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Apparently I'm improving! Of course at AAU, all you have to do to cut that feeling short is peek at the next guy's easel...@#$%... 

I've almost narrowed down my tools to a back-and-forth between prismacolor black/ indigo/ brown and 8B graphite. Graphite is fast (to a fault), and helps with the really reeeally short poses. 

How "done" does this look?

Not that I don't love where it's going, but without a deadline, you never know when to leave it alone lol. It's for a long overdue "commission" from a former music teacher of mine.

"So what had happened was..." This file became FAR too big for my computer, so I had to go back and forth between my tech situation and a friend's in Oakland. So I didn't actually spend a month doing one piece.

Power Roughs!

That's right...I totally whipped out a Shark Cycle.



More "Mighty Morphin' Power Roughs" to be cleaned up and photoshopped when I get a chance. I'll have to somehow make up for Billy's lukewarm pose in a later drawing. It was seriously pissing me off. BTW, see any perspective errors? --GOOD! Neither do I.

NOTE: Putties are surprisingly fun to draw...

To quote the Pope from "Family Guy"...

"Heeeeeee's a-cookin' a-somethin' up!"



Also, my summer reading materials came in from Amazon, so I'll be reading and master-copying until something better comes along.

"Escarabajo Azul...VAMANOS!!!"

Blue Beetle (C) DC Comics & WB






Just finished reading the very awesome, "Blue Beetle: Endgame". It's the last volume of his origin story. Now I want to buy the first volume so I can package it and send it all to Robert Rodriguez! That movie'd be a hell of a sequel to "Spy Kids". What's really hilarious is the last chapter of this thing is entirely in Spanish lol! There is a translated script at the very back though so we won't feel too left out.

Manhattan

Just finished the movie Manhattan, a few minutes ago. I was trying to pay attention to Gordon Willis' use of surface divisions, but Allen was just too funny to ignore ;o). Netflix is workin' out for me!

Also I finally put together a new pic for my other profiles. I may have to do another one. I got frustrated with my failed attempts to caricature myself and this...thing sort of happened.

Happy Holidays from The Dumpster!

Yes, through all the shopping, working, and chillin' with friends from far away, I managed to slap something together at the last minute. Whatever religion or tradition, Happy Holidays to you and yours.

(p.s. - Roundhead's supposed to read as Jewish, but since I'm allergic to beat-downs I tried to be tasteful with the costume)

Clothed Figure: Annie Oakley

I gotta tell you...a lot, A LOT, A LOT of crap went down between that last post and this one. Without going into detail, pretty much all of it was my fault. We've all been through it; those moments where you're the Chief Idiot in the room. This made it all the more important not to screw this assignment up, if it killed me. I needed to remind myself what I'm capable of.

I rode that feeling all the way to my first "A" in the semester (A-, and proud of it!). Ironically, I had a lot more fun with Ramses, but hey. Of course, even my best work isn't without it's "goofs". As usual, lay those critiques on me!

More Clothed Figure HW

Did them in a week (3+ days). All-nighters were involved. They were met with "mixed reactions" at school. Looking forward to the day when I can look back on this level of turnover and laugh.

Questions/ comments/ critiques welcome.


PS: Imagi Studios (TMNT, Astro Boy, Gatchaman) will be visiting AAU this Thursday (tomorrow), I think at 5pm. I have to work, so if anyone is going, PLEEEEEEASE tell me how it went. TMNT Director, Kevin Munroe really comes off as a passionate guy who seems to want to protect these kinds of properties and give them the treatment fans want. I'd like to work for a guy like that someday.

B-day Extra!

BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! Thanks to a brief photoshop/ wacom tablet workshop, I'm starting to understand this god-forsaken program! And it's not nearly as "god-forsaken" to me as it was a week ago. Of course you know what this means...an excuse to recycle old drawings in color!

