NAVATE : : sketchblog

My poor blog!

2012-01-28T15:35:00.004-05:00

I'm the worst updater on the planet, apparently. I will try to do better this year. D:

2011 was pretty rough on me; lots of stuff fell by the wayside. I'm trying to get back on track. So to start, here is a dump of 2011 some pieces that never got posted here.

Khuiia

Hart (pencil, 6x8. I am trying to do more small drawings like this. So fun!)

And a few sketchier images for various ImaginFX Q*A columns:

I'm holding on to one more 2011 image, a commissioned work for Peter V. Brett. It's already been released to the public, but I'm writing a long-overdue post for HIS blog detailing the process of creating the image. So I'll post the image once that's done so I can plug you in directly to the walkthrough. :)

The Veil

2011-07-31T20:23:00.005-04:00

Here's a portrait I did for an ImagineFX workshop. The issue just dropped in the UK. It's #73. Check it out! :)

IMC 2011

2011-06-22T15:36:00.005-04:00

So, the Illustration Master Class.

I went in with tempered expectations, as is my nature, but I was secretly hoping for the best week of my life, in which I’d learn more than the entirely of my college career taught me. (Not that it’d be much of a stretch.) The verdict? Yes and yes.

It’s hard for me to put into words what I took away from the IMC. The illustration community is absolutely amazing, and there is an osmosis of energy and inspiration that happens when you stick so many dedicated and passionate people in the same space for a week. But most critically, something in the lectures and demos fundamentally changed the way I think about creating images… both academically and emotionally. I have been caught in a serious roadblock with my art ever since I graduated college. Now, I finally know how to get past it. It’s an amazing feeling.

Top lessons:

-There is a difference between practice and Deep Practice. Practice makes the familiar easier but can be mindless. Deep practice takes you out of your comfort zone and requires intense focus. This is how you learn and grow.

-Stay true to yourself. Paint for you. It’s the only way to guarantee you do your best work and are happy with what you accomplish. When a client gives you an assignment, don’t be afraid to make it your own. Try to insert the things you are passionate about into every image. People who know your work can tell when you didn’t enjoy making something. If there is an image in your portfolio you dislike, take it out and paint a replacement that you love. Clients want to hire you for YOU, so make sure that they will.

-The planning stage is critical. Even if your first thumbnail is perfect, make 20 more just to be sure. The best paintings capture the perfect moment in a narrative. Find that moment, then find the best angle. Take the time to perfect your composition, to figure out visual flows, to figure out your colors and lighting. Don’t waste anything, and don’t rush. Make every brushstroke and piece of “real estate” on the canvas count.

Of course, a big part of the IMC is painting an image while you’re there. I decided to try oils, which I haven’t used since high school (i.e. when I didn’t know how to paint.) I only got halfway done (another lesson, from the great Boris Vallejo: Take the time to do your best, instead of rushing to finish and ending up with something mediocre.) But I’m very happy with how it’s coming along. Once I’m done completely I will make a post about the full process, but for now here it is as I left the IMC:

The Witches

2011-06-09T12:46:00.003-04:00

New portfolio piece:

My brushwork is slightly looser in this image than usual for my finished pieces... it's a path I want to explore further, the line of clean but free, without becoming sloppy.

Also, god I hate painting water.

I leave for IMC tomorrow. I'll try to throw up my sketch here before I go. Cannot believe it's nearly the middle of June...

Acrylics WIP

2011-05-18T14:35:00.004-04:00

I'll be attending the Illustration Master Class in a few weeks. I'm equal parts excited and nervous. Amidst all the lectures and demos, each student has to complete a painting during the class, which is a week long. I promised myself I'd get back to my traditional roots during the class... problem is I literally have not painted traditionally in years. Here is a practice piece I've been working on, hoping to get my groove back:

Pencil sketch on tracing paper

Under painting on board. This is new for me; I'd always painted on canvas but I want to try board.

And a progress shot.

The palette is coming out very differently than I intended. Laying down colors is still a huge weakness of mine, one I can easily work around digitally. Going back to traditional is making me confront it without shortcuts. But the good news is that in the years since I last painted, my color theory has improved tremendously, so at least I can work with whatever colors I end up with.

