Freshly Painted

Zombies!

2011-10-23T13:51:00.000-04:00

There are moments in your career that you tend to dream of achieving, but you're never really sure if they'll happen. Getting to work with WotC on some images for their D&D line was one of those. I believe that as artists we tend to put a lot of our self-worth into our work, and as illustrators the measure of our work tends to be getting gigs that we are excited about. I can't say I think this is a great thing in regards to emotional stability, but it tends to happen. So, since getting to work on D&D was a bit of a career goal for me, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't giddy when I got the assignment (granted, I still get giddy when I get to work on D&D). I hope that I get many more years of working with them.

I did these pieces a little less than a year ago now, and I just got the go-ahead to post them up. I worked with Mari Kolkowsky on these as AD (she's really great to work with). I'm not allowed to say too much about them...so I hope you enjoy!

I'll probably be posting a step-by-step for one of these up on the Shadowcore blog sometime this week, so be sure to check in over there too!

Check out Shadowcore and Awesome Horse Studios!

2011-10-08T15:38:00.000-04:00

First, I have some news from the art community.

If you haven't been there yet, Craig J. Spearing has put together an artist collective called Shadow Core. A number of us artists are posting our work on the blog http://shadowcoreillustration.blogspot.com/ (It's an impressive list: Tyler Jacobson, Raven Mimura, Kieran Yanner, Eva Widermann, Eric Braddock, Craig J Spearing, Chuck Lukacs, Christopher Rahn, Chris Burdett, me!, and Adam Cook).

It's shaping up to be awesome, so check it out! I'll likely post some progress shots of the first image in this post sometime soon here, so stay tuned for that if it is something your are interested in!

Also, my friends Aaron Miller, Noah Bradley, Marc Scheff and Cynthia Sheppard are doing live demos, critiques, and other great stuff at Awesome Horse Studios. www.livestream.com/awesomehorsestudios/ So keep an eye out for that, it is very much worth stopping in for.

.....

Here are some recent personal projects. First is the latest in personal work. Following are some character sketches I've been working out and lastly some quick environments.

The characters are based on my friends D&D campaign. He's set up his own world and story-line (so basically we are just using the rule-set), and the fun thing is that there are distinct cultural areas (like in any world) based on which god rules them and their geographic location. The sketches of Caz are my boyfriends character.

The environments took a bit longer each than I would like, but personally I feel that work needs to take the time it needs to get done and to learn from it. I feel this very strongly with sketches and studies; if you are trying to learn something, rushing through it is not the best way to learn. Unless your focus is painting quickly (which may be what the next batch is about). Anyway, for the environments some I pulled from my head, but also I think in a few you'll see some clear nods to the references I was working from/inspired by.

The challenge for me with them was mainly that I rarely sketch in value and color. I tend to prefer to start out with a line sketch (like the Caz character sketches). However, I'd like to experiment more with sketching in value to decide a little more firmly what my preferences are.

Panopticon

2011-09-15T17:24:00.000-04:00

It is always fun getting the copy of a product you've worked on. Today I received a nice, shiny, hard copy of Panopticon in the Eclipse Phase RPG line, with my sole contribution nicely printed inside (seriously, I was very happy with the reproduction). In fact, there is a lot of great art in there!

I really enjoyed working on this piece. It's a little older now, but the idea of someone floating among all these screens was a fairly awesome idea.

Creature Sketching

2011-09-07T11:08:00.001-04:00

I've been doing more sketching of creature-like humanoids recently. Not a lot of time for sketching this month unfortunately (fortunately?), because I've been very caught up in work!

Also here are two older pieces for Call of Cthulhu which I a bit over a year ago for Fantasy Flight Games. It's amazing (and heartening), what I feel like I have learned in a year's time.

Greek Myth and Warhammer?

2011-08-18T15:58:00.004-04:00

Slowly but steadily, the pieces in the Orpheus and Eurydice series are coming together.

First up is Charon ferrying Orpheus on the river Styx.

I was pretty pumped about the original sketch for this. But sometimes with freelance work I'll end up having to put down work for days- or weeks at a time. That is basically what happened with this piece- and by the time I was able to come back to it, I'd been thinking and stressing about it so much that my initial inspiration had waned quite a bit. I recovered some towards the end, but I think it is a piece that I will probably come back to.

Next up is the sketch for the final piece in the series- where Eurydice gets whisked back to the underworld. OK, so I took a bit of leeway for the setting. However, sometimes you have to bow to artistic whim. Last weekend my boyfriend and I took a trip to the Adirondacks to go camping. The first morning there I woke up really early, and there was this amazing layer of fog over everything. We were right next to a lake- and with the mist coming up and obscuring everything...its just hard to describe how surreal and beautiful it was. Anyway, when I came home the idea of Eurydice's softly rendered into a misty sky and fading away just seemed like the perfect fit. I'm pretty excited about where this one could go.

And, on a completely different note! Here are a few character's for Dark Heresy: Daemon Hunter (For FFG, set in the Warhammer 40k Universe).

Painting Warhammer characters is really, really, fun.

Sketching! (More chicks)

2011-08-12T13:30:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I've updated this thing (yikes!). The last few weeks have been extremely busy. Between gatherings with family and friends from out-of-town, business trips, pieces for shows and freelance work.. well, lets just say any breaks I've had have been to cook dinner, but while its tiring, I'm also working on a lot of fun stuff. That is sort of how freelance works (for me anyway)- periods of insanity in which I get up, work until I go to bed, and repeat for about two-four weeks, and then I'll have a week where things are a bit calmer and my work schedule is a little more normalized and I can take a day to myself (in which I usually sketch, or get things done around the house). I would think with that work schedule I would have a lot more to show- but unfortunately a lot of work gets caught up in NDAs for a year or so, and depending on the company, I don't always know when it has been lifted. I do have a decent batch of work from Warhammer 40k (FFG's Dark Heresy line) which is now out, so keep an eye out for that next time.

So, here's a sketch from me that I did a few weeks back. I'm intending to create a number of additional variations on her costume design (as well as color it). Essentially she is a continuation of the girl from last post- I still haven't quite gotten her design the way I want it to look.

Sketching...again

2011-07-18T21:51:00.004-04:00

A bit overdue on the post this time... the last few weeks have been pretty busy with client work and studies. I'm not sure I'll post the studies until I have a good series to post- but eventually I'll scan in a few of the more promising sketches.

The last few days I've been watching the Human Planet series. It's so good- I've been taking notes and I plan on doing some more sketches from the show. I think documentaries are a great resources for things that you can't actually get out and see in person.

I've also been working on building a story/world of my own- I've been trying to do some writing to solidify the story in my head. I find that I work a lot better when trying to draw out an idea, if I've already described it in words first- I don't know if that is because I read so much growing up, or if I am more verbally motivated that I think I am. But I'm starting to find that I do a lot better if I write up notes about the object I'm trying to sketch, rather than just thinking it in my head. Nothing too complicated, generally it is just a few guide-words (like sea-faring, or leather...) Also, I wouldn't mind writing a book some day...though that is probably a pipe dream. =)

Alright, so onto the art.

First off is a first-round idea for one of the main character from the previously mentioned world. The character is supposed to be from a colder climate, but currently living somewhere warmer (or this is a summer outfit).

Secondly, I've been learning Z-brush lately (learning new programs is a pain in the butt. I'm fairly impatient and don't like to just fiddle around, but I know it is a necessary evil). Someone turned me onto Sculptris- its an extremely simplified version of z-brush also made by Pixologic, and relatively more intuitive just because it really limits your options (like there aren't 30 million brushes, and you just start with a single sphere). Oh, and did I mention it's free? Plus you can take your model into Z-brush and edit it further if you want to. Which is something I played around with and wasn't too fond of the results. Probably because I'm unused to the program and all its options, but its so much more difficult for me to get it to do what I want. I always end up thinking "why am I just not using real clay here?" Anyway- that's why I'm practicing. =)

So this here is the first successful sculpt! The first two didn't go so well. =/

Sketching...

2011-07-06T22:24:00.003-04:00

I've been busily toiling away at only client work, so I haven't worked on much personal stuff. I was feeling pretty burnt out at the beginning of this week- I go through ups and downs it seems, and really the best way for me to solve it most of the time is to just take a few evenings off and go read or do something else. So the last week I ended up re-reading the second and third book from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Such classic fantasy- the writing can be horribly cliched at times, but it's easy enough to get swept up in the story, and once it gets moving they are pretty awesome books. I don't know if I will make it through all of them. There's a lot of books....

