The Ostap

Tesla

2011-05-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

Rover Front

2011-04-26T12:03:00.001-07:00

Honda AquaPod Hood

2011-04-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

2008 sponsored project.

NVArt:Accelerate Entry

2010-07-30T18:12:00.001-07:00

Warmup

2009-09-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

trying to figure out cinematic environments

Misc Hyundai project illustrations

2009-08-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

Pony

2009-05-15T16:19:00.001-07:00

Urban E-Van

2009-02-28T19:06:00.000-08:00

Ideation Technique

2009-02-27T12:59:00.000-08:00

Getting somewhere with my ideation technique.

Quick Sketch Supercar

2009-02-11T22:37:00.001-08:00

Cherry Sketch

2009-02-11T01:56:00.001-08:00

2002

2009-02-04T20:51:00.000-08:00

Washington Portrait

2009-01-29T23:55:00.000-08:00

Trying to warm up to things other than cars.

Fig Studies

2009-01-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

Going to try and get some figure drawings done on this off-term. Warm-up below.

LA Times Spin Journalism

2008-12-15T12:07:00.000-08:00

So i was just linked to this story over MSN.

The reason no one showed up is because there was a grand total of 4 students graduating. Half the room was filled with enterntainment graduates (future video game/movie artists) and during career development only one student showed interest in meeting with the car companies.

Representatives from Honda and Toyota (and many others) still come because they are faculty at the school. And Honda teaches the graduating class.

Come on LA Times. This is exactly the reason i don't pay attention to your paper anymore.

Ask yourself - what follows economic downturn? Yes RECOVERY. Buy when everyone is selling, sell when everyone is buying. The old rule applies to everything. Don't listen to spin papers like LA Times.

With skills you gain at ACCD Trans you can get a job doing almost any kind of design.

Video Game Design 1990-2008

2008-12-13T22:21:00.000-08:00

Pretty cool list of screenshots from video games starting from the 90's... its amazing how i remember the graphics being so much better than they are. I also have to admit i probably played at least half the games in the least, and third of them to death.

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2008/12/video-game-design-between-1990-2008/#more-756

NASA Moon Rover

2008-12-04T03:38:00.000-08:00

This was presented by me in April of 2008 - 8 months ago for NASA sponsored project. I was not going to show it, but i have to. I like my version better. Without the wood even :P

Dino

2008-10-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

Water Car Interiors I

2008-10-25T04:52:00.001-07:00

It aint easy.

Water Car III

2008-10-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

Still too conservative for Honda guys.

Amc Javelin

2008-10-16T00:35:00.000-07:00

Water Car II

2008-10-13T02:09:00.001-07:00

Corvette

2008-10-10T03:57:00.000-07:00

Water Car

2008-10-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

These were canned by Honda guys as too conservative. And i agree... no harm in posting them now, since i won't use them anymore.

I wonder if companies today care about automotive proportions when they look at portfolios? Everyone seems to go in mobility direction both in school projects and in studios, weird new shapes, so getting a car into your repertoire is proving to be a pain. Its a concern for me... as i have too much of weird stuff already in my portfolio.

Ancient History

2008-10-04T04:22:00.000-07:00

Was digging through my old stuff, and found these from 2nd term fashion illustration.

From landscape class with Rhob Ruppel, same time.

Ferrari 275 GTB

2008-10-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

30-45 min Digital Ideations

2008-10-01T15:53:00.000-07:00

VisCom Warmup

2008-10-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

Honda Z

2008-10-01T15:51:00.001-07:00

2000gt

2008-10-01T15:50:00.001-07:00

Students & ACCD

2008-05-21T22:36:00.001-07:00

Student discontent at Art Center is reaching its tipping point. Read more about it here. And don't forget to look at the comments.

Willie Nelson - Grave Digger

2008-02-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

Totally awesome rendition of the original song by Dave Matthews.

Get Real

2008-01-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

Fun With Photoshop

2008-01-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

These were done for VisCom5 extra credit. Assignement was to bring anything we want, including enterntainment stuff. I decided to do some Eve Online inspired characters. The backgrounds are screenshots from the game, lightly touched up.

Last Works from 4th Term

2008-01-01T20:44:00.002-08:00

Couple of final rendos and a pic of the model. I was pretty exhausted when i did these, and i can now see the lack of life in them.

Helios Side View

2007-10-20T01:01:00.001-07:00

I am chronically late with everything. Can barely keep up with this crazy curriculum i picked.
Here is new sideview for Helios. Small variation on the previous design.

Top View

2007-10-16T03:39:00.000-07:00

Top views are a pain in the ass. But they really challenge what you think you know about your own design.

