Well, as Sam Gamgee of The Lord of the Rings trilogy states: "I'm back!" My weekend was pretty enjoyable--short, but enjoyable. ;) I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter and heeded my advice about the dangers of chocolate. If not, welcome to the club! =p

I managed to fix my home computer and now it really does run better than new. I also dug out my brother's old Nintendo system(the '82 original) and got it working...man, Duck Hunt brings back memories and I can still beat Super Mario Bros. in under 20 minutes. ;)

If anyone wants to see the results of what happens when I get mixed up with digital painting, head on over to my house. My Khan poster is somewhere near completion. It's due tomorrow morning and already printed out, so I can't really fix much about it at this point.

My next two weeks will be pretty hectic(especially since i'm taking Sunday off to go to a basball game with my brother), so my return to the land of the virtual will commence sometime in May. I'll probably be on a message-answering spree around then, so be sure to check your inboxes. =)

Oh, and next Fall i'll probably be back here at Sheridan for another year of art goodness...and likely another four years after that....just thinking about the student loans makes me wince....   

~Blaine

Well, i'll be going home for the Easter weekend. It seems the family computer is in need of my attention yet again and the internet is down(you'd think that in a family of eleven, at least ONE other person would be technologically inclined, but noooo). *grumble*
That means i'll be incommunicado 'til Tuesday...not that i've been particularly chatty for the past while. =( I blame it on a flakey administration system at the college and the most skewed homework schedule ever devised by a human(?) mind. *sigh* Two more weeks of sheer craziness and stupidity to endure...it's like an extended family get-together! =p

It appears I have until next Friday to decide my scholastic future for the coming year, and could use a little input. Okay, show of hands now: who thinks Blaine should try his hand at Animation...?

...don't everybody all jump up at once now....

Happy Easter, or Passover, or whatever!

~Blaine

P.S. Eating three pounds(lbs) of chocolate over the course of one weekend is not advisable...nor is it particularly healthy. ;p

Well, my first week back after the faculty strike has certainly been, er, unique.

It all started when I had a cop stalk me(I guess someone was hurt in the park I was walking through to school and back. There were ambulances, a fire dept. truck and a few police cruisers), two dogs broke into frenzied barking when I passed by, a cat sneezed on me(I even felt the spray), three drivers that came close to being charged with vehicular manslaughter had the audacity to give me the evil eye as if it was MY fault that they almost ran me over, and I had a classmate from the class I used to be in tell me I was early for class(they had class right after mine so, technically, they were the early one). *shakes head*

To top it all off, as of 7:00 PM tonight, I learned that I was accepted into Sheridan's Animation Fundamentals program. *cues polite applause* It's actually the program I was considering going into to get a feel for animation, but you have to apply to the Animation bachelor's program as part of getting in. What it means is that my 2-3 day rush portfolio was just under the cut-off mark for acceptance and i've been offered the BAA Animation rejects consolation prize, as I like to call it. 

On the upside, one of the 3D projects for the animation stream this year was creating original character sculptures out of polymer clay. I also got to make a sculpture, but I only had 2-3 weeks, as opposed to the fourteen weeks the animation fundies students had. I could make a big dragon sculpture in fourteen weeks....

Oh, and I'm still waiting to hear about my Illustration application....

~Blaine

P.S. I'm still getting around to answering messages. I would've got around to it sooner, but i've had last-minute portfolios to create, then the teachers went on strike, I went home and I upgrading my family's computer(Eleanor)--giant headache, by the way-- then I got sick, the faculty strike ended, I came back, and now i'm getting re-orientated with the revised year-end school schedule...I'm a busy guy...remember, patience is a virtue. ;)

P.P.S. To kill two birds with one stone(what a morbid saying...I wonder where it originated from), i'll procure my promised shout-out(I realize i'm tempting fate with the whole if-you-give-a-mouse-a-cookie thing) to [arafel] to ask if you're still alive...? *sigh* You've gotta admit, i'm one helluva pen pal. ;p

I found out today that there is something else in this world that I dislike(yeah, I know, despite me being a humanitarian *cough* the list is pretty long). ;p Anyway, this new pet peeve of mine is waking up to find that my computer has been infected with the Spyfalcon trojan virus!

As you can imagine, that left me spending my morning getting rid of the darned thing.
Meh, it wasn't as much fun as that worm I got back in '00...that one was a doozy! I think I was still using Pinocchio(it was made by Pine and incredibly slow in the CPU department--hence the name) back then, and he was only running Windows 95.
I forget what the worm was called, but it corrupted media files like crazy, and camped out in the Windows startup task list, so it came back when you did. Since I stored a lot of reference pictures on my hard drive, that didn't go over too well....

