Halloween 07's a'comin

oooOOOOOooooo.... Spookytime's almost here. Sigh. Unfortunately I couldn't complete a decent Beanie Man vs Chainsaw Dave pic in time. I have been a bit distracted by a few things: my new PSP and the awesome anime 'Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei'. Well that and the fact that I just couldn't get a decent thought on paper that had that chilling Halloween feel about it. I even borrowed a heap of Mignola's Hellboy comics to inspire me, but it was just too hard.

Thank god for Zetsubou Sensei (if only I was a woman...). I mean seriously, that guy is totally cool in an emotionally depressed gothic sort of way. Well, as a guy, I can say I love every one of his twisted students, from the stalker, to the recluse to the anal retentive demon. So deliciously flawed and yet so perfect. Anyway, that anime had splices of chilling scenes and one of the ending theme ones really got me inspired to do Pic 2 (rough sketch) to Pic 3 (final version). Oh, that absolute look about her. I only wish I could capture it as it was in the anime. Tell you guys what. Go look it up in Youtube. Worth the watch, especially the 2nd OP (from ep 4 onwards).

Asides from that, I've also been enchanted with some of the ARIA soundtracks. Brings memories of a scene I saw during Minifest this year with the entire Venice-like town flooded, but in a serene way (not like the floods disasters). It was a very pristine and calm scene, that accompanied with the angelic music really heightens the mood. Anyway, I tried to do something similar and work a bit on my shadows. Spent ages on her hair. I do realise the background's a bit weird.

Alright, hope you guys have a safe but spooky Halloween. Especially those of you living alone at the moment. If you want, I can try to come up with some chilling tales to get you into the mood.

The Return

Alright, settle down, men. Geez, don't get all excited.

Yeah, it's been a while hasn't it? Busy busy busy. I had to go do site visits: a military base. That was pretty damn cool, if I do say so myself. It's a pity I didn't really SEE any shooting going on. Just heard them, although I caught a peek at some mortar training.

Well, at least work's toned down recently. I haven't had to ship off to Sydney yet for my training so I'm a bit happy. I got myself Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, which is a barrel-full of fun if you have a LONG stylus. I wish I had a DS Lite... but then again I also long for the sinful (but oh-so-not-gamer-oriented) PSP. Ah, decisions.

Alright, I've abandoned that colouring style I mentioned last week. I just can't keep up with it and I'm way too messy. I prefer the cell-shaded style anyway. So a week or so back, I popped up pic 1 to compare the difference. That's not to say I haven't learned anything from that other style. I realise that sketching using an airbrush stroke is a lot closer to what I would get using a pencil, which is close to what I'm looking for. Therefore, the method is pretty idea for that purpose which I used to cough out pic 2 and 3. Add some cell-shading and highlighs for pic 2 and there you have it. But I'm still working up to some horror-themed works come Halloween.

Side note: I actually gave a company presentation on my Masters thesis and did some sketches to spice it up. Fortunately it gave the result I wanted: I got a fair amount of laughs on a dreary Friday morning and became a centerpiece of conversation. I'll also note that this isn't the first presentation that has employed my 'handicrafts'.

Oh yes, Ying2. I must insist I receive a mailing address. Otherwise I will be forced to take drastic actions. How drastic? You don't want to know. Happy Birthday, by the way.