Designer Bruises

[Gavage]

Most recent stuff is at the end. :}

[ciots]

the first two pieces are excellent. however im not a fan of the soft shading on the last one, doesnt work imho...

[Flaskpost]

madame butterfly is awesome. i´m diggin the style lots!

[Gavage]

Couple of newer pieces...

'Aylan' dancer character concept for something and 'Killer Tits' inspired by the ridiculously wonderful Japanese film The Machine Girl.

[Janos]

The texture in the first piece make it a lot more interesting than the rest. You might wanna add some of that to the others. You only paint manga?

[Gavage]

I agree - I was reluctant to use textures before because I felt like I was stealing someone else's work, but I've been working on my photography a bit so I have some of my own stuff to use which gives more of a 'genuine' feeling result now. It isn't always appropriate but I think it works relatively well on the darker/more surreal stuff to give it a little bit of a worn edge.

I'm not sure if the stuff I make is really manga style, it isn't quite as clear and stylised... but rarely realistic either. I'm trying to vary the style a bit and experiment more at the moment, it's proving pretty hard to get out of creative habits though.

[Gavage]

Thank you to whoever deleted that spam post. :)

[towy]

interesting style :]

[Gavage]

Thanks Towy. :)

I got a drawing tablet earlier this week, slowly starting to get the hang of it although it feels like my style gets a bit lost in the more coloured stuff.

[hyure]

Gothic black thing..

[Gavage]

@hyure

I don't really get how my work is gothic - it's a word that got thrown around a lot at school in relation to it all. Fair enough it's a bit dark but there are no skulls, grim reapers, vampires, candles etc... what is it in there that makes it seem 'gothic' to some people?

[Gavage]

A few bits, pretty upped in weirdness - all three at least partially inspired by the ultra odd film 'Tokyo Gore Police'.

[Bullsey]

Gothic desn't necessarily have to be skulls or grim reapers. I'd say some of your later characters carry definite gothic inspiration.

[Gavage]

True. I guess my thoughts of what would be considered gothic do differ to what someone else might see it as. The use of dark colours probably doesn't help, I've slipped into a bit of a habit of using them since I got the drawing tablet - fills up the extra space on a picture quickly and looks a bit more finished than white but still... here's a couple of attempts at moving away from something that could be considered gothic.

Inspired more by sci-fi - Predator, Alien, The Thing etc.

[Gavage]

This one is quite a change from the usual style. I dislike working from photographs usually but I plan to do it a bit more - capturing more realistic haunting stares, flaws, shapes etc might eventually become useful to my more usual style to create something new.

I feel I should say a few words about this one because it's easy for people to immediately think "why would you make this, you sicko?!" I felt the urge to make this when I read an article in a newspaper about how a band had named themselves after Joseph Fritzl. It was deemed terrible that said band was cashing in on something so distastful. This has happened before - the portrait of Myra Hindley, for example. I find this to be rather ironic - the tabloids alone have raked in more cash due to the awful deeds of terrible individuals, presumably a lot more money than any artist can make on it. We are saturated with images - feel this way, hate this culprit, feel sorry for this victim. There is a drive for more coverage, excessive details, witness accounts, what happens next etc. It seems to say - it's fine to hear about this, to watch it on television, to read newspaper pages and books about it - but to be inspired by it is a step too far.

Anyway I'm ranting - I just wanted to give insight for why I made this. This was made entirely in Photoshop with my Wacom, (obviously) working from the mugshot photograph.

[Gavage]

Trying to make something haunting with minimal use of dark colours. Probably one of the creepiest made in a while.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to expand/improve on this more detailed/coloured style I'd love to hear them. :)

[Gavage]

Coloured in the last thing.

[Gavage]

New stuff!

[Gavage]

Started taking requests from people. This was one for 'Aztec sacrifice'.

Full version here - quite a few details were lost when it was sized down. I'd upload it too but it'd stretch the page out like mad:

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/5469/deity01.jpg

[Gavage]

Some more request things. The bear is for a friend who asked for "a cute but offputting teddy bear who looks like he needs a hug... put some blood in there too" and the Stepford wives-esque line up WIP is in response to being asked how I'd draw somebody without a soul.

[Gavage]

Mostly experimenting with colour lately.

Finished off the 'Stepford' request (I know, the background in it is horrible). The other thing was a random sketch that ended up looking like a weird Trevor Brown rip-off and the green dress lady was my submission for the Green Fairy CHOW.

