3DDrew's Art

[3ddrew]

Here's a character I'm working on - please let me know what you think and don't hold back if you have any suggestions for improvement. Thanks! :D

I'll explain his characteristics in more detail later in the thread, but he is 1) a protagonist, and 2) has a bit of evil in him regardless. I'm using Tom Bancroft's book on character design - my ultimate goal is to get this guy, and his two other band members (who I'll be posting as I get them done) modeled, textured, rigged, and lit in Maya, and possibly get them to a 3D printer (because I secretly want action figures of my characters). For the design, I also looked back at the classic Hannah Barbera character designs and tried to reflect that aesthetic in my work, and really emphasize shape, form, and silhouette. In any case, enough rambling; here's the art!

Thanks everyone! :)

-3ddrew

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/kippDesigns001.jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/kipp_final3.jpg

[OwenWelsh]

Great drawings 3ddrew, I really like your character, and welcome to the site. You might want to consider hosting your images on photobucket.com (free) and then copying the IMG codes here for viewing. Image approvals take a while on this site.

[3ddrew]

Hey Owen,

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'll start using Photobucket from here on - thanks for the tip!

-3ddrew

[3ddrew]

Here's another character design I worked on, again, prepping for modeling and texturing in Maya. Let me know what you all think - I'm still fleshing this guy out. =)

(had a little trouble getting photobucket to work, but this will be the last upload I make as I think photobucket sharing is the way to go)

Thanks!

-3DDrew

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/spaceHusky.jpg

[arif]

Coollllll!!!..i like your second drawing most....

why don't you upload your picture on Photobucket(www.photobucket.com) and past the `image link` here so that we can see your drawings without `pending approval` issue...

Regards,
Arif

[3ddrew]

Thanks for the tip, Arif. I went ahead and updated my posts, and will have more to post later today.

-Drew

[3ddrew]

Here's some of my character designs, life drawings, and 3D work. Thanks for checking it out. =)

-3DDrew

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/Characters/Kevin7_charSheet-1.jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/3D%20Work/3D8.jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/Characters/pudge.jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/3D%20Work/3D1.jpg

[Josh Lokan]

Welcome aboard 3DDrew! Great drawings! I'm going to keep my eye open for your new postings.

[3ddrew]

...and some life drawings for good measure.

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/Life%20Drawing%202011/011011_003.jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/Life%20Drawing%202011/geisha1-1.jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/Life%20Drawing%202011/tankgrrrl1.jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/Life%20Drawing%202011/cafe402.jpg

[3ddrew]

Thanks, Josh! It's nice to meet you - I really dig the design your space goat, btw. =)

[amandahamster]

Wow, you've got some really interesting-looking art and characters. I am impressed. :D Keep up the good work! :)

[andrew sharp]

Fun design work I really like the restaurant drawings:)

[3ddrew]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for checking my work out - your comments are very inspiring! So here's some more work. This is the bassist of the group, Karasu (he's a kurasu tengu, aka a raven tengu). Designing this character has been a massive challenge, as I'm using mostly squares and triangles to define his rough, rugged, and angry attitude but still give him "caring" eyes) As always, SEND SUGGESTIONS! I'm struggling with this guy, so I'll be doing some of the crow tutorials here and studying old Japanese ink scrolls.

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/karasu_001.jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/karasu_002.jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/karasu_005.jpg

Thanks again, everyone. This community is great!

[3ddrew]

Here's some figure studies:

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/Life%20Drawing%202011/30553_1422242965214_1506927127_31034099_17134_n.jp g
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/Life%20Drawing%202011/29688_1426761798182_1506927127_31042757_4406212_n. jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/Life%20Drawing%202011/28616_1424001129167_1506927127_31038289_6684755_n. jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/Life%20Drawing%202011/30553_1422237125068_1506927127_31034095_2987393_n. jpg

[macprofilms]

Excellent work!!!!! Keep posting.
Mike

[3ddrew]

Thanks! And I intend to! :)

[3ddrew]

Here's a FactFox. I tried to copy some of my life drawings into cartoon fox form, following some of the drawings I saw on here. Result? I gotta practice more. :)

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/factFox.jpg

[3ddrew]

