If I had a pancake...

... I'd eat it with butter

I'd eat it with syrup

I'd want another. (song credit goes to Dave the Barbarian)

Yeah, feeding time at the lumberjack extravaganza was great and should be done again. Karen and I, also, went out with style scoring a 0 in the axe throwing competition. At least we were throwing the axes in the right direction! I mean, we might have missed the target by a couple inches with the sharp side and, if we did hit the target, it would collide with the blunt side. But hey! If we ever encountered a zombie Apocalypse, and were armed with axes only, we'd get chest shots and some cranial damage.

Sounds a lot better than the me in my favorite art piece Ahhh! Nicely Dressed Zombies! made for the scholastic art awards challenge. Without that project I would have never made this wonderful and fantastic piece!
Okay, so I might be wearing some nice and shiny pants that are cut from paper but what am I suppose to defend myself with? My hideous fashion sense will not cause these nicely dressed zombies to die in their path. I probably already threw the axe and took out one of them but, now, I'm running from their multi colored graves into a spooky forest of safety.



I suppose the absurdity of this picture is what makes me like it most. As well as the colors, patterns, and graphic design of the piece. If you view it in real life it's pretty cool to see all the layers and colors and textures and to feel the piece. However, the computer will have to do and it only gives it so much justice.



I, also, really enjoy working with cut paper. The problem with it is that it takes so long if you want to do a good job. Then there's the selection of paper and all the tracing you have to do to make it fit. Thankfully, the result makes me feel good about myself. But only the result. All the work put into the piece between now and then just makes me crabby.


So, kids, if you find yourself wanting to try something cool, and you believe it'll take a lot of time, I suggest you work small. That's what I ended up doing. I procrastinated a lot and my markers were a bit difficult to use when coloring a large space because they became streaky. Therefore, if you work small, you can usually make something decent in a short amount of time.

Aside from learning this little tidbit I realised that painting is not the mortal enemy of the universe. Sure, it's time consuming, (and anything time consuming becomes the mortal enemy of me) but my pictures no longer look like upon canvas like in 9th grade. Not only that but their is NO PROGRESSION WITHOUT AGGRESSION! Yes, that's right! If you don't get aggressive and try new things and draw a lot of boring things like bowls of fruits, interior spaces, and naked ladies. (naked ladies is a debatable boring thing...) You won't get better. Sure, it's not a drastic jump like stick people to Alphonse Mucha but, now that I look back, I realize there was some progression in different mediums/ drawing subjects from then to now.

(Alphonse Mucha work)So with all this progression I hope I don't find myself as a hobo 10 years from now. I'm hoping my talent and social skills become so great I can make a living as an animator and love my job! If not I might become a bum, I don't know. I'll dance for Lindsay at the side of the road for cash. (she said she would pay me if I danced for her as a hobo) Buuutttt let's just hope I get through trying to be an animator, or an illustrator, or a comic book artist, or a McDonald's cook before I reduce myself down to true bum status. (not just in looks either)

Anyway, I suppose my final words (even though I'm not dying) would have to be a nod to my blog title. REAL ZOMBIES ARE SLEEP DEPRIVED TEENAGERS. As you approach your senior year or college years you learn that sleeping is a hobby and we all become living zombies due to sleep deprivation. So if you have little munchkins in your house you should tell them this. They'll appreciate it later on in life when the finally understand what the heck you're talking about.

Ranting time is now time

Hello everyone out there. It's really early in the morning.
I am currently really stressed out.

School is not being very fun at the moment. Not only do I have school work and finals to do but my CIM might not be completed. And without my CIM being done I won't be able to graduate, right?

On top of that I'm kinda having tension in the family due to college and my current living situation. As well as my current progression in life.

So upon dwelling upon this with the least amount of sleep I've received, in a long while, I'm prepared to have a little hissy fit/ meltdown.

I think only an angry origami bear will express my feelings at the moment.
Only a little bit.

COLLEGE WUT

So I had to make a decision as to what college I would attend Friday.

