Useful Filler Post

As I’m nowhere near my scanner and feeling a tad guilty at the lack of life here, i decided to share some of my oft-frequented websites, which i love most in all of web-dom!

Presenting the Websites that I Plague Everyday:

Illustration Art

If you call yourself an illustrator and you don’t know this blog or the people on it, shame on you.  David Apatoff’s excellent and insightful writing accompanies his quality images well, giving them depth and especially to lesser-known Illustrators works, a new breath of life. An art critic of sorts, David’s posts are always a joy to read and provokes thought and discourse, especially on trends in Illustration today.

I have no end of praises for this thoroughly educational blog!

One of my absolute favorite posts: http://illustrationart.blogspot.com/2008/09/secret-listener.html

The Art Department

The indomitable Irene Gallo, Art Director of Tor, Forge and Starscape, shares tons of excellent artist features and interviews, links to more awesome art and conceptual art sites and daily tidbits on the life of one of the industry’s leading personalities. Recently, her focus has been on animations. Look out for tips on portfolio showing and of course, industry trends. Sigh, she makes me yearn to work in publishing! Well.. i sort of am already, but not in as fun a job ;_;

Dark Horse Presents

Free comics, i mean, FREE comics! What could be better than that? And by ultra talented and diverse Dark Horses no less! From Josh Wheadon to Mike Mignola, these shorts and parts make for great quick-reads.

Art soooooon. I promise TAT

I Promised Scans…

Well originally, the plan was if i had time i’f finish this and submit it to Kino. But as it happens, no time, so chucked in an older work. Got second place. Serves me right. I like this much better, or at least what it was gonna become.

Meet B.R.O.G. a batratfrog which inspired another, more complete, artwork which you’ll soon find on my DA once i make it into something substantial. I really, really like brog. If i had a brog, it’d ideally be cat-sized and use those clawy hands to cling on my shoulder and hiss at people i don’t like.

Ah pishposh i’ll chuck in the lineart here.

Okaaaay i know that ain’t cat-sized.

….

SIZE DOES MATTER!

Apologies to my Muse

WORK HAS TAKEN OVER MY LIFE.

Project after project after project is streaming in continuously and i barely have time to put a pencil to paper for my own sake in between surfing net, reading fanfic and being crazy with my colleagues and buddies.

Yea i know, its an excuse, i ain’t denying it.

The REAL reason is a little seekrit projackt of mine that i expect will eat up whatever semblance of free time i have. Did i bait you yet? Did i bait you yet? Hah!

Don’t worry.. not abandoning this place completely. Once i resuscitate my scanner we’ll see.

Toodles~

Smokin’

Sick… sore throat. Everyone at work seems to be some form of sick too. Is it the season? *cough* Here, a thoroughly unedited sketch (i didn’t edit his hair, obviously) Have a smoke… it’s good for you! *cough*

Completely unedited so shutup you perspective/proportion-mongers (especially someone i know) if you criticize an idea before it can fully develop can you imagine the ‘motivation’ you’re giving the creator? Don’t give unasked-for criticism if you’re not even qualified to say it.

Hey, i’m sick so let me rant (eventho it’s completely off topic) la.

Have a good weekend, all.

update

Hi, because some people check back here hoping to know what i’m up to.

Well, it’s an art blog so… if you want to know about my current life just ask me la ^ ^;; obviously, i haven’t been drawing for this blog at all *sigh* i will go dig up some stuff to scan i guess.

Mata Minda

No art this round, but something i just want to put out there.

My opinion on creatives who say that our Malaysian art scene is being polluted by foreign culture.

Well I just think that to embrace or reject change each has severely different consequences. None are perfect conclusions that satisfy everyone, but this is the case in Malaysia now, isn’t it? ‘Traditionalists’ criticise that our local talent is being influenced by manga and can no longer retain any cultural originality of ‘Malaysian’ comics. It is still to me a very hypocritical statement as we are a melting pot of various cultures and it is that which makes the essence of Malaysia. So then, what, we cannot accept anything remotely not Chinese, Indian or Malay?

In terms of a Malaysian comic style, they tout Lat for it, similarly such artists like Reggie Lee and Kee following Lat’s footsteps, yet we have to remember that is only ONE facet of comic drawing. And is it truly authentic? No, not really, its Malaysian-ness lies in its content, which focuses on Malaysian life. Its basic structure is in fact similar to a mix of TuWen and LianHuanHua, Chinese methods of comic drawing found in various other cultures. In my personal opinion, in order for our comic scene to truly evolve, we need to break out of Lat.

