UPDATES AND SUCH

Well, it has been a looong time since I posted here... and the interface has all change don me! This will take some getting used to. I was on vacation and knee deep in getting back on track with everything after my hiatus, so please excuse the mess!

I just wanted to stop by and update you guys on some things...

1) IMAGEINE FX - I dont think I got into the feature I submitted for, which is ok. The important thing is that I tried, I usually talk myself out of putting forth the effort. So I feel accomplished in that at least :-)

2) H&H Studios - Is going well! The busy season is about to hit which will be good for the biz. I am excited to see what happens!

3) Website Overhaul- www.helloheath.com is getting a little makeover soon, stay tuned.

4) HALLOWEEN! -I need suggestions on what kind of art you would like to see, and if I can find the time I will do something!

5) ARTIST SHOUTOUT! - Recently I was contacted by an artist that was commissioned by one of my clients to color some lineart I did. I wanted to share it here because it's so soft and pretty, and this artist could use some love!

Here are the colored versions by luckynesu
I love colabing with other artists! Check out luckynesu's gallery here

Book Review "Making Comics" by Scott McCloud

Making Comics
Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels
by: Scott McCloud 

My Boyfriend Tad Lambert insisted I read this book so I went ahead and took his advise... for once. Some of you may know that Tad is an aspiring comic artist, but I had no idea why this book would be of interest for someone like me. Well I'm glad I listened because this book turned out to be yet another great resource that I will probably use again and again!

This book may look intimidating at first... its BIG with lots of pages. I was frightened. But I was relieved when I opened the cover to find the book is written in a comic book format. Very easy to read and definitely supports the messages and lessons of the book.

"Making Comics" thoroughly peels back the layers of story telling, rhythm, formatting, flow, and style that exposes the heart of what comics are made of. These principles can also easily be applied to numerous other art forms such as story boarding, animation, illustration, and character design.

My favorite section of the book was when Scott explains how important body language is when making comics. He talks about how the use of body language can help bridge the gap of the readers senses, since sound is not available. What I found particularly interesting was the insight about what certain poses and gestures really mean, and how to utilize the correct ones to tell your story. He gives clear, detailed explanations of how these poses, gestures, and expressions send information to the reader and how our brains are preconditioned from birth to understand these "signals". There is even a helpful diagram of facial muscles that shows the anatomy behind basic expressions. This is a great chapter alone for anyone interested in animation or illustration.

Other principles from this book that cross over to other mediums are...

-How to set a scene in motion, what you need and don't need to tell the story effectively
-Character design tips
-Perspective tips
-How to communicate different "sensations" without the use of audible sound / words


Of course there is a ton of other information specific to comic artists such as...

-An overview of popular tools of the trade
-How to successfully construct a comic layout
-Some history about the comic book industry
-Comparison of digital tools versus traditional tools
-How to make text appealing
-How text and images interact within the panels

Overall I'd say this book exceeded my expectations. There were some points that I did not find quite as interesting as others, but I suppose that's because I do not classify myself as a comic artist. Though the book has given me some inspiration to try and start a comic... we will see.

And if you are a comic artist then you should definitely pick this up... You'll be glad you did!

Imagine FX Rising Stars Contest 1/5

ImagineFX Magazine is having a rising stars competition, where up and coming digital artists can submit art for a special feature in the magazine. Problem is, it's only open to participant 25 or younger, so this is the last year I can participate! So I am creating 5 new pieces to submit, and I thought it might be fun to track my progress here. I created these designs to show off my unique esthetic and style. I wanted to show variety and range, but also keep within a theme. I hope they like the work and that you guys enjoy the progress... WISH ME LUCK!

 Flute Faun Sketch

 In the Water Sketch

 Dragon Breeder Sketch

 Still Alive Sketch

 This isn't Real... FINISHED!

Book Reviews - Books for the Artist

ANIMATION

 

 "Your Career in Animation - How to Survive & Thrive"
by David B. Levy





ART THEORY

coming soon!

OTHER

"Making Comics- Story Telling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels." by Scott McCloud

Book Review "Your Career In Animation" by David B. Levy

I am going to start posting short reviews about the books I am currently reading in relation to the art industry :-) This is the first one!

Your Career in Animation
How to Survive and Thrive
by: David B. Levy

If you are an aspiring animator, and you have this book lying around un-cracked, OPEN IT NOW! This book is an amazing resource to anyone who wants to break into the animation industry.

This book offers timeless advise on many important aspects of the industry, from how to work as a freelancer, appropriate studio conduct, how to get a job, how to pitch a show, the hierarchy of the studio, how to take in and improve from critique, and how to get involved in the animation community.

"Your Career in Animation" covers so many great subjects that every new animator wonders about at some point. It will help you assess your options and provide realistic expectations for your future. It's also full of valuable resources, like information on active animation communities, and recommended reading depending on what department of animation you are interested in.

It's an easy read and is definitely written from an artistic, yet practical point of view. David's words will reassure and excite you about your career, but at the same time prepare you for the inevitable pitfalls every animator will experience.

He also talks a lot about the kind of perspective you will need to keep improving your work. Practical tips and practices artists can adopt that will make them more efficient artists and improve their work.

I don't want to give everything away, but just read the book! If you're like me, you will want to leap from your seat and begin a project right away. It's one of those books you can read over and over again and probably should. Although this book doesn't specifically give any instruction on HOW TO ANIMATE, it WILL prepare you for "Your Career in Animation".

I simply adore this book.

I Made A Lightbox! A Review

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I decided to build my own lightbox to improve the photography of my etsy products.

RAW PHOTOGRAPHY BEFORE LIGHTBOX

 

RAW PHOTOGRAPHY WITH LIGHTBOX

As you can see, the lightbox allowed me to take much brighter and clearer photos. The new photos are much easier to edit and end up much clearer :-) And I achieved a new level of crafty satisfaction after completing it.

I started a thread on Etsy.com i hopes that someone might be able to refer me to a good already made model. Unfortunately, most of the affordable ones had mixed reviews and I did not want to spend the money on something that might fail me. Plus they are not readily available in stores, (cant test them out before buying) so I would likely have to order one and hope that its not useless when it arrives.

Then someone suggested that I make my own. I was really opposed to the idea at first, but eventually I realized it was the only way to make sure I got something that worked without spending lots of money.

Plus I already had some of the materials I needed, including the lights. So I followed THIS TUTORIAL and had good results. 

The only word of caution I have to others who want to build their own is this, IT COST ABOUT AS MUCH TO BUILD MY OWN as it did to buy one of the cheaper models on ebay. And I already had some of the materials needed. However, I did buy some of the materials in duplicate because I am a terrible cutter and I wanted to have extra materials on hand.

Does that mean you shouldn't make your own? Not necessarily, I did get the result I wanted and can now make larger light boxes if I need to. It all depends on what works for you. If your patient and bargain hunt, I am sure you can get the materials needed cheaper then I did.

But if you hate building things like this then you wont spend much more if you just buy a cheap ready made version.

Hope you enjoyed this little adventure :-)

-h

New Logos

Sorry for the lack of updates, I have been really busy lately getting used to my new computer system and working. I'll have an update on that soon enough, don't worry :-)

In the meantime please enjoy these logos I created for my company, H&H Studios

More Info

And for my boyfriend Tad Lambert...

More Info

Click on the links for more information on my DA page.

Enjoy!