tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86209335197249719382024-03-13T12:51:26.731-04:00Quasi EducationalArt education, insightful observations, and progressive postings of personal projects, from the perspective of an artist mired in anime & manga.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-75400175915670419692010-04-30T13:49:00.004-04:002010-04-30T14:56:38.506-04:00Questions about Box JellyfishDebbie Foster recently asked, "How do you get the effect of the incredible glow of the jelly fish?"<br />
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I dug up my source files for Box Jellyfish to look over the technique. I'd say the biggest factors in the glow are: <br />
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#1. No lines for the jellyfish. The jellyfish was supposed to look translucent and ethereal. I realized fairly early that a hard outline in my sketch would work against that. When I painted the sketch, I obliterated most of the underlying line work for the jellyfish. Looking at my source files, I can see there's only a bit of the jellyfish still present in the lines (it was probably too much hassle to clean up these bits). What line work is left is set to 'overlay' so it picks up much of the underlying tone in the painting. In the picture below you can see what I mean.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEv1G_YFpqPruekXm9Vd4R6Lsz9w8Db5jU275Y3SjRfWoMDu8YyEavyQ0_xewh6Vw24jwadmwi1MMTTy_usxocR_PR7C4h7RHlUERNcctNwyKjc3FW9SlHY08Z2BI8fA1eVHvgyPnSNHZs/s1600/jellyfish_blog01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEv1G_YFpqPruekXm9Vd4R6Lsz9w8Db5jU275Y3SjRfWoMDu8YyEavyQ0_xewh6Vw24jwadmwi1MMTTy_usxocR_PR7C4h7RHlUERNcctNwyKjc3FW9SlHY08Z2BI8fA1eVHvgyPnSNHZs/s320/jellyfish_blog01.jpg" /></a></div><br />
#2. I painted the jellyfish on its own layer. Here it's presented against a black backdrop.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycitv0Pcs2OkQP2kFnOWOtjNHx3Iy8QGRomk9cIcG5-qJ00pEydW9d4CUUvm4N0VL8U411npzGeyZeri_5irHbEjALZXF1eSH_ebh3zuEqxaHmCdVUU9oDYopJQXVevlTIO7rFeKFpdSU/s1600/jellyfish_blog02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiycitv0Pcs2OkQP2kFnOWOtjNHx3Iy8QGRomk9cIcG5-qJ00pEydW9d4CUUvm4N0VL8U411npzGeyZeri_5irHbEjALZXF1eSH_ebh3zuEqxaHmCdVUU9oDYopJQXVevlTIO7rFeKFpdSU/s320/jellyfish_blog02.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I figured since the creature was mostly translucent, the light would pipe through the body structure (like fiber optics), emphasizing edges and any area that was more solid. I tried to approach the work thoughtfully, looking over underwater photography of jellyfishes and how camera lights render them with a spooky glow. It's sort of like an X-ray photo, but emphasizing the outer edges over the vacuous innards.<br />
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#3. I placed a blurry blue color dodge layer over the jellyfish, to give it a softer look and a diffuse glow. There's also another lighting layer used to place a soft glow on the areas of the background affected by the jellyfish's outstretched tentacles.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTQbJRT2mF2648fQp8BStT3dzbUK-XGNdW7N4dNb0dN6-ZvIUP4VXXMMa0-NkwLlGHIIOyis4yL1lLJ_Fc2DxFlhVZP1lEJ4g24aZObBAhCGx5fiR5hl4nnFmOvPEuCTESaDB1Kr7ILxd/s1600/jellyfish_blog03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTQbJRT2mF2648fQp8BStT3dzbUK-XGNdW7N4dNb0dN6-ZvIUP4VXXMMa0-NkwLlGHIIOyis4yL1lLJ_Fc2DxFlhVZP1lEJ4g24aZObBAhCGx5fiR5hl4nnFmOvPEuCTESaDB1Kr7ILxd/s320/jellyfish_blog03.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Aside from that, the reason the jellyfish glows is color choice and contrast. The picture is dark, the jellyfish is bright and blurry.<br />
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Hope that answers your question. <br />
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For more clues on how the picture was made, see the work-in-progress image I've provided.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jaredandlindsay.com/gfxartist/jellyfish_blog04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwNR0-iXREN0LYOuwX2P4qTKbwTqqVNXzX0_1kZI73JbykzGg7vskKru1EHf3MI61ZeeBTnxWs9sxDFOVk0G_Cp9-V59YI3US5YfkUyhskcxFa89PUwaBxAB9rzQwahFOJhx8RGL_sxkwB/s320/jellyfish_blog04.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Also see this study I did, using a long exposure photo of a nightlight in my bedroom.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DpVLwSXR0WRN8hCIsLK1fdRJsAPlP9KvDreIlOFTn0dWIU1f1GX0RghuLxzrgNCFR81N0IrQSltvkwLGZe-eaUR_-kV0gmaGW38JzgWAezAR-p8rfi907c4u59TD_fohHxv0ITkv9ipz/s1600/jellyfish_blog05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DpVLwSXR0WRN8hCIsLK1fdRJsAPlP9KvDreIlOFTn0dWIU1f1GX0RghuLxzrgNCFR81N0IrQSltvkwLGZe-eaUR_-kV0gmaGW38JzgWAezAR-p8rfi907c4u59TD_fohHxv0ITkv9ipz/s320/jellyfish_blog05.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Spooky.</i></div><br />
-Jared.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-13448834801482042512010-01-15T16:35:00.003-05:002010-01-15T16:36:30.512-05:00Fantasy Illustration - Tiamat's Chosen - FinalThis is a mock fantasy book cover, set in the Forgotten Realms universe, that I did on commission. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A9wH9rl3B0gkwD9e3fsOS4Gungk_-L7NOLQ-lWn2_XoJ4M_DX582gZrLgU6tnj4_SCWLip-6gu8A9WdgbVvhbm6JrOEecjxPzqdzQwFhAYbnFKJ_vLSpOYVzBrqc3xBLKSWRacjsPRMr/s1600-h/Tiamat__s_Chosen_by_Quasimanga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A9wH9rl3B0gkwD9e3fsOS4Gungk_-L7NOLQ-lWn2_XoJ4M_DX582gZrLgU6tnj4_SCWLip-6gu8A9WdgbVvhbm6JrOEecjxPzqdzQwFhAYbnFKJ_vLSpOYVzBrqc3xBLKSWRacjsPRMr/s320/Tiamat__s_Chosen_by_Quasimanga.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>The client wanted something that was akin to a Star Wars movie poster with characters sprinkled throughout the image. The blue character, Ningal, is some sort of important leader in the country of Unther. The other famous character in the image is Tiamat -- she's in the upper right corner. She's a dragon deity in cloaked in human form. The client wanted her depicted as a sort of spunky teenager girl. <br />
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During the process of creating this picture I worked out a design for each character before combining them into the picture. Here's the related <a href="http://quasieducational.blogspot.com/2009/12/fantasy-illustration-tiamats-chosen.html">character</a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://quasieducational.blogspot.com/2009/12/fantasy-illustration-tiamats-chosen_31.html">design</a> <a href="http://quasieducational.blogspot.com/2010/01/fantasy-illustration-tiamats-chosen.html">blog</a> posts.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-9545099735685977022010-01-08T14:25:00.000-05:002010-01-08T14:25:17.455-05:00Fantasy Illustration - Tiamat's Chosen: Designing the restThe remaining three characters in the Forgotten Realms illustration were original player characters which needed to be designed from scratch. Working from text descriptions and story details, the characters took form.<br />
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Zeldara was described as a druid with wild brown hair and natural earth toned clothing. I wanted to give her an untamed, living-close-to-nature look, so I added some scattered flowers throughout her tangled hair. Here you can see the build up from basic body, to clothed figure.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWVgy1IK5nO_lvD0seL4dqXC39bqokMRaQxfD8s1YVH34liK9wlBErCn2QZHpzLL0UxuV2BiQ5au_HOquSrpfk7FVJCEhaLE58ErdvCPljTWJiFaPXX0iFfrhVo5O4N3M7iQrBiqyX5Pf/s1600-h/Zeldaradesign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWVgy1IK5nO_lvD0seL4dqXC39bqokMRaQxfD8s1YVH34liK9wlBErCn2QZHpzLL0UxuV2BiQ5au_HOquSrpfk7FVJCEhaLE58ErdvCPljTWJiFaPXX0iFfrhVo5O4N3M7iQrBiqyX5Pf/s320/Zeldaradesign.jpg" /></a><br />
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Xaxier is the key figure in the story. He's a tall and strong monk/assassin with questionable morals that fights with his hands. His key features are the three concentric blue circles on his forehead and golden eyes and skin.<br />
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Firaelia is a half-elf mage. She carries a rapier and casts Shadow magic. She is the shortest and most curvaceous of the bunch.<br />
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Finally, here's the height chart showing how they all line up with each other. Xavior and Ningal are among the tallest.<br />
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Coming up next, the finished illustration!<br />
