Wednesday, December 21, 2011

20 Hours, Give or Take.

I've said it before and most of you were already aware that I am a unrepentant nerd. Well my nerd world just got a bit more exciting. The first trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was just released. I'll admit, I'm not a huge Tolkienite. I haven't read the Lord of the Rings (henceforth to be referred to as LOTR) trilogy. I have read The Hobbit though and I was thoroughly impressed. It was a great story. And the movie looks like it's going to be every bit as good. Peter Jackson is back doing his thing. The visual effects are every bit as good as, if not better than, the LOTR movies. Unfortunately, the movie won't be released until late next year. That means my fellow nerds and I must endure the strategically scheduled teasers and constant hype for nearly a year. Fortunately though, I'm pretty sure that this won't be a massive letdown like Revenge of the Sith, and the last two Matrix movies. So enduring a years worth of marketing is a small price to pay.
Oh, this is somewhere around 20 hours. Starting to get sick of this barn. On a brighter note, I finally found colored graphics pens in the size I use. Hoping to try them out soon and see just what I can do with them. I've never been very good with color, but I think I might have a chance with these.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

18 hours

Alright people, you've all been silently following my blog for some time now. I want to hear you guys weigh in on this one. What are you favorite/unusual Christmas traditions? For us, my dad makes suffle (not souffle) every year. It's a wonderfully delicious dish that contains bacon, bread, ham, eggs, cheese, milk, and corn flakes. We also have a fruit salad and cinnamon rolls with it. This year we'll be making a slight modification to the tradition as we have to do it on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas morning. But we'll still have grandma and grandpa over, and the kids will open their presents after we eat. We had my dad's family Christmas part this last Saturday and like many other families we do the white elephant gifts. Every year the cordial cherries and thin mints are the favorites that everyone likes to steal. We also have the tradition of trying to hit each other in the face with wadded up wrapping paper when you're not looking. Sometimes grandma gets mad about that one though. And of course, just like Thanksgiving, we all eat way too much. Mmmmmmmmm food.
This is about eighteen hours worth of work. Apparently I grossly underestimated the amount of time this project was going to take. I was figuring between 30 and 40 hours. Considering I'm not even halfway done yet, looks like 50 to 60 might be more accurate.

Monday, December 12, 2011

14 Hours and a Giveaway.

So I was talking to a friend the other day and she accused me of being pessimistic. Which I don't believe to be the case at all. I simply enjoy trying to think of the worst case scenario for any given situation. That doesn't mean I expect it to happen. She mentioned how nice living in Alaska would be. I said it's too cold. She said, "But you would have all that hunting available." To which I replied, "Yeah, but I have terrible circulation and my feet would get frostbite then gangrene from infection and I'll die." Logical chain of events to the worst case scenario right? I have a knack for this. It doesn't matter how benign the situation may seem, I can come up with a terrible outcome preceded by a reasonable sequence of mishaps. Think you can come up with something that no matter what cannot end badly? Well leave a comment and I'll prove ya wrong. For the first person to stump me, I will do one piece of custom artwork (either a drawing or pen and ink, winners preference.*)
Well this is right around 14 hours worth of work. The parts I thought I could consider finished turned out otherwise. That's the problem with my brain. I continuously think of ways it could be better. Good enough is never good enough for me. That's  probably why a lot of my drawings are unfinished.


*Contact author for contest rules and prize details.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

12 Hours

I think I've found the meaning of life. My life that is. The meaning of your life may be (and probably is) drastically different. Or your life may not have any meaning and you're just using precious oxygen. How can you be so selfish? Just kidding. Everybody has a purpose, sometimes it just takes a while to figure out what it is. Back to mine.
I have realized that the expression "if it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all" and Murphy's Law seem to be aimed specifically at me. I'm a walking disaster. I'll admit, a large part of it is due to my lack of foresight. But it seems a disproportionate amount that is outside my control falls to me. Don't get me wrong, this isn't me complaining about how hard or unfair life is. I understand that there are others out there like me who seem to bear the brunt of the load of misfortune. The reason I think this is true is that we are better able to cope with constant frustration or disappointment. I believe God has given us the gift of endurance. We shoulder the burdens that if left to others could be too much for them. Not everyone is equipped to handle these types of stresses the way we are. And I don't have a problem with this. If my ability to stand the constant letdowns, upheavals, and general crap that life gives us means that someone else doesn't have to suffer them and is able to face the world another day, then so be it. I'll gladly accept that role. 
What's the meaning of your life?
So I've got approximately twelve hours into it now. As you can see, I'm making actual progress and that's really the only thing that keeps me going on something so tedious. That and the fact that I want it to be done in time for the family Christmas party.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Nine Hours

Alright, so how many of you remembered what today is? Without having to be reminded by the news? That's what I thought. This date marks a watershed event in American history. An event that would affect the lives of millions of Americans and others around the world. That's right, today marks the anniversary of the first use of instant replay in a televised football game.
It was 1963 and CBS used it in the Army/Navy game. Little did they realize the effect this would have on the American populace.
Okay, so obviously that isn't the most important thing to happen on this date. Marcus Antonius had Cicero assassinated. Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution. And the crew of Apollo 17 flew the final manned mission to the moon.
Wait...what? I forgot one? Oh that's right, December 7th is the day that Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt called it "A date that will live in infamy." Unfortunately, as our Greatest Generation passes away, the significance seems to pass with them. This was the event that pulled us into World War II. An endeavor in which over 400,000 Americans and 60 million people world wide would lose their lives. This was one of the defining moments in modern history, and how do we observe it? A few television specials and news articles. 2402 men and women died in that attack, and we give it no more thought than Columbus Day.