I made the housing/ tuition deposit for MCAD.

I got an extension for SCAD.
(I better follow up to see how long)

I think I'm going to MCAD. In fact, I'm pretty positive. I'm not sure where I'm going to get 17,000 in support money/ scholarships/ grants. (if you have any scholarships you think would be good for me or grants to apply for please comment list them)

But yeah. If I go to MCAD I'd only have to pay 3-4k ish for housing out of pocket. (which I have) Have 5k in student loans. And figure out how to get 2k more since my work study job would go towards food.

So yeah... this college/ senior year stuff is wearing me out!

Break Time

Now is the time where everything breaks:

• My cell phone has assumed the role of a paper weight.
• My PS2 is thinking of doing the same thing due to the amount of times it has frozen during gameplay
• And my heart is broken because my boyfriend decided it was best we parted due to what lies ahead in our futures.

So yeah. I think my spirit or mind is to follow with just homework and all of the above stacked on.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

On a more art related note I went to the beach. My cousin, who complained last time we went that we went to the beach but never went on the beach, finally got his wish. He also collected too many crab 'shells' along the way. They're still in the car.

My highlight would have to be going to see Ripley's Believe it or Not in Newport. I love it and wished I could have seen the Wax Works, as well. However, we were pressed for time and money. So yeah.

Okay, so maybe this blog update isn't so artsy related.

But what can you do when everything is breaking?

Including your computer which takes 10 minutes to load when you fire it up?

Yeah, not happy days right now.

It's just not happy days.

Where did Ashley disappear to!?

AFTER WASTING AWAY MUCH OF MY 3 DAY WEEKEND ON AIRPLANES I'M PLEASED TO SAY I HAVE COME BACK ALIVE!!!

This three day weekend I went to visiting MCAD (Minneapolis college of art and design) and SCAD (Savannah college of art and design).

I first went to MCAD and, to be frank, wasn't very pleased about the location. I felt depressed there, actually. Even though my best friend attends that college it was just so cold but deceptively beautiful. (It was seriously clear with sun but really COLD!) But what really made me depressed was the fact I felt trapped. I didn't feel comfortable wandering anywhere outside the college campus. One street might be student friendly and the next you could be mugged, raped, and killed. (IDK BUT THERE WERE REALLY SHADY STREETS) And one thing that really bothered me were the dorms. Sure, they were the LARGEST dorms you would probably ever have. The unfurnished cheapest ones, where my friend was staying, had big living room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The problem was it was SO RUN DOWN. I might have my room in shambles but there's a difference between messy and simply run down. The bathroom was the worst. I have this thing where a bathroom must be clean. Okay, not to the point where there can't be a toilet ring or gunk in the sink or some soap scum. I tolerate those. However, this was awful! The floor's grout was disgusting and the corners had mini filth mounds and, worst of all, the shower was chipped, stained, and dirty. Apparently it was found like that but... seriously... it was just... I couldn't relax in the bathroom. I guess that's what happens when you pay only 3k ish for the year. According to my aunt there are worse apartments but... a motel looked better. One of those skanky ones too.

As for the actual facility it was nice and clean. There were nice rooms and it looked modern, aside from the staff building. However, that building was older.

But it was a small campus. I felt trapped in a small enclosure and it really bothered me.

Breaking it down... I suppose:
Cons:

• Disgusting bathroom
• Small campus
• shady streets
• trapped
• cold cold cold cold :C

Pros:

• National accreditation
• All but 7k of my tuition paid
• Offers animation/ illustration/ comic making (I'm interested in all of those)
• Cheap dorm fees
• My best friend attends that school
• Mall of America is apparently 10 minutes away from the campus

