Pthalo

Hey everyone! Sorry about the absence! A lot is still happening, but I haven't stopped practicing, and I think I've gotten a lot better. I saved a lot of money to buy better creative equipment, and am now helping to develop a small game 😀. New art forthcoming! -Pthalo

Thanks, I'm glad you like it! :-D

Sorry for taking so long! Here's a (maybe a little too well endowed) drawing of Fujiko for @Grimoire Greys! I didn't darken her hair due to the quality of the paper-- it'd soak right through! Regardless, Fujiko is a fun subject to draw! :-D I hope you like it! Secondly, I promised a while ago that I would post the progress on my handheld-- so, here it is. I call it the 'Ronin', a nod to the Sega Nomad. It's almost done ( note the tape holding the controller on xD) , but I need to widen the cartridge slot on the back with a dremel. So far, it plays pretty nice! Hopefully this will help during those holiday road trips. If you want the nerdy specs, feel free to ask and I will unleash an unrelenting torrent of data on this thread. -Pthalo

Ooooh! May I see? That setup sounds extra nice-- For the Indy trucks-- are you using the stock bushings? Also what rating bearings do you use? My board came with Abec-3's ( Which is like the lowest, right? ), but I'm almost completely certain that these should be swapped out. Chief reason is that now since I've sort of broken 'em in, my wheels don't seem to spin so well anymore.

I see! I have my favorite pair of shoes that I wear now, so I'm getting to that level! I tried again today, and it was a lot better. I think the only thing that threw me off was that it was pretty cold, and I had to wear a somewhat heavy coat. I got the hang of it by the end of the day-- but I will say this-- Skateboarding has been doing wonders for my social anxiety, and I think it's because I don't focus so much on everyone else--I'm trying too hard not to slam to care. Also, you said you ride a Pharmacy deck, right? Do they make cruiser shapes?

Thanks! Awesome. I may very well grab those Acids, then. :-) Well today I was stoked to bring my board to work to get to a meeting-- but I had a problem. As soon as I stepped on the thing, it flew out ahead of me, almost into traffic. I had to make a dash of shame to go get it, all while looking like a total nimrod. I had the same issue all day-- I could ride for a few feet, but then I'd wobble and bail off. The problem, as I found after I got home, completely frustrated-- was my bag. Apparently these lil' buggers throw off my center of gravity. I honestly have never skated with one on up until today-- because it had my computer in it for the meeting. As soon as I removed the thing, my balance came back and I was fine. To be quite honest, I'm pretty excited about how quick I've picked up balancing-- but I'm still bummed that I made a fool of myself today :-(. There's always tomorrow... -Pthalo

I still get the chills hearing this theme, and I don't even like tennis. But MAN do I love this anime! ...You know about that Super Love Lotion? *Insert Smug Grin*

Whooooa! o_o Duja is the official forum Skatelord!! Well...Here's mine, you can tell I'm lame because of how spotless it is. I skate in Vans Sk8 Hi's because they feel nice and supportive. Also when's a good time to change wheels?

Hi Everybody, Pthalo here-- And I've done something impulsive again! After a series of events, I've purchased a skateboard from the dreaded poser citadel that is Zumiez. So, if you've got the time, pull up a chair, friend! This is sure to be a doozy. At my new job at an undisclosed University, there are several ways for the staff to get around. Depending on one's department, you're allowed either Golf Carts, Utility Vehicles, or 12-Passenger Vans. The department that I work in is the IT sector-- we have to use Golf Carts. The caveat? There's only two of them. Being the new guy, I usually don't get out in time to hire one out-- so I have to hoof-it across campus to fix stuff or attend training. After a few instances of this, I got to thinking: What if I brought my own transportation? ...Enter my unrequited love for skate culture. When I was a kid I had a skateboard, but not a real one. My folks got it for me at a bazaar out in Grand Prairie from a weirdo vendor with a toothy grin. The colors on it were neon and fantastic, but the thing rolled like crap. The deck had no concave to speak of, plus it was heavier than the Zig-Zags' debut album. Looking back, this is probably why my normally very concerned parents were completely okay with me having this particular skateboard. My friends in the neighborhood all had skateboards, too-- but theirs were nicer: Most of the guys were into World Industries or Toy Machine at the time. Since my board wasn't really functional, I would basically sit on my board while my friends cobbled together tricks that they'd seen. It was awesome-- they truly lived, and I wished I could live, too. One of the shadier effects of a sheltered childhood is that you find yourself revisiting the stuff you weren't allowed to experience back then. So, I bought a Santa Cruz "Cruzer" with these specs: -65mm Road Riders -Abec-3 Generic Bearings -Bullet Trucks -1/4'' Risers -'Classic' Shaped Screaming Hand Deck It rides pretty nice, BUT-- I have no clue where to get more Road Riders, and suspect that they are Santa Cruz OEM equipment with no aftermarket. I saw some Acids with matching diameter-- but I wasn't sure if they were any good or not. At this point all I care about is becoming more competent at cruising and not slamming horrendously in front of onlookers. I have lots of questions, but I'll ask them when the time comes. I've only been on campus once or twice with the thing, and no one's seen me. I'm eventually going to wrack up the nerve to try it when other people are around-- like for lunch or something. To close out, I'll open it up to anyone else who skates AT ALL. Share tips, favorite brands, etc. -Pthalo :-)

Ah, okay. No problem at all :-) . Do you do digital or traditional work primarily? Cool!! I like your shading technique alot. Do you use a wood pencil or mechanical?

