Read from the beginning: http://mystcomic.smackjeeves.com
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Deadwood Storyboard Thubmnails
After CTN, I've wanted to work on stuff for my storyboard portfolio, but I've been having a hard time with it. Working on the Myst comic is so much easier for some reason. Something about working on pieces that are just for job applications leaves me feeling poopy. So I'm trying to get back to fundamentals ... what do I like about storyboarding? Why do I want to do it? I decided to do some studies from films ... and not just "great" films ... but films I enjoy. What are MY favorite things? What do I want to learn from? Those are the questions I'm trying to ask myself.
Some of the films/shows I like: Deadwood, Arrested Development, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Sweeny Todd, In the Loop, The Thick of it, the Office, anything Studio Ghibli, Classic Disney, Pixar.
So I decided to do an exercise where I thumbnailed from scene from something I like. I chose Deadwood. I found this clip online:
I used Snapz Pro to record a quicktime of it, which I can then easily scrub through. Then I drew these thumnails.
Oh man, I love Deadwood. In this scene alone, there are so many delicious little details. I just love the acting. Some of my various thoughts:
- It was fun drawing the very small. Drawing small forces me to really just think about the most important parts. Like on the first page, when Al is taking off his shoes, he has his back to the camera, but the way his legs/arms are positioned it's clear what he's doing.
- I love the glazed look in his eyes when he's talking about the past, or just arguing in his head. Drawing the eyes slightly apart is so simple, but has a big impact.
- When he's saying you can't be like 'a boy with his thumb in his mouth' (makes the gesture), no you gotta be a grown fucking man" the distant look, the veracity of it ... it really feels like he's been told that many times in his life! I love it when characters argue with voices in their heads, repeating things they've been told.
- When he's unbuttoning his undergarment, the position of the shoulders shows you how far he's gone down.
- A big part of the energy in Swearengen's face is from those eyebrows. He often keeps them way up in a surprised look, even if his eyelids are still pretty low. When his eyebrows do drop it feels pretty dramatic. Really looks angry.
- When he says "No! I don't look fucking back, I do what I have to do and go on" The way he whips his head back and forth, I just liked that. Feels more defensive than declarative.
- Then his expression totally changes to surprise and he says "whoa, whoa, whoa" to the woman who's giving him a blowjob (too quickly for his taste). So funny.
- When he says "did you know that behind the orphanage she ran a whore house", and he looks at her for a response ... he puts his tongue in his cheek. That's a hard expression to render, but I really liked it. I hope I get to use that someday.
- The look of digust on his face when he talks about "mrs. anderson", the woman who ran the orphanage. He's got all those wrinkles, when he looks disgusted and all those lines scrunch up on his face, it really reads.
- When he says "Fat.Fucking.Mrs.Anderson" his expression goes real big.
- I love how he laughs a bit when he's talking about the fact that he didn't even get to count the the money his mother gave him before mrs. anderson took it. The cruelty of it is so absurd, he's laughing at it.
- After that he's rubbing the woman's back as he's describing having to give over the money, the "7 dollars and 60 odd something cents" ... he's rubbing her back. Seems like a mollifying behavior for him more than anything for her.
- When he's breathing heavy, his jaw is pushed out.
- His final "you can spit it out, you don't have to swallow" that line feels great. One, it's him doing something "nice" after being so horrible. But it's also like ... 'you don't have to swallow all the stuff I've just said" better to spit it out and not hold onto it. All that painful stuff about being abandoned and having to be a man. He doesn't want to swallow it either.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Myst: The Book of Atrus Comic - Page 84
Read from the beginning here: http://mystcomic.smackjeeves.com
Check for the latest page here: http://mystcomic.smackjeeves.com/comics
Monday, July 23, 2012
Myst: The Book of Atrus Comic - Page 83
Read from the beginning here: http://mystcomic.smackjeeves.com
Check for the latest page here: http://mystcomic.smackjeeves.com/comics
Friday, July 20, 2012
Myst: The Book of Atrus Comic - Page 82
Read from the beginning here: http://mystcomic.smackjeeves.com
Check for the latest page here: http://mystcomic.smackjeeves.com/comics
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Myst: The Book of Atrus Comic - Page 81
Read from the beginning here: http://mystcomic.smackjeeves.com
Check for the latest page here: http://mystcomic.smackjeeves.com/comics
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Adventures at Comic-Con - Part 2!
