40-51: yes, i really am this far behind

But i SWEAR i've been making things! here's the list!

So the last post i had done was Dec 19th, and early into the 20th i made this little guy:

That day i went out with what little money i had to try and make some christmas gifts for my mom and my dude's mom. I ended up buying a 2 pack of candles and some fancy garland from Michaels and some 99cent store ribbon and hot glue gunned together this business:

I have to point out now that i didnt have a camera handy (yes, all billion cameras i own, and i didn't use one) while making these candles, so i only have this one of my mom's after she's already lit it.

The 22nd, i went out and bought the makings for my brother and dad's gifts but didnt break into them just yet. Instead i ended up trying out "watercolor" techniques on photoshop. The tutorial i found made mine kind of ugly, so I found my own picture, used their outline and tweaked it a little and made this one:

23rd was my dude's sister's birthday and we went out that night, but not before i used my matte cutter! I  printed out a Kings team photo and framed it for my dad's christmas present. I didnt get a great picture of this one cuz the glass is too reflective and it was nighttime and i don't feel like taking a better one- you get the gist. 

Now my dumbass put off my brother's gift till christmas eve (and it was the hardest to do) and when i got home from my grandparents party, i started this guy (around 11:30 pm). It took me a good 3 hours to complete it, i started to screw parts up so i had to stop, and you know, sleep! But he loved it :)

Christmas Day was jammed packed, but i had time after we got back from our 4 house stops to complete something for the day. I decided i'm gettin a little sick of recreating tutorials, so i made a couple of my own things, by applying what i've learned in other tutorials.

So this was basically the final outcome of a tutorial (except they desaturated it and i didn't like it, so i left the colors and i used different brushes for the paint strokes :) also found different "stamp" to use in the bottom right, i found the characters for "tiger" and put it there instead.

On the 26th i made this guy:

Ok, so he was a tutorial, but they did so much other shit in the tutorial that i thought was unnecessary (they added plants and snake and made the throne green, i dont know), so i left it like this.

The 27th:

The 28th:

the 29th:

the 30th:

And last but not least, the 31st, HAPPY NEW YEARS!

I used techniques i remembered doing in that long forgotten photoshop class, like this zombie pinup. I made a "zombie" of sorts for a CD cover assignment, used cracked brushes to make "veins" and lightly brushed over the pinup stamp with color to give it character. Also came up with that snazzy tag line all by myself ;)

I did a lot of Layer Mask stuff and things I hadn't learned (or maybe i did and dont remember) to make all the other ones too. The audrey was a stencil tutorial thing that i made differently, the flowers from the 30th were supposed to be like "old photos" with the sepia tone and vignetting.

I had downloaded a bunch of brushes like the butterflies, grass, birds, trees, twigs, etc. and made all the different "scene's"

Now since it's the last day of 2012, I resolve to (REALLY) try and post more often! *crosses fingers*

Day 39

I was sick yesterday and today i didnt get out of bed till 4pm. I whipped up a quick monochromatic collage:

again, i just used a bunch of brushes that i had previously downloaded. there's 1 colored piece in the section (blue bird on the branch, bottom right).

Day 38

So i didn't feel good today, and i don't want to spend all day on the computer, so i just took a bunch of brushes i downloaded and created a collage:

i just picked a bunch of pretty things and then did watercolor brush strokes with color on top.

day 37

I decided to take on a big collage and I found this one the other day. I hadn't finished the other previous collages yet, so i held this one off to the end.

 I think i like this one the best. I had to do a couple different things on this one, the elephant and the ladder were dead links, so i had to find my own pictures for it, quick google search and i could complete the scene.

I really liked the warp and puppet warp tools, i haven't used them before, and they were pretty awesome. I think i should've made the photo of the old man a little higher, but i felt it was going to make everything top heavy.

day 34, 35, & 36

So i'm just gonna group together these 3 days cuz i spent the majority of these days doing roughly the same thing. On Thursday, my dude had his hernia surgery, and since then i've basically become an on call nurse (much respect). i've been sitting in this horrible thing i call a desk chair (its 45 years old and the back rest fell off 20 years ago, so its basically a hard, wood stool that gives me back problems), and doing photoshop tutorials i've found online.

so on friday i made this one:

i found the tutorial here. I started doing this one a while back (probably a year ago) and at the time i didnt have the time or patients to figure out all the steps (lay off PS nerds, im not as savvy cuz i took one class 5 years ago and i stopped editing photos a while back).

Now that i have all the time in the world and the creative mindset, i decided to try it again, it could've come out better, but i think i did a good job.

So if you read the tutorial, at the end, it talks about adding a line drawing to the halftone shaded picture, and the photo if it on there was cool. Now, did i know how to use a pen tool? of course not, that wasn't covered in the one class i took (or it could've, i just dont remember cuz it was so long ago!), so i had to try and figure it out.

