halfcactus: an icon of a manga shiba inu (Default)
It's weird to think that I used to be glued to Adobe software to the point that I felt fused to them, and now I can go half a year without creating something new--in this case, it's not really by choice, because ongoing tech issues... But I do spend every successive year trying to chase the drive and hyperfocus of my younger self, which I guess is my version of romanticizing my youth! A lot of the stuff I used to make were really ugly LOL but at least I was adventurous and knew how to do a lot of things. These days I feel like I'm restarting from zero.

Dreamwidth was originally planned to be a casual low-pressure art/fanworks blog but guess what sometimes life gets away from you and suddenly you're a Zhang Xincheng bot. I really wanted to get my life together and hustle but here I am, wrestling with technology and losing gracefully by making my favorite celebrity a means for content creation.

Anyway here's some stuff I did this week (...in a span of 4 days), either because I was testing my problematic computer or because I'm trying to learn to do stuff without a computer (ie. video editing on my tablet and my newly acquired pink wireless keyboard that I bought off a friend). Desktop computer is still my battleground of choice though, as unwieldy as it is. I'm just not hip enough to learn mobile/tablet technology. :(



a Nobuta wo Produce (now on Netflix!) throwback ♥


+3 process photos, from an unrelated journal sketch to Photoshop )


Zhang Xincheng things (all done on mobile/tablet!)

  • Subbed: 仟 Qian, a Zhang Xincheng original song (you can download an mp3 rip here)

  • Subbed: Zhang Xincheng's performance of an original song that then transitions to Jay Chou's Chrysanthemum Bed: This is a much older video, during his My Huckleberry Friends days. Vocals start out a bit flat, and his piano chord choices in the last bit sound debatable to me... but Chrysanthemum Bed is my favorite Jay Chou (+ Vincent Fang) song ever, so just hearing my favorite actor sing it makes me happy. XD He certainly deserves bonus points for basically remixing the song and having the original verse tie into the feeling of the chorus. And it really is a joy to know that he's improved so much vocally since this video, which was a solid performance featuring piano-playing and catchy composition. ♥

  • Subbed: Zhang Xincheng's douyin where he has to uphold his reputation of being a Jay Chou fan.

    I kind of feel like I've been transitioning to video-based fanworks since last year, and maybe I should do a post for... apps (desktop and iOS)... because I've tried quite a few, with needs that are both too specific and casual haha. I've been really impressed with how technology has advanced enough that I can do basic editing + subbing on my phone (even though it makes my phone get hot), and I'm fascinated with the features in mobile apps. A lot of them annoy me because they're more cosmetic effects than function, especially when it comes to captioning/typesetting features... I can see why, and I even think it's cool that they exist, it's just surprising to me that subtitle tracks aren't a thing in iMovie (iOS) and Adobe Premiere Rush (iOS)... though I suppose I haven't used either of those even in desktop form, so I'm not sure if you could have done that on desktop. I did all the editing and captioning in last year's fanvids in Da Vinci Resolve... which sadly does not have a mobile version. Its features were pretty ideal to me. :(
  • halfcactus: an icon of a manga shiba inu (Default)
    Updated some old work! Basically just changed the fonts lol.







    I really miss reading books and making art. :( I've been staying up pinballing madly between regular part-time work and personal/fanwork this year, unable to get into the mindset of consuming media or fanwork. The reason for this is that I'm completely incapable of having personal projects in my free time; I'm only productive when I'm stressed. XD But I'm quitting that job because it's been making me very unhappy—my (already low) pay was cut by nearly 50% last year because of the pandemic, and in the past few months my workload has been becoming more demanding. Now I'm just sad that nearly 10 years of working with the same company ultimately means nothing, and I'm extremely anxious at the prospect of not having to work nights. What am I supposed to do, relax?????

    Oh well. There are many things I want to do, but none of them are profitable or beneficial to me. I've been spending my breaks and downtimes making lists and lists, but I feel that I should let myself chill a bit and sleep properly for a month once I've officially ended my work at that company lol (as long as my brain allows it). Maybe sign up for Skillshare or something idk.

    In more cheerful news I just paid for a notetaking + PDF editing app (Goodnotes 5) and I like it! I don't draw/handwrite notes on my phone/tablet all that much, but the app allows me to insert images which is great. It also works on my phone and syncs with iCloud. Not sure how long I'll keep using it, but at least it's not a subscription haha.

    The book I'm supposed to be reading this month is Isabel Yap's Never Have I Ever, which is a collection of Filipino horror stories, but I haven't started it. ^^;
    halfcactus: an icon of a manga shiba inu (Default)


    For [community profile] nirvanainfirefest Challenge #3: DVD Commentary, I'm gonna try to walk through the process of creating the multimedia NiF x Persona 5 fusion that I created for [archiveofourown.org profile] swanfrost for NiF Exchange 2018 [best viewed on carrd]. I've always wanted to document it because it went through so many phases, I just never knew how to begin.

    For the prompt: ensemble cast | persona 5 au, feel free to follow the plot of p5 or to use the setting/lore as inspiration! notes: bonus points for character study-esque writing and using the mcs/linshu naming conventions cleverly; happy ending please

    At the time I was creating it, I was also doing a lot of tedious work at night, and I was working on NiF Exchange in bits and pieces to give myself a break. I mostly remember the backaches and basically had to avoid being on the computer on my downtime for like 2 years. :)) I have an office chair now, though, and life has been better (and more productive) because of it. Can't believe I waited til 2021 to get one. /o\

    tl;dr - summary of the process:
  • Coming up with the concept (in which I decided I wanted to do a fanvid/lyric vid)
  • Outlining what I wanted to include in the vid
  • Initial studies and visual development
  • Learning to vid and do basic motion effects on AE ajs;afjda;fja;
  • Tracing selected characters into lines and vector shapes on AI (I just needed 5, enough for the Phantom Thieves deck)
  • Designing the cards on PS (again, I only needed 5 of each design)
  • Putting the illustrated and animated elements in the vid
  • Realizing I could do the rest of the tarot deck, actually???
  • Presentation: gifs, carrd

    WARNING: Mega-long and image-heavy post ahead!
    Read more... )
  • halfcactus: an icon of a manga shiba inu (Default)
    Last week I got a planner and a chair, both great purchases since I've been able to just sit down and work on personal projects and ignore the rest of the world, something I haven't really been able to do in years because of back soreness.

    Next month I'm planning to get a movable desk, for writing.

    My journal/planner is an expensive one that I've never tried before, a Hobonichi Techo and I love it??? It's like a powered-up Field Notes?? I know I love it because I've actually been using it for more than just bullet-journaling and note-taking. The pages are very light and thin but hold ink surprisingly well--I've been using my Unipin for doodling and it feels great. The paper also maintains its structural integrity and doesn't tear or crumple even though I'm very rough with the pages. The notebook lays completely flat when I open it. I've also been able to prop it up on a vertical surface without a bookstand, which was really handy when I was digitizing a concept doodle. Definitely repurchasing next year! (But next time I'm getting a dated one. ^^;)

    As I grow older, I've been making it a point to minimize the time I spend on the computer by taking some of the work offline. I'm not the type of person who draws or sketches things (I have no conceptual skills whatsoever AND I'm limited by having a lack of technical skills. I tend to come up with things on the spot based on what I am able to do), but I'm trying to be better at developing ideas by sketching or writing or creating quick studies/layouts, and learning to break down objects into shapes and lines.

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