Goblin Sculpture

Keeping with the theme of goblin-type fantasy creatures, I've done some new photos of a sculpture!  Just a personal piece.  It was an exercise at working at a larger scale (about 1:4 in this case).   I found it quite rewarding to be able to put a bit more detail in, so I may have to try again.  At least some busts!  Those would tend to be quicker than the full-body maquettes I've tended to do in the past. 

And some work-in-progress images for those who are interested.  In some ways I liked this guy more before he was painted -- could see a lot more detail in the skin, but that's why we just have document the process!  Need to get more stringent with that, actually.  I always find WIP stuff from other artists fascinating.

Cheers for looking!

Phineas J. Hartley Esq.

Some time ago, I was overcome with the urge to do Victorian etching-style pen portraits of animals wearing human clothes.  The result is this: Phineas J. Hartley Esq.  A somewhat ornery Scottish artist-gentleman who spends more of his free time tromping about the highlands than at the Edinburgh University anatomy school where he is at times paid to help record dissections.

He's been sitting in a pad of paper in a corner for about a year, but after a trip to the highlands recently (and seeing one of these deer in the wild for the first time) I was compelled to finish him.

Though you can't really tell from this image, it's quite a big drawing.  For scale reference, and also a preliminary sketch, check after the jump.

The Egg Thief - Completed

A follow up to my previous post, a finished illustration!  It's not from any particular story, but I was hoping to make a picture that was a fairly complex composition with lots of figures, but encapsulates a moment in something that feels like it's got more of a context.  I don't see griffins nearly as much as I'd like to in fantasy paintings, and they're fun sorts of things to draw.

Also took the time to document the process a bit in a video.  Not terribly long, but you'll see I changed my mind a bit about the thieves as I went.  As occasionally happens, I eventually went back to what I'd started with.  A fun piece to do, anyhow!

Click download video.  It's about 5mb.











Cheers, everybody!

Brink Characters

One very nice thing about this time in the production of a game is that a lot of concepts get released.  I can actually show people that I have indeed been producing art for all these years!  BRINK's characters were awesome to work on.  It was challenging, but obviously really rewarding to pin down the aesthetic for both teams and design the tons of different customisation assets that people will eventually use to make all their own characters.

It's difficult not to invest personally when working on one project for so long. Fortunately it seems to have worked out, and there is nothing more awesome than being able to see other people take the things you've designed and make them come alive. The trailer by Blur Studios was a particular treat.

That's all for now.  With luck will be able to post more later.

Bucephalus

I've been posting images of this guy around in various places.  He's a Styracosaurus by the name of Bucephalus, who carries an as yet unnamed (not to mention unfinished) tinker on his back.  Unfortunately I haven't got around to finishing it, though plan to eventually.  I haven't made a point yet of posting these in any coherent way.  I always forget to take process shots while I'm working, but I was trying to be good with this guy.

Semi-early shots -- you'll see I really don't work very evenly on this. The smaller details are often more fun than getting the larger shapes right first. I don't actually recommend working this way for professional pieces, but if you're just having fun in your spare time you can do it however you like. Using Super Sculpey Firm here, with aluminum armature wire and aluminum foil.

Here's the dinosaur sculpt finished, and sprayed with a brown base-coat. Also some images of the beginning of the rider. Unfortunately (though you can obviously not tell scale from this photo) the head of the tinker ended up a bit too big. I'll likely remake it, but it was quite a successful as a test of materials. The flesh is regular Super Sculpey and the hair doll hair. If you use the flesh-coloured sculpey and do washes of greys and reds over it, it makes quite convincing skin I find. Doll hair also is absolutely fantastic. I suppose this is precisely the sort of thing it's made for, so I shouldn't be surprised, but I was very pleased at how good it was to work with.

And here you see the paint-job. It's not absolutely finished, but the finer points won't likely to too visible in these photos (though in real life it will make a large difference). Obviously the packs and tools will need attaching and the rider finishing, but I think he's coming on pretty decently at this stage. Just need to nudge myself to finish.