French inspiration!

Bonjour le monde! How you're doing?

I've been a bit busy with my school works, the year has started with a lot of movement. 

I think I would like to apologize for not coming to write on the blog in a good good while. Also, and most important I think...I sincerely apologize por not making yet "Thanks for another year of adveture" of this 2016 as is the tradition. But don't, I promise you I'll make it as soon as I can have the opportunity! God will I hope I'll not have to do it on the end of the year.

So sorry really! I've had some busy time at school, this "cuatri" have been very hard to manage, even more than usual, because of the tons of works that are complex and take much time. Is the first time our teacher is asking the class to do an animation that can last more than 1 minute, and is a long long time for an animation! I talked with a dear friend who knows about this the other day about it, and she said that 2 mintues of animation is so much for making it on only 4 months. To put things in perspective , she told me that for making a 2-3 mintues animation she took 8 months. Do you imagine it? So that's we I have to work a lot!
Specially because I suspect I will do my own animation all alone, cos the few classmates who like to work well were completed, and didn't include me on their team. And the ones who don't care about school and don't like to work...they are avaliable but, sorry, but I don't want them on my team.
In fact, I tried to work with one of my classmates, because he was lonely and he wanted an opportunity "to show he could do better" as he told me when the teacher left us this project. But is the end of January already and he haven't done anything to help me with the project! I hope to have chance to tell you what's the project about later.

In this 5th cuatri (5th cycle of the career) as you can imagine, I haven't had time to draw. Well, except when one of my teachers arrives late to one class, is one of the rare times I have the time. I feel bad to leave the blog alone so much time, though.

So, today I come quickly, or like we would say in mexico "como de rayo" to present this, a drawing I did on the time when my teachers of "impresiones y acabados" came late to her class.

So, here's faikel in what I would call a "French inspiration" drawing! :D
I had the idea to do this one because one of our teacher has been putting on her class those videos of the show that was translated in mexico as "los inventores" ( originally called "Il etait une fois...Les Découvreur"") which is s a french show, part of the cartoon series of Albert Barilée. His series have been some of my favorites, specially "Once upon a time life".
 Also the other day I arrived from the school and nobody was home. I was doing my homework but I had no ideas for one project, so I turned on the tv on (sometimes I get to get rid of the stress and relax a bit when watching someone on tv and doing work at the same time) and I saw by chance an end of another french cartoon, one called Spirous and Fantasio, and I liked the cartoon style of it. So I took inspiration from it to do this one as well.

Later, I looked up for spirou and fantasio stuff since I was curious, and I found just a couple of strips of the comics and I thought they were funny.
Also I watched an episode of the cartoon that was about a virus, and the characters avoiding them to be released. And I think it was good as well. I liked it at first glance because of the theme that is "detective-ish", about solving misteries and stuff.  But I think what I liked the most is the dynamics of the relationship about Spirou and fantasio; I think is funny how Fantasio can be very sarcastic and satiric sometimes when talking to Spirou. Also I like how they have had different ideas and sometimes they can arge, but they don't leave that to ruin their frienship.
Although, I don't know much about the cartoon or the comics as to talk much about them right now....
So I think I shouldn't dare to do it hehe, so, let's just enjoy the drawing :D

Nostalgia in Christmas times.

Hi folks, hope you're spending a good time in these holidays!
And specially, I hope this subject I'm about to talk doesn't reach you this year, And in the case it does it does, I hope you read this article, and it can help you kick the bad feeling out.  :)

What I'm talking about?Ah it's a feeling of sadness or/and frustration that apprears in these times in many people's hearts. Some people like to call it call "Christmas nostalgia" or "Christmas melancholy", but I've decided to call "The end of the year Nostalgia" cos it's more specific and  I think it fits more, since this feeling doesn't have to do with Christmas, but as I've realized, it's actually caused by some other reasons.

It happens because...

When I was younger, I've heard some scientist talk about it, that many people feel melancholy or nostalgia for the past times. It was something strange and distant for me for many time, but this December....I'm feeling I'm probably one of these people, and it got me in less extend...not too hard but it is still there. So I think now I am capable to talk about it, and maybe if I'm lucky, to try and find a solution for it.

Cos tech insolates people sometimes.

Now I think about it...I believe I discovered why people sometimes get this feeling; it's in part because many people of today use technology to insolate from the others than to get close! 

Playing with their cellphones and computers when having the other members of their family near them, It's what we in mexico call "being zombies".And the few ones left who aren't slaves of the tech and use it well, still wanna have some nice and fun moments with their families so they feel a bit lonely.

