Thursday, December 25, 2008

Hands down, favorite present!



My friend Paul made this for me (and now I am posting it everywhere!)!! Apparently he's been planning it for months--casting the voice actors and actresses, editing the movie file, timing sound effects, etc. Ah, what a joy to see this old story move and talk!! THANK YOU, PAUL!

The original story is from 2005. You can read it here.

Monday, December 22, 2008

...And still, happy holidays!

Well, it was NOT clear enough to go out tonight...21st birthday party canceled! Dx But I sledded with my friends, built an igloo, had a snowball fight, ate tamales, and am having a couple of close friends over tonight for wine and a cheesy movie. :)

Still, it's unclear whether or not they can even make it through the neighborhood to my house! We are up to 14 inches in the Portland suburbs...a Biblical storm for us mild city folk. xD The news is literally covering the "snow crisis" 24/7.

I've been drawing about half of my waking hours during the big snow-in. Here's a preview of a piece from last month I've been trying to finish coloring.

A Room of One's Own is still on the desk, as are a couple of unfinished illustrations and the script for a little 12-page story.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Happy Holidays!

HOLIDAY SHOPPING!! *FOAM* It was so fun!

Our neighborhood got about 4 inches of snow on Sunday, which stuck throughout yesterday and today, and effectively snowed my family in. The forecasts say there may be even more tomorrow! It's been fun pretending to live in Alaska, but my body has taken about as much abuse as it can on the sledding hill, and I'm running out of things to do (except finishing A Room of One's Own...ugh, my wrists...).

The roads improved a little today, so my mom and I took the opportunity to go downtown and shop. I love the way Portland looks in the winter: clear sky, bright lights, bundled up people--the snowy icing is a bonus this year. We found gifts for my little cousin Kendra at Art Media, some gifts for the boys in Pioneer Place, and a couple of things for ourselves. I bought a dress for my birthday next Monday (21!!!!! OMG) at Express. It's so cute. I can't wait! I just hope the roads are clear enough for my friends and me to get downtown... :-/

Kara says "Happy Holidays!" :)

Friday, December 12, 2008

Let's call this 'version 1.0'...



A Room of One's Own was due earlier today! I have a rough, rough version up on Smackjeeves, mostly thumbnails, with a handful of finished pages sprinkled in (and even those were poorly scanned/edited, since the scanner at my house is several inches too small, and I'll have to redo everything digital when I get decent scans back at school). The pages have been going well--I've inked up to 5 pages in a day, and they've been fun to do--but I feel lame about how badly I missed the mark on the deadline. OTL

http://aroo.smackjeeves.com/archive/

I'll replace the thumbnails with inked pages as I finish them, and the final version will come in January, when I have access to the big scanners at school and can edit the pages decently. And, of course, I will link it then as well!

Friday, December 5, 2008

AROO_11 preview


AROO_11 preview
Originally uploaded by tallychyck
Page 11, the first page that's "done", meaning readable and therefore ready to be turned in. 31 more by next Friday!!!!

Today is Russian Revolution paper day. Joy! But when that is done, the hard part of my term is over. Goal is to do 75% of it today, 25% tomorrow. Ganbarimasu~!!! *A* Rock concert at the hippie commune tonight, so I have to work hard to earn a night off!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Fall's Finish Line

Fall term is almost over. I have a group presentation Thursday night, 2 finals on Monday, and 3 final projects that can be turned in electronically, so I think I'll go home on Monday. :D That's 4 days more winter break for me!

My 21st birthday is on December 22nd, and I cannot WAIT. I get to celebrate in Portland with friends from home and college, and it should be really fun! Just to be able to go to frickin' concerts in 21 and over venues, order a drink with dinner, etc. Sigh. Cannot wait.

The comic for the class on Virginia Woolf is going well. All of the final paper is ready and the panels are drawn, and 6 of 32 pages are already mostly done with ink. It's also a lot easier than past projects--I'm more comfortable with the materials and tools than ever, and that feels good. I have a new drafting table waiting at home (thank you David Hahn!), so I hope to draw a lot of it there when I get back. I just got the table cleared at my sorority, too, so I can move it back to school with me when winter term starts up! xD Healthy back GET!

I reinstalled NetObjects Fusion and Paint Shop Pro, so I can edit images and my website again. I'll try to color something to post this weekend.


Do Not Want for Christmas...

Want for Christmas!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Video Blog...1? ...Possibly the only one???



So yes. What she said. OTL;;

I made a lot of progress on the project yesterday; thumbnails are almost done!!! Paper is cut and ruled, and 50% of the borders are drawn. Next, I'll ink speech balloons, look up reference photos for buildings and such, and then it's time to pencil! It will be a productive Thanksgiving break. :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all of those who observe it! :D Have a great long weekend in any case!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Back to a normal level of dysfunction

Hmmm...well, the laptop is "fixed", but there are still a lot of strange problems. It turns on now, which is good, the CPU usage is down to normal, and Antivirus is gone...but there are a lot of files deleted or in the wrong place. Even though my dad and I ended up going with a system restore, the only program that is completely working with no oddities is Firefox, which I reinstalled after the restore. :(
No Photoshop, Comicworks, or Paint Shop, until I can solve the errors or reinstall the programs. I might try toning Out of Place on the library computers, which have Photoshop, since I probably won't be able to on my computer until winter break.

