modellartist

Recent competitions

2011-12-14T13:31:00.003Z

Been busy teaching a bunch of courses recently, but found time for a couple of competition entries on the IFX forum.

This was a quick speedpaint for a brief called 'The Race':

This one I had a bit more time for. The brief: 'Death':

Watercolour sketch

2011-11-10T14:05:00.001Z

A quick watercolour of my muse.

BTEC Games Development

2011-10-03T19:03:00.004+01:00

Just started teaching on a BTEC IT - Games Development course at RACC in Richmond. I'm handling the half of the course relating to games design and digital graphics. The students seem enthusiastic about gaming, and we'll be covering a wide range of exercises using Photoshop and Illustrator CS5, and 3DS Max 2011.

In my other life as a keen seller on eBay, I'll also be teaching a bunch of courses related to buying and selling on everyone's favourite auction site.

Recent sketches

2011-07-30T12:51:00.001+01:00

Did these recently at the Natural History Museum, so the subjects kept still. Ink and wash.

Teaching

2011-07-14T18:21:00.009+01:00

I'll be teaching the Comic Book Art summer course at Chelsea College soon. Should be good, and I'm looking forward to see what crazy stories the students will come up with! It's nice to get back to basics, just working with pens, pencils and paper, and concentrating on telling a tale.

I will also be teaching some introductory Mac courses at SCOLA, in Sutton.

Sketches at the V&A

2011-06-29T19:53:00.000+01:00

Quick watercolour

2011-05-15T12:54:00.002+01:00

At the London Wetlands Centre

Comic Book Art course returns!

2011-05-12T16:41:00.000+01:00

I will be running the Comic Book Art course again starting October this year, and again in January 2012. Looking forward to it.

Teaching: Comic Book Art course at Chelsea College

2011-03-31T16:51:00.005+01:00

Just finished teaching the Comic Book Art short course at Chelsea College of Art & Design.

The course ran for five Saturdays, with the objective of creating 1-2 pages of comic book artwork by the end. The students worked really hard, and in many case produced much more work than was asked for. They all finished with inked up linework, with a few having time to add colour. They should all be at the stage where they can finish off their work (adding lettering and so on), without too much trouble.

As five weeks is not a lot of time, I didn't focus too much on improving their basic drawing skills, concentrating more on storytelling. I gave the students a framework from going from a blank page or loose ideas, to developing a story, thumbnailing it and drawing out the full-size panels. I also asked them to consider the layout of the page(s) as a whole, to make sure they flowed properly, and the pacing fitted with the story.

It was my first experience teaching (though I've taken many adult education classes), so I'm pleased it went well overall. The student artwork was great, and I'm currently putting together a mini anthology of their work for them.

Sketches

2011-02-16T19:55:00.010Z

Been out sketching a few times recently and thought I'd share these:

Tate Britain, watercolour.

Natural History Museum, "Peel & Sketch" (TM) charcoal stick.

Victoria & Albert Museum, P&S charcoal stick

Art competition win!

2010-12-02T19:42:00.006Z

Just heard that I won the Stellar Dawn art competition, hosted by online games company Jagex, to promote their upcoming sci-fi MMORPG. The brief called for an illustration inspired by the tidbits of info and artwork that have been released so far. My entry depicts a damaged mech, lost and seemingly alone in a vast alien forest...

I submitted the entry under dodgy forum name "U1tral33t", which I had chosen at random a while ago when I needed a login name to play their fab games. Didn't think it would become public! Oh well.

Here's the entry:

Unity 3

2010-08-30T20:00:00.002+01:00

For extra brownie points I imported the Splash Damage 3D model into the Unity 3 game engine, and set it up with collision detection, physics and lighting.

The free version I'm using doesn't give you the real-time lights necessary for simultaneous shadow and normal mapping, so I've included shots of the model running in separate modes below.

Splash Damage 3D Environment Art Test

2010-08-29T19:58:00.000+01:00

Been brushing up the old 3D skillz recently, to add another string to my bow. FPS favourites Splash Damage had an Environment Art Test posted on their site, so I thought I'd have a go. Modelling in Maya was straightforward enough, but I had to do a little reading up on UV-mapping, and creating normal maps.

Anyhow, once it was finished and lit nicely I was well pleased with it. Screenshots below.

Jagex Art Test

2010-07-22T20:03:00.003+01:00

I applied to for a concept design position at Jagex, and they got back to me with an Art Test featuring several briefs: create a variety of thumbnail designs for a water-magic using creature called "Slayer", developing one to a high standard; visualise a crypt from supplied floorplan; create a page of props to fill out the Crypt.

My final submission is below:

Final quad painting

2010-03-10T22:18:00.004Z

The illustration in it's finished form. I decided to put the vehicle in a open setting, to keep the emphasis on the design. Putting the rider outside gave a clear view into the vehicle and simplified the process of finding a good viewpoint.

