Drawing the Sword

#143 Thorin Oakenshield: Digital Process

2012-01-21T13:04:00.004-06:00

Thorin Oakenshield
(7 1/2" x 11" watercolor, digital)

Here is Thorin in all his digitally edited glory.
I had a lot of fun exploring this watercolor thing fully for the first time. I will say though that I was quite disappointed in the way I managed the color. I know very little color theory in general, but I knew that the helmet here was going to be gold, so in order to create a somewhat effective image, there would need to be a cooler, contrasting color (preferably in the shadow areas).
I believe that in the end it all ended up pretty muddy, because I was afraid of adding too much color into the image and making it to bright and vibrant. So, I continued to add wash after wash of light, muted color. This turned out to be somewhat of a disaster.
But there was a glimmer of hope! I could use Photoshop to improve this right? This all-powerful tool of pixel wizardry could turn even the worst of watercolors into a masterpiece! So I scanned it, and began.

The Un-Edited Scanned Painting.

The The scan was, of course, very greyed out and bland. Scanners have the evil intent of ruining your every attempt at artistic excellence. So upon entering Photoshop, I had to adjust the Levels to get the values back to normal. After this, I added several (as in five or six) Color Dodge & Color Burn layers. I painted over various areas of the painting in these layers with colors that I sampled from the image. This brightened and darkened the different colors I wanted to emphasize, and that I unfortunately wasn't able to achieve in the original painting. It also allowed me to create the illusion of the highlights "glowing". Finally, I dabbled with a Color Balance layer or two, giving the shadows a darker Violet tone to contrast the Yellows of the highlights.
Another thing that you may notice is that I eliminated those ghastly bags under Thorin's eyes with the Clone Stamp tool. I have no idea what possessed me to put those in the drawing.

So, hope you liked that little run-down of my process. Let me know what you think could use improvement. Now, on to other characters!

-Will

#142 Thorin Oakenshield: Watercolor Progress

2012-01-19T21:26:00.001-06:00

Before we go any further, let me make one thing clear: DON'T LEARN HOW TO WATERCOLOR FROM ME.
I really have very little idea what I'm doing. But so far I think I'm doing *something* that looks half decent. I'm learning all I can right now from Justin Gerard who is also doing some Tolkien inspired artwork right now. I would appreciate any comments & tips or suggestions you might have. Lets hear what you have to say! I'll post more progress as it's finished. Thanks for looking!

#141 Dwarfed

2012-01-11T16:09:00.003-06:00

Assorted Dwarves in Various Stages of Completion.

Thorin Oakenshield (?)

A couple of quick Dwarf doodles/studies. Trying to pave the way for some finished Tolkienesque artwork to be finished in watercolor and digital (Yes!! Watercolor!!). I'm actually going to try William Stout's "Rackham/Dulac Method" for the finished pieces (recommended by Justin Gerard here). Wish me luck!

#140 New Year, New Directions

2012-01-04T16:44:00.004-06:00

Well, it is already 2012, and since I'm sure that you're already sick and tired of hearing about New Year's Resolutions (and of course the finer points of Mayan calender reckoning), I'll spare you much of the sappy gushing about an old year gone and a new year begun.

To be quite honest, I've gone through a lot of re-evaluating the direction of my art goals in the past year, and a lot has changed in the way I look at my approach to learning the trade of Illustrator and Artist. So I thought that I would briefly fill you in on what's been going through my brain so you will know what to expect this year from Drawing the Sword.

One of the most game-changing decisions I've made in the past year is the decision to stop attending Academy of Art University Online. This decision was a hard one, but overall I feel that I'm already better off for it. After talking with several people, including the esteemed Matt Silver of the Silver Agency, I made the decision (based on my own reasoning, no one else's) to quit art school in favor of simply schooling myself in the ways of crafting illustrations.

At this point I hear art instructors everywhere screaming:
"HE'S A FOOL! HE SHOULD BE IN AN ACCREDITED INSTITUTION PAYING GOBS OF MONEY SO HE CAN GET A WELL PAYING JOB SOMEDAY! HE CAN'T BECOME AN ILLUSTRATOR JUST BY READING BOOKS AND WATCHING YOUTUBE!!!"

And I can understand their concerns. For one thing, attempting this is a very risky business. And they are right, books and YouTube (YouTube especially) can be hit or miss. But one of the best things about it is, it may be risky, but it is far less costly. Accredited institutions are not cheap, folks. And for what I could pay for tuition at AAU I can finance a trip to Amherst MA to attend one of the world's finest week-long learning sessions with America's finest illustrators, learn from them, talk to them, network with them. Buy them coffee. Whatever. That one week would be ultimately more profitable to me than a year in school, learning at a school's pace. I would prefer to learn from real people that I can connect with than just by reading a syllabus.

So ultimately what this comes to is one very important thing: Portfolio.
I will be spending this year, 2012 constructing the best portfolio I can. I plan to do what I thought I could do with an Illustration degree (get very fine freelance illustration work), with a solid portfolio. Most clients will not give a flip about my dusty diploma hanging on the wall in my cramped, book laden, paint smudged studio. They want to see what I can do. They want art, not a piece of parchment with Gothic print all over it and a gold seal at the bottom.

I have several personal projects in the pipeline. I'll be announcing them soon, as the plans become more concrete. But you can bet that I will soon be drawing a great deal of Hobbits & Dwarves this next year. That's all I'll say on that one.

Two other very important goals that I am aiming for this year are this: Obtaining my own Website, and securing an internship somewhere with a studio or independent artist. These are both pretty reliant on how my portfolio is looking. Without a well-rounded portfolio, a website is going to look pretty anemic, and securing an internship of any kind beyond "Official Studio Toilet Scrubber Intern" will be fairly difficult. So, like I said before, Portfolio is the name of the game right now. I'll be hard at work on that, and while doing so will be perfecting technique - drawing, digital, watercolor, oils.

I think that one thing I have learned is this: becoming an Illustrator is more than just an event that happens. It's a lifelong process. The masters haven't perfected it yet. They're still on their own journey. So I figure that I had better get started down the road. The sooner the better!

So here's to 2012 - The Year of the Illustrator!!

-Will

#139 BAH, HUMBUG!

2011-12-25T19:48:00.002-06:00

Ebenezer Scrooge, on behalf of Drawing The Sword, wishes you a
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

And a shot of me posing a little too effectively as Scrooge with a little Photoshop help with the props. I've been told that I'm possibly related to Scrooge, though that remains to be determined by DNA testing.

