So another thing that warrants its own post: The List.

Volume Two is now out and available on our website: http://www.the-list.com.au/
Actually, for that matter, Volume One is out as well, since I never mentioned that as well.

The first book has my name misspelled and only features me and Paul Bedford. The second volume brings in Tom Bonin (www.tombonin.com) who does lovely inky things to my pencils. In all seriousness Tom's inks really bring out my pencils and I'm pretty glad he's on board.

Volume Three is in the works, where I await my script for it. I suppose any news on that front will be published here and on the List website too.

...I still don't have a copy of Volume 2. ;_;


Henry

So a year, eh? It has literally been over a year since I last posted anything. And it was a leap year too, so that means an extra couple days there.

Here's something new. I was asked very kindly by the people at www.sawbonesonline.com to do a colour pinup for their second volume. And here it is. Loose linework done in pencil and then scanned and completed entirely in Photoshop. Tried a new brush, and I have to say I like the rough quality it produced.

I haven't done new CGs since the last post, and it took an whole year to get around to doing a new one. It took about two days on and off. It was surprisingly quick to do. As always, it's a learning experience as I rarely do CG but I somehow know how to make the most of it. I improve greatly with every attempt.
I don't think it's wholey a matter of "practice, practice, practice". I don't practice and my work is noticably better than the last. I don't even do it often enough to retain muscle memory of pen flicks. I think that you have to really know how composition, design, lighting, physics, human behaviour etc. works to really get better.
There are a lot of technically able and brilliant artists out there, but are incredibly and tragicially shit. There is nothing in their work that speaks aside from the "clever" things they manage to do in their works. There's no humanity; if it features a human figure at all there's no emotion or life or anything natural; they're plastic and might as well be a mannequin. The pose is unnatuaral and there's no expression. Also the composition and design isn't there. No one is imaginative enough to break away from their training wheels and move from the centre focal point.
Another thing is that I really can't get over how people don't know enough about design or typography to incorporate it into their work. For the small amount that do, can only do more contempory designs and dismiss every previous era of design. This is more apparent in fantasy art or comiking, especially on places like Deviant art, where people have a set aesthetic and no one will dare challenge that.


Henry