Thursday, December 26, 2013

Tips To Draw the Grinch Who Stole Christmas

So, you've decided you like to draw the Grinch, that is the Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  He's a greasy black banana, and as slippery as an eel, Mr. Grinch, from the books by Dr. Suess, and later animated into a seasonal villain that everyone loves, dearly (I know I do).

Well, here it goes.  These are two distinct versions of him.  One, as his average nude self, and the other in his make-shift Santa costume.  Both are fairly similar, and actually quite simple.  He's basically a single line from top to bottom, with rudimentary shapes like a heart, oval and angles.

You ready to get started?  Then let's go.

First, let's draw him o-natural.

Step #1:
The Grinch Step #1


Step #2:
The Grinch Step #2
Step #3:
The Grinch Step #3
Step #4:
The Grinch Step #4
Step #5:
The Grinch Step #5

And now, for his Santa suit.

Step #1:
Santa Grinch Step #1
Step #2:
Santa Grinch Step #2

Step #3:
Santa Grinch Step #3
Step #4:
Santa Grinch Step #4

Step #5:
Santa Grinch Step #5

And, that's it.  If you'd like some more details on this, check out my Squidoo article, How to Draw the Grinch.  This is actually the second in my series of How-to-draw something.  The first was How To Draw Nightmare Before Christmas Characters.  If you like, you can mix them up, and draw the ultimate Christmas villain pic, with The Grinch and Jack Skellington.  I hope you enjoy!
Jack Skellington and The Grinch
Yo, Santa.  We got it this year.


Girl Power!
Girl Power!
If you like what you see here, please check out my other work on Boneworld on DeviantArt, or possibly check out my art on some t-shirts on Boneworld Zazzle Store.

Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Hey, Animated Films for Adults Do Exist

Anime Girl in Black
Anime Girl in Black
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by intruzo..99
I love cartoons, and especially most anime.  You see, I watched tons of cartoons as a kid, I was immersed in them--G.I Joe, Transformers, Exosquad, Starblazers, and so many others.  But somewhere along the line, I guess I started to think maybe there's an age limit for cartoons, so I stopped watching them. But, in the last few years, I've rekindled that love of cartoons, that I lost so long ago, and it's been wonderful.

The thing is, I think this is very common in adulthood.  We turn our backs on so many things we used to like, sometimes for the better, but in some cases, it's just because we have this preconceived idea that adults don't do that.  I think it's this way with cartoons, and I really wish I could call people out on it more often, because I believe if people would give it a chance, more adults would be watching 2-D animated cartoons.

Heavy Metal Magazine
Heavy Metal
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Rene Walter
Some of my favs now, are Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal 2000, Titan A.E., and a great many anime movies that I've discovered.  One of my favorite anime movies, is Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa, which I recently did a review of on Squidoo, called Fullmetal Bringing Back the Brothers.  Click the link to find out more about it.

There is another movie, however, that really brought back my love of animated movies.  It's a documentary that fleshes out all the ins-and-outs of the anime industry in Japan.  The movie is called, Anime: Drawing a Revolution.  It's a movie chock full of interviews and information about the burgeoning industry in Japan, and what it really means to be an anime movie.

Fullmetal Alchemist
Fullmetal Alchemist
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by mimimeow_
The thing is, all major nations have an entertainment mecca that developed over time due to different influences and needs.  It's kind of a cause and effect type relationship.  America has Hollywood, India has Bollywood, and Japan has anime.  The economy and culture of Japan doesn't lend itself well to big budget blockbusters that rely on big named stars or effects.  Most movies in Japan have a small budget, and require that the small number of big named directors work magic to eek out epic films with little but pennies on the dollar, or Yen.  This has lead to anime studios.

You might think, well anime is still just a cartoon, and technically you'd be right.  However, anime is actually a revolution in Japan.  It's swept the country, just the same way the big named actors in America take control every big movie season.  Anime movies are the movies of Japan, and with that, they aren't the typical silly child-like cartoons, such as Scooby Doo.  Many of them are dramatic pieces, that can create an emotional tie to the stories and characters.

Akira
Akira
Flicker Creative Commons Photo by ORAZ Studio
Some of the big ones are Akira, Summer Wars and Grave of the Fireflies.  Akira starts off with an atomic detonation that levels all of Tokyo, and brings on an apocalyptic setting, which for the Japanese is something many actually have feared, at one time or another.  Summer Wars is a movie that depicts a nation submerged in the internet, so much so, that when a virus cuts things off, the world plunges into complete chaos.  The only thing that keeps them all alive, is family and friends bonding together.  And Grave of the Flireflies is a movie of two children trying to survive in the ravaged country of Japan after World War II.  Their parents were killed in an air raid, and they have little to go on, but their wits.  It's a depressive story, but one that is all too real for those in Japan.

The difference here, is an emotional tie that isn't present in most animated movies.  However, in anime, this is an important factor, to find something true to hold on to, and press beyond the black lines and colors, to reach out and touch the audience.