-Will

#138 More Card Designs

2011-12-20T19:03:00.006-06:00

- click images for larger size -

I have really been doing a lot of graphic design lately, and honestly I've been enjoying it immensely. I get a thrill out of arranging images, text, and colors harmoniously (you can be the judge of that). This set of cards is going to be part of a paper goods gift box for a gift exchange I'm participating in later on in the holidays. And as I'm sure you can tell, I'm a big C. S. Lewis fan. I hope that whoever gets these is too!

It would be awesome to see if there's any demand for these things. If so, I could start offering them on Etsy. Just give me a shout. You can make it happen!

And hopefully I'll have at least one illustration post before Christmas - just hang tight!

-Will

#137 New Year Postcards

2011-12-13T22:38:00.008-06:00

front

back

alternate version

My family will be hosting a New Year's Day party soon, so I offered to come up with some invitations for them. The postcards were designed in Photoshop by scanning in some Alaska graphics from a 1960's book (I adore that look). Used the free typeface Mod from Font Fabric
and created a layer mask from it. My mom said her decorating theme for January is snow, so I wanted something minimalistic, snowy and cold. The vintage graphic and the turquoise blue keep it from getting to stark, adding a little warmth to the overall feel.
The last image is an alternate design that didn't make the cut.

#136 CARGO Comic Cover Art

2011-12-08T15:50:00.007-06:00

http://cargocomic.tumblr.com/

The home for my new wordless comic "CARGO" is finished - the previous Tumblr theme I installed was distracting, so I toned it down a bit - but this is the new cover illustration I completed today. Bear with me - I learned a lot through doing this cover, and that is exactly what I intend this project to be - a learning experience. The cover itself leaves a lot to be desired in my own opinion, but I think things are moving forward nicely. I hope you all will pitch in with any feedback you might have as the project moves forward!

I'll post a preview link here on Drawing the Sword when new Pages go up soon!

-Will

#135 Mollie Greene's Make & Do Holiday Giveaway!

2011-12-05T11:11:00.006-06:00

I love a good giveaway!
So I really want to tell all ye good folks about Mollie Greene's amazing paper work, and her cool new book which she is giving away on her blog here: molliegreene.com I love anything that re-purposes vintage paper into cool stuff that you can enjoy. So enter the giveaway and spread the Christmas Cheer! And thanks so much Mollie for this sweet giveaway!

About Make & Do:

Released in September 2011, Mollie Greene's paper craft book Make & Do: Paper Fascinations for Every Lovely Occasion includes tutorials for old Royal Buffet favorites and new soon-to-be Royal Buffet favorites, Mollie's best pointers for working with paper, and fabulous photography that walks you through each step of the way. A perfect gift for yourself or for anyone who can handle scissors.

Links:
http://molliegreene.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/royalbuffet?ref=top_trail

#134 Space Comics!

2011-12-02T16:37:00.005-06:00

Hey everyone!
I'm excited to announce a new project of mine - my very own webcomic!
CARGO is a sci-fi short comic about space exploration and, well, CHOMPERS (see diagrams above). I've pretty much stuck my neck out by posting all this because now I actually have people expecting me to finish it! So I will.
Go ahead and bookmark the official site: http://spacecomics.tumblr.com/ where the comic will be published (I'll post updates here and on Twitter as well). I look forward to sharing the pages with you as I get them done!

#133 Calender

2011-11-19T21:52:00.003-06:00

Some calender designs I helped create for a friend.

#132 IT'S COMING!

2011-11-18T10:50:00.005-06:00

HERE'S WHAT I'M WAITING ON TO COME IN THE MAIL. GET YOURS BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!

Justin Gerard Sketchbook 2011 (Get it Here)

#131 Inspiration Levels: LOW

2011-11-16T14:52:00.002-06:00

As I'm sure any artist can tell you, sometimes inspiration is hard to come by. Really I suppose I mean motivation in my case, and today is a prime example. Lately I have been tinkering with a Lego Star Wars set, coming up with a bunch of spaceship ideas. Yes, I admit it I am, and always will be a Lego fanatic, and I can't help but fool around with them occasionally. So I'm trying to use the photos I took of the designs I made as a springboard into a Photoshop concept painting. But it's not going the smoothest. I think I'll probably scrap it, and move on to something else. And then rewatch my Ryan Church DVDs. Bleh.

#130 Gandalf Bookmark

2011-11-12T14:13:00.003-06:00

Gandalf will guard the interior of your bound volumes.

Done entirely in black & white in Photoshop, in a bookmark format. Taking a lot of inspiration from the work of Chris Koelle lately (buy his stuff). Is there enough detail in this thing to even read well as an image? Let me know if you see any major problems here.
If I printed this, would you buy one? Would the Tolkien estate sue me? Would you buy one for everyone on your Christmas list? Does the idea of unique bookmarks even interest you? I hope so. It does me. I hope to have a whole bunch of them done up here in a couple of weeks.

#129 Illustration Friday: Stripes

2011-11-10T17:31:00.004-06:00

Stripes - Pencil drawing w/Photoshop 8x7"

My first ever Illustration Friday submission! I had a lot of fun with this one - it took about 4 hours to finish. Did a couple of preliminary sketches to establish the pose and the construction of the car. A little Photoshop magic (well, a lot really), and there you go! 1960's race car action!
Looking forward to more of this Illustration Friday stuff!

#128 Captain Brown

2011-11-07T20:12:00.003-06:00

If you're like me, you like period drama. So last night I watched Cranford a BBC show about this small English town. It's quite fascinating and compelling, and the characters are splendid.
I have unofficially declared November to be Drawing From Life Month for myself, so I began by working from stills of this show, which afforded me some very interesting faces to draw, and superb light and shadow (which is hard to find in photo reference).

The beauty of it is, however, that I don't have to show you the photo, because then you would see how off I really am. I felt a bit rusty on my drawing skills, but to tell you the truth it felt so good to get back into that mode of separating light and shadow and getting it onto paper.

#127 Inktober 2011 Sketchbook Flip-Through

2011-11-01T13:31:00.002-05:00

Here's a little video flip-through featuring all 31 pen & ink drawings for INKtober 2011 in their unaltered, unedited state in my Moleskine sketchbook. I thought it would be fitting to collect them all into one video here on the 1st of November as a little thank-you for everyone who followed this mini-project and left feedback & suggestions. And a big thanks to you, Jake Parker for inspiring me to take the journey in the first place. It was certainly worth it!
I can't wait to do it again next year!
Happy November everyone!

