"Eyewitness" Concept Art: Not Quite Storyboards Yet

I totally thought I could have this either done, or mostly done by now, since I wanted to have this storyboarded for my animated short. But, a number of things popped up. First I realized I needed to have a working character design for the little wild fox character, which I still haven't nailed down yet, but it definitely reachable.

A BIG one is my confidence, since I'm so frustrated with my drawing skills. my anatomy, proportions, etc. are just NOT up to the level I want. SO, not big deal, just do the Life Drawing stuff, or Croquis Cafe... but, I'm almost out of paper.... so, I'm guessing that's a cause for anxiety in the back of my mind... I also got sick. My lungs are infected right now, but at least I can see now.

I guess I'm trying to be as honest as I can with myself. I actually WOULD like this short to be a short, showcase of WHAT I'm capable of... however, I still need to rebuild and regrow back what I lost, and then go from there.

Then, I when I sat down several times to try and do some rough thumbnails for storyboards, I realized my vision of Lively look in this wasn't actually set... I usually have her more sleek, or sporty, even tho' she can also be VERY whimsical, and fantasy.

When I sat down for the first rough thumbnail this was what came out:

Eyewitness Skin Tight Look Concept Art 001 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

So, there she is, entering the savanna, but she's in a more sporty sleek look, which does tend to be typical of her that's skin tight.  I haven't decided on the final look for her satchel/bag yet. 

But, I'm definitely keeping the Thigh High "Pretty Woman" early 1990s boots! They will be flat tho', and EARTHY BROWN.

But, as a I sat down to work on another sketch for the Seven Days of Artworks Challenge THIS came out:

Eyewitness Hedroll Look Concept Art 001 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

So, the old early 1990s poet blouse look kinda came back. This is what I called "the Hedroll look" since Lively originally used to be 2 girls in the early 90s.

I'm torn between the 2 looks... the Poet Blouse will actually be a LOT more work, even if kept simplified. It would require layers of animation. However, it WILL make it look & feel better....

So, I'm torn.

Little Wild Fox Sketch Scans

Here's the scanned/somewhat-cleaned rough sketches practicing drawing foxes for coming up with a design for storyboarding my Eyewitness animated short.

There's just mostly practice. They're NOT the greatest, hence why I need to get doing some croquis practice SOON. I kept putting it off the past 2 weeks. So, if I DON'T get to the gym or watch Rogue One tomorrow, then I WILL most likely do it tomorrow. *crosses fingers*

Little Wild Fox Concept 001 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Fox Design Practice 002 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Fox Design Practice 003 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Fox Design Practice 004 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Fox Design Practice 005 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Eyewitness Congressional 1995 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Eyewitness: Wild Fox Character Designing WIP 001

Eyewitness: Wild Fox Character Designing 

I've been doodling, practicing, and sketching up all kinds of studies of foxes for a while now. My time is so screwy, because my kid keeps having off the wall medical problems EVERY DAMNED WEEK. Today, she got worms! Yesterday she had severe nosebleeds that grossed out the teachers, and they made her go home after the 4th or 5th gush. But, we fixed that up with VITAMIN C + antioxidants like I SAID, really fast, only to find out she got parasites, all that PLUS she her shipment of blood meds arriving the day before that, and a hospital visit the previous days before that... This is NOT the way I EVER planned to live, DID NOT expect, nor EVER intend to live, and yet it keeps ongoing... 

I just want to get my film done for UMASS which is supposed to be screened on the 20th, plus I have to take her to a doctor tomorrow, fit work in somehow, and THEN go to an event at night... 

If I COULD edit videos at home, I WOULD. But, my 2009 comp + video cards, plus 4 year old Apple laptop can;t edit HD videos in Davinci Resolve, and i don;t have Adobe CS. 

Honestly, if she doesn;t stop having these medical problems by next semester i WILL drop out. I CANNOT HANDLE THIS. I'm PAST MY LIMIT. This is EVERY FRICKIN WEEK MORE THAN ONE THING. Either her, or me, or SOMETHING else. Also, my credit card numbers got robbed this week as well.  

So,  since I can't edit videos at home, and can ONLY do it at school, and I was just SO tapped out today I couldn't go, I can;t work on my film until HOPEFULLY MONDAY. I say HOPEFULLY because the last 2 Mondays I COULD NOT MAKE IT TO SCHOOL.... because she's dying of whatever else... shock- horror- drama- I'm FED UP! Ergo, when I go through periods where I'm at home, stuck here, and can;t do ANYTHING, because those happen too... and I HATE feeling, or being unproductive after a certain point.... yeah, most of today I sat and watched YouTube & Snapchat... ERGO: I'm working on designing the wild fox character for the storyboards I HOPE to do after I'm done with my film...