So I've got a few studies for faces for Rand- the main character from the books. I did a sheet with around 12 or so sketches of faces, and narrowed it down to these four. I may finish rendering out the bottom two- but I sort of lost my steam with them. The first looks a bit too much like Jude Law- who admittedly I was using a picture of as reference for some of the features.

And the next image is just some practice drawing creature-type humanoids. Hoping some of my studies of not human things is being put to use.

New art!

2011-06-27T23:53:00.005-04:00

Last post I shared a progress shot of a piece I've been working on. And here it is, completed! Or mostly completed anyway. There comes a point when I have to sort of "share" a new painting, while on the side I will probably keep picking at it to some degree. It is rare that I am completely satisfied with a piece, even after I've called it "done."

A major issue with this piece is that it's intended to print at 13 x 19 inches- which is larger vertically that I will ever see in full on my monitor. It is something I miss about painting traditionally- seeing the piece at print size without half of it cut off. Is this something other artists who work digitally think about? or am I being completely ridiculous?

A wip and an image revised.

2011-06-18T00:25:00.004-04:00

Not a lot this week. I believe there are a few things out of NDA at this point, but I have yet to get official sanction to post the art.

FFG posted one of my piece for Warhammer 40k up on their site: click which I did sometime last year.

I always love working on Warhammer, but to be honest the eye-piece on the guy makes me cringe now. He looks like Cyclops from X-men...

I've also been working on a piece of Eurydice- but I'm giving it a 1920's twist.

And lastly, I got an awesome paintover by Craig Spearing (check out his work, its amazing!)

I have to say, this piece was a lesson in why you should have people critique your work if you can. The difference in quality between the start and the finish is really quite huge.

Negotiations on Kaermai

2011-06-08T19:11:00.006-04:00

Here is a piece which I completed fairly recently in terms of the freelance industry- for Royal Archivist Publishing. (I'll also add you can buy their rpgs at DriveThruRpg.com. )

I really liked working on this piece- I think it was the first commission I've done where the background had to be a very prominent part of the final image- and it was quite a challenge for me to figure out how I was also going to fit the scene of the people in as well. Not to mention the total number of finished, single environment pieces I've done amounts to... one. But I've found I really enjoy painting environments at this point, and I hope I can insert a few more of them into my usual character-driven commission work (also planning on doing some creature-oriented personal work as time permits, but we'll see!)

Here is the sketch I turned in.

My sketches are usually fairly... sketchy. Usually as I work some things get moved slightly, or details are added/taken away- but I stay as close to the general idea of the sketch as I can. I don't want to surprise the client with any unexpected compositional shifts or extreme changes.

hmm-overdone.....

2011-05-26T00:24:00.005-04:00

edit: made a few small lighting changes and other tweaks according to people's suggestions.

You know when you work on something, and then you work on it some more- and then rework it, again, and again, and again, and the painting never really gets where you want it to be and instead its just overworked? Well- that was this painting.

There is a lot of polishing that could still go into this. But I think it's time to set it aside, move onto other things. I learned a lot from this- start with a more dramatic pose (the first version is terrible), seriously...don't shirk the thumbnails (I didn't do enough of them, which would have helped the pose), make sure there is a good foreground, middleground and background, and pay attention to your darks (there are way too many black in this, and it detracts from the focal point- I toned it down a bit, but I think it needs more work there).

Aside from the bad though, I like a few things. I'd like to play with the landscape structure more. I'm liking the angel's costuming a lot, and I like the design of the magic effect. I also really like that maroon in the wings, along with the general idea for the colors, so I might play with it more in a different painting and work on more subtle hue shifts within each block of color (I'm usually much better at that I feel, but for some reason the colors in this painting just seem flat...and even adding in more saturated colors, it never quite lost it's flatness.)

Here's a detail of the costume.

Now, off to the next piece!

more MK stuff

2011-05-20T10:23:00.004-04:00

Here's a few more images from MK.

Sindel. One of the other guys did the second scene (I'm actually not sure who, but it looks really awesome!). This one was fun, but I ended up really making it a pain for the guys to animate. It was the second scene I did, and I was still trying to figure out how to adapt my painting methods so that everything was on individual layers.

I think a lot of the difficulties with this one, and also seeing some of the other endings and so some of the stuff I probably could have included or done differently, are things that would have improved with experience.

I also think it's one of the downsides of freelancing, especially ongoing work like this, is that it's a lot more difficult to pop over and say "would this work", or "maybe if you did this differently." I did however send them updates almost daily, and was able to talk to them on the phone and through email. In hindsight though, it may have been good to be in touch with the animators too, in order to get a better idea of what was working or what wasn't.

I found this while looking through some of my images- it was a general idea of what I thought could happen with the evil magics, though we went with a different idea.

Liu Kang's ending

Quan Chi. This was a tricky one for me- Hunter ended up really pushing my texture use in this one, for the better, definitely.

And that's about it! Most of the endings are on youtube, but they look a lot better if you actually beat the game with the character. =D

Mortal Kombat!

2011-05-11T11:05:00.005-04:00

(Detail of Sheeva)

I got the go ahead to post the images that I did for Mortal Kombat. While I was working with Netherrealm I created images for the ending sequences for a few of the characters- Sheeva, Ermac, Quan Chi, the first shot of Sindel, and Liu Kang.

Working with Netherrealm has probably been one of the highlights of my freelancing career so far. The team (Hunter Schultz, Mike Tassie, and Marco Nelor- and of course also Steve Beran and Hector Sanchez, who I didn't talk to quite as much but were definitely there to set everything up and keep things organized) was really amazing to work with; incredibly easy to talk to, and above all, they were amazingly helpful. I feel like I learned quite a bit in a short amount of time just by working with them.

Also, MK turned out to be a great game. I'm the type of person that usually plays RPG's, and even I love it- so if you've got the time, check it out!

So, here are some images from the endings for Ermac and Sheeva. I'll post the remaining art next week.

Call of Cthulhu cards

2011-05-05T10:53:00.005-04:00

I did these for Fantasy Flight Games' Call of Cthulhu LCG, The Silver Twilight Lodge expansion.

I believe I actually painted the cards themselves almost a year ago now. I am always learning, and it is interesting to see the small changes that occur in how I approach a painting in terms of lighting, color and brush choices.

I was pretty happy with this when I handed them in, though in hindsight I think there is a lot I would probably approach differently. However, I should add, I still really like them.

I also included the sketches I turned in. My sketches tend to range a bit. I don't always shade in pencil, and will do instead a quick multiply layer in photoshop to establish the value scale on the painting. Sometimes I'll sketch just in value, and depend less on line.

Next steps...

2011-04-29T11:37:00.003-04:00

This post is going to be a bit of a mishmash of different projects. Just warning you! First is progress shots of my current (done!) commission, and second are some thoughts on myth, concept design, and inspiration.

First, here are the next few steps for the gouache commission I started last post.

I start by laying in a general wash of color over everything very lightly (not shown), and then proceed to start building up layers of value. One of the issues with this can be that once something is dark, it takes a lot of layering of white to get it light again- often I would just wet my brush, and use it to pick off some of the underlaying paint before adding any more layers. This also helps prevent the paint from getting too thick- the one issue with gouache is that if you layer it too thickly you run the risk of the paint cracking.

The initial idea was to have the two characters throwing chips into the air. However because the moon was so bright (and due to the white in it really difficult to tone down), I chose to take a different route and add some magic lines. Also at this stage you can see that I toned down the blue on the water, and built up the shadows and highlights to make ripples.

After some discussion with the client, we decided that the moon needed a little more detail. The magic also seemed a bit flat, and there were a few other minor tweaks that needed to be made. At this point a lot of the edits are difficult to make in gouache- so I proceeded to spray the painting with a workable fixitive, and then put some acrylic gloss varnish on the piece. I usually do this with my gouache paintings because it helps to bring out the darks and gives the piece a nice sheen. It also lets me make some edits in acrylics.

Working on this project has made me reconsider how I work traditionally. I've done so much digital work lately, I've become really used to being able to paint over anything, move anything, etc. When working traditionally, its really important, I think even more than with a digital piece, so have a really solid sketch. For example I think I could have made sure in my original color comps that the moon would be dark enough to handle the glowing chips. Also, I think I would like to try working in thinner washes- perhaps in another medium like acrylics.

