Why not?

Sand Bug

2011-03-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

So the Associated Foods Art Department is starting up the creative blog again, and they were nice enough to let me still contribute even though I don't work there anymore. The first topic was "Some sort of creature" and since I have been out of the drawing loop for a while, I had a hard time thinking of what to do. I watched Raiders of the Lost Ark while I thought about what to draw, and this is what I came up with. Not the best coloring job I have ever done, but I still like the bug itself.

Rachel's Bridals

2009-05-26T17:17:00.001-07:00

Portrait of a Klingon

2009-05-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

This is one I did for our department blog. The theme was Star Trek, and the first thing I came up with was making someone I work with look like a Klingon... so here he is, the boss of my boss in Klingon form. If I am filing for unemployment tomorrow you know why.

The Games We Play

2009-02-13T11:58:00.001-08:00

I have to admit I got this idea from Kevin's blog about Valkyria Chronicles. I loved his rendition of such a classic, and thought I would do my own based on one of my favorite games of all time. I took one of Obama's "Hope" posters, which I still say look way to much like some communistic propaganda posters I have seen in the past, and turned it into someone we can all get behind, dear ol' Sack Boy. For any of you who haven't played this game, you are seriously missing out. There are hours upon hours of fun that come with it. Seriously, check it out.

Fall Out 3 is another game that I just finished, and honestly can't wait to play again. It has an amazing atmoshere, a fun and engaging story and tons of possibilities as you choose whether to be good or bad in this nuclear wasteland that was once D.C.
There are some amazing places to visit and fun side quests to keep you busy for a very long time. I would suggest it heavily but I do warn against bad language and a lot gore.

I am also currently playing Far Cry 2, which is really fun with a HUGE open world, but the game play can get a little old sometimes. I still love it though and recommend it with the same warnings as Fall Out. I also played Resistance 2 but had a hard time getting in to it. It didn't feel like they did much to make the sequel bigger and better, and I didn't feel as sucked in to the story as I was in the first. I also recently finished The Force Unleashed and I loved it. It's definitely something that only Star Wars Geeks like myself will fully enjoy, but I still think it is fun for anyone who likes the Saga.

Up next for me is Mirror's Edge and Killzone. What are you guys playing?

Lady in a Blue Dress

2008-12-19T06:46:00.001-08:00

I saw this on a few of my friend’s blogs and I just had to try it out, so here it goes.

1. Put your music listening device on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it makes you look. (For me, some of these were actually pretty appropriate, while others made absolutely no sense.)
4. Title this post what the answer to your last question is.

*If someone says 'Is this Okay?' you say:
In My Place - Coldplay

*What do you like in a guy/girl?
Taster - Grandaddy

*How do you feel today?
2113 – Coheed and Cambria

*What is your life's purpose?
She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5

*What do your friends think of you?
It’s not a fashion Statement, it’s a Death Wish- My Chemical Romance

*What do your parents think of you?
Collective Dreamwish of Upperclass Elegance - Grandaddy

*What do you often think about?
I Want to Save You – Something Corporate

*What do you think of the person you love?
Yeah is What We Had - Grandaddy

*What is your life story?
Slow Dance – Senses Fail

*What do you want to be when you grow up?
Map of the Problematique – Muse

*What do you think when you see the person you love?
O.K. With My Decay - Grandaddy

*What will they play at your funeral?
Honey, Honey – Abba (wow…. Not sure what I think about that…)

*What is your biggest fear?
Ana’s Song - Silverchair

*What is your biggest secret?
Crushcrushcrush - Paramore

*What do you think of your friends?
Forsaken – Queen of the Damned Soundtrack (Sorry Guys lol)

*What are you going to name this post?
Lady in a Blue Dress – Senses Fail

Well that was interesting... lol pretty fun though.

Twilight- the movie

2008-11-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

That's right boys and girls, I was able to see Twilight last night at the Gateway. Sure, I had to get my tickets a few weeks ago, and even then they only had good seats in one of the 2:30 am showings (I am now at work and have been up since one... thanks Full throttle) but it was definitely worth it. I will try to give you all my best review without spoiling anything. No worries, I hate it when people ruin movies for me, so I wouldn't do that, not that I am going to give away any plot spoilers to anyone who has read the book. When it comes to that I can say they did a great job of keeping all the main plot points intact. Yes, they had to cut some of it down, and they meshed some parts together into one, but I didn't feel like I was being cheated at all. They really did a great job of putting an entire book into a two hour movie. I thought all the characters were really well cast, even Bella who I was not so sure about. I honestly think that any fan of the books will enjoy the movie a lot if they go in to it knowing that it's going to have spots taken out entirely, and that there are going to be some changes. They still kept very true the heart of the story, and did a really great job of visualizing such a great book. Enjoy!