That said, i don't think screaming and yelling at your students is an effective teaching technique. All it does is makes me want to avoid you. It might have had a "cool" factor in the 1980's when no one really knew what was and wasnt an effective teaching technique, but today it just makes people run. Do you ever wonder why no one wants to sign up for non-core classes with you?

On a more positive note - maxostap.com will be undergoing an overhaul after terms end. I won't be updating it until then.

Helios

2007-10-13T03:57:00.000-07:00

I decided to name the car Helios after Greek god of sun. Here is the back, which is still getting refined.

My 4th Term Project

2007-10-12T23:47:00.000-07:00

Dodge 3 seater (with driver in the middle). Powered by fuel cell that is positioned in the center vertically behind the driver aka mid-engine.

Late Night Update

2007-10-11T00:44:00.000-07:00

Its week 5 at Art Center, and i have just realized that i can't really slack through my 4th term like i did through last two. Three more of these by Saturday.

I am absolutely loving Viscom 5.

IRS can't prove that you have to pay income taxes

2007-07-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

If you are new to the tax movement and haven't seen Aaron Russos America : Freedom to Fascism, you'd be a little surprised by this. But the battle against IRS has been going on for some time now. And here is a small victory for the good guys:

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56855

Before you start protesting with objections like - "but taxes pay for X and Y which are necessary government services" please go watch AFTF.

From Velasco's Viscom 4.

2007-07-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

По просьбе читателей. Если желаете посмотреть как настоящий дизайнер рисует посмотрите тут.

MaxOstap.com

2007-02-05T03:52:00.000-08:00

Check out my early alpha of a website... wrote it all myself. There are a lot of features that are disabled right now... being how its at about 10% of functional objective. Comments, more extensive galleries, ratings, ajax where appropriate... ecom, all coming in the future. But for now just a simple gallery.

maxostap.com

2007

2006-12-31T21:17:00.000-08:00

This song, although unintentionally, has pretty good attitude for any new year.

ATB - Summer

2006-11-14T03:13:00.000-08:00

Such good life.

Your inner monkey

2006-07-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

Good stuff here.

What Bush thinks of US Constitution

2006-07-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Saw this in the new trailer on apples website.

"The Constitution is just a god damn piece of paper."
- George Bush, 2005

you can google that phrase to find more about it, but here is the quote in context.

Stan Rosenthal's Tao Te Ching

2005-06-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

Of all the Tao translations, this one is my favorite.

Direct link here. Google results here, in case direct goes dead.

Unconscious Self Programming

2005-04-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

The labels we apply to ourselves to describe ourselves shape the way we see ourselves and dictate our actions. If you describe yourself as an X kind of person, you will unconsciously start to believe it and unconsciously act in ways to support that image.

"I am a quiet, shy, nice guy".

That statement will subconsciously reinforce the stereotypes associated with each label. Consciously labeling yourself as anything whether its said or not will begin enforcing the programming associated with the label. Just thinking of yourself and applying a mental image of what you THINK you are will do the job.

What happens when we consciously force ourselves to think of what we want to be, not what we are currently?

Replace "I am indecisive like my father" with "I am a great leader". Believe it and you will start seeing a change. Same thing with "I hate going to gym" - the more you think it the more it will become true. Better start thinking that you love it.

We are thought materialization machines. What we think comes true. What we obscess over materializes exponentially.

Mental Software

2005-03-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

Meme: an information pattern, held in an individual's memory, which is capable of being copied to another individual's memory.

Memetics: the theoretical and empirical science that studies the replication, spread and evolution of memes.

Makes you see a song that got stuck in your head from a different angle doesn’t it? Other people’s ideas we somehow inherit and live in accordance to without being really conscious about it. Some of these memes have ingenious self preservation mechanisms. Ever heard that old Christian line – “If something makes you question your faith, its God/Devil testing/tempting you”? How many people believe something their daddy or mommy taught them and never really examine why they believe that? And don't forget the media - number one distributor of mental "standards".

Cognitive Errors

2005-03-19T22:23:00.000-08:00

This is taken directly from CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). I really love these. Try to be conscious of them when you think, I don’t care how mentally perfect you think you are (if you think you are - you are likely very full of shit and I’d hate to meet you at a party), its like running an anti-virus on your own mind. I see these everywhere: in other people and in myself. Good stuff.

Arbitrary Inference

Coming to a conclusion on insufficient evidence.

Example:
The audience will laugh if I make a mistake.

Over-Generalization

Basing conclusions on isolated events then applying them across diverse situations.

Example:
If my art teacher doesn’t like my art no one in the whole world will ever like anything I do.

Magnification and Minimization

Distortion of the importance of events.

Example of Magnification:
I didn’t smile when I said hello to my boss, he will never give me a raise now.

