Illustration - Emotions and Telling a Story

What Mischief Can I Get Into Tonight?

One aspect I've noticed in really great illustration is the effective use of emotion and the skillful communication of it. So often I see illustrations where the figures in it have a blank stare or a generic look. Other times I see where there is emotion, but it doesn't really fit or make sense with the rest of the composition. And there are illustrations where I've seen the artist try for something with limited success.

Nothing is more impressive than an illustration that seems to come to life and jump off the page and make the viewer feel something, but to do this successfully, one must be conscious of two major considerations.

First, the artist needs to figure out what emotion should be conveyed. It doesn't matter how skillful his execution if the thing he's going for doesn't fit. Well rendered mistakes, no matter how skillfully done, are still mistakes. Decide the overall message of the work. What are you trying to say? Then consider the viewer, because communication is a two-way street that requires effort from both the communicator and the communicatee. Who is going to view it? Why are they viewing it? Where will they view it? What will they be thinking and feeling when they encounter the work? What do you want the viewer to think and feel when they see it?

Second, decide how you will communicate that emotion. It has been said that the eyes are the doorways into the soul, and that is true. You can see so much in someone's eyes. The face is also a powerful communicator. There's a reason why in person communication is so much more effective than merely talking over a phone or through words. The facial expressions say so much. Many artists are very good at creating great facial expressions, but they forget people also use the rest of the body to communicate. Consider the gesture of the body. A happy person stands/sits/walks differently than a depressed person. Have you ever seen a person from a distance and could identify how they were feeling even though you were too far away to see his face? Or how about knowing without doubt how a person is feeling from just his silhouette? Body language is a subtle but powerful form of communication, and one that elevates a work once mastered. But don't rely on figure alone. The rest of the work can also contribute to the message with color and form. You may want to continue the emotion to the edges of the canvas, or you may choose to show a completely different emotion as a foil to create contrast with the main figure or figures. Again, consider the message and audience and ask yourself what will relay your message most effectively.

Of course, all this assumes you have a message to communicate. Some people just like to draw pretty pictures, and there's nothing wrong with that.

In the illustration above, I've decided to show a witch at the beginning of her mischievious night. The figure is in a ponderous mood reflected by the body position, facial expression, and eyes. The environment is also in a someone static and indecisive pose. I drew this with my new Copic pencil (an AMAZING new tool!), inked it with a Chinese bamboo brush dipped in sumi ink, and colored it in Corel Painter 12.

Let me know what you think!

A Possible Cover

 

If you've been following one of my other blogs, you know the first part of a major Wandering Koala epic is over. Above is a possible cover for the collection. I drew it with a Prismacolor Brush Marker which gave me a really nice line. I'm not sure if I'm in love with the coloring though. What do you think?

Finished!

I just finished the last two illustrations for the first book of the ongoing Wandering Koala eSerial at WanderingKoalaTales.blogspot.com. I can't believe it's done! I still need to create a cover and color one or two more illustrations before I publish it in print and eBook format as Wandering Koala Digest 4, but the blog parts are finished and scheduled. And after the first part of the story is finished, they'll be a few days of bonuses, so be sure to check back for those.

So what's next? The next book in the series, of course, although I think I'll go back to the Picture Prose format I used in The Caveman Conspiracy, because I really like it and think it will work best for what's coming next. I'm not sure if I'll have it ready to go when the bonuses run out, but I'll try.

So, have you been following the story? What did you think? Leave a comment and let me know.

Before & After - A Great Kick

 

 On the left the original hand drawn artwork inked with a Japanese Brush Pen for the ongoing eSerial at WanderingKoalaTales.blogspot.com.

On the right the finished illustration colored in Corel Painter.

I think they both turned out spectacularly well. What do you think?

Jungle Cafe

"I love Jungle Cafes. They're part jungle and part cafe!"

Where is that quote from?

Concept Art: A highly stylized town

 

In my never ending quest to find "my" style, I find myself wandering back to previous attempts and combining two or more of them. The above illustration is an example. While it's not "there" yet, it is moving in an interesting direction.

What do you think?

Before and After

 

 

Just thought I'd post a quick before and after coloring for a page from the latest installment in the Wandering Koala eSerial. This almost makes me want to color the whole thing...

Character Design: An Odd Couple

 

For my ongoing eSerial I needed a rich couple that stood out intentionally. So I drew from my love of things Roaring 20s and came up with these two characters. The woman has a Jay Leno chin, but it adds character. They were inked with a Japanese brush pen and Sharpies.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

Art Philosophy - The Power of Black and White Shapes

Shape is one of the basic Elements of Art. Line is little more than an elongated shape. It's amazing how one can place a few shapes together and create a powerful and emotionally stirring image, especially when one is limited to only two colors -- black and white.

The illustration above is from an upcoming page in the ongoing Wandering Koala eSerial. When I finished drawing this with a Japanese brush pen and a Sharpie marker, I was amazed at how well the emotion was conveyed without color. Color is a very powerful element and by far the most effective to convey emotion. I wasn't sure the black & white shapes would be sufficient, but they were. The zoomed in composition helped to turn the hair and facial features into shapes so the design dominated which also helped greatly.

What do you think?

Art Philosophy: To Color or Not to Color a Line Drawing

Color is the most powerful element of art, and all works of art have it -- even so-called "black & white art (black and white are colors despite what many painters and art teachers may tell you).

In all periods of art one can find examples of line work that has been colored in from early printing to illustrated manuscripts to cave paintings. People seem to be hardwired to capture an object in lines and then add color.

Incorporating this element in a line drawing presents several interesting questions:

To Color or Not to Color?

That's a mute point since everything work of visual art has color. The question should actually be should one add colors beyond black and white. Black and white artwork is unique in that the viewer reads it much like one reads words. Black and white art tends to create an intimacy with the viewer and draw him in. That could easily be one reason why Japanese Manga is so popular and independent comics have such a following.

How Much Color?

Should a work be monochromatic (meaning one color with its associated shades, tones, and tints), or should it use every color in the rainbow? Should one limit oneself to two colors and make the most of them? The fewer colors one has, the more one is forced to design with them, and the more harmonious a work can be. The more colors one has, the less harmonious a work tends to be, because the eye and mind has so much more to process. But this extra processing creates a certain buzz and overload of senses people like, so there is a reason to go for it.

Flat or Gradiated?

Many early printed works were printed flat (meaning a block of solid color) because of technology. Just read old comics -- you'll find simple gradients but that's about it. When technology reaches a point that colors no longer have to be flat, a common trend is to go overboard and overrender a work to death. Just pick up a comic book from the 90s. Garrish. Even if one is using a monochromatic scheme, one can use a few greys, flat greys, or the full gambit of 256 greys.

So what's the Right Answer?

The right answer really depends on the question, and the question for coloring art is what is your ultimate goal or purpose. Once you know why you're creating a work, then the question of how to apply color becomes simple and obvious. Of course, answering the question of a work's purpose may not be so simple and obvious, but that's a question for another day.

The illustrations above were inked with a Japanese brush pen and colored in Photoshop. The illustration is part of the ongoing Wandering Koala serial that presents a page of text and an illustration each day. If you haven't checked it out, go there now and enjoy! The story is just getting started.