Figured it out

I think I know what my main issue is: I've been doing things backwards! I've been trying to create finished pictures before I know the rudiments of anatomy, the elements of composition, or even the basics of color.

Time to do something else. Time to start with the basics. The sort of stuff they never really teach anymore.… Time to break out the anatomy book.

Works In Progress

After reading a few blogs (more on that in a later post), I have decided to post a list of works-in-process. If all goes as planned, I'll re-post this list from time to time, with some projects updated, others crossed off (and therefore completed), and new ones added.

WIP List

Title - Project Type - Next Step

Eclipse - painting - transfer sketch to canvas
Pride - painting - finish
Look, Magic - painting - base color
Greenbird - painting - sketch
dozens of other, lesser, paintings

To Lend a Hand - poster - finalize sketch

Random Character Generator - design - transfer sketch to design
SOMA - magazine - re-do cover

New Moon - novel - continue writing
Berk - novel - continue writing
The Sword - novel - continue writing
Secessionaire - novella - continue writing
Flat 664 - Graphic Novel - convert script to sketch

Things I've learned...

...over the past few months:

1. Being able to make a choice (food, how to spend my time, what to wear) is not the same as being forced to take the worst/easiest option.

2. Owning a book is not the same as having mastery over its contents.

3. Having the tools for X is not the same as having the time (or attention) to become good at X.

Being an adult means learning these sorts of things.

20 Minutes, June 12

Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - Defensive Line

20 Minutes a Day

I had actually begun this two days ago, when a friend suggested that I draw an action shot, and then another yesterday. The one limitation was that - since it would contain two characters, I only spend 20 minutes on each drawing (10 minutes for each guy). I enjoyed it, and had decided to do a third, when I read something that made me think.

The Sept/Oct 2011 issue of HOW Magazine had an article discussing self-promotion via the Internet, and specifically linked Jessica Hische's "Daily Drop Cap" and Noah Scalin's "Skull-A-Day" projects [page 104-105]. I had considered doing a ___-a-day project before, but always felt that school would get in the way, or had cast my net so broadly that I ended up flailing (and failing). But this, this could work.

I want to be hired by an animation studio as a character designer, sketch artist, or storyboard artist, and therefore need to improve my drawing skills. I need to be able to create believable characters, who occupy a realistic (or at least consistent) space, and move within the bounds of physics. So, retroactively, I have decided to begin a 20-minutes-a-day drawing project, picking an action shot (most likely based on a sports photo) with two or more characters.

I will use a mechanical (.7) pencil, a kneaded eraser, and a stack of 9" square paper I have left over. I will spend no more than 20 minutes on each day's drawing. I will aim for anatomical accuracy, a sense of dynamism, and unique characters, as though these were single storyboard frames.

Here are the first three I have done, including today's:

Saturday, June 9, 2012 - Ram Tackle

Sunday, June 10, 2012 - Turkish Oil Wrestling

Monday, June 11, 2012 - Orca Discus

Commission: Ana, 2

A continuation of Commission: Ana, 1
As promised in the earlier post, this is stage 3, initial block-in. Working color-by-color.

First, blue:

Then green:

Then more green:

And a little more brown:

At this point I tried to use glazes to modulate the base colors, but it wasn't working the way I had intended. So, instead, I decided to pre-mix my palette (yellow into brown into green into blue) and painting alla prima. These are the result:

I gave them a day to sit, and gave them one more pass. I'm pretty pleased with the way they came out:

Now it just remains to see how the client likes them.

I'm greatly beholden to James Gurney for his idea of Sky Panels, and learned quite a lot in the process of painting these. Thanks Ana!

Commission: Pauline

Thanks to my roommate's relatives, I now have two commissions. This is the second (the first one begins here: Commission: Ana): a single 36" x 48" painting, in acrylic.

Several layers of dark paint, glazed on to create a sense of depth behind the foreground-to-be. Pauline wanted the painting to be pearlescent, with gold paint. Naturally I obliged.

And the final piece:

I have enjoyed working on this piece, and hope Pauline enjoys owning it even more.

Daily Sketch 9-7-11

Today's sketchbook page has thumbnails and titles for possible postcard designs for my up-coming show (10.10.11). I'm starting to get nervous, but in an OMG-I-need-to-get-off-my-tail-and-paint-something kind of way.

Daily Sketch 9-5-11

A new job is a wonderful thing. It does, however, take some getting used to. Especially as far as scheduling is concerned.

Still, some time can be found...

