More Experiments...

So, I'm still trying to get comfortable with coloring and especially coloring with markers. So, I've used my trusty Spider-Man bust to practice coloring. I used a flat layer of Copic markers and then I decided to top it off with colored pencils. I like how it looks. They work well with shading and highlights. I actually used Crayola and Prismacolor. I think they came out well and I will continue to experiment.

Here's to a New Beginning...

No, this isn't another New Year's Resolution. I'm just trying to consolidate a lot of my social media. I don't think I really need 2 separate blogs when I can just talk about everything here. I thought about starting up, but I don't want to lose any of my old posts. So, from now on, I'm going to post personal stuff and art related items. So, be sure to check back here for new updates. I will probably be deleting my art blog and just re-upping that stuff here. There is a lot of exciting news, so stay tuned!

Gotta Get Dat...

Well, as you may or may not have noticed, the blog has a new address. I felt like I needed the address to reflect the blog itself. So, after 3 attempts and finding 2 other blogs with the same name that haven't been updated in years, I finally got one. So be sure to update your bookmarks.

On a lighter note, my wages are now being garnished, so I'm having to look for a second job. I guess the bright side of not being paid very much at work is that they can only take out less than $100 from my paycheck. Of course, I am now a liability to the company because if they forget to garnish me one time, they have to pay for it out of pocket. Target's pretty good about their payroll, so I'm not really worried. But, still...

Other than that, just hanging in there, waiting for news of when we can move and doing some drawing.

Don't forget to check my art blog for new art updates and old postings as well.

See ya next time, babies!

No Rest For the Weary...

Well, I've been neglecting this blog lately because I've been working on my art blog trying to get that going. I'm doing well so far, though I don't have a whole lot of viewers at the moment. That's ok, all in good time.
Not much going on otherwise. Oh, except for the fact that my wages are being garnished. That's a lot of fun. I haven't been faithful to my school loans because they always want more than I can really afford. So, now I have to look for a second job on the weekends or something. When it rains, it pours.

Other than that, just trying to stay afloat until we leave for Florida which, in all honesty, can't come soon enough. I'm ready to get on with my life.

Let's Try This Instead

Ok, so now that I'm finally getting my ass in gear and actually promoting myself, I can't make up my damn mind how I want to do it. I posted previously that I have a website up. Ok, that's great, but now I'm thinking that a blog would be easier and more appropriate for what I need to do.

You can go check it out HERE and tell me what you think.

Go look at my portfolio site and let me know which you like more.

She's-a Live!

That's it. My official portfolio website is all finished and up and running. Only took me about a month to get it going, but I did it. I'm actually pretty proud of myself. It's the first thing I've actually finished that I said I would in a long time.

Now, let's get some business movin'!

Please help spread the word. Check out the site at artofbriansmith.com!

Also, I still have that Incredible Hulk sketch card up for sale on ebay!

Until we meet again,

Stay sexy!

It's About Damn Time!

Well, I'm this close to launching my official website. It's been in the works for the better part of a decade and now it's almost ready to go.
It's basically one of those "free" sites that lets you create a site from templates and everything is just point and click, etc. Well, whatever it is, it works, so I've been working on it for about a month now.
As I said, it's almost ready to go. Just a couple more things to do and it'll be time to launch.

I've also posted a sketch card for sale on Ebay. Click here to go take a look and maybe post a bid!

That is all for now.

Peace out.

Bustin' A Move

Ok, so, since my last post, I have decided to go ahead and go to Florida with Maria. I figure it's the best thing to do at this point. There's not much really keeping me here in Washington and it would be nice to finally go have a life and where better than somewhere hot and tropical.

The heat I'm not really looking forward to, but I have always thought about living on the east coast, though I had originally thought somewhere a little further north, but, I digress.

Now, I just need to save some money. I've also found a way to raise money for the big move thanks to the good folks at chipin.com. On the sidebar there is a widget that you just click to chip in and donate however much you want, there's no limit, so every little bit helps.

Ok, enough begging, back to the good stuff.

I got a new position at work in electronics. That's right, I'm out of the backroom and on the sales floor. It was a little rough at first, but I'm getting into the swing of things. There's still a little I don't know, but I will get to know it in due time.

Not sure exactly when we're getting to Florida. We were originally going to leave this month, but it's now probably going to be closer to the end of the year. I still need to find a job down there. I had put in for a transfer at work, but who knows if that's gonna go through. But, just to be safe, gonna try and find something else.

