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Tutorial 013

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Okay, so even though I had some time this weekend, I just needed step away from this. I like it, and I want to keep liking it, so it's important to take a break now and then. I'm back on it this morning.

So the reason I don't care about all the cutting and gluing and such, is that I'll just make a scan of the drawing after I have it pretty close to the way I want to ink it. This is a print of the scanned drawing, and I did this so I could play around with some clothing ideas. This drawing is all about Girl 2, so I wanted to give her the simplest outfit. Girls 1 and 3 should be mega-naughty, And even though I'm not yet satisfied with either outfit, I'm heading in this direction.

By the way, I've found it more difficult to turn bats around the figures that I thought it would be. I guess this is why people have models. I'll do my best when the time comes to get the stripes, bats and such right.

Because I don't want to delay the inking any longer, I might ink the girls as they are, and add the outfits as another layer. This will pay dividends later as I can endlessly change their outfits depending on who the drawing is for, and it will keep inking fun and simpler.

And if Girl 3 is a cat, she won't be leopard-spotted. She'll be a proper black cat. I just couldn't help myself as I was scribbling on her outfit.

PS - I probably should have mentioned this, but this print was made just to try some outfits on the characters, the final version will include the animals and brush at the end of the broom.
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Tutorial 015

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From top to bottom -

I print the drawing out in several sizes, even if I need to print it on multiple pieces of paper.

I decide on 125% as the size I want to ink. I take the three prints that together will make the entire drawing, and place them on a light table. I use the light table to tape them together so they are perfectly aligned. There will be overlap, which I want.

I then place the taped-together print on a cutting table and use a new Xacto blade to cut them each apart, trying to find a path that misses most or all the critical parts of the figures. I am sure to press through both the top and bottom page in one pass. I discard the extra paper, and am left with three puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together to make a complete drawing. I did this so that when I trace the drawing down there will only be one layer to press a line through. Sadly, I have a giant Epson printer that could print this on one seamless page, but I never have had time to hook it up.

I re-join the three prints, being careful to tape them together in the blank sections between and above and below the figures to keep the tape out of the way of the drawing. You can see how much bigger this final print is as compared with the original.

Finally I turn the drawing over, and using a scarlet Col-Erase pencil, rub a lot of graphite on the lines on the back of the drawing.
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Tutorial 18

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So here is the tracing. I took my time with it as I didn't want to lose the essence of the original sketch. Even though this can be tedious, I try to relax and enjoy this step. Transferring drawings is something that goes WAY back, and I like the connection to the past I feel while I do it. Drawing and painting are crafts that are best enjoyed with real materials, I think.

I did a little re-positioning of Girl 2's screen right eye during the tracing - I'll work it one last time before I ink. In fact, I'll take a last pass at everything before the ink goes on. The eyes, and the feet and the missing hair from Girl 3. I'm still on the fence about the outfits, and weather or not to ink them in. The shoes would have to go, and I don't want to lose them, so I think I'll ink them with costumes on.

Since Girl 3 is basically wearing a body suit, she'll still be inked like this, so there will be a little something for everyone.

So now this whole thing is transferred in scarlet Col Erase onto the Bristol board. I can work it one last time freehand and get every last little thing the way I want it before I ink. Which is what I'll do now.

The biggest thing I ever transferred was an enlarged drawing onto the un-glassed surface of a shaped surfboard. Talk about delicate - the slightest push with my finger would dimple the foam. After I was done I returned the board to its owner and he took it to be glassed. So the painting was protected under a fiberglass and resin shell.
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Tutorial 19

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Okay, so we've gotten over the next great leap with the film, which means I had Sunday morning off, which means I finally had a chance to touch up the red line before I finally ink it.

This is one last freehand pass to get everything as close to correct as I can.

This is why I did the transfer in Scarlet Col Erase. I can touch up and sharpen the lines without any big impact to the clean drawing. I found that there were quite a few little things left to do. I adjusted Girl 1's leg. I worked on Girl 2's head, and I lengthened Girl 3's thigh. I also gave her a little more weight since she has more negative space to fill. Anyway, I'll be inking this one.

Next time you see it it should have a black line. I'll hopefully get a start on it tomorrow morning, since mornings are the best time to ink.
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London Sketch

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I thought I'd post something different today, since I'm on my way to NY to record an actress for the new movie, and I won't finish inking the tutorial till Friday morning. I am pretty close to finishing it, which means I'll actually get on to the more interesting part of the whole thing next week.

