.

Hello Loves,

I'm happy so many of you enjoyed the tutorial in the last journal. I'll do more of them... if you don't mind. Suggestions? Something I haven't already done? I quite enjoy doing tutorials and walk-throughs. I began drawing anime purely from tutorials on the internet so I understand needing good resources, and I am elated when I'm able to provide you with something that you can use or something that explains things in a simple but applicable way. I think, one must dissolve things into their simplest parts and pull them together, making them easy to relate to in order to teach well. And, breaking things into their pieces is very interesting to me.

I'm sorry I'm not very fastidious when it comes to answering comments. i mean no harm. It seems I'm much more popular than when I last checked or something. Also, I tend to like to visit you all's pages when you fav, comment, watch me, and such. I go through your galleries, look through your journals, favs. So yeah, I'm aware of you all whom fav/comment often, and I know how your artwork is progressing... I wish I had more time to do more of that T___T I took a general assessment of my miscellaneous messages... why have so many people watched me in the last day or so? It's much more than my usual fave to watch ratio.

The past days have been great. I've gotten to just hang out with my friend Yue. I never get to hang out with my friends... I want to go to the movies with her so badly, and watch Forbidden Kingdom. Jackie Chan isn't my favorite... he does too many comedies for me(I like my martial arts serious) but he's awesome with props... I love Jet Li. Period..... Semicolon. Question Mark.

I'm listening to the Mariah Carey's new CD E=MC^2... I don't know what the E stands for. I get the MC part as being her initials.... maybe the squared part means that if squared herself(which I also don't understand) she would result in a being of pure energy. O.o Though technically the C is the only variable squared so it would only be the Carey part of herself..... Also the song Apologize by OneRepublic... I love the song but it really annoys me when it gets to the part about 'their love burning red and now it's blue' or something or other like that. LOL, blue flames are MORE intense than red flames. Silly OneRepublic... XD

I need to practice more on my guitar.... and decorate it. I think I'm going to go over it with acrylic and clear gesso paint the great wave over it. I'm in love with Ukiyo-e. I really enjoy Hokusai's ideas about art. It gives his work even more depth for me.

I will never have to take an art history class ever again. I'm done with classes. I'm quite elated. I think though that I may just sit in an art history class and just listen. I like learning about art history without having to memorize facts. Facts are nothing. It's the meaning of artwork, the ideas expressed by it, which concerns me. If I was ever famous, after I died, I would infinitely prefer for my audience to remember the feeling they received through my artwork rather than to remember the date of it or my name.

I don't think I want to do Graphic Design. I know it's my major and I do enjoy the ideas which I get from learning, but man, I enjoy drawing so much more. The thing is, I chose Graphic Design because I didn't feel that I was going to learn anything more from Drawing. I know that sounds arrogant, but the way I perceive the drawing/painting department, they sort of let you do whatever avenue of artwork you want, encouraging you to experiment. Well, I'm going to be drawing on my own anyway. I draw all the time. And I'm always testing new techniques. I don't really need to take classes on what I'm already doing. That's lame lame lame.

I'm going to practice the guitar now. Guitar, you will be pwned. Like jewelry before the rent is due. *shakes fist*

Remember Folks, I believe in you. You equal win.

Sasha Lynn Stowers
Pretending to be Cool

P.S. I'm thinking of starting a new account for more experimental things--colored things mostly... which I don't quite feel inclined to uploading here. I think my artwork sort of caters to certain things which I'm not sure this new stuff is concerned with. I'll tell you all the address of said account if I decide to start it.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

CSS--> [link]

.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Life
I'm finished with my finals. Well, the exams for finals. I still have to turn a project Monday. I tell you... my exams have been pwned. : ) I'm happy to have a break this afternoon. Sunday, I'm making brownies, chocolate cake, and steak for my Graphic Design friends, we're having a picnic at the Georgia Botanical Gardens. I wonder what wonderful things the others shall bring : ) I love food. *salivates*

I'm playing guitar. I wish those calluses would grow on my hands faster. Perhaps you do not know but I get really... obsessive compulsive about stuff--such as drawing, cooking, et cetera. My point is that I want to sit there practicing until the tips of my fingers are the color of strawberries. Actually, it hurts a time bit to type now. On the bright side, my left had is getting attention. I always think my left hand must be quite jealous of the right. The right gets to hold my pencils and the left has barely any dexterity at all. It's finally a chance for my left hand to have a bit of an adventure : )

I can't wait for Summer. I love hot weather, when you sit in the sun an just sweat without having to do anything. I love that kind of thing. It's as though the sun is reaching down toward me. The cold I don't really like... though it gives us all a chance to snuggle... and huggle if we are lucky *wink*

Sidney Poitier was on Larry King tonight. Gah, he's so cool. You've really got to hear him speak. He really thinks about the question, you know. If you don't know, Sidney is the first African American to win an Academy Award for best actor. He is known for his work in "In the Heat of the Night," "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, " and "A Raisin in the Sun," as well as a number of countless other films. He's one of my loves... you know one of those people who just ignites something in you when you are near them, see them, talk about them. Like that.

