Sunday, December 06, 2009
Rudi Rat full body shot (draft)
Here's a look at an early attempt at a full body shot for Rudi. I wanted to see what he would look like skinny. But I think he may be too skinny. I don't like it right now so I'll keep working on it.
Anansi Jr. full body shot
Here is a look at the new design for Anansi Junior. This shows off the entire full body. His lower torso is larger to make him look a little more like a Spider and I've made his arms and legs more insect like instead of just using long joints.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Final Look for Rudi Rat Head shot
After all of the rough sketches, I've finally come up with a look I'm happy with below. This is the laid back wise guy I was looking for:
More Rudi Rat sketches
Below are more rough sketches that I experimented with while trying to come up with different looks for Rudi Rat. They are really rough.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Sketches of New character Mosi Mongoose
Mosi Mongoose is a new character that will be introduced in the Coomacka animation. This is one of the early sketches that I liked. It somewhat captured the personality I wanted him to display based off of how he was written in the sketch but I didn't feel like he was original enough for me. Especially since he's a mongoose and I don't know of many mongoose characters in animation and comics.
After many more sketches, I came up with this look and decided to stick with it. I made his fangs bigger and I also made his ears bigger. I'm still weak on body poses as you can see from how I have his hands and arms arranged but I'll keep working at it.
I liked this the best. Mosi Mongoose is written into the story as somewhat of a goof ball but I wanted to make him into a likeable goof ball. I want him to be seen as someone who has flaws and as a result sometimes does ridiculous things but at the same time has the potential, like all of us, to grow out of his awkward stage and overcome his weaknesses. And of course, as a member of the fearless mongoose family I have to make sure I represent him right. Mongooses are well known for their ability to fight and kill venomous snakes, even cobras. He gets points in my book for that kind of courage. I'm looking forward to seeing his development over time.
After many more sketches, I came up with this look and decided to stick with it. I made his fangs bigger and I also made his ears bigger. I'm still weak on body poses as you can see from how I have his hands and arms arranged but I'll keep working at it.
I liked this the best. Mosi Mongoose is written into the story as somewhat of a goof ball but I wanted to make him into a likeable goof ball. I want him to be seen as someone who has flaws and as a result sometimes does ridiculous things but at the same time has the potential, like all of us, to grow out of his awkward stage and overcome his weaknesses. And of course, as a member of the fearless mongoose family I have to make sure I represent him right. Mongooses are well known for their ability to fight and kill venomous snakes, even cobras. He gets points in my book for that kind of courage. I'm looking forward to seeing his development over time.
Monday, November 09, 2009
More Rudi Rat sketches
Here are some more sketches as I try to come up with a look for Rudi Rat. I played around with the teeth a little as I try to get the whole image and idea of what a rat looks like down. But these images aren't going to work because he gives off a doofy look. Rudi Rat is more of a wise guy with a laid back personality. I'll keep working on it.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Early Rudi Rat sketches
Rudi Rat was briefly seen in the first Coomacka Island story but he plays more of a role in the new Coomacka Island animation as one of Anansi Junior's friends. I'm working on developing a look for him. These sketches are some ideas I have but I'm going to need to work on it more because it doesn't match his personality.
