Blogger mobile finally

Sorry to say it guys but I think tumblr's mobile app is a little better but I an glad google decided to make a Blogger mobile app finally. It might cause me to use it once again.

Today's first sketch. I feel that I have learned some things from it. This is a sketch I started this morning of my eight year old niece Ayla. At first, I was okay with it. Here is where I started learning. I showed it to her when she got home from school and I was given a lesson in constructive criticism. But, she is right, it's not perfect. In fact, the more I look at it the more flaws I see. But would I see them if she had reacted the way all of my friends have when I have shown them the sketches I did of them? :) Not all of learning how to be artful is simply in the art you create and it's quality.

So I'm pretty pleased with myself, I managed to produce two sketches today that I am happy with, and the likeness to the original photos is very good, I think it's safe to say I am getting better at this, faster too. If nothing else, I am slightly irritated with the fact that my scanner seems to pick up smudges on the paper that I can't see in natural sunlight coming in the window but that's easy to clean up with a big ping eraser. Top left is Eizu, making an awesome face. I'm pretty sure he realized somebody was about to take his picture. He is actually holding his camera in the original photo. why? because Eizu is usually the one taking pictures of everybody. So not many photos exist of him that he didn't take himself where he isn't making a silly face. So this one was perfect to as one person put it, "Capture his essence". Second is a friend of mine from New Zealand named Ashes. There are green bits in her hair, and I thought about lightly coloring them but decided against it. I was worried it might take something away from the pencil work.

Draw draw draw..

For the second day in a row I have started and or completed a drawing that I am happy with, and the people I am drawing are also happy with them or at least they seem to be. These people are my friends though so they might just be being nice hehe. Here is the slightly contrast adjusted sketch I did of my friend Jessie, who also lives in Australia. I would take the time to say more but I'm probably going to be late for work again. Thank god it's my friday!

I know I said a while ago that I was going to start sketching again, and yes I have started though it took me longer to get motivated to do so. I have started working on a few that I have promised people for a long time I would do. The first is of my good friend Anna from Australia. This one is a scan-in that I modified slightly simply to sharpen the lines a little better than the initial scan. I still have a little bit of work I want to do to this one as some of the lines need some work and I think it needs more shading. Not a bad start though. Bottom right is the original reference photo that I worked from. I tend to pick out a photo of my friends from their facebook profile or something similar. That way, even if they know I am working on a sketch of them, they usually don't know what it will look like until I ask their permission to display it on the web. Also I accidentally woke Anna up sending this picture to her over pingchat. Her response was simply "Thanks Steve, pretty sure I'm awake now :)". I really need to start checking people's local time before I make their mobile devices start making noises as it was about quarter to six in the morning in Brisbane. Oops :-/

I have been visited again by a salamander while at work. From my personal take on this event, at least for me it seems like these guys carry a bit of an omen with them. The last time when I was visited by the larger one below in a previous post I was later written up at work for something. Not at all related to the salamander of course. Also the last one was released. This one I am going to try and keep as a pet. I shall name him Omen.

Currently I am working on a project for a portable power source that will provide 110vac, 5, 7.5, 9 and 12 volts DC. Ideally for up to 24 hours without needing a charge, but we will see how that goes. Currently I am working with some 12v 17ah and 12v 1.2ah Sealed led acid batteries similar to the ones pictured. Because the idea is to make this portable and easy to carry, I will have to balance weight and battery life. While i want as much power as possible for as long as possible, carrying 80 pounds worth of batteries is not an option. I hope to have a photogenic prototype soon, but for now, it's ugly, so you get a generic picture.