Crustacean Creation Video

This is awesome! Crawdaddle!

Crawdoodle. Eh? Eh?

Nice vid Ray!
got a few chuckles in there…:)

Hey Ray - great video! I found your site about a month ago and I’ve been checking it daily for graphical goodness.

As soon as I rebound out of the holiday season I’m buying a wacom tablet so I can take my doodles digital.

Also,
Thanks for the comment (I just threw it together yesterday, I’ll let you know when I get something worthwhile up so you can leave a comment that won’t be deleted.)

Nice. I like that you show your process from blueline sketch to finished piece. - S

You should check out Viddler - The quality is top notch - it’s where I host all my videos* and swear by them.

*http://www.viddler.com/explore/anton/videos

Thanks, I love these videos. I wish more people posted their process online.

Paul, thanks. I’m so much lamer on film than in person, heh!

Joe, let me know when you get your tablet. I look forward to seeing your stuff!

Shane, the process work is my favorite part of other people’s blogs (that bother to show it).

Matt, me too!

Thanks for that video, I’m a 16 year old who is looking at doing this type of work for a living and this video has proved quite insightful. Thanks!

Awesome, Derek. If there are any specifics you need/want to know, ask. There’s a forum for artists I run at Styl.us that is pretty informative, too.

I really enjoyed watching the video. It isn’t everyday that illustrators show the behind-the-scenes like this.

By the way, what illustrator program do you use? I’ve been looking into Wacom boards, trying to determine which size to use and if I can design via computer. I generally paint on paper, but would like to quicken the process for specific projects.

Keep up the great work!

The tablet is an Intuos3 9″x12″ and I use a program named Manga Studio. It’s great for lineart, but not much else! Painterly stuff is possible, but requires a lot of custom brushes and work arounds (and a spot color on every layer, heh!).

Hey man. I love your stuff…..I’m From England an I really wanna do this kinda stuff for work……..how did you get into it (qualifications) and also how much did your software set you back if you don’t mind me askin? much love bro x

Awesome stuff mate!

Awesome video man! I really enjoyed it.

Keep up the good work!

Thanks Ray. I actually was looking at an A4 Intuo the other day. Manga studio, I will check. Thank you.

By the way. When you draw into Manga studio, are the graphics vectorized immediately? Is there a way to export out of it, like an EPS?

I’ve used Coreldraw for some years. And have freehand, but I like the layer use of your program…reminds me of Photoshop which I use.

Jordan, I’ve been seriously drawing for about three years. I’m entirely self taught, so I don’t know exactly how to address your qualifications question. My advice is to draw a lot, get good at it, and market yourself. School ought to help with the former! (I’m still working on it myself, heh!)

Manga Studio was $50 for the Debut or about $150 for EX. The price on the latter fluctuates depending on sales and the like.

Willy, David, thanks!

Adriana, the process in Manga Studio is entirely raster. It has vector tools, but, to my taste, they’re inconsistent in use. It only exports as raster formats, but the file sizes are so large that tracing the images is a snap.

wow…….jus like that then. well goin to uni to do art next year then maybe a degree in illustration. software sounds cheap. i’ve jus been usin phtoshop really. thanks a lot for the reply man x

No problemo! If there’s anything else, just ask!

Thanks for doing the video Ray. By the way if people are interested in picking up Manga Studio Ex for a discount and are “student” status, try academicsuperstore.com it goes for $95 there last I looked.

Hey frenden, its Pete (aeiko) here from the black rock, never really seen your site before, but just watched this video and its very interesting and really quite inspiring! Your very talented, keep up the good work!

Thanks for the tip, Mike. I think the price is dropping due to the imminent release of Ver. 4 (out already in Japan).

Aeiko, thanks, dude. I’ve seen your work around and think it’s keen.

Hey, Ray. You have a lot of unique characters. You should really look at getting some of your favorite creatures/characters made into vinyl toys with a business like kidrobot.com. They make limited edition toys from artists designs… I think your stuff would be perfect for them.

BTW, (just another top of mind comment) I would looooove to see your take on a “Swamp Thing”-like creature… I know you’d do something fantastic with it.

Thanks for the inspirational video. It was the best time I have spent dragging around on the web in months.

Hey Ray, I just watched your video(s) and have to say your work is very inspiring. Excellent rendering style. I’m really impressed with the inking look that can be achieved with Manga Studio and I really want to check it out now. Did you have to adjust the brushes/settings much to achieve that look? Thanks for the videos and hope you keep doing them!

The main thing that I do is to turn off their IN, OUT, and AUTO CORRECTION settings. They artificially correct your lines. Drives me batty to see my lines butchered like that.

Other than that, it’s mostly a matter of picking a size that works for you. I work with the full 10mm brush so that I have a wide range of variability.

Hey Ray,
Excellent video displaying your technique. It is definitely a quality I aspire to reach with my own illustrations. Please keep the videos coming because they motivate me to experiment more than anything else. Also, even though you are quite busy, you should do an illustration of your cat since he has to listen to you talk to yourself! haha

Take care

Well, I just got into this myself and I must say, you’re practically my tutor. I’m still trying to perfect those inking lines, seem like it’s not quite working for me yet.
Keep it up, Sir Ray!

Heh. Dan, my cat has been the subject of a few illustrations. Or, at least, a viable model whenever a feline is called for.

Leonard, will do!

COOL, reminds me a bit of C Burns. Can you achieve the same results in Illustrator? I’m a constant chronic doodler & desire to get digital.
Chris

No. It’s the most common question I get asked. Illustrator is incapable of producing lines like these.