Then there was SCAD. Oh my goodness, I now understand why who I talked to praised it. Mrs. McBride likes it, my relative said she really wanted to go there and now I want to! At first I was a bit shifty because the campus is spread out around the historical district of Savannah. I wondered "How am I going to get around?" and etc. I guess they have student and staff only transportation to different campus'. So that's so cool! Not to mention they offer a lot of programs. Their animation studio is considerably larger then MCAD, but MCAD has a 800 max students as opposed to 9,000+ at Savannah. They also had the screens you draw directly on! I SO WANTED TO USE THOSE! aslkjfklasjklfjlkasjdfklasjdflksdjkfj But, I guess on the downside, the stop motion room is quite small. MCAD has a considerably larger stop motion studio. Also, I guess you're not required to buy a computer, unlike MCAD, because you can just use SCAD's. But meh... I do homework in my room. Not some lounge or library. Not to mention I don't know if I could always use a computer in their animation/ game design building even though it's open 24/7. But... alksjdfksakdjdf I can't begin to say how much more I like SCAD. I don't feel like I'll get mugged, except on the outskirts of the area, and there are parks and stuff and I just don't feel trapped.

So... breaking it down:
cons:

• NOT nationally accredited :C They have some other thing and... I'm not sure how not being nationally accredited will affect me.
• 3 quarters (does not go by semester) Therefore 3 FINAL EXAMS.
• gnats
• sometimes areas of the city smell like pee but I think that's because of the horse drawn carriage tours... (that's logical right?)
• smaller stop motion room
• I have no clue how much I'll have to pay because my FAFSA doesn't come until the last week in APRIL D: WHEN MY TUITION IS DUE MAY 1st!!! (but my scholarships were 2k short a year, I think, in comparison to MCAD) (I'm a bit iffy about one because it said 8k but I don't know if it's per year or for all 4 years...)

Pros:

• Nicer dorms (but in the 6k- 7k range a year, but that includes a meal plan)
• Not trapped
• Larger facilities
• 4 story library... it totally pwnzed MCAD's by over 9,000
• I won't freeze (/no more stocking cap/ scarf/ hoodie?)
• Draw on monitor tablet *__*
• Offers animation (one promised pixar internship but it is a competition), comic art, illustration, game design (works with EA games)
• A lot of DA artists I admire go there
• Water parks? Pools? yes, yes there are.

So yeah.
Anyway.
That's what I have to say about this.
Please give me feedback and/or if you plan on going to one so I'll know more of my fellow artists are congregating in these locations.


PEACE OUT WITH A VIDEO.

For some odd reason I have nothing interesting to talk about...

So I watched How to Train Your Dragon, this weekend.

In fact, I saw it two times.

One in 2-d and another in 3-d. Not that it was so fantastic I had to see it two times in a row or anything... I kind of saw it with the family and then, low and behold, my boyfriend's family decided to watch it when I came over. It was cute. But that's what I call a lot of kid movies these days. Kids movies are either terrible or cute to me.

However, there was some like-able qualities. Mainly, the character design. There's nothing like 'not ideal characters' being the focus in this movie. I mean, the vikings are pretty meaty, even the women. I kind of liked that, for a change. I can't remember the last kids movie I saw where the majority of characters were meaty. There was even a peg leg. And, for once, the main character didn't do something amazing and walk out with dirt on his face. He walked away with a peg leg... when he should have been dead... but I accept the peg leg over a dirty face.

So, that inspired me to draw HELGA!!!

So yeah... hurrah for beefy women!

/end

March Concentration Pieces

We've Got Class

Stranger Danger

FYI if the pictures seem crooked it's because they were photographed a bit crooked... so yeah.

Happy Days!

Art and Food Go Hand and Hand

CHECK OUT THESE AWESOME BENTO BOXES!!!

SOMEONE'S MOMMY REALLY LOVES THEM!

So I think we should make these in AP art after we're done with out concentration pieces. Or, at least, attempt to. Because that would be awesome. We could make it into secret santa with bento box art and give it to someone at the end or have a potluck sort of thing. Wouldn't this be the coolest project ever? It's always great when you make stuff you can eat!
That's, at least, what I think. But I guess the project would have to take a class period (due to food freshness) so there are some flaws to my idea...

Run on recap (spring break edition)

Hey guys out there!

It's me, Ashley.