#126 INKtober Day 31: Heroes' Last Stand

2011-10-31T22:14:00.004-05:00

"...And so it was that he, along with the Archer and the Dwarf made a desperate last stand on that barren hilltop. The Lost Gold was safe, but any hopes of a return to the realm from which he came, and all hope of winning the hand of his lady had been dashed upon that desolate mountain. As the dragons circled around them, he resolved in his battered, weary state to die fighting, die nobly, and die with her name on his lips..."

___

And so, the great INKtober journey comes to a somewhat bittersweet end. I will miss doing an ink drawing every day. But it has totally inspired me to move forward and work harder than ever to become a better draftsman and artist. The month of INKtober has pushed me to think in creative ways, and to never give up.

It has been an amazing month, thanks to everyone who has commented and been following this incredible journey. I hope you'll stick around to see what November holds...
Until then, my friends!

#125 INKtober Day 30: Perilous Stair

2011-10-30T21:42:00.001-05:00

“...after destroying the wild beasts that accosted him in the plains, he gained with no small difficulty access to the Perilous Stair. He began to climb, his heart trembling half with terror, and half with joy, knowing that any moment his life could be snuffed out, and that the Prize of his Quest was near at hand. But little he knew of the foul Evil that resided in that dark Tower...”

#124 INKtober Day 29: Master of the Forest Way

2011-10-29T23:45:00.005-05:00

"Well he knew that blade and its cruel master, but this would be their last meeting. 'Twas a slim chance that he would make it through that grim forest, but there was no turning back, indeed there was no other way to find the lost gold, and win the fair hand of the lady Gwyneth.."

#123 INKtober Day 28: Speed Demon

2011-10-28T23:05:00.001-05:00

Nothin' like cruising the back roads in a hovercraft on a crisp, fall day..

#122 INKtober Day 27: Overnight Shipping Co.

2011-10-27T11:02:00.001-05:00

Special Delivery.

#121 INKtober Day 26: Unicorn Battle

2011-10-26T17:40:00.005-05:00

UNICORN BATTLE!

This is based on a suggestion by @jackierudolph84 (on twitter). I couldn't wait to do this one, because I loved the idea of 2 mythological creatures fighting to the finish in a battle of good vs. evil. Intentionally, I left it up for you to decide which one is good and which one is evil. I have my own opinion, but I won't bias you either way. I'd like to hear what you think in the comments.

Only 5 days left of INKtober! I hope to make them count. More tomorrow!

#120 Unicorn Sketches

2011-10-26T12:59:00.003-05:00

Drawings from photo reference (with horns added of course). And pardon the trashy scan quality.

#119 INKtober Day 25: Fido

2011-10-25T22:18:00.002-05:00

Yes, my dog bites.

#118 Gandalf Virtual Birthday Cake

2011-10-25T11:16:00.007-05:00

Get your own! | More Flash Toys from TheoWorlds.com

Muddy Colors, a fine art blog with multiple contributors of great artistic caliber, has turned one year old today. They are hosting a giveaway in which you decorate a virtual cake, and then possibly win a cool prize. I decided to do Gandalf. Hope you like it, and I'm sorry, but no, you cannot lick the beaters.

#117 INKtober Day 24: Voyager

2011-10-24T22:55:00.002-05:00

"Reluctantly the dark corridors of space gave up the trinket it concealed, depositing it on a lonely forsaken planet - the glistening, majestic Voyager whose singular goal was the transference of humanity between worlds known to worlds unknown. There it stood - a monument to the grandeur of space, soaring into the cold black sky of the alien wilderness."

An eloquently written excerpt from a book that was never written, but seemed fitting for this particular INKtober.

#116 Further Up And Further In

2011-10-24T22:07:00.003-05:00

Reepicheep Pencil & Photoshop 8 x 5"

I received a fine set of Justin Gerard's Watercolor Blossom Photoshop brushes today, and I put them to good use. Of course, there is learning curve to them (I handle them in no way as well as he does), but there are some amazing textures in there, and I look forward to exploring them more fully in the future.
You can get your own set here.

#115 INKtober Day 23: A Very Respectable Hobbit

2011-10-23T22:22:00.001-05:00

A Very Respectable Hobbit.

#114 INKtober Day 22: Smuggler

2011-10-22T22:32:00.001-05:00

I imagine this is one of Han Solo's colleagues.

#113 INKtober Day 21: Clocks

2011-10-21T21:06:00.004-05:00

Okay, I'll start off by saying I don't like this drawing.
Then I will finish by saying that it is a very early conceptual-type drawing for a hero for a comic series I'm fiddling with in my mind. I might call it Clocks and yes, that is somewhat indirectly inspired by the Coldplay song of the same name. You can never tell, it might end up in the shops some day.

#112 INKtober Day 20: Frankenstien's Monster

2011-10-20T20:11:00.003-05:00

This thing came to me fast. I mean, I just started drawing, and it appeared in the page. So that's what you get for INKtober today. The End.

#111 INKtober Day 19: B-Wing Attack

2011-10-19T21:29:00.003-05:00

Today's INKtober honors the unsung virtues of the B-Wing Fighter.
Admittedly, the B-Wing is an unusual-looking craft, but its speed and firepower make it a valuable asset to the Rebel alliance.
And in case you haven't noticed - I have really been enjoying using black in my INKtober sketches. It adds a lot of depth and contrast to the sketches. The application is a bit rough in places, but I like that markery look. It's cool.
Until tomorrow troopers!

#110 INKtober Day 18: Moonlight

2011-10-18T22:37:00.002-05:00

Moonlight buddies!

My mom suggested "mushrooms & owls" so I drew them. Sort of a nice departure from the stuff I usually do. It was fun, even though it sort of looks like Super Mario Bros. meets Winnie the Pooh. And why the Mr. Owl is talking to the bugs and the mushroom and not eating them is beyond me...

Anyway. Hope you like! More tomorrow.

#109 INKtober Day 17: Tunnel Bot

2011-10-17T22:08:00.003-05:00

Upon blasting through miles of thick rock, the Tunnel Bot finally discovers its objective: the Lost Jewel! Why does he want to find the Lost Jewel? Why Not? He's a Tunnel Bot. He like finding stuff underground. 'Nuff said. Any arguments will answered with the buzz saw. The end.

And today I cheated. I used a grey Prismacolor marker. I just couldn't bear that black to white transition. Hey, it's ink isn't it?

And today's drawing is inspired by none other than ZBots! I had a few when I was a kid. The saw arm is pretty much a copy of the purple one in the picture. Cheers!

