on his head as his ears and eyes, though passers-by would usualy be hard-pressed in viewing the latter past his distinctive yellow goggles and pink-red hair. The quintessential spoiled rich-kid, Eddie isn't used to anyone telling him what he should or should not do, and if anyone were to have the misfortune of brushing him the wrong way they'd just as soon receive a cold glare and a shocking revelation in return: The wires extending from his headphones to the back of his hands aren't just for ornamentation; on one side a "-" sign can be seen, on the other a "+". Eddie Sykes has the ability to run off the electric impulses in his brain like a battery, and if he gets both hands on his unsuspecting quarry they'd be in for a rude awakening. What a shocker!

OCPW 2, Tsal Euclea Ardonne & Croissant

2009-03-01T17:45:00.010+09:00

Made it! Phew..as you can see this week's entry is a lot more detailed than the last one. Please don't expect such thorough treatment every time; I really thought I wouldn't make the deadline this week... Speaking of which I'm thinking of adding 2 new clauses to the OCPW guidelines...will elaborate on those in the sidebar. Anyway for now, on to the context!
Some time in the future humanity makes a startling discovery: It has been almost unanimously infected by an unknown parasite; not recently, not obviously, in fact the whole matter might have remained under the rug if not for new developments in medical screening technology. Quarantine was not an option, too many people were already "infected" by the time it was discovered; it was something wholly new for the textbooks, and yet the parasite had already assimilated itself amongst human DNA to a seemingly irreversible extent. Newborn children were screened and, even when the child's parents were supposedly "clean" every now and again infants would turn up red on scanning apparatus. Doctors hypothesized that even an almost 100% infection rate would not be out of the question; it seemed some cases were merely carrier-like and immune to detection by current procedures just as the parasite itself had managed to escape detection for who knew how long.
For the most part the parasite lay dormant, feeding off the nutrients in the human body but at a negligible rate and extent. In alternative circumstances the discovery might have sparked widespread concern, and numerous studies would be conducted on the origins of the parasite and how to excise it entirely from the human gene pool. Mothers informed of their newborns' condition might have recoiled in horror and wept into the sleeves of their dumbfounded husbands, who themselves would have been too shocked and appalled to offer much relief. As it stood however, there was considerably less weeping than there might have been, and for good reason: The human race had made first contact; not with some extraterrestrial ambassador bearing an olive branch but at the receiving end of weapons of war. It was an invasion.
Where they came from, what they were after, why they attacked when seemingly unprovoked. All of those questions remain unanswered, unimportant save for the fact that they meant harm to humanity. It was enough. The human race decided to retaliate before they were overrun; fortunately, they had the means.
Fledgling experiments into the nature of the parasite yielded a curious side-effect to being "infected": As the parasites syphon off and digest its hosts' nutrients, they emit a curious form of energy in vast disproportion to what they had seemingly consumed. It was with this new form of energy that humanity finally managed to colonise planets beyond Earth, to the extent of establishing tiny outposts at the edge of the solar system. They were small, bare-bones affairs geared towards subsistence instead of defence. The common train of thought at the time was that with numerous planets under the belt of human expansion and not an iota of sentient life in sight, the myth of alien life "out there" was nothing more than a fairytale, or those doomsday prophecies that would crop up every once in a while from some "wise, old seer" with a beard but never truly come to pass. Funny how both fairytales came true at the same time.
It was the fringe outposts which were first hit by the invading forces. Shock and terror ensued right on the tail of humanity's pride; where it had been on the cusp of a Space Age Renaissance, the human race found itself reeling from the prospect of defeat at the hands of an enemy they could not even begin to comprehend. In fear and desperation they turned to the one other power they did not yet fully understand: Parasite Energy was the new "saviour" of the human race. Numerous religions and cults sprang up in a matter of weeks and months, heralding the parasite as a gift from God (or "the gods", depending on the religion), and on a more pragmatic note vast amounts of research and funding were poured into the development of P Energy for the purpose of war and a counterattack by the (not newly-formed but definitely strongly-rejuvenated) United Human Alliance.
These were the primary findings of the ongoing UHA-sanctioned research team: The parasite and resulting P Energy does not manifest itself homogenously from person to person. Like any species the size and effectiveness of each specimen depends on numerous factors...natural selection, available resources, luck, divine intervention call it what you will. There are big sheep and little sheep in the pen is the analogy at hand. This means that some individuals have far greater P Energy output than others, and are in turn that much more valuable to the UHA war effort and its most devastating technologies, all run via P Energy to have any hope of matching the alien threat.
Frigates, optical lasers, the list of newly-developed P.E.-based weaponry goes on, but the crown jewel of war research development is what the top brass at UHA HQ truly believes has the potential to turn the tide. Each unit is powered solely and directly by a single person for greatest autonomy and effectiveness: Giant, mechanized battle suits (dubbed Greco Frames after the project's lead scientist) mimicking the structure of the human body to provide the best response rate determined by the ability of the pilot alone. The suits were fitted with formidable manouverability and offensive capabilities. The cost? Required P.E. levels were sent straight through the roof.
The majority of the population had some degree of active P Energy output; very few displayed the levels required to operate the Grecos. A pioneer pilot cohort was formed from the few who proved able...and all of them were female. Questions, of course, were asked.
The parasitic lifeform did not manifest itself in a specific shape or reside in a predictable part of the human body. Rather there were variations with a certain, set genetic code and of course, the tell-tale excretion of P Energy. However another common trait was discovered from the piloting cohort: The parasite was strongest when it was able to reside in a human organ specifically designed to deliver nutrients to its current tenant. This was the female womb, and upon that revelation the all-female make-up of the Greco Pilots suddenly made sense.
---------------
Several years passed between the initial UHA retaliative effort and the mysterious alien invaders. Humanity had a tough time matching the unfamiliar tactics and technology of the alien threat. The current frontline remains locked around Jupiter, a scant 2 planets away from the human homeworld of Earth. Many outposts and colonies were lost in the early phases of the war; many more would have been if not for the Grecos and their pilots.
Tsal Euclea Ardonne is the current Second-in-Command among the Greco Fleet. New, inexperienced and fortunately or unfortunately promoted upon the death of the previous Second-in-Command. That was part of the reason; the other part was due to her willingness to partake in a new, experimental Greco Frame control system that promises better effectiveness and reduced response time between pilot and Frame. She wears a Circle Suit, so named for the dual circles prominently displayed on its front. The material acts as an energy focus for the emitting of P Energy, the lower one to draw directly from Tsal's parasite, the upper for the secondary emitter: The human heart. Theoretically, the dual focus of energy acts akin to the positive and negative points on a traditional battery, providing a constant, streamlined feed to her Greco Frame, christened Croissant for the distinctive horn it bears on its forehead.
Both pilot and Frame were modified for the new technology, but the suit and energy delivery system was not the greatest sacrifice; Tsal wears a glove on her right hand perpetually, save for when she pilots Croissant in battle. If she removes the gauntlet, one would see a perfect hole right in the middle of her palm, rimmed with metal and glowing with the distinctive blue-green of P Energy. Two major overhauls drive the new control system; power feed, and control synchronization, and for the latter Tsal had literally given her right hand in order to pilot her Frame with a near 100% sync rate. The human hand is one of the most receptive parts of the body. Her cockpit is devoid of buttons and other common control layouts, instead she merely places her hand above the main flight panel, and a similarly-shaped cylinder affixes itself to the appendage; making pilot and Frame as one.
The technology is not without its kinks. Mild hallucinations are a recorded side-effect of the new control system, and Tsal has on multiple occasions reported to the Medical Officer that she hears a voice when piloting her Frame, telling her its name is Croissant, among other things. This has been dismissed as a mere hallucinogenic reaction; Greco Frames were never installed with sentient AI as the sole purpose of the frames were to have pilots directly and instantaneously control their Grecos with lag times reduced to as close to zero as possible. Further studies will be conducted before the new control scheme is opened to other Greco Pilots; we cannot have our "Saviour Fleet" suffer from mass delirium.
Okay, I'm done now... Ouch spent way more time on this than I should have... But now that the universe is so thought-out I feel like creating more characters for it! :p

