Comics

Artemployed

Posted on by Lianne

Two weeks ago, I was laid off. This is the 2nd time I’ve been laid off in my career. It contrasts greatly to the 1st time I’ve been laid off because last time, BOTH my husband and I lost our jobs around the same time. Having just bought a house a year prior, it was a very scary time for us. 

(Luckily?) this time around, it’s just me. I usually handle this sort of life-altering news with a strange calm (probably shock). No matter how you deal with it, my heart goes out to anyone who experienced this, especially right now to my other teammates who were laid off alongside me. People can be dismissive of these life events, especially in creative and volatile fields such as mine, but I am so very grateful that those who have supported, encouraged, and even just checked in with me, far outnumber them. Thank you, all; you are the best.

Learning · Sketches

“Painting with Light and Color” class

Posted on by Lianne

I signed up for another self-taught Schoolism class, Painting with Light and Color with Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo, and man, it’s kicking my butt! The 1st week covers painting still lives under neutral diffused lighting, which is overcast or cloudy weather. Seattle winters are perfect for this type of lighting scenario, but funnily enough, 2 of my still lives were taken from New Jersey in my parents’ backyard (the pumpkin and bag). 

The problem is not in the reference gathering, but in the painting. My lack of digital painting expertise caused me to simplify my still life setups. It’s a humongous change of mental gears for me, going from animating to lighting/rendering in Photoshop. My brain is exploding a bit. Hopefully, like most things, it’ll come more easily with practice.

Urban Sketches

SoCal sketches

Posted on by Lianne

This year, we spent Christmas with my husband’s family in SoCal. The first 2 sketches are from the Santa Barbara Zoo. My favorite aspect of the SB Zoo were the creative names given to each of the animals by the donors/keepers. (”Bling” is a great penguin name.)

The third sketch is the facade of the Mission Courtyard in the Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks. I love the Spanish architecture and the creeping vines framed by the olive trees.

Sketches

The Year in Review

Posted on by Lianne

2015 was about rebuilding. My husband and I are very blessed for everything that’s happened to us last year. My hope for 2016 is to keep working on a better version of myself so I can be strong enough for all of life’s challenges. Happy New Year, everyone, and may your 2016 leave you stronger than you ever were before!

Animation

FlipaClip test drive

Posted on by Lianne

Did this bouncing ball test on an amazing animation app called FlipaClip for my Samsung Galaxy Note 5. It has the right amount of controls to do quick pencil tests on the go, without bogging you down with too much complexity. The app also appears to be regularly updated too. Highly recommended!

Sketches

Testing out my new phone

Posted on by Lianne

Gesture drawings of some T-mobile employees drawn on my cell phone. I upgraded my phone to a Galaxy Note 5, and oh my goodness, I’m in love. The stylus uses a Wacom digitizer and has enough resistance it feels nice to draw with. ArtRage is also a great, intuitive art app when on-the-go.

I was that nerdy kid that always wanted a Palm Pilot. This phone not only fulfills that childhood wish, but is an amazing mini-sketchbook to boot!