Various Character Designs

Lately, I’ve been doing some character design for a couple of projects, some commissioned and some personal. Below, you can see some examples.

 

Dial R for Retro

Spent the better part of the day improving my thrash game. Once I’m done, I probably have enough letters to supply the whole thrash scene with brand new, retro-inspired logos. 

Kidding aside, I learned a few things in terms of angles of spacing on me while I was drawing and designing these letters. I’ll come back to that when I have more to show you.

 

Marquis of Snakes

I was thinking of following up on my previous entry, explaining what I set out to with my latest cartoon. Instead, I decided on writing an update on what I’ve been doing lately.

So what have I been up to? Well, I’m back to designing band art. Now, I can’t share everything — you know how it is, what with some bands wanting to reveal their logo or album cover in a special manner. But there’s stuff I can show you! Take this Marquis of Snakes logo, for example. 

On Twitter I jokingly remarked that I like my metal as I like my stilettos — black and pointy, much like a logo. The joke fell flat. (That’s Twitter for you!) But there is a truth to it. As much as I like soft, soothing music, I also like sharp and pointy black metal. Now, while I’m not as deeply entrenched in the black metal underground as I used to be — ever since I moved to Bergen, Norway, I find myself increasingly drawn to black metal again — which is also why, of course, I’m going to Beyond the Gates this August. What has any of this to do with the logo above?

Well, I’ve been wanting to design a real, proper black metal logo for some time now — especially now that I live in a Norwegian town that is, basically, the capital of the black metal scene. You see, over the years, I’ve designed mostly death metal logos, and what few times I designed a black metal logo — it was probably a parody logo (see the Hivernatum logo below), so I’ve been lacking a good black metal piece for my portfolio. But that’s about to change. The Marquis of Snakes logo is going to be one hell of a logo — and I’m going to have it printed on a shirt so I can wear it to Beyond the Gates! I’ll be my own walking advertisement, and it will be great!

So there’s that, but there’s more to the story. For instance, why Marquis of Snakes? I remember watching The Conjuring 2, the slightly disappointing sequel to — well, The Conjuring, and the only thing that really stuck out to me was the name of the film’s main antagonist — Valak, a demon whose title is — that’s right, you guessed it! — Marquis of Snakes. I figured I could turn it into a logo that genuinely screams “black metal,” and some initial sketching proved it a viable idea (see below).

A few hours later I finished the lettering. And now — well, now I’m thinking of adding some more graphics to it, in order to take it to the next level. I’m not talking here of some goatheads or a winged Baphomet, or any other stuff that bear no congruence to the name and what it implies — no, I’m thinking snakes, a fallen cherub, or something like that. Whatever. Anyway, the logo should — probably, or at least hopefully — be finished sometime later this week. So stay tuned — because I’m sure it’ll be a lot more fun to look at it than watching The Conjuring 2 in its entirety!

Digital Inking: Clip Studio Paint vs. Artrage

Alright, let’s talk digital inking software — but first, a little introduction.

I am especially fond of Belgian-Franco comics, also Dutch ones — party because of the way they are drawn and inked. Among the comics artists I admire particularly are Franquín (Gaston), Albert Underzo (Astérix), and Martin Lodewijk (Agent 327). You know what these guys have in common? Their linework linework has a playful smoothness  — one I, at least, find hard to emulate.

Me, I don’t have steady hands. So getting crisp lines on a canvas has been a pain and a grief since the first day I tried my hand at it. This all goes to say that I most welcomed auto-smoothing tools — especially the one of ArtRage, which is why ArtRage became my “go-to” software for cartoon inking. After some misfires, I came close to getting it right (see the cartoon below). 

Yeah. I would say the inking looks okay enough, though perhaps a bit too cold and clinical. And I say to you now, that is the very problem with auto-smoothing, and that leads me to the irony of it all: Oh sure, you finally got your crisp lines, but all the playfulness is smoothed out.

I had already figured out that if you want to ink something gnarly organic, you’re probably better off using Clip Studio Paint (a.k.a. Manga Studio) (see the detail close-ups below of a work-in-progress) —

— instead of ArtRage (see the close-up below of a piece done last year).

Why, you may ask? Why not just use ArtRage, but with a different pen or different settings? Can’t you, then, just make the same gnarly drawing? Well, I found that I couldn’t. For example, once I turned off the smoothing in ArtRage, I ended up with jaggy lines that scream “digital.” Also, Clip Paint Studio, even by default, has a bigger number of available ink brushes for selection — not surprisingly of course, because ArtRage is first and foremost a painting software while Clip Studio Paint is geared toward artists making black-and-white comic strips.

Last night, I tried, for the first time, to do some cartooning in Clip Paint Studio, without any smoothing to aid me — and I’m loving it! I thought I, with my shakey hands, wouldn’t be able to get smooth lines and curves, but to my surprise — it’s actually really easy to ink smoothly and crisply while, even more importantly, even retaining that organic “feel” (see the cartoon head below)! Truly mind-blowing stuff! Now, I’m finally close to making the sort of the comics I so love.

