tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47830161472378799272024-03-04T22:17:10.532-09:00MIKE GARN DesignPortfolio of concept artist, designer and illustrator Mike Garn.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-15960170027516454152022-05-18T21:37:00.013-08:002022-06-01T15:32:11.279-08:00MAY.18.2022<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="355" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l_ZcaRfAmF4" width="608" youtube-src-id="l_ZcaRfAmF4"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Nothing will make up for the 4 years I've neglected the blog. I've let you down, I've let myself down, but worst of all I've let the children down. So much to say here, screw it, let's just quick fire this thing.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>I continue to work on my game, it was called Three of June, but I renamed it to Arksync at the beginning of 2021. I officially incorporated my studio <a href="https://www.dykomsoftware.com">Dykom Software</a>. I'm a licensed Nintendo developer. My game <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1828800/Arksync">Arksync</a> is listed on Steam. I worked on Apex Legends a bunch, helped design a cruise ship and <a href="http://paradiseearth.com/experience">amusement park</a>, helped release another COD game, and my favorite, built some guns on <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/964800/Prodeus">Prodeus</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0njZ2R3yet2k9qjlrJhYXjxgTgcdfOcBef6h2q8yNAQ8UD6otUlsHYPUQ2WqSLhDnUyMIOwMJ5J_tfahsK5MpVu_m3gpV_trZYveaJzWh-Qcs6mUIeUs6R71lTW9KmeGT9_WFbu-8nDVDFeMXdAeStIaM0nMm9HN0qFsDSvovVh6_-j8xt2R726Y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0njZ2R3yet2k9qjlrJhYXjxgTgcdfOcBef6h2q8yNAQ8UD6otUlsHYPUQ2WqSLhDnUyMIOwMJ5J_tfahsK5MpVu_m3gpV_trZYveaJzWh-Qcs6mUIeUs6R71lTW9KmeGT9_WFbu-8nDVDFeMXdAeStIaM0nMm9HN0qFsDSvovVh6_-j8xt2R726Y" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIjJBsrmGhv_FB218q9fJt-xmGelh9nP-iQic_SeNwtUpHW56fHUk8RGzz1muYW9I063GMGcqXn5Xd0ShoMBN_DFGAfJ55-nRbizXe8L9rh1wAf44DQSMmHOE6M_xpaUiFoJ9YWlLMBHmXwjIVhVyHIhBtZq824bmJIlOg5AD4CQarAebbIu2oeKY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIjJBsrmGhv_FB218q9fJt-xmGelh9nP-iQic_SeNwtUpHW56fHUk8RGzz1muYW9I063GMGcqXn5Xd0ShoMBN_DFGAfJ55-nRbizXe8L9rh1wAf44DQSMmHOE6M_xpaUiFoJ9YWlLMBHmXwjIVhVyHIhBtZq824bmJIlOg5AD4CQarAebbIu2oeKY" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc6--b0GkN0ug7HK_-uftOjJ4b1RjrSVwXzSItSOvM3z8OsL76h0x939aDYpXjY9FIR9gbJU4h78cMutmA3NV5L0gxTKHdSEQLESOaQeeUDkQE4kG8dlaLE8knb4vopqNUI1n_DOTNDjV0MmZE1iFNuqkZOJSQM8y4wO3a_pSjCFEk3kyeubpah38" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc6--b0GkN0ug7HK_-uftOjJ4b1RjrSVwXzSItSOvM3z8OsL76h0x939aDYpXjY9FIR9gbJU4h78cMutmA3NV5L0gxTKHdSEQLESOaQeeUDkQE4kG8dlaLE8knb4vopqNUI1n_DOTNDjV0MmZE1iFNuqkZOJSQM8y4wO3a_pSjCFEk3kyeubpah38" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqueebDwS-Asrg46rDp9J5AdYDpw1gYCM3ZXMvIDK4hvxoGLxvaZCGopwAvJdl9OgA2SgIitOgxylgEtTTD7MayMhU_TuQa0izRQ3MEBOSc9QKryKqupftmtO2_U0Ym3H-9oVNJt_JAuJtZcQgwRvJVYkQWr60jHPVKdzAW42qGoR0WNDz-XRYvh4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqueebDwS-Asrg46rDp9J5AdYDpw1gYCM3ZXMvIDK4hvxoGLxvaZCGopwAvJdl9OgA2SgIitOgxylgEtTTD7MayMhU_TuQa0izRQ3MEBOSc9QKryKqupftmtO2_U0Ym3H-9oVNJt_JAuJtZcQgwRvJVYkQWr60jHPVKdzAW42qGoR0WNDz-XRYvh4" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>What else... Oh I moved to Colorado and have been living next to the the Rocky mountains by a lake for the past 2 years. I bought some fish and built them a cool little real habitat that looks like you stuck your head in a river. One of the fish, the beloved Charlie, probably killed his friend, and spent the next couple months hiding in shame behind the filter pipes. So I got him a new friend and he's been a lot nicer to this one. Oh shit, yeah beginning of this year I was in a wild fire, had to evacuate my home for a few days and everything. Dude that sucked. My place was surrounded on two sides by fire a quarter mile away. We lost over 1000 homes in the area. I'll tell you what, that changes ya.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3O4x0V-8MqYfaxyf_TAks_4xFR7NZiAUtDNGna42jHPTc-HzRogqbtd53bUluMdtQUC3cB6Y6DcWBcq9lQyvSNYM00hK5spU8q-5pRqkFAAyJVnuMhXsD59tXJhsbP6PuLqUzlbBnSaJHWN0eVqjCswOItMHJ0bvErfqufNNczdfiaGZtnGSRdJA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3O4x0V-8MqYfaxyf_TAks_4xFR7NZiAUtDNGna42jHPTc-HzRogqbtd53bUluMdtQUC3cB6Y6DcWBcq9lQyvSNYM00hK5spU8q-5pRqkFAAyJVnuMhXsD59tXJhsbP6PuLqUzlbBnSaJHWN0eVqjCswOItMHJ0bvErfqufNNczdfiaGZtnGSRdJA" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHs5644i3LaEUuRVgvIwMQ694AQC-0kX-wT61A_al3WScfvyIjdnSmJygLXXrBvEv7kdZA8SXTpMmEGsOAqKZk6Wqn-WHmhYnvuBR-vb2abnHYk4wo5GBnV6ECPPQhseNTZ-EvOEkBHnQQNEZMTOCuWOZ5z7z4nxCDbpkoHBsregBCJJdyQIyLh6Y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHs5644i3LaEUuRVgvIwMQ694AQC-0kX-wT61A_al3WScfvyIjdnSmJygLXXrBvEv7kdZA8SXTpMmEGsOAqKZk6Wqn-WHmhYnvuBR-vb2abnHYk4wo5GBnV6ECPPQhseNTZ-EvOEkBHnQQNEZMTOCuWOZ5z7z4nxCDbpkoHBsregBCJJdyQIyLh6Y" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaQyEBbIBQAtY0GiW2QQLHAc_GLK0nR4g9E8koqCeEYXm4c8SNpNv7nL8vsCRH_ldoNshpQk0NLkSGOdS34lnPm5b3yE4gOu67iBWoE2h4Vp6kNr_2QDtRTcBiDOoOQOSgR9G5ke38JqhK9qWquSPD5TP7qv3Adx-t-zrXu8ESp2aCzr-zenvoo_g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="2000" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaQyEBbIBQAtY0GiW2QQLHAc_GLK0nR4g9E8koqCeEYXm4c8SNpNv7nL8vsCRH_ldoNshpQk0NLkSGOdS34lnPm5b3yE4gOu67iBWoE2h4Vp6kNr_2QDtRTcBiDOoOQOSgR9G5ke38JqhK9qWquSPD5TP7qv3Adx-t-zrXu8ESp2aCzr-zenvoo_g=w640-h274" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div>Life has been a real blur the last 4 years for the most part. I mostly just work on my game. Life balance is pretty much out the window. That certainly hurts the most. I'm in my mid 30s now, and the thing I wanted most from life I don't have. My career is locked down, but my personal life is pretty fucked. Nowhere even near where I want it. Everything else is going really well though. I'm excited to wake up everyday and get to work building my own ideas. I'm exercising, getting to run under the rocky mountains every week. At least I'm failing in style now. I'm kicking around moving to Texas in a couple months directly related to what I just mentioned. I love being in CO, just don't think I'm going to get what I want here.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUXVJs8Xtj-A2ALgTKnAqRas9XV2XPCxo5lGdIFEZe7sjBsZCkfDdOUgJ--rIMCIJx0GV-FnB-6YxM73nfpNNgkwYz_SrLb9eN61-qI3SC1-vAXFtlNNHhVvffToQ1mG4S7X_pKJjp06kLS3lM4cUn4ifkeNp4kRif8N0T06VmKJFP0AOEkme7wj8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUXVJs8Xtj-A2ALgTKnAqRas9XV2XPCxo5lGdIFEZe7sjBsZCkfDdOUgJ--rIMCIJx0GV-FnB-6YxM73nfpNNgkwYz_SrLb9eN61-qI3SC1-vAXFtlNNHhVvffToQ1mG4S7X_pKJjp06kLS3lM4cUn4ifkeNp4kRif8N0T06VmKJFP0AOEkme7wj8=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgV8cnUBYXHDmZCHnHzgK2aKbprQEB38HUoQYU_juaP0NYo8oWnwyfdFY9pKXnVo0yf1qMivHQLScv9LcapCmdg-YsmD2ZXyEhPviiBFC0i7Y5iOcaXSXri0uV6pnuj-02jm-730_ptA5lVsgKe_UZ6IpCVfK-RIJ_0nv7Vv7t72k_1UNM-MIC8n5g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2064" data-original-width="4000" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgV8cnUBYXHDmZCHnHzgK2aKbprQEB38HUoQYU_juaP0NYo8oWnwyfdFY9pKXnVo0yf1qMivHQLScv9LcapCmdg-YsmD2ZXyEhPviiBFC0i7Y5iOcaXSXri0uV6pnuj-02jm-730_ptA5lVsgKe_UZ6IpCVfK-RIJ_0nv7Vv7t72k_1UNM-MIC8n5g=w400-h206" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfkOdPLJ_VNA1sf22kzcd4__ygAo70jtfU6TsmkXKOqY0B6gKFM5Szx5QUcyVTMWQ7GG6QqHfpN2h7OUSXiAkQDDohWyyrTj8PBBi7Jmi3IhXS50nvqeGXcT7l3fp-t85qU4aw39nyGm6e0Npi9nCMlQAWiVFLEXsX1KLgruT4hxGsAMaEwcWBSDI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfkOdPLJ_VNA1sf22kzcd4__ygAo70jtfU6TsmkXKOqY0B6gKFM5Szx5QUcyVTMWQ7GG6QqHfpN2h7OUSXiAkQDDohWyyrTj8PBBi7Jmi3IhXS50nvqeGXcT7l3fp-t85qU4aw39nyGm6e0Npi9nCMlQAWiVFLEXsX1KLgruT4hxGsAMaEwcWBSDI" width="240" /></a><br /><br /></div><br />As of now the game's aiming for release in October. I'm working hard on this. This is the last time I work like this for the rest of my life. Succeed or fail, I'm not going to work like this anymore. Ever since that post in 2012 where I decided I was going to do exactly what I've done, I never really stopped working stupid long hours, studying weekends. I guess I knew even then I was behind schedule by about 8 years. I wanted my game studio before hitting my 40s, and had I not worked like this I wouldn't have this until I was mid 40s. So yeah worth it I think, just a real shitty price to pay. I'm going to fix my life when this game is finished, get the last piece of the puzzle, and then I'll have everything I ever wanted. Almost there.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-56377971275594128892018-04-02T07:52:00.002-08:002018-06-11T01:39:45.363-08:00APR.2.2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So much news. Life changing news :)<br />
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As of last week I no longer work at Treyarch. After nearly three years I left in order to pursue my own goals and a more fulfilling life. It came at no surprise realizing just how much of my time and energy was being put into other ideas. For a person as self driven, with plenty of my own ideas there's no reason I couldn't restructure my time in a more balanced way. I will be continuing working professionally as a freelance concept artist for other studios, but with the advantages needed to pursue my plan. So what's the updated plan? It's pretty in depth as that's how I plan, so I'll give you the key objectives. Get back into doing freelance concept art and build my game studio.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzE40Mhi1kWoUV5s5oSTGC6Q1cOGUwWB8hQ6HwBxQdc72GOCFlhmVAWzjl2xB50n_HiK4HQ83pxpBsHA7gKDCIjf3DPVVryHUeda5ywpExrli5QXhgyIGCcvQe9oM8gqcsRGaUrSckwPi/s1600/Snake-Plissken.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzE40Mhi1kWoUV5s5oSTGC6Q1cOGUwWB8hQ6HwBxQdc72GOCFlhmVAWzjl2xB50n_HiK4HQ83pxpBsHA7gKDCIjf3DPVVryHUeda5ywpExrli5QXhgyIGCcvQe9oM8gqcsRGaUrSckwPi/s320/Snake-Plissken.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There's not much to say about freelance except that I'm doing a portfolio push to get some extra traction, also my portfolio is already a year outdated. I mean that Infinite Warfare work is over 3 years old and it's supporting this whole thing. So yeah I'm pushing out new work every week starting this week with the first image of this post. Thank the concept art gods I can get these things done quickly and confidently these days.<br />
