RKTBlog

Here is some video of a game I helped out on last year while working at Liquid Development in Portland, OR. My friend, Jane, was the Character Art Manager on Damnation, and I came on mid-way through production as her assistant to help make fixes to textures, and even paint some historically-tinged digital paintings for cinematics.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update on this painting.  I’ve only been able to work on it in small doses, so it’s been going a little slow, but I finally think enough has changed that it’s worth showing off again.

Click to Enlarge

The value structure’s changed a little.  Details and textures have been added to some of the main buildings and cars.  The trees are more resolved.  There’s still a long way to go, but I’m happy with the progress so far.

There’s something to be said about a city where the only bad cup of coffee can be found at Starbucks.  Even here in Portland, there are plenty of Starbucks, but unlike in other cities, Starbucks could never dominate the local coffee scene.  Not only are there so many other alternatives, but they are all better by far!

Perhaps, unlike Seattle and Starbucks, Portland’s coffee gems will always remain closely guarded secrets, never to be discovered by the rest of the country.  This city is all about the small, personal, handcrafted experience, and I have a hard time seeing even the biggest chain of Portland coffee shops making the switch to production on a national scale.

The best among the best coffee to be found here comes from Stumptown Coffee.  The people at Stumptown know their stuff, and then some.  In the past year, I’ve seen the Stumptown name pop up a number of times in the national media, and their product shows why!  It’s the smoothest cup imaginable. It’s the first I could appreciate without a hint of sugar to cover up any lingering bitterness, best served as nothing but pure coffee and cream.  

There are plenty of other amazing choices as well.  Urban Grind is my second favorite.  Their shop in the Pearl District serves up the coziest atmosphere, and their staff members are some of the most personable and friendly around.  I’m no longer big on mochas, having seen the potential of undoctored coffee, but I’ll make a few exceptions, and Urban Grind’s mocha arancia is the perfect sweetness, flavored with a hint of orange essence-  in short the perfect mocha.  Better yet, their espresso is a surprisingly good match to Stumptown’s.

World Cup Coffee & Tea is another solid choice, with their focus on sustainability and multiple locations around the city.  They also serve another fine mocha, sharper in taste than others around town.  If you’re looking for a place to hang out, Vivace on NW 23rd serves up Stumptown roasted coffee and tasty crepes in a warm and cozy atmosphere.  Coffee Time, on NW 21st, is a little rougher around the edges, but its open late and has its own particular charm. 

Here in Portland, no matter where you turn, you’re bound to find a good cup of coffee.  Perhaps, San Francisco will have its share of quality coffee shops too, but just in case, I plan on hoarding away a stash to take there myself.

Only fifteen more days to go…

I feel like we just got here.   I remember the day I first laid eyes on Portland as clearly as if it were yesterday.  On that day of our arrival, this place felt like a completely different city than the one I’m currently in, as if the map transformed itself, East and West becoming North and South, but even then, I knew I had arrived at something special.

There is an intangible magic in experiencing a place for the first time.  It’s a magic that will never be repeated, but rather exchanged for another type of enchantment over time.  I loved this place from the moment I stepped into it, and that love has only grown with familiarity.  After two years, this city was just becoming my home.  I began to feel a sense of pride in its growth, a sense of ownership in its culture.

But now, I only have fifteen days left to appreciate it all.

I look forward to having a fresh new adventure in San Francisco, but in celebration of these last remaining days in this city, I’m going to share some of my favorite things about Portland beginning tomorrow.

I’m still really busy with freelance work, so another apology for my lack of updates here on the blog.  The good news is that I’m going to have a ton of new work for my portfolio after all is done.  The bad news is that I can’t post any of it- at least not until the game I’m working out comes out.  But I’m very happy with my work on it so far, so I can’t wait to share it with you.

The big news is that my partner, Mike, got a job at Pixar, down in San Francisco, so we’ll be moving there in about a month!  It’s great news!  Mike’s been wanting a job there for ten years now… it’s hard to believe Pixar’s been on the scene for that long.

I’ll be very sad to leave Portland, though.  This city’s been a special place to me.  We have lots of great friends here, and I feel a particular connection to Portland, itself.  I have enjoyed my time here immensely, but the two years we’ve been here have gone by way too quickly.

Rotten Tomatoes has posted a few videos about the making of Laika’s upcoming animated feature, Coraline!  It’s a stop motion animated film directed by Henry Selick, the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas and based on a book by Neil Gaiman.  

Mike and I know a bunch of people who worked on it, and we want it to do well.  Check out the videos, tell your friends, and see it in the theatres this coming February!

Click here to go behind the scenes of Coraline at Rotten Tomatoes!

UPDATED: 8/24/08 Link corrected

Just thought I’d share some of the progress on the 11th Avenue painting.  There’s still a lot to do on it, a lot of detail to add, shading to smooth out, etc., but I thought you might be interested in seeing the progress along the way.

Here’s the beginnings of a piece that I’m working on called “11th”.  It’s named for 11th Avenue here in Portland, where these fantastic condos can be found.  (Click the thumbnail below to see a larger image.)

The final piece is going to be a digital painting, but I thought I’d share the original drawing.  Forgive the quality… I wasn’t planning on using it in the blog when I scanned it in, but I thought it might still be worth a post.

Last night, we had our elections here in Portland, and I’m super-proud to know that we chose Sam Adams as our next mayor.  In doing so, we’ll be the largest city in the U.S. to elect an openly gay man as mayor!