nominal anomaly

Mermaid Princess

2012-01-23T22:16:00.000-05:00

Raaaaaandom...

Studies - Thighs

2012-01-13T13:00:00.001-05:00

Some studies I did to further my anatomy training.

Unwanted Companion

2012-01-04T15:52:00.005-05:00

Since I now have a Cintiq at home, I decided to relax a bit over my holiday and see what happens when I draw just for fun. Not trying to push any boundaries or hit a style that I think a client would want. Just. Fun.
Well, I lie, it does have a purpose-- to figure out what comes naturally to me and what I can focus on to define my style. And while my themes and rendering can change a great deal from piece to piece, one thing that keeps coming back is storytelling. I love making images that hint at a larger narrative.
That being said-- here's an elf gal with an irritating companion she picked up on her journeys...

SF2 - Chester

2011-12-19T13:11:00.003-05:00

Another Shining Force 2 character, who was stuck in my WIP folder for too long. While these may not be the most innovative works I've done, I'm enjoying doing a series with a consistent look. Since I'm usually always experimenting, I find my works lack consistency. Hopefully I will get to do a few more of these in the next while, then move onto another style and theme.

Cheers!

SF2 - Sarah

2011-11-10T13:20:00.003-05:00

Man, I love old games...
Had fun sketching out some characters from Shining Force II (circa Sega Genesis era). Based these on a mix of the pixel art, the battle art and UI portrait and not the original character art.
Tried a few different things in my rendering method which worked out nicely. I'm hoping to get the time to render out the remaining sketches.
Perhaps a Chester or a Jaha is in the future!

Zombie Hula Girl

2011-10-25T13:20:00.004-04:00

We've started Sketch Day back up at work again, and the theme last week was The Unexpected Undead. I decided to go ahead and color my contribution, even though I told myself I would stop letting myself be distracted. Oh well...

Fishgirl Explorer

2011-08-10T15:28:00.005-04:00

A cover image I did for a concept group's e-magazine launch. Check them out here.

Princess Peach

2011-07-29T13:29:00.003-04:00

This was a mix of portrait practice and just plain fun :P
Peach always struck me as the girl-next-door type, so I went for an 80's Farrah-Fawcett-Prom-Queen look

Princess Peach (C) Nintendo

Mina Goodbrough

2011-06-27T13:09:00.003-04:00

Some portrait practice for a stylized character. Had fun making the skin freckles most of all. Learned a few things, but really this one was made for fun across a few lunches...

Colossus

2011-06-07T13:12:00.002-04:00

My entry for the Rift create a Colossus competition...
Looking at him now, I of course see hundreds of small things I should have addressed... argh. Ah well. Moving on to other things... I believe there's a 'Pirate Animals' monthly sketch theme that needs my attention...

Squidley Masterson

2011-05-17T13:10:00.003-04:00

Walking through his... Octopus' Garden, of course...
Just something I did for fun across a few lunches at work.
I'm happy with the paint style I've been developing lately(although I fell back into bad habits on the anemones...)

The Chosen Ones

2011-05-13T13:30:00.002-04:00

1 hour lunch challenge with the theme 'Chocolate'
I love their vapid little ecstatic faces...

Watersnake's Bower

2011-03-11T23:43:00.003-05:00

So, this is an extension of some of the painting practice I've been doing lately. I went for a slightly unsettling color palette and a strong light (although I think I lost some of the drama of my shadows while painting)
I could have fiddled with it longer, but I learned what I wanted to learn, and felt it was time to move on...

Violet

2011-03-11T12:42:00.002-05:00

Some more painting practice, a little more polished this time. I'm starting to develop a method that I'm happy with, which is great. I think I've been missing a few basic things that were hindering me, and now I've leveled up aain ;)

Tragic Princess

2011-01-27T19:34:00.001-05:00

Not sure what's so tragic, unless it's my recurring use of that odd greeny-orange palette...

Gettin' better with the brushstrokes...

Purple

2011-01-16T22:34:00.002-05:00

More painting fun. Getting better with big chunky brush strokes. I also noticed that I always make flesh toned creatures... so I went for a flamboyant purple! He doesn't seem to happy with my decision...

devilman

2011-01-12T09:58:00.004-05:00

random quick painting I did for fun... Starting to get the hang of some new brushes... in retrospect, that halberd looks a little too delicate...

Fishgirl revisited...

