Mind's Eye Sketch - The art of Ryan Firchau

Fantasy Art Magazine May issue

2011-10-07T04:18:00.000-07:00

I received my complementary copy of Fantasy Art magazine, it features (amongst some really amazing art works) a ten page interview with yours truly. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and it was a great honour to be asked to take part, especially considering the fantastic artists they featured. Big thanks to Lizzy craft for sorting it all out.

Chimeran Scenes

2011-09-16T02:30:00.000-07:00

A little bit of 2d art in the form of these scenes

it's been a while since I've done this kind of work and I felt really rusty but they were really good fun.

Fish Chimeran completed

2011-09-16T02:16:00.000-07:00

Just finished this guy the other night. I had to rebuild him from scratch, so I tweaked the design a little bit. The first one was made from WED clay, when I sealed it with shellac it didn't work very well and the sculpt cracked. I think crystal clear works better for sealing WED clay as I used it on the other two busts and they didn't crack.

He's sculpted from regular Super Sculpey, over a very basic wire armature. I boiled the Sculpey in a large pan to cure it instead of baking it as this method really produces a lot less cracks and the heat is more evenly distributed across the surface plus it cools down quicker in the water. The fin was made after I cured the Sculpey. It's made from milliput a two part epoxy that bonds very well with Sculpey and it's a lot tougher and is ideal for delicate details. Hope you like him and thanks for looking.

Military Chimeran Maquette

2011-09-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

He's made from Super Sculpey with some Milliput. The base is roughly the size of an A4 sheet of paper to give you an idea of the scale.

Some new work for the Chimeran to go with the new updated site pop over and check it out.

www.thechimeran.com

Thanks for looking.

Chimeran Draft animal - Beasts of Burden

2011-08-19T02:34:00.001-07:00

Shire horse and oxen have been combined to create a draft animal with the strength and versatility of an ox and the intellect, grace and good nature of the horse.

Lydia

2011-07-20T03:08:00.001-07:00

More Chimeran work. Meet Lydia, she's one of the main chimerans from the story, created in Zbrush from Zspheres I detailed the concept in Photoshop.

Thanks for looking.

Cat chimeran

2011-07-09T06:03:00.001-07:00

A domestic cat mixed with a monkey is the topic of this latest design, roughly the same size as a ordinary house cat.
www.thechimeran.com

Earlier version of the military Chimeran

2011-07-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

These are the first attempts at the Military creature design.

What I was hoping to achieve was a design based on lots of different animals combined to make a new species. I wanted each individual animal to be incorporated in a subtle way. I chose gorilla, human,tiger,bear,orangutan and Rottweiler dog for the colour scheme.

Hope you like them and as always thanks for looking.

www.thechimeran.com

Finished busts

2011-07-01T05:03:00.000-07:00

Military Chimeran

2011-07-01T04:32:00.000-07:00

Some more work for The Chimeran this time it's a military breed Chimeran. www.thechimeran.com

The Chimeran

2011-06-25T03:14:00.000-07:00

This is the project I've had the pleasure of working on recently to find out more please visit www.thechimeran.com

Mask update

2011-06-25T02:29:00.001-07:00

I managed to find some spare time to continue my first mask making project. I've been changing the design as I go along. He's definitely more vampire now. I changed the nose, teeth and ears since the last post as well as the shape of the back of his head.

Fishman

2011-06-02T04:15:00.000-07:00

Cat Chimeran paint work

2011-05-06T06:34:00.000-07:00

Just started to paint up this resin casting.

Chimerans

2011-05-06T02:20:00.000-07:00

Some more individual shots of the concept sculpts along with a photoshop work up of the Aquatic Chimeran. Thanks for looking and I hope you like them.

These characters and creatures have been designed for the film The Chimeran to find out more about this project visit www.thechimeran.com

The Chimeran concept sculpts

2011-04-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

I Made these from Wed and Chavant Le Beau Touche clay. They are quite small about 5" without the base. The concept is human and animal DNA spliced to create half breeds with the abilities of the animals they are mixed with.

Resin cast painted

2011-04-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

I sculpted this creature using WED clay and made a silicone mould with a plaster mother mould and cast him in resin. I documented the process and I'll put it together until then this is how he looks so far. I still need to do some more on the paint work but it's nearly done.

