Then the girl said: Less art, more chocolate. (Journey of the 1st CA student)

[Oblio]

Teach me to draw, please! - this is how it all begun.
I guess i have to do this.
My name is Andrei Fantana - here is my little journey.
I've seen Conceptart.org by accident in its first days and i suddenly wanted to draw and paint like all the front page guys. What followed was a trip i wish for everyone - a journey into myself and towards brother-like friends, the exploration of what most of you love probably as much as i do.
So Jason said - ok - we'll teach you. I reminded myself that i should be a complete retard to miss such an opportunity.
I went the very same day and bought myself a wacom, a scanner and drawing tools.
He said then:
- Do your Self Portrait.
- Wait... I've never done this - shouldn't we start with a cube or a sphere or something like that?
(but then again who was i to speak back? and hey, what Andrew was doing - the self portraits thing - had turned my head completly. brute inspiration :ninja: )

LESSON 1

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Lesson1.jpg
that was so hard - but i was happy. they said it somehow good :^^;:

the lessons if i remember correctly were like one week assignments.
next week Jason tried to show us (more had joined me and we were already a few) how it's supposed to be like.

LESSON 2
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Lesson2.jpg
i don't know about you but when i saw it the first time i was about to quit :jawdrop:
luckily i've spent all my money into wacom and all - there was not much room to turn back. :S You have there my pathetic attempt - but hey - they said it was good :blah:

Well... next lesson was MASTER PAINTING

LESSON 3
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Lesson3.jpg
I've spent some time on it - meaning few hours (around 8 hours in more sessions)
I'm always lacking time - with a sort of 2 jobs and lots of other projects :^^;: :zzz:
Well... for once i was quite amazed by what i was doing - remember - this was probably less then a month after i've started to draw. I'm sure you know the feeling of a compliment - but when my mom got to see it by mistake and she said it was nice... it sounded too strange. :meow:

LESSON 4
well.. this is where things got sentimental and all.
My brother had a terrible paragliding accident. He was a mess - couldn't move at all.

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Lesson4a.JPG

My assignment changed - i started to draw him everyday. It was really painful to look at him - i do have some pictures but seeing them now just messed me up again.
He's the extreme sports kind of guy - being in bed isn't him - i was happy i could mix the drawing with the brother time spending. The schedule was already tight. I guess those are bad drawings with good feelings in them. I really tried.
I've started to spend more time drawing - long nights and all - got myself 2 casts and tried my hand at it.

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Lesson4b.JPG

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Lesson5.jpg

here - a motocentaur - i think my first concept - for a friends game concept.
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/motocentaur.jpg

and these are probably the first drawings out of my head - and the first contest at conceptart: bugs concepts!
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/bugs.jpg
i kept on drawing - on self portraits - EVERY DAY and tried to do some extra drawing too.
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/tartac.jpg
here - the 1st concept that got into a game:
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/1stconcept.jpg




In the end i've lost my job.

portraits follow

[MrFrost]

welcome to life using the right side of your brain....it's a great adventure that youve started.....showing amazin strides as well!!! sorry to hear about your bro....but keep up with the drawing, and keep us posted!!!

[arghmisfit]

these are awesome oblio

cant wait to see more :D

[Groover McNab]

Hey Oblio, thanks for sharing!

Glad you started this thread here.

[rollb82]

great work, keep it coming!

[Delta 1]

Those are amasing for your first steps! You can definitly see the improvement as you scroll! Keep drawing all the time, it reliefs stress...really it does. Sorry to hear about your bro, and your job, life can really suck sometimes-yet it will always get better 8) Hope things get better for ya. Anyway those are great, Keep up-dating alot! Great Stuff there man, keep cranking them out!!!

[el coro]

atta boy frate! i am very proud of you my freind. you have come so far...im truly amazed. keep it up man. dont stop, you have stumbled onto the secret of how to become an artist, hard work...i am truly proud to know you dood!-c36

[emily g]

I want to hear the rest of the story!

[Erik]

Frate!

It is good o see your drawings and how far you have come already, funny thing to see first concept made in the game ;-)

The images of your brother show feeling and compassion, something i see in you and have much respect for.

Keep going forward Frate! Sorry im not so MSN-able of late :/ busy busy

What's with the job thing???

E.

[Jaku]

Hi Oblio
I´ve to thank you many things.
I remember you put me in motion with your masters aprenttice letters a few years back now.
MillionThousands of thanks for your determination and inspiration.

Keep it up, please.

[SamBrown36]

Oblio, man I don't think I'll ever forget the begining of the Austin workshop, no one really knows who anyone is, you started ripping my portfolio about the 90 degree chamfered edge industrial design thing, then everyone sketched you a bunch, haha. Hope to see you in SF and hope to see you post a ton of work here. There is a likeness in your self portraits, keep cranking.

[mentler]

You got a bad case of creativity ~ some good stuff here ~ like what I see lots o variety ~ lots o talent.
The 3/4 pencil portrait lacks structure.
Don't put so much emphasis on lower eye lids.
Lower lid is usually up plane and catches light ~ it is also much thinner than upper lid ~ should not compete with upper lids!
Come visit!

[Oblio]

...and the beat goes on....
Thank you so much for the replies - you guys are too kind.
I'm sorry for missleading some of you - i'll try to be more explicit.
mainly these were almost 2 years ago.

MrFrost - o, thank you. what a great journey. I'm not quite a stranger of those lands. I graduated theater and film academy so i've been well instructed to the right side - but this speciffic journey, is so much special - and i hope i'll manage to tell you all why exactly is it so.
arghmisfit, groover, rolb, emily - thank you. i'm just starting - saty with me and help me keep it going. Please.
Delta - thank you - as i said the events happened proabbly during one year - what you have there are basically the first weeks. My brother is fine (paragliding again and going on more other things) and as you'll see, i've got a job back pretty fast.
coro - frate - we didn't get to hang out too much last time - but i'll be in SF soon and i'll bring you vampire blod as offering - for the so manny times your art became my desktop, for every drop of inspiration, for being my frate! i love you!
Erik - you.. you.... don;t worry frate - if i don't undertand what busy means - who does? thank you so much for passing by.
Sam - ha ha - yep - i hope you didn;t took it the wrong way man. i used to hire lots of artist so at least some crits i can give ;) see you in SF soon eh?

mentler - your words just reminded me what concepart.org is about. don't ever stop to crit - it's probably the thing that kept me going. The fact that i was convinced i could learn to draw just with feedback from the net made me go on and on.


ok, so where were we?
oh.. i lost my job. It was the 2nd time and it wasn't pleasant.
I was working as game designer for a big mobile gaming company.
that day i did this:
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/cliff.jpg and Andrew responded: http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/oct11%5b1%5d.jpg

i was having a great time doing portraits every day with keyth and blackhawk killing.peopl, retro and and lots of others.
Joining Andrew in this ride was a fabulous trip - and i still envy him for going strong each day.

so here are some portraits of the first months. just some of them.
you can see the progression too i think.

Aug 2002
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Aug2k2.JPG

Sep 2002
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Sep2k2.JPG

Oct 2002
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Oct2k2.JPG

[Oblio]

NOV 2002

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Oct.JPG


DEC 2002
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Dec2k2.JPG

IAN 2003
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Jan2k3.JPG

FEB 2003
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Dec2k2.JPG

i'm too tiered to update more now - i'll contiue soon.

[Fozzybar]

You posted the December2003 one twice...i'll fix that until you'll fix it yourself:

Feb2003
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Feb2k3.JPG


Funny...i was going to post this afternoon and ask about this image, which you did after losing your job...because i exactly remember how i saw it the first time and replied...you was so depressed and all members posted something to let you feel better...

I thought you wouldn't remember if i had asked about it...but it seems that it's still an important piece for you...i think it's the strongest one i saw from you yet...

Let the story continue until you post recent stuff... :confident

[SamBrown36]

I see, so that was older stuff. Well, the newer older stuff you just posted is good too. I've gotta start doing self portraits. By the way, I didn't take what you said in Austin the wrong way at all, I agree with you and need to develop new form languages. I was kinda saying thanks for the crits, just wasn't clear about it. The top left SP on Feb 2003 is such an Oblio face. . Haha. But yeah man, I'll see you in SF for sure, I should have a ton of new work to show.

[Oblio]

Uh - sorry guys- i was so tiered last night i went black-out several times during the reply. :zzz: :dead:
Thank you Fozzy.
Here is some more i forgot last night - the story will continue tonight.

APR 2003
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/apr2k3.JPG

MAR 2003
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/mar2k3.JPG

[Dominus]

nice crap man! ;) pls continue to amaze me!

[Dan.v.D.]

oh my..

i to remember exactly the drawing from the day you lost your job and andrews sp.

and i somehow always thought that mcm did the hospital portraits, and was always irritated that they weren´t in his thread. stoopid me :bashful:

keep it up mistah!

[Elastic]

Hey there keep improving. you have some nice/difficult expressions here

[Oblio]

just got back from a concert - probably the first in few years (more then 3 for sure)- so just a quick update.
I'm trying to get up to date so i can start posting my daily stuff.
So.. after that month things got rough - one of my project went into final stage, lots of work at the office too and all.
Also i think that is the time i started to watch Anime - lost lots of time to that but i don;t regret it at all. Those crazy japs pumped me even more and made my mind go CLICK severall times.
so - here are just some leftovers from 2003
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/rest2003.jpg
and some crap of 2004.
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/2004.jpg
I'll get back tomorow with other stuff.
Maybe i'll just jump to current doodles/sketches/studies&crap.
I just wanted to show some of my progress so i can somehow pay my respects to everyone here by showing what CA (meaning YOU people) made out of me.
Words can not thank you enough.

[Marko Djurdjevic]

Frate!

Great, I recognize you in every one of them.
Miss ya!

M

[killing.people]

cool thread you have here :confident
was such a long time ago! good times eh?

it is really nice to see all of your work laid out in such a manner. you can really see your growth in art skill, knowledge and personality.

-killing.obilo's.hole

[Oblio]

Marko - dommo arrigato :bashful: - can't tell you how i blame myself for missing Berlin. :frustrated: i'll see you soon frate! take a small break for me - i can feel you're tiered and still a bit... angry on how the art drives you instead of letting you drive it. In SF you'd better love yourself more :bashful: good times are comming!!! :}

killing.oblio - man.. yes... time has passed by and rusted everything eh? i remember your first nipple drawings and the times you had no computer and... well... we did great things in that SP theread. And with this thereat i think i'm looking for that kind of moments again - or at least i'm trying to tell everyone that is up to each os us to make this place incredibly addictive and usefull. Killing.killing.people. :blahblah:

so.. where were we? uh.. the hard times - well... fate kind of put me back to my place for a while - not much drawing. Funny - it all started with my decission to start drawing more.
I was afraid that i got used to draw my mug and that in the end i would not learn to draw - i would just learn to make self portraits. That's how it is when you're young - you get funny ideas so you get a bitter fun later remembering how stupid you could get.

