Stumble it!
I’ve put a little more work into my Three Little Pigs project that I posted about earlier. Here’s how it is going so far…
The Wolf
I received a lot of great feedback about my pig character sketches (thank you!), and I think I have a definite direction to go from there. The wolf character is a little harder for me to nail down (because he’s not as cute, I guess?). I’ve done a lot of experimenting and sketching, but I don’t know if I have anything I like yet.
Here’s what I have so far:
I’m definitely going to work on this some more. So far, I’m liking the “sly and sleazy” looks as opposed to the “big and tough” looks. And of course, I had to draw a nerd wolf, but he’s probably not very intimidating. 
I think once I start working on actual layouts and story, it will start to come together a little better.
Research
I usually wait to do any research until after I’ve done my first brainstorming. It gives me more freedom in the beginning to really stretch styles and ideas. Now that I’ve done this, I’ve looked up both visual and historical reference for the Three Little Pigs story.
For visuals, I usually start with a simple Google Image Search. I also buy a lot of bargain books about animals and whatnot that I keep on hand. This will help me to further develop the design of the characters and refine some features so they are based a little more on reality.
Here are some images I’ve found for the pigs and wolf:
I’ve also done a little research into the story. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually heard the entire tale, so I found a full manuscript on Project Gutenberg. I knew that in the original version, the wolf ends up eating the first two pigs, but there was also a lot more that I didn’t remember (like the adventures of the third pig after the wolf tries to blow down his house for the first time).
You can read this version at this link: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18155/18155-h/18155-h.htm
It’s slightly more gruesome (and hilarious, I think) than the version you normally hear. I’ve also found several other versions around the internet, and an informative article on Wikipedia.
I will most definitely be condensing the story to fit in my little booklet, so I probably won’t be using a lot of this info, but I like all the ideas that this is giving me.
The point of all this research and brainstorming is to give me a place to start. As artists, we are creative people - but you can’t expect your creations to come out of thin air. If I want to draw a character in a certain style, or write the story in a certain way, I want it to be because I decided it was the best way to go, not because I was too ignorant to realize it could be done differently. One of the biggest mistakes that I think amateur artists make (and lazy experienced artists) is not doing enough research.
That’s about it for now. I’m really looking forward to sketching out actual scenes and really putting this together. I’ll keep you updated…
Let me know all your advice and criticism (don’t hold back!). Leave a comment on this post at DaniDraws.com.
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March 7th, 2008 at 11:08 am
You have some very valid points. Thorough research always makes for a better design and composition. There’s just no way to get around that. It may not be the most exciting thing to do, but the results are gained for the seeds sown in research in the output you produce. In the end it causes your work to be more thoughtful and outstanding and it reflects in every other aspect of your work in relation to that particular project.
On the point of the wold character design,maybe the wolf could be a cross between stupid and debonair? But I think you should try to stay away from the barnyard adaptations where the wolf is always portrayed as a country cat.
March 8th, 2008 at 2:36 am
Dani I agree that the wolves are really speaking to me yet. I think I’d just like to see you push the shapes a little more. Right now they all feel really similar (more or less rectangle shaped). I also wonder if you are thinking of going the sly and sleazy direction with him is he going to be like a sly sleazy “bowler hat guy” (like on Meet the Robinsons) type or “car salesman” type. One I picture more “S” shapey and the other more broad shoulder powder blue suit and triangle shaped. I think if I was the wolf I would try to pass my self off as a cable repair man or something. Anyway of course make him what works for you but I would like to see the shapes pushed more to reflect his personality.
I like your research, probably because I can relate to it. I usually have a ton of pictures sitting around while I am working on a project.
Nice job on this three pig stuff. I am excited to see it progress.