Basically the idea is know what your medium can do and what it can't. If I was to revisit this piece, or for the next traditional painting I do on a larger scale, I'll probably be going back to oils. The process of working with oils resembles much closer how I construct my digital paintings now. Unfortunately with oils, there is a whole new can of worms for me in how to document the piece, and how to get a certain level of detail that I find much easier to achieve with gouache.

The interesting thing is how a medium can change your subject matter. In the past I have felt that the limitation of gouache force me to create interesting image choices. I find it much harder to create full scenes with a lot of depth in gouache, and rather prefer to rely on color and pattern to create visual interest. It begs the question- how does your chosen medium affect your style? I think since switching to mainly digital work, my style has change quite a bit. However I can also say I became much more caught up in space and value, and now need to revisit creating interesting shapes and patterns in my work- as well as continuing to work on interesting compositions (my greatest weakness- more than anything if I don't push myself, or let others push me, I'll paint symmetrical single figures all the time).

Below is an image I did as a warm-up to get back into working with gouache. It's 3.5x5 inches (and is now in a nice little black frame). I have a few others of these, and hope to make a few more before GenCon- maybe I can sell some!

..............

Lastly, I'm currently working on doing some concepts based off of Greek mythology. The starting point right now is the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, as I'm planning a series of illustrations based off of it. I've been thinking a lot about how to merge different interests together to create an interesting illustration that can't be bogged down just by a genre label. For example I think if you look at Sam Weber's work, or Tran Nguyen's, or even some of the more recent art for Magic: The Gathering, the visual elements can be rooted in fantasy, but the idea speaks to something else. Perhaps it becomes difficult to draw the line as well when a piece has some really original concepts, as with a lot of the MT:G work, but is obviously still a fantasy setting- or in other cases when you have a clearly fantasy piece that is intending to read as something broader.

Anyway, I think that sets up the question. But next, is how to approach it? There are two sides to this coin- the visual concept and the subject concept. Visually, I've been trying to pull a lot of my personal interests to add to the visual elements- ideas from science and history documentaries, visual cues from Arthur Machen's work who I've been reading, an interest in macabre imagery, anatomy, all couched in Greek mythology. For example I'm really drawn in by how similar greek fashion is to 1920's dress styles- so I'm trying to pull some of that idea in.

As a concept, I settled on using Greek mythology as a template because the stories are well known and broad speaking in many ways. For example at the beginning, Eurydice is chased by a satyr (or man, depending), and falls into a pit or snakes or is bit by one and dies. I'm going to throw out any prior literary analysis of the myth because I really don't have a background in literature, but I think this scene can be taken different ways. At it's most tragic, this is a rape scene resulting in death. But from there, where do the visual clues set about in the illustration take the viewer? It could be interpreted as an exploitation of women, the loss and death of something precious; nature (Eurydice as a symbol of the earth or our ties to nature), self identity- if you think of Eurydice as an alternate of Orpheus's psyche, it leads to all sorts of new questions. How do you explore humanities search for some fundamental truth or certainty about life and existence- whether it be through religion, or science, or philosophy, or consumerism...

So that's the lead up to the below sketches- which at this point I think are really just starting to tackle the visual elements of the Eurydice character.

Commissioned Work

2011-04-13T10:54:00.005-04:00

I have recently been working on a private commission of a client's two characters. Usually, because my work is under NDA, I can't share my process- but in this case the client actually kicked me in the butt and told me to share my progress on the blog, and I agreed this would be a good opportunity to once again go over how I tend to work on a piece.

I always start with thumbnail sketches. I don't think well in large imagery, and the tiny little thumbnails help me to compose my thoughts. They are usually pretty messy, vague, and I don't always share them with a client. If it is a larger project or I have multiple ideas however, I might do so- but I usually neaten them up first. Sharing thumbnails can be on a very case-to-case bases. If I have a few ideas I'm really unsure about and especially if it's the first time working with someone, I'll share thumbnail sketches.

It's generally best to do more thumbnail sketches and try to get a different idea in each one. Thumbnail sketches are good for exploring general figure placement and values without getting bogged down in details. It's something that takes practice- its often difficult to not get married to the first idea you put down, and also difficult to be loose enough to think more in shape and value than in all the little details you think you need to compose your scene. It's a lot of practice and patience (I'll be the first to admit I need more of both). If you want to see someone who is a master at thumbnail sketches, Drew Baker is your man. http://drewbaker.blogspot.com/

I haven't scanned in the thumbnail sketches for this project, so here are some from another personal piece I'm working on:

In the above thumbnails I had a particular pose I wanted to use- so I was mostly exploring value arrangement at this point. On the other hand- this is also a good example of getting too obsessed with one idea, when maybe it would have been better to try out different poses and compositions. This can bite you in the butt later- as you may realize that things need to be moved in the larger composition- and often that will take a lot more time.

Anyway, back to the piece at hand. I really wasn't sure how I wanted to go about illustrating this scene- so I probably did about 20 thumbnail sketches for this one. The key for this piece was that I had a particular scene I really wanted to depict with the characters- but I also wanted to get across a more general mood of the story. In addition I wanted to play with some more stylized elements in the image.

The sketch below was the first idea that I submitted to the client (sans the value study that was included).

The client ended up liking the sketch as a whole- but felt her character's appearance wasn't quite true to form and so we decided to rework the clothing. (In this case the client was very helpful in finding some images she felt best depicted the character's faces and clothing styles. Sometimes words can only do so much, and I feel that having references to look at to make sure you're both on the same page is a good idea). She also presented a different idea for the moon, which encouraged me to rework it's design.

Ok, so sketch approved! (Providing some minor anatomical issues are tweaked, which will happen when I transfer this sketch to the watercolor paper).

Next up are color comps. This is another thing I may or may not show the client, depending on the project. In this case the painting is going to be gouache- impossible to change the color on other than repainting it, and as it's a personal piece I kind of felt that having the client on board with the colors was pretty integral to having this commission working. Sometimes colors have to sell a piece, sometimes they are more secondary to the overall composition. For example I'd probably show a color comp if it was a difference between giving the scene a more nighttime feel, or daytime feel, and wasn't specified in the brief.

The next step for this project will be to copy the sketch to watercolor paper and redraw any details that are needed. Then, I'll start painting!

More critters...

2011-03-30T12:20:00.002-04:00

Still practicing creatures. I figured, two years ago, I hated drawing men. Couldn't do it. But now, after drawing many men, its a non issue. So I thought- I'll apply that to creatures.

Next time I should have a wip for one of my current personal projects- time permitting of course.

Fantasy cow?

2011-03-24T23:35:00.002-04:00

I was joking with a friend the other day that I don't draw animals much, and when I do, they always look like cows. Well- cow it is...

Some fanart

2011-03-19T21:09:00.003-04:00

I've been reading "A Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss (the sequel to "The Name of the Wind"). I really enjoy them as a relaxing read- Rothfuss tells a good story. Rather addicting really, I took a self imposed day off yesterday (something you have to do while freelancing at times), and spent pretty much all of it reading, while I should have been teaching myself z-brush. It inspired me to draw the main character, Kvothe- so here he is!

Unnatural Growth

2011-03-06T19:14:00.003-05:00

I think I'm finally done with this. I had a lot of really great direction from some awesome artists. (Thanks guys!) I gave some thought to adding some birds, or animals as had been suggested- but I ended up deciding not to include them because I could never find a way to properly place them.

I rarely paint environments- I mean really paint them- not just a 2 hr speed painting like last post. I've been working on this piece for a while now- I'd say off and on since early January. The initial idea was to practice my environments, while also creating a piece that would work as a good promotional piece for the portfolio- particularly getting to work on Magic: The Gathering, and to strengthen the part of my concept portfolio that is weak on environments.

As a portfolio rehash, I think it's a good start. I think there are times when you have to go back and look at what is in your portfolio, and see if it is showing art directors what you want to be painting. I've been looking at mine recently, and I can say for the most part the message is the same. I like to paint people- woman generally more than men. I like color. I love designing costume. I'd prefer to handle a composition with less people rather than more (I have this thing about isolation and lone figures). I like repetition, which depending on the piece is more or less apparent.

