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From our family to yours, wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!
For 24 hours only, you can download a digital edition of PC Weenies Book 1 (Rebootus Maximus) for only 99 cents!
It’s the perfect gift to add to your shiny new tablet!
-Krishna
Imagine my surprise when I checked my mailbox this evening to discover a beautiful copy of “My Sister the Freak” from Dani Jones. And the double surprise came with the original art Dani bundled with the book. What a cool rendition of Bob and Pam!
Do check out Dani’s beautiful and entertaining webcomic and buy her book while you’re at it. It’s guaranteed fun for all ages!
Thank you, Dani!
-Krishna
A sneak preview of the next PC Weenies comic… and that’s all I’m going to say about that.
-Krishna
I never thought I would abandon Google Chrome as my primary web browser. It’s rock solid. It’s fast. It’s everything I expected out of a web browser. But Raven, by the fine folks at RavenCo Software, has seriously caused me to rethink my expectations.
At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Raven is a web browser unlike any I have used before. I’ll do my best to describe what it is that makes it a compelling choice, regardless of what browser you are currently using. First off – Raven is Mac only, it’s free and it’s currently released to the wild in beta form. It weighs in at a paltry 6.4 MB, compared to Google Chrome, which clocks in at a whopping 204 MB.
So what makes Raven so darn special?
In a nutshell, it uses a technique called “site specific browsing” that creates a browser instance for certain websites and their features. You start off installing Raven web apps (free) for the major sites you use (Amazon, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
Once you install your apps, you will see them on the sidebar. When selected, an app expands the sidebar to show the key features for that app.
For example, when the Tumblr app is selected, the expanded view displays icons that correspond to the most commonly accessed tasks within Tumblr (i.e. viewing the Tumblr Dashboard, posting a photo to Tumblr, writing a blog post, or sharing a link.)
Similarly, when the Flick App is selected, you’ll see the most common tasks associated with Flickr expand underneath the Flickr icon in the sidebar. It’s difficult to describe, but the net result of setting up these web apps within Raven is that I have convenient access to all the key tasks for the social network websites I regularly visit.
Raven reminds me of the stand-alone Twitter app in its implementation. I am trying to resist making the obligatory “It’s Twitter for web browsers” statement, but that’s how I suppose one could describe it.
Raven’s Web App Shop supports other Web Apps, including the ever popular Angry Birds app as well as Wunderlist, which I’ve written about before. By using Raven, I have eliminated the need for several stand-alone applications; I no longer need to use the Flickr Uploadr app, the Wunderlist app, and the Twitter app. The net result is an overall lower RAM footprint, and less ping-ponging back and forth between a multitude of apps.
As I stated earlier, Raven is in beta. It does not currently support 1Password, and many of the features I have come to expect from other browsers are still unfinished or disabled, like the sync Favorites option that will presumably let you share bookmarks between multiple Macs running Raven. Still, it’s pretty solid for a beta release.
For browsing speed, Raven’s pretty fast – it uses Webkit to render its pages. Reviewing your web history in Raven is a lot like reviewing older tweets in the standalone Twitter app. Pretty slick.
Raven earns its merits for its clever implementation. It’s a beautiful looking browser, too. Raven provides a unique feature-set that stands apart from the other browsers I have used. It’s free to download, so your best bet is to try it and see for yourself what Raven’s all about. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think.
-Krishna
This past week, our house was fraught with Internet related problems. The symptoms? Our Internet connection was sporadic at best – it would work for a few hours then cut out for several more. The episode started last week, and the end result was that we had three Brighthouse technicians trouble-shoot the issue. The first two techs were able to get the connection to work, but the problem reared its head shortly after they left. The third technician was the one who solved the whole shebang.
At the root of the problem were two culprits:
According to the the third tech, it was a miracle that the connection even worked at all!
Brighthouse credited my bill for the week and they did a terrific job following up with me all the way through. I was very pleased with their customer service.
