Life Drawing at the Denver Zoo

African Wild Dog


Common Eland


Dromedary Camel


Hippos


Okapi


Ostrich (same one twice)


Polar Bear


Polar Bear sleeping


Rhino


Rhino relaxing

The Denver Zoo is one of the best places to draw. They have a wide variety of animals and the staff and patrons are friendly.

30 Days of Cryptids Day 4: The Banshee

After nearly a week hiatus that is. Thursday morning my computer began shutting itself off of its own volition. I took it to the Apple Store and discovered that many of the early 20 inch iMacs have a manufacturer's defect regarding the power supply. Some of you may have seen information on forums to that effect. They kept it over night and then called to say they would replace the power supply, which would take 2-4 days. The next day (this is now Saturday) they called to say that the power supply didn't work, and that they would be giving me a new computer, and would I like a data transfer of all my info? Sure!

So today I now have a new machine, 1 GB more of space than I had before, and no weird mysterious shutting off problems. I highly recommend to all you Apple users out there that you get Apple Care - it's worth they price and my replacement computer ended up being free as a result!

So now that I have my baby back, I bring you:

Cryptids Day 4: The Banshee



Known as the Bean Sidhe in Irish folklore and the Caoineag in Scottish folklore, the banshee is a wailing spirit believed to traverse the hillsides who appears near homes when someone is about to die. She's also the daughter of Oberon and Titania for all of you Gargoyles fans.

Cryptids Day 3: Faerie

This picture has been the most fun to draw thus far. I particularly like my little faerie's dragonfly wings.

Web Comic Review: Lackadaisy and The Phoenix Requiem

I bring your attention to some awesome web comics found on the net.

The first, Lackadaisy, by Tracy Butler, tells the story of Prohibition in St. Louis, MO and features an all cat cast running an underground speakeasy, the Lackadaisy. Mayhem ensues as Rocky, one of the main characters who desires to accomplish great things, gets into a scuffle with some local baddies who come after him and the speakeasy for some massive payback. Now I know what you're thinking, "What the heck, 1920s America...with cats? Eh?"

Seriously folks, this is one of the BEST comics I've read in quite a while. The superb artwork is matched only by the richness of the characters. This story is well worth your time.



The second comic, The Phoenix Requiem, by Sarah Ellerton, is consistently voted #1 on TopWebComics. Requiem tells the story of a young woman living in what appears to be some sort of late 1800s early 1900s country filled with spirits and all sorts of weirdness. It has romance, suspense, horror, and even better, the creator updates the comic TWICE a week for a total of FOUR PAGES a week. This type of dedication is virtually unheard of on the net and Ms. Ellerton gets mad props for her consistently great work.



So there you have it - two great comics which now have a link in the web comics section of this blog. If you find any other comics that you particularly enjoy, drop me a line and I may feature them here next week.

Cryptids Day 2: Sasquatch

The elusive Sasquatch, also known as Bigfoot, is an ape-like creature purported to roam the Pacific Northwest. Appearances of such ape men have been sworn upon by visitors and locals for decades (some even say centuries) however, most of them have proven to be hoaxes. Still, it's fun to pretend that a big furry beast may stumble upon your camp ground looking for Slim Jims.

30 Days of Cryptids and other Fantastical Creatures

Because there is nothing more amazing than bizarre creatures of legend (Yetis are real! Really!) I present to you 30 Days of Cryptids and other Fantastical Creatures. These are some of the most well-known, not-so-known, and I seriously-doubt-they're-real-but-I-wish-they-were beasties to grace the imagination of men and women the world over.

What is a Cryptid you ask? According to *questionably* accurate Wikipedia:

Cryptid is a term used in the study of cryptozoology to refer to a creature whose existence has been suggested but not demonstrated scientifically. Belief in a cryptid's existence is typically based on anecdotal evidence and other forms of evidence insufficient to comply with normal scientific zoological standards. The term cryptid was coined by John E. Wall in 1983.[1]

In other words "Me and Billie Jean saw it in the woods! We swear!"
In spite of evidence to the contrary folks out there still think that there are things that go bump in the night, swim in lakes, and are generally creepified. Two cases that illustrate this point are the recent news articles purporting the existence of the chupabara and the poor saps who thought they had purchased a real Bigfoot.

But whether they're real or not, one fact remains: they're REALLY fun to draw.

Day 1: The Mermaid



Sailors of yore thought that mermaids were beautiful half-women, half-fish that occupied the sea. Today we know that most likely they were looking at manatees (how you could confuse a manatee with a lady is beyond me, guess they were really desperate and lonely.)

Here's a tutorial on how I created my Mermaid.