Here to tell you 10 highlights of my spring break.

1) I went to Great Wolf Lodge. I came back with a cold. Went on the tornado (later named nortado because my sister used to call tornado's nortados).

2) I bought the best shoes ever (top) for $16 and Harajuku lovers shoes (bottom) for $2. THANK YOU ROSS! And, no, my feet aren't actually that large. The Harajuku lovers ones are a size too large. But my feet stayed in them if I tied them so... $2 isn't bad at all.

3) Then Urban Outfitters had a tights sale! 2 for $20! So the tights (nicknamed the 'tattoo tights') I had been eyeing since January, that were $18 online +$3 shipping, were $10 in store! I guess my patience paid off.

4) I finished my art 3/4 painting... after... managing to ruin the background... because I didn't have the correct blue. Only to figure out that I did but I never used it because I couldn't get the cap off. Yeah, not good times.

5) I watched Hachiko: A Dog's Story and cried.

6) I played laser tag for the first time ever with my boyfriend, on his birthday. I had my butt handed to me by some maniacs from another team...

7) I saw my sister for the first time since Thanksgiving.

8) Watched Shen Yun at the Keller Auditorium and realized it was kinda anti-communism propaganda disguised as redundant dancing/ storytelling.

9) Got a letter back from SCAD telling me I received $5,000 a year worth of artistic scholarships. That makes $13,000 a year for SCAD and $15,000 a year for MCAD thus far.

10) I had a week off of school. That's always rockin'.

HEY GAIZ I BOUGHT A PRINT

So... I kinda felt compelled to buy MY FIRST print after Lindsay talked about the one she has purchased. However, mine isn't signed or very large... but it was $20! Funny thing is it's an artist I've never really taken notice to before, Ippei Gyoubu.

The Last Supper

I'm surprised my aunt wasn't raising a brow due to the fact that I purchased a picture that was a re-make of a very dramatic story/ time period in Christianity. I don't mean to be blasphemous or anything but I really liked the picture. (perhaps because it's anime and based off of a famous painting...) I think it's about... 8 1/4 inches in height and 18 1/4 inches in width.

Thank COMPOUND in Portland for it. If you take the Green line, going towards PSU you pass it before pioneer mall place... thingeh. Their website, with prints and artwork, is JustBeComplex.com.

I eventually hope to buy these pieces (as prints because I don't have a lot of money...):


The bottom one is another ippei piece and the one on top was made by a deviantart artist by the name of bagger043. But, for one reason or another, this person's print was being sold at compound. So yeah!

That's just one little slice of what I did this weekend while running around downtown!

Happy Days!

Have You Ever Heard of HEAD BREAD!? *insert horror movie music*

Some movie fanatics go a bit far...

SEE WHAT A MAN IN THAILAND DID DUE TO THE RELEASE OF Saw!





It's called well... not sure what it's called. But I call it HEAD BREAD.

Would you eat it? Would you not? Should this guy not be wasting his time sculpting edible body parts? What would you think if am man in your neighborhood made edible body part bread?

I don't know... and I think, personally, I'd be too scared to eat a realistic body part...

Naughty Naughty Nick Simmons

If you ever decide to plagiarize please try and pick a series that doesn't have one of the hugest fandoms ever. Maybe, just maybe, then you'll get away with it. Unless you encounter people like me...

Long story short Nick Simmons, I hope, is getting the beating of his life with a leather belt for plagiarizing Tite Kubo's manga BLEACH. He started a graphic novel called Incarnate but, as you can see from the pictures above, he copied/ traced/ whatever. Although the only series he's been called on officially for plagerizing is BLEACH I suspect there have been others. One of the characters looks pretty similar to Hellsing's Alucard and another Cowboy Bebop's Spike.

So yeah. Just don't plagiarize/ copy art. WE will know what you're doing. Because, even in the event that the series isn't well know, ONE OF US will FIND YOU.

Moral of the story:
Don't plagiarize

OR WE WILL FIND YOU

Hey guys I think you need to critique...

