For the Honour of Grayskull,

I am SHE-RA!

Finally got around to getting this on paper.  Meant to compliment the He-Man I drew way back when.

There was definitely more life in the sketch at the beginning, but the loose lines got more and more asphyxiated as it went along.  Someone should have looked over my shoulder and dropped a hammer on me when it was time to hold back.  What you see now is the loosened up, fixed(ish) image.  The pose has been softened, the shoulders are more anatomically correct and I'm not even going to talk about her hips and legs.

I'll just start on another super heroine.

Drunken Lunch

Actually, no.  Not really.

I just have another lunch token going.  This time with a buddy who likes to drink and talk about drinking and then drink some more.  Only one image came to mind when I had to bust some lines:

Drunken Sword

I'll post the other half if I get a return

***

This is the same guy who wondered why I am taking fatherhood so seriously.  He just had a baby girl.  Now, he totally understands

***

We talked about how drinking is less frequent, but comes in much more intense bursts

***

I am a cheap drunk and he is not (as bad)

Token Return

I got a return!  Here's what's on the other side.  Never doubted for a second.

Actually, I doubted after half a day.  But LOOK!

It's great.  I bet him he wouldn't draw a square let alone a Gundam.  I am happily wrong.  Do you know what else is wrong?  This beef pie:

Looks like a bum.  With Hemroids.  And leaking.

I forwarded it to my family.  Asked my sister what my mother thought.

"She says you're disgusting"

Token Lunch

My friend and I go out for lunches where we rant and rave, complement and complain.  We alternate paying for each other's lunches cause we figure its less of a pain in the ass and it works out ultimately at the end.

After all these years, I finally suggest that we use a token system to keep track of who's turn it is to pay.  If you have the token, hand it over and you get a free lunch!  I'm not going to mint a gold coin, so I folded up a glorious piece of paper and drew this:

I asked my friend to draw something on the other side too.  Will it happen?  I know he's reading this...

***

This is the same guy who collected multiple lunches and asked if he owed me...

***

He tried to pay me in Japanese Yen

***

He does not own a cell phone.  If we get split up, I can't track him down.

Not too long ago

in a Magic Kingdom far,
far away...

Cheer is my ally

I remember when Disney bought Marvel

One last round before its official Mr. Logan?

'bold merchant

Here it is finally, the other part of my idea.  In Kobold society, there is a huge working class, some of which are dungeon merchants.  After all, how else do you top off potions and stack up on spells in the middle of a run?

These blue collars scrape a living by putting themselves in terrible danger by showing up in random dungeons to offer their goods.  Their only defence from their "customers" roughing them up is to call on the mercenaries for protection.

This guy in particular is looking a little rough.  What's his story?
Hope he doesn't have a tear jerker and a little girl to provide for.

'blins and 'bolds

It all started with a drawing.  My buddy called it a goblin.  I insisted it is a kobold.
"No, it's a goblin"
"Wrong!  Kobold"
He left shaking his head.  What was the difference between what I drew and what he saw?  I had to spell it out.

On a sticky note.

Eventually, my stubbornness won.  Or he stopped caring.  We both finally agreed I was drawing a kobold.  It was my kobold, by my hand, from my head, in my universe.  We cleared that issue quickly enough (Unlike Edmonton City Council and Katz Group on completely trivial matters)
Then he asked me a question.  What's the difference between a wizard and a sorcerer?

Indeed.  Great question, great thought exercise.  I gave him a totally lame reply before he gave me his answer. A wizard learned and studied his magic, while a sorcerer naturally has ability to do magic so long as he has enough will power.

"Kinda like  Iron Man and Green Lantern?" I asked
"Uh, yeah sorta.  Ok, Yeah."

Moving on.  I started thinking quietly to myself.  What is the difference between:

Summoner and Warlock
Blademaster and Samurai
Priest and Cleric
Rogue and Thief
Fighter and Warrior
Shadow Knight and Dark Paladin
Ring Wraith and Dementor
Lich King and Witch King

***
Flashback

On the World of Warcraft general chat, I once posed the question  "What is a female warlock called?"
"Hmmm, Warlick?"  HAHAHAHA.  LOL.  Yeah...
The correct answer is, a witch.

Of course you'll have to make sure she floats like wood.
Or really small pebbles.  And weighs as much as a duck.

Therefore...


A WITCH!!!

Heading out of Clouds

So here it is.  My final big push to get a sweet 1 pixel hypervoxel cloud looking decent (enough).  Notice I threw in a ground plane to get a better sense of scale.

So what have I learned?

I'm not very patient playing with hypervoxels.  So I quit.

I quit because I was fast approaching the point of hating playing with particle systems for, like, ever.  What now?  I'm going to take what's good and use this towards something.

