First class

Here's some composition work. I don't have much time to talk about it but see what you think. It's emotional response with just two values in abstraction.

Speedpaint: Claws

I can't draw today which is weird becasue last night I did a lovely drawing of a hand of my Fede. I guess things other than enthusiasm effect your drawing skills. I wonder how sports people remain so consistent..

Spedpaint: Camouflage

Vrooom! Getting grittier and grittier. :) But I kind of like it I think. Give me some time to brood on it..

STV3 and the future

Here's a sneak preview of a commission piece I'm doing for a prominent news journalist for the independent TV station TV3 in Ireland. I still need to glaze it to add depth and figure out the complications of transportation without costing too much.

I'll also take this time to iron out a rough schedule for the next few weeks:

Colour and composition Study:

• Monday and Wednesday nights I have classes on-line for 2 hours and I'll need to get about 6 hours home work done between Tuesday evenings and the weekends.

Brush work, Graphic Design and texture Study:

• Speed painting and composition studies at lunch.

Character Designs, Robot Designs, Environments, Props, Weapons and Creatures:

• Spare weekend time I'm going to do more character studies as that is where I really want to be when I'm at the top of my game. I'll be focusing on Ulysses and the wild west for now but will move onto different genres when I feel I'm repeating myself.

Studio Space:

• I'll need to get an application in by the end of the month so probably the first few weekends I'll be exploring the canvas. Focusing mainly on the corruption of memory and using the human figure as a form of expression.

Work process and the artist as a business model for the 21st century:

• I'll be using this space to show how the roll and perception of art has changed incredibly over the past 5 years and how we as a subculture can change to give our audience the art they want in the form they want it. Is there a new business model besides the following outdated 1000 year old struggle?

1. Get good at art
2. Sell art sometimes to the rich (low price giving half your money to galleries)
3. Starve a bit, sell more art (if you're lucky and famous) at higher prices to the even richer
4. Die and let other people get rich from your work

Again keep watching and I'll fill you in on any success stories I dig up on the way.

Studio Space and Composition Class

Another weekend and no more updates on Ulysses. I swear I'm going to pull my hair out soon if I don't get back into my schedule. In an effort to remain in the blogsphere I'll just note down a few exciting developments in my artistic life.

Firstly: A possibility of an addition of responsibilities in my job role has presented itself. It's early days so let's see how things pan out. Watch this space for details.

Secondly: I am starting a Colour and Composition course tomorrow night at The Art Department which is being taught by Jason Manley and Terry Brown. I thought it started on the 17th so I'm in a bit of a fluster. My objective for this course is to consolidate what I already know, learn something new and most of all learn how to apply this knowledge in my own works.

Thirdly: I am seeking a new studio space because this little corner of my room is not big enough for all my mediums. Marko Djurdjevic swears that for him it was the biggest and most positive change he made for his art work. Having a space just for art and separating private life from art life is fundamental to your work as a professional.



So I've been looking around and I've found Cambridge Artworks which is perfect for me for a few reasons:

• It's close by my home
• It's close by Fede's work
• It offers studio spaces that fit my needs and has a lot of talented people I can learn from and maybe share a secret or two of my own with.

Bad news is they have a waiting list and a large application form which I need to fill out and submit with examples of my art work. This isn't a problem of quality from my point of view but of deciding which pieces will work together in a an application that best describe me as an artist and what I am trying to explore and achieve.

Speed Paint: Falling

More texture and brush experiments. happy with overall image, not happy with only photo collage I used in bottom left corner (flags). probably will take them out and paint something instead.

Speed Paint: Scarecrow. 40 minutes

Another one. I'm not happy with this as a whole image but I do like some of the brush work and design elements.

Another Speed Paint

Topic: Voices. 45 minutes, no reference.

To get rid of my block I did a lunch time speed paint

It's hard getting back in to the drawing again. I have so many excuses: Sickness, Milestone delivery and travel. But none of them are valid. I have been drawing every day for the last 3 days though which is good. Today was the first time I've touched photo shop for 3 weeks. I feel bad just at the thought. Oh well.

I'll post later my MADE review and maybe a plan of where to go from now.

Ulysses update

Another update, still lots of details I want to put in but not sure I'll have time before MADE. Also the light on the arm holding the gun is wrong.

A side question: Does anyone have a good portfolio layout that they like that I can steal for laying out mine? I was thinking of just looking at the Massive Black books and trying to layout the stuff like they do..

And is it ok to just bring a digital version of my portfolio?

Lunch time speed paints

40 minutes each including coming up with a solution to the given topic.
First one: Express Line


Second: High Diver

Ulysses 1st pass Colour

I'm happy with the pose and the palette. I will be adding small details here to his clothes: Dirt, Peruvian and Mexican weaving, Make his gun look a bit Japanese along with some conquistador type armour plates on his shoulder, rope, bandages on his arms, some middle eastern touches to the tackle, bit and reins.

I was going to add some mythological elements but I felt it would loose it's western feeling.

Light changed half way through this self portrait

Yeah the light changed from bright sunny to torrential rain and dark clouds. It was just a warm up sketch anyway so even though it's not finished and is a bit not like me I thought I'd post teh experiments I made with texture and extreme shadows (from imagination).

Darn Tootin Ulysses

Here's the initial sketch and the first colour pass. Please note that colour choices, scale, perspective, composition and proportions may change dramatically for final image.

