Waltz in Visions of Winter

Is this happening?! Yes, it is! I finally have a new drawing to share with you! Took me long enough! This was originally meant to be my yearly tribute to Christmas, but obviously, that ship has sailed. So instead, I present to you my tribute and my dreams of winter. The ideal of a perfect winter is something we North Carolinians often pine for - what we receive is on-and-off warm weather and snowfall once or twice a year. This year has been no exception. But I decided to imagine what it would be like if the snow was plentiful and my friends and I set aside time to forget our troubles and play the old-fashioned way! Wherever you are, I hope your winter isn't too cold (or too warm) and that you are able to find comfort with family and friends. More drawings are on the way, so stay tuned! Here's to a prosperous 2013! ^_^

Like the Pokemon drawing, this image was VERY fun to color. My work began with the splotched sunset and spanned from there. I've never colored such a detailed sky before, and it came out surprisingly well. I'll consider that a trade-off for my disappointment with earlier stages of the drawing. The other two people in there other than me in the foreground are two of my closest friends, and I had originally planned to include three more of them as a tribute to my local group of post-college companions. But my weakness in drawing things very small (curse my big hands!) came back to haunt me - I just couldn't define the minute features for the ones who would be at a more distant perspective. So I limited myself to just three people and filled in the space with other things. Namely, the car. The car is the worst part; I'm not afraid to admit it. >_< Drawing machines/vehicles is not one of my fortes. I'm happy with everything else, though! ^^ For this drawing, I decided not to alter the levels of the base sketch lines. Doing so made the coloring more like a cartoon. Keeping the outlines dimmed, I was able to achieve a more paint-like blending with the colors. It's a technique I'll definitely utilize in the future.

A Nostalgic Encounter - Pokemon

I'm in a bit of a tough position. Today's topic has been covered again and again and again - how can I possibly put a new spin on it? Maybe the answer is not to. Maybe the best course of action is to start from the beginning, emerging from the moving truck in a brand new home, given a momentous task by a local scientist! You're eager to explore the world with this pet you received to aid you on your quest. A lush, rolling landscape awaits you, but be wary of the tall grass, for in them are dangerous creatures, and sometimes......ah! There! Behind that rock! Another like yourself has stepped forward! You've no choice but to put your mettle to the test!

Ghost-type trainers shouldn't be idling this early in the game, what on earth..........well, if it wasn't obvious already, today's post is about that worldwide critter-collecting phenomenon, Pokemon. I hardly should need to expunge on what Pokemon IS if you are a human being and you posses a pair of ears and cognitive thought, but for those not in the know, it is a video game franchise from Japan named "Pocket Monsters"; Pokemon is simply a cute shortening. The name derives from the ability of a user (trainer) to battle and capture monsters, which, when caught, they keep inside tiny capsules (Pokeballs) that can fit in their pocket.

You can see the appeal. Cute critters that you can carry around anywhere and make them do cool stuff? Sign every kid in the world up for that! It had something for kids of all shapes and sizes. The focus on making monsters battle each other in tournament-style bouts clearly shows the primary demographic was young boys, but the story and nurturing aesthetics of Pokemon helped make it accessible to anyone. It teaches kids responsibility and improvement through experience and perseverance, while still keeping their attention with fun monster designs and battle actions. Even adults can understand why kids go ga-ga for this kind of entertainment. I mean, I never ASKED to own a Pokemon game (at first). My wise family, alongside getting me a Gameboy Color for my 10th~ (approximate) birthday (which I also did not ask for), gave me a copy of Pokemon Blue, making it the first Gameboy game I could call my own. The last Pokemon game I played came out two years ago. So obviously I adored the game - why else would I continue to play it for the following 13 years?