Mask making life sized sculpt

2011-04-07T04:25:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at a full scale head. I'm loving doing this one so far, it's sculpted in WED clay over a generic plastic head I picked up from a my FX materials suppliers.

The plan is to go the whole way and cast it and punch the hairs all that good stuff.

The Clay review - Super Sculpey

2011-02-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

Super Sculpey was the first material I ever used so it makes sense that all comparisons should be made against Sculpey, it's also the clay I will review first.

This list of pros and cons are observations I've made while working with Super Sculpey some of you might not agree with some of these observations which is fine, but it's my personal opinion and experience so here are my thoughts.

I personally like Sculpey a lot. I find it's a very good clay to use when first starting out it's very forgiving and needs no special treatment or conditions and you can save your results by baking them.

I buy all my Sculpey through ebay as I find deals on it without the packaging. The more you buy the cheaper it gets but it's not the cheapest clay on the market. Super Sculpey is available in 1 pound, 8 pound and 24 pound boxes lots of online stores sell it. If you do a google search you'll find plenty of stockists.

This is the product description for Sculpey

"Super Sculpey is a very unique polymer clay, loved by artists, dollmakers and animation studios around the world. With a ceramic-like feel, Super Sculpey is available in a semi-translucent beige that, once baked, captures the glow of real skin. It can also be mixed with Premo or Sculpey III to change the color. As with all of our polymer clays, it is easy to condition right out of the package and stays soft until you bake it. Super Sculpey features fine tooling and detailing characteristics, and does not “fill in” after tooling. Because of the fine tooling and detailing characteristics of Super Sculpey, it is frequently the chosen clay for making prototypes from which molds are made from the Super Sculpey sculptures; then reproductions are made using the molds. Additionally, artists are producing finely detailed finished sculptures using Super Sculpey. After curing in the oven, Super Sculpey can be sanded, drilled carved and painted with water-based acrylic paints."

Pros.

Sculpey is a great material for beginners

Sculpey can be mixed with other polymer clays to achieve different consistencies and colours

Sculpey won't air dry

Sculpey can be cured by baking it in a regular oven

You can put new soft Sculpey over hard cured Sculpey

It has no nasty odour and is non toxic to handle

Older Sculpey can be rejuvenated with petroleum jelly (Vasoline)

You can boil it to harden it, which I've found to be more effective then oven baking as it tends to cure and cool more evenly and reduces the chance of cracking.

Cracks can be filled and sanded with fresh sculpey and then re baked or heat gunned and smaller cracks can be fixed with glue.

It can be further refined once baked by carving sanding and polishing.

It holds very fine details and is very smooth.

If you are making humans or creatures the pink colour is a good base to start painting from.

cons

If the sculpey too thick in areas it is likely to crack when baked as the centre is still not cured

If baked too long it looses some of the forms as it shrinks a little bit

Super Sculpey is pink and semi-translucent which makes seeing your sculpted details harder

Sculpey is a polymer oil based clay so when you brush down the details you have to use thinners and unless you get odorless thinners they smell bad and can be harmful if inhaled for long periods of time.
Different thinners affect the clay in different ways some cut the surface a lot more then others. I found low odour thinners to be the best, the type used for oil painting as it doesn't degrade all your details too badly and blends the surface well.

Building up forms can take longer with Sculpey as it needs to be softened by hand.

Sculpey doesn't stick very well to armature wire so you have to spend more time on your armatures to compensate for this. The best way is to bind the larger wire with much thinner wire so the clay can grip to it.

You need to be slightly more heavy handed with Sculpey as the clay has a springy quality to it, so it resists the tools more than other clays do.

Texture stamps don't work so well with sculpey as it's a little bit too firm and you have to push quite hard to transfer any detail, so you risk distorting the sculpture

It can be quite expensive when you start making larger models

When all is said and done I really like Sculpey, it's a great clay and I think the positives out weigh any negatives it might have. I found many work around solutions for the problems mentioned, it's really no big deal.

I mix the Super Sculpey with Sculpey firm 50\50 by eye so I have a grey surface to see all my details on and it stiffens the clay a bit more. Regular Sculpey can be a little bit too soft. If you have a very fresh block you might find it a little bit to soft in which case put it on some baking paper or even regular paper and it will draw out some of the excess oils making it a little firmer.

Go and try it for yourselves and most importantly don't worry, have fun.

