United Kingdom

[Rhaucan]

Wow sketchling, epic image. The huge amount of support she is getting is pretty eerie, that and the glowing headband and detirmined eyes gives the idea she has pretty scary ability. I looked deap at the colours you've used as well but my final thing is grayscale, taking this learning painter a step at a time. I havnt forgotten what you told me about composition, the 4 points and the good horizon points, I can see theres alot more to play around with composition.

I'm cutting it close with my entry and I can see myself working on it all this all evening. I'm pretty pleased with what i've done. Can't wait to see all the pieces. :}

[young paddy1]

sweet work sketchling I love the sortof techno halo and the explosion/fire in the background, good all round could maybe do with a touch of tidying on the other foreground figures but that's it.

[DavidCousens]

Niiiiiiice image Kim.

[Molly]

Hey Kim,

Nice pic man! Great colors too...Maybe give her longer hair?:)
I have posted in the Challenge thread in the Lounge. The final date has been moved to the Wed 22nd Sept. Loadsa ppl havent entered yet, and we'd rather post once ALL pix are in. So, use the time to chill out ann stuff.
Man, I can wait to see our challengers, Dallas. I really do hope we kick their arses!

Mollyx

[Molly]

well here is my WIP but I'm not entering the contest heheh

http://www.medievalfx.com/concept/samurailady11.jpg


Koshime, dude...this rocks....

Mollyx

[Dirty C]

ok, so maybe i'll get it done in time. here's a wip:

http://toeslikefingers.com/tmp/of.jpg

[Schlo-mo]

Awesome man, its all coming together. Why did you decide to get rid of the cobblestone ground?

[Rhaucan]

So when I was given the title "the hero returns", I had to go and settle on an idea that had far too many subjects in. I'm learning.

Guess its good that its not till wednesday now. As to how much more I will do on it i'm not sure, it'll have to be abandoned at some stage.

Please comment/suggest, preferably easy quick fixes.

Heh I like the squid.
If I had an giant squid i'd make it my sea mount of terror and impending doom.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/wormaldkelly/Beefdomewip2.jpg

[Crane]

Hey dudes and dudette.

@Kim: awesome image. reminds me of I robot for some reason, don't ask why.
The people behind her look like zombies. and the girl on her right looks like she has a spider on her head....woo spider! and The main Woman looks like she has a black eye and the right seems bigger than the left. Just pointing it out..don't slap me!
@Dirty_c: Rad man. Whats the theme by the way? Kinda confusing me here.
Love the squid, I need to get round to drawing my squid i made up ages ago. Need a story for him.
@Rhaucan: Nice, love the dallas sign haha. Seems to have a depressing feeling around it, and it helps with the picture. Think its the dark clouds rolling over. Top notch old boy!

[koshime]

Heya folks.

Just finsihed