'Copter Trouble

Meeting at the bar again, on a Friday night, to collaborate with a friend. Rick Gagnon was still away with family, but Marr was there. As I was writing last week, it's different from working with Rick. Marr suggests a situation or describes a scene, and I start to draw it. Then he adds to that. Sometimes I finish it off.

That's how these crazy helicopter pictures came to be. The one below is my sketch of a helicopter as a guide for the first pic, then Marr and I added figures and background.



The two sketches below are in Marr's sketchbook (hence snapped with my camera). They're drawn by him, and I added some light touches of wash, plus a couple of background figures in one.



Until next week!

All Washed Up

Here are Marr's two drawings from the other day, all washed up. It does help the blood stand out, doesn't it?

I like the pleasant and happy expression on the psycho killer. He's doing what he loves!

Same Place, Different Collaborator

Had my usual Friday night meet at the Cock N' Bull Bar. One difference though: Every other night I've been drawing with my friend Richard Gagnon. Well, this evening, Rick was visiting his family off in Saguenay, Quebec, so I was with his and my friend Marr, who had met with us during the last two Fridays. Marr enjoyed the process of collaboration, and the flexing of drawing muscles, so he and I kept the weekly tradition going.

Where Rick is a finisher, Marr is a storyteller, with an amusingly morbid imagination. He saw the insulin needles of one of our friends at the bar, and came up with the scene of the guy injecting himself, above. I continued it across the centrefold to add a horrified, but fascinated, girlfriend. Also, I got to do a lot of the finishing, this time.

Below, it's Marr doing the inks, also choosing the subject. I had drawn a woman's face on the page (of a brand new sketchbook, by the way!), and Marr put her into this scene. I had the idea of adding the other arm, belonging to Harry, I suppose.



The last drawing is by Marr alone. This character is wearing my sweater and scarf. Not my smile, however. Since these were both done in my book, I've taken them home, and might add some lights and darks later. At the moment, they're as the original artist left them.



I'm looking forward to Rick coming back, of course, but working with another imagination is a fun new experience. In every collaboration, you never know what's going to end up on the page.

Homework

The guys from yesterday's post, Marr and Rick, gave me a drawing to take home and ink. Marr did the central figure, Rick filled in the rest. I struggled with it, because some of the details were quickly sketched in, and I didn't have the artists around to explain it to me. I thought "that guy" was the person in behind. There was a roughly hemispheric shadow on the front guy's shirt, but that was it.

So I did one version, and after having scanned it, finally got what they were getting at. So I had to strengthen the shadow, darken the arm, and add the ear. I underlined the word "that." Still can't figure out why they're holding hands.

Then There Were Three

More hands to draw at the Cock N' Bull Bar. I'd have to label these "Gagnon and Marr Fridays," but that's too awkward. Still, our third friend's presence was welcome, and gave a new perspective to things. He'd brought his sketchbook, which, if you'll recall from last week's post, his wife gave him, but he hadn't taken out until he was in the presence of Gagnon and I. We've been doing some drawings in that. These weren't scanned, they're snapped with a compact camera.

Marr drew this, and Rick inked it. I added about four lines, at the end: around the arms.



This is a drawing by Marr of Wong, the pub's chef, inked by me.


Here, Rick is autofocussing, as he takes a picture of me taking a picture of him. He and Marr gave me a birthday gift that night, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. I don't really want to draw comics the Marvel Way, but it's a lot of fun, anyways.


Finally, two old guys, drawn by me, gone over slightly by Gagnon. I thought it was dark enough, but there's always room to do something.

More Hands Make the Sketching More Fun.

Getting a little crowded at our table at the Cock N' Bull pub in Montreal. Rick's writer friend Marr was there with his wife Kari. I had brought my super watercolour pencils. Marr added a scary crocodile to my drawing of a couple of regulars, and I enhanced that, while Rick added colour. It has a nice Jack Davis feeling to it.

Marr had a sketchbook, too. A gift from Kari, though he had hardly opened it. He did this guy, inked by Rick, and snapped on his portable camera.



Then Marr got Kari to draw this character. I added a couple of faces in the back, and Rick inked.


Rick was also busy inking these characters drawn by yours truly:



So, the blog looks busier now, at least.