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If you missed it, here's the previous character design installment: <a href="http://quasieducational.blogspot.com/2009/12/fantasy-illustration-tiamats-chosen_31.html">http://quasieducational.blogspot.com/2009/12/fantasy-illustration-tiamats-chosen_31.html</a>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-28757998421251252092009-12-31T14:38:00.001-05:002009-12-31T14:39:10.969-05:00Fantasy Illustration - Tiamat's Chosen: Designing NingalContinuing the <a href="http://quasieducational.blogspot.com/2009/12/fantasy-illustration-tiamats-chosen.html">character design feature</a> from last time, next up on the design plate is Ningal. Like Tiamat, Ningal is a pre-existing character in the D&D Forgotten Realms universe. This design was very straightforward. In the sketch, you can see how she compares to Tiamat's design - taller, with a more athletic build. I always tried to be very conscious of making every character unique from head to toe - not just clothing and facial features, but also their body type and build.<br />
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</div>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-52136143163178429312009-12-27T19:13:00.004-05:002009-12-27T20:21:39.221-05:00Fantasy Illustration - Tiamat's Chosen: Designing TiamatA recent book cover commission I worked on called for five detailed fantasy-themed character designs. In a series of blog posts over the next week or two, I'll talk about some interesting points about each of character designs.<br />
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First up is Tiamat, a canonical character of the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms universe. The client called for some substantial changes to her appearance, however, so she's very different in these design sketches. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRBwsOuNJV1MCewxFkwBDpnqj-_cKrJe_8tScyvGMNQM3XLhCbCB21AyHqQaqIkYdEiBTDVeqXjPy3kUd3b3KBnjENfWFw4sibqK7oDmIgDv5BMGl3OosmVwfxHixhqAL96IlfnWHDjVK/s1600-h/Tiamatdesign1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRBwsOuNJV1MCewxFkwBDpnqj-_cKrJe_8tScyvGMNQM3XLhCbCB21AyHqQaqIkYdEiBTDVeqXjPy3kUd3b3KBnjENfWFw4sibqK7oDmIgDv5BMGl3OosmVwfxHixhqAL96IlfnWHDjVK/s320/Tiamatdesign1.jpg" /></a><br />
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My initial pass on her was a modern take on the classic design in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiamat_%28Dungeons_&_Dragons%29">Jeff Easley's Tiamat painting</a>.<br />
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The client liked a lot of the design elements of the initial design, but had a younger, playful and flirtier Tiamat in mind, so it was back to the drawing board for a second pass.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJqg7cfShH6uGM_sD4xs-TVEhNq3yVAhHz28QTUNABrlMoFFxjkW36de8mdXE4mO97_zIk7odrqGdQDeqJX52yUXqTCMGtD9sUtFxGdxBHxht-ZiEEbNR2g6KUVx-sFNqRs_-Vw6d4XU0/s1600-h/Tiamatdesign2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJqg7cfShH6uGM_sD4xs-TVEhNq3yVAhHz28QTUNABrlMoFFxjkW36de8mdXE4mO97_zIk7odrqGdQDeqJX52yUXqTCMGtD9sUtFxGdxBHxht-ZiEEbNR2g6KUVx-sFNqRs_-Vw6d4XU0/s320/Tiamatdesign2.jpg" /></a><br />
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In the second design she's shorter and less curvy, more impish rather than sinister.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUCUhdxKKByXX2Hlfu9XNBWAm_55Xhb9cR0nggQWIv0N-xPO-tyunrtbV_VP9Fy2qpIkn1wsmiCXB5sjF4Wko1Rfrn4iPrVh77fdumblaBGDBGs7BvAZyPBLy2MmDD5Lg6Zb1Gwz-Fp5y/s1600-h/Tiamatdesign3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUCUhdxKKByXX2Hlfu9XNBWAm_55Xhb9cR0nggQWIv0N-xPO-tyunrtbV_VP9Fy2qpIkn1wsmiCXB5sjF4Wko1Rfrn4iPrVh77fdumblaBGDBGs7BvAZyPBLy2MmDD5Lg6Zb1Gwz-Fp5y/s320/Tiamatdesign3.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>I also came up with some variations on her outfit. #1 is the classic fantasy bikini, but this interpretation of Tiamat called for a more modest costume, so I tried a number of other designs. All of them feature dragon claw shoes, a nod to Tiamat's other form, a five-headed dragon. The client chose design #4, which you'll see in the finished illustration.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-83984642459250603372009-10-09T12:42:00.000-04:002009-10-09T12:42:47.015-04:00Pegasus Anthro in the Clouds - WIP<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFD4gHebkt007MSALn8LH_FRK2ysIKNcoQjPE0kxT4j5uAjiCpew5q5Fc64fdvEsorZ2eZxx1CYUHTjVjAJgXxiqdaoUT7gj-MCdZDhW3NJx1PeMlor3223h4hUxnEqTuCO9Z6tFhKZhW/s1600-h/jal-illo-81-HorseAngel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFD4gHebkt007MSALn8LH_FRK2ysIKNcoQjPE0kxT4j5uAjiCpew5q5Fc64fdvEsorZ2eZxx1CYUHTjVjAJgXxiqdaoUT7gj-MCdZDhW3NJx1PeMlor3223h4hUxnEqTuCO9Z6tFhKZhW/s320/jal-illo-81-HorseAngel.jpg" /></a>It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s a flying Pegasus anthro in a flowing white gown. This image is from my upcoming book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1600614175?ie=UTF8&tag=artofjaredand-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1600614175">Draw Furries</a>. Since we weren’t able to fit a step-by-step demo for this image in the book, (you know, limited space in publishing and all that) I’ve posted a series of buildup sketches, and work-in-progress snapshots of the painting process here on my blog. <br />
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Now here’s a meaningless question to ponder. Are Pegasi an offshoot horse species, a specific breed of horse, or can any horse be a Pegasus if you slap a pair of wings on them?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0di2EGIhyBi_V36b030NtWE5rGY2ynehrhkKgNRKn5A8jwioXz3Y_pj1ne0cDjw7QkSJP0fuwhIP-3l8xn7qHy81vVU82PkTn9PakM6G_XbmY65PHROvc7GmlhlrHQKA8C8eSb74yPUbA/s1600-h/drawfurries_blog001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0di2EGIhyBi_V36b030NtWE5rGY2ynehrhkKgNRKn5A8jwioXz3Y_pj1ne0cDjw7QkSJP0fuwhIP-3l8xn7qHy81vVU82PkTn9PakM6G_XbmY65PHROvc7GmlhlrHQKA8C8eSb74yPUbA/s320/drawfurries_blog001.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Anthro Pegasus under development. From basic form thumbnail to rough sketch.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGWU05chZaoH3wpcR_K6Lpkn15MZh1hqHl8Y5ptnpy38xCUVoYmJ18YXKUq2SrtWJxPkfWSD9_bEVrTMmQKvNyq439_ujQeeIRIf1bIudFprGfoavo7bGFm44eiQosuikvV8eeJae_dEH/s1600-h/drawfurries_blog002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGWU05chZaoH3wpcR_K6Lpkn15MZh1hqHl8Y5ptnpy38xCUVoYmJ18YXKUq2SrtWJxPkfWSD9_bEVrTMmQKvNyq439_ujQeeIRIf1bIudFprGfoavo7bGFm44eiQosuikvV8eeJae_dEH/s320/drawfurries_blog002.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Final sketch.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHW8z9kSLuf8QMTJd_c-P58DGFquhl5dmkDCcgNFW0PanDg8xrE_08Lk1LHkk735CbZPbN_Kt1T2Nh-oySQxoT7ekbCcyS7PRxOVNYOzO6U3A397jkmFb4FFrUbOkGRmSqYkH4Iqk277BY/s1600-h/drawfurries_blog003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHW8z9kSLuf8QMTJd_c-P58DGFquhl5dmkDCcgNFW0PanDg8xrE_08Lk1LHkk735CbZPbN_Kt1T2Nh-oySQxoT7ekbCcyS7PRxOVNYOzO6U3A397jkmFb4FFrUbOkGRmSqYkH4Iqk277BY/s320/drawfurries_blog003.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Color WIP. Follow the numbers. <br />
</div>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-33221494212434001792009-10-08T18:27:00.001-04:002009-10-10T11:13:57.295-04:00Domo Invaded My Life!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzORSGpRklPN6x_aHb2tUT-RpwoRXLIlMtzJUks32725Xleqkujog23zCslUKYjA6QqYMNmUF3Y-dmraV3LFARt2SjjUfgWZ1_14Ml5ZeS_adOi1v3ycQvPNCbdXiyadn8IFU2MR7hOUb/s1600-h/NotMrFuzzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzORSGpRklPN6x_aHb2tUT-RpwoRXLIlMtzJUks32725Xleqkujog23zCslUKYjA6QqYMNmUF3Y-dmraV3LFARt2SjjUfgWZ1_14Ml5ZeS_adOi1v3ycQvPNCbdXiyadn8IFU2MR7hOUb/s400/NotMrFuzzy.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Domo invades my life and work.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I just received my author copies of DOMO: the Manga from Tokyopop. Thank you, Hope Donovan (my editor)! I'm really impressed with TP's production values on this project. The book is in FULL COLOR and the trim is slightly larger than a typical manga, perfect for DOMO's highly visual stories.<br />
<br />
Lindsay and I put together two chapters for the book. Like with our previous book, Peach Fuzz, Lindsay drew the line art, while I did cleanup, coloring, and effects.<br />
<br />
Aside from myself and Lindsay, several other artists participated in putting DOMO the manga together. They include:<br />
<br />
Priscilla Hamby - A.k.a. rem (<a href="http://www.blackmoontides.com/">http://www.blackmoontides.com/</a>)<br />
Sonia Leung (<a href="http://www.fyredrake.net/">http://www.fyredrake.net/</a>)<br />
&<br />
Maximo V. Lorenzo (<a href="http://8bitmaximo.com/">http://8bitmaximo.com/</a>) Who did a 4 page comic that shows up in the exclusive 7-Eleven version of the DOMO manga. (Way to go Maximo! I love the penguin rock band!)<br />
<br />
So, next time you're out, drop by a 7-Eleven or you local book store and check out a copy of DOMO: the Manga. If you're like me, and hardly ever get out of the house, you can always pick up the book on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1427815976?ie=UTF8&tag=artofjaredand-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1427815976">Amazon</a>. <br />
