Louis

I follow the amazing artist, Erin Hunting on Instagram and aside from her great artwork, she posts a lot of pictures of her cat. He doesn't seem to do anything but stare a the camera, but nonetheless something about him was intriguing.

 

Jarrod Boutcher Puppets

This is something I did for Jarrod Boutcher, super talented puppet designer/creator who did the Little Brother puppet I blogged about ever so long ago. Jarrod always amazes me with the variety of characters that he creates and I've long wanted to paint some of his characters. You should really check out his blog here .

Let's multi-task

Over at SpaceBase8, the nifty webcomic drawn by my friend David Scott Smith, Wednesdays are Robot days. New strips are posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but every Wednesday, Dave posts a drawing of a robot- the great part is that he'll post your drawings too. Here's mine.

Send him one. Send iiiiiit! Or if robots aren't your thing, maybe you can draw a Raygun (he posts drawings of those on Mondays) or a Rocketship (posted on Fridays). You can email your submissions to spacebase8@gmail.com .

Pssst! Hey Doc...

I've got a painting in the upcoming Red Dot Auction being held by the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. But the paintings are all donated anonymously, so I can't tell which one is mine, at least until after the auction. Check out this link to view all of the entries.

Glen Keane

Nowadays, it's cliche for someone to name Glen Keane as their favorite animator, however, that has been the case for me since Beauty and the Beast first came out. That's when I first found out who he was and he became the embodiment, to me, of Disney Animation. I received the signed photo below, along with a letter, in response to a very gushy fan letter I sent to him when I was about 14.

This past weekend Mr. Keane announced his resignation from Disney after 38 years. Rather than feel sad, I'm excited that he's moving on, most likely to continue to animate and do what he loves, instead of floundering in a job that no longer seems to have a use for him anymore. I only met him once, but I wish him well.

I hope he starts a blog...

Wonder-Con 2012 Recap

I had a rite of passage this past Saturday. I attended my first comic convention. Despite living in Southern California, a mere 2 hours from San Diego, and the annual Comic-Con, not to mention numerous smaller cons each year, I've never been to one. The simple reason is that I've never been a big Comic Book guy. I tried to be when I was in Jr. High, but it was a bit of a forced passion, only brought on because my friends were into it. I mean, I liked comic book characters, Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman especially, but I didn't really know much about them- no more than I learned from movies. The few issues of Spider-Man that I purchased in the very early 90's showed me a world that was much bigger and more complex than I felt like figuring out. It made me feel like a someone just starting out when everyone had been at it for years, and I didn't enjoy the issues enough to spend money on them every month. And though I had been assured that most Comics Conventions were more than the same old superheroes, indeed, more than "just comics", it still held no appeal to me. However, this year David Scott Smith, told me that as an attending "Professional" he could bring someone and invited me to go. The price was right, and Dave's fun to hang out with, so I thought, what the heck.

WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?!!

I had a great time. I forgot how fun it is, to simply indulge an interest. Even though I draw all day long, which is of course indulging one of my interests, it's also my work now. I really don't take a lot of time out to just leisurely take in something that I like- I don't even really watch TV or movies unless I'm working at the same time. So the 7 hours I spent tromping up and down the aisles of Anaheim Convention Center this past Saturday were really awesome. And for someone who didn't think I was going to see anything of interest to me, I was surprised how many artists I saw who's work I follow online. I thought I'd give a shout out to a few people I saw who in some way made an impression on me. In no particular order:

Bryan Mon

Bryan was one of the Watch Artists at Disneyland prior to my stint there. He's got an amazing sense for what works (they always said that about Freddie Moore- I know no greater compliment). Every piece of his that I saw was well designed and beautifully painted. His work with gouache was so delicately beautiful it makes you cry. He was at Wonder-Con promoting, among other things, his comic book Unstoppable Tuff-Girl.

Brittney Lee

I don't remember how I first found Brittney's stuff online- I think it was her cut paper designs that first caught my eye, but her digital work is just as striking. I have seen a lot of people with very similar styles, at least with the digital work, but there is just something that makes Brittney's stuff stand out to me. Very colorful, animated designs- everything is alive and in motion in Brittney's work. Though I have to admit I didn't buy anything from Brittney. Buy the time I made it to her table my money was already spent, but I did come back 2 or 3 times just to look. Female artists especially love that at Comic Conventions- when big scruffy guys come by their table repeatedly just to look and not buy anything. Sorry Brittney!


