Before & After Sketches

This week, I've had a few different projects going on. Number one was to find some inspiration! After being in school for four years I am feeling a bit like a robot. While on one hand it is a good thing to be able to finish projects on time and to standard, without the guidance of an assignment, I'm feeling somewhat lost. On my quest to find something that would inspire me to draw, I began thinking about some of my favorite movies, animations, and artists. One subject that has always been a popular topic with me is Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are". I retrieved my beloved copy from the shelf and skipped right to the page that boasts my favorite monster, the page where Max meets a sea dragon. I was heartbroken that he wasn't featured in Spike Jones' film that was released last year, so I began recreating the scene for fun. I'm hoping to color it sometime this weekend. Where the Wild Things Are, as well as a handful of other favorite children's books from my childhood (and adulthood, shhhh), always help to rekindle my imagination. Sometimes it's difficult to get in touch with your inner-child, when your pet cat could become a lion that shoots laser beams from his whiskers, and throwing a blanket over a chair meant you'd just created the most impenetrable fort known to mankind. If you want to think creatively, you can never, ever let go of your imagination.

Below I'm posting some before and after images of some quick sketches and paintings that I have created in Photoshop. I think my personal favorites would have to be the sea frog/newt and the rooster. The rooster was a character design done prior to one of my animations. As far as the sea frog/new goes, I'd really like to place him into a water environment. However, I think he needs a more animated pose, so I might recreate it. And I'm not entirely set on his coloration just yet. I'm thinking something more along the lines of a turquoise or green might be more appropriate. We'll see! Share your thoughts, what color do you see him as?