Fun with balls.

2009-02-24T18:53:00.002+09:00

Somebody brought/found a ping-pong ball. Fun ensued.

Golf anyone?

Weapons-Grade Plutonium

2009-02-20T19:07:00.002+09:00

Strange things happen when you're not quite paying full attention during class...things such as sketching a portrait of your instructor...complete with random, questionably inappropriate quotes taken wildly out of context.
Pay attention in class, kids!

OCPW 1, Maki Akihara　(秋原マキ)

2009-02-16T19:50:00.005+09:00

A young, half-Japanese girl who recently enrolled as a foreign student at Skyfall High (天降高等学校) in downtown Tokyo. Maki lives alone in her spacious but relatively stark apartment, her mother dead, her father often too busy with work to drop in, call or even send a text message. She hasn't heard from him since her move, and even then it was little more than, "Pack your things."
It happens often enough; hardworking parents, broken families, but what neither the girl's new teachers nor fellow students know is that both father and daughter "work" for the same organisation: Second Line.
You wake up, slam a fist down onto a ringing alarm clock that you yourself had set to ring at that very moment the night before. Maybe this happens with a slew of curses. You get up, get changed, and soon you're sitting down at the table shovelling breakfast towards a growling stomach before the half-chewed eggs or bread or cereal decides to be so kind and share its space with a stifled yawn or two. You go to school, you got to work, and at the end of the day you come back home, maybe watch a little TV before trudging off to bed. Of course, you set the alarm clock just like you did the day before. That's normal.
But what most people take for granted as normal isn't an unchanging state. Strange things are seen and recorded on blurry videos, maybe a picture or two turns up in the local tabloid. People die mysterious deaths and unsolved case folders in police archives grow just that little bit thicker. Late in the night when the wind is chill and the moon full, cries are heard and cannot merely be dismissed as the wind rushing carefree through the trees. Normality and the everyday is only that because there are people who keep it that way; people like those who work for Second Line.
Sometimes things slip between the cracks and say, "Hello." Don't be nice; don't go looking for misplaced manners. Don't return the greeting; people who do tend not to say much else. Just be glad that come the morning you will once again be privileged enough to slam your fist down on your ringing alarm clock, accompanied with curses and perhaps a certain ill-conceived dread that once again, another day, another normal day has come.
*First character for a planned, short manga series to be published alongside other works in my uni's Manga & Anime Club compilation.

