Perspective Sketch

One thing that I really never liked drawing was backgrounds or landscapes. I love to draw everything else, but whenever it came down to creating a scene I dreaded making the backgrounds. What I realized was the reason I never liked them was because I never considered them as important as the characters. Just the other day I decided to put real effort in learning how to draw backgrounds and what better way than to learn perspective. There are so many great tutorials on how to draw 1, 2 and 3 point perspectives but one that really stuck out was a series of videos by Mark Crilley (see below). I even used his 2 point perspective video as reference for my first attempt.

As I worked my way through the process of thinking only about the landscape I realized that the background plays an larger role than I gave it credit for. I began to enjoy the meticulous process of building the objects in the landscape line after line. It turned out to be very therapeutic in a way I hadn't realized. So now I like backgrounds! Which is good because it probably would have been my downfall later on.

The landscape below was just an exercise in building structures in perspective so I just used a green (snot green!) hew to depicted shadows. Nothing fancy. So for those that are in a similar place about backgrounds, go out and draw draw draw!

http://www.youtube.com/user/markcrilley

Loop F-Art

I know the title is a bit pedestrian, but I can never pass up an opportunity to make a fart joke. Anyway, I've recently been picking up the ol' pen and wacom to do some fan art. This is always a great way to kill three birds with one stone (you read that right, three). On the one hand you get to show your appreciation for the what someone else has put into their work (in this case a webcomic). On the other it allows me to change up my normal rhythm and learn how to draw something I normally wouldn't have drawn. On the last mutated hand, you get to network with other artists. Whether they know you or not, you start building a trust with them. Eventually it may lead to joint projects, guest strips or just another artist to bounce concept ideas off (that last one is an invaluable tool).

I'm happy to say that Sean McLean, of Loop and Underwhelmed, was and is a good friend to me. Back when I did the strip "My HMP" he was always one to give an encouraging word about my strip. I even gave one of his characters a brief cameo in  the strip, which he colored and sent back to me. That little gesture of another artist taking the time to do that meant so much more than he probably realized.

I was fortunate to get the opportunity to draw a guest strip for Sean and had a blast doing it. Since then, he has started a new webcomic, Loop. I'd been wanting to do a piece of fan art show my support for awhile and only until recently had I found the time. So check it out below and head on over to both of his strips and take a look at the great work he's putting out. Enjoy.

Love me some Board Games!!

This is going to be kind of an off topic post but given the current Xmas season it brings up one of my favorite past-times when I get with family and that's games. Board games to be specific. There's something unique about getting with family and friends, turning off the TV (unless the Christmas Story is on or something) and putting down the game remote to bust out a classic board game and have a ball with your closest loved ones.

One thing that I recently came across was Geek and Sundry, specifically the show TableTop. If you are a fan of board games and haven't checked it out you need to do yourself a favor and check it out (see link below). If you are thinking about getting a board game but don't know what to start with, and don't want to default to Monopoly or Scrabble, Will Wheaton (host) does a great job of explaining the game as he and a rotating group of celebrity guests compete. One of the show's strong points is encouraging peopel to try new and unique games and not to judge a game by its cover. There seems to be a resurgence in Table Top gaming and if you want to jump on board (pun intended), then this is a great place to start. I've linked one of my favorite episodes below that you should check out.

I hope everyone has a blessed and joyful Xmas/holiday and do yourself a favor and play a board game with a loved one this season. There's so many great games to choose from, I'm sure you'll be able to find one you like.


http://tabletop.geekandsundry.com/

A Very Whovian Christmas

Hey all. Some of you may, or may not, know that I'm a pretty big Doctor Who fan. I've been getting pumped with all the excitement leading up to this year's xmas episode. So instead of waiting around doing nothing, I decided to let off some of that excitement in a Doctor Who themed Christmas sketch. Enjoy!

Christmas Time

Back from the dead it seems. I had good intentions on keeping this blog updated, but life has a funny habit of getting in the way. I decided to put away some distractions so that I could focus more on drawing and cartooning. I spent a good hour or so the other night on this piece and it felt good to get back in the saddle. My wacom missed me... I think.

In any case I figured I would highlight one of those annoying yet seemingly unavoidable traditions during the holidays. That being the holiday pageant/play. I know it's cute for the parents, and I'll probably make my son do it, but growing and being opted into stuff often yields embarassing and long-lasting memories. I guess it builds character. Enjoy.

Daily Sketch: Covert To Raid

Awhile back I tale the guys over at Cover to Raid I wanted to do some fan art for their show. Well, a few months and one baby later I'm making some headway on it. Below is the current layer I'm working on, which is a backdrop of the different races' capital cities. This is the largest file I've worked with since that Anniversary project I worked on for Brock and his awesome webcomic "The SuperFogeys."Enjoy!

Warm Up Sketch: Tauren Mage

Awhile back I did a sketch of Koltrane from the  Covert To Raid podcast. I wanted to try my hand at a warm up sketch with something that's not as easy to draw, but I also wanted to draw another mage. I figured the Tauren was one race I've always wanted to draw well but had trouble doing so. Practice makes perfect. Enjoy!