Character Design work at Starbucks

! As a character designer, I'm constantly on the lookout for fresh faces to populate the animated worlds that im frequently called upon to draw for clients and for my own comic and animation projects. Drawing from life is the BEST way to get faces that are authentic. people are endlessly fascinating and funny just being themselves. I frequent Starbucks a LOT , as it provides ample opportunity to draw people for great lengths of time. I also have these great free association moments that happen when a particular face triggers a feeling, as in the Monkey boy pic! Innovation is the key and I never really draw the person totally literally. I use what I see as a springboard for other ideas nd thats what makes the picture come alive!

DRINK AND DRAWN Comic.... Based on a true story..... by Subwaysurfer

Hey Cheesy! What cha got there?   Oh, Nuthin, just my new Action Figure, I call him...

DRINK AND DRAW MAN!!!  WOW!!! SHAZAM!!!

That's right! DRINK AND DRAW MAN! His secret Headquarters is in Jakk Dempsees Pub !

Whoa! What a Concept! Gee....


It gets better! Every month Drink and Draw man meets with all his drink and draw friends in his Headquarters at Jakk Dempsee's Pub to have wacky drawing adventures!

Wow! you've got a storyline, and EVERYTHING! Im impressed!
...Sob.... Gee... Sure wish I had my OWN Action Figure! ...Sniff...

Well, something like THIS doesnt just happen overnight, my boy! Heh... I've been perfecting this Drink and Draw Action figure here for ten years!


Well, Gotta go! Ive got a very important meeting, gotta take Drink and Draw Man here, lotsa people wanna see him! Bye!

....sniff... yeah..... bye....

That Cheesy is so lucky to have an Action Figure and Everything..... I wish I had one too!... sniff..


Bet it doesnt take ten years to build something lke that! ... I bet could make my OWN Action Figure! bigger and Betterer!


That gives me an idea....
THE NEXT DAY....


Hey Frankie! what cha got there?

Oh, Nuthin, Cheesy! Just MY New Action Figure! I call him....

CAPTAIN DRINK AND DRAW MAN!!!

Yo, Frankie! What's up with THIS!! that's MY IDEA!!!

YOUR idea? how can you SAY that? my character is TOTALLY Different!

Check this out! MY character has this snazzy red and blue costume! YOURS doesnt have a costume, Remember? Also, his name is CAPTAIN Drink and Draw man, as opposed to just plain old Drink and Draw Man!  My character owns the Jakk Demspsee bar, and periodically has top secret Superhero meetings there with his Super Hero drawing friends!  Its even a different plotline!

HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT!!!???? YOURE AN IDEA THIEF!!!


Listen, lets not resort to name calling, alright? Youre just mad cause someone else came up with an idea too! besides, there more than enough room for more Action Figures!

Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but I got a very important meeting to go to. Gotta take Captain Drink and Draw with me! Lotsa people there wanna see him! bye!

AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!



AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHH!!!   Uh Oh! Whoops!....
Oh..... Man.... I got a little too overheated here!.... It's the second time this week!!
Er...heh... Anyone out there got a..... SPATULA?



Once upon a Time in New York City, There was a group of comic artists who loved to draw and liked to drink , so Drink and Draw was born.  One member created a group where members got together once a month to drink and draw, and draw and drink. this went on for ten years.... one day another comic book creator type person decided he wanted to create another goup that drank and drew and drew and drank. And had his meeting following a major comic book convention in NYC.

Both groups basically had the same goal, namely to bring a diverse group of NYC Comic creators, writers, and fanboys under one roof to network, collaborate, communicate, and create.

One Party feels another is being unfair in creating his group, which is a similar group, doing a similar thing , under the same roof, on a different day... The other party disagrees.

And here i am in the middle. I admire what both groups have done, and are trying to do. For myself, as a sequential artist, writer and creator, all I want to do is create comics, align myself with a group that  can assist me in achieving my artistic aspirations, and having a good time drawing. I dont drink. That Alcohol, anyway. I also as an editorial artist, know a good story when I see one, and wanted to document THIS one, not to "choose sides" Point fingers, or place blame, but to tell a story, graphically because this is a part, howbeit small,  of comic history, and history needs to be commented on. If any disagree with the stance I have taken or the approach, you are free to disagree,but at least, appreciate the art. For me, this is what it is all about.

LET THERE BE LIGHT!!

