A 'Rare' Treat

At the beginning of the year I did some contract work for Rare.  One of the cool tasks I was given was to design some limit edition Xbox cases for some promotion for Wrigley's.  So guess what I stumbled upon a few weeks ago (top image)? you got it.  The final designs.  Not exactly like mine but you'll always get some evolution in the process.

Speedpaint

Tron called etc..

More Paints!

Just a one off piece to try and keep fluid.

Sketches at the Birmingham Sealife Centre

Like a good dad, I took my little girl for a day out in half term. Life a good art nerd I did some sketches whilst I was there. We went to Birmingham Sea Life Centre. It was rather good, also it turns out fish are really cool to draw! (who knew)

Sketchbook - Now with added paint!

I have a new moleskin sketchbook and I've taken to drawing buildings recently.  I also stole my daughters watercolours to give them a wash.  I must get on to Santa about getting her some better quality art material

Flexing some brushes

I got me some new brushes so I took them for a spin.  This is the result.  I'm pretty happy with it I think.  I could have worked it up more I think but I wanted to keep the impressionistic quality of it.

25 min colour sketch

Another doodle.  I really am not sure if these are worth posting up as they are just to keep me loose but hell, may as well right?

Couple of colour sketches

Just to stay loose really, nothing too involved.  Hoping one of them would spark something and inspire me to do a more finished piece.  They didnt! :)  Each one is about 30 mins.

Arabic Spaceport?

Eco Speedpaint

Crypt/temple Speed Paint

Not alot to report here.. just a one off paint.

Chysoar - a little edgier

When I found out about this dude I started with a speed paint, then it was quickly apparent that this was a little 'aggressive' for the Lil Gods world! :) I dont want to give kids nightmares.  So hence I branched off and did a animated style one in the post below.

Lil Gods - Chrysaor Sketch

Hey, So I learnt a little something the other day.  Pegasus has a sibling, and that sibling is a winged boar..Everyday is a school day huh?

So, I had to draw him as the Lil Gods universe was looking a little light on the Mean Beastie stakes.  Also he looks like Timon (from Lion King) on a really bad hangover.. wait! or was it Pumba?.. anyway you get the idea

Pixel Perfect!

After the style exercise below I had the itch to create Sword & Sorcery inspired family portrait.  Man, I gotta tell you, it was tonnes of fun.  It's pretty much drawing with lego.  Two of my favourite things.

One thing that has become apparent is that people have related to this in a much bigger way to that of something which is traditionally seen as more 'concept' perhaps it goes back to the uncanny valley argument or maybe these are just seen as more fun.

Poundland Drake

I stumbled across an old blog post of mine that I really felt I could add too.  So, I did.  At some point I'll colour it but I find colouring up a grey scale image a monumental ball ache.  So until I get the time/motivation to give it a crack this'll have to do

Gettin' ma' Zoo 'Orn

Some of the sketches I did at the Zoo at the weekend.  With and without a colour treatment.

Style Exercise

(CLICKY FOR BIGGER)

Recently I've had the opportunity to undertake an exercise that I've been wanting to do for some time.  That is, to take an archetypal character with a pleasing yet basic design and transpose it across various styles.

As you can see, I decided to do a barbarian/viking style character.  This exercise threw up a few things that I didnt expect.

I started at the Dexter's Lab type one then literally worked up in terms of proportion and detail.  Then I did the Sword & Sorcery style one.  I found myself struggling at the more hyper realistic end of the spectrum, not due to technical ability but more due to the constraints on the pose that I wanted to remain constant throughout.  I've learnt that much of what I deem a successful hyper real character relies (for me at least) on powerful and interesting posing and gestures.  Plus I had to create and embellish more detail than what was created further down stream.

Also worth noting that the pixel one was a hell'a fun to do and those who know me expect pixel style xmas cards this year.  Honestly, its like drawing with lego and takes minutes.

This exercise isnt really about favourites but more a method of breaking down and analysing popular styles and applying that treatment to a design of my own (warts and all)

Taking the Pith

For some reason I had the compulsion to make a character out of an old friend of mine who plays in a band. Here it is...

And here is the bands link:
http://www.boneyardjunction.co.uk/

Macy's First Bike!

I fancied doing a straight paint sketch.. no grey scale, no line work.. just paint.  Head down and dont think about it painting.

Woodland Paint

Here's another stylized paint.

Something a little softer

Not sure what this is, just some lunch time whimsy (thats sounds rude for some reason)

More Character Work

Still trying to work out my process, but I think that'll come by just doing more and more so they look a little less 'try hard'

Character Work

Just a little break from the cuter side of my stuff.  Trying to work out an approach for more hyper real characters

LI'L GODS v Air Jordan Mash up

I had a brainwave the other day to play up Hermes' winged boots a little, after all that's kind of his thing in lieu of a weapon. I had the idea of doing an Air Jordan style mash up and couldn't shake it so here is it.. out of my system.

To Mount Olympus!

EDIT: Pushed the palette and mood

Isometric!

A few months ago I did some preproduction work on a new iOS app (Now called My SeaPark).  My role was to define the style, branding etc...  I was surprised how therapeutic creating isometric buildings actually was!

The game is free to play and should hit iTunes in the next couple of weeks.  The game is from DR Studios

It's - a - Me!

Hey, sooo.. I got some work featured in this months Imagine FX.  Granted it's old work now but still.  It would be easy for me to quantify it and rationalise it down and suck all the fun out of it but it's a tough life as an artist so I think you have to enjoy the wins, not matter how small.

Lil Gods - Griff Redesign

One of may favourite characters that I previously designed for Lil Gods was the Gryphon.  Although he has strong lines and shape it was very limiting when it came to neck articulation.  So I decided to revamp him.  And here he is.

Air Travel + iPad+ Sketchbook Pro =

Nothing too awesome just some iPad life sketches.  It's just too weird using your finger (as it were)