New work from yet another CA nooblet ( UPDATE 6/24/10 website work edits page 5)

[Cryptcrawler]

Whats happenin all?

Sorry for the new post, I tried to upload to my already existing thread but no dice.

Here's the latest, I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did drawing it.
All work was done in Photoshop 7, no references, no 3D programs.

The blue rabbit in the graffitti is a character designed by Jeffery "Chamba" Cruz, who was kind enough to let me render its likeness in this work for fun.
http://lastscionz.deviantart.com/art/Cheeky-Cheeky-100901347

The Honda symbol is a registered trademark of Honda Motors, all rights reserved



All the best to you!

[Michael Wasik]

that's incredible stuff

[Mr.Delicious]

really? really really? Thats so awesome. I hope you recognize its awesomeness, I hope to be able to render as well as you one day :O

[slyve]

amazing... the lightning is just insane and you have a very unique style. Keep posting and congrats :)

[Pavel Sokov]

jesus, this is fantastic. I was sure you used z brush at first

[Noah Bradley]

Friggin sick.

Got any more?

[Eric Lofgren]

Phenomenal work! Was this for a client or is it personal?

I'd kill to see a tutorial on how you work.

[goran]

Wooow!!

[SoufMeng]

If i wouldnt particularly strive for your style of rendering (dont get me wrong, its insanely good), i gotta admit your understanding of light and ability to make it fit into your composition schemes is impressive and enviable, not to say jealous-able!
Im definitely going to try and put together a petition or something defamatory to have you banned... :P
just kiddin'.
Thank you sir for kicking my ass.
U rool bad!

[Jason Ross]

Awesome work. I really like your style and technique. The detail is really nice to look at. The only critique I have is that I do not know what to focus on. The detail can stay as consistent as you have it but I would like to see maybe some complementary glazes around non focal points. Minor thing, I know they guy in the back on the right isn't supposed to be floating but the shadow in front of him kinda gives that impression.

[el coro]

yay! nice one brother! love the specularities on the helmet and vehicle. really ncie. and of course the tits. hope you and yours are good!

c36

[Jacob Kobryn]

Wow... best of CA? Yes!

[NathanLong]

Fantastic as usual. And I am particularly impressed by the 'no references' part. Imagine being able to draw the Honda logo from memory....

[Moai]

One of your best works yet, I'd say. Incredible rendering. You seem to have an absolute mastery of light and form. And of course we can always count on you to put some nice curves on your female characters!:perv:

[DigitalProselyte]

Dude, you are ridiculous in the best way possible:wtf: .
I'd straight up kill to see you do an illustrated short in Heavy Metal magazine.
Seriously, go to The boards there and post some work.
Kevin Eastman would be crazy not to use you!

When I get the cash, I swear I'm going to bug you like crazy to do a commission piece for me... if you do that sort of work.

That's be a first I've ever asked of ANY artist.

Yes, I'm gushing again...sorry





www.ericlloydbrown.com

[zweiDee]

holy macaroni! looks like a scene from a movie, so nice rendered!

[Dile_]

damn I love those pics man.. How long did they take you ?

super good!

[sony]

Your work is unique and awesome|

[Kan Muftić]

Flawless, just as everything else you do.

[El Jeremie]

Amen brothers.

[El Jeremie]

Amen brothers.

[TheGnoll]

again, amazing...

do damn good, the rendering is really incredible, can't wait to see more from you, thanks for sharing!

ciao

[Ricardo Guimaraes]

Hi Crypt!!! What can I say! PERFECT!!!!

[CruShTinbOX]

Holy shit, this is awesome! When I first saw it I was certain it had some 3D elements, then I read your post. Very impressive rendering and I love the subject matter. Great work.

[ArmoredGorilla]

Wow, very impressive as always !

I know you have a tutorial coming out soon, and I'll be very interested to learn
more about your process.

But what I'd be really curious about is how you taught yourself. You said you
worked very hard, but could describe exactly what kind of studies you did?
particularly, what did you do to help you understand light, forms, rendering, etc?

[Kuidf^!]

CA nooblet ... No Way ! more like CA Pro good job keep it up :)

[walnut]

Pretty great stuff man, those toad guys look so damn cool. There's just one small thing bugging me, and that's the fact that that one guy seems to be talking to the biker chick but they don't actually appear to be looking at each other somehow. Or maybe i'm just seeing things.

[xchosun1x]

i really love the attention to detail and the story telling aspect of the piece.
really nice work!

[Phil_Osirus]

Awesome expressions on the two dudes.

[Bushido]

All work was done in Photoshop 7, no references, no 3D programs.


O__O Damm Man! Your have a lot of info in your head!

Totally love it!!!! Awesome work

Thanks.

[Xaya]

I can only repeat what the others already said. Most awesome rendering!!!

Love the cleavage!

[DeKal]

no references for that? REALLY?? i cant fathom how thats possible but i guess ill take your word for it. any incite as to how you can paint everything so damn perfect without a single reference huh? oh and a perfect representation of how rain would condensate and then drip off a glass windshield with multiple light sources affecting it. i bow my head.

[octavian]

this piece has such an amazing story behind it. i wonder what they are talking about. the possibilities make my mind tingle.

I have a question though.... you've been defending your work as "without the help of 3d apps" and little to no ref. With as much time and diligence as you put into your work, I'm sure you have many layers and iterative saves....why not post some steps from start to finish?

personally, I can't even begin to wrap my mind around how you achieve such lighting and any hints that you could shed on your process and thinking behind it would really be a blessing to us all. I am anxiously awaiting a tutorial.

anyway, thanks bro! great stuff.

[Cryptcrawler]

that's incredible stuff


Thank you very much Michael!

really? really really? Thats so awesome. I hope you recognize its awesomeness, I hope to be able to render as well as you one day :O

Thanks for the kind words my friend.
I cant recognize its awesomeness, I still have a lot to learn and my work has lots of room for improvement.
I have a long way to go still, but I appreciate that you think its awesome!

amazing... the lightning is just insane and you have a very unique style. Keep posting and congrats :)

Slyve thanks so much!
Thats a huge compliment: "you have a unique style" Im grateful you think so, sometimes I feel like I wear my influences on my sleeve.

jesus, this is fantastic. I was sure you used z brush at first

No sir, no zbrush.
To be honest I simply dont have the raw intellect to use those programs, im not tech savvy and its taken me a long time to learn photoshop 7.
I went to school for 3d modeling once and was quickly outclassed by kids in thier teens, it was beyond epic failure.

But it was the single most important event in my artisitc life.

Through that failure my obsession to try and achieve a 3D illusion in 2d became an all consuming goal, after that I spent the next 7 years locked in an apartment sharpening my skills until I started to get close.

Your compliment means more than you think.

I appreciate it.

[mr. m]

your rendering and storytelling skills are just awesome and the best thing is you can keep a consistent quality. :asspat:

thanks for sharing! :)

[Bomba]

Awesome... thanks for sharing. Your work echo of Richard Corben when he was slinging out the oils back in the day. SOlid forms and lighting... really nice man.
-J-

[meddling kid]

freaking awesome stuff man - especially without reference - great subject too - that toad looks like he's trying to dig himself outta a sticky situation. Looks like a film still. You've nailed a lot of tricky surfaces, especially the condensation on the hood of the hover bike. Now move that Honda logo 2 pixels to the right, and it'll be perfect!

edit: I saw your other posts, and LOVE the old master oil techniques that give that hard shadow line (and the appearance of plastic wrap, people say) - very nice and deep - awesome

JJ

[supersalenco]

That is crazy man, what a great level of detail. Incredible. Congratulations it is a good job.

[Andrew Marks]

Focking amazing man, major props!
Maybe one day ill be on the same level. 7 years for you...hummm prolly 14 for me :frustrated:
Those breast look better than real ones, thanks for showing!

[Dead Mellotron]

Wow! This is friggin sweet, man... The lighting blows me away, design and composition are killer and the storytelling is all there too... Crazy seeing such fantastic stuff look so real. I really like how you've subtley added colour movement to the warm palette here and there, really gives it life.

Nice! Nice! Nice!

[Maestro Andres]

This is great all around. It has been already mentioned but the storytelling and rendering is top notch. Hope one day have the same understanding of light and form as you. Thanks for sharing!

[Serpian]

That is unbelievably good. I guess the seven years in in the apartment explains certain things, though... It really paid off.

[corspufo]

I love love love love love your work! You're so good it hurts. I'm so inspired by everything you do. Thank you again and please post MORE!!!! Tutorials or step by step of your work would be great. Woo!

[Cryptcrawler]

Friggin sick.

Got any more?

Im working on it!
I have another post here in the finished section, called Yet another CA Nooblet.
Thanks for the compliment!

Phenomenal work! Was this for a client or is it personal?

I'd kill to see a tutorial on how you work.

Thanks very much Eric!
I got lucky enough to have one of my works selected to appear in "Digital Art Masters" Vol 4, which will be published this year. In it theres an article that has an in depth run-down of what I do, hopefully that will be useful to you!

Wooow!!

Thanks very much!

If i wouldnt particularly strive for your style of rendering (dont get me wrong, its insanely good), i gotta admit your understanding of light and ability to make it fit into your composition schemes is impressive and enviable, not to say jealous-able!
Im definitely going to try and put together a petition or something defamatory to have you banned... :P
just kiddin'.
Thank you sir for kicking my ass.
U rool bad!

Heehee!
Thanks so much for that!
Im flattered you think so but I still feel like I have such a long way to go in my understanding of light, its a very mysterious world.

Thanks for the kind and funny words!

[archipelago]

love it man, keep it up!

