Monsters Need Love

And some more

2010-05-12T05:47:00.001-07:00

Possible tattoo for Avalice

Avalice Headshot

Avalice in paladin getup

Tarros Cloaked
Tarros...the pirate?

Jerome 1

Jerome 2

More concepts

2010-05-11T08:25:00.001-07:00

Tarros Headshots (because Half Orcs are hard to draw)

Talias Servant 'Sara' (because I forgot her real name)

Edward Felon (he has really short legs)

Avalice armour redesign 1.

Talia Rough colour

2010-05-11T08:21:00.001-07:00

Concept work for Dungeons and Dragons

2010-05-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

Talia

Avalice

Hastur

Abe, Page 1, no words

2010-04-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Based on the tale of Abraham and Isaac (the man asked to sacrifice his son), this comic steals abit from pinnochio and frankenstein to tell the story of a man who creates himself a giant robot son and is asked by the G.O.D corporation to destroy it. I've still got a few pages to do and some words to add but this is the start.

Babel

2010-04-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is a one off inspired by the story of Babel. I still thinks theres something off about the whole thing but I can't put my finger on it. I haven't blogged in forever but I have been doing things...I just haven't bothered to post them o.o! I promise to be better now! Honest!

Big Draw 'Drawn In' with Age Concern Durham

2009-10-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

I took part in a short big draw event with an art group (in association with Age con Durham). Essentially what we did was I drew a series of caricatures of everyone in the class (all 17 o.o") and they spent the afternoon decorating the images. Surprisingly they all showed up as well. Each figure was sitting at a desk (symbolising being brought together) infront of a blank sheet. As well as colouring/decorating the picture they were invited to draw/paint etc something about themselves in the blank space. Remember the event was only 2 hours so it was a small time scale but it was definately fun and they've asked me to take over from their current art teacher (maybe o.o) because they all enjoyed it so much. Some of the carictures were really poor likenesses proving I cannot draw life like x.x Luckily most people weren't too offended!

I have more pictures but its too late to blog.

Inspiration for colours..

2009-09-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of 1950s art and culture and the retro vibe that has made a comeback in things like computer games. There's been a real resurgance of that sort of kitschy future and old combined...think of things like Bioshock and Fallout 3. I have a very useful Taschen book about 1950s advertising (can be seen Here).

There are also alot of sources online...

Alot of comic artists find influence in the golden age of comicbooks, most notably one of my idols Charles Burns. I'm hoping this will influence my style and hopefully stop me from getting too overcomplicated...which it feels like its becoming!

Observer Entry (in the process of being coloured...thanks royal mail strikes!)

2009-09-24T10:37:00.001-07:00

This is my observer entry (again probably far from what they'd want...though its always hard to tell...) I was inspired by the 1950s and the cold war and intend to colour it appropriately to this.

New Tindal Street Press Site (featuring me!)

2009-09-24T10:36:00.001-07:00

Tindal Street

Since Charlie Hadn't Come

2009-09-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

This is the finished piece I did for Tindal Street Press as an accompaniment for their up and coming anthology launch, Roads Ahead and as part of a celebration for their 10th aniversary. There are a few changes I might like to make but this is the longest graphic short I've ever done (mine average 4 pages usually) so I think it went well considering!

I'm not dead yet

2009-09-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

I am still alive...and I have been doing lots of works! I just have this problem that my scanner is in the centre of my floor so in order to actually use it I have to sprawl in a small corner and sit on the floor...It's totally not useful. Maybe I should think of moving my xbox and using that space for this more important thing o.o!

Busyness card designs

2009-06-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

Badges

2009-05-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

I got carried away...I know...

Cutout with a wobbly arm

2009-05-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

The arm will be attached with one of those windmilly things...so it can move! And you can hug him >.>?

Front

Back

Another Mask

2009-05-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

The Swampthiiinnng
Front

Back
And here are some photos of me modelling them!! I need to get out more...>.> I haven't got any elastic so i had to hold them on...hence the weiiird poses.

Postcard?

2009-05-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Front

Back

This is a sort of bookmark shaped one...

Business cards

2009-05-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

Fronts

Backs

More Wallpaper

2009-04-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

Sleeping Beauty, still in black and white.

Cinderella.

Snow White.

Making Wallpaper

2009-04-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

They're not exactly lined up properly yet >.>...I really struggled to do it o.o...In the process of doing a coloured version. It might take a while. If you didn't guess this is red riding hood...I've also done wallpapers for sleeping beauty, cinderella and snow white but they've yet to be scanned and figured out...since this is my first time trying to do this XP

Sewing Illustration

2009-04-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

This was one of the things I tried out when I was at home (where we have a sewing machine) and really enjoyed it...I'd love to continue but sadly the machine is there...and not here...and I just bought a new laptop so I have no money forever now o.o" They're up in the order I did them (the first one being a practice the following 3 being based on fairytales/my last comic strip)

A brief what I wrote (really badly I should point out)

2009-04-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

Main Goal

Produce a portfolio of work that focuses more upon commercial illustration as opposed to solely comic/picture book. However continue comic submissions (such as ink soup) alongside to make sure I am still in touch with the heavily narrative influence of my work.