Mostly I'm just practicing from various references, trying to come up with my own original design... I've been trying to sketch actual photos of foxes on Google, which too many are fluffy winter foxes. My scene is SUMMERY so I need a SUMMER COAT FOX which is slender.

When I reference other artists, animators, and cartoonists, they all tend to draw foxes with stubby legs, weasel-like, too dog-like, too cat-like, or some look doofy. Altho' I loved some really good designs out there, they just weren't true to what  fox actually looked like. Foxes actually have long, slender, spindly legs. many artists also try to portray the fox with their heads and necks down, but real foxes have upright heads UNLIKE a weasel, and their necks jut either strait up, or with a slight angle. But, ALWAYS upright.

Some really nice designs I found when trying to see how other artists interpreted a fox for animation was a nice one on a blog by Toni REYNA. And, a FAVORITE of mine was by TheUrbanFOX on DeviantART. But, like I said, i need to come up with my OWN design.

So, I'm still trying to go with the whole Preston Blair formula style with geometric shapes, stylized, yet still semi-realistic, yet simplified.

So far, most of the sketches I've done have been more of a practice sketching and doodling to try and get to know and understand what a fox is, how it looks, but also what makes it look cool as a cartoon. Real foxes also have a very strong personality, and every move and gesture is so full of its unique personalities, and foxes have this intense prettiness to them. I also haven;t quite nailed down the scale of their ears yet.

Here's a progression of what I've been practicing so far:

Little Wild Fox Concept 001 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Still not there. #fox #characterdesign #characterdevelopment #cartoon #sketchbook #sketch #sketches #doodles

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 4, 2016 at 10:49am PST

#fox #drawing #sketch #sketchbook

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 4, 2016 at 1:22pm PST

#sketchbook #fox #drawing #sketch #cartoon

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 4, 2016 at 1:24pm PST

#fox #drawing #sketch #cartoon #sketchbook

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 4, 2016 at 1:25pm PST

#sketchbook #fox #foxes #cartoon #sketch #drawing

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 4, 2016 at 1:27pm PST

#sketchbook #fox #sketch still trying to study n get to know the animal before I can do a real full #characterdesign list of references still to go. I feel like many #cartoon designs out there, although there's some REALLY GOOD ONES, they just don't quite fit the actual anatomy of what a fox actually looks like. Most character designs for cartoon foxes make them look more weasel like, have short or stubby legs, and have a bowed head or neck. Real foxes have upright head & neck, and long legs. I also want a summer fox which is slender n thin, unlike the winter coat foxes which are extra fluffy. Foxes also have very pretty faces and strong personalities in every gesture, movement, or even being still. Their tails are so fluffy and long also. #art #artwork #frawing

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 5, 2016 at 2:14pm PST

#sketchbook #fox #doodles #sketches #drawing #sketch

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 5, 2016 at 9:10pm PST

#sketchbook #fox #practice #sketch #doodle character design sort of... #cartoon #Eyewitness

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 9, 2016 at 3:37pm PST

#sketchbook #fox #sketch #drawing #doodle #practice #cartoon

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 9, 2016 at 7:05pm PST

#practice #fox #sketches in my #sketchbook #foxes #doodle #drawing #sketch #cartoon

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 9, 2016 at 7:07pm PST

Well, that's it for the moment... I'm guessing that whenever I feel the urge, I'll probably be sketching more with this... I'm so annoyed that I cannot work on my film. When i went to AIPH I could work nonstop whenever I felt like it. But, going to UMASS Boston isn't anything like that, plus I have all these other responsibilities, and pressures.

Wild Fox Character Rough Unfinished Character Designing

I still want to continue practicing sketching, human anatomy, and continuing working on developing & refining the characters for "Zenith", but as things come to me, sometimes I need to take advantage of what is happening and go with it to make the most of my times. I definitely still plan on developing more with Djehkäujaa and Ao Xingtao, but I really want to try to push through these storyboards before February.

I'm not sure exactly how this this little wild fox character will turn out yet, since I just started last night by sketching from wild life photos on Google of foxes, but I need way more practice.

It's a VERY short animated short concept. So, I want the characters to look n feel exactly right. I am thinking about keeping Lively much the same, or similar to, way she is in the charcoal piece.

As you can see, the little wild fox is crouching beneath Lively, freaking out over the throng of flying horses landing in the savannah.

