Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Character study (late, I know!)

When I create a new character for a story or an artwork I tend to study who they are.  I think about them every day, I imagine them in dramatic or funny situations, or I just stare at their drawings just to see...emotion, intelligence, and whatnot.  I become a stalker of my own characters, recording every single aspect of their daily adventures in another world

When I create a written version of a character's adventures, I explore their lives, the people around them, their religious or atheist beliefs, hardships, family, culture, moments of joy and happiness, and other things that add up to a living feeling character.  There are times when I create more than one story for a single character, for example, my character Vistalgia currently have four stories and one of them I decided to develop for a future comic.  Having multiple stories for a single character is good but this can quickly become confusing when developing a back story that works best for that character.

The last thing I want in my story is a bunch of nonsense plot-holes on a series of characters, especially the main character.  Writing notes or a series of short story helps avoid major plot-holes and other inconsistencies.  Organizing character's stories and designs will help in keeping track of who they are.

Anyway, hopefully all that artist/writer lingo makes sense. Here's an old example of what I'm talking about:

(Note: The following may or may not make sense, have any connection with the Mult (future comic), or even have proper grammar.)

Thoughts on Johnovia©
Ideas by Amari Harkness
Onundav, 3rd , 5009
            Journal of World Tracker and Empiroplanetnologist Krillvony…

            So, here I am, looking over the lands that once was a great mighty planet kingdom…or pieces of it. Hey, all the other kingdoms and realms would be so jealous of her blessings: the abundance of forests and creatures, the clear light purple sky and blue clouds, perfect weather year round, and so much land and water. Now, Johnovia is just a tragic victim of a Dilyefilla gone astray from its distant home, the Outer Walls.
There is only one muliverse, an enormous universe with many little universes inside of it, in existence. Our muliverse, Engu.  Surrounding Engu, there is Chaos, or the Johnovians call their creator god, AllTime. Keeping Engu safe from the randomness and the chaotic nature of AllTime is the Outer Walls. Within the Outer Walls is the Inner Walls. Within the Inner Walls are universes, realms, and worlds; the Inner Walls keeps them safe from the Outer Walls' vacuum… normally.
The people of Johnovia didn't know about the Dilyefilla, the Inner or Outer Walls. They didn't know that once every hundred years or so Dilyefilli, fragments of AllTime's power, would break out from the Outer Walls and into the Inner Walls of time and space. And from there, one or two or maybe even twenty Dilyefilli passes by their opposites, the Illifeylid, and make their way into the universes in the Inner Walls. One just happens to hit Johnovia's universe. This sort of event is completely unpredictable, even the Channels of AllTime wouldn't see it coming. Johnovia didn't see it coming.
What are even more unpredictable are the effects of the impact or the entry of a Dilyefilla. Anything can happen when it made close enough to a universe, from changing the universe's natural laws to transforming the organic inhabitants into metal or liquid. Sometimes if two Dilyefilli hit a universe simultaneously, they turn it inside out, hurling any living and nonliving thing in to the mercy of the Illifeylid of the Inner Walls.  In Johnovia's case, the Dilyefilla entered the universe without doing anything harmful at all until it hits a planet or a star.
Johnovia was so lucky that AllTime made it a utopian planet that lasted for billions and millions of years, yet so unlucky to be in the path of the most random and destructive force in the entire Engu… it makes me wonder, why? The Johnovians had great faith in AllTime, they conquered planets and realms in his name, discovered new technologies and cures, built an empire spading several hundred dimensions, and they gave all the credit to Him. But, why did AllTime allow the destruction of Johnovia?
Sigh, maybe He got tired of them or left them. Or He stayed and watched them suffer.
…
Or maybe He gave them a challenge, a challenge that if they make out of this alive…maybe if they are still alive…or even still exist…
I-I don't know. Silly idea. There is no way they are still alive. Then again, I might be wrong…
____________________________________________________________


This example is an experimentation on a character named Krillvony.  Here I'm using him to explore a lost world through his point of view.  From this short essay I can tell that Krillvony is some type of archaeologist studying the remains of a long lost civilization.  He is troubled about his findings on Johnovia especially on how the civilization died out.

However, Krillvony's character is still in the works.  I must continue studying his character to make him more than what's presented above. (Does he have a family, where does he work, why this job, etc.)

Monday, June 27, 2011

Art block, Big No!

So late in the day, but I managed to post this!

I recently had trouble getting some art done due to artist's block and a sudden increase of summer laziness.  I decided to go back to studying human anatomy and animal anatomy for inspiration.  It's hard to continue drawing when there is no new material to form new ideas.  Drawing the same thing over and over again becomes stale and boring and this invites laziness, fear, and a dangerous comfort zone that will damage my skills.

An artistic Apocalypse...

Even though practice needs repetition, it also needs fresh additions of new challenges to evolve one's skills.

Anyway, there is no sketches today...instead I'll post artistic links:

Underwater Sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor
Go check this guy out!  Jason deCaires Taylor is interested in the relationship between art and the enviorment.  He creates beautiful and haunting sculptures and places them underwater.  It's interesting to see how the sea live interacts with his artwork.

DuttonArt-Words and Pictures by Mike Dutton
You might have seen his children's book illustrations or one of his Google doodles before.  Dutton also have an online comic, One Swoop Fell.

Ruth Thompson's Tarnished Images
Thompson's beautiful artwork features dragons, fairies, angels, and other mystical creatures.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

I'm still here and I have WIPs

Sorry for the short hiatus.  I just got caught up in...Life.  I'm going to try to update on Mondays and Tuesdays for the rest of this summer until August.  


Anyway, I recently began watching a very odd show called Oddities on Science Channel.  It's based on the Obscura antiques and oddities shop in New York city and it's owned by Mike Zohn and Evan Michelson.  They sell and buy strange antiques including medical equipment, rare collectibles, and taxidermy.  I love this show for not just for stranger than strange objects but for the strange artists that come to the shop.  There was an artist who paint with his blood, another artist who create artworks from animal skulls, and one who explores different the different body part of the human body.  These artists are taking risks and taboos that others would have avoided and it's interesting to see how they take something grotesque like bones and blood into beautiful works of art.

And now WIPS:

I had a little trouble inking this in Photoshop.  I might try doing traditional inking with pen instead.

Here I'm trying to practice with color in Photoshop.

Character design for Vistalgia without wings.

Character desigh for Segieran (name pending...) I just got started studying his character by writing a short story about him. By doing that, I see how he reasons and interacts with the world around him.  I'll do the same with Vistalgia later on.

Friday, May 20, 2011

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!!!



Friday, May 13, 2011

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.

Friday, April 8, 2011

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?)

Friday, March 25, 2011

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

Friday, March 18, 2011

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.