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daCartoonreality In reply to kirbynat [2014-10-04 21:12:25 +0000 UTC]

Thanks homie. Its not really any particular skill in this piece, just fooling the eye into thinking I know how to draw. Despite my cheating through this one...it is one of my favorites, for the feel that came through. It's hanging in my hallway, for now. :3

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daCartoonreality In reply to Tukaiki [2014-09-02 00:52:21 +0000 UTC]

I wouldn't have thought to bring these ideas to life without your encouragement. I'm indebted to you for my EEnE art this summer. Thank you. 

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Tukaiki In reply to daCartoonreality [2014-09-02 02:32:46 +0000 UTC]

Dawwww, you deserve most of the applause although. Without you, this project would never have come to light ^^. Thank you so much for partnering with me in this . hopefully we can continue into the next part. (:

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daCartoonreality In reply to Tukaiki [2014-09-02 16:24:05 +0000 UTC]

I would be thrilled to move on to the next part, when we can. keep the ideas ticking!

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daCartoonreality In reply to ComedyTeam [2014-09-01 03:16:06 +0000 UTC]

I will message you.

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ComedyTeam In reply to daCartoonreality [2014-09-02 03:22:15 +0000 UTC]

Ok, I'll wait

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daCartoonreality In reply to on-the-jasmine-wind [2014-09-02 00:54:42 +0000 UTC]

Thank you, I appreciate your ongoing support.

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daCartoonreality In reply to 6800 [2014-09-01 04:49:52 +0000 UTC]

It's in the story too if you care to check it out.

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6800 In reply to daCartoonreality [2014-09-01 08:22:34 +0000 UTC]

ooooh awesome.

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daCartoonreality In reply to Han-Wik [2014-09-02 01:22:10 +0000 UTC]

I have been enjoying the backgrounds. white backgrounds have been bugging me lately. I do plan on building more and more details into my pieces for now....perhaps in textures though. My tastes change often for what I feel like doing but I've been enjoying myself this summer experimenting slightly out of my comfort zone. Not too much for fear of throwing in the towel altogether. Maybe that sounds silly..."she's doing exclusively EEnE, that's easy stuff"....but its a process for me....a slow going process and I am so revved up on EEnE that I can't bear doing anything else...it's what I need right now. I want to do challenger from TLW!! but I never get the passion for it when I start...I stare at the paper and Eddy magically appears! I don't mind it at all, its where I am right now.

I am nowhere near drawing from my mind...the vision nearly always comes from my mind, no visual queues, but then i need references for what I see in my mind! I don't like that but it is what it is. Your comments have been helpful though, you help me not feel like a 'cheater'. 

I love your work because it is so original and I can tell it comes from YOU...that sentence makes no sense does it....maybe it does...I look forward to stretching forward as an artist and really coming through. I'm hungry for drawing right now. More than ever perhaps.

Of course the enjoyment is mutual...not everyone has the gift of typing up so much jargon as we can.

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Han-Wik In reply to daCartoonreality [2014-09-04 19:49:26 +0000 UTC]

I can relate to pretty much everything you say, especially the slow process part. I'm not always a fast learner. The first time I moved out of my comfort zone it took me several years to accept the changes, and now it has taken me another five years just to get adjusted to the thought of drawing people and get rid of the additional fears I was struggling with. Once into it, it takes more years of practice to actually get the technical bit right. But I'm in for it- I have grown since I started, so I've been rewarded for my hard work. My life and a drive that will always be a part of me, and it's impossible for me to escape from it even when the darkness tries to bring me down. There's little else I'm good at, so I'm trying to make the best out of what I've got.
This should be an extreme sport: climbing mental mountains, getting kicked out of your comfort shack at the edge of a steep and dark abyss, falling without a parachute and hoping that the landing will be a safe one. But you won't die from it. The way down sure looks terrifying from above, but I've found a reward at the bottom every time.

So give it time because it's not magic that happens over night. Make the best out of any motivational source you have, because having fun makes learning enjoyable and gives quality results. Eventually, everything you do will add up and fuse into a personal style and workflow. I can tell you're putting your mind and passion into everything you do, and fan art can be a nice foundation for building skill...even if you're jut doing it for fun. EEnE and other animated shows taught me a lot about constructing characters from basic shapes as well as action, humour and timing. The thought of it being silly has been striking me before, but it's not right because it made it easier for me to understand how things work. All roads lead to Rome, they say. No way is the ''right'' way, so make use of everything you'll encounter on your path.

Everything I say here is based on personal experience....all those doubts especially. Feeling that I'm cheating nd all that stuff. What you're saying reminds me very much of myself. 

***

So yeah, have fun with exploring Eddy and his world!

And I'm happy that you appreciate Challenger as much as I do! All of the members of the treehouse family are amazingly well-rounded and realistic, but I'm rather fond of gruff, elderly men, often close-minded, who have got a thing or two to learn  (plus, Roxton isn't the only gentleman of the bunch : P ). TLW is special because the characters were so human with their own internal conflicts and longings, and then it branched out into interaction and development arches.

I'm working on some representative fan art as we speak, and have a few pieces ready!
It's just that I feel the need to make a collage of sorts as an introduction to the character, and for some stupid reason I seem to think that posting them separate will be boring and ''not interesting enough''on its own. Also, I don't want to spam my watchers' inboxes. I'm awkward like that. 

