My Cousin Amber's Wedding

My cousin, Amber Altobelli, got married to Brian Kentris this past Saturday. Even though the weather was cold and grey, this was a beautiful ceremony.

The ceremony took place at Hardwick Vineyard and Winery. It is a nice place that even has some animals for the children to feed, though the ducks quacked a few times during the ceremony.










They offered small samples of wine as the wedding party had their pictures taken. I don't usually care for wine, but I tired a little of one and it was alright.

We found this to be a funny sight. It is a Christmas Tree made out of wine bottles with the star made out of corks.

We had the reception at a lovely country club. We had some good food, interesting music choices, and some interesting conversations between family and friends. The cupcakes were delicious, and as you can see, the figurines for the wedding cake on top was really funny. The groom dangles a wedding ring with a fishing line over the bride.

There was the dance with the bride and her father, and her sister, Britney, who also got married last month got to dance with her father. That was a very nice gesture from Amber considering Britney's wedding was cut due to unfortunate circumstances. There were also two separate bouquet and garter tosses.

Page 33 of Zheph Skyre in Black and White

I have uploaded page 33 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. I know it is not finished yet, but with Hurricane Sandy, I could not finish coloring it in. The electricity went out for quite some time. I am lucky I even got to finish this blog.

I am hoping to finish it tomorrow. I will post an update about it as well as a post about my Cousin Amber's wedding this past Saturday.

Halloween Artwork in Progress

Here are some of the Halloween themed artwork have been working on. These few pieces are based on the photographs I took of my jack-o-lantern. They still need some work on them.

I wanted to combine the dark and the light in the pictures, yet make it appear as if it is a transition. I am wondering if I should have the transition reversed.

 I can't decide between leaving the photographs as they are, or place them through some sort of filter. I am thinking about putting a group of these pieces together into one combined image, but I am afraid of loosing the details on the face.

Here the colors are inverted. It reminds me of the X-Files. I am wondering if I should submit these images to the Anime Boston Art contest as well as the one below.

Here is the piece of the Futakuchi-onna I have been working on for the Anime Boston contest. I am almost done, but there are certain areas that need more details. I love how creepy these images are.

Page 32 of Zheph Skyre

Here is page 32 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. As you can see, Zheph is nonchalantly dodging all of Jahovac's swings.

Do not worry, you will get to see what Zheph's weapon does soon enough...

Jack-o-lantern

I have carved a Jack-o-lantern for Halloween this year. I know it is usually for children, but there are actually professional artists who carve pumpkins. Usually they carve famous peoples faces with more 3D carved features, but since I wanted to incorporate the Halloween spirit, I decided to make it scary.

This was the drawing I made for the Jack-o-lantern. I had to edit it in Photoshop because the eyes and nose were too small and low compared to the mouth.

This was the finished product. As you can see, it is a little bit difficult to transfer a flat image to a three dimensional shape, but I believe this is a success.


Last year I carved a Snoopy Jack-o-lantern, but I didn't take any pictures of it in time. It seemed to rot quicker due to the strange weather. Luckily this Jack-o-lantern is lasting quite well. I did take pictures after it was freshly carved, but I couldn't get them off of the memory card they were on. I like these pictures more anyways.

I am thinking of doing something interesting with these photographs in Photoshop...

Page 31 is Finished & the Future for my Portfolio Website

I have colored in and placed text on page 31 of my web comic, Zheph Skyre.

I used the same font size from the previous pages for this one, but since I used a larger page to draw on, the text appears to be smaller. In the end, I think this would be better because I want certain characters to speak a lot and the larger text was getting in the way.

I am not sure why my newer videos are not working on my portfolio website, but I can not go on without my latest animations unable to be shown. I believe I will have to create buttons to click on in my portfolio that will open the animations to a new window. It seems to be the only choice.

Page 31 is Incomplete

Unfortunately I was not able to finish page 31 of my Zheph Skyre web comic today. As you can see, I have yet to color this page and put text in, but I felt as if I had to upload something for now. I am working with a new size for paper, so hopefully I will be able to get better details made with this size.

Supernatural

I had finished watching "Samurai 7" on Netflix not too long ago. It was a good series, though I felt like certain things could have been improved upon. For instance, there were no flashbacks to the lives of any of the characters. We got little bits and pieces of some of the characters' pasts, but not enough to explain more for their actions. Some series do not require that much back story for their characters, but I liked a bunch of these characters and I would have liked to know more. There were other things, but I wanted to write about a different series.

(This image is from supernaturalfansonline.com)

I started watching "Supernatural" on Netflix not too long ago. I know it isn't an Anime series, but I haven't found any others on Netflix that I haven't already seen or want to see right now. I have seen a few episodes here and there from time to time, but I wanted to see it from the beginning and in proper order. I recently saw a commercial for the seventh season of this series, so I hope it won't take me too long to finish. I am currently on the second season, and I have to say it is really good.

