Scarf Cat and Wolf Girl

We had our Winter Micro Gallery show at work earlier this week. There were holiday themed decorations and treats! Oh yeah, and art.
I did these! First, it's Quincy in winter gear!

He doesn't actually have winter gear because he doesn't need it in LA. Also he's got layers of fat. I don't think he'd be too thrilled about it anyway.

This second one happened because i've been reading a lot of Song of Ice and Fire (currently on Storm of Swords), although this isn't supposed to be any character in particular. But hey, what's more wintery than Winterfell?:


Thought i'd post some process stuff for this, cause i actually like it :)
Here's my mock-up sketch, plus a practice wolf drawing. I have learned... that wolves are fluffy.


I sometimes wind up taking photos of my paintings as i do them, mostly because i think paint set-ups look really cool and there's something about seeing a painting in the context of colorful splattered paint palettes. In this case i also wanted to get pictures of the ink work before i painted it (i was too lazy to scan it).

I've started to get into Paul Pope's work. I've got a couple of his comics that i need to start reading, but mostly i love the way he draws. It's really raw-looking inky brush lines, but he's got amazing control with it and knows how to throw in just the right amount of detail. So i've been playing with that, trying to get better with a brush pen. If nothing else it's a lot of fun... and is teaching me patience, waiting for ink to dry.

And the finished version (ooooh aaaaah)

Eyeballs

The other day i was sitting in a meeting and thought about this.


Now you're thinking about it too >:)
BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Thanksgivings

Some Thanksgiving comics, only about a week late!
I really love thanksgiving. The food is good, and genuinely enjoy coming home and seeing my family. So i'd have to say i'm generally thankful (not just one day, but year-round) for all that and more.

First, mom stories:

And then she pretty much told me it was time to go home. My mom might have some regrets.

The Morning After Thanksgiving stories:

They really only gave me about half a pie to take home, but i did eat all of that by myself over the course of a few hours, starting first thing in the morning.

I am always thankful for pumpkin pie :)

Next 5

My friend Emma first introduced me to this exercise. It's a really great boarding challenge that helps train you to come up with entertaining ideas quickly.
The idea is you start with a random photo (Flickr is a good source for these) and you treat it like the first shot of a short film. Then you figure out what happens next, and board the next five shots; not the next five panels, but the next five unique shots. In the end you should have six drawings (including your starting image).
We're doing this exercise with our story trainees at the studio right now and i realized i'd never posted any of these here. This is one i did using this photo as a starting point.

(TECHNICALLY i cheated; i added a second panel for my first shot, so i've got seven drawings here)

Kamen Rider/Super Sentai!

Happening TONIGHT!
Right now, this very second, Q-Pop is hosting its Kamen Rider/Super Sentai gallery tribute!


I couldn't make it to the opening and i'm super bummed, but it's up for a WHOLE WEEK so that's plenty of time to check it out!

I was thrilled to be invited to participate in the show. Here are my pieces, which are all for sale!

Electro-Wave Human Tackle, TECHNICALLY the first female Rider.


She loved Kamen Rider sooooo much.

Calaveras

Hope everyone had a good Halloween and is currently having un felíz Día de los Muertos!



These were done for our most recent (and second annual) Halloween microgallery show :)

Treiman

I talk to myself a lot. In private, in public, it doesn't really matter. Sometimes i'll talk out loud, sometimes i'll just gesture to myself or make weird expressions that correlate to whatever i'm thinking. Sometimes i'll do it all at once! Sometimes i'm accidentally staring straight at a stranger while i'm doing it.
I usually refer to myself by my last name.
I know i'm not the only one who does this.
So anyway...


Thank goodness for the blue-tooth talkers who make it easier for us legit nutters to hide in a crowd.

For whatever reason i was having a hard time drawing this comic. Sometimes stuff like this happens easily, sometimes i really have to work at it, and this was one of the latter times for sure. When i got really frustrated at my inability to draw something so familiar to me i drew the following, which i actually find funnier than the comic itself. But then, I'm often amused by my own "antics".

