I am a blogger failure

I know

I know, I haven't even posted. Sorry. But seriously it's not like I have people reading my blog :P. Well I am finally graduated. Yepp, it kind of a weird feeling. I have been waiting for this moment for so long and its finally here. It kind of put me into shock. I have so many things I want to do and there are so many things I want to be.

I just don't know which way I should go and it really has been frustrating :\

Today in church I was up playing my bass at worship and it was the last song, and it was the old song "Jesus, All for Jesus" and I stopped playing and I started singing to the song. That is something I never do I always focus on playing my bass, but I just stopped and started singing.

I have so many ambitions, plans, hopes and dreams and I have put them all into Gods hands. That has been the most hardest thing for me to ever do. I have put everything into hands, from wanting to work at pixar to a relationship with the most special girl. It has been the most hardest thing I have ever done, I mean I don't know if I will ever get these things back... it kills me.

Anyway, I was in church and I had to turn my back to everyone, this song just made me start crying. I have given up everything, for Jesus. I have surrendered everything to him. The things I would never ever have given up, I have for Him. This song brought me hope, because I don't know if I ever will get the people, dreams and hopes that I love back. I don't know if I ever will. But I do know, that God knows that I have laid everything I love so dearly, into his hands. I have hope that one day, somehow I will get the people, hopes and dreams back.

I don't know, Im just thinking and talking and posting to the world. Sheesh, I'm probably creeping people out. Well this is who I am now, I have been on the wrong side of the fence for so long. I have so many regrets. I just want more of Jesus. I will do anything for Him, even though it hurts me.

Sorry about all of that.

Ethan

Jesus, all for Jesus, All I am and have and ever hope to be. Jesus, all for Jesus, All I am and have and ever hope to be. 

All of my ambitions, hopes and plans I surrender these into Your hands. All of my ambitions, hopes and plans I surrender these into Your hands.

For it's only in Your will that I am free, For it's only in Your will that I am free, Jesus, all for Jesus, All I am and have and ever hope to be.

Haven't Posted in a while

Sorry I haven't posted in a while... Busy busy busy! Okay where do I start, well I just joined a baseball team, Yep! But the team is not good at all, it has only a few good players. They also play very bush league-ish.. Which means they do things that you would do in little league. It is hard for me because I am so use to playing the game right and they just do the opposite of how it suppose to be done... Yeah but its good training for my season in Japan. Im not going to brag but I am one of the good hitters. DUDE I AM JACKING THE BALL OVER THE FENCE!! Its about a 350 field :D

Okay graduation has been a lot for me too. Yeah its different, I am graduating with hard core homeschoolers, that are duggar-ed to their inner most beings . If you don't know what I mean, just google the Duggar Family. Yeah they all Duggar-It-Up!! Except for one person... I met this chick who was totally "Straight". Haha she was not Duggar-fied what so ever. She looked and sounded like Emma Roberts, she was pretty chill, we hung together and survived the Duggar-invasion :P

Yeah I have also been working on my 3D work. What do you think, Its not realistic yet. But its a start, right? I have to keep working on the smoke and fire and the materials on the ship. Then I have to add some killer color correction to put it all together. Any Ideas?

Here is Spence, I added 3D letters to this priceless picture of him. Dude he's a lil mini hunk!!! Look at this face!

Well thats all I have for now. Remember to turn off your lights and save a polar bear... Its some how saves them. DON'Y MOCK ME!!

Ethan

BOOYA

Me and Coops were bored one day so we did Olivia's hair like Brian Head Welch's hair... here is what we got!! :P Ohhhh Yeah. Doing her hair like that took us an hour and half!! WE WERE SERIOUSLY BORED!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't have a lot to post, Im tired and have to finish my school... and graduation crap. Ughh. Won't these days just stop!!!!!!!

LATER

Times just flies by

Wow time flies. It feels like just yesterday I showed up at JOY Christian school, to play on their Jr high football team. There I met my greatest and most closest friend Rj Lago. We played sports all through high school, except for our Senior year. The greatest 6 years of my life were when I spent them with Rj.

I remember our sophomore year, I made these cut off jeans for both of us. Haha we called them man pants, because they looked like capris! We drew all over them with permo markers and we threw bleach on them. Ah, such good times!! We would wear those pants everywhere. haha they were so friggin hideous and people would always get mad at us for wearing them, but we didn't care.