My final door design keeps the silhouette unbroken, whilst providing a practical way to exit the vehicle from either side in a crash (necessary in something compact, narrow and enclosed). Although such practicalities aren't strictly necessary in a virtual design, I feel they help to sell its plausibility.

The second picture shows the Maya model set up for paintover; the last image demonstrates how the design leans into a bend.

Developing a beauty shot for the quad

2010-03-01T22:17:00.001Z

Trying out a new technique here, making a simple 3D model then doing a paintover. Haven't done any 3D modelling for years, and since I've switched to a Mac since then, I'm unable to run 3DS Max. So I'm using Maya 2010, which is great, but I'm having to hit the tutorials to find where everything is. Unlike my previous 3D modelling for games, though, which required super-neat surface topology, here I can just group objects together and use as many or as few polygons as I like.

I've been through tons of variations to work out how the canopy opens, as I want the final shot to include a rider, which will be difficult if he is fully enclosed in the vehicle. The shell needs to split somehow to allow the rider in and out, and if possible to still allow this with the vehicle on it's roof or side following a crash. Trapping the rider would be a bit of a design flaw in a compact, enclosed machine. I want to find a way that doesn't totally destroy the silhouette when open though.

Cutaway of the tilting quad

2010-02-28T22:00:00.000Z

To work out the scale of the design relative to the rider, and because I love cutaway sections:

"Tilting Quad"

2010-02-25T21:59:00.000Z

Decided to go with a sleek, enclosed, leaning vehicle with four wheels...

Vehicle design

2010-02-22T21:40:00.001Z

Know I want to design a vehicle of some kind, but not sure what yet. Here are some sketches.

Some mech sketches

2010-02-10T14:54:00.006Z

Some recent doodles with my Pentel brushpen.

Future Mega-City

2010-01-22T21:37:00.001Z

A vast future city. My main aim was to create an atmosphere of scale. The lighting suggests late afternoon, as dusk approaches.

Future Port City

2009-12-10T21:38:00.001Z

A vast future port city. I'm pleased with how the water came out; I used a custom brush originally sampled from a painting of an iceberg, but it seemed to work.

Life drawing

2009-10-15T19:24:00.000+01:00

Been using some pastels in life drawing for a change. Quite like the medium; certainly less cleaning up to do than with paint.

Life drawing

2009-08-23T15:21:00.001+01:00

Haven't posted any life drawing for a bit, so thought I'd upload these. Acrylic, 45 minutes.

Theseus design development

2009-06-26T19:29:00.000+01:00

I've worked up Theseus's armour in more detail, and had a close look at the head. I wanted to create a slightly other-worldly look. The character is young (about 20) and more brash and cocky than combat-hardened. I wanted a fairly high-tech look, but with a nod to the past, particularly with the bronze coloured metal.

The plan views are set up suitably for passing on to a 3D modeller.

More Minotaur 2150 Concept Art

2009-06-26T19:18:00.000+01:00

This time it's Dr. Minos, and his foxy daughter Ariadne.

Minotaur 2150 Concept Art

2009-05-19T19:08:00.000+01:00

I had set out to become a Concept Artist some time ago, but I'm getting my mind around the process now that I've started to think about design in terms of story-telling rather than just functionality. Sounds obvious I guess, but there you go.

Anyway, here's what I've been up to:

Concept sketches

2009-02-23T19:30:00.000Z

I've been working on the design for Theseus's armour first, as I love hard-surface design. Below are some sketches to get things going. I find my Pentel Brushpen is great for loose working; if you work small you can generate ideas quickly, and happy accidents abound. I then scan them and draw into them in Photoshop. Proportions are a bit off, but at this stage I'm more interested in finding a design direction.

Minotaur 2150

2009-01-31T18:51:00.000Z

Another project I did at the Putney School of Art and Design. I wrote the story from scratch, having some fun with the classic Minotaur legend. I've given it a futuristic spin, setting it on the Moon in the year 2150. This time I drew it as a series of story 'beats', telling the tale through the key moments. Here are a selection.

Life drawing

2009-01-23T15:34:00.002Z

Acrylic paintings, about A1, 45 minutes.

National Poetry Week illustration

2008-10-10T11:42:00.004+01:00

A quick illustration for the Putney Book Illustration course, to mark National Poetry Week. I took my inspiration from a poem about the roar of the furnaces at Battersea Power Station.

Pompei

2008-09-30T17:52:00.009+01:00

Just got back from holiday in Sorrento. Beautiful part of Italy. Took loads of photos and did some sketching; this watercolour is from Pompei.

Life drawing

2008-06-07T16:22:00.000+01:00

Been a while since I posted, so thought I would share these. Acrylic paint, done during the 45 minute pose at my usual class.

Ink & wash

2008-04-02T15:45:00.000+01:00

Some warm-up sketches from life-drawing.

Ink & wash

2008-02-10T15:48:00.000Z

The top picture is drawn with a brush, using neat and diluted chinese ink. About A2 size, about 30 minutes.

This picture is drawn with a stick dipped in ink, and then a wet brush is used to pull some of the ink out to create tone. About A1 size, a few minutes.

