Finished Artworks and WIPs

I just got finished with two artworks this week.  This one...



"Bring Me Home" done in Photoshop.

  Took me almost a month to complete in Photoshop.  This piece...

"Warthog" done in graphite pencil and charcoal.


Took me a day and a half to complete.

Both look great and I'm proud to create such beautiful artworks. I saw how my skills in art develop over time, how years of practice and study become second nature, and how it all comes down on pen and paper...

And now dragons!!!

Back from Very long break

Sorry for disappearing, I was caught up in final exams and essays for a time and it was becoming difficult update this blog.  Next time, I'll post something to give you guys a heads up on how long I will be unavailable.

Anyway, my final year at Georgia Highlands is over!  I can't wait to arrive at SCAD and get into animation in the Fall.  I'm so excited!!!  In the meantime, over this summer I'm thinking about applying to art festivals, selling prints, and working on commissions.  If I decide to do commissions I post an announcement on my DeviantArt profile, one on Sketching With Reckless Abandon blog, and I'll create a separate page for my art on Facebook.

And now some sketches:
(sorry for the shadows...the school scanner was too small for my sketchbook)

Angel concept. I'm going for wild-like and untamed creature.

Experiment on the spine line (look on the back). It helps in deciding how the subject would pose or move.

Warthogs are awesome!

My classmate and friend, Hanna, wanted me to draw her as a lizard/dragon.

A character in development. Not sure about the wings.

Bunny Rabbit with extra arms and sharp claws.

WIPs and artistic Links

I've been around blogger and found a large arts and animation community. Check some of these out:

Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes

by Mike Corriero and Jennifer G. Oliver

This blog features character and creature design, tutorials, interviews of concept artists and illustrators, and more. I found their posts helpful in inventing my own creatures.


Thinking Animation

by Angie Jones and Jamie Oliff

This blog focuses on all forms of animation, including traditional, digital, stop-motion, and puppetry. The blog have videos of these animations.

Cartoon Brew

by Jerry Beck and Amid Amidi

Cartoon Brew reviews cartoons, upcoming animated films and TV shows, and animated shorts. Like Thinking Animation, this blog show case different forms of animation including commercials and experimental animation. They even have a their own BrewTV, consisting of animated shorts from different artists.

And now WIPs (warning, last one is NSFW):

These are for a portfolio.  The first two I nearly lost because Photoshop froze on me and I didn't save the picture before I had to force stop the program. Luckily, majority of the art was outlined in blue and I screen-captured it.

Before Photoshop froze.

After Photoshop froze. (bad quality due to capture)

Need help on the hands, but everything else looks good. (no more freezing ok, Photoshop?)

Ancient art dump from my younger years....

 From the dusty piles of boxes full of dusty old artwork I bring you...

...a bad drawing of a cat person from almost ten years ago?

So yeah, old as dirt surviving artwork showing off my tween's knowledge of anatomy, style, composition, and what not.  But the art gets better, I swear, my most recent posts are proof!

Oh...why did I choose to shove my characters to one side of the page?!

For some odd reason, he's still my favorite character.

This is what Vistalgia's forerunners looked like.

Anatomy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So many errors still!

Anatomy still!!!!!!!!!!!!

Later, I learned how to ink my characters and they have slightly better anatomy.

Old Character with a tragic back story...

I love bugs, mostly praying mantises. Her concept is based of them.

Before Vistalgia there was Gothica.

Isn't the coloring great in this picture?

What about this one?

Why I keep adding wings to every thing?

Anatomy!!!!!

He's angry about the way I drew him. Deal it, tigerman.

Later still, I started working with color pencils. And I got better. (2005-2007)

Vistalgia's design inspired by the (fail) movie, Eragon. The only thing I liked about that movie was

Saphira's design...everything else was fail.

Vistalgia's character design development.

This was what I thought that dragons in heaven looked like. (I'm glad I changed the design to something else)

Remember Drew, this is more tragic brother with a even more tragic back story. Oh, furry angst.

Some alien cat thing with a unpronounceable name.

Another cat alien thing.

 More recent stuff. (2008-2009)

From my creature hand-sketch-book.

Better color pencil coloring.

Beautiful blue bird.

Phoenix character for a story.

Based off of snails.

Vistalgia again.

More focused on still life during this time.

My hand was sore after I finished this.

Still life was boring....so I went surreal.

So there you go, I learned from my mistakes, studied life, imagined stuff, and looked back on how far I come from this:

......

 To this:

Still having trouble with anatomy but I got better in this one. 

What inspired this post: Boxed Artwork comic by Andrew Dobson

Goblins Galore

Been drawing goblins all week. I'm experimenting on exaggerating the nose, mouth, ears, and facial hair on these guys. Some came out pretty cool looking...

Here I'm playing around with their faces, mostly with their noses. I like the mean-looking one.

(old picture) A she-goblin with an insane curly hairdo.

I really like this guy. He looks sweet and kind. A possible character in the future?!

Another one I like.  Looks like a risk-taker.

Female goblin anatomy. One big toe for feet, thick tails, and hair everywhere.

I like the nose and ears on this one.

Another she-goblin with a long chin and short hair. And kick-tail attitude.