2005
2001 ---2002--- 2003 --- 2004 --- 2005 --- from 2006 and on
*Starting 2006, all entries use WordPress software for ease of archiving, commenting, and categorizing*
December 28 , 2005
I forgot to mention that I did a tutorial for CG Society. It's for the Moonlight Lovers painting--you can see the tutorial here.
November 30, 2005
The Painter brushes have been changed again--but mostly for the sake of simplicity for people who are new to those brushes--for those of you who have downloaded it yesterday, you don't have to download this one.
Our dog Winnie died today. We were going to take her to the vet to have her put to sleep anyway, as she's been living in such great pain for the last few days. We'll be burying her tonight. Here's a pic of the our little girl:
More pics of Winnie can be seen here.
November 29, 2005
Updated the Painter brushes again--this time, I included example pictures made with the custom brushes (see them in the "goodies" section). I tweaked and refined some of the brushes, so they perform even better now.
Elena brought home an abandoned dog a couple weeks ago, and it was so sick that the vet said she (we named her Winnie) only had 30% chance of survival. We took her to the vet a few times for shots and IV drips, and it seemed like she was getting better at first, but for the past few days, she could barely stand and kept falling down--knocking over her water and food as she tried to eat. Today, she was in so much pain that she couldn't even get up anymore--just laid there and coughed/barked non-stop for almost the entire day. We're going to take her to the vet again tomorrow and get the vet's opinion on whether putting her to sleep will be the best thing to end her suffering. At the very least, we had given her a comfortable and caring home in her final days before dying.
*All weblog entries before November 29, 2005 are located here. Prior to that date, this section only contained news and updates.*
November 28, 2005
My custom Painter brushes have been updated (a couple of new brushes have been added). Get them in the "goodies" section.
Elena and I have moved out of our old house and into another house temporarily (we sold the old house). We'll probably be moving back to the States (most likely California, where I grew up) sometime in March next year (unless something unexpected happens here in China).
I just did a full-length interview and a fantasy painting tutorial (you can see an unfinished version in the WIP section of "Paintings & Drawings"--the one titled "Till Death Do Us Part") for a new magazine published by Future Publishing of the UK. It should be out in a few weeks.
October 20, 2005
Added a new concept art piece--the Kreuweizer Mark IV Tactical Pistol:
October 18, 2005
Cgcast.com did an audio interview with me last week. You can listen to it here: http://www.cgcast.com/episodes/cgcastep007.mp3 During the part when I was talking about mortality, I actually said morality instead because I was thinking ahead to the next point I was going to make. Just mentioning it so you don't get confused.
If you are playing Urban Dead, you might want to join The Uncanny Valley Alliance I started at cgtalk: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=281909
October 11, 2005
If you downloaded the Painter brushes in the last few days, make sure you download them again, because the version that was updated a few days ago had lots of missing brushes. This latest version is the fixed version.
October 08, 2005
Updated my custom Painter brushes. Rob's Cover Pencil's been updated and renamed to Rob's Real Pencil, and I've added a whole range of blending brushes of different sizes, plus a couple of other new brushes/tweaks.
September 25, 2005
Just wanted to say thank you to all the people that's emailed me to give their best wishes and congradulations on Elena getting the immigration visa. Your kind words are much appreciated. Maybe after we've moved back to the States (estimated to be about 4 months from now--but not entirely sure yet), we'll actually get to meet and hangout with some of you sexy mofos.
I just have to let you guys know about this game that I've been totally addicted to lately--it's a free Massively Multi-Player Web-Based Zombie Apocalypse MUD with a graphical UI, called Urban Dead (zombie fans unite!). It might seem very simple at first, but the game is actually quite deep once you learn more about the world and the various items/skills/strategies. It is extremely simple to play, and doesn't take up a lot of time (you get 50 moves a day, with 1 move regenerated every half hour). If you are going to play, absolutely make sure you read the WIKI provided in the main page's link first, because you will get ahead much faster (or survive more effectively) if you create a character class that already have an important skill. I didn't know that when I started and created a couple of characters that had severe difficulty leveling up. Also use the map often too (the link is in the FAQ section), as it will save your life when you use it to plan moves.
