Chris Kroll - Art Journal

Shark Head Muscle Man ZBrush Sculpture

2012-03-03T10:12:00.004-08:00

I created this using the new Dynamesh feature in ZBrush 4r2. It was incredibly easy to go from a stock mannequin to a highly detailed mesh without having to worry about topology. The only downside that I can see is that you are forced to work at high density and sacrifice your lower subdivision levels. This leaves your work farely useless for animation purposes, external rendering or even posing your model in ZBrush. However, if your intent is to just create static sculpture in ZBrush, this is a great way to focus purely on the art and not have to worry about the technical hurdles of 3D modeling.

MUSÉE MÉCANIQUE

2011-12-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

I recently visited the Musée Méchanique in San Francisco. This is an arcade/museum with arcade games ranging from the modern era all the way back to the 1800's. It was really interesting to observe all of these machines. As a game developer, it is easy to forget that the evolution of digital gaming owes a lot to the mechanized era. I also think there are a lot of cool aspects to these old machines that could be brought back into games.

Battle Chess 2011 Concept Art

2011-10-29T16:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some samples of my concept art for Battle Chess 2011. I learned volumes about the whole concepting process during this project. I am now confident that I can deliver what clients want in a very efficient manner.

This project was done for Interplay Entertainment and Subdued Software. Characters are shown with corresponding in game models created by Mindwalk.

Career In Concepts Seminar

2011-05-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

I recently attended the Career in Concepts seminar hosted by illustration.org and Red Engine School. Each of the seven speakers gave an overview of how their careers have evolved, a handful of tips and strategies, as well as live demos of how they work.

By the end of the first day, I was overwhelmed with information. Here are some of the main points I took away from the various speakers.

In the beginning stages of concept art jobs, it is very important for the client to provide a "design brief" which is a clear and concise description of what they are expecting. The artist can submit a "letter of intent" describing the format and content they are planning to provide.

Create only as much detail as needed to communicate with your client. If they are "sketch literate" then don't waste time and money on making full paintings. Some clients may need animated sequences or mock-screenshots before they can really understand the design.

Don't underestimate the power of concept art when trying to get initial funding for projects. People need to be inspired by flashy imagery before they are willing to invest.

Think of your portfolio like a menu.

Switch out the software, media and methods you are using throughout the day to keep from burning out.

Use any cheap and dirty tricks you can to produce art faster and more effectively. (Photo Textures, 3D Paint Over, Preset Shapes, etc...). Remember that the priorities are production and business.

The most important thing is to be easy to work with. Don't be a "diva" and check your ego at the door.

I also found it really interesting to hear about Steve Jung's experience working in the film industry and getting into the Union. The union penalizes people for doing anything that is not a part of their job description. This is to protect other union members from unfair competition. This can be very complicated in a creative field such as concept art, where you must design characters for example, but cannot step on the toes of the costume designer.

Overall, this was a really great event. It was a chance to absorb the most important wisdom that these seven high level concept artists have gained during their education and careers.

Eat3D ZBrush Hard Surface Techniques

2011-04-16T14:50:00.001-07:00

I recently went through the ZBrush Hard Surface Sculpting video training course offered by Eat3D. I purchased the streaming license, which was great to use between work and home.

In this course ZBrush artist Mike Jensen takes the viewer through the construction of a heavily armored character, from initial concept sculpting to final render in Max and Mental Ray. I found this course particularly useful in learning how a character can be concepted out in 3D as opposed to 2D. There is also a lot of content centering around the customization of ZBrush, and how to accomplish more with less.

I would recommend this VTC to any digital sculptor who wants to learn some cool techniques for creating hard surface models.

Coast Airbrush

2011-04-01T08:52:00.001-07:00

I have always loved airbrush art. To me it is a medium that is incredibly versatile and efficient. I recently learned about an airbrush store in Anaheim named Coast Airbrush. They offer just about anything you could ever need for airbrush / pin striping. They also have some really wicked art in their gallery area. I decided to take a one day introduction to airbrushing class that they offer. At $200, the price is a little steep. However, the class helped me avoid many beginner mistakes that would have set me back months or years. Meeting the teacher, Noah, was part of the value in the class. He is a very successful California artist, and he gave some valuable insight into how he has evolved around the airbrush medium, and his philosophy for monetizing art. These tactics are very different from those commonly found in the game art field, so it was a great way for me to get my head out of the box.

Art Studio

2011-03-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to have a dedicated space to make art. A place where I could make a mess if I wanted and really experiment with different media. I have finally fulfilled this dream by renting a 10x10 art studio in Huntington Beach.
I found the space on Craig's List. There are a number of other rooms in the building which are rented out to musicians who need a space to rehearse and record. The room that I rented is in the front of the building with a large open glass area, and therefore, is not suitable for music. The landlord wanted to keep the building dedicated to creativity, and wanted an artist to fill the front room.

Drakonis

2011-01-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

I made this dragon in my spare time to help keep my ZBrush skills polished. I tried to imagine how the T-Rex would evolve to live in the mountains/caves. This is what I came up with.

Vasquez Rocks

2010-12-24T22:48:00.001-08:00

I recently visited the amazing Vasquez Rocks. I have wanted to check this place out ever since I moved to California, as it is featured in so many TV shows and movies. These diagonal jutting rock formations were formed by the San Andreas Fault. The usage of this location as a backdrop for so many Sci-Fi projects has firmly cemented it into the collective imagination as "what alien worlds look like."

I made some interesting observations while taking in these views. One of the most striking things I noticed was just how much reflected color there was in the rocks. Where surfaces were in cast shadow, and angled toward the sky, there was a very pronounced blue tone. This is something I wouldn't usually think about if I was painting a scene of this nature.

While standing on top of the rocks, I was amazed at just how extreme the atmospheric perspective was in the distant hills.

It was a fun trip to a very visually interesting place, and I recommend this location for artists and Star Trek fanatics alike!

Hand Anatomy

2010-11-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

Hands have always been tricky things to draw for me. After struggling with some hands in my concept art at work, I decided that I needed to upgrade my knowledge of hand anatomy.

I highly recommend the book Drawing Dynamic Hands by Burne Hogarth. This book breaks down the mechanics / proportions / rhythms of the human hand in a very concise way. Going through this book has given me way more confidence in drawing hands both from my imagination and adapting from photo reference. I have checked out various learning resources on this subject, and even though this book is from 1977 it still seems to be the best thing out there. I think I will be checking out some of Burne's other books as well.