#108 INKtober Day 16: Darth Vader's Birthday, Pt.6

2011-10-16T18:57:00.003-05:00

The conclusion of our 6-part epic saga. Poor Vader.
Okay, now I'm finally done drawing Darth Vader for a whole week straight! On to cooler things tomorrow, I promise!! Thanks for your INKtober support guys & gals!

#107 INKtober Day 15: Darth Vader's Birthday, Pt.5

2011-10-15T16:42:00.003-05:00

In which Lord Vader receives a present!

For all you Star Wars fanatics like me, here's a wonderfully descriptive article on the Star Destroyer which I used as reference for today's INKtober. Enjoy!

#106 INKtober Day 14: Darth Vader's Birthday, Pt. 4

2011-10-14T13:34:00.003-05:00

In which, Darth Vader learns the importance of this momentous occasion..

#105 INKtober Day 13: Darth Vader's Birthday, Pt.3

2011-10-13T19:53:00.002-05:00

The Saga Continues!

Note of Interest: Imperial officers rarely wear mustaches. This is merely creative license on my part. Also, for the uninitiated, Vader and the Emperor are communicating via hologram. This explains why the Emperor is exponentially larger than Vader in this particular scene, and also explains the fact that he is transparent. Thank you.

#104 INKtober Day 12: Darth Vader's Birthday, Pt. 2

2011-10-12T12:12:00.003-05:00

In which the Dark Lord groggily begins his morning...

#103 INKtober Day 11: Darth Vader's Birthday, Pt. 1

2011-10-11T19:48:00.004-05:00

Inspired by yesterday's post, I am beginning this short webcomic, entitled Darth Vader's Birthday. Don't worry, it'll be over in a week. Hope you like Vader, cause this blog's gonna be chock full of it by the time this is finished!

Be sure to click on the image to get the full size version for INKtober in all its glory!

*Note to LucasFilm, LTD.: I am in no way selling these images, so please don't sue me. Thanks, and tell George hey for me.

#102 INKtober Day 10: Lord Vader Says

2011-10-10T12:58:00.004-05:00

Here's the winning request from blog reader One of a Few: "Darth Vader posing with a big cup of french roast Starbucks." His request was chosen randomly out of ... one vote, his own (please note my sarcasm here).
Congratulations sir!

So thanks to everybody who participated... (crickets in the audience). We'll definitely have to do this again some time!

And happy 100th Post Anniversary to Drawing the Sword!
More INKtober tomorrow!

#101 INKtober Day 9: Plant Food

2011-10-09T22:41:00.001-05:00

Plant Food.

Tomorrow I'll announce a winner for the 100th post giveaway!

#100 INKtober Day 8: Royal Guard

2011-10-08T22:47:00.003-05:00

Today, a portrait of an Aidelonian Royal Guard. Pardon the crude columns in the background.
You may remember this dude from a post back in February, which you can read here. It'll give you more of the background on the character, and an alternate view with droid-demolishing action.

___
And this is my 100th post on Blogger! Hooray! The blog has been a lot of fun, and as you saw yesterday, I'm doing a little giveaway. Comments will be open on that post until tomorrow. Then I'll select the winner (which probably won't be hard due to the lack of comments, ha ha). Then on Monday I'll do the winning drawing. Also, stay tuned for some changes I'm planning for Drawing the Sword in the coming months. Thanks for reading!

#099 INKtober Day 7: Pizza Monster

2011-10-07T21:12:00.003-05:00

Better late than never! Had a lot to do today, so today's INKtober drawing was delayed a little. The Pizza Monster portrayed here is much like the ones that I drew when I was 9 or 10 - updated slightly with some added details & such. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Pizza Monsters never slice their pizza.

_____________
On a side note: My blog is about to reach post #100! Tomorrow I'd like to do a giveaway of sorts (cause that's what people do I guess). So, if you'll leave a comment and tell me what you'd like to see me draw for INKtober, and I will pick a random comment and draw your request! WOO HOO! Celebrate! So, tell your friends. And you shall have a real drawing by me to call your own. There. Don't be shy! Comment! Thanks!

#098 Mr. Tumnis & Lucy (by Bethany)

2011-10-07T09:38:00.004-05:00

For those of you who don't realize that my little 5 yr. old sister Bethany is a great illustrator, and a Photoshop painting wiz, here is proof that indeed she is!
Mr. Tumnis & Lucy from LWW walking by the lamp post! Drawn by her and painted in Photoshop all by herself. Good job Bethany! Some day I will have a collaborator, I just know it:)

#097 INKtober Day 6: Edgar & Otto

2011-10-06T19:02:00.004-05:00

INTRODUCING: Edgar & Otto, your favorite 19th Century Gentlemen Scientists!

These two guys have been floating around in my head for the past couple of years, and have manifested themselves different ways, but now are making their grand internet debut for INKtober! I hope that they'll show up more in the near future... until then, "For Science!"

#096 INKtober Day 5: War of the Worlds

2011-10-05T18:17:00.002-05:00

Recently listened to an audiobook of H.G. Wells creepy (and somewhat overrated) classic War of the Worlds so I figured this would be a great subject for INKtober.
And, no, the guy in the top hat is not doing disco moves.

#095 Boba Fett (in Blazing Technicolor)

2011-10-04T18:11:00.003-05:00

Spent a couple of hours today coloring my INKtober sketch from Saturday. I used a more comic book approach for this one. I think it turned out pretty good!

#094 INKtober Day 4: Whale Convoy

2011-10-04T13:34:00.003-05:00

Whale convoy in the sky!
Used a dark grey brush marker for some of the lines, which was a bit of a mistake when it came to the final product - looked a bit washed out.
Big thanks to good ol' Tony Cliff for his great tutorial on cleaning up scanned artwork. Made a huge difference this time around!
Also, as I mentioned on Twitter last night, if anyone has a request that you would like me to try (note the italicized try) to draw for you, I'd be happy to. Just shoot me a comment, email, tweet, whatever.
'Til next time, troopers!*

__________
*Not really sure what that means. But take it to mean that you're part of the club.

#093 INKtober Day 3: Space Creep

2011-10-03T22:20:00.003-05:00

THIS IS A 100% GENUINE, AUTHENTIC SPACE CREEP.

Really fast one today. I was feeling kind of lazy. But Day 3 is on! I promise I will post Day 4 earlier in the day!
Nite.

#092 INKtober Day 2: Dwarf

2011-10-02T22:05:00.003-05:00

Quite frankly, this guy freaks me out!
It's INKtober day 2! Hooray, I actually have enough self-discipline to pull one off again for the second time in a row! Let's see how well that keeps up...
I think this one made me realize how pitifully lacking I am in anatomy skills. But! This is for practice! For Improvements! For FUN. And it is. Thanks for checking it out, and a huge thanks to Jake for featuring my blog over at Agent44! I am honored and flattered.
'Til tomorrow Friends!

