Still Working on Memory Bots

Hello and welcome back. I previous posts I showed sketches for a book on memory I am designing and (if they ever actually make a decision on something) illustrating. Well, here's a recent round of drawings I did for them. Not much new lately because they are slow to get back to me and slower to actually say what they are looking for. I don't know if you have ever gone through this but they can't make a decision because as they say, "Jeff your stuff is so good that it is hard to make a decision, each new drawing is great..." Alright I like compliments as much as the next guy but come on...just tell me what you're looking for, so of these are just terrible. Maybe they feel like because I'm the 'talent' that I'm fragile or something. We are all adults here, just pick something so we can move on.
Another bit of annoyance is the crunching out of new ideas only to find they liked the early stuff. Whoo boy, welp, work is work I suppose, and at least they LIKE my stuff. Too bad, I'm starting not too, yikes some of these drawings- I would have fired me. There was a pizza delivery job in the paper...
Er....Amara wants to play Elmo's Potty Time.
I'll post something more complete in a while, sorry.

Cookie Monster Interview

Howdy.

I love Cookie Monster, I always have, he's my favorite Sesame Street Icon. So because I have no cool images just yet, I thought I'd post this link to a video of NPR's interview with Cookie. Sorry no video file I can find but the link is great. If you're really paying attention; look at the broad actions and posing that make Cookie believable especially when he looks over his shoulders and pinches his nose. Wow, it's like a good animated character but in (pseudo) reality. There is a lesson to learned from just this four minute clip.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/incharacter/2008/02/cookie_monster_comes_to_npr.html

Chest and Shoulders

Hello and welcome back. We have reached the point in the semester where we move from construction to anatomy and I have included some quick notes for constructing the chest and adding shoulders. In the first example below, I suggest either using an egg shape or a box to build the torso. Note, that both have the shoulders come off away from the central form. Egg shape users should treat the ribcage as a place where the clavicals, scapula, pectorals, deltoids, and trapezius are lowered onto the egg like should pads on a football player. This will "push" the shoulders out so the arms don't look like they a just sprouting from the ribs. Those who opt for the box, should draw out the six sided shape and then add a slight rise to the top as shown in 'A' and 'B'. This will get the the clavicals lower than C7 (the insertion point of the neck to trunk) The shoulders should then be drawn slightly inserted to the corners of the top of the box as shown.

In either case, one should always consider being able to "see up" from the front of the ribcage as it is turned slightly upward due to the curvature of the spine.

The next set of drawings are examples of both types of construction in use. Note the flatness of the top of the shoulder when at the side and the roundness when raised. I hope this helps,
Thanks for stopping by.

Gesture 2 Character Examples

Hello out there,
I haven't posted in so long I forgot what I was last focused on...Oh yeah, the Santa challenge.
Seeing as it's January 31 already, looks like I sort of missed the seasonal nature of that. I'll post something a little later with that in mind. For that post I have to say is: "Saul Ruiz"- stay turned for more, friends.
In the mean time, my students are off working on gestures for the character class. So in lieu of the lecture on Wednesday the 30th, I am posting some examples that take a gesture and modify it to character. Students, I hope this aids in your WOZ characters for Monday's review.
First a more masculine gesture for the workbook. By adding a bit more sweep and delicacy to the lines, you can a much more feminine look while still keeping the action of the original gesture.
Same is true for the reverse, by thinking about the size of your simple construction shapes, you can take a softer more feminine gesture and use it to build another type of character; in this case, a short, heavy guy. In this case I opted to make the gesture just a bit more stiff by straightening the force lines a bit. These are very quick examples, if you need further details or more examples let me know by leaving a comment here. Have fun drawing!

Meeting Sandborn's Challenge

So Mike Sandborn set up a challenge and I’ll never meet the deadline so I thought I’d cheat and post something I did for the SCBWI newsletter in May 07. It was a spot on graphic novels and here is the result. I know, I know…I’m no Pierre Allary but at least I’m trying to stay on the train as it were. Santa results are coming just hang on for the next posts. Thanks to Mike for including me on his challenge. 'Hope everybody had a great holiday break.

Have a happy and safe 2008

Santa 07: Further Progress

Good morning, 'figured if I stay up late and got up real early from now to Christmas, I may actually finish this. Did I tell you I waited in a line to get a ham for Christmas dinner for the extended fam yesterday? That's right, a ham. Not to mention that I had the pleasure of experiencing toy shopping at Toys R Us yesterday, wow last-minute Christmas shopping-nerve racking...guess I should start earlier and stop whining. Anyway, here's more progress.
Those legs are bugging the crap out of me, they are going to change so if those are bugging you too...stand by.