What I Did On My Holidays
03-09-2010Just back from a week in Spain and man am I relaxed.
Now, for those that don't know, I am not what you would call a "sun holiday" kinda guy. This is due in a very large part to the fact that my skin is only one evolutionary step ahead of a vampire. Any sort of strong sunlight (as in anything during the summer months in Ireland, which is pretty weak sun to be honest) is likely to result in me getting sun burned. It's just that bad. Only a few weeks ago while having coffee with a mate in his back garden did I manage to get sunburn on my arms and face. That was only after two hours.
Ah the joys of being ginger.
So, when it comes to holidays, mine usually don't involve picking a hot place with a pool and staying put for seven days. But myself and the lady friend have been not only burning our own candles at both ends but bought a candle factor and set the whole thing on fire. That's how busy it has been. Between work, family, job hunting, family, comedy, family...you get the point.
When it came to booking a holiday it was agreed that we both needed one where you do nothing. So Spain was booked. An all inclusive deal (food and drink covered in the cost of the hotel for the week solid) that fit the bill rightly. One stop at Woodies DIY for some Dulux Outdoor Paint (that will keep you covered for up to five years) in lieu of super strong sun cream and off we went.
It was just what the doctor ordered. The hotel was really nice, aside from one factor and one incident that shall be discussed later. The pool was fantastic, they had parasols for providing shade. Overall we just relaxed by the pool side sipping cool drinks while reading and doing nothing at all according to a time table. Spending quality time with the lady friend is always a good thing, doing it when she is A) relaxed herself and B) not able to be contacted by work and you have a winning combination right there.
The incident that sort of sullied the trip? Well, as any traveller will know you don't go to a hotel and not ask about a safe. At check in I did just that, getting the lock and key for the safe in the room. The next morning as we headed to the pool phones and cameras got put in the safe. Either because I didn't hear, or forgot, or whatever, the lady's camera was left out by mistake. We came back later to the room to get cameras for some snap fun and upon opening the safe found no camera. Then it dawned on us that maybe I had never put it in in the first place.
The room had been cleaned already. Searched high and low, the camera was not to be found. We emptied out the safe and looked around inside it with a torch light.
The camera was gone.
While annoying, it wasn't a disaster. We still had my camera and there were no pictures on the stolen one. We reported it to the front desk, were made to feel like idiots because "Nobody would steal from the room so you must have lost it." and moved on.
A sign was posted on the stairs, asking if anybody found a camera and to hand it in. We thought no more about it. Until five days later when I was getting something out of the safe I found the camera, large as life, sitting in amongst our things.
Now, this was annoying. Both of us had searched the safe, the camera was not there. Yet here it was, five days later. Pictures that we had taken just before it disappeared were deleted. The lady friend then noticed that the sign about a missing camera had been taken down.
The obvious answer is that the hotel got the camera back from whomever took it and used a second key to place it in the safe, presumably hoping that we wouldn't ask any questions about its return. We decided to not tell them it was back (because they already knew that themselves) and just kept it with us at all times. Why the little spy game? I dunno, but at least the camera was returned.
The new experience for me on this holiday was the Brits. Those feckers that are always the loudest and most annoying of people in hotels. I've never gone on a sun holiday before that involved just lounging around the poolside, so I had never experience the "claiming" that goes on for seats at the best locations. I always thought it was just some sort of stereotyping joke, like the Irish being a bunch of drunks that always say "Top of the mornin'". Turns out it isn't.
The first morning there we got up late enough, as in just after nine, and nearly every foot of pool area had already been claimed. It was shocking. It is like they never really got it out of their genes to stop claiming land that isn't their's by right. Go on holiday, claim the best spots, appease that craving deep in your soul to be the best Brit you can be.
I figured I would get up earlier the next morning and see if I could join in the fun. That's right, in order to beat them I had to join them at their own game. I had to stoop to that level, it was disgraceful.
I got up at half eight and was amazed to see the place was packed already. But unlike the day before, these people were just marking their territory, since the pool chairs were all locked up. They waited for a solid half hour just to get set up.
The worst thing was the poor caretaker guy that came out to unlock the seats. There were roughly two hundred chairs for a hotel that had a lot less than two hundred guests. These were stacked up around the pool in about seven or eight piles. The man would come out, unlock one pile, then move on. But as he was unlocking one stack those Brits nearest him would crowd around him like zombies looking at a human for breakfast. As soon as the chain was unwrapped from the last leg they would all push forward, and the caretaker would have to push through the crowd just to get by. Manners it would seem is something that Brits just never will have.
But aside from lying hotel thieves and zombie Brits that continuously shouted "Pool Recliners" it was an amazing holiday with the lady friend.
Now onto this new job lark.
Blue_jester
Arty Farty (2)
24-08-2010Did some work on the comic images the other day, long overdue I might add. I had them scanned in and on the system for days but it was just a matter of getting time to work on them. You'll find changing jobs gives you a bit of free time to work on projects that have been gathering dust
.
