...because this is another place to remind myself to do these things.
[✓] 10/1 Background Design and Outlines
[ ] 10/1 7 Thumbnails on poster. Read Value
[ ] 10/2 Read Fight Club
[ ] 10/17 Kubrick Research
[ ] 10/5 Make Lesson Plan
[ ] 10/1 Long Distance Games
Someone remind me to do these things.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
A title. Hold on.
Today I made half a gate. A door. It took some time. I used metal pipes (called EMT (electrical metallic tubing)). It was difficult to line up the holes on both sides of the pipe, because, you know, a pipe is round. You don't have that same reassurance of drilling straight as you would with a flat piece of wood.So that took a while. But I made the frame. There it is, to the right. It will be painted black. I will fill in the center with PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pies to make it more gate-like, and add wire and lights and webs and stuff to make it cooler.
As you can see, it's angled. That's because I wanted the gate to close itself. Very simple. Gravity makes it "fall" to the center.
Their eyes dazzle like freaking Christmas Eve. It's really annoying. Blue, red, and green. Those are not representative of Halloween. What the hell were the creators of this thinking?
Their glowing eyes will remain off. They will have a red spotlight above them, surrounded by wedding photos and family and friends photos. I think. You'll find this setup in the map I drew in the last post.
Picture Updates
Yes, I realize I need to post a healthy supply of pictures to keep some people happy.
The story behind these are as follows:
Bla bla bla, I got some plastic mirrors. Free. There are two things that can be done with them. First, my idea: At the end of a hallway, they approach the set of two mirrors (first pic). The idea is, it makes the hallway look longer, and they might scare themselves by going like, oh wait! That's me!
It's a fairly simple idea, no? Plus as you can tell, the plastic mirrors are fairly distorted. The second pic is my idea of supporting those heavy things.
My mom's idea was to use this steel shelving unit my dad brought home one day with the intention of filling with his stuff, but hasn't. So after building my set-up of the two mirrors, I took it apart and attached one to this unit. I added a mini strobe light (the white light). The cord you see is another story.
The purpose of having the mirror set back in this shelf is to drape a curtain in front, and in front of or on that, say, "Open to witness the scariest monster alive!" Do you understand the gag?
Each set-up serves a different purpose, the first meant to give a more subtle eerie feeling, the second as a knee-slapper gag.
In other news...
My map/plan has been added to. The graveyard has purposely been left untouched because I don't know what will go where, in regards to what we currently have, and what we might get/make.
Huzzah, pictures.
Goodnight.
 |
| Huzzah, me. |
 |
| Huzzah, a metal shelf. |
Bla bla bla, I got some plastic mirrors. Free. There are two things that can be done with them. First, my idea: At the end of a hallway, they approach the set of two mirrors (first pic). The idea is, it makes the hallway look longer, and they might scare themselves by going like, oh wait! That's me!
It's a fairly simple idea, no? Plus as you can tell, the plastic mirrors are fairly distorted. The second pic is my idea of supporting those heavy things.
My mom's idea was to use this steel shelving unit my dad brought home one day with the intention of filling with his stuff, but hasn't. So after building my set-up of the two mirrors, I took it apart and attached one to this unit. I added a mini strobe light (the white light). The cord you see is another story.
The purpose of having the mirror set back in this shelf is to drape a curtain in front, and in front of or on that, say, "Open to witness the scariest monster alive!" Do you understand the gag?
Each set-up serves a different purpose, the first meant to give a more subtle eerie feeling, the second as a knee-slapper gag.
In other news...
 |
| The first one was a scan. It was crap. This is a photo. Much more realistic. |
Huzzah, pictures.
Goodnight.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Food For Thought: Mystery
Mystery makes the man (and woman).
People are naturally curious creatures, and they like to find out and figure out just how something ticks. Or looks. Or feels, etc.
Hold them to that. Any amount of mystery is worth holding on to. It's okay to be quiet or shy or different in a lot of ways, but don't give that sort of thing away just to fit in. Sometimes it's real important to stand out. Obviously not in a negative way...
