Trekkin'

I like Star Trek. I wouldn't say I'm a trekkie (not to the extent my dad is), but I definitely know a thing or two about Roddenberry's galaxy and I really like the races that inhabit it. But the thing about Star Trek is that it was designed with certain limitations. There's only so much you could pull off on TV in the 60s and I think the alien designs reflected that. Same thing with TNG too, I think. True, working within limits is the name of the game in television, but I'd be interested to see a story (perhaps a graphic novel or something) in the universe that tries to break out of the mold and show us aliens that look a bit more... well, alien.

So I thought I'd try my hand at designing a couple of the aliens in my own way, while still maintaining the same concept and spirit of the species. I always tend towards a more cartoony aesthetic, but I think these body types could carry over well into a more realistic style. So yeah, here's a couple Vulcans and a Klingon!
I was fiddling with an Andorian design too, but I think I may need to read up on them a little more first...

edit: oh some ideas on the designs. The Vulcans overall seem to have a higher cognitive capacity than humans, so it would seem... logical that their brains could handle a couple more limbs and eyes. Besides, more appendages = more alien. S'true. For the Klingon, I didn't stray too far from the original. Made the forehead ridges more like plating. Different head shape, feet shape. I meant to show a size comparison to humans, but think taller and wider.

Da Club

Haven't really been drawing much these days, much to my dismay. It's been a problem of motivation. I work most of my day in the computer labs, toiling away at my thesis. So when I get back to the apartment, I'm rarely in the mood to keep being creative. Plus, last semester I had a figure class that kind of used up my drawing mojo twice a week. That's really no excuse, though. I'm starting to think that character design is a "use it or lose it" kind of skill. When I don't draw for a while, my designs suffer and it takes time to get back into it. But even harder to recover has been my ability to come up with new IPs. I draw best when I have some intellectual property or show/movie concept to work towards. It doesn't need to be real, just something that could be real.

Fortunately, a combination of DJ Hero and some free mix tracks like the ones from The White Panda (check 'em out) have helped stir my creative juices. Listening to dance mixes has helped motivate some club-themed designs (you can see the sketches below). I've always loved dancing to techno, rap, hiphop... y'know club music. I usually just make up stuff, but it works and I have a blast. Clubbing has this whole culture that I think would make for a cool animated film or series (plus, animating some of those dance moves would be intense). I'll keep working with the idea and see what characters come up and really appeal to me. I really like this dance crew I came up with:

VooDooCroo: top of the downtown dance scene.

Can't wait to find some dance reference and start drawing poses.