While I was in London, where we spent a week at AIR studio for the recording of the Dragons score, I had some time (first time in a long long time) to actually draw. So I sat above the orchestra and drew in my little sketchbook. This is the "Dragon Babies" version of two of the films characters. Astrid and a Gronkle. No, we're not developing anything like this, just something I wanted to draw.
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Tutorial 027

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Well, I finished with the inking this morning. I'd estimate that if I did this in one sitting it was probably about seven to ten hours. I purposefully stopped before I inked the little chain on the far-right purse. I knew I'd need to get it perfectly straight, so I might as well do it in Photoshop tonight. I'll also perfect a few things like the big ball in girl #3's hair, since I'll never ever get it round by hand. I'll also be policing other little things here and there, just to get it all ready for the last step.

I decided not to ink a costume on Girl #3, just because I'll be giving her a black bodysuit. so she'll essentially be wearing a coat of paint - so no linework necessary at this time.

I'll be posting the final image before retiring tonight, and I'll also be posting my formula for the separations I do before painting, which is really the main point of the tutorial in the first place. Thanks for your patience on this.
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Fiddler, London

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Another sketch I made in the balcony in London. I didn't have room to put the little adjustment knobs on the violin, so I left them off. I'll put them on next time.
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Polka Dot Girl

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Wanted to do some watercolor. And I also wanted to draw a girl with heavy arms. And three fingers. And an unhealthy tan.

So there!
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Lantern

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An ink drawing I did in an old sketchbook. I like the sepia for a change.
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Lion and Trike

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Another random stuff.
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Bullet Train Girl

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So I just got back from Japan, and I was inspired by the wonderful art and visitors to the Kyoto Manga Museum. I've never tried drawing a girl like this before, and I think I was about 20% successful. The interesting thing about this is that I did it on the Bullet train between Osaka and Tokyo. Seemed appropriate.
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Nightmare contest drawing

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Okay, so the only reason I'm posting this tonight in its unfinished form is so that everyone can get a heads-up on the thing that's going on on Tuesday. I'll get up early tomorrow morning to finish it up, probably with pen and ink because I think it will suit the subject matter.

First, before I explain this wrong, go to this link and read about what's going on.

[link]

Bobby Chiu will be interviewing me live, and who knows what will happen with that! Bobby is talented and well-organized, which is pretty much the opposite of me. I'll be at work which means I'll be semi-behaved on the air. Also, at some point I'm going to decide who gets this drawing. Which is the sort of responsibility that freaks me out, so this should be interesting.

PS - I got up at 5 to get this inked before work. I would have finished it except we all have to be there an hour early today for some pitches that start at 9 sharp. I'll finish it tonight after 11. Long day, huh?

PS - Done!
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Turns_001

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Just a snapshot of the work in progress. You really can't do a turn without a light table. You can see faint horizontal lines where I was marking any significant points on the original drawing. Top of lips, tip of nose. Top of eyes, top of head, bottom of chin. I then try to make the profile hit those marks exactly, while keeping the aesthetic of the pose graceful and pleasing on its own. Do I have to adjust things? Yes. But its not bad to have a few discrepancies between poses. it gives a sculptor the cue to take theses drawings as a close sketch, but not an absolute blueprint. I always direct sculptors to make changes accordingly to create a pleasing face and pose, despite what the drawing is telling them.
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Turns_002

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Second drawing in progress. I've struggled with the position of the feet a bit. The more you get done the faster it goes, because you can simply trace the exterior contours of the opposite drawing. The right side can be flipped and traces for the left side, back flipped for the front...etc.
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Finished Dreamcatcher Turn

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Well, here is the finished turn of the central character. As I predicted, it was a chore, but now that its done I'm pretty happy with it. The feet are contradictory, as are some things here and there, but the overall is consistent enough. On to the next thing.

Oh, the line is pencil. Its the best thing for turns, as you can "paint" it on, and get a nice sharp line without worrying about mistakes being permanent.
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Butterfly Hunters

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Another sketch from last February. I really am making new ones!
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Gun Girl A

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Another sketch from last year. Pencil on bristol.
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Coffee Issues

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At work, whoever gets to the coffee last always makes a new batch for those who follow. A while ago someone started putting a post-it on the carafe letting people know what time it was made. I started doing little drawings to accompany my coffee brewing whenever I got in early and had time to draw one. Eventually it would be replaced by a newer one and the drawing would go to whoever made the new batch. For next week I decided to get ahead of the game and make a few ahead of time. This one has yet to be used.
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Lagoon

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A late-night drawing. This time I used a little Payne's Gray instead of the dirty water from the inking for my shadows. It looks a little smoother. These last two drawings are pretty small. It makes it harder to ink the lips and eyes, but its faster this way. I'll turn back to some of the larger drawings when I'm getting ready to color them. But for now, these little ones are taking a lot less time. I can get two or three of these done per night.
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Hawaiian Coffee