One last roto pan

...Something I'm working on.  OK, thanks!

That's 3, THREE lockouts,

AH AH AH !!!

*Sincerest apologies to the late Count Von Count who is resting in vampire heaven now. ='(

From the Edmonton Oilers number NINETY-THREE

Ryan Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugent-HOPkins!!
The latest addition to my office toys.  Standing next to Darth Maul and Ales Hemsky.

Notice they packed a right handed stick for a left handed shot?  FAIL!

IoR

Index of refraction.  The amount light rays are bent through transparent objects such as lenses, plastics, water, etc.  Vacuum is 1.0, for no bend, and glass for example is between 1.5(ish) to 1.7(ish).

I've been meaning to do a study render like this forever.  What happens when you animate an IoR from a little over 0 to 2-ish?

Glass bells with silver nugget and gold ring

Glass bells with glass nugget and glass ring

Cool.  Its kinda like a Predator.
1 point Hypervoxel clouds test render coming up.

I'm Out

Big shout out to all those who texted, called and thought of me when I was in the hospital.  Here I was thinking if I quietly disappeared, I'd fade silently into the shadows like Batman.

Speaking of which, have you seen it yet?

This started as an on the phone sketch

WOW!!  Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle is stunning.  She totally pulled it off.  Nothing of the princess from some diary.  You can sometimes tell when they used a stunt double on the Batbike cause its was like,  nice legs, nice legs, manly BUTT with a wig, KABOOM!!

Also started off as an on the phone sketch

Plus the best moment was after the movie.  When I found out who played Bane.

You're kidding me

It was the exact same feeling when I found out the dude from Lord of the Rings was in Star Trek.

Also found out after the movie

It's almost like those guys were trying to pretend to be different people.  In front of 2 different cameras.  Sweet.

Head still in Clouds

Playing with Hypervoxel clouds in Lightwave 3D.  Experimenting with an emitter vs 1 huge point.  Here is a crazy result from the 1 point test render.

Yeah, the checkerboard was for me to check the scale of which is totally meaningless.  Wont pursue too much further.  Must get ready for a huge project at work involving Rhino and Grasshopper.

Olympics, London, 2012

I have not been watching much at all.  But when I first heard of the badminton teams throwing games, all I could think of was, not team China, not team China.  AWW CRAP!!  I KNEW IT!!

On another note, guess who else is in the Olympics?  Check it out

Iron Maiden

Pretty straight forward interpretation of Rule 63.  Introducing, Iron Maiden.  I don't like the name Tonya Stark.  Sounds ugly.  Henceforth, I will only recognise her real name as Lana.

Lana Stark.

Diablo III : Review

Story time.

Long ago, my brother and I got fired up over a little game called Diablo II.  When the expansion came out, we were equally, if not more excited.  What made it even more special this time, was we got to play together over our brand spanking new home network.  Unfortunately, we wouldn't get very far before the game crashed over and over again due to an overheating issue (voodoo 3).  His solution?  Take the side panel off and blast a fan into the case.

It totally worked.

Such was the dedication for that game, he was willing to play sitting funny with a crooked spine.  And also me in my room, where the temperature rose high enough easily to bake a medium pizza.  Now that Diablo III has come out, what’s it going to be like now?  Expectations were high.

Predictably, it was exactly as I expected.  Not that it’s a bad thing, since I set the bar so high.  Great polish, straightforward gameplay, and the animations had a simple yet attractive charm to it.  I rolled my monk character and punched and kicked my way into the first tutorial.  I was in Sanctuary again, and it felt good.

How I feel,

Pacing was good.  Nothing to scare new gamers, and not so boring as to turn off anyone hardcore.  It gets progressively more and more complex as the game progresses, but still retains an easy learning curve.  The hack and slash is intuitive to control and you eventually start turning over dead corpses as naturally as breathing.  Sweet.  Noobs unite!

... and how I look.

As I played more and more, a familiar feeling crept up.  Was it a nostalgic blast from the past?  Am I playing Diablo, too?  Actually, no.  It started feeling a lot like Torchlight.  WHAT?  Now, it makes sense since the dudes who made Diablo II, well uh, jumped ship and made Torchlight.  But I don't want this review to be a comparison to another game, so I’ll try to carry on.

When I played Diablo II, it felt like a sequel.  I was playing the next game after Diablo I.  A different game.   But definitely in the same franchise.  Diablo III felt familiar enough, but it almost felt like I was playing on the fringes of the franchise.  Much of that is due to the change in gameplay and game mechanics I think, but maybe that's like comparing a DOS game to a Windows game.  Right?  You have to advance and move on, right?  A successful band cant realease 20 CDs that sound the same.  I digress.

Overall, its not bad.  Its not bad at all.  I love the cinematics.  I care about the characters, there's a story, and  most important, its fun.  It's fun to play again.

