Showing posts with label art project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art project. Show all posts

Sunday, May 23, 2010

I can dream of ways to keep you occupied


7 new Between Gears pages in the last week!

I'm going back and finishing November and December, so check the site often, because I will place pages in their proper order in the archives after they have been up for a week, and then they will be hard to find.

Obviously I have more time to work on BG now that the thesis and Over the Surface are over, but another great breakthrough that has allowed me to update more often is that I am penciling with blue lead now instead of graphite. With non-photo blue pencils, I can ink over them and NOT erase! It's wonderful. I used to have to ink my pages again after erasing pencils, because the eraser would fade the ink pretty badly, but no more! Pages take a lot less time to make, which means more pages, faster! (^^)b

Last week, I counted all of the pages I need to make for BG and all of the pages that I have made so far. I am at just about 1/3 of the pages done, which is actually a lot better than I thought! I am starting a big project in August, and I would really, REALLY like to finish BG before I start that. I want to have a complete narrative of my senior year from September - June, and I think that the next couple months are the best window I will have to finish it for quite a while.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Baby to be #1, you've got to raise the bar


(Materials test for an upcoming anthology story)

I've been working on many new projects since finishing Over the Surface chapter 2, mostly illustrations and short comics. When I am between long comics, I often get feelings of aimlessness or dissatisfaction. I want my next project to be a marked improvement on the last one. I do a lot of art exercises and think about what I want to work on for next time.

During the interval this time around, I've been looking at tons of art from talented people and feeling down about my own abilities. There are so so SO many things I can't do yet that other artists have been doing for years. Today, I remembered something that made me feel better: nobody can do or be it all. The artists that I admire are all extremely talented, but I am holding myself to a standard made up of the best parts of each of them--something that just doesn't exist.

I used to do the same thing with actresses and models I wanted to look like: subconsciously combine the best traits of each of them into this idealized person who, in truth, did not exist, probably could not exist, and was unfair to compare myself to. If I held anyone else to the standard I have made of this eclectically all-talent artist, even the most brilliant artists wouldn't live up to it.

No one can be everything, and we have to just focus on cultivating our own brand of talent. That's not to say there isn't a LOT that I can learn from my favorite artists or that I don't have a long way to go in my art studies, but I need to cut myself some slack when I start thinking, "Augh, why can't I ink like this person AND lay out pages like that person AND color like that person AND..."

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Side note: has anyone read the picture book Grasper?? I read it in elementary school and it is definitely one of the ones that stuck with me. It's about intervals in life when you have an opportunity to grow.

Friday, January 8, 2010

I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly

Begun, the thesis final art has. I penciled the first page today, tackling two establishing shots of Ava's village. I'm happy with the pencils but nervous for the inks.

Have some sketcheray:

Monday, November 30, 2009

You make the whole world wanna dance

Random sketch from last month:


From a derailed attempt to make a new self-portrait for various websites:


And more sketches from Sydney Starts a Riot:

Why do they congregate in groups of four?

I give my thesis prospectus presentation today in class, so last night was a scanning frenzy as I tried to get all of my sketches and thumbnails into my PowerPoint file. I thought I would share what I have so far for my thesis comic here as well:

The early stuff:





The male lead, Victor, went through SO MANY CHANGES. I tried looking for inspiration in actors from the 20s, 30s, and 40s, but I can't draw those slicked back hairstyles!! Now he looks like pop star Shaggy, but at least I can draw him consistently.





A side character. He's quite fun to draw.


And more...




This is random, but I like it.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Without compassion, there can be no end to hate

On vacation, with my family, thinking about all of the things I'm thankful for. Right now, I'm really thankful that I'm not going to school tomorrow morning. :P

Freelance project editing and flatting all weekend, a little Between Gears tomorrow, and a Catwoman commission this weekend! So excited! And I made 2 Christmas gifts this week~ I love the plotting and planning of Christmas, haha. Being sneaky in order to put something nice together for your friends is fun. <3

I give my thesis prospectus presentation on Monday. The paper ended up being 23 pages, so I'm not sure how many people will read it beforehand! 0___0 Wish me luck! I have a PowerPoint presentation with maybe 20 words and 50 images. It should keep people awake? xD;

Monday, November 23, 2009

You just keep me hanging on



Wish me luck on inking and coloring these pages! For only then can there be Between Gears pages...

Friday, November 13, 2009

Hana ya ki ya kotori no kotoba o anata ni mo oshiete agetai

Sketch duuuuuuuump.

