tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post4586737820777758149..comments2023-11-18T08:53:40.570-08:00Comments on Jed Alexander: The Road To OzJed Alexanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06833411175703626635noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-25435606409195623412009-04-09T05:01:00.000-07:002009-04-09T05:01:00.000-07:00Oz HAS been done to death, but I was asked to do t...Oz HAS been done to death, but I was asked to do the image for an Oz fanzine by a good acquaintance. Oz is public domain so I thought maybe I'd do some posters, we'll see, but I didn't really put this kind of effort in it for that purpose. I wanted to see if I could do this kind of thing. <BR/><BR/>Kid pointers: Well taken. The big mouth thing, whether accurate or not, I think I grabbed from Maurice Sendak unconsciously, and lets face it--he does draw weird looking little kids. The ski jump Dorothy nose came right out of the Neil illustration--like many illustrators of the day, he drew everyone with very odd victorian faces, and I kind of ended up somewhere in the middle, pulling off neither a contemporary version or a classic version. Next time.<BR/><BR/>Google sketch-up: I borrowed the chair, staircase, pillar, and curvy back wall from the google 3d warehouse, put the whole thing in a sphere also from the warehouse, made the steps, floor and ceiling. It's sort of like working with doll furniture. Some people have made some crazy detailed stuff in there, and I try to stay away from that stuff so I don't forget to draw, but it's a pretty amazing resource. I print out the 3d image and put it directly onto my light box, then add details. I've been kind of self-conscious about whether this is "stealing" which is why I stick to pretty simple stuff. <BR/><BR/>I've also found it useful for composition. I can make my basic scene and see it from various angles, crop it, get the scene I want. The original model had staircases going down both sides of the wall, and I was originally going to do it head on, but then came up with this.<BR/><BR/> I also have a very useful gridded room I got from the warehouse--I can take sections from it, remove walls, top them one on top of another, etc. If you want the room or any other models that I have I'll be glad to send them or give you a link.<BR/><BR/>It's a pretty intuitive program but sometimes its a bitch to move stuff around. I can only make primitives and if I need anything more complex I steal it from the warehouse. I'm not really very interested in making my own elaborate 3d models. The prospect of actually making my own curving staircase would have been pretty daunting. <BR/><BR/>Check out the video tutorial. That's really all you need to know.<BR/><BR/>Interesting you mention Dahl because I'm doing a James and the Giant Peach image to build my portfolio up with this kind of thing. I want to make at least 5 of these sorts of images, crammed with lots of stuff. My object is to draw EVERYTHING and leave as little as possible to the imagination. I think there's something inherently cool about super busy (but readable) pictures like this. There are people who draw way better than me, but don't necessarily do stuff like this. <BR/><BR/>And of course I'd like to do some stuff that's not just updated versions of old stories, but I think the familiarity of this stuff might help my cause along. I asked for some advice from a guy who's done a lot of young adult and chapter book covers about how to approach publishers, and he gave me some really useful pointers, so once I'm done with my 5 pictures I'll start putting it out there. I've got a few other relatively kid friendly images to round things out, plus my editorial work to show range.<BR/><BR/>Wish me luck.Jed Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06833411175703626635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-14662202243822041782009-04-09T04:05:00.000-07:002009-04-09T04:05:00.000-07:00Google Sketchup! Never heard of it but just watche...Google Sketchup! Never heard of it but just watched the online video. I( know it's not THAT easy, but is it relatively intuitive? I may be nagging you for tips, after I try the free version. Seems like a great tool!<BR/><BR/>Here's some constructive criticism on the GREAT OZ PIC:<BR/><BR/>Look at children's faces in other artwork that you admire. Make the kids' faces look like children - button noses, smaller mouths, larger eyes. Softer and pudgier - not "FAT" but, you know, soft.<BR/><BR/>Same with hands. Fingers and hands slightly pudgy, not long and slender.<BR/><BR/>My humble opinion, of course. You may totally disagree, and if you do, the hell with me!<BR/><BR/>I think this is WAY good enough to propose to a publisher. There is ALWAYS some new illustrated version of some old classic kids' book coming out. What's a great one that has not been re-done lately? Maybe an illustrated Roald Dahl book?<BR/><BR/>I think maybe OZ has been done to death, and while this pic is great, the concept of this style of OZ book is not new. I'd think about some old book that I could bring new life to.<BR/><BR/>Just thinking out loud here... Good luck, whatever you do with it!Mark Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04799399359022340724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-85984911434112530622009-04-07T12:44:00.000-07:002009-04-07T12:44:00.000-07:00Thanks Frank! You do awesome spaces all the time. ...Thanks Frank! You do awesome spaces all the time. I've always had a hard time with environments, and tend to just focus on the figures. Now I'm getting a little more ambitious. Tin Salmunic wrote a very inspiring thing once: don't decide what your limits are until you've tested them.Jed Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06833411175703626635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21101554.post-10913232687416628312009-04-07T12:36:00.000-07:002009-04-07T12:36:00.000-07:00This is epic!f.This is epic!<BR/><BR/><BR/>f.Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13673368747513621239noreply@blogger.com