Anyway, Rasputin's fixed now so I can go about finishing up homework that I delayed this week in order to create two portfolios. Aren't I lucky.

~Blaine

Ces't fini! I have finally finished all of my portfolios. I was probably the only person that actually finished their drawing test(group sketch) while waiting in line to hand portfolios in but, hey, that actually has some advantages if you think about it. Creating two portfolios in five days isn't exactly easy....

Argh, it's just my luck(luck o' the Irish my ass) that when i'm finally able to go on break, Reading Week is over. =p Oh well, if the faculty strikes on Tuesday, i'll have some time to finish up homework that is due this week, as well as get in some R&R...which, for me, consists mainly of firing off sarcastic barbs, reading some historical romance novels, and possibly playing some RPG video games. Doesn't take much. ;) 

Anyway, i'm pretty tired, so it's possible that my coherency is shot. I hope everyone's doing better than I am at the moment.

~Blaine

Ugh, I finally finished my animation portfolio. Three days...that must be a record. I know people who started their's in October. *shakes head* Now I just have to spend another three days on an illustration portfolio...on top of all of my homework that was assigned for this week.

Not knowing what program you want to get into creates a lot of extra work and confusion.

We'll see how I did in...April? *shrugs* Part of me getting accepted depends on my grades for this year, so....

I need sleep now. I have to wake up early tomorrow to drop of my portfolio and spend more money.

~Blaine

I'm planning on doing something crazy. I'm going to create an entire animation portfolio for applying to Sheridan in 3 days. That's right-- three. This includes life drawings(both human and animal), inventing an original character and creating a rotation sheet, expression sheet, and action poses for it, as well as some interior drawing, hand studies, a 4-panel storyboard, a metamorphed still life, and personal work.

Time to see if my title of the fastest draw(er)--not drawer, as in 'chest of drawers'-- in Fundies holds out.

Wish me luck, and hope I temporarily forget what sleep is, or why I need it. ;)

~Blaine 

*Note* I've posted an updated version of this journal entry here: Valentine's Day Tips For Men

~Blaine

P.S. I still have messages to reply to, but Elftown seems to be pretty gimpy of late, so i'll try not to push my luck. I only have bad luck after all.

First off, has everyone seen my latest and greatest design concept for my vampire slayer, currently displayed on my house page? If so, i'm taking suggestions for the colour(s) of her ensemble and any other nit-picks that strike your fancy.

At the moment, i'm thinking of making the coat a sort of blood-red colour, but I don't know...it seems a little cliche.
I also have a hat for her--sort of a musketeer-ish qulaity--but it interferes with the coat collar.
Also, I'm thinking of making those things on either side of her waist into collapsible/retractable swords. That's another thing i've been busy with. I've been working out the mechanics of it. It's sort of a mix between an extendable police baton/switchblade/jackknife at the moment. I tried making it out of cardboard to work out the design aspects/flaws but it doesn't bend enough and paper bends too much. Go figure. I'll find some material that works....

In other news, I have a portfolio review tomorrow that I signed up for last week. At least, I think it's tomorrow. I don't know what I was smoking, but I forgot to write down the day and time of my appointment. I think it's around 10:45 - 11:00AM or so tomorrow though. Wish me luck with that, unless you don't really think i'll need it. It can't hurt. ;) 

I've been going through my pictures and stuff trying to find some good examples of my work, but I can't seem to find any of my better pieces. Maybe the teacher's have all of it. I know I have at least three pieces in the display cases in the Drawing studio, my dragon helmet is on display in the A-Wing hallway, and it might be that my other pieces are still MIA after being in that gallery showing during the first semester. I had like 6 or 7 pieces in there....

*shakes head* Jeez, it's just like grade school when the teacher "couldn't find/lost" my portfolio at the end of the school year(Another good reason why an artist should never get too attached to their work). Of course, they miraculously find it three years later, by which time I don't want it because all of the pictures in it are of laughable quality. That's a true story, incidentally. The sad thing is, it's happened to me more than once.

