And now, an Idea.

  

Ever wonder what being empty-headed would feel like? Sometimes I do.

Certain advantages are obvious. Think of the storage space! Not having to carry a lunch pail, a handy place of concealment for your iPhone or wallet, that elusive storage bay for when you're trying to juggle one thing too many and you need a temporary residence for the Stilton and that bottle of Chateau Latour so you can find your car keys; the possibilities are as bewildering in their variety as a snowstorm in June. Consider, for example, that you'd never risk losing your car keys again if you could store them in your head. They might periodically poke the backs of your eyes. What a small price to pay for peace of mind! All you had to do was pitch your mind in the trash.

Catching errant thoughts would be a breeze. Who cares if they're not yours? It would be worth it to sieve out all the rotten thoughts, leaving the happy ones behind, even if you end up catching a little bird crap now and again. This would be a commercial-free experience. The big corporations haven't yet figured out how to pollute your brain directly (though I'm positive they're working on it). Imagine a head full of pleasant notions, rose petals, an extra anorak, a list of the most expensive Italian shoes. Maybe even a bunny. Or--oh wait, this is AWESOME--you could rent out the space!! Think of that! Your empty head trusted to hold the valuables of some celebrity or Head of State! You could be walking about normal as anything while Chuck Norris's extra underpants are safely concealed in your noggin. That has to be worth some serious cash.

It would probably fill up with rain water. You'd need to beware of large men wanting to use you as a beer stein. I suppose that would only be in Germany. Falling victim to pranksters would be a risk. How long would it take you to notice your head was full of grass clippings? Or condoms filled with Crisco? Or a dead cat? Elephants might reach from their cages and root around inside your skull without permission. A latch or zipper might be appropriate.

Think about it. Or don't! What has your mind ever given you but trouble, anyhow?

Run Run Run!

Ever feel like you're never enough people to keep up?

There's the Public You, the one you need to assure folks you aren't a crazy person, liable to launch yourself at their throat if provoked. Of particular use in the event you are a crazy person and you'd like to be left alone. Ostensibly this person is supposed to keep the Rest of You "safe".  As if the Public You could influence the pull of gravity or prevent the nudge that points the Metro bus straight at you when you step off the curb.

There's the Friendly You. Who is that person, anyway? The one who keeps everyone happy! Isn't that your job? God only knows what would happen if they weren't happy. They might--they might--

---leave You alone.

Alone with You. Isn't that Just Plain Alone? What if you have no idea who You are under all those layers? Imagine being alone with the one you've spent years ignoring. Is that really being alone?

Oh hell yes it is.

Welcome aboard, 2012

And if it's the End of the World we have coming, then that's just fine. I choose to live, regardless of the consequences.

2011 was like traveling a comet's orbit around the sun. A case for extremes and instability....but without that parabola you'd never fledge. Be ready for the truth to come. You might as well. Truths come down the road blind and indifferent as a wrecking ball. One truth is that you'll fledge multiple times over your life. Adulthood is a state of mind leveraged against the constant pressures of swimming in the stream. Some days you'll stand fast. Other days you'll be swept off your feet. Accept that big dreams demand big risks.

Swim back to shore. Stand up again.

To Prove that I'm Not Dead.....

....since it's been (GACK) two months and change since the LAST post, I give you a little thingie from the class I'm teaching at LCAD.

Back in October (is it already nearly December? Really?) I was given the opportunity to do another demo at the Laguna College of Art and Design. I decided to try something that was one-fifth instruction, four-fifths participation; I called it Design-0-Matic. Games often go through multiple incarnations between the Blue Sky phase and production. It boggles me how often this is true, but I swear to Vishnu it's the truth. Well, that's what we did over the space of an hour and change--take a game concept through five different iterations in ten-minute increments. I acted as the Art Director and divided the students into Character, Creature and Vehicle groups. Every ten minutes you were expected to crank out a few designs based on the reference I provided. At the end of this period you'd hand your sketch over to the person on your right, take the design from the person on your left, place that in front of you and, with a fresh piece of paper, re-interpret that design based on the new reference I put on-screen. We went from a gritty FPS concept to a fighting game, a sci-fi adventure game, an open-world/mmo hybrid and finally a fantasy adventure game riffing off Shadow of the Colossus. Sound insane? It was, but it was also a ton of fun. Big massive thanks to Jason Scheier for sticking around and sketching with the Vehicle crew!

I used the work from that session as the basis for a school assignment in my Digital Painting class. The painting above came from an online session a few weeks ago. This and more such stuff will show up at the blog, and soon! I still have about a hundred pieces of art to post. (It was a productive session.)

http://design-0-matic.blogspot.com/

Enjoy, have a wonderful Turkey Day, and I will see you on the far side of our communal tryptophan-induced coma.

More Still Life for Thee.

Here's one from the 9/13 class session.  DS Lite, baby. Painter in your pocket.

Still Life with DS.

Last night was a great class session. I cranked out a little study on my DS. My hope is that the students will post their work to their blogs. (Hint hint. I know some of you read this. Post 'em so the world can see 'em! :D)

Did a little tweaking in PS, got some of the lines a little tighter, that's about it. Did I mention how good it feels to be painting again? Exercises, that is. This kind of work equals calisthenics for painters. Now to make this a habit again so I get my chops back.

What are you lookin' at?

Shooting Star

Maybe something beautiful beyond words. Maybe something nobody else can see. That doesn't automatically make you crazy. Or maybe it's better to say certain kinds of crazy are good for the soul.
We're born porous to the wonders in the art of everyday life, a gift that's generally beaten out of us by the time we're adults.

Stop to appreciate the light between the leaves.

Give yourself the latitude to draw something ugly.

Write some bad poetry straight from the heart and give it to a person who matters to you.

The world will always be full of wonders but you're not a permanent resident. Enjoy what's given you and don't be afraid to be worthy of more. Maybe.....maybe there's only one shot at this game. Make it count.