[octavian]

yo dude, I think you misunderstood my post. I was not calling you out, even if it sounded that way... I had noticed that some people have a hard time believing you use no 3d or ref so I thought, why not post steps to reference whenever someone asks that question... which I imagine comes up a lot considering the technical brilliance of your work.

BTW, I've never looked up Corben until I saw some people compare you to him. I like your subject matter better.

I can't wait for a tutorial... actually it will be the first time I buy a digital art masters book because of you. DOH!

[Duman]

I can't believe that you can do work like this, and by that I mean I can believe it, and thats creepy. To me, it literally seems impossible. So my hypothesis has three conclusions available. Your some kind of photoshop deity, a cyborg, or a great exaggerator.
Im leaning toward cyborg.

[kinjura]

I will definitely be picking that book up. Man, I've stalked you from here to DA and back, looking for flaws in your work (so that I could learn from them - they seem to teach me better than perfection does) but I just can't find any. I imagine I will be a huge fan of yours until one of us stops breathing. :)

[NathanLong]

I can't believe that you did that in seven hours.

Where did he say he did it in seven hours?

[psychoboy]

real kick ass; loved that craft & the babe

[Cryptcrawler]

Awesome work. I really like your style and technique. The detail is really nice to look at. The only critique I have is that I do not know what to focus on. The detail can stay as consistent as you have it but I would like to see maybe some complementary glazes around non focal points. Minor thing, I know they guy in the back on the right isn't supposed to be floating but the shadow in front of him kinda gives that impression.

Thanks a lot Jason!
I appreciate the critique.
Im sorry the image didnt translate as well for you in terms of focus. I felt as though the interraction between the two characters was strong enough as a focus with a secondary focus being the guy in the background.

I suppose there could be a cross-shadow underneath him but the illusion your referring to simply isnt as obvious or troubling to me, perhaps ive spent too much time on it and need a break away from it and get fresh eyes?
Thats probably the case.

Either way, I appreciate your insight.


yay! nice one brother! love the specularities on the helmet and vehicle. really ncie. and of course the tits. hope you and yours are good!

c36

Thanks buddy!
I aim to please when it comes to breasticles my man, im glad they were up to snuff.
The other stuff on this was just as fun, if not more, to render.
I appreciate you man, hope you and the lady had a great holiday.

Wow... best of CA? Yes!
Heh!
I wish!
Im glad you think so, it means a lot coming from the critical eyes of the artists on this site.

Fantastic as usual. And I am particularly impressed by the 'no references' part. Imagine being able to draw the Honda logo from memory....

Im glad you like it, nathan, I appreciate the compliment!

Im lucky to have a strong visual memory.
Once I see something often enough its not tough to recall it, especially something as iconic and frequently seen as the honda logo.

For good or for ill I get a lot of comments about the fact that I dont use references. Some people have a problem with it or are impressed, others doubt it and make little jabs expressing that doubt, or both.

Either way its a compliment for me.

[NathanLong]

Yes, a little jab. I don't use smileys so some folks miss it.

I'm perfectly willing to believe that you don't use reference. It just seems an odd self-restriction, particularly for a commercial artist, or an aspiring one, where the restriction has no real value, and indeed, with deadlines looming, might slow you down. You have reason to be proud of so amazing a skill, but when you've got two days to deliver a final, is it really worth the time and effort trying to remember what the back end of a garbage truck looks like, or what the inside of a watch looks like, or what Robert Downey Jr's face looks like, when you could just look it up?

[GrundleMonster]

fucking amazing! great character style, great lighting, great colors, love it in and out.

[BlightedArt]

That pic is very cool. The rabbit graffiti made me giggle, ;p you sick minded individual you!

[zanzan]

awesome work ~thanks for sharing

[TomSawyer]

If I was that good I'd be about 1/10th as modest. I'm an art newb and about 95% of the stuff on here blows me out of the water, but this frickin blows me into a next universe!

[Sean McClain]

Wow, thats intense! whats your secret? :)

[Cryptcrawler]

One of your best works yet, I'd say. Incredible rendering. You seem to have an absolute mastery of light and form. And of course we can always count on you to put some nice curves on your female characters!:perv:


I wish I was a master!
But then again if I was that would mean there was nothing else to learn, and thats no fun.
Im glad you like the hoverbike rider!
I appreciate your very kind words my friend, it means a lot!

Dude, you are ridiculous in the best way possible:wtf: .
I'd straight up kill to see you do an illustrated short in Heavy Metal magazine.
Seriously, go to The boards there and post some work.
Kevin Eastman would be crazy not to use you!

When I get the cash, I swear I'm going to bug you like crazy to do a commission piece for me... if you do that sort of work.

That's be a first I've ever asked of ANY artist.

Yes, I'm gushing again...sorry





www.ericlloydbrown.com

Dude thanks for that idea!
I would die to get into HMM.
Im an 80's throwback and Heavy Metal was a *massive* inspiration to me, and still is.
I went head and tried to put up images but couldnt for one reason or another, but I did set a link up to my deviantart page.
hopefully that will get Mr. Eastman's attention, but I doubt it - it usually takes a lot more hammering than that.

Thanks a million for the great advice and continued support, it means a lot to me to get regulars who drop me a comment!

holy macaroni! looks like a scene from a movie, so nice rendered!



Thank you!
im so glad that came across, thats exactly what I was going for!

damn I love those pics man.. How long did they take you ?

super good!

This one took me a while because I had paying gigs in the middle of it then the holidays.
They usually take me 2+ weeks.

Im glad you like it!



Your work is unique and awesome|

These are words every artist kills to hear, thanks so much!

[swore]

love the light and color u used
looks really beautiful
the little bros are awesome..:rocker:

[TRIPLE-R]

Great stuff man, I'm diggin the little creature dudes expressions & the chicks cleavage ..hahaha. It feels like a movie shot good job.

-TRPL-R

[Bulldawg Creative]

That is amazing! I am not a big fan of the plastic photoshop look, but man, this piece is so dynamic, I am extremely impressed. Thanks for sharing.

[InvertedChalupa]

beautiful painting man! i hope you continue to keep posting here... so I can collect a healthy catalogue of your works : )

[Cryptcrawler]

Flawless, just as everything else you do.

Ha, If only!
Thanks chupa, when talented souls like you compliment me like that it goes a long way!

Amen brothers.

Thanks for the vote of confidence spooky!

again, amazing...

do damn good, the rendering is really incredible, can't wait to see more from you, thanks for sharing!

ciao

The pleasure is mine, and thanks so very much for such kind words my man!


Hi Crypt!!! What can I say! PERFECT!!!!

I wish it were!
Your enthusiastic approval really means a lot to me man, thanks.

Holy shit, this is awesome! When I first saw it I was certain it had some 3D elements, then I read your post. Very impressive rendering and I love the subject matter. Great work.

Brumfield, thanks very much!
I love cyberpunk, im a huge Shadowrun table top RPG nerd, so more futuristic material is definately on the menu for releases down the road.
Thanks again for the support!

Wow, very impressive as always !

I know you have a tutorial coming out soon, and I'll be very interested to learn
more about your process.

But what I'd be really curious about is how you taught yourself. You said you
worked very hard, but could describe exactly what kind of studies you did?
particularly, what did you do to help you understand light, forms, rendering, etc?

Thank you!
I studied anatomy and enviornments through observation mostly, photos are ideal for this.
Particularily movie stills that you can find online.

I wish I had something deeper to offer than that.

I watched how light interracts with something it comes into contact with. What I discovered was a very rich world that was far more complex than I originally thought it would be.

When I say I worked hard thats just what I did.
I practiced for hours and hours.
When everyone else was out partying, I was drawing.
When others were dating, I was drawing.
When everyone else was hanging out playing video games, I was drawing.
I wasnt a total hermit, I took a break here and there, but not many.

I dont do anything unique or special, its 5% talent, 95% ballbusting.

One day I hope to be able to afford to go to a real art college for a few classes in sculpture and life drawing if theyll have me, im hungry to learn more.

[Cryptcrawler]

CA nooblet ... No Way ! more like CA Pro good job keep it up :)

Im glad you think so!
I never feel like Ill learn enough though!

Pretty great stuff man, those toad guys look so damn cool. There's just one small thing bugging me, and that's the fact that that one guy seems to be talking to the biker chick but they don't actually appear to be looking at each other somehow. Or maybe i'm just seeing things.

Thanks walnut!
Im glad you dig the toad-guys, they were fun.
Maybe theyre not looking at eachother? I know that when ive given directions I dont look at the person the whole time, im trying to recall information and typically people look up and over to the right or left when recalling.
But your probably right and I could have provided more clarity there.

All the best, thanks for the kind words!


i really love the attention to detail and the story telling aspect of the piece.
really nice work!

Thanks!
Its hard for me to not tell a story, I think.
Its a challenge for me to just do a static body shot or portrait.
Im glad you like this!

Awesome expressions on the two dudes.

Thanks, man! Im really pleased that translated!

O__O Damm Man! Your have a lot of info in your head!

Totally love it!!!! Awesome work

Thanks.

Unfortunately I do have a lot of information in my noggin.
Much of it is useless trivia from the 80's.
Thanks for your kind compliments, im glad you like it!

I can only repeat what the others already said. Most awesome rendering!!!

Love the cleavage!

It would be a sad world without cleavage.
Im so glad you liked this Xaya, thank you for taking the time to comment!

no references for that? REALLY?? i cant fathom how thats possible but i guess ill take your word for it. any incite as to how you can paint everything so damn perfect without a single reference huh? oh and a perfect representation of how rain would condensate and then drip off a glass windshield with multiple light sources affecting it. i bow my head.

