I’ve noticed that the amount of time I usually take to create a given anime drawing is about 6 hours. To me, that seems like an incredibly long time. I think that I can do much better than that, but it seems to be something you have to deliberately practice on. So a couple weeks ago, I decided to see if I can do a piece just before going to bed, which gave me all of half an hour, I suppose.
One thing I’ve discovered is that by batching my activities, I end up taking less time to do it. One terrible habit I have is checking my email 10 times a day. This is highly counter-productive. Not only are you interrupting whatever it is you’re doing because of curiosity, you’re also using time to respond to emails and such and getting side tracked.
I’ve been trying to check email only once or twice a day now. Doing my first check at around 11am. It’s been tough. I’ve been suffering withdrawal and paranoia that something important is in my inbox. But I’ve read that deliberately not checking email first thing in the morning alone will change your life for the better. I’m a firm believer of that, so I must persist!
Another technique I learned is to compress time. Basically, give yourself a near impossible deadline time-crunch, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll can accomplish the same task in half to a quarter of the time. Sure, it may not look as good, but it will do just fine for most intents and purposes. I decided to experiment with that in the following youtube video:
[pro-player]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7QxHsqTNR4[/pro-player]
You’ll notice the real time tracker on the bottom left. 1.5hrs total. (took a bit of learning to set that up) The line quality is a bit hokey, but the idea comes across. Spend another 30 mins on extraneous details, and it would look polished and as good as the pros. All in all, the work would still be done in half my usual time. If I practice on my line work, I’ll be as good as I currently am, but doing it in half the time.
One of the reasons I’ve decided to do this is because the more drawings I do, the more practice I get. The more I practice, the better I get. Working at 6hrs a piece is too time consuming, doesn’t give me enough practice, is discouraging/overwhelming, and leaves me very little free time to do other things like blog or play video games.
In addition, I’m terrible at keeping track of time, as well as remembering what tasks I have to do. I actually have an alarm set on my iPhone for every little thing, from when to eat breakfast to when to exercise. It may seem extreme, but sometimes, I get so incredibly focused on the task at hand, that I simply don’t look at the clock.
What’s worse is that the alarms have become somewhat ineffective. As soon as it rings, I dismiss it, and carry on. Hours pass, and it’s suddenly too late to do the important things that sustain my life.
To combat this slightly, I created a schedule for myself. At the time of this writing, I should actually be playing video games, and already be done with blogging. I need a better system.
So moving on… yesterday was another great day. It was somewhat foggy in the morning, and sunshine in the afternoon. I decided that the last outing I did up the mountain didn’t capture what I wanted. I wanted to see some nice fog. I took yesterday’s cue, and went up again. This time the fruits of the trip were well worth it.
The scenery was serene, and quiet. I could see the city far off in the distance, shrouded by mist. On the other side, closer to the river, a lazy fog blanketed the horizon. I felt like I was above the clouds. I took some opportune bracketed shots for HDRI. Decided to do just one for now:
I’ve learned quite a bit about HDRI in the last couple of weeks, and while this image isn’t what I’d consider perfect, it’s a good first-attempt. You can see the terrible banding around the high-contrast edges. But this is a fairly close representation of what I saw that day.
Admittedly, I only had three exposures to work with. 5 would have been better, but I’m not sure how to set that on my Rebel XSI. Not even sure if it’s possible to do a 5-exposure bracketing. The damn thing locks for a few seconds on 2 shots. I guess it’s just not fast enough?
I kept saying “wow” the whole time. Not double-rainbow caliber of excitement, but it was indeed breathtaking. The second shot is from probably several hundred meters (I suck at measurements as well as time management) above, zoomed in.
My Gordon Ramsay toaster oven has proven to be rather… interesting.
It looks really nice, that’s for sure. But it’s been having problems. Before putting it to use, I washed the broil pan and tray with nothing but water, and let it dry naturally. When it was dry, I noticed that there were blotches of rust marks everywhere! I called customer service, but could only leave a message. I emailed them, and also no response.
Oh but the thing is damn sexy though. Just look at it light up! And this makes me believe that Gordon Ramsay is a hack. This toaster would reflect on who he really is – super sexy and glamorous on the outside, and just plain terrible on the inside.
The second issue I have with it is the timer sucks. It’s impossible to get an accurate toast reading because the range between Light and Burnt is about 4 degrees turn. And the thing doesn’t activate until you turn it past Burnt. Needless to say, my toast came out burnt.
