Nobody, but it IS an interesting journal entry isn't it?

Gotcha!

Anyways, I'll be serious now....

I just finished week #2 of my training!

There's a lot of anticipation around this new database I'm supporting and its relation to the housing market. We're the first company in the country to attempt something like this, which means, in a small way, I'm able to take part in an organization that is writing history. I hope our company does well and I get a raise soon! Hehe

So, I've been getting home with little energy for more than a short dinner and sleep. I've been pretty exhausted, but I'm looking forward to this weekend and getting some rest. Of course, I woke up this morning at 8am since I'm used to such an early schedule so I wasn't successful in my attempt to sleep in. Hehe

No art updates as of yet. This week I'll have to pay close attention at work since we'll be getting some live calls from brokers, housing counselors and the like. I won't get any time for art until possibly next weekend, but as I get more accustomed to the process I can start working on finishing up my commission list again, which I'm pretty anxious to do. For those of you who have requested commissions lately, I sincerely apologize but I won't be able to take on any additional work. My goal is to finish up what I have and that's it. I won't be doing any more Transformers art in the future.

I'm currently in the process of co-developing a story concept with a friend of mine which I'll be developing into a screenplay soon. Once I finish all my commission art, I'll be shifting my focus from drawing to writing, which is my second love. I'm also looking at hiring an artist to help me convert this story into a manga or comic series. I recently gave the concept a "test drive" with a writer friend of mine the other day and after explaining it in detail, he told me the idea was "brilliant", which is a compliment he has NEVER given me, so I'm excited like a little schoolgirl about this thing. When I get things moving forward with an artist, I'll update you guys.

While I won't be doing any new TF art, I will be scouring my backup CDs for old and rare TF art that I can ink/color/remaster so I can finally complete this online gallery tentatively called "The GEARSMITH: The Art of GrungeWerX".

Thanks so much for your patience guys on the new art. I promise to have more updates as soon as I can. In the meantime, I hope you're doing well and enjoy your weekend!

- GrungeWerX

One word.

EXHAUSTED.

I started my new job yesterday. I've been inundated with information on the current state of the housing market and more mortgage terminology than you can shake a stick at. I've been coming home the past two days drained. I'm sleepy now, but I wanted to let you guys know that I haven't forgotten about any of you. I'll be heavily in training over the next two weeks, so I might not get a chance to work on any commissions during the week and I'll have to make as much progress as I can on the weekends until I get more familiar with things. Anyone who's started a new job knows how this goes. You've just gotta get into the swing of things first.

Anyhow, the people at the company are really cool and laid back and there's plenty of room to grow in this company since this is a relatively new product/database that I'll be providing support for. My manager is also pretty awesome as well. She's the type of manager you dream of having, really. So, I'm pretty amped.

Hmm, what else? Can't think of much right now because I'm so sleepy, so I'll just save it for later this week. I can't wait until Friday, so I can sleep in Saturday, lol.

Hope you guys and gals are doing good out there. Sorry I haven't been online to chat with some of you guys, but I've just been sleepy the past few days so I'll try to catch up with you guys Friday, okay?

In any case, take care out there and I'll have some updates ASAP. See you!

- GrungeWerX

It's been a while since I've updated my journal, but wanted to let you guys know that all is well. I've been a little busy on the personal side these past few days handling some things. I haven't been online to chat much either, so I'm curious how some of you guys have been doing lately too. I'll try to hop on tonight or tomorrow if possible. Of course, you can always catch me on MSN and AIM.

I've been giving it a lot of thought lately, but I'm pretty sure that this is it after this batch of commissions. I'll be doing my best coloring job on these so I can finish my TF stint with pride. I have a lot of G1 pieces, so I think there's no better way to finish than with the classics. I always wanted to draw G1 since I was a kid, and I've had my chance finally. I feel honored and rewarded at the same time. Thanks for your great ideas!

So when can you expect to see art updates? I still have a few days of penciling left to do, but soon. Trust me, when you start to see the colored images posting, I'll be posting them back to back until they're all finished. Right now I still have a few more pieces to draw and I'll be inking starting next week.

I want to take a moment to give all of you who have purchased art from me a heartfelt "THANK YOU". You've really REALLY helped me out in some really difficult times in my life. Being able to make money these past few months has helped put food on the table and also challenged me to improve even under such stressful life conditions. I'd like to do something special for all of you when the time permits. Again, my thanks to you all!!!

Well, I have to do some cleaning, but I'll try to hop on again soon. Again, thanks so much guys and looking forward to your thoughts on all the new art, which is nearly 30 pieces!

See ya!

- GrungeWerX

Hey Guys!

I've been asked a number of questions recently, so I'd like to take the time to answer some of those questions publicly for all to see:

1) Do you do art trades?

No. Time is money, both of which I have little. Sorry guys.

2) Do you take toys/comics/books as payment for commissions?

No.

3) Can you join my (insert name here) Transformers project?

No. I don't have time to maintain the correspondance for such.

4) Can you draw art for (insert name here) Transformers project for free?

Unfortunately, no. Again, free time is a luxury I have yet to enjoy on a regular basis.

5) Hey, you're an okay artist. Will you join my Transformers forum?

To be honest, there are only a handful of forums I visit and even those I visit very rarely. Honestly, I really wouldn't have the time to keep up with it.

6) Are you a big Transformers fan?