Here are some studies that I did after working through Hogarth's book.

I have a new appreciation for hands after doing this study. We look at them every day even if we don't know it. They tell us so much about the people around us.

LE1600 Tablet PC

2010-11-14T18:06:00.001-08:00

A nice guy named Richard at Hijinx Studios let me try out his Wacom Cintiq for a bit. Immediately I was blown away at how effortless it was to draw on screen rather than on a traditional wacom tablet. I have heard people say that they don't like the Cintiq monitors and would rather just use an Intuos, but for me it was like taking away a layer of translation between my eye and hand.

I decided that I wanted to equip myself with some on screen drawing functionality, but I was not ready to drop $1000 to $2000 for a Cintiq. After doing some research, I came across a company called Motion Computing. This company builds tablet computers for the hospital/police/surveying market. However, their tablets are Wacom enabled and work great for artists! Even better, I was able to pick one up on eBay for $250. The one that I got was an LE1600 with a 1.5GHz Centrino processor and 1.5GBs of RAM. This is not a computing powerhouse, but I have found that it runs Corel Painter beautifully.

Another great advantage is that I can take this tablet out into the world and draw. The screen was designed to maintain visibility even in direct sunlight. I plan on using it for figure drawing nights and for outdoor studies.

This is my awesome drawing glove that I made from a $0.99 CVS glove. It helps my hand glide over the glass and prevents smudges.

Tropical Lagoon

2010-10-31T20:26:00.001-07:00

Here is a little painting that I did for fun and practice with Corel Painter.

Art Wiki

2010-10-17T07:55:00.001-07:00

A lot of artists like to just sit down and create a random character/prop/environment from whatever they are thinking about. Some of them will even use random idea generator software to keep their pencils moving. I have tried this method, but I quickly lose interest and am not be able to create depth. I need my characters/props/environments to be a part of a larger framework. I need to know the backstory of a character, how they relate to other characters, why they use the things they do, what they have been through, etc...

To solve this problem I have started my own locked down wiki on a private server. I am using the MediaWiki engine, the same engine that powers Wikipedia. I am going to use this wiki to keep track of the stories / worlds / vehicles / weapons / characters / etc that are floating in my head. This way, I can write about these things, then when I have time to draw, I will have a big list of stuff that needs corresponding illustrations. I can also upload a drawing, and then expand on the backstory and create others like it.

I am also testing this wiki as a collaborative tool. I worked at a company a long while back that used a wiki that lived on an intranet. As a new employee there, I was able to learn 90% of what I needed to do from this wiki in a very short amount of time. Everyone viewed and edited the wiki on a daily basis, and from my point of view it was a huge efficiency booster for the company. Although this was not a game company or related to art in any way, I think that a wiki could benefit my company in a huge way.

Gnomon Color Theory DVDs

2010-10-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up both color theory DVDs offered by the Gnomon Workshop. The first was Color Theory: The Mechanics of Color. The impression that I got from the cover of this DVD was that it would give more scientific explanations of how light and color work. The majority of this DVD was spent going through a seemingly random sequence of slides of classic paintings. I felt like the same thing was being discussed over and over again for 350 slides! This DVD would be great for someone who has never had the chance to take a color theory class at a traditional art school. It goes over some of the basic color theories of antiquity that you will want to know in order to communicate with other artists. However, my advice for more seasoned / new school digital artists would be to skip this one.

The second DVD I checked out was Practical Light and Color: Theory and Application with Jeremy Vickery. Ironically, this DVD has much more about the mechanics of color than the first. This is a wonderful DVD that I highly recommend. This DVD would be great for traditional artists who need a primer before getting into 3D rendering and VFX, or for 3D artists wanting to translate their understanding into the 2D/Traditional realm.

I think that Jeremy Vickery represents a new wave of artists with a more advanced understanding of light and color gained from working with computer graphics. Using computer rendering, modern artists are able to do studies in minutes that would have taken days traditionally (or might have not been possible). They can manipulate light sources and geometry to their exact needs and render with scientific accuracy. Constructing varied surface appearances from a common set of parameters is the new way to organize and systematize the way we think about subjects such as color theory.

I think that tools such as 3D rendering engines are allowing people to grasp artistic subjects that they probably would not have been able to traditionally. Learning to create renders in 3D taught me about subjects such as ambient occlusion, bounce light, fresnel, sub-surface scattering, etc... These understandings show up in my drawing and painting regularly. I sometimes wonder if I would have been able to grasp these subjects had I never wandered into 3D rendering.

55-250mm Lens at OC Japan Fair

2010-10-02T14:13:00.001-07:00

I recently purchased my first zoom lens, the EFS 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS from Canon. This was one of the greatest purchases I have ever made. It has allowed me to see and capture things that I previously would have been unaware of.

I had the opportunity to use the OC Japan Fair as the photographic testing grounds. There was an awesome fashion show at the fair featuring designs by 2WJD founder Shiho Oribe. I enjoy going to fashion shows to get inspirations for character outfits for my concept art. Check out the gallery below to see the photos that I took there using my new lens.

Taking Color Seriously

2010-09-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to create images that are more believable and grounded in reality,I have been upgrading my knowledge of color. Two of my main weak points in this area have been lack of variation in hue across surfaces and abuse of saturation. Luckily I found a great lecture series on light and color by Jason Manley.

This series helped me out with two major problems I have been having. First, I tend to use extremely saturated colors everywhere. In this series I learned how you can vary saturation to emphasize certain areas, make your images more realistic, create depth, and so on. Using too many saturated colors can give art a cartoon-ish look that is not compelling. A good example given of a concept artist that handles saturation well is Justin Sweet

Second, I learned about how varying color temperature is essential for rendering realistic surfaces. Manley discusses how we shouldn't just think "orange=warm and blue=cool." Color temperature is very relative. There are blues that are warmer than others, and oranges that are cooler than others. Even if your temperature shift is very minute, the human eye and brain are adept enough to pick up on it. This is especially important in complex surfaces like skin, where there is an interplay between the reflectivity of the oils, the red coming from the blood below, the natural skin tone, and the temperature of the light.

I completed the suggested assignment given by Manley, which was to set up a still life with warm and cool light. In this case, I used a human skull replica with a blue lamp on one side and a warm salt rock lamp on the other. After observing this still life for around an hour, I found that I had trained my eyes to be extremely sensitive to color, and that I was seeing it everywhere.

