White Noise

Attack of the MFSR

2011-02-23T19:29:00.000-08:00

This is what I did in Monte's Class this week:

Attack of the MFSR

Character Design in 2011 Cont...

2011-02-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

The final submission for my classmate character design is due tomorrow. This is what I have to show:

I'm actually pretty happy with where I ended up. I got some good critique, and I feel the only way I could do better is if I had more experience. ONWARD!

Bouncing Ball (Acorn)

2011-01-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

This was my first animation for CG 275 at DigiPen. The assignment was to animate a bouncing ball, but I decided to take it a step further and gave it context. The animation was made tiered, the ball was turned in to an acorn, and the platforms that it interacts with were turned in to leaves. Hurrah!

Character Design in 2011

2011-01-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

I am taking a class in Character Design at DigiPen, and for our first assignment, I have been tasked to turn one of my classmates in to a character of them self. I am about to move in to Color Comps after a few more tweaks to my deisgn. This is where I am thus far:

Stage 01:

Stage 02:

Stage 03:

Another Semester: Closing Thoughts

2010-12-25T09:55:00.000-08:00

The Fall Semester at DigiPen in the year 2010 has come to a close. All of my classes were passed. These are a few of my personal favorite works from this time period. Both for class and out of class.

Time for Winter Break. Over and out.

End of the Year

2010-12-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

We are coming up to the end of the year 2010, and I am reminded of a conversation I had a few months back with a random person at Starbucks. I had asked them if I would ever get used to this whole time speeding up thing. Their reply was a singular and ominous, guttural: "Ha!" Apparently I have a lot to look forward to in the realm of time travel.

The Fall Semester at DigiPen is almost over. This is Finals Week. Typically, this would be a week where I panicked and worked until the very last minute. However: there really is no need this time around. I am sailing free and clear.

Finished: For Now Anyway...

2010-11-21T15:55:00.000-08:00

This is my latest painting in Photoshop. It's somewhere between Ashley Wood's style and my own. The composition in entirely my own. Thanks to Brandt and Rachel for the helpful input during the creation process.
I think I may throw another hour at it later when I have the time. There was some great feedback I received during critique.

Two Longer Drawings

2010-11-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

Usually, when I draw, I just attack the page and make many unnecessary marks and few corrections. This time, I made two drawings and spent at least 3 hours on both. I was trying to be more strategic with my mark making and really take my time.

Ashley Wood Test Painting Complete

2010-11-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I thought that I had uploaded this already. Ultimately: this test painting was only about 2 hours of work.
I think I got lucky though, because I am working on another piece with much less success. The struggle to create art continues...

Art Update

2010-10-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

So, in CG 201 (Photoshop Class), Rob Kmiec has allowed us to devise our own project. I was talking to Brandt about what it was that I would like to do and he pointed me towards an artist named Ashley Wood. I was immediately switched on by this artist. Thanks for that Brandt. Just now I completed a 20 minute speed painting based loosely off of a piece by Ashley Wood in order to explore the brush strokes and color palette.
This is my effort:

I look forward to creating more of these as I move forward. I think I've found another thing that I really like to do.

CG201 Paintings

2010-10-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

These are two longer paintings I did for CG201 (Photoshop Class.) I am pretty happy with how they turned out.

Space Desk Continues

2010-10-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

I am working on my first unwrap of my first real modeling assignment for a real grade and everything. It is going swimmingly, I think. Cant wait to finish this, and move on to more amazing things. Modeling is fun.

Dreams Are Weird

2010-09-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a dream that was so perfect and visually striking that you remember all of the little details? Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep because what you just envisioned was so powerful to you that it left you unnerved? Last night I had just such a dream. I could extend the parameters of depth to any field that I wanted. I could make objects closer or farther away simply by willing it. It was not that objects would be pulled closer or pushed further away. Rather, the length of a mile would be reduced to an inch or extended to infinity just for me. As if that were not enough, I could also take segments of space and draw directly on to them as if they were Layers in Photoshop or panes of glass. My marks would become solid and have structure. I could build a wall simply by doodling the form in the air with a Sharpie. It was crazy, and I could not fall back to sleep after that.

