Annie Redux - Color Tests

First color test of Annie. The one to the top right was my first attempt (I always start on the top right when I draw...maybe its a leftie thing) and her colors weren't right. I'm still...unsure about her reddish brown hair. It grows on me, because it's fitting with the variety of looks on Isola. Not everyone has ebony hair.

I'm more comfortable with her looks, but now I just have to tighten her design. Should she keep the beads in her hair or not? They remind me of how Dazzni wears her's...but with good reason. Dazzni is actually related to Annie? But how? Well...I did say that Isola is a possible prequel to Pumpkin Hollow. :)

Anyway, I'm starting to round off Annie's character. She has a hobby. She likes beads. She's pretty excitable and is one to speak before thinking. She's also uncultured...so this should be very funny. I will be drawing a few more sketches of her before making a finalized picture with color keys.

And then, off to my second favorite character. Kylie~!

Annie Redux - She's got the look

Yup, it's Annie's new look. Honest to goodness, Annie is probably going to go through changes upon changes. Personally I felt her first look was too much like Maggy's. I know it seems silly, but hey, this is me. Its all in the attitude as well. I have a habit of making all my star girls, spunky and headstrong. I needed to break out of that formula and try something new, with a new look as well.
Annie was born on Isola, but moved to the city, spending most of her life there. Originally, she got a letter from Kylie asking her to come back to help bring the island back to it's original splendor. I was torn between going that route, or shipping Annie unwillingly to Isola where she developed a bad attitude problem because she had to leave the city. It wouldn't balance well, since Akua is already a nasty brat in the story, there's no need for two!
As I sketched the new Annie, her new personality started to show on paper. I have to decide how she's going to be and keep in mind that she is a true city girl. How would I be if I suddenly had to stay on an island, with no cars, no computers, no phone signal! A humitidy! Think about how she's going to deal with all that hair!

I'm going to continue to sketch Annie out. Flesh out her new expressions and do some full bodies. My style of drawing Isola is also going to change. I want the characters to appear more squishy. Tiny necks with fat arms and small hands. Did you notice her huge eyes? I thought I'd stay away from huge eyes every since I broke away from drawing anime. But it works here. :)

More sketching for me.

Breaking promises II

Okay shock and horror first. Explanation down below.

I'm finally posting my Isola pages. Why? Because I'm not continuing this way anymore. WAIT DONT PANIC. I'M NOT QUITTING. But can you see? How bad this is? I know promised that I wouldn't redraw these pages and start over. But come on, this is awful. Even I can't stand it.

I knew from the start I wasn't going about this the right way. No thumbnails, not enough concepts, I only had a script and a few character designs. And all this was done on the computer when I know, I myself feel limited when I draw straight from the tablet. My drawings are more charming on paper, I feel more comfortable. I'm not obligated to rush through like I've done here (as well as Get a Clue). Isola is a very special story (aren't they all? lol) and I can't see it go down like this. I can't cheat myself on background and coloring, because the world of Isola is very cultural and vibrant. I did research to get enough inspiration, should I not follow through with the rest?

I'm personally glad I saw this within myself. I opened up the folder and couldn't believe I thought I was doing a good job somewhat. So once again, I'm not quitting. Yes, I'm starting over even when I said I would not. But I'm capable of better. I realize that not only could I improve on the art, but I need to practice making comic pages as well. There are many changes I'd like to make. I don't like how I'm letting the art run off the pages so much. Paneling practice will do wonders.

So in the meantime, I will continue to work through the concepts of this story. Dig deep into the world of Isola and explore the personality of the characters more. Annie needs more fleshing, especially if she's the star. I really don't want her to be a Maggy clone. This is a personal journey for me and I'd like to welcome you guys along. This will also prompt me to make a decent concept portfolio and even perhaps I'll get to print a book like I want to. All in all, this story is not done.

But I have so much work to do. Right now, I'm going to start fleshing out my characters again, since it's the most fun part to me. :D I'm pretty excited.

Fanart Centric Part 2

Okay these are out of my system now the real work begins. (though I still will be doing more fanart, I just wont post most of them here for obvious reasons).

Fanart Centric

Sorry...I've been obsessed lately. :D

Get a Clue: The Prodigal Son

And you thought I forgot about Get a Clue? :)

More drama in the Robinson household with Solo, as she deals with the ever annoying (yet dashingly cute) twin brother Eddy. Mom and Dad are on the scene and so enters Omar, the eldest brother. But why is he coming home...?

Okay, I have a long post ahead, couple of things happening (or happened).

Firstly, I hit another art block, that's nothing new. I wasted time on an idea and wound up not being productive at all. Had a case of the sads for a few weeks and I needed to work on something more...happy. So I put Isola on hold to get back to Get a Clue. That's what it's there for, you know? I learned to work through my creative ADD, thats why I have two projects (*possibly four, but more on that later).

I found these...old, OLD pages of Get a Clue. Ugh, they are horrid. But I promised myself that I wouldn't redraw them. I have to move forward. So I finished these as quickly as possible. Quite fast, mind you. Because everything is simple on these pages. There are no backgrounds, no dimensions. I should be ashamed of myself! But I'm not. The next part will contain all of those. And I changed dad's name back to Lloyd. I love the name Lloyd.

The characters are inconsistent and off model. They also lack proper expressions. I know it seems like I'm ripping these pages apart but this is true. I know how bad they are. I strive to get better. I'm excited to practice things. I'm riding on an artistic drive, so there's lots I want to do before it runs out. Oh yes, lots of fun projects happening. :) I even made a check list.

So anyway, semi-update on life and arts. More exciting things to come perhaps? Of course!