It is, in fact, my birthday. I never know how deep I should rub that in...I either end up telling no one, or annoying everyone I know with a sociopathic level of narcissism. Anyway, these colors don't "pop"as effortlessly as I'd hoped, but it's a start! Maybe I should be more liberal with the color saturation in the brighter areas. I'm really amazed at how much it looks like real paint on real paper. The original model for the drawing was Alex Borstien (MAD TV/ Family Guy), FYI. 1 workshop session down, 12+ more to go...

Clothed Figure Drawing HW

The assignment was to design 4 characters (een za nooode...). I was to choose 1 favorite and slap some clothes on it (the process involves a lot of tracing paper). The teacher spoke at great length on beautiful women, so I thought I'd challenge myself (and give a nod to Katie Rice) by endowing appealing shapes to this plus-sized fashion designer. The third one down was really popular, in fact I'm pretty sure I got docked for not following through in it. I got a "B", which I rarely ever see in figure drawing classes lol. After all the tracing I think she wound up a tad bit cross-eyed, but it's hardly noticeable. Still, gotta be more careful on that eye alignment...

Reading Scripts

I remember hearing several interviews of Brad Bird answering questions regarding being a better film maker. The half-cliche, time-tested query: "What advice do you have for an aspiring ________? *adolescent voice cracks*" ANYWAY one of his common answers was to read movie scripts. Sounds like a logical move...

But how do you go about GETTING these scripts!? I'm not sure how you get them in the conventional sense, but I'm reminded of a forgotten site that I visited back in high school. It's called Movie-Page.com. Somehow, the webmaster gathers scripts to just about every movie in Hollywood. I remember reading "The Matrix" with one of my best friends (I gave a legendary performance as Morpheus). Turns out it's still there after all these years. Enjoy.


SCRIPTS SECTION


OH FIIINE here's another Ranger doodle. Jason and his "jump front kick pop-up"

Before, and after Ben Caldwell...

I finished reading this book called "Action! Cartooning" after I bought my own copy. Before then, I was reading it out of the school library and mooching off the website. After reading it (this isn't a plug, btw...actually it kind of is...) I have to say a few things. First of all it did a fantastic job of explaining the "line of action" concept, where you always start your figure with the "spine" curve.

Second I learned some valuable construction tips that I'm still getting used to. My power ranger drawings improved so much I thought I'd to an "extreme makeover", before/after-type post. Each drawing now takes around 20 minutes and feature far more than just the straight "contra posto" (spelling?) pose.

SO...heeeeere're the scribbles I did in fall 07', that gave me this stupid idea...



aaaaaand HERE's a few quick drawings I spat out within 3 days ago.
Thanks, Ben! And to think, this is nothing compared to when I reeeeally get comfortable with these techniques... Dudes and dudettes (because this blog is so popular...), I know this book's been out a while, along with the "Fantasy!" sequel, but run, don't walk, to your local bookstore and pick this baby up!

Intro to Anatomy Final

AIGHT, I think enough time has passed since the last post, soooo...

This is the final project I submitted for my "Intro to Anatomy" class. It was well recieved, but not without it's critiques (of course). I actually agreed with all the suggestions, but am too lazy to utilize them, or even mention them further. The drawing's safe, so I may tweak it eventually (artist's famous last words...).

For this assignment I had to produce ORIGINAL reference photos. Which ALMOST meant a buddy and I were going "Spartan", wardrobe-wise, and doing some combat poses. My buddy, not wanting to show off his "less-than-Spartan" physique, called me back with 2 great amateur models, willing to work for booze and pizza. MAN, that was one wild night of body oils and alcohol....The photo shoot was pretty crazy too! *rimshot*

I took pics at different stages so people can see the process. I'd go into detail, but now that I look at it, it's pretty self-explanatory what was going on lol. Though, I'm afraid I may have taken Mike Mattesi's "flowing through the drawing" concept a little too far. Ah well. It DID help a lot, anyway. There's a brighter version of #3 where I used the flash, but the light flattened out the image so I canned that idea.

