World Building

 

One of the great things about fiction is the ability to create imaginary worlds. (And if you saw the last State of the Union address, you'll note imaginary worlds aren't limited to fiction.) Fiction gives both the author and the reader the opportunity to explore worlds that don't exist but wouldn't it be wonderful if they did? One can travel thru time, space, and cross any dimension and explore the many 'what ifs' that one could come up with.

German Expressionist films of the 1920s were especially groundbreaking in this regard (as were the films of George Melies). Most early films (and most films today) are set in the normal world and involve normal, everyday tasks. German Expressionist films were some of the earliest to create a world made out of expression and emotion. It was this genre from which I drew inspiration for this latest tale.

German Expressionism is known for its odd angles and distorted perspective as for its arbitrary use of color. And they tend to lean towards the horror and macabre. I thinks you can see a little of each in the above illustration.

I'm still really liking the style, but I wonder if the digital inks are too cold and lack humanity. Part of me really digs them, but part of me misses the warmth and craft of the traditional. I'll have to do some more sketching.

Art Philosophy: The Right Color

 

 Mark Twain once said something to the effect that the difference between the right word and almost the right word is a big one. I believe the same is true for color.

I've created numerous sketches and works of art in black and white with one color, and some have been very successful while others fell flat on their face. A large part of the success/failure was the color I chose. Some colors really do have the ability to stand on their own and make a work feel complete, while others just don't. I'm still not sure what the difference is, but I've noticed colors that are mid to mid-dark and have high intensity seem to do better than light or dark colors and muted tones. I've also noticed the primaries seem to work better than the secondaries or some intermediate mix. (Before you say anything, green is a primary for light.)

When I started Wandering Koala Digest 3, I was pretty sure I wanted to to be green to complete the primaries (the first one was red and the second blue). I wasn't sure of the green, but I thought something in the ectoplasmic family would be good, and it was. The page above really looks like it's colored, even though there are only 4 colors (5 if you count the white paper). It's amazing how the addition of just one color turns a black & white comic into what could be considered full color.

I hope you like my latest efforts. Let me know!

Sneak Peek: Mistakes

 

This story has taken me a while to finish, because I really wanted to try something different. I've been looking over the past Wandering Koala Tales (and boy has the catalog been growing!) trying to decide what I liked, what I didn't like, and what direction I want to go. I've tried a lot of different genres--novels, comics, graphic novels, short stories, novellas, and anthologies, and a lot of different media and styles exploring the world of the Silent Wanderer.

One important element of the Wandering Koala when I created him and his world was the flexibility to literally do anything I wanted. And while I've had fun doing that, it's probably been kind of schizophrenic for the reader to follow the story told in so many different formats and style and not even in order. And the publishing schedule has been erratic.

With the launch of the first Wandering Koala Digest, I've finally figured out the format that works for the stories I want to tell that both provides the flexibility for the character and the wide range of tales I want to tell but is still easy enough for the reader to follow so he doesn't get lost. And a bimonthly schedule gives me the time to craft quality tales while still providing a regular dose of Wandering Koala action at predictable times.

With the third Digest I think I've finally figured out the art style that I'll stick with for most, if not all, of the tales. I'll admit it isn't the most polished art I've ever created, but polish isn't what I'm looking for. Wandering Koala was inspired by Boys Adventure stories like Hardy Boys, Pulp Fiction like Doc Savage, and adventure comics like The Phantom that were pumped out at a frantic pace by people who had energy and excitement oozing out their pencils and typewriters. The tales were fast and furious and spoke to something visceral inside the reader instead of merely stimulating the intellect (although they certainly did that with the wide range of topics and knowledge the authors possessed and displayed). This art style is a lot more raw and rough and expressionistic. It's supposed to illustrated the mood as much as the scene (and maybe even a little more).

I'm in love with this first page, and I'm excited to release the whole story in February 2014 so you can enjoy it as well. Be sure to leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

October 16 -- Mark Your Calendars!

Coming October 16!

Character Sketch: Jungle Dance

I'm really enjoying this current style. It's unique. It looks cool. It's minimalist. And it's so expressive. All things I love about art. I can't wait to create a published work using it.

As always, this was created in Corel Painter.

Let me know what you think!

Just because you can doesn't mean you should

If you haven't guessed by now,  I'm a big fan of using Technology in Art. I wouldn't have a career if the two didn't go together so well. One of the great things about digital are all the possibilities. But that's also one of the worst parts of digital--too many options.

