More practice with the Yiynova. I'm getting a little better with it though there's still too much command-z for my tastes. Actually, ANY of that is too much. Adjustments were made since the last time I used it and things were smoother. Jack Kirby is always a good place to start. His action poses were simply the best. His influence is still out there today. As far as I can tell, he didn't really have any basis for his anatomy and it didn't matter. Stuff felt right and was so dynamic.

EDIT: Did another one because it was fun.

Took a little break from working on the iBook. The problem with seeing other people's work on the web is that it makes me want to get out of my own head and do something different. So I made this. Pushing my boundaries is the only way to improve. I generally make things so flat, keep in one perspective so I bent and twisted Smatt as much as I currently can. There's always more to be pushed. This will do for now.

This is pretty much what I did today. The black and white is Digby pretending it's spring. I broke my little rule and did this in ink. I was taking a break from the digital work. Then the Tamino cover, which is what I was doing on the Yiynova had to eventually be done in ink as well. Why? Because I don't know this tool well enough to produce something of equal quality to the interior. Yet. The results were decent on the tablet, but just a lot better with the pen and brush. As it stands, I'm still a lot more efficient with ink. Then again, I've had 25+ years to get that way, and only a week with the tablet. The tablet skills will come and I already feel a lot better about it. I just don't need any more delays in getting Tamino out the door. For what it's worth, this is what the line work looked like done on the Yiynova:

Another day working with the Yiynova. This is a WIP shot of work for the cover of the Tamino comic, as I want to get it done and up on the iTunes book store as soon as possible. I penciled out a drawing that was much like the mock up version, scanned it and started work inking it with Illustrator. The blob brush does a decent job acting as my brush's stand in. It's got decent variation. I just need to play with the sensitivity a bit more. Regardless, the 'inking' is already starting to feel more organic and, honestly, if I can get something out of Illustrator that looks this much like ink, I'll be a happy camper. Also, moving the Yiynova to a spot in front of my iMac and lowering the angle makes a difference. Didn't feel so worn out and was enjoying the process quite a bit. I also re-made the logo using the pencil tool and that worked pretty well. I can totally see drawing using big, fat shapes and editing them together after having thrown them together with the Yiynova and Illustrator. More to come.

I've been working on fixing the final bits and pieces of Tamino to get it ready for release. This image is from page 96. I never liked the series from 93-96 so have been playing with them. This month, I decided to try and keep off ink so as to give the Yiynova a chance. It's a new tool and I have to learn to use it before deciding if it's for me or not. This was inked and colored totally in Illustrator using the blob brush on the Yiynova. So far the only real issue has been that the pen cramps my hand, but that's a fault of my hand and not the pen. I have this trouble with any pen if it's thicker than a pencil. I need to adjust my death grip on it. Yesterday, I was also a lot more tired drawing on it than I am inking at my drawing table. Adjusting its angle and proximity today has already made a difference. No reason not to have it as close to the set up I have for the drawing table as possible.

To my eye, the inking on this looks pretty much the same as in the rest of the comic, though this is a rather small example. If I can get the Yiynova and Illustrator to do what I used to do with ink, I'll be a happy camper. The one thing that happens every time I use the Yiynova that I wish didn't is that the resolution changes on my main monitor and I have to put everything back if I want to use my computer for regular tasks. Again, not the fault of the Yiynova, it's just the nature of the beast. So far, I'd say it's well worth its $600.

Did these two tonight, but with totally different materials. The color version uses a drawing made with a crowquill pen and ink, scanned in then colored with Illustrator. The second was made using my new Yiynova tablet/monitor, a much cheaper alternative to the Cintiq that I received today. This was done totally in Illustrator and to me looks very much like the ink version. I'll need to make some adjustments with both the 'brush' in AI as well as the pen/monitor combo but this is one of the reasons I'm trying to go more digital. I have a lot to learn with this thing but it does seem to be the way Things Are Done these days and if I want to continue to progress, this is one of those steps. Drawing right on the monitor is something I've wondered about for a long while, but the Cintiq is just too damned expensive. The Yiynova is a quarter of the cost. I honestly hope they make in-roads before someone buys them up and shuts them down. There needs to be competition. Wacom has had this market to itself for far too long. I'll make more experiments. So far, I like it.

Another one of these. I think he'd make great t-shirts. But that's just me. Or maybe I'll make a couple and I'll wear them. :"D

One more of these. More successful, I think than some of the others. Think it would make a decent t-shirt. Used Frazetta as ref again because you always learn when referring to masters. Don't know anyone else that did action half as well.

More work in this direction. Sharp's aged a bit more than I'd like, but I'm getting there. Benny looks decent. I think approach is likely the one I will go with. I've said that before, but this time I mean it!! (I hope)

One more before work.

Well, it's a new day so here's another version. This one seems more uncomfortable flashing his undies than the other one, which is a cue to me that I should use this approach and leave the cute ones for something else. Writers say their characters sometimes write themselves. Perhaps cartoons can do the same thing.

One more for the evening. My partner thinks this version of the character is too cute, that he won't lend himself to any kind of heavier storyline. He might be right. And I suppose the design is somewhat watered down, derivative. But. I could see this on t-shirts and such. And I'm getting old enough that any kind of success with my artistic skills had better come soon or it won't come at all. Funny how much trouble a cartoon bunny can cause.

Just one more for the day.

Another one in the newer style. There's a lot going on in my head about this. It's more fun to draw, which is a major point. But we'll see.

Did one more for the evening.

Ok, now I'm just making trouble for myself. I doodled the first two last night out of nowhere and the lunging one this evening, using a Frazetta pose for ref as I always swipe from the best. Thing is, while I think the most recent designs of the bunnies are -interesting-, I don't think they're -appealing-, and that's a 'power word' I've read over and over again in the animation community. Yes, these versions are cuter, yes they're more mainstream and hell, even potentially marketable than the more 'realistic' ones. Is that such a bad thing? I have to say, it would be nice to have at least the potential of making some money off my comics some day. Keeping them too quirky and artsy isn't the path to that kind of outcome. That being said, I do -like- these versions as well. So.. yah.

I've been working on this for a friend's birthday. Very geeky of me but it's our current gaming group done as if their characters were part of an action/adventure cartoon show. So there.

The final version. So working like I do, with multiple drawings/levels/etc paid off. The truck was on the wrong side of the street. Changing it was a breeze and took perhaps ten seconds. Zoomed in a little, moved some things around. Composition is generally the first thing people work out. With me, it's the last. One of my artist close friends can't understand how I do this or why but he's a painter and I can't see working that way with paint either. Anyway, this was fun and while it was a lot of work, I'd happily do more. Let's see if the potential client likes it.

EDIT and here's an alternate version that I like more. This is why I love working with Illustrator; I can make all sorts of variations without disturbing the original work.

WIP of the fox. Things are mostly set, though I can still monkey about with the composition which is a good thing as I just noticed that the truck is parked on the wrong side of the street. Let's hear it for separate elements.

Here's a rough mock up with the background. Still some elements to add, but this is the basic idea. Fox is going to the record store to trade some discs. He's early. They're closed.

The second part of the illustration has been done and scanned. This isn't the final pairing of the two at all but it's an in process look. That's the fox's ride, and isn't it sweet?! Technically, this illustration is supposed to be of Portland and those little trucks aren't available in the States but if they were, I bet the hipsters would be all over them.

Working on a larger illustration using this guy. I like to work in real layers, scanning them in, adjusting the composition on the fly. Probably not the best way to work, but there it is. Pen and ink.

Morning warmup, pen and ink. Had fox on my mind.