As I think about it now, I think I might've actually chosen BLUE charcoal paper due to Erasure's song "Blue Savannah". At the age when I worked on this concept, I owned a moderate stack Erasure CDs (and some tapes) and when I worked on the charcoal picture at home I was playing mostly Erasure's "I Say I Say I Say" album, along with Disney music probably Aladdin, as well as music by Real McCoy, and Fun Factory. I also listened to Soho's "No Hippy Chick", and tracks by Stereo MC.

I'm thinking I probably want to may the fox's paws & legs as black, or dark brown. But, I think probably black. The ears with probably be black. I'm not exactly sure what color i want the fox to be. I wasn't sure if I wanted it to be a brown fox, or a typical red fox. Or, should I go off the wall n make it cherry red?

#sketchbook #sketch #sketches #doodles #conceptart #characterdesign #fox #foxdesign #cartoon I want to storyboard my main initial animated short for the series I started conceiving when I was in middle school in the early-mid 1990s. It's a very very short sequence as far as shorts go. But, it's very important to me to get it produced BEFORE I DIE! Once I'm finished this semester at UMASS I hope to really put my effort into the storyboards, and also life drawings. #art #artwork

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on Dec 3, 2016 at 9:01pm PST

Anyways, I've consulted my daughter to come up with some concepts & designs herself also for the wild fox. I like a lot of the designs she comes up with. So, I want input from her.

I want the shape & form of the fox to have more geometrical shapes to it. I don't know how to explain this. I want it to be pretty and somewhat cute, but not TOO cute. Not too round like a baby face, and not doofy. I also want it to dart around, and be streamlined.

This could take me some time.

The bulk of my time for now is finishing my film at UMASS this month. Also, today I have VIP tickets to watch The Moscow Ballet perform The Nutcracker in Boston w my daughter thanx to Yelp Elite (because I'm Yelp Elite 2016).

Lively Mori Sketch

I started classes at UMASS, but it was HELL. I had a number of medical issues which hampered everything, until I had to drop out of nearly everything. But, I kept the video class and my Work Study job.

Then, to make matters more absurd, my daughter had a life threatening condition and had to get a double blood transfusion, so we spent the entire weekend and most of Monday at The Tufts Floating Hospital in Boston.

I almost took her to the emergency room on Friday night, and she was slowly bleeding out to oblivion.... So, in order to cope with the entire nerve wracking situation despite the nerve wracking month of anxiety, insomnia, and severe depression I grabbed my sketchbook.

And this Mori sketch decided to sketch its self out onto my paper... it changed a number of times before it became this. I tried to keep it simple... I actually lost a lot of interest in it about halfway through, but Instagram seemed to like it somewhat.

But, Id already been on a SciFi futuristic kick the past few weeks, and as I was almost halfway doen with this sketch, I was already yearning for futuristic SciFi n Cyber Punk stuff, which was strange because I had been REALLY feeling this when I'd started it.

Lively Mori Fusion 001 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

I could easily see this as an "Eyewitness" short from my other series revolving around mostly Lively. I could probably go several different directions with this, but especially if I had the right song or music.

However, I'm not so sure it;s really "fresh" or new, and probably is too similar to other things... I'm guessing... afew things come to mind...

if I were to get "Eyewitness" off the ground the way I want it to be, and perhaps is a fan-base liked this concept enough, I might actually create this as something...

Old Vintage Sketches of Lively 002

I've scanned many many sketches today... all old stuff....

Vintage Stuff from 1999:

Here's some old stuff from an old Storyboard scene project which I've written various versions of, or even did an animattic based on it:

1999 Lively StoryBoard Thumbnails Sketches 001 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

1999 Lively StoryBoard Thumbnails Sketches 002 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

1999 Lively StoryBoard Thumbnails Sketches 003 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

1999 Lively StoryBoard Thumbnails Sketches 004 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

1999 Lively StoryBoard Thumbnails Sketches 005 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

1999 Lively StoryBoard Thumbnails Sketches 006 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Rough Pencil version


Rough Colored Version w/Music

That one is actually based on a dream I had when I was about 6 years old. This story I re-did for my Eyewitness project concept work... but, I actually was writing it, originally, for my dragon project...

It could fit to either one...

I've written a number of versions of the dream I had as a child, and published various short stories of it throughout the internet since the 1990s. I have no idea what happened to them since then, tho'...

Unicorns Character Sheet 1999 001 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Lively 1999 Character Design 004 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Lively 1999 Character Design 003 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Lively Expressive Model Sheet by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Some old junk I no longer care for:

Lively 1999 Character Design 002 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

Lively 1999 Character Design 001 by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt