I can't believe, really, that it took me this long to finally try out a tablet for digital drawing. Since my Sophomore year in High School (1996) I've been using a mouse as my key interface with every drawing program I've ever used.

For some reason, i had the crazy idea that I didn't need a tablet - that I was so adept with the use of a mouse for drawing that a tablet would actually be a downgrade.

I was so wrong.

Last week I finally decided to try out my brother's Wacom tablet... and it's glorious.

I'm still getting used to the disconnected feel of drawing with a pen while looking away from my hand, but so far I've greatly improved my line-art and tripled my speed.

With a mouse there were, plainly, things i avoided trying to draw. Things with odd shapes like hands and feet were exceedingly difficult - more than they should be - because maneuvering the mouse to get a line shaped properly would take four times longer. Most of the time, I'd have to go back over the line 30 times or make hundreds of adjustments to the curve of the line using the shaping tool in flash.

I also couldn't get minute details to look right using the mouse, so I often avoided embellish lines - which made my drawings look much plainer than I had envisioned.

Come to think of it, most of what i ever drew with a mouse was lacking something I'd imagined because i didn't have the patience to spend 3 hours on a 50 pixel square.

That's behind me now, though. With the tablet I've commandeered from my brother (he's not getting it back), I've already gone back to some old drawings and revised them (as seen below).

In closing; take it from a long-time mouse-a-holic, get a tablet if you can afford it.

Below are two versions of two different drawings. The first is an interpretation of Black Mage inspired by 8-bit-theater which was done about 4 years ago - with the new version alongside. The second is a self-portrait charicature done about 5 years ago - again, with the new version alongside. I'm not sure on the exact time, but I'm fairly certain the two newer versions were done in less than 1/2 the time of the originals.

Full-size image:
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/569 2/confessions.jpg

I'm considering changing the figure art style for my RE movie. The style I was using is heavily dependant on carefully drawn figures, thin lines and proportions closer to realism than i think I want the movie to be.

I started toying with my version of Claire, and came up with a new style that uses more cartoonish features that are easier to draw and animate.

Whaddya think?

Yes, no, maybe so?

I'm taking a break from working on the RE flash and tossing some of my ... um... talent? ... at a collab. The Universe collab will be exploring the history of - well - our uinverse. From the big bang to primordial life, dinosaurs, cavemen, ancient history, renaissance, the industrial age and the modern era.

I'm doing a clip for the dinosaurs section:
http://spamtheweb.com/ul/upload/3009/7 4053_Carboniferous_Age_Helbereth_MX.ph p
Those are the first two scenes. There will be 1-2 more - making it approximately 35 seconds long.

Here's a screen shot just in case you don't have 18 seconds to watch the clip.

Well, as it turns out I didn't quite have the attention span to work on my RE Flash much over the past few months. It's not dead, however. I have a complete script outline and storyboard complete along with numerous backgrounds, models and other niceties worked out.

I've been somewhat limited by a fussy digital camera that only works when it feels like it - making translation of hand-drawn images somewhat difficult. But, no matter. I don't think I'll make my Halloween timeframe, but I'm going to aim for Christmas.

As a side note, I've also been looking at the work I'd done on the 'Freedom' project. I'm starting to redo the script for it and I've started researching for some more appropriate music. I don't expect anything to come of it until next year, though. I plan for it to be a very 'noir' kind of film, and I plan to make use of heavily contrasted imagery for 'dream' sequences. If I were to describe the concept it would be 'Silent Hill meets Silence of the Lambs in the Twilight Zone on an episode of X-Files'.

Other than that, I'm happy to say my WoW addiction has weakened. I'm only playing 15-20 hours a week, where I used to play closer to 40.

Oh, I should also note that I've got the title worked out for my RE Flash - "Resident Evil: Left Behind". All I have is a production poster this time, though.

Well, I was distracted for the past few months with WoW (the all-consuming life stealer), but I've reached a lull with that for now, so I went in and started dissecting the .fla for my RE flash. In order to kinda see what I'd already made and see if it even fits together anymore (sporadic work over 4 years can make things not quite jive). I decided to put together a 1-minute trailer complete with music from the audio portal.

Rather than load the portal with unnecessary experimental flash, I uploaded it to swfcabin.
There's a bit of gore, so it may not be safe for work. The soundtrack is spliced together (hurriedly) from bits of Sirens of Death by Ian(GrapeberryClock).

I think it's rough in some areas - mostly in places I finished 4 years ago and merely retrofit with a scripted camera and some minor art tweaks - but it's lively. It does have a story, of course, but the entire movie will take place as though it's the last 20 minutes of a RE game. Most of what happened previously will be hinted at or done in flashback.

The script is in flux, so I'm holding off on a search for voice talent. I'd jumped the gun previously and had voice-overs done before the script was really complete and I don't want to waste people's time like that again. Some characters that I'll be looking for voices include Claire Redfield (the star of the tale), Leon Kennedy (major role) and some other characters that haven't been decided on yet - though it's likely Barry Burton will make an appearance. I'll start looking when I'm further along in production.

With any luck I'll have plenty of free time between now and hopefully Halloween. If not, I'll shoot for Christmas at the latest. I want this thing to be done and over - not to mention that I want to have a full-length feature up on NG rather than the few collabs and a tutorial I'm known for.

I'll try to keep the community here updated, but I have a lot of animating to do...

Some NG folks may remember me from a few years back. I've been getting away from Flash with real-life issues... and a healthy dose of World of Warcrack.

However with 50 gigs of my HD devoted to various flash related files, my return was inevitable. This week my ill-fated brother/script writer has finally convinced me to begin production on both a cartoon short series (tentatively titled "Holden Public"), and finally complete a Resident Evil based movie I've been kicking around for 3 years.

Now, I mostly exist off the radar, but I'll be coming back here with progress updates and maybe even some release dates (hoping for the RE tribute to be a Halloween special). I just wanted to say that I'm back, I'm excited, and I hope someone here remembers me...