2004

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December 31, 2004

I turned thirty-two today. Damn I'm getting old. . ..

I've begun setting up my new oil painting studio (basically I turned our dinning room into my painting studio). I haven't painted traditionally for three years now, and after working exclusively with digital, I really miss the feel of traditional paint and brushes. I plan to go back to the basics first before jumping back into the fray, doing things like the legendary color charts that Richard Schmid wrote about in his Alla Prima book, and a few copies of master painters that I admire--guys like Sargent, Schmid, Pino..etc. That should get me back on the saddle in no time.

I was working on an entry for the Space Opera Challenge at cgtalk, and the damn file got corrupted. I was contemplating giving up, but it's not in my nature to give up a fight, so I decided to redo the drawing. There are only seventeen days left for the challenge. Let's see if I can get it done in time. Here's a preview of the piece before I start painting it:

December 20, 2004

Two new photography sessions uploaded.

I changed the splash page for the site. It used to be a java script that faded between two images, now it's a java script that randomizes between 9 images. The script isn't very good, since it tends to cycle between only a few images, and you'd have to refresh it like a zillion times before it randomizes to the other ones. If any of you know a better java script that randomizes better, please let me know.

December 13 , 2004

Uploaded a bunch of new photography. Check them out in the photography section.

Kitty Cat Diary updated:

December 10 , 2004

It feels like it's been a long time since I last updated, but it's only been a bit over a month. I guess it's because I've been doing so much stuff that it felt like more time has passed by. So, what have I been up to? Well, I shot a bunch of photography, and need to add them to the site (I wrote about recent photography thoughts in the journal).

Here's a new painting I did:

The Painter Tips & Tricks section in the goodies section has been updated.

October 30, 2004

I took on my first big pro photoshoot assignment. It was grueling as hell, and a huge undertaking. I documented the entire thing, from checking out the location, doing lighting tests at home, sketches and notes for composition and exposure ideas, the minute-by-minute account of the entire shooting day, to the final result accompanied by photos of before post processing. You can see the whole thing here.

October 12, 2004

No rest for the wicked. Shot two more sessions. Red seems to be the common theme this time around:

October 7, 2004

I felt like such a failure after my first try at studio lighting yesterday, so I gave it another shot today. It's amazing how much of a difference there is between what you think you know and what you can do when the moment of truth demands your best. I've read literally a big stack of books on studio lighting, and all that goes out the window the second I stand there thinking about how to design the lighting setup. I suppose you can call this session another failed attempt.

Here's the latest disaster and blatant display of my incompetence:

October 6 , 2004

Finally got my studio lighting set. Ended up getting a 1200WS, two 600WS, one 400WS, an 80x120cm softbox, an 80x80 softbox, snoots, honeycomb grids, barndoors, colored gels..etc. Have another large Octagon softbox on order which should arrive in a few days. Elena and I also went out to dig through construction supply stores and fabric stores and bought a bunch of background panels, pattern sheets, cloth..etc. Along with the brolleys and reflectors I already owned, I have pretty much a complete studio lighting set, and should be able to shoot just about anything I want to other than large objects like cars. We don't have enough room in our place for a full backdrop crank system, so that's something I'll have to work around.

These are some lighting tests to make sure the lights perform as advertised. The outfits are the ones we had custom-made in Shanghai. They are based on existing designs which I then altered and redesigned to my liking:

September 29, 2004

Just got back from a trip to Shanghai and Hangzhou. I took over 1,300 pictures, and picked out about 280 of them that aren't halfway bad. Check them out:

September 11, 2004

Added a new entry in the Share the Love! section. For this entry, we have Morikawa Miho, one of my favorite Japanese recording artists. (I never link to the Share the Love! section from this page, because it's always been kinda like a "bonus gift" section for people that care enough to dig deeper into the site. Poke around--you'll find it.)

September 9, 2004

Shot some street photography and added the Kitty Cat Diary to the photography section.

September 1 , 2004

Shot a new session today. I was trying to go for that Japanese photography style--which is my favorite style. Don't know if I succeeded, but it's in the photography section if you want to check it out.

August 30, 2004

Been doing some changes on the website lately, some of it you will notice, some you won't--depending on which sections you usually visit. The photography section probably had the most changes done.

