No Summer Blockbuster.

Well, I guess that, if the recent events of my life were a movie, this would be the part towards the end where a miracle happens, because I could really use one right about now. Ultimately though, I know that it's going to be up to nobody else but me to make things better. So, I'm trying.

July is over, and I say good riddance. You suck, July. All you did was kick me around. Get the hell out of here. And you'd better clean up your act before you even think about coming back again next year.

As for you, August, you'd better not be giving me any trouble. I'm in no mood to deal with it.

Sayonara.

Ok, so now what?

Today I finished teaching my final lesson of the summer session at Comic Book Masters. All in all I'd say that it was a very successful program, especially considering that it was originally 3 separate programs that were combined into one and dropped on my lap without a whole lot of notice. I had a lot of fun with trying out some new lessons and bringing in video games every week. So now it's time for a long break from teaching until it's time to start again in the Fall.

Still looking for a "real" job though. I have not had much luck. It's kind of ironic that my dealings with regular people in regards to me providing art for them have consistently been more professional than any actual professional organization! I've applied for various art related jobs without much success. Either I don't hear back, which I guess is to be expected, or I hear back and they seem interested, but then they just disappear! Come on, I know people are busy running companies or whatever, but you can't just screw around with artists like that! It just ain't right to leave someone hanging.

I do have some new work though, so I might as well talk about it. Take a look at my Evangelion - Asuka and Rei digital painting on my deviantART account. I worked really hard on this piece through some difficult times, so please let me know what you think about it. Currently working on a commission that I might talk about later. After that, who the hell knows?

Sayonara.

NEGADON!

I just bought this excellent DVD. It's a short animated film called "Negadon: The Monster From Mars", and it's the first 100% CG Monster Movie. A wonderfully crafted tribute to the classic Japanese kaiju films of 50's, 60's, and 70's, this amazing film was mostly put together by just one guy who never made a movie before! It has an interesting visual style that goes out of its way to look old and worn out to create a nostalgic feeling, but the animation is excellent with very impressive effects. The DVD also has a lot of extra material about how the film was made.

If you love monster movies or unique animated films, then you gotta check this movie out. I love both, so naturally I really dig Negadon! It's got a creepy monster, a cool robot, a decent story, and it proves that anyone can create an awesome piece of work if they work hard enough. It rocks!

Check out more about Negadon at the official Negadon website.

Sayonara.

Trailer Park.

There have been some decent movies out this year, but let's face it, next year is what we're all waiting for. Some of the teaser trailers for the big upcoming films are already out there on the Internet and in theaters. Spider-man 3 looks amazing. That trailer just blew me away. Transformers had an interesting but ambiguous trailer. It really didn't reveal anything except that the movie is coming, and apparently nothing in the trailer is really a part of the movie itself at all.

Well another big trailer just hit the Internet, and it's absolutely incredible. It's for a movie that hasn't had nearly the amount of hype as either of the films I mentioned above, but I think that's about to change. You have got to see this!

TMNT!

Yeah, that's right. They are making a new Ninja Turtles movie. And it's animated in CG. And that's old news that has been known for over a year now, so let's all get with the program, because this is our first true glimpse of it.

My god, is that trailer ever spectacular! They just nailed it! The way they designed the Turtles themselves is very unique, but their movements and expressions are very well done. The look of the buildings, the texture, the atmosphere, the energy, it's all spot on perfect! It's too perfect! It's so perfect, it's scary! It's just so... so... TMNT!

This movie is going to rock! And I'm so glad that this trailer came around now, because it's at the very top of a short list of things that make me want to reconsider destroying the universe. It's just that good.

Watch it and spread the word! Let's get the hype machine rolling!

Sayonara.

Uncut, Uncensored, Unleashed!

I remember when I was in high school and I first became aware that there was a Street Fighter II animated movie from Japan. I likely found out about it from some kind of video game magazine. I was desperate to see it, even if I had to resort to a raw bootlegged copy with no subtitles. I begged and pleaded to get a copy from people who told me that they had seen it, but to no avail. Eventually it was officially released on VHS, and I rented a copy and just loved it. What an awesome movie. Soon afterward I bought a VHS copy of the uncut edition of the film, which had more blood and didn't compromise on the violence. I must have watched that movie 20 times. Still own the tape too.

