sihu's journals

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12/07/06--18:37: New Gallery! Holy cats! (chan 2067033)




Mostly World of Warcraft art at this point, but I'm hoping to put up a little more variety in the coming weeks. Because there are only so many Tauren a person can stand, really. So says I.

Cheers, and thanks for stopping on by!


12/20/06--12:42: Yikes, five days. (chan 2067033)




So few days before the 25th, and yet no Christmas card this year. I've got to get some stuff together, I'll tell you what.

Also, someone left a blue candy cane on my desk. I wonder who this mystery person could be? Did they leave said cane because they liked me as an individual, or just because they don't jam on the blue ones? The world will never know.


02/26/07--14:39: One whole year! Woah! (chan 2067033)




Very slowly getting better at drawing WoW stuff. It's been roughly a year since I started, and looking back, there are some creepy, creepy drawings in those past sketchbooks. Here's hoping to possibly another year, with even more avoiding of trolls and Forsaken! Score. <3


08/24/07--12:27: Cell vs Painterly (chan 2067033)




This goes without saying, but the more I look back on my old work, the more I cringe in pain. I like cell shading, as it's challenging and fun to knock out, but there's really only so far it can be pushed as a style of colouring.

I think in the future I might be experimenting with a new Photoshop brush that I'm in love with, so it might get a bit messy up in here.

Just watch. In a week I'll be back to cell shading, begging its forgiveness and brandishing cherry cordials.

"Take me back, baby! I'm nothing without your sweet, sweet lovin'!"


12/22/07--00:23: Ain't nothing to it but to do it. (chan 2067033)




Because I like to shamelessly rip off Treelet (http://treelet.deviantart.com/), I too am making a list of stuff I need to get to, illuhmuhstration wise, or I'll never end up finishing anything.

- Dalin's commission, dwarves hooooo.
- Scan old character drawings and get around to uploading them.
- TBDF New Year's card, time, computer access permitting.
- Colour trident comic panel already, jeez. Make sure to rip off PA as much as possible.
- Clean up DA site, junk old junk. In the junk.


01/11/08--20:06: You win this round, time. (chan 2067033)




I didn't manage to scrape together the time needed to finish all the WoW based projects from the other week, which is kind of a kick in the teeth. It seems like I always have so many ideas, but when I get home the last thing I want to do is boot up Photoshop or pick up another pencil. Which is hardly unique, but still.

I propose that I figure out some way to clone myself using the rudimentary tools within the house, send that clone back in time a week, then have said clone do my bidding and/or drawings. In this way I plan to have enough time. Deal? Deal.


04/09/08--21:10: Good enough! (chan 2067033)




I've recently sunk into this terrible habit of beginning to colour a picture and then... just... not finishing. Part of this is likely due to the fact that I have so many things I'd like to draw that I never end up completing the project I'm already on. Think a hyperactive puppy that can't focus for more than about five seconds and you're probably on the right track.

I like to think I'm past peeing on the rug though.


06/25/08--19:06: Shoo-hallo! (chan 2067033)




When I started this DA gallery it was more or less for everything, subject matter wise, with a slight focus on the gaming content. As it currently stands, a lot of that has fallen by the wayside and into the recycle bin in favour of drawing Tauren - and lots of them.

I'm not entirely sure what the appeal is there - I'd been drawing exclusively humans and the occasional bad drawing of my cat until I picked up WoW - but there's something really fun about trying to get them down. Maybe it's the fact that they're so much like the minotaur and, like most kidlets, I was a huge myth nerd during grade school.

I'm still not entirely sure how to


08/15/08--17:58: Bad Idea, Good Idea (chan 2067033)




Okay, maybe not -idea- per se, so much as luck.

On the bad luck front, my computer screen has erupted into a piece of modern art. It's all like... coloured stripes n'stuff. So! I have a date with some Apple techs tonight to see if I can't save it. I'm trying to paint things, now that I'm Photoshop free, but I forgot just how hard it was.