[Sadetar]

Darling, how on Earth I haven't looked this before? Anyways, I can see huge improvement from post number 4 to post 6. I do love the one in the post 6. The whole image is stunning. It reminds me somehow of Neil Gaiman's stories. I don't really know why, but it's a good association. :)

Also the one in post 7 got some really nice lines in it. And the last post, i like everything it to be honest but I'm especially attracted by the girl in green. Love the athmosphere and the colours. I just think that in in some of the pictures you have light coming from everywhere. It would be perhaps easier to make things more livelike and add shadows if you would have just one clear lightsource. And I also think that you could perhaps be more courageous with your shadows - there can be green, blue, purple or nearly anything hiding in shadows.

But all in all I really like your style and would like to see more. Keep it up! :teeth:

[Kagemusha22]

Lovely style you have developing. Though abit of polishing here and there, and you'll go far.

How much observational drawing do you do, as that's fundamental to developing your drawing ability. Once you've got the hang of shade, form, and colour your work will really come alive. Also some anatomy books and lifedrawing will help with drawing humans, once you've cracked it you can then start exaggerating the form. (Might be worth trying here (http://www.posemaniacs.com/?pagename=thirtysecond))

[Gavage]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the critiques. :D

Sadetar: I do feel like I'm improving a bit over time... hopefully! Digital painting is quite new to me so there's a lot to learn. I like Neil Gaiman too. =) There was always a feeling of being a bit too careful with lighting and shadows, like everything had to be lit front-on but I'm trying to keep things a little harsher now.

Kagemusha: I don't do much in terms of observation - mainly because there's nothing here interesting enough to draw. I do have some anatomy books though that I stare at from time to time. I find it difficult to apply to my own work because the bodies being studied in them are all muscular and voluptuous which is quite a different look to the one I tend to go for in my work, but I understand the value in it.

In response to what the both of you have said, I've tried to focus more on stronger lighting and shadows in these, and I used references for the anatomy to try and get a little more realistic body shapes. Not quite as much detail going in, but I think the lighting makes the images a little more eye-catching in a way.

[ajvenema]

it definitely does make them 10 times more interesting with the lighting!
nice to see how much difference that makes in my opinion. keep studying!

[Sadetar]

Wow. Darling, the first pic in your last post is just awesome. I really like your more brave approach. Really nicely done. Also the anatomy have improved hugely from the last post. It looks like she would wear a mask. Is her face intentionally different colour than her body? Awesome, so awesome. I also like what you did with her hair.

More of those please. :)

[Gavage]

Sadetar: Thank you, in answer to the question - the image is based on a character I've had in my head for the last year or so, a 15 year old Queen named Kestros who (inspired by one of Caligula's apparent habits) goes about wearing masks depicting angry or mourning gods.

Ajvenema: Thanks! I'm kind of surprised how much of a difference stronger lighting makes, wish I'd taken a different approach with it sooner. :)

A couple of images, both were done for the CHOW topics - Erica zombie-slayer and City (this one being Pripyat). CHOW is pretty addictive, it's been really useful for critique and providing fresh ideas.

[Gavage]

Yet another CHOW thing.

(Also visible is my first attempt at a signature >_>)

I really want to be at a point where looking for paid work is possible soon. I'm feeling more confident about my work lately but I still don't think it's quite flexible enough to seek commissions etc yet - if anyone can give me some tips on what I should work on to improve things I'd be glad to hear them. :)

[nurraymjo]

Eerie SB... it all looks damn cool though.

[Gavage]

Thank you nurraymjo.

A couple of new things. I've been working on a collection for a little art show that will, if all goes to plan, be appearing in Belfast. Was intending to opt for something lighter but I've been encouraged to make it dark, edgy and so on.

There's a thread about it here (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=162562) but it doesn't seem to have gotten much interest and I keep forgetting to save WIPs so it'll probably be neglected.

Theme and title is the slightly vague 'SOS', the ones attached are currently named 'S is for Secret' and 'S is for Satiate'.

[Gavage]

S is for Submersion

(and slow worker)

Should probably give a warning that it contains nudity, so... be warned?

I was trying to use colours found only in Portrait of Madame X by Sargent with this.

[Bagg]

Hey missile, your sketchbook is amazing :)
I am loving your style at the moment and your images hold so much meaning, very jealous of your ability to tell stories and pass on messages!
keep up the great work :yayca:

[Gavage]

Thanks Bagg, I really appreciate that. :)

A few new ones, S is for Saturnalian, Succubus and Satyriasis.