Thanks Dekal.
Nope, no references, not for this work.
I draw everything out first in a loose sketch and then start adding in light sources. So if and when I do need to look at something for accuracy's sake, theres rarely something exactly as ive angled it, with exactly the same lighting. I usually have to look around, find something similiar and then imagine it in 3 dimensions and then go from there.
I feel as though ive learned a lot that way.

Some people believe it, others dont.
Honestly im not too concerned with those who disbelieve it.

All the very best to you and thanks for the compliments!

this piece has such an amazing story behind it. i wonder what they are talking about. the possibilities make my mind tingle.

I have a question though.... you've been defending your work as "without the help of 3d apps" and little to no ref. With as much time and diligence as you put into your work, I'm sure you have many layers and iterative saves....why not post some steps from start to finish?

personally, I can't even begin to wrap my mind around how you achieve such lighting and any hints that you could shed on your process and thinking behind it would really be a blessing to us all. I am anxiously awaiting a tutorial.

anyway, thanks bro! great stuff.


Thanks octavian!

I dont really look at it as "defending" it.
People are either going to take my word for it or not, thats just human nature and I dont really take it personally.
If someone *really* has a problem with it then thats more of a reflection of thier problem, not mine.

I dont save WIP's becasue I work over them.
I run about 3 layers maximum one of them being a safety layer so I dont lose work if something assy happens.

A "tutorial" of sorts is going to be published in "Digital Art Masters Vol 4" that I was fortunate enough to be apart of. It will be published this year so you can check it out there.

Im a little worried people are going to be disappointed with it though.
I dont do anything special.
It's 5% talent and 95% ballbusting.
I spend a lot of time on these, a LOT, usually hundreds of hours.
There are guys who can do far superior work than me in far less time, so I personally dont think what I do is at all remarkable, in fact I see nothing but room for improvement a lot of the time.

I study light and how it interacts with our world. I look at a lot of movie stills since movie lighting is a big inspiration to me. I practice trying to duplicate it every chance I get and I retain that information, so when I sit down to draw, the information is fresh.

I hope I had something useful for you in all that, I very much appreciate your interest and kind words!

[RicardoGuimaraes]

But you have! Everything you do is interesting man. You have such an attention to lighting and staging your illustration that they really seem movie stills (in the good sense). I wonder how long it`ll take to the movie industry to discover your amazing art. If you do it without the use of references, all is left to us is to open our mouths and hope to be able to it someday half as good as you. As for the time you spend on each illo, well, it takes what it takes. The most important thing is that they become AMAZING and if the industry is willing to assign you jobs and wait, so will we!! Besides, I know of no other guy that`s so polite and friendly answering with extreme attention to all the (tons of) posts on your work, whether they are good criticism or not. Keep posting and we keep waiting for more.

[Ashrumm]

beautiful work my friend, you definitely put in the work!!

[Cryptcrawler]

your rendering and storytelling skills are just awesome and the best thing is you can keep a consistent quality. :asspat:

thanks for sharing! :)

Thanks for the wonderful compliments!

Awesome... thanks for sharing. Your work echo of Richard Corben when he was slinging out the oils back in the day. SOlid forms and lighting... really nice man.
-J-

This really meant a lot to me, thank you!
Richard Corben had ( and still does) a profound effect on me as a young artist, he's my singular biggest influence.
It means all the more coming rom tlant like you, I appreciate it!

freaking awesome stuff man - especially without reference - great subject too - that toad looks like he's trying to dig himself outta a sticky situation. Looks like a film still. You've nailed a lot of tricky surfaces, especially the condensation on the hood of the hover bike. Now move that Honda logo 2 pixels to the right, and it'll be perfect!

edit: I saw your other posts, and LOVE the old master oil techniques that give that hard shadow line (and the appearance of plastic wrap, people say) - very nice and deep - awesome

JJ

Thanks very much for the thoughtful comments and compliments!
I do like hard shadows, but I kinda miss the whole plastic wrap thing, im not really sure what people mean by that.
Thanks for the film still compliment I was really going for that!

That is crazy man, what a great level of detail. Incredible. Congratulations it is a good job.

Thank you supersalenco, very kind of you!

Focking amazing man, major props!
Maybe one day ill be on the same level. 7 years for you...hummm prolly 14 for me :frustrated:
Those breast look better than real ones, thanks for showing!

Thanks andrew!


Wow! This is friggin sweet, man... The lighting blows me away, design and composition are killer and the storytelling is all there too... Crazy seeing such fantastic stuff look so real. I really like how you've subtley added colour movement to the warm palette here and there, really gives it life.

Nice! Nice! Nice!

Thank you so much!
It really feels good when people pick out stuff that youve worked hard to make happen, I appreciate it!

All the best!

[cmalidore]

Im a little worried people are going to be disappointed with it though.
I dont do anything special.
It's 5% talent and 95% ballbusting.
I spend a lot of time on these, a LOT, usually hundreds of hours.
There are guys who can do far superior work than me in far less time, so I personally dont think what I do is at all remarkable, in fact I see nothing but room for improvement a lot of the time.


That's the sort of thing we all need to learn from - not the secrets - the self analysis and hard work that goes into a piece, from the easily discernible to the subtle elements.

There's so little secrets in good art. But the effort is a reminder and inspiration to us all .

Thank you for your hard work, every time I see your pieces it makes me want to work just that little bit harder :)

[Majora]

amazing job on the textures

[Cryptcrawler]

This is great all around. It has been already mentioned but the storytelling and rendering is top notch. Hope one day have the same understanding of light and form as you. Thanks for sharing!

All it takes is 5% talent and 95% hard-work my friend.
I really appreciate your comments, I try to tell a story or put in enough story-like elements so the viewer can easily make thier own.

That is unbelievably good. I guess the seven years in in the apartment explains certain things, though... It really paid off.

8 years, but who's counting?!
That desire and drive is still there, I cant wait to learn more!
Thankfully the learning never ends in art.
Thanks very much for the compliments!

I love love love love love your work! You're so good it hurts. I'm so inspired by everything you do. Thank you again and please post MORE!!!! Tutorials or step by step of your work would be great. Woo!

I *really* appreciate enthusiastic reactions like this, itll always be better than how it feels to get a paycheck. A step by step will be coming out this year in "Digital Art Masters vol 4", when its published. In it I detail my "process" as best I cant. Much of what I do is based on intuition and capitalising on happy mistakes.

Im really happy you like my work that much, it means a lot that you took the time to say so!

love it man, keep it up!

Thank you!
Ill certainly do my best!

yo dude, I think you misunderstood my post. I was not calling you out, even if it sounded that way... I had noticed that some people have a hard time believing you use no 3d or ref so I thought, why not post steps to reference whenever someone asks that question... which I imagine comes up a lot considering the technical brilliance of your work.

BTW, I've never looked up Corben until I saw some people compare you to him. I like your subject matter better.

I can't wait for a tutorial... actually it will be the first time I buy a digital art masters book because of you. DOH!

Im really glad that you checked out Richard Corben, if it werent for him paving the way then I dont think i'd be illustrating the same way.

I didnt misunderstand your post, I dont think?
Im not sure why you would think that, but I appreciate you following up to make sure there wasnt a slight made, thats rare.

All the doubt just ends up being compliments for me.
Its not my responsibility to placate people who openly say that they think im being dishonest or exaggerating. Thats thier problem, not mine.

Personally I dont even know how it would even remotely benefit me to lie about my work?

For what?


As for the tutorial:
I hope its helpful, but its not really much more than a dressed up version of what Ive metioned here.
I do a loose sketch with big brushes, then start putting in color and light sources, then spend about 2+ weeks tightening it up at *really* high magnifications, tweak the contrast and saturation then toss on a low impact sharpen.

Boom, done.

Im not traditionally schooled, in fact I have a 9th grade education (long story) there are no tricks or secrets, I just work really hard.

Thanks for checking in and the kind words octavian, it means more than you may think, boss.




I can't believe that you can do work like this, and by that I mean I can believe it, and thats creepy. To me, it literally seems impossible. So my hypothesis has three conclusions available. Your some kind of photoshop deity, a cyborg, or a great exaggerator.
Im leaning toward cyborg.

Hah!
That really makes me feel good, Duman, thank you so much.
I like being creepy!

:batgirl: :medusachow: :batgirl:

Bauh, buahaha!

[gugesbri]

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!
Though I love 3d, drawing and painting is still and always be an effective way of illustrating our visions.

Keep up the great work.
Gustavo

[sony]

As for the tutorial:
I hope its helpful, but its not really much more than a dressed up version of what Ive metioned here.
I do a loose sketch with big brushes, then start putting in color and light sources, then spend about 2+ weeks tightening it up at *really* high magnifications, tweak the contrast and saturation then toss on a low impact sharpen.

Boom, done.



Thanks for the brief about you work-flow; You are very talented person. Its not the speed we need yes it is important at some point but the quality you produce is simply wonderful. You are very great person and best of luck for your more work to being produced.
CHEERS

[Pixeltuner]

Awesome stuff all the way. The lighting on this is pretty f&$*n amazing, however I do think the woman looks too 'clean' and 3d-ish. Her skin looks a bit plastic to me. I prefer the way the aliens are painted :)

[draw]

Outstanding work!!

[Cryptcrawler]

I will definitely be picking that book up. Man, I've stalked you from here to DA and back, looking for flaws in your work (so that I could learn from them - they seem to teach me better than perfection does) but I just can't find any. I imagine I will be a huge fan of yours until one of us stops breathing. :)

Thats so kind of you man, thanks!
I wish I didnt see as many flaws as I do, itll never look like how I envision it and never live up to the fantasy thats behind it, but you gotta try!
Ill never reach perfection but ill certainly die trying!

All the best to you.

Where did he say he did it in seven hours?

More like 700

real kick ass; loved that craft & the babe

Thank you psycho, im glad you dig it!

