Feb 18 2011

#341 – Black tie affair

Black tie affairAh, a welcome break from classwork.  After doing dozens of storyboards and other pencil sketches this week, I wanted to do something different.  So here’s a little cut paper version of my sister and brother-in-law on their wedding day.  Done with black construction paper and an X-Acto knife.

[Comments and critique always welcome]


Feb 17 2011

#340 – Stabby, stabby!

Stabby, stabby!More work for class.  Leaving aside the crime story, we return to the (admittedly no less bloody) story of Siegfried and the dragon.  That whole assignment requires three illustrations, for before, during and after the main action of the dragon-slaying.  So while Sketch #333 was a concept for the “before” phase, this is one quick thumbnail for the “during” part.  Again, fantasy illustration and gut-slashing are not really particular strengths or interests of mine — but an assignment is an assignment.

[Comments and critique always welcome]


Feb 16 2011

#339 – A quick check

Charlie drivingStill working on the storyboard for class.  After yesterday’s sketch, we skip ahead in the story, conveniently glossing over the contents of the motel room.

[Comments and critique always welcome]


Feb 15 2011

#338 – Don’t go in there!

Charlie opens the doorOne of many storyboard frames from the screenplay I mentioned yesterday.  Here, Charlie opens the door to a cheap motel room.  I sure hope there’s no grisly discovery inside…

[Comments and critique always welcome]


Feb 14 2011

#337 – Characters welcome

Intrusion charactersJust a couple of quick character ideas for a class project.  We’re storyboarding a section of a screenplay that calls for the following: Bill, the retired cop and (spoiler alert!) dead body; Charlie, the thirtysomething family man; and Daryl, the heavyset local drunk/thug-for-hire.  It’s sure to be an upbeat, family-friendly romp.

[Comments and critique always welcome]


Feb 13 2011

#336 – A sickening realization

A sickening realizationIt finally happened.  With only a month to go in the Sketch 365 project, I just plain forgot one.  This is the sketch for February 13, but it was actually done on the 14th, after I woke up and immediately realized that I’d missed my sketch from the day before.  I thought for a second about just doing an extra sketch and pretending it was from the 13th, but for some reason I couldn’t do it.  So I went ahead with this creepy big-eyed representation of my early morning pseudo-horror.  Actually, I’m kind of surprised this didn’t happen sooner (since I had almost forgotten so many times).  I’m definitely bummed that I turned this one in late, but at least it’s still going to be Sketch 365.

[Comments and critique always welcome]


Feb 12 2011

#335 – Monochrome mare

ZebraI felt like drawing with a black marker pen, so this seemed as good a subject as any.  Based on a Flickr photo.

[Comments and critique always welcome]


Feb 11 2011

#334 – Rough riders

Eadweard Muybridge horsesI was trying to think of something to sketch for today, and for some reason Eadweard Muybridge’s classic horse-in-motion project came into my brain.  I’m pretty useless at drawing animals, so I figure I’d get some practice with some very rough sketches.  Of course, the real test would be to cut this drawing up, animate it, and see how well I did.

[Comments and critique always welcome]


Feb 10 2011

#333 – Trouble brewing

Siegfried & the dragonAnother unusual assignment from storyboarding class.  We were required to illustrate a specific scene from Richard Wagner’s Nibelungen saga.  Here, Siegfried sets out from his castle on a journey that will, before long, put him at odds with a dragon.  It’s an unusual topic for me, and probably chosen by the instructor because the story would likely be unfamiliar to us.  It’s certainly foreign to me — both the story, and the whole notion of doing fantasy art.  Not the kind of thing I would ever draw of my own choosing, but still an interesting assignment.  I’ll probably be working on a refinement of this scene, so critique is encouraged.

[Comments and critique always welcome]


Feb 9 2011

#332 – Seconds to Spare!

Seconds to spare!So here’s the full story behind yesterday’s sketch.  The assignment was to create a storyboard of about 15 frames to tell the story of my trip from home to school.  The instructor said that if it wasn’t a particularly dramatic story, we were free to embellish a little.  That was all the permission I needed.

[Comments and critique always welcome]