Environments, Structures, and Pirates, oh my!

Lately I've been working on many things at once, including the new comic. The odd thing is that the comic may no longer be a comic, at least from a traditional standpoint. The comic is being re-formatted into something even more fun. I'm making it move.
Now, motion comics have been done before, but they seem to be grounded in a level of reality that don't quite gel well with my fantastic expectations. I'm not saying that other motion comic artists are doing something "wrong," so much as they are cutting their possibilities short by not letting things get crazy enough. I'm going to attempt to remedy this when I do mine. Wish me luck.
I'm also going to be finishing several more environments, since that seems to be my strength, but I will still be drawing characters because...well...I like characters. I also like environments though, and I have a sincere belief that many industry professionals don't realize that the worlds can have just as much, if not more personality than the characters. To boot, when it comes to games that are driven by "player choice" it is even more important, due to the fact that the character they are playing can't (and shouldn't) be influenced by the developer, and thus are a reflection of the player, and thus it is super necessary to have a fantastic playground to play in.

Got some catching up to do, eh?

So, I've been gone for a while. I've been working really hard in school, looking for internships, taking more hours, and working around to make some cash. It took up a lot of time, so I didn't get around to editing this blog, and for that I am sorry.

The good news is that I was drawing the whole time, so let's start with what I've been up to on the concept art front.

Chapter 3 is on the way.

This is the first part of chapter 3.

Random Concepts and Stuff

"Off Cat"

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"Id" Study

I've been messing around with stuff a bit this week (now that I have some free time), and have been doing twice as much work as usual...ah, the irony. The first picture was an idea that I had for a cat creature, however, it came out looking like a poke'mon...do with that what you will.
The second was a rough concept of another creature, and a study in patterns and line art.

More Death Ward

Fun times. Let's get on with the action.

Symbiote Character

Here's a character based on the symbiote creatures from Marvel's "Spider Man." Why trap or trick a host when you could raise a loyal one, right?

It's just a goofy project. There really wasn't much thought behind it.

New Comic: "SS"

Here's the new comic. They'll be presented much faster due to the way they're drawn. I don't think it's very well presented, but it's a start. I'll get better and quicker at this as I go.

The name I intended is being debated due to copyright issues. I know I'm not well noticed or even making any money off of this, but I still show respect to other artists. Besides, I might come up with something better. Until then, welcome to the world of SS.

Quick Enviromental Drawing

I drew a picture of a world in which creatures lived upon flying whale/catfish creatures that have entire ecosystems on their backs.

 ...yup...this is where my mind goes.

No matter what anyone things though, drawings like this are the backbone for anything I have ever done. Even the characters and environments that were seemingly normal evolved from something fantastic. I believe in starting wild, and then shaving things down to match the project at hand, NOT the other way around. This is actually the type of world I was planning on using for the upcoming game.

Nex page up. Getting schedule prepared for new job.

I've got a new job on the way. That's good for my budged, but bad for available time. Rest assured that I'll find a way to keep things running even while I'm working. With the changes, perhaps things will get updated even more frequently.

Random Batman Stuff

The idea was to have a batman redesign. I messed around with random stuff for a bit, just for fun. I settled on a batman that walked using a stick because I thought it looked like a bat's bone structure. I then looked into bat anatomy and reminded myself that it was actually extended fingers that made up the wings. So in the final design, I tried giving him long nails that he could use as walking sticks for his jacked up legs that are in bracers. All in all, I don't really like it that much. I didn't capture the spirit of the sketch at all. It's a shame really.

Here's the next page

I've started working on the characters for the other comic. While I'm not really bored of this comic, I am looking to create something else when I feel the urge to try something going in a new direction. The zombie comic is still about experimentation, as it has always been, but I feel as though it is establishing its own style, and I consider that the most wonderful thing that's happens to me this year. The feeling of solidifying a world, and the art style along with it, is why I live. It almost brings a tear to my eye. No joke.

Picard in Picasso

This was a quick school assignment that I did in about three hours. I thought it was kind of funny so I went ahead and put it up. Have fun fellow trekkies!

So...I went radio silent...let's talk about that.

Short story: Hard drive failure.

Long story: Due to lack of funds (That I have obtained at this time), I was forced to shut down the last section of the website that include the backup files for the primary sketches for the comic and html code for the site. I recovered the data, via an external hard drive, but the files are quite old and caused a major issue in sequencing the comic. (I.E. it turns out I drew the wrong page.) Next week I will have the comic sorted out once more, with brand new character sketches for other things. I'll also be starting speed painting again, just for giggles. In the mean time I'll share something that I enjoy looking at.

So please accept my apology for the down time, and enjoy this edited photo of a beautiful landscape.

Ah! Tranquil, ain't it?

Anime Study 2

Yep, I'm still on this. I REALLY think it's teaching me a lot about design and color. Plus, the mood of this particular drawing is very interesting. If life was an RPG, I just leveled up. (Forgive the reference.)

Anime Study

I usually try to stay away from anime/manga, since it's far too prevalent nowadays. However, I do think it's important to study many things, especially things that you are not good at. Anime is very precise, clean, and deliberate, things that are somewhat of a mystery to me since I tend to go for a much wilder, "spontaneous" approach. More studies will be on the way.

Elephant (Animated)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYrAzuSqnGo

There's that. Fun stuff, more on the way.

So...I've been away for a bit...

Yah, so, I've been very busy with my latest animation endeavor. During this time, I got a little "too into it" and I went a little radio silent. For that I am both sorry and embarrassed.
I've also learned a few new tricks for creating environments more quickly. I am REALLY excited to see how these tricks will change the overall look of what I create. As for the new comic...perhaps a teaser is in order...this week.
The comic has been put on the back burner, as of right now, and in a couple of weeks I'll release the next animation I'm doing. To boot, I'll also be starting the brand new comic that will run alongside Death Ward.

2 Weeks left till the animation is complete

In the mean time, here is the next page. The animation has been a rough project so far, and it's worth is debatable. We'll see how it ultimately turns out.
I have also have started production on the sprites for an upcoming flash game. The team still not clear on the complete intentions of the product, i.e. if we are going to sell it or not, but it looks like something interesting and I'm always up for a challenge. I've also been awaiting the moment when I might actually be able to work with other people again. I'm all warm and fuzzy about the whole thing.

I don't know if you have heard, but...

Since I currently do not own photoshop right now, there will be a delay on the comic. Not that it really matters that much anyway due to me working on the new animation, but it's worth noting. You can expect that in a few weeks.