This Is What It Is Like.

2010-09-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Customer: My latte has cooled down in the three hours I've been sitting in your store, could you microwave it for me?
Me: I'm sorry, we don't have a microwave.
Customer: What's that then?
Me: That is a convection oven.
Customer: well, can you just throw it in there for me?
Me: No. That would be a very bad idea. How about I just make you a new beverage?
Customer: Oh, no that isn't necessary. Are you sure you can't just microwave it?

First Models

2010-09-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

For our first real assignment in CG225, we were tasked with whipping out four models in 48 hrs. A traffic sign, a newspaper box, a fire hydrant, and a phone booth. So, I whipped out four models... It was stressful.
Anyhow, these are my first models. I look forward to getting better.

This is what I did today

2010-09-14T20:09:00.001-07:00

This is what I've been up to today

2010-09-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

As Orius - Part 0

2010-08-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

That damned demon woman hit me... As if I didn't have enough to worry about with zombies and ghouls vying for my flesh... Orius Beltfast and his companions traveled deeper in to the depths of the keep. If it were not for a strong dose of luck, they probably all would have met their end in the room of statues. At this moment, Orius is still not sure how he survived that trap. No. Not a trap. More of a defense mechanism... There would be more time to think later. Right now, The Alliterate Adventurers were illiterately adventuring toward their own doom. Berkley was dragged away by something that I did not get a good look at, but I can hear his screams well enough and they travel over that raised area. I may not have enchanted eyes that allow me to see in low light, but I fear that being able to see may weaken my resolve. Nevertheless, I can not fight an enemy that I can not see.

Orius has one ability that truly sets him apart from the rest of his comrades: he is a very gifted climber. If I could reach the top of that raised area, I should have a clearer picture of the evil that we are facing. He deftly climbed up the wall in front of him with ease. At this point he could hear his allies engaging in battle below and behind him. They will have to wait. I can still hear the screams in the darkness. CRACK! THOOM! The Sun Rod burst alive with light. Next to his face it was blinding. Orius chucked the fiery beacon in to the darkness. What luck! Not only did the sun rod land close Berkley, but it seems to have distracted the zombies.
Just then, there was a movement in Orius' periphery. That was far too fast to be a zombie. Then, before he could further investigate the movement behind him, down on the floor below to his front he could hear the dull, thudding, fast foot falls of a barefooted ghoul. Ha-HA!! Orius leapt from his position above and came striking down. The ghoul was dazed and weakened. Quick work was made of the ghoul, but only because the zombies that usually served as it's guardians were piled in the middle of the floor attempting to make a feast of Berkley the Gnome.

SWISH SWISH! Orius swung his mighty short sword, tearing apart the vile undead. The rest of his party must have done alright without him, since they were now coming around to exterminate the remainder of the ghoul's servants. These zombies should have invested in more pleasant fragrances if they had wished to sneak up on me! Orius thought and chuckled. There again was that blur of a monster on top of the wall. No one else seems to notice it up above. Perhaps they are bewitched? I know from experience that I am not the most observant member of my allies. Orius once again attempted to climb up as he had before. Only now: the fatigue of battle set in and he could just raise himself up to a point where his head was above the edge of the wall. It sees me, and now look at it run! Orius let go of the ledge, and began the chase. But just as soon as it began; did the creature disappear through the door in to the next chamber.
The swift creature fears me! Orius exclaimed. "Hmm hmm hmm" The tight-lipped condescending laughter of that demon woman. "Fears you? No. This beast has gone to tell it's masters that we are coming. A scout." A scout? Then that beast has done it's job well and I do not think our passage in to the next room through those mighty doors will go unnoticed. What danger have we gotten ourselves in to?

