Title: Comics 2: Duality

Date: April 25 - 30, 2014
Medium: Graphite

Scale: Each 'page' is 9" x 12"

Notes: There is quite a bit to be said about the resolution. As in, I need a ton more there. BUT, I wanted to make my final foray into comics for awhile be at least a nicely detailed one. I think, just like always, that there are places that need some serious work, but I wanted to try my damnedest to really push it for this one. I've been told in class that I was slacking it pretty hard when it came to my comic work, so I wanted to try and pick it up somewhat at least.

Ultimately I wanted to fully color the cover (which I may do over the summer), but it was lots of fun. If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now: "Comics artists are badasses!" I can't keep up with the amount of work that you guys would have. Pushing it down this fast... I could barely keep a hold of my cards, which was still a ridiculously fast-paced project (more on this next post hopefully).

Anyway, just wanted to share...

Title: Comics 2: Characters 1 - 6
Medium: Graphite

Scale: Each 'page' is 9" x 12"

Notes: The characters that we've had to flesh out so far for comics 2. From the top: Cora, Journal, Aleksi, Cora (alternate), Mr. Johnson, and Jack. Again, I can't really talk much about the overall character descriptions at the moment, but each one has about 1000 words talking about their past, their attitudes, why they exist, etc.

Title: Comics 2: Jack's Appearance

Date: March 21 - 26, 2014
Medium: Graphite

Scale: Each 'page' is 9" x 12"

Notes: The next comic involving Cora shows a huge appearance by Jack. There is so much more to describe here than I could throw in a four-page comic because this is essentially 'the end' of the Jack arc. Either way, there is a huge change and realization, hopefully not too subtle. But anyway... here it is!

Title: Flight
Medium: Oils

Scale: Original image is around 4ft x 2ft

Notes: No joke... this is the biggest painting I've ever done.

For some reason I had this in my head early on. Before I even started painting it I kind of knew exactly what I wanted to paint. Not only that, but this was one of the first real attempts at doing anything in oil that was more than just black and white. Oh this was so exciting to me and I definitely DEFINITELY want to do more of this.

Title: Dust Sprites
Date: February 14, 2013
Medium: Gouache

Scale: Original image is 15" x 20"

Notes: This was a birthday present for my special lady friend. She loves these little guys! I wish I could be as happy as they are all the time! They are from Miyazaki films such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro.

Title: Serious Face
Medium: Oils

Scale: Original is 9" x 12"

Notes: This was my first attempt at oil paints ever. I think it turned out okay, but those eyes are still wonky. From what I hear you can just go right over oil paints with more oil paints. OOHHH I'm so excited about Oil painting!

Title: Sketchin' the Night Away
Medium: Graphite

Scale: Each 'page' is 9" x 12"

Notes: These are all just various things that pop into my head while relaxing as well as doing sketches for different assignments. Just a small sampling really, but I thought I would share.

Title: Comics 2: Characters 1 - 5
Medium: Graphite

Scale: Each 'page' is 9" x 12"

Notes: The characters that we've had to flesh out so far for comics 2. From the top: Cora, Aleksi, Cora (alternate), Mr. Johnson, and the Journal. I can't really talk much about the overall character descriptions at the moment, but each one has about 1000 words talking about their past, their attitudes, why they exist, etc.

Characters are so damn fun... makes me more and more want to study Wes Burt and Marko Djurdjevic's character design!

Title: Comics 2: Cora's Awakening
Medium: Graphite

Scale: Each 'page' is 9" x 12"

Notes: The second comic for comics 2 was to create a comic in which your main character and two side character get into a heated argument.

Hopefully this actually makes sense to people... this has been an insane day so far!

Title: Comics 2: Cora's Wonderful Writing Day
Date: February 1 & 2, 2013
Medium: Photoshop CS3

Scale: Each page is 8.5" x 11"

Notes: Since posting the character design sheet we were tasked with creating a comic that was two-to-four pages in length using our main character as a driving force for an action.

Overall, I can personally say that I rushed this one too hard. I had the script hewn out pretty early, but for some reason I just wasn't feeling it. This will most likely be one project that I will have to rework because as of right now it looks more like it's at the like earlier stages. You can see that story there, but it still seems to have some work to go in my opinion.

Either way, Cora feels nice and inspired...

Title: Cora Turnaround
Medium: Pencil

Scale: Original is 9" x 12"

Notes: For our first 'official' comics assignment, we are to draw our first character in a turnaround (front, back 3/4, front 3/4) and then a few faces for studies, and any small notes that you have about the character. And then you are to fill out a fully fleshed out character bio for said character.

The bio is pretty long, so I'm not going to post it here, but let's just sum up... Cora is nuts.

Title: Silhouette Challenge
Medium: Pencil, Brush and Ink

Scale: Original is 9" x 12"

Notes: Just a small supplemental exercise to go along with our first character: shape design and silhouettes. Mine are pretty specific, but I tried to make my characters based simply off of the three core shapes: circles, triangles, and squares.

Either way these are actually really fun to do and I suggest that people do these really often!

