Heya folks!
There was recently a contest for the superhero card game I play, to make a set of fantasy "Legend" cards for a character. A Legend is basically where you make character cards, and then support cards that refer specifically to that character ("Tap a Captain America you control"). I couldn't think of any big-name "Legendary" characters I wanted to do cards for, so I decided to be a bit goofy and pick a ridiculously obscure character instead. I eventually decided on one of the least popular X-Men ever: Maggott. :)
I needed art for the cards, but there isn't a whole lot of Maggott art in existence (for some reason, the industry's top artists don't seem to be big fans of him), so I had to whip up all the art myself. Here's what I came up with. :)
"Japheth"
(http://www.captainspud.com/workimages/japheth_big.jpg)
"Inner Void"
(http://www.captainspud.com/workimages/innervoid_big.jpg)
"Metabolize"
(http://www.captainspud.com/workimages/metabolize_big.jpg)
"Eeny and Meany"
(http://www.captainspud.com/workimages/slugs_big.jpg)
I can't take much credit for the left slug in that last one-- I took a Carlos Pacheco drawing (that I loved) and perspective-shifted it to be a bit more head-on.
So, yeah. I'm so utterly sick of drawing him now. :D
Love the art, don't get the character though. Then again I've never been much of an X-Men fan.
-MJB
He's a fairly obscure X-Men supporting character from a few years back. He was introduced by one set of X-creators, but after a few staff changes, one of the creative teams decided they hated him and wrote him out by having Beast recommend he join Generation X. The GenX staff hated him too, so he showed up for one issue and then left. He was simply spiralling around in obscurity until a few years later when another editor found himself in charge of a storyline involving a mutant detention center which was exterminating mutants, and he made sure to pencil Maggott onto the guest list to make sure he could never pop up again. That story left the possibility that one of the slugs survived, so another writer made sure later on to show it in a tank in Mr. Sinister's lab, with the implication being that it's either already been dissected, or soon to suffer that fate.
Basically, everybody at Marvel loves Maggott.
I like'em all - Inner Void is my fav and have it as my background for the week :blink:
They're niftiriffic!
This is great stuff Spud. I wish you would post more often. I particularly enjoy the fact that I can see a lot of your drawing in these pics. You draw well and should show off that fact more often. I dig the figure in the first one most. Nice lighting as well.
More please!
Quote from: Mowgli on February 26, 2008, 01:20:55 PM
This is great stuff Spud. I wish you would post more often.
I wish I drew more. ;)
Seriously... everything I draw and finish goes up here. It's just that barring special projects like this, I finish about two pictures a year.
Remember that picture I showed you six months ago that you said was "not like what I normally produce"? That's still my work-in-progress project for when I get time to draw. :)
(http://www.captainspud.com/workimages/thor.jpg)
I've had this picture of Thor trudging through the snow in my head for a few days, I just wanted to get it down on paper. Spent about two hours knocking it out tonight... it's not quite done yet. The forms on the legs aren't quite right, and I haven't "armored up" the arms and legs yet.
It looks great so far -- it's got tons of mood and ambience. The arm in front seems out of place however. To me it looks like it should be a little to the left. But that's a small quibble.
I declare it huzzah.
Caramba, Spud, that's wicked-good stuff! I'd never heard of Maggott before, but I love the characterizations. Also, the variety of textures you've mastered is impressive. :cool:
Quote from: Tortuga on February 27, 2008, 09:38:30 PM
It looks great so far -- it's got tons of mood and ambience. The arm in front seems out of place however. To me it looks like it should be a little to the left. But that's a small quibble.
I declare it huzzah.
Maybe the rotation of the right arm is a bit awkward, too? I'm no artist, but that seems to get my attention.
EC
I think the biggest problem is that he's awkwardly making a fist. I'll swap it out for an open hand at lunch today.
Fixed a bunch of small items over lunch (hammer angles, opened right hand, fixed shading on beard, shrunk helmet, adjusted posture, moved elbow and knee, etc).
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/thor_wip2.jpg)
I'll armor him up tonight.