Working as a Graphic Designer

2008-11-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

Each week I have to make artwork based on a theme for our ads, and even though it's not my favorite kind of art to do, I still have done a few that I really liked and thought I would post on here.

My Summer Entertainment

2008-10-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have never done this before, but I figured I should give it a shot and give a list of all the fun Summer movies and Video Games I played, ala Kevin style. So here it goes.

Iron Man:
I loved this movie. I have never been a big Robert Downey Jr. fan, until this movie. He plays the perfect opposite to what a hero should be, and really just makes the movie funnier than I think it would be otherwise if they had got the usual plucky hero type. The action and special effects were really amazing, and a lot of the sequences had me glued, although I felt that the end battle wasn't nearly as fun to watch as some of the battles in the middle of the movie, but all in all I think this was a good one.

Prince Caspian:
I actually liked this one a lot more than most people did I am finding. I don't think it was better than the original, but I think for a sequel it definitely held up to the hype. I just think the story isn't as fun as that of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, so they did great with what they had. I loved the final battle, especially once the trees get in to it, and I thought they did a great job of making Peter, Susan, Edward and Lucy look really cool too lol.

Indiana Jones:
Again, I was one of few who really loved this movie. So many people seemed to be bugged about the whole alien thing, but I found it perfectly fitting for the time period the movie was portaying. I know, it wasn't realistic. I get it. But really, is a bunch of nazis getting their faces burned off by the arc of the covenant really that believable? So yeah, I loved it all, and I thought the action held up great considering how worried I was about Harrison Ford's age. All in all, this was my second favorite Indy movie, right after Raiders.

Sex and the City:
Yes... I saw this movie. I think I was the only straight guy in the movie theater. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but that's not saying much. It really was just a big drama fest mixed with some funny quirky parts, so yeah, all in all not something I am excited to see again and again, but I am sure I will get to anyway lol

Kung Fu Panda:
Easily one of my favorite movies of the year, as the Furious Five figurines on my work desk might say. Not only did this movie have me laughing harder than I have for a long time, but the Kung Fu in it was actually amazing! Especially in the ways that they used actual animals to do the actual styles, and all the cool special effects you would expect in a fun kung fu movie. This movie had a great story, great music and was visually stunning. I recommend it to anyone.

Don't Mess with the Zohan:
Don't waste your time or money. I like the Sandman, but he just seems to be trying to take business from Mike Meyers in this stupid, bad joke filled crapfest.

Get Smart:
I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would too. Good for a good laugh, has some fun stuff in it, but don't go expecting an amazing story or oscar winning performances. Purely a movie for fun, and it succeeds in that.

Wall-E:
Most people didn't like this movie for the lack of actual talking, but that is one of the things I loved about it. Pixar made Wall-E so expressive that he didn't need to talk more than the few words he says, and his personality made him entertaining. This movie was also visually fantastic, and the story was fun even if it did get a tad bit preachy and guessable. All in all another one of my favorites for the year.

Hancock:
I'll admit it. I am a big Will Smith fan. That being said I think this is one of his better action films. He does some really good acting in it, much like I am Legend and Pursuit of Happiness, both of which were rolls I prefer him in. So yeah, the action was good, I didn't think the little twist was as big a deal as some people made it out to be, and in the end I really loved the movie and the story and hope they do another one.

Dark Knight:
This was definitely one of the best of the year, if only for the Joker. What an amazingly cool character. I was absolutely hating him one minute, and laughing at him the next. Really an amazing job by Heath Ledger. I did have a few problems with it, like Christian Bale getting a bit too carried away with his "Batman voice" and the fact that it was just so depressing the entire time, but I think that's what they were going for, so in a way that made it a huge success for me. If I thought there wasn't going to be a sequel to set everything right, I wouldn't like it as much, but as it is now I loved it.

