KING OF PAINT

[full size]

Here's a sketch I made for a graff store in Bristol called King of Paint. They have an exclusive sketchbook that they get people to sketch in. I can't wait to see what's new in there next time. Here's their website, and here's their blog.

It's been a while since I've drawn anything at A3 size. It was pretty fun!

Random starred Google Reader post of the day:

http://fuckyeahladywriters.tumblr.com/post/3363943543/in-between-freezing-and-melting-in-between-love

RIP Eagles Initiative...

So. Comics.

I've mentioned this one before, and here it is in all it's uh, 6-page glory. This was pretty fun to do, and I learnt a whole load from the experience. It may be a little confusing (it's the classic, 'too much story, too little time or understanding of what the audience will understand' routine), but I hope you enjoy it. Originally made for a competition called the Eagles Initiative with the chance to get feedback from a bunch of professionals and have your work published in an anthology, unfortunately the whole competition fell through. Looks like it's just you and me, comics!

If you look at something like this, you'll see something that my comic doesn't do- Stokoe adds just a couple extra panels which if you strictly thought it through may not be necessary, but they make the whole thing much clearer.

Random starred Google Reader post:

http://beautifuldecay.com/2011/06/07/chie-aoki-human-growth/

In absence of work I'm allowed to show (although I might show a bit soon anyway), here's some life drawing and painting from the past little while. Throughout uni, my life drawing was a lot more structured than sessions I went to before, and so while I've undoubtedly learnt more, I think I've also developed a habit of overthinking obervational drawing, and forgetting to just relax and enjoy myself. Both in my observational drawing and any other work, my goal from here on out is to balance pushing technique and knowledge whilst just... enjoying what I naturally do!

Painting has never come naturally to me, so when I practice observational painting I'm usually slow. Even so, I learn something every time! Gestural sketches (like in the last photo) are really fun to learn natural posture and weight balance, as well as simplifying shape. I still hang on to these when I can, since they can give you a little perspective when you're overthinking anatomic proportions in place of gesture and action.

To me, the absolute master of life drawing is the esteemed Francis Vallejo. He consistently balances line and form, knowledge and expression in every piece. From his warmup sketches to his more polished renderings... he knows his shit. Also check out Jaime Jones (another young genius, and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet), whose life drawing reflects his more painterly nature.

Now, on with things!

INSPIRATION #1

After being shouted out by a couple of loverly fellas, I thought I'd follow the trend and post some artists that float my boat!

Amélie Fléchais

ssoja's art inspires me pretty much every time I see it. As someone who can't paint for shit, I always love her watercolours, and how she balances pattern with solid shapes, 2-d with 3-d rendering. Even her simple work as an amazing atmosphere to it.

Christophe Marchetti

A lot of this guy's newer work reminds me of Taiyo Matsumoto's Takemitsu Zamurai and Sunny stuff. I haven't actually read any of Marchetti's comics yet, but I'm really curious to see how he tells stories.

Maciej Kuciara

I still don't fully know how to pronounce his name.

Adijin

His websites down atm, so here's his deviantart.
Something I found on a pixiv hunt a while ago:

Quick blast from the past: No matter what people think of Dragonball Z, Dragonball is still an amazing comic. I think it was the first comic after primary school age (post Beano and Spider-man) that really kickstarted my current love for the medium. While everyone loves the Akira bike, this one always has a spot in my heart as my dream vehicle :)

Till next time!

More character designs! A man's been cursed to be trapped within a puppet like body, to be a ward for a town abandoned through war. All the residents had left on floating city-ships to closely follow the war, and the man has been left alone for years. The book gives him the chance to slowly reveal his personality to a sudden guest to the town, whose earlier designs can be seen here.

The mask on his back shows the man himself, like some kind of death mask.

So I've finally finished university! It feels pretty good...

BUSY

I've been pretty busy doing work as we gear up for our final times on this old degree thing, but I've got a backlog of stuff to upload when I get the chance. This is from a comic I did last year/January- it was for the Eagles Initiative, a comic competition, but I have no idea when the results come through. When they do, I'll post the whole thing!

FEVER RAY

Here's another music themed NES label. Any feedback is appreciated, I feel like this one needs tinkering with.

If you ever get the chance to see Fever Ray live, you should! She's one half of the Knife, but her solo stuff is incredible, all thundering and tribal. Her live show is like an act more than a gig- Fever Ray and her band all dress up, the stage is completely decorated and all around there's lasers, smoke machines and lamps that light up in hypnotic patterns to the music. Unlike a lot of gigs, with Fever Ray you feel like a participant in the experience, not just someone watching. You feel obligated to dance, just to match the life of their music!

Here's the black and white version of the artwork in the background. I had a lot of fun doing it! And wouldn't you know, I learnt something too. Very wholesome.

WIP

I heard that fanart is good to try when you're in an art rut. So here's a picture using Corey Lewis' version of Wonder Woman. I didn't get the balance of indy hotness to badassery I wanted to, but ah well. If there's more of a fantasy vibe to the picture than the original, it's prrrobably because I've been reading a Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, which is incredible. I know nothing about Wonder Woman, but there should be more stories of her growing up alongside warrior amazon ladies, getting fucked up and cracking skulls as she learns how to fight and survive.

The Storyteller

I forget how badly I paint. It's not that my knowledge of colour or tone it particularly bad, but more that I get overwhelmed with what you can do, and have a habit of overthinking and overworking the most basic things. This started out as a speedpainting, but I gave up, blurred it all and changed to a tonal study. I'd like to come back to the picture though, the original is quite a beautiful photo.

While in most ways I feel like I was a generation too late to really get the chance to appreciate Jim Henson, he seems like an incredible man. If it wasn't so late I'd wax on forever about the guy, but even from the little I know of him he seems like a man to aspire to be like.