SEE HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU?
Wednesday, 31 December 2003

Here I am updating my site on New Year's Eve all but ignoring my girlfriend whom I haven't seen in almost two weeks. That's also why this note is so short. Must go now upon pain of bodily harm.

Happy New Year, all!

MY COFFEE IS BEEPING AT ME
Tuesday, 30 December 2003

Sometimes it's the little things you miss most when you travel. I've just returned from my Christmas trip back to Georgia. I'll spare the details of trying to arrive at LAX (holiday travel combined with a high terror alert - woohoo) and most of the details of driving back. Yes. Well, let me explain.

I bought my mom's car, see, and I was faced with the prospect of either driving it home to California or hiring someone to do it for me. I swear, if I could have found a service for a few hundred dollars, I would have done it in a heartbeat, but all of the ones I got quotes for were much closer to a thousand. Driving it would only cost me gas and hotels and take about four days (in hindsight, I probably could have driven it in three, really, but I stopped in Memphis to visit some dear old friends I haven't seen in a couple of years). Anyway, crazy as it may seem, I drove the car back from Atlanta to Los Angeles, and I just got back in last night.

Had a good holiday while I was there, too. Owing to the fact that I found some great deals at Blockbuster, lots of videos were given this year, which turned out to be appropriate, since that's mostly what I got.

Anyway, it's strangely good to be back home in LA. I still have to unpack now and figure out what the hell I'm doing for New Year's Eve. As long as it doesn't involve much driving...

MORE FRIENDS
Friday, 12 December 2003

Jason Han, over at VFcomic.com, has very kindly linked me, and here I am returning the favor. Thanks, Jason! Please go visit his site, poke around, then email him and tell him to get off his butt and finish the damn thing.

Like I should talk..

Oh. and check out the week's new sites, on the right there.

NEW SITE DESIGN!
Friday, 14 November 2003

After a couple of months' worth of feedback on the site design, I decided to make some changes. Primarily, you will find the new design to have a more flexible structure. It should fit much better into smaller browsers (down to about 600x800), but it will also expand to fit bigger windows quite nicely.

Also, some new categories to your right. WORDS is basically an archive for all of the textual updates, but I will also be putting up articles, reviews, whatever I feel like. But it's the non-art stuff. The art stuff is now all under PICTURES--the Gallery and the Sketchbooks. These no longer spawn new windows--the images appear in the same window (several people asked for this specifically).

FREELANCE is still the place for the graphic design portfolio (or it will be once I get that re-designed). ABOUT now actually has some bio information in it! Contact is for email. LINKS is new--listings of sites I personally frequent and highly recommend. LEGAL is copyright info.

Oh, I almost forgot--the SITE OF THE WEEK feature over there. Links to things I don't want anyone to miss. Sometimes artists, sometimes other things, always interesting.

Anyway, please, please, please, click around and let me know how things work for you. I wouldn't have a site if it wasn't for you, so help me work out any kinks, yeah?

Thanks! And welcome back!

NEW STUFF
Friday, 14 November2003

Okay kids! Aside from the new Devil Nikki on the splash page (cute, ain't she?) I've created a new work, based on the Cardboard Tube Samurai sketch, and finished it off with color and everything. Here's the full image.

It's a question worth asking in this day of digital originals: if a work is done, should it be left done? Artists love change, and I, personally, like the idea of being able to revisit old work from time to time. If a single work of art is an evolution of lines and color, then certainly an artist's career as a whole is a similar evolution, except that he is the God of his own universe (you like how I wrapped up Creationism and Evolution all in one neat package like that? Creative Evolution, perhaps?). And if that's true, can't he re-create new versions of work he's already done? Not that it's always for the better, mind you (revised Star Wars movies, revised Lion King, to name a couple).

What do you think?

MY LATEST CRUSADE
Thursday, 23 October 2003

I love Internet radio. Actually, it's probably more accurate to say I hate commercial radio. I cannot stand the commercials and the insipid DJs (the height of vanity, they think I would rather listen to them than the music), and the pervading blandness of the ClearChannel hegemony. Perhaps my memory is being very selective, but I seem to recall radio that served the music, whose purpose it was to play the music and the DJs talked about the music, and the advertising was needed to pay the bills so they could continue to play music. Now, it seems like the music is there simply as a hook to get an audience for the commercials and the DJs new TV career, so they play just enough of it to keep you tuned in. It may also be that LA is worse than most cities.

Sorry for the rant, but honestly, that represents the merest fraction of my frustration with the state of the medium right now. However, this is the twenty-first century, dammit, an age of miracles. So, there are options, and lots of them. Here, here, and here are just a very few. And, as I type this I am listening to this. Enjoy!