Many people have the idea that just because you can do something, you should. That's not just a bad idea in art (look at the numerous illustrations where every effect in Photoshop was used or current comics that look more like a kaleidoscope--yeah Savage Dragon, I'm pointing a finger at you), but in life. Too many people have the wrong idea that self-control and restraint is bad and somehow limits freedom. It's not and it doesn't. It actually gives you more freedom. Self-censorship is good.

In the illustration above, you'll notice I only used two colors (three if you count the paper), orange and Vandyke Brown. I also only used three brushes. That is a very limited palette, and yet look at the results! Good design is making a clear statement that's attractive. Great design is saying the most with the least. I'm a minimalist and heart and that's what I try to do, although sometimes I get scared and add more than I need to.

I love the style of this illustration and want to explore more with it. I hope you like it to. Leave a comment and let me know.

Character Sketch: Diva

This is the third digital illustration in the series. The style concept came from a comic book I published a few years ago, Wandering Koala rides The Phantom Coach, one that receives the most praise for the artwork. I really liked it but thought it too harsh for long term use.

Now I'm rethinking that.

I really like the black & white drawings with one color to enhance it. It's powerful, it's eye catching, and it forces me to focus on the design.

I drew this in Corel Painter with the background pattern created in Adobe Photoshop.

Let me know what you think!

Digital Illustrations: Lovely Ladies

I've been working towards a style that is a mix of modern comics with early-20th century illustration. I wanted something with the incredible craftsmanship of those early illustrators but a modern, not-dated look. I've been approaching it from different angles, trying different medium, abstracting to differing amounts.

With these two drawings. I've combined several of these aspects and techniques that I liked, and I think I've found the style for my future publishing projects. It's cartoony, but well crafted. It's abstract with strong colors and shapes, but the harshness has been toned down.

These were drawn in Corel Painter with a little help from Google Sketchup and Adobe Photoshop. I like the fact that they are all digital but look like I used a crow quill pen and a brush. So far I've received a very positive response on DeviantArt.

Let me know what you think.

And why not follow me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Thomason/185915104772529

Stylization in Art and Illustration

Currently I'm designing characters and backgrounds for an animated short. While coming up with the look and designs, I asked myself what style I wanted this short be. I thought about other animation and cartoons I enjoyed and considered each one for a direction to go in. Looking over animation how to books I got to thinking about style and stylization.

I tend to enjoy an artist's work during the formative years while he's developing his stye and less once he has an established style (with a few exceptions like Frank Miller and Jack Kirby). I thought about a friend of mine who I love his brilliant pencil sketches, but can't really stand his stylized figures. I realized the reason I like the earlier works is there is less stylization and less reliance on conventions. The thought came to me that stylization is like seasoning: a little bit enhances the flavor of the main course, but too much and all you taste is the seasoning until it burns your tongue.

Looking over my own work that I've posted, I've noticed some of my works are more stylized than others. I really like the heavily stylized work, but others seem to respond much better to the less stylized works. This raises a question of which route should I go? The answer depends on another question: why do I create art, to please myself or to please others? Therein lies the problem, because I want to please both. But you can't please all of the people all of the time. So I do some works for me, and I do some works for others. Is splitting my portfolio a good strategy long term? We'll see.

The drawing above is a digital illustration created in Corel Painter 12 colored like Bat-Manga comics, which I just love. I really want my new series of eDigests to use this style, but I'm not sure if others would respond to it like I do.

Let me know what you think!

Character Sketch - Swimmer

I've been meaning to do more Character Sketches, but work keeps getting in the way. Today I was able to finally just sit down and draw.

Originally I was only going to do a quick study, but it kind of turned into a full blown illustration. And it's digital. So much for my going back to traditional tools. The funny thing is I was ready to pull out my stick and ink--I even looked over past stick sketches to review the technique. But I sat down at the computer to do a few things, and I said to myself, "Self, why not do a quick digital sketch." Three hours later I had this. And I love it!

Digital is kind of interesting/weird for me. I like the look of traditional media, but it does look a little old. That's not a bad thing, but I do love new and exciting, and digital is the current new and exciting. I also like how the lines don't have to be black. I know, I know, you can color black lines to make them look other colors, but they look like black lines that have been recolored. It always looks a little odd to me. There's definitely some roughness that wouldn't exist in traditional media, but there's also a certain something--call it an X-factor--that I only get when I go digital.

So what's next on my plate? I actually have an animation storyboarded that I'm working on using vector animation but making it look hand drawn and I have another Wandering Koala Tale to write and illustrate. I'm pretty excited about both.

Be sure to comment and let me know what you think. And go to my official Facebook page and like me--you can see a lot more artwork organized by purpose.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Thomason/185915104772529