The Clay Reviews

2011-02-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd start to review some of the clays I've used and give my opinion on them. I thought this might be helpful or useful to some of you.

Whenever I try a new sculpting materials for the first time, I find myself invariably having a learning curve ahead of me.

My process alters from sculpture to sculpture but never that greatly. Since I've spent time developing my techniques and working practices I've created a process that help me achieve satisfactory results, however I have noticed that different types of clay(how they react and behave)alter the process forcing me to come up with new techniques and subsequently impacting on my sculpting style as well as the time it takes to produce a sculpt.

Freelance full time, all the time

2011-02-13T15:57:00.000-08:00

I have recently embarked on a full time freelance career. If you have a need for my skill set on your project or know someone who might, please do not hesitate to contact me at rfirchau@gmail.com.

I illustrate book covers, album covers, trading cards, video games box covers. I am able to create concept for any and all your film and video games needs in any style that suites your projects requirements.

I also take on private commissions that include toy design, pet portraits,photographic restoration and sculptures ranging from creatures, portraits, wildlife and anything in between

So if you need a professional creative individual, drop me a line and we can talk.

Album Art

2011-02-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is the latest bit of artwork in the form of an album cover I just finished, hope you like it.

I'm participating in Artists Wanted : A Year in Review 2010.

2011-01-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

I've taken part in this years Artists wanted and I really need your support and votes.

http://www.artistswanted.org/Firecrow78

Since I've entered relatively late in the day I really do need your votes to stand even the slightest chance of winning so if you like my work then please do vote it would mean a lot. Thank you

Featured on Concept Art World

2011-01-26T03:32:00.000-08:00

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday to find myself featured on ConceptArtWorlds site. It's very humbling to be among such great artist, big thanks to the guys at CAW for featuring me.

Ryan J Woodward

2010-12-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

Found this today and thought I'd share it because it's simply stunning and it made me smile.

I won 3rd place.

2010-11-23T04:39:00.000-08:00

So its all over and the results are in...

Third place went to yours truly and I am very happy to have finished in the top three. It was very hard work to get the models in on time and as finished as I could manage but it was also very enjoyable and a great experience I even learned a few new tricks from my fellow competitors and broke new ground in areas such as scale and subject matter.

I thought I would include the winning entries so you can check them out.

This fantastic model by baard was the winning entry

Second place went to Nas with this great entry.

Finished Monster Rider

2010-11-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

So after many hours of work and not much sleep I managed to finish just in time. I've never completed a build this fast before and as tough as it was it was ultimately very rewarding. I learned a lot doing this one and although I would have liked a little bit more time I'm happy enough with how it turned out. Fingers crossed.

Monster Rider update

2010-11-05T05:56:00.000-07:00

Another late night of sculpting. With the deadline getting ever closer i really need to put the time in to achieve the details so not much sleep lately. It's good building something with a definite deadline because it forces you to move far quicker than when you're left to your own timescale. This time I focusing mainly on the tusks and ears with a little more work on the right side of the head. The beer bottle is for scale and because I was thirsty.

Watcher Demon Head

2010-11-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

I've had this Z-Brush model kicking about for ages and I go back to it from time to time because I like something about it but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. So I keep changing the look of him and the design has evolved.

The basic idea behind this handsome fella was a demon with nails in its eyes or nails instead of eyes, nice I know. Originally he had bandages wrapped around his face that I later decided against and opted for a third eye instead with the name "The watcher". I'd thought of them as scavengers drawn to people who have suffered or are suffering like a moth to flames. cheery!

The body is also built but I’m trying to figure out the wings I'll post it sometime soon.

CreatureRider Update

2010-11-03T06:17:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I had a great night sculpting last night and made what I felt was a good amount of progress so I thought I’d update what I’ve been up to.
Since the last post I finished the base at least enough to call it done for the challenge. I cured the base using a heat gun (paint stripper) taking care not to burn it, the key is to keep it moving all the time and to not get too close.

I made the base from thin hard board, the kind you have at the back of your kitchen cupboards it’s very easy to break by hand so I snapped it into the desired shape stacking the pieces one on top of the other. I used a hot glue gun to stick them together. I wasn’t happy with the thickness so I sandwiched a flat piece of polystyrene at the base of the stand and shaped it with a heated knife from the stove. it works very well but make sure you open a window those fumes can’t be good for you. The next step was to drill the holes for the wire from the creatures feet to fit into, this was done with an electric drill and drilled all the way through since I left a lot of wire at the base of the creature. I then covered the wood and polystyrene in Sculpey and shaped the rocks to suite.