The One Character Per Week Initiative

2009-02-15T19:27:00.002+09:00

Beginning Monday, 16th February 2009, the OCPW Initiative will come into effect.
A minimum of one character design shall be made and posted on this blog each week.
Each post will feature the character design, as well as a write-up of indeterminate length on the character's background etc.
Characters may be humanoid, creature-based, robotic etc. There is no boundary.
Characters may be rendered in any style and medium. There is no boundary.
The quality of each entry is open, from sketches to full-fledged paintings. There is no boundary.
Each week will begin on Monday and end on Sunday without exception, Japan time.
Each post title will be comprised of, "OCPW[entry#] [name of character]" or the post will not count towards the week's quota.
There is no maximum limit, although multiple entries per week will not contribute towards the coming weeks' quota. i.e. Ten entries one week will still mean at least one entry is required in the following week.
Multiple entries in a week after the first entry will be given a single decimal place numerical tag. i.e. OCPW 1.1, OCPW 1.2 etc.
The Initiative will last till such time as when it is no longer deemed necessary for whatever reason which may or may not be specified.
However, an announcement must be made prior to the deadline of the current week stating the dissolution of the Initiative, failing which it will be considered as an unfulfilled quota block.
Failure to comply with any of the above or in meeting quota blocks will result in much ass-kicking.
I will do the ass-kicking, thank you very much. You just look after your own ass.

See you in the coming week.

A bout of painting.

2009-02-12T21:12:00.002+09:00

So I'm in this Painting class..thing. Yea we, y'know, paint. And such. We also have deadlines, which function similar to traffic lights; if you don't stop in time, you're kinda screwed. So anyway we had to finish the 3 oil paintings we've been working on since the start of the semester, those being: 1 black & white still life, 1 limited palette still life (using only black, white, yellow ochre and alizarin crimson), and a final "self-portrait" still life where the task was to pick some objects which represent us and paint them.
Deadline was today. It went well enough, and here are the photos of my finished works, brought to you by the handphone camera, that couldn't. Otherwise known as my handphone camera.

Still Life with Hat. This was the first attempt at the B&W. Epic fail. I quit this half-way and started over with...

Still Life with Book and Can. The second attempt; this time with a hardcover copy of Garth Nix's Abhorsen and a can of Final Fantasy Dissidia Potion. There must've been something in the potion..'cause this one came out a lot better (or maybe I'm just bored painting things without figures in them..).

Still Life with Limited Palette. Talking about figures...here's one that didn't have any, but turned out pretty good anyway. Huh.

Still Life Self-Portrait. My favourite. Used a lot of linseed oil so it didn't come out in the photograph very well due to reflected lighting; this is one piece that you really have to see in person for the full experience. Nevertheless here we go with a hobby figure, my wonderful HP Mini and a can of zero-calorie coffee. Mm...

Domo-Kusai.

2009-02-12T21:00:00.002+09:00

Two random pics from the Land of the 日の丸. Domo-kun!　NHK's (日本放送協会) mascot. I have a miniature fridge magnet of this guy.
And a little spot of graffiti seen at the local McDonald's. Translated, it says, "The kid next to me stinks!" :p Note: I did not write that..

Manga & Anime Club, a site for

2009-02-09T18:49:00.005+09:00

Burned some midnight (and early morning) oil yesterday to get some presentation materials done for Internet Imaging class today. The topic? Well we're supposed to be working towards this fully-functional site at the end of the semester and what I've chosen to do is to make a site for the school's Manga & Anime Club. The interesting thing is that there's another member from the Club in my class (the new Club President actually) and we're both "rivals" working towards the same end goal. Our approaches are pretty different too; his view is to create a simple, bare-bones thing to complement what is supposed to be a recreational hobby while I'm aiming for a more involved approach to get members to interact, help one another out, discuss issues and do more for the Club and its image. Neither approach is "wrong" of course, and it's interesting to see both sides of the coin represented in this way. Here we go then:
The Main page. All of the pages in general have this boxy, colour-coded feel to them which is derived from the Photoshop CS4 box art, which I think is a unique graphical design considering that they totally did away with the wavy-lined, curved-edges, coloured gradients that everybody sort of jumped into when Apple's fortunes took off with the iPod. Also, the bright, highly-saturated colour scheme reflects the grabbing visual nature of most manga and anime.
Each page has the main banner with page links on the right, a cbox and imeem playlist (with anime songs queued up of course). Right below the banner is a short description box of what each page is about, followed by the page contents. In this case the main page lists meeting information, the semester's anime line-up and upcoming events that the Club will be participating in.
The Gallery page. The former Anime Club was re-named Manga & Anime Club this semester for a reason: We have a new emphasis on drawing, publishing a compilation at the end of the semester and teaching techniques to those in the Club who want to learn. There's always a handful of talented artists in the room and this page is for them to upload their works for anyone else to see. If possible I'd like to create a member login system as well so each member can upload their stuff individually, and to facilitate searching of pictures by member name. If this isn't feasible, we could designate a Web Officer to be responsible for compiling and organising new works on the site. Anything from miscellaneous art, fan-art to back issues of the Club manga compilation will be featured here.
Whena thumbnail picture is clicked a Quicktime(?)-based feature dims the background and displays a larger version of the image for viewing. Back, forward and close window buttons are present for navigation.
The Forum page is for member bios, event/anime/manga discussions, art help and any and all random rants and raves.A Site Map page just in case people really get confused as to what's where on the site. This page isn't absolutely necessary especially since each page already has a nice descriptor box, but for now it's in. There's also a small mention of how to contact Club members in case of questions and feedback.
Finally, the Links page, to connect visitors to member blogs, Facebook pages, Art sites, YouTube, the university homepage etc.
So that's it then. The presentation went well enough, the main concern being that the colour may be too intense for long-term viewing. A possible tweak could be to lower saturation levels, or to replace either the lighter or darker regions of colour with a neutral tone.
Now that that's done, time for the hard part: Actually making the sucker. Bleah.

Tako 蛸 Tako.