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Lets talk about my game studio. As of last week I started planning out and building my first game. Feels good to say that. I'm not ready to announce specifics quite yet, but in a month or two I will. I want to make a strong first impression so expect something special. After putting together some ideas, the game I'm moving forward with is very possible for me to build and I'm bursting at the seams to share it. Soon! :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqP_rg6X40E7IsdiAgfA8GUNbK6B17LH5N2mEFdL89e1c0ewFG2GSqwh_cHSKbTDkAb4FWfmAxs07IthAdGUT4mpZiRiS0Js_sw7fopZG2-kSIiNOH8Rd-MVjtY0n80G5WxUJQyGWqnLA/s1600/SpeedModel_04_MikeGarn.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0hWzxBaLUYRNaMEbkM13HG6RVmVTodfl2yJ1_aS9nMpJxmI33Sz-jAvPeRXJLBUNNx8wyT6rcoV58mKe_kVGHLmTI3biyohDvxf5u-1kd-9WyP6RBNWRvoPvjY6Bhm3mGfyob4oXRabF/s1600/SpeedModel_02.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0hWzxBaLUYRNaMEbkM13HG6RVmVTodfl2yJ1_aS9nMpJxmI33Sz-jAvPeRXJLBUNNx8wyT6rcoV58mKe_kVGHLmTI3biyohDvxf5u-1kd-9WyP6RBNWRvoPvjY6Bhm3mGfyob4oXRabF/s200/SpeedModel_02.jpg" width="200" /></a> <img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqP_rg6X40E7IsdiAgfA8GUNbK6B17LH5N2mEFdL89e1c0ewFG2GSqwh_cHSKbTDkAb4FWfmAxs07IthAdGUT4mpZiRiS0Js_sw7fopZG2-kSIiNOH8Rd-MVjtY0n80G5WxUJQyGWqnLA/s200/SpeedModel_04_MikeGarn.JPG" width="200" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlP1GzsUrAWV150-pfrz4LQIKbt-jwykSlYPhiOIqnLwPb9fPyKhH_YbIVoBmWjIq0rONXMaRC0wRwpbMwXY7hm0nr_NLckRaiiR_NlKnsVc6CR2HZcc2YNuhqC9LOFG9WS1RAGRSOq0n/s1600/SpeedModel_03_MikeGarn.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlP1GzsUrAWV150-pfrz4LQIKbt-jwykSlYPhiOIqnLwPb9fPyKhH_YbIVoBmWjIq0rONXMaRC0wRwpbMwXY7hm0nr_NLckRaiiR_NlKnsVc6CR2HZcc2YNuhqC9LOFG9WS1RAGRSOq0n/s200/SpeedModel_03_MikeGarn.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Well that sums everything up. Alright, take a deep breath... now get your ass to work.<br />
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Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-19594430210359088542018-01-07T11:09:00.000-09:002018-03-11T15:03:00.152-08:00JAN.7.2018<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aiming System studies. Built from scratch without reference.</td></tr>
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I've been pushing myself extra hard this past year to learn how to build a video game. This last year was about learning programming and animation mostly. I keep telling myself the hard part is almost over, as if the difficulty ends before a game is finished. haha. Something always goes wrong... always. I think I could sum up the last year with a lot of my life as "Close but no cigar". I wonder where that expression comes from? Anyways between what seemed like close calls getting dream jobs between two of my favorite studios, and wanting to get my own projects up and running, and most of my personal life it's been so much failure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCz7jTfufx_B6nej9HphbF3jy1MM3HO-Y-WKefuzLOpTQcU4bPLjuuo6lBuHUIDGYY0KxU0_HKI4AzLKW85gA_6e81x-V7puOagbDyg0zeosYm6y6R-fkv-nXcxipTvb0NBN48rSkAvk0P/s1600/2018-01-07_11-41-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCz7jTfufx_B6nej9HphbF3jy1MM3HO-Y-WKefuzLOpTQcU4bPLjuuo6lBuHUIDGYY0KxU0_HKI4AzLKW85gA_6e81x-V7puOagbDyg0zeosYm6y6R-fkv-nXcxipTvb0NBN48rSkAvk0P/s640/2018-01-07_11-41-27.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Health system studies, also built without reference.</td></tr>
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Yeah I'm smarter and better than I was before but the frustrating part is knowing you have so much farther to go and not knowing that distance. Learning programming without any real training is such a bitch. It's like trying to learn Japanese in your English speaking hometown. Moral of the story do multiple hard backups of everything you do in UE4, the program is not bullet proof. Just the thought of how many simple lessons like this I have yet to learn is so daunting. Programming is so deliberate, there's not a lot of room for experimenting at the foundational level.<br />
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Here's to 2018, the year I finally get my shit together!<br />
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<br />Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-72236414184715030472018-01-07T11:00:00.001-09:002018-04-02T07:57:05.210-08:00DEC.31.2017<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2ZY_jQl03JlYh-Eh384HAZ1FXczQOdJghXYJ78E9V_ovnJWjeUC3Pl17ykIi29WgtQmoUYX-mKE7CTHg1ExKkIPFcrdDsiyohG6VRJsjXjzqERjBABXqn-syFhyphenhypheno8u_aRoGKnGNAcFx5/s1600/26195920_10155097945082374_2451723591211549769_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2ZY_jQl03JlYh-Eh384HAZ1FXczQOdJghXYJ78E9V_ovnJWjeUC3Pl17ykIi29WgtQmoUYX-mKE7CTHg1ExKkIPFcrdDsiyohG6VRJsjXjzqERjBABXqn-syFhyphenhypheno8u_aRoGKnGNAcFx5/s320/26195920_10155097945082374_2451723591211549769_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm not a New Years resolution person. What a lot of people do once a year is part of my life on a monthly to weekly... even daily basis. I'm already hyper focused on future resolutions on the regular.</div>
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So what is the New Year for me you didn't ask? It's more about reflecting on the last year. Asking the tough question, "Did I meet my own expectation last year? Was I the person, the machine, the energy I expect myself to be?" New Years becomes more about creating fuel for combustion, rather than combustion itself. It becomes more about finding incentive to achieve goals, rather than making them; because you know damn well you should have been working on this goal way before New Years.</div>
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So let's say this idea sparks you but you don't know where to start. "Mike please have mercy, I wanna get shit done this year but the world is so big, and there's lootboxes out there, and how could anybody not like the office, let alone tell me they did when they actually didn't?" I know *exactly* what you mean, which is why I've got your resolutions all figured out this year!</div>
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<b>RESOLUTION 1A</b>. Be honest with yourself. Easier said than done I know. For some it's hard to admit to themselves when they screw up, for others it's hard to admit when they're kicking ass, and some struggle to notice the middle ground in between. Just look at it for what it is so you can approach your resolutions efficiently.</div>
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<b>RESOLUTION 1B</b>. Life spoiler alert! You're going to die. Hopefully not anytime soon, but whether you like it or not you have X amount of time to live. Sorry if this is your first time hearing about this. This whole process hinges on steps 1A-B, so take them super cereal ok.</div>
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<b>RESOLUTION 2</b>. Make some goals that are really easy for you to get excited about and think how they will improve your life! Make goals that benefit you in the short or long term. Don't be afraid to get crazy with it, because you can't get resolution 1B out of your head now.</div>
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<b>RESOLUTION 3</b>. Make a plan. Getting anywhere fast requires perfect directions, just like the fastest way to any goal requires a plan. That's not to say your GPS won't send you to JCPenny instead of Chuck E Cheese, but take a deep breath and if your plan isn't getting you to your goals, reroute again and again until you reach your destination. It's as easy as going from point A to point B.</div>
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<b>RESOLUTION 4</b>. Make it a habit to work on your goals even if you don't want to, even if its a minute a day, hell even a few seconds. You NEED to do at least a few seconds a day! In that moment just trust in the habit, if this is something you actually care about the habit will consume you eventually.</div>
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<b>RESOLUTION 5</b>. Go unadulterated ******* beast mode! It's probably going to hurt and you might even question if it's worth it at times, but you haven't forgotten about Resolution 2 and the universe's gift to planet Earth, Resolution 1B. Work your ass off and never give up, but if you start to waiver for any reason go back to resolution 4 until you're ready to play with the big boys again ;)</div>
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Happy New Year everyone! I love you guys!</div>
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Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-63434575367687113822017-04-08T13:31:00.002-08:002018-03-11T15:10:08.385-08:00 APRIL.08.2017<div style="text-align: center;">
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Time for a blog update! Almost a year since the last update... to be fair I started about 5 posts that are sitting as drafts. Who knows, maybe this will become another draft. *long sigh*</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DnPcOj-c8tP4Fj3v3Zg0Y5oka5Dr2GizBeLJCUJddg4m2aVMsiFssVXPq9rU2acWXLAO68YDtNmDmlteNVLOIkvIIuPm2D-PzU12bHlWy8J6T-IhgwPy80mEMRLUYFuWrCcyIqF4SHzm/s1600/DR3Rifle_ConceptSheet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DnPcOj-c8tP4Fj3v3Zg0Y5oka5Dr2GizBeLJCUJddg4m2aVMsiFssVXPq9rU2acWXLAO68YDtNmDmlteNVLOIkvIIuPm2D-PzU12bHlWy8J6T-IhgwPy80mEMRLUYFuWrCcyIqF4SHzm/s200/DR3Rifle_ConceptSheet.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgaWz_PQ_TPjRPsZ1aSwwNuhhq-lJJIWKkPQjlpw33qWYkaftGWUPI8ATjDdM-ld8wNSxtO3zqzstSD1zV_vjfD6bdrf87iATMXJcJ6w2471BAlyBTMMYKCcSCaN4WSUCE4yv9wEnQ37r/s1600/EMPGrenade_ConceptSheet.png" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgaWz_PQ_TPjRPsZ1aSwwNuhhq-lJJIWKkPQjlpw33qWYkaftGWUPI8ATjDdM-ld8wNSxtO3zqzstSD1zV_vjfD6bdrf87iATMXJcJ6w2471BAlyBTMMYKCcSCaN4WSUCE4yv9wEnQ37r/s200/EMPGrenade_ConceptSheet.png" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQO2Ifu1gPpvkHVVjT7htFIvfe8jRMs_00KFu0Kc7fFms3dFZ3oDwoFr5c7sSTe2pmCV8GFRw5IfiTmcrcwY-An3aMtns-RMjef0daCQLiFqN1t-J9wLwDXOSYqSL34nbzmcp38yvEIHy/s1600/Scica+9mm+Sidearm+Mike+Garn.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQO2Ifu1gPpvkHVVjT7htFIvfe8jRMs_00KFu0Kc7fFms3dFZ3oDwoFr5c7sSTe2pmCV8GFRw5IfiTmcrcwY-An3aMtns-RMjef0daCQLiFqN1t-J9wLwDXOSYqSL34nbzmcp38yvEIHy/s200/Scica+9mm+Sidearm+Mike+Garn.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Let's start with the website. Updated! Tons of new work (we'll talk more about this later), a store page WHAT?!?!, restructured site layout, new banner, removing old work, consistent concept sheet layouts, sweeeet little link icons above, and the 3d modeling page still sits as a WIP. All in all not bad progress over a year-ish.<br />
