Hammer

A Quick Sketch before bed.

Here is an illustration of one of our main baddies in Wasteland Empires. I have been lead artist on this project since it started almost a year ago. It is currently live on Facebook, check it out.
I tried working in an approximation of Jana Schirmer's workflow for rendering the image in Photoshop. Of course, her level of skill and talent seem almost unreachably distant at this point. It was terrific to see her demo at the Workshop, as well as hear Marko Djurdjevic discuss the team dynamics and pipeline at Six More Vodka.

Massive Black - WORKSHOP SF - 2011

This year I had the opportunity to go to Massive Black's Workshop in San Francisco. It was something I had wanted to do for years now. It was very inspiring to watch some of the people whom I considered to be modern day masters of realism and fantasy art working their craft. I picked up a copy of Coro's Transient, which is a testament to his talk on making work for yourself, the importance of having a project you control entirely for the commercial artist.

    There were several great demonstrations from Kekai, Wes Burt, Mathias Verhasselt, Nox, Kemp Remillard... the list goes on, it was definitely the best way to spend a few days to develop some of the artist in you. I recommend this to anyone who wishes to get inspired, surround themselves with the most passionate artists of our genre and time, learn a few technical tips, and get sage advice. Keep drawing!

    Throughout the workshop, there were some terrific live models doing long poses (up to 4 hours!) and 2 minute gestures, head studies, action poses, nudes, costume, it was terrific.

Masha and I visited some of our favorite sites in San Francisco on Saturday. It was around 80 degrees in the city, and it was perfect for taking a minute to lay down in the grass at Alta Vista park. We ended up going from Clement street, to North beach, down Stockton to Union Square.

Burlingame Sketch

Here is the view from La Crossiant, in Burlingame, Calvin and his sister Kate are some of the best examples of local business owners who always great you with a smile and make this town warm and friendly. Good place to take Arthur so he can nap and daddy can sketch.

Hawaii Sketches

Our family took a relaxing trip to Kailua, Oahu and I had a chance to do some watercolor sketches. It was my first time to the islands, and it was Arthur's first trip too. Masha has been there several times and was the one who located this wonderful town to stay in. Here, unlike on the Honolulu side, you can live in a small surf community and feel more like a local. Its a slow pace of life, with friendly people and delicious food. Our favorite pancakes were in Kailua, anyone who goes there must go to Boots and Kimo's and have the Macadamia nut pancake sauce. Mmmm!

Arthur sleeping at Boots and Kimos.  The patio of our cottage (i-pad). Paradise Cove Resort.

Lanikai Beach

MCBH Kaneohe From Kailua Beach.

Admiral Nimitz

Here is a quick study of Adrian Lamb's portrait of Admiral Chester Nimitz. Total time is around 25 minutes.

John Singer Sergeant Study

A 1 hour study of a master painter.

Warming Hut - San Francisco

The Warming Hut in San Francisco is one of my favorite places on earth. Today was an example of what I love most about it. Thousands of visitors were enjoying the park with a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the city itself in the opposite direction. A rare day like this, must have been 80 degrees with a nice breeze blowing, brought out every type of person to exercise, stroll, walk their dogs, go on a date, play with the kids, fish on the pier, we saw any activity you could think of.

Luckily I had my watercolor kit and a handbook sketchpad to try to quickly sketch the brilliant colors of the day. There were no clouds at all, the sky just looks washed out because I didn't have a big enough brush to lay down a proper blue sky. It was very relaxing.

Water Color Landscapes of Burlingame

Summer in Burlingame has been a terrific improvement for outdoor activities from summers in San Francisco. To be sure, SF summers have a charm that I will never reject, and if you have some nice layers of clothing, a walk through Golden Gate park or the Presidio in the fog is a wonderful experience. But for pure, warm sunny strolls with Arthur and Masha, there is something great about the fresh air in Burlingame. The afternoons cool down gradually, and occasionally you still get a taste of the marine layer coming in over the ridge along highway 35. It is ideal for doing some plein air paintings in watercolor as your paint dries swiftly and the gentle breeze keeps you from overheating. This town has the quaint comfort of "small town America" but is situated on the bay and surrounded by natural beauty from shoreline to shoreline of the greater peninsula.

Ronin - DeNiro

Quick study done from a still on Netflix. Too bad he came out a bit wonky.

Arthur Never Stops Moving

Took a couple minutes to try and capture this guy while he is awake. Man, he is shifty!

Legion of Honor Museum July 24

Met up with Tu and Emery for some sketching at one of my favorite museums.

Costume Design for a tough girl

Working out some costume sketches.

A Team

This is a Team. I was trying to make a team that would look good for a game with 4 characters representing soldier classes. Assault, demolitions, sniper, and a gunner. Cliche, yes, but a good exercise. Had this in a WIP state for so long, just decided to post it now.

Aunt Pat and Uncle Neil

Some sketches I did up with the family.

Crowdstar Figure Drawing 4Aug2011

We had an excellent model again this Thursday. That helpful hula hoop is perfect for measuring distance and seeing negative shapes between the figure and the perimeter of the circle. Looks very much like an illustration framing device in these drawings.

Mesrine Sketch

Another 10 min sketch. Going for color and composition. Man time goes by so fast.

Arn Knights Templar

Another 10 min color sketch.

10 MIn Sketch

From the movie Arn: Knights Templar. Great cinematography in this film.

Thumbnails

Part of a class I am taking to create some thumbs for a character design. Also working out this Tribal Chieftan I have been thinking about.

Pirate Commando

Needed to draw some people just for fun. Been busy with work and baby, so I had to take some time this evening to get some art out.

Speed Paint

Just knocking out a photo study. Life has been a whirlwind with the birth of my son Arthur. So much joy and happiness and excitement. Here is a 30 minute speed paint, finding 30 minutes is itself a challenge now, but a fun one.

Figure Drawing from Early December

Another great session at Crowdstar with a wonderful model from the famed Bay Area Models Guild