Yesterday, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the film, Manga Entertainment finally re released the Street Fighter II Animated Movie on a DVD they are calling the "Uncut, Uncensored, Unleashed" edition. There was an early release back when the DVD format was still in its infancy, but it's hard to find and not really worth getting. This new release, however, contains not only the English version, but a completely untouched Japanese version that runs a little bit longer on the other side of the disk. This is the first time ever that the Japanese audio has been made available in North America. I promptly snapped up a copy, having wanting a decent version of this movie on DVD since forever.

Now, as far as being a DVD goes, this release really isn't all that great. The picture quality is really poor in comparison to what a DVD is supposed to look like. There are scratches, specs of dirt, and other visible flaws. The colours aren't really as bright as they ought to be, and the picture is not true anamorphic widescreen. I have to believe that they did the best they could with the material they had, but still, it's disappointing. The sound, however, is very well done on this disk. There really aren't any significant extra features, and I think that was a missed opportunity, but I suppose that having the uncut Japanese version is extra enough.

Now, this is the part where I have to chose my words carefully. If you know anything about this movie, then you probably know that the original uncut VHS release was not exactly completely uncut. There was a certain sequence involving Chun Li. In the shower. Even the version of the film released on VHS all those years ago that claimed to be uncut had a few frames removed from a certain shot at a certain angle, if you catch my drift. This new DVD release of the film restores that sequence to its original splendor. Was it worth waiting 10 years to finally see it?

Oh yes. If you don't mind me saying, I am inclined to think that it was indeed worth the wait!

Anyway, the movie is still as awesome as it ever was. As far as Street Fighter animation is concerned, it has yet to be topped. The fights are incredible, all the characters you know from the video game are in there, and the story isn't a complete abomination. They really don't make kick-ass animated films like this anymore. If this is your thing, pick this new DVD up. It's not a perfect release, but the movie itself far outweighs any flaws in the disk. Plus it comes with a cool little comic book from UDON!

Hadouken!

Sayonara.

It's been Another Year.

July 14th marked the end of the third year I've been posting in this weblog. I wanted to write about it then, but I've been too sick until now. So, let's take a look at some of the year's highlights.

And Another Year Later.
The previous list of highlights from 2004-2005.

Complaining!
An automated program does a significantly more accurate and thorough job of complaining about me than any real person ever has.

And Now that Tale of Battle can be Told.
My commentary on the controversial article entitled "Ninjatron Sucks at Drawing Transformers".

Spammy R. Spammington.
I got a bunch of spam that claim to be sent by people with some really funny names.

I am Protocultured.
I finally started watching the anime classic Robotech. I now own the complete series on DVD.

Strangeness!
Some random, unconnected objects suddenly appear all at once. Includes pictures!

I Hate Poker.
Being constantly bombarded with nonsensical poker spam makes me express my rage!

Who's the Smartest Shark in Town?
My drawing of SkyByte, that lovable Predacon shark, places in Transformers art contest and is included on a poster.

Bat Disks.
My commentary on the Batman movie DVDs.

I got my Revenge...
The Star Wars Episode III DVD is awesome, except for the French text! I'm still angry about this.

Ha ha, funny.
Stupid people rock so hard.

R.I.P. Eddie.
My post in remembrance of pro wrestler Eddie Guerrero, who passed away far too early. A very sad day.

Ain't that cute?
A bored person tells me to draw a cute girl. I do, but the result was probably not what anyone expected!

5 years of Pie.
A post marking the 5th anniversary of my classic article, Ninjatron: Published Poet.

The Train Man
I experience the Densha Otoko phenomenon by watching the TV show. The movie and several manga versions have recently been licensed in North America. I hope this TV series gets released here some day too, though recent events make me unsure if I ever want to watch it again! Heh!

Virtual Idiocy.
Someone from Microsoft says something stupid about Nintendo and I tear it apart.

Twisted Again.
Another happy picture for Valentine's day!

Well, at least they're talking to me.
Someone speaks to me in Spanish and someone else asks me how to become a Power Ranger. How exactly do they find me?

An Open Invitation.
More idiots attack me, and I say "Bring it!". I never get tired of writing posts like this one.

Ad Astra recap.
A fun Sci-Fi convention that I didn't write a full report for. I drank BAWLS!