Tackle

I'm working on a piece for an upcoming gallery show at Q-pop in honor of the 40th Anniversary of Kamen Rider and the 35th Anniversary of the Super Sentai series. Not having actually seen either (not even Power Rangers!) i've been digging into the veritable treasure trove of source material and came out with Electro-Wave Human Tackle, the lady side-kick/romantic interest of one of the Kamen Riders. She's got a pretty fun design and some pretty cool powers, so i thought i'd give her her due. Just practicing drawing her here.


Actual finished piece to exist in the future!

Jobs

Back in the summer of 2005 i interned up at Pixar on W.A.L.L.-E.
I didn't really do any production work, but i got to sit in on story meetings and that was an education in itself. I was only 19 and had just finished my sophomore year of college so i spent most of my time feeling like a freshly hatched scared baby chicklette, but i had a lot of really great experiences that summer and met some really amazing people, many of whom i still see around.

Recent events stirred up something that happened that summer i'd almost completely forgotten about:
One day i was hanging out with the some of the story guys* in the WALL-E pod. I don't remember who all was there exactly. They were cleaning out the mini fridge and there were some beers left, so they decided to finish them off. So now we were all lounging around, middle of the afternoon, drinking beers (except for me, i hadn't really developed a taste for beer yet, and i was only 19 besides) when Steve Jobs walked by:



I remember there being some speculation as to what the majority shareholder of the studio would have to say about his employees (and intern) lying around drinking in the middle of the work day, but as he walked by he smiled and waved at us and actually seemed too happy to be there to really care. I have since learned (with gusto) that drinking on the job is quite per the norm at animation studios so in retrospect i'm sure he never gave it a second thought.

I don't have a lot else to say about Steve Jobs. He helped revolutionize the technology industry as we know it, to be sure, but you read things and you hear things and it's clear the man wasn't exactly a saint. Still (as i type this on my MacBook Pro), he inspired a lot of people and certainly invested a lot in the industry that i'm fortunate enough to be employed by, so Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs.



* and i do mean story Guys, there were no girl artists on that crew, or any crew if i remember correctly, with the exception of Brenda Chapman.

And then everything changed.

I got a kindle for my birthday at the beginning of this month. It was supposed to be my gateway to unfettered literacy. This is what happened.


To be fair, that night i DID load it up with the first four Song of Ice and Fire books. I just finished 'Game of Thrones' not ONE HOUR before posting this and have already started 'Clash of Kings' so i've been getting some pretty good mileage on it thus far. I want to get 'American Gods' (i'm a neil gaiman fan and i've never read it) and the whole 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' series. I am hungry for words!

I have noticed that most of my journal comics involve me sitting in bed with my laptop. I really hope this isn't an accurate representation of how i spent my time...

Arya

I've been reading Game of Thrones. It's super good, you guys. I'll be honest, i watched the show first, and it prompted me to pick up the book. So far the adaptation's been pretty faithful, with the exception of a few details. Watching it first has actually proved to be somewhat helpful; the book (and show) are initially a flood of names of people that are pretty important to get sorted out. Having gotten everyone straight in the show, i've got faces to match to names going into the book which has made things flow pretty smoothly.

I was hanging out with Emma last weekend and, watching her draw, i realized how lazy my own drawings have gotten. So when i found myself doodling Arya Stark i tried to pay attention to what i was doing and try and draw a face that didn't look like every other face i always draw. I'm not sure if i was successful. I just kind of filled a sheet of paper with a sketch-mess.

I'm drawing her too old. She's 8 in the first book (which is where i'm at) but i couldn't figure out how to make her look younger without making her look cuter, because she's not supposed to be cute.
I DID have fun drawing with what might be the best brush pen ever*? I found it laying around the story room and started doodling with it (ssssh!).

*it will never replace my pentel pocket brush.

Zombie hero

We've got a new microgallery show at work, and the theme is "Heroes and Villains". Originally it was going to happen around comic-con, but everyone's been working like crazy here so the gallery was pushed back so everyone would have time to do a piece.
I've been reading "World War Z" (which is a completely awesome book), so this is my zombie apocalypse hero.
Alternate title: "Get Away From My Dog, You Z-bag!"


