The Great Red Hope

Painted Martian

2011-08-11T18:34:00.005-06:00

I decided to polish up my recent sketch of the martian character and present the final piece to the guy who inspired it, Marc Maron of WTF.

I finally had a chance to see him do stand-up live, so it was a perfect chance to hand him the painting in person. The show was great, and I was flattered when, afterwords, he told me he remembered the animation I'd done for him last Christmas.

I printed out a second copy for myself so I could get his autograph. So sneaky.

Until Next Time.

Hey, Bulldog

2011-07-22T12:22:00.002-06:00

Just some character sketches for fun.

Until Next Time.

Tiny Blog Dump

2011-07-10T11:17:00.004-06:00

This applies almost daily.

Alligator? Crocodile? Dinosaur? Croc-o-saur? Please stop asking.

Until Next Time.

Eyecon

2011-03-21T22:04:00.005-06:00

My Twitter icon was in dire need of an update. Originally I'd chosen a pastel sketch on canvas I made at a sketch jam a few years ago...

I spent so long with this thing I got a little tired of it. It needed fixing. So I fixed it good. I idly doodled variations on the character, which I still liked, and scanned in my favorite...

So, after a back-and-forth painting/design process, I came up with this, which I feel much more satisfied with...

Until next time.

Martian Marc

2010-12-21T19:32:00.011-06:00

This is a big one.

I regularly listen to a podcast called 'WTF', hosted by comedian Marc Maron. I'd go as far as to say it's my favorite podcast on the whole darn internet. I love it mainly for its host, Mr. Marc Maron himself. He's got a wonderful rapport with all his guests and I appreciate his perspective on the world and his way with words.

A while back I was listening to an episode that really caught my attention: The beginning features Marc reading off psychological symptoms from a lengthy checklist. What made this bit soar is that he would fire off little improvised reactions to EACH ITEM on that list. It was rapid-fire, witty, and charming. I daydreamed about what it would be like to construct a bit of animation based on that audio.

Fast-forward to a few weeks later, where I've got a sparkling new piece of animation to show you all. I ran with the idea of a character reading off a checklist of conditions and quickly reacting to each one. I took the idea a step further and had him pop to a new environment for every reaction. I wanted to make this feel pretty manic overall, while still anchoring the 'reading' sections so the audience still knows what's going on. So here's how it all came together:

First up, here's the actual piece:

(YouTube is cutting off the right side off this video. To see the full thing, go here)

Here's the initial character comp:

Here's a sampling of the rough pose sketches:

After I chose my favorite poses, I scanned them in, popped them into AfterEffects, and edited them with the dialogue. Here's the final rough pose test:

(Again, to see the full-frame version, go here)

Here are some of the mouth shapes made to match those poses:

A sampling of the different backgrounds I used:

After that was all compiled I popped it back into AfterEffects for some final text/effects work (mainly on the jetpack). Overall it was a lengthy process, but also a very important learning experience. Thanks to my buddies Bob and Ian for giving me so much support and invaluable tips along the way.

Until next time.

How Blue Was My Robot

2010-11-15T12:27:00.002-06:00

Here's another small update for ya.

I wanted to make a birthday card, but I forced myself to do it differently. Normally I'd sketch out design variations until it was perfect, scan it in, trace the line art in vector, spend lots of time fooling with the color palette, composition, and techniques, etc.

This time, I made myself just dive in and paint in Photoshop. Needless to say I felt a lot more freedom with this one; like there was no pressure for getting it EXACTLY RIGHT. Dare I say, it was actually fun.

The only challenges I gave myself were to keep it in a very limited color palette and to sneak the phrase "Happy Birthday!" in there.

Until Next Time.

Rocket, Rocket, Rocket, Rocket Scientist

2010-10-18T20:59:00.008-06:00

...but she's just like the second law of thermodynamics...

Anyways, I'm back with another piece. This one was made as a gift for a friend's wedding; I wanted to make something personal, since he's an old friend of mine. Bed, Bath and Beyond just wasn't cutting it.

Apropos of nothing, I thought it'd be fun to make him a space-age rocketship looking like it came from some old comic book. You might think it had something to do with the wedding, but...no. It was kinda just for fun.

I started with the sketch, and hoo boy were there a lot of sketches. I had only a vague idea of how this should look, so I played around with different angles for the rocket and exactly how the background should look. My main idea was to feature the rocket in a heroic 'blast-off!' pose, with old comic book-y action lines. Here are just a few...

Eventually, with a lot of sketching and Google image references, I came up with this...

Now there was quite a bit of cleanup work to do. I brought the sketch into Flash where I could clean it up (just solid colored shapes)...

