Wow that last post really failed size wise. Live and learn.

I've been listening and reading a lot of Dave Rapoza lately. He's a pimp so check out his livestream every morning at 9 am. He forces you to do studies and answers any questions you may have about the industry.

In other news, I realized that deep down I thought I was good enough to go straight to greyscale or straight to colour instead of starting with the linework, which is why everything I've ever done that way sucks. I didn't use my drawing ability, which is by far my biggest strength as opposed to values or colour relationships. This came by way of the hogarth studies below. Doing them digitally is really improving my brush efficiency and bridging the gap between pencils and photoshop.

Poses from posemaniacs (I think I'm gonna use photo references and time them myself. These may get me into bad habits):
Poses from imagination, lit by the little grey dot in the middle (~2hours):

Grand Re-Opening!

Welcome back everyone!

This will henceforth be another place for me to post my daily sketches and studies, and possibly some thoughts on matters such as world issues and love.

Let's begin!

Anatomy studies from the imaginaaaaation:

Some posemaniacs:

Recently started doing hogarth studies digitally so here they are, chronologically:

And some life. A portrait of my roommate and some Asian chick:

July 4th, 2009 - Heathrow

Wow I was a bartender in a post-apocalyptic Toronto where people rode around on the public bikes from Paris. Some guy stole one of my customers' bikes so I chased him down and took it back. Then later I got a message from his gang buddies that I was gonna pay for what I did and I thought that the world was unfair.

It's not so much that I want to be in love, I just want to hang out with someone who is cool and attractive who I can be naked with...and have sex.

So apparently Sean watched a little too much CNN. They got him with the commercials for countries nobody wants to go to. Such as: Montenegro.

Mullets are all the rave in Paris.

From above Paris looks like a frowny face, the Seine being the mouth. It is the face of a true Frenchman.

Nobody wants to leave Paris, so there are no lines at Charles de Gaulle. Or maybe no American flies on the fourth of july and they are the ones who cause lines.

Wow. Who would've thunk that I would be sitting next to a guy who had my first name as his last name and had been John Lasseter's driver? Good thing I changed my seat at check in. Won't let no computer decide my fate.

God damn it, Travis. All your Taoist ideas may really be the way to go, or at least your interpretation of them.

Have a "safe" trip.

Either I'm more attractive than I give myself credit for, or that wasn't my doppelganger.

The reason people don't tip as much in Europe is because waiters didn't figure out the "is everything ok?" technique.


I have a friend named James. You get a better tip.

I find it very amusing that they play the Austin Powers theme song in the center of Heathrow.

Dear England, stop scaring the world with your bathroom robots.

In retrospect, that girl I sat next to on the train to Venice was probably the cutest human being I've ever met. I would have fallen in love at first sight if I believed in it.

The life jacket is equipped with a light and a whistle. The whistle goes "WHOOP!"

Dragonball: Evolution wins movie of the year.

Goodbye Paris.

July 3rd, 2009 - Paris

Yeah screw what I said before. If I grow up, I want to have enough money to buy the Louvre and live in it.

You think accents are funny? Think about people with accents trying to speak a third language. Then think about those people trying to speak that language with an accent of a language they speak with an accent in the first place.


Why does it bother me when people look over my shoulder? Sure it's rude and distracting, but am I not making my art for them? Is it not my aim to change the world? Or to inspire? Yes, but the kind of people who walk into a big hall, take a picture of the painting with the biggest frame and leave could not possibly appreciate any work of art, nevermind the crap I do. Can it be helped? Probably not through drawing alone. Most people don't give visual art nearly the kind of attention it needs. It's like Whit Brachna said, they rarely give in seconds the same amount as the days it took to complete the work. I guess these days things need to be moving and have sound to retain people's attention. This is where I start thinking that maybe film school wasn't a waste of money and that maybe I could do something more than just draw robots and monsters all my life. That is, if I'm lucky - most people just draw doors and chairs and stuff. So why would I spend my days drawing now, during my last year at NYU? Was it smart to just give up storytelling and not take the risk for now? That's procrastinating and you know what happens when things are put away for later. You'll still be here but your dreams may not.