This franchise was my childhood through and through. I played the game into the late hours of the night, beating just one more trainer before bed; or resetting every time my last Ultra Ball failed to catch a Legendary Bird, pridefully refusing to use my Master Ball before the coveted Mewtwo on the horizon. I was glued to the TV every Saturday morning to catch new episodes of the cartoon. Previously I've stated that Dragonball Z was the first anime I ever saw; in hindsight, it was actually Pokemon. I saw the (first two) movies in theaters, retrieving the Ancient Mew card from the First Movie. And yes, I collected the CCG too. My first rare card from my first booster pack was a 1st Edition Holographic Charizard. That doesn't expand on my love of the fandom - I just thought that was a really awesome thing. I even had a Pokemon Pikachu - Pokemon's answer to the Tamagotchi/GigaPets. Loved that little guy. Made you want to run and exercise to make him happy! Ingenious, really.

I praised Pokemon earlier for being accessible to kids of all ages and for teaching lessons while still keeping up the entertainment value. But I also said the last Pokemon game I played came out two years ago. Two more generations of the games have come out since then, but after years of catching monsters and making them battle, trying to make them the very best like no monster ever was, I was growing......tired. The fact of the matter is, the Pokemon games, while improving every step of the way, are basically the same game over and over and over again. For kids, that's great; each new generation of 10-year-olds will have a wonderful game to play. For me, now an adult, it's grown stale. I've gone through versions Blue, Silver, Sapphire, Emerald, Leaf Green, Pearl, and finally back around for Soul Silver. The journeys had been long and arduous, and I'd enjoyed them thoroughly. I had game experiences I'd never forget and fond memories of nights trading and battling with my friends; I even had my own #1 favorite monster (Gengar). And yet, over time I realized that I was playing a game that just repeated itself with each generation. I never once leveled one of my Pokemon to 100 - I would buy the next version before accruing enough time to do so, and then the older game would sit in the bin. I came to realize that, for me, such a mindless cycle had to come to an end; the point had been lost. So I made a conscious decision to purchase neither Pokemon Black nor White, and I quit the game for good. Several of my peers have continued the games unwavering, it's just simply not for me anymore. Perhaps you can blame my narrowing taste in video games, but my trainer days have come to a close. Do I regret playing Pokemon? No. My quitting is solely a matter of age and taste - they say nothing of the state of the games now. And I would encourage anyone curious to check them out. They kept me entertained for many long years and hopefully may do the same for you.

Most. Fun. Coloring. Work. Ever. I had so much fun coloring this drawing. It doesn't look like much, but it came together so smoothly. Gengar's triple shade pleases me beyond words. As for Sei, I'm not as happy with him......his legs aren't long enough, for one. His clothing is a little wonky; however his expression is PERFECT. I wanted Sei and Gengar's 'tudes to be in sync, and I think I captured that in the expressions. I debated giving Sei a similar toothy grin, but I decided that would be a little TOO in sync, to the point of being hokey. "Cool Berserker" is a reference to Sei's personality in my story - don't pay it any mind.

Creatures of the Coral Reef - And Happy Halloween!

Hey guys - I don't have any kind of profound or introspective discussion that coincides with today's picture, so instead I'm just going to apologize for not having a Halloween update prepared this year. Barring my Transformers tribute image, Nostalgia Week was also a total bust. I realize I have not been on the ball, but I'm doing my best to turn that around. You'll definitely see a Christmas related post this year along with any other regular posts to come - and they ARE coming, I promise! That being said, I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween!

I've been debating for a long time whether to share this picture with you all. It was the first drawing I did after moving into my apartment, so I was still recovering from a period where I was so busy I barely had time to make updates or even draw at all, so it's rather messy. In the world of my story Gogyouo-Sama, there are many humanoid-like beings called youjin, as I expunged on for Kushiro's character profile. This undersea denizen is of a youjin species called [Insert Name Here]. Actually it does not have a name; I was hard-pressed for ideas of something to draw, so I thought, "I'll just draw a weird creature. Every story with creatures like this has to have an underwater tribe, right? I'll do that!" Of course, then my challenge was to design a creature that didn't look like a Zora, and I'm not convinced I succeeded. Honestly I'm happier with the coral reef and the rippling waves at the surface than with the creature itself. I'm still kicking myself for giving it antennae. Antennae: the go-to creature feature when you have absolutely no idea what they should look like! The plumes behind its head I guess are like a flower; I thought it would make the creature look somewhat majestic. Don't ask me what he/she/it is doing here. Perhaps they're beckoning you to come hither to spirit you away to their undersea village? Maybe they were out jogging through the reef and is waving hello - that would explain that weird headband thing I added for no reason. Can you jog in a coral reef? Apparently this thing can, whatever it is. As with many unknown specters of the deep, mysterious to us land-dwellers, it may be opportune to never find out.