Yes, a little jab. I don't use smileys so some folks miss it.


It's a shame you feel the need to snipe and also keep track of whether people notice or not.

I'm perfectly willing to believe that you don't use reference. It just seems an odd self-restriction, particularly for a commercial artist, or an aspiring one, where the restriction has no real value, and indeed, with deadlines looming, might slow you down.

Who said it was a self restriction? I certainly glance at a photo if I get stuck. I dont collect reference and then draw, I do the opposite; so I rarely ever find something exactly as I need it. When this happens it forces me to think about lighting and structure in 3D.

How you could find an excercise like that having "no real value" to an illustrator is something I find to be quite baffling.


You have reason to be proud of so amazing a skill, but when you've got two days to deliver a final, is it really worth the time and effort trying to remember what the back end of a garbage truck looks like, or what the inside of a watch looks like, or what Robert Downey Jr's face looks like, when you could just look it up?


So according to your logic I should be proud of "so amazing a skill" that has "no real value"?
Which is it? Amazing or useless?
Your also way off base about it being an issue of pride, when in fact, its an issue of funtionality.
When I need to look at a photo I do, and promptly say so in the notes. But I dont need to often, its that simple.
I always take contracts that I can deliver on so getting into compromising situations like the one your talking about rarely, if ever happen.

But thanks for the concern, Nathan.




fucking amazing! great character style, great lighting, great colors, love it in and out.

Thanks a million Grundle!
Im really glad you dig it that much!

That pic is very cool. The rabbit graffiti made me giggle, ;p you sick minded individual you!

Hehe!
I wish I designed that rabbit but I didnt. Jeffery "Chamba" Cruz did, he's an amazing illustrator, go check him out on devaintart.com, he goes by the name lastscionz. He was kind enough to give me permission to use its likeness.

awesome work ~thanks for sharing

Its my pleasure and privilege to share it, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!

[James Kei]

This painting is a monumental achievement. Congrats, and thanks for sharing it with us. We'll be studying your work for many years to come.

[brokencow]

AHHH, good to see there is still more great work coming! Thanks for posting.

[Furitsu]

Awesome image!
In fact, I looked up the word "awesome" in a dictionary and saw your image next to it. :) Beautiful.

[HumbleHenk]

At first, when I first found ye (which was a while ago) I was a bit sceptical to this 3D-looking style you're acheaving. But your later pieces are something in between "painterly" and 3D. And I love it! Unique and refreshing.

This one is very lovely indeed. Thouroghly entertaining scrutinizeing all the details and textures, between eyeing that incredible cleavage that is. :P

Keep it up!

[m@.]

That's an amazing picture... Love every bit of it, especially the form and the edge work. There's a lot of life in the character's poses too.

[Diego]

Bad ass indeed, thanks for sharing your work man. Really inspiring to me for sure.

[illustratorwayne]

amazing work! big, big fan...

[Cryptcrawler]

If I was that good I'd be about 1/10th as modest. I'm an art newb and about 95% of the stuff on here blows me out of the water, but this frickin blows me into a next universe!

Heehee!
Thanks tom!
Its easy to be modest due to all the talent around here, theres so much to learn.
Were all art newbs at one point or another but thats a great place to be, a wondrous world awaits you if your willing to walk down that path. It's a simple path to find, but not an easy one to walk.

All the best to you.

Wow, thats intense! whats your secret? :)

5% talent, 95% hard work, profound failures, humiliating defeats and tiny victories.
Im glad you think its intense, I appreciate that!

love the light and color u used
looks really beautiful
the little bros are awesome..:rocker:

Thanks swore, this made me smile!
I appreciate it!

Great stuff man, I'm diggin the little creature dudes expressions & the chicks cleavage ..hahaha. It feels like a movie shot good job.

-TRPL-R

Ohhh see now your talking dirty to me when you say it feels movie-ish.
That means a lot to me man I appreciate it!

[Dave Kendall]

Hey Crypt. I think it's your best yet(I still love the green caterpillar rider and the punting frog). Incredible textures and lighting partnered with a great sense of storytelling. Beautiful stuff. Your works' are really worth the wait.

[AlexTooth]

Hi Cryptcaller, love your work, infact I put you down as one of my favourite concept artists over at IFX! This is great, I love the story, and well we all know how good the lighting is. It's not on this thread, but my favourite image is the one with the big ogre dude bashing people up... the sky in at the top is... just amazing.

Anyway! Great job on responding to people comments. I have a question though, as an aspiring artist myself (beginner) ...you say you study a lot from observation. Do you draw much from real life, or is it mainly reference photos? And I wondered how you rate the importance of drawing/study from life or are photos/film still as good a replacement? I'm asking cos as a learner I'm feeling a bit guilty about not "getting out there" and drawing, mainly cos it's so freaking cold at the moment. I love your work and would value your opinion on this :) thanks in advance!

[brokencow]

So I looked at your painting again, and I looked at a few others cause I was still feeling inspired. I studied a few pieces and observed some details. I came to a conclusion that maybe someone has mentioned already, but I just didn't have time to read the comments. Also, I'm terrible at explaining myself. So I did a paint over, to let the picture speak.

I'm a huge noob myself, so it might not even be done correctly, but what I got was the impression that there doesn't seem to be much space in here. I think you're amazing at contrast, that is for certain. But as far as dept and space, I think it could use a little.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v412/brokencow/paintovercrypt.jpg

All i did here was try to put the chick in front, as it seems like the guy is giving directions, so he'd be standing some what a few steps further back than her. So I gave her the spot, then I pushed him back slightly by putting some light on him, taking the darks back further in the light, then pushed the background even further back.

Not a masterful paint over at all, in fact it took like 20 seconds and an overlay layer. But I thought it did a decent enough effect of what I'm trying to explain. Hope it doesn't offend, and I hope I'm making sense.

[illustr8r]

I disagree about the lack of depth and atmosphere comment. The spacial relationships look good to me. There is not a lot of distance between the major elements of the pieces, so there is not going to be a lot of atmospheric perspective between the creature in the front and the creature just behind him. I think you've suggested that distance just right with the subtle merging of values and slight blur.

I also think that compositionally it doesn't call for you to fudge the values to create focus. The focal point is obvious and the eye travels well around the piece with the major characters looking at each other. Only thing I would say is maybe extend the canvas to the left a smidge because of the little tangent with the thing sticking off the side of the vehicle...but that's a minor nitpick. I guess you could also extend the canvas down so it's not chopping off the bottom of the vehicle and the creature's feet, but it's probably not necessary.

Excellent work!

[Chane]

Hey, it looks astonishing! Great rendering

However, sorry to ask if it has been asked before,

did you made the sketch digital in photoshop, and then made the picture?

or

did you made the sketch on paper, scanned in, retouched in photoshop en made the picture?

I guess you are a Wacom user? :D

Furthermore; great great great great :D :D

[Morte]

damn.. i just had to post.

How long did this take you?

[germ-X]

cool stuff. really enjoying all of it.

[Cryptcrawler]

That is amazing! I am not a big fan of the plastic photoshop look, but man, this piece is so dynamic, I am extremely impressed. Thanks for sharing.


Thanks a lot Bulldawg!
Im glad you got a kick out of it!




beautiful painting man! i hope you continue to keep posting here... so I can collect a healthy catalogue of your works : )

heehee!
I do keep planning to post here ifd theyll have me!
Thanks for the kind words!

But you have! Everything you do is interesting man. You have such an attention to lighting and staging your illustration that they really seem movie stills (in the good sense). I wonder how long it`ll take to the movie industry to discover your amazing art. If you do it without the use of references, all is left to us is to open our mouths and hope to be able to it someday half as good as you. As for the time you spend on each illo, well, it takes what it takes. The most important thing is that they become AMAZING and if the industry is willing to assign you jobs and wait, so will we!! Besides, I know of no other guy that`s so polite and friendly answering with extreme attention to all the (tons of) posts on your work, whether they are good criticism or not. Keep posting and we keep waiting for more.

Thanks Ricardo, your support and compliments really mean a lot to me.
I feel as though I still have a *really* long way to go, but I appreciate your enthusiasm for my stuff.
As for answering comments and criticisms: I feel its the least I can do. When people take the time to comment in any capacity they are giving me thier time, which is the most precious of all things.
Getting praise and constructive criticism isnt a given, its a privilege and one I never plan to take for granted.


beautiful work my friend, you definitely put in the work!!

I do!
and I do love to spend my time on these!
all the best to you!

That's the sort of thing we all need to learn from - not the secrets - the self analysis and hard work that goes into a piece, from the easily discernible to the subtle elements.


There's so little secrets in good art. But the effort is a reminder and inspiration to us all .

Thank you for your hard work, every time I see your pieces it makes me want to work just that little bit harder :)

Man, thanks so much.
Its hearing stuff like that that really send me into orbit becasue thats what my inspirations do for me.
Time and the willingness to beat my head against the wall until I get it "right" are my secrets.
I appreciate you , thanks!

amazing job on the textures

Thank you very much majora!

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!
Though I love 3d, drawing and painting is still and always be an effective way of illustrating our visions.

Keep up the great work.
Gustavo

I have profound respect for 3d, learning that stuff even on a basic level is no joke.
2d will always be my favorite though, especially traditional mediums.

All the very best to you

[Feerik]

A classic Blade runner scene, extremely well done dude :) Should be so interesting to see you working, definitely.

[Cryptcrawler]

Thanks for the brief about you work-flow; You are very talented person. Its not the speed we need yes it is important at some point but the quality you produce is simply wonderful. You are very great person and best of luck for your more work to being produced.
CHEERS

Thank you sony thats very kind of you!
Speed is for sports, not art imho.
I make less money because I take on less work, but the quality is always there, thats more important imho.
Thank you so much for the well wishes, all the best to you!

