Orlando’s Neighborhood

It's feels like it's been while since I've made a post. Work has been extremely busy. There were more layoffs and now I have more work and more people around checking out what I am doing which means less internet surfing time. This should quite down now that the holidays are in swing and everything should be back to normal after the first of the year.

I have recently decided something though after months, actually a year on vox I have decided I like it and I'm going to stay. I know this place used to be better, more people, the vox team where more active and more helpful back then but it's still a decent place if we the users make it so. I hate to see a post from a neighbor explaining that they are leaving vox and why. There are still plenty of us here though so I have decided to stay.

and with that I am going to reorganize my blog a little bit. It'll be the same but I have added the things on a tuesday group and will be writing some more personal stuff , friends only of course. Some sex talk, bring some sexy back to Fridays. I want to get back to writing what every I feel like without holding anything back. This of course means more friends only post but I will also write about Orlando, and any other topic I find interesting as a public post.

I'll also be posting my New Years Resolutions and the ones I made last year, which ones I accomplished and which ones I didnt. It's something I do every year, last year I didn't post them to hear since I was so new to vox but this year I feel more comfortable.

I really do wish more of my pownce friends would have stayed here, I understand why they didn't. There was a bad taste in their mouth about Six Apart and I understand that, I also understand the nature of the web biz. It's a rough business, anyone that tells you to go into IT, Computer programming, interactive design and digial media entertainment because it is lucrative is fooling themselves. The company I work for has now made layoffs for two years in a row. At any moment we could be told to pack up and leave without much notice. It's just the way things go. No it isn't fair and these are hard working people who do a bang up job but sometimes things just don't work out and you save and salvage what you can. There isn't much else you can do.

So I'll be around and posting more again. I'll leave you with one of my favorite toasts. I believe it's an Irish toast.

"May the roof above us never cave in.
And the friends gathered below never fall out"

Merry Christmas to all. Have a great weekend and have fun.

Thanks everyone for attending the Open House on Saturday! For those interested, here some classes that are still available...

#1005A/B - Introduction To Head Drawing A and B

Instructor: Mario Hernandez
Saturday, 10am-1pm

This course is an excellent opportunity for students to learn the craft of head drawing. It will provide each student with the necessary understanding and experience to draw the human head with authority. Each session will consist of a lecture or demonstration that will guide students step-by-step through the process of drawing from a live model. The traditional elements of life drawing will be emphasized including the structure and planes of the head, the values of light and shadow, edges, portrait composition and drawing techniques. The course will also include exercises and assignments aimed to help students greatly hone their portrait drawing skills.

#1002A/B- Head and Figure Drawing with the Reilly Method A and B

Instructor: Israel Martinez
Wednesday, 10am-1pm

This is an introductory figure and head drawing class, concentrating on the methods of Frank Reilly. You may see a broader explanation of Frank Reilly’s methods here . Using 6 simple lines as the starting point for drawing the figure, Israel Martinez will instruct and demonstrate how to simply draw a figure that is solid and proportional, having weight and balance. Your drawing will improve drastically and will have economy of line. The class will warm-up by drawing 5-minute poses, followed by instructor demonstration, and then 20 minute poses that will teach you to block-in structure quickly.

#2380A/B - Alla Prima Head/Figure Painting A and B

Instructor: Ignat Ignatov
Friday, 10am-4pm

This course will consist of painting demonstrations and lectures covering the important elements of painting such as value, color and edges, as well as composition and design. This class will also cover the limited palette and the amazing advantages that it offers. Each week the artists will paint from life a different model using the Alla Prima (wet into wet technique) and will receive individual instruction and critiques. The goal is to advance your skills in the direct painting method while applying the fundamentals to achieve a solid understanding of painting the human form in various light conditions and settings.

