The Boreal Glider

My last design for 2013, can't wait to see what 2014 brings!

Game Asset - Leaning Tower of Pisa

This is a game asset (mobile gaming) that I made of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  I've been meaning to display this process for a while:  taking a realistic sketch into something more stylized. 

Mechanic Character Design

This is a character I designed for a game.  I've definitely had a lot of influence from my side project, Studio Tinlock (StudioTinlock.com ), that I run with my girlfriend.  This tends to be the style we use for our prints and project commissions.  It occurred to me that I need to include more of my preliminary work in these pieces (sketches, inking, WIP's, etc.)  I'll probably look into another model sheet of this character that focuses on his expressions and tools. 

Videogame Asset

This is a little iso-asset I made for a videogame.  The band-aid makes me want to design some small characters to go along with it, not sure if I plan on doing insects, tiny people, or something else... (tiny insect people..........)(.....)

Bedtime sketch

A sketch before bed, trying out some new brushes–

Friends

I met a wonderful artist tonight, it's great to make new contacts in a new city. 

The Green Mile – Sketch

I watched "The Green Mile" for the first time – yep, 14 years late to the party.  The cast was incredible, lots of great performances.  Loved the setting of the movie (era and sets).

Presley - Complete

Here is the final Presley painting.  I kept the banner fairly loose so it wouldn't come forward too much, and I made Presley and her surroundings very warm to evoke the hippie/outdoor vibe.  I ended up using a lot of ochre in the background to give the painting a bit of a 60s vibe.  I'm hoping I'll get another character to paint in this series from my client, I'm enjoying the character design process.

Sketches

 While waiting at the Oakland DMV, I decided to sketch a few people who were waiting.  Like me, we were all pretty agitated over the incredible wait time (2+ hours.)  I don't think my sketch captures quite how unhappy these gentlemen were.  Sketching people in public always presents a fun challenge; how fast can you visualize a likeness before you have to turn away quickly?

 "Nubs" are a style of character I started back when I was in school (~2006).  They are my favorite form of doodling:  I can test out different expressions/emotions and styles.  I never put any pressure on myself regarding how they turn out.  I usually can sketch 10-20 and end up with 1-2 I genuinely like.

I went down to a basketball court to sketch a couple of pick-up games.  This setting is a great challenge in speed and paring down the figure.  I use a marker and water, spending an average of 30-45 seconds on each one.

Presley - Scars & Stripes

I'm working on another woman in the breast cancer series that Esther came from.  This time I'm doing a young girl, a "Boho" hippie type with a peace flag in the background.  I'll try to make this one much brighter than Esther, I'll probably go with a palette of yellows and greens.

Scars and Stripes - Esther (Final)

Here is the final painting of Esther.  I feel this painting really benefited from warmer shadows and lost information (as I cited before, some new trends I'm getting into.)  I'm signed on to do some more of these characters, I can't wait!

Scars & Stripes - Esther

I'm working with a lovely person on a project for breast cancer.  The finalized paintings will be made into prints and prints on canvas.  This commission combines character design with portrait painting (one of my all-time favorites.)  These are the concept sketches I submitted of "Esther" - she's an older woman whose undergone a double mastectomy.  She's sitting in a rocking chair sipping some scotch (single malt, hopefully.)  The top sketch is an overall abstract of the idea, the bottom is a tighter face sketch to get the personality established.  I'll post the final painting in a few days.

Wail of the Banshee - Logo and Background

Dealing with typography is always fun, it's a nice break from always painting.  I wanted the logo to look intense and horrific without the use of any blood (although there's a bit of splatter, more for the effect of stress.)  The background was designed for use with a Twitter page, so the middle is fairly bare and sandwiched between two of the characters in the game (the Banshee and "Sean.")  I had an awesome time developing concepts for "Wail of the Banshee"; my contracted time is now over, so it's on to the next project!  I'm really looking forward to sharing this next project.  It's been incredible to paint AND it has a very special subject involved.

