The results of watching this great tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9PUDtVcWhY

I dont usually draw manga, but here is a very manga guy! Twas fun to draw.

Sorry for the crappy picture, I used my mac built in camera to take it, and had to use mirror image ;)

I used an HB pencil, and then a black colour pencil, on A3 sketchpad paper 8)

*YAY*
Sat Feb 6, 2010, 12:03 PM

I've been offered a conditional place at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, to do my choice course of Illustration and Animation!

HURRAH!

It was rather a surprise, a very fast response, as only the day before I received the offer, did I go to the applicant interview!

*warm, beautiful, lovely relief*

Im so excited and nervous!


Mood: Relief
Listening to: Assassin's Creed 2 soundtrack - *love*
Reading: The Art of Princess and the Frog
Watching: Being Human <3
Playing: Assassin's Creed 2 (epic)
Eating: Too much - time for a diet!
Drinking: H2o

Downloaded the Trial for Toon Boom Studio (wanted it for a while!) As I am very keen to get more animating and drawing digitally practised and learned. Toon Boom looks great, and is very simple. Well..the drawing part is..the animating part is still something Im working out! Decided to draw a made up character called "Zeke". I made him a sort of steampunk mechanic or engineer, with the obligatory goggles and autumn colours. I then started to make him look like a typical animated cartoon character (bright, singular colours, simple lineart etc) so here is the result of my first Drawing in Toon Boom! Twas very fun to do! :


 

This 20 minute making of Avatar documentary is just so awesome, fascinating, amazing, interesting, fabulous and epic - makes me want to watch Avatar yet AGAIN and also wish to be a part of it! One day I hope!

Sat Jan 16, 2010, 8:08 PM

Well, Im 18! I had the best birthday ever, it was utterly wonderful and brilliant and I thank and love everyone for making it extra special and amazing. A lovely day with cards, presents, and a photoshoot, lunch and a big wheel, and then a surprise party at the house with all my best friends there to shout surprise at me, then a limo to take some friends home, then a sleepover with some old pals. I was overwhelmed! Morning with family, afternoon with best friend, evening with all my best pals and a few adult family friends and family....

Fantastic day, wouldnt have wanted to spend it any other way, was perfect to spend it with my gorgeous fabulous family and friends!

I also got an incredible gift from mum and dad that I've wanted for a long time: A brand new, shiny new, widescreen Apple Mac! With (a tiny) wireless keyboard and magic mouse! I love it. As Dad calls it "Big Mac" is sitting here on my desk in my little alcove in my room and Im slightly too addicted to it. im hoping to get some new creative software and programmes for it soon but for now its nice to have the glorious Apple produced Macness and the internet in my room

Moving swiftly on!

Im still having self-confidence problems, and therefore my drawing is still suffering. I even read something the other day which either helped or didnt help, sort of saying "if your not enjoying what you do, if you dont like the process of drawing and of art, or struggle and cant get past the self-loathing or art blocks, then maybe this isnt the right path for you, maybe you'd be happier in an entirely new profession path or area. Dont worry, then at least you'll be happier and you'll be able to do it better! Only stick with what you do if its definitely what you want to do and you enjoy every element of it" and I got into the hugely uncertain scared stage of wondering whether anything I do is right or correct or good. But Im sure I am in the right area. Yes, I had other options, but its too late to do that now. I did adore history as well, but i CHOSE to fulfill my primary passion, which is drawing and animation. so thats why Im feeling confused and scared.

I DO love drawing. I have my motto: I draw therefore I am. Ive been drawing all my life since I was 2, Ive filled up countless notebooks, sketchbooks, and pages upon pages of paper. Surely Im doing what is right for me? My path? My...well not to but it cheesily but, destiny? I enjoy it and love it and its the only thing which I can do consistently which also creates, and produces something as a finished product. I cant do that with anything else. I do love it.