2009-02-02T15:21:00.002+09:00

Internet Imaging class. i.e. Go make a website class. So far we've covered the basics of xhtml and most recently, dealt with transparency and simple animation via GIF images. Here's what I've been up to.

MAC poster.

2009-01-23T20:04:00.003+09:00

Poster for my University's Manga & Anime Club. For a textless version please see my deviantART page.

Belated vacation pics.

2009-01-23T19:14:00.003+09:00

From a little while back over winter vacation. Went to this outdoor sculpture museum in Hakone 箱根; they even had some works from Picasso there. Lots of interesting stuff.

Boar-crabs.

2009-01-20T23:30:00.004+09:00

This is what happens when you combine a friend on Monster Hunter with me on Photoshop at the same time. :)

Spring.

2009-01-15T20:56:00.002+09:00

My first Spring semester at Temple University Japan Campus started a mere two days ago, and I've gotten a taste of my new claases, classmates and course instructors. Here's the low-down:

Japan Today: Cross-referenced under History and Asian Studies, this class deals with most topics of note regarding post-war Japan; I'm taking it as a requirement of my Japanese Minor. It's a sizeable class (relatively speaking) but what really impresses is how the instructor is able to speak on just about any topic that students bring up about Japan; indeed that's how the class is structured: Students look for articles of their choice and interests, bring it to class, and talk about it. The instructor then makes his own comments on the subject matter and really, I haven't seen him stumped yet. I'm looking forward to writing my papers on the Japanese video-game industry. This is not all fun and games, as I may very well work in that industry eventually (and hopefully also).

Introduction to Painting: Centred on oil painting this class is for my Art Major. I'm not new to painting, but certainly out of touch, especially where oil painting's concerned. I initially expected this to be an easy class but it seems slightly more challenging than I'd assumed. Good thing is I can get better, and hopefully painting in real life will help me get a better grasp of digital painting (which is what I'm really interested in but the university doesn't have those classes). A real pain is having to clean up within 10-15 minutes after class because the same room is being used straight after; 10-15 minutes is not always sufficient time when dealing with messy, corrosive mediums.

Intermediate Japanese II: I have a Japanese Minor, go figure that I'd have a Japanese language class. There were two slots for this course this semester, with different instructors for each but I decided to opt for a certain one who is particularly known for her strict practices and rigorous teaching style; I figured that if I survive then any subsequent language classes would be that much more manageable. The verdict is that she certainly lives up to expectations, if not more so. I've taken 3 other Japanese language courses so far and there is no comparison; she just blows everyone else away and it was very interesting to see rumours and hearsay brought to life. Still, I stand by my original intention; I will get through this.

Internet Imaging: Also for my Art Major. Learning several computer languages such as CSS and xhtml with a little history of the web, computers etc. thrown in. Besides very basic blogging and forum posting I've no exposure to such things at all, but it certainly promises to be useful information. Apart from merely learning the codes the class aims to look at it from a design point of view which culminates in the creation of a personalised website at the end of the semester. I'm especially looking forward to that. Good class, this.

Others: Re-applying for a student tutor position at the university. If this goes through it'll be a good source of extra income (no travelling costs and it works around my class schedule too); plus, my requested working hours are ahead of my first class each day. I'm using that to ensure that I don't get to classes late since I would already be in the building. Hopefully this goes through.

Also, a quick update on my apartment. I've recently had to purchase various art materials for new art classes, and apparently there's a considerably well-stocked art supply store right by my transfer station. This is awesome. The insulation in this place is also top-notch, which is something you really wouldn't be able to find out before moving in, but is certainly something good to find out. In other news one station in the other direction from school brings me to major shopping malls and movie theatres, and I've noticed a significant number of foreigners of varying nationalities to and from my route to school. It's just nice to know you're not exactly the only stranger in a strange land, even if said strange land is preferred over one's birth country. In short, my apartment is made of win, even more win than I initially thought.

Are you my dAddy?

2009-01-09T00:22:00.002+09:00

I (finally) got a deviantART account! Gonna be slowly uploading the portfolio in the next few days so watch out for that. Not much up there right now, but check it out if you're interested!

A dude a day.

2009-01-06T13:10:00.001+09:00

People should see this. So yeah if you be a person, go see.

Builds Character.

2009-01-03T18:43:00.006+09:00

Overhauled all my character's sigs and avatar pics recently. Most, if not all of them now have a common style. I'm letting go of drawing/painting them in an attempt to bump up my photo manipulation skills instead.

Set 1-For an inventor of questionable morals in pursuit of greater wealth to buy back his family's once-prestigious name.

Set 2-For a no-nonsense, warmongering, musically-gifted mage with brittle-bone syndrome.

Set 3-For a carefree aristocrat of noble but disgraced blood, who often dons a mask and cloak in secret, for performance or vigilante purposes.

Set 4-For a young girl of unfortunate circumstance and hidden potential, caught between being a child and having to grow up faster than she would like (middle sig replaced with last one).

A New Year.

2009-01-01T17:36:00.006+09:00

Went to a shrine in Harajuku (原宿) today with a friend and snapped some pics. The first day of the new year is an important day for Japanese, with crowds heading to shrines to pray (for any number of things). To provide a sense of scale, Christmas pales in comparison and is considered more of a commercial event.

Fortune-cookie-ish slips of paper folded and tied to a fence. Especially if you get a bad one, tying it and leaving it behind is supposed to negate the bad luck.

Stalls selling new year-related paraphernalia.

A view of the crowd.

More stalls (no the focus isn't the guy's head).

Crowd passing through the main gate.