<br />
BUT WAIT! There's a SPECIAL option. I'm now taking pre-orders for the Domo book through my website. Go here to place an order: <a href="http://www.jaredandlindsay.com/comics.html">http://www.jaredandlindsay.com/comics.html</a> If you order a copy before October 17th, you'll get a bonus original sharpie marker rendering of Domo-kun by Lindsay Cibos included with your order. PLUS, purchasing a book enters you in our Peach in Portugal Giveaway (see details on my website here: <a href="http://www.jaredandlindsay.com/home.html">http://www.jaredandlindsay.com/home.html</a>)!Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-21513449872916229042009-10-05T13:31:00.010-04:002009-10-05T14:27:23.300-04:00Swine Flu - ATTACKThis is a picture I worked on a while back as a companion piece for <a href="http://quasieducational.blogspot.com/2009/07/viral-finished.html">Viral</a>. I never posted it on the blog and it seemed perfectly appropriate for this week's IllustrationFriday topic, "germs".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mfD_aTCKdEAIT6qv9sedDE2HeUxRD_UflrXhFB0j7g5SrAkffU8Ki-nxXdpNm_Dq7Bju-YUu0p4Y9-WmYiMyrZCl9-DsbZkMfMPUfmJ1_OYRfvFm15Nj_Pn2xS-PYspHkFgG1S1xzMuF/s1600-h/jal-illo-111_SwineFlu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 397px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mfD_aTCKdEAIT6qv9sedDE2HeUxRD_UflrXhFB0j7g5SrAkffU8Ki-nxXdpNm_Dq7Bju-YUu0p4Y9-WmYiMyrZCl9-DsbZkMfMPUfmJ1_OYRfvFm15Nj_Pn2xS-PYspHkFgG1S1xzMuF/s400/jal-illo-111_SwineFlu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389170100046138482" border="0" /></a>See the little green piggies? They’re coming for you.<br /><br />...that reminds me. I'll need to look into getting vaccinated. I don't want to get sick/get other people sick, at all the art and anime conventions next year.<br /><br />----<br />Sketched on 9”x12” Strathmore Bristol, finalized and painted in Photoshop CS 3. The image came together over a couple of days.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8Bkd9hqxz0xkJH0p1Rka-3HpiUb_xA4Q0PPZAuIjZnKa4mDJ83RbYe8tEse1qqx_MtK27nVscVtrPvNXogb4zTPH95qa7ToIe7H8cJClrNzropw_3ixGEpS9NF9WOF-JrfgKelQVFRtf/s1600-h/postcard_blog01.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8Bkd9hqxz0xkJH0p1Rka-3HpiUb_xA4Q0PPZAuIjZnKa4mDJ83RbYe8tEse1qqx_MtK27nVscVtrPvNXogb4zTPH95qa7ToIe7H8cJClrNzropw_3ixGEpS9NF9WOF-JrfgKelQVFRtf/s320/postcard_blog01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389173763494776082" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXVuiBzgI0-DXStbXaEq6TKf7lFL4K669QrmYBa7FnN2uX4EHiY5JNRmfJVcPBxy8_0EQx_W74HcnuVfO9NskSiF8oPeqqITY5iKP7HL7AlQAPKyEciaSsLHDvmKtSi4ZMFQXsUVTY4pt/s1600-h/postcard_blog01.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXVuiBzgI0-DXStbXaEq6TKf7lFL4K669QrmYBa7FnN2uX4EHiY5JNRmfJVcPBxy8_0EQx_W74HcnuVfO9NskSiF8oPeqqITY5iKP7HL7AlQAPKyEciaSsLHDvmKtSi4ZMFQXsUVTY4pt/s320/postcard_blog01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389173606799470722" border="0" /></a><br />I used this picture and Viral on my most recent self promotion postcard. The explosive word bubble on the front is where the addressee sticker goes, but you can just imagine he's coughing his lungs up.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-57313115393646720982009-10-05T13:20:00.006-04:002009-10-05T13:29:34.110-04:00Unfinished BusinessAn associate of mine recently informed me that I never posted the finished images for Strength, or the Uncle Sam - What's for Dinner.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4g65LVROY_mfD0v_NyB7oxlAK_GBBoxcvn0-n8GWAEUKvF7zoEMt5GrEaUzLn9KQPK3rWJyVJMMUVviQHbQrSKxgKyVE9ZaKCCQK4IkXxaLS5Cc3z1xJb74rGqhQVeBl_hmA9SnZGPnX5/s1600-h/jal-illo-119_Strength.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4g65LVROY_mfD0v_NyB7oxlAK_GBBoxcvn0-n8GWAEUKvF7zoEMt5GrEaUzLn9KQPK3rWJyVJMMUVviQHbQrSKxgKyVE9ZaKCCQK4IkXxaLS5Cc3z1xJb74rGqhQVeBl_hmA9SnZGPnX5/s400/jal-illo-119_Strength.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389167966835162178" border="0" /></a>Strength<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXWwVltC6jy7J5TEwY8VbBL-5LatcohRFplzx9UBASaQdWGeO1K3LccBqL9luUYOaGvGfCvf9XXLV9Z3VzxP2PNd2Kq-WmhP9yi_XK64AAEscLyPsOhcNafaUR6HdJ9mLDRztIwfuSaP1/s1600-h/jal-illo-100-UncleSam.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 344px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXWwVltC6jy7J5TEwY8VbBL-5LatcohRFplzx9UBASaQdWGeO1K3LccBqL9luUYOaGvGfCvf9XXLV9Z3VzxP2PNd2Kq-WmhP9yi_XK64AAEscLyPsOhcNafaUR6HdJ9mLDRztIwfuSaP1/s400/jal-illo-100-UncleSam.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389167970854316018" border="0" /></a>Uncle Sam - What's for Dinner<br /></div><br />Aren't they handsome together.<br /><br />-- More art soon!Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-58747000300299572672009-09-10T23:07:00.004-04:002009-09-10T23:46:22.528-04:00Strength - WIP<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LcCRYGHj0hC0CLwunnAWOHQfqvmxhN9TpS1KWvJDRIDBLzCl4PehfVABW3hgnIu77YhUs3FTFsJMhbH2Nc7C9SHVKpV6nlyYk6nryYetR1xLoxznXSj7yBSSwZ-7fhMX0-PEoGsZnx1n/s1600-h/jal-illo-119_Strength_WIP_blog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LcCRYGHj0hC0CLwunnAWOHQfqvmxhN9TpS1KWvJDRIDBLzCl4PehfVABW3hgnIu77YhUs3FTFsJMhbH2Nc7C9SHVKpV6nlyYk6nryYetR1xLoxznXSj7yBSSwZ-7fhMX0-PEoGsZnx1n/s400/jal-illo-119_Strength_WIP_blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380042204458420962" border="0" /></a><br />AKA Strong.<br /><br />Another entry for IllustrationFriday.com. The drawing is finished and composed, but I'm just starting on the painting. More soon.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-59780054183663790942009-09-08T12:12:00.006-04:002009-09-08T12:44:39.871-04:00Impatience: Full Walk-ThruWhen I back up an image on DVD, I clean up any unnecessary intermediate files saved along with the big milestones. Before I delete the intermediate steps, I use them to build a developmental walk-thru that details the process that went into creating the image. These step-by-step guides are often helpful to look back on if I'm confused about how I did a painting technique or a special effect.<br /><br />Here is the walk-thru for Impatience, along with step-by-step into annotations.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jaredandlindsay.com/blog/Impatience-WIP-concept_to_rough.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 77px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjyg1ciW1nBBi7-hRqczqQPzHU-8lRu82U79ScgI_3QnJ9P0ciL1Vv8iVOZ6DWw2Q7jeYPStxVFEuUNkqVjT-Qpy2n5zSFjhmO4hQp8VI-1GPZlBVhh_dtB1bhU87Yo0q1asakgOqFYGC1/s320/Impatience-WIP-concept_to_rough.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379130632824637906" border="0" /></a>Concept sketch to digital rough.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jaredandlindsay.com/blog/Impatience-WIP-rough_to_pencils.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxs-zTNW99nlRBt7wTZWm3r5faCqMF7Ydd9ry2ydp8wkcVFK2En77pMpTkhfCz7iWIPFXDmZ4Yi1D2_GUtji5qFfJpIpn9rWsR_WZffv7ydg3DDGa541pPnroacVLDQyiws5mnDyrBIGQ/s320/Impatience-WIP-rough_to_pencils.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379130625671659714" border="0" /></a>Rough pencils to finished sketch.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jaredandlindsay.com/blog/Impatience-WIP-colors.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 54px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjziK20-I23j-bPi8qq1zuUWeqbEN-KOHNPJ8hI4qoJu4Rq_yozg142sOZrzngB5ggiVM3SAR78dfYL5yGT5xBZ8ltcGjQJFa9o8q3tjqFlWYEVl8ZsQUtbag8Rf6gAMffw3KR8LbuK4vqD/s400/Impatience-WIP-colors.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379131157042558706" border="0" /></a>Progression of the colors.<br /></div>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-92027445039947115112009-08-29T14:14:00.008-04:002009-08-30T13:53:43.761-04:00Ted Kennedy Funeral - Quick SketchIt was on TV in HD. Used the freeze frame function and did some quick, spur-of-the-moment portraits.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCn1j1jSlvc9CFRGLse_lpAVxoe-esuuehnFrxcLr-IqF_TCiU3lk09xkh6fZDC2muT0RC8CizV__qi_8oEqYHnC6JAbRGewHZJzfJhb-82Ndiianp1WphJQ3FhMPDMAkWOT64g8HYw2L/s1600-h/ted_kennedy_funeral_sketch02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCn1j1jSlvc9CFRGLse_lpAVxoe-esuuehnFrxcLr-IqF_TCiU3lk09xkh6fZDC2muT0RC8CizV__qi_8oEqYHnC6JAbRGewHZJzfJhb-82Ndiianp1WphJQ3FhMPDMAkWOT64g8HYw2L/s320/ted_kennedy_funeral_sketch02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375452381875444850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvGDtcpqIKI7t2S5Qt14Qee2H_M3rXniYsLf8PHuJUPNVuCr9pNvYwWkFOrC3P_LCX68RriA-pLzp8FvNVH3MBZZ51kP8a416xviMe_0eoHAjUZaDanDpB1RJERTgxv43XzNPvLtCdb4d/s1600-h/ted_kennedy_funeral_sketch01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvGDtcpqIKI7t2S5Qt14Qee2H_M3rXniYsLf8PHuJUPNVuCr9pNvYwWkFOrC3P_LCX68RriA-pLzp8FvNVH3MBZZ51kP8a416xviMe_0eoHAjUZaDanDpB1RJERTgxv43XzNPvLtCdb4d/s320/ted_kennedy_funeral_sketch01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375451412314608146" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXYE0waAEm5LdjZ6qhx71c2d5khsxEKkZEDD_AlZtVzENqIgzNiFEvpDFzW1qsSyiwKBk_-vSgCiLGVfYfxwK-KWy-H1qh_nWlCLbRIeHVCodpIdlEqrD34km2Y4jqPUwNuUb37R2HYgR/s1600-h/ted_kennedy_funeral_sketch03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXYE0waAEm5LdjZ6qhx71c2d5khsxEKkZEDD_AlZtVzENqIgzNiFEvpDFzW1qsSyiwKBk_-vSgCiLGVfYfxwK-KWy-H1qh_nWlCLbRIeHVCodpIdlEqrD34km2Y4jqPUwNuUb37R2HYgR/s320/ted_kennedy_funeral_sketch03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375451424144806034" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-81503576567459102382009-08-27T23:25:00.007-04:002009-08-28T13:07:46.966-04:00Caution<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A7uaapQaksssvOVLnL8pf1yBQvkmTo9F4gQKwf0Tq42waNBK-5upz9S1zKGwFh1S0ef1QV-XJGCken52w-6IXDpFfjs0LBdjWBl5VC1zr8i9EzTiFSN53huqzv3_cJUOLyQ_RcaK_w65/s1600-h/jal-illo-118_Caution.