Rest In Peace

Doesn't this look like a sonogram?

Sorry, I just happened to notice that as I was downloading it onto this blog. What it is, of course, is my take on the late, great Michael Jackson. Did you know he died? Yeah, no joke. Anyway, I was thinking about it and I figured that any artist, worth his salt, would do a take on MJ in one form or another. Here is my take on the brother. Hope you like.

I wasn't going to post this her, but Deb, from Facebook, asked me why it was I had not done any post here in a while. Well, the answer is that I was kind of waiting until my classes started in the Fall to do some new post. Plus, I didn't think anyone was actually keeping track. But now that I know that more than two people are dropping in and taking a look, I see the error of my way.

No doubt that I will get a lecture from my boy, Mark D., but I know it is out of love so I will wait, read and take it to hear.

Oh, real quick, before I go, let me tell you a little something, something about the picture. Drawing is done on Sketch board. Sketch board is a board covered and black that you are suppose to use a tool to sketch away the negative space and find the image. This picture would have come out looking way cooler than it did, but I could not find my tool so I had to make do with a nib.

E.W. Forge

Learning Rocks!

It come to the decision to take a class at one of the community colleges, in Adobe Illustrator, for this upcoming Fall semester. I am hoping not only to learn how to use my Mac to aid color to my illustrations, but I think it will also offer me the structure and motivation to actually finish the book. I hate how much of a procrastinator I am. I also hate how I over analize and critique my work. Anyway, wish me luck. I will go register, if God says the same, this upcoming Tuesday and classes begins in August.

Wish me luck.

E.W. Forge

Making the Pencil Your Bitch

Excuse the title. I realize that the "B" is not very nice at all. The reality is that I stole the phrase from a comment that a reader left on the blog of another cartoonist. I thought it was an awesome compliment to the guys art work. See, I realized that's what I am trying to do....make my pencil my bitch. Hopefully that makes since. lol

So far I have been given a few helpful hints from a couple of blogger encouraging me in my quest to finish my illustrations. The most obvious, and you would think the most helpful, of advise was for me to storyboard my book. The problem with that is that I'd already done that. Still, I tend to deviate from the story board concept and want to move in another direction. Or the same direction using better technique. Let me give you an example:

This is an example of one of the pages of my book that I was happy with before last week. I had even started the ink the bad boy (my least favorite part of drawing). The idea was there all that was needed was the building behind the wooden fence, the poster I was going to put on the fence, along with a little graffiti and the street sign. It was just right, I was even going to make the grass along the fence be over grown and make the tire lying up against it more realistic. But no, I had to go shopping around blogs and see what other talented arts were doing. I had to go on to YouTube and watch quick sketches being completed by talented individuals. DAMN THIS INTERNET FOR ALLOWING SUCH GREAT TALENT TO BE JUST FINGERTIPS AWAY!

Okay, I'm back. So, as I was saying, I was very much happy with the page above. I knew that inking and then the addition of color would bring it to life and make it pop. Plus, it had the movement that I wanted, sort of, for the book. The problem with the first incarnation of this page was that it was too flat and straight forward. Because I suck at prospective and stuff, the illustrations just sat on the paper and didn't really offer any true movement or excitement and I realized that was how I was approaching the entire book. (That was not going to be exciting for any kid, no matter how good the art work.) The picture above had the movement and the dimensions I was looking for (sort of). At least enough to skate by on and entertain the eyes of the kids I was drawing this book for.

This is the new and final, final illustration for this page of the book. I will not, will not, allow myself to redo this page yet another time. From the shear amount of times I have redone the dang gone page, I could have the whole darn book completed by now.

As you can see I keep some of the background characters from the drawing above. I revisited the woman, taking away her bag of groceries and turning her dress into a short sleeved number and loosing the straps. I added the little girl, running beside him, as a second thought. I thought she brought a little more movement to the page. I love this page and now all that is left is to make all the rest of the art work live up to it (and to stop looking at the blogs of all the damn talented artist around. LOL).

E.W. Forge

Oh No He Didn't!

Oh, yes I did. (The picture has nothing to do with this post. Just a picture of my nephew, who I will be dedicating this book to. Yeah, it is all for him.)

