#collin byrd

[skipperwing]

Updates for Dad: forgot my hat. And the universe imploded. So, for those who don't know/don't know me in real life, (as these are more personal observations and practice rather than any actual attempt to be "good") I have this hat that I wear. I've been wearing it nonstop since I graduated high school, and found out college doesn't have the same restrictions on headwear. You've seen me draw myself in it, even in strips when I'm at home/work simply because my perception of myself heavily relies on it. It's my "thing" along with my glasses and jacket. The thing is, high school has those restrictions because the professional world does as well. A hat's just not cool indoors. So when I got my job, I started wearing it indoors less and less (you'll still see me drawn in it). And so, yesterday, I completely forgot it. And while in college or high school, I would have run back for it, nowadays I'm on a pretty strict timeline, and I can't afford to miss my bus. Otherwise, I get in late, have less time to do work, and by extension, get paid less. So I left it. And the world kept turning. Yeeaaaahhhhh... still, no spoilers for you!

[skipperwing]

warmup doodles 02 by SkipperWing

I don't know why I'm numbering them...

[thecrimsonfly]

So, for better or for worse, I'm going to try and "solo" as much of the illustration and animation as I can. However, realistically speaking, I'm probably going to need help at some point. So that I don't have to spend too much time teaching people how to draw my characters, I've created a series handy-dandy "How-to"s to help people learn how to draw the characters. They aren't perfect (as I don't have the time to make them so) but they serve as a good start as to how I draw the characters. First up, the Crimson Fly!

 The Fly's basically a sphere mounted on top of a cone. It's not quite that simple, but that's the easiest way to break him down and start.

As stated earlier, He wears a mask and goggles to hide his identity. I also gave him massive eyebrows because I like being able to see characters emote, and I didn't want to mess with his goggles too much. So I enlarged his eyebrows.

As for his legs, I kinda hated the idea that someone could be super strong but not really look much different from everyone else.  So I went with something even more implausible, like quadrupedal legs.  They let him jump 3x his current height.  Why are his legs like that? You'll have to read to find out.

With the arms and torso, they're less autonomous anatomy, and more just connectors for the arms and waist to the head.  That said, its important to identify how clothing folds for lighting purposes; Its exaggerated in the how-to's, but your get the general idea.

And that's how you draw the Crimson Fly! Simple enough, right?

[skipperwing]

Time to Divide and Conquer

So, I'm noticing that most of the time I'm on tumblr, I'm reblogging stuff rather than posting. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but the ratio of reblogging to actual posts about my artwork is a little uneven (like 10 reblogs for every art post) So I'm separating them.

http://skipperwing.tumblr.com = main art blog

http://silliwing.tumblr.com = reblogs and silly nonsense (unless someone is asking me to promote something of theirs, in which case I'll reblog it on the main art site)

On a related note, I've started working on a very personal pet project.  In order to keep current followers in the loop, and build interest for potential followers, I've created a tumblr blog for it too. You can find it here:

http://crimsonflycomics.blogspot.com = tumblr blog for the Crimson Fly

So, yeah, that's what's up! Check it out!

[thecrimsonfly]

So. Here we are. The title character. The guy you came here to see. The Crimson Fly.

So, some notes on the character:

-Yes, his legs are weird. Think rabbit or quadrupedal legs.

-He's wearing a mask with goggles overlayed on top. No, He's not missing his ears, nor are the orange bits his eyes.

-His eyebrows are massive. Better for emoting.

-He does have wings (It'st that's why he's called the crimson FLY). When not in use, they're tucked inside the hole in the back of his hoodie.

The Crimson Fly is not actually the main character of this particular piece. There are a lot of mysteries about him (why are his legs like that? What's under the mask? etc.) that I don't want to reveal yet.  And without that background knowledge, it makes meaningful character development hard. Progress only means something if you have a starting point to judge it from.  So, no, the Fly isn't the main character.  Think of him as more like a guide for the main character's progress.  His (The Fly's) story will come later in the main comic.

So what's next? I'll show you how to draw him!

[skipperwing]

Things to remember when maintaining an online presence

Sorry guys, I'm really not good at the whole communication thing. Mostly because I only post when I have a down moment, or I think things are really going swell.  If things aren't so hot, I disappear and try to deal with it myself, even though I know a lot of really cool people (such as yourselves) willing to help me out and stuff.  It's also because I don't really know how many of you are out there and reading/watching this stuff (there's probably a way to find out, but I don't know it)  So for all I know, I'm just talking to myself... Anyway, here's a list of things I'm gonna try to remember to do from here on out so I don't seem like as much of a spaz: (feel free to add on and reblog add infinitum)

I will try to remember that just because I am busy, doesn't mean that I should drop off the face off the planet. 

 I should keep updating with the things I am working on as people may (key word there) be interested in what is causing me to vanish.

If I am so busy that I need to drop off the face of the planet, I will leave a message stating that I am doing so and when I'll be back, so people don't wonder/worry where I've gone

Every little thing is important. If I've saved the work file for it, it can be assumed that (unless its NSFW) I should probably upload it at some point

I will learn how to spell presence right (assuming that is not the correct spelling)

I will try to find out what times and days people are actually online so that people actually get/see the things I am posting rather than catching it when they cycle through their messages

[skipperwing]

So, I did an lipsync animation a few years ago back in my undergrad, and I thought I was pretty clever. Except I wasn't. I'm still not.  So, its been two years, and I'm looking for a way to gauge my progress. And in my vanity, I decided to revisit that particular animation and see if I could do it again, better. But instead of jumping in like a cocksure idiot and just animating straight, I decided to play it smart (like a ....less cocky idiot).  I made thumbs, made storyboards and made an animatic (NOT an full animation. That comes later).  Which you're now watching.  Sadly, no sound aside from the dialogue because I don't know how to do those things.  Tell me what you think in the comments, and if you've got any advice as far as music and SFX go, let me know. Enjoy!