Here's the third and final member of the band. I'm struggling a bit with this character, so if you have any suggestions or ideas for how I could make him look better, feel free to post 'em! Thanks in advance! :)

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/kevin7_002.jpg

[akkushisu]

Haha! Y'know, before I even scrolled down enough to see what the third member was, I just had a feeling you'd make him a kitsune. ^_^

Very nice roughs, Drew. Lively and expressive! Honestly, I can't think of anything to add to this guy. You're definitely on to something with his design. Keep it up, man! :)

[3ddrew]

Thanks, akku! The idea is that each of these characters embody three of the seven deadly sins. Kipp represents Sloth, Gluttony, and Greed. Karasu represents Wrath, Envy, and Greed. Kevin7 represents Lust, Vanity, and Greed. Believe it or not, these guys are actually *protagonists*, so it's a neat challenge to work within these constraints. For Kevin7, I'm going with curved and almost *sensual* lines with little pointy triangles here and there. Like he's very appealing, but there's also something hidden and not-safe about him...

But these characters also have good attributes as well, and that's the fun part. It's like wrapping a Christmas present, if that makes any sense.

Thanks for checking out my designs, I really appreciate it! :)

[3ddrew]

Here's a size comparison of the three. I think these proportions work well, and there's a nice variety of shapes. As always, let me know what you think. Thanks! :D

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/sizeChart_002.jpg

[jeremyhopkins]

You have some nice life drawing. There's a good sense of rhythm and flow in some of your poses. Keep it coming!

[3ddrew]

...and here's one of Kevin7, from the front this time. Any suggestions? Thanks! :)

(...more life drawings forthcoming as well as other character designs)

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/kevin7_010.jpg

[akkushisu]

Again, wonderful roughs, Drew! I can really get a feel for these characters just from their poses and expressions! :)

Being a writer/character developer-at-heart, what I really enjoy about them is how they're actually protagonists despite the sins they represent. One thing that's ALWAYS bothered me about animated films/TV/books/etc. is how cut & dry, black and white most protagonists and antagonists are, and in most cases, you can easily spot which is which just by what they look like.

Again, great job! Keep up the good work, man! :D

[3ddrew]

Thanks, akku! That means a lot. Once I get some more feedback on them, I will be cleaning these guys up and coloring them. I can't wait to get these three modeled, textured and rigged! :D

[lavallelee]

I saw your drawings in the seminar! These are really cool designs, great job.

[Ben Sword]

Cool band Drew! Ive wanted to create an animated band for a long time. (Kind of like how Gorillaz does.) I keep trying to get my brother to collaborate with me on something, because I want the band to have an actual album. I would do it myself but I never learned to play an instrument.

Anyway If I can finally get my brother to help me out, maybe someday are bands can go on tour together. :laughing:

[3ddrew]

Hey Lavalle / Ben: Thank you for the kind words.

And if I didn't say it enough, if you're reading this Don, thank you so much for the critique on these characters. I'll have more to show for the next seminar.

Ben, I actually had the same idea for these guys as well. I just gotta find a goth band who'd want to go along with this sort of thing (something along the lines of The Cruxshadows <---big-time guilty pleasure). LOL So maybe our bands can go on tour together. That would be amazing. :D

I'll have more to post soon! Thanks again! :)

[3ddrew]

Here's some of the video tutorial drawings. I really enjoy the look of the Fox Queen, and the crows were really fun to do as well. I'm doing the "monkey-see, monkey-do" thing. :)

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/foxQueen.jpg
http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/crows.jpg

[3ddrew]

Per this past Wednesday's seminar, I went ahead and did a bouncing ball exercise, to practice timing and squash / stretch. Let me know what you all think. (I'm linking this through photobucket, so if there's a better way to upload this, let me know)

Thanks! :)

...it would seem you have to click it to actually see the video. Is there an easier way to do this? Thanks in advance.
...and I figured it out. It's under the video section of this site now. Here's the link:

http://donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=657

[3ddrew]

And here's the first turnaround, this one of Karasu. Following Don's suggestions from the last seminar, I looked for ways to avoid parallel lines in the design of this character while still keeping the personality of him intact. Also - the front shot of Karasu does have him half in his trenchcoat and half out of it. While he will be shown always in his goth garb, I wanted to show what he actually looked like. Since he's also wrath and envy personified, I did this to show that he's got a snide, gothy outside with a soft downy inside. Again, going for that yin and yang approach to these characters. Anyhow, enough rambling, let me know what you all think.

