News Archive

Monday, June 7th, 2004

General Update
Wow...almost two months since I've updated this silly web page. I must say, I often times wonder why I bother. I just don't have that much of interest to say...

I just returned from Singapore last week. Flew over and spent a week hanging out with the crew of Stikfas Private, Ltd. A wonderful opportunity. Was able to put faces with names and spend some time with folks I've talked to via computer/phone for two years now. Saw some sights, did some shopping, learned me a thing or three. Excellent opportunity.

Due to some recent events, I think I'm putting Botz on a short hiatus to sort a few things out. I've plenty of other things I can be focusing on and perhaps it's time to resurrect another old project or venture into something new. True, little gets done bouncing around like this, but having fun is first and foremost at this stage. If things change down the road, I've certainly the creative resources to pounce. I think I'll just spend some time working and honing creatively in general for the time being and see what God has in mind.

That's about it... Thinking of moving...thinking about a new job...thinking about school...thinking, thinking, thinking...

Final note: San Diego Comic Con to hook up with Peter and Martin from Saizon and Larissa from Stikfas in July and then down to Wizard World Chicago with Lori in August to hook up with some Inmates from The Asylum . Should be a fun summer.

Cheers and blessings!

Monday (blecchh), April 12th, 2004

Pirates and Zombies and Robots, Oh MY!
Things are clicking along swimmingly on the Botz property. I'm growing more and more excited by the day. Shane is coming along well with the 3D renders, the storyline continues to evolve and grow and mutate and Character designs are being nailed down like roof tacks in June.

Some minor changes have been made across the board on the core characters for aesthetic and story purposes, and a few major design changes have taken place with a view to the manufacturing process, but all in all the property has maintained the inital feel. The characters are growing by the day which is making for an incredible group dynamic. I can throw any two of the four Heroes into a situation and watch them interact with one another and with their environment. Very fun stuff.

The storyline continues to evolve and includes several different "races" or "castes" of robots in many different "levels" of the Botz world; Zombies and Pirates in the Wastelands, Mining colonies on the Outer Rim, and tons more. The storyline continues to invigorate me as well as surprise me with just how fluid things are while maintaining the cohesiveness necessary for an epic adventure.

Good things to come. I cannot WAIT until I can post some images and a synopsis of the story. It's been a long wait...if anyone reading is intrigued by what you've read here (or been tipped off to at Blambot.com or at The Asylum drop me a line using the contact link above and let me know.

I'm confident that this is going to be smokin'! Stay tuned. You won't be disappointed...

To Be Continued...

Friday, March 12th, 2004

Still Trudging along
Work continues to progress, slowly but surely, on the Botz property. Designs continue to be refined, the story and characters continue to be fleshed out and the first CAD designs for joint designs were delivered to my inbox last night. Everything is still in very preliminary stages and we've not progressed with quite the drive we hoped for, but, alas, we are still at it.

Shane has been working dilligently, if quietly, at his end and I applaud his efforts thus far. The writing side of things, primarily my responisbility, has not fared so well. But all is well. We are working with a common drive, passion and vision and all things will resolve in their time. Keeping the project alive is key one, and to that end, we're perfectly on task.

No official deadlines have been made, but I'm really hoping that by year's end we have some solid, finished work to show for our efforts, namely, a web site showcasing character profiles and images, synopsis of the story and several test animations and comic strips. God willing, things will continue to come together in the coming months.

Monday, February 16th, 2004

Botz! Onward Ho!!
As reported last month I've hooked up with a promising collaborator and am pleased to say that things are moving along nicely. We've still a tremendous amount of ground to cover, but the endeavor has great promise. After six years in development Botz! may finally be ready to move forward, slow but sure.

Monday, January 26th, 2004

Of Botz and Collaborations!
I just may have hooked up with the collaborator that I've been looking for. We have our first "face to face" meeting planned for the end of February and have been doing some brainstorming on-line and a bit via the telephone. Looks like we may be tackling "Botz" as our first project and I'm very excited.

I'm excited at the prospect of working with a collaborator. Obviously, this is all a little early in the workings, but I'm really looking forward to what Shane (aka Phoenixx) may be bringing to the table. Shane has a background in Architecture and, like me, has been envisioning stories and characters all of his life. Here's hoping for an exciting and fruitful partnership.