#091 INKtober Day 1: Boba Fett

2011-10-01T13:18:00.004-05:00

It's October! Or INKtober, I should say!

I've decided (in a somewhat last-minute fashion) to take the INKtober Challenge as given by Jake Parker here. The object is this:

Every day in the Month of October, draw a pen & ink sketch!

It's that easy! And it's a great way to stretch your creativity.
So what better way to start than with the baddest dude in the universe, Boba Fett himself. I did this portrait with Zig Micron pens (I hope that counts as pen & ink!) in my Moleskine sketchbook. I think I should have probably left out Cloud City in the background, but I kinda liked the background element in there. Overall, it took me about 30 minutes.
So thanks Jake for the challenge, and I look forward to seeing all you other INKers come up with!

#090 Starship Attack

2011-09-28T12:18:00.005-05:00

A really fun experiment in seeing how much of the glow FX layers I can cram into one piece in Photoshop. You might remember I posted the drawing of this earlier in the year. Well, I have a lot of downtime with a semester break from school, so I'm really trying to bolster my skills with the time I have. So there you have it. I'm really proud of those planets. Don't they look realistic? Did it over the course of the last couple of days. Mr. Jake Parker over at Agent44 said it was cool, so I don't want to hear any arguments! (Thanks Jake!) Now, on to more awesome stuff!

#089 Just For Fun

2011-07-25T22:28:00.002-05:00

Here's a ten-minute Photoshop job for ya. Just for the heck of it. I'm really into Apollo missions, space stuff, and Polaroid color photos right now. So there ya go. Have fun.

#088 Through the Flames

2011-07-19T20:51:00.004-05:00

Well, it's been a long time since my last post... things around here have been pretty hectic. My school schedule has been super crowded taking a class this summer. It's a tough class that I've heard many of my fellow students say was difficult for them in the past as well. But this drawing (above) was a finished drawing for an atmospheric perspective assignment we had. And I was super proud of it - I think it's one of my favorite drawings that I've ever done. It comes from a story I have in the pipeline about giant falcons and dragons (in case you didn't gather that from the image, which I hope you did)!

Anyway, just thought I'd put something new up. I am warning you though: the next several months could be pretty sparse as far as posting goes. I'm actually planning to possibly take a break from school for a semester for a trip that's in the planning stages (no, I'm not disclosing any more information than that just yet!). But I'm sure it will inevitably turn into more artistic opportunities that will be shared here. Just stay tuned!

#087 Submission!

2011-06-14T23:29:00.007-05:00

You might remember I mentioned something that I would be doing with my Silver Chair book cover. Well, I just did what I said I would be doing.
Entering the IlluXCon annual Scholarship Contest!!
Each year in Altoona PA just about every major sci-fi/fantasy illustrator known to mankind gets together to hold IlluXCon where they teach classes, host lectures, and get to hang out with wannabes like me. And every year, they offer scholarships to up & coming students whose art catches the eye of 5 judges. So I submitted my humble illo for The Silver Chair so I could be in the running for one of those coveted scholarships. I really really really want to win. So wish me luck! If it really happens this'll be the chance of a lifetime!

My Final Submission:

Approaching Harfang Castle
Photoshop & Painter 11

#086 New Painting WIP

2011-06-07T20:35:00.001-05:00

Here's the beginning value stage for a new painting I've started. I think it's gonna be pretty cool. I've got two other projects going at the same time before my summer semester starts: "Jewel Heist: Mars", and my final personal revisions for my Silver Chair cover. Honestly, I'm ready to move on from the book cover project. There's a lot of things I want to fix, but I'm not sure yet if it's worth it. I'm just tired of looking at it so much! Anyway, I've got until the 15th of June to make revisions before I can reveal what I'm going to do with it... he he he.
They say new artists need to get their first couple of hundred paintings out of their system before they really start getting good. I believe it, so the more the merrier my friends!
Happy Photoshop Painting!

#085 Silver Chair Book Cover: Final

2011-06-02T19:39:00.005-05:00

So here is the final version of my book cover project for C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair. Again, looking rather anemic in my browser, yet not completely unsatisfying to see this piece in a finished form.

However, the term "finished form" is a bit misleading. Because, really, this piece is not completely finished. I still don't feel right about this painting (which was done in Corel Painter 11, then tweaked a little in Photoshop). It just feels like it needs something more.

Now if you follow me on Twitter, you may have heard my desperate pleas for suggestions. I need some post-production advice on this thing (obviously it's kind of late to be fixing compositional issues), but I would love to hear about anything regarding the lighting, color, etc. Is it washed out? Too muddy? Tell me!

And I would really like to hear any suggestions regarding a brush, Photoshop or Painter, that would allow me to add stars easily to the sky. This seems like a no-brainer, but I really wasn't able to put stars into the composition, due to a lack of technical ability!

So, thanks in advance to any feedback you might have. As an added bonus, if you leave a comment, I'll respond back in the comments section telling you how wonderful and brilliant you are. Okay?

And I still have a little revelation about this project that I will share later... nothing much, but I'm kind of excited about it.
Alright, enough for now. I look forward to your comments!

-Will

#084 Jewel Heist: Mars (Color Comp)

2011-05-24T22:12:00.002-05:00

Here is a brand-new project I just started. The color comp is kind of washed out looking in the browser (still trying to work on that), but I want to go with a strong red/blue color scheme. The concept is: a dude is frantically dashing from his spaceship to grab some glowing jewel, while ominous starships above the canyon rim search for it with their ray beam thingies.
This will mostly be an experiment in color, sci-fi concept realization, and perspective. And really, just to see if I can knock out an image in less than a week when I'm not in school. I think I can do it!
Hope you guys like!
_______
P.S.: I will be posting my final Silver Chair book cover, and a sort-of-exciting announcement about it soon! I still have some post production work in Photoshop to do on it. Hang tight!

#083 Welsh Corgi

2011-05-10T18:52:00.004-05:00

My Mom loves Welsh Corgis, so I drew her one for Mother's Day.
Some digital watercolor added in Painter 11.

