Games... and more games

 Well... after I think 3 weeks working on "Pong" I might say that we are closer to finish (than 3 weeks ago... haha). Eduardo, Isabel and me decided to do a game with little chubbanimal Pong. Animating and painting took ages and still does. But I guess it won't be the last :3

Detail of a game background I did for an Australien company. Will post shameless advertising screens when the game will be released. Much pink, many clouds, very kitschy and so very me XD

and it gets bigger

 I totally forgot to write something about the light table i bought some months ago. >_<
A few months ago I had the wonderful situation of getting payed for a game coloration job. And since I needed a new light table (Ikea table didn't work that good if you need to clean up a lot of sketches...) I bought one.

Hurray!
My light table is from the "Dörr Professional Line", measures around 30 x 46 centimeters and is awesome.
It's one of those flat versions and I like the whole thing a lot.
If you need to work with bigger paper sizes a light table with 46 cm length is quite nice, not to mention that it doesn't weigh tons.




Price: around 200 bucks (yeah, a lot)
I got mine from ebay which didn't hurt that much.

What I like as well is that the cable is quite long. If you happen to have a lack of outlets this is very practical (I happen to have a very big lack of outlets).

 Best friend for lightboxes and two sheets of paper: Uhu Glue Roller (non permanent!). I roll some centimeters on the copy paper and stick it to the final sheet... copy... and rub it off.

Works good although i should mention that you shouldn't keep it too long on a sheet or else it gets yucky when you rub it off and smears.


Price: around 4.50 Euro (I bought mine 6 months ago and it's still not empty so the price is *okay*)

And because Lew was so nice and offered help for flattig comics (yes, .. comics!) Ty and me spend the last evening to set up her working space next to mine.

I hope it works... I decided that I rather ask for help than banging my arm again (or worse) and if it works that way and I can finish some things faster.... I have no problem with it. :)

Little Helpers

what do you do when you need to paint a pattern with water colour and you have two basic colors already underneath?

Correct... you use masking fluid (I use Schmincke although some papers don't like it... Torchon eg ... very bad idea to use Schmincke fluid).

You can make an educated guess what the test-pattern shows ;)

What do you do when you have to mask 61 centimeters with a size 0 brush?

Right.... you start swearing and try to find somebody giving your neck a massage afterwards (volunteers? :( ... )

I like the work thoug... when everything's done you can see how many hours are in one illustration. Hopefully.

Hurray masking tape- to hell with mounting tape

If you ever consider doing watercolour illustrations everybody keeps telling you: "Use gummed mounting tape. It's the best, it's awesome..."

Awesome nightmares: yes
Awesome results: um... not really






This is my very personal opinion with many nightmarish experiences. Atm I am still sad about an illustration I have to redo (third time) because the mounting tape literally exploded. The paper worked a lot and the tape wasn't able to keep a constant grip.

BANG!
I fixed the illustration as best as possible with Tesa but of course the friction is not the same.
There comes a wave... and another... and another. ARG!








When I studied we used Tesa masking tape. I remembered but couldn't remember why and when. With a test (above... no fancy artistical brilliance) the memory came back.
All smooth like a baby booty. And no waves. and all awesome. And me so happy.


How to:
-Wet the paper some minutes (I do it WITH sketch) as usual
- Let it drain a bit
- put it on your board
- I use some kitchen tissues and dry it a bit more, no need for a lake
- happily apply the masking tape
- (blow-dry... I admit, I'm impatient and want to use the paper 2 minutes later)

Some people might say: Oh my, Anne.. that's no news. Well, no... wasn't even for me but I hope it will keep some people from buying gummed mounting tape.

@Lew Throw yours away o.o .. I'm sorry I gave you the brown tape >_<

How's life? - Oh, nice!

 obviously we start with random Hantje and Tretel pics...
what can I say... both are fine, Tretel grows into a catzilla and Hantje is a little princee-nator.

Normally I am not a fan of piggy pink but her nose is just so "awww" and "owww" and going all the ugly babytalk down like an idiot XD.