Good news though, I was lucky enough to land some Blizzcon tickets! How cool is that? Lemme tell you:

Very cool. Blizzard cool.

(...fire tomatoes at will.)


11/06/08--07:34: Spring Cleaning in November (chan 2067033)




Hey hey,

I'm a big fan of snipping out work from galleries that's not really up to snuff anymore, so I'm going to be taking down some of the older, less successful pieces and sketches. There are occasionally a few grumbles when I delete without notice, so this is a wee heads up.

xoxox


12/24/08--12:20: Walnuts ARE Christmas, Thank You (chan 2067033)




Happy Christmas, Deviant Art! Thanks for all the crazy nice comments this year!

<3


01/07/09--23:12: Commission Status (chan 2067033)




Hellooooo Capitol Wasteland!*

I've had a number of questions over the past month or so regarding commissions and requests, so I should stop being a slacker and update the info here. (By the way, thanks to everyone who inquired - gives me the warm fuzzies to think there's interest.)

I'm currently not doing commissions, not because I don't love doing them, but because I have a full time studio job that keeps me super busy these days and it has this pesky habit of cutting into drawing time.

When/if this changes and I open it back up again, I'll be sure to make a post.

Thanks!

*One day I aspire to be as badass as Three Dog.


06/02/09--23:00: Show and Tell (chan 2067033)




Five months since I last updated this journal? What a travesty.

This fall I'm going to be trying to learn myself some sweet, sweet 3D, ideally with a focus on Maya and Zbrush*, so I simply must know, does anyone know of any well-produced tutorials or videos on learning the ropes of these two lovely programs? I've been trolling YouTube in an attempt to teach myself, and I'd love a nudge in the right direction.

*Or, as we apparently say in these parts, 'zed brush'.


06/09/09--18:45: Commission Status Update (chan 2067033)




It looks like I have stumbled upon a little free time, so I have one commission spot open for the time being. For an idea of what you'd be in for feel free to check out the Karaba picture in the gallery. Basically a full body character illustration with a simple background for $40. Drop me a note here on DA if you're interested and I'll get back to you asap with details and the like.

Merci buckets!


06/29/09--19:55: Happy Birthday, Canada! (chan 2067033)




So what if I'm a day and a bit early!  In what other country does is there a scaled down version of the parliament buildings lived in by cats?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Parliamentary_Cats

Or comic artists like Kate Beaton!

http://beatonna.livejournal.com/

...Okay, so there are many not so great things about it too, but all in all it's pretty swell and I'm totally making this post because I don't have the time to draw it a proper birthday card. Also next week is my birthday and I'm pretty excited in general. (Also again, I should probably mention it's my twin's birthday, so I can't take all the credit.)

Ov


08/02/09--11:46: Art School Confidential (chan 2067033)




I've been brushing off the looming date of September 8th for about four months now, and yesterday my brain did this thing where it switched on and informed me that I should actually start paying attention. I head back to school soon (this time for 3D animation), and while I'm super excited, I'm also pretty sure I'll have about five billion stomach butterflies on the first day.

...What a bizarre saying.  

Anywho, my lifedrawings are still stilted and lacking movement, so I'm pretty sure my fellow students are going to wipe the floor with me. Which is good! Maybe if I'm lucky I can beat them in another area. Like Photoshop short


10/02/09--22:47: Sketchblogs, All Sizes (chan 2067033)




Hello!

The tiniest of updates today. I have an equally tiny new sketchblog over here: katecraig.blogspot.com. Typically not Warcraft fanart for the time being, but I'm trying to keep it regularly updated, so that should count for something.

Also, happy Friday! :)


11/16/09--22:44: Let's Mix The Two Titles: Zombies in Venice (chan 2067033)




Left 4 Dead 2 AND Assassin's Creed 2 in the span of a day? It's like a birthday come early! Thank you, Valve and Ubisoft, you really shouldn't have.

