FA+
Shop
Update 20 May 2019 - The RRRex Paw Day WIP Showcase!!
General | Posted 6 years agoHi everyone - and a Happy Paw Day to you all!!
Yes, in case you weren't aware - and I think many people aren't! - 20th May is designated as 'Paw Day' in the furry fandom every year. Arbitrary as it may seem, it's worth embracing as one day of the year when everyone in the fandom can show a little bit of love for paws. Y'know, the way us pawsluts do every day of the year!
I had been hoping to get some new artwork finished to celebrate the occasion, but unfortunately owing to work pressures and some difficult family circumstances of late, I wasn't able to put the work in ready for the big day. Even so, I didn't want to let it pass by without mention (like I do most years when I just accidentally forget about it!).
As many of you will be aware, I don't normally like to share my unfinished work, in order to avoid diminishing the impact of the final product. I tend to just make hints and share teasing glimpses at my incomplete projects through things like my infamous and ever-growing Great Unfinished Collection.
Well, on this special occasion, I thought I would break with that tradition, and actually share some of my foot-related Works-In-Progress (or WIPs) with you all. And I don't mean little sections, or blurred teases. I mean actual, proper previews of my incomplete projects. Hence... the RRRex Paw Day WIP Showcase!
#1 - Seb
#2 - Brian Griffin (Family Guy)
#3 - Jim Crow (Dumbo)
#4 - Knuckles the Echidna
#5 - Mike
#6 - Rocky
I've already posted these on my Twitter account earlier this evening (@RipRoarRex, if you're not already following me), but I thought I would upload them here for my FA followers too. There are six WIP uploads in total featuring an array of characters, including some of my own original cast as well as a number of popular characters. I'll move them into my scraps after a couple of days.
I should clarify that this is by no means all of my unfinished work. I've got dozens of incomplete projects stored up, pending some sort of progress. Some of them may yet be revived, others may end up being scrapped altogether (and possibly uploaded here as abandoned projects). But this little sample represents some of the ones I'm more keen on getting finished.
If you're wondering how close I am to completing any of these projects, the truthful answer is 'not very'. They are evidence of just how much art I'm working on that you guys never tend to see, owing to how bad I am at getting things finished! However, I'm hopeful that most if not all six of these projects will eventually reappear in my gallery as completed works, so watch this space.
In the meantime, enjoy a rare display of my rough and unfinished work in all its slightly shabby glory. And here's wishing you all a very Happy Paw Day!
RRRex
Yes, in case you weren't aware - and I think many people aren't! - 20th May is designated as 'Paw Day' in the furry fandom every year. Arbitrary as it may seem, it's worth embracing as one day of the year when everyone in the fandom can show a little bit of love for paws. Y'know, the way us pawsluts do every day of the year!
I had been hoping to get some new artwork finished to celebrate the occasion, but unfortunately owing to work pressures and some difficult family circumstances of late, I wasn't able to put the work in ready for the big day. Even so, I didn't want to let it pass by without mention (like I do most years when I just accidentally forget about it!).
As many of you will be aware, I don't normally like to share my unfinished work, in order to avoid diminishing the impact of the final product. I tend to just make hints and share teasing glimpses at my incomplete projects through things like my infamous and ever-growing Great Unfinished Collection.
Well, on this special occasion, I thought I would break with that tradition, and actually share some of my foot-related Works-In-Progress (or WIPs) with you all. And I don't mean little sections, or blurred teases. I mean actual, proper previews of my incomplete projects. Hence... the RRRex Paw Day WIP Showcase!
#1 - Seb
#2 - Brian Griffin (Family Guy)
#3 - Jim Crow (Dumbo)
#4 - Knuckles the Echidna
#5 - Mike
#6 - Rocky
I've already posted these on my Twitter account earlier this evening (@RipRoarRex, if you're not already following me), but I thought I would upload them here for my FA followers too. There are six WIP uploads in total featuring an array of characters, including some of my own original cast as well as a number of popular characters. I'll move them into my scraps after a couple of days.
I should clarify that this is by no means all of my unfinished work. I've got dozens of incomplete projects stored up, pending some sort of progress. Some of them may yet be revived, others may end up being scrapped altogether (and possibly uploaded here as abandoned projects). But this little sample represents some of the ones I'm more keen on getting finished.
If you're wondering how close I am to completing any of these projects, the truthful answer is 'not very'. They are evidence of just how much art I'm working on that you guys never tend to see, owing to how bad I am at getting things finished! However, I'm hopeful that most if not all six of these projects will eventually reappear in my gallery as completed works, so watch this space.
In the meantime, enjoy a rare display of my rough and unfinished work in all its slightly shabby glory. And here's wishing you all a very Happy Paw Day!
RRRex
Update 11 Dec 2018 - The Comeback
General | Posted 7 years agoSalutations, furry folk. RipRoarRex returneth!
So in case you missed my last journal, or haven't seen the updates on my new Twitter account (@RipRoarRex), I'd like to announce that after more than a year of nigh-on zero activity in the furry fandom...
...I'm back.
Now don't get too excited, because you know what I'm like. When I say 'back', I don't mean returning to my early fandom days when I was online all the time and churning out new pictures every couple of weeks - with the greatest of intentions, those days are long gone. But having not uploaded a new piece of artwork since October 2017 and essentially been absent from the fandom ever since, I can say you'll be seeing a bit more of me now - at least for a little while.
I said upon my last submission (the 2017 Edition of Rexar Relaxing, in case you've forgotten) that it might be the last picture I would ever complete. Even then, I was hopeful of that not being true, but it wasn't an empty comment. Aside from how long it always seems to take me to get work finished these days, I have genuinely found myself drifting from the fandom altogether in recent years, and the last 14 months are probably the strongest evidence of that to date.
The truth is 2018 has been a bad year for me. I've been unemployed for most of it, debating whether to continue in my existing career path or boldly embark on a new one, and ultimately ending up in a paralysing stasis without doing either. As someone who has often defined myself by my career, this left me feeling pretty bad, and despite having ample spare time, I found myself struggling to muster any enthusiasm for my life's passions - or when I have, I've become increasingly obsessed with whether I can justify spending my depleting savings on them. Turning 30 didn't help - I know it's not like I'm 75, but you go through those moments where you contemplate where you thought you'd be by a particular milestone, and I've fallen far short of my past expectations.
Put simply, I think I've gone through a mixture of depression and anxiety. Not the severe kind that should leave anyone worrying about my mental fragility - believe me, it's never been like that - but enough to make me feel like I'll be relieved to see the back of this year more than perhaps any other for quite some time.
So what's changed? Well several things, arguably all linked.
For starters, I finally found a new job which I'll be starting after Christmas. That lifted a big cloud for me. At the same time I was going through the process of securing that job, I started feeling a bit more enthusiasm for my hobbies again, one of which was my drawing. In turn, last month I mustered up enough motivation to complete a picture for the first time in a year (which I have now uploaded here). And that helped spur me on to work on other projects too, prompting me to feel like I might have sufficient new material to finally revive my profile.
It's not just that either. During the past year I've been chatting with various people about my struggles, including on the artistic front - special mention to
kclt with whom I shared some good conversations on the subject. Many have often suggested that I should think about uploading more sketches and unfinished work, something which I've always been reluctant to do because I prefer to preserve the impact of the finished project without any previous exposure. But the truth is I simply don't get enough work finished to justify that attitude anymore - if it's merely a choice between finished work or no work, the fact that I've only uploaded three finished pictures in the last three years tells its own story about that particular philosophy. By changing that mindset, I know I can open up the possibility of sharing a lot more content.
To top it off, I started making plans to update my website in preparation for a possible comeback, which led to some conversations with
dinosorceror (who has very kindly hosted RipRoarRex's Realm for me these past 11 years). Amidst a lot of technical talk, he managed to nudge me towards setting up a Twitter account, something which I did last week as explained in my previous journal entry. In truth, one of the contributing factors towards my drifting from the fandom in recent years is that many of the sites I used to frequent have either become dormant or disappeared, and I'd been feeling like all the community connections I used to have were now gone. With Twitter seemingly still in vogue among furries though, I've already had chance to become reacquainted with many folks I've not seen for a long time. And of course, I have a fresh platform to share my new work with them - and hopefully a few new followers too.
Hence, The Comeback. Of sorts. At the very least, I'm hoping to become a little more active again - which shouldn't be difficult when I'm starting from a baseline of near zero over the past twelve months! And as mentioned already, I will probably start uploading more of my unfinished work and abandoned projects, given I've got plenty of them...!
I make no guarantees that this will last. Once I start my new job, I might well find I can't muster up sufficient time to draw again, or I may struggle to maintain my new Twitter presence and ultimately end up drifting away again. And I can't deny that I'm just not as strongly into the fandom as I was when I was younger. When it really comes down to it, I still don't quite know where furry truly fits into the kind of life I want long-term. But for now, that's a debate for another day.
A couple of things I should mention:
I haven't yet had opportunity to update my website due to some technical issues (hence the chats with Dinosorceror). I'm hoping to resolve this very soon, but don't be surprised if it takes a little while for new content to appear there. Rest assured it's not because I'm not bothering with my site anymore - goodness knows I spent long enough coding and designing the damn thing.
Since my re-emergence on Twitter, I've had a lot of people asking me if I'm on Telegram or Discord. The answer to both is no, but I won't rule out the possibility. As many folks might remember, I used to do a lot of IMing back in the days of MSN Messenger (bugger me, I'm starting to sound old now), but I kinda burned out with it after a while and I haven't really done it since. As for Discord, I still don't really understand what it even is. But I'll keep my options open should I see sufficient cause to sign up to further platforms. For now, I think I've got enough on my plate with the new Twitter account!
That's enough chatter from me for now anyway - there's probably more than enough verbal diarrhoea here to make up for my silence over the last year! But for now, it's good to see you all again. And hopefully you'll be seeing a bit more of me in return.
RRRex
So in case you missed my last journal, or haven't seen the updates on my new Twitter account (@RipRoarRex), I'd like to announce that after more than a year of nigh-on zero activity in the furry fandom...
...I'm back.
Now don't get too excited, because you know what I'm like. When I say 'back', I don't mean returning to my early fandom days when I was online all the time and churning out new pictures every couple of weeks - with the greatest of intentions, those days are long gone. But having not uploaded a new piece of artwork since October 2017 and essentially been absent from the fandom ever since, I can say you'll be seeing a bit more of me now - at least for a little while.
I said upon my last submission (the 2017 Edition of Rexar Relaxing, in case you've forgotten) that it might be the last picture I would ever complete. Even then, I was hopeful of that not being true, but it wasn't an empty comment. Aside from how long it always seems to take me to get work finished these days, I have genuinely found myself drifting from the fandom altogether in recent years, and the last 14 months are probably the strongest evidence of that to date.
The truth is 2018 has been a bad year for me. I've been unemployed for most of it, debating whether to continue in my existing career path or boldly embark on a new one, and ultimately ending up in a paralysing stasis without doing either. As someone who has often defined myself by my career, this left me feeling pretty bad, and despite having ample spare time, I found myself struggling to muster any enthusiasm for my life's passions - or when I have, I've become increasingly obsessed with whether I can justify spending my depleting savings on them. Turning 30 didn't help - I know it's not like I'm 75, but you go through those moments where you contemplate where you thought you'd be by a particular milestone, and I've fallen far short of my past expectations.
Put simply, I think I've gone through a mixture of depression and anxiety. Not the severe kind that should leave anyone worrying about my mental fragility - believe me, it's never been like that - but enough to make me feel like I'll be relieved to see the back of this year more than perhaps any other for quite some time.
So what's changed? Well several things, arguably all linked.
For starters, I finally found a new job which I'll be starting after Christmas. That lifted a big cloud for me. At the same time I was going through the process of securing that job, I started feeling a bit more enthusiasm for my hobbies again, one of which was my drawing. In turn, last month I mustered up enough motivation to complete a picture for the first time in a year (which I have now uploaded here). And that helped spur me on to work on other projects too, prompting me to feel like I might have sufficient new material to finally revive my profile.