I spent about 2 hours trying to figure it out (seriously), and i was getting fucking frustrated. Then my wireless mouse started to die and glitch, then my back was hurting, then i wanted to cry.

To make myself feel better, i made this little guy:

I just wanted something created and done, i was getting too mad.

Cut to maybe an hour later, and a video tutorial and BOOM! the light blub clicks on, and the pen tool is explained. You know what the other tutorials were lacking? HOLD DOWN "Alt". Seriously, that was my only problem...but anyway, here was the final line drawing:

I'm actually very proud of this one, i had a really hard time figuring it out and once i did, this thing was actually pretty easy. Plus, i think it looks really good.

So late last night into the early sunday morning (3am to be exact), i finally created when i set out to make, the halftone + line drawing piece:

I like the feel of it, but i think i could've shaded it better or something, something's off and I like the line drawing better. I dont know why i felt the need to finish this thing like it was an assignment i had due in the morning. Oh wait, yes i do, cuz i feel the need to finish things when i start them cuz  hate putting it down to finish later, im too impatient for that. Plus, ill be constantly thinking about how i could've finished it if i just stuck with it, and i fear i wont have the creative juices the next time i pick it up to do it...yea, i know, i'm weird.

anywho, when i went to bed this morning, my back gave out so today my dude bought me an early christmas present: a new desk chair! yay! its so comfy and theres back support and it leans back and theres arm rests, its magical!

It's technically the 33rd day

It's 1:26am, so it's technically the 33rd day. I was working on this new photoshopped thing on 12/12/12 cuz i knew i probably wasnt going to be able to tomorrow. My dude is getting his hernia surgery tomorrow and i gotta take care of him, so i made sure to get this done early and posted so i can stop trying to be behind all the time.

Anywho, i did another one of these tutorials. I ended up having to find a different grandfather clock, and some of the brushes i didn't do quite the same sizes that it called for, but here it is:

I really liked playing with the perspective of the floor, i hadn't done that yet, so that was pretty cool.

I ended up downloading some brushes and i think i've done enough of these to try and create my own 'thing' next time :) anyway, yay for being on time and up to date :D

Day 32: Yuri Gagarin

I've been in a photoshop kick (obviously) and found this tutorial of a vintage looking poster of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first flight into space. He was the first human into outer space actually, orbited Earth and everything!

I have a fascination with outer space and UFOs and stars and whatnot, so i felt that was fitting too :)

anywho, here's my poster:

There was a lot that went into this one. Plus, reading a tutorial and not getting the visual is kinda hard for me (i'm still newish), so i had a harder time with some of the steps, but voila!

It makes me appreciate and understand other composed things, every little detail and thing i had to add and change and manipulate, it was pretty awesome.

31 days in...

I've been working on this one for a while, I wanted to get it just right. I found it off a website yesterday and decided to try and complete it today. 

I started with a black and white background and turned out funky, so i found an old TV test pattern that was gray to use instead. Then I proceeded to follow the video step-by-step and created my own "greeting card".

Now that i've used this, i'm thinking of creating our christmas card this year in a similar fashion (the font and 3D effects I mean).

There's a possibility that I might buy canvas materials and begin making my own canvasses, but that's for tomorrow and maybe won't happen, we'll see...

Day 30: dreamlike

I still don't have canvasses, so i decided to do some more photoshop work. I found a random tutorial online, comes with all the photos you're gonna use (except the 'model' was '404 error' but i just used the photo in tutorial and manipulated it to work).

I thought it was pretty easy to do and i changed a few of the things at the end, mainly because the tone was wonky. I'm kinda excited to have some new brushes in there though, some bubbles and fish :D

*edit: i did this yesterday, but didn't load it, i'm in the middle of another one, i'll load it for today's entry (the current day) when i'm finished.

Day 29

Since I was out of canvasses, I couldn't paint today (BUMMER! i'm in such a groove!). So i decided to just create some more stuff online. While i was looking for cats and movie monsters the other day, i came across this lady:

I really liked the black and white and decade and the pose, i just didn't know what to do with her. I thought about making a whole scene, something comin at her, that's why she's screaming, but i didn't need to add more cats to this.

So what i ended up coming up with was a stamp in photoshop and just creating a fun collage, playing around with the colors and blending. I haven't really done this kind of stuff since my 2nd semester in college, so i had to reteach myself. But its like riding a bike, i had what was in my head going down in photoshop pretty quickly. here's what i came up with:

I don't know what the hell i'm going to put this on, or where i'm going to put it or whatever, but i like it :)

I do think i should have turned her around, or mirrored her more so that it wasn't all looking in the same direction, but oh well, first one i've done in a while, gimme a break!

