Godzilla prompt: Lets Share Our WIPs and Inspiration!

[Joshua Chennault]

I like the tiny terror Godzilla running amok on a farm with his mother hen trying to stop his shenanigans, so I think I will stick with it. Just getting a feel for the characters and story before I get into cover sketches.

[ArtistErin]

Hey guys I needed a break from client work and thought I'd join in this round of How to Fix Your Art. Let me know if this image reads clear, and what your thoughts are... thanks!!!

[Oana]

@ArtistErin Hi! This looks well drawn and made me curious about the story but it took me a bit to understand, looks like a casting office for a Godzilla movie, and something went wrong with nr. 215? Is nr. 216 startled by the noise? The others look happy? At first, as I was expecting a more "children's book" idea, I thught they were kids at a drawing class then looked more carefully at the details.

[Oana]

For now, the idea that stuck in my mind was that of Godzilla and King Kong fighting over toys ( building blocks forming cities, of course), and tried to sketch the two charachters…. Hope something starts to take shape

Adding a bit of progress on the sketcking and thumbnailing front:

Looks like Godzy it’s a girl. And little Kong looks a lot like Mrs Oyster from my previous submission

[MarcRobinson]

I know "Godzilla dealing with his anger issues" is a joke as old as time, but I like it so much I had to go in that direction. Currently just trying to get the sketch how I want it, before moving onto a traditional pencil drawing. It takes longer, but I ALWAYS prefer my results if I do the drawing traditionally. Even though it gets 99% covered with digital paint.

[Oana]

@MarcRobinson Such nice and skilled drawing! I feel like good drawing skill is indeed best built by working in a traditional way, and then you can use the advantages of digital over the traditional experience. Even if working on a tablet can mimic the paper experience so well, it lacks some underrated qualities of working on paper: the limited undo options that make you more aware, the feeling of erasing with an eraser, the clear scale of design and line ( not being able to zoom ).

Also very funny idea too, and character expressions great :)))) I could see this as a comic directed to adults too.

[Oana]

@Fey-Realme I didn't get to say thanks for the awesome ideas list and reference you posted, it really helped to get me started. Actually the Godzilla potty training had me in stitches and I might just do a simple sketch of that too

[MarcRobinson]

@Oana thank you! Yeah I've never really enjoyed the experience of drawing digitally. I love painting digitally but drawing never feels right. Also it's so nice to use traditional media and get away from screens.

[Julia Hegetusch]

@MarcRobinson Hi, your process is really interesting.I struggle with sketching on the tablet too. Do you print out your sketch and then trace over?

[MarcRobinson]

@Julia-Hegetusch thanks yeah I like a good convoluted process ha. I do all my thumbnails in my sketchbook, then do the drawing digitally in Photoshop (that's the stage I'm at in the image I posted). I then print it at twice the size and draw over it on a light box. I try and add shading and texture with the pencil. Then I scan it in and paint over it in Photoshop.

[Julia Hegetusch]

@MarcRobinson great thanks for sharing your process . Ill have to invest in getting a light box at some stage

[ArtistErin]

@Oana Thank you! That’s the idea, the casting call for a Godzilla movie is where my mind is. The next in line is a hopeful stuffed animal dinosaur character trying for the role, but getting laughed at by the two sitting next to him. The TRex is super chill and knows he’s getting it. But because you had to study means I need to flesh this out further. Cranking on client work so hoping I’ll have time to finish this.:)

[ArtistErin]

@Oana All excellent points!!!

[ArtistErin]

@MarcRobinson What scanner do you have? I’m thinking of getting an Epson 6700. Need something better than what I have.

[ArtistErin]

@MarcRobinson This is fabulous Marc!!!️

[MarcRobinson]

@ArtistErin I have a shockingly average scanner built into my printer! It's A4 size too, so when I want to draw twice the scale I need to print out sections and scan them separately. Like in this image I printed out the humans, godzilla and the background separately to draw over. It's a pants technique but I can't justify buying a good large scanner.

[MarcRobinson]

@ArtistErin hey thank you!

[ArtistErin]

@MarcRobinson That's brilliant... thank you Love knowing how you work. I've been following your work and you are really leveling up, I admire this!

[ArtistErin]

So I scrapped the Casting call idea, and went with mayhem in the classroom. I want to show this teacher, maybe a little inept or brand new to teaching, turns his back for a few seconds and comes back to crazy.

Should I add anything further to demonstrate my story here? Do the elements read well and make sense? Trying to make sure dynamic reads left to right, my orthogonals make sense, etc.

One thing I am wondering about: should I make the focal point bigger and shift it closer to the front of the image?

Thank you!!!

[MarcRobinson]

I'm very unsure if I'll get this finished in time. Sudden house-move with 3 kids in the next week might throw a spanner in the works. I've barely been at the drawing tablet in about 3 weeks. Can't wait to be able to be more consistent with my art, but sometimes life comes first I guess. Massively inspired by Norman Rockwell at the moment if you can't tell