Life Drawing-Up to now

Lets Talk Cars.

During the day I find moments to myself where I take the time to thank God for reaffirming that feeling of what I am doing is the right thing.

Im having such a writers block today and I opened this text-box hoping I would fill it to the brim with talks on cars that I love, appreciate, and talk about design wise. Heck I even wanted to cover cars that I don't like, either. However, I have hit a wall as far as what I want to talk about so I think I will "ramble-type" to see if I can make sense of what is churning in my brain.

I will say that one awesome "thing" I love about California and my decision to be out here is the frequency of seeing what is considered a "super car" or just a rare one, with 60 billiongajillion people living in california(apparently that number is accurate), the amount of multi-millionares goes up, as does the caliber of their vehicular investments. The mostly men I find that drive these cars are always glad to see the fanatics like myself who "ooh" and "ahh" over the carbon-fiber driveshafts and rear mounted flat-sixes. I know that if I were an older wealthy man, I would love for anyone to go gaga over my ride too.

Lately I have been on a wagon fix. Anything with 5 doors and all-wheel drive (apparently that market has grown and the gray area has become even grayer) is the bees knees for me. Volvo has always created unique or appealing cars and their profession has been wagons, the V70 R has been on my short list for some time now when it comes to "gotta have it" factor. The 300hp 5-Cylinder turbo mated to the all-wheel drive system from Haldex whets my appetite, whereas the adjustable suspension settings for sport-comfort-advanced, adds sophistication to the chassis settings and overall makes the driving experience better. The Volvo XC70 Cross Country has its duty when the pavement ends or the weather turns sour. Stemming from that story is Audi and the brand image they have created for their "Quattro" named drivetrain. The A6 line and when they came out with the AllRoad in the early 2000's really, to me, added an awesome raised wagon that had the rugged look while maintaining the luxury nameplate that Audi has since built for itself. On the flip-side the RS6 Avant has had a fan base since its introduction and I consider myself a big one.

Now I am aware that BMW has been perfecting the wagon and I applaud them for doing so but with BMW, everyone knows the products put out so theres not much I need to say. I have loved the MINI Clubman since its introduction a few years ago and even though I would consider it a long hatchback first before a wagon, it's still on my list. However with the introduction of the Countryman on the horizon I have big plans for that car.

Also on a side note with my Product/Life Drawing/Concepts in Drawing/Perspective Classes almost mid-way through, I am beginning to look forward to summer/fall classes and here are some ideas that I have had lately.

For Summer Im looking into going in a different direction for my own sanity. Swimming. I figure at the end of this semester I will have completed 9 Art Classes so taking a swimming class is a way to just occupy my time with one extra credit, plus after some thought, it will allow my creative brain to rest and think about something else. Now if I decide to stay on the path I will consider an advanced sketching for design class OR rendering class because I want to just build my skills.

Regarding the fall, I know I want advanced Product class, but past that im not sure. I basically have to fill my time with everything i can pack into a portfolio, or 7

I know this is probably the most sporadic post and apologies for those who are sitting here going WTH.

Always A Time For Firsts.

At 4:03am this morning I woke on my bed and immediately sat up, my body was rocking back and forth and suddenly my bed was too?! Yeah, it was my first earthquake. Just as soon as it started though it stopped and I got up and tip-toed over to the windows to look out to see if there was anything unusual and once I saw nothing, I quickly made my way to the front door and looked into the peep hole and still nothing. I honestly thought that I was ABSOLUTELY crazy and I really couldn't put my finger on why I woke up. So I laid back down and on my iPhone I checked the major news outlets for any info. Nothing. So I hopped on Facebook and one of my friends across town wrote "did anyone else just feel that?". I PANICKED! hahaha wow I just went through my very first quake, albeit a 4.5 magnitude, but still. Enough that I was all emotional and scared.

Another day, another experience.

Week

This week I learned alot about myself as an avid car fan, time management, and sleep patterns.

To start, one sad fact that I learned is when I am in a new social setting or I am having small talk it is not uncommon for me to revert to talking about cars and discussing them in great detail to the point where even I feel that I am beating a dead horse. It really has caused me trouble and I feel I should make it known that no matter what the hobby that you have or the love of one topic, please, its a good thing to change the subject from time to time.

Since the dinner party I hosted last weekend was a total smash and everyone loved it we have decided as a group to make the event a once-a-month ordeal. Not so much a dinner parties at my place but the group gathering as a whole because we are students in the arts side, who are here to support each other and also take the time to occupy our minds with the company of others and not art. Either way we always end up on the subject of art. From that it should be said, without compromise to get your work done before you go out and have fun. Its imperative to bust your ass, take notes, follow along and just overall pay attention to dates that teachers and professors like to throw out that are regarding projects because this week I had a very tough time. I had a tough time differentiating the classes as to levels of importance and what needed to be done. Like we are told, we are supposed to go above and beyond the expectations of our instructors and our peers. So allowing distractions or miscommunications in your life so easily will never come out with positive effects. I literally felt like I was waking up at the beginning of this past week going to product design and ending today with perspective, with no breaks or room to breathe. I also have a weekend full of homework and busy work, not to mention the obligations I am holding to maintain friendships and appearances. Haha.

Also. Sleep. Sleep well and remain rested. Why? Because I said so.

Week in Review.

There are many lessons that I am learning that are both fun and irritationg at the same time.

Life Drawing/Perspective

I have never drawn a naked person before, hmm looks like im getting the idea.

The Lines at the top are what we did today in perspective, which is vital to Trans Design. My best friend out here and myself are getting into the routine of our classes. One week she drives and the next week I do because the life drawing class is off-campus. Probably because of the whole "naked" topic. Im working on putting more of my work up here because I want to show you my progression as well as keeping a log myself. I want to see where I am improving and where Im not so I can adjust. Time management seems to be top priority on my list of things that need to be handled. I have setup and made note of when I should work and when I should break. Fine tuning as I go.

The Geneva Auto Show was in full swing today and there were plenty of cars to discuss but the two that REALLY stood out were the MINI Countryman and the Bugatti Grand Sport Carbon Fiber. If you know me personally you know how much of a MINI lover I am and a true fan of the brand so to see it expand to officially 4 models just makes me happy and hopeful that they dont lose the MINI "cheekyness" that has helped it be so popular from the beginning.

Also to update the living situation, problems have been solved! The place has been sold and everything is back to normal, my parents came into town from Tennessee to visit this last weekend and we saw the SITES! It was nice to just remove my mind from that working mindset. Needless to say I found a gray hair this morning. I missed my family and although it is rare when we see each other and are able to just be the three of us. It was special.