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5A7uaapQaksssvOVLnL8pf1yBQvkmTo9F4gQKwf0Tq42waNBK-5upz9S1zKGwFh1S0ef1QV-XJGCken52w-6IXDpFfjs0LBdjWBl5VC1zr8i9EzTiFSN53huqzv3_cJUOLyQ_RcaK_w65/s320/jal-illo-118_Caution.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375061916428973378" border="0" /></a>My take on "Caution" for IllustrationFriday.com -- Just got it in under the wire.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I had two ideas for this piece. (Actually, three ideas if you include the quickly dismissed “semi-naked chick in caution tape” concept.) The first idea had to do with a runner bursting through a repeating black & yellow caution-tape finish line. The line marked the edge of a cliff and the runner continued past the edge, lunging into the sky. Was he flying or falling? Who knows? Maybe I’ll do this picture sometime. It seems like a strong concept.<br /><br />The second idea was some sort of smiling swindler trying to take advantage of a person. The key to this piece would be the use of the black and orange-yellow color “caution sign” palette. It hit me that the swindler’s tie would make for a perfect pathway for the repeating black & yellow caution pattern. Several days later, the picture was complete.<br />----<br /><br />Sketched on 9”x12” Strathmore Sketch paper. Finalized and painted in Photoshop CS 3.<br /></div></div>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-91474264209147573832009-08-24T16:21:00.003-04:002009-08-24T16:27:37.011-04:00Mushroom Princess - Leisure<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZJEV9_KfI4bQB3f2hb1_54s86_c3estwfL327teP3uVNIvGRNsfPLkbZJIARtLFIu0qXWbJ7J-t_1va8zF4yPAm4VX41W0j5WN7tXuqGTpGLyBmw3rh4qLRpraH9MGK-taK29gvbNdbi/s1600-h/peachblog_006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZJEV9_KfI4bQB3f2hb1_54s86_c3estwfL327teP3uVNIvGRNsfPLkbZJIARtLFIu0qXWbJ7J-t_1va8zF4yPAm4VX41W0j5WN7tXuqGTpGLyBmw3rh4qLRpraH9MGK-taK29gvbNdbi/s400/peachblog_006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373628758577628242" border="0" /></a>Rough sketch with colors<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguX19hzYJThkwxCiFIDG1WvdsEh7OeeV9ULbtpZTaS7OkaZ2nBZEHWyYTBq3fI3Vx2j5A58SH4Ig_WpWFDPDEsgIfVAIuz7vALz5izUKL2a4i57Du85bipFb2lkvAsgnelqXqsKuYX7c-a/s1600-h/peachblog_007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguX19hzYJThkwxCiFIDG1WvdsEh7OeeV9ULbtpZTaS7OkaZ2nBZEHWyYTBq3fI3Vx2j5A58SH4Ig_WpWFDPDEsgIfVAIuz7vALz5izUKL2a4i57Du85bipFb2lkvAsgnelqXqsKuYX7c-a/s400/peachblog_007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373628763288613010" border="0" /></a>Inspiration for colors<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">More art soon.<br /></div></div>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-65247410626983146182009-08-22T11:57:00.003-04:002009-08-26T12:31:21.432-04:00Reverse Engineering a PeachA couple of days ago, I was seized with the irrational desire to do a Princess Peach fanart picture. I wanted to do something cheesecakey, like a Gil Elvgren picture, but mixed with a James Jean-like surrealistic thread.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwQJR438EanfSzrj_vr6H8Po8_lt-Ih4bxtn6viZg75aIQooWTz10v90lB2tGoUZl4SBVdmrk5aIMkcLUYCTaGK7uoya9UVZMwcDkLSoRPYAwT7zCe59_N-NI8EzDtqCKaW3ZTvAewRoP/s1600-h/peachblog_001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwQJR438EanfSzrj_vr6H8Po8_lt-Ih4bxtn6viZg75aIQooWTz10v90lB2tGoUZl4SBVdmrk5aIMkcLUYCTaGK7uoya9UVZMwcDkLSoRPYAwT7zCe59_N-NI8EzDtqCKaW3ZTvAewRoP/s400/peachblog_001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372818362043644530" border="0" /></a>As preliminary work for the picture, I compiled a bunch of Princess Peach character art from around the web. When working on a picture based on a famous design I'll look over the official art and draw a couple of takes on the character. Working style into someone else's design is largely an unconscious process. However, to gain a more complete understanding of the character, I decided to formally break down the design and rebuild it.<br /><br /><br />I found two different full body renders of Princess Peach. The first is from the New Super Mario Bros. DS game(left), and the second is from Smash Brothers Brawl for the Wii (right). At a glance the characters look the same, but resize the images so that their heads are the same size and then it's immediately obvious that the Smash Bros. Peach is taller than the New SMB Peach. I decided to toss the shorter Peach and work with the more modern Smash Bros. design.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYwXyZPJoYqMX0w1TEJ0rf1gJ3K2EOHM88_eMXojqq4Xx6yoI8T92pjuyZ3CU1u-nbkd0cJsc06haLxrM7TlroWrNeV5QFjunDf4WgRerP7kY_I3Vl1ORAFw6M0ove62WwWbohyykGlxn/s1600-h/peachblog_002b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYwXyZPJoYqMX0w1TEJ0rf1gJ3K2EOHM88_eMXojqq4Xx6yoI8T92pjuyZ3CU1u-nbkd0cJsc06haLxrM7TlroWrNeV5QFjunDf4WgRerP7kY_I3Vl1ORAFw6M0ove62WwWbohyykGlxn/s400/peachblog_002b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372818365818127874" border="0" /></a>To understand the character's build, I first need to determine her body proportions. To help with this process, I placed the art on and use the size of the character's head to figure out the height of the body. While I can't be sure of exactly where Peach's legs end underneath her gown, I can safely approximate Peach's height at around 5 heads tall, typical for a cartoon mascot character.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nLe3eRhxhwl8bKULZcr1APCnl2WlyfT76OOOFl896j1bxwzOb3EXRg3iqOkxnMJLauU6xSDaJvo01obZ-Wk51hy8-Uki2mIyzlsV6rQ7YDoG0lnm3oyp8vK6d0WzSBgkP12I14RrKcCI/s1600-h/peachblog_003b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nLe3eRhxhwl8bKULZcr1APCnl2WlyfT76OOOFl896j1bxwzOb3EXRg3iqOkxnMJLauU6xSDaJvo01obZ-Wk51hy8-Uki2mIyzlsV6rQ7YDoG0lnm3oyp8vK6d0WzSBgkP12I14RrKcCI/s400/peachblog_003b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372818376060488818" border="0" /></a>Typical adult proportions are around 7 1/2 heads. That would mean Peach, at about 5 heads high, has roughly the same body proportions as a 6 year old. Now, I'm sure the designers never intended to pair her up against a real human, but when you do, it illustrates how weird she looks. It seems that Princess Peach has an adult figure with a child's proportions.<br /><br />Next, I figured out her anatomy by establishing some basic landmarks for her body. How long is her torso compared to her legs? Does she have a long midsection or a compact one? Where is her navel, and where does her torso end? Because Peach rarely struts around in anything skimpier than a ballroom gown, it's hard to be certain of her body lines. Doing my best with the clues in the visable anatomy and clothing, I created a model for her body.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6vN8liIbHLr8qg08AsHo08ou1WT1V3ZCfzLjGVAcVID7zwCdlH9XregAXKBKKaIR8xg6yHwvfoGckNHnqNccF6ixxqTCdbssxF_0txlXcgBNOR_Byzs-l2F_LjGrhsDOBS1pzNEAS1b7/s1600-h/peachblog_004b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6vN8liIbHLr8qg08AsHo08ou1WT1V3ZCfzLjGVAcVID7zwCdlH9XregAXKBKKaIR8xg6yHwvfoGckNHnqNccF6ixxqTCdbssxF_0txlXcgBNOR_Byzs-l2F_LjGrhsDOBS1pzNEAS1b7/s400/peachblog_004b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372818378779557906" border="0" /></a>To double-check my model, I compared the length of her legs against the upper torso and head. For most people, the legs (starting at the hip joint and running to the foot) are about the same length as the torso and head combined. It appears my take on Peach confroms to these proportions.