#2367A/B - Figure Painting A and B

Instructor: Joseph Todorovitch
Wednesday, 12pm-6pm

We will paint the figure from life and discuss choices for setting up the pose, composition, color harmony, lighting, pacing, and bringing the painting to a decent level of resolve. We'll also discuss the language of describing paint in order to better understand our mixtures. Joseph will explain his approach and demonstrate by painting along and illustrating his ideas about the approach. Pose lengths will vary from single days to multiple days. Previous drawing experience is highly recommended.

#1122 - Sketching the Figure (Quick Pose/Head/Figure Construction)

Instructor: Sergio Sanchez
Tuesday, 7pm-10pm

The student will receive study in drawing the head and figure, using quick-sketch and longer pose study of the figure and head. This is a broad overview of the many aspects of drawing the figure.

To view our whole schedule of classes, go to www.laafa.org/sessions/calendar . Or feel free to call us at, 818.708.9232. The Winter Quarter starts January 11th!

Doubt and mistrust are the mere panic of a timid imagination, which the steadfast heart will conquer and the large mind transcend. - Helen Keller

Entering into this long darkness of winter, it's important to remember to be steadfast.

One year to this day. Rip Pownce, we miss you, also know that there is a pownce reunion today.

Toast to pownce.

May the rood never cave in and the friends gathered below never fall out.

Totally Terrible Things on Tuesday

• Finding out I'm going to have a very busy weekend.
• being late to work because I forgot I had to get gas.
• Fire Drill at work more annoying than fun.
• Hopping the curb in my bug

Totally Terrific Things on Tuesday

• No scratches or damange done from hopping the curb.
• Finding out I'm going to have a very busy weekend.
• Getting more excited about my seattle/portland trip in late Jan.
• Cleo being a good girl this morning and not barking when I left for work.
• Lunch in 10 minutes :)
  
  

#1010 - Beginning Figure Drawing

Instructor: Alex Alvarado
Sunday, 10am-1pm

This course is an introduction to the fundamental principals of sketching and drawing the human figure. Topics covered will include: Gesture drawing and the study of body movements and kinetics, the basic geometry of the human figure, the general proportions of the human head and figure, value studies and basic rendering technique. This class will start off with short 5-min poses and gradually advance to 2 1/2 hour poses.
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT: Enroll by December 19th and get $25 off

#1001 - Basic Drawing Fundamentals

Instructor: Eric Pedersen
Saturday, 10am-1pm

This course introduces the fundamentals of drawing. How to hold a charcoal pencil, simple shapes, volumes, c-curves, s-curves, straights, edges, 4-value system, thumbnails, introductory composition, light sources, core shadows, reflective lights, are all covered in this course. This is an excellent course for students with little to no formal drawing training at all, or those wanting a refresher course in the basics.

#2223 - The Verdaccio Approach to Painting

Instructor: Brianna Lee
Wednesday, 7pm-10pm

In this course students will focus on drawing the subject accurately, learn to transfer the drawing and how to prepare the Verdaccio under-painting for the final stages of glazing. Glazing can give luminous effects that cannot be achieved by direct painting. It is especially good for painting the translucent and luminous qualities of human flesh. This course is great for those who are new to painting because it begins with the drawing stage and introduces painting in a very methodical and simplified manner. This class is also suitable for intermediate to advanced students who are interested in learning how the Renaissance masters painted and how to make a painting glow. The course will consist of two 5 week paintings, one still-life and one portrait.

#2380B - Alla Prima Head/Figure Painting A and B

Instructor: Ignat Ignatov
Friday, 10am-4pm
This course will consist of painting demonstrations and lectures covering the important elements of painting such as value, color and edges, as well as composition and design. This class will also cover the limited palette and the amazing advantages that it offers. Each week the artists will paint from life a different model using the Alla Prima (wet into wet technique) and will receive individual instruction and critiques. The goal is to advance your skills in the direct painting method while applying the fundamentals to achieve a solid understanding of painting the human form in various light conditions and settings.

