I stumbled across this video clip yesterday and thought that it should be shared. The artist uses a very different technique than I do (and gets different - I'd say better - results). Pretty cool to watch:
Here's something that's a little closer to my work (I also heartily approve of the soundtrack):
And here's someone doing it in MS Paint. With enough effort, you could conceivably do a decent job in Paint. I used to manage some pretty cool stuff (with a mouse yet) back in the day:
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Apparently It's A Theme This Week
Look, don't blame me, blame the guy who keeps posting celebrity desktop wallpapers that feature models and actresses against a black background in the picture newsgroups.
For You Rachel Weisz Fans Out There
To keep you from ganging up on me in the comments on the previous post, follow this link to a long-ago entry in which I posted a picture for which I used Ms. Weisz as a reference.
(See? I told you I didn't have anything against her.)
(See? I told you I didn't have anything against her.)
That Kicks Ass
The movie 300, which is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Frank Miller (which is in turn based on historical events) opens in theaters on Friday.
On Monday I'll be seeing it.
I will no doubt be seeing it alone, as I can't imagine Brian wanting to see it (among other reasons, it is, after all, based on a comic book), and Scott's principles don't allow him to see rated R movies, so he can't see it (Even though he wants to. See what having principles gets you?), so that leaves me.
Anyway, here's a very cool (and violent - it is based on Frank Miller's work after all):
I like the approach they've taken. They haven't gone quite the Sin City route in attempting to bring Frank's vision to life, but they have definitely given it a Frank Miller feel. Love the way the blood looks - that is definitely like something straight out of Frank's comics.
In his recent works, Frank has kind of gone over the top (even for him), and seems almost to be parodying himself. The Dark Knight Strikes Again was almost like him taking a whiz on the masterpiece that it served as a sequel to - the classic The Dark Knight Returns.
And of course the less said about All-Star Batman and Robin the better (Though to say something about it, in one scene, Batman says to a traumatized young Dick Grayson, whose parents just died in front of his eyes, and whom Batman has actually kidnapped and is taking back to the Cave - a process that takes like three entire issues, which, thanks to its shipping schedule, amounts to about six months, "What are you dense? Are you retarded or something? Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the goddamn Batman.")
Still, Frank remains a comics master and was well on his way to single-handedly changing the face of American comics forever even before the British Invasion came along and helped him do it.
I recently had the distinct pleasure of reading (and in many cases re-reading) some of Frank's early work on Daredevil. Bear in mind that this was material from nearly 30 years ago, and that in most cases going back and trying to read comics from that period is a daunting prospect given how bad the dialogue will often be and just how simplistic the storylines are, especially in contrast to today's more "mature" comics. Reading old comics can cause so much pain as to send you spiralling into a coma.
Not so the work of Frank "The Tank" Miller - as Dave of Dave's Longbox is trying to get people to refer to him. Make some minor tweaks to the slang used, and update some of the fashions, and you could very easily put those books on the rack alongside the best work of guys like Ed Brubaker (and in front of the works of guys like Brian Michael Bendis).
Timeless, would probably be the best word, though, visionary works just as well, which is why it's only fitting that the collection of those Daredevil stories was in a book called Visionaries. When it comes to Frank, they weren't kidding.
So yeah, I can forgive him some of his recent foibles, and I will happily stand in line to see his vision on the big screen in 300.
I'll also wait impatiently for the next Sin City movie.
The movie was initially delayed by the pregnancy of Angelina Jolie who was going to play the titular (in more ways than one) role of Ava Lord in the segment A Dame To Kill For.
She was a good choice, and would have been worth the wait, but as it stands now, Angelina will not be filling that role, so they have to find a new Ava.
I've seen speculation that the part will be played by Rachel Weisz. I like her, but I don't think she's right for the part.
So now I will go on record and say that there is only one actress who can do the role justice: Scarlett Johansson.
I don't even have to go into the reasons why she's perfect for the role because they are self-evident.
So if you're reading this Robert Rodriguez (as if), get to work on casting her .
And Scarlett, if you're reading this (I think my chances of winning the lottery are better than the chances that she reads this blog, and I don't even play the lottery), go to Rodriguez and demand the part. You've said on the record that you're ready and willing to do a nude scene, so here's your chance to deliver on that promise.
(And for the record, there's always a lot of talk about nude scenes being "integral" to the story. That's very seldom the case - though I very seldom complain about it - but in this case, it really, really is integral. You need to have that scene of Ava standing there naked, exposed in her magnificence and revealing why she really is a woman that men would, have, and do, kill for.)
