I had a bunch of these lying around from back when I worked at Big Huge Games/38 Studios. To commemorate the launch of "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning" they had moleskines printed up for with the Reckoning "swirl" pattern on it that I designed.... everyone at 38 Studios / Big Huge Games got one but they had a bunch of extras so when the company went belly-up I grabbed a few more.
Thing was, I really didn't like working on the moleskine back then, I was still into my larger, 9x12, ring-bound Canson sketchbooks. My hesitation was the smaller surface area, but I decided to force myself to try it for more than one page because the issue with the larger sketchbook is the portability and awkwardness of it. I want to be able to have my sketchbook with me ALWAYS (A.B.Y.S.S. - "Always Bring Your Sketchbook, Stupid").
Another thing I did to realize this goal was I used velcro to be able to attach my pencil, my erasers, and my iPhone. I can even stick a kneaded eraser onto the velcro.
Anyways, I think it's working out - I find myself sketching in my sketchbook way more than I used to and I really like the sketches I have been doing.
Doing this also made me realize that we can be stubborn sometimes as artists. We get used to working a certain way, with certain materials, but the truth is if you just give something a chance, let it run it's course instead of instantly saying: "I don't like this, it doesn't feel like I expect it to", you may find that you can adapt to a new way of working and solve other issues that the old way was holding you back from.
Eventually, these sketches will be included in my second volume of a published collection of sketches. In the meantime, you can purchase my FIRST collection of sketches here, on my Etsy site: https://www.etsy.com/shop/seanandrewmurray
-Sean
3 comments:
These are amazing!
This sketchbook appears to be similar to the horizontally bound "watercolor" sketchbook that Moleskine makes (the version that James Gurney uses a lot as seen on Gurney Journey, his blog). The pages on the latter are even thicker (I think), fwiw.
What's that pencil (or pen?") that's closest to your cell phone? Does it really have an angled tip? It looks like it in the photo...
I saw your illustrations in the ImaginEx Sketchbooks volume 1. Really great stuff, wonderful character, love your style, so many wonderful details. I'll definitely be keeping up with your sketch blog!
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