I took the cleaned-up rocket and brought it into Photoshop where I could assemble a rough version of how the details and the background should look...

Through more consultations and advice from co-worker and A-1 helper guy Bob Rissetto I tweaked everything from the colors to the background layout and the details. From there, it was back into Flash to finalize the rocket...

And finally back into Photoshop to lay out all the comic book-y details. Photoshop has an excellent filter that manipulates solid colors into colored dots. Perfect for that comic book style. I was also able to track down a folded paper texture from the internets and use that as an overlay. Most people who saw the final image thought I'd actually folded the paper.

Anyways, after a lot more tweaking with the filters, colors, and background 'light rays', I got to a satisfying place. I looked to old comic books for more ideas, and they inspired me to add a white border, 'page number' (the date they got married, Oct 16th), and text box...

In the end I was able to print this out at 11x17, frame it, and hand it off with a ribbon tied 'round. This whole process actually went much quicker than the Robofish, and I think I like this end product better. It's a good lesson in giving yourself strict time constraints. Then the projects won't just keep crawling off into uncharted territory...

Until Next Time.

The RoboFish Procedure

2010-09-25T11:35:00.008-06:00

Well, I'm back for an update. It's the first big thing in a while that I felt was worth posting. I wanted to track a drawing from initial idea to final version, so here's my attempt at being thorough...

The initial idea just came from something I doodled absentmindedly in my sketchbook. I liked how it was shaping up, so I rendered it a little further, then scanned it in...

The idea was to make some kind of mechanical angler fish.

Next, it was a matter of cleaning this up, so I opted to trace it in Flash. While I worked, I kept adding more dimension and shininess. The fish went from a simple sketch to this shiny, semi-3D behemoth. After that whole process, I ended up with this...

I wasn't UNhappy with it, but it didn't look like the polished version of my original sketch. Felt a little off. Plus, I had no idea where to take it next, which was frustrating, since it was clearly unfinished.

Luckily, I was able to turn to my coworker Bob Rissetto for a little direction. He was nice enough to look at the fish and provide TONS of helpful feedback. We went back and forth with a few different options of where to go next, and here's what I got...

Muuuuuuch better. I felt like it had really been taken to the next level. Overall, it just felt so much more...complete. It helps to have someone else holding me accountable to these changes, too. It's possible I would've let this die had I not asked for some help. Sometimes you really need other people to throw their hats in the ring to keep the ideas flowing. Thanks, Bob.

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. It still wasn't totally there. Was the fish just gonna float in the blue nothingness like that? And what about all the little details? Was I sure every little change was improving it overall? How about those colors? The more tedious questions popped up after I'd done the initial design work.

I hammered out a background and changed a few more little things here and there based on further conversations Bob and I had. Eventually this popped out...

Suddenly things felt so close to the finish line. It didn't feel finished because I was dry on ideas, it just honestly felt COMPLETE. There's a big difference, and I'm really trying to recognize the difference in my work process. Of course, you can ALWAYS change something, so there were a few more minor alterations. I wanted to make proof positive that when I stared at this thing I was comfortable calling it 'finished'. In the end, I got this guy...

Now it's all wrapped up and I can finally blog about the experience. This whole process took a little longer than I'd like to admit, but I took a few lessons away that can ensure a more streamlined process in the future. On to the next one...

P.S.

Oh, and I apologize I couldn't articulate the changes made between the versions more specifically. I can't really remember every little thing that was changed, but if you feel like playing detective, the pics are right up there.

Until Next Time.

Mr. Scarecrow Man

2009-10-26T14:48:00.002-06:00

It's awfully dusty, but he doesn't seem to mind.

Until Next Time.

Puffy Dinosaur

2009-09-29T08:28:00.001-06:00

This is what scientists call a "Symbiotic Relationship".

Until Next Time.

Cactus Time

2009-09-21T13:14:00.002-06:00

There's a metaphor here somewhere...

Until Next Time.

Birthday Monster

2009-07-06T07:03:00.004-06:00

My sister just turned 21, and I can't think of a better excuse for making art. It was tough not to include some kind of alcohol in the drawing, I admit.

Here's the original sketch/painting

...and the cleaned-up final.

Until Next Time.

The Little Martian Child

2009-05-04T20:34:00.006-06:00

Here I am, I'm back! In the interim, many things have happened. The most noteworthy (i.e. only interesting) thing to happen was the creation of a little character I call The Little Martian Child.

He's a little baby Martian toddler, who seems to fly around and explore. We'll see what kind of shenanigans he gets up to in the future. Not really sure what I want to do with him yet, but I like the idea of fleshing him out. Right now, that's really what matters.

