Spring is here after what seemed like a very long winter! As I sketched ideas for a Spring inspired illustration I began to wonder what Spring actually means to me and why I love it? Then I realised, it's hiking season! Time to get outside and adventure, time to pack my backpack and dust off the tent. It's the perfect season for the outdoors, not too hot and not too wet. I also used Spring as my Mandarin Word of the Day.
Something that fascinates me more than animation is the animation process. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes that never sees the light of day but is invaluable in creating something that is both believable and relatable. This video is a tribute to that process, it shows my process from thumbnail sketch to coloured character. It also gave me a chance to create a score using my Guzheng.
Collaborative projects are always tough work and lead to some sort of conflict...this is what I've always thought until I collaborated with musician and long time friend, Alnitak_Kid. We met in high school and now, nearly 13 years later, we still hang out together. In the past 13 years we've had a lot of collaborative ideas, most of which we just lost enthusiasm for, but not this time. Alnitak_Kid wanted a cover for his new release beat tape, Daymares&Nightdreams. After weeks of throwing around many good and bad ideas we came up with this one, a collection of his instruments and equipment that made up the tape, including samplers, mixers and records.
We tried a few styles and found that brush and ink suited the flow of the illustration best and discovered that we wanted the equipment to be recognizable but not too realistic. We also created a sticker to accompany the tape which is below. This has been my favorite collaborative project to date and has restored my hope in the collaborative process.
(detailed closeup of line and texture)
(sticker)
This is a promo of my artwork that Alnitak_Kid made especially for this post...THANKS!
Check out some of Alnitak-Kid's tracks below and if you like what you hear, make sure you check out some of his other releases on Bandcamp.
To help me learn the mandarin words for different numbers I've created a series of characters that look like and say something about the word. This is Lee-Li, she is inspired by the number 1. She is the kindest and sweetest old lady but she has something against the number 4, she just can't stand him! The mandarin word for one is Yī and sounds kind of like the EE in Lee-Li.
To help me learn the mandarin words for different numbers I've created a series of characters that look like and say something about the word. Today we meet Sandy, she is inspired by the number 3. The mandarin word for three is Sānand sounds kind of like the SAN in Sandy, but is said in a monotone kind of way.
Today is brought to you by the number 2. To help me learn the mandarin words for different numbers I've created a series of characters that look like and say something about the word. The mandarin word for two is Èr and sounds like the AR in Arthur, so I created this character called Arthur.
I thought today's word should be relevant to the season so I picked WINTER or Dōngjì (in pinyin). It took a bit of time to make this animated loop sequence because each cell was hand drawn using a light box, but it was totally worth it for the way it turned out. It really helped me learn the symbol!
I was listening to the creators of Finding Dory speak on The Pixar Podcast and it inspired me to do this illustration. I found myself admiring the incredible storyboards for hours, paying special attention to their treatment of light and colour. I learned a few new techniques as I coloured, my favorite being the glow that comes from the center of this translucent octopus.
The Mandarin word for today is toilet! What a handy word to know, especially when you may have eaten something that flows right through you. I like how happy this toilet is, so happy that it's overflowing with joy...or is that something else? Hehe, just kidding!
The mandarin word for today is NOODLES! I'm guessing knowing this word will come in handy throughout China. Written out in pinyin it looks something like this:Miàntiáo. I spent a bit more time on this illustration because I wanted to get that manga watercolour feel. It was real fun to draw and learn.
I've been attempting to teach myself some Mandarin before I head to China in November. To help me out I've decided to pick out a word every few days and draw a picture based on that word. I'm hoping this exercise will help me to grow in both Mandarin and illustration. As you can see, today's word is FRUIT .
I've been doing a lot of sketching and ink drawings, living in a world of black and white and last week I got tired of it. I wanted to create 80's style, super saturated, colour washed eye candy. I started scribbling some ideas and came up with Spacegirl. I wanted a nostalgic VHS style, Saturday morning cartoon feel that could be a comic cover aswell. Such a fun illustration to colour and I'm real happy with it.
I have been studying a few different aspects of manga technique to try and build upon my style and understanding. One thing I love is their ability to balance a black and white image with good line, tone and contrast. I decided to use my new understanding of theses principals and apply it to my own style. What better way to put principal into practice than drawing a punk kid with a bike!
As an illustrator it’s easy to
get engrossed in your work and happily spend hours perfecting an illustration.
It’s also just as easy to spend hours battling an illustration until you get so
frustrated you throw your sketchbook as far as you can and vow never to draw
again. I call this second scenario creative
congestion,because it’s similar
to the feeling you get when you’re stuck in traffic and you can see where you
want to be but you can’t get there. If you’ve never experienced creative
congestion, you’ve probably mastered the art of giving up, because it is
something every successful artist I’ve encountered struggles with constantly!
Getting frustrated and battling
with your creativity is often a sign of growth in your ability and shows that you
care about your work. So don’t give up! Instead try and find ways of overcoming
these frustrations, because they’re always going to be there. For me, the
solution is found in three words…CLEAR YOUR HEAD! Go for a walk, ride your
bike, go to a café, exercise, just do something that you enjoy that’s away from
your work-space. Don't give up, just take a break!
If there was ever an award for most underrated animated series, Fillmore would take the prize and then some! It's a show filled with the most creative chase scenes around and manages to poke fun at adult crime shows in such a way that is both funny and true. But the thing I love most about it is that it's real! It's what being a detective in school would really be like. No gadgets and outrageous scenarios of world domination, just two kids being kids. So this is my tribute to you Fillmore!
Sometimes I sketch all night trying to come up with different ideas for new illustrations and end up frustrated. Last night was one of those nights. I drew tons of thumbnail sketches and the more I drew the more frustrated I got. I just started scribbling in the corner of the page and this illustration was the result. After a whole night of trying to create a structured illustration I went with the unplanned scribble that had more life and character than any of the others combined.
Over the years I've come to realise
that having a consistent process in illustration makes every project
so much easier. One of the main contributing factors to that
consistency is having an organised, clean studio. I've spoken to many
illustrators and artists over the years that say they can't start
working until they have a clean space to work.
For me, having a
clean, organised space not only helps my process, but also my
headspace. An organised studio makes me feel like I've organised my thoughts. This isn't to say my workspace never gets messy, I think you
have to get messy sometimes, especially in the heat of creativity! My
studio usually looks like a bomb has hit it by the end of the day,
but if you take some time to sort it all out when you're done, you'll
be rewarded with a space that's easy and enjoyable to work in.
A handful of artist were selected to create fox themed art to celebrate the opening of local Adelaide hills cafe, the Piccadilly Kitchen. We could do whatever we wanted as far as mediums, so I decided to switch things up a bit and merge ink, cut paper and photography to create my oriental fox. I picked up a newspaper from Chinatown and used that as the backdrop.
I spent an evening at Chinatown last week and had some time to kill, so I pulled out my sketchbook and looked for an interesting position to sit. I found a spot, ordered a tea and started on this study of a couple sitting across the road. I didn't realise it was right next to a red light so cars kept on blocking my vision as they stopped, but I managed to fill in the details in a sporadic manner as the lights turned green.
My wife and I adopted a dog a few months ago. Her name is Licci and she came from a family friend named Henry who has gone into hospice while battling with cancer. We take Licci to the hospice every now and then to visit him and he loves seeing her. There is just some things dogs can say that humans can't, it's amazing to see how she can lift his spirit. I wrote this comic for Henry to assure him that Licci is in good hands and to read whenever he's down.