<br /><br />With the body lines established, I've acomplished the goal of deconstructing Princess Peach. Now that I know how she works, I can use the grid to translate her design to a side, back, or 2/3s view and create my own character design sheet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KfQg6hxeoALBJfKi_1xraKQ75mnl3gOAAyTo0lS9eQ5sIlcO9AhXL4Hap5s33efZ8Vd2updtPQ-J0I-J5FJ8VIoHxE18qiR8sC5pR8-m3fmkcj2y1aAgYYM2GDchojbQwecPDH2Azhww/s1600-h/peachblog_005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 356px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-KfQg6hxeoALBJfKi_1xraKQ75mnl3gOAAyTo0lS9eQ5sIlcO9AhXL4Hap5s33efZ8Vd2updtPQ-J0I-J5FJ8VIoHxE18qiR8sC5pR8-m3fmkcj2y1aAgYYM2GDchojbQwecPDH2Azhww/s400/peachblog_005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372818389808016594" border="0" /></a>For my rendition of Peach, I don't want her to look quite so young. Using the teen photo as a proportion guide, I cut up and stretch my sketch of Peach's body until her body matches the target proportions. This is the design I will use to create my illustration.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-52469219159969691142009-08-20T16:23:00.003-04:002009-08-20T16:34:48.303-04:00WrappedArt created for the weekly illustration challenge site, IllustrationFriday.com. This is my take on the subject “Wrapped”.<br /><br />“Wrapped” started with the octopus. I liked the idea of using its out-jutting tentacles as a framing device for the picture. I considered using a modern day diver, or an unfortunate swimmer as his victim, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was making the picture more mundane than required. Since there were no restrictions (and I’m already using a monster octopus) why not delve completely into the realm of fantasy, and make its victim into a mermaid?<br /><br />There you have it. She’s wrapped.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGUeshLmtuWvg6wTTQ8bbSfLTAJfaYP3M-ZlR68XQyOqdJn9XoRNJ6wrG8T6Q2iiJvjExv7cfmmiJd8mTz23kyF0tCzmnkdpvSxRDyeic6cubNRInV4Ovpg7e1Fl0qPB-14LYpE0YEJRe/s1600-h/jal-spot-001_Wrapped.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGUeshLmtuWvg6wTTQ8bbSfLTAJfaYP3M-ZlR68XQyOqdJn9XoRNJ6wrG8T6Q2iiJvjExv7cfmmiJd8mTz23kyF0tCzmnkdpvSxRDyeic6cubNRInV4Ovpg7e1Fl0qPB-14LYpE0YEJRe/s400/jal-spot-001_Wrapped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372144620338397634" border="0" /></a>The final image with a more restricted color palette. <br /></div><br />I consciously limited the palette and degree of brushwork in this piece, modifying my painting style to match up with the sort of quick-turnaround work seen in magazine spot illustrations. I was shooting for two days, but the work took a little longer than expected – maybe 2.5 days in total.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Jj6CztKsYAObf7Csy0Hzx72j-aCBzun5BCGLVkwTSwFRfA0mF7If2ZhJOz3uJDqh8tzoWlk3IR_71DxBPu6pGdQPXEXyO9iFJMNE7AceqOvv8FAJsR3-6nm1G7WmmFrmDjcAZnMDBChx/s1600-h/wrapped_blog004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Jj6CztKsYAObf7Csy0Hzx72j-aCBzun5BCGLVkwTSwFRfA0mF7If2ZhJOz3uJDqh8tzoWlk3IR_71DxBPu6pGdQPXEXyO9iFJMNE7AceqOvv8FAJsR3-6nm1G7WmmFrmDjcAZnMDBChx/s400/wrapped_blog004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372144629798445314" border="0" /></a>The final sketch, drawn on a half sheet of 9”x12” Strathmore Sketch paper.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCvlY_4KzSDxZgjewFrt4z3exv54Zye2dtGDoRnVePRQorbvcBEDl9_UbjX9-34jXSVflLpJd2R4yZM9E341kG0ChFM9urcLpdwOHR7FHH2_DR90zGyn1oRgzbwf1jA6ZoxFFPr_fc3UU/s1600-h/wrapped_blog005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCvlY_4KzSDxZgjewFrt4z3exv54Zye2dtGDoRnVePRQorbvcBEDl9_UbjX9-34jXSVflLpJd2R4yZM9E341kG0ChFM9urcLpdwOHR7FHH2_DR90zGyn1oRgzbwf1jA6ZoxFFPr_fc3UU/s400/wrapped_blog005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372144637031654850" border="0" /></a>Basic color tones, plus “paper bark parchment” texture from cgtextures.com. I was glad to see that a little texture could bring the Octopus to life. Almost no shading or painting required. A nice trick when you can pull it off.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SHbd7LhSV9JhLKAuvgZ5emO-NcO-7GroOKez2W7Tg0OkwD9VM7HHFRP5-hnDTmsYOMoHWQf7hlAXR4xasbaBRJ8kmKHhUSxnKee05FKI3Sj_YSSI9BhrauKNHnduDH2H-NZK-zFNnLEy/s1600-h/wrapped_blog006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SHbd7LhSV9JhLKAuvgZ5emO-NcO-7GroOKez2W7Tg0OkwD9VM7HHFRP5-hnDTmsYOMoHWQf7hlAXR4xasbaBRJ8kmKHhUSxnKee05FKI3Sj_YSSI9BhrauKNHnduDH2H-NZK-zFNnLEy/s400/wrapped_blog006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372144639618735602" border="0" /></a>Color + dramatic shading.<br /></div>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-53648853831446343412009-08-17T20:55:00.005-04:002009-08-17T21:06:53.095-04:00WrappedWork-in-progress of a new picture for IllustrationFriday.com. Mermaid meets Octopus. Flesh meets beak.<br /><br />I'm going to cut back on the detail for this picture. I'll also be more restrained with my coloring. More spot illo, less Hildebrandt. Hoping for a two day turnaround.<br /><br />Here's the work up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y8N3fzrR7hUzYmVE0LshAtLYS2cvlGFar5FtoyPn715YRjAupnNyy05vUcB_Dheg_KVCtjNuP4eU-enpU6SJKhM-Qs-LLnOEUiJXjaK0-3C_nRoRDCM2dXuyudmDJaOyhWXKKNR21ZBr/s1600-h/wrapped_blog001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5y8N3fzrR7hUzYmVE0LshAtLYS2cvlGFar5FtoyPn715YRjAupnNyy05vUcB_Dheg_KVCtjNuP4eU-enpU6SJKhM-Qs-LLnOEUiJXjaK0-3C_nRoRDCM2dXuyudmDJaOyhWXKKNR21ZBr/s400/wrapped_blog001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371102826378046690" border="0" /></a><br />Concept sketch (red/blue) with revised lines (black).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PRqn1SdghizobYMbs7Yklekv-eQ-IQZopr1hpGc7X0KpoqEBKWCGG6vUJFk7JdtkHkO-YYQRz4WoEdtgqzxOxUBDLiJxFIvMiPXO4Mvn0rjZapGKFtEdgUTlzROiBSBT8Y-dwhV_T0aG/s1600-h/wrapped_blog002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PRqn1SdghizobYMbs7Yklekv-eQ-IQZopr1hpGc7X0KpoqEBKWCGG6vUJFk7JdtkHkO-YYQRz4WoEdtgqzxOxUBDLiJxFIvMiPXO4Mvn0rjZapGKFtEdgUTlzROiBSBT8Y-dwhV_T0aG/s400/wrapped_blog002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371102823939582386" border="0" /></a><br />Rough sketch - Details on the mermaid character.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-XoFNJyNY2sT9KXerFkHH3xgwMEFyCt4HDPjHQufA9HDJc8U-XgpDq2y2IvaDPQtpCrJiK58jvpRPAD1R6DAnGLHaPB2EPh-RqSLTFe-TZBKei432yfKzKNqN4W7_k4qn5Y-DqLF1-lD/s1600-h/wrapped_blog003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-XoFNJyNY2sT9KXerFkHH3xgwMEFyCt4HDPjHQufA9HDJc8U-XgpDq2y2IvaDPQtpCrJiK58jvpRPAD1R6DAnGLHaPB2EPh-RqSLTFe-TZBKei432yfKzKNqN4W7_k4qn5Y-DqLF1-lD/s400/wrapped_blog003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371102533396792290" border="0" /></a><br />Rough sketch - Composed with the crop and ready for the final sketch pass.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-41849727235854508092009-08-13T23:29:00.004-04:002009-08-15T18:06:15.606-04:00Impatience<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0ewupZ3fKg6szVnk91lm_0-eTQVMEKx-C3woUsPW6X339nG-eq6q3QE0yTowerziloSYAZ6aXlgjQa7X-CstYzrSe-bdmp_qA9r18BlVgxrb-Lg-EHIq2pyCVn9waq4Fp-HZPybt42Eq/s1600-h/jal-illo-115_Impatience.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0ewupZ3fKg6szVnk91lm_0-eTQVMEKx-C3woUsPW6X339nG-eq6q3QE0yTowerziloSYAZ6aXlgjQa7X-CstYzrSe-bdmp_qA9r18BlVgxrb-Lg-EHIq2pyCVn9waq4Fp-HZPybt42Eq/s400/jal-illo-115_Impatience.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370313661697035762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div>Someone just can’t wait to be king. ;)<br /><br />Art created for the weekly illustration submission site, IllustrationFriday.com. This is my devious take on the subject, “Impatience”, for the week of August 9th, 2009. Similarities to any royal family, or member of any royal family, either living or dead, are purely coincidental.<br /><br />----<br /><br />Sketched on 9”x12” Strathmore Sketch Paper. Image finalized and painted in Photoshop CS 3. About 5 days from concept to completion.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2XsaU5KZFw5QNVswF_9XfD-zMvT16UzmNY2lm_m9PJUsR9doF0xKvLvun2oTwfY7PP2moZnHma60MmgmDqUw-GwQjm8c8Fchw1i9EB61PXuY-ctNMfikmA9gfbwRMcnducdh6ffz_dzL/s1600-h/jal-illo-113_Impatience.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369656503902071426" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 275px; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2XsaU5KZFw5QNVswF_9XfD-zMvT16UzmNY2lm_m9PJUsR9doF0xKvLvun2oTwfY7PP2moZnHma60MmgmDqUw-GwQjm8c8Fchw1i9EB61PXuY-ctNMfikmA9gfbwRMcnducdh6ffz_dzL/s400/jal-illo-113_Impatience.jpg" border="0" /></a>This is the earlier, incomplete version that I posted on Thursday night. Lots of painting and palette alterations have happened since then.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-71482619114762207572009-07-19T17:20:00.004-04:002009-07-19T17:33:31.696-04:00Diary of Abandoned PicturesAs I back up images off my hard drive, I’m pausing to look back at pictures that never saw the light of day (aka the internet).<br /><br />These images, sometimes scraps, sometimes nearly complete, litter the art directory on my hard drive. I never know what to do with these things. Occasionally I'll pop into a directory and browse the artwork. Very, very occasionally, I'll make a half-hearted attempt at finishing one of these remnants. I never get anywhere with these pictures though. There's always more important, more modern, or more relevant work that needs the time.