Here's just a simple color study of the little tyke.

Until Next Time.

Happy Birthday Wolfie

2009-02-20T14:20:00.002-06:00

Another Flash piece I did for chateaugrrr.com. I remember this took a lot longer than I expected it to. But I don't think I'll get another chance to do a melted birthday cake.

Until Next Time.

Heartless

2009-02-03T10:59:00.003-06:00

Just a small piece of animation I did for ChateauGrrr (check them out; they're amazingly excellent)

Enjoy its drippy goodness

Until Next Time.

He's Gonna Be A Soccer Player!!

2009-02-01T03:23:00.003-06:00

For some reason, I'm stuck rendering myself the way I looked when I was 20. I may not have been this flexible. I don't really remember.

Until Next Time.

Moleskine Dump #332567 & 1/4

2009-01-05T00:03:00.004-06:00

Hullo There.

I think that's a flyswatter.

He is...he's ready to party

Until Next Time.

Post-Xmas Rat

2008-12-27T14:31:00.001-06:00

Sharpie marker fun!!

Until Next Time.

Uh Oh, New Moleskine

2008-12-22T10:45:00.006-06:00

So...I got a new Moleskine. You know what that means; drawings without those pesky notebook lines.

(Sticker compliments of I Am America (And So Can You!). Thanks, Colbert)

Until Next Time.

More Lined Sketches

2008-12-05T14:55:00.005-06:00

Just getting a few more out there.

Until Next Time.

One Book Down...

2008-12-03T11:25:00.005-06:00

So I cluttered up every page of my "notebook" at work and I want to salvage the drawings I liked. Then, on to book number 2!!

Until Next Time.

The Curse of The Ongoing Project

2008-11-16T19:09:00.006-06:00

I find the more time I spend with something, the more left-field ideas I get, and they start to clog my brain to the point where I can't actually finish the project. Call it poor self-control. Case in point: The Eyeplant.

Here's the initial sketch I did, in Photoshop (a rarity for me), and the basic palette. All these decisions took at most 10 minutes. If I'd kept going at this rate, the whole thing would've been complete in an hour and a half!

Then, painting begins and progress slows noticeably. At this point more bizarre ideas come flying in and I experiment with them all. Some work well, some...not so much. It goes from a straightforward paint session to a no-holds-barred cacophony of "What if I did..." and "It'd look better if...". This is what I ended up with after several long nights tweaking, changing, and following my every impulse. Needless to say, it took many days longer than expected...

OK, now fast forward a week or two later and there's something missing. I inexplicably followed another impulse, despite feeling comfortable about the state of the painting. Now I wanted to see the completed piece in different formats. Was I just acting out of spite against my brain?! Ahem, after deliberating, tweaking, and redrawing, I produced another iteration...

Did I learn anything? Maybe. If you have the time, why not explore the impulses that crop up while you're working on something. Just, they can never be at the expense of the piece overall.

Until Next Time.

Look What I Found

2008-11-11T23:28:00.005-06:00

Combing through my various sketchbooks I've discovered a few that initially got by me...somehow. So, here they are, in all their glory.

Until Next Time.

2 Eyes

2008-10-09T08:42:00.005-06:00

So remember these guys?

Well they're animated now.

Until Next Time.

What Would Darwin Do?

2008-09-02T20:27:00.002-06:00

Survival of the fittest. That means in 150 years all giraffes will be really stumpy. Evolution is pendular, duh.

Until Next Time.

Holiday Fruit

2008-08-28T19:01:00.003-06:00

I'm in the HOLIDAY SPIRIT!!!!

Until Next Time.

Bitter Girl

2008-08-16T01:23:00.004-06:00

I may or may not know someone like this. Maybe.

Until Next Time.

Subliminal Advertising

2008-08-09T22:35:00.004-06:00

So while drawing and watching TV recently, I overheard a beer commercial that mentioned a place called "Beer Heaven". That was all the inspiration I needed. Also, here's a ninja turtle and an onion.

Until Next Time.

Squid Pro Quo

2008-08-04T21:56:00.005-06:00

A few extras from my many nights of TV sketching.

Until Next Time.

Legitimate Excuse?

2008-07-27T11:07:00.002-06:00

Apologies. I've been cranking to finish a few projects, all leading up to more long-term work. More on that as it develops...

In the meantime, here's a cleaned-up version of the image that will appear on my friends' anniversary cake. Has it really been a year?

Until Next Time.

Duality-Bot

2008-07-14T16:51:00.001-06:00

Something piecemeal I made while watching TV.