So my plan was to draw each day a portrait AND something else - and i ended doing none mostly becouse in short time i realised there was NO time for 2 drawings/day - and without the SelfPortraits thread/feedback (that place is still a wonderfull freaky community inside CA, AND the most helpfull people go there) i was kind of unsucessfull with my plan.


Soon business issues took over me and i realised that weeks went by without any drawing. Shame was allover me and i actualy pointed to my brother Andrew that i might just step out from this train.


Some time passed and Andrew + Jason schedulled the visit to my grounds - yeah - they were to come to Romania (that's where i live btw).
I don't know about you guys but that got me SO pumped :pump:
My portrait by Andrew Jones - Apr.2004 - Bucharest (not Budapest :overhere: )
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/oblio_final_steps.jpg

I was planning this kind of meeting for years talking to Andrew about it - it was a blast. Thank you guys.. come again :wink:
After the visit i got a terrible desease - i was art-poisoned. That made me draw and draw.


I keep severall schetchbooks - one under the keyboard at the office, one in my take away case/bag, one in the car, 2 at home etc.

I mostly do crap and i blame myself everyday for not doing enough studies but one can not do only studies. Mostly, the things i do at work and in the car are just doodles. At home i mostly do studies.
When shopping with my girl.. i do portraits - the shops here have funny mirrors - they try to make you look thinner and the light is always nice - great plage for portraits. The trick is to make the girl try half of the outfits :bashful:
well.. here i come:

art-book studies (bottom left), life drawing in a museum (bottom right), and out of my head (upper part)
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/2k4crap.JPG

Usualy on sundays i go to museums and draw statues:
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/imp.jpg

doodle (tribute to Samurai Champloo) :
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/mungen.jpg

at home i mostly use Artrage for my studies.
i NEVER use undo, no color picker and the brush leaves good trails - i try to train my hand for strokes, and to fix my mistakes with the brush. As close as i can get to the real painting - i don;t want any comupter tricks for now.

Mostly value and color studies (out of my head in the bottom - i'm sure you can tell :rolleyes: )
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/artrage1.jpg

and more artrage
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/artrage2.jpg

that's about it.
ah.. wait - last night i was at this concert - i doodled something on the ticket.
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/concert.jpg

hopefully i'll be able to finish the job (under the keyboard sketchbook) soon and start postig stuff from there. Time is against me realy strong during the weekdays.
Thx for taking the time to stop by.

Andrei Fantana & Oblio :hatsoff:

[Fozzybar]

Ooooookaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy...

Here is where the things start...

Now post the dailies...and get your ass kicked :)

[Oblio]

Thank you Fozz - i decided to update weekly & not to bother everyone with my crap around.

Not much this time:
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/19sept2k4.jpg
and the one that gave me a delay for a few days:
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/cmx.JPG
my first fan art - i guess it's the first chess game with fan art, but the Chessmaster OldMan was asking for it.
Check out the game too (http://www.chessmaster.com) :wink:
So.. it was pretty late i was trying to finish this up but due to fatigue i blacked out - hit my head twice - via spasmophilia. Pretty fun :dead:
I've got more sketches from this week in my job scketchbook - i'll post them when i'll finish it (it's almost done)
Thx 4 looking.
Cya.

Andrei Fantana, The Health & Oblio :hatsoff:

[Oblio]

uh.. didn't had much time to update here.
I have the stuff but it's not scanned/uploaded/etc.
Here - East Europeean thunderdome entry - Steampunk Mars Explorer.
It could be better - i rushed it a bit. My fight with Thirdeye was great. Thank you buddy.

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/oblio_tdomeEE03.JPG

How did you like Chessmaster 10th (the game)?

Andrei Fantana, Oblio and the Time :zzz:

[insane visions]

very cool

[cotron]

really cool to see your journey oblio. I met you in Austin, wanted to say that your attitude and progress is really inspiring! keep it up!

[Profil]

It inspires me very much to see how long you come from scatch.
Keepn on drawin

[jetpack42]

hehe, by the end of austin, everyone was running around yelling "FRATE!"

cool trip oblio. I'm glad you reposted alot of that stuff, I hadn't seen most of it. You've definitely come a long way, no doubt, the journey only gets better from here. hats off to hard work!

[jester]

Andrei, friend, yes, I remember all of your spods, the drawings of your brother, your first cast and master drawings - and you've come a long way! It's a good feeling to having had the chance to accompany you on your journey!

Jester

[blankslatejoe]

oblio. you rock. sharing progression like this is amazing... I vaguely remember those cast drawings and the drawings of your brother... I was a lurker back then (almost from day one!) but never posted...

anyway, great stuff.

[Oblio]

Thank you so much for the comments guys. :yayca:
Can't wait to see you in SF.
I'll just post some other crap around - i have tons of things to do.
Lately i've taken a half a day off from the office each day to go and work from life.
Now we're starting on a new game so my drawing days are over.
Our last game had great reviews so we have areal challenge now.

Back to the thread.
Remember my bro? Well... he's still in extreme sports - i'll try to put up a site for him and his gang.
No i don't have my own yet but u gotta love a crazy brother like mine.
Here are some small drawing i've made for a small part of that site (not quite finished works, but close):
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/skw1.JPG http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/skw2.jpg http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/skw3.JPG
and some crap from life - very unhappy - but those were experiments - i've learned a great deal from them.
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/crap%20028sml.jpg
need to remind myself to shoot this at the right angle.
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/mosu-line.jpg http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/mosu.jpg http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/crap%20008sml.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/crap%20035sml.jpg


Enough crap - now- get ready for SF.
See ya!

[Oblio]

well.. SF is past already. Thx a lot to everyone for being there and making the event so cool.
I had to get back soon then headed to france.
There i got myself a new sketchbook and here i go, posting some crap out of it.

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/france01a.jpg
1st page - how else could i start?

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/france02.jpg
Thx goes to Nox for the markers. I have them with me everywhere.

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/france03.jpg
Out of my head - hotel rooms lack references.

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/france04.jpg
Created refs and crap.

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/plane1.JPG http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/plane2.JPG
Love drawing in the plane - best thing to do there.

Gotta go - i won't be home much so i'd like to hang around a bit before i go away again.
Thx 4 stopping by.
No morr sake forr me!

[-sideshowbob-]

heya oblio

what can i say... nothing but awesome improvement O_O

real good stuff collection here ..

i havtn done a any SP yet :dead:

i made some crapy tuts about head drawing and so... they might help u a bit

third reply is abut heads here

http://www.sketchbooksessions.com/thedrawingboard/viewtopic.php?t=21215

and i gosd this one

http://www.fragtasia.de/bob/2dstuff/_sketchbook/tut/head_draw_muh/

sry 4 crappy quality and p00r english :zzz:


ur avatar is so sweet <3



/m\

[emily g]

It's nice to see you posting some artwork!
I love the sp and the girl at the bottom.
I hope the transition to France is going ok. ;)

see ya!
emily

[Sinix]

Very inspirational to watch the progress and hear the story. Keep up the good work man. Looking at my sketchbook from the middle of last year, the first thing I doodled after seeing samurai champloo was Mugen yawning... found it funny that you would have the same thing.

[Pichuerca]

This is the first time that i see your sketchbook and my impresions about it are: funny and inspiring . Have you ever thought in draw a short storyboard of your life?

Great progression.

Keep it.

Pich

[Oblio]

Thx a bunch guys (& Emily :D )
Sideshowbob - I wanted to keep your thread open since i found it inspiring - i kinda try do sketch more with inks and permanent stuff to clean my line.
I'm just SO bussy i barely make it to the forums lately.
Your avatar is dope too!! :^^:

emilly - i'm back for about a month - it's snowy here too - i miss you lots. I might get to US around E3 - who knows eh? maybe i'll fail to keep away from sake - with you around anything is possible ;)

Sinix - dommo! Champloo is da' yo yo <3 Any new eps btw? I'm busted at work so i don;t know what's going on lately. Friends just feed me Naruto from time to time but apart form that... :nohope:

Pich - a storyboard of my life ain't going to be short - no way. This is the storyboard of my "Drawing life" and all i can tell is "To be continued... "

Thank you all for passing by - no matter how bussy i am lately - i know i keep a sketchbook with me and I'll keep drawing.
Damn - gotta go - back to work.

[Sinix]

Oh yea.. they stopped at 17 last year.. but they just started airing them again the other week. http://animeforever.org/archive.php

15 and 18 are great. :D

[Oblio]

My tiered angel - falling.
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Oblio-tiered%20_angel6.jpg
No ref - few hours.

Oblio :zzz:

[emilpaun]

I wish I could improve loke you :)
Some really nice stuff in here, keep it up :)

[Oblio]

Kr33p - you will become better then me in no time - i don;t have much time to draw those days :(

Some old stuff:
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/sktch-sml.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/ddl4.jpg
i don;t know why i love this one:
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Untitled-2.jpg
back to the day

This is for my milligan friend:

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/milligansketches2.jpg
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Obio-SP130205b.jpg

Thx 4 watchin'

Oblio

[Nike]

hi Oblio
I really enjoyed following the steps of your journey, you have some great stuff here, and I love that last sp :)
Keep posting!

[P E N Ricklund]

Hi!
Like how you've improved and how you wrote down the story along the way.
Keep on going! :D

[Oblio]

Thank you guys - As I'm currently for few weeks back home in Romania i'm enjoying my tablets (2 super old wacoms on dual monitor - yummm).
I hope i'll be able to get a laptop soon so i could keep up with my digital doodles while in France. (for that i might need to sell my desktop which i love :S )
If not - then i'll be sure to work in my new book.

Here is a doodle - just before i go to bed - super bussy day tomorow.
I googled this reference - no ideea who took the photo or whatever it is.
I spent few minutes on it so i can sleep well (i hate weekends that pass by without the feeling that i realy spent it well - drawing or whatever)

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Ob-doodnet1.jpg

Good night 4 now! :zzz:

Oblio
P.S. What's with the Cow icon?

[emilpaun]

I know what you mean, I too have little time to draw nowadays. But, hey, things'll get better eventually, I hope :)

I love the last SP, it looks great :)

[Oblio]

Thx guys.
Icey - sory i couldn't stay longer then.
Seems that after only 2 weeks without my wacoms i came to value them a lot. Also knowing that i'll have to leave for france soon makes me hold on to them.

