Showing posts with label Drawing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drawing. Show all posts

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Doodling on the 9-5

So yeah.  Started a new position and was totally bored (though I find that to be a good thing considering my past position).  Nonetheless, I just wanted to share two doodles I came up with while swerving around in a desk chair trying to come up with future ideas to plot down in my mole skin journal.  As, you know, I’m “working.”  

But, in honesty, I think I kind of burnt myself out blogging.  Yet, that’s nothing new.  By December I’m always in this state.  Anyway, see you in the next post!



Saturday, September 10, 2016

MORE BOOKS! And Scrapbook Project Paper


Saturday has been pretty good to me; the books just keep coming.  And I had a good swing this go-'round.  First, and finally, I've found a copy of the first book in Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott mystery series, Bootlegger's Daughter.  A really, really pleasant surprise.  Once bought, I turned around and found a $1 copy of the first book in Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series, Maisie Dobbs.  Trepidation is running rampant after my horror experience with Susan Elia MacNeal's Mr. Churchill's Secretary.  Though not the same, the two series have something in common.  A "common" I dare not get into to save any possible jinxing of Winspear's series.


And check this out.  14 pieces of scrapbook paper for $2 at Michael's.  So much a boy can do with this! 

Thursday, June 9, 2016

2K DRAMA 2 POP | NEW SPREADSHIRT STORE

Sunday, April 17, 2016

The Girl Who Lime-Eyed


Cut.  Clipped.  Edged out of a piece of Bristol board to draw a smaller picture.  Or what initially was going to be a mini-comic that just wouldn’t… mini!  So instead, I sketched a quick drawing.  As always, I found conflict with what to do with her hands.  Nonetheless, I went for the simple and clean approach.
The inking followed.  With no specific character in mind, I tossed around her eye color until I just decided to make them a limey green.  And because she’s a person of color, I shadowed her a Copic Deep Orange.  At first I wanted to leave her lips without lipstick, to instead go for a Copic Flesh Pink tone.  But later, as you’ll see, that simpleness went out the window.  Fact is, I love my girls flashy when it comes to lipstick, nail polish, etc.  Anything outside of that seems… well… basic.


Now comes one of my favorite parts: scrapbook implementations.  I’ve had this slice of cherry-themed paper for a while.  It’s smaller than my usual pieces, so it’s hard to use on bigger projects.  But since this was a smaller drawing–on a smaller piece of Bristol board–it fit perfectly.  And because it’s been years since I use dollies, I thought adding the two would work this go-round.  As always, I X-Acto Knifed her from the negative space.  Which, thankfully, wasn’t much nor complicated.
Color.  Color.  Color.  Paint and pastels.  Layers on layers.  Where to start?  Okay.  Her eyes have my traditional gradient effect.  The theme–as mentioned–is lime.  Lips colored soft pink alongside a darker shade of pink for her nails.  Her skin tone has a soften blend of clay-colored chalk pastels mixed with a peach.  To be honest, I had these scrapings (I used my X-Acto Knife to scrap chalk pastels into a pallet before blending) left over from my last drawing HERE.  I saved them, and had just enough for this girl.  I water colored her hair purple, which is tradition for me when drawing characters with dark hair.  Following the watercolor, I spotted her hair with black chalk pastel.  It always looks a little rustic look until I blend.
More layers.  Gave ground to her pupils, and an iris effect where I black-dot around her full iris (not sure where I learned that from).  Also, and it’s been a while, but I added eye shadow using a soft rub of pink chalk pastels.  Too much?  Maybe.  I followed my tradition of using three colored pencils to streak and layer her hair.  But I felt like I missed the flow around the part where she tucked her hair behind her ear.  There needed to be some definition on where that piece of hair broke from the rest of the flow.  So you can see where I added a darker line to separate the two.  But from there, I got into this mood of using the black colored pencil to begin adding more fullness by shading her hair more with it.  Experimenting I guess.
So yeah.  Basically got to the final step, scanned, and realized she wasn’t complete.  Pulling the drawing out of the scanner, I add the stickers.  I’ve always wanted to use these–as the majority of them were featured my older project HERE.  The left overs made it to this girl in the form of a cherry earring and floating fruit.  In other words: CUTENESS IN EFFECT!  No, for real.  I love stuff like floating fruit.
But yes.  In its digital process I added:
1.  Revived her color for the digital look.
2.  Retracing and filling her outline and other dark areas outside of her hair.
3.  Filling her lips and nails with color before highlighting their shine with a touch of white.
I believe that’s just about it.  So what should her name be?
Also, you can buy a journal featuring this drawing at my Zazzle Store HERE!

