Digital Artwork - VAMPIRE KNIGHT

At long last (it took me more than 24 hours to complete the painting alone!)- ZERO KIRYU from Hino Matsuri's Vampire Knight manga. Mind you, I'm just a vagabond in Photoshop, meaning I just kind of discover through trial-and-error how to paint this picture in that sophisticated computer program on-the-spot. I used Photoshop 6.0 (quite passe already, considering there have been several updated versions after 6.0 and the latest for the time being is CS3, but anyway, skills count - regardless of how updated the software might be, it's useless if we know not how to use it! ;P). Actually, I had spent the first night doing some considerable painting with this picture, but my laptop went ga-ga and, off- everything went blank, so I had to start all over again. Ghee, I hate technology when this happens.

The tools: I cannot recall well, but I'll try - the main tool used in the making of this portrait is Magnetic Lasso for getting the lines; Airbrush for colouring (using Multiply mode in 30% opacity because that way I can build up colour to the tone that I wish); Dodge tool for highlighting, and Burn tool for surfacing darker tones where necessary. I only worked on one layer because I blasted up on the selection tool, performing addition, substracting, inverting and all sorts of modern magic with it to make the selections. I made about 20 selections, from the skin, the Bloody Rose, to every shadow in the jacket, but each selection is not made in one go- I had to go over it over and over again, along with the calculations.

Reflection: I wonder how do the digital art masters really master their art? This drawing really put my eyes, my eye-hand coordination and my mouse's precision limit to test. Well, frankly, I'm not the kind of person who like to stare at the LCD and TV screen for hours... Anyway, the most important thing is, I enjoyed making the picture, because I really put my heart in doing it.

Time tally:

Manual lineart (with inking) : 3 days [10-12/4/2009]

Digital painting : 2 sleepless nights [8-9/5/1009]

Photographed with my Nokia N73's 3.2MP phone (thanks Dad! :)

PS: Japanese names occasionally put my rigid mind on fire. Which is the correct written form, surname/name or name/surname? e.g. surname Kuran, name Kaname, then is it written Kuran Kaname or Kaname Kuran? In the anime, it is pronounced as Kuran Kaname, but I'm not sure about the written form though. Zero's name is, of course, is pronounced Kiryuu Zero, but I wrote it as Zero Kiryu because I saw it somewhere.

Grey

Grey

the hall is swept
in sweet summer sweat
the masqueraders are drenched
lost in their court dance
in trance
then harboured each at their feet
this love is too young to be killed

lingering footsteps
in settling dust
below nameless winds
that stir dry leaves of the eyes
sleepy with wake
and deep in thought
the silence of woods without a man
this could be the end
allow no strange query
but no more sure than just grey
memories

the cage is opened
for songbirds who sing trust
and vultures alike

ageing youths in bloom
whoring in their noon
free reigning
together greying
being under will
this love is just too old to thrill

the colour in the cheeks of time
are fading away
the silence of the woods without a man
is poised from having its say
a caged bird would still sing
but, will it fly back to the king?
strange query do echo in the now empty hall
eyes may turn grey in the last remaining light
memories having harboured in the dust
anxious winds wait to be redirected
for love to be reclaimed.

(13th of August 2008)

A song for the false ones...

I would like to dedicate this song lyrics to the false people out there, who like to pretend and deceive others behind innocent looks and vicarious show of deeds, but inside, God knows. This song is by a Dutch Gothic Metal band named Epica. It features a female opera Metal singer and epic song compositions, with a lot of orchestra: very much influenced by Nightwish's style (during Tarja Turunen's era in vocalist position) in their best album Oceanborn, but Epica has taken it to the next level.

Cry for the Moon

by Epica from The Divine Conspiracy

Follow your common sense

You cannot hide yourself

behind a fairytale forever and ever

Only by revealing the whole truth can we disclose

The soul of this bulwark forever and ever

Forever and ever

Indoctrinated minds so very often

Contain sick thoughts

And commit most of the evil they preach against

Don’t try to convince me with messages from God

You accuse us of sins committed by yourselves

It’s easy to condemn without looking in the mirror

Behind the scenes opens reality

Eternal silence cries out for justice

Forgiveness is not for sale

Nor is the will to forget

Virginity has been stolen at very young ages

And the extinguisher loses it’s immunity

Morbid abuse of power in the garden of Eden

Where the apple gets a youthful face

You can’t go on hiding yourself
Behind old fashioned fairytales

And keep washing your hands in innocence

Lyrics obtained from:
http://www.lyrics007.com/Epica%20Lyrics/Cry%20for%20the%20moon%20Lyrics.html