I know i'm supposed to work more on my shapes and on the construction - i plan working some hands and arms soon - but this started just as a relaxing activity :nohope:

I know that if you just keep looking i'll get a bit better - so thanks for stoping by. now off to bed/ :zzz:

fooling around with colors. (i hope i'll dream in color tonight)
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/waterc3.jpg

Oblio

[Mindflaw]

Hey nice thread you got going liked the retrospective story

Keep it coming *going back into lurking mode*

[Lake]

Hey, Oblio.

hrm... I haven't posted much since the con.... and that's my fault. but I'm making the time.... woowoo yeaghyaight.

if I had to describe your work in one word, I would say: sharp. very sharp. Even your loose paintings/drawings are very sharp.

or funky. always liked the word funky.

[klinesmoker]

Talk about what thread is all about. Consistent progression with an actual human touch behind the art. Oblio, you are amazing, hats off to you.

[Dan1989]

Wow. I can't really say anything helpful, but this is a very inspirational thread, some of the stuff here is amazing to say the least, I should get off my butt and draw more :dur:

[Oblio]

sory for the lack of updates guys.
i lost one of my scetchbooks and i've already started another but sine i'm mostly away.. i'm having an even harder time to get to draw or at least to take a piece a bit further.
To make yourself a picture i had to go from Montpellier-Lyon-Bucharest-San Francisco-Amsterdam-Paris-Montpellier in a bit more then a week.
Lovely seing all the MassiveBlack guys, my brothers Andrew, Jason, Marko, Wes, Insane, Coro, Zeeb, mcCarthy.. all of them, then i met with Erik in Amsterdam (thank you frate) and then with Nox, HPX and thier gand in Paris (you guys rock).

I hope i'll be able to scan some of their drawing in my new book.
Meanwhile here is some thing i did before the trip.
I hate not having net at the hotel... laters everyone and thx for looking.
luv ya all - see you at next workshop...
wait.. E3 comes first ;)

Oblio

[MikeDunbarr]

Great studys! Great style! Great stuff all around! Keep it up!

[glikster]

Wow. Amazing. I love that bridge, and your sp's rule!
Fantastic work!

[Lake]

nice bridge! very hot.... and I mean the colors as well as the picture itself.

[maxetormer]

Im just droping by to tell ya that I got a great
amount of inspiration from whaching your progress,
and by seening how you struggled and succeded at keeping
the studing UP, Im into doing SPs right now and let me tell you,
that after seening your thread I re-afirmed my self into doing
them daily, thanks a lot for that; ill be around :D

[Oblio]

I just got home today so here you go - Small update:

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/monk.jpg - no ref.

Happy birthday me:
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Oblio_sp120505.jpg
Made in Ibis hotel - Lyon - France.
other sp's from may 2k5. (made in Citadines hotel - Montpellier - France)
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Oblio_0505.jpg
Tomorow i'll split for LA - see you at E3.

Oblio

[Lake]

wah, cool.

[cthomp]

that last one has some crazy eyes keep up the good work

[Butters' Evil Twin]

dear Oblio, I was a big fan of GO (yeah, you were my fave member of the kru :bashful: ) and I'm glad to see what huge steps you've been taking eversince. This thread amazed me the most, though, it's incredible how much progress you've made in a relatively short time. Keep up the good work!!!

[Bojee]

I want to hear the rest of the story!

Please Continue, I'm really enjoying this.

[mentler]

You have made some intense progress ~~~ the pencil is starting to grow into your hand!!

[Dirty C]

Man, you really worked you arse off, huh? It feels weird, dredging a slightly outdated thread up, but I guess I felt I needed the inspiration at the moment. I'm working on stuff I can't show, a lot of it in 3d, and feel as though I need to work a lot harder. Real inspiration, thanks.

*edit: ok just looked at the timestamps - less than a month ago. Man, you gotta move fast round here, huh?*

[Oblio]

...after a while.
Thank you all for your replies - it means a lot for me.
I had sort of a verry hard times lately.. i'll try to sumarize it all in few words, skipping a most of the nasty stuff.
So.. where were we?

Yeah - i was bouncing off - France, Romania, US...
I've got to see a bunch of you at E3 - Phill was kind enough to make a fool out of me - he got me with his Canon eye. Drop over his site to see the pics.
After E3 we hang out with Jason, Andrew and a big bunch of the MB crew - missing Coro, Smellybug, Insane and others :(
I got to take a bath in the paciffic and promissed myself to melange on my skin his salt along with the Mediteraneean's ad the Black Sea's - Mission accomplished. :yayca:

Anyway - since then i have bounced to France and back severall times already. Got two Self Portraits in the air (using the plane's toilet mirror while desperate woman was knocking on the door) and few more on each country.
Managed a trip to paris as well where Nox was super kind to arrive straight from his plane (he was abroad in north) to the train station to catch me before i go. HPX was sweet as candy - i miss them both. There - one portrait of made by HPX in the corner of the sketches - i'm sure you can tell.
So.. yeah - i finnished one of the little sketchbooks:

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/Oblio_Sketch.jpg

And started another:
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/OblioSP_Anotherone.JPG

Meanwhile i managed to get the most beautifull appartment in Montpellier - and as tons of blond super white skins from the north of europe invade the city is a pleasure walking the old streets with a sketchbook in hand.
Everybody is turned red into the evening abusing the sun like crazy, and for the first time i was amased by the quantity of booze an irish woman can drink. Believe me - it's unnatural!!

Now i'm back in Romania for few weeks. Few guys from Microsoft were here and i'm glad i've spent more then the required time with them - it's funny how a guy you first consider "plain" turns into a deep resurce of common passions and unveils lots of culturall debates that keep you long into the night. Makes you wonder about yourself, isn't it? :D
Anyway... i hope i'll manage to draw some more - however my father is very ill, i managed to break the screen of my tablet pc, my main monitor isn't working either... and that's just a few of my problems.
See you next time.
And thx again for your comments.

[Lake]

hmmm... the smaller self portrait looks more like you....
great shading!

[2000YearsOldMan]

Hey everybody I am new.
What up Oblio, I realy like you drawings, specially the sketches are look awesome. keep up man. :tihi:

[ashemoto]

For once in my life I am struggling to find the words to describe how your work
has redefined artistic expression for me.



I am moved

I am beginning to see the light.


Ashemoto

[hito]

Awsome Oblio. Those SPs are excellent1

[Blahm]

..(using the plane's toilet mirror while desperate woman was knocking on the door)





.

lol

you have made intence improvment. true emotion.

[Oblio]

Hi again everyone. I have very little time to update and i'm sorry i can't type details of the story.
My life is a huge rollercoaster... i'm dropping in some sketches from bothe France and Romania.
I am currently back home - i had to come in a super rush - my dad.. is crossing to the other side.
I was super busy at job - i had to work in train, hotel, plane, airport.. etc yet getting here and having some talks with my dad was the most beautyful thing that happened to me this year. With all the sadness that surrounds it.
Talking about death with a man that is about to die is such a waking up experience. You realise how manny things you avoid talking in your day to day life. And it's not just any man.. my dad is.. a story in his own.
Speaks 7 languages (including latin) , graduated math and physics universities, went 6 years in comunist prisons tortured like hell, and had the most wonderfull family i've ever encountered - MINE!
He's 74 now, been in war as a kid, yet all he was talking about when delirious (he has cancer and he;s in terrible pain - the calmants are making him delirious) is computers and internet. My mom is 20 years younger then he is, and i've neer seen so much love between two people as i saw and see between them.
Anyway... i'll go to see him tonight again. My laptop (the new one) is broken too - i wanted to paint him...
Instead.. here are some old sketches i did of him.. while he was a bit better.
I hope to update...

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/padre.jpg

Here is a SP i did just before leaving France:

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/230705mtp.jpg

And soem other crap from between:

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/crpyy.jpg

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/messyy.jpg

TIll next tie..
thx for watching

[neoknocker]

Hey Oblio,
I'm sorry for your dad. Even though you are facing hard moments, try to enjoy the time you have with him.

My taughts are with you.
Regards.

Neoknocker

[Oblio]

Thank you.
Update:
Being home is bliss - i got to make a SP.
This one goes to my borther Andrew. I miss you, frate - i hope all is well.
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/OblioSP310705sml.jpg

[nicrad]

oblio- The drawings of your father are honest and wonderful. that's a sad and beautiful story- such is life. I'm glad you shared that with us. I am sorry for your loss. Your thread gives me a sentimental feeling for a thing I didn't quite experience, which is the birth of this site- but the last three years that I've followed it have given me more inspiration and spoke more truly to the artistic soul than I can fully appreciate and I want to thank you for your part in that. Your improvement is immense and inspiring.
We met actually in San Fran, briefly though. I was sitting off in the corner sketching during the party night and you happened past and looked through my book which was pretty rough at that point. But you gave me some solid advice and i've kept on with it because so many of you folks inspired me there to make the silly strange things that I make.

Keep posting and i wish you all the best in hard times.

Nic*Rad

[the_allejo05]

just came acrross this thread..awesome progress..this site is full of people who work hard..i get a lot of inspiration from it..sorry to hear about your dad..i love the sketch you did on him..so trhuthfull...keep drawing...

[Oblio]

Sorry about the crappy art. This time the story is better.

The computer was on other hands tonight so i was doodling in my bed:

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/before.jpg
I was doing this when the phone rang and my mother called me.
http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/after.jpg

My father has died.

[jester]

Andrei,

I feel very, very sorry for you - that's a nightmare come true.

I wish you all the strength you need now to cope with this terrible loss and that your family will receive the support you need so much now.

Birgit (aka Jester)

[Oblio]

I realy felt like going back to SP's. Doing this is keeping me calm.

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/SP020805.jpg

[Oblio]

i'm going trough some rough moments.. apart the funeral and all.
I'm glad i'm home and i get a bit of time to draw though.
SP's of the last 3 days.

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/sp050805sml.jpg

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/sp060805sml2.jpg

http://www.conceptart.org/OblioThread/sp070805b_sml.jpg

[mentler]

Weird I have been doing a few sp's helps to get me centered from time to time <> really nice variety here

[Oblio]

thank you doctor :)
Your sp is sweet. See you in Prague?


