snow mountain pass wip

Not really sure if I'm going to finish this but I feel like it's an improvement on my work. I studied a demo of another artists methods and work and I feel like it helped. I also felt frustrated that my work didn't look as great as his but I only put in half the time that he has and he's a professional concept artist. So I shouldn't have any shame.

dark towers wip

Not sure if I'll put any more time into this because I think I might just want to leave it and move on.

New wacom 6x11 and first sketch

Just got my new wacom and this is my first sketch. I worked supersmall. and really went "too" small, but it was a blast and the new wacom will improve my skills by so much. It's so much easier to get the right kind of stroke that I want and It actually changes my perception of scale. More to come. 

Does it read well?

Does it read well? That is the question that you should be able to ask yourself when you look at a small thumbnail of your painting. Tonight I put this together after learning alot from a demo by Marco Bucci . I made a conscience effort to simplify things and also paint within a small canvas. I originally started within a 300 pixel canvas. 

Overall I was pretty pleased. Not anywhere where I want to be of course.

The Bay

 

20  minute sketch. Asked the wife for a theme:

Me: What theme should I do

Her: ...

Her: Bora Bora

Me: ...

Me: oh crap. 

She wanted bugalows over the water but I think I took it too far. Brushstrokes are a little closer to what I want but the colors are a little funky and to me this painting looks a little amaeturish. 

Bierstadt Study

I decided to do a study of Albert Bierstadt's "The Rocky Mountains, Lander's Peak".  I learned lot from it but was mostly frustrated (a fun and good frustration though) at my brushstrokes and how I can never seem to get that minimal brushstrokes look. I think the Wacom Graphire is holding me back and if I could afford to buy a Intuos 3 I would. 

Over all I think I learned more about lighting, different brush settings and atmospheric perspecive/color. 

"It's essential that they should take a pride in their job."

UPDATE: Songza song removed...sorry!

note: Song was the Main Theme for Bridge on the River Kwai






Work has been rough. Painting has been rough. Just need to keep things in perspective.

clouds

I really need a DS, a R4 Card and colors! . Tonight I saw clouds like this coming home and wanted to paint them immediately. 

So when I got home I started working on these clouds. I utilized a few different methods from a few tutorials and got some pleasing results. I don't think I'll really use this method for anything else but a painterly look and for concept work.  

I still haven't learned alot of the painting methods I've been trying to. I want to use minimal strokes in flat color and building small detail in a larger painting with random looking strokes. (ie: goodbrush.com  John Wallin Liberto )

My Computer is trying to lift me up

I just worked a 12 hour day. Spent the whole day building the base for 11 After Effects comps. I get home, and it's fashion night on TV. So no video games or relaxing movies for me. My wife gets to watch 4 straight hours of reality TV that I don't really care for. She truly deserves it though. I decide to paint, put on the headphones and fire up pandora and this is the first song that comes on. What could be more motivational?

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.