I'm back! Missed me? You had better! ;)

Long time no post, I know. Things were rough this semester, to say the very least, but I just finished some major paper work. Now that those are behind me, I'm ready to jump back into the project saddle with a focused mind - and I'm loving it! Part of my 'fresh mind and spirit' approach to my project will involved a redesign of my blog's layout, but that is quite a ways away. In the mean time, I have these:

Remember some posts ago when I alluded that research is important? In order to reinforce that statement (not that it really needs it, but hey!), I'm adding 'research is ongoing'. Trust me, that phase never stops. For my project, I wish to include a handmade book/portfolio as part of my display. I figured I could either go the slow and quality-dubious way of trying it myself, or learn from an expert in the book making field.

Since you have the crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run, here's my first little step in book making:

Don't laugh now! I know it's not much to look at, but I have to learn the basics first -  an X book (1), from scrap paper (which I have plenty of after all that theory work!). Not to worry; it will all make sense in due course. ;) My first little book rests on top of an old project logo design (2), and a scrap paper from a previous draft of my thesis (Hi, V!) (3). I happened to be browsing Brittney Lee's blog when I snapped this photo (4), and that yellow piece of paper contains an ancient to-do list - most of the items on it have either been finished, forgotten or outright discarded (5).

That it so far, but stay tuned! I'll try my best not to be gone for so long again - unless I'm on an all-inclusive vacation. ;)

FYP Character Sketches - Lizzy Rexxy

I still have Part III of my poster maquette experiment to post, but I wanted to show this first.

Lizford 'Lizzy Rexxy' Rexxington

The hyper-energetic dancer and party green lizard - Lizzy Rexxy!

What do you guys think? No constructive criticisms will be refused or deleted. :)

FYP - Poster Maquettes Pt.2

No, I haven't forgotten about this at all! In fact, I've just put together a little outline of my process thus far. To be honest, I had been hoping to have had this finished before my exam on Thursday (Dec. 16, 2010), but I had gotten far enough for people to get what I'm trying to accomplish.

Anyway, on to the process!

*Re-edit* Found an image hosting site that will allow the file to show at full size! Link has been updated!.:D

FYP - GirlChile's name is...

The polls are now closed! Sorry for those who missed it, but such is life. According to the results, the winner is 'Charlene' with 22.7% of the 44 votes cast. 'Sasha' and 'Kadianne' tied for 2nd place with 20.5% each, followed by 'Janine' (18.2%), 'Christina' (11.4%) and 'Yvonne' (6.8%)

So GirlChile's name is now Charlene Robinson. :D Many thanks to all who voted and helped me out with this task!

FYP - Give 'GirlChile' A Name!

After many, many weeks of brainstorming, I am stumped where giving 'GirlChile' a proper name is concerned. Of course, 'GirlChile' has grown on many of my classmates so I'll keep it as a nickname, but she still needs a proper 'birth certificate' name! ^^; Since I'm useless on that front, I realize that I need your help. A lot. :D

Just to give some background information on the character, here's a brief data sheet:

Age:  7+

Location:  Jamaica


Physical Characteristics: Tall and very skinny for her age.


Personality:  Highly imaginative, observant, jovial, sensitive, a thinker, a little stubborn

Likes:  Reading, drawing, writing, playing games


Dislikes:  Being bored, mean people, being alone, not being able to draw


Family:  Everton (Father), Janet (Mother), Pa Bap (grandpa), Ma Millie (Grandmother)

I've made a shortlist of names and set up a poll on the right side of the blog, so I can get your opinions. If you don't like any of the names listed, or you''d like to make a suggestion, please feel free to do so in the comments. Thanks in advance, guys! I appreciate it!

Polling ends on December 13, 2010 @ 12:15 a.m., so hurry and get those votes in!

FYP Character Sketches - Countess Whiskeria

Countess Whiskeria is one of the first animal characters to make their appearance in the book. She's a sassy diva with a heart of gold and an eye for fashion. Yes, fashion as in clothes. Don't let the animal nekkidness fool you; Countess and the gang will be wearing clothes. :)

Countess Whiskeria - Initial Sketch

This was the very first sketch that I did of Countess, and it's quite rough. ^^; Countess would require some cosmetic changes before she was ready for her close up.

Countess Whiskeria - 2nd and 3rd Sketches

The second and third sketches for Countess came closer to being 'Countess' than the first, but they still lacked something that would make me go, "Aha! Now she's finished!". I had been looking at some photos of cat breeds and was trying to incorporate physical characteristics of the Abyssinian and the Colourpoint Shorthair (the long, sleek body, with a bit of the ears and facials features). However, I still wasn't quite feeling it. She looked great here, yes, but was more 'fashion magazine' than 'children's book'.

Countess Whiskeria - 3rd Sketch feat. possible hat, scarf and dress design options

The final is dead close to being Countess' final design. After looking at images of cats as well as my own live-and-breathing house/yard puss, I noticed that their hind legs are thicker than their forelegs. Which makes a lot of sense, since much of their hunting relies heavily on sprinting after and pouncing on things as well as the occasional climbing exercise. She has no bust, since I'm not going that anthro/furry route for this project, but I did play up her feminine traits with her hips. Since cats also walk on their toes, so does Countess - which is why her feet aren't flat on the ground as one would expect with, say, a human. She's still smooth-coated, as I find this type of fur easier to work with in a project of this scale.

FYP Character Sketches - 'GirlChile' and Pauline

Just to set the record straight - my main character will not be called 'GirlChile' forever! Nope. No way. The problem is that I have quite a list of potential names for her and none of them seem...right. I knew I couldn't possibly plot out the story by calling her 'She' throughout the whole thing, so the 'GirlChile' nickname was born.


But fret not. She will have a proper name one way or the other, even if I have to host a poll right here. *hint hint*

In the meantime, I'll show you the initial sketches that I made for 'GirlChile' Robinson and one of her best friends, Pauline Richards done up in Col-Erase Pencils*!:
*Makes me feel all...animatorish and shiggity. :D

'GirlChile' Robinson

These aren't the very first sketches I've done of 'GC', but these are the ones I'll show because the initial sketches were some crappy stuff. I consider those my detox excretions, and who in their right minds want to see those? In the book, she's a very tall and skinny little country girl who's bright, highly imaginative and loves life. I did a full body sketch and several facial ones to try and get her character to match the way I've envisioned her. The one with the darker outlines closely represents 'GC' the most, but the design process is far from over. It's getting there, but she's not quite 'GC' yet.

Pauline Richards

Next is the smart Pauline Richards. This is the very first sketch I've done for her...isn't it odd how some supporting characters are just easier to put on paper? Weird. In any case, this isn't her final design either and I realized in retrospect that she looked similar to 'GC' in the face. I'm still trying to balance my characters being distinct yet being cohesive in overall style and design. I've made some notes on Pauline as to how I could distinguish her features more the next time I attempt to sketch her.


So, what do you guys think?