Hook Construction Practice..

I like this character because he has a good balance between style and solid construction. In other words he is cartoony as well as designy. Also, he appears very simple and to the point. I like that in a character. Everything about him represents his personality. Another interesting thought.. What is the link between character design and his posture. Are they interlinked? Because I think part of the reason I find this character to be so appealing is his posture (in this specific drawing). Had he been standing straight up (in a normal bland way), I probably wouldn't have found him all that appealing, even though his basic design remained the same.

I tried to fix the head, but somehow it came out looking worse, I think. This guy has a tricky head. Am I being to literal with my contruction approach? I don't know. Maybe I just need more practice. Yes, I think that's it.

A cartoon for my dad - Finished.

(click to enlarge)

I'm done.. I tried a completely new rendering technique, keeping my black outlines to a bare minimum. I quite like the cartoony feel to it.

A cartoon for my dad.

(click to enlarge)

Busy working on a cartoon drawing (well, actually it's going to be two seperate drawings) for an article that my dad wrote for some car magazine. Had quite a bit of fun with this. I'll post the final inked version when I'm done.

African Comic Book

So I made these comic book illustrations for a Nigerian health organisation. It's a bit more of a realistic approach than I'm used to. I tried to have a blast with it anyways. I still placed alot of focus on trying to make my 'realistic' characters unique and fun to look at. I guess I'll let the Nigerians be the judge of that..

It's been a while..

So, it's been a while since I last posted anything. So I figured I better post something.. Like maybe a painting.




I call it.. Doubtful_Man_with_Cat (Acrylic and Ink)

Children's Book Illustration..

Yet another children's book sample drawing. And this time, I got the job! I'm pleased. It's for a series of children's books for BK Publishing. I drank some Merlot last night to celebrate..

Ferdinand Chicken Redesign..

I made this doodle this morning.. after seeing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I just love Christopher Lloyd's character in that film! I think subconsciously I've based my Ferdinand chicken character on him. So what I did with this doodle was to remodel my character's proportions a bit to better suit his personality, the way it was originally intended. Now he's more of a tall moron with a bow-tie, the way I've always imagined him in my mind. He's basically an insensitive moron professing to be a smart chicken. It's obvious to him that most other beings are stupid. He seeks intellectual conversation, but when he finds it he doesn't understand a word and just considers the person to be a moron.

All characters and images copyright © Gerhard Cruywagen 2009

Another children's book drawing..

A sample illustration that I did for Fantasi Books:

Africa's First Full Length CGI Animated Feature..

From AnimationSA.org:

"Character Matters has just finished working on Africa's 1st full length featured CGI animated feature, 'The Lion of Judah'. The movie, commissioned by Animated Family Films in the United States and produced by Sunrise Productions, is an 80-minute, 2K, cinema production with all the bells and whistles we have come to expect from the major studios."

Well, I'm really glad SA finally got something big going in terms of animation. Really I am. And I really take my hat off to those who had the courage and commitment to get this film made. It takes alot of guts and dedication, and I greatly respect that. Really I do. Also, this film is probably going to open up alot of doors for future animation projects.

On the down side, I have to ask the question: Couldn't the film's character design and story have been a little more.. what's the right word here.. appealing? Are these characters iconic and inventive? Will children go "Wow, that's great!" The characters seem a little dull. Or is it just me? Then again, what do I know.

Tip of the hat to the film-makers! Go check out the film's official website:

http://www.lionofjudahthemovie.com/index.html

Lion and Hyena Characters..

Yup, I'm having quite a bit of fun designing two new characters for a children's book (to be published - hopefully - by Fantasi Books). I've been learning a lot from Ed Benedict's approach to character design (of course my stuff isn't nearly as brilliant as Ed's designs.. duh!). Also, I'm just trying to have fun with it and follow my own design insticts. The last thing I want to do is copy someone like Ed Benedict's style. I try to search for character personality by means of drawing my characters with various facial expressions (usually I imagine my character reacting to something specific). At the same time I'm searching for design shapes that fit together. I'll post the more refined character designs later.

I've been bitten by the goddamn xmas bug..