He should be holding Mjolnir in his left hand. :P
-MJB
I tried the hammer in both hands, but it just looked weird no matter how I posed it. There's nobody around for him to fight, so it looked weird for him to hobble himself with a weapon when he's got enough trouble wading through the snow.
To be honest, the left hand probably shouldn't even be where it is at all. It should be extended sort of toward the rear, palm down, for balance.
Yo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's Dope! :shock2: Hey Spud Marvel needs to let you pencil Thor for them they need help!....Bad!
Quote from: style on February 28, 2008, 11:15:39 AM
Yo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's Dope! :shock2: Hey Spud Marvel needs to let you pencil Thor for them they need help!....Bad!
Sorry, unless they let me put the beard back on him, I'd have to say no. ;)
Spud!!! Alright, more work! I love the pose, and the flow of the cape. The proportion is solid and the face is great. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the fuzziness of the image. That's a stylistic choice though, not a critique on technique.
I didn't even know you liked the character of Thor, so this is a pleasant suprise!
Style: "...Marvel needs to let you pencil Thor for them they need help!....Bad!" Bwu-huh? :huh: Are you talking about Thor's solo book? I think the current artist on Thor is doing terrific job. He's one of the reasons I buy it.
Quote from: Mowgli on February 28, 2008, 12:41:06 PMThe only thing I'm not crazy about is the fuzziness of the image.
It's a trade-off... if I put the time into un-fuzzing it, I get sick of working on it and don't finish.
QuoteI didn't even know you liked the character of Thor, so this is a pleasant suprise!
I don't think I've ever read a Thor comic before. I couldn't give two farts about him character-wise, but he's definitely fun to draw. :)
What really prompted this is that I'm going to be starting up a weekly just-for-fun article for the card game I play, where I whip up custom cards and explain the rationale behind why I did them the way I did. I'm going to try to do as much of the art on my own as I can. I'm doing Thor for the first one specifically because I don't know the character and he's hard to represent in card form, so I can talk about how to work your way out of the unfamiliarity pinch when designing cards.
So, yeah. I'll be doing a couple more Thor pictures over the weekend to round out the art I need for the article. I've got a few of the designs floating around in my head, but nothing's too solidly defined yet.
To be honest, what I'm
really doing is creating a time sink for myself since I'm really getting sick of WoW and have no game to replace it right now. So until something interesting comes along, or until I get bored and wander off, I'm gonna force myself back on art duty. ;)
Quote from: Mowgli on February 28, 2008, 12:41:06 PMStyle: "...Marvel needs to let you pencil Thor for them they need help!....Bad!" Bwu-huh? :huh: Are you talking about Thor's solo book? I think the current artist on Thor is doing terrific job. He's one of the reasons I buy it.
I just hope he wasn't the one to come up with Thors new costume in simple words ...I hate it! :thumbdown:
I always felt a Thor comic should have that old cabin look like Spud gave him. :thumbup:
Neat Thor piece Spud... wondering if you could find a way to work in his hammer into the image somewhere, or if the fact that he's hammer-less plays a role in the image's "story."
EDIT: NVM, just noticed it hanging on his hip... looks a little too subdued in that position, but it works okay.
This is a shame
a shame we don't get more art from you. That is some quality work on Maggot. (making a bland character look that good takes skill)
First time I hear of this Maggot guy, but the drawings are great!
I too prefer Thor with a beard, I mean he`s a Norse god for pete`s sake, he must have a beard!
Alrighty, more or less done.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/thor_wip3.jpg)
I'm doing a couple more Thor pics this weekend. I'll try to have one done tonight.
EDIT: Tossed in spoilers because I couldn't stand looking at it. Updated, but not entirely better, version below.
[spoiler](http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/hammerdown.jpg)[/spoiler]
Hrm... I tried a new coloring technique on this one, I'm not sure I like it very much.
*WARNING - nitpicks ahead*
I like the pre-armor snow pics, although I'll agree that there's something about the arms that looks off, but I don't have enough of a trained eye to determine what. When you added the armoring, what type of armor are you trying to illustrate? I'm not familiar enough with Thor's current look, so I'm not sure what it's supposed to look like. At best, especially along the legs, it looks mostly like some kind of padded/quilted leather. If it's supposed to be some sort of scale armor, it doesn't look like it overlaps enough (the appearance of overlapping isn't there), and each row should be shifted over by half, like the pattern for a brick wall. I know comic book artists take shortcuts to make some of the details take less time, but for a one-off, the shortcuts can detract more than it's worth.