Awesome stuff all the way. The lighting on this is pretty f&$*n amazing, however I do think the woman looks too 'clean' and 3d-ish. Her skin looks a bit plastic to me. I prefer the way the aliens are painted :)

Thanks Pixel!
We all have our preferences, I appreciate you telling me what you liked and didnt like.
I suppose she could be 'dirtier' but it didnt fit quite frankly. She is supposed to be young and red light destroys detail and flaws in human skin, I tried to reflect that
All the best to you.

Outstanding work!!

Thank you!

This painting is a monumental achievement. Congrats, and thanks for sharing it with us. We'll be studying your work for many years to come.

Thats such a nice compliment, thank you James!
I need to improve in many areas I think, Im looking forward to getting closer to closing that gap between what I want to see and what I do.

Very best wishes to you!

[matt0917]

Just awesome work!

[Cryptcrawler]

AHHH, good to see there is still more great work coming! Thanks for posting.

The pleasure is mine!
And yes there is plenty of work on the way as well!

Awesome image!
In fact, I looked up the word "awesome" in a dictionary and saw your image next to it. :) Beautiful.

Heehee!
Thats very kind of you, I appreciate that!

At first, when I first found ye (which was a while ago) I was a bit sceptical to this 3D-looking style you're acheaving. But your later pieces are something in between "painterly" and 3D. And I love it! Unique and refreshing.

This one is very lovely indeed. Thouroghly entertaining scrutinizeing all the details and textures, between eyeing that incredible cleavage that is. :P

Keep it up!

*nod* Cleavage is important.
I prefer it to all out nudity, its more erotic in some cases, leaves more up to the imagination.
Im really glad you think its unique and refreshing, that *really* made my day.
All the best!


That's an amazing picture... Love every bit of it, especially the form and the edge work. There's a lot of life in the character's poses too.

Whew! Im glad you think so!
I really went for personality and life in the poses, im really glad it translated well for you.
I appreciate it!

Bad ass indeed, thanks for sharing your work man. Really inspiring to me for sure.

Thank you my man, to inspire is a huge goal of mine, to think I actually get to do it for a few people who mention it is beyond what I had ever hoped for.

All the best to you.

amazing work! big, big fan...

Thank you so much!
I hope my future work keeps you interested!

[Tofa]

brilliant work the lighting is fantastic, love the alien smoking in the background. great character work *thumbsup*

[Pennan]

This is amazing. I really love the atmosphere in this one. And the lightning is perfect. Very unique and well done. Have I said that I love it? ;)

You also seems like a great person. A true artist.

[Pixeltuner]

Hey man, I didn't know about the red light doing that to the human skin. Another lesson learned :)

[bradyscott]

Mmmm, cleavage . . .

[Cryptcrawler]

Hey Crypt. I think it's your best yet(I still love the green caterpillar rider and the punting frog). Incredible textures and lighting partnered with a great sense of storytelling. Beautiful stuff. Your works' are really worth the wait.

Dave I really appreciate that, thanks so much!
It's exciting to get compliemnts like this from someone who's work you really dig, thanks buddy!


Hi Cryptcaller, love your work, infact I put you down as one of my favourite concept artists over at IFX! This is great, I love the story, and well we all know how good the lighting is. It's not on this thread, but my favourite image is the one with the big ogre dude bashing people up... the sky in at the top is... just amazing.

Anyway! Great job on responding to people comments. I have a question though, as an aspiring artist myself (beginner) ...you say you study a lot from observation. Do you draw much from real life, or is it mainly reference photos? And I wondered how you rate the importance of drawing/study from life or are photos/film still as good a replacement? I'm asking cos as a learner I'm feeling a bit guilty about not "getting out there" and drawing, mainly cos it's so freaking cold at the moment. I love your work and would value your opinion on this :) thanks in advance!

Im honored that you would seek my opinion out!
I hope that what I have to offer is useful.

For me I use photos for practice, primarily stills from movies. Having a model is ideal but I can neither afford one or attend classes where one is provided. Photography and movie stills offer a lot of variance with bodies in motion, which is why I prefer them.
If you have an instructor you work with I would definately follow thier guidance before mine since they are trained and teach, while Im self taught.
But for my personal preference photos and stills are my preference.

I hope that helps!
All the best, and remember: we're all beginners at something in art.
The learning never ends.

So I looked at your painting again, and I looked at a few others cause I was still feeling inspired. I studied a few pieces and observed some details. I came to a conclusion that maybe someone has mentioned already, but I just didn't have time to read the comments. Also, I'm terrible at explaining myself. So I did a paint over, to let the picture speak.

I'm a huge noob myself, so it might not even be done correctly, but what I got was the impression that there doesn't seem to be much space in here. I think you're amazing at contrast, that is for certain. But as far as dept and space, I think it could use a little.

All i did here was try to put the chick in front, as it seems like the guy is giving directions, so he'd be standing some what a few steps further back than her. So I gave her the spot, then I pushed him back slightly by putting some light on him, taking the darks back further in the light, then pushed the background even further back.

Not a masterful paint over at all, in fact it took like 20 seconds and an overlay layer. But I thought it did a decent enough effect of what I'm trying to explain. Hope it doesn't offend, and I hope I'm making sense.

Of course it doesnt offend, and it doesnt have to be masterful either.
I definately see what you were going for and I think my piece could probably have used a very, very subtle haze to enhance it. The only problem is the distance isnt that great and the air doesnt contain that much moisture to really justify a powerful humidity effect like that.

Also ,your assuming she is in front, when in fact he is in front and is looking away and past her to recall the directions he's giving her.

But I think your right in that some of my pieces could use a little depth treatment for sure, I just dont think this is one of them. My ogre piece in my other thread stands out as needing some depth work.

I really appreciate you taking the time and effort show me your thoughts, it means a lot to me. It's not offensive in the slightest you are obviously trying to help, and you have.

All the very best to you.

[Coinpurse]

wow...:jawdrop:

[Cryptcrawler]

I disagree about the lack of depth and atmosphere comment. The spacial relationships look good to me. There is not a lot of distance between the major elements of the pieces, so there is not going to be a lot of atmospheric perspective between the creature in the front and the creature just behind him. I think you've suggested that distance just right with the subtle merging of values and slight blur.

I also think that compositionally it doesn't call for you to fudge the values to create focus. The focal point is obvious and the eye travels well around the piece with the major characters looking at each other. Only thing I would say is maybe extend the canvas to the left a smidge because of the little tangent with the thing sticking off the side of the vehicle...but that's a minor nitpick. I guess you could also extend the canvas down so it's not chopping off the bottom of the vehicle and the creature's feet, but it's probably not necessary.

Excellent work!


Thanks very much illustr8tor!
These are really constructive insights and I agree about the canvas resizing on the left, it could have used an extention.
I appreciate you taking the time to leave a note.
All the best!

Hey, it looks astonishing! Great rendering

However, sorry to ask if it has been asked before,

did you made the sketch digital in photoshop, and then made the picture?

or

did you made the sketch on paper, scanned in, retouched in photoshop en made the picture?

I guess you are a Wacom user? :D

Furthermore; great great great great :D :D

Thank you very much, im glad you dig it!
No need to be sorry! Im lucky to have others interested in my work enough to ask questions.
I do everything in photoshop 7, from initial sketch to final filters.

damn.. i just had to post.

How long did this take you?

Something like this usually takes me about 2.5-3 weeks, but at the time I got some paying contract work and had to come back to it. This one also took longer due it being one of the larger pieces ive taken on.
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment!
Best wishes.

cool stuff. really enjoying all of it.

Thank you germ, I really appreciate that!

[Duman]

I am pretty amazed you go back and thank, personally, each and every person that comments on this topic. Well done good sir. Well done.

[AlexTooth]

Thanks for my reply, I will definitely have a go at some movie stills!

Great to see you in Imaginefx recently.

Don't worry 'bout replying to this, you already answered my question :)

I think now we're all just itching to see more!!

:yum:

[Cryptcrawler]

A classic Blade runner scene, extremely well done dude :) Should be so interesting to see you working, definitely.

Thanks Feerik!
Love the work youve recently done in that new book, really exceptional!
Sorry it took me a while to reply, been incredibly busy!

Just awesome work!

Thanks very much matt!

brilliant work the lighting is fantastic, love the alien smoking in the background. great character work *thumbsup*

Im glad you like it!
I plan on doing a 4 part series of "Life in the 23rd century" with scenes similiar to this, that is if I can get a free moment from doing freelance!

Thanks for the kind words!

This is amazing. I really love the atmosphere in this one. And the lightning is perfect. Very unique and well done. Have I said that I love it? ;)

You also seems like a great person. A true artist.

I appreciate that pennan, thank you so much!
Hearing artists tell you your unique (in a good way) is a very high compliment, in addition to being called a "true artist" it really means a lot - thanks!

[tandy1000]

All work was done in Photoshop 7, no references, no 3D programs.

Ho.. how.. how is this possible?!?! *head explodes*
I really want to see how you work up to an image as grand as this without reference. Man oh man...

[Riddick]

It is a wonderful piece! I really love how you re create a realistic rendering but something which keep a true design.

[Cryptcrawler]

Hey man, I didn't know about the red light doing that to the human skin. Another lesson learned :)

Light is a wonderous world. It never ceases to amaze me.

Mmmm, cleavage . . .

It would be a cold and lonely world without it.

wow...:jawdrop:

Thanks buddy!

I am pretty amazed you go back and thank, personally, each and every person that comments on this topic. Well done good sir. Well done.

Its honestly the least I can do.
Having others be interested in my art is a privilege, not a given.
One of these days ill have more time so I can bounce around and comment on the wonderful stuff I see other's doing around here.