Step 1: Scan Your Drawing

I first scanned my drawing using 300 dpi. My scanner leaves much to be desired, so the image looked like this:



Step 2: Clean Up



To get rid of bad scanner quality go to Image > Mode and select Grayscale.
Next, go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and set Contrast to +25.
Then use the eraser tool to get rid of unwanted scanner color saturation, which in this case, was on the left side of the image. I highly recommend using a Wacom Tablet as well, that way you can redraw anything you might accidentally erase. Once you've cleaned up your image, set the color back to RGB and save.


Step 3: The Real Fun Begins!

This is where the power of layers comes into play.



Change the layer property to multiply and add as many new as you need layers. Save the first layer (the one at the very bottom) to Background. I created five other layers total: Linework, Hair/face, Tail, Fin, and Skin. I lock the layers I'm not using to prevent misshaps.

For the Background (BG) layer, I colored it in green.

Then I used the Hair/face layer for blue.



Then the Tail layer for yellow.



Fin layer for dark blue.



And so on.

Step 4: Special Effects

Use the dodge tool on BG layer to create cool swirly-water. Use the burn tool to create shadows on the Mermaid's body and the dodge tool to give her hair highlights.



Step 5: Done



Add whatever finishing touches you want, and you're done!

For more great ideas, check out Mike Maihack's Buffalog and Kazu Kibuishi's Copper Tutorial.

Tomorrow: The Sasquatch!

Register to Vote By October 6th Colorado!

This is a public service announcement courtesy of The Animator's Journal:

Fellow Coloradoans, whether you are voting for Obama, McCain or are undecided, remember to register to vote BY OCTOBER 6th! The deadline is coming soon. Don't miss this opportunity to let your voice be heard.




Several websites allow you to register:

Colorado Secretary of State's Office

Vote for Change

Rock the Vote

You can also sign up to receive a mail-in ballot. No waiting in line!

Don't delay, register today!

What a crazy random happenstance!

So I finally checked out Joss Whedon's dramedy "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" starring Nathan Fillion (Mal!) and Neil Patrick Harris (NPH! Barney! Doogie Howser!) and Felicia Day (Vi!) Is it perfect? Heavens no, but it IS entertaining. And it looks like it cost $15 to make. And I totally want a pair of Horrible goggles now.

Check it.

Thank you, interwebs.

PRSA Winner

Tonight my coworkers and I attended the 50th Annual PRSA awards. For those who don't know, each chapter of Public Relations Society of America hosts a nice banquet every year for the Gold Pick Awards, which honors excellence in PR. We won two Silver Picks and a Gold Pick this year for our member magazine and for press releases related to our Spring Impressionism exhibition, respectively.

The dinner was more low key than I expected but chilling with my cohorts outside of the office is always fun and really, you can't say no to free food (baked chicken - YUM). And it's nice to be honored for doing a great job.

So kudos to us. Hoo-rah!

Drawings!

Yo peeps.

So this is the third week of my drawing class over at the Art Students League of Denver. I am enjoying the course immensely. Our teacher is using some techniques from the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards to teach us how to see. Drawing is all about seeing, being able to know in your mind the relationships between lines and shapes that make up objects. If you can see those relationships, you will produce more accurate drawings.

I know this from personal experience, as I have been drawing this way since I was a child. Until now though, I didn't realize you could write a whole book on the process, nor did it occur to me that some people don't know to do this. So all this time I've been ahead of the curve (sweet!) But now everyone can learn how to be better artists, which is way cool. Viva la drawing!

Here are some of the projects I have completed thus far:

I went to Civic Center Park and did a contour drawing of this flower (which was surrounded by a whole mess 'o bees!)


Here's my left hand.


And here's a funky outlining project that ate up two markers. It was fun though.

John August's Scene Challenge

One of the most prolific bloggers and successful screenwriters online is launching his latest scene challenge tomorrow. Here are the deets.

Brad Meltzer Book Signing

Thursday I had the pleasure of attending a book signing featuring #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Brad Meltzer at Tattered Cover Highland Ranch.



And let me tell you, Brad is no wallflower. A whitty guy to be sure, he entertained the crowds with ancedotes about his life, previous books, comic book writing career and even the outfit he wore, starting off the evening by saying that only a loser would wear the same outfit as the photo in the book jacket of his current novel, The Book of Lies.

I purchased a copy of his graphic novel, Identity Crisis, and he even signed it "For Angela, My Hero." How cool is that? Pretty cool. If he's ever in your town buy a book and say hi, you won't regret it.

He also promoted an awesome charity to save the house where Superman was created -Ordinary People Change the World. Check it out and donate to save a great piece of Americana.

