A place for Dojo Members to post Usagi Yojimbo "Otaku" art and fiction. Display your artistic and/or literary works based on Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo here!
I did these fairly lame ones last night. Just copies of panels. I think I'm regressing - or maybe I'm just getting pickier. I might try another medium, or maybe another type of pen, the stilted quality is bugging me. The chizu piece has one really nice line - the one that runs down Usagis forehead to his nose. That was gone over twice and it's still nice and clean - not so for most of the others. Poor Chizu's mouth is in entirely the wrong place.
I'm surprized how tricky word balloons are. How on earth do you ink a smooth line on those puppys. I still haven't made one I'm willing to even try it on. Looks like I have to study the kimono some more too. Still quite a bit better than the original - at least the ears are !
So, now what. I can do a passable Usagi, which is kool but is that all I wanted out of this exercise. Time to have a look at my goals. I have to say I'm pretty happy with my progress so far but I think I am going to have to keep going. I would like to be able to create a whole scene that somehow is true to Usagi's sphere of reference but also is my work and not Stan's. I have to get comfortable enough with the forms so that I can speak them in my own language, like David did with his pin-up or like roel, Amy and inkthinker have done. The trouble is my work for the past 15 or so years has been abstract painting on glass. Not the easiest translation.
well I tried a couple of things. this first is an attempt at using the fine pen more like I was using the pencil. in a more sketchy kinda way. Not sure about the results of that experiment.
lacks the sketchy goodness of the pencils AND the clean lines of the inks
ok, I guess I am sure!
Last edited by morna-san on Tue Jul 03, 2007 22:00 -0700, edited 1 time in total.
next experiment was a bit more sucessful. I switched pens and ditched the pencils altogether:
the first one ( top image on the page) sucks but immediately I did one I kinda like
I let this guy have the whole page
and this one
there were a few pages looking a bit like this:
you have to be super fast and decisive with this type of drawing - no time to futz around... I really like the guy on the bottom.
ya that's my hand. I was curious to try drawing a familiar object in that style.
and then you have this one - scarily similar to an earlier one... I do like the ears on him tho'
This feels better to me. I like the decisive mark-making and the clean lines. I like the speed and spontaneity - but it's also unforgiving... and so far all I'm comfortable enough to subject to this style is the upper torso. I need to get more familiar with bodies and poses and drapery. or try another medium... maybe
got myself a brush pen. They're weird but the type of mark you can make seems particularly suited to the subject matter.
Here's my favorite out of the first batch - there are lots 'cause they take about three seconds to make:
one problem is that you can't make a round dot... unless you draw it round and then it gets big... shrug
only thing that really bugs me is the unfortunate overlap of the line of his ear lining up with the line of the overlap on his ear-wrapping-thingy - know what I mean?
I hope I'm not running out of ink already some of those lines are a bit dry looking. Yes the hand is pretty small but I've seen worse. Crappy sword unfortunately..... practice practice!
well, I'm off to the seaside for a few days - I'll try to do some drawing whilst I'm there. I'm bringing my pastels so I might try something with some colour. I'll show you what I come up with when I get back
I'd fallen behind on checking this thread but am all caught up.
Wonderful pictures. Though I really like some of the ones you don't seem to, like the one of Chizu. Their is a bit of awkwardness in her face but the picture conveys the sense it's supposed to.
wow that was great! I guess it's a bit of a misnomer saying i'm GOING to the seaside when I live a couple of blocks from the sea... but this is different! We had one of the most incredible nature experiences of my life - skinny dipping with the phosphorescents! So so beautiful. Our little minds were blown. It was just so incredibly amazing seeing your limbs as dark silhouettes against a myriad of bright sparks. We started out wading and pretty soon we were in all the way (and I can never get Gary to go in the sea) You could see the concussion of your footfalls expressed in sparkles. Snow angels when you swim. Unreal! Too bad we had no luck photographing them - those little motes are too ephemeral to register. Some things can only be experienced first hand.
Anyway I thought I'd post evidence of the true depth of my (our) geekyness. Behold! Demon Usagi comes to Yellowpoint.