I built this guy to come apart since it makes access to the sculpt so much easier. His head is separate as are the tusks and the ears the whole body is one piece and fits into the base.
I mix up some Milliput two part epoxy putty and sink square rods into it. I purchased the rods from ebay and they come in different sizes and fit into each other so I use them to attach different parts to each other. The Milliput sets rock hard and the rod is fixed. This was how I made the head, a rod with a ball of milliputon the end, let it set and built a skull around it and the head was sculpted onto the skull which I hardened with the heat gun. I also used the same method for the body and the saddle.

and the seat so far

MonsterRider -wip

2010-10-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

This is my first post in quite some time. Life has been incredibly hectic for some time but things are starting to settle down and I've had some free time to spend on some personal work. This big fella and his little friend is my entry for the challenge over at the Shiflett Brothers forum. The competition is entitled Monster rider and it's open to all sculptors both traditional and digital. Go and check it out lots of interesting entries to browse through.

www.shiflettbrothers.com

I'm having a great time putting this guy together, I'm trying subject matter I've never tackled before as well as sculpting at smaller scales then I'm comfortable with.

I'll update soon as I'm further along then this, hope you like it, and thanks for looking.

CG Hub Comp

2010-08-09T04:52:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for the production competition over at CG Hub. The character design was done by the very talented Adrian smith and it was a real challenge to build.

It's been a long time since I've tackled anything this complex, but it was fun and I wanted to see if I could do it.

More medusa progress

2010-05-08T01:53:00.001-07:00

Another update for Medusa so you good people can see how she is shaping up. Progress has been a bit on the slow side due to time constraints mostly as well as other commitments.

A few weeks back I hit a real wall with this sculpt and hated everything about it. I was frustrated that I couldn’t get the level of detail I wanted from the material and I wanted to cast her in a wax, something like Castaline. My main reason aside from the detail issue is to achieve a very minimal gap between the parts something I’m finding difficult with Sculpey as it shrinks when baked. Time and money are all an issue at the moment so I’ll carry on regardless for the time being.

I made the decision to remove her left hand and attach it to the bow handle because it made sculpting the hand so much easier. I didn’t have to worry about the weight of the bow deforming the hand or the need for a wire armature within the hand that can make sculpting at a small scale awkward.

I still have a lot of work ahead but I can see an end in sight at last. It's been a very challenging sculpt so far but I have learned the importance of planning. When I built the armature at the beginning I decided I wanted to keep the body independent from the head and snakes and I also wanted the four small snakes to be separate. I’m glad I took the approach I did as it’s made access to the sculpt so much easier. I can get at almost every part of it without much trouble.

Alien Spider mite parasite thing...

2010-04-07T04:47:00.000-07:00

I’m a huge fan of creepy crawlies of all shapes and sizes and I thought I’d try and combine elements of all the ones that I find creepy the number one being a Wichita grub and this is what I came up with.

I can’t stand parasites however, they scare the crap out of me so I thought it would be good to incorporate that element into the design.

let me know what you think, hope you like it.

New portfolio Site and I Joined Twitter

2010-03-09T04:22:00.000-08:00

This is me on twitter if you want to follow me

My new online portfolio site can be found here

Medusa Progress images

2010-02-10T04:57:00.000-08:00

A quick update on my Medusa Maquette

Norse Giant

2010-01-14T04:16:00.000-08:00

Another character design, this time It's a giant with a bit of a Norse influence. The main spark for me was the idea of having a garment made up of fallen warriors, a people kilt if you will, don't ask me why, that's just how my brain works.

Hope you like it, thanks for looking.

Medusa Progress pics

2010-01-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

Medusa360

2010-01-10T13:46:00.000-08:00

Medusa progress

2010-01-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

First off let me just say a big happy new year to you all, I hope you all had a great holiday. This is my first post of 2010 and I hope to make it a more regular thing.

I quit smoking so I need to put my energy into other more rewarding activities. I also wanted to say a big thank you to all the people who follow my blog and those who take the time to look at my artwork, your comments and support mean a lot so thank you boys and girls.