Thank You! Sure, you can post it here. Did you do your avatar as well? It's quite well-done!

Thanks, Duja! I'm glad that you really like it, it was super fun to draw . I'll hopefully post more stuff this week! Thanks, C01D1! If you'd like, I can do a commission for you-- just let me know!

...This Chia Clif bar is no joke! Three updates in a day! Here's my drawing of @duja1001's character "Duja"-- I hope you like it! And you're right-- he is shirtless-- and yes, it is necessary! ...And A rough sketch of Nirvanah; I'll redraw and finish this in ink once I find non-leaky pens. -Pthalo

I'll upload these as I finish them, I s'pose. :-) This isn't the commissioned version, just a personal one that I drew up to get a feel for how this character looks. These new pens are weird and bleed a lot-- so I'll keep searching until I find a reliable brand. Anyway, this character is named "Terror", and has a very cute design. -Pthalo

I haven't seen you in game in a while as well, Duja! Hopefully I can get some sessions in before this weekend is over. I've got a lot of things to ink now that my supplies are here, so hopefully I can add more to the thread. Thanks for being patient with me!

Thanks, cloor! I'm glad that you like it! Hiya! I had to get some sleep before work so I had to bail, unfortunately. Thanks a bunch for the compliments, I plan to post more later this week!

Trigunman, I did most of what you said to do, and it turned out nicely! I'm going to glue the components down today and post the results after. :-) For everyone who's waiting on a drawing from me-- I'm almost done with my current set; I had to wait on some ink to arrive. Thanks, -Pthalo

Ooooh! I like it a lot!

Hi Everybody! The telecom guys were fiddling with the tower outside all day, so I had to wait to post. Claire, as usual, is my first victim. The lines aren't crooked on the border, my hand was shaky during the photo. I inked this with some weird aquapens that bled through ALOT-- so this was a fun and exciting adventure. As far as progress-- maybe not 100% yet, but I feel like I'm getting there. ----- @McLaughlin86 Thank You! I really appreciate that; Hopefully I can get back in gear after all this time :). @R-78 Thanks! I'm glad to be back :-). @duja1001 Hi Duja! I guess I should add some Triforce stuff to the mix, too. I'll see what I can come up with! @Trigunman Thank You, Trigunman! That's something that I need to take to heart. Oh! And don't worry about the box-- I should have updated you-- I found an almost exact look-a-like at the electrical store while I was getting wire! But..now I have another question-- do you know of something that can cleanly cut a square in plastic?

Hi Everybody, It's been a while! This is a pseudo-update, and in it I just wanted to... ...Really thank everyone for all of your nice words and support. It literally saved me. I'm not joking when I tell you that I basically gave up on drawing this year because it seemed like a dead end. I'll gush here, since it's relevant now-- I have an arts degree, but I was never able to find any work with it-- heck, most of my faculty seniors didn't like my stuff while I was an undergrad, so I didn't get good references or intern work out of school, either. But, my grades were good, so there's that. The art that you've seen is actually me at my rustiest-- thus the name of the thread. One of the reasons I've been gone is my new job-- but there's another reason, too. As fun as it was to draw these, I want to go back and retry them. I've practiced --staying up late and getting up early-- for the last 30 days straight to try and get my techniques back! It's a weird feeling having a sort of purpose again. Prior to meeting you all, I hadn't really drawn since Halloween of last year. ...I'm not used to good things being said about my work at all-- so again, Thank You all-- I wish I had known about Ultima when I was still an undergrad-- maybe I'd have done more. But! enough rambling. This weekend should be update city for this thread; The owners of these characters should be on the lookout-- *Claire *Duja *Goddess *Dawn *Memnok -Pthalo :-)

Awesome work!! What kind of pencils do you use? Are you a wood pencil or a mechanical pencil user? :-)

'Nother update. I noticed that my thread didn't have any male drawings -- soooo... Here's a profile portrait of a superhero character that me and a friend cobbled together-- We call him The Meteorite. Uhhh... we haven't fleshed out more than that. For fun, what do you all think the Meteorite's backstory should be like?

Thanks cloor! :-) I appreciate that. It's no problem at all, MadOrNah. It was fun!

Hey everybody! Hope all is well-- Today's update features the character 'Dawn', who belongs to Chris in game. I don't know what account they have on the forums, but maybe they'll find this anyway? Either way, I took a small liberty with Dawn's look; I don't enjoy conflict of any kind, but I do like Militaria in a stylistic sense. My favorite ensemble is olive drab fatigues with a colorful beret. I kind of envisioned Dawn this way, even though the game adds a futuristic twist to the usual design. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! I had lots of fun drawing this one; I used my standard comic style this time.

Thank You very much! And yes, I do :-).