Happy New Year - 2009

A quick sketch to wish you and yours a happy and prosperous 2009.

Christmas Cutie 2

...and finally, here is the holiday painting that I had hoped to post first. So, once again...HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Christmas Cutie

The snowman post was a filler for the one's that I had originally planned to post for season's greetings. I have one more to post after this one. I still have some work to do to get it finished, but I'm shooting for it to be tomorrow's post.

I hope Santa was good to you!!

Merry Christmas!

Hope yours is great!

Similar Poses, Different Approaches

The first was done using straight lines and angles which formed lots of points. I think I managed to keep the femininity of the subject, despite the lack of curves. She'd probably make a good authoritarian character.

The second character is all curved lines and circles. The form is very organic. I think that this character would be perceived as more approachable than the first.

I do these types of exercises because I like to work in different styles. Plus the style can really help to establish the personality of a character or scene.

Monocle

I was browsing through some of my cartooning books and got inspired to knock off a quick character. I played around with the basic head shapes until I got something that I liked. I kept working it until I got a feel for the character, then it was off to the races.

Stream

I came across one of my old landscape paintings today. I created this scene out my head. I think it was for paint challenge where we had to create landscapes without using references.

Landscape painting and drawing is yet another thing that I really need to do more of.

Hovering in the Clouds - Update

I meant to post this earlier. I finally got my new monitor correctly calibrated. Here is what "Hovering..." should have looked like in the first place.

Painting the Secret World of Nature

Every now and again, I come across a book that I know will become an often used resource in helping to develop my artistic "chops." "Painting the Secret World of Nature" by John Agnew is just such a book.

Some of the painting subjects that are covered: Scales, Translucent Flesh, Bark, Stone, Fur, Feathers, Moss and Mold.

Agnew's explanations and examples hit upon some painting problems that I hadn't been able to solve to my satisfaction. Paint mixtures are even included in the descriptions. I see this book as a roadmap to helping me move forward on a number of subjects. Agnew's works are created using traditional mediums, but I can see the digital applications.

The book is only 125 pages, but it contains better information than some books twice the size. I'm looking forward to incorporating some of the techniques from this book into my own paintings.

These are some quick water droplets that I painted after a browsing a section of the book.

Hovering in the Clouds

Still struggling to find time for art. I did manage to take advantage of Circuit City's going out of business sale to buy a decent monitor. I did this painting to help calibrate it. I'll check it on some other computers to see how well the custom calibration went.

The length of the wings is a little off. This was supposed to be a quickie, so I wasn't checking as closely as I should have been. Instead of a quickie, I noodled it for way longer than I meant to.

Texture-y Sketch

Its been a while since my last post. As I mentioned before, things got really hectic all of a sudden. Then, I caught some kinda bug, which slowed me down even more. I'm feeling better and my schedule is settling down again, so I've been able to get back to my art.

Which brings me to the posted image. It was completed in one sitting. The textures were all created with custom brushes. It was good to get something started and finished.

Vote!

I've been insanely busy over the last week or so and didn't have much opportunity to paint or post.

I don't get too political with my art, but I thought that I'd put this reminder for those who are eligible to participate in the US presidential election on November 4th.

Another Chrome Figure

I did this one a while back. You can see the brush strokes better.

Chrome Dancer

This was created by drawing and painting a figure using Corel Painter's liquid metal tool. The clothes and shoes were painted with "regular" brushes. I use this brush every now and again as a "change of pace."

Spacey

A quickie that came to mind after looking at photos on the 'net. I found a pose that I liked, drew and painted the figure and background. I modeled the space suit after the ones worn on the old tv series, "Lost In Space."

Why the long face?

With all of the interest in the upcoming U.S. Presidential election, I've been paying more attention to the editorial cartoonists. One of the visual aspects that I most admire is their ability to caricature and exaggerate. Its probably the same reason that I am drawn to cartoon art. Elements of cartooning usually find their way into my own work. I've found that I like to develop them into fully rendered characters.

One of my favorites who successfully combine caricature with cartoon stylings is Mort Drucker of Mad magazine fame. I count his work in the varied melange of artists that I feel have influenced my "art style."

This latest painting is an attempt to further fuse the elements that I like into my own interpretation.

Large Eyed Girl

Finished off another old sketch. It was nice practice for skin tones.

Elf WIP4

Worked on the painting a little bit more. Heading into the home stretch.

Elf WIP3

Referencing Matt Dixon's book again, I simplified the background. I think that the figure was getting lost in the previous background. I think that this change really emphasizes that the figure is the focal point of the painting.

Another Quick Sketch

Just a quickie because I had a little bit of time to fill. I think that I mentioned before that I try to draw or paint daily even if its just a scribble. I think that its an important habit to develop. It keeps me from going back to those long spells when I wouldn't create any art at all and risk losing whatever gains I've made.

Sites I Like: Painterly Arts - Digital Painting Portfolio

I recently came across Painterly Arts: Digital Painting Portfolio of Simon Dominic Brewer. The teaser image on the splash page was enough to make me click through to the main site. I was not disappointed. He has a great gallery, full of imaginative, well executed digital paintings. My favorite is called "Six Shooter," located in the Science Fiction Gallery. He has a real talent for atmosphere and lighting. The character designs are varied and interesting.

This site is well worth a look!

Background Study 1

I just picked up a copy of "The Fantasy Artist's Figure Drawing Bible" by Matt Dixon. While I think that he does some nice figures, I really like the backgrounds that he uses. The use of implied shapes and texture appealed to me. I decided to work through his book and try reconstruct some of the backgrounds.

This is my interpretation of a background that Dixon used with his wizard figure.