Rumplestiltskin

2008-01-30T19:02:00.003Z

This illustration is my entry to a recent fairytale illustration competition. I chose to update the Brothers Grimm story Rumplestiltskin, with the title character now a little robot that can turn straw into gold.

Life drawing

2008-01-23T12:27:00.001Z

A couple of watercolours from my life drawing class.

Iron Man graphic novel

2007-11-22T18:45:00.001Z

It's finally done! I'll spread this over a few posts as there are a bunch of pages. I've been taking a part-time Book Illustration class at the Putney School of Art and Design (great teachers btw), and set myself the project of adapting a story to graphic novel format. I chose Ted Hughes' The Iron Man. It's been great practice for drawing scenes from different viewpoints, and learning about visual storytelling.

The whole book would have been too big a task, so I chose the fifth and final chapter, where the Iron Man has a show-down with the Australia-sized (!) space dragon. Drawn in Photoshop. Hope you enjoy it.

Iron Man continued...

2007-11-22T18:40:00.000Z

...and the conclusion

2007-11-22T18:35:00.001Z

Hope you liked it!

Life drawing

2007-11-12T19:25:00.001Z

45 minutes, acrylics.

Life drawing

2007-09-23T15:58:00.001+01:00

Some older life drawings, which I still quite like.

Life Drawing the Eastern Way

2007-09-13T15:53:00.001+01:00

This is from a class called "Life Drawing the Eastern Way". It involved lots of meticulous, stylised drawing in continuous lines. We used pencil for most of the course, but at the end we were let loose with ink. This drawing is not really true to the style, but by the end of the term, I was bursting to use my regular, more painterly approach.

Brushpen sketches

2007-07-23T15:43:00.003+01:00

Been out with the brushpen enjoying the weather.

Life drawing

2007-07-23T15:34:00.001+01:00

Acrylic. The profile picture was done in 15 minutes, as the original long pose had to be scrapped when the fan heater broke and the model had to put her clothes back on. The other one was 45 minutes.

Aaliayah

2007-06-30T11:55:00.000+01:00

Illustration of Aaliyah. Linework in brushpen, colour in Painter.

Enclosed trike design

2007-06-17T22:34:00.000+01:00

The trike is my own design. Fully enclosed, the rider is prone over the engine. Front wheels rise and fall on opposite sides to allow the vehicle to lean in a stable way. 3DS Max, surface sub-division, HDRI lighting.

Girl's head 3D model

2007-06-17T22:30:00.004+01:00

Old portfolio stuff. Surface subdivision, GI lighting. 3DS Max.

Nissan Skyline GTR 3D Model

2007-06-17T20:26:00.000+01:00

Older portfolio piece. 3DS Max model of a Nissan Skyline GTR. Surface subdivision, GI rendering.

3DS Max

2007-06-17T15:18:00.001+01:00

At the beginning of 2004, I moved from Xerox to online games company JailDog as a 3D Artist. I had taught myself the software in my spare time, and was itching to get into the games industry. The figures below are the two characters from snowboarding game Clearahill (still playable for free online).

The characters have 1000 polys each, and the track was modelled in NURBS, for ease of texturing. Check out the video of it running, too.

Relief Racer

2007-06-17T15:06:00.000+01:00

Screenshot from a game I worked on at online games company JailDog. You play a Neurofen pill, racing round the human body to 'the source of the pain'. We gave the game a big overhall, and I was responsible for the graphics of the 'v2.0' version. Illustrator and Flash.

Vector graphics animation

2007-06-17T15:03:00.001+01:00

This is a screenshot from a pitch for a skydiving game we presented to a client at JailDog. Made with Flash, this is part of the intro section. I made the girls in 3DS Max, animated them with cell-shading, then imported the individual frames. Background made in Illustrator.

3D models

2007-06-17T14:57:00.000+01:00

These were characters for a proposed parachuting game. Modelled / rigged in 3D Max and rendered with a cell shader.

Pixel Art

2007-06-16T19:18:00.000+01:00

Some icon designs that I did for Xerox. Old news, but I still like them. It was a fun challenge only using black, white and 2 shades of grey.

Vector animation

2007-06-16T19:10:00.000+01:00

This is a the same animation as below, designed for a more advanced machine with high resolution colour graphics. Flash.

Pixel Art animations

2007-06-16T18:56:00.000+01:00

More pixel art from my days at Xerox. These were animations that ran on photocopier screens to direct users through tasks. Made with Flash and drawn frame by frame.

Vector icons

2007-06-16T18:30:00.000+01:00

Exterior button graphics for photocopiers. Made at Xerox. Illustrator.

Pixel Art screen design

2007-06-16T18:15:00.007+01:00

The first image is of a ground-up replacement UI I designed for a browser-based database application. Minimal design elements left space for a large quantity of fields, whilst the framework was able to accomodate many different layouts with a consistent feel. Running in IE6. 2002.

The icons are from an update I did to the previous Windows-based client software.