I watch too many movies I realized. That's just the ones I saw in the theaters. As far as games go, everything is kind of overshadowed by Little Big Planet Beta, let alone the actual game coming out here soon, but I did have some fun with a few. I finally got to play through Resistance, and I thought it was pretty good for a FPS. I played the Wii version of Dragon Quest, and I thought it was really fun for what it was, and definitely a good start out for kids to get used to turn base fighting. Currently I am playing Grid, and Drakes. I am usually not a fan of Racing games at all, but Grid is in its own little world. It really is such a fun game, and really easy to get really good, so that's nice. This is my second time through Drakes and I love it still. This time I am going through for the Trophies, but I could play this many more times and still love it.

Anyway, that's it for me I think. I'll let you all know how Little Big Planet is soon enough! Anybody else have anything good?

Something new, thanks to Breaking Dawn - Caution, spoilers

2008-08-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Until now my blog has been mainly made up of just art work, but looking at the blogs of family and friends, I realize that I could do much more with it. So to start that off, I am going to be talking about the latest book in the Twilight series "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer, my new favorite author. I admit, like most guys I was pretty skeptic at first. My wife was going through the first three books with unparalleled devotion, finishing them in a matter of two weeks I think it was. Finally she convinced me that I would love them, and she was absolutely right. She read them to me as we drove to work, and I ate them up in turn. Instantly I fell in love with the characters, the way Stephenie wrote, and the way the book just pulled in me and never let me go.

I am not ashamed to be one of what seems like few guys that enjoyed it purely as a love story, and was delighted with the added twists and turns. I was always voting for Edward, and to be honest Jacob bugged me until the very last book. In fact at one point while my wife was reading Eclipse to me, and Jacob kissed Bella, I was so enthralled in the story that I had to have my wife stop reading, and I didn't do it very nicely. Yeah... sorry love! Anyway, on the new book.

I was so worried that this book would go the way I didn't want it to, that I was scared to read it. It took my sister and my wife to assure me that that was not the case, and I don't know why I ever doubted Stephenie, especially after reading "The Host" (which I absolutely loved as well) and seeing how she could make the most dismal circumstances for her characters turn into the better ending than even I could have imagined. And so she did the same with Breaking Dawn. In three days, I had inhaled the book and loved each page, often times laughing out loud riding the bus home, surrounded by people that I would rather not be laughing in front of, and not caring. I loved the wedding, and I loved that Jacob was there to see her, despite me prior feelings about him. I loved the Honeymoon, and the settle hints put in there that made me text my wife asking if Bella was pregnant long before she found out she was. I loved Jacobs section from his point of view. This is when I grew to really like him, and really appreciate it all. I loved the birth of Renesmee, and the birth of Bella as a newborn, finding all her new powers. You could tell Stephenie had a blast writing that part, and I had a blast reading it. I loved Bella's reaction to Jacob imprinting. That had me laughing the hardest. Oh the stares lol. And the rest of the book from that point on was just perfect. Again, genius.

So now I am left with what feels like post-twilight depression. I don't want it to be over. I don't want to say good bye to Bella or Edward, or any of the other amazing characters in these books. There is so much more I want to hear from them. It's odd, this series was the first time I have read books from a first person point of view, and I guess because of that Bella is the first character that engrossed me in the way that she did, so to not hear things from her point of view ever again, especially with all the knew things that could happen, would just feel weird. Not that I wouldn't love it. I haven't had this hard a time with the end of something since Harry Potter lol. No good.

As for what I would like to hear in the future, I would really like to see what the Volturri have planned. You know they aren't done. And that's why I would love to hear it from Bella's point of view, since she is the one that has tipped the scales now that she is in the Olympic Coven. That would be a fun book right there. I also would want to hear about Renesmee more, and how things go with her and Jacob. And then there is just immortal life with Bella and Edward. I could read about those two indefinitely.

Anyway, thanks for letting me ramble. Please feel free to add your two cents. I am working on my own little twilight piece right now, kind of my own vision of the clearing part before I see the movie. I hope it will be up soon, and I hope I can do it justice. Thank you Stephanie for writing such amazing books. I will read whatever you write, no hesitation. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us lol. And to those of you who haven't read the books, give it a try. You won't be disappointed with them, and guys, don't be turned off because it's from a girls point of view. That was one of my favorite parts. Later!

Turning my family into fairies...

2008-02-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

This is a picture I did for my brother-in-law and his girlfriend. It is based on their favorite picture, and I just put them into it.

