Luis’ Illustrated Blog

THE SIMPSONS NEWS

Still working on that crazy Couch Gag this week.  I’m very surprised at how much work is being put into it.  I doubt anyone will say anything more than, “Wow, that was a weird Couch Gag,” and then forget about it and watch the show.  Oh well, it’s not like it isn’t fun to work on, so I don’t really mind. It’s just interesting to note.

I’ve also been working on revising Act 2.  This show has the least revisions of any show so far this season.  It’s a darn funny show.  Can’t wait to see the final version.

ART

(For those of you coming in late to these posts, if you want to read what my project is about, CLICK HERE to learn about the general world the story takes place in, and CLICK HERE if you want to know the story itself.)

It feels now like I’m just drawing for the sake of drawing and I’m not getting anywhere with my project.  I just want to get on with finishing it at this point.  It feels to me, as if I’ve solved everything and I’m ready to start with the “good stuff”.  I know this is just me being impatient though. The last time I worked on a personal project, jumped right in and started working without solving everything, I got myself in trouble.  Halfway through my project, I realized there were some art issues I hadn’t resolved and it ended up causing problems.  Had I taken the time to work them out earlier, it would have been a smoother process.

For my own sake, I might as well write down what I still need to do.

1. Decide on a final look for the cartoon by drawing a clean concept piece.
2. Design monsters.
3. Tighten up the story a bit more in order to know what monsters to design.
4. Come up with a color scheme for the cartoon and characters (see 1.).
5. Finalize all the Sorcerer designs.
6. Once the final look is decided, do an animation test.

(Sigh) It kinda sounds like a lot to do before I can even begin storyboarding.

I’ve been trying to complete task No. 1.  It’s tricky  because I want to draw a finished piece that incorporates some of the “fun” things I want to draw in the cartoon.  I decided that the thumbnail sketches I had been drawing depicted a scene that didn’t have much action in it. I’ve decided to see if I could, maybe, draw a picture with something exciting going on. This is what I’ve got so far:

I’m still going to need do a few more thumbnails though. I think I want to, at least, show  the  Sorcerers more. I want the drawing to say, “Danger and excitement” all in one drawing while allowing me to work on the color and style of the cartoon.

WEBSITES

So I followed the source of a link that lead to my blog out of curiosity. I found one of my animated GIF files that I did years ago, being talked about on a Spanish speaking forum.  To my surprise, a couple of posts later, I found that one of the forum users had translated it into SPANISH. I thought it was great that the person did that and I was really flattered. Then I looked closer at the translated version and saw the translator had decided to take my name off it. Why?!

I was planning to put the translated version up here on my blog.  I was going to but my name back on it but I found out, to my dismay, that I couldn’t.  I don’t know how the guy managed to edit my GIF but I wasn’t able to edit his.  So I’ve decided NOT to put the translated version here even though I thought it was neat.

Perhaps I should do a translated version myself instead. Maybe next week, if I have time. Meanwhile, here’s the original version of the GIF if you haven’t seen it yet:

I just finished rereading the original blog article this drawing was posted with. It seems I was going a little insane at the time.  It also answers the question as to why the drawing is signed “Frog 08″.

VIDEO

I liked this cartoon below. It’s sad but true. When an artist goes out and draws in public, this sometimes happens:

For more comic and stories written by me, CLICK HERE.If you like what you read, please consider signing up to my rss feed.

Comments are appreciated as well.

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Writing this blog is almost a part time job for me. Tips are most welcome.

THE SIMPSONS NEWS

Worked overtime this Saturday. It wasn’t nice.  We got what we needed done with time to spare though. The show looks great.  I even got an hour to relax on Tuesday before I went home.  Yay!

FAMILY/ART/PODCAST/BLOG

So my sister has commissioned me to design her a logo for her Podcast (www.elsiesyogakula.com) and her business (http://yogeek.me).  She’s a Yoga instructor. She sent me a few example drawings of things that are in the general direction of what she wants, as well as some photos of herself in poses she though I could use. One example was a few very interesting cartoony silhouettes in yoga poses, and the other is of a cartoony Vishnu/Shiva like multi-armed woman with all kinds of devices and things in her hands (no I’m don’t worship these gods, nor does my sister).  My job is to come up with something that has the general idea of the things she sent me without actually copying those things.  Very tricky.

She asked me to do it in “my style”, but, to be honest, I’m not sure what that is.  The “chibi” style I usually do on this blog, and in my upcoming Black Terror Kid comic strip, is not necessarily what I consider “my style”.  It’s just what’s easiest for me to do. My “short hand” if you will.  Does that make it my style?

So I don’t even know if I’m going to use that style for these logos. Although, it might be the first place I start.

