Finally- a new post after forever! These are the completed inks for the cover to my creator owned comic "Exquisite Corpse" issue 1. The colored version to follow soon!

Face forward neutral portrait demo

Hello students!

Here is part 1 of the face forward neutral portrait demonstration that I have put together for you all.

This is intended to help you walk through some of the process that I have talked about in class. Some of this is specific to portrait and some of it pertains to more of the general drawing considerations that we have covered throughout the term such as blocking in and shadow shapes.

Here is how I started - first I built my canon of proportions.

I kept this light - not over drawing! But I made it specific and proportional knowing that this is just my starting point!

My next step I set up my model and let her with a strong directional light so as to create specific shadow forms. I then lightly erased my canon and began to adjust the drawing trying to make it a bit more specific to my model.  I blocked in the hair shape and tried to see how the hair line framed the face. I also blocked in the general, abstracted shape of the jawline and chin. Still keeping it very light!

In this next step I began to build my shadow ares and to lightly suggest the general shapes of the features. I am not over drawing anything here - it is all about general placement, shape and proportions. I am keeping my shadows light and thinking about them in relation to how they are being created - cast or form.

Here in my next step I lightly erase again and start rebuild the drawing looking for my proportional errors and trying to adjust the drawing as far as shapes of the features and relationships of the shadow forms. 

In this, my next step, I am doing some subtle adjustments trying to pay attention to the shapes of the features, the shapes of the shadows and the shape of the face/hair

As I only had about an hour and 15 minutes with my model I then shot a picture and ended my first drawing session and brought the drawing home to my studio. Unfortunately, my drawing got scratched in the process and you will see the marks on the paper as I show you the following images.

As I began working from the photograph I noticed that I had some proportional errors to the face so I lightly erased again and did some adjusting to get a bit closer to the model. I shortened the distance between the mouth and nose and shifted the mouth and nose over a bit towards the lit side. I also noticed that the light in the shadow was a bit oddly placed so I shifted it down and in, towards the nose, a bit. 

This was closer but still a bit wonky as the eye in the shadow was "floating a bit so I lightly erased again and rebuilt the drawing trying to get closer to the model.

Allot of what is happening in these later stages if just subtle adjustments to shapes of the features and to the shadows while keeping an eye on the proportions. Still no real value and no committed darker finishing lines. This drawing is still in the developmental "finding my errors" phase. 

I will continue to update this post as I get a chance to work on this drawing. I hope to at least  get to the beginning value stages so you all can see how I move into that phase.

I hope some of this is helpful and that your drawings are going great!

In the spirit of trying to post lots of new work here is a drawing I did this Summer that started as a demo for a drawing class and then took a bit of time to develop. Graphite on Stonehenge 

I've gotten bad about updating this blog - something I intend to remedy in the coming months! Here is a fun Grey Hulk I did in white and black charcoal pencil on grey paper!

Just posting some of the sketches that I am doing in preparation for Medford Comic Con. I have a list of 20 to do and have 3 almost done. 

I will be posting these as I produce them so keep and eye open for them;)

Supergirl

Hello true believers! 

Two weeks ago I, and a fellow comic art enthusiast, decided to try a two week long comic art challenge. We were both feeling frustrated a bit with our work for, different reasons, and thought a challenge might shake things up a bit.

For me, I just hadn't been doing any panel to panel work for quite a while. The last page work I did I was super unhappy with.  I had done 8 sample pages for the Top Com talent search and I ultimately felt that the pages were super blah, stiff and overwrought. 

I was thinking about my process and the manner in which I had approached those pages. It took me forever to do them and I overworked and overthought the shit out of them. Anyone who actually makes a living drawing comics can't afford to work that way. The process has to be decisive and in the moment - for the most part. Working to a deadline does not allow for too much agonizing because the work has got to get done!

So I approached these 10 pages from that standpoint. I had two weeks - and in that two weeks very little actual time to draw because of my crazy work schedule. 

In the two weeks I drew these I averaged about 60 hours a week at my respective jobs.

This left little tiny packets of time in the day to draw!

I averaged about 3.5 hours a page on these which for me is crazy fast!

Looking back I really cant remember when I drew these!