Well, other than that, not much else to report. Still working on drawings. Got some sketch cards to sell, so I'll be posting about those shortly and how you can purchase them if you're so inclined.

TTFN

The Decision to End All Decisions...

So, here's the deal: Maria is moving to Florida in August and she really wants me to go. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go, but I'm still a little scared. It's a big deal moving. It's an even bigger deal moving all the way across the country.

I really think this would be good for me. It's time for me to get out of my mom's house and I'd be somewhere sunshiney and I think that would help with my depression. I always seem to feel better on sunny, warm days and am more inclined to get out and do stuff.

I love my mom, but I'm done living with her. She keeps me down and treats me like a servant. I've been looking for an out and I think this may be it.

A couple things worry me, however. First, I would have to quit my job and find a new one down there. I've been looking at and applying for jobs there (and I've even been rejected by a few already), but I'm afraid I won't find one by the time to go. Oh yeah, that's in August, by the way.

I'm going to have to start saving money, but the trouble is I don't make that much to begin with, so I'll probably only have a couple hundred bucks by then, but I'm hoping not. We'll see.

I'm also afraid that if we split up, I'll be stuck there by myself. Maria says I could just stay and make a life for myself. I guess that's true. I know I won't want to move cross country again.

Now, comes the fun part: telling my mom about it. I have a feeling she's not gonna take it well and is gonna try to talk me out of it, but I have to stick to my guns and just do it. This is going to be part of my self re-discovery.

I think this will be good. What do you think?

It's All in the Wrist

Just woke up from a much needed nap, refreshed. Now, I'm eating ravioli from the kitchen of the master, Chef Boyardee. Boy, the time change really kicked me in the balls this year. Luckily, I had a short day at work, so it wasn't too bad. Now, I won't be able to go to bed tonight.

Actually, that's probably not true. Most likely, I'll pass right out as soon as my head hits the pillow. I took an early enough nap, so that I'll be sleepy at bed time.

So, I had a good couple days off with Maria and the kids. We've actually been pretty busy lately. Running errands, going to appointments and the like. After the kids got outta school, we decided to go to the $2 movies in Federal Way to catch Tangled and The Green Hornet...in 3-D! Both were actually pretty good even though we missed about the first 10 minutes of Tangled.

I liked Tangled a lot more than I thought I would. I haven't really been a big fan of Disney's CG films. I much prefer their traditionally animated films, but this one was pretty good. The animation was spectacular, it had a lot of emotion (something for which Disney is known) and it was just downright funny.

Green Hornet was also good, though it was a lot more funny and over-the-top than the radio and TV series'. Still a fun flick though. Will probably pick up the blu-ray.

In other news, I put in a few job apps at different places. I've been with Target for 3 years and I haven't gotten any further than where I am now, so I think it's time for a change. I can't afford to work there anymore.

Other than that, just been working on some art, which I will be posting soon at my as-yet-unfinished art blog, so stay tuned for the launch of that.

Well, time to get off my ass and go get some groceries.

Peace out, my babies!

The Blog is Back!

Hello, my lovelies! I crawl back from the abyss of uncertainty and time (mixed with a dose of unmotivation) to bring you news from the furthest reaches of the globe!

Ok, maybe it's not that epic, but it is true. I have been away for a long while and you will see if you read through the past that that is a recurring theme here. Well, no more I say to you. Which I have probably said before as well, but enough! We shall never speak of the act of non-doing again!

I come back to you now...at the turn of the tide.

I have the same job, but less excitement about it. It's been 3 years and I've gotten pretty much nowhere, so now comes the time to look elsewhere.

I have a new lady as the last 2 didn't really work out. But it goes well with the new one (I'll explain more of that in a later installment).

I have so much to tell and so little time to tell it...that means we've reached the end because I have to go to bed because I have to go make other people rich while not being so myself.

Good night, faithful subjects...we shall meet again.

It's Time to Go...

Welp, moving day is fast approaching. We officially have the house, so we've been gradually taking stuff over there. We have a few boxes there now. This weekend we're moving all of the big stuff and then we'll just bring the leftovers between then and the end of the month.

Thursday we're gonna start sleeping over there at the house. I probably won't be online for a while, but we'll try to get it back up and running soon.

I know you'll miss me, but don't fret...I shall return.

We're Rollin' in it Now!