On a side note, "Persepolis" came in from Netflix. Hopefully I'll be seeing that one soon.

PTERODACTYL!!!

There's GOTTA be a better way to photoshop these drawings. The way I'm going at it now is painful, takes forever and has no foreseeable hope of accomplishing any kind of line quality. I traced over the rough drawing in ink, went into photoshop, traced it again and colored it. Didn't really try to color it WELL, but I tried not to embarrass myself. Someone's gotta let me in on the secret to cleaner lines and shading. And don't tell me the secret is, "work harder" lol!

This is that same image of Kimberly Hart from over a semester ago. I spent the entire day coloring it, stopping only for a 2 hour nap. I'd go further with it, but I'm not sure my crew would be so happy with me blowing all my time drawing Power Rangers. I guess it's more of a way to roll through "boarder's block"... I gave her 1 layer of shading, for the sake of it. One of the rules of civilian wardrobe among rangers is to work their colors into their outfits...genius...

And SURPRISE!!! My brand spanking new rendition of Jason Lee Scott! I made him look younger and therefore less bulky. However, I also tried not to lose sight of his Sentai "alpha dog" persona. Jason's the ideal leader. Humble, yet strong and without fear. Head based on a square (of course...). I might color him someday. I notice color really helps me get more of the character across. He has a normal sized head, which I seem to be gravitating towards in the later designs. I still haven't given up on the big-head idea with their "suited" designs.

A Model Revisited...

There was this model, back in my anatomy class. Now, usually we artists have this thing where "we're all doctors" and "the model is just a breathing sculpture to draw from", but this one was reeeeeeeeeeally something. Such a "view" is rare for geeks like me lol...*sigh*. On the off-chance that you happen to get a particularly attractive model, you're under pressure not to 'eff the drawing up (it's worth noting that I can have a unique opinion on what "beauty" is)! It was pretty cool to see her stop by my bench to see my work, during a break. The 2nd drawing marked her last day working at the Academy (D'OH!).

This was, I think, the first 2 completed drawings I did since finishing the book, "FORCE: Dynamic Life Drawing For Animators" (HOORAY for blogs! And the freedom to post nude artwork on 'em!). I'm not so sure that I fully grasped all (or any...) of the concepts in the book, but I know my figure drawings got a darn-sight better since I finished it. I STILL don't see them as pro-level, but it's money well spent. I'll show some 2-5 minute ones, later.

Principles attempted: Thick-to-thin lines for hard/soft edges, basic shapes/forms, drawing through the figure, a half-assed attempt at "force" drawing, laws of curves, overlapping lines, etc.

Materials: (top) Recycled newsprint, HB charcoal pencil/ loose dark-black chalk for emphasis (hard surfaces). White chalk apparently can be used for highlights on tan/recycled papers. (bottom) White cotton paper, a lot harder to control. Same charcoal combination.

NOTE: I hate critiques. A lot. But I need 'em just like everyone else. Feel free lol.

COMIC-CON 2008!!!

"It ain't over till the paramedics arrive", I always say. And as the men in white proceeded to wheel a plus-sized Superman away, I knew it was time to say goodbye.

I arrived home at about 3am this morning. The Con was awesome, overall. Though I can see why people like Paul Dini and Kevin Smith have so many good things to say about SF's Wondercon. There were soooooo many people there, you could barely sit down...or think...

On the plus side, the con was a feast for animaton artists looking to schmooze! I came back with autographed merchandise from:
- Don Bluth & Gary Goldman ("The secret of NIMH"/ "An American Tale"/ "The Land Before Time")
- Chris Sanders ("Lilo & Stitch" creator/director/voice)
- Eric Goldberg (Superviser of Aladdin's "Genie")
- Man of Action! (Team of creators behind "Ben 10")
- Bill Plympton ("The Animation Show",...eh, look him up. He's got too many credits)
- Stan Sakai ("Usagi Yojimbo" creator)
- Robin Mitchell (Talented character/toy designer)
- Greg Weisman (Disney's "Gargoyles" creator, Spectacular Spider-Man producer)

I also managed to meet up with some professional friends from MySpace who had booths like Steph Laberis (Girls Drawin' Girls), and Molly Hahn (Mollycules.com). They were hard to find, but I always try to catch and support these guys in person when I can. Until then, it's hard to say that I KNOW them. I love having faceless contacts and penpals, but it means so much more to actually show up and meet your friends, right?