To watch the Jason Manley lecture, and many others, follow this link: http://www.conceptartstore.com/stcl.html

New Job - Junior Artist

2010-07-18T16:18:00.001-07:00

I recently landed my first real job in the game industry. I am a junior artist at Subdued Software. I am so excited to finally be a part of the game industry. I am counting down the days until E3 2011.

Gun Thumbnails and Study

2010-07-18T15:57:00.001-07:00

Here are a few renderings I did recently. The first is a study of the AR-15 developed by Eugene Stoner around the time of the Vietnam War. The silhoette of this gun is probably one of the most infamous of the modern era. I watched a very good documentary on this gun from the Tales of the Gun series by the history channel. It is interesting that this gun actually replaced guns of larger caliber, and that in it's early days was very unreliable in the field. It's design has shaped the image of the quintessential military assault rifle in the collective imagination. However, when it was first presented, it was viewed as something radical born out of science fiction.

This study was done from observation and photo reference. It was rendered in Photoshop:

The next image is a group of fast thumbnail concept drawings that I did. The process that I followed was taken from the Massive Black tutorial video on weapon design made by El Coro. I didn't start with any formal criteria for these designs. Basically, I just messed around with silhoettes until something popped into my brain.

Guns

2010-07-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

As a young boy growing up in Minnesota, there never seemed to be a shortage of guns for me to play around with. I was very fortunate to hang around with a lot of families that were into hunting and target shooting. I got to know a good range of guns. Everything form WWII sniper rifles to sawed-off shotguns to the not so legal full-autos.

Now that I am an adult living in the confines of Orange County California. I really tend to miss using guns. Don't get the wrong idea, I am not a violent person. I don't like the idea of killing animals, but I understand it as a necessity of life. I am much more into collecting guns, and target shooting.

As a video game artist, having knowledge of the various aspects of firearms is vital. Recently, I purchased the book GUN A VISUAL HISTORY. If you are interested in guns, I highly recommend this book. The photographs are all very large and clear, and the guns are arranged in a very logical manner.

The Gun Show

2010-06-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to hear about the Crossroads of the West gun show coming to the Orange County fairgrounds. I went thinking it would be a great opportunity to learn about guns up close, as I am currently working on my weapon design skills.

I had been to gun shows as a kid, but this one was something else. They had everything you could possibly want to see. My favorite would probably be the Japanese Nanbu pistols inscribed with the motif of the royal family. Other WWII guns on display included MP40s and even a water-cooled LMG. It was also interesting to see the people there, and what they were buying. I was quite shocked to see people so interested in buying .50 caliber sniper rifles. Last time I checked, elephants were not in season here in the U.S. I guess that one of those babies would put quite the dent in one's personal "shootin' car," so I don't judge too much.

Although I didn't have the money to buy anything, I did walk away with a mouse with a real scorpion inside that I bought from an old man wearing a "Obama = Socialism" shirt. A pretty good time indeed.

For more info:
http://www.crossroadsgunshows.com/

3D Printing

2010-06-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

I had this 3D model printed by a company in the Netherlands. It is really cheap if you keep your models small and hollow. This one cost about $10 with free shipping.

This is a really cool way that the gap between physical media and digital art is being closed. Now I have to come up with something more interesting to print.

You can check out the company's website here:
http://www.shapeways.com/shops/smartymcsly

Game Art Test

2010-06-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

I had an opportunity to take an art test for a large game company located in San Diego. They provided me with the following piece of artwork, and asked me to model and texture it in 3D with around 5K triangles and 1K maps.

Logos have been removed in accordance with NDA.

I learned a lot while doing this. It came out to 4946 triangles, and looked pretty good with 1k maps applied. All said and done, it took me about 20 hours. Having finished this one, I know I could do similar work much faster in the future.

Digital Illustration in the 21st Century

2010-05-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

I attended this talk given by Andrew "Android" Jones and David Levy at the Art Center College of Design. Both speakers were amazing, and the night ended with a live speed-painting demonstration.

The best thing about this talk was that the two speakers could not be more different in their approaches to creating concept art. David Levy emphasized the importance of efficiency and saving the client money, while "Android" talked as if creating art should be spiritual and intimate... It was really reminiscent of the contrast between Steve Jobbs and Bill Gates.

The two things that stuck in my head were:

David Levy: The number one responsibility of a concept artist is to get everyone to agree on a direction so that production can begin.

Andrew Jones: Creating art is an inherently lonely process. Treating something like painting as a performance act can make you a better artist by making you expose your insecurities.

White Swan Finished

2010-02-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

The music video "White Swan" that I worked on as a texture artist is finished. It is pretty cool. It is the first time I have seen my name in credits before.

Facial Anatomy

2010-01-27T17:37:00.000-08:00

In order to further understand the anatomy of the human face, I have attempted to sculpt a human head and neck starting from the skull. Check out the video here:

After sculpting up the individual muscles, I then slowly add fat deposits, eyes, and finally skin. Here is the result:

I was very pleased with the result. This is a great example of how subject study is vital in creating art with realism and depth.

Product Illustration

2010-01-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pieces of 3D illustration that I did while working as a freelancer. These were all done on a contract basis for a company in Colorado called DPICTit.

They were all modeled and rendered in Modo. I chose Modo as my one and only tool for its speed and ergonomics in every category. Modeling, mapping, and rendering are all a breeze. The default renderer is lightning fast, and basically shoots out photo-realistic renders with default settings.

Vanagon

2009-07-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted one of these Volkswagen Vanagons. I decided that since I don't have the money to buy one and customize it, I would use my 3D skills to make my vision come to life.

The model was made using subdivision surfaces in Modo. I wanted the final render to have a vintage feel, like an ad that you would find in an old magazine in the early 80's. I accomplished this by using an HDR environment that simulated large soft light sources. This gave the surface that "airbrushed" look that was popular previous to the advent of Photoshop.

Lots of stuff

2009-04-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have finished my demo reel and website.
www.chriskrollart.com

I have gotten some good responses to it. I have an interview with Papaya Studios:
http://www.papayastudio.com/

It is very nice to be done with this demo reel. I have to say that I really worked hard on it, and now it is time to see if anything will come of it.

The last piece that I made for my reel was a low poly building with more of a fantasy element to it than anything else I have done. Overall, I think I learned a lot from it, but having been through the process now, I know I could make something much better.