<br /><br />Incomplete projects can really weigh you down, and over the last several years, I've accumulated quite a few. I abandon these pictures for any of several possible reasons. In some cases, the images ran up against long term projects and had to be abandoned. In other cases, I was unhappy with the creative direction. Some pictures are contest entries that I didn't feel confident enough to submit. Finally, some pictures I completed to the point required to fulfill a task, and then left otherwise incomplete.<br /><br />Whatever the case, it's time to make a record of these projects, wipe them off the hard drive, and move on. Life is full of endless possibilities. There's no point living in the past, or getting hung up on pictures that were never meant to be.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Fantasy-ish Girl Caught Changing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSacTjK3kzyN4pg_IAFRzdpfIkTDeyTzepFsYQCqbMSjrzbY7OGkI3hQqkSV0n0jl1CejjVE15lI5v78_5y0g1ui-6N8PnHtDJ0V784-q7iL48ivZluoiWUISgmY4eh4Y1wFaVR-wi7lB/s1600-h/abondoned01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXSacTjK3kzyN4pg_IAFRzdpfIkTDeyTzepFsYQCqbMSjrzbY7OGkI3hQqkSV0n0jl1CejjVE15lI5v78_5y0g1ui-6N8PnHtDJ0V784-q7iL48ivZluoiWUISgmY4eh4Y1wFaVR-wi7lB/s400/abondoned01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360284944176834322" border="0" /></a>An example of what happens when I try and make a "quickie" image. I wasn't happy with the direction the picture was going and realized it would take more time an attention than I was willing to give it. Therefore, it was abandoned.<br /><br />Mage Fighter<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6HtA5jbWLjlCFsZoRaGs_4Aq_WnpgTRQ_giZJdvQU5njExJzlEynbGiXVGR3IR4rAmw6YdZ3IwDLAmMPIwppJ5I8T_5d1MomSL3xKlF1tM236uyv6_IoVrwkCEAcTeqwRxilADx60A0f/s1600-h/abondoned02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6HtA5jbWLjlCFsZoRaGs_4Aq_WnpgTRQ_giZJdvQU5njExJzlEynbGiXVGR3IR4rAmw6YdZ3IwDLAmMPIwppJ5I8T_5d1MomSL3xKlF1tM236uyv6_IoVrwkCEAcTeqwRxilADx60A0f/s400/abondoned02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360284941306806722" border="0" /></a>Mage fighter was an image I desperately wanted to complete. The character art was in the cel coloring portion of Digital Manga Workshop. I intended to have the picture set is a London alleyway, but because of the time constraints on the book, I only managed to finish a small portion of the background before I had to move on. Note the woman's cockroach familiar.<br /><br />Gymnastics Postcard Concept<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBh6BJEuzvFGwSfWYD5q0FQy9wFPQ44E5Rz0BWzmSjUj_7q7rIt_gI1c4bR-ls8WEQlWTGCJI3CxFs3ADYSJqkcf8tojPstY-HGRoOuuQWBHCUwksa8MIOoQjpfHPa9V-VgAVZ9ZkzmEzq/s1600-h/abondoned03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBh6BJEuzvFGwSfWYD5q0FQy9wFPQ44E5Rz0BWzmSjUj_7q7rIt_gI1c4bR-ls8WEQlWTGCJI3CxFs3ADYSJqkcf8tojPstY-HGRoOuuQWBHCUwksa8MIOoQjpfHPa9V-VgAVZ9ZkzmEzq/s400/abondoned03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360284946042298130" border="0" /></a>During the 2008 Summer Olympics, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson -members of the USA Gymnastics team - took gold and silver in the women's individual all-around. For 48-hours or so, all of America was excited about their victory. Then Michael Phelps won his 35th gold medal and all eyes shifted to him.<br />I considered doing a patriotic promotional postcard featuring these girls arching through the air hand-in-hand. Never got around to doing the picture, but I had blast sketching gymnasts in all sorts of body contorting poses.<br /><br />Sephiroth<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuYUcx9VrK06IQQ2eznqJI_uUtJ6mb4ZuHfpnmseG082-hdiwGZgNlw4laHXkiflrvIlZEx18KbAavjSpAtHl_v1m28poqlZl27B8yIo7YqhjUEbCmgjC4q9blSSl0dVDEK9UOsbjkHGJ/s1600-h/abondoned04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuYUcx9VrK06IQQ2eznqJI_uUtJ6mb4ZuHfpnmseG082-hdiwGZgNlw4laHXkiflrvIlZEx18KbAavjSpAtHl_v1m28poqlZl27B8yIo7YqhjUEbCmgjC4q9blSSl0dVDEK9UOsbjkHGJ/s400/abondoned04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360284952338037730" border="0" /></a>Uhm... Yeah. Next.<br /></div><br />The Zodiac<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGSYhxwxaa4NFJVBPS174iIHJJZzzZQFh9muQzzxFijkFhAfz8fzsHJQRRXy8LdgLz1XV9I3B5pg0qIxVIkctgzxkHGqWWYl8AI_5VZC3YVKVgH5LyMYBTpGpe-vdN-oGKnm-E1hEswSL/s1600-h/abondoned05.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGSYhxwxaa4NFJVBPS174iIHJJZzzZQFh9muQzzxFijkFhAfz8fzsHJQRRXy8LdgLz1XV9I3B5pg0qIxVIkctgzxkHGqWWYl8AI_5VZC3YVKVgH5LyMYBTpGpe-vdN-oGKnm-E1hEswSL/s400/abondoned05.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360284951621680674" border="0" /></a>Set the way-back-machine to 2004. Sometime before working on Peach Fuzz volume 1, I started on the project of anthropomorphizing figures of the western zodiac into female characters. The series was taking longer than expected, and after completing 3 or 4 designs I ran smack dab into an 8 month long comic project. I put the Zodiac characters aside and never touched them again over the next 5 years. People really like these characters. I still receive emails about this project from time to time. I'm sorry, but the Zodiac project is officially over.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NtDSech4-sEaeHexuW0IJMyGQdUfncgmFWZoitr4D_0EpAsbST1PsycjeIdPPomnvj36gTUhbglI5dyELTnWtCPIW7BYsQTjs3hk_Gbm-75QuwwSsTvM6FSV0JXeLC2OjuqOsWhdecC1/s1600-h/abondoned06.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NtDSech4-sEaeHexuW0IJMyGQdUfncgmFWZoitr4D_0EpAsbST1PsycjeIdPPomnvj36gTUhbglI5dyELTnWtCPIW7BYsQTjs3hk_Gbm-75QuwwSsTvM6FSV0JXeLC2OjuqOsWhdecC1/s400/abondoned06.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360285655890516162" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayGYgxP-1YitK0nPR0UtrmkmWapqpLP6UTffJyX1q3eOtE6SCJsiMM1wkqrWIUpaxB6W7ms-HW6ViraumfFVW2cr4eALHoUvTtnZAJEKOazXy928Q1GjQhGxxr-nC721FDGXNZoTkC87-/s1600-h/abondoned07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayGYgxP-1YitK0nPR0UtrmkmWapqpLP6UTffJyX1q3eOtE6SCJsiMM1wkqrWIUpaxB6W7ms-HW6ViraumfFVW2cr4eALHoUvTtnZAJEKOazXy928Q1GjQhGxxr-nC721FDGXNZoTkC87-/s400/abondoned07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360285662695599010" border="0" /></a>Cancer was nearly done and Aquarius was inked.<br /><br />If it's any consolation, Lindsay later finished the designs as a series of chibis.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRi2FKoQB2Q3cyweWjUiqwElctOff4-v0o3qs4cwPop0ndAhW803MR6KnvLc2Gl5SLwR8Fs3Bu-kcfRreyainIFxhPHlhILvN-GuqzL1WN6WGEtZCXOImMdiF4kxlw1mMHftAXk91N1Gra/s1600-h/Zodiac_Cuties.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRi2FKoQB2Q3cyweWjUiqwElctOff4-v0o3qs4cwPop0ndAhW803MR6KnvLc2Gl5SLwR8Fs3Bu-kcfRreyainIFxhPHlhILvN-GuqzL1WN6WGEtZCXOImMdiF4kxlw1mMHftAXk91N1Gra/s400/Zodiac_Cuties.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360285672148498018" border="0" /></a>They're so freakin cute.<br /><br />New York Anime Festival Mascot<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiru-YExWxpei4CWGCxJN1S-HwDvP_cxQ8mbdREdGehR1EnqSgltxoO3mh-scn5uNivBWylEszcJffPLS3WNo4MVftzSgjWPvU_45CirfHKSGg6pAzoaPIzm1UW3axGMTSY3crao5AqEHlR/s1600-h/abondoned08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 82px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiru-YExWxpei4CWGCxJN1S-HwDvP_cxQ8mbdREdGehR1EnqSgltxoO3mh-scn5uNivBWylEszcJffPLS3WNo4MVftzSgjWPvU_45CirfHKSGg6pAzoaPIzm1UW3axGMTSY3crao5AqEHlR/s400/abondoned08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360285668737698002" border="0" /></a>The picture I planned to submit for their mascot contest. Somehow this picture became my ultimate nightmare. I ended up with 3 different versions of the character, and several differently styled color approaches. Unhappy with the results, and running up against the deadline, I left the picture unfinished.<br /><br />Maybe it is finished... You decide.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJTd1Qc1yxDt3r8ECk-jnIpq8Q87xylEmb58cX0jMNxpv_sC8ABbs4m4FULwilwW9tWZr-C1_zMt7zq7zF6j0ZglIRaM1vuhKiB5GOw7xd2uX2Far0LE9opUqfzmR-ZCA6AyrOiYND0U7/s1600-h/abondoned09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJTd1Qc1yxDt3r8ECk-jnIpq8Q87xylEmb58cX0jMNxpv_sC8ABbs4m4FULwilwW9tWZr-C1_zMt7zq7zF6j0ZglIRaM1vuhKiB5GOw7xd2uX2Far0LE9opUqfzmR-ZCA6AyrOiYND0U7/s400/abondoned09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360285668681454274" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-71324435990766755832009-07-08T14:05:00.009-04:002009-07-08T14:35:40.391-04:00The Art of Success: HOW ARTISTS SUCCEED AT CONVENTIONS!