Good Casting = Hard to Draw by nuclearday

NUCLEARDAY'S BLOG

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Good Casting = Hard to Draw
Sunday, January 29, 2006

More redundant gushing, but here goes anyway. Mostly I need a couple minutes to take some time off a couple of my projects. Haven't really been drawing or writing in QUITE some time, now that it's starting to come back, I have to tell myself to step away once in awhile...

... anyways. The casting in this gorramn show. Just excellent. Really. I'm noticing this while I'm trying to sketch some of the characters. Everyone's a little... off. Really, I mean that in a good way. Each character sort of almost reminds me of their stereotypes, but each also has a pretty unique look that I hadn't really noticed before.

Like Mal. Jason Fillion I at first thought was a dead ringer for Jason Bateman. (Huge fan of Arrested Development as well... I tend to fall for doomed shows I guess.) They both have that sort of wit in their respective shows that makes for a good lead character. Mal is really alot harder to draw because of that, to me at least. He's got that nose... I keep subconsciously wanting to go for a sleeker... I don't know... pretty-boy? look? He's got that lead-role look to him, but there's that hard edge that I have trouble getting down on paper. Not to mention I keep ending up with Jason Bateman. (Sidenote, I don't swing that way, but if I did... that man has an ass heaven-sent by winged angels. Truly, it answers to a higher power...)

Wash. I used to watch Andromeda back when I didn't have cable and UPN was the only channel that would come in clear. Fun show. Kevin Sorbo, and all. Wash at first glance I figured for a copy of the pilot dude from that show. ie, the silly blonde guy that cracks jokes. Wash, though has that inner strength thing going on. I loved in the train job episode at the end with the shootout. Wash is a man of action, but maybe not such a gun guy, right? So he lends a hand using the skills he has, running the bad guys down with the mule. Just little touches like that I really dug. Anyways, I draw to sketch Wash, I keep thinking in my mind that I'm going for that kid from Andromeda, but all grown-up. Not quite the same result. :P

Gina Torres is easier for me. I used to watch Cleopatra 2525 when that was on. (UPN again... :) So I'm a little more used to seeing her I guess. Can't really say much more there. Zoe's been good practice while I work the rust out of my drawing hand.

Then there's Kaylee. She's driving me absolutely crazy. She's the first I'm trying for a full-scale drawing, and I really should have done some more roughs first. Trying for her face from a screencap or with DVD on pause makes me remember why my art teachers always said not to do that. One of those people who have a lot of disparate features that somehow come together to create a rather pleasing whole. Per the original topic as to the casting: I keep thinking on occasion what this show would be like if they'd taken the easy way or the more well-travelled road. I keep envisioning the casting call for Kaylee, and seeing all these young actresses with more conventional looks. But it just wouldn't have been Kaylee, now would it? Not sure how to put it, really, so I'll shut up about it. Still, driving me nuts...

River, River, River... Summer's too good an actress to make it easy for me sketch her. I've got my shots picked out. She's actually fun to draw once I got some practice at it. But she's got too many complex emotions going on in that face... just a terror trying to capture it the way I want to. I see it in some of the other fan art, too. The good ones are good, but the ones that really capture the... Riverness of River, just... blow my mind. The two that really come to mind is mphillips' ones, and the recent couple by Krispee. It's all in the eyes.

Let's see... I'm working on Book right now, but that might be awhile getting done. He's the one I come to when I need a break. Actually, another fun one. Ironically, I think it's because he's such a good actor. He's just really giving me all the material I need to go on. Most of my troubles with Book is lack of practice.

I guess that leaves Simon, Jayne, and Inara. I haven't even started with them really, so not much to say. Simon might give me trouble. He plays his character too right. There's that standoffishness to him. There's those looks he gives (I'm terribly intelligent and observant, but also uncomfortable in my own skin sort of thing.) My one try with him, working a quick sketch off some of the publicity photos... instead of intelligent, he sort of ended up looking... retarded.

Inara I'm afraid to even touch, though she might be easier. That whole classical beauty thing. Won't even try it until my inking's back up to spec. The only way I'll get her right is by using as few lines as physically possible. And I don't generally do that more is less thing.

Oh, I forgot Jayne. Gotta love Jayne. Really. He just cracks me up. Just... there are no words. There is only one Jayne. (I think one is probably more than enough.) Keep getting away from what I initially thought I was going on and on about. Jayne, Adam Baldwin... 'nuff said.

Oh my, I do tend to go on... Off to the store to look at some new scanners. Apparently they don't like sitting on the shelf collecting dust and being generally neglected for years on end.

COMMENTS

Sunday, January 29, 2006 4:09 PM

NUCLEARDAY

(apparently I'm even getting Jason Bateman and Nathan Fillion's names confused... :)

Sunday, January 29, 2006 10:58 AM