Is the color pic a WIP, as there's no hair, facial or otherwise, visible? On it's own, it's not bad, but it's definitely not a typical depction of Thor.
Actually, that's a fairly accurate rendition of how Thor's armor is currently looking in the comics.
I have nooo idea what it's supposed to be; I'm just here to say that it's technically canonically accurate. :P
[spoiler](http://www.marvel.com/universe3zx/images/thumb/3/34/Thorprof.jpg/440px-Thorprof.jpg)[/spoiler]
This is all PHENOMENAL stuff Spud. Makes me really want to work harder at my Photoshop painting skillz. :) Major kudos!
-CM
Alrighty, I think I'm getting the hang of the new colouring method.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/betaraybill.jpg)
I say thee, Rock!
That is an awesome Bill.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/hammerdown_wip2.jpg)
Still not really liking this one. Combination of 1) I don't like my own exaggerated/cartoony stuff that much, 2) The colours look really wrong, 3) I was too lazy to armor up the arms and legs, and 4) It was mostly done before I decided to use the new colouring method, and my new and old workflows don't really work together very well.
I'm probably just gonna abandon this piece. It helped me learn the new method, but on its own it's just not very good.
Hooray - I'm back on high speed internet and can catch up on art! These are all really great, Spud. And Bill is awesome!
"If He Be Worthy"
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/worthy.jpg)
The Beta Ray Bill pic looks awesome. I really like that one Spud.
The Cap pic however, it's really hard to tell what's going on. Looks like he's lifting a lamp while using his laser eyes. :?
-MJB
He's just grabbed Mjolnir. And apparently, he's worthy.
EDIT: I clarified the hammerhead edges a bit.
woah Spud
I don't know as much of art as many of the guys here, but I can tell you you can color me astonished, and you can count me on oyur fan club list now!!!
This master pieces are wayy to awsome, I am glad you decided to psot them
I like the Cap piece, but I did have to read the description of what it was about. I like that idea though. It must be Steve... I don't think Cap Version 2.0 could weild mjolnir. :blink:
Would some lightning make it more clear?
It might, but to be honest, I'm not used to seeing mjolnir glow. The enhanced edges definitely helped from the first image though. I still like the image though.
The Thor stuff is done (I started a few others, but they didn't turn out well), so I'm moving on to the next set: X-Statix.
First up: The Orphan.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/orphan.jpg)
What a colorful piece and a unique character. I'm not up on X-statix history, but he's the suicidal mutant that went by Mr. Sensitive as well, no? Either way, I like it.
I like it and the image stays true to the series. Awesome.
Perhaps you should add a logo to the bottle? X-Cola or something of the like?
-MJB
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/u-go-girl.jpg)
Not 100% happy with the colour scheme, but otherwise I like it. :D
Nice one Spud! :thumbup:
Quote from: captainspud on March 13, 2008, 07:55:43 PM
Not 100% happy with the colour scheme, but otherwise I like it. :D
Me too! I like how the girl hanging the poster is very feminine, but not "bionic-babe" like you often ubiquitously see in comic art.
EC
That's always been something that bugged me-- there are a lot of characters who have absolutely no reason to be in that good a shape. Iceman, for example. Most women, for another. Granted, it's a lot easier to draw defined musculature than an "average" build, so maybe it's just institutional laziness. But personally, I try to avoid too much beef/cheesecake unless the character actually warrants it.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/anarchist_complete.jpg)
X-Statix is done (I wanted to do one more, but ran out of time), and now we're on to Sentinels. :)
Bolivar Trask
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/trask.jpg)
I am officially adding "contrasting secondary light source" to my list of things that I will no longer be impressed by... it took like twenty minutes to add. It's a really cheap effect. ;)
I wouldn't say "cheap effect" so much as "something you should just add anyway for visual interest."