I guess who the hero is and who the villain is depends on whose perspective you're seeing this through. Bear in mind, zombies have no concept of villainy, only "BRAAAINS".

OMGod of War

The boyfriend's finally playing through the latest God of War. So help me, i love watching that game. When Kratos finally met up with Hermes it broke my heart; Hermes was always my favorite of the greek gods and i knew what was going to happen. What... HAD to happen.


Poor Hermes. Kratos is gonna get what he wants!

Make it so.

You ever have one of those dreams where you see something really awesome and think "oh man, i wish i'd thought of that!", only to wake up and realize you DID because you dreamed it?
I dreamed this.



It is a three-headed fox dressed as Captain Picard with a body made of the U.S.S. Enterprise. In my dream it was animated and it's heads were all wiggly. It's possibly the best thing i've ever thought of... i think.

Nerd problems

Harry Potter 7 part 2 premieres tomorrow, or more accurately, at midnight tonight!
I've always been a fan, but my life as a real-live grown-up has been busy and i forgot to get excited about it. Needless to say buying a ticket for a midnight screening the day of is a fool's errand.


I snagged a ticket for tomorrow night. I guess seeing it opening day won't lose me too much nerd cred :)

[EDIT] As has been pointed out, there IS always 'Winnie the Pooh'! You guys should really check it out. It does... "bear" mentioning :D

GDG Vol. 4

The rumors are true! The 4th Girls Drawing Girls book is available for pre-order!


My Ocotillo piece is in there, along with over 80 other illustrations from some super talented ladies. This classy number is all wrapped up in a quality HARD COVER volume. Impress your friends and make your enemies seethe with jealousy over your impressive library. Order before July 10th and get a special edition bookplate! Several of us (including yours truly) have created some really rad ones... LIKE THE ONES BELOW!



Will one of these be yours???
Only one way to find out! :)

For Science.

Only about four years late to the party, i've finally started playing the first Portal. I've seen it played through and i just watched my boyfriend play through all of the second one. They're puzzle games, and the writing is so clever, so they're fun to watch, but apparently even more fun to play!
I've got the first one on Steam but i think i might have to go ahead and get Portal 2 on PS3 for myself.

Hunger Games

I finished reading the Hunger Games trilogy recently. They're classified as "young adult" but basically everyone i know kept talking about them and i figured i should see what the fuss was about before the movie came out.
It's a fast read, but that's partly because the action is so captivating. Katniss is a really strong female protagonist and through the books you get to witness her very human reactions to some truly horrifying circumstances. In my opinion (and i guess everyone else's) the first book is totally awesome, and then the others less so, but i was compelled to keep reading because i had to know how it all ended!
Anyway, one day i found myself trying to doodle the characters. Mostly i was trying to get Foxface Girl, who's not even featured all that much in the book, i just had an image in my head i was trying to get down. That's Katniss on the right. Each drawing is me trying to find the right face; like, that first Katniss wasn't quite right, but i like the look of the second one.


(note: nothing here depicts actual story points, so this post is certified spoiler-free!)
It wasn't until i'd scribbled out this page that i remembered that Foxface doesn't actually have knives (or even a pack, i think). I just thought they worked well for her. I also thought it would be neat if she wrapped her jacket sleeves in bandages or something, since she's all sneaky like a ninja :)

Paige of Swords

Man, over... a year ago now i this piece in a Tarot themed show at The Hive gallery here in LA. The owner is a friend of Girls Drawin' Girls and invited us to participate in one of their non-pinup themed shows. Each one of us chose a card out of a standard Tarot deck. It was a nice opportunity to do something different.
This was my take on the Paige of Swords. Every now and again i'm afforded an opportunity to justify my gratuitous purchase of reference material. Finally, my book of samurai outfits and armor had it's time to shine!



The thin pencil border is where the painting would be framed, but i liked the raw edges of the watercolor.
Once again, i tried my best to properly research the kanji i used. I believe it may actually say "knife" instead of "sword", but he's not really holding a full sword anyway, sooo....

