Taxidermy Tango

 

Taking a break from my Coraline series to show you another project I am working on.

The Cat

Bat-Dog Awakened

The light startled the creatures, and one of them took to the air, its wings whirring heavily through the dust.

Drum Solo

Come see the Marvelous Mouse Circus!

Member of the Mouse Circus

"The reason you cannot see the mouse circus," said the man upstairs, "is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed. Also, they refuse to play the songs I have written for them. All the songs I have written for the mice to play go oompah oompah. But the white mice will only play toodle oodle, like that. I am thinking of trying them on different types of cheese."

Miss Forcible

Miss Spinks

Miss Spinks was bundled up in pullovers and cardigans, so she seemed more small and circular than ever. She looked like a large, fluffy egg. She wore thick glasses and her eyes seemed huge.

Mr. Bobo (v3)

She could hardly see the old man through the mist.

He walked down the steps on the outside of the house that led up past Coraline’s front door to the door of his flat. He walked down very slowly. Coraline waited at the bottom of the stairs.

“The mice do not like the mist,” he told her. “It makes their whiskers droop.”

“I don’t like the mist much, either,” admitted Coraline.

Mr. Bobo (v2)

Perhaps like this?

Mr. Bobo (v1)

Here is a first pass at a portrait of Mr. Bobo, the mysterious and eccentric old man who lives in the flat above Coraline. Here is what Ms. Spinks has to say about him:

“Fine old circus family, I believe. Romanian or Slovenian or Livonian, or one of those countries."

He had his back to her

 

He had his back to her, but she knew, just on seeing him, that his eyes, when he turned around, would be her father’s kind grey eyes, and she crept over and kissed him on the back of his balding head.
    “Hullo, Coraline,” he said. Then he looked around and smiled at her. “What was that for?”
    “Nothing.” said Coraline. “I just miss you sometimes, that’s all.”
    “Oh good,” he said. He put the computer to sleep, stood up, and then for no reason at all, he picked Coraline up, which he had not done for such a long time, not since he had started pointing out to her she was much too old to be carried, and he carried her out to the kitchen.

Coraline was disgusted.

"Daddy," she said, "you've made a recipe again."
"It's leek and potato stew with a tarragon garnish and melted Gruyere cheese," he admitted.

Mr. Jones

 

I'm kind of struggling to figure out how to draw Mr. Jones. 

I like idea of Coraline looking like her dad, which would mean going with the middle option. However, the bottom option seem so much better.

Where on earth were you?

“Coraline? Oh, there you are. Where on earth were you?”
“I was kidnapped by aliens” said Coraline. “They came down from outer
space with ray guns, but I fooled them by wearing a wig and laughing in a
foreign accent, and I escaped.”
“Yes, dear. Now I think you could do with some more hair clips, don’t you?"

Mrs. Jones

There was also a well.

On the first day Coraline’s family moved in, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible made a point of telling Coraline how dangerous the well was, and they warned her to be sure to keep away from it. So Coraline set off to explore for it, so that she know where it was, to keep away from it properly.

Sketching Coraline

I recently read Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and absolutely LOVED it. There is so much to love – the weird but endearing neighbors, the spooky house and grounds, terriers, rats, performing mice, a sardonic cat, and the Beldam and her DISEMBODIED HAND! It’s almost unbearable.

Here are my first passes at Coraline herself. I’m pretty torn between the top right sketch and the bottom right sketch. I will have to mull.

I saw the animated film when it came out, and now I’m dying to watch it again, but I am not going to let myself until I work through my own interpretations of the many fantastic characters. And I expect weeks and weeks of good drawing inspiration.

Two Hipsters went for a walk

For Anna, who sends me lots of ideas.

Dorothy and the Field of Poppies

I've been thinking a lot about Dorothy from the wizard of Oz. I was sure I had settled on the look of her character a few months ago, but I recently realized she needs more interesting hair. Something like this:

I also have been playing around with the field of poppies:

I still haven't found the right way to draw the field, but I am enjoying the search.

Fox and Peacock in Repose

Fox & Peacock in Action

Another scene with a favorite pair characters I drew last year (String Duet).

Rainlight Sonata

Where has March gone?

This month has gone by faster than most, and I have been neglecting this blog. But I have been drawing - quite a lot actually. I was traveling for two weeks visiting family, and was inspired by an idea my mother has for magical costumes. Here are some quick illustrations I did:

I have also been busy getting my portfolio ready for the SCBWI Western WA conference that is coming up in a couple weeks. I got some good preparatory sketches hammered out on my flights (its amazing what a person can get done in transit). Here is one I like from the Wizard of Oz:

It's hard to believe March is basically over. Well, here's looking forward to April!

A mighty fine tuba

Don't you touch that cake! (v2)

Don't you touch that cake! (v1)

Playing with a line from a story I am trying to write. This is the best line so far :)

Cutting a rug

More sweetness. I got carried away.

Counterparts

I didn't intend for this to be so sweet. It just happened. 

But to change it would seem wrong, don't you think?

Character studies

These are my first, official sketches in my official 2014 sketchbook. It feels so good to be back in the swing of the character-a-week discipline.

I participated in PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) this past November for the first time, and came away with 5 or 6 story ideas that I am just now getting around to exploring. I think these guys are definitely a family; now I just need to decide which story they belong to. However, getting to know the personality of a drawing cannot be rushed. It must be enjoyed.

Secrets and Lies

I have been lying to you all.

The last four posts for January are not drawings that I did this month, but really old ones which I posted while I was completely tsunamied with another secret project. Here are a series of exercises in exaggeration. The subject is Tracy Wong, of WongDoody (the Ad Agency where I work), and here is where you can check out the final art on my portfolio: Pam Fujimoto Picture Book

Plenty

Research

Thoughts and Pans

Foot Steps in the Night