Value Study > Finished Drawing

Value study before rendering the final pencils. Here I decide what's going to be shaded by hand and what's going to be colored in p-shop.

And here's the finished b&w drawing. I made a lot of adjustments and additions in the detail. Compare the mane, saddle, ribbon, reins, mailbag and stirrup between the two versions. And below is the final colorized panel. I really enjoyed doing this one.

road trip roughs

Here are some Incompatibles sketches I did during our family vacation in Utah this last week. Many of these sketches are no more than 2–3 inches square. I like to render out ideas small, then—if I like what I see—I can scale them up on the computer and print them out as blue lines for further tinkering.

I can't give away the captions until they're finished, but some might be obvious.

The nuances of the pony and rider here can really tweak the interpretation.

Hehe.

Baa.

Sometimes it's nice to space out the elements in the drawing, then select/overlap them in p-shop, especially ones involving a lot of structural perspective. I haven't tweaked this one yet, but will repost it when I've reworked it.

A crude little scrawl, but I like it.

An eventual twist on a Pavlov's dogs.

game design

I'm working on new card game right now. It looks nothing like the standard set of cards above—it's even more pictorial. The game involves nuances of some well known standbys (i.e., War, Crazy Eight, and Uno), but the game-play and design is infused with enough originality to steer it well clear of patent issues. Which reminds me—I need to look into patent registration at some point. 

I just tried the latest iteration of the game out on my family tonight. It really helped to work out some of the major bugs involving card numbers and ratios. My aim is to make this something that could be played one on one, but also be just as enjoyable in a group setting. It's so interesting how things that seem so clear in your head become quickly obsolete once UX testing begins. In no time, we figured out the game wasn't intuitive enough and had too many "attack cards" (I'll explain later).  Nobody could win—at least not so far as we could tell for the first 20 minutes we played the game. So I whipped out my sharpie and neutralized half of the attack cards and we dealt out another game. It was night and day in terms of play. Still lots to figure out in user testing, so some of the illustrative aspects of the cards will remain crude until I have a firmer idea of game play.

yarns reception this wednesday

Just a heads up that the Yarns Exhibit reception is this Wednesday, May 2nd, 6pm-8pm at the CSUS University Union 2nd Floor Gallery. Meet the artists of this anthology and see the process that led to the book becoming a reality. Signed copies of the limited edition book will be on hand for purchase ($20). And all book purchases get a free sketch inside to boot. We hope to see you there!

Heinrich Kley

One of my favorite influences is the German caricaturist Heinrich Kley. His work was just so dynamic and free. It's amazing what he could do with a line. If I can bring an inkling of the energy he brought to his drawings, I'd be filled with happy sighs. Check out some of his work here.

Yarns Debut

YARNS, the Yowling Anthology of Random & Neato Stories, will be making its debut this month at Sacramento State University near the end of April. It's been fun editing the pub and gathering the friends for this endeavor. The reception for the show is on May 2nd, 6pm–8pm in the University Union Gallery. Come out and view the "making of" the book and meet the artists that put it all together. For more info, go to  http://www.union.csus.edu/gallery/.

Movie Review: The Artist

Let's talk silent. I took in The Artist today. I wanted to see it before it left the local theater. I had to see why this thing won Best Picture on both sides of the pond. Surprisingly enough, this B&W non-Talkie kept my interest for the 100 minute run time. It was a bit foreign at first to view a movie that relied more on visual nuance and gesture than the glut of sensory effects we've become accustomed to as a society. I really believe the film triumphed internationally because it drew a sharp contrast to the usual fare. Was it clever enough to garner Best Picture nods? I'm not sure of that. But I will say it was worth the matinée ticket price. And it was refreshing to see a simple story "eloquently" delivered. "B+"

Yarns Progress

Okay, I'm bringing up the rear as we close in on our final deliverable for YARNS. Here's a sample of my “pencils” (actually they're a mix of ink and a motley patchwork of tracing paper and scotch tape). I love the hands-on feel of “Frankensteining” the composition in analog. Right now I’m moving into the inking phase. That actually goes fast for me. I scan these sample pages in, convert them to light bluelines, output them on Clearprint vellum, then ink directly on them. Then I'll rescan them RGB and blast out the bluelines in Pshop (Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation: Activate the blue and cyan channels and crank the Lightness slider to 100) and I'm ready to flat and paint. Colorizing will happen in bulk (and earnest) this week. I'm pretty excited about the story, though. It ended up being 18 pages. Phew!

Movie Review: John Carter

I caught the matinée of John Carter today. I found it reminiscent to Stars Wars in its epic-ness and humor; the story was interesting, the characters entertaining. My only critique concerns the actor who played the main character. Taylor Kitsch, though effective in his action segments as John Carter, needed more screen presence. Kitsch assumes the role of reluctant hero in the story, but comes off a little too unassertive and timid in his delivery. Ironically, though Mar's low gravity gives the Earthling Carter super strength and Hulk-like jumping ability, it seems to also rob him of the gravitas needed to pull off the job as male lead. (Marc Wahlberg in Planet of the Apes comes to mind). My advice to Kitsch: Rent Dirty Harry and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and take notes from Sensei Clint. Beyond that, an entertaining film. "B+"

And I'm Back

After a 3-year hiatus from my personal blog, I've returned. Partly because I'd like a central hub outside of Facebook for design and illustration topics. And partly because I just want a place to park my arcane thoughts now and then. For those who are unfamiliar with my activities, I'm working on three different things right now:


YARNS: The Yowling Anthology of Random & Neato Stories
This is a compilation of short graphic stories written and created by six other friends and myself. It's due to come out this spring and there will be a show/reception at the CSUS University Union Gallery in late April. I'll post dates up in the next month. Check out work in progress here.


Peck, The Man Without Neck
Our one-armed hero, Dent, is a young man with a mysterious and sketchy past. He's a dumpy Sactown garbage man by day and a freakish, fledgling crime fighter by night. Mentored by Cornelius Bacon, the resident landfill recluse, and his teddy bear confidant, Billy Trudare, Dent learns the ancient discipline of Gar Bag Do. Together this unlikely trio attempt to take back a tattered city held hostage by greed, corruption and villainy. Keep up with the action here.


Incompatibles

This is my weekly web comic panel that chronicles the awkward intersections of the inanely bizarre and occasionally true. Check it out here.
The majority of the activity will be on Yarns in the near term. Stay tuned.