I have been thinking lately about just working from home. It is completely possible. The only downside is that it would take a long time to get enough money coming in to be independent. I think that working from home would allow me to better help Lacy through the art and photography that I would be doing for iStockPhoto. It is still possible to do these things while working out of the home, but there would be less time. All in all, I am considering any job offers as just another option that needs to be analyzed carefully. I would not take a job that did not offer better compensation than what I made at VSI. I need to be able to make enough to be able to keep Lacy and I stable in the event that she lost her job. Otherwise, it is just not worth it to stay in Irvine.

I am going to start working hard on various projects this week. I am very interested in selling Photography/Illustrations/Music on iStockPhoto. I am also going to work hard to improve my TurboSquid storefront.

Gnomon

2009-03-01T18:12:00.000-08:00

I have long been a fan of the Gnomon Workshop DVDs. Having been laid off from my 3D modeling job I decided that it would be a good idea to take a class at Gnomon and learn some new skills. I decided to take their course on Maya since I was mainly a 3DS Max user.

I felt the class went very well, and so did my teacher, Teft Smith, who gave me an A. Here is a sample of my work from the class:

It was designed to be used for games (10K triangles).

I ended up learning a lot about the industry and making some good connections. I also got an eyefull of the more ghetto-fabulous parts of Hollywood. I think that Gnomon is a unique school with reasonable tuition that anyone interested in the entertainment industry should check out. I expect to take another class there in the future.

Angel of Grief

2009-02-19T16:42:00.000-08:00

Check out my Angel of Grief. It is a low poly asset suitable for use in game engines:

Check out the turntable video here:
http://chriskroll.cgsociety.org/gallery/732316/

Photo Textures

2009-02-18T16:13:00.000-08:00

I am continuing to try and develop my 2D skills. This is my latest effort. This was an exercise in using photographs to add detail to a basic digital painting.

White Swan

2009-02-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

I am helping to texture some 3D models that will be used in the new Lolly Jane Blue music video directed by Sil Vanderwoerd.

Check out his site and watch his sweet video "Worms" here:
http://www.silvanderwoerd.com/

Listen to White Swan here:
http://www.myspace.com/lollyjaneblue

Broken Industrial Environment

2009-01-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

I finished an environment using the Unreal Editor 3. Here is a preview, it is not very good video quality so bear with me.

Choices

2009-01-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

When I am looking at an artist's body of work, what makes me want to make note of them and explore more of their work? For me it usually is decided by what their usual subject matter is, and what visual style they have developed.

I am going to start trying to narrow down what subjects and styles I prefer, and start producing more work around them. I think that this simplification is what allows the audience to more easily understand and find a place for an artist in their minds.

Unreal Editor

2009-01-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

I decided that in order to become an environment artist, I will need to create some real-time environments for my portfolio. I learned that the Unreal Editor was bundled free with every copy of Unreal Tournament, so I picked up a copy. After some basic tutorials from 3D Buzz I was able to create my first level.

It is really very thrilling to create a level and then be able to move around and interact with it. I decided to do the environment art route because of the demand, but I think that it really suites me well also.

The Unreal Editor is awesome compared to the GTKRadiant editor that I played with a bit to make Wolfenstein ET maps.

Environment Concept

2009-01-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

My job research has shown that the most in demand position with game companies is Environment Artist. For this reason I am going to focus most of my energies in this area. I am going to start working with the Unreal Editor to create some real time environments, and I am going to do a lot of concept and observation work.

Here is a concept speed painting that I just finished:

I used 3D Studio Max to model and render some very basic block models to act as a guide for the buildings in perspective. I then painted in the mountains, sky, details, etc... This is a very efficient way to work. You are not bogged down with creating cumbersome perspective grids and underpainting. I think that all in all I spent about 2.5 hours on this image.

I am proud of this image. It may not be as zazzy as some of the other concept work out there, but I have never really done anything like this before. It is a nice milestone, and I am planning to do more work like this.

Observational Studies and Shifting Gears

2009-01-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

As described in my last post, I have finally found a deep appreciation for artistic observation. I am very interested in drawing landscapes, and being that I am stuck in the somewhat bland southern California region of the OC, I am observing from stills from the Planet Earth series. Here are the first three that I have done.

In doing these I have noticed something interesting, the real world is incredibly different from what you see in most paintings. Landscapes are often very abstract. The shapes and textures are often incredibly busy and chaotic. In most paintings, it seems that the artists keep the devices that create depth, and interest. However they leave out most of the chaos and business. This happens in varying degrees from artist to artist. I think that it is an interesting metric that I am going to constantly be mindful of. I want to be able to dial in how much an image is grounded in reality based on the desired effect. I do believe that artistic beauty can be calculated by how much mental payoff you get divided by the amount of time and effort you exerted in processing it. However, detail and realism are often very desirable to help give things credibility and life. Therefore, the amount of reality in an image should always be carefully weighted.

I also noticed in these observations that colors are often very desaturated and there is often a very shallow range in values in real life landscapes. This is another area where most artist stray from reality for an increase in visual impact.

--

I am starting to feel like I have all the necessary tools to create the art that I want to. I think that watching a lot of video tutorials and reading a lot of books has given me a great boost, but at a certain point I am going to need to stop rewiring my brain and just start using it to create production artwork. However, observation of the real world, and other people's art styles is something that I feel I must continue to do regularly as I work.

Soldier Concept Illustration and Thoughts

2008-12-26T21:32:00.000-08:00

I just finished this concept illustration of a soldier character. I like it in a way, but I am still not very pleased with it. It has a kind of cartoony sense to it that I don't like. I have seen other illustrations, even ones that are much more impressionistic, that still give you the sense that the subject has form and mass.

As I was finishing this piece I had a unique experience. I knew that I could not push this image any further. This is probably the most realistic 2D work that I have done, and after a lot of off and on with drawing and painting in my life, I have once again crawled back to the bleeding edge. I know how to articulate myself in the the 2D digital space using painter/photoshop/misc, so the limitation is not in that area. I have concluded that my limitations are in my art specific knowledge of the world. When painting the face of this soldier, I realized that I really had no direction to go with his ethnicity/personallity/expression/etc... because I have never studied the human face in that way before. I have never really asked the questions such as, "what do masculine lips look like?" or "What makes a person look strong or intelligent?" I do not have any internal reference for these things, so my artistic process is just to create something general and refine it until it looks passable.