Dean Yeagle

Dean was one of the first artists online whome I found when I googled cartoon pin-ups, to try and educate myself before doing the Girls of Male Standard pieces a few years ago. I had no idea that he was as well known that he is- I thought he was just another illustrator (successful of course) but didn't realize he has the name recognition that he does. His illustrations of Mandy are beautifully done, very animated while still being sexy and innocent. I bought his book Melange, and he was kind enough to autograph and sketch a quick Mandy for me.


Stuart Ng Books

My step-mother told me a few years ago, "A friend of mine told me about this great bookstore in Torrance that specializes in art and animation books". I didn't give it much thought- I generally was kept up to date by the various blogs and sites I followed, what was new and relevant to my interests. If I needed something I would have already ordered it. Well again, I was arrogant and foolish. Stuart Ng Books had a booth at Wonder-Con and it was like stepping into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. I had forgotten that art books can be more than instructional- the ones that really caught my eye were really "art". Just beautiful pictures in a beautifully bound book. I spent the bulk of my money there. Actually the Mandy book came from Stuart's booth.


Chris Sanders

Ok, Chris wasn't there, or at least, he didn't have a table. I hear he's hard at work at Dreamworks, but I did pick up one of his sketchbooks at Stuart Ng's booth. I've written about Sanders' work before- it almost defies description. I hope someday he can explain where his unique eye comes from. He's got such an unique take on proportion and form, all encapsulated in squiggly little ink lines. I regret I couldn't pick up the other volumes of his sketchbook that I saw, or his collected volume of Kiskaloo, his comic strip. But I know where to get them online.

Rough Magic

A few years back, I was asked to design the header/logo for MagicMusic.net, a discussion forum about Disney music. What was really exciting was that the webmaster is a big fan of Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily's as I am, and he wanted something similar to what they had designed for LuxuriaMusic.com

Designed by Kevin & Jody

I was super excited about this, loving both Disney music and Kevin and Jody's work. The client wanted the logo to have a retro 50's feel, but was open to maybe showing a progression of the early days of records up through modern digital formats. Other suggestions were to use Disney icons (Sorcerer's hats and wands) without infringing on copyright. Unfortunately, the webmaster decided to go another direction and not use my stuff. Here are my rough pencil/computer text mockups.

I may just finish a few of these some day, just because I like them so much. All designs are copyright Eric Scales unless otherwise stated.

Little Brother is done!

One last normal post before I begin my Halloween posting tomorrow. When last we left the awesome puppet that Jarrod Boutcher was making based on my sketches, the poor little guy was naked. Actually, Little Brother doesn't mind being naked, but at his family's insistence he usually wears a bit more than that. He has several favorite shirts, all Spider-Man, and generally prefers to go pantsless, with only his diaper down below.

I thought Jarrod would simply be able to go down to the store and pick up a boys Spider-Man t-shirt, cut a whole in the back for my arm and slip it on the puppet. Turns out due to the unique proportions of the puppet, he had to make it from scratch. Not only did he sew the shirt, but he also screened the webs and Spider design on. What a ton of work making a puppet is- not for me, but certainly for someone as thoroughly dedicated as Jarrod.

Below you can see the finished product, Little Brother, standing looking cute and seemingly innocent, next to my original sketch which suggests his other nature.

And here he is, again compared to my original sketch, showing his short temper. Sometimes he forgets that he's not the boss.

To check him out in action, click this link to see the video that Jarrod posted of him. I can't wait for him to show up on my doorstep! In the meantime, don't forget that tomorrow starts the 21 days of Halloween on this blog, 21 spooky sketches, one for each weekday of October. Come back every day, tell your friends, and leave comments! See you then!

Little Brother Puppet Pt II

I'm so flippin' excited. Jarrod has made amazing progress with the puppet he and I are collaborating on. Below you can see the head, with the skin tightly sewn on. Notice how the cheeks which were previously foam forms, are now just soft curves under the skin. The silver wires that you see are the eyebrow mechanism. Little Brother has a hair trigger temper- tell him ,"no" and he is not happy.


Here you can see all of the pieces more or less assembled. Love that he gave him doll joints for the arms and legs. This is really going to look and move like a real kid (or at least a professional puppet) and not something from your local toy store's shelf).

I don't even have words for the final picture. Awesome isn't nearly adequate.

I think I mentioned that Little Brother is obsessed with Spider Man. So I've asked Jarrod to put him in a kids Spider Man shirt, and a big puffy diaper (Little Brother doesn't like wearing pants). I can't wait to see the next update! Be sure to check out Jarrod's blog and website, not only for a few other pictures of this puppet, but also for a ton of the most amazing character puppets you'll ever see.

