Another short animation experiment, using Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint and MOHO (Anime Studio.) Ten seconds, looped a couple of times. Nothing special, just working things out.
The End.
Tuneup for Bay Area Transit
This illustration was created for a story about possible fixes for the S.F. Bay Area transit system in the years and decades to come. The article was written by the excellent Mercury News transportation reporter Erin Baldassari and you can read Erin's story here.
There was a late change of direction as to how to present the story in the print edition, so I had less than one shift to put this together. That's not a terrible thing – nor is it completely unusual – but it certainly isn't ideal. That being said, illustration opportunities have been rare lately, and I have been hoping for something fun to work on; I flinched at the frighteningly imminent deadline, but quickly found myself lost in the joy of drawing.
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| Drawn in Clip Studio Paint EX and Photoshop. Open in a new window for a fairly huge image. |
There was a late change of direction as to how to present the story in the print edition, so I had less than one shift to put this together. That's not a terrible thing – nor is it completely unusual – but it certainly isn't ideal. That being said, illustration opportunities have been rare lately, and I have been hoping for something fun to work on; I flinched at the frighteningly imminent deadline, but quickly found myself lost in the joy of drawing.
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| This is the initial rough, using screenshots, doodles and a converted-from-Illustrator map, created in Photoshop. |
I doodled an idea, consulted with my graphics partners during our afternoon meeting, implemented their suggestions, and produced the rough above for editorial approval. While it was going through the approval process, I started the final; that's standing operating procedure in the shadow of a falling deadline. In that situation, you have to hope that it gets a pass, but always be thinking about other solutions while you work, because it's never a given. Made it this time, tho.
It's not a great little cartoon but I had fun doing it. I ran smack into the end of my day and sent the illustration to the page designers without much time (or energy) for tidying it up. Of course, the story held for a few days, but I had a some time off and was out of the loop, so I couldn't do any polishing.
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| Here is how it looked it print. |
The End!
Old Reject
I found another old scribble in the archive. This was a rejected sketch proposal for a story about genetic engineering. I didn't post the final version when I finished it back in 2015. My recollection is that I didn't like it much. And looking at it again, looking at it now, I can't bring myself to bother to show it. It's just not very good.
In the project folder are a few files that show the struggle of creation for that underwhelming piece and it's clear it did not come easy and when it was done, it wasn't worth the effort. But there is one lonely drawing amongst the clumsy flailings that seems complete and dignified. It's not that great either, but it stands alone; no sketches to betray its construction, no copies showing other possibilities explored.
The patch of white probably indicates where to put the story and headline. I can't imagine it would work like this, though. I offer it as a curiosity and to add a fresh and wheezy breath to a tired old blog.
In the project folder are a few files that show the struggle of creation for that underwhelming piece and it's clear it did not come easy and when it was done, it wasn't worth the effort. But there is one lonely drawing amongst the clumsy flailings that seems complete and dignified. It's not that great either, but it stands alone; no sketches to betray its construction, no copies showing other possibilities explored.
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| Drawing in Clip Studio Paint and Photoshop! |
The End!
"...So everybody knows they love each other."
The character on the right began as an absent-minded doodle. It was a simple line drawing but he looked fun and quirky-cool to me, so I thought I'd render him a little bit and throw on some color, just for kicks. As I worked, my five-year-old daughter walked up and eyed him cautiously. "Is he... is he scary?" she asked.
I had to admit, he was creepy; but I explained in soothing tones that he was a good fellow, he just looked different. He probably had friends and a job, I said, and maybe even a girlfriend. With wary curiosity, she asked: "What does his girlfriend look like?" And thus my aimless doodle became a serious project with a built-in impatient audience fused with a potentially fussy art director.
I pondered the problem of a girlfriend for the creepy fellow, and – after a rough sketch and a few refinements – my daughter's tone changed; she approved of the pairing and thereafter regarded them both with convivial kindness. My daughter argued forcefully that the girlfriend should be all pink, every bit of her – horns to shoes! I suggested that pink skin could be enough pink, and I pointed out that the front of her dress kind of looked like a tulip. That was met with approval and did the trick!
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| Open in a new window for a much larger image. |
As I worked on the finishing touches my daughter said to me, "Be sure to put a heart up in the air above them!"
Puzzled by this sudden introduction of more work, I growled and asked. "A heart? Up in the air? Why?"
"You have to put a heart above them so everybody knows they love each other!"
"Hmm," I said, eyes narrowing with mischevious intention. "Good idea!"