2011-01-07T13:37:00.002-05:00

This was done mainly as an experiment with brushes, lighting and colors. I used fishgirl so I wouldn't have to spend too much time designing a character and getting distracted... and ended up getting distracted just the same :P Learned a few useful things on this one, even though I don't think the final result is completely satisfactory...

Family Dinners are So Important...

2011-01-05T12:57:00.004-05:00

This didn't come out much as I'd intended, but there are a few things I've learned in here, as well as a few bad habits in my painting which I was able to pinpoint. I still don't consider this to be entirely a painted piece (I have a habit of sketching with colors rather than painting) but I'll give it a pass and learn my lessons for the next one...

quick paint

2011-01-05T12:55:00.003-05:00

Some quick painting practice to try and do more with less and focus on brushstrokes... not crazy about the hair, but I like her features

speed - Undercity

2010-11-23T17:26:00.003-05:00

Another speed, with an interesting angle to boot. Floating island and trailing junk.

Starting to really have a good time with these, and developing something of a method. I'll try and tackle something less fantasy-ish next, perhaps, although while I'm doing these for myself there's no harm in it, I suppose.

speed - nameless horde

2010-11-23T14:34:00.002-05:00

Some speedpainting practice... I want to get out of my monochromatic rut next, but i'm pretty happy with the way these tests are going...

Greenman

2010-11-23T13:14:00.003-05:00

Been working on some cute characters just for fun. Here's a quick color version of one of them...

Ooof!

2010-11-16T21:28:00.004-05:00

Alright!
So those of you who follow may have noted some sloppy posts and general nonsensical commentary--for this I apologize.
I`ve been tinkering with the Portfolio page over the past few weeks and have finally gotten something half-decent. My foray into the world of html was not without its aggravations, but in the end, it was worth the fiddling. I now have something moderately presentable that will be relatively easy to maintain. Hurrah!
I do plan on making a custom header, as well, since the current one is a bit bland, but I prefer not to rush it. All in all, a decent night`s work...

Spaaaam

2010-11-16T17:47:00.008-05:00

annnd yes. more self-spamming. i know there's another way to do this, but since the only way i know to link images in html needs a place to link from... welll...yeah. I promise to start posting actual art soon... really i promise

male character thumbnails

2010-11-16T14:38:00.005-05:00

Some prelim work to try and pin down an interesting male character to round out my portfolio...

annnd because I need these too

2010-11-09T22:01:00.026-05:00

ok, so... I had to upload everything I wanted for the portfolio page so this was the fastest way... I feel like I'm spamming myself...

forgotten thumbnail...

2010-11-09T21:30:00.002-05:00

Forgot these :)

thumbnails...

2010-11-09T20:42:00.044-05:00

The point of this? Had to upload these to be able to use them in the Portfolio page ;) That's it...

Billy Blood

2010-11-08T13:56:00.003-05:00

Wanted to try a portrait with some more dramatic lighting than I usually attempt. I'm fairly pleased with the result, and plan on making a few more of these to pin down a better method...

Swamp Ruins

2010-11-04T19:29:00.002-04:00

Wanted to put into effect some of the theory I've been digging into. I pushed this particular one as far as I could, and I'm pretty happy with it despite spotting (always once I'm done) some things that bother me... In any case, I'll tackle a more challenging and dramatic angle in my next environment. perhaps a night shot of this same theme...

Scout Beast

2010-11-03T10:29:00.003-04:00

I've been avoiding doing monsters this past while because I wanted to improve in areas I enjoyed less-- so it was nice to get back into the groove of things with this hyena-lizard-bovine-based carrion-eating scout creature... enjoy!

Storm Witch

2010-10-20T17:30:00.003-04:00

Alright, I know, it's another female.... But the point of this one was to use some color palettes (and techniques) that I don't normally use, and play with a bit of foreshortening (which usually scares me a bit).
I'm quite pleased with the result, and can now move on to the Swamp Ruins I've been meaning to do for a while. Thanks to Manny and Jody for their keen eyes and opinions on this one...

Swamp Ruins - Thumbnails

2010-10-18T16:54:00.001-04:00

Some preparation for a series of environment concepts I'm working on for myself. I was focusing on masses of light and dark in these, to help establish my mood right away...

Corpsfly Mother

2010-09-27T13:36:00.005-04:00

This is part of a monster/character concept I've been wanting to work on for a little while now.

