*This painting is now SOLD.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Finished!
*This painting is now SOLD.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Future Brush Whatzidoodle
Another brush experiment. I might actually finish this one (maybe the train one too, thanks for the feedback guys!) . It seems I'm on a futuristic city kick.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Distant Sounds of the Mind
I have a project I work on when I'm not overwhelmed with other things, and it is leaking slowly from my mind to the computer/sketchbook/wastebasket. I'm making progress, but it is slow progress. I can't show what it looks like (mostly because it's unfinished) but it will look like this sounds:
Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians II. Section I
Aphex Twin - Meltphace 6
Queens of the Stone Age - Medication
Radiohead - All I Need
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Quick Fun with New Brushes
Monday, December 07, 2009
Inspiration in Music, Bo Diddley
If I'm feeling like I need a pick-me up creatively, sometimes I watch this video. It's one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Everyone is out of control from Bo Diddley to his dancers, to the crazy screaming girls. If I could draw like he plays guitar, I would be a happy man indeed.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Tonal Comp for Toymaker Piece
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Toys for the New Year
The project 218 art collective that I am a part of is putting on another show in conjunction with D-Structure in San Francisco for the New Year! This year's show is centered around toys.
The mystery character below is a study for a mischievous little craftsman who shows up in my pieces.
???
Who is this, and how did he manage to steal all my time? He seems to have a healthy disregard for the establishment. I've got to keep my eye on him...at least until Christmas.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Try Try Again
These are quick painting studies I did recently. They come after one of the worst art moments I have had since I failed my first charcoal rendering exercise waaaaay back in school. With this, I was red with anger, ready to throw my sketchbook down, kick my paints and snap my brush. Luckily, I simply tore out the page, and started again. Those moments are actually very great for me. They come when I am tackling something I don't understand. In the end, painting is always fun, and I love it!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Iran So Far Away
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
No Sleep Till...
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Final Digital Waterhouse Study
This was the last study I did while searching for secrets I can apply from Waterhouse's painting technique to my digital work. This was done in Photoshop, not Painter, and I saved it for last because it was the most complicated of the selections. It was a beast! There is so much to learn, it's staggering.
Next up is more for the Decrepit Power Station. I am going to do this one mostly traditional, so I will post up work for that soon.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Night Painting
Monday, September 28, 2009
Decrepid Power Station HQ
This is a small thumbnail sketch I did in photoshop as I played around with the idea of an old power collection station way out in space. I read that Mercury has wild magnetic tornados that sweep across the planet, and I wondered if that could be the basis for something on a mercury-esque planet somewhere. I have a loose idea for a story that takes place here. I'm going to develop this particular piece in stages. I will post my progress as it comes together.
As I said earlier, I've been inspired by various tunes lately. The music creates loose images in my head, and some of my posts have emerged from the doodles I create from those moments. Currently on the plate is MSTRKRFT, The Dead Weather/The Kills, New Thom Yorke, Portishead, and Autolux.
Monday, September 21, 2009
The Neighbor
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Future/Perfect
I've been listening to a lot of new music lately, and I was in the mood to revisit an old idea that a song reminded me of. This is based on a blurb I wrote once several years ago in one of my journals. The premise was that at some point in the future television would be so ingrained in human behavior that even after the airwaves go dead, the hypnotic glow of the tube provides comfort.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Owlbear!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Owlbear?
There is a great art challenge blog for people interested in fantasy art called ArtOrder.This particular challenge I am working on is the "Owlbear Reimagined." The owlbear is both a loved and hated creature from the D&D universe, and the idea is to reinterpret the creature as something more than just a bear with an owl's head stuck on. These are the sketches I settled on as my idea for the challenge. I'll take the concept to finish with a male, female and infant version.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Awww Dammit.
You ever have a thing where you have an idea, then you see someone else also had the same idea, but better? Well, for some reason I FAILED to see the blatant similarities between my sketch and the new film District 9. I just saw it, and it was SOOOOO good! Everytime I saw the mothership floating over Johannesburg I thought, "aww dammit." They did such a good job. I don't know if I subconsciously pilfered it, or what, but that idea is a no go. All I can say is, I hope there's a District 10.
I'm still going to work on the story, but the visuals will need a major overhaul. Back to work!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A Bit New, and a Bit Not
Here is a sketch for a piece I'm working on. You may recognize a few of the elements. One is the space station I posted earlier, and the waterfront city is based on the random sketch I did in photoshop a while back working with brushes mixed with some of my painting studies of the port of Redwood City during lunch breaks. It all comes together for an illustration that goes along with some short stories I'm writing that are space/sci-fi related. I'll post more progress on this as it moves along.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Waterhouse Master Studies II
This is the second installment of my digital Waterhouse studies. (not thrilled about the extra compression and subsequent color and resolution mishaps blogger imposed on my file, blech!) I noticed that I'm learning the most in 2 hour studies instead of the quick "speedpaint" technique I've used in the past when studying master paintings. A teacher once said not to spend less than an hour and not more than three on a study, and I think that rings true, at least for these. My goal is not to copy, but to unlock some of Waterhouse's secrets by retracing his steps. One more painting to go!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Waterhouse Master Studies
Monday, July 20, 2009
Reunion Trees
This is a little study I did while taking a break in the shade at Toro Park near Salinas, CA. Kristel and her family had a reunion last weekend. After a little basketball in the heat, I sat down to do a painting and cool off. Kristel's mom mentioned that she didn't see anything particularly inspirational. She was right, but I felt like painting. Thankfully this little bit of grass between two trees presented itself.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Il Communication
So, I've wanted to do this portrait for a while. He pops in and out of the news often, but considering recent events I finally did a quick one. Part Jabba, part Max Headroom, and part Elvis?? One of my co-workers who spent time around the DMZ told me North Korea is the strangest place on earth, bar none. If their leader is any indicator, that may be true indeed.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Half Dome Trip
Two weekends ago, I took a trip to Yosemite to hike to the top of Half Dome from Glacier Point. It was a long and wonderful hike, with moments of peace, beauty, and even some potentially serious danger. It was a great experience, one that I hope I can repeat in the future.