I'm one of those who are included on this reason. Sometimes, I wish someday somehow the internet and tv would stop functioning for a day, so families could re-discover themselves and what's to be together and hang out together. How fun it is to sing along, to play a board game, to read a book in family or talking about what have happened in the year.

Because things change, and sometimes not for better.

How fun would be to sing along, to play a board game, to read a book in family or talking about what have happened in the year. How fun it would be to go to the park with my family in bike, or to go to the beach to make a pic-nic, just like me and my family used to do on Saturday or Sunday in the 90's! How amazing it would be to turn on the tv in the afternoon and watch all my favorite series, the ones I used to watch and love when I was a kid and a teen!!
But as one o my teachers said, young people on today are lazy and the "interests" and tastes change while the people grow up, so my siblings no longer like to go to the beach or park, they prefer to stay all the day on the computer playing videogames or watching tv.
And a looooot of other things! There's lots of things my family and me used to do together and I loved, that I no longer do since years ago. Cos usually the things do change with time...and usually it's not for better.

Because you feel you're older and you've achieved nothing.

But I think the other reason why most of people get this melancholy in the end of the year, it's because, like me, most of people feel that the majority of the things they planned to do this year that it's ending, didn't become a reality, for this or that other reason. 

In the case of some people, they get this feeling cos they are a year older and haven't got a place to live or a car,  to find love or doing excercise to loss weight or some other things,

For example in my case the end of this year means mainly;

that I'm getting old and I haven't found a true love yet. No comic finished, not even a short comic strip! No book finished (or even started a good amount of it!) and just another year of "swiming against the current of the river"; of hearing people where I live saying that artwork must only be a hobbie that you would care about, and "nobody else will like other than you", that's something trivial and silly and you wouldn't never earn a life with it. 

And to make things worse, I come back to my town from my time in College, I come back home just to find out that most of my drawings are now in the trash, or they are ruined because of the rain of the past months, just because nobody ever took care of saving them and storing them safely when I was in the  school. 

My mom and day say "it's not a big problem you still have your hands you can make more" "you can make more", and my sister says that "Only the autor should care about their art". 

Yeah right!...true this merits more than just a roll of eyes. It's all nonesense! no matter of what side you try see these ideas. It seems they think that when you make a piece of art, you're a printer machine that can re-make exactly the same thing over and over. That art is not something that comes from your soul and express your emotions, your thoughts your fears your dreams, your perspective of the people and the world arround you....your soul! 

And to add water to my storm, that it's already bad, I've been feeling that the characters and stories I've been developing with effort and dedication all this year are stuck, for a reason I don't know.

Yeah stuck! And when this happens I start to think it might be because a lack of imagination or creativity. Even if later I realize it's not true actually, sometimes it feels so.

From time to time I feel nostalgia because when I was younger, specifically when I was a little kid, it was a lot easier for me to make characters and stories...and I didn't know why that hability of dreaming...kinda faded a bit with time...

And all the time, I feel like a rock being battered by waves; with every time people try to break my spirit and change my opinion about art being an important part for human kind, a bit of myself erodes...and the dreams I still have but haven't become true, still persuit me and make me feel frustated every end of the year!

But there's some cure!

Why yes, I've found some cure for this feeling!

Accept the things that changed, by thinking of the positive.

Accepting things are changing requires a lot of courage, but it's a lot easier when you struggle to see "the big picture". So I recommend to try to think on the positive things that your actual situation has, for example in my case; 

I realize that since a long time we don't go together to the park because anybody has interest on it, but now I can use this time for myself; to make me a pedicure, to draw or paint, or to go walk by myself and have a time to relax and feel the breeze on my eyes, without being worry of getting back home to an specific schedule cos my parents needed to come back to work, or my siblings needed to come back home to do homework, or stuff like that. Also now I wouldn't be able to go to the park or beach anyways, cos I have homework to do and also the work from the office.

And other example, referring to the shows or movies I used to watch when I was a kid and were cancelled some time ago; of course, I'll miss them, but in nowadays you can get a couple of good cartoon series of the 90's in forums or pages of cartoon shows, and I'll keep looking until I find mine. For example, I've found last year the movie "once Upon a Forest" in mexican dubbing, a movie I've been looking for years and I thought it was impossible to find. So nothing is impossible, just keep looking folks! :)

I know there's not much consuel on this at first, because you inevitably will always miss the times when you were a kid from time to time, cos we humans tend to remember and have nostalgia about times we spent the betters moments. 