Let me ask you a question. What do you think THE most important thing to a professional artist is? if you're like most people, your list probably included things like, The right kind of paper, of maybe the right kind of pencils or pens. Some of you might even have gotten clever and mentioned the word TALENT! which, I admit, you kinda need to have if you're gonna draw for a living in the first place. And while all of the aforementioned things are important for any artist, it gets even simpler than this. The NUMBER one thing any artist needs to work efficiently and effectively is.....

LIGHT.

Even God, in his creation of the heavens and earth turned the lights on first!

As a professional caricature entertainer, having proper lighting to do my work is so crucial that I literally write that into my clients contract. For best results, my subject needs to be showered in light from above. Now while I cant bring the sun inside to my party events, Im always thankful when a client uses Pendant Lighting

in their business, or residence to light a room. In you dont know what Pendant Lighting is, its lighting that hangs from a higher vantage point and is usually mounted from a ceiling. This kind of lighting is versatile as well as decorative, but for my purposes I love its functionality, namely it bathes my subject in that gentle shower of illumination that allows me to view the entire face at every angle without having to guess what a particular feature looks like.. In my line of work, you dont wanna guess what a face looks like ! Getting faces wrong has a tendency to get people mad at you. and some of em may be so moved to put out YOUR LIGHTS if you insult them too bad.

SUBWAYSURFER ANSWERS YOUR ANIMATION QUESTIONS

This is a podcast that answers a question that a young student asked concerning what animators do. Rather than simply give her just typed answers which cam easily morph into a sort of egocentric infomercial about yourself, I wanted to give her a really personal answer I hope she shares with her classmates.

As a student myself, I always hated when I asked a professional a question I really wanted an answer to, only to have them talk way over my head and drown me in verbage, or condescendingly give me some useless, " baby answer". I hope in my response to this student, that I did neither. Instead, I expanded on my written answer, and gave her, in this audio. More tips that she could implement right NOW instead of waiting until she grew up. Technology has literally put all the tools in reach. All she has to do is reach out and grab. I hope she pulls back stars.


Here is the original written transcript. The audio follows the same basic format, but since I am speaking/reading I add a lot of additional details in the audio that is not written here, so I suggest interested listeners check out both.  Im posting this because there are a lot of similar questions have been asked of me over the years on my ALL EXPERTS colum  as well as at my live parties and special events. I had been procrastinating for a while of writing something out, and this students questions kinda force me to do that, so hat's off to her.My answers are NOT meant to be "the definitive word" in how to do animation. It is simply my account of MY role in the industry, and what I've done up to this point in my career. Having said that, enjoy the interview, and if you have comments or questions, do not hesitate to write me!

What got you interested in animation?


I got interested in animation as a kid watching a cartoon called UNDERDOG. What I loved especially about Underdog was he talked entirely inRhyme, just like a rapper! LOL! He was always saving his girlfriend, reporter Sweet Polly Purebread from danger, and used to say, WHEN POLLYS IN TROUBLE,I AM NOT SLOW, SO IT'S HIP, HIP, HIP, AND AWAY I GO!

When the show was over, I went straight to my drawing paper!

To watch an animated film, how do you get the film into a device to watch it?

There are a couple of ways to do it now with the technology available, but it usual involved some conversion process that made into DVD. Web animation is done using programs like Flash, and others. You can also make very simple animation called GIF an older technology that still works.

What is your job in animation?

Some people think, that in animation, there is one person doing "everything". The truth is, there are many people involved, each doing their own specialized thing very well , and then handing off their contribution to the next person in the process. My contribution is whats known as a character designer. Its my job to design the signature look of the character. It's up to me to design a character that fits the role of the story he's going to be in, whether as the hero, the villain or the quirky best friend. I have to draw the character in such a way that it will be easy for other animators to draw too, since we work in a team to make the film faster. My skill is specialized also because I specialize in drawing caricature, which is a fancy word for real funny and exaggerated. Sometimes I have to draw celebrities and make them look simple, which is sometimes hard to do!

Can you tell me about how you make animation?

I use, what's known as 2D animation, and I use a traditional approach which involves pages and pages of drawing different poses, each drawing building on the next until I have a completed sequence. At my stage, these drawings are still in pencil, sometimes rough, and put into a pencil test program to see how smooth the movement looks. (monkey jam is a great Free program which can enable you to do your own pencil tests) once the pic is approved they are inked over and colored, and the cycle repeats itself.