Here are my characters (you might run into them):
George Romero's Dad (policeman)
George Romero's Mom (scout)
Lunafreak (consumer)
Sexy CatGirl (Necrotech Employee)
Elena T (Necrotech Employee)
Axe Murdereer (firefighter) (the extra "e" was a typo, but you can't change names once it's created)
My first character was a consumer, and that was a BAD idea, because the nearby malls were all so heavily barricaded that I couldn't get in unless I had Free Running skill (but it's hinted that the cellphone might come in handy down the line). My newest character is a firefighter, and I was able to get 40 experience points on my first 50 turns just by attacking zombies because I had Axe Proficiency skill.
Anyway, give it a try. (And if you're a zombie fan like me, you MUST play!) It's free, so why the hell not?
Oh, and I keep forgetting--a new Share the Love! entry has been added. This time, it's Cheer Chen (Chen Qi Zhen).
September 19, 2005
Good news--Elena finally got her immigration visa! After four years of living in China, I can finally take her home to the good ol' U.S. of A with me!
New photos:
And Kitty Cat Diary updated, including a bio on the Kitty:
September 09, 2005
Shot a food photography gig for Ming Ke Restaurant:
Uploaded a new Share the Love! entry.
August 25, 2005
Finished a new painting:
August 20, 2005
Another adventure in product photography:
Added a lot of writings, and also added a Film/Animation section.
July 29, 2005
The following paintings have been updated with minor changes: Memories of Hangzhou, Mood1, Ordinary Heroes, Promise Promo Illustration, Scythe Wolf. The changes are pretty minor--you probably won't notice them unless you compare them to the previous versions side-by-side.
July 23, 2005
I shot a jewelry catalog for a friend of ours:
July 15, 2005
I remixed (no, not that kind of remixing--the volume/EQ/Panning kind) and remastered the track End of the Story, and the Beginning of Another. I think the strings sound a lot more clearer now, and the drums are punchier as well. I also ran it through a multiband compresser and a maximizer. I really should extend and finish it too, but there is just not enough time to get into it.
July 13, 2005
Some of the concept art in the Newer Works section have been updated.
July 01, 2005
Shot a new session:
June 28, 2005
Uploaded some new photography.
June 1, 2005
I have a bunch of unfinished work in progress paintings. You can tell me which ones you want to see finished the most here.
Uploaded a few unfinished music clips (In the WIP section). Just some stuff I've been working on--short clips to get the idea down before I forget them.
Here's a quickie oil sketch. Here are some photos of the custom easel, palette, drying rack..etc I designed.
April 30, 2005
I've been getting emails about the lack of updates in the photography section. I haven't stopped taking pictures--I've just been too busy to sort, process, and upload them. But since you asked, I took a couple of days off from my oil paintings and updated the photography section.
April 29, 2005
Unfortunately, I had to cancel the upcoming CGWorkshop. Some complications regarding Elena's immigration visa came up, and we have to deal with it. The timing conflicts with the course and since Elena's visa is more important, the course had to be cancelled. Maybe it'll still happen down the line. Contact the people at CGWorkshop if you are interested in taking a course with me in the future, and they'll make plans for it.
April 19, 2005
I'll be teaching an online workshop called "Narrative In Illustration" for CGWorkshops from May 30 to July 24. You can find out the details here.
April 12, 2005
I've started an Art Discussion forum at cgtalk. Come and join us!
It's been very hectic lately. I'be been working on the material I'll be using to teach an upcoming workshop. I'll give more details once it's ready to go.
February 27, 2005
I've noticed a few glaring mistakes in a few paintings, and have repainted those problematic areas. Blood Siren and Ordinary Heroes have been repainted--the changes are fairly minor, maybe some of you might not even notice.
I've just finished reading Paul Gilreath's Guide To MIDI Orchestration 3rd Edition, and I was very impressed. It's incredibly informative and although the sections on sample libraries will be outdated in a couple of years, it's still very detailed and helpful for anyone looking to purchase orchestral libraries at the moment.
I just got my custom made easel back, and I can't believe how much money I saved. For a comparable easel available for purchase at an art supply store, I'd have to spend at least $400 dollars or more, but this local carpenter made one for me for only $50! It's moments like these that I think it's great to be living in China. I'll remember to take a picture of it.
February 18, 2005
I updated the Painter brushes, and added install instruction. Get them in the "goodies" section.
I deleted the Share the Love! section. I don't think anyone will miss it.
I've got a whole bunch of stuff coming in 2005. I'm working on a body of new oil paintings, composing some orchestral pieces, and will be teaching an online workshop soon (more details about this coming up).
2001 ---2002--- 2003 --- 2004 --- 2005 --- from 2006 and on