Late updates and a few WiPs

Okay so havn't updated for while but have been working on a few random pieces. So all the following pieces are still work in progress below.

So have been adding in a background to the robot piece, not sure how I'm liking it. It feels a too light to me. Also something I noticed and wanted to change was the moustache, I prefer the style of the one on the original piece so want change that at some point.

Secondly started playing a new digital TCG on Steam called Infinity Wars: Animated Trading Card Game, which has a lot of amazing art work. Was inspired by the lighting effects of this piece below to do my own piece.

Which inspired me to do a Dr von Doom piece, to kinder make up for my super hero/villian piece, that wasn't happy with from uni. Though could get some nice effects on lightening and have nice flowing robes.

Ended up losing motivation on this piece, wasn't very happy with the way it looked. Wanted to do some more original pieces, so googled for concept description generator sort of thing. Found a site that did lots of different types of description generators and really liked the one its generated for Kaiju. One I liked was "The spike covered gorilla that breathed radioactive fire. Made during weapons testing experiment.  Controlled by a mad scientist." I've even started to draw in my sketch book again and then scan the image in now.

I admit is going very stone Golem again, but still liking the way it is heading, wasn't sure on the weapon testing or controlled by mad scientist part of the description. Was tempted to do the whole, glass dome with brain on top of his head, but didn't feel that would fit the stone/rock look. Also borrowed the idea of the background from my mate Chris.

War update 2 - Finally? Maybe?

So after a couple days think I'm done with this piece, and I'm actually really happy with it. I think it looks pretty decent for once. But feel like maybe something is missing and that maybe something is slightly off, but not sure.

Okay seems this image maybe so big that when clicked, asks to be downloaded instead of just opening a larger preview. So here is the Imgur link.

War update 1

War is coming...

So i didn't do the background for the robot yet but will get around to it. I did get inspired by a bunch of "Astra Militarum"(also know as "Guard") artwork today that was posted on mass on reddit's /r/warhamemr sub, especially the following pieces below.

Knight Commander Pask

Commissar

With the first picture I really loved that you can see the actual, digital bush strokes on the painting. The second one was more fascinated by the background and stuff around the Commissar's feet. Which inspired me to start my War brief of the Howling Griffon's Contemptor dreadnought...

Still work in progress but happy with it so far.

It's been a while...

So haven't updated this blog for a while which was due to few things depression of not finding my dream job still and becoming slightly obsessed with competitive Warhammer list creation and going to tournaments. But now that I'am back Sainsbury's doing a job I don't particular enjoy doing and becoming more active at watching for job listings on LinkedIn, has motivated me to get creating portfolio pieces again.

I have been creating 2D pieces in Photoshop and 3D assets in 3DsMax, here and their before this post. But now want get more organized and plan what content I want to create.

So I have decided it would be a good idea to revisit past briefs from university that I didn't enjoy the outcome of because it was rushed or just down right not up to a standard I would be happy with showing.

So to start this off I decided today to revisit a piece that was actually one better pieces, I did for my 2D briefs at Uni. But have decided to make it more crisp and clear, I have used the original sketch so it is still the original design and pose.

2012 Orginal

2014 Redux

Happier with it now has some more small details and the colour is more vibrant and eye catching, the original idea was it to have a more of a British race car colour. But this yellow looks more interesting. Also the shadow on the original one was bothering me, but was unable to find the original .PSD file to simply just fix that. Still not happy with the shadow but its better than it was before. I also want in future maybe tomorrow, add in a background. Just a simple scrapyard boxing ring sort of thing.

Original moodboard

Original process... oh Freddie

Okay so some of the other briefs I want to revisit are:

War: My original piece was a horribly attempt at a steam punk pin up. Should have gone with what everyone in the class thought I was going do, and do a Warhammer scene. Already have an idea in my head of a Howling Griffons' contemptor dreadnought striding over the top of a trench assault cannon blazing.  Note to self want to use a process like this and this again.

"Creature": I can't really remember the name for this brief, but I do remember it was for assessment of skills or something like that. Was given some keywords like Juicy, Pink, Beaked and has to be an Insect... well something like that. If I'm able to find the original will want to do a vast improvement on it.

Alien Landscape: I do need a environment piece really so this will be idea, the original piece much like war was awful and also only part finished at that I think. Recently saw on Reddit someone conceptualizing a scene from MineCraft and was really well done.
http://griffsnuff.deviantart.com/art/Minecraft-repainted-439905342
Haven't been on MineCraft in ages now and with the new Massa environment type would be good chance to find some interesting. Get to have some fun scouting for an interesting location and have some interesting reference to work from, that's sounds like double win to me. Really is great since MineCraft is randomly generated and can generate some really obscure landscapes sometimes.

Michael McCarthy! Quite the Inspirational man!

So this is the 2nd lecture my old lecturer (now course leader) has invited us graduates to attend, it was with Lionheads lead concept artist Michael McCarthy. This man was brilliant not only is his work amazing, he was an funny, passionate, crazy guy. Seeing his work and listening to his work process really inspired me to get back to work on my portfolio again, but this time to start in a sketch book and then move over to digital.

So during the lecture he really got me inspired on things to draw, so created another list of "things I want to draw but probably will eventually lose momentum" one of those lists.

- Fanatical/dumb monk/priest guy with powder keg/bomb strapped to his back (optional pie on stick). (very fable inspired)
-19 straw hats. (Something Mike said randomly off his head, that could be a concept project... convenient)
- A troll helmet. (another one Mike said)
- Servo skull (from Warhammer 40k, want something simple maybe to start with to get back into drawing in a sketchbook and test out transferring it to digital and working it up.)
- Warhammer 40k power/void generators, in different styles of each race.
- Dark angel bust 'Shoulders, head, etc." (another Warhammer thing)

But overall was a great lecture and an amazing guy. Right time to get on with those then.

Halo 5 Wallpaper

So I recently updated my Mac to the new OS X (Maverick), really liked the soothing nature of the default background. So decided I want a change from my current chaotic background (Below).

 

I really wanted a Halo 5 wallpaper, but the one I found weren't as I pictured in my head. Instead found this Journey wallpaper which was closer to what I wanted, so have been using this for little while.

So after awhile decided I wanted make a wallpaper inspired by this, below is my moodboard.

Below is the final result, I think it pretty good considering I hadn't done anything for while now (job hunting). Also was proud that managed to complete it from scratch within 2 hours.