tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54712134648140512282024-03-05T01:55:33.680-08:00Big and PaulA blog that fits allbigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-47327434646255348802009-05-18T20:00:00.000-07:002009-05-18T20:35:26.616-07:00Progressively shorter...Even though I haven't traveled anywhere in the last few weeks, I've still been pretty busy around Okayama. Our friend Tom got back from his pilgrimage on Shikoku and only had two days left in Okayama before he went to a few other cities and then back to England, so I had some good times kicking it with him and a few other people. One day we went on the Kibi bike trail, a great little path through the countryside with temples, shrines, and a 5 story pagoda where we picnicked with real bread, 3 cheeses, olives, apples, strawberries, chocolate, wine, and champagne. It was pretty fantastic sitting in the shade of the pagoda, but it was made even better by the huge fields of purple seasonal flowers in bloom. On his final day in town, we had drinks and jumped off the bridge by the castle into the river, a proper farewell in my book.<br /><br />Other than that I've just been doing a lot of drawing, reading, studying Spanish, and planning for the whole European adventure coming up in a month and a half. Hopefully I can get a hold of my friend in Vienna, because I want to hang out there for a few days, then go to Prague for another couple days or a week, then to Frankfurt for a day or two, and then to Madrid where I can catch a train to Leon. I'm trying to save money for this whole deal, and I can't believe how difficult it is. My spending habits have become something I couldn't even conceive of a few years ago. I can do it though, even though I still have one big trip left here in Japan. I'm going to go to Takayama, a small and really old city in the North and then to Fuji and Tokyo. I'm quitting in a month and a half, but I still get a 2 week paid vacation in June. I count the days.<br /><br />Here are some drawings I've been doing, I haven't posted any on this blog for a while. Cheers.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3530456663/" title="powerVests_3 by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3549/3530456663_6010a4756d.jpg" width="375" height="266" alt="powerVests_3" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3473053775/" title="mainGuy_color by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3335/3473053775_8efe8b49ea.jpg" width="375" height="288" alt="mainGuy_color" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3542722585/" title="sedated by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/3542722585_a146be5fcc.jpg" width="284" height="500" alt="sedated" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3473862146/" title="cityScape by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/3473862146_aeda56f1c4.jpg" width="375" height="270" alt="cityScape" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3486850098/" title="creeps by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3362/3486850098_66b71eefeb.jpg" width="370" height="500" alt="creeps" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3493956923/" title="creepFlower by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3493956923_0151ddcd83.jpg" width="282" height="500" alt="creepFlower" /></a><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-47885925068182851392009-04-23T22:05:00.000-07:002009-04-24T01:46:28.891-07:00Hrmmm...Well even though I've had an amazing month traveling, I haven't been updating at all except for status updates on facebook. Sad eh? However, this last day trip me and Joe took is definitely worth writing about. And what makes this trip better than hanami in Kyoto? Monkeys! <br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3470407778/" title="IMG_3604 by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3492/3470407778_3c3b1d3ed1.jpg" width="250" height="375" alt="IMG_3604" /></a><br /></div><br /><br />On the way up to the park, monkeys were sprawled out in the road, and it was surprising to see the driver not slow down one bit or even move to the other side of the road. I definitely thought we'd witness some kind of horrible thing, but the monkeys just casually got up and slowly walked to the side of the road, following the car with their heads before returning to their positions. Once we got in the park, we were greeted by a little monkey and Joe put his hand down to say hello. Rather than being a gentleman and taking Joe's hand, the thing stole his ticket, ran away, and started eating it. I was ecstatic.<br /><br />The next stop was at a feeding cage thing where we saw the monkeys going crazy for food. There was a man and his son inside a mesh cage, feeding screaming monkeys ripping each other off the fence to get their share. There were about 20 monkeys here and it was pretty impressive to see them all running around, screaming, and cleaning each other. There were two old men working here, and they kept the monkeys at bay with bamboo prodders and brooms. To get the monkeys' attention, they made a strange loud cooing sound, which we soon found to have much for power than we originally thought.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3470392586/" title="IMG_3578 by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3629/3470392586_796a67424c.jpg" width="375" height="250" alt="IMG_3578" /></a><br /></div><br /><br />There were a few caged monkeys, including a baboon, and about 30 peacocks, but the best part of this whole adventure came at the end. We took our turn feeding a large group of monkeys further up the park, and were on our way down when we heard the same cooing sound from before. The old men were yelling as loud as they could this time, and we soon started seeing monkeys come out of the forest. At first just a few heads popped up over the brush, then more and more started to appear from the trees and by land. They just kept coming, and soon there were at least a couple hundred monkeys around us. I wish I had taken pictures of this chaos, but I really had no clue what was going on and was frozen in place. <br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3470398984/" title="IMG_3589 by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/3470398984_21e3d09dd0.jpg" width="375" height="250" alt="IMG_3589" /></a><br /></div><br /><br />There came a final coo sound, and all the monkeys started running across the street we were on towards one of the buildings. The first few that got there were led down to another area, and once all the monkeys were out of the forest, we followed the migration to check out what was going on. It was feeding time, and while the monkeys went crazy when we fed them, watching hundreds of monkeys fight in a big cluster for food was absolutely insane. Mothers carrying children were getting chased away or thrown, small babies bitten by bigger monkeys, and there was even a multi-colored mangy looking punk monkey that nobody messed with. To describe this in words, or even pictures, is pretty difficult. It was one of the most amazing, craziest, things I've ever seen, and even though the taxi to get to the park was expensive, it was well worth it.