EDIT _ few months later - prague was great.. my life was... well.. twisted so many times i lost my rudder... i'll drop few things here without bumping this thread...
I'll make a real update after this game is done.
BTW _ chek it out:
www.blazing-angels.com

here is some crap i do in the lunchbreaks and the evenings.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sp131205b.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/goodmorning_sml.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/bottle.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/emriobattle_posterWIPsml.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/toto2sml.jpg

and my digital studio (old photo - now.. it's updated on the laptop side - new acer ferari for the wide a5 wacom.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/studio.jpg

I joined sparth on lappaintings (the attachment is from... last year .. )

[ktk]

I realy like what you have done here. I am from romania too so I feel great when I see your work. Keep going. (si cele mai bune salutari)

[adiere]

Hey man,
What is going to happen in Embrio Club?
....hm, I mean what is the time of the event?

I'm from bucharest also and I hope I can get there in time if you see this message.

[Oblio]

event got delayed. i'll let you know.

[T-Raktor]

Marfa frate. I really like your progress here and hope to see more of them.

Second of all, i'm really happy to see so many "fratii mei" here: adiere, oblio and many others. Makes me feel not alone.

And third of all, i'm curious, wich mobile game company was that you used to work for? I'm working at one here in Bucharest. Starts with a Ga....mabe we were colegues :)

[Sickbrush]

heh.. when i first heard of u was in my childhood. the first damn game mag. i ever held in hand.. game over. that no. with final fantasy. i still have it. and i saw this dude, andrei fantana. seemed cool back then. time passed, i kept hearing ur name in various interviews & stuff..
then i got into arts. and found the forum. and found you. and saw what went on behind the scenes.. amazing.
never stop drawing, man.
i respect and salute u.
cristian

[Oblio]

Slayer -
Auch.. thanks. I just i got lucky to make friends with all the awsome people here. Love your watercolors. I hope i'll be able to surprise you even more ;) i've still got other undisclosed areas ;)
Maybe we can hangout and do some drawings.

T-Raktor - yep.. we're separated by a floor. I like your latest studies (the hands and all). Keep em comming - as soon as i finish this game i'll get more time and we can hook up and draw.

Here's a little update:
Cyberfreak (battle with megusta and dariz...)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/cyberfreak_sml.jpg (still needs a lot of work.)

And a life drawing session in a cofeshop last night with megusta. It was realy fun.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/samovar2_sml.jpg

I hope i'll be able to update this thread properly... the story i begun in the first post.. got so complicated... it will take me a lot of time to sorti it out in words... but... one day.. i'll catch up somehow.
Thanks for looking everyone.

[edit]
Secretly adding some more :)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/zahi_00555_smll2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/anmocam2_SMLl3.jpg

[Sickbrush]

i'd really love to meet u some day. be sure that i'll let you know when i get to bucharest. till then, keep'em pencils spinnin'
cheers.

[donkeyslayer]

frate! i miss you bro. i'll see you in Montreal. i hope your post in the cartoonfox roomate thread wasn't a joke, and you're actually staying with us... because that rocks hard. then we can have another draw-oblio session. i can see a lot more confidence in your strokes. keep truckin man :}

[savii]

How did I miss this?! Such great progess, a real inspiration, very well done. I especially like your latest paintings. good job!

[GriNGo]

very nice man. Mr. Oblio you are getting better by the minute. I feel lots of energy in your work. Passion. I'll be constantly monitoring your stuff.

later,
GRiNGoLoCo

[Pixeldragoon]

POST!!!

And happy birthday, sucka =P

[Oblio]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/19052006v3.jpg
SP in Egypt... quick as the sand. I'll try to put more stuff here soon - way too busy lately :(

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_visarra_001.jpg
chow entry - great round

[Sickbrush]

Salut, frate Andrei :D
missed those updates. .. c u around dude.. take care :)

[Oblio]

So let's see - after Egypt it was Montreal... the workshop and the whole time there... EPIC.
From there... france (Paris, Montpellier, Lyon) and back to Bucharest/Romania for few weeks.
Then the wave took me to Sofia/Bulgaria.

time for another SP.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/SP18072k6.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/makeup.jpg ;)
see you around... this planet.

[mir]

Love your pencils,and you travel a lot :). It sounds quite interesting

M.

[Dominus]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/makeup.jpg

OMG LOL :D

[Kralizec]

Andrei what you have done here is amasing.

A fan of "GAME OVER".

[Dirty C]

Sup Andrei! Long time no update.

I really like the brush strokes on the last sp, especially the parts in the hair. I need to experiment with more brushes like that.

Love to hear more about your travels, muchacho. Update soon.

DC

[Lee W]

great stuff here :) but its time for an update

[chaosrocks]

I just opened you thread. and you have my great sypathies. I spent last January by my father's side as he died. and it is very hard
And I miss him still. yet his voice is in me and his way of looking at things
colors my view of the world

that being said....

more art!!!!
please?
chaos

[Oblio]

Thank you all for your comments.

heartbeat - travel.. yeah.. more to come. i'll say it all here
dominus - you know i am worst that that now :)
kralizec - man... don;t be a stranger. if you draw.. post. if you don't.. hell a fan of GO is always a friend. :) it's been so long since that project died. Hell i burried so many other projects since... f**k i feel old.
dirty_c - man... i miss your feedback. See you soon in SF... brig the traditional - it's time for oil revenge and.. for more color talk and amazing time.
oldmoobie - update? sure.. thx for stopping by.
chaosrocks - i know exactly what you mean. thank you.


So - back at home...
The schedulle ahead seems busy like hell. I was supposed to leave the cuntry again tomorrow - but i realy need a break.
It's on for Sofia soon though.
The thing i look forward the most is the SF workshop - i mis so many of you. Hope to see you there.
I scanned some things from the Sketchbooks i carry with me.
There is more to scan.. but it takes time and i have to go anyway.
Thx for looking.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sb2k6_1.jpghttp://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sb2k6_3.jpghttp://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sb2k6_4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sb2k6_2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sb2k6_5.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sb2k6_6.jpg

[Oblio]

and some digital stuff...

Alina
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/AlinaPup6.jpg

Colabs with [DAN] - i miss you bro!
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/iulius_mall_sml.jpg
LapPainting - form life - TM Mall.

Then the same night we wend to a club.. somewhere unde rthe ground and got toa drum abd base pary - we installed the laptop on a piano.. and took turns in doing this one.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/rave_unsat.jpg

he started this one - i finished - yeah.. he did most of the nice parts.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/zacamant-odd_sml.jpg

Now these are all mine.
Unfinished portrait of a friend in TM
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/danrau_sml.jpg
Doodle
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/drumdance_SML.jpg
As i got to TImisoara.. this frined of mine was comming from ski - he broke his leg and drive the car with it like that (manual gearbox btw :))
Here he is after we took him to bed. In the morning he went to the hospital. He's fine now :)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/vitali_sml.jpg

Lavi - i tried to draw her twice - not happy with the results
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/lavi_sml.jpg
edit - found one pic of her.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/P5160435.jpg

Doodle for another dead project :)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/H5N1_dariz.jpg

Sharpshooter gave me a macro photo - i doodled on top of it a sort of robot. Trying Baronthiery's brishes. Thx bro.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sharpshooter_oblio_robot.jpg
piercing fashion - doodle
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/titpants_001.jpg

[Oblio]

failed CHOW
Theodios - Orthodox patriarch of the new world
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_theodios_SMLv4.jpg

another CHOW - The weappon
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_swordWIP.jpg
Oxygen king - CHOW again
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/oxy9b.jpg http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_oxyNs.jpghttp://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_oxy1.jpg

Bipolar Man - CHOW
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/oblio_chow_bipolar.jpg

CHOW - WWI Wizard
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_WWIZ.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_chow45_WWIZ.jpg

Mungo Jerry -
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/CHOW_mungojery_ortho1_SML.jpg

CHECK OUT THE 3D section - that contest started nice. This guy is in 3D now thx to Silvi~e.

Doodle at the office - waiting for Rayman RR to binarize.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/speaker.jpg
Check out the game - www.raymanrr.com

Chow - in progress:
Sewer Mermaid - I have to tell you - it' sdifficult for me such a subject. Mermaids and Vampires are life enemies. Now you know.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_sewermerking3.jpg

sry -for typos and all - i'm always in a rush :(

[Oblio]

here ar emore sketches i dig up.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sb2k6_7.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sb2k6_8.jpg
lavi again... (old sketch)
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sb2k6_9.jpg

and some inks
piano bar:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sb2k6_10.jpg
Self portraits
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/ink3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/ink2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/ink1.jpg

That's it for now... feel free to crit and help and all.
I realy need to push my drawings further.

[Justin.]

IMO you need to work more on the structure of things, like the skeleton. Also try looking in planes more. Alot of these seem organic, like you played off more on the lines of what you saw than on the forms.

Keep workin at it man!

[Oblio]

Justin - Thank you. That is exactly what i needed to hear. I know my form i weak.. hell it alwasy was.. it's frustrating- seems like i cant' take off from the basics. Aayway - thx again.

Here is another life lap-painting. 2 hours or so...
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/cris2virgo_sml.jpg

[[DAN]]

Salut Frateeeeeeeeeeeeeee Andrei. Nice to see some more stuff from u but again i get a little bit angry when i see what are you doing.As i told u some months ago i still think is time for u to get to the next level.Right now i really feel that you have fallen deep into the speed painting/doodle trap.I am not trying to say that the speed paintings are a bad thing, not at all , as long as they are meant to keep your blood warm and your eye sharp.What i think the speed paintings can't do is to replace the actual long term serious study.We all see the quicks of Mullins,Sparth, Coro, Andrew etc and we like them and we want do the same, what we forget sometimes is that all those fantastic artists have a deep understanding of form, of color, anatomy and so on and because of that they can simplify form very fast and easy and concentrate themselves on other aspects of painting/drawing. What i really think u need the most now is to slow down a bit with those fast drawings and do some hardcore study, take your time and concentration and study some master paintings, old masters , young masters whatever... try to find out how they show or indicate form using value, color texture ...line.Is not a bad exercise to actually try to copy some master painting but not blindly.Try to understand what is happening there and what u are copying and i am telling u is a gem mine of unexpected knowledge buried there.Maybe for some people something like that may seem very uncool than trying to do some fancy monster/extreme posing, ships exploding all packed with some nice touches of grafic /abstract brushes ... but the true is if u can't draw and render correctly from all the points of view (line, color, value, sillouethe bla bla) a sphere a cone a box etc the ships/monsters/hands/faces will not look correctly and appealing.If the perspective drawing scares u take for the start a Leonardo da' Vinci or Feng Zhu or whoever you like, step by step tutorial from the white paper to the final illustration/concept and do it yourself.I am repeating myself , maybe this may suck in the start to "copy" when u know and feel that u got the imagination to do your own thing but this is not copying is ... learning.If color , texture , light, composition scares you...again take some paintings that u like very much study them... You are just making yourself a solid foundation and from there you will start to find your own way/style.