Beyond that, Ava is a complex and interesting character, and I suspect she would be a lot of fun to play.
So now, Mr. Rodriguez and Ms. Johansson, go forth and do my bidding!
(Oh, and on the topic of Daredevil and Ed Brubaker, I want to say thanks to Ed for, first of all, being Ed and just generally doing great work, and second for swooping in and cleaning up the mess that Bendis made during his Daredevil run, and for writing one of the best single issues of a comic that I've read in a long time.)
Anyway, the point of this whole thing was mostly just to show off the 300 clip, but I kind of got carried away. Oh well.
On Monday I'll be seeing it.
I will no doubt be seeing it alone, as I can't imagine Brian wanting to see it (among other reasons, it is, after all, based on a comic book), and Scott's principles don't allow him to see rated R movies, so he can't see it (Even though he wants to. See what having principles gets you?), so that leaves me.
Anyway, here's a very cool (and violent - it is based on Frank Miller's work after all):
I like the approach they've taken. They haven't gone quite the Sin City route in attempting to bring Frank's vision to life, but they have definitely given it a Frank Miller feel. Love the way the blood looks - that is definitely like something straight out of Frank's comics.
In his recent works, Frank has kind of gone over the top (even for him), and seems almost to be parodying himself. The Dark Knight Strikes Again was almost like him taking a whiz on the masterpiece that it served as a sequel to - the classic The Dark Knight Returns.
And of course the less said about All-Star Batman and Robin the better (Though to say something about it, in one scene, Batman says to a traumatized young Dick Grayson, whose parents just died in front of his eyes, and whom Batman has actually kidnapped and is taking back to the Cave - a process that takes like three entire issues, which, thanks to its shipping schedule, amounts to about six months, "What are you dense? Are you retarded or something? Who the hell do you think I am? I'm the goddamn Batman.")
Still, Frank remains a comics master and was well on his way to single-handedly changing the face of American comics forever even before the British Invasion came along and helped him do it.
I recently had the distinct pleasure of reading (and in many cases re-reading) some of Frank's early work on Daredevil. Bear in mind that this was material from nearly 30 years ago, and that in most cases going back and trying to read comics from that period is a daunting prospect given how bad the dialogue will often be and just how simplistic the storylines are, especially in contrast to today's more "mature" comics. Reading old comics can cause so much pain as to send you spiralling into a coma.
Not so the work of Frank "The Tank" Miller - as Dave of Dave's Longbox is trying to get people to refer to him. Make some minor tweaks to the slang used, and update some of the fashions, and you could very easily put those books on the rack alongside the best work of guys like Ed Brubaker (and in front of the works of guys like Brian Michael Bendis).
Timeless, would probably be the best word, though, visionary works just as well, which is why it's only fitting that the collection of those Daredevil stories was in a book called Visionaries. When it comes to Frank, they weren't kidding.
So yeah, I can forgive him some of his recent foibles, and I will happily stand in line to see his vision on the big screen in 300.
I'll also wait impatiently for the next Sin City movie.
The movie was initially delayed by the pregnancy of Angelina Jolie who was going to play the titular (in more ways than one) role of Ava Lord in the segment A Dame To Kill For.
She was a good choice, and would have been worth the wait, but as it stands now, Angelina will not be filling that role, so they have to find a new Ava.
I've seen speculation that the part will be played by Rachel Weisz. I like her, but I don't think she's right for the part.
So now I will go on record and say that there is only one actress who can do the role justice: Scarlett Johansson.
I don't even have to go into the reasons why she's perfect for the role because they are self-evident.
So if you're reading this Robert Rodriguez (as if), get to work on casting her .
And Scarlett, if you're reading this (I think my chances of winning the lottery are better than the chances that she reads this blog, and I don't even play the lottery), go to Rodriguez and demand the part. You've said on the record that you're ready and willing to do a nude scene, so here's your chance to deliver on that promise.
(And for the record, there's always a lot of talk about nude scenes being "integral" to the story. That's very seldom the case - though I very seldom complain about it - but in this case, it really, really is integral. You need to have that scene of Ava standing there naked, exposed in her magnificence and revealing why she really is a woman that men would, have, and do, kill for.)
Beyond that, Ava is a complex and interesting character, and I suspect she would be a lot of fun to play.