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3469593695/" title="IMG_3601 by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3660/3469593695_922b1feeea.jpg" width="375" height="250" alt="IMG_3601" /></a><br /></div><br /><br />After the feeding, I thought I'd try and communicate with the monkeys on a simple level. At first I tried offering one a sip from the cap of my water bottle, showing him that it was ok by taking a capful myself. When I put the cap out for him to take, he looked at me for a while and then made a strange grimacing smile type thing that was frightening. I tried a few more times with other monkeys, trying to give them rocks that they were collecting among other things, but nobody took to me. Maybe next time.<br /><br />We also went to the beach and ate a lot of free samples of bread with olive oil made from olives grown on the island, so overall, the trip was pretty great even though we had a few mishaps with buses. I've got some drawings to post too, but they'll have to wait till next month when I get more space on Flickr. Maybe I'll finally get some of them Kyoto pictures up to, we'll see what the month brings.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37411778@N04/3469567709/" title="IMG_3536 by pfunkifize, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3565/3469567709_3dc54df7c9.jpg" width="250" height="375" alt="IMG_3536" /></a><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-76977486159196657832009-03-25T05:54:00.000-07:002009-03-25T10:49:51.575-07:00Waterfalls and motorized battlesAnother objective has been met: eating Kobe beef in Kobe. And holy crap, was it good. It's kinda funny that everybody here says Kobe beef is too fatty and that its not good, but while the meat is marbled with fat, its that good kind that adds a lot of flavor and just melts in your mouth. Our 10 oz. steak was on top of a heaping mound of garlic and topped with herb butter and onions. The final step before serving was lighting the whole thing on fire and waving the plate around on a little wooden board to put out the flames. Unbelievable.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/?action=view¤t=IMG_3235.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/th_IMG_3235.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a><br /><br />As for the city, Kobe itself has a great feeling to it. When I got there by myself, I hiked up a small mountain lined with waterfalls to the Nunobiki Herb Garden that had great views over Kobe and the harbor. I hadn't eaten anything all day, and it was a pleasant surprise to find black pepper cheese, rosemary olive oil crackers, and assorted dried fruits in the gift shop. The perfect little assortment for watching the sun go down.<br /><br /><a href="http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/?action=view¤t=IMG_3261.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/th_IMG_3261.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a><br /><br />Once Joe got to Kobe we set off to eat, in search of Kobe beef but ending up finding a place just as good. We got another beef, Kagodashi, that we got to cook on a small stone heated by a little torch. This stuff was amazing, and they gave us salt and pepper, soy and wasabi, and ponzu with green onions to season each piece exactly how we wanted it. This place also had some great sashimi from a fish I've never eaten before, bonito. After our first plate of sashimi, I wanted another one but after seeing that we definitely payed for a high quality fish, we had to restrain ourselves and settle for a few more beers instead.<br /><br />After that we were feeling pretty great, so we went to a jazz bar to sip on some whisky and enjoy a little live music. A great little trio played, and after a while a woman came up and started singing. Everything was really nice, and by now our pre-conceived "easy night" was turning into another one of them crazy nights. We headed out and started looking for a bar to hang out in, since Kobe doesn't seem to have many places to really get down, and chose a small bar randomly off the street. This place was really really small and there were 3 other younger people in there and a dart board. Our next decision seems obvious, we played some darts and then challenged the other people to a match. Let me note that neither me or Joe really played darts before. That said, these people were pros. They had some crazy style and each shot was right around the bullseye. They were good, but for some reason we were even better. We beat em 4 out of 6 games, and one of the guys kept telling us to go home. It was awesome, and I beat a girl wearing a skull necklace and black wristbands in a 1 vs 1 match.<br /><br />We ended our night at another small bar with a foosball table with missing pieces. We got our first beer, and after a few minutes we were given tequila shots on the house. Confused but grateful, we started talking with the server and soon challenged him and his coworker to some foosball games. After a few more beers and two more free tequila shots, it was time to get to bed.<br /><br /><a href="http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/?action=view¤t=IMG_3297.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/th_IMG_3297.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a><br /><br />We did a lot the next day, but I want to focus on our little adventure in Harborland, a small shopping / amusement park area right on the water. Besides eating Kobe beef, we chose Kobe because we saw these crazy motorized animals in a few people's pictures and really wanted to ride them. When we first found them we didn't have any change, and got a bit pissed when we came back to see other people riding them. It worked out perfect though, because after a failed attempt at landing a large sausage from a claw machine, the giraffe and baby panda were facing each other on opposite sides of the little square designated for the animals. I chose the cross-eyed giraffe, and after a short countdown, our duel began. We were acting pretty stupid, waving our fists at each other and unleashing long strings of insults and it drew a small crowd. When we finally made contact, my giraffe stopped almost completely and a guy was out to fix it in about 5 seconds. While he was trying to untangle our animal mess, I continued to give Joe all I had, chasing him down and once his panda ran out of juice, I did a victory lap around his sorry excuse of an animal. We were applauded.<br /><br /><a href="http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/?action=view¤t=IMG_3310.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/th_IMG_3310.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a><br /><br />This post is already longer than I intended, so I'll end the stories here. Really though, Kobe was awesome with great food and some cool places to hang out in at night. Really really soon the cherry blossom season will start, and I'll be off to Kyoto to see them how they're supposed to be viewed. Looks like the last week of the pay period is going to be rough again.<br /><br /><a href="http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/Sketchbook/?action=view¤t=blindContourPage.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/Sketchbook/th_blindContourPage.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/Sketchbook/?action=view¤t=mrDonut.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/Sketchbook/th_mrDonut.