Big fan? No. Of course, you wouldn't know that looking at this page. The truth is, I'm really a boring fan. I was a big big fan of the G1 cartoon as a kid. I didn't watch Beast Wars until like 2004, which I enjoyed surprisingly. I also really liked the live action movie too. Other than that, I don't follow it much. I only read a few issues of the comic when I was a kid, and I read the DW G1 stint, but that was it. I don't follow the comics now, and I didn't follow the post G1 Japanese cartoons either. While I have seen a few Rid and Energon episodes, I was mostly just staring at the images. So, you see, I'm not really a die hard fan.

7) If you aren't a big Transformers fan, then why do you draw Transformers?

Because they look cool and I like colorful stuff. Nuff said.

8) Do you draw NON Transformers stuff?

Hecks yea! I'll have a new Deviantart page up shortly. I'm also a huge anime fan.

9) How do you color so good?

I laugh every time I hear this question, because, while I like my colors, I have SO MUCH to learn. I think I'm only halfway towards my goal, maybe less.

Answering the question, I pay attention to anime, movies, cartoons and I just stare at stuff for a long time and study it. I probably have a semi-photographic memory. I remember going to the arcade and staring at Street Fighter II so I could remember what each character looked like in detail so that by the time I got home, I could draw them from memory. This skill has translated into other techniques as well. My color theory has also improved dramatically over the past couple of years. I have no formal training, but I think training and education is important too.

10) What programs do you use to do your art?

Okay, here's the goodie list:

A) Intuos 3 6 x 8 Wacom tablet. Cost $350.00

B) Photoshop CS. Priceless.

C) For lineart, I sketch using a standard brush in Photoshop. If you open up the brush list, it's number 5. I also have created 2 brushes of my own by taking a standard brush and playing with the settings. Everyone should try this at some point, but the standard brushes work well.

D) I ink using one of the aforementioned brushes I created.

E) I put a sheet of paper over my wacom tablet's surface since the regular surface is a little too smooth for me. It also helps me to make nice straight lines I think too.

F) I draw between 80% - 100% Flow and 100% Opacity using standard Photoshop brush.

G) My Photoshop files have multiple layers for effects, but I like to keep my layer count as minimal as possible. I also organize everything into layer folders. File sizes can be high. The Advent of the Sha'ar teaser image with all the Autobots in it is around 100MB large.


With that said, let's move onto another subject.

*****************************************

Recently, a job interview manifested out of nowhere, so I gotta thank God for that first of all. I don't even remember applying at this company. Anyways, after an assessment and an interview, I was offered the job last week.

So what's the job? Is it a comic book? Graphic Arts marketing firm? Exciting game designer?

Nope.

It's WAYYYYYY on the other side of the spectrum. I'll be working for a company that addresses the current situation in the buyers market for homes. More specifically, I'll be assisting consumers undergoing a mandated training program before purchasing a new home. A customer service position essentially. I'm pretty amped about it too, since I'll be there for the "kickoff" so to speak, working with a core group of about 5 individuals. I was actually informed yesterday that my start date would be pushed back a week since construction in the building is not yet complete.

I have to say, I'm relieved greatly. I miss having a steady paycheck, medical benefits, and I'm absolutely taking advantage of the tuition reimbursement. I get weekends off too, so that's pretty nifty.

In any case, where does this leave my art, or better yet, my pursuit of art as a career goal? Well, truth be told, I haven't been pursuing any particular artistic goal this year due to personal issues in my life. Rather, I've taken art jobs where I can find them. Commissioned art is about all I've been able to tackle.

I'll be finishing up the lineart for commissions through the end of this month. Coloring should take me into mid-May, but after that, it remains to be seen what ventures I will take up next. I sat down and rummaged through some old story ideas I was able to salvage recently. Some I totally understand why I abandoned them, but others, I really think just needed some polish. In either case, I won't be able to tackle any more art requests.

But, to be fair, since I have at least another week before I start work, and in case some of you have some ideas you want to see me draw, I'll take a few more. Maybe 5 or 6. Please email me or send me a note with your ideas, and I'll look them over and get back to you right away. But time is clearly an issue here, so the sooner you reply, the better. I'd hate for you to miss your chance to get a commish if you want one. In all fairness, I've never said NO to a commission before, even when I didn't have room for any more. But with this new job, I just can't tackle any new lineart starting May 5th.

Well, this journal post is getting EXTREMELY long-winded, so I'll stab out of here for now. See you guys soon!

- GrungeWerX

***********MAJOR EDIT***********

Okay, I have read all the information you guys have submitted. I must admit, I am a little relieved now, but only a little because I actually read the proposed bill in 2006. The problem is in some of the wording and some of this stuff needs to be tightened up, which I'm assuming is what a newly proposed bill (which has YET to be submitted in 2008) would probably do. In the meantime, we need to at LEAST be cognizant of the new details of the bill when it's introduced. While I agree with the details supplied at this [link] some of the points she's made are subject to change pending possible revisions of fair usage through the bill. Which is why you must also pay attention to this [link]

For now, take a breather and keep your eyes open. I'm sure we'll here much more information about this in the coming months.

Thanks so much for the FYI guys and the links you supplied me. Very much appreciated even IF I pressed the panic button a bit too soon, hehe.

But hey, nobody's perfect.

In the meantime, I'm removing the information from the previous post as I think some of it isn't warranted until the new bill is actually submitted for review.

See you guys!

- GrungeWerX