Secret Fort - Complete

I had an opportunity to finish up "Secret Fort" while I was waiting for feedback from my editor on my comic page roughs. Here's the finished colors!

Secret Fort WIP 3

Testing out colors, still needs lots of work to complete. On hold for now while I work on a 16-page comic assignment (details as soon as I can announce the project!).

Dragon Rider - Step by Step Colors

Step-by-step coloring of Dragon Rider.

Larger version on Deviantart here.

I figured I'd share since I already had the files tracking my entire progress through the picture. It goes from left to right. Step 2 and 4 are discarded color ideas.

Pencil + Coloring in Photoshop CS3.

Secret Fort WIP 2

Rough Sketch... it's getting there. :)

Secret Fort WIP 1

Here's the work in progress on the second piece I'm doing for my children's illustration portfolio. Something I have fond memories of from when I was a kid is building forts out of chairs and draped sheets with my cousin and friends. A secret space to tell stories and do kid stuff.

That memory led me to this idea. I thought silhouettes through the sheet would make for an interesting picture. Then, to bring some more personality into it, I decided to add a side panel showing them making faces in the flashlight. I'm thinking about giving ponytail girl glasses for added variety.

Dragon Rider - Complete

Here's the finished piece for Dragon Rider.


I'm currently interested in exploring unusual picture sizes. I usually think in terms of prints for the final output, which means many of my pictures are formatted with a standard letter 8.5"x11" or tabloid 11"x17" size in mind. In contrast, this one is tall, about 8"x14".

Hope you guys dig! I have more storybook type pictures like this planned and in various stages of development, so stay tuned for more. :)

Dragon Rider WIP 2

Here's my current progress on the dragon rider illustration. Colors are still fairly rough. First I blocked in all my basic colors, then I started polishing and adding texture to individual sections. The wall, lamp, coffee table, and chair are done. I plan on tackling the wood floor next.

Dragon Rider WIP 1

New picture for the children's illustration portfolio I'm working on. My idea was to depict a little girl curled up in a chair, so engrossed in reading her book that she imagines herself as the heroine of the tale.

Every picture I do starts with a thumbnail sketch, no larger than a couple inches tall. This allows me to jot down all the important details of an idea quickly, and "feel out" a composition without spending too much time on it. This way, I can easily try multiple takes if something's not working.

In this case, I was satisfied with the original thumbnail, and move straight onto the rough sketch, a full-sized drawing based off the thumbnail. Sometimes I will work the rough sketch to completion, but in this case it was too messy, so I transferred the drawing onto another sheet of paper to do my final pass (and made a couple tweaks to the composition while I was at it).

This is where I currently am: the lines are clean and ready for colors!

Megacon 2009 Portraits

Here's some of the portrait sketches I did at Megacon (at least, the ones I remembered to photograph). "You, as an anime character" is what I offer, and it tends be a crowd pleaser, so I'm always happy to do them at conventions. ^_^ Apologies for the so-so quality. The lighting conditions were not ideal for taking photos of art. Enjoy, and let me know if you see yourself on there. :)