Snow Day...

Yup - Essex is snowbound, and me along with it! Never mind, at least I can work from home (provided the kids don't interrupt!)

Xara - things to watch out for...

The above image is called "RainyEyes", and in producing it, I found the following things to watch out for in Xara...

1. All line work should be on the same layer, especially if you plan on adding textures / transparencies to items that will be behind them (like skin...) - If you have to change the lines to accommodate, then do so...
2. Special Effect lines (like fur) May cause problems with (1). Transparency doesn't work, because the line style isn't kept - your best bet is to overlay with another line, on a higher layer.
3. Try to get your sketch as accurate as possible - although you can change the lines later, you'll have less work to do if the initial sketch is better.
4. PSD export at 300 dpi is the best option when exporting for editing in other programs.
5. If you plan on breaking lines to simulate penmanship, remember to set your line ends to round ends - also consider setting your corners to bevel.
   

Sweetie

Sweetie Pie - a mixture of Xara & Gimp.

The Garage - Coloured

Coloured version of the image in this post.

Jennifer

Not sure which one I prefer...
Hand drawn, then vectored in Xara.

Jennifer and Sweetie

Two very quick sketches today - the poses are based on photos, but the cartooning is all mine. I'm more pleased with Jennifer (the top one), but I that's because I've got the head wrong in "Sweetie" - perhaps I'll do the inks in Xara, and see if I can't improve them a bit (the head needs to be smaller...).

Angry...!

I'm so bloody angry with myself. For the last two days, I've been doing some pinup cartoons, and I made the same mistake that I always make - I try and make them too realistic. Whenever I do that, I get frustrated, because I can't seem to get the picture right, and it's because I'm trying to copy the picture I'm taking the pose from, rather than use it to draw my own.

I wouldn't mind, but it's the same mistake I keep making time after time. it's SO BLOODY ANNOYING!!!!

Tomorrow, I will do better...

More comic work...

Ok - first up, meet Sprocket. Primary robot on-board Lucy's ship...
He's quite a good egg, but sometimes he has attitude...

... as well as a set of rocket powered skates. He's chief cook and bottle washer too. Last, but by no means least, is Crykk and Honest Jock...
Crykk is the Engineer - someone you should have complete understanding with, which is a problem, as the only word that Crykk knows is "Crykk!" Luckily (for Him) Sprocket is fluent in Crykk. Honest Jock is the used spaceship salesman on WayPoint Station, who's primary purpose in life is to separate the Captain from his hard earned cash...

Some of these cartoons are shaded in pencil - this is deliberate, as I want to use them as a platform for futher work later on, possibly in ArtRage3... Yes, ArtRage3 is imminent, and it comes with a proper inking tool - my christmas's have all come at once...

Lucy and The Captain

These are a couple of characters I'm looking into for a new webcomic (I gave up the idea of the hamsters - not enough scope). I'm really please with these ones, although in the future, I'll probably change the black shirt - trousers for color, to improve the look. Lucy is the second in command of a trading ship, and is our much beleaguered heroine. Her Captain (name to come) is basically a well meaning, Captain Hastings type (utterly hopeless, in other words). Other characters will come soon, but as for these too, I'm happy enough with the design.

My Experiences with Bristol Board

This month, I finally got round to purchasing some Bristol Board, just to see how it compares. Up till now, I've used either straight 80 / 110 gsm copying paper, or 250 gsm smooth off-white card, so I took 1 A3 sheet of Bristol, and prepared to destroy it...

First impressions: very smooth. Lovely to pencil on, and you can erase really easily. So far so good then, so on to Inking...

Tried some dip pens and indian ink - not as impressed as I'd thought I'd be. Just as scratchy, and no real improvement. Brushes next, and yes, about the same. Then on to technical markers. Again, no real improvement, everything about the same. Bring on the brush pens...

Again, no real improvement, but I noticed more smudging, as if the ink was taking longer to dry. On to the LAMY fountain pens...

..And disaster! Smooth to work with, but noodlers absoluetly hates Bristol - it slides like a dog on ice! I was happy enough, until I came to rubbing out the pencils - smudge, smudge, smudge...

Also tried my UNI Signo white gel pen for correction... Got some strange results. Definitely depends on ink drying time being longer on Bristol.

Long and short? Use technical markers or brushes - everything else hit and miss. Makes me wonder if marker paper would be a better alternative...

On a side note, I'm starting to think about reducing my working pens to...

0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7/0.8 Technical Markers - usually Pilot/Faber/Staedtler
Black brush pens - small and large, filled with acrylic ink.