Little Brother: The Puppet Pt I

I'm collaborating with super talented Puppet Designer, Jarrod Boutcher on a puppet. I've mentioned a few times, that my daughter likes to play a game we call Little Brother. She plays herself, or more recently a teenage version of herself, and I play her bratty 2 year old brother. As such, I get into lots of trouble and she acts as the authority. She gets to punish, yell, and be the sibling whose good at just about everything. I think it's very therapeutic role reversal for her, which is why I've played it with her for so many years now. However, it is a bit repetetive and awkward for me. How many times can a grown man pretend to be a two year old? Anyway, when I was discussing with Jarrod about a puppet that I'd like to order, it suddenly dawned on me that a Little Brother puppet would make this game a lot more enjoyable. I have Little Brother's personality more well defined than his actual look, and since I trust Jarrod's design instincts so well, I've given him lots of description but only a few rough sketches.

The page of drawings above didn't feel quite right. The two at the bottom were better, but he looked too old. Little Brother should just past the toddler stage, where a kid is talking and walking and mobile enough to be trouble, but not old enough for school. Preschool maybe. We often say he's two but I think he's a bit older.

A lot of what I know about Little Brother has just come from playing the game so much and trying to be consistent with him. My daughter knows when I change something about him. He's obsessed with Spider Man, so I've asked Jarrod to put him in a Spider Man shirt. Other than that, he just wears a diaper. He's usually messy, with a small patch of uncombed hair. He goes from happy to angry really quick, so there's going to be an eyebrow mechanism to accomplish this. And I also wanted him to be able to kinda snicker mischeviously, and I noticed that Oscar the Grouch has a unique mouth, in that besides opening up and down, it also has a bit of side to side play. So I thought that would be good to allow little brother to snicker. Below are some of the progress shots that Jarrod has put on his blog.

The basic head shape.

Look what a great match that is for the design on the second page of sketches.

How do you cover a round form? Skin for the head.

The skin, laid loose over the form of the head, with some foam for cheeks added.

Believe it or not, these are arm patterns.

And the inner structure of Little Brother's pudgy little arms.

More to come...

Amigos! Amigos!

Another Odosketch for you today. This one owes it's inspiration to the great Barker Bird replica created by Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily a few years ago. Still my favorite piece of Disneyland Merchandise EVER created. Love having his colorful form brightening up my desk.

Click HERE to watch it being drawn full size.

Deja View

For those who haven't seen it yet, Andreas Deja, 30 year veteran of Disney Animation, has a blog. He's one of the superstar animators of the Renaissance of Disney Animation which occured in the late 80's and ended... well an end date for that renaissance differs depending on who you talk to. Suffice to say, Mr. Deja is wonderfully talented and has no doubt influenced hundreds upon hundreds of artists out there. I've been a bit surprised though, that his blog postings have been mostly, not about his own work, but about the older generation of Disney animators that he met and trained under. Great to see such stuff, and to hear that he was such a fanboy himself. But every time I read his blog, I think, why is he posting this stuff? This hero worship, that's the kind of thing us fans should be posting. So I am.

I first met Mr. Deja sometime in the early to mid 90's. I was a student at Rowland Animation and every year they had a big Open House. Students would show their work and it was well attended by professionals in the industry. The above photo is my friend Brian Kesinger, myself in the middle (and in the shadows), and Mr. Deja. I don't exactly remember the encounter anymore, but I'm sure I was too nervous to say anything very intelligent. But look at how cute we are- our best (and only)suits- we probably felt so important.

I met Andreas again maybe a year or two later. I was at an Animation Expo. I wasn't very good at promoting myself as an artist- the whole portfolio thing was still new to me, and for the most part a portfolio was something that I sent off to a studio so that they could then call me and tell me it was ready for me to come pick up again. I don't think I had ever had anyone of influence actually critique it in front of me before. So I'm at this Expo (probably overdressed in my suit again!), portfolio in hand, and over at the Disney booth I see Mr. Deja standing, watching the crowd mill around. I had been told that Disney would be holding portfolio reviews, in a room upstairs, and in fact I already had an appointment for that, but I thought, what the heck, I'm gonna ask Andreas to look at my stuff. So I did. I walked on over, introduced myself, and asked if he'd look at my portfolio. He was very nice. He went through page by page, offering comments. He couldn't have been nicer. Even when the line started forming. Pretty soon, you could barely hear Tom Sito's shouting about the Union because of all the calls of, "Hey look, Andreas is doing portfolio reviews!". Poor guy, I'm sure that he was not supposed to review portfolios, but he was just too polite to turn us down. I wonder how long it went on before someone from Disney put a stop to it. I heard a few years later that he still remembers and talked about that incident, though I don't know how true that really is.