I Don't Wanna Grow Up.
I had a very weird dream. What does it mean?

YUUSHA-OH TANJOU!!!!!
Probably the happiest day of my life thus far! The most awesome anime series ever, GaoGaiGar, is finally licensed! Volume 1 comes out next month and I can't wait!

I suck? OH NO!
Some annoying little bastard keeps on telling me I suck, so I throw a punk card down. Was it ever accepted? Of course not!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!
I talk about the big news coming out of E3 regarding Nintendo and Sony. That PS3 is only looking less and less appealing with each passing day.

Transformers: Punk Wars.
I hear some ignorant teenagers in a Toys R Us talking about Transformers and it reminds me of when I was that young.

Happy Devil Day.
It was 6/6/06, so I drew something to mark the occasion!

It's Raining Spam.
Sure are a lot of posts about spam. What can I say? Spam can be pretty funny sometimes!

Copy Cats.
Yeah, this is just from a few days ago, but I still think it was an important post.

And that's pretty much it for the year. I don't really know if that's good or bad. Things are not going well for me right now, but looking back at the previous 12 months I know that it's only a matter of time before that changes. Hopefully, in a year from now, I'll be looking back again and picking out some really awesome memories. I'm going to be working hard to make sure that happens.

Sayonara.

Dirty Pirates.

As if the past several weeks have not been hard enough to deal with, to top it all off, I am now sick. Seriously, who gets sick in July? Just my luck, I guess. I had what I could best describe as an itch in the center of my skull that has now mutated into a sore throat with cold-like symptoms. I have to teach this weekend, so this kind of sucks.

Anyway, I saw the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie last night. I think it was a lot better than the first one. It was more epic and had more monsters, which is what I like to see in a movie. It was a lot like "The Empire Strikes Back" in some ways. Davey Jones was such a cool character who totally made the film for me. It was the most tentacles I had seen in a long time, which is a plus. I'm glad I wasn't spoiled beforehand, because the twist at the very end was a nice surprise. Good movie, despite crippling lack of ninjas.

Sayonara.

Copy Cats.

I recently got a message in my guestbook that I thought warranted some discussion. It comes from "May".

I am currently dealing with disappointing reality that a friend of mine has been copying my artwork. I appreciate your stance on the subject, and hope to find a way to make myself clear to others on what is acceptable and what is not, when it comes to enjoying my artwork.

Well, this is an important issue, and there are a few things to consider here.

First of all, when people start getting an interest in art, copying images is very common. It's a step in one's artistic development, and it helps to improve hand-eye coordination and visual acuity. That said, some people never grow out of that and don't learn that copying artwork is only a step. Copying artwork is fine as something to use as a form of training, but it's definitely not cool to show that copied artwork off as if it's a finished piece, especially if they are trying to pass off that artwork as their own without giving credit to the original artist. I was just looking on deviantART a minute ago and saw a bunch of pencil drawings that were copied exactly from artwork that I had seen before. What is the point of that? Why would somebody want to show that off? You can copy a picture that someone else already drew... so what? Isn't that effort better placed in drawing something that no one else has drawn before? Well, I think so!

There are other forms of copying that are also sticky subjects. There is swiping, where an artist will steal a pose or composition from another drawing and apply it exactly like it was but with different characters. This is generally a bad idea. There are also situations were someone will take another artist's work and change it slightly so they can claim it as their own. This is also a not very good, and is a particularly scummy thing to do without giving credit. But it's ok to take inspiration from other artists' work, and it's not cheating to use reference images as long as they're only used for reference. Sometimes there is a fine line between being inspired and outright copying. An artist should have the better judgment to know if they are crossing that line.

The thing is that if someone copies a piece of art, it obviously means that they like it. That can include professional images as well as artwork done by people they know. So, you could look at it from a flattering perspective too. It means you have a fan. I can remember several occasions when I was in grade school where I would draw something really creative in class, only to have a significant portion of the other students doing the exactly the same thing once word got out. It's pretty annoying, but it also means you're doing something right. Ultimately, however, you have to be protective of your own work. When one person gets away with copying your work, then suddenly it's ok for anybody to copy anyone else's work. It sets a bad precedent and pretty much says that your artwork is a commodity without much value. Certainly I think that friends should understand that is not what you want.

