How to Train a Turkey

How to Train a Turkey

day 1: Jimnie (medium) ballpoint pen on paper (W.I.P.)

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day 2: Jimnie (medium) ballpoint pen on paper (W.I.P.)

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day 3: Jimnie (medium) ballpoint pen on paper (W.I.P.)

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day 4: Sharpie (ultra fine/twin/chisel tip) permanent marker on paper (W.I.P.)

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day 5: Chartpak (chisel tip) colour markers, Sharpie (ultra fine) permanent colour markers & Sharpie (extra fine) water based white marker on paper

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Wanted to put together a sketch demo. Last year around this time I had done a sketch of a turkey around Thanksgiving (Canadian) on the iPad, this time I thought I'd do it on paper. Based off a Tim Flach photograph, my intentions were to have no game plan going into this exercise. I wanted to spread the work out through the week, never putting in too much time during each session. The initial base for the drawing was done using a Jimnie (medium) ballpoint pen. Lately I've been sketching more with pens to remove the crutch of an eraser while sketching. I prefer using a ballpoint pen because I'm able to control the line density and opacity more so that with a felt tip. I used the ballpoint from outline to full crosshatching. I've never used a ballpoint to that extent and found that the drawback to using one is the amount of pressure needed to be exerted to create dense line work can affect and/or damage the surface of the paper. Because of that setback I wasn't able to obtain enough contrast. On day 4 I decided to finish off the crosshatching using Sharpie permanent markers. To finish it off I was contemplating using chisel tip colour markers (wash) or fine point colour markers (hatching), and decided at the end to use both. Also using a white acrylic marker to bring back some highlights and definition.

Yet Another Totoro

Yet Another Totoro

Totoro (character design by Hayao Miyazaki) - graphite

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One of my favorite characters to draw, because the shapes are so simple that proportion is the key. He's basically a big oval with arrows on his head. Been wanting to show texture with his fur. In earlier posts I had used a looping pattern for shading fur. This time I was referencing a Tim Flach photograph of a panda bear from his book "More Than Human", and decided to shade with contour hatching. Great book by the way if you want beautiful references of animal skin/fur/scales textures.

A Toy Story

A Toy Story

mixed media: pen & digital

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This is a character design sheet for Danielle Ameen of Treefort Five - plush designer. I had backed Treefort Five's Kickstarter campaign which had a pledge option to have a plush custom made based on my own design. I decided to use an existing character - Mr. Muchacho! with a few design modifications for a plush (subject to further changes). Can't wait to see what she does with it!

Dumbo

Dumbo

pen & marker

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Do or Do Not

Do or Do Not

digital media: Procreate app on iPad

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Another drawing test using the Procreate app on the iPad. I wanted to keep the sketch fairly loose, close to a scribble. And play with the hilights like I would when sketching with a liquid white out pen on ink. It was comfortable working in this technique as it feels somewhat familiar. I think i've found my prefered style for drawing on the iPad, but I'll continue exploring other methods.

Gobble Gobble...eh?

Gobble Gobble...eh?

step 3: digital media: Procreate app on iPad

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step 2: digital media: Procreate app on iPad (unfinished)

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step 1: digital media: Procreate app on iPad (unfinished)

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My tribute to Canadian Thanksgiving was inspired by my desire to test out drawing on the new iPad using the Procreate app with a third party "Macally" stylus. The hardware (iPad/stylus) does not support pressure sensitivity. When compared with drawing on a Wacom tablet or Cintiq, the iPad lacks refinement and accuracy. The app "Procreate", is the best I've used on the iPad. But saying that, it still has a ways to go.

Moor or Less...

Moor or Less...

step 4: digital media: Photoshop

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step 3: digital media: Photoshop (unfinished)

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step 2: digital media: Photoshop (unfinished)

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step 1: digital media: Photoshop (unfinished)

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Another design created for the serigraph printing workshop. This one is based off a design created for a tattoo 10 years back, a Black Moor goldfish. It was always meant as a silhouette, but I've wanted to play around with the detailing of fish scales. I had started off with the traditional flat asian tattoo style of overlapping scales. But decided to try something a bit different while incorporating the circle motifs of the bubbles. Which was the same reason why I had gone with a round background stabilizer as opposed to the rectangular one. After adding colour the blue was too intense, and decided to break it up with the radiating lines within. Helped to balance out the negative spacing within the fish as well.