Shot a product session--my first try at it. Check it out in the photography section.

It's really hard to do product photography with el cheapo homemade setup. I think it's time to upgrade the lighting system and add some pro accesories. Makes no sense to shoot with a highend pro camera but use a really crappy setup.

August 29, 2004

My EF 70-200 f/2.8 IS, Sigma 12-24 f/4.5-5.6, and Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 XR DI finally arrived a couple of days ago. I'm very happy with them--all the thorough shopping research I did paid off. I've done some simple tests and you can read the reviews in the Photography section.

I shot a couple of new sessions. Go check them out in the photography section.

August 26, 2004

I finally upgraded to the Canon 1D Mark II. Elena and I saved for almost a year for this, and now we have the ultimate dream camera!

I was itching to shoot some more, but Elena went grocery shopping, so I hunted around the house and shot some still life. Go to the photography section to check it out--in the 1D Mark II Portfolio.

August 18, 2004

Prints of my artwork are now available for purchase. I never really considered selling prints of my stuff, although people have requested it in the past. I never considered it because I honestly don't think much of my own work--at best I'm just a second rate artist--nothing special. But OrangesAndLime contacted me out of the blue and asked if I wanted to join them, and the part that interested me was the fact that part of the proceeds will go to charity. Well, if my artwork can actually help out some unfortunate people, why not? You can purchase the prints here.

August 17, 2004

Attention MSN signature tag/banner/stationary making community,

I get too many emails asking for permission to use my artwork, and I've already given permission countless times before--so I'm assuming there are many different MSN groups, and they don't share resources with each othe. So, here's a general statement/permission from me, also available in the FAQ section of my site:

"If you belong to one of the signature tag/banner/stationary groups, you don't have to email me to ask for permission ( I get way too many emails about this already). You can safely assume that you have my permission--assuming you comply with the following:

1) You credit the source and provide a link back to me when possible.

2) The only changes you make to my artwork is resizing and cropping to fit your needs, and adding of text/border. Punching out the background of my paintings or any other type of editing is not ok."

August 8 , 2004

Did a fairly long online chat interview recently where the a wide range of topics were covered. You can read it here. Thanks, Vince! I had a good time.

July 30, 2004

Got a new track I've been working on. It's not quite finished, but I might not have time to work on it more, so I'll just share what I have so far, The track is called Magnetic Pulse/Agent Foxglove Has Infiltrated the Compound (unfinished). My wife and I have been watching a lot of spy flicks/TV shows lately, and I was juiced to do a spy tune. I have a spy story I had written a long time ago about a deadly female operative hottie codenamed "Foxglove." So for this piece, I imagined her infiltrating a military lab. Needless to say, she looks totally hot while sneaking around and offing the guards one by one. Stuff used on this track: Sonar 3 PE, Triton LE, Battery, DR-008, Absynth, Legacy Cell, Superwave..etc.

July 12, 2004

Finished the track I've been working on, titled End of the Story, and the Beginning of Another.

This is pretty much the finished version. I'm not 100% happy with the mix, and I haven't done any mastering yet--not even sure if it even needs mastering.

Someone emailed and asked about this track and what it means. This was my answer:

"The title, "End of the Story, and the Beginning of Another" is actually referring to the state of emotions I'm trying to convey with it. The beat, melody, orchestration..etc gives me an image of myself (or someone else), maybe just having gone through something like a breakup or a divorce. He's walking slowly down the street or maybe waiting at a bus stop alone, with his head down and shoulders hunched--looking melancholic and hopeless. Then, just as the beat/melody picks up, he comes to some kind of a realization--that maybe all things happen for the best. This new thought opens up his heart and mind, and he feels all the weight he's been carrying peeling away. He straightens his shoulders, lifts his chin, and a look of determination and hope--perhaps a faint smile, surfaces. Essentially, the message is that When a story ends on a sad note--it always means there will be the beginning of the next story--and it might just be a happy one."

July 6, 2004

d'artiste: Digital Painting is now ready for preorder.

The pages are in the page gallery.

The "Share The Love!" section in "goodies" has been updated with a new addition--it's not what you think though. Take a look to find out.