So here they are and I feel that there is some fun drawing here. Some of it is pretty rough and alot of it is pretty dorky but at the end of the day I am excited that I finished the challenge and churned out this work:)

First three pages of my Top Cow sample pages - Artemis IX

Hello All!

I am in the process of finishing up the last couple of pages for my Artemis IX sample work for the Top Com talent search. 

I am liking these pages, generally, but as always it is hard not to be overly critical of your own work. I think that's why it is important to get your work out there-even if it is simply posting it on your own blog, as I am doing:)

Standing behind the work you do and being proud of where you are in your development as an artist or as a whatever can be hugely challenging for most of us. 

I am as guilty of this as anyone, if not more so.

We tend to judge ourselves a bit harshly and unfairly compare our own work with those of others that we deem superior.

So, in my ongoing endeavor to be supportive of my own work and be my own champion here are the first three of the Artemis IX sample pages.

Not perfect, maybe not even any good, but it is what I did with what I got right now and I am standing behind it:)

Thanks for looking!

Tight Roughs for sample pages for Top Cow Talent Search

Hello out there comic art weirdos!

So, I have begun creating the final pencil pages for my submission for the annual Top Cow Talent Search. Now that I am rolling on those I thought it would be a good time to post my tight roughs to the old blog for folks to take a look:)

These are pages 1 and 2.

As I usually do when I start a series of tight roughs, I have overdrawn these. I try not to do this because roughs are really just for figuring out perspective, storytelling and basic acting. Spending time rendering and being overly fastidious with the line work can be a waste of time.

Here are pages 3 and 4.

Again, just trying to figure out the storytelling and making sure the panels flow together.

Pages 5 and 6.

And the final two pages, 7 and 8.

I will be posting the  pencilled pages as I finish them and talking briefly about the decisions I make when moving from roughs to finished work. 

Thanks for looking!

T

Thumbs for Artemis IX

Hello!

I have finally started moving forward with my sample pages for the Top Cow Talent Search 2016. My teaching schedule kept me from starting as early as I wanted to but I have now finally found some momentum:)

I thought I would post 4 of my my loose thumbnails from the 8 pages then post my roughs and then the tight roughs and talk about my process and why I go about pencilling pages the way that I do.

Loose thumbs Page 1

Page 1 consists of an establishing shot in panel 1 and a closer shot of Artemis IX's tower showing damage to the building in panel 2. The third panel is an interior shot depicting the work being done to the building and introducing Artemis IX, Brauron and the two female artists.

When I do these thumbs I do 8 of them on an 11 x 17 sheet of bristol. Each thumb is only about three and a half inches tall. I try to do these as quickly and as gesturally as possible referring back to the quick layouts I did when I first read the script. All I'm thinking about here is story-telling, shot selection and being mindful of creating deep space. I also have given some thought to establishing the directionality of my light source just for fun:)

Same thing here. Super quick and gestural. Mostly just stick figures. Keeping my eye on the left/right orientation of my figures and making sure everybody is staying consistent. 

And same thing here...

...and here. 

When creating thumbnails I try very hard to keep them super loose. I keep my body upright and relaxed and keep my hand quick and gestural-drawing from the shoulder. No laboring over any drawing, here, just the simplest of sketches to tell the story. 

It took me about 20 odd minutes to thumbnail all eight pages. I went back and looked them over and felt that I was ok with most of my choices. I scanned them in preparation to creating the next stage of roughs. 

I'm not really one of those comic artists that can jump right into the full sheet of bristol and start creating finished pencils. I admire those that can. My process can be somewhat circuitous but I find that I get less stressed about the work and am way more relaxed and loose if I start small and simple first. 

Because the thumbnails are done super fast I am uninvested in them and can just allow them to be dorky and experimental. 

In my next post I will talk about the next stage in my process and the changes and choices I made in trying to improve the storytelling and look of the pages.

Until next time~

T

Process in portrait drawing.

Taking a break from the development of my sample pages for the new Top Cow talent search, I thought I would post some images of my process for a current portrait I have been working on.

I like to show the process to my work as it gives students insight into the many steps that it can take in building a finished drawing.

Step 1. The gesture. Quickly executed 20-30 second drawing

Step 2. Refined gesture. Slight refinement of gesture and suggestion of shadow shapes.

Step 3. 

Continued refinement of shapes and adjustment of proportions and placement.