Another thing is that most of my work is fantasy related and they don't accept that here at Sheridan(I still can't quite grasp why--you'd think it'd require more skill to take various bits and pieces of different animals and splice them together to resemble a believable, realistic creature than it would to simply draw an apple, but whatever...we'll leave that rant for another day).
What it means is that I pretty much have to draw boring crap for my portfolio(still lifes, room interiors, groups of people in some social setting, building exteriors, etc)-- Er, no offense to those people that enjoy that kind of thing.
Anyway, I'm seriously considering animation over illustration. Even the portfolio requirements sound like something I could have some actual fun doing. 

On a lighter note, as I was going through my gesture drawings from the beginning of the year [insert a lot of wincing and flinching(is that redundant?) here] I found one that reminds me of one of the stills from that really famous "Sasquatch" video.
You know, where it's sort of on a rocky beach/shoreline and kinda turned toward the viewer? Funny stuff. I may scan and upload it one of these days so that you can see.

~Blaine

I'd like to thank everyone for the birthday wishes that added another slew of messages to my inbox(as if I didn't already have enough to go through).... *grumble* ;p

For some reason, twenty feels really old. I guess it must be some leftover stigma from the Dark Ages, where the average person was already past middle age at twenty(if they lived that long). So, I guess it's time I went into a mid-life crisis or something. Anyone have any good pointers as to how to go about that? ;)

Birthdays aside, [arafel], if you're reading this, i'd like to add some more evidence to support my claims regarding the unfailing method of SWAG(Scientific Wild-Ass Guessing for those unfamiliar with the term).

I had a Psych test on Monday(multiple choice), which I forgot all about because I was barely concious and flying on autopilot, as well as having other things on my mind(My class schedule being changed that day for one). I didn't study, because I never do(I figure that if I don't already know the material, cramming the info into my head only to forget it a few hours later seems...uh, dishonest? A waste of time)?

Anyway, the point i'm slowly getting to is that I pretty much guessed every answer based on some nebulous notion that it might be the correct one("gut-feelings", or "male intuition", if you will). It turns out that I got a 96% on it. Heh, I laughed when I saw that....

So, yeah, don't doubt the SWAG. ;)

~Blaine  
 

Jeez, one day I WILL have free time(this will be my new goal in life)...it'll probably be when i'm dead, but that's just my optimistic side talking. ;p

Well, i've got to get my portfolio ready for the end of the month, as well as attend classes and extra life drawing, do the homework for said classes, make a life and career altering decision involving which program(illustration vs. animation) i'd be better suited for, keep my self alive with a regular intake of food and sleep(i'm terrible at remembering to take care of myself)...and then I might be able to update some stuff.

I responded to the most of the letters in my inbox a week or two ago, which took me, like, three hours, and I got them all back, with extra, a little later so, i'll have to reply to messages-- aside from messages from people that I correspond with fairly regularly(I use the term "regularly" loosely here)-- when I get more time as well.

I doubt you'll find such stimultaing conversation elsewhere, but... *shrugs philosophically* ...ces't la vie! =p

~Blaine  

*sigh* I know I said i'd have some updates up--and I do have them...they're just not uploaded yet. ;p
It seems I underestimated feminine avarice when it comes to anime....

The highlight of my Christmas break appears to have been renting 16 movies over a period of three consecutive evenings...didn't get much sleep.

Well, I just spent the entire day travelling so i've got, like, bus-lag right now. XP The Middle-Eastern cab driver possessing a smattering of words for his English vocabulary was the icing on the cake. Truly, he made my crappy day complete.

Hmmm, my first class for the new semester is Psychology...I think someone is trying to tell me something.

~Blaine

Heh, I know I promised updates(and you will get them), but unforeseen problems have conspired against me.
Fortunately, i'm an excellent problem solver and i've managed to fix the biggest problem, which was finding the scanner broken.
*shakes head* I don't know what my family would do if I didn't come home to fix their computer during my holidays.... ;)

I guess this means I can finally put some pictorial examples up in my Art Voodoo 101 wiki. Look for those, whenever I get a chance.

~Blaine

I apologize to those still waiting for some signs of life from me.
I brought some anime home with me and the computer has been monopolized the past week while my sister's gorged themselves on Bleach, Trigun, Fruits Basket, and the like...not a pleasant sight.

I still have two weeks to get something up, so there's not quite a valid reason to panic just yet.
The women, however, can start panicking now(it's their prerogative), since they tend to be illogical and don't seem to really require a valid reason to do anything.... ;p 

Anyway, I picked my general elective for next term(I'm going with Psychology), and i've gotten my marks from first term today. My GPA is currently a 3.75, so i'd say i'm doing good.

