Turned Myself Into A Cartoon

Drew a cartoon version of myself :) and sketched the head and body in tons of positions

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 Redrew my head/ face... I used to draw a simple drawing of my face a few years back, but that was before I had a beard and glasses :)

Added the beard and glasses and connected the hair (so it can be colored in) in preparation for some projects I'll use it for...

Decided on round glasses after doing a lot of sketches -- most of which I'm not really proud of, but it was important I do them... Figured out 

Searched Google Images for cartoon body references

Search terms used:

• Cartoon Walking
• Cartoon Child Walking Away
• Cartoon Standing
• Cartoon Sitting
• Cartoon Running
• Cartoon Pose Reference

*See bottom of page for images used

Traced the cartoon bodies found in Google Images... Put paper (regular print paper) over my laptop monitor, turned the brightness up to the max, and (lightly) traced over the cartoon bodies

[ left image link ]

Wasn't tracing exactly what I saw... Used the cartoon's poses as inspiration for my own character I was creating -- using them more like references than anything  

Now that I'd drawn my body and head (in various poses / angles) the way I want them, I can use them as references...

(Like with the final drawing on the top of this page) I just sketched a body with a head I'd drawn, together

Traced the sketch with more solid lines (making it more final, and less like a sketch)... That's it! :) Now I can use the poses for whatever I'd like in the future

Never-There Dad (Poem)

Wrote a free-verse poem for an English assignment for a University class :)

NOTE: I have an amazing relationship with my father... This is for and about all those people who don't -- people I've grown up seeing in the group and foster home I was raised

There is some offensive language in this poem

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Never-There Dad

Am I saying you’re wrong?
I don’t think so
But it always makes me mad
Seeing motherless kids or children growing up with no dad

Don’t get confused
I’m not talking the tragedy happened
Kind of parentlessness

I’m talking the
Wasn’t there enough for their kids
And they never really ever knew
Their parents cared for them

The
Parenting is hard
I couldn't handle it

The
I didn't plan this

The
I was more important
Than you and your mother

Or the
I couldn't help myself
Around a man who wasn't your father

The
I was scared

The
I wasn’t there

You know
You don’t just recover from that shit
When you walked away
Baby in your lover’s arms
Snuck through the window of their hearts
Down the drain with the rest of the dirty rain
You tried to go so quietly

You snuck through the window of their hearts

But blood runs deep
And you seemed to think
Our love can’t keep

Like it’s not like wine
That blood red savor
Made better with time
You didn't think you could become some kids savior
Like you weren't good enough

Like the wine bottle wasn't thick enough
So you started to crack
Like the broken lines in the pavement
That you had tripped over each morning on your way to the car
You tripped, fumbled, and stumbled through the relationship
Until you closed the door
Turned in the key
Started the car
And drove faster than hell because that’s where it feels like you’re heading

With “What have I become” screeching in your head, and won’t stop repeating
Echoing
Like your Saturn’s radio and cd player you never fixed
That you were supposed to
When you fixed the DVD player

Only because you transferred all your VHS to DVD
To preserve all of your brittle memories
Screaming in your head like skipping CDs
What the hell am I be-fucking-coming!?

At least

That’s what would happen to me
That would crush the soul inside me

But maybe it just pulled a heart string

A tear or two scuffed your shoes
Laced with how easy it could be
To pull your soul
From this hell hole
Where things aren't easy

Running to greet another neglected responsibility

Am I saying you’re wrong?
I don’t think so
But it always makes me mad

That you think everything should be manageable
Like the
It’ll be better once I…
Insert shitty lie

I don’t know why
You think you should always be happy
Or have it so easy

You
Never really deserved it,
Honestly

And the people who have
Wouldn't want it any other way

They try to stop each hole
To seal the cracks
To save the wine
To make it back
The way it was

They only have it together
Because it looks like a kindergartner got in the craft cabinet
Glass wrapped in poorly placed tape
With dripping glue
And glitter on the sides

It never stays the same
You have to fight
You have to fight off the weather together

And when the bottle drops,
Sometimes the cloth from your shoes
Tied with your laces
Will hold it in place long enough for you to say
“That’ll do”

Sometimes you have to sacrifice
And realize
It’s not about you

Am I saying you’re wrong?
I don’t think so
But I’ll never be like you

I won’t be

A never-there dad

Made Impromptu "Craft Stick Art"