Step 4. Here I start picking out some of the lighter values still thinking about adjustment

of proportions and designing shadow areas

Step 5. Continued exploration of values.

Step 6. I realized I had goofed up the mouth shape and also the eye placement so I lightly erased out and began to rebuild. I also began sculpting out the hair.

Step 7.  Here I began to try and express the range of values in the entire portrait and unify the image.

Step 8. And now even wider expression of value.

Step 9. And even wider expression.

This is not finished but I am starting t feel that the values are looking unified and that the shapes are starting to agree. So much of what happens at this stage is subtle adjustments of value and quality of light.

Hello again!

Before I start thumbnailing a project I like to to get any needed concept work done and also gather any needed reference. As time as gone on I have gotten away from using reference and tend to just make up everything that I draw. However, as this story is set in an already established world I will ned to make sure that the visuals I create dovetail into this continuity.

Here is the list of needed reference/concept work I put together for myself.

Needed Reference for Artemis IX 8 page sample for Top Cow

1.     Artemis’ City – check IXth Generation # 3 Vertical masculine city lots of angles.

2.     Damaged building-explosion again check IXth Generation # 3

3.     Inside damaged building again check IXth Generation pages 17-23

4.      Male/Female cyborgs. Females scantily dressed. Males are workers-construction.

5.     Sculpture reference for Artemis sculpture

6.     Bauron – Male Cyborg

7.     Computer Tablet

8.     Large Scale painting – Easel

9.     Chione attractive medium brown hair with blonde streak

10. Artemis’ private office. Desk/lighting/chair/decorations

.

11. Artemis’ shuttle. Like a cross between an X-Wing Fighter and a Colonial Viper with touches of an F-14 Tomcat. It’s a two-seater with a canopy

12. Hanger – assorted stuff/workers

13.  Mechanic

14.  Cockpit of Shuttle – Navigator/computer

15.  Building explosion caused from crash with shuttle

16. Exploding glass

17. Torn Clothing/Jacket

18.  More friendly looking shuttle

19.  Artemis’s quarters.

20. Massage table

I do this just a starting point and to not jump the gun and draw myself into problems later in the process.

Once I gather any needed reference I will start doing my concept work for all primary characters, environments, interiors and props.

As I have already started some concept work I will be posting some images later in the week:)

Process in creating my submission for the "Top Cow Talent Search 2016" - step one "The Script"

Hello!

I have recently begun the process of creating 8 sample comic pages for the 2016 Top Cow talent search contest. In essence, Top Cow provides a selection of scripts that the hopeful can choose from to create sample art. These submissions will then be vetted by the fine folks at Top Cow and 2 winners will be chosen from the best examples.

Anyone who is interested in finding out more details about this talent search can follow this link.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/exclusive-top-cow-talent-hunt-to-return-with-a-few-changes-to-the-competition

I have decided to detail my process in creating these sample pages to give an insider's look into how I create the work I create and my thought process behind what I do. 

Lucky you:)

Firstly I will post the 8 pages of the script I have chosen  They are from the first issue of Artemis IX. I liked this series of pages because there were multiple environments, lots of different characters and several great scenes that I thought would be a lot of fun to draw. When I read the script I began to see in my head how the pages would go together-always a good sign.

On these pages you will also see my quick notes to myself about the panels I felt were the "pay off" and "page turners" for each page. 

By doing this I am making decisions about what panels should be the most important on the page. It is all part of composing the page. The "payoff panel" should reward the reader for continuing to read by being extra exciting, dynamic or beautiful to look at. It is also usually an important scene in the advancement of the story. The "page turner" is the panel that keeps the reader turning pages. A very important consideration in the making of comics. This panel should create some form of drama, intrigue or suspense that encourages the reader to turn the page to find out what happens next.

Here are the eight pages-

Now that I have perused the script and have made some very beginning choices regarding layout of my work I will move to the next stage of gathering any needed reference. I like to do this before I begin to do thumbnails as it helps me to have a clear idea of what my characters, environments and objects are going to look like as I find this understanding guides my storytelling to a certain degree. As these comic pages are samples based on existing characters in an existing world I need to make sure that I am careful to be very aware of how these elements should be depicted and not draw myself into mistakes that will cause problems in later stages of the work.

Check out my next post to see what I come up with!

Thanks all!!

T.