I haven't said anything here yet, but you've got some nice looking stuff here. The Beta Ray Bill really caught my eye. Very dynamic. I like your experiments with digital painting. I've wanted to try it more but have just been too lazy.
I quite like this newest piece, too. Although I just noticed... are both his legs completely together? My mind had been assuming he was in a more natural stance, with weight equally distributed, but now that I've seen it I can't help feeling like he just fell onto the rail or something.
The legs are supposed to be crossed slightly, just above the ankles.
Tower of Terror
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/tower_of_terror.jpg)
I did this one really fast to take a break-- I've been working on a very detailed one the last couple days (I hate detail so much...) and just couldn't look at it anymore. :)
Sentinels are done. This week's theme: Iron Man.
The Mother of Invention
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/mother_of_invention.jpg)
Still goofing around with the "two contrasting light sources" bit. I think I went a bit too heavy on it in this one.
Spud! Sorry I have been out of this thread for so long. My bad.
The X-Statix: I don't know who they are, but they sound like an X-Men title (which would explain me not knowing.) I really like the almost "Lichtenstein" feel you gave them that brings back the nostalgia of comics. I particularly enjoy the one of the girl hanging the picture. Well done.
The sentinels. The giant head is cool, but the full figure with the magenta light source behind him is fantastic. It has a very moinous feeling about it and a great sense of scale. I like that one the most in he thread, so far.
Tony Stark: There is something slightly off in the eyes/face area that is bothering me. Maybe the eyes are too big, or the head is, I'm not sure. I love the wires hanging from the glove. The light source on them is very believable.
What is this project that has you doing weekly themes (sorry if you already mentioned it)?
Weekly card design article for Gday's blog (http://losthemisphere.wordpress.com/). (sort by the "How I'd Do It" category on the right to see them). Most of the ideas I have for cards can't just be slotted in with "any old art", so wherever I have a very specific need, I draw it myself. Meejub's started helping, too. :)
Oh, and the problem with Tony's face (at least, one of the problems) is that his eyes are crossed. His right iris is too high and too far in. It needs to be dropped. I noticed it this morning, I'm gonna fix it tomorrow before I publish. :)
Hope I'm not nit picking but the nose is a little off center and the left nostril is a little big. :( ^_^
Quote from: Blkcasanova247 on April 01, 2008, 02:35:26 PM
the left nostril is a little big.
That's probably because Tony forgot he had the gauntlet on before he tried to pick a winner! :lol:
You GOT MADD SKILLS!!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: We need a comic by you. Man Love all of them but the poetry shines through on the Bolivar Trask Pic! He has that Henry Ford, Preston Tucker look to him (http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/tucker.jpg) 'The man and his dream'. The look on his face is like he has no true ill will or malice in him and he really feels that what he is doing is right. A True Villian!
Quote from: style on February 28, 2008, 02:37:50 PM
Quote from: Mowgli on February 28, 2008, 12:41:06 PMStyle: "...Marvel needs to let you pencil Thor for them they need help!....Bad!" Bwu-huh? :huh: Are you talking about Thor's solo book? I think the current artist on Thor is doing terrific job. He's one of the reasons I buy it.
I just hope he wasn't the one to come up with Thors new costume in simple words ...I hate it! :thumbdown:
I always felt a Thor comic should have that old cabin look like Spud gave him. :thumbup:
Somebody was listening:
(http://www.marvel.com/i/content/st/1096new_storyimage6738744.jpg)
And hey Spud this looks eerily similar to your sketch, doesn't it?
A surprisingly fun theme for this week: Starro the Conqueror. I'm about half-done the next one too, I should have it up sometime tomorrow.
Spawning Pool
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/spawning_pool.jpg)
Wait 'till you see some of the stuff Meejub's got in the can for this week... ;)
I really like this one, infact I like all the work you've shown here, but I find this one an interesting mix of your style, previously in the thread you've done some smooth shading with subtle linework, or heavy inks will a kinda cell shaded effect, this seems to be a combination of the 2 and works effectively :)
I don't know what it is but the combo of that ink style with those colors looks freaking fantastic.
Awesome job Spuddles.