The Alliterate Adventurers' Adventure Part II

2010-07-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

I forgot to take pictures the past few weeks, but here is where we currently stand:

Our party, a group of six, have gotten a little experience under our belts and we liked it. A lot. After completing our first keep, though, we come back to town only to realize our employer (Hemming Hamfist) has not returned from a scouting mission that should have taken only a very short period of time. We asked around town and set off on our journey to the village of Winterhaven near where Hemming was heading.

My companions and I encountered a small band of monsters on our way in to town which was not prepared for the beating we pounded in to them so deftly and completely.We later learn in town that such groups have recently been abducting travelers on a regular basis. Naturally, we suspected that Hemming ran afoul of such a scenario. We heard rumors of one called IronTooth...

We went searching in the area around Winterhaven and found a cave of kobolds. These simple and nasty creatures are almost always easily dispatched, but we found ourselves tested with types of monsters we had never seen before, and tricky situations. My companions and I had been having a series of bad rolls and it was not until the major encounter with IronTooth that the tides turned. At the and of the ordeal, that keep had it's halls painted with the dark unholy blood of demons.

Last night we were back in Winterhaven where a foul wind was blowing. An old blind man with an outdoor shop of various herbs and oddities told us a story about a beloved ruler of the realm who went mad long ago and of a possible connection to our missing employer. After we bought herbs and made other purchases (secret or otherwise) we were off again. IronTooth had a companion. A fat accomplice. We believe to be nearing him now and finding Hemming.

Inside the keep we fought well and were confronted with goblins and hobgoblins for the first time. They are not nearly as easy to dispatch at kobolds, but all of us were up to the challenge. There was a pit of rats and a torture room. We were able to sneak up on our enemies and attempted forms of restraint and diplomacy at times. Oh yeah, Mitchell' character got a pet.

Next week we will delve deeper still.

AdSense

2010-06-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

So I found a blog where people have figured out which AdSense word combos pay the most. Words like Jet Liner Service and such. I don't think it is really fair, but it is a clever way to make money (if it works). I wont link any sites here, but if you are interested, go check it out. I'm sure they aren't hard to find on Google.

Getting Older. Getting Wiser?

2010-06-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

I have never been good at handling my finances. I have three bank accounts. two are savings and one is a checking account. The savings accounts are in a constant state of being almost empty and the Checking account always seems to get overdrawn. I think it is time for me to make a real effort to control my spending. I can break down my regular expenses easy enough and I know that the essential fees wont cost me more than I have.
The hardest part of this is the impulse or instant gratification items. Fast food, video games, random gizmos, etc... I always seem to find an excuse to spend my money. Not any more. I am keeping my spending down to a bare budget. By the end of august I want to see money in all of my accounts, and I want the fundamentals of a repeatable routine in place. This is my goal, wish me luck.

A Note On Napping

2010-06-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

So, I just had this dream where I bought and owned a video game arcade, and it turned in to a murder mystery ala Scooby Doo. I then woke up abruptly and jumped over to the clock thinking I woke up at 6:32 AM and it was was late for my shift tomorrow at 6 AM. I swore, and for a second in my dizzied & unfocused state of confusion: panicked. I grabbed the phone fumbling and trying to remember how to use the caller ID function, so that I could call my work and let them know I was on my way; when after about 30 seconds I mentally clicked into the right gear and realized the phone displayed PM at the end of the time. The gears turned and common sense prevailed. It was still the same day, and I could stop freaking out. This is why I do not usually sleep in the middle of the day.