A pestilential swamp on the borders of civilization is overrun with 'corpseflies', insects created by a necromancer to sting and infect humans. When a man is infcted, there is time to sever the limb or kill the victim before the necrosis spreads and the man becomes a drone in the service of the necromancer. In the case of women, their fate is much more horrible, as they become the breeding ground for the flies. After their brood has hatched, the 'Mothers' mercifully die.
The humans who are forced to live near the swamp have adapted to protect themselves from this menace, and their women are kept carefully protected within their sealed strongholds. Should a single woman become infected, it would mean the death of the entire village...

Obviously there is a great deal I can concept in there, and I like that it all fits in as a nice little corner of a world, where humans have adapted to survive. I'd like to work on the humans, their village, their women, as well as take a look at the swamps and the necromancer who started it all. Lots of fodder for concept here...

As for style, i started from grayscale to try and get my tones in place, and I'm pretty happy with the result. I think there should be more color, so I'll focus on that when I work on the male drone...

The Prophet - Charactersheet

2010-09-16T20:16:00.002-04:00

Wanted to showcase some of the new things I've been learning at work (since I can't show actual pieces) so I had fun doing this photo-mashup-frankensteining painting. Pretty happy with him although, as always, there are mistakes that are bugging me. In any case... on to the Ortho!

The Prophet

2010-09-01T19:28:00.001-04:00

Developed this character in an unexpected direction, so I'm pretty happy with this one, even though there are (of course) some this bugging me. Pretty happy with the light and how I kept the character loose... although I over-rendered a bit on the rocks. Ah well :)

Otherland - Brother Factum Quintus

2010-09-01T13:19:00.002-04:00

Yet another one of these. I find them very enjoyable to do in between things at work (in 2-5 minute spurts) Since I don't sketch enough and usually torture myself to find intersting themes. This takes that pressure away and just lets me draw... As for why I keep doing secondary or even tertiary characters, well it just started that way with Emily. But it's kind of nice for these guys to get the spotlight, isn't it?

Speedpaint - Buff Dude

2010-08-23T17:27:00.003-04:00

45 Min. speedpaint with anatomy references. I think this is my first succesful speedpaint, for a variety of reasons, but mainly because I feel I achieved something convincing with only basic marks, and there's a good tonal range. The pose and concept are nothing special, but overall, I'm quite pleased with this and will do more...

Otherland

2010-08-19T17:20:00.005-04:00

Some illustrations I did for fun of some of the secondary characters in Tad William's Otherland series, which I'm currently reading for the umpteenth time. If you haven't read it, do so. I can at least tell you that the first character is from a dystopian Oz, while the second is the master of an VR entemology simulation... yeah, that's bugs.
I might play around with some color for these, just to try different illustration styles, or maybe just have fun with various characters...

The Queen of the Drowned

2010-08-12T18:06:00.004-04:00

Alrighty, so this has been a few weeks' worth of evenings and lunches in the making, and I think it totals up to 40 hours or so (but I may be wrong)
There are still issues with it, but I felt I learned enough from it to be content with it in its current state, so here it is :)

The Machinist

2010-08-12T18:04:00.003-04:00

A sketch that came out cleaner than usual. I'm thinking of perhaps re-drawing and rendering this guy...

Painting Practice

2010-07-27T13:17:00.003-04:00

Wanted to have fun with something loose and colorful before I launch into the next long piece... It will most likely involve this character, so this is research... sort of...

Captain of the Guard

2010-07-22T17:41:00.003-04:00

Ahh, el capitan... This one took me a while, but it was rather pleasant to work on a detailed character concept. Even though this kind of theme is up my alley, I haven't done something like this in ages. So even though she's not the most original character design out there, I just wanted to render something to the best of my abilities and I'm pretty happy with the results.

Had to put the lower resolution version here, but in the full size (double this) you can get up close and personal with her freckles. Not to mention her armored underpants.

And for the record: there. I did sexy armor. my way.

Fishgirl Vignette

2010-07-01T13:45:00.001-04:00

Another random fishgirl, just for fun.

After her father's disappearance, Fishgirl's seamstress mother makes her a new hat to try and cheer her up. She also receives a kitten, left shyly on her doorstep by the local beggar-boy (you guessed it: Catboy). Now, normally she hates cats. They follow her around and steal her fish. But this was a gift, after all... So the cat stays. And is named, predictably enough: Tuna.

monsters are fun...