So, I just had my 9 month performance review at Target. I got "Excellent" all across the board plus a $0.14 raise!
Not sure how much of a difference that'll make in my paycheck, but hey, it's a start. I think I get another one in 3 months because I'll have been there a year. We'll see.

In other news, I'm just packing, getting ready to move into the house next month. Packing is always a pain in the tuckus, but at least we'll be in a nice house!

I've been working on some sketches for that comic book gig to just show the guy as proof of concept I guess. Just to give him a taste of what it may look like. I'll be posting those soon.

Well, that's about it for now. I'll keep everyone updated on the comic stuff and moving as soon as news breaks.

Peace out.

Don't Wanna Get My Hopes Up, But...

Thanks to my good buddy Scottie, I may have a penciling gig soon. Now, this isn't set in stone yet. He just let me know about it, asked me if I were interested and he'd let his people know.
Hopefully this pans out. That would be so rad.
I gotta do up some sketches so they can get an idea of what stuff will look like, so you may start seeing some new artwork soon.
I'll keep everyone posted. I'm uber excited!

In other news, the people in the apartment below us are communists, proven by the huge Soviet flag on the wall.

Overdue Update, Part 2: Disneyland

OK, so this is a way, way overdue post to my last overdue post. I'll have to be brief in the rest of my Disneyland trip.
I wanted to talk about briefly the annoying guy in line behind us on Indiana Jones. Imagine the most annoying know-it-all you could ever encounter and then imagine that he's full of shit. That was him. The entire 20 minute wait in line he was talking about every square inch of the attraction. Saying how it's the best ride Disney has ever done, how it's his favorite ride, talking about the hidden Mickey's.
Rose was playing with one of the parts that you can interact with, this douche jacked the rope almost right out of her hand. I was praying he wasn't in the same car as us. I was dreading a running commentary during the entire ride. Finally, my prayers were answered when we went one way and he went another. At last, I could just sit back and enjoy the badassery of the ride. And I did.
It was a pretty sweet ride. Really fun and the special effects and animatronics were impressive. At one point, I thought the Indy hanging from the ceiling was a real dude. It was, in fact, not.
The rest of the trip was awesome. We were there 4 days and I still didn't get to see and do everything.
We also went to Universal Studios for one day. That was pretty cool too, even though it was raining most of the day. We went on The Mummy ride, which was actually kinda fun. Crappy movie, good ride. We went on Jurassic Park and The Simpsons ride which was quite innovative. We took the world famous tram ride which was cool, got some cool pictures and a few souvenirs.
The rest of the time at Disneyland was just going through the shops and checking out a few rides we hadn't gone on and hitting some favorites again.
As I said before, I had a blast and I really wanna go again in a couple years. I have a new favorite vacation destination. I hope I'll have more money to spend next time though, but what really counts is the insane fun.

Overdue Update, Part 1: Disneyland...

Well, it's been about a month since my last post. I promised a Disneyland recap, but there's so much to say, I'm gonna have to post it in sections.

First of all, Disneyland was a blast! It was the best vacation I've ever had. It really is the Happiest Place on Earth. I had all these good vibes just walking around the place. If you haven't experienced it for yourself, I highly recommend it.

We were there for 5 days, had park hopper passes and a shuttle took us back and forth between the park and our hotel which was about 2 or 3 blocks away.

We arrived at John Wayne Airport, which was pretty cool...I got my picture with a big John Wayne statue. Then we caught the shuttle and got a lift to our hotel. We were too early to check in, so we decided to hit the park and come back in the evening. We got lost walking there because we took the long way, so we ended up coming through the parking lot which was closed behind California Adventure and eventually found the front entrance.

Rose wouldn't let me take any pictures the first day because she wanted me to just enjoy the rides and stuff. The very first thing we went on was, of course, Star Tours...then we hit Space Mountain and we were gonna catch Indiana Jones, but it was closed.

We just walked around looking at everything, checking out rides. Even the kiddy rides there are fun. We went on Snow White and Pinocchio and Pooh Corner and a couple others and they weren't boring at all.

All in all, it was a great trip and I'd love to go back in a couple years. Definitely when I have kids, though I don't think I'd take a baby or a toddler...I saw people trying to mess with that and that's for the birds. They'd probably enjoy it more when they're a little older, too.

I think I'll stop there for now, but, don't worry, there's more to come...

Stay tuned for the tale of the most annoying person to be in line with...ever...

California, Here I Come...

Just a quick little update about Rose and I going to California this week, specifically, Disneyland!