In happy news, I'm taking my freshman interest group to see Happy-Go-Lucky at the local indie movie theater on Friday! I'm so excited. I heard it was right up my alley. Also, the honors college arts journal team meets on Thursday, and I'm excited to see what our editor in chief Amelie has planned. I want to see what it's like designing a book, working with a team to establish a selection of works, and putting them into a meaningful order. Amelie wants someone to submit LOLcats-inspired art to the journal, and I think it'd be a riot to caption Facebook photos, so I'm down to try.

I'm taking an honors college elective on Virginia Woolf, and the professor is letting me make a short comic for the final project! How cool is that? I'm very grateful, given the mountain of writing and group projects my other professors want out of me. The story will be a derivative of A Room of One's Own, the way that The Hours is a derivative of Mrs. Dalloway. I'm setting it in the present day, where two women (who are both reading AROO) discuss the choices, needs, and responsibilities that female creatives have today. I'm really hoping to finish it without rushing, so I can use it as a portfolio piece after the class, but it will be a crunch to finish in time.

Art next time, I promise. I am drawing, but not having image editing on my computer is throwing me off.

Monday, November 10, 2008

OOP 6.20 preview


OOP 6.20 preview
Originally uploaded by tallychyck
Since the laptop's still out, I figure the best thing to do is get ahead on my penciling and inking. Here's Out of Place chapter 6 page 20, the next page in the story. Inked with pen and nib for a change, which I far prefer to microns when I have the time and patience for it. :P

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Nice Hat


Nice Hat
Originally uploaded by tallychyck
Penciled this yesterday, inked it this morning. I'll color it when my laptop is working again...never never NEVER click on anything that says Antivirus...I got the 2009 edition, and it effectively killed my computer. After hours in the computer help center we finally removed the program, but all of my programs were uninstalled. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK....
On the bright side, I bought an external hard drive in the spring and have been backing up religiously since then. I'm hoping to go home next weekend and get some help from my dad reinstalling everything. Time will tell how much damage was actually done...

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Photos from London

So! Pictures from London! 8D My camera died at the beach this summer, but Mary and Molly were great about pulling theirs out when something screamed Kodak moment. These are off Facebook, sorry for the quality.


The tube is the best thing ever. I demand one in every city I visit from here on out! My Oyster card is my favorite souvenir, and I really just don't think that taking the bus will be the same after seeing how easy transportation can be. <3


"England expects that every man will do his duty." You can count on every woman, too!


Excited!!!!!


Soho? Some cool, steeped neighborhood behind Oxford St.


Mary got through probably 5 books. I got through one and a half and called myself lucky.


At 'Pasta Hut'...aka the UK's altered Pizza Hut. As our Polish server laughed conspiratorially, "Yeah, it's like they're trying to make it posh here or something." Think sit-down, Italian restaurant with long-stemmed wine glasses. The pizza was definitely good, though!


Mary being cute for an obligatory telephone booth shot.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Back From London

Ahhh, back from England!! Spent 20 hours in transit yesterday, and then 12 hours face down in a pillow. Bliss.

There were many good times had. ...All of my money is gone. I have about 80% of my Christmas presents. And I want this with a fiery passion, but even their online store is out of my size. :,( Mary, Molly, and I left the flat every day somewhere between 1 and 3, took the Tube somewhere busy, and walked around/shopped/took pictures until everything closed (at 5! At 5! What kind of city closes at 5?!). On the very first day, we saw Leicester Sq., Trafalgar Sq., Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and garden, etc. It was really funny. We just followed the crowds and were like, "Umm, is that Big Ben up there...?" Best accidental tour ever. 8 days of that, and still I'm pretty sure we saw a tiny fraction of London. It was awesome--I definitely recommend visiting if you can! It's ancient and cutting-edge at the same time, absolutely flooded with people, and has variety unlike anywhere I've ever been. The tap water's terrible, though.

Oh! Oh! And we were in Leicester Sq. on October 29th for the Quantum of Solace premier. There was a huge display in the square, gigantic band and live singers for the movie's themes. We waited around for a couple of hours, but left before the stars arrived. It was surreal to be leaning on the fence next to the red carpet at all. Here's what it looked like while we were there, and here's what we could have seen if we'd stuck it out in the cold. Daniel is, tastefully, wearing a poppy on his jacket--something that confused us all week (more people on the street were wearing them than not). It's apparently a pin you can buy to support families of troops, and show respect for victims of WW1.

