Designer and teacher by day. Freelance illustrator by night. IG: http://instagram.com/darrenmacalvert | Etsy: https://shorturl.at/hpEFO | 🇨🇦
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Every single convention organizer, publisher, art director, project manager, etc. who's even once entertained the thought of using genAI imagery or LLM generated text at any stage should be paying *full* attention to how popular DragonCon is becoming for enforcing their "no genAI" policies.
Already feeling how tired I will be tomorrow. Pre-tired.
I start to feel like I'm losing my mind a little when we get a long stretch of hot weather like this. Adding wildfire smoke to the mix isn't helping.
A marker Cable from this day in 2021 #XMen #Cable
This is why these A.I. generated movies/TV concepts are going to bomb too. They'll be a novelty for about 15 minutes and then it'll just be the same pablum over and over.
Yeah, I'm not sure if they do a "particles per million" thing here or not. I guess they decided that this 1-11+ scale was easier for people to understand.
I still find it ridiculous that the Air Quality Index goes up to 11 and that's where we are right now.
So: confirmed
I asked Rob Liefeld if that thing Cable wears around his neck is a cask of brandy like St. Bernards were supposed to wear for mountain rescue and he laughed but didn’t disagree with me.
A free webcomic starting this week. Would appreciate a RT!
A marker Cable from this day in 2021 #XMen #Cable
Fair enough. I agree the finale tends to be a bit anticlimactic. I went through almost exactly what you described with FFT as well. Was too ready for the final battle and just walked right through it.
Ha. I started it last night and the pacing was kind of throwing me. Had you read the books? I'm curious how people coming in fresh will feel about it as a movie.
The 2025 Swordtember prompt list is here! ⚔️ #swordtember
I am offering another original drawing for $30 OR BEST OFFER. Framed, if you want it, in the frame shown. I have not yet framed it - I wanted the option of not trimming it to the frame size (second photo) for buyer's preference. I can mail it, with all the associated expenses
"Learning to use A.I." is a pretty easy thing but learning the actual skills involved in design requires actual effort. The moment you turn that over to the computer, you stop improving.
I used to watch the original Star Wars trilogy/Indiana Jones trilogy/BTTF trilogy on repeat in my late teens/early 20s.
Got to see it on the big screen as part of a "digital film festival" thing about 6 years ago and it was great.
Ugh. I hate hearing stuff like that. There's this idea that we *have* to embrace it because it's the big new thing even though it's the opposite of what we're supposed to be teaching students.
Ha. No.
Is he currently mayor of something? Didn't realize it was a lifetime title.
I cannot believe it has been 6 years...
Signing copies of the Acquisitions Incorporated D&D book at PAX on this day in 2019
"Shortly after rescuing a group of orphans from a burning building..."
*Probably* too specific but appreciate it.
I feel like we are *definitely* going to find out there is more to this story.
Nice. Will definitely have to check it out.
The "reinterpret this" thing could be good. Part of this is moving away from observational drawing and into creating from their own imaginations so probably not still life.
I'm sure I could come up with lists of themes and lists of products and then do some random mash-ups (vehicles based on insects, kitchen tools with a space theme, etc.)
My thoughts so far are to make it a mandatory in-class thing during their work periods (spend the first 1/2 hour on your sketchbook before anything else). I've also done themed drawing sessions before like "furniture based on sea creatures" and that might make things more interesting.
Also teaching related: I'm trying to think of ways to make the ongoing sketchbook project less of a thing they forget about until the night before and then scramble to fill pages in. I need them to practice the stuff we're learning (mostly perspective drawing of products/furniture/vehicles).
That's an... interesting choice
I did some concepts at one point for goblins and orcs based on primates
I did some concepts at one point for goblins and orcs based on primates
Thinking about having my students do something Pictionary-esque as an icebreaker in the first class. Can't decide whether to split them into teams or to just do a big free for all and have everybody guessing and see how many they can get right within a set time.
Had one first day a few years back where my train was late and then all of the escalators out of the train station were out and so climbed about 6 flights of stairs and then power walked across campus and was thoroughly drenched by the time I got to the design building.
Apologizing in advance for my students who are going to have to watch my shirts slowly soak through with sweat during the first week's classes.
It is TOO HOT
Using this piece by @reallygoodwizard.bsky.social in my introductory lectures for my design students.
I release hotto into your care, that he might flourish in a life of his own
Post a meme made by you
It's for people who hate something and want to pretend to be good at it rather than actually being good at it.