I am still doing thumbnails for the image I will be painting at IMC, but I am already mentally compromising. Whatever ambitious elements the image might have, the palette is one thing I will keep well within my comfort zone!

Turiehn and a cat

2011-04-29T22:07:00.005-04:00

I've been neglecting my blog!

I painted one of my cats today for an IFX q&a. Her name is Lydia; her nickname is The Pest. She is obnoxiously affectionate and always looks a tiny bit annoyed at the world.

It makes me want to do a series of all of them. I try not to discuss my cat horde that often, but truth be told--we've got 15 of them. (Indoors only, big house, clean, all in pristine health and spoiled rotten; don't worry.) My family went on a rescue/adoption spree when I was a kid and they are obviously a big part of my life. It'd be fun to immortalize them all.

I also finished up a personal character work a few weeks ago.

The portrait bug always bites me when I'm juggling a lot of small commissions. I'm working on some more complicated images now, mostly sample pieces--and glad for it! Stay tuned....

Free bums

2011-02-28T21:01:00.002-05:00

An anatomy study done for an IFX question. 4.5 hours. Had bundles of fun with the skin tones.

The Swamp

2011-02-24T10:10:00.003-05:00

This was done as a sample image of some more mainstream fantasy. Of course, I couldn't settle for some boring heroic fantasy female posing pretty. So I dropped her in the worst hiding place I could think of and beat the ever-living crap out of her.

Hilariously, a few people have commented negatively about the scalemail bikini. My normal costuming might be off for the industry but at least my fans prefer it! ;)

Since I am clothed properly in this particular image, I wanted to share how I work with references. I take photos of myself with approximate lighting, costuming, and props to use as a base reference. You can get decent refs with very little investment or fancy equipment. I use a cheap Canon Powershot camera with a self timer. My "sword" is a stretcher strip. Be resourceful.

Then I supplement outside references to fill in the blanks and get any changes or details I can't have in my own photos. In this case, I used outside reference for her arm muscles and the sword. The rest that doesn't match up with my initial reference shots--her clothing, face, and torso--were all done from head. A year ago I would have struggled with her torso especially, but my anatomy studies must be paying off. If the torso were more visible I would have dug up some extra refs, but I didn't feel it was necessary. This is another lesson I am slowly learning... sometimes one doesn't need to render everything so precisely to have it "read" well.

Badger badger

2011-02-05T22:42:00.004-05:00

I got a badger skull for Christmas. It was my favorite gift, next to season 5 of Doctor Who. (Priorities, people. Priorities.) Yesterday I drew it.

I am tragically out of practice with life-drawing, but I like how it came out. Water color pencils + a bit of water, 6x9".

Mortal Coil

2011-01-24T10:19:00.003-05:00

And she's done! There are some tiny things I'm not happy with but it's gotten to the point where I just need to call it finished and move on.

Here are the rest of the process steps... refining the skull and hand:

Moving some things around and fixing that boob!

Repainting the cording and blood. Designing the visual paths of both of these is surprisingly time consuming. -__-

And finishing up the details on her hair, the background etc

Brayan's Gold is here!

2011-01-19T17:12:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I was treated to a long awaited package from Subterranean Press. Inside were my comp copies of Brayan's Gold, my first major illustration gig for international bestselling author and all around good guy, Peter V. Brett. I've worked with Peat since 2007, before his debut novel The Warded Man was published, but this was a very special milestone for me. To land a cover and interiors for a best-selling author in one fell swoop was preeetty amazing. And at last, I can hold the fruits of my labor in my hands!

The book comes in two versions, the limited edition leatherbound signed version (gold title) and the trade edition (blue title). Inside are 9 additional black and white illustrations which I haven't published online.

Not to knock Peat's writing prowess, but this is definitely the best page:

Brayan's Gold is a supplement story to Brett's Demon Cycle novels, published by Del Rey Fantasy. Both installments (The Warded Man and The Desert Spear) in the Cycle are best-sellers and well worth your time if you're a fantasy fan. Go read them!

Hooters

2011-01-11T19:45:00.005-05:00

I've been down for several days with a nasty cold and double case of conjunctivitis. Nothing quite like waking up with both your eyes and nose glued shut. My brain feels like it's stuffed with cotton.

