Cannibalistic Cacti

So it's been over a month since I've updated this blog. Hopefully I'll try to keep it more regularly updated this semester. I should probably start photographing my work after I finish it. Otherwise I'll have to wait however long before I can post it. Then I tend to forget to upload it after I get it back.. Anyway, here's the first figure assignment for this second semester of Custode's class!

It's a master copy Steven Assael's work on toned paper using charcoal pencils and heightened with white charcoal pencil.

I'll be putting up bits and pieces from all the stuff that's kept me super busy this semester.

I decided to choose Folk music.

So here's the finished Ferret Dragonfly and Elephant bulldozer character designs. Although I adore how the winged little ferret critter came out, he doesn't have a very clear reading silhouette. I should re-pose him at some point, and possibly subtract some limbs. It makes him look less cute though. D: I am pleased with Elephant Bulldozer though, that was just a badass pair to begin with. xD


I also re-drew the characters from the previous assignments, keeping the critique in mind and hoping for a better grade. Still gotta do way better than this!

The music boat boy is probably my favorite/coolest looking one. I'm working on a digital painting of him currently for that class. =D

So here's some things that need to be updated.


First illustration project, self portait composed of at least one flat shape, one rendered shape and one pattern.






Silhouette cutout assignment. Something new Brandes started doing this year cause it makes an easier bridge to watercolors. Same principles of separating shapes of value.




Second assignment for illustration, story of my still life. Had to have a still life of five personal things that revealed something about us as an individual.

Okay, so this is the class I've been dying for since I started here. I mean, I get to design characters for homework, how freaking cool is that? Anyway, the first part involved doing 100 silhouettes and 50 scribbles and deriving characters out of them.

Then we had to take the best variation from each one and take it to final rendering.


Dominic really liked my silhouettes and scribbles. In fact, he said the way I drew my scribbles was the perfect way to do it. The only problem though was my final renderings. As much as I liked coloring them, it didn't really help them at all. Dominic kept reinstating that its more important to break away from the silhouette and re-draw the character with a more dynamic line of action. I wasn't aware we could get too far away from the silhouette though. I think there's a limit to it, like you can use it to inspire the design of the character, but give it a more dynamic gesture.

Again, as much as I liked coloring them, it wasn't really necessary as it's more important to draw the characters with a more dynamic line of action. I need to break out of that habit and re-draw these characters before I turn them in for a grade at the end of the semester. I'll be keeping it in mind while I'm working on Part III of this assignment. Right now we're force fitting an animal with an insect, and and animal with a vehicle. I drew Ferret/Green Darner Dragonfly out of a hat, as well as Elephant/Bulldozer. We have to have 10 thumbnails of each by next class, and needless to say I'm having fun with it so far. Here's the work in progress of it



The whole purpose of this assignment is to build a reservoir of characters to use when we get into the drama painting assignments in this class, so that we have characters to put in our environments. :D

So yeah I had a lot of free time over Spring Break, and yeah, thus result.

Here's some gestures the first ones are 1 minute gestures from class.  The rest are 2-5 mins from FEWS using either charcoal or ink with bamboo brushes.  Inkwash gestures are a lot of fun, but its harder to pull them off.  They don't realistically look as well done, but I love the effect that layered ink gives.