What is the science behind animation?

Gee, they said there would be no math in the interview,,,, I will say the most important bit of science I learned while animating is that 24 frames which equal 24 individual drawings equal one second on film....ONE second. Get out 24 sheets of paper put them side by side, and you get the idea WHY you NEED a TEAM of people to help you complete even a short 10-15 minute animated cartoon!

How long does it take to complete a film?

There is no cookie cutter one size that fits all answer. I will say that it depends on the type of film you're doing. If you are doing what's called limited animation, which is what a lot of web animation is based on, the time is relatively short, compared to if you are doing a 3D full length Pixar 2hour feature film. Speed of production also is determined by the size of your team, many hands make fast work, fewer hands make slow work. The great thing is there are a lot of jobs in animation, and you need not get discouraged if you feel you can't draw well enough. We need people who paint backgrounds and scenery, people who know the computer animation programs ,( you'd be surprised that many of them can't draw a straight line), as well as people do do voices, sing songs, or score the music. Hope I not only answered your questions, but encouraged you to start a great career, trust me , YOU CAN BEGUN NIOW!

ELGIN SUBWAYSURFER BOLLING DRAWING LIVE!

A picture is worth a thousand words, and my pictures are worth a thousand and ONE! Here Im caught doing what I do best drawing a caricature for another satisfied party patron.

As a professional live caricature entertainer, SPEED and ACCURACY are keys to my success. Ther IS NO SCHOOL that teaches a course in "Drawing Fast" it just aint in the sylabbus. Being able to do this has been instrumental to making me one of
New York City's most sought after Professional Caricature Entertainers. 

 Feel Free to contact me for bookings.

My New Pen of Choice is a Double Sided  Marker called a UTRETCH DESIGN MARKER which can only be purchased exclusively at UTRETCH ART SUPPLY STORE. If you are a NYC Resident, go to 111 4th Ave NYC in the Union Sq Area

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS42JTpSE18

BUILD A SIGN and they WILL COME Product Endorsement By Subwaysurfer

Before I even start my praise of this wonderful online company called BuildASign.com  let me give you their website. You can contact them at
http://www.buildasign.com/CustomBanners
Even though we are living in tan incredible age where we now do much of our business ONLINE, most people make the incorrect assumption that so called "old skool" methods like "hanging out a sign is dead.
The FACT is that

Signage is the least expensive form of advertising – and the most effective of all forms of advertising. (US Small Business Administration)

I found this and other eye opening facts located on the BUILDASIGN website below:
http://www.buildasign.com/p/CompanyOverview.aspx
WHY is that? its simple. EVERYBODY is not online, but EVERYBODY can view a sign. Since it is the LEAST EXPENSIVE and MOST EFFECTIVE form of advertising youd have to be a fool not to invest in getting one if you are serious about running a business.  I dont know about you, but Im interested in increasing my visibility through every available channel.
I wanted a three foot by five foot replica of my business card put on a banner to advertise my services. I spoke to one of their excellent salespeople who answered every conceivable question I had. Let me tell ya folks, I can REALLY get on a salesperson nerves with my constant questions and what if type of scenarios. I was treated with the utmost respect and courtesy, and that is something I value in a company that Im spending money on, which, was also pretty inexpensive! The results were MORE than phenomenal. I got the banner within a 48 hour period, and know that it will be one of my most used marketing tools used to increase my visibility. Dont just take my word for it, find out for yourself! The company creates every conceivable sign imaginable, and saves your original templates for future projects. I KNOW that I will be using their services again, and so should you!
This is a copy  of my business card used as a template

This is a picture of the banner they made
(artwork is coming)

I love email, but  I am definitely an "over the phone" type of guy. A company can hide behind an impersonal email, but there's something about that PERSONAL interaction that I especially like.call them at

1-800-330-9622

SUBWAY CARICATURE DRAWINGS ON DOWNTOWN A TRAIN

Man, I was SOOOOOOO Hyped from the days events at the Comic Con, and Drink and Draw At Dempseys Bar that i could NOT turn OFF! LOL! I started caricaturing everything in sigh practically on the return trip home! LOL! Here are some of the best pics.  It felt good to go old skool again, not using the ipad but good old reliable pen and ink, and also pencil. I used a Tombo Brush Pen, and a Number Two Pencil  to put these together.

obviously , this is the Pencil Drawing. The gentlemen I was drawing was so dignified and Dapper, he actually called for a pencil treatment. He realized what I was doing and patiently posed and smiled for me. I wanted to give him the caricature, but before i could finish the hair, he arrived at his stop and was gone.