Girl in a White Blouse

The base of this painting was another that I started some time ago. So, I'll consider this another work completed for the Finishing Project. I really enjoyed painting the interplay between shadow and light on the face.

Expressive Painting

In issue 20 of Corel Painter Official Magazine, artist Zhu Hai Bo AKA zhuzhu penned a feature called "Paint Movement" which was about expressive painting. After reading the tutorial and viewing the reference images, I decided to try it for myself.

I've recently started taking Detroit Style Ballroom Dancing lessons. I wanted to try to capture some of the motion of the dance in a painting. I looked up some vids on YouTube, screencapped a few scenes and used them as the model for the figures.

I started out doing a few gesture drawings, until I got one that I liked. I didn't stick with the instructions completely, opting for a little more definition. I used only the brushes suggested in the tute.

The attached image was finished in one sitting.

Catwoman

Another doodle that made its way to color.

Sketch: Geisha

A mechanical pencil sketch of a geisha, based on a figurine.

Elf WIP2

I found a little time today and refined the figure a bit. I also added some more space over her head as I felt the image was looking cramped. Added some designs to the face and arm to give the figure a "tribal" affiliation. Worked on the hair, but may change it to look more "primal."

Elf WIP

A work in progress otherwise known as "Will you please finish a painting!!!" LOL

Watersprite

Just something that I had bouncing around in my head for a while.

Geisha

Another oldie. This was painted in 2005. I wanted to do a portrait of a Geisha , but modernizer her a bit. I gave her a western suit and tie, decorated with a flower pattern that was similar to what you'd find on a traditional kimono. I gave her a two-toned shirt to echo the traditional layers that I'd seen in Geisha photos.

All in all, I remember it being a fun painting to do.

The Little Wizard

This is an old favorite of mine. It was done in 2002. Looking at it, I can tell that I was still groping around, trying to figure out the whole painting thing. Still, there was something about it that I always liked. Maybe its the simple colors, the beginnings of character design or the use of cheesy effects and the image hose. Whatever it is, I still smile when I come across it.

Quick Finds: Oscar Cobblepot AKA "The Penguin" Sculpture

I came across a fantastic sculpture of Batman's enemy, the Penguin. Take a look, you'll be glad that you did!

Kane inspired Penguin - clay study - ConceptArt.org Forums

Best Title for a Digital Painting Tutorial

This has to be the best title that I've seen for a tutorial in a long time: "How to Color An Ass: Neolucky Style!"

Just so you know; she's not talking about donkeys! Its actually a pretty good coloring tutorial, done in a tongue in cheek style. It inspired me to grab an old figure study that I'd done and slap some color on that...Ahem...I mean, apply some paint to the figure (LOL!). I thought that it came out pretty good for a ten minute paint job.

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Avast, ye swabs! Today, September 19, be International Talk Like A Pirate Day! Here be a quick sketch in honor of the day!

Here be tales about the day, matey!

Stylized Face

Another sketch that worked its way into becoming painted.

Quick Finds: Snake Painting

Julie P., an artist who posts on Wetcanvas!, posted a fantastically realistic digital painting of a snake. Its a really great example of photorealism. She was also kind enough to post some progress pix with it.

I think it's definitely worth a look see!

Wine Bottle and Glass

I remembered a still life that I had done using the variant from the last post. I should probably find projects to use this brush on more often.

The Monster of Mary Shelley

Another drawing for the Weird Science Drawing Jam. This is the Boris Karloff version of the Frankenstein Monster. It was drawn with a custom variant of Corel Painter's barbwire pen.

If you look closely, you can see that I used another custom variant of the tool here.

That's one of the features that I really like about Painter, the versatility of it's brushes.

Island Girl Sketch

Just a sketch for an Island Girl concept. It may get developed into a painting at some point.

Head Sketch

Doing a little sketching, fooling around with the blending tools. Basically, I was trying to use the blenders to define and shape the facial structure, the tendons and collar bones.

Art Challenge, Weird Science

This work was created for the " Weird Science" jam over at The Drawing Board.

Description:
This month's Jam is dedicated to scientists, their experiments and the results.

I went with one of my favorite mad scientists, Simon Bar Sinister.

Vignette

Having a little fun slapping on color, practicing brushwork, just to see how things would come out.

More Ogres

Creating yesterday's ogre got me to thinking about a couple that I had created earlier. The one with the ogre emerging from a cave was painted two years ago. The lighting was inspired by a John Singer Sargent figure study. I really liked the interplay of the light and shadow in his drawing. I tried to get the same flavor here. I hate the club. It looks like he's carrying a big turkey drumstick! I resisted the urge to "fix" it. Its good to look back on older pieces. They show you how far you've come and how much farther you need to go.

The second one was also started in 2006, but was never finished. This was of an ogre hoisting a few at the local pub. I was working in Photoshop on this one. The other was created in Painter.

An Ogre Emerges

This was one of those pieces that came about almost randomly. A few days ago, I'd been fooling around with few custom brushes, just to see what kinds of patterns/textures would emerge. I liked the result and saved it for future reference.

Today, I got the idea to do an extreme close-up. I'd decided on a fantasy character, an ogre. I wanted to keep it cartoon-y, but with a fully rendered look. I remembered the texture that I'd created earlier and thought that I could use it as the basis of the ogre's skin texture.

I opened the file, added a layer, sketched a face and painted in the features.

I guess that my "lesson learned" from this would be to save more of my experiments. You never know when they'll come in handy.

1st Forays into Digital Painting

Some of my earliest attempts at digital painting. I believe that these were done in the mid 90's, on Windows 3.1 using MS Paint with a mouse. They were all copies of other artists' work, but they helped to start me down the road to creating original works and developing my own style.