"Fate" A Parker+Brand Micro-Sketch (or "Maybe 'Smallville' Is Finally Getting It Right")
I used to be a really big fan of the show Smallville, and for the first five years it was on I thought it was the best show on TV. Then, something happened to it. It lost the magic that made it work for me (it turned into a typical teenage romance show...blech!). Anyway, after turning my attention elsewhere for a few years (namely, Supernatural) it seems that Smallville might finally be getting a few things right. In January, the Justice Society of America are going to be introduced into the "Smallville" universe. My Twitter pal Eric Stettmeier posted a few screen grabs of this upcoming episode, and if you know who these characters are then you'll probably be just as excited as I am to see these classic DC characters brought to life. After I saw the preview I couldn't get that image of Dr. Fate out of my head (WOW!), so I decided to do a drawing of him. I'd never drawn the good doctor before and it was a lot of fun. I hope you folks enjoy the drawing, and heck...if you're remotely interested in Dr. Fate, Superman or comic books in general you should tune-in to this episode of Smallville and check out how they bring the JSA to life.
Working With The End In Mind: A T-Shirt Design Project
My limited ability to draw doesn't come into play in my line of work very often. But, when it does I try to make the most of the opportunity. I was recently approached by a client to create a 3 color design for their "Washington Mardi Gras" t-shirts. I'd worked on the design 2 years ago and they seemed pleased with it, so I imagine that is why they contacted me to create this one.
I drew each of the objects in non-photo blue, inked them, scanned them, then brought each one into Photoshop where I created the type of image that the client requested, making sure to go no larger than 12" x 12" (that's the shirt's imprint area), leaving room at the top and bottom for the typographical elements that would come later.
The instructions for this new design included using Southwest Louisiana's official mascot, "Gumbo Gator."
Here's the instructions I received from my client.
Now, Gumbo Gator has been around for over 20 years, originally created by a local cartoonist. Gumbo has always had a specific look (when he's not drawn correctly, it's pretty noticeable). My particular style of drawing doesn't match the original cartoonist's, but I knew I'd need to represent Gumbo as close as I possibly could.
The client wanted to see Gumbo standing in a pile of Mardi Gras beads with icons from Washington D.C. in the background covered in more beads. Rather than draw one scene, I felt it would be better to create modular images. Tackling the project this way would allow me to edit the images, moving them and resizing them, just in case the client had edits of their own, plus there's the added bonus of having individual elements to use on other projects, should the need ever arise.
I drew each of the objects in non-photo blue, inked them, scanned them, then brought each one into Photoshop where I created the type of image that the client requested, making sure to go no larger than 12" x 12" (that's the shirt's imprint area), leaving room at the top and bottom for the typographical elements that would come later.
Once I was happy with the new image, I brought it into Adobe Illustrator and did a live-trace of it. I chose 3 specific Pantone colors to work with (purple, yellow & green...for Mardi Gras), since the print needed end up as a 3 color imprint. This would allow the printer separate the colors easily.
I added the typographic elements, then colored the portions of the image that needed it. I made sure that I used purple as my primary color. I applied it to the line work since it was the darkest color. I wanted to add some shading so I used 20% of the purple and yellow. It added depth to the piece, and helped Gumbo to stand out from the details in the background. The shading will appear as halftones on the final printed shirts.
I am very happy with the way this piece turned out. As with most of the projects I work on, I had to squeeze time in between cracks to get it done. Working in a hurry is never a good thing, but you always learn tricks that help you save time in the process. My project timer on this one says that it took about 6 hours (that's drawing & computer time combined). Considering the end result, I'd say that's an acceptable time frame.
As always, thanks for stopping by. Your comments are appreciated.
"Thanks, Tax Max!" A 30 Second Slice Of Comic Book Cheese! (or "How A Simple Character Drawing Ended Up In A Television Commercial")
via youtube.com
If you've been following my posts the past few days, then you've seen the development of my drawing titled "Tax Max." We always new our take on Tax Max would end up being used in this simple little spot...and my buddy added just the right amount of comic book cheese to make it work. I hope you folks like the way it all turned out. It's kinda cheeky, but it's pretty cool to see your toons used in this way. If you're interested in seeing the stages the toons went through, then I'd encourage you to dig around my blog a bit. Thanks for stopping by!
"Say It" A Parker+Brand Micro-Sketch
A while back I bought a nice little Handbook brand artists journal with the intention of doing a 5 to 15 minute super-hero sketch everyday (I call 'em micro-sketches). I don't get to do those as often as I'd like, but today I needed a mental break from the world of advertising, so I gave myself 10 minutes to crank out a micro-sketch of the "big red cheese." My buddy Eric had just sent me some digital colors he'd done to a drawing I did of a Captain Marvel/Thor amalgam. I'm thinking that's why I drew our buddy Billy Batson...and I only used 8 of my 10 minutes (I used the other two to write this paragraph). This sketch was done using the Sign Pen & Stylo by Pentel of America, and the grey was done with a busted up Faber Castelle Pitt art marker. Enjoy, my friends!
"Operator, Please" A Parker+Brand Micro-Sketch
Earlier today I finished up my "Tax Max" project and sent it on to video, but I found out that I also need to have a shot of a phone operator with a headset. Can anybody say "Sham WOW!" I didn't have much time to crank this out and get it colored; video was waiting for it. I finished it and figured you folks might like to see what I burned out. In retrospect, I think I'd have skipped the lead. I could have just done it with the blue lines. I guess moving on to lead is a habit. Not the greatest thing I've ever done, but it's nice to be drawing at work for a change. Peace.
From Pencils, Inks & Digital in a Pinch! (or "Meet Tax Max")
If you've been following along for the past few days then you've seen my pencils & my inks on the "Tax Max" character.
From what I understand, Tax Max will be appearing in an auto dealership commercial. He was described to me as your typical, larger-than-life super-hero type with a big 'ol, proud, cheesy grin. I didn't get instructions on the Tax Max uniform except to make it red, yellow & blue (hmmm...I wonder why?). I recommended that we simply use a dollar sign for his emblem since it resembles an "S" because the whole point is that Tax Max will "saaaaave yooooou money!"
Drawing this one wasn't going to be enough, though. I needed to add digital color and set the character as a nice movable element in Photoshop that could be used in After Effects. I had to color the piece with a mouse (we don't have a pen tablet at our office and this is on a real tight deadline). I also had to add more cheese to it with a real simple, comic-book style "Tax Max" title.
I'm not sure how the finished spot will look (I'll post it once it's all put together so you can see what this will be used for), but either way...here's where Tax Max stands as he goes to video. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Inking up "Tax Max": A Parker+Brand Micro-Sketch
Had an opportunity to ink up the "Tax Max" pencils I posted on Friday. I think the inks turned out pretty good. I'm doing my best to not stray from the Sable brush. I figure the more I use it, the more control I'll have. I did notice something last night that's been causing a problem; my paper choice. I didn't realize it but the paper I'm using is really toothy and it's causing some drag on the brush. No big deal; I bought it. I did a test on some super smooth paper and there's a huge difference. Ah well...I'm still gonna use it. No need to waste the paper. I'll be adding digital color to this piece pretty early today. It's for a deadlined television project so I'll have to finish adding the color and the title effects before lunch (we'll see). I don't have a pen tablet, so I'll be doing the color with the 'ol mouse (yuck). I'll just have to do the best job I can with the tools that I have. I'll post when it's done.