So, back to business. I opted for the second design with the full body. I thought it would be more fun to sculpt it this way certainly more challenging and it's all good practice at the end of the day. I've enjoyed this one more then anything else I've created recently.

Hope you like it, let me know what you think.

Alien Creature Design

2009-12-11T06:04:00.001-08:00

I gave this guy a very elongated throat since I want him to be able to retract all those tendril like tongues. Created in Photoshop CS2.

Medusa the Gorgon design

2009-12-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

This is my take on Medusa, I have the whole body planned out but I wanted to concentrate on the head first. She will have four large monstrous snakes supporting the weight of her body while she dangles down between them, two on either side of her. I’m undecided at the moment if she should have the lower half of a snake or if I want her to have legs.

The lack of any real mouth on the design was intentional, I wasn’t just being lazy. I had the idea that it would be the large snakes which act as her mouth, so she wouldn’t need one.

The plan is to turn this design into a sculpt, something I’m quite excited about. I hope you like it.

Forest Ogre Character Design

2009-12-03T05:08:00.000-08:00

Wolf Creature Continued

2009-11-25T04:42:00.000-08:00

I spent a bit more time on this guy, tightening up the secondary forms. The next step is to figure out how to finish the base.

Creature busts works in progress

2009-11-23T04:38:00.000-08:00

More sculpting practice with these two.

Hammerhead Alien

2009-11-20T04:58:00.000-08:00

I picked up a great little technique from the Neville Page Gnomon master class and thought I’d give it a try.

The process involves poly painting on a 3D plane in Z-Brush with symmetry turned on. When you first start to paint keep the Sub div level low on the poly plane. When you paint the brushstrokes look blurry and pixelated, don’t worry if it looks bad at this stage since it’s this lack of detail which provides the Rorschach effect and allows you to see possibilities you might not have thought of initially.

What I particularly like about this technique is how fast it is, as your brush stroke is mirrored while you work the design comes together much faster and since you’re working in a front view, you can focus purely on design.

Queen of Spades sculpture WIP

2009-11-06T04:43:00.000-08:00

The Dammed city - London : Year 2109

2009-08-18T09:21:00.001-07:00

Future London. A city under siege from the ocean. A vast dam surrounds major parts of the city. The city runs on hydroelectricity. All the vehicles and buildings have generators that convert the kinetic energy of the rivers aqueducts and waterfalls. The sea water is harnessed and converted to fresh water for drinking and agriculture.

Since dry land is restricted it was deemed necessary to use all available free space to cultivate plant life.

As a result, all rooftops and the surrounding dam are blanketed in flora and fauna. The natural element adds a rich contrast to the urban jungle.

The surrounding suburbs are enclosed within gigantic domes made from steel and glass. Within the domes, the suburbs reach deep down into the earth.

These sinkholes are overcrowded, noisy and ill equipped for the sheer number of citizens they support. Crime is rife and gangs control entire districts of the sinkholes. Life in the lower quarters is a stark contrast to the lives of the elite who are fortunate to live in the main basin.

Body design - Support work

2009-08-18T09:14:00.001-07:00

Agents head design - Support work

2009-08-18T09:09:00.001-07:00

Agents Weapons

2009-08-18T04:04:00.001-07:00

These weapons are supplied by Midheaven. Each agent is equipped with an internal nuclear reactor. The reactor is the source of the agents seemingly super human abilities. It powers every gadget in the agents arsenal. It creates the ammunition for the side arm pistol that's concealed on the underside of his left forearm. The melee weapon,(a set of high frequency energy claws on Leonis' right hand) capable of cutting through almost any material is also the result of the reactor.

What sets agent Leonis apart from the other Hollowmen is a device that he created himself, that no other agent within Midheaven possesses - a briefcase that can alter its form and function seemingly by the sheer will of its creator!

Different modes include a sub-machine gun, shield laptop and most unique of all, a K9 unit which appears to be a fully autonomous robot....

Special Agent - code name : Leonis

2009-08-16T08:05:00.001-07:00

Agent Leonis is one of the twelve knights of the Zodiac. A cybernetic super agent, he was built by Midheaven under the Hollowman program.

Along with his eleven fellow agents, (each of whom represents one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac) they are part of a secret and dangerous order which date back to 7th century BC. Their actions have profoundly changed the course of mankind throughout the ages. They operate in secret - guardians to some, executioners to others, traffickers of information, masters of espionage, spies, counter terrorists...the list goes on.