Years later, my friend Brian (then a Layout Artist at Disney) had the Art of Animation from Mickey Mouse to Hercules book passed around the studio and signed for me as a birthday present. Most of the inscriptions are not fit to print (who knew artists were such a salty bunch? Ok, I know, we all knew that). Included was this signature (the drawing is printed on the page, not drawn):

Have I even talked about his animation? Far more eloquent people than I have praised his characters (King Triton, Gaston, Jafar, Hercules...). My favorite is Jafar from Aladdin, I think the strongest villains that Disney has had in the more recent films ( 1992 is still recent right?) What I always liked about Jafar was how skillfully Andreas played Jafar's flexibly mouth against the rigidity of the rest of the character. In other words, it's very easy in animation to forget that the things you are drawing are supposed to be made of different materials with different properties of their own. Too often, even in so called "realistic" animation, a character moves like rubber, squashing and stretching equally througout his body. Our bodies really do have squash and stretch but, for example, our femur doesn't squash nearly to the extent that our calf does, despite both being involved with the same motion. Jafar is a great example of this contrast being used to it's fullest. His mouth is in constant motion, grimacing, smiling, or weaving a web of lies, though his face as a whole is almost a mask. There are no held cels, where only his mouth moves, but his entire rigid form often drifts and tilts as a whole with his tight cumberbund and stiff shoulder pads, while his mouth runs through the dialogue, and the two never seem at odds.

Anyway I've rambled on again (which is why I usually just post drawings with little or no explanation), but the point of this whole thing is, go check out Andreas' blog. And I'm sure he'll get around to posting his own stuff eventually.

Me Draw Meela

As I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of SpaceBase 8. In fact, it's the only webcomic I read. No, seriously it is. Anyway, just for giggles I thought I'd draw Meela, one of the characters in my own style. What makes Meela so ripe for reinterpretation is that even though artist Dave Smith's style is so distinctive and a big part of Meela's look, she's also got some elements that can easily stay intact and make her recognizeable even if she were reinterpreted. Those cat eye glasses, the hipster hair and clothing...

Anyway I'm really making this sound like a bigger deal than it is- all that to introduce my doodle. Meela is Space Base 8's resident administrative assisstant, though she very rarely seems to be at her desk. But that's how I drew her, filing papers. Even in space, there's lotsa paperwork.

You might want to check out Space Base 8 for yourself. Aside from being funny, the art is incredible. Check it out!

The Super Big Micro Show

No sooner do I try to take a week off than I get the opportunity to do a little promo for an exciting event. A good friend of mine, Disney artist Brian Kesinger, started a blog some time ago. I've been a bit too busy to give it the sort of shout out it deserves, but suffice it to say his work is incredible. Brian has worked at Walt Disney Feature Animation for 13 years now, contributing Layouts to films like Tarzan, Prep and Landing, Chicken Little, Bolt, and serving on the story crew of the upcoming Winnie the Pooh. Though working at Disney would be a dream come true for many people, the realities of production deadlines means that even if you draw cartoons for a living you still need ways to blow off a little creative steam. Brian and several of his fellow artists got together and created what they dubbed the Micro Gallery. It's literally a narrow section of corridor at the end of the hall where they can display their own artwork. Recently, Gallery Nucleus decided to showcase the work of the micro gallery and expand it to showcase artists from Dreamworks, Pixar, and other neighborhood studios. It's always amazing to see the artwork that an artist does outside of work, and Gallery Nucleus' Super Big Micro Show is an opportunity to do just that. The opening reception is on December 11 at 7pm and the show will run until Jan 4. If you'd like to see what kind of artwork today's animation artists do "just for fun" stop by Gallery Nucleus!