Serigraff-iti

Serigraff-iti

Mr. Trooper - mixed media

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Just signed up for a serigraph printing workshop at a local studio called La Bourgeoise Serigraphie. The course requires us to supply our own design (2-3 colours) which will be printed on any surface/textile of our choosing, up to a maximum size of 8.5" X 11". For this I wanted to try a few designs which incorporate a heavy graphic element. One of which is this design based on the Imperial Stormtrooper character design by the late great Ralph McQuarrie for Star Wars. I'm a fan of stencil graffiti art for its pop/comedic sensibilites and strong imagery. The image was composed of 2 photographs which I had shot. One was from a wedding, the other was from the Star Wars Identities exhibiton. I'll let you figure out which was which.

My Angry Neighbor...

My Angry Neighbor...

Totoro (character design by Hayao Miyazaki) - graphite

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Wanted to experiment with trying to draw Totoro in my own style...that is if I actually had a definitive "my own style". I have a few drawing styles depending on the subject matter (i.e. life/realism, cartoon, comics). I didn't go that far off from Hayao's original design. Wanted to give him a bit of an attitude in facial expression, so along with that I decided to add sharp angles in his design with the fur and the more angular arrow patterns on his chest. I'll try to see if I can go more stylized next time.

Master of Muppets

Master of Muppets

Elmo (character design by Jim Henson) - graphite

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Cookie Monster (character design by Jim Henson) - graphite

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Super Grover (character design by Jim Henson) - graphite

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Decided that I'll attempt to draw Elmo, Cookie Monster and Super Grover some time in the near future. I've never really noticed how diverse the character designs were within the Sesame Street main character lineup. Not only in color but in shape. From the furry Elmo, to the human-like Count von Count, to the googley eyed Cookie Monster (who for some reason is the only muppet with 5 fingers on each hand). I wanted to draw the characters as muppet-like as I could. Meaning that I wanted to keep them looking artificial and man-made, yet still retain the life-like mannerisms as on the show. (I reworked Elmo from the previous sketch cause he was looking a bit raggedy.) The more I researched Jim Henson and his company of puppeteers, the more I realize the great work they've done. It's amazing what they were able to do with these muppets, considering the majority of the characters do not even have a full range of facial movements or eyebrows. Especially with usually just a flap for a mouth. I've been playing around with the idea of altering the shape of their hands to be larger, and more human-like with proper articulation and joints. Should be a fun one to do!

Sunny Days...

Sunny Days...

Elmo (character design by Jim Henson) - graphite

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Cookie Monster (character design by Jim Henson) - graphite

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Super Grover (character design by Jim Henson) - graphite

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Oscar the Grouch (character design by Jim Henson) - graphite

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Bert & Ernie (character design by Jim Henson) - graphite

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Count von Count (character design by Jim Henson) - graphite

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Big Bird (character design by Jim Henson) - graphite

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Thought I should put in some time to do a few sketching exercises to practice Sesame Street characters for the nephews and niece. Besides drawing Elmo off the top of my head for the kids, I don't recall having ever drawn these characters before even as a child. (My childhood days were spent drawing Transformers and He-Man figures). Through these studies I was able to research the career and works of Jim Henson. Check out Jim Henson: The Works and Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook.

Mr. Muchacho mini MunnyWorld MegaContest entry

Mr. Muchacho mini MunnyWorld MegaContest entry

Mr. Muchacho mini Munny - Molotow acrylic markers on vinyl - Nikon D60 w/50mm Nikkor Lens - SB-600 Speedlight w/Gary Fong: Lightsphere

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Mr. Muchacho mini Munny - Molotow acrylic markers on vinyl - Nikon D60 w/50mm Nikkor Lens - SB-600 Speedlight w/Gary Fong: Lightsphere

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Added the finishing touches to the piece. Used a calligraphy pen dipped in thinned white acrylic paint to draw in the knee swirls and cape tie strings. Also cleaned up some lines, put a second coat of paint on a few areas and last but not least gave it a matte finishing coat to seal the 4" mini Munny using Krylon's Matte Finishing spray. I've entered this piece in kidrobot's MunnyWorld MegaContest. The contest also has a People's Choice Award category which you can vote by "Liking" it (click on the "Like" button for your favorite mini Munny design) here. Working on another design at the moment for a second entry. I'll be using a familiar medium and technique for my second D.I.Y.: acrylic paints/brush work. Style-wise, I'll be trying something more painterly and realistic this time around. I'll keep you posted.

On a side note, Kazuhiko Ito of Itokin Park fame checked out my blog! He was thankful for the shoutout I gave him awhile back. Can't wait for my Crazy Sparkle Lucha Bear to arrive. As of now, it's sold out.

