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JayFosgitt — FACE PUNCH
Published: 2011-12-26 22:02:37 +0000 UTC; Views: 7443; Favourites: 109; Downloads: 140
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It's been a little over two years since I last attempted my "Roger Rabbit Method" [link] combining my cartooning with my photography, and I've been dying to try it again ever since. Recently, commissioned me to draw Holli Would and Nails from Ralph Bakshi's live action/animated flick "Cool World" (one of my favorites), and though it was just a drawing she requested, it reignited my interest in this art form.I got my friend Nick to pose in a back alley in my hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan. My hope was to get that kinda gritty Bakshi feeling, of a hard boiled detective fighting a thug who's come to rub him out. I went very "Bakshi" with my design of the thug, with fat rolls, zits and body hair in great abundance. But the fact is, next to Toronto, Ann Arbor is one of the cleanest, safest cities ever, and it's hard to get a "gritty" locale anywhere around there. But for an experiment, I feel pretty good about how this turned out, and I'm encouraged to go further with this method.
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Comments: 43
The thug definitely has that certain Baskshi charm basking from him. Nick's pose/action seems a bit off, but this is still an awesome "Roger Rabbit/Cool World"-live action combo.
I gotta ask, Jay: how did you do this and the other piece? 'Cause I wanna give it a shot!
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"...So, she looks over to her husband, then sets it back down in her lap and says, 'Honey, this one's eating my popcorn.'"- Agent K ("Men in Black", 1997)
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You found a nice gritty alley/back of cute boutique business.
It looks great!
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Thank you, Elora! I want to do more of these sometime!
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Very cool. I'm a big Bakshi fan (well, his early films at any rate), and I love this. The drawing definitely has a Bakshi feel to it. Well done.
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Got a real Bakshi vibe here, Jay, right down to the oversized oaf. Great piece
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Great drawing! I just discovered your gallery and I'm loving every pic I see.
To be honest, I'm actually a fan of Cool World. Yeah, the story makes no sense, but I love the look and the animation. It helps that I love Ralph Bakshi's work.
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Thank you! I've been a hard core Bakshi fan since I was twelve, and his work continues to be a big influence on me!
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Same here. I discovered his work around my junior high years, and I have never been the same since.
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Thank you! I appreciate it!
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Thank you! I'm enjoying the process!
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Do you think Cool World would have been a better movie had they stuck with Bakshi's original horror/comedy movie pitch? I loved the style regardless, however.
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I think any movie that allows Bakshi to tell his stories in an uninhibited way would be the best way to go. "Hey Good Lookin'" was the only other of his movies that suffered from studio interference during production, and you can feel him pulling back and going against his instincts as you watch it (it still has plenty of moments of Bakshi gold, however). With Cool World, it had some moments that really popped, but more that were confusing, sloppy and far too derivative of Roger Rabbit (again, blame the studio's involvement for all that). Kim Basinger, who refused to model for Holli outside of playing her live action is also to blame. I think if Bakshi were given free rein to make the movie he originally intended, I definitely believe it would have been of the caliber of his 70's output, and potentially a bigger hit (though few of his films besides Fritz were blockbusters anyway). It certainly would have been a much more original story and far less comparable to Roger Rabbit. And pure, uncut Bakshi is always my preference.
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Most excellent, and I definitely get a Bakshi vibe from that goon there. Nick's pose seems a little subdued, though maybe that's just 'cause it's juxtaposed with your amazingly expressive artwork that real life seems tame by comparison.
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Thanks, JB! I do think I should have had Nick pull a crazier expression and body language, though in his defense, he's not an actor, and we were working in an alleyway that was filled with delivery workers and passersby, which gave us barely five minutes to get this shot and get out of the way. If I do this again, I'll most likely use a model more accustomed to physical performance, and I'll try to do a night shoot, which would be cooler and more fitting. But I do appreciate Nick, my pal and lawyer, helping me pull off this weird concept in a moment's notice!
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You might have used Photoshop to make a gradient overlay (lighter on the right side to dark on the left) to add to the grittiness of the scene. Maybe add some noise to make it look like film used in low light. This begs to be a night scene.
There's something about Nick's pose that doesn't match the dynamic of the thug's reaction. He looks, well, still. He needs an expression that makes him look like he's punching out some yutz trying to do him in, and his tie and coat need to be flying about. Then again, to get him to look more dynamic and involved might have entailed having him fall off that platform right after the shutter clicked. Does Nick have good health insurance?
Criticisms aside (and I hope you find them constructive), I find this an admirable attempt. I think you need to keep at it.
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I appreciate your suggestions! That really helps me, and gives me some ideas for the next time I try this. Is there a filter in Photoshop for "noise", or would you suggest finding a filter online? Any advice is appreciated where digital photography tricks are concerned! And you're right about a night scene working for this. My camera doesn't shoot for crap during the night, but man, I really would have preferred to make this a night scene!
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I'm glad to be able to help!
There is definitely a noise filter in Photoshop, which lets you add pretty much any and as much noise as you need. If you're looking for film effects, Alien Skin makes an excellent product called Exposure [link] that allows you to mimic many types of old film. (Or as they put it, "Taking the digital out of digital photography.")
With the right touch, this photo could well work as a night scene. I'm not sure I could pull it off myself, but I do have ideas on how it might be done.
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I also see what you're saying about Nick's pose. It's my fault as the "director", and I know this could use better staging. Good food for thought on future endeavors!
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I saw Cool World in theaters, and though the other characters were nicely drawn, I gotta say about Holli: DAMN!! Nice tribute to the Bakshi style here, and nice work integrating the real with your drawing.
I suppose if you really wanted to get that gritty feel, you could have gone to Detroit. I remember visiting my stepmother's relatives in Canada, and getting there via rental car from Detroit. Dad drove as fast as he could through Detroit and didn't ease off the gas until we crossed the bridge into Windsor. He had long memories of him and Mom having to stay in a sketchy hotel in the less nice parts of Detroit, memories he was eager to share as he drove hell bent for leather on I-75.
Nice work.
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I actually live 45 minutes west of Detroit, and had considered the possibility of shooting down there. But as you might imagine, shooting in Detroit has a duel meaning, and I'm not comfortable with the idea of getting shot or shanked for my art!
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Just as well, since I'd hate to have to read your obituary here. At least you'd get to say hello to your own creations as they escort you to the afterlife.
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Sir - you are getting DAMN good at this 
Well done sir - I'm going to have to con you into doing one of these up for me one day
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I can dig that, Chadly! Y'know, when Laura and I get over to Toronto to visit you kids, we should take some pics around the city and do a bunch of these!
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I dunno, looks kinda Gritty to me...in a clean...orderly way!
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Well, I suppose any scene with a dumpster in it is gritty by nature. But I came from a town that invented "gritty", so this alley was almost glistening by comparison! =0)
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Awesome! Now I wanna do one!
But that guy looks more Krikfalusi than Bakshi ... but waddueyeknow?
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Thanks! If I were going for a John K vibe, I would have made the thug much squatter and more disproportionate. As it stands, I thought hard about Bakshi's "Heavy Traffic" when I was doing this.
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