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***UPDATE***: I WON 3RD PLACE in the art contest! 8D Wow! Thanks Newgrounds and judges! I will be buying some stuff with my $$ prize winnings like right now!

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Not much of an update :/ I'm starting the new semester so I have a bunch of work ahead of me. Paintings are not really discussed here but I've already thumb nailed the next two which made me motivated. I posted the first two pages to my comic "In The Dark"---you might remember the teaser flash I posted here a while back :) So now the comic will be on-line too after much re-drawing and inking. You can see the first two pages here:Page 1 and 2nd page here: Page 2

Flash work is coming along too :) I did about 30 secs worth of animation during the break so it made me happy to be progressing. That may seem small but it's a lot of fbf and coloring/high detail stuff.

Lastly, I'm going to submit a drawing to the NG art contest "Perfect Pet". You can expect that reeeeal soon. So that's about it....oh and heres a drawing I did. I call him Dust Cat. :)
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Hmm, it seems I haven't updated this since July.....so heres some updates :)

Current flashes in progress:

Trash and Clash episode 2: This has been by-far the longest and slowest cartoon I've been working on. Going on one year of production, I'm not giving up on this baby haha. And happily I can say I've actually been working on it again. I had a scare recently when the file got corrupted and wouldn't play, but I always back-up my cartoons so I only had to lose a small bit of work as I replaced it with the backup one. Trash and Clash are my die-hard loved characters, so I don't even care what score they might receive here. Seriously, every time I watch this thing in test mode I get this sense of happiness just watching them move and talk. Even after watching the same scene over and over and over, they never bore me. And that's the reason I work on this: Pure unbridled passion for my art. A quality I think more animators need. But whatever, haha.

In The Dark:This cartoon has only entered the test phases but I'm happy to say it's looking pretty damn scary, haha. I'm more currently going to find VA's for the characters and see what I can do with condensing the story into bite-size shorts rather than long large episodes. My teachers are very interested in this project too and want to see more work on this so it may just go into production sooner than I thought, but we'll see about that...

Sonic Shorts Collab: I'm about 40% done with a super special "ending" animation for the final volume and I have to say it's really fun! Not only am I doing some crazy cameos, but I'm probably pushing the quality, fbf, and special effects to levels I've never done before haha. Hopefully it will be awesome and the rest of the group will like the final product.

Sonic Switch part 2: This cartoon is on hold until I finish Trash and Clash 2, and the more I look at the parts I have done, the more I realize I need to fix the quality. I already had Shadow's part done but now I'm thinking of redoing it because they are too stiff, the writing is bland, and the camera is not being utilized well. So once Trash and Clash are done, I'm starting Sonic Switch part 2 from scratch. At least then the whole thing will look consistent and the effects will be better all around :)

So there you go! There are no release dates on anything. But at least you know where I'm at on their progress :D And here's a random drawing of Trash and Clash to fill space:

I just got back from a great vacation and so more stuff will be arriving soon. Here's a little doodle to fill some space and a short flash thing coming too...(no its none of my big projects).

Happy Friday the 13th everybody! :D More work to come....

Judge: "Since, my friend, you have revealed your deepest fear, I sentence you to be exposed before your peers!!"
Translation: I'm actually using the front page post option?

Despite the fact that I'm knee deep in cartoon projects, work, and the impending move to San Francisco to start my 1st year at the California College of Arts (MFA Fine Arts program), I managed to release two short animations to Newgrounds in the past weeks (unheard-of from me!).

The 1st is a small development animation which centers on a body of work that is very personal to me. It's based off a comic I've been drawing for years and years. The submission is just a series of tests really, but I wanted to share them with people and see what reactions it might have. And the menu beyond it gives a glimpse of the characters and such...if anyone is interested in reading it.http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/vi ew/443880

The 2nd one is a small short I contributed to the Sonic Shorts Collab (vol 3). Despite the bashings Sonic receives by some contemporary artists here, I still find him to be an endearing character that I enjoy drawing. And I figure "Hey, if I enjoy doing them and it makes some kids laugh I see no problem with that".

