Photo Blog

I just realize that I never updated my photo blog and that I have been putting photos on my normal blog.

So. I am transfering some artwork over to the photo blog and decided to use that to showcase artwork or other photos.

So please periodically check my photo blog (which can be access by clicking on the photo blog button on my home page www.bertjones.com or clicking here: tiggermn.buzznet.com)

Life is going okay for right now. I am working a bit more, so that is a good thing. I still wish it was during the day though and more permanent.

I am going through and re-recording all my LPs into my computer so that I can remaster them and put them on CD. A lot of work, I have about 6 of 56 records done.

I am also still trying to scan paperwork. I decided, why keep all this paper around, when I can scan it all to a PDF and store about 5 boxes of paper on a CD? Saves space and I can access it easier.

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho... It's off to work I go

Well, what a week this has been.

I enjoyed not having to work so much, but this week has been crazy.

I worked all day and night Monday, and then every night this week.

Exhausting, but I need the money and the benefits. I also found out today that I am going to work four days next week too. I should be grateful for the hours, but... I really like staying home with my wife and kids.

Let's see... what else can I tell you...

I learned how to record vocals while playing back music on Adobe Audition. So that will help me redo a lot of my songs. Now to just find the time to do it. I also found some other cool settings, so know I have to re-record all my old LPs back into the computer so I can re-clean them and make them sound great!

I recently purchased X-Men: Legends for the PS2. OMG! That game is pretty cool, its great to develop their mutant powers and watch them kick ass. My favorite mutant powers are Jean Grey's Phoenix Force and Storm's Cyclone Fury. I haven't seen Nightcrawlers Teleport Frenzy, but I am sure it will kick ass. That game is addictive.

I recently read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons and Deception Point. Both are really good books, if you liked DaVinci Code, you'll love these two (Especially Angels and Demons since it takes place in Italy and is more of a treasure hunt like the code was.)

I acquired Mariah Carey's Emancipation of Mimi album. I like the song It's Like That and its respective remixes, the rest of the album will have to grown on me.

I am trying to figure out how to take the movies that my digital camera can take and put them on DVD. So far all my DVD making programs can't read these .mov files. I don't understand why, so I need to figure out how to convert them.

I am trying to learn how to use Adobe Encore, but man that seems daunting. I may wait on that until I finish Photoshop, Illustrator and GoLive CS training books first. Now I hear Adobe CS2 is coming out. I finally get CS and now they have 2. I will have to try and get that now too!

I still need to get QuarkXpress 6. But InDesign CS is pretty good too right now, so who knows I may convert (Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone!)

Well, I think I have wasted enough time. Maybe I should go to bed..but I am not really tired.

G'Nite,
Tigg'a

More art......so suffer

I hate possession, BUT I LOVE MY WACOM! THANK YOU K!

Here is more art:

This one I did with Digital Watercolor. Very different to use, but I really like the texture and the "brush" look.

To make the spray "dots" I used a brush called "Salt".

I think it turned out pretty good,now I just need to learn detail....

computers suck

I hate it when you labor at something for days only to find out it was in vain...

I got a bug up my ass last weekend to wipe out my old PC and turn it into a server. Upgrade it to Windows XP Professional and only install the programs I needed. Simple enough....

First, I backed up everything onto my 250G hardrive. Then I proceeded to wipe out everything and start installing. Had everything installed and my TV Tuner/Video Capture wouldn't work. So I reformated and tried again.

Got it to work, but then other funky shit started happening. So I said fuck it and reformated and tried putting Windows XP Home back on. Before I Could even install I was getting errors and shit. So I said fuck it, I will restore my back up.

But how do I do that....I couldn't just copy over the drive with windows running and Windows XP doesn't allow you to start up from a DOS prompt. So I labored for over 6 hours hand copying file by file and skipping over whatever files were in use.

Then by genius, I realized all I had to do was install Windows on my D: drive, wipe out my primary C: drive and copy stuff over to that and then go into my D: drive windows and tell the computer to start up my C: drive backup. It worked!!!!

But whenever I would try and capture video, it looked fine, but when I would play back it would skip (like a broken record) on the video, but the audio would keep going. I spent four more hours uninstalling and reinstalling my drivers and always got the same shit. If I tried to install the latest version, then my machine couldn't see the hardware and kept saying "Unknown Hardware Found" but never find what drivers went to them.

So I reverted back to a driver set that worked, but still got the same video problems. I thought I will try a different tape (I was trying to put an old VHS I bought on DVD so it will last longer) Turns out the VHS was doing that Light/Dark thing that would happen when you tried to copy a store-bought VHS) so when I would try different tapes, they worked fine.....

IT WAS THAT ONE STINKING TAPE! I SPENT A WEEK DOING CRAP FOR NOTHING!

Isn't technology great. Why can't we have computers that talk like on Star Trek and tell us whats wrong with them? Cars can tell mechanics, why can't PCs?

I put a spell on you.

I am sure your thinking...."what is up with the title?"

Well, it happens to be the song I am listening to right now. Queen Latifah's Dana Owen album. Great songs.

Anyways, I thought I would put up some more artwork. I am getting a little bit better with the wacom tablet. The hard part now is the brushes in Painter IX. When I used to paint, I would just grab a brush that "looked" right. Not what it was made of, or its size.

Well, with painter, there is picture of the brush as well as what it does and what size it is. So I have to use a trial-and-error approach until I learn them all.

Mainly I have been using the Simple Round Wash and the Runny Water Bristle brush. Especially with this peice. I would paint with the Simple Round Wash and then go over it with the Runny Water Wash Bristle (with white) so that it would just use the color that is there and make it runny. And I used a bit of the Wet Sponge brush for the bushes.

Hope you like it.