Coupla Paintings

Here are a couple of digital paintings I did today. The first is from a 4 hour life painting session in class. I'd like to go back and figure out something for the background to make it more interesting.

This second painting is the result of about 20 minutes of experimenting with a method of "finding" an image in an assortment of random found images. I like the mood of the piece, and I'm afraid to do anything more to it, lest I ruin what it has going for it. I'll probably go back and add some more, but here it is for now.

Film Study

I'm kind of a latecomer to Westerns, but I've spent the last year finding and buying every Western featuring Clint Eastwood that I can find. They invented the term "tough as nails" for that guy.

Here's a study I did from one of his movies. Bonus points go to whoever can name the specific film that features this shot.

Santa Ana Airport Sketch

Here he comes, here comes John Wayne. I'm not gonna cry about my pa. I'm gonna build an airport, put my name on it.

Kitbash, Part II

I've managed to do a little more work on my kitbash project this week, and I want to make an effort to show my progress. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of the build, but I'll try to update the further ideation steps as I go. I've never done this before, and I think showing the process can be useful in finding what does and doesn't work. What better way to motivate oneself than falling flat on one's face for all to see?

So, this week, I took a straight-on side view photo and used the path tool in Photoshop to create a line drawing. I really like the orthographic line drawings you find in books about airplanes, and I wanted to recreate that kind of drawing here. After doing the line drawing, I experimented with various color combinations.

In my head, this is a scout/recon vehicle designed for navigating moderate terrain. It doesn't travel very far, but it can travel rather quickly. It has one large gun, used primarily for self defense, as it is not an attack vehicle. After trying several color combinations, I realized that a type of camouflage would probably suit it best. From a design perspective, camouflage is not necessarily the best coloring, as it masks the contours and shapes of the design. However, that masking would perfectly suit a vehicle with this purpose, so I think I may take it in that direction. Perhaps the camouflage reacts to its environment, like a chameleon, so it can be used in various types of locations. I will probably experiment with it a little more, but here's what I've got so far.

Please share your opinions and suggestions! Which color schemes do you think are working, and which ones should we never speak of again?

Kitbash, Part I

So this last week, I decided to do a little design experiment. Well, it was an experiment for me, as I'd never done it before and was not quite sure how it would work out. For those of you unfamiliar with the term "kitbashing", it refers to the activity of taking parts from various model kits and combining them into something new and original.

So I got an Apache helicopter kit, a jetfighter kit, and a couple of Gundam kits, and put 'em together. Then I painted the whole thing with matte gray primer to unify the whole thing, as many of the different pieces from different model kits were a wide range of colors.

Below are photos of the finished model, and I'm pretty pleased with it. Next, I'm going to take photos of the model in specific lighting scenarios and do some digital paintovers to experiment with paint schemes, weathering, environment, etc...

It's nice to work on some personal stuff amidst the professional work, but often hard to find the time. I really want to finish this project, though, so stay tuned for Part II, coming soon...

Walker Concept Indoors

Our assignment this week was to practice rendering an object with an indoor studio lighting setup. For consistency's sake I decided to use the same vehicle as last week's.

Walker Concept

This is another rendering exercise. I tried to get more into it and really develop something I'd really want to work on.

A couple of new things

It's been a while since I've posted some stuff, so I figured I'd put up some work in progress.

This first one is a concept for a gun that I'm doing for my Gears of War 3 project in my Props and Vehicles class. It still needs some tweaking, but I like where it's headed.


This is an exercise in rendering chrome and different reflective surfaces. I extended a photo that my wife and I took in Moab, Utah, and painted in the rocket ship. It was a time-consuming but kind of fun exercise.

Armored Transport Concept

It's been forever since I've posted on here, so I figured I'd throw up a piece I did this week. Hmm... I could probably phrase that better... I figured I'd post a piece I did this week. Yeah, that's a little better.

I don't often do wheeled vehicles, so I decided to make myself do one to satisfy an open-ended assignment in my Vehicle and Prop Design class (the assignment was to design a vehicle of any kind). There are still some ideas I'd like to see on this, so I'll probably do little bits here and there as I find the time.

VisComm 3 Homeworks

I haven't posted for a while, so I figured I'd show some of my recent homework assignments. These are all for my VisComm 3 class. The first is a painting done over a photograph of a foamcore model (which I just realized is probably still taking up space in the shared laundry room... oops, I'll have to take care of that tomorrow...). None of the model shows, but it was the starting point for perspective and shadow reference.


These are thumbnails done for the image that follows. Some weren't too great, and I really liked a few of them. I might come back and revisit some of my favorites.



This was based on the winning thumbnail. I tried to go for the iridescence of a beetle, and I think it turned out pretty well for my first attempt to do so. It was an interesting process.

You've got a mis-shaped head

Just a quick doodle to flush the homework out of my system. Midterms are gathering like buzzards, so I've gotta do something short-term and fun once in a while.

Quick Portrait Fun

This is just a quick little portrait I sketched tonight to relieve the pressure of homework. It's nice to have super short-term projects like this to remind myself that drawing can be fun. I did this one in about 15 minutes, and it is in no way related to any of my school or work projects.

Israel Hands: Pirate, at your service

This is a character design for my Visual Development class right now. We are developing Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Israel Hands is one of the nastier conspirators and mutineers who take over once they land on Treasure Island.

Derelict Spacecraft: Exterior

So, here's an exterior view of the derelict spacecraft for which I've recently been designing the interiors. To be more accurate, this is the spacecraft before it has been left derelict and is portrayed in full working order. I've got to weather and damage it a bit before it reads as derelict, but it's a start.

Derelict Spacecraft Interior- Sleeping Berth

This is another room in the derelict craft whose interior I started exploring this week. Classes begin next week, so I've been trying to cram in all the personal pieces I can before homework takes over.

Space Craft Interior

This is an interior environment I did for an Epic Tuesday Studios project.

Lava Monster

Our speedpainting in Working Title this week was "Lava Monster." I did most of it within the 1 hour limit, though I took an extra 15 minutes afterwards for finishing touches.

Spacemen and Monsters

I haven't posted for a while, so I thought I'd put up some sketches I've done recently for a couple of unrelated personal projects. I've still got to paint the monsters, but other jobs have taken up a lot of my time recently. Hopefully I'll be able to put up some of that stuff soon, too.

Colorado Bridge

Here are a couple of sketches I did a little over a month ago at the Colorado Street Bridge with Aaron. I've just gotten around to scanning a big stack of images, so I figured I'd post these up.

Creature Design

I'm working on a collaborative project with some friends, developing a science fiction short story as if it were to be a live action film. This is one of my sketches for a creature that sucks the flesh off of its living victims. I gave it a venom sac behind the jaws. When it attacks, it sprays the flesh-melting venom on its victim, enabling it to suck off its liquified flesh. Yum!