This leads me to my next topic of observation. Why do people fret about the views or the audience so much around here? The first person you should be pleasing is yourself, not an audience. Think about it, your time and life is being invested into what you make, so you better love what you're creating. The hardest thing for some people here is that they see content they personally don't like get attention and adoration. And they read it as if that work is somehow "winning" over their own. It's not. It just appealed to a larger audience. And if that's your definition of a successful cartoon, I feel a lot of people here are in for a long rough struggle. I don't see success that way, but I do think that everyone here has the right to their own opinions and tastes. And obviously an established audience is more excepting of work they are familiar with. What you, as an artist, should really be saying to yourselves is, "How do I make something that I, (myself), would love to watch over and over again?" Chances are there will be an audience for it anyways, but it may be smaller. And that's okay, because in all honesty, they are probably the most genuine fans you will ever have.

But that doesn't mean you should ignore criticism in terms of technique or development. And there is always room for improvement. But it also takes a strong will and gut to except that some people are not going to like what you do and may even violently proclaim it, no matter how you draw it. And it should be what drives you to do it even more (especially if it's something you love to do). Until the day when your livelihood relies on reaching that widest audience possible, I don't see any reason to mope and curse the work around you that did, no matter what kind of cartoon it might be.
The truly artistic cartoons are the ones that change or enhance the viewer's sense of thinking. They play on emotions and make the viewer have a sense of reflection afterwards. There are only a handful of these kinds of cartoons on Newgrounds. Maybe one or two at a time ever get on that top 50 list (sometimes not at all). And on a more personal note, (a quality that can't be read from the viewer's perspective), are the cartoons finished for the sake of appeasing the artist's mind. It's a rabid passion that makes you think about working on the cartoon day and night, and when worked on, can consume you with a dedication and commitment that you lose track of time...sometimes hours on end. But again, we never know what cartoons those might be, and this is all just my own opinion and I might just be insane.

Lastly, I thought I'd leave a few links to some cartoons here that I absolutely love, and have watched so many times it's embarrassing.

(In no particular order):

The Greyhound: Used time and monotony to express the coming of old age and hopelessness and then renewal. http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/
370664

Alfred's Playhouse Part 3: Exhibits the best visual interpretation of a philosophical master/slave theory ever. (Don't know what I'm talking about? Read some Hegal or Friedrich Nietzsche.) http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/
416434

Perkele: Stretches color and form to create a sense of infinite madness and the struggles of self (both mind and body). http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/
389950

So yup. That's it. And here's a drawing of some people whom I think have some of the most engaging journals here, and I really enjoy reading them from time to time. I may not always agree with what they think or say, but I admire their commitment and passionate opinions on animation. Not to mention they have excellent writing skills.

I haven't updated this journal in ages :O So I thought I'd change that now with some wonderful news (for me at least ;P ). Only two days ago, I received a letter of acceptance into The California College of Arts, MFA Masters program! :D This is huge news for me because now it means I will be moving to San Francisco and pursuing my career to be a storyboard animator and illustrationist! ^_^ and I'm given a studio space that's part of a huge warehouse sized building! I normally paint in a crammed dark garage. So this is a huge leap from what I'm used to. I'm so excited and I start this Fall (September). Check out my paintings and drawings at http://comickpro.deviantart.com/

On the cartoon front, I'm still finishing Trash and Clash episode 2. It's been a labor of love and sweat to see this cartoon finished as it has no fans or views what-so-ever XP. But that's okay, because it's at least 10x times better than episode one (which has a WHOPPING eight favs on this site) *shrugs*. But that doesn't matter, because I love these guys with a passion and if they even get just one fav then I'm happy to know someone out there at least likes my characters ^_^ Besides, episode 1 is too slow, drawn bad, and lacks voices. Episode 2 is loaded with fbf animation, thanks to a new tablet, and the frame-rate was upped, and it has wonderful VA's who give so much more life to my two little rejects! I'm not sure if anyone can relate, but there's something really magical about seeing your characters move and act and talk. It gives me such a thrill when I push play and see hours of work come together and see this. It's the main reason I slave away at all those drawings day after day. If you don't have a passion for what you are making you are wasting your time.

