NEWS 10/24/09
I've been married for a while now and it's one of the greatest things I've even had in my life. The love and the friendship are endless and grow stronger each day. Knowing I come home from work to someone who loves me as much as I love them. It's a beautiful thing.

Nothing in this world worth having comes easy. I spent three years in love with a woman I couldn't touch, kiss or even tell how I felt. And then in one single moment I was able to love who my heart once only dreamed of. When life gets me down I remind myself of what transpired to bring me such bliss. How fragile life can be. How if I had been too busy that weekend, I would still be alone and that thought brings even more terror than death could ever hope to summon in my heart.

Life is to short short for if's and maybe's. Jump in or you might regret it for the rest of your life.

Allison, I love you more than life itself!

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Tips on conveying femininity in art:

I was asked by someone about tips on modeling females. I thought it was a good question as I often see a lot of models and drawings that lack the feminine features we've come to recognize. So I decided to post this in my journal.

Proportions are the most important thing when modeling a female or male. "The Human Figure" by John H. Vanderpoel, is a life drawing book, a cheep and good one, but it offers an in depth view of the human body parts and how they are put together as well as how they flow in "edge loop" like fashion.

The trick to good female models (and drawings) is movement. Nothing on the human body is a straight line, and more so in females. They curve and flow like water, never the same, never still. From the curve of the back to the bend in the shins these details must be brought out in 3D (or drawings).

The model (or drawing) need not look exactly like a real human woman to look "Correct" it only needs to be perceived as a woman. Follow these tips and you can make even a piece of toast look like a woman.

1. Female necks are longer and thinner than males.
2. The shoulders of a female are one and a half heads wide, or a little less, NEVER wider than a male's shoulders.
3. Breasts "roll" off the chest, they do not "stick" off the chest. Even in a bra they do not stick off.
4. Women have a stronger curve in the back than males. The curve is deepest at the small of their back.
5. The waist is thinner than the shoulders and hips. Even in stout women this applies. Only women who are over weight cast their waist beyond their shoulders or hips.
6. Women have bellies. Real or fake, all woman should have a small belly of some type. This SHOULD be modeled in as it is important to the silhouette.
7. Women have HIPS! The hips should be nearly as wide as the shoulders. I see too many models and drawings where the women have tiny hips. (Tiny hips exist in real woman, but we are making art here, unless it's from real life give the girl some hips.) Women have hips, those hips help with the birthing process and lend the iconic "Hourglass" figure.
8. Remember the butt is accentuated by the hips. Gluteus Maximus descends below the crotch and slightly into the thighs.
9. Generally women have longer legs than males. To make this happen we elongate the shins ever so slightly. (Longer legs are feminine, women wear high heels to get the look of longer legs. In the artistic world we draw them with naturally longer legs to promote this feminine feature.)
10. Women have slightly smaller feet and hands than men.
11. Women have softer facial features than men. Avoid hard lines of any type even around the nose and avoid drastic shadowing around the nose, mouth and cheeks. Those hard lines and shadows and give the look of old age or manly features.
12. The brow of the woman is a lot softer and less pronounced than that of a man's.
13. From an artist's point of view women Females tend to have larger eyes. Not huge ugly anime eyes, but they shoulder visible or stand out eyes, this can be done with eyelashes or brighter whites and shines within the eyes.

Advise these tips and you can make anyone or anything feminine in 3D or 2D!

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VAGRANT STORY REDUX:

The redux is a total redesign of the main vagrant story cast in the style of art nouveau. Vagrant story, for those who don't know, is one of the best games around and came out in 2000 on the PS1. It never gained a sequel but deserved one. Thus I've decided to take the old characters, nearly ten years old, and redesign them in a updated style.

Stay Tuned.

Characters:

Ashley Riot
Sydney Lasstarot
Romeo Guildenstern
Callo Merlose
Jan Rozencrantz
John Hardin
Duke Bardorba
Duane
Grissom
Samantha
Neesa
Tieger

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WOMEN OF THE WORLD:

COMPLETED:

Conquistador
[Color] - [Lines]


REMAINING:
Aztec
Barbarian
Byzantine Cataphract
Chinese Soldier
European Crusader
Egyptian Solder
Gladiator
Hashshasin
Highlander
Greek Hoplite
Knight
Mongol
Middle Eastern
Native American
Pict
Persian Immortal
Pirate
Roman Legionary
Samurai
Spartan
Swiss Halberdier
Viking
Zulu

P.S. Let me know if I'm missing a famous warrior type(s) you would like to see, and I'll be sure to add it!