Author: larisaskai

Drawing: 365 Daily Project Recap – Week 2

| larisaskai

Posting a recap a little later than I wanted, but at least I am keeping with the project, which is the most important part of the whole process. And of course, you can follow the posts which are regularly posted (every day/every other day depending on what it is) on my deviantArt: auseklis1984.deviantart.com

Here we go, week 2!

Making Ideas Happen

| larisaskai

I received “Making Ideas Happen” by Scott Belsky as a gift for my birthday. It’s basically a book about a good way to keep organized, be productive, how to get and maintain colleagues with the idea you’re trying to get off the ground… It’s an interesting read. So interesting that I had apparently implemented the Action Method that Belsky talks about in my own way with tagging passages, quotes, and ideas.

It’s a lot of sticky tabs in those pages which each color denoting different categories like stuff I could use right now, stuff to use later, things that should remain in the back of my mind, quotes, and things that just resonated with me.

I thought the book was good. It opened up my eyes to an improved way to approach creativity.

Drawing: 365 Daily Project Recap – Week 1

| larisaskai

Different from the 365 Daily Photo Project, this project is centering around drawing for at least 30 min. a day (depending on what my part-time work schedule allows).

Right now, the ideas, rules, and execution are simple:

  1. Set the timer for 30 min. and go for it!
  2. Themes are broken down to either drawing from a book, using imagination, still life, or even doodles.
  3. There will be days where a session will be skipped due to time, work, real life commitment. In that case, double up on the next day.
I figured that this month I would start off easy and start going through “Anatomy for the Artist” by Jeno Barcsay. So right now it’s all about bones! Although, during this past week it’s been interesting. I realized I have a hard time focusing quickly from book to sketchbook due to an eye issue. So my short-term visual memory is getting a work out. Not that I’m complaining.

365 Daily Photo Recap – Week 1

| larisaskai

Woo! One week down, 51 to go for my Daily Photo challenge. Between this and doing a daily drawing/sketching session (weekly recap to be posted later), I’ve learned a lot. For example, not all days are going to be good days. For photography, usually it’s a topic lands on a particularly “boring” day. Like today. The topic is “weather” and the current weather is completely overcast, dull, and depressing. Typical New Jersey winter weather.

Further information: Everything gets posted to Flickr in the 365 Daily Photo Project set and it is also posted on to my tumblr: awesomeviaphotoblog.

So without further sidetracking, Week 1 Recap:

365 Project - Day 001
“Red”
365 Project - Day 002
“Blue”
365 Project - Day 003
“Hands”
365 Project - Day 004
“Door”
365 Project - Day 005
“Contrast”
365 Project - Day 006
“Change”
365 Project - Day 007
“Weather”

New Year – New Plans

| larisaskai

Happy New Year, Happy Holidays, and all that jazz!

It’s a new year and I have new plans/resolutions. Once I kick this New Year’s Flu, I will be diving in it full-force, which include but not limited to:

  1. Be more awesome – A friend of mine suggested this one. I won’t get anywhere unless if I don’t keep my awesome going.
  2. Participate in the 11 Second Club consistently – Gotta keep those animation skills going!
  3. A 365 photo project – I’m thinking of doing a photo that encapsulates the day for me. 
  4. Drawing/Creating something every day (or every other day*) – ranging from sketching from the anatomy books to learning new skill sets with Photoshop and Illustrator
  5. Finally getting that animation job – Kid’s gotta pay her bills…
  6. Reading more – My goal is 7 books by the end of the year. I have some hefty literature on the list.
  7. Running – My body must be taken care of. Depending on my knee, maybe I’ll get to run that 5K finally…
* This might be a little tricky, depending on what/how my part-time work schedule looks like and/or if I have to cover shifts on the fly. 
There you have it. 2013 will have a lot on its plate and I hope to succeed in all of it.

Go, go, go!

| larisaskai

Lately, it feels like I’ve been running to stand still between helping my folks out with the disarray after Sandy (nothing drastic, just a lot of clean-up), Thanksgiving with family and friends, and even taking a trip to Disney World because my season pass was about to expire and I wanted one last taste of the “magic.”

I was fortunate enough to stay at the Art of Animation resort. I do have to say that I was impressed by the resort and how they brought alive “Cars,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Lion King,” and “The Little Mermaid” in the themed sections.

But the one thing that got my attention at full force:

Art of Animation resort’s lobby

The lobby! It’s flippin’ impressive! …And basically the only thing I really want to talk about because when you walk in, you are greeted by a massive wall filled with concept drawings.from the four films I just mentioned. Absolutely fabulous! (I get super excited over concept art. I don’t know why, but I do.) But I committed the cardinal sin as an artist: I left my sketchbook at home! So I had to settle with staring fondly, and with some jealousy, at Glen Keane’s “The Little Mermaid” drawings.

I envy his style.

Let’s just leave it at that. Haha.

Sans-electricity

| larisaskai

Well, Hurricane/Super Storm/Frankenstorm Sandy hit and while I didn’t have the devastation like in some parts of NJ, I have been without electricity for the past week… which means getting to animating or creating digital art has been difficult. Even drawing is difficult due to not being able to see anything while inside the house and outside already feels like winter.

So, since I am able to bum some internet off of lovely folks for a tiny bit, I decided to update a little bit. Until I get power back, here’s a photo I took over the summer:

CanadaCottage2012-16

Photography is a hobby of mine and I have more photos on Flickr.