I planned to do some painting up at the top, but the weather decided otherwise. Sometimes I find that it is better to simply observe and enjoy than to feel compelled to record my surroundings. The next time I go to Yosemite I will be sure to bring my paints again.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Heroes of Telara
It's E3 week this week, and my company, Trion, is showing its first game off. I have worked on Heroes of Telara for a little over a year creating concept art for armor, character designs, props and environments.
There's a ton of awesome stuff in the works that I look forward to showing in the future. Here's a little bit of art that my manager graciously allowed me to put up on my blog for public viewing.
Here is the website for HoT showcasing a first peek trailer, screenshots, and some cool art from the artists at Carbon Canyon Studios.
HeroesofTelara
Thursday, May 21, 2009
School Daze
I just concluded a semester teaching advanced illustration at San Jose State University. The students were a great hard working bunch, and you can see much of their work here:
117alabalmet.blogspot.com
Good luck in BFA next year guys!
117alabalmet.blogspot.com
Good luck in BFA next year guys!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Windy Hill
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Godfather II Concepts
These are some of the concepts I did for the Godfather II game that was released this month. It's recieved pretty bad reviews, but it was great to create characters for a living and research the great Godfather Movies in depth. Mostly the designs were period costume designs, but every once in a while, we got to really give a character some attitude.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
View from Eagle Rock at Alum Rock Park
This is a one hour painting from the top of a trail in East San Jose. It was a very nice day and the weather was fine. I just introduced a few new colors to my gouache palette to get a bit more saturation in. California colors are predominantly brown and green right now in the natural areas and normal lighting conditions. I've really admired some of the artists that use colors that "feel right" instead of literally translating the colors of what is really there. I pushed the color in the shadows a lot and the greens in the hill are more saturated. This is just a first attempt, and I'm sure I will find a balance between saturation and subtlety.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Lunchsketchage
This is one of the quick hour-long lunch gouache sketches me and my friend and co-worker Jesse Lee do when we can during the work week. Today a teacher brought a class by while they were out on a walk. The teacher told the children "shhhh! There are real artists working over there, so we have to use quiet voices." The kids were cute and they liked that we were painting the view from their school. We also had a visit from what appeared to be James Hetfield's dog...but it wasn't.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Spacebug
This is a little test I did after building a custom brush set in Painter. It was sort of double test, partly for brushes and partly to just screw around with the caterpillar idea from my taskmaster post. I found that, just like Photoshop, the majority of brushes in the program were just not right for what I needed. There are some default things that are pretty awesome, but mostly I use the brushes I made. I love what's possible in Painter, but it's sort of buggy and a bit too slow. I'm sure as time goes on I will incorporate the two programs into some sort of happy workflow.
I'm working on the Captain and the Taskmaster simultaneously. I will try and have some stuff up, but teaching and work require my full attention currently.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Taskmaster
This is a small sketch for a character in the universe of the Space Captain project I am working on. It took a bit to find him, but I think I am happy with how he feels. Now it's a matter of gathering the appropriate reference to give his design some authenticity and I have to run him through the paces of facial expressions and some poses. I may have to do a small sculpt too.
He is a character that basically keeps the Captain on task. When the captain is not piloting the ship, he often must deal with intergalactic diplomatic relations. Most of the time the problems are menial petty squabbles. This new character is the type who enjoys schedules and order. All things must be addressed and resolved in their designated way. His motto might be, "The ship must run on time!" In short, he's not much fun.
I want him to read a couple of ways at once. I want him to be large and intimidating, while still retaining a sense of "squishiness." I also want there to be a tidbit of elegance and a tinge of danger. Hopefully it all works.
Onward!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Godfather
I worked at EA for my first job out of school as a character designer for Godfather II, set for release next month. I couldn't have started at a better place for where I was at artistically. The proximity to artists much more skilled than myself and the leeway the team gave me to push myself and my art took me to another level, and I will never forget it.
This was a quick sketch just to have a little fun with color and likeness from a Soprano's photo (don't sue me!) as I reminisced.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Fire Brothers Final
Here is the final version of the Fire Brothers piece, originally titled, "The Conflagration." Wow. It took a while to get this thing done! I think this piece was particularly tricky for me because there isn't any real substance to these characters to work with, just whipping flames. It was a delicate balance of trying to make them feel like they were made of fire while not staying locked into how actual fire works or even light for that matter. I think digital was the appropriate medium to finish with because when you are painting in photoshop or painter, you are literally painting with light. There are some snazzy light-mixing techniques that might have eluded me in traditional media. I think the fire brothers emerged with their personalities intact - luminous, intense, and mischievous.
Now that they are safely trapped in their frame, I can pursue the other interests I have been developing!
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Fire Brothers Photoshop Layin
Yes, I'm ashamed to admit it, but I took this piece into photoshop after it mocked me from the closet for months. I wanted to do it in oil, but, let's be honest, it wasn't going to happen. There are other oil pieces that WILL happen, but not this one. The next step is to take it into Painter and do some refining and rendering. If all goes according to my master plan, it will be finished soon.
Once this guy is in the bag, I am going back to my Space Captain and his story. I was looking back on some old posts, and it seems I used to post a lot more story based work. That is what I gravitate towards instead of one-offs, but for some reason my recent posts have mostly been studies and random sketches. I want to get back to developing projects--that's the goal for '09.
Monday, February 02, 2009
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