Knowing the technical artist tricks can only take you so far. True confidence in creating imagery comes from knowing the subject intimately. I never really understood the true reason for doing still life, figure painting, sculpture, observational drawing, or generally studying subjects outside of art in order to make better art until now.

I feel like my brain has already begun to analyze the world in a new way without me even doing anything. This is the start of a new phase in my artistic development. I know that if I am going to continue to do art, I am going to spend my life observing the world through things like travel, photography, reading, sculpture, etc... This does not bother me very much at all. In fact, I feel like this is part of who I am. I have an addiction to learning that I don't think that I will ever be able to shake, and I have a great appreciation for this reality that I inhabit.

One of the downsides of this new realization that I have come to is that making great art is a much larger task than I previously thought. It is not something that can happen in a couple of months. It is a lifelong process. If I didn't have to worry about money it would not be a problem. The truth is that I need to land my next art related job or the whole journey is over. For this reason, I need to be very judicious with the learning and projects that I take on. I have already widdled down my laundry list of things I want to study to the most essential. As far as 2D illustration goes, I am going to focus more on minimalistic concept work than on full illustration. I think that my only real shot at landing a job in the entertainment industry is to pitch my 3D work. From what I have observed, most employers want to see a 2D portfolio as well, but only to see that you can communicate visually without resorting to fully modeling and rendering something (too expensive to production budgets). They want to see that you can take an hour and create a sketch that can be shown to clients and team members to get a buy off.

Here is a good example of such artwork:

As far as technical learning goes, I must stay disciplined and follow the pattern of:
1. Choose concepts to learn and find learning material.
2. Learn about them.
3. Apply them to create portfolio pieces.
4. Don't linger and chase perfection, move on and get out into the world.

The key weapons in my new portfolio will be a couple of 3D assets that are fully mapped, textured, sculpted and baked down to low poly proxies. However, I need to do the 2D concept work to create to ideas and to accompany these assets. I think that having all of the pieces together will show that I am fully ready to work in a creative production pipeline.

Two New Training Titles Completed

2008-12-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching two video training tutorials on digital painting. The first was a tutorial on sketching a simple fantasy character/environment by Jason Chan. This came from the site for Massive Black, a concept art company located in San Francisco.

The second was a Gnomon DVD by Ryan Church that was about the basics of Painter and his style of illustration.

Here are some of the illuminations that came from watching the videos:

1. I like to paint in black and white to establish the values first. However, making a near complete black and white image and then coloring it tends to leave the image a little cartoony. There is no chance for the colors to mix chaotically and create different dynamics. What both Church and Chan did was block in the values in a very broad unrefined manner, then do a basic color overlay and from then on paint with color. This really is a smart work flow.

2. Church and Chan both used a lot of texture and randomness in there paintings. Whether it be from using custom paper textures or sketching in a wild gestural manner, these initial happy accidents can help the end result not look so planned and logical (which creates realism and visual interest in my mind). Creating some random information in the image also creates something to build from, rather than just plain negative space.

3. Both of the artists sort of invented the characters and environments as they painted. This is in stark contrast with the way I like to work. I am more into writing about characters and getting all their details down on paper. I guess that working in a more loose manner can lead to design details that are much more tuned viscerally.

There was not much new Painter specific material for me to learn from these videos. The brushes used were pretty simple. Chan mainly used a modified camel hair brush, and some chalk and texture brushes. Church used the scratch board tool at various opacity settings and also made heavy use of the glow brush (dodge). They both kept their layers simple, most of the time flattening their layer after key stages. I think that this is part of making images from Painter look more like their analog counterparts.

Dylan Cole - Sunset City Study

2008-12-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

I just finished doing a study of Dylan Cole's technique for creating his Sunset City.

Mine:

Dylan's:

I made several observations after I was finished:
1. The scale of my buildings is much too large. I think that this stems from the fact that I am not used to illustrating anything on the scale of a city. However, I think that making much smaller buildings can give the piece a much more refined look.

2. After watching the video again, I noticed that Dylan used darks to refine and give shape to the midground buildings after roughing them out in a mid value range. This is something that I was clueless on when attempting it the first time.

3. Dylan sampled the orange sky color and brushed it in the background to create atmospheric depth.

4. I need more hue and value variation in my buildings.

5. Dylan used a clipping mask to create the shadows/reflections under the bridges. I need to learn how those work.

I think that this is a great way to improve my environment painting skills. I like to watch the video, then attempt to recreate the results, then watch it again to get perspective on the struggles that I had. Dylan Cole's technique for creating these rough environment concept sketches is very simple and very powerful. I think that I am going to work hard to master it.

2D Revelations

2008-12-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

I have had a revelation about doing 2D digital artwork, and that is that it should not be approached the same way as 3D. 3D is much more discrete in the sense that there are a finite number of techniques for any given task, and the more techniques you learn the better off that you are. 2D on the other hand is much more continuous in that there are an infinite number of techniques to choose from for any given task. It is much more up to the artist's taste.

When working with physical media, the number of methods and styles are limited in a natural way. However, when you move up to the digital realm, the sheer number of possibilities can be a barrier for a beginning artist. For this reason, I have decided that in developing my style and work flow, I am going to start with the most basic of tools and methods. I will focus on producing work and not on the technique at first. My toolbox will be held constant for definite working periods and then refined. During this refinement period I will learn from other artists, do random experiments and ask my self, "what worked and what didn't?"

New Direction

2008-12-09T11:06:00.000-08:00

I was imagining that I would start doing freelance projects after I was laid off from VSI, and that I could work on my digital art skills while on my feet and while bringing in money. The conclusion that I have come to now is that even getting prepared to do freelance work is an immense undertaking. I do still want to move in that direction, but I have decided that it might be wiser to focus more on my studies and personal art right now while my finances are still very secure. I am going to keep the door open for freelance work, but I am not going to spend significant amounts of time worrying about it right now.

Here is my new plan:
I will focus on developing the knowledge, skills, and portfolio pieces necessary to work in the entertainment branch of CG. I have broken the work down into categories that I can work on in a linear or parallel fashion.
1. 2D Character Design and Illustration
2. 2D Environment Design and Illustration
3. 2D Vehicle Concept Design and Illustration
4. 3D Character Asset Creation (Hi and Low Poly)
5. 3D Vehicle Asset Creation (Hi and Low Poly)

The 2D component is very important. I have learned that 3D is a medium which is much too tedious, stiff and time consuming for creating good concept work. The 2D work that I create will show my true artistic merit and will be the framework for the 3D work (which will most likely be my more valuable job skill in the future). This plan should also benefit me as I begin attending Gnomon next month.

