Line options

No line? Black outline? Colored outline? I like the colored outline. I don't even know yet if this design is the one we are going with.

sketchy options

More sketches of the main character. I like the one on the far left, I will pursue more options along those lines.

still haven't nailed this character

This is the main character in this production. We know he should probably have similar proportions to these, lanky, long legged, and a large head. It gives him an active look, which fits the character description. But we are nowhere near a decision on his final design. So I will keep on sketching until I get a drawing that makes me go "Eureka!"...or as Stan Lee would say, "Excelsior!"

villain expression sketches

This guy is going to be a great character, a really likable villain.

back to the drawing board

After a few weeks of mostly just writing...I am back to drawing!!
The shorter guy on the left is the old version. The rough and the middle clean versions is how he looks after the tweeks. I will still play with outlines; no outlines, a black outline, colored outlines, rough or clean lines, thick or thin lines, it is all up in the air right now. Once I get a Cintiq, I can really figure out what works best once he is animated.

no tweeking necessary

This character is good to go. He is simply designed and easy to stick in different postures and expressions. I may end up tweeking him a bit here and there, but for the most part he is approved. I added a gag, he uses one of his horns as an asthma inhaler.

rethinking a character

Just a quick sketch of a character I need to redesign. It's hard to wipe the first design from my mind and start with a completely new character.

Eduardo sketch

Just a sketch of Eduardo I did while watching Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends.

African animation

This is the intro I animated with After Effects. I have some postcards, framed on my wall, from Africa, which I used to make the BG.

drawing even more badly

When I did this first sketch, I thought it looked pretty badly drawn. I can see a Beavis and Butthead influence here. But they wanted it drawn even more badly than this! I was threatening to draw with my left hand on the next attempt. I am not left handed.

relying on the past

Another screen shot from a couple years ago. When I have nothing new to post, I can always dig up something from past productions. Looking back on all my "Pete and Bob" posts, I am surprised I did not post a lot more from this project. This is a shot from the intro of the show, one of the few times we get to see Karzinki the driver, and Pete and Bob on the back of the garbage truck, all in the same shot.

drawing ugly on purpose

These screen shots are from a project a couple of years ago. Click on the "Pete and Bob" label to see the other posts. It was stressed upon me to make it look "drawn really badly." It is actually more difficult to draw ugly than it is to draw a good design. It is not easy to unlearn everything you know.

Centaur archer step by step

Step 1- Scan the drawing. This was drawn on newsprint paper, with a B pencil. Just a loose sketch, that was what I was going for.

Step 2- The original scan was not dark enough, so I darkened it by duplicating the layer and making the new duplicated layer a "multiply" layer.

Step 3- I added some white highlight areas with a photoshop brush on a new "lighten" layer.

Step 4- I added some dark shaded areas with a photoshop brush on a new "darken" layer.

Step 5- FINISHED. I added a texture layer on a"multiply" layer. There was already a bit of texture in the original scan from the natural texture of the newsprint, but I wanted it to look old and worn at the edges.

the bane of my existence

This one single character design has been a source of very much frustration to me. Here's a thought; the top 4 shows of the past 20 years (The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, and King Of The Hill) are all horribly designed. Just goes to show that how important good character design is in a show; which is to say, not very much. The most important aspects of a show are excellent writing, clearly defined characters, strong direction, a clear vision, and good stories with good dialog. And of course it has to be FUNNY!!
What is NOT important, and a waste of time, money, and energy; is when you worry about unimportant, nit-picking details in the design. No body is going to care if Homer Simpson has 2 hairs on his head or 3 or 4. No one is going to stop watching Family Guy if Meg Griffin was designed with square glasses instead of round glasses. No one is going think South Park is any less funny if Cartman's double chin line was removed.
Not to say all shows can get away with bad designs. But you need to know what is important in each specific show you work on.

cut out girls

I haven't been posting as diligently as I normally do. 3 reasons; 1-I was at the Ottawa Animation Festival for a week. 2- I got back from the festival and was sick with a horrible flu that I am just getting over now. 3- BURN OUT. I have been working on a number of projects over the past year and I need a break to clear my head. I have a lot of stuff I could post from this Mythology project still. So here are several cut outs of some of the females in the series.