Abolishing Sugarcoated Vampires

Time to address this "Twilight" thing. I don't care if you like it or not, but I'm going to share my views and experiences on the matter. I read the first three. And to me, the plot didn't move forward at all. So I didn't bother to read the forth. And then this whole thing exploded where I live. You see, I'm from Port Angeles, and Forks is about a good 2 hour drive from where I'm based. So the majority of tourists now that come to my town are Twilight fans. I appreciate the flow of people: it might get this po-dunk town on the map...I'm just disappointed about the way it's getting the attention. I will say this though: when choosing Forks as a location for her books, Stephanie Meyer must have been selecting from a long list of locations. I see it this way: she closes her eyes, points to a random spot on the list, and thus Forks was chosen. But perhaps the thing I'm disappointed about is her description of Port Angeles (followed closely by her lack of writing skill...don't deny it...she uses about 100 descriptive words throughout the entire book...that's one per 1 1/2 pages). She obviously didn't visit these places before she wrote the book, because everything is off in a big way: the town, the locals, everything.

But I'm not here to judge you. I don't care it you like the books/movies. I'm just letting you know that I don't. I tried, oh, how I tried, but...it just didn't work out. And when this whole Twi-craze blows over, I'll be able to get a good nights rest.

By the way, I saw these people under a street lamp the other day driving home from work. It looked as though they'd just been dropped from they're jobs. I hope they find work somewhere, though I don't think it's likely.

© 2010 Jeremy Owen

Cheers,

~J

Blark and Wit

I've been into the whole "black and white" thing lately. I don't know why: it could be that coloring a picture takes a long time for me since I don't have the professional grade programs that most artists do. Just expect many more monochrome pictures in the future. This was just a random one that I sat down and drew. There isn't any meaning behind this one, just a lazy afternoon piece. It turned out a bit more complicated that was first intended, but to color it too would have taken me a few more hours than it did, so I'm grateful. Let me know what you think of it, by commenting here or on Facebook (the official group is located to the right.)

© 2010 Jeremy Owen

Dancer templates, wallpaper pattern, and floor tiling Courtesy via Google Images

Cheers,

~J

"It's All In Your Head..."

There was recently a video game that came out called "Alan Wake" (trailer here, info here), with the teaser that it was going to be something new: a "psychological thriller game". I'll let you find what it's about, but the themes borrow heavily from horror/thriller greats like Steven King. And one new mechanic that hasn't been in any other game so far is using light as a weapon. Again, you'll need to follow the link to read about the plot, but I found the notion to be very intriguing and was inspired by the early trailers that came out for the game. One of the ways of using light in the game is a flare (which provides a short, safe haven for Alan when he encounters multiple enemies or obstacles as you play through the game). Just watch the trailer (and even look at more on YouTube for commentary about it). This is a good one here. It looks really interesting to me, but it might not be to you.

On a side note, this was another one that I drew at work using only pen. Alan and the background faces I drew: the rest was Photoshop. More up soon.

© 2010 Jeremy Owen

Cheers,

~J

A Barrage from the Past 17

As I've done before, I took an older one and put some make up on it. Once upon a time, I liked Pirates of the Caribbean a lot, but they screwed the story over so much that it's just a novelty to me now (except the first one...that one will always be good.) Maybe they can redeem the franchise with the new one coming out in a few years. Anyway, one character I did enjoy from the last two was Davey Jones. His motion capture is done by the immensely talented Bill Nighy, and the performances he did with the character were great.

Here's the version I did around the time the second or third came out (I can't remember which), in 2007:

And here's the updated version (2010):

© 2010 Jeremy Owen

Cheers,

~J

"I'm Just Passing Through..."

I'm proud of myself, and it's likely the first time. I started this one at work, on break, and didn't use any pencil. I've been listening to a lot of Thrice: look 'em up if you don't know who they are. The lyrical content is amazing, and the music varies enough to keep me coming back for more (their music can be anything from headbangingly heavy to slow and melodic to strange and experimental...I love it). The lead singer, Dustin Kensrue, has a great voice (one which I wish I could mimic), and his visual aesthetic is strong and enjoyable to flesh out. He has accomplished beard growing abilities, and wears flannel effectively, both of which I wish I could pull off (maybe one day). This one's kind of a step away from what I normally do. It was hard for me not to use color, but I felt it would be better as monochrome as possible. I'm learning how to incorporate new things into my work each time I sit down to finish a new picture, and it's great to try new things (like when I first had decent sushi...man, that stuff is delicious). Working more hours during the summer makes me even more tired than usual (plus staying up late and having more time to get out and do stuff with people too), but I'll another one up in a few days. Hope you like this one. I do.

© 2010 Jeremy Owen

P.S. Here's some Thrice for you to listen to. These are my favorites from them (as of right now):

Cheers,

~J

Hurt

This one's about connections. It's a harsh image of kindred spirits, but it's very emotional as well. It's Trent Reznor: the man behind Nine Inch Nails (and his new band How to Destroy Angels) and the big man himself: Johnny Cash. Both had amazing things going for them, and both got into hard drugs and slipped into depression. It took going down to the bottom for both to see they'd thrown everything away. Cash found his way before he died: he's singing with the angels now. Trent...he's still looking, trying to figure out what to call his own. I hope he finds it someday, I really do. The other thing they have in common is that they both did a song, but the order is off. You'd imagine that Trent loved Cash's work and covered one of his songs. But, if you've paid attention to either of the artists' careers, you'll know it was the exact opposite. Trent wrote a song, and it really spoke to Cash I suppose. Just give the song a listen, and you'll understand. You can see the original version (well, it's live, but it's decent) here. Cash's cover is here, but what's more, Reznor's thoughts on Cash's cover here.

As always, more to come. Thanks for staying tuned. It means a lot.

© 2010 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J

"Don't You Wanna Just Curve Away?"

This is another one with a deeper meaning: not one that I'll indulge too much about it's actual origin, but I'll explain the picture a bit. The road below represents a crossroads in life: making a choice or taking a certain direction...a place of great importance. The sun in the background could be a sunrise or sunset. If sunset: doors closing or the end of a chapter in life. If sunrise: a new beginning after a hard patch. And the swing...the swing is a place of refuge, somewhere to escape from the world's disappointments and just...be free. It's red for a reason: you can probably figure it out if you think hard enough.

It was fun to experiment a bit with this one (textures and brushes and whatnot). Pictures never really turn out how you want them to in your head, but this was pretty close. School is finally done for the summer, and I have a bit more free time on my hands. I'm going to try to do at least 2 a week from now on during the summer. Expect more soon.

© 2010 Jeremy Owen

Background Image Courtesy via Google Images

Cheers.

~J

A Barrage from the Past 16

This is another one from a sketchbook, in a segment I called "Vintage Vinyls": I designed about 3 or 4 fake album covers for non-existent bands/performers. This one would most likely be on the Alt-Rock side of the spectrum (perhaps an unintentional reference to Tool's song "Schism"). It didn't look like this in the sketchbook (obviously), but I wanted to add a few things to it anyway. I'll try to have more up soon.

© 2008/10 Jeremy Owen

Cheers.

~J