Thursday, January 1st, 2004

Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! I rang in my new year with a BAM! Uh...yeah. Passed out on the couch just after 11pm. Party animal that I am. Oh well...the new year made it here just fine without my direct supervision. And what a great new year it could be. Lots of excitement on the horizon, some resolutions I'm actually planning on KEEPING, new job to look forward to. Aaahhhh. All a matter of perspective, right?

Top on my resolutions list:
Quit Smoking
Start Jogging

There are many more, but those are tops, I think. I've lost over 30 pounds in the past 10 months (dropping from over 200lbs from a size 38 to a 32) but still need to get myself in better shape. Smoking will help me to feel (and smell) better and jogging will help with my energy level. I've lost a lot of weight, but am still a bit flabby. We'll fix that.

Sunday, December 7th, 2003

Thought I'd Share...
I've been doing quite a bit of reading lately and just thought I'd share, for those that may be interested, a semi-technical article that was written to address the Euthansia/Mercy Killing/Assisted Suicide issue. It is very well written and covers a lot of material quite concisely.

I've linked the articles, in PDF format here; Part One and Part Two

Wheter you agree with the article or not, if you take the time to read it I'd be interested to know. Feel free to drop me a line using the "contact" link above.

You can find this article, and many others, at Answers In Genesis.

Friday, November 21st, 2003

Nothing to say...nothing at all...
I'm coming to realize I don't have a lot to say to keep this news page fresh. I lead, it would seem, a pretty mundane life. Seems to me that this web site should serve some other purpose than just amuse myself (it doesn't even do that good of a job at that).
Things have been well enough around here, but my creativity has halted a great deal for no particular reason. Just struggling with the meaning of it all I suppose. I'm still doing the occasional Stikfas custom, but that's about all. Haven't drawn anything worthwhile in weeks. Haven't worked much on "Botz" or "Dim" since I started messing with 3D modeling a few weeks ago. Yeah, I think it's safe to say I'm in a pretty creative rut.
But, as I mentioned, things are going well enough. Just trying to get a bead on the big picture, I suppose. Find those things that really matter. The things that are going to matter 5 years from now. Ten years from now...

Tuesday, November 11th, 2003

3D Experimentation
Started working with a 3D modeling program last night and am having fun. My first project is creating Jupiter, a character from my "Botz!" story line. I've zero experience in 3D modeling, but the process is going better than I expected. If I can pull this model off with a modest amount of success I'll continue with the other Characters. Jupiter is probably one of the most simple of the "Botz!" character as he is made up completely of spheres and cylinders. The others will prove to be more of a challenge, I'm sure.

Friday, October 24th, 2003

Is it Friday already?
**Sigh** Welcome lovely Friday... Long week.

First off...no pumpkin pictures as I forgot the camera last weekend and with the warm weather this past week I've been informed that our first Jack O'Lantern didn't fare well. Also...the second that was to be carved was botched...so, in short, no pumpkin pix. Maybe next year...

I've updated the Artwork page a bit over this past month and there's better than half a dozen new pix up...head on over and let me know what ya think. Having a scanner has helped to keep me working in Photoshop and hopefully will keep me improving. Sharing work is a good way to stay motivated.

I received a job offer this past month that I'm very excited about, but details are still sketchy so I'm keeping it in the can until things are firmed up. More details as they're made available.

And, HEY!! Sign that guest book and let me know you stopped by or drop me an e-mail using the contact link above. THANKS!

Zook out...

Friday, October 17th

HAPPY FREAKIN' FRIDAY!!
Friday is upon us and not a moment too soon. After this week I've come to believe in the temporal rifts and time/space anomalies often talked of in Sci Fi...cuz I'm CERTAIN that I've spent the last 12 years of my life at work this past week. BLECCHH!!

Pumpkin carving this weekend for the contest at Blambot.com. Drew up a few designs last weekend and we'll be guttin' and carving them bad boys Sunday. Hopefully I'll have pix up by Monday or Tuesday (maybe Sunday night if I'm really ambitious!