Thanks! :D

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/karasu_Turnaround2.jpg

[Rodney]

Nicely done!

I've enjoyed all of your artwork and design (and smiled while I enjoyed reading the Katakana!) but this turnaround is particularly nice. You are really hitting your stride here.

The one thing that threw my attention off was his feet, and I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps it's because his three toes in front may not be forward enough to suggest good balance? Like I said, I'm not sure so I'll just shut up.
Gah. Looked again with the same results. For some reason my attention keeps going to the feet and it gets stuck there. I want to look at the face but my attention keeps getting drawn away from it.

Fascinating characters. I'm looking forward to finding out more about them.

[3ddrew]

Hey Rodney,

Thanks for the kind words. I do see what you mean by the feet and I found two errors which I went ahead and fixed. I'll edit image link in the previous post to reflect the changes. Thanks for pointing that out to me! I'm glad you like them so far - and there's more coming. :D

[lavallelee]

Nice turn around Drew! looking real good

looks like a really tough character to animate

[andrew sharp]

these are great characters looking forward to the models:D

[Rodney]

I hope the size of this isn't problematic. At the last minute I realized the size of the text was going to be too small if I reduced the size of the image.

The genesis of this was your post where you suggested you had altered the feet of Karasu. I always get a twinge of 'yikes' when someone follows one of my suggestions. The last thing I want to do is cause you to 'ruin' a drawing or needlessly chase things that don't need to be chased after.

So, I went looking through your old posts and stumbled upon your Bouncing Ball. My thought upon viewing it was that it was a great bouncing ball action! For my own edification I thought I'd examine it more closely and the following are my observations. I DO NOT suggest you go back and change or fix what you've got now but I submit this so that you might consider further what I observed in your bounce. Yours is and remains a really fun bounce.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/03/BBObservations3ddrew-1024x775.jpg

I should say, after a lot of consideration I admit I don't really know what is going on with Frame #12 (ball placement/drawing #8?) at that first contact. I do know that I'll learn a lot if you can elaborate on that. The suggestion that Frame 12 is a duplicate of 11 is an error I forgot to edit out. (I apparently uploaded the wrong image. Gulp.)

[3ddrew]

Hey guys,

So I played around with some more drawings of Kipp's face, and I'm thinking I like having one eye more than two. (During the seminar, Don mentioned that he wanted to see Kipp's eyes) What do you all think of this version? The reason I decided to try out the one eye as opposed to two is that only showing one eye may give a more "monstrous" appearance a la Sadako (the creepy girl) from "The Ring". In a weird way, though, it's also really appealing (to me, anyhow). I'm really happy with how he looks now, but I would like to know what you all think.

Thanks in advance again for everything guys, I really appreciate all the input. :)

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/kipp_1_eye.jpg

[3ddrew]

Rodney:

WOW - thank you so much for critiquing my animation. That really helps out a lot, and... wow. Thanks for going as far as you did with it. If I remember correctly, I tried to correct the spacing between frames 11 and 13 (so I put in an inbetween; hence, frame 12). Also, I do see what you mean about the floor. Earlier tonight, I saw the bouncing ball tutorial video here and was inspired to try it that way. I'm using Richard Williams' "The Animator's Survival Kit" right now, but what you've shown me is extremely helpful. Again, thank you so much for posting! :)

[Rodney]

Drew,
I do like the one-eye look for Kipp.

Much of what you face here is a design delimma that gets resolved (or you get stuck with!) in the animation.

In designing, I'm going to suggest that it's important to do that with both eyes. The default pose may in fact be to cover both eyes.

I love the fact that this dilemma has set you up with some business for Kipp to do from time to time... namely to occasionally peer out from underneath with one or (more rarely?) two eyes. You are zeroing in on his personality... and I find that exciting.

