Drama Time

"Watching Dorama" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/110 sec, ISO6400
 “Watching Dorama” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

It was a looong week for me at work. So busy and lots of things on the horizon. But it’s good and I am thankful that I have a career (graphic design and branding) that is interesting and I enjoy.

But after this week, I was looking forward to a night of relaxation, and so poured a glass of wine, put on a Japanese drama, and watched all five episodes.

Coffee-ya no Hitobito / 珈琲屋の人々 is a story of an ex-con who runs a small coffee shop in Tokyo, and the relationship that develops between him and the widow of the man he killed. It sounds like a bizarro plot and circumstance, but the way the circumstances are developed is such that it is not such a stretch. Anyways, besides the main plot, there are other characters from the same shopping street who have their own intertwined stories. It’s a good human dorama, but I was thinking there would be more emotional moments. I’d rate it as “Somewhat recommended”. 😌

After that, I did a little doodling using the Wacom tablet and Krita, which was fun but difficult. I can definitely see that it’s something I want to do more of.

I hope you had a nice Friday!

またね～

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Digital Edit

I scan all of my sketches that I’ve done this past month into my photo library for backup, and while importing this latest image, I decided to do a little editing in Photoshop and see if I could figure out why this portrait (the top image) is a little “off”.

I cut and pasted the nose and mouth, then moved them up a little bit, and I think it made a huge difference! Next, I reduced the width of her left eye a little, and then also changed the chin a touch. It was only a few pixel adjustment here and there but I think it changed the image a lot. Take a look at the before and after:

One last thing I’d like to change is where the neck is positioned. But that will have to wait until tomorrow. ☺️

I’m really stoked at the possibilities of using scanned images in Photoshop. So, start off pencil and paper, then bring into Photoshop or Krita for the digital adjustments. I think it might a good workflow for me.

I hope you had a wonderful Thursday!

おやすみ

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Wednesday Sketching

"Elf Cat" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
 “Elf Cat” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Last night before sleeping, I made a quick sketch (above) which turned out looking like an elf. I guess it’s because Koa and I recently have had conversations about The Hobbit, which he is reading over the summer. The sketch was fun to do and I tried to make it kind of exaggerated, with big eyes and a short triangular face shape. Then the mouth looks cat-like and reminds me of the main character in The Cat Returns after she enters the Cat Kingdom.

Tonight I made two more small sketches on the same page to try drawing a face at an angle. It’s pretty difficult, but the sketches are good to do because I can identify the parts I really need to work on. In this instance, I realize that I have no idea how to draw the more distant eye. Also, the edge of the face is something I don’t know how to draw. I was pretty much just winging it here!

"Needs" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, ISO2500
 “Needs” Cedar Park, 2017

For my last sketch, I drew it larger and looked at a couple reference drawings to try to get the more distant eye shape correct. I think it turned out okay, although I had to erase a lot. In the photo below, I saw that something looked a bit off, and I realized the eyebrow on the left is too thin. So I erased it and re-drew it with the same thickness as the closer brow. I think it looks a lot better!

"Almost OK" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, ISO3200
 “Almost OK” Cedar Park, 2017

I enjoyed working on this one and learned a bit more about eye shape. I also like line-drawings but I also like watercolor shading and it’s something I’d like to do later on when I get better at drawing faces. My goal is to be able to draw faces that look natural, even if they aren’t very realistic. I have a long way to go still, because my drawings so far don’t look very natural.

I hope you had a nice Wednesday!

おやすみ

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Sanding Cork?

"Wrong Fit" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, ISO1600
 “Wrong Fit” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

We bought a cool wine bottle stopper when we were in Barcelona. But as you can see from the photo, it doesn’t fit our a standard wine bottle. ☹️ Which is surprising. Or maybe this bottle stopper is made for a different type of bottle? Who knows.

I want to somehow reduce the diameter of the cork, but I am not sure if there is a special way to do it since it is a very soft wood. Should I use sandpaper? A sharp knife to widdle it down? Hmmm… I guess a bit of Googling is in order.

I hope you had a good day.

またね～

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August 13th Sketch

"Sketch and Eraser" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/25 sec, ISO6400
 “Sketch and Eraser” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。Today’s sketch was one I made to try out a new expression. I had a lot of fun playing with the eye-shape, and the exaggerated triangle face. Also, I learned that I have no idea how to render hair. 😮 I need to work on that!

I also used a new eraser today. The Sakura Arch foam eraser is really great. It’s so soft but lifts up the pencil marks like magic. I love it!

Below is the finished sketch. I could work on it some more, but I’d rather keep it as is so I know what I need to work on.

"Today's Sketch" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/105 sec, ISO6400
 “Today’s Sketch” Cedar Park, 2017

I hope you had a nice weekend!

おやすみ

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Sketch from a Photo

"Nounen Rina Sketch" Cedar Park, 2017
“Nounen Rina Sketch” Cedar Park, 2017

Here’s a sketch I did while looking at a photo of Japanese actress/model, Rina Nounen. The past few sketches have been portraits from straight ahead, so I wanted to draw a slightly different angle. I think I learned some of the differences in angles, such as ear placement and face shape. But I think I need a ton more practice. Luckily, even the practice is pretty fun!

BTW, I have started a Flickr album for all my sketching efforts. Check it out if you have some free time.

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Happy Spaghetti Saturday

"Spaghetti Dinner" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/75 sec, ISO6400
 “Spaghetti Dinner” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today was a relaxing day, with a couple nice highlights. First was that my 16-year-old son and I made spaghetti sauce with meatballs and Italian sausage. It’s a recipe that I got from my Mom and everyone in the family enjoys it. But today, I had my son make the meatballs. He’ll be heading off to college in a couple years, so I think it’s good to get him familiar with the kitchen more!

The recipe is pretty simple but there is some room to add your own ingredients and make it to your own preference. For instance, I use less salt, but add some more spices to the mix. And I am sure that when Bay makes his own spaghetti (maybe for his own kids!) he’ll adjust the recipe to his own tastes.

As expected, the spaghetti sauce is yummy, and the meatballs were especially good! He did a great job mixing, forming, and browning the meatballs, only complaining about splattered oil 2 or 20 times. 😆

Earlier in the day, I watched the local High School marching band pass by our house as they marched through the neighborhood. My 13-year-old son is looking forward to joining the band when he goes to High School, but he still has one more year in Middle School. But he’s excited to see his friends who have become Freshmen marching in the band.

"Marching Band" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/750 sec, ISO200
 “Marching Band” Cedar Park, 2017

I hope you had a great day!

おやすみ

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