Sketchblog Edition 13: Method To The Madness

Today was quite unusual, to say the least.
My production value was sub-par.
Be warned that the following sketches should not be expected anything great of.
I apologize.

Well, I continued watching Hamlet today.
I started the second act... I'm slowly working my way through it so as not to overwhelm my tiny little brain with Shakespearean dialogue.
I have to say, though, it is highly entertaining, and quite enriching.
Watching David Tennant make a fool of himself is amusing, to say the least.
When he was feigning madness to Ophelia's father, the ridiculous facial expressions he produced gave me giggles.
So I sketched it.
Then I looked at what I sketched.
Then I was somewhat horrified.

Afterwards, I went to go look at an apartment.
I'm considering moving someplace cheaper since I'll most likely be staying in Savannah in the Fall, but won't have the student refund since I won't be taking classes, which means I'll either have to get a job, or use what I've got in savings, or both.
I still haven't decided if moving is my best option at the moment though.
I love my current house, and have just grown accustomed to living in it.
I don't think I'm ready to part with my cozy room and living room furniture just yet.

That aside, the girl who showed me the apartment, Jennifer, was quite pleasant.
I wish I could live with her and her sister, but at this point I'm leaning toward staying in my current place.
She had some cats, though, who were quite friendly....
Except toward the end of my visit there.
"Jupiter" seemed to shun me as I was preparing to leave.

Today was also the Jen Library Open House, where they displayed their entire Don Bluth Collection.
Now, those who know me well, know that I am a huge fan of Don Bluth's works.
I grew up on Land Before Time (the original one), An American Tail, and Secret of NIMH.
True, he doesn't make the best movies in the world, but I'm enraptured by them nonetheless.
So when I walked into that room glittering with original animation cels and hand-painted 20-foot background scrolls from Thumbelina and the like, I was giddy with excitement.
I was infected by Don Bluth's artwork, and immediately felt the need to draw my characters in his style.

This was my first mistake.

I am no Don Bluth, nor do I ever want to be, nor should I ever be.
If the following illustrations are not proof of that, then I don't know what is.
I'm horrified by the results of my experiment, but at least I got it out of my system.
Don't know who that is? It's Emma in DB's style.

And here, unfortunately, is my attempt at drawing Chester in his style as well:
Never again.
I don't even know what this is.


Well, at least it was done with after that third sketch.
I've successfully put the thought of ever trying my hand at Don Bluth animation out of my head.
But what of the rest of the sketchbook quota?
I was suffering greatly from the DB emulation experience, and needed to rebound quickly.
I know!
Let's draw a lion!

After drawing my rebound sketch, it was time for dinner.
Unfortunately our plans to celebrate Cinco De Mayo with delicious burritos failed due to the busy crowds at Juarez.
So we opted for Chinese.
Big mistake on my part.
We went to the one Chinese place in town that has never failed to give me stomach problems, which I swore off a long time ago, but for some reason said "OKAY!" when it was suggested. ><

At first everything was fine.
Tyler hijacked my sketchbook and did a couple doodles....
He then demanded I cease and desist from uploading any more Angry Tylers on my sketchblog.
So here's an Angry Tyler about it.

However, afterward, when we went to his house to make cookies, the poison set in.
I was doubled over in pain on his couch for most of the time the cookies were baking, and couldn't even bring myself to partake in one.
Tyler was very sweet and understanding, though, and comforted me as I groaned and moaned.

So instead of Angry Tyler, here's a page of "Consoling Tyler."
Thanks for being nice to me tonight, Tyler.
And giving me a baggie of cookies for the road. :3


As I returned home, I remembered I still hadn't done my free sketch of the day, which goes out to Vawn.
She requested I draw the character Nissa Revane from Magic: The Gathering, doing some sort of magical green thing or whatever. *shrug*
As I started sketching, I remembered two things:
A.) I have no idea what this character looks like, even judging from the reference picture (seriously, what's going on with her costume? cuz I don't know...), and
B.) I know NOTHING about Magic: The Gathering, and therefore do not know how the heck they cast magic spells, let along what they look like.

To top it off, halfway through the sketch, my favorite pen, which Lilly gave me as a souvenir from her Christmas trip to China, ran out of ink. :(
So I had to finish the sketch in black ink.
With a pen I'm not too fond of. >< onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyG-xLxboSMucvU35eyk9SeXU78v0n0c0GUR_IZcVd8K3FuISfCF2bY6kCT8ZJ93hBQJK7tVhcDIdsHsMCCSZh-WOR9CMNn1gt1E-wNnf4dSULxlsqzZqxrQmih_SASFpm0M7LKdmuDr4/s1600/5-5-10+sketches+9.jpg">
So yes, today was kind of blah.
I got sick, my favorite pen ran out of ink, and my computer decided to crash almost every application it had open, all while I'm trying to scan my sketches and get them uploaded before midnight (which didn't happen), so I could at least get some rest before my morning classes.
Like I said before, though,
live and learn.



Thanks for reading, and Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Love you all, and have a good night and great day tomorrow!

<3,
Emily J. Sampson