Songs without Words

Let’s go to the beach!

By far the most fascinating article of clothing to draw is denim. Like the face of an elderly person, its texture and pattern and coloration reflects the accumulated experiences of a person’s life – little tears from favorite sitting positions, lightened threads at the corners of cell phones and wallets, unraveling hems when they drag along the floor.

I also experimented this time with more simple texturing to try to give some life to the sand and the beach towel.

Next up is Elysia’s turn. She’ll be playing beach ball volleyball! Her swimsuit is green :).

Haven’t come up with a real title yet, so here you go:

The cello is a versatile instrument

Remember kids, violence is bad!

As promised!  The first installment featuring Elysia and Lamia~  Please pardon the crude art technique, I’m a bit out of practice.

Strip 1.

I feel bad for everyone who has to eat a meal with medical students.  The colored pencils didn’t scan in too well; the biggest loss is that you can’t see the special metallic sheen of the puke (and jewelry).

I’m home in North Carolina for the rest of the week!  My parents have been growing several plants on the edge of the driveway: basil, cherry tomatoes, and cowhorn peppers.  Here’s a photo of today’s harvest!

After this is all over, I’m totally going to be drawing comics!

This morning, I renewed my love and passion for silly, off-the-wall humor in the form of those ever-wonderful meme posts on Deviant Art.  The imagination, spontaneity, and expressiveness never fail to hit the right spot!

I’m planning a short (12-strip?) 4-panel comic series.  Here’s a brief rundown of the concept:

This is the everyday life of three Bostonians: Elysia, Lamia, and a yet-unnamed barista.

Elysia – 22 years old, conservatory student at NEC doing a masters in cello.  Likes: classical music, cooking, crafts, shopping, coffee, and tennis.  Ht: 5′ 5″.  Personality: bright and cheerful, but likes deviancy.  Physical: long bown-blonde hair, usually in a messy bun, two piercings per ear.  Has a tattoo but if you’re a decent person you haven’t seen it yet.  Likes to wear loose-fitting tunics and tank-tops, tights or skirts, sandals or sneakers.  Named after: the Champs-Elyse’es, of course.

Lamia – 23 years old, medical student at HMS.  Likes: disgusting surgeries, fucking with people’s minds, video games, eating, beautiful women, tea, piano, running.  Ht: 5′ 7″.  Personality: intellectual, tactless, witty, and just plain weird.  Physical: short brown-black hair, no piercings but has a headband with anthers (?) on it.  Likes to wear dressier t-shirts, jeans, and heels.  Named after: the Greek flautist/courtesan.

No name yet dude – 24 years old, works at the coffee shop (I’ll pick one eventually).  Trying to get his rock band off the ground.  Likes: indie music, horror movies, poetry, baking, reading, and backyard/garage science (like Mythbusters crap).  Ht: 5′ 10″.  Personality: You know that kind of guy … friendly, excitable, juvenile at heart, somewhat of a chance he’s gay but he isn’t (he loves Lamia, who incidentally is gay).  Physical: short brown hair, a little bit of stubble but no nose-hair thank God.  Likes to wear dress shirts over band t-shirts and straight-legged jeans.

Character Design Sheet

There’s a love triangle, of course!  Elysia loves the coffee shop dude, the coffee shop dude loves Lamia, and Lamia loves Elysia!  But don’t expect deep, meaningful relationships.  It’s a gag comic!

Study plan for the next two days:

Today – go through as many practice questions as possible

Tomorrow – very few practice questions, focusing on going through the entire book and making sure that I remember things.

From studying anatomy today … yeah, top part has a weird spot because the head was too small, so I just enlarged it.  Haha.  Pen smudges EVERYWHERE.  Why?  First Aid has glossy paper, that’s why.  Don’t blame me …

Whatever it takes to make studying "interesting" ....

Well, I’d just really really like to not be the stupidest person in my class …

In a way, I feel like the intellectual struggles I’m faced with now are a resistance against the ever-increasing pressures to differentiate.  There just comes a point where it becomes so difficult to maintain a fairly high standard of ability and knowledge in multiple disciplines.  Human knowledge cannot possibly fit within a single mind, but facing that reality is still hard.  The threat of falling into mediocrity in every field is a big possibility now, and I probably have to make a decision about what to let go before it’s too late.

Picture unrelated

So I’m happily studying viruses in the library when all of a sudden these loud, resonating “squick schlick” sounds start emanating from across the room.  Yes, that was meant to be as disgusting as those onomatopoeias suggest.  So I think it’s someone getting too into a piece of gum or some bubble tea, but I stand up to see a couple busily making out just below the giant concrete atrium.  And for twenty grating minutes, they proceed to French kiss as if they wanted to asphyxiate each other.  The least they could do is just deal with their pent-up sexual tension by just copulating and getting it over with, but they just kiss and kiss and kiss.  SQUICK SCHLURP SQUEEEET.  And then they finally stop so that the guy can blow his nose like a vuvuzela several times.  I guess her massive slobber finally used its slimy flagella to reach his nose, causing allergic rhinitis.  Good grief.  Get a room!

You gotta have spunk and determination,

Nuh-uh!!

and a little bit of luck!

White belts forever :)