Real tired-like. So I'll babble on about techno-crap.
I'm thinking about getting a
Wacom Cintiq tablet. A Cintiq let's you draw directly on your screen (as opposed to the Wacom Intuos tablet which is more of a fancy pen-style mouse). As you can see from the picture above, I already work wonders with the Intuos. Imagine what I could accomplish with a Cintiq!
Here are the issues:
Le Cintiq is freaking expensive. As in, "Dang, dude, that is really expensive." The 21" Cintiq is $2000. $2000 is a lot of money. As in, "Dang, dude, that is a lot of money." The 12" Cintiq is $1000. This is still spendy, and most people say, "I love the 12," but if I had the money, I'd get the 21."
Hrrghl.
Buying hardware can be a big disappointment. You've probably been there. "Wow, this new Macintosh laptop allows me to open files and run programs. Unfortunately it has not made me more like Ghandi, Einstein, or the Dalai Lama. Hell, I'm not even more like John Lennon or Yoko Ono. Damn their sexy industrial design and black and white advertising campaign."
Some hardware purchases are good, however. I've liked my 22" Acer flat panel monitor, though a big part of its appeal is that it was only 230 bucks. No Apple Cinema displays for me. My Intuos tablet has been the most trustworthy piece of computer hardware I've owned--I've used mine for about 6 years now. It's outlived numerous computers, scanners and cameras, plus I use it every day. So, I think I'll stop annoying myself (and more importantly, you, dear reader) and just get the damn Cintiq.
Crotchety and ticked off now that it's 11:20 p.m. Grrr. Productive day, swell day, but I noticed I was tired and aggravated by 9:00 p.m. I'm feeling driven to get some groove on with Arms and Ether, and the groove had not fully materialised. Hence crankiness. So I put in a few more hours and feel a bit better about my work. Unfortunately, staying up = increased cranky, so . . . we'll see how it all shakes down.
I encountered this crazy new file format called ".gif" today. I've never seen it before, and Windows Vista doesn't know what to do with it. Maybe I need to visit the "Windows Marketplace" or the "LView Pro" website that they recommend?
I've been helping Debi Blair and Morgan Cottle's 3rd and 5th grade classes put together a video project commemorating the 100th anniversary of Lithia Park. Martha Wilhelm, another volunteer (and recently retired teacher) took this picture while we were listening to playback during an audio recording session. Man, these kids are talented--it's always humbling working with young 'uns. I challenge you not to break down weeping when listening to 8-year-olds read their own haikus.
Writer's are an odd lot. The creepy thing about writing is you can't really see what it's about from a distance. You see the visual arts and you hear music. They make an immediate impact. But writing. . . writing's . . . different. Is this writer the next James Joyce or that freaky guy at the coffee shop who talks to himself? (yeah, yeah, they might be one and the same, but humor me). So, to save you some time shuffling through crappy writers, here's Christy Raedeke--a good writer.
If I ever start getting cynical about ye olde Higher Ed, I shamble over to the Music Department and get a load of what they're up to. Musicians are hard-core in their commitment to their calling, and there's just no place to hide when you're shakin' it up on stage. I like that. I wish we visual artists had more of that immediacy to keep us honest. So check out S.O.U. Percussion Professor Terry Longshore's site and get inspired. I'm looking forward to collaborating with Terry on an (as yet unnamed) animation project. Stay tuned for the mesmerizing details.
Here's an early stab at the Miles Inada font done in Fontographer. Whoo hoo.
Here's a stab at hand lettering--compare it with the image in the previous post. I did several versions of the text on bristol with a Hunt 102 nib, and some Micron pens. The version I used here was done with a .05 micron.