Title: Comics 1: The Editor
Date: September 26 & 27, 2013
Medium: Pencil

Scale: Final is 8.5" x 11"

Notes: Dialog. You'd think this would be easier considering the typical length of a comic. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case.

We were assigned to make ten different ways of using dialog just to experiment with word balloons.

If you really look through comics, the word balloons usually stay pretty much static all throughout, so to vary from that typical formula was a tough pill.

This is my attempt...

(Btw... I imagine Cora's editor to sound kind of like Him from Power Puff Girls.)

Title: Comics 1: Materials Test
Date: September 24, 2013
Medium: Brush and Ink

Scale: Original is 9" x 12"

Notes: It was a classwork assignment that we attempt to ink some textures. We had to do a minimum of five textures in total.

I just wanted to do some ink as it was a minute and I didn't want to grow stagnant.

Title: Comics 1: Cora's Medical Debacle
Date: September 21 & 22, 2013
Medium: Pencil

Scale: Final is 8.5" x 11"

Notes: We were assigned to do a pacing comic in which we were supposed to do a comic that tests our ability to make a comic that can go really slow or really fast.

I thought it would be interesting to show her on one side getting decent sleep, and on the other side tossing and turning.

Title: Comics 1: Cora's Ghost in the Shell Moment
Date: September 13 & 14, 2013
Medium: Photoshop CS3

Notes: For this assignment it was a study in pacing in comics. We had to start small and insignificant, and build it up to a big climax moment and then give the piece an actual resolution.

I don't know why looking back I didn't start smaller, but I was reading the Battle Angel Alita graphic novels and for some reason in the third book there is this sweet roller blade fight that works out in a similar layout (top panel a double-page spread, and then a bunch of them below). I don't know, it just stuck. Because of it the rest of my layout followed suit. Honestly, I just drew the first and last, and then just started filling in the middle. Maybe making comics could work just like how I write stories: write the beginning, and then the end, and then try and fill in the blanks in between.

Title: Comics 1: Cora's Costume Textures
Date: September 18, 2013
Medium: Brush and Ink

Notes: This assignment was a quick in-class one. We were supposed to draw our character posed, but with no less than five different materials on.

Since Cora has a wacky outfit that is constantly getting refined, I decided that she would work really well for a materials test.

Title: Comics 1: Will the Real Cora Please Stand Up?
Date: September 7, 2013
Medium: Brush and Ink

Notes: This assignment was restricted exclusively to four panels in which we were supposed to show four different scenes. The scenes in a way were supposed to be a tie together to show some form of story-arc using characters that invented.

I'm still a newbie when it comes to comics in general, but I'm trying my damndest. In this comic I was using Cora to show that there are two versions of the same person. Plus I was trying to do the whole flip the color schemes, etc. I hope it reads right... Of course I'll know tomorrow during critique.

Title: Comics 1: Cora's Cover
Date: August 26 - September 2, 2013
Medium: Pencil, Photoshop CS3

Scale: Varies

Notes: For the next comics assignment, we were to take the Seven Deadly Sins and turn them into one fully fleshed out comic.

Many people in my class decided to go the full-blown comic route (see George Brooks' for an example). I decided instead to go the singular panel route. I think this could work as a comic's cover perhaps, but that name would definitely need to be changed. I don't know what I was thinking "Writing is an Adventure"... wow, I sound like a douche hahaha.

Title: Tie that Shit
Date: August 22, 2013
Medium: Pencil

Scale: 9" x 12"

Notes: A simple assignment... or so I thought at first. Do an instructional comic on how to tie a shoe. This actually proved a ton harder than first expected. 

Title: Cora's Lunchtime Conundrum
Date: August 25, 2013
Medium: Pencil

Scale: 9" x 12"

Notes: The first real assignment we have out of class is to create an instructional comic about anything.

Of course, what better thing to do a comic about than how to make ramen noodles. They are awesome and cheap -- and a little harder to describe how to make than to actually make. Of course I had to make a packet to see the steps...

Title: Cora Chillin'
Date: August 20, 2013
Medium: Pencil

Scale: 9" x 12"

Notes: Throughout the semester I will be constantly updating images of Cora to keep in practice of drawing her in different positions and expressions.

Title: Comic Related Stuff
Date: July - August, 2013
Medium: Photoshop

Notes: There are soooo many more pieces that are attached with this, but this is the digital stuff. I can't really talk much about the subject matter of them, but I just wanted to share that I haven't been too lazy.

At this point of drawing Cora, I can pretty much draw her in most any position off the top of my head. She is an awesome character and I can't wait until Comics 2 class to really flesh her out even more. Hopefully by then I'll be able to paint like Marc Brunet. That guy is rockin' it hard.

On a side note... the first few drawings were earlier in the summer, so that might be my excuse for the wonky anatomy. I feel like from the beginning of summer to the end of summer I kind of leveled up in terms of skill. Hopefully it just continues on an uphill from here... but I need it to be extremely steeply up so that I can start taking on jobs by next summer.

Ugh... I have so much to scan again hahaha!