The Tigers Have Spoken II

I decided to completely redraw the artwork on this one by hand (the original was done on a cintiq). I like the looseness and the gesture in the original, but it wasn't what I pictured for this project. I don't think I've ever redrawn something without making major changes to it, so this was a challenge. Knowing that I was more or less repeating a previous action. And, FYI, I never want to draw chains or railroad again.

You can see the process above (thumbnail drawing, rough sketch, Final A, Final B).

Middle Cyclone

I drew this yesterday during breaks from a lengthy & tedious graphic design project, and colored it today. I'm happy with the way it turned out--just as I imagined it when I drew the sketch a few months ago. This CD is all about nature and animals (plus lots of twisters). There is also a really lovely song called "Prison Girls" that inspired the girl.

Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Here is the final artwork. The idea behind this drawing is based mostly off of the first song on the disc, "Margaret vs. Pauline" which is about how everything is so easy for Pauline, while poor Margaret keeps getting the short end of the stick. I blended this with little bits and pieces from all the other songs to create the whole narrative, with Margaret being the victim of the car crash in "Star Witness".

I decided last minute to change the red-haired girl's eyes. They looked too beautiful & vacant, and I really liked the sadness and depth that I captured in the original sketch. I'm still not sold on which I prefer.

Fox Confessor - Half Drawn

Here's an in-progress on the drawing for my Fox Confessor Bring the Flood album art. It's done in the style of the DList boys project - which is a divergence from the inky free style way that I did the Tigers Have Spoken. I'm not sure if this was the right choice - kind of wishing I went looser, but I'll finish and see how I like it then.

Neko Case Project: "Tigers" Final?

Here's my final colors for The Tigers Have Spoken. Now I need to finish the other five albums to complete the set! I'm putting the finishing "inks" (done completely with my Wacom) - I think it looks better in black and white.

Neko Case Project: "Tigers" Inks

I'm just about finished "inking" this. I wanted to finish the whole thing this evening, but I didn't get quite so far. I'm very happy with the way it's turning out. I especially like the blood splatter. If you are wondering what the gray part is, that's the sketch. It is set to a low opacity in Photoshop, with a result that is very similar to a light table.

Neko Case Project II: Roughs

Here are the first three roughs for Tigers Have Spoken, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and Middle Cyclone. I still have to research the other three albums but these roughs give me a better idea of where I'm headed. Each image will be done in black, gray, and one color. I'm so excited about how loose and energetic these sketches are. I definitely want to keep that energy in the final art. (I almost just want to keep tightening these sketches and call it a day!)

Neko Case Project

I assigned myself a fun little project: I'm going to illustrate 6 Neko Case album covers, weaving a narrative out of the wonderful imagery she creates in her songs. I also want to make this a bit about branding and package design. Here are my thoughts thus far. I think I want to render them much in the same style as the 80 Dlist Boys. Black and white penwork with a premium on hand-drawn texture and color accents.