Monster Artist Trading Cards II

Another group of Monster Artist cards in the can. I posted the inked versions a couple weeks back. Here are the finished ones with gray tones.

Animation 166.2

So it's Animation 166 again. Technically, ARTDM 166-Animation. Since I'm repeating the 166 class, I've added the .2 to my drawing above. I always start a new sketchbook with a comic book/magazine-type cover since I love logos. The 166 group of advanced students have a different plan than the beginning students but, since I've already taken that, I've asked the instructor if I could customize my game plan for this semester. One student had done that last semester and there are two of us doing this for the Spring semester. But, with the extra freedom, there is the temptation to not push and get much done. So I've set up some goals for this semester.

My goal is to give my presentation for THE TIME MACHINE another pass and refine it. I don't want to turn it into a victory lap or a rehash so I've got some different things to add to make it interesting. Here's the plan:

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:
I did much of this already last semester but many of the secondary characters were not fully developed. So I'll be working on developing them.

CHARACTER TURNS:
I'll assume that the instructor will have the advance students work on some character turns again. I already did that with my primary characters so I plan to do some new ones with the developing secondary ones. I might also go back to one of the primary ones and refine it. One of the knocks, rightfully so, on the turns last semester were the stiff poses. So I might try a new more interesting (and less symmetrical) pose and, literally, give that a whirl. I think I want to add more angles/frames to smooth out the turn. And then maybe some color too.

STORY BIBLE:
The instructor will be having the advance students work on their Story Bible throughout the semester. I banged out mine last December and may just make a few tweaks here and there. But, for the most part, I'll just be adding to it and not doing too much. That extra time will be spent in the next two areas.

ANIMATION:
I didn't even get close to finishing my final animation last semester. Part of me is already sick of looking at it. But I should get back to it.

BACKGROUNDS:
This is the new development for me. Since I probably don't have that burning desire to animate but do to illustrate, I want to try working on some background illustrations. Part of these will help for the final animation above if I get that far and also add to the Story Bible. But I also want to learn to paint digitally in Photoshop. So I'm armed with a new book on Digital painting as my text book and a Bamboo tablet I've yet to crack open in over a year so this will be that new thing to keep me interested.

And that's the plan. Beat Boards and Story Boards are all done. Quite a bit of work has been done on this project. So the plan is to give it another pass and improve it. I'll need to be focused though. Not just for the discipline with the extra freedom but because I have some goals away from the class that I need to get to make make progress with and the class could easily be a distraction from those things.

Why ? ? ?

I was struggling during the winter break on my decision to take my Animation class again. I don't have a burning desire to be an animator but, if a job came up to be one, I rather work a creative job than a non-creative one. I was also getting a little burned out on the whole Time Machine thing and thought if might be time to move on from it. I was feeling the same about the class as well rather than repeatedly taking it. And, more importantly, I do have some non-creative life stuff that I've been putting off that I need to get to.

I was concerned about how productive I would be with my art during the break. Before the class, I was fairly dormant in my art creation. Part of that was purposely putting it all aside for a few years as I dealt with the life stuff but, after a few years, I realized I needed to reclaim my life a little to be happy. Still, I probably had what one would call "Artist's Block".

Part of the plan with going back to school was to update my skills for the time when I do have to get back to work full time. Another aspect was the social one where I needed to get out of the house. Artists tend to be introverts and that is my natural tendency but that needs to be balanced out with getting out there in the world to function properly. And while I was still very productive during the winter break, I found I still needed that social component. So, at the very last moment, hours before class, I changed my decision from not taking the class again to signing up.

Blast from the Past for the Present

Another drawing done during the break of an 1980s theme. Big hair! New Wave triangle patterns. Leopard prints. The lady looks a little like what Adam Hughes was doing back in 89 and 90.

Krampus Roughs

Before working on the Krampus cards over the break, I did up some blue line roughs. Here are three of them.

A Monster's Holiday

I posted the pencil rough to this way back on Halloween but over the holidays and during winter break, I went back to work on my sketchbook along with the Monster Sketch cards. My goal is to work up an inventory of cards to sell but to also use scans of the cards to make a Monster-themed sketchbook to also sell. The image above will probably be used as the cover.

Random Moleskine Sketching

More sketching from the Moleskine book.

