another coloring of tinman

Trying to emulate the comic-book look, with strong blacks.

nostalgia

I was looking up Supertramp covers on Google because I was telling Jim about artwork I remember with a tightrope walker in a black suit or something similar. I typed in “Supertramp France” because I might have seen it when we were living in France and my brother might have owned the album at that time. A lot of the images that were retrieved really gave me a sense of nostalgia – lots of images of people in clothes, hairstyles and faces from the era of the late 70s and early 80s – a time that now seems more innocent and naïve. It’s funny how all of that is really such a big part of me and it seems so far away now, only to be retrieved in bits and flashes. Even the trees and shrubbery remind me of that era of my childhood; I don’t know if it’s specific to the foliage in France or maybe it’s the way the photos were taken – colors and tastes specific to that time and to the technology of that time, the ability to record that time and the way it was recorded. There’s also something about the album covers from that time – the typefaces, the designs, the fact that they had more impact – there was no internet and there was less visual clutter and competition.

coloring

Trying out different coloring techniques. Here's my Tinman from Colin's class.

thank you to Colin Jack

Here's my first finished character design. Colin generously shared his techniques with the class; showed us how to trace (clean-up) and color in Flash and how to export to Photoshop for finishing touches.

warmth, aroma and memories

I spent a good hour in the sun while waiting for life-drawing to start. Went to the back of the college and picked some blackberries. It reminded me of my childhood when my cousins and I stomped through the forests and fields and we'd stop to pick wild plums and apples. There was usually a good smell of the sun drenching everything with a warm aroma.

August 10, 2007!

David's planning to take me to see the Vancouver Chinatown night market; as opposed to the one in Richmond -- a little too far, and besides, feel like supporting the underdog tonight.

Decided to start a blog while I wait for him. Well, it's not as splur-of-the-moment as that. My friend Tyler started one last week and darned if I can't imitate a friend. His is the all-black minimal template, which looks pretty cool; but just to be different, I'm going with the all-white version. I'm sure it'll change as I get used to this. (Hopefully I'll use it consistently.) For now, I'm thinking about using this spot to keep track of artists and resources. If all goes well, maybe I'll even be able to post my development as I try to become a better artist.

So, just like that, I'm plugging my heartbeat into the global community of the world wide web.