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/Sketchbook/?action=view¤t=blindContourPage2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/pfunkifized/Kobe/Sketchbook/th_blindContourPage2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-25744895383511745232009-03-22T08:23:00.000-07:002009-03-25T10:40:23.565-07:00The short-armed champ and a few others...More drawings, I'm too tired to write about Kobe right now so this'll have to do.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2rVSF8nqJDKZUhTRAQauKQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWsxr51AIVXtOjsqhXfmtx1GDr5zjQYzBW8CcTktt6YaKQ7DMz0b9M09JLq8CLx588Py6ivXDJF1lLI_qlvwrQX2WkiI31vI8Mi0oCV_2eqY5VAs-zf_ZAPDFHUDaSGMt2Cez2j84Iepp/s400/stampBuilding.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oraYSOu0vAgFZn9P0luAVg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqL9Ic7lTdoLYEWspsFU15JTO5SE9-0UB_gdOP569VPevF5quDIdmgOS5CasSofUlQJKJ7d_o0TsheQ4pGhNN6CIxUZG-BbhBLAmcJWZFq9ijo-tkKu_7HrNdrji-MX2BKrJGQLkJn9782/s400/sis2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-4rMxWqxpXbYTW86rKkOcA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkvjOlllmuXEhb1fUuQ3WIEs1imC9txpwx5cu0IDmpdj4Tg2eQjttGuFE4vm8b7_YCfdmfClKX2TPFrMxPs70Yjcqfu3hvaopX3Zt2BRHiej9-dpJdlJyhejNDCu9bYYzC06Fo2ypQ54w/s400/shortArmedChamp.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-48634347354044871212009-03-16T10:24:00.000-07:002009-03-16T10:31:23.284-07:00Some buildings and a quick line drawing of Jake P. I usually draw bums but Jake's so much more interesting. Check it.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/A-42X07Korvtr8ZPjz1tdg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/Sb6LJ52WVvI/AAAAAAAAAw0/T23ah9p5ZcI/s400/inkBuildings.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bH0RCrLTnKOFzRxJjFxGWQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisq7_cvi_scKfjIx1TN0uif9E8IdhhynqC8T4EzMQD-kkBi-hs7nTtegIX5xbVXffWPFDd0_A2UICVMZIPzxX0TB6f7gxlaAcT30dk94SVWnYi3bn1fzBWMOA4WI5bCZb0AxOo0SK2P7JG/s400/jakePLine.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-86525315642046811642009-03-12T11:20:00.000-07:002009-03-12T11:37:11.442-07:00A Small One, I promise...So there's a lot of things to write about, but since I always write way too much and nobody wants to read it all, I'll just write about today and see how I feel. The weather for once wasn't cloudy and rainy on my days off, and me and Joe decided to spend it outside in the sun. We had kind of a late start since we both ended up staying up till 4 or so, but we headed into Okayama armed with sketchbook and guitar. We thought we could complete the whole artsy traveling show with a bottle of bubbly, so we stopped into Jupiter, found the cheapest bottle we could find, and went to the castle to sit by the river. <br /><br />Joe's really good at guitar, and it's always fun to listen to him play. It makes it even better when he takes requests like Rockin' in the Free World and sings all out for them. Haha, sorry Joe, I had to mention it somewhere. It's also interesting because he's a blues and folk guitar player, which is practically unheard of here, so its fun to observe peoples reactions to the music.<br /><br />While he played I drew him again and this one turned out pretty good I think. My proportions are still all wonky sometimes but I'm getting better at making decisions and being confident in them without needing to erase. <br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wzKbKciNtNNeIJ6lJUyHqg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEins94puCoEviibZHT0IoZm_lAv6TNKDRtYnTw25aNf9MTRBu229X4bakuwdjTyXXw64_Ni3zo0jZWKJ0gDYXAkjh4I8NW-vNfxa8BOtbpsteGUuod1WSQJ4s7RmFL1fj_n6JnvYh7OYDv3/s400/joeCool.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br /><br />I've been drawing more and more lately, for my own enjoyment, but also because I got offered to show my work in a little coffee shop here in May. The woman who runs it doesn't speak any English, but we communicated well enough to come to some sort of understanding. On top of that, me and Joe might start playing guitar at the station and I'll try and sell my drawings. We'll see how it goes, but it'd be fun to play some real music instead of the J-Pop crap that comes out of that place. And of course, a little extra money is never harmful, especially when I seem to always run out of it a week before I get paid.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DzPPDSOguQ7IhNZn6r2skQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SblSiRxCK8I/AAAAAAAAAv8/D_ybN9EKQsA/s400/homelessInk.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/usPhAyuGIv-YBRT7VHBhQg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTvT2xc3RBh1FLH9Vypvt4FHm-jdqg89HJaKpbhO4Q7Cy4gwA9Z3L_cfBEZ2Or4_khQzH8dbC_A_YtQm7SiRTsHhfR6MkOxZIxxJgv78WuYz7Fa8PEXfNfAdBaDFDxf6LIIfe0ppCyQPF/s400/someBuilding.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FFyhNt3LA6lL6uG4TxyrOg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SblSidIpGaI/AAAAAAAAAwE/wOFW51NLIe0/s400/homelessInk2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-86617148251060772262009-02-28T06:22:00.000-08:002009-02-28T07:09:51.803-08:00A little dancing on the beach and beer...Well as the title says, I danced on the beach and had a few beers this last weekend. Nobody was with me, it was just one of those things that happens.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/trYdhqBwa4g1RMv228nT3w?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDNuguO9BMn_jLhKFjnlOfiCuhJ9pJlKRUt9e0bocN3bcFPrPnRmgDRsMN3ShCR5PCw6RRqL9_PmxHSk56Qxcto0V_pNmrklPJQ5u4Pk-ZPnRj6rj68asOmvXYxN27klTv3VGa2r6Dfz0/s288/IMG_3183.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/ShodoShima?feat=embedwebsite">Shodo Shima</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br />I went to Shodo-Shima, an island an hour's ferry ride away from Shin Okayama, just to get away from Okayama and to be by the sea again. I learned later that the island has a monkey zoo where local monkeys roam free and fight for food. By the time I got there though, I would have had to rush everything and I figured I could just go the next day. I also found a place to rent scooters, and the next day became more and more promising. My plans were to drive around the coast on the scooter, then head up the mountain to the monkeys and call it a day. Sounds pretty great eh? But when I woke to a rainy day once more, my plans changed to drinking a lot of coffee and drawing by the beach. Maybe not as exciting, but it was still nice and the woman at the coffee house gave me an orange.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OXQ-Oa-9P_NRS6Lcgy9uxA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SalJbS_LHHI/AAAAAAAAAt8/0LgtxRzpDLE/s288/IMG_3172.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/ShodoShima?feat=embedwebsite">Shodo Shima</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br />At night, I ate some strange Italian concoction at a restaurant with weird music box music playing. This kind of music, instrumental covers of famous songs, is all over the place. My favorite restaurant has one CD on loop, with a pretty great version of Ticket to Ride on it.