But I think I've made some discoveries recently my portfolio doesn't show. I can paint beefy men. I'm more interested in showing action than a person just standing there. I'm getting better at organic and mechanical creatures (in fact I have one of those pieces in the works now, and I want to paint some dragons). I'd like to do more with things that are creepy/more horror like in genre (not zombies- more..unsettling I guess would be more like it), but I still like fantasy-if I feel like I have room to push it to make it more-than-cliche. I'm more interested in environments. I do science fiction. I work pretty much 100% digitally.

The thing is, in general no art director is going to know you can do these things, or want to, unless you show them you can. If you have worked with someone long enough you might be able to send them a sample, or suggest you are interested in trying it out (and I've been lucky in that I have had art directors give me the chance and its been great). So I think its good if you have the time for personal work, to keep pushing yourself and your portfolio in a way that is going to bring in the type of work you want to do.

speedy

2011-02-28T00:18:00.003-05:00

Practicing environments. Been in the mood to draw them lately, which is weird, for me. Probably due to all the character work I've been doing for freelance.

Concept Tuesday

2011-02-06T01:12:00.003-05:00

My entry for Concept Tuesday on the ArtOrder blog. I whipped this one up quick. Started with a few silhouettes, then the sketches you can see on the bottom character sheet, and then the inked drawing with a quick color pass over it.

I like this new black and white inking with the color over it- it's fun, and I think a quick way of getting an idea out that I feel looks more presentable than if I tried to render it out in the same amount of time (took about and hour and a half to do the pen work and color after the sketch was done. Normally a render would take me the better part of a day). And I can always go back in later and render if I want to.

Fiddling around

2011-02-02T12:50:00.004-05:00

I was getting tired of meticulous rendering, so just playing around with fake inking/coloring.

some ladies...

2011-01-19T13:49:00.004-05:00

Some sketches from the last few nights. Been wanting to work on my rendering a bit- I've been really lazy when it comes to it. I usually do a little drawing before bed, unless I'm too pooped, or have freelance to work on, or spent too long playing WoW.

First image was just from my head- playing around with ideas for fake magic cards, the second is inspired by the book "The Darkness that Came Before" (although it really has nothing to do with the book...really unsure how to link the two), and the last is from a models photo I pulled from the internet- I can't find the models name or the photographer =(

out with the old

2011-01-16T14:18:00.005-05:00

So I don't have much to show in the way of art this time around (just a wip of an environment that I've been working on), but I did want to do a year-end summary post.

It's been a few months since I updated my journal (as usually seems to be the case- I update this thing when its overwhelmingly stale, as opposed to any really exciting information), so here goes.

I think I should start with the perfunctory new year review of 2010.

Last year was a pretty good year for me in terms of business and art. I went to the Illustration Master Class, which really helped to push my work, or at least the process behind it, forward a few steps. There is so, SO much further left to travel on that road, but I do think I learned a bit more about my process, value, level of finish, etc... I think hand in hand with that was GenCon, where I spoke to a number of really great artists and art directors. Between Illuxcon and GenCon I met, or got to speak to in person, a number of awesome people; Aaron Miller, Ania Morhbacher, Pete Morhbacher, Jeff Himmelman and his wife Caroline Marc Scheff , Drew Baker , Zoe Robinson from FFG and many many more (if I failed to put your name in here its not due to a lack of appreciation, but more a fault of my brain!)

In addition to all the new faces, I continued to do a bunch of work for FFG, including Call of Cthulhu, A Game of Thrones, Warhammer 40k, the Lord of the Ring card game, and even a few more products. In addition I kept working for AEG on their L5R ccg, and I managed to picked up a few new clients thanks to referrals from friends (networking for the win! ), including Catalyst Game Labs (Shadowrun) and Posthuman Studios (Eclipse Phase). Then at the end of the year, I received my first commission from Wizards of the Coast.

Amidst the freelance insanity, back in October (or was it September?) I interviewed for a position with Netherrealm Studios in Chicago. While I didn't receive the fulltime position I had hoped for, they did offer me an internship working from home, which I have been working at since November. It has, so far, been a really great learning experience for me- combining a steady stream of work with that additionally coveted steady stream of income. It has cut down on the freelance load I have taken- but that had allowed me to be a bit more selective with the work I do take on. In a way it has also clarified where I would like to go with my career down the road- do some freelance projects on the side, but for the majority of my income work a studio job. I feel that not constantly chasing down the next job has lowered my stress level somewhat and in the process improved my level of work- I have, for the most part, been pretty happy with the work I've produced over the last three months, though I am still always trying to improve it.

I have also learned over the last year, that you can never ever be lazy; even if you somehow catch your client unaware, it is the worst feeling EVER to know you haven't done your best on a project. Unfortunately it does happen; a project is uninteresting, the deadline is too short, the pay is low, home issues are bothering you- but I think the best thing you can do is constantly evaluate yourself and remind yourself how much better you will feel about yourself to give the project your all and really find a way to learn from it. It's not enough to just want to please the client (though it is important, they are paying you after all, but you also have to find a way to please yourself in the process.

So to wrap this up, what are my goals for 2011?
- To continue to do illustration work for Wizards of the Coast
- To do card art for the WoW TCG
- To continue to build my portfolio, especially the concept art portion.
- Work on creatures, environments- basically improve any of my weaknesses.
- Work on a body of personal work that I feel says something relevant on top of improving my technical skill
-To learn 3d modeling, texturing...
-To eventually obtain a full-time position as a concept artist (though I am happy to have this in the next 5 years even!)

Lofty goals, but hopefully this year will bring me closer to many of them!

Characters

2010-12-27T10:57:00.004-05:00

Some characters I sketched out last week.

Perhaps other illustrators don't suffer this- or maybe it's just an issue of one youngin' who is just starting out, but I've been trying to rediscover a visual voice in terms of the content of my personal work. Often when I have time to work on personal sketch, or paintings, it generally takes the tone of "what would clients like to see most" or "what do I need to do better to get into the gaming industry." I think in some ways this is good in that it gives me drive to try new things, but sometimes it really takes the flavor out of creating art. The question I guess is how to combine the learning, and broadening your internal image banks, with striving to create images that also say something as well.

I had this conversation over the weekend while visiting my Mom, and I think part of what we discussed that stuck out to me is the power of myth and its psychological roots that are so strong in fantasy illustration. Myth itself has many symbols for the human condition, but even in contemporary fantasy illustration that focuses on elves, dragons, zombies speaks to an emotional and psychological state of being. Anyway, I thought in some form that would be an interesting thing to explore.

This isn't really evident in the sketches shown here, since they were sort of a precursor to this conversation. In them I was more exploring shape, form, costume design...

Swamp witch

2010-12-16T15:06:00.000-05:00

Perhaps she lives in the swamp from the previous post...

Sketches and stuff

2010-12-15T10:47:00.003-05:00

I've been trying to fit in some time to do some sketches in the sketchbook. I'm terribly rusty right now, and I'm finding it very depressing. I've always worked in traditional media, way before I ever started to work digitally, so I don't like seeing that side of my art degrade.

I've been making a bit of a list of things I need to focus on...it's much longer than the things that I feel I do well. (yikes!). Anyway, because of this I'm trying to fit in drawing more environments and creatures.

I've been working on Mortal Kombat for the last month or so and its keeping me challenged, but its been really great to get up every day and work on what I think has been some pretty cool stuff. =) It's also really helped to re-inforce how much I don't know about drawing and painting and what I need to work on. But in the evening I'm starting to plan out some more ideas for personal pieces that will hopefully address those weaknesses. Perhaps they will start taking shape this weekend.

Also, I colored the Coal sketch a while ago: here you go.

Eclipse Phase

2010-12-02T21:08:00.003-05:00

To spare me from the slow sink into the internet void, I have been lent a hand to pull me out with the release of some fresh art from the release of Continuity, a supplement for the RPG Eclipse Phase (A thanks to Rob Boyle who is the AD, and was a real pleasure to work with!)

This piece was loads of fun- I really got into rendering the characters ill and clammy looking skin, and all the insect-like legs were a lesson in patience to render! Anyway, I won't go to much into the background, but Eclipse Phase is a really cool IP and really enjoyable to work on. (Their website it here: http://www.eclipsephase.com/ and you may buy Continuity here!

Coal

2010-10-05T17:33:00.004-04:00

Started out with this intending it to be a quick character idea, and it ended up taking the better part of the day. I went through a few different mask ideas before I settled on the current one.

