Some More May Sketch a Day Stuff

 

These are all studies, the top one to show the technique I used to do the bottom ones. The video shows the whole process that took just over 2 hours in five minutes. The bottom ones are studies of the excellent BBC series War & Peace. I did them on my Cintiq Companion while freezing a frame on my TV. It was hard to get the colours right and I think that was probably, next to the composition, the biggest challenge. I really enjoy doing them but I prefer using reference but then overlay my own designs and ideas on top of it. 

ArtStation Challenge - "The Journey" first entry.

Hibernation Error

I've been meaning to join this challenge for a while and in between work I've been tinkering away at it. I finally feel I have enough to show to post a proper entry. I had this idea in mind of a long space journey where the hibernation system fails and kills all on board except one. An almost classic Sci-Fi trope but fun to explore nonetheless.
During the IW Demo Day last month I had a chance to show a little bit of my process of this painting in front of an audience. It was fun if not a little daunting.

I started with a quick thumbnail to figure out my shot and/or composition. I planned to kit-bash the whole thing in 3D but it's always good to have a rough idea of where you want to go.



I did the kit-bashing with the help of my own 3D models, Daz3D and free kits I found online. Although my PC is pretty swanky it didn't like this scene when I was done adding all the models. I was going to render it in 3DsMax but the high polycount meant I would have MentalRay render for days just for one image. So I took it to Keyshot which did a fantastic job in just a fraction of the time. I assigned materials and emissive objects in Keyshot and did a few render passes like the line work you see here. It give me a good idea of where everything is, especially as this is quite a dark scene.



This was the first light setup that I played with and I really liked the sense of danger but it didn't really feel like an hibernation room... I'm still tempted to go back to the red colour...



After a full render with lights and materials in Keyshot I took it to Photoshop to add atmosphere, texture, colour, and more light. The next step is to paint in more details, make it feel less like a render and more like a painting. I might also need to make it a little more clear the other people are deceased and that the system failed.



Thank you for taking a look, please stay tuned for more. In the meanwhile I appreciate all feedback, comments and critiques.

Cheers!

PS. This was copied from my ArtStation Challenge page, please have a look at updates and feedback here: https://www.artstation.com/contests/the-journey/challenges/5/submissions/3720

Ashen Falls - Characters, Enemies and More

Medieval Sketches and a New Job!

 

From the beginning of August I will start as a full-time illustrator at the home of the Total War series, Creative Assembly. I'm really excited and honored to be joining them.
These sketches have nothing to do with my new job but I had them laying around and figured I should post them. The top two environments were speedpaints done to come up with a mood and setting for a more detailed illustration, though I never got the time to do that.

Lassoscapes

I've been playing around with the lasso-tool some more recently. I know that one who masters that tool masters the universe. So in an attempt to one day at least dominate a solar system I figured I'd spent my lunch-break on these very generic lassoscapes. I suppose Galacticus didn't become the swallower of worlds without practicing on some meteors first. These are also tests for the art direction for a personal project I will reveal in a couple of months.
On another note, I might actually be able to show some more exciting stuff I've been working on soon. Woot!

Lunchbreak Speedpaints

Well, it's been awhile since my last update. The main reason is that I've started a new job at Jagex in Cambridge as a Marketing Artist. Therefore I had to move and had to leave my trusty PC in Holland. On top of that the only internet access I've had was at work on a very secured network which doesn't allow me to upload files...
Looks like I will have to do without internet at home for another two weeks (FFFFUUUU!)
I've done these at work during my lunch breaks. Since I have to do very polished and detailed illustrations during working hours it feels nice to do some loose speedpaints. I wanted to try out some new ways of approaching color, texture and light. It's an never ending exploration of trial and error.

PS. I'm well aware that I'm encroaching if not copying some well know artists their styles, it's just for research :)

More Speedpaints

Okay, I say Speedpaints but when you start messing around with textures it normally takes a bit more time. Still, the end result is much more satisfying then just brushes. 

Environment Speedpaints

SIX

Rough sketches - Photoshop

SIX is the story of earth after a sunflare almost completely destroyer life. Those who survive have to shelter from the sun during daytime and fight of bandits at night. More to come soon.

Swamp Walkers

A little speedpaint.

City Entrance - Enviroment Thumbnails

Landscapes

Another try at some landscapes, I think I need to really keep practising. It still feels like a subject I haven't really mastered yet. The one on the top might actually get a new version of it because after I finished it I wanted to see more of the mountains in the distance. I might turn it into a panoramic shot. Anyway, I've got some great news coming soon. So stay tuned!

High Altitude Pass

Here's the first of hopefully many environment sketches to come. I spent about and hour on it. I wanted to find out how to keep it simple but still make it look complex. The variation in colour was a bitch. It's so easy to lose grip on composition and contrast. I think this one was a good start, up to the next in this series of environments.