Apparently the following items craft sticks + hot glue + markers make for some cool Art :)

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Honestly, I didn’t know what I wanted this project to be before I started… I started this project blind :) I grabbed a handful of craft sticks while my nephew was doing some crafts, and it ended up like this

Hot-glued craft sticks together… I only glued one side (which became the back of a marker-canvas of sorts) and let it dry for a couple minutes

Drew a triangle with an eye (obviously inspired by the Illuminati) using my nephew's red and blue markers... Colored in the background with black, leaving behind two outstretched arms

Made Web Diagram (Forms Of Atheism)

Made a web diagram showing the forms of Atheism... Pretty good if you ask me :)

Boxes show the name(s), below which you can read the definition

[ click diagram for larger image ]

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REASON:

I'm NOT an Atheist, but in hopes of better understanding why Atheists think the way they do, and the various ways in which that expresses itself, I started looking into it... Days later, I finished this   

Looked up forms of Atheism... Started on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism (where I usually start when learning about something new) because it always gives a good overview of a subject I'm unfamiliar with

Wrote key words and definitions as I came across them... I often visited other websites Wikipedia sited as a source, and used Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/ to find concise definitions if one wasn't available (often I compiled definitions from various sources to make it as simple as possible)

Jotted questions I had about any terms, and looked up answers

NOTE: At this point it's critical to gather as much information possible (otherwise I'd have to keep adjusting the diagram, or adding footnotes stating the change -- which is a pain :P )

Typed my notes I'd taken, and copied/pasted anything from the computer I wanted to use (mostly definitions)

Put info into a visual form (diagram) Inspired by Visualizing Data http://www.visualisingdata.com/ and David McCandless' TED Talk [ watch here ]... I tried different ways of showing the forms visually, but the diagram looked best (using Google Drawing--which wasn't the easiest, but ended up fine)

Version after version, adding more and more info, it finally ended up something I was proud of

Took a screenshot using Awesome Screenshot (an extension for Google Chrome)

[ Chrome web store link ] of my Google Drawing (after adding a white background)... I know I could have just saved the image, but I love using this app :D

Then I posted the diagram on a few religious and atheistic forums, asking for any suggestions (if I missed anything)

Painted Abstract Face

Painted a semi-abstract (abstraction) face with ink + watercolor :) I like it...

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Researched various art styles... Seeing the different forms and explantions was actually really interesting

Found About.com's article "Art Styles Explained: From Realism to Abstract" [ link ] and read about abstraction. PS That article is totally worth giving a read... The article says:

Art Style: Abstraction

"Abstraction is about painting the essence of a subject rather than the detail, but still retaining an echo of whatever it is that prompted the idea (unlike a pure abstract). You might reduce the subject to the dominant colors, shapes, or patterns. Think reduced reality the detail you need to paint the character of the scene."

Decided on which style I wanted to paint (abstraction)

Searched "abstract art" and "abstraction art" in Google images [ abstract and abstraction ] and scrolled through probably 10 pages or so, just for some inspiration... I never really got abstract art, but after a while I kind of started liking it :)

Drew lines outlining the basic face-shape (with ink) with a G2 Pilot pen [ product link ] one of my favorite pens :) I sketched it on regular print paper

Painted with watercolors I got as a gift last Christmas... With all the color options, I only mixed colors once or twice on a paper plate to get the right tint -- I painted, then let it dry

Bought paper frames for something like $5 at Michaels Craft Store [ michaels.com ]... I eventually swapped frames with a sturdier frame (to use the paper frames for another project)

I really like paper frames, though -- it's a good way to make a project look professional for cheap! :)

The Tall Man (Poem)

Tophat
Charcoal matte
A deceptively deep stillness
And dark grey
When he turns to catch your eye
And sunlight hits just right

Red scarlet
Enchanted ribbon wrapped around
Above a jetting rim
Caressing heavy eyes
Far too gentle to be believed

A dark mustache adorns his neatly framed
And ever-so convincing
Smile
With slick black sleeves that lead to calloused hands
Hardened fingertips
From trying to hold on

Grasping frantically
At times
From hot air balloons

Grasping frantically
Before
Uncertain weather heartlessly whisks him away

Now

Carnivals closing
Lights once lighting paths of hopeful lovers
Fading slowly
Into whatever darkness hides behind bright stars
Backdrop expressing
What foreground never could achieve