CONCENTRATION STATEMENT:

In my concentration I wanted to reflect upon the memories of adolescent times as well as focus on the ridiculous shenanigans of children. (Not to say that some of the tendencies don’t evolve or stick as a child ages.) I, also, wanted the piece to ring a nostalgic bell in the viewer’s head. Recalling all those ridiculous moments, where they wish they could disappear when they were a child; but laugh at as they aged. Hopefully, my art will serve as single frame entertainment that plays out as a more intricate story through memories in the viewer’s head.

(yeah... still a work in progress due to its length...)

Puppy Love

For the piece titled 'puppy love' I envisioned two children absorbed in 'la la land' because they're totally infatuated with each other. I recall, when I was in elementary school, children usually realized they liked each other on the playground and two things usually happened. One, the rumors of a couple spread like wildfire, even if you didn't know the kids. Two, they ended up spending all their time together swinging, jump roping, etc. However, in this piece, I wanted to emphasize how the rest of the kids went along their own business as these two were in their own world. I know I did.

From an artistic standpoint I didn't really sit down and ask 'what principles/elements of art did this cover?' So I guess I'm required to look at my piece and make it fit. Due to the fact the figures, aside from the couple, are silhouettes this piece uses emphasis to make a point. Proportion helps show the couple's place in the grand scheme: which is amongst everyone else. And, despite the wacky shapes and colors, I'd like to argue there is unity due to the color choice. I also used explosive colored, shapes for the silhouettes, and some movement due to these shapes having action poses, as opposed to the couple.

The Brawl of 5th Grade

The story behind this piece goes like this... In 5th grade this kid named Freddy decided to visit the school after he moved. One way or another he, and this other kid named Brandon, got into a brawl on the kickball field. (the kickball field is where all the action happened) I was playing in the field, at that time, away from the kickball field. Soon, I saw my 5th grade teacher, Mr. Hamblin, rushing across the schoolyard and onto the field with a very serious expression. He, then, grabbed one by the wrist and the other by the ear and pulled them to the principles office. It was quite dramatic. So I wanted to stick it on paper. Funny thing is, this is the only fight I've ever seen when it comes to school. (even Clackamas had fights but, for one reason or another, I missed them)

As for the elements/ principles of art I didn't really take that into consideration. All I knew is that I wanted to have Brandon, Freddy, and Mr.Hamblin, in the foreground, and all the kids in the background. I kinda wanted a balance. The trio would be darkened, in the front, so not too much emphasis would be on them. The kids, on the other hand, would be small and insignificant in the back. But they would still help set the mood for the picture as you viewed their faces and gestures. Therefore, the use of Emphasis was key in this picture. I also wanted value, with the use of color, to help with trying to make an emphasis. As well as balance, so one group of people wasn't overshadowed by the other. Proportion also helped show where the different spectators were in the piece in comparison to where all the action and 'truth' was occurring. There, since the spectators were so small and far away, it allowed them to speculate because there was a degree of separation. I also wanted to try and achieve some space, due to the background, but I fear I didn't really do that...

SOME THINGS POINTED OUT:::
Q: If it's a bright and sunny day where are the kid's shadows on the grass?
A: ... hahahahahaha I forgot about that... (I'll make sure to add that in when the picture is back in my hands)

Q: Where are the kids eyes?
A: I tried to add a cast shadow over them so they couldn't be seen. I was... how do I say this? Kind of like how things in the foreground in movies are blurry so you will focus on the background just as much as the foreground? Kind of like that. I suppose... to sum it up... I wanted it so the viewer wasn't all like 'FOCUS ON THE BIG 3!' and have the kids in the background be overpowered. IDK if that was the best thing to do or if adding in two pairs of eyes really did much.

So yeah! That's about it!

WHAM POW KA-BOOM i like this artist

SAVEJANOS on DEVIANTART

http://savejanos.deviantart.com/

And, yes, I hate and love deviantart.
But anyway...
Love the old comic art graphic art whatever art cool art style.
I mean come on!
Anime is cool and all...

