Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Sci-Fi Sketches


Some old sketches I meant to post 2 years ago, but decided I didn't like them. Not sure why. Now I like them!
This was trying to warm up for a Sci-Fi film job.
I had intended to ink & color all of these, but ran out of steam.
I think I was inspired by Jorge Zaffino's excellent drawings in Chuck Dixon's Winterworld comic.
Also, I remember my dad & uncle Andy drawing old cars with tank tracks when I was little, and I thought that was such a cool idea. I should try some drawings like that...













Saturday, October 2, 2010

More ink


I drew some of these while watching movies-- "Pale Rider", "Blood of Dracula", and "Baby Doll". I think I drew directly in ink for all.





I wish I was better at this type of drawing scenes from our everyday life. Anthony Z is the master; I just humbly follow his lead...





"Blood of Dracula"! I think this was a Hammer film from 1958. Maybe I should draw more Halloween themed stuff and post it this month?



This was a frame I re-drew in ink, from a vampire movie I worked on called "Let Me In". After I saw it, I thought "why didn't I light the scene like that in my crappy storyboards?" I remember drawing that scene on the airplane back from New Mexico. I was drawing in a very light, tentative pencil line. I am trying to stop that bad habit...
Making weak drawings like that makes me feel ashamed like the frame below from Woody Allen's "Crimes & Misdemeanors"!




Some babe from TV. I kinda changed her into a spy girl from a 60's movie or something. I have never been very good at drawing pretty women. Gotta practice drawing the babes... Eric Ramsey is the master; I just humbly follow!




I actually got a sorta likeness of the great Karl Malden. I guess with a nose and hairline like that it shouldn't be too difficult.



Not a great drawing, but I am trying to force myself to "draw what I see, not what I think I see" (thanks Spark for that advice). In this case I was going to be timid about using black for the windows and doors. Not even sure why, but here I fought it!


Lovely Los Angeles, California skyline.


Trying to get a Noel Sickles type effect for the trees, using a pen rather than a brush.


The more finished drawing I actually penciled out roughly, then inked.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Back in Black


Well, I have badly neglected this poor sketchblog, but the good news is that the last post did get me hired on Spielberg's new film Warhorse. So I spent a few months being forced to draw horses from my head! I can't show any of that work, but here are several horses in ink. Some from my head, a few I copied from Toth or Kubert.





I really want to learn how to ink better, and use stronger blacks in my drawings. My friend Mike Vosburg talked me into trying out the Noel Sickles technique of spotting the blacks first, then finish with as few lines as possible.



Mike drew this at lunch in about 30 seconds, directly with an old sharpee!









Some of these I inked with just a double tipped sharpee. Some with a chinese inkdrush I got for cheap -- probably at Kunikoya (sp?) bookstore in Japantown, downtown Los Angeles.




Copied these from Toth's Zorro, I think.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

New Horses

More sketchbook horses. Some copied from photos, or other artists (Joe Kubert, Jean Giruad, Victor De La Fuente, Sam Savitt). Some from my head.