And just so you don't think I'm a completely horrible father, the finished drawing – the one I've shown to her – is below.
Drawn in Clip Studio Paint EX and Photoshop.
The End.
Four for the Price of One
Here is another post featuring past work. I don’t believe I’ve addressed any of these projects here, altho I might be wrong about that. If so, I’ll adjust this entry later.
The “Marriage under reconstruction” and “Holiday headache” pieces are from 2013. Remembrances of the creation of either of them are wispy, vague. Sometimes, looking back on old work – even small, informal sketches – I can recall where I was, what I was snacking on, things I was thinking about while doodling; other times I might not remember squat about a larger piece that clearly took much time.
For “Marriage…” I have next-to-nothing in the memory bank. Hmm. That’s kind of me as a model on the right, except skinnier and taller; so much so that it doesn't look like me at all. I used the excellent pencil tool in MangaStudio and most likely colored it in combination with Photoshop.
For “Holiday Headache” I have a recollection of drawing a tiny, sinister looking face on the figure in the house behind the curtain. You probably can’t even see the figure in the image here – click on the images to embiggen. I got rid of the face when I realized how small it would be in print.
“It takes a neighborhood” ran in 2015. I intended to have the little old lady falling from above and the neighbors looking up, ready to catch her with the safety net. That was probably too silly for the story, or maybe it was an unnecessary hassle to design a page layout that way.
“Yoga takes you higher” was great fun! I don’t know why I didn’t put this up before. Maybe I thought it was too goofy, or maybe the process was so easy and simple that I couldn’t think of anything interesting to say. "It was fun to do and it was over way too quickly! I made a John Lennon style cartoon and then spent most of the time trying to get the spattery effect looking alright." Yeah, that's about it.
More art soon... maybe even NEW art! (Maybe.)
P.S. I included the layouts this time because, in each case, they clearly improve the art. Ahem, well, that might be the case all the time, but I re-discovered these while looking at full-page pdfs from the archive and I liked them better than when I saw the illustrations alone.
The page designer for all of these is, most likely, longtime colleague Jennifer Schaefer, who has improved (or saved!) many many many of my efforts.
The “Marriage under reconstruction” and “Holiday headache” pieces are from 2013. Remembrances of the creation of either of them are wispy, vague. Sometimes, looking back on old work – even small, informal sketches – I can recall where I was, what I was snacking on, things I was thinking about while doodling; other times I might not remember squat about a larger piece that clearly took much time.
For “Marriage…” I have next-to-nothing in the memory bank. Hmm. That’s kind of me as a model on the right, except skinnier and taller; so much so that it doesn't look like me at all. I used the excellent pencil tool in MangaStudio and most likely colored it in combination with Photoshop.
For “Holiday Headache” I have a recollection of drawing a tiny, sinister looking face on the figure in the house behind the curtain. You probably can’t even see the figure in the image here – click on the images to embiggen. I got rid of the face when I realized how small it would be in print.
“It takes a neighborhood” ran in 2015. I intended to have the little old lady falling from above and the neighbors looking up, ready to catch her with the safety net. That was probably too silly for the story, or maybe it was an unnecessary hassle to design a page layout that way.
“Yoga takes you higher” was great fun! I don’t know why I didn’t put this up before. Maybe I thought it was too goofy, or maybe the process was so easy and simple that I couldn’t think of anything interesting to say. "It was fun to do and it was over way too quickly! I made a John Lennon style cartoon and then spent most of the time trying to get the spattery effect looking alright." Yeah, that's about it.
More art soon... maybe even NEW art! (Maybe.)
P.S. I included the layouts this time because, in each case, they clearly improve the art. Ahem, well, that might be the case all the time, but I re-discovered these while looking at full-page pdfs from the archive and I liked them better than when I saw the illustrations alone.
The page designer for all of these is, most likely, longtime colleague Jennifer Schaefer, who has improved (or saved!) many many many of my efforts.
Long Time No Blog
I found this on my work computer the other day. It was a brainstorm/rough for a story about women students making inroads into college classes overwhelmingly populated by men, I believe. This was several years ago, and I don't remember how it all played out. This idea wasn't pursued and I didn't do anything else for it. But I kind of like it in this slovenly, ragged form.
My blog-drought has lasted so long because I haven't been drawing much, and nothing I've created for my job recently has been spiffy enough to write about. Another art-slump, I guess.