I talked about it a couple months back, and the day has finally arrived. I gotta finish packing, run to the bank, finish some laundry, do some stuff around the house and then head to my mom's tonight, so she can take us to the airport bright and early at 3am tomorrow...

I'm looking forward to it...should be a lot of fun. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and buy cool souvenirs...

I know you'll miss me, but I'll return...

She Hasn't Killed Me Yet....

Welp, today is officially the 1 year anniversary of the relationship between Rose and I. This is now the longest and best relationship I've had. Things are still going well between us. We've been talking about our future and such and we both agree that this will most likely take us to the next step. Both of our biological clocks are ticking and it seems like the logical next phase. I just want to be a little more established financially.

Speaking of finances, (nice segue, eh?) the cut hours at work have started to take a toll. My last few paychecks have been pretty pathetic. I don't know how anyone can be expected to live off of that. So, I've been hosting the idea of finding a second job. I'm also still looking at some freelance stuff, but the pickin's are slim.

School isn't going so well...I may have to call it a day because my financial situation isn't conducive to the amount of money I have to pay for school. I owe the school about $4,000 for something. I'm still not 100% sure what it's for. All I know is that it's too rich for my blood.

I need to work on some more creative projects. Either by myself or with Chris. Either way I gotta do it. It's really all I'm any decent at.

The point is, I have some things to decide on.

On a lighter note, this week I saw a midget on a skateboard.

A Genius in France

Yeah, I got a new layout for my blog. But, don't get too attached because it probably won't stay. I just like to change things up once in a while. Too much of the same thing gets tiresome.

So, it's the new year. I didn't do much because I had to work, so I was in bed by 8. Always exciting. Oh well, it's not a big deal to me. People only make a big deal out of New Year's because it's a legitimate excuse to get shitfaced and, as you may well know, that's not exactly my cup o' tea.

Work is going ok except for the fact that everyone's hours are getting anally raped. When I started there, I was doing 40+ hours a week...now I'm lucky if I get 25. It's hurting me a little bit. I've been looking on craigslist to see if there's any freelance work available just to grab a few extra bucks here and there. I've been working on my business card and I think I have a good idea for it.

My other art blog has been on hiatus lately, but now that I have my scanner over here at the apartment, it's almost time to resurrect it. I just gotta finish some more drawings.

Rose and I are getting excited for our Disneyland trip. Should be good times. I found out that there's an Indiana Jones store to go with the Star Wars store, so between the 2 of those, I got my whole week planned right there!

We watched The Godfather trilogy this weekend. I hadn't watched it in a long time and Rose had never seen them and she really liked them a lot...which is a good thing. We also went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was actually pretty good, though a bit like Forrest Gump which makes sense considering that Eric Roth is the screenwriter for both. But, if you get a chance, go see it. Next, I'm dragging Rose to see Gran Torino because Clint Eastwood is awesome.

I think that's pretty much it for now. I'll make a post when my other blog is ready to go.

Keep on truckin'!

'Tis the Season For Getting Stuff...

Welp, another Christmas has come and gone. This was a pretty good Christmas, I must say. It was the first Christmas for Rose and I together. We both got each other neat stuff. I got her the new Harry Potter book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, The X-Files movie blu-ray, Explorers
(she actually picked that one out and gave it to me to give to her for Christmas), these cute little red and white striped gloves, a heart locket and some stocking stuffers.
She bought me a trip to Disneyland along with a new suitcase for the trip, some cool Dark Knight t-shirts, some cool Harry Potter t-shirts, a Harry Potter winter hat, and a cool electronic Star Wars trivia book. She also got me some cool stocking stuffers.
Her brother got me a cool Elvis record and her sister sent me a Star Wars lunch box.

Rose came up with this cool clue on where we were going in February. I knew we were going to California, but I wasn't sure what we'd be doing there. So she made this little picture puzzle for me to put together. She put the pieces in each of my presents and I had to put the pieces together. Then she wrote our destination in some glow-in-the-dark glue that I had to go into the John to read. It was pretty cool. I'm really looking forward to the trip! I'm trying to save up what money I can so I can blow it on Star Tours.

Come February, I won't be the only 30 year old who has never been to Disneyland.

Rose's brother stayed with us for a couple days so he could have a nice Christmas morning. Then, we went to their grandparents' house for a nice dinner and more presents.
We still have to go to my mom's because we have presents over there, too.

All in all, a very nice Christmas. I look forward to the next one.