CLICK HERE FOR PART ONE
So, to recap, I'm at Comic-Con, I had an interview with Dave Elliott, and had an encouraging talk with Pixar story artist Octavio Rodriguez. Good stuff.
The con was absolute pandemonium. There were people in costume everywhere. There were screens and lights and signs and all kinds of media attacking the senses.
Some thoughts. I'm trying very hard to be a content creator, but I didn't realize until I'd gone to the con, that I'm not much of a content consumer. It's clear that there are people who consume a lot more comics, tv, film and video games then I do. I mean, it's comic-con, so these are maybe the top consumers, but still.
LucasFilm had a large area. I started thinking about Star Wars, how the original content that started the brand was just three feature films. It seems like so little compared to the empire of off-shoot content, merchandise and fandom that has come up around it. Seems like the effort to produce all that secondary content is many times more then it took to make the original content.
It made me think about stories. If you create a story that people like, people don't just want to re-watch it or watch more like it, people want to INTERACT or CONNECT with the story in a different way. If a person feels a connection with a character or a story, there's a strong desire to express that somehow.
The day was almost over. I didn't have any other pressing items on the agenda. I took a long walk just to stroll around and get some pictures of the insanity. Lots of pictures!
I stalked that Link character for a little while.
So, to recap, I'm at Comic-Con, I had an interview with Dave Elliott, and had an encouraging talk with Pixar story artist Octavio Rodriguez. Good stuff.
The con was absolute pandemonium. There were people in costume everywhere. There were screens and lights and signs and all kinds of media attacking the senses.
Some thoughts. I'm trying very hard to be a content creator, but I didn't realize until I'd gone to the con, that I'm not much of a content consumer. It's clear that there are people who consume a lot more comics, tv, film and video games then I do. I mean, it's comic-con, so these are maybe the top consumers, but still.
LucasFilm had a large area. I started thinking about Star Wars, how the original content that started the brand was just three feature films. It seems like so little compared to the empire of off-shoot content, merchandise and fandom that has come up around it. Seems like the effort to produce all that secondary content is many times more then it took to make the original content.
It made me think about stories. If you create a story that people like, people don't just want to re-watch it or watch more like it, people want to INTERACT or CONNECT with the story in a different way. If a person feels a connection with a character or a story, there's a strong desire to express that somehow.
I know as a big Myst fan that I don't just play and replay the games, I want to buy stuff to wear, I want to meet Rand Miller, I want to create something new based on that brand. And comic-con was a lot about that aspect. They had panels and stuff to buy and contests that give fans a chance to connect with the source material in a different way.
It was interesting to see then the content creators (or rather people who license their content) coming up with different creative ways for fans to do just that. It was fascinating.
Anyway, back to the con!
I walked around more. I found a stand devoted to Kapibara-san. I LOVE kapibara-san. I discovered Kapibara-san when I was living in Japan for a year. It's supposed to be a capybara, the large aquatic rodent native to Central and South America, but RIDICULOUSLY CUTE. I have a big collection of the plushes at home, including one of those really big ones. So I bought another little guy with funny eyebrows to add to my collection. I also took a picture with some women dressed up as kapibara-sans.
At another booth I bought myself a "moustache monocle." You hang it from your pocket and can have an instant moustache, anytime! A dapper looking man was showing them off, sporting a fantastic accent. I should have bought more. They also had longer, more villainous 'staches.
Then I took a break. I had some blackberries back at the DeviantART area.
I then briefly checked out the upstairs area. There was a tables for free cards to take. I briefly thought it would be nice to put my own giveaway cards there, but I didn't want to go back and get them and I thought I might have to ask first too.
Then I met up with voice actress Karen Kahler (http://www.karenkahler.com/). She played "Anna" in the Myst animatic I did a while ago (link). I was great to finally meet her. We talked about the projects we are working on, our goals, etc. She told me that as a professional (if you can show credits) that your tickets to comic-con area are free! I didn't know that. I need to get on that for the future.
Then I meet the amazing artist Claire "Shoomlah" Hummel (http://shoomlah.deviantart.com/). We coordinated via twitter and met near my table. We talked Myst and art, things we want to do in the future. She's awesome. It would be fun to do a project with her someday. She has some great ideas for a project with Cyan Worlds. Cyan, you should let the both of us do stuff for you!
Another break. Banana. Finished the blackberries.