Just about nine hours of work so far. Parts of it are to the point where I would consider them finished, but I'm still less than a third of the way done i think.

Friday, December 2, 2011

six hours

Man, it's December 5th already. Where has this year gone? Heck, it seems like just yesterday that I was writing my first amazing blog post for my adoring audience. But now it's three months and thirty five posts later. And you have to admit they were some awesome posts. But like I said to begin with, it's December 5th. That means Christmas is fast approaching. What a great time of year this is. The obligatory trampling of the elderly on Black Friday is over. The nerve wracking, shoulder to shoulder throng of people returning lousy gifts has yet to come. People are still enjoying the early glow of the Christmas season when joy to all and good will toward men is still warming their hearts. And hasn't yet been replaced by the murderous rage that comes from fighting through the endless tide of people desperately seeking the perfect gift for someone they really don't like all that much but feel compelled to give something to because it's their wife's friend's cousin and if you don't your wife's friend won't like you and then your wife won't be happy.
I'm sorry, that probably came across as somewhat jaded. Okay, you want a happy holiday post, here ya go.
I love Christmas. It's such a wonderful time of year when everybody seems to remember to be kind to their fellow man. It's a magical time when families come together and old hurts are healed. We remember the birth of Jesus and the Good News he brought us. We sit with our children around the Christmas tree, drinking egg nog or hot cocoa, singing Christmas carols or watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Everybody is happy and anything is possible, because it's Christmas.
You're not buying it eh? Me either. That's because regardless of the time of year, we're still all people. And people screw up and hurt each other and make bad situations worse. But in the midst of all that, during the Christmas season, there is something that reminds people that they don't always have to act the way they normally do. People DO find ways to mend fences or heal hurts or just reach out to comfort someone in need. I guess if that means I have to put up with a ton of jerks in traffic, or unruly mobs in the stores, then so be it. I'm more than willing to sacrifice a bit of my own comfort if it means the miracle of Christmas is able to reach others.

About six hour worth of work. A lot more detail and starting to fill in more area. You may be getting a feel for just how time intensive a piece like this is.

Three Hours

Well it seems I've run into a small hiccup in my fund raising for the mission trip to Honduras. It seems that I inadvertently violated the terms and conditions of my AdSense account. Because of this, my account was deactivated and I can no longer host AdSense ads on my blog. I understand that I was in error but you would think they would cut a guy a little slack for a minor mistake when it's rather obvious that all my actions were done in good faith that I was abiding by the rules. Oh well. I'm sure there are plenty of other advertisers that will be delighted to be featured on my blog. After all, it is the best blog YOU have ever read. 
Even though I didn't expect the revenue from the ads to even come close to paying for my trip, every little bit helps. I've decided that I need to be more pro-active in my fund raising. That's why I'm going to be stepping WELL out of my comfort zone. In one week, the church I attend (Bailey Christian Church) will be hosting a craft bazaar and silent auction. The booth fees paid by the vendors is going toward the church missions fund. I will be participating in this as well. I will have some of my artwork for sale as well as delicious, homemade, pure Michigan maple syrup. I will also be working on the gift for my grandparents so those interested can see just what my technique entails. The money I raise from my sales will also be going towards the Honduras mission trip next August. Feel free to stop by and see me at work, and maybe you'll see something that catches your eye. The church is located in Bailey, Michigan. It's the only church in town and it's right on the main road so if you can't find it I don't know what to tell you. If you don't know where Bailey is, don't feel bad, that's quite common. It's about twenty miles north of Comstock Park on M-37.
Approximately three hours into the project. Still not much area covered but the finer details are starting to become evident.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Why do I Enjoy This?

Okay, for those of you that don't know me and haven't read my previous posts, I am a bit of an artist. My preferred mediums are pencil and pen & ink. While I have spent a lot of time drawing over the years, pen and ink is something I've only really been serious about for the last few years. I tried my hand at it in art class in high school and had decent success, but I was never as comfortable with it as pencil drawing. But when I again tried my hand at it after years of avoidance, I found out I was pretty good. I've posted some of the work I've done in previous posts so you can judge for yourself if you feel like taking the time to go back through them.
I guess what makes my pen & ink work different is that unlike most artists, I have chosen to use the technique of stippling. What is stippling? I'm glad you asked (otherwise this post would have to be cut much shorter than I had originally planned).
Dictionary.com has a lousy definition of stippling. While technically accurate, it doesn't begin to adequately describe just how time consuming the process actually is. Sure, you can get a decent picture using a larger pen and fewer dots, but if you really want it too look good, it takes thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dots from the finest point pen you can get. I use a .05 millimeter graphic pen. That's the smallest I was able to find. Just to help give you and idea of what all is involved in one of my pieces I'm going to start a miniseries of posts following my current work. This work is going to be a gift for my grandparents, so please don't tell them. I don't have to worry about them reading this as I'm quite certain neither of them has ever even attempted to use a computer.
This is a photo of the picture after approximately one hour of work. Yes, I know the perspective seems terrible in this picture. That's because it is. I've always had a problem with that, but you will see that it has been rectified in later posts.
 As you can see, an hours worth of work doesn't get you much when it comes to this style. I have a very minimal amount filled in with almost no fine detail. I should be able to update daily on this work as I hope to have it finished by the 17th of this month.  If you have any questions feel free to email me at looneygrant@gmail.com.