Comic and Cartoon design process.

Here are a few of the visual steps I like to take when creating a new project.

I like to start with a shape for the head and draw it from each angle.

• Looking to the left and up.
• Looking to the left.
• Looking left and down.
• Facing front.
• Rear facing.
• Looking right and up.
• Looking right.
• Looking right and down.

This may seem like a lot right now but it will save you hours of time in the future if you take care of this now.

Here are many different eyes and noses to be used for characters faces.

Here are some hair styles.

Here is the characters body sheet.

                       Body sheets can include the full body from each angle that will be viewed in your comic. You can also cut the body up in to smaller pieces to give yourself a quick reference guide to use late.

Here is a full character design. (The Ghost)

                       I have found in my years of drawing that if you give yourself a base design sheet you can reefer back to it at anytime to make you drawing workflow much smoother.

                       I hope this has helped you and if so let me know. If you would like to know what the lines mean on the head angle sheet let me know and I will add an explanation.

Here is a link to my official cartoonist studio.

http://www.thecartooniststudio.com/CubicleDetail/675/Joshua-Hastings

Till next time,

Cheers

3D Transparent crystal ball tutorial.

Drawing a transparent crystal ball.  Tools Needed

• Pencil
• Clean eraser (For highlights)
• Smooth nylon brush (For blending)
• Digital camera with view finder
• Tripod/Mount
• Light Source

Steps

1. Focus a camera on the 3D shape you desire to draw. (Make sure the shapes complete view is within the surface you will be drawing it on.
2. Once you are happy with the angle at which the shape is placed while looking through the view finder, start to trace the outline of the image while looking through the view finder.

[In this video I decided to make my outline of the shape slightly bigger because the closer my pencil tip got to the object the tougher it was for me to see the line on the paper through the view finder.]            3. Work on the darkest areas first because they will be small and will not take up most of the                    object.      4. Next fill in your mid grays and heavy grays. The gray should become darker as it gets to the          object. (Keep it gray don't turn it black.)      5. Before you begin to blend the mid tones in the sphere blending the dark tones into the          mid tones.(This will leave pencil residue on the brush to make lighter tones easier to bring in          later.)      6. Start to blend the outer ring of the sphere, also rub your brush in curing motions in the          sphere to show some depth to the 3D object.      7. Once you have blended all of your shadowed areas so that they fade from darkest to white,           flip your pencil over and with the clean eraser and a firm grip draw in some solid white lines           following the curve of your shape.
         Make some minor touch ups and you should be able to look through the view finder again and see a 3D image. I hope this tutorial helped you if it did let me know. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them.

3D Apple drawing.

        So after watching some video's of +Tracy Lee Stum  which can be viewed on +YouTube  of her 3D side walk chalk drawings, I decided i could give it a try. Due to the fact that I do not have a contract to do this on a city street i choose to go with something i had in house.

        Here is a couple shots of an apple I had around the house that was drawn with pencil while looking through a camera view finder. The task was not simple at all due to the fact that you have to re-learn how to draw the objects shape.

        I spent a lot of the time focusing on where the light would hit the object. I have to say that I' am quite happy with the finale result. Although I do not have the current ability to do the city sidewalk chalk drawings like +Tracy Lee Stum I' am confident that if I was given the chance to do one of these great pieces of art I could accomplish it.

       Below is the +YouTube video I watched of +Tracy Lee Stum  preforming her +SIdewalk Art  so check it out and see if it inspires you to try this fun style of art for yourself. If you have any questions on how to apply and preform this method feel free to ask and I will be sure to add it to the Tuts section of the blog.

Cheers,

Joshua

Applying for a patent. "Patent Pending" The Screen Genie

     Now i want to say that this is not  a work of art. This is a 3D model that I made in +Blender, this is the base model and design for an invention I have been working on. I' am currently submitting a patent application for this invention so i guess I should say "Patent Pending". The name of the invention is called the "Screen Genie".

    I think I will be posting the idea in some forums that are relevant to the market that the +Invention will be sold in. The invention could be viewed as controversial by some but I ' am confident that a lot of other people will find it useful and something they would want and use daily.

    I applied to a company today here in +Rochester Newyork  for web design and graphic design, so I have that to look forward to. As for now I have done as much as I can for the day, so I' m off to play some +Battlefield 3.

    *Tuts* Update real quick.

    I figured I would do some basic shapes and items (Apples, Boxes, Roses, Skulls, etc) each one o these will be a video tut. I should actually be able to get a few done in a day as they are all pretty simple things to draw. That is for me I mean. So if you have anything you would like to learn how to draw, paint, etc then comment with your request and I will be sure to make a video for you.

Cheers,

Joshua