Monday, March 28, 2016

He Needs the Michael's (Crafts Haul)


Beware: another Michael's haul.  This was the first place I hit today.  Mainly after expressing how aggravated I was with myself for not picking up crafts glue on my last visit.  I got something close this time–and it was on clearance ($5.49 to $2.99).  Elmer's X-Treme School Glue should do the trick.  The question is whether it dries near-clear or as a puff of white.  We'll see.  Probably wouldn't matter at the end of the day.  

Now this may sound silly, but I'm kind of sad the crafts glue I've held on for over ten years is now finished.  It got me through many a drawing project over the years.  (Yes, I get attached to inanimate things like that.  What about you other cartoonist out there?) 
Anyway, I mentioned in my last drawing post how I originally wanted to give the character a black background.  Unfortunately, my acrylic ink was not a thing but dust.  I got this Winsor & Newton tube for about $4.  I like its color's name: Mars Black.  Pretty neat name.  Though I don't associate black with Mars.  Cool name anyway.

Now.  On to scrapbook paper.  My favorites. Each of these slices of scrapbook paper costed me .19.  Wait, only the Yellow Rose slice was .59.  Nonetheless, ever so natural for me, they all came out of the clearance well.  (For real people, don't sleep on the clearance racks.)  Still, I was glad to find the dark, masculine slices.  What looks black is called Bitter Chocolate.  The brown: Mocha Divine.  (You can't tell, but they're stocky and lightly ribbed.)  The two grey pieces are called Gray Floral Scroll.
Seems like Michael's employees are always issuing out coupons, so I saved $2.
Still didn't find that acid-free tape, though.  After about twenty minutes, I had to make a run for it before I really got started picking up whatever caught my eye.
So, until later, we'll see what I come up with for these goodies.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Scratchy Doodles From the 9-5

 Well, I had every intention of doing another drawing project before the end of the year.  Unfortunately, I never gave myself the right time to get my ass in order to actually make it happen.  But I have to share one more set of drawings before the year ends.  And here lies my sketchy doodles.  Since I loathe my 9-5, this is what I do to relax myself in its chaotic and mind-numbing soul-sucking environment.  Here's to more projects in 2016.  And hopefully, a little less doodles. 






Wednesday, September 30, 2015

"Manga" Flavia ~ The Girl Who Dreamed of Sailor Neptune & Alan Bradley

We got another one!  Finally, after spending the summer away from the drawing board, I picked up my pen and paper and got to work.  The idea was just sketch something out.  Sometime simple.  Something clean.  Just anything to get the drawing juices flowing.  Gathering my supplies, I decided to include some extra equipment.  That would be my camera and my lamp.  And this is where I ended up...

PENCIL & SKETCH


INK & TRACE


Monday, August 3, 2015

~ 9. FINAL Back 2 High School-Towel Style ~

The final four pages of my junior year comic.  It's incomplete.  It's a cliff-hanger.  It's all of my writing/drawing fantasies manifested at 17.  Towel has official transformed and is going into battle.  Yet, the battle is incomplete.  Continue forward, and see how all those Naoko Takeuchi influences come to life.






One day... I'll redo and finish this...
Thanks for following along.

Monday, July 6, 2015

~ 8. Back 2 High School - Towel Style ~

I'm one post away from the last set of pages for this comic.  It's really interesting because–as I mentioned within the first post–I wrote/drew this comic my junior year of high school.  Now flash forward to this past May, and the last and final graduating class has exited the school.  So yeah, my high school is no longer.  One of the city's hospitals is taking over the property and doing some expansion work.  A couple of weeks ago the school opened its doors one last time for the community to come aboard, take pictures, and (I believe) participate in an auction for some of the memorabilia.  I didn't make it.  I'm still not quite sure if I really wanted to see some of my old classmates roaming those once traumatic halls, with their older faces greeting me.  That's just the truth.  

Even so, it's a surreal feeling knowing my high school closed, probably because my memories of my experience there are so damn strong.  The good, bad, and indifferent; high school is hardly forgettable for just about anyone.  And personally, it probably didn't help that I didn't get over high school until I turned 21.  

I remember getting yelled at in 9th grade because I didn't want to play basketball–yet I loved lifting weights.  (I passed P.E. with a 65 and was happy because that meant I didn't have to retake it.)  I remember learning how to drive in 10th grade, and the excitement of passing the drivers' test.  My junior year I was in a play, and developed my first long-standing crush.  And no one can forget the edge of freedom that your senior year brings out of you.  I got really cocky during that year.  Part of that was because I was on the newspaper staff and my comics were featured in each newspaper.  When I look back, I was pretty damn brave and ambitious.  So yes, very good memories.  Some troubling, but all good.