BUT SHE HAS MEN

MANLY MEN

LOOK AT THOSE MEN
HANDSOME OLD STYLE MEN

I covet her style.
As I do many artists.

I wish my lines were that precise and and and the anatomy and and and I wish my sketchbooks were that amazing.
I gottah take more figure drawing classes...
Gottah get out of this anime scene yo!
Take a walk on the traditional cartoon side.

Yeah
End.

The Rice Fields are Alive

You know something? Chain mail and forwarding stuff makes me really annoyed. I don't have time to look at my grandpa and grandma's whosah whatsah whatever. The only time I have is to check my e-mail and make sure all my college stuff is going smooth. Or if that file I was working on in English got to my inbox. However, my grandma did send me something pretty cool a while back.

BEHOLD THE RICE FIELDS OF JAPAN!!!
With no dyes, just different colored rice and a whole lot of helping hands, people produce these awesome eye catchers!

And you thought corn fields were amazing.

My Online Sketchbook

Although I lament the loss of my family I don't think that counts as a proper blog update.

SO

There is a website called Tegaki (kudos to those who know about it! Please give me your username). Tegaki is, essentially, an artwork hosting site. However, you draw your works directly on there using their tools. You have a limited amount of solid colors, a range of opacity to work with, different 'brush'(like dots) sizes that you can work with, and no layers. That is it. It's photoshop on a low budget and MS paint on steroids (in some respects). I use this program because the social networking is pretty cool. Instead of tying out responses you have to draw them out. You can also roleplay by using pictures. Best part of it all is it doesn't lag as much as photoshop does on my old virus filled computer.

I guess you could call it my virtual sketchbook and you could assume my lack of amazing works in my sketchbook is due to the fact I spend massive amounts of time working on my online pieces. I think I should print some of my works out and paste it in my sketchbook and call it a day. The only problem is it's not observational. Oh well. Some sticker tags don't need to be.

Here are some of my works:

"Y so srys Ruth?"

(why so Serious Ruth?)

This work is a 'crack piece' for a Team Fortress 2 rp(roleplay) I'm apart of there. I made up a fictional character named Ruth (left). She's a sniper (a class on the video game Team Fortress 2) and she hates spies (the class Jared, the guy on the right, is). Long story short, we had a joke where Ruth became Batman and the spy was the Joker. (but the ironic thing is they're on the same team) Ack! I'm rambling. Anyway, took me a while to make...


"Trapped"

This piece was for another rp, an Avatar: the Last Airbender one. I was compelled to join because I was feeling very stressed. As one of many reactions to that I spent too much time drawing on the computer instead of doing homework and working on college apps. This was the result.

"HISTORYvsVAGINA"

Before I explain the outrageous title I must say I'M REALLY ANNOYED WHEN BLOGSPOTS CODE SPAZZES OUT ON ME! D<>

(I'm still thinking of a title)

I'm thinking of printing this one out and using it for 'willy nilly'. This one I did this weekend, due to stress again wahoo! This is my latest rp character, right. He belongs in the Avatar: the Last Airbender rp. His niece is the ginger on the left. To translate what they're saying into normal people language the dialogue would go like this:

Uncle: Are you sure this scarf looks okay?

Niece: Of course! It was all the rage during New York fashion week!

Uncle: Amongst the women, right?

Niece: Uh... maybe... but it sure looks pretty! And it'll attract the ladies!

---

Anyway. That's a sample of my stuff on tegaki. I think I should put some of these in my sketchbook as sketchbook assignments. Does that count? please please please can it count? I work so hard on them!

A Real Reason for Big Kids to be Depressed

Uncle Tommy died this weekend.

He was my grandpa's brother. But we all called him Uncle Tommy. It was so sudden, even though he battled liver problems for years. He was working 2 weeks ago at the clinic. Then he had to go the hospital again. But he always pulled through. It was like the boy who cried wolf. I never took to much concern. Until he got worse. Then he was taken to a hospital in Washington. There was hope he would live... a 1% chance of hope. It was decided. He would die. That was Friday. Then there were preparations. Who would he stay with until he passed on? That was Saturday morning. Then there was the urgent call that had my aunt rushing out the door. Tonight was the night. He wasn't going to make it.