Monday, October 13th

A Happy Ending Kind of Guy
That's me, I've just recently come to realize. And I mean really just recently...as in like five minutes ago recently. I'm a happy ending kind of guy. Maybe that's not the cool thing these days, but that's me just the same.

I'm coming to realize that every step we take through life is a battle of some sort. Every day is a decision. A test. An ephemeral war to be fought.

In "real life" there aren't a lot of happy endings. "Good" people die young. The "wicked" prosper. Children suffer. Wrongs are not righted. You spill your morning coffee on your best pair of slacks. I know how it goes. I've been there. Happy endings, it seems, are the exception.

So why does an intelligent guy like me choose the Happy Ending over the inevitable? Why turn my back on common knowledge and rationality?

Because I can. Because I choose to.

I may not be in control of my life...but I AM in control of my decisions. Today I'm choosing the Happy Ending.

Wednesday, Oktober Foist!

Happy October!
Yes, October is upon us. Hard for me to believe that the year is three quarters over. Quite an eventful year and it's really bulleting by. I can't wait for the leaves to change in full force. This is my favorite time of year.

The Stikfas Alpha Male with Motorcycle is now shipping and we should see waves 5 and 6 coming soon. Something for all of the Stikfanatics to be looking forward to: G2 Warrior Monk, Beta with Jungle Cat and Omega Military should all be shipping before year's end!

New scanner has been acquired and I'm slowly getting some new artwork scanned in and posted to the site here. More in the near future hopefully.

Thursday, September 25th

The Cloud
The cloud of despair shall soon pass from before mine eyes and the light of hope shall once again shine upon my face. Of this, my Lord God has assured me.

Monday, September 22nd

migrayn.com
Just thought I'd add a plug for the site that hosts the character from my post yesterday at Migrayn.com

Sunday, September 21st

Mustek ScanExpress A3 USB
Finally... After a bit of research and much deliberation, I have a new scanner on the way. Hopefully in the coming weeks I'll have some real artwork up here to share. I'm even contemplating making pages for several properties that I'm working on that I've mentioned before including Botz!, Dim: The Conqeror and Slurmy. I'm really rather excited.

Just today I did a quick color job on a pic that one of the guys at Blambot.com drew

That's the original

And there's the color.

I'm kind of liking this digital color thing and may spend some more time making use of it now that I'll have a scanner again.

Wednesday, September 17th

SUCCESS!!
My first Toastmasters speech, the icebreaker, was a resounding success! That is...I didn't trip on my way to the podium, I'm pretty sure my fly was up and I didn't leave indentations on the podium from gripping it too tightly. Oh yeah...and nobody fell asleep. ;-)

I'm thoroughly enjoying my involvement with the Toastmaters club. I'm meeting a diverse group of people, building friendships, learning and having fun. If you might be interested in learning more here's another Plug for thier website.

In other news...I received an information and admissions packet for the Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago yesterday. IIA is another school that I've been considering. I'm leaning more towards an associates in Graphic Design for starters. After fulfilling my duties there I can always apply that to another discipline such as Visual Communications or perhaps Industrial Design. We'll have to see how that goes.

Lastly, I've updated some of the images on the Artwork page that you may be interested in checking out. Not much, just a few alternates of the works I'd had posted previously. Hopefully I'll have myself a scanner by the end of the month and I can start posting some of my newer AND older works.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Friday, September 5th

Warning, Warning...
Ok...so there's really no warning... Actually...there's not much of anything to report. Several new illustrations done the past few ways and I'm really itchin' for a scanner. I'll be getting those up as soon as I'm able. Other than that not much on the creative front.

Entering holding pattern...

Monday, September 1st

Flash Animation...
So my very first experiment with Flash animation was a moderate success. Now all I have to do is figure out how to get it to display through the coding on my site. This was a very simple example fo what Flash is capable of, and in the words of an experienced Flash user, "not worthy of Flash". But, hey- ya gots to starts somwheres, right?

So here it is, if you can get it to display properly that is...

Tuesday, August 26, 2003

Each Day...
...a new adventure awaits you. Each day presents with itself a new set of obstacles to be overcome, a new set of challenges to be met, a new set of victories to achieve.