He's India's answer to Brian Dennehy.
Using this piece by @reallygoodwizard.bsky.social in my introductory lectures for my design students.
Yeah... I'm really not looking forward to this.
The robots get Astromech-like shock prods/saws/etc.
Who needs pro video editing software when you can just hold your phone up to your computer and click on a sound clip over and over?
"Whoops, it got away somehow." *robot trundles towards the nearest highway*
Customers have it too easy. Time to ramp things up.
They should put all of the groceries on robots and make customers chase them around the store to get what they want.
15 seconds! I think I got it in about 35.
This is how I learned that there's a TV adaptation
Please enjoy this portrait of Cyan Garamonde, A.K.A. "Mr. Thou" from FFVI, the best Final Fantasy.
We built a calculator that doesn't work, but don't worry, it's also a plagiarism machine that will tell you to kill yourself. It runs on the world's oceans and costs 10 trillion dollars.
Interesting...
I have mixed feelings about a remake but would definitely be interested. If nothing else, we have the pixel remasters.
Is this about the Wattos?
I don't trust Vivaldi. He's up to something.
I like that it looks like it comes back and shoves the cart out of spite
Watermelon 🍉 + Tajin 🌶️🧂🍋🟩
Everything has to have a chatbot built in now. That's the rule.
"Sure, this calculator can do math but it's a terrible conversationalist."
I named all of the characters after myself and my friends at the time so I still tend to think of them as those people (Cyan became Brian). 🙂
Why would anyone want to chat with their browser?
Please enjoy this portrait of Cyan Garamonde, A.K.A. "Mr. Thou" from FFVI, the best Final Fantasy.
I'm actually kind of craving frozen banana slices now... The robot works!
Yeah, I'm not sure what exactly it was that turned me off about FF7 at the time. It was visually very dark and felt kind of claustrophobic because of the pre-rendered backgrounds. It still has a lot of the FF series wackiness to it and I've come to appreciate it more with time.
This has been "Darren Loves the Final Fantasy Games but Has Opinions"
This thing should just be careening around the store at high speed shouting "BANANAS! BANANAS! BANANAS!" 🍌
It is nice that the Bravely Default and Octopath Traveller games have basically become the "What if the pixel FF games had kept going" series.
Also there was a bit of a "Finally a REAL Final Fantasy for GROWNUPS" thing going on when it came out that always rubbed me the wrong way.
This isn't really true but as someone who loved the SNES FF games, VII always felt kind of edgelord-y to me. My favourites are still VI and IX where they have a bit more of a traditional fantasy vibe even though the tech stuff is still there.
So Intergrade has everything up to Rebirth?
If I wanted to play the FF7 remake on PS5, what exactly is involved there? FF7 Remake and FF7 Rebirth? Is there something that came out in-between?
I think its removable. I'm pretty sure I grabbed one but can't remember where it is right now.
I'm actually kind of surprised Biff's car wasn't one of the stages.
I wish I could just lock my facial hair at a certain length.
This current wave of hot weather has me wanting to shave my beard even though I know I'd regret it...
"Most A.I.s are wack but this one is... uhh... skibidi?"
"This A.I. is on fleek."
Thinking about some poor art director out there seeing an artist they’re working with posting saucy Watto pics and wondering if the urgent revisions they need will come through before the weekend.
Facts
In one of the ads he calls it dope twice.
Yeah, I don't know what the plan is here yet. Had to do this about a decade ago for a similar situation and they put everything in storage temporarily.
I like these Wix ads where the guy pretends to be A.I. skeptical but then spends the ad praising it. Apparently this A.I. is "dope" and "fire".
My back is still tight from pulling it the other day moving a stack of prints and the idea of doing a bunch of packing/moving right now sounds like a nightmare.
Yeah, even if I'm not doing it alone, it's not like I'm going to let randos just throw all of my stuff into boxes unsupervised which means this is going to take up days of my time.
This should surprise nobody but I have A LOT OF BOOKS AND ART SUPPLIES AND STUFF
So the flooding in my studio damaged the hardwood and the condo board has agreed to replace it but that means that some time in the next few months I have to pack up everything in my studio and living room and put it somewhere for a few days while they tear up the floor and replace it. 😑
He's in the zeitgeist
Some Kirby-influenced marker drawings from "Jacktober" in 2020 in honour of Jack Kirby's birthday.