I have to admit that I'm fighting with getting back into normal mode after sickness- even more with a sinusitis feeling like a jelly-head. Hopefully I'll be able to finish a little in-game animation and backgrounds for two games this evening... doh!
Many things to write about but it feels odd to talk about things I can't show, companies I can't name and project I rejected. (after 5 years it's nice though to say "no thanks!" instead of getting rejected... hohohoh!... I'm sorry, the mint-oil burned my braincells away... )

If you shop half awake....

... you normally fail. I bought paper for my recent project and was half-aslepp I guess. Otherwise I can't explain why I bought rough Lanaquarelle paper whereas I wanted to buy Grain Satine. ARGGG!
Anyways, I guess I'll go shopping tomorrow again- spending even more money on ridiculous expensive paper BUT at least I know why I like Grain Satine more.
Lemme show :)

big image is big o_O
This is rough Lanaquarelle.... I think for normal watercolour illustrations it's totally fine. What I personally dislike about the paper is that pigments keep getting stuck in the surface texture.

For some people this might be "uhh.... artsy", for me it's "uh... crap!"
When I need to do details (a lot) it's like war on the paper. And if you work on 61 centimeters it's WWIII. Arf!
What you see is a mix of Gouache and Lukas watercolour.

In reality the colors look a bit dull. I'll keep telling myself it's the paper.

And now... Grand Satine. Gosh.. I love it.
To say it with a Despicable Me quote: "IT'S SO FLUFFY!" ;)
After the base dried you're able to add a lot of details.
Just let me say that you have to be very patient and let it dry 100%ly or else you might get nasty blotches.

But I love the surface and how fine you can work on it.when dry it looks wonderful.

I just have to find out how to get the clouds done but I guess I'll find out soon enough while working. You can't really copy the techniques you use while working with acrylics.
But hurray for white gouache.

While I write the two test sheets are finally dry and I can't stop stressing out that the rough paper looks totally odd. Very very very odd.

Arf again for failing in shopping.

Alive... a bit... at least

At the moment I work on 61x46 cm Lanaquarelle... it's big, it takes ages and you can't make any mistakes.
I work on illustrations for book, on Chubbanimals, on logos for some companies and on a game.
Last one is pretty awesome and I hope we (in this case Eduardo, Isabelle and me) finish on time.
I would love to post pictures but right now there are no...

One thing that happened yesterday: Tretel is not a man anymore. We took him to the vet. He bullied his sister now and than, so there was no other option. I didn't really want to have 1-eyed-baby-cats O_o

Scouts... O_o

hopefully finished in three hours since I don't want to miss the very very last deadline for the cover... ouch.

I didn't do that much in the last couple of days since I came back, got a call by the doc and was sent home with antibiotics again. Again... penecillin- my not so very best friend. >_> Only four more days and I hope the med works or else I'm gonna have to spend a lot more weeks with whateveritwillbethistime.

AnimagiC 2010

Pics withouth any order. Since I am not into flying I had to take the train. Trains in Germany can be kinda crappy since it might happen that you end up in a train without air-conditioner.
I woke up at 6.30 and arrived in Bonn around 14.00... which is okay. 2 hours left till first signing-hour and the whole opening ceremony.
Since the guests of honour had to wait behind the stage we didn't see anything of the show. Well, I don't complain.
The evening ended for me at 1 o'clock in the morning. I think -if I ever get invited again- that I'll go straight to bed after dinner. You spend your days in a half-awake state which isn't that cool but kinda normal for a convention. o_o

The dustbun-cosplayers were so effin cool. I hope they didn't sweat as much as I believe.

one of the inside-areas where the TOKYOPOP-stall was located.

... the Tokyopop-Ankama stall. Those plushies are so nice. Bought one artbook and way too many small things for friends. o_o

Outside of the building. Over 12 000 people were there but since the area is huge you won't ever see all at once.

Cosplayers... and more cosplayers... and oh, two Sailor Moons.

I have no idea what that is meant to be but it looked awefully funny. Anybody knows what the cosplay is from?

The actual TOKYOPOP-stall. :D

Cosplayers again....

One of the most awesomenest cosplay-couples I found....

and "Wölfchen and Rotkäppchen" from "Grimm's Manga". So cute XD

















I made some more pics with other artists and friends but those were too odd or just private. Allover it was hot but funny as always. I managed to get some Shikishis for myself -hurray- and have to think of what to do with those :)