F3-7T

I've harked on about my undying love of all things Star Wars in past posts, so I'll keep this short.

I wanted to take Artoo's cocky little frame and bestow it with some of the razor sharp coolness usually reserved for Mr B. Fett. I don't know if its because its getting late or I've been working on it for too long, but theres something about this mash up that already feels comfortably familiar.

May I present F3-7T.

JUDGEMENT DAY

While its been several years since i picked up a copy of any of 2000AD's titles I cant deny that they were a staple part of my cultural diet throughout my teens and a stack of well thumbed issues still reside under my desk (Its been said that I'm something of a hoarder), too loved to throw away.

Its often said that the best characters can be identified from nothing more than a silhouette. While this maybe true, its possible to create a character that is identifiable through far less than that, Judge Dredd being a fine example.

Taking this into account I wanted to try and convey the strength, brutality and utter lack of humanity Dredd possesses with as little info (and time) as possible. That said and done, I think I could have gone far more minimalist and still delivered.

Lets hope Hollywood manages the same. This time.

Steps, Leaps and Bounds

Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on another world and thereby performing one of the greatest feats in all of human history.

Awesome.

I created this picture by way of doffing my cap.

Well played NASA, well played indeed.

Svensk vol. I

I've always been a bit of a fan of a good road trip. Which is lucky as I've just driven across the entirety of Denmark, up into Sweden and back.

I always find it fascinating watching the landscape change, and Sweden was no exception. The southern part seemed to consist of hundreds of miles farm land with colossal white wind turbines contrasting with the slate blue sky. Along with the iconic red farms dotting the golden cornfields it created some striking scenery.

I've never really understood peoples hostility towards these structures as I think they can look quite majestic, and the scenery that inspired this image only compounded that belief.

At the very least they're certainly more appealing than the alternative.

Day 401

I have a real love for the loose and minimalist concept art that is produced for a lot of films and games, yet the ability to just go to work on a virtual canvas with no pre-drawn elements is something that i've always found daunting.

Inspired by some of the art on the website CGHub, specifically Ian McQue and David Hong's work, I thought it was about time to give it a try. David Hong was kind enough to give me a few pointers that were enough to get started and quickly produce this piece. I still had to force myself to stop adding detail but its certainly a lot looser than a most my previous work.

A lot of what i like about science fiction is how it mirrors our understanding of the world several hundred years ago when there were still literal voyages of discovery to be made, and frontiers to cross, and new worlds to discover. To this end, I envisioned a shipwreck that would leave any survivors far more alone and helpless than a meager desert island.

MeoOow

As a long time fan of Batman I've been eagerly awaiting the finale to Nolan's trilogy since the credits rolled on the Dark Knight, a film I see as dangerously close to being perfect.

I was doodling away in my sketchbook when I saw a TV spot for the Dark Knight Rises. Banging out a quick sketch, I realised I could make something of it so I began working it up in Photoshop and although the lines are not altogether perfect I got carried away and finished it off with what I had. Fortunately I was able to generate a strong style through the texture and hues that distracts from its minor imperfections.

Despite having been inspired by Anne Hathaway's Catwoman, its really hard for me not to lean towards the style that was developed for the Animated Batman series as it was (and continues to be) such a huge influence on me.

Anyway, all that's left to do now is be overly excited. Roll on Friday.

Nananananananananananananananananananananananana BATMAN!

Me Tarzan, you Jane.

Its been a busy few weeks, especially having dedicated a lot of time to a new personal project that I'll bring up at a (not too much) later date.

Despite that, I've managed to finish off an image that was started over Easter, inspired by the old black and white Tarzan movies I used to watch as a kid. I wanted to generate an almost naive feeling of adventure and heroism that was delivered in a time when diving into a pool without looking for rocks was fine, as the worst that could possibly happen to the hero was a split lip and a their hair ruffled, albeit momentarily.

The only things it lacks are a heard of 36fps elephants stampeding through a village, and Weissmuller's iconic yodel.

Final whistle

This is a bit of a departure for me in terms of style, inspiration and subject matter. The only time I ever pay attention to 'that football' (or Soccer if you're yet to learn English ;-) is during the Euro and World Cup. However I can't deny that the sport generates some powerful imagery and there's something magical about the thunderous chant as passionate fans invest so much emotion in their desire for that hopeful outcome.

Experimenting with some new brushes I’ve tried to encapsulate some of that emotion in this image of a lone England player. I intended the image to be somewhat ambiguous, regarding his motives for the pose but hindsight I think the result leaning more towards elation rather than despair.

I'm working on some more in this series as when i was sketching out characters I developed a handful of poses that I don't want to waste. Any suggestions on teams?

In the meantime, 'Allez les bleus!' or 'Eng-er-land!'... whoever.

BRIAN BLESSED!

I attended a film festival at the Quad in Derby at the weekend where i was lucky enough to see Paddy Considine's seminar, do some networking and see the legendary BRIAN BLESSED in conversation (his name should never be printed in lower case). Conversation turned out to be a misleading term as the interviewer was barely able to sneak in two questions as BRIAN BLESSED erupted a continuous stream of dialogue for almost two hours. Turned up to 11. It was fantastic.

His enthusiasm for all things, but most importantly 'SPAAACE!', was infectious, and after meeting him briefly after the show I felt compelled to put pen to paper and try and recreate his enormous personality. As the man is more or less a living caricature this wasn't too tricky.

The Mighty Chewbacca

Whatever you think of Star Wars, theres no denying that the multitude of cartoons, comics, books, toys, video games and movies that followed the original films have become a cultural phenomenon. Personally, some of my earliest memories involve some of the spaceships and aliens from this saga and the iconic creations have seeped deep into my consciousness from a very early age, no doubt feeding my imagination and thereby nudging me down the paths I took in my life.

Alien worlds, races and spaceships in their hundreds, political factions, cultural movements, languages, religious ideologies, and a detailed history to match our own, were all developed by the thousands of individuals who have expanded and built on the Star Wars mythology.

So regardless of who shot first, continuity errors and cretinous frog-rabbits, this unfathomably rich, incredibly detailed and ultimately endless wealth of creativity is why I LOVE Star Wars.

So on this may the fourth, 'May the force be with you, always.'

[Cue X-Wing flyby and teddy bear party]

Seamen love a Breeze

Next up, another poster from the fictional Rig City. Existing only in my head I had an idea a while back to try and explore this place through the posters that adorn the walls as well as providing an image that worked as a one off piece.

My main concern with these images is just how far to go with the grime and grot so as to enhance the concept yet not make the image unpleasant to look at.

After studying a couple of books of old posters, some of the text they used is now so dated that i could I afford to have a lot of fun coming up with slogans and quotes to put on my own, without them (initially at least) appearing to be amusing.

Watcher

Having a teacher in the house means that all schedules are thrown to the dogs when the holidays arrive. Though this time the break has been quite welcome. Despite spending time with my family I've still managed to sneak down to my batcave in the dead of night (well... late evening at least) to create this image.

I regularly devise expansive and elaborate stories that rarely escape my mind, so in an attempt to combat this i try and illustrate key moments from them. This is the beginning of one of these tales where in a time of swords and stone the descendant of a great warrior witnesses something magical and finds himself somehow connected to it.

Touching on the perceived power that religion commands and delivers, there's a good chance I'll knock out some more moments from this story as it touches on a number of themes that have fascinated me for years. Or i might drop it as i cook up something else that saps all my attention.