Drawn Together: Valentines Designs

The first part is basically just to get a VERY VERY rough base line of what the design will be down on paper, then to drink copious amounts of coffee, sit about watching some TV if possible and then use it as a rough guide for a digital version in rough also... see below.

Once the basic shapes and in a nice loose form you lock the level down and make it a little transparent so you can draw over the top of it... kinda like tracing your own work to a degree... this is so you know your basically in the right place and have the correct angle.

Then you zoom in and get the basic head shape and blocked features down in the graphic and export the head to a new page where you can work on things better without being distracted by the rest of the image at this stage.

Below you will see that I have the basic head shape and some hair roughly placed in together with a little work on the eyes and an expression so I can judge the feel for the complete picture when I place the head back on the draft body again.

The good thing about this is that it gives you the 'intent' to do a good job on the rest of the illustration as you spent a good few hours getting the head jussssst riiight. Actually you ALWAYS end up changing the head and the expression as the whole design evolves depending on your mood and what movie or muic you have playing in the background.

Below is the draft head completed.

From here I take the head and place it on the lower level with the draft body and then start working on the little boys body, arms and legs in draft and look into what kind of weaponry he will be adorned with for the illustration.

I will be looking at medieval crossbows, semi automatic gattling guns and a few 'black widow' slingshots to get the design just right.

BUT before all that I have the most important thing to do!!! The local Fair at Stanwell Village is in town and I am going off with my little boys and the Missus to watch his face light up under all the flashing lights and enjoy the smell of cheap hotdogs and candyfloss.

After working at Haven Holidays and Thorpe Park for a few years now I don't think I will be impressed by the rides, but seeing my little Labowski's glow with joy at the lights will be reward in itself. Then home again to look at the photos we will take of it all with him, snuggle the little ones in bed and then back to the studio to carry on working on graphics till the small hours as usual.

::RANDOM FACT::

I havn't had any illustrations published in the Staines News for Months..... Email the editors to complain about this miscarriage of justice :)