It's not just that either. During the past year I've been chatting with various people about my struggles, including on the artistic front - special mention to
kclt with whom I shared some good conversations on the subject. Many have often suggested that I should think about uploading more sketches and unfinished work, something which I've always been reluctant to do because I prefer to preserve the impact of the finished project without any previous exposure. But the truth is I simply don't get enough work finished to justify that attitude anymore - if it's merely a choice between finished work or no work, the fact that I've only uploaded three finished pictures in the last three years tells its own story about that particular philosophy. By changing that mindset, I know I can open up the possibility of sharing a lot more content.To top it off, I started making plans to update my website in preparation for a possible comeback, which led to some conversations with
dinosorceror (who has very kindly hosted RipRoarRex's Realm for me these past 11 years). Amidst a lot of technical talk, he managed to nudge me towards setting up a Twitter account, something which I did last week as explained in my previous journal entry. In truth, one of the contributing factors towards my drifting from the fandom in recent years is that many of the sites I used to frequent have either become dormant or disappeared, and I'd been feeling like all the community connections I used to have were now gone. With Twitter seemingly still in vogue among furries though, I've already had chance to become reacquainted with many folks I've not seen for a long time. And of course, I have a fresh platform to share my new work with them - and hopefully a few new followers too.Hence, The Comeback. Of sorts. At the very least, I'm hoping to become a little more active again - which shouldn't be difficult when I'm starting from a baseline of near zero over the past twelve months! And as mentioned already, I will probably start uploading more of my unfinished work and abandoned projects, given I've got plenty of them...!
I make no guarantees that this will last. Once I start my new job, I might well find I can't muster up sufficient time to draw again, or I may struggle to maintain my new Twitter presence and ultimately end up drifting away again. And I can't deny that I'm just not as strongly into the fandom as I was when I was younger. When it really comes down to it, I still don't quite know where furry truly fits into the kind of life I want long-term. But for now, that's a debate for another day.
A couple of things I should mention:
I haven't yet had opportunity to update my website due to some technical issues (hence the chats with Dinosorceror). I'm hoping to resolve this very soon, but don't be surprised if it takes a little while for new content to appear there. Rest assured it's not because I'm not bothering with my site anymore - goodness knows I spent long enough coding and designing the damn thing.
Since my re-emergence on Twitter, I've had a lot of people asking me if I'm on Telegram or Discord. The answer to both is no, but I won't rule out the possibility. As many folks might remember, I used to do a lot of IMing back in the days of MSN Messenger (bugger me, I'm starting to sound old now), but I kinda burned out with it after a while and I haven't really done it since. As for Discord, I still don't really understand what it even is. But I'll keep my options open should I see sufficient cause to sign up to further platforms. For now, I think I've got enough on my plate with the new Twitter account!
That's enough chatter from me for now anyway - there's probably more than enough verbal diarrhoea here to make up for my silence over the last year! But for now, it's good to see you all again. And hopefully you'll be seeing a bit more of me in return.
RRRex
RipRoarRex - Now Available In NEW Twitter Flavour
General | Posted 7 years agoGRAB YOUR TASTY FREE SAMPLE HERE:>>> @RipRoarRex <<<>>> @RipRoarRex <<<>>> @RipRoarRex <<<Yep. Some of you have already spotted it. RipRoarRex is now on Twitter. Better late than never, I suppose.
Why? Well, several reasons.
Firstly, judging from the many journals stacking up in my inbox, everybody seems to be doing it these days. Given the gaping void that is my involvement in the furry fandom in recent years, I wouldn't be surprised if I've slipped off the radar of the youngest up-and-coming generation of foot-obsessed loonies. And apparently they don't use boring old 'websites' anymore. Bloody kids these days...
Secondly, I've been on the receiving end of some light badgering on the subject from someone who shall remain nameless...
dinosorceror(Whoops, now how did that icon get there??)
And thirdly, don't get too excited, but... I'm on the brink of a comeback. More to come on that subject in the very near future, so stay tuned.
One of the reasons I've always been reluctant to register on Twitter is because I'm not overly keen on using sites that aren't specifically furry. I get the customary wave of abuse on non-furry sites like DeviantArt and YouTube (cripes, you should see the shit I get for that Family Guy animation even after all these years), so I usually prefer to steer clear and keep my work within a community that is generally more tolerant of it, even if not everyone therein understands it. Most furries are pretty awesome that way.
For that reason, I probably won't be uploading absolutely everything to my Twitter account. I will likely stick to only posting the tamer images on my feed and link back here or to my website for the more, shall we say, 'intense' stuff. I should point out that I'm not new to Twitter itself by any means, but I am new to the furry sphere within it. So if anyone has any useful advice or things to be wary of, feel free to let me know.
So by all means, give me a follow if you're on Twitter. As has long been the way with me - for which I apologise - I can't guarantee to be immediately responsive to any interactions or DMs, but you're welcome to get in touch and I'll try to reply as soon as I can.
Looking forward to seeing some familiar faces over there. And as for the 'comeback'... watch this space.
RRRex
Rexar Relaxing 2017 Edition - New Away and Hi-Res Versions!
General | Posted 8 years agoHowdy everybody. RipRoarRex with my first new journal of 2017. In November. Y'know, the usual.
In case you've been hiding under a rock the past week or so and haven't seen it, recently I finally managed to complete a new piece of artwork - Rexar Relaxing (2017 Anniversary Edition), a remake ten years on of my very first picture shared with the fandom. And I think it's rather good.
Seems you folks thought the same. In fact, I've actually been quite staggered by the response - this picture has racked up more favourites and comments within its first ten days online than any of my other pieces managed in the same time frame, and by a long way too. I'm not sure whether it's a result of the absurd realism of it, or whether people were just enjoying it in a nostalgic sense as a commemorative piece, or whether folks were just expressing their relief that I wasn't dead.
I mentioned when I first submitted the piece that I was looking to produce an alternative version using Rexar's black and red away football kit, as I know some of you expressed a strong preference for that uniform in the past. I didn't submit such an alternative at the beginning because I needed to do some fairly substantial reworking of various layers in order to apply the colour variations, but I've since found the time to carry out that work. This new version can be found here.
I also said in my original description that, having spent weeks doing an intricate skin texture on Rexar's sole, I was a bit miffed that the texture didn't show up very well after resizing to within FurAffinity's 1280x1280 limit. (Yes, I am aware of the workaround, but I generally try and stick to the limit anyway.) As such, I've decided to upload some hi-res versions on my website - specifically 2400x1611, which is very close to the full-size resolution I was using on the original working image. There are three hi-res images covering the same alternatives as before: The original home kit image, a 'clean' version of the home kit and an away kit version. (If there's much call for a 'clean' away kit version, I might do one...)
The full list of versions can be found below - I've added this same list into the previous submission descriptions as well:
Standard Resolution
Home Kit
Home Kit, Clean
Away Kit
Hi-Res (2400x1611)
Home Kit
Home Kit, Clean
Away Kit
On another note, a number of you who read the absurdly long description under my original submission of this image picked up on my remark that this could be the last picture I ever do. Right now, just to ease your fears, I don't think this is very likely at all - having had some time to recover from the ordeal that was completing this picture, I'm actually feeling some fresh motivation to work on some new stuff and some unfinished projects that I've had on hold throughout this year. The remark wasn't intended to deceive though - I do acknowledge that I will almost certainly have to stop doing artwork at some stage, possibly in the not-too-distant future, in order to free myself up for pursuing other things in my life.
Hopefully though, I'll still entertain you all with a few more things yet. So as ever, watch this space.
Thanks for all the comments and messages of support over the last couple of weeks, guys. It's been good to see you all again.
RRRex
In case you've been hiding under a rock the past week or so and haven't seen it, recently I finally managed to complete a new piece of artwork - Rexar Relaxing (2017 Anniversary Edition), a remake ten years on of my very first picture shared with the fandom. And I think it's rather good.
Seems you folks thought the same. In fact, I've actually been quite staggered by the response - this picture has racked up more favourites and comments within its first ten days online than any of my other pieces managed in the same time frame, and by a long way too. I'm not sure whether it's a result of the absurd realism of it, or whether people were just enjoying it in a nostalgic sense as a commemorative piece, or whether folks were just expressing their relief that I wasn't dead.
I mentioned when I first submitted the piece that I was looking to produce an alternative version using Rexar's black and red away football kit, as I know some of you expressed a strong preference for that uniform in the past. I didn't submit such an alternative at the beginning because I needed to do some fairly substantial reworking of various layers in order to apply the colour variations, but I've since found the time to carry out that work. This new version can be found here.
I also said in my original description that, having spent weeks doing an intricate skin texture on Rexar's sole, I was a bit miffed that the texture didn't show up very well after resizing to within FurAffinity's 1280x1280 limit. (Yes, I am aware of the workaround, but I generally try and stick to the limit anyway.) As such, I've decided to upload some hi-res versions on my website - specifically 2400x1611, which is very close to the full-size resolution I was using on the original working image. There are three hi-res images covering the same alternatives as before: The original home kit image, a 'clean' version of the home kit and an away kit version. (If there's much call for a 'clean' away kit version, I might do one...)
The full list of versions can be found below - I've added this same list into the previous submission descriptions as well:
Standard Resolution
Home Kit
Home Kit, Clean
Away Kit
Hi-Res (2400x1611)
Home Kit
Home Kit, Clean
Away Kit
On another note, a number of you who read the absurdly long description under my original submission of this image picked up on my remark that this could be the last picture I ever do. Right now, just to ease your fears, I don't think this is very likely at all - having had some time to recover from the ordeal that was completing this picture, I'm actually feeling some fresh motivation to work on some new stuff and some unfinished projects that I've had on hold throughout this year. The remark wasn't intended to deceive though - I do acknowledge that I will almost certainly have to stop doing artwork at some stage, possibly in the not-too-distant future, in order to free myself up for pursuing other things in my life.
Hopefully though, I'll still entertain you all with a few more things yet. So as ever, watch this space.
Thanks for all the comments and messages of support over the last couple of weeks, guys. It's been good to see you all again.
RRRex
Update 31 Dec 2016 - A Happier New Year?
General | Posted 9 years agoHey folks, RipRoarRex here.
I was just looking over my FA page and realised it had been exactly two years since I last posted one of these proper updates. Rather says it all for my activity level these days...!
So 2016 is finally over, thank goodness - did anyone actually enjoy this fetid 12 months? Aside from the deaths of innumerable popular figures and various unmentionable political developments around the world, I've not particularly enjoyed this year in my own life. My career feels like it's stagnated, I feel I've spent very little time on any of my hobbies, and indeed, my involvement in the furry fandom hit a new low. Having previously always managed to bang out at least ten pictures each year, 2016 saw just two uploads from me. Two.
Of course, there are genuine reasons for that. Like I've said on many occasions, my interest in the furry fandom as a whole has waned somewhat in recent times, partly through not having enough time for it and partly through just reassessing my life. When your career's going nowhere and you're not doing much in your spare time, sometimes you can't help questioning where the fulfilment really is in spending precious hour after hour drawing furry smut...
(...well, fulfilment beyond certain organs of the body anyway! )
In spite of that, my growing distance from the furry fandom has made me realise something over the past twelve months. The truth is, I've missed it. Whether or not my furry art is really the most constructive thing to be doing with my time, I do find a comfort in it. And as long as I'm not obsessing over it or letting it compromise what else I can do with my life, I would like to get back into doing more of it again.
So as we tick into a new year, I'm hoping that not only will 2017 be less of a depressing clusterf**k worldwide than the past year has been, but that you might also see a bit more of me. Hopefully most of you will have seen my new King Koopa pic with which I'm seeing out 2016, and hopefully it won't be another six month interval before the next submission. I do have a good number of projects progressing well (at least one animation included) so I am hopeful of finishing a few more things in the months to come. But as ever, please don't ask me when any of it will be appearing on my account, because I can't promise it ever will!
Anyway, wishing all of you the very best for 2017. And with any luck, it'll be a year in which you see a bit more of me again.
RRRex
I was just looking over my FA page and realised it had been exactly two years since I last posted one of these proper updates. Rather says it all for my activity level these days...!
So 2016 is finally over, thank goodness - did anyone actually enjoy this fetid 12 months? Aside from the deaths of innumerable popular figures and various unmentionable political developments around the world, I've not particularly enjoyed this year in my own life. My career feels like it's stagnated, I feel I've spent very little time on any of my hobbies, and indeed, my involvement in the furry fandom hit a new low. Having previously always managed to bang out at least ten pictures each year, 2016 saw just two uploads from me. Two.
Of course, there are genuine reasons for that. Like I've said on many occasions, my interest in the furry fandom as a whole has waned somewhat in recent times, partly through not having enough time for it and partly through just reassessing my life. When your career's going nowhere and you're not doing much in your spare time, sometimes you can't help questioning where the fulfilment really is in spending precious hour after hour drawing furry smut...
