Tag: life

RIP Frog, and some Digital Drawing

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"RIP Frog" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “RIP Frog” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I hardly ever write negatively, but alas, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies here! I was cleaning out the garage this weekend, and I notice this poor frog, dried and flat.

I’m guessing it was resting right by the tire of the Prius, and when Mariko silently put the car in reverse, the frog didn’t move a muscle. And what makes it even grosser is that the frog must have been drying out, unnoticed in our garage for a week or more!

Rest in peace, little buddy!

In other news, I worked on a drawing on the computer the past couple nights. I started using my Wacom tablet with my desktop computer a while back, but my computer would freeze up and I’d have to reboot after a short while in Photoshop. (Also happens in Diablo 3). So, I have been wary of doing any digital drawing. But I did a bit of research and figured out that the problem was with the video card, so I dialed down some settings in Photoshop. And tonight I was able to draw for a few hours with no crashing! Woohoo! Of course, I am still saving my work every 30 seconds or so, but I am confident that I’ve solved the problem.

Anyways, I worked on a drawing which is based on the pencil drawing I did a few days ago. I’m happy with the progress I am making, and working on stylus technique, making new brushes in Photoshop, and using the pen tool for some really refined lines. I still don’t know how to draw hair, and the face looks pretty flat, but I am pleased so far. 😀

Here are three photos that show the original, the start of the digital version, and where I am at so far:

"2017.09.04 Sketch" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO3200
 “2017.09.04 Sketch” Cedar Park, 2017

As you can see, I’m at a loss as to what I should do below the neck and how to finish the hairstyle. 😕 And I just noticed that I lost her ear somewhere along the way. Oh well, I’ll figure it all out someday.

To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.

I hope you had a nice Wednesday!

おやすみ

Slow Sunday Activities

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"Cat in the Corner" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/15 sec, ISO3200
 “Cat in the Corner” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。

It was a relaxing Sunday at our house. Just check out the photo of Anko – she has the right idea!

I did do a few chores around the house and yard, such as folding laundry, washing the bedding, and some light tree-pruning, but even those tasks were done at a slow pace. Unrushed tasks are not really chores at all anymore. In fact, they can be kind of fun. But, sometimes I realize how pleasant they can be only after the task is done. So I am trying to get that mindset before I start the task, which will motivate me to get started on them.

In the evening I played a ton of Splatoon on our Wii U. I’m terrible at that game but it’s a ton of fun. Even getting splatted by other players is hilarious! What I like about the game is that even for someone who has terrible aim in shooters, there are “weapons” that don’t require a ton of accuracy, or have different purposes other than just splatting other players. For instance, I love the paint rollers because they can cover a lot of ground in paint, and the attack is very imprecise. It’s good for someone like me who is accuracy-challenged.

"Battle Ready" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/320 sec, ISO200
 “Battle Ready” Cedar Park, 2017

For dinner, I barbequed hamburgers on the grill. I tried a new technique for me, which is to not put the cheese on the burgers while they are on the grill. Instead, remove the cooked burgers to a plate, and then put the cheese on them while the patties rest. The cheese will still melt, but the grill won’t become a cheesy mess. It worked great… definitely the better way to make cheeseburgers! 🍔

I hope you had a nice Sunday. Here’s a nice relaxing tune from Splatoon. My favorite!

おやすみ

Dodgers in Town

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"Autograph from Joc" Round Rock, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO250
 “Autograph from Joc” Round Rock, 2017 baseball,

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight Bay and I went to see the Oklahoma City Dodgers play the Round Rock Express at the Dell Diamond. It was a minor league baseball game, but there were some major-leaguers playing – most notably, Joc Pederson and Kyle Farmer for the Dodgers. They will soon be called back up to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they make their push towards the playoffs.

But in the meantime, it was cool to see these Dodgers up close. As you can see from the photos, Bay got Joc Pederson’s autograph (and Kyle Farmer’s as well) to add to his cap. Minor league games are pretty cool because they are a lot more relaxed and informal.

"Autograph Cap" Round Rock, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO200
 “Autograph Cap” Round Rock, 2017

I splurged a bit and bought row 2 seats behind the plate, but since it’s minor league, they were only $14 each. A pretty good deal to be close enough to talk to the players!

"Great Seats" Round Rock, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO200
 “Great Seats” Round Rock, 2017

Even though the Dodgers lost the game, it was great to see the larger-than-life ballplayers up close. And when you see them up close, they are just regular people. Kind of cool!

I hope you had a nice Saturday.

おやすみ

Everyday Notebook

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"Everyday" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/4 sec, ISO320
 “Everyday” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight’s photo is of my Traveler’s Notebook. I bring this with me everyday in my bag to work, and I have my Pilot Kakuno and LAMY Safari attached. And recently I added my Uni Kuru Toga pencil to the kit.

In my notebook, I like to jot down things, like song names and random ideas. I also use Google Keep for notes, but it’s fun to write on paper even if it is not available “in the cloud”. I think it’s kind of cool that these little bits of information exist only in one place, and they can be lost forever. Eventually, all things come to an end, and so it will be with these notes. Isn’t it neat that they will exist only for short periods of time? It’s liberating to know that all things end, and not to get too tied up in trying to make things permanent.

It’s funny to me that I am trying to keep objects in my life that will last until I die, but then I don’t worry about things being lost? I don’t think it’s consistent but I am not going to think about it too much. Maybe it’s like the theory of relativity vs quantum mechanics. Who knows? Someday I might discover a unifying theory. 😆

Ok, time for bed. I hope you had a nice Thursday.

おやすみ

Takoyaki, a New Pencil, and an Edit

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"Takoyaki Dinner" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO800
 “Takoyaki Dinner” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Our younger son requested takoyaki for dinner, so we got out the electric takoyaki pan and cooked up a few batches. If you don’t know what takoyaki is, it’s a ball of batter, filled with octopus and other small ingredients (we also add cheese) and cooked into what looks like a donut hole. It’s then topped with a sweet sauce, Japanese mayo, green seaweed flakes, and dried bonito flakes. It’s a popular dish in Japan, and originated in Osaka. Since Mariko is from Osaka, I think she’s got natural talent in making Takoyaki! 😀

I received a nice little goodie in the mail today: a Kuru Toga mechanical pencil. The special thing about this pencil is that it has a mechanism which will rotate the lead slightly each time you lift the pencil from the paper, thus ensuring the lead is always sharp, or at least has a consistent angle. I tried it out for a little while, and it seems to work!

"New Pencil" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO2000
 “New Pencil” Cedar Park, 2017

My Amazon order actually came from Japan, so it took a couple weeks, but it was only around $4.50 US, with free shipping! I excitedly showed Mariko the pencil, but she was unimpressed… letting me know that Bay has had a Kuru Toga for a few years already. 🙄

Later this evening, I scanned in last night’s sketch and did my usual edit in Photoshop. Basically, I cut and paste the nose, mouth, and eyes, then adjust the position, size, and angle of each to what feels right to me. I can use that information on my next drawing so that I can get closer to my ideal sketch. And even though I have only started using this technique, I think it helps! For this latest sketch, I didn’t have to edit too much… just a pixel here and there, and resizing the eye on the left a little. The top image is the before, and the bottom is the edit. Can you see the difference?

To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.

I hope you had a nice Monday!

またね～