P.S: I love u man and u know that ;) hope to see u soon

I hope i am not negative in my reply to you but i think u need to take the drawing/painting seriously.The bad news is that u lack knowledge the good news is that u lack ... knowledge and learning u can overcome that ;)

[Oddo]

Andrei, I'm amazed at the progress you have made, considering your schedule. I'd say it is about time to raise the bar a notch by kickstarting a life drawing group and some colabs in Bucharest :).

My favourite of your thread so far: http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/toto2sml.jpg


[Dan], salutare omule :). It isn't about the lack of knowledge it is about the lack of time to get that knowledge. Trust me, gaming industry is a vicious fiend :) (unless you're only involved in preproduction :P).

[Oblio]

Here - somebody asked me for soem WOW t-shirt designs. I don;t play Wow so i doodled a bit.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/orc4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/org_v4.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/org_v5.jpg

[Oblio]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_SteampunkPilot_Chow51.jpg
chow#51 - steampunk airship pilot

[hurricane]

nice !!!
great stuff man and nice progress !!

cheers!

[Justin.]

Keep it goin bud! If you haven't picked up the book "Masterclass in Figure Drawing" by Robert Beverly Hale, I would highly recommend it. It teaches so much by breaking down parts of master drawings. I learn new things just by looking at the pictures!

[Oblio]

Thank you Justin - i'll look it up. Damn i need more studies.
It's silly when you fave the feeling that you put volume into the drawing and someone comes by and goes - it's SO flat.
You feel like you need to check your eyes and brain.

Anyway... i got back to Romania .. umm.. 3 hours ago - here' ssome new crap :(

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/vlad_paint_6RIF.jpg

[Jens]

hey oblio, cool to see this sketchbook back up again, you've grown a lot since the beginning of this thread


you're brain kinda crawls into your picture.. i got this a lot too. I usually work to dark and in a very close value range.. then you press the auto levels button and you go WHOAAAA!!

In this last one, I think the head looks pasted on the neck because the neck is way to dark. If you were going for correct lightning, that dark value on the neck should return on other places on the face.. below the nose, underneath eyebrows etc..

Head's also connected in a weird way to the neck, gotta get some anatomy shapes in there..

The reason why your smile isn't quite working is because you didn't pay attention to the edges of the lines coming from the nose down to the corners on the mouth. In your picture the edges of that form are all the same.. but when you look up some ref you can see a big variation in edges

edges are sharp at the corner of the mouth, get way softer towards the nose

http://www.pasoadelante.org/images/smiling-girl.jpg

http://www.hudecdentalassociates.com/images/smiling_girl.gif

here the edges are not as hard near the mouth but probably because she only has a faint smile.. but again edges get softer towards the nose
http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/1016780/2/istockphoto_1016780_positive_smile.jpg


What I think you should do is fix all the problems with this one, you'll learn a ton from it..
sorry if i just ripped your painting apart, feel free to return the favor :D

[designboot]

I like your stuff in this style man:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/bottle.jpg

[MattGamer]

Real nice work and progress man! I keep telling people that they can draw awesome if they just stick to it. You are a living example.

I really like this (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/cris2virgo_sml.jpg), that's awesome for only a few hours! Keep it up and draw, draw, draw! ;]

[mull77]

Wow, you've been busy! Those last few Black and whites are really cool, and it's good to see loads of self portraits. i remeber Android doing one a day and i never did him any harm!

Keep it up man.

[hykuri]

nice work man really like all of it :D
Hykuri >:D

[Oblio]

i guess it's time for me to update this.

so after bouncing on and on Sofia, San Fran, Paris i'm back to Bucharest.
I've been working on Rayman Raving Rabids - fun.
Now i'm back on Blazing Angels 2 - that should come out pretty soon.
But before i get to the point.. here are some videos i made for the SF december workshop just in case you haven't seen them
The have been shot eddited and posted in 24 hours :) Fun stuff to do.

This one is for test - shoot in MB studios.

-11YXKFdFeQ


And here is Day One of the workshop.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5209460558729054607&hl=en

i don;t have it on youtube so.. click the link.
that's a 10 minute one and later on i'll tell you a nice story that i got to be part of .. becouse i made this video.
as soon as i find a host i'll upload the music too - i stopped doing music something like 7 years ago :)

Now - back to the topic.
While in Sofia - i got to something called "Evening Act" where people were gathering to an open studio - and a model was present.
I had great times there - i miss that spot.
Here are some things i have done digitally - most of the stuff is on paper and .. i lost that book.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/lappaint_1504_SML.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_stilllife_1404_SML2.jpg

also - back home i started a study in painter with my 6D art pen - Painter X is magic for that thing - if you love square brushes or pallete knife.. it' syumm.
It makes you think each stroke.
i still have to finish this one :(
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/WhiteStudy5_011_cr.jpg

skethches for chow - the balck queen - Victorian/Jappanese mix.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/oblio_blackqueensketches-sml.jpg


anf a doodle from yesterday
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/NDA/tigereye.jpg
I'll try to update soon with more stuff.

[Oblio]

now.. back to some other stories - around december.. Diana (known as Scarlet on CA) ventured to pay me a visit to Romania. I was SO happy to have her here - but.. in the same time.. due to some strange circumstances... Ubisoft found out that.. i am alsto drawing.painting (i was working as Game Designer... later on Creative Director). To cut the story short - i was asked to make some portraits for Blazing Angels 2.
It would be my very first professional job.
Now.. you see - i never wanted this. I had lots of hobbies that in time become my day job and i found out that most of the time - the job killed the passion in me.
BUt.. it was a nice challenge - and i wanted to take on it - but.. Diana was comming and.. as usual .. things are not comming out simply - life is tearing you appart.
So... while in the small trip trough the country - i started doing the illustration.
The designer i wqas working on sent me great demands - asking me to mix characteristics form several known faces... and he heavily art directed the whole job. By the end of it was sick of hearing him "they are not the same style" and i went on and set almost the same color paletten, same brushwork, same ligh style.. just to please the ambitious guy.
As the storie requires a twist.. all this work.. will not be featured in the final game :)
Why - actors were hiered for the cutscenes that had no resemblance with the characters we made up.

So.. without other blah blah - here is my first commercial/professional work.

The Spy Girl - first version. Initially started by Dariz.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/NDA/Emilly_20070125v3_1200sat.jpg

Teach - wingman - the veteran - father figure
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/NDA/Teach_20070209v1wash.jpg

Cowboy - the young, reckless but very tallented wingman.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/NDA/Cowboy_20060129v2_640.jpg

Max - Archenemy!
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/NDA/max_20070121v01_1200b.jpg

Von Kluge - The evil mastermind.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/NDA/General_20060209v2.jpg

The spy girl - last version.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/NDA/Emilly_20070128v2_640.jpg


and .. Matthew
now... i don;t really want to be in the game. But... this one ended up like me trough a funny story.
While i was working with a known acter as reference and some poeple got behind me and said - are you doing your self portrait again?
HUH?
i got scared - like - what if .. every portrait that i'm doing.. ends up like a self portrait?
BUt after even more people came to duscuss the drawings i was working on.. they cam eto the conclusion that.. the actor looked like me .. and while i was traying to modify his features to turn him into someone new... why not.. tunr the whole thing into.. me? I was in a sort of time crisis and i was most familiar with my face. It shounded like a good ideea. So i went for it - i am an actor after all (graduated that school)
:) So this is Matthew... played by Andrei Fantana
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/NDA/Mathew_20070208watercolorwash.jpg

[Coinpurse]

seen the first one, haven't seen the second clip.
Thanks for the links sir! great updates, ashamed of myself...
Haven't checked your SB out sooner, keep it up!

[hurricane]

hey buddy!
nice portraits!

i hop eyou're doing fine!
cheers

[Jason Manley]

well done sir...your self portrait and the figure studies are strongest to me...I am proud of how far you have come...it is a long road!!! keep it up!

[scarlet]

AWESOME!!! I love the final portrait of the spy girl.

XXXXXXXXX

d.

[trevor]

wow way to surprise us out of nowhere!
love the still lifes and figure work!

[velinov]

There is a really eye catching stuff, man! Keep it up! :)

[Dominus]

ALL CRAP! :D

i like this one (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/WhiteStudy5_011_cr.jpg)

[Reika]

Salut, fratioare :D Progresul tau este sursa de inspiratie ^^ Just wanted to drop by and wish you unquenched thirst for art!

[Chymo]

Excellent stuff! It's an inspiration to see just how far you've come since your early days. Threads like this breath life and hope into a new digital artist. Thanks Oblio.

[Liam Harvey]

i had no idea someone could just change their path in life so easily!
that amount of determination is really inspiring to say the least, your art manages to be even more inspiring.

i'm picking my jaw up from the floor now and going back to school work and drawing now.

-GF

[Sickbrush]

hehe better and better.
good job frate

[warpy]

its realy cool seeing stories accompanied with all of this. keep on going!

[thirdeye]

Nice portraits and figure studies :) Great to watch your growth as an artist :)

[kaktuzlime]

Wow Oblio! You've gotten much better! Wonderful progress and keep up the great work^^.

[Chermilla]

I love that last portrait, the expression on his face is so funny.

Cx

[aIexander]

nice thread
felicitari pentru progres si vointa
numai bine :)

[m0uS3r]

hehe like the last one hehe ... changing vectors :))))

chrhhhrhhhhhh ....:)) nice man keep on posting like ya stuff

[Oblio]

here's a small update.
check out the game "Blazing Angels2"
6ZCcNpACfdU

and here are few more sketches - nothing really finished.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/NDA/cowboy20070606v4sml.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Env1.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/oblio_icedruid5WIP.jpg http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/cubecast9.jpg

tribute to Glen. ran out of time
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/victory_gals6-1.jpg

oh ... and i started a photo thread. http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1415002#post1415002
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/offroad/25_baiului.jpg



thx for looking.

[Hive_minD]

Oblio... I'm ashamed :(
I've seen you in the forums several times, but I have never visited you SB! please forgive me!
Your drawings are great, and you have come so far already! Inspiring indeed... thank you for sharing, I'm hoping for more, soon

Chris

[Guilemo]

This is a fantastic journey. I find joy in watching you progress. You have improved so much. Your style is so unique and nice! I really like the nazi portraits. I am amazed how you get them to look somewhat evil. Do you use less saturated and darker colours on the "evil" fellows, and more saturated and light colours on the "good" fellows?