Sketching at the Haggin

I was at the Haggin Museum in Stockton again last week to see their Plein Air show on Water and a lecture by artist Kathleen Dunphy. I'm no youngster myself but I was one of the younger folks in attendance. Maybe all the young people are working but it is a shame that more people are not taking advantage of this gem of a museum. Maybe only retirees have the time to appreciate the Arts?

I arrived early. Not as early as I hoped, taking Highway 4 out to Stockton (normally an hour and 30 minute drive). Trust me on this one: when you get to that fork in the road on 4 for either Discovery Bay or Livermore, take Disco Bay!! Or else you'll add an extra hour or more to your drive. I hate wasting time like that. But driving through all the rolling hills capped off with giant wind-powered propellors was a little cool.

Anyway, I arrived early to do some sketching in the museum. I immediately went to my favorites: the room full of Leyendeckers! I had not been to the museum in over a year and I'm glad they've given them a permanent room. For awhile there, I became a sort of unofficial lobbyist for the museum and the works of J.C. Leyendecker there by getting the word out and passing out brochures for the Haggin to professional artists at Comic-Con. I knew they had a gold mine there and a select group of creators (illustrators and comic book artists) would appreciate them if only the word got out.

So I did some drawing from the Leyendeckers which just show you how often I draw animals (almost never!). My horse looks terrible. Below are sketches of people in the crowd during the lecture.

The lecture was good although maybe a little on the short side and lacked more images of the artist's paintings. I'm guessing the artist, Dunphy, is in her 50s but I was inspired by her tale of shifting gears in her mid-30s to going back to art school and following her dream to be a painter. It gives me hope that a late bloomer like myself can still make a career out of my art without having to be one of these prodigies that are creating brilliance at a young age. Every artist, even the most talented, still have to put the work in. For me, it seems, that work is coming over the long haul.

Monster Mash

More Monster Cards!! Pre-gray tones, of course.

American Hero

A made up Superhero. I think, with many of these cards, I'm over coloring with the watercolor and trying to turn these into mini watercolor portraits when I should thin out the color and let the inks shine through.

The Athlete

Another People card. This one reminded me of OJ Simpson or Jim Brown. Of the original group of nine that I scanned and inked, I liked this one the best. After the watercoloring job, probably the least. I really struggled with this one.

Redhead

Working on some Pin-Up cards. Let's here it for Redheads!!

The Dancer

Another People card. This one of a dancer.

"Dude!"

Moving on from the Creature cards and now into the People cards. No one specifically but just a chance to draw individual people out of my head.

Lester the Dwarf

Another creature card. This one I've dubbed "Lester the Dwarf".

Death Gripper

Final painted version of the "Death Gripper" card.

The Skull Collector

Final painted card for "The Skull Collector".

Cyclops Alien Card

Painted final version of the Cyclops Alien card.

Marvel Sketch Cards

Established comic book characters from Marvel and DC are probably the most popular since fans want a character they recognize. I love those characters but, when drawing, I tend to shy away from them and draw my own thing. Partly, I think, because when I draw them, they don't look the way I expect to see them in the funny books. But practice makes perfect so here are some pencil roughs for the Hulk and Captain America.

Inked Sketch Cards

I did these before the set posted last time. As a result, they are a little farther along in the pipeline having been inked. The theme is varied with the Monster / Creature theme on the bottom cards and some people, heroes, and pin-ups for the rest.

The bottom left two cards were the first ones and I probably over-inked them. Part of working on cards at this size is experimenting. But, by the time I put in color or ink washes, I can probably get away with less lines and detail.

Monster Sketch Cards

I've been wanted to get in on the sketch card thing for awhile but it finally took me hooking up with a group of other artists with the Krampus set to get things moving (Thanks, Tracy!). One of my goals for 2012 is to work up an inventory of different themed cards for sale. Above are the pencils for nine Creature / Monster cards before I ink them.

Chatting with another artist in December, I was able to borrow his mechanical pencil and give it a try out (Thanks, Pannel!). After all these years, I had never used one, preferring to use either my Number 2 yellow standard pencil, my assortment of HB-8B set, or, as in 2011, using a blue pencil. Tired of constantly sharpening the lead and knowing these cards would have me doing more detail, I invested in a mechanical pencil and more sketch cards last week. Shopping in art stores is always fun but staying up late, watching old movies, while sketching these out to the wee hours of the night is a blast.

Next, time to ink them. This set I'll probably stick to the gray tone ink washes.