2010-06-29T13:40:00.002-04:00

... like that's a revelation or anything.
Found a brush that I really like for laying down basic colors, so I thought I'd give a try at doing a character speedpaint (1 hour ish). For once, I am quite pleased with the results. It was almost like I knew what I was doing :
Putting more thought into what makes things work, these days, instead of just doing. I think it's helping, although I haven't had much to show lately. I'll do an art dump at some point in the future...

Fishgirl Portrait

2010-06-22T13:41:00.002-04:00

Normally I hate doing side views, since they're unrealistic and such, but I had a sketch for this and just needed to paint something I might not hate. I've been putting way too much pressure on myself (again) to create works of pure awesomeness and as such have come out with nothing. This was to try and loosen up again...

Fishgirl - Ice Fishing

2010-06-15T13:43:00.003-04:00

Did this one this past weekend, just to unwind. Things have been hectic lately, with muchos side projects and such (and more to come) so it was nice to do something for f-u-n...

Cockatrice Soldier

2010-05-25T13:40:00.002-04:00

It occurred to me that we rarely ever see humanoid hybrids of mythological creatures in popular fantasy game concepts. Wolf men yes, lizard guys, all the time. Cockatrice men... well, I'm guessing it might be a first, or at least fairly rare. After all, what's cool about a rooster?
In any case, I'm thinking these guys spend all their time battling against their eternal enemy, a tribe of humans who use giant weasels to hunt the cockatrice people (for those of you rusty on your mythology, cockatrices can be killed using mirrors, the crow of a rooster, or weasels. Don't ask me why).
I spent too much tiem on some parts of this and not enough time on others, but all in all, I'm fairly happy...

Orson the Hunter

2010-05-20T13:16:00.003-04:00

Here's a character painting of Orson, the big, childish galoot who will become Fishgirl's companion and protector during her travels...

Fishgirl's Berth

2010-05-18T13:48:00.004-04:00

Here's that color image of Fishgirl that I promised (and delivered--Ha!). Thanks to Jody Valdes and Alessandro Farina for all the helpful feedback during this one. The difference between my first version and this one is enormous, and I have you guys to thank. There are still plenty of little things that are bugging me, but I'm happy enough with it to call it finished...

This pretty much captures Fishgirl's loneliness after her father disappears. Her cap is hanging, because wearing it is too painful and reminds her of him. Does she put it back on? Of course. Will there be other Fishgirl images? I think so, although I can't say they'll be in the same style...

And for anyone who is thinking: What's with the fish hat? Fish?? Really? Why? All I can say is... Why not?

Orson the Hunter - Sketches

2010-05-17T16:37:00.002-04:00

Some character sketches for a possible companion to Fishgirl.
A simple man who managed to survive from childhood in the wilds, Orson hunts everything that moves to prove his virility and gain dominion over the forests. And yet, he always feels something to be missing, until the day he finds Fishgirl washed up on the shores of his lake. Rather than clubbing her and adding her to the trophy collection, he nurses her back to health and becomes her protector... or at least that's my initial idea...

There's a color image of fishgirl in the works, and I'll do a nice character illustration of Orson, too, once that's done...

Fishgirl Sketches

2010-05-13T14:00:00.003-04:00

Since I've been having so much trouble creating new things ( something in my brain shuts down and says they're not good enough ) I thought I would go back to some characters I never quite finished.
This character was never really named, beyond 'fishgirl'. She's the daughter of a fisherman who, rather than join the weaver's guild like her sisters, decides to join the fishermen to make money for her ailing mother. I'm thinking the fishermen's guild (yes, they all wear those silly fish-hats) doesn't approve of this, and after her father's disappearance (mysterious!) they give her a hard time, sending her on wild-goose chases. Oh yes, and there's cat-boy, who harbors a faraway crush on her.
Ok, so it's a little odd, but I'm liking it. I'm thinking each guild could have an animal to represent them, which is obvious in the costume (weavers: spiders, shepherds: sheep, beggars: cats, since cats are pretty much good for nothing...)
These are just some quick initial ideas, but I'm hoping to develop one of them further, or at least keep sketching now that I am more familiar with the character...

