ProjectBlog

This coming Saturday I'll be spending some time with an art director to get some crits on my current work. Should be interesting and most likely humbling. I can't wait to meet new artists from the area.

Attend a graduate admission information session to see why SCAD is the university for creative careers.

SCAD in Vienna, VA.
Tysons Corner Marriott
8028 Leesburg Pike
Saturday Nov 22 2008
11:00 A.M.


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Somehow I missed this article during the Summer. Then again I try to be outdoors as much as possible in the Summer times. I just love the sun and jumping into a pool any chance I get. I also love LEGO!

It must be the nature of the toy that draws me to it. I enjoy designing and being able to build things. With LEGO you get it all. You can prototype your design and refine it as much as you want. Well, as long as you have enough LEGO bricks.

Follow the link for Gizmodo's tour, amazing! I was blown away by the automation and scale of the LEGO Factory.

All of a sudden I want to go build something.

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It is a bit sad to think that my game night of Friday night has been pre-planned for the next few months. That is how it feels to me, sad. Anyway, It's for a good cause and I do get some gaming in during the daytime hours. So don't feel too sad for me.

This Friday there is a cool birthday celebration, another 30 bites it. Next Friday there is a Graduate Fair going on in D.C. Check it out if you're interested, I'll be there. SCAD, an art school from Savannah, is the reason for my interest. Should be nice to explore my schooling options.


SCAD at Washington, District of Columbia
FAIR DETAILS:
Fri Sep 19 2008
5:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.
Grand Ballroom
Georgetown University Conference Center / Marriot Hotel
http://www.idealist.org/

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The 2008 Beijing Olympics are over and now my life can resume a sense of normalcy in schedule. To be honest I had been watching a lot more TV than is usual for me. It was hard not to, especially with four channels broadcasting the events; not to mention the live events online. I have to give NBC and Microsoft a big up on doing a great job delivering content to the States.

So onto my project news... A huge design undertaking on my part has come to an end. I designed an engagement ring for my sweetheart and after nearly 2 months of working with a jeweler the ring has been delivered. I know this is not the place to tell people that I'm engaged, but it is a fact.

I spent a couple of months sketching and modeling a ring in 3dsmax. The result has far exceeded my initial expectations and the computer milled ring is a design success.

On the video game front I have become much better at modeling humanoid bodies. The lesson book I'm going through is teaching me all the steps in modeling, texture wrapping, and rigging of game characters for next gen game engines. Speaking of game engines... Dan is going through code trying to figure out how to control a fully animated game character within a game environment. I don't envy his challenge, but I'm sure he will succeed.

The game we are working on is initially going to be just one level and may not fully be considered a vertical slice. At least not yet. For the time being it will act as a proving ground for our production pipeline. Essentially it will be a lesson for us in how to make an interactive product. Back to modeling... expect images in the gallery this Fall.

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I have been working at Westat for nearly 3 years. Since I began things have changed quite a bit, mostly for the positive. However, those winds of change are stirring. Hard too, not like a thunderstorm, but rather more like a hurricane. Some of my colleagues are preparing to take flight and I doubt I will stay here much longer myself.

Westat has been a great place to work and the quality of life here is absolutely above that of most private corporations. I think it's due to the humanizing nature of the company, especially since we deal with many social issues. In any case I have decided that my career has gone as far as it can go in this company. I work primarily as a multimedia designer and web developer. My duties have been pretty widespread ranging from producing 3 web sites a week for proposals to creating animations in flash for studies with 6 month deadlines.

In other words, the work can go from fast paced to slow as paint drying. This is not a bad thing mind you. It gives me a chance to learn new techniques and spend more time researching. Yet I feel like my real calling in digital design has always been in 3d. Although I have created some logos and one long sequence animation I just haven't had the opportunity to advance my skills in 3d modeling here at Westat.

This year has made me realize that I do need to put my priorities first. That means taking a huge step and a pay cut in order to shift gears. I'll most likely be joining some of the departed and perhaps take a break from professional web development. My future demands a more creative outlet and I need to find it.

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I have been planning on attending grad school this Fall 08 at FIEA. I was for the most part on the ball about getting my early registration process completed; doing the GRE, taxes, applications, and all that fun stuff. However!

I'm very sad to report that I have not been accepted into the program, specifically the art track. They offer three tracks; art, production, and programming. I was not sure where I would fit in, either the art or production tracks. After submitting what little artwork I have it became apparent that I was not at the level I needed to be at. Brian Salisbury is the Art Director at FIEA and after two lengthy phone interviews he determined I was not ready.

Brian is a great guy and he had some really insightful recommendations regarding the needs of the game industry when it comes to hiring artists. I respect his opinion, but of course I was left a bit in a spin when he called back to tell me "try again next year". It is very hard for me to express how much internal pain I felt at this uncommon act of rejection that I had to endure.

Part of my plan was to get into FIEA and start on a path to the video game industry. To that end I had looked into SVA and AAU as alternate schools. The only problem I have with those is that they are out of my budget and don't appear to be streamlined to reflect the work pipeline found in the game industry.

When I initially applied at FIEA it seemed that they were quite happy to hear from me and after speaking with both Brian Salisbury and Rick Hall I had the impression that this was not only the school for me, but that I would be able to attend this year.

Since I was not accepted into the art track I've been doing research into the job descriptions of both art and production jobs. I'm starting to think that the art track is indeed where I want to be, although the production track would offer quite a few challenges of its own. So, "Plan B"...

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Sad day for fans of self created board games. I never quite got the whole mysticism behind Dungeons & Dragons, but I do relate to the allure of creating my own game characters.

I guess a lot of people did as well. The creators of this game were thinking it up a few months before I was born, thats kind of crazy to me. Then again I still remember playing Milon's Secret Castle. I know it's not the same as D&D, but it was close enough for me.

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A new lunar cycle begins in the Chinese zodiac calendar. Hello new endeavors. This website has allowed me to stay in touch with most of my peeps, hello to all. I have slowly been putting stuff back up since my near fatal CPU crashes. Please check out my portfolio in its resuscitated version.

I have been busy working at Westat designing interfaces, working in flash, and designing in 3dsmax. My drawing and animation have taken an unfortunate back burner. On the flip side, I have been able to keep up with online gaming and writing. I need to get back to the drawing table, literally and finish sketching my characters. This year I'm looking forward to more animation, 3d modeling, and to whet my appetite with Zbrush.

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Some of you may be aware that near the end of 2007 I experienced a tragic data loss. After five years of loyal service, my Western Digital hard drives just couldn't keep on spinning. I can't blame them, I over worked them until their heads started knocking.

You know what happens next, "read write failure"

Check back soon, as I compile some of my rescued early works I will post them here. I know some of you can't wait to see how cheesy the reybomb style really was back in the day. Actually, it was more like super awesome!

HA!

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