Drawing Day '09

Hi everyone!! June 6th is Drawing Day 2009. Held on the first week of June of each year, the purpose of Drawing Day is to remind everyone about the joy of putting pencil or pen to paper. In order to participate you need only to create a drawing, even something as simple as a stick figure and to share it online on a website such as deviantART or upload it to a host like Photobucket and share the link on a journal.

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Artists on Tegaki E pt. 5

Thank you to everyone who’s sent in their recommendations for their favorite artists on Tegaki E. We just want to note, you can send us an email and link to any of your favorite artists anywhere on the web that you’d like to see featured.

That said here's another list of some awesome artists on Tegaki E:

quadratics
Walrus
Pilot Smith
skycolor
Aeds

Artists on Tegaki E pt. 1
Artists on Tegaki E pt. 2
Artists on Tegaki E pt. 3
Artists on Tegaki E pt. 4

Image © quadratics

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Odopod Sketch Application

The sketch application by the digital design company Odopod is a nifty little tool that allows one to create neat little drawings in flash. It's simple like Tegaki E, however, retains the look of actual sketchbook! Which makes for some interesting textured pieces.

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Rivkah's Review on Brush Inks

Image © Rivkah

On her journal, Rivkah takes the time to review various brands of inks out on the market. Through trial and error she's assessed and complied various criteria including price, drying time of product, along with the highlights and drawbacks found with each of the inks.

For anyone who's new to inking or even a veteran who's curious about a new product, this is certainly something to check out.

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Artist Profile: Katie Shanahan

Katie Shanahan is a 25 year old graduate from Sheridan College, with a diploma in Classical Animation. Hailing from Toronto she moved to Ottawa after school where she worked as an animator (both in Flash and traditionally) before moving back home to Toronto where she's been happily employed as a designer and storyboard revisionist. On the web she's known by some as Kt Shy and is best know for her work on the comic Shrub Monkeys. What’s captivating about Katie’s work is the sense of emotion she’s able to convey whether it is one of her hilarious comics or a full blown illustration.

How long have you been drawing?

Since I was really little, I used to start illustrated books that would never get finished because I’d always loose interest in one idea and move on to another. I was also planning on making an animated musical feature film about my dog when I was 9…which was long before I discovered how damn complicated the whole animation process is.

How did you get interested in art?

It probably had something to do with all the cartoons I watched as a kid, alongside my dad's influence. My parents ran a business creating mascots for sport teams so I'd watch my dad sketching concept designs at his drafting table. He also kept a huge variety of art books and comics around the house that I pored over constantly. Drawing was the only thing I never had to be coerced into doing (like piano, gymnastics, or Irish dancing) so my parents really encouraged me to keep it up, and I owe a lot of what I am to them!

Who are your influences?

Aaaugh, there are so many I can’t begin to list them all! I’m still learning, so every artist I come across -and love- ends up becoming an influence on some level (whether or not it shows in my work). I started off influenced by Disney, Archie and anime, but that exploded in so many different directions during college. At the moment my biggest sources if inspirations are Katie Rice, Kate Beaton, Emmy Cicierega, Brianne Drouhard, Kei Acedera... mostly a variety of incredibly creative women around my own age!

How would you describe your style?

Lately a few people have been commenting that I have a "John K" style which makes me incredibly nervous as John (creator of Ren and Stimpy) is a brilliant and very disciplined cartoonist and a big stickler for solid construction (which is definitely lacking in my own ‘floaty’ work). It makes me nervous in that I worry someone will show him my stuff someday and he'll tear it to pieces, haha... though actually that wouldn't be a bad thing! I'd definitely learn a lot from the critique...

My earlier drawings have been described as having a Disney-Anime hybrid style, only because anime fans called what I did “Disney like” and fans of western animation would say, “Oh, you do that anime stuff, do you?”

Personally I don't want to classify myself into a style just yet, as I think it's dangerous for a young artist to get set on "style" before fully understanding all the important drawing fundamentals, and exploring all the possible variations in design. I like to think that maybe a few years down the road my drawings will look totally different from the things I do today. In a good way though!



How do you get ideas for your drawings/paintings?

If I'm lucky images will pop into my head right away, but I find listening to music also helps me get into the flow of things, feeling out a specific pose or movement. It also helps me get into the head of whatever character I'm drawing; their moods, thoughts and feeling. Other than that I get a lot of ideas from observing people, which is why I carry a sketchbook with me everywhere I go.