Thanks, Duman.

[Strela]

This stuff is just insanely great.

What I find funny is how the guy is apparently calling bullshit on your ability to render a Honda logo and garbage truck from memory. *I* could draw a Honda logo from memory, and I am not remotely into cars. He apparently has no quibble with the lighting so good that it's sort of absurd, but can't believe that you could concept 1/6 of the back of a garbage truck from 2017. Furthermore-- spending vast amounts of time on an illustration can produce almost unbelievable results, even if you're not all that great at art. I am certainly no great shakes but the paintings I've spent 24 hours on kind of amazed me, like, how was I able to do that!? Maybe I should try working over a hundred hours on an idea.

Perhaps that's the key for me instead of endless marker sketches of concrete bollards...

An aside: I'd love to know some comic books you'd suggest. I love the old Heavy Metal-- not so much the new stuff, but the really edgy drug-addled stuff from the 80s and early 90s. I also like 2000AD because of the incredibly dark subject matter and black humor. But it's getting more difficult to find underground stuff these days.

Any suggestions?

[Jeremy Ruiz]

great work, really love the lighting

[Strela]

I also found it interesting in this pic that neither of the bullywugs are looking at her cleavage-- not... to their liking, apparently, which makes you wonder what it is they have waiting at home. The wall texture was also particularly good in that piece, as were all the water interactions.

Was going to mention-- there's this concept in Japan called "Sanbai Doryoku," the foolproof method for success at anything.

Work three times harder than anyone else and you will succeed.

The problem is that they spend it on exquisitely rendered pictures of nubile teens engaging in non-consensual relations with cephalopods (or, usually, vice versa).

To the people who find this improbable: Have you ever spent 200 hours on one piece? If you do, it's going to look good, and you're going to learn things about superfinish that you won't learn from ten thousand speedpaints. The reverse is also true and I suspect that the speedpaintings are more important but until you can put out pieces to a high level of polish, don't assume that somebody is a Maya wizard.

Frankly, I'd be almost more amazed if one person was creating work that looked that good in a 3D app.

I can also see the Corben and Frazetta and possibly Royo influences here. Also a huge influence from the Old Gentleman, H.P. Lovecraft...

[Cryptcrawler]

Ho.. how.. how is this possible?!?! *head explodes*
I really want to see how you work up to an image as grand as this without reference. Man oh man...

Lots of time and a willingness to sit there until I get it right. Ill take a break and look at some photos to get ideas so I can re-imagine it but I dont keep them open in my workspace and copy them, its too cumbersome and aggravating to keep track of all that crap. I try to do it from memory and imagination as much as possible, but I will bust out a photo and keep it in the workspace if I really, really get stuck, or for a client that wants me to adhere to a specific IP.
Not using reference is not a rule set in stone or self-imposed restriction, its simply a preference.

Thanks for your interest and time!

It is a wonderful piece! I really love how you re create a realistic rendering but something which keep a true design.

Im glad you like it Riddick, thanks!




This stuff is just insanely great.

What I find funny is how the guy is apparently calling bullshit on your ability to render a Honda logo and garbage truck from memory. *I* could draw a Honda logo from memory, and I am not remotely into cars. He apparently has no quibble with the lighting so good that it's sort of absurd, but can't believe that you could concept 1/6 of the back of a garbage truck from 2017. Furthermore-- spending vast amounts of time on an illustration can produce almost unbelievable results, even if you're not all that great at art. I am certainly no great shakes but the paintings I've spent 24 hours on kind of amazed me, like, how was I able to do that!? Maybe I should try working over a hundred hours on an idea.

Perhaps that's the key for me instead of endless marker sketches of concrete bollards...

An aside: I'd love to know some comic books you'd suggest. I love the old Heavy Metal-- not so much the new stuff, but the really edgy drug-addled stuff from the 80s and early 90s. I also like 2000AD because of the incredibly dark subject matter and black humor. But it's getting more difficult to find underground stuff these days.

Any suggestions?

Hmmm, lets see...
I think you might enjoy Moebius' work, probably one of the most underrated and completely brilliant comic artists of the time. His designs and concepts still blow most stuff out of the water today.
Well, stuff that isnt from Massive Black anyway, hee hee!
Your going to want to get your hands on some magazines like "Epic" and the old graphic novels that you used to only could get through the ads in Heavy Metal. Stuff like "Ranxerox" from Liberatore, "Zora" from Fernando Fernandez and Ghita by Thorne.

Give those a whirl, through them youll get exposed to all kinds of really awesome stuff from the late 70's and early 80's.

And yes, a little time spent on your work goes a long way.
Speed is for sports in my opinion, not art.
All you need is 5% talent and 95% hard work and you'll produce stuff you didnt think you could.

Id like to qoute some fancy saying in here about how "most of the worlds problems come from mankinds inability to sit still in a room for 15 minutes" but I dont know it exactly.
I come from a time when 15 minutes was nothing, now its an eternity for some people.
Patience, open-mindedness and willingness to suffer a little are all the secrets and tutorials youll ever need.

Sometimes it bums me out that some guys and gals sell themselves short so quickly. I cant count how many times ive heard "..I cant spend more than 3 hours on a piece" or "...the most ive ever worked on something was a day".

I dont even want to think about all the masterpieces that could have been had they given themselves some more time, stuff that would make my art look like finger-painting.



great work, really love the lighting

Thanks Jeremy, I really appreciate that, I try concentrate on light as much as possible. After all, its what we are all really drawing! Light and the absence of light.



Thanks so much for the notes everyone, it really means a lot!

[NathanLong]

What I find funny is how the guy is apparently calling bullshit on your ability to render a Honda logo and garbage truck from memory. *I* could draw a Honda logo from memory, and I am not remotely into cars.

I bet you couldn't. Not exactly.

But my point wasn't really that I didn't believe that Cryptcrawler couldn't do it. My point was, why would he bother? What, other than pride, is served by not using reference? Time is a precious commodity, and it should be wisely spent. Spending time getting the shapes and lighting of a female figure just right? Time well spent. Spending time trying to remember what the back of a garbage truck looks like when you could just look in your clip file and check? Not so much.

In the end, particularly in commercial art, process matters not at all. The quality of the end result and the ability to deliver it on time are all that matter. And since I'm not a client, I really don't care how Cryptcrawler makes his art, or how long it takes. It's all so gorgeous and rich and lovely to look at that it doesn't matter. Keep on doing what you're doing, sir. You knock me out with every piece.

[Edit] Yeep! Never saw your response to my original comment until just now, sir. My apologies for repeating myself, and for not fully reading through the thread. Thanks for clarifying that you do occasionally use reference. Heh. How embarrassing to be preaching to the choir.

[Cryptcrawler]

I bet you couldn't. Not exactly.

But my point wasn't really that I didn't believe that Cryptcrawler couldn't do it. My point was, why would he bother? What, other than pride, is served by not using reference? Time is a precious commodity, and it should be wisely spent. Spending time getting the shapes and lighting of a female figure just right? Time well spent. Spending time trying to remember what the back of a garbage truck looks like when you could just look in your clip file and check? Not so much.

In the end, particularly in commercial art, process matters not at all. The quality of the end result and the ability to deliver it on time are all that matter. And since I'm not a client, I really don't care how Cryptcrawler makes his art, or how long it takes. It's all so gorgeous and rich and lovely to look at that it doesn't matter. Keep on doing what you're doing, sir. You knock me out with every piece.

I appreciate the kind comments Nathan, im glad you dig the art.
Unfortunately it comes across as extremely backhanded when in the same breath you express disbelief that not using reference could be for *no other reason* than serving ones own pride, when that isnt the reality in the slightest.

Its not a self-restriction or personal code or catering to my pride, its simply a matter of preference. Id rather skim a few photos and then try to recall it rather than keep something up in my workspace. As I mentioned before, I dont collect reference then draw, I do the opposite if I need to which thankfully, isnt often; so when I need something its rarely - if ever- in the same position or lit how I need it to be lit.

Whether or not you deem the value of an artist practicing visualising something in 3 dimensions as time "well spent" isnt my concern, but when you repeatedly imply that its all to tend to my ego when ive already explained its for personal convenience several times in this thread...well, then you start to just piss me off.

If you want to discuss it further with me or anyone else in this thread - kindly send a note?
Im looking for feedback and critiques, not cluttering the forums with debate.

All the best.

[EDIT: Just saw your edit, Nathan. No harm done my friend, these things unfortunately happen on the ol internets; things get misread or quoted out of context, etc. Take care and thanks for your time and interest!]

[P.R]

All work was done in Photoshop 7, no references, no 3D programs.

I agree, this is even more impressive, I am just amazed !!!!

[F.Burner]

i like those boobies... :)

looks great
cool atmosphere

[ariel_medel]

Somebody said flawless, and that's the exact word to describe your work, I showed your deviant art page to a friend and he thought your stuff was 3D...

Great stuff, just hope to see a lot more of it!


Stop by my sketchbook please, sharing comments will help us all! :) (http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=166520&page=2)

Add me as a friend in FACEBOOK if you want (http://www.facebook.com/shockingman?ref=nf)

[Cryptcrawler]

I agree, this is even more impressive, I am just amazed !!!!

Thanks so much, P.R, that really means a lot to me!
I still have a lot to learn and im really looking forward to getting in some more practice-time using reference to study to, ive learned a lot over the past year and im hungry to apply what ive learned to improving on my studies.

All the best to you


i like those boobies... :)

looks great
cool atmosphere

Hee hee, thanks!
I think ive said this before: the world would be a sad, sad place without boobies.
Thanks for the compliments and im glad you think the atmosphere is cool!

Somebody said flawless, and that's the exact word to describe your work, I showed your deviant art page to a friend and he thought your stuff was 3D...