Day 28

I decided to make another one of the creature cats:

this was my favorite when i created it on the computer, and i think it's the best one ive made so far :)

It seemed like the blending blacks/whites/grays was easier on this guy, i don't know, maybe i'm getting better, maybe there was just enough good areas to play off of, either way, he's the best so far.

I don't know where to hang these guys either (i have no wall space!), and i don't want to sell them (just yet).

i ran out of canvasses, so i have to pick something new to make tomorrow...i did get paid for edwina's photo shoot, so maybe i'll go buy the fixin's for more canvasses...maybe...

twenty-seven

I'm switching it up today, and creating something entirely different: FOOD!

so my dude and i were hungry and didnt know what to make, so we looked up quick, simple recipes to make late at night. We found one for these artichoke bottoms with scrambled eggs and pancetta and this yogurt with a hint of lemon sauce.

We also found this salad of sorts: tomatoes, snap peas, corn, and red onion with a super light balsamic vinegarette dressing.

we were doing it late and none of the grocery stores had pancetta, so we used thick cut bacon instead. here's the process:

prepping

mmm, bottoms

the awesome salad

bacon!

drizzlin the sauce.

decided to make a fancy one too

my dude approves

it was freaking DELICIOUS! we ate it standing in the kitchen, devoured it actually, and then watched the walking dead :)

26

Today, i made 2 paintings of the computer creations i made yesterday:

I did the Bride of Frankencat first! and then Frankencat! (only cuz i thought it'd be easier to do the bride first)

It was actually pretty easy to do, i don't know why i thought it'd be harder.

I did have a little trouble on Frankencat's forehead, and the blending fur/"human" areas, but i still think it came out ok :)

Day 25: halloween in december

My friend helps out in a local art walk, and back in october she wanted me to do some art. I ended up making some and thought about some more ideas, but never got to put it into a show.

Since the itch is being scratched lately, i went back to an idea i had, but never made: frankenstein cat!
well bride of frankenstein actually, but then i got the idea to do a bunch of them :)

now im not done painting them, but i've created a couple in photoshop that i think counts for today, since alone, they're awesome:

i think im gonna do the mummy next...we'll see, for now, those are them :)
*edit:

late last night i ended up making the mummy cat, i just didn't get on here and add it :)

Day 24: art, art, and more art

so i posted in the last update that i got in an art fix again. thanks to my friend's outside encouragement, i decided to try and do some more, and today i created this:

i love ornate frames, and i've been in a mood to try and master making them (drawing and painting).

here's a couple detail shots just cuz:

thats my art box and some oil paint and paint pens on scrap paper :)

day 16-23: grouping is easier now

Wow, not posting every day really does add up. I will admit, I'm not completely following the book now, BUT i am creating everyday, which essentially was the reason i bought the thing in the first place.

I've been in a creative rut, so i did this to jump start my art, and it's been working. I also haven't "documented" everything, mainly cuz i can't document film in a camera that hasn't been process/printed yet, but it's been getting done! trust me!

another reason posting things has taken a backseat is cuz my dude got a hernia and i've been dealing with him. I've also gotten out of the house on random nights and hung out with friends (which i haven't done in a long time, sad i know).

so here's some work updates:

one of the suggestions from the book a while back was to make a stamp out of a potato or sponge or something. i decided i just wanted a hand print, so i put one on the back of my door :)

day 17 was to make something "for your eyes" and i interpreted it as something visual, not like mask or something. so i made 'POW!' to add to my earlier creation of comic book collage art:

day 18 was my dudes birthday and we spent that in urgent care for his hernia. i had taken a picture of him in the office, but he wasn't too happy about that, so i had to delete it.

day 19 was when i added to my comic book action words and made a BAM!:

i really liked the way the dots lift off the paper :)

day 20 we went to LACMA. mainly to see the stanley kubrick exhibit. i was in awe of the cameras and lenses to see when you first walk in:

day 21: we went half assed christmas shopping and i brought my film camera (pentax k1000) loaded with color film and snapped some pictures around the mall. eventually those will be developed, im broke right now.

day 22: sunday we went and got dollar store christmas decorations and wrapping paper. i got this on our door now:

day 23: (which was yesterday) i finally got to hang out with my friend KC who i hadn't seen in way too long. we had a catch up session and she told me how much she likes the art i've been posting (most before i started this endeavor). I invited her over and showed her some of them in person. she got me very amped that maybe (just maybe!) people would consider buying some stuff.

i don't have a lot money (more like zero right now) and i've been thinking about selling some of my stuff. so last night i got into my groove again and created this little guy:

he matches my kitty i made a while back :) im going to attempt to make more and something else today, so that is my goal for today, MORE ART! and ill post a separate one for that just to get back on track :)