Can you describe your general approach to creating a picture?

I just start doodling and see where it takes me, though sometimes I'll have a fully formed idea of what I want pop into mind, and then it’s a matter of fighting my hands to get it onto the page. I really should do more exploration when it comes to drawing, but I'm more interested in telling a story as quickly and clearly as I can than in finessing over fully rendered details. I wish I had more patience for that kind of thing, as I absolutely adore artists who put that kind of love and effort into their illustrations.

What's your work environment like?

I work for Cookie Jar Entertainment right now, and I've got a super sweet set up with a big powerful G5 computer and a Cintiq (I looove Cintiqs *drool*). I'm the youngest artist in the studio but I love it as my co-workers are super nice and funny and have so many crazy stories from working in the animation industry as long as they have. Very inspiring!

My home studio is set up in the attic. It’s pretty awesome and spacious with an animation desk (which I use for comic-ing not animating), computer, bookshelves loaded with comics and art books, and a comfy couch to lounge on when I'm out of ideas... or need a nap.

Could you tell us more about your online comic, Shrub Monkeys?

Shrub Monkeys is a comic I started just for the fun of it, capturing random moments, in-jokes and observations made by my two younger siblings and myself. Mostly as an exercise to keep my drawing hand active, with the bonus of getting a snicker or two out of said siblings. When I moved to Ottawa I missed my family terribly and worked at a job as a flash animator in which NO drawing was required, so Shrub Monkeys became my artistic outlet and life-line.

Around that time my only web-notoriety was for my Harry Potter fancomics "Simply Potterific” and when I started loosing interest in those, and had no idea what else to post online, I took a chance and started posting my small collection of Shrub Monkeys, fearing they'd be too personal for anyone to relate too. Amazingly, many people were able to identify with the comic's scenarios and viewpoints, which fascinate me to no end! Lisa Jonte, (editor at the time) of the female-friendly comic community Girlamatic.com asked if I was interested in joining their site and from there Shrub Monkeys turned into a weekly updated comic.

As simple as it is I think Shrub Monkeys is one of the most gratifying projects I've ever worked on. It's one of those things that make me appreciate how much people can have in common regardless of where we come from, and how ridiculous and random we can be.


Do you have any other projects in the works?

I've been recently invited to join the lineup for the Flight anthologies for which I'm incredibly excited and terrified. I've also got a few projects of my own on the back-burner as well as a comic series I'll be ramping up on shortly but can't really talk about just yet. A VERY busy year!

What are your thoughts on the comic and animation industry?

I can’t comment on the comic industry, but the animation industry’s been pretty good to me. The job market’s a little slow these days with the way the economy is, but people love entertainment so it's an industry that'll be around for a long time, so I'm not worried. What I wish is that studios would start taking a chance on making more exciting and adventurous stories, as everywhere I look it's either sitcoms for pre-teens or educational shows for kids. I'd love to see studios open up short-film departments where they could experiment with style and storytelling, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Keep in mind I'm only speaking from a Toronto viewpoint!



What are your future aspirations?

They’re unclear at the moment. I feel like I'm torn between animation and comics and while it'd be great to do both I worry that I'll have to choose between them sooner or later. Ultimately I'd be happiest working on my own comic stories, but I'd be content to be a storyboard artist as well... on an awesome feature film or an amazing television series!

What programs do you primarily use for your artwork?

I work primarily with Photoshop, though I’d love to learn how to use Painter or Illustrator. Lately when I can't stand looking at a computer monitor any longer I crack out the old crusty watercolours and play around with those.

Anytime you feel like you're in a funk, what gets you motivated to start drawing again?

I was in a huge rut a couple years back, and was feeling pretty desperate thinking I'd never get out of it. Looking at all the amazing artists on DA and in the industry helped inspire me a little bit (when it didn't utterly depress me) but ultimately just knuckling down and drawing even though I didn't feel like it helped get me back in shape. Getting a cheap crappy sketchbook also helped make drawing a lot less intimidating. It's hard for me to just have fun and draw when I'm staring down at the blank page of a $30 moleskin.

Any advice for any other aspiring artists?

Don’t try and settle down on one style, keep learning and experimenting especially while you’re young and open to new ideas. Carry a sketchbook with you everywhere because you never know when an idea will hit or you’ll see something interesting you want to capture on paper.

What's your favorite live action movie? What's your favorite cartoon movie?