Unfortunately, this is part of the world of being an artist. While everybody else might admire your talent, think all seem to think that being an artist is real easy and it's all fun and games. They don't really know what it takes. Often times it feels like we are part of a world that seeks only to take advantage of us and not give us our due. It's a hard way to live, especially when you're just starting out and have big goals. That's why I have recently come to understand that, since this part of life can be so difficult, it's best to try to keep the other side of life as simple and as positive as possible. The way we handle our relationships with friends and people we know is a big part of that.

I take this issue pretty seriously since I was once accused of copying and being unoriginal based on the content of my website. The guy was a rude, ignorant jackass who hated anime and thought that I copied and just drew the same things over and over again because I have an anime style, so obviously I didn't think much of anything he had to say, but still. I don't see where he could have gotten off with accusing me like that since I take a great deal of pride in being original. But that's just another example of the nonsense artists have to deal with from people who don't know what they're talking about.

To specifically address May's problem, I don't think that your friend copying your work is a big deal as long as no one else sees it. Maybe it will help to inspire your friend to become a better artist, and that would be a very good thing. But when it really comes down to it, an artist shouldn't have to rely on other people's work or something to copy from or anything else but their wits and their hands to create something good. It's got to come from within, and copying just isn't going to make that happen.

I hope that helps.

Sayonara.

Summer Teaching Report.

Yesterday was the first of 4 2-hour summer drawing classes that I am teaching for Comic Book Masters. Usually, during the summer, we offer something a little different than the rest of the year. This time we came up with 3 different options, including a class of my own creation called "Master Ninja's Anime and Video Game Dojo". It's always a challenge to fill the summer classes though, because around this community people like to go on vacations this time of year. Usually we just offer the classes and see what happens. This time we didn't get enough to run all 3 of the classes separately, so instead it was decided that all 3 classes would be combined into one, and because I proved myself during the spring session that I was versatile and could pretty much teach any program, the whole thing was given to me.

This is a pretty big deal. It's all been left in my hands to do with as I see fit, and it feels nice to be left with this kind of responsibility. Things went very well for the first week, so I'm confident that it will be successful. I have a bit of work to do to make sure that everything gets covered and everyone is happy, but I know I can do it. Teaching this class is a bright spot in what has been a very up-and-down time over the past several weeks.

In other events, last night "Godzilla and Mothra: Battle for the Earth" was on TV. Wow! Not one of my favorite G-Films, but fun anyway. Then, on a different channel, "The Last Samurai" was on. What an amazing film that is. And if that were not enough, as coincidence would have it, after "The Last Samurai" ended, that same channel played "Godzilla Raids Again"! That's the second Godzilla movie, and one of the few G-Films I had never seen! It's not very good, and the English dub never actually uses the word "Godzilla" at all, but still, nice to finally see it. What are the odds that those 3 movies would be on in one night. It's as if that was programmed just for me.

Sayonara.

Red or Blue?

Things are tough, but life goes on.

I made this self-portrait to try to express what's going on. I used lightsabers as a metaphor to articulate my internal conflict. Doing artwork like this helps a little, but not really. I don't really care that much, but I would like feedback on it anyway.

Anyway, I start teaching again tomorrow. It's a special summer class with all new stuff. I think this one is a big opportunity. I'll talk more about it after the first lesson.

Other than that, I'm looking for a "real" job, so if there are any ideas out there for what a freak like me aught to be doing, I'd like to read them. I'm happy to accept commissions if there's anything I can draw for you. Just contact me.

Sayonara.

You have failed me for the last time.

Or rather... I have failed myself.

This has not been an easy time. The past few weeks have been very difficult, and I'm at the end of my rope. This is a very low point for me right now, and it's really hurting. I'm stressed out, I'm nervous, I'm confused, I barely have any appetite and I don't sleep well. I feel like I'm Anakin Skywalker and I'm trying so hard to be one of the good guys, but I'm an inch away from going all Darth Vader on the universe.

I think I have made some terrible, terrible mistakes, and I just don't know what to do anymore.

Despite all of this, however, I know that one day I will strike back. I don't know how, and I don't know what kind of person I will be when that happens, but somehow I will get stronger. I have to.

Sayonara.