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So "Mike, why are you doing this? if you're working 8 hours a day at Treyarch and then doing this much personal work, you're basically working two jobs?". Yep basically. I don't totally enjoy working so much, life gets unbalanced pretty quick, but I sleep well at night because I'm always tired. I can't talk about all the reasons I'm doing this just yet but we'll touch on it. So at my current job we don't get to post any work we do, and I've done hundreds of concepts there over the last couple years. There came a point in December when I started feeling irrelevant in the industry, becoming one of those artists nobody knows about. I watched as some of my other friends work was bringing them better gigs and building their reputation in the industry. Most of them have the advantage of being able to post their work. So that's the core of why I'm doing so much work. I won't be at Treyarch forever and I need to make sure that I have a well known reputation to fall back on. So 2014 portfolio is out the door and 2017 portfolio is coming in with a vengeance. Feels good, feels safer. Hopefully in the next few months I can talk about the other reasons because I think they're very important, and have helped me mature in my profession.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EqtpQ0zfILCu5iX85hQSM0An3VBcRFHrOkv7kromuYA8XM8D9k9zzrLswvireReR2EoVVfotePXTcZc29T3oYvocwyLDjLgm7nuZy6_84_sdodzaON9ZK-JMwL5GLwB35-E-ozifIxdU/s1600/Eden_by_Mike_Garn_sm.png" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: start;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EqtpQ0zfILCu5iX85hQSM0An3VBcRFHrOkv7kromuYA8XM8D9k9zzrLswvireReR2EoVVfotePXTcZc29T3oYvocwyLDjLgm7nuZy6_84_sdodzaON9ZK-JMwL5GLwB35-E-ozifIxdU/s640/Eden_by_Mike_Garn_sm.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I spend a lot of time studying studio management, all the aspects of game development, film, story development and structures, and building a road map to follow when the time comes to dig in. Preparation meets opportunity, as always. Some of my buddies, hell lets plug them because their super amazing, at <a href="http://www.gadget-bot.com/">Gadget-Bot</a> are working on their first game. Oh my god is it inspiring. Small team with huge ideas and most importantly a solid plan. Anyways watching their game develop has really put a fire under my ass and helped me refocus my goals. I want to get one, maybe two more AAA titles under my belt where I can really be in the project's trenches. A medium sized team where I can ask more questions and observe more aspects of game design. I really wish I was younger so I could justify working on more projects from other studios, see how everyone does it. I just hope I can gather enough information to build a successful project with as few obstacles as possible, and from my own first project I can fund more projects for the rest of my life. That's really what this is all about. Honest projects that are less built by the corporate world, and more built from a pure interest in humanity. We're at the dawn of humanity driven projects and I'm doing everything I can to be there as it rises.<br />
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Let's see what else. Oh yes the "Store" page. So I love the idea of hitting a shit ton of birds with one stone (not literally), and I've been treating all my work like that. Trying to multipurpose everything so a single image can update the portfolio, build some industry cred, create a bigger fall back net, and improve my skills. Then I realized there was another bird, the tutorial bird. I'd never hit tutorial bird but I knew he'd reinforce everything I was doing. So I'm throwing rocks at him now too. I need to give a little shout out to everyone that's gone and purchased things from my store, I'm super flattered you'd trust my instruction, and I genuinely hope the information is helpful for you. Thanks so much! Making these products has also helped me grow and develop new ideas and workflows, something I didn't realize would be so impactful. The tutorials will keep coming because of this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIb76Wjb4usWmlAwXqgn3jDwrJngvZulctPXpxqZKW-Y6gwVi53W5WS4xwGM5BUZqkWvP_XTGk_Xg6aHxEOAEPcsz_ZN_HhAaolP1MNvh61FjIgrVLVgoJTaF-xmJuVu0y-BM5C0uTaWp/s1600/WIP_03a.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIb76Wjb4usWmlAwXqgn3jDwrJngvZulctPXpxqZKW-Y6gwVi53W5WS4xwGM5BUZqkWvP_XTGk_Xg6aHxEOAEPcsz_ZN_HhAaolP1MNvh61FjIgrVLVgoJTaF-xmJuVu0y-BM5C0uTaWp/s200/WIP_03a.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51U9FC1YgpHv8LRd3KTlSbumdBzwZYtig5RdIoftI-ZFJQBaLHwbjgvexjZyb9LUCmy-XuaDz6CLZ9vxITUwhWJia_DPj7pbAK_S_sks3YT4m5vdwxl6284XuU9VLLXkASAwKqDs2L0Kg/s1600/WIP_03b.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51U9FC1YgpHv8LRd3KTlSbumdBzwZYtig5RdIoftI-ZFJQBaLHwbjgvexjZyb9LUCmy-XuaDz6CLZ9vxITUwhWJia_DPj7pbAK_S_sks3YT4m5vdwxl6284XuU9VLLXkASAwKqDs2L0Kg/s200/WIP_03b.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAirlKJSLioc2h4jAUCz60GX0j4os6cjr7fqZRgGfWyKzel5EYZ0ii4ihoBOyRVVvXfiMTektgip-R38DUnlnz0u3WPakaD0P9r1DkidR0886fX586cEpS5bbz78fc2_a3iEC3UbNHPMn/s1600/WIP_03c.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAirlKJSLioc2h4jAUCz60GX0j4os6cjr7fqZRgGfWyKzel5EYZ0ii4ihoBOyRVVvXfiMTektgip-R38DUnlnz0u3WPakaD0P9r1DkidR0886fX586cEpS5bbz78fc2_a3iEC3UbNHPMn/s200/WIP_03c.jpg" width="200" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_P4IdHrURA0ewwsj3gvXGow-6qSYkxmSraUCff13s2bW1exDw5EW0cUi_488emSvd1az3muRxiuRZkP3F15Jkp-76fxoLIHjT9VxeWMSaVhYR1lkDgMeKge6MuGUTPAQXqVJBLMLCj-2/s1600/WIP_03d.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_P4IdHrURA0ewwsj3gvXGow-6qSYkxmSraUCff13s2bW1exDw5EW0cUi_488emSvd1az3muRxiuRZkP3F15Jkp-76fxoLIHjT9VxeWMSaVhYR1lkDgMeKge6MuGUTPAQXqVJBLMLCj-2/s200/WIP_03d.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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So what's this low poly map thing above? This is my modular grid system in action. This is version 4, yeah 3 failures at this haha. It doesn't take long to start building things and then to discover some of your math isn't lining up. I did a bunch of studies and mathematics to get this thing working the way I need it to. A GDC talk on "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBAM27YbKZg">Fallout 4's Modular Level Design</a>" really gave me the extra information I needed. The goal is to have a system with enough diversity and flexibility but component based so that a small team can build relatively complex environments quickly. We're getting there.<br />
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I think that covers most of the important stuff. Thanks everyone for the support and also to my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mikegarn/">Instagram followers</a>. We're approaching 1,600 right now, and I love you guys. I'm proud to say that the people who like the work I'm doing seem like just the coolest people. Just a lot of positive energy out there.<br />
<br />Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-16106317132501146382016-05-23T01:54:00.000-08:002017-04-08T13:48:52.839-08:00MAY.23.2016<div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmYGEG6QMXQuLB03tcCw425vc_XzFlRo1wGdqp1Q310F2B0cUvuxtG9bdkBiGxa3O_fkY_qljI6gZkjOgTe6Ho7leLx56Yz-2Z_JR07OoJnaqj7Hh4wsfZ67B1kTiWpQOx4US82br93Sf/s1600/UE4_03a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmYGEG6QMXQuLB03tcCw425vc_XzFlRo1wGdqp1Q310F2B0cUvuxtG9bdkBiGxa3O_fkY_qljI6gZkjOgTe6Ho7leLx56Yz-2Z_JR07OoJnaqj7Hh4wsfZ67B1kTiWpQOx4US82br93Sf/s640/UE4_03a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Recent first Success building a top down shooter game :)</td></tr>
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A quick update before I get into my next big bit of news for the blog section of my site. First, yes I'm doing great. Work at Treyarch has kept me crazy busy but I absolutely love it. I turned 30 in Febuary which here we are on lap 30 around the sun. I got cubital tunnel syndrome actually on my bday which was a big welcome to being 30. It's basically carpal tunnel but based in your elbow. It comes from doing the same motions over and over again. I had to sleep with a brace for a month but we're mostly better now. I took a break from rock climbing since the last post and just started up again ever since the cubital tunnel and it seems to be helping greatly. blah blah blah. Sorry I've got Game of Thrones on the brain right now. Dammit Hodor!<br />
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I've got a lot of work under my belt at this point with way more to come. Eventually I'll go in and screenshot all the parts I'm responsible for in game but for now here's the trailers for the maps I've worked on. I tried to get embedded video but blogger isn't having it tonight. It's been very enjoyable to continue working at Treyarch. I'm trusted and responsible with a lot of things on these maps, and very grateful to be apart of it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKtadpvFjGc">Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - DLC1 Der Eisendrache Trailer</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSlwpZ2RfqE">Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 - DLC2 Eclipse Trailer</a></div>
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So the big bit of news is that I'm starting a Game Development Blog right here just like I did for becoming a concept artist. From here on I will record my progress of learning game development in it's entirety. The end goal is to know how to operate my own AAA studio where I can build my own games. I've already started this journey and wish i'd have started recording my progress sooner. Too bad but have no fear I've got a shit ton of things to learn and probably a couple years before anything meaningful comes out of this. Eventually I might switch over to a vlog.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning UV and Texturing using MODO and Substance Painter. My crappy model haha. Dec 2015.</td></tr>
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So what have I done so far? I'll catch you up. I've got concepting down pretty packed. 3d modeling is a bit shaky but I can get around pretty well even if my topology is a bit rough. I've dabbled in UVing and 3d texturing, nothing super impressive but I sorta know what I'm doing there. So that's what I've studied so far and as of now I'm cracking down on the Unreal Engine. I've messed with it before but now I want to understand it fully. So I'm learning how to put games together by following every tutorial I can get my hands on. Right now I'm focused on learning the blueprint system. I'm constantly having to remind myself to take a deep breath and not let it overwhelm me. It is slowly getting less intimidating. Most recently I put together this Twin Stick Shooter game from a tutorial I watched. That's the first image of the post. Man was that cool to just mess with and see something complex show up like that.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">learning how to assemble levels and lighting. Not my geo.</td></tr>