First was inspired by Goldfinger and was a bit of an experiment with rendering gold, the second by Dracula. The third looks more grotesque than I intended with all the green, I was just trying to avoid using any red.

[Gavage]

Some new stuff.

[Gavage]

Trying to add more to environments. Lighting is still an issue... practice, practice.

[Gavage]

Some more concepty pieces. These are mostly ideas and images for a sort of webcomic I'm planning (although the story is probably a bit grotesque and humourless compared to most webcomics, it's just.. a comic that'll be on the web). The two panel-esque pieces are ideas for the introduction - the execution of a prince for high treason, which serves to introduce characters and display a little of their personality via what they're doing or how they react to the death.

I'm struggling to find a suitable art style for this - it's currently the only thing really stopping me from going ahead and making it all properly. I want it to be presentable, detailed and clear but can't really spend days carefully rendering every single panel.

[towy]

nice work, you need learn more the technic brush on computer it will be good after cause the model and composition are nice

[Gavage]

Thanks Towy! I'm not sure what you mean by technic brush though and probably too much time has passed to ask... ack.

I've been trying to practice more and more, anyway.

[LtPlissken]

Like your dark, gloomy morbid style. That is exactly what I am aiming for. You have some difficulties as the technical side is concerned, but you will overcome that sooner or later I am sure. Shame that you are not updating more frequently. Hope you will gonna like my sketchbook.

[ArtByManon]

HUGE improvement from the first sketches to the more recent ones - I actually kind of like the non technical style you have, it has more impact sometimes to draw this way. Who are your inspirations?

[FightingSeraph]

It's not too common that you see this kind of morose surrealism here. On the other hand, I have to agree with Kagemusha on the observational work.

[qlotzan]

thats good sb mate

but I see in your art kind of sadness but it's still the best art

note: i see beautiful background behind all your drawing but it's need some improving so i think if you try to draw many landscape from life to support your ideas and make your art better.

keep it up

Qlotzan ;)

[Gavage]

Some madly belated replies. >_>

LtPlissken: Thanks mate. I'm never really sure what to do about the dark style. Sometimes I think I need to start making brighter work because a doom-and-gloom portfolio could look offputting to clients, other times it's like hell yeah let's make something unsettling today. In pursuit of a healthy balance. =D Yeah I'll check out your sketchbook. Funny thing actually, I rarely browse sketchbooks on here but I was looking at yours the other day.

ArtByManon: Thanks! Looking back at the oldest work I can see I've managed to change a bit. You never really sense improvement because it's so gradual, which is what brings me back here... I don't actually know what you mean by 'non technical'. I guess I have no real education in art (no art school) I just google up a tutorial when encountering something new, learn the basics and go from there. Not ideal but it's a bit late to do it any other way. Main inspirations are probably Mark Ryden and Hussar, as I think they handle dark subjects with a certain elegance, but I surround myself with more pleasant Tamara de Lempicka and Erté stuff in the hope that the fancy deco stuff will eventually seep into my brain and become second nature.

FightingSeraph: Probably because it isn't really the ideal style for concept art (I didn't really understand that when I first joined here). A lot of my work falls more into random gloomy illustration rather than displaying strong concepts - something I've been trying to improve on.

Qlotzan: Thanks man. I haven't done much with landscapes yet but I have been working a little more with environments. That's one of the main things I'm trying to get better with.

Random relatively recent stuff.

[Catish]

http://attachments.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=792384&stc=1&d=1254417502

love the symbolism here. some of your paintings are scary.. :-)

[razen_sketch]

hey can see a load of improvement in your works since your first, proportions need some work though, but still i really like your concepts :)

[LtPlissken]

Sometimes I think I need to start making brighter work because a doom-and-gloom portfolio could look offputting to clients.

Fuck the clients.
You draw and paint what you feel you want to paint.
As I mentioned before, the only problem is your seldom updates.

[Pavel Sokov]

Holy shit Missile, this sketchbook is kickass! Yea the proportions may be off sometimes and rarely, but the ideas are killer!

I think that your biggest asset is your ideation. The stuff you come up with is just incredible. I feel like I'm in a different mindset and can't come up with things so meaningful as you, and I applaud that!