Thought of the day: The Mona Lisa isn't a better painting... it's just a more famous painting.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shading 101
'zup? I've gotten a lot of feedback over the time I've been at DA about my shading, which I'm quite happy about. : ) I covered shading in my penciling tutorial, but at the time, since I was not doing much blended shading; therefore, the tutorial may appear incomplete in this regard. So, I'm showing how I shade using a blender. It's less difficult than one may expect.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Base Drawing

Okay, shading is nothing if you have nothing to shade. For this exercise. I'm going to use one of the unfinished drawings I found under a pile of papers. I sort of forgot about it. *shrug* You can start off with some sort of line sketch. Not every thing has to be sorted out at this stage. You don't need to know every detail or wrinkle, just have a solid idea about where you are going with it. Make sure the sketch is light! You're totally screwing yourself over otherwise D: Seriously.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Materials

I use Stratmore Bristol Smooth : ) It comes in different sizes. I have a lot of pads of this product.

I use .5 mechanical pencils. My usual brand is BIC. Next to it is a Straedtler .5mm mechanical pencil. It's actually a bit better in that it holds the lead more tightly. It has a sucky short eraser though, and it's expensive. *sigh* Anyway, there are also some examples of blending stumps. There are different sizes. Big one for large areas. little ones for small areas. I almost always use a medium sized one though, unless working big(for me) such as 17in by 14in or more. I don't use small sized ones, since I can sharpen the medium sized ones with the sandpaper you see there, and get a nice point to my blender.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Start Shading

If I have not sharpened my blender recently, I'll probably have some graphite(pencil lead) on it. If I do, I will probably start shading by using the the blender like a pencil and building on top. If not, I will shade some, and then blend. I happen to have some on the tip of my blender so let's start by using the blender like a pencil.

_{*I don't use my fingers to blend. Doing so solely puts the graphite on the surface of the paper so it looks more textured. Using an actual blender gets into all the little crevasses.}


Everything has a starting place. For this, we shall just shade one small area of the shelf only. If you think was going to shade this whole drawing and stop and take pictures the whole time, you are off your rocker. Don't worry though; Every section would get the same treatment.

I use my 'dirty' blender to add graphite to the paper.

Keep Blending.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building

Okay. I think of penciling in layers. A lot of folks just draw really dark and then blend that... I don't approve of that method. It tends to create streaks and spots, and I don't like it. I want it smoooooth. Like a hot knife through butter. So, I don't ever just go dark, I layer light shading on top of more light shading on top of more light shading. It takes forever. I know. But, I can define the edges better with each layer of shading. I don't like blurry edges unless it is completely necessary due to atmospheric perspective. Blurriness is ambiguous, and if I have an object that is supposed to be defined, solid, and rendered naturalisticly, such as the bookshelf, I will shade as though it is defined, solid, and real.

More blending.

Last layer of graphite. I completely define the edges with pencil. I do NOT use the blender around the edges. It'll look all blurred. The raw, unblended pencil marks are sharp and crisp. Also, by this time, I have already gotten enough graphite built up on my paper that the strokes for my pencil marks will not be very noticeable on top of the blended areas.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Finish

Add a drop shadow to create space. Wash and repeat.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Things to Consider
As you can tell from the rest of the drawing, I don't shade one 'section' at a time, usually. Some of the drawing is on the first step while others are pretty much done. This is just one method of shading. You can draw however you want XD

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scrappy


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Featured



.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

CSS--> [link]

1. Draw.
2. Draw more.
3. Draw even more.
4. Draw even more than that.
5. Draw when you don’t want to.
6. Draw when you do.
7. Draw when you have something to say.
8. Draw when you don’t.
9. Draw every day.
10. Keep Drawing.

LOL, there are no shortcuts.... Believe me I've looked for them : |

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I've got to draw more... I ran out of space in my other sketchbook so now I've got a new one for doodling. I've decided I've got to loosen up--in drawing and life. My artwork is so ... I suppose the word would be 'exact?' I think I need to really focus on making things not perfect, loose, and gestural. Maybe it will make me better. I need to loosen up in life too. I usually go with the flow, not being the one to stand out. I think now, I want to "dance like no one is looking" or something. You know, develop some social skills.

I'm doing research on buildings. I know, I'm such a nerd. I don't do many drawings with buildings and what not in them. I'm going through and making notes on windows, doors, the height of ceilings, door knobs, and the like. That's how I roll. I do a lot of research so that I know how things work so that I may draw them. This is how my brain works. I'm mostly just working around the wiring that's already there.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I've got finals this week. 3 actually. Wednes, Thurs, and Fri. I'll try even if I feel I shall fail. I always seem to be trying hard at things... yet all the good things that happen to me seem to be no effort at all D: I just took a test for psychology... Didn't study anything from the book. Didn't come to the lectures, and got a better grade than I did on two other tests that I DID study for and DID show up to class for. Life is a paradox.