This last drawing clues me in to what animating him might be like. Most of the time he might just be drumming along with most of the animated movement confined to his hands. Occasional flurishes accompany the music and as an arm darts out to hit a cymbal we might see one of his eyes. At the climax (DRUM SOLO!) the intensity rising and hair goes flying to reveal both of this eyes. On the last beat everything goes silent... pause.... pause... pause... wait for it... Kipp brushes the hair away from his eyes and slightly smiles.

Regarding the bouncing ball: If you are studying Richard Williams take on it then you are getting rock solid advice. I tend to place Dick and Don at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to Squash and Stretch. Don appears to wholeheartedly embrace it whereas Dick tends to (at least instructionally) shy away. If you look at much of Dick's animation work however you'll see a whole lot of Squash and Stretch. He's a tad ultraconservative in where he applies it and because of this his cartooning has a more technically perfect look to the drawings whereas (here I go out on my limb) Don's tends to project the illusion of life. In short, drawings that move versus the illusion of life.

When push comes to shove my suggestion on a really difficult animation is to animate it once with no squash and stretch (rough drawings) and then once again with the S&S effect applied. This will help to nail down the Timing. Then within the confines of the spaces in between, add the Squash and Stretch where it best applies.

Thanks for the insight into your approach to Frame 12. This validates my current approach to analyzing is actually analyzing something worth while... and your feedback is much appreciated. :)

[3ddrew]

Here's another bouncing ball exercise, but this time with a penguin. More forthcoming! :)

http://www.donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=662

[Josh Lokan]

That is so cool! Nicely done!!!

[C. Siemens]

The beaky creatures remind me of kappas. Must be because of their hair. maybe if you gave one of them a turtle shell to wear on his back ...

[Rodney]

The beaky creatures remind me of kappas. Must be because of their hair. maybe if you gave one of them a turtle shell to wear on his back ...

Chris,
That may be because one of them (the big guy Kipp) is a kappa. ;)

[3ddrew]

Hey all,

Sorry I've been a bit quiet this past week, it's been a bit hectic. That being said, here's the turnaround for Kipp. Also, thanks for the suggestion about the turtle shell. I integrated a shell design onto the back of his leather jacket. Also, his drumsticks are named "Ebony" and "Ivory", but not necessarily in that order. :)

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/kippTurnaround.jpg

[Rodney]

Very nice. :)

That really helps to understand more about how he'll move through space.

'Ebony' and 'Ivory'... great touch!

One of the things I really like about your characters is that their shapes really play off of each other. So different and yet so complimentary.

Those huge arms on Kipp still capture my attention every time I see him. I can almost feel the force with which he could pummel someone into the ground and yet I get a sense that he's a pretty calm character.

I take it you have some band/music experience?
I'm curious because I'm trying to envision your approach to these characters performances.

[C. Siemens]

Chris,
That may be because one of them (the big guy Kipp) is a kappa. ;)

D'oy, you're right. Well, speaks for the drawing. It's immediately recognisable (provided the viewer knows about kappas).

So the turtle shell is printed on the jacket? Yeah, that works. If it were a real shell I think you could have fun incorporating it into the anatomy and posture more.

[3ddrew]

Thanks for the comments, guys. I've been talking this site up to some of my artist and animator friends recently, and this is exactly why. :)

@Rodney: Thank you for noticing that. I wanted to make Kipp look reliable and more child-like, so he's mostly round shapes with some sturdy squares thrown in, and the angles are reserved for his smile and some of the accessories to still give him that wicked edge. He also has the big endearing eyes that he continues to hide, as he doesn't want to lose his "dark cred" - and that's why his hair covers them up. Same thing for Karasu, he's tall and thin and blocky with more angles thrown in, and for Kevin, he's mostly triangles, but I tried to present them in such a way that they'd be "hidden among the circles" and thusly, he appears more appealing at first glance. But there's something not quite right about him (he himself is one big triangle!). :)

@CSiemens: Thank you for the critique! I'm going to work the shell onto his body as part of the design - I'll post what I come up with. Again, thank you for taking time to check out my work and leave feedback! My goal is to make these characters the best possible version that I can, so I appreciate the honesty, and you've got me thinking about how he would look with a shell on him. Time to go find out. :)

[3ddrew]

And here's the final turnaround. Thanks for checking these out everyone. :)

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/kevin7Turnaround.jpg

And here are the trio sized up against one another:

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/geryonSizeChart_002.jpg

Time to start modeling!