<span>Over the years, Lindsay Cibos and I have kept careful sales records, charting what pictures and products were successful with audiences at anime conventions. I started writing this document as a personal meditation on what works and what doesn’t at conventions, so that I’d have a better idea where to apply myself when it comes to creating images. What I found through writing this is that I was not only creating a list of factors that contributed to whether an image sells at conventions, but also a list of traits that helped explain why some artistic endeavors appeal on a broad scale. I thought my findings might be of interest to other artists, so I’ve taken the time to compile them. I hope that through sharing this info, other artists might also be inspired to share their own knowledge on the subject of creating successful art.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1WOvbnROaLrDlmzU6RgQH-OHYwyXTU-KEddZEdNcEXfNemQ8ZvU9XTioDBsC-GSmz6SDreSsKJuOEOIQLwFXIudP4eaEbbVGuLn7JIYAOTNdn-3J3DgdMbPSU2zUDfAtXwRq_kSl5AD3/s1600-h/blog001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1WOvbnROaLrDlmzU6RgQH-OHYwyXTU-KEddZEdNcEXfNemQ8ZvU9XTioDBsC-GSmz6SDreSsKJuOEOIQLwFXIudP4eaEbbVGuLn7JIYAOTNdn-3J3DgdMbPSU2zUDfAtXwRq_kSl5AD3/s400/blog001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356154648914800546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conventions: Passing attraction.</span> Picture yourself walking through a typical anime/comic convention dealer’s room. If the convention is worthwhile, then the floor is an overwhelming sensory experience. A vast diversity of people pack themselves into living channels that run down the length of cramped aisles. Strange and horrible smells arise from the crowd, assaulting your olfactory nerves. Ambient noise rings a deafening crescendo in your ears, forcing any conversations to take the form of highly focused yells. Your eyes dart from one visual highlight to another. You’re barely able to focus on navigation or destination. Everything around competes for your attention. You find yourself drifting along with everyone else.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOq_guQVAwknyZ9LewuMibI4bj0LTn1F1Pt_0UZjkagcWaLJBGRtixTBsKQ3Av5T3fV-AprxGxhg3E-WQcjE2XN2zvtcH9GghhVPnpTQ4C5xggX5Lq20SW9urow8lj0X0iBSKXOc9XcSTQ/s1600-h/blog002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOq_guQVAwknyZ9LewuMibI4bj0LTn1F1Pt_0UZjkagcWaLJBGRtixTBsKQ3Av5T3fV-AprxGxhg3E-WQcjE2XN2zvtcH9GghhVPnpTQ4C5xggX5Lq20SW9urow8lj0X0iBSKXOc9XcSTQ/s400/blog002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356155490251439090" border="0" /></a>Within the crowd, there are other distractions. Some attendees dress in elaborate costumes celebrating characters from popular shows, video games, comics, and anime. Other attendees wear bizarre fringe fashion and fetish-wear designed to display the maximum legal amount of skin.<br /><br />Every aisle in the hall is lined with venders doing everything they can to attract people to their table. They erect huge displays featuring hard to find merchandise, they shout out enticing bargains, they stand on their tables and clash enormous replica swords together, and they play J-Pop music videos on large monitors at the maximum volume.<br /><br />---<br /><br />Now imagine yourself as an artist attending the convention. You decided to take the plunge, and put down $50 for a table in artist alley. Somewhere in this chaotic carnival of freaks and fandom, you reside. You set down an 8.5x11 inch art portfolio, and wait for a tide of people to crash into your table.<br /><br />Will you succeed in generating interest in your art? Will you lose your time and investment, earn back your convention costs, or make a killing at the con? Like a general following Sun Tzu’s Art of War, it all depends on what preparations you made before the event and how you handle yourself at the event.<br /><br />To be a successful artist, it helps to understand your product and the marketplace. What grabs attention and makes people want to buy? To help, I’ve broken down the factors I consider important to artistic success in a tiered hierarchy. From the standpoint of a convention attendee – AKA your potential customer – they move up the hierarchy making small, often subconscious assessments on whether the piece of art is appealing. If the art passes the test, it becomes more interesting to the viewer, and then they assess the work according to the next tier. Art that registers strongly on any tier is often successful. The more tiers a piece registers on, the more success it has.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hierarchy of Traits Affecting Artistic Success</span><br /><br /><ul><li>Venue<br /><ul><li>Quality</li><li>Size</li></ul></li><li>Familiarity<br /><ul><li>Famous Characters</li><li>Popular Themes</li><li>Popular Subject Matter</li></ul></li><li>Appeal<br /><ul><li>Cute</li><li>Cool</li><li>Sexiness</li></ul></li><li>Controversy</li><li>Quality</li><li>Price</li><li>Personality</li></ul><br />Over the next several blog posts, I’ll elaborate on this hierarchy. You’ll learn what makes an impact at conventions, and why. As you look over this list, you'll find these factors don't just apply to art at conventions either. The principles work just as well in the online marketplace, and can also be used to analyze the appeal of other artistic works, including fashion, writing, or even music.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In the next installment we’ll focus on the venue, the first and most important factor on whether your art will have an impact with an audience. See you next time!</span>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-1384603924423020982009-07-07T20:21:00.003-04:002009-07-07T20:24:43.417-04:00Viral - Finished<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9Lqvq3xDFUhmUc8VLydfy2TCeDTig0NHNlTFhziODpSXyW8qljQYKUYeBKjsoYoSpEnddRW4wq3gaWs38gDpK3HhaeWWFihFlRap0LL85D8_4JaYgtYzQpwR601Yyp15a9aQ-BIAaewj/s1600-h/jal-illo-109-Viral.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9Lqvq3xDFUhmUc8VLydfy2TCeDTig0NHNlTFhziODpSXyW8qljQYKUYeBKjsoYoSpEnddRW4wq3gaWs38gDpK3HhaeWWFihFlRap0LL85D8_4JaYgtYzQpwR601Yyp15a9aQ-BIAaewj/s400/jal-illo-109-Viral.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355878173830197394" border="0" /></a><br />Viruses are fascinating little cellular machines. Since viruses are inert and virtually lifeless, they require other forces to spread them around. When a virus, like influenza, stumbles into a specific type of cell, like epithelial tissue, the virus activates. It breaks through the cell's defensive barrier by providing a forged protein passkey. Once inside, the virus assumes control of the host's biological machinery, and uses it to replicate itself. The cell makes so many copies of the virus that the pressure eventually ruptures the cell and new viruses spill out, infecting the surrounding cells.<br /><br />That's some scary stuff!<br /><br />Here's hoping we never see another influenza epidemic like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmYQSxtFLEg&videos=1QCzCQyF5Vc&playnext_from=TL&playnext=1">this one</a>.<br /><br />So make sure you get vaccinated. Don't let the viruses win without a fight.<br /><br />----<br /><br />Sketched on 11”x14” Strathmore Bristol, finalized and painted in Photoshop CS 3. This one took somewhere from 2 weeks to forever to put together. The four point curved perspective made the picture maddening, but I persevered.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-34460231185611038022009-06-28T17:21:00.003-04:002009-06-28T17:50:38.693-04:00Viral - From Sketch to Colors<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzQoyW7X0xkJrBrnjVGbgj8MYmZ9_YayXgWKiVqT0G63-RdDAoHt_BvVayM69Rfd3KxPQe8Z58_dqlVm8Of0umQf71kgkXt5wvovC9DlN1xdz6Vm0oVukci09tY7H46raDq5WqIw9txUH/s1600-h/viral_blog03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzQoyW7X0xkJrBrnjVGbgj8MYmZ9_YayXgWKiVqT0G63-RdDAoHt_BvVayM69Rfd3KxPQe8Z58_dqlVm8Of0umQf71kgkXt5wvovC9DlN1xdz6Vm0oVukci09tY7H46raDq5WqIw9txUH/s400/viral_blog03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352495553834844610" border="0" /></a>Sketch<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmA3gy2Sd8qBoA6XiOKyH1Ggm1WZs1dPapNrKEVCHi-2RRVbchLS9T9kEl42xkMT-V1UP_qEmGRaHifH5_eXoH9XuWNaSmp-50oJKdZuKkwwvIVSgFjB9gBPD53ijOYV79fd32sgC7RUQ/s1600-h/viral_blog04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmA3gy2Sd8qBoA6XiOKyH1Ggm1WZs1dPapNrKEVCHi-2RRVbchLS9T9kEl42xkMT-V1UP_qEmGRaHifH5_eXoH9XuWNaSmp-50oJKdZuKkwwvIVSgFjB9gBPD53ijOYV79fd32sgC7RUQ/s400/viral_blog04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352495548518007266" border="0" /></a>Color concept<br /></div>Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-46900144009281595002009-06-24T20:55:00.004-04:002009-06-24T21:27:48.945-04:00Viral - This'll be the Death of Me<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkFYJTWWDXz25E9PMHLcfwWKbdrRMap7Bwrt_5nbspjZrp2pU8T1B-fRnYree_G8nxNIrc_TSP9Cf_AJtIZAL6U5yf8U7_rgUcY60sSBS-l6orLE_hTHsrEpuL_0Z-g30Nru-um4Bk8sF/s1600-h/viral_blog01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkFYJTWWDXz25E9PMHLcfwWKbdrRMap7Bwrt_5nbspjZrp2pU8T1B-fRnYree_G8nxNIrc_TSP9Cf_AJtIZAL6U5yf8U7_rgUcY60sSBS-l6orLE_hTHsrEpuL_0Z-g30Nru-um4Bk8sF/s400/viral_blog01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351069840630061170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxtYd4ryYzwNfcBhbezgVfM8WB09uEMkc4CkVvNPjPFciVV6HoCVjaFfxF06eEMSWvoRB7TBgmxce94TFxABng-c0FfnE9VFTgLkxqX03GlmIx2o000HmBSPbERpkbu9l__w1v-4zCMDN/s1600-h/viral_blog02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxtYd4ryYzwNfcBhbezgVfM8WB09uEMkc4CkVvNPjPFciVV6HoCVjaFfxF06eEMSWvoRB7TBgmxce94TFxABng-c0FfnE9VFTgLkxqX03GlmIx2o000HmBSPbERpkbu9l__w1v-4zCMDN/s400/viral_blog02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351069841837304962" border="0" /></a>Just in time for pandemic swine flu, my latest editorial illustration is about a disease spreading in an urban population center.