But if you think about it, the times being an adult, you can enjoy different things, like what I mentioned. Also, it's not a sad thing to be alone sometimes. Sometimes it's good to have some time alone to relax, to know yourself better, also to be creative and make art.

Traditions help people to stay together.

As a dear friend of mine said, traditions help people to stay together!

The other day had the opportunity to talk with my dear friend and mentor, and I talked a bit about this, about this nostalgic feeling for old Christmas, the one I'm referring here. And she mentioned that in his family, the traditions they do on Christmas time have helped them to stay together.  I told her that in my case, that was true as well, and then, as I was saying that, I thought "Eureka!!"

Thanks to my friend I reminded that this is the most important part of how to help your family to keep being together.

What I'm referring to with traditions? For example, in my family we have a very beautiful and warm tradition for Christmas Eve. Some weeks beforeChristmas eve we plan what we are going to have for dinner, we talk about what we would like and we decide together. And some days before Chrismas eve we go together (all the family, yes! ) to the market and we buy the ingredients. Later, at that day on the daylight, we cook the dinner together. 

We usually spend all the day cooking, and since we were kids, my mom and dad inspired us to participate on this tradition, even if we did small tasks when we were kids. And then it gets meaning when it's the dinner time and we eat, because we all are proud and happy to know everybody have participated on cooking what we are eating! And  such a heartwarming moment! A moment that even today, I still adore! I think that's why I love Christmas so much hehehe.

 Realize and appreciate what you were able to do this year.

 I think this one point doesn't need much explanation...does it? Sometimes you do it on the New Year celebration; you sit with your family and everybody talk about the goals you have achieved this, or some cool thing that happened to you or that you have done, and that made you happy.
Well, I think is very good idea to do this on Christmas as well. Because that's how you appreciate what you have! Also, is good idea to give feedback to your family if they have acomplished some of their goals, at that way you will feel happy and cozy inside, and all that hepls the feeling of nostalgia go away as well.

Heheh, well, c'est parti mon kiki! That's all for now folks, I hope you have enjoy this article and that if you feel the "Christmas nostalgia", that goes away like it happened with me when I found out this solution!

First Twipsy - Concept Art

Salut les mec! Ça va?

This weekend I've had some stuff to do, homeworks at school to my work of the office. Although not as much work as the last week (not this one, but the other before this) when we were finishing and showing the teachers lots of projects. We finished this "primer parcial" (first partial tests season) and we are going to start the second.

So at least in the school part, things were a bit calm this week. So I had the time to talk about my friends a bit, and also to put attention to my work.

Today I was doing a homework in illustrator, and it was cool because last week, my brother installed the RAM memory on my computer, so now it has a bit more memory. So I have just "given a bite" to my computer (as mexicans would say, it's a joke because we use the verb "try") this weekend, and I realized it's working well.

So I was doing a homework in illustrator today, and I was loosing the motivation for working on it, because it's been a week I'm working at this and I don't finish! XD So I thought "why not to work on something I really like! Something that is not for homework! it's been a while I haven't done that".

And there's something I wanted to draw since a pretty good while....Twipsy! :D

"Twipsy Concept Art " Illustrator CS6

Twipsy it's the main character from a show I used to watch when I was a teen, with my siblings. It was such a cool and fun show!

I always wanted to draw this buddy when the show was aired, but as I told to a friend of mine who asked once "why do you never have drawn twipsy?" it's because I felt like if I tried to draw it, I wasn't going to be able to draw him in the original style on the show, because that style it's so cartoonish, and my style of drawing tends to be more semi-realistic.

So I said "heavens! If I draw him in my style and beople feel upset about that?!", I thought that a Twipsy in my style was going to look weird XD

The time passed though, and there are two great friends I met ( one since 3 years ago, and the other recently some months ago) who like the show, and even if it's not aired since a pretty good time ago, they are very enthusiastic fans of him and the show. Also have given me good feedback on my art, have been very nice with me, and his comments about Twipsy made me remind the show and him too. So this have inspired me to draw him!
I thought it was the perfect choice, and I finally got to get out the worries and draw him...of course I had to draw him in my style.

... I swear I tried to draw him like the show...but....but...I don't know! HEHEH! The more I tried to draw him similar to the show's style the more it looked weird! XD
Also, when I was drawing the sketch in Photoshop, my tablet stopped to work! So yeah, that's why this piece turned to be vector. Because, as I couldn't draw without tablet in photoshop but I do in illustrator because it's vector, and I was already doing another work there, well I felt it was cool because I was going to practice vector drawing more, which I think I still need to learn heheh.

