Life Drawing - Week 2/10

The choice cuts from week 2 - this week we were drawing with charcoal at the end of a stick in order to loosen us up, it made me more tight. There is one pic which is a longer pose and I was trying to use negative shape to structure my image rather than constructing the anatomy.

Afterwork Speedpaint

Hey, so this took my about an hour. It's the first piece Ive done in a good while that's excited me, I think it shows. There is nothing untoward going on here just a father and daughter going camping or something.

Life Drawing - Week 1/10

So here are a few choice cuts from the life drawing course I've just started. Plus my own creation, showing me her creation, yeah it's self indulgant but hey, it's my blog deal with it :)

Character..er..paint..er thing

This is inspired by a model that a friend had created. I liked the look of it and decided to paint it, he hadnt textured it up at that point.

It probably echos a little of Avatar but Cameron stole the better part of 3 hours of my life so he sure as hell owes me :). Besides, he doesnt own the colour turquoise.

This started out as a quick doodle but snowballed, its far from perfect. There are parts I'm very happy with and parts I'm not but I didnt dwell on it and just got it finished.

Watch this space, there is some life drawing on the horizon (as soon as I find the battery charger for my camera that is)

Im like a Freekin' Ikea Catalogue

Well in the absence of any new finished work or any more decent images from the life drawing session this will have to suffice. I AM working on personal stuff.... honest. You'll see, yeah I'll show you.

sketching a dude in the nude....

Last Saturday I went old school and used proper pencils and paper and remarkably used an easel for the first time.

I spent a day at Westbury Farm Studios. If you are having trouble visualising it, if you've ever had the misfortune to see the film 'the Cottage' its pretty much the same building. Add to that segments of mannaquins hanging from the trees it was quite a freaky setting! pft... Artists..

Ive captured the best of the day on my camera. There are a few sketches I want to show but I'll have to take a picture in natural light as they are not coming out too clever at the minute.

That time of the week again

So Ive tried to make a point of adding something every week now. Sunday seems to be the best day for this. Ive been dining out on old work for the last few weeks and this post is no different. That said I now have some ideas kicking around my head that I want to get started on so hopefully there maybe a couple of WIP's in the coming weeks, plus I have a life drawing day next week so there should be plenty to keep this going for a good few weeks.

Another main motivation is that I know some friends whose opinion I respect who have been following my progress for sometime (Damien & Dan) still look (and comment) and that means alot, plus I know I have a few new lurkers and thats great too. So thanks all, it keeps me motivated.

Some more

funny how posting something up can change your perception of it, I've uploaded this one several times trying to get the tones and saturation better. Why cant I see it in Photoshop?

Been a while....

EDIT this is a little more saturated, I viewed the other on a different screen and it was dull dull dull

I'm back, in more ways than one

After 6 months of having my confidence ritualistically tortured and abused I am back. This time with a sample of some freelance work I've been doing for the guys at http://superbulous.com/

I enjoyed the challenge of getting a cartoon network/nickelodeon vibe to it.

'Racer'..Lunch time Speedpaint - 50 mins

Still not great but Im hanging in there...very much in my 'childrens illustration' comfort zone though.

lunchtime speedpaint - 'One eye'

Soo Im trying to loosen up after getting bogged down with more 'tight' pieces at work. This was painful, Im not proud of it but it had to be done... so warts 'n' all here is it. Hopefully the more I do the better they'll be, just got to form the habit again.

lunchtime Thundercat design

So sometimes at lunch when I can pull myself away from my sarnies we have a speedpaint thing... this is about 40 mins..

....and more

..because Blogger seemed fit to only allow me to attach five or so images and I wasnt finished goddamit!

Your Saturday afternoon Happy Meal

It appears that Ive become somewhat of an estranged father of late in terms of this blog, I've just been so busy with work and things, y'know...slide. So as a way to make a mends please accept a bumper offering. Consider this, if you will, as our Saturday afteroon trip to McDonalds and the emotional bribe of a happy meal.

No! you dont get a toy...I'm not made of money. I guess the harsh and somewhat ironic reality of this all, is that I used this blog to try and get my standard up, and now its getting there and I'm actually employed as a concept artist I've got less stuff to post and less time to do personal work.

