An Illusive Reality - New Blog

Hey folks...well, 2007 is just about over, but I finally completed the work I started last year on 'digitially remastering' my 1990 'graphic short story' I did in my first year at the School Of Visual Arts, in NYC. I created a new blog to host the pages, rather than clutter up this blog. I think it works best to have it as it's own seperate entity. Click on the link to the right to check it out. Hope you like it! Here's to a great 2008!

Aliens!

I had a couple of fun projects this week - here are some alien designs for one of them, along with the original sketches and Illustrator tracing. They were then colored in Illustrator, with some additional textures added in Photoshop.

The Red Bully

I could probably spend another week on this guy, adding more detail and noodling and noodling, but at some point you've got to declare it done, so it's done as it's gonna get for now. There are some things that I'd like to fix/work on, at least for future endeavors. Things like when and where to use the holding lines. I'm not crazy about the lines at the back of the head, which tend to flatten that area out, but I couldn't find a better solution as of yet. It's been some time since I've painted (and I do call this painting...digital painting, at the least) so I'm relearning stuff I hadn't done in many years. It's all a learning process!

King's Guard

This is another one I worked up in Photoshop, without a prior pencil sketch. I like working this way, but I think for a more dynamic piece, I need to do some actual pencil preliminaries.

BIg Toothy Monster Skull Head Dude

This began at work and was finished at home...all done in Photoshop, including the original sketch. Background inspired by Vega.

Recent and Not So Recent Sketches

It's been a while since my last post, 'tis true. Longer than it should be! Some notes on the sketches - the anime looking guy was for briefs and boxers - I ultimately used a different pose, but with the same Dragonball/Yu-Gi-Oh kinda character, but more beefed up. I'll post the color ver. of that one of these days. The other drawings are from home and work (the infamous sketches you do while 'waiting for something to save' or 'print'...),just some loose stuff.

Vengeance Of The Aztecs!

Something old today..this is the back cover to Mitch Waxman's Vengeance Of The Aztecs #4. I did the front cover to #1, as well as the back cover to #2, which is posted somewhere else on this blog. I also did the covers to issues #1-3 (as well as inks on #3) of the series that preceded this, Plasma Baby. All the issues were published by Caliber Press in the early 1990's. This painting, on 11 X 17 bristol (likely cut down from a 14 X 17 sheet) and then played around with in Photoshop recently, was originally done in gouache. Most of the earlier paintings were in oil. You can see more of Mitch's stuff at the Weirdass.net link on the right. He's one crazy mo-fo.

The Last Pages

The last few pages from a sketchbook I just finished.

Sketchbook Pages

A few recent pages.

Freddie Mercury - 1972

I did this drawing from a photo I found online of Queen's performance at the Marquee Club in London, Dec. 20th, 1972. This was a very early show in their live history, seven months before the release of their first album.

Father To Son

Sketch Pages

Some more things lying around from recent days.

Post It's!

Some random post it notes - I think there's a theme here...

Kamen RIder V3 sketches

The Tokosatsu onslaught continues! Did these quick 5-10 min sketches based off of a couple of classic pose photos.

COMMmOOnNNN RIiiIIDA VEEE STHhREEEEE!!!!!!

This began as a drawing in my sketchbook, influenced by some old (1973) kids books with manga style illos of Kamen Rider. I brought it into Photoshop and ran some filters, to give it a bit more of a vintage look.

FIN - 23 in a Series of 23

THE TRAPPER - 22 in a Series of 23

THE UNNAMED - 21 in a Series of 23

LOCKJAW - 20 in a Series of 23

THE REAVER - 19 in a Series of 23

GRIMSHADE - 18 in a Series of 23

THE CARETAKER - 17 in a Series of 23

INVADER - 16 in a Series of 23

'THULHUISH - 15 in a Series of 23

THE LASHER - 14 in a Series of 23

THE SEEKER - 13 in a Series of 23

FRANK - 12 in a series of 23

GUY FRIDAY - 11 in a series of 23

ULTRA J - 10 in a Series of 23

MORIARITY - 9 in a Series of 23