The dentist cancelled on me again so I'm still hanging onto my wisdom tooth, at least until September. And a kid came over yesterday to buy the TV so since I haven't reattached the littler one I'm not watching anything.

I'm ahead on my animation stuff for this week, so i'm not doing anything to do with that. I think I might go read a book in bed. It's hot outside. There's no one to talk to anymore and I'm lonely. (Today the postman did ring though! He even had a raccomandata I had to sign for so I had to put clothes and shoes on and go downstairs and everything! I felt like a slug coming out from under a rock...the light was so bright)

In other news I saw the new batman movie last night and I have to say it wasn't my favorite, but I loved the contrast and similarities between the batman character (who had a terrible personality) and that of the joker (who was equally if not more terrible but definately more appealing). The scene in the interrogation room made me really think about my entire psyche and personality. I could have done without seeing the rest of the film though.

Tonight, dinner out someplace. Tomorrow Party. Saturday Party.

Not too shabby.

Yesterday wasted att he computer again. Searching YouTube for tracks for an animation, fighting on MSN, trying to not feel quite so lonely. The post man doesn't even ring (how I miss the sweet melodic sound of his voice 'Posta!' he calls out). It's hard work doing nothing. I feel guilty when I don't have the permission I need to sit and stare at a wall or watch crime shows on TV. At least sometimes I find an old friend there (Jen Finnegan being on 'Closer to Home'...). Sometimes.

I pretend to study animation. I read my books. I read a novel. I don't really study. I don't really read my books. I don't really read a novel. I chat online with my virtual army. I exchange insults and information and try to make sense out of 8 hours. I look forward to days where there's more to do, like tooth extractions. I look forward to days when there's less to do. Like Wednsday. I'm not certain you could get more pathetic. I complain when there's too much to do and complain when there's not enough.... and why do I complain? Cause I have nothing better to do!! Hahahaha

It's not all bad. I exaggerate. Today Fabri & I stole a chair from the garbage in the yard of a school. I've got it partially disassembled and am sanding down all the varnish to well, revarnish it. Yes I know I didn't really think it through when I started the project, but at least I'm using a power tool. One day I'll buy a new cushion for the seat and get to use a staple gun as well. It's going to be a nice chair but my lungs are dustfilled and weepy so I'm calling it a day for today.

This is an Anti-Blog

It's an antiblog written by an anti-person. If you're reading this, you're an anti-person too. Congratulations.

I don't say anthing on this blog. It's not about me. There isn't a single piece of useful information on this site since its creation. It doesn't even have any meaning.

And if there's nothing worth saying?

Welcome to the anti-blog.

Never did talk about it

I'm so busy studying and obessing about unimportant things lately that I always forget to comment on what's actually been going on on a day to day basis.

Before I went to Xchanges for the stage I was thinking about documenting it in some way, like by updating to blog daily or something along those lines, but then when i started there just wasn't the motivation to do it. Th robot project was good and went smoothly but there wasn't too much else to say. I couldn't very well start writing about the people who work there. It'd be unprofessional... and anyhow, you never know how these things go. When animation mnetor's done in March I'll ahve a think about going back there and asking if they'll still have me.

India is another thing I never really talked about. I was thinking about when our car got a flat tire and the people we met there. Begging for cookies and shampoo- I remember the girl with the twisted eyes and skin problems. I remember the fish with no eyes. I should write all that stuff down before I forget. but I probably won't. the same way i spent more than 4 hours a day in the car with ramesh Raman as our driver and promised I'd mail him when we got home. The same way I always say I should keep a journal.

After a long time not using any web messenging software I'm back on MSN alot these days. It helps to numb the fact that I rarely leave my house. I feel more connected this way. I guess I'm the type of person they study in psychiatric wards to see what the affects of technology on society are. Case studies and the like.

I have a look now and then at other people's blogs, especially artisits and I see how comitted they are to their works. I see how the blog is often updated with new sketches and inspirations and the links to other blogs are of other artists with inspirations and sketches... And it gets me down a bit. Like when I listen to the Beatles and I think of how much I'm not going to do in my life. But then I remember I'm me, and I feel a little better.

So this post is about all the things I'm not going tobe and the things I'm not going to talk about.

Pure Contour Drawing

Three more drawing to proceed with the info in the book. The first two are pure contour drawings where you study just the details and can't look down at the page. They are of an Orchid plant and the wrinkles of my left hand. The third is on a piece of transparent plastic with erasable marker (also of my left hand). Incidentally the plastic is the window that i stole from the bankomat back in 2005.

Upside Down Drawing

47 minutes till my Animation Mentor class and I'm uploading more excercises from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

The excercise is to redraw a Picasso image (original shown here) which is upside down without turning the image and without turning one's own drawing. I repeated the excercise two times.

On the second I thought I was getting somewhere until I got to the face and head and then I lost my train of thought. I'm pretty impressed that the arms of the chair are in perspective and that it actually looks like he's crossing his legs. Things get al little funky around the shoulders, but it might be because I was lying on the bed when I was drawing and wasn't really in the best position for drawing that far down on the paper.

I can't really say that I felt anything different than I regularly do when drawing except that it was a frustrating excercise and I felt worried about the details. I felt I had to check and recheck the angles of lines from one to the other and it was driving me crazy. It paid off where I didnìt get too lazy and the areas where I got lazy really show.

Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain Excersize 1

As one of my birthday presents Fabri picked me up a copy of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. I'm planning to follow the lessons in the book in an attempt to improve my skills as an illustrator and hopefully, animator as well.

The first excercises in the book are to be undertaken before reading ahead and learning the techniques that the author reccomends. The student is to do 3 drawings at their current level.

1)Self Portrait
2)Portrait from memory (I picked Fabri)
3)Drawing of left hand (or right hand for lefties)

I haven't drawn anything in a concentrated state for a long while. I think that the self portrait and the hand drawing were the most rewarding right now, but I don't think I did too bad on the image of fabri either, even if it doesn't look like him. I'm pretty sure the book leads you to draw these same subjects when the course is done another time so we'll see how I progress.

I'm also studying a bit of body language and acting from 2 other books. I tried an experiment at the post office today with the clerk, you know, smiling more and making more eye contact and I realised that those little things really do help.

More Photos

Mouse Loading Boxes

Here's an excercise I did in my last few days at XChanges with a rig they let me play with. I struggled with the elbows a bit but eventually got it to seem like there was a little bit of weight involved.

I'll Light the Fire

Well, here I am posting some photos of the loft for your viewing pleasure.

OUTDOORS & SITE

MAIN LIVING AREA

KITCHEN AREA
To be continued in the next post with bathroom, office, stairway and upstairs!