You have so nice use of colours in your paintings :)

I have actually learned a lot from this thread. I now start to do a self portrait every day, and I'll also try to copy some of the old master painting. I think I can learn a great deal from it.

Your work is so inspiring!

Just a dumb question?
Do you work for massive black? :)

Best
Henning

[spartiate]

Frate,
este foarte frumos.
Lots of inspiration and good work^^ Love it

[AmontilladoAg]

Sweet progress bein' made in this SB, man :)

That last pic of "spy girl" pwns the world!... and I really like your tribute to Gangus, too.

Keep crankin' out the super art, Oblio; don't ever stop. :teeth:

[rdsarna]

SUPERB WORK HERE!!
Want more..........

[Shpow.Iain]

You've got a really keen understanding on things!

Maybe a little more scenery?

[D@niel]

Blaizing Angels 2 looks FANTASTIC! Realy amazing progression in your SB, a real inspiration!
MY SB http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=100235

[Diphallia]

That Victory Gal moved my heart somehow.
Almost as much as "help my son, Ted"
Glen Angus will always be remembered.

BA2 sounds like a great fun, gonna check it out!
Great arts! Nothing to critisize.

[Oblio]

quick SP. few minutes ago.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sp1797_002.jpg

thank you all for being here. i will try to come up with more scenery and to take on your advice. i really missed drawing - i focused a lot of photography.. i'm working on building the sets and the props for my next series of photos. ;)

[DanielC]

Cool stuff sir !

[DARIZ]

It looks good. Realy. Nice colors and layout. Ya need to finish it!

[Bojee]

Amazing progress, thanks for posting these. :)

[Oblio]

Thanks all. I have some more things to scan - soon i hope.
Here's a thing i did today. It's Rada (more photos will be in the photo thread)
She had a haircut and i had to spend some time to adjust to her new face.
I don't have too much experience with girl portraits so i thought it's good practice.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/4b11a67e.jpg

Here is the Miner's Daugher CHOW that i turned with few strokes into .. The RapeFairy :) ANd my friend Sun.. doing the DJ - portrait from life - the rest.. just doodling.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/6bddec2f.jpg http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/CubeSun_rob.jpg

[AphexTweak]

What a journey you have lead me on... Inspirational to say the least. I remember the early years of this site... unfortunately I spent them lurking instead of working (glad that has since changed)... its amazing to see your progress over that time... thanks for sharing your art journey and giving us some glimpses into your life as well. Much respect to your dedication... keep it up.

[Autumnal Dream]

fantastic works... really inspiring. Keep at it! :D

[Mark Bot]

wow, your economic use of strokes really gives a lot of emotion to your works.

[ikuru]

that last girl portrait is soo cool, you went up more than a notch lately! respect!

[naomiful]

great work

i can definitely see some stuff here you overworked and put too much thought as opposed to the ones like the last post where things are simpler and easy to read

yay ^_^

[DARIZ]

the portrait is realy cool. The rest is still to sketchy. Some hands studys would be good to see too. Keep drawing.

[Oblio]

International Day Of Self Portrait - one of the happenings i am happy i initiated few years ago.
Here is the 1 nov - 2007 collection
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108950

and for the record - the 1 Nov 2006
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=80183

now...

Here is mine.. and a hat drawing i did yesterday.

Thank you all for your comments.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_1nov_07.jpg

foto ref.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/hat2_sml.jpg
from life.

big hug - thx for stopping by!

[Blaz]

Hello there!
The portrait in post #153 is amazing! Really loving the colors.
Tremendous progress with portraits in last 3 updates! :)

Keep updating!

~blaž

[DARIZ]

ouch...that's something

[toubab]

just awesome work!:)

i love it ! they give the desire to practice again and again! :)

[stalsby]

Wow those last few are really nice man! The Rada one is beautiful! I see you are improving quickly!! keep it up friend!

[chr!z]

Yeah! Nice one! The selfpic is alsow damn kewl.
Its interesting to see you improving.

[Justin.]

Hey Andrei


thought you should see... highest rated thread in history?


Keep posting!! I love watching your progress as well. You really got your likeness in this last one! =) goofy hat too

[Oblio]

Hi hi - thank you all.

Justin - that thread's value is set by the great portraits inside - all of you who participated. Meanwhile my own SB lost one star. :)
care about getting better at art.. not at gaining stars :)
Thank you for stopping by. Maybe i'll see you all in Seattle. ??

[The7Artist7]

Hey - just wanted to say your progress is awesome - you certainly had some talent to begin with but it's so inspiring to see your progress and willingness to learn! your art is a joy to browse through - full of life and 'flow'

Keep up the good work - never loose that energy :D

[Reika]

:jawdrop: i am totally in awe and in love with your most recent self portrait. ive been staring at it for the past 10 minutes :D absolutely mind boggling. keep at it, bro

[thirdeye]

Hello bro' I already replied in my thread but I have to say something here too. It's great to see that you're too still drawing,painting and from what I can see, you skills have improved incredibly. Keep it going! :)

[Oblio]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/applecopy.jpg

Here i go again. In the middle of LMS round one.. i'm up agianst BIG guns. I'll name just Dave Palumbo althought there are more sharp knifes in Match 55 then i can handle.
My firts try at the subject.. doesn't seem like a winner now.. so.. before i take my chance again against them all... i squize more things randomly done.

The apple is done at the office - lunchbreak.
SP\s and a silly sketch.. no ideea why i post it. I guess becouse i don;thave anything like this here.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/SP_SML.jpg http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sktch5.jpg

I did this last night.
Corina - The Submersible Cat - :ilaekae:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/74aabc90.jpg


[ edit ] - adding the robo'

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/robochapa_v5sml.jpg

Thx for looking.

[Silvi~e.]

Hmmmm I like like the colors in your last works:)
Bravo be!

[Kliment]

MMMMMM ... i'lll eat you alive!!!!

[Raul-Reznek]

keep rockin my friend, keep rockin!

[Alexandr Pascenko]

beautiful and vivid colours in here , digin these portraits more often from now on.
did you painted the hat ref before going to the sp?
thnx for sharing this.

[Salavin]

I have enjoyed looking through all your work here. Simply amazing and inspirational! I look forward for more to come!

[JadeDragon]

Great paintings! Really nice faces...very inspirational. :mittenbop:

Well done!~~~Patrick

[AztcFireFlower]

Your work progress is inspiring.
The life stuff is impressive. This one has a great sense of atmosphere. You did an awsome job in capturing the lighting.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/WhiteStudy5_011_cr.jpg

This quik sketch is so fresh. Alot of character in the gaze.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sp1797_002.jpg

Nice sketchbook. Will be watching this one.

[Draniel]

I like the way you use color on your protraits :)

[kaktuzlime]

5 Stars, if it matters ;)

[mccatana]

sa ne traiesti...si nu am stiut ca ai inceput sa desenezi(te rog sa ma ierti dar am ratacit o vreme)
pe vremea cind ne'am cunoscut la "the2project" aveai altele pe cap

[theUNKNOWNsketcher]

wooho
great progress...
i guess impossible is nothing!

:yayca:

[SPACEMOD]

wow. such a remarkable progress you have made. your work is amazing. keep up the good work:^^:

[Mitchell]

that girl portrait in post 153 is great! as well as the apple study. I remember meeting you breifly in Montreal, funny guy. Hope you're doing well!
-mitch

[Reika]

Hi bro! The apple looks very life like, nice job with the browns on the green there. It sure seems like your having fun with your sp's :D good studies; I really like the colors in the girl's portrait. and the ladybug is a killer... please post more soon :hugsmile:

[yoitisi]

Just stopping by to say your sketchbook is a great read, heights and lows together. Always inspiring to find people who have a hard time in life and still find time and spirit to get better at drawing and art. The progress in here is amazing.

I'll keep an eye out for updates :)

[Oblio]

Well.. it's been a while.
I'm really busy lately - it's sunday morning and i'm at the office. I have so many projects in my head and so little time - i'm constanlty frustrated.
Thank you so much for passing here and dropping a line or two.
I'm posting a little of the LMS entry - i had the pelasure of a great match (55) with really amazing artist.

It was a real trip for me - i never thought i'll do somethig more then a study and here i was.. wondering what would i want to say for the "Underneath it all"

At first I wanted to go for a portrait of Freud or Jung.

Then i remembered a nice talk i had with a friend.. that found the biggest secret of all. One that we all know.. and still keep secret. Each of us.. is the center of the universe. And another friend cam with the pig and baby deer as a joke... and so i tried to take that.. mix it all in my head and start painting.
It' snot doen yet.. nto finished. I've recently made a print test and i have to stare at it a bit more to see what really desnt work.
All feedback is appreciated as i will have to finis it and print it and hang it in my room as my first painting :)

Thx again for dropping by.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/OBLIO_LMS3_SML2.jpg

Detail (50%)

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Detail.jpg

final composition
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/composition.jpg

sort of progress.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Oblio_Progress_LMS.jpg

[Reika]

:jawdrop: Please excuse me while I pick my jaw up from the floor.... Amazing, no crits.. I'm baffled.. I have no words.. and so many questions yet :P I love the way you handle brush strokes, I love the composition, I love the idea("Each of us.. is the center of the universe."), and I agree with it! The universe in me salutes the universe in you! _/\_

Give us more :D

[yoitisi]

Great update :) The pig really looks great, I like the way you set up the texture with those brushstrokes. That little WIP with setting up the reference is quite funny actually, never did it that way myself.

My biggest crit though would be that the compositions could use more work. When looking at the composition figure and comparing that to the actual piece I think several things could be a bit stronger. Right now, the curve you laid out in the 'final composition' piece (I think its called a 'windmill' right?) doesn't really fit with the actual image itself. The more I looked at it, the more I found the composition is actually more of a closed circle with the backs of the pig and deer as its outline, which guides the eye around and around without a real pause. Breaking this circle up here and there would really focus the attention to more specific points. For example, if you shift the head of the deer a bit higher so its closer to the 1/3 point you set out this will break up the circle. Also, changing the position of the body of the deer so the torso follows the windmill schematic a bit better would probably help. A last thing that might help is to expand the canvas a bit to the right, so the mouth of the pig falls on the same spot as the start of the compositionary focuspoint. Just my 2 cents :)

[Giorge]

Super Tare, I really didn't to find one of my brothers, wit such exquisite work, Tully one of the best there is , If there is one word for all your hard work , it’s FABULOUS!!! Esti un model pentru noi toti ^^

[Hive_minD]

Love the latest.
Brush strokes are fab. Is it pallet knife in Painter?

