Posts Tagged engineer

29 results.

How this comic almost didn’t get drawn.

by on May 1, 2015 at 6:00 am
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Thank goodness for forethought! Rather unfortunately, the machine I used to do the art for Elf Blood and all my other comics packed it in on Wednesday night – I strongly suspect that the curse of the original Sandy Bridge Cougar Point motherboards finally kicked in. Gambled and lost, I suppose!

Fortunately for everyone concerned, my laptop has gamely taken over artwork responsibilities (though I had to go out and buy a USB hub to make it workable). With this change, I actually got some benefits – Windows 8 is better than Windows 7 at accurately processing my tablet’s input for Lazy Nezumi, and I get even more accurate lines now! Plus, I’m now using Photoshop CC, which is a step above my five-year-old Photoshop package I was previously using. read more

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Time available – Zero

by on April 27, 2015 at 6:00 am
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Hullo everyone, sorry about this but I’m going to have to make today’s post yet another short one – I’ve been doing decorating work all day in the new house, and I’ve now got to pack for a work trip. If anyone has a lead on that hourglass thing that Hermione used in Harry Potter, please do get in touch, as I need about fifty extra hours in the week to get all the stuff I want done, done!

See you on Friday, when hopefully I’ll be able to write a longer, more interesting blog post. read more

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Zombie… Noises…

by on April 24, 2015 at 6:00 am
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Huuuuurgh I’m so tired tonight… It’s been one of those weeks – not constantly knackering, right enough, but capped off with an afternoon of face-to-face customer meetings. They actually went quite well, but damn if I don’t find them draining.

Well, fortunately I’ve got a decent weekend lined up! This evening it’s games night at a friend’s house – We might even be streaming, try checking us out on my pal’s Twitch from about 2100 BST! He’s totally worth checking out during UK evenings anyway, he can often be found playing Crusader Kings or TF2. Have a look-see! read more

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Summer is Ecumin

by on April 20, 2015 at 6:00 am
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Hullo everyone! I hope the weather’s been as kind to you as it has been to us over the last couple of days. It’s really nice to see the sun shining, and the grass get its colour back, and the trees sprouting their leaves… Everywhere, flowers are blooming and scent is in the air, the delicious smell of distant barbecues waft in on the gentle breeze. I really do prefer spring and summer to autumn and winter, the palette is so much more vibrant.

Anyway, enough of my waxing lyrical about the weather, I’ve got a short story to finish and another comic page to do! Catch you all on Friday! read more

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Politics – Blehhh

by on April 10, 2015 at 6:00 am
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Well, it’s been an eventful run-up to the 2015 General Election here in the UK so far. The smears and negativity are flying around thick and fast, within the political parties, the media, and the general public. It’s turned into one massively horribly managed PR exercise, with most parties seemingly having deployed the most childish, least experienced comms teams they could get their grubby hands on.

Seriously, what the hell has happened to politics? Now, I’m going to confess my bias immediately – you all knew that I campaigned for the Yes side in the referendum, and my affiliation lies with the SNP. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t respect the leaders of the other parties, or their representatives. read more

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Growing up, bit by bit… Nahhh.

by on April 3, 2015 at 6:00 am
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So, today I became a homeowner! It’s a pretty awesome feeling, stepping into that empty building, seeing all the potential. I’m really looking forward to filling it up with new furniture, and the stuff that’s been sitting in my parents’ garage since I moved back from Manchester. I’m also really looking forward to digging out old comics that I’ve not seen in four years, also sitting in boxes in the garage!

I’m incredibly lucky. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in jobs that have allowed me to save up a decent amount of money, and I have the most wonderful, supportive family, that all add up to me being able to afford this place, which is pretty damn nice for a first home. I hope that, one day, everyone will be able to afford a place of their own, without having to have the substantial advantages that I have. I want to achieve that through charitable donation, and to increasing my involvement in socialist politics. read more

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500 Pages!

by on March 27, 2015 at 6:00 am
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Blimey, this is the 500th page I’ve drawn for Elf Blood! Quite an achievement, by any stretch of the imagination, I’d say! And I’d definitely say that I’ve improved! Seriously, go back to those first few pages. Heck, go back a year, two years ago! My artwork is definitely much tighter, more detailed, and much more consistent! I’m thrilled that I’ve gotten this far – I must admit, there have been a few times when I seriously considered abandoning the comic. read more

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What I got up to last week (NSFW)

by on March 23, 2015 at 6:00 am
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One thing that I’ve never actually done before is practice life drawing. Of course, I’ve sketched models from photographs, particularly when I was learning more about musculature, but I’ve never actually sat down in front of a life model and drawn them.

During last week’s business trip (which I’m still recovering from, I suspect, thanks to a cold contracted either while there or on the way back) I met up with a good pal o’ mine, and wandered along to a life-drawing class with him. It was a pretty interesting experience, and was actually pretty challenging for me. I’ve never reallyworked with a subject that changed over time – aside from a couple of sketches done while waiting for friends in cafés, all I’ve ever drawn or painted has been done from photographs, landscapes, or still-life. This was completely new to me, but I think the results turned out quite well! What do you think? read more

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The Little Things

by on March 6, 2015 at 6:00 am
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So, today I got a little award from work, a token of recognition for the things that I’ve done since starting this new job. It’s amazing how much a gesture like this is, and how little the material reward actually matters – it was the letter detailing the reasons for my award that really bucked me up and gave me that good feeling, the recognition itself that was the ultimate reward.

Recognition is important, whether it’s in the workplace or outside, and I don’t feel people get or give it as much as they should. Most people, if they’re happy and satisfied with a service or a product, will simply move on without saying so much as a thank you. They will only say something when they are disappointed, to complain. read more

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The New 3DS – First Impressions

by on February 16, 2015 at 6:00 am
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Well, after what was an incredibly tough week, I was incredibly glad when the 13th rolled round, for this was the European release date for the New 3DS. I’d pre-ordered my New 3DSXL with a copy of Monster Hunter 4 (which I will wax lyrical on later on in the week, no doubt).

What’s different about the new 3DS? Well, the immediately noticeable difference is that it integrates into the base device the extra controls that previously the Circle Pad Pro attachment had added. It actually looks pretty decent, for having more buttons than an A380’s cockpit, although many might be curious about the implementation of the second analogue stick – In order to minimise the real-estate taken up, the right-hand analogue stick is actually a little pressure nub – It doesn’t slide or move anywhere really, it just measures how hard you’re pushing it in any given direction. It looks a bit weird, it takes a while to figure out really, and I don’t know how it’ll hold up over long-term use. But it does work, and surprisingly well! read more

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