Rosenkrantz - Vagrant Story

Here is an illustration of mine I did Winter of '09.  It is colored using a technique of mine, which looks way better in person (sorry this isn't a professional photograph).  It is on heavy illustration board and is composed of marker, colored pencil, ink, and acrylic in the background.  The technique makes colored pencil have the feel acrylic or of an oil painting with out the trouble of paints.  However, in the background there is a combination of ink and acrylic used to make thick texture.  This is a technique I've been honing over the years, I plan to someday make a tutorial about how to use the technique, however I'm still experimenting with including watercolor into it.  It might sound like much, but each medium has their own characteristics and can be strategically used to bring out different elements in the illustration.  It's the difference seen between looking at a De Vinci painting online and in person. 

Imagine FX Project: The Girl and the Katana Guardian

Apart from the academy I like to do projects, especially between semesters.  It's always nice to keep your skills sharp.  Here is a project I did from Imagine FX magazine, which has risen to be one of my favorite mags.  This is a project from issue 61 by Patipat Asavasena from Bangkok, to whom I must say thank you for helping me step it up on my Corel Painter skills.  Here is my work in progress:

It's not as good as the original, but it's close.  I tried to follow the steps as close as possible in some areas, but then in others I just went with the flow once I got the idea of how things worked.  Painter's brushes are far better than Photoshop's in my opinion, though Photoshop still is number one in many more areas.

Academy Life

I will have to say becoming an Academy of Art University student is one of the best things I've ever done in life.  It's definitely one of the most rewarding.  In the summer of 2009, I left my friends and family to go to San Francisco, a city I've never been to before.  I had no place to live, no job, and had no idea what I was getting into.  I don't recommend anyone ever doing this, but I had so much peace in me to go and so much confidence to go.  I hadn't the finances to attend school out of highschool, I had been waiting about 4 years to attend a university, because of my financial dependence to my parents who didn't believe in education, specifically college education.  I spent the time finding out who I am, what I wanted to do, and finding out what life was all about.  It actually lead me closer to understanding God, and get a glimpse of what his purpose when he made me - but, that's for another time.

So as it went, I packed everything I owned and drove in my 600 dollar truck all the way from Colorado to California praying I don't get stranded somewhere in the middle.  But, it went well, and to my fortune I got in contact with YWAM who had a homeless mission there in SF and was willing to put me up for a few days.  When I crossed the Bay Bridge and saw San Francisco, it was one of the most excited moments in my life.  It was a beautiful sight, but more than that, my dream had come true, and finally the day came where I was living what I wanted to do for over a decade now.

It turned out that YWAM was located in a ghetto district of SF called the Tenderloin, which was a place where pimps parked their pimp rides on the side walks and made money off of their hoes, where drug dealers hung out making cash, and the home of hundreds of homeless people fighting to survive.  For a very short while I lived here and saw a different side of SF not many people get to see in the city of wealth and love and the arts.  Fortunately, that didn't last very long at all, and I found a great place out near Golden Gate Park which is fabulous.  It was a very humble house clear the other side of the city from the academy.  It was a good experience.

The amazing thing is that in high school I had a "C" average for a while, then when I graduated, I ended up finishing last in my class.  Now, at the Academy of Art University I am an A-B student finishing the top of each class and not the bottom like I used to.  AAU is a very hard school.  I've read that only one-third of the students who attend graduate.  It's easy to see, because if you're not serious about being a student there, it will quickly kick your butt.  Luckily, I've learned how to work hard helping my dad roof houses, and bail hey in the nearby farms back in Colorado which is no easy work.  However, if you stick with it as I've personally experienced and seen, it will change you into Leonardo de Vinci, even if you weren't much of an artist to begin with.  As we've been told at the academy success is 90% hard work and 10% talent.  I will have to say I agree, no matter how talented you are you won't get far if you're not willing to work hard for your goals.

I only ended up staying there for over 7 months, since the city was so expensive and finding work especially as a student was quite hard.  I was depressed about that, but life goes on.  I'm blessed to live in this age of the fabulous invention of the internet.  I can now take the same classes with the same teachers online.  It was depressing at first, but it turned out my dad would have a massive heart attack which did end his life getting close to an hour, 45min, but thanks to a true miracle he survived.  Things work out for a reason, and I'm glad to be back here and helping where I'm needed, all the while continuing my schooling and dedication as an artist.

Life isn't a strait path.  It's full of changes and challenges, but it's one worth living, one worth taking the time to walk.  I've come to change my outlook on life.  We all set goals and hope to achieve them, however the joy in life shouldn't just be reaching the goals, but primarily in the journey you set out on.  Enjoy the adventure of life, in it's journey.  There may in fact be more riches in that journey than in the destination.

This is a view from Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.  It was a part of a walk I would take from my place quite often.