Clearing the Beaches

We're seeing some changes around here. Mornings are getting cooler, the humidity is fading away, and late allergies are beginning to flare (at least here on the east coast). And that must mean......fall is approaching!

It's time for that beach holiday to end - it's back to work for the adults and back to school for the kids! Then again, many adults are always working - I'm one of those adults now. Summer, for me, used to mean the time of the year when I got to do nothing and not think about work. Now it's just another time of the year. I don't use it for vacation - I use it like I would use any other time of the year: work during the day, rest in the evening, take a break on the weekends. So I don't really have what you'd call a traditional summer vacation anymore. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy my summer. I got to go to two anime conventions just a few months apart; I made the big move out of my parents' home into my very own apartment; the workflow at my office has undergone many overhauls in the last few months which, although initially coming from negative events, highlight improvements moving forward. Everything is changing; a wave has washed over me and is dragging me along. I've yet to see where I will drift, but I'm having fun and making due along the way. I'd say this has been a more eventful summer than I was expecting because of that. I can't wait to see what changes fall is going to bring (not to mention I'm ready for some cooler weather!).

So how did your summer go? What kinda of activities or vacations did you take part in? Let me know! I hope it was an eventful one! :)

Actually, I didn't even go to a beach this summer! I'm not much of a beach person; and it seems that Sei isn't either if such events like the above befall him. This drawn by hand and colored in Photoshop. I'm still learning a lot in the ways of digital coloring, but I still feel like I'm improving. I'm not happy with the sky; I feel like it could have even a few slight shades to add depth to it, but I'm pleased with the rest of the work. I was unsure what kind of sandcastle Sei would build, so he decided to make a whale carrying a Pachi castle. How predictable of him.

When Nostalgia Meets the Eye: The Transformers

Some time ago you may recall me saying that this post would be a precursor to the next Nostalgia Week on Pachi's Portrait. Well, as Nostalgia Week hasn't yet become a staple of the blog and I don't want to make promises I can't keep, for now I've decided that during this time of the year (September/October/November) I will strive to make several of my posts nostalgia related, rather than doing three in one particular week. I chose this period because Fall always makes me look back and reflect on the things that have come before that year; I can't really say why. But that makes me think of nostalgia. So, here's the first of hopefully several nostalgia-related drawings/updates. You may have already guessed what today's is based on the title and image: Transformers!

If you're of the newer generation you're probably thinking about the live-action Michael Bay movies when I say that, but that's not what I'm referring to. Yes, they are a part of the Transformers franchise, but I personally don't like them that much. And why? Because I'm a G1 junkie. G1 refers to the retro-actively named first generation of Transformers toys and media that popped up from 1984 to 1991. I was born in 1987, so I appeared smack in the middle of its popularity. I didn't actually start to discover these toys until the G2 generation of 1992, but I soon found the original toys thereafter and Hasbro's cartoon series that ran from 1984-1987 - I was only able to see a handful of it in reruns and syndication. I loved it. It wasn't until years later that I was able to see The Transformers: The Movie (since it was in theaters before I was born), but I adored that as well; today I rank it among my favorite animated motion pictures of all time.

While I loved the toys and the cartoon, there wasn't a deep appreciation for them - I just thought robots were cool, especially robots that could transform. It wasn't until 1996 when another Transformers series, Beast Wars, aired on American television that I became a hopeless fan on another level. That show helped me respect the story and mythos of Transformers and truly see that there was more to it than meets the eye (sorry......I'll only say it once).

