YARRRGH!!

I just finished this illustration for Nayantara. Had fun with this. I could have kept going for a long time adding little details but these are supposed to be kinda rough looking, more painterly and conceptual.

“It is when pirates count their booty that they become mere thieves.”

On a sad note. A great artist, Mr. Michael Turner passed away of cancer this weekend. I was a big fan of his work. He and another roll model of mine, J. Scott Campbell, both became known for their sexy, curvy woman in comics at about the same time. My love goes to his family and friends. They have it much harder now than he does.

Just finished this one. I had to spend some time studying horses. I haven't really drawn very many. I wanted a big horse like a clydesdale so i drew a few from a book i got from the library. Then i wanted a fierce striking pose that would work well in a vertical space so i came up with this design. I still need to work on not allowing myself to get too focused on details too early. All the detail os on the armor of the knight and yet he is only a small part of the whole picture. I do like the atmosphere.

Captain Jack Sparrow

I had to do one last painting for my painter class. This was painted using a frame from Curse of the Black Pearl as reference. The original had burning trees in the background that had been set on fire by Elizabeth. I didn't really want to paint that so i made a ship in the background instead. I painted it all in painter using artists oils with the exception of making a pattern overlay layer in photoshop for his bandanna.I spent about 8 hours all told on this. I see lots of stuff i could fix but i get bored and have to move on to the next thing. Please click on the image to enjoy the larger version.

Hope for the Nice Guy

Last year i did some illustrations for a book my friend Tad Spencer was writing. The book "hope for the nice guy" is now published and available to purchase at Amazon I just got my copy in the mail today. I forgot how funny the stories are and how fun it was to do the illustrations. I can't wait to read the whole book! Congrats Tad!



I found this old caricature i did of Tad almost two years ago out in LA. Haha still makes me laugh. Sorry Tad.

Another illustration for Nayantara Studios. This is supposed to be an elegant dwarf. Still exploring and trying new things. I'm not sure if they are all really working so i'd love some input.

I see dark people!

After viewing this painting on the monitors at the school i decided to make some brightness/contrast adjustments. When i viewed the below image at school i could not differentiate between his boot and the shadow below his boot. It just looked dark! I checked the monitors at school and almost every one i cold find had a brightness/contrast setting of around 50-60%. So i went home and checked mine. It was around 75% for each so i adjusted it to 50% for both brightness and contrast. (The factory default was 100% brightness 75% contrast so i actually turned it down from when i first turned it on)

I could still make out a pretty decent definition of color between the boot and the shadow of the boot so i sat back in my computer chair to contemplate. Just then i noticed the screen get darker. So, if i sit back in my chair, tilt my computer screen back a good inch and a half from verticle and have my brightness at 50/50 then i can achieve what it looked like on the screens at the school. Now, after discovering this i did come to the realization that i was viewing a wacom cintiq screen that sits back at a pretty steep angle.

Still though, my obsessiveness kicked in and i decided that there may someone still who can't see all the things i want them to see so i made adjustments to the file as well. I'd love to hear your input and i'd also like to know what your monitors are set at.

Spearman of DOOM!!

Woot!! I just finished this spearman for the game. I went to go see the new Indiana Jones movie and i think that's what inspired the dramatic lighting. It was difficult pulling off having the character back lit yet still be able to see details. Also, in all my years i have never used the lens flare. (ok i did use it in the Etherealm logo)I have always been told that it is a cheap trick. I used it here because i think it fits. Let me know your thoughts.I just sent it in to the boss so we'll see what he says.
In other news, i think all my neighbors are going crazy. Yesterday i saw my next door neighbor cutting his lawn with scissors and now as i look out the window i see a lady and her grandson doing the same thing across the street! WTF? Are gas prices THAT bad?