Some Disney stuff this time!
Last summer I was seeking a job as a Donald Duck comic's cover artist. Never got the job but it was an interesting thing to try out. I learned a lot while making these covers and I even know what to do differently next time.
Most of the poses that you see in the covers look very stiff because I was trying too hard following character's model sheets (I tried to borrow the best parts of 40's and modern Donalds features) than planning poses. Creating the right pose is very important in comics and animation. A great pose tells a story and something special about the character. If you don't plan the pose carefully your character feels empty and the picture looks boring.
When you are drawing a character for the first time you easily ingnore the pose and just try to draw the character on-model. This is understandable because you are learning to draw the character correctly. But when you finally get the grip of that you shouldn't stop drawing. You have to go to the next level which is drawing the character in right poses. Some characters can't be drawn in certain ways because it looks odd or just feels unnatural. In order to draw the character in right poses you really have to know everything about the character. You have to know his/her personality, past, how he/she deals tough situations, why he/she walks in that certain way etc. When you really start to understand the character and you have learned to draw the character perfectly, you are able to draw the perfect pose.
Okay, enough with this artsy nonsense. Let's check the covers!
Cover 1
I wanted Donald to do a "tai chi" pose with a sword but I couldn't find anywhere a good reference for that. It's a shame because that pose would have been so dynamic and it suits well Donald's personality. I ended up drawing this weird.. well.. I don't even know what Donald is trying to do in this cover. Is he preparing to fight someone? Trying to keep his balance? I don't know. You tell me.
I would honestly read a comic where Donald wanders around carrying a katana and fights mean people. Really.
Cover 2
The original idea was that Donald is going to watch a movie called "Kung Fu Duck 4" and is dressed as the hero in the film. The idea of Donald actually going to watch a campy kung fu movie was believable and funny, but not enough for me. I wanted to put some sort of Disney in-joke in it. So, instead of going to watch kung fu, Donald goes to see a Darkwing Duck movie (I like to think that it is as dark and as long as The Dark Knight movie)!
Donald looks quite good in Darkwing Duck costume. :)
Cover 3
My favorite villain? Flintheart Glomgold. My favorite story? Everything that has Scrooge and Flintheart.
This was tricky one because I wanted to do a cover that highlights the story's biggest conflict. And what could be the biggest conflict than making Scrooge choose between his first dime and his nephews?
About the cane that Flintheart is holding.. I don't really know is it his or Scrooge's. The colour matches Scrooge's cane but I have no idea why Flintheart would have his cane. Well, he IS evil, so maybe he has stole it or something.
Last summer I was seeking a job as a Donald Duck comic's cover artist. Never got the job but it was an interesting thing to try out. I learned a lot while making these covers and I even know what to do differently next time.
Most of the poses that you see in the covers look very stiff because I was trying too hard following character's model sheets (I tried to borrow the best parts of 40's and modern Donalds features) than planning poses. Creating the right pose is very important in comics and animation. A great pose tells a story and something special about the character. If you don't plan the pose carefully your character feels empty and the picture looks boring.
When you are drawing a character for the first time you easily ingnore the pose and just try to draw the character on-model. This is understandable because you are learning to draw the character correctly. But when you finally get the grip of that you shouldn't stop drawing. You have to go to the next level which is drawing the character in right poses. Some characters can't be drawn in certain ways because it looks odd or just feels unnatural. In order to draw the character in right poses you really have to know everything about the character. You have to know his/her personality, past, how he/she deals tough situations, why he/she walks in that certain way etc. When you really start to understand the character and you have learned to draw the character perfectly, you are able to draw the perfect pose.
Okay, enough with this artsy nonsense. Let's check the covers!
Cover 1
I wanted Donald to do a "tai chi" pose with a sword but I couldn't find anywhere a good reference for that. It's a shame because that pose would have been so dynamic and it suits well Donald's personality. I ended up drawing this weird.. well.. I don't even know what Donald is trying to do in this cover. Is he preparing to fight someone? Trying to keep his balance? I don't know. You tell me.
I would honestly read a comic where Donald wanders around carrying a katana and fights mean people. Really.
Cover 2
The original idea was that Donald is going to watch a movie called "Kung Fu Duck 4" and is dressed as the hero in the film. The idea of Donald actually going to watch a campy kung fu movie was believable and funny, but not enough for me. I wanted to put some sort of Disney in-joke in it. So, instead of going to watch kung fu, Donald goes to see a Darkwing Duck movie (I like to think that it is as dark and as long as The Dark Knight movie)!
Donald looks quite good in Darkwing Duck costume. :)
Cover 3
My favorite villain? Flintheart Glomgold. My favorite story? Everything that has Scrooge and Flintheart.
This was tricky one because I wanted to do a cover that highlights the story's biggest conflict. And what could be the biggest conflict than making Scrooge choose between his first dime and his nephews?
About the cane that Flintheart is holding.. I don't really know is it his or Scrooge's. The colour matches Scrooge's cane but I have no idea why Flintheart would have his cane. Well, he IS evil, so maybe he has stole it or something.
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