<br /><br />I'm 2.5 days into the sketch. Like NASA planning a trip to Mars, I'm being very methodical with this project, carefully plotting the position and height of characters and objects along their curved paths in three point perspective.<br /><br />Tomorrow, I'll move from concept sketch to rough sketch.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-82159846780917834112009-06-23T12:26:00.007-04:002009-06-23T12:44:53.938-04:00American Values & a Critique<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTkRcPxRjDGASnKALexKW5TY_MSwe88QqGzSF9hUHPIt3-qdl0VLaegNlBPQjxUW56B9A5MbPOVzYWlVxIoYA4jw_uMylPR27mR4FX7CapeCXdX9n0uCt-1UlaZPJN8ZtDRD8bMsPvJ_R/s1600-h/jal-illo-102-AmericanValues.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTkRcPxRjDGASnKALexKW5TY_MSwe88QqGzSF9hUHPIt3-qdl0VLaegNlBPQjxUW56B9A5MbPOVzYWlVxIoYA4jw_uMylPR27mR4FX7CapeCXdX9n0uCt-1UlaZPJN8ZtDRD8bMsPvJ_R/s400/jal-illo-102-AmericanValues.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350563871226511186" border="0" /></a>I present American Values, a critique by <a href="http://demonlover11.deviantart.com/">Demonlover11</a> of Deviant Art AKA Nicole, and my response. I indicated Nicole’s comments in red.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">As always~ Loving your work!</span> <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">(umm... I'm just a student so I don't know if it's worth much but I kinda got into a critiquing-mode when I saw this and couldn't help myself ^^; )</span><br /><br />Look at you, all critique and stuff. BTW, are you out of high school now? Got any big plans for college?<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">It's kinda dark compared to most of your pieces but I like the underlying meaning and the perspective play; however, there is something about the heaviness of the foreground that dwarfs the background both in an way that I'm almost positive you did to emphasize your point about American values and also in a way that takes away a bit from the loftyness of the perspective and the holier-than-thou and superiority complex that seems to be seeping out of the man.</span><br /><br />The foreground is heavy for several reasons, including the character's girth. ;) For one, it's close to the viewer and brightly lit, so the colors are more vibrant, the range between light and dark is more intense, and the details are clearer.<br /><br />As for the character, personally I don't see him as acting superior. I read him as a man supplicant in his beliefs. He's proud of what this nation represents. That's my reading anyway. At this point, I'm just another observer.<br /><br />Is that a single tear in his eyes?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtk-R2qdjarj3bMrUjrDRDF84TCNlQgd5DUUGGOHYwaawjFMqFVFixyaZGwqJptwSexYxr-kz_ptMHZy47o3b8Em1cSDh4sh_n4TBxy8TfWVVD3301FAv2Dvlez6r-SWg5nY20-SXH8Yib/s1600-h/jal-illo-102-AmericanValues_singletear.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtk-R2qdjarj3bMrUjrDRDF84TCNlQgd5DUUGGOHYwaawjFMqFVFixyaZGwqJptwSexYxr-kz_ptMHZy47o3b8Em1cSDh4sh_n4TBxy8TfWVVD3301FAv2Dvlez6r-SWg5nY20-SXH8Yib/s400/jal-illo-102-AmericanValues_singletear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350562883042217234" border="0" /></a><br /><br />While we're on the topic, here are two interesting opposing concept s of American exceptionalism:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34T8zwOzW54&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34T8zwOzW54&feature=related</a><br />(We're good because of the moral actions we have taken historically and continue to take.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf1kTiCWDe4&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf1kTiCWDe4&feature=related</a><br />(We're good because God (by this he means a specific Christian god) made this country and us exceptional.)<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">The heaviness of that corner robs the piece of the effect of the man towering over his conquered lands. It's the dark and bold lines/colors of the man and the trash upon which he stands that interfere with the illusion of height and distance and the absence of middle ground to establish a strong sense of background and foreground...</span><br /><br />I'm going to cut you off there for a second because you hit something I was having trouble with. I wanted the trash piles uniform in color and composition. This leads to a sort of sterility across the landscape that's only broken by the play of shadows and the value diminishing effects of atmospheric perspective. While this was true to my artistic intent for this picture, I found the lack of a dramatic break between foreground and background unsatisfying.<br /><br />I've considered placing shadows over a large segment of the background to make the break between sections cleaner. Maybe I'll try it when I'm cleaning at in the folder on my hard drive, just to see how it looks.<br /><br />As I was composing this response, Lindsay read over your comments and did a quick color alteration to a jpeg copy of the image. She focused on the foreground elements, and increased the red saturation among other things. Here's how it turned out. I actually like it quite a bit. I think I might have to apply some of these changes to the full scale image.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fqHBvt4NomGaCqHp_NX_zO1qQZ3OdkbiChkRxZSZGAAmUt0GQCugN1pm4H4w-yZpMW18iNN2yXxvUp4-G0Fqynz3W2ZrLrrhr0tgAbyZOGqyX9loWwjnrjDkEIYRGBu_INup-_M0F3-z/s1600-h/American_Values_by_Quasimanga-coloralt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fqHBvt4NomGaCqHp_NX_zO1qQZ3OdkbiChkRxZSZGAAmUt0GQCugN1pm4H4w-yZpMW18iNN2yXxvUp4-G0Fqynz3W2ZrLrrhr0tgAbyZOGqyX9loWwjnrjDkEIYRGBu_INup-_M0F3-z/s400/American_Values_by_Quasimanga-coloralt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350563508251777570" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Also, I'm not sure you "need" a middle ground to establish a strong sense of foreground and background, but it couldn't hurt. :)<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">maybe continue the floating trash from the bottom right a bit over the rubbish heaps with the same chroma and intensity of the things underfoot to really draw into the perspective and show depth? It also might be that the horizon line is a tad high from his placement- although you do have mountains... so it's difficult to decipher- (Although I am on cold medication so it might be my eyes- and if that's what's wrong I'm so sorry m(_ _)m ).</span><br /><br />I'd actually argue the horizon is a little low. Look at how his body is angled and find a point where the lines converge. I haven't done this, but I bet it's slightly higher than the current horizon, like somewhere around his shoulders. Either way, I don't think it's very important. Maybe I'll look back in a month and slap myself for f-ing up the horizon, but right now, it looks okay to me.<br /><br />Get better soon, and thank you for the thoughtful critique.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8620933519724971938.post-68781153875173891702009-06-09T22:31:00.002-04:002009-06-09T22:36:33.763-04:00Oh the Horror!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSltusWLaYDV-trLLeMQu0IOhfihd6Fs2Xizg-90f2FJIuwFoxzSeTP-pdzCaUv72EodaBXoo4Cw4W60_D4ixbrHbi1_9JSlAcCyKvqJm_m5TRp4eSwF6RXfztJParMjXSy2Tg6wBSD6o/s1600-h/Uncle_Sam_concept-blog03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 344px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSltusWLaYDV-trLLeMQu0IOhfihd6Fs2Xizg-90f2FJIuwFoxzSeTP-pdzCaUv72EodaBXoo4Cw4W60_D4ixbrHbi1_9JSlAcCyKvqJm_m5TRp4eSwF6RXfztJParMjXSy2Tg6wBSD6o/s400/Uncle_Sam_concept-blog03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345521559307168562" border="0" /></a><br />To be so close, and yet so far from finishing this picture. Eagle eyed artist out there on the web, if there's something I should fix, now's the time to let me know. :)<br /><br />Till tomorrow. Everyone have a good night and don't let Uncle Sam get you.Jared Hodgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05889711119637930989noreply@blogger.com0