Sunday, 4am, he had gone to be with the Lord.

Left for Dead While Eating a George Washington Hamburger

Dear blog,

This weekend I was introduced to a wonderful zombie game called Left For Dead. I most likely will have a zombie dream tonight due to playing it. I was also introducted to a George Washington hamburger at Calamity Janes. It was a plain hamburger, except for the pie cherries and sour cream on it. I must say the hamburger was an adventure and I would want to try it out again.

In other news I had a little bit of a meltdown due to my revelation that my anime art hasn't improve in 2009. Sure, so I want to build my core skills for college, right? Well, even if I'm investing most of my time in my core skills shouldn't it benefit my anime drawings?
I'm just saying...

I guess I'd like your guys ideas on how my improvement has gone... and if I'm moving in reverse. I think you can click on it for a larger view, right?

Anyway, yeah. I was kinda like... unproductive this weekend. And I think my computer downstairs caught a virus due to photobuckets. >:I That does not make me happy!

FIVE HOURS LATER... Scholastic Portfolio Day

Hello alls in wonderland!
Hello my friends of all animals!
Hello my fellow flash dancers!
Ready to hear of the tale full of words such as SUNDAY, 5 HOURS, CRITIQUE, and EGOS!?

Here we go!

National Portfolio day... I had never been there... but I had a plan. It was simple on paper. I would first stand in line @ MCAD and have my portfolio critiqued. Then I would go to RMCAD and have them look at my portfolio. Then I'd go to a toss up school that offered animation and leave.
3 schools
2 hours and then gone!
...
More like 5 hours later...

So I was standing in line at MCAD. It was a bit of a long line but at least I had a team with me! There was moral support from my boyfriend, Terrence, who was so nice to tag along and stand for hours on end. Then there was my aunt, who was also kind enough to stand in line for me. (however she was at RMCAD) Anyway, after waiting 1 hour in line, my aunt called me over to the RMCAD one because I would be next.

I was excited. I thought I had this in the bag. I mean, a lot of people ahead of me had small pieces or anime. I had big pieces. I had observational things. I thought I was superior. My ego was in inflate mode.

So I made small chat with this younger lady who informed me of RMCAD. It was a private school with mild weather and classes with around 12 people. Dorms were close to the campus and jobs for animators were easy as long as you moved to California after attending.

Sooner or later I found myself in front of this older woman. She had grey hair and it was cut somewhere between her chin and her shoulders. She had wrinkles. She seemed old. I already had a stereotype for her: old fashioned. So me, not knowing how this portfolio thing worked, made sure to be friendly and laid out all my stuff... all of it... like... too much of it. She first when through my sketchbooks and said i should only have my BEST THINGS marked in there. ... to my dismay my BEST THINGS were ripped out and apart of my portfolio. Guess I didn't really need my sketchbooks... ... ... After making her look through a ton of anime and shizz I eventually geared her towards my observational and more traditional pieces. She wasn't thrilled. She then proceeded to tell me what was wrong with my pieces and why she didn't like them. She didn't really help me. My ego deflated. I could hear the air escaping from the side of my ego balloon. I think I figured out why RMCAD has such a small student body. If a lady like her is a representative, who doesn't seem too open to design-y styles and is too preoccupied with traditional art, I can only assume that the rest of the people there are kinda snooty and snobbish. I don't want to go to such a place.

SO WHAT DID WE LEARN ABOUT RMCAD & MY PORTFOLIO KIDS!?

• The woman there only showed some interest in about 4 of my pieces. (2 of which she still had a bone to pick with) [and therefore didn't give me any pointers or confidence as to what pieces I should send into the school]
• She didn't give me very good feedback. I didn't really walk away any smarter other then having a good composition means the picture is balanced any way you turn it.
• Scratch that. She told me I might better as an illustrator because I'm funny (according to my sketchbook). [That was the only positive thing to come from her mouth]
• I don't want to apply to that college anymore.

