Behind the Scenes: Cartoon Tests

I've been working out an idea today, which is a variation on my cartoon style, but instead of  the usual ink, or digital, I'm doing it in black colored pencil and blue art sticks. The style I'm shooting for is reminiscent of the soft black & white children's book illustrations of the mid-century, such as those of the legendary, Syd Hoff. You might not think it, but one of the most important choices I've had to make to get the look I want is the choice of paper. To make a long story short, I did three versions on different types of paper to see which one looks the best. So now, without further ado, I present the three test versions.

#1 Charcoal Paper

#2 Cream Tinted Drawing Paper

#3 Cream Manila Drawing Paper

After playing the "Three Bears Game"—this one's too lumpy, this one's too smooth . . .—the one I'm happiest with is #3, the cream manila drawing paper. It's got a nice soft texture and an old school feel, you might even say an "antiqued" look to it. The funny thing is, that I found this paper at Goodwill, and parts of the top sheet were sun-faded, so it had obviously been around for a while. I'll probably never be able to find it again, in fact, after this test, I've only got 47 sheets of it left, which will be fine for this project, but what about the next one? I'll figure something out. If nothing else, I can always scan a blank piece of it and use as a texture for future digital art, so I'll at least be able to use it that way.

Thanks for stopping by.
Cheers!

Behind the Scences: Rejected Pinup Sketches

On occasion I get the impression that some folks think that those of us in the art field just sit down and whip out masterpieces left and right. I think the reason for this is that most people only see the the finished product, and not all the sketches and rough drafts that go into the process. In truth, even the old masters would labor over the composition, the angle of an arm, or even a basic hand gesture. The only master I have ever heard of who didn't do tons of preparatory drawings and sketches was Caravaggio, he would just start painting. Of course, he was pretty close to insane; fantastic artist, but he truly was a crazy son-of-a-bitch. Now that I've wandered clear off into left field, let me get back to my point, which is that even the sketches that don't make the cut have a certain value. They pave the way for the finished product, which in this case is a pinup girl that I am doing for a client, Hellbetty Jewelry. For now I can't show the sketches of the final pinup girl until my client has launched all of the material I'm creating, which will be soon, so check back for that. In the meantime,  I can show you these three sketches that helped me get to the final version. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers!

This one had a lot of promise, but unfortunately her pose is just too static for a good pinup.

I was also pleased with this one for many reasons, and her pose is much better, but in the end she still wasn't the right one.

At one point I thought this one was actually the winner, but halfway through it became clear that she simply wasn't working out, so I had to start over.