Charon Poster

More Charon Work, this one's a Poster Design to use for Promotional purposes. For some reason the original jpeg I have keeps going funny colours when uploaded to blogspot, so I've had to use the low-res version from deviantart. 

Ctrl + Shameful

It's been a while since my last update, completely shameful on my part. Life has been pretty hectic recently. But hey, even the unemployed have errands to run.

Been thinking about improving my digital painting skills recently, as they are relatively nonexistent. I can colour flat comic-book styled works to an extent but actual digital painting is another thing.

I didn't just start painting on Photoshop, because frankly, it's such a massive subject, I didn't know where to start.

Thankfully, through searching for tutorials on Google, I came across Ctrl+Paint.

Ctrl+Paint is run by Matt Kohl, an experience concept artist. The site is a free resource for digital painting with extensive video library.

After only discovering it 3 days ago, I've already watched quite a few of the videos and I've found each video to be both in depth and easy to understand.

Along side some of the videos, exercise worksheets are given to help work through topics such as Brush Control and Blending, which is a fantastic idea and really helps with the learning process.

Below, I've worked through one of the Brush Control exercises, this is the first exercise I've completed from Ctrl+Paint, and the first time I've used the painterly technique in Photoshop. So bearing that in mind, I don't think my efforts have been too bad.

 

Brush Control Exercise.
The right of each pair is my practice of each given shape. 

Dino Love

Started a new comic today, its about Love and Dinosaurs. 

Above is the first page, I've left out the dialogue for now, to keep the story a bit of a mystery. 

Jokes

Quick sketch of the Joker from memory.

Pencil and Photoshop.

Chuffed.

I've had this lineart saved my computer for ages meaning to use it as colouring practice.  Finally got round to colouring it today, pretty chuffed with the result actually. 

I think the original lineart (Above) was by Ed Benes, if I'm wrong could someone let me know please. 

NOPE.

Pencil and Photoshop.

My continuing disagreement with inking using brushes.

Quick 10min drawing in my sketchbook, coloured on Photoshop.

New Draft pages.

Inked most of pages up, now just for adding colour. Decided to use a limited colour palette so you don't get too bogged down with colour and detail when you read it.

Here's two pages, when the comic is in printed form, they will read as a double page spread.

These are still only drafts, so they could end up changing and getting redone by the time I colour the rest of the pages.

Page 2 Teaser!

...also known as HALF THE FRIGGING PAGE, because I couldn't pick between which panel to use.

First Original Comic.

Taken some time recently and sat drawing and finalizing my Domestic Abuse comic from University  (Title still to be decided....any ideas?) 

Gotten a few pages drawn up, colouring them inbetween my searches for employment.  Two pages basically done.

Hope you enjoy the teaser above. 

Taking Chances

So I've recently just completed the commission for Inez Meerema's Book, Taking Chances, which you can read here.

I actually learnt a lot doing this commission, especially digital painting-wise; which I've never completely mastered. But I think you can tell by the background of this piece, I've come a long way.  Below I've included some of my work up to the final.

Hand inked and scanned in.

Digitally coloured on CS6 Photoshop. (Cleaned up left hand and knee later on in process)

Final image with digitally painted background, without text.

Chloe Noonan Fan Art

Here's some Chloe Noonan  fan art I drew this afternoon.

For some reason I found it hilarious if at some point Chloe lost her staff and had to steal a Lollipop Lady's sign to fight off monsters. I forget why now, but it amused me.

Chloe Noonan is a series of small press comics by Marc Ellerby. You can find his tumblr here. You should read them. 

Armour

Hand drawn, scanned in and then coloured using Photoshop.

Drawn using stock imagery from Grinmir Stock. 

Busy, Busy, BUSY.

Had a bit of free time recently and I managed to get hold of a old Wolverine Graphic Novel by Claremont Miller in the library and decided to redraw Storm from one of the panels. Turned out quite nicely actually. Pretty chuffed with it, although I need to learn how to do backgrounds properly.  Thoughts? Improvements? 

