#146 Atmospheric Thumbnails

I'm trying to discipline myself to post on this blog on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday basis.

"Well Will you're doing a pretty awful job of it" you say.

But I'm posting. And it's Monday. And I haven't made a whole lot of progress on Desert Chase (although I did stretch some watercolor paper today, in preparation for another Hobbit portrait - more on that soon). So I rummaged through my cluttered hard drive to find some stuff in the archives that had never seen the light of day on the blog. These are atmospheric thumbnails for a school project I did a while back. They were so much fun to do. I will probably do these in preparation for my next illustration. But until then, you may enjoy these - on which, I will not elaborate to a great degree, only to tell you that they involove a lot of falcons, H. G. Wells Martians, and people in top hats running for their lives.

-Will

#140 New Year, New Directions

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

#088 Through the Flames

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!

#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!

#085 Silver Chair Book Cover: Final

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

#082 Silver Chair Book Cover (Value Comp)

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)

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...

#075 Dragon Battle Concept: Color Comp

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

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)

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

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

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

#069 Atom Boy

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.

#066 Trident-Class

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!

#058 Master Copy Pt. 2: Finish

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!

#054 Master Copy Pt. 1

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.