If Gordon Ramsay really does use the stuff he endorses, then that may explain why he swears so much. Chances are looking pretty high that I’ll be returning this, unfortunately. I’ve been looking for a sexy toaster oven like this for a long time. 🙁
My copy of Atelier Rorona finally arrived. Ordered it directly from NISA because I’m l33t that way.
For good reason too, since it comes with a soundtrack CD, and a hardcover art book. I was later dismayed to discover that Gamestop also had an Atelier Rorona SE, but it came packaged in a beautiful sexy box. I almost went into nerd-rage. But it quickly subsided when I learned that the Gamestop SE didn’t contain the soundtrack. I’d take the soundtrack anyday over some flimsy box.
Can’t open it yet though – still gotta finish Valkyria Chronicles 2 (aka Gathering of Anime Tropes).
My Kureha arrived too!
She was bought from another collector named MagicAngel a tsuki-board member. I’ve wanted to get this one for a long time now. I’ve had the Max Factory one for a while now, but really liked the pose of the Kotobukiya version also.
She’s quite a bit smaller than the Max Factory version, but it should be expected, since that one is 1:7 scale. But hot damn, she’s nice. A lot nicer than I had expected. Of course, if you’ve seen my last post on my collection, you’ll notice that the “Shining” shelf has no room for her. Dammit, Tony! Why did you create so many beautiful characters?!
If you haven’t heard me bitch and complain about it before, here it is again – I’m out of room. I’ve got too many figures, and a large percentage of them are living in boxes. I got rid of a few during the summer, but there’s more. And there’s more coming! What will I do…?
Read more!
Read more!
Read more!
I’ll go play Valkyria Chronicles 2. That’s what I’ll do. Procrastination always works.
Sure does. :3
Stop buying figures. That’s what you should do. lol
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. 😛
I ain’t the one that’s running out of room and complaining about it. Yet…
yet is the keyword. You’re getting dangerously close though! Time to convince the hubby to put figures in the living room shelf!
Dang it I didn’t know about that Atelier Rorona SE, now it’s sold out. Trip to Gamestop it seems to be in order. Funny that you mention that tidbit about VC2, that troperific stuff is really killing my enjoyment of the game a bit.
The Gamestop version won’t have the soundtrack, but at least you still get the artbook, which is rather nice. 🙂
The soundtrack is really good though, but not complete. You might want to consider purchasing the soundtrack online, or get the mp3s.
I am actually enjoying the game, despite the tropes. While predictable, it’s till entertaining on a beer and chips level. The combat rocks though. Loved all the new changes.
Hot D@*n! (I wish not to curse if I can ;))
I can see you’re working hard on the whole optimization of speed :). Got me inspired to do the same actually! My question is how did you get the real-time clock over the video? I’ve been looking to how to do that for so long but haven’t figured out how :(.
Whenever I do art I now use this free online stopwatch ( http://www.online-stopwatch.com/ ) to make sure I don’t overdo said work and try to beat the clock. Stop watches are great for optimization make no mistake :)! It also will work as a countdown timer if you want, but beware the fact that it has a LOUD alarm on that setting haha :). I almost fell out of my seat the first time that thing went off–no music was playing at the time and I use headphones…you get the gist of it :).
Of course, if you’ve never thought about it, you might try to invest in a second monitor if your mac or PC supports it. It makes a whole world of difference! I used to use only 1 monitor, but now I use 2 and it’s amazing how much faster you get. Imagine having a full screen used for the program you’re working in and the other monitor dedicated to reference material, stopwatch, email, youtube, and/or msn (not all at once usually ;)) at the same time and you get an idea :). Not having to shuffle through windows to get to info or searches rocks–saves you a ton of time.
It does take some time to get used to though. it’s almost like the was it was when first starting with a tablet. Feels kinda awkward, but once you get used to it it’s the best thing you’ve ever used (Well, at least to me it was haha).
When you told me about that photo outside on MSN I knew I was in for a real treat :). I think I was under-estimating how much of a treat at the time though ;). Absolutely spectacular!
Unfortunately I don’t have the time just yet to read the full post, so I’ll definitely have to when time permits! I just saw the video on the Tube of You and figured I’d pass my support onto the blog as well! 😀
Take care buddy! XD
-Jason
Hey Udsahn! Thanks for the continued support! I actually really appreciate your encouragement. Believe it or not, your positive spirit does inspire me to keep going. 😀
The real-time clock requires some setup in Premiere. There’s an FX called “Timecode” that you can overlay on any element, and it runs the entire length of the sequence. So basically at frame 29, it will show 0:0:0:29 etc. The difficult problem I had was trying to scale it so that it would count at a high speed. Setting the speed of the element did nothing. It sped up the element, but the time code still counted the sequence’s frames.
