Bierstadt Machines

This morning I was studying some Bierstadt paintings and at work today we talked about Terminator 4 and the war against the machines. I guess both kinda seeped into my subconscious tonight.

This took about 20 minutes for the bulk of the work and 20 more for a few more details. 

nuclear funk

I think I was in a funk tonight. After working out, my creativity and energy went downhill fast. I started by reading through the first lesson of an environment workshop on Conceptart.org but did the typical thing that most people do with lessons on the internet. I cut corners.

I didn't take part in the perspective lessons that I should have and so when I started painting I came up with the same old boring perspective that I always seem to do.

I was practicing something else on this and that's texturing and laying down solid large brushstrokes instead of 200 smaller brushstrokes. This usually works better with REALLY dynamic lighting though since your lights and shadows in your foreground areas are at two very different ends of the spectrum. 

 Overall I think this took about 2 hours :P bleh. But it helped me to realize that I need to work on some more dynamic perspectives. 

The Mission

Listening to Ennio's Mission Score really makes me wish I was outside painting.

post siggraph sketches

I'll post some siggraph information as soon as I feel like it. Siggraph was a big boost to my creativity. Big thanks to Cliff Berry for dragging me along. 

Here's some speed sketches from the past two days. 

New beginnings

Tonight I finished my new site, my first demo reel, and my reel specific matte painting resume. 

I am so happy.

Check out my new portfolio site here.

 

Woot

At about 12:00 noon today I got excited when my favorite internet tv show released episode 72.

The Totally Rad Show

Tuesday afternoon is always my favorite day of the work week, because of the show. This week has held me in higher anticipation than any other episode so far.

The show's intro and exit has fan submitted artwork in the backgrounds. I submitted a background to the show to be used for when they reviewed the Mummy.

and IT WAS SELECTED! (Boondock Saints Reference there).

It goes without saying (but I'm gonna say it anyway) that I am elated.

I can't wait to put this in my demo reel.

BTW. Happy Birthday to me and Jeff Cannata, we share the same birthday. Happy Birthday Jeff! I really hope you're career takes off soon because you sir. Are RAD. You can make sound effects for my backgrounds anytime.

Dan, you are the man and I hope to work on one of your features or commercials someday.

Hello Albrecht! I've followed your work since I first saw you on TechTV. You are as awesome as you are hilarious.

Steve, you're motion graphics and videography is awesome and hilarious. Very professional. You really are the the oil that makes the show run smoothly.

Awesome episode, keep up the good work guys I LOVE the show.
(been getting caught up on the episodes. I started watching at episode 59. Big thanks to my buddy Lee Glasgow introducing me to the show.)

Progress check yet again

 

This one has been on and off the chopping block for quite some time. This was created from the brief of one of my favorite books. It's a place I've always wanted to see. 

Progress check!

Here are a few shots from my demo reel in various states.



The pass. I think that this painting is just about done. I don't want to fiddle with it too much.



I feel that I'm getting close on this one. I have been painting the buildings on the right hand side, but I need to add a bit more color and architecture to them.


I really think that this is about finished. This is the orignal shot.


And the matte painting in it's current state.

Frustrating lightbulb moment

In just about every piece of software I have ever used there has been some moment where a different variation of keystrokes or hotkeys has given time saving results that I could have used earlier.

With flash it was Control + Alt + Enter. I am so used to using Control + Enter to test a movie, but Control + Alt + Enter allows you to test a movieclip. As soon as I used it, I wish I had been using it 6 years earlier. DOH!

I don't know what else to call these frustrating moments so we'll just call them "Frustrating Lightbulb Moments".

I had one today... in Photoshop none-the-less. Which is REALLY frustrating because I've been using it longer than any other software in my quiver.

Using the brush or eraser:
Shift + LMB + (pull your mouse from left to right, top to bottom, 45 degree angle) is not the same as LMB click THEN Shift + Click. Now I have to say goodbye, if only for a while, to the line tool.

Line tool: Hey buddy, You wanna get some work done?
Me: ummm. Sorry but I've got a different matte painting I'm working on where I'm not gonna need you.
Line tool: Wha? What's the painting?
Me: It's a 1700's style harbor.
Line tool: Hey, i would be very helpful for that. All those posts and beams and straight lines type stuff?!
Me: ummm... I've found another tool.
Line tool: wha? huh? eh? ... What tool?
Me: The brush.
Line tool: Huh? You've known brush for ages. He can't do what I can!
Me: uh. yeah he can. I can draw straight lines in whatever direction I want.
Line tool: %#*@!
Me: Hey, it's ok. We'll get together again sometime soon... I promise. We'll play the Xbox or the Wii sometime soon, Ok?
Line tool: *sniffles* Ok.

Post Siggraph plans

I'm getting close to finishing 4 of the shots for my demo reel. And with August 11th fast approaching I've been thinking about what I'm going to do after Siggraph. Here's a little list if anyone is interested.

