Summer '11: A Quick Look Back

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Summer is almost over, and for some, it's back to school!  But before you dive in to your textbooks and studies, why not take a moment to remember the fun times you had this summer?  Did you get to go swimming?

I am not a big sports guy, I'll just be honest.  But if there's any sport I'd have to choose, it would be swimming. Neither am I a competitive type; and swimming, in my mind, is a very relaxing yet taxing past-time.  You're using all your muscles, but your mind is at ease because you're floating in water, swaying with the waves.  It's quite calming.  At least, that's how I feel.  

As a child I used to swim fanatically, but for a long time I did not invest myself to keep it up, mainly because of my devotion to school and studies.  Now that I've graduated college and have more freedom to manage my time, with the encouragement of several individuals I have just this year gotten back into it on a weekly basis.  Currently, I swim at one of our local parks twice a week after work.  It's a great way to cool off after a hard day at the office while also getting a workout.  I couldn't be happier that I've found the drive to resume a healthy sport on a regular basis, and something I loved dearly to do at that.  It's like returning to a fond memory and making it part of you again.  Speaking of which.......

In addition, this summer I did something I have not done for, I kid you not, 11 or 12 years - I went to the beach!  My close friends and I packed up together into a beach house down on Emerald Isle and had a lovely time revisiting our rambunctious college days.  Well, most of them did.  I actually had to leave after one day (due to family business) - but it was still an enjoyable time that I had with them, and a nice revisit to a venue I had not seen since my days as a child.  Just about any location can be fun if you go with friends.  Enjoying drinks, cracking jokes, talking about the old days, making food together, throwing frisbees and taking long walks on the beach.......well, if you do things like that with your friends, you might have even more fun. :)

So how about you?  What kind of things did you do this summer?


About the Picture:

Group shots, for me, have always been a grueling challenge.  I'm terrible when it comes to planning exact placement of a character on a page, and group shots practically demand that attention to detail.  As a beginner in group shot expertise, I used an effect of perspective to position each character such that neither were at the same 3-d coordinates, not only creating depth for the image but making it easier to give each character their own space, so I wouldn't have to overlap them.  Another challenge was figuring out how to draw Seikun's hair when wet without it looking incredibly stupid AND without it looking so different that he appeared to be a different character.  The above is what I settled on.  Doesn't that beach ball look more like a disco ball?  They ought to be dancing!

The Light Beyond Memorium

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In all honestly, I had not intended this to be my second post ever in this blog, but certain events occurred recently in my personal life that left me pining to pay a tribute and share my feelings with you all.

About two weeks ago, my grandmother passed away.  After being diagnosed with cancer, she persevered and was able to stay with us for several years before she finally succumbed this month.  She was a strong women who always spoke what was on her mind, and she was loved by many, especially her family.  The truth is, I rarely ever saw her in the last few years of her life, but my love and respect for her never dwindled.  I will remember her fondly for the rest of my life.  I was very sad when it happened, but I knew that she wouldn't want me to be sad.  So I took my sadness, and turned it into inspiration.  The drawing above is what came of that inspiration. Drawing a picture helped relieve my initial sadness - I was doing something I love for someone I love.  And so this picture was made in her honor, even if she can't see it.  And if she can somehow, I hope she likes it. ^_^

About the Drawing:

To best explain what I was going for in this sketch, I can compare it to a similar type of drawing that you can see right now on my Gallery page.  In this sketch, I was attempting to create a sense of vastness - I wanted it to appear like there was a huge world beyond the girl in the foreground, and showcase its scope.  In this post's sketch, I wanted to create a small area, but give it that same sense of vastness.  I used volume and light to give the small room depth and character.  Since I am currently a black&white artist only, I did this by making as many varying shades of grey as I could using different lead widths.  I think that the best way to add unique levels of intensity to a black&white drawing is to use different pencils/pens for different objects, but if your hand is steady enough you can probably do just as well with a single pencil/pen.  But even still I prefer using various ones because different lead widths leave different impressions on paper that contribute well to texture. This is all a novice's opinion, so do whatever works best for you if you want to use a similar technique in your own drawing.

The lighting itself is what sends the message here that I wanted to convey, and I honestly don't know if it comes across well due to my skill level.  But I don't want to just spell it out, so see if you can spot the meaning behind the picture for yourself.

As for the aesthetics of the picture......most of it I came up with on the spot with no reference or prior thought.  The casket, which was the first thing I drew (it's always important, in my opinion, to draw the main subject of your picture first, preceded only by anything that might appear in front of the subject; in this case the casket), I did have to look up online to find a general design I could work off of to create my own impromptu casket.  I realized after completing it that I had drawn a fairly standard American casket - in Japan (where the two characters in the sketch live), funeral caskets are a bit more decorated and lavished.  So I added on the two poles and connecting points to give it more intricacies.  The flowers were all made up on the spot as well.


All in all.....I can't say that this picture came out exactly like I wanted it to, and there are several things I wish I could go back and change.  But no matter how it looks, this is one picture I will always be proud of and hold dear to my heart.  This one goes out to you, grandma. <3

Welcome to Pachi's Portrait!

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Pachi, and this is my portrait. Or, at least, one possible rendition of myself, fictional or otherwise (I only wish I were that skinny).

Allow me to preface my introduction by explaining what my name means. "Pachi" refers to a Japanese onomatopoeia which describes a snapping sound, such as snapping one's fingers. Why do I have this name? Good question.

But my real name is Sam, and in all seriousness, welcome to the very first post of my blog as it goes live.

That intro should give you a good idea what kind of hobbies I am into. I am absolutely fascinated with Japanese art and culture. As you may also infer based on the image to the left, I am an artist. But currently only as a hobby, not as a profession. My art is strongly influenced by the Japanese cultures and arts that I so adore. They are my two favorite interests that have helped keep me inspired for many years.

I've been drawing and doodling and sketching for no-one but myself for ages, but starting today I am going to make my art available for anyone to see and critique. This blog is where I will post my newest works as I create them and provide insights into my process and techniques, perhaps even other things that I have yet to think of. And when I say "critique", I do mean critique - I am no expert artist by any means. In fact, I have a long way to go, so criticism of any kind is greatly appreciated.

At this time, I already uploaded a number of drawings that I have worked on over the last two months. You can find and view them at your leisure on the "Art and Sketches" page of this blog.

Don't expect frequent posts or scheduled updates. I draw as often as I can, but I don't always have the time; and it's hard to update an art blog if I don't have any new pictures to show. I will see if I can think of other topics I can blog about, in order to have more content and provide some variety. In a nutshell, what you can expect out of me is this: whenever an idea comes to me and inspires me, I will make that inspiration my next sketch, and I will post it to this blog as soon as possible, so that you all can experience my imagination and share in the joy I get from creating art. ^_^

So once again, welcome to my blog! I hope you enjoy your visit!