2010-10-01T11:20:00.003-04:00

I decided to do some environment practice, which in turn led to designing the character that might work on that ship/bridge/place.

Each took...an hour?

Grethor

2010-09-15T11:44:00.003-04:00

Finally finished her up. At least, for the most part. Made some changes toning back the magic and making it a little less overlapping in some areas, and did some last minute anatomy tweeks on the hands.

For good measure, here is a preview of my process.

-I started with a much looser sketch than I generally do for clients- this actually looks more like a thumbnail than anything else.

-I then worked out the values on top of this. Generally I just do this as a quick multiply layer, but because I was so rough in the early sketching stages, I decided to take this step a bit further.

-I then went in with a color layer, and probably some hard light layers to add rough color.

-Started the rendering. Everything was looking too photoshopy. I probably scrapped the magic several times. Around here I consulted the aid of some artist friends. They kicked my butt.

-Redid the background and magic.

-Fixed hands, last minute tweeks, done!

Thinking about inspiration...

2010-09-13T10:35:00.005-04:00

Lately I've been putting a lot of thought into inspiration- what gets me drawing and how it influences what I'm drawing. I included some recent sketches and some older sculptures, because they have some significant meaning towards what I'd like to visually revisit.

I think there are a few factors with inspiration, and I think they push you in certain ways. Looking at other artists' work is certainly inspirational. After saturating yourself with excellent art, it can push you to sit down and try to take what you learned about your "visual mentors" methods and then put them onto practice. It affects your sense of color, composition, technique. Hopefully not strongly enough that you are copying the artists, but rather learning what does an doesn't work.

Another thing that can motivate is another created work: a story, a game, a movie...something that gets the visual cogs turning in a way that makes you think "I want to draw that character... or I want to build on that world..."

I think the thing with drawing inspiration from other inspired sources (other artists, books, gaming), is that it is very obviously someone else's world. But I think you can take more or less of it; you can either end up doing fan art, or a master copy, or you can take it as the reason to start drawing. That I think leads to the other form of inspiration that I've been thinking about; inspiration based on the world that is, nature, history, your life...I'm not sure how to explain this but it has a clear delineation with me.

For example I've always found fungi fascinating. They are probably the coolest things ever created (especially Cordyceps!). Moss too, and trees, bones, carrion birds- generally nature as a whole, but there a few particulars, especially things that deal with the aftermath of death and how things become recycled into the earth. I'm also a fan of masks, anything that hides or covers faces. I've recently developed an interest in drawing chains for some reason. Triangle shapes- they convey a certain sense of power. A deep crimson color. Space, stars, nebulae. Rust. Tattered cloth. Mind control...er, wait a minute....

Anyway, that's just a small list of things that I think are basic "natural" inspirations, separate from the inspiration I'd find from books, or looking at someone else's work, but combined with them to create a work that appeals more to the self. And those are just visual inspirations, there is also an emotional side of inspiration, how each of those visual inspirations resonate internally and what they symbolize to the artist. You're not just drawing a chick with a gun, you're drawing your internal reaction to violence. Do you see it as protection? Power? Is the violence disgusting or is it expected? Fantasy and science fiction art can be good at distancing itself from these psychological clues, because its so often focused on a story or action scene, but even in that the emotional aspect is there. Are the heroes beaten down or are they taking charge? Can you push that forward to the viewer? I think this is why I prefer single figures and cropped shots- I like exploring isolation, subtlety, individual power or lack there-of and emotion...whether it comes off well or not is a different story.

Why the analysis? I think lately I've lost of little bit of the sense of what inspires me to do personal work. Often with developing a freelance career, at least for me anyway, there is a pressure to do work that suits particular companies that you want to work for (which I think, is the reality of it. You do need work that fits a clients expectations, or they will not hire you). However, that can create a dullness in what you're drawing, because you're trying to please expected needs (that may or may not actually be expected), and ignoring what you could bring to the originality of the project. Also, I think you become too hinged of having client work validate what you do or why you are working, rather than enjoying art for the process.

Super busy

2010-09-05T12:46:00.003-04:00

I've been super busy with freelance these last few weeks. Should be lightening up slightly at the end of this week.

Did this piece for Star Army.

A little tired of my neat style. I'm envious of the loose and fresh work of Kekai Kotaki and Daniel Dociu- its so far from what I do! Doing freelance though, I think its important not to jump around to different styles- clients will never know what they will get. Its tricky, I think there is enough of a difference between the gouache work and digital work that I do that it could cause problems (though no one has vocalized it yet).

I've also been wanting to go out and take a lot of photos of interesting random things, and spend time strengthening my reference library. And then take those thing and integrating them into some concepts.

OK, back to work!

Featured and continued wip

2010-08-23T20:01:00.002-04:00

First off Mike Vaillancourt, the AD for Wildfire, interviewed me on his blog! I talk about how I decided to get into art, some of my inspirations, amongst other things. I met Mike at GenCon this year. He is a really nice guy, and has a lot of interesting and very useful things to say! His blog is very worth checking out! mdvaillancourt.wordpress.com

That aside, I did some revisions of the sketch you may have seen last post. I'm still unsure about some parts, particularly the magic, so if anyone has any thoughts of how to better integrate it into the image or where I could push and pull it, that would be wonderful. I'm even open to paint-overs if anyone is so inclined. =) That aside, I will continue to neaten up the areas that are needing it.

Thanks!

Grethor

2010-08-17T14:09:00.003-04:00

I wanted to do some WoW fanart....ehem..I mean, samples, of a shadow priest.

Anyway, a black and white sketch, soon to be colored and polished off. If anyone can think of something for me to change I'm open for suggestions. =)

Warhammer 40k

2010-08-10T17:44:00.002-04:00

I've been interested lately in the Warhammer 40k universe- its got a good story.

War Priest

2010-07-21T11:37:00.005-04:00

I did the sketch for this at the Illustration Master Class this June. While there I worked on a different painting based on another assignment (which I'll probably finish eventually), but this was one of the assignments based on a Magic card. It's intended as a white card, the title being War Priest of Thune. As I just started playing Magic (aside from some half hearted attempts in middle school) this was a fun piece to work on. I went back to my roots and did the whole painting in gouache/watercolor.

I also got a new scanner- and the difference in scan quality is...amazing.

For example, and old one scanned:

Perhaps its just me, but I feel like the new scanner (an Epson perfection series- I sound like an advertisement) picks up the subtle changes in the paint better than the old one did. I felt like my old scanner made my paintings look really sloppy.

I guess the point is- I'm really happy because I feel like I can justify doing traditional work now!

If you aren't sick of seeing it yet...here it is again.

2010-07-17T12:55:00.003-04:00

Along with some other pieces that I have reworked.

Keres- its done! (I think)- wait no...

2010-06-24T18:30:00.005-04:00

I think its done...

I'd like to print this out and do some painting on top- probably sometime in the next few weeks when I can get access to a larger printer.

Anyway, short description of this piece is that she's a somewhat prelim version of my Shadowrun character I'm planning on playing. We're playing a somewhat weird campaign thats bending some rules...but thats how we usually do things. =P

Edit 7/9: I made a few edits to the piece. I added some lighting around her firey hand, and moved the baseline of the buildings up so she didn't seem quite so huge. I'm not sure either about the roughness of it in areas; if I should neaten it up or not.

Thanks to Aaron Miller and Chelsea Conlin for their advice!

Talisman: Highland

2010-06-23T22:08:00.004-04:00

Two cards I did for the Talisman: Highland expansion from Fantasy Flight Games. I did three for the set. These were starting into the upswing of quality in my freelance work, though I still wish I had done better on them. I went through a somewhat crummy phase (in my mind) last year around this time- which as painful as it was to see my work suffer, I think I really learned something- always try to put 100% into every piece you make. It is something I sort of took for granted in college- I always tried my best there and was generally never short on time. If a piece wasn't clicking I just let it go and moved onto something else. Unfortunately that just isn't possible in the freelance world- so when I first started out I think I struggled with that a little.

That being said, I have some pieces I've worked on the last few months that I really like- and can't wait to show off!

Orc sillyness

2010-06-10T18:53:00.002-04:00

Testing to see if photoshop works on my laptop.