We need more updates here.
I especially love the image up top there, allthough I wouldn't show it to "clients" because of the hanging black gentlemen, the clients might be confused as to how to interpret that haha. I myself am not sure what you meant, but it definitely gives an intersting gloomy feel.

Look forward to seeing more.

[Gavage]

Razen: Thank you! I feel like I've improved. Proportions can be tricky but hopefully they'll get there in the end.

Plissken: I like your attitude. =p

Pavel: Thanks! I feel like I have ideas that have a good visual style to them but rendering them to what they should be is the hurdle. God only knows what I was thinking when I made that image up top - a while back I was just making stuff for the sake of seeing how people react to it. Kind of an artistic take on doing it for the lulz.

Updating with stuff.

A few of these (the more environment based pieces) are based on things from relatively old videogames. Somewhere between studies and reworkings, trying to make a sharp piece of art from a pixelated old screenshot or add a new touch to the scene - just thought I should point that out before anyone thinks I'm trying to steal ideas. =}

[Gavage]

Trying to stick with that 'update more' thing.

[LtPlissken]

Nice to see you back man,
very great batch of paintings.
Keep on with the posting pace.

[Velocity Kendall]

these are the eyehooks for me
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=969256&stc=1&d=1272965053
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1211675&stc=1&d=1302855682
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1209936&stc=1&d=1302645746
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1154056&stc=1&d=1296000272
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=969256&stc=1&d=1272965053

"Probably because it isn't really the ideal style for concept art (I didn't really understand that when I first joined here). A lot of my work falls more into random gloomy illustration rather than displaying strong concepts - something I've been trying to improve on."

Thats exactly same as me, i totally get you.

"doom-and-gloom portfolio could look offputting to clients, other times it's like hell yeah let's make something unsettling today."

ha ha yep!
i hope you dont stop making your own stuff, its wierd and interesting. but youre right, client work is different as its on their coin.
clients love ruining their own work anyway, love a shit thing, clients do, just let them get on with it.

[Gavage]

Plissken: Thank you! Going to try to stick with it.

Velocity: Thanks! - One of those is a study of an environment from Grim Fandango; here's the screenshot I'm using (http://flatbatteries.com/images/gsh/grimfandango2.jpg). I'd actually forgotten about that comment with the last couple of updates so I'll put up some slightly lighter work.

I'm finding completely I forget that my style is dark until someone is reminding me of it - one of these (the single male figure) is something for a friend who is starting up an act as a children's entertainer and it's taken three changes to the face so far to make the eyes and smile look 'less creepy'. I thought he looked quite endearing to begin with. It'd be nice in the long run to be able to make something bright and cheerful just as easily as dark and twisted.

http://i.imgur.com/BT9zm.jpg

Slightly more 'concept' work. Just as a note on idea evolution, these character WIPs are from a project I mentioned some time ago, probably higher up on this page. The setting was altered from the Victorian era (and Ancient Rome before that) to the 1960s.

http://i.imgur.com/4vUQ8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/PGaHW.jpg

[LtPlissken]

Very awesome and elegant
at the same time, my friend.
Glad that you are started a
nice updating pattern.

[wooden mango]

You have some interesting ideas and concepts. I thin you could really use some more practice/study with anatomy. It would really take your stuff to the net level. as would some drawing from life

[Gavage]

Plissken: Thanks man. :)

Wooden Mango: Cheers - I know my anatomy is faaar from perfect but is there anything specific above that looks especially awkward or wrong?

(One thing I'm already quite aware of at the moment is feet. They always seem to look dodgy when I draw them. Not so bad with a female figure in high heels but men's shoes and bare feet are a complete nightmare for some reason.)

[wooden mango]

Thanks for stopping by my sketchbook, the paint over is very helpful :). Well I have sort of sheepishly noticed that some of the posts i was noticing it on are really old so You've definitely gotten better but on your new work your shoulder and chest area stands out the most. You put the fold-line of the armpit kinda high and it curves a little too much towards the arm. You often make the line going from neck to shoulder very straight where as in real life there is more of a gentle slope in resting position. And you rarely have any collar bone definition. Muscle charts would be a good thing to check out. This (http://designlesson.blogspot.com/)is a really awesome sight that gives tips on basic anatomy and how muscles groups change shape with movement.
Hope this helps!