I guess what it is is Im realising that, by god, Im 18 and Im hopeless at digital art, I can barely draw in photoshop and the colours are all wrong and very very amateur, not at all how I want to do it. (Id love to have a painterly style in photoshop, sort of oil/sketchy almost? Also with the option to colour in a comic/cartoon style) So Im trying to practise, yes, but I have no idea how to get the desired effect, only the very basics og how to use photoshop. How do i get a painterly style? How do I create works of art in photoshop rather than half-arsed doodles and colouring attempts that are more cell shaded and use too many lens flares (although that can be fun haha)

Im also not as good at pencilling or penning as I would have hoped to be at this age. I see other 18 year olds on deviantart or magazines and Im astonished and amazed and in awe of their skills. Some are utterly fabulous and amazing and I feel hopeless and unskilled after seeing them, I ADORE looking at art and drawings and animation, whether professional or from none-professionals, thats almost my top hobby, I even get a lot of inspiration and ideas from them all, but I also get that feeling of being crestfallen and frustrated that Im just not that good, even in my own style. I wish i could feel fulfilled and pleased with what I do, butthese days, instead of, for example when I was little, just drawing constantly random characters or doodles or creatures or whatever, that was fulfilling cos thats all i wanted to achieve with my drawing, just creating things on paper and loving it.
But now, as well as that, Im also desperate to keep improving and be accomplished and successful.
Its a hard battle. I know Im not the only creative with these problems. Its even a stereotype that artists are depressed creatures. But Im not depressed like THAT. im just ....depressed in another way

I have so many idols I look up too, some famous such as Glen Keane, Tony Bancroft, all the pixar and disney animation artists and animators, and all the people i watch on deviantart, as well as other artists and etc that i see. But this also makes me frustrated at the same time as being determined.

What Id love is if i became an animator/character designer/story artist/illustrator for childrens books and comics, and hired or freelance, one day, when ive come out of university havving studied a course that i would have lOVED (animation adn illustration im hoping!)


I havent drawn much this month, whenever ive tried or even just thought of it ive felt unenthusiastic or come across an art block of some sort, or even a confidence issue.
Its horrible as i just sit there on the computer or ipod or read, and usually i would have drawn as well. Im scared because i need to keep drawing to improve, i want to learn adn practise and do it all the time, but i keep feeling uninspired and hateful of my own style or creations.
Its so weird. i have doodled or drawn a few times and its gone ok, but i also need to stop drawing all the same things, i always draw people, faces, eyes, characters, i need to draw animals and buildings and objects too. But I need guidence to push me forward, i have my family and friends all telling me im doing great and pushing me, yes, but i need someone who also draws to guide me, thats why im looking forward to uni so much, because then i will be surrounded by professionals and creatives all guiding you with your ideas and helpoing to achieve your dreams.

I sound so bloody dramatic!

Im ok, im sure next week i'll pick up a pencil and ill just draw draw draw and (i always do enjoy it its just the weird feeling afterwards of not being good) ill practise all sorts.

Its just getting there.

Anyway i have finished my creative portfolio for uni interviews and im so nervous about that too, but excited as well.
i enjoyed putting my portfolio together and at the same time being stressed lol!

But i scanned alot of drawings for that (although put many originals in too) so i now have an abundance of my drawings in memory sticks so i can now upload new art to deviantart, maybe!

we shall see, im also debating with myself on whether to create a new deviantart account with a new GOOD name and upload my drawings onto there, while keeping this acccount to watch and favourite.

hmmmmmmm....

kaz out!


Mood: Stuck
Listening to: The Secret of Kells soundtrack - beautiful!
Reading: Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding (epic)
Watching: Being Human <3
Playing: Guitar Hero, Wii Fit, and Lego batman
Eating: Too much - time for a diet!
Drinking: Milky Teas to keep warm :)

Seasons Greetings!
Merry christmas, and soon to be a happy new year! ;)
Pleasent yuletide! Happy Holidays!
etc etc lol

I'll leave this short :)

Had a lovely christmas day with my lovely family.
Got some fab and great and brilliant pressies, ate gorgeous delicious (vegetarian of course!) festive food made by Mum, and many snacks and sweet things, and have had a generally nice holiday. Thankyou so much to my family, I love them so much. Thanks to everyone for their gracious and excellent presents! Hugs to all my family and friends. :)

Watched doctor who, which was brilliant, and we all loved it (my dad thought it was "rocking" to quote him)and it was my favourite episode to date. John Simm was utterly manical, sexy, and brilliant, and David Tennant was as good as ever. I cant wait for the last episode now, it looks to be the most dramatic, dangerous, dark and exciting episodes ever. (yay for heroes getting injured...Im sick like that...haha)I watched Hamlet on boxing day (which is today infact) which was 3 hours of pure genius, fabulous set and costumes and acting, and I adored it to bits. David Tennant made Hamlet his own, and the other actors (including patrick stewart and many other great actors) were all fantastic. It was dark, delcious, sexy, and even rather funny and humorous, as well as dramatic and interesting.