Oooh man, I have lots of favourites. If I had to draw up the short list I’d say Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the Back to the Future trilogy, just because they're fun movies I can watch again and again. My favourite animated movies would probably be Kiki's Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke. No matter how many times I watch it, I start blubbering at the part where the little kodamas start falling out of the trees. That and it’s a visually gorgeous movie.




Any other comments or things you'd like to address?

Um…nothing in particular. Thanks for the interview! :)

For more of Katie’s work, you can visit the following sites:

ktshy.deviantart.com
ktshy.blogspot.com
Shrub Monkeys Webcomic

You can also contact Katie at shanahan.katie@gmail.com

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Trailer: Where the Wild Things Are

Trailer for the movie Where the Wild Things Are, an adaption of the classic children's book by Maurice Sendak.

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Kraak & Smaak - 'Squeeze Me'

For anyone who hasn't already seen this funky video. Directed by Andre Maat & Superelectric.

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Artists on Tegaki E pt. 4

Here’s another list of artists on TegakiE that you guys should check out:

Kippery
Mila.the.Mute
Marlow
Kundagi

Feel free to email us with any of your recommendations!

Artists on Tegaki E pt. 1
Artists on Tegaki E pt. 2
Artists on Tegaki E pt. 3

Image © Marlow

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Santogold - 'Lights Out'

A video filled with bold prints and patterns which are characteristic of Santogold's unique style. Directed by Kim Gehrig of Academy Films.

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Justice - 'D.A.N.C.E.'

Always enjoyed the visual imagery in this video. Directed by Jonas and François of 75 Music.

Also check out the unfinished version and Director's cut which feature a different and more interesting ending.

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Happy ATC

We recently came across a fun little community called Happy ATC on Livejournal. Its premise is to swap hand made trading cards with other artists, with a focus on hand-drawn cards done with traditional media. It’s relatively new, so for right now the number of participants is fairly small but that makes for a more intimate feel and an easier time at making some new friends.

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Artists on Tegaki E pt. 3

Continuing on our highlight of artists on Tegaki E here are some others who have caught our eye.

ptlau
hellebore
BB
QueenOfTheCute
JaB

Artists on Tegaki E pt. 1
Artists on Tegake E pt. 2

*Image © ptlau

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Journey to the West

For anyone who hasn’t already seen it:

Also check out the BBC’s site for more goodies.

On that note, the Olympic opening ceremonies begin this Friday, August 8th.

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Vacation Time

Rococo Flow is on vacation right now, however that being said be sure to check out the following links for art and comic related news.

http://www.comics212.net/
http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/

We'll be back soon with more interviews and features. Also be sure to subscribe to Rococo Flow on your RSS reader or livejournal using one of the buttons on the left.

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Heroes Con 2008

The big event this weekend is Heroes Con which takes place in Charlotte, NC. Guests include Hope Larson, Matt Chapman, Jaime Hernandez, Bryan Lee O’Malley and so much more it’s impossible to list. Another big feature of the event is Indie Island which houses various publishers and creators for indie and alternative comics.

No doubt that it’ll be lots of fun for people of all ages. (Source)

Also at Heroes Con will be a table for the Mike Wieringo scholarship that was announced.

The scholarship will have a table at Heroes Con in Charlotte this weekend, where you’ll be able to buy Mike’s sketchbooks, comics, and original art, and get sketches and signatures from some of the top talents in comics. All proceeds from the booth will go to the scholarship. (Source)

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Artist Profile: Risa Valdez

Risa Valdez is currently a rising senior at Cal Poly Pomona and currently lives around Los Angeles, California. Born and raised there, her interests include Japanese music with her favorite singer being Hyde. Also known as kurarisa on deviantART, the highlight of Risa’s work includes her portraits which often times are surrounded by beautiful imagery and subtle themes, not to mention the realistic detail with which they are rendered. At the moment she is majoring in the Fine Arts with hopes to one maybe become a teacher and having her work published.







Rococo Flow: Why fine arts? Was there anything in particular that got you interested?

Risa: I was determined to chase art ever since I graduated from elementary school. So in high school I was already excited to take art classes, by junior year I was already in AP art (though I don’t think I did my best, unfortunately).The first year of AP art, I did traditional art and the second year (my senior year) I did digital. I love doing digital works, but there’s something about traditional. I like how old fashioned and classic it is, but then digital has its upsides (I can do stuff I can never do traditionally, and it can give more power).

