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SHANTAE | Colored Pencil Fan Art

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Since I felt inspired to draw Konata in pencil , I’ve been drawing a lot more lately. My results at freehand drawing have been pretty satisfying, and two days ago I decided to tackle another character. For no reason in particular, I chose Shantae, a popular video game character . I did a Google search to find some reference images to use, and came across one with Shantae wearing a bikini and lying on a beach. Although naturally eye-catching, I felt it would be too challenging to attempt. I usually only draw the top halves of people—full-body anatomy is waaaayy  beyond my level, or so I thought. Even my full-body drawing of Konata was far from perfect—although it isn’t obvious, the proportions were a bit  off . I really didn’t think it would pay off to try drawing a character in such an elaborate pose as this one. But I decided to give it my best shot, and over the course of the morning I laid out a rough sketch. The legs were the most challenging part, and I left them mostly ...
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NICHIJOU: MY ORDINARY LIFE Limited-Edition UK-Only Blu-ray REVIEW

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When I finished watching Nichijou: My Ordinary Life  a few weeks ago, I couldn’t let the series go. The silly slice-of-life scenarios were so delightful, and the characters so endearing, that I just had to have more. Sadly, the series only lasted for one season (although there are more stories in the manga, which I promptly added to my Wishlist). So it was unlikely that I’d get to experience any more of Mio, Yuuki, and Mai’s shenanigans anytime soon.   Out of a sheer obsession with the series, I began reading the detailed Wikipedia page, and looking at every official product ever made for the anime. During this investigation, I learned of a little-known limited-edition version of the show that had only been released in the United Kingdom. This release was on Blu-ray, comprised of the original Japanese audio and the spectacular English dub, and came with an exclusive art book. During my research, it had become painfully clear that there was never much in the way of merchandise ...
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Animation Spotlight: THE CAT RETURNS | Capturing Sunlight in Animation

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  We’ve dealt with some very heavy topics in my last two blog posts . So I think it’s time to return to something more fun… and it doesn’t get more fun than The Cat Returns , the least Ghibli-like Studio Ghibli movie ever! This movie about believing in and standing up for yourself may be Studio Ghibli’s simplest film. It’s just an hour and 15 minutes long, while most Ghibli movies approach (or exceed) two hours. It also has a very straightforward and satisfying story that, on the surface, really doesn’t seem to have much depth. This relative simplicity doesn’t extend to its presentation, however. Like most Studio Ghibli productions, The Cat Returns  is a masterpiece of animation, music, and sound design. It warrants a full review, and I’ll write one later. But for today, I just wanted to focus on three specific frames. Not three scenes. Not even three shots. Three frames . Ready? Here they are: DID YOU SEE THAT!? WHAT THEY DID WITH THE LIGHTING? No? Okay, here it is again. In...
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I’m Young, Progressive, and a Nonconformist. So Why Am I a Christian?

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After publishing yesterday’s post , it occurred to me that anyone reading my blog might be confused as to why I identify as a Christian at all. After all, I made it fairly clear that my experiences in the church have been less than positive (and honestly, that’s true in far more ways than I bothered to mention). I’ve also shown that I don’t take traditional theology very seriously, and that there are significant differences between my views and those of established Christianity. So anyone who isn’t religious themselves might wonder why I bother with religion at all. Why not let it go, and focus on more practical, less annoying things? On the other hand, someone who is a Christian might wonder the same thing. If I’m not going to take established theology and church teaching seriously, why do I claim to be a Christian in the first place? So I decided that, before I write about my personal exploration of Jesus’s teachings , I ought to answer that question. So Why Am I a Christian? I’d lik...
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