Afro Samurai
Afro Samurai
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Nuno de Azevedo
That's not to say that anime movies don't have their fun movies.  There's always Trigun, Redline and Afro Samurai, which are all amazing anime films that are more likely going to just entertain with violence and exhilarating action.  And that's not always a bad thing.  It all depends upon what you're in the mood for.

So, before you pass judgement on an animated feature-length film, please try and consider its background first.  If you know of any more films you think deserve consideration, I love to hear about them in the comments section.  Otherwise, I hope your holidays have been great!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Let's Talk Independent Film News and Media, Shall We

Toonami
Toonami
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Toro Urata
Yo, yo, yo, what better way to spend the holidays, or the couple weeks leading up to the holidays, then to send some love to some others around the internet that I really like.

Many of you who know me, know that there's a warm place in my heart for anime, but in America there's just not enough of it.  However, I'm getting my fix on Saturday nights between 12:00AM to 6:00AM (yes, that's right, the middle of the freakin' night) on Toonami (I DVR it, and watch when I'm actually awake), which is basically just Cartoon Network.

Summer Wars
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by CCSX
Toonami shows a series of some of my favorite shows, like FLCL, Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Bleach, Naruto and a few others.  To find out more, check out the site Toonami Faithful.

This month it's on hiatus, and in its place they've been showing some of the best feature-length anime movies ever.  The first week, they showed Akira, and unfortunately, I didn't know about it and I didn't DVR it, so I didn't get to watch pretty much the greatest anime movie ever.  However, this past Saturday, December 14, they showed Summer Wars, which I reviewed on Squidoo.  Please head on over and read my review, In Summer Wars, Dorothy Can't Hack This OZ.

Adult Swim Offices
Adult Swim Offices
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Fred Seibert
Next week, they'll be showing Full Metal Alchemist: The Conquerer of Shambala and they'll wrap it up with Trigun: Badlands Rumble, before continuing with the normal run of series.

I also found a site by a couple of animators called GrisDismation.  They appear to be a couple who enjoy drawing together, and they're trying their hand at creating an independent animation studio.  I've checked out a number of their films, and they remind me a little of Ren and Stimpy, but with a far darker sense of humor.  The one I like best is called If I Didn't Have a Brain (The Anti-Drug Song).  You can check them out at GrisDismation.com

Heavy Metal Magazine
Heavy Metal Magazine
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Rene Walter
The next one is called Blag Flag TV, and it's an independent TV station playing indie horror movies 24-7 on their website.  This one kind of took my by surprise, because I really didn't know what to make of it.  It appears any indie film maker can submit their B-horror film to be shown at some point in their schedule, and it will be shown to a wider audience.  Possibly, getting a little better play then if it were just sitting on YouTube.  The creator of the site is SV Bell, who is a film maker, comic book artists and Heavy Metal painter.

Finally, I'd like to send a little love over to the folks over at Huckaberry's Cryptic Crydders.  The site is run by Reggie Whitehead, who's art is extremely intriguing to me.  He makes art out of animal bones, and other buried treasures.  Yes, I know.  He actually uses animal bones to create works of art.  They're actually pretty awesome.  Check it out, whenever you get the chance.

Oh, and don't forget to check out my review of Summer Wars, In Summer Wars, Dorothy Can't Hack This OZ.  If you want to share the love, or just get a conversation going, go ahead and leave me a comment.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

All I Want For Christmas Is Loads Of Awesome

Santa Grinch
Santa Grinch
'Tis the season for everyone to spend too much money, stress over the little things, and hope that they can please all of their friends and family with assorted trinkets.  All the while, being asked, "well what do you, or your kids want for Christmas this year?" and each time, if you are anything like me, the first thing that pops into your mind is something that will likely be way overpriced.  But before you blurt that out, you change over to, "Well, there is this, under $20.00 item, that I'd be interested in."

Ya, It's kind of like that.  Why was Christmas as a child, so much fun, and as an adult it's so damned blah?

Any who, being that I like to draw, there are a number of things that I'm interested in getting this year for Christmas, that won't blow the budget.  In fact, many of them are down right cheap.  Let me tell you about them.

Sharpener
Sharpener
I have a pencil sharpener.  It's an electric battery powered sharpener, that doesn't take up much room,  but I have heard rumored that the kind I have occasional breaks, so I'd really like to have a backup, since I draw every day.  Also, the electric one I have works great, but inside is basically a rotating single hole sharpener, like the ones kids use in grade school, so I suspect that the blade will eventually dull.

I've discovered a hand crank sharpener that's very small, has replaceable blades, and it adjusts during sharpening, to get a better point, as well as reduce the risk of snapping off.  This is especially important to me for my colored pencils, since they seem to break more frequently.  I am talking about the Kum AS2 or AS2KM, Two Hole Automatic Long Point Pencil Sharpener.  It costs like $7.00, so no biggy here.

Drawing Tablet and Scanner
Drawing Tablet and Scanner
I have a drawing tablet.  It's a DigiPro WP5540.  I've had it for over a year, and it's still working, but it is a fairly cumbersome drawing tablet.  The pen is thick and heavy, due the the battery in it, and the pad is loose, and doesn't have a very good feel to it.  I'd really like to upgrade to a Wacom tablet.

