“What’s Outside?” Cedar Park, 2017
I wonder what is going through their minds.
Looking Outside
“What’s Outside?” Cedar Park, 2017
“What’s Outside?” Cedar Park, 2017
Friday
“Last Light” Cedar Park, 2017
We made it to Friday. Keeping my friends and family who are in the Caribbean and Florida in my thoughts…
First One Done
“Digital Studio” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Tonight I finished my first Digital Painting in a long, long time. I believe the last one I did was back in 1998. So, almost 20 years! I actually think it is more incredible that I had a Wacom tablet back then, as I do today. 🙃
I’m pretty happy with how this one turned out. As with most things, you can keep working on it to refine it, but you gotta call it done at some point! And for a first try after a long time, I think this will do just fine.
I created a little slideshow so you can see the progress and some changes over time. It is really fun to use the Wacom drawing tablet and Photoshop. Very satisfying! I hope to continue it for the rest of my life, as well as sketching on paper. It’s fun to combine the analog and digital.
And here’s the finished piece, with my signature seal applied.
To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.
I hope you had a nice Thursday!
おやすみ
RIP Frog, and some Digital Drawing
“RIP Frog” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは。How’s it going?
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I hardly ever write negatively, but alas, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies here! I was cleaning out the garage this weekend, and I notice this poor frog, dried and flat.
I’m guessing it was resting right by the tire of the Prius, and when Mariko silently put the car in reverse, the frog didn’t move a muscle. And what makes it even grosser is that the frog must have been drying out, unnoticed in our garage for a week or more!
Rest in peace, little buddy!
In other news, I worked on a drawing on the computer the past couple nights. I started using my Wacom tablet with my desktop computer a while back, but my computer would freeze up and I’d have to reboot after a short while in Photoshop. (Also happens in Diablo 3). So, I have been wary of doing any digital drawing. But I did a bit of research and figured out that the problem was with the video card, so I dialed down some settings in Photoshop. And tonight I was able to draw for a few hours with no crashing! Woohoo! Of course, I am still saving my work every 30 seconds or so, but I am confident that I’ve solved the problem.
Anyways, I worked on a drawing which is based on the pencil drawing I did a few days ago. I’m happy with the progress I am making, and working on stylus technique, making new brushes in Photoshop, and using the pen tool for some really refined lines. I still don’t know how to draw hair, and the face looks pretty flat, but I am pleased so far. 😀
Here are three photos that show the original, the start of the digital version, and where I am at so far:
“2017.09.04 Sketch” Cedar Park, 2017
As you can see, I’m at a loss as to what I should do below the neck and how to finish the hairstyle. 😕 And I just noticed that I lost her ear somewhere along the way. Oh well, I’ll figure it all out someday.
To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.
I hope you had a nice Wednesday!
おやすみ
Simple Yummy
“Simple Curry” Cedar Park, 2017
Mariko made a nice beef curry with onion, potato, and jalapeño. Over hot rice, it’s hard to beat! 🍛
Labor Day, and a Sketch
“Relaxed” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Today I had the day off from work and the kids were also off from school, so we hung out together all day. We got a lot done, including some final shopping for school supplies, getting Koa’s hair cut, and some more yardwork. But we also had some fun hunting Pokemon and playing Splatoon.
And of course, the dog and cats kept us company at home, even though they were sleeping most of the time.
“Zzzz” Cedar Park, 2017
After dinner, I sketched a quick portrait and I am happy with how it turned out. I feel like I am reaching my limit at line-drawing, and need to start learning how to shade, how to draw hair, and varying the width of my lines. It’s fun to see progress, though, which mainly manifests itself as less erasing. 😀
“2017.09.04 Sketch” Cedar Park, 2017
To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.
I hope you had a nice Monday!
おやすみ
Slow Sunday Activities
“Cat in the Corner” Cedar Park, 2017
こんばんは。
It was a relaxing Sunday at our house. Just check out the photo of Anko – she has the right idea!
I did do a few chores around the house and yard, such as folding laundry, washing the bedding, and some light tree-pruning, but even those tasks were done at a slow pace. Unrushed tasks are not really chores at all anymore. In fact, they can be kind of fun. But, sometimes I realize how pleasant they can be only after the task is done. So I am trying to get that mindset before I start the task, which will motivate me to get started on them.
In the evening I played a ton of Splatoon on our Wii U. I’m terrible at that game but it’s a ton of fun. Even getting splatted by other players is hilarious! What I like about the game is that even for someone who has terrible aim in shooters, there are “weapons” that don’t require a ton of accuracy, or have different purposes other than just splatting other players. For instance, I love the paint rollers because they can cover a lot of ground in paint, and the attack is very imprecise. It’s good for someone like me who is accuracy-challenged.
“Battle Ready” Cedar Park, 2017
For dinner, I barbequed hamburgers on the grill. I tried a new technique for me, which is to not put the cheese on the burgers while they are on the grill. Instead, remove the cooked burgers to a plate, and then put the cheese on them while the patties rest. The cheese will still melt, but the grill won’t become a cheesy mess. It worked great… definitely the better way to make cheeseburgers! 🍔
I hope you had a nice Sunday. Here’s a nice relaxing tune from Splatoon. My favorite!
おやすみ
