So sorry to have learned today of the passing of Doris Roberts over the weekend. I had, on several occasions, been able to chat with her just while out and about in town, and she was always patient and gracious. And to watch her work…what a privilege! I attended many tapings of Everybody Loves Raymond and no one could deliver a line with an icy stare that brought the house down like she could. (In fact, she once did bring the house down literally when she ran a car through the wall of the set for one of the episodes!)
I wrote about Doris here on my blog just last year (CLICK HERE to see that post) after I was able to share with her this painting I had done of the cast back in 2005 – a parody of Norman Rockwell’s Freedom From Want painting. She loved it, just like anyone’s grandmother would have.
“Everybody Loves Raymond” in watercolor based on Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom From Want” painting.
Welcome to the final step-by-step explanation of the Abigail & John Adams illustration that appears in this month’s issue of Clubhouse Magazine. Today we will look at the last digital methods to add some color to the art and to age it a bit.
First, I start with the traditionally painted image, and scan it into Photoshop. The rest of the steps are all completed in that program. Hopefully you have a decent working knowledge of Photoshop for the rest of what you will read to make sense to you. If not, then just enjoy the visual progression!
So we begin where we left off yesterday with the completely traditionally created ink-washed art.I begin in Photoshop by creating a layer and dropping in a brown color with the paint bucket across the whole image, making sure the layer is set to Overlay. This tints the whole picture, then I adjust the opacity percentage to suit my taste.I don’t want the tint to affect most other areas where color will go, so I erased the brown from over most of our happy couple.I begin to lay in colors now on the windows, the hearts on the letters, and the stamps. Each set of colors is on their own Overlay or Multiply layers so opacities can be adjusted independently.Abigail Adams gets some color with many layers (10), each set for Overlay or Multiply, whichever looked better. Both those settings allow the original art to come through the color in different ways.John Adams joins Abby in the land of color. You can see I even gave a bit of a purple tint to his dark jacket.Now some aging techniques come into play. I have a set of splatter brushes in Photoshop. I used several of them on 11 layers, manipulating each in different ways to make it look like this “photograph” has been affected by the 240 years or so it has been passed down through history. You can see the spots on the wall, windows, characters, borders – everywhere!In this image, I painted in a bit of a dark shadow around the edge of the image area. Helps to look older, and maybe the result of John’s camera having a flash on it.And last, using some plug-in filters, I was able to put in some surface scratches, and some fold marks to complete the aging process!
So, there you go! Now you can go and make your own presidential selfie! Thanks for following along in this little exercise. Hope you are off creating great things on your own!
Yesterday I began sharing with you the preliminary steps in coming up with the composition and overall drawing for the John & Abigail Adams illustration published this month in Clubhouse Magazine. Today I will share with you the next step in the process in which the traditional art supplies come out of the drawer to breathe some life into this piece.
Once the art director was pleased with the drawing, as was I, it was time to do the final art. I printed out my line-art drawing (without all the tones in it) onto a thin Layout Bond paper (I use the Strathmore brand). Then using homemade graphite paper under the print out, I traced the drawing onto thick watercolor paper.
Homemade graphite paper made by rubbing a woodless pencil onto one side of tracing paper.Taping down the layout bond paper with the drawing, I put the graphite paper face down on the watercolor paper, then trace the art with a pencil. It leaves a decent graphite image on the watercolor paper that you can continue to tweak with pencil & eraser if needed.
I use the watercolor block paper that either Strathmore or Arches makes. Arches is better (I have more control over my paint on it), but it also is waaaaay more expensive. If you are a newbie, try the cheaper Strathmore first. The block paper is nice because it is a thick pad glued together on the edges like a block (thus the name). This means if you paint very wet, the paper can’t curl up and warp. When it is all dried, you peel the top sheet off the pad and you have a nice flat painting.
This is a pad of watercolor block paper made by Arches. You can see how the sides are glued together.
Using a watercolor technique, I painted the whole piece with black ink. Yep, black ink. I used a non-waterproof ink, and mixed four shades of black by taking little plastic condiment cups, putting a few drops of ink into each, and then adding various amounts of water. This process takes a bit of time to finesse because each cup needs to be slightly darker than the last one. I actually paint with 5 shades, but #5 is the black ink right out of the bottle. I use non-waterproof ink because it is malleable. You can still work it with water after it dries. I tend to not touch it after it dries completely, but even while it is still slightly wet, I can push it around, or add more to it and it blends in nicely together.
I use Higgins Non-waterproof Drawing Ink for pieces like this, mixing various watered down levels of ink in 1 oz condiment cups.
If you are not accustomed to working with watercolors, do note that this process is not as easy as it sounds. I’ve been doing this for years, and there’s a lot to be said about the experience of trial and error of manipulating paint that I couldn’t possibly put into words. You just have to practice.
