Medusa Oblongata

Luckily Perseus didn't slice through the Medulla Oblongata when cutting off her head. Since the Medulla is controlling Medusa's involuntary functions, like breathing and heart rate, she can continue to live off of the pitter patter of the snakes little hearts and continue to bleed out on Athena's shield for eternity. Brutal.
Fun times sketching with coffee and music this rainy afternoon.

Mine Station Whiskey - The SAD Team

Some Mine Station Whiskey concept sketches for Demeter Moon base security team. I've been reading too many much Science Fiction these days. And yes, a team can be made up of one person and 2 A.I.

Best,
Barret

The Hunters of Bones and Blood

An entry for the Artorder challenge. The judge panel was a big draw as to why I started this, plus I've never explored the realms of dragons before... So it was good and fun to dork out for about a week exploring the possibilities for a cool scene.

'It's a world where dragons are the top predator. As an opportunistic animal, they hunt big game along the coast and sea. Its become a rarity to see a live dragon as their numbers have succumbed to the tides of the black market. The bones and blood are thought to cure ailments of the most vicious kind.
Dragon Hunters are desperate, dragon activists are building a case,  and the final hunts have started. Controlling a dragon's food source is key to baiting them from the Depths.'


Cheers!

A Leap of Faith

She says to lure it to the cliffs so the waves will loosen its earthen feet.
She says to wait for sunset so the western blaze will blind it.
She said to leap from within the shadows, to hold nothing back for there is nothing to return to.

Thanks Shaddy for the brushes.

P.S. The Hobbit doesn't come out in AU till Boxing Day. I'm bummed! But I'll spend some time drawing trolls of my own.

Mine Station Whiskey - The Man & Machine

As what blogs are for I'm smearing this one with an idea that is still growing and evolving. I've got some more work to do, but hopefully I'll be posting the rest of this world and all of its machines, mules, mining utensils/gadgetry and environments shortly.

CDW: Part Deux

A CrabSamurai! Partly inspired by my creature sketch below, and the book Crabs on the Rampage i picked up from a friend on the road. Of course inspired by the ease in which Ben Mauro pushed and pulled the digi clay during CDW, and by Aaron Beck's really cool photos of jumping spiders.

CDW: Part 1

 

Last week I had the pleasure in attending a 6-day workshop put on by CDW. The guys are masters of their art and were, in order of appearance: Greg Broadmore, Ben Mauro, Aaron Beck, and Robh Ruppel. Each presentation and approach to image making was different from the last and it was great to see the range of styles and subject matter. By the end of every day, my tiny brain was shattered, glued back together again by coffee, then shattered again. It was great.

One of the best parts of the workshop in my opinion was the length. Since it lasted for 6 days I had ample time to talk with the instructors and to get to know a lot of people in the audience. A lot of artists in attendance blew my socks off as well. This extra down time not focused on presentation was gold.

Without further ado, these are some pieces that I worked on throughout the workshop. I'll post more pieces as I refine some things, rethink my approach, and make it suitable for the public eyes. So up next hopefully it will be some zbrush, environments and some weapon designs!

How the F&*$% could you miss!?

 My goal was simple. Use a picture I took of Downtown Welly and create a matte/concept painting from it. I had taken many reference photos, but chose to use this corner building as the base for the piece. A slightly overcast day is perfect because of the soft shadows.

Next, I did a quick black and white thumbnail sketch of how I wanted the light and how much I needed to extend the canvas. I use this time to finalize my thoughts about the concept behind the piece. I'm thinking a standoff between organic vs. mechanical crab-like walkers; when the tools that brought them into the fight will ultimately fail them. I really do feel sorry for the guys in the mecha.

Then I built a quick 3d model to scale using primitives. I'm really taking the time to get the camera angle and height just right. Using the model,  I can immediately see the flaws in the original thumbnail. Finally, I start painting!