So then, if I drew a manga-styled comic about Malaysian life, does that make it any less Malaysian? If I drew a graphic novel-style comic about Chinese life, does that make it any less Chinese? I think what we need is an Osamu Tezuka; someone who can take the best aspects of a foreign entity and then mould it to create something unique to our culture and country. Following this train of thought; every comic style is inspired from another, so it has bits of everything, even manga which was inspired by American comics.

The root of it is the reason why comics are drawn; to tell a story. What does it matter what form it is in, so long as it achieves it purpose whether for the creator or the reader? When we look beyond styles and culture, we will see this pure reason that really, people just want to tell their stories through their favourite or only way they know how and if they happen to use manga style to do so, why should we stop them? To protect cultural identity? By stemming ideas and creativity, we are destroying culture already.

Culture is communication, communication is culture. Art is communication. Art is culture. Art comes from people; people are culture; art is culture; stories are people and stories form our culture. What is happening in Malaysia is a vicious cycle, caused by artists who are insecure in their own style that they criticise new trends for fear their self-labelled ‘Malaysian’ style will be buried under the new wave, one which does not only consist of manga but also manhua, graphic novels and underground, independant comics, etc.

Is it assimilation/acceptance or infected/invaded? It’s all a matter of perspective.

Magic of Crop

Muahaha if you can’t finish it, crop out the unfinished part and try to pass it off as an actual finished speedie 8D;; Half an hour and then work came a-calling. It was supposed to be paint, not goo but ah well brain not functioning. Hrm next time i will use references roar.

Speedpaint.

Because i only do these things when i really shouldnt be taking so much time on them.

One hour each.

The Painterly quality is strong… Theme is Gold. Excuse is i just wanted to paint gold eyes!

I’m exprementing on doing finished paintings without outlines, because i realise i depend on them quite a lot. I confess i still like the control i get with solid outlines… as long as your inking is solid, no worries about the color. Least that’s what i believe.

I keep thinking he looks like Gokudera. Theme is Silver, Excuse is i just wanna draw a vampy dude in leather collar and studs. Experimenting with the black-fade concept.

A WIP of my next speedy. Character inspired by Hotel Africa, and the colors are so Gurren Laggan =_=;; I have good vibes about this one.

Work and life continues!

I LIIIIIVEEEE!!!! orz orz orz

I AM BACK.

The maws of College Hell hath released me, and i am drowned in the bliss of emancipation~ Life without college is just amazing. I can feel the passion for Art in me resurfacing for the oxygen it so desperately needs…

But despite that, i can’t show any of what i’ve drawn so studiously thus far, as its for work aka confidential (for a super long ’syok-sendiri’ explanation of my work, see my Musings, if it’s still there). So here’s some old stuff to tide over 8D

Sepia tones! Mmm i love dragons. And bishies on dragons.

A Spider-Lady vs a Knight, with a chess-board concept.

And omg what’s this?!! Haha this is how i drew and (badly) Photoshopped 4 years ago! Lens flare abuse~ However retarded this is, i am still pretty fond of it cos i remember how, at the time, i felt this one turning out smoothly just how i wanted it. Fluffy clouds~

*inhales* ah, it’s so good to be back. Dear viewer, thanks so much for dropping by, and if you’re a returning viewer, here’s a big *HUG* for your support!

Announcing Hiatus

… i was staring blankly at the new WordPress layout and nothing processed. It’s 7.25am and i haven’t slept the whole night. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where the upload option went. I almost wanted to type ‘well i’m so sick of this i give up’ and possibly never post until i get out of zombie state. Thank God for patience.

Okay well announcing Hiatus. For one month. I need to get this term finished and straighten out my artistic vs lifestyle priorities (read: SLEEP). BRB real soon, promise. So long as i survive.

My lecturer said that thumb up there looked like secondary school level artwork and chose my other thumb. I beg to differ, actually, i much prefer this one but oh well.

Edit: 80 SPAM COMMENTS WTF i mean seriously ppl, i have absolutely no need for eleventy zillion types of porn videos, penis lengtheners, viagra, tongkat ali, drugs, alcohol etc etc etc i wonder how spammers spam. Do they have, like, a system to do it for them or something. Do they earn money from it, does someone pay them? OK i obviously need to get some sleep pronto.