Color schemes, headaches, etc

Here are some (really zoomed in, compared to their print size) backgrounds for a comic I'm doing for school... mostly interested in practicing with color, and digital painting.


I don't like digital painting anymore (it's so much easier to make stuff look good with paint, I think), but it's very cost-effective and there's no loss of luster through a scanning process. Took a lot of cues from Anne in terms of digital application of spongey looks. She's pretty clearly more advanced than I am, but I can't catch up if I don't start! Anyway, it is fun and educational.

Walt Kelly tree

I decided that since I'm behind (I really want to be up to speed with assignments from John) that I'd just focus on doing the tree here. I actually really love drawing trees, so this felt good.


The rough is very hard to see... I overlayed, looked for issues before I moved on.



Reached satisfaction with basic forms, started on some details.


Nearly done... didn't do the tiny details in this because it wouldn't have really been worth it.


I am really happy with my finishes lately. Wow, pencils. Who'da thunk.

Also, I forgot, uh, the rest of the ground on the right, haha.

I want to draw some of my own trees soon, but right now I want to do some MAN DRAWINGS.

Post tree post before bed

I keep falling asleep during my usual Monday-Wednesday drawing slot... I guess I need to sleep more at night, I can't stand wasting my time like that.

Some landscape nonsense

I've been trying to figure out gouache for a while. I got a set near Christmas-time and haven't had as many opportunities as I'd like to use it. So, for an open-ended landscape drawing assignment I decided I'd try using them.


This one is bigger, so I had to take a photo of it. Here it is in the context of a corner of my room. The colors are a bit off but I think you can get the gist of it.

I really like the left side of the painting, actually. The transition between the grass and the dirt looks interesting. The right half makes my time constraints more apparent. I don't like how big the texture gets. it messes up perspective. The brown, round bushes could use definition. They're indistinct and the one on the left has a weird dent in it.


Here's a cropped, closer version of the stuff I like. Unfortunately I don't have access to a great digital camera, but you get the idea.

This one was small enough to scan. I like the color of the sky (I took some cues from some awesome cartoon backgrounds for this one). There's a smudge above the trash can from where some of the paint reconstituted. I want to try acrylic-based gouache for this reason.

Things I am learning about Woody Woodpecker

Original above

Just something really quick that I started on my lunch break at work last night. I will probably revisit it when I can. Again, this fattening phenomenon. I squished everything and pushed his head-feathers forward way too far. I started the baby but ran out of time.

The eye on the right is completely off the head. I'm wondering if I have a mental deficiency.





John K has been gracious enough to offer me a lot of help recently. He even gave me a specific assignment. I'm flattered and really motivated.

Anyway, to get started on what John wants me to do, I need to study Woody Woodpecker. I've been watching the theatrical shorts. Pausing, rewatching. Studying walk cycles.





I didn't upload all of them because the other frames aren't as well-drawn on my part. I need to get over this timidity thing; I think as I improve it'll take care of itself. I like this third drawing above more than the others. The line of action works.



This one not so much. Hands look stupid because I rushed them too much, even for a quick practice doodle.

I like the character used design here, so I think it's the one I'm going to stick with when I animate him. These are from a walk cycle in "Solid Ivory" (coincidentally John posted it today).

These are just quick, very quick, studies of the parts of a walk cycle. I drew them Monday night. I scanned in all of my studies and put them together but they animated very choppily. I guess it is my first actual flirtation with character animation, though, so I'm not discouraged. I'm just not showing you.

Fun things I've noticed:

- He is a dick and is primarily interested in food and haranguing people. Awesome.

- He looked more interesting with fat legs, but moved more wonderfully when he started to even out a bit but kept a really prominent, pointy beak and somewhat stout stature. I don't like the pinchy-legged Woody of the 50's and onward nearly as much.

- I don't think his head is an oval. It tapers on the bottom, like an upside-down egg... unless I'm not reading it right. I can't seem to get head construction under control as much as I'd like.

- I really like the openings to the cartoons where Woody pops in, says "Guess who?", laughs, and immediately there's a cut to Walter Lantz' name. When it fades it's just not as snappy.


This is a (sort of large-- which is why it is a bad photo instead of a scan, sorry) sketch for what will be something for my landscape drawing class. I am figuring out the colors first, but will paint it soon.