Space Base Gr8: An Exclusive Interview with Comic Artist and Illustrator, David Scott Smith

You may remember my mentioning a friend of mine, one David Scott Smith, who draws the webcomic, Space Base 8. Dave and I have worked together at "the day job" for several years and I’ve always been impressed by his talent. In this age of ever increasing amounts of digital artwork, Dave’s traditional gouache work is always beautifully executed. As someone who still feels like he’s finding his own style, I’ve often found myself aiming for that “Dave Smith” look when I’m planning out an illustration. This generally means that the background should have a strong layout and a nice simple color scheme. A little more than a year ago, Dave told me he was thinking of starting his own web comic. "Yeah right," I thought, "till something shiny catches your attention". Well, I am pleased to say that Dave's path must not have been crossed by any shiny objects, because Space Base 8 not only launched but has managed to stay aloft in the ether of the interweb, and has proven to be both a beautiful and entertaining strip. I thought it would be interesting to interview Dave here and delve into how SpaceBase 8 came to be.

ES: So Dave, why don’t you tell us a little bit about your art education?

Cargo, the star of the strip, finds himself in a tight spot with some giant alien rodents.

DS: When I was a kid my parents bought stacks Walter Foster art books for me at yard sales, and this was my first art education. One of my favorites was called “Animal Expressions”. It showed step-by step how to draw chimp faces, which has turned out to be some important art instruction for me. The best book, though, was Preston Blair’s “Animation” book. I read it until it fell apart.

I have a BFA in illustration from California State University, Long Beach. I am so glad I took color theory class. I am not too happy with the color work I do now, but you should have seen it before that class!

ES: That’s ridiculous- your color sense is brilliant. But these interviews tend to make the subject look a little arrogant so for the sake of letting you appear humble I’ll let your comment remain.

DS: Oh, thank goodness. Thanks.

Meela, the Base's resident Administrative Assistant,
and Vesto, personally my favorite character.

ES: I know you’ve told me you were an avid Comic Book Reader as a kid- which ones in particular did you like?


DS: I really liked comics like Richie Rich, Casper, and Hot Stuff. The linework in those things has a clarity and charm that I would love to get into my work today. I also was a big comic strip fan. Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes were always my favorites.
I got into superhero comics when I was older, but now I prefer cartoony comics, like the stuff I read as a kid.
ES: What things (TV shows, Movies, etc…) inspired you growing up?


DS: Star Trek. The original one. Sid and Marty Krofft kid’s shows like H.R. Puffinstuff, Lidsville, Land of the Lost, The Lost Saucer, and the Far Out Space Nuts. The sillier the better!
Star Wars. The original one. Anything by Rankin/Bass, like those great Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer shows. I loved Happy Days Mork and Mindy, even though now I think they are hopelessly unwatchable. I think my joke writing is heavily influenced by all the junky sitcoms I loved as a kid.



And Star Trek and Star Wars. And Star Trek.

The robot, Lighthouse, wanders through the endless maze that is Space Base 8.
The strips color style will consistently wow you.

ES: And I know Monkeys are a big thing for you- ever work as an organ grinder or something?

DS: No, but I play the accordion, and people always tell me I should get a monkey and go collect change in the park. I guess people confuse organ grinders and accordion players. Probably because most people really hate organ grinders and accordion players. But everyone loves monkeys. Now that’s something to think about.

ES: So tell us a little bit about Space Base 8.

DS: In Space Base 8, my online comic strip, a space monkey named Cargo tries to deal with life on a space station where everything is illogical, irrational, and unfair. So it’s like real life, but funnier. And in space. And with monkeys, and robots, and rocketships.

ES: How long did you actively work to develop Space Base 8 before it’s premiere?

DS: The concept had been brewing for more than a year, and I worked for four or five months to make the first forty strips before I put them out there online. So I started with forty finished strips ahead of schedule. Now I am down to three strips ahead. It is hard to keep producing comics on a regular schedule.

ES: Can you outline how a basic strip for Space Base 8 is created?


DS: I start at the computer. I type the dialog directly into a comic strip template I have prepared in Photoshop. This gets the rough draft lettering done at the same time as the joke writing, which saves me time. Then I use a Wacom tablet to rough draft the art onto the template, and position the art and lettering in the template so it all works together. Getting art and type to work well together is very important in comic storytelling, and working digitally allows me to easily rework things until they are just right.
I print the rough draft and tape it to the back of a piece of bristol board. I use a lightbox to see through the bristol to my rough draft, and use it as a guide when I do the lettering and final drawing. I use speedball dip pens for lettering, and a brush for the line art.

ES: With comics no longer being confined to the printed page, there are a variety of styles in today’s webcomics. Even so, the style of Space Base 8 stands out- not only the way you draw the characters but also the way you’ve chosen to do the color. Where did that come from?

