On Japan

I know we're all watching the news and e-mailing our friends/families/idols/shopping services people who are in Japan right now, and some of us are donating. I'm posting quickly to state that I firstly recommend 1000 Cranes for Japan as a way that you can help out. As those of us on the more weeboo side of things know, there is a belief in Japan that folding 1000 origami cranes will give you a wish. This group is selling crane earrings and bookmarks and sending the profits to the Red Cross. Giving is great, but it's a cynical truth to life that most people tend to be more willing to give when they get a present than not, unless they're directly cornered with guilt or are somehow directly effected by whatever we are donating for.

On top of that, they are also getting artists in on the project where the artists pledges that they will send a drawing to whoever gives $10 to the Red Cross and e-mails them proof of their contribution. I've decided to help out in this effort by contributing ink and limited color drawings for $10 donations to the Red Cross with an email to me (at CerridwenStorms@gmail.com) showing proof and your address. I'm considering drawing a full color print for $15 contributions as well. I'll be doing this with the 1000 Crane project until April, which is how long they're doing the donations. I'll be updating on this later tomorrow.

UPDATE: The print, alas, is not happening, at least not before April. However, I will still be doing ink drawings for anyone donating and emailing me proof. The drawings will be black ink on 6x6in bristol with limited color touches.

I finally scanned that other piece I did and now it's up on hitRECord. It's a pretty simple drawing, so the size there is clear enough that I'm not going to repost it here for details. I might edit the curves or something. The glare of those doves in the center didn't show up on the monitor I scanned it with.

By the way, watercolor on craft paper is a pain in the ass, but I like the effects. The hitRECord image was with cheap Sakura opaques, but here's a piece from this morning's class that uses my good transparent watercolors (though I also used the Sakura back and white).

Looking again at the hitRECord formating, I'm realizing that the drawing I just put up on there (the other still needs to be scanned), is pretty small in resolution. So, I'm posting it here as well. Do remember that it's on hitRECord, though, so while it's still mine to display and sell independently if I wish to, it is licensed as collaboration material within that company. It also does use two other sources through hitRECord; the wings are partial traces from photographs (it's a time saver and I found the wings in those photos quite lovely).

Anyhow, here it is:
The RECord itself is here.

Woah, I disappeared there again. Well, I'm still working on those other images. And catching up with school. But I just churned out a sketch and an experimental drawing for hitRECord.org, so check it out! I'm ChrisStorms there.

Trying to get back into the grove

Here, have a sketch that isn't what I was just talking about.

The Crazy Voice of My Other Blog Speaks

Also, it's just easier to talk as I do on there here.

So, being the JGL fan I am and also enamored of the idea of hitRECord.org (though I have yet to muster the guts to submit anything on there), I decided to follow Joseph Gordon-Levitt on his Twitter. There's a lot of great stuff he retweets. And some creepy things.

Like this:


Now, it's totally clear how this happened. The pic, if you didn't check the link, is all the 2010 covers of Vogue in all it's global editions. The blurred figure is a simple product of preferred model placement and simplicity of poses, and a lot of the linear blurs are from the shifts in type placement.

Knowing how this happens doesn't make it less creepy.

Being an artist actually makes it a little creepier, actually.

As a visual artist, I'm trained to look at something in real life and break it down into simple shapes. I'm also trained to look at simple shapes and figure out their potential and see how I can build on them.

Looking at that Vogue picture got me... well...


There's something wrong with my head. That, or I really miss anatomy classes.

At least I don't think I'm the only one that sees it? I was talking to my friend Ria (her blog can be read here), and apparently she was able to follow me on this. I like to think that my own friends can tell me flat out when they just think I'm crazy and seeing things.

(Ria's in the yellow smears. Red smears are me.)

In all honesty, though, it's kinda cool that I saw skulls through out the image. It makes me remember my roots and honestly, this simple reblogged image has inspired me to work a little more experimentally, while I've been in a fat creative funk. I'm hoping good things come out of this. I sincerely do want to work with the cover composite and build it into something beautiful.

Also, anyone with experience with/understanding of psychology, even if it was only a college class or two: feel free to analyze me on those two drawings. I love getting analyzed, as long as I'm sober.

Here, have a dump

I really need to scan some more work, but here's some of what I've been doing this semester:

Painting of David Bowie. I never again want to paint Ben-Day dots. Which, of course, means that I'm going to do it again, like an ass.

They make us do typography. It's kinda lame, but at the same time, extremely useful. Also, I get to play with hardware. Yay!


Both of these are sketches that I then rendered (poorly) in Illustrator for two different classes. I really can't say I'm a big fan of Illustrator. Some of what I do in it is fun, but minimalistic. I really want to go back and paint these sketches at some point.

I actually know basic animation in Photoshop now! Which I really was retarded in trying to figure out before hand. I had to do a banner design for our web portfolio design class, which I would never use on my actual website. I really just did it so the professor sees that I'm doing work. Of course, I have no clue if this thing actually works. I guess I'll see after I upload this post.


Speaking of web portfolio design, this is the mock up for the main page of my website. Obviously not up yet, as I'm tweaking it and haven't bought web space yet, but it's a basic idea of what I'm going to do with it. I'm most likely going to have a more refined image on the front too, but I like it for what it is.

This is the mock up for the gallery navigation.

And this is the background for the section titled "Writing Desk", which is seriously under a lot of work, since it will feature the WIP of my two novels.

Alright, my class is over, and I'm off to Dances of Vice! I'll try to update more soon. Ciao!