Drawing has always been a part of my life. In fact, when I was younger I learned to draw by copying other cartoons in my books. At the time we didn’t always have tracing paper available so the next best thing was college ruled paper (which was more transparent than a sheet of copy paper).

I’d begin by rummaging through my collection of books which included my favorites, notably my Peanuts Alphabet encyclopedia or a book from one of my Sesame Street series.

After I’d pick out the book I’d then slide the piece of lined paper on top of the page and begin tracing the image. By doing this I was learning how to draw by copying someone else’s work. Eventually your style and talent emerges but the stepping stones begin with admiring and “stealing” someone else’s ideas.

From sitepoint.com:

Pablo Picasso, the first living artist to be featured in the Louvre, influenced the artistic world in a uniquely original way. So why is he known for saying “Good artists copy, great artists steal?” It’s true. Picasso really said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” Or at least, since his death in 1973, everyone believes he said that.

“Perhaps the biggest talking point about Photoshop CS has been the addition of product activation for Windows purchasers. Our forum members have had a bit to say about it in a recent forum discussion and poll. Currently, 63% of the voters say they won’t upgrade to Photoshop CS due to product activation. Symantec is another company that’s jumped on the product activation bandwagon, and Ed Foster recently posted some interesting comments about their new “digital rights management” policies, exposing some of the problems and pitfalls of this heavy-handed protection scheme.”

http://graphicssoft.about.com/b/a/032001.htm

Spammers are evil. It’s been addressed several times that those who spam should be thrust into the depths of pain and suffering.

Recently, this site was hit hard by a spammer who attacked my comments area, no less. Whomever this individual was, they proceeded to ‘comment’ on my articles with incoherent trash. The result of this is trying to figure out an efficient way to prevent comment spamming in the future without disabling the comment feature on my articles.

The search for this fix has already begun.

One of my favorite television shows from yesteryear was none other than Nickelodeon’s short-lived series, Hey Dude.

“Hey Dude aired on the Nickelodeon cable network for three years (1989-1991). It all took place on the Bar None Dude Ranch, and it chronicled the adventures of its bumbling owner and teenage staff. Hey Dude is ostensibly a children’s show, but it continues to provide great entertainment that all ages appreciate.

Sixty-five 30-minute episodes were produced in the three years. Hey Dude was filmed entirely on location in Tucson, Arizona. Despite the production and air dates, the series seems takes place during one long, continuous summer at the ranch.”
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