The other thing is, am I only making art for intellectuals and other artists? Don't I want to capitalize on talentless art for the masses? No. People who do that are a dying breed. Or they will be eventually. The studios can't rely on recycling content with better special effects for too long. Eventually someone is gonna have to start financing good movies. With the number of releases growing each year it will be harder and harder to get blockbusters (assuming that the public is becoming smarter).


On another note, Balthasar is still the coolest name ever.

I guess I'm not mature enough to appreciate painters for something other than skill. Clearly the "masters" didn't become famous for their exceptional painting skills, even for their time. Likewise, I suppose to get into Pixar you need to be a man (or woman) of ideas first and drawing second. Depending on the job, obviously. Isn't that my deal, though? Nope. I have no good ideas. Ever.

July 2nd, 2009 - Paris

Well, Rodin may have turned out to be a hack, but at least in the back of the museum gardens there is a relaxation space where the children can play with the statues. I should have known, though. He lived in the 20th century.


How awesome do you have to be to get the entirety of France to follow you on a campaign to take over the world? It's like throwing a party and having the whole university/high school show up. But better.


In the event of a zombie apocalypse an arms museum would be the first place I would break into. Or a blacksmithy. What time period would have had the optimal zombie fighting gear?

"In the name of Jesus, I must kill you." Always wanted to say that to someone.

Wow. I didn't ever get to the second floor of D'Orsay. Stupid Rodin.


For the most part people are and have always been idiots. That's why great people have so much merit. By the same token, the bar for greatness is set pretty low.

July 1st, 2009 - Paris

David and I just keep throwing parties in my basement. You can make anything sound creepy by adding "in my basement."

Francois Perrier
Charles-Antoine Coypel
Francois Boucher (La Foret)
Jean-Honore Fragonard
Hubert Robert
Joseph Siffred Duplessis
Louis Leopold Boilly

Louvre in a day is too much. I could maybe finish it in a month. Good thing they added exhibits that nobody wants to go to for crowd control, like Egyptian antiquities.

Da Vinci wasn't even that brilliant of a painter really. He was just acceptable at the time.


Getting girls to swoon over you isn't really that difficult. Just keep displaying ambiguous signs of affection that can be taken either friendly or romantically. This usually becomes automatic when a person is insecure about him/her self and thus begins complementing people to be liked. Not: results are proportional to looks and tact.

The God damned Louvre has more Italian paintings than Italy.

Ah, yes, Giovanni Paolo Pannini. I ate his sandwiches - they're good.

I must look like such a creep - smiling all the time, laughing and writing sh*t in my diary. Taking picture of Manfred, too. Nobody understands me!

Jacques Courtois
Eugene Delacrois - Le 28 Julliet. La liberte guidant le peuple.


I suppose it is clear that I am getting better. Overall on this trip, I probably got about one bar of xp.

Man even the ugly French guys are cute. The only one who has a chance here is Manfred.

Even though I speak much better French, it seems to be a lot harder to blend in here. Maybe they communicate partially by smell?


I don't see why French girls would ever need make-up. Maybe to cover up their armpit hair?

July 30th, 2009 - Paris

I feel like such a Travis Moe - walking around Paris munching on a baguette, cheese and bananas for breakfast, after arriving here on an overnight train.

This 4-level underground mall isn't really impressive. It just looks like they started building a subway station that was too big, so they put some shops in it. At least it looks like a Final Fantasy garden.


Overall French homeless people are more classy, largely, I think, by virtue of the the fact that they speak French.

On subway doors there is a picture of a rabbit getting his paw stuck in the doors and it says: "Beware of trapping hand." Of course he got his hand stuck, he's a rabbit! What does he know about Parisian subways? Who let a rabbit onto the subway in the first place? And how about putting up some signs that pertain to people? That really gets my goat.

When I'm supposed to enjoy the moment, I think, and now that I have time for thinking, my head is empty. Guess I should go with the flow and become Travis Moe. What a hoe.


There are definitely Swedish people living next door and they're definitely playing Dota.

I guess some people can go their whole life without becoming any good. Let's hope that won't be the case with me. Though they still own galleries here though, so - who knows?

You slowly grow out of the child's menu, then the child discount, then the student discount but don't sweat it. Before you know it, you'll be eligible for the elderly discount.


I'd rather live here than New York if I grow up. It's prettier.

In Italy I may not had the looks or the foreign advantage, but I did have the "no erection in your face" bonus. In France I may not have such good odds.