William H. Danforth in his timeless classic, "I Dare You", suggests that there are four facets of each of our lives; the physical, the mental, the social and the religious (Mr. Danforth must not have been a very creative guy or there would have been five ;-). With those four facets of life to face, each day should prove profound enough to keep even the most dynamic of us on our toes. How will I today challenge myself in each of these realms? How will I prepare myself for the same tomorrow?

Sunday, August 24, 2003

Photoshop Art
I've had the weekend off and despite my best efforts to spend it creating, I've been pretty lazy. I had anticipated spending the wealth of free time I've had customizing a few Stikfas figures, doing some drawing and working on one of several stories I've been brewing, but, alas, my need for rest has become very evident (I was to bed at 7:30pm last night).

Despite my creative failures, I've spent some time this weekend working some artwork in photoshop. As I'm still without a scanner I had taken some digital photos of some artwork a while back and decided to load a few into Photoshop to get them web-presentable and am very pleased with the direction it took. I've a number of images that I'll be posting here in short order.

So now, after taking my leave of the day so early yesterday, It's now shortly before 4am (I've been up since before 3) and I've the whole day ahead of me. We'll see what we can accomplish during such a long day...

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

Toastmasters
I attended my first Toastmasters meeting last night and am quite excited at the skills I'll be adding to my tool box in the coming months/years. Toastmasters is an international organization that is dedicated to training in the art of public speaking. If you're interested in more information, follow the link above to visit their international web site.

Monday, August 18, 2003

Poetry and Writing
Well...this got up much faster than I had anticipated thanks to some help and an early morning routine. The page is still being worked on, but you can check out what I have so far Here

Sunday, August 17, 2003

E-Bay Rocks!

Enter Geek Mode

LOOK! what I found!! I've been wanting one of these for quite a long time. I'm not much of a toy collector these days, but this guy was by far one of my all time favorite GI Joe figures and still, imo, the best!! Are you happy I'm happy? Good!

Exit Geek Mode

Saturday, August 16, 2003

First Major Addition
I'm gearing up or my first major addition to the site. The first of many in the coming months, I hope. So what is this grand scheme I speak of? Poetry! I've written a number of pieces that I'm rather proud of (and a few meidiocre pieces that I'll make ya read as well) and figured I'd throw some up here.

I'm just now deciding on a format to offer these in so it may be a few weeks before I get 'em up, but I'm going to try and do so in short order.

Next project will be to get some artwork up for viewing. I've been very leery of putting my artwork on-line as most of it are properties I've invested a lot of time and energy into and I'd hate to see it fall prey to thievery. I may start small by posting some of my more generic works like tattoo flash designs and move on from there.

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

More Pix from WWC!! Pix by Kat

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Wizard World Chicago
The best times that I had at Wizard World were had far from the convention floor. While there was a plethora of interesting sites to see, from statues and busts to toys and comics to colorul costumes, the magic of Wizard World lie in the company. A huge thanks to the people that made my attendance a memorable experience: Sir Jimmy, John, Shannon (my seester), James, Kat, Zagatto, Noel and Ed as well as Sarah Handley, Wayne Losey and Ben Petersen of Hasbro, RI.

You can click HERE for the first pix from our crew to be posted on-line. More to follow this week, I'm sure.

Wednesday, August 6th, 2003-supplemental

Comissioned Customs
Another reason I'm excited about Wizard World is that (duh) I get to see the custom Stikfas that I was comissioned to create by Hasbro. I'll be just like a proud father looking into the glass walled room at his newborn baby girl (okay...maybe that's a wee bit of a stretch).

Wednesday, August 6th, 2003

Wizards and Dragons
First of all...Wizard World, Chicago, as Kat would say, is a mere "two sleeps" away. I'm getting quite excited. Not excited at the con itself, though it should be fun. What I'm really excited about is, first and foremost, meeting up with a group of friends I've come to know through my involvement with the Stikfanatics Asylum . Secondly, it will be nice to see what the hasbro folks have in store for the Stikfas line. The Stikfas booth should be enjoyable.

And the dragon. Of course I'm referring to the Stikfas Deluxe Dragon With Beta Female Rider. The kit is incredible. Huge on articulation and styling with lots of parts that are perfect for kit bashing. Beautiful kit. Oh, and it also contains the first Female Stikfas to date. Many a customizer has been holding out for this beauty. Excellent kit. If you can't wait to find one locally, you can use the link on the top right (in the list) to purchase direct from ActionFigureXpress. Cheers!