Chris

[ruuhkis]

Very nice progress, I really like the recent painting. Reminds me that I should go and figure out the science of composition...
Have your 5th star :) Keep it up dude!

[copperfire]

dude, awesome stuff, you get better every post :D post more!!!

[Oblio]

Reika - Thank you girl. You make me blush. Now.. go work your art a bit more. ;)

Yoitisi - Awsome fedback. I'm currently changing it accordingly - i'll try new composition and post it back. Thank you.

Flamable - Thx. man. Keep'em comming!

Hive MinD - Yes Loaded Knife and Smeary one. I use and Art Pen from Wacom to control the strokes.

Doyle - Yeeeee - thank you! Happy monkey here now :)

Copperfire - thx.

I didn;t painted anything since LMS - so LAME - yet SO much work on other .. fields :)
I felt bad for not drawign in such a long time and i remembered i wanted to surprise Dan.
In Seattle at Revelation workshop he did my portrait - it was a nice journey traveling with it home. I also have Cody there...
Anyway, today's lunch break i started a doodle - i took reference one of Dan's photos made by Daniel Setterstrom (canphoto.se) and fooled with some brushes i choose sort of random in painter.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/DanDosSanTos_5_SML.jpg

I need to clean it and all... too messy :(

[Timmy the Turtle]

Really cool stuff here! You can see the progress witch each and every post :D Keep it up!!! :D Ar fi nice si niste chestii "traditionale", though :D

[Clochette]

I really admire your work! I'm quite sure I've already seen some of your pics on BlueFlip Art, do I'm right or I'm high?
Your photo thread is excellent too!

[GiantRibot]

your progress was fantastic, and seemingly quick!

what's your secret? becuase, frankly, i'm on a crash course myself to getting good.

just wow, though.

[Seage]

wow....What a change from page 1- 7!
I LOVE SB's...seriously.

[tensai]

that pig painting is simply beautiful man. great colours and brushwork. if you're still looking for spots to adjust i'd think about adding slightly more contrast to the pigs eyes but i love it the way it is.

[Salavin]

I loved how the Fibbonachi spiral works so well in this piece! ♥

[Giorge]

Last one came out really cool , very artistic look although the light brown on the shoulder and neck , kinda breaks the image , i see you almost went into detail on the nose ... anyways ... weer waiting , post some more , lets see what your worst enemy will comes up with. Cheers

[Oblio]

helo all,
tank you so much for the comments.
It's been a while since i got around here. I'm really bussy with other stuff.
I've got a new version of the piggy up there btu i don;t have it on me now for upload.
In the meantime i decided to try and paint my car - after few tries i got this:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sidework_sell.jpg
detail
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/sidework_sell_detail.jpg

And before going to a print-shop to put it all on the car i decided to sell the old lady so... it was all for nothing :)

Doodle:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/TerraNeko_color_FULL_sml.jpg

EDIT:

live painting session
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/final-cotidian_sml.jpg

[Oblio]

Also i wanted to try something technicall and since i was in need of a concept i tried my hand at this:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/planeV6.jpg

i hope to be able to unveil more about this later.
the bike is a photo (run out of time). the rest is painted

Thx again for comments.

[mentler]

Glad To See
You Doing
Well On Your
Journey

!5 BONES!

[Hive_minD]

I'm super interested how you went about on the F-16. Loving the feel and colours!

Chris

[yoitisi]

Can't wait to see what you did with the pig-piece :)

I like the painting on the car, shame you sold it before applying it. It's different than most graphic stuff on cars, though the Alien Invader detail is a bit too strong compared to the rest of it maybe.

Again, in that F16 piece I love how you create texture and direction with your brushstrokes. Keep an eye on the perspective and proportions though, several of the elements don't really align with each other, and the cockpit is rather large.

[Kan Muftić]

nice stuff, loved the lms entry.

[Oblio]

i'm just throwing this in - i did it last night while at some friends.
I'm a bit ashamed of what comes out of me - i still wonder why this unballance - i am so more troubed as i don;t see the image as too grotesque and such (and i know it is... but well.. it might be just a CA personality disorder :) )
I'll get back and answer your comments - add more images about the plane and the pig thing as soon as i get steady :)
:oneye:
NOT WORK SAFE (sort of elephant small nudity bellow)

there was no intention - i just started doodling to please my friends - i'm not sure i did... the message also came just natural and now i wonder what i ment. Pff.. sleep is always messing my past :)

[zweiDee]

your colorwork are always beautyfull, the Jet Fighter is one of my fav's.

[Liam Harvey]

wow, vey beautiful stuff, do you mind if i ask what brush you tend to use in your digital work? i've been trying to figure it out but i cant.

(i understand there are many brushes and that you may not have a "regular" brush for preference.)

[Vagabonda]

Great arts you havvee!!

[Giorge]

God damn elephant man :), the plane came out really nice. Chiar ti-ai facut masina asha sau e facut in photoshop?

[Nightblue]

looking through the entire sketchbook, your progress is utterly amazing. It's also immensely inspiring to see how you decided to make your first steps and then run with it. Keep posting!

[agentouchie]

well, you basically own. just goes to show what one can achieve when one is dedicated. you can even see improvement from month to month - way to go, this is both inspiring and depressing! har.

[staticpen]

Wow, man, some really great stuff in here! Question: what are the settings on that palette knife tool you use so much? Its application in the pig/fawn painting really caught my eye.

[iatriki]

the one with the pig is awesome. your skillz are getting better and better! keep it up!

[EKOes]

the pig are great! I very like the brush stroke, dinamic!

[Oblio]

hello all,

sorry for not updating this. i'm super bussy working on a game.. not anounced yet... as for now still suepr fun to work on.
I don;t draw too much lately - not enough time. I try to get a study now and then late in the evenings or during lunchbreaks.

about brush - it's ussualy palette knife - smearing and loaded. default params. usint the ArtPen from wacom though for rotation.

i try not to use that brush now - i want to try different thing so the studies are mostly done with other brushes. Oil, Oil Pastel, ink.. so on.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/afantana/SKx707ru-EI/AAAAAAAAAlE/4U5hRUrRByA/s800/Daily_01sml.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/afantana/SMV1NuM0htI/AAAAAAAAAx0/-RDXkrLw9FI/s800/Daily_14.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/afantana/SLxWOx1jsOI/AAAAAAAAAus/Ht8ngY69Pyc/s800/Daily_012sml.jpg
i hate how this one came out. i'll try to do it again.

try to make this not to look like shit.. damn hard. now it's too woodie.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/afantana/SK8pwtPfDYI/AAAAAAAAAm8/fU0NIcUZukg/s800/Daily_03_sml.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/afantana/SLNLtYqvmJI/AAAAAAAAAp8/FeVAFOQoDaI/s800/Daily_06_sml.JPG

It's not anything important - just to keep me out of rust.
thank you all for the comments and the visits.

[Dominus]

ti-a iesit bine covrigul, chiar daca seamana cu un penis :D
si mana aia e frumoasa ;)

[Giorge]

They look nice , the bagel two don't know why you worry about it, didn't know they had those kind of bagel's in the US, anyway. Cant wait to see what game are you working on now , cheers. ^^

[Dished]

thats awesome oblio ! nice seeing your work! hope all is well :)


dished

[HunterKiller_]

Looking good dude.
Take care.

[Feil Magnus]

I love your boiling machine, wonderfull design in this pic.

[Oblio]

another Nov. 1st.
Over 160 Self Portratis.
Huge thanks to all who participated.
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=139827
There is a gift in the middle of the thread ;)

It's a wakeup call every time.
I remember when i really struggled to make a study - measure everything - i wanted to make a real copy of what i was seing in the mirror.
Then.. my friend Jim comes around:

- Heh.. it' sfunny how you see yourself.."
- What do you mean? I made a study... it's ment to be a copy of what is in the mirror.
- No man... you don't look like that at all.

So.. will i ever capture how others see me ?
Here's my contribution - i just liquified it now - without reference - as someon said again - it doesn;t look like you, unless.. offcourse .. the haircut :D
Initially - mirror reference, Painter X, Photoshop.. and some hours.
It' the kind of work that shifts under your eyes - i put some worrk on the nose only to notice the eyes are off - work the eyes.. now the nose is off again.. then.. wait. maybe the chin is wrong.. or.. did i just moved again...?
THe result is not that important- i don;t care if it looks like me or not... not even if it's clean, proper, good proportions, colors, values .. etc.
The ride was good enough.
See you all next year.

[warpy]

fvck you are good heh

[luismbf]

hi sir first i must say im quite new on this forum and i also want to thank you for sharing your experience and effort. Your evolution is very inspiring and it also gave pleasure to read your sketchbook. I also want to add that i really liked your 1 november 2008 portrait (and the thread initiative of course! it really slaped my face to back off a bit from imagination and confront myself in front of a mirror with a blank paper). I wanted to ask you something also i saw a photo of your studio and you said something about that a5 wide intuos is it really that big ? it seams more like an a4 sorry for this dumb question i still own a old wacom volito a6 and it seams much bigger in size in my comparison :X
Keep going sir!

[SAGIR]

Awesome portraits, I especially dig your use of brushes, tons of inspiration there!

[Ashab]

great understanding of light and I love how graphic some of your work looks, well done mister

[Okmer]

Amazingly inspiring!!!Some great evolution there and your last autoportait really rocks!

[DStraX]

cool stuffs!

[Giorge]

Excellent work , i don't want to sound like a :asskisser: but , it came out good, and your are right , you can't make your self portrait of how others see you , but your representation of yourself is like a window in to the world of you. Funny story about how others see you , i remember a guy was drawing a few of his friends ( including me ) and one of the characters came and started arguing about the character that represented her and how it didn't look anything like her. Now that's wrong, you can't mess with another person's imagination and view , sometimes its a joy to see how you appear in the eyes of others. Good or bad.

[Oblio]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

warpy - you have no ideea how bad i am in fact. I'm so far from where i want to be :(

luismbf - thanks man. hope to see you on Nov. 1st next year too. I hope i'll get soem time to post some more and write more too. The Wacom is an A5 wide - the wide factor is deceiving there. A4 is bigger. I use the wide to have a better match with my laptop's screen.
My studio changed, laptop changed too...
At work i still use a Graphire2- i love it.

SAGIR - thx man. i'll try to use some other brushes.let's see what comes out of that.

Ashab - well.. i still need to work my values. thank you. let's hope i'll be able to do better.

Okmer - thx man. Love your SB.

DStraX - thx.

flamable - SP's are tricky. and always will remain a favorite for me.

