#134 Space Comics!

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!

#120 Unicorn Sketches

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

#086 New Painting WIP

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!

#084 Jewel Heist: Mars (Color Comp)

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!

#081 Character Sketches (Completed)

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

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

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

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

"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...