Calla of the Sea complete!

Here is the finished art for Calla of the Sea, inked and lettered.

These pages I inked with a Raphael 8404, which is a change from the usual Winsor Newton's I use. Honestly, it feels like a perfect brush, I had all the control over it I could ask for and it felt more sturdy in my hand. I still like and will use the Winsor Newtons but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked the Raphael.

My inking strategy this time around is trying to focus on bounding lines and keeping the art unified. I love the use of bounding lines in Wade Von Grawbadger's inks so I was trying to channel him while at the same time trying to keep things that I like in there. Overall I think its a success, concentrating on an area and the lines within it really helps me stay focused on line weight and how that influences the panel. I was still able to do wispy lines, but they feel more controlled now, so I'm happy with that. I also tried to break away from as much of the dark noir shadows that I've tended to use a lot. My inking professor Shawn Crystal recommended I try to find a balance of their use, so here is my first attempt at it.

I'm happy enough with these pages, which I'm sure will change in a few days. But I did my best on them, so it's time to move on to other things. Next time I want to try inking while channeling the inks of Chris Samnee who is an artist I very much so admire. I played a little bit with it in the bodies in the last page of Calla. I think that's a good natural step, as I've spend the last year getting better at drawing the figure, so now I can start focusing on good use of contrast on them.

Thanks for reading and I hope Calla was enjoyable! It's certainly a step up from the pages I was working on a year ago.

Calla of the Sea pencils

My entry for the Seqa Punch anthology. I wanted a project to work on between quarters so my comics comrade Crystal pointed me in the direction of this anthology. I wrote up a script speedy quick and started to work on it immediately. I think it's a level up as far as my pencils go from the last pages I did for class. I'm currently working on the inks, and I'll post them here as soon as they're finished.

Sketchbook update 11-21-12

Haven't done this in a while! I was so busy with school this last quarter I haven't had time to really dedicate to people drawing, which is one of my new hobbies. So here's the work I did yesterday.

The black and white images I inked with a brush pen. I bought this thing a year ago and had yet to even use it. I found it's great for sketching and doing quick inks but I don't know if I trust it as much as an actual brush. It was fun to play with so maybe. I DO have a package of brushes heading my way so we'll see.

The color images were done with a set of watercolor pencils I bought at a sale at the art store I frequent. I love Faber Castell so I gave them a trial run and they're pretty fun. I don't think I'll get rid of my tubes of Grumbacher but these are a fun and portable alternative.

Well that's all for this update. I'm now setting to work on two short stories, one a western called "The Trials of Nobody" and the other a mermaid story called "Calla of the Sea." Here's my design for Calla, at least as far as I have her so far.

Hope this intrigues anyone who might like to see more short stories from me. I'm trying to keep busy this winter break, especially so I can try and fill my portfolio with more professional level stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for taking a look!

No Pressure and Fall 2012

Hello all, I apologize for a lack of updates but this passed quarter has been rather full and eventful. My classes ended yesterday, and I've learned and grown a LOT this quarter. I'm looking forward to doing some fun stress relieving art for the holidays, but here is a comic I finished for finals.

I did well on this, even though I had a bit of a false start at the beginning with this project. I'm still working on getting better at writing but my grades have gone up as far as the art goes. I'm still working on a what tool to use for my inking so perhaps this winter break will help me answer that question.

I also finished a 10 page comic for the Black Belt Challenge. I barely made the deadline and even then I had to print the book much smaller than it should have been. I'll be more prepared for the next challenge and I'll come back with a great piece of work. I'll post those pages later in a separate post.

Also I reaaally like drawing likenesses for characters. Marlon Brando was a lot of fun to interpret into how I draw. 

"No Pressure" Pencils and Marlon Brando Ink Sketch

Here are the pencils for my 3 page short for my Inking Techniques class. It's about an anxious waitress that has to serve 3 men she believes are in the mafia. Marlon Brando makes a cameo since he is fun to draw.Here is a nib practice image I did a while ago, which may be the look I go for the mafia guys.

Regular Show Pin Up for Inking Techniques Class

For our first project for the class, we're exploring and practicing inking using markers alone. By markers I mean Microns, PITT pens, etc, so this is a return to basics for me. I used to ink with these alone but then I moved to nibs and then I started going to brush. But yeah this is what I came up with. I like sketching small with these tools but drawing large with them can be a pain since all the thick lines have to be blocked in and such. This means it take a while to get the inking done, at least for me. But I did well on this in the critique so maybe I need to work markers more into my work flow. We'll see. Also, I colored it.

It's been a while since I colored something but this went by super fast. I did this in about 5 hours, which is a huge boost of speed for me. I like to play with saturation mostly, I like the way it can inject life into a color or make it seem dull and sad. But yeah, I'll show more when I have more stuff!

Flowers for Venus revision: Pgs 1-3 inked

Here are the inks for the first 3 pages with Eric Canete's inking suggestions.

 

I think the biggest change here is no more hatching; just pure black and white. I think this works out better for me in the long run as I'm a really clean artist (so I'm told) so approaching it without hatching is probably going to yield more graphic and interesting results for me. It takes a lot for me to stop hatching though, I've always loved doing it but if it doesn't help me art, then it's got to go. I inked this page and the following 2 with a #2 brush, which was a definitely tricky moving up in size. Luckily with so much black I was able to practice making thick and heavy strokes without fear of ruining the page. I think it might have been a defective brush though, but time will tell.

Page 2, and more clean blacks. I hope the arm being all black in panel 2 still reads as his arm. If not, that's what white ink is for. I was trying to be more bold and daring with these pages so I hope that pays off.

This one may need the most reworks as far as the inking or I may just have to approach it with color to help make things more obvious. I do like the huge mountains in the middle and background, Eric was right on the nose about those. I can't wait to color these; I have a few plans on a limited palette and I'll post those once I get some work done on them. Of course with school starting soon I'll have 24/7 access to the Cintiq's which will make coloring so much easier and fun!

I know I mentioned Anime Weekend Atlanta in an earlier post, but if anyone would like to see a specific character as a print, please comment in this post or shoot me an email! Jorge@jorgesantiagojr.com. I'm open to suggestions, so try me!

I'll also be doing on site commissions so if you'd prefer something personalized there's that too. Have a good day!