Swords and Cthulhu

2010-06-10T00:51:00.003-04:00

I've been working on some concepts for an IP my boyfriend has been working on for some time. It's a great exercise in stretching my concept art skills-as well as pushing my thought process. These are a few of the swords that I liked best out of the sketching process and chose to flesh out into a more finalized design.

Down the road I have some plans for axes, halberds and staves. I've started sketching a few out, but I think they need some work. Additionally most of these swords will need a second pass on them to do some "higher level" designs.

Also here is a batch of cards I did some time ago for CoC: Secrets of Arkham published by Fantasy Flight Games. They are about a year old now- and sadly they feel old. =/ It's I guess the unfortunate nature of NDA's.

D&D Pin-up challenge

2010-05-11T17:00:00.004-04:00

A quick sketch for Art Order's D&D pin up challenge. Done in the interim of waiting for feedback on freelance work.

Also, check out the new website for the Discover a Muse challenge as well. It can be found here. The whole challenge is for a great cause, and there are a lot of excellent entries so far.

The site has information about the contest and the Discovery Arts organization.

Heeelp!

2010-05-02T10:15:00.004-04:00

OK, so I was up reeeeeaaaaaly late fiddling with this picture and I need a fresh perspective. I had this quick idea for a shadowrun based character with her and a big boom in the background. I'd initially wanted something soft in terms of contrast but it wasn't working out- so here are my two ideas. More "bright" explosion (where I think she gets a little lost... does she get lost? any suggestions on popping her out if she does? I wanted to keep her white hair as that's sort of part of the character....),

or second option of more graphic tall explosion that's sort of dissipating.

I like the graphic approach, I'd like to work it into the final version either way (not really sure how to fit it into the first one), but yea...lost here. Suggestions guys?

Discover a muse sketch and more

2010-04-26T16:04:00.003-04:00

I took a little break from client work to start one idea for the Discover a Muse challenge at ArtO rder.

Bard

2010-04-12T20:00:00.002-04:00

A new gouache piece. This one is tiny- only about 4 by 6 inches.

I'm offering it for sale if anyone is interested. Toss me an e-mail and I'll give you a price.

Rogue

2010-04-06T21:15:00.002-04:00

website update

2010-04-06T00:44:00.003-04:00

Remember how a few posts back I was all "WOOOHOO FREE TIME". Yea. well. That lasted a total of like...a day. (But in reality, that's good...I mean, if that's the case then some people do actually like my work! *gasp*)

Even so, I updated my website a bit with some new graphics. It's looking a bit busy with the teacup on the one side and the little art splash thingy on the other, so I'm probably going to do away with the drinks... I wish I could put some of the NDA stuff up, but alas...

Mutation Nation- Salaman and Salaminks

2010-04-05T09:32:00.002-04:00

Yup.

Might noodle more before the final submission (nothing is ever really done). Taking a step back for now, I need a fresh eye.

Sketch updates

2010-04-01T21:31:00.005-04:00

Sorry for the sub-par scans on these. Scanner says no to pencil.

Some progress on Shepard has been made- still a long long way to go. Need to finish the gouache and then go in a start glazing with the acrylics. You can see some of my fledgling playing around with the combonation in her armor (particularly her left arm- guh). Made a lot of progress with the two mediums in the like er, 5 paintings I've done in between. That I can't show you. =P

Free time!

2010-03-29T23:08:00.007-04:00

I had some free time tonight, since I just put some finishing touches on some freelance work. I have a little break now, so I think I'll be using it to continue fleshing out my portfolio, do some studies, and digg into some of the art books I bought (atm reading "Classical Painting Atelier" by Juliette Aristedes). And get some sleep. That's good too. Oh, and maybe play some Dragon Age expansion. Damn, I need a second life just so I can do everything I want to do in my free time. I get stressed about unstressing.

Anyway I like the 'feel' of this sketch. Would be fun to develop it further, really discover what those weird things on her bracers are (I think they are some type of weapon-like-device...or a multi-tool, hah.) I kind of want to develop one of them into a steam-punk robotic like arm though. And flesh out exactly what setting she is in, flesh out her world, culture, though leaving it a vague mystery as part of a final painting could be fun....lots of cogs and shiny rusty things... Ahhh, ideas.

Mutation Nation

2010-03-24T14:00:00.004-04:00

The first one is probably pic I'll be using (for ArtOrder). However, I sort of like the face on my original sketch better, so I might have to change the guys angle.

Life drawing

2010-03-19T12:22:00.002-04:00

I finally found a life drawing session in Rochester. I'm so out of practice- didn't do much of anything I liked, and my gestures really were sad.
But this one was ok...

Probably going to work on some of the Art Order mutation nation challenge for the rest of today...

Under the weather

2010-03-07T12:05:00.004-05:00

I hate colds. I feel like I'm wandering around slightly confused and unaware of my surroundings...and my nose keeps running.

Over the last week I snuck in some time to neaten up one of the Moa character pieces. I think its a big improvement, and I'd like to neaten up the others.

Shepard sketch

2010-02-28T10:06:00.002-05:00

The sketch for the final painting.

2010-02-27T19:42:00.004-05:00

Some kind of lamo sketches. The lizard/salamander guy I sort of like. I might finish up the shading on him/color him up. Possibly for the Mutation challenge over on ArtOrder. Unfortunately I'm really unfamiliar with the Gamma World universe that he is supposed to be part of, which makes me hesitate on submitting anything. Now...if he was part of Shadowrun I could re-work him into that world...

Anyway, I think my sketch kick sort of hit a brick wall. Or it could just be my mood the last two days.

Environments

2010-02-22T13:23:00.003-05:00

One of the things I know I really need to work on is environments. I usually find ways to fit them into a final painting, but I generally don't tackle them on their own. I started with just basic colors and shapes, but the piece eventually morphed into a possible concept for an area in the story I've been using as a catalyst for my concept art porfolio.

Unfortunately I forgot an important part of my own mythos- there needs to be snow. I guess that will be for the next set.

Sci-fi go!

2010-02-21T01:26:00.002-05:00

Again with the Mass Effect based art. I wanted to try to design something that seemed like it could fit within the armor designs that are used in the game, but with a slight variance. I'm not convinced of the color choices, though I could probably whip up another 10 of them fairly quickly (and I think I will, perhaps more refined), but I'm pretty happy with the armor.

Shepard

2010-02-17T19:14:00.003-05:00

I've managed to sneak in some Mass Effect 2 time (mostly by sacrificing sleep- but I just had to introduce my mind to new inspiration). So far, much better than the first, love the story line as usual for Bioware games, and am really looking forward to 3.

As I love Bioware games about as much as a good book, I figured it was time to work on some fan art. I took about 30 min at 3:30 this morning to whip this up.

Short Update

2010-02-08T13:26:00.005-05:00

I've been crazy busy with freelance the last month or so- basically getting out of bed, painting, going to my day job, coming home and painting until I pass out- then rinse and repeat. (Not that its a bad thing...)

At the beginning of all that though I did find the time to squeak out a piece for art order (I just couldn't resist the topic). The entries for the Assassin Devil were so amazing though- they put mine to same. Either way, I had fun while working on the piece.

One thing with being so busy with art is that it has shown me what my capabilities are, and when I need to stop or re-asses my work load.

I have found over the last year that I love doing freelance, and I also really love doing my own work, that I like having a few hours of free time a week to play a video game or read a book, and I need the forced out of house "escape" of my day job, but I think they are all best taken in moderation with an equal balance of all of them, and that seems to be what keeps me happiest.

enough!

2010-01-08T23:55:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I think you just have to say "enough" and move on. (Many artists would disagree, including 1/2 of the brain of the artist writing this, but I'm ignoring that part now).

Problem is, I was looking at this, and then the older version posted a few posts down (that's an awkward sentence), and almost liked the old one more. *sigh*

Edit: I'll probably end up coming back to this one and fixing it up. I think I could push the bodies on the ground farther, both in number and in the accuracy of anatomy and lighting.

2010-01-05T18:03:00.003-05:00

This game has been a pretty major influence on my thoughts and ideas since I played through it. Twice.

I'm usually a pretty big fan of Bioware's products, so lets suffice it to say that I got kind of giddy when I found out that there is an expansion (oh, so duh, there would be one, but its official!).