About the concept:
Well, what I tried to do was to draw him as I imagined him. In the show he's a cybermesenger, a criature that lives in your computer and makes sure emails arrive to their destiny, and he's made of pure energy. So that's what I tried to represent with the bigger hand, that is the hand that he uses to carry the datat, that it's often represented by cubes. The clothes are cos, I always thought he was dressed, I mean, it's a family-friendly cartoon show, he can't be naked XD And I tried to conserve the looking (because the character looking has meaning) as well as the scence of the character here. Jolly, friendly, energetic, that's what I tried to transmit in this drawing. ^^
Also the cube of information was redesigned by me :D

And yes, I still feel a bit nervous about what his fans would say about this concept....but at the same time I think that it's always cool when artist draw a character in their own style, because then people have more variety when looking at fanart of their favorite shows.

So this goes to Saradrawing and Rabid_Leroid.
Cos dawing this have made me feel very happy, made me forget all my worries for a moment! So I thank a lot to girls for encouraging me to draw Twipsy!
Also, I chosed twipsy for this drawing, because recently was the Birthday of one of them, and to my other friend, it's been a while since I've wanted to draw Twipsy for her.
 So, happy Birthday Rabid_Leroid!! Hope you can have more and more years to do Twipsy art! 

The amazing Irukandji!

Hiya folks! Hope you're having a good week.

Right now....I didn't feel in the mood for writting at first...I'm dealing with some personal issues...I don't want to talk about them though..I mean, because it's something I need to face alone, since I know none of you can help...and then I would unnecessarily make you sad if I talk about it, and that's something I'd never want to do! I dont like to make my peeps sad or worried.

Also....I try to see the positive side of the situation...I struggle at least, like always :)

Although maybe I'm not feeling like writting just cos I'm feeling a bit tired still. And I feel tired cause I haven't been totally recovered from this week that just passed. It has been a very hard, hurried and busy week of tests and delivery of projects.

Every period of test is like this in fact, because we have always projects to finish and to show the teachers, and also the tests...et il fait chaud on here and...wait, I mean...hehe I mean, I mean that the heat it's doing here makes me difficult to write *chuckles*

Today I had planned to talk with two dear friends of mine (not sure if they would want me to mention them here so....*shy giggles*)  but since they are from "the other side of the pond" as people in spanish use to say (in Europe, one is from Spain and the other is French) and they have work or school (or both) they usually have time only on weekends and in the morning to talk.

I had to do some work from a school project and sent it via email to one of my classmates during the day, because it was a team work. And also some work from my job...so I wasn't able to talk with my friends today....I hope tomorrow or the next weekend I can have more chance...because I'm starting to miss a bit the "on live talkings" we used to have...it has been a lot of fun everytime we talk heheh...they are my best friends ever ^^

But well, yeah, after a day of work and school homework, I feel tired again! Sometimes when I rarely have some free time, like today. I don't feel like writting XD...

...Yet, I have been posted moslty trash (a.k.a. rough sketches) and I feel I need to post something that worths it! Something people actually would like to come and see. And specially cos there are 2 friends of mine who think this blog it's cool!
And if at least a couple of people can like my art and I can make them happy with it....I think it worth every effort! ^^

 Well today I'm going to share this drawing littled "The amazing Irukandji" It's a drawing of a dangerous yet cool looking animal, a  little jellyfish (size 10 mm) that lives in the coasts of Australia and it's called "the Irukandji".  Was made on February 2010 (see the date in the drawing). I made it when I had still my tablet working. 

I miss drawing with tablet! Since a pretty good time it no longer works. Now I see a paper sheet and I feel bizarre to draw on paper! XD

Plus I haven't had much time to do art that it's not from homework. XD

"The amazing Irukandji".   Photoshop cs4 and bamboo wacom tablet.

It's not to surprise that these animals live on there, since Australia it's the place with some of the most venomous animals in the world. Sometimes there are times in Australia (sometimes even moths) where the people close their beaches because lots of jellyfish that comes to the coast from time to time.

Then, why to draw this so toxic animal... franklyI don't know XD I've always had a fascination for animals, to see them and to draw them and to look for info and watching cool documentary shows about them, no matter if they are potentially dangerous or not, because I think all animals have great qualities and a place and a mission on the world.
Also, I think I'm a bit attracted to the animals that are considered dangerous, because they are covered by an air of mistery, since people haven't discovered many stuff about most of them, and usually cos they're cool looking too *chuckles* 

Some time ago when I was kid, I used to draw a lot of animals, almost all my free time I used it for that *chuckles* It was until I started to share my work on art comunities that I realized...the huge lack of reactions of people on my work of animals, specially positive reactions. But most of the time there was no reaction at all. 