Beauty
And the Devil

Not that different after all
Ensnared like dying beasts
Between normality

In the details

That’s where we see
We’ll see them walking hand in hand under running moonlight
Like faucets now neglected
Spilling over
Onto you and me
Where we
Like starving children
Huddle underneath
In hopes of stealing just a taste of what we need

We need
Love

The carnival reflects like fine blue sand against the jagged sky
Sleeping bodies
Populate the grounds
In brightly painted caravans

Yellows
Blues
And greens

Concealing
What secretly you know to be
Hiding underneath

Tophat on the table
Next to tiny beds
Where the mustached man prepare to sleep
On beds that squeak
Each time they get awoken
From their own perpetually ironic sleep

Calloused hands rub weathered eyes
Before pushing gently off the shore of this heavy land of wakefulness

In dreams
We see

We read along with forefingers
As not to lose our place
With stories, each transpiring before us
Each word finds place
Even if it has no meaning

The mustached man
Reveals his scene like salesmen who unravel products brightly glimmering
A heart
Perched between the slits of sky unseen

Weathered balloons
Rising
Floating
Oh so quietly
Unintentionally
All sound turns around him
To dimming static
Before it disappears

Disappearing

Yeah

That’s exactly what he’s doing

"Turn On Your Bright Lights" (Song)

Wrote and recorded a song ("Turn On Your Bright Lights") and uploaded it to SoundCloud :)

Listen to it here!

 
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Said "turn on your bright lights" to my girlfriend on an Idaho road-trip (instead of being normal and saying "turn on your brights")... I thought 'hey, those could totally be song lyrics!' so I pulled out my guitar and started playing some tunes I thought could go with the phrase

Inspired by a beautiful sun setting over black mountains (*the pic above is an untouched photo of it -- the mountains were the other direction), thoughts on how everything's just a big grey area, and moments from the road-trip, I began to write...

**It's weird, which moments (like just saying something a unique way) will sometimes create art... if you're open to it :)

Free-writing in a notebook I had on hand... After the first line "turn on your bright lights," I just kept writing whatever sounded good with the melody on the guitar.

Watching the gorgeous sunset, I quickly scribbled lines from the passenger seat before we arrived at the cabin we'd be staying.

Recorded on a friend's laptop (MacBook Pro) using Garageband... It took a while to re-familiarize myself with everything the program has to offer (which included watching an hr of YouTube vids explaining it all :P ) but I eventually figured it out

Played guitar and sang on the same track (as opposed to recording them separately), and only re-recorded one part that sounded a little off

Uploaded the song to SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/)... Signed up for an account with the usual: username, email, password, and etc.. After navigating a minute, I uploaded some songs I'd recorded (including Turn On Your Bright Lights)

The whole process was actually a lot easier than expected :)

Shared the track on Blogger (https://www.blogger.com/) by clicking Edit (looks like a pencil) below the track, the Share button, Permission tab, made sure 'Display Embed Code' was selected, copied and pasted the code into Blogger's post (after clicking HTML in the top left of the page)... I used SoundCloud's help article to figure it all out (http://help.soundcloud.com/customer/portal/articles/243751) but the steps were a breeze

Now I can share songs I record, and you can listen :) It's kind of exciting

Tracing Faces

See how I did this cool sketch of myself :)

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Took a selfie (with an iPod Touch) and emailed the photo to myself

Cranked my laptop's screen brightness and (very lightly) traced my head and face on some scrap paper lying around
**I use Black R2 Rollerball Pens, my favorite for almost any art project with pen or inking (plus they're only 50¢!!)

Snapped a pic of the sketch... I usually scan art I plan to edit or touch up, but all I had was my iPod Touch, so I just took a pic on the trunk of my car

Deleted everything! Well, at least everything that wasn't ink... I used Pixlr Editor https://pixlr.com/ (like a free Adobe Photoshop app) -- exclusively using the magic wand select and eraser tools. I felt pretty good about this edit because I usually have to touch up a few mistakes for a sketch, but I only fixed one thing about this (my glasses)

And that's it! I made an awesome sketch / image of myself that makes me look 100 x more cool and hardcore than I really am :)