So here is a set of color comps for some animation backgrounds I'm doing for my personal project, "The Tower Troll." The kid's head on a plaque is part of the project too, but I'm not going to spoil why! These were done in watercolor, by the way, with micron inks over 'em.
Another day, another page in the ol' sketchbook. This one actually had me figure out something pretty interesting really. Something I honestly never gave much thought to.
Rib cages tilt forward when someone leans! To be perfectly truthful, this little nougat of info HAS been in my head before, but it's one of those things when you just throw a pose out onto the paper, if your head isn't in the game, it doesn't surface.
This actually got me to thinking about a couple of little things. First, I I thought about the fact that I always start my drawings with the head. Then I kinda came to the realization that a LOT of artists do this. I know of a lot of pals who start with a gesture of the head, then find the spine and line of action through that, which lead me onto another train of though...
Burne Hogarth.
Hogarth's Dynamic Anatomy or Dynamic Figure Drawing (if you ever read these books) don't actually prescribe to this following. Instead Hogarth stresses the rib cage as the first object to draw, as everything originates from there: The orientation of the head does not dictate the pose, but the orientation of the rib cage might.
While I think this is a nifty idea, I don't know how well it could actually work. The problem lies in the flow of the pose. It's far easier for me to find the LoA (Line of Action) from the head than it is from the rib cage. If the rib cage dictates the pose, don't I already have this set in stone then?
Anyway, I've just provided a look into the mad ramblings of a lone artist, so feel free to leave any thought pertaining (or not) on the comment board.
Here's a quick preview of an upcoming paint-up I'm doing. I guess it'll fall under the next creature spotlight, so all the background for it will be explained then. In the meantime, I present to you, the Babysnatcher!
Just a recent sketchpage.
...Or as some may call it, the blue-balled doombird. Here's our next installment in the Creature Spotlight, this time it's the predator of the Garret's Tuskrunner (hence the tuskeater name.) This reptavian lives primarily along the belt of forest/plains area that dot its planet, which gives it it's darker coloration. Males are identified with the vibrant colors lining their faces, while females have a more subdued palette. The two large, long claws on each forelimb are used for gripping prey, but also for digging out holes to form nests for their broods. Oddly enough, the cheek sacks that adorn their faces have a dual function: They're can be puffed up to appear aggressive, or they can be used to store food. Since Tuskrunner's tend to stay away from the forest or closed areas, it becomes problematic for the female tuskeater, who stays with her young until they're hatched. Evolution's solution? Equip the birds with cheeks so the male can carry back extra food from a kill. This also works out for when the Tuskeaters make long treks or migrations, since they can feed on a kill, then store any extra in their pouches and swallow it down as they continue to move.
I included in this post a version that still has the lineart, and a version without the lineart. As a shout-out to anyone that's listening, which one do you all prefer?
Well, not so much a "sneak" peek, but ya get the idea. Once I finish doing the paint-up on it, I'll be showing the whole critter.
In other news, I'm cleaning up the Tower Troll and polishing him more. I'm basically going back with a rake (using a new one this time, something I fashioned outta a saw blade, ha ha!) and gonna really rake the hell outta him. I'll show pics of that once he's all done up nicely.
In other other news, I've been looking at a DS homebrew program called "colors" which is apparantly a painting program. Anyone out there use it and love it? Just curious to hear some first-hand accounts of it.
Rib cages tilt forward when someone leans! To be perfectly truthful, this little nougat of info HAS been in my head before, but it's one of those things when you just throw a pose out onto the paper, if your head isn't in the game, it doesn't surface.
Here's a sculpt I've been working on for my senior project class. He's a maquette based off the main character design in a short animation I'm doing. I'm fairly happy with him, I think if I started him a little earlier I could have worked out some of the issues and kinks I have with it a lot more. I might go back and tweak him later, once I have more time available to me.
