Monday, February 27, 2017

Spring Break Cash Giveaway!


Spring break is not far away, how would you like to start that off with an extra $200 CDN?  I have teamed up with a great group of Canadian bloggers to bring you the Spring Break Cash Giveaway!

What would you use an extra $200 for? If I had extra cash, I would use it to take the boys away for a night or 2 over the break.

Giveaway rules: 
Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter every day. Mandatory question must be answered to be eligible to win. Giveaway is open worldwide. Prize is $200CAD to be transferred to a PayPal account. Ladena from MyFamilyStuff is responsible for awarding the prize. This giveaway is sponsored by all bloggers included in the giveaway widget. The prize is non-transferable. Giveaway runs from Feb 27 - Mar 13, 2017. Void where prohibited.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday February 26th Monday Madness Giveaway Linky






Happy Monday everyone!  If you are a blogger, feel free to list any open giveaways you have on your blog. Make sure to list the prize, end date and country eligibility (CAN/US/WW) any listed without this information will be deleted.





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Monday, February 20, 2017

February 20th Monday Madness Giveaway Linky






Happy Monday everyone!  If you are a blogger, feel free to list any open giveaways you have on your blog. Make sure to list the prize, end date and country eligibility (CAN/US/WW) any listed without this information will be deleted.





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Monday, February 13, 2017

Februar 13th Monday Madness Giveaway Linky






Happy Monday everyone!  If you are a blogger, feel free to list any open giveaways you have on your blog. Make sure to list the prize, end date and country eligibility (CAN/US/WW) any listed without this information will be deleted.





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Wednesday, February 8, 2017

ZBrush Course in Toronto

There was a time when movie effects were done exclusively using physical mediums to bring characters and environments to life. Thanks to the kind of technologies that are continuously being developed, computer programs are taking a much more prominent role in this field. While there’s still something to be said for the process of physically sculpting a character using a traditional material like clay (and in truth, many artists still prefer this more hands on approach), programs like ZBrush are providing up and coming creature and character designers with the skills necessary to design and sculpt characters from the comfort of their desk chair.

What is ZBrush?
ZBrush is a revolutionary digital sculpting tool that combines 3D modeling, texturing, and painting. It’s an intuitive, easy to use program that provides artists with all the tools they need in order to sketch 2D or 3D concepts, or develop realistic renders.

How are ZBrush Oriented Courses Reshaping the Industry?
It goes without saying that programs like ZBrush are revolutionizing the way creature and character design is being taught. The mere fact that these types of courses now lend themselves to the realm of e-learning is incredibly significant, as geographic location is no longer a barrier for otherwise qualified students from being able to partake in the course.

Convenience aside, ZBrush allows skilled artists to up their game in terms of creating photorealistic characters and environments to the level it needs to be in order for them to be a serious contender for some of the industry’s most highly sought after and difficult to land jobs.

Finding a Way to Pair Digital and Practical Skills
ZBrush helps students learn about 3D workflows, 3D painting, 3D anatomy, and 3D concept creation. It’s also the perfect software to teach students the art of developing high resolution characters and environments as well as 3D scanning and printing of completed works.

The Job Market: A Sobering Reality
Compared to other industries, the film and television production industry is incredibly difficult to break into, let alone to rise to a level of enviable prominence. Even entry level positions that might have you working on something you wouldn’t normally be proud to put your name on are rife with competition. To get your foot in the door, you’ll likely be competing against highly capable and eager individuals from a variety of different educational backgrounds, each bringing with them a slightly different skillset or area of expertise.

Though it might take you aback to learn just how difficult it can be to get the position you want, you should look at it as an opportunity to improve your own skillset, thereby making yourself that much more competitive. And that’s where a condensed program featuring ZBrush and other cutting edge tools can lend you an advantage. Though arduous and very immersive, enrolling in a condensed course could end up with you owning a certificate of completion in a matter of a few short weeks, not to mention a greater understanding of how the industry operates. As good of an artist as you might be, it’s important to know that skill alone won’t open all the doors. You need to be able to show employers that you can use the tools used in the industry so that you can hit the ground running.

Some careers require you to learn a finite number of things; accounting, after all,  will always be about numbers, and journalists will always be wordsmiths. When it comes to a career in the digital arts, it’s generally understood that with it comes the requirement of continuous learning. Which isn’t to say that if you finally achieve your lifelong goal of becoming a game character designer that you’ll need to feverishly keep abreast of all the new technologies being used in the industry, but it does mean that you will need to keep an eye on emerging trends and update your skill set accordingly.

Additional Careers ZBrush Can Help You With

It’s important to note that ZBrush isn’t the one and only tool you’ll need to master creature, character, and environment design for film and games. Ask those in the industry and they’ll likely come back saying that ZBrush, while incredibly important, is just one of many tools of the trade.  If you’re keen on deriving a career from a strong knowledge of ZBrush and little else, you might consider pursuing a career as a toy and action figure sculptor.


Tuesday, February 7, 2017

11th Wedding Anniversary and Winterlude 2017

Saturday, February 4th was our 11th wedding anniversary.  We spent it by taking the kids downtown to Confederation park to see the ice sculptures and grab a beavertail.  Winterlude officially kicked off this weekend, and it was a gorgeous day.

We spent more time in line waiting to see the ice sculptures up close (they are not finished yet, so we were able to watch them being worked on it was pretty cool to see).  The kids didn't like the waiting (more Mr. K - Mr. J has more patience) and were pushing every button the other one had.....what else would a family outing be without the bickering?


After we made our way through the line, we went and got beavertails.  They are yummy anytime, but nothing beats eating them outside at Winterlude.

We all enjoyed them and then we made our way over to the Rideau Center - hubby wanted me to pick out my favourite chocolates from Purdys as my anniversary gift.

the GIANT heart box hubby got for me :)

Have you ever had a chance to experience Winterlude in Ottawa?

Monday, February 6, 2017

February 6th Monday Madness Giveaway Linky






Happy Monday everyone!  If you are a blogger, feel free to list any open giveaways you have on your blog. Make sure to list the prize, end date and country eligibility (CAN/US/WW) any listed without this information will be deleted.





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