Daily Sketch 8-26-11

At the behest of one of my good friends, a mini expression sheet of...well, it ought to be an Atlas Deer/Barbary Stag. 

Better than the usual melancholic and/or introspective look my character designs usually have. He's right, though, "Aggressive" looks more like plaintive, or possibly agonized...

Daily Sketch 8-18-11

I was able to spend a few hours today in the Natural History Museum on campus, and spent a good deal of time (after photographing everything, of course) drawing these. It was a lot of fun, and I think I've improved immensely. These were done right-to-left, by the way.

Daily Sketch 8-17-11

Done today at work:

 

A scarf- and sweater-wearing badger and a saintly camel pouring fluid scorn (metaphorically) upon the words "Pouring Scorn." I like the way the latter is going, and may end up doing a large painting of it (for my show perhaps). It would be good lettering practice.

The phrase, by the way, stems from my listening to the Redwall book-on-cd (it's been probably a decade since I'd first read the book, maybe longer). It's interesting how our tastes can change as we develop a sense of discernment. I had never noticed how many adverbs the book has in rapid succession, nor how much Mr. Jacques seemed to still be feeling out the world he was creating (a world that is far more solid and confident in itself in such later works as The Long Patrol and Mariel of Redwall). Fascinating from a literary standpoint, and of course the entire series is a wealth of possibilities for illustration. But that is for a later day...

Daily Sketch 8-16-11

Roman baths (as mentioned here), a little waterfall/spring thing, and an even littler sketch of an Anubis. yay Anubis.

You know you're an artist when ...

... you find your work posted somewhere, without your knowledge.

I was doing a random Google search tonight, because I wanted to show a friend how I was intending on doing an illustration (hopefully tonight's Daily Sketch Edit: Daily Sketch is here.); namely, in the style of David Macaulay.

The image I had in mind was from his amazing book Great Moments in Architecture, specifically plate XXIV, "Homage to the Revolving Door."

I had, many years ago, done several studies of Mr. Macaulay's work, particularly the way he depicted miniature people in his drawings of architecture (rather like Piranesi's etchings, wherein the structures are so massive that the people are reduced to stick-like blobs), and had done a drawing from that particular plate.

In amongst the bad Facebook photos and other unrelated things the Google search pulled up, I found this image:

It was the one I was looking for! So I opened it in a new tab and then got a look at the actual name of the image ... no wonder it looked familiar: it was the self-same study I had done years ago [originally posted here.], now used on a blog about (I think) the revolving door feeling of the American Health Care system [or somesuch. This is the site—if you go, I recommend turning your sound down/off, as the author has music embedded].

I'm not mad, and actually thought the whole affair was rather hilarious. Though in retrospect, it is a little unnerving how easy it is for one's work to be re-purposed like that, with no credit given, no permission asked. And, of course, it's not even the original work. At least I make plain the fact that my drawing is a copy, an exercise.

It's amazing what you can find on the internet.

David Macaulay's website
My original post.
His book: Great Moments in Architecture
Wikipedia's entry on Piranesi

Daily Sketch 8-12-11

It always surprises me what 15 minutes and some good focused effort will do.

Drawn from an illustration by H.J.Ford (though the original was a young man, a'la Howl from Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle, and not a dragon).

I wish I could figure out why my scanner is so blurry all of a sudden...I may need to re-install the driver. Such a pity when technology falls down on the job.

Daily Sketch 8-9-11

Just some random sketches.

Daily Sketch 8-6-11

I love drawing with non-photo blue pencils...but gosh are they ever hard to photograph!

I can't wait to begin inking and painting this...perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow. We'll have to see...

The statue of Homer-bunny is based on the one in the Sorbonne, and yes, that's a shark.

Daily Sketch 8-5-11

First part of a weekend-long page. Slow going tonight, but a good start. Hopefully the next few days result in a faster workpace.

I need to work faster.

And yes, that is a rocket-powered penny farthing.

Daily Sketch 8-4-11

I'm tired, so here's a laughing goose and a pair of blue jays. Sorry for the low quality: cell phone pic.

Daily Sketch 8-3-11

-Yawn- so tired, but here's today's sketch. It's done with Faber-Castell's PITT big brushes - 4 colors only (red, yellow, blue, green), over a non-photo blue sketch.

Poor bunnies, moving their sofa around...apparently bunnies like to redecorate their cages a lot. A continuation of Portly Lagomorph week.

Hmm, it looks better in person...guess that'll teach me not to use very wet markers on very glossy paper. I'll stick to watercolor for the time being, I think. Ah well, live and learn; that's the whole point of this daily sketch thing.