Ingress

How exactly did I not know about Ingress?

I've done almost no research about this, but it looks like a 3rd party group, working with Google, has created a game that basically leverages smartphone users to map their data network.

It's in beta right now and you have to request an invitation to join and make use of the Android app. Basically, users pick one of two factions and compete in a capture the flag style game to secure areas of significance by pinging them with their smartphones through GPS and Google Maps.

More research is required, but...

...I want in.

Rough concept sketches for "Mall Security" web comic

I did these character and setting concept sketches a few weeks back. I already put them up on deviantArt and Flickr, but I figured I might as well post them here as well for kicks.

They were done rapidly using the Wacom Intuos 5 drawing tablet in Photoshop Elements 10, mainly for the purpose of testing the responsiveness of the tablet/pen to my drawing style. I regret to say that I have had some technical issues with the Intuos 5, which it now occurs to me I should write a separate post about so I can effectively vent my rage. But technical issues aside, I've fallen hard in love with drawing digitally, as I assumed I would. Learning to work in Photoshop, GIMP, and Autodesk Sketchbook has been a bit daunting, and I have quite a ways to go. But I'm excited by the possibilities of working in this medium!

Anyway, here are the concept sketches for my in-development web comic entitled "Mall Security". I've been busy with lots of other stuff, as you'll read here. But "Mall Security" is my baby and never out of my thoughts for very long.

Much more to come!

Website updated!

It occurred to me that I've spent so much time working recently that I haven't paused to actually talk about what I'm working on. Well, suffice it to say there are many projects currently under way, all of them in the "conceptual" or "creative" stage.

But I do have something of substance! I made some serious updates to my website recently. It's pretty basic--a lot of the updates were of the "behind-the-curtain" variety to help the site waft along in the Cloud more better-er. But I did settle down some of the CSS that I'd hacked together in a mad rush to just get the site out there.

Anyway, check out the site to see for yourself. Again, it's basic. I'm a minimalist at heart. Or at least that's what I tell myself to justify my laziness. But the main intent behind it was just to serve as a personal website. Any of my art or comics will probably get dropped on deviantArt or Tumblr. This blog is mainly for blathering about what I'm working on and my personal site will just be a simplified starting place that can help users find their way to stuff of more substance.

So, what are the other things I'm working on? Well, I've inadvertently found myself doing freelance web development, for one. It's all gratis work right now solely for the purpose of building up a portfolio. As soon as I wrap up my current client's site I'll be moving on to building a dedicated business website to advertise numerous creative services.

Besides that, I'm working on my awesome web comic entitled "Mall Security". It's in the early creative stages so I'm hesitant to reveal too much right now. Once I've finalized the main premise of the story and gotten some solid concept work finished, I'll post it all here as well as on Twitter and the above places.

There is another comic project that I'll eventually get to, but it's on pause right now so that I can focus on web design, Mall Security, and somehow finding time to continue working towards video game development. All of that stuff is condensed on my Projects page on the site.

So, that's the gist of what I'm working on these days. I'll try to post again with some conceptual work for "Mall Security" when I get it finished.

Peace!

Here's to coffee and its effect on me!

It's Friday morning and I'm taking a quick break from working on a client's website. This is an older bit of cartoony goodness that I touched up with the GIMP and thought I'd share.

This guy is loosely based on me. He was going to be the main character in a recurring web comic about a guy with, shall we say, difficulty focusing. In other words, it's about a guy with some hardcore ADHD. I still plan on making the comic, but I'm keeping it on the drawing board until I can refine the story, characters, and perhaps try to minimize how blatantly inspired by the "Scott Pilgrim" franchise it is. At the time that I was drawing this guy and some of his friends, I was deeply submerged in Bryan Lee O'Malley's awesome manga-style epic and the influence it had on this early bit of work is fairly obvious.

I'm not necessarily saying it's a bad thing to be influenced by great artists. On the contrary, we all inspire each other. But I don't want to be a blatant copycat either. So I'm going to keep working on the concept and make sure that, while it draws inspiration from other works, it can stand on its own two feet.

So for now, I'm just calling this is an artist's rendering of me post-coffee, which those who know me will agree is fairly accurate.

The Wacom Intuos 5 is mine!

So yeah... I'm about to take my art and comics to the next level. I realized that all the time and money (ink) I was sinking into a lot of my work (only to have it not look how I had originally envisioned) didn't make a whole lot of sense. After all, this is the 21st Century. So goodbye ink spills, smudges, bleeds, and hours of reediting color. Hello, Wacom Intuos 5 digital drawing tablet.

I love Codecademy and you should too!

If you are interested in learning programming, or even if you already know a language or two, you should really check out Codecademy. It's a great site! It offers tutorials in several different programming languages, all set up in nice, neat little paths of study called "tracks". You can interact with other users in the forums, set up your own profile, track and manage badges and achievements that you earn for completed lessons--the list of awesomeness goes on!

Perhaps the best thing about Codecademy, though, is its accessibility. I am NOT a very advanced programmer. I often need things broken down for me "Barney style" as they say. The lessons on Codecademy are very easy to master. A lot of them are user-generated, in fact. But they always follow a very friendly, laid-back formula where key programming concepts are introduced gradually and with plenty of practical, real-world examples that make learning more intuitive.

I've fallen in love with Codecademy. My friend and I are locked in a pseudo-competition with badges and achievements, much as we are on Xbox Live and Playstation Network. Here's a screenshot of my badges so far. So check it out if you're interested in learning to code!

Why I chose Computer Science over an art major

With two weeks left to completing my BS in Computer Science, I couldn't help but reflect back on why I chose the CS major over an art major in the first place.