I’m getting more and more comfortable in Procreate. I think it’s also thanks to a new grip I bought for my Apple Pencil, along with a silicone tip. The previous grip I had was comfortable, but I had to take it off every time I wanted to place the pencil back on my iPad Pro to charge. This new one allows me to charge while it’s on so it’s definitely more convenient. And the tip removes that slippery feeling while drawing on the glass.
I spent about an hour after work today doing a quick sketch of a honey bee. I didn’t think anything would come of it but I was proud that I saw it through and I posted it on Instagram. :)
Here’s the 30-second time lapse from Procreate:
I started playing around with character design today. I’ve never really done any of this before, and it’s been well over a year since I drew anything. To say that I’m rusty is an understatement. I figured since I have the basis of the story in place, it would be a good idea to establish character designs so that I get comfortable drawing them in comic form, which is a style I’ve never attempted before. I’ve always done still life drawings only. Always with a clear reference (photo or real object). I never realized until now how difficult it is to simplify shapes and expressions. Throughout my art classes in college, I’ve always had to learn to draw things realistically. And it wasn’t like I was an art or illustration major either, so I only took a handful of art classes. Now it’s like I’m undoing the few solid things that I’ve actually learned. It’s literally back to the drawing board!
The grip that I bought has some downsides. While it makes the Apple Pencil 2 a lot more comfortable to hold, I can no longer place it back on top of the iPad Pro to charge, and I can no longer double tap to switch between the eraser and paint modes. 😩
The tip also has a major downside. It makes the point even bigger, which is something I don’t want. And it just feels kinda weird. Ugh, I should’ve definitely thought this out more, LOL. At least it was really cheap on Amazon Japan and I got it the next day. It was about $15 for both items. I’m still definitely going to use the grip for sure though.
I’m deciding to call the manga series “The Adventures of Miyu and Maddie.” It will be kind of set in outer space, but with elements based on our real lives, and a focus on Miyu.
In the first screenshot, I left out the title because Ken made a good point and said that her sleeping quarters actually looks like a spaceship, kind of like Goku’s capsule. That wasn’t my intention, but I can see why he thought that. So the cover of the first manga book will have to change into something more generic. I wanted to incorporate elements of graphic design into the title at least, because I know I’m gonna have to go in most likely Adobe Illustrator to add the content for the speech bubbles anyway. And I also want the cover to be in color as well, just like with traditional mangas.
I’m gonna work more on Miyu’s character design throughout next week, if possible. I want to develop her space uniform, her casual earth clothes, and her spaceship pajamas. I took inspiration from Rini from Sailor Moon and this Japanese candy character named Peko-chan. Miyu always wears her hair in a low ponytail going to school so I wanted to keep that particular theme going. My goal is to make progress and post something every Sunday night. Even as I look at what I’ve done so far, the prospect of simplifying things even further into easily digestible comic strips is daunting. This will be a good exercise for me, methinks. Wish me luck!
I’ve been feeling really inspired the past few days. I tried drawing Friday night after work but that didn’t work out, and on Saturday the barometric pressure dipped pretty low so I was in pain and couldn’t really “get in the zone” so to speak. But after Ken got home late at night, we got to talking about my “art plans” and around midnight, I was finally motivated to start something that’s been on my mind for a while now. I’ve always wanted to make this little comic strip about Miyu and Maddie (our rabbit). It’s just something fun and I think it would be a good exercise for me to get back into drawing. My goal is to make it as simplistic as possible because I want to make it something like the Peanuts comics by Charles M. Schulz—fun and relatable enough for children to follow but also smart enough for adults to understand and identify the humor. Lofty goal, I know. 😅
Anyway, I got Outlaw Star theme songs on rotation as I work on this. I ordered a grip for my Apple Pencil 2 because sometimes my hand cramps up when I’m gripping such a thin instrument. I also got a set of pen tips as well because I get annoyed when there’s not enough friction between the pencil and the iPad screen. I have a really nice screen protector cover that’s kind of like the Japanese version of the “Paperlike” brand, but sometimes the teeth on it isn’t enough for me. So I hope the pen tip helps with that.