THE UNAPOLOGETIC

 SUBWAYSURFER CALL TO ACTION MESSAGE:

Folks, if you like what I can do drawing people who are UNAWARE that Im drawing them, just imagine what I can do when Im intentional focused with a willing client. That could be YOU!. If you liked the look of these pen and ink and pencil caricatures, then you can get your OWN done personally!. Just email me at

cartoons4u2@aol.com

send me at least a front and side view pic of you, along with a list of your favorite hobbies, sayings, jobs etc. and I will have your caricature back to you faster thatn you can say.... well, whatever it is that you do say when something is done fast. Looking forward to hearing from you!

CARICATURES FROM DEMPSEYS BAR DRINK AND DRAW

I dont Drink, except maybe for an occassional Cucumber and Lemon juice cocktail... But I sure do like to draw! here are a few faces I drew after the Comic Con at The Drink and Draw Afterparty. Included are a few Caricatures I drew of fans...of  my work... at the Comic Con Earlier.

 

MARK MAZZ of ATLAS UNLEASHED

http://www.mazzstudio.com/MzFrmSet.htm
Caught up with Mark MAZZ at a recent comic con. He had an irresistible face that reminded me of a retired Tony Stark, which I told him! Great face also!

Caricature Of woman drinking coffee at Starbucks

When you're under the spell of that Starbucks Coffee.... you are oblivious to anyone and everything.... including caricature artists drawing ya....heh...Drawn with Pen and ink the traditional way.

Caricature From Female Shopper at Staples

I stopped in Staples to price a wireless printer, and waited patiently in line for the tech to become available....then I saw HER...a ace so gorgeous that Basil Wolverton would be howling with delight.

Did this one the traditional way with plain old pen and ink and it felt good to get away from the ipad for a little while. I did the original pic on a old starbucks advertizement i had in my pocket

ipad caricature of Manhattan Female Yuppie with Latte By subwaysurfer

There she was withher bag, her boots, her designer Jeans, Her Two Inch Waistline, her Golden Locks, and her Yuppie Latte.... the universe is complete now. How could I NOT draw her? As beautiful as she is... I bet her feet stink in those leather boots...ah! The price of fashion! What's rancid feet, if you're being fashion forward!

THE MAKING OF AN AVATAR Creating "Captain Actuary" Part two

In My previous post I explained how I crashed and burned on an assignment because I made the mistake of putting "more of myself" into the project than was neccessary. In This Next attempt, I restudied the picture, and decided to draw it with "more estrogen" in mind than Testosterone.

STEP ONE ROUGH SKETCHING
Like in the previous example, I still sketched very rough and very fast in order to ride that wave of emotion neccesary to get the life into the drawing. THIS time, I was thinking on a more whimsical level. As a result, my line quality is less sharper, more rounded.

STEP TWO TIGHTENING UP THE ROUGH
Here is where I really start finding the forms. I concentrated a lot more on making things more proportionate, although there is still a level of exaggeration. The Abbacus has more of a prominent role, and Ali, The Allosaurus, has a more "Dino Essque" feeling about him. The facial proportions are a lot more "human" looking, the dreadful Hood on the cape thing is gone, and I've also payed a lot more attention to the "CA " Insignia on his chest. Remembering that he is a runner, with very well developed leg muscles, I wanted to emphasize that, so I put him in running shorts and shoes, showing off the bare legs. To add more comic relief i reasoned that if I was riding a dinosaur he would feel pretty rough, Hence, the addition of the pillow.

FINALLY COLOR!
It goes without saying that Coloring is the best part of the whole thing! Once satisfied, I immediately mailed it off to the client who went absolutely nuts over it!

If theres any lesson to be learned here, its that you should always please the customer first when doing freelance work. Dont be afraid to be critical of your work, take a step back and observe it, you may surprise yourself.