But it starts with the self, and it starts with one's own pride. It's about having high self esteem and a good sense of self awareness. Know who you are and be comfortable with it; embrace it. Be the person you are because it's the one thing you can be the very best at that no one else has. Smile because you are who you are, and that you represent the persona of your imagination.
It's all this inside you that you can savor for yourself. Show yourself content. Show that you have what you need, and that you're not looking for something else.
And there in lies the mystery. What does this person have? Why is this person content? What is the person hiding? I want to know what makes this person different than me. Because this isn't just some random person; no, this person has character like few others. This person stands out by being the person that he/she is, not someone else that's trying to fit in. A person that doesn't need to fit in or need something from someone else. This person looks like there is something to be said; worth saying. But here isn't the time and place. I would to find out how this person ticks to find out to hear what could be said.
Beyond what lies beneath the clothing, the way the hair is done, the way this person carries his/herself, it's the eyes. The fact that I can't really see them, but really, the way they look when I can. They hide something. There's always something more.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Going to read a book now.
I've been fairly busy.
My attention should be focused on three things (NOT in order:) School, Halloween, and my girlfriend.
Most of it should be going towards school. I need good grades and such. I need to impress universities I plan to apply to later. I should even be looking more into that (transferring). I do spend some amount of time doing homework, but usually just the fun work. That would be for my digital art class, in which I'm drawing a character (which can be seen in an earlier post) in Illustrator.
The next class I give attention to is a 2D design class (we create non-subjective compositions using elements and principles of art). The work I take home mostly involves drawing anything within guidelines in my sketchbook. In another book, there are words I have to read. At the moment, I have to read Less Than Zero for a class called Literature and Film. You can figure that one out. Actually, I should be reading that instead of writing this. But no...
I also take The History of Western Architecture and American Independent Cinema. There was a take-home test for Arch that I didn't finish because I'm stupid and didn't want to do it and put it off to the last minute; I needed more than the 2½ hours I gave myself. I missed a day of Cine because I wasn't feeling good from lack of sleep. That's a problem because the class is once a week. I have a report on Stanley Kubrick due in a few weeks that I should start.
So I'm not doing too well with school, but I pretend like I am.
I would rather be working on Halloween stuff. I would rather be painting skulls, or cutting out tombstones, or building a gate with pipes, or putting up the tent and putting up the walls, or digging holes to plant the tree branches, or goring-up some dolls to put in the maze, or configuring the air blower, or building a frame for the mirrors...
I want to be having fun.
But I can't be, because I have schoolwork to deal with and class time to focus in.
I want to play with my cats or watch Top Gear on Netflix or animate or play with Lego's or draw...
But most of all, I want to curl up next to my girlfriend and not do anything else.
I love that girl. She's so sweet and kind and tries to have fun and be understanding.
But she's 400 miles away going to her own school.
We have the fortune of Skype and Facetime and texting and simple phone calls, but just because it's there, doesn't mean it gets utilized...
She should be my second priority, after school. Halloween just isn't the same as holding a warm body against your own. But I don't have that. She's not physically here, and it's hard to pretend she is. It really doesn't take a lot of effort to pick up the phone to have a conversation. But that phone call is a distraction to whatever I'm currently doing. Reading, drawing, writing, eating... a phone call isn't natural... it's fake. Yes, she's there on the line, talking, listening, and even when I see her on a screen, it's only a tease.
A tease. I can't hold her, and that's exactly what I want to do. Any problem either of us has can be forgotten in each others' arms.
And that's what we have lots of. Problems. Her, more than me. It may not seem like I miss her compared to how much and how obvious she makes it that she misses me, but that's because I distract myself with school and Halloween stuff. I want her to be here to help with the projects at hand or the reading that I don't understand.
The problem with phones and such is the act of communicating. I'm not much of a talker, never really have been. But I am more so with her than practically anyone else. I don't have a problem telling her things, I have a problem with coming up with things to say. Obviously by this text, I have things to say, but this format of a one-sided conversation that can be carefully thought out and edited with no interruptions is what I am good at, compared to verbal communication.