Until Next Time.

On To Pastels

2008-07-10T13:40:00.007-06:00

In my ongoing task of finally using supplies that I've been avoiding for years, I rocked out some oil pastels on canvas paper. Oh, and I drew more with my favorite purple pen.

Until Next Time.

So New

2008-07-05T18:16:00.004-06:00

I got a new (bulky, square-shaped) sketchbook! I tried to do something a little different to christen this one, so I drew with felt and china markers! Enjoy the experimentation.

Until Next Time.

The Bat-Man

2008-06-29T21:24:00.001-06:00

Wow, I found these on the very last page of an old sketchbook.

Until Next Time.

Hipster

2008-06-24T18:07:00.003-06:00

He's pretty unhappy. Turns out his new favorite band is way too popular.

Until Next Time.

Movin Out

2008-06-22T23:43:00.006-06:00

It's been hectic this last week, since the move into my new place happened to come days after I returned from NYC. It's good to be back in the city. These are just a few more recent pics that I felt like sharing.

On a side note, I'm pretty saddened about George Carlin passing away. I've digested copious amounts of standup comedy over the years, and he was always a HUGE staple in my collection. He had a way with words that is still unsurpassed. He will be missed.

This is the cover of my sketchbook. I pasted a huge UPS sticker on the front. It's a little easier to find the front of the book now.

Until Next Time.

Return Trip

2008-06-19T15:45:00.007-06:00

Back from my latest outing; needless to say, it was a blast! I'll spare you all but one picture, which I chose as the most quintessential representative for the trip. Oh, I'll throw in a few drawings from my travel time, too.

Until Next Time.

RUN!!!!

2008-06-02T20:17:00.001-06:00

Faster! FASTER!!!!

Too fast! Stop!

Until Next Time.

Bare Bones

2008-05-31T11:00:00.008-06:00

Until Next Time.

Sketchpile

2008-05-29T08:15:00.003-06:00

Getting out a few recent ones that I've enjoyed.

Until Next Time.

Cinema

2008-05-25T12:21:00.003-06:00

Man, IMAX makes anything cool.

Until Next Time.

A Shameless Plug

2008-05-19T16:34:00.006-06:00

I did a little work for a company whose goal is bringing independent musicians and filmmakers together. They needed logos to reflect their message, and we arrived at these two pieces. Needless to say, I had fun with em. I recommend checking them out:

RedAntenna Music

RedAntenna Movies

Until Next Time.

Dino Theft

2008-05-17T13:48:00.001-06:00

What am I thinking about on the train, you ask?

Until Next Time.

Return From The Dregs

2008-05-15T16:18:00.002-06:00

Welp, I'm back from an extended hiatus. Work got pretty heavy, needless to say. I wanted to get back into the swing of things, so I'll post something quick to tide the blog over for something bigger.

Yep, more hedgehogs.

Until Next Time.

Old Lady Concepts

2008-04-22T10:14:00.003-06:00

I was asked to come up with some alternative looks for a pre-existing logo, and these were the finalists. Unfortunately, the logo has now been changed to a divorced, middle-aged kangaroo...

...not really.

Until Next Time.

Monster Puppet

2008-04-19T18:13:00.003-06:00

A follow-up on the puppet post from a while back.

Until Next Time.

Hedgehog Time

2008-04-14T02:14:00.005-06:00

Yup, you heard right; it's time for hedgehogs. This was just a fun little commissioned piece for a friend.

Roughs:

Final Piece:

Until Next Time.

Thanks, Japan!

2008-04-08T00:15:00.002-06:00

So, while watching Invasion of The Neptune Men, I came to the realization that the villains have perhaps the greatest worst costumes of all time and space. Needless to say I started sketching them like crazy.

What I've noticed about my caricatures is that the more into the drawings I get, the more they deviate from the subject's actual appearance. That's when it's time to sit back and really LOOK at where those ear triangles rest on the bullet helmet. It's all in the details.

I'll save the modesty and just admit it now: There will be gallons more of these.

Until Next Time.

Coptopus

2008-04-04T13:05:00.002-06:00

Do I think of the lame post title first, or do I make the weird drawing first?

Until Next Time.

Floater

2008-04-02T22:19:00.001-06:00

I would like to learn to do that.

Until Next Time.

More Painting

2008-04-01T16:41:00.002-06:00

Here's another impulsive, for-fun painting. I don't know the context of it either, for the record.

Until Next Time.

Birthday Eve Monster

2008-03-31T15:05:00.002-06:00

He visits kids on the eve of their birthday. Not really sure what happens after that. Presents? Dinner and Dancing? Staring?