(...well, fulfilment beyond certain organs of the body anyway! )
In spite of that, my growing distance from the furry fandom has made me realise something over the past twelve months. The truth is, I've missed it. Whether or not my furry art is really the most constructive thing to be doing with my time, I do find a comfort in it. And as long as I'm not obsessing over it or letting it compromise what else I can do with my life, I would like to get back into doing more of it again.
So as we tick into a new year, I'm hoping that not only will 2017 be less of a depressing clusterf**k worldwide than the past year has been, but that you might also see a bit more of me. Hopefully most of you will have seen my new King Koopa pic with which I'm seeing out 2016, and hopefully it won't be another six month interval before the next submission. I do have a good number of projects progressing well (at least one animation included) so I am hopeful of finishing a few more things in the months to come. But as ever, please don't ask me when any of it will be appearing on my account, because I can't promise it ever will!
Anyway, wishing all of you the very best for 2017. And with any luck, it'll be a year in which you see a bit more of me again.
RRRex
New Video Tutorial - Shading & Lighting Effects
General | Posted 9 years agoHi folks, RipRoarRex here.
In case it was overlooked beneath the picture (which is easily done!), I wanted to draw your attention to a brand new art tutorial video I have posted on YouTube based upon my latest submission, 'TMNT - Party Dude Pounce'.
This is a step-by-step tutorial video which takes you through my technique for shading pictures in Corel PaintShop Photo Pro (X3). This follows on from my Colour Preparation Tutorial on my website, which shows how to take your picture from a pencil drawing to the flat colour image shown at the start of this video. (If you haven't seen this previous tutorial before, click here.)
The whole process takes me many hours, but I have trimmed this video down to around 15 minutes of the essentials. While large chunks of the sequence have been cut out, each section of the demonstration runs in real-time, unlike my previous time-lapse demonstration video.
This tutorial takes you through setting up layers, what different brush options do, how to apply shading/lighting and carry out blending, and how to tidy up your work at the end. As mentioned within the clip, these are just my methods - I cannot claim that these are by any means the most efficient ways to achieve these effects or indeed whether they will be suitable for anyone else, but hopefully this can give you some ideas if you're not sure how to proceed. Ultimately, you just need to experiment and find out what works for you.
Note that this video has no sound. The instructions are delivered via text on screen. I have attempted to pace them suitably for watching in one go, but you may wish to pause and repeat various sections as you go through.
If you've got any queries about the steps shown in this video, feel free to ask. And for more demonstrations and step-by-step guides, check out the Tutorials page on my website.
RRRex
In case it was overlooked beneath the picture (which is easily done!), I wanted to draw your attention to a brand new art tutorial video I have posted on YouTube based upon my latest submission, 'TMNT - Party Dude Pounce'.
https://youtu.be/93Kq0LreJmQ>>> CLICK HERE TO WATCH ON YOUTUBE <<<This is a step-by-step tutorial video which takes you through my technique for shading pictures in Corel PaintShop Photo Pro (X3). This follows on from my Colour Preparation Tutorial on my website, which shows how to take your picture from a pencil drawing to the flat colour image shown at the start of this video. (If you haven't seen this previous tutorial before, click here.)
The whole process takes me many hours, but I have trimmed this video down to around 15 minutes of the essentials. While large chunks of the sequence have been cut out, each section of the demonstration runs in real-time, unlike my previous time-lapse demonstration video.
This tutorial takes you through setting up layers, what different brush options do, how to apply shading/lighting and carry out blending, and how to tidy up your work at the end. As mentioned within the clip, these are just my methods - I cannot claim that these are by any means the most efficient ways to achieve these effects or indeed whether they will be suitable for anyone else, but hopefully this can give you some ideas if you're not sure how to proceed. Ultimately, you just need to experiment and find out what works for you.
Note that this video has no sound. The instructions are delivered via text on screen. I have attempted to pace them suitably for watching in one go, but you may wish to pause and repeat various sections as you go through.
If you've got any queries about the steps shown in this video, feel free to ask. And for more demonstrations and step-by-step guides, check out the Tutorials page on my website.
RRRex
Now uploading all of my artwork to Weasyl (RipRoarRex)
General | Posted 9 years agoHello folks, RipRoarRex here.
I suspect this is far from the first journal entry of this nature that you have read in the last week, nor will it likely be the last...
In the wake of the latest outage and hacking fiasco here on FurAffinity, I have decided to begin utilising my profile on Weasyl.
I registered an account on Weasyl way back in 2012, not long after the site was first created. However, aside from uploading some banner artwork and filling out the character profiles for the 12 members of my original cast, my account there has essentially been dormant for more than three years... until now.
I had long intended to make greater use of my Weasyl account, but having somewhat drifted away from the furry fandom in the last year or so, I hadn't felt any real urgency to escalate my involvement by maintaining a presence on another site. The problem is that FurAffinity has always served as my main art gallery, and the latest 'incident' has made me realise that in the event FA should ever suddenly suffer a complete and total meltdown, I don't really have any up-to-date gallery presence anywhere else.
As such, I have spent several days populating my Weasyl gallery with a collection of my extensive 'back catalogue' of work dating way back to my arrival in the furry fandom in 2007. I have not reuploaded everything as frankly, I have done too much art over the years to bother duplicating it on another profile, but I have resubmitted a selection of my work from 2007 to 2013 to Weasyl along with a full archive of every piece of art I have done since the beginning of 2014.
In addition, I will now be uploading all of my completed work to Weasyl from now on.
I will stress at this point that this does not mean that I will no longer be uploading anything to FurAffinity. For the time being, provided that the site remains stable and viable enough, I shall continue to make full use of my FA account and upload my work here. I will also continue to share all of my relevant foot fetish work to Eccentricities - A Life Underfoot, which I continue to visit having previously spent many years there as a member of staff. And of course, I will continue to upload every single piece I produce to my personal website, RipRoarRex's Realm. However, my Weasyl gallery will now be updated whenever I create a new piece, so if you wish to only follow me there, you should no longer be missing out on anything.
I should also stress that in spite of increasing my presence on Weasyl, my involvement in the furry fandom as a whole has significantly diminished in the last year or so, and my circumstances have not changed in that regard. Therefore, I cannot promise any regularity of new submissions or indeed swift replies to messages either on Weasyl or FurAffinity, for which I apologise. However, I shall endeavour to maintain my presence where possible and keep you all updated of any significant changes to my situation.
Thanks for reading. I hope to see lots of you over on Weasyl!
RRRex
--EDIT-- In case it needs emphasising, this is not some sort of rage quit notice. Personally, although I sometimes wish FA would get its act together, I don't feel any great sense of animosity to this place, nor is my increased presence anywhere else intended as some protest towards this site or its management. I am simply adding my work onto Weasyl to safeguard my artistic presence in the fandom should the worst happen here.
I suspect this is far from the first journal entry of this nature that you have read in the last week, nor will it likely be the last...
In the wake of the latest outage and hacking fiasco here on FurAffinity, I have decided to begin utilising my profile on Weasyl.
Please follow me on Weasyl! - RipRoarRexI registered an account on Weasyl way back in 2012, not long after the site was first created. However, aside from uploading some banner artwork and filling out the character profiles for the 12 members of my original cast, my account there has essentially been dormant for more than three years... until now.
I had long intended to make greater use of my Weasyl account, but having somewhat drifted away from the furry fandom in the last year or so, I hadn't felt any real urgency to escalate my involvement by maintaining a presence on another site. The problem is that FurAffinity has always served as my main art gallery, and the latest 'incident' has made me realise that in the event FA should ever suddenly suffer a complete and total meltdown, I don't really have any up-to-date gallery presence anywhere else.
As such, I have spent several days populating my Weasyl gallery with a collection of my extensive 'back catalogue' of work dating way back to my arrival in the furry fandom in 2007. I have not reuploaded everything as frankly, I have done too much art over the years to bother duplicating it on another profile, but I have resubmitted a selection of my work from 2007 to 2013 to Weasyl along with a full archive of every piece of art I have done since the beginning of 2014.
In addition, I will now be uploading all of my completed work to Weasyl from now on.
I will stress at this point that this does not mean that I will no longer be uploading anything to FurAffinity. For the time being, provided that the site remains stable and viable enough, I shall continue to make full use of my FA account and upload my work here. I will also continue to share all of my relevant foot fetish work to Eccentricities - A Life Underfoot, which I continue to visit having previously spent many years there as a member of staff. And of course, I will continue to upload every single piece I produce to my personal website, RipRoarRex's Realm. However, my Weasyl gallery will now be updated whenever I create a new piece, so if you wish to only follow me there, you should no longer be missing out on anything.
I should also stress that in spite of increasing my presence on Weasyl, my involvement in the furry fandom as a whole has significantly diminished in the last year or so, and my circumstances have not changed in that regard. Therefore, I cannot promise any regularity of new submissions or indeed swift replies to messages either on Weasyl or FurAffinity, for which I apologise. However, I shall endeavour to maintain my presence where possible and keep you all updated of any significant changes to my situation.
Thanks for reading. I hope to see lots of you over on Weasyl!
RRRex
--EDIT-- In case it needs emphasising, this is not some sort of rage quit notice. Personally, although I sometimes wish FA would get its act together, I don't feel any great sense of animosity to this place, nor is my increased presence anywhere else intended as some protest towards this site or its management. I am simply adding my work onto Weasyl to safeguard my artistic presence in the fandom should the worst happen here.
300,000 pageviews, 6,000 watchers
General | Posted 10 years agoHello folks, RipRoarRex here.
Guess my FA milestones are like buses. Wait ages for one and then two come along at once.
At some point in the last week, I racked up 300,000 pageviews and hit 6,000 watchers (though I suspect the latter is susceptible to dipping below the milestone again at some point!)
I've never been one for getting carried away with numbers and statistics on this site - perhaps more so in my early days though certainly not now - but I thought it would serve as a suitable opportunity just to thank everyone for their interest in my work. To be honest, even though my art has always been something I've done primarily for myself, I'd have probably largely stopped doing it by now if there wasn't some sort of further market for it. Reception is a bit of a motivator, albeit never my main one for drawing this smut. We all know what that is.
Thanks again, folks. My participation and productivity is far from what it once was, but I hope I don't disappoint those of you who keep coming back to my gallery.
RRRex
Guess my FA milestones are like buses. Wait ages for one and then two come along at once.
At some point in the last week, I racked up 300,000 pageviews and hit 6,000 watchers (though I suspect the latter is susceptible to dipping below the milestone again at some point!)
I've never been one for getting carried away with numbers and statistics on this site - perhaps more so in my early days though certainly not now - but I thought it would serve as a suitable opportunity just to thank everyone for their interest in my work. To be honest, even though my art has always been something I've done primarily for myself, I'd have probably largely stopped doing it by now if there wasn't some sort of further market for it. Reception is a bit of a motivator, albeit never my main one for drawing this smut. We all know what that is.
Thanks again, folks. My participation and productivity is far from what it once was, but I hope I don't disappoint those of you who keep coming back to my gallery.
RRRex
My gallery is officially organised!
General | Posted 10 years agoHaving noticed the recent introduction of gallery folders on FurAffinity, I thought I should embrace the new feature by reorganising my gallery.
I've decided to create a structure which largely mirrors that which I use for the gallery on my website, RipRoarRex's Realm. Submissions can now be found either by Character, by Theme or by Special Collections (e.g. the Snapshots series).
Some of the categorisations are a bit ambiguous and you might find stuff you feel doesn't belong in certain areas, or some content which is missing from categories it could be added to. If there's any particularly glaring errors - like a Cassie piece sitting in Bubba's folder or a violent piece sitting in a non-violent folder - please don't hesitate to let me know.
Hope this makes it easier to find the smut you require! Happy browsing!
RRRex
I've decided to create a structure which largely mirrors that which I use for the gallery on my website, RipRoarRex's Realm. Submissions can now be found either by Character, by Theme or by Special Collections (e.g. the Snapshots series).
Some of the categorisations are a bit ambiguous and you might find stuff you feel doesn't belong in certain areas, or some content which is missing from categories it could be added to. If there's any particularly glaring errors - like a Cassie piece sitting in Bubba's folder or a violent piece sitting in a non-violent folder - please don't hesitate to let me know.
Hope this makes it easier to find the smut you require! Happy browsing!
RRRex
Stepping down from Eccentricities staff role
General | Posted 10 years agoHi folks, RipRoarRex here.
Many of you may be aware that I have been a long-serving member of staff on paw fetish forum Eccentricities - A Life Underfoot. If you've never visited, please feel free to check it out!
