New sketchbook!

Bought a new sketchbook yesterday, and I love the earthly tone. I normally sketch over white paper, but I hate how scanning it washes all the subtle paper grain out to a flat white, losing a lot of its "charm". So, after having a look at someone else's awesome Daley Rowney "earthbound" sketchbook, I found something kinda similar (yet thinner and more expensive, though) right in Madrid.

Recycled paper with tons of texture and enough roughness to allow a comfortable sliding of white pencil (often slippery due to its waxiness). Plus the chance to do grisaille. The king of papers. This is today's train sketch.

Character faces

If you ever go by train, know that probably someone is watching you even during that moment when you safely pick your nose. He's sketching and having a blast out of your vulnerability. From an artist's point of view, that is one of the moments of greatest joy and plain fun, at least when you are "safe" yourself, protected from peers over your shoulder. When you are the predator and you aren't stalked by a conscious victim just about to switch the roles and become the hunter (and punch you in the nose, or even worse, gently ask you to show him the sketch).

Anyway, sketching on the train is something I just love to do, and I've kinda developed a pretty stimulating exercise (probably stimulating due to being my comfort zone, anyway). Since I hate it when people notice they are being drawn, I just have a 5 seconds peek at any stranger who catches my attention, and never looking at him anymore I sketch a character based on a totally invented story about that guy. Needless to say they don't resemble at all the persons they are inspired by (not even remotely close) but it is a very nice way to come with fresh ideas and let the mind loose.

All of them are pencil on sketchbook. Any resemblance to actual persons or facts is mere coincidence.

Color keys

General layout concept and color key for a game pitch. Plus early Talanzaar color key draft for openOutcast

Busy days! Will show newer stuff. Someday.

Life drawing

A bit of life drawing practice. I suck at scanning, can't avoid that paper whiteout effect and I'd swear they look much nicer on the paper, so I end up faking the grisaille effect. That's why I'm always so reluctant to uploading model sketching, but somehow having those tons of paper forgotten in a shelf also sucks.

Models from "Círculo de Bellas Artes" in Madrid, Pencil on A4 paper.

X-secutor version VII.0

Everyone in the circus is excited about the Emperor's new toy. The improvements over previous version have made it all but a success. Perhaps too much, say some gladiator trainers who are already considering about taking their boys to the Egyptian Facesmashing Superleague.

Painter 11 (mostly). JPEG compression sucks balls.

ScaleDude and the Opium Trip

Well, real title is supposed to be "EoW#133 Ancient Palace Ruins", but that sounds way more boring. As the title hints, its destiny was conceptart.org's Environment of the Week challenge.

It is mainly about composition, which was my main focus at every moment during the process, and I have learned a lot about it. My initial aim was doing some concept in the likes of platforming games, with a slightly less cartoony mood than usual (still not realistic). Took somewhere around 10 hours, since there was some back and forth with guiding the eyesight smoothly to where I wanted. If you want to have a look to a work in progress sequence, you can check it here.

Kelvin's Space Ranch

Here's some stuff I've been working in the last months for Canadian studio Incubator Games (nice people they are). A few artworks from the upcoming web-based game Kelvin's Space Ranch. I've done pretty much anything from concept art to production visual assets, and I must say I've had a blast with such a wacky project. Finally it's about to be released.

I based the visual style in a 'futu-rustic' mix of naif innocence, japanese home-oriented robotics and sci-fi B-movies with vivid secondary color palettes. This is just a small selection of the material. Can't wait to play!

gouache sketch

Enough digital stuff for a lapse. We're beginning with gouache technique in color class, that is something I haven't used since primary school (you can guess the quality of those) and I'm loving it, so here's one of my first gouache sketches, done in small size. One of the cartoony faces I enjoy so much doing. Over 2 hours though. I'll get the hang of it!

Magic Unleashed

This old guy was initially meant for my characters class, requesting just a scatterbrain wizard of some sort. I spent quite some time developing the character until I got the final pose to present as the final requested linework. However, I liked it enough to paint it further as it was a real character layout I would do for an animated movie or something.

Must thank the critiques received prior to finishing. The painting itself took around 5 hours. Fullscreen recommended; the white window contours darken the image.

Stereoscopic Goofzilla

This is a small test in stereoscopy. Basic anachromic stuff. Used an old work with quite some depth in it. I just played a bit with layers to fit the retinal disparity. Stereoscopy is the future (but this time for real), so we better be up to date!

You'll need some basic blue/red goggles, but hey, I've saved you most of the work! Just go to the papershop at the end of your street, get some cellophane, find some scissors and there you go. I can't upload that part of the job for you so don't be lazy!



Better viewed fullscreen.