If you don't know... now you know! I'm an Adobe Illustrator Junkie and yes, it's all done with the Pen Tool.
Where to begin and what can I say... I was in the mood to draw our wonderful friends at the Oracle Arena that make Warrior games an extra bit more entertaining. "It's a great time out!" at our Roaracle Arena and it's only right that I show some love back at the GTO entertainment crew- Franco Finn, (the Warriors Hype Man), Alexis from the Warrior Girls, and our man Thunder! Plus we got Baron in the cuts! Each game, these individuals bring an extra bit of excitement into each intermission whether it's a game show contest, a dance routine or just getting the crowd pumped. I took a time out from drawing our squad and decided to throw down a great time out of my own and make a sign for these wonderful people (check me out Wednesday!) that make every night at the Arena... A GREAT TIME OUT!"
From Left to right: Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike... ooooppps that's New Edition!
We got Franco Finn, Thunder, Alexis and Boom Dizzle in the house!
Drawing the GTOe crew took a lot of thought for me. I had never drawn a Warrior Girl before and wanted to make sure I did it right. I actually found myself struggling to render Franco's microphone too. Thunder was actually the most interesting one to draw. I kept referring to the Preview mode (Apple + Y for Mac Users or Ctrl + Y for PC as seen up top) to make sure some of the lines overlapped. I wanted to make the outline strokes came off clean and consistent, especially on Alexis. I've always thought drawing women was good practice in getting your outlines and curves looking smooth when using the pen tool. Male figures are usually more bulky and blocky, but when you draw a female the curves are somewhat round from top to bottom. Shade tones were also an issue because I didn't want to give off too much shadow. Overall, the concept was well worth a sign design. Check me out on Wednesday vs. Detroit with the "It's a Great Timeout!" sign.