Gulp.

I worked on getting this chap into Flash and divided up into symbols tonight. I'm not sure why I thought this would be easy. I've decided to start keeping notes on this experiment...little things I'm noticing from a non-animator's perspective.

Today's note
I would like to see Flash's drawing tools and Illustrator's tools bare-knuckle brawl out back by the bike rack. I went back and forth, using both without coming away with the understanding of which works best. What say ye folk who do this for a living?

Hopefully this will all start to gel soon. If not, there might be a slight character change....I'm thinking the "guy who was born with no joints."

Progress (Flash)

Character Design.

The Mice posts got yanked until publication of the book. Please don't cry. The sun will come up tomorrow.

Beeyap!

I've started a character design and plan on "moving" it around in Flash....something I've really never explored. I'm sure that during this experiment at least 7 of the 9 Old Men will roll over in their graves...the other two will be too busy laughing.

I wanted to create a character in his mid 30s who operates on little sleep, has the patience of an 85 year-old man whose lawn the neighborhood kids are constantly walking across, never sees the sunlight, who is developing the physique of this guy, and whose chins are multiplying faster than those of a young Roseanne. Hopefully he looks familiar.

Here are some loose prep sketches. I finally got close to what I wanted but only after really studying and simplifying. But man those first few sketches are brutal - the first one especially, which looks suspiciously like I had a love child with Milhouse Van Houten or Paul from the Wonder Years. Still looks too much like "Default Flash Character," but hopefully I can lose that during the process.

Character Design Studies (Painter)
Also noodled with some color. Not completely sold, I'm sure it will change once I attempt to draw this entirely in Flash.

Character Design Color Comp (Painter / Photoshop)

Turn-around is next...which means I'll have to figure out what is going on with that face.

Spot.

Here's a very quick spot for the upcoming 2nd Annual Striking Out Breast Cancer Softball Tournament. This will be used for some promotional materials, and was started and completed in an embarrassingly short time...but it's kind of nice to do that from time to time. My ass thanks me.

Softball Gal Sketch (Photoshop)

Finished Illustration (Photoshop / Painter)