July 27, 2012
Spent most of the day wrestling with a set piece for Outrageous Arizona. This is a scene of the returning state legislators to the Old Pueblo (1885). Legend says they were pelted with rotten fruit and a dead cat. Rounded up my reference materials and laid in part of the figures at about eight this morning:
I had some stills I shot off a silent German movie (that's the blue pics at top). The sketches are from Google ("mobs throwing rocks"). The only problem being I had to change them from Arabs to Victorian old West types.
Had fun penciling in Tucson types (isn't that old man Ronstadt?) and got it done in about 30 minutes. Then put in a light sky wash:
And then added a sepia wash on the main characters:
Added more foreground definition:
And then pushed everything together, adding rotten fruit (went over and cleaned out the refrigerator):
Got a solid rotten tomato and a slice of bad watermelon, even got the gutted cat (way back, just above skyline). Went a little crazy on the rabid guy's mustache at right (should have stopped at first pass), but it's getting there. Need to finish train, Tucson sign and building. Hope to finish in the morning. Have ten more to do. Going to be tight.
Came into the office at 1:30 just in time to meet Captain Jim McClary a law officer from Columbia, South Carolina and he bought a hardbound of my Wyatt Earp book and I signed it to him.
Going out to dinner tonight to celebrate 33 years of marriage. Pretty amazing. Not sure exactly how I accomplished this. Ha.
"You can tell the character of every man when you see how he gives and receives praise."
—Seneca