QUOTE OF THE DAY
Friday, 17 October 2003

"I laughed when I went to the Apple site and saw that they call iTunes the best Windows app ever. Now I am enjoying a playlist full of Beck and I think those sons of bitches might be right."
-- Gabe at Penny Arcade.

I had to put it here because I know it'll never show up in Apple's own marketing materials, and I think it should. Penny Arcade is a comic strip published on the Web (what the community refers to, conveniently enough, as a webcomic). It's at the top of a fairly short list of strips I read without fail. Gabe and Tycho are a nice couple of guys, and much less ornery in person than their comic would have you think.

THOSE STEENKIN' THEENGS WE DON' NEED TO SHOW YOU
Thursday, 16 October 2003

Now in a range of flavors! Including animated!

[NOTE: PREVIOUSLY POSTED BADGES NOW LOCATED IN LINKS]

BADGES BADGES BADGES BADGES BADGES BADGES
Wednesday, 15 October 2003

If you haven't been here, you won't get the joke. Go on. I'll wait.

Back now? Good.

A very nice person by the name of Krista A. Leemhuis emailed me a couple of days ago, asking if it would be okay if she put a link to me up on her site. So, just to do my homework, I checked out her site, tenthorbital.com. Turns out Krista is pretty damn talented! Cleverly designed site, showcasing some excellent work. Anyway, it was just the kick I needed to put together a couple of little link banners - I've always called them badges when they're this size. ANYWAY, I've made them, and here they are, just in case you'd like one. Or two.

[NOTE: PREVIOUSLY POSTED BADGES REPLACED BY SET IN LINKS]

Just link them to livinglightning.com, and please please please let me know, so I can keep track and maybe return the favor, okay? Thanks.

THAT ARTWORK I PROMISED
Saturday, 11 October 2003

Couple of days ago I said I was working on some art for a workshop over at Bellefree. So, as I posted progressive versions to their forum, it occurred to me that this was a good chance to show everyone how I do this. It comes up from time to time, because I use a Mac to do the art and usually only post finished work.

Process doesn't interest me much, I have to say. Maybe because I came into this industry through commercial design and production, where the driving philosophy is "Whatever it takes to get it done." You use every trick and gadget, every tool you need to to get the result, and on deadline. And it's the product that counts, not really how you got there. I look around at the commercial illustration on billboards and magazines these days and the process is transparent to me, but it still comes off with impact.

The point being that you won't find me posting a lot of these kinds of breakdowns of my process, so enjoy it while you can. I decided to get clever and create a little animation so you can see the changes on top of one another. I think this gets the idea across better. The logo and "comic book" design graphics are all by Alberto Ruiz, an annoyingly talented designer and illustrator, who is running the workshop. Gotta warn you, though--the graphic on the other side of this link is about a megabyte, so it may take some time to load on slower connections. Enjoy!

MUSIC FOR THE REST OF US
Friday, 10 October 2003

I have bought more music over the last few months than the last few years combined, and it's entirely Apple's fault. Soon, the rest of the world will be able to join the party.

I SEE. WELL. SO.
Friday, 9 October 2003

Man, has it been that long?! High time I started keeping my promise again.

Well, it's been a hell of a week. The Braves lost, so I guess I'm a Sox fan now. If they lose, I'll become a Cubs fan. As long as the Yankees lose, I'll be happy.

The major project I have been working on for. . .wow, about sixteen months. . .has finally come to fruition. Beautiful product, if I say so myself. The new Way to Happiness building in downtown Glendale. I was originally brought in by the Design Team to see if I could maybe help update the logo. I showed up with ten or twelve versions, and it's been a ride ever since. But, the grand opening event (which I also ended up helping to design) was last weekend - a few thousand people showed up, the only time they've ever given a permit to block off streets in Glendale, I understand. Anyway, a good time was had, the building looks fantastic (you can take the tour) and everyone has caught up on their sleep by now.

Got my original Wacom drawing tablet back from Jon. It's happy to be home.

And, I've been working on a comic book cover over the last day or so. Actually, it's for a workshop at Bellefree. I don't know if I've mentioned them before - it's initially a site for seven appallingly talented artists, but they also run a set of forums there dedicated to showing off illustration work, especially for constructive criticism. It could easily degenerate into being critical, but these guys are always pros and give excellent advice. Anyway, the fact is I owe a good deal of my momentum over the last year or so to Bellefree, and particularly since the convention in San Diego a couple of months ago. Check them out, click through all the galleries. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Oh, right. Art. I'll be posting this cover project. You'll get some insight into the process, from beginning to end. If you're interested. :-)

GOOD DEED FOR THE DAY
Friday, 29 August 2003

Okay, I've been a little worried about my karma since posting the link to the games page. Just because I've been stuck playing Battleship (of all things) and 3D Pong is no reason I should curse others with the affliction. So, to take a step toward making up the damage, here's a really very useful link: the Hyperdictionary. Why is it hyper, you ask? Not only does it return current definitions, but it simultaneously finds entries from a 1913 Websters, the Easton Bible Dictionary, as well as a Freudian Dream Dictionary (for amusement, apparently), as well as related terms from its thesaurus. Encarta's pretty good, too, but for different reasons (usually better derivations, for example).

