Clay Face

So my sweetheart got some of this air dry crayola clay for the kids and asked me if I wanted to show the kids anything with it. Now, she knows I don't sculpt but I usually handle the art stuff with the kids. Anyway, we played around with it for a bit and I got this itch so I got some wire, asked the kids what they wanted to sculpt and made these armatures like I've seen guys make online. I wish I'd taken pictures but I forgot. Then, I padded the wire out with some tin foil in spots and then set the kids loose with the clay. My youngest did the pony and because she's so little I touched a few things on there but now I wish I hadn't because of how well she did. She kept telling my oldest that hers didn't look real enough where as my oldest would say, "I'm making a unicorn and those aren't real to begin with!" Those two statements are fairly symbolic of their personalities.

Anyway, I had real fun playing with this stuff, although the medium was a bit of a struggle for various reasons. It started to dry on me as I was working for instance so parts were just too dry to mold by the time I got to them. Maybe if I had a small fine spray bottle handy that would help? Clay is exciting though! Mentally it felt a lot like sketching in my sketchbook, starting with wire, creating a pose, wondering where this would go, squishing on clay and making decisions on the fly. I love creation adventures like that, where things aren't planned. Sometimes it ends in disaster as any adventure can but the thrill of the journey is worth it. Oh, and this stuff cracks a few days later. If not for the wire skeleton underneath they'd be in pieces.

Anyway, another of my concept crew, Patrick Dailey put up his inspiring work:
http://www.pangolinstar.com/index.html

Ye Olde Bridge

Here are some concepts for the busted Golden Gate Bridge in Defiance. One of my coworkers, the multi talented Sacha Roberts, had done some initial sketches exploring this. I followed up those sketches with these so the environment team would have a clear picture of how to build this section.

Little Dancers

Nothing flashy this time, just some more Saturday morning sketches. It's difficult to study/capture kids. Even sitting it's shocking how much they keep moving. Oh, to have that kind of energy again.

Check out another of my very skilled coworkers!
http://www.nicholasstohlman.com/

The Bartender

And here's what was supposed to be the bartender. Not the classiest of characters but it takes all kinds to tell a story.

So as far as a link check out my friend and coworker's new site! He inspires me as an artist and as a person: http://cargocollective.com/conceptsbyjia

Local Watering Hole

I have this feeling my blog has died, either from neglect, blogger dried up or the art got boring. So here's a new concept. First I have an initial sketch that was rejected:

Then the approved concept and a night version:

Followed by a detail of the back lodging area and it's night equivalent:

And the indoor/outdoor patio:

After the concepts are done I like to follow up with the artist building the designs by doing paint overs of the space as it's being built. This better helps guide the production artist towards the AD's vision or my own and also towards the quality level we're looking for. This collaborative process is a lot of fun and very rewarding.

On another note, this guy is great. He has some character concepts a few pages back that I just love. He has embraced that graphic style that I can't get enough of:
http://brianmatyas.blogspot.com/

Hard Surface

So this is foreign territory for me but an area I've really wanted to explore. To minimize failure I tried to embrace my organic way of drawing/thinking. It's somewhere to start at the very least.

Matt Allsopp has some new images up. His economy of paint strokes or lines is near perfect. Wow. Time to practice ...
http://mattallsopp.blogspot.com/

The Wasteland

I like the top image more as a painting but the bottom more as a drawing. Because I tried to do something weird with the lighting in the bottom shot it fell apart without something in reality to base it off of. I should have done better homework. Live and learn right? In fact, I think I'm overdue for regular art homework these days.

I got THIS BOOK yesterday. Albert Dorne is hugely inspirational to me and this book not only had great artwork but also great exposition. The interview I read last night was enlightening.

The Tinkerer

I've been fortunate in my career to have mostly been tasked with believable characters. I have a distaste for comic book character types where everything is idealized. I used to love that stuff as a teenager but things change. Realism (not in the stylistic sense) is so fascinating. I guess you can't beat reality. Sorry, no link today.

The Lawkeeper/Rancher

 

These were concept sketches I did exploring the law keeper Cooper. He's also a rancher.

Karl Simon did some beautiful images for Les Miserables:
http://cghub.com/images/view/482219/

The big guy

Watch out for this big guy. He packs a wallop if you're on his bad side.

In other news Thomas von Kummant's new comic is looking incredible. Thomas blows my mind. I really really really admire his work.
http://gungho-blog.blogspot.de/

Saturday Mornings

These days my Saturday mornings begin with dance, drawing and beauty.

This guy's new environment paintings blew my mind and I think many others when they saw them:
http://cghub.com/images/view/354449/

Uninvited guests ...

It's like a flock of birds, a giant mass formed from smaller pieces.

Have you seen Peter Popken's work? It's absolutely stunning!
http://peterpopken.blogspot.com/

Sittin' on the docks of the bay ...

Something from me ...

... and something from someone who inspired me this week:
http://www.variousplaces.org/

Long Walks On The Beach

Some art.

Also, good grief Tom. What do you eat for breakfast?
http://crayonboxofdoom.blogspot.com/

PRESS START

Press Start: video game art by video game artists.

That's the name of a show I did this piece for. It's an original ink on paper piece. Nothing too special. I kept it simple so I could pull this off. I'm not used to working traditionally to a finish, and I never finish a drawing in fact. I usually just draw enough to get to the painting part. I'm also not used to ink and I did that part rather poorly. In retrospect the hands bug me badly as well but it's too late now. The piece is shipped off. If you're in the Seattle area in a few weeks give the show a look. Some of my favorite industry artists are in it!

http://www.ltdartgallery.com/

ImagineFX

Here's a small instructional I did for the last issue of ImagineFX on heads. I love 'character'. The single most important thing in regards to this is to admire character first and then to observe and study it. If you admire an ideal you'll handicap yourself most likely. But, to each their own. The most interesting part of doing this was watching the playback on the main head image in the video file. I've never recorded myself and it was weird having watched so many painting videos to see one play in front of me that was the fruit of my own actions. It felt like somebody else was drawing it. Weird.

Also, I want to point out to any of you that read it that the editors changed my words in small ways throughout the article. I didn't love the changes but one in particular I believe makes my intentions sound different than what they are. In the ear/nose section I say something like 'because ears and noses are less pleasant features', and that is not what I said. In fact I believe that if you have that mindset, that noses and ears are less pleasant you'll have a hard time using them to your advantage for character. You'll probably consistently make them small and idyllic and that's just no fun. Remember, variety is the spice of life. At least God thought so, and personally I heartily agree!

And, in keeping with sending my readers off to greener pastures check this blog out!
http://filboidstudge.blogspot.com/2011/06/life-drawing-41-gibson-fathers-day.html