[3ddrew]

Wow, it's been a while! :(

This is both good and bad - bad, because I haven't been able to post here quite as often as I'd like, but good in the sense that I'm doing freelance animation in addition to working (and modeling those characters up). Here are some life drawings and some paintings.

As always, thanks for checking my work out. =)

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/28616_1424003489226_1506927127_31038293_3481069_n. jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/drew_skateboard.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/kitsunelini.jpg

[3ddrew]

....and two more from the life drawing pile. (yes, it's the same woman and yes, she was wearing this amazing costume that she created)

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/tankgrrrl1.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/geisha4.jpg

[ashek]

how are you........ today i see your all new drawing .....very cool :D

[andrew sharp]

Wow those last two drawings are super :D

[3ddrew]

Hey guys, I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much of late. I took a really great job over the summer and have been working on an art show immediately afterward. I figured I'd show you some of the stuff I submitted.

I'll be on a bit more now, and have a lot more to show!

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/kevin7BG.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/kippBG.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/karasuBG.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/pudgeBGdb.jpg

[3ddrew]

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/HellishBGdb.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/spiderMonster4.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/oneEyed4Show2.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/runWolfRain.jpg

[3ddrew]

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/lifeDrawingsForShow2.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/2011-09-07031630-1.jpg

[Rodney]

I knew we were missing someone.

I've missed seeing your characters.
...and I see you've been adding to them!

I'd guess this color work is digital but boy does it look like traditional paint to me. The framed pictures are convincing me it IS traditional. Very nice.

Its great to see you posting again.

[3ddrew]

hey Rodney!

Thanks for checking these out - I'm looking forward to getting back on here again after my hiatus.

Oh, and the critters are all digital, except for the original drawings. The three framed monsters are actually printed on acetate cels so they look like actual animation cels. Pretty neat stuff!

[OwenWelsh]

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/oneEyed4Show2.jpg


Drew I really like this creature design. The color and the expression are excellent. I want to see him move! :-)

How do you get that painterly look?

[Rodney]

The three framed monsters are actually printed on acetate cels so they look like actual animation cels.

Printing technology has improved dramatically since I experimented with printing colored drawings (1993/1994). You've got me wanting to re-investigate that. It may be the age of digital technology but I still often find myself stepping back a few paces to enjoy 'old world' technology. I'd love to create a short (really short!) film using hand painted acetate. (Tech Note: the imagery would still be digitally enhanced)

It's cool that you are framing those images. Are they for your wall or some other place?

[3ddrew]

Thanks for the replies!

Owen: I used textures from photos of sidewalks and cinderblocks and made some grunge textures in Photoshop, then used those textures to define the creature via layer settings, and then painting in layers above and below them. =)

Rodney: I actually did an art show tonight - it went really well! And whatever doesn't sell covers Christmas. =D

[andrew sharp]

Your paintings look cool the matted piece is my favorite:)

[Rodney]

Rodney: I actually did an art show tonight - it went really well! And whatever doesn't sell covers Christmas. =D

Hey, that is awesome.
Let us know how it goes!

[3ddrew]

The art show went amazingly well. It was rainy, but there was still a strong turnout. Plus, I got to show with another local illustrator who is incredibly gifted at doing comics and paintings. Great stuff all around. :D Here's some photos:

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/2011-09-21201228.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/2011-09-23175659.jpg

(Oh and for any Floridians, this is being held up at Little Fish, Huge Pond (http://www.littlefish-hugepond.com) in downtown Sanford.

(The whale painting belongs to Dave Mitchell, who is the other artist in the show)

[3ddrew]

oh and here's another character concept - I did this for a mobile gaming company art test. It had to be a mobile game featuring a penguin - I went with the survival horror genre. :eek:

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/drewVaughanPenguinSplashPage.jpg

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i423/3ddrew/drewVaughanPenguinSplashPageMockUp2.jpg

[Rodney]

I am impressed with your work here.
My daughter would be impressed too as she is crazy out penguins.
What is it with penguins...