Shape...AND how to break it ever so slightly.

So call me a jerk for not updating.  I guess i have a Valid excuse this time.  My scanner must have took a beating during my move to San Francisco because ever since I got it here it doesnt want to respond.  Either it doesn't like the way I treat it...or it pooped and died on me.   Either Way Im hoping to get a new one Very Soon.   Thanks for all the comments and love you guys show.  For you, I thought I would give my First Little Tip----

So here Goes - - 

Fabian's Tip #1 

When Drawing out in the field (well not really a field of green grass but a coffee shop or public area) I Try and remember that I am trying to focus on clarity of shape  and a sense of simplicity. The first thing I do when I put the pencil down is think of the shape that my subject is going to take.  Oval, square, equilateral triangle.... any crazy shape is possible as long as it has a sense of direction or force applied.  Then after my shape is blocked in I try and look for subtle ways to break it and.  By Breaking it I mean adding detail to give the Eye a rest, or breaking point.  Think of it of a rest stop  Ill show you a couple examples of what I mean.   

 Below the man in the center reading the paper has a sort of asymmetrical egg shape to him.   I repeated the shape in his ear to give it a sort of  visual pattern.  The man next to him with the tie is a good example of direction.  The shape of the head is pushed by the direction of the hair, and even the directional tilt of the glasses are going the same way.  And both the glasses and ears are those breaking of shape, in these two sketches.

In this example symmetry is being slightly broken by end of the trunk.  The overall compositional shape though is a triangle.  (uh but please dont look at that hideous tangent..ahhhh)   Thats a whole other topic! ) 

Here I drew the same woman on the bus 5 different ways.  Just really quick pen drawings with not much detail.  She got off after one stop.  

I added some contrast in color in Photoshop to help notice the shapes.  I wasn't trying to keep a likeness of the woman but a similarity in the shapes.  Every face here except number 1 has a angle to it where the chin protrudes farther from the forehead. The angle is slightly different in every one and I kept the features similar...just changed the distances from one another. Lengths from one point to another point of the face can be pushed and pulled to get different cobinations of the same person.  In this case the noes and bottom protruding lip are the details that give the eye an interesting  point for it to rest.

With the same woman I drew a similar shape for both body masses ....one just rotated 180% 
Here is a tree I drew this weekend while at Golden Gate Park.  Once I am set on a shape for my drawing I then look for places that I can break that shape ever so slightly to give it some variety and organicness (is that a word?)  What i mean is to add something that will break the shape and then bring the eye back to the shape and not away from it.  Here the leaves at the middle of the trunk serve as a good breaking point for the line and the eye to focus on.  Then as we move up the tree the breaks are in the way the "bushes" of the tree create one mass and shape that resembles a shell or slight s Curve.  So whether its leaves, glasses, ears, noses, lips  or even wrinkles in clothes try and break the shape...ever so slightly.  Thanks. 

I hope that all made sense!  Let me know what you think  ... or even offer feedback.  Fabian 

The Moon - A sketchBook

At Siggraph 2008 in LA , Cogswell College Released a book entitled "The moon - A collection of student work"  The Object of this book was to gather talented students of the school and produce a book of concept design.  5 students were chosen, myself included.  We drew designs for the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale "The Moon" .  Our designs included characters, props, landscapes, and space crafts.  Here is a sneek peek at the Book and an a closer look at the cover, which I designed.  Sorry for the bad picture quality all I had on me was my phone. 

Also if you would like to order one feel free to contact me.  I can send you one where ever you may be!

Why So Serious?

I have been a bit busy with building portfolios and  looking for work that i tend to not draw as much.  Heres a tribute to batman i did really fast, all digital.  The boxers below were done in pencil but color adjusted and titles added in PS.   

I TOO dream in Color and in Line

do ya dig?

This is a close up of the torso area.  

Final design of Buddy

Here is the final design of buddy.  He's passed out on the bench.   Also here is a pic of the process from sketch book to final color.  Let me know what you think...Im getting lonely here! 

Buddy on the bench -

So I have decided a name for my character.... His Name is Buddy. Here is a quick sketch I scanned in. Its done in pencil and pen. No PS

Character Update and and one for the birds!

Heres a few angles of the character Im working on. Im still trying to get his body exactly the way I want. So when i get a full body pose ill post it up right away. Bur hes supposed to be a bit loony, and quirky. He stubles on his words searching for the right one. And hes a bum on the streets of San Francisco.

These were more early concepts of the same character. Im finding that when i start a character i am very loose and cartoony . As I find the right shapes and forms i build off of the cartoon and bring it to a higher level design. This is a crazy bird that I did while at a bar in S.F. Not much to it just a bullet type shape and I guess he cant really fly. Ah well Not all birds do!

I know its passed my bed time...

But I couldn't sleep.   I drew these rough sketches for a character  want to animate.  Then i stayed up later than I should have and did a little bit of color.  These aren't final just thinking through about what it is he does and what kind if story will go best with the dialogue that I have.  So hopefully Ill post some more developed sketches up very soon.  

 

Man happily watches his dog!

So if you know me you know Im not too fond of children. There really is only one Little girl in My Heart and its my goddaughter Brooke. Heres a sketch I did while thinking of what being old would be like. Would I really let things like this happen? Im sure some of you have had moments when children really piss you off or annoy you...Lets hear about em.!!