Wail of the Banshee - Banshee concepts

I almost forgot - besides the Banshee that was posted, here is a small sheet of Banshee heads I sketched (with a ballpoint pen, always a favorite on-the-go tool.)  My personal favorite is the last one (3rd one, bottom row), but I realized I wanted the Banshee to look more appealing.  Even though she may be a villain, I wouldn't want to design her in a completely unappealing light.

Wail of the Banshee - The Banshee

I had a lot of fun developing the Banshee herself; this image was painted as a concept, but later we incorporated it into a Twitter BG page.  I'm incorporating more "lost" information in my paintings recently, it's always been a priority in my traditional work.

Concept Sketches: Wail of the Banshee

After relocating to Oakland, I picked up a small concept art job for a game called "Wail of the Banshee."  It's a plot-driven mobile game being developed by Cassandra Wolff, an awesome gal who heads Prime 39 .  Over the next week, I'll be dropping some of the images I did for her.  I really enjoyed the subject matter (survival horror), I was a big "Silent Hill" fan back in the day (I can't say I'm too pleased with where it ended up recently.)  

Personal Project Sketch

The past 2 months, I've been very busy working with my girlfriend Jessica on our full production team, Studio Tinlock (StudioTinlock.com).  We spent a lot of time developing artwork for the Dallas Comic Con (which was a big success for us) as well as establishing business practices.  In short, it was very consuming.  Now that the DCC is done, I have time to start working on some personal projects.  I'm taking an online course with Chris Oatley, I'm looking forward to expanding my digital painting abilities.  I'll be taking these sketches and turning them into painted pieces in the next couple of weeks.

Cocker Spaniel

Besides trying to get as much freelance as possible and developing my portfolio, I work part-time as an instructor.  I tutor privately and I work at a step-by-step painting studio.  One of my favorite classes that I teach at the studio is a pet painting class.  This is the one time I get to discuss concepts, color theory, and painting technique (our other classes are very linear.)  Every class I get to paint a different breed of dog.  The challenge I have is my time limit:  I can only paint my dog in about 30-40 minutes cumulative, the rest of the time I must walk around and help students.  The time limit forces me to think quickly and use a lot of broken brushwork.  I've been inspired recently to make better grays in my paintings.  I'm also always evolving my black mixture; my current is phthalo green, alizarin, and raw umber. 

Even though these studies are quick, I feel like they have helped me see what's worth including and what needs to be omitted.

Something different

I needed a break from my current Dallas Comic Con projects, so I decided to make a quick sketch.  The umbrella of clean, graphic, comic style was still hanging over my head!  I'll need to sketch something more painterly later on to compensate.

The Joker

This print actually went VERY fast from concept to final, I finished it within a day (not bad considering my speed, something I've been working on.)  I wanted to incorporate some graphic touches to the clothing and the overall shapes.  My model was Joker from "Batman:  The Animated Series."  Me being me, I still wanted to make sure there was a good amount of rendering in the face.  I'm hoping the hybrid of the two works well for everyone.  It's very hard for me to walk away from pieces like this, one of the many reasons I'm glad I have my girlfriend Jessica (my partner in crime with Studio TinLock) looking over my shoulder at my work station.  I'm learning it's important to maintain a good energy with pieces like this; it feels fast, and that's what I like most about it.  Even though it's hard to take a break from original work, I'm enjoying the challenge of working with characters I like in styles I'm interested in.

X-Men Babies final print

Here is the completed print for the X-Men Babies.  This is the first time I've worked with so many characters on one page, I really like seeing how colorful the final print turned out.  I tend to paint with a little more mark making, so it was fun to color in more of a "comic" style.  In preparation for the con, I have tried to read more comics and observe the different styles of rendering.  More prints to come later!

X-Men Babies

My girlfriend and I will be manning a table at the Dallas Comic Con next month (May 17-19.)  It will be our very first con, so we're both excited.  We have been working on a number of new prints that are purely comic-related under the umbrella of our new team name, "Studio TinLock."  The first print we collaborated on was an X-Men Babies piece.  Here are some of the characters alone, the final piece will be coming soon!

2012

2011