Oh, before I take off, I also want to stress that Clip Studio Paint never seems to lag on my work rig, no matter the amount of layers or the resolution. ArtRage, on the other hand, seems capable only of coping with a limited layer limit. But then, ArtRage emulates analog painting, which in real life constitutes putting down layer on layer on layer, all in the same layer if you will. If high-resolution layer management is what you’re after, look elsewhere. (Did anyone say Clip Studio Paint?)

Let me know about your inking experiences. Please share your stories, insights, and ideas by writing to me.

Dauthuz

If you follow my work, you know I’ve been working on some album art and another tee design for Dauthuz. There’s not really that much to say except that things have been progressing well but slowly because I was caught up in “exam hell” with little time for drawing. To clarify, I’ve been taking a course in Norwegian at the Bergen University, and it’s something I take very seriously. So, yeah, now you know it all.

Well, perhaps there is more to be said there.

As much as I like my previous and first tee design for Dauthuz — something always felt off about those damned skulls. Specifically, the texture of the skulls wasn’t — isn’t boney enough, so this time around I’m trying to, at least, get that right.

I mean, sure, the nasal bone looks okay enough, but the maxilla and the upper dental arches are pure amateur hour.

6 Months Later …

It’s become somewhat of a joke — every new blog entry opening with the following words: “It has been six months since I posted my last,”  but what can I say? I’m not much of a blogger. At best, I’m a seasonal one, but probably not even that. But hey, at least this way, when I blog, you can bet I’ve got something to say. And boy, do I have some news to tell you! I’m talking N-E-W-S News here! Plural! That’s right. So keep reading.

Let’s start with the big news. About four months ago, I migrated to Norway because my better half was made a job offer she couldn’t refuse even though it meant — well, moving to Norway. As you can imagine, it has been a bit of a busy and hectic time. Funnily enough, me emigrating was, paradoxically, also a bit of a non-event, not least because, for the first two months, I had to do without my computer and drawing gear and, of course, I also had to settle in from scratch. So, in a way, my social and creative life came to a halt.

Well, I’m all settled in now — my computer is at my place in the picturesque city of Bergen, I got my music, and my new friends. I got everything I need to get shit done … and, nope, there’s no “buts.” I’ve been churning out cartoons and other illustrative work at a steady pace. Let me show you some stuff.

• Sint is Dead

I drew this cartoon in reaction to the ongoing “Black Pete” debate in the Netherlands in which one gets labeled a racist no matter what one says or thinks about the Dutch Sinterklaas celebration.

• The Teddy Project

I’ve been doing some character designs and model sheets for some guys at the Bergen University who are working on their first indie game.

• The Grand Gnome

I don’t know why, but for some reason, I have a fondness for gnomes. Perhaps it is because, as a child and youth, I spent many enjoyable hours drooling over the gnome illustrations of Rien Poortvliet and watching the televised adventures of David the Gnome.

• Dauthuz

Currently I’m working on some album and T-shirt designs for everyone’s favorite Death Metal band, Dauthuz.

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There, now you’re all to speed on what I’ve been doing lately.

Dauthuz: Sneak Peek

As I noted in one of my previous blog entries, I’m currently working on a T-shirt design for Dauthuz. It’s shaping up nicely, if I say so myself. And, so far, the feedback on social media has been very positive, even more so than usual. So heh… I might’ve just finally found the right niche for myself. No, to be honest, I don’t think there’s a future in Death Metal T-shirt design because the return simply isn’t there. Most of the time you only get paid in “exposure,” if even that. But it’s fun, for a change, to toy around with new, more gritty ideas and (at least to me) unfamiliar styles of drawing and rendering, so that’s just fine with me. But don’t go expecting I’ll be doing freebies and cheapies for all you bands out there!

 

Tijd voor een poll…

ArtRage mon amour

Een  nieuwe cartoon in de maak voor een Australisch ontroerend goed-bedrijf, met voor mijn doen alleraardigst inktwerk.

ArtRage, zonder jou was dit nooit mogelijk geweest.

Nee, ik heb mijn liefde voor ArtRage nooit onder stoelen of banken geschoven, al vanaf het eerste moment dat ik ermee begon te werken. Máár, de laatste tijd wordt het mij moeilijk er van te houden.

Tet & Toeter vallen opnieuw Polen binnen

Het begon als een grap. Ik zei tegen Marco, mijn partner-in-crime, dat ik moe werd van Fokke & Sukke. Waarom? Omdat die cartoons totaal, totáál niet grappig zijn. Toch zijn ze populair. En niet zo’n beetje ook. En nu moet ik zeggen, daar ben ik stiekem eigenlijk best blij mee. Het toont namelijk aan dat er een markt is voor niet-grappige cartoons, en dán is er dus ook een markt voor onze cartoons. Maar enfin.