Hope you can see all the drawings above. But if you can't you probably can't see the first one very well, which is the worst!
So lookit this. Lots of versions. What's going on?
Number 1 was way off... I could tell the design was terrible and I needed to try again. I flipped the page over and did #2. I liked the fat gangster on the left ("Lefty"), wasn't sure about his action, but didn't like the one on the right ("Righty")- he didn't seem nearly tough enough.
Version #3 was getting there. Lefty looks good, I liked his face and his body looks bulky enough. I got rid of the action of him buttoning up his jacket because I wasn't sure it was reading. Righty looks cool and handsome, which I really liked but knew he should be riffling the bills as was suggested (though poorly drawn) in version #2.
And then as the sun was going down, I decided I had to wrap it up and did version #5. I put the suit buttoning action back in on Lefty - it somehow felt right, like they're getting ready for business. I tried tilting Righty's head and put the riffling bills action on him. It took a few go-rounds before I got something that looked convincing and was read-able.
... and then the inking - version # 5. Not much different there. I returned Righty's head tilt and body shape/line of action back to how it was in version #3, and widened Lefty's body a bit.
It's all an effort to keep going till I get there, till it looks like I imagine and I think I did.
Wow, what a pile of versions -- but it's not wasted effort. You can see the progression and the fine honing of an idea. Both gangsters look shifty and evil and Lefty is particularly despicable.
ReplyDeleteThe bad? I'm not buying the jacket buttoning. Sorry.
The excellent? The colouring, natch! I'm SO glad to see that you've committed to colour. If you go back and look at your old Growing Concern cartoons, you'll see the difference. It's worth the trouble!
Also -- I love the professional titling and format.
Too bad that you didn't like the jacket buttoning action. Is it that it doesn't read or that you think it wasn't the best pose choice?
ReplyDeleteIt isn't bad but it isn't totally nailed and so I found myself paying waaaay too much attention to that character, wondering if I was reading his actions the right way. It was a bit of a distraction, is all.
ReplyDeleteYour poses are SO good that an imperfect one really stands out.
Eh, I was just nit-picking.
You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose.
ReplyDeleteMonty Python.
Yes, that has nothing to do with nits.
That was very funny. It was... wait for it... nit wit.
ReplyDelete