Tuesday 14 October 2008

Bleriot French crowd





Finally I've finished off the Bleriot French crowd scene. It may not look like many people but I think this is the most characters I've ever drawn in a single illustration before now (unless you count repeating circles for the heads of a crowd in a circus!). For the eagle eyed Bleriot has developed slightly from the other two illustrations. I couldn't resist adding the wayward fringe of hair you see on some of the period photos of him before his flight. I've also warmed up the colour on his flying helmet to give his costume a bit more variety. If anyone wonders about the two thin gentlemen with W & O on their chests I figured (although not strictly accurate to the historical record) that the Wright bros. would of wished Louis a bon voyage had they been there. I'm pleased with the worried cyclist and his red moustache. As to why he looks so peturbed, has he noticed that Bleriot's plane bears more than a passing resemblance to his shoddy old bike? Incidently I didn't give in to the stereotype and have my cyclist with a stripy top, red neckerchief and string of onions, although it crossed my mind for a second. A fact for those who are interested... the Wright bros. built bicycles before they set their sights a little higher... see you learn something new every day. Something I learnt while researching the Bleriot channel flight that I haven't been able to corroborate from other sources was that on as Bleriot started his engine a local dog became over excited by the events unfolding and sadly got chopped up by the prop! That poodle needs to watch out!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice work Matt. The image may not be crammed to the gills with people, but it still works very well as a crowd scene. There's a definate, expectant buzz around. I like it alot.

Tomás Serrano said...

Great characters design. I´ve seen your web: it´s awesome!

Kev Levell said...

I think this is a great piece... definitely one for the portfolio! Really shows your abilities off well. Design, story telling composition and fab colouring - it's all there! Very, very nice indeed.

Chris Kennett said...

Awesome! The guy with the bike makes me smile. Lots going on here but everyone has their own space to breathe. Great way to finish the series.

Nice idea about the Holiday Monsters. It has a lot of potential, wish I'd thought of it myself. If I do anything, I'll be sure to give you the credit. Promise!

Mitch said...

Thanks for the comments Matt! Appreciate it!
AWESOME WORK! I love your usage of texture and line. And your characters design is top quirky notch! You have a new fan.