Ah, panels. Special presentations of productions to come! There were so many it was a real pain to choose between them all. I was quite annoyed by the high attendance. I was squeezed out of a Disney Story panel, which I assumed no one wanted to go to (Wondercon). At San Diego, you have to get to your panels about an hour early to secure a seat. Which means you can only make it to every other panel, if your lucky. I eventually figured it out though, and had a decent schedule working.

I saw the trailer premier of the upcoming series, "Batman: The Brave and The Bold". It was AAAAWESOME!!! I found out that at a product testing, The Blue Beetle action Figure rated almost as highly as the Batman figure! Blue Beetle: The Animated Series debuts fall 2012 (kidding) ! Jamie Reyes, The Hispanic new Blue Beetle's armor looks like a combination of the Guyver and Iron Man. I've been following this interesting character for a while now. His voice will be provided by Batman Beyond's Will Freidle!

I also caught the 3 episode sneak peek of the OTHER upcoming series, "Wolverine and the X-Men". I was really nervous about how this show might come out, and I wasn't disappointed. Marvel has always managed to provide great stories, but starting with "x-Men: Evolution" and "Spectacular Spider-Man", they're finally starting to find methods of producing higher quality TV animation to match it! Boyd Kirkland (ironically of "Batman TAS" fame) is seeing this baby through. The series is going to be like crack for fans of the "Astonishing X-Men" comic.

The "Hulk vs. Wolverine" DTV was designed by Jeff Matsuda and was richer for it. Who knew that animation-friendly character designs could help the animation process?... The movie involved the infamous Weapon X program, so fan favorite characters Deadpool and Lady Deathstrike were applauded upon arrival.

Saw a lot of animation panels. Went to a voice acting workshop where I learned a lot, plus another where a group of fan-favorite V.O. artists did a hilarious cold read of a Superman radio show. I caught a glimpse of "Treehouse of Horror 19" at the Simpsons panel. And I went to ANOTHER one where I was introduced to this effin' brilliant show, "The Mighty B"! Amy Pohler sure put her foot in that one! As far as Family Guy goes, you know you're in a good panel when Seth Green goes under the table and pretends to "service" Seth McFarlane.

As far as live-action panels, "The day the earth stood Still" looks good, and apparently there's a slick-looking new "Tron" movie coming out! Great footage for that one was shown. Kevin Smith was there, stealing the show along with newcomer, Seth Rogen. I unwittingly missed the UNANNOUNCED world premier of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" footage. I'll be kicking myself for that mistake...

What an adventure. We went to In N' Out every night and partied all day. I think I saw that "Watchmen" trailer about 78 times before the Con ended. BTW, Connie, if you're reading, I brought back about 3 bags-worth of freebies you and the crew can pick apart. How's that for "goodies"? lol

R.I.P. Michael Turner

MAN, I had no idea...Michael Turner passed on Friday June 27th, 2008. I was in the middle of adding one of my favorite artists, Humberto Ramos, to my links list when one if his entries dropped a bomb all the way from June 30. I'm just glad I had a chance to meet him. He did the cover for the famous JLA: Identity Crisis, a good one for Marvel: Civil War, and a chunk of pencils for the awesome Superman/Batman comics. Of course this is only a chip off his span of work...

