The Wayback Machine Part 3

Above: An unfinished comic book cover using some reference.

Above: Experiments in Horror. I was working on illustrating some horror stories for an amateur press project.

Above: More studies from photo reference. For another art project, I recruited many of my co-workers at the time to pose for some portrait photos. I used the photos again later for reference to sketching. Above and below left was our Office Manager at the time. She had some great long black hair.

The Wayback Machine Part 2

More studies from photos. Although I spent more time collecting and sorting images than using them for reference, I have what the artists call "A Morgue". A Morgue is a collection of magazine clippings of images that the artist can use for a reference library. It can be anything from body parts (hence the name "morgue") or reference for vehicles to even color palettes. I still have much of mine but it is taking up space and I might have to recycle much of it and use the modern reference library (Google!) to cut down on space.

The Wayback Machine Part I

So I was putting around my room when I found an old sketchbook that I had not packed up. It is always fun to flip through those old sketchbooks to see how one has improved or, like a time capsule, to see what one was into at the time. To my surprise, while the majority of art was cringe-worthy, I did find a few pages where I went "You know, that ain't half bad!" So, presented over three posts, are highlights from that sketchbook which is circa 1996-1999 during my SJSU illustration major days.

Above: The bulk of my free time was usually taken up drawing superheroes. But it looks like, in this sketchbook, I was concentrating of adding more shadow for realism. Even to the point of looking at reference like the above left one which I did after looking at Sarah Michelle Gellar on a TV Guide cover about BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (which dates it at about 1998-ish, right?)

 

Above left: More typical of what I was doing at the time was the superhero and girlie stuff. But occasionally I'd bust out into looking at photos for realism life the above right image.

Above are thumbnails for an illustration assignment to design the cover art for a video game. I'd start out doing a whole bunch of thumbnail sketches to get my ideas down. The artwork at the very top of this post is one of those thumbnails enlarged. The idea I chose isn't actually on this page but another one where I have a bookcase full of elements from the history of the world and warfare: history books, a primitive statue, an 1800s style pistol, and a grenade. After I had the idea locked down, I went about to find these elements in real life to shoot some photo reference to get a more realistic approach when I did my final illustration in watercolor.

I remember a buddy of mine having most of the props I was looking for. He's an expert on guns and even had a dummy fake grenade I could use. But I was down in the south bay at SJSU and he was up in the east bay so I made a trip back up. I didn't have any studio lights so I was racing against the day's sunset to get all the elements set up in a bookcase in my driveway before I lost my daylight. So, in a hurry, I collected my friend's stuff and sped over the hill when a cop pulled me over for speeding. I didn't get a ticket but got a talking to to slow down. The funny thing is I had that dummy grenade sitting on my passenger seat right out in the open and he didn't say or do a thing. That day could have ended badly.

Worker's Rights...Lefts...& Middles

Another finale character design for THE TIME MACHINE featuring a generic worker from the year 5173A.D. These are the people that Moore leads to a revolt. The workers tend to big and bulky which lends its self to the same physical type as the far future Morlocks. But after centuries of living underground, the Morlocks have developed pale blue skin, a smaller height (to fit in those tunnels), bigger eyes (to see what little light they have underground), and a bigger back for all the work they do.

I'm still debating on the colors to use hence the three variations above. At first, I tried the blue and teal look to the far left with white hair to hint at the color scheme of their Morlock ancestors. But he looked too much like a Nike-sponsored athlete. So then I tried a more drab brown and tan version and basic grays. Brighter colors look better on screen for animation but repressed workers probably would not be wearing bright happy colors but something that reflects their situation.

Be sure to click on the image to enlarge for a better look.

Viva La Revolución!

Another final character design from the secondary characters from THE TIME MACHINE. This is Moore, leader of the revolution (there always has to be a revolution, right?). He is Queen Eloise's adversary in the year 5173 A.D. and his people eventually become the Morlocks.

All Hail.....

Almost a full week since my last post. Not good. My goal was to post some art each and every day (doesn't mean I was making art each day though). But the last week and a half was busy. Life stuff. Back injury. Caregiving duties. Sad anniversaries. Or just caught in that time where I had sketches but nothing finished to post. And the rest of the month looks busy too with paperwork, more life stuff, artist sketch cards, and a potential paying gig doing book illustration. But then I already knew my commitment to another semester of Animation would be less than it was in previous semesters.

So I've been moving forward, although slowly, with my 2nd pass of THE TIME MACHINE project. Right now, the advance students are working on character designs to be turned into model sheets and eventually used as character turns. I did my primary characters last semester so I'm working on a whole batch of the secondary characters.

When I post these in the next week, those who've read H.G. Wells' THE TIME MACHINE might think "But none of these characters are in the book?" True and it might seem like a completely different project being developed. But many of these characters are additional ones I've added to my version. I wanted to show the origins of the split in humanity that led to the divisions between the Morlocks and the Eloi and that was with another stop for the Traveller in the year 5173 A.D. in the megopolis city on Lon (formerly London which has now engulfed the entire English island). Leading this city-state is Queen Eloise, ancestor of the far future's Eloi.

Above is the final design for Queen Eloise. I had several designs worked up including a rough used in last semester's story bible. Many of the designs didn't make her look like a queen or looked too superhero-ish so I chose elements from Queen Elizabeth I but modernized them. And certainly purple is a royal color although my palette above is more pinks and fuchsias. Along with using the pink makeup all over her face, there will be a diamond motif used with her designs along with her Royal Guard and the Queen's Maidens (helpers).

I'll be posting the earlier designs plus the model sheet soon along with the other secondary character designs.

Love is the Slug

A little early for Valentine's Day but a slug that, er, seems to be in love. Oh well. Part of my Monster/Creatures portfolio that I'm working on. I wanted to use a hatching technique with an ultra fine pen rather than thick and thin line weights.