More Anansi Jr. Head Shot sketches
Several more head shot sketches for Anansi Junior's new look in the animation
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Rough sketches of Anansi Junior head shots
Working on a new look for Anansi to use in the new animation.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
First Previews of work on new Coomacka Island Animation
Here are two early previews of the opening scene from the first Coomacka Island animation.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Popular Facebook game FarmVille raises $487,500 for charity
Popular Facebook game, Farmville, successfully raises almost half a million dollars for a Haitian charity. You can read more about it here:
http://www.gamezebo.com/features/news/popular-facebook-game-farmville-raises-487500-charity
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Small site update
I updated the site to take care of the annoying page refresh animation I had. I used to think it was cool, back in 2006, lol. I also felt that the top banner was taking up too much of the page. More updates to come once I have the time.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Blokhedz TV
Yeah, Boondocks is hot and depending on who you ask, it's laying down a road for other black hip hop cartoons to follow but as far as I know, it's been out for a while now and no other black hip hop cartoons have made it to the main networks. Blokhedz is a cartoon/comic that is going to really blow up once it gets picked up by a network. You can learn more about the brand at http://www.blokhedz.tv. And you can watch the webisodes here.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Toussaint L'Ouverture sketch
Here's a sketch I drew up a little while back of Toussaint L'Ouverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution. I found it today while working on some new sketches.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Found some older work
It's already the middle of March and I'm finding that I haven't had the chance to work on new art as much as I had hoped to this year. But I just found another piece I made a while back. It's based off of a photo of Wyclef that I had seen in a Source magazine article a long time ago. I skecthed the photo by hand, scanned it in, and then colored it in Photoshop. Even though I did it a long time ago I still like it.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Hope Lab's Re-mission game
Hopelab (http://www.hopelab.org/) created a really good game that teaches players about cancer. You can download it for free from here: http://www.re-mission.net/site/game/downloads.php
Here are some screenshots of the game:
Here are some screenshots of the game:
Friday, February 13, 2009
Message from President Obama for Black History Month 2009
Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 12:00 am
National African American History Month, 2009
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
------------------------------------
For Immediate Release
February 2, 2009
NATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
The history of African Americans is unique and rich, and one that has helped to define what it means to be an American. Arriving on ships on the shores of North America more than 300 years ago, recognized more as possessions than people, African Americans have come to know the freedoms fought for in establishing the United States and gained through the use of our founding principles of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assembly, and due process of law. The ideals of the Founders became more real and more true for every citizen as African Americans pressed us to realize our full potential as a Nation and to uphold those ideals for all who enter into our borders and embrace the notion that we are all endowed with certain unalienable rights.
Since Carter G. Woodson first sought to illuminate the African American experience, each February we pause to reflect on the contributions of this community to our national identity. The history is one of struggle for the recognition of each person's humanity as well as an influence on the broader American culture. African Americans designed our beautiful Capital City, gave us the melodic rhythms of New Orleans Jazz, issued new discoveries in science and medicine, and forced us to examine ourselves in the pages of classic literature. This legacy has only added luster to the brand of the United States, which has drawn immigrants to our shores for centuries.
This year's theme, "The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas," is a chance to examine the evolution of our country and how African Americans helped draw us ever closer to becoming a more perfect union.
The narrative of the African American pursuit of full citizenship with all of the rights and privileges afforded others in this country is also the story of a maturing young Nation. The voices and examples of the African American people worked collectively to remove the boulders of systemic racism and discrimination that pervaded our laws and our public consciousness for decades. Through the work of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall, the African American community has steadily made progress toward the dreams within its grasp and the promise of our Nation. Meanwhile, the belief that those dreams might one day be realized by all of our citizens gave African American men and women the same sense of duty and love of country that led them to shed blood in every war we have ever fought, to invest hard-earned resources in their communities with the hope of self empowerment, and to pass the ideals of this great land down to their children and grandchildren.
As we mark National African American History Month, we should take note of this special moment in our Nation's history and the actors who worked so diligently to deliver us to this place. One such organization is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -- the NAACP -- which this year will witness 100 years of service to the Nation on February 12. Because of their work, including the contributions of those luminaries on the front lines and great advocates behind the scenes, we as a Nation were able to take the dramatic steps we have in recent history.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 2009 as National African American History Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs that raise awareness and appreciation of African American history.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
second day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
BARACK OBAMA
National African American History Month, 2009
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
------------------------------------
For Immediate Release
February 2, 2009
NATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
The history of African Americans is unique and rich, and one that has helped to define what it means to be an American. Arriving on ships on the shores of North America more than 300 years ago, recognized more as possessions than people, African Americans have come to know the freedoms fought for in establishing the United States and gained through the use of our founding principles of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assembly, and due process of law. The ideals of the Founders became more real and more true for every citizen as African Americans pressed us to realize our full potential as a Nation and to uphold those ideals for all who enter into our borders and embrace the notion that we are all endowed with certain unalienable rights.
