Carja

Red Rich (Blue Rich, Green Rich)

 Characters  No Responses »
Nov 022011
 

From the journal of Ardebast Raconteur:

I have not had the pleasure of meeting Red Rich yet. What follows is based on things I’ve heard from other furs who have met him.

Red Rich is a raccoon from Sixtus. He is a self-professed hero of the masses. Word on the street is that his true identity is Richmond Raccoon although Red Rich steadfastly denies these claims. “While Richmond Raccoon is most certainly handsome, he is not Red Rich. I am Red Rich!” Adding to the confusion is the fact that two other such heroes, Blue Rich and Green Rich, also run the streets of Sixtus “helping” others. Again, the word on the street is that Red, Blue and Green Rich are all the same fur, but all three deny these claims as well. “Do these threads look red to you?”

Although he is obviously delusional, he is certainly well-meaning. As such, the citizens of Sixtus tend to look the other way when Red Rich is on the scene. He causes more good than harm so they are willing to forgive his idiosyncrasies.

Known nicknames:

the Crimson Crusader (as Red Rich)
The Azure Aspect of Justice (as Blue Rich)
The Verdant Vine of Vigilance (as Green Rich)

Carja’s Notes:

Red Rich’s story was the most fun to write of the original Animus stories. He was the first character to be named in his own story. Coincidentally, he is the first Animus character I designed for the funnies and the first Animus character I drew using my Bamboo pad. For the record, I think he looks best as Blue Rich in the funnies, but I like the Red Rich name better.

Puss in Boots Review

 Carja's Corner  No Responses »
Oct 312011
 

So yesterday I was trying to think of a subject for today’s blog since I like to write it the day before. Nothing was coming to mind. I figured, ok, if I don’t think of anything, I’ll write about Puss in Boots. And then I didn’t think about it again until I went to bed. So here I am this morning, writing about the movie I saw yesterday afternoon.

 

About a month ago, my niece Kayla told me she missed going to the movies, so I told her the next time a family movie came out we’d go. That next family movie ended up being Puss in Boots. Now, I enjoyed the first Shrek movie. It was lots of fun. The second…not so much. I was so unimpressed that I didn’t even bother to see the third and fourth movies. The one thing I did like about Shrek 2 was the new character Puss in Boots. And here he is in his own movie that tells his origin.

 

I saw both movies in French (that’s what happens when you live in small-town Quebec), so I didn’t get to benefit from Antonio Banderas’ performance. I have no clue who voiced Puss in the dub, although I imagine it’s some well-known Quebec actor. He does a good job whoever he is. He manages to capture that suave latino persona. The rest of the cast, is competent but unremarkable. I think the guy who voiced Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels voices Humpty Dumpty…that guy’s in everything!

 

The action scenes are well choreographed. There’s a lot of over the top stuff as you would expect from an animated movie. But for a movie set in the Shrek universe, what you’re really hoping for is humor and heart. The movie has both. Puss and Humpty’s history provides the heart. They were as close as brothers until a series of incidents set them on different paths. Now they’re estranged and Humpty is trying to make amends. Most of the humor I felt was contained in the first half of the film when Puss is facing off with a new-found rival, the Cat in the Black Mask. In the second half, the movie is more concerned with moving the plot forward, which is fine, but the funny bits are fewer and farther between.

 

But what about the 3D? I admit, I hate 3D. I don’t feel like it adds enough value to a movie to charge us extra for. It’s a gimmick I hope will go away soon, sorry James Cameron. I think more people are starting to agree with me, as more movies are starting to make less money from their 3D showings. But that’s a debate for another time, the question is how was the 3D in Puss in Boots. It was…alright. To be honest, I didn’t even notice the 3D after a while, which is part of the reason I’m against 3D in the first place. If it’s not jaw-dropping awesome or integral to the story, then why bother? Oh right, to charge me extra to get in. Anyway, let’s say you had a choice between seeing the movie in 2D or in 3D (I did not). I would say save the extra money and go see the movie in 2D. You’re not missing ANYTHING.

 

I liked the movie, but more importantly, Kayla liked the movie. It is a movie geared towards a younger audience after all. I’d say the mission was accomplished. It was fun enough that none of the kids in the theatre seemed bored, and well-told enough that even the parents (and uncles) in the room could enjoy it. If I had to rate the movie, I’d say 3 and a half stars out of five.

Evolution of the Undertinker Picture

 Artwork  No Responses »
Oct 292011
 

I thought it might be fun to show how one of my pictures comes into being. Here’s some of the steps involved in drawing the Undertinker.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think to save the original sketch, so we’ll start with the black and white “ink”:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, I drew the background:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I pasted the black and white Undertinker on the background and coloured him:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that, I added some “lightning” effects

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, I added a rain filter. This was the most elaborate process. I accomplished it by following a how-to guide I found online. After adding it, I had the finished product:

 

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