Friday, October 26, 2012

Website Mascot Pencil Sketches

Back in 2006, my friend John Biank was thinking of developing a tutorial service for digital design. His concept was to develop a website with videos lessons of using graphic applications and showing techniques. When we discussed this project, I thought of creating a mascot character to help brand his site. 

Since the site was like an educational service, I thought an owl mascot in the role of a professor might work best. These four pencil sketches were done in several poses to use as spot illustrations for his site.




I had wanted to help John develop more lessons and images for his site, but shortly after these sketches were sent to him, I became too busy starting my own company designing mass market products.

He liked the character at the time, but looking at it now it was probably too cutesy and 
juvenile for what he really wanted. If I had to do this over - I would have made a robot or techno character instead . . .

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

(Updated) Daily Quick Sketch: 'Rilla Before and After

(Update - Adding colored version 10-24-2012)
Wrapping up a series of simian characters, this is a quick Gorilla sketch. I wanted to time myself to go quickly from sketch to digital inking.




Quickly inking, you can see the changes made especially with the face/eyes area. It's a completely different looking ape now, in fact the inked version looks like an older gorilla then the pencil sketch. Showing how the slightest of changes makes a difference.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

(Update - Color) Daily Quick Sketch: Pencil Monkey

Another simian sketch of a playful flipping chimp.

Digitally colored and drop shadow filtered.
This was done with pencil on a Dura-Lar sheet.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Daily Quick Sketch Before & After: 'Tang

Been awhile since I posted.
With last week's NYC Comic Con and my current workload making Halloween costume designs . . . I've been pretty much exhausted. 
I'll try to get back into doing more things for the blog on a regular basis.

This post is one of several ape sketches I have been playing around with. I named this character 'Tang, because of the constant correction that people want to enforce on the animal's name lately. The confusion is that the name can be spelled ORANGUTAN or ORANGUTANG, but that "g" at the end is actually silent.

Personally, I think pronouncing the "g" at the end is more fun and more in character with the animal. Mostly because it brings me back to the orange space drink "Tang" when I was a kid and it rhymes with cool words like boomerang. But it's also one of those annoying English-language-breaking-the-rules kinda words with a silent "G".
The English language is full of rules that always have exceptions for no reason.

So go on, and break the rule of the broken English rule and say Orangutang with a "G" sound at the end! 
And when some smarty-pants tries to correct you - simply turn to them and say, "Oh! I suppose I'm should say boomeran instead of boomerang too, eh?!! In your FACE!!!"
Then walk away.


Monday, October 8, 2012

Bobby's Biggest Bubble: Now available online

Bobby's Biggest Bubble in now available online for purchase at Etsy and eBay!
There will be more marketing locations added in the coming months, but for now I need to control the amount of books being sold until I receive the bulk of my shipment in a few weeks.




Update:
eBay, Etsy, and other online book outlets are no longer linked to the book.
This is mostly due to cost and maintaining inventory.
You can still purchase the book via Paypal (at the lowest price with free shipping.) and with Amazon (which costs more because Amazon wants a larger cut of the sale.)



Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Bobby's Biggest Bubble: 1st Shipment of the Books have Arrived!

Books are in, and they look great!
Mailing out to KickStarters begins Thursday Oct, 4th.
New orders for the book will available in a few weeks in the middle of October; I'll be sure to provide links to where the book will be sold.

First shipment arrives and looks fantastic

Closer look at the bookmarkers

Showing the white bubble wrapped packet and it's contents going out to KickStarters

WOOT!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Daily Quick Sketch: Before & After Adventure Time

Below is a little Fan Art image of one of my favorite cartoons shows: Adventure Time.
Quick digital inking and color: Adventure Time!!!

Before: Pencil Sketch