CCGB Compo 31/10/2009

Character Designs - Fuzz

Meet Fuzz. Fuzz is a hamster character I'm working on for a new comic I'm planning. Looks cute doesn't he? How wrong you would be, because Fuzz is a hamster with attitude! The first version is done with Lamy's, the others with mapping nib and brush.

It's no good...

I've tried, and tried and tried...

...but I can't create digitally.

I've tried different types of software to create my cartoons - Artrage, Manga Studio, OpenCanvas, Painter... the list goes on and on. I've tried digitally inking, pencilling, vectors, everything.

And I hate them.

I love paper and ink. There, I've said it. I'd rather pick up a pencil and draw my cartoon, ink it with pens and brushes, rather than try to re-create the feel of it digitally. There's just something so bloody sexy about it. If you're reading this Cathy, I think I'm beginning to understand where you're coming from now.

Having said all that, I still feel happier colouring digitally - I like correcting my mistakes after all!

Keep watching people, because I'm working on a new fluffy project right now, and you'll be the first to see the previews - watch this space peeps!

Honest answers required...

Well, I'm in a bit of a quandary. I'm trying to work out if I prefer my line art using Xara, or inking by hand - what do YOU think?

First off, a tramp (or is it a former RBS employee?)Secondly, a practice piece inked in Xara - am I wasting my time?

One thing I have noticed - the whole process is faster by hand...!

More Ladies

Couple of more girls today. We have a girl at a party...

... and a mum (or auntie) and her baby (aaawww!)

I think both show that I'm getting better!

Lamy Girls (warning ** nudity **)

I said there would be some updates soon didn't I? Here are my LAMY Girls - warning, there is nudity...
Here is my greek girl, and the first one drawn this week (you should notice that they get progressively better!)

Now it's Action Girl - yes, I know the boobs are off...


Now it's Goth Girl - generally better than the previous too - except for the feet (what was I thinking?)
Now for Action Girl - complete with "Monkey" style staff, and getting better still...
Lastly, Nude Girl - MUCH better all round, including the pose (this also has the destinction of being the first drawing withe new Uni Eno Soft Blue leads)...


What do you think? Note for myself - Greek Girl has best arms, Nude Girl has best overall figure and style.

News...

Interesting week so far. My last compo toon got 2 points, amid some very stiff competition, but it was the first one to use my new Lamy Nexx. I've now got some Uni Eno Soft Blue leads from Taiwan in my favourite tech pencil, and I love 'em! They're much nicer to use than the Pilot Blue leads that I have been using (lighter, much more erasable), and I feel much more comfortable using these when I'm drawing.

I've been doing a lot of Toon ladies in the last week, as I'm trying to get a more sensual female character style (including changes to lips, body proportions etc..) but hands are still my bogey item! I'll post some soon, once I'm happy with how they're going (there will be some nudity - you have been warned...)

Perhaps I'll take some pictures of my drawing kit soon - just for future reference... :)

Thoughts on the LAMY Nexx...

OK - MY Lamy Nexx (with EF Nib) has finally arrived, thanks to those good people at The Writing Desk. So far, I've been very impressed by it. It has a lovely feel, thanks to the aluminum barrel & rubber grip, and it's balance is good. It seems a bit easier to handle than the Lamy Safari (at least, for drawing), although it's a similar size, but the star of the show is definitely the nib. Smooth (for a fine nib), fast & free flowing. Expect to see more work from me soon, using this new pen... :)

CCGB Compo 3/10/09

Latest entry for the CCGB Compo!

Formula Romanii

When Bert the Ancient Britain, suggested to Ignoramus about the possibility of a new sport...

"You know, like a chariot race, where we can compete for a.. a.. Trophy like, and each clan can enter a chariot or two, and we can get sponsors...."

...I don't think he had this in mind. But, Ingormaus is nothing if not a traditionalist...! Anyway, he's heard about a new kid on the chariot racing block, Jensonus Buttonus...

WOW - I've been cartooning for over a year...

... and I hadn't even noticed the anniversary!

I can't believe it's been a over a year since I started - it seems like forever, and I don't mean that in a horrible way either. it's just been so quick...
Anyhow, my "lemmings" cartoon didn't get any points this week - too many people had the same idea, however, I made a quick change to the caption, and now it works better...


And Steve Bright liked the idea of a lemming called "Leopold"!

Billious being, well...

Billious just LOVES girls. And it's always a bad idea to walk past a barracks full of horny legionnaires anyway... The motion lines on the leg are wrong - just more stuff I've got to practice...