So now, Mr. Rodriguez and Ms. Johansson, go forth and do my bidding!
(Oh, and on the topic of Daredevil and Ed Brubaker, I want to say thanks to Ed for, first of all, being Ed and just generally doing great work, and second for swooping in and cleaning up the mess that Bendis made during his Daredevil run, and for writing one of the best single issues of a comic that I've read in a long time.)
Anyway, the point of this whole thing was mostly just to show off the 300 clip, but I kind of got carried away. Oh well.
Making Up For Lost Time I Guess
Hmm, I guess I'm making up for the last couple of weeks with my picture output.
I can't make up my mind about this one. I like the basic idea, I really like specific elements of it (the face in particular), but overall...I don't know.
I can't make up my mind about this one. I like the basic idea, I really like specific elements of it (the face in particular), but overall...I don't know.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Crazy Hot Italian Bikini
Here's a clip from Giada's new show in which she's seen in a blue bikini, is apparently not pregnant, and either rides around on a miniature jet ski or is proving once and for all that she's not a dwarf.
I found it via checking the search results of someone who came here looking for it.
So here it is.
I found it via checking the search results of someone who came here looking for it.
So here it is.
Yet Another Shot In The Dark
It doesn't take a genius to figure out why I do so many pictures like this one:
(For the record, though, being a genius in no way impedes your ability to figure it out)
I mean, the reason is pretty obvious: it looks cool.
Oh, wait, that's not it. I mean, yeah, I do think that images like this look cool, but that's not the main, obvious reason.
That would be because they're (relatively) easy.
Anyway, that's my latest quickly cranked out disembodied limbs floating in darkness picture.
This morning I got up, took a shower, drove to Ashburn, had my permanent crown put in, went to Wal-Mart, then came home, all in the space of about two hours.
Getting the crown put in actually took just under ten minutes.
Once I got home I decided that I didn't feel like doing anything else, so that kind of squashed any plans I might have had for getting my taxes done today.
I'm not really liking their chances for getting done tomorrow, either.
Yes, I know I need to get them done and that putting it off isn't going to make it any less likely that last year's $10,000 windfall is going to cost me this year, but I do still have over a month, so I'm bound to get them done sometime.
Speaking of money, last month's extra expenses, such as the extra $85 it cost me to get my emissions inspection done, plus the $28 for the inspection itself, plus the $64 for renewing my registration which had necessitated the inspection in the first place, ended up cutting into this month's income a little.
It's nothing too serious, but after paying the bills it was clear I saw that if I wanted to avoid tapping into the savings I was going to have to live frugally until next payday.
So naturally I spent over $70 on groceries yesterday. D'oh!
Actually, even though it's about $30 more than I normally spend on groceries it's not that big of a deal, as I did stock up pretty well and wil likely not have to do much if any grocery shopping next week.
Still, I had to laugh when I saw that total.
So You Don't Have To Department:
A while ago at work, my co-worker Simon commented on having just watched a video clip in which Tyra Banks fondles singer Katherine McPhee's breasts.
(The reason for the groping, apparently, was that McPhee was responding to allegations that her breasts are fake and asserting that they are natural and jiggly. She invited Tyra to feel them in order to verify their authenticity, though given that they're really not all that terribly big, I'm not sure who it exactly that's alleging that her breasts have been augmented.)
As it happened, this was the day after I'd posted the video of Scarlett Johansson being groped, which Scott mentioned in response to Simon's comments on the Tyra clip. As Simon had never seen the clip, Scott directed him here.
Simon then went on to read some other entries, and in response to the bit in the Operation: Mindcrime entry in which I self-deprecatingly draw attention to my lack of an exciting social life, he laughed and said, "Well, at least you can make fun of yourself."
I said, "Yes. I do it so that other people don't have to."
(For the record, though, being a genius in no way impedes your ability to figure it out)
I mean, the reason is pretty obvious: it looks cool.
Oh, wait, that's not it. I mean, yeah, I do think that images like this look cool, but that's not the main, obvious reason.
That would be because they're (relatively) easy.
Anyway, that's my latest quickly cranked out disembodied limbs floating in darkness picture.
This morning I got up, took a shower, drove to Ashburn, had my permanent crown put in, went to Wal-Mart, then came home, all in the space of about two hours.
Getting the crown put in actually took just under ten minutes.
Once I got home I decided that I didn't feel like doing anything else, so that kind of squashed any plans I might have had for getting my taxes done today.