Hoping for the Best

Hoping for the Best

Mr. Muchacho mini Munny (unfinished) - Molotow acrylic markers on vinyl - iPhone 3GS

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Mr. Muchacho mini Munny (unfinished) - Molotow acrylic markers on vinyl - iPhone 3GS

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Mr. Muchacho mini Munny (unfinished) - Molotow acrylic markers on vinyl - iPhone 3GS

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Mr. Muchacho mini Munny (unfinished) - Molotow acrylic markers on vinyl - iPhone 3GS

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Mr. Muchacho mini Munny (unfinished) - Molotow acrylic markers on vinyl - iPhone 3GS

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Mr. Muchacho mini Munny (unfinished) - Molotow acrylic markers on vinyl - iPhone 3GS

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Besides washing the Munny's pieces with dishwashing soap (can use any soap that foams), I didn't do any other prep work (gesso or sand) before working on the mini Munny. I then used a graphite pencil to draw on the vinyl toy and used the marker right on top. I put down the grays first, so that I could use the black to smooth out the outlines. The acrylic markers go on opaque, so you can use the gray on top of the black. You want to avoid reworking an area multiple times to reduce marker overlapping, to avoid acrylic paint buildup and caking. As I was progressing I noticed that the mouth I drew was a bit too low and wasn't wide enough, making him look a bit goofy. I decided to paint over it, which turned out to be a good decision. Biggest stress was to draw the straight lines for the hair on a rounded surface. There's a few imperfections, but it turned out well overall. Next step to finish off the piece is to clean up some lines, add the knee swirl marks and apply a matte finish before submitting to the kidrobot MunnyWorld MegaContest.

D.I.whY?

D.I.whY?

Digital Illustration: Adobe Photoshop.

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My attempt to conform the original character sketch to the shape of a 4" mini Munny. I decided to invert the body's black & white tones from the original sketch to balance out the head. I'm happy with how it turned out, but I'm still a bit worried about how it'll look in 3 dimensions. This will be my first attempt at customizing a toy, with a year's worth of information gathering and prep work. Because it is my first time working on a D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) Munny, I've decided to also work with acrylic paint markers as my choice of medium. Because the subject is so small, I'm hoping I'll have more control using the acrylic paint markers instead of brushes. Let's hope it works out...

Domo Arigato, Mr. Muchacho

Domo Arigato, Mr. Muchacho

Pen, marker & liquid whiteout on paper.

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A character sketch I came up with while brainstorming for a design to use in kidrobot's MunnyWorld MegaContest, which runs from April 1st till April 30th. I wanted to incorporate some of the design/style themes from my Thought Processor paper toy colorway along with my reoccuring design themes. I thought it would be interesting to use graphic elements such as the linear hatched hair, the large panda patch eyes and swirl nose on a rounded surface of a mini Munny. He was turning into a Mexican luchador wrestler with the mask-like face and cape. The boxing gloves still fit in with the Mexican fighter theme, so I added the Sumo wrestling diaper for good measure...

McBRAiiiiiiiNS!

McBRAiiiiiiiNS!

McBRAiiiiiiiNS - Photograph Nikon D60 w/18-200mm Nikkor Lens

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McBRAiiiiiiiNS - digital illustration (Adobe Illustrator)

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Pen & liquid whitout on paper

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My Thought Processor paper toy colorway from sketch to the final folded product. I had a lot of fun working on this piece. It's not meant to be a social commentary or anything. I just find Ronald McDonald kinda creepy...

Ron Zombie

Ron Zombie

Pen, marker & liquid whiteout on paper. 11" x 14"

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Submitted piece for the Thought Processor show at Camion de Pompier from now, untill March 12th.

And Red All Over

And Red All Over

step 4: Pen, marker & liquid whiteout on paper (unfinished)

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What's a zombie clown without blood? The reds balanced out the blacks pretty well. Plus I needed it for the Ronald McDonald vibe.

Black & White

Black & White

step 3: Pen, marker & liquid whiteout on paper (unfinished)

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step 2: Pen & marker on paper (unfinished)

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Worked out the blacks and came in with a Pentel fine point correction pen for detailing.

Marker base

Marker base

step 1: Pen & marker on paper (unfinished)

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For the illustration portion of my Thought Processor submission, I decided to work in pen and liquid whiteout on 100lbs hot compress watercolor paper. Starting with a loose base marker sketch using a Letraset Promarker cool grey, before going in with a fine tip Sharpie.