I've begun planning my trip to China... I'm getting one of those tours, I think. I want to go to Beijing, Hong Kong, and Xi'an, cuz like a touristy tourist, I want to see the forbidden city, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, and although my friend, whom I'm traveling with, is from China she's never been to Hong Kong. Yue is a graphic arts major as well so I suppose we should plot out where the major art museums are so that we can visit them and spend a bit of time in them.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I want to visit many temples, and I suppose I might as well bone up on my Chinese history. I know nothing... why must the US schooling system be so backwards? Apparently, Asia and Africa don't have history to us. *wags finger* Even at my university, they have never offered the Asian Art History that I want to take SO badly. *sigh* At least they have Islamic Art, yes? I don't know if they offer an African Art History class...

Anyhow, that's what's crackle-lackin' I hope you have an excellent day and what not.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
CSS--> [link]

As you celebrate Earth Day today, know that you secretly celebrating my and my sister's birthday. : ) To celebrate, I am not going to class today (twas cancelled), and I am doing art today. (yay!)

I hope you all have wonderful days too!

Maybe I'll add more of my introspective narratives here later today... once I've contemplated the repercussions of being 21.










.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Hello, All.

It's a funny thing this Orphan Works thing going around... People are jumping to conclusions without (I assume from their assertions) reading the actual alterations to the copyright laws... [link] Perhaps folks are ill informed. n__n" Don't get me wrong. You may issues with it, but don't just read someone's journal and assume you know everything about it, k? You may want to, I dunno, read the real thing.

Anyway, Business news. I'm supposedly getting a part-time job this summer helping this guy whom designed the website for REM, and all these tuff stuff bands/companies. I think it'll be fun. I was really surprised with it. My teacher was e-mailed by the guy, and she told me she thought I was perfect for it. T___T I was totally flattered. Really, I don't think I'm any good at layout; I sorta feel like I'm just guessing. But perhaps, I'm not as bad as I think myself to be. Anyway, I showed the guy some of my typography work and such, and he enjoyed it. : )

Maybe I'll stay in Athens this summer and get a full-time job to go along with the part-time one. I need money for my trip next summer. I want to go to China with my friend Yue--> ~xuyue We're going to have to pay for a month tour all over China, and the plane ride there. It's actually a lot less expensive than the Study-Abroad Program, and she speaks Chinese so we'll be somewhat okay. XD We're trying to talk more of our friends into it as well : ) Do any of you live in China? If we go somewhere near ya... we could stop by and say hello. Since... I will probably never be able to afford to go to China again XD

You know what? My friends totally don't know me. Things which I think are apparent seem not to always pass people's radar. Okay, I admit that I'm pretty relaxed, mellow, if you will. This is because I've decided trying to be cool takes too much energy... which makes me appear cool, you see? This doesn't mean I'm not stressed. I've got all kinds of problems going on in my life; I just prefer not to let stuff weigh on my shoulders too heavily. Also, I dislike the look on people's faces whenever I talk about depressing stuff. Saying, "My dad died when I was ten, and two of my uncles died of cancer within the last two years," certainly sets a mood, you know? And, since I've had this stuff happen... I tend to put everything else in perspective, so I don't care too much about the day to day stuff, and I gravitate toward more uplifting things. LOL, also fear... my friend Yue told me that it seems like I don't fear anything. Not true, I fear many things, but important things. My brother's health, my mother's stress levels, my sister's ability to manage money(seriously she cannot keep a single dollar). It really makes things like grades or money or jobs seem like nothing. While you may not see me have a panic attack, it doesn't mean I have no worries.

*shivers* I do dislike talking about such serious stuff... so let move on... to interviews : ) My teacher assigned me to interview an illustrator I like, so I'm doing Bob Staake. He seemed a bit... short on the phone n__n" so I guess maybe he was busy... I hope O.O. I'm interviewing him tomorrow at 11. Anyway, I was thinking... wouldn't it be cool is I could interview DA people, and post them in journals for people to see? I've many artist here whom I admire, and it's be great to find out more about them/ let others know about them. BTW, I'm also interviewing James Jean... so I'll post that and the Bob Staake interview here, if you like.

Question. I've been looking for a oil painting tutorial >> but I've been looking for one that goes over the materials and everything .... anyone know of one?

Mm, I don't think I have anything else that really is interesting to say... though one might say that none of the above was particularly titillating. *shrug*

Sasha Lynn Stowers
Drawing You in Secret

P.S. I don't think journals have to have order, so there. : )

Artists of this Journal:





(PAINTINGS! NOT PHOTOS) O.O







.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.