I'll have about 3 things going up soon, I want to finish this xmas picture for my girl (yea, a little late, I know) before I post them all. That, a painting for my mom, and a quick painting exercise of everyone's favorite character!

Soon!

Oh yea, happy new year!

I see Kendra registered, OMGHAI! I want to make something for you and Brett, tell me what!

This will be quick, I have work to do on Christmas pics.

Majority of this image was done with the standard photoshop Charcoal brush, wish some tweaking done on my brush setting myself. This is pretty much the brush I do everything with now, I feel that it works very well. I initially started using the brush from a suggestion out of ImagineFX magazine (which I love... I need a links box come to think of it) from Marko Djurdjevic. In the tutorial from him, he says he uses the same brush for mostly everything.

I started with a couple rough sketches, mostly just quick doodles to figure out what I wanted to do. After that I went ahead and took it into photoshop and redrew it, taking the best parts of the sketches. I'll try to remember to preserve my sketch layer on the next few images so I can toss it up here. Once I was satisfied with the sketch I blended out some colors off to the side and then just started tossing them on top of the sketch. I like to work only on one layer, I think it simplifies things, and that's how it is in the real world. After I had a few plates of metal done, I felt the color scheme was working well and I just kept going.

Doing the blue on the other side was a relatively late decision, because I didn't want to do another fiery side of majik. I went with a cool blue, flowy look instead of flame. I really enjoy how it came out, especially twining around the runed blocks I put into it. There I actually worked on 2 layers, first making the blue flowing majik and then drawing the rune blocks on top of that on a separate layer. Once I was finished I merged it all together and did some highlighting with a soft airbrush.

The text is "Fires of Ysgard" I believe that's the name anyway. The text came broken up like stone, and from there I tried to link the letters together with their side's majik color.

Thats about it!

Ok, me and blove figured out how to increase the header size, now I just need to recreate my header image and resize the logo!

I'm excited for it to not look like ass!

6:00pm - Wow, it looks so much better. I'd rather the logo be even bigger, but that may be a bit too much :)

Plate is pretty full right now with art to be made for gifts, although I'll be posting it all up here when I finish them. They should look pretty awesome framed up and all. I am making a sci-fi couple picture for my parents, a above-the-bed picture for my fiancee, and some kind of picture for my grandmother (haven't quite figured out what I want to do with that one yet).

Once the season is over, I will probably have the first issue/script of the blog-style sequential art done (I'll have some time whilst I'm out of town as well to plan, if I don't just play xbox the whole time anyway), so I can get started on that.

Sigh, I suppose I'll need to do something with this site as well since my header image came out looking like balls... maybe I can get my boss to take a look at that header area and see if we can make it bigger.

I'll post up Christmas images here when I get done, its shaping up to be an artsy kind of weekend.

Wow.
Just wow, that is way too small at the top there.
Sigh.
I am definitely going to have to do something about that.
It is attached here, so you may see it in its full glory.

Ok, so I've only had like 3 false starts on the new header image, but I think I really have it this time. Should be up by the weekend, as long as WoW doesn't sink its claws in too deep.

Although I am level 71, CURSE YOU WoW AND YOUR TERRIBLE EMBRACE!

Shaman is level 67, that is all.

Art coming soon post 70.

Header will be done this weekend, and I will post a large version of it as well, since I have a real bad tendency to get in real close and do a lot of detail work on something that will likely not be very large at all. I get a 4.5 day weekend, so that will be amazing. I'd best get some art done, since I've been slacking and furiously leveling my shaman in WoW (57 now) to get to the real stuff (Northrend).

My fiancee and I have pretty much just been quest blasting through the Old World, since it is pointless to do any dungeons of any sort since absolutely everything will be replaced almost upon entering Outland. I remember going to Outland the first time, Hellfire didn't hold anything to immediately replace all of my BWL/Naxx gear, but the further I got in the more of those hard-fought purps I replaced. I'm sure it will be the same way in Northrend once I get there, but I didn't have too much great stuff on my old character to begin with since I kind of fell out of serious raiding a couple of years ago. It will just be more and better items for my shaman once we get out there to the frozen north.

I mocked up the characters I am going to use in the blog-graphic-novel-issue-1, so I will likely get started on that here pretty soon, although I would like to get my characters to a respectable level beforehand... we will see. The first thing to finish is the replacement for that damn blue head, which is thankfully about done.

Half-day today at w3rk, it'll be either work on the logo or nap when I get home. We'll see how I feel when I get there.

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Its there... staring into my soul with those white, milky eyes and that vicious smirk that screams my pain has yet to end.

Until I take it down and actually replace it with a real logo image, that is. I think I will be doing something moderately simple, digitally painted text that has the magic-techno vibe I love so much. I will get started on it today most likely, because the blue head doesn't really go very well with the site.

wow,
a new generation of Star Trek? Lets just hope it is better than the new generation of Star Wars.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/startrek/

These amazing artists are definitely an influence, not to mention I've loved (and beaten) every one (of the latest games).

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/18/joystiq-interview-prince-of-persia-pro...

Can't wait to play it.

Not of the emergency broadcast system.

Man that header logo looks bad right now, I need to make something to go up there.

I don't really know what I am going to do with this, but I wanted to try it out and see how it shows up on the site.

Probably will have technique details in here or something.

So I got my header up there... but I don't think this default template for drupal is doing me any favors displaying it the way I want it to.