#2800B - Alla Prima Impressionist Painting A and B

Instructor: Vadim Zang
Monday, 10am-4pm

This painting course will emphasize tonal construction of the figure, the light and shadow relationship, and science of color. Vadim Zang will explain limited palette technique, giving demonstrations to help the student in applying tonal knowledge to paint.Students will then progress on to full color, with control of paint application. Individual critiques and instruction will guide the student.

#2367A - Figure Painting A and B

Instructor: Joseph Todorovitch
Wednesday, 12pm-3pm
We will paint the figure from life and discuss choices for setting up the pose, composition, color harmony, lighting, pacing, and bringing the painting to a decent level of resolve. We'll also discuss the language of describing paint in order to better understand our mixtures. Joseph will explain his approach and demonstrate by painting along and illustrating his ideas about the approach. Pose lengths will vary from single days to multiple days. Previous drawing experience is highly recommended.

The Winter Quarter starts January 4th. If you are interested in taking any of these classes, call 818.708.9232! To view a list of all our other classes, visit our website at www.laafa.org/sessions/calendar

Reminder: Open house Sat. Dec. 19th from 11am-4pm!

My Birthday and Anniversary are coming up Jan 22nd(birthday), Jan 23rd(Wedding Anniversary).  First Anniversay is paper so Nick has suprised me with paper airline tickets to Seattle and Portland for 6 and a half days. I'm excited because I've never been to either place and I've always wanted to go.

Yep this answers the question, where do Orlando natives go on vacation in the winter? To the coldest places possible. lol. It's rare I see snow. I have been involved in a snowball fight but I've never had a white christmas and I've never made a snowman. While for me things like 90 degree weather and palm trees and being within an hour of beach on each side of me are normal, snow isn't and that is why I love it.

Seattle and Portland are wrought with culture and they pride themselves on being local and sustainble, with food and goods. I'm starting to research now the places I want to see. We are trying hard to do a 3 days for each but with travel it could be a little less. I found this inn in seattle near the space needle and the seattle center where we can hop on a monorail to get to downtown if we are too full or too drunk to walk. lol. The inn is running a special at 53 bucks a night. It's quaint but cute, has history, and seems quirky.

I have a certain hotel philosophy. We are still fairly young and we are looking to explore the city, we plan on spending more time out and about and less time relaxing at the hotel. In this case look for something cute and small with history such as an inn and less of a resort style place that will cost major bucks. I think its rediculous to spend over 100 bucks for a room you are just going to sleep in. Now if I want to plan a relaxing by the beach tropical vacation perhaps a resort such as the marriott, they have some nice places where be appropriate but this isn't the case.

I find that if you stay at the inns or in small more local places you seem to find more interesting people and things around. Perhaps my view is skewed by the fact that I live in the number one tourist desination in the country and I'm a bit turned off to the tourist type thing. This is why I hated Time Square. Times Square reminded me of Mcdonalds and Disneys Love child fornicating for the whole world to see. Over priced, unoriginal, and dare I say fake. I wouldn't even consider it part of New York City really and neither should you. I went there because I'd never been there but I didn't even get that far just enough to take the tourist type pictures and go to virgin records (we have one of those at Downtown disney with the same overpriced crap). I was not inspired,

So while yes, I will see the space needle and I want to go to the park with the Kurt Cobain Memorial Bench overlooking the house where he blew his head off, I'm not much of a tourist type person. I want to know the real city, even if it isn't glamorous, it's real.

I really set out to write this about a playlist for my iphone and then just went off rambling. Obviously this playlist would include Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam for Seattle. and Everclear for Portland. 

We have a friend in Seattle and one in portland so I think we are planning on renting a car to go from seattle to portland and perhaps take a drive up the west hills which could be interesting. It's were all the mansions are and even a few built castles. Like in the Everclear song I Will Buy You A New Life

"I will buy you a garden
Where your flowers can bloom
I will buy you a new car
Perfect shiny and new
I will buy you that big house
Way up in the west hills
I will buy you a new life
Yes I will"

Any places to visit in Portland or Seattle? Any Songs you would reccommend for my playlist?