Guess he'll be visiting yours truly tonight.

Until Next Time.

Sgt. Vaccum Nose

2008-03-28T11:43:00.001-06:00

He's so serious...all the time.

Until Next Time.

Puppet Pals

2008-03-26T08:57:00.003-06:00

Riding the train, for whatever reason, I was compelled to start drawing puppets. I like when I come up with a more general idea for a theme of drawings. It's so much more fun than finishing a drawing, then sitting there thinking, "ok, now what should I draw?"

Until Next Time.

Enjoy These Random Selections

2008-03-19T16:09:00.003-06:00

I've had an influx of work recently, and that makes posting things harder than I thought. I had the urge to put up something new, but realized almost everything new I've drawn is for a client. That being said, I want to make sure I'm only posting non-NDA work. So to speak. So, please enjoy these random drawings I've done on my many train rides.

Until Next Time.

A Sneaky Little Sneak Peak

2008-02-28T13:56:00.003-06:00

So I've been prompted to show my animation off, and I figured now would be a good time to release it on the blog. It's just a few little pieces (very little) for my upcoming website, greyhammer.com

It'll be up and running soon, so for now, enjoy the spastic little penguin.

Until Next Time.

Taffy Warrior

2008-02-25T17:10:00.001-06:00

Taffy Face Man has war paint?

Until Next Time.

Roooaaarrrrr!!!!!!

2008-02-23T18:17:00.001-06:00

Oh No!

Until Next Time.

Prince of Whales

2008-02-07T12:02:00.000-06:00

Until Next Time.

Moosey McMoose Moose

2008-01-30T13:16:00.001-06:00

Some moose for a card. He's like the cousin of an unhappy cow.

Until Next Time.

More Animation!

2008-01-18T11:02:00.000-06:00

More Animation

Until Next Time.

Xmas Cheer

2007-12-27T14:59:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone's holidays are going well; may your new Xmas swag bring you joy into the new year. This is an illustration for a card.

Until Next Time.

Not Polar Bears, ICE Bears

2007-12-10T16:59:00.000-06:00

I saw The Golden Compass this weekend and was inspired by one if its subtle scenes. It's got two bears grappling amongst a circle of spectator bears...and they're wearing armor. Bear armor.

Until Next Time.

Curly Girly

2007-12-05T23:40:00.000-06:00

Intimidating Hair

Until Next Time.

More Undersea Happiness

2007-11-20T23:02:00.001-06:00

Found some more drawings I like. They both seem to involve some kind of undersea creature. Hmm...

Until Next Time.

Uh Oh, Penguins

2007-11-09T20:09:00.001-06:00

Had an impulse to try something in Flash. Followed the impulse. Created silly little clip. Oh, how I love you Flash.

Until Next Time.

TV Drawings

2007-10-29T23:20:00.000-06:00

Occasionally, I'll sketch while watching TV. Doing this offers some inspiration, even if it comes in a very subconscious format. Not the most glowing compliment for the shows I watch.

Until Next Time.

Halloween and ANNOUNCEMENT

2007-10-22T18:49:00.000-06:00

Just a simple piece, clearly inspired by a certain approaching holiday.
I wish this was my costume.

Also!

Don't forget to join us for The Spelling Bee screening at the
Chicago International Children's Film Festival!
It's playing at Facets Cinema under the Personal Best block of films. How appropriate.

11:00 am, Saturday, October 27th!! See you there!

Until Next Time.

Why Not? More Monsters.

2007-10-17T17:27:00.001-06:00

Actually it's just more drawings of the main character. You remember, he was the one with the scrawny wings and the ample buttocks. Enjoy.

Oh yeah, and there's the ox at the computer. Almost forgot.

Until Next Time.

Prehistoric MONSTERSSS!!!!!

2007-10-16T10:25:00.000-06:00

On assignment for some character sketches, I came up with a busload of ideas. A few of the sketches I liked I cleaned up all fancy.

Prehistoric Mole with feet too tiny to dig.
:(

Fretful, overweight Hindu Ox.

Prehistoric hippo/pterodactyl creature. His large butt and tiny wings keep him mostly on the ground.

In The Year 2000...

2007-10-14T09:51:00.001-06:00

I predict...

Until Next Time.

Carte Rouge

2007-10-10T21:11:00.000-06:00

I was commissioned to create a business card and given pretty free reign over how it looked. The only stipulation was that it had to somehow incorporate The Bride of Frankenstein. Fine by me :)

One of my references, and possibly the coolest photo ever. It's just so darn sophisticated.

The favored sketch from the bunch.

Final card design. Info removed to protect the innocent.