• Unpack boxes. We recently moved, but because my awesome wife wants me to succeed in creating an awesome demo reel, she has given me time to work on my reel instead of unpacking and organizing.
• Work on a fan film or independent film. I have a few directors and visual effects supervisors in mind but if anyone reads this and needs some matte painting, concept, or basic compositing work done let me know, I'd be happy to send you my reel and review your project after August.
• Tutorials. I have a long list of 3d and painting tutorials that I have been saving. Some of them are REALLY basic but I want to go through all of them and try to learn something new.
• READ! I really miss reading. I have about 3 books I want to read that are already waiting on my shelf. I want to read to my daughter more as well.
• Paint! I REALLY miss my watercolors. Painting plein air ala Nathan Fowkes style is such a blast. By then my daughter might be old enough to start fingerpainting with me. It'll be so much fun.

when reality becomes fantasy

Imagine a future where there isn't a way to shoot photography of glaciers, or to shoot in hawaii, or Thailand? Where almost every environment has to be matte painted because everything has to be shot on a soundstage?

We call real environments that exist but need to be faked "invisible matte paintings".

I was reading No Impact Man's blog today and it got me thinking about this. There's alot we can do to lower our footprint on this earth. Here's a few low impact ideas that my wife and I have used:

• Use glass. The benefits are that you're not exposing yourself to BPA and not contributing to the rising cost of oil. Plastic is made from petroleum. Any time we buy something to drink at a restaurant or fast food joint we try to get something in glass that has a wide mouth. SoBe bottles make for great waterbottles. POM jars are great glasses, so are mason jars.
• Shop more frequently at the grocery store and but buy less. That way you won't waste alot of food. Use cloth bags instead of plastic ones to carry your groceries around in too.
• Keep the tabs off of pop cans, and then give them to a kid who's school who will use them to recycle and trade for cash. It's a little thing but can add up quickly and "can" (pardun the pun) make a little kid's day.

I would hate the day that everything becomes a "fantasy matte painting" because so much of what we find beautiful, no longer exists.

The Greatest Adventure

UPDATE: Songza song removed...sorry!

Thank you Glen Yarbrough

The Pass update

My recent update to "the pass" matte painting. Still not finished yet but I've made some great strides. 

Happy Father's day VFXers!

If you are living your dream, working in visual effects/film. Then you have given your child one of the most important things they can have...a positive role model.

Someday your child can look at your career and say, my father followed his dreams and shot for the stars, I know that I can too.

Here's a big salute to you.

Big inspiration

My favorite scene from 3 Amigos. Just couldn't help myself...had to post it. It's too good not to.

Yes. This scene is a big inspiration for a project that is waiting in the wings.

Progress check!

Here are the updates from my "demo reel" work

Yo Momma

Bryan Woods has started a brushfire of "Yo Momma" jokes over at VFX Talk, and since I check for new posts inside my Google Reader, I couldn't help but see it and smile. I quickly chimed in with a Joke of my own. 

"Man, Yo Mamma so fat, we was talkin about node noodles and she grabbed a bowl."

One of my favorite VFX blogs has joined in with:

"Yo Momma so fat she broke my clipping plane!"

Seriously that one made me laugh out loud.

Hack has posted a news post on his blog about the "event" here.

I love the photo of that bear. I seriously would have never thought that anyone could have found a more fitting photo.

Woot! He fav'd mine. 

accentuate the negative

Zoic is famous for faking it and adding to the realism of shots.  The camera movements in Cloverfield were built off of it. You see it more and more in matte paintings. 

Sloppy camera movement. Despite sounding bad it can make a shot look more "real".  

My good buddy Cliff Berry  suggested that I ditch the stabilize nodes and go for a more "handheld" look. 

So I did. 

CGTalk2

Again, this is just a garbage composite, but I wanted to re-comp this and see how it looks. It desperately needs some motion blur to match the original footage's blur, but I'll work on that later. It's back to work on my "coastal city" and "road to hell" matte paintings

Dreaming

I've been trying to think realistically about films or properties that I might get to work on.

Typically, matte painters get their start working on sequels to big franchises. Dylan Cole was lucky enough to start with Time Machine so there is the ability to get started on a "smaller" (relative) production.

So here's my list. This is what I would love to be working on or after 2010.

• Terminator 6 (Terminator 4 is currently in production)
• Avatar 2 (Avatar to be released in 2009. And if anyone knows me ...they know that I have been looking forward to this film since 2005)
• A Lucasfilm property involving fantasy elements...Like Willow
• Any video game (or FILM!?) involving Ragnar Tornquist
  
• A Dirk Pitt film (Preferably starring Matthew McConaughey)
• A sequel to The Chronicles of Riddick
• James Bond 24
• The next Serenity/Firefly movie (Please Joss!?)
• The He-Man film
• Iron Man 3
• Unbreakable 2 (please?!)
  
• Hellboy 3
• The Hobbit 2
• GI Joe 2
  
• The Flash
• Lord Baltimore (Based off of Baltimore, or the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire) (I would also want to assist witht the concept art and art direction on this film)

There's more but I can't think of them at the moment.