Painting Exercise

2010-05-11T15:57:00.004-04:00

More painting from reference, to absorb what I can. The reference is below:

Silhouettes - GOI

2010-05-10T20:20:00.003-04:00

Some silhouette exercises I'm doing for the rework of the God of Industry

Hard Brush Tests

2010-05-10T11:48:00.004-04:00

I've found that one of my problems when making a final image is that I put in too much: too many tones, too much color, too many details. I thought some 4 tone hard brush exercises might help me figure a few things out. These are from reference, but I'll try a few invented ones when I have the chance...

Phoenix

2010-04-26T21:42:00.004-04:00

WIP Line-work for a tattoo I'm designing for a friend. We did an exchange of services: he re-tiled my bathroom in exchange for a tattoo design. I think it was the first time I was offered a fair deal for this kind of work...
It took me a long time to actually finish it, and many pokes and prods on his part. He finally had to resort to threats (ie: ripping out my tiles...) if it wasn't done by tomorrow. It wasn't that I didn't want to work on it, but just that it wasn't yet right... and then as the deadline loomed... it all came together (or mostly). I hope he'll be pleased enough with the result to give me additional time for the shading and color...

Fish-Man

2010-04-16T18:36:00.004-04:00

Actually picked up an old WIP image and finished it *gasp*. In case you're wondering, yes it was supposed to be hermaphroditic and slightly disturbing...

God of Industry

2010-04-16T14:55:00.005-04:00

* Note: uploaded a new version with a shortened torso, and some added details, after some feedback from a friend and colleague, Jimmy Ho.

I didn't know quite what I was trying for when I started this one, so I'm fairly pleased with the results. The anatomy isn't perfect, but it's an improvement on past efforts, certainly. The mechanical-looking bits are interesting, but a little tacked-on, maybe. Mostly what I'm pleased with is the actual paitning process, which was much less painful than usual, thanks to some changes in my brushes and a healthy use of reference.
Had I known what I was planning to make, it probably would have come out a bit more unified (not to mention I would have tried for a more interesting pose), but then, had I known, I probably would have lost interest half-way through, too...

Face Sketches

2010-04-16T11:26:00.001-04:00

Some slightly disreputable-looking gentlemen.

Portrait #2 - Reporter?

2010-04-14T15:40:00.002-04:00

Second attempt at a portrait. This time, using a few different references. The hair still isn't very convincing, but I think the skin came out a bit better this time (tried some different brushes). Obviously there's still that wooden expression and the lack of a body, and all, but an improvement, nonetheless. I think I'll take a break from pretty ladies and do a grungy dude, just for a change of pace...

Portrait

2010-04-12T17:41:00.003-04:00

Decided to do a portrait from reference, just to see what I could pick up. Picked the ref at random, then was told it was some actress from Lost. I didn't make any attempt at resemblance, only at realism, so I think it came out pretty okay for a first try, although the skin is a little too airbrush-y methinks...
Anyhow, I think it was definitely beneficial, so chances are, I'll be doing a few more.

Friday Monsters

2010-04-09T16:27:00.004-04:00

I've been doing some detailed renders of characters lately and needed a break, so I picked up a scribbly brush and had some fun. There are a few in here I might work further (but then I've said that before, haven't I?)

As for those character renders I expect to finish them next week sometime... and I've said that before too...

Red Girl

2010-04-07T11:56:00.001-04:00

Random sketch...

Alley

2010-04-06T15:43:00.002-04:00

Tried my hand at some old-school tonal drafting, to try another angle of interest in architecture. The result is okay, although obviously the 1 point perspective is less than exciting, and the lighting is overly simple. I think the time it takes to do something like this might lessen its usefulness as concept, but at least I tried something different. Which means I've earned the right to do some characters... right?

Brain Blank

2010-04-05T16:49:00.002-04:00

Back at work today. Trying desperately to just come out with anything, even though I should be working at realistic environments, architecture and interiors... Haven't yet found a way to make that fun for myself, so I took a break before I got too frustrated... This is what happened...

Tigerman!

2010-04-01T20:32:00.003-04:00

First and foremost, this character came into being as a bit of a joke. When asked to think up a male character for me to concept, my friend Jody's first thought was a savage tiger-man shampooing his hair in a jungle stream, irked because he's just run out of hair products...
Well.
Because I needed to work on semi-realistic, buff, manly dudes, I took some liberties with his initial idea (I hope he forgives me) and went for a sort of tribal/barbarian dude covered in tiger-inspired tattoos.
These are just some initial costume tests. I've been working some gestures for poses, and plan on making the final in some sort of dynamic pose (let's hope) as well as some facial studies... So far, I don't have a favorite (although I'd be tempted to pick the bottom right just to thumb my nose at artistic video-game convention)

Fancy Hair

2010-03-19T16:04:00.000-04:00

A bit of a digression and distraction from my day...