There must always be twelve agents. When an agent is killed in the line of duty, another is chosen to take his place. This way they are timeless. There have been many before and there will be many more.

Each agent has a unique design which complements the sign they represent. Despite the customised appearance of the agents they all carry standard issue gadgets and power sources.

Leonis, (or Leo) is the fifth agent of Midheaven. He is powered by a internal reactor which is the source of the agents seemingly super human abilities. Power from the core can be harnessed and directed to different weapons and gadgets. His uniform is fashioned from special materials to withstand the extreme temperatures generated by the core when the agent utilises his abilities.

Ability's include: heightened strength and stamina, a small yet highly powerful side arm attached to his left arm. The munitions are created inside the core as bolts of energy and stored in his arm. This way there is a constant supply available and the gun is useless in civilian hands.

Each agent has Mirage technology that allows the agent to appear different and mimic the appearance of others. His vision has also been enhanced to include the ability to see in different ranges such as infra red, heat vision, ultraviolet light, high magnification and x-ray vision.

Power from the core unit can be redirected to ports on the agents lower legs allowing for limited boosts during jumps and kick combinations.

Marcus Pride - Alter Ego

2009-08-16T07:18:00.001-07:00

Meet Leo's alter ego, Marcus pride. Marcus Pride is a Traceur, a free runner working as a courier for the cities most reputable and elite delivery service, Meridian.

The clients of Meridian pay a lot of money to ensure that their assets are delivered exactly on time and with the utmost security. They deal with highly sensitive and valuable cargo.
Each Traceur is required to be proficient in hand to hand combat. Many are ex-military and former government agents. Due to the hazardous nature of the work the pay is very high, but then so are the risks.

The environment itself holds many dangers. The city is overcrowded and organized gangs control entire districts.

Somehow against the odds Marcus manages to flourish in this role. He triumphs where others fail and takes assignments in parts of the city where others simply will not go.

It has come to the attention of the cities criminal fraternity that Meridians couriers carry highly sensitive and therefore valuable cargo. The Meridian Traceur’s reputation precedes them. They are fierce when engaged in combat and have the legal backing of local authorities and law enforcement.

Marcus has been employed by Meridian for some time, giving him unrivalled knowledge of the city and the crime cartels that operate within it. Marcus has gained many allies and contacts on the streets, the streets he knows like the back of his hand - but unfortunately he has also made many enemies along the way.

MirageTech - Support sheet

2009-08-15T09:21:00.001-07:00

Each agent is provided with a MIRAGE device, standard Midheaven issue for Hollowmen

This unique piece of technology affords the agents complete anonymity if they so wish. A hard light VR equivalent of themselves is outwardly projected. MIRAGE is also able to scan the form of any individual the agent has encountered providing they are of a similar stature to that agent, and mimic them for short periods of time.

All cybernetic components are hidden by MIRAGE allowing the agent to blend in and assume a regular 'day job' thus creating the perfect cover.

The Adaptive scanning function is limited and its effects fail after prolonged usage, returning the agent to his or her true appearence. The stored alter ego form however will last indefinitely.

Head turn

2009-06-26T01:43:00.000-07:00

Old Man Z-brush practice

2009-06-01T04:18:00.000-07:00

Some Z-brush practice this time, thought I'd try something a bit more realistic. He was built from a sphere in Z-Brush about 3 hours work, with no reference. I recorded my progress and have a movie but I don’t know how to turn It into a QuickTime file. when I figure it out, I'll post the results.

Alien Creature Design

2009-05-31T04:12:00.000-07:00

This is an old concept which I went back to recently I liked some of the shapes and ideas I came up with for this guy. It's a warrior class alien. The actual creature is the red glowing parts and the armor is an organic bone material only much tougher.

The Unseen B-movie monster

2009-05-31T04:10:00.000-07:00

I had this idea for a creature design which is composed entirely from human body parts, the tricky part was to get a design which would look interesting and not just a mess of limbs and parts.

I opted for this serpent like quality, the arms would help to pull it along and add to the creepiness. It was a bit of fun and practice what can I say you wouldn't hang it on your wall I know.

Defiance

2009-05-31T03:26:00.001-07:00

This was done for the Wacom comp on Deviant Art. The theme was Good vs Evil.

