ARTWORK: Gregzilla's Art Topic of Art

[Gregzilla]

Thanks a bunch! It's really nice to get positive feedback on my stuff, since for most of my life I've just doodled for myself and shared drawings with a few friends. It fills my little heart with joy when other people like my art.

Anyways, here's a quick sketch of some more OCs:

[Gregzilla]

The first sketch is a hypothetical "NINTENDO LAND IS SCREWED" situation that I might finish later. The second drawing is a group shot of my original villain characters, who you will see on TV some day if the stars align in my favor.

[Ferno]

Lots of great stuff here man! Your techniques are awesome. Keep on racing towards your goals, don't let anyone or anything get in your way.

[Gregzilla]

Thanks, Inferno! Same to you.

Anyways, here's a quick comic I made when a joke materialized in my mind and I had to draw it.

What the hell's wrong with me.

[Gregzilla]

Here's a sketch of various characters of the graphic novel I'm working on, Rebb. This doesn't necessarily represent the final character designs, but I doubt they'll look too different in the final product.

As for the story, I've written an outline. I'm now in the process of fleshing out some scenes and tightening up the story to ensure there aren't any plot holes. Once that's done, I'll work on the actual script.

I think I'm comfortable letting a few details out just for you, SSMB:

- The "good" side consists of Derek the Dapper of the Dapper Dynasty (blue guy with sword) and Lissi the fairy.

- The "bad" side consists of an evil overlord (not pictured), his wizard (horned frog guy in the robe), and dozens of minions split into four factions (imps with spears, zombie archers, electric birds, and fat lizard things that belch bombs).

- The story will most likely be geared towards young adults. It features graphic violence, swearing, and possibly a few sexual references (not very often, I try not to put too much of that stuff in my dialogue).

- Settings include a peaceful kingdom, a meadow full of fairies, and a barren wasteland with an evil castle.

- I am officially categorizing it as "an action-comedy with some romance." I think Scott Pilgrim is a good comparison in terms of atmosphere. Maybe a bit darker at times.

That's all I'll say for now. Let me know what you think!

Edited October 1, 2012 by Gregzilla

[Sarah Jane Smith]

I can't get over how endearing your style is. Sounds like a very interesting idea!

[Gregzilla]

Thanks! I'll definitely put effort into making the comic look nice. My chief worry is backgrounds, which I was never good at. But I'll still give it my best shot. Glad you like it!

[Sarah Jane Smith]

Thanks! I'll definitely put effort into making the comic look nice. My chief worry is backgrounds, which I was never good at. But I'll still give it my best shot. Glad you like it!

Backgrounds are the worst. Good luck with that! I'm sure you can pull it off.

[Sly4Good]

Oh wow, why havn't I looked at this sooner, I LOVE your character designs! They all feel so cute, yet so drastically evil looking that makes you debate between hugging them. I also really love the idea. I'm going to have to follow this.

[Gregzilla]

Much appreciated! I think one of my biggest concerns with cartoon characters is making them look appealing. Like something you would look at and be drawn to. For example:

Billy and Mandy. One is a disgusting idiot, and one is a diabolical creature of hatred. But their designs are simple and enjoyable to look at, which makes them very appealing. Plus, their simple designs make it that much funnier when their faces become hideously detailed.

Now look at this:

Problem Solverz. The colors are obnoxious and the characters look hideous. It could be a terrible show, or it could be fantastic, but I bet most people wouldn't even give it a chance because of how ugly and unappealing the art is. If I was a kid and saw that on TV, I would change the channel immediately.

So yeah, I tend to make my characters a bit on the cute side simply because first impressions matter. If someone sees a character that isn't enjoyable to look at, they most likely will just look at something else.

(Also, I've tried watching Problem Solverz. The show itself sucks, too).

[Gregzilla]

Finalizing the designs for my graphic novel. I put no effort into the background or shading in this particular picture, so don't expect the final product to look like this. The colors are probably gonna be set like this for these characters, though. But it's probably not going to be full-color (at first), just some colored pictures for the cover.

I'm very close to getting the story details figured out, so script writing will begin soon. I've already gotten a few pages written, but I'm not doing any more until I tighten up the possible loose ends. Still very excited to work on it!

Let's see if there's any other info I can give you guys about it......hmmm.....ugh, it's hard to give out details without risking spoilers or getting my stuff stolen (not likely, I'm just cautious). But feedback is still very much appreciated.

EDIT: In other news, FUCK my Mac and my tablet's color calibration. My tablet's screen looks different from my Mac screen, and my Mac screen looks different from my PC screen. The colors always get messed up on darker pictures like this one should be. I need to do something about that.