Art - 8  Thought not as dark as the first 2 games, still great polish and refinement
Cinematics - 9  Awesome visuals.  Nice blend with the 2D artwork.  Brief flashes of the uncanny valley
Sound - 7  Good sound effects
Music - 7  Good tracks and textures.  Really wanted to hear the Tristram theme more
Gameplay - 8  Fun, and easy to pick up.  Checkpoints a bonus so parents like me can jump in and out
Overall - 8  Great diving in to play, but not soul sucking addictive like Star Craft.  Maybe that's a good thing

***

I miss my pet from Torchlight.  I named my dog Wong Choy and he carried my sellables back to town and came back with gold.  I wish you can send your companion to sell your goods.

***

Lots more inventory space now.  No need to play chain mail tetris as much

***

I chuckle ‘cause the Lyndon in the game is totally not like the Lyndon I know in real life.  HA!

A Legend passes

The Chinese Boxer, Mr. Ninja, Crazy Old man.  We all had a name for the shirtless jogger we saw on the school bus in the dead of winter.  Didn't matter if it was -38c during a blizzard, you can count on seeing him run.  I witnessed it myself on the schoolbus when I was still throwing paper stars.

Like safety sabres for Jedi younglings.

Good bye Mr Chan.  Truly an inspiration to us all.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/edmontonjournal/obituary.aspx?n=chi-chan&pid=157857421&fhid=14815

Piss Off !!

We all get special guests from time to time.  Not the usual faces who come in from time to time to chill, but people totally upity up the totem pole; whether it's family, work, or even celebrities.  There are formalities, politcal games to play and toes to avoid stepping on as they may be connected to the asses I have to kiss later.  We give up the usual space and cram ourselves into the corners that are typically not used, or at times off limits.

Not a problem.  I can watch (and smell) fancy lunches get delivered.  I can keep my head down and not listen in on the conversation.  I can bend over.

What I absolutely cannot do is suffer through yellow stains on the toilet seat.  Really?  Really, dog?  What are you doing?  You can certainly show some sophistication by taking care of other people's property, right?  With such a respectable status, indeed, an ambassador of where you're from, you're the representation of the best, right?

My buddies and I were talking, and they've all had to do the same thing in the can.  We're the ones going through the daily grind with our blue collars, and even we can keep clean.  We're in the group who scrape coins together so we can buy an Xbox game from the bargain bin.  Maybe that makes sense cause we don't have anyone to wipe us down after we piss in the wind.

To our guest who are innocent, I'm sorry. =(
I guess, should have started with an apology disclaimer first.

HDMI does what ???

So I bought Diablo III.  Started playing a monk.
Side note, the fem mage is hooooCheeee mama.

I load it up on my laptop and bring it my brothers pad so he can check it out.  I thought we'd be huddling by a small laptop screen squinting our eyes and eventually I’d let him play.  Go nuts!

He brings back an HDMI cable and I blink at him.  Then it hit me.  WOW!  He’s going to hook it up to the big screen.  Five feet of eyecandy!

“What about the audio?”  I asked.
“Uh, big brother.  HDMI includes audio.”



KAAAABOOOOOMMMM !!  PSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH !!
* mind * blown *



I need to keep up with technology.  Course it helps he doesn't have a little girl demanding all your attention.

D III review coming up!

Eternal Enemies

Orcs vs Elves,

Humans vs Zombies,

Today, I focus on Pirates vs Ninjas.

We are all familiar with Jolly Roger as the modern symbol of pirates.  You could easily imagine it on a flag flying on a ship, draped on a battle standard, or even converting nicely to canton.  Yes, canton.  Not Canton.

Do ninjas have their version of skull and crossbones?  Indeed not. So I propose, the ninja’s coat of arms:

Ta Daa!

Four throwing knives in the shape of a shuriken.  Notice even the negative space in the middle is in a shape of a throwing star.

I must admit, it was a lot more complicated before.  It had a oniyuri katana in various positions.  One version even mirrored the ol’ Jolly Roger using.  The shuriken and swords were the skull and crossbones respectively.  But in this case, less is definitely more, plus I hope there is a sophistication in its simplicity.  There is room in the middle to add a clan / family crest, some calligraphy, the Union Jack,  whatever!

Speaking of pirates, I came across the best example of bootleggery.  Check this out!

Incredible.  Absolutely, incredible.  Even has the fake battery tester.  Look close.  Warning! There is mercury in it, but as you can see, only <0.025%.

To the Vancouver fans who mocked the Oilers

HAHA!!

You know who you are! >=P

Happy Birthday Mum

So, there was a surprise 60th birthday party and this was on the invitation for the guests.

I was responsible for distracting her all day and had to steal her cell phone and turn it off.  Naturally when she was looking for it she freaked out.  Nevertheless it was a great success.