(This image is from fanpop.com)

"Supernatural" is a show that primarily follows these two brothers who travel the country to hunt spirits, demons, and evil creatures that threaten the lives of innocent people. In that description it reminds me of Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," of which both are really good series. Though in "Supernatural" it seems more realistic. The monsters they hunt usually take human forms and demons usually possess people, so after these brothers kill something there won't be any trace of any evidence that these things exist that would be found by normal authority figures. However, I do like the unusual makeup art that transforms people into different species altogether, but calling them demons if they are not from Hell seemed a little odd. This series also plays a lot on folklore that has been passed around for generations, which helps them defeat the evil entities they come across.

What I really like are the characters of this series, and not just the brothers. The brothers are really enjoyable to watch as they argue and have fun at each others' expenses, but there are all sorts of reoccurring characters that are very interesting. If you like paranormal shows, I highly recommend this series.

Page 30 of Zheph Skyre

 Here is page 30 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. Zheph continues to talk as he puts away his retractable shield and gets out a new gadget. You might have an idea of what it will do from the title page of this web comic series, but that is only one small function it has.

It might seem a little weird that Zheph was trying to negotiate with Jahovac out of fighting, and now he is getting prepared to duke it out with this mercenary. However, Zheph doesn't have many options right now as Jahovac has clearly made. Zheph can either fight his way out of this, get captured, or possibly killed. Everyone has a breaking point.

Arisia

(This image is from http://2012.arisia.org/)

I had received an email offering me a chance to display artwork at the Arisia Art Show. From what the website says, it is a fantasy and science fiction convention that will take place at Westin Waterfront in Boston from January 18th to the 20th 2013. I have decided to purchase an art panel in order to display some of my artwork. It is true that I still have to frame some of my artwork, but that should not be too much of a problem. If this convention is anything like Anime Boston or Connecticon, than it should be a fun time.

(This image is from flickr.com)

 

Avenue Q & Page 29 Finished

 (This image is from http://www.avenueq.com/?gclid=COi4vIX8hrMCFREx4Aodw2YAOQ)

I saw the musical "Avenue Q" performed at the Worcester County Light House Opera this past Sunday night. It was hilarious and I enjoyed the entire performance. Obviously this was not the original cast that performs on Broadway, but it was still performed awesomely.

"Avenue Q" is an adult version of "Sesame  Street" with lots of humor inappropriate for children, but this musical has many themes that speaks to young adults around the time of and after college. This musical also has some important life lessons to teach people. These lessons include living responsibly, not to wait for your life to start, giving to others helps make you feel good, do the best you can every day, and everything is temporary.

I am familiar of a few of the songs from Avenue Q, particularly this song called "The Internet is For Porn" from this internet video. It is well known among me and my college friends. I also knew of "If You Were Gay" from another video.

Here is the finished version of page 29. As you can see, it looks much better with shadows and highlights.

Page 29 of Zheph Skyre is Up

 Here is page 29 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. I am not entirely finished with the page, I still have to put in some shadows and some highlights. Right now it just looks a little flat. I will have the undated version uploaded tomorrow.

Zheph has a spring loaded retractable shield. It appears he is entirely okay, but appearances maybe deceiving.

Page 28 of Zheph Skyre

Here is page 28 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. It is just a simple page where Jahovac slashes his huge sword at Zheph, but Zheph just dodges it easily.

I was inspired to make this scenario from an Anime show called Rurouni Kenshin, where Rurouni fights Sagara Sanosuke who wields a giant sword. Sagara was very strong and many fans of the show loved his monstrous sword, however it proved to be useless against Rurouni. Rurouni tells Sagara that his sword is much too large to use against Rurouni and is therefore too slow and predictable in movements. Rurouni was not only able to move fast, but he was also very smart, which is among the best attributes I respect about his character.

I will reveal how Zheph managed to withstand the blow of Jahovac's sword next time.

Ted

(This image is from imdb.com.)

Tonight I finally saw the movie Ted. It was showing at a theater called West Boylston Cinemas that plays movies after they leave normal theaters and before they come out onto DVD. It is usually a good idea to go to this theater because it costs much less than normal theaters, probably about $4 or more cheaper depending on where and when you go.

This was a really funny movie, though it did seem to be a live action version of Family Guy, however it was still really funny. I think this movie was funnier than some of the newest episodes of Family Guy because this was a movie, and typically there is a lot more time put into making movies than a television show. I can definitely understand that Seth Macfarlane used a lot of his style of humor and references when he directed this movie, which is why it can be compared to Family Guy so easily. Here are some of the similarities: a seemingly innocent thing able to talk and use adult humor, some bizarre daydreaming, a weird fight between a guy and something you wouldn't expect, and a climactic chase scene.

Overall, this was a good movie making great use of Mark Walberg, Mila Kunis, and even Patrick Stewart who was the narrator. I was surprised at some of the random celebrity appearances.

Page 27 of Zheph Skyre has Been Uploaded

I have uploaded page 27 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. Here we see Jacques is getting furious with Jahovac, but it appears that Jahovac won't take any verbal abuse from anyone, even his employer. Zheph appears to be alright from the blow of Jahovac's sword.

