FUN.

Against the Wall of Night

Got a new piece available. Many thanks to the talented John Cullen for his inks on this one. The piece is of an original character garbed in half of his battle dress. He’s lacking shoulder and head armour, but that’s about it. Otherwise, this is pretty much how he’d look. Did a couple of passes at the colours, and this is the version I think works best.

As to the website, I know it’s sat here for about two weeks. I am going to be doing work on it shortly though, and before December hits it should be done. Cheers all.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learnt in recent years is that you can never trade digital art for real-life sketching. The muscle training, the fine touch, the detailed work — it all comes out of having a physical medium to apply yourself to.

Digital artwork is great, don’t get me wrong. I was a very vocal advocate of it all through college. There are wonderful things you can do with a digital medium. But you cannot sacrifice the experience of working with a real medium just because you want to be digital.

Even if 90% of your finished work is done on a computer, sketches are an inherent building block of one’s talents. There is something to be said for digital sketching — it can serve a similar function. But in my own experience, it cannot replace the actual piece of paper and pencil. Something is always lost when you abandon these.

The “easy” way out is usually the wrong way when it comes to art. I know many artists who use SMS’s Poser as a means of replacing live models or gestural work. What does that say about their talents? Either they lack experience with life drawing, or they’re letting what experience they have go to waste. That’s what that says to me.

For basic poses, everyone uses reference. Make no bones about it; reference is key. But tracing or mimicking without any real understanding of fundamental principles is going to get you nowhere. Everyone knows you took shortcuts; everyone knows your work is lacking. Is it worth it just to make a buck? Not in my world.

If you’re starting out or just looking for advice, here’s mine: Do things right. Take the time, learn the fundamentals, and don’t cut corners unnecessarily. Good work can always be appreciated, and if you dedicate yourself, your talent will shine through.

With that little myth cleared up (and most people do know better, but there’s still the persistent rumour) let’s move on, shall we?

The reason I use a Mac is quite simple: It’s hassle-free. There are a handful of issues I deal with on a regular basis, not the least of which is the occasional program crash, but on the whole I don’t have much to yell about. No viruses, no spyware, no major malfunctions. The system is also, as a whole, more elegant and complete than the competition. I’m sure some Linux users have dreamed up a perfect system for their use, but I’m not an invested interface architect, nor do I want to be.

The Mac is the product for me. It’s like minimalist plating of food, Zen ink paintings, placid watercolours, and a cool drink on a warm night: Just right. Some people’s tastes may vary, but the fact is that I like my Mac.

But John did nail it otherwise, despite being Irish.

Roll Light (2009)

A Full Circle

One is Roll Light from the central Megaman series, given more adult proportions and a bit of booty. Her colours were done by the very talented Eva Cherney. Cheers to everyone who liked ‘er! The second is of Batman and the Joker, one holding the other over a pool of his own blood, done in a film noir style for dramatic effect.

Steambot (2009) // Colours by Eva Cherney

The Homework Monster

The Steambot was coloured by the very talented Eva Cherney. Thanks! Homework Monster is all me, and I hope didn’t traumatise any children who walked by the table.