Great stuff, just hope to see a lot more of it!

Ohhh thanks a lot man! That compliment really means a lot to me!
I really wish it was flawless!
The goal is to work hard enough so I can get as close to flawless as possible.
The dream is to feel like im close to being close, hehe.

All the best to you

[Eric Lofgren]

When can we see more? I've been dying for a Cryptcrawler update for ages now and I don't know if I can wait much longer :)

[Cryptcrawler]

When can we see more? I've been dying for a Cryptcrawler update for ages now and I don't know if I can wait much longer :)

Hee hee!
Thanks Eric, I appreciate that interest, it goes a long way for me!
I'll be dumping an update fairly soon; once the NDA's are lifted. Im a tad hesitant to show some of it because its simply not my best *insert whining about deadlines here* due to time contraints, but im going to show it anyway.
In the meantime I can give you something to tide you over if your interested, its my entries into the "Newborn" contest, my seconf entry is on page 2. Again, same whining about it not being my best work but I only had about 4 days inbetween assignments to create something for the contest and it was the best I could do.


http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=162597

I appreciate you man, I hope you enjoy it.

[Eric Lofgren]

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=162597

I appreciate you man, I hope you enjoy it.\

Saw those already (although I didn't get a chance to comment on them yet). That first one is simply out of this world. The second one is good, but the first is pure perfection. Which only makes me want more :)

Seriously, man, you are an inspiration.

[jasonmorgan]

are you kidding me?

admit it, you got in your time machine, went to the far future and took a pic and now your trying to pass it off as PS work.

very nice stuff

[Cryptcrawler]

\

Saw those already (although I didn't get a chance to comment on them yet). That first one is simply out of this world. The second one is good, but the first is pure perfection. Which only makes me want more :)

Seriously, man, you are an inspiration.

Eric thank you so much!
Yeah the second work doesnt have the soul I wanted it to - it feels technicaly better but the feeling isnt there. Im always fascinated by what makes some works "have it" and other works feel empty.

The misses are more important than the hits to me - you learn so much more and they always help you tune into your gut more; when I was working on that one I had a feeling I might be talking myself into a feeling that wasnt there, but wasnt 100% sure.
Now that ive gotten to taste that failure again it just brings me closer to identifying it in the future and hopefully avoiding it.

All the best - take care!

are you kidding me?

admit it, you got in your time machine, went to the far future and took a pic and now your trying to pass it off as PS work.

very nice stuff

Alright, you busted me!
Thanks very, very much for that compliment jason!

Very best wishes to you

[Eric Lofgren]

Eric thank you so much!
Yeah the second work doesnt have the soul I wanted it to - it feels technicaly better but the feeling isnt there. Im always fascinated by what makes some works "have it" and other works feel empty.

The misses are more important than the hits to me - you learn so much more and they always help you tune into your gut more; when I was working on that one I had a feeling I might be talking myself into a feeling that wasnt there, but wasnt 100% sure.
Now that ive gotten to taste that failure again it just brings me closer to identifying it in the future and hopefully avoiding it.

All the best - take care!





Just as a couple cents, I might suggest that the composition and setting, not to mention the lighting, really add a much more heightened sense of drama and mystery (and sheer terror) to the first, compared to what the same elements do for the second. The side lighting from the window, with the shadows from the blinds, the cramped composition taking place in a seemingly incongruously normal setting with absolute horror in the midst of it all. All those things have come together perfectly in 'We Are the First...'. As I said previously, the second piece is great in it's own right, but the sheer dramatic impact of the first is much more apparent. So much so that 'We Are the First...' is sublimely unnerving to look at. Which is a good thing in this case.

Just a couple thoughts from a viewer's fevered brain :)

[HunterKiller_]

Nothing else I can add to the compliments already given about your fantastic work.

I would like to add that your humble words are of equal inspiration and I hope everybody is appreciating the fact that you're replying to every single comment.

Sometimes it bums me out that some guys and gals sell themselves short so quickly. I cant count how many times ive heard "..I cant spend more than 3 hours on a piece" or "...the most ive ever worked on something was a day".

I'm really glad you said this. I say that shit all the time... but you've reminded me the importance of spending time.

[Cryptcrawler]

Just as a couple cents, I might suggest that the composition and setting, not to mention the lighting, really add a much more heightened sense of drama and mystery (and sheer terror) to the first, compared to what the same elements do for the second. The side lighting from the window, with the shadows from the blinds, the cramped composition taking place in a seemingly incongruously normal setting with absolute horror in the midst of it all. All those things have come together perfectly in 'We Are the First...'. As I said previously, the second piece is great in it's own right, but the sheer dramatic impact of the first is much more apparent. So much so that 'We Are the First...' is sublimely unnerving to look at. Which is a good thing in this case.

Just a couple thoughts from a viewer's fevered brain :)

I like your fevered brain!
Damn man thanks very much for giving me the technical lowdown.
Im self-taught, so I dont really know what all of the catch phrases mean or am familiar with all the rules of art theory, but I pick up more and more as time goes on from guys like you.
Im really glad it had that dramatic eerie impact, thats honestly something that im quite obsessed with capturing.

All the best eric, I appreciate your time and knowledge.

Nothing else I can add to the compliments already given about your fantastic work.

I would like to add that your humble words are of equal inspiration and I hope everybody is appreciating the fact that you're replying to every single comment.



I'm really glad you said this. I say that shit all the time... but you've reminded me the importance of spending time.

Hey thanks HK!
Im sympathetic to the fact that folks get frustrated and want the work done overnight, we all do. I dunno, personally I just love to draw.
If I dont get to draw over 6 hours a day, everyday - at the least - I get incredibly unhappy, incredibly fast; its just the way im built.
Thankfully ive got a very loving, supportive wife who understands that ill simply go off the deep end if I dont get to draw that much.

As for answering every comment: shit, thats the least I can do.
To make a long, stupid story short: Ive seen a lot in life; im lucky to be alive and I feel blessed to have others interested in my art enough to take the time to say so.
That is something that will always be a privilege and an honor for me, not a given.
Especially in a place like this.


Thanks again!
Very best to you.

[Beelow]

This piece is really strong. Sometimes you hit and miss, but you nailed this piece. Textures everything. Keep posting and thanks for sharing.

[keith eager]

This is just scary... Rock solid structures, I really thought you were painting over a mesh there. So much to learn here...

[KennethHunter]

ooooh so good

[Dizon]

Your work just astounds me! LOL

Do you use 3d for these? Or are these actually painted from scratch?

[PxelSlayer]

Drooled looking at this piece of art - check
Banged my head against the table - check
Made a *sigh, I`ll NEVER be this good* - check
Saved to My Documents for further analysis and dissection -check

Congratulated....

CONGRATULATIONS!


...check!

[Ian Barker]

Cryptcrawler... you rule. Seriously man, way to go. :)

[Cryptcrawler]

This piece is really strong. Sometimes you hit and miss, but you nailed this piece. Textures everything. Keep posting and thanks for sharing.

Thanks very much Beelow!
Its far from perfect but I feel like I was able to capture something on this one. That feeling is much more elusive than id like it to be so im going to run with it, hee hee!
Thanks!

This is just scary... Rock solid structures, I really thought you were painting over a mesh there. So much to learn here...

Theres so much to learn in art, period!
I feel like I have such a long way to go and I get my ass kicked when I come to CA.Org everyday by the incredible talent around here, its a great time to be an artist.
Im glad you dig it, I hope my future work continues to please!

ooooh so good

Thanks so much!

Your work just astounds me! LOL

Do you use 3d for these? Or are these actually painted from scratch?

Painted from scratch.
I dont have the slightest idea how to even use 3d programs. In fact my entire style and approach was born from just that; wanting to create 3d but basically being too stupid to pick it up and get a feel for it. I even tried going to school for it once and found myself getting outclassed by 17 year olds while I was still struggling to make a fuckin cube.

So I decided to try and create 3d with 2d, and im still trying, but its changed into wanting to capture life and mood instead of just raw realism.

I owe a lot to my failures in pursuing 3d because without them I wouldnt have this unquenchable passion for 2d art.

Thanks for taking the time to comment!



Drooled looking at this piece of art - check
Banged my head against the table - check
Made a *sigh, I`ll NEVER be this good* - check
Saved to My Documents for further analysis and dissection -check

Congratulated....

CONGRATULATIONS!


...check!

Haha!

Thanks so much man I appreciate the praise, it really means a lot to me.

But you cant cut yourself short like that. You CAN realize your ambitions in art if you have just a sliver of talent.

Dont decide youll never get there without trying.

Dont ask yourself what are you willing to do to get better, ask yourself what you are willin to give up to get better.

This is all about time, all about practice and to create time you have to sacrifice things. Do it, do it with abandon and dont look back and walk into that world of imagination and light - you wont be sorry.

Cryptcrawler... you rule. Seriously man, way to go. :)

I appreciate that, Liffey, thanks!

Ill tell you what really does rule though -its folks taking the time to give me encouragement for what I do, it means so very much to me and will always mean more than the money ever will.


Deep thanks to all for the comments, your time really means a lot to me.
God bless,
Brad

[Suikostar]

u're just amazing with how u play w/ lightings in all ur paintings.. ok, the correct art theory may probably not be anything to do w/ lighting (because i really don't know since i'm not an art scholar).. but, the lightings in your works is so wonderful.

[Velocity Kendall]

Mate, love the work, love reading about it in your feedback-feedback, my face got melted by the awesome. Please, please do more machines and architecture images this is so sweet

[Cryptcrawler]

So I finally nabbed a little time to work on some banner art for my blogspot mainpage and this is what I came up with for the top banner.
I have another version with bloody lettering all over that left window there, which ill release when the blog goes live... which will be sometime within the next 99 years if I can come up for air at some point from the contract work ive got going on in addition to working out a class framework for my instructing gig for TAD.