ArtPen, and Lamy Safari. New pen is on it's way - A Lamy NEXX with an extra fine nib...

CCGB Compo - 26/09/09

Latest attempt in the CCGB Compo (26/09/09). Will this get any votes?

Last of the Romans, and other bits

Bits and bobs this. A trek-type character, a space harlot of some kind, and a test Legionaire.

Quick note - the last few posts have been drawn using my new favourite tools - Rotring ArtPens and Lamy fountain pen, all filled with Noodlers Ink.

Romans 3 - Characters

More character work. (from left to right - top row) Billious, Centurian Stomachus Grossus, Ignoramus (Bill's best mate), General Motus, (bottom Row) Brutus Maximus, Billious (again), and two views of Secretia (our love interest)...

Romans 2 - More Design Work

More design work for a possible comic. The big guy is Brutus Maximus - the real "muscle" in Billious's little squad of grunts...

Romans - Billious

I've been reading some history books about my home town of Colchester recently - it's really suprising how much actually went on around here you know. Anyhoo, it got me thinking about creating some comic characters that could be set in Roman Colchester (Camulodunum to you), the biggest city in Roman Britain. Meet Billious - a typical Roman Legionaire...

Pisa

Latest entry for the CCGB compo...

At the Garage

I've actually seen this happen...

I was at the garage the other day, waiting to fill my poor old Honda with it's beloved petrol, when I noticed the car at the pump in front of me rocking from side to side. As I looked closer, I saw a very agitated young man seemingly kicking his car, and almost pulling his door off! On closer inspection, I realized that the man had parked his car with the filler cap a) on the wrong side of the pump and b) too far from the pump. With this in mind, the man was trying desperately to get the pump nozzle to reach - by pulling it with all his might.

With visions of our petrol station suddenly going up in smoke (and me with it), I hurriedly filled my Honda, and left tuit suite! The cartoon came later on...

Bernie and the Builder

I've been building a patio for the last 3 weeks - can you tell? I've got cuts, bruises, morter rot, sand fly, berri berri and stomach cramps - just from moving the bloody slabs! Used my pain as an inspiration for this cartoon, which was inked using Dip pens and indian ink.


Meet Bernie. Bernie is my daughter's cat, and he's a maniacal bundle of fur, held together with fat and attitude. Trouble is, he's got such a cute face! As above, inked using Dip pens and indian ink. In both cases, I'm using a manuscript mapping nib for the drawing, Speedball b5.5 for the outline (really needs a thinner outline, say a b6).
Bernie

Funny... The Answer!

Figured my problem out. It isn't my drawing as such - i'm reasonably happy with my current style, nor is it my method. It's my lack of animation.

I recently bought a Looney Toons dvd box set, and whilst I was watching it, I realised why I like cartoons in the first place - it's the action. All the double takes, the crashes, wallops, zipping around, punch-ups, chases - it's all action.

I started to look at my old cartoons, and with a couple of exceptions, everything I've done is too static - there's no movement. What I need to capture is a real sense of movement in my cartoons. With that in mind, I'm looking into the work of Roger Smythe (Andy Capp) and Tim Harries (Never Say Dai) - both these cartoonists have a very regimented style (like mine), but they exude movement - let's see if I can capture some of that in my next work...

Funny...

After the last post, I'm beginning to think that I may have gone wrong somewhere. I don't think that my cartooning has improved much recently - too much drawing, not enough cartooning. I few weeks of getting back to basics I think in my sketch book...

Pimp My Caption - 6/9/09

My latest entry to the CCGB "Pimp My Caption" contest...

Pens Again - The Update!

Ok - All my pens have now arrived. I bought 3 Zig Dual tip pens (Black, Cool Grey and Blender), a Pentel Sign Pen, a Papermate Nylon and a Uni POSCA black fine tip (I already have the white fine tip).

First impressions: The Sign pen and the Nylon are practically the same - good for quick sketches in the sketch book (the Sign Pen is slightly better at line & wash). The Zigs - well, I'm not sure. Very versatile, but the ink is slightly purple when used with line & wash - although the grey is nice (wish I had picked a darker shade though...).

The real start however, is the marker that was bought as a afterthought - the Uni Posca black fine tip. The tip is a bit harsh, and can feel a bit scratchy, but the line - lovely! Not much variance, but nice and black, with almost no bleed, and it dries fast. The added advantage is that the white version of the marker can cover the black extremely well (just make sure it's really dry first). This is one of the problems I had when I brought the white marker - on many of my pens, it couldn't cover them up (even the so called waterproof ones) - but it just loves the black POSCA.

