UPA (attempts)


 Really quick intro to this page and only really have a few specs of things to show at the moment. Ive decided to upload some drawings I did in Uni which I majorly sucked at so I want this page to show improvement as well as serving as a progress (hopefully!) page for future work.

Heres the best of my old stuff; and by that I mean its the 'best' that I could do which doesnt make it good!

 This was probably the best I did in the MONTHS I spent trying to get better at background designs. As you can see, its not a strong point.

 This was a bit better, based on some Maurice Noble and Most Haunted episode.

 This was a direct copy/ my own touch to a Noble/ De Guard background. Some issues but I quite liked it.

 This was kind of a really big experiment. I think if the angles were how they were meant to be Id have hit a nail on a small head here. Really like the colours and although the desk in the foreground is out the colours and textures are quite good for me.


Direct copy from a photograph of a big staircase but on brown paper and with some tippex underneath.


 This was a 1st concept for Chester (my rabbit character) with a dead simple ToonBoom background underneath it. I hated it at the time but the colouring out the lines on the wooden chair leg pleases me slightly.


This was a sort of 'mood' sketch for the guy I dubbed the 'Author' as at first I was going to have a whole back-story that Id been trying to write a book then his subconscious (the rabbit 'Chester') comes into play, messes up his life but also starts a new, positive chapter in his life.
I quite like the wall behind the guy and the shadow effect although it is really really crude><

New stuff:


Im not one way or the other about this. I saw a tiny illustration in a UPA book with an elephant with a window behind him which actually over-lapped his design so the elephant appeared see-through and on the same level as the background.  I mostly like the colours in this and it was just a warm-up so please dont take it seriously.


If I wanted to be really simplistic and it just be something with the credits on or if it was a quick glance at an alcove-wall then this would do...


But this has the detail and is a definite improvement on my earlier work 2-3years ago.

Basically this is a view from my current sitting-position at my desk, a chimney breast and small alcove which contains my PC screen and a shelf. The other wall is covered in paper doodles, inspirational material and a cork-board. Quite happy with this :)
Todays:


This is the same room but I used the actual colourings of my room rather than trying to create a darker mood (see above). I quite like this and I have to say, working in colour and adding the details later is a really refreshing way to work. 
For anyone who was a Megadrive/ Master system freak as a Kid it may interest you to know that today (23rd June) is Sonic's 20th anniversary. So to mark the event I created a small thank you homage using Photoshop. 



I used to draw nothing but Sonic when I was a kid, Id make new posters for mine and my sister's room and I even won a t-shirt competition at my step-dad's work back in '93 with a Tails design and the company logo. I must have annoyed everyone with my constant drawings but I loved copying from my VHS and pausing it to draw the frames (of course I didnt know I was drawing frames at the time but its pretty cool to think I had an eye for those unusual inbetweens as a child!). I used to draw Sonic and Tails better than anyone in my class so now and again I wouldnt get picked on so much if someone wanted a drawing for art-class! 
 There used to be weekly competitions in my 'Sonic the Comic' to draw the characters and I never entered because every time I tried to make a poster or a pose Id mess it up because the pressure was too much! Jeeze Im still like that now><!!

Anyway, I owe this guy and the animated series by Dic a huge thanks because I dont think I would have chosen to be an animator had I not loved Sonic as much as I did. I even have spikey hair like him to this day! XD

(PS The green character is me!) 


18/07/11
This is my design which I will get printed for a friend's birthday via MoonPig (cards).  Its taken me nearly 3/4 hours but Im quite happy with the style and the over-all look of this card. I chose simple PS brushes for the flower FX (as she loves Daisys) and had a faff with using some of my textures Ive scanned in recently for the hair, clothes and the 2nd pages BKgrnd. Lets hope she doesnt take a sudden interest in my blog and see this before I manage to get it printed!  > <  

Page 1.




Page 2. (Inside the card)




 These are some recent characters Ive come up with for a story thats been brewing under my hat for a few months now. Im working on something else as well as some freelance so this idea has to be shelved for a while but there should be no reason to keep the characters in the dark of a digital file is there? :)

 The Cat

 'That Bastard'