Operating Theater - Comp

2010-03-18T14:36:00.003-04:00

Just a comp for an operating theater, within an abandoned hospital. The balcony is above, and there is a filthy glass ceiling above that. I want something eerie and broken, but also to have the sun filtering in through the broken panes, and some vegetation overgrowing the upper parts...
Thanks to Alessandro for prodding me into doing this one, totally out of my comfort zone. Hopefully the result with look fairly realistic. I'm going to build it quickly in 3DS max to get my angles and try out a couple of camera shots, and move on to the real version from there...

Beachside

2010-03-16T12:50:00.004-04:00

Another environment. Started from a photo for inspiration (part of the left-hand cliff). This was originally wider, with a metal door set in the rock face to the right, suggesting a passage to the structure on the horizon... but then I realized that I had three focal points and that the whole thing didn't work. So I cropped, and find this has a better feel, although there's no single striking element.

Manticore

2010-03-12T11:34:00.002-05:00

So it's been a while since I've done any kind of creature. Not sure what inspired me to go with a manticore, a creature which has never particularly inpired me, but anyhoo. Instead of simply sitting and painting him after my initial sketch I went through a short concept phase. Normally I would accompany this with a clean front/side view, but I've had my fill of him for now...

Abandoned Citadel

2010-03-10T16:54:00.003-05:00

Decided it was high time I integrated some kind of structure into my scenes, and of course, what came to mind but something broken? And of course, gothic, since I'm familiar enough with the style to stay somewhat loose.
I managed to avoid my usual pitfall of over-rendering on this one, although I'm sure that the balance of detail is off. Not to mention perspective... and values and... ah well. It's fine for what it is, and was started from a photo to get a different color scheme than usual.
I'll try and sneak architecture into my scenes more often, until I manage a full city scape or such...

For me?

2010-03-05T17:29:00.002-05:00

Been a little while since I posted anything worthwhile. Was in the mood to make a character, but at a loss as to what to make... In steps Jody Valdes, who gave me the theme, and general direction for this piece. Thanks Jody.

Monster Heads 2

2010-02-18T17:18:00.003-05:00

Nothing amazing here, just some more of the sketches I like to do in between things at work. I find these very relaxing...

Tattoo

2010-02-17T13:34:00.002-05:00

Right-o
This is the final version of a tattoo I was asked to design. The request was a unicorn with bunnies and rainbows, all looking ridiculously happy. Apparently this is what goes on in this person's head at all times. A frightening thought, for people like me...

Anarchy Party

2010-02-16T18:16:00.003-05:00

Er.
Well, I started out wanting to draw a male character, and found my usual cast uninspiring today. This sort of happened by accident, and was meant to be a much beefier and traditional sort of male character... The inevitable happened and I weirded him up a bit. I have a special fondness for the thin, tall and lanky.
I put the mohawk on him, then thought he might look nice in some kind of suit, which begged the question: why would he be wearing a suit?
Well, clearly, he was running for Senator as part of a small and forgotten Anarchy Party.
It entertains me to think that at some point everyone would be fed up with voting for the same old parties and decide to throw away their votes on one of these small parties, thus resulting in an unexpected victory.
The fact that anarchists would feel rather out of place in the rigid structure of government also entertains me.
The moral of all this? I'm easily entertained... and I've been listening to too much Anti-Flag lately...

Vera

2010-02-15T17:19:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to do a real character sketch for some time, but the inspiration was just never there. So after some fiddling, I struck on a rework of a character that I've been dragging along with me since high school (much as toilet paper sticks to your shoe, some of them you just notice are still around much after the fact...)
Needless to say, she's gone through many iterations since then, currently being some kind of political anarchist from the future (where presumably such people wear latex onesie lingerie in public). Anyhoo.
Her hair was probably the most fun to work on, although the utterly ridiculous costume was also pretty fun. I generally mock this kind of thing, but I think I'm starting to see the attraction. Although I think I'll draw the line at chain mail bikini 'armor', thank you very much...

Fortress (reworked)

2010-02-15T11:35:00.007-05:00

Since I wasn't happy with the previous version of this, I got some feedback from a colleague and spent two hours reworking and tweaking some of the details.