[Gavage]

You're welcome! And you're right - the upper torso is a problem area and I think the way I've been rendering shirts or dresses along with it has made it a bit worse. Thanks for the link, I've given it a quick look but I'll check it out properly and study some muscle when I've finished my current projects. The collar bone thing has been more of a style choice rather than overlooking it (avoiding defining bones in the worry it'll make figures look 'skinny' rather than 'slender') but if the lack of definition stands out then I'll have to find a way to work it subtly into the design. :)

[Gavage]

I tried hitting the sketchbook and doing some rough work with it today. Realised despite this topic being my 'sketchbook' there were actually no sketches in it.

Some are from life, some are.. clearly not.

The results are laughable but there you go. Didn't realise how out of practice I am with pencils.

Sorry about the poor image quality. Didn't want to tear these out to scan them and my camera is a diva close to death.

[Gavage]

Painting sinks, trying to get the right volume of sadism in some tattoos for a Yakuza robot.

I got this book of urban legends presented as comics years ago, probably intended for a more mature reader than I was at the time. Some of the stuff in it has stuck in my head. Urban legends are quite freakish, not generally odd enough to feel like modern fairytales, they stick out as awful things that might just about be possible.

There's this one from when AIDs descended onto the western world along with its pop culture. A man picks up a woman at a club and takes her home, they sleep together, he wakes up to find the woman is gone and discovers the message 'Welcome to the AIDS club' scrawled on his bathroom mirror in lipstick.

Cautionary tale? It's not quite Little Red Riding Hood.

Beyond that, it's fun lighting practice.

[Erick Willand]

Wow, just wow. I'm impressed and inspired. You must be a metal head.

[LtPlissken]

Those are some nice concepts in #57.
Keep up with those life drawings and studies.
Will make you improve even more for sure.

[Gavage]

Erick Willand: Thank you very much! But no, not a metal head at all.

Plissken: Thanks again mate. I didn't realise how easy it is to get rusty at drawing from life (or just on paper in general) if you get too used to digital work, so it's handy to sit down with a sketchbook every so often.


They're making a new Batman film! It's going to have Catwoman in it! Played by uh... Anne Hathaway..

I really loved the design/costume/demented nature of the character in Batman Returns but I'm not too into her most recent designs in stuff like Arkham City and MK Vs DC Universe. So I tried doodling a redesign myself. Sticking a little more to how she looked when she first appeared (http://dccomicsartists.com/batman/catwoman-batman01.JPG) in the comics as a jewel thief (also lol @ old Batman dialogue; 'quiet or papa spank' - wtf?).

[LtPlissken]

Didn't know that they are making a new Batman movie.
Will be Bale again?
Nice concepts you have there.

[Gavage]

Yeah! It's called The Dark Knight Rises. Bale should be playing Batman again, he said he would if Christopher Nolan would direct (and he is). Apparently Bane is going to be in it too. And thanks!


I've found my environment art style is almost completely incompatible with my character style. Not sure why they're so different - desperately needs some work though, the figures in the wedding picture stick out awfully from their surroundings.


http://i.imgur.com/Jvfhs.gif

[Gavage]

A couple of designs for the 'Winged Fortress' EOW. Probably won't enter them because neither look like environments (or fortresses, really) but they were fun, kind of more surreal concepts than usual.

[Naidy]

That figure with the savaged face in post 64 is amazing. I just keep staring at the face. I hope you finish it off, it could be something incredible.

So anyways, really love those macabre themes. Keep up the good work, can't wait to see what you come up with next!

[Gavage]

Thank you Naidy! I wasn't too sure about that one, it was inspired by Hussar's stuff but it feels like it lacks the subtlety and messed-up glamour that his work has, sort of like the image is a bit empty. At the same time I'd like to make something unique rather than just a 'Hussar-style' picture, but it does still feel like it's missing something. I'd like to finish it but it needs some drastic changes first.

[mike butkus]

Good studies and that creepy white sausage eating thing will keep me up at night!

[Bleo]

Agree with the sausage thing! Brr, creepy stuff. Makes me even crazier with inspiration so it's good. Why do I feel like your tones are quite minimal compared to lots of scketchbook i've seen? It can be a good thing, some of the tonals here are made look pretty slick with some indication of highlights and things, so I'm really looking forward to where this is going ^^ YEAH!!!!!

[Elophant]

pretty cool so far! keep it up

[Pavel Sokov]

Great stuff Missile! You really like your pale colours!

[raminafshari]

this last update is really nice .

[LtPlissken]

Hyper Symphonic concepts above.
You are doing it great, just like
Greta Garbo did it in her prime time.