The Monster Brothers

I colored the ones I liked. I went with colors that complemented each other (although not quite a complimentary color scheme) I think it could work.Ooh ya! And I came up with a COOL name for them you ready?...THE MONSTER BROTHERS! Oh well, I like it and want to start on their story a.s.a.p. AND I WILL! Okay here they is.

Language of Animation Project 1

Ok. The time has finally come! I started school Last week and I've got projects starting up left and right. This is my fist project in my Language of Animation class and the only one worth showing so far.

The assignment was to create a completely original character and draw and color him in two different action poses. The poses and colors are to identify his back story (which we will write later on in the quarter and eventually story board) I drew a few different characters and here are two clean ones.

Attempts 1

^This was a fun pose to draw- really had to remember my perspective and shapes.^

This guy was one of my favorite set of sketches but when I finished him I didn't like him. I found out colored pencils and I don't like each other and need to get to know each other a little better before we try and finish something together. I also thought the pose was too suggestive- but hey that could've worked for the character... oh well

Attempts2

^After a few more sketches I drew these guys up and think that a really fun story lies behind them.I'm not really sure what that story is yet but It'll come to me. I haven't decided on the colors yet but I know I'll be using digital this time. yep^

So this was a fun pose to draw too! I like the lumbering...ness of the big guy (probably need to thin of a name, huh?) I think he'll be a protector. and the boy will be secretly amazing at something.

"Be careful computers eat energy...like transformers they too are more than meets the eye."

Enslaved Fan Art

I got so excited I decided to do a fan art piece for the game!

here are the original lines (11x17)

This is the finished piece done in photoshop CS3 the background is taken from one of the wallpapers from the game.

hope you likes!

"The turtle is never slow when when ninjas are involved."

A Journey West...ish

A Journey West

 For those of you that didn't know there is a new video game coming out on the 5th of October from NAMCO based on the ancient Chinese legend/epic originally telling of a mystical monkey and his rise to godhood while journeying west. Called Enslaved, the game is based 150 years into our future and takes place in the U.S. Now hold on, that may be a turn off to many of you but don't knock it till you try it! The story and visuals in the game are top notch. The game is developed by the extremely talented, U.K. based company Ninja Theory- whose renown began with a little game called Heavenly Sword for PS3.

wallpapers

 

these are are all from the game's website

 Just by playing the demo I can already tell you the game is ultra fun and has some of the most exciting and suspenseful moments I've ever played in a demo before. EVER. It's a third person action adventure/puzzler game that throws a couple of unique things in like ridiculously beautiful level design and great character animation not to mention some seamless cut scenes. Plus the actual character design and visuals are absolutely stunning- which is the kicker for me- so thank you NAMCO and Ninja Theory for developing a game that is both a new take on an awesome story and yet a completely original game that I am very much looking forward to.

*If you wanna check out the demo you'll have to have xbox live.

Here some links to check out

(namco's official site)

http://www.namcogames.com/ 

(the games official site)

http://enslaved.namco.com/

(ninja theory's site)

http://www.ninjatheory.com/

All these links have some pretty sweet videos and pics (if you're interested)

"Udon noodles make up for their lack of a sense of humor with taste!"

Philly the Kid and all he stands for to me

So this past year has been one of enlightenment. I have had so many artists and styles brought to my attention that interest me way more than the traditional realist style I've been trying to perfect. I'm ok at realism when it comes to figure drawing; I would go as far as to say that the human body is my best and favorite subject. But real is real and unless I want to put some story behind my characters (which is always necessary) they all stay pretty much the same. So I figured out I wanted to create a style that was a bit more than just realistic. I wanted to put realism into the unreal, and fantastic. Not to shock or amaze my audience but to just show them what I wanted to have as my own style. Not that it's different or not influenced by other artists and art I see and like but just to say- hey this is what I do, this is what I like, take it or leave it.

Anyway Some really big influences on my artistic direction have been professionals that work constantly and have a unique style that catches my brain! Lesean Thomas- for one- is an American animator/ illustrator working in Korea in animation (the first ever by the way) he's also working on a creator owned graphic novel called Cannon Busters and his main character "Philly the Kid" has been plastered all over the internet and my walls and my mind since I saw the first concepts of em when my buddy Anton showed them to me. So I finally did a fan pic of him and put him up on D.A. and wouldn't you know it he saw it and liked it and I feeeaaakked oouuutt a bit. So ya this post is basically me bragging and confessing my fanboy-dom for his work. It is such an honor to even be noticed by a professional in my preferred career choice let alone one I think so highly of. Anywho here's the pic of his original character.

Philly the Kid

I took reference from Lesean Thomas' stuff on his blog and D.A. gallery plus I have the only issue of Cannon Busters 0' that I've seen which has some pretty sweet concepts from an artist named Corey(yy) Lewis- who has also had a huge impact on me.

check out Lesean's blog to the right 

Recent Stuff

So I just got my scanner back and have a few pieces to show everybody.