Aqualetes

Just moved back in with my parents after finishing University; found I needed to have a clear out of a some of my old Graphic Design A-level work to free up some space. Came across my Aqualetes Swimming club branding work and I decided to update them all, in order to add some more work to my portfolio and build it up some more. The results above are my new versions. I think they came out a lot nicer than the originals, thankfully.

End of Assessment, Start of show.

Assessment is over and done with now, so now it's the organisation of the end of year show. Walls are painted and everyones' work from my course is hung up. 

My work to be shown at the exhibition is not the final work I had for assessment but a stronger piece of work I had from before. The dull ache 'poster' I had before was really scrappy, however after cleaning it up and recolouring it on CS4 Photoshop, it has come out quite nicely, and really makes an impact on the viewer.  

I'll take some photographs of my work hung up in the exhibition and post them soon.

Experiment.

Picture 1 - Gesso and feathers on Somerset paper. 

Picture 2 - Mixed Media

Picture 3- Ink on Somerset Paper

Everything is getting a bit hectic at the moment, University deadline for assessment is getting closer, I've only got another week after this one and I'm still playing catch up at the moment, so this may be my last update for a while until everything has calmed down.

After doing colour tests, I decided to try using really feathers in my work (Picture 1). Although I liked the effect, it didn't quite work as strongly as my drawn feathers. So I moved off from that and tried a mixed media piece (Picture 2) , layering three sheets of tissue paper together. The front sheet just simply had the type on, the middle had feathers drawn on in ink, the back layer had photocopy transfers of real feathers.

I really liked this piece, however after my seminar I was told to revert back to drawing graphically rather than to continue with experimently with materials because I don't have the time between now and assessment to experiment to much.

Which I agree with, but I'm still glad I experimented, so I started drawing more graphically again and have also started working with a limited colour palette in inks, to try to help my work flow together rather than looking disjointed. (Picture 3) The last drawing is definately my strongest style in drawing, so I understand where my tutor is coming from.

Memory Poster Update.

Been working and reworking some of my memory posters, above are just two that I quickly scanned in. Both are drawn by hand using fine liner pens; as I was drawing more of the posters I found the other memories were coming out far more graphically than my realistic feathers. So I ended up re-drawing them again; I think the result works a lot better, more of a powerful image and it works well in the series of posters I've started producing. Today I've photocopied the originals a few times to carry out some tests to see if they will work as well with ink washes and colours.

Wonder Woman

It's a low-res version, so sorry for the poor quality.

Sorry haven't updated this week. Will do a massive update within the next week or so of my University work. But until then have a quick sketch of Wonder Woman I drew and quickly coloured today.

Started reading the new 52 Wonder Woman comics recently, absolutely love them; but I have to say I don't understand why they've reverted back to the old style costume from Jim Lee's design in 2010. I much preferred the practical approach to the costume update rather than the revealing attire she has in the new 52.

I think after University, I may take up a personal project and redesign some super hero costumes from both Marvel and DC, male and female, and design them to what I believe to be more practical wear for fighting and their abilities etc. Not as a 'I hate all those designs' but rather as pracitse, I believe the project will push my creative side a little more, a bit of experimentation.

Drowning - Re-coloured.

So I printed out 'Drowning' the other day and I wasn't happy with the colours. I felt the blue of the water was too bright, so I've re-coloured it. Hopefully this works a bit better, I've changed the blue into a more sea-green colour and got rid of the white around the edges because I felt the were distracting the eye away from the woman. 

Before

After

Colour Practice

Well the last few days I've been trying to practice colouring things digitally using Photoshop, and I finally think I'm starting to get the hang of it. Unfortunately I ran out of my own illustrations to colour, so I stole someone else's to practice on; and it's turned out to be one of the best ones I've coloured. So with her permission I give you effuchu's 'clutter' now newly coloured by me.

You can find effuchu on Deviantart and Tumblr. Honestly, I implore you to look through her profile she has some excellent illustrations.