I tried rendering it out, but a 8hr video clip of a timer takes too much space. I found that I could import the time code sequence into a new scene instead. I can then scale the sequence’s time, and the time code scales with it. Drop that into the bottom left, and I’ve got my time code that I can scale to whatever speed I want. At that point, it’s just doing some math to figure out what it should scale to.
I used to have two monitors in my previous job. Loved it. It’s SUPER useful. But well, don’t really have the money right now for a second monitor. Plus I don’t have enough space on my desk for it. ^^;
I think my posts are getting a little too long, talking about nothing really all that important. It takes a lot of time to write too. I’m going to streamline it. Shorter, sweeter posts from now on.
Cheers buddy!
I think I’ll have to try out that tip you gave. Thanks a lot for the useful info! 😀
I don’t think you need to worry too much about long posts (in my opinion) unless it really messes with your schedule :). I prefer lengthy to ‘too little butter spread on too much bread’ if you get the meaning ;). Not that others feel the same obviously haha. I was just limited on time yesterday :D.
I agree with what you said though, that the artwork looks rushed to some extent, but for starting a path like this it’d have to be expected :). It’s just like what one does traditionally in college from time to time though (ok, a lot of the time). Where you make life drawings going from 1 minute, to 5 minutes, to 10…ect. It may seem odd at first, but in the end it’s really beneficial.
Essentially, the fact that this one looks a bit more sketchy is a good thing. It means you’re actually having to modify the way you work to conform to the set limitations you gave yourself :). As a good friend of mine says, “You set limitations so that you have to use your own creativity to overcome them”. I’d bet that 4-9 drawings from now it’ll look a ton different and better as you adapt :).
All in all, keep it up! Until next time on MSN or here…Take care! 😀
-Jason
Yeah, it’s messing with my schedule. :\ And they are very very long (winded) now. Need to optimize! 😀
I think my next 1.5hr drawing should have cleaner lines. I’ll aim towards that, and try to finish in 1.5hrs or less to see what happens. While yes it does look a bit rushed, you can’t really tell when the image is small. 😛
You’re probably right. Just keep drawing and it will improve. Thanks dude! 😀
Great tips, like you I’m always struggling to finish everything I plan to. I get side tracked easily anf would spend a lot of time doing one thing before realising it’s too late and I need to sleep.
With figures, you can always have them on rotation. Make it so that you swap the figures when you clean them so it’s one step altogether.
I ALWAYS finish what I start. It just takes longer than necessary because of the distractions. Internet is distracting.
I’ve been rotating my figures for quite some time now, but I’ve started to run out of storage space now as well! 🙁
(check out my Collections posts to see my rotations!)
Maybe try disconnecting from the internet? Physically unplug yourself for whatever time you need to get the job done, or set a time for yourself for working on something. If you don’t need the internet for whatever task you’re working on then remove the temptation to jump on altogether.
If you need something, such as references or whatever, maybe try getting those before you unplug, make sure you have everything you need before you pour yourself into your work… 5 S your work! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_%28methodology%29)
I think that disconnecting from the internet is just a restriction method rather than one of true self control and willpower. It may provide a sort of ‘training wheels’ methodology for a while, but it’s definitely the ability to maintain self control that I’m after.
That 5S thing is pretty cool – though somewhat common sense. I like how they’re able to square it up into 5 words beginning with S. 😛
Man, those mountain shots are lovely. I’ve always loved mountains but haven’t had many chances to visit any. Florida is, unforunately, flat as a pancake. Even decent sized hills are an uncommon sight.
Speaking of nature, the weather down here has been perfect. Clear skies, temperature is not too hot or cold, nice breeze, etc. I went for a walk at a park today. But instead of mountains I got marshes and a lake. I did see some nice looking birds, including a woodpecker and possibly a bald eagle (only got a glimpse of it)
As for too many figures too little room, I feel your pain. I’ve got three shelves and they’re all loaded up. I’ve only got one figure left on pre-order, but there are several I’ve been wanting to buy (Chu Chu Astram, Luka from Ar Tonelico 2, Brook from One Piece and that Kureha you just got). Not sure where I’ll put ’em all.