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Another Coffee drawing. I had a chance to put some color on it - watercolor and dyes.
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Night Coffee

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Yet another coffee drawing. Good excuse to ink.
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Scooter

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New drawing. Not finished with it yet - still need to add the ground plane, but this is as far as I get this morning.
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Camera Girl

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Girl with camera - windy day.
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Zebra Kiss

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This is a Zebra shark. It's a lesser-known shark, at least to me, because it's not one of the faster, toothier ones. It's a low-key shark that sweeps the bottom of the reef for crustaceans and such. Anyway, they are a creature with the most pleasing shapes I can think of. Look up a picture and you'll see that they are a complex collection of straights and curves that can change dramatically depending on the viewing angle.

They have stripes when they're young, hence the name. And spots when they grow up, being also known as the Australian Leopard Shark.

And they are not blue. That was me.
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My Demons

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I was cleaning out a closet last weekend and found three drawings I'd thought I'd lost. This is one of them. It was drawn in 2003, as evidenced by the computer with the big CRT. I didn't clean this up much, just a few of the stray pencil lines, and I left the shadow where I'd taped the caption on. This represents me as I usually am, on the verge of getting something done, but trying to ignore the little voices urging me to do something, anything else.

If you see me washing my car, it's usually because I should be drawing or writing.
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Mug of coffee in the AM

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This is a little sketch I drew a few days ago and posted on my blog. I did it mostly as an excuse to let everyone know that the first wave of Ogo mugs have been shipped out, and are now happily filled with coffee, tea, etc. Maybe even pencils!

You can find the Ogo mug here - [link]

I wasn't spending a lot of time on the color, which is why the stripes don't make a lot of sense. I skirted the details of how her skirt works. This is why you need a model. Not for the pose, but for those darned fabric folds.
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Billy, the decomposed boy

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This is another of the drawings I found in my closet last weekend. I've published it in sketchbook one, but I never had it in a high enough resolution to put on the net. Now that I have the original I've scanned it in more detail.

I've always liked the idea that on Halloween, the dead join in the fun, blending seamlessly with the hoards of children who are wandering the dark. I had a little story I wrote about it, featuring this little boy and his cat.

When I was living in an apartment in Valencia, I only had like, three kids come around trick-or-treating. But the very first one was a teeny tiny little little girl dressed like a rumply princess. She said, "Tick O cheats!"

She and her mother had barely turned to depart my doorstep when I ran to find paper and write it down. That's the sort of thing you don't want to forget.

Oh, and this is one of the few drawings I've inked with a pen rather than a brush. You can tell in the line quality, which is more wobbly than a brush would have made. Appropriate for a moldy boy.
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Cavegirl Menu finish and rough

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A few weekends ago I was drawing new things and I came up with the bottom drawing - a cave girl doing a little reading. I fiddled around with her feet a bit, and finally came to something I liked. This was way to messy to use, but I liked how it felt, and at the very end I added a little lantern, which made it feel cozy. I had no idea how to suspend it, so I left it hanging, much like the rest of the drawing.

Then a few days later I was requested to draw an invitation for a dinner here at Dream Works. I recalled the sketch I'd just done, and decided to try do a more finished version. I'd try and make the girl look just a little more like the character in our film. I just free-handed the drawing again as best I could. This second drawing is on the top. I could never make my cave girl look like the one in the film, but I shortened her legs as much as I dared and did my best to get her as close as I could on the short deadline. I changed her book into a menu and added a rough little sloth to hold the lantern.
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Lilo and Stitch - One Sequence, One Version

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How many drawings in a storyboarded sequence? Well, here's one. Sequence, that is. At the end of Lilo and Stitch we were cataloging and packing up our story drawings. We got to talking about how thick the piles were. Eventually someone suggested we take a picture of the drawings for one sequence. We used the floor of a large open meeting room in the Florida studio, and brought in a scissor lift as a platform for the photographer. Then we spread out the drawings. We were all surprised just how large an area they covered. Bela Temesvary shot the picture. Then he suggested I sit in the middle of them for posterity.

Now, if you're still reading, bear in mind that this is not just one sequence from the film, but one VERSION of one sequence. Sharp-eyed observers will note that this is the obsolete chase sequence that featured a 747. That version was dropped after September 11. So this entire thing wasn't used. Nor is this the first version of this sequence - I boarded it at least once before this. So this is probably version 2. I boarded it again from scratch at least one more time after this one was scrapped.