I just saw how people used to squeal and get excited when people made art of pretty girls in lingerie, or characters from cartoon shows like disney and cartoon network shows. I felt like there was no space for animal artwork on the online comunity....

Even when I suscribed to dA, my account was all alone for a pretty good time! And it was until I knew Foster's Home and I made fanart of the show that I managed to get some visitors. 

....No wonder why I left aside the animals! 

But sometimes there are things that inspire me to draw animals again; that happens when I see cool documentary shows that amaze me, and this time wasn't the exception! For this drawing I was heavily inspired by a documentary show I watched once in discovery channel, about some scientist who went into an aventure looking for this elusive animal.

What I really loved about that show, and what amazed me the most too, was the enormous thirst for adventure and devotion of the scientist! I mean, you could feel the guys were fascinated *chuckles* They where to go there to study the animal to know more about it! Even, thet put themselves in risk of being sting by it, and 2 of them were stung. And they suffered from the symptoms that included intense pain, vomit, fever, and a state of being paranoic about dying.

But even so...even after that, they were amazed to have the chance to capture a sample to study it, and they looked excited to come back to the same beach where they were bitten by the animal.
I thought they were very brave, and I was happy to see how their fascination was more than their fear. I think that's how true scientist should be :)
So I decided to dedicate this drawing to them, even if I don't remember their names, I think they deserve the congrats for being great scientists.
 I still keep looking for the name of the show to know.

Two funny things

Just some funny events of the last week I would like to share.

One day when I was coming back home from school one guy arrived to the combi (in Mexico we call like this to the public trasport that it's a van) with two chickens in a wood cage!
I must say that I'm surprised by the Mexican way XD Specially on this city; as long as it isn't illegal, you can carry anything on the public transport!
I wasn't able to take the behind of this cage cos the guy didn't spent much time at the combi and left very quickly. But the funniest thing about this is that the front part of the cage was all covered like you can see...while the behind was all open and you could see all the chicken's tails!! XD
I found that fact to be hilarious and a bit ood, cos the poor chickens were obviously having a bad time with the heat the poors, while their booties were all fresh and feeling the breeze.

Also the same week I found a death butterfly in the street.
The first thing thought was "It would have been amazing to take a photo of it alive" and I was a bit sad cos it wasn't alive.

I took a photo of it anyways cos it's weird to find these near to the city. Usually you dont se butterflies in this city, and much less this beauful! So it was a cool chance to take a photo even if it was death.

First Angry birds drawing. Stickers!

Hi there folks! 

Just some Angry Birds stamps/stickers I did for my younger brother's birthday, since he's super fan of Angry Birds.

I painted them by hand with my markers, on a piece of paper for stickers I had left. I used that special paper to make a poster for my graphic desing career project, and some of the paper was left blank, so I had this idea of using it for this!

I wasn't able to scan them, but I took a photo.

And funny thing...yes, as you were guessing, is the first time I ever draw these guys! Heheh! How do you think they are? 

I was happy when I finished them cos I thought the came out very good for my first time. Amazingly good...I must say, hehe. It was very uplifting! But I was a lot happier when my bro said he liked them a lot and he was

Pepito Grillo

I remember when I was little I really liked Jiminy cricket *chuckles*
It's been a long time since I've seen Pinoccio, so I didn't remember why all these years....
But today I was looking for The Lion King pictures as reference to do an infographic about The Lion King for my class, and I found by chance a pic of this character. Then I wanted to watch how he would sound like in english, out of curiosity. Since in mexico I have only heard him with mexican dubbing as "pepe grillo" or "Pepito grillo". And I found this video clip that made me remind why I used to like this cricket! XD



Because he is a very modest, corteous, kindhearted, and caring character, also he's smart! And made a great Job as as Pinoccio's  conscience! 
I think its really cute when he blushes with the blue fairy asks him to he his conscience. And his voice in English it's very cute. It's great to notice that his voice looks very similar to the one I heard in Mexian dubbing when I was little, cos it makes the character in English feel very familiar. ^^

Oh I remember other thing! When I was little and watched that movie, I  wanted to have the elegance and glamour the blue fairy as a grown up, hehe...
I've read some time ago that Walt Disney wanted to give her the glamour of the 40's, and I think if that's true it was successful, because she does have it, I think I like a lot that vibe, how she looks like a lady from that age :)

I wasn't able to find the mexican countepart of this scene, but I think with this one it's ok since the voices doesn't chance very much.