Annoyed.

Update 11/18 : New theme... need to get header up there.

It has begun.

Just one more quest; I just want to finish this chain; oh I have to get that quest item before I quit.

Arthas is a harsh mistress indeed, however, my time in Northrend has been a pleasant one thus far. Other than higher level frost mages making my life miserable, it has been an excellent experience. No bugs so far, other than on a scripted event in the Nexus area which was fixed by relogging, and no CTDs... which is better than could be said of other games with war in the title.

And so Arthas will steal a bit more of my time I should be using to develop my art skills, I'm sure I will taper off once I get to 80... although some more art is definitely going to be posted before then. I think I've finally finished coming up with an armor design for than damn right arm, I have enough sketches to think so at least.

Gears of War 2 girl friendliness : Good on casual
Anilo hated the original GoW, I'm not sure why, but she seems to dig GoW2, which makes me happy. Casual does make it a bit easy, but thats ok; I usually just practice my Torque Bow aim anyway. Too bad it doesn't let you take a friend online with you split screen... I really hope they implement that because its one of my favorite ways to play Halo.

So as everyone who plays video games knows, the happiness-storm that is Blizzard has released their next expansion to World of Warcraft, Wrath of the Lich King. I don't have it yet, but I am also switching to a new character in the game which isn't even over level 60 yet, so theres not much point. My fiancee may or may not be hooked again, that... we will see. The launch went without a hitch, besides being 1600th in queue last night; I was very impressed.

I have Gears of War 2 hanging from my completion belt now, and I must say it was an excellent and epic experience; definitely better than the first in the story department. Yes it was filled with overblown machismo and explosive testosterone, but that is the kind of game and story it is. For what it was, it did it very well. I even have my fiancee playing through it on casual with me, believe it or not... she wouldn't touch the first gears.

I am still continuing the journey through Fallout 3, and probably will attempt to make some strides tonight through the main story. My housemate has a level 20 character and isn't even as far as me in the main story, which really shows how many side quests there are to do in the game, which is amazing. I am not a big fan of sidequests, I didn't take the time to do most of them in Mass Effect, but they are well done and compelling; I've done more in this game than most.

I will probably try to bang out a few panels of my blog-style sequential this weekend, or at least some of the conceptuals I will need to do so. I'm not going to apologize for the ridiculous headline either, because they get more traffic.

Wow, I am really impressed with Fallout3; it actually makes me want to give Oblivion a shot when I finish.

Playing it(fallout) and working on finishing Gears of War 2 campaign have kept me pretty busy. I am also trying to decide between playing Warhammer Online or going back to World of Warcraft to play casually with friends... still no decision there. I made this post on the Warhammer Alliance forum (http://www.warhammeralliance.com/) that sums up my feelings pretty accurately:
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I haven't logged in for over a week or so... and I'm not even sure if I can put my finger on why. Other than the fact I'd rather play GoW2 or Fallout3, maybe it has something to do with the combat dynamics; as in pvp I always do the same sequence, no matter what I am attacking.

My approach to fighting different classes never changes, because I don't have any options to speak of, other than spamming a 5s cooldown cleanse on myself after a BW loads me with DoTs (and usually die anyway). The PvE is the same old, which is fine, but for some reason I just don't find myself enjoying it even as much as WoW.

Theres no real REASON to hold a keep once you take it, and most of the time people don't even want to fight over it since it seems nigh impossible to take if its even pseudo-even on both sides (which is what some people want I guess); also I don't really dig one ramp up to the lords room... wheres the tactical use of entry if there is only one way up?

Scenarios are ok, but I find myself bored of them a lot faster than I ever got bored of the battlegrounds in WoW (I won't even go into how much I played them). I'd rather just go play Halo or Gears.

I am a huge Warhammer 40k fanboy, so I don't understand why I just can't get into this game. It makes me sad, because as much of a fanboy I am, how are people reacting when they don't even care about the franchise.

Haven't quit yet, but haven't played in weeks either. Sigh.
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More art on the way soon, almost have the first short blog/story/etc all sketched out, although I may need to do a couple more concepts before I start painting the real thing.

Even though I am an old man, I can still get out there and buy a game at midnight. Gears of War 2 looks great so far, although I have only managed to slaughter my way through the very first level on "hardcore" and play some of the new horde mode solo. The Unreal Engine looks even better than before, it really is amazing what the xbox hardware can do.

Fallout 3 is living up to expectation. Turning heads into a fine pink mist just doesn't get old; and this game does it in spades. Although, my fiancee does not agree with the dog killing, I do my best to avoid them. I played the first Fallout all the way through about 5 times I think, and the 2nd at least 3 times.

Blog style sequential art; we've been talking about how blogs with daily updates have much better traffic than those without. Now I doubt I can make an update every day, but I can probably put a panel up daily... once I get it all sketched and thought out first that is. Coming soon.

Also a new header graphic for up top.

A new pic of Slade done with a new technique.

Still requires more refinement to look more "painterly", but I think I am getting there.

Working on improving frightening, scary, monster things.

Is it working?

Some conceptuals for Slade.

Its kirby...

and was for my fiancee's desktop background.

Slade standing triumphantly over a slain daemon.

Color overlay over grayscale.

Slade leaps into the maw of madness.

An older painting technique.

This was a gift for our 6 year anniversary.

It looks pretty good framed in our office :)

How exciting!