-MJB
Normally I would say that a spwning pool for the starro things was a boring idea. But you drew it at an angle and put those tentacles in the foreground to bring the viewer into the picture. You made it work. Kudos to you for that! Nice pic! :)
Whoo-hoo! 3 pages. :)
Mindtaking
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/mindtaking.jpg)
"But Spud, there's no way an arrow could catch up to the Flash!"
I want to do one more for this series, but I'm not sure I'll have time. We'll see. :)
Nice one! (In a creepy, sad sort of way . . . ) I especially like the GL "tentacle" - nice little detail.
Nice job Spud. Something about it has been bugging me since you showed me the original sketch. I couldn't put my finger on it but earlier tonight MJB_jr figured it out on his first look.
You drew the Flash's symbol backwards. :P
Other than that I like it.
-MJB
I also put Hal's ring on the wrong hand.
Quote from: captainspud on April 14, 2008, 04:35:55 AM
I also put Hal's ring on the wrong hand.
For that matter, I think Ollie's firing from the opposite hand, as well. Did an image flip for more dramatic presentation?
It's just how it seemed to work well. Characters moving from left to right are seem as good/positive/happy/etc, characters moving from right to left are seen as bad/sinister/worrying (to any audience with a left-to-right written language).
Therefore, making the good guy run right tells people he's the good guy before they even figure out that the other two figures are bad.
I hate to leave the Starro theme behind (it was a hoot to work on), but another week brings another subject. Ah well. :)
This week I'm only doing one large piece. I'm taking two real-life people and making them into Green Lantern alien-dudes.
Difficulty: I've never drawn a convincing likeness in my life. :)
So, yeah. Here's about an hour's work on the first one. Once I settle on a decent likeness and pose, I'll alien him up a bit more. The concept with this one is going to be a very gangly four-armed monkey-ish alien.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/trhc_wip1.jpg)
Comments? Crits? I want the likeness to be as good as possible, so feel free to be harsh. I know the nose isn't quite right (I suck at noses), and I need to move his hairline back a smidge. Anything else?
I dunno - he's definitely recognizable. The nose looks pretty close, and the chin, the lips and the shape of of the face look good. His upper lip is way too tall, though, and his eyes are either too large or too heavily shaded - either way they look too prominent. The hair line needs to be rounded out rather than raised per se - the front is too low, but the sides are right.
Good call on the upper lip Mr. Yuan. The way it is now he looks a bit "Hulkish".
-MJB
Better?
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/trhc_wip2.jpg)
This one was much easier.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/trhc_wip3.jpg)
Nice jeorb.
-MJB
I was more or less satisfied with the likenesses, so I went ahead and sketched out the whole drawing. Cliff (the big one) is in black and green armor, and Squire (the monkey guy) is in a fairly standard GL suit. They're flying away from Oa in the background.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/trhc_wip4.jpg)
Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever posted full process shots for anything before. I usually work too fast for it to be worth it. So, yay for my first time. ;)
And yes, everything I draw starts out as a complete and utter mess like that. :D
Love seeing WIP stuff. Yeay for your first time!!
-MJB
Tentatively done Cliff. The likeness got a little drowned out (I jutted the jaw out a bit too much), but I think it still mostly holds up. Disregard the green-- it's a colour overlay to help me tell tones apart more easily.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/trhc_wip5.jpg)
I'll try to get Squire done tonight.
Figure shading's (tentatively) done.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/trhc_wip6.jpg)
Next I'll detail the background, and then start on colours.
Done-ish.
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/trhc_small.jpg)
I've enjoyed seeing your process. The end product looks good Spuddly.
-MJB
I love seeing the process that goes into creations. Great looking stuff Spud, thanks for sharing how it evolved.
(now I need to go back and go through the rest of the thread and see all the stuff I missed)
A fun theme this week: the Inhumans. I'm going to be trying to mimic the general feel of Jae Lee's art from the MK launch miniseries-- pools of shadow, and fine lines.
And given the obscurity of some of these characters, I'll be providing links to some pictures. ;)
First up: Carthus (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/carthusinhum.htm), leader of the Inhuman Genetics Council
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/carthus.jpg)
I think I'll add a backlight to the pic to help pick out the forms a little better... I'll try it tonight and see how it looks.