Most people board on Cintiq now, but I still do it on paper. It's nice to have original drawings to sit on at the end.
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Nimue

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I've always been on the lookout for a great mermaid sculpture, but I've never found "the one," they've always been too stiff, too cheaply made, etc. Sometimes I'll see one through a seaside shop window and she looks pretty good until I turn her around and discover she's just pain ugly. So I realized I'd have to make one. This is Nimue, the first collaboration between myself and Anders Ehrenborg. Anders sculpted Nimue digitally, from a sketch of mine, and all the credit for this really goes to him. You can visit his website here [link]

We're producing a run of these sculptures and you can order them here, [link]

And don't forget to check for the topless version [link] for those of you that like your mermaids without shells.

More details and updates can be found here [link]

Oh, and she also comes with green hair if you so desire.
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Rescue Siren Nim

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One of five lead characters from a property my wife, Jessica Steele-Sanders, created: "Rescue Sirens." This is the most recent drawing I've done of Rescue Siren Nim, part of a larger poster. I've learned the hard way to draw each element of a larger composition separately, and then piece it all together at the end. This allows not only for changes later on, but for the elements and characters to be used for other things, making the work more effective and useful!

To find out more about the book, check out shop.rescuesirens.com

You can also follow "Rescue Sirens" on social media at www.facebook.com/rescuesirens and www.instagram.com/rescuesirens
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Rescue Siren Kelby

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The second of the Rescue Sirens, Kelby. This story is set in Miami Beach, where a group of mermaids hide in plain sight, posing as lifeguards. There are several things I really like about this take on a mermaid story, not the least of which is the different sorts of tails each girl has. Matching tails to the traits and personality types was one of the first things my wife, Jessica Steele-Sanders, came up with. Kelby, here, has a Tiger Shark tail. More to follow in the coming days!

If you'd like to read more, visit shop.rescuesirens.com

You can also follow "Rescue Sirens" on social media at www.facebook.com/rescuesirens and www.instagram.com/rescuesirens
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Rescue Siren Echo

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As promised, this is the third of the five main characters from the Rescue Sirens story. This is Echo, who sports the tail of a Blue Marlin. She's the most athletic of the Sirens, and the fastest. This was a fun character to color, taking my cues from nature when it came to her tail. With such diverse tails between all the characters, it's a judgment call as to the relative weight. When the tails get too thin they can feel snake-y. I've used self-colored lines on these characters, which is a term I picked up in animation. Basically, it means there are no black lines. Even the darkest lines are shy of true black.

To find out more about the book, check out shop.rescuesirens.com

You can also follow "Rescue Sirens" on social media at www.facebook.com/rescuesirens and www.instagram.com/rescuesirens

Questions? We also have an FAQ: bit.ly/rescuesirens-faq
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Rescue Siren Pippa

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...Now with description!

Pippa is the fourth of the five lead Rescue Sirens. She has a tail inspired by a Caribbean Monk Seal (although she's still a "normal" mermaid, not a selkie, since she's not Scottish). For more info on Caribbean Monk Seals -- which are now extinct -- visit bit.ly/rescuesirens-seal

Even though I like all the Rescue Sirens characters, Pippa is one of my very favorites. I love her character and she's really fun to draw.

To find out more about the book, check out shop.rescuesirens.com

You can also follow "Rescue Sirens" on social media at www.facebook.com/rescuesirens and www.instagram.com/rescuesirens

Questions? We also have an FAQ: bit.ly/rescuesirens-faq
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Rescue Siren Maris

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Maris rounds out the five lead characters in "Rescue Sirens." She happens to be the other of my favorites, although I must say, I do love them all. Maris has the tail of a common dolphin, and hers is the most difficult for me to draw accurately, and also to balance its weight. For me, dolphin tails are a constant challenge, as they have a very particular structure and shape that, if not adhered to, lose their integrity. As for Maris's character, she's the most fashionable and culturally savvy of the Sirens. She has a little of Thurston Howell's DNA in her character, which makes me SO happy. 

I also should mention that all five of these Rescue Sirens were drawn and inked traditionally, but they were colored on my iPad with Procreate. I have a little routine nowadays where at the end of the day, when I don't feel like sketching and inking anymore, I watch TV with Jess and color on my iPad. I must say, Procreate is amazing.

