Self improvement is a funny thing. This picture of these characters was done back in '03 before I started SVA. Unfortunately, I was not very computer savy and I didn't have those big-shot painting programs like photoshop or corel painter. I did this straight ahead without any thought of construction, or composition, with a ball point pen and colored it in the paint program. You know, the software that everyone and their mother has for PC. None of the art schools I went to before SVA gave me any real artistic lessons. It was just "Paint or draw something to get a grade. I'm gonna eat my banana and drink coffee". Needless to say, I was FAR inferior compared to my classmates, who seemed to have true artistic backgrounds. I was pretty much lost my freshman year. I had the passion, but no artistic talent.
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This picture was done recently. Although I still think I need more improvement on paint and color, this picture looks more animated and loose compared to the above pic. Basic construction and a proper use of your lines really makes a difference. Teachers like Matt Archambault, Steve Gaffeny, and Andy Gerndt had an impact on me. My parents had the above pic in their kitchen for the past 5 years, so they wanted me to make a new one. Also, the kids faces look different from each other, compared to the above pic, where their faces are structured exactly the same.
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I started working on the pilot episode for this. I can't think of any other independent films right now, so why not start something that's been sitting in my head since school started. Besides, I want to get this thing on TV, and it's not going to happen unless I make a move and start something. These are concept sketches.
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It's gonna be a long journey to get this done. But what the hell. I don't give up easily. I'm not going to waste four years of education and training. Artwork displayed is copyright of James Sugrue