I'm not a hermit living under a rock; I do do things. But I don't see very much of what I do that's worth telling. I want what I say to have some meaning and value, to be appreciated. I'm always being judged, mostly by myself, so I want to make a positive impression, even to myself. I find that not saying something says more than saying something pointless. I was kind of a mean kid when I was younger (just a bit less now), but the difference now is due to my mother, who always said that if I don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything. Well, maybe I've taken that too far.
So it's a combination of things, whether or not I can be bothered or if I have anything worth saying. I'm sure there could be other reasons too.
But the first one should definitely be fixed! I should not be bothered by talking to her!
Every day? Well, "Good morning, good afternoon, how are you, what are you doing now and today, anything exciting recently since the last time we talked, I miss you, goodnight..."
I'll argue that this takes away from longer conversations. Would you rather watch a movie in little pieces to make it last over a week, or watch it all in one go?
She has her own life, and she has her own problems. More than me. Recently it's about giving herself (her time and energy) to others, being for school, volunteering at the hospital twice(?) a week, babysitting, listening to her retarded sister, etc. I understand why she's tired. I understand that she does a lot of work with little instantaneous benefit.
So she wants to talk to me to feel better and to feel loved.
But I don't give her that. I'm too busy with my own shit.
My attention should be focused on three things (NOT in order:) School, Halloween, and my girlfriend.
Most of it should be going towards school. I need good grades and such. I need to impress universities I plan to apply to later. I should even be looking more into that (transferring). I do spend some amount of time doing homework, but usually just the fun work. That would be for my digital art class, in which I'm drawing a character (which can be seen in an earlier post) in Illustrator.
The next class I give attention to is a 2D design class (we create non-subjective compositions using elements and principles of art). The work I take home mostly involves drawing anything within guidelines in my sketchbook. In another book, there are words I have to read. At the moment, I have to read Less Than Zero for a class called Literature and Film. You can figure that one out. Actually, I should be reading that instead of writing this. But no...
I also take The History of Western Architecture and American Independent Cinema. There was a take-home test for Arch that I didn't finish because I'm stupid and didn't want to do it and put it off to the last minute; I needed more than the 2½ hours I gave myself. I missed a day of Cine because I wasn't feeling good from lack of sleep. That's a problem because the class is once a week. I have a report on Stanley Kubrick due in a few weeks that I should start.
So I'm not doing too well with school, but I pretend like I am.
I would rather be working on Halloween stuff. I would rather be painting skulls, or cutting out tombstones, or building a gate with pipes, or putting up the tent and putting up the walls, or digging holes to plant the tree branches, or goring-up some dolls to put in the maze, or configuring the air blower, or building a frame for the mirrors...
I want to be having fun.
But I can't be, because I have schoolwork to deal with and class time to focus in.
I want to play with my cats or watch Top Gear on Netflix or animate or play with Lego's or draw...
But most of all, I want to curl up next to my girlfriend and not do anything else.
I love that girl. She's so sweet and kind and tries to have fun and be understanding.
But she's 400 miles away going to her own school.
We have the fortune of Skype and Facetime and texting and simple phone calls, but just because it's there, doesn't mean it gets utilized...
She should be my second priority, after school. Halloween just isn't the same as holding a warm body against your own. But I don't have that. She's not physically here, and it's hard to pretend she is. It really doesn't take a lot of effort to pick up the phone to have a conversation. But that phone call is a distraction to whatever I'm currently doing. Reading, drawing, writing, eating... a phone call isn't natural... it's fake. Yes, she's there on the line, talking, listening, and even when I see her on a screen, it's only a tease.
A tease. I can't hold her, and that's exactly what I want to do. Any problem either of us has can be forgotten in each others' arms.
And that's what we have lots of. Problems. Her, more than me. It may not seem like I miss her compared to how much and how obvious she makes it that she misses me, but that's because I distract myself with school and Halloween stuff. I want her to be here to help with the projects at hand or the reading that I don't understand.
The problem with phones and such is the act of communicating. I'm not much of a talker, never really have been. But I am more so with her than practically anyone else. I don't have a problem telling her things, I have a problem with coming up with things to say. Obviously by this text, I have things to say, but this format of a one-sided conversation that can be carefully thought out and edited with no interruptions is what I am good at, compared to verbal communication.