<br /><br />Anyway, I got beer and was settling down for a night of drawing and listening to music. The water nagged at me though, so I left my room after a drawing and headed to the beach to sit for a while. It got kind of cold, and as the drinking continued, the music started to sound better and better. And then it just happened. I got up and danced for about 45 minutes to a bunch of funky soul music and then went back to do one more drawing before bed.<br /><br />So here are a the drawings I did over the last couple of days. I really like how the sketch of the buildings came out, they're by the castle here.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1XCONArD7imCRZ1jdqk_qQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGPNIEYnd_1CciLAOu1AiDo27KFfRqdk8cSSnin55sHd5xrNnC4L1lQW_XCgYWy47VuiIRBaSqnNldxqRP8B6TaLxfg98ChfVmlUDoz_BC_lD2WgyQ4rG79XJ8Dr3vpWjZvn8mfucMeSY/s288/gardenBuildings.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/w6IEzB0hLzWiO7coOEy--Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3V89-qg1H18T54UdDlveWQXv00CbExYBkJbLq2-Ghz5MvMiYbF9gXpiXbHLGxRY0P5Jd8ajjspKV9kJDlTZ7lb0HxtngoTW9JZl8lhreWUgnuVs0EdLAuQOVYMmx1lz9ZaudbSAWUyQhf/s400/badJoe.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dUz7RnQ-gv0vG2j8QGGX1A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7szI9HGq91QTL5VT-n1tSIIRVyq-0bl7QVvu6B_0KuJsQbIXICtlXDXuLnWlTby4s7OUYXkkI3gU6XyTuMGAS01mKtGD1JOv-gTHK652f-ewqH7lR5U4HqZ-qeH0svDtyTYPyBmYF3rSk/s400/inkPage08.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-27253040764622648062009-02-23T10:52:00.000-08:002009-02-23T10:55:10.470-08:00Some mo doodles...<div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/I3BGjorJjPYVjOKjDBvBNg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmM9u_W_Pu74N-gkIWgEYS90sR6Wp88gtGQJE0NA8sspy0ox39YPjS6V_Dv6KePtFvrYMT3XnXGz73JXWyPebpJ6GTAL11dZxsWCyk-y6qPpidVugcphWGHMc3CCDW401JS6huRIaTqnc4/s400/inkPage_05.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/e8_Qd9u9mdgHLdvHgAUjlQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zTFo8CR9mMA-rqW3IazFT1x1u2Yhggu8Mz3MrkdWl_31ISXa5Mgw59InCbFU1F6TIV8qbOreq0nEjw-3bglEElI-pfRyokum11Q_OFV9hSqG_dpDWpZU7RTJnGm_9vFgvqGxAsa0QFvS/s400/inkTrain.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OwVLlytPHzN5fZ7C6FCZQw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SaLwRFuAQQI/AAAAAAAAAsc/lHlh09b-ydo/s400/inkDad.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-18868032538399804232009-02-23T06:42:00.001-08:002009-02-23T08:01:27.496-08:00A Rainy Day in Takamatsu...Last week we went on a day trip to Takamatsu, the capital city of Shikoku, an island south of us on the Inland Sea. I hadn't really been outside Okayama since Osaka, and it felt great to be on the train heading somewhere new again. What made it even better was that the track was about 200 feet above the inland sea. It was really cool and a pretty amazing engineering feat. There were huge pillars that went right into the water holding up a massive track for two trains to run at once. So the hour train ride was interesting the whole way, and when we got off everything just felt good. Takamatsu is right on the coast, and one of the main reasons we were going there was to hang out for a bit by the water and have a few beers. Before we did that, there was a garden that we heard was pretty great, and after walking around in there for an hour or two, I'd say it was one of the most impressive things I've seen so far.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KdiNBu4FGWqy19eLi4MVCg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SaK9UDohjKI/AAAAAAAAAqg/NvVvI3TsTEo/s288/IMG_3103.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Takamatsu?feat=embedwebsite">Takamatsu</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br /><br />From the beginning, the garden was amazing. There were these really old trees that had bark that looked like a tortoise shell and branches that bent in all sorts of crazy ways. You can see tree limbs held up by crutches all over Japan, but I've never seen trees so contorted anywhere before. It looked like all of them had a terrible birth defect, but at the same time it was a really beautiful thing. After a path lined with these trees, we followed a path up a mound which was labelled as Little Fuji. What we saw at the top was something distinctly Japanese, something I can't say about most of the country, with no influence from Western Culture at all. The landscape looked just like a woodblock print or a screen painting, and it was what I always imagined when I thought of Japan. Trees were trimmed perfectly, and the patterns formed by everything seemed to have a very natural flow. I never really understood what all the hype about Japanese gardens was about, but after that view, everything changed.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1gi4ExRgMnFH79ke0c8smQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLS6v8_c9KSI4p43cgSNedJx-myJlF6XgbQOGijynFxjJJllbnZk1JMGsj4S8b15hgK5lqtbui24HT4AavKd-RQcs2nsKac94T0gu4OQmYJcgDmGq6dtPdBZ4gfzyj4mnIMj6BakK81eE/s288/IMG_3112.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Takamatsu?feat=embedwebsite">Takamatsu</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br /><br />Anyway, we kept on walking around the grounds, and soon found a bridge with a bunch of koi in it, all swarming around a group holding bread. It was hilarious watching their mouths extend a few inches out to try and suck up the bread, and we decided to feed them ourselves. I got way too into it, and started putting my hand down in the water and having fish suck the bread right out of my hand. It was really funny, and we got the group we first saw all into our little show. One of the men in the group grabbed my bread and started poking the fish in the eyes and stuff and I wasn't sure exactly what he was trying to achieve but it was a lot of fun.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vwSdYsklaDyeVJY3F-Yz8Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SaK918_VBvI/AAAAAAAAArE/CRjen4i4vQ4/s400/IMG_3113.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Takamatsu?feat=embedwebsite">Takamatsu</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br /><br />After the koi, it started to rain. Lightly at first, but then it picked up and we thought it'd be best to head back to the main part of town. We managed to find the garden alright, but we got lost on our way back due to my terrible sense of direction. We ended up at a station on the opposite end of town, and then got off on the wrong stop on our way back to the main station. Haha, it ended up working out ok, because we bought some beer and potato snacks and found the tracks. On our way back, an old guy with a toothpick dangling out of his mouth opened up the door of his house and gave us a nasty look and a grunt. We didn't know what the hell he was doing, so we were kind of making fun of him when we heard a voice call out " SUMIMASEN, SUMIMASEN!" from behind us. It was the old guy, and he gave us two umbrellas for absolutely no reason. It was pretty cool and it felt good knowing that some people are genuinely nice and don't need a reward for helping others out.<br /><br />We finally got back to the main station and the coast, but the rain was really coming down by then. We were determined though, and after an umbrella led charge to the coast we found a gutter under an overhang that was dry. It smelled a little, but it was really peaceful after spending a long time in the rain. We ate our snacks and drank our beers and then went up to a building by the station for a high class dinner. We thought we deserved it, and we really wanted some good sushi since we haven't really had any good stuff since we got here. We found a comfy looking restaurant and got a bunch of tasty sushi accompanied with a few containers of sake. Heaven.