There was lots of great christmas television, as well as film showings,
saw where the wild things are on xmas eve, which was pure lovliness and enjoyment and brilliance, we all loved it.

Saw AVATAR at the Imax cinema in bradford with my best friend, which was utterly incredible, the visuals, the special effects, the 3D and the CGI was just completely mind blowing, mesmerising, and overwhelming. It was the best Ive ever seen. Ground breaking brilliance. The story was great, I personally loved it, but I can see the flaws, because it was full of cliches and was full of typical things, stereotypical characters, and the script wasnt the best, i loved it because it was enjoyable and fun, and they are the sort of cliches that I like and enjoy :) (I thought it was like Pocahontas, Fern Gully, Dances with wolves, last of the mohicans, and Titanic all mixed into one,a nd I love all of them so that works out well!) but it was imaginative, and beautiful to look at and felt like you were there too. It made me want to be an animator/story artist even more. It was so inspiring and gorgeous. It was also rather spiritual, I loveed the spiritual aspect of it all, and like a sort of warning to humanity about the future, about how we must love and project nature, and it spoke to me alot because I am a bit of a hippie myself, and it was very wonderful. Of course the battle scene was epic. Awesome. Overall my top film of 2009 along with UP

My little sis got me such a fantastic and thoughtful present for christmas. A specially printed TSHIRT specially for me, which had my quote on it "I draw therefore I am". It is now my favourite item of clothing.
How fitting is that? Brilliant ;)

Anyway, must be off now. Ive done a bit of spring cleaning in all my networking sites and websites, and now to rejoin my family and go off the internet for another few days. It was nice not being on all the time for a few days!
MERRY YULETIDE EVERYONE!

Kathryn

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* Mood: Christmas Spirited
* Listening to: christmas songs, as cliched as it is ;)
* Reading: Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding (epic)
* Watching: Doctor who and Hamlet <3
* Playing: Guitar Hero, Wii Fit, and Lego batman (yay)
* Eating: Too much festive food :) :P
* Drinking: Milky tea