Cool Things I Found On The Net This Week

Word Balloon Podcast
Radio veteran John Siuntres speaks with comic writers and artists, animators, and film creators from all over the United States. Hilariously entertaining and often spireling into wacky out-of-control tangents, the podcast has featured such notable luminaries like Mike Mignola, Dwanye McDuffie, Brian Michael Bendis, Andrea Romano, Joe Quesada, and Brad Meltzer, to name but a few. This is one program that is worth your time - you'll learn about the creative process and be inspired at the same time. Shiny!




The Dreamer
Created by Lora Innes, The Dreamer tells the story of Bea, a high school senior with a penchant for theater who every night dreams of being involved in the revolutionary war between the Americans and the Brits. Lora is a history pro, having researched the time period extensively, and even uses real people from the time in her comic. Of all the web comics I've read, this is by far the most professionally created comic I've seen. And not only that, but every page COMES OUT ON TIME, which is almost unheard of on the Internet. Her comic is now available in print form from IDW Publishing and you can order it from your local comic book shop by using order code SEPT084131E.



Fey Winds
This week I found yet another excellent comic through Tomgeeks that is definitely worth your time. The story of Fey Winds, created by Nicole Chartrand, centers around the misadventures of Kit, not a fox, yet not a human, x xx and xxx as they try to find the special objects that will lift their various curses. It has your standard fantasy fair but with a sense of humor that is often lacking in these types of stories - OK, that is never there to begin with - and art that is fabulous. And if you really want to be impressed, check out Chartrand's 1 minute animated short she completed for her last year of college. Absolutely stunning.

This Week in Movie Awesome

This week I had the pleasure of seeing TWO films at the dollar cinema, the only way to watch a movie as far as I'm concerned, especially blockbuster summer spectacles that looked iffy in the previews. If you can get passed the sticky floors and not so great projector quality, you'll have a mighty fine time.

First film: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull



I saw Indiana Jones KOTCS on Tuesday, officially making me one of the last humans in America to see the most current enstallment of the renergized franchise. And...well, it's no Raiders of the Lost Ark. Not by a looonnnggg shot. That did not diminish my enjoyment of the movie, but like Matt Fraction stated in his June Word Balloon interview, the more time passes after you watch this film, the less you like it.

And I totally get why.

See if you're like me - a child of the 80s - then you've no doubt seen Raiders a minimum of 15 times. MINIMUM. When we lived in California it came on KCAL 9 no less than once every 3 months, and I always caught it at the exact same spot (when Indy is in the desert, digging for the awesome built to scale city map). I remember watching the spirits ascend from the ark and liquify people behind the safety of the living room couch (the best place to watch any and all things scary). The music from the film is permanently embedded in my brain, right next to my collection of cartoon theme songs.

And yet, we are drawn to this film like a moth to a flame. Why? Because Indy is an icon, right up there with Bond, hotdogs and every other cliched American thing we can think of.



But friends, this is no Star Wars or Raiders. It's not even Temple of Doom, which is saying a lot, considering how exceedingly annoying the screaming woman was (really, is there anyone else who was sad that she didn't burn up in molten lava? I know I was.)

This, my friends, was an Indy movie that morphed into a weird hybrid of poor dialog, bland characterization, and National Treasure rip-off discovery with a bit of X-Files conspiracy thrown in for good measure. A funny film, but in a "Wow this is pretty ludicrous," sort of way, not unlike the poor fodder thrown to the robots of MST3K.



The sad thing is that there was absolutely no reason for it to be this bad. Harrison Ford, Shia LeBoef and Cate Blanchett are fine actors stuck in a badly written film with CGI monkeys. CGI monkeys. Really? Is that even necessary? And why is it that Cate's Russian spy sounded like Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle? I kept waiting for her to bust out with "Must capture moose and squirrel!"



Team Lucas/Spielberg didn't fare so well with this one. Which by no means will influence whether I see any more of their movies. Because I will. Because that's how myself and every other person in the 18-49 demographic roll. Darn you, Star Wars and Raiders, we shall never be free from your death grip of awesome.

Film two: Hellboy II: The Golden Army



On the complete opposite side of the spectrum was last night's film, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which I also had near zero expectations of and was greatly impressed by the story as well as the creatures. Seriously, Guillermo del Toro makes Jim Henson's creature shop look like child's play.

Del Toro and Mike Mignola are cut from the same cloth. And you can definitely see how the director's work in Pan's Labyrinth plays out in this film.



The best character by far was the Angel of Death, a beautifully creepy creation. I would like nothing better than to meet Guillermo and see the innerworkings of his mind when he creatues such fantastic monsters. Never have I seen an angel look like this.



And not just the angel, but all of the creatures were fantastic, from the lovely yet strange Elves to the reinvisioning of Tooth Fairies as sadistic little buggers.

The best part of all of these creations is that they are not only scary, but beautiful in an odd way. They are more than monsters, each with their own motivations and feelings for why they do what they do, not unlike Frankenstein's monster.



