Monday, January 09, 2012

Bane Process

Based on the poll to the right, you guys would like to see more detailing the process of an illustration, so I'll start with last week's Bane! 


These first few exploratory sketches are always the most fun, messing around with the character's proportions, poses, and costume.



I wanted to be truer to the comic Bane's mask than the movie, but also wanted to steer clear of the luchador territory. Early on, I had the idea of putting the bat symbol on his face to show how obsessed he is with killing Batman.



Nobody wants to see a static character pose, so I figured I'd reimagine the classic Knightfall cover. I figured unmasking Batman while you paralyze him adds just the right amount of insult to injury. For pencils, I always keep it super loose and just try to capture the energy and weight of the characters.


When I got to inking, I altered Batman's pose to be a little more active. I tore up his costume a bit, to give some history to the scene. I've never been a fan of all the loose piping most Banes have. 99% of the time, Batman defeats Bane by snipping his venom-tubes, so my Bane keeps his cropped close to his costume.



The Batman design is a nod to Burton's design (my personal favorite). Bane was fun to mess around with. I like the militaristic feel they're giving him in the film, so I went with mottled green. I'm not sure why they're fighting in a sandstorm; maybe I've still got Ghost Protocol on the mind.


Things are getting busy on Brave, so Chades Challenges might not make it past the pencil stage for a while, but I shall endeavor to continue posting! Happy Monday everyone!

48 days...


Saturday, January 07, 2012

Chades Challenge LXV: Bane



You know what they say: no pain, no Bane.

If you have any Bane designs, let me know, and I'll post them below. Otherwise, you can join in January 20th for...

Chades Challenge LXVI: Angry Harpies






51 days...

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Ronald Searle (1920-2011)


So passes one of the greatest illustrators to ever put pen to paper. Ronald Searle inspired much of what we think as the "Disney" and "Warner Brothers" styles. Both Milt Kahl and Chuck Jones drew heavily from Searle's style; he had a unique was of distilling a subject to it's simplest, most ridiculous and truthful form.


Searle was one of my greatest artistic inspirations, so I leapt at the chance to contribute to a sketchbook Pixar artists were assembling last year for his 91st birthday. You can see the collected art at Matt Jones' blog here.


After receiving the tome of fan art, Mr. Searle sent us the following note:

Federal Express were at the door at dawn this morning with a bulging box. When all it contained was revealed, I was totally overwhelmed with the generosity.  All those animation friends spending precious time to mark the celebration and such a wonderful shower of messages. I really was very touched by the kindness. It was worth hanging on for 91 years to receive such a gem.

I shall treasure it. THANK YOU EVERYBODY!

Ronald

And thank you, Mr. Searle, for a lifetime of astounding art that will always be the standard we strive for!

55 days...


Friday, December 30, 2011

New Year, New Layout!


As the dying roars of 2011 fade away and the great beast succumbs to extinction like its two thousand plus predecessors, it seems time for a facelift on the ol' Translation. Along with the new look will come a slew of new projects I will be updating you on. Stay tuned for a year of lusty sea shanties,  haunting campfire stories, and epic Scottish fairytales. We might even cross paths with a dinosaur or two.



Sunday, December 25, 2011

Friday, December 23, 2011

Chades Challenge LXIV: Jolly Dragons



There's no better way to Santa-proof your house than a fire-breathing dragon with a taste for roasted reindeer.

Addendum 12/25/11 My mom's gift to her dog, Leia, just happened to be a dragon that looks exactly like my Chades design! It certainly made Leia a jollier schnauzer.



If you have any winter wyrms, let me know and I'll post them below. Otherwise, you can join in January 6th for:

CHADES CHALLENGE LXV: BANE



2 days...

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Hobbit Envy

TheThe Hobbit trailer (is that one too many the's?) came out last night. I'm waiting to see it on the big screen, but my DnD character, the pint-sized rogue Ilmare (who you may remember from posts such as these), says if they wanted a real halfling hero, all they had to do was ask.

Which trailer has you more excited: The Hobbit or The Dark Knight Rises? Or is it one of the myriad of films in the poll to the right?

4 days...

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Merry Shirtmas!

Along with this year's BluRay exchange (which I walked away from with a brand new copy of Moon--yesss), the Dandies and I also had our first annual Shirtmas. Shirtmas is exactly what it sounds like a Secret Santa exchange limited exclusively to t-shirts. 

I was tasked with finding a shirt for Everett Downing. Ev just had his second kid, so I know he needs a nanny. And the best nanny I know of is the Avengers' personal governess, Squirrel Girl


For those of you who don't know, Squirrel Girl is the most powerful character in the Marvel Universe, having defeated Doctor Doom, Magneto, and Galactus. Ev's dream is to direct a SG movie starring none other than Toy Story 3's Kristen Schaal, so I drew this Shirtmas card for him. Kristen, if you're out there: Squirrel Girl--think about it!



I, in turn, got this fantastic H.P. Lovecraft shirt from my teaching partner, Paul Mendoza. I think I'll wear it to church Christmas morning!


Merry Shirtmas to all, and to all a plain white!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Milquetoast & Cookies


Today is our 10th Annual DVD Exchange--sorry, 1st Annual BluRay Exchange at work. Can anyone guess what I brought?

6 days...

Saturday, December 17, 2011

The Noodles Challenge


Being a toymaker has lost its luster since all any kid wants is an iPhone.

This is my contribution to my former student Fernando Brandi's Noodles Challenge. The idea is to do a drawing in the time it would take to nuke a cup-o-noodles (an animator's main source of nutrition).  This month's theme is "Your Elf Self". Mine is obviously obsolete and bored since I am so technologically inept. 

9 days...