I have very little explanation for this. I guess I was just bored.

So this guy is eating ramen and gets interrupted by a would-be robber. and then gets really angry because he got startled and had to spit out his ramen... thats it.

Sagat

I used a variety of gray sharpies to get the look I wanted.

Ryu

Ya...  get on Street Fighter kicks quite a bit. This was a fun pencil sketch.

"Eat carefully or risk disturbing your bowels."

D the Dragon guy

The one nice thing about being an artistic individual is that somehow even the smallest of things can inspire me to draw. This inspiration can come from any number of abundantly random things or nothing at all... at least nothing I can remember anyway. Take this picture for instance; I just started to sketch on my friend's intuos tablet and I got a weird man creature protecting/capturing a child. I could tell you that some of my inspiration came from watching or knowing about Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, because that's what it reminds me of, but all in all I had no conscious thought in my head at the time. Any way it's just the lines- a w.i.p. but I hope to try a fun new painting technique I learned on it and get the finished picture out soon!  

Dragon Master

This was done on a digital pad and in photoshop CS3

"Don't ask a cop for directions; because he will arrest you and take your pot."  

Dreams and Characters... in my Dreams

Lately I've been working on a project with a friend. This project is very important to me but I'm only designing the characters for it. This is one of many we have come up with; can't say too much about him now but I can tell you he may be working as a Yakuza hitshark. 

This is kind of a teaser of a much larger image I used as a concept piece.

This is more of a detail piece... I actually just wanted to draw him decked out in samurai gear.

So anyway I figured every time I posted something I ought to say something profound or groundbreaking in some way. But then I thought about myself and realized that I don't think about profound or groundbreaking things too often so I guess I'll leave with this question:

" In times of great distress the Power Rangers call Chuck Norris. Does popcorn float in lava?"

Figure Gestures

These are a few gestures compiled over last semester in my figure drawing class and in a 'drawathon'. I really dug the process that the professor had us use... mostly because I like to work very quickly. Basically we were taught to put the gesture sketch at the base of every figure before we flesh out the more detailed things... like faces... and hands... and feet... and nipples. Any way it was a good experience all around- for me anyway.

Nude Female Fig. 1

This is a longer sketch done in pen- about 5min or so. I crosshatched it- which I do a lot... I like crosshatching.

Female Profile Portrait

 

This is the same figure from above. This is done in pencil and, once again, done with crosshatching. It took about 30min or so. 

Nude Female Fig. 2

A very quick gesture- about 1-2min. This is one of many short gestures of a beginning-of-class exercise we did to loosen up for a longer piece. 

Female Nude Fig. 3

On this one I tried to bring out the figure with shape by using the broad side of the charcoal instead of line like I usually do. 8min.

Ricardo Profile Portrait

Done in pencil took about 5-10min.

Action Pose w/Sword 1

Done with one of my swords- I had my friend pose for a school assignment. 1-2min.

Action Pose w/Sword 2

Same assignment.. now much cooler with 2 swords! 5min.

Action Pose w/Sword 3

1-2min.

Roommate Gestures

These were all done in my living room. 1-2min each.

Female Nude Fig.4

This is a longer piece- one of my first in the class but one of my favorites and, I think, most successful. I attempted to use the lighting to my advantage. A longer piece not quite finished and not quite a gesture. 20-30min.

So ya these are pretty much my favorite pieces from my last days at University of Central Missouri!

Lines and Colors

A commission for my friend Anton 

He wanted to be a Street Fighter. 05/2010

A random redesign of Blanka 

05/2010

A redesign of Leatherhead

06/2010

A fun attempt at designing Monkey King

04/2010

This is the process I use for coloring. I learned it from a very helpful link posted by the amazing Jeff 'Chamba' Cruz.http://lastscionz.deviantart.com/ Thanks a million for posting it!

04/2010

These were all finished in PS.CS3 with an Intuos3 tablet. 

Getting Started...

These are the first word's I read at my new job this week. Only seems appropriate I guess.

On the 9th of August 2010 I Officially started my life in Seattle, Washington- which is kind of a big deal to me. Ever since I could remember I've wanted to be an artist, and more specifically as of late, I've wanted to be an animator.

The town where I grew up was small and in the middle of nowhere, Missouri. I love the people there but my career and life choices forced me to leave and go somewhere I can continue my love for animation. Well... the only places people make cartoons is in the cities! So I moved out here for school and now I'm getting settled to start surviving. Let me tell you- if you have any ounce of desire to be independent financially while trying to go to college...IT SUCKS. But I know I want a future in this so I'll keep it up to get where I want to go. Any who- thats my life right now and I plan on posting some good ol' pic's for everybody to see so ya!

PEACE