Also note I will be adding a lot of kit on to the horse and on his clothes/belt or whatever I decide he's going to wear under that poncho.

If you have any ideas about some things that a wild west Ulysses would carry around I'll try and include them. :)

House across the road study

Here's a loose illustration of the house across the road (done from observation just in case you think I'm still using photos as ref).

Polyphemus Complete

Here's the final version. Ulysses next. Better watch a western first..

Cyclops - Getting ther but not quite there..

A bit more work on him...

Thanks for commenting friends. :)

Polyphemus Undercoat

Here's my latest creation. It's a Cyclops for my Wild West Ulysses. Composition is almost final, just need to work on the details but I'm keeping this one loose. I like loose and loose likes me. Once I get loose mastered then I can get loose on the details too. :)

Some self portrait changes.

Here's some changes. It took me a while to change it but I'm not even sure any more what i am trying to achieve. Looked at some of the scholarship winners for TAD today. that was a bit difficult to deal with. :( Maybe I'll get there some day.

Self portrait. Finished!

It's finished and I like it!
Things I don't like: A bit of wonkiness in the face that I can live with.
Things I like: It's loose and it's colourful and it's finished.

Back in colour

Here's a still life and self portrait study from this weekend. This is the first stages. there will be more details and refinement tomorrow.

You'll have to click on the thumbnails beow as they're very blurred for some reason..

MADE in Berlin

So why am I getting this lovely portfolio together? Well it's to have something to bring along to MADE. I bought the tickets a while ago and they were expensive but hopefully worth it. 4 days in Berlin staying with a friend and going to figure drawing classes, tutorials, presentations and lots of other stuff by some of the greatest concept artists in the world from Massive Black.

I'm particularly looking forward to meeting Andrew Jones. :)

Here's some more female faces and some studies of boats and me.

Some days you just can't draw!

It's true. Sometimes it seems impossible to draw. But with my super new uber plan those days will soon be far behind me. Read below for a detailed account of what I'm getting ready for next month...

Week 1: 10th - 16th May
1hr daily sketches for every day of the week: Result at end of week: 25 female heads from life, 25 female heads from imagination
Still life painted
Character portrait painted
Use idea reference, thumbs, image reference, sketch and final execution.

Week 2: 17th - 23rd May
1hr daily sketches for every day of the week: Result at end of week: 25 female heads from life, 25 female heads from imagination
Still life painted
Character portrait painted
Use idea reference, thumbs, image reference, sketch and final execution.

Week 3: 24th - 30th May
1hr daily sketches for every day of the week: Result at end of week: 25 male heads from life, 25 male heads from imagination
Creature Design
Use idea reference, thumbs, image reference, sketch and final execution.
Character Design
Use idea reference, thumbs, image reference, sketch and final execution.

Week 4: 31st May - 6th June
1hr daily sketches for every day of the week: Result at end of week: 25 male heads from life, 25 male heads from imagination
Vehicle Design
Use idea reference, thumbs, image reference, sketch and final execution.
Environment Design
Use idea reference, thumbs, image reference, sketch and final execution.

Week 5: 7th - 13th June
1hr daily sketches: Study elements to be used in imaginative compositions
Catch up
Work from Feedback
Prepare networking q and a
Assemble portfolio filling in gaps with my best figure studies.
Print portfolio. Post final digital portfolio on MADE forum, my blog, CA, VLP and on lap top. Include links to previous animation work and best of 3d just in case.

Week 6: 14th - 20th June
1hr daily sketches: Study elements to be used in imaginative compositions
Relax!

And enjoy the sketches if you can!

Hell for Leather Art work is finished!

"Hell for Leather" is finished Beta and is on the way to the printers as we speak! Here's the last illustration I did over the last week. It's been a while I've been drawing for this game but it seems short and it was painless. I enjoyed every minute of it and it kept me drawing. Especially since I had very specific briefs to work from.

Now I'll be going it alone.. If anyone has any suggestions of what they would like to see me draw then leave a title in the comment and I will try to interpret it in to a cool illustration or character design.

Watch this space as I use it to detail out my 6 month programme to learn the basics of being a great draftsman and painter. More info soon. :)

Gatling Face Shredder

Another fine illustration for Hell for Leather. Go and look at the post here on Cob Web games to see what my brief was and how I dealt with it. :)

Everyone's saying I draw too messy... :(

Hello,
Here's some life drawing. the last of it from a couple of weeks ago as the class is now postponed (by me) until the in work projects get a little easier to handle. A couple of people on concept art are saying I am too messy and need to tighten up my lines. I guess they are right, it might force me to draw more in my head instead of working it out on the paper.

Perhaps I should have been a sculptor..

Self Portrait

Here's me after work. Look at my dirty hair.


Sketched with Wacom on computer from observation in mirror.

Doodles on the train

A selection of doodles and observation drawings from travels in Italy in the last weeks. The first is Observation, the 2nd Imagination (kind of). I'll be moving on to Hell for Leather design for the next few weeks so I'll be posting a series of Hell for Leather posts here and on Cobweb Games.

Other news: I've been commissioned by a famous journalist to paint a picture for his beautiful luxury apartment. More details as and when they become available. ;)

Holidays and Deadlines

Such a long time. I've been posting a little bit on concept art but not much. Here's some life drawings for you to look at for now. I'll be a bit more regular here for at least a couple of weeks as I try to get the art work for Hell For Leather finished. Thanks for reading.