Taking this comic and reflecting on its conception leads me to think how high school does determine where you'll go in life.  Well, to a degree.  I suppose what I really meant was it fosters the beginnings of your aspirations mingling with your character.






Saturday, June 27, 2015

+ SpreadShirt Unbagging + (VIDEO)


What's up Comic Towel friends and visitors.  Time to share my very first Spreadshirt purchase–directly from my Spreadshirt shop.  I hope you guys enjoy.  Please comment and share.  Don't forget to post and share your own stories and dream-seeking progressions.  Lol.  You get what I mean!



Take care!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

~7. Back 2 High School - Towel Style ~

And for the next batch of pages from my junior year comic....  Confrontations and battle scenes.






Saturday, May 23, 2015

Another Michael's Haul


Evidently, (because I don't check my emails) Michael’s is having a 20% off Memorial Day weekend discount on all purchases. I didn’t know that until the cashier scanned a coupon for me, turning my total from $20+ to $18. That seemed to be a positive sign from the Universe. Had I sat on my ass all day–hungry and confused about my next move–I might have missed such a deal. Nonetheless, running dangerously close to having absolutely no paper to draw on, I made a quick run and will now do another haul to show you guys what I like to work with.

First, I needed another pad of Bristol board. Sometimes, I can’t imagine how I used copier paper before I discovered how necessary this type of paper is. It’s smooth and heavyweight. Furthermore, pencil and ink love it. Unless you're using some insane amount of unnecessary force, erasing doesn’t scratch up the board either.

I forgot a vinyl eraser during my last haul, or at least one for the sketching process. I love vinyl because it does a clean job erasing, and can erase just about anything if you finesse just enough. So there aren't any pink streaks like with rubber erasers, or any gum crumbs from a gum eraser (which I do use for another purpose). As seen in the image, I use extra soft Facts white vinyl erasers.

Last time I went to Michael's I ordered myself not to step into the scrapbook aisle. This time, I wandered in. I browsed around for a bit–my imagination going wild–and settled on two sheets of this brick-themed scrapbook paper. I got some cool ideas in mind for them.  They were 59 cents apiece so I grabbed two just in case. One day, I’m going to let myself loose in the scrapbook aisle. Until then, I’ll try to use what I’ve already stashed.

So that’s it. I made up a little from my last Michael’s trip.  However, I wish I was willing to pay $36 for a portfolio, because I need one desperately. So for those who love to draw, I hope my personal go-to tools will come in use should you seek recommendations. I can’t wait to share whatever it is I come up with after using these three.

Until then, always remember it doesn’t matter what you use, only that you complete whatever it is you’re doing!

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Battle of the Covers: Kidglove-style vs. Saucy-style






Kidglove-Style


Saucy-Style


No drawing description necessary.  Or at least not with this one.  This is what happens when you try to create your own ebook cover.  You try and try again to find the right look.  So far I've gotten two, and I think I'm sticking with the second one (saucy).  The first one seemed to be going well, but it just didn't connect with me at the end.  First, she just didn't seem to hit me as a black character.  I didn't see that until the very end.  And it's true when they say that sometimes drawings take on their own–we just have to listen to them.  Second, I embellished too much around her eyes.  

I realized that I should do all the embellishing through the computer.  So I sauced her up some with a re-drawing to better fit the character.  And I did all the extended work in PhotoFiltre.

However, the saucy image got to be too much also (should I share the original final version?).  I got to make changes and keep her eyes simpler–as I'd learned my lesson the first time around.

Anyway, I'm on my way to work and wanted to keep this post quick.  Any questions, leave in the comments.  Also vote which do you think would make a cool ebook cover.


Tuesday, May 12, 2015

~6. Back 2 High School - Towel Style ~

Back... in action....  Sadly, I think I'm almost done.  Nonetheless, here we are with the 6th collection of my high school manga.  More and more Naoko Takeuchi influences, including character sketches ripped straight out of Sailor Moon.  I couldn't help myself back then.


We're still wrapped in the B-story surrounding our two heroines and their adventure through this portal that leads them to another world.  In said world, they attempt to save the life of this strange child.


Towel is apparently in a trance of some sort.  She's being led toward her destiny...



Finally, Towel confronts the new girl, Minno.  Looks like all that hypnotizing Minno did to her classmates came with a purpose.  One being that she's an alien or monster of some sort.  This, of course, leads Towel to change.


Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  The burnt scene come straight out of Sailor Moon R.  Research it.


Internal monologues are probably unusual, but here, Towel delivers.  Finally, the confrontation we've all be waiting on.  See what happens next time...

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