The older models of robot are steam driven (of course!)
Here one of them tries to fill Lighthouse in on "The System"

DS: I take some inspiration from Mid-Century Modern design and 50s illustration and animation, but try to let it only flavor the strip, not dictate the style. I really enjoy using a brush to make calligraphic linework with a lot of thick-and-thin variation, so put that into the style of the strip, too.
The coloring style came as kind of an accidentally-on-purpose situation. When I first drew my characters in black outline against a solid black outer space background,I saw that it hid the cool linework I worked so hard on. To solve this, I put a lighter color outline around the black outlines. Since that worked well, I started leaving a space of lighter color or no color at all around the characters all the time, leaving a kind of halo around them that sets them off from the backgrounds. I have started to use this halo in an expressive way. So if a character is angry, his halo might get more jagged or something like that. And it turns out that you can see this type of thing in Mid-Century design too, so it ties in well with the look of the strip. I also like to let the colors fall in and out of the linework, to give it a funky modern feel, like the colors are out of registration a bit from the lines. I have had some fun with that.

ES: That’s an accurate description but doesn’t really do it justice. The simple blocks of color really do make the strip very striking, and I think the overall look instantly puts people in that hokey sci-fi frame of mind.

DS: Thanks, I’m glad to hear that. That is pretty much what I’m going for.

ES: The Base (that’s what us uber Space Base 8 fans call it) is populated by some pretty unusual characters- robots, all manner of aliens, and of course Cargo the Rocket Crash Test Monkey. Not to ask you to choose a favorite among your children, but do you have a favorite character in the strip? Maybe one who’s particularly fun to write for or who comes more naturally than the others?


DS: I get a kick writing and drawing Oril, the unmotivated, time-traveling temp worker. I plan on doing a one-shot comic book starring Oril someday, with lots of “Back To The Future” -type time travel fun in the story.

Oril- Dave gets a kick outta' him.

ES: Any hints on what readers can expect from Space Base 8 in the future?

DS: Well, what I will try not to do is introduce more characters. There are already too many characters in the strip. I will put existing characters together that have not interacted with each other before. That will be fun.

ES: Can we look forward to a book of your strips anytime soon? T-Shirts? Cargo and Vesto action figures? An adhesive third eye so you can look just like Oril?

DS: Book and merchandise will come eventually. I plan on offering the original art for sale too. But right now I have enough trouble making time to produce three comics a week, so I’m mostly focusing on just getting the strip done. The good news is I’m getting faster at producing the strip, so pretty soon I should be able to move on to getting these other things started.

ES: Do you have any final comments for someone who wants to become a comic strip artist? Any resources you can reccommend?

DS: Absolutely. The book ‘How To Make Webcomics” is the best thing out there. It is written by the guys at Halfpixel.com, four successful web cartoonists who have been doing webcomics for a long time. They also did a teriffic podcast called Webcomics Weekly. Unfortunately, they seem to have stopped doing the podcast, but you can still find the old episodes online or on iTunes. I really can’t recommend the book or podcast more. They give all kinds of great advice for beginners and professionals, and they are really fun to read and listen to.

ES: Thanks Dave. As always, it’s great talking to you.


For anyone who missed it, you can find Space Base 8 at this link. Space Base 8 runs new strips Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (barring unexpected intergalactic phenomena). You can also find more info about Dave and Space Base 8 at Dave's blog, MonkeyAlwaysWins , or become a Space Base 8 fan on Facebook. And you can check out some of Dave’s other work, or see his resume, or ask him a question at his webpage. By the way, all artwork in this post is Copyright David Scott Smith.


Until next time, keep those pencils sharp and those sketches coming!

Blankenship-osaurus

I love ultra realistic drawings and paintings of Dinosaurs. Having drawn cartoons most of my life though, my sense of proportion is very definately skewed, and so it's tough for me to draw these amazing creatures with anything close to the majesty that they must have really possessed. Generally they come out looking more like Flintstones dinosaurs. However, my friend and follower Brian Blankenship does some amazing dinosaur illustrations, and they inspired me to draw one. Mind you this is nothing like the way he does his, but the effect he captures so well was inspiring nonetheless. I especially like this one and this one. Actually, mine isn't based on any actual dinosaur, so much as just the whole bird/dinosaur connection. It's heavily inspired by a trip to the LA Zoo near dusk a few years ago. Just as I approached the pen, a cassowary came charging out from some foliage and ran past where I stood at the fence. Watching this giant bird lope by I was instantly reminded of the Gallimimus' in Jurassic Park. I've always thought birds were a bit creepy, with their vacant staring eyes and scaly legs. It's not hard to imagine that they are an offshoot of the dinosaurs.