#082 Silver Chair Book Cover (Value Comp)

2011-05-05T22:01:00.004-05:00

This is the value comp for the book cover assignment we are in the middle of in class right now. I chose to do the Silver Chair from the Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. Silver Chair is one of my favorite books in the series, and I felt like doing a scene from this one instead of the ones already adapted to film would keep me from being influenced too much in my depiction of the scene.
I chose to depict the trio of Puddleglum, Eustace Scrubb, and Jill Pole as they approach Harfang Castle, the dwelling of the Giants. I thought that this would better reinforce the idea that they were on a quest, instead of focusing on some of the more pivotal scenes from the book, such as the part where Rilian destroys the Chair.

Hope you like! Color next week...

#081 Character Sketches (Completed)

2011-04-23T17:08:00.002-05:00

Here we go ladies and gentlemen. Character sketches!
I painted these 100% in Painter 11. Sketched 'em up on 100% paper with 100% pencils. I won't go into everything that's wrong with them, because A) you'd be bored, and B) you would begin to think less of my work, which is really the opposite of what I want you to think of my work.
Believe it or not, the entire experience of creating characters from simple descriptions was, to me, completely fascinating, mentally stimulating, and just a great deal of fun.
Now if I can get around to creating my own characters for that graphic novel I've got planned... I will be able to conquer the world!!!

#080 Character Sketch WIP

2011-04-13T21:44:00.003-05:00

Okay, rarely do I post twice in the same day (or night), but I couldn't resist showing you guys the underpainting for this baby. So far Corel Painter 11 is blowing me away. To put it another way: IT ROCKS.

#079 Captain Flax, 103rd ESC Battalion

2011-04-13T19:39:00.004-05:00

This is Captain Flax of the 103rd ESC Battalion.
If you're wondering what ESC stands for, it's European Space Coalition.
And this guy means business. After leading blazing attacks on dastardly minions of evil on every planet known to humankind, he looks a bit worn and weary. He wears standard issue officer's dress, with newer modified body armor plating. He carries a light automatic ion assault rifle and an armor-penetration cannon, which rests on a folding tripod.
This was my favorite of the character sketches and the most fun. I enjoyed finding references for the clothes, which were inspired by WWI and II battle uniforms.

#078 Old Master of the Woods

2011-04-12T22:46:00.005-05:00

Here is one of my character sketches from last week. The description we were given was:

Quiet, Feeble, Old Man, Subdued.

Whether or not I illustrated this properly, that is left for you to decide. I liked the idea of a forest-dwelling hermit who gathers herbs, illuminates manuscripts, drinks tea, converses with trees and woodland creatures, and has a staff that is cut but still lives. He's just a really great guy when you get to know him, even if his snug little hut does smell of body odor and spring garlic.

#077 Dragon Battle Final

2011-04-09T19:08:00.002-05:00

"Dragon Battle", 2400 x 1800 px, Photoshop painting.

Well, here's the final painting from last week. I'm not 100% satisfied with it (will I ever be?), but it turned out much better than I expected in the short amount of time I had to make more revisions. I am planning to go back and revise some imperfect areas and resubmit them to my Professor, and before I enter this baby into the Academy of Art Spring Show. Yay! It'll be my first submission ever for it, and I'm kind of excited. It's pretty much one of the first times I'll be able to get my work out there for professionals to see. I don't expect much to come of it just yet, but it will be cool all the same.
So, hope you guys like it. See you next time with some new character designs...

#076 Mini

2011-03-31T21:39:00.004-05:00

While I'm toiling away at my dragon battle, which hopefully will be completed soon, you may feast your eyes upon this Morris Mini-Minor color sketch that I did in Corel Painter a few months ago. We'll be exploring Painter 11 more in the next couple of weeks. Enjoy.

#075 Dragon Battle Concept: Color Comp

2011-03-24T18:00:00.003-05:00

Here we have the beginnings of some color in our scene. It seems sort of washed out now, because number one, my color layer is set to "Color" mode in Ps, and also because my Photoshop images almost always look worse in a web browser. I'm still learning how to correct this.

One of the almost unanimous comments in class was that the dragon's color and value needs more separation from the desert color and value. And to this, I heartily agree.
So: Right now it is Spring Break and some down time, and possibly a couple of other little side projects, and then, next week: The FINAL.

Prepare yourselves.

#074 Dragon Battle Concept: Value Comp

2011-03-19T00:10:00.003-05:00

Another late-night transmission from the old drawing desk tonight.
Here's the aforementioned concept art piece we're working on in class. Right now I'm just working through getting the values right. The above image is a progress shot. I'm still thinking through the value relationships here, trying to place emphasis in the right place using lights/darks, and making sure everything "works". Next I will start laying in the basic color, and then refining that later. At this stage, it's all about getting it right, because you don't want to have to go back and fix anything. There is no turning back here people!!
So, there you have it. Stay tuned for glorious Technicolor!

#073 Dragon Battle Concept (Preliminary Sketches)

2011-03-08T22:12:00.005-06:00

Here are some glimpses into my sketchbook from this past week. I'm in the process of creating a piece of concept art for a film of my own conception as another school project. All I can tell you right now is that it involves: space, dragons, nomads, princes, fighting, swords, deserts, volcanoes, lava, and some weird space vehicles.

Sounds interesting, but I think I have bitten off more than I can chew.

#072 Olympic Stamp Progress

2011-03-03T19:56:00.002-06:00

Here's a shot of my progress in school this week on an "Olympic Postage Stamp" we're creating. I chose bobsledding because, um, I just chose bobsledding. It's fast and cool. Right? I don't know, I don't really watch the Olympics. But If I had to choose one Olympic sport that I thought was cool, it would probably be Bobsledding. And that's why I chose it. Because it's cool. Right.

Anyway, I wanted to post this because I wanted to prove to you that in reality most of my artwork looks like junk. But hopefully this one will improve slowly but surely. Stay tuned!

#071 Royal Guard

2011-02-27T21:47:00.003-06:00

Royal Guard vs. Mech Ink on bristol board, colored in Photoshop 5 x 7.
______________________________________________

The Royal Guard are the stalwart protectors of the Court of Aidelon. They must swear solemnly to defend the Dynasty with their lives, and are dedicated to a life of continual service. Their definitive red capes and gleaming gold armor are unmistakable, and can always be seen solemnly overlooking the Grand Palace. They are completely silent to passersby, and their mechanized armor keeps them perfectly still until the moment of action, like the image above, when it springs to life and becomes a dangerous man/machine combination.
The origins of the Royal Guard is mysterious, but they are said to have descended from monks who landed on the planet, established a monastery and began taming the wild beasts there. An angel was said to have visited the Chief Monk, and given him the task of defending the planet from a coming evil. It is said that the angel forged him a suit of armor, and till the day the monk died, its golden shine never wore off.