Even grimier

Right, another. It's been bothering me why I'm not as happy with these as I'd expect. I have a couple of thoughts, the last few images I've posted I've not had control over the composition so they aren't as dynamic as I'd like, also the images aren't the subject matter you'd get excited about. The other reason could be is that they aren't any good, whichever it is it's all good practice for when I work on my magnum opus

Grimey...

A slightly more gritty affair. It didn't really come out as I wanted but meh... yeah that's right I'm in a 'meh' mood

..a very big house in the cooouunntttrryyyy!

A bit more sedate...

I was working in the lab late one night..

So I finally got around to doing something with this, I think I could have pushed it a little further but this'll do for now.

he's gone for the Hat-Trick

I think I'll work up that Sci Lab below using this technique

Wow I'm on a roll....

..and another

A brief appearence

Just a quick post to share this

Ssshh you ain't seen me .... right?

Okay, I know its been a month since we last spoke and my cintiq is at work :( lame excuse I know. I should be the purist and scan sketches off of the back of fag packets and perform banksy style graffiti but then again I am neither a smoker or an arsehole so this'll have to do until I can get back in some kind of routine. And by routine, read when my baby goes to bed at the same time every night! and my work buys me a Cintiq to use :)

Step 2 - Sci Fi lab type thing

Some lineart, as you can see i've taken the liberty and embelished the blockout. This was always the intention. This will hopefully prove a very useful guideline when I start painting it up. I think its worth mentioning that I've never done this process before so I'll be as suprised as anyone if this actually works! ;)

Next up the speedpaint over the top to get a tone and mood.

Step by step - Sci Fi Lab type thing

Okay posts are sparse currently so sorry about that. Obviously the main reason is my new daughter and the second is my new job. I'm drawing ALOT during the day, all of which I cant share currently..alas. So I'm beat when I get home also I've taken my cintiq into work so I cant cart it to and from work too much as knowing me i'll drop it or something.

In an effort to apply some of the new techniques I've acquired I'm trying to do something in my own time. I'll post it up step by step this way you get to see my process, I get to do things as and when I can and I'll feel obligated to finish it!

So step one, I've blocked out in 3D max a crude set of geometric shapes, set them in a cylinder and set the camera on an angle to give it a little tension. I've no real idea how this will end but let's enjoy the journey together (man that sounds just terrible) For now lets call it a test lab or something with a Sci fi twist. Ive toyed with the idea that using a 3d underlay is cheating, but hey I can 'do' perspective so i'm not ducking out of anything i'm just allowing myself to get to the good stuff more quickly. Plus I may as well take advantage of the fact that I'm a decent 3d artist besides the blockout took 10 mins if that.

Pathetic Update...

Right, so I am alive just that recently I've become a dad for the first time, plus I've started a new job. Not Ideal timing but not my choice either. This employer is a bit more of a heavy hitter so I doubt I can post any of my work stuff on here, yet, at least.

In the meantime...here are some more kids pics, which are now 'done' ..sigh..

Speed Paint 11

So back to the speedpaints this time with added cintiq

An old friend

My Second effort - Im gonna try and colour this and perhaps take it back into maya and get a nice render, perhaps, we'll see

Z-brush-ery

So, finally got my head around this little bugger. First attempt, I made an extremely rough mesh in maya first. Not bad for a first stab, still lots of things I need to work out with ZB3

"Guns for show..."

Here are some quick concepts for a sci fi blaster type thing. I'll pick one or elements from all three to use for a more worked up version. Not sure what guise this will take yet.

It's like Christmas

And so its shipped, by all accounts. Fingers crossed that it turns up in one piece. It is quite the extravagance but hell, I've been back into art is a serious way since the creation of this blog which is about 2 years now. In this time I've been using an intuos 2 wacom tablet. This has served me loyally but lately i've been feeling that its actually inhibiting me. With a bit of luck this little puppy will allow more of natural style to develop and help me get to the next level, if not then just halve the time it takes me to do the stuff I already do.

Its Wacky!, its Zany, Its..zzzzzzzzzzzz

Baaaa!

SO... stylized animals, that makes a change

A Whale with a Sail...

As promised...

*After these child friendly pics I do have the urge to paint something very manly "GRRRRRR"

Dog, Hog and a Frog

And so the innocence continues. These seem a little small on the page but thats the price to pay when you have to do fit three animals on the page. I've got another all but done, hopefully post it later tonight.