Fenku Bunny Belle.

Crazy Cat Lady

Never did find those fem life drawings.  Maybe at a later date.  =(

How about a picture of Catwoman instead?  What with the new Batman movie just around the corner.

Balance seems a little off.  Like that one arms isnt quite bearing the weight of the body.  Still pretty satisfied overall with this.  Need to draw more and sharpen up.

You know who’d make a great Catwoman?

Robin.  From “How I Met Your Mother”  Run her through a Sarah Conner training program and how to use a whip.

You know who’d make a great Princess Leia?

Robin.  From “How I Met Your Mother”  Run her through a Sarah Conner training program and how to use a chain.

You know who’d make a great Supergirl?

Robin...

Green black and blue, make the colors in the sky

Five piece samurai armour (go-mai-dou gusoku) as explained by Rui's blog.

Trying to get fancy with the watercolor tool in ArtRage.  Pretty basic, but I'm sure you can get better effects if you know what you're doing.  Which I totally, like, don't.

For those still scratching your head at the title, it's a line from Smile.DK's song (47 seconds in) on the original Dance Dance Revolution.

DDR 1?  I am so old ='(

Life Drawing :: 2011 Part 2

As promised, here is part 2 of some figure drawing.

I have some gestures of a fem somewhere.  Just need to find the sketch book.  Will definitely upload when I trip across it.

Life Drawing :: 2011 Part 1

Finally resized some life draing from the end of last year.

Part 2 coming up.

Tonight 1st, 2nd and 3rd star,

From the Edmonton Oilers number EIGHTYNINE...
SSSSSAAAAAAMMMMM GGGGAAAAAGGGGNNNNEEEEERRRRR!!!!!

Happy Chinese New Year of the Dragon

I'm a little late this year for my family portrait.  I hope it was worth the wait.

^_^

A British tar is a soaring soul

so why does he work at Horton's?

Tim Horton's no doubt.  It was weird.  He had a smart sounding British accent, probably has a masters degree in quantum chromodynaimcs, but served me at the till.  Even called me "sir" and "thanked (me) for my patients"

WUT?

As a descendant from Hong Kong, I'm more use to the other way around.

That's not cherry filling on your donuts, my mind was blown.

Wooden Personality

Finally attached some thread to my wooden sword and give it some character.

Went to the fabric store and found some decent yellow rope to go with the gold tassel (there was blue and orange fleecy there too!).  While Chinese swords commonly now have 2 tails on the end, Chen Tai Chi Swords have one.  I didn't discover that for the longest time.  Regardless, why would you equip a weapon, even a civil weapon, with such a flowery decoration?

According to my research, it was originally a just cord tied up used as a lanyard during fencing.  Naturally the ends would fray after some use and would eventually start resembling a tassel.  The frayed ends imply the wielder as a sword master and eventually the style caught on.  Swordsmen would intentionally fray the ends and make them bigger and bigger, and more and more pronounced.

It makes sense to me.  Right?  Fast forward to today...

Unfortunately, the tassels that come with most swords nowadays are so lousy that it is impossible to use them as they were originally intended or even as stylistic flare.  The length is often too long, making it difficult to bust a move without it getting tangled up around your wrist.

Now, you know I love Jet Li, I really do.  He twirls sword and tassel all awesome in Fearless, but that's movie magic.  It was choreographed with take after take.  I even noticed him holding the sword with a grip that would easily lose him a finger in combat.  The grip looks great nevertheless!  Again, movie magic.  Jet needs to look good!  And he does!

One last ramble.

It has been suggested that some schools have steel wire braided into the tassel to scrape your opponents face and in an attempt to blind him.  I strongly disagree.  That’s like taking a can of mace along with your M16 rifle in a war.  Why the hell would you... ok, ok.  I do not doubt the skills of some grand masters.  I am only saying I'd rather fight  with 2 and a half feet of razor than whip a twisty tie and be forced to dodge my own blade the entire time.

But on the other hand if you do manage get all fancy and blind me with the non-pointy end of a sword, you are indeed a true sword master.  And I really deserved it.

A tassel looks good, gives the sword personality, and can probably be used as a training tool.  But when the zombie apocalypse comes, that's the first thing I take off.  You made it this far in my rant, thanks.  'Preciate it.

Pushing Buttons

Back from the Christmas break and then some.

Got NHL 12 from my sister and 'rents for Xbox (which is pretty sweet).  However, I discovered that a round glowing circle screams "Push the button, PUSH THE GODDAM' BUTTON!!" to little toddlers.

Specifically my 15 month little girl.
So I taped it up.


Got some drawings to upload, just need to straighten it out a little.  I'm still around.
Did you catch the reference to Rush Hour?