Been composing new music lately. I made the switch to Sonar 3, and it's going pretty smooth so far--crashes more than Cubase SX and doesn't feel as intuitive, but the documentation is much better. Downloaded a bunch of free VST's and it's hard to believe how high quality some of them are, and free! The piece I'm working on right now is an orchestral electronica piece, and it's only about 20% finished. Very rough at this point--not even any panning or drum breaks and only the first 1/4 of it has been composed. I've wanted to do orchestral electronica since well over 15 years ago, but I was just a teenager then and couldn't afford good samplers/sound libraries. Now that I can afford better sound, everyone else has already explored that style and it annoys me because it makes me look like I'm just following the trend--but I really am not.

May 13 , 2004

Ethereality was down for a bit, due to cgnetworks having technical problems with hackers. But, it's back now, and my email should be working again too. For future references, I included another email address in my contact page, so if my main account goes down, people can still reach me.

May 03 , 2004

Did an interview for digiegg.com. It was short and sweet. Those guys are loopy, but fun.

April 21, 2004

Uploaded a new animation I did with Animanium. I love animating with Animanium--no technical B.S. to deal with like other 3D animation programs--just you and your imagination.

April 18 , 2004

I uploaded the beginning sketches for my Machineflesh Challenge (organized by cgtalk.com). Please have a look and tell me which of the two you like most, because I can only submit one final piece and I can't choose between them, and I don't have time to do both anyway: My Machineflesh Challenge entries.

I just finished playing Far Cry, and it's been a long time since I played a game this good. I'd rank it right up with there with Alien VS. Predator 2's Marine campaign or Max Payne 1 & 2. Bravo Crytek! I guess only Half-Life 2 can top this one in the coming year.

I've been trying to learn Tracktion (a unique music sequencing software now acquired by Mackie), and it certainly isn't as easy as people claim. There are still strange idiosycrasies you have to learn or work around, especially when its design is so unorthodoxed compared to established sequencers like Cubase SX, Logic, or Sonar. But at least it's not as off the wall as Buzz. (All you Buzz users, don't email me to defend your favorite music making software. I've tried Buzz and it just isn't my cup of tea. It feels too much like an app designed for programemrs instead of a musician. I mean, C'MON, really, HEXIDECIMAL numbers? You've GOT to be kidding me!)

March 10 , 2004

Shot a night session at the swimming pool. The Oly C3030Z MUST be left behind. I'm very certain it's time to upgrade to a professional camera. This session pushed the C3030Z way beyond its capacilities and as they say, it's the straw that broke the camel's back.

March 1 , 2004

It's been a long time since I shot anything, so I decided to have a shoot in our new apartment. Go see the Red session in the Photography section.

February 21, 2004

I painted a formal life portrait of Elena. The life session was split into two sessions, about a week apart. Go see it in the Paintings&Drawings section.

February 3 , 2004

While writing my bios for the D'Artiste book, it sort of transported me back to my past and got me thinking about many things I haven't thought about for many years. I ended up getting sidetracked and wrote Useless Crap That No One Cares About (also known as my ridiculously detailed bio).

January 25, 2004

Finished the Ordinary Heroes painting--FINALLY. Go see it in the Paintings/Drawings section. The tutorial for it will be published in the D'Artiste book that I'm co-writing with three other digital artists. You can find out more about the book here.

January 19, 2004

CG Networks posted an article called, "CG Chicks - What's up with that?," where they interviewed Steven Stahlberg, me, and Linda Bergkvist about why the main subject of our artworks tend to be female. Here's my part of the interview.

January 13, 2004

I updated the prototype female model in the 3D section.

January 8, 2004

I finally got around to scanning and adding the translated interview that 3D User magazine in Taiwan did with me for their October 2003 issue. It was translated into Chinese from the interview that 3dtotal.com did with me, and the interview is billingual, in both English and Chinese. Here are the pages:

January 7 , 2004

Wow, a brand new year started. I'm kind of dreading all the crazy stuff that's coming up for me this year, since there will be a string of non-stop projects with tight deadlines at work. I'll be lucky to get any personal work done at all. . ..

I'll be making an appearance at Expose Siggraph 2004 on January 14, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can find out the details here and here. While there, I'll be giving a demonstration for a digital painting I'm working on for D'Artiste, an upcoming digital painting book, by the fine folks of cgtalk/Ballistic Publishing. You can find out more about the book here.

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