Listen to Cry for the Moon on IMEEM:

The pic on the header of this little blog page

(Just a quick peep:) The first post is titled "Intro", so why must I come to the "Conclusion" just now? :P

That pic is drawn when I was 16 0r 17, portraying myself, and the colour was done just yesterday in Adobe Photoshop 6.0 amateur-style. Oh, I love new technologies, and I think I'm quite a freak about technology (but please do not interpret me as a new gadget maniac - I'm not so a kiasu person about those things especially if it requires me to make my bank sing 'ka-ching' just to have the latest things!). Furthermore, what else explains my submission into Technical school instead of staying in my old 'faithful' school SMKC (now known as TEPCES)...
Anyway, what I wanted to share about that pic is how I paid attention to the details in the composition. The model (Maria Xavier "Marx" de la Guevara) is seated with her hand holding writing instruments (notice the "HCxSE" logo on the paper she was holding), the manner she is dressed and the setting around her. She is everything I was back in those days- before I sport the "dark" look I am notoriously known with now. Ah, the power of people's perception over my sense of individual expression. Anyway, to hell with that, as long as I ain't that gross.

*pic of my imaginary band 'Minor Diplomacy', founded with my Punkette friend (a version of Siouxie Sioux). Look, I wasn't Black at all that time, but I was more to Hip-Hop and I am heavily influenced by Rage Against the Machine's Tim Commerford (from the Fender Jazz Bass guitar to clothing style!)

I got a new idea now. Perhaps I shall include the pictures of my artworks (there's a load of them thrashed in my Photobucket account that refuse to load on IPSAH's 'marvellous' Wi-Fi connection) in near future for all to see. Oh, I do do favours, but please bear in mind I'm no Andy Warhol 'cuz I've taken up this teacher profession and I swore to be true to it. Cheers!

Conclusion

[note: just a simple, easy-going piece of writing written in a down time. To Bonda @ Wan Zaleha, yes you read me almost right! *wink!*]

the touch so warm
the smile so welcomed
the kiss – sweetest sin
the embrace drowning

the distance so enduring
the lone times often disturbing
the calls much awaited
the absence leave much to be desired

the excuses begin the wondering
the lies were disintegrating
all hopes and dreams
just gone with the wind

the tears have fallen
the heart is made to be broken
the love paves way to forgiveness
a belief in the second chance

the longing for brighter times
behind dark clouds are silver lines
the dreams resurrected
though somehow alienated

the separation heart-rending
the devotion never-ending
a test of fidelity (human heart mystery)
of which truth knows the Divinity

the unknown – Fate and Destiny
the Quest for all eternity
true love a godsend
may it a come to a well end.

(Nothing is Everything : 27th of October 2008)

Intro

INTRO

Who's going to read my blog? God knows. Am I anxious? Not really, but I'm about to learn about that here. In fact, life is, as my English lecturer in KMPh said, a roller-coaster ride, all I gotta do is ride it.

Ever since I stepped in IPSAH, major changes have taken place in me, whether I notice it or not. I know, 'cuz my old friends said I have changed a lot. Yes, CHANGED. Many of us are whacked out of their reasoning when confronted by this issue. I used to, but I think I'm too sober to bother about anything, that's why I seem like not giving a damn about anything at all. Would anyone think I have no feelings because of this? You're definitely WRONG. Haha. I'm also a God's creation just like the whole lot of people out there who think they belong to the society and diss me for being who I am. But I'm not going to bother about that, so to hell with it.

For an intro, I'm going to leave a poem.

Rapunzel

time remains for
this revelation of a lifetime
disappointments taint the purity
of virgin realities
once upon a love
dark fairytales of betrayal

the midnight halls are reverberating
with the passing
another hapless maiden’s soul
lullabies by moon-broken pools
and oaken feet
mourning for the sins of the beloved

after all, perhaps he is unwanted
and maybe, her time is not long

rooted deep within
subliminal submission
indignant over the chase
taunting at one’s very own pride

rebirth chided
though she could always go her own way
a stranger stumbled upon a fork
he could always choose whichever way he wanted

she let her hair down
reaching out of her abyss of thoughts
for love’s sad poems
it might go a long way
but unfortunately her time isn’t
how sacrifice is endless
escaping time, isolation rendering loneliness
escaping time unworthy of the happiness redeemed
but to her, it is worthwhile.

(written on 24th of November 2008)

Ops, hello to the world. Soileyh Sapphire is posting, haha.