It’s been a week since school let out and now it’s time to get back to work. Not that I took a break from my job (I’m still doing 7 shifts a week) but time to get back to work on some art. It’s time to write out some SUMMER PROJECTS! In a somewhat particular order, here are some things I want to get done:
Re-bind my D&D player’s handbook. Really just practice for the next project, but also I want to play some D&D this summer.
Leather cover for my portfolio. I noticed during editors day that everybody’s portfolio (the book, not the content) looked the same: a hard, black, plastic book. I figured if I can get people to look at the portfolio, then it’s easier to get them to look in the portfolio. Current plan is something like a Necronomicon.
Environment studies. One thing I was told at editors’ day was that my backgrounds looked like sets. they had all the right objects, but not the right texture. They were too clean, too smooth, missing all those little incidental details. So I’m going to go out into the world and do some drawings of the city. 30 of them should be a good start.
While I’m out drawing the city, I want to take reference pictures of objects. Ideally I’d have someone go with me, they stand next to an object and I take a picture. Then I can use that person as a unit of measure so when I create environments the objects will be more accurately scaled.
Digitized sketchbooks. On a slow day at work one of my coworkers flipped through 3 full sketchbooks I had brought with me. That inspired me to put them on the internet as Patreon rewards, but it’s gonna be a lot of scanning. But, once complete, that might be enough to get a couple one-time donations.
Illustrations. Having seen dozens of other SCAD student portfolios, one thing I noticed mine was lacking is illustrations. So I’m going to try to come up with some covers, splash pages, posters and the like. God help me, I might even draw some characters people recognize.
Fan art. Speaking of other people’s characters, I am going to try and organize fan art trades with some of my SCAD peers.
Inks. I felt like inks were the weakest part of my portfolio, so I’ll be seeking to correct that. practice, practice, practice, because I’m registered for advanced inking in the fall.
Comic pages. I don’t think I’ve ever done pages that weren’t for a grade. I’m curious what I can do without time constraints and a list of criteria to meet.
Pitch Bibles. Going more to the storytelling side of things, I’ve been working in two main stories for the past several years. It’s time to sit down and figure out where they’re headed.
This one is rather abstract, but there’s a set of cards called “Oblique Strategies” that I think is a great idea. I’ve been kicking around a project of making some geared more towards storytelling or art, or maybe both. I would definitely enlist help for these, maybe try to get “real” artist/writers to contribute.
So that’s what I’m looking at this summer. Fall quarter begins September 9th.