Thanks for the reply. I just spent way too much time enjoying your work. Keep the videos coming-the effort is greatly appreciated.

Glad to hear! If there are any specifics that I can help with, let me know. I can tell you how to make an inking brush in Painter if Manga Studio is too exotic as well.

Great video! i don’t really watch alot of these online tutorial things, but i’m definitely going to start now. Wow the corporation was a great movie I sent a link to a bunch of people, god that shit is depressing… i’d love to get a critic from you about this “werid” coloring book i’m making, don’t worry it doesn’t suck no poorly drawn anime chracters etc..if you have time. great work i hope you make lots of money! :P

Austyn, have at. I always like to help however I can!

Ray, I have read your posts to the Comics Journal website and enjoyed your drawings there for quite some time. (I don’t think I’ve seen any posts from you there, recently; have you stopped frequenting the board?) I just ordered Manga Studio EX from Gradware this week (an academic discount website for software), and I had remembered you posting some videos of your working process, so I went looking for them today, and found my way to your site. The hour long video of your drawing the crawfish creature was great…informative and fun to watch, and your comments, coupled with your demo, demystify the process by which drawings can be made, a valuable lesson for any other aspiring artist.

I’m most amazed that you’ve only been drawing “seriously” (as you say) for three year! Your work shows a polish that would seem to have come only from long years at the board. I’ll keep checking in for more pictures (and videos); good luck on your return to the free-lancing world.

You know, as Manga Studio is primarily a black and white drawing program, you should do a video demonstrating your coloring process. I assume you import your finished drawings into either Photoshop or Painter (or both) to do color. I’d like to see how you work in your color…especially where you have ink feathering in different colors. Do you do all the original inking in Manga Studio then recolor some the feathering in another program, or do you draw the additional brushwork in your coloring program. (Or is this an example of the “spot color on every layer” that you mentioned in your video?)

Hey, Robert! The aforementioned dayjob single-handedly guaranteed a decrease in the frequency of my posts to the TCJ forum.

I do, indeed, create my colors in Manga Studio using a single spot per layer. It seems rigid at the beginning, but the ability to change large blocks of color with one or two clicks offsets that initial hardship, I think.

Using the pattern brush tool, you can even create soft edged brushes that vary in opacity like a Photoshop brush.

Say, what’s your email address? I’ll send over some brush settings. Also, I run an art forum where there are about a half dozen other Manga Studio devotes. If you’re interesting in that, I’ll send an invite along via email as well.

Thanks for noticing my absence and for the kind words. I ought to get back there soon.

Ray, my email is:
robertcook44@hotmail.com

I haven’t received Manga Studio yet, as I only ordered it a couple of days ago, but I’m really looking forward to trying it out. I appreciate your being willing to send me some brush settings.

Thanks!

By the way, I am interested in checking out the art forum, thanks. Also, your using a single spot color per layer to do your coloring in Manga Studio sounds like just the way one would make a multi-colored linoleum or wood block print! The more things change the more they stay the same, it seems.

Awesome. I’m sending the invite now.

I find that the “limitation” of a spot color on every layer fits really well with how my head works. It’s never been a problem for me.

I was very excited to find your video. I have been looking into digital recently due to a friends work and encouragement. I am waiting for my wacom and will be keeping your site in my favorites in hopes of seeing many more tutorials. I am just as interested in your take on the business as I am in your drawing.
P.S. The anti-commercialism show sounds like fun.

Angela, thanks a lot for the input. I’ll try and keep the business side of things in the mix as much as possible. It’s kind of tricky being public and protecting clients while trying to talk about these things.

Hey Ray!
I just stumbled across your website, and I’m really impressed and inspired by your work! I’m a motion designer and constantly trying to improve my illustration skills, as I’ve come to realize more and more how important it is in this business. And this site, especially the videos has helped me a lot and inspired me to work more on my illustrations.
So keep up the great work man, I’ll be watching :)
/David

duuuuuuuuude ray, your stuff is out of this world. you recently got me inspired to bust out the tablet and manga to do work! ive been following you over at emptees.com man and all i can say is wow….good to watch to work….how do you get such a smooth pen? i just got manga last night and im tryinjg to figure it out…any help would be awesome…keep it up

Psst!

Just one favor - when you start taking over the world, remember the little guys. :p

hey love the video,
thanks for your sharing,
its really helpfull, im going to try now what ive learn!
;)

I do love these videos. I am a self taught artist, and it’s very fun to watch professionals do their stuff.

I’m a self-taught mutt, too!

Hey Frenden, awesome vids man - you have totally inspired me to buy Manga Studio. I just got it yesterday and was fiddling around this morning with and and tonight. Any tips on how to do the colouring in Manga Studio? You mentioned spot layers but how do you achieve this?

Keep The Vids Coming - oh and btw you should ask the Manga Studio company to pay you for the amount of people you convert to it….

No kidding, right? Heh. They have given me a few perks lately, truth be told. But I do more traditional work than Manga Studio stuff anymore, doh!

Each layer can be assigned a color in the “properties” palette!

Thanks Bud, thats sweet. Yea I noticed on your flickr that you were doing some ‘real’ linework and inking and I have to say it looks like you have been doing it forever. Its awesome. You have totally inspired me dude. I am currently working on a hand grasping a flaming skull from a sketch I did yesterday, hopefully when I get the linework done I could send you a preview and you could let me know what you think?

Craig