Whenever a great artist dies, no matter what the medium, they take their unique artistic flair with them. It is because of this that they are missed so much by so many who never knew them. I remember standing in line at WonderCon, waiting for him to sign my Supergirl comic, when I noticed he had a shaved head. He didn't quite look like the photo. I asked someone in front of me and was informed that he was fighting cancer. Even then, as I shook his hand, I didn't expect that to be the last time I'd see him. Still, it'll always be a great memory. Catch you on the flipside, Mr. Turner!

Trini: Part Deux

Sorry for the barrage of posts. I actually have a lot of "old" drawings I wanna catch up on. I couldn't resist trying out Jeff Matsuda's Batgirl, "Big head, small/thin body" ratio on the Yellow Ranger. I can't yet push my designs nearly as far as he can, but his style is infectious. I'm not gonna pretend I'm not influenced by it ;). She's supposed to be feminine, but not quite so "graceful" as Kim. I'd probably have her fight animation silent and quick, with daggers a-blazing, like a female ninja...yeeaaahhh...

I also tried "softening" up Trini's head design. I brought the chin in and changed her eyes to something more...slanted (for lack of a less racist term). In the end we have a whole new, more innocent look. How'd I do?

Trini & Kimberly

Well this project that Raf and I are working on (see Ratdog Blog) is moving about as smoothly as WALL*E with 4 flat tires and a crowbar dent(i know he doesn't use tires...). I think the problem is (besides my raging 'boarder's block') that we can't seem to get a good workflow going between meeting, working, and the rest of our lives. What keeps me going though is a comment made by Andrew Stanton a while back. He said that if, at the start, you love your idea so much that you're dying to see it on the screen, that obsession will drag you through the slow times and rainy days. If we pull this off, it'll mean a lot for all our futures. Plus it'll look awesome.

Enough of that. Here's the official first pass at the 2 characters, Trini Kwan and Kimberly Hart. The point of this wasn't necessarily to caricature the actors from the show, but to organize their character descriptions and try to translate them to action cartooning. Of course to completely ignore any flair these actors brought to the MMPR craze would be a crime also. I'll "show my work" in these descriptions in case someone wants to make their own designs, sans the tedious research lol (Check my links section for some good MMPR reference sites...or not).

I always imagined Trini as the second most capable member of the team. She talks a small game, but she's always so Gung Ho about helping her friends. Her flaws are that she lacks a lot of the attitude most snot-nosed American kids have. Her humanity lies in her sincerity. She looks like she has a lot of respect for the truth. And also her inner strength. "Kid's got heart!", as the High School coaches say. The fact that the actress who portrayed her is no longer with us makes me want to draw her in as emotionally stronger than in the show. She has the rough hairstyle of Thuy Trang plus one of the outfits, But I played with her expression and gesture to fit my idea. She has a solemn look to her, sugesting she got "the call" from Zordon.

Kimberly is inescapably a Valley girl. She's also a competitive gymnast. Her more annoying character quirks are that she's so delicate, both emotionally and physically. You don't see much of her taking down putty patrols on her own, as she works much better with the team. However, she's not dead weight. No Sentai series from Gatchaman(G-Force) to Voltron would be complete without this acrobatic and graceful element. She's enthusiastic, and shows courage under fire. Plus, her "Check out the sterio!" comments were cute. I'm sure if she was actually cornered by a goon squad, she'd find a way to smear em'. She's the smallest physically, based on the Pterodactyl and later, the Crane. I imagine her Ranger animation would be light and floaty. Classic outfit + hairstyle. I improvised on the physical build and facial features.


NOTES: Of the people I showed it to, I got a few critiques. One was that Trini's face was too...big? I think in the cheek area, i dunno. Maybe I should bring that chin in a bit. No complaints so far on Kimberly, but I might still work on her a bit more. Any thoughts?

Next up is probably Jason and Zach. I stumbled on a cool and easy head design for Jason, but need to produce a solid complete figure before I show it. Zach is becoming a real pain in the spandex. Who knew the Black guy would be the big speed-bump lol!? I can't seem to get a good head design for him. Ah well. I'll keep on it.