#070 Spaceship WIP

2011-02-24T19:12:00.003-06:00

Yup. That's what it is. And we duz it cuz spaceships is awesome.
'Nuff said.

#069 Atom Boy

2011-02-19T18:09:00.002-06:00

A project that was finished this week in Photoshop. I chose to design a movie poster using only old photos scanned from 1960's era books. It was fun and a challenge, and FYI "Atom Boy" was originally going to be a hippie, but I couldn't find one.

Also, you will notice that Atom Boy is played by a very young Harrison Ford, with special effects by Ray Harryhausen, and an original soundtrack by the Moody Blues.

Unfortunately the film was scrapped at the last minute due to budget concerns, but in later years the unedited version became a cult classic. In Japan.

#068 What???

2011-01-23T22:23:00.008-06:00

Holy cow, if these were my kids I would lock them in a room with a Japanese language version of the Chronicles of Narnia on audiobook, throw the orange juice away, and not let them out until it was over. These little sugar junkies strangely remind me of chimpanzees - the only difference is, chimp mothers have more control over their offspring, unlike the one in this short advertisement.

Excuse me for this strange diversion. Regular programming continues later.

#067 Futuron Stardefender

2011-01-18T21:30:00.003-06:00

Behold! The wonder of the galaxy!!
This sketch was all about the colors this time, and I focused on analyzing the transparencies of the canopy shields. Overall this sketch gets a D-minus, but it was fun and that's what counts. Right?

You can see the actual ship that inspired the drawing after the jump>>>.

#066 Trident-Class

2011-01-16T21:25:00.003-06:00

The UPS man finally brought my copy of Painter 11 this week, and oh how I am loving it. The above sketch is my first final painting I have done with it, and I really don't know what the heck I'm doing, but I love what I can do all the same. I received Ryan Church's "Intro to Corel Painter" for Christmas, so I already knew a few things ahead of time. I'm getting ready to take Introduction to Digital Painting in school here in a couple of weeks, so I'm just having fun until the professor shows up!
Also for some of you AFOL's out there (Adult Fan of Lego), you might like to know that this ship (which is strongly reminiscent of a Jedi Starfighter) was inspired by a little model I came up with several months ago. Here it is:

Let me know what you think!

#065 Jake Parker's 2010 Missile Mouse Giveaway

2010-12-29T16:52:00.004-06:00

You need it. I need it. Everyone needs it! It's the 2010 Missile Mouse giveaway from Jake Parker!
Jake draws the amazing Missile Mouse, a space-traveling super-agent who stars in a his own brand new episode: MISSILE MOUSE: RESCUE ON TANKIUM3!! You can win this plus a ton of other cool cargo. Just check out how to enter over at Jake's blog, Agent44. Good luck!

#064 The Fab Four

2010-12-24T15:29:00.004-06:00

A little drawing from my sketchbook this week.
December is Drawing Month! Go draw something right now before you open one single Christmas present! I mean it! You will thank me later.

#063 Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T21:54:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!

-Will-

#062 OK

2010-11-16T18:43:00.005-06:00

"Really? Thanks Boss!"

I wish my real boss was this friendly.
And that I was drawing for a living.
I got paid $50 bucks for a drawing once.
And people all over town saw it.
But that's another story.
In the meantime, I will continue drawing.
Because I draw for a living.
Even if I'm not getting paid to do it.

__________________________
via Drawn!

#061 Performance

2010-10-31T16:48:00.005-05:00

Here's a great little short film by Graham Annable to get you in a spooky mood!
I love this little duo, and I think they should get a manager and start touring together.

#060 Warrior Preliminary Sketches

2010-10-28T11:48:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of early sketches for an idea I've got going. Hopefully I'll have a finished drawing by the end of the week.

#059 Vampire

2010-10-27T12:15:00.002-05:00

I guess I had to jump on the Vampire Madness bandwagon eventually.

#058 Master Copy Pt. 2: Finish

2010-10-26T08:57:00.002-05:00

Here is the Michelangelo copy from last week with all the final shading in place. This is really the first drawing I've done this semester that I feel truly proud of. I was really pleased with the head and hands, which I'm not always the best at drawing. Overall the proportions came together rather quickly, which is nothing short of a miracle for me!

#057 Conquer

2010-10-25T09:13:00.001-05:00

Let's conquer the world shall we?

#056 Make Something Cool Every Day

2010-10-24T19:48:00.002-05:00

Well, it's finally here. I am beginning a project called MAKE SOMETHING COOL EVERY DAY. We'll just call it MSCED for short okay? The title isn't exactly original - I was inspired by many artists who have projects that are titled exactly the same, such as the great Mark Weaver and this post on ISO50. I wanted to do this project to keep my creative juices flowing continually all the time, forcing me to create every day until I collapse in exhaustion. Because that's what great artists do! To get my brain to come up with creative things every day will help me improve my techniques, learn new ones, try out ideas, etc. So I hope that you will enjoy this little project, and I will be posting new stuff as soon as it arrives!

#055 Headless

2010-10-23T23:50:00.003-05:00

Here's a quick sketch I did today in response to this challenge.
The colors are so muddy and dark. I hate it! But that's trial and error in Photoshop for you. The point is I had fun. This is also a kind of preview of something I've got in the works which I'll be telling you about soon. I'm pretty stoked about it.

This drawing doesn't creep me out though. I wish it did. Maybe I can think up something creepier. I'll let you know what happens...

#054 Master Copy Pt. 1

2010-10-23T18:56:00.004-05:00

This weekend I'm copying a drawing entitled Libyan Sybil by a master artist. If you don't know him, you should. Michelangelo was a true master, and trying to replicate what he drew roughly 500 years ago is a mind boggling thing. It makes you feel very humble, and honored to follow the footsteps of such a great artist. These are just the early stages of the drawing: a gesture drawing, followed by a light lay-in of midtone with a chamois cloth.

Up next: The shading.

#053 Steam Conquistodores

2010-10-16T18:01:00.003-05:00

A drawing from late 2008-09. Made of wood, brass, and salvaged machine parts, these steam-powered conquistodores were deployed with archaic weapons to beat a small island-empire into submission to an evil dictator. The machines proved faulty however, and local warriors promptly forced them over the cliffs into the churning ocean where they remain to this day.

