blender practice

As I need more modeling experience and samples- I decided to look at Blender 2.68a and use the dynamic topology feature as a start for modeling a funny face mask.   I found out that the dynamic topology works on Zero Level subdivision surfaces only and will model faceted planes into shape using the brush tools.   I decided to take an image I mocked up in Sketchbook Pro of a silly face as a reference and start with that.  I did not want it super clean at start due to retopping, so you could say this was a retopping test-.
I need a lot more practice to understand face topology and edge flow, but doing a stylized funny face is more forgiving than a realistic one. After retopping half the head, I mirrored it and merge the center vertices. I then took my retopped surface and subdivided to level 4 in the modifier section. My last bit was to clean up the surface  by smoothing many surface irregularities in sculpt mode. I also need to practice describing my process clearer.  Oh,well here it is...

trying to re-connect

I think i am in a midlife crisis- I am trying to reconnect to the first efforts to be a cartoonist. What gave me the drive to fill loads of sketchbooks with funny faces and images, what gives me the drive to want to create animations and cartoons, before the hype of being a graphic artists... Just being that cartoony guy and wanted to go to the next step and being excited about it... I just  saw a animated movie on Amazon called the Last Unicorn (1982)... I had seen this in the show before I hit college and thought is was the cleanest and coolest animation at the time I had ever seen- enough to rival Disney... It inspired me so much I was drawing unicorns everywhere ( kind of uncool for a male).  I remember getting requests in high school to draw unicorns for some girls in class (cool factor returning).. I researched the movie and it was a Rankin and Bass movie directed by Jules Bass and animated by the company Topcraft-that eventually was bought out by Studio Gibli- I believe the same design staff did the Hobbit  and Lord of the Rings.  When I looked at it I first wanted to be a cartoon artist working in film before comics and I felt since I did not have the traditional animation school training that I would be set aside to do funny pictures but just as a hobby... But for some reason, I am still drawing.  This suggests that there may not be an end for me unless I want it to end... Soo I am going to keep trying to make my dreams come true even though others think I can't and won't... "The only person that can tell you you can't is yourself- so keep drawing and growing"

redo's away

okay I wanted to color up another sketch done previously- this time I used sketchbook pro 6- I am planning on offering up some sketchbooks in the next comic convention in Detroit and  I won't see this sketch image again so here is my tribute

color again

I wanted to re-color this  profile image of an native american princess and mix the styles  of  comic lines with rendered shapes- I used the flatting layers to control the rendered layers with selections... I tried to keep the rendered shapes clean and polygonal. I wanted to identify sides of the form and blend only to make rounded forms and keep  contrasting forms unblended... So here it is...

taking a sketch break

I am trying to work on a 10 page comic entry for Anthology for Detroit Tradecraft . I am sitting up an watching one of my favorite anime series- High School of The Dead... and wanted to do a quick color anime head sketch.  I did this in sketchbook pro 6- hope you like it- back to the grind...

Learning to really see again,

I tried to do a likeness of a gorgeous hip hop model (Tomika Skanes) as a test to see if I have problems with my skill or my eye.  What I found out is that I really do not take the time to really see what I am looking at.  As an comic artist we are told to accentuate, spin and revise on what we know.  But our first step should be to see then do the rest. So, I decided to cheat by just tracing the hard lines and place the image side by side to my drawing and see if I could copy the rendering of tones.  My first realization is that it is not line that defines the face.  It is tone and the direction of shading flow and placement of darks that drives the form.  I learned I am getting better with my rendering but have a long way to go to identify placement of high lights and shadow to render form and ultimately catch character.  I found out that painters figured it out that layers of various tones  builds a face up- even in monochromatic fashion.  As an artist I tend to see in toon-shading with 2-4 variations of tone and the human face has at least 8 if not more combinations to achieve form- Ie I need to re-assess how I look at things and not be so lazy to capture....My big future challenge now is to accurately render shapes in proper proportion and angle.. I had to keep tweeking the eyes to make them stare into the camera and even now it looks funny- oh well- have to keep working

happy holiday greetings

I sent this out today as my poor man's holiday greetings- I did it in photoshop of a smart element made in illustrator from a photo- since the true work is in the rendering not the proportions- it was good practice on spotting colors and blending them- still have a lot of work to do but its a start- maybe after a hundred of these I will be comfortable about rendering... oh well- here it is