The "inking" process didn't take as long as I figured it would. I had all the panels and parts done in roughly three hours. Although that is including a day's break in between working on the images. But still three hours isn't bad going.
Ever since I figured out how to use the pen tool correctly in Illustrator the "inking" of pencil images has gotten much faster. Plus I love the freedom the digital "inking" process gives me. Tiny adjustments, minor mistakes, all quickly fixed without the need for more "cleanup" on the computer afterwards. Not that I will stop inking images by hand with a good old felt tip, it's just I have more options open now.
I should have scanned pencil images in years ago. It is a much faster method of doing things.
Sadly I don't think I will have the comic finished before I go away on holidays. Did I forget to mention that I am going away to Spain for a week with the lady friend
. Sure my vampire nature skin might burst into flames from the sun, but that is part and parcel with going on holidays right?
I will try and get the colouring done at least before we jet off tomorrow (but no promises), leaving only the words to be added in. Sure I have all the words ready, they just need the speech bubbles around them. Half an hours work tops. The drawing has to be the hard part of making a comic.
I did some painting over the last few days as well.
Oddly enough it isn't finished yet
Believe it or not this isn't finished. Since I wanted to not risk ruining the image I pencil outlined my work onto the canvas. Sadly pencil doesn't rub off canvas all that easy so I need to go over the white of the canvas with white paint. Ah well. That's the problem with being so used to working on things on the computer, it sort of makes you forget that in the real world you can't just hit the "undo" button and fix up minor things with a click of the mouse.
This piece has been getting a lot of interest from folks though. One of the lady friend's friends even said that I should do a whole load of paintings in the same style. Not a bad idea, one I have been playing with in my head already. We shall see what happens. First things first, I need to finish/fix up this one.
Plus get the comic posted
.
Speaking of posted, I sent off my submission chapters to an agent in London yesterday. Now we play the waiting game. Most agencies seem to get back between four and twelve weeks, so it could be a long wait.
That's pretty much that, did I mention that I am away to Spain tomorrow
Blue_jester
End Of An Era
20-08-2010Today was my official last day in the job. As of now I can no longer go into the building, log into the systems, hell I don't even think I get the free parking any more. While I am still technically an employee that is only because I had holidays booked before handing in the notice. But as far as the job is concerned today was my last day.
I won't lie, I was a little nostalgic about leaving. I'd done a fourteen month stint as an intern in the job. When I left then it wasn't all that big a deal really. I knew it was short term, I would only be there for a set amount of time. Back then it was more or less just part of being in college. Sure I had made some friends that I kept in contact with over the years, but I never expected to be going back to the building.
Fast forward two years and just as my job then was ending I was hired back with Sun.
Over the last four-ish years I learned a hell of a lot. I had some good times, stressed out times. Made those friendships from my intern days all the stronger. Generally it wasn't the worst place to be. In fact I'd probably still be there if certain state-side higher ups took their finger out and paid out wage increases long over due.
But there is no point going over that again, since it is all in the past now.
It was sad to walk out the door one last time, realising that I won't be coming back in two days to the same faces. Those friendships that I formed there will have to continue in a slightly lessened form now. Such is life.
It is exciting in a way though as well. In two weeks I start the new job. A whole world of unknowns waiting for me. Plus if I ever want to remind myself of the folks from the old work place I can always just read the farewell card. Each of them left a message in it that is clearly their own, not just the usual "Goodbye" message. Even if one or two of them did suggest that I had a wedding in my future.
Of course The Jester will always be a kid at heart
Blue_jester
That Time Again
18-08-2010Since the book is more or less finished (bar all the work of sending the bastard out to agents) I find that my hobby time has freed up a little bit. I've been working on that comic a little bit each week. Nearly have all the scenes penciled and will be scanning them in soon enough to start the inking and colouring.
But with the book done and the rewrites finished I have all that writing time freed up. Not that the five hundred words a day was a real time consumer, but the rewrites were a bitch. Going over every single line and tweaking them was painful. So I got to thinking, rather than just dive straight into another book I should paint another painting.
The first two have long since dried, even though I would rather paint over the first one and give it another try. Still have to hang the second one up but sure that is a small job. But I have those three new, blank, canvases crying out to be used. Hell one has been sitting on the easel for the last two months just gathering dust.
Look at it, it's dying from lack of use.
A little thinking and I have come up with a new picture that I want. It will be two colours, maybe more if I change the design later. Basically I will be painting a black image and using the white of the canvas. The picture in question will be something like this.
No, it isn't a head dripping blood.
Yes, it looks like a head dripping blood. But that isn't what I will be painting. This is just a rough I was sketching last night. The idea is to have it look like paint is coming in from the top of the canvas and flowing down to the bottom, making a puddle. The woman's head will be the paint.
It usually happens that I come up with these ideas but can never explain them in words properly. So you will just have to bear with me and wait for the progress photos to be uploaded.
I've already started to sketch the image onto the canvas this morning, so I should have something to show fairly soon with paint on it.
A little book update as well. Submission chapters are printed, submission letter written, envelopes addressed. All I need is some stamps and then we play the waiting game. :)
Blue_jester