Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Long Day
I am a fan of the work of Jeff Smith, the creator of the epic comic series 'Bone.' I am an equally big fan of Steve Hamaker, the colorist for the Scholastic book compilations of 'Bone.' Together they are a fantastic team - they bring such a richness to sequential art that I often just find myself looking at the drawing and the color in wonder - the rich tones, the organic lineart - it all fascinates me.
It stands to reason, then, that when I create images like this one, I try to set the color mood before I've even painted anything. Granted, this is a pretty sparse piece - but I envision a lot of rich, dusky oranges, earthy browns, and a slight tinge of red that would convey such a warm sense of exhausted satisfaction, as well as a gentle, oh-so-gentle overlay of light orange glare from the setting sun and the reflection off the Sea of Balkirk.

One of the things I learned in college was extremely simple. "Finish what you're doing." This site would seem like a slap in the face of that simple rule - but I look at it more as a single step in the journey of each piece. Draw it. Really draw it. Draw the crap out of it. Then begin again with ink. Then begin again with color, with shades, with effects.

Someday I'll be able to really put out the quality color and inked work. But for now, I'm going to finish what I'm doing.

Artemis from Steam Knight outside the city of Cogghaldt, looking east at the world that surrounds him.