However, it is with a heavy heart that I announce as of today, I am stepping down from my 'full-time' role as Vice Administrator on Eccentricities staff.
It's not a decision I've made lightly. I joined Eccentricities in September 2007, a few months after I first discovered the fandom.
barefootstallion then brought me onto the site's staff shortly afterwards - something which I have always been honoured by and grateful for - and I've rather been part of the furniture on the site ever since.
I started off as Art Forums Moderator and in the nigh-on eight years that have followed, I've also been a Head Moderator, an Art & Member Liaison Administrator, Vice Administrator, and on numerous occasions, even Head Administrator. There have been ups and downs, but for the most part, it's been a blast.
Unfortunately, my participation on Eccentricities (and indeed the fandom as a whole) has waned quite significantly in the last year or so. The primary reason for this has been my job, with my shifts becoming more and more unpredictable. My career has always been a major part of my life and now more than ever, I feel a need to avoid becoming cosy or complacent with it and concentrate my efforts on making it a success.
Balancing this and my home life has gotten increasingly difficult in the last couple of years. With it, I have begun to alter my priorities and change what I spend my free time doing. And I must admit, the fandom has become a smaller part of my life than it used to be - anyone who follows my artwork will have probably noticed the huge decline in productivity since my student days, and from a time when I spread myself around various furry pockets of the web, I'm now rarely seen anywhere other than Eccentricities and FurAffinity.
As such, with my participation on Eccentricities becoming increasingly limited, I have found myself with less and less time - and, I'll admit, motivation - for my role on the site's staff. I've always maintained certain expectations of my involvement and activity as an administrator here. And as I notice myself falling shorter of those expectations, I feel the time has come to call it a day.
I would just like to stress at this point that I am not leaving Eccentricities, nor am I leaving the fandom. I have long regarded Eccentricities as my 'home' in the fandom and have made a lot of friends here. I will also be maintaining a limited presence within the staff structure - as an 'honorary administrator', so to speak - to offer some support and continuity. But I have come to a point where I need my involvement in the world of furry to be more casual without demands of responsibility, and I need to be able to step away from time to time without letting anyone down in the process.
Obviously my presence on both Eccentricities and FurAffinity has been rather on-and-off in recent times anyway, but it is possible you will be seeing less of me still in time to come. I may end up needing to take a break from the place and from doing artwork from time to time, albeit I would like to think I could give some notice of such absences if they were likely to be lengthy.
Don't worry though - I'll still keep coming back.
RRRex
Many of you may be aware that I have been a long-serving member of staff on paw fetish forum Eccentricities - A Life Underfoot. If you've never visited, please feel free to check it out!
However, it is with a heavy heart that I announce as of today, I am stepping down from my 'full-time' role as Vice Administrator on Eccentricities staff.
It's not a decision I've made lightly. I joined Eccentricities in September 2007, a few months after I first discovered the fandom.
barefootstallion then brought me onto the site's staff shortly afterwards - something which I have always been honoured by and grateful for - and I've rather been part of the furniture on the site ever since.I started off as Art Forums Moderator and in the nigh-on eight years that have followed, I've also been a Head Moderator, an Art & Member Liaison Administrator, Vice Administrator, and on numerous occasions, even Head Administrator. There have been ups and downs, but for the most part, it's been a blast.
Unfortunately, my participation on Eccentricities (and indeed the fandom as a whole) has waned quite significantly in the last year or so. The primary reason for this has been my job, with my shifts becoming more and more unpredictable. My career has always been a major part of my life and now more than ever, I feel a need to avoid becoming cosy or complacent with it and concentrate my efforts on making it a success.
Balancing this and my home life has gotten increasingly difficult in the last couple of years. With it, I have begun to alter my priorities and change what I spend my free time doing. And I must admit, the fandom has become a smaller part of my life than it used to be - anyone who follows my artwork will have probably noticed the huge decline in productivity since my student days, and from a time when I spread myself around various furry pockets of the web, I'm now rarely seen anywhere other than Eccentricities and FurAffinity.
As such, with my participation on Eccentricities becoming increasingly limited, I have found myself with less and less time - and, I'll admit, motivation - for my role on the site's staff. I've always maintained certain expectations of my involvement and activity as an administrator here. And as I notice myself falling shorter of those expectations, I feel the time has come to call it a day.
I would just like to stress at this point that I am not leaving Eccentricities, nor am I leaving the fandom. I have long regarded Eccentricities as my 'home' in the fandom and have made a lot of friends here. I will also be maintaining a limited presence within the staff structure - as an 'honorary administrator', so to speak - to offer some support and continuity. But I have come to a point where I need my involvement in the world of furry to be more casual without demands of responsibility, and I need to be able to step away from time to time without letting anyone down in the process.
Obviously my presence on both Eccentricities and FurAffinity has been rather on-and-off in recent times anyway, but it is possible you will be seeing less of me still in time to come. I may end up needing to take a break from the place and from doing artwork from time to time, albeit I would like to think I could give some notice of such absences if they were likely to be lengthy.
Don't worry though - I'll still keep coming back.
RRRex
Shading question for digital artists
General | Posted 11 years agoMay seem a bit random but wondering if anyone can offer any explanation/advice as to a problem I've been having for quite some time now.
I usually create my pictures by having a layer of flat colour with semi-transparent layers of near-black shading over the top of it which I smudge around until it looks smooth and nicely blended. Sometimes when I'm shading on top of a colour that is already quite dark, I notice patches appearing which almost look like flat, solid colour in the middle of my gradients. And sometimes, no matter what I try to do to smooth them out, they keep appearing like unwanted blocky artifacts.
What's more, these patches don't appear in the same consistent forms between different programs - I can look at the picture in PaintShop Pro and see some patches, then look at it in IrfanView and see hardly any patches, then look at it on my phone and see all manner of bizarre blocky shapes in the shading. I should stress, this has nothing to do with image compression/conversion, as this is happening while I'm working on the image.
I don't know if this makes any sense to anybody or whether anyone knows how to deal with it, but if anyone can suggest anything, it would be most welcome.
RRRex
I usually create my pictures by having a layer of flat colour with semi-transparent layers of near-black shading over the top of it which I smudge around until it looks smooth and nicely blended. Sometimes when I'm shading on top of a colour that is already quite dark, I notice patches appearing which almost look like flat, solid colour in the middle of my gradients. And sometimes, no matter what I try to do to smooth them out, they keep appearing like unwanted blocky artifacts.
What's more, these patches don't appear in the same consistent forms between different programs - I can look at the picture in PaintShop Pro and see some patches, then look at it in IrfanView and see hardly any patches, then look at it on my phone and see all manner of bizarre blocky shapes in the shading. I should stress, this has nothing to do with image compression/conversion, as this is happening while I'm working on the image.
I don't know if this makes any sense to anybody or whether anyone knows how to deal with it, but if anyone can suggest anything, it would be most welcome.
RRRex
JWolfsky running Rexar YCH auction
General | Posted 11 years agoHi folks,
I don't generally partake in this sort of thing but
jwolfsky - a fellow foot fetish artist whose work I've been enjoying for quite some time now - is running a YCH auction in which he has decided to feature my character Rexar.
So if you want to see your character being used as Rex's insoles for a sweaty football match, be sure to get your bid in before it closes at 7:00PM MST on Thursday, 21st January.
FULL DETAILS HERE --> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/15535491/
Best of luck to the bidders! And I shall be awaiting the final results with interest.
RRRex
I don't generally partake in this sort of thing but
jwolfsky - a fellow foot fetish artist whose work I've been enjoying for quite some time now - is running a YCH auction in which he has decided to feature my character Rexar. So if you want to see your character being used as Rex's insoles for a sweaty football match, be sure to get your bid in before it closes at 7:00PM MST on Thursday, 21st January.
FULL DETAILS HERE --> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/15535491/
Best of luck to the bidders! And I shall be awaiting the final results with interest.
RRRex
Update 31 Dec 2014 - It All Started So Well...
General | Posted 11 years agoHi everybody. RipRoarRex here.
So 2014 is almost at an end. And it's been a bit of a strange year for me.
I had been hoping that this year would witness an increase in my productivity. I'd planned on getting a lot more ideas done and a lot more projects finished, and I was hoping it would be the best year for my gallery for some time.
And it was working, for a while. In the first few months of the year, I was very driven, and I managed to get plenty of pieces uploaded. Indeed, I posted this in my journal on 13 April:
I'm taking some encouragement from the fact that I'm doing much better than I was last year in terms of productivity. As I've said before, 2013 was a very frustrating year for me artistically. Between 1st January and 13 April 2013, I'd only submitted three different pictures. So far this year, I've submitted eight already.
Here's hoping - one way or another - the trend continues.
Well... it didn't.
Summer came and brought an art block with it. Then my car broke down in July, and brought with it a whole heap of problems. For a while I didn't put pencil to paper on anything at all. When I did finally start drawing again, I started turning my attention to some bigger comic projects, some of which have been long overdue. But of course, these are big projects with big workloads, and with the limited time I generally have, I still haven't been able to get any of them finished.
The consequence: In the first half of the year, I submitted nine pictures. In the second half - not counting the trio of crappy unfinished pieces I uploaded recently (which are now in my Scraps) - I've submitted... one.
Ten submissions. My previous lowest over 12 months was 11 back in 2009. Far from achieving the target I set out to hit of bumping up my productivity, 2014 has actually ended up being my least productive year yet.
Rather conscious of this, I was striving to get one more picture done before the year was out. Namely, the next episode of the Rexar & Mike: Snapshots series. But Christmas is a very difficult time to get anything done, particularly given some other big family commitments of late which have taken precedence, and I either couldn't find time for my work or just didn't want to. I was hoping I'd have it ready for New Years Eve - and revive an old tradition I used to enjoy of uploading a piece on December 31 - but I'm loathed to rush it simply for that reason and as such have not quite been able to get that done either.
So I'm annoyed. I know I shouldn't be. After all, I know folks will probably tell me it's quality over quantity, and indeed I think there has been a lot of quality in the artwork I've uploaded this year. But it continues to irritate me that with my brain positively bursting with ideas all the time - never mind those that other people send me - I'm never able to find sufficient time to get them out.
As such, I've actually been rather looking forward to the New Year. A chance to start again. Reset the clock. 12 fresh months in which to get something done. And while I know I shouldn't put so much pressure on myself to finish work, I want to do more. Fingers crossed, next year I might actually be able to make it happen.
Hopefully this Snapshot will find its way into my gallery nice and early in 2015 to get the ball rolling, and with any luck, plenty more will follow it. So watch this space.
Wishing you all a belated Merry Christmas and a bright and happy New Year.
RRRex
So 2014 is almost at an end. And it's been a bit of a strange year for me.
I had been hoping that this year would witness an increase in my productivity. I'd planned on getting a lot more ideas done and a lot more projects finished, and I was hoping it would be the best year for my gallery for some time.
And it was working, for a while. In the first few months of the year, I was very driven, and I managed to get plenty of pieces uploaded. Indeed, I posted this in my journal on 13 April:
I'm taking some encouragement from the fact that I'm doing much better than I was last year in terms of productivity. As I've said before, 2013 was a very frustrating year for me artistically. Between 1st January and 13 April 2013, I'd only submitted three different pictures. So far this year, I've submitted eight already.
Here's hoping - one way or another - the trend continues.
Well... it didn't.
Summer came and brought an art block with it. Then my car broke down in July, and brought with it a whole heap of problems. For a while I didn't put pencil to paper on anything at all. When I did finally start drawing again, I started turning my attention to some bigger comic projects, some of which have been long overdue. But of course, these are big projects with big workloads, and with the limited time I generally have, I still haven't been able to get any of them finished.
The consequence: In the first half of the year, I submitted nine pictures. In the second half - not counting the trio of crappy unfinished pieces I uploaded recently (which are now in my Scraps) - I've submitted... one.
Ten submissions. My previous lowest over 12 months was 11 back in 2009. Far from achieving the target I set out to hit of bumping up my productivity, 2014 has actually ended up being my least productive year yet.
Rather conscious of this, I was striving to get one more picture done before the year was out. Namely, the next episode of the Rexar & Mike: Snapshots series. But Christmas is a very difficult time to get anything done, particularly given some other big family commitments of late which have taken precedence, and I either couldn't find time for my work or just didn't want to. I was hoping I'd have it ready for New Years Eve - and revive an old tradition I used to enjoy of uploading a piece on December 31 - but I'm loathed to rush it simply for that reason and as such have not quite been able to get that done either.
