This character was a bit of an accident, but a happy one.
click thumbnail to view larger image
I started to give him eyelids, but they weren’t looking right, so I drew him some ancient, exotic Egyptian eyes!
…I’m running with it!
Here are a few more pencil sketches of Dmetri’s face.
I’m feeling better about his design now. He’s got a sleeker look but it’s important to have as much structure as style. The shapes and lines that make him up are finally getting to be more elegant, yet his face has a good solid (abstracted) sense of anatomy to it.
click thumbnail to view larger image
Style may make the character memorable, but the structure’s what makes the drawing believable.
Now I need to practice drawing him more, so that I can get his look consistent, then I will work on his expressions.
This is Venus. She’s a sexxxy sexxxy dancer.
She was inspired by Mike’s fondness for Gil Elvgren pin up girls.
Strangely enough, I’m happiest with my girl character designs so far, despite the fact that it’s generally easier for me to draw guys. Perhaps it’s that drawing girls is a bigger challenge for me. It keeps me on my toes.
Here’s a second pass at Dmetri. I drew him in a less complicated pose to show off the structure of his body, meanwhile, I refined some details such as his wristband, socks, and shoes.
Here is a design for two more roller girls, Marcy and Brick. Again, it’s a work in progress.
Roller derbies are a big thing here in Portland, and I was inspired by the local team, the Rose City Rollers for this character. I really like how she came out. She’s one of the best yet I might even try to make a few roller girls.
Here’s a first pass at a character I’m naming “Trent” for the time being. I’m obsessed with everything Batman right now, since I went to the midnight screening of The Dark Knight last night (loved it!) So, of course I had to do some sort of superhero character.
Of course, Trent’s not Batman, he’s just inspired by the character. These characters that I’m currently working on aren’t for any particular story. I’m simply trying to come up with some interesting designs based on cultural archetypes, the superhero being one.
There’s no story behind them. I’m thinking of them almost in terms of a drawn fashion spread. I’m more interested in creating “looks”. I’m more interested in creating “attitudes”. I’m even aiming for “sexy”. Being a first pass, the only attitude he’s displaying right now is a headache…
…Not what I was going for, but sometimes it takes a day or two for me to understand what I’ve drawn. I drew Trent yesterday, and I was very happy with the outcome. Today, not so much. So, he’s bound for another revision or two, but part of this blog is about sharing the process, so I thought I’d post him anyway.
Here’s an update to Twinkie P. I made him a bit longer and skinnier, and emphasized his lack of physique with oversized 80’s accessories!
Here’s another character sketch, born from 80’s nostalgia. So uncool he’s hip… at least I hope.
At this point, I’m just designing as many characters as I can. Once I think I have enough, I pare them down to the best ones, and refine them a bit, and unify their designs so that they all match stylistically. I’ll also experiment a bit more with shaping at that time.
Here’s an update of Priscilla. I exaggerated her most prominent features and pushed her shapin
g. Even though I’m not terribly worried about color at this point, I think the coloring is pretty successful. Nothing but a delicious, sexy cherry red.
With each character, my technique is evolving, and I’m very happy with the results. They’re still sketches, they still have a lot of energy, but they’re beginning to stand on their own.
