Pastel Defender Heliotrope

PASTEL NEWS ARCHIVE
For July 2005

July 20th, 2005

Upgrading The Art

After watching a truly wonderous anime recently (Haibane-Renmei from Pioneer), I have become very filled with a desire to improve my ability to draw. I really enjoyed the more realistic, less super-deformed super-cute, or 'kawaii' characters in Haibane, and it made me want to be able to draw like that. I have never truly mastered the manga 'cute' look to my satisfaction, and basically make do drawing however it is that I draw, which is to say, poorly.

But something started to click today, something to do with eyes, and noses, and facial proportions, and I am hoping that I can, well, 'level up' if you like, at least a little. So, with today's painting, page 127, I have begun to impliment what I imagine I have learned. I hope it is the start of some artistic growth for me.

It isn't that I don't work at my art...I work every day on it. It's more that it is very difficult for me to remember anything, including techniques, shapes, forms, all the building blocks of how drawing is done. I am best when I work by instinct, as it were, unselfconsiously, but the problem is getting anything new and useful into that unconscious part of my mind.

I can practice all day, and yet things just don't 'stick'. Then, sometimes, something just 'breaks out' and I can draw a little better. I like to imagine better, anyway. It is a very frustrating way to try to develop a skill.

All I can say is I hope this is a 'break out', thanks to watching that anime series...which I heartily recommend, by the way, it's really, really superb.

I hope someday my work might be considered superb. Maybe someday. In the meantime, all I can do is try.

July 21st, 2005

Upgrading The Art 2

I decided to try applying what I have been trying to learn to my old characters from Unicorn Jelly. So today, I did a little poster:

It is interesting to contemplate what Unicorn Jelly would have been like, if I had been able to draw it like this. Though, to be fair, if I was forced to work this hard through the whole thing, it never, ever would have been completed.

This is slowly getting to be easier, though. I am going to practice doing characters like this every day for a month, the determined time it takes for the human brain to establish a new habit or behavior...and see if it sticks. That is my current plan for personal advancement.

July 25th, 2005

What I listen To

In that the news section is just a little like a blog in some ways, I thought I would add some personal stuff. Some folks have wondered what I listen to while I draw PDH. Well, I can answer that, for anyone who cares...here is my current playlist - I call it "Anime Plus Radio Super Go!" :

1. Ah, Singapore (1:59)

2. Astro Boy (1:13)

3. Big O opening (3:13)

4. Blakes Seven (3:21)

5. Brunnen G Fight Song (0:48)

6. Bust A Move - Aozora no Knife (4:31)

7. Captain Scarlet Theme (1:53)

8. Captain Scarlet Vocal Theme (1:28)

9. ChuChu Rocket (0:14)

10. Code Lyoko Un Mond Sans Danger (3:25)

11. Cowboy Bebop Tank! (3:28)

12. Crystal Chronicles (1:52)

13. Don't Eat Sushi at Aquariums - Human Mix (1:32)

14. Dr Who Evolution (3:00)

15. Dr. Who (2:56)

16. Eagles - Journey Of The Sorcerer (6:35)

17. Explorers (2:49)

18. Firefly Theme (1:19)

19. Futurama (0:28)

20. Goodies Theme (1:55)

21. Guyver (1:45)

22. Haibane Renmei - Blue Flow (1:21)

23. Haibane Renmei - Refrain Of Memory (4:07)

24. Haibane-Renmei Free Bird (1:18)

25. Happy Happy Joy Joy (1:45)

26. Henry Phillips - The Shoulders of Freaks (2:49)

27. Highway 40 (1:04)

28. I Want To Live In A House - Starstruck (3:09)

29. Jet Baby (0:37)

30. Katamari Damacy (7:06)

31. Kiki's Delivery Service Bubblegum (1:43)

32. Kiki's Delivery Service Ending (3:06)

33. KILL BILL - VOL.1 (Various Art - The 5.6.7.8's / Woo Hoo (1:59)

34. KILL BILL - VOL.1 (Various Art - Tomoyasu Hotei / Battle Withou (2:28)

35. Legend Of Mana (5:58)

36. Little Busters (3:44)

37. Lonely Rolling Star Katamari (5:50)

38. Love Hina - Sakura Saku (1:29)

39. Magic Knight Rayearth - English Version (1:30)

40. Magic Knight Rayearth - Yururenaiegai (3:51)

41. Magic Users Club Flying Spell (0:03)

42. Mahou Tsukai Tai! - I Wanna Do More (4:47)

43. Mahou Tsuki Tai! - Mata Ashita (3:20)

44. Mahou Tsuki Tai! - Opening Theme (4:20)

45. Mario Brothers Suite (2:16)

46. Michael Buble - Spiderman Theme (3:01)

47. Mint Royale - From Rusholme With Love (5:08)

48. Mothera Pop (1:59)

49. Mystic Rhythms (5:54)

50. Nights into Dreams - Message from Nightopia (3:31)

51. Nights into Dreams - Sowing Seeds (1:11)

52. Oh! My Goddess - Opening Theme (4:15)

53. Paranoia Agent Theme (1:28)

54. Phantasy Star Online Pioneer Two (1:32)

55. Pokemon (3:16)

56. Pokemon Orchestra (5:42)

57. Powerpuff Girls Theme (0:37)

58. Powerpuff Glove (2:01)

59. Ranma One Half (2:00)

60. Rayearth Opening Yururenaiegai (3:51)

61. Ride On Shooting Star (2:21)

62. Royal Yak Anthem (2:46)

63. Sailor Moon (1:32)

64. Sealab 2021 (0:26)

65. Shonen Knife Tortoise Green (1:21)

66. Shonen Knife Tortoise Sea (1:43)

67. Sonic Boom Ending (3:37)

68. Sonic Boom Opening (3:09)

69. Soul Edge (4:21)

70. Space 1999 Year One (1:14)

71. Space 1999 Year Two (0:49)

72. Speed Racer (0:55)

73. Spider Man TV Theme (0:59)

74. Teen Titans (1:01)

75. Tenchi Muyo Opening (3:26)

76. Tenchi Muyo Pioneer (5:06)

77. TerrahawksShort (1:00)

78. The Definitive Billy Hatcher (6:27)

79. The Gumby Song (0:47)

80. The Neverhood Theme (3:20)

81. The Prisoner (2:17)

82. The Time Lords - Doctorin' The Tardis (3:39)

83. They Might Be Giants - Spiderman(9) (1:48)

84. Toejam And Earl (1:48)

85. Transformers Theme (0:32)

86. Utena - Absolute Destiny Apocalypse (2:02)

87. Utena - Take My Revolution (4:35)

88. Vampire Miyu - Fragile Armor (3:02)

89. Vampire Miyu - Theme (2:34)

90. Vampire Miyu - Vampire's Song (4:24)

91. Watashi no Tamagoyaki (2:46)

92. Yuki Yuki Troublemakers (4:50)

93. Yume no Shima Shinen Kouen (3:43)

PASTEL DEFENDER HELIOTROPE
By Jennifer Diane Reitz

A Part Of Jenniverse.com

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