Off To A Shakey Start

But that's what sketchbooks are for!  Ugh.

Click to enlarge.

That one on the far right was a team effort.  From butt cheeks in thong to alien face to bare-chested, eye patch girl.  It all worked out in the end.  Thanks, art school.

You said it, Pope. *

From @PULPHOPE (a personal hero of mine. A comics creator who reminds me why I enjoy the medium) :

If not now, then when? If not you, then who?

I agree with this wholeheartedly, and I'm glad I read this right after an unofficial, inaugural "drink & draw" session with LM.  We both went to art school, and we both need to draw more.  That is a fact, right sir?  I'm grateful for any time I get to draw/collaborate with other artists because I skipped that part of art school.  Silly me.

Here's to a lot more drawing and painting.  Hopefully, there's a bit of storytelling in there, too.

*There are going to be a lot of people reading this post thinking that I'm addressing the Vatican.  Apologies.

Clocks Tick

Warm-up for today and a few from last night. I was browsing through the Batwoman: Elegy HC before heading off to bed.  JH Williams III still kicks a lot of ass, and I look forward to his next projects.

The one directly below is stuff that constantly bangs around in my head because it's simple fact.  It's neither pessimism or optimism at this very moment.  By "say something," I'm just reminding myself that as much as I need to be drawing constantly, some of it should have a purpose besides making marks on paper.  I hope I can communicate through comics because I'm not sure how much I'm saying with head sketches, alien environments, and characters standing around.  On the positive side, drawing's fun again!  Now, if can just start paying the bills.

 

Back to Landscapes

The fictitional kind, that is.  This was done in a Moleskine, but it was converted to grayscale...well, because I felt like it. 

*Click*

Tomorrow, I have to layout at least one piece that will be completely finished by Thursday.  I need to reread this "DC Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics" again.

Warning: Not Funny

Oh well.  Like I said, why edit these posts or comic ideas?  Either they get better or they don't.  I have more important things to worry about right now.

Internet Hater: "Because these comics you post suck and aren't funny.  Learn how to draw and write, or stop wasting our time."

Me: "Hate mail!  Weeeeeee."

I need to produce more work, so the editing can be saved for the portfolio for now.

Another Pass

Click to enlarge.

Spent time in Photoshop and had good time trying to lay in some color over the first marker sketch from below.  The last bit with the gradient and fx in the sky were a bit premature.  I'd like to have all the values of the fortresses in order before adding details like that, of course.

Sharpies and Environment Sketches

Chisel Sharpie is nice, but it still smells bad and makes you a little cross-eyed. I was just thinking of fortresses and castles and how I could render them quickly to avoid forms that were too obvious.

I'd like to use these as a starting point for fully digital landscapes or maybe I'll just use that big watercolor sketchbook and use some gouache and acrylic.

"So what jobs are you going for?"

"Always with the tough questions.  I don't even know what I'm having for breakfast."

Go, go, flying fortress.

Three More

A few from another Moleskine.  I'm almost done with sketching in these old, smaller sketchbooks.  I have a new 8.5" x 11" one waiting to be used. 

Only four more out of those 18 head studies from the old anatomy book.  Scroll down for others.

 

Don't Think, Just Post

Trying not to edit myself too much here right now; if it's in the sketchbook, might as well post it.  If I don't like it now, I may like it later.

Below: waxy china marker.

Here's one with a Pigma Micron which I thought would have dried up by now.

Thursday Sketchbook

She only has one eye, so that's why her mask looks like that. Don't be mean. Loosely based on some photo ref.

Some old alien ladies walking somewhere, most likely to the alien farmers market because they want what's local and in season.  It's all the rage in their galaxy, too.

Some guy about to inspect the trail because he's been tracking his prey for two weeks now.  He's persistent, but that's why he gets paid all the highest bounties.  Watch.  Your.  Back.

 Above done with brush pen, Pitt pens, and a fat, chisel Sharpie.  Oh, and some warm grey Copic markers that I bought for the first time.

Finish It Already and...

Another thumbnail to move the Poison Ivy sketch into a finished composition.  I think I'll go with this one.  Will work out the giant stem and ivy leaves.

Here are a couple of others from the same sketchbook.  As I may have stated before, I'm using up all the unused pages before I start brand new sketchbooks later this month or early September.

Below is one was a character I drew while I was with my younger niece and nephew.  He looks like he's going wine tasting with that special someone.

 

Here is one girl from the Mission District.  I ate ramen at KenKenRamen by myself one day because I had started reading Lucky Peach magazine (which I subscribed to immediately after reading just two articles), and had the strongest craving for a bowl.  I'm not a fashion judge...I've just never seen jean shorts or jeans cut like that and worn over such garish biker shorts.  They may have been pink and not yellow, but you get the point

Keep on forgetting

I'd rather not post sketches only to for them to remain undeveloped, so here's the drawingboard photo ref again, but now with the girl as Poison Ivy.  It's still very rough, but at least it's not strictly an exercise in copying a photo anymore which is a tendency of mine when using photo reference.  Maybe part of me secretly wants to be a photo realistic painter instead of a cartoonist...but probably not.

 

The one below was actually drawn after the more finished one above because I still wanted to move away from the photograph to make it my own drawing.  I still need to work out the giant plant that she'll be sitting on.

What does this have to do with any previous posts?

Nothing at all as you can see.  I just haven't drawn with a Sharpie in a while, and I did like the negative space between those squares and rectangles to the left.

 

I am indeed drawing today, and I liked the textures that I was getting with the pen nibs I found in my drawer recently, but I didn't like anything enough to post them here yet.  Another post before I go to bed, I'm sure.

Robot & Dragon

Here's another attempt with the drawingboard photo ref done with some watercolor pencils.  Threw in the hint of a dragon because everyone is on Game of Thrones's balls right now, but I'm not going to say I have ever tried to draw anything from the series yet.

Here's a Photoshop robot trying to befriend...something.  Turned it to grayscale because the color palette was ugly.  I'd redraw this and expand the composition; actually, I'd redo the composition.

Now, to get out of the house for a little bit.  If my one follower on this blog is reading, answer my text, cabron!

Look, Ma. No pencils.

Decided to just do these sketches straight with the Pentel brush pen.  The second likeness isn't that spot on, but I like the quality of these more than the ones I spent more time on.  Somewhere in its archives, Art Student Owl knows what I'm talking about.

Stop Taunting Me

Click to ENLARGE

I thought of tauntauns when I wrote the post title.  Now, I just read (because I must have A.D.D. by now) another funny tweet by this illustrator whose comics I still need to buy.  Okay, I'll link to her, but I'm the one that needs work!  Any art directors reading this?  …

…

Yeah, I thought so.

Why Happosai?

A couple of attempts at some photo ref from the renovated Drawing Board. I'll be sure to share something once I work past all this messy stuff which all can be simplified. I like the pencil sketch better, but I just needed to try something different with the brush pen. The hair needs a lot of work in both sketches; its ugly and can be drawn much better.

"Why am I starting to look like Kelly Brook?"

Click to enlarge

More Heads for August

Yeah, I'm drawing other stuff slowly, but I need to finish these 18 sketches just because I started them.  From Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist, © 1951.

"7. Specialized Mongoloid from China"

"8. Eskimo"