Merry Christmas all(Or, I believe the politically correct term is now "Seasons Greetings" or some such rot),

~Blaine 

Well, I have one more day of school tomorrow, and then i'm off 'til the 9th of January. The days of "blog-happy schoolgirl"-ness are fast approaching! Be afraid! =p

Um, really though, i'll be going home saturday(8 1/2 hour trip), so don't expect me to get around to answering my messages until...sometime after that, and updating my wikis...sometime after that. ;p

Well, until sometime after then,

~Blaine 

I'm so close. Just one more week of school, and then i'll have holidays coming out the wazoo. Hmmm...that could make some pretty disturbing imagery...i'm getting a mental image of somebody trying to pass a Christmas tree through their colon. "You know, this is why children should really chew their food."(The Iron Giant). I love that movie.

Anyway, i've just finished the last of my Imaging Systems homework. My landlady will probably sleep better knowing that i'll no longer be walking around her kitchen measuring everything. It kinda weirded out her guests the first time. *shrug*
She's more than paid me back in full with her various plots and schemes that center around getting me out of the house as their main objective. She's a sucker for lost causes, I guess.

I actually made it to a class rep meeting on Wednesday. It figures that the first one I attend is also the last one of the semester. =p Anyway, it turns out that the job has perks(probably the first job i've had that paid with chocolate), so i'm pleasantly surprised. I was nominated because there seems to be some sort of conspiracy involving people continually trying to make me more social. My drawing teacher is terrible for this with her "social immersion" exercises. *shakes head*

Another ironic occurence is that my most loathed subject matter in any medium, still lifes, has managed to net me my highest painting grade, to date. Don't worry Life, i'm laughing with you....

Oh, this also means that i'll soon have a lot of free time, so i'll be updating my wikis like some blog-happy schoolgirl. Yes, this includes pictures for those that are still scratching their heads over what the hell i've been talking about. I'll probably be expanding to include some perpective stuff as well. 

~Blaine

Heh, I find it pretty ironic that I was much more "social" online when I was living like a recluse. The world is a strange place....

In other news, my latest painting assignment looks like Willy Wonka. I'm talking about the Johnny Depp my-God-what-is-that-freakish-thing-?!?! version...well, a cross between him and the Crypt Keeper. My landlady's niece saw it this evening and started to cry. Damn, eliciting such strong emotion from the viewers...now that's what I call art! ;p

Oh, and if ever there was invented anything more gall-danged bloody boring than painting still-lifes, i've yet to discover it. If there is such a thing I pray, quite fervently, that it forever remains a mystery to me.

*sigh* It's back to painting for me....  

~Blaine

To my long-neglected fans:

I've been insanely busy for the past while with homework. The end of the first semester is coming up so all of the projects need to be finished up and handed in. I've still got seven paintings to finish, as well as a gallery write-up and some other stuff. The homework load should lessen in a couple of weeks so, I will get to your messages, it's just a matter of time.

Be very afraid. ;p

~Blaine

P.S. What's with all of these people telling me that I "seem" to be something?

There I times that I wish I had a camera. If anyone's feeling overly generous, don't be shy. And make it digital would you. ;p

For my 3D paper bag sculpture(of which i've posted the preliminary concepts on my house page), i've managed to make it look so good up until this point(wireframe) that i've even managed to impress myself.

The downside is that i'm now going to have to spend the next two weeks sniffing glue and half of my class hates me...*sigh*...it's so hard being me. =p

~Blaine 

Heh, I must be really tired, because responding to a message of "hey sup" with "No thanks, I already ate" struck me as inordinately funny. As does responding to another message consisting partly of "do I detect a hint of confusion in your typing?" with "Why, are your 'spidey senses' tingling?".

*shakes head* Lame puns are great, but I doubt these'll be half as funny when my brain is firing on all cylinders. 

God, I need some sleep. 

~Blaine

Well, i'm back in my bachelor pad after spending the past week at home. Did you guys miss me(my inbox says yes)? =p

Anyway, I just spent all day today experiencing, first-hand, the joy and majesty of inter-city transit. To quote Martin Lawrence from Nothing To Lose; "My ass is asleep! it's all tingly and shit!" =p
I have to say, a ten-hour trip becomes an eternity in hell when the bus driver decides to play a video of "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"...i'm definitely an atheist now because, after that traumatic experience, I can't even begin to imagine there being a God(and I have an over-developed imagination). ;p 

I'll have to start replying to my messages later, because I really need to lie down right now....

~Blaine