During my break, I was looking at the graphic novel "Cuidad" I bought at Octavio Rodriguez's table. While I was at his table, I also looked at the graphic novel of story artist Louie del Carmen. Both of them had these really loose, energetic lines and limited color palettes that I really liked. I hope I can incorporate more of that in my work.
So I was feeling like I really wanted to go back and buy Louie del Carmen's book. And I wanted to talk to him. But I felt a little awkward about going back to the table. Plus I was deliriously tired at this point. But somehow I braved it and went back to their table.
I bought Louie's books. I started to tell him that I saw him give a talk at Ottawa in 2009, but he said that that was his brother, not him. "Fuck," I said. We laughed about it. Octavio joked that it was all over, I'm going to blacklisted from the industry now. Haha. But how can there be two brothers who are amazing story artists?!? How is that possible??
Anyway, Louie was very nice and I chatted with him and his wife for a while. He currently works at Dreamworks and had worked a long time storyboarding for TV. He told me that he and Octavio are very versatile, and that they are turning down storyboarding jobs all the time. It was very encouraging. I showed him a bit of my work and both he and Octavio said I "have the chops" for this business. That was really nice to hear.
It was interesting to see then the content creators (or rather people who license their content) coming up with different creative ways for fans to do just that. It was fascinating.
Anyway, back to the con!
I walked around more. I found a stand devoted to Kapibara-san. I LOVE kapibara-san. I discovered Kapibara-san when I was living in Japan for a year. It's supposed to be a capybara, the large aquatic rodent native to Central and South America, but RIDICULOUSLY CUTE. I have a big collection of the plushes at home, including one of those really big ones. So I bought another little guy with funny eyebrows to add to my collection. I also took a picture with some women dressed up as kapibara-sans.
At another booth I bought myself a "moustache monocle." You hang it from your pocket and can have an instant moustache, anytime! A dapper looking man was showing them off, sporting a fantastic accent. I should have bought more. They also had longer, more villainous 'staches.
Then I took a break. I had some blackberries back at the DeviantART area.
I then briefly checked out the upstairs area. There was a tables for free cards to take. I briefly thought it would be nice to put my own giveaway cards there, but I didn't want to go back and get them and I thought I might have to ask first too.
Then I met up with voice actress Karen Kahler (http://www.karenkahler.com/). She played "Anna" in the Myst animatic I did a while ago (link). I was great to finally meet her. We talked about the projects we are working on, our goals, etc. She told me that as a professional (if you can show credits) that your tickets to comic-con area are free! I didn't know that. I need to get on that for the future.
Then I meet the amazing artist Claire "Shoomlah" Hummel (http://shoomlah.deviantart.com/). We coordinated via twitter and met near my table. We talked Myst and art, things we want to do in the future. She's awesome. It would be fun to do a project with her someday. She has some great ideas for a project with Cyan Worlds. Cyan, you should let the both of us do stuff for you!
Another break. Banana. Finished the blackberries.
During my break, I was looking at the graphic novel "Cuidad" I bought at Octavio Rodriguez's table. While I was at his table, I also looked at the graphic novel of story artist Louie del Carmen. Both of them had these really loose, energetic lines and limited color palettes that I really liked. I hope I can incorporate more of that in my work.
So I was feeling like I really wanted to go back and buy Louie del Carmen's book. And I wanted to talk to him. But I felt a little awkward about going back to the table. Plus I was deliriously tired at this point. But somehow I braved it and went back to their table.
I bought Louie's books. I started to tell him that I saw him give a talk at Ottawa in 2009, but he said that that was his brother, not him. "Fuck," I said. We laughed about it. Octavio joked that it was all over, I'm going to blacklisted from the industry now. Haha. But how can there be two brothers who are amazing story artists?!? How is that possible??
Anyway, Louie was very nice and I chatted with him and his wife for a while. He currently works at Dreamworks and had worked a long time storyboarding for TV. He told me that he and Octavio are very versatile, and that they are turning down storyboarding jobs all the time. It was very encouraging. I showed him a bit of my work and both he and Octavio said I "have the chops" for this business. That was really nice to hear.
I was so exhausted by that point. I took another break. Had a sandwich. I was very happy, but at the same time I just wanted to curl up in a little ball under the table.
Next on my agenda was to check out publishers. I wanted to see what publishers might be appropriate for the kind of work that I do. Or specifically, for Seated Lady. I checked out Archaia, Oni Press, Image comics, Dark Horse, and a bunch of other places. The problem was I really wanted to talk to people who could tell me about submission and selection process. I think the staff was more people just who were trying to sell the books. I tried to ask around a bit, but I didn't get anything really helpful. Where are those meetings happening? Where are those guys?