I remember for Rj's 15th birthday we all went over to his house and we partied like it was 1999. Me and Rj played Army of Two and ate tons and tons and tons of sour patch kids. We both had a sugar overload... The next morning we both had the worst sour patch kid hangovers, OF ALL TIME!!! Haha wow we had such good times together.

Here is Rj all grown up, He is now married to his beautiful wife Ulga and they have a beautiful daughter Swahilga Elane. 

Here is his wife Ulga 

and here is their beautiful daughter Swahilga Elane 

Shes got Rjs eyes and Ulgas face. 

Yes... okay well I was wanting to keep this quiet but Rj's wife... Ulga.. As you can see she is a botox nut and... well she started giving Swahilga botox injections behind rj's back and well yeah her face froze. It was a sad tragic event that happened in Rjs married life, but he decided to keep going with his  wife and work through things. Rj I am very proud of you, for sticking it out with that Russian Botox Monster.

Yeah me and rj for years have been always fighting over who is more of a hunk. ever since jr high its just been a battle... So I am wondering what you guys think. Who is the Hunk out of us? Keep in mind I surf and Rj mini golfs and hangs out at parks with little kids. Okay I am just kidding about you hanging out at parks with little kids Rj!! I love you man!!

A: RJ (In the greatest tie die shirt) 

B: ME (SURFER;))

Haha RJ I love you bro, Happy Graduation, We both have made it. But ha, we are graduating 2012, hope the world is still around so we can enjoy our lives ;) 

Okay hey what do you think of this... its my test song. Its horrible quality. Sorry had to crush it down to fit it on my post. 

Yeah tell me whatcha think. 

Funny story, when I was in jr high my favorite band of all time was Steller Kart, I was like the biggest fan, until I saw them in concert. It was the worst concert ever, it was so upsetting. After I got back from their concert that night I broke all of their albums and never listen to them again. 

Years later when I had my band in Arizona, we needed vdrums for our drummer for recording.. and haha well we got some and I went over so we could jam and work on music. My buddies then brought up Steller Kart and I just unleashed everything I had in me.. I cut them down in every possible way. Thennnn my buddies were like "DUUUUDDDDDEEEEE.... You can't cut them down or talk bad about them... Jordan let us use his Vdrums!" So yeah the band I hated, was helping us out and let us use their drums :P So I never again said a bad thing about them. 

Sorry Just a moment I had in my life

CHEERS

Good Morning everyone who is still sleeping. Yes I am up at 4 in the morning. Why? Well because I can't sleep I had a rough week and can't sleep. I just have a lot going on. I've been thinking of a lot of things too. I am graduating (FINALLY) very soon and.................................. Blank Bam BOOM SHU-BOO-GA-MA!!! Nothing I don't know what to do with my life. I know, there are so many people my age at this point.. but I just don't know what to do.

I mean there are so many things I want and that I want to do and pursue. I want to finally get my band going, I want to go work as a 3D animator for Pixar... and I also want to get married and go through the trials of life and then have children. Hmmm I just don't know. So many decisions... Its a lot of weight on my shoulders. I am also not a person that just coasts through life and goes plan-less... I am a person that has to have plan and as of right now, I don't have a plan. I have opportunities all around me and yeahhh.... Its hard. Well I just have to see what happens I guess.

Sorry wow I unloaded on you. Sorry. My mind looks like this... Yeah it is a big mess.

Okay well I will change the subject. So did any of you see Brian Head Welch's new music video for Chemicals? What you haven't? DUDE! Okay it has been voted the best music video of the year. Ha it is so good KoRn is crying! Good job Brian and Love and Death crew! It was so inspirational and moving. 

 

Okay what did you think? Dude the part where they had the drawings attacking them, was so amazing. Wow.