Now, that being said. I DO take breaks from my toon in the only ways I know...by drawing and doing other cartoons that feed my rabid video game fandom. That fandom is for a little blue dude called Sonic the hedgehog. When I started my fan cartoon Sonic Switch, I had no idea what reaction it might have because, honestly, I did a cartoon that takes my morbid sensibilities and applied it to a character whose world and setting tends to keep away from that. Sonic Switch is a cartoon for myself. And as selfish as that may seem, I think it's the only way to go with a character whose fanbase is as large and varied as his. When it was first submitted here the reviews were 50/50 of love and hate for it premise and style, which I expected since I knew it needed some work. But as it's gone on, the rate and favs increased dramatically beyond anything I ever imagined. And it shocked me because: 1. It's a "fan" cartoon (typically looked down apon), 2. it's a dark/comedy-semi serious and 3. I'm staying the hell away from DBZ-style storytelling and working more on character development then action scenes. All these factors were taken into consideration and I guessed, "oh well, if it gets a 3.0 then I'm happy" but no, this cartoon surpassed my ideas of just how many people watch Sonic here. So for the record, I love drawing my Sonic cartoons and parodies in general but don't expect me to work on them full-time. They are not my top priority work. I'm just indulging on my hobby a bit ^_^ (And looking at my flash gallery it looks like all Sonic stuff. This was not my intention when I started this account.)

So it's just a matter of keeping my rabid fandom in check with my personal cartoons and work. And thank you everyone who favs and comments my cartoons! I appreciate it so much!! And stayed tuned for more soon.

So I'm sad that Trash and Clash wasnt finished in 07, but the next year seems bright and ready for more work! I finally got a Wacom tablet (good bye mouse hand cramps!), so heres hoping my cartoons are done better, faster, and smoother than before!
I'd also like to thank everyone who has left reviews and faved my toons! I thank you all, really! So cheers to a new year and more animations to come, exclusively for Newgrounds! :D

By the way, anyone looking for more info, sneek peeks and concept art for my cartoons can go to my deviantart site and look in the gallery and scaps sections. I have a small clip of Trash and Clash 2, and a small trailer for Sonic Switch there. Link to my main page----->http://comickpro.deviantart.
com/

And heres two pics for my two next cartoons! See ya!

So as I have been working on Trash and Clash ep 2, it occurred to me that it will be way better than its predecessor. I still draw with a mouse on these things, so they take a lot of time, but I'm getting better at it. The hardest part is drawing them consistently, since my drawing style is very sloppy and loaded with random lines and scratches. Not to mention, no sketch of them looks exactly alike. But the story is strong and the voices are just perfect! They sound just like how I imagined Trash and Clash would sound in my mind, so I'm really pleased with that ^^ Sonic Switch 1b is currently 30% done, but I have no set date for when it will be done. As I have it planned right now, Trash and Clash 2 will be released first.

On a diiferent note, my application for my Masters degree is due in Nov. and I have to get it ready o.o;;

Hi to anyone who reads this! The first thing I'd like to say is THANK YOU to the person/people who voted on my flash Shadows Lament. I must say I was really surprised to come by and see it had a +3.9 !!!!!! Wow! So really, thanks a bunch!

I'm currently working on two projects:

1. Trash and Clash ep 2. The continued story of my two characters in thierown original series. I've been drawning Trash and Clash for more than 6 years, so they have a lot of story to tell! :) In this episode, Trash denies his better judgement and ventures beyond the park into the city with Clash......horror ensues!! More action! Better graphics! About 5 mins in length! And now featuring excellent voice actors! This is definately going to be my best cartoon yet :D

2. A Sonic fan cartoon. This cartoon is a real risk-taker. Its not your typical Sonic cartoon so it might be loved or hated by people. And if I had to catigorize it, I'd say its a drama/dark comedy. So dont expect anything DBZ...(like characters screaming and getting punched for 30 minutes) :p
But it too, has fantastic voice actors and its all hand-drawn with lots of fbf and WAY better graphics than Shadows Lament. I plan it to be a 4 part cartoon with each part containing 2 chapters. Part 1a and 1b coming soon.....

Update! A Screenshot of Sonic Switch 1b ^^