Edited October 5, 2012 by Gregzilla

[Gregzilla]

Here's a more official-looking piece of art for Rebb. I'll do a bunch of these to get the character designs finalized and have something to post while I work on actually making the comic (which is gonna take quite a while).

Meet Derek, the hero of the land! ....And that's all I'll say for now. If the comic is gonna take a while, I don't want to give away details until it's almost finished.

As always, feedback is appreciated!

[Sarah Jane Smith]

Here's a more official-looking piece of art for Rebb. I'll do a bunch of these to get the character designs finalized and have something to post while I work on actually making the comic (which is gonna take quite a while).

Meet Derek, the hero of the land! ....And that's all I'll say for now. If the comic is gonna take a while, I don't want to give away details until it's almost finished.

As always, feedback is appreciated!

Whoa, getting hella Danny Phantom vibes from this!

[Gregzilla]

Whoa, getting hella Danny Phantom vibes from this!

I didn't even notice that when drawing it XD. That's interesting. I think it's just this particular picture, though. My cartoons usually don't have that kinda style.

Gonna catch 'em all, cuz he's Dapper Phantom

[Ferno]

Your latest stuff is looking really cool! Hope to see more in the future. Liking the diversity of the characters.

[Gregzilla]

Thanks, Inferno! Here's another one.

Lissi the Fairy, Derek's sidekick. Always happy to help, and willing to fight alongside him any day!

..........maybe.

As I've been working on the story for Rebb, Lissi's actually become one of my favorite original characters. Strange, out of all the characters I've made up over the years, I never expected a fairy to be one of my favorites.

She's definitely a stand-out character in the story, and I think a lot of interesting conflict will come from her interactions with the other characters. Enjoy, and feedback is always appreciated!

FUN FACT - Lissi's name was made up when I was thinking about The Legend of Zelda, which the story pays several homages to. I remembered Navi, who always said "Hey! Listen!" Listen.......listen.......lissssssy......lissy. Lissy. Lissi.

And that's how it went.

[Gregzilla]

A work in progress of a Halloween pic. Should be finished just in time for Easter.

[Gregzilla]

HAPPY NINTENDO-WEEN!

Edited October 27, 2012 by Gregzilla

[Emperor Robrainiac]

I gotta say, I'm very impressed and a tad bit envious of your art! Glad to see a fellow aspiring animator/graphic novelist who enjoys combining the western and eastern cartoon styles and you make it work very well.

[Gregzilla]

Thanks! I really enjoy combining aspects of both cultures in my characters. I think my normal character drawings tend to be right in the middle of western and eastern, but then the extreme emotions are fun to make them go to one side of the spectrum. Like when they scream I like to detail their face crazily like American cartoons, and when they are more calm or sad they tend to be cuter and more chibi-fied.

Either way, it's fun to give characters a wide variety of expressions, like Ren & Stimpy. Gotta keep things interesting. Glad you like my style, and best of luck in your art as well!

[Jeffhog]

That's Mummy Luigi to you, Mario!

[Gregzilla]

Alright, now we're getting somewhere.

A sample page from my graphic novel. This is pretty close to what the final product will look like, albeit with some minor improvements (better backgrounds, more detail, less sucky zap lightning, etc). I haven't actually started drawing the final product, I just wanted to draw a page to get a feel for it. And I wanted to share it with you lovely people.

This scene happens relatively early in the story, and I think it gives a good sense of what's to be expected. Fun characters and (in my humble opinion) a kick-ass adventure.

Feedback is always appreciated!

[Ferno]

Looks awesome man, keep at it! I've got my work cut out for me when I get my tablet back, as it'll probably be months before I'm even close to your current level. Seriously, it looks pretty professional imo, and I could "see" this being on a page in a book. Great job keeping the character designs consistent throughout as well; that's something I'm trying to work on in my own works.

[Gregzilla]

Keeping characters consistent is a challenge, especially with a tablet. I had to draw those characters' horns like a million times before they looked on-model. I hope I can improve on that as well, it would be a lot less time-consuming if it came to me more naturally.

Glad you like it!

[Ferno]

My problem is that I think I'm too over-ambitious with alot of things at first, especially when I first dive in and get started for the first time. Alot of times I design my characters in ways that's hard to replicate over and over later on, and then I end up having to go back and literally dumb down alot of the original details to make it easier for myself because my skills aren't yet at the level to replicate such designs on a constant basis. What you're doing is smart though, I like the simple yet expressive aspect of your character's designs- that'll definitely save you from alot of late nights just drawing a single page, for example.