Other Goals/Ideas.

I must make a website (though this will be more applicable to the vocational studies module) with a portfolio, blog link and contact details. Note: Will has promised to help me make it in the last week of Easter.

Merchandising and getting self out there- Comic conventions, artist books etc. Be inventive/creative about self promotional aspects.

MAKE MORE CONTACTS!!

Create an impressive final show based on the idea of storytelling (think BIG).

Become adept at telling a story in a single image.

Evaluate and research throughout. DO NOT leave it to the last minute to do writing/finish.

Play with the ideas of conception, vision, pattern etc.

Become increasingly more comfortable with my visual language but also work on finding ways to take less time on an image (ie. Stop using biros on A2 pieces of paper…its incredibly time consuming)

Continue to push composition, use of dark and light.

Explore the use of Type.

Explore Colour more.

Explore different aspects of storytelling throughout (single image, panel, media, books etc)

Try to find live/paid work and commissions that would allow narrative elements. Use anyone and anything you can! Leads so far: Record Distributor Plastic Head (Adam’s bosses).

Consider own writing/fracturing/working to briefs/previous work.

Get over fear of craft and improve on shoddiness.

Inspirations/Influences etc (including inspirational people I have met): Stuart Kolakovic, George Grosz, Stanley Spencer, Heironymus Bosch, Paula Rego, Otto Dix, Tomer and Asaf Hanuka, Charles Burns, David B., Robert Crumb, Gary Panter, Jaime Hernandez (use of narrative), Daniel Clowes (use of narrative), Chris Ware (use of narrative), James Jean, Yuko Shizimu, Winsor McCay, Lane Smith, Randolph Caldecott, Sandrine Pelletier, Tony DiTerlizzi, David Shelton, Satoshi Kitamura, Where’s Wally, What-a-Mess, Marc Boutavant Robert Ryan, Benoit Jaques (especially the big cat display unit), Joann Sfar, Alexis Deacon, Tom Gauld, Blanquet, Andrew Rae, Maurizio Quarello, Chio Aoshima, Yoshimoto Nara (Particularly his show at the Baltic), Stian Hole, Lorenzo Mattoti, J.Otto Seibold, Kristin Roskifte, Caroline Leaf (animator), Ferenc Cako (Animator), Piotr Dumala (animator), Raoul Servais (animator), Erik Patterson, Simone Lia, Anna Blaszczyk, Vitali Konstantinov, Batia Kolton, Jan-Hendrik Holst, Klaas Verplancke (Bologna Annual, winners 2008), Bayeux Tapestry, Own Background (photography/textiles/painting/Hartlepool influence).

Fear Not

2009-04-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

The Knight

2009-04-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Fairytale Love

2009-04-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Aims:

2009-03-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

*Learn how to digitally compose and colour to professional standard...FAST!
*Get some commissions! Preferably ones with money involved but as I'm already poor doing work for no particular reason any will do.
*Decide what to do for my FMP and get the hell on with it! Consider exhibition aspect, promotion and how employable it might make me (ie. don't do comics >.>)
*Set up website within the next month.
*Contacts, Contacts, CONTACTS!
*Sort out Portfolio!!
*I'm sure there were more but I can't remember...

Spot Illustrations

2009-03-15T17:45:00.001-07:00

Here are a few practice runs at doing spot illustration. The poems are from a penguin poetry anthology called monsters that had really shockingly poor spot illustrations (yet poems by big names) so it seemed like a good place to start. They were all done in one night because I'm trying to teach myself quick turn around (which is important when it comes to spot illustrations). My favourite is probably the dragon of staines because it intergrates with the text the best...I still need to work on it I think but I'm getting bored of black and white!

12+ scene

2009-03-15T17:40:00.001-07:00

We were challenged to do a scene that included more than 12 people (I think not counting the silohuettes on the platform this has 14). My first attempt was pretty poor and lacked a background so I tried again...I do like this although I admit I got carried away with the colour palette in photoshop...I think I need to learn some self restraint.

Postcard Ideas

2009-03-15T17:29:00.001-07:00

Originally I'd intended the monsters in the first two to be die cut esque postcards, as in they would be the shape of the monster rather than typical postcard shape...Its still plausible...I just got into the barely legible heartshaped font >.> The second was meant to be more interactive, where you could cut out king kong and faye wrays characters and put them on the building but I think it needs rethinking since the scene would be destroyed by cutting the characters out!

Masks

2009-03-15T17:23:00.001-07:00

This is one of the promotional ideas I'm working on...Essentially I'd cut them all out for my final show, my details would be on the back and people would be able to wear them...Now if only I had some idea what I was doing for the final show O.o!
I'm gonna do several more and then pick my favourites from there...These were meant to be the abominable snowman (first one) and er...some...green...monster >.>...It was going to be dracula originally but I was into my green when I was doing it.

Welcome to Jess Watsons new blog!

2009-03-15T16:58:00.001-07:00

Err...yeh...just look at the post title >.>!