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mrTs7kDR8N1ngoIePLQWNQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SaK-9nM9z4I/AAAAAAAAArs/YKEPTkCYGL4/s288/IMG_3125.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Takamatsu?feat=embedwebsite">Takamatsu</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br /><br />We also went to the Naked Man Festival but I feel like I've typed too much already so I'll keep it real short. The festival is a bunch of guys dressed in only a sumo wrestler diaper all fighting for a stick that brings happiness. It was a lot of fun screaming at the teams while they ran around the festival grounds and giving them high fives. The guards were pricks though, and they kept pushing me back whenever I got a little too close to the runners. It was definitely a good night, even if the actual competition part of the festival was kind of weak.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/X-XOMJ8HFVdVVSDsGRIEsQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulVO1a27rjg04KTSu2wPSqRTuNIhriNXzb22BGEUE2yKIwMQXi1DMepGB5WrY8kxCw6hZ5j2Pv79nABIGUhUzoKCvT2AsQL0Zbl-HjcKdEX1okVBQF1uqo-2B025D0EsR2lmRLo3HmLpN/s288/IMG_3147.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Takamatsu?feat=embedwebsite">Takamatsu</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-72403240643714639122009-02-22T08:23:00.000-08:002009-02-22T08:26:47.357-08:00I haven't gotten much sleep the last couple days so I need to go to bed, but I'll update soon with some more sketches and pictures from Takamatsu and the Naked Man Festival.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/g9yZUiSnzFEJhQHm7gC93A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SaF74rLP81I/AAAAAAAAApM/dsp6_ws0iFk/s400/roboBeggar.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_qstdOVFwgLqy68vRXTo9A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kKzTxlAOCh1coY-JlZKrp9mjGX00XhCOwvO4bZ3DcwdXbD9Sse9awpegtEhDt5QTexx6HSlfymQ-eytehjpiJTgsp9d1_FQcmrfLLcJJOehC5OOwAb6ySqbooVLfL_eaPIx6VDzyMhrj/s400/buildingSketch.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-72239951349722942472009-02-18T04:39:00.000-08:002009-02-18T05:05:56.560-08:00A fine day off...Well today was really awesome. In spirit of my new desire to interact with the world instead of sitting in front of a screen, I headed out into Okayama today with nothing in mind. My plan was to walk around and find cafes to draw in, and that's exactly what I did. I found two great cafes today. The first one was a sunny cafe with windows lining a whole wall and a really cheery staff. I did one drawing there and had some coffee, then wandered the streets for a long time trying to find run down buildings and another cafe. <br /><br />The weather was great, so between cafes I stopped by the river and finished the Murakami book I've been reading. I was there for an hour and a half or so, and even though I was a bit chilled by the end, it felt great to be outside with the sun on me reading a good book.<br /><br />The next cafe I hit was on my way back to meet Joe for dinner, and it was labelled as a coffee saloon. It's kind of weird going into a restaurant or something here, similar to going into a bar with a regular crowd in a small town, but once you get situated everything is really nice. The saloon was filled with older women dressed in fake fur and scarves, all chatting with each other from different tables. The waitress / owner was an older woman who knew everyone there, stopping at their tables, even sitting down, and chatting like she was out with her friends. I was drawing, and the woman saw what I was doing and praised me with a million "Sagoyyy!"'s and approving groans. Later, she gave me a free pancake potato thing that was really good. That cafe rocked. <br /><br />Tomorrow were going to Takamatsu on Shikoku, an island about an hour away, so I'll update again soon with some pictures and thoughts. <br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bVPoQPeLudeD72ntu_4I6Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SZwBf_eiVgI/AAAAAAAAAo4/CTWeNtn0SGk/s400/joeSketch_2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EWVZAYrOmWDTH2x6BFcZvQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CtsjJGMYilJNPtJ39XAKqgqw68qDc3mUl4pBTEX9GNaL_TdRHZ-g4-qKywLLRlOkmOLYsdgjOlPFeKFuwgDpK2qhoS_ae5q9gEHbNIXhyphenhyphenrn71eaoP0h16nNShYvuh3b9MTOkywzzvm81/s288/inkSketch.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-23485975716921299162009-02-16T10:14:00.000-08:002009-02-16T10:16:08.560-08:00<div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FnR0IU1uSflFbEMiPd7FUw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SZmtGLKZPcI/AAAAAAAAAow/kylFzdsKHCg/s400/joeSketch.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-25120614892576090902009-02-15T10:32:00.000-08:002009-02-15T10:36:12.025-08:00<div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EuDI9GC_cwde6VlRWCg9Cg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SZhfkOFqvTI/AAAAAAAAAoo/IpRCjpQynwc/s400/inkPage4.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-77451946347016758122009-02-12T09:16:00.000-08:002009-02-12T13:11:21.692-08:00A few more...It feels really good to just draw lately. The best part of it is that I can go places and draw instead of being cooped up in my apartment. Today me and Joe hiked up a mountain by where we live and sat drawing for a while at the top. The weather was great, the sun was out, and it felt really good to be doing something I really enjoy and be doing it in such an awesome place. I get paid tomorrow finally, and I'm going to begin making day trips every week instead of wasting my money and time at the bars here. I'm not here for that long, and I'm really inspired to just travel again and experience new things instead of doing the same stuff week after week. So here's the drawing I did at the top of the mountain, it was a little rushed and Joe kept moving but whatever, and a little ink page I did after we got back. <br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sn1uLZ9Y942csLgyfrAMpA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SZRZYZRQeMI/AAAAAAAAAog/TEfG2BH3QPE/s400/ink_page3.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fjUjGoEt-pZBNKdaoEGlXA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SZRZXxRsQ0I/AAAAAAAAAoY/oEdbCMuHxhY/s400/ink_joe.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br /><br />Oh, and another movie recommendation: Vicky Christina Barcelona. It's a Woody Allen film that came out last year, and I think it's amazing. I think it's funny that what's refueled my desire to travel is something that's completely passive.<br /><br />And check out the music! I added a few songs I think are good for perusing my site. Just click play and let 'em load.bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-86272634531487243212009-02-11T10:00:00.000-08:002009-02-12T13:12:24.636-08:00Being poor is good for some things...Since I don't have any money till Friday, I spent all day drawing in my apartment. I haven't really used ink much until recently, and I really like the boldness of it. I used to be scared to use straight black, but I'm starting to gain a little confidence and the whole process is becoming enjoyable instead of being something I worry over.