For each of the above categories I have created well defined goals, however they are too numerous to describe here. I hope to finish all of them around the time that I am done at Gnomon next Spring. At that time I will go into a full employment search. I will have the tools necessary for freelance in product illustration, architecture, games and movies and CG asset selling. I will also have a great portfolio and network to have open opportunities for full time employment.

Making of Warhammer Cinematic Event

2008-12-06T19:11:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to attend the Making of the Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Cinematic event. This event was hosted at the Gnomon School of VFX. It was basically a panel of some of the key members of the production team explaining their workflow and creative process.

I learned a lot at this event. Most interesting to me was the speech given by the hair and cloth simulation expert, Jon Jordan. Another speaker that stood out was Sze Jones, who talked about her massive collection of reference images, and how she used them to create a key character in the cinematic.

Gnomon / West Hollywood / Blur / Inner Children

2008-12-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to the Gnomon School to attend lectures from some Blur Studios team members. It was a big event for me. I got to see the school that I am going to for the first time and I got to see the real Hollywood. I also learned about Blur's pipeline, which was very illuminating.

Here are my observations:
1. Gnomon: The school is laid out in a very strange way. Essentially, it seems to be slowly taking over an old movie studio. To get between different classrooms, you have to go through weird alleyways, around massive pipes and vents and up various staircases. In certain rooms the ceilings are like 6.5 feet high. It is very strange.

One thing that I really did like was the design of the classrooms / lobbies. There are lots of large artworks on the walls, and things like coffee tables with rusty gears under the glass. There are lots of books lying around everywhere like Gray's Anatomy and VFX 101. I get a good vibe from the school all in all.

2. Real Hollywood: I have been to Sunset Blvd, the Hollywood Sign, and things like that. However, going to West Hollywood last night was a whole different thing. There are places to get movie props, costumes, etc... all over. As we walked we saw people with armor on getting ready to fight in front of a green screen. These were not LARP nerds, they are actually making a film! This stuff is exciting to me.

It is not all good. There seems to be way too high of a crackhead ratio in those parts.

3. Blur: It was so surprising to hear how many of the tools and techniques that the Blur people use that I have used at VSI. They said that they are a predominately 3DS Max house. They run into the same problems with large scenes that I have. They have to use cards to replace geometry, they use point caching to eliminate rigs, they use reactor and the Max cloth simulator, etc...

From hearing the different speakers, I got some good perspective on the way that the production pipeline is parcelled down for each member of the team. There was an FX guy, a character modeler, a scene assembler, a cloth simulator, a story writer and an overall manager speaking. The cloth simulation guy hated his life, but that was probably because he is the only one that Blur has and he is overworked. The thought crossed my mind that if I sent them a simple cloth simulation reel in Max, they would probably hire me lickity split. The question is do I want to move Lacy to Venice, CA? Probably not.

Hearing all these people talk about their specialties makes me wonder what I should specialize in. I guess I need a little more time to figure that out. I think that I need to determine what my greatest assets are.

4. Inner Children: There is a certain level of disenchantment that I experience whenever I go to one of these events. This comes from seeing some of the less mature of my peers being obnoxious and pissing off the more professional people. I gained some good perspective on this subject last night. As I was watching the Orcs and dark elves fighting on screen, I realized that this industry thrives on the inner child. With that in mind, of course some of the more childish adults are going to be attracted to the industry. I think that it is hard to work with these people, but they do bring something to the table. The key for everyone is to strike a balance. It is possible to have fun and be playful, while maintaining the refinement of the other professional adults around you.

I met a really nice guy named Lorenzo who does VFX work for a studio called Tiny Juggernaut. They specialize in low budget CG for TV and movies. They work with this infamous studio called Assylum that makes all the rip off cash in movies like "Transmorphers" and "Street Racer."

It was a lot of fun overall, and I am so thankful that I can go to these sorts of things.

Lynda.com ZBrush Series

2008-12-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

I just finished the Lynda.com ZBrush series. I found that it filled in a lot of the blanks for me. I think that although ZBrush is a very powerful application, it is also very esoteric, and in places, not very logically designed. The author of the series, Eric Keller, explained these areas in a way that a logical mind can understand.

To be specific, I learned the following:
- Working with the parametric objects in ZBrush.
- How textures do not destroy polypainted colors, they just cover them up.
- That ZTools remain in memory after they are dropped, and where to pick them up again.
- That MatCap materials do not react to document lighting, they carry their own lighting information.

In general, it was nice to go over all the topics again and get a fresh perspective on them. I have watched the Meats Meier DVD on ZBrush, but I feel that he gives more pragmatic explanations than logical ones.

Also, I think that the author is a pretty cool guy. He has a blog/bio/reel here:
http://www.bloopatone.com/about/

I think I would like to meet him as it seems like we have a lot in common. Maybe I will when I attend the Gnomon School.

Icosahedron Fractals

2008-11-27T22:08:00.000-08:00

I have been regenerating and rendering some of my icosahedron fractals. I feel like it would be good to put some of this stuff, along with the code, into my flatbook/reel.

Rapid Prototyping

2008-11-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

I just finished another Andy Brown tutorial. This one was about modeling for rapid prototyping.

There where some very valuable tricks in this series. One was the use of constant layers to control the color of various different materials. This is analogous to the process of parameter wiring in 3DS Max. Andy also gave some good insight into using boolean operations to combine meshes with different edge flow into a continuous mesh. He also talked about studio lighting more in depth and I was familiar with many of the issues of "modeling reflections and shadows" from working on the Toyota Prius renders.

As far as rapid prototyping goes, I think that it is very interesting and useful. I could see myself utilizing this technology in the design and visualization arena. Andy worked with a company in the UK called Thing Lab. I did some research for companies in the US and could only find this one as a valid option:

http://www.alphaprototypes.com/

They will do a model up to 3 cubic inches for around $149.

The problem is that the equipment costs around $30,000, and most companies don't really cater to people wanting to do concept work (small orders). I think that in a couple of years things may be brighter.