The Adventure Begins for the Alliterate Adventurers

2010-06-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

For the past month my friends and I have been meeting up in secret for the purposes of getting ready for our first Dungeons and Dragons campaign. We had all rolled characters and Josh has been preparing the adventure itself as our Dungeon Master (DM). Last night was the very first night of our campaign. My Character, Orius Beltfast, succeeded right off the bat with chucking a hand axe in to the chest of an enemy, taking it down with a sharp thud. I then succeeded in pushing another in to a pit ala the movie 300. The only real difference being that this pit was only 10 feet deep and was filled 4 feet with a combination of dungeon scum and feces. Needless to say: my bloodied foe was infuriated. Luckily, Kevin had my back and took out the soiled monster before it could get retribution on me.
We all had a lot of fun, and everyone worked great together. Next week will go much smoother so that we can hopefully get much further than we did this first time.

Tone Color and Composition - Now

2010-04-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Steam on OS X

2010-03-08T23:29:00.000-08:00

Valve's Steam platform is coming to the Mac in April, and it's bringing the Source engine along with it. This means anyone who wants to develop games for Mac and PC can do it in Steam without issue. Valve has also announced that from now on, all Valve games will release on PC and Mac simultaneously. All Mac users who have been using Boot Camp to play games are rejoicing. PC gamers (who really are not involved in this at all) are taking this opportunity to compare penis lengths with the standard "new Mac games are old PC games: Macs are dumb" argument. I guess I should never underestimate the ridiculous nature of the internet.

The Internet. It has the power to transmit knowledge and stupidity at the speed of light. If only I could keep these mutually exclusive!

DSaturation

2010-02-27T23:44:00.000-08:00

I went to Gamestop last week. My school was closed for the day and I thought it would be a good chance to pick up Phantasy Star 0. It had been a while since I tried finding a specific game on the shelves at any Gamestop, but I couldn't remember it being so difficult. When I walked to the DS section, all I could see were old Mario games and those generic packages that are for used games without boxes. I would not be lying to say that my head actually hurt a little bit. Ultimately: I decided to skip that and ask the guys behind the counter for a copy. *Click click* "yeah we have it! Here you go!"
This seems like a problem of cataloging or maybe it is the organisation of this store in particular? I am not sure. If I can not find the game I am looking for when I walk in to the store, or if I need to ask the clerks for assistance in locating a game that is on the shelves: it is a failure.

Games Industry: East and West

2010-02-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

This is an idea that recently struck me: think of the major players in the Games Industry. In Japan there is Nintendo, Capcom, Namco, Square-Enix to name a few. In the United States: Bethesda, Valve, EA, Bioware, and others. It may just be me and I may be blowing this out of proportion, but I have an easy time of naming three characters from each Japanese company and a really hard time coming up with more than two from many American developers. Is this just me? Could this have something to do with the way we develop games in our country?
In American games, we put a lot of effort in to annual releases of sports simulations and war games. We also have a ton of games with the first-person nameless, faceless, and/or voiceless hero. I am not saying that this is unique to the West. Japan has voiceless heroes too: Link and Crono for instance. There is always some bleed over of game standards and norms, but why is there such a large difference in game markets? I do not know if I have a very solid point to make, but it is a thought that is lingering in my head. More thought would be necessary before I could come to any kind of argument or possible solution to my conundrum.

SOS115 Paper #1

2010-02-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished up my paper for Sociology. We have been studying philosophy and ethics. Soon, I am hoping the class will be applying what we have learned to the video games industry as well as other forms of media.
I made a PDF of my paper if anyone wants to read it. I wrote my paper on Apple's App Store as it applies to the iPad, and how this effects the software distribution market. The introductory paragraph was almost a page long at first, but then I felt that the reader probably doesn't need a full history on portable devices. Maybe I could save that for another paper some other day.
Click Here To Download

Speaking of Music

2010-02-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

If you really like good music, and you also really like video games, then you owe it to yourself to check out the GameWave Podcast, Pterodactyl Squad, and 8bit Collective. These are all great web sites with literally a metric ton of free music. There's really cool music and art out there and there's a whole lot more on the internet that is free and legal than what you would find in a store.