I like gritty fantasy stories, and this game has it. Sure the story has been seen, but with games I somewhat expect that, and I've sort of gotten to the point in my life where I feel that originality is more the creativity in which you rehash the same-old, rather than making something entirely new, which is, imo, entirely impossible. I'll admit I sort of wish I'd bought the PC version, as its supposedly much better than the one for x-box, but seeing as I also really need to buy a new hard drive so I'd have room to install it...

btw, I cried a little when they delayed the DLC...

2010-01-05T13:26:00.002-05:00

I did some revisions on the old Drow v. Mindflayer piece that I did a while back.

hmmm...

2009-12-30T23:48:00.002-05:00

hmmm
mmmm
ermmm

I've been struggling with this piece since October. It kept getting shoved aside, due to freelance (yay), part time job that pretty much became full time due to Christmas (boo), and getting distracted by making other things(..yay? O.o )

It's still not quite done. It has a level of meh about it, and as I've been a totally perfectionist lately, I'm trying to fix those issues. Especially anything that would help with contrast and composition, and rendering too I guess. But here's what I've got so far.

Besides this piece though, I'm considering neatening up those Moa sketches just a little. Nothing too time consuming, but enough that I feel like are slightly more presentable, so that I could put them in a concept-art portfolio. I do like the designs so, it seems worth it. I'm also planning another set or two.

Moa...

2009-12-27T20:41:00.004-05:00

or something. I keep changing her damn name. It seems like whenever I invent a character I have to go through 50+ permutations of a name before I come up with one simple enough that I like it, but interesting enough that I think it captures the characters essence. And it has to seem pronouncable.

A lot of books I've been reading (ok...so like two authors so far) use some pretty simple names for their characters. It's something that I've grown to really like. Joe Abercrombie has his northern men, at least the "named men" have simple nick names like Shivers, or Ninefingers. They have real names, but I like the call signs, so to speak, because they stick in the mind. Glen Cook's characters in The Black Company have a similar system to them and in his case they are even more extreme in that whatever the character's original name was is gone. It gives the character an instant personality, more so than long and fairly unrealistic fantasy names that often stick to the tongue and I usually forget as soon as I put the book down.

That being said whenever I have to think of a name lately I'm drawn to recognizable names, or something that is short. Of course whenever I think of names things like Teacup or Couch pop into my head and the other half of my brain goes wtf and I sprint to a random name generator again...

Avatar

2009-12-22T21:43:00.002-05:00

...was pretty damn good.

My goal in life is to get to work on a game or movie of that caliber, visually at least... which would mean that... my work be at that level! lyk, zomg! O.O

wips

2009-12-17T15:20:00.007-05:00

today is the day for wips. Two more from the portrait series (one man to prove that I will actually include a few...lol)

I have a lot in progress at the moment. I feel like I've been working a lot but with not a lot to show for it.

I've also been making some jewelery and started a costume project which will involved a lot of sewing (argg, why do I do this to myself?!)

Freelance has been slow which is ok at the moment with working at the frame shop a lot, and the line of personal projects I am working on. I am in progress of starting up a new commission that should take up my time for a while, though if someone has something they would like to propose to me, I will certainly see if I can work it in.

I'm working into trying to build a concept art portfolio, a portfolio for book covers, and hopefully refining a few pieces that I would like to submit to spectrum pretty soon here.

I have to keep reminding myself these things don't happen overnight.

-.-

I'm not sure I'll ever finish this book cover (for an ArtOrder challenge), although I like the idea, and I would like tocomplete it eventually. It would be good to continue to work on cover type things that could hopefully flesh out that aspect of my portfolio- as wanting to do cover illustrations is pretty much what made me go to art school in the first place.

2009-12-02T15:34:00.002-05:00

...and onward!

Actually, onward for the next few days is going to be trying to finish up some back-logged work for the Hurakan challenge over at ArtOrder. I'd really like to get the book cover done, but I also want to do all the steps which means finishing up the character (which is thankfully almost done) and doing up some color tests for the cover.

2009-11-30T23:29:00.003-05:00

Part of a new character design series- I'm aiming for 30 portraits.

Anyway, the last two weeks have been very hectic. I worked at my day job (I work in a frame shop) all 7 days last week, and was totally exhausted. Poo on retail during the holidays. This week is looking a little better, although when I really get down to it seems neither my freelance or my day job are giving me the capital I need to move on with my life -I should really say night job, considering the hours, but that sounds...wrong. -.- Freelance has slowed down again this month, I'm sort of at a loss as to were to submit work to, and with no real new body of work that I feel is worth sending out, I'm kind of spending my time chugging away and hoping that I end up actually liking a piece or two *gasp*

Plus I got totally distracted by playing DragonAge all last week, which didn't help getting anything done, although since then I've actually started writing my own stories in my head again, which is something I haven't done for about four years now. Yay?

So yea...there's the last two weeks in a nutshell. If anyone know AD's that need work- put in a good word for me, k?

2009-11-19T14:46:00.003-05:00

So I'm back from Illuxcon! Well, actually I have been for most of the week...

Anyway, the trip was loads of fun. You can read about that more in my deviant art journal here.

Before the trip I started a series of pretty basic fantasy characters. I really miss painting them, since I haven't really since early college/high school. However to change things up again I went for a dwarf instead of an elf. Haha. I'm looking forward to compiling a small character design portfolio of these guys.

2009-11-06T00:07:00.003-05:00

just a little tidbit. The original oil painting is quite small actually- only 5 by 3.5 inches.

2009-10-26T09:52:00.003-04:00

Here is a new piece I just finished for the Warlord card game. Was tons of fun to work on. There's a lot of excellent art in that game though, so it makes me a little sheepish and humbled to be working on it...

Their site is here: warlord.de

2009-10-19T13:11:00.003-04:00

I've been so overwhelmed by worked the last month I haven't had a chance to do much in the way of any personal work. I'm also a bit frustrated with most of my art lately as well, so the mix doesn't do much for personal motivation.

Here's a piece I did a few nights ago that I'm planning on painting. It's quite small, each image is only 3" by 5." I was reminded how much I like small precious paintings by a few that came into the frame shop this week (yes, my lack of personal time has also been compounded by having picked up a part-time job working at Michael's frame shop....)

2009-09-23T18:37:00.001-04:00

Today I have some world of warcraft fanart.

Also, made a profile on the Wizards community site. If you ever go there, add me as a friend!

2009-09-20T19:49:00.000-04:00

Been watching Star Trek and painting all day.

Fruit!

2009-09-20T01:27:00.002-04:00

Arrr, Moar Pirates

2009-09-18T16:06:00.005-04:00

...right. >.>

This time its Pans Labyrinth...

2009-09-17T20:08:00.000-04:00

..for my film stills.

Film Stills

2009-09-16T17:05:00.007-04:00

I spent most of the day today watching Pirates of the Carribean and pausing it to draw stills of the film. I'd say each one probably took somewhere between 15-45 min. They're really relaxing, and hopefully they'll pay off with a better understanding of color, composition, and shape.

The Quiet Observer

2009-09-15T21:39:00.003-04:00

Because its my job to make him nervous, I'd like to feature the blog that my better half just put together- writing about "his opinions on art, game design, the mixture of the two, and anything else he feels like addressing." It's actually well written- but maybe I'm biased. =)

The Quiet Observer

Forest Spirits

2009-09-10T00:25:00.002-04:00

I made some revisions on an old piece. I think the older one is in this blog..somewhere.

I made a list of a bunch of things I need to work on- I have a huge list of painting ideas, but I'm starting to feel I need to work a few additional elements into some of them- dragons, additional creatures, gollems, more people- just in general things I don't tend to paint, but want to prove that I can actually paint them. Maybe I should start small...just do a dragon or gollem by itself like I do a lot of my character portraits...hah! a silly notion...

Ti'Phar

2009-09-09T21:36:00.004-04:00

This piece was based on a chow over at conceptart.org. I don't usually submit anything I do over there anymore because I kept getting myself too worked up about them- though I am pretty happy with this piece so in retrospect I wish I had. But I'd also have to travel back and time and get it finished as well...so bah.

Owlbear

2009-09-06T13:04:00.003-04:00

Another challenge over at artorder. This time around it was owlbears- lets just say sometimes its good to push working at something you're really. really. really. not good at drawing.

In Progress

2009-09-04T10:49:00.004-04:00

Today I have a watercolor character sketch and a progress shot of a sculpture that I am working on. I've gotten in a bit of a phase with doing a lot of color gouache and watercolor sketches lately- this one is of my shadowrun character.