So…here I go. The following is the start of my process of figuring out what to do:

So I chose to start designing the logos using  silhouettes. It’s a technique I first saw used in a book called: The Skillful Huntsman. I chose this method because I figured, if the silhouette, by itself, reads well, adding detail would just be icing.  My first attempts above, where my attempt to use my “Chibi” style for the logo.  It wasn’t a good style to use though.  It was too squat and compressed.  In the end, the drawings just look like weird bugs. I quit using the style without refining the drawings.  It would have been a waste of time.

My second attempt was to try a style that was a little like the “Chibi” style, only with more stretched out proportions.  This worked a little better. It was clearer.  Only it looks like the character is juggling.  Also, it was too much like my source material.  I didn’t want to directly copy my reference.  

I chose a standing position to try to make the drawing something a little different than the reference.  The proportions of the figure are much more naturalistic but still very designed.  I think this is closer to the direction I should go. It’s a very clear design. Unfortunately, this doesn’t quite say “Yoga” to me.  I also need more tech and health silhouettes in the hands. I’m going to have to go over this with my sister. She might have an idea as to what direction to go.

This last one is my first attempt at the podcast logo.  It’s based off the photo my sister sent me, which is the same as her site photo.  This was a happy accident.  It just looks like a big brush stroke.  I almost just want to keep it this way.  Still, I might play around with it a bit more. I’ll also try working off the other photo she sent me to see if I can’t do something similar with that.

That’s all I have so far. I’ll post more next time.

ART

Fellow CARTOONISTA, Jim Lujan, has posted up the second part of his John Henry Unicorn trilogy.  The story is basically about a manipulative cult leader that causes mayhem wherever he goes.  It’s a dark comedy Jim wrote, directed, animated, voice acted and wrote the music for.  Jim is a very funny and very nice guy.  His humor stems from taking the things that make odd people odd and exaggerating them. It’s very observational.  His art is very reminiscent of Mike Judge’s art (creator of Beavis and Butt-head, and King of the Hill), only he drew this way before he ever saw any of Mike Judge’s early films and Jim’s drawings are a bit more stylized.

This lastest cartoon took him 2 months to do, off and on, during his free time. He assures me that it only took him this long because he was getting used to his new iMac.  He told me, the next one would be done faster.  This is just amazing to me.  He was able to do a cartoon, by himself, in the same amount of time it takes most artists to draw a comic book.

He makes me want to try it myself.

My favorite part is the wig bit.  That really cracked me up.  The ending was very odd and very silly.

WEBSITES

Tom Bancroft posted this on his Deviant Art News page.  I thought I’d share it here since it’s a good cause:

ART AUCTION on EBay. Former Disney animator and author Tom Bancroft along with Tony Bancroft (yes, he was also a Disney animator, my twin, and directed MULAN) and a friend (Chad Frye) are putting together a huge Ebay art auction for the Hodge family and their son, Matt. Tim Hodge (the dad) is a long time friend (my family has know their’s since our kids where babies!) and Tim is a former Disney storyboard artist and Big Ides Productions director. His son, Matt, a 17-year old senior in high school was in a terrible accident when his car was hit by a train a couple months ago. He is still in a coma because of the head trauma. Their family is in need of financial help. Thus, the art auction.

The plan is to have the auction hit Ebay in about a month (beginning of December). We have sent out notes to some of the biggest names in animation, comic books, comic strips, and illustration for donations. We are getting in great artwork every day! (I met with John Pomoroy yesterday, who contributed a signed animation drawing!)

Please go to our preview site at: [link] to see what has come in so far and keep going back for more and more artwork as it comes in and updates about the auction. I’m counting on all of you to spread the news about this site and auction! Tell all your friends, these will make GREAT CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!

Some of the artists that have donated or have promised to are: J. Scott Campbell, Chris Sanders, John Pomeroy, Drew Struzen, Peter DeSeve, Stephen Silvers, Charles Schutz’s family, Patrick McDonnell, and so many more!

 

BLOG

I was just checking out Paolo Rivera’s blog.  His stuff is so COOL!  Man, the guy rocks.  He has a video of his process HERE.  Here’s a video interview with him:

CLICK HERE to buy an Uncle Chestnut T-shirt with my art on it.

If you like what you read, please consider signing up to my rss feed.

Comments are appreciated as well.

I also have a store. Click Here and check it out.

If you would like to have a text ad on my site, click on the red BUY LINKS button under the Archives list.

And while you’re at it, please Digg me too.

Writing this blog is almost a part time job for me. Tips are most welcome.

THE SIMPSONS NEWS

It’s not looking good for our crew so far.  We’re very far behind on our work.  Looks like I’m really going to have to go into focus mode if I  even stand a chance at finishing all I need to do this week.  I’m probably going to be working over time. I guess that’s okay, I need the money.

COMIC BOOKS

I really felt like drawing something different in a different style this week.  The Disneyland strip story will return next week. In the mean time, I have other news.