So I'm annoyed. I know I shouldn't be. After all, I know folks will probably tell me it's quality over quantity, and indeed I think there has been a lot of quality in the artwork I've uploaded this year. But it continues to irritate me that with my brain positively bursting with ideas all the time - never mind those that other people send me - I'm never able to find sufficient time to get them out.
As such, I've actually been rather looking forward to the New Year. A chance to start again. Reset the clock. 12 fresh months in which to get something done. And while I know I shouldn't put so much pressure on myself to finish work, I want to do more. Fingers crossed, next year I might actually be able to make it happen.
Hopefully this Snapshot will find its way into my gallery nice and early in 2015 to get the ball rolling, and with any luck, plenty more will follow it. So watch this space.
Wishing you all a belated Merry Christmas and a bright and happy New Year.
RRRex
Update 26 Jul 2014 - Bit of an Art Block & Snapshots Query
General | Posted 11 years agoHi folks,
You might've noticed that after a very productive start to this calendar year, my workrate has significantly dipped in the last couple of months. Truth be told, I think I'm going through another bit of an art block. Not as severe as some I've had in the past, but enough to hamper my creativity in the past 6-8 weeks or so.
My car broke down on the way to work a few weeks back. I have bought a new one now, but the search for it proved rather drawn-out. For much of the last month, my weekdays were largely spent either working from home or looking for cars on the internet, then my weekends were lost going out and browsing at car dealers. It was, frankly, tedious and depressing, and until I had found a new motor to get me to work each day, I felt guilty using my time for anything other than dedicating myself to the search.
As such, I've generally been feeling a bit down and have lacked any real motivation to get into artwork again. I am, as ever, overflowing with ideas and works-in-progress, but even now I have got a new car, I have so far been unable to force myself into putting pencil to paper again. I literally haven't bothered doing anything artistic for at least an entire month now, which is very unusual for me. And it's annoying me, to be honest. Especially as on occasions I have had ideas that have gripped me sufficiently to feel like I want to draw, but then I sit down with the paper and think of all the effort and irritation that is likely to occur in the process of making that idea reality, and suddenly I can't be bothered.
Oh - and the hot weather isn't helping either!
I'm not sure what it'll be that gets me sufficiently motivated again, or how soon I'll be able to rouse myself out of it - could be a week, could be three months or more. But for now, don't expect any imminent artwork from me. Sorry.
One other thing I wanted to mention whilst compiling this journal entry - I've had a number of queries in the last few months about my Rexar & Mike: Snapshots series. More specifically, people have been asking whether it has finished, or whether there are more instalments to come.
No, the series is not over. Yes, there will be more instalments.
I had tried to clarify this already in the description for the most recent entry in the series. The six instalments to date were the product of my desire to show more background and depth to Rexar and Mike's relationship. Future instalments will focus rather more on the physical nature of their relationship, though it will not be exclusively so by any means. I have already done some drawings for upcoming instalments of this nature, but I did them some time ago and I'm not happy with the anatomy on them anymore, so I might decide to re-do them.
But of course, that will only happen once I'm in the mood for artwork again.
RRRex
You might've noticed that after a very productive start to this calendar year, my workrate has significantly dipped in the last couple of months. Truth be told, I think I'm going through another bit of an art block. Not as severe as some I've had in the past, but enough to hamper my creativity in the past 6-8 weeks or so.
My car broke down on the way to work a few weeks back. I have bought a new one now, but the search for it proved rather drawn-out. For much of the last month, my weekdays were largely spent either working from home or looking for cars on the internet, then my weekends were lost going out and browsing at car dealers. It was, frankly, tedious and depressing, and until I had found a new motor to get me to work each day, I felt guilty using my time for anything other than dedicating myself to the search.
As such, I've generally been feeling a bit down and have lacked any real motivation to get into artwork again. I am, as ever, overflowing with ideas and works-in-progress, but even now I have got a new car, I have so far been unable to force myself into putting pencil to paper again. I literally haven't bothered doing anything artistic for at least an entire month now, which is very unusual for me. And it's annoying me, to be honest. Especially as on occasions I have had ideas that have gripped me sufficiently to feel like I want to draw, but then I sit down with the paper and think of all the effort and irritation that is likely to occur in the process of making that idea reality, and suddenly I can't be bothered.
Oh - and the hot weather isn't helping either!
I'm not sure what it'll be that gets me sufficiently motivated again, or how soon I'll be able to rouse myself out of it - could be a week, could be three months or more. But for now, don't expect any imminent artwork from me. Sorry.
One other thing I wanted to mention whilst compiling this journal entry - I've had a number of queries in the last few months about my Rexar & Mike: Snapshots series. More specifically, people have been asking whether it has finished, or whether there are more instalments to come.
No, the series is not over. Yes, there will be more instalments.
I had tried to clarify this already in the description for the most recent entry in the series. The six instalments to date were the product of my desire to show more background and depth to Rexar and Mike's relationship. Future instalments will focus rather more on the physical nature of their relationship, though it will not be exclusively so by any means. I have already done some drawings for upcoming instalments of this nature, but I did them some time ago and I'm not happy with the anatomy on them anymore, so I might decide to re-do them.
But of course, that will only happen once I'm in the mood for artwork again.
RRRex
Paw Day 2014! Hi-Res Uploads By Popular Demand
General | Posted 11 years agoHi folks,
In case you didn't know about it - and you probably really should by now - 20th May is Paw Day!
(Not that us paw fetishists limit our obsession to one day of the year, of course. But today is the day we can celebrate it in a grander way!)
Ever since the idea of Paw Day was first conceived and launched, I've wanted to do something to mark the day, but every year I either forget or am just too busy to get anything done in time.
But this year? Aha! Well this year... er... well, this year is... no exception.
Yeah. Life doesn't get any less hectic just because I actually remembered Paw Day this time. I wanted to have some new artwork finished for the day, but I've had so little time for life in the last few weeks and am in desperate need of a holiday from work, which I still won't be getting for a while yet. Yet despite this, I still wanted to do something to mark the day.
As such, I don't have something new for Paw Day... but I do have something old.
I have done various paw fetish comics and pictures in the past from which folks have requested to see higher resolution versions of individual panels. I've always said I would upload some one day, but never got round to it. Well, now seems like an appropriate time!
I have therefore uploaded some of the most commonly requested panels from my comics as high resolution images into my scraps gallery. They are basically the full panels which I originally worked on before resizing them into the comic structure. In case you haven't seen the originals, each submission also comes with a link to the corresponding full comic for each picture.
I should however stress that when I say 'high resolution', I don't mean original resolution - I mean the biggest dimensions I can submit within FA's 1280x1280 limit. The original working images were almost twice that size, but uploading these would probably only serve to show up the rough edges and imperfections in the pictures.
Here is the list, all of which can now be found in my scraps:
Tembe - Feline Supremacy [April 2012 - Click here for full comic]
Panel 2
Panel 3
Panel 4
Rexar - The Player's Photoshoot (Home Kit) [November 2013 - click here for full image]
Panel 4
Rexar - The Player's Photoshoot (Away Kit) [November 2013 - click here for full image]
Panel 4
Rocky - Workout Partners [January 2014 - Click here for full comic]
Panel 2
Panel 3
Panel 5
UPDATE - Additional panels requested after Paw Day:
Krusha Kremling - By Name, By Nature [April 2014 - Click here for full comic]
Panel 2
Panel 3
Obviously this is only a fairly small selection - I've chosen these based on the panels for which there was demand shown for high resolution versions. If there are any other panels you would really like to see bigger versions of that I haven't uploaded here, let me know and I can probably get them added too.
Probably not the most exciting contribution I could have offered for the day, but at this point in time, it's as much as I can do. Hope the pics are of interest to some of you anyway.
Happy Paw Day, everyone!
RRRex
In case you didn't know about it - and you probably really should by now - 20th May is Paw Day!
(Not that us paw fetishists limit our obsession to one day of the year, of course. But today is the day we can celebrate it in a grander way!)
Ever since the idea of Paw Day was first conceived and launched, I've wanted to do something to mark the day, but every year I either forget or am just too busy to get anything done in time.
But this year? Aha! Well this year... er... well, this year is... no exception.
Yeah. Life doesn't get any less hectic just because I actually remembered Paw Day this time. I wanted to have some new artwork finished for the day, but I've had so little time for life in the last few weeks and am in desperate need of a holiday from work, which I still won't be getting for a while yet. Yet despite this, I still wanted to do something to mark the day.
As such, I don't have something new for Paw Day... but I do have something old.
I have done various paw fetish comics and pictures in the past from which folks have requested to see higher resolution versions of individual panels. I've always said I would upload some one day, but never got round to it. Well, now seems like an appropriate time!
I have therefore uploaded some of the most commonly requested panels from my comics as high resolution images into my scraps gallery. They are basically the full panels which I originally worked on before resizing them into the comic structure. In case you haven't seen the originals, each submission also comes with a link to the corresponding full comic for each picture.
I should however stress that when I say 'high resolution', I don't mean original resolution - I mean the biggest dimensions I can submit within FA's 1280x1280 limit. The original working images were almost twice that size, but uploading these would probably only serve to show up the rough edges and imperfections in the pictures.
Here is the list, all of which can now be found in my scraps:
Tembe - Feline Supremacy [April 2012 - Click here for full comic]
Panel 2
Panel 3
Panel 4
Rexar - The Player's Photoshoot (Home Kit) [November 2013 - click here for full image]
Panel 4
Rexar - The Player's Photoshoot (Away Kit) [November 2013 - click here for full image]
Panel 4
Rocky - Workout Partners [January 2014 - Click here for full comic]
Panel 2
Panel 3
Panel 5
UPDATE - Additional panels requested after Paw Day:
Krusha Kremling - By Name, By Nature [April 2014 - Click here for full comic]
Panel 2
Panel 3
Obviously this is only a fairly small selection - I've chosen these based on the panels for which there was demand shown for high resolution versions. If there are any other panels you would really like to see bigger versions of that I haven't uploaded here, let me know and I can probably get them added too.
Probably not the most exciting contribution I could have offered for the day, but at this point in time, it's as much as I can do. Hope the pics are of interest to some of you anyway.
Happy Paw Day, everyone!
RRRex
Update 13 Apr 2014 - Latest Batch & Website Update
General | Posted 11 years agoHi everyone, RipRoarRex here.
As you'll all hopefully have noticed by now, I've returned with a batch of new artwork. There are three new pieces:
Scooby-Doo - Hero Of The Day
Plains Justice (WARNING: Contains scat/fart themes)
Krusha Kremling - By Name, By Nature
In addition, I've updated my website for the first time since January, uploading the above images as well as the two instalments of the Rexar & Mike: Snapshots series I submitted here in February.
On that note, to make it easier to find all the episodes in one place, I have also created a new gallery page on my website exclusively for the Snapshots series. This can be reached from Rexar and Mike's character pages, as well as by clicking here.
I'm still keeping busy with artwork when I can, folks, though my time and freedom is significantly limited these days, owing to work and family members being around more often than they used to be.
Even so, I'm taking some encouragement from the fact that I'm doing much better than I was last year in terms of productivity. As I've said before, 2013 was a very frustrating year for me artistically. Between 1st January and 13 April 2013, I'd only submitted three different pictures. So far this year, I've submitted eight already.
Here's hoping - one way or another - the trend continues.
RRRex
As you'll all hopefully have noticed by now, I've returned with a batch of new artwork. There are three new pieces:
Scooby-Doo - Hero Of The Day
Plains Justice (WARNING: Contains scat/fart themes)
Krusha Kremling - By Name, By Nature
In addition, I've updated my website for the first time since January, uploading the above images as well as the two instalments of the Rexar & Mike: Snapshots series I submitted here in February.
On that note, to make it easier to find all the episodes in one place, I have also created a new gallery page on my website exclusively for the Snapshots series. This can be reached from Rexar and Mike's character pages, as well as by clicking here.
I'm still keeping busy with artwork when I can, folks, though my time and freedom is significantly limited these days, owing to work and family members being around more often than they used to be.
Even so, I'm taking some encouragement from the fact that I'm doing much better than I was last year in terms of productivity. As I've said before, 2013 was a very frustrating year for me artistically. Between 1st January and 13 April 2013, I'd only submitted three different pictures. So far this year, I've submitted eight already.
Here's hoping - one way or another - the trend continues.