The supporting cast of creepies nearly overshadow everyone else, but all of them pull their weight nicely, particularly Ron Perlman as the cigar chomping Hellboy and Abe Sapien, who is given a little romance this time around.



The flaw of the film though is that the theme is not given enough screen time.
Prince Neuda makes an interesting argument to Hellboy, why fight against your own for those who will hate you when you can join those who will view you as a god? It's a rather compelling argument, given Hellboy's appearance (he's not named Hellboy for nothing you know), the fact that his best friend is a fish hybrid and his girl is pyrokentic which a propensity for blowing up buildings. It's also a theme that
deserved more screen time, as it is mentioned only briefly after the Elemental fight scene and then becomes no more than an afterthought. Considering that this was truly the heart of the film, I am surprised that Del Toro did not give it the consideration it deserved.

Lots and Lots Going On

Oh geez and it never stops, you know?

August 2008 will officially be known henceforth as the month that went CRAZYTOWN.

So many things going on - most important is that I will be hunting for another job soon, which makes me sad but it was a great run and I look forward to the next assignment.

And I am now taking another drawing class! Very excited about this. My teacher is fab. I've learned a great deal and I've only been to one class so far.

As for screenwriting, after taking a month hiatus I'm now back in the saddle rewriting "Quest for the Soul Stone." I'm diving into writing better dialog and developing deeper relationships between the characters. I must say it is exciting and hard work and I am looking forward to entering it in contests this fall.

I would like to thank Joss Whedon and the cast of "Firefly" for showing me what awesome writing truly looks like. What a great show.



I remember that by the time I learned that the show had come out and that I should take a looksee that Fox cancelled it.



I'm sure they're still kicking themselves over that one. I must say that Zoe, Wash, and Mal are my favorites, they all tie for first place. Truly excellent characters indeed.



If you haven't seen the show yet, go buy it.

And if you're interested in seeing the awesome that is the writing team of this show, check out the Firefly Wiki where you can read actual scripts.

Dragonflies!

Ever since my Grandad gave me a book on insects I've loved bugs. Which is a good thing because in Texas they grow them BIG. Here are some sketches I made of some of my all time favorite creepy crawlies.

Summer Movie Mayhem

Unless you've been living under a rock under the ocean deep in a crater, you've by now heard that Iron Man is SUPREMELY AWESOME IN EVERY WAY. I saw the film on opening day and I must say - WOW. I never read the comic, in fact, had never heard of it until my best friend bought me "The Marvel Encyclopedia" (thanks Annie!) And honestly, it sounded like a lame Batman rip-off: rich dude with a mega corporation becomes super hero. Yawn.



But my friends, it is SO MUCH more. Not only are the special effects excellent, but seriously, Robert Downey, Jr. IS Tony Stark. The man practically lived the character's life in real time. Not to mention the best part of the whole movie: the script. Screenwriters rejoice, you can create a major blockbuster tent pole movie with heart and soul.

And speaking of soul, saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on Sunday. GO SEE THIS MOVIE. If you are a fan of action/adventure/fantasy/Christian symbolism/family entertainment/hot guys named Caspian this is the film for you my friend.



Few sequels live up to the hype and this one was definitely worth the $5.50 matinee price. Once again, I commend the script -- the children especially show a great range of depth and emotion.



Will they follow Aslan or will they fight their battles themselves? Will they save Narnia or die trying? Will Susan insist on playing the role of Ice Queen to Prince Caspian? You have to see it to find out!



Next up: Kung Fu Panda. Yes! Jack Black can do no wrong.

The Return of the Blogger

Well it's been a relaxing hiatus from the blogosphere, but I'm glad to be back.
Been working on several projects concurrently as of late (and also getting paid for a few of them, which is always a BIG PLUS in my book). The Super Cool Future Project is underway. Also, I've been revamping "Xia" which is great because I received this from the Disney Fellowship this afternoon:

Please continue to check our website. The new application the writing program and deadline will go up in 2 weeks. The application deadline is July 31, and the program is slated to start Feb 2009.

Good to hear that this one didn't fall off the face of the map. For those who don't know, this is a PAID fellowship in LA that allows you to work with those in the industry so that you can hone your writing chops. They accept both screenplays and spec scripts. And as you have TWO WHOLE MONTHS to get something together, what excuse do you have? Honestly? Go write something!

Also been catching up on everyone else's blogs as of late. John August wrote an excellent piece of writing specs for animation, Rogers actually shows what it's like to be in the writing room, and Amanda is fun and witty as always.

And if you're more into comics, check out Buffalog, as Cleopatra in Spaaace! may be ending soon, and Earthsong, which Ms. Lady Yates has returned to after her fun vacay in Egypt.

Whew, time to go back to the drawing board. Literally. TTFN.