I love watching cartoons, and by that I mean real cartoons, not the animated dramas called anime. Children's cartoons focus on fun, and most have surprising depth. Look no further than classic Disney, in particular from about 1973-1995. These movies are characterized by fun, active characters in simple yet engaging plots, and almost always accompanied by a strong moral message. Though Lion King is unquestionably my favourite, I'd like to give a shout out to Oliver & Company, a criminally underrated film.
I also love martial arts. I've been practicing various forms for about half my life, ranging from tough tournament competitions to the daily quest of self-improvement and mastery. It's undoubtedly the best thing I've ever done for myself, though learning to draw may become a close second.
Given these two paragraphs, it should be no surprise that I love Dreamwork's Kung Fu Panda. It's a simple, fun frolic in the world of animation and martial arts. When I first watched it, I actually redoubled my own training, such was the effect it had on me. This week, I tried to draw some of the characters, starting with the Furious Five. I hoped to do all five in one week, but ... here's the first three!
This is Master Viper. True story: one of my sparring stances is modelled after Snake Kung Fu. Many of my partners say it's very tough to spar against, and I've had great success with it, even if my own Kung Fu experience is rather limited. This is probably why I'm drawn to Viper. I'm pretty happy with this drawing: the scales on her belly look good, and the pattern around her back turned out well. Ignore the dark cloud near her head: that's completely the scanner's fault. For a line art of a snake, I can't do much better than this without investing double the time. Awesome.
This is Master Crane. True story: I studied Matsumura White Crane style for two weeks, before I left for university. My sensei then past away before I returned, much to my shock and horror. I've sometimes wondered if going to school was the right choice. This doubt likely fuels my interest in Crane ... as well as his sarcastic wit. I'm less happy with this one: it definitely looks like a bird, but it doesn't immediately looks like Crane. I need more detail in his face, hat, eyes, feathers and talons .... in short, everywhere, but again, I was in a serious time crunch, so this will have to do for now.
This is Master Mantins. True Story: I have no experience with mantis kung fu. Sorry, no more personal anecdotes. I do like praying mantises in general, though, and Mantis is a mantis. This drawing took about an hour, making it the quickest of the three. I managed this in part by ignored the shadows. There's nothing glaringly wrong with this image, but I don't really like it. Oh well.
Here's all three on the page:
For the record, I had two days this week where I worked more than 12 hours. I'm used to busy schedules, but even that's a little too extreme for me. Thank the Goddess I had drawing to fall back on: just a few minutes each day to sit at my desk and be creative, not reactive or productive. One day I'd try to get the outline, the next day I'd go for the quick shading and details. Not a perfect system, but when you are starved for time it's better than nothing.
Next week I should finish the rest of the Furious Five ... and hopefully more, and seven days to do two characters seems excessive. Or maybe they'll just have seven days worth of detail and finish. You'll just have to wait and see! Oh, surprises!
No comments:
Post a Comment