Eric Kincaid Tribute

Its with great sadness to inform you that British illustrator Eric Kincaid passed away on 18/8/23. For those who might know who he was, Eric was known for his fantasy illustrations as well as for interpreting classic stories for younger readers; mainly fairy tales and rhymes. He was a major player for Brimax Books, so there's a chance you might've seen his work as a child in the 70s; or through second-hand book stores. For me, his versions were not only a part of my childhood, but they had a major influence on me. 

Eric was both an extraordinary draftsman and artist. The amount of detail and intricacy that he put into his drawings had such enchantment. He really brought his characters to life, as they would display such fluidity, movement and expressions. His level of vivid intricacy could almost be compared to Arthur Rackham, in how believably distinct he depicted magical and non-magical beings. He would push his ability with each decade; this exploration of linework, tone and transparency of colour would result in beautifully rendered images. 

Although Kincaid may have fallen out of style at the turn of the century, he still kept doing what he loved to do until the end. That doesn't change how much his retellings mesmerised a generation of readers. They contributed to my love of fantasy and pursuit to be an artist. He had a touch, any artist would dream of achieving such charm. We may have lost a legend in the field, but the magic of storytelling is still there. I'm thankful to have seen that magic and we should keep it alive. I believe wherever he is, he's still spreading that magic in other people's lives. 

RIP

Eric Kincaid

1931-2023

They're Back..........Maybe?

So it has come to my attention that Matt Groening's sci-fi comedy Futurama might be returning for the second time. Ok? I'll start off by saying that I've always been a fan of Futurama. It's one of my favourite projects of Matt Groening, second only to his yellow nuclear family. This series encompassed Groening's brand of provocative humour, but it managed to be strong in its own right. I admired how its world-building presented a variety of imaginative and wacky predictions, however, these predictions would also be used as satire on our culture and society in general. But the social commentary always took a back seat to the clever storytelling and the humour that was applied to certain tropes. The characters could be funny, but they could be multi-layered too. For example; Bender may have a questionable moral centre, but he remains so likeable. Like how he considers his co-workers to be his friends, even if he doesn't wanna show it. Not only could you feel for them, but they were made stronger with great vocal performances. It explains why it still has a dedicated cult following to this day, whether or not they're fans of the sci-fi genre.

But unlike Matt's long-running series, Futurama has the distinction of ending not once, but twice. When it had its rebirth (the first time around) it was like the show had never ended. Sure there may have been a few alterations, but I felt the Comedy Central era was just as great. I also believe it ended on a high note, it really tied up everything while also being kinda open-ended. However, I considered the possibility that we might return to the "World of Tomorrow" for a second time. But with these recent revelations, I must ask; do we really need to?

This may be a hot, spicy take but I feel the series did all that it can. As much as I greatly enjoyed the Comedy Central era, I'll be honest I thought its well of ideas was beginning to run dry. I feel the last season provided closure for the characters, so I'm glad the series ended before it lost its momentum. And I'm glad it didn't end up like other shows that have passed their prime and gone on longer than they needed to. I know this may sound hypocritical of me, considering I'm still a fan of 'The Simpsons' in its modern era. I'm in the minority that's willing to give the new episodes of that series a chance, no matter what. So what it had its share of duds over the years; if a show has been on air as long as Homer and his dysfunctional family have, it's bound to happen. And that's the concern I have for this possible revival, because the more episodes that are made, the chances of them being consistently good are less than likely.

However, I could be wrong on this. There's a possibility that these new adventures might be just as good as it was, if not better. That's a best-case scenario. Worst-case scenario, they might lack the inventive spark it had. I might depreciate the whole series in my eyes. Also; considering Groening is still busy working on 'Disenchantment', he obviously won't be prominent in the production of these new episodes. I just think he needs to focus on his current airing projects. This series could take the franchise in a completely new direction, that we might welcome with open arms.

So those are my thoughts concerning Futurama's potential return. I just feel the series had its time and I don't see any reason for it to come back around again. Only time will tell if it will see the light of day or not, or if it'll even have the same charm. Maybe it's time to give new show ideas a chance or if you're going to revive old properties, why not the ones that didn't get a proper conclusion. Otherwise, we'd just be repeating the past rather than moving forward. But I digress. So tell me your thoughts on this, are you looking forward to seeing Planet Express again, or are you hesitant? Let me know if you think this idea is as farcical as any of the show's predictions.

Once upon a Timmy Progress

For as long as I've been on Blogger, I felt I've not been using it as I hoped. You see, I started this blog to showcase the progress of my artwork and discuss topics I found interesting. I hoped that it would help me in my journey as an artist. However, I feel like I've neglected it over the years, as most of my entries were dedicated to my trivial thoughts. So to maintain content on this blog, I'm going to start off this new direction with a recent piece of mine.

You may have noticed I've talked about the cartoon 'Fairly Odd Parents'; very frequently. I've discussed what worked and what didn't work about the series. I've also stated how people wish it didn't overstay its welcome (whether they be fans or not). I did so with concern because it was still a part of my childhood; I hoped it would conclude better than it did. Even if it was hokey and silly, there was a time when it was more than just 'fairly' good. So I decided to put the effort I put in critiquing the show into practice. What do I mean by that? I decided to make my own version of the series, as Butch Hartman would put it; it's the characters in the Milo Coco style!

It was a fun exercise to take existing characters and adapt them to a storybook-like approach. My aim was to take what I liked about the cartoon and apply my own sensibilities. I started with the characters; at first glance, it might seem like I'm taking these simple geometric designs and making them more lifelike. But I did my best to capture the personality traits of these characters.

I had to work out the body proportions and what facial features to emphasise. With Cosmo and Wanda, I like their characteristics enough, but I would draw inspiration from other fairy characters; so to add to their features. I liked meddling with their exaggerated hairpieces. 

I also enjoyed drawing Crocker; I tried to capture his deformed, decrepit appearance as well his manic expressions and body movements. 

After the characters were all drawn out, it was time to figure out their poses and where to place them. The same would apply to the watercolour effects.

I would then produce further studies to see what poses to put the characters. I would also experiment with tones and textures, trying to add highlights and details with the different brushstrokes. When I had sketched out the roughs and final layout drawing, I would experiment with the watercolour. As soon as the final illustration was done, I would take it to Photoshop to fix the colours and lighting.

Furthermore, I did this project out of fondness and appreciation for Fairly Odd Parents. Not to necessarily fix it, but to represent what it did right. The series had a charm that was all it's own, it's just a shame how it's reputation was tarnished. I wanted to offer my interpretation of this comical fairy tale, as my own creative exercise. The show showcased many morals; but one lesson I learned from it, it's to leave good enough alone to not let it stay too long.

Paula Rego Tribute

It saddens me to inform you that Portuguese artist Dame Paula Rego has passed away.

For those who don't know, Rego was the first artist of that nationality for me to be exposed to. Being half Portuguese myself, I couldn't have found anyone better. I've always admired her work, as she was one of the few contemporary fine artists to project narrative into her works. What I found intriguing about her work was how her style would evolve, each series of pictures would project themes and topics that were personal to her. Rego would make her models project bold emotions through body language and expressions.

I will take consolation in the fact she kept drawing and creating up to this point. Because her works not only left an impact on me but the Portuguese art scene in general. And I hope future generations will take note of this.

RIP 
Paula Rego
1935-2022