I haven’t posted any sketches for an age - due to me not actually sketching for an age - so I’ve scanned the last couple of pages of my sketchbook. The top image is thanks to the current Illustration Friday topic, ‘Moon’, and I’m vectorifing ™ it as I write (well, not as I write, because that would be a feat worth boasting of, but you know what I mean.)

Outdated Flash 8 Tip Probably of Use to Nobody but Me:

I’ve been using Flash 8 for client interface design work recently and, as I’m used to MX 2004, I was completely confuzzled by the new drawing modes. I’d draw a line, and it would automatically be grouped on-stage. This meant that my drawing process in Flash - 1. draw a line, 2. curve it - had two additonal steps to it - 1. draw a line, 2. break it down, 3. click off it to deslect, then 4. curve it. Argh! I knew there must be something in the preferences to stop objects automatically grouping and, after some rummaging, I discovered the new drawing modes - well, new if you’re a couple of years behind in software updates like me! Just clicking on this little button:

…in the tools palette enables you to switch between ‘merge’ drawing mode (the Flash we know and love) and ‘object’ drawing mode (scary, Illustrator-like Flash).

I’ve been horribly busy with design work this week, so the only thing I’ve had time to do is a Valentine modification of my box tree illustration.

I hope to get some more actual drawing done this weekend and next week - like, y’know, on paper. I’ve never been too fabulous at human characters, so I’d like to try to develop my own character style - a quick illustrative shorthand that will enable me to draw people in any pose. That’s my project for the weekend, anyway - barring any unforeseen client work landing in the in-box. We shall see if I come up with anything worth posting! The Illustration Friday topic this week is ‘Discovery’ which also brings to mind some nice little ideas…

I haven’t written an inspiration post for a while so, this month, I want to give a shout-out to one of my favourite artists, Bill Tiller.

One of the first games I played on Ye Olde Amiga was LucasArt’s Monkey Island, and it’s a game series entirely responsible for my addiction to point-and-click style adventures - and pirates! Bill was responsible for the layout art and look and feel of the third game, which moved away from the pixelated computer graphics to fully hand-drawn backgrounds and animation. The visuals in The Curse of Monkey Island are stunning, and it’s one of the few games I’ve ever replayed just to take screen-shots of the artwork.

I still call those swirly, stylised clouds ‘Monkey Island Clouds’ whenever I see anything akin to them in artwork.

I’m really excited to see that he’s founded a games company and is currently working on an adventure game called A Vampyre Story. The only thing better than pirates? Vampires! The initial concept art looks fantastic, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the completed game.

Bill Tiller Links:

Autumn Moon Entertainment
Interview at World of Monkey island
Interview at the SCUMM Bar

Random, I know.

I’ve been doing some client work in Flash this week, and it just feels so bizarre to be working in it. I keep trying to use Illustrator short-cuts. How quickly we forget, huh?

We found this little chap on the street a couple of weeks ago - eyes glued shut with with cat flu, all dusty and sodden. Gluttons for punishment that we are, he’s now living in the lap of luxury and terrorizing the rest of the animals. Doesn’t he make a good model, though?