Shucks.

Also, a quick note. I've had a couple of print requests recently, and boy howdy, I love you for it. It seriously warms my feeble, horribly unfit heart whenever I see that little orange icon, but for the time being I'm going to hold back from creating any prints. Many of the pieces in this here gallery are character commissions, and in the interests of the lovely commissionees I'll refrain from making prints of their dudes and dudettes. The rest of the pieces are straight up fanart,


12/07/09--08:51: Holy Views, Batman (chan 2067033)




Woah, nearly 20,000 views! I think it's a safe bet that at least 3/4 of those are mine, but as for the rest, thanks very much everyone. That's lovely!

Mondays are typically when I've been posting the storybook pages for the Prince of Persia gallery, but it looks like the last page is going to be delayed by a week or so. I'm working on a student film right now and all personal things have been bumped back a bit. I'll post as soon as I can, but I can't give a date just yet.

:)


01/07/10--11:20: Mary Blair and DA (chan 2067033)




Hullo!

Aside from posting the occasional picture, I'm really bad at this whole 'DeviantArt' thing, especially when it comes to groups and clubs. I can't seem to find anything when I go a-looking, so I figure it wouldn't hurt to ask those in the know.

Does anyone know if there's any sort of Mary Blair themed club around this here joint? She's pretty much the best artist ever, and any time I run into her influence in a piece it's pretty much the best day ever.


01/16/10--16:37: Vintage Travel Poster Challenge (chan 2067033)




Ladies and gents! Fellow gaming fans/artist types!

I know this has been done before with various subjects, but it's great practice for both illustration and graphic design, and it's always fun when a couple of folks participate. In light of that, I'm going to try my hand at a vintage travel poster design for a gaming setting. Be it an age in Myst, a city in Warcraft, or something from Portal, Half Life, Assassin's Creed, L4D, Dragon Age, TF2, Bioshock - whatever you're into! If you're up for the challenge, I'll be posting 'er up in a little over a month's time (Feb. 26th), and the more the merrier. If you decide to do one, let me know and


02/03/10--09:01: Best Female Character In A Videogame Ever (chan 2067033)




Elena Fisher, hands down.

I just finished Uncharted one and two this week, and oh my goodness, there needs to be more of these characters drawn, stat! It's hard to get over what a good looking set of games these are, and how fantastic the voice acting is. Also, as an noob environment artist, it got to the point where I couldn't appreciate how lovely the levels were - it had hit saturation point.

...there's no real reason for this journal post; I just wanted to go on the record to say that.

Haha, I'm done now. :)


02/28/10--18:49: Vancouver: And That's A Wrap (chan 2067033)




So, this is not at all related to art, but...

Woah! The last two weeks have been pretty intense here in Vancouver, but now that everything is wrapping up on the Olympic front, it's safe to say that it was really cool to have so many visitors from all over. Good luck in 2014, Russia!  I'm sure you cats will do an awesome job.

PS: America, that was the best hockey match ever! <3


04/02/10--19:30: LiveJournal and Llamas (chan 2067033)




Firstly: Thank you for all the llamas, everyone! They're pretty rockin', I must say, and I promise to love and cherish them all. <3

Secondly: I haven't really posted this before because I'm basically a big lump, all things considered, but if you have LJ and you don't mind hearing about videogame/art geeking out*, then you're more than welcome to join me over thisaway: http://bluecrake.livejournal.com/

Over and out!

*And by this I mean being a big nerd for game characters.


05/09/10--20:25: Achievement Unlocked: Digital Animation (chan 2067033)




I have (assuming everything goes as planned) officially graduated from my digital animation program at university. We had an awesome grad show here in Vancouver (my classmates are hugely talented people), and hopefully now that I've learned the foundations of the software there will be a healthy mix of 2D and 3D in the works. Thanks to everyone who left lovely comments on my beginner 3D work; it was very much appreciated while learning the ropes!


