Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Color test

I don't think I ever posted this one (looks like I posted the scan of the pencils a while back) and it's probably been too long since I uploaded any art. My legions of fans shall not be left wanting!

This is a bit of a test (lots of stray marks and color, some areas not really developed) trying to duplicate some techniques I've seen other guys use (OK, mostly Ben Templesmith and lots of guys trying to imitate him as well). I was trying to incorporate some of that style of techniques but then I kind of went my own way with it anyway. It's mostly a failure but I'm posting so people can see some of the steps along the war to the finished product which hopefully will finally drop in the next month or so (TEASE!).

I've mostly avoided using color in my work until recently, but the ease of coloring with a Wacom tablet and Photoshop and the free color afforded by the web there's no reason to not try to do the next project in color. While this has some touches I like it's nothing like how it will actually appear. My style has changed a few times just looking at different methods and styles. The hard part is limiting yourself and that's why so much computer coloring (including this example) turns out so bad.

Monday, June 06, 2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

A macabre figure of mystery and mayhem

Don't want to give much detail for now but this is a character study piece for an upcoming project.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Black Panther

Human Torch

I've been practicing my digital painting technique. Watching lots of tutorials online. You can practically go to art school for free with just YouTube. I could have saved thousands.

Photoshop had just come out when I hit college (yeah, I let myself get old somehow- kids, don't let it happen to you!) and the teachers at my school, I don't think, were prepared for how dominant it would be in art. I'm kind of glad I didn't keep going to school. I would have dropped a lot more cash and probably not been too much farther ahead. Sometimes I wonder though.

Since college I've been hunkered down in a tiny print shop letting my art skills devolve and letting things pass me by. But I've made a concerted effort lately to step my art game up. I've decided to spend the spring and early summer working on portfolio pieces to try to finally make a real effort of making more than pocket change from freelance.

I realize I've got a way to go. I feel like in my short time at art school I learned how to draw the human form a little but I never really put the rest of it together. It's time to take a critical eye to my own work and to learn from looking at the work of others as well. Time to crank out some work and just try things out, play around and see what happens, but working towards an end goal. I have it in my mind now.

So, I started with the human form in the form of the Human Torch, figured I could so some cool fire effects, play off the warm/cool colors and collage a city background to make a sample cover. I could take it further but for right now I'm planning on churning out a few dozen prospective images and then seeing which ones have the most potential to be kick ass portfolio pieces.

P.S. Which reminds me that I just added a gallery page and just threw in some pieces I'd posted on the blog. As I begin to post up the new digital pieces I will add to it and probably pull the old stuff out.

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Samurai girl

A female samurai with hot pink hair. Still a work in progress but figured I'd share as I'm not sure I will really try to take it any further for now.

Galactus

My reimagine/redesign concept of Marvel's Galactus. In mine he is sort of the same thing as his ship which is a nanotech swarm version of the Borg.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011