Wow, thanks dude. Looking at these mountains in my backyard has left me taking them for granted. Your mentioning of Florida reminds me to appreciate my surroundings more. I have always wanted to live in Florida. The beaches and weather seem so nice.
It’s going to be a wet week next week for me. So I’m glad I went out to catch some sun.
I’ve reached that point too where I’m ordering more figures but no idea where to put them. What to do?! O_o;
I take Florida heavily for granted. I’ve lived here for about…seven or eight years now, and NOT ONCE have I gone to a beach. Florida also has several beautiful springs and rivers, but I’ve only visited a handful of them.
I plan on staying in Florida for at least another year or two, so I’ll take more opportunities to go explore what the state has to offer. As far as the weather goes…the heat can get pretty extreme. High heat, high humidity. It’s like a moist oven! But if you hate chilly Autumns and icy Winters, this is definitely the place to be.
It’s interesting how one doesn’t go explore the local attractions, eh? I haven’t really explored much of my area either. There are so many things that I don’t know about or really think about going to “bah, I can go there anytime!” and just never go.
Now that you’ve set a time limit for yourself, you’ll most definitely go check out the sights and sounds. 🙂
It’s a great day today too! I should go outside again. 🙂
Whoa there, what happened here? This place looks gorgeous! Ahem.
“If Gordon Ramsay really does use the stuff he endorses, then that may explain why he swears so much.”
Thanks, I needed that. Really, I would’ve gotten one of these just because Chef Ramsay has his name on it – the man brightens up the day, as long as I don’t ever have any actual interaction with him. Hell’s Kitchen drama is peerless. They really should’ve made the finish beep of the oven a recording of one of Ramsay’s signature cusses, that’d really improve the product’s staying power.
When it comes to toaster ovens though I’ve had a similar history. The one I have right now doesn’t turn on without pulling to the four minute mark either.
You cccoullld always send some to me =p… I definitely appreciate Shining Wind, but I’ve just about had enough of Kureha. Unappreciative Souma-dumper. And they just keep pumping her out! Houmei needs love too dammit, Houmei!
I do say, I’m loving the way you do those… gradient shades, for lack of a more suitable term from someone more knowledgeable.
I will now tap you over the head with a paper towel roll for the ‘girls like it fast’ part.
As for time managing advice… I think it’s obvious why I didn’t try to offer any.
lol
Welcome back, Ningyo! You’ve been gone a very long time, my friend. While you were gone, I had a hiatus, busy working, an emotional breakdown, a “rebirth” if you will, a big-ass contest, and now back to regular blogging with my art.
Hell’s Kitchen IS an awesome show! There’s definitely a guilty pleasure in watching these pour hapless souls be the victim of Ramsay’s abuse.
I have to say, that even though the toaster oven has some issues, working around them isn’t so hard, and the oven does perform exceptionally well. I found that I could dial back the toast after it starts, and it comes out VERY evenly toasted. The convection oven feature is also perfect for even baking. In the end, despite the minor flaws, this oven performs very well.
I think most toaster ovens require you to turn it past a certain extent before it turns on and the timer works. Just that the Ramsay toaster is so sensitive that I have little room to dial back.
Never watched the Shining series, and don’t really care to. Just like the figures. ^_^ And I thought I sent you a link of a couple of Houmei figures once?
I will now tap you over the head with a paper towel roll for the ‘girls like it fast’ part.
I couldn’t think of anything at the time! I swear! I’ll do better next time. I promise.
Your drawings never cease to amaze me, pal. 1.5hrs is already waaaay too fast compared to 6 hours.
I’m also curious w/ your current figure collections, post ’em up please. :3
thanks! I think that yeah, 1.5hrs was too fast. I can probably bump that up to 2.5 and have a better quality result. I’ll leave the 1.5 for deliberate quickies for self improvement. 🙂
Oh yeah! I’ve been procrastinating about that for SO long now! I think the collection has changed drastically, but not quite enough yet for me to post. I will though, that’s for sure!
I’m guilty of constantly checking my email too, but I actually have a good reason to right now. A position I applied for needs a government security check so they send me emails asking for more info every once in a while.
I like the drawing you made, I think you should make a mech or something too so we know what she’s piloting 🙂
I wish you the best of luck with getting the job! A government security check?! Sounds like a really important job! It’d better be high-ranking!
Heh, the girl is a pilot of ‘things’. She pilots things. 😛
Thanks, it’s actually a volunteer position, but apparently some secret stuff goes on in the building so not just anyone can get in.
I hope those ‘things’ are something cool.
