Archive for May, 2010
The High Schooler’s Guide to the Galaxy
Book: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Posted by: John Martz
I’ve come down with a post-TCAF cold, so I have to apologize for not having the energy to complete my latest Hitchhiker’s Guide illustration on time. As a reward for your patience, and as punishment for my tardiness, I have a gift to offer.
This isn’t the first time I’ve created illustrations for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In high school I illustrated the book’s characters as part of an actual book report. It is with great embarrassment and humility that I present some of these illustrations to you.
You’ll notice Trillian is holding a torch. At the time I wasn’t aware that torch was British for flashlight. The drawings are from 1992, when I was in grade 9. The green Vogon, dated 1995, was from a later sketchbook.
The Owl
In this installment, Mrs. Frisby and Jeremy reach the owl’s tree to gain advice over what to do about Mrs. Frisby’s sick son, Timothy. Mrs. Frisby enters the hollow trunk that he calls his home, alone, with not more more suggestion to his being than his glowing yellow eyes.
“When she got near this nest, she stopped and faced the owl, who had turned from the light of the doorway and was peering at her with his great yellow eyes. Jeremy was nowhere to be seen. She could only hope he was still waiting on the limb outside.
“‘Now,’ said the owl, ‘you may state your problem.’”
The Hobbit, part four
Posted by: Sam Bosma
Book: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
“Suddenly a sword flashed in its own light. Bilbo saw it go right through the Great Goblin as he stood dumbfounded in the middle of his rage. He fell dead, and the goblin soldiers fled before the sword shrieking into the darkness.”
Chapter 4: Over Hill and Under Hill
Click to enlarge.
At this point in the story, Bilbo and the dwarves are crossing a mountain ridge when they are are kidnapped by a hoard of goblins and taken into a cavern below. The Great Goblin recognizes the Elvish weapon Thorin carries as one that had slain dozens of goblins and goes mad with fury, leaping up and preparing to devour the dwarf. The great bonfire goes out in a pillar of blue smoke as Gandalf appears and kills the Great Goblin and many of his soldiers and the prisoners beat a hasty retreat.
I’ve written fairly extensively on my blog on the creation of the goblin design and the many different iterations I went through before landing on something I liked. There’s some further exploration on what the Great Goblin is compared to his soldiers and why he’s so big and weird. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, head on over there and take a look.
Never Never Land!
Peter has flown ahead and left the gang behind, but ole Captain Hook is keeping a close watch from the crows nest! For this scene I attempted to implement more texture and experimented by scanning in more layers. I feel like I work better with flat colors, but I gave it a shot. Unlike these all stars on PBR, I’ve yet to figure these things out. Anywho, get ready to be blown out of the water with Sam Bosma’s next piece!
Poor Bill!
Posted by: Meg Hunt
Book: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (purchase on Amazon)
Happy May, everyone! We’re starting another month of Picture Book Report, aren’t you excited? I know I am….
(this gets a lot bigger, just so you know! I didn’t think about how little it’d look on the blog… needless to say please click it!)
The next stop in Wonderland is the abode of that White Rabbit, and Alice sure doesn’t look too thrilled to be stuck inside!
Alas! it was too late to wish that! She went on growing, and growing, and very soon had to kneel down on the floor: in another minute there was not even room for this, and she tried the effect of lying down with one elbow against the door, and the other arm curled round her head. Still she went on growing, and, as a last resource, she put one arm out of the window, and one foot up the chimney, and said to herself `Now I can do no more, whatever happens. What will become of me?’…
…She waited for some time without hearing anything more: at last came a rumbling of little cartwheels, and the sound of a good many voices all talking together: she made out the words: `Where’s the other ladder?–Why, I hadn’t to bring but one; Bill’s got the other–Bill! fetch it here, lad!–Here, put ‘em up at this corner–No, tie ‘em together first–they don’t reach half high enough yet–Oh! they’ll do well enough; don’t be particular– Here, Bill! catch hold of this rope–Will the roof bear?–Mind that loose slate–Oh, it’s coming down! Heads below!’ (a loud crash)–`Now, who did that?–It was Bill, I fancy–Who’s to go down the chimney?–Nay, I shan’t! You do it!–That I won’t, then!–Bill’s to go down–Here, Bill! the master says you’re to go down the chimney!’
I picked a moment in this before Alice basically boots the poor lizard Bill– I feel for the little guy. The White Rabbit holds power over some of these animals (whether they’re his employees or just weakwilled is unclear) and Bill winds up being the fall guy in this situation. None of them are thrilled by the concept of a giantess or beast stuck in that house though, so obviously Bill has every right to be afraid! I took some license and made him a chameleon– trying to camouflage himself to hide from the threat of Alice. Of course we all know it doesn’t work, but at least he’s trying!
The White Rabbit’s house was inspired by wooden-cladding houses and sod roofs, though I bet if the Rabbit had his way he’d plant some lettuce and carrots up there. Instead he just waits and watches the clock while Bill sees to his fate. He’s a busy fellow, after all. I’m tempted to revisit this scene as a two part image– the exterior house and then the interior cutaway. Maybe later!
Tomorrow we’ll see a new scene from Will Bryant! Stay tuned!
The mad whirl of the Death Dance
Book: Tarzan of the Apes
Posted by: Andrea Kalfas
“Another male then sprang into the arena, and, repeating the horrid cries of his king, followed stealthily in his wake. Another and another followed in quick succession until the jungle reverberated with the now almost ceaseless notes of their bloodthirsty screams. It was the challenge and the hunt.”
So here, finally, is the piece I promised from last months’ post. I’m hoping since this is an empty weekend for the blog, that folks won’t mind if I sneak in just this one, and have two Tarzan posts this month…
I’ve never limited my colors quite this much, but I’m liking it! This is one of my favorite parts of the book. Tarzan wins some respect from the tribe during “the Dum-Dum”, a sort of interpretive killing spree where the males of the tribe leap in circles around the corpse of an enemy ape and beat it to a pulp before devouring the remains.
“Tarzan was one of the wild, leaping horde…None was more stealthy in the mimic hunt, none more ferocious than he in the wild ferocity of the attack, none who leaped so high into the air in the Dance of Death.”
Tarzan is still young, so once all the males start feasting on the corpse, he can hardly push through the wall of frenzied apes to get a bite. He uses the knife he found in his parent’s cabin, however, to cut off a forearm! (I always thought that was kinda crazy) and retreats to the edge of the circle to eat it. Tublat, Tarzan’s foster father, attacks Tarzan for the chunk of meat, and when he can’t catch the boy, goes into a rage. Kala, Tarzan’s mother is almost killed as a result, but Tarzan saves her, leaping in front of Tublat as he rushes towards them, and plunging his knife “a dozen times into the broad beast.” Thus Tarzan becomes a mighty killer.