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kI4YMfd3r9F7WXST5nKY4g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFdcZw1WThpxB2T0uxLTxdsNIXWxwigWKIbN_FGOeOqfYQXb-lwUAqdpD0jC3xlTLMklSPxr2XGOoxDUbDybtYgnt_KJ4bqsvavQNP2qZfPiTYQai77uL1refnDMQw3Ojnxe0M_T1NefTj/s400/iknPage2_color.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oq98w6HrQyUEWrR7kKPndA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZSIB07JloSN1p-xGOMvGadIehzlUSuRhpsx0gWqQ0TivNPLIIQwyt3rYhI0TENjAmltwTFvZ0NA7S4aSpIyi6ORwmIk2ILxAmVj3pIr9Beq-cRyhmHR4uQITtudHcL_HE1QTGHTSF1h9/s400/ink_homeless_BW_002.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SBO8jJu-nGe7JQkK9SWPTA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOrRaNPsUECQ_NDVIzQsK7N7v_7dL3qWt-8x66k61to5zG1J_Xt2hkpKThFUa3zmsIggz1ERoecegzrjtn-VLM8Y2oTo3XR-k_0uwwOeDtVFLepJlHk61B9Fsb0-q5WttlbJRclEAs0gm/s400/ink_homeless.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-42586296967715601162009-02-10T21:01:00.000-08:002009-02-12T13:13:03.119-08:00We'll all be cyborgs soon...Check this out, science continues to amaze me. <br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/health/research/11arm.html?ref=health&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RtA1Sy1sZFPbqruUCaXWM8fVJS4_x1P7KNguzxaB_WQdhkEr48mlRkz15OAj7X685DvMZFCIlbv253B706GwEIIG0u5t7D0wgcyK_MsnJewaY5zIuxB3o1lPwqG3X91FKh6TzOsiNYMm/s400/scienceThumb.png" /></a><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-64099083116375645702009-02-09T10:50:00.000-08:002009-02-12T13:13:27.918-08:00<div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zojvkC6x0u5FfuKieWJElw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SZB63W6_BGI/AAAAAAAAAnU/7audzyYjPyo/s400/inkPage.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-49536946045775491562009-02-08T09:12:00.000-08:002009-02-12T13:13:40.322-08:00Micron and Markers reunited...So I gave up on the markers a while ago, but for some reason I pulled 'em out and did these two characters. I had all my colors planned, and the first thing I realized after coloring the guy's robe was that I used the wrong color. Real tight, but I think it turned out pretty well anyway. The scan doesn't really do the colors justice but whatever.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/II5OtCZ9fwCHTWEctJcseQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SY8jwLflA7I/AAAAAAAAAnM/sYA3RsadgS0/s400/robeManPage.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-57436362887398335822009-02-06T01:51:00.000-08:002009-02-12T13:13:58.470-08:00First sketch in a while eh?A little drawing for Brandon's band I did the other night. <br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/x9_gHPOv02TKqlTkvVYjsw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQRkAZKFdrOjfdoGysS51SrBv-7gQIDMcepJnoH14r59zLw6vhsc0O9fIAFLmdtViOGG7Z-aJ9DBxaPLLvQv1YtT78rdqEs_k8Y4bmEn8Wcs0f8MwxyooV8IgGSkmVB3sNOrU-XRXYZBE/s400/zombie3_texture.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/TheBeezNeez?feat=embedwebsite">The Beez Neez</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br /><br />Oh, and even though the message is a bit too obvious at times, the movie Happy Go Lucky was really good. Kind of an affirmation that just because a lot of people aren't satisfied with their lives, its ok to be happy yourself and not let their attitudes towards things get to you. Being happy, and trying to make others feel the same way never hurt anyone. Cheesy, but that's me.bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-13218671348070668672009-02-03T20:08:00.000-08:002009-02-12T13:15:03.942-08:00Osaka plus a few...Wow, I've become really crappy at keeping this up to date. I haven't been terribly busy since I go back from Osaka, but the ability to watch movies and just hang out feels great after a day of work. Also, the 11 Second Club continues to take up most of my free time, and I'm really happy with this months entry even though there are still obvious problems. Other than that, work continues to be incredibly repetitive, but there are still things about it that will keep me here for a few more months. Like I wrote before, I teach twice a week in Kurashiki, and the students there are really great. I met this one woman who is a really high level, and it's really awesome to talk to somebody in a normal manner, who I can tell that I slept in my closet because I drank a little too much the night before. She even pokes fun at Japanese culture and all the crazy things that go on here. Good stuff, and as always, its nice to see people enjoying lessons and your company even if they don't understand you very well. <br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3078359&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3078359&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/3078359">11 Second Club - January Entry</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user984904">Paul Fuller</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.<br /></div><br /><br />Osaka was another awesome trip that totally drained my paycheck one week after I got it. Haha, this trend will stop soon, but just being in those big cities is so exciting. The food is wonderful, and the lure of dance clubs is too strong to resist. The one thing about our trip was that it was raining the whole time. It was strange, but it never really bothered me. I guess I was too distracted by all the neon lights and hordes of people around me to get annoyed or think that the trip could have been better if it would've been sunny. I went up on Wednesday by myself and just got oriented in the city so when I met up with Joe later I would have some clue as to where we were. Luckily, Osaka was much easier to navigate than Tokyo, as all of the entertainment and nightlife is focused in just a few areas.<br /><br />At first I just walked around the Shinhaibashi and Namba areas. The main shopping street is a few miles long and covered the whole way. Designer stores and 100 yen shops alike line this whole walkway, and its unbelievable how massive the place is. Being taller, its even crazier to be able to look far down the street and see no gaps in people. It really was like a herd of animals following each other. I stopped in a few shops, and ate at an awesome ramen place, and by that time Joe was arriving on the Shinkansen so I headed back up to Osaka station to meet up with him. After a little confusion, we finally got out of the station and were met by a brass band playing in the street. They were really good, and even did a cover of Waterfalls. The best part though was seeing how the crowd around them reacted to their music. When band members tried to get everyone to clap to the rhythm, instead of just feeling the music, the people watched the timing of the band member clapping and tried to match him. Anyway, they got me into brass bands, and if you like that kind of stuff, check out Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Their CD Voodoo is awesome, and they play with some great musicians like Dr. John. <br /><br />Anyway, we checked into our hostel whose directions were "Take the colored road and look for the sign." It was surprisingly easy to find, and we got a great deal for a private room, about 25 bucks a