The obligatory Torii Gate. Torii gates symbolise a transition into a sacred place and segregates between before and after. A shrine may have one or several.

Walking towards the shrine. A long pathway precedes the place in order to accomodate crowds (if you've guessed, yes, these photos aren't in order).

So, 新年あけましておめでとうございます。良いお年を～。

2009.

2008-12-31T15:29:00.001+09:00

Just a nice, short little video that people should take a look at for the new year:
http://www.fubiz.net/blog/index.php?2008/12/22/2539-happy-new-year-by-electrabel

Happy 2009 :)

The Backlog, Part T.O.I.L.E.T.S.

2008-12-30T14:03:00.004+09:00

What a great title. So this was of one the last assignments for Design class and here's what we did: Took pictures of a place we like and used the pictures for the basis of free drawing (otherwise known as cadavre exquis). From those free drawings we were supposed to be led on to the creation of a new place/building, which we were supposed to come up with the floorplans/designs/a miniature scale model thereof. Due to my awesomeness I realise that I did not in fact snap a pic of the scale model I made, although I thought I did so all I have are the floorplans and some weird staff/character designs that are meant to be cheesy. Also, I do have some of the dfree drawing sketches and a pencil-based blueprint of the thing, but owing to me not already having pictures on hand I shall be lazy and omit them.

Here is the overall plan of the place; The Regional Manufacturing Facility for The Omnipresent Industrial Life Extension Test Site, aka TOILETS. If you haven't guessed yet the place I chose to snap pics of was the university toilet. What happens in this facility is kind of ironic; rich people who seek to extend their life enlist the help of the corporation, which extracts their brain and spinal matter and replaces them in Toilet suits. The turnaround happens when you realise that by the time the re-engineered people get sent out of the factory they no longer bear any autonomy and are instead sold back to society, as people at the very bottom of the social ladder: Toilet staff. Ah yes, megalomaniac corporations; such originality.

This is the first sector, the Incubation Facility where brain and spinal matter are cultivated and prepared for re-engineering.

And the Construction Facility where the brains and spines are combined with Toilet suits.

And finally we have the Staff; the silent workers who toil away at this seedy corporation. Yes, they look like cheap Power Ranger rip-offs; they're supposed to be. Hey, I didn't even need to do the whole narrative/character thing; this was all extra. Heh.

The Backlog, Part 2.

2008-12-29T12:53:00.004+09:00

Spring cleaning! Totally not on purpose too!
First up is a bunch of 4 pictures from...last last semester actually. 3D Design. We had this mini-project going on throughout the whole semester and were required to make little sculptures out of paper each week. Every week a new element or rule would be added to what we could use or do to the paper to make our sculptures. In the end the thing got quite elaborate, and quite a number of little sculptures were made. In retrospect I should have taken more pictures, but as it stands I didn't and I basically only have this handful:

Looks like a biscuit doesn't it? This one was only made with water and 3-in-1 coffee. The mixture soaked into the paper and it hardened when dried. I thought the result was really interesting seeing as how it looks baked (and feels baked too) though no heat was applied. It had a really nice texture too.

A similar piece made from tea. The mixture also hardened when dry, and the triangular stain in the middle is actually from the teabag used, which I left on top of the folded paper sheet. The teabag label was removed and placed between the pages of the folded paper, and when it was dry you could actually hold the thing up by the label, just like a real teabag.

Here we have one of my first paper sculptures. A simple cut-out figure, but I tried to create both the figure and environment and differentiate them at the same time. The figure is flat, smooth while the "ground" is rugged and crumpled. Also, the objects are represented in the stark white of the paper while the man's shadow is shown with negative space.

A simple weaving pattern made from pieces of paper strips.

This next one is obviously not artwork but I wanted to show it anyway. It was on the first day I moved to my new apartment, and guess who was waiting outside to greet me?

And lastly I shall end with yet another..."thing" made out of my infinitely entertaining kneadable eraser. I do not know what this is, so don't ask.

The Backlog, Part 1.

2008-12-28T11:17:00.004+09:00

I actually do have a lot of post-able stuff sitting around the nooks and crannies (yes, I just used "nooks" and "crannies") of my hard-drive, just haven't gotten around to...posting them yet. Here's a start then:

The above was an assignment for last semester's Design class. We threw rice, randomly (yes) and recorded where it fell. That procedure, after some other ah...procedures, turned into the black-and-white mass you see up there.

Dear Everyone:

2008-12-24T10:21:00.003+09:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays :)

That time of the year.

2008-12-22T17:16:00.002+09:00

No, not Christmas. Not yet. First, a peak at the semester's results which came out today. Here's a hint: I am happy.

Aaand this probably isn't gonna go on forever so I wonder how long the streak's gonna last. :p
That is all.

More MSN madness.

2008-12-21T16:44:00.001+09:00

Because I can.

will-シリアル･キラー:
it's...actually taking forever to load
Friend:
download it you poopyhead
will-シリアル･キラー:
is doings that nowz
don't get your butter in a dish
don't get your meatballs in an oven
don't get your orange in a peel
don't get ur choco cake in a box
Friend:
....choco cake
will-シリアル･キラー:
yea. made from 100% grain-fed chocobos
finger lickin' good

For the sake of awesome.

2008-12-18T14:11:00.001+09:00

This's gonna be placed into the sidebar links anyway but thought I'd highlight:
http://www.artyulia.com/

Because it's awesome.

What happens on MSN, will stay on..the Internets!