Until Next Time.

Sketch-O-Matic

2007-10-05T21:35:00.000-06:00

A few more between the finishing touches on the cowgirl animation.

Some kind of superhero, might be Robin's homely cousin.
I don't know what the "T" stands for.

This was, I assume, inspired subconsciously by BioShock.

This is easily the LEAST practical underwater suit ever.

Until Next Time.

Playing Dress-Up

2007-10-02T02:06:00.000-06:00

Scanned a mediocre drawing and attempted to fix it in Flash. One thing led to another, and before I could say "sleep" I was experimenting with colors and such.

What really appealed to me were the endless color combinations. I may try different combos in the future...especially if someone REQUESTS a specific palette. With enough different palette requests I could combine them and make a mega pop art print thingy!!!

I'm a shill.

Here's the progression.

Until Next Time.

Vacation Sketches

2007-09-29T00:07:00.001-06:00

Even though my vacation was like a month ago, I never really got around to scanning my coffeehouse/airplane drawings.

Consequently, I hate drawing on airplanes because it feels like all the anxieties from being strapped to a rough cushion for 12,000 hours show through in my sketches.

Anxious drawings make me more anxious.

Ironically, this one wasn't drawn on the plane.

Until Next Time.

More Flash Traces

2007-09-26T17:08:00.001-06:00

I found a small pencil drawing I had done and decided it might be fun to trace and color. I was curious to see if I could take a quick sketch and turn it into something presentable. Eh, maybe. It was a blast to do.

Until Next Time.

Some Flash Backgrounds

2007-09-22T12:47:00.000-06:00

Just some samples from the short I'm contributing to. Enjoy the simplistic Western theme.

That's Horse poo, by the way

Until Next Time.

The Triumphant Return

2007-09-20T19:44:00.000-06:00

So after yet another LOOONNNNGG hiatus, I'm back. There's a bevy of new things to post (how wonderful).

I'll start with a video for the first time in eons. This is the rough test of my dinosaur ball roll. The animation is where it needs to be I feel, but as you can see there's a lot of cleanup that needs to be finished. Enjoy!

Until Next Time.

More Conceptual Concepts

2007-08-09T17:49:00.000-06:00

So for the other project I'm working on I was also required to pass through the gauntlet of character design. This time I'm simply pseudo-caricaturing two regular peoples. This was a really fun process, not to mention I got my brain around their designs fairly quickly. It's clear I had more fun with these than the cowgirl from earlier.

Until Next Time.

I'm a Tracer

2007-08-07T10:15:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to hone my skills in the Flash cleanup/color department. As practice I used that shark drawing that was posted eons ago. I'd like to make more of these so I eliminate as much of the guesswork in the process as possible.

He's surly cause his fin is incomplete.

You'd think he'd be less surly now that he has a complete fin. You thought wrong.

Cleanest of the Roughs

2007-08-06T12:56:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I get into a drawing and I just keep working at it beyond a rough sketch. It gets pseudo-complete (as far as my sketchbook standards are), but it's surrounded by other drawings that I was doing before. Those warm-up drawings invariably acted as blockades to my better ones. Too bad for them; I've got Photoshop.

I want to get better at drawing cartoony ladies. Mastering that technique seems like a small rite of passage into animation-dom.

This was done on a marbleized notecard. Curse my lack of foresight.

Until Next Time.

Moleskinnia

2007-08-02T17:07:00.000-06:00

Dug out some more of the drawings in my most petite of sketchbooks. Drawing in the moleskine makes you feel so much more officially artsy. Or, at least that's how you may appear to certain people on the train.

Must've been talking about cicadas...and crippled dogs :(

Sometimes the drawings that take 2/10ths of a second are better than something you labor away on for 20 minutes. As far as my standards go, this is one of them.

Until Next Time.

More Cowgirls

2007-08-01T09:30:00.001-06:00

So after reviewing the drawings I'd done on my first pass I decided they could really be worked over a great deal more. I pushed the boundaries of how cartoony she could look...and they were sometimes frightening. Luckily I think I'm finding a good balance between cartoony and too realistic and boring.

I had no idea how easy it was to get trapped in that GI Joe style of cartooning. It's hard to break out of because you still want the cartoon to actually look like the person you're caricaturing.

Without going on too much of a rant here, this does look incredibly boring.

Fearing the GI Joe trap, I went in a totally opposite direction. Too much?

What I consider to be a nice balance of the 2 styles. Now she's a Real American Hero in my eyes.

Until Next Time.