My friend Raul has just self published a comic book.  I was fortunate enough to read it and I thought it was great.  It’s really entertaining and it cracked me up.  I few years ago I was looking around for funny comic books.  I wanted to know what one looked like, (that wasn’t a Simpsons comics). I asked the guy at the counter if he knew of any.   I asked him if he knew one that actually could make you laugh at loud. He showed me the one he liked.  I bought it.

It wasn’t funny.

I was looking for a funny book because, at the time, I was thinking of writing a funny comic short story. Well, I wish Raul’s comic had been around when I was looking for a comic because his made me laugh out loud. It comes across as a “serious” comic and it is in a way, but it has so many jokes and fun banter between the characters that you can’t help but laugh.  Fun stuff.  I highly recommend it.

I liked it so much, it inspired me to draw some fan art for it.  So this is my drawing for the week:

Pick up Raul’s book Codename: Sparrow by clicking below.  (You can even get some sample pages to look through.)

WEBSITES

Does the drawing below look familiar?

It should, I drew it for this very blog when I reviewed  Paul Nowak’s book The Inconvenient Adventures of Uncle Chestnut.  Paul liked the drawing so much, he asked if he could use it on a t-shirt.  I said, “yes,” and, “Ta da!” here it is.   I own one already that Paul was good enough to send me and I LOVE IT.  IT’S SUPER COOL! Impress your friends kids. Buy one today! If you do, I’ll get a little something as well.  Yay!

To buy one CLICK HERE

If you like what you read, please consider signing up to my rss feed.

Comments are appreciated as well.

I also have a store. Click Here and check it out.

If you would like to have a text ad on my site, click on the red BUY LINKS button under the Archives list.

And while you’re at it, please Digg me too.

Writing this blog is almost a part time job for me. Tips are most welcome.

THE SIMPSONS NEWS

Another slow week at the show.  Which is great.  Better than a hectic stressful, frustrating week.  This weeks big news has little to do with the show and a little bit more to do with one of my fellow co-workers.  He recently went on voluntary hiatus in order to go into surgery yesterday for something he has to take care of.  If all goes well, he’ll be in a loooot of pain but he will be in bed recovering for four weeks and hopefully he’ll be fixed.  Please pray for him and a fast recovery.

FAMILY

So we FINALLY got a chance to go meet my new nephew Paolo.  Took us long enough.  He’s sooo little.  You forget how small new borns are.  He seemed like a quiet, calm, little baby.  Alesha held him and she was LOVING it.  We got to see a slide show of pictures that documented when he was born, as well as the days since.  It was really nice.  He’s got so much hair on his head.  I couldn’t believe it.  Munchkin and Dante were bald for so long when they were smaller.  Paolo has more hair than Dante has now. I was very impressed.  Deborah (my sister-in-law) looks great and seems very happy.  I’m very glad everything is going so well with them.

It’s very strange for Alesha and I to have “the big kids”.  Our kids aren’t “the babies” anymore.  Seeing my nephew and pictures of my niece, really opens our eyes to the position that our kids hold in the family now.  It’s difficult to see Dante as being a role-model of any kind though.

Hurray for little Paolo!

FAMILY

Okay, so that whole superhero cartoon thing didn’t last more than a week with Munchkin.  Not after she discovered I had a collection of old Mickey Mouse cartoons on DVD. The cartoons are so old, that Mickey still has dots for eyes.  She loved them.  She wanted to watch them anytime she could.  If she was at home, she asked me to put them on.  It was a non stop Mickey marathon.  Thankfully, I think she finally got sick of them because lately, she hasn’t asked to see them.

On the other hand, I have to say that I’m glad she asked to watch those cartoons.  I’ve had that DVDs for years and never put them on and watched them.  Those are some really great cartoons.  I’m more an old Warner Brothers cartoon fan, they appeal to me more and I think they are funnier, but those old Mickey cartoons, though not as funny, are very entertaining and are animated beautifully. Thanks for making me aware of them Munchkin.

WEBSITES

Speaking of Disney cartoons, my friend Raul Aguirre, ex-Disney animator, Character designer, storyboard artist, and animated show director extraordinaire has put up a website showing off his awesome artwork.  Check it out.  It has the animated cartoon he co-created, co-executive produced, Wrote, Directed, Storyboarded, Slugged, voice directed, and voice acted in, for Nickelodeon.  Free entertainment.  Who can pass that up.

Way to go Raul! Love the site.

If you like what you read, please consider signing up to my rss feed.

Comments are appreciated as well.

I also have a store. Click Here and check it out.

If you would like to have a text ad on my site, click on the red BUY LINKS button under the Archives list.

And while you’re at it, please Digg me too.

Writing this blog is almost a part time job for me. Tips are most welcome.