But yeah, there's not much else to say except that I love Transformers (as long as they have nothing to do with Michael Bay). I still collect the toys to this day and feel no shame in doing so as a transforming-robot loving adult. :) If you're a Transformers fan, which series/generations of them are your favorites? Favorite characters? Do you tend to lean more towards Autobots or Decepticons? Let me know! (I'm a Decepticon at heart.....Soundwave has and will always be superior)

I hope it's obvious enough, but I wanted to draw Sei and Suunu as Transformers....at first I wasn't sure how on Earth I could pull that off. As you can tell, there isn't MUCH that really indicates their own character other than the head molds and some of the symbols on their parts. Sei here is modeled after Soundwave, for little more reason than Soundwave is my favorite Transformer. Suunu is modeled after Wheeljack; his head mold had a design that I thought I'd be able to refashion until Suunu's unique hairstyle. Other than that there's no connection between the characters - Sei doesn't talk in a robotic monotone, Suunu isn't an inventor; they're just the models I picked. I guess this was primarily a test to see how well I could draw a Transformer than to make my characters look like one. I think they came out okay. I used my own Soundwave G1 toy as reference for Sei; for Suunu I used an online reference image of Wheeljack since I don't have the G1 version of him (I have his Transformers Prime figure, but I didn't want to use that model). Suunu came out a little darker than Sei which is wrong because Wheeljack is mostly white and Soundwave is a dark blue (not that you can tell in shades of gray, but I wanted to convey it accurately), but the two were drawn separately and then combined in Photoshop so their shading isn't quite on the same level.

Pachi Profiles 03

Hi everyone! I'm still alive, and I'm making an update that I promised months ago! It's the long-procrastinated third batch of character profiles! Only two of them in this set, sorry. I promise that more drawings are on the way, including one big one that's partly complete which will be a sort of precursor to this year's Nostalgia Week; which again, will be in October. I'm really excited to get this one done and rolled out to you! Anyway, if you would like to meet two more of my stable of personalities, click either of the two links below!

Profile #6: Wo Chun Fa
Profile #7: Wo Quan Li

Trapped in Nature Land or Summer Weather

Hey, guys! Sorry I've been away so long! There's been a lot of things going on, but I'm going to try and get semi-regular updates going again starting this week! But I'm back, and I now find myself........trapped in crazy summer weather.

A lot of people know summer as that time of the year when the temperature goes so high that you just want to lie back and do nothing. A time of rest and relaxation. Other people know summer as that time of the year when the elements go completely haywire on a regular basis. As a great cartoon teenager once said, "Summer rains, you can never predict them." And indeed it rains, it frequently rains. It can be hot and sunny in the morning and then overcast and rainy just a few hours later. Why do I bring this up?

Because the weather around here, in the eastern United States, was rather.....irritable a few weeks ago. For me, anyway. Every other day it seemed started out bright and sunny, but then devolved into violent overcast storms by late afternoon. I guess that's not really bad since we always need rain, especially in this time of year when it can get very dry, but the storms are what I don't like. I have a particular kind of weather I don't like, and that's thunder/lightning storms. Cliche as it is, I'm afraid of them. Part of it may be the thought that the lightning could be hitting somewhere, causing damage to something or someone. Part of it may be the fact that my sensitivities get shaken by those bright flashes and banging booms. I just don't find it calming in the slightest. I don't mind the rain.......just leave the theatrical additions behind, please.

Are there any types of weather you dislike or like for any particular reason?

NOTE: One quick thing - I've finally updated the Art & Sketches page of the site! So that's something.

I decided to make this image at the hate of my previously stated annoyance with all the thunderstorms we'd been having for awhile (at the time of preparing this post, the storms have actually been less frequent). I thought a fun idea would be to throw Sei headlong into a battle of clashing weather. Storms, wind, snow, heat, lighting, fire!! Okay, fire isn't a type of weather, but......it's hot! Designing Sei's outfit was fun - I wanted him to be too cold in some places but too warm in others. As you can see, he's not too happy about it. I don't know what the visor goggles are for. I just thought it'd be cool if he had some kinda headgear. Just pretend a big burning fireball of a sun is looming ahead of him.