#087 Submission!

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

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

#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!

#083 Welsh Corgi

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)

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...

#076 Mini

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.