A Snail's Pace

Mini Snail; 2"x2.25" Gouache; 2014

Just when I started getting the blog updated semi regularly, I totally forget how long it takes to storyboard an episode during my day job, thus bringing any semblance of normalcy I had going in my posts to a complete and total standstill.  On the plus side I only have a week and a half (maybe two) left until my board is due, at which point I'll go back to doing revisions and have  little bit more time for personal projects again.  Which is AWESOME, but also a little bit of a bummer because starting March 1st I get to start production on my Bats Day/Gallery999:3 Haunted Mansion Icons painting.  Just like last year, though, I had to sign a confidentiality agreement that I won't show the finished painting until May 17th.  I am going to say a couple things, which I believe will not be in breech of the contract, and that is it will be Haunted Mansion related and feature more than one prop that you would see in the Haunted Mansion, but the Haunted Mansion will be only part of the story taking place in the piece.  I'm excited because it will be my most ambitious painting to date and feature quite a few 'easter eggs', but most importantly it will be the first painting featuring a new character that was created last year during the second set of the Monster Girl Drawing Challenge.  She has yet to be named but I will tell you that she has become the Boogervampire's "cool" older sister.

Mini Bat (Green); 2"x2" Gouache; 2014

I am also hoping to finish up the sketch for my epic Sushi Monster painting before the middle of next month as well.  That poor painting.  I started it in November and, try as I might, I've hit one road block after another trying to get it finished.  I'll post that drawing once finished since it's for a family friend and has no concrete deadline.  I just feel bad for our friend who's been waiting almost two years for it.

Mini Bat (Blue); 2"x2" Gouache; 2014

Lastly, at the Spook Show, or leading up to it, I discovered that people liked my little gouache bat doodles!!  That was kind of nice so I fiddled around some more with my new acrilya gouache from Holbien (bought two more tubes also) and did these two little guys over my long President's Day weekend last week.  It's been nearly 12 years since I saw a painting demo by Tim Biskup in character design class and I just now figured out that Holbien was the brand of Gouache he was using that day.  I've tried multiple times with my Windsor Newton gouache to try the stuff he was doing that day and it just didn't work right, but as soon as I tried it with the Holbien I realized what I was doing wrong.  

*I'd still like to note, the Holbien is awesome for doodling but I think I'm going to still stick to Windsor Newton for my big paintings.

World's tiniest Double Mats.  Pretty proud of myself.

Enough rambling, back to WORK!!  Time to kick this boards ASS so I can go back to doing 'fun stuff'!