I'm not really liking their chances for getting done tomorrow, either.
Yes, I know I need to get them done and that putting it off isn't going to make it any less likely that last year's $10,000 windfall is going to cost me this year, but I do still have over a month, so I'm bound to get them done sometime.
Speaking of money, last month's extra expenses, such as the extra $85 it cost me to get my emissions inspection done, plus the $28 for the inspection itself, plus the $64 for renewing my registration which had necessitated the inspection in the first place, ended up cutting into this month's income a little.
It's nothing too serious, but after paying the bills it was clear I saw that if I wanted to avoid tapping into the savings I was going to have to live frugally until next payday.
So naturally I spent over $70 on groceries yesterday. D'oh!
Actually, even though it's about $30 more than I normally spend on groceries it's not that big of a deal, as I did stock up pretty well and wil likely not have to do much if any grocery shopping next week.
Still, I had to laugh when I saw that total.
So You Don't Have To Department:
A while ago at work, my co-worker Simon commented on having just watched a video clip in which Tyra Banks fondles singer Katherine McPhee's breasts.
(The reason for the groping, apparently, was that McPhee was responding to allegations that her breasts are fake and asserting that they are natural and jiggly. She invited Tyra to feel them in order to verify their authenticity, though given that they're really not all that terribly big, I'm not sure who it exactly that's alleging that her breasts have been augmented.)
As it happened, this was the day after I'd posted the video of Scarlett Johansson being groped, which Scott mentioned in response to Simon's comments on the Tyra clip. As Simon had never seen the clip, Scott directed him here.
Simon then went on to read some other entries, and in response to the bit in the Operation: Mindcrime entry in which I self-deprecatingly draw attention to my lack of an exciting social life, he laughed and said, "Well, at least you can make fun of yourself."
I said, "Yes. I do it so that other people don't have to."
Monday, March 05, 2007
Slightly More SFW (That's Safe For Work, Not So F**ing What Or Shoppers Food Warehouse)
Okay, here's a sligthly less scandalous version of the previously posted picture, one that has been, to use a term Dave often uses over at Dave's Longbox, denudified.
I actually kind of like this one as well, though I guess overall I prefer the nude (Go figure.).
Anyway, at least this way the nudity impaired can get a look at it.
I actually kind of like this one as well, though I guess overall I prefer the nude (Go figure.).
Anyway, at least this way the nudity impaired can get a look at it.
Seriously NSFW
I've just finished a picture today that is totally not safe for work, so I haven't provided a thumbnail.
Those of you who are both willing and able to look at nudity can click here to see it.
Okay, so did you look?
That one is seriously risque for me, considering how seldom I do pictures that feature visible nudity, but there was much about the source image that I liked and which inspired me to get past my semi-prudishness and do it, not the least of which was the sheer hotness of the woman pictured.
If you've ever watched The Surreal Life on VH1, are a male living in the UK, or have spent as many hours trolling picture sites and newsgroups as I have (which isn't very likely), you may recognize her as Caprice Bourret, a native Californian (I think) who years ago headed over to the UK to pursue a successful modeling career.
I may post a modified version for the nudity impaired later, but I make no promises.
Still, I am fairly proud of this one (I especially like the way I reflected the obnoxious color of the psychedelic chair on her skin. And the tan lines.), so I may do the modified version for the sake of getting it as much exposure (so to speak) as possible.
Apart from going grocery shopping, this is basically all I did today. I may still post more in the way of a standard entry later, though.
Those of you who are both willing and able to look at nudity can click here to see it.
Okay, so did you look?
That one is seriously risque for me, considering how seldom I do pictures that feature visible nudity, but there was much about the source image that I liked and which inspired me to get past my semi-prudishness and do it, not the least of which was the sheer hotness of the woman pictured.
If you've ever watched The Surreal Life on VH1, are a male living in the UK, or have spent as many hours trolling picture sites and newsgroups as I have (which isn't very likely), you may recognize her as Caprice Bourret, a native Californian (I think) who years ago headed over to the UK to pursue a successful modeling career.
I may post a modified version for the nudity impaired later, but I make no promises.
Still, I am fairly proud of this one (I especially like the way I reflected the obnoxious color of the psychedelic chair on her skin. And the tan lines.), so I may do the modified version for the sake of getting it as much exposure (so to speak) as possible.