Just got back from the last day of 6th form college (I have to call it that to differenciate it from university! Could call it a sort of 14+ seconday/high school really I guess!)for the year! It is now, thank god, the christmas (and new year) holidays! 2 weeks of rest and relaxation and fun and loveliness! Merry Christmas everyone! Anyway. I have a new job at the college (hopefully, Ive been filling in all the many necessary forms, including all the official paperwork and forms and legal stuff today) that I was chosen for after an interview, and its paid, so Im very pleased. I begin in january when we are back after holidays. Its 8 hours a week and the pay is very good even for a teenager like me, so Ill have that for 6 months before the summer holidays and then its...UNIVERSITY! 8D wow. I have to go in tomorrow to have my first meeting in that job role so Im nervous again, but pleased. Hopefully it will all be straightforward introduction. The people involved are all very nice and friendly! It gets into serious business after the year but the job sounds fairly easy and interesting so tis all good! Im lucky to have found it and got it. One of many things to have cheered me up Unluckily I have both a rather nasty cold (arent they always?) and my period today. Nice eh? But I wont let that stop my spirits. Im feeling so happy now its the end of the week, and the holidays, and christmas soon! Im seeing AVATAR IN 3D at the IMAX in bradford on monday with my best friend lucy/ten2rose/beres_ford. I cant wait. Ive been so excited for a whole year ever since I heard about this film. Ive watched the trailer so many times, and seen loads of clips recently, read all the reviews (which are all brilliant and glowing and mostly 5 star!) and its only made my obsession with it even stronger. It looks utterly amazing. What a lovely start to the holidays too, seeing a fantastic 3D groundbreaking extravaganza film in the IMAX with my best buddy I book the tickets for the film and the train tomorrow, so that'll be even more exciting I have finally got my art USB stick back from my aunts house, so will try and upload a few random drawings from that before christmas. (My friend (lucy again) also wants to scan and upload a christmas card I made her with her character on it, from our graphic novel. She made me a lovely one too. We opened each others christmas presents recently too and they were all fanastic. Lovely lovely lovely!) So yeah, Ill try and upload some more things. I think Im slowly coming out of mylow confidence issues and drawing block. I always draw its just whether the end product is one Im satisfied with but, now its the end of the week, Im feeling much better. I feel great. so happy and relieved. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me and been so lovely to me in my hard month or two of depression and down time, not just for my weird drawing failure, but for other things. (Especially lucy, mum, dad, and eleanor)Im getting much better! Maybe now its the holidays and I spend more time looking after myself, eating better, sleeping better. Will be good! Since its now the holidays, I have now 2 weeks to focus on putting together my creative portfolio for my three university interviews I have been offered. Im very excited but very nervous. Im slightly hindered by not having a scanner, but Im sure Ill find a way to get them copied/photocopied/scanned or photographed. I have a camera and mum has photocopier at work, as does the library, and my friend has a scanner, so added up it will all be fine im sure. I have a few drawings on my USB stick too so thats all good. I've alreayd got my large A3 folder as a portfolio, and ive made a temporary contents page. Im thinking so far to have these sections in the plastic wallets (no particular order): People, Character designs, life drawing, comics, sequential images, animals, buildings, vehicles. I need to draw loads over the holiday, what a perfect excuse Need to draw and practise drawing more animals and buildings and vehicles, as I neglect that area hugely *gulps*, but also draw even more than I already do (yay) Hopefully then I will have even more new art to put in my portfolio, as well as the old and recent drawings. I have been offered interviews by my top two choices, Illustration and Animation at Anglia Ruskin in cambridge, and Animation at University of Creative arts in farnham, and a online portfolio review for the Edinburgh college of art. Hopefully all will go well! *fingers crossed) Im just glad that whatever happens, i will do what I love best at university. I mean, drawing/illustration and animaiton, as a DEGREE. How perfect. Im so excited. Anyway. Still got the rest of my diploma to do in college, only 6 months left now. Wow. Im going to be so sad and overwhelmed when its all over. Everything is coming to an end. Drawing to a close. How sad but...exciting. Doctor who, college, merlin, childhood. Its all coming and going. But how wonderful the ride is. Yes Im feeling much happier now. Everythings feeling up. Ive got loads of work done. I worked so hard to get as much as possible out of the way before the holidays and now I only have one small report and half a report to finish in the holidays. And they are interesting and easy. Im so relieved. Its merlin on saturday, grandads coming, my sisters singing in a music event, im seeing avatar in 3D in imax with my best pal, its christmas, its doctor who, and hamlet, and I get to see my family more. Ive cheered up! Hooray for friends and family and christmas. Im absoltely exhausted, trashed, and tired and ill, but pleased. How wonderful everythings turned out after all the panic and worry and woe! OH! I just realised its my birthday in january...18 years old...wow...lets not mention that hahah! O_O MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR Kathrynx ps longest entry ever? I dont expect anyone to read this its just a way for me to get everything down hahah.

• Mood: Tired
• Listening to: christmas songs, as cliched as it is ;)
• Reading: Hugo Cabret (beautiful)
• Watching: Merlin and Doctor who soon!
• Playing: Final Fantasy (thanks liam!)
• Eating: Soon christmas food! (vegetarian)
• Drinking: Hot chocolates by the bucket load

AS OF YET UNTITILED STORY PROJECT

by KATHRYN GOULDING

Bloody criminals.

They never rest.

Well, nor do we, us “pigs”, us “coppers”. The law never sleeps either.

I walked down the dark Soho Street in the middle of a busy Friday night in London, on a freezing November evening, and sighed. My breath came out as a cloud of fog in the chilly air. The air was crisp and clear, as always when it was as icy as tonight, even in a polluted City such as this.

I put my hands into my trouser pockets, pulled out a pair of thick black gloves, and put them on, shrugging into myself to try and maintain the little warmth that my body had.
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