2008-12-18T00:01:00.004+09:00

Excerpt from a conversation with a friend. I hope he still is my friend after this (but dang if it isn't entertaining!):

will-trained pseudoist:
oh come on be more ooomph
Friend:
"oomph."
will-trained pseudoist:
your ooomph is one "o" short of mine it doesn't qualify. it is a failure of an ooomph
Friend:
OOOOOOOMPAAAAAAALOOOOOOPAAAAA
will-trained pseudoist:
tts a gay ooomph its marriage isn't sanctioned by all 52 states of America (goes to check if 52 is the right no.) crap! off by one. 50 states and a federal district
Friend:
lol Prop 8 was passed? I had no idea
will-trained pseudoist:
prop 8?
Friend:
google it i'm shocked you don't know there was so much hoo-ha abt it
will-trained pseudoist:
dang! if puerto rico was admitted 52 would've been right. puerto rico is the likeliest choice for a new united state. see my uh...statement was made with future-proofedness in mind
Friend:
uh huh
will-trained pseudoist:
yea I so future-proofed that bastard. I hereby decree that in 201C.D. the United Nations of Earth (UNE) will officially come into effect.
Friend:
C.D?
will-trained pseudoist:
(it just came to mind, shaddup) Shortly after, mass production of Bio-Chassis (giant mecha robots) will begin in earnest in an attempt to ward off the alien threat.
Friend:
uh huh
will-trained pseudoist:
It will be a hard-fought battle, but by 254C.D. humanity will have finally routed all invasion forces with the aid of a band of hormonal teenagers (mostly from Japan), and plans to adapt the aliens' warpdrive technology and locate their homeworld will begin. Just you wait. This is future-proof, boi
Friend:
uhhuh
will-trained pseudoist:
In 260C.D. the first warpdrive-enabled battleship will be sent off into unknown space, bringing with it the pride and hope of humanity.
In 261C.D. it will come running back with its tail between its legs.
In [error.doesnotcompute] the aliens will have mustered a secondary invasion force many times that of the first. By this time the hormonal teenagers would no longer be teenagers anymore, which somehow reduces their combat effectiveness by 99.91%. Without valid eye-candy, humanity is screwed. Earth blows up, aliens win, bye bye stupid humans.
In 2040 A.D. this seemingly crappy story is green-lighted for a blockbuster Hollywood production. A little-known, struggling artist named William is turned into a celebrity-millionaire sensation overnight.

Oh and by the way:

Friend:
what the heck does a pseudoist do
will-trained pseudoist:
anything. but not quite

白騎士の夢-(White Knight's Dream).

2008-12-15T16:42:00.005+09:00

My final project for Japanese Oral class was to have any kind of presentation, but of course in Japanese. What I ended up with was a sort of cross between manga and anime which was this story, this White Knight's Dream thing. I drew manga-like slides that would flash on the projector screen while I read off the script as if narrating. I don't have Powerpoint though, so I actually had to manually pause and unpause a slideshow of the work at each appropriate interval while doing third-person narration as well as character voice-overs; not the most streamlined procedure..but it worked. ~~(But why oh why do I torture myself doing 3 things for a single project)~~ At least I aced it, yes I did; full marks and very encouraging comments. :)
On top of that I was able to re-use the presentation for a recent 日本語発表会 I had, which was an event organised by the Koshigaya International Association (of which my host mom is a member). A bunch of 外国人 (yes if you're wondering I am randomly switching words) did various presentations in Japanese at the meet. As with most events of this kind there were good presentations and not-so-good ones, but it was fun and considering that it was the last event before I moved to my own apartment it was also memorable and kind of sad at the same time. The people in Koshigaya (and especially my host family) are so awesome that they cannot be out-awesomed (host mom actually helped me with the Japanese script for this); I will miss them...but then again I could always drop in I suppose.
But anyway, here you can see the slides via Blogger video. It's not the same experience that I intended but it gives you a sense of the slides and stuff. In the original there wasn't any music (I was narrating; hear me talk danggit!) and the ending credits were not included (because there was no need).

Or YouTube, whichever.

And because the video quality isn't all that great here are some slides to show you what the actual thing is supposed to look like:

Enjoy. Oh and by the way I don't think I can post the full story (text) up here because it'll take up a lot of space but if anyone's interested in it just tag me, leave a comment, leave an e-mail or whatever and I'll send you the file. I actually have the Japanese version and a fully translated one I used as a handout for my classmates.

Sigs.

2008-12-12T14:37:00.003+09:00

New sigs.

A lie.

2008-12-09T22:40:00.002+09:00

Writing this in the computer room right after turning in my portfolio for my last final exam this semester! That's right folks, it's finally over! I'll be off to settle some stuff for my apartment after this but first, here's the final submission:

My Design class portfolio. Not a cent was spent in its making; I basically reversed the covers for the sketchbook I was using, found bits of cardboard in the art room and stuck it all together. The black and white thing behind the main portfolio is a single assignment in plastic wrap that was much bigger than the other stuff.

A little bit of info, apparently coming apart at the seams (quite literally). The black knot is what's keeping the portfolio closed. In the photo above you may notice two white strings on the top and bottom edges; these are there just so that once the black know is untied, the portfolio can be opened up to a certain angle for you to stick your hand in and take everything out.

A disclaimer, and a lie!

A quick look at the back.

Since the main portfolio and the black and white piece are connected, you can carry it side-by-side or just grab onto the knot from the main thing and let the other hang from the connecting line.

And that's that! Time to go!

airphones.