--

Okay you need to try this out. What you are gonna need is:

1. Bag of Cracker Jacks (Yes NUTS included)

2. One Gallon of 2% milk (Not that white water skim milk) 

3. One Bowl (size doesn't matter, but just try and get one that can fit your head)

4. One Spoon (Preferably Silver with a wide head so that you can get a good portion into your pie hole)  

Okay first, you are going to wash your hands. Then after your hands don't smell like you ran them through your neighbors husbands back hair, you will open the Cracker Jacks and pour them into the bowl. Then you will uncap your 2% milk and pour it into your bowl, fill it to The Thin Red Line, place spoon in bowl and enjoy. If you don't feel a pleasant filling sensation in your stomachical area then repeat steps 1-5 until you achieve that filling feeling. 

--

Do you know how many movies there are that have characters that are named Ethan? Well so far I have got 9. 

ETHAN HUNT - Mission Impossible

ETHAN EDWARDS - The Searchers 

ETHAN TREMBLAY - Due Date

oh and

Ethan Ebbers - The Holiday 

Ethan Glance - Space Cowboys 

Ethan Beardsley - Your, Mine and Ours 

Ethan - I am Legend

Ethan - The Brave One

Ethan Banks - Enchanted 

Oh yeah CHECK IT BABY CHECK IT

--

I am gonna head to bed. Before I go to bed one of my all time favorite Ridley Scott movies is Black Hawk Down... that movie brings me to tears every time I watch it. The scene where the General goes into the surgery room and walks in right when a guy is bleeding all over the floor and he goes over grabs some rags and bends down and cleans it up... That just makes me cry like nothing else. I don't know why tho. 

Its an Incredible movie, that sits right next to Saving Private Ryan on my "Favorite War Films Shelf"  

Goodnight... I mean good morning. 

Ethan 

Here is an update on my Battle Bear. Yeah still not finished, I need to keep working on his materials and his face. But I did add an AK-47. Yes of course I added one... you don't think it will work? Well I'm pretty sure the PH.D at the end of my name means I know something. If your going to have a battle bear, obviously you are gonna need a weapon. So there.

Hope you like what I have so far. Have a good saturday.

CHEERS!

new scene

Here is my newest scene... not finished

Photoshop time

Okay I absolutely love Photoshop, I have been using it ever since I was in jr high. I use it for building materials and textures when I am doing 3D scenes and I use it just for pimping photographs. Its so much fun. Today I did a wallpaper and its of the Joker from Batman Dark Knight.

What do you think?

> ? <

Okay who do you think did the best job at playing the Joker... Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger?

A.) HEATH

B.) JACK

Personally, I loved Heath Ledger over Jack Nicholson. Heath just did a way better job a playing the character then Nicholson. He was funny, but he was so evil. He did just a perfect job. 

--

I was going through all my 3D scenes and I found my first 3D scene I ever did. Wow :) So long ago. What do you think?

Its my snowman scene :P Wow I remember sitting in my office working 13 hours on that. Haha I can get that done its about 5 minutes now. I am going to put some more scenes that I did when I first started. 

Here is just a scene I did with random objects.

Haha Here is my Post Apocalypse scene, i call it... "Dan's Dead Gas Station" I ran the render through photoshop to give it a cartoon-ish look. 

OHHHHHHH HERE IS MY REDBULL ENERGY SPRAY

Well I've been doing 3D work for about 5 years now, I have been teaching myself and working hard at it. I want to work for Pixar so badly, It's not even funny how badly I want to work there. I would sell my own mother so I could.. JUST KIDDING MOM!!! Nahh I just have to keep working and learning as much as I can. Hopefully I can make a good impression on the Pixar people. 

After a couple of years of working on my 3D modeling, I got enough courage to send a professional graphic designs guy some of my work and hoping that he could give me his critique. This is what he sent me. 

--

HOLY SH**, ETHAN! That is one f***ing beautiful render!

I don't think there's anything more I can tell you about the modeling part that you don't already know. Right now, you already seem to be an experienced modeler. I think you'll be able solve any problems you might have making any shape by using what you already know. You can tell if the mesh is bad because it is hard to uv map and when you render it, the textures will seem to stretch or slide. Your models look just fine.

Ethan, it seems you've already gone beyond modeling and are moving into the creative/artistic side of things. I can really say you're well on your way to becoming a well rounded 3d artist.

You want a critique? :) Ok, here it goes.

I don't remember what software you use but I love the way you did the texturing. Texturing is an art form by itself that is completely separate from modeling. UV mapping is the technical side of it and making the shaders and the textures is the creative side. In big production studios there is 1 whole department just for texturing.