After dragging myself back to the MCAD line I joined my bf only to look super depressed. My ego was limp, as limp as a limp noodle or a deflated balloon or... iunno... tuna. A tuna fish. Although Kermit was a nice guy and open to all styles and art, such as the two girls who only seemed to have anime drawings before me, I didn't have the enthusiasm and excitement I had before. So when it was my time I forced a smile, because image is everything, and made sure not to dump everything on him. I pulled out my two latest sketchbooks and pointed out a few pages. I made sure to keep the summer one and junior year one hidden. Then I pulled out select works. The works I thought he'd want to see. My observational things and some of my more design-y pictures. We talked. It was awkward, but only because my confidence was destroyed. He had things to point out and some praise.

SO WHAT DID WE LEARN ABOUT MCAD & MY PORTFOLIO KIDS?

• People have different opinions. What the RMCAD lady had some interest in Kermit did not. While what she destroyed me with he pointed out some positive aspects of it.
• I need to finish my January pieces to use in my portfolio. Why? Because my portfolio should consist of two sections.
  1) Observational pieces (I don't have to send in an interior space or landscape YAY)
  2) Personal voice/ concentration (They want to see a body of work that relates with one another. That's because, as an animator, I'm going to make a story and pieces will have to be consistent. But that's probably something they tell to all different students going into a variety of majors.)
• They seem more open to all mediums and styles.

I felt a bit better, my balloon ego was half full and I had but one more place to look. Was I to go to Cornish College of the Arts? Or, perhaps, Laguna which seemed to have no line. I ended up standing in line for Laguna. There ended up being two girls ahead of me. All they had was anime. I couldn't help but laugh at them and yet relate with them. If I had come to portfolio day as a junior most of my pieces would have probably been anime. I can also understand why teachers and admissions people are getting sick of anime. After all was said and done with them I approached the man. He had quite the beard, despite his young age, and his eyes sometimes geared off in different directions. Is that an artist thing? Will I go cross eyed in a way? Meh? Anyway, he seemed like a nice fellow and offered up his critique as well constructive feedback. Sure, he had pointed out the problems in some pieces. But he backed up his punch to my ego with enough patching up constructive feedback that I left feeling as jolly as Santa.

SO WHAT DID WE LEARN ABOUT LAGUNA & MY PORTFOLIO KIDS?

• Some of my pictures had technical, compositional, color, value, etc. etc. issues. However, they were problems only to be expected by someone who had not attended college yet. So, in other words, I was good for my age but not as good as the college students.
• The representative was a good listener and engauged. He made you feel appreciated and valued. He could also make you feel as if there was a connection rather then a barrier in which they were elevated above you.
• Their animation program is inspiried by Chuck Jones approach to animation, and since Laguna is in California I'd already be close and immersed in the animation industry. The only problem is there are no dorms and they're only taking 100 new students. If that's students in the state of Oregon or out of the country I don't know.
• I was quite impressed. I need to look more into this college.

And so, my day came to an end. I ran out of time to visit any other colleges and made a book run. I grabbed as many as there were left for the schools who had animation offered as a BFA or MFA.

THE END!

How Might I Improve...

Hey alls out there in procrastination and blog land! Tis me! I was wondering if there was any advice you could give me about my works.

There were only a few things that I was really wondering about and I'll list it under the piece.


1) Does the typed words look cheesy? Should I get rid of them?
2) Should the space above the cubbies be darker? (In this picture I didn't add the light green yet)

1) Should the picture be larger? (although the boy cannot get that much bigger or the marker is prone to getting streaky) OR should I make it larger horizontally and have the boy still drawing?

1) Should the creature eyes be a darker yellow since they should be in the dark?

2) Do the camel spider need eyes or something else? OR are they okay as is?

Or are there any other suggestions you guys have that would help my work improve?