Another Song

2010-02-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

I've been exploring the concept of old style Dungeon Crawler games. Specifically my personal favorite: the Zelda dungeon. I keep getting melodies stuck in my head and they don't go away until I do something with them. This has led me to work on several dungeon and cave themes all at once. Most of the music can only be called music loosely, but there is one in particular that seems to be shaping up nicely. This song is not yet completed, but it's at a stage where I am comfortable sharing. If there are any constrictive critiques I would be glad to hear them.

Click Here to Download

Tone, Color, and Composition Post #1

2010-02-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

In the second week of the Spring semester I had to do two still life and copy a master study of the figure:

There are a few anatomy issues with the figure, but moving forward I'll be more attentive to those. Also, on that note: I would really like to start going to the figure drawing sessions on a regular basis. I'm going to have to physically set up a block where I can do that, because they tend to be happening when I am sitting down to work on other assignments.

The Sounds I Make

2010-02-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

In the fall of 2009 (so long ago!) my friends and I were in a sound design class at DigiPen. In this class we were all tasked to make an animated cycle and make music timed to the cycle. It was a fun exercise for me and I was really proud of the animation I produced. Actually: everyone's was pretty cool, and I liked viewing all of the different interpretations and approaches towards the assignment.

I had posted the completed assignment on YouTube:

Long-story-short: a few people had asked me for the music, and I see absolutely no reason why I shouldn't deliver.
Click Here To Download The Song

I'm hoping that I get to do more of this in the future. I do have a few other songs that I am actively working on, and I would love to share them, but I need to make sure that they are ready and awesome.

Scanners

2010-02-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

I've been torn up over the thought of getting a scanner. Most of my sketches and drawings are in a physical format, so I can either scan them or take pictures. I could just use the scanners at school, but I always feel weird about that. All I know right now is that I would prefer to have a surface area larger than the standard A4 document size.

Can I Do $10/week On Food?

2009-10-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last night I couldn't sleep, because my I couldn't stop thinking about how I never have any money. I want to save up a comfortable amount of money. Something that I should have done while I spent a year off of school. However: this did not happen. A quick budget was drawn up on a page of sketchbook near my bed, and in order to increase my maximum savings: I'd be looking at spending only 10 dollars on food a week.
This raised the question that this blog post was written after. Can I do ten dollars a week on food? Is it possible for me to not spend that amount? I mean: of course it is possible, but is it something that I can do knowing full well that I historically suck at saving money. I'm going to try this.

Little Frustrated

2009-10-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

I missed an important class session today while I was working on my sketchbook. In Animal Anatomy there was a quiz. So now I have to contact Chuck Wood and find out how I can make that up.
In order to relieve my frustrations, I have been drawing more in my sketchbooks and then I did this doodle in Paint:

DigiPen Shirt Contest

2009-10-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Today I saw that DigiPen is having a logo contest for a new shirt. I think I might take a stab at it, and by maybe I mean that it got me thinking and I'm already exploring ideas. The deadline is the 30th of October: so I have a little bit of time. However, with my workload and a tendency to procrastinate that may be just enough of a timeline. I hope to post some sketches in the coming days.

Johnny Lee is Legend

2009-06-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of skeptical talk, murmurs if you will, about how effective Project Natal will be once it's in the wild. However, I have just heard that Johnny Lee is actually involved in the project. All of a sudden, this endevour became much more legit.

Of AT&T and Contracts

2009-06-09T09:58:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning to my cell phone ringing. It was an 800 number. When I answered it, It was AT&T telling me to manually dial the phone number that they just used to call me. I called it, and it took me to a generic customer service hotline. I navigated the menus (which automatically knew what my phone number was) to talk to a rep. and then she asked what the nature of my issue was. It turns out that they just wanted to remind me that bill was due in a week. I love the impersonal era we live in.

My contract with AT&T ends at the beginning of July. I will be quite happy when it does. They have some of the best service signal quality, but the company is frustrating to me. I don't know if it would be the same story everywhere else; so I have to explore, neh?