So yes. Amazing trip. Totally worth the money, stress, and missed school. And I actually drew while I was there! Observe:


London Sketch 01
Originally uploaded by tallychyck


















London Sketch 02
Originally uploaded by tallychyck



London Sketch 03
Originally uploaded by tallychyck



London Sketch 04
Originally uploaded by tallychyck



London Sketch 05
Originally uploaded by tallychyck


London Sketch 06
Originally uploaded by tallychyck



London Sketch 07
Originally uploaded by tallychyck


London Sketch 08
Originally uploaded by tallychyck


London Sketch 09
Originally uploaded by tallychyck



London Sketch 10
Originally uploaded by tallychyck



London Sketch 11
Originally uploaded by tallychyck

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

London!

I actually drew this a week ago...I leave tomorrow 8D; SO excited. I could be a little bit unreachable until I get back the first week of November. I will likely have internet, but I don't know how often/for how long. Take care while I'm away!

London!
Originally uploaded by tallychyck

And this is from a new short project--The Dream 2, which follows the same trend as The Dream, making a comic out of a real dream I've had. It's a nightmare this time...with creepy foxes. I don't know why the monster was a fox. ;__;

Dream 2: Foxes
Originally uploaded by tallychyck

I'm a character again, but I was dressed as a colonial/pioneer woman for the first half of the dream. Halfway through, I turned back into my normal self.

Dream 2: Character Sketches (2/2)
Originally uploaded by tallychyck

Dream 2: Character Sketches (1/2)
Originally uploaded by tallychyck

Aaaaand chibis. Because they are easy.

Done! Chibi me
Originally uploaded by tallychyck


Ninja
Originally uploaded by tallychyck

This I drew while watching the presidential debates...with bubbling rage in my veins!

Presidential Debate
Originally uploaded by tallychyck

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

DUDE

I was browsing Periscope Studio's site just now, and saw a link to a review of Aaron McConnell's The United States Constitution (written by Jonathan Hennessey). The site has a video preview of the book that I started watching, and I threw a miniature fit in the middle because SOMETHING I DREW IS ACTUALLY IN IT.

The project is really cool--Jonathan and Aaron set out to embody the spirit (and the facts of course) of the drafting of the Constitution in a graphic novel. The project does a great job of connecting past and present with examples of what bills referred to in the 1800s, the present day, and every time in between. There are great metaphors and symbols in the artwork (I especially like the political figures with representative buildings for their heads). It was very cool to be in the studio while Aaron was working on it.

I helped on a handful of pages when I interned at Periscope this summer, and one particularly memorable page involved intricate pipework symbolizing the route a bill takes from one legislative body to another. Aaron let me do whatever I felt like on the actual penciling and inking of the pipes, and I was extremely overambitious...to the point that it took 2 days to finish the panel!! xD I got teased for that...But hey, it looks pretty good edited and colored in that half second clip! WORTHWHILE. 8D

Omgsh way too excited about that. (It's at second 15~ 8D)

Monday, October 20, 2008

Pirate vs. Ninja!

Pi Phi had its fall dance this weekend. The theme was 'Pirates', but there were a lot of creative spin-off costumes including a Peter Pan/crocodile/pixie group, zombies ala Pirates of the Caribbean, and internet hackers. I'm so glad I'm in a house with personality <3

I couldn't sleep after the dance, though, and got up at 5 in the morning on Sunday. I didn't know what to do, so I just started redoing Random Production, and decided to give it another total makeover. I still use NetObjects Fusion 8, and man, is it time for that program to get the boot. I hope I get some software for Christmas this year, mmm...

Going to London on Thursday to visit 2 of my best friends Mary and Molly. I'm pretty much just taking a week off of school. So worth it to see them. And surprisingly, all of my professors have been not just alright with it, but excited for me to go! 0___o Uhhh, thanks! I'll be back in the first week of November with pictures and stories. I also have a lot of art to scan when I get a chance to go to the library for a while...I'll upload that ASAP.


Pirate vs. Ninja (1/4)
Originally uploaded by tallychyck


Pirate vs. Ninja (2/4)
Originally uploaded by tallychyck

Pirate vs. Ninja (4/4)
Originally uploaded by tallychyck

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Oh hai

Hey all, this is Tally, writing for the first time on my new Blogger account! Whoo!! Welcome!

I've changed my homepage a lot over the years, and keep trying to find better ways to display my art and communicate with readers and friends. There's a lot of awkward crossover on my site now, and confusion over what goes where. I'm going to reconfigure a few things this year, and I think I want to start blogging here for RP instead of on Livejournal, where Tally_art has been this year with little readership. It's an exciting idea to have a friends-only journal with inside looks at secret art projects, but there are things I want to just tell everyone as well, and I want some way to feed the whole journal onto my homepage. I'm going to be trying to figure all of that out from Blogger.


Squidly Squid
Originally uploaded by tallychyck