Pixel-On-Sea

More practise with pixels! This time I went a tad more ambitious, with the previous industrial vein moving toward the coast.

The landscape with Happisburgh Lighthouse above was a blast! I started out studying the trees, and, when they turned out okay, the buzz started to kick in. I ended up completing the scene in a couple of hours. There’s still some more experimentation required I think, especially with the sky and clouds, whose gradients are perhaps a little too steep, but I think on the whole it looks alright.

And here we have some imaginary gas platform, not an unfamiliar sight here on the coast, though indeed more imaginary than they used to be. This was mostly looking at light, reflection… reflected light. I think this exercise reinforced that, when working with a brush the size of a single pixel, patience is most definitely the key. I’ve been tempted by some examples of pallette cycling in old computer games. It should be a fun technique to explore – using it to suggest flowing water looks particularly beautiful. More to come, hopefully soon.

Sunny Seal

Someone’s enjoying the weather.

It’s been years since I’ve drawn a seal – one that’s ended up here, anyway – so here we are. Seals are the coolest. That’s all there is to say, really.

Through the Porthole

After a simple decision in presentation of some cormorants led to a happy diptych, I began thinking more about composition and relationships. From that came a thirst for something not complacently square or 8×10. It’s something I haven’t really considered for a while.

With being out to sea at the moment – circles portholes, naturally!

Going for something crisper and even less literal, I took to Illustrator and warped some stripes, trying, for now, to stay away from colour.

They turned out rather more marble than crashing waves, didn’t they? It’s been refreshing experimentation nonetheless; certainly it seems potential is there, once the tide turns and I can pinpoint a clearer approach. Hard to starboard, as we of the sea probably don’t say all that much. At least I didn’t mention the Jolly Roger.

 

Afloat

Likely because I’m a terrible swimmer, my previous foray into the waves put rubber rings into my head.

Rather than try and draw or model one – though one complete with cute duck is just asking to be done someday – I thought about combining that flow of the water and the ring. This immediately took me back to lettering, and aiming for a rounded, fluid face.

I expect some characters would keep you afloat better than others.

I originally looked at full colour and rounded segments within the glyphs – perhaps that would have been better, in retrospect. It does have a bit of a whirl to it.

I wanted to do some animation with the below, but the simulation options didn’t seem cooperative – which makes this concept all the more fitting, I suppose. I didn’t try to replicate the colour of the seawater here, as I don’t think even my computer has that shade of brown.

Whatever the result, it’s always fun to play with lettering!

 

Splash

Well, what a beautiful day it was yesterday. Rudely awoken by hailstones banging on the window, it was seemingly nothing but rain and gales for the duration. And it was cold. You know things are out of hand when I’m in a jumper.

It did, however, lead me back to my beloved stormy scenes, and this time I headed to the coast, as I imagine things were pretty dramatic out in the North Sea. There surely isn’t a more treacherous bracing place to be in such conditions. I don’t think I’ve ever focused on the sea before; certainly it’s been a long time if I have. Time to fix that.

Back to a more local setting, and facing the other way; a most welcome sight on the coast would be the lighthouse:

Making waves was more of a challenge than anticipated, but a lot of fun with it – now I’m wanting to hear them crash, whatever the weather! Got your sea legs?