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I've come a long way and It's relieving to be at this point in my life, making plans again, having something long term to work for. I need to be prepared for opportunity, just like before. It feels good to write like this again, it's time to throw down some good old fashioned hard work. </div>
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Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-46231367330220588512015-10-22T23:14:00.003-08:002015-10-27T07:40:16.243-08:00OCT.22.2015 - Treyarch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh noooooo, I can't believe I've neglected this blog so long. My life has changed so much in the last 6 months. Let's get to this.<br />
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So above is an image I literally just finished. I won't be officially releasing it for a few days but i'm excited to post it here early anyways. I'm really trying to get in more personal work and also working on some high quality 3d kits I'll be selling for a pretty fair price. There will be more on that in my next post. ...and yes I promise I'll post again sooner than 6 months.<br />
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As many of you might have noticed I work at Treyarch now helping finish Call of Duty Black Ops 3. Ive been there for 4 months now I think. It's been a real ride and privilege. Leaving One Pixel Brush was no easy decision but I feel confident I made the right choice. So now I'm working these crazy hours, practically living at Treyarch. I should have something to share from this with in the next few months. The image below is the art test I submitted to get the job.<br />
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At the moment I starting to look for ways to help out the art community. I'm building up a few kitbash kits, probably some tutorials. More word on this in the future.<br />
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Oh and then there's real kitbashing which I got into and built my first model (below). I'm always in awe over the models that were built for the original Star Wars movies. I did some research on how they were put together and started to build my own. Once I get settled into my new place I'll start building another and build some Marquette as well. It is so rewarding to see one of these to primer like this. Just look at that dreamy detail.<br />
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As far as personal stuff goes well I have a gym membership. Never had one before but I kinda love it. I mostly put on some music and run the treadmill. I'm moving soon. Oh and I moved about 6 months ago, and I'm moving again, in like a week. It's not far from where I'm at now, and the new place is perfect. I'm also getting back into writing music again. My new place has a few notable places, a dedicated jam/art loft, a solid floor dinner room for building shit I can clean quickly, a living room for kicking it, and secret access to the roof from the window. I'm pumped as hell. What else, oh yes and I built a new desktop computer. It's a beast compared to my 2 year old laptop. I can't believe I was able to work professionally off a laptop for so long. I definitely owe that laptop some credit though, it helped me be able to study at work when I was driving school buses. If I didn't have that thing there's no way I'd have gotten to this point in my career so quickly. Now the laptop has become my dedicated station for recording music.<br />
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So yeah things are going great here, and life is getting pieced together nicely.<br />
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<br />Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-17893225543043462412015-04-10T12:33:00.002-08:002017-02-25T13:42:26.760-09:00APR.10.2015 - Perspective Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A lot has happened in the last several months, I've been so busy and preoccupied with work and life I neglected to update the blog :( but we're back! So the above piece is the first image I did at One Pixel Brush almost a year ago for the game "<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/310890/" target="_blank">Breach and Clear: Deadline</a>". The image was also displayed on IGN which pretty much blew my mind. I've come a long way since then in artistic confidence, efficiency, and execution; its been such a fortunate experience. I've done dozens of images at OPB at this point and really enjoy it. Hopefully I'll have some more OPB work to show after E3.<br />
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Lately I've been focusing on learning how to create 3d assets for in game use. The weapon above is the project I started to learn how to do it. You can see the original concept and the high poly 3d model that I've started for it. The goal is to prep it at current gen level and AAA quality then bring it into the Unreal Engine as a functioning in game weapon. Berry exciting.<br />
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I was in the weirdest funk for the past few months and normally I don't share stuff like this but on the chance that someone can relate to this and maybe get back on track I think its worth talking about. I've had a lot of changes in my life the past year, as a result the meaning of my life has been scattered around. I wanted to get down to the bottom of it.<br />
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I took to my journal. The entry started with me complaining as my journal has also been a kind of literary punching bag since as far back as I can remember, but ultimately it's where I go to organize my thoughts. I have too many to manage sometimes. In the middle of my onslaught of complaints I took a deep breath, my entry suddenly shifted focus and I wrote:<br />
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"<i>...but I'm grateful to exist. I like existing, I'm certain it's better than not existing. I'm grateful for the amazing people that pop in and out of my life. I'm grateful for the variety the world has to offer...</i>"<br />
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In that moment I realized how meaningful these things I was writing were to me. I realized I had been so caught up in hamster wheel type problems of life I neglected to slow down and acknowledge how kickass this moment of existence really is; the wealth of experience, opportunity, and possibility all around. These are the things that should be getting me out of bed in the morning, these are the things that make this very second so important. This is what makes life worth struggling and working through. I recognized something constant to hold on to, a solid foundation, through gratitude I find a lot of meaning in my life.<br />
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Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-54403350595316260402014-12-05T00:10:00.001-09:002017-01-14T12:04:25.744-09:00DEC.05.2014 - Be Alive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Holy crap life's been crazy. Work's been great, finally adjusted to it and seems like I'm meeting expectations. It's kinda strange posting on here with so little new work. All my work seems to go into One Pixel Brush these days which is fine with me. I've had the opportunity to work on some huge projects, in fact the biggest projects in the world, it's been mind blowing. I guess I'll tell you all about it in 2 years when it's released. haha.</div>
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So Apparently its common in my line of work to go through a kinda identity rediscovery. As an artist transitions from a study lifestyle to a working professional lifestyle you have to piece yourself back together. So I've been focusing more on exploring myself and I feel great now. I've been doing a lot more things than just concept art which is so nice. I started surfing a couple weeks ago, gonna start back up in February or March. Also I'm going to start doing real life kitbashing with models and clay. My first kitbash project is building a high detail X-Wing model. Ever since that Star Wars 7 trailer came out I've had Star Wars on the brain. I've also been writing music again. I'll have to release some stuff on the blog with my next post. All these things have really helped me reconnect with myself and feel whole.<br />
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For Thanksgiving I went back to Arizona to be with family. It was surreal being back, realizing I'd achieved my goals. I walked around with a little more confidence at the thought. I was opening boxes of my things that I'd sealed up almost a year ago. I could still feel the drive pulling me to do whatever it would take to make it. I could still remember how scared I was preparing to venture into the unknown. I had no idea I'd be where I am today having exceeded my own expectations. It reminds me how much I have to be grateful for, how much I have to look forward to, and how much I love the present.<br />
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There's nothing particularly special about me. I'm a very normal person, and normal people can achieve incredible things. Seize the day and be alive.<br />
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<br />Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-739868460290547962014-09-12T17:57:00.001-08:002014-09-18T05:39:03.211-08:00SEP.12.2014 - Project Retina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Looks like I've neglected the blog for a couple months, and to the billions of people on the edge of their seats, checking multiple times a day, waiting- no, needing to know what Mike Garn, "concept art heartthrob", has been up to. My most sincere apologies, I have returned.</div>
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I recently made my personal project public under the name "Retina". What I can say about it at the moment is that it's a dark science fiction survival game achieved with the CryEngine. Currently it's still in concept development, but the foundation behind the game is well laid out. My plan is to design/build enough of the game myself and develop a playable demo in the CryEngine. I wont be publicly releasing the playable demo but it will be watchable online. With the help of other fans of the genre and the demand for the product, a kickstarter campaign will follow to fund it's entire and very achievable development. I've been working on this since 2008, studying gameplay, design, story and I'm confident that I have all the knowledge I need to start this particular product. After the kickstarter I will start hiring the right people to help me build a game that rivals even the best AAA titles. Wish me luck. </div>