Square-Enix

2009-05-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Square Enix is a monolith of a developer. The games they produce are always top notch and enjoyable to play. However, I am disturbed at how disconnected they have become from their fan base. In the past and up to today, they have been notorious for shutting down fan created homages to their franchises. I understand that they have every right to protect their franchises, but this really makes them look bad to the people that love them.

Saving Once Again

2009-05-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

I have been successfully saving my money in to various accounts for about a month now. Now that I have something of a base, I am going to begin applying this to getting an iMac. I currently have 150 dollars set aside. Next week, I am shooting to push that to 350.

On Saving and Budgets

2009-04-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

Now that I am officially returning to DigiPen, I am glad that I have already started a budget for myself. I've been putting a certain amount of money in my various accounts every time I am paid as a sort of Rainy-Day Fund. Now I have decided that I should be putting in an extra amount. I have been putting off saving for a Mac for too long. If I just saved a little bit of my checks for 10 pay periods, I could have my machine. If I saved more, I could have it sooner. It's time I cut back my spending so much that it hurts. Let's seen how much I can keep.

Pixel Art and Nicotine Withdrawls

2009-04-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a cigarette for about four days now. I'm not craving them, but I've been a little testy. Anyway, I figured if I want to eventually make some decent 2d sprite based games, then I could learn from pixel art that already existed so I played around with Inkscape and came up with the following:

Waterfalls and Storytelling

2009-03-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am working on this story for a game, and I think I might have something good here. As I'm writing the story I am adding important blurbs for what I imagine would be happening in the game at that point or an important game feature. I don't want to say too much, but I am trying to get together some creative people that I know to help me with this. I've gotten two interested, let's see where this goes.

Comfortably Numb

2009-03-31T17:07:00.001-07:00

After running and jumping around all morning, it feels good to sit back and relax. I turned on my Beatles station on Slacker.com and I'm getting some good Pink Floyd flowing in to my ears. It's one of those moments where everything feels very mellow and awesome.

I'm still waiting for a response from DigiPen about Readmission. I was waiting all of last week until on Friday when I remembered that it was Spring Break and there is no one there in Admin. It was an aren't I dumb kind of feeling. I've decided that if I can't go back to DigiPen in the Fall: I will finish up my education at Green River Community College in Auburn. I'll take courses in Art, Programming, and Business. I have a dream, and I wont let any institution stop me from fulfilling it.

Cheers.

Mmmm Fez Trailer Goodness

2009-03-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

I caught this on Kotaku right when I got home from work. I have feverishly been awaiting this game since the day I heard about it.

SciFi vs. syfy

2009-03-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

Penny Arcade brought my attention to the SciFi Channel changing it's name in the hopes that it will be seen as less geeky. This led to a conversation with Sam.

(12:16:49 PM) Jon Gardner: the rage is ridiculous
(12:16:56 PM) Jon Gardner: http://www.tvweek.com/news/2009/03/sci_fi_channel_aims_to_shed_ge.php
(12:18:03 PM) Sam: remember that machine steve urkel made to make himself cool?
(12:18:48 PM) Jon Gardner: hahah
(12:19:02 PM) Jon Gardner: stephan urkell
(12:19:07 PM) Sam: hahahah
(12:19:27 PM) Jon Gardner: I think that is a really great example

Changing your name only makes you seem more shallow and less involved with what you were intended to be. It waters down the brand.

The Behemoth Seals the Deal

2009-03-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

Once again, I am in awe of the power The Behemoth has to get me psyched about a future product. This game looks fun and cute and challenging and all sorts of other things that are required to have a killer app. Now, if only other development houses would understand that 3D is not the only way. 3D is just a different way to make a game.

The Behemoth - Game #3 Trailer from The Behemoth on Vimeo.

