I've always struggled drawing Dredd. It's a great design, but it's not one I have any affinity with, I just can't make the eagle and shoulder pad work. I've faked the odd Dredd, and I could probably do a passable pastiche of other people's interpretation, but I've never managed 'my' version. I also have a fondness for the early design, the 70s biker/punk ethic, that I feel is lost nowadays. I also like the rounder elements of the original helmet, back when it made the Judges look more skull like, rather than the stylised look that I think loses that. None of this is criticism, I think many other artists (McMahon being the obvious example) make it work brilliantly, just not me. Anyway, I tried to have another go at doing my version, and these are what I came up with. They're doodles really, the B&W is a fingerpainting (my first) done on an iPad, and the colour one was done on a scrap of paper and probably half the size it is on screen. But, they're actually quite close to how I'd like to draw Dredd.
6 comments:
Hi paul,
Nice Dredd illos. Which ipad app did you use? I'm just getting into the ipad doodling side of things myself. A couple of free packages I'd recommend are 'finngr' which is basically fingerprinting for kids but still great for quick doodles, Sumo Paint which is currently free and has a great oriental brush, and Brushes which is very versatile and has a nice feel to it.
Anyway, keep up the jolly marvellous work, dear chap!
Hi David, cheers for the kind words.
I used Sketchbook pro, which is good and pretty cheap - I did have the free version but upgraded for the addition brushes. I guess it's not really for fingerpainting so much, but I don't have a stylus yet. Finngr sounds good, might get that for my daughter.
Always good to hear from you!
Right. Okay. I had not realised that the helmet was supposed to look like a skull until you pointed it out, and exemplified so well with your own version of Dredd.
Hi, Kelvin. Can't remember if the skull/helmet thing was mentioned in the '81 Judge Dredd annual or the Mega History of Dredd book that came out in the mid-90s, but I pretty sure I didn't imagine it. Glad I got the skull look I was after though.
I like this.
Always favoured the 'drainpipe-limbed' Dredd - and the massive feet!
Like see you do a take on the Angel Gang...
Cheers, Shane. Yeah, spindly Dredd works better for me the steroid Dredd. Wouldn't mind have a go at the Angel Gang, drawing that is:)
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