I may even be thinking of buying more of these markers in future...

Kuretake woes

You'll remember from my last post that I love using the Kuretake Fude pen. Well, not any more, as I've hit a big snag with it. I like drawing on white card (i can get it cheap, it holds up well to rough erasing, and I can use wet media on it), but the Fude Pen doesn't like it. It's started leaving big blobs of ink, which leads to smudging. Looks as if the ink is having trouble being absorbed by the card, or there is simply too much ink being sent to the nib. Either way, it's nasty. I've drawn a piece half an hour ago, and some of the ink is still wet!

The card I've used before for colour work, and is usually fine. I've noticed that my new sketchbook doesn't like the Kuretake ink either...

If I can't get this sorted out, it will be the end for the Kuretake.

Pens Again!

Yes, it's that time of the month - pay day!

I'm looking at more pens again (I'm such a pen whore - the amount I have is ridiculous) and I'm going to go for more of a graphic look. I've been using fineliners mostly (0.7, 0.5 & 0.1), but I'm still a big fan of the Kuretake Fude Pen (see the Coyote cartoon) which is slowly becoming my favourite - so much in fact, that I've started looking at other brush pens.

I've already got Copic, Faber & Pentel brush pens, but they all have the same problem - too floppy. The Kuretake is much stiffer, and suits my drawing style more. However, there are other types of brush pens - the dual ended markers, which have a bullet tip at one end, and a foam brush tip at the other. Top of these are the Tombow & KureTake brands, so I'm going to buy two of each - one in black, and one in light grey (for shading) and see how these go...

Daleks

My latest attempt in the CCGB Caption Contest... And it got 4 points! Manga Studio this time...

Coyote...

My latest attempt in the CCGB Caption Contest - I was late, but the cartoon went down well.

Old Spock

In the same vein (jugular) of the previous cartoons - meet Old Spock. He should really have white hair, but white would be illogical...

Kirk

Inspired by my "RedShirt" cartoon - this is Kirk, ready to face the Klingon hordes... er, well, maybe later, eh Jim? :) Drawn in Ink, coloured in OpenCanvas. The second version uses a different colouring method - basically, I've created 2 layers using grey tones, appiled as shadows & highlights using ArtRage (it has a much better blending tool). This method should make sure my shading is right before I add colour - waddya think?

Back Off Me Hols 3...

Another quick analog cartoon. Don't you feel sorry for red shirts? :)

Back Of Me Hols 2...

Quick analog catroon (no digital work)....

Back off me hols - 1...

quick cartoon I did for the CCGB experiment 2...

New Method Test...

Quick test of my new method. Line work is hand inked, scanned to GIMP where it's cleaned up, traced and colour filled in InkScape, and finished in Xara. InkScape does a much better job of the vector conversion than Xara can (as well as filling in the colours), but for editing, Xara wins hands down. Tomorrow I'll post the (hopefully) finished version, which will be shaded...


...and here it is!

My Latest "Kenco" moment...

I just realized something really important regarding cartooning in Xara Xtreme. Why am I creating line art, when I should be using filled shapes? Not only do I not have to colour them in, but I choose the display hierarchy. If I create a wheel for instance as a filled shape, that can then be used both sides of a car picture that's not head on, provided the car is a filled shape too.

I can be really thick at times (slaps head). Never mind - hopefully, I'll post an example by the end of the week. By the way, a "kenco moment" is the same as a "eureka" moment, only coffee flavoured... :)

Luke and Leia - updated colours

Slightly updated colours - used Artrage for the painting, GIMP for adjustments. All I've got to do now is think of a caption or speech bubble...

Hi 'Yall

Very quick cartoon of some sort of "Trek" character -drawn using OpenCanvas.

SuSE FTP masquerading

For those in the know, enabling masquerading for certain machines & ports in SuSEfirewall2 is relatively straight forward (enable masquerading, allow the address(es) and port in the config file) but this doesn't work for ftp. The reason is because the FTP protocol doesn't just use one channel, but several, and these are decided on the fly. The firewall doesn't know this... but it can if you load 2 firewall modules called ip_conntrack_ftp & ip_nat_ftp modules. You enable these in the FW_LOAD_MODULES option. This will all work if it's a passive ftp connection - if it's active, you may have to enable a wider port range for the required addresses...

Luke & Leia - initial colours

These are the initial colours for a cartoon I'm working on now. I haven't come up with any captions yet - that's coming later! Hand inked, scanned into GIMP, colours in GIMP & OpenCanvas...