Freeware art programs for you!

The GIMP http://www.gimp.org/
Open Canvas 1.1 http://www.flat2d.com/traductions/opencanvas/opencanvas_en.aspx
Neko Paint http://npaint.sakura.ne.jp/en/
Paint.net http://www.getpaint.net/
Pixia http://www.snapfiles.com/get/pixia.html
ArtRage 2.5 starter ed. http://www.ambientdesign.com/index.html
ArtWeaver http://www.artweaver.de/index.php?en_version

Inkscape (vectors) http://www.inkscape.org/
Ifranview (processing) http://www.irfanview.com/

Pilgrim will be going on hiatus for two weeks so I can focus on my finals. Updates will resume second week of May!

WANT.

yeessssss~

Something clicked last night, and I was able to hammer out the last half of chapter 2. Now I need to edit and make sure it isn't total crap now that I've had some sleep. Instead of a massive 25 page script it's down to 12. Lots of talking in the middle and end bits. Should be longer than chapter 1, but I want to hold it at under 50 pages.

*happy dance*

Woo, got a free chair! Very comfy, and in good condition. Slightly damp from rain. Low to the ground, just what I was looking for to go in front of the Playstation.

My town really gets into spring cleaning, for one week you can pile all your unwanted crap on the curb and the dump will pick it up for free that weekend. Everyone else finds friends with trucks and goes scouting for the better pieces of crap. You can seriously furnish a whole house with what other people toss out, and lots of college students do, when they move out of the dorms.

Ugh, I'll have to spend this summer doing chemistry (biochem) too, because the fall semester course filled up. At least my minor will be complete, provided I pass both it and the organic chemistry I'm in currently. Otherwise I have 18 credits lined up for fall. It's gonna be madness-> Physics+lab, Molecular Microbial Genetics, Human Anatomy+lab, Evolution, and Intro to Religion. No art class, but time to attend the figure drawing sessions on Tuesday evenings. I was going to apply to be a bio tutor as well, but now I just don't think I'll have the time. Shame, $9/hour jobs are hard to come by in this town, even when the economy is good. But my current job is $8.75 and hella easy, so I cannot complain.

I've got three weeks until finals, and then the summer class starts early June and runs through early August. End of August fall semester starts. I'll be trying my hand at the artist alley of a local convention this summer. Need to reserve a room and get registration sent in. It's a small con, but I'm hoping I'll be able to break even. I also need to get a summer job. Biochem will interfere with my ability to be flexible for scheduling. :I
Although the economy has gone sour, locally things aren't too bad. Surprising, considering most of the jobs are manufacturing and construction. Lots of places still hiring, new shops / restaurants opening, etc. And the weather is improving. Soon I should be able to start riding my bike.

I finally got my hands on the library's copy of Watchmen. I'm still trying to decide what I thought of it. It's something that has to be read multiple times to really understand, I think, so I'll be buying my own copy. But lettering all of that, by hand...quite the feat.

pilgrim_comic is coming along, and looking much better now that I've got a better feel for the brush. I finally feel like I'm sufficiently warmed up again from the long hiatus between AG and Pilgrim. At any rate, I can still look at chap2 page1 after several weeks and be fairly pleased with how it looks. xD
But! I have to make sure that I'm not placing a higher priority on the comic than schoolwork. My GPA has taken a hit this semester, I need good scores on all my finals, so lots of studying!

I'll need to make a big comic buffer over the summer if I'm gonna make regular updates with 18 credits plus job work out this fall. =.=;

Arg the tones look so different between my art compy and my internet compy >.<

Ack, exams are sneaking up on me and I need to find a summer job. o_o

Geh, I've spent my entire spring break with this stupid cold / flu thing. I think it's turning into strep throat now.

laaaaame.

Huh, having cavities drilled isn't bad at all.
Caught a cold, boo! >:(
Supposed to blizzard tomorrow, yay!

There is a tickle in the back of my throat that just doesn't want to go away. And chills. I HATE chills. Maybe I'll put in a movie or something.

Woohoo, spring break! Time to work on the comic!

I hope whoever has Watchmen out at the library returns it soon so I can read it and go see the movie. :I

Art instructor had a cold so it was a "finish stuff up for midterm day," and since I just wanted to do a few things to a larger piece I was able to dash off to the figure drawing session.
One of my art teachers from high school was there, and some of the people who were in the workshop. The only cost was to pay the model.

Ack, I was just at the store and forgot to price fixative. Oh well.


Recipe for Easy Stir-Fry

some sort of noodle
some sort of meat
some vegetables and such
some sauce

Step 1: boil water for noodles
spaghetti noodles are fine

Step 2: thaw meat (if frozen) in microwave
I prefer using leftover meat from grilling, but some frozen chicken breasts are tasty too

Step 3: throw all the veggies and such in a wok / skillet / big frying pan
add anything you like. broccoli, carrots, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, baby corn, bean sprouts, pea pods...whatever

Step 4: make sauce, should contain some sort of oil so things don't stick. add to veggies.
I raid the spice cabinet and fridge. the more garlic the better

Step 5: cut up and cook meat. if it's raw, use a different pan.
vegetarians can omit meat, it still tastes fine.

Step 6: if your pan is large enough, combine everything and mix. if not, use a large bowl.

Enjoy!

The figure drawing workshop taught me that I have A LOT to learn. But I found out that there's a small group of people that get together on Tuesday nights and hold small figure-drawing sessions. I wish I had found out about that last semester, since now I have art class (still life) at that time. Hopefully they will continue those sessions through spring and summer.

Pictures of the stuff I drew later, I need to get my camera and some fixative for the charcoal / chalk pastel.

What a day. Last I heard 3 people had been hauled away in ambulances after slipping on ice and breaking something. Hopefully I won't become one of them when I go back for art class. I've nearly fallen on my ass a dozen times already.

I enrolled myself in a 2-day figure drawing workshop this weekend. Live model, semi nude. Should be enlightening.

Ho hum. I may wind up completely rewriting the middle part of chapter 2. The first part is good, I rather like the last bit but it can change as well. There's just so much crap going on in the middle...

I need to make some flowcharts and figure out exactly what's motivating the characters...

Hm. 

pilgrim_chap1d

last 8 pages of the chapter :)
have a look and let me know what you think.

I've got month to get chapter 2 prepped and ready to draw.

Oi. I think I need one of those icy-hot things for my wrist. Hopefully I'm not giving myself a carpal tunnel.

And more pencil grips. Another bag of pencil grips.

Chapter one will be finished next weekend :)

I need to find my discipline. I seem to have lost it sometime after graduating high school.

Blargh, I've been borderline ill for the past week and a half. I wonder if it's a mild case of flu or food poisoning. Unpleasant, whatever it is.