Sunday, I spend the majority of my time watching people speed draw on YouTube. Then on Monday I spent all day looking at blogs of other cartoon artist; being inspired. Then, later on that evening I watched an interview that Stan Lee did with Jim Lee (the comic book artist). So, can you guess what I did? Yeah, that's right. After working on so many pages of my book, Hero In Our Town, I started all over again. I rejected, yet again, all of my hard work and started all over from scratch.

This is the last time. I promise. I've only completed two and a half pages, but I am hella proud of what I've accomplished. I'm thinking about do some comparison post just so you can see the true evolution of the art work in the pages themselves.

Anyway, so here is an what I was thinking I would do with some of the rejected art work. I was thinking about making up a couple of gift coupons, sticking them into a couple of my books and giving away signed of the rejected originals. I think that would be pretty cool.

Of course first I have to actually finish the damn book.

E.W. Forge

I'm Too Sexy for this Blog

Okay, as promised, above is the most up to date illustration of Our Hero and the unknown lad. I love this picture so much I was contemplating on whether or not to turn it into the cover of the book, even though I have already finished the cover art and am somewhat happy with it. LOL

The inspiration for this drawing actually came from watching a comic book artist drawing on YouTube. This image looks nothing like the image, of Batman, the artist was drawing but it still inspired me. (You artist out there know what I mean...)

This is actually the picture I would love to see on the cover of a magazine, advertising my book. How cool would that be? Of course I need to finish the damn book illustrations and get published first.

Actually, I am so dedicated to this book that I will self publish, if I can't find a publisher. This is saying a lot, because I actually finished a six hundred page novel that I refuse to self publish. The reason being is that I believe that it would be way easier for me to sale people on the idea of a children's book than a novel. I think that the art, especially if I do the colors right, will sale the book.

Speaking of colors. I am still trying to think about how I would like to color this bad boy. I have some colored pens and I was thinking about coloring using them. Of course I am much better with prima colors. Still, I really want to learn how to do the colors using a computer; after all, that is why I bought this freaking lab top. I am truly not using it to it's full potential.

E.W. Forge

Whose That Boy?

Okay, I think you have seen this kid several time now and you still don't know who he is. Well, I'm still not telling, because there has to be some secrete (Right, Mark D. Aster?). The thing I will say about him is that I just don't think I got him right. I mean he is kind of cute and all, but still not the cuteness that I require. A cuteness that will draw the viewer in and make them say, "Yeah, I want to buy this book. This kid is just cute enough to appeal to both me and my kid."

(I'm gonna scan a copy of a more recent picture that I completed over two weeks ago, featuring both the kid and Our Hero.)

Okay, a little bit about the picture. This is yet another page from my book that I've decided to discard. It just wasn't working for me. Now, I think I would have come across a heck of a lot better if I had went ahead and added the background to it. Without a background it is just two figures, standing in negative space, and you don't know what the heck is going on.

Let me just say that the first couple of pages for this book was very hard for me to put on paper. The concept for the opening pages has went through many changes; some which made it to paper and some that never did. I finally finished the opening pages and I am afraid to look at them because I know the one that mirrors the image you see above is still not as good as I would like. And to be honest with you I am sick of drawing the damn thing. I need to just add in the background before I judge the unfinished product. I just know that a background will totally bring the pages to life. (I totally just used totally in a sentence.)

E.W. Forge

Another Failed Cover

Yes, yes, yet another failed cover attempt. Failed and incomplete. It's no big deal, really I have bunches of these. To be hones, I don't really have a problem with the way I depicted Our Hero, but I am totally unhappy with the little boy. I'm kind of unhappy with the shoes, but if I had completed the image I think the reader totally would have gotten the fact that he is suppose to be floating in the air. TOTALLY. lol

So, I have a question. Or maybe it is more of a suggestion; or is it a request. Anyway, here goes. Although this post is more for me, right now. You know, a journal, of sorts, documenting my journey towards creating or attempting to create and publish a children's book...I really would appreciate input. Something to let me know that this blog is actually being read and any comments would be helpful.

Yes, I know my boy Mark D. Aster is keeping me on point, but he's like a brother by now. He is gonna be real and objective, but I'd like more. So, if you take the time to visit, can you please also take the time to critique. I am my own worst critic, and if I continue to critique myself I will never be happy with anything I do.

Why, do you ask. Because every time I finish something, in the back of my mind I will know that I can do it different and better. It is a very big flaw in my artistic make-up.

E.W. Forge