Tuesday, August 5th, 2003

Dirty Fingers and Wizard World, Chicago!
Okay...if you've not noticed, the gallery links on the left (Dirty Fingers and Zookeepers Customs) are dead. We're workin' on it. For now if you want pretty pictures to look at, head over to Stikfas.com and check out the upcoming Stikfas goodness in the "products", "sneak peak" section.

Wizard World, Chicago...ahhhhh. A mere few days away and the horde known as the Stikfanatics Asylum Inmates shall fall upon this hapless city. Well...not exactly, I guess. There's only, what? 8 or so of us? Still...can't wait. Pizza and beer at my room on Friday, out on the town Saturday, brunch on Sunday at the Hyatt and lots of Stikfas and assorted Comic and Toy convention goodness in between. Should be a hoot. If you've happened upon this web site and are planning to attend Wizard World Chicago and would llike in on the festivities of the Inmates drop me a line at stikfas@whitestudiosltd.com .

Monday, August 4th, 2003

Of Enchiladas and lost Zombis
Yes...I lost "Zombi", the screenplay I had been envisioning and just Saturday started actual work on. I started it on my work computer and saved it to disk before leaving, returned home and the floppy I saved it to is junk. Discouraging...but thankfully there wasn't more to be lost. Anybody know how to retrieve data from a damaged floppy? Please? ;)

Homemade enchiladas from scratch this weekend. Very good stuff. Fresh tomatillos, fresh jalapenos and cilantro, salsa verde, shredded chicken. Mmm...nice to have friends that know how to cook!

Saturday, August 2nd, 2003

"Zombi" A screenplay by Shawn M. White
"Zombi" is the working title for my first shot at a screenplay. It's pretty loose and sloppy at the moment as I've no clue how to write a screenplay and I know that the film industry is very picky about screenplay format, but I'm getting it written.

"Zombi" is a bit of a twist and shake on an the old Zombie Attack movie, it is being written as a cross genre script that extends beyond the typical horror movie and intrudes into drama. A smart movie that will be as emotionally engaging as it is horrific. A movie that will make even the most logical and hardy of us lock our doors at night and peer out our windows and down the street looking for "them"; for those that come for us in the night.

Friday, August 1st, 2003

Going Somewhere? Anywhere? Nowhere?
Ever have that feeling that you were meant for something more than the mundane life you lead? Do you have dreams you think you can never achieve? Sick of just "existing"? I feel that way. I've felt that way my entire life and yet I've had no idea what to do about it. So many things I'd "like" to do and no knowledge of how to sort it out and get there.

Until now. I've recently found myself in a position to re-evaluate my dreams. I'm at a point in my life where I can see the horizon clearly. Although the horizon is empty...I can SEE it for the first time in my life. This new vision has given me hope of accomplishing things that I've always wanted to. Hope of success. Hope of fulfillment.

Two books are helping me get to where I'm going. The first is a book called "Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams" by Steven K. Scott and the second is "I Dare You" by William H. Danforth.

If you've ever wanted more out of life than what you have now and you're not afraid to work and fight for it...do yourself a favor. Pick up one of these books. I especially reccomend "I Dare You". It is absolutely profound in its simplicity and is infinitely motivating if you've got the courage take the dare.

Thursday, July 31st, 2003

Goodbye Sweet July
Man! July just FLEW by! Kicked off with a bang being comissioned (along with five others from the Stikfanatics Asylum )by Hasbro to produce custom Stikfas action figures for both the San Diego Comic Con and Wizard World, Chicago. And July ends with a bang with the arrival of the long anticipated Deluxe Beta/Dragon Action Figure Kit.

Wednesday, July 30th, 2003

We're LIVE!
After much debate amongst myselves and much goading from others, I've finally gotten around to putting up a new site...er... with a little help. Major kudos go out to Brian for all of his help in getting this site up and running. Let's just hope that i don't uglify it too bad on him.

Last Week's News
Here's the news from last week... blah, blah, blah, blah, etc.