Example of Minimization:
I went to the party with important people and didn’t make an ass out of myself, but it was pure luck.

Personalization

Seeing ourselves as the cause of negative external events for which we are not responsible.

Examples:
If I hadn’t hired on with this company, they never would have gone bankrupt.

The boss was brief and moody when I talked to him this morning, I must have done something wrong.

All-or-Nothing Thinking

Perceiving things as black or white, two extremes with nothing in between. This pattern is friendly with the words: always, never, completely, totally or perfectly. If your performance in whichever endeavor falls short of the meaning implied by those standards you consider it was a failure.

Examples:
If this girl doesn’t find me attractive – I must be ugly inside and out.

If the audience doesn’t like my performance, it will be the end of everything.

Mental Filter

Picking out a single (for instance negative) detail, ignoring the big picture, and dwelling on it until everything seems black.

Example:
I forgot my friends fiancés name during the conversation, he will likely not like me anymore.

An article I wrote contained a typo in it; I must be a complete idiot.

Selective Negative Focus

Rejecting or dismissing positive experiences by insisting that they don’t count. This allows us to maintain our negative beliefs, because we hate to be wrong in our convictions.

Example:
Failing the oral part of the exam, but getting an A+ on written yet still believing that the exam was a complete failure.

Should Statements

Desire to change reality when we should simply accept it.

Examples:
People should like my art more than they do.

My boss should appreciate my hard work more.

Also imposing very high to impossible standards on ourselves using the same logic.

Examples:
If I want to lose weight I should train twice a day, every day for 3 hours.

If I ever want to succeed in my trade, I should dedicate all my waking time to it and not waste it on such petty things such as socializing or taking vacation.

Jumping to Conclusions

Making negative interpretations even though there are no facts that support this conclusion. There are two types of this pattern:

Mind Reading

Assuming that someone is reacting negatively to us when we really don’t know, and then don’t bother to check it out.

Example:
Because no one returned my call, they think I am stupid.

Fortune Telling

Anticipating things to turn out badly.

Example:
I am probably going to fail college algebra, because I failed it in high school, so I am not going to take it.

Emotional Reasoning

Thinking that our emotions reflect how things really are.

Example:
This feels threatening; it must be bad for me.

Labeling

Is an extreme form of overgeneralization whereby a negative & usually emotionally charged label is attached to a person on the basis of a relatively isolated or insignificant behavior.

Example:
“I am stupid.” Rather than “That was a stupid thing to do.”

“Store owner is a complete jerk because he closed the store 2 minutes before I got there.” - even though it was a routine time to close the store.

Rationalization

Ascribing justifications and plausible motives to our thoughts and feelings while real motives go unrecognized because they are unacceptable.

Examples:
“I didn’t go skydiving because I was hungry and decided to go eat instead.” No you are just being a wimp.

“I didn’t go running today because it rained earlier and I don’t want to slip.” No you are just being lazy.

There are two common forms of rationalization:

Sour Grapes

Self-deceptive, ego-enhancing device which allows us to avoid anxiety, guilt, and shame. We convince ourselves that unattained goal wasn’t all that desirable in the first place. ( Cognitive Dissonance).

Example:
Well, I never really wanted to skydive in the first place.

Sweet Lemon

Thinking that our failure to attain the goal is actually blessing in disguise.

Examples:
I would have probably crashed and died if I went skydiving with my friends.

If I had given that public speech, I would have shown what a miserable public speaker I am and everyone would have thought I was a complete joke.

The Four Steps to Cognitive Restructuring by Richard G. Heimberg:

Look at the situation in which we fear the unknown, failure, or rejection occurs;
Analyze the thoughts attached to the situation;
Acknowledge the distortion: The interpretations, meanings, labels, and evaluations;
Respond to the thoughts rationally: Reinterpret, relable, and re-evaluate.

Creativity

2005-02-18T19:16:00.000-08:00

I am reading a book called Creative Intelligence by Alan J. Rowe. Fascinating stuff. According to him creativity is little more than a result of certain personality traits. The most common personality traits of some of the most creative people throughout history were:

Passion
Persistence
Drive to go beyond what is expected
Taking risks to introduce change
Boldness in trying unconventional approach
Deep knowledge and understanding of a chosen field
Open-mindedness and non-judging personality
Perceptiveness
Ability to concentrate for long periods of time
Courage to question status quo
Ability to visualize new possibilities
High tolerance towards ambiguity

According to Rowe - IQ is a small to non-existant factor when it comes to creativity in people whose score over 120.

"Mental leaps that solve problems in a flash are actually part of a process that has many logical steps."

and a little bit on motivation that rings so true:

"Those who focus on external rewards generally are less successful than those who are driven to create regardless of what the world thinks."