Cowgirl Power

2007-07-30T12:58:00.000-06:00

So I've been lucky enough to contribute some fantasy segments to a short film about an actress living in Los Angeles. My first task was to nail down a working, competent version of the main character in animated form. The fantasy thing involves a lot of western themes, so I get to make her into an awesome cowgirl. Yay!!

Thanks to a wonderful crash course in caricature from Joe M, (http://www.joeseats.blogspot.com/)
I was off and running. Here's a compilation of a few ideas.
More on this as it develops.

Until Next Time.

Oh, you Cheaterfish!!!!

2007-07-29T19:44:00.001-06:00

A dream was described to me wherein a small fish kept stealing money from the tip jar of a local coffeehouse. The staff was constantly catching him in the act, but he kept doing it. Stealing more and more money for his own personal fish needs (Maybe he had fish gambling debts). They would yell, "CURSE YOU,CHEATERFISH!!!!!!!!!" He was a cheating, thieving goldfish.

Needless to say, the story was striking to me...striking enough to illustrate.

Until Next Time.

Many, Many Concepts

2007-07-28T12:18:00.000-06:00

Here are quite a few more concepts for the various pieces I'm working on. I find a lot of the most productive stuff on here was done on the train. Maybe it's because I wanted to focus all my attention away from the gaggles of hyper children.

Character sketches for my dialog piece.

Character sketches for my ball roll assignment. The idea of a little T. Rex stuck immediately and I just went to town with the variations.

Aaaaand some rough planning for the ball roll itself, cute T. Rex included.

Until Next Time.

So yeah...

2007-07-26T13:07:00.000-06:00

Wow, that last month was really a bust. At least I'm running to catch up exactly a month later...and a day. And I've got a barrel o' new stuff here!!!

I suppose I'll start where I left off, before my laptop was carried away by the twin demons Dead Motherboard and Tech Support.

I hate them so much.
Here's some sketches.

This is what happens when I put graffiti on my own drawings. Bad things happen.

More sketches from the train. Some really early character ideas from my dialog piece.

Lastly, a window into my warmup drawings.

Until Next Time.

Rough Crabbing

2007-06-25T10:56:00.002-06:00

Found a drawing in my sketchbook that is in dire need of some cleaning up. Here's the first stage, which is still quite messy. Updates to follow.

It's a Crabbot.

Until Next Time.

New, blue figure sketches

2007-06-22T13:46:00.001-06:00

Back at the figure drawing club, and danged if the model didn't show. Luckily the head of the organization lent his body to our prying artist eyes. We had oh so much fun. When you know the person modeling you feel a lot better about adding silly props and things to your pictures.

In my head I assumed he was playing The Final Countdown.

I apologize about the horns.

This was an idea that everyone was chiding the model for when he was up there. It's hard to see that pose and not think of a khaki ad.

Until Next Time.

Mystery sketchbook

2007-06-11T22:40:00.001-06:00

So I found yet another sketchbook lying about that I'd barely used...that happens a lot more than it should. Statistically I'd have to guess that there are about 86 half-full sketchbooks amongst my belongings. if I ever get through an entire one the world might suck into itself.

I took this one on the L, which was awesome cause it's big, spiral-bound, and I had like an hour to draw. Here's one of the pages I filled. It's fun to draw on the train cause it really shows you how much you can zone out while sketching. You'll actually forget there's a woman with 12 screaming kids getting yelled at by a big guy with crunchy pants from the Salvation Army.

Some old boards

2007-06-08T21:12:00.000-06:00

Here are some storyboards to the alien short I posted clips from a while back. I used some of the poses here as references for the animation. It's a good, smart, time-saving technique.

For those unfamiliar, it's about a ship that crashes in an unknown area, and the alien inside investigates his surroundings. He finds a large monster that turns out to be a small bird, and we discover that this strange environment is simply a tree in some neighborhood. The bird believes the alien to be one of its own. Cute.

Paint'd

2007-06-05T15:52:00.000-06:00

Whoops. I went away there briefly. But I'm back now with a small visual lesson. Recently I read that if you aren't satisfied with a piece you should try again; start over.

This sounds pretty obvious, but more often than not if something I did wasn't working I'd either move to something else (something easier, no doubt) or get too frustrated to make anything work. There were times when, with the mindset of "I did this wrong", that I could try the same piece 100 times and they'd all be lacking.

When I read this, suddenly the concept made sense. It's all about a state of mind. If you do something you're not satisfied with, do it again. BUT instead of the "I can't do it" mindset, give yourself the "this time will be better" mindset. It's easy to quit after not getting something right off the bat. I'm certainly victim to that.

Keep trying, though. Something will come out if your mindset is positive. Here are two pieces that solidified that idea for me.

