This was for deviantART’s Draw This Again contest. My entry’s right here.

This is also the “new version” of this old traditional/colored pencil sketch I did and uploaded in devArt around 2007 (exact date is actually on there, how diligent of me to have placed it):

It’s not so sepia anymore, and I can see that at least somehow, I leveled up a bit after 5 years. I even changed Xiaoyu’s uniform to show how much of Xiaoyu’s outfits have changed. I was supposed to use a different piece for the contest, but got frustrated with that one and decided to do my namesake instead (my “Xiao” actually came from using Xiaoyu ever-so often when playing Tekken).

It’s actually the lower-left one from the Drowning in WIPs post. 

The 13/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear. I saw this book in the Powerplant branch of Fullybooked and for a really thick book with adorable doodles at an affordable price was enough reason for me to buy it. So I had no other basis for buying it except that it was thick, had doodles and was affordable, and I’m not always that impulsive when it comes to buying books.

Reading Walter Moers’ novel was like being in the world of Adventure Time, MLP: Friendship is Magic, Chowder, Spongebob Squarepants, and all those other cartoons I grew up watching. So it’s sort of a cartoon but book-version. I was actually imagining a cartoon series while reading this— like one whole season for his 13 1/2 lives… that’d be more than fun.

The world is surreal and whimsical, from the creatures of the world of Zamonia, to its history, and it’s own theories on physics and other out-of-this-world scientific subject, it was so much fun to read. The plot keeps you going and Moers makes some cliche moments unpredictable.  

I really didn’t want to elaborate on the story/plot to avoid writing spoilers. Besides, if I did, there would be too much to talk about. The book just gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside while reading it. In other words, it’s a “FEEL GREAT” book. It would be totally awesome if they did a graphic novel version. There are actually more similar books from Mr. Moers, still set in the world of Zamonia. If you’re itching for a random book to read, do pick this up— Bluebear says you will definitely enjoy it. 

Random trivia: The German title (the author is German) is actually Die 13½ Leben des Käpt’n Blaubär… yay German langauge— and they say there’s a movie way back 1999 (yeah, in German)… oooh.

After what I think has been 2 years, I have finally folded 1000 paper cranes. The cranes in this contain 500 white ones where I mostly used scratch bond paper (yay, environment-friendly) and 500 colored ones (pink, blue, green, yellow, orange, and purple of different shades/values/hues). I think I started sometime during the summer of my 2nd or 3rd year in college. I only folded them when I get to visit Iloilo because I don’t bring them with me to Manila.

I actually thought I was done when I got back [Iloilo] recently, but when I counted the cranes, I still needed 130 more (white ones). So I stopped whatever I was working on and proceeded to fold the 130. I actually folded most of these during car rides to maximize time— talk about time management. 

Some folks have seen me folding these and they usually end up stopping to ask, “1000 paper cranes… what are you going to do with them after?” And I start answering with a light laugh to buy me some time to think. I then say something like, and this was before our senior exhibit year, maybe put them up during our senior year exhibit. But then I realized cranes are a little cliche and overrated (to be in our exhibit), so I scratched the idea.

And some other answers: Or maybe I can display them somewhere… I don’t know where yet, but somewhere. I’m just gonna keep them, y’know, let them accumulate dust. I think I’ll throw them off a cliff somewhere in Europe. Or better yet scatter them around the globe. Oh, the list keeps getting longer. But you know what, I think I might just do one of these (hint, hint).

Colored ones go into plastic containers while the white ones in a yellow SM plastic bag.

These cranes are different from the usual cranes I randomly fold if I spot a piece of paper I can cut and fold. These cranes have my signature in red ink and are made specifically to be part of the 1000-family. Now off to the next origami milestone, whatever that may be.

When I’m drowning in WIPs, I know what that means; it means I’m stuck somewhere in my work and I move on from it to start a new one, I get stuck on that one too and move on and start a new one… it’s an almost endless cycle. So I end up taking a long break from painting. 

And here’s a WIP-break for the series of short paragraphs to come (oh there’s more than just these, but let’s settle for these three):

As much as I want to be able to post something new every other day, if not everyday, as a sign of productivity, I can only do/produce work so much. This ‘blog’, content-wise, is a little erratic. I put anything I can come up with here, old or new, awesome or not, ‘sorta personal’ or not. Now off to my point… Painting and drawing are completely different practices for me, digitally at least. 

There are moments where I can paint satisfactorily, and get the shades, values and strokes well enough to get an aethetically pleasing picture but but but get the form wrong because I am unable to ‘draw’ it well. I don’t know if you’ve seen any of my WIPs, but I always start with a very rough sketch, and I do mean it with every sense of the word. I then get too excited and then I just go on blocking out color and paint in a combination of rigid (not so good) and loose (good enough) strokes.

I paint like a stiff twig most of the time and, for me, this was not a good practice. It always took me longer to get something done when I paint stiffly… or rigidly. By stiff and rigid, I mean stiff and rigid. Trying to be a control-freak over the strokes, colors and form that after 2 hours of painting straight you’ve just made a mess of her face instead of fixing it. But I’ve only realized this recently [that I’ve been a stiff painter]. Now I’m off trying to paint loosely like how I draw ever-so loosely. 

I started drawing before I realized painting was just as fun and meaningful an activity. I did draw like a control-freak with unappealing lines and shades that are too weak, bland, and lifeless. they didn’t look good at all. But then I flipped the table, sketchpad, and pencils and just drew loosely in a sketchy manner. It felt better, looked better even. But my point with all this is how when I paint, I almost forget how to draw and when i draw… I can’t seem to paint right. Or on really off-days, you just forget about everything, which is really bad. 

But of course, when it comes right down to it, it’s all about practice and overcoming adversity. After a few short paragraphs of babbling about my stiff right hand, let me remind you to paint loosely. Loosen your grip and make swift, soft strokes and chill when you start on that new drawing or painting. Don’t let that dominant hand be a control freak like my right hand was. Game on and keep creating.

Oh joy, got the film developed last week and got the prints yesterday. Earlier this year, we finally got our lazy butts off to Hidalgo to get the Nikon SLR (the film camera) repaired. The awesome camera dude from Hidalgo fixed it so well it looks clean and functions well now. I think his name was Bong… his shop’s filled with old cameras you can stare at forever, hard to miss… if you look at the right places.

14/36 prints means that only 14 shots were decent enough to be printed out of the supposedly 36. Some shots were over-exposed and others were just, uh, for the lack of a better word, “bad”. Sorry, we just got to try film out again after a decade [or more] of not using it. And we’ve never used this camera before, even though it has been in our possession for the longest time. Or maybe I just don’t remember using it. The photos that follow consist of Boracay shots, our old condo, family and friends, home, and a chihuahua we call Mariel. Shots were taken by yours truly and my older sister. 

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