Quote from: Uncle Yuan on April 12, 2008, 04:41:38 PM
Nice one! (In a creepy, sad sort of way . . . ) I especially like the GL "tentacle" - nice little detail.
Agreed! I really dig this work, Spud! Actually I love your overall style. I hate seeing Flash take an arrow like that. But it's a cool work none the less! And I like the star fish aliens as a theme. Hmmmmm...actually I wouldn't mind seeing a supes, a GL, or some other JL member skin with a star fish over their face. Ahhhhh...but that belongs in another thread....
Also, I'm diggn' the other GL pieces!
Well, keep up the good stuff, Cap!
I've always loved your work, Spud. It's fun to see you get more and more versatile.
That Carthus picture is just... amazing.
I wish I could draw like that...
Karnak
[spoiler](http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/karnak.jpg)[/spoiler]
This took, like, 25 minutes. Hence why it sucks. :D
Timberius
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/timberius.jpg)
Timberius' brother was killed by some human mercenaries, but the royal family wouldn't let him get vengeance, so he snuck out into the woods and resolved it on his own. It was my favourite scene from the MK miniseries. :)
Starting on a longer-term theme this week-- three weeks of Invincible.
Omni-Man
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/omni-man.jpg)
This was my warm-up today, completed in about 45 minutes. I'm about half-done today's main piece, but I'm unsure about the pose (the anatomy looks kinda funny), and I want to fix that before I post anything.
Much, much more still to come.
Looks awesome but where are his eye brows?
-MJB
IT'S NEVER GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU
*sobs*
FINE! HERE'S YOUR STUPID EYEBROWS!!
*storms off, bawling*
Nice eyebrows!
And nice piece, per usual. I can't wait to see the rest. (Are you going to do eve? You have to do Eve!)
Yaknow, 50 issues later, I still don't know what Eve's powers are. I know she shoots pink stuff... is it an energy blast? A GL-type thing? I have no idea.
It's supposed to be matter transmutation and manipulation. She made the house in Africa from . . . other stuff. Makes food. I think the pink stuff is her transmuting air into solid structures. But I do agree her powers are pretty nebulous.
Whatever her powers are I want you to do a pic of her because she's hot. Love them red heads!
Eyebrows! Glorious eyebrows!!
As for Atom Eve...
Quote from: WikipediaAtom Eve is able to manipulate matter at the sub-atomic level by sheer will power. Organic and inorganic matter can be changed into anything she desires. She can augment normally unhealthy food such as cakes and other sweets into nutritious foods as well as re-arrange the environment. Her costume is easily created by altering her clothes to fashion her Atom Eve suit. She can also fly by lowering the density of the air around her as well as creating force fields.
A downside to Atom Eve's transmutation powers is that she absorbs any unused atoms into her body, which must later be eliminated from her system as waste. She claims that on days when she uses her powers a lot she can "go to the bathroom" six or seven times.
-MJB
This week's pic is a seven-panel side-stacker. Click for full size.
The Guardians of the Globe
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/Guardians_Composite_small.jpg) (http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/Guardians_Composite.jpg)
These are the seven members of the Guardians killed by Omni-Man. They are, in order: Aquarus, War Woman, Martian Man, Darkwing, Green Ghost, The Immortal, and Red Rush.
I still haven't had a chance to finish the piece I started last week, a painted-style Invincible. The figure's done, but I haven't had time to do the background. I might finish it after next week.
That is fantastic. I love the backgrounds and how they link together. The only thing I don't like are the Immortal's fingers. Way too round IMO.
-MJB
I'm not familiar with the characters, but I like the drawings. They have a very animated feel to them. I almost expect them to continue moving after this freeze frame. It's a shame they're all dead. They look pretty interesting. Good job Spud! :)
Spud you and MJB is Killin' It!!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
I agree about Immortal's fingers. They are also a bit chubby lookin', and short. Especially in the further hand. Green Ghost's pose is a bit silly, but Martian Man makes up for it by looking so... what is it called? "Hardcase" or something.
