Summer Sides

Not a lot of activity lately on the ol' web log but I have been making progress on some projects.

Thought I'd update with a few new sketches and a test drawing.

First, a continuation of the "Face It" series.





This one was part of the same session but taking a less cartoony approach. I was looking for elegant economy.



Finally a test drawing for a children's book project. I can't decide if it should be in black and white of color yet. This was a little study to see one way to approach the main character.



Thanks always for reading! Now back to work for me.

The Slumps

Here are a few selections from last Tuesday night's drawing session. I don't know what was happening with me but I found it really hard to get started this week. I did some warm up experiments then tried my hand at a few more rook sketches— but nothing was working. When this happens, I like to switch mediums to see if something will click. Eventually I got a rook drawing off the ground but mostly I just deposited a lot of paper in the recycling bin. I really can't decide the best method to tackle creative block but I found sitting around and stewing on it definitely doesn't work. Getting loose and switching from pen to pencil was a good start this time.

First a snap shot:



Then a little character sketch with ink and sponge:



Thanks for reading/looking!

By Hook Or By Rook

Another rook snapshot— getting closer to the character that I want. I'll get a good scan up on the web log later. This time around I spent a lot (A LOT) more time on rendering the feathers. This one also has feet which were more challenging than I anticipated.

Tuesday Night Drawing: Room & Rook

I got started on this one about a quarter past midnight; having just missed what I'm sure was a killer set by White Hills on the Evan "Funk" Davies Show on WFMU.

I don't have the time or the energy to tile this big drawing right now so I'm going to show a little of what I call my "studio" and some crappy snap shots.

This drawing is an initial study that will turn into a full-on character design of a rook. The weight of the beak and head to body ratio are totally wrong but the important thing here was not so much the drawing as the inking method. Following the same philosophy as some of the previous tree studies, this drawing was about combining broad, fast strokes with areas of concentrated detail. Like the trees it has a strong, simple silhouette that carries the form allowing a lot of freedom to go from more detailed areas to looser marks.



I know, it's kind of small but I like it.





I did an image adjustment for this last one.



Thanks for checking in. Anyone who wants to join the Tuesday Night Late Night Drawing Society let me know. I'd love some company.

Cheers!

More of the Same

Here are few more tree studies, this time going for speed and efficiency. I started out with some bold and somewhat controlled ink splatters and carved out details around them. Once again I'm not using any reference here, it's more a result of staring at trees all day and working from a sort of sense memory.

Late Nights

So—

Hi.

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been busy, busy, busy with classes and so forth but I have managed to finish a few studies and sketchy things. I've been staying up late on Tuesdays after class and drawing during the Evan "Funk" Davies show on WFMU to unwind after class. Here are some of the results:



The first of many tree studies for an "upcoming" adventure comic I'm working out. I have to get away from drawing every goddamnedable leaf. It will happen. This is clearly adolescent leftovers from studying Roger Dean album covers and so forth. I didn't use a reference for this piece which is probably why I have problems with it.



Playing around with bleeding tissue paper. Really hard to control but nigh impossible to replicate. Hooray for happy accidents.



One of a few indirect drawings. I'll have some more of these soon. I like the tribal/menacing quality of this fellow. Far from perfect but a good start.

Next Generation

Is this a web log record for me? I've managed quite a few posts this month.

This is a continuation of the bold stroke face series. This latest group was a little less freeform and in many cases had two or three renditions before finding success. There are more on the way.











BONUS BEATS

Here are a few others that aren't constructed the same way but are still stylistically connected.