Archive for March, 2008

Saturday Plugs

Saturday, March 1st, 2008

Each Saturday (at least I’m hoping, based on reader linkage), I’d like to plug sites that plug The PC Weenies, whether it’s a blog post or a full-blown review. So, without further ado… here they are:

Hari’s Corner: There are hundreds of geeky comics on the web, Hari’s behind one of the more geeky ones, aptly titled “Geeky  and Meeky“. He’s only been cartooning on the web for a short time (he’s on the 21st strip, as of this post), and he’s looking for feedback from readers on his strip. Check it out.

Teacher: Teachers Open the Door. You Enter By Yourself. An apt quote that leads off this webcomic, drawn by regular PCW reader eddie.

Wardbunny’s Coffee Break: an unsolicited endorsement of PCW by reader Wardbunny, that I stumbled upon by reviewing my site stats.

-Krishna

Maximus – colored and inked!

Saturday, March 1st, 2008



Maximus – colored and inked!

Originally uploaded by kms007


Here’s a revised take on Maximus Effekt – one of the characters I first developed in middle school.

Klaws

Saturday, March 1st, 2008



klaws

Originally uploaded by kms007


Here’s another illustration I drew this afternoon. Enjoy!

-Krishna

How to Create a Fav Icon Painlessly

Sunday, March 2nd, 2008

See the little icon in the URL bar of your browser? That’s a fav icon. Normally, this can be created using an image editor – but there’s a much easier way: FavIcon from Pics

You provide the pic – and the FavIcon from Pics website will do the rest. Definitely worth bookmarking if you have your own website.

-Krishna

P.S. I was interviewed at Hari’s Corner recently. Please check it out.

Quick Pick: BusySync

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

Do you have two or more Macs that you’re trying to sync and share iCal calendars with? Frustrated that Apple doesn’t include this functionality out of the box (even in Leopard)?

Me too.

Thanks to a reader tip on The Mac Attack podcast, I discovered an elegant solution to my problems, in the form of a PrefPane known as BusySync. From their website, BusySync “allows multiple users to share and edit iCal calendars on a local area network or over the Internet without the need for a dedicated server”.

BusySync addresses my needs. I keep my academic calendar on my Macbook Pro, and my personal calendar on my Mac Pro. Being able to see, share, and edit my schedules from either machine is nothing short of a boon.

I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what this app does, but here are a few other highlights which I have yet to test:

1) sync with Google Calendar

2) Wide area networking sync

3) multi-user editing

4) password protection on published calendars (read/write or read only permissions)

There was a reason this program was Macworld’s Best of Show 2008. BusySync runs $19.95 per machine. If you buy your licenses now, you’ll be eligible for the free upgrade from version 1.5 to 2.0. Check it.

-Krishna

The PC Weenies to Debut in Singapore Newspaper!

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

This week, The PC Weenies are expected to make their newspaper debut in The Straits Times – within the Digital Life section (which, I understand, is published every Wednesday). It’s not only the highest selling newspaper based in Singapore with a circulation of about 400,000 (based on Wikipedia), but it’s also the oldest newspaper of any kind in Singapore – established in 1845!

I’m extremely excited about having The PC Weenies in The Straits Times. I’ve long hoped for a way to make inroads into the Asian market, and Singapore, being the central trade hub between India, China, and Malaysia – will afford me that opportunity.

What I need is a favor from my Straits Times readers. I would love to be able to have a nice quality scan of the comic from the print edition of The Straits Times, that I can keep for my records. If you’d like to help me out, please drop me a note via the Contact form on the website.

And to all the new readers visiting the site from Singapore and Malaysia, selamat datang!

-Krishna 

Art: creature X

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008



creature X

Originally uploaded by kms007


I felt inspired to create some new random characters. This was a 20 minute drawing – from start to finish.

-Krishna

Character Construction

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008


Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The slideshow above shows how I go about “building” a character. I always start with the basic shapes and the line of action (a line that basically defines the character’s primary movement), then gradually add details in. By working with basic shapes, it becomes very easy to spot mistakes in proportion.

Too many beginning artists start out drawing characters in outlines – tracing the outer contours of the form. This will result in a character that looks flat. Other beginning artists like to start out with a lot of detail. The energy spent on adding details, early on in the design process, can be potentially a waste of time if the characters proportions aren’t working.

-Krishna

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