Next on my agenda was to check out publishers. I wanted to see what publishers might be appropriate for the kind of work that I do. Or specifically, for Seated Lady. I checked out Archaia, Oni Press, Image comics, Dark Horse, and a bunch of other places. The problem was I really wanted to talk to people who could tell me about submission and selection process. I think the staff was more people just who were trying to sell the books. I tried to ask around a bit, but I didn't get anything really helpful. Where are those meetings happening? Where are those guys?
Another break. chocolate.
The day was almost over. I didn't have any other pressing items on the agenda. I took a long walk just to stroll around and get some pictures of the insanity. Lots of pictures!
I stalked that Link character for a little while.
It seems really fun to do cosplay. Everyone wants to stand next to you and take your picture! People were very direct about asking and the people in costume were very obliging. It was really fun to watch.
I didn't go to any panels. I didn't think I could sit down for an hour, not when all these people were moving around on the convention floor. I kinda wanted to go to the RiffTraks session, but it felt too crazy.
"The convention floor will be closing in half and hour" I heard.
I wish I had seen my art up on the big screens DeviantART had up in Artist's Alley. Someone said they did see it up there though!
At the end of the day, I chatted with Dave Elliott again over at his table. It felt like the day had come full circle.
7:00 pm. Everyone left. I packed up my stuff. Bye Comic-con!
On the shuttle back to the hotel, three boys were arguing about how much they would pay for a non-working ironman suit. "1000 dollars," one said. "1200," said another. Seems reasonable, I thought to myself.
I went back to the hotel and collapsed. It was like 8:30.
The next morning, I had scheduled a meeting with musician Gwen Barriac (link). She had contacted me a few weeks ago about doing an animated short film with a music score composed herself. We both went to Princeton, at different times. It's an ideal situation for me because she's paying me and it's a project that's right up my alley.
She happens to live in San Diego, so we meet for early lunch before my flight out. The focus of the story is how the creative process can be very painful, even destructive, when you are trying to create something new. You'll see art and sketches and stuff for the project in the months to come.
I didn't go to any panels. I didn't think I could sit down for an hour, not when all these people were moving around on the convention floor. I kinda wanted to go to the RiffTraks session, but it felt too crazy.
"The convention floor will be closing in half and hour" I heard.
I wish I had seen my art up on the big screens DeviantART had up in Artist's Alley. Someone said they did see it up there though!
At the end of the day, I chatted with Dave Elliott again over at his table. It felt like the day had come full circle.
7:00 pm. Everyone left. I packed up my stuff. Bye Comic-con!
On the shuttle back to the hotel, three boys were arguing about how much they would pay for a non-working ironman suit. "1000 dollars," one said. "1200," said another. Seems reasonable, I thought to myself.
I went back to the hotel and collapsed. It was like 8:30.
The next morning, I had scheduled a meeting with musician Gwen Barriac (link). She had contacted me a few weeks ago about doing an animated short film with a music score composed herself. We both went to Princeton, at different times. It's an ideal situation for me because she's paying me and it's a project that's right up my alley.
She happens to live in San Diego, so we meet for early lunch before my flight out. The focus of the story is how the creative process can be very painful, even destructive, when you are trying to create something new. You'll see art and sketches and stuff for the project in the months to come.
Gwen had written a script and we talked about it. I love talking story. I asked her to explain the feelings behind different parts she had written. We came up with some new ideas on how to approach it, to make it clearer and stronger. Then she was kind enough to drop me off at the airport.
Bye San Diego! I got on a plane for San Francisco. That's where I am now. I'm starting my first class on storyboarding today at Animation Collaborative.
I'm staying at a place literally three blocks blocks from Pixar. I shot this picture my first day walking around:
Hopefully, I'll have more to tell about that soon!
Bye San Diego! I got on a plane for San Francisco. That's where I am now. I'm starting my first class on storyboarding today at Animation Collaborative.
I'm staying at a place literally three blocks blocks from Pixar. I shot this picture my first day walking around:
Hopefully, I'll have more to tell about that soon!
Summary: Comic-con was amazing and I'm very grateful to DeviantART for the opportunity to go!
Thanks for reading guys!
Thanks for reading guys!
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