THE SIMPSONS NEWS

It was difficult start to the week for me. Not because work was difficult or anything.  It was because I hadn’t fully recovered from the awful cold that left me bedridden for two days straight.  I didn’t stay home, because the my new assignment on the episode I was on is quite a bit of work.  If I had any hope of finishing it on time, I needed all the work days I could get.

I’m back on revisions.  To be honest, I don’t mind at all. I need a small break from the madness that was my last assignment. To make things even easier for me, I’m working with a director that’s really hands on with the revisions.  Usually, this would bother me a bit because he would do all the fun stuff of coming up with the shots and solutions to revision problems and I would just go through the routine of making it all look pretty. I’m sooo grateful he’s like that.  My brain is still recovering from last week and feeling tired and sick didn’t help at all.

He’s basically doing my job for me and I’m getting a much needed rest.  This isn’t to say that I haven’t contributed to the process myself. I have. Just not as much as I usually do.  Anything that makes my job easier while I recover is fine by me.  My assignment is pretty big on this episode.

Speaking of my last assignment, I check up on the storyboard notes that where given to the director of show 500 and was relieved to find they we’re really minor on my section. Looks like it all turned out well. I’m very happy.

ART

So I fixed the eye on the book cover drawing I’m working on using a photo I took of my wife’s eyes.  Now I officially have the shadow paterns figured out for the character on the cover:

This wasn’t the only thing I did for the cover this week.  I also did a mock up of all the elements, minus the fire, for the cover as well.  I was thinking of using it a the final reference for what the cover would look like.  I was proud of it and and showed to my friend Paul (my drawing teacher) who was NOT impressed.

He started asking me questions about it.  The main one being,

“Are these the values you’re using?” to which I answered,

“No. The drawing of the woman is just a shadow pattern study, her values are off.”

“Where’s your darkest dark? Where’s your lightest light?”

Then I realized what he was getting at.  He told me to make a thumbnail value study of the piece and get it just right before really getting my hands dirty on any attempt at a final piece.  He also told me I should make absolutely sure I knew exactly the colors I would use and where, before I got started.

He was completely right.

I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ve done this BEFORE. It’s not like I haven’t. If you’ve read my blog for the last year, I’ve even told YOU to do it.  Suddenly I’d forgotten my fundamentals and it would have been no end of trouble down the line as I tried to finish the piece.  Thank goodness Paul called me out on it.  So next, that’s what I’m going to do.

I’ll also see about buying some red cloth to burn for photo reference.  I still need that final element for when I actually get to the finishing phase.

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