Basically I added turrets and banners, as well as altering the lighting a bit. Now it's entirely analagous, but I'm fine with that.

Abandoned Gate

2010-02-12T16:18:00.002-05:00

I know. It's another environment. Try not to be too shocked, people.
Well, now that i've pinned down a way that I enjoy working (at least for natural environments) this is a much more pleasant experience.
This one feels a little starved for color, I'll be honest. I tried different variations of buildings and villages, even going so far as to put in a nice sulfur-emitting thermal vent... none of it worked. Haven't completely sold myself on this either, but it seemed to fit the environment at least.

Elizabeth

2010-02-11T13:39:00.002-05:00

Hmm so. Another derivative of that initial scribble (which I still maintain as being the most succesful).

I wanted to hit something with a bit of the feel of an old woodcut, but really I wasn't forcing it too much.

This is actually a scene from the beginning of a story I have floating around. Perhaps I'll try a few different ways of rendering it. I found this lost alot of the scribbliness (is that a word?) of the previous drawings...

Scribble No. 2

2010-02-10T16:12:00.002-05:00

Another quick scribble, this one removing more of the background color (not sure if it`s succesful).

I`m seeing this as some kind of fortress built inside a splintery pine thicket.

Monster Heads

2010-02-10T14:40:00.003-05:00

Just some sketches I did while between things. Very loosely based on snapping turtles. And whales, I guess, since there's a blowhole up there...

Random

2010-02-09T16:25:00.004-05:00

I really really needed to scribble today...

Been working on some very detailed realistic images for work. Felt like I needed a break... I could probably add more depth in the splatter, etc, but this wasn't meant to be anything too worked in the first place.

Challenge

2010-01-26T16:30:00.002-05:00

Okay, so no new images for the moment, but with good cause, I think.
I've entered the B-Movie challenge on CG Society, so I'll be focusing most of my energy there for the time being.
That doesn't mean I won't find time for the occasional scribble--Fear not!
For those interested in following...

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=6321946#post6321946

Ghost Town

2010-01-15T14:52:00.003-05:00

*Gasp* it's an environment!
Okay, since I've been shifted to a new project I thought it might be a good idea to be sure that I can do this kind of thing. It's a mish-mash of different photos, corrected and painted over. Not the way I like to work, but pretty necessary if I want to be able to progress. Of course, this is still way too colorful for what I'll be doing, and still a little cartoony, but it was a nice first try, I think.

Fly-Dragon

2010-01-14T16:20:00.003-05:00

Yeap. It's a dragon. Sort of. This is actually a detail from a sketch I did. I'll try and do a looser rendition of what the body looks like. I wanted it to have some of the gnarlier aspects of a fly or other insect, but still be plausible as a dragon head.
So much for all that talk of how I don't draw dragons *sigh*

Silhouettes - Male

2010-01-14T14:25:00.002-05:00

As the natural progression from the previous post...

I have to admit that these were less fun to work on than the women, simply because any pose mildly more extreme than standing with arms crossed seems to make men rather effeminate.

Although I couldn't resist putting at least one in there...

Silhouettes - Female

2010-01-13T15:32:00.002-05:00

Thought I would do something nice and simple since I've had some serious block lately. Started with basic silhouette and tried to cover a variety of body types and personalities, then added in the second tone.

The Widow

2009-12-18T16:59:00.003-05:00

Something to end the day with, before I go off on my winter vacation. I'm planning on doing lots of drawing, which probably means I won't touch my computer...

May the gods of Motivation smile down on me and the demons of Procrastination find some other poor bugger to torment!

Leezard

2009-12-18T13:46:00.002-05:00

1 hour 30 min. sketch

The initial sketch for this most certainly was not a dragon. I dislike dragons, and feel I filled my dragon quota somewhere by the end of High School. So on that note this is most definitely not a dragon...

*sigh*

Okay. it's a dragon. probably some zombie variety in the early stages of decomposition. What I enjoyed about it was that the teeth were part of the shelf of his jaw, which works with the idea of a beak (bird=dinosaur=dragon).

Painting wise I was pleasantly surprised by the scales, since I hate drawing scales, and did these fast. I like the eye and should have spent more time on the bone texture since it's less polished, but my time had run longer than I had any right for lunch, so it was time to stop.

Fleshy Dude

2009-12-17T19:17:00.002-05:00

2 hour lunch + after work sketch...

