I've been struggling with shading lately, so to remedy this, I make mock-ups.
Just a simple photocopy with Col-Erase sketching out where light should be.

It's actually rather helpful.

Cel-Shading this time? Perhaps.

Here's a drawing I've been working on for the last few hours:


Yes, it IS yet another self portrait in profile (Fuck, I do seem to draw a lot of myself- I swear that I'm not narcissistic!)- But it's kind of special-- with someone special.

I haven't drawn us together in two years.

Inspired by a conversation about standing in the rain.

So, apparently green painters tape does NOT work very well as a masking substitute for watercolours.


When it dries, I'm going to blend that right edge in a little better and make it look intentional.

Other than that one side, I'm pretty pleased. I am epic fail with watercolours.

-Max

To start this entry off, I'm going to share a terrifying picture with you.
A comparison of a drawing of self portraits: the first I drew in early 2006 and the second was done now, in 2009.

I cringe when I see my drawings from (just) three years ago. No more lanky, needlessly long limbs with pointy fingers that could poke someone's eye out. Now, in 2009, I've fattened my drawings up and tried to develop a style that isn't so dreadfully amateurish.

It just surprises me how radically my art can change in such a short amount of time. It definitely looks like two different people drew them.

This is a picture I've been working on (very off and on) for a week:

Dante sitting in a pirate pub- It's really an exercise in backgrounds and foregrounds... And I've wanted to make a false screenshot for quite a while.
Digital painting seems to take me forever and I'm afraid I've lost the zeal for it. Right now I'd really love to keep experimenting with markers and watercolours.

Yes, it's the image from the above comparison:This one will probably be transferred over onto some 140lb cold-press watercolour paper (300lbs if I can get to an art shop sometime this week) then coloured with COPIC markers & watercolour cakes. The only thing I can see for a background here is wavy watercolours. Like usual, the character will be done with markers.

I love drawing self-portaits in profile right now. It's an angle that I should improve (mainly the bodies). While listening to Danny Elfman's soundtrack to "Black Beauty" I came up with this- It just flowed from my hand to my screen as the music played. I guess I'm conducting some imaginary orchestra with my arms? Who knows. I do love those headphones and that jumper though <3.

-Max

What Ho, Blogger!

I have decided to move forth from the shackles of deviantART and create a blog focused solely on my artwork and the process of creating it.

Unlike my portfolio website, here will be nitty-gritty sketches, doodles, and general unfinishedness-- along with concept ramblings (stuff that isn't drawn or sketched out, merely speaking of what I may draw later).

Firstly, allow me to introduce myself:

My name is Maxwell Racz and I currently reside in Ontario, Canada.

I once attended the University of Toronto and was majoring in Drama and Cinema, while minoring in History (mainly classical civilizations); However, university life was terribly depressing for my creative mind, causing me to drop out to pursue arts.

I have now been accepted to attend Sheridan College for their BAA program of classical animation, and will be attending this fall!

Before my post-secondary school hunt, I worked as a freelance illustrator- doing work for board games, book covers, magazines and other goodies. I also taught basic cartooning to children at local libraries :).