Toyota Prius

2008-11-25T11:23:00.000-08:00

I finally finished modeling this silly car. I started modeling it for the VSI library before I got laid off and decided that it would be a good thing to finish for my portfolio. It got a little tiresome since I am more into modeling cool old concept cars and stuff like you would find here:
http://www.vsrnonline.com/

Well, I had a substantial amount going on this one when I got laid off and I didn't want to throw that away. So I ended up spending a lot more time than I expected to finish it. There are just so many little details.

All in all, I think that I learned a great deal about modeling this type of modern machined swoopy panel type geometry. This should be a solid piece in my flatbook/demo reel as well.

Cody's Bass Tattoo

2008-11-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

Just finished this little painting for my friend Cody. He wants to get a Bass tattoo were his bush used to be.

I may go back and add water and a lure if necessary.

This was pretty fun, I got to get some practice in Painter and Photoshop. I created a custom scale brush in PS to avoid the tedium of drawing scales.

The Subtleties of Rendering

2008-11-22T15:57:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching various videos and reading manuals about fine tuning rendering in Modo. Most of the concepts are analogous to those that I have encountered in Mental Ray and VRay.

The topics I studied were:
- Indirect Illumination
- Anti Aliasing
- Raytracing
- Subdivision
- Micropoly Displacement.

After these studies I can immediately see some things that could be fixed in my past renders. I also have the knowledge to optimize render times, which will be particularly useful if I am required to produce large renders.

Perspective Distortion and Photography

2008-11-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

I just learned something interesting in one of Brad Peebler's Modo videos. Back in the day photographers would actually shift the film inside of their camera to enable them to photograph things like tall buildings without the verticals converging to a vanishing point. This concept is implemented in Modo via the Film Offset parameter.

Oil Portrait Study

2008-11-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

Although I could push this one a lot further, I am going to call it done. The amount that I learned is pretty substantial and I am eager to apply it to a project that I have more of a connection with.

Overall I feel that the biggest thing that I have learned is that 2D works should be thought of in stages. Whether working in Photoshop, Painter or with traditional media, the tools should be selected/designed for each stage. The brushes for this piece were limited to about 8, and each could fall in on of five categories (sketchers, blockers, blenders, texturizers and detailers).

I believe that a new approach should be taken for every piece. On the highest level of abstraction, the thought process should be as follows:
1. What qualities do I want the finished piece to have?
2. What stages should the piece be broken down into?
3. What are the tools necessary at each stage?
With 2 and 3 perhaps being interdependent on eachother.

This one was interesting because it began with a sketch. A lot of people will tell you not to begin with a sketch as it will put you in a coloring book mentality and your paintings will come out flat. However, in this project the sketch was blended into the painting at a later stage, taking away that colored in feel. All in all, I think that I am going to start most of my 2D works with a sketch.

I learned the value of the impasto effect in painter. It was used in the hair to create shiny strands in a single stroke. Outside of things like hair, it can be used to give some traditional art texture to areas. However, I found it very annoying on areas like the face.

I think that I am going to do a lot more 2D work. It allows me to focus on creativity and expression rather than getting bogged down in 100+ hours of modeling. It is so much more immediate than 3D. On the other hand, there are a lot less 3D artists out there and there are definitely things better left to 3D.

That is it for now, time to go and draw something.

2008-11-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching Andy Brown's video series on creating a concept car in Modo. I learned quite a bit of things that will be useful to all sorts of modeling and design. One of the most interesting things was the way Andy first creates a precise shape, such as the wheel wells, and then uses a push and constrain tool to form fit it to the existing topology. Another thing that I found interesting was how he waited till the very end of the body modeling to give the panels thickness.

I have noticed that doing large renders in modo often pushes the render time exponentially. In this series Andy explained that you can reduce the subdivision rate to overcome this.

On the sculpting and painting side of things, I learned about the different density modes and how they can give different effects.

Also, I found it interesting how Andy used a view projection to project the background image onto a plane to create the illustration above.

Business Cards Design 1

2008-11-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

Here is my first idea for business cards. I am thinking that I will probably do different versions for different fields such as:
- Entertainment Industry
- Design and Visualization
- Architecture

This is my best idea for the entertainment industry.

One Point Perspective

2008-11-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

I have been working on my 2D skills this weekend. I have found a new appreciation for 2D artwork as a rapid way to design and communicate ideas.

I have been watching two Gnomon DVDs that talk about perspective. It is hard for me to just simply use these techniques as they are highly simplified models of what is really going on. I tend to think in terms of manifolds and limit surfaces due to my Mathematics background. It will take some practice for me to internalize these drawing devices.

I have started to work with one point perspective to draw things like vehicles. This is an interesting way to draw because circles that are parallel with the viewing plane will remain as circles no matter what position they are in. On the other hand, circles that are perpendicular can be arbitrarily distorted by choosing a cone of vision.

I used 3D Studio Max to help me understand these paradigms.

One of the things that I was very concerned about was how to draw perfect squares in 1 point perspective. I found out that it is all dependent on the cone of vision. I found the following links that were helpful.
1 point:
http://studiochalkboard.evansville.edu/lp-square.html
2 point:
http://www.sonjebasa.net/Instruction/2PtPerspective.pdf

In 2 point perspective, I believe that the choice of vanishing points will lock down a cone of vision, but I need to do more research.

I guess that the biggest lesson that I learned from doing this little assignment was that it is easy for a predominately 3D artist to get bogged down in doing perspective constructions and end up with a dense, unusable grid of guidelines. It is much better to just draw a few guidelines and constructions for the essential elements, and then sketch the rest.

Apple Man

2008-11-13T21:18:00.000-08:00

Here is a little sketch I did. I like the kitty cat in the window and the chubby gargoyle the best.

Tiki Lounge Rum

2008-11-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

I Finished the basic modeling for the Tiki Lounge Rum Bottle that Jayme and I are working on. I am handing off the label mapping templates to Jayme so that she can make some cool label artwork. Once she is done with that I will finish off the bottle with some displacement maps for raised glass details.

The ball is in Jayme's court now, but until then I will do some studies for the background and other props.

2D Landscapes

2008-11-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

I just watched the first lecture in Dylan Cole's matte painting series again. I decided that it is most informative to try and recreate these paintings rather than to jump the chasm and try to make something completely different. This is my first go at it:

Mine:

Dylan's:

The first thing that I noticed is how much darker he makes his rocks and mountains. He also leaves a lot more contrast, by first making large highlights or shadows and then cutting into them with the contrasting color to hint at some jagged rock structure.