Ah. It’s good that you’re doing volunteer work!
I remember a friend who worked in the airport, and there were also security checks. As I recall, it wasn’t an important job, but I guess you never know what you will stumble upon in there. :\
That’s a good idea with setting deadlines for yourself and basically planning the day out. I find myself wasting too much time on literally doing nothing. Checking email every 20 minutes, browsing random sites… etc. As I become busier, optimizing efficiency and time management become more important.
I’m still having trouble, but I know it takes time. Old habits are hard to break.
One thing that I learned was cool is to ask yourself periodically “Will this add to my satisfaction at the end of the day?” I’d like to phrase it that way rather than “Does this add to my accomplishments at the end of the day?” because otherwise all you’ll feel is unhappy if you spent the whole day playing video games.
I really enjoy watching your videos on drawing. ^^ And that Kureha fig sure is lovely.
I guess I should really find ways on how to maximize/optimize my time. I’m a procrastinator sometimes ^^;
Thanks Xine! 😀
I still procrastinate. Sometimes, the thing that is important to do is the thing that you put off doing the most. For various reasons; fear, overwhelm, etc.
I tried reading this post a couple of times at first but was blown away by those scenery shots!
Truely looks like a peaceful place, i wish we had such places here id be getting lost in the constantly haha
I think 6 hours is fast in my opinion for drawing LOL but i always tended to drift off and do other things as well XD;
lol!
Where do you live? I’m sure there’s stuff to see around your area too, right?
The 6hrs time is counted as solid hours, so if I take a break, I stop the timer. I’m sure if you did that, you may find that you can draw pretty fast. I’m assuming you’re faster than me. 😛
Tony Taka really did create way too many beautiful characters. I’m smitten with the character designs of so many women without knowing hardly anythin about them! Also I wat to but that Atelier game…but I’m SO SO behind in this series I can hadly stand it. I’d feel guilty buying it…but then if/when I catch up in the Atelier series I’ll feel bummed if I have to pay over MSRP from some seller on ebay or A,azon.
“One terrible habit I have is checking my email 10 times a day.”
I used to check it like every hour, I’ve calmed down on that. On the weekend I sometimes go the whole weekend without going through my e-mails.
Iknowrite?!
The good thing about Atelier games is that they’re all standalone. You don’t have to play any of the previous ones to play it. In fact, it’s mostly just a facelift on the graphics and a new story. Some mechanics changes here and there, but overall, it’s the same gameplay.
Woah nice job on curbing the email checking habit! I hope to get to that kind of level soon. 🙂
Since time management and me don’t go well, I can’t give advice regarding on optimising the times you have in your hands.
But given that you work at home and you make decisions on what you have to do most of the time, this is very different to most other people who have to go out to work, e.g. work in office or factories etc. where there is usually a fixed schedule of some kind. Having everything left in your own hands means you are quite flexible with your times, but time management would become even a bigger factor then, since you have to decide on your own schedule for pretty much everything there, and be initiative on what you have to do. Doesn’t sound easy at all.
(Oh gosh looks like I gotta go soon, oh well 2nd half will have to come later)
you know exactly what I’m talking about. 🙂
when you have too much freedom, it sometimes gets wasted unless you plan things out and stick diligently to it. It’s totally a double-edged sword!
Yep it’s a double-edged sword indeed! I know a German who is a freelance jouralist from a game mod community. Have tried contacting him but last night wasn’t the best night because there was a game mod release event so everybody was busy. But hearing from what he does between his times it must have been not easy to plan things out in the first place! (seek for press and write articles for them, make maps for mods, gaming, motorcycling, pub etc. Making a good balance sounds like something he practiced for quite some time!)
Other than initiative, sticking to your priorities and keeping strict to your schedules must be really big factors when you are working at home & independently. Stop doing one thing and move on to something else once time’s up, as continue drifting in one task may become less productive. Something I still need to learn to do efficiently myself.
ugh finding work is really tiring and stressful. You can waste an entire day looking for work, and come out with nothing. I hate that part.
I find that with the flexibility, it becomes a little difficult to stick to a schedule. Especially when “oh look, something that I need to do now has popped up.” I have to rearrange my schedule, or abandon it. Sometimes, you I get lazy too. “I don’t feel like doing work.” even though my schedule says I have to. It’s a battle of willpower and determination everyday! At least it keeps it interesting. :\
It is very hard to make a schedule and stick to it. Good luck with it. I will need to better organize my time soon, too.