Since Carter G. Woodson first sought to illuminate the African American experience, each February we pause to reflect on the contributions of this community to our national identity. The history is one of struggle for the recognition of each person's humanity as well as an influence on the broader American culture. African Americans designed our beautiful Capital City, gave us the melodic rhythms of New Orleans Jazz, issued new discoveries in science and medicine, and forced us to examine ourselves in the pages of classic literature. This legacy has only added luster to the brand of the United States, which has drawn immigrants to our shores for centuries.
This year's theme, "The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas," is a chance to examine the evolution of our country and how African Americans helped draw us ever closer to becoming a more perfect union.
The narrative of the African American pursuit of full citizenship with all of the rights and privileges afforded others in this country is also the story of a maturing young Nation. The voices and examples of the African American people worked collectively to remove the boulders of systemic racism and discrimination that pervaded our laws and our public consciousness for decades. Through the work of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall, the African American community has steadily made progress toward the dreams within its grasp and the promise of our Nation. Meanwhile, the belief that those dreams might one day be realized by all of our citizens gave African American men and women the same sense of duty and love of country that led them to shed blood in every war we have ever fought, to invest hard-earned resources in their communities with the hope of self empowerment, and to pass the ideals of this great land down to their children and grandchildren.
As we mark National African American History Month, we should take note of this special moment in our Nation's history and the actors who worked so diligently to deliver us to this place. One such organization is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -- the NAACP -- which this year will witness 100 years of service to the Nation on February 12. Because of their work, including the contributions of those luminaries on the front lines and great advocates behind the scenes, we as a Nation were able to take the dramatic steps we have in recent history.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 2009 as National African American History Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs that raise awareness and appreciation of African American history.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
second day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
BARACK OBAMA
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sesame Street
Sesame Workshop is turning 40 years old and a lot of new work is being done to prepare for the 40th season of the US version of the television show. I say the US version because I didn't know Sesame Street was available in so many localized versions all over the world until I started working for them. In preparation for the celebration, we've launched a new website. It's still in beta mode but a lot of its features are already available. You can visit the site at: http://www.sesamestreet.org. And If you're like me and did not know about all the other Sesame Street versions around the world, you can click on this link to learn more about all of the co-productions around the world: http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aroundtheworld
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
HBO's Voyeur (Archived)
Today, I'm just posting a link to one of my favorite examples of an interactive narrative on the web today. It's not new, but I know that some people have been searching for it and could not find it after HBO stopped hosting it on their site. Big Space Ship, the vendor who developed the site, decided to archive it on their servers and it's available through the link below.
http://archive.bigspaceship.com/hbovoyeur/
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Warner Brother's Kenyan Pamoja Mtanni game
Warner Brothers is developing a game that will be used to help teach Kenyan citizens about HIV prevention. It's not out yet but you can learn more about it here:
http://hivfreegeneration.warnerbros.com/
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
New Project and Research sections added
I added a Project and Research section to www.darneldegand.com to provide updated information on the work I'm currently doing in and out of school related to media and education.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Kòmanse (Begin)
In 2009 I will finally have more time to work on some of the projects I've been putting on hold because of the school, work, personal and business commitments that I had in the past. This is still going to be a very busy year for me because some of those commitments still remain but they're now much more in line with my goals and interests.
For as long as I can remember I've always wanted to be an artist and making pencil sketch drawings is one of the first things I can remember being passionate about at a young age. Recently I haven't had the chance to work on any drawings but this is going to be one of the things I get to do much more this year since I'll be working on storyboards and concept sketches for different projects.
For my first blog I posted some of my old concept sketches for a very long term project I'm working on. I'll post more information about it in the future but for now I can tell you that it's going to be a fantasy adventure about two brothers.
For as long as I can remember I've always wanted to be an artist and making pencil sketch drawings is one of the first things I can remember being passionate about at a young age. Recently I haven't had the chance to work on any drawings but this is going to be one of the things I get to do much more this year since I'll be working on storyboards and concept sketches for different projects.
For my first blog I posted some of my old concept sketches for a very long term project I'm working on. I'll post more information about it in the future but for now I can tell you that it's going to be a fantasy adventure about two brothers.
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