RRRex
UPDATED: Eccentricities Back Online After Server Move
General | Posted 12 years agoUPDATE: Server move is complete and the site was brought back online on Thursday morning. You should now be able to access the site as normal. Thanks for your patience.
RRRex
Hi folks,
Just a quick note to say that our paw fetish forums at Eccentricities - A Life Underfoot are currently offline while we move to a new server, having somewhat outgrown our old one. Estimated downtime is around 36-48 hours, and the process was started last night, so hopefully things should be up and running again within the next day or two.
Click here for more info.
barefootstallion will likely be posting a further update once things are back up and running, at which time I'll edit/remove this journal.Thanks,
RRRex
Update 04 Jan 2014 - Reflections on a Failed Philosophy
General | Posted 12 years agoHappy New Year, everybody. RipRoarRex here.
So 2013 has gone. And with it, a resolution that I attempted to keep but with which I ultimately failed miserably throughout.
In case any of you missed my journal back in December 2012, I had made a bold decision that in 2013, I was going to go back to my cartoon style. It was in essence a bid to stop taking my artwork so seriously and hopefully produce more of it without going through a rollercoaster of apathy and frustration.
Regretfully, I came to the conclusion fairly quickly that this philosophy just wasn't working. I found that the notion of going back to my cartoon style was based on the misconception that my 'cartoon style' was anything of conscious substance. It was instead just a memory of the rather rubbish artwork I used to do back in 2007, and how quickly and easily I was consequently able to churn it out. Such art no longer has any appeal for me, and neither did the idea of ruining my newest ideas by not doing them artistic justice. In truth, of the pictures I did in 2013, the most appealing to me now are primarily the ones I spent the most time on.
As a result, I found myself spending most of the year feeling confused as to how much effort I should put into each picture, and invariably finding that I still couldn't be bothered. In sum, 2013 actually proved to be an enormously frustrating year for me artistically, and contrary to my ambitions of becoming more productive, I failed to deliver even a fraction of the work that I'd been hoping to create. Quality over quantity perhaps, but frustrating nonetheless.
Things were also complicated by what was a rather peculiar year for me as a whole. I spent the first six months suffering from what I suspect now was a dose of genuine depression, given that I had been out of work for a long time and was beginning to panic about my career prospects, not to mention my bank account. Then after getting my new job midway through the year, I found the second six months so busy that I struggled to do much of anything in my free time - all of which was far from conducive towards me being productive in artistic terms.
Something I should make clear, should anyone be curious or concerned - I do my artwork for me. It is not something I feel obliged to do by demand from the fandom, nor do I shackle myself with any notion of what the fandom expects of my artistic standard. But my art has become an outlet for me, hence I experience a personal frustration when I can't be productive. Worse still, I can't escape the fact that I also have rather demanding standards of myself - I struggle to feel much for any of my pictures if I didn't invest sufficient time and emotion in them.
Which brings me to 2014. And the question of where to go from here.
I don't want to give up doing artwork altogether, not least because I think it would actually annoy and depress me. I want to be more productive, but I fear I won't be able to do that unless I either lower my standards or invest significantly in developing some new methods to increase the speed and ease of my work. Sadly, I don't see either prospect as being particularly likely.
What I may need to do, and what I might try to do this year, is to be less controlling over the presentation of my artwork. Perhaps part of my problem has been this obsession with getting things 'finished' - many folks have suggested to me before that I should upload my sketches and rough work, but I have been very reluctant to do so for fear of it somehow detracting from the revelation of my finished pieces. Now I am beginning to re-evaluate that belief, however; perhaps regularly uploading my work in various stages of completion will give me a greater sense of productivity by sharing my work more often, whilst still motivating me to ultimately finish it to the standard I desire.
I have also been somewhat obsessed by the notion of chronology within my galleries. I haven't wanted to mix up my new work with old pieces of comparatively poorer standards, or to confuse the presentation of comics and compilations by uploading their individual components. Again, I'm led to speculate that a change in attitude on this front might help me, given that uploading old work or segments of previously-submitted pictures would keep my galleries ticking over amid sparse times and further that notion of increased productivity - even if it is false.
I have been thinking about all this over the last few days, and I might start experimenting with it over the next few weeks. As such, if you see lots of sketches, scraps or old artwork suddenly appearing on my profile, you can assume that I'm giving it a go.
Anyway, I shall bring my ramblings to a halt here, if nothing else because I'm confident most of my watchers either haven't bothered to read all this or don't really understand it anyway. If you have bothered to read and comprehend it, or wish to offer any words of advice or support, you're most welcome to do so. I shall take it on board.
Thanks guys. Here's hoping 2014 proves to be a better year.
RRRex
So 2013 has gone. And with it, a resolution that I attempted to keep but with which I ultimately failed miserably throughout.
In case any of you missed my journal back in December 2012, I had made a bold decision that in 2013, I was going to go back to my cartoon style. It was in essence a bid to stop taking my artwork so seriously and hopefully produce more of it without going through a rollercoaster of apathy and frustration.
Regretfully, I came to the conclusion fairly quickly that this philosophy just wasn't working. I found that the notion of going back to my cartoon style was based on the misconception that my 'cartoon style' was anything of conscious substance. It was instead just a memory of the rather rubbish artwork I used to do back in 2007, and how quickly and easily I was consequently able to churn it out. Such art no longer has any appeal for me, and neither did the idea of ruining my newest ideas by not doing them artistic justice. In truth, of the pictures I did in 2013, the most appealing to me now are primarily the ones I spent the most time on.
As a result, I found myself spending most of the year feeling confused as to how much effort I should put into each picture, and invariably finding that I still couldn't be bothered. In sum, 2013 actually proved to be an enormously frustrating year for me artistically, and contrary to my ambitions of becoming more productive, I failed to deliver even a fraction of the work that I'd been hoping to create. Quality over quantity perhaps, but frustrating nonetheless.
Things were also complicated by what was a rather peculiar year for me as a whole. I spent the first six months suffering from what I suspect now was a dose of genuine depression, given that I had been out of work for a long time and was beginning to panic about my career prospects, not to mention my bank account. Then after getting my new job midway through the year, I found the second six months so busy that I struggled to do much of anything in my free time - all of which was far from conducive towards me being productive in artistic terms.
Something I should make clear, should anyone be curious or concerned - I do my artwork for me. It is not something I feel obliged to do by demand from the fandom, nor do I shackle myself with any notion of what the fandom expects of my artistic standard. But my art has become an outlet for me, hence I experience a personal frustration when I can't be productive. Worse still, I can't escape the fact that I also have rather demanding standards of myself - I struggle to feel much for any of my pictures if I didn't invest sufficient time and emotion in them.
Which brings me to 2014. And the question of where to go from here.
I don't want to give up doing artwork altogether, not least because I think it would actually annoy and depress me. I want to be more productive, but I fear I won't be able to do that unless I either lower my standards or invest significantly in developing some new methods to increase the speed and ease of my work. Sadly, I don't see either prospect as being particularly likely.
What I may need to do, and what I might try to do this year, is to be less controlling over the presentation of my artwork. Perhaps part of my problem has been this obsession with getting things 'finished' - many folks have suggested to me before that I should upload my sketches and rough work, but I have been very reluctant to do so for fear of it somehow detracting from the revelation of my finished pieces. Now I am beginning to re-evaluate that belief, however; perhaps regularly uploading my work in various stages of completion will give me a greater sense of productivity by sharing my work more often, whilst still motivating me to ultimately finish it to the standard I desire.
I have also been somewhat obsessed by the notion of chronology within my galleries. I haven't wanted to mix up my new work with old pieces of comparatively poorer standards, or to confuse the presentation of comics and compilations by uploading their individual components. Again, I'm led to speculate that a change in attitude on this front might help me, given that uploading old work or segments of previously-submitted pictures would keep my galleries ticking over amid sparse times and further that notion of increased productivity - even if it is false.
I have been thinking about all this over the last few days, and I might start experimenting with it over the next few weeks. As such, if you see lots of sketches, scraps or old artwork suddenly appearing on my profile, you can assume that I'm giving it a go.
Anyway, I shall bring my ramblings to a halt here, if nothing else because I'm confident most of my watchers either haven't bothered to read all this or don't really understand it anyway. If you have bothered to read and comprehend it, or wish to offer any words of advice or support, you're most welcome to do so. I shall take it on board.
Thanks guys. Here's hoping 2014 proves to be a better year.
RRRex
Update 20 Jun 2013 - New Job!
General | Posted 12 years agoHi everyone, RipRoarRex here.
As many of you have probably read in my previous journal entry, I've been going through something of an art block recently. Part of the reason I felt I had been suffering from this problem was because things haven't been going all that well in my life - I hadn't been able to get the job I wanted and my savings were rapidly diminishing.
Thankfully, I have some good news - I've FINALLY GOT A JOB!
I had an interview a couple of weeks ago and they offered me a job starting next month. As such, I'm feeling much more upbeat about life now. And with it, my art block has let up a bit too - in case you haven't already seen it, I've just posted my first new picture for two months (only viewable for those with mature submissions enabled) and I'm hoping to get some more pictures done in the free time I have left before my new job kicks in. So with any luck, there'll be a sudden burst of productivity from me in the next week or so.
Anyway, that's pretty much it for now. I will keep you all updated with how the new job goes, though obviously I'll have to see how it impacts upon my art and operation within the fandom compared with my current circumstances. Hopefully it will do me a lot of good.
Thanks for reading folks! And watch this space for more pics!
RRRex
As many of you have probably read in my previous journal entry, I've been going through something of an art block recently. Part of the reason I felt I had been suffering from this problem was because things haven't been going all that well in my life - I hadn't been able to get the job I wanted and my savings were rapidly diminishing.
Thankfully, I have some good news - I've FINALLY GOT A JOB!
I had an interview a couple of weeks ago and they offered me a job starting next month. As such, I'm feeling much more upbeat about life now. And with it, my art block has let up a bit too - in case you haven't already seen it, I've just posted my first new picture for two months (only viewable for those with mature submissions enabled) and I'm hoping to get some more pictures done in the free time I have left before my new job kicks in. So with any luck, there'll be a sudden burst of productivity from me in the next week or so.
Anyway, that's pretty much it for now. I will keep you all updated with how the new job goes, though obviously I'll have to see how it impacts upon my art and operation within the fandom compared with my current circumstances. Hopefully it will do me a lot of good.
Thanks for reading folks! And watch this space for more pics!
RRRex
Update 20 May 2013 - Paw Day & Art Block
General | Posted 12 years agoHi folks,
Before I begin, here's wishing Happy Paw Day to everyone!
I've been asked by quite a few people as to whether I was producing any artwork for today. Well I'm sorry to say that the answer is no, for two reasons - firstly because, like every year, I forgot Paw Day was coming up. But secondly, it's because I'm not really drawing anything at the moment.
I'm afraid I seem to be going through another bit of an art block lately, much as I did back in 2009/10. I can't remember if I've voiced this theory somewhere before, but I personally believe there are three types of art block: Inspiration (where you don't know what to draw), Execution (where you can't draw things you normally can), and Motivation (where you just don't want to draw). I believe mine - as it usually does - takes the form of the third type.
I never have a problem with ideas. I've always got loads in my head. But as I've mentioned before, I don't tend to draw unless I'm in the right mood, and even when I'm in the mood to draw, I need to be in a particular mood for subject matter, dependent on species or scenario. Just lately, I've been finding that I'm rarely in any particular mood, and even when I am, I experience a complete lack of enthusiasm for the idea of actually putting pencil to paper.
Part of this is down to my current circumstances. I'm still out of work at the moment - as I have been for nearly a year now - and I'm in that frustrating state of constantly waiting for people to get back to me re applications and interviews. As a result, I tend to find I can't enjoy my free time during the usual working hours because I'm either expending nervous energy in anticipation of getting a call back, or I'm giving myself a hard time that I'm not doing more to find work.
In addition to that though, the truth is that my plan to return to my cartoon style - as explained in my journal last year - has not exactly gone to plan. The Gantu pictures I did back in January were relatively consistent with this approach, but then once I started drawing my own characters (as in the Cassie and Seb pictures), I couldn't make myself draw them cartoony and ended up doing exactly the same as I was last year.
I'm actually finding all this 'new approach' has done is made it very difficult to determine what it is that I'm going for with my artwork anymore. On the rare occasions that I have been sketching things recently, I feel like anything I draw out quickly in a cartoon style isn't finished, because I haven't done it "properly". But when I sit down to try and do something "properly", I find I can't even be bothered to start. Even when I try cartooning, I feel there's a distinction between 'rough' cartooning and 'proper' cartooning, the latter of which I have less motivation for.
