Greetings world! I realize it's been awhile since my last post, but you must forgive me. My laptop was experiencing some unpleasant malfunctions and had to be sent in for repair. All is well now, and I'm able to show you some sketches as they progress. Expect more in a more frequent succession.
These are beginning sketches for "Urshanabi", the boatman who traverses the deathly river that forms a barrier between the world and the immortal Utnapishtim. I've taken some of my design from flatter, more archaic and edgy African mask designs. Something about the flatness of the mask, the thin quality, and the slit nature of the eye placement fit in my mind when I considered the cynical gent who'd ferry across the would-be Styx with no one to entertain him but himself. I've tweaked the original image as the sketch progressed to be longer, thinner, and perhaps flatter. I imagine it'll be made from either bristol or foamcore board with paint to give it a shabby-chic chipped-paint look, as though the "ornament" of driving the boat has worn away with the paint itself. I consider him a charming Grim Reaper sort, and imagine him carrying an oar with him like a staff when on land, having grown so accustomed to rowing it may even be part of his gestures. (But that's for an actor to decide, not I. ^_~) Enjoy. More to come.
"All of these lines across my face, they tell you the story of who I am."
-Unknown-
-Jo-