Ok, so there was some debate as to what this guy should be called, that's why he ended up with the rather anti-climactic 'fleshy dude'.

Basically, I figure that this charming fellow is able to summon or grow different fleshy envelopes to kick ass with. Hoorah for novelty (which I'm sure my more classical firends will soon categorize...) I'm content to leave him out of the box for the nonce...

As for painting, I'm happy with him, although I'm well aware I took some liberties with musculature (still learning). Based loosely on dog and human. It was fun to work on since I had no idea a guy's face was going to pop up where the creature's mouth was (although certain people might recall such a discussion from last night... eerie.)

Vampire

2009-12-16T13:39:00.002-05:00

1 hour lunch sketch

Using some of what I picked up from yesterday's sketch, this is painted over pencils.

Not the most earth-shattering vampire concept ever, I'll admit, but I think I'm getting farther away from the 'cute curse' at least.

Reminds me a bit of the description of the 'grandfathers' in Stephen King's last Dark Tower book, if anything...

Change of Direction

2009-12-15T13:12:00.003-05:00

1 hour-ish lunch sketch from photo reference.

Surprise--something completely different.

Just needed to paint without thinking too much, and just absorb from reference. Not the most original choice of photo, but nonetheless. I would have continued tinkering with it if there had been time, but I'm fairly content.

Mr. Spiky Face

2009-12-10T13:23:00.002-05:00

For lack of a better name....

45 min. lunch sketch

Not at all what I was planning on drawing but well, sometimes it's better to just let things run their course.

Caul Demon

2009-12-01T16:03:00.002-05:00

1 hour-ish

Here's something I did as a little change of pace from work. Also, because I so rarely venture into the grotesque (as you can probably tell, since this still feels moderately...er...friendly).
In any case, this was based off a quick hatched sketch done in ballpoint. Tried to keep the paitning loose. getting better at that, at least on characters.

For those that don't know, a Caul is a membrane of skin that babies are sometimes born with, covering their face. In more superstitious days, it was said that such a child would have special Sight or paranormal abilities.
So...
Make of this what you will...

Tenament

2009-11-26T13:39:00.002-05:00

1 hour-ish lunch sketch

Here's a first crack at the environment for the previous characters. I thought it would be interesting to have the building's inner workings exposed in some of the shots. If this were a game, you would be able to witness events and atrocities from a different floor, unable to intervene. It has a voyeuristic element that I find fits with the idea I have for the Tenamanet.

And as for painting, well, I wasn't sure about the wall lights until the very end. I'm still not sure. I lost some nice detail in the carpet when I decided the emergency door should be visible... thus having to rearrange my lighting... anyhow. I'm content (for the time being...)

Janitor

2009-11-25T13:56:00.002-05:00

1 hour-ish lunch painting...

Continuation on the same theme of the book Zed (author Elizabthe McClung)... or the idea that will slowly emerge from this book. I'm intentionally not re-reading it, so I can distill its essence without borrowing the same characters outright (except for the previous post, of course).

As for a painting exercise: I'm happy with the colors and some of the brush strokes. Not crazy about the way the skin ended up. And don't get me started on the hands...
Arm hair's alright though... but isn't it always?

Zed

2009-11-23T13:43:00.002-05:00

Based on a book I read a little while back, by the same name as the character. This is a test first off to see what a mix of dark-theme on stylized character would look like. Second, it was another painting exercise. I have larger plans for this kind of look, but for the moment, it's all experimentation...

Windswept Whatever

2009-11-05T22:25:00.004-05:00

So here's a try at something new. Sort of.

Using some sweet little brushes that were passed on to me, my current goal is to achieve more with less.

Despite the fact that I feel I overworked the rocks in some places (and the distinct feeling that my contrast balance is off) I'm pretty happy with this. My favorite areas are the electrical poles, the buildings on the rocks and the solitary figure tramping through the snow (squint. He's there)

I'll try and do some more like these, with the goal of simplifying more and more, ameliorating my sense of volume, and eventually moving into the realm of color...

As for the theme, is this part of the same ongoing thing that has been driving most of my previous posts? Maybe, folks, maybe...

Last Hilltop

2009-10-22T11:26:00.003-04:00

Nothing too crazy here, but I've had a few days without posting so...
This was a 1 hour speedpainting challenge with a theme 'The Hilltop', which I interpreted into the last refuge of childhood innocence. Or something. Decided to keep it simple...