A new post for a new blog

2007-10-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

So I would love to say I came up with the idea myself, but really I stole it from the Avalance work group. We started a blog at the creative services department of Associated Foods, emulated from the much more experienced and talented people over at Avalance. It has been fun though, and this was our first topic, creating a caricature of someone that we work with. So here it is, two of my friends from work riding on a hog to who knows where. I wish I could say I totally made up this image, but sometimes truth is funnier than fiction.

New Avatar

2007-09-18T18:36:00.001-07:00

Yeah...I finally learned how to do it.

Epcot

2007-08-02T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well this is another school project I did. It was a magazine layout for Future World at the Epcot Center Theme Park. I didn't do a lot of drawing for this one, and what I did I kpt simple, but I had a lot of fun putting it all together.

Kid's Book

2007-07-31T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well I am finally posting again. That is to say I finally did something I feel good about posting. This is the cover for a kids book, the black areas being holes in the cover that look through to the next page. I had so much fun doing it I think I am actually going to do the entire book. Could be fun. Anyway, I did it all in painter.

Foreign Policy Pic

2007-04-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

Guess it would help if I included this....

Foreign Policy

2007-04-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

So this is kind of a political piece I did for school concerning foreign policy in many forms. Now I am not against it. I have been out of the country, I know the good we have done for other, less fortunate places. It made me appreciate America more. And I didn't chose specific countries for any specific reason, just what I thought looked good. I just think it is crazy that we give money and guns to places that in the end hate us anyway and would love to see us fall. And really (this is my rant time sorry) I think we would do much better if we stopped playing big brother to the world and took care of our own people. Put all that money into the Ghettos and poor places of the nation. How many Martin Luther Kings and Rosa Parks have lived out a life that was never able to really get off the ground because of the situation their life had them in? America has produced so many great people, so many great things, that I just think we should start backing our own people before we back everyone else. Anyway, lecture over. I did sketched this out and did it painted it in painter... kinda went off some old WWII Propoganda posters.

Illustrator Girl

2006-12-06T17:22:00.000-08:00

This is a picture I did using illustrator in my intro to illustrator class. I still have a bit or work on the face but on a whole I am pretty happy with it. It's a pretty fun program once you get used to it.

Halloween

2006-10-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

Well I actually got a halloween picture up before the actual holiday. That is a pretty major acheivement for me, and that's kinda sad. But hey, I love the holiday, so I had to do something.

2006-09-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

this is just a picture from my sketchbook. This is another character I have done a few of. I liked this one a lot but I wasn't too happy with the hands. I messed those up just bit. But hey, I have a thing for goths so it works.

final project for that one class...

2006-09-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

Well this is it. The last project for my basic design class. And even though I didn't do much artistically for this one I had a fun time putting it together. It has definitely inspired me to do some Zelda drawings of my own though so I will have to get those on here too.

Presentation of the Color Green

2006-09-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well the latest assignment in my Graphic Design class was on a certain color, and I drew the color green. anyway, we had to do a monochromatic picture and an informational handout, along with a fifteen minute presentation about our color. Needless to say I haven't been this excited since I found out they were making Land Before Time 14: The big falling and fiery rock. But anyway, I thought they turned out pretty good so here is the monochramatic one.

2006-08-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Well here is another picture of my little robot dude. Kind of one picture of two in a story actually. I know he probably needs a brain shield, but what's fun with that? Maybe his series has social grooming habits where they pick things out of each others brain squiggles... who knows. I like it

2006-08-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

This is the finished version of my Disneyland Poster. I got more time to work on it before it was due, so I added a few things that I thought helped a lot.

Travel Poster

2006-08-14T18:01:00.001-07:00

Well this has been long coming, but this is a recent project I did for school. Thanks to lack of time this is as far as I got, but I will finish it the way I pictured it and post that too. Kevin, thanks for the help! I really liked you idea too but I wanted to try something else. if you would like to finish yours and post it I will send you the file. so yeah, we'll see what kind of score I get.

2006-07-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

So this is my first go with painter. I had fun doing it, but I still have lots to learn. I sure do like it though. Anyway, this is a new character of mine, so I am sure you will be seeing lots of him.

2006-06-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well here it is, the first of what I hope is many pics to show. This is just some little rock dude.... the other is a bad guy trying to look cute... yeah...

2006-06-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well this is it. My first blog... and I swore I would never do one of these things. Just like going to Blockbuster or letting Media Play swindle me out of 10 more bucks for points.... oh well...