It looks sweet. Too bad it is either huge or tiny. A mid sized version would be perfect for... something.
PS: Looking back on the past few pictures... whoo boy. Those are some REALLY good work. Geezy louizey.
Ghost's pose is screwy on purpose. He's intangible, so he can pose however he likes. My inspiration for it was how I stretch around in bed in the morning-- I pull into all kinds of weird poses because I've actually got the freedom of movement to do that when I'm lying down. With him, I extended that another degree or two-- not only doesn't he need to be constrained by a ground plane, but even his own limbs pass through each other.
Basically, I just put him a position that looked really comfy. :)
The pose also makes him look quite jolly.
-MJB
Still on the Invincible theme (this'll be the last week). Two pics today: One I like, one I hate. They're my latest work on addressing my two biggest problems-- expressing space (my work is too flat and planar, and I'm trying to get my characters to "pop out" more), and composing action shots.
Black Samson
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/black_samson.jpg)
I'm still leaning on my "extreme light/dark contrast" crutch, more because it's easy than because I'm particularly proud of the results. Still, the pic came out okay, even if I'm getting a little frustrated with the colour results of my work lately. I mostly like this one because of the near leg-- I have a lot of trouble with throwing limbs toward the viewing plane (they always look really flat and awkward), but this one worked out quite nicely.
Next up, one I wasn't even going to post:
Angstrom Levy
[spoiler](http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/Angstrom_Levy.jpg)[/spoiler]
Ugh, where do I start... this thing took me all of last weekend, and it just kept getting worse and worse the more I worked on it. It looked great in the sketch stage, and then kinda mediocre once it was inked (probably because I CAN'T INK, and I keep forgetting that), but it really hit the crapper when I coloured it. I tried every colouring style I know, and they all made it look like a steaming turd.
I'm really not happy with how this one turned out... beyond the terrible colours, I'm not making much progress as far as action shots. I just can't draw two tangled bodies without my anatomy going to hell. I always end up with an arm or a leg that I just can't figure out how to place, and it throws the entire thing off. In this case, it was the choking arm-- I spent SIX HOURS trying different poses, and I still hate how it's set up. Ugh.
After a bit of a break, I'm back and playing with lighting again.
Generation Gap
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/generation_gap2.jpg)
EDIT: Fixed the figures and added a rudimentary backdrop. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. :)
Hmmm... I'm not sure if I prefer the ambient light in warm (above) or cool colours:
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/generation_gap3.jpg)
Which do you guys prefer?
Great picture. I prefer the cooler version but you may want to lighten up the blue a bit so some yellow and green can show through.
-MJB
Better?
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/generation_gap4.jpg)
(I also fixed some shading on Danny's shoulder and outstretched foot)
I actually prefer the warmer tonal range in the first pic. The update is okay, too, though, but with all that glowing chi throwing off light, I was kind of expecting a lot more saturated greens in the highlighted areas.
Orange light on green material makes muddy gray-brown, not bright green.... I think?
:o Wow, Spud, you continue to impress!! The color and shading effects are just spectacular. The only thing that strikes me a little off is the outstretched leg - it seems a little out of proportion.
EC
Gday and I are running an event for our card game where we randomly pair up superteams and make them work together, then bracket them up and let the paired decks square off... we're calling it Summer of Love. I figured it could use its own illustration to decorate the bracket page.
Summer of Love
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/swanboat_notext.jpg)
Both funny and a awesome piece. Great work, Spuddles.
-MJB
And now we know the true reason for their great rivalry . . .
Great stuff!
Ah Reed, you never called, you never wrote... what's a dictator to think. :D
I like the toon shading effect on the swan boat. Not sure it goes with the very brushy plant life, but I do like that style. Nice work on the reflection too.
Very modern, it'd look right at home on some internet startup's homepage.
What kind of internet startups are you visiting that have superhero man-love on their front pages? :P
Quote from: captainspud on July 30, 2008, 12:27:13 PM
What kind of internet startups are you visiting that have superhero man-love on their front pages? :P
I don't think even you want to know the answer to that. :wacko:
I think I've seen that site before...