This is one of those pieces that I hated at the time i made it. It wasn't what i had in my head at all, but i put it in the show anyway. Fortunately, it sold and i didn't have to look at it anymore! But while recently browsing through old art scans on my hard drive i came upon it again and, looking at it with fresh eyes, i decided i liked it afterall! And now here it is!

This is my job. This is what i DO.

Further reflections on my apparent illiteracy (FACT???).



Hey, this shit's hard, you guys!

sexy, sexy ocotillo.

It is no secret that i am a fan of the noble ocotillo. Ever since i drove out into the desert about a year ago with three friends and observed them in the wild, i have been a fan. Like most desert plants, much of the year they're not much to look at, a mere bundle of brown twigs sticking up out of the ground, but when they're in bloom they're something to see.
So when Girls Drawing Girls announced that the theme for our upcoming 4th volume would be plants, i was quick to claim this one for my own.


Originally i'd had an idea to use the ocotillo motif as a tattoo, which was something i'd sketched out just for funsies before the theme was announced. I tried to incorporate this idea into a layout that would look something like an add for some kind of edgy tattoo parlor, maybe a little Jamie Hewlett inspired, perhaps? But it never looked right and i wasn't feeling it so i abandoned the idea for the one above.

I also figured that the piece should incorporate the actual plant it's themed after, and ocotillo's such a tall plant, i think the final version gives you more context.

Story meetings can be very frustrating. One day i chose to vent my frustrations through drawings of interpretive dance.

Kindle for Grandma

Mother's Day approaches! My grandma has always been very good to us grandkids, and now that most of us are earning a living wage my cousins and i have made it a habit to try and give as good as we've gotten on Mother's Day.
My Grandma certainly isn't lacking in worldly comforts, but her eyesight is going and she was always a reader. While technology isn't her forte, this year it was clear that the Kindle would be an invaluable asset to her.
As the artist in the family, the burden of card-making always falls to me. Word to the wise, artist-children: once you hand-make that first thank you note or birthday card, a precedent is set FOR LIFE. You will never, EVER be able to present a store bought card again.

(EVER)

Anyway, this is what i made this year! I haven't added text yet. Maybe it doesn't need it (except perhaps "happy mother's day grandma", that might be helpful).

Microgallery: Japan!

We're having a new microgallery opening today! This is our second one back at the studio since our big public show at Nucleus.
The tragedy in Japan has touched all of us as in the artistic field as much as anybody. Even though the earthquake hit over a month ago, it's impact is still being felt. We decided Japan would be our theme this time around, and all proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross Japanese relief efforts. It will be a silent auction, and by donating through the studio Disney will match whatever we give. It's going to be a good one.
Here are my two pieces! I tried to research the japanese as accurately as i could. If i've made any grievous errors in translation, don't hesitate to point them out.


"Save Japan"


"Super Watermelon"
(EDIT: Thanks to an anonymous poster for the spelling correction. That should read スーパー instead of スーバー )

Because what is more Japanese than a square watermelon?

Horizon

My friend Emma is wrapping up work on her third short film, "Horizon". She asked a bunch of her artist friends to design posters for it, and i was thrilled to be asked to make one as well. Emma's seemingly boundless creative energy and self-motivation as a film maker is nothing short of inspiring.
Over a year later (shameful procrastination!) i finally got it done.


I'm really pleased with the way it came out. Of course the source material held no shortage of inspiration :)
PLEASE swing by the official 'Horizon' Facebook page and check out all the totally rad behind-the scenes stuff that they've been posting!

Lincolns

A couple weeks ago our Micro Gallery at work did a Presidents Day themed show (update on the Microgallery blog to follow... eventually...). All Lincolns! Each one went for five bucks!
I did three pieces for the show, this is one of them (the above image... is not):

Thought i'd throw some Mignola homages around, just for funsies!

Aah, updating my blog is fun.

Some goths

It's been a while since i've had anything to post! Been busy with life and work. Also i finally started playing Red Dead Redemption, so... there's that.
Anyway here's some non-production related story meeting doodles! I drew some goth chicks today. The first two probably shop at Hot Topic, but i'm thinking the third one gets by on thrift store finds.