I've tried to get the personal work going but – whenever I crack my knuckles and sharpen my pencils and tape the paper to the drawing board and adjust the lights and knead my kneaded eraser into the perfect shape and go get a coffee and come back and crack my knuckles again – I'm beset by distractions and inconveniences both imaginary and actual (though I cannot perceive the difference until later.)
My quiver of excuses is deep and the lure of spending the final conscious hour of my day lying in bed, thumbing through old comic books, is strong. Oh, and pinball on the iPad; that's another bedtime thing. And CataclysmDDA. And Pathos. And Twitter-skimming. Settling down to sleep can be a time-suck for me.
It's nice to be posting something again, tho. I'd like to do more of it real soon...
My blog-drought has lasted so long because I haven't been drawing much, and nothing I've created for my job recently has been spiffy enough to write about. Another art-slump, I guess.
I've tried to get the personal work going but – whenever I crack my knuckles and sharpen my pencils and tape the paper to the drawing board and adjust the lights and knead my kneaded eraser into the perfect shape and go get a coffee and come back and crack my knuckles again – I'm beset by distractions and inconveniences both imaginary and actual (though I cannot perceive the difference until later.)
My quiver of excuses is deep and the lure of spending the final conscious hour of my day lying in bed, thumbing through old comic books, is strong. Oh, and pinball on the iPad; that's another bedtime thing. And CataclysmDDA. And Pathos. And Twitter-skimming. Settling down to sleep can be a time-suck for me.
It's nice to be posting something again, tho. I'd like to do more of it real soon...
Pot Savvy Seniors
Here is an illustration I put together for the July 6th Mercury News front. The story, by longtime colleague Sam Richards, is here. He does good work, that guy!
I created a silhouette of a rocking chair, took a photo of wood grain and applied it to the silhouette. Then I went in and shaded it to give it some form. The seat cushions have a bit of burlap texture and a silly little pattern I made in illustrator.
It's a pretty simple idea and execution, although it took me a while to come up with it. Here is how it looked on the page:
That's all for now!
I created a silhouette of a rocking chair, took a photo of wood grain and applied it to the silhouette. Then I went in and shaded it to give it some form. The seat cushions have a bit of burlap texture and a silly little pattern I made in illustrator.
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| Open in a new window for a larger image |
It's a pretty simple idea and execution, although it took me a while to come up with it. Here is how it looked on the page:
That's all for now!
More Dubs vs. Cavs
Here's a collage, arranged for a Mercury News special section preview of the 2017 NBA Championship. I know, I know – that was weeks and weeks ago, but I've been lazy about the Blogspot upkeep.
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| Photos: Mercury News ace, Nhat V. Meyer; AP guy, Marcio Jose Sanchez; Jason Miller working for Getty Images |
As usual, I didn't have much time to work on this assignment, and – rather than try to do some elaborate drawing or cartoon – I thought it would be fun to use some photos and create something reminiscent of a rock poster. I was hoping to be a little edgier but, again, not much opportunity for exploring ideas. The image above is what ran in print.
Below is a modest tweak for online presentation. Horizontal images are preferred for online, which is always an extra batch of work since one must squash and recompose the job as the deadline guillotine falls. There was an extra spoonful of disappointment when I realized it's more square than horizontal. Ah, well. It would make a pretty good CD cover.
The End.
The Warriors Again
This is slightly belated, but: The Golden State Warriors are the champs! Again! It felt weird typing that the last time (a couple of years ago) and it might be even more bizarre now since it looks like it could be an annual occurrence. The past few decades have been grim for those of us who have a sentimental attachment to the ancient days of Clifford Ray and Rick Barry, or the exciting years spent with Run TMC. I don't follow the NBA like I used to but it's cool to see "Golden State Warriors" and "champions" in the same sentence.
We won't mention what happened last year, tho, 'kay?
We won't mention what happened last year, tho, 'kay?
When it became a distinct possibility that the Warriors might sweep their way through the playoffs, I started to work on this illustration, but it looked like the image below.
It became clear halfway through the fourth quarter of game four that LeBron wasn't going to let such a historic feat happen on his watch; and that was a bit of a relief for me, since I would have had to finish the illustration by the next day for use in the Sunday publication.
I used the extra shift to re-think it a little bit, and to focus on coloring, which is the most time consuming part of the drawing process, in most cases.
Sooper-Man
Just a quick post to jolt the blog back to life. I'm still goofing around with Anime Studio/Moho in my spare time, of which there has been very little. Haven't animated anything yet but I'm re-learning how to rig stuff. Here is a quick figure I drew for practice, but I haven't animated him yet.
The End!
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