I'm really impressed by the fine scratches and the reflectivity of the bottles.

The way you did the blood is really top notch. I want to say that it could use just a bit of transparency but I cannot really tell if it is a separate mesh from the sand or a part of the sand with a different shader and bump map. And that's 1 way you can tell if the artist is good. If you can't decide whether what you see is real or fake, then the artist really knows his stuff. Very nicely done!

The coins are just perfect. The bumps are just right and the sand on some of the coins is a master touch. That is the funny thing about details. Even if there is only 1 very small detail that is wrong, the eye of the viewer is pulled to it. He can tell there is something wrong with the picture even if he can't tell you exactly what it is. If all the details are correct, the viewer knows the picture is good even if he can't tell you why. It's all in the small details.

The cork is just fine. When I zoom in on the parchment labels I want to say that you should lessen the bumps. But when I zoom out and look at the whole thing, the labels looks just fine.

I like the way the smoothness of the skull is in contrast to all the grainy textures around it. There seem to be some black smudges on some parts facing the light so they should not be in shadow. Could be some problem with the uv mapping or maybe some normals in the mesh got reversed if you used booleans to make the skull.

Sand and snow are always hard to do and you made your sand very nicely. I can see that you're already using bumps to add to the effect - very good. You can make it more realistic by subdividing the mesh more and more to make small folds and details in the sand. But that will make your poly count really crazy and your render time really crazy, so that's not a practical way to do it. Try using displacements maps. If you want your displacements to go down as well as up, use a negative value in the displacement. If you see "banding" or lines when it should be a gradient, try making your displacement map really big. Or save to a format that doesn't have data loss like jpg. Try saving to tiff or bmp.

And lastly the sky. This is the only thing that I can say takes a little bit away from the realism of the picture. If you look at the sky you will notice that none of the clouds have any sharp edges. That is a very small detail but my eye was pulled to the lower right corner where the edges of the clouds are sharper. That's easy to fix. Just add a little gaussian blur to your sky texture map. Then you can add bright stars on another layer if you want. :)

If you want to make realistic textures the best thing to do is to go out and see what they look like in the real world. When I was learning how to do grunge maps I wanted to know where grunge grows and how it starts. So wherever I went I was always looking behind doors to look for grunge and bending down to see the corner between the floor and wall. Everybody thought I had finally gone crazy. LOL Well, maybe they're right but I try to act normal so nobody will notice. LOL

And that is my critique. Whew. But you know, I'm so proud of what you've made that I'm going to show it to my friends. It's really nice.

This next part is for your future study.

I already know you have a good grasp of modeling, uv mapping, shaders, texturing and rendering. I would say you're already moving from the intermediate level to the expert level in all of these.

Like I said, I think you're starting to move beyond the technical side of 3d into the purely artistic side. I think it's time that you should start to learn art theory. That is the difference between a 3d technician and a real artist. It's like the difference between a draftsman and a painter.

Here are some things you should study. Composition, perspective, balance, color theory and lighting. Just google any of these topics and you will get lots of reading material. You can just get an overview of these or you can go as deep as you want in your study. All of these topics are very broad and have many, many sub-topics inside them. Anything you can learn about these will help you greatly in whatever you do from now on.

Some people have natural artistic talent and I think you are one of them. Just imagine what you can do with your talent if you know what all the great masters have learned over so many hundreds of years.

To get you started here is a small tutorial on the rule of thirds. It falls under the topic of composition and there are many other rules of composition. If you read it you will find that your placement of the bottles is almost on the exact third. That is why your render is so pleasing to the eye. If you composed your render that way unconsciously without knowing about this rule, you definitely have talent.

It's really strange but you can try it for yourself. Relax your mind and your eyes and look at your render. Your eyes will stop on the third where the bottles are. But they will try to move to the right where the exact third is. Now try doing the same thing to another picture. If the point of focus of the picture is not on a third your eyes will never stop but will keep jumping all around the picture trying to find a place to rest.