So once again, we have Internet connectivity and all is well in the world. Did I miss having a regular connection this past week? You betcha. But the time away from the computer opened itself up to other activities: playing LEGOs with my daughter, reading books, and simply enjoying the extra time with my family.
I measured my cable modem speed this morning via SpeedTest. I’d like to compare these results with my readers to see how my upload and download speeds compare. If you’d like, post your results in the comments below. Thanks!
-Krishna
I thought I’d share a little info about a few projects and stuff that you might find of interest.
Throughout the month I’m teaching online workshops on character design for Lean Into Art. My first workshop took place last Saturday and I had a blast interacting with my new students. Lean Into Art is offering some terrific classes all throughout the month of November – all the sessions are recorded so you can jump right in and watch courses that have already been taught.
This month I’m also involved with creating new characters for The 30 Characters Challenge. Over 700 participants from all over the world are taking part!
Socially, I’m on Google+. I have set up a circle called “Toon Beta Testers” where I give sneak previews and show works-in-progress for upcoming PC Weenies comics. If you want in, just find me on Google+ and connect with me.
I’m also on Twitter.
I look forward to making new connections – so if you have a question, suggestion, or you just want to say ‘hi’, find me online.
Thanks for reading!
-Krishna
A few months ago, I was asked by the super-talented Dani Jones to contribute some guest art for her all ages graphic novel “My Sister the Freak”. As a fan of her work, I eagerly jumped at the chance. Today, Dani featured my guest-art on her blog along with her own wonderful take on Bob and Pam! (Visit the link to see the full image!)
Today, I urge each and everyone who reads this blog post to check out her incredible comic. Better yet, I want you to buy a copy of her book. It’s 100 pages and perfect for both adults and kids. It’s the perfect book to introduce your kids to the wonderful medium of comics.
“My Sister the Freak” is available both in print and as a digital book. Buy your copy today!
And if you would like to send in some PC Weenies fan art, hit me up at pcweenies@gmail.com with “PCW Fan Art” in the subject header!
-Krishna
Earlier this week, I received my copy of Tom Richmond’s book “The Mad Art of Caricature: A Serious Guide to Drawing Funny Faces”. Tom’s work has been seen in magazines across the country, most notably MAD Magazine. Chances are really good that you have seen his work before.
I have read a LOT of drawing / cartooning / illustration books over the years, and I must say that Tom’s book is right up there with the best of them. This book exudes quality: The front and back covers are thick and glossy while the interior paper stock is bright and makes the colors and text pop out of the page.
I’m still making my way through the whopping 170 page book (there is a LOT of great information to study and digest), but the sections I have read so far have really been impressive. Tom breaks down his techniques, shows plenty of examples, and demonstrates how observation, an understanding of form, shape and anatomy can be used to create some truly amazing likenesses. The book has an informal, relaxed tone with a little pinch of humor thrown in.
The first 5 chapters focus on drawing the head, with individual chapters devoted to techniques on drawing hair, eyes, lips, teeth, ears, noses, and mouths for both men and women. You will also learn anatomy in this book and how it can be exaggerated for effect, as every chapter includes a thorough yet easy-to-understand breakdown of the underlying skeletal and muscular structure.
Chapter 6 dives into the underlying structure of shoulders, necks, and hands. Unlike other books, Tom explains what NOT to do (i.e. common mistakes to avoid) when drawing these elements. The section on drawing hands is superb; Tom’s clear and well-thought-out approach to drawing hands is easily the best I’ve read on the subject.
Chapter 7 covers “Drawing Live Caricatures” that puts all the information from the previous chapters into practice, with guidelines and tips on what to look out for when your subject is posed in front of you.
To be fair, I haven’t read the entire book, but I do know that I’ve got more than my money’s worth out of what I’ve read so far. There is a wealth of terrific information to be had here, folks. This book is a goldmine for cartoonists and illustrators. And I’m not alone in that sentiment.
I know I’ll treasure my copy!
To sum up: If you’re serious about drawing, you need to buy a copy.
-Krishna
