TigerRabbitDragon Final

TigerRabbitDragon Final

In the East the Tiger is the master of the land and is strongest in its home of the bamboo forest.  While the Dragon is the master of all water.  These two beasts are thought of as opposing forces, like yin and yang.  While also in legends of the East, rabbits are thought to live on the moon.

All of this was the inspiration for these images.  I had a good time with this one.  But I will think twice about doing a triptych again. haha

Note:
2010 was the year of the Tiger, 2011 was the year of the Rabbit, and 2012 is the year of the Dragon.

Trey

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"Queens Must RIse"

TigerRabbitDragon Process Recap

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Bow

TigerRabbitDragon Process Pencils

Pencil Process

Top:        tight pencil
Middle:   detailed sketch
Bottom:   initial ruff sketch ideas

From the initial idea I do some ruff sketches (bottom).  My initial sketches usually needs work.  So the next step( middle image), I scan the images and make a print with the drawing barely visible at about 10 to 30 percent opacity, then draw on top.  I work on the drawing, making corrections and such, then scan that again and print that once more to make a tighter pencil image (top).

Trey

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Fey Queen

TigerRabbitDragon Process Painting

Tiger Rabbit Dragon Process

Some photos of major steps in the watercolor painting process.


Trey

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Fey Dance

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Sylvan Sylphes

TigerRabbitDragon Process Sketch

Tiger Rabbit Dragon Process

This is the large watercolor painting for this year.  I planned this piece to be a diptych/triptych of considerable size.  But first we start off with the sketch phase.  Each square is about 3 by 5 inches.

the bottom are my initial sketches just to get the idea out
the middle are tighter sketches
the top is the tight sketch that will get painted

Trey

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In the Forest

Blue Dragon Trio Ink

Blue Dragon

Inking uses all of the previous steps but most of the major design points are mostly worked out.  In the ink phase I add the little details, but mostly I try to focus on line weight, and try not to mess up.  I really like this step, because once inked I usually feel this sense of relief and completion. A great feeling.

Trey

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A Lit Path

Blue Dragon Trio Tight Pencil

Blue Dragon

Next step is to enlarge the pen sketch; drop the opacity down and print.  With the faded image as a guide, I continue to develop the design.  This part is fun because the vague ideas about characterization, and the little details that help make a character live become apparent.

Trey

Happy Halloween!!!

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The Torch Gift

Blue Dragon Trio Pen Sketch

Blue Dragon

The three that I like from the sketches.  I selected these three because not only are they very different from the red dragons but also are varied among the group.

Trey

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Witch Direction

Blue Dragon

Blue Dragon

Second verse, same as the first.
This time with blue dragons.  Again starting with pen sketches to get a feel for the designs.

Trey

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Lady of Night

Red Dragon Trio Ink

Red Dragon

Inking is the next step.  It is also one of my favorites because I can see and feel the character.  Inking uses all of the prior steps, while selecting the final lines and details.  Fun.

Trey

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Crossroads

Red Dragon Trio Tight Pencil

Red Dragon

Next is to take the pen sketch into photoshop enlarge them drop the opacity to around ten percent, then print them.  The barely visible pen sketch is a guide for the tighter pencils, and the phase where I think about details.  The same can be done on computer but I still like to tighten the sketch with a pencil.  There are two version of the middle dragon because I usually don't like to repeat a pose.  The top middle pushes the pose, adds variety, and a bit of characterization to the group.

Trey

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Defiant

Red Dragon Trio Pen Sketch

Red Dragon

The next step in Character Design is to select the top three to work up.  Three is a good number because it helps me to think of ways to push contrast while staying with the common theme.

Trey

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Fenrir's Taunt

Red Dragon

Red Dragon

In this year of the Dragon, I will try some dragon character designs.
I usually start with some small pen sketches.  Doing this lets me get a feel as to where I can go design wise.  I start on the left side of the page and move right doing one or two sketches a day.  I can tell when  I find ideas that I like because the sketches start to increase in size.

Trey

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Growing Menace

Side Quest GLCComic Paint End

A wedding gift to my friend and fellow comic fan.

I am not sure how Chris and I became friends; I guess that's just how it is with friends.  But what I remember is our ritual:  once a month, shopping at Kinokuniya in downtown LA, then the Curry House, and perhaps the local comic shop.  We both love comics, manga, and videogames.  I remember he had an hour long rant about the Green Lantern movie,  but I could understand because I do the same for the X-men.  Anyway, Chris just got married and I wanted to paint two characters he likes.

Trey

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Fenrir

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Surprised

Side Quest GLCComic Paint EiN

The End is Near!

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Exhaustion

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Endless Dance

Seattle

Beautiful Seattle