Wednesday, November 30, 2011

A Vampyre Story

I painted the cover art for the humorous adventure game A Vampyre Story. The characters of Mona and her wisecracking bat sidekick, Froderick, were 3D models that I touched up. The bats in the distance were an inspired last minute addition by my boss, Bill Tiller.

Layout and color, painted in Photoshop

Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island

I spent over a year painting backgrounds at a little studio called Autumn Moon Entertainment in Petaluma, CA. One of the projects was Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island. The people were great to work with and it was a really fun project. I learned a lot doing these. Unless otherwise specified, I did all the layouts and painted these in Photoshop.










Layout by Bill Tiller


The banners and flower pot were painted by Bill Tiller

Layout by Bill Tiller

Layout by Bill Tiller

Layout by Bill Tiller. The painting on the wall is by Jean Louis Sirois

Neverwhere

When I finished reading Neil Gaiman's excellent novel Neverwhere, I couldn't resist sketching my versions of Mr Croup and Mr Vandemar. If you haven't read it, go buy the book. Neil Gaiman has become one of my favorite authors. His mixture of fantasy, wit and myth is irresistible.


Painted in Corel Painter and Photoshop


I love steam trains. There is something about seeing all those valves, pipes and driveshafts straining to make this impossibly heavy thing move. The rhythmic puffing and steam make the train almost seem alive. Diesel trains don't do it for me. What they make up for in efficiency, they more than lose in romance.



Painted in Photoshop

Concept showroom




Painted in Photoshop

Concept Aircraft



Large windows and communal viewing decks enhance the spectacle and romance of flight. The airplane itself becomes a destination, setting Boeing apart from its competitors. The joy of flight and spectacular vistas could be enjoyed through the transparent ceiling & enormous windows of this far future concept. This concept could incorporate entertainment areas such as: video game parlors, casinos, kid oriented play areas, coffee cafes & tea rooms, etc.

Modular Loading Concept Sketch


Modular Loading Concept Sketch


Planes essentially lose money when they are on the ground. Modular loading could dramatically speed up boarding and deplaning time. Between flights, aircraft interiors would not need to be cleaned and loaded with meals and luggage while the plane was grounded. Instead, the fuselage capsules could be pre-loaded and ready to go upon arrival.




The viewing deck of a Boeing Cirrus Jet provides a spectacular location for a catered party. The partygoers sip champagne as the jet prepares for takeoff under a full moon. By taking a cue from the Cruise liners, the airline industry could expand their appeal. Instead of competing for point to point travel exclusively, they could offer "air tours" where the plane becomes the destination.



Some car sketches





Old Shaman

A character study done for an abandoned comic project.




Miscellaneous Sketches




Two parts Frog + One part Cow + a sprinkling of aquatic features = cute little demon creature




Alien designs


These are just a few of the series of alien designs for an unused project.


After the project was cancelled, I was revved up in full alien design mode, so I made a couple small maquettes in sculpey and painted them with acrylics. These were the first character sculptures I ever did. I spend so much time working in 2D, I thought it would be good practice to translate my ideas into 3D








This guy is trying so hard to be intimidating. Piercings and facial tattoos that are stylized representations of human hair growth patterns....but he is still soft and squishy. 



Billy Idol + Mars Attacks!







If your face is made out of cartilage it is very difficult to smile.




This guy is the alien version of the gurmpy neighbor, always complaining about how much noise you are making...puzzling, since he doesn't appear to have visible, external ears.



Some of these aliens were originally going to be members of an alien rock band. This is a cropped peek at a portion of the final unused illustration. The project was shelved, but it was a lot of fun to work on.