latest coffee people

Happy Holidays!

12 step paint process for "rained out"

Click on me to watch

See if this works.  It's an animated Gif 12 steps on how I made it.  Hope it helps or somewhat interesting.....

Old Fil n Mantis animations

So I still have plans to make the story and create a CG short film with Fil and Mantis.  Here are some Reeeaallly old animations and CG models I put together years ago.  The characters have changed a bit but I thought this was a hoot.  I really wanted to be an animator for a spell.  What they look like now link

rained out

It's been crazy raining the last 2 weeks.  I saw a girl come into the coffee shop the other day and inspired me to do this.  The mascara running down her face and her "look" felt like this.  I'll do an animated Gif to show process soon.

Flek

Flek comes to the dead planets to collect all the wonderful shinies.  One mans garbage is another aliens treasure.

Random scribbles

Here are some random scribbles that never made it.  Little ideas and beginnings that fall to the side.

The Dobhar-chu

 So my good artist friend Tiffany Turrill  turned me on to the beastiery where every couple of weeks they explore a strange myth-beast to concept.  Here's the latest one they put up.  Some very interesting artists over there.
 

The Dobhar-Chu:
Hailing from the rivers and deep lakes of Ireland comes a monster known as the Dobhar-chu. The name Dobhar-Chu when translated from Celtic literally means "Water-Hound" and is sometimes confused with its close cousin the Pooka (Puca) or "Water-horse."The Dobhar-Chu has been described differently over time but the general consensus is that it has a very sleek otter like appearance and an enormous dog-like head with fins like a fish. In some versions of the myth the Dobhar-Chu has a fish tail and shark teeth will in others it more like a huge wiry-haired dog with webbed paws.In every version of the story the Dobhar-chu is a nasty brute you don't want to cross paths with. A maneater that can grow up to seven feet long the beast has been said to overturn small boats and eat the unsuspecting fishermen inside. A Dobhar-Chu might be hard to spot in the water, but it is easy to hear. Emitting a loud shriek that sounds like the scream of a young woman as it draws close to its victims.Half-Dog and Half-fish this monster had its last reported sighting in 2003 but it's legacy continues in Irish folklore and the enthusiasm of cryptid hunters everywhere.

couple quickies

more peoples

Brom inspired figure drawing night

Brom inspired figure drawing from THE DRAWING CLUB.  A good time was had

great books you should get

 These aren't my words describing the books but conveys what I think of them. 

Book of Grickle
Get ready for the most extensive journey ever into the brilliant mind of Graham Annable! A classically trained animator with credits in film (including as a storyboard artist on Coraline), television, and video games, Annable has for years spent his free time creating some of the funniest, most poignant comics anywhere. As befits his animation background, Annable's fluid art pulses with life, in stories that practically jump off the page. Alternately poetic and hilarious, Grickle presents a strange twist on the everyday with heart and humor. If you've experienced Grickle before, this is the greatest collection yet. If you haven't, there's no better introduction than Book of Grickle!

Blacksad
 Private investigator John Blacksad is up to his feline ears in mystery, digging into the backstories behind murders, child abductions, and nuclear secrets. Guarnido's sumptuously painted pages and rich cinematic style bring the world of 1950s America to vibrant life, with Canales weaving in fascinating tales of conspiracy, racial tension, and the "red scare" Communist witch hunts of the time. Guarnido reinvents anthropomorphism in these pages, and industry colleagues no less than Will Eisner, Jim Steranko, and Tim Sale are fans!
Whether John Blacksad is falling for dangerous women or getting beaten to within an inch of his life, his stories are, simply put, unforgettable.
* Dark Horse is very proud to present the first three Blacksad stories in a beautiful hardcover collection, completely relettered to the artist's specifications and with the latest album, Red Soul, in English for the very first time.
* This internationally acclaimed series has won nearly a dozen prestigious awards -- including the Angoulême Comics Festival prizes for Best Series and Best Artwork-and is a three-time Eisner Award nominee.
* Blacksad took Europe by storm in 2000 and sold over 200,000 copies in France alone.

 Stitches
2010 Eisner nominee! One day David Small awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that he had been transformed into a virtual mute. A vocal cord removed, he had not been told that he had throat cancer and was expected to die.
Readers will be riveted by his journey from speechless victim to his decision to flee his home at sixteen with nothing more than dreams of becoming an artist. Stitches will transform adolescent and adult readers alike with its deeply liberating vision.

 Each one of these graphic novels are by far the best reads I've had all year.  Either for the pacing, the art style, the comedy, or the message.  There are many more great ones but these were the gems I feel most people hadn't heard about (compared to Maus, Keepers of the Maser, Iron West or Zed)

Algore

Algore

So this is the Imagine FX tutorial I did recently.  It's out in the UK and subscribers in the US should have it now.  Here's a small image of it.  The magazine has the files, brushes, and a DVD of me blabbing for hours.  All Sketchbook Pro 2011.

Gnomon School of Visual FX update

I will be teaching the Advanced character Design class at Gnomon for a semester.  Jan. - March.  It'll be a good time, sign up and lets get creating!

the last few days of people observations

Bow chikka

I can't remember if I ever put this one up....

Here's one that was never used

Some random ideas and color notes for an undersea segment.

Morning Sketches

It feels good getting back to a rhythm.  Although so many people in LA are always looking to see if someone is looking at them (nature of the beast) I'm becoming sneakier with my looks.  Quick 10 seconds then look away for the most part.

Recovering

So we've moved to a different state, had Thanksgiving, finished a 2nd card game, 2 Imagine FX articles, had a CTN Expo booth, and just signed for a place in Pasadena.  I did a quickie to show my pure enthusiasm/exhaust-ism for the last month........
On a completely uplifting and happy note to go out on I met some great people at the Con and they should all be in my Art links on the side panel.  Ken Turner, Justin Rodrigues, and Jason Pruett were awesome artist/people that were just fun to talk to and be around.  Check them out.  A big BIG thank you to Chris Oatley, Kendra Melton and Marcelo Vignali who have all welcomed me and helped me find a great footing in my new hometown.  I'm still so inspired by how many great and wonderful people are out there in the arts.  I always wanted to be a drummer but it was "to loud" so my mother handed me a pencil (true story).....thanks Mom, good choice.