Rococo Flow: How were you introduced to digital art?

Risa: I can't remember actually, obviously it had to be the internet so maybe through forums or deviantArt.

Rococo Flow: Usually I ask how long they've been drawing but it's usually since they were little like you mentioned

Risa: Yeah actually that’s a funny story, I remember when I was in 2nd grade there was an art contest for us kids to draw our house. I remember I drew the sun with squiggle rays, and I thought for sure I would win because of how cool it looked, but I didn't, haha. Then in 5th grade, in art class we had to construct a scene out of construction paper. I worked really hard to make a room scene with a vase of small detailed flowers. I got a C and I was shocked. I vowed to get better at art from then on.

Rococo Flow: Haha… so revenge or something along those lines? Either way, that's a great sort of motivation. I think many artists may not want to admit it, but with communities like deviantART, I'm sure envy is a slight driving force at times.

Risa: Definitely, I know it can get like that for me. There'll be artists out there that blow my mind and I think 'wow, I'll never get that good, I should just give up'.

Rococo Flow: Certainly, that's why I like those rare times an artist will show their improvement, it gives others hope. Who have been your influences?

Risa: I can't give names because it's impossible. There are countless artists out there that I've soaked up to try and create my own style, from classical artists to recent ones.

Rococo Flow: Would you be able to describe your style?

Risa: Let’s see, currently I'd say it's a detailed collage portrait style with hidden messages (and I try to incorporate a lot of color when I color them).

Rococo Flow: What sorts of messages do you try incorporate?

Risa: Usually it has to do with the person, the theme. So, let’s say if I put certain flowers around them, some of them have a meaning. Then, I'll put objects in there that associate with them too. So in a way it's my take on the person, sometimes.

Rococo Flow: Can you explain how you go about drawing or painting a piece?

Risa: It always starts with the face, particularly the nose, I have no idea why haha. So from there I draw the rest of the face according to the nose position (I usually always have reference, so 'eyeballing' it is key). Sometimes I already have the composition in mind, but other times not, so after drawing the portrait, I add in the other objects around them.

Rococo Flow: What programs and traditional media do you usually use for your artwork? What's your favorite?

Risa: That's such a hard question! For digital art, definitely Open Canvas. I love how basic it is so I think it's easy for anyone to use. Unfortunately though you can only use it on PCs and I have a Mac now, so I haven't been able to use it. I know a lot of people use Painter but I don't even know where to begin there are so many tools and things, haha.


For traditional media, it's been watercolor. I love oils too, but since it's messy and smelly, I don't use it often, watercolor is friendlier, especially since I can just take it out, use it, erase with water if I make a mistake, blend and dab to give a cool effect, not to mention how beautiful it is overall.

Rococo Flow: Do you have a favorite type of drawing environment?

Risa: If I’m working with traditional media, I like working in the afternoon (with natural light) by the window. Digitally, it doesn't matter.

Rococo Flow: Out of all the pictures you've done thus far, which one are you the most proud of and why?

Risa: Ah which one! Let me see. It’s a tie between "Faith Gift 2006" and "Crown of Thorns”. Faith Gift because I actually painted it for Hyde (my favorite singer) when he came to California to do some concerts and it conveyed my image of him, but then the Crown of Thorns idea was something I had wanted to paint for some time because I felt any celebrity could relate, especially since Christianity was a recent theme of his so it felt very fitting.


Rococo Flow: Which piece took you the longest? Or was there any that was rather difficult, where you felt like you really had to push yourself to completion?

Risa: Oddly enough for most difficult, probably “37” because it was something I wanted to do to celebrate Hyde's birthday last year and I hadn't done anything all day. I was suffering artist's block and was unsatisfied with things I started, so I tried my best to crank that out and surprisingly a lot of people loved it! As for the longest time, that's a funny question because when I work on an art piece, I do so in long periods of time. I'll spend a good chunk of hours working on something because I get excited about seeing it finished. Crown of Thorns took a weekend to do though, so I guess that took the longest, probably.

Rococo Flow: Ah yeah, I remember 37. It's one of my favorites by you, definitely =)

Risa: Haha now you know it's secret.

Rococo Flow: *Laughs* It's funny how that works though. What are your future aspirations?

Risa: For some reason I'd like to teach art. My art teacher in high school was really laidback and actually didn't teach me anything, haha, but she believed in me and that was important so I hope I can discover and help other young artists too. Plus despite being a fan of deep and dark things, I have a good sense of humor and can be lively so it just sounds like a lot of fun (I know I'll regret saying this now, haha). Who knows though? Oh and of course I'd want to keep painting and drawing my own things to sell on the side.

