Artchives: The Evolution of Gavin

So, as much as I've adored the manga style Gavin picture I've done through the years, as I've stated before, the Angelborn world is moving away from that style.  This means I get to redesign Gavin ... again!  Actually, he really is the most consistent of all of my characters.  I just need now to actually make him look like he is nine years old instead of four years old (seriously!  I made him look super young).

Gavin is easy, so I'm pretty pleased with this interpretation.  I was actually redesigning James at the same time, so actually am trying to give them an acceptable family resemblance.

But I suppose you are ready for the iterative tour of Gavin's character design, right?  Hoo boy! This will get trippy (and go clear back to high school if I can dig out those images).  We'll start from the old (and scary) art and move forward.  This is a great lesson in how art should improve over time if you are always observing and drawing.


 High school, so mid-late 90s.  This was the heyday of my ultra anime/manga phase.  I still need to dig up this file from my archives.  Gavin is healing Quinn, it used to be one of my favorite pieces of art (don't judge me, I was a teenager!).  Side note, why has my art evolved but my signature hasn't changed?

2002--More anime/manga style (and seriously, it is not even that great).  But you can really begin to watch the evolution from here!  I actually animated this image.

2003--so manga, but this is still one of my favorite Gavin illustrations ... It simply captures the world of his mind and what he sees all around him.  Also, he looks a lot younger than 9 but whatever, he's being seeing spirits, ghosts, angels, demons, and everything in between his whole life. This was the year I really started to understand using different line weights. I am actually rendering this image with my tablet now, trying to bring the style forward.  We'll see how it goes.

Also 2003 and less exciting, a pencil sketch of Gavin sitting on the bench from the prologue to his start of Angelborn, January. By the way, why does the snow have shadows from the fence, but the cobblestones do not?  Mysterious (poor) attempt at lighting here ...

Oh my heavens ... Gavin in 2006 with a cat on his head and very manga styled.  I know an acquaintance of mine that might be dying inside.  Now I love manga, but I had to stop and analyze what I love about manga and anime to move forward.  Guess what, it is those expressive eyes!  So, what am I trying to do now, retain those expressive eyes and move the whole structure toward a more Western and realistic form of line art.  I like the emotive qualities of manga.  But enough babbling, more old Gavin!

This one below is also 2006 and less manga-y.  You might guess, I already had this inkling desire to move my friend away from manga.  I think this may have been the year I finally learned to use structure lines (gods, what took me so long? It makes art better).

Gavin in 2008, starting to become more about emotion.  Look, he actually has a nose!  This is actually still among my favorite Gavin sketches, just because of his expression and body language, sitting all protective with his feet tucked and hands in his lap.

So there you have it.  My art is growing with this character, which is fun to track. Obviously, I am now getting ready to move him in a whole new direction now that my drawing is starting to mature.  I'm excited about the future ... and a little mortified at the past.  But we all start somewhere when we draw, right?