Goblin Party

Hey, I just realized I never posted these. These were done as tryouts for a comics thing posted on Jon Schindehette's Art Order blog. I really want to do something for Jon's new Eowyn vs. Nazgul challenge, too, but we'll see if I can find the time...

Inheritors

This week in the comics class I'm teaching - did I mention I'm teaching a comics class? - we're starting the final semester project, and next week's assignment is to bring in a couple of pages' work of thumbnails, rough layouts, and value roughs. So last night I whipped up a few pages as a sample, based on an idea that just popped into my head. Working title is Inheritors, which is probably one of those Aristocrats-style titles that works better if you don't try to explain it.

First, crude character sketches - just enough to get started with layouts.



Then a few pages' worth of rough layouts. I'll spare you the indecipherable horror of my thumbnail sketches.




And finally, sample value roughs. It took me a couple of tries to get these into workable shape; there's a reason we normally don't plot and lay out comics stories in overnight binges.



In the penultimate panel of page 2, I might shift the figure leftward and move the balloon to the right. Easy enough to do in Photoshop.

Big Cats

Today was Big Cats day at the Academy of Art's fabled Bradley Hall. What fun!



The cheetah pretty much stole the show. Amazing proportions, very mellow, and purring constantly the whole time we were drawing.




The caracal turned out to have a serious fetish for the rough carpet covering the model stand, and spent most of its time rolling around on its tummy in a state of feline bliss.



The Siberian bobcat was awful cute. Just a big fluffy kitten, panting because of the unaccustomed heat and, according to its handler, because it was excited.



And finally the serval, apparently a champion mouser.