It seems the old masters found out something about our human subconscious. Now go find out about the other rules of composition. They're just as much fun to play around with. You can play tricks on your friends by making them feel tense or worried just by looking at your renders. LOL

Now this part is if you want to specialize in realism. Realism is all about lighting, lighting, lighting. You can use light to make the viewer focus on one part, you can use it to hide mesh that is not so nice, you can use light or dark to add drama, you can use the contrast of light and dark to show action or conflict.

There is classical lighting - 1 point, 2 point, 3 point, ambient lighting, rim lighting, etc. That is 1 topic I mentioned above in art theory so it's good if you have an overview of all of these.

Then there is realistic lighting. The best place to study this is in photography. Photography is the study of light and shadow. No picture is all black or all white. There must be light and shadow so there will be a picture. Again google tutorials on photography. There are millions of them.

And finally, if you want to see some practical applications of art theory and lighting, here is a link to my gallery.


If you read the comments, you will notice that in my first and second post I asked that everyone critique my work. So many gave insights and very useful information on what I should learn. So you can see, Ethan, that I am also still learning. I don't think we will ever stop learning as long as we are alive.

And that is the end of this long,long email. LOL

Sorry for that but I'm so happy about your progress and so proud of what you have made. I want to teach you everything I know but I can't put it all into 1 email.

Keep going. You're doing fantastic.

Best regards,

--

After getting this email, I became close to (I won't say his name because I don't know if he would want me to, so I will call him... Uhhh James) James and he became my teacher and mentor. He has helped me develop my 3D skills. I am still learning, heck I will be learning for a long long long time, But I have come a long long way from doing those two 3D snowmen. I can't wait to see where I go in the future.

Pixar is my goal. Someday you guys will see my name in the end credits. :) I can't wait.

Sorry for putting the long email on my post. 

CHEERS!

David's Signature "Beyond Gourmet" Jelly Beans

Okay I just want you guys to know, I have finally tried David Klein's "Beyond Gourmet" jelly beans and I take back all I said about the Jelly Belly beans. I am no longer going to support anything that comes out of "Jelly Belly". David Klein is truly the "Candy Man" nothing can begin to compare... Wow! 

David I have been living with a blindfold over my eyes for years. Going from Jelly Belly to your beans, was like going from fast food to a home cooked meal. I am now forever a "Beyond Gourmet" jelly bean buyer. From the first bean I popped into my mouth I could tell you are an artist. Your art is your jelly beans, you take pride in them. Thank you, for your wonderful confection creations. 

I just want you to know my favorite flavor is Bacon. It rocks my world!! I am just wondering, what are the chances of having meal flavored beans? 

Thank You David

New 3D Scenes

Here are the new 3D scenes I am working on. Fire away with your critique!!

Here is a city fly over, with my name in the middle.

Here are pics from my city

There is no sky... Yet!

My Scene of eggs. Yes EGGS! I don't know what kind of eggs they are yet. MY scenes is not even done, it's my first render. I have been focusing mainly on my egg material and sky material.

This is what I have for tonight. Goodnight. 

HA!

Barack cracked a joke at the White house Correspondents Dinner. It was about Sara Palin and eating dogs.. Eating Dogs? HUH?

 "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? A pit bull is delicious." Oh boy aren't you the bad man on campus!! Comedic value 0!

 How long did it take him to come up with that? Phew, good thing his teleprompter was on or he would have been in trouble.

 I am no comedian, I know I am not. But I can say jokes more funny than that. 

Like how about this... 

President Barrack Hussein Obama has finally released his actual birth certificate, PROVING that he really was born in Hawaii, our 57th state. 

See what I mean?!?! A heck of a lot more funny than Barrack's joke and I was cutting down a political figure, just like him... So who's joke was more funny? Mine or Obama's? 

If you didn't laugh, here is another one.

Have you heard about the new Obama Happy Meal for kids at McDonalds? It comes with a promise 

that they'll get a toy.. someday!

 Ughhh not laughing yet????? 

Fine last one... Barack Obama, Sara Palin and Joe Biden were trapped on a desert island with no hope of rescue, so Obama pulled a magic lamp out of his turban and rubbed it until a Genie appeared, The Genie announced that he would grant three wishes; one wish for each of the castaways. Obama immediately wished to magically transported back to Chicago and he was gone in a puff of smoke. Palin asked to go to Alaska and she was instantly whisked away. Biden began to cry and said, "I wish I had my friends back!" 