2008-12-06T18:31:00.005+09:00

This is an in-depth look at the final group project I had for Design class this semester. It's basically about wireless Bluetooth earphones being viable as an e-commerce business. Besides myself there were 2 other members who mainly contributed to the earphone design sketches listed at the bottom of this post (you can scroll down and have a look at them right now if you want). On the other hand the digitally-painted versions, as well as the website mock-ups were mainly my doing, but (and this is most certainly not mere rhetoric) I do maintain that both could not exist without the other and personally I appreciate the effort and time the members put into the project. In fact, all of my earphone mock-ups were directly painted onto photographs of the sketches so I mean what I say in a very literal way.

airphones Athletic-An earphone set geared towards sports enthusiasts. A small headphone jack emitter is attached to any audio device and the signal is received by the airphones headset. Any number of devices can be synced in this way to a single headset. The airphones button on each headset registers a connection with your devices for future use; the Sync button is for temporary connections with other peoples' headsets (e.g. Letting a friend listen in on a catchy tune). For the Athletic model, special features include an elastic neck strap to keep the device from falling off under strenuous activity. Bluetooth signals work from tens of metres away so if you're in a gym your actual device can be kept with your stuff in your locker while you work out. The MSRP is ￥3000.

airphones Business-The Business model comes packaged with the Handphone Signal Emitter as its primary function is to facilitate work-related business calls. Individual signal emitters are necessary because several types of audio jacks are used in today's devices. Other models usually come with the Music Signal Emitter but other types and multiple units of each can be bought cheaply for about ￥500. Other than that, the special function of the Business model is its included retractable microphone, basically functioning like a typical hands-free wireless handphone kit. The MSRP is ￥4000.

airphones Site-Bluetooth technology and earphones; neither of them are new technologies which means R&D will be relatively low, focusing on adapting current Bluetooth standards for this specific purpose (greater clarity, higher transfer speed, lower power consumption). On the other hand the general public may view the product as being no big deal so about half of the marketing strategy will actually be focused on the image of airphones. To draw a parallel, Apple's iPod was neither the first, nor the cheapest portable music player to market but was able to sell it's relatively expensive device to consumers largely due to branding. Likewise airphones will seek to establish an impact on today's Internet-savvy consumer with a site that promotes web 2.0 and user-generated content and makes them ask, in an age of wi-fi technology, "Why am I still wired?". To that end the first thing consumers see when visiting the airphones site is a video list akin to that of YouTube. Users can scroll through official airphones videos or upload or watch consumer-made airphones-related ones at ease; the featured video can change at any time and may also feature user-generated content instead of company advertising. Oh and by the way, Koizumi says, "Yeah, baby!"...apparently.
airphones Headsets-The goal is of course to push the product, so you may have noticed the circular product wheel featured clearly on every page. One can click and access information and a rotatable 3D model of each airphones headset from any of the site's pages, but it remains an inobtrusive addition to the site when your purpose is to look at other stuff. If clicked, the page will shift to display specifications of each, along with a colour selector window for you to preview and choose the headset in any colour you desire. The featured headset is the airphones Casual, the cheapest and most accessible headset at ￥2000, which puts it at a very competitive price seeing as other wired sets cost between ￥1000-￥5000. The unit comes with the Music Signal Emitter, and special features include an extremely slim design with a small clothing clip which keeps the device secured to the back of a shirt or collar.

airphones Promotional-A promotional page will be featured where events or collaborations with airphones-compatible product companies will be featured. This may range from dual-product advertising (e.g. Handphone/airphones headset bundle packs) to seasonal limited editions (e.g. A signed headset). The main draw of the promotional page initially will be to highlight the 4th airphones unit, scheduled to be released if sales of the standard 3 are favourable. Named airphones Hi, the set is aimed at discerning audio enthusiasts who demand the best wireless sound quality from their headphones. Set at ￥6000 the unit is not cheap, but the headset is a collaboration with BOSF [sic] and features superior sound quality as well as noise-cancelling technology to ensure that consumers' beats will not be interrupted. As a bonus, both the Handphone and Music Signal Emitters will be included in this package.

airphones Homebrew-As mentioned, airphones will seek to involve consumers in the product, creating an attachment between the two. A portion of the site will cater to consumer interaction and this forum-like space will be termed Homebrew, to reflect the importance of user-generated content in today's digital media. This is a place where users can interact with one another, suggest new ideas and collateral applications of airphones technology (e.g. "Hey I can use airphones for inter-room conferences/audio-based GPS guidance!") or just mingle with friends and staff.

All of this was done in about 10 days so I hope you see why I was so busy recently, and also why I think my group did a really good job of it all. The project did make me wonder though: The technology is basically out there, so why are we still wired and having to repeatedly uncoil tangled wires?

airphones headset sketches

Fall 2008 End-of-Semester Art Exhibition (Me Edition).

2008-12-06T17:25:00.002+09:00

So here's the stuff from my repertoire:

airphones-Final group assignment for Intro to Design
Groups had to come up with a primarily e-commerce-based business proposals, outlining products/services and related information. My group chose wireless Bluetooth earphones. (Note: This was a pretty large endeavour in a relatively short time. More pictures and information regarding will follow in the next post)

5-Minute Deadline-Model drawing for Intro to Drawing
I don't really need these intro classes so I decided to keep switching styles and materials each session when the others were sticking mainly to pencils and charcoal, which did result in some interesting stuff. In a way it's good to be able to exact greater freedom in my work this way. Here I used black pen and watercolour without any pre-drawing in pencil. Most of the session was spent on the pen lines since I couldn't make any mistakes with it. The 5-minute deadline resulted from the model asking for the stopwatch to be placed in front of him (he was the only time-conscious one), and it wasn't intentional but the approach and colours (and the guy's clothes) make the finished product reminiscent of Slam Dunk. This one actually garnered a surprising amount of positive feedback, from students and other teachers also.