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daCartoonreality In reply to Han-Wik [2014-10-24 17:09:04 +0000 UTC]

Been seeing this comment time and time again and wanted to give a proper response....takes me some time, but today's the day I am doing it. By the way, I'm still adjusting to your new icon (although its nice). I'm weird like that.

Adjustment....change...growth....its all heavy stuff for me. So I understand a lot of what you are saying. Moving out of a comfort zone...that is what I'm attempting. I am trying to capture gesture and atmosphere...this is new stuff I'm trying out and yes, it feels like an extreme sport. Lots of sketch paper being filled with craziness....not pieces I plan to finish, just trying to figure out how to draw. Reading books and watching lectures has given me information, but has in no way improved my technical skill.
I feel like a lost sailor on a life boat in the middle of the ocean...I have no one else to teach me how to survive. I have to figure it out myself. And so I pull out paper and a pencil and begin to create formations under my hand. Slowly, painfully, beautifully....shapes emerge.

Animation is not children's play....so much work, effort, and time goes into it. Lots of thinking...lots of planning....so when I pick apart a cartoon and study all the elements and think about how the pieces go together...I don't feel silly because that's what animators do. I am just attempting reverse....they start with an empty slate and turn it into a finished work, and I pick the pieces apart and see where they originated from. I have spent so many hours studying EEnE....a few other shows and films too, but mostly EEnE. It's helping me formulate the original series I've been working on for fun. I don't take it too seriously, I'm just seeing where it takes me and being light about it, else I trash it. 

You are so right, having fun is the better road for art. I get overly serious and it all turns to ick. I try to shrug off disappointments and try a slightly different approach...sometimes with success. This particular piece is full of mistakes and stuff I'm not totally content with. But it taught me things, it was fun....I got it to where I felt it could be complete and decided to move on. 

As far as Challenger goes: I'm pretty much smitten with his voice. So decided. He is intelligent and stubborn and rough around the edges yet (bonus!) has a heart of gold. I really admire Challenger, he is an incredible character. I love his interactions with Summerlee, they have a great dynamic to watch. Summerlee sort of reminds me of Double D: wanting to travel the world and study science and nature, with the heart of an artist, delicate and loving, perhaps too much so for this harsh world we find ourselves in. That's what I saw anyway, maybe not. I tend to relate everything dear to me to EEnE, so excuse the comparison if you don't see it. : P 

And if you don't want to spam your watchers, you can spam my personal inbox with any TLW fan art you may have, however "uninteresting" it may be....

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Han-Wik In reply to daCartoonreality [2014-12-01 19:49:57 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, long comments take a while to absorb in order to give a proper and well-deserved response (just see how long it took me to reply to this one!). 

I'm glad you're motivated and have a desire do develop your creative skills. Being in the same boat, I can't help but relate to the struggles and dedication, and this is why I enjoy following people's growth over time. Most importantly, I think you have potential and care about technical aspects such as the idea behind and execution, so there's more to your fan art than just some copied characters from a cartoon. 

But the moment it becomes an ordeal, kills the interest, stresses you out and doesn't reward you, take a break and don't force it. Sometimes you'll find yourself in a hole, but if being creative is is what you really love, the motivation will come back to you at some point, sooner or later.

***

The characterization is definitely the main reason for why LW still has a loyal fanbase and hasn't been forgotten after all these years. The pilot movie and the show itself is just as old as EEnE! 

I have no problems with the comparison. It's actually why I thought I'd recommend LW to you, since you have a great understanding of personalities, among other things. And both shows do have some similarities, like how they don't seem to appeal on the surface, but get better the more you look into them and start noticing the development and the chemistry within the colourful cast. Not to say one has to love these shows, and it depends on the viewer's subjective taste, of course.

True about Challenger's voice. I grew fond of the actor (Peter McCauley) and he has a notable way with ''growly'' performances. But usually when the role is typically rough-edged: I've watched films, narration clips and interviews where he spoke in a softer and more casual tone. Challenger uses both, distinctive in every way.

As for my planned fan art, the idea is to post a representative collage of Challenger and then a few illustrations based on the written continuation of the series, but my progress is painfully slow. If I feel the time dragging, I might as well do just that- spam your inbox. Or rather, send you a personal note with a link to the completed pieces.
I've been working on my doll commissions lately, but LW will definitely be my main focus for a while, along with the technical practice that comes with it.

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daCartoonreality In reply to Han-Wik [2015-02-28 02:40:55 +0000 UTC]

I see this comment every few days and tell myself I'll respond to it...I think it's about time I do. 

Funny how in just a few months an art journey can alter....I've went in all sorts of random directions since my last comment on here....not so much drawing Eds as writing conversations between the Eds, sketching out anime characters that use to pretty much be my world nearly ten years ago, and writing dialogue for my own characters.
I'm finding myself becoming emotionally attached to them...strange how they are my own characters (I guess, they are borrowed from so many parts of my life), but they sort of evolve on their own too...like, if I give them enough words, enough sketches, they seem to create themselves, bit by bit...I spend a lot of time thinking about them, but I can't share because they are not ready, I want to do them partial justice, they represent parts of my and others lives, and the story needs time to grow...does this make sense? I don't want to sound too out there...oh heck, I'm way out there and I know it...

I haven't been sharing much on dA because I just haven't been in a place to share...sometimes I prefer keeping work to myself, especially if its "growing pains" type work...

Lately I've found myself writing more than drawing. I don't mind, I consider it a part of my artwork. And it often inspires drawings in the process.

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