I also had a hard time with the sand, and realized after watching his lecture again that he uses a much smaller brush with a not so bright color. He also will draw in a rough sand drift and then go over the edge with the dark rock color to give it a softer transition.

I really like these Gnomon DVDs. I feel like they are giving me a great leg up into the 2D art world. I just received two more that I am really excited about.

http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/dvds/sro01.html
http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/dvds/dco02.html

Tiki Lounge Rum

2008-11-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

Just finished this little study of a tiki shot glass as part of a bigger project that I am doing with my sister. She has now given me some product designs to work with, and now I must model them.

Jewelry Study

2008-11-10T18:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished this jewelry study. Nothing too fancy, just wanted to get the workflow down.

I found a great tutorial on modelling a brilliant cut diamond here:
http://www.cgchain.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=20

I think that once I have a nice library of jewel models and material presets, that jewelry design and visualization will not be hard at all.

Orc Nose Rings

2008-11-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

I guess I have never really been a real fantasy nerd. I like to watch Lord of the Rings and Star Wars type movies, but you won't find me huffing and puffing for the latest novel in the Dragonlance series. However, as a digital artist hoping to work in the entertainment industries, I kind of have to care what kind of nose ring that an orc has.

I have done some soul searching, and realized that I care too much about whether a subject relates to modern everyday life or not. I think I just need to remember that this shit doesn't have to make any kind of logical argument, it is just for fun.

New Painting Insight

2008-11-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

The thought occured to me that the best way to organize brushes and techniques in painting, both digital and analog, is by functional category:

- Line makers
- Blenders
- Pigment applyers
- Fine Detailers
- Etc...

Then each should be described further by the general effect it has on the canvas.

Furniture Concept Work

2008-11-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

I just finished doing some furniture concept work. It is so much fun. Basically, in 3D you can use any materials and forms that you want without consequence. I also find that the 3D tools themselves often inspire some of the shapes.

Bottles and Liquid

2008-11-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

I just got done experimenting with some glass and liquid renders. It was some good practice, I am ready to do my alcoholic beverage illustration for my demo reel now.

My Current Focus

2008-11-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

I am going through a complete overhauling of my artistic and technical methods. I want to place 2D work at the foundation of all my work as it is the most expressive and efficient method of communicating ideas.

After I have a steady 2D practice in place, I will start to pursue the Modo inspired 3D design and visualization work that I feel will complete my demo reel.

I am excited to start a new conversation with the VFX and design industries.

Mission Statement

2008-11-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

My mission is first and foremost to improve my abilities as an artist, designer and inventor. Independent thought is to be present in every facet of my work. I will maintain a positive direction in my life, and will work to inspire artists around me. Finally, I will remember to enjoy the process of creating, for it is the journey that is the reward.

Canon Rebel XT DSLR

2008-11-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Observation is one of the most important aspects of becoming a better artist. One great way to observe the world is through photography. With this in mind I decided to purchase a nice SLR camera and start taking pictures.

I decided to go for the entry level Canon, the Rebel XT. I have to say that I am very pleased with it. The lens that comes standard is very versatile (18-55mm). Here are a few pictures that I have taken: (Yosemite, Austria, Joshua Tree)

Southern California Fall Morning

2008-10-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

This morning I went for a run in and observed the morning atmosphere. The colors a very desaturated. The sun creates some little specular highlights on the damp stalks of grass lining the walking path.

I have started to observe the shapes as well. Palm trees in the valleys are very common. The mountains come in a wide variety of shapes. Most of the trees I would describe as having an upside down lung look to them.

Bass Cyborg

2008-10-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

I used to draw a lot of crazy characters with colored pencils. This one in particular was one of my favorites. He is a cybernetic character who is controlled by a bass fish that lives in a glass sphere above his head. The inspiration came from watching Les Claypool perform live.

After learning to make 3D art, I wanted to revisit this character and see what he would look like with a little more love. Everything was done in Modo with some post work in Photoshop.

Southern California at Dusk

2008-10-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

I took a walk to the observatory tonight before sunset. I observed that the sky was a gradient going from orange to yellow to turquoise in the west. It was interesting that the sky was brighter just above the horizon than it was where the sun was setting. The ground was mostly dull greens and yellows. The exposed ground seemed to be warmer than the plant life.

Here is a quick little painting that I made after the walk.

Outdoor Color Analysis

2008-10-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

I am going to begin my studies of 2D matte painting by observing, analysing and recording the color palettes found in various outdoor environments. I will use these findings to improve my 2D painting skills as well as to create more convincing 3D renderings for architectural visualization.

VisionScape Imagery

2008-10-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

My first job doing 3D was with an architectural visualization firm named VisionScape Imagery. I learned a lot about 3D modeling, animation, and architecture at VSI and I had a blast doing it. Looking back I think that the best part of the job was the great people I got to work with. Here is a picture of us at the office:

Here are a few samples of my work from VSI:

SIGGRAPH 2008

2008-08-21T18:51:00.000-07:00

This year I attended my first SIGGRAPH convention in Los Angeles. It was a real eye opener and it really inspired me to push my skills in computer graphics and digital art to the next level. Some of the highlights included:

- Seeing one of my favorite artists, Meats Meier, in person.

- The Luxology "Steampunk Speakeasy" at the amazingly cool Edison Night Club.

- All the amazing "outside of the box" artwork exhibits.

Baby Alien Animation

2008-07-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

I did this simplie little animation to get some practice with animating characters in 3D Studio Max. I had my girlfriend help me out with the voice of the little guy.

Comic About Mathematicians

2006-03-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

I came up with this funny little comic during my Abstract Algebra class.

Mathematics Presentation, Sylow p-Subgroups

2006-02-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

These are some animations that I did for a student colloquiem that I did while going to school for Mathematics. It is a good example of how I really wanted to be doing animation and CG more than proving theorems.

Here is the corresponding PowerPoint Presentation.

Mischevious Pancayke

2002-08-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

My friend Cody Gebhardt and I came up with these bizarre creatures and had the idea that we would make our own comic book with them. These were some of my first attempts at digital art. I used a really crappy Aiptek drawing pad that I picked up for $80.

Midnight Banana: Inspired by Cody's grandma waking up every night and eating a banana and going back to bed. Much like Bigfoot, this creature lives in the mountains. He swoops out of the sky and steals peoples wallets while they are camping.

King of the Banshees:

Celery Man: His best feature is that if you pull on one arm, the other one will get shorter. His fingers shoot out a poisonous gas that will stun his prey.