Taking the test!!!

So huge update on my blog. Last wednsday I was in for a job interview with Pin USA. They design and make comemorative pins for Disney, Hard Rock Cafe and other clients. Well I suppose the interview went well because I was given an illustration test. So all last week I was busy working on this test while still going to work, and making a trip to Knotts Scarey Farm( whoo hoo ). I finished the test monday night and just turned it in Tuesday, one day before the due date of well...today. The test was fun, I had to design three pins for different events, a Hard Rock one for St. Patricks Day, a Mickey one for Spring break, and a Sticth (Ala Lilo and Stitch) pin for Valentines Day. The challenge was to draw in the styles I was given. It was difficult because I would have loved to redraw the characters in my own style. I found the Hard Rock one too be pretty simplethough, and for a strange reason Mickey was the hardest. I dunno, maybe I was stressing myself out, and tring to make it too perfect. Well since I had to give up my final drawings for the test I decided to post all my sketches and practice attempts here.

So now I play the waiting game. And I hate the waiting game, all my imagination does for me is create a ton of what if situations. All in all I'm just happy to have gotten the test. To me in means that I had enough skills shown in my portfolio, that they wanted to see what else I can do. Hopefully I did. Wish me luck!!!

Here are the final design sketches

Drawings and Job Interviews!

Wow I haven't posted here for a while. I've been busy with work, our website (http://www.10000zombies.com) and going to job interviews. I had one last week at Acme Licensing, they sell original artwork from animated shows and movies, they were looking for an illustrator and web artist. Unfortunately I think they were looking for more of a web artist, because although ,I thought, the interview went well, and they liked my illustration skills, I was quickly notified later that day, that I didn't get the job. Oh well, would have been a fun job. Cool thing is that now this Wednsday, I have another interview with a company that creates pins and they're looking for an illustrator as well. So wish me luck.

Anyways here are a bunch of drawings and what not from this week, I have a lot more, but they're still being finished, and they're more halloween themed. I'll post them all up here as the holiday gets closer. The cowboy drawings are from an old joke that my dad used to always tell. Its not too funny of a joke, but I always liked how he told it, and I figured it make a great comic of short of something. So I'm working on developing the two main characters. This is the bad jack character. I'm liking the big mountain man look, makes him look meaner.

Attempts to broaden my stuff

So I'm tring to draw more video game stuff, or more "realistic" stuff I guess. And of course they end up being cartoony, except the dragon, its the least cartoony, but its still cartoony. Anyways, I think about all the game art of some videos games I like and all there artwork is either very animeish, or cartoony, or even comic like. Since when did anime and comic styles become realistic? Their just as much of a caricature of real life as Elmer Fudd is. So I say screw realism, I'll just apply what I know to different subject matter.

Of course in the end you're always going to have to cater to the studio's style, but here's a question, does being able to draw things relaistic make you a "better" atrist? I like to think no, but then again I could be making an excuse for me to not draw realistically. But think about it. There's skill in doing a phot realistic painting or draiwng, a hell of alot of skill and dedication, but is it any less skill or dedication needed to draw really great cartoons, or comics? I think thy're just different parts of the same skill, that is drawing. I mean whether or not you're draiwng superman, mickey mouse, or painting the naked modelm you still need to know and understand, anatomy, proportion, perpspective etc. I mean I know that if I sat down and really applied myself, and learned some of the techniques, I could draw a decent realistic drawing, and after time, it would be a very good drawing. But I can't do it as fast as I draw cartoons because I DRAW CARTOONS ALL THE TIME!!! But I could, because I know enough about the basics that I could do it.

So I guess I may just be bitching, I mean if I'm applyong to a job that wants more realistic looking subject matter, and I show them cartoons and say "hey hire me, I didn't show you anything of what you wanted, but I can, just trust me" that would be plain dumb, and stupid of me. But I think what I need to learn is to not criticize myself for not drawing realistic, I love to draw cartoony things, even if its just a little bit of cartooniness. I think when you simplify and exaggerate, it brings more life to things. If you want a realistic image, than take a photo, or hire someone else. I'm a cartoonist damn it!!!!