In other news, Missouri is proving once again that news personalities do little to no research before writing a sensational news story about the dangers that face children from sharing personal information over the net.

Anime: I have your number.

2009-03-16T09:22:00.001-07:00

(9:17:11 AM) Jon Gardner: I got myself a mission, I'm going to find heaven
(9:17:28 AM) Jon Gardner: I made myself some paper wings, I think they'll carry me well
(9:17:47 AM) Nathan Kellams: hey good luck with that
(9:17:54 AM) Nathan Kellams: try a latter to heaven too
(9:18:02 AM) Jon Gardner: ooo
(9:18:07 AM) Jon Gardner: I just thought of a good story
(9:18:16 AM) Jon Gardner: NEO_HEAVEN
(9:18:27 AM) Jon Gardner: heaven in the future
(9:18:35 AM) Nathan Kellams: heh sounds like an anime
(9:18:39 AM) Jon Gardner: I know!
(9:18:57 AM) Jon Gardner: it would be about angels going to a prep-school in heaven
(9:19:09 AM) Jon Gardner: then the forces of digital hell begin to attack
(9:19:39 AM) Jon Gardner: and they must pilot the geizergigas to defeat them and save the souls in hell
(9:21:27 AM) Jon Gardner: !

gOLLYrOGERs and Wings if Glory 2

2009-03-13T16:07:00.001-07:00

I've been playing around with some editing and I wanted to share that. I've recently become enamored with abstract forms of editing as shown in these videos.

REadmission to DigiPen

2009-03-13T13:44:00.001-07:00

Recently I've been working on a short essay to get back in to DigiPen. It's almost done, but I'm affraid to go forward until I'm sure it's ready. I've given myself a deadline for the end of this month, so I'm working hard to ensure that I don't mess this up.

Here's what I have so far...

My name is Jonathan Gardner. I was placed on Academic Suspension last summer for my poor performance at DigiPen up to that point. This essay is being written as a proof that I am committed to returning to school for the coming fall and applying myself like I had not before. I am going to outline some things that are different about me now that I have spent a year away from school. It is my hope to provide evidence that I have grown and become more responsible with my life and that I can return to DigiPen as a hard working student.

In my time off from school I got a job at a Starbucks just down the road from my house in Federal Way and I've really been enjoying it. It is the best job I have ever had. I get to work with a really great team and the atmosphere is very comfortable with out all of the uppity elitism I was worried about from cafe' stereotypes. I had committed myself to working hard and making quality drinks for my community and it has been paying off. I have learned to manage my time more wisely and juggle tasks effectively. I've recently been awarded Barista of the Month, and at my recent 6 month review I was told that I have passed all expectations for work ethic and have shown uncanny resourcefulness for accomplishing all tasks.

Outside of work, I have been working on my artistic abilities as a whole. I've been studying artwork at local galleries and filling up sketchbooks with drawings from life. It's been really nice, but I feel like doing this work on my own lacks a form of direction still. I can do artistic research in books and study paintings in local galleries all I want, but there was still something missing. I recently caught up with Professor Becker and had a discussion with him on Art Deco, and he was a well of knowledge and what I learned from him in thirty minutes of conversation was more than I had gotten out of a month of studying on my own. I feel like DigiPen can give me that focus and guidance that I am looking for now. Hopefully this will lead me on to a smarter progression in art theory and application that can accelerate my private studies as well once I have graduated.

I'm really excited to see what I can do in the near future once I'm back at DigiPen in the fall. I'm hoping to prove to the to the Administration and myself that I can be an asset to my eduction and the institute as a whole. I am ready to take on this challenge and I only hope that I am allowed back in and given another chance to succeed.

I'm hoping this will do the trick. If you have any thoughts on this I would really like some input.

SONIC!

2008-05-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

2008-05-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

2008-04-15T23:42:00.001-07:00

Zee Germans...

2008-03-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

Original:

Better New Versions:

Conversations With Leon

2008-03-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

6:50 AM

Dad: So, what do you want to have for dinner?

