Bully Process!

(May 03, 2009)

I was recently asked to design a tattoo.  It feels odd… creating an image that will be on somebody’s skin for life.  However, the person asking wanted a tat of Theodore Roosevelt going pugalistic on a group of classic monsters.  Hang-ups be damned!  How could I refuse such a project?

I’m still working on the final image, but I thought I’d show some of my thumbnail sketches in the meantime.  Not only to show my process, but this project’s gotten me thinking about some issues I’m trying to work out with my drawing style.  Chiefly, I’m trying to loosen up…  I’ve always liked putting detail into my work, but it often seems to lead to stiffness in my finished drawings.  I feel I’ve improved in this area recently, but it’s still something I have to pay attention to when I work.

Anyway, here are three of my sketches.  I’ve done more, but these best exemplify the progress of the piece:

So, sketch #1…  My concern here was trying to figure out the composition of all the characters.  I like these poses, and I’m happy with the likenesses, but that stiffness problem is in full swing.  The biggest culprit is Teddy, who lacks a dynamic line of action.  Since I have my details figured out, I’ll focus on getting more energy in the next drawings.

Sketch #2 is a huge improvement to me.  Giving Teddy’s figure an arc makes him look much bolder than the first drawing, plus gives his victim more room to struggle.  Not so many details this time around.  I’ll concentrate on those again in my next sketches, but still try to focus on pushing the looseness of the figures.

In sketch #3, Teddy’s pose, and proportions, are even more exaggerated.  As a drawing, I like this best, though I don’t think it’s working for the tattoo.  Again, the big problem is Teddy… instead of looking like the former president, I feel he’s looking like an  anonymous (though tough) mustachioed character.  The happy medium probably lies somewhere between this sketch and the last.

Still,  pushing the pose this far still helped me to get more energy in the drawing and has helped loosen me up for the final piece.  Also, I feel the monster pile-up in the back is getting more visually interesting.  Practice! Practice! Stretch those art legs and win the race!

As for the final design, I’ll post it later this week.