I'm not yet sure exactly how I'm going to go forward with my art at this moment in time. I think the fundamental problem for me at present is that I don't like uploading anything that I feel isn't 'finished' in some way, i.e. done "properly" to a particular level of completion. Perhaps I need to upload more sketches, but the trouble is that I don't like my sketches - they are usually either a dreadful mess or something that I've knocked together in ten minutes that just isn't really worthwhile sticking on the internet.
I may find I get over this relatively quickly. I may find that I suddenly get work and my ability to relax and enjoy artwork returns. Or I may have to go through some complete re-assessment of why I'm doing art and whether to bother with it. As such, I'd be grateful if people refrain from sending me too many messages along the lines of "what are you working on" or "when is your next picture coming out", because the simple truth is that I don't have an answer for you.
Thanks for reading, folks. And sorry for the rather glum outlook.
RRRex
Before I begin, here's wishing Happy Paw Day to everyone!
I've been asked by quite a few people as to whether I was producing any artwork for today. Well I'm sorry to say that the answer is no, for two reasons - firstly because, like every year, I forgot Paw Day was coming up. But secondly, it's because I'm not really drawing anything at the moment.
I'm afraid I seem to be going through another bit of an art block lately, much as I did back in 2009/10. I can't remember if I've voiced this theory somewhere before, but I personally believe there are three types of art block: Inspiration (where you don't know what to draw), Execution (where you can't draw things you normally can), and Motivation (where you just don't want to draw). I believe mine - as it usually does - takes the form of the third type.
I never have a problem with ideas. I've always got loads in my head. But as I've mentioned before, I don't tend to draw unless I'm in the right mood, and even when I'm in the mood to draw, I need to be in a particular mood for subject matter, dependent on species or scenario. Just lately, I've been finding that I'm rarely in any particular mood, and even when I am, I experience a complete lack of enthusiasm for the idea of actually putting pencil to paper.
Part of this is down to my current circumstances. I'm still out of work at the moment - as I have been for nearly a year now - and I'm in that frustrating state of constantly waiting for people to get back to me re applications and interviews. As a result, I tend to find I can't enjoy my free time during the usual working hours because I'm either expending nervous energy in anticipation of getting a call back, or I'm giving myself a hard time that I'm not doing more to find work.
In addition to that though, the truth is that my plan to return to my cartoon style - as explained in my journal last year - has not exactly gone to plan. The Gantu pictures I did back in January were relatively consistent with this approach, but then once I started drawing my own characters (as in the Cassie and Seb pictures), I couldn't make myself draw them cartoony and ended up doing exactly the same as I was last year.
I'm actually finding all this 'new approach' has done is made it very difficult to determine what it is that I'm going for with my artwork anymore. On the rare occasions that I have been sketching things recently, I feel like anything I draw out quickly in a cartoon style isn't finished, because I haven't done it "properly". But when I sit down to try and do something "properly", I find I can't even be bothered to start. Even when I try cartooning, I feel there's a distinction between 'rough' cartooning and 'proper' cartooning, the latter of which I have less motivation for.
I'm not yet sure exactly how I'm going to go forward with my art at this moment in time. I think the fundamental problem for me at present is that I don't like uploading anything that I feel isn't 'finished' in some way, i.e. done "properly" to a particular level of completion. Perhaps I need to upload more sketches, but the trouble is that I don't like my sketches - they are usually either a dreadful mess or something that I've knocked together in ten minutes that just isn't really worthwhile sticking on the internet.
I may find I get over this relatively quickly. I may find that I suddenly get work and my ability to relax and enjoy artwork returns. Or I may have to go through some complete re-assessment of why I'm doing art and whether to bother with it. As such, I'd be grateful if people refrain from sending me too many messages along the lines of "what are you working on" or "when is your next picture coming out", because the simple truth is that I don't have an answer for you.
Thanks for reading, folks. And sorry for the rather glum outlook.
RRRex
Reminder About 'Fake' RipRoarRex Accounts/Profiles
General | Posted 13 years agoHi folks,
Some of you may remember I posted a journal earlier in the year about 'fake' RipRoarRex profiles on various websites and services - in other words, accounts registered under the name RipRoarRex which are not owned or controlled by me. Some of these are impostors masquerading as me or reposting my artwork, while others are just people who have annoyingly decided to use my alias for whatever reason.
I am already aware of several websites where accounts exist under the name 'RipRoarRex' that are nothing to do with me. Any 'RipRoarRex' accounts you might find on MySpace, Habbo, Bebo, Gaia or Twitter are NOT me. I have also had it brought to my attention today that there is a 'RipRoarRex' using Steam - again, this is NOT me.
Folks, if you ever find a profile under the name RipRoarRex and you are in doubt as to whether it is actually controlled by me, please just check the 'Contact' page of my website and check if the profile or address is listed. This page will show you what websites and services I am registered on and which precise profiles are actually my own:
http://download.lavadomefive.com/me.....x/contact.html
(Note: My MSN address is the same as my email address listed, though I don't really use MSN anymore.)
If you find any RipRoarRex accounts anywhere else which are not listed on the Contact page, please ignore them. You're also welcome to inform me about them - I do like to keep tabs on these things where possible.
Thanks guys,
RRRex
Some of you may remember I posted a journal earlier in the year about 'fake' RipRoarRex profiles on various websites and services - in other words, accounts registered under the name RipRoarRex which are not owned or controlled by me. Some of these are impostors masquerading as me or reposting my artwork, while others are just people who have annoyingly decided to use my alias for whatever reason.
I am already aware of several websites where accounts exist under the name 'RipRoarRex' that are nothing to do with me. Any 'RipRoarRex' accounts you might find on MySpace, Habbo, Bebo, Gaia or Twitter are NOT me. I have also had it brought to my attention today that there is a 'RipRoarRex' using Steam - again, this is NOT me.
Folks, if you ever find a profile under the name RipRoarRex and you are in doubt as to whether it is actually controlled by me, please just check the 'Contact' page of my website and check if the profile or address is listed. This page will show you what websites and services I am registered on and which precise profiles are actually my own:
http://download.lavadomefive.com/me.....x/contact.html
(Note: My MSN address is the same as my email address listed, though I don't really use MSN anymore.)
If you find any RipRoarRex accounts anywhere else which are not listed on the Contact page, please ignore them. You're also welcome to inform me about them - I do like to keep tabs on these things where possible.
Thanks guys,
RRRex
RipRoarRex on Inkbunny and Weasyl / 'Fake' Profiles
General | Posted 13 years agoHi folks, RipRoarRex here once again.
Some of you may be aware that I recently registered an account on Weasyl, while others among you may also know that I've had an Inkbunny account for over two years now. However, both were originally created only as placeholders and have laid dormant - until now.
I'm not sure whether it's a sense of guilt at wasting the accounts or a feeling of wanting to start afresh in new places for the new year, but I decided to make some use of both accounts by uploading some profile info and character images.
My profile addresses are as follows:
Inkbunny: https://inkbunny.net/RipRoarRex/
Weasyl: https://www.weasyl.com/profile/riproarrex/
You are welcome to follow/friend me or leave comments on either profile, though please bear in mind that I'm still not sure how much use I will yet make of them and might not respond too quickly. If you are eager to get hold of me quickly, you are better off contacting me here on FA or via email.
On a further note, I also wanted to make it known that I am aware I have a few 'impersonators' on the web - other people not affiliated with me who are either using the name RipRoarRex on various websites, masquerading as my characters or reposting my artwork.
I wish to make this clear - there is a complete and comprehensive list of all my accounts and profiles on my website's 'Contact' page (CLICK HERE). Every account I own is listed therein. Therefore, any other accounts registered under the name RipRoarRex on these sites or any others which do not appear on this list are 'fake' accounts not owned or controlled by me. These are also the only sites and accounts which I use to upload my artwork - work of mine found anywhere else or under any other name has not been uploaded by me and is not under my control.
If anyone has any questions about any of this, feel free to reply below or send me a note. Thanks for reading.
RRRex
Some of you may be aware that I recently registered an account on Weasyl, while others among you may also know that I've had an Inkbunny account for over two years now. However, both were originally created only as placeholders and have laid dormant - until now.
I'm not sure whether it's a sense of guilt at wasting the accounts or a feeling of wanting to start afresh in new places for the new year, but I decided to make some use of both accounts by uploading some profile info and character images.
My profile addresses are as follows:
Inkbunny: https://inkbunny.net/RipRoarRex/
Weasyl: https://www.weasyl.com/profile/riproarrex/
You are welcome to follow/friend me or leave comments on either profile, though please bear in mind that I'm still not sure how much use I will yet make of them and might not respond too quickly. If you are eager to get hold of me quickly, you are better off contacting me here on FA or via email.
On a further note, I also wanted to make it known that I am aware I have a few 'impersonators' on the web - other people not affiliated with me who are either using the name RipRoarRex on various websites, masquerading as my characters or reposting my artwork.
I wish to make this clear - there is a complete and comprehensive list of all my accounts and profiles on my website's 'Contact' page (CLICK HERE). Every account I own is listed therein. Therefore, any other accounts registered under the name RipRoarRex on these sites or any others which do not appear on this list are 'fake' accounts not owned or controlled by me. These are also the only sites and accounts which I use to upload my artwork - work of mine found anywhere else or under any other name has not been uploaded by me and is not under my control.
If anyone has any questions about any of this, feel free to reply below or send me a note. Thanks for reading.
RRRex
Update 28 Dec 2012 - A Change Of Direction For 2013
General | Posted 13 years agoHowdy folks, RipRoarRex back again.
Over the past 12 months, I'm sure many of you will have noticed something of a change of direction in my artwork. With a few exceptions, 2012 has primarily been a year of exploring cartoon styles for me, and it is something I have actually rather enjoyed.
Indeed, one of the reasons I have enjoyed it is because it is considerably easier and less stressful for me than the more realistic style which I have come to consider my own over the past couple of years. When I forced myself to resume this style in order to produce the 12 profile images of my original characters for the relaunch of RipRoarRex's Realm, a few of you will recall that I experienced major difficulties with some of the pictures, and the full collection actually took around two months to complete.
Those difficulties were representative of what has comprised the majority of my experiences in creating pictures over the last three years or so. Indeed, one of my journal entries in September outlined the full extent of these common problems. As such, when I know I'm likely to suffer this same rollercoaster of irritations every time I sit down to work on a new piece, it becomes very hard to even start a new picture at all, and I have to be very motivated and focused if I am to be capable of overcoming that hurdle.
The main reason I have had these difficulties over the last couple of years is because, put simply, my standards have become higher. When I first arrived in the fandom and saw other people's furry artwork for the first time, I came to realise just how much I had to learn about anatomy and animal forms, as demonstrated by the rather crude standards of my work back in 2007. In those days, it did not bother me so much - I was only interested in what the characters were doing rather than how they actually looked - but I subsequently took it upon myself to improve.
I recognise that I have been pretty successful in achieving this aim given the rate and extent to which my work has developed since then. But during that time, the balance between 'drawing things I want to see' and 'drawing things well' has tipped from the former to the latter, so much so that I now find little enjoyment in creating artwork unless it looks absolutely perfect - and the simple truth is, it very rarely comes close. It is this obsession to become better at what I do that has kicked all the fun out of my work, and driven me to such frequent moments of madness described in the aforementioned journal.
However, these are only the constraints of the more realistic, anatomically-accurate style of mine that I have developed in the last few years. Where cartooning is concerned, this does not apply - or at least not to anywhere near the same degree. Cartoon styles are, by their nature, much more forgiving and loose in form, and I feel less pressure to 'get things right' when sketching toons compared with my regular approach. My divergence over the past year into replicating the styles of Seth MacFarlane, Disney and Warner Bros is demonstrative of my desire to regain that expressive freedom that comes from cartooning - albeit with the alternative constraints of working in someone else's style.
But what it has done is made me realise that I miss drawing cartoons. I miss the days when I could have an idea, draw it crudely within an hour and enjoy the concept for what it was, rather than quibble for days or even weeks over how it had been represented. As poor as my early work was by my recent standards, it was more quick and fun to create. And furthermore, so were the cartoon images I have been drawing over the past 12 months.
As such, back during those frustrating summer weeks when I was creating those damned profile images, I came to a personal decision - I want to go back to my cartoon style.
