Hey everyone, it's update time!

After doing some thumbnails yesterday I decided it might be fun to work on some creature design. It's a super basic silhouette, but here it is!

I doodled this on my iPad at work, I think it came out looking pretty cool. I definitely wanted to work the talons into the design somewhere, and they look great on the feet. I also moved one of the toes back to match the feet I drew in the study a few days back.

I'll have the design for the creature finalized sometime soon, so look forward to more updates!

Hey everyone, here's a new update!

I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to do some thumbnail sketches to help pin down the pose I wanted my creature in, well that's exactly what I did today, have a look!

My favorite is the one in the center, I think it's got a very dancerly look to it. I wanted to make sure that no part of the creature was obscured by any other, which was the mistake I made in the thumbnail on the top right. Being conscious of the silhouette of the creature will help the overall image, and it'll make it a lot more easily understandable for the viewer, and that's ultimately what it's all about.

I think tomorrow I'll be working on the creature design a bit more, so I should have something cool to show you then. Have a good night!

Hey everyone, it's update time again!

I know I posted yesterday that there were strict guidelines I was going to adhere to that would enable me to finish this piece on time, but I feel like that completely killed my mojo somehow. I just couldn't get into it today, I think that's because I tried to dictate how all of this was going to go, and apparently I subconsciously had a pretty big problem with that. I'm not really sure how I work just yet, so putting up walls around myself was a bad idea - I'm seeing that now. I'm just going to do my best to create a finished work by the end of the month, and let the process happen as organically as possible.

I was thinking today about some pictures I took last weekend, and one of them jumped out at me as a good reference for this painting, have a look!

Pelicans might not be the most majestic of birds, but I love the look of the wings and feet of this one while it was making a landing. That got me thinking about the pose my creature would be in, and since I have the animal reference here to work from, I wanted a human one to look at as well. I quickly found myself Googling ballet dancers to find what I needed, and I stumbled upon a picture that I did a quick study from.

I think both the photo and my study have a similar grace and power to them, so I'm definitely going to try to bring that into the final composition.

I did another loose sketch of what the image might look like, take a look below.

I think it's alright, I elongated the wings to add a little extra drama, but I think the composition's a little too plain. I'd definitely like to change the angle of view in the final image so that it's not dead-on the subject, that'll help make the image more interesting. I'd love to position the viewer slightly above too, but I don't really know that I'd be able to pull that off! It's worth trying when I do a couple of thumbnails though.

That's all for tonight, check back tomorrow for something new! 

Hey everyone, it's time for an update!

Today's subject is a bit different from the last two days, it's a person! I really like the dark complexion of the creature I drew in the concept sketch, so that inspired me to collect some reference images of Djimon Hounsou, he has the most beautiful features and skin! Here's a quick study I did from one of the photos I found online.

I really want to try and capture that powerful look he has in his posture, but soften the expression to look a bit kinder and incorporate that into the finished creature pose. This study was really fun to do!

Before I end this post tonight, I want to share the timeline I'll be using to keep myself on track for this painting. I mentioned that in an earlier update so I wanted to make sure I followed through! Here's how it's all gonna go.

1. 4/7 - Studies Complete
2. 4/14 - Character Design Complete
3. 4/18 - Environment Studies Complete
4. 4/21 - Thumbnails & Final Composition Complete
5. 4/30 - Final Piece Complete

There you have it, five easy steps! Look forward to another post tomorrow, enjoy what's left of your Saturday evening! 

Hey everyone, here is today's update!

Yesterday it was bird talons, today it's a bird portrait (an owl portrait to be exact), check him out!

Isn't he cute!? I love owls, they're my absolute favorite bird. I think the brow and eye of the creature I'm designing are going to be very heavily influenced by this guy here.

Well, that's all for tonight, don't miss my next study tomorrow!

Hey everyone, time for today's update!

For the next few days I plan on posting studies I've done that will help me to design the final image. Since my character has a decidedly avian look I sketched some bird talons today, check 'em out!

I know I want to combine the look of these talons with human hands, so I drew these to help me get an idea of what they look like.

I'm hoping to figure out how I want to arrange deadlines for each individual part of this piece, so I can make sure I finish on time. I'm thinking I should have it all planned on Saturday, so I'll update that post with dates and goals when I get that all figured out.

Check back tomorrow for something new!

Hey there everyone! It's a new month, so it's time for a new theme!

One of my very good friends tagged me in a post on Facebook a few days back, she made a lovely piece of digital art that she titled "Dreamscape," and invited all of her friends to share with her some art of their own art. In that vein, I've decided to take this month to create a piece of digital art inspired by what she did.

I'm going to create a character, design a setting to place that character in, and create a fully realized digital artwork that could be found within my friend's "Dreamscape." I'm so excited about this!

I did a quick concept sketch in Photoshop for the character I'm going to develop for this painting, take a look!

It's rough since it is a concept, but I was thinking about a being that was avian in nature, and somewhat of a guardian for the "Dreamscape" my friend created.

There you have it! I've got twenty nine days to create a complete digital painting of an original concept I'm creating based in a world my friend thought up! Pretty exciting right? Make sure to check back for more updates! This is going to be an awesome month!