Here are some quick things i did in lunchbreaks or so.
various references.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SRrjJ8nS8fI/AAAAAAAABPk/kCiRpmmJOYI/s640/Daily_revenge_02bSML.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SPyP8IMzWcI/AAAAAAAABCo/Kso5tqIKASE/SuperFlo.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SR2BndGYDDI/AAAAAAAABQ0/dtApDPwXq4c/s640/Daily_revenge_04sml.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SSQ0CmxxBdI/AAAAAAAABW4/w53LX8Zm51k/s640/Ndaily_1c.JPG
this one is from life.. at a ball.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SQxgnC86l6I/AAAAAAAABI0/capd5nat8f4/s912/ramayana4%20copy.jpg
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SSXJdXpNyBI/AAAAAAAABZI/bL19mW6OM9o/s640/Todayly_01_006sml.jpg

[Oblio]

First time it was deja vu.
She was as always half asleep on the way to school, leaning her forehead on the bus window when the other car passed in the opposite direction.
In the window of the other bus her reflection doubled.
The next day she played with her reflection until her shadow merged with the rain trails and formed a rabbit...
Nice weather, no? said the rabbit.

The regular opposite bus makes his pasing fast. She barely managed to notice that her reflection was looking on the wrong direction.
Weird.
She was tiered... needing sleep.
Eyes closed she talked in her head with all the people in the bus - finding out all their stories. People are not that bad. Students rock.
She will punish her reflection tomorrow starring at the window no matter how many busses will cross....

Weekend came... no school, no bus... no window... no reflection...
She forgot about it until the forehead told her Monday morning - brr the window is cold... again.
It's decided: she will look for the other bus.
The bus arrived... and for a split of a second she saw herself in the other bus... with her forehead on the window.
There was no doubt... it was really her... or someone who looks identical with her.
She was so freaked out the next day... looking for the purple bus...
Her heart was so small... the bus was getting closer.. and...
...
Both busses stopped - the traffic was such that her widow came right in place with the window she was aiming for in the purple bus.
She looked at her copy... perfect... the copy was amazed too... it was such a moment... she doesn't remember anything else from that day...
…
Next day... she looked again... big starring eyes on both windows... moving away the copy... smiled...
Couldn't remember anything else of that day either...
Next day she mounts in the bus to go to school... eyes meet... time stops... time runs again... and then at destination, she gets off the bus... she was... home.
It was still morning... she left for school - she remembers that much... yet... the bus brought her home. She tries to ask the driver but... the bus is gone and... it's purple.

She dials her own number... and her voice sais - i cant talk right now.. i'm having class. i'll call you later.

later she only receives a message:
"i'm sorry about all this - it's because i'm in love... all the quantics... the infinities of us... i had to skip over one of us. Is all a bit messy - but... all the numbers are right now - you will love too... starting tomorrow. I'm go glad for all of us. Good bye."

The next day... she was going to school... remembering nothing of this - she was just thinking about her lover... someone she only remembers about... it feels like she never met him... like a love from the internet and it will take her whole life to see him again... but she loves him... and she will stick to this window of the bus every day until the bus will take her to that world and she will be able see him again. What's the difference if he's oceans away or dimensions apart?

Then suddenly she heard his voice... right in her head "i love you too, freako"

The end.

[FloydSlater]

HI !!!!!!!!!:girl: :girl: :girl:

Huge thanks to all who participated.

[Natzuur-JK]

from first page to last page, i must say, you've come a looooonnnggg way. Awesomeness.

[FloydSlater]

HI..:sungod: :sungod: :sungod:

thanks to all to participate in this.

[Oblio]

Updates for the year:


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SVDG-uvntjI/AAAAAAAAB_8/oH-ybEy-Zqg/HappyHolidaysAF.jpg
sketches:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SUaXCSqDqAI/AAAAAAAAB6g/Wk7TxrVHryU/sktch_SML.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SUuYbKlQC5I/AAAAAAAAB8U/PVAsHMUSO5s/s640/RoxyToxy_03sml.JPG
Roxana

and a story...
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SUaXBY1z9zI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/VNCzfoxJ_aQ/s640/ALEMILK.JPG

It was a bad day for Milk. The warm morning started to show some marks on his tan and the Jazz concert he was listening to… surely altered time. It was in fact the theme of his study: "we can alter time if we really manage to change our internal rhythm" and the Jazz was the perfect method for it.

He was sick… way too much sun, way too much Jazz. Time shifted for him and the 5 minutes he was spacing out, came back to tell him that in fact they grew into 5 days.

So… there are 5 days since the cat was missing? The Jazz concert failed to bring back her waving tail… that's why there’s no question, why his insides were not feeling that good.

By God, missing someone is really a damaging business.

Concentrating on his pain, Milk went into a deep sleep we call coma. Twisted around his guts he was dreaming only of the cat and her joyful figure. It’s strange how cats don’t have the anatomy to be sad. Surely… they try and we see some effort but they’re still just cats. As he wakes up, the cat is next to him.

She’s not sleeping, she’s not eating, she’s all wet and dirty and she seems in pain. Just like he was feeling.

Have his thoughts twisted her reality too? It seemed impossible... the Jazz concert was over.

Without saying a word he gets of the bed and starts to dress up. He’ll go to work and will not ask her a thing... if she feels like it... the cat will talk, will tell him everything, will love him again.

He could see on the expressions of all the colleagues he met that he wasn’t in his best shape. Everyone was looking at him like all of a sudden he was born malformed, suffered a severe burn on his face or just lost a limb, as having disabilities. They were acting accordingly, masking their attitude, trying not to stare too much.

Is my love … my disability? People treat me hopelessly.

He went back home, the cat was faking it too. She was acting like nothing happened, just like a disabled person tries to act normal.

Milk was hoping initially that she will burst open and confess, that the pain she was covering was meant to be remorse, to be out of love for him to turn into medicine for them both.

But the cat never speaks her most intimate echoes. The cat’s anatomy can’t let her burst into tears.

The cat is faking every color of her fur and every sun ray in her eye.

It was a bad day for Milk. With a sad smile, he kissed the cat on her little pink nose, took his jacket and went out.

In the Jazz bar, Milk was trying to shift time in the other direction, shrinking hours in shot glasses, drinking his guts out.

If the cat would come after him, pick him up, drunk as he was, telling him – “Come home you idiot”… it would be a nice story... right?

But cats changed. It was a bad day for Milk.

[Dengan]

Wow. Checked out your sketchbook and you have totally inspired me. I've been depressed for a few days after having to end my relationship with my girlfriend, I've been trying to draw to snap out of it but couldn't get any inspiration. But You totally inspired me. Keep up the good work man, I shall keep the lines coming and keep improving just like you. much love

[Kfeeras]

AWE fuckin SOME, oblio!! Really! Your last SP really makes me want to do some of me again. Thanks for showing your progress and improvement!

-antonio

[maeshanne]

nice work, i see a lot of improvement.
i like your brush strokes and use of colour

[alicelefay]

wow....it's amazing to see how far you have arrived...many gratz!
I really wish you a creative 2009! ^_^

[lewiston]

Oblio I like so many things about you. Your art is definately the biggest part of these. Great work you do.
However, I had to smash this one on my desktop. It is just spectacular. I'm not sure if I should make it, cause its a bold statement, but I think it is probably my favorite artwork on conceptart.org so far - I sure haven't seen everything on these forums, but - ah fuckit - This is pice is superdelicious...


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/WhiteStudy5_011_cr.jpg

[Farvus]

Yeah. I gotta agree with lewiston here. That painting is one of the coolest from you. There's lots of movement and solidity in it. The one with the bus has great colors and reflections.
Just do more imagination stuff so that you can use all your observations :).

Cheers.

[Oblio]

Oh boy - i don;t know what to say. Thank you all.
I guess it's time for me to finish that one too :)
Thank you all for visiting my dusty SB. I work a lot these days so my time for painting is really gonne.
I managed to do some photos lately, some writting (i'm not happy with) and well.. a lot of work on the game we're doing - that involves all my skills :)
I will update on that as soon as i can say a thing or two.
In the meantime - here are some doodles i did in coffeshops with a friend of mine fighting over the pencil. Let me.. no let me... i have an ideea... wait.. i know... etc. She's great.

I tried to color them - it's another area for me. I had a lot of fun.

The afro-snail
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Melc_02_AlinaSpatariuAfantana.jpg

And the bearded snail
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/afantana/Melc2_002.jpg

the rest of the story is here
http://afantana.blogspot.com/:left: :^^;:

i decided not to bother you with stories and other stuff not related to drawing/painting etc. so i put them all there.

and ehre are some doodles i did some live painting on new years eve at a ver nice party. Good people. Nice times.
The theme was space realted.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SXxHUHaT7bI/AAAAAAAACOE/zky14DiaCYk/s640/Univ_sml.jpg
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SXxHVeCE98I/AAAAAAAACOM/M7cHslzRqDw/s640/Univ_First_2k9_sml.jpg
and Dolphins too.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/SXxHT43WtjI/AAAAAAAACN8/owKu22ZEMKI/s640/SpaceFin_001sml.jpg

[Cam Sykes]

These live paintings are really charming. Seems the mood of the party really settled into the art.

[Farvus]

Hey. As usual I love the colors in your updates. You also seem to be strongly influenced by Android but in a good way, I think. It became intrgral part of your art. Graphical shapes blend well with more painterly brush strokes.

As for the stories. I'm impressed thay you manage to write them in english beacause it's not your native language (or I could be wrong :) ).

Cheers.

[Oblio]

Dusting off my mirror was probably the most refreshing thing i've ever done in one of my birthdays. Removing your own dead skin from the mirror is a great way to approach a self portrait.
The underlight was just to set myself a challenge.
It got pretty late and i couldn't finish but the experience was lovely.
Boy, it feels goot to draw.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_urQ8HK5AcgE/Sgn9GkuEStI/AAAAAAAADEg/ryQQ01abTHo/s800/12maiSP_011sml.JPG

i was super bussy lately - this project is getting all my time... but i love it.

[Dished]

Oblio! that SP is awesome man! love the colors on the afro snail too hehe, hope all is well with you !

[Giorge]

Hey , looks finished to me man , but lol , now Ive just noticed that your hairstyle is similar to mine (or mine to yours) , jeeesuussss chirst , hahahah , damn! *There can be only one ....!*
anyway , you look like you gained some weight , nanana wha' cha' been doing ...
I just saw that the European workshop will be in Köln ... hope to catch you there ... being busy and all , see ya!

[GriNGo]

Fucking kick ass SP. Update this sucker will you?¿? Hey, and what do you mean by first CA student? Where you the first Atelier student?