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I love my kickass job at <a href="http://onepixelbrush.com/" target="_blank">One Pixel Brush</a>. I've been there for a couple months now. At first it was really nerve racking, in fact it still can be, but I'm finally getting settled into it and understand how everything goes down and meeting closer to what's expected of me. One really cool part about the job is that I get instruction from Shaddy Safadi on a regular basis. I'm really fortunate to have such an awesome boss. I can see strides of improvement with each piece I do.</div>
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I'm trying to think if there's anything else. Oh yes, I did recently come out of a subtle burnout or something. Some kind of funk. With the stress from starting a new job and some family stuff that was going on I was getting overwhelmed. I don't know, I guess the last couple years in general have been rough, but the last 8 months in specific have been drastic, making my brain feel like mush spinning at high speeds, always worried if this was going to work out. I'm releaved to say that it feels like everything has mostly settled and as of the last couple weeks I can think clear again.<br />
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This might seem really stupid, but after spending most of last 3 years dedicated to becoming a concept artist, I'm a bit scared to live normally again. I'm talking about putting myself out there and being social on the weekends, making more friends and especially dating. I'm also working on getting my own place again, I've been in living rooms for the last 8 months which I would not recommend to any fellow introverts. It hasn't been that bad really because my roommates are normally in school all day and they've all been amazing people, but still the price of privacy is a price worth paying. I'm going to buy a dog once I have my own place. I'll probably get a pup, a mix breed that has some Labrador in him. I need a little buddy to go on adventures with. I'm finally starting to piece my life back together. :)<br />
<br />Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-24142435562572911232014-07-06T15:57:00.002-08:002014-09-12T18:03:36.241-08:00JULY.05.2014 - Existence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm grateful to report that things are going great! It took some time and a hell of a lot of stress but things are coming together. I've got a studio job I'll be starting very soon! I won't say what studio just yet until I start working officially, but I will say they've worked on some of the most prestigious projects in the industry. In the meantime I've been kept pretty busy by Badsmile Miniatures building up concepts and illustrations. Its been a great experience working with them.<br />
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The part that excites me the most is knowing that I can move on to the next stage of my plans. The next stage still involves improvement as a designer/artist and huge projects but also has more to do with improving as a person. Becoming the person I haven't had time to be but always wanted to. Although I always want to progress I'm also very fortunate to be exactly who I am with the amazing people that surround me.<br />
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On the 4th of July, Independence Day, I was driving down the 110, the freeway that cuts right through the skyscrapers of downtown LA. My eyes stared out into the array of saturated colors filling the skyline. I was surrounded by flickering lights in every direction. The approaching buildings of glass reflected every burst of color capturing that light, sharing it a second time. It was a sight I never knew existed. I existed, and I soaked in the moment the whole way home. I haven't had such a profound moment since I got in my car and left for California, leaving behind everything that made Arizona home. I really look forward to those moments, those moment that make life so special, those moments you'll remember forever. Live in the moment and exist.</div>
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Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-26382902096580142342014-05-26T03:45:00.001-08:002014-06-05T13:59:17.954-08:00MAY.26.2014 - The Struggle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was thinking I hadn't got a lot of work done since my last post but I was totally wrong. haha. So Lots to post but not much to say. Right now the job hunt is going pretty shity. Apparently most studios take between a 1-3 months to get back with you. I've applied at at least 25 nearby studios.<br />
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I don't like the word "networking", sounds so robotic, disingenuous. Anyone I connect with is not a number, they're not a potential job, and they're not someone I will feel entitled to their knowledge or connections. Instead I like to call it friend gathering. In my adult life surrounding myself with genuine people has been of key importance, after all a person is typically most like the people they surround themselves with, and vise versa. It inspires personal development among the group, it drives each other to common goals. That's so important to me.</div>
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So as you can see I've started on film studies again. My homie Mike Uwandi and I started a commitment to do 1 hour daily studies based on various topics in the form of speedpainting, speed designing, film studies and photobashing. We're 2 weeks into it but the improvement between both of us are exciting to watch. It's really cool having friends that are so dedicated to kicking ass. So each of those film studies are an hour, and the 3 robot image was an hour as well. Those robots are actually to help design more of my personal project. I've been working on that more often, in fact I can't wait to get a full time studio job so when I get home I can dedicate all my other work on my project. I have a plan for it so I can pitch it at a moments notice that consists of roughly 60 designs, including environments, characters, creatures, weapons, menus, HUDs, and a unique game play mechanic that I strongly believe is going to revolutionize this type of game. I'm about 5 designs in with about 15 designs in early concept stages, I'm really getting critical about the designs in relation to the game. I plan to have the pitch designs done by early December. Here's to hoping that studio job lands soon. I will find a concept art job soon.</div>
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<br />Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-34858854494939818572014-04-10T18:45:00.001-08:002014-05-28T09:56:37.782-08:00APR.10.2014 - Opportunity on the Horizon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear Diary, so much to tell! I recently moved from beautiful Culver City to the grungy part of Hollywood. Never thought I'd live in this town. I've been working on my portfolio like some kinda wild animal, nearly all day everyday for the last 2 months. I set out with the goal to learn Zbrush as well as I know Photoshop and I've made really good progress. In the first 3 weeks I put in around 200 hours into leaning and practicing it. I'm happy to say that it paid off, and Zbrush is now an essential part of my work flow.<br />
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I should explain the BIG project i started. So these zbrush sculpts are aimed at one very obvious objective. There's one company that at the current moment has my interest more than the others and their studio is a 20 minute drive from my house. Respawn Entertainment, makers of Titanfall. From the first time I saw what they were doing I could relate to their design language, the gritty sci-fi characters and environments, the slightly muted color pallet, everything functional and heavily worn, the subtle asymmetry in their designs. So I made a point to start building things that would fit in their project as visual proof that I'd be an asset in the project. I applied to work there 2 months ago and a few days ago received a response that they weren't hiring artist at the moment but that my information was being kept on file. Not sure what that really means but boo-ya.<br />
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I've also recently been offered an internship at <a href="http://www.ironkladstudios.com/" target="_blank">Ironklad Studios</a> which I'm super excited to start sometime early next month. The People that work there are amazing artists and I couldn't be more grateful to soon be learning from them and putting my work into their projects. At the end of the internship I will either be hired onto the company or have assistance in finding a work. I've just got to find a way to make some extra money on the side so I can survive until the end of the internship. It's crazy seeing one of my biggest goals being achieved in the very near future! [UPDATE: Despite what I still think was a great opportunity I ended up turning down this internship, I couldn't afford not getting paid for my work for 3 months]<br />
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I want to talk about creative energy or also referred to as being in the zone. Creative energy is that natural momentum that will happen as subtly as falling asleep and waking up. You'll drift into it only to realize you're leaving it 3 hours later. You begin to work in tandem with your subconscious mind as the ideas spill onto the canvas, push around the clay, or flow from a guitar. It's awesome because it's you in your purest form, its you connecting to your potential, building ideas as big as galaxies on the space of a small desk. You return to reality looking at what you've done as if seeing it for the first time. You smile in amazement because you know that in those moments you experienced something special. You experienced creation at a natural level and got a glimpse of your potential. Acknowledge what brings about your creative energy and position your life in a way that encourages it often.<br />
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<br />Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-50620460309680981692014-02-11T14:16:00.001-09:002014-02-11T14:22:52.743-09:00FEB.05.2014 - California Sun Cascading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Right now I'm writing this from the beach near Santa Monica! I rode my bike down about 5 miles, the wind was crazy strong, my legs hurt so bad. I love it. So here I am, what next? We'll now it's time to fix up my portfolio, keep studying and find a job at a studio or just do freelance, whatever comes first really.<br />