Watercolors from the thesis comic:

Aaaaaand we have achieved male lead!!!!

He has an egg head.

Other sketches from the past couple of months:





Sunday, November 8, 2009

You and me are the same

Some watercolor impressions of my own:



Ava watercolor by ~Tallychyck on deviantART
New character for thesis script. We'll see how it develops.


Character watercolor by ~Tallychyck on deviantART
Trying to decide whether I like ink or pencil better for this type of art. Sadly, I think I have ruled out watercoloring the thesis comic...it is too many new elements in an already short time period.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

"You're out living it up today, I've got dues to pay"


Middleman, rag doll, Keyboard Cat, and Bad Robot


With 'off the res' Emi

I had a FAB Halloween weekend in Portland, Medicine Fridaying myself back to health, sketching it up with sketchgroup, cheering on the Ducks to glorious victory, and, cough, blacking out at Halloween on Hawthorne. Now I'm back at school, and things just keep getting gradually busier!

Still working on most of the same art projects, with Wonder Woman and Monsters & Dames squared away, a new commission for next month, and that children's book project for school. Between Gears needs to kick into gear and catch up, but since it comes after my paid work, that's just got to wait a little longer. Still, there were 5 new pages yesterday if you missed it.

It's also time to write the story that I want to turn into a comic for my senior thesis. I present my prospectus on November 30, so time is short to research, write, and practice. I have 10 books checked out, with 10 more waiting for me at the library. Since 'research' is reading Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics and The Art of Howl's Moving Castle, I don't mind at all. :P

I'm still applying for JET, little by little, and allllmost have all of my outside forms gathered, which is the most stressful part.

I'm stressed out by all of these moving parts (oh yeah, and there's CLASS, too), but each area is fun in its own right. Got to keep a tight schedule and make sure that everything happens on time and WELL!

Friday, October 30, 2009

One: Cut a hole in the box

I had some extra time tonight, so I made my Halloween costume (I'm going to be the Bad Robot mascot). Observe:

So, seriously, step 1 is cut a hole in the box:



Iz just mai size!



Modifying the form: the bad robot has a little wedge nose, and as hard as I looked, I couldn't find anything this shape. I cut and bent cardboard into a wedge and duct taped it in place, then paper mached over it to make a solid shape.



Paper mache!! Strips of newspaper dipped into the mush (2 parts Elmer's glue, 1 part hot water) and laid to dry on the form.



Other details: cutting ping pong balls in half for the eyes and duct taping magnetic 'bolts' to my shirt.





Then painting:



Finally, assembly! Super glue for the magnet 'bolts', duct tape for the pipe cleaner spring.



And a little sharpie for edge effects.



Eh? Ehh? I have silver pipecleaner in bands around my neck as well, and then a solid skirt and heels. Use your imagination, and...


BAD WOBOT! 8D

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

So make a move cause I ain't got all night

There's a nice article up on Neighborhood Notes today by Jamie Rich. He interviews Wonder Woman Day founder and organizer Andy Mangels, current Wonder Woman artist Aaron Lopresti, Emi Lenox, and myself about Wonder Woman, the charity, and the art that we contributed.

I am trying to draw as much as humanly possible today. Recruitment is over, but school continues to kill my drawing time day after day, and my very good friend Molly will be visiting and having super fun times with me this weekend. Art must happen today!!!

So far today, I've inked a few pages from the project I am doing with Jake Ingman. Next is Between Gears, then some more coloring on the Monsters & Dames piece. Lately, I feel like I'm getting nowhere, no matter how many hours I find for art, but I am going to change that! Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, lalalalalala~

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Pictures came and broke your heart

Previews from a current project:


I am finally ready to ink this story after an embarrassingly long pencil stage. The author is as yet unpublished in comics, and I think that he will really blow people away with this story.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

I've got no reason for the state I'm in

Posting this from my new laptop, woohoo! Set up all the basic settings + internet today, hope to get through installing my software and transferring all of my files over this weekend. Usually my dad does this for me and lets me watch, but while he's in the hospital I might as well implement what I've learned. Let's hope I don't fuck up too badly :P

I finished putting together a story proposal earlier this week. It feels great to clear that off the table for a while. On my plate now: 15-page comic commission, acrylic portrait, 5-page anthology story. It never ends, and I wouldn't want it to~

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Butter me up, I'm on a roll!

The toaster people are ready~~ 8D

When/in what form they'll be available TBD. And since I know you're all curious what I would look like as one: