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Here is my latest in the HB cartoons series. Weren't they always hunting for El Kabong or something like that? I can't remember anymore. I did this with the new tablet too. My hand is hurting less the more I get used to using the pen. Let me know what you think.
Eric
Man, these are great. They bring back so many memories raising our kids and watching these shows together =D> Ah man, I think I'm going to cry :'(
Another excellent tribute to Hanna-Barbera. Are you drawing these freehand on the tablet, Eric, or are you using some kind of reference adhered to the tablet surface?
Inquiring minds and all that,
Harry
Excellent Eric.
Quickdraw was the secret identity of El Kabong, like Clark Kent and Superman. ;)
Most excellent. Now you've got the whole gang.
I am using an existing drawing on a locked layer in XPD6 and then using the tablet to draw over the top, much like some of the pro cartoonists here do with their own hand-drawn and scanned sketches.
I wish I had the talent or skill to draw these freehand. I view this as practice towards learning the freehand skill. For example I have already learned that what looks like a complicated drawing is really just a bunch of small curved lines that represent something when taken together. That doesn't mean that I could go out an start drawing cartoons on my own (yet) but just that realization is a big step for someone like me who is untrained in art. It also leads me to believe that with enough practice, I could actually create some of my own stuff. Also I have already noticed a change in my drawing. For some of the smaller strokes, I am creating them with small quick strokes of the pen as opposed to a slow manual trace. This is progress, I think.
you could try starting to break these down into their two main cartooning elements Eric:
lines of action
block shapes
see the attachment
for me line of action comes first, then block shapes, then more detail in as many stages as necessary, and then the final drawing
at each stage it is a process of refinement - each stage is redrawn on top of the other [if not done digitally this invloves colored pencils and light box]
so you can practice these stages through to final, without relying on having the image underneath once you get the hang of it
make as many rough sketches as you need, everyone does this
darwing a stroke is a bit like riding a bike, yes - go too slow you wobble, maybe even fall off :D
Steve I can't get that to work for me when drawing a cartoon! I've tried it cos that is how I draw but using a pencil. I find it far easier to work in pencil scan and import but might trace after the pencil sketch with a pen and then import. What really I am trying to say is I am hopeless using a tablet.
I love the post that you have been doing of the old-time cartoons. This comes from the days when cartoons were fun and you had to use your imagination. Great job on re-creation. Excellent work.
Thanks for sharing.
so was I when I started - I think its common, unless maybe, you have one of those fancy screen tablet that Zeb uses to such great effectQuote:
Originally Posted by Albacore;370960...
if I can stretch my earlier analogy - its not actually necessary to look at the tablet whilst you are drawing, any more than it is to look at the ground whilst you walk[or ride bike] - as long as you can see where the line is going all is fine, you just need to get used to it
well it works for me - needed a few months practice, I'll admit :D
I have to agree with you on that one, Steve. Last night when I was working on this drawing, I used my TV as a monitor and sat on the sofa with the tablet on the arm of the sofa. The only time I looked at my tablet was to press the set function keys on it.
Also thank you very much for the cartooning tips. That is a very interesting way of thinking about things. I will have to digest that and play around with it. It will also help me to analyze the cartoons that I'm working on a bit more. Damn, work is boring today...I wanna go draw. :)
Your cartoon drawings look great. I have a question on the tablets, I bought a Wacom, Bamboo Fun tablet a couple of years ago and haven't really used it. I guess you might say I'm afraid of it :) Is it a good tablet for using with Xara? What kind of tablet do you use?
Hi Merv,
I have a Wacom Intuos 4 medium tablet. This is the very first tablet that I have ever used. I've had it since tuesday.
I think that with the new pressure sensitivity enhancements in XDP6, I think that using a tablet with Xara products is great. I've really enjoied using the tablet so far. There is no harm in tryit it out, espically if you already have a tablet.
mine's a wacom graphire 3 - I've had it 7 years or so
a bamboo should be fine - other member use them, they have been mentioned...
Thank you, I'll hook it up and give it a try. :D
That makes more sense than what I was envisioning you were doing. Thanks for the information. After reading your other threads on the subject it appears you're growing more comfortable with the graphics tablet. Your apparent success with using the tablet may ultimately convince me to purchase one so I can try my hand using a more natural sketching method.Quote:
Originally Posted by bcire68
Good stuff,
Harry
I am getting more and more comfortable working with the tablet. I never thought that I would be this comfortable with it this quickly. I am going to be moving further and further away from tracing and getting closer to sketching over the top. I can already see the change starting to happen. I am already less concerned with getting a line directly over the top of the existing line and just concentrating on getting the general shape right. All of that learning and having fun while I'm doing it. Who would have thought a piece of technology (one that I always thought was beyond me) could make such a chnge in my drawing?
Continuing that thought it now seems silly to think that a tablet is beyond me any more than a pencil is beyond me. But because I can't draw with a pencil, I didn't think that a tablet was for me. I could just as easily do this tracing thing, learning what I am learning, with pencil and paper. Though, I have to say that the technology does make things easier. Being able to adjust a line after you have drawn it (without having to use an eraser) is nice.
Just a thought...
Eric
glad you are enjoying it :D
I see you have already grasped a core principle here - you redraw every time using the lower layer[s] as a guide
even if a line you need to carry up is exactly the same - redraw it - tracing is fine for technical drawing and 'realistic' illustration, but it's not usually what you want for fluid cartooning...