Rococo Flow: Sounds good, I admire that, anyone who wants to become teacher, because there aren't enough good and inspiring ones. After all, without the teachers how would anyone learn anything to become artists, doctors, lawyers, etc.?

Risa: I know right, and then they can come back and thank me when I'm roaming around with my walker.

Rococo Flow: Haha. Do you have any other interests besides drawing?

Risa: I'm a huge fan of Japanese music, as you can tell. I listen to all kinds and hope I can pay homage to my favorites by drawing/painting them. I sound so simple.

Rococo Flow: No you don’t. So who are your top five favorite musicians? =)

Risa: Oh Nooo!!! Hahahaha.
1) L'Arc~en~Ciel
2) Shiina Ringo
3) Salyu
4) RIP SLYME
5) the brilliant green


Rococo Flow: If you could be any character from a video game, movie, novel, etc. who would it be and why?

Risa: Maybe Lily Chou-Chou from the movie All About Lily Chou-Chou, because in the film she was an ethereal singer that provided a mysterious power to very different people. Her music was beautiful, original and other-worldly, all while being very mysterious herself. I thought she was such an amazing character.

Rococo Flow: Do you have any other comments or things you'd like to address?

Risa: Ah maybe, I’m kind of embarrassed that most of my work is fanart of Hyde? Haha.

Rococo Flow: Another artist I interviewed Heather or Makani, if you've heard of her said something along the lines of, ‘draw what you like to draw’, I mean after all if it makes you happy, who cares? Whatever gets your pencil moving.

Risa: Ah that’s a good quote! It's true though and I respect Hyde a lot so I really find it easy to draw him often.

Rococo Flow: I didn't ask earlier but are you working on any sort of art related projects or something of that nature?

Risa: I actually worked on a doujinshi with a few other artists a few years ago, but I'm really embarrassed with my submission so I like to forget about it (I didn't do a good job). Most recently an idea was pitched between me and a different group of artists but nothing has become of that yet. I hope maybe in the future I'll have the confidence to create an artbook with other artists, or go solo.

Rococo Flow: I would really love to see more artbooks done by some rising young artists like Le Grand Grimoire Visuel, I think such a project would be awesome and I'd totally buy it.

Risa: Yeah I think there should be more out there, even if they’re small.

Rococo Flow: Do you have any advice for other aspiring artists?

Risa: There's a lot of things even artists you admire will learn so don't give up, if you love it enough and sincerely work hard on what you do, you'll improve in no time. Your best work is only the beginning to what you’re capable of doing so Good Luck!


To see more work by Risa visit the following links:

kurarisa@dA – deviantART gallery

You can also contact her at kurarisa [at] gmail.com

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Artists on Tegaki E pt. 2

Reflecting on our last post about Tegaki E, we thought why not link to a couple more of our favorites. For those of you already on Tegaki E, there’s a book marking feature which allows you to easily follow others. Handy when no one really sticks out on the front page.

Anarahk – (even has a little Tegaki E tutorial which you can find here).

bunfats

CNWOLF

alexds1 (Check out Der-shing's interview here).

boopkit

chupachup (bonus points for being named after the lollipop).

*Image © CNWOLF

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Graffiti Contest: The Incredible Hulk and Jones Soda

Facebook Graffiti is holding two more contests. The first is based on The Incredible Hulk in which participants are to draw the Hulk or character of their own in various categories. Contestants compete for a grand prize of $250 Fadango or Amazon gift certificates.

The second contest is sponsored by Jones Soda and contestants are to create a drawing of a common object or place and make it into something better. Grand prize winners will have their picture printed on Jones Soda bottles, receive a track jacket, and Jones Soda gift pack.

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Drawing Day '08

Hey everyone!! This post is to inform you about Drawing Day 2008 which beings June 7th. (Depending on where you live in the world that could mean today!) Held on the first week of June of each year, the purpose of Drawing Day is to remind everyone about the joy of putting pencil or pen to paper. In order to participate you need only to create a drawing, even something as simple as a stick figure and to share it online on a website such as deviantART or upload it to a host like Photobucket and share the link on a journal.

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Solange - 'I Decided'

The following is Solange's new video for her single 'I Decided'.

I must say I love the old school feel of the video and the colors.

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