Anyway, here's an owl that miraculously doesn't suck.

Image dump

2011-01-06T17:33:00.005-05:00

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2011. :) Here are a few smaller images from the tailend of 2010. The three digital were for IFX questions; the pencil image was a personal piece.

Mortal Coil WIP

2010-12-30T14:59:00.007-05:00

Holiday madness made me fall off the wagon... finally getting down to business with this though. :) Here are some process steps:

Initial ugly color rough:

Blocking in colors and form. I took reference images around this stage too.

Rendering and fixing anatomical issues with a spackled brush, starting with the face.

I was wishy-washy about what she'd be holding... at first I thought a mask, but then I decided on a skull. I have it on a separate layer so I could position it correctly in relation to her hand and face. Thankfully it worked out.

Adding in some palette colors into the skull to integrate it. The blood and cording are also on a separate layer so I can fiddle with them after I'm satisfied with the anatomy.

Khovakaa; IlluXCon

2010-11-19T13:47:00.002-05:00

Finished her up about two weeks ago but I forgot to post here.

These past few weeks I've attended two conventions: World Fantasy Con and IlluXCon. WFC was a blast but is centered on literature. Although I made some good publishing contacts, I was mostly there to hang out with Peter V. Brett & Friends (and boy did we have fun.) And then last weekend... was IlluXCon. IlluXCon is a small convention located in even smaller Altoona, PA, just for illustrators. It was my first time going, but it easily was the best weekend of my life. I walked in barely knowing anyone and walked away with a huge network of support and friendship. The people in this industry are amazing. I don't care how corny it sounds: it's like something in my life has drastically changed. I feel so encouraged, driven, and inspired.

One result of this burst of drive was to sign up for the Illustration Master Class in June. I'm already stressing about "what if I make a bad painting?!" but if nothing else, it's giving me a damn good reason to get back to acrylics in the months leading up to it so I don't embarrass myself. I'm really inspired to go back to traditional media and formal studies right now. Time to muscle in through the proverbial door as much as possible during these next few months.

Khovakaa WIP, new sketch

2010-10-22T00:43:00.005-04:00

Trying to get back into the swing of things. I realized a few days ago that I had, without even realizing it, burned out. But I'm all better now. I know because I wake up in the morning actually wanting to draw and paint again. Novel concept, eh?

Anyway, been working on this one. I have good feelings about it. The insect blobs will be locusts and flies.

At NYCC, I had the pleasure of meeting David Palumbo and Scott Altmann. They both gave me great advice on my portfolio. Specifically, regarding my biggest annoyance... that my old painting Her Wound is universally adored, even though I think it's technically weak and hate it a little more each time I see it. They told me that if I disliked it, I should paint a new one that's up to par. It's struck me since then how much potential my little "design portrait" doodles (from which Her Wound sprang) have. It's been very dumb of me not to pursue those ideas seriously. Time to fix it. Tonight's doodle:

We'll see where it goes.

Brayan's Gold

2010-10-09T12:20:00.005-04:00

Been a while, eh?

I'm excited to have recently wrapped up my first major illustration job on best selling fantasy author Peter V. Brett's novella Brayan's Gold. Preorder it here if you're a Brett fan; it's a limited pressing. I did the cover and 9 interior b&w illustrations. Here's the cover:

Peat has repeatedly tapped me for private commission work for his Demon Cycle world. Although some of it has ended up in the books before (my first portrait of the titular Warded Man was eventually used as a cover for his last novella, The Great Bazaar, and the wards themselves are all over the place) this was the first time I was specifically illustrating for publication. It was a great experience on all fronts. I'm hoping it will help me get my foot in the door for more serious illustration work. If there is one thing I have learned this year, it is that I do not excel at small jobs.

Studies, and a new take on an old character

2010-08-18T23:05:00.003-04:00

Khuiia, one of the Ancients, and the closest thing to a truly evil character I've got. This is the third time I've painted him... another for the "eventually" pile I guess.

I've been doing a lot of anatomy studies lately, trying to brush up specifically on my pencilwork. Too lazy to upload the pages (anatomy drawings are boring anyway, no?) but here are some digital color studies.