06/04/10--21:18: Updates, And Embley's Birthday (chan 2067033)




I keep meaning to post more, both to my blog and this gallery, but the lack of motivation is for a good reason, I swear. :) I have about five million Uncharted illustrations scribbled in books around the house (ninety percent Elena, ten percent Drake), but I actually have a job doing game art for the time being (!) so that is why they're not being finished and/or posted.

But, you know who has lovely game fanart is my girlfriend, :iconembley:. We're both huge Mass Effect/Dragon Age/Fallout/Uncharted/Prince of Persia/Alan Wake and soon to be Red Dead Redemption geeks, haha. It's also her birthday this week, so hey, if you like her stuff, go


08/07/10--12:59: Tips for PAX? (chan 2067033)




Next month is PAX Prime! I have never been before. Shocking and tragic, I know, but this year the lovely :iconembley: and :iconfossick: have decided to come along, and all signs point to it being a great time. That said, does anyone have any PAX pointers, or, alternatively, any nice places to visit in the downtown Seattle area? I typically end up State side at least once a year, but for whatever reason I've never made it to Washington before, and I think this is a wrong that must be put right.


08/21/10--10:27: Commissions for Pakistan <3 (chan 2067033)




I get a couple of handsome, charming individuals a year asking when commissions are open, and whenever I can I like to post that information here. Right now on LiveJournal there's a charity art auction to help out with the flooding in Pakistan, and I have a character commission slot opening for bidding. Checkit!

http://community.livejournal.com/help_pakistan/1696.html?thread=322208#t322208

I know it's not the standard commission routine, but if you're interested in placing a bid and helping out some fantastic charities, I would love it to bits. There are number of artists involved in the main thread with all sorts of price ranges and ar


10/16/10--10:17: So Far Highly Recommended (chan 2067033)




Has anyone played Enslaved yet? I'm about an hour or so in, which is admittedly not much, but it's so, so good. If you're into platforming action adventure games with companions (like 2008's Prince of Persia) then oh baby, do I have a suggestion for you. Ready for it?

It's Enslaved! Odyssey to the West! The colour palette is like a fun punch in the face!


02/12/11--19:34: TCAF (chan 2067033)




If you haven't visited :devNafah:'s gallery before, you totally should. Her Harry Potter book cover has some really nice things going on, and her colours really compliment one another.

Also, it's a ways away yet but :devEmbley: and I are going to be attending the Toronto Comic Arts Festival in early May. And when I say attending, I mean she'll be selling prints and I'll be skulking around checking out the awesome work. Take a look at the list of who's coming, because there are a ton of talented folks showing, and a number of new books being released.

Also happy Valentine's!


06/28/11--00:29: Mahsuri and Heart of Ice (chan 2067033)




Awhile back I started a small picture book project based on the Malaysian tale of a woman named Mahsuri. If you haven't run across it and you're a fan of magical realism (aka the best genre!) it's definitely worth a look:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahsuri

I've managed to track down a number of different retellings of the story (or the event, depending on how much stock you place in it), all with small variations and different takes on the theme. Not being from the area, however, many of the subtleties were a little lost on me, and I began to worry that I wasn't doing the original material or figures justice. Costumes were wrong, her


01/24/12--21:19: Spera is Out! (chan 2067033)




Hey there!

Spera is out, and it's this super pretty book that my lady (Emily C) worked on. If you like pleasant sized hardcover books about fantastical adventures and dog spirits that are in a constant state of conflagration, man do I have a suggestion for you:

http://www.amazon.ca/Spera-Josh-Tierney/dp/1936393301

Also, the super, super nice Kyla Vanderklugt is in it, and she's amazing. You guys, guys. ...guys. She's great. Check out her LiveJournal if you don't believe me.

http://kylavanderklugt.livejournal.com/