Work continues on comic pages for my portfolio. I found a couple of great scripts for Firefly that should provide scenes that show the needed range of situations.

Here’s a progression of sketches of Mal. The first uses photo reference and relies on large shapes of light and dark to get the likeness across. This often looks the most “realistic.” The second sketch was also made from photo reference, but uses more line instead of shape. I prefer the cartoony aspects of the second sketch. What’s your preference?

Mal Sketches 01, 11/18/07

I sketched the next two without photo reference in more of a comic book style. You can tell. The likenesses are fading, looking more like generic guy wearing Mal’s clothes.

Mal Sketches 02 (sorry about that hair,) 11/18/07

The advantage of using the less-realistic, comic book style is that it’s a quicker style of drawing, for the subjects and for the background elements. But see, this really could be anyone doing the shouting. It is difficult to retain the likeness while using the shortcuts of the comic book style.

Mal Sketches 03, 11/18/07