Me: I don't know Dad, I just had breakfast.

Dad: It's called planning ahead.

Me: I have more important things to worry about than what I am having for dinner.

Dad: Whatever you say, Son.

Tobanic in Pictures

2008-03-10T22:40:00.001-07:00

bizarre

2008-03-05T21:05:00.001-08:00

2008-01-29T16:26:00.001-08:00

Lister, who was sleeping on my lap

2008-01-28T11:40:00.000-08:00

2008-01-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

2008-01-25T13:06:00.001-08:00

I just thought that I looked dashing and wanted to show you.

2008-01-23T19:50:00.001-08:00

But for some daft reason, my hot or not score is below 5.

A song I just wrote

2008-01-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

I Care

How would you feel if I didn't love you anymore?
Would you even care?
But I still do love you
And I always will

I know that you don't know how to feel
And I know that you want to talk to me
You love my personality
Maybe someday you will want the rest of me

I used to pass my time with cigarettes and thoughts of suicide
But there's no answers there
I would never leave you here
I need you, maybe you might need me too

I get so excited when you walk into my life
Baby, all I need is one chance
Then we'll know
and I'll hold you and never let you go

Evening over Redmond

2008-01-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

KILL-BOT!

2008-01-19T16:47:00.001-08:00

drawing in linux

2008-01-19T16:16:00.001-08:00

Hmm...

2008-01-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I am writing this post other than because I was thinking that it would be a good idea. My class schedule for this semester is as follows:

Monday - No class
Tuesday - 1-3:50
Wednesday - No class
Thursday - 9-11:50
Friday - 9:30-12:20 and 4-5:50

I guess I just figured that you knowing where to find this information would be good on some level. If only you were a physical part of my life. We could potentially spend so much time hanging out together. Just a couple of hooligans.

I drew this picture today a little bit ago. Hope you like it.

New Doodle

2008-01-11T18:05:00.001-08:00

Doodles!

2008-01-10T20:03:00.001-08:00

The Departed

2008-01-10T00:31:00.001-08:00

Today's Photos

2008-01-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

green hair?

2008-01-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

lookit me!

2008-01-06T12:02:00.001-08:00

I Think About...

2008-01-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

lookit what I did

2008-01-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

Before and After

2008-01-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

tattoo

2007-12-14T09:15:00.001-08:00

New Doodle of Me

2007-12-14T08:56:00.001-08:00

Hena

2007-12-14T08:52:00.001-08:00

First Kiss

2007-12-11T15:58:00.001-08:00

Meow

2007-12-11T15:38:00.001-08:00

Hey Emily...

2007-12-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

Emilys

2007-12-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

Lookin' Like A Scrub

2007-12-08T20:11:00.001-08:00

I was bored

2007-12-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

So I traced!

I Will...

2007-12-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

Daily Life

2007-12-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

School supa nice

2007-12-06T21:17:00.001-08:00

Bigger... and WEIRDER

2007-12-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

Pictures For My Honey Lady Lover Person

2007-12-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

Snow in Seattle

2007-12-02T15:51:00.001-08:00

For Emily

2007-11-30T09:58:00.001-08:00

you know...

2007-11-27T20:26:00.000-08:00

tadaa!

You know what....

2007-11-04T20:50:00.000-08:00

tattoo

2007-11-03T00:31:00.001-07:00

3 Pictures

2007-10-31T00:06:00.000-07:00

My Desktop 07

2007-02-05T14:11:00.001-08:00

The Republican Party Thinks I'm Republican

2006-09-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

How Obtuse.

My Desktop

2006-07-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Yay, Desktop!

BootCamp!

2006-04-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

Apple is my new hero. In most cases, with a major company, you don't expect ato get what you want. Especially when what you want is the ability to run WIndows on an Apple. However, Apple loves to please. Enter BootCamp.