I also finally got around to starting a sculpture! I've never worked with sculpey before- all of my other sculptures have been terra cotta. I find I really enjoy the level of detailing that is available with sculpey- I could never manage it with the clay, but I was also only working about a foot tall. I do find that the lack of hardening something that is difficult to get used to. The thing I liked about terra cotta was the ability to push it around and lay out forms really fast, but be able to let it get more firm and sculpt it without it wiggling around too much.

I still think I need to work on my facial anatomy a bit- I can't quite get the planes of the face down properly. My boyfriend came in and looked at it and said it was an "Anna face"- I'm still debating if I like that description or not!

Sketches

2009-09-03T13:23:00.003-04:00

Been working on either work I can't show- or work I don't particularly want to show. I've been trying to learn how to sculpt with sculpey, and I'm going to be slowly teaching myself some 3D modeling with Blender (hopefully) as well.

I've been a little anxious, frustrated, and depressed the last week. I'm trying to find a way of getting a job that doesn't involve food service or retail- because I'd like to think that 4 years of college would get me something more, but I'm having to face the fact that I have no useful training aside from being able to draw and use photoshop and painter. So I'm taking it upon myself to learning some graphic design skills in the next year.

Aside from that though, I'm also facing a dilemma with marketing my work. GenGon was great for meeting AD's, and I had a lot of positive feedback, but my next step is wondering how to persue those leads. How often do you e-mail them about your portfolio? How long does it usually take to recieve an assignment (especially when one has possibly been pointed your way)?

So if you are an AD or an artist who's getting some regular work (and what is regular anyway?), I'd love some tips.

2009-08-18T12:28:00.007-04:00

I finally finished up this piece that I've been working on for a few months now. I kept having to put it aside to finish other work, or move, and so it need a little TLC.

I started the painting in oils. I seemed pretty much done- but it really needed something else that I just couldn't put my finger on. So I took a photo, fiddled with cleaning it up- and a solution came out that I kinda feel hit the spot.

Anyway, what do you think?

Sketches

2009-08-17T13:54:00.001-04:00

I was working on putting together a PDF portfolio and made a page of sketches. Seeing as most of them are new, I thought I would put some up. Others you may recognize as older images.

GenCon

2009-08-15T23:26:00.003-04:00

I'm now relaxing after an eventful two days at GenCon and two 10 hour drives (I'm now revving myself up for a full four days next year). It was loads of fun, and I was able to talk to a ton of people (including the wonderful people from FFG, who now get to be more than just names in e-mails, and many many AD's who I'd like to thank for their time), get some recommendations, and hopefully some work... >.>

But besides showing off my art, it was fun to test some games and go to a few informative panels on the second day there. I met and watched Omar Ryyan paint, who's work I've loved since I was in high school.

I've always been more a WoW and computer games gamer, though my interests weren't solely there. Most of my "history" with the tabletop genre is through talking to the guys who used to play, a few D&D nights in college, and through the Neverwinter Nights game. Despite having had interest in a number of rpgs like D&D, Shadowrun, and Changling, and being a follower of MtG cards (I should say art) for years, I never had the finances to really start playing seriously. My boyfriend and I ended up picking up the Game of Thrones card game and Shadowrun with the hopes of hooking some of our friends into starting some sessions, and we are keeping our eyes on the Battlestar Galactica game as well (since we adored the show). I think now I'll probably be making more of a concerted effort to detour some funds, despite what my conscience tells me.

I wish I had some art to show though. Perhaps tomorrow I'll upload a few of the sketches I've been up to.

Two in a day?!

2009-08-04T16:21:00.003-04:00

I am horribly afflicted with procrastination at times. Doodled this up this morning- a color/portrait/something study.

GenCon Indy

2009-08-04T11:26:00.002-04:00

Looks like I'll be running down to Indianapolis next weekend for GenCon. This will be the first time for me so it should be quite the experience. If anyone is familiar with the show feel free to share suggestions (like do onsite badges get sold out? I'd really hate to drive 9 hours and not be able to get in!).

Also, another new FFG card for you- this time from Game of Thrones.

2009-07-23T20:28:00.005-04:00

Another piece from Fantasy Flight Games to share with you, this time from the Call of Cthulu game! "Dream Dagger" was featured on their site, so now I can show it off!

Also, here is another piece "Drow vs. Mindflayer" that I did for the ArtOrder blog.

My mom's boyfriend also took a picture of a little set-up they did in their house. He pointed out to me that the lighting was terrible, but never-the-less it was still really nice seeing my mom's artwork and mine together, and a beautiful set of flowers tying them all together.

Middle Earth Quest

2009-07-10T18:27:00.003-04:00

Fantasy Flight Games featured one of my pieces as part of a promotion for their new Middle Earth Quest game. This card was one of the first pieces I did for FFG about a year ago, but its pretty exciting to see the final card.

You can see the final card and learn a little more about the game here! The game concept it quite cool. =)

I've also been tackling some more work for ArtOrder. My last piece of the vampires was sort of a disaster, especially compared with some other very win entries. Despite that though, I'm going to attempt to slug ahead. Here is a color study for what is in the works:

Progress Shot

2009-07-05T10:02:00.005-04:00

Just a snippet of a piece I'm currently working on.

I've currently picked up the book Paladin of Souls by Lois Mcmaster Bujold, which I'm starting to really enjoy reading. I think I must have started reading it a few years ago and never really got into it, because some parts are pretty familiar, but perhaps my tastes have changed.

I have a few other books on my to-read list at the moment as well, including finishing The Bible by Karen Armstrong and Cradle to Cradle.

Part of the reading spurt is due to the fact that I finally "quit" playing World of Warcraft- which while I was loving playing, was getting to much in the way with trying to do art, work, and get other things done. I miss a lot of the people I play with, and its really odd when a character seems like an avatar of yourself...scary? I'm not sure, its just different. I guess when you have related through an iconic image in that sense for so many years (4!), it becomes in a fashion like looking through a mirror, though at a different visage of yourself. It's not you, but it is a aspect of you people do see, since the really you is hidden behind a screen or a mic, and is usually a few hundred miles away.

I wish I'd taken a picture of Chimera before my account expired...she was starting to look pretty good in her t8.5....

2009-06-26T21:45:00.005-04:00

I finished up a few pieces in the last few days. One I cranked out for artorder, which is a great blog run by Jon Schindehette of Wizards of the Coast. I would love to do some more of his weekly assignments. It's a lot less intimidating than Conceptart.orgs challenges, with whom I always get a little freaked out because there is voting involved.

The second piece is a book cover project for Jeni Leyn (I did the first book for her a while back). She is always a pleasure to work with, and gives me fun challenges with her pieces.

I'd like to scan in some sketches soon as well, though I have to say my sketching of late has been fairly pitiful. I'm starting to kick myself a bit, because I think my art output has dropped out a bit too much as of late. So hopefully, with this following commission, you'll get to see some more new work out of me!

2009-06-16T17:19:00.003-04:00

Being out of college ate me for a few days (erm, weeks), hence the disappearance. I got swallowed up by a children's book project, as well as looking for a part time job. So children's book aside, and job found (Starbucks), I will hopefully have a few new commissioned pieces to show you.

Here's a tidbit; a character commission I completed a while back for Sarah (link to her site).

2009-05-10T11:00:00.001-04:00

Now that is a senior show. (Click the link to see the images of the Otis College of Art senior show).

Really beautiful work, I just wish I could see the names of all the people who created those masterpieces!

Damn, I have a lot of work to do if I want to compete on that level....

2009-05-06T01:45:00.003-04:00

Ok, so to usher in my graduation I did a little revamping on my website.

My ultimate goal is to learn flash and get something flashy (har har har) going.

As I was looking through all my images though I sort of came to a realization that some of the more painterly qualities that I was doing last year were probably a bit better than the ultra smooth painting style I adopted this semester. I think I'm going to try to reintroduce it into my work, and maybe it mixed with the glazing that I have been doing will combine for magical results. Or it'll just look like crap. Hmph.

I'd give you examples, but its almost 2am.

2009-04-07T21:15:00.004-04:00

I "finished" this up the other day, but there is something missing still and I'm trying to pinpoint it. I'm probably going to go back in a rework it.

If anyone hears through the grapevine of anyone companies that are hiring or people that might be looking for a freelance artist, let me know. After May 1st I'm going to be looking for work (what a time to be doing so too...)