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I always expected that after moving my first time looking out into the ocean would be something profound, but it's not. It's like I've always been here, like I'm meant to be here. I wouldn't want it a any other way. In a way it's very surreal to see a goal like this fall place. A lot of stress has lifted off my shoulders but I haven't eased up yet, I just have to much to do before I can be at normal ease. So finding a job and building my portfolio are priority right now. For the first time I feel like I'm where I want to be. I'm very grateful for everything I have and the people that have been positively involved in my life thus far. I'm grateful to be me. From here on out life will only become more and more what I envision it to be.</div>
Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-33515284200754865542014-01-13T21:12:00.000-09:002014-02-11T14:21:16.310-09:00JAN.13.2014 - I Will Relocate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The quest for a place to live near Santa Monica has been challenging. I've been spending more time talking to contacts (friends) and searching every room rental site than drawing the past week. I just have to keep reminding myself to stay patient because something will come up soon. I've decided on somewhere close to Santa Monica partly because I've got a good feeling about it, also because there's a few studios near there where I can apply in person. How crazy would that be, to go into a studio in person. I'm so close to reaching my goal, so exciting! Oh yeah and I officially quit the bus driving job on very good terms. So I've been rounding up old clients for work and looking for new ones too. Once I move I'll really be able to kick it gear.</div>
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I've really been trying to lock down a consistent working routine for the past few weeks but it's been tough with all this house searching. I'm going to talk about my awesome schedule anyway. The important thing is making scheduled blocks of time for specific tasks and not letting anything but an emergency distract from that. Working out, studies and portfolio building are things I've been doing for a while but I recently decided to make time for myself also. A time to just be free to roam is important, being locked down to a schedule 24/7 can be boring. During this time I'll take my lunch to the part or make some calls and hang with friends. I've also dedicated the second Thursday of every month as a kinda nature vacation day all by myself. This past Thursday I woke up and hiked the Salt River and ate lunch there after 4 hours of going up the side of the river. It was so nice to just wake up and know that that would be priority one for that day. I'm looking forward to the next one. Hopefully I'll be in CA by then so I can pick up a fishing license and do some catch and release in the mountains near there. Sounds so relaxing. Just me, the fish, and the sound of the river softly spilling over itself. The smell of the plants and water relaxing me at the core, and of coarse a much needed nap under a tree. hmm...<br />
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Back to business. Other things I've considered are going back to school. Most likely at the Gnomon School because I'll be a 30 min drive from there. I even signed up for FASFA last night to get some extra funding for it if it's an option. I've never had proper training in any of this so a few classes would be rad and i could also make some more friends. You can never have enough friends! So that's what's going on here. Next time I update the blog I will be on the beach writing this!<br />
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Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-51312452909518014262013-12-09T23:00:00.001-09:002014-01-21T06:07:22.024-09:00DEC.10.2013 - 1.5 Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm about a month away from making the move to California. I still don't know where, either San Francisco or Los Angeles. I'm not sure which one would be best for my situation. I sold the jeep about a week ago so nothing is holding me down here. I've got about a week and a half left at the bus yard and then I'll be quiting forever. I'm pretty nervous about this, maybe even terrified, but after I've got a place lined up to live I'll feel better about it. And I'll feel even better once I'm actually there. It's crazy awesome to think after a year and a half of serious preparation I'm really going to do this. It's the first step into the most intense goal I've ever set for myself.</div>
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Studies are going awesome. I'm getting much better at visualizing the forms I have in mind then drawing them exactly in a 3 dimensional space. Another thing cool I've noticed, I've been able to preform drawing fundamentals more instinctively allowing me to focus more on building ideas and adding a bit more of myself into my work. Really feels good.<br />
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I haven't finished an illustration since the beginning of October. Just so anyone reading is on the same page, an illustration to me takes a lot more time than I've put into any of my work since October, at least 18 hour completions. Its been speedpaintings and concept art lately, which takes me less time. I've got tons of ideas but I've been afraid to do them, call it intimidation by my own expectations. So I've been keeping things at simple levels of detail so I can observe the foundations of my images more. I think deep down I knew to hold off because I knew a new shift in understanding was on the horizon and it was. Things have just been clicking. For example, better application of fundamentals, incorporating more visual interest in the image, more consideration to the story of an image, and as I said before more of myself into each image.<br />
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I want to also mention that I recently went through and removed a lot of my old work from the site. It was like pulling out a loose tooth but I'm glad I did it. This site is not for taking a trip down Mike Garn memory lane, it's for getting clients. This also has encouraged me to start drawing up some new vehicle and prop concepts after deleting so many of them the portfolio feels a bit light. For those interested in my humble beginnings as an artist you can go <a href="http://mikegarn.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_5585.html">here</a> where I've put some of my early work that had most importance to me.</div>
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Thanks for stopping by! I'll be updating the blog again before the end of the month.</div>
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Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-20230370153856168132013-12-01T15:26:00.003-09:002013-12-09T23:03:42.515-09:00NOV.07.2013 - Overcoming Burnout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the past 2 or 3 months I have been going through a pretty rough artist burnout. Every time I seemed to be getting out of it I would get sucked back in soon after. It happens to us all and it happens with everything that involves persistent effort and opposition. So I'm going to go over what got me into this predicament and how I've progressively gotten out of it.<br />
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It all started when I went back to my old job, before then I was solid, I was hunting for work and studying my ass off. I had a plan, go back to the bus yard to pay bills, buy a new California efficient car, sell my damn jeep, find a place to live and work in CA, and make the move with next to no baggage so I can move quickly when an awesome job opportunity manifests itself. The plan is perfect. So what's been stopping me? At the core it's all resistance. Its distraction, it's stress, it's laziness, it's a lack of self control, it's forgetting why this is so important to me. It's coming home and playing GTA V, or racing to get through TV shows like Breaking Bad and Dexter. It's staying up way too late browsing r/funny on Reddit. It's getting too involved in trying to fix my jeep before selling it.<br />
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The doubts kept growing and there were a few times I questioned if I even enjoyed painting anymore. I kept telling myself what I've learned to always tell myself in doubt, keep pushing the burnout will pass. Then a sort of miracle happened, it was the red ring of death, it struck during a GTA night at a friends house. I planned on fixing it myself as I usually fix all my stuff but Ironically enough I was too lazy to fix it. A few days passed and I decided it was time to be resourceful and fix my Xbox. I watched a few YouTube videos and the tools and Xbox were ready to make it happen, but before I started I realized I'd actually accomplished quite a few things in that time it had been broken. In that time I had gone back and fixed some major plot issues with my graphic novel, detailed both my cars and begun playing music again. In that moment the answer was clear not to fix the Xbox. After I finished Breaking Bad and Dexter I refused to start watching a new shows and I took my car into a mechanic. I wasn't out of the woods just yet, I still didn't want to paint so I did something based on idea I heard from <a href="http://www.danluvisiart.com/">Dan Luvisi</a> if you don't want to paint, write a story. if you don't want to write, go for a walk and brainstorm. So I've been going down the list of creative interest I have, doing a little bit of each of them until I find one Ill enjoy in that moment. So add writing music, exercise and a few other things to Dan's list and that's what I've been doing.<br />
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This strategy is working awesome. It seems there's always something on it that I'm willing to do, and I'm wasting very little time now. Been going strong for a couple weeks. Other things that are helping are Podcasts (Check out Ash Thorp's <a href="https://soundcloud.com/the-collective-podcast">Collective Podcast</a>) which keep me pumped while listening to people that are already doing what I'd like to be doing. Things are going solid.</div>
