Boardwalk Empire: My designs

GanGsters, loose women, and the temperance movement, Oh My!

The major issue for designing this show is that it is nearly all men. The focus of this project is to show a distinction between each mob boss and where they're from (New Jersey, Chicago & New York). New Jersey mobsters are the peacocks with jewel tones and loud patterns - the Vegas of the 1910s. Chicago is more schleppy and came from a blue collar background in dirty blacks and browns with a slightly baggier fit. They wear some patterns but for them it's all about textures like tweeds and herringbones. The New York mobsters are sleek and sharp in navy blues and blacks. If they have any pattern it would only be pinstripes.

I know most people love to design beautiful dresses, but I'm a menswear junkie. For some reason the ideas flow easier with men and the character comes bursting out. I think it's because their are clear rules and the devil is truly in the details. I enjoy designing women, but I love the men. Does it show?

Aaaaarrrrgg! Pirate drawings.

I'm finally getting around to posting my sketches from last week's swashbuckling pirate themed drawing session.

I drive a scooter so I can't bring too much supplies with me when I go to these sessions. I can't really strap big paper tablets and an art board on my back, so I stick to 14"x17" paper or smaller and usually bring charcoal, water solvable graphite pencils and a water pen for blending.

{Swashbuckling pirate drawings by Hannah Greene }

Steampunk sketches.

 Last week I went to the best thing ever - themed figure drawing. Better yet, I went on steampunk night!

I haven't been drawing for a couple of months now (curse you carpal tunnel!) so I'm a bit rusty. It definitely helps being around other people with fun costumes, props and music to get in the creative spirit. And how awesome that model?

Fatigue is good fo you

Last night I cranked out a pile of roughs for Twelfth Night and these are the last ones I did around 3am. I'm impressed with myself 'cause my rarely turn out this good! Who knew that being prepared, getting rest and finishing sketches in a timely manner is useless? Apparently my formula for drawing well is to get no sleep, have a lot of stressful situations come at you all at once and drink your weight in coffee. That's it, I'm only allowed to draw after 12am from now on!

These are roughs of my salty sailors that help Viola to shore. They've just been shipwrecked to they're looking a little worse for the wear with seaweed hanging off them and little creatures like mollusks and starfish attached to their clothes. Like Viola, they have to make their way in a strange land so they get jobs as musicians to Orisino and Olivia. While they are in the background they still are there to keep an eye on Viola while she's masquerading as a man.

The Searchers

Here are my are my western renderings. I am attempting to loosen up my drawing style (with urging from Julie Weiss) so I used tombo markers and ink to render instead of my normal photoshopping. I still can't for the life of me "draw outside the lines" but it's definitely rougher than what I usually do. 

My next project is Hello Dolly and after Someone Who'll Watch Over Me and The Searchers boy do I need a show that's pretty and clean!

The Murderous Ink Blot

There's nothing I love more than a murder mystery, particularly if it is set in a British country manor in the 1940 during a raging thunderstorm. I think I'm drawn to stodginess, elaborate hairdos. And a little Edward Gorey reference never hurts. I don't think I'm quite suited to live in California with constantly beautiful weather. Sometimes a girl just wants a thunderstorm.

This is an illustration I did for my figure drawing class using ink quills and washes. Fun Fact: Midway through my quill splattered smack in the middle of my project so I had to just roll with it and incorporate it in the drawing. I think it actually worked to my advantage! Death by ink blot?

A couple of images that helped me set the mood:

Befores and Afters

Unlike my evil nemesis Watercolor, Photoshop and I get along just fine. ;)

Typically I will sketch my characters out on paper and then scan them and finish them up digitally. These are my most recent completed renderings so you can see what I work with when Photoshopping. If you have a drawing tablet you can draw your body and outlines pretty easily, but I prefer sketching them out by hand and then layering that scanned outline over what I've photoshopped to keep it from looking too clean and perfect.

One Tarty Period

The title is much saucier than the content I'm afraid. Here are a few of my painted renderings for a 1670s version of Tartuffe.

Watercoloring and I are not exactly on speaking terms. Heck, make that painting in general. We do the polite get together every now and then, but it's just not the same as with photoshop. ;) It's just that photoshop and I get along so well, it makes dabbling with other mediums so awkward.

My main issue with watercolor is keeping the white under the color and leaving blank spaces. I have such a photoshop mindset where I NEED to fill everything in completely fill and then add highlight and shadow later. Watercolor also looks better when things aren't perfect and I cannot for the life of get all "loose and free."

That said, I'm quite proud of these! Granted I'm only posting half of them (because there is no way the other's will see the light of day) but these 4 turned out quite nicely if I do say so myself.