night. Now that everything was set up for the night, I showed Joe some of the cool areas in Namba and we ate dinner. By now, we were ready to start drinking, so we headed to the area that our guide books suggested and ran into some hussie guy trying to get us in a club. It sounded like a lot of people were in there, but we decided to wait until later. For some reason the clubs here don't really fill up until 1 or 2 in the morning. The night was pretty dead, but we found a bar where we were the only people and took shots of tequila and had beers. This place was huge, and they had a shark swimming with a bunch of other fish in a tank in the middle of the bar. We stayed here until 1:30 or so, and headed over to Club Azure for some dancing. Again I was shocked by Japanese rhythm, and insetad of just dancing, most people were doing practiced routines. There were lots of people doing the robot and little pop moves, but a lot of the time their moves were off beat. I really love these situations because I get even more loose than normal and really enjoy just feeling the music. Dancing was a lot of fun here, and we stayed out super late and ate Yoshinoya at like 5:30 or 6 in the morning before drifting off to sleep.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8BToO7EQFv88PYszhmAfOg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SYk5Q8a_Z5I/AAAAAAAAAhQ/wDXuI-Xmat4/s400/IMG_2972.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Osaka?feat=embedwebsite">Osaka</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yOwGcKxxiAEoNF-97pRGgQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1I3lJC7mTi28raPtxB7NapW4O59v2QvkDeIXnvtPxs26dX9nQOaClIPszhKeywzQjrFfebPgILLy62xL8QxYRxOVppGLGR05iHipTt7V8V32GpTXBH7V0sdS0r6Ybjcd9RXCRC_V03fp5/s400/IMG_2987.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Osaka?feat=embedwebsite">Osaka</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br /><br />The next day we met up with Karrah, a girl who teaches in Kurashiki. Our main plan for the day was to go to the aquarium, and we ended up spending a few hours there because it was so awesome. The Osaka aquarium is famous for its two whale sharks, but I was impressed with every exhibit in the place. It all started with otters. First river otters, and then giant sea otters that put on a great show for us. There were seals, some turtles, and then out of nowhere, a sloth. I've never really seen one up close, or seen one move, but this one crawled down out of the shadows and across a rope to where a woman was waiting to feed it. They really are amazing animals, and their claws are out of control. Their movements seem fake, and each push forward was smooth and controlled. I was impressed already, but the exhibits were just beginning. I won't write everything, but the whale sharks, and the tank that held them, were some of the coolest things I've ever seen. The water was crystal clear, and there was a huge variety of fish and other aquatic life in the tank. Right next to it there was a huge manta ray and some octopuses, and it was an over-stimulation similar to the neon lights in the streets. My battery ran out in the aquarium, but I got some good pictures while it lasted so check em out. When we got out it was a lot later than we thought it would be, but it was well worth it. Just outside of the aquarium was the world's largest ferris wheel, so we decided to go on out just to do it. It wasn't anything crazy, but it offered some nice views of the harbor and the surrounding area.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/C06Jhs1U2_CSYvS1xxaWaQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OTkxa8KisTmLW1S5GQ6rQiGEH9JaVSCFGXZ_Fx7-ARcS_TFMD6C_zOQXjUjPgwwSnNMpj2DDzpqVX8viMJc3grsEOLChfgH0Nksz4k7SD7U3KRPQsREX6et9zvjioJ4X1iHgNFfO1iVI/s400/IMG_3070.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Osaka?feat=embedwebsite">Osaka</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/V8XQSB1RgahAAWm_yrJ_Xg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLW1HQwIs1vUKhSv2H5CcEwjajyMbTQLPPE9qI3cnyhNb2hyphenhyphen64cF_kAg5x95SSGUKziacKh3oFK9M7yweuRvmdafMaxKHtqCllH_PM0YTRhz0cCkvxjx4cEQbexrfIMVbegqTQLGd_xGv/s400/IMG_3046.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Osaka?feat=embedwebsite">Osaka</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br /><br />Next we headed into town and did a little shopping, stopping in at my favorite store, Zara where I found two shirts on sale for 20 bucks each down from 80. Oh, me and joe also got really awesome shirts from the aquarium with goofy whale sharks on them. They look like they're out of the 80's and you can't really tell what the image is, somebody here's confused it with a cadillac already, but they're cool nonetheless. We got some good food, and before Karrah left, we went to Osaka castle. It was a really long walk up to the castle itself, but the whole journey was a lot of fun and really beautiful. We walked through forests, and saw the original foundation stones from 1200 or so when the castle was first built. How humans built structures like these so long ago amazes me. It seems impossible that stones that large could be moved at all, no matter how many people were pushing and pulling. Since it was raining, there was nobody around, and when we reached the castle it felt great to be alone with such a magnificent building. It is a reconstruction, but they did a brilliant job with it. Normally, the new castles, shrines, or temples end up looking gaudy and ugly, but it was obvious that they took the time and hired the talent to make this castle feel like it once did. We hung out around the castle for a while, looked out across the city, and then headed back down so Karrah could catch her train back to Kurashiki. It was still kind of early, so we wanted to try going to one of the jazz clubs that were mentioned in our books. Stupidly, we left our books at the hostel because we thought they'd be a burden, so we ended up in a hostess bar part of town that felt real sleazy. Every building had women outside dressed in expensive clothes waving to passerbys, trying to get them to come in. It didn't take long to realize what we'd gotten ourselves into, so we decided to just choose a bar and drink until it got a little later. We chose one called Oldie's Bar or something like that, but it wasn't anything like we thought it would be. We walked in and immediately got a strange look from both the bartender and the one woman inside. He sat us down, and started calling out to girls. It was great because a few girls came out, and then he said that a set would be 10,000 yen each, or about a hundred bucks. We just laughed and left, and on our way out, we saw through a girl just putting on her robe through an open door. Hostess bar = brothel??? Haha, it was pretty funny, and we found a little restaurant that we could just drink at, so we sat and had a few beers, swearing to ourselves that we'd take the night easy and avoid shots of any kind.<br /><br />We headed back to the area we were in the night before, and went to a different club that was supposed to be pretty popular. This place had a lot more people, and some that could actually dance, and for the first time girls actually approached us and talked for a while. Of course their English wasn't very good, and a few were pretty messed up on an assortment of drugs, but it was fun nonetheless. I met this girl DJ who gave me her number for next time we go to Osaka. She said I was a good dancer and rubbed my sideburns, we had an instant connection. Haha. We soon forgot our promise to ourselves to not take shots, and began a sort of ritual. A shot of tequila, a beer, and then back to the dance floor. Again, we stayed out super late, ate Yoshinoya, and then went to bed.