Okay fine I will stop with the semi-funny jokes that are more funny than Barack's. 

Barack's face after telling his clever joke

Settle down tiger it wasn't that funny.. sheesh

Barack's Joke

Have a good sunday.

Jelly Beans

One of my favorite candies are Jelly Beans. No not the horrible off brands, I am talking the original Jelly Belly Jelly Beans.

David Klein was the original founder of the Jelly Belly company. In 1980, Klein and his partner decided to sell out to the Goelitz Candy Company for $4.8 million. Can you believe it? Selling out for 4.5 million?!?! Dude The Jelly Belly company makes $170 million annually. If I was Klein, I would probably still be in my bedroom crying my eyes out and I would most likely go into a deep dark coma of depression!!

Well I am not David Klein, so I can enjoy my Jelly Belly Jelly Beans without any pain or sadness! Hmmm my all time favorite jelly bean flavor is... POPCORN... Man I could eat those all day long. They are so buttery and yummy. It seriously is like having a very buttery tub of movie theater popcorn.. but it's smashed into one tiny little bean. Its Insane!! 

MMMMMMMM

I think the world would be a better place if everyone had a Jelly Bean machine built into their homes. This is the future I'm telling you. Just imagine every meal you have in Jelly Bean form... That would be  amazing. 

For Thanksgiving, you would have... Turkey beans, mashed potato beans, gravy beans, stuffing beans, pea beans and mac and cheese bake beans. See everything is tons better!! Plus, think of the time you would save making the meal and then cleaning up. No dishes, no grime. Its perfect!

--

Well here is a list of all the Jelly Belly jelly bean flavors. what are your favorites flavors?

I hope you all have a smashing day. 

Ethan

Long Time No Post

Hey.. I know, I haven't been good at posting anything. I've been just having several weeks in a row that have been just upsetting.. I know why would you care? Hmmm. Well I won't bother you with my crap, so I will talk about something interesting.

When I'm having days that are absolute crap, I always (This is what I do to feel better I'm not gonna unload on you.. don't worry) always always google "beautiful beaches" and go to the images and look at the beautiful beaches. After I have the "beautiful beaches" pulled up on google, I go to my iTunes and turn on... Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

I will go through every picture I can find and just soak them in. It always helps me to calm down if I can't surf off what I am feeling. I know nice.

So I've got the song for you... So play it and scroll down all the beach pictures I have. 

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Okay soak it all in.

Beautiful Storm

 Clearly.. Crystal Clear Awesome-ness!!

Mmmmmm... Smell that coconut milk.

Ah, surfing with a setting sun... Perfect!

No waves to surf.. But still beautiful

Needs a few people... Then its perfect!

I want a Home on this beach

Very Beautiful 

Super beautiful waves in the distance

I want to live in a beach hut

See what I mean? It's soothing to the soul. I love the beach, I love the ocean so very much. I love the salty wind blowing through my hair and I love the feeling of the water dripping off me when I warm up by the sun. My home, is where the ocean is. I never will leave it.

When ever I think about the ocean, I am reminded of my all time favorite book. Its "The Mysterious Island" by Jules Verne. This incredible story is about five guys, who are prisoners in a confederate camp in Virginia during the "American Civil War" and they escape the prison camp in a hot air balloon. But as they are making their escape, a storm blows them to the ocean (south pacific) and they crash land onto an island.

With only a few things that they were able to salvage from the crash, they managed to build a entire village/town. It is such an amazing story. I can read it over and over again. 

So if you ever end up getting marooned or stranded on an island, this book can come in handy. Its like the ultimate island survival guide! You can learn so much, like how to set up a tent, build a fortress, start a fire and TAME A MONKEY!!!! Anything you can possibly think of is in this book! So get it.

--

I hate blogging. I can't think of anything to post. Im trying Dave, I am just not a writer. Ugh. Okay well here is my newest model I am working on. 

It looks horrible, but I will keep working on it. I will sometime get it to look real. I hope your weekend was great! Goodnight my friends and enemies. 

Ethan

PS - This is where I want to live. This exact place and If you could turn around, you would be able to see beautiful big waves waiting to be surfed.... Just imagine the waves. night