The story in this piece is of a mother who is protecting her son from marauders. Her husband lies dead on the ground murdered by the tyrant who stands before her. As is often the case it looks as though there is no hope left but the love for her child, her defiance and the magic unleashed by the spirit of her dead husband might just be enough to save them.

I didn't even manage to get into the top 50, but I did get a piece that I'm pretty happy with and which I think tells a good story.

Octo-simian Mermaid

2009-04-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

My take on a mermaid. Trying to do something a bit different with a mermaid design. I was quite pleased with the results and as usual I wanted to see the design in 3D. The plan was to build a maquette in Sculpey but instead I went for Z-brush.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon

2009-04-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

The sculpt was built using Super Sculpey over a metal armature. I decided to make the maquette based loosely on the concept, but I wanted a slightly more dynamic pose.

One great aspect of working a concept in 3D like this is the ability to design on the fly, making decisions and trying out possibilities which you might have missed on paper. .

Game Artisans Mini Challenge

2009-02-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

I just got done on this. I'm not sure why I ended up choosing Vega out of all the street fighter characters, guess I must be a glutton for punishment. In hind sight I should have gone for Segat, would have saved a shit load of hassle. It was fun though and it was also my first shot at a forum comp.

Head Closeup

2009-02-04T05:22:00.000-08:00

A close up of the head as you can't see it very clearly in the other video.

Z-brush WIP

2009-02-04T04:59:00.000-08:00

More Z-brush shenanigans. This time it's my Octosimian Mermaid. I've got a long way to go before she's completed but all the major forms are roughed in and it's more of a test bed for me then anything else.

WIP Progression

2009-01-25T15:53:00.000-08:00

I saved this sculpt off at certain stages, as I find that sometimes Z-brush can be a bit fecky and crash and corrupt the tool. Better safe then sorry so I've got these stages to look back over. the current stage it's at is by no means final, but it's getting there. Once I begin placing in the teeth the shape of the mouth will alter and I'll no doubt move features around when I look at this with a fresh eye.

WIP Z-Brush Forest Ogre

2009-01-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

So this is me trying to wrap my head around Z-brush. If you haven't tried it yet get on it, it's an incredible bit of software. This is a work in progress for a Forest Ogre character I did a while back. I thought it might be a good challenge to try to create it in Z-brush. I started out with a sphere 3D and went from there. Next step is to get some teeth in it's mouth. I have the body roughed out and the plan is to kit bash it, pose it up and I might poly paint it to get some colors into it.

Character Maquette WIP

2008-09-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

I built this Maquette for a pitch for a race I was asked to design. I took photos as I went along as I was planning on putting a tutorial together at some point...always at some point.

The Old King

2008-09-12T05:19:00.001-07:00

This concept sketch was for the king of a race of Griffin Men. It was shown at the Nordic games conference as one of the examples of the differences between Eastern and western approaches to character design. I was very lucky to have been asked to be part of a panel called East West all stars along with Alex Taini from Ninja Theory of Heavenly Sword fame and the art director of Sega responsible for Jet Set radio and the Art Director from Furi Furi.

Shnickt..Grrrr...SMASH!!!

2008-09-12T04:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't drawn comic book characters since my GCSE days. I realized one day that it was all I ever did, I never made up my own stuff. I have to say it was really good fun, and I might do some more, Maybe.

More Sketches

2008-09-12T03:43:00.000-07:00

Another set of sketches, a little character exploration for the book I'm putting together.

Sketch Book work

2008-09-12T02:57:00.000-07:00

These are from my current sketch book which I've started to keep after years and years of not bothering and not seeing much point in having one I finally came around to the idea and it goes everywhere with me now.

So far its been to Sweden, Amsterdam, and London and it's great to get some of this shit out of my head and down on paper, inevitably making room for more shit to take it's place.

The Queen of Spades

2008-09-12T02:35:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to have this image featured in issue 35 of ImaginFX

The Crystal Lure

2008-09-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Those Imps sure do like shinny things, such a shame.

Crusader Marine

2008-09-11T13:19:00.001-07:00

The Templar class marine. hu rah!

One Girl and Her Pig.....

2008-09-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

Strange girl, pet pig, who knows...

SpellBound

2008-09-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

I created this for a book I'm trying to put together if I could just get my finger out of my ass for a sec... I wish I was better at finishing what i start.