Apart from going grocery shopping, this is basically all I did today. I may still post more in the way of a standard entry later, though.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Well That Was Fun...Wait, No It Wasn't
Despite not wanting to do so at all, I got up around 9 this morning.
After accomplishing that I sat around for an hour, then called my mother.
After that, I ate some blunch, then said, “Screw this,” and went back to bed sometime around noon.
It’s a pretty familiar scenario.
Two hours later I got up and then started on some of the busywork that I said I’d take on for the company Kathleen works for.
Said busywork consists of submitting client Web sites to search engines.
It’s exactly as exciting as it sounds.
Given the overwhelming dominance of the big guns like Google, MSN, and AOL, I was surprised to see just how many search engines there actually are out there.
Of course, even after spending 5+ hours submitting a site to each of them, I still can’t figure out why there are so many. I mean, who actually uses any of them? I was especially surprised by how many of them actually have the temerity to charge for site submission.
But whatever.
My weekend at work was filled with minor annoyances that mostly stemmed from people being too stubborn to listen to anyone.
For example, at one point I was getting “help” from someone who was having trouble performing some action, so he asked for help from someone else and then proceeded to totally ignore everything that the other person was telling him and do none of the things he was being told to do, then insisting that he was doing them and that they weren’t working.
At some point in this pissing contest they were looking for a particular piece of information, which I spotted on screen and pointed out. I said, “It’s right there.”
They said, “No, that’s not it” They then said, “Wait, there it is,” and pointed exactly where I’d just pointed.
I thought about saying, “Well, since neither of you is actually listening to me anyway, I might as well just tell you both that you can blow me,” but decided against it.
So that was fun.
Sometime this week I suppose I really should get my taxes done, even though I don’t want to because I suspect that the results will not involve sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows.
Tuesday I have to go to the dentist and get my crown put in. On Friday evening when I turned my cell phone on before leaving work I found that I had a voicemail from Tabitha wanting to confirm my appointment.
As I was listening to the message I said to Scott, “It’s Tabitha.”
He said, “Ooh, she wants your hot body.”I laughed, thought about it for a second, then said, “Well, in a manner of speaking, I guess she does. At the very least, she wants to confirm that my ‘hot body’ is going to be there on Tuesday morning.”
Anyway, I don’t have much else to say right now and I’m kind of burned out from my long day of search engine submission, so I guess that will do it for now.
After accomplishing that I sat around for an hour, then called my mother.
After that, I ate some blunch, then said, “Screw this,” and went back to bed sometime around noon.
It’s a pretty familiar scenario.
Two hours later I got up and then started on some of the busywork that I said I’d take on for the company Kathleen works for.
Said busywork consists of submitting client Web sites to search engines.
It’s exactly as exciting as it sounds.
Given the overwhelming dominance of the big guns like Google, MSN, and AOL, I was surprised to see just how many search engines there actually are out there.
Of course, even after spending 5+ hours submitting a site to each of them, I still can’t figure out why there are so many. I mean, who actually uses any of them? I was especially surprised by how many of them actually have the temerity to charge for site submission.
But whatever.
My weekend at work was filled with minor annoyances that mostly stemmed from people being too stubborn to listen to anyone.
For example, at one point I was getting “help” from someone who was having trouble performing some action, so he asked for help from someone else and then proceeded to totally ignore everything that the other person was telling him and do none of the things he was being told to do, then insisting that he was doing them and that they weren’t working.
At some point in this pissing contest they were looking for a particular piece of information, which I spotted on screen and pointed out. I said, “It’s right there.”
They said, “No, that’s not it” They then said, “Wait, there it is,” and pointed exactly where I’d just pointed.
I thought about saying, “Well, since neither of you is actually listening to me anyway, I might as well just tell you both that you can blow me,” but decided against it.
So that was fun.
Sometime this week I suppose I really should get my taxes done, even though I don’t want to because I suspect that the results will not involve sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows.
Tuesday I have to go to the dentist and get my crown put in. On Friday evening when I turned my cell phone on before leaving work I found that I had a voicemail from Tabitha wanting to confirm my appointment.
As I was listening to the message I said to Scott, “It’s Tabitha.”
He said, “Ooh, she wants your hot body.”I laughed, thought about it for a second, then said, “Well, in a manner of speaking, I guess she does. At the very least, she wants to confirm that my ‘hot body’ is going to be there on Tuesday morning.”
Anyway, I don’t have much else to say right now and I’m kind of burned out from my long day of search engine submission, so I guess that will do it for now.
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