It goes without saying that If you want your own Cartoon Avatoar where i make you into a superhero you, or just plain cartoon you, dont hesitate to drop me a line!

cartoons4u2@aol.com

THE MAKING OF AN AVATAR Part One Creating "Captain Actuary" By Subwaysurfer

"...I WANT YOU TO MAKE AN AVATAR OF MY BOYFRIEND, HE'S AN ACTUARY!..."
I recieved this email from an enthusiastic female client, who wanted to surprise her Actuary Boyfriend with a unique Valentines Day Gift in the form of an Avatar. I was glad that she couldnt see me scratch my head as i wondered just what an Actuary was, and did. I found out that  an Actuary is a financial professional who specializes in risk analysis. They use statistics and other mathematical formulas to calculate the risk of financial instruments. Which means her Boyfriend is a pretty smart guy.

As always, I asked her to email me some great pictures of him that showed front side and three quarter view, and to include a character description of his personality, work habits traits, etc. So that i could use my genuis imagination to construct a humorous caricature/avatar/  I then had to put my genuis on hold as she gave me one of the greatest things that any client can give a caricature artist. A BACKSTORY!!!!  It seems that her pet name for her beau, was "Captain Actuary". She explained that he solved problems with his "ABBACUS OF TRUTH", and being an amatuer paleontologist, he rode. as his Noble Steed, "ALI" the ALLOSAURUS! Continuing on, she explained also how her boyfriend was an avid runner, and as a result, had very large leg muscles. In the course of our conversation, she had provided me with more than enough "visual hooks" for me to  sink my caricature invested  brain into !
We had almost too much fun on the phonecalls devising ways i could have fun breathing life into "Captain Actuary" and I said my goodbyes, and enthusiastically went to work.

STEP ONE:  ROUGH IT OUT FAST!

Whenever I create a character I ride the first wave of emotion that comes to me and immediately rough out the look and postion of the character. At this stage my emotional connection to the drawing is the most important aspect. I like my pictures to have the feel of the character either "getting ready" to move or "in the midst of moving" and drawing quick enables me to do that.  I draw very quickly using the other side of the Tombo Brush pen, which has a nice fine tip marker that is excellent for making rough sketches. As far as the face goes I look for really strong geometric shapes that I can exploit. I do my initial drawing s on tracing paper  knowing that i will go over the rough sketch in the second stage.

STEP TWO: B:OCK IN THE MAIN FEATURES;

Once satisfied with the initial quick sketch i slow things down a bit and really start looking for the main shapes that are going to define the drawing. I start paying attention  How all the propls that make up the caricature will be presented. The face is very important6 at this stage so i really take my time to get that right.  I also start esperiementing more on how individual proportions relate to each other. Even though one pictue is shown here I due about two or three progressions before proceeding to the final stage.

STEP THREE: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER!

Once Successful In the two previous stages, Im not ready to go full out and ink it before taking it to the coloring stage. Once i get to the final inking stage i get very meticulous about my linework and never rush. It's important to love every stroke you do, and not to '"veg out" on your drawing. I want to have as much an emoritonal connection at this stage as i did in the beginning. Since I am now adding very definite expression to the drawing, in the case of the Allosaurus  especially i want to be sure to get that right. At this stage ive also added additional elements like a kind of collar to the cape, the "Captain Actuary" "CA" Insignia to his chest, as well as refinitng the look of his Abbacus of Truth.  Once this final Inking stage is done, I do one of the hardest things that i have to do as an artist. I divorce myself emotionally from the piece, and take a hard objective look at it.  Within minutes, i can see that I need to do this over, because Ive gotten it

ALL WRONG!

There was nothing wrong with the physical likeness, perse, but one look at the picture made me realize that instead of drawing for the client, I had "drawn for myself."   My client was a female. This was a gift for the man she loves, and while she allowed for a certain "comic license " on my part, Im sure she didnt want me to "drive off the road" Trying to look at this from a womens point of view, I asked myself would I like this? Probably not. The Allosaurus was too ferocious looking, and the foot was obstructing  the view its head besides. The "BIG FACE" little body angle wasnt really working, here and ended up making her boyfriend look kinda goofy in this pic. Im sure she wouldnt appreciate that. The Abbacus of Truth, seemed like it should have a more prominent role in terms of size, and the "CA" Captain Actuary Insignia, was just downright Lazy! Oh yeah, and what was up with the collar on the cape thing? Overall, I had done an exaggerated wacky portrait that I WOULD HAVE LIKED, but when we are drawing for others we must think in terms of them. As an artist, you must be willing to swallow your ego and start at the drawing board again...... which is exactly what  I did..... See part TWO of

HE MAKING OF AN AVATAR Creating "Captain Actuary" By Subwaysurfer