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Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-64743457902356613712013-10-01T01:57:00.003-08:002013-10-01T02:00:10.737-08:00OCT.01.2013 - On Schedule Sucka<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuJ3S4_YsyzERsS23JGbZe7D_O6ZGilz3N02uz0PV-L_SgI3f-nqqRuP0FX_x_5S7FB_zTa_IGJn-KxdbijJ3ynZRd9-aJu7BA4kO-5xhkWFcoviu-eTbMI2HwYjtgmVeZkrUkVxdyNzc/s1600/Red+Sun+by+Mike+Garn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuJ3S4_YsyzERsS23JGbZe7D_O6ZGilz3N02uz0PV-L_SgI3f-nqqRuP0FX_x_5S7FB_zTa_IGJn-KxdbijJ3ynZRd9-aJu7BA4kO-5xhkWFcoviu-eTbMI2HwYjtgmVeZkrUkVxdyNzc/s640/Red+Sun+by+Mike+Garn.jpg" width="442" /></a></div>
Surprisingly enough I'm right on schedule with my goals with some of the big ones right around the corner. I bought a new car about a month ago, its a nice fuel efficient Toyota Yaris. I frick'n love this car. I need to repair a few more things on my Jeep Cherokee before I sell it sometime next week. Once I have that for sale I'm going to start looking for a place to stay in Southern California. My goal is to be living over there by mid November. I haven't worked much out passed that, best case scenario I get picked up by an awesome company over there that likes what I do and will pay me well. I would like to work in house for a while, pushing myself and learning from other artists. I imagine that I have a lot to learn from professionals.<br />
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Studies have been a bit slow. My job as a bus driver has me pretty busy and by the time I get home I'm just trashed. I paint through it as best I can. Some of my focused studies include dynamic anatomy and dynamic lighting. Another thing I've been thinking about is my style. I don't know if my work really has a distinct style, when I look at it it seems all over the place. I want to paint a few more paintings in the style of the first image in this post, but improve on my lighting more. Pushing realistic dynamic lighting is something I really want in my work. I'll figure it out.<br />
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I'm seriously amazed at the progress and how closely I've been approaching my goals. It's awesome to think I'm actually following through with this. For the past, I think, 2 years I've altered this plan a bunch of times to make this happen and this feels like the big one. Making a move like this is no small thing, but I feel positive and confident about it. Hopefully I'll find the things I've been looking for in my life soon.</div>
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<br />Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-74048907384540454422013-08-10T23:08:00.005-08:002013-09-14T11:48:34.837-08:00AUG.11.2013 - Change of Plans... Again<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2rThyphenhyphen1xXMV19IB5L4BapXFi7Y1uP4MZLQ2LvMyAD5Qmy8JWSWygivLRpvJkFAwKwKxWcOegP0HT_HcgxAVauOs8e5gnERkD0qif4kFqTh2H9W__CwvoJUtkZLDtLH8Pdh_PHm-IJA8Me/s1600/Zbrush+Project+2+Mike+Garn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2rThyphenhyphen1xXMV19IB5L4BapXFi7Y1uP4MZLQ2LvMyAD5Qmy8JWSWygivLRpvJkFAwKwKxWcOegP0HT_HcgxAVauOs8e5gnERkD0qif4kFqTh2H9W__CwvoJUtkZLDtLH8Pdh_PHm-IJA8Me/s640/Zbrush+Project+2+Mike+Garn.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This summer I got a lot of on the job experience. unfortunately my plans have changed again. My goal was to be doing concept art and illustration full time at this point but I couldn't land the jobs I really wanted.<br />
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I'm currently working at my old job as a school bus driver again, wasn't planning on it but its the smart thing to do. Straight up its been depressing. I really can only get 3 days of solid studying in a week now. So lets talk about the new plan. I want to get out of AZ, I need a change of scenery, I need to get to CA where the industry is and I can make some new friends and contacts. To do this it will be wise to get a new fuel efficient car, my gas guzzling jeep would use up too much money. I'm also going back on a study binge again where everything I do is for myself. I'm going to focus on my portfolio I'm going to be aiming for a pro level of work and aiming at very specific and prestigious companies. I don't want to work for small or new companies, I'll never feel fulfilled there, that was never what i wanted when I started doing this.<br />
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I have to be so hard on myself all the time, its the only way I can become what I want. That's not something just anybody can do. Not everyone can look at their work and take it at face value and say they expect more from themselves, that their designs aren't good enough or attractive enough. Not only that but when I'm this hard on my work its very personal, these are ideas that come from me, its not comfortable to say my ideas suck. But you get a thick shell and you shove your ego aside, and you work your ass off as often as you can because that is the only way anyone becomes one of the best at this. Nobody is expecting more from me than myself.<br />
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You can probably feel the struggle in my words. I've had a few moments like this in the past couple years and I've always held back on the blog during those times, but I want to remember this well when I finally succeed so when young artists tell me about this kind of struggle I can tell them I remember how it felt and to just keep pushing. I might be pissed and disappointed with myself but I will never give up.Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-52036439168831389112013-06-16T19:33:00.001-08:002013-06-18T13:43:18.918-08:00JUN.16.2013 - New Goals and Challenges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All paintings in this post are warm up sketches.</td></tr>
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I've been so damn busy since my last post, and I've got a lot of news to update the... few people who actually visit this... if any... site. ha. I've been working on a lot of stuff. Right now I'm working on two games (both of which love the work I'm doing for them), and a few graphic design gigs as well. I'm still trying to get off this graphic design thing but people just can't get enough of me I guess. ha. The first couple weeks of this new life style was so crazy, I was trying to figure out how to manage my time, and the best way to tackle certain design problems. The first week I easily worked 80 hours and I was sick, oh and looking for a new place to live. ugh. Now I give myself days off so I can power through the days I work. After a couple weeks of hell I figured out most of the frustrating stuff and now I'm really enjoying this job and looking for more ways to be efficient.<br />
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So through trail and error I've decided I need to incorporate more 3d into my work, specifically 3ds Max. With one of the clients I'm working for, I've been designing this mech (PS it's bad ass looking, but I can't share it) and I've been looking for ways to speed up my designing from a few weeks to a few days. I do know that most professionals are given between a week to a month to design something so complicated. I mean you got to start with rough sketches, finding shapes, then consider functionality, then actually put the thing together in a presentable manor, and while making sure your art director is kept in the loop to make appropriate changes.</div>
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So this entire time I'm thinking how the hell am I going to speed this up the next time and my solution is 3ds Max. The big problem I've had is rendering and designing in 2d (photoshop), I can do it but I don't have the skill to do it a fast as some of the better pros, repainting takes time. So my new pipeline will be, 2d brainstorm (finding shapes and ideas fast, typically in a side view), next I take it straight into 3ds Max where I can design, detail and make corrections fast, next when that's done I render it out using mental ray, then detail it out in photoshop and finished!</div>
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Also I'm planning on moving to CA in the next 6 months, and this time I truly mean that. I am moving at the moment but will still be in AZ, so my next move is the big one. I need to do a few things first though, get more clients and sell my jeep for something more fuel efficient, once that is done I'll be out of here. Very exciting!<br />
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<br />Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-91964715895975582602013-05-23T08:48:00.000-08:002013-09-14T12:00:40.419-08:00MAY.23.2013 - The Next Part of my Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Going to the Gnomon Workshop was an awesome experience. I got a ton of useful notes for reaching my goals. I got good responses on my portfolio and a few people telling me I'm ready to start working freelance. I got to meet Dave Rapoza and Dan LuVisi which was rad. Going to Gnomon and talking to people about the thing I'm always bursting at the seams to talk about is pretty much the coolest thing in the world to me.<br />
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e1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBQ6ko-2mQp6o8ZTTLxiszkRNDd4BNEu5bm8x7XWm9i-dh4kqLbd1BOvYLjZhKONIatzgHx4ogh1To-SJVAzJJkDDS60VVUaJC5YY5WfciI8QaT6w6GHdnZcQ4hHTuaGtoRNrY5-WGAA/s1600/SP_029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBQ6ko-2mQp6o8ZTTLxiszkRNDd4BNEu5bm8x7XWm9i-dh4kqLbd1BOvYLjZhKONIatzgHx4ogh1To-SJVAzJJkDDS60VVUaJC5YY5WfciI8QaT6w6GHdnZcQ4hHTuaGtoRNrY5-WGAA/s200/SP_029.jpg" width="153" /></a>e2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8gJjyKpW5FI4ZrQbw6FTYBToMLJdRFcBtUwWDPfdmuIFhPbnyT9lWbuwZGNVIBeDVcneClPflWqiT2eLJgB3X6Y7axvcFLjWZm9QWWMgF_qe5i-vW3w-1U4rvKWdmuLUyYY6gSQBfsw/s1600/material+study.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8gJjyKpW5FI4ZrQbw6FTYBToMLJdRFcBtUwWDPfdmuIFhPbnyT9lWbuwZGNVIBeDVcneClPflWqiT2eLJgB3X6Y7axvcFLjWZm9QWWMgF_qe5i-vW3w-1U4rvKWdmuLUyYY6gSQBfsw/s200/material+study.jpg" width="179" /></a>e3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnd47tL8PrY-G4G5fKtfscyNqlo1V0Wg9hk0pWXtYmpXO2CtFOTPpE10eNAlqcwXzdH3U407y5dHGSWbtT5J7CamhurTNBMJYbmxDpukGr9kO8SAhfGS8GK7wKww92amijIAJp8zeg6lQ/s1600/LightingStudy_01_EventHorizon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnd47tL8PrY-G4G5fKtfscyNqlo1V0Wg9hk0pWXtYmpXO2CtFOTPpE10eNAlqcwXzdH3U407y5dHGSWbtT5J7CamhurTNBMJYbmxDpukGr9kO8SAhfGS8GK7wKww92amijIAJp8zeg6lQ/s200/LightingStudy_01_EventHorizon.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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Today's my last day of work at the bus yard. I won't be returning this time. Now is the moment when I force myself into the career I've been working diligently towards for the past year. Starting tomorrow morning my new art focused schedule will go into effect. It involves doing 3 very specific warm up exercises from a list of options. I choose between a 15min-2hr warm up painting, drawing a material sphere (e2), anatomy study sketch, dynamic anatomy study, a 15-30min speed painting (e1), 15-30min black and white sketch, a film study (e3) or learning 3DS Max.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8Yw2y_aKVMABnio46cQ4uWdTiRbhgnnn407xQrkd0O1aaicgCo8ER-dAfIoaOxzCJsUqLAS8hcAT-lmgUjSyBHiKg8vVGmW1igTZ-NgBdOlLI8TwkuQOXzd5-nx9gug3nkGJBGt0_Ik/s1600/SP_032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8Yw2y_aKVMABnio46cQ4uWdTiRbhgnnn407xQrkd0O1aaicgCo8ER-dAfIoaOxzCJsUqLAS8hcAT-lmgUjSyBHiKg8vVGmW1igTZ-NgBdOlLI8TwkuQOXzd5-nx9gug3nkGJBGt0_Ik/s640/SP_032.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>