*cough cough* ANYHOW! That picture is just dandy. Is this straight up photoshop work? Are the leaves a custom brush? I am curious.
It's all Photoshop. The leaves are one of the default "fuzzy" brushes with lots of scattering and other settings cranked.
Your Immortal Iron Fist pic is cool - 3rd time this year that i've picked your art for my weekly desktop background - I guess i'm a fan :blink:
I'm in an Elders of the Universe mood this week.
The Runner
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/runner.jpg)
Nice work Spud. That hand in the foreground is exceptional.
VERY nice pic!
-MJB
Grandmaster
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/grandmaster.jpg)
Not sure who "Grandmaster" is but that picture sure is purdy. :wub:
-MJB
http://www.marvel.com/universe/Grandmaster
Short version: he's almost as old as our universe, and like the rest of the Elders of the Universe, has chosen to perfect a single pursuit in order to maintain his sanity. Grandmaster chose gaming, and travels the universe to learn and master all games and gambles. For wagers, he employs his greatest power: sway over life and death. He can compel someone to simply die, or he can resurrect the recently-dead. He uses this as his betting chip when he makes wagers with other cosmic entities.
His favourite way to gamble is to challenge another being to pick a small group of superhumans to battle against Grandmaster's own choices, which is where the picture above comes from-- he challenged Kang to a contest, picking an alternate evil Squadron Supreme for himself, while Kang chose the Avengers. Kang's team won, which is fortunate, because if Grandmaster won, he was going to destroy the Earth. :)
Off the bleepin hook! :blink:
I really like the Grandmaster piece - excellent composition and he looks just like a chess player contemplating his next move.
The Runner is also very nice, but the anatomy is off - you have his entire upper body (abdomen to shoulders) flat and 90 degrees to his hips. It's possible to get the shoulders 90 degree to the hips (but it's a very flexed pose and not something that would occur outside of dance or yoga), but not the abdomen. You get about 5 degrees of rotation from each vertebra, so the umbilicus will never be more than a scoosh from the midline and the rest of the torso will gradually sweep back.
Believe it or not, I was actually attempting to do that, but the "sweep" got lost in the successive layers and passes. That's one of the big problems I have right now-- I have two painting techniques I use that work fairly well, but each has a maddening downside. For the Runner, I worked directly in the final colours-- drew him in gold, then drew highlights in green, then another layer in a different gold, etc etc etc. With this technique, the colours are much snappier, but the "drawing" really suffers-- editing a part of the body requires modifying half a dozen different layers. I also end up with cases like this one where the first layer (the gold one) has a certain detail (the center line of the torso sweeping toward the hips), but as I add more layers it gets lost in the soup.
My second technique, the one I used for Grandmaster, is the one I've been using more often lately-- I draw the entire picture in shades of grey, and then use overlays afterward to colourize the drawing. The drawing ends up much nicer, as I can make tweaks to the composition all in one layer, but as you can see, the colour is really subdued and bland. I've been working for months to try to figure out a way to liven up the colour (highlight layers, etc), but nothing seems to work.
So, that's the dilemma I'm in right now as an artist-- I can make a good drawing, or have good colour, but never both. I really hate it. I'm shopping around for a new technique, because it's really frustrating to have to sit down for a new picture and ask myself, "Alrighty, which part of this drawing do I want to suck?"
I actually really like the colours in the Grandmaster pic. I really like a lot of things. Grandmaster's hair. The glint on the metals. Hyperion's mouth is great.
I've never gotten the hang of digital painting. I'm quite impressed with people who can do that sort of thing. Granted most probably don't use a mouse, but whatever.
Champion
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/champion.jpg)
:thumbup:
Nooooo! Not the elbow drop!! :shock2:
-MJB
Caregiver
(http://www.captainspud.com/stuff/caregiver.jpg)
Never heard of her? Neither had I (http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/caregive.htm). :)
Dig the new pics. Keep it up... or else! :angry:
-MJB
Updated Caregiver-- I had neglected to giver her eyebrows and lashes. I'm surprised you didn't jump on that, Meej. ;)
I didn't know the character was supposed to have either. :P
-MJB
The Champion is frickin' awesome.