Edutainment for the masses

I was just going to link this to Andy, but thought it was a useful enough breakdown to put up here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/radiomaru/3872906862/sizes/o/

Bryan Lee O'Malley's blog may not be as resource heavy as someone like Brandon Graham's, but it has a few gems. Both O'Malley and his partner Hope Larson's comics are well worth reading, especially since they both look at comics from different angles, but still get satisfying reads out of either.


If you don't like Bryan Lee O'Malley then you're no friend of mine!

Better!

I did some tests with this whole custom brushes, using all kind of this and that.
And im kind of night finding its me. I think that something more akin to traditional painting is where i need to be.
so.. my next attempt
Its gonna be all wet, lots of shiny. Drips from the roof onto big robot, and wet hair for everyone.
But well see. My opening sketch had a much darker/moody rain feeling going on.



And wow. I need to sort out my colour configuration or something. Theres a difference between Painter IX (which it was done in) and Photoshop. Then when its put onto the internet, and i see it on a different moniter :S cant imagine how you guys see it.

My test i did, for like 15 mins

Junk in dem Trunk

Well. Yeah.
I know what i what i want to do. But im definitly still finding out how i want to go about doing it, in terms of process. I feel like im messing about too much and doing alot of things that arent needed in the process of painting. I watched a David Levy video and was looking at some other good digital painters, and i like they way they seem to be getting it down first time, no messing.
Im layering up too much and im loosing something. i think i had something at the beginning within the simplicity and lost it. With this in mind, now knowing what im doing - im gonna start again, trying to be simple.
Still dont know whether i like to do drawings to start with either....

also. Faye foreground, marcel on the left, me being heroic at the back. Its gonna be in the sewers too, all cyberpunky grimey. The water theme i lost alot in the process too :(



Ill be back for more by this evening for sure
i feel like im really learning something everytime i put down strokes.

Unbelievably angry.

I've been happily working on that pchat doodle the past few days, playing with the concept, trying to see how well I could work up a finish and... Saving a jpeg for a CA critique thread I LOST THE LARGE FILE. I don't know if I'll work on it any more, but this is how it looks now. All 600px width of it.




I also made a book. PLEASE crit the hell out of it, I'd like to figure out whats wrong with it besides the unavoidable fact that its 'cute'. It might be unintelligible, its getting lukewarm reviews. So if you can figure out how to improve it I'll be happy, it'd be nice to have something small and dinky worth selling at babahogs.

Click:



Much love, and always check before you save.

SLIMES ON THE STARBOARD BOW

Good time doing paintchat with faye.
Fun all round i say - marcel you need to get involved.

1st is just warm up doodles.
Second 1 was a swap - we did a pretty rough sketch each, then cleaned/painted the others.
Left was drawn by Faye, altered and painted by me (Improved tenfold because of slimes). The other was visa versa.

Exhibition Junk

Got a last minute invite to be in an exhibition in Bristol, and after a 4 days of callus inducing fun, I made these lino cuts and two of the three box things.







I generally have story ideas for most pieces I do, but a good one might brew out of these prints... The top bird was based on a roadrunner and the bottom on a sparrow.
The paper sculptures are all 4 inches square, and painfully awkward to cut. Writing with a tiny brush on a tinier piece of paper which bleeds if you linger too long was... interesting. The general theme for these were 1930's style collector's cards of circus acts, inspired by old cigarette cards.

Had a few more pieces in the exhibiton, and some life drawing that were cherry picked from the past years pieces. It was terribly advertised, but fun to be in! Wanted to photograph em there, but ideas can't beat dead cameras.

[wrong]If I have time before packing for Green Man festival I'll post up a couple vinyl toys I've customised and the odd sketch![/wrong]

Stay limber, people.

TUT-SHARE

No art today just some useful information:

Perspective (most of which you know, but its a good one.)
Composition
Very useful stuff on adjustment layers.

PUMPED

I'm back in Bristol, flea free and seeing you guys' artwork has me ready to churn out something AWESOME. I'll post some exhibition stuff on Friday and might start posting my daily sketch challenges, but my sociable weekend has now disappeared, looks like art is gonna take over people!

NEXT CHAPTER: ...What is this Moonbird?

Black and Whites

ahh HAAA

The book piece i posted over at Artorder got a 3rd place from Kate Irwin, a Wizards of the coast art director out of like 60 or so entries.

Kate Irwin - Third Place Award
"This piece is nicely-rendered but it is my number 2 (? -lol wut?- ap) because the artist used each plane of the book well — there is something interesting on the front, back and spine. (a lot of times, the spine is all you’ll see on the shelf so it’s very important.) Most of the text areas have detail but are also somewhat monotone so the text will stand out. The composition nearly cradles the type elements. This wasn’t an accident. "

That brightened my day a little bit.
Sudden... urge... to paint ...lots more ...

EDIT - From Irene Gallo - Tor Books Art Director

Irene Gallo - Third Place Award
"Nice way to resolve showing each character face on. Very convincing snow and lighting. Works well as a book cover"

Doodleblog

Quick shot from the day job:



And a couple of doodles; badly, badly photographed. (1st is from the zodiac series, Cancer)




Off to the country now, it'll either wield a cartload of genius or absolutely fuck all. To the future <3

P.s. taking that advice on the lineart is going well, cheers.