I know I have come a long way in the last few years and I feel I have learned an awful lot. I've also discovered what I can do, testing and developing my abilities to personal levels that, a few years back, I never thought I would have reached. But now I've done that, I feel I have gotten about as much as I can out of it, and realised that it has robbed me of what I started drawing for in the first place. I know what I can do, and you know what I can do, so there's not much left to prove.
When producing those profile pictures, I sought to make them the best representations of my characters that I could. But now I've done that, I feel I have license to play with them in a much more loose form again, to worry less about how they look and more about what they're doing, as was always the intention in creating them. The profiles of my 12 original characters have established their designs in the most precise way I can currently manage - now I don't need to be that precise ever again.
I shall clarify - this doesn't mean that I will suddenly drop all my standards and produce rubbish work, not least because I wouldn't be able to let myself do that. This doesn't mean that I'll never push myself again or never draw anything with the same (if not greater) levels of accuracy and realism that I have been doing in recent times. But I feel I would prefer this to be the minority of occasions, and instead to make cartooning the majority of my artistic output again. Rather than testing my skills, I think I'd rather just enjoy them now.
Now I know I don't need to make this 'announcement'. I know I don't need to justify what direction I take my artwork in, or explain why the standard of my future output may yet seem inferior to what I've already done. Indeed, I know I also need not consider it 'inferior' to anything. But given how annoyed I have gotten with myself over the last few years, I've found a catharsis in writing this journal, and it helps me to express to you all what my artwork has become, and what I would therefore like it to become in future: a hobby, not a job.
In closing: further to the comments I made at the end of my last submission, I just wanted to confirm that I won't be producing any more artwork before the end of 2012 - as much as I enjoy my tradition of a New Year's Eve picture, I simply don't have the time or freedom now to produce one given my current circumstances with relatives staying over for the holidays. As such, I shall instead look ahead to 2013 with a new attitude and hopefully be back next year with some fresh new material for you all.
To everyone, here's wishing you a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Take care!
RRRex
Over the past 12 months, I'm sure many of you will have noticed something of a change of direction in my artwork. With a few exceptions, 2012 has primarily been a year of exploring cartoon styles for me, and it is something I have actually rather enjoyed.
Indeed, one of the reasons I have enjoyed it is because it is considerably easier and less stressful for me than the more realistic style which I have come to consider my own over the past couple of years. When I forced myself to resume this style in order to produce the 12 profile images of my original characters for the relaunch of RipRoarRex's Realm, a few of you will recall that I experienced major difficulties with some of the pictures, and the full collection actually took around two months to complete.
Those difficulties were representative of what has comprised the majority of my experiences in creating pictures over the last three years or so. Indeed, one of my journal entries in September outlined the full extent of these common problems. As such, when I know I'm likely to suffer this same rollercoaster of irritations every time I sit down to work on a new piece, it becomes very hard to even start a new picture at all, and I have to be very motivated and focused if I am to be capable of overcoming that hurdle.
The main reason I have had these difficulties over the last couple of years is because, put simply, my standards have become higher. When I first arrived in the fandom and saw other people's furry artwork for the first time, I came to realise just how much I had to learn about anatomy and animal forms, as demonstrated by the rather crude standards of my work back in 2007. In those days, it did not bother me so much - I was only interested in what the characters were doing rather than how they actually looked - but I subsequently took it upon myself to improve.
I recognise that I have been pretty successful in achieving this aim given the rate and extent to which my work has developed since then. But during that time, the balance between 'drawing things I want to see' and 'drawing things well' has tipped from the former to the latter, so much so that I now find little enjoyment in creating artwork unless it looks absolutely perfect - and the simple truth is, it very rarely comes close. It is this obsession to become better at what I do that has kicked all the fun out of my work, and driven me to such frequent moments of madness described in the aforementioned journal.
However, these are only the constraints of the more realistic, anatomically-accurate style of mine that I have developed in the last few years. Where cartooning is concerned, this does not apply - or at least not to anywhere near the same degree. Cartoon styles are, by their nature, much more forgiving and loose in form, and I feel less pressure to 'get things right' when sketching toons compared with my regular approach. My divergence over the past year into replicating the styles of Seth MacFarlane, Disney and Warner Bros is demonstrative of my desire to regain that expressive freedom that comes from cartooning - albeit with the alternative constraints of working in someone else's style.
But what it has done is made me realise that I miss drawing cartoons. I miss the days when I could have an idea, draw it crudely within an hour and enjoy the concept for what it was, rather than quibble for days or even weeks over how it had been represented. As poor as my early work was by my recent standards, it was more quick and fun to create. And furthermore, so were the cartoon images I have been drawing over the past 12 months.
As such, back during those frustrating summer weeks when I was creating those damned profile images, I came to a personal decision - I want to go back to my cartoon style.
I know I have come a long way in the last few years and I feel I have learned an awful lot. I've also discovered what I can do, testing and developing my abilities to personal levels that, a few years back, I never thought I would have reached. But now I've done that, I feel I have gotten about as much as I can out of it, and realised that it has robbed me of what I started drawing for in the first place. I know what I can do, and you know what I can do, so there's not much left to prove.
When producing those profile pictures, I sought to make them the best representations of my characters that I could. But now I've done that, I feel I have license to play with them in a much more loose form again, to worry less about how they look and more about what they're doing, as was always the intention in creating them. The profiles of my 12 original characters have established their designs in the most precise way I can currently manage - now I don't need to be that precise ever again.
I shall clarify - this doesn't mean that I will suddenly drop all my standards and produce rubbish work, not least because I wouldn't be able to let myself do that. This doesn't mean that I'll never push myself again or never draw anything with the same (if not greater) levels of accuracy and realism that I have been doing in recent times. But I feel I would prefer this to be the minority of occasions, and instead to make cartooning the majority of my artistic output again. Rather than testing my skills, I think I'd rather just enjoy them now.
Now I know I don't need to make this 'announcement'. I know I don't need to justify what direction I take my artwork in, or explain why the standard of my future output may yet seem inferior to what I've already done. Indeed, I know I also need not consider it 'inferior' to anything. But given how annoyed I have gotten with myself over the last few years, I've found a catharsis in writing this journal, and it helps me to express to you all what my artwork has become, and what I would therefore like it to become in future: a hobby, not a job.
In closing: further to the comments I made at the end of my last submission, I just wanted to confirm that I won't be producing any more artwork before the end of 2012 - as much as I enjoy my tradition of a New Year's Eve picture, I simply don't have the time or freedom now to produce one given my current circumstances with relatives staying over for the holidays. As such, I shall instead look ahead to 2013 with a new attitude and hopefully be back next year with some fresh new material for you all.
To everyone, here's wishing you a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Take care!
RRRex
The BRAND NEW RipRoarRex's Realm (v3.0) - NOW LIVE!
General | Posted 13 years agoHi everyone, RipRoarRex here.
MY BRAND NEW WEBSITE IS FINALLY COMPLETE!
After several months of work, RipRoarRex's Realm v3.0 is finally live. Improvements on the previous site include a modern layout and design, improved navigability, new character artwork and biographies, a brand new Tutorials section and a revamped About page, as well as a spiffy new homepage!
Both previous incarnations of the website, v1.0 (2007-2008) and v2.0 (2008-2012) were designed using a very buggy free piece of software called NVu, and both were constructed using a WYSIWYG approach with tables. However, having taught myself some HTML and CSS back in late 2009, I became unhappy with the clumsy way my site was constructed and have been planning a total revamp for about two years now. I was also tired of the old banner and character profile artwork, all of which was done in April 2008 and now looks very dated compared to my current style.
As such, anyone who has been following my journals recently will be aware that I have spent much of the past couple of months creating new profile artwork for all of my characters, of which the individual images will be uploaded to my FA shortly. Each character was drawn, coloured, shaded and textured individually before being pasted into this full compilation image, which is now being used on the new homepage.
The new website is also significantly improved in its construction. Rather than using the lazy WYSIWYG editor in NVu, I started using Adobe Dreamweaver CS5.5 (which I bought earlier in the year) and began coding the entire thing from the ground up in HTML and CSS Stylesheets. This is the first time I have taken on such a project on a pure coding basis and as such, it has been a very steep learning curve, but I am very happy with the results.
Obviously the site is still very new and I have only been able to carry out limited testing so far. However, from what I have tested, the site displays pretty much identically and - for the most part - correctly in most browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera). If you do find any bugs or errors however, feel free to send me a note or an email and I will try to fix the problem as soon as possible.
(On a random note, does anybody know any websites that host six-digit hit counters? Mine is only a five-digit counter but my site has now had over 300,000 hits since 2007, and I'm getting a bit annoyed with having to manually add the first digit to stop it looking like it's resetting itself to 00000 each time it clocks up another 100k!)
So please don't hesitate to check out my new site - and I hope you enjoy browsing!
RRRex
PS - Seems the site might run a bit slowly for a while if there are a lot of visitors! I'm afraid I don't control the server; only the site!
MY BRAND NEW WEBSITE IS FINALLY COMPLETE!
After several months of work, RipRoarRex's Realm v3.0 is finally live. Improvements on the previous site include a modern layout and design, improved navigability, new character artwork and biographies, a brand new Tutorials section and a revamped About page, as well as a spiffy new homepage!
Both previous incarnations of the website, v1.0 (2007-2008) and v2.0 (2008-2012) were designed using a very buggy free piece of software called NVu, and both were constructed using a WYSIWYG approach with tables. However, having taught myself some HTML and CSS back in late 2009, I became unhappy with the clumsy way my site was constructed and have been planning a total revamp for about two years now. I was also tired of the old banner and character profile artwork, all of which was done in April 2008 and now looks very dated compared to my current style.
As such, anyone who has been following my journals recently will be aware that I have spent much of the past couple of months creating new profile artwork for all of my characters, of which the individual images will be uploaded to my FA shortly. Each character was drawn, coloured, shaded and textured individually before being pasted into this full compilation image, which is now being used on the new homepage.
The new website is also significantly improved in its construction. Rather than using the lazy WYSIWYG editor in NVu, I started using Adobe Dreamweaver CS5.5 (which I bought earlier in the year) and began coding the entire thing from the ground up in HTML and CSS Stylesheets. This is the first time I have taken on such a project on a pure coding basis and as such, it has been a very steep learning curve, but I am very happy with the results.
Obviously the site is still very new and I have only been able to carry out limited testing so far. However, from what I have tested, the site displays pretty much identically and - for the most part - correctly in most browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera). If you do find any bugs or errors however, feel free to send me a note or an email and I will try to fix the problem as soon as possible.
(On a random note, does anybody know any websites that host six-digit hit counters? Mine is only a five-digit counter but my site has now had over 300,000 hits since 2007, and I'm getting a bit annoyed with having to manually add the first digit to stop it looking like it's resetting itself to 00000 each time it clocks up another 100k!)
So please don't hesitate to check out my new site - and I hope you enjoy browsing!
RRRex
PS - Seems the site might run a bit slowly for a while if there are a lot of visitors! I'm afraid I don't control the server; only the site!
Update 29 Oct 2012 - New Website In Production
General | Posted 13 years agoHi everyone, RipRoarRex stopping by with a quick update on what I'm up to.
Folks have probably noticed my recent journal entry concerning my artistic frustrations whilst producing some new profile pictures for my gallery. The reason for producing these new images was to incorporate them into a complete revamp of my website, RipRoarRex's Realm. The current site design is now four years old and not very well constructed, so I'm hoping the new site will be a significant improvement.
The good news is that all the profile pictures are finally finished (and looking nice too, which is a good job considering they all took about two months of work...!). The bad news is that the site is still quite some way from completion. Given that I have been devoting all my time to this revamp since finishing my postgraduate course, I have not been working on any other pictures/animations in that time and will be keeping all my other projects on hold until my new site is completed.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that I might make enough progress on this over the next few days for the new site to go live by the end of this week, so watch this space!
RRRex
Folks have probably noticed my recent journal entry concerning my artistic frustrations whilst producing some new profile pictures for my gallery. The reason for producing these new images was to incorporate them into a complete revamp of my website, RipRoarRex's Realm. The current site design is now four years old and not very well constructed, so I'm hoping the new site will be a significant improvement.
The good news is that all the profile pictures are finally finished (and looking nice too, which is a good job considering they all took about two months of work...!). The bad news is that the site is still quite some way from completion. Given that I have been devoting all my time to this revamp since finishing my postgraduate course, I have not been working on any other pictures/animations in that time and will be keeping all my other projects on hold until my new site is completed.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that I might make enough progress on this over the next few days for the new site to go live by the end of this week, so watch this space!
RRRex
