London Calling

Hallo everyone! 

Although I've broken my run of posting, I haven't fallen off the map completely-- just the local map.  JJ and I got a great last-minute deal to visit London for the holiday, so I'm putting things on hold for a bit.  (I was hoping to post a few sketches and photos while we're here, but wifi's expensive)  It's pretty frigid over here but we're having a great time and checking out lots of art in warm, dry museums :)

We're also moving to a new apartment when we get back, so I may be off the net for a bit; I'll get back to the hero work (those suggestions you guys posted) once all that settles down.

~

The Spirit

A character I'd love to draw some stories for one day.

Can't wait for the movie-- was thinking it might end up a bit dark, but based on the trailer looks like it's gonna rock!

X-Statix

Recommended reading.

Olivia Dunham -Fringe-

Here's my go at portraying Anna Torv, aka Olivia Dunham... the heroine of Fringe, my favorite show of the season.

Fringe has a great mix of sci-fi intrigue and lightheartedness that makes it a lot of fun, but then again, I am a fan of most anything J.J. Abrams and crew have done to date.

Once again he has cast a female lead with a signature quirkiness; Sidney (Jennifer Garner) had that angry, I'm about to either cry and/or kill you look, and Anna's got this weird uncomfortable smirking and awkward posture that she somehow manages to pull off and still be attractive. I'm sure it will go into full force once her father shows up, or Walter turns bad, or whatever they've got waiting for us.

Anyway, hopefully I caught a little of the quirky smirk here. This is kind of where I'd like my illustrations to go, adding more levels of tone but ultimately still cartoony shapes. Whatcha think?

Dr. Jones

Wolverine

*SNIKT!*



Looks like the winning suggestions from yesterday are, in this order:

1. Plasticman
2. Tick
3. Harry Potter
4. Link
5. Hellboy
6. Rorshack
7. Robin

Since Deviantart post as "18 hours ago" backwards-time, I'll double check my math in the morning. :)

Heroes/Graphic Spidey

Some of you may have noticed, I have been busy drawing lately!I really needed to get back to drawing and flesh out my portfolio after a year of painting. I thought a good way to challenge myself would be to try and complete 1 simple piece of art a day in my free time. I'm not sure how long I can last with it, but I made it a week! For now I'm following the theme of 'Heroes', representing a new Hero character every day (and, yes, counting the Obama and Generic Samurai days even if they're debatable)

If I get to December with any consistency, I'll switch to a new theme then.

Will I make it that far? Only time can tell, but I thought a little interactivity would help...

For now I'm just picking my favorites, but for the last week of November, I want some suggestions. The first seven people to comment the name of a hero character on my blogger, livejournal, or deviantart, I'll use those characters for the last seven days of the month. It can be from any medium, just follow this definition:

"a male or female character, (fictional or historical) that, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self-sacrifice – that is, heroism – for some greater good, originally of martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence."

Get to commentin'!


.....All that being said, I had to "cheat" today... I was really busy, so I'm posting something drawn about a year ago, but new to the blog at least! See ya tomorrow! ~

This is a 'graphic' version of Spider-Man I created for The Spectacular Spider-Man. You can catch him whiz by in the show main titles!

This came about because the director, Victor Cook, wanted to use a few shots with a graphic look, to fit with the hip, flashy feel of the theme song... sort of like the end credits on The Incredibles. I also did some graphic backgrounds which I'll post another day.

I feel very fortunate to get the chance to do this design-- it's a little weird for a show painter to contribute something like this, but Vic fought for me and Sean was cool with the idea. My goal was to create something very flat and gestural, while honoring the incredible design Sean came up with for the show... his take on Spidey was an instant classic, and definitely the best Spidey to hit the networks!

This design is also a bit of history for me; other than a game I had worked on last year, this was my first full leap into the line-less look! This design took me quite a while to pare down to the essentials, but it quickly got me hooked on the style that I'm playing with now.

Master Shifu

A quick one today, in honor of Kung Fu Panda, which just came out on video; and Master Shifu, my favorite of the designs by master designer Nicolas Marlet.

This film is really solid after a second viewing, and is one of my favorite animated movies... there are just so many cool things they did with it, alternating from broad comedy to drama and really pulling it off as an action film.

The 2-D openers and closers are incredible, and had an influence on what I'm doing with my work now... a big part of me wished the whole 88 minutes had looked like that! I'm really hoping it is a sign of things to come-- painting became more expressive after photography was invented, so hopefully 3-D animation gives 2-D a chance to breathe and explore new ground.

Black Canary

The third thug to make that "It ain't over..." joke got a nice close view of the giant glass wall.

~

A Brave Samurai Warrior

These were done at a drawing workshop I've been visiting called The Drawing Club. The theme was "Samurai".

If you are an artist in the LA area this is a great weekly break to do some fun drawing... check out thedrawingclub.com There's three hours of short poses every week with a new theme, a costumed model and props... they even have music and movie footage playing that go along with the theme! Great for people in animation or comics, or anyone who would like to incorporate a story sense into your figure practice.

I have a few more of these posted at my deviantart page.

History in the Making

"This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice." - President-Elect Barack Obama

These two guys (and their team) just finished what has to be one of the most amazing campaigns ever. Not only was Obama's very candidacy historic with great implications of opportunity and equality-- but from day one, the campaign was run with outstanding efficiency, interactivity, not to mention honesty and humility. Under a barrage of attacks that centered on minute details, took policy or statements out of context, and solicited falsehoods, the Obama campaign remained tactful and level-headed. When their opponents dwelled on non-issues, or won people over with impish winking, folksy shout-outs and handyman mascots, they remained on-message with the sobriety a Presidential race deserves.

I've never been that interested in politics-- but for me, and I think a lot of other people, this time was different. Barack Obama has inspired us to think big, he dared to present common sense goals like ambition and service, and maybe most importantly, invited people to get involved; a spirit I wanted to capture here. Obama's the headliner (and should be) but Biden also impressed me with his candor, grasp of policy, and ability to take an outlandish question (or an opponent who wouldn't answer one) and return a blend of frustration and humor that got the point across in a friendly way. They strike you as two guys who don't play around with politics, but are willing to work with you, no matter where you're coming from.

The message of responsibility and optimism worked... we woke up Wednesday with the hope that soon, if all goes well-- we will approach the world as neighbors again -- government will be more accessible and sensible -- students can get a tax break for college by volunteering for peaceful service -- migrating to new energy will not topple the economy but bolster it -- and we'll have a president who tackles the issues of the day AND honors equality, community, and innovation.

Of course, the race was close, and there are a lot of people that woke up unhappy today... I'm praying that they remember this country is built on the freedom for all people to be represented-- and that they don't forget that just reading a quote, hearing a sound bite, or getting an enthusiastic warning from a trusted leader or a radio host, should never completely define your opinion of a man. We all have the ability, and the responsibility, to seek out the facts on our own, and let those unaltered truths shape our mindset.

It's going to be a tough road ahead, but hopefully the challenges will be healthy ones in the long run.

Congratulations gentlemen... we were all proud Americans, you just reminded us we could be excited to be Americans. too.

Wonder Woman

Racer X

Obi-Wan

Hey, if it isn't Mr. Lecture himself. (Or is that Sir Lecture?)

The Scarlet Speedster