Sunday, February 26, 2006

pencils :: over and out

asaf :: since the art supply store where I used to buy my inking paper had closed down and replaced by a sunglasses shop, I failed to find a decent illustration paper in tel aviv. while drowning in despair I decided I had it with materials that run out on you - paper, ink, pencils, erasures etc. no more scanning, enlarging, reducing, lightboxing and washing brushes.

this illustration was done for a piece about women's tendency to admire the handy-man type of guy. the sketches done directly on the computer may lack the instant charm of pencil, but contained enough details to show the overall idea.



working on the final I was glad to rediscover all the advantages of the computer. like ctrl-z while inking. the only thing missing though is those small black spots on your fingers after a hard day of work.


20 comments:

  1. Nice one. I'm glad you opted for the circular mirror. It works much better. I like the surface treatments as well.

    Not quite ready to give up on the analog side of the process myself, though you pulled it off with some aplomb.

    Cheers, Dom

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  2. Anonymous4:48 AM

    hi Asaf
    I'm so glad you came back, nice story, you made me laught :)
    great illustration idea.

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  3. Hey Asaf!

    I'm a big fan of your work (as well as your brother's) and I 've got a quick technical question if you've got the time...

    When it comes to coloring your work, do you use a wacom tablet?

    Thanks!
    -J

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  4. Anonymous9:12 PM

    This is pretty much indestinguishable from your pen work. It's pretty amazing. I'm too attached to my brushes to follow suit, but maybe some day.

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  5. Love your process pics.
    Some really great work!
    thanks for showing it.

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  6. I'm in love again with the stinking ordinary HB pencil. But I can relate a little bit. It took me quite a while to find my favourite paper after moving to Canada.

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  7. hey, did you illustrate the wallpaper too?

    again with the great work! what the hell? :)
    maybe you should illustrate a peice about everyones tendency to admire the hanuka type of artist. :P

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  8. nice piece! I'm a big fan of your guys' blog and Bi-Polar. Would love to see your sketchbooks or doodles sometimes...

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  9. Anonymous11:11 AM

    welcome to the digital world, it looks amazing !
    which store closed ? the one near the sea ?

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  10. Both of you guys are great inspiration! The process is amazing and the finals are beautiful. Big fan here!

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  11. hey all -- thank you for your comments!
    to say the truth, I kind of miss the pencil, and having second thoughts about it.
    I used the wacom for everything on this - from sketch to final.
    the wallpaper is a texture I made from a pattern found on the internet.
    as for doodles - I used to do a lot of these, but can't seem to find the time anymore.
    the store was in front of the cinematheque. your usual xerox place. nothing fancy.

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  12. Anonymous4:39 AM

    if you are talking about ELINIR
    they only moved. not closed. they are in Shontzino- now

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  13. its...SUPER!

    HAHAHA

    wait, did someone else say that already? Anyway, great piece. This is the first time I've seen this blog, quite nice, been a fan of BiPolar for a while now. I'm just as annoying in real life.

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  14. I can vouch for Frank, he is SUPER annoying. There is something very attractive about the super clean look of digital inking -- I was suprised to hear that Brian Bolland is all digital now as well, but it suits his linework.

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  15. Anonymous2:26 PM

    I was at first completely apalled that Bolland went digital, then I saw some of the results, and I can't really say it's hurt him. I keep trying to convince myself that, "oh, there's something special about the brush" but I'm not sure anymore. It sure would make scanning a lot less of a pain in the ass--I personally tend to work larger than the scanner, and end up piecing everything back together on photoshop. The only thing I can argue is that it tends to look very clean and unform, and there's nothing on photoshop or painter that simulates the randomness of drybrush in a satisfactory way.

    But holding an actual brush or pen in your actual hand is always going to be a different experience. I even attempted to adopt the brush pen for a while, but that didn't work for me either. I guess I'm doomed.

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  16. Haha, Spot-on!

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  17. it's really incredible Bolland can pull it off digitally. I guess once you master a technique, it's possible to find a way to make the computer duplicate it. Still, I find it hard to do long curves with the wacom, the lines is not as smooth. Bolland uses the pen tool, maybe i'll give that a try. I am really not sure about the brush being more "real" than the wacom - the caveman would say drawing with fingers on the cave walls is the most authentic, and that a brush puts distance between him and his creation. Darwin should have known.

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  18. Anonymous10:54 AM

    (I was accidently anonymous up there). I wouldn't say more "real", just idiocyncratic. It's it's own thing. As are fingers. As I said before, a different experience, not a superior one.

    The best way, I find, to get those big enormous curves are--beziar curves. Though they take a while to master. They're easier to use on Illustrator, but you can still manage them fairly well on photoshop.

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  19. great illo, love the idea too!

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  20. Anonymous2:08 PM

    This is a charming illustration!
    i like to draw by hand to
    (wish i can draw like this one day)

    waiting for more..

    A.T.

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