And here is a very quick, VERY experimental portrait I last week-ish... not sure how I feel about it. But it was fun.

Prometheus

2010-07-28T14:12:00.004-04:00

Finally finished this one:

And here's an image I did a few months ago for an ImagineFX workshop on fabrics... the issue is out now (#59) so I can show it. :) Hi cat!

Iesilo WIP

2010-07-13T21:52:00.003-04:00

Truckin' along.

Bad horse

2010-07-08T13:03:00.005-04:00

This one is accompanied by a joke:

Can Lauren draw horses well yet?
Neigh!

I've dug out my old oil paints recently. I haven't painted in oils since highschool (5~ years ago), and at that point in my life I wasn't too hot a painter, period. Oils frustrated me and while I did a few nice still life paintings, all my "imaginative" attempts resulted in a smeary mess. But I want to take a shot at it again now that I'm older, wiser, and-- you know--can paint. Picked up some thinner, brushes, gesso, and hardboard a few days ago. Once I get the surfaces prepped I'm diving in! I expect it will be a humbling experience.

Sculptris and a doodle

2010-06-29T14:24:00.005-04:00

Mucking about last night. I find myself increasingly addicted to portraits. I think it's because I'm finally reaching a level of skill where I can match the faces I see in my head. Rewarding, to be certain, but having all these half-finished images piling up is starting to annoy me.

There is a great little free sculpting program called Sculptris. I played around in it a few nights ago--super fun. :) It has trouble handling fine detail, but for a free program it's pretty awesome. And on the learning end of things, I think it could be a great tool to use to help practice anatomy. Sometimes I lose sight of things in 2D.

Pencil work

2010-06-24T22:44:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago I sat down to draw in my sketchbook after a long absence and was kinda horrified as how much my line work and drafting skills has degenerated. Since then I have been trying to sketch more. Mostly boring gesture stuff, but here are some more serious drawings.

I want to make this one a real painting...

And these two are concept/design sketches.

Mini-tutorial peak, and some Q&A stuff

2010-06-18T13:09:00.007-04:00

A little update before the weekend (which I am blissfully taking off!)

Some ImagineFX Q&A images... I've got a workshop coming up in one of their issues soon too. Stay tuned.

Sand Monster!

And a space scene. First time I've ever done something like this. Definitely not my thing, but I had fun!

I've been so busy with work that my poor Skin Tutorial has completely fallen by the wayside (again). I am going to try and work on it this weekend a bit, but for now I'm also working on a quick mini tutorial on face painting. I realized I had a portrait saved at two very critical stages that showed something important about the "secret" to creating realistic and individual looking faces.

I will do a more formal writeup about this over the weekend, but here is the gist: structural nuances. Notice how the "main features" of his face have barely been touched between the two stages. People tend to hone in on painting realistic eyes, noses, lips, whatever, but that's not what you need to focus on. It's those little details on the rest of the face that elevate a face away from being generic and mask-like.

(And yes, in case anyone was wondering, I do have an endless supply of bizarro characters.)

Cool things are happening right now. Next few months are going to be good. :)

Weekend WIPs

2010-05-16T16:48:00.005-04:00

It's been ages since I've worked on anything personal. I love being so busy with paying work, but it's amazing how quickly I lose track of the days. This weekend I was determined to have some me-time.

A late night character portrait... it's rare I get my character doodles "accurate" so early on, so I'm quite pleased with it. I've been itching to paint some really dead looking skin. (Is that weird?) Anyway, this goes into my ever-growing pile of "to finish--eventually".

And a portfolio image I've been working on and off for months... I'm calling it Prometheus.

Bloodwind

2010-05-03T15:18:00.004-04:00

A speedpainting done for an ImagineFx question for issue 57. Wish I had more time to work on this one. I love the concept and colors, but I'm still not satisfied with my "quick" technique. Guess that means I need to practice more. ;D

And a cloth study:

The Bright One

2010-04-22T11:13:00.003-04:00

A quick portrait which an ImagineFX reader question on creating strange faces gave me an excuse to do. Nice break from everything else I've been working on.

sketchblog!

2010-04-21T16:37:00.002-04:00

Now let's see if I ever update it.