I tried some new things on this; some softer lines, some more mystery in the background and intentionally left some other things undescribed, in addition to using a sort of chunky, noisey texture in some areas.
Im trying to find a balance I like between rendering the living crap out of everything and keeping a strong atmosphere; my tendency is to get in there at like 600% and make it all super-tight, and while ill always do that for the majority of my work im also finding that im really digging strategically leaving some stuff softer and dirtier.

I have to put myself in positions where ill try new things or ill just rigidly stick to whats comfy and you never learn that way.

I hope you guys dig

Image title: Thralls to the 7th Throne

[Hive_minD]

Awesome mate! As usual! I am really looking forward to your class on the online program! Just hope I don't drown myself even more in work. But I am going to make the best of it even though two jobs + school could take over here and there. But good thing is I am not always a big sleeper ;)

Chris

[Ivan Turcin]

Respect, this is awesome piece of yours. My only suggestion would be regarding the honda machine - what could be interesting is to have a smoke, or a flying paper under it, or anything that would make it "alive". As its levitating at the moment. Just so we can feel this slightly movement... one inch up and down :) I know, it sounds too much but... hm, maybe it is :)
Anyway, you are my greatest inspiration. Keep up the hard work!

[Maximilian S]

Hi, really nice new piece. I think that this new one is a progression in the way that you've balanced the rendering and the atmosphere, keeping key areas, like the face of the main figure, tight and bringing your signature rendering style to them, while really emphasising the otherworldly nature of the scene and the essential horror of it, by hinting at the background and the decay on the figures robes. For me, the reality and the fantasy of this image are perfectly meshed, making it much more real than if it were all very definitely described, or given over entirely to a more impressionistic take. I hope that makes sense. If I had to crit this piece, I would say that the lines directly to the left of the main figures head seem arbitrary. It's a small thing though, and I only mention it because I feel like I have to crit something because I don't want to come across like an ass kisser, although the truth is that everything I see by you just makes me smile and want/need to get better. Thanks. Anyway, enough from me, I'm eating into your drawing time.

[Metal Fingers]

Awesome man, really great. I was torn between your sketchbook class and fundamentals of light and form but unfortunately I went with the latter. If I can get into some part time classes again I'd love to pick up the class at some point. Is it all going to be ideation and thumbnail type stuff? Keep up all the hard work dude man, cheers!

[DeKal]

of course youd have a bloody mouth for your banner image. to remind weak artists that they can get eatin alive. haha. cant wait for the blog dude. i hope the graphic novel is comin along well. havnt checked that thread in a little while.

[Novbert]

Some thoughts about that last piece:
Generally the composition is a bit boring. I see you tried to shift the focal point to the right a bit but as you sticked to those figures and blue lights on both sides of the central figure at almost equally the same distance and arrangement it could have been a better idea to make it a totally symmetrical, kinda 'iconic' composition (better described here (http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=3275&page=3)) - maybe it's just me but this shifted symmetry line thing really hurts my eyes.
I like the color scheme and the way you create focus by playing with cool and warm, but I simply can't figure out why the teeth of that guy are glowing red. Is there an upper light source somwhere in the front of that figure, that for some reason only shines on his teeth? Maybe that was your intention (and those highlights on the upper parts of the teeth also suggest it) but even in this case the upper lip shoud cast shadow on those upper teeth so we shouldnt see too much lights (not to mention highlights) on them. And I guess that a lightsource of this kind would somehow affect the surroundings too - the sides of the mouth and maybe even the hood.
About the rendering: I love the fact that you stopped "rendering the living crap out of everything". Saving the top notch rendering to the focal areas can really pop out a pic. The texturework is also cool. Finally things don't look like they were all made of plastik :P
One more crit: that thing on the left is broken glass, right? In this case you should put a bit more fractures there. Fracture lines of broken out windows virtually never end at the edge of the hole. (some refs (http://www.cgtextures.com/textures.php?t=search&q=glass&cat=33638) to show what I'm talking about. )
That's all man.
Keep up the good work.
:yayca:

[Wgrace]

absolutely fantastic. 80ish hours?

[Cryptcrawler]

Awesome mate! As usual! I am really looking forward to your class on the online program! Just hope I don't drown myself even more in work. But I am going to make the best of it even though two jobs + school could take over here and there. But good thing is I am not always a big sleeper ;)

Chris

Im likewise really looking forward to connecting with other artists looking to get better at thier craft; just like me!
Best wishes!

Respect, this is awesome piece of yours. My only suggestion would be regarding the honda machine - what could be interesting is to have a smoke, or a flying paper under it, or anything that would make it "alive". As its levitating at the moment. Just so we can feel this slightly movement... one inch up and down :) I know, it sounds too much but... hm, maybe it is :)
Anyway, you are my greatest inspiration. Keep up the hard work!

No no that actually sounds like an awesome embellishment and in retrospect really would have heightened the scene, good call!
Its tough to look at the older stuff like this because you see so many "coulda, shoulda woulda" moments like the exact one your talking about.
Thanks for the great feedback and contructive input - hearing stuff like this is very useful.

Hi, really nice new piece. I think that this new one is a progression in the way that you've balanced the rendering and the atmosphere, keeping key areas, like the face of the main figure, tight and bringing your signature rendering style to them, while really emphasising the otherworldly nature of the scene and the essential horror of it, by hinting at the background and the decay on the figures robes. For me, the reality and the fantasy of this image are perfectly meshed, making it much more real than if it were all very definitely described, or given over entirely to a more impressionistic take. I hope that makes sense. If I had to crit this piece, I would say that the lines directly to the left of the main figures head seem arbitrary. It's a small thing though, and I only mention it because I feel like I have to crit something because I don't want to come across like an ass kisser, although the truth is that everything I see by you just makes me smile and want/need to get better. Thanks. Anyway, enough from me, I'm eating into your drawing time.


Thanks for this great feedback man, the encouragement means a lot when your trying new things with your signature style. It doesnt feel half as bad as I thought it would to leave some things dirty and ghostly. What I need to do now is understand this new language and then try and perfect it.

Best wishes!

Awesome man, really great. I was torn between your sketchbook class and fundamentals of light and form but unfortunately I went with the latter. If I can get into some part time classes again I'd love to pick up the class at some point. Is it all going to be ideation and thumbnail type stuff? Keep up all the hard work dude man, cheers!

You gotta do whats right for your goals in art man!
You cant go wrong with fundamentalas of light and form because the learning never really ends in that department while ideation and picture making is muchn more subjective and esoteric.
Im excited for you man, best of luck and post your stuff!

of course youd have a bloody mouth for your banner image. to remind weak artists that they can get eatin alive. haha. cant wait for the blog dude. i hope the graphic novel is comin along well. havnt checked that thread in a little while.

Dude thanks!
I havent checked that thread in a while either, hoss - hehe!
The grpahic novel is on the back-back burner for now unfortunately, ive simply got too much commercial stuff and toss in the TAD deal and its almost unmanageable.
Glad you like the banner, im about to post the one with lettering below since its a much more balanced composition. I was saving it for when the blog gets launched but the more I compared the two works the more balanced the lettered one felt.

Hope all is well for you mang - be good!

Some thoughts about that last piece:
Generally the composition is a bit boring. I see you tried to shift the focal point to the right a bit but as you sticked to those figures and blue lights on both sides of the central figure at almost equally the same distance and arrangement it could have been a better idea to make it a totally symmetrical, kinda 'iconic' composition (better described here (http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=3275&page=3)) - maybe it's just me but this shifted symmetry line thing really hurts my eyes.
I like the color scheme and the way you create focus by playing with cool and warm, but I simply can't figure out why the teeth of that guy are glowing red. Is there an upper light source somwhere in the front of that figure, that for some reason only shines on his teeth? Maybe that was your intention (and those highlights on the upper parts of the teeth also suggest it) but even in this case the upper lip shoud cast shadow on those upper teeth so we shouldnt see too much lights (not to mention highlights) on them. And I guess that a lightsource of this kind would somehow affect the surroundings too - the sides of the mouth and maybe even the hood.
About the rendering: I love the fact that you stopped "rendering the living crap out of everything". Saving the top notch rendering to the focal areas can really pop out a pic. The texturework is also cool. Finally things don't look like they were all made of plastik :P
One more crit: that thing on the left is broken glass, right? In this case you should put a bit more fractures there. Fracture lines of broken out windows virtually never end at the edge of the hole. (some refs (http://www.cgtextures.com/textures.php?t=search&q=glass&cat=33638) to show what I'm talking about. )
That's all man.
Keep up the good work.
:yayca:

Thanks man!
Glad you liked the work!

absolutely fantastic. 80ish hours?

Oh no thank god!
Nope thankfully ive gotten much faster these days. This one took about 10 or so hours, possibly a little more.
Still a long time for many other folks, but im not many other folks, im me =) and I take a while.

Thanks for the compliment!





Below is the image with the lettering for you guys and gals to check out, which looks more balanced I think.
For a blogspot site Im still building called The Art of Doom.

Thanks all for the feedback!

[Syrs]

Very surreal and great and real and nice. I'm a fan. Thank you for showing my eyes something they aren't familiar with.

[Metal Fingers]

SEASON OF THA SICKNESS! Dude, this last one looks effing great, as you said, its a much stronger composition. Yea, looking forward to TAD a lot, like a huge amount, I'll be posting all my stuff in my sketchbook! Would be awesome if you have any crits for me, cheers!

[conte]

really nice volume in your works, Sir, i love how you sculpt those shapes.
definitely refreshing, thanks!