I'm not a hermit living under a rock; I do do things. But I don't see very much of what I do that's worth telling. I want what I say to have some meaning and value, to be appreciated. I'm always being judged, mostly by myself, so I want to make a positive impression, even to myself. I find that not saying something says more than saying something pointless. I was kind of a mean kid when I was younger (just a bit less now), but the difference now is due to my mother, who always said that if I don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything. Well, maybe I've taken that too far.
So it's a combination of things, whether or not I can be bothered or if I have anything worth saying. I'm sure there could be other reasons too.
But the first one should definitely be fixed! I should not be bothered by talking to her!
Every day? Well, "Good morning, good afternoon, how are you, what are you doing now and today, anything exciting recently since the last time we talked, I miss you, goodnight..."
I'll argue that this takes away from longer conversations. Would you rather watch a movie in little pieces to make it last over a week, or watch it all in one go?
She has her own life, and she has her own problems. More than me. Recently it's about giving herself (her time and energy) to others, being for school, volunteering at the hospital twice(?) a week, babysitting, listening to her retarded sister, etc. I understand why she's tired. I understand that she does a lot of work with little instantaneous benefit.
So she wants to talk to me to feel better and to feel loved.
But I don't give her that. I'm too busy with my own shit.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Alandria
I renamed her Alandria after the song by the Foo Fighters (minus one letter) because I find it to be a beautiful name. It used to be Violet, but I she doesn't look like a Violet.
I know the stool she's sitting on looks goofy, but this is just a really detailed sketch. So w/e.
I mostly used a B and 4B pencil.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Hectic Household
So it seems I won't be posting too often. On the upside, my posts will be more content-filled. Let's start: for one of my art classes, I had to make a blog to post... art stuff (no way). We have to design a character and eventually make it in Illustrator (the art class is an intro to Illustrator & Photoshop. I already know PS, but I want to learn the other). So, here's the blog.
To the left is a sketch of the character I want to create. Her name is Violet, and she has an extensive description in the other blog. I'm proud of the sketch, and do plan to follow through with a fine lovely lady to dream about forever and ever (kidding). But, yeah, I'll finish the drawing.
Now for the good stuff.
Because last year, I did the most I ever did in terms of size and commitment and dedication. I literally spent a month designing that maze in front of my yard. So check that out, then come back to see how I intend to improve.
 |
| Dolls. With black eyes and blood :) |
 |
| Bringin' out the ol' coffin. |
 |
| Two ghosts, made to be swung in a circle. |
 | |
| I photoshopped and cut out Norman Bates :3 |
 |
| My girlfriend sewed these. Amazing! |
 |
| This used to be a wedding arch, now painted black. |
 |
| Here I'm testing a self-closing gate. |
 |
| This is my inspiration that I'm not going to pay $180 for. |
These are some of the things I started making for this year. There's lots of stuff still in the attic, and a few things around my room that wouldn't really make sense to post.
I will, however, share with you the things I intend to get done:
- Fog machine ice container
- Auto-coffin
- Cut out tombstones
- Doghouse cave, scary eyes
- Gateway arch
- Band members & music
- Black eye dolls & voices
- Tombstone girl crying
- Projected pet ghosts
- Dropping spider
- Fence
- Tree branches & holes
- Hanging ghosts on string
- Spinning illusion wheel near clowns
- Air canon, pumpkin spices
- Columns
I've got a lot planned for my little yard.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
My Life According to You, Starting Now
I haven't used a blog before, but as I understand it, to purpose is to voice your own opinions and update others about your own doings. Perhaps it could also be interpreted as an online diary/journal. I'm not about to research the subject, I'm just going to do what I want because I can and I don't see a reason to think otherwise. Do correct me if I'm wrong.
For now, I will treat is as a journal, keeping a tab on the things I've done within a given period of time.
Today, I cleaned the yard out front and washed my parents cars. My dad said I couldn't drive his unless I did...