She Stands-Model drawing for Intro to Drawing
One of my more "traditional-looking" model pieces, which isn't exactly an accurate deduction since I did start out with charcoal pencils, but later mixed that in with watercolours to achieve a balance of smoothness and texture. Similar to something I did in high school, I started grinding bits of cut charcoal from my pencil, diluted it with water and used the grimy-looking liquid as if it was ordinary watercolour.

Fall 2008 End-of-Semester Art Exhibition.

2008-12-03T21:13:00.004+09:00

Once again, some snaps of stuff that caught my eye. Pics of my own works will follow in the next post. And here we...go! (bonus points if you know where that's from :p)

Ghosts in the TUJ Art Room-Momoko Nagaiwa
She created these stuffed creatures with white masked faces and placed them around the exhibition space. I've seen a bunch of her stuff and I'm just really digging her slightly off-kilter style and sensibilities.

Self Portrait-Esteban Sepulveda
The clean look and mix of colours with stark black reminds me of a sombre/serious Olympics palette, professionally done. But what really caught my interest was the title.

Ultra Seven-Kei Christensen
She painted this from a still-life session that had a little Ultra Seven figure on the table. If that fiction-to-fact approach weren't enough, you might appreciate that the title text is actually painted-on cardboard stuck onto the canvas itself. It still fit together nicely, and made the Ultraman seem as if he were popping out also.

Extreme Diet Creamies-Alexa Hansen, Mimi, Hannah Park
A group project from Design class. This isn't the work itself, but a close-up of one of the Extreme Diet Creamies characters they created. I just really like the feel of the character, and the rendering.

Humid-Jessica Burruss
This is a shot of the ceiling. That's right, everything's suspended and has little drawings of telephone wires and poles. The thing just reminds me so much of Persona 4 that I couldn't resist.

Welcome to My World-Tomoko Oba
I'm a sucker for anime so..yeah. Also, there's a mix of perspective and scale changes in here that could have messed her up, but didn't. I'm impressed.

Untitled-Kei Christensen
Here she is again. I actually take a class with this girl but I didn't know this painting was her's till I had a close look at the tag. I'm really digging the introspective feel of the piece, along with the fuzzy paint texture she used (akin perhaps to Pointillism); uneven, but still still.

Untitled #37-Kimberley Arnold
This one's here simply because I've never seen anyone else at TUJ paint in this style before. Which isn't saying much since I've only been at the school for 2 semesters but still it looks pretty professional. I'm guessing this girl's a Study Abroad from Main Campus.

Snow Flower-Rena Yoshino
What's interesting about this piece probably won't show up in the photograph. The thing's huge, thick and most of all is littered with little sparkle bits and muted shiny paint. The thing's hung with the bottom edge at just about eye level, which means ceiling shadow and weird lighting really makes it seem as if the scene is one you could get lost in. I didn't get, visually, how it could be a snow flower but after experiencing it I believe I understand.

Movement-Hyeeun Lee
I took this class at another time slot so I know how difficult it is drawing someone who's supposed to be in perpetual motion. That she was able to depict the model twice to such a degree is in itself one-upmanship over me, but that both of them seem to display the model's movement over time within the workable area only adds to my amazement.

Pink Hanger-Christine Colfax.
Okay I'll just out and say it: I think this girl is cute...and she speaks Japanese really well. Which has totally nothing to do with her work but then again since she's in it it might just be a clue. Either way I think this is a really good photograph; and coming from someone who really isn't into photography in general be it academically or for the occasional vacation/celebration shoot, I think that's saying something.

Lady Staring at Far Away Places-Miku Yoshikawa
This thing's done in pastel, but for all the fine detail and range of colours it really looks like it was done with coloured pencil. I think the form was captured without losing its three-dimensional corporeality; the weight, the heft, the materiality.

Seagull John-Koh Sato
One of the most awesome names in the history of seagull names, I dare you to object. Names aside I do think this is a captivating photograph, and I wonder where, when and how he managed to take something that looks so Roberto Benigni-European.

He Reached Out His Hand.

2008-11-29T10:42:00.003+09:00

Fall semester ends in but three days' time, and with that all my classes are starting to wrap up and I'm finally feeling a sense of closure to what has been quite a hectic 4 months or so. This doesn't mean I'm free...yet. In fact I've a final group project due Monday, Finals and my JLPT in the next 2 weeks, but there is the sense that with each turning page the final chapter looms ever closer. Up above is the final piece of work for my drawing class. Nothing really labour-intensive; we were merely tasked with drawing our hands. The same had been done at the start of the semester and the point of it all is to compare peoples' skills before and after the course. The pose was up to us, and I went for this stretched fingers thing which began to hurt after a while. So with that in mind I decided to include that sentiment in the work with the background text, which reads: He reached out his hand held it there and when it was over it was stiff like a thing of unparalleled stiffness.

Big-ass project extraordinaire.

2008-11-15T01:21:00.004+09:00

So about that big-ass project for drawing class; it's done. Here you go then:

Photo References.

The thing was to do a self-portrait in the style of an artist of our choice. I chose Capcom illustrator/character designer Shinkiro, and went for a teaser poster kinda thing for a game. I seem to be making one of such things every semester...no matter what kind of class I take. And as a side note if anyone doesn't quite get why it's such a big deal of a project: The pic up there is only 1/5 the actual size, and there was also a 6-page essay and presentation involved, the results of which hold a 15% weightage on my grade.