The Wacom I've been looking at is, Wacom Intuos Pen Small Tablet.  Wacom recently discontinued its Bamboo line, which was its former play pen line, and has replaced it with this $70.00 version.  It's very similar to the old Bamboo, and comes with Autodesk Sketchbook Express and Art Rage 3 Studio.  I'd kind of like to get it.  And if no one buys it for me, I will likely buy it for myself, eventually.

Books
Books
The next one is a book I've had on my list to get for some time.  Whenever I tell anyone I'm learning to draw, everyone says, "You have to get, THIS BOOK!"  The book is, Drawing on the right side of the brain by Betty Edwards.  The price tag is like $15.00, so again, this one is not much.

This next one is a two-fer, and I find it very hard to believe anyone will buy it for me, but here goes.  I don't get to draw nearly as much as I'd like to, but I had a revelation one night when I learned that many people draw on their tablets.  So, I was thinking, if I could find one that wasn't too pricey, but could still do all of the things that I needed, maybe,  just maybe, some kind soul would have pity, and buy it for me.  Then I'd need to buy the right stylus for the drawing part.

Pencils
Pencils
The tablet I found is the 7-inch Dragon Touch Tablet, and it runs about $80.00.  It's a capacitive touch screen, so it requires a certain type of stylus to get the best results out of it.

The stylus I chose is the Adonit Jot Classic Fine Point Stylus for Touch Screen Tablets.  This is an amazing stylus specifically designed for drawing on capacitive touch screens.  It's designed to draw accurately at any angle, and give artists the freedom to draw like they would on paper.  It costs around $20.00, so it's in the ballpark.


Paper
Paper
So, there you have it--the list.  Is that too much to ask for?  Now, I'm not asking for the world.  I'm not even saying I expect to receive all of these things.  In fact, I'd expect pigs to fly out of my butt a whole lot sooner.  However, this is a comprehensive list of all the things that I'd actually like for Christmas this year.

YEAH ME!!!

If you have an artist in your family who you still need to buy a gift for this holiday season, take a look at this article on Squidoo, What To Buy the Artist In Your Family For Christmas.  It'll give you some ideas to help you get started.

Anyway, I hope everyone's shopping is going great, enjoy.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Is the Clock Missing Numbers, Because I'm Losing Time?!?

Girl Power!
Girl Power! t-shirt
It's been a while since I posted, but it's not like I haven't been working.  I have a few things coming down the pipeline that I'm very excited about, but to be honest, there's just not enough time in the day.

Have you ever had one of those days, where you think, "OK, after this one or two things, I'll get to my cool stuff", and then the phone rings or a glass spills or the dog needs to go out, and pretty soon, you're feeling just worn out tired, and you're vegging out in front of the TV, chewing on whatever was in the cabinet.

Or maybe its one of those nights when you actually get to the computer, but first let me check some stuff on Facebook and Twitter and my email and Google+, and pretty soon, you've stumbled upon some cat sleeping on its back like a little kid, and rubbing its eyes, and you just can't click away.  Those cat videos are powerful, right?

Girl Power! Desi the Cyborg
Girl Power! Desi the Cyborg iPhone Case
Those two scenarios seem to be my whole life lately.  I have a number of things I want to get to in the next few days, but who knows.  However, I'm real proud of my latest drawing.  It's called Girl Power!, and you can check it out in all of its glory on my DeviantArt Page.

The drawing is a depiction of the three main female archetypes that best personify girl power (in my humble opinion).  These are the sorceress, the steampunk tinker and the cyborg soldier.  They are also three character concepts from an animated series that I'd like to some day create.  The lovely ladies are standing in front of bolts of purple and pink lightning, along with some fog, because, hey, girl power and all.

But if you really want to view it the right way, I've posted it onto my Zazzle Page, as well, where you can take a look, and purchase the glorious three ladies of Girl Power! on a t-shirt, laptop bag, cell phone case, gift wrap paper, coffee mug, or even the coveted Girl Power! award.

JT Vector Art Cell Phone Case
JT Vector Art Cell Phone Case
Along with the Girl Power! art, I've also added another piece.  It's an abstract piece of vector art I originally designed for logos, but I thought it would look good on a cell phone case, so please check out the JT Vector Logo for cell phone covers.  It's customizable, so you can add your name, a nickname or whatever.

And even if you're not interested in buying, I'd love for you to stop by, take a look, and let me know what you think in the comments section.  If you have a suggestion, I'd be all ears.

And if that wasn't enough, you can now get my favorite black ops ninja soldier, Sword Six, on a wrist watch.  "WHAT?!?" you say.  "AM I SERIOUS?!?" you say.  Yes, yes I am.  Stop shouting--I'm right here.  Sword Six can now keep your time.  Maybe that's where all of my time has gone.  That sneaky BASTARD!  Anyway, enjoy!
Sword Six Wrist Watch
Sword Six Wrist Watch