SABRECAT » blog

Portfolio Update

Meredith — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:22:49 +0000

I just uploaded all of my comics from winter quarter at SCAD. Please go and take a look! In other news, I have also updated the fencing mascot image gallery. I posted these mostly for my own amusement but hopefully someone else finds these interesting too. Character designers often have a fit when their mascot has to fence, usually it’s the feature-obscuring mask that throws them, but here you can see how other designers have handled it.

There should be another big update around the June timeframe. My senior project is a 24-page comic which I hope (fingers crossed) to have printed by Heroes Con in Charlotte. No fencing in this one, unfortunately. Sabrecat has slid to the back burner but it’s still a story I’d like to finish eventually. Paying work has to come first of course!

Wishing everyone a happy Easter!

-MDR

Christmas Cards!

Meredith — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:42:58 +0000

Well, better late than never, right? The Pirate Santa and Santa Fencer designs are now available in my CafePress store as Christmas Cards!

http://www.cafepress.com/rocarts

Have a wonderful holiday season!

-Meredith Randazzo

Work is good

Meredith — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:46:01 +0000

Sorry, no new art today, just wanted to make a short update to fill you in on what’s going on with me. This summer I picked up an internship with the excellent animation house Timbuktoons, and did pre-production with them for about two months. School started back in September and they’ve kept me on as a storyboard artist, to my delight! Most of the work I’m doing hasn’t been released yet, so I’ll have to wait until they are released to post.

School’s keeping me busy as well. Just 5 classes remain between me and a BA in Sequential Art! I had a wonderful time last week at the SCBWI-Carolinas Conference in Charlotte, NC. I made lots of new friends that are super encouraging and I hope you will visit their pages and be amazed by their talent!

I’ll also be at the CTN-Expo in November, which has been described as “Comic-Con for Animation.” I’m looking forward to it, maybe I’ll meet you there!

-Meredith

Charity art auction

Meredith — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:31:25 +0000

I’ve donated an original pen and watercolor drawing for this Ebay auction. All proceeds will go towards Fearless Nation PTSD Support. Please consider bidding on this or some of the other artworks available!

Pirate Santa

Meredith — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:10:15 +0000

A Christmas Card design for my portfolio. I’ll make these available for order during the holidays if anyone is interested. The interior will read, “Yo Ho Ho.”

MDR

Heroes Con 2011

Meredith — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:37:27 +0000

Once again, I attended Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC! It’s a comic convention with a huge focus on creators. I’d say at least half (if not more) of the floor is dedicated to artists and publishers as opposed to retailers. I had a great first table experience hanging out with the SCAD folks, and even sold a few minis and sketch cards!

I ran into old friend Greg Dickens who also writes the blog Cooking with Villainy. I made him a sketch of Dr. Doom tossing a pizza:

Here’s my haul from the Con:

I really enjoyed Mermin from Joey Weiser. I bought all five!

Ian McGinty's Chomp was amazing:

He even has these clever cooking instructionals within the book!

I also highly recommend anything from Drew Weing or Eleanor Davis. Set to Sea is a stunningly beautiful and heartfelt book, and my son is still reading a battered copy of Secret Science Alliance I bought last year. He didn't really care about the new stuff I bought!

Big shout-out to artist and professor extraordinaire Ben Towle. I got a signed copy of Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean! Ben is known as a great storyteller of historical fiction and he certainly lives up to his reputation in this book.

My last recommendation is for the series Atomic Robo, put out by the small publisher Red 5 Comics. I can't remember how their pitch went but it was something like "Indiana Jones meets the Rocketeer." Whatever it was it sold me and the book is no letdown. Stunning artwork, great story, and a fun ride. I will be buying the rest of the books in the series shortly!

Take away: I had a blast and I will definitely be back next year. With a table? Yes, if I can get a couple of minis completed by then. I felt the activity sheets were a successful promotional item and I had no trouble giving away all 150 I had made. I will make them again next year. Another artist was doing paper crowns for the kids and that may be something I look into as well (or some other type of papercraft). I'm really aiming for an all-ages audience but kids are an important part of that and material for them is still under-represented at shows.

Have a great summer, y'all!! See you at the next Con!

MDR

Free Activity Sheet

Meredith — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:53:15 +0000

This weekend I’ll be attending Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC! I’ll be sharing a table with the other SCAD folk, and I’m bringing copies of my mini Cleared for Takeoff as well as doing sketches on art cards for anyone who wants to buy one. In addition, I wanted to have a free handout for the kids so stop by the SCAD table to pick up an activity sheet I drew up just for the ‘con! I look forward to meeting everyone! Print out the images below or click HERE for a PDF version! You are free to print this out or copy it as many times as you want as long as you leave the copyright (and other self-promotional information) intact. See you at Heroes Con!!!

MDR

Two Skulls

Meredith — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:34:23 +0000

Some sketches done while attending an event at the N.C. Aquarium. Skulls are from a crocodile (I think) and a dolphin.

I’m going to start using the new URL on my artwork, www.meredithrandazzo.com. However, www.rocarts.com still works, it’s just a redirect for now! It’s good to have your own name URL, I just wish my name was a bit shorter and simpler to spell!

MDR

Scratchboard illustration

Meredith — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:05:36 +0000

Here’s a scratchboard drawing I did for a class from a photo I took. Scratchboard is fun to work with and it always comes out looking nice. I have a few other illustrations from the class I will upload at some point. In the last couple months I’ve also taken a character design class with Don Bluth and have added new storyboard samples to my portfolio.

You may have noticed I’ve been much more interested in animation lately. The masterclass with Don Bluth I took last summer really got me fired up. SCAD has prepared me for visual storytelling and my drawing style is much more suited to animation than superheroes. I’m looking for a way right now that I can move to the Burbank area and pursue storyboarding as a career. Even though it’s hard to think about moving away from my social support, I feel the need to be around other artists, and with the bulk of the industry based in that area, it’s inevitable.

To supplement my learning I stumbled onto the awesome Sherm Cohen and his Storyboard Secrets DVD set. This is a great video course on storyboarding that is ideal for those interested in working in television animation. I’m also interested in feature animation, but they are two different styles of storyboarding so hey, one thing at a time! Right now to forge ahead I need to practice, practice, practice. I’ll be throwing up new work on my portfolio as I complete it so please check in from time to time!

-Meredith

Cat run cycle

Meredith — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:09:13 +0000

Here’s a cat run cycle I completed using Muybridge’s photos as a guide. The character model is based on original model sheets by Don Bluth, and the pencil test is done in Digicel Flipbook Lite.

MDR