My portfolio webpage has been experiencing some difficulties lately. I know the SWF movie file I have of my portfolio works on my computer, but when I upload it to www.godaddy.com, it doesn't work. I will have to contact them in order to find out what is the matter with it. I can not begin to apply to animation jobs when my website is not working properly.

Pig Animation Finished

I finished the animation that I made for last month's 11 Second Club entry. I added a few more things to the background and I finished drawing out the mouth movement for dialogue. Now I must apply for animation companies because I can not wait any longer.

King Richard's Fair Columbus Day Trip

As you can see, I did not upload a web comic page today. I decided to take the day off from that and go to King Richard's Faire in Carver Massachusetts. I will update the web comic this Wednesday.

King Richard's Faire is a Renaissance Fair that takes place in Carver, Massachusetts during the months of September and October. I remember going to this when I was little, and today I went with my mom.

 

We didn't bother to buy any food because all of the food and merchandise is all expensive. In fact, for recent years at the faire, the only way to purchase food is to buy food tickets and use them instead. That is ridiculous because if you want to buy something to eat, you might have some leftover tickets and you would have to buy more just to use them all up. The merchandise is at least very interesting to look at. They sell outfits, weapons, art, and more. There are also some games people can play like throwing knives, throwing axes, ninja stars, darts, and arrows.

 Mostly I end up going to see the art and the numerous shows that are performed throughout the day. There are a few funny shows here and there. Some of them have some impressive tricks.

There was "Daniel, Duke of Danger" who managed to balance himself by the head on a doll, juggled with flaming torches, balanced on a latter while twirling six rings and balancing a spinning plate, and he managed to even drink from a mug he balanced on the back of his head while standing on his hands. He had plenty of funny jokes too.

 There was also the "Torture Show" where the guy performed some very gross stunts and made use laugh with PG-13 humor.

There was also "Jacques ZeWhipper" who performed stunts with whips. He broke off the bottom of a soda can and even lit a whip on fire which managed to create a fireball when he whipped it. He also made some funny jokes while using a French accent.

There was even a knife throwing show.

There were these humorous wenches that had a funny performance.

 

 There were also a few interesting animals like tigers, ponies, an owl, and more.

 

This fair is held each weekend until October 20th, so if you want to see any of this I suggest you check it out. I have heard of a Renaissance Fair in Connecticut that is cheaper, so I just have to remember to check it out.

September 2012 11 Second Club Animation Submission

Here is my 11 Second Club animation I submitted for September 2012. I know that I didn't complete the mouth movement and a few small details here and there, but I know for certain that this animation has some better qualities than some of my other animations. I probably won't get that good of a rating for the September submissions, though there were quite a few that were terrible compared to mine, but that no longer matters. I will finish this animation as soon as possible, post it on my portfolio page, and start submitting my resume to animation and website companies again.

Page 26 of Zheph Skyre is Up

Here is page 26 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. Jahovac has swung the flat end of his monstrous sword at Zheph, sending him skidding on the ground. Normally, someone would probably be extremely hurt by such a blow from a gigantic slab of metal. Zheph might have some bruises and even broken bones. Has Zheph been captured by the Jacques and his gang? Find out next time!

I was trying for a humorous look on Zheph's face as the sword was swinging at him. Hopefully that point got across.

Rock Critic Possibilities

I have just drawn in Flash the skull of that Rock Critic character that I had sketched not too long ago. Here are two possibilities that I was thinking of. One, I could have it with red horns and blue hair.

Two, I could have it with blue horns and red hair.

These are not the final color choices. I definitely think that the background should at least be black though. Perhaps I will change some of the colors from time to time. If anyone has any suggestions, I am open to them.

Pretty much the eyebrows, irises, and jaw would move much like Jeff Dunham's puppet "Achmed the Dead Terrorist." The hair would move adjacent to the movement of the head, and I would have layers of black that would morph in order to act as eyelids. There would be animations in my reviews that would be more detailed than this skull character.

"Looper" and Page 25 in Color

I went to see the movie "Looper" tonight. I found it to be an interesting movie with some interesting concepts for the science fiction genre.

(This image is from imdb.com)

I was skeptical at first about this movie because the premise involves time travel. I know a lot of media have tackled that concept, but I know that if it is not done in a smart manner than the whole story flops. There would be too many questions about what would happen to someone if they met themselves from the future and if someone went back to the past to change history. Luckily this movie goes about it in a logical way. I have seen better science fiction movies, but this was at least entertaining. It was at least a good use of Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis.

Here is page 25 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. Zheph tries to talk his way out of an imminent fight, and what he says does make sense. Jahovac only seems to be angered by this.

Page 25 of Zheph Skyre is Up, But Is Not Colored Yet

Here is page 25 of my Zheph Skyre web comic. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to color it because the animation I had due for the 11 Second Club required a lot of time to finish. I will have the colored version of this page uploaded tomorrow.

This might mean that I will have to have my update schedule on Mondays and Thursdays for the most part. It will only be on certain occasions that I will have a third page done in a week.