The first: I was experimenting in Corel Painter and drew this...thing. It was just an experiment and at first I was a little proud, simply because I got the program to produce something. No small feat for a non-painter.

Of course, 10 minutes later I started disliking it...a lot. Then came the application of that idea try it again and make it better. I went into another, brand new flower painting WITH A HOPEFUL ATTITUDE and produced the following...

Again, I'm no painter, but it looks a hell of a lot better than the last one. It's things like this that give me hope. Stay positive, folks.

Until Next Time.

Branching Out

2007-06-02T00:02:00.001-06:00

So I found some more stuff that doesn't fit the mold of something I would normally draw. After all this self-examination I know now how much I love cartoony animals. Whoopee.

I've had a mountain of suggestions as to what this guy should be poking with his screwdriver.

I wanted to see just how far I could branch out with this one. How gothic.

Until Next Time.

Late Night

2007-06-01T00:10:00.001-06:00

So I finally got to sit and just crank with figure drawing exercises tonight. Those can really take a lot out of a guy...especially since I've been out of regular practice for a while. Regardless, it was really refreshing. Thank God for Figure Drawing Club. I know now I'll be a regular member.

The pics I found for today branch out a little more than others that I've been posting. Don't wanna fall into a habit or anything. I'll be posting some of those figure sketches soon.

This was one of those pieces where I surprised myself even before I was finished. Those circumstances are beyond rare, but they sure make you feel better about yourself.

I painted!!! With paint!!! Some people have trouble discerning what this is. It's a swordfish...for the record.

More peoples and a SURPRISE!!!!

2007-05-30T14:55:00.001-06:00

Here are more figure drawing examples. The more I look at these the more I'm wanting to get out on the train with my moleskine and draw new ones!!! Soon...soon.

Also, I wanna selfishly show off my little souvenir from The John and Bill Animation Show over the weekend. I approached the guys after watching Bill Plympton's Hair High (which I loved and have been gabbing about ever since). My hope was that they would both sign a blank piece of animation paper for me. Sure enough, they obliged. John K even drew a picture!!! How eternally thankful am I.

I loved this lady's hairstyle.

I was told it's "corny" to have the classroom drawn in the back. I see their point.

Bill Plympton and John K!!! AAAHHHH!!!!

Animal Overflow!!!1!!!

2007-05-29T20:08:00.000-06:00

So I've noticed an influx of animal drawings. I guess that's my fallback. I dug up some other stuff to balance it out. Some of the few figure drawing pieces I saved are ones that I still like, but I'm on the cusp of adding many more to the collection. Needless to say, drawing people on the train (in secret) is incredibly helpful. Just be careful about who notices you when you do it. I'll be posting some of those quick sketches eventually.

But for now, here's a samples of some peoples...

Alright, these are weird peoples. And violent. At least they're wearing pants.

Here we go. Finally.

And the fish. I lied about the animals.

Until Next Time.

Found some more

2007-05-28T14:07:00.001-06:00

So I found another cache of drawings on the ol' hard drive. Funny how you can look back at drawings you know beyond the shadow of a doubt made you proud at some point. Now they're too embarrassing to look at. But they are good bench markers. Here some that made the cut.

I was told this looked like a canine version of Bart Simpson. What can I say, I like to make my fan art creative.

This is a dinosaur farmer. What he harvests I'm not at liberty to say.

So I finally realize

2007-05-26T12:29:00.000-06:00

I rented The Hunchback of Notre Dame because I hadn't seen it since grade school. While a lot more of it made sense, I still reacted more or less with a lukewarm reception. Of course, I rented it for the animation quality, which was second to none. Some really amazing subtleties going on. But coming away from the whole thing I saw only one character really stood out to me:

Clopin: The evil clown-man.

I remember liking him the most as a kid, too. Some things never change.

And here's another sketch entry. It's a hammerhead. Originally he had a word bubble in which he screamed, "Don't tap on the DAMN glass!!!!" Good taste prevailed, I suppose.

Until Next Time.

Violino

2007-05-24T23:39:00.001-06:00

Drew this watching Dr. House I think.

I told you I'd be quicker

2007-05-23T17:52:00.000-06:00

Been combing through the archives for a definitive Spelling Bee DVD. It's gotta be weighted down with more special features than all 3 Lord of the Rings movies COMBINED!!!! Maybe I'm being overzealous.

What I found were my spin on what the characters should look like. I've heard them described as "UPA", which I kind of understand. Yet, I always thought UPA was a lot less "busy" than the stuff I do. Here we go...

(Ed Grimley?)

Until Next Time.