There. I feel a little better now. Don't you?

EVIL DEED FOR THE DAY
Sunday, 24 August 2003

If you value your productive time, stay the hell away from AddictingGames.com. I'm telling you. Take it from me. However, if you do find yourself drawn like a moth to this flame, check out the Gorrilaz (yes, the "band") 3D driving game. Not much of a game, but somehow a lot of fun nonetheless. If you're into '80s arcade games re-imagined for the Web, go ahead and say goodbye to your loved ones now, while you have the chance. My work here is done. mwahahaaaaa! ahem.

I HAVE LUSTED IN MY HEART
Monday, 18 August 2003

The G5's are officially shipping today. Schools should let out early, or something.

UPDATE NUMBER TWO! AM I ON A ROLL OR WHAT?
Saturday, 16 August 2003

Well, a few days later than I expected, but here I am. On the plus side, I've been nice and busy the last few days with work work (art is more like play to me), which is always good.

The first update today is called Sarah. It's her expression that I really love. And all that hair. I love hair. Really. It's so amazingly versatile, artistically. Full of life and line, flow and rythm. Fun stuff.

The second here is actually a charcter by Enrico Casarosa, whose art I have recently been introduced to through the forum at Shane Glines' site. I've never met the guy, never even read his comic, for that matter. He only has a handful of sample pages on his site, but it's enough to make me fall a little bit in love with the main character, Mia. Cartoon cats and seaplanes and the Italian Riviera! Nice. Apparently he's got a book coming out soon. When I get it I'll let you know what I think. Anyway, this is Enrico Casarosa's Mia Castelli.

IN OTHER NEWS

Well, the temperature here seems to have levelled off tolerably today. Less sweating, more work. Could be worse. I could be in New York. Hot, humid, no electricity, and paying three times as much for the priviledge.

And just because I think someone out there will get a kick out of it, I have to tell you about the frozen food. So, when I moved in here, I had a roomate (Hi, Rebecca!), who moved out in January. January. She ate this kind of soy bean called edamame (edda-mah-may) which is supposed to be good for you or some such. She left a brand new pack of these in the freezer when she moved out. In January. As a testament to just how lazy I can be, they are still in there. Now, either that's the funny thing, or this is: I have been wrapping them in a towel and holding them on the back of my neck to keep cool during the hottest parts of the day. Works, too. Though, somehow, I don't think she'll want them back now. . .

CARTOON OF THE WEEK

Not sure what it is about me and cartoons. I don't like all cartoons. They have to be fairly intelligently constructed works for me to get much into them. There should be some subtlety, some craft. Pokemon, for example, is not my thing, partly because I'm not twelve. What that damn cartoon has done to the very fabric of Western Civilization I don't even want to get started about - it's primary contribution (after draining whole economies in the pursuit of the games, movies, cards, toys, etc - that's right, I blame Pikachu for the economic downturn of the last two years) seems to have been to force most other animation into the some variation of "Gotta catch 'em all!" Even the new Transformers, which I sincerely wanted to like, mostly because of fond memories I have of the first series back in the eighties.

But, there is an astonishing art to any animation. The fact that anyone in their right mind would conceive of drawing ten thousand pictures for the sake of photographing them all to be shown as a film is amazing to me. And any time anyone really pulls it off is tantamount to an act of God, as far as I'm concerned.

Last week, I was hooked on the new episodes of Big O (still am - oh, and the bumper commentary Adult Swim inserts between the shows and commercials - genius). Now, after I've had time to catch them all (SEE WHAT I MEAN?!) I have been snagged by a truly bizarre little series called FLCL (pronounced, strangely enough, "Fooly Fooly" or, as I prefer it, "Fudi Cudi"). I am admittedly late to this party, because I am simply not in the Japanese animation loop like I was when I was younger -- I get the idea it's been very popular among the animé cogniscenti for some time now. Very strange story, beautiful character design, amazing animation. Only six episodes. Bite size, but spicy.

ENOUGH!

Okay, I think that's enough words for you for now. More later, when you're hungry.

Stay cool.

No seriously. Get some frozen peas or something. ;-)