Meowth: a study in character design.

I wanted to keep as much of the stray
underlines as could with this.  You can
really see how this was extracted from its
original 3D model & design.

"That's right!"  I wanted to kick off this Pokémon-themed week with a little doodling.  And, who would be a better suit for that job than meowth?  He's a classic anime character and a well known species among Pokémon fans, so, I said to myself "Eh, why not?"  

I started off this week hoping that by the end of it (which is when I'm creating this) that I would have drawn my whole ideal Pokémon team, inked, coloured  and featuring me as a Pokémon trainer, the whole works, but as time went on and nothing started happening (yes, I know I was procrastinating), realistically, I knew that I would just have to settle with something like this.  

Meowth, believe it or not, really isn't my favourite Pokémon from the whole series.  It's actually one really obscure one, as far as fandome goes, that holds my vote, and, if you weren't into Pokémon as a child, or have stopped following it since generation two, you probably wouldn't even recognize its name.  Its Lombre.  

Meowth's so awsome! It was even featured on
a special collectors' coin on the island of Niue
in the mid-pacific! Official mint. No jokes! 

Traditionally, since the first North American games (Red and Blue) I liked grass Pokémon, and so today, I still like grass Pokémon.  So, it is unlikely that I will be changing any time soon.  I also grew to love psychic Pokémon as well when they became more obtainable in the later games.  However, the only psychic- and grass-type pokémon that exist in the series are two that are really rare and almost impossible to catch in the wild through normal means: Exeggcute, its evolved form, Exeggutor, and Celebi.

Not to be dissing Exeggcute fans or nothing, but I kind of hated that pokémon back when I was in elementary.  To tell you the truth, I thought it was pretty ugly... a downright disgrace to the first-gen world of Kanto.  But, its Pokémon Blue sprite didn't do it any justice.  (Since when did an Exeggcute have an egg that large? It's a good three to four times bigger than the rest!)  It's kind of funny now that I think of it, but I used to think that an Exeggcute was some kind of naked sumo wrestler with eyes all over its body and not just a group of eggs, that is, until I saw it on the show.  I was relieved to learn this because every time I would battle one I used to get scared that my parents would see it or something and then take my Game Boy away!  Ha ha!  I somehow kind of wish I had one now though, now that I know the difference.

I made this one by using my other images
as my only two references. It might be a bit miss-
proportionate, but I loved working with the base
'skeleton' of this character in producing my own
unique stance from a different level of perspective.

Now that its been made obvious to you why I did not choose Exeggcute as my favourite pokémon, you are probably wondering, why Lombre?  Lombre statistically is not chose by many Pokémon fans as being their favourite.  It is just not the lovable type; not one that most people would tend to gravitate towards, but I love him just the same.  To me, Lombre's rad!  Its colour scheme is great, and its just the right height of a Pokémon for me (3' 11'').  I know I have strange tastes, but come on!  Who wouldn't love a pokémon like that?  (It kind of reminds me of a DJing monkey-kappa with a sombrero hat on...) Okay, wait.  Never mind.  Only a face a mother would love. (sobs)  


Meowth is one we can all agree on though, am I right?  He may not be my absolute favourite, but he is my choice from the 151 pokémon of the first generation of games.  My love affair with Meowth goes beyond its prominent appearance in the anime, too.  (Truthfully, I feel he has more brains and soul than his two accompaniments put together.)  I loved to capture and raise a Meowth or two when playing Pokémon Blue, and I still wouldn't mind getting one on my team today.

Pictures of Meowth were based off the 3D models of the pokémon as it appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
for the Nintendo Wii gaming console. Credit to its original creator, and to the genius behind
many of the Pokémon Franchise's character and art designs, Ken Sugimori. 

His, stats are good (swift and powerful) and his original in-game sprites were awesome (except from behind; his back was just a mess of pixels.)  I could not wait until I had him leveled up to Lv.17 so that he could learn Payday.  It was such a sweet move.  Extra cash, what's not to like?!  I would also give him a wide range of TMs that included Swift, Thunder or Thunderbolt, Water Gun or BubbleBeam, and Toxic, just to keep things interesting.  I found it strange that a normal type could be taught such a large number of moves.  He is, and forever will be, my favourite character from my first video game I ever owned.  
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Sorry if the links are kind of confusing.  I decided to try incorporate more sources for people who want to learn more about what it is I'm talking about in my blog, by providing them a general direction for them to start their search.  Click away!  Let me know what you think?

"Len-Komix is blasting off again~!!" 

My Themed Life

"Inked sketch of a Pikachu" made using a set of
STAEDTLER: pigment liners & a SAKURA: pigma brush,
created by me back in grade 9. Early (2010)

Last weekend, I had the most brilliant idea ever!  I'm not joking either.  I mean like, the most amazing, light-bulb-springing-up-above-my-head idea, had just showered down upon me like an epiphany of all-knowing knowledge and I was enlightened!

Do any of you people still remember that post I did back about a month and a half ago?  I really hope that you didn't because it was just one of those weird post that had no direction and was made just out of the spur of the moment, however, if you did (and you can click here if you missed it), this is the solution to my problem I was talking about.  I searched and searched for it, and now it's finally here!  I know how I'm going to expand out the usage of my blog while keeping it simple and still end up drawing in a bigger audience in the process.  

I am going to live a themed life.  

And I know that that means nothing to you now, but it will in just a minute when I explain things to you.

