Sketchdump

These past two weeks have been quite busy with my graduation and flying over to England and back within 24 hours, so while I missed life drawing,  I still managed to get some printing and sketchbook work done. For some reason that meant a bunch of unrelated rocks and rocky landscape thumbnails, but it is what it is. 

As for the constellation characters, I've printed the libra design again but with varying amounts wiped back (below);

I've also thought about printing it as a combined etching/lithograph, so we shall see how that plays out. 

Speaking of lithography, for my next stone print I've come up with the design below (the actual stone drawing is different, this is just a rough idea for the design).

And to end off this post, a couple of sketchbook things I quite liked/found interesting. 

Stars over Orr (Litho class #3)

Lithography stone, (ie that big limestone chunk) before printing on Wednesday. Since I'd never printed a litho stone before, I had no-idea how this would print or if it would even print. 

Ink roll up area w/paper and and timpan.

It took a couple of prints before I got the pressure and amount of ink right, but it was pretty interesting. This is how it printed. I really liked how the marks in the sky (made with a big old bent paintbrush; it's bristles had all separated out) ended up, and that the lines from the dip pen printed also. 

I printed an edition of 5 and then levigated the etch on the stone so I'll be starting a new image next week. So far I've changed my idea about 3 times so I'm going to sit down an plan it out this weekend. The name of this print is "Stars over Orr" because its loosely based on the Guild Wars 2 areas with the ruins and gigantic stone arches.  

As for the series on constellations (I'll decide on a good name soon!), this is my idea for Virgo, though the clothes might change a bit before it makes it to plate.

Life drawings & Etching update!

So despite the weather's desperate attempts to prevent me from getting to life drawing last Thursday , I still managed to get there if a bit late. The rest of these will go up on my facebook page but heres a couple that I quite liked. 

As for print work, I've started the first of two (perhaps more than two) plates for a new series of prints based on Zodiac characters and the constellations that their 30° divisions of space as seen from earth. Starting with Libra (the sign rather than the constellation), in his cloak are the constellations of Lupus, Ophiuchus, Scorpio, Virgo, Hydra, Serpens Caput and Centaurus. Somewhere else on his figure will be the astrological notation for libra ♎.   

First, I drew up some quick thumbnails and silhouettes in my sketchbook, did some research on the constellations in each sign's domain and tried out different poses and places for the star field to be placed- on the cloak, hair, skin, shawl, dress etc.

Then after drawing it up in Photoshop to my liking, I printed it out A6 size (same as the copper plate) and traced it onto the plate with the needle. Then, as shown in the image above, I laid down a light rosin aquatint and stopped out all the areas I wanted to remain clean with varnish- the background, the mantle and the constellation points.

5 minutes of etching later, the plate was ready for another round of stop out varnish. 

And after 2 printing proofs this is where it's at. I'm quite happy with the result though I should have let the aquatint be stronger on the cloak since it isn't quite as graphic as I expected. Next week I intend to re-aquatint it so that this time I get a light shade over the figure as well as the cloak, and also to deepen the tones in the star field. The 2nd print will be Virgo but more on that next week.

Dragon Age Inquisition comes out pretty soon, so I channeled my excitement for the game into trying out the official artwork's beautifully stylized Tarot cards. It was a fun exercise and in the future I might be tempted to include more abstract shapes within my work.


And finally, I've got some prints available to buy in the Belfast Print workshop Gallery , should you be in the city and want to see some of my older prints. There are several artist proofs and unique prints (non-edition ed) that I will be adding to my Etsy shop in the coming weeks so look forward to that! :)

-Sam

Printing and back in business!

Since coming back to Northern Ireland and completing my degree, it's taken me more time than I'd like to get back to working on projects and drawing but things are starting to settle down now. My formal graduation ceremony will take place in a couple of weeks back in Middlesbrough. Sadly, my laptop has been off with Dell for 5 weeks since the start of October for repairs and my digital painting practice has been suffering. On the other hand, I'm back 100% at the weekly life drawing classes and a new stone lithography class run by the Belfast Print Workshop.

Over the next five week's I'll be able to document my (likely eventful) journey of learning Stone Lithography and on through with my plans work in progress shots for a new series of etchings based on constellations and the zodiac signs.  I'll be taking whatever prints and odd pieces I have left in my drawer here at home down to the gallery at BPW to try and get something for them, rather than let them waste away in my studio, and others will soon appear in the etsy shop link to the top right of this page (how very exciting!).

Now for a visual catchup of some of the kind things I've been drawing (and making!) in the last couple of months!

-Sam

Finished painting!

Finished the painting a couple of days ago, spent yesterday merging and splitting layers and repainting small sections that only get seen for a few seconds as the camera moves. I've currently got around 30-35 layers  that made it through to aftereffects. As a bonus,  a screengrab of my workspace in Aftereffects, with a nifty 3 quarter-ish view of everything- almost in place. 

Today I'm focusing on the camera's path and getting some of the smaller particle systems in place. 

Master's Project: the last four weeks!

 Last four weeks of work till the submission date,  and I'm making good time with the painted assets,  which I'll arrange separately for the pdf submission aswell as within the composited avi. Something like the page below.

For the initial shot where it begins as lines drawing themselves into ruins, then colour brushes itself over, I've come up with some quick thumbnails; with a focus on space and light. Personally, I've been really trying to keep things loose with visible brushstrokes and blocks of colour. Its quite challenging for me to stop before I overpaint it so this has been a good experience in itself.

The previous blogpost is sparse with information because I was in a hurry and needed work online to show easily; the first few gifs preview the line drawing idea that I mentioned above. Then there are some early city concepts, and a further developed but still loose idea, some early set pieces and a short video clip of everything in 3D space. 

a quick mockup of how I want the upper city and tower to scale to the very detailed lower city. Though the tallest tower should be much more slender in the painted version- closer to the video example below. 

Lower city clip previewing an early camera movement and wave animation with 80% of the lower city assets completed.

A silhouette asset of the meteor strike that destroys the city- resulting in the ruined version you see at the start of the clip. 

Masters project composition and shot tests.

Assassin's creed update

Historical location and costume research

WIP stages for AC character

turnarounds

Environment mood speedpaints

update

I didn't get as much work done over Easter as I had hoped, but with four weeks left til the module deadline, I've got to step up my game as it were.

Of the four industry briefs, I've got one complete and a second almost complete.

• Boudicca : complete
• Assassin's Creed : 90% complete
• Neoracer : thumbnail stage
• Electric romans : thumbnail stage

70's Biker Boudicca

sketch of assassin's environment WIP

hood/helm variations of the assassin

For the second module then,

• Three teaser posters : Complete
• Key moment speed paints : previously shown thumbnail stage
• Story board : scribbly stage (yes its a real stage)
• Poster : also scribbly stage. 

completed third teaser