Spring, Rain, etc.

Why are these posts turning into commentary on recent events of crazy precipitation? Then again, I guess the weather is something people use to start small talk with others. I guess I’m no different then.

Despite all the rain, I was never without power at any point at my house, and I say at my house since I was on my Spring Break that past week. A break which was, by the way, quite the uneventful/unproductive break. Very restful though, which is not such a terrible thing (at least to me).

The old stomping grounds on a beautiful spring day.

Thankfully, this past week has been absolutely *awesome* weather-wise. Meaning I’ve been taking the opportunity to get some walking time around campus to clear my head and take some more photos. I still have to take a closer look at them, but being able to walk around outside without a coat made it worth the little trip anyway.

And my thesis show is in just a little more than a month. I hope it hits me soon, otherwise I might be in trouble.

The logo for the show, designed by Irene Wu.

And finally, I finished the anime Soul Eater over the weekend. Honestly I was prepared for the worst after hearing how terrible the ending was from a couple of people. It wasn’t bad in a soul-crushing depressing kind of way, but rather in a painfully cliche and predictable kind of way. I’m not sure which is worse anymore…otherwise I really enjoyed it. Check it out because all the episodes are online for free!

souleaterepisodes.com

Till next time~

And In Other News, Snow!

Chances are pretty good that if you live somewhere in the United States, the one thing you are surrounded by right now is snow. And you’re either totally psyched about it or beyond sick of it. As for myself, I’m actually not sure which category I fall into… (as it is snowing outside while I’m typing this)

Either way, copious amounts of snow equals opportunities for playing in it outside like a little kid, and by playing in it I mean taking pictures in it, of course. Which I did.

The aftermath...and the pixels.

Hopefully I can upload some more shots to the works page after I go through them and convert the file types. Expect lots of…blue. And white. But mostly blue.

So on a sort-of-art-related-but-not-really kind of note, over the break I was able to finally track down a copy of a video game that I haven’t played for years. Having almost forgot how awesome it is, I started playing Shadow Hearts: Covenant at the beginning of the semester.

Artbooks! ❤

It’s not something I really incorporate in my artwork, but one of my big hobbies/borderline addictions is video games, particularly RPGs. Drawing and copying video game art was the main way I taught myself to draw growing up.  And I’ve always been fascinated with the worlds these games created and the stories they told. Art direction and story are two of the strongest aspects of Shadow Hearts (the script is probably one of the best I’ve experienced in a video game), and the characters are very well developed. It also helps that the gameplay is not too shabby either.

The absolute best characteristic of this game? It hardly ever takes itself seriously. It knows that its characters are out there, the scenarios are usually completely crazy, and any game that is dripping with sarcasm is a winner in my book. But when Shadow Hearts isn’t being humorous, it nails pretty much every other emotion it goes for. Like all good art should.

And yes, that means that this game did make me cry. I am not ashamed to admit it either!

…Stay tuned for more snow pictures! In the meantime, go look up some stuff about Shadow Hearts if you’re into console RPGs. Heck, look it up even if you don’t think you like RPGs. It might change your mind…

Shadow Hearts: Covenant official site

~Allison

The Real First Post

So yeah, I’m really bad at giving things titles. Yeah…

If for some strange reason you’re here and don’t know who I am, my name is Allison and I’m in my last semester at TCNJ as a digital arts major. This blog is supposed to be a collection of my thoughts and the stuff that is currently interesting me/eating up my life…so we’ll see how that goes!

Anyway, I got the chance to go to Florida over the winter break.  Now normally mention of Florida conjures up the images of the tourist trap that is Orlando and copious amounts of beaches, sunshine, etc. So why am I bothering to mention it? Because new area = new art museums to explore! Unfortunately I didn’t get to go to nearly as many as I wanted due to back spasms towards the end of the trip. (Seriously, for once I actually desperately wanted to go to museums of my own free will. O_O) But! The one I did get to go to was pretty awesome.

I don't know why I'm making that face.

I don’t really consider myself anywhere near being a hardcore Salvador Dali fan, but he’s just one of those guys you can’t go through any kind of art schooling without at least knowing a) who he is and b) the name of the painting below. But like they say (whoever “they” are…) when in St. Petersburg, do as the St. Petersburg-ians do.

One of the paintings they *didn't* have at the Dali Museum...

The museum itself is really only the size of a gallery, but the sheer variety and amount of work Dali produced over the course of his lifetime was pretty incredible. And apparently he designed some very fancy  jewelry and decorative eating utensils in addition to being a painter.

The trip was worth it for the experience of getting to see Dali’s original artwork. One thing I’ve learned here at college is that seeing an artist’s work live and in person beats reading about it in a book any day of the week. But even aside from that, the museum got me thinking about my own future as an “artist”. The work I’m doing now seems like it’s totally consuming and encompassing of my entire world. But years from now, it’s just going to be a small piece of a bigger picture that is (hopefully!) constantly changing and evolving as I do. Whether or not art is the way I make my living or simply express myself, that’s what I hope is the case.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Dali Museum, they have a website! Check it out, it’s pretty neat.

salvadordalimuseum.org

I’m pretty sure that’s all I got for now…till next time~

First Post/Under Construction

Just setting up a new blog for senior thesis/art purposes that I plan on customizing and keeping up with more than I have in the past…stay tuned!