<br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5xgsDutrAH5a-rJqbjr75g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsP9vP9Flj4BC2eBHHI50tpJPDg7O6yMl_-sduWZWuG2sNksWhIsnFKTB1sXZMrnxMDNuE3C6NgPiJRf_Hp9gE32r6KHYRcrjIN5ucUUifNsx3EBEryvF3WKO_X-wxdUAufIEtjy3DFaW/s400/IMG_3008.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Osaka?feat=embedwebsite">Osaka</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5MegX6SDFfcEHRudqlc66g?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VJVU1d4T6o3eVzf9MsSEvHqDw1FQ8mOLNGOSDUu6pCeZ8HcQoOWx6HLk7RjZeR-t3sJp8qivV3YBZijtjzNUMgbbVZLH2ATBWnhHfTphEchtX643jN0-vzLU-DfNGFyn1LQ05ix8U36K/s400/IMG_3012.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Osaka?feat=embedwebsite">Osaka</a></td></tr></table><br /></div><br /><br />It's difficult to really explore a city in a few days, and really experience the night life on Wednesday and Thursday nights, but I had a great time while we were there. My fascination with Japanese cities hasn't died out yet, and every alleyway continues to grab my attention. Our next stop is Kyoto, which I think will be a lot different than the last two cities we've visited, but I really can't wait to see all the temples and the old districts that have been there for centuries. I'll remember my camera charger too, so I won't run out of battery so early into the trip. <br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/W0YgSVFrcfhXOELD4NHiVQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzzo4-gkMLEf5ymv3yGocfdlgbbJAiXJKw42-zVm8m1Zk6G3TapCV9m-NK2L2_uBMC8ojRcoLkxVRHNuEDu23ObR4MHb_PIiVxWMnBzO6LWDBZcKGaaUkQGw4pPIkiritfhKGHV9uInET/s400/IMG_3075.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Osaka?feat=embedwebsite">Osaka</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xUnTqxMb-EksyMqAEb9kZA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_goJ4ba3w4Hk/SYk5hE2En4I/AAAAAAAAAh0/Um7M8_PIB7s/s400/IMG_2977.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/fuller.paul/Osaka?feat=embedwebsite">Osaka</a></td></tr></table><br /></div>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-42652929058450757602009-01-20T11:21:00.002-08:002009-01-20T17:58:21.674-08:00Back to the big city...Firstly, I must admit that I'm really proud that we elected a president like Barack. I couldn't help feeling joyful watching his inauguration speech. He had so many positive messages and a confidence in the American people that I haven't really seen in my lifetime. The best part is that he's realistic about all of the challenges, and is trying to motivate the country to really buckle down and work for not only what's best for the country, but what's ultimately best for the entire world. Here's my favorite quote from the speech:<br /><br />"As the world grows smaller, let our human commonalities spread." Well put Barack, well put.<br /><br />Tomorrow I head out for Osaka with Joe to get another taste of big city life in Japan. For being the country's second largest city, the people here don't think Osaka has too much to offer. I guess that could be expected since a lot of our students are middle aged housewives. There's a booming night life and the food there is supposed to be really good so I'm pumped to do some shopping, dancing, and eating. It'll definitely be a nice break. I'll take a few more pictures than Tokyo, that last upload was almost embarrassing.<br /><br />And lastly, another update on the 11 second club. I still haven't touched some areas, but let me know what you think.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2898022&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2898022&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/">11sec January__More Progress</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user984904">Paul Fuller</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-59351577740400118142009-01-16T08:34:00.001-08:002009-01-16T08:45:14.871-08:00A little further...I've been watching a lot of animated movies lately ( I highly recommend watching the Jungle Book if you haven't seen it in a while, that movie is amazing ), and now am starting on a bunch of old Hitchcock movies, studying the characters and the acting. It's helped a lot, and over the last few days I think I made some pretty good progress. Maybe it doesn't show quite yet, but something definitely clicked for me and I feel a lot better approaching this little clip.<br /><br />There are still a few dead parts, but I added some basic lip synch, trying out a new method, so let me know what you think. Watching this in a smaller format, I can see that the woman's "jilting me" needs one or two more poses for it to read, so don't worry about that one. And of course, her pose at the end is terrible, I haven't touched it for a long time.<br /><br />And thanks Andy for the little crits. Your comments are always helpful.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2850365&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2850365&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/">11sec_linearProgress</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user984904">Paul Fuller</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-30718072721895249482009-01-15T10:29:00.000-08:002009-01-15T11:37:50.467-08:00Linear BeginningsWith all the great feedback I've managed to make some great strides in my animation. Haha, anyway, if anybody sees this and wants to comment on the poses so far it would be awesome.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2839579&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2839579&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/">11sec_linearBeginnings</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user984904">Paul Fuller</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-36575750264185828132009-01-13T19:12:00.001-08:002009-01-13T19:14:08.734-08:00Feedback?Since I have internet at home now I thought I'd take advantage of it and try to get some feedback to help me with the 11 Second Club competitions. I started a little late this month, but here's the rough blocking phase. The end pose for the woman is definitely going to change, but let me know what you guys think of it.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2821667&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2821667&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/2821667">11sec January Stepped Keys</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user984904">Paul Fuller</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5471213464814051228.post-8639077136148072352009-01-10T02:21:00.000-08:002009-01-10T02:31:42.736-08:00Wanna feel good?I love this song and the singing woman's afro.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AKl9ZmS0NmQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AKl9ZmS0NmQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>bigandpaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07210792592023115686noreply@blogger.com0