When the painting process is done, I put some finishing touches on it with gray colored pencils, and maybe some white highlights with white gouache paint and white colored pencils. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of this piece before the pencils were put on it, but trust me, it tightens up the piece a LOT when the pencils are added.
Here’s a close-up of the finished art. I love having the texture of the paper in there to emphasize that it is handmade art, and it helps give a nostalgic look to nostalgic subject matter.
So, now you can see the finished traditional piece of art that physically is sitting in my studio right now. It is just a black ink washed painting with some colored pencil lines added for good measure. It doesn’t quite look like the final illustration I posted two days ago, does it?
Here’s the final piece of traditional art. The ink is black, the paper is white. It still will go through another few digital steps before it is complete, such as adding a sepia tone to it, and other colors and effects.
Come back tomorrow when I will show you the final digital steps I used to add some color and to make this resemble something from the past!
Day four in this week’s Sketch Challenge brings with it the wrath and menace of a crazed cat behind the controls of a mouse zapping spaceship, enough to send a chill through the spine of Buck Rogers himself!
So THIS answers the question, “What does my cat do while I’m at work?”
My pal, Andy Heckathorne, challenged me to draw. Yes, I draw every day, but specifically he challenged me to a sketch-off. At first, he wanted it to be every day until we die. Thinking that perhaps the sketching and posting daily is what would kill me, I said, “no.” So, he compromised and suggested we do it for five days. I agreed.
The rules of the game are that each sketch can take only a maximum of 30 minutes. I did not specifically time these, but am pretty sure I am close to that deadline each day this week. No stipulation was made as to drawing materials, so let the games begin.
Since Andy’s challenge reminded me of an old western duel, my first thought immediately went to cowboys. However, instead of dueling with guns, their duel is between who has the biggest belt buckle. Enjoy!
The bigger the buckle, the bigger the man – well, in stature anyway.
I am a longtime member of the National Cartoonists Society (NCS), and recently the NCS has partnered with the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help and volunteer where possible. What goes better with cartoons than children? NCS members around the country have been volunteering to draw for the kids at various hospitals in the St. Jude network, and they lend a hand with fundraisers.
If you aren’t aware, the folks at St. Jude are dedicated to the medical care of children, particularly of those facing terrible diseases such as cancer. They take these kids in regardless of whether or not the families can afford to pay, so fundraising for this organization helps them maintain their ability to help these kids through their toughest battles.
As a former artist on Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show, I came to love drawing the characters. Who wouldn’t?! Of all the things I have worked on, these guys are most often what kids ask me to draw for them. So to help the kids, I created this 11 x 14″ watercolor and colored pencil piece for the auction they will have for St. Jude’s.
Some lucky bidder will go home in their tux or swanky dress full, happy, and with Mickey and the boys under their arm. Perhaps it will be you!
Mickey, Donald & Goofy are ready to help some sick kids!
P.S. – If you’d like to see the rough drawing that was created in preparation for this final piece, come visit my public Facebook page by CLICKING HERE!
When you work in and around Hollywood, you are bound to bump into famous folks now and then. Doris Roberts, who became highly recognized for her role of Marie Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, is one such person that I have unexpectedly seen at various events around town. However, a couple of months ago I learned that she was making a public appearance at a convention, so I prepared myself for meeting her this time.
It is hard to believe, but Everybody Loves Raymond filmed their last episode ten years ago. I don’t often get caught up in television shows, but that was one I enjoyed immensely. During that final season, I was inspired to create a caricature rendering of the cast in a Norman Rockwell setting.
“Everybody Loves Raymond” in watercolor based on Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” oil painting.
The first time I bumped into Doris out in public was the week after I had painted this illustration. I found myself walking next to her down the hill after a Tony Bennett concert at the Hollywood Bowl. I was so startled to see her there, that the first words out of my mouth were, “Oh, hello! I was just painting you last week!” Her reaction was appropriately more startled by my strange greeting, and managed to walk much faster than I at that moment.
So, ten years later, I came up to her at this latest public function and presented her with a print of my painting. This time she seemed genuinely pleased and delighted. Whew!
Doris Roberts and Chad Frye
Well, hopefully next time there will be a chance to meet Brad Garrett who played Ray’s older brother Robert (barely seen in the lower right corner of the painting). A couple of years ago Brad voiced a character I designed for an animated production that has yet to be released. So in a way, I “worked with him,” though we have never met. That’s Hollywood for you.
As we enter into the Christmas week, amidst all the hustle and bustle, keep in mind the sobering thought that God came to earth as Jesus to live among men and save those who believe from our sin. Now THAT is something to celebrate! Merry Christmas indeed!
All handmade in gouache and colored pencil in case you are curious.