So I did. I like his car. It's an '87 BMW 525i (I think). I like it because it has a satisfying roar, and because I like driving a stick. But being a fairly old car, it has its problems, so he doesn't like my driving it, fearing I may break it or it breaks itself (or me, for that matter). Also, the fact that I want to drive his car for the sake of driving rather than driving to a destination discourages his decision to give me the keys.
What? I like driving. Driving brings such a good feeling to me. Either you understand it or you don't. I like to drive.
Aside from that and dinner, I have been working on Halloween ideas. You will hear much more about this for the next few months.
To the left is a crude sketch of my front yard. There are blue lines, green lines, a green box, red lines, and a yellow square. All these form to make a maze for trick-o-treaters to walk through. Obviously, the few objects drawn here don't translate to much scaring, but do realize this is still September. I started on this sketch a week before, and this has been the best it could be so far. I have a month and a half to continue adding to this plan and ultimately assembling all the pieces to form the best haunted house my neighborhood has had. Believe me, the final product will look much better than this here sketch.
How do I know this? What potential does it have? Glad you asked. Here's last year's maze: It's small, but all hand-built!
My collection of haunting objects has grown, therefore my physical maze must be larger as well. If you haven't already figured it out, this is by far my favorite holiday, so making all this really means a lot to me. I am a hands-on person, I like making things. I come from a childhood of many Lego's, so that shouldn't be a surprise.
I see this blog (currently) as a means of logging my progress. I have many more things to show you, so stay with me on this. From hand-crafted spiders and ghosts to ghouls popping out of coffins, there is a lot of creativity going into my front yard. I hope you live near me because I would really love to show my creation to as many people as I can.
But to be honest, I am making this all because it makes me happy. Building this makes me happy. The satisfaction of showing this to others is a separate entity. Two different pleasures. I just want to make that clear.
Stick around for more pictures to come!
~Kevan
For now, I will treat is as a journal, keeping a tab on the things I've done within a given period of time.
Today, I cleaned the yard out front and washed my parents cars. My dad said I couldn't drive his unless I did...
So I did. I like his car. It's an '87 BMW 525i (I think). I like it because it has a satisfying roar, and because I like driving a stick. But being a fairly old car, it has its problems, so he doesn't like my driving it, fearing I may break it or it breaks itself (or me, for that matter). Also, the fact that I want to drive his car for the sake of driving rather than driving to a destination discourages his decision to give me the keys.
What? I like driving. Driving brings such a good feeling to me. Either you understand it or you don't. I like to drive.
To the left is a crude sketch of my front yard. There are blue lines, green lines, a green box, red lines, and a yellow square. All these form to make a maze for trick-o-treaters to walk through. Obviously, the few objects drawn here don't translate to much scaring, but do realize this is still September. I started on this sketch a week before, and this has been the best it could be so far. I have a month and a half to continue adding to this plan and ultimately assembling all the pieces to form the best haunted house my neighborhood has had. Believe me, the final product will look much better than this here sketch.
How do I know this? What potential does it have? Glad you asked. Here's last year's maze: It's small, but all hand-built!
My collection of haunting objects has grown, therefore my physical maze must be larger as well. If you haven't already figured it out, this is by far my favorite holiday, so making all this really means a lot to me. I am a hands-on person, I like making things. I come from a childhood of many Lego's, so that shouldn't be a surprise.
I see this blog (currently) as a means of logging my progress. I have many more things to show you, so stay with me on this. From hand-crafted spiders and ghosts to ghouls popping out of coffins, there is a lot of creativity going into my front yard. I hope you live near me because I would really love to show my creation to as many people as I can.
But to be honest, I am making this all because it makes me happy. Building this makes me happy. The satisfaction of showing this to others is a separate entity. Two different pleasures. I just want to make that clear.
Stick around for more pictures to come!
~Kevan
A Post of Welcoming
Salutations!
Shall I choose to post at least once a week, I think you will find my mind an interesting place to explore. Here is my hello to the blogging realm, I hope I fit in and find a nice place to settle here.
i bid you adieu;
~Kevan
Shall I choose to post at least once a week, I think you will find my mind an interesting place to explore. Here is my hello to the blogging realm, I hope I fit in and find a nice place to settle here.
i bid you adieu;
~Kevan
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