Painter Character Concept

Getting right proportions are so annoying. What is really frustrating is that in life drawing I can see shapes and proportions and the moment I try to paint from the head I lose it. I really need to practice that aspect of me technical skills.

Meeting with Chris

So I had a really good talk with Chris about his story. He came to me saying Phil had disagreed with his current story so we sat down to rewrite it. His three elements being a sword swallower, a train and a camera, we set down on paper a few ideas.

I will give my opinion here. I find the sword swallower to be a very specific character. I find it quit gruesome yet quit interesting. Chris's first idea was to have a skeleton sword swallower who has fallen from grace and keeps a spectator less show in an old train. So I though it would be interesting to keep this idea of out of favor. Sword swallowers don't run the streets today, with supposedly only about a hundred acting today.

So the story involves this out of favor artist. He owns a train and uses it to assassinate the critics who disowned him in their column. To keep the theme of sword swallower he has attached his old sword to the front of the train and, having attached the poor fellow on a small platform set on the track, sends the machine full speed into the captive. Yet the position of the prisoner is interesting as he is capable of swallowing the sword. This is still quit vague and I think the train should go quit slowly so that the sword slowly enters his throat with killing him.

The camera is attached at the front of the train, and the madman captures the face of horror as the sword is about to be swallowed. He then develops the photograph and puts it on his wall. At one point we will have a look at the wall with all the newspaper pages where the selected critics have voiced their discontent. We then see the multiple pictures of their terrified faces as the madman enacts his horrible revenge.

This might be quit violent, yet we agreed that the violence should only be implied and not shown. The movement and heavy dynamism of the train should explain the extreme violence involved.

Note to Chris:

- I think the train should not hit him at full speed. He could start at full speed, terrifying the prisoner, who expects to be crushed. The train should then brake violently, and we understand that the sword, which is shown earlier, slowly enters the captive. You could actually have them not die, simply showing the sword entering their throat, before he activates the reverse and takes it out. Like this you avoid death being implied, yet you still get the terrified look on the critic's face.

Quick Warrior Drawing

Playing around with the chalk tool and eraser tools. Proportions is always very hard for me.