Here's the second post in a new series. I'm starting with the "after" first. This was a fun exercise to update a really bad drawing I did when I was a teenager.
Below is the "before" image...did it over 35 years ago! I can't remember much about it...recently found it in the attic. I do think it was intended to be a parody of super heroes...there are obvious influences of
Captain America, Superman, and
The Flash. Why I chose an Aardvark...can't say...other than I was just a weird kid.
I began with a bunch of rough sketches to start working out the basic proportions. Some of them are shown below...did even more than I'm showing. I thought about staying with the "Captain" title...then moved on to "Major Aardvark". But I decided to just start over and not be influenced too much by the old drawing. So I shortened the name to "The Vark". Seemed cooler somehow. I tried using the cape with the costume...but it was soon left behind.
I finally settled on a short, muscular figure. Let's face it...an aardvark doesn't have the best physique for a tough guy. But I liked the idea of big claws (aardvarks love digging for ants and termites). Below are the last stages...I blocked him in with simple flat shapes...then went for a more painterly style. Lastly, I put in the environment and color you see at the top of the page.
I must say this was more challenging than I anticipated...I really admire the pros who make comic books all day long for a living!
I've still got gobs of old drawings in the attic...who knows what I'll find next!
Thanksgiving Evening was perfect for a drive to Lake Olathe, to watch the sun set. These trees just happened to be next to our van...liked the the orange rim lighting.
Turkey Day is done...but the leftovers seem to last forever. So here are a few "Skinny Bots" to inspire us all to get up, takes some walks, hit the gym and work off that pumpkin pie and dressing! (Okay, that's not really what I had in mind when I drew them...but enjoy them anyway!)
Here are few bots I've sketched up recently. These were done on 3x5 cards, then a little color added in Photoshop.
Here's the second post in a new series. I'm starting with the "after" first. This was a fun exercise to update a really bad drawing I did when I was a teenager.
I must say this was more challenging than I anticipated...I really admire the pros who make comic books all day long for a living!
A couple of weekends ago, Cat and I went to Weston, Missouri to wander about. We stopped at the Red Barn Farm. Cat got a little pumpkin and some apples...I got a sketch of the barn.
Time for some more terrain I made for tabletop gaming. This cave and the hills are roughly cut from pink insulation foam. I covered them with a mix of gesso and sand with chunky gravel. The "big boulders" are made out of pine tree bark...they work quite nicely. You can find them in various sizes...glue them into place, add a little paint, and voila!
Today, I was looking at sketchbooks from my college years and ran across this drawing from 1975...a self-portrait from my freshman year in art school. Some thirty-plus years later, I had another homework assignment for a painting class I was taking. Once again, I used myself as a model. It's pretty weird to put them side by side. While I think my skills have improved, I feel so old!! Then again...I'm glad to still be makin' art.