#052 Three Webcomics That Your Eyeballs Will Love

2010-09-26T16:06:00.002-05:00

Today I thought I would highlight three webcomics that I have been enjoying the last few months that are definitely worth your eyeballs' undivided attention. So without further ado, here they are:

1. BIT AND RUN by Cory Godbey.
If you're a Mario, Zelda or Pokémon fan, you will definitely be in love with Bit and Run. A tribute to all things Nintendo, Bit and Run is now in its second "season", being written and published by Greenville, SC illustrator Cory Godbey on his blog, light night rains. While I'm not generally known as an avid gamer, I have been known to play my share of Kong on an old GameBoy Color, and the comic really captures the feeling of 8-bit color, characters, and environments of Nintendo. Cory has also stepped up the scope, color and humor of the series, which makes it all the more fun!

2. OH, BROTHER! by Bob Weber, Jr and Jay Stephens.

Bob Weber Jr. has been one of my favorite cartoonists since I was a kid, and now he has created a new strip called Oh, Brother! While this strip is being published in the papers, it does have its own website where you can subscribe to the strip, so technically it's a webcomic. The strip focuses on Bud and Lily, a brother and sister who just do kid stuff. Usually Bud gets on Lily's nerves, but they still love each other when it's all said and done. What I love about Weber's style is his simple line work, humor, and layouts. This strip feels like a classic, and I hope it becomes one.

3. COPPER by Kazu Kibuishi
I honestly can't tell you what the setting of Kazu Kibuishi's Copper is, but I do know that one look at these trippy, colorful animated pages, and you will be hooked. Each Copper installment is a whole page devoted to the adventures of Copper and his dog Fred. It seems as though the duo is nomadic; they are never in the same place twice. They explore forests, waterfalls, cities, flying machines, and all kinds of fantastic things. The best part is just getting to pore over page after page of Kibuishi's artwork. It is wonderful, and if you're interested, his site also includes a step-by-step explanation of how he creates his Copper pages. It's a gold mine!

So: go out and read some comics!!

#051 "Who's Scruffy Lookin'?"

2010-08-07T18:58:00.003-05:00

My favorite Star Wars by far.

I'm really wanting to get these sweet 1980 Marvel comic book adaptations. Dark Horse has just published a reissue, but I would love to have an original edition.

#050 Honor

2010-07-08T20:38:00.004-05:00

Much improved over yesterday's post. I think I have a better sense of layout & color, and I'm beginning to understand masks a little better. Things really improved when I finally convinced myself that the animal motif didn't necessarily have to be in place (ie, the bison from last post). I tried a fox and that was a big flop. I like where this is going so far.

#049 Patriot

2010-07-06T21:39:00.004-05:00

An experiment in Photoshop using images pulled from Flickr and a little bit of Illustrator type editing thrown in. Design-wise it's a little weak, but it was meant to keep my Ps muscles from atrophying. Hopefully this will be the first in a series... tell me what you think!
Inspired by Mark Weaver's Make Something Cool Every Day.

#048 Morgan Part II: Final

2010-05-27T19:17:00.002-05:00

Morgan Freeman (charcoal on paper, 18"x24"), 2010.

My professor, Mr. Jesse Mangerson considered this my best drawing of the Spring semester. Although there are several things to improve here, I would have to agree with him. After completing this I really want to delve into portraiture more, especially now that I realize that it is an achievable goal, and an enjoyable one at that.

#047 These People Create: Tycho

2010-05-20T19:11:00.006-05:00

Scott Hansen is back in the studio...

You may remember a post I did several months ago about the amazing design powerhouse ISO50, headed up by designer Scott Hansen. What you may not realize is that Hansen also fronts a band named Tycho. The band, which is signed on the Ghostly International label (Phantogram, christopher willits, Choir of Young Believers), has a distinctive sound, using warm synth tones, sampled vocals, acoustic guitars, all painted onto a warm bed of softly crackling analog tape noise. The sound has been compared to that of Boards of Canada, but to me Tycho feels much warmer and friendly than starker electronica music.

But the great news is that the band is back in the studio working on brand new batch of songs that could come out in early 2011. Hansen mentioned in a blog post about the new album's progress that he recently came out of an extended period of songwriting, in which he developed a few album's worth of material. Now he says that "the past couple months have been the most productive of my musical life". Needless to say, I am eagerly anticipating this release, and am confident that my expectations will definitely be exceeded.

See the progress post with more pictures and a detailed report of what's going on here at ISO50's blog.

#046 Ares

2010-05-18T18:55:00.004-05:00

Ares: god of war!

Our final project last week in Digital Media 1 was to complete our photo composite representing a Greek deity of our choice. I chose Ares who is supposedly the god of war and bloodshed. And judging from this photograph, he is also god of explosions and pyrotechnic disaster.

Me, acting very much like an idiot, for art's sake.

There was a lot of preliminary work involved leading up to this point though. I had to photograph myself in rough poses to explore the mood and feel of the character, and to get something to show my model and explain to him what needed to be done.

The model, striking a very grim pose.

Secondly, I recruited my younger brother to play the part, and he was fairly willing to oblige as long as he didn't have to "take his shirt off". He struck some nice poses, and the costume artist (my mom) did a fabulous job coming up with a decent costume in about 30 minutes (thanks mom!).

The most difficult thing was my stupidly photographing the model 1/2 in shadow and 1/2 lit, which is not good when you're working with other photos, etc. So I had to work around that quite a bit, using the Dodge tool in Ps to even out some of the darks on the model.

The final image is made up of close to 10 or 12 different images, and I ended up with around 20 layers. The interesting thing is that the overall image looked a lot warmer in Photoshop than it does now in the browser. I'll have to remember that next time...

So there you have it - the god of WAR!!!

#045 Morgan

2010-05-16T20:21:00.002-05:00

The preliminary sketch for my final project in Analysis of Form. We're doing portraits from photo references. I'm doing Morgan Freeman. You can see the grid I used which was also drawn on the reference photo, but in the end they were both measured wrong, so my drawing came out wrong. So I had to ignore the grid, and use my sight-measuring superpowers to get it back to normal. Roughin' it!

Next Week: The Final Drawing!

#044 Guardians of the Desk

2010-05-15T14:01:00.002-05:00

For about a week now these stalwart guardians have been holding down security here at the Illustration Desk.

Call me weird, but I still have a great love of Legos. I built with them all the time when I was a kid, and would spend a whole day working on massive projects of imaginative grandeur. It was the way I built my own sci-fi and fantasy worlds, and to an extent, I still occasionally try those ideas out in Lego bricks now.

These Rebel soldiers are ready for anything the Empire throws at them. I love the details the figures have... just like they were in ESB. My goal someday: have a little converted closet in my house with all the Lego Star Wars models I can get my hands on - all in a diorama setting. How's that for a geeky kid's dream?

Get your own at lego.com.