To find out more about the book, check out shop.rescuesirens.com

You can also follow "Rescue Sirens" on social media at www.facebook.com/rescuesirens and www.instagram.com/rescuesirens

Questions? We also have an FAQ: bit.ly/rescuesirens-faq
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Rescue Sirens Poster

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Here is the completed poster, with all the characters placed and background elements added. I rarely "paint" backgrounds, as it's not my strong suit, but this was something I felt needed a fully rendered environment. My favorite thing about the finish was adding the fish. They all needed to be multiplied, as fish travel in groups. There is one lone fish, which isn't too hard to find. This was a long project, which started with a bunch of conceptual roughs, which Jess went through and picked the ones that worked the best. Nim, Maris, Kelby, Echo, and Pippa's poses needed to reflect their individual personalities, as well as lock together tightly in a single compact composition. Tails complicate things immensely. Added to that, this was planned to be a large-scale display that would be divided into three free-standing uprights that would be printed separately and pieced together on site at San Diego Comic-Con. That meant that the seams couldn't go through any of the girls' faces when divided into even thirds. So, there's an invisible set of measurements that governed the characters' placement which is as important as the aesthetic considerations.

Now, while the "sirens" in "Rescue Sirens" is a deliberate reference to both the noisemakers on first responders' vehicles as well as a popular term for a mermaid, the origin of the term is a little more complicated than that. Lest you scholars of Greek mythology think that we didn't do our research prior to developing "Rescue Sirens," we submit to you a blog post explaining the various uses and definitions of the word "siren" throughout history -- and how we choose to use it when it comes to our specific property: bit.ly/sirensVSmermaids

To find out more about the book, check out shop.rescuesirens.com

You can also follow "Rescue Sirens" on social media at www.facebook.com/rescuesirens and www.instagram.com/rescuesirens

Questions? We also have an FAQ: bit.ly/rescuesirens-faq
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Scuba Girl 1

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Okay, so I tried something a little different this morning - I loaded a pretty large size of this, in case anyone is thinking of trying some color on it. I've been sending out some large-sized files but I'm concerned, given the traffic on my site and my disorganized nature, that I may very well have been missing some requests. So try using this copy! All I ask is that you send me a copy of the finished work so I might post it in my guest gallery (send a link in a note so I'm more likely to find it) Thanks!
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coloring color

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Color by :iconcoloring:

Coloring INDEED! Jeeze, this is so beautiful. I know I keep saying this, but I am so humbled by this color, and I just need to spend the next year learning from all of you. -Chris
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Tsuxiau color

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Color by :icontsuxiau:

Tsuxiau could color better than me when he was three, I'm just guessing. This is what I get for falling behind on going through my notes. I had this incredible piece sitting there for probably a week, and I'm just now getting it posted. I must apologize for being so slow - but enough of that - feast your eyes on THIS! What can I say that would possibly improve on this...just a big thank you, and expression of my amazement for the violet-green tones. You are the master. -Chris
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Walking Girl

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Some more old stuff. Again, I am really trying to complete some new stuff. But what the heck.
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Dream Catcher

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So this is the last drawing I finished for the San Diego Comic Convention. It's with :iconceeceeluvins: right now. She's done an incredible job with two other drawings of mine. I must say, that of all the crazy stuff going on this year, the color she's bestowed to a few of my drawings has been the coolest experience so far!

This was actually one of the first drawings I did this year, and fell upon it quite by accident. I like the off-balance nature of the fishers pose, tipping slightly to the right on one foot. The moon-shaped boat was deliberate. If you look closely you can see the cutting and pasting remnants. Because the drawing just took off by surprise, the girl and boat was at the far left of the paper, not leaving any room for the dream creatures. so I had to draw them on another piece of paper and splice them all together. This happens to me a lot.
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Watercolor detail

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A detail of a painting I made for a friend.
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Cover Girl

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Cover girl for book 3
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Me, after a day in the Mojave

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One of the rare pictures of me. I'm usually behind the camera, and I'm usually in the desert. Mojave, or Death Valley.

( I noticed a lot of people thought I was sunburned. I wasn't, but they did point out the warm tone of the photo. I was sitting inside a window with a red neon sign. I'll pull the saturation down and balance it and re-post. Or just pull the color and go BW. Yes, that's probably best when you can't be sure of the color on your own computer - I'm doing this on my laptop, and can't get to my color correct screen right now.)
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MerMay 003d

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A mermaid from Mermay a few years ago... Just colored the sketch- never inked this one!
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Little Monster Mermaid 001c

Jessica Rabbit Scooter PRINT MINT copy

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Worked a long time on this one, especially the little stickers on the scooter!
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MerHair 0021d copy

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A Mermay submission from 2019, or 2020. Can't remember.  I was happy with the concept - a little bit of story inside a drawing makes it more enduring, I think...
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MermaidToucan 001fa

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This originally had a toucan on her head. I removed it later, and like it better without it, I think.
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Tampa Bay square

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One of a series of twelve girls that represent different cities in Florida.
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