Transformers fan art

Well, with the approach of one of my most anticipated films of the summer I found myself drawing a cartoony version of Shia Labeouf and a made up non-referenced Decepticon robot. Funny how just being bombarded with images on the net and in TV spots etc. I didn't even have to reference anything to make a robot look like it was from the film. Anyways, these were done entirely for fun, and this post will be the last of a few I get to post before I head off for NovaScotia on July 6th. I wish I could say I had a studio job waiting down there for me, but truth be told I'm simply going to be kicking back and doing some pure relaxation for two straight months up until school starts up again.

I'll try to squeeze one or two more posts in before I head off. ( one to be my second Dr. Sketchy session lady sketches )


Shia labeouf plays Sam Witwicky in the movie, and has to protect that cube thing he is holding, called the 'Allspark'



This is a made up Decepticon. Couldn't come up with a name for him, feel free to give me a suggestion. The silouette to the right of him is a size comparison of a human

I am a Hellboy Fan

Mike Mignola has inspired me since the age of 14. I was fortunate enough to fall upon his works pretty much as soon as I started getting into comics and I was immediately hooked. I had experienced all the classic Marvel and DC superheroes and whutnot, but never before had I seen a comic so drastically different from that stuff, so original in content and so visually delicious. At any rate, it became the one comic I had to buy, and Mike Mignola became my favorite artist throughout the years and to this day. I've followed everything Hellboy, from the toys, to the movie to the recent animated series...I am a Hellboy fan for life. You can understand my fanboy panic that ensued then, once I discovered Mike Mignola, after a multitude of years of drawing Hellboy comics...was deciding to leave the drawing to someone else....How would it be possible to captivate the same essence, the same style?....They would never find a suitable artist, that would be willing to replicate his distinct style. I had my doubts, but mostly I was sad to hear Mike wouldn't be the one drawing HB anymore.

It is then announced that this one guy will be doing the art that is to replace Mike's art: Duncan Fegredo. I checked his site and found something drastically different from Mike Mignola, casting even more uncertainty into my fanboy heart. When your favorite comic in the world gets a new artist, you hope he damn well has a style that is very similar to that of the original artist's.
Mike Mignola was still behind everything though, so I had confidence it was at least going to be alright.

I recently picked up the first two issues of the first ever Hellboy series not drawn by Mike Mignola himself, with Duncan Fegredo doing the artwork. I was blown away. The style is not the same, but its damn close. Enough so that some panels look as if they were drawn by Mignola himself. Colours, design, panel design, composition. dialogue...Everything but the art itself was exaclly the same as the old Mignola comics. the art itself borrows very much from the style characteristics that defines Mignola's style, except it is distinctly not his...it is more solid and detailed. In any fashion, I am extremely happy with Fegredo as the take-over artist. Here are some comparison panels.

MIKE MIGNOLA



DUNCAN FEGREDO

Character Design Nonsense

Well, for some odd reason I've been cranking out lots and lots of character designs...Probably to finish up the room left in my sketchbook...Either way I'm making characters at a rate in which I may have to many to actually deal with. So I'm going to stop, do some cleanup, and then colour them...Choose my favorites of the bunch, and stick up here a week or two from now, before I head off for a long vacation of boredom and no internet access at my cottage in NovaScotia.

The designs have all been non-sensical, really just whatever comes off the top of my head. I love Sci-Fi, so theres robots and aliens and sexy cyborg girls....or monsters, or bugs.....anything. When I start a character I like modeling the lines like sculpture. I start of very geometric and loose, and as soon as it appears to take an appealing shape I pounce and administer all sorts of different pieces, add details, try out different ligament poses.....For example, I could do a sketch within a sketch and later on seperate that into two characters. I'm always trying to find a way to better a character or add on to them....and it is definitely difficult to decided when enough is enough. Either way its all fun, and I enjoy it.

Here's two Sci-fi people, Im probly going to re-work the girls arm into the contoured line position closer to her hips, seems more appealing visually. PS...This is also a drawing style I've taken as an approach to drawing the recent slew of characters I spoke of, its very simple, rigid and cartoony...with no real attention to perspective logic or symmetry

Ladies

I never really got into Lifedrawing while at school, I attended the after class sessions pretty much only when necessary and that was about it. Lately, I've gotten my act together a bit and have been attempting to just get some 'cafe' drawings done, since they really are a great practice of ones observation and rapidity. I tend to sketch more realistic, and as I start to get the hang of it Im going to caricaturize or cartoonerize people a bit more. I do love that rush that one feels when drawing strangers though....are they looking at me?No...Ok draw....uh oh....their looking in this direction, pretend your not looking......oh ok they looked away again.....and so forth.




At the same time, I've been really wanting to practice drawing 'sexy' women, and unfortunately, most sessions don't have 'that' type of model. But I recently had my attention drawn to a session that does in fact feature attractive, younger girls...and more!!! It was at Dr. Sketchy's in Toronto. The atmosphere was great, there was music and a sexy model girl who had different interesting costumes...plus I got some nice sketches out of it which is always a bonus. I coloured some up on PS because they seemed a little bland as just line drawings. I also kindof jumped styles. The pink one is just something I messed around with, but it shows that even a really simple line drawings can be appealing, the others were done with a brush pen, or just pen/ pencil and marker.

Thumbs up for Surf's Up!

Well, I checked out the mockumentary 3D animated film Surf's Up yesterday, and I have to say I was pleasantly suprised! There were tons of great jokes, and it is definetely the best looking 3D film out there at the moment. I initially really wanted to see it because of the appealing design and its visuals, and the unique documentary approach, but turns out the story and characters were great as well. The only downside was now and again they would use some crummy songs, and at times they went away from their 'documentary crew/camera following subject' approach, but in a way that was neccessary. Overall though, two thumbs up from me.
It also has one of the nicest Art Of books out there. Tons of beautiful 2D as well as 3D production art to make any animation fanatic's mouth water. Here is some production art for the film by Armand Serrano, and a beautiful character line-up by 'unknown'. Im seriously considering purchasing the book, but I wouldn't mind the price lowering a bit more before I do so.

Check out the movie and let me know what you thought!!!

The Secret of Nimh Poster

One of the cooler, well done animated film posters I've seen. This is an old Don Bluth production and was a pretty sweet movie. I miss the old illustrative look to animated film posters.

Ill post some work soon.I promise.