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Now that I'm going to be self employed I need to stay disciplined. If I don't I will fall into laziness and procrastination, and I will certainly fail. I've come up with some rules for myself. I'm going to follow a strict schedule, making specific times for daily studies, client work, personal work, and physical exercise. Also I need to remember that I'm a professional and need to treat every situation as such, I already do this but it's something I want to focus more on. With clients I want to under promise and over deliver. I also need to be continue to be patient about things. The last thing I'm going to focus on is working to thrive. I've spent most of my life working to survive instead and I don't want to live like that anymore.<br />
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With a couple freelance jobs I'll be starting next week I know I'm ready. Tomorrow is the first day of the next part of my life.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-43594511626705782022013-04-16T19:04:00.004-08:002014-05-28T10:45:06.314-08:00APR.16.2013 - Work Hunting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been drawing like a mad man the past few months! I haven't felt the old frustrations of my ideas being tied down by my skills. While I still focus on foundation skills I'm at a point where I can put a greater focus on design. It feels so awesome to look back to November when I was frustrated trying to put together that portfolio, at that point in time I wasn't ready. Since then, after 5 months of intense dedication to my studies I feel ready to take on professional concept work. Of course I'm not satisfied with my painting skills, and doubt I ever will be. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NMdeysL83uVXTIfECLvsa9DyNc4nb2hSjvv7mBMl60IUKmXIbDL3bAZg3wOeIVMdvafJ54WNPioqCxIc0m708PcSzcEVQTJeoSWbWZ9_pMVCjHOazXn6B4HOu1RRnytNJ2dmQVG9XwWj/s1600/PaperAsylum_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NMdeysL83uVXTIfECLvsa9DyNc4nb2hSjvv7mBMl60IUKmXIbDL3bAZg3wOeIVMdvafJ54WNPioqCxIc0m708PcSzcEVQTJeoSWbWZ9_pMVCjHOazXn6B4HOu1RRnytNJ2dmQVG9XwWj/s1600/PaperAsylum_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" height="322" width="640" /></a></div>
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So what happens now? As of now I've started marketing myself, trying to get people seeing my work. I'm going to really start putting emphasis on getting work. I've joined a few, more professional concept art sites and will only post my very best work. After all people tend to view your worst work as your best work. So everything should be very exciting from here on out. I joined <a href="http://nrag.cghub.com/">cghub.com</a> recently and found two of my pieces quickly in the top 50 on the popular page for most views in the first 24 hours. Another thing I need to do is start getting professional critiques on my recent works. I really think it will speed up my learning speed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gwaXtpReJvj2CjeilkwxdfK8FKmEaPtgOt0yHr8JmWOBXp-QfYwcRhyVuHpR-qvSnq4m5KKTM6pXUJtZh3GRoWFDWtYRpFnRnbCeg1TOrl3Ap396WAXZCQ-mKPIY6M5HWPCjPXBkTz4/s1600/BW_demon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gwaXtpReJvj2CjeilkwxdfK8FKmEaPtgOt0yHr8JmWOBXp-QfYwcRhyVuHpR-qvSnq4m5KKTM6pXUJtZh3GRoWFDWtYRpFnRnbCeg1TOrl3Ap396WAXZCQ-mKPIY6M5HWPCjPXBkTz4/s320/BW_demon.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0hAFKv9N2dpf7Zi9i6l3FU3ZaN8olmn3LD4VUBWj52JzThzSFxzcTCF-QslnIYlVvZbHK9PMaSHNjA3Hx2wABc4cid_JLOt0pk8ZZ0GeMXeTxGUtUUi8YWC5vyfSC09UQ9SUTBFgtguY/s1600/BWunderfangs_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0hAFKv9N2dpf7Zi9i6l3FU3ZaN8olmn3LD4VUBWj52JzThzSFxzcTCF-QslnIYlVvZbHK9PMaSHNjA3Hx2wABc4cid_JLOt0pk8ZZ0GeMXeTxGUtUUi8YWC5vyfSC09UQ9SUTBFgtguY/s1600/BWunderfangs_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
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last bit of news, I'm going to the Gnomon School again at the end of the month for another workshop. A bunch of my favorite artists are going to demo. So yeah I'm so excited. I'll report again after going to Gnomon. Also I'll have some even newer work to show then.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-70457177202173735302013-03-12T11:03:00.003-08:002013-03-22T21:52:39.690-08:00MAR.12.2013 - Prepping the Portfolio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm really pushing myself and trying to stay focused on my goals. The last few weeks have been crazy meeting deadlines for contests and exceeding client expectations for graphic design work I've been doing, and my other job and everything else. I want to be faster and capture feelings and motion more effectively in my paintings. I think I'll be sending in my portfolio to various companies within the next month or two at most. I just need to finish a few more paintings at my current skill level. Every painting I do is so much better than it's previous, and it's hard for me to just except my older work as portfolio material sometimes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7qhKVIHFclzmvb3EJW77NxA-5ixg4_A-9KnsQBHZRnFKDpMZEIjbGqAbcrxSx85YWihA30uDYmo41pYSt7qQ5lEq-AfnlDObo2fY0Zr2SwcTdfj4pXmESmPfPeUS2dr6Z_VwEwZmm3Nw/s1600/Gnomon_Molten_Cavern_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_7qhKVIHFclzmvb3EJW77NxA-5ixg4_A-9KnsQBHZRnFKDpMZEIjbGqAbcrxSx85YWihA30uDYmo41pYSt7qQ5lEq-AfnlDObo2fY0Zr2SwcTdfj4pXmESmPfPeUS2dr6Z_VwEwZmm3Nw/s640/Gnomon_Molten_Cavern_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Some of the skills I've really been focusing on are depth and perspective. Depth is tricky, through value and detail I can push an object closer and farther in the space. The detail level is by far my favorite as I love the way it feels to have a detailed focal point. Perspective has been interesting, for the lava picture I laid out the perspective myself because the shapes were simple enough and I didn't put as much emphasis on design as I probably should have. For the mech image I had Google SketchUp take care or the perspective work for me. Working in 3D really lets me focus on the design. So from here on out I will typically use SketchUp as a base for design and a solid perspective foundation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIazizKGbHNEx8HrUoei7XPJ5MgZ8WEWe41dUDmK586-d6N0gU2R7jz772WsuiONucyjxfhIrT1cecAeuTZhOIuqgYX0lMKa1SmdMSnVzArgKWbKqDNql2X7_R0aV6BZGpkDWAzQ1JKyE/s1600/FixingtheRoof_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIazizKGbHNEx8HrUoei7XPJ5MgZ8WEWe41dUDmK586-d6N0gU2R7jz772WsuiONucyjxfhIrT1cecAeuTZhOIuqgYX0lMKa1SmdMSnVzArgKWbKqDNql2X7_R0aV6BZGpkDWAzQ1JKyE/s400/FixingtheRoof_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Mike Garnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11244986579053727008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-4691730158518437932013-01-26T21:16:00.001-09:002013-03-12T11:05:43.046-08:00JAN.26.2013 - Focus on the Foundation<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4eYpnFkrVfue9QKmjfPi1YBuYFT-rlM9EqWYTTZ-avTST69g8TE8IlsFN8czxX8vwBiB5MUqsAM3yYpOqaoLoO-pFsvwxhMhV8r9bS7_r_VtAcprYOMgAWprUtUCxu7roO6ZwVv7YY4/s1600/sirswordsalot_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4eYpnFkrVfue9QKmjfPi1YBuYFT-rlM9EqWYTTZ-avTST69g8TE8IlsFN8czxX8vwBiB5MUqsAM3yYpOqaoLoO-pFsvwxhMhV8r9bS7_r_VtAcprYOMgAWprUtUCxu7roO6ZwVv7YY4/s640/sirswordsalot_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most recent painting, Sir Swordsalot</td></tr>
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The past couple months have been busy. I wish I had more time and the mental capacity to work, study and maintain a social lifestyle. I'm finding myself doing more sketching and foundation skill practices than actual paintings, which is cool. Let me now awe you with the riveting details of my practices. A lot of dynamic character sketching and becoming more familiar with forms of clothing and armor. Perspective work as always because I wish it felt more natural to where I didn't need to lay out perspective lines.</div>
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I'm feeling pretty good about the near future as my skills continue to improve. I should probably start setting some more specific goals again like I did when I was working on my portfolio, but not that specific. Maybe a goal of completing a painting a week. Seems reasonable enough as long as a manage my time better. It's going to be a great year!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4783016147237879927.post-59084662469772940742012-12-23T15:11:00.003-09:002014-05-28T10:39:01.111-08:00DEC.23.2012 - I Kinda Like Monsters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhV6FA5BaRbfUkN9MI9C7Nrb4UktRSa-PD6F0hcfHvrNg07fbuBtEerFufwJTwgjKp7dCmYUiHTe9pzTEaHdLqinPCJVliCAJ5iJwN_Sm1oRRJMEYI4grdoeFSTbg7mXKGFYvu7yqpjq_/s1600/IllegalAlien_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhV6FA5BaRbfUkN9MI9C7Nrb4UktRSa-PD6F0hcfHvrNg07fbuBtEerFufwJTwgjKp7dCmYUiHTe9pzTEaHdLqinPCJVliCAJ5iJwN_Sm1oRRJMEYI4grdoeFSTbg7mXKGFYvu7yqpjq_/s1600/IllegalAlien_by_Mike_Garn.jpg" height="400" width="301" /></a></div>
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Finally got some of my new paintings finished! Studies are paying off! So let's throw down some recent news. First, I love my laptop. Also I picked up a color accurate IPS monitor so my paintings should always look color correct. Hmm... what else? I'm on a 2 week break right now and I'm taking full advantage of it to finish paintings and some commission work I've got going on.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"GIVE ME LUNCH MONEY!!"</td></tr>
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In my next painting I hope to achieve mixing a dynamic perspective with dynamic character positions. Of course with everything else I've learned too. I've got a couple I'm working on that I hope will achieve this closer than what I've already done. character perspective and foreshortening have yet to be a strong suit of mine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0