You see, I have many interests... and when I say many interests, I mean many interests.  I like everything from skiing to quantum mechanics to learning Japanese (and that's just the start!)  So, I decided, "hey, why not spice up my life a little by going pro-interest every week with my blog?"  And so, at that moment, I made a pact with myself to devote each week of my high school life to one specific interest, paralleling it with my blog and its posts.  Sounds great, huh?  Well, I can tell you from experimenting with it this week, it's not so easy to stick with the schedule I put in place, but it is challenging, and a lot of fun.

Here's the concept:

• "Every week must have a theme." One that is both challenging and skill developing; it must equate to some growth for me by the week's end.  
• The theme must be purpose driven: for example... "This week I want to study the composition of a Zelda game, so that I can learn how to build a solid, fictional world for my comic." {I want to verb noun, so that I can verb noun.} Simple.
• Lastly, it must fit, realistically, into the format of my week.  (I've been meaning to show you guys my latest, full-proof, weekly, schedule-planning template... ugh thing, but I haven't gotten around to it yet, and I suppose that now's just as good of a time as ever.):  

Me and my messy writing... It can be worse, though.  I swear!  (This isn't as neat as it gets.)

When I have an interest in something, I really like to envelope myself in it.  By surrounding myself with something, I feel that I get more out of it somehow.  Like a heightened experience of sorts.  I think that's how the concept of doing something like this came about.  Through this desire to learn and educate myself.
I'd encourage you to try it too, if you'd like?  
Just follow the outline given above, and you should notice a change in the amount of knowledge you have about the subject you are most interest in.  The important thing is to have a desire to learn and obtain something from your week's efforts.  If you do, you can go far!

*This week's theme was centered around the Pokémon franchise & it's series of games.  Expect content to begin appearing on my home page sometime next week!  (I'm revving off posts like the dickens!) 

Pointless. (a poem by me)

Sometimes...
Life feels pretty empty.

Like everything I've ever done
was pointless.
Like all the things I spent time establishing
meant nothing.

Incomplete, Vacant, Void.
But, why...?

My life isn't pointless.

Sometimes...

Life feels pretty full.

Like everything I've ever done

was progress.

Like all the things I have established

have meant the world to me.

Complete, Satisfied, Replete.

No lies...

Stand up, stand strong!

Rise and Revise!

You know the truth;

seek not the lies.

________________________
I am trying to figure out how to go about posting this to my deviantART.  I will provide a link to the deviantART page containing this poem later so that you can read people's comments there.
[Pictures: Chihiro from "Studio Ghibli's" Spirited Away, drawn by me.]

Riding on the Poisoned Earth

I posted this to my deviantART two days ago, and I thought I'd share it with you all on my blog here today: 

(I was amazed to find that someone had already 'favourited' it, only a minute and thirty-six seconds after it was posted) http://zozzmeister.deviantart.com/

Part of another scene-by-scene, as I call them, that I did for Studio Ghibli's: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind... 


I was really moved by the messages it contained about the balance of nature and the destructiveness of mankind. We all have the power to do good or bad in our lifetime, but no matter what path we choose, the only thing that truly matters once we're dead and gone is the impact we had on human civilization as a whole while living which will last and continue to survive even after death. This isthe common goal for all humans, regardless of race, gender, ethical background, etc., that unites us together as one human race. 


However, this movie is the grim portrayal of what may come into being due of our self-centered actions in life. In our pursuit for success, it is important for us not to forget the mother land, the one that feeds and clothes us with all life's desires and offers us a safe and stable place to live.


Do not let the desires of a single species cripple the planet and rob her of her precious treasurers in only one lifetime. We can do far better than that. 
One generation should never spoil it for the rest. 
____________________
This film gives me a gentle reminder of just who's roof we live under. As my mother always told me, "as long as you live in this house, you gotta live by our rules." And I just wonder, what does that mean for the state of the planet, if who's rules we were to break? 


It's just a thought, but it bothers me deeply. 
I would watch this movie again in a heart beat!


*I really want to read the original manga version of this.  Anyone know where I can find a copy?  
Perhaps I'll try chapters... 

Content For Next Week

One of the things that I had thought about in my massive "realization" I talked about in my second-last post was the fact that I want to venture into different medium with my internet postings, so I am now preparing myself to do just that.
Just in case you haven't already noticed the image-link I attached to my blog quite recently, I have now grainted you all access to my deviantART~!!!  It's true; I actually fallowed through with what I said I was going to do and, on a whim, began tinkering around with deviantART, and I have to say I love it!  

Check Out My T-Shirt!
(Vote For It HERE!!)

As one of my challenges I had brought upon me this week, I forced myself to work alongside the watchful ticking of the clock and produced a T-shirt for the deviantART: Cute Monster's contest.  (If you want to check it out, click here.)  I will have more info on how I came about doing the T-shirt in one of my upcoming posts this week, so stay tuned if you would like to see how I did it.

Also, on another note, I have now decided that one of the mediums I want to delve into this year is, in fact, doing reviews.  I found that I really like to talk about all of my different interest.  So, rather than have me insert random blurbs of these into my art-related post, which have nothing to do with whatever the thing I feel about mentioning is (most likely a video game or anime), I have now decided to reduce the amount of anime/nintendo-fan outbreaks by sectioning off these interests into their own individual fan-dedicated posts in the form of reviews. :)

*[Expect Art, Manga, Anime & Nintendo reviews to start flooding in sometime next week!]

Next week is spring vacation for me, so I hope to ramp-up my production of art again as I will have a lot of time at my disposal.  I will try to put my artistic abilities to good use!