The Hunter - Finished

And there it is!  Five out of five, right on the deadline.  The Mecha Mercenary series is done, posted, and available on various products on my Society6.

The Hunter, Part 4

Almost there...

Sharks and Caterpillars

Quick update, the shark knight and caterpillar army are now available as art prints and iPod cases on Society6.  Click any of the links to check 'em out.

The Hunter, Part 3

Finished with the inks, going into the watercolors now.

Christmas 2014

This year was a little like the development of this picture...experimental, busy, tiring, scary, bizarre, and yet strangely beautiful.  I am very thankful to have a job, to have friends who support me, and to simply be alive.

Have a Merry Christmas, one and all!

More Mechs

Mechs from a RPG I'm running for my friends.  Yes, the top one is wearing a giant cape.  You can never go wrong with capes.

Also, only a few days till 2015, holy cow.

Sketches 12/24/14

Sketches with no particular category.

Character Design - Allison

You may remember Allison, she showed up in her superhero outfit a few months back.  This is her mild-mannered civilian self, at her minimum-wage job at some convenience store or other, where she daydreams of better things.  Runs the cash register by day, paints murals with magic by night.

Allison in the studio–just like me, except I have way less space...

The Hunter, Part 2

Inks are nearly done.  Most of my anxieties regarding the composition have failed to occur, I'm pleased so far.  Can't wait to start in with the watercolors.

The Hunter, Part 1

The Hunter is under way!

The Hunter, Preliminary Sketches

Currently planning The Hunter, the last painting for the Mercenary Mecha series.  And yes, that is a Tyrannosaurus Rex-shaped mech.  This mech is built to hunt and eliminate other mecha.  At least, that's my excuse for painting a T-rex mech.

Three pilots run this mech, all cybernetically hooked into the controls in some way.  One of the three, having suffered life-threatening injuries in the past, is half cyborg; he has a much finer touch when controlling the mech, at the obvious price of being half-machine.  The mech itself is equipped with talons built to take a beating and gouge into the weak points of enemy mechs.  The shoulder-towers carry anti-mech missiles and surface-to-air missiles.  Guns are positioned around the mech to defend it from infantry-sized threats.

In the non-fiction realm of things, I'm relieved to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It'll be good to take a break when this is over.

The Commander Process

The process GIF for The Commander.  If you want to buy it as a mug, shower curtain, or whatever you please, you can get it here on Society6.

The Commander, Part 5 - Finished

A week and a half from initial concept to final painting.  Four of five paintings done, one to go!

The Commander, Part 4

Almost there!  At this point, it's just details that need to be done.

The Commander, Part 3

Watercolor is coming along nicely, other than putting a couple large swipes on places that were not supposed to receive a coat of Carmine.  (And I was able to lift most of the paint out of that blooper.)

Sketches 12/9/14

Mermaid disco, raving jellyfish, Grouper skiing...the usual weirdness.

Landscapes Magical and Mysterious

Trust me, there be method to this madness.

Idle Dragons

Some dragons, drawn while relaxing.  The Triceratops Muse seemed to be with me that day, judging by those neck frills.

The Commander, Part 2

Inks are done, time for watercolor.

The Commander, Part 1

The day's progress.  I am almost done with the inks; tomorrow the first watercolor layers will go on.

For the trickier parts of the inks, I sketched out what I planned to draw beforehand.

The Commander, Digital Roughs

In the spirit of completing this quickly, I went from image #1 to image #3 in 3-4 hours.  Faster and more decisive than I'm comfortable with, but hey, it worked.  It's been printed out and is serving as the guide to the pencil underdrawing right now, more coming soon!

The Commander Concept Sketches

The Commander is the fourth painting in the Mercenary Mecha series, and I plan to finish it in a week.  That would be twice to three times faster than the previous paintings.  Wish me luck.

This mech is a helicopter carrier–as in a carrier ship–that a team of ambitious engineers hauled out of the water, patched up, stuck legs and a torso on, and called it good.  While it is equipped with a battleship turret, anti-aircraft guns, and missile launchers, this thing is primarily a support mech.  The arms can telescope to pick salvage off the ground, or move helicopters around on deck, or (in emergencies) throw heavy objects at nearby enemies.

The Trapper Process

The full process GIF of The Trapper.

The Trapper, Part 5 - Finished!

There's The Trapper done!  Very happy with how the chainsaw, cockpit, and the pilots' helmets turned out.

The story accompanying The Trapper will, unfortunately, be delayed.  The Trapper's story and the two remaining stories will be written after the paintings are finished.

The Trapper, Part 4

It feels really, really good to paint again.

No Lines Mermaid

I did this in a couple hours, right out of my head.  No lineart, only an underdrawing.  The best part?  I actually like it!  Might finish this up, if I can get the time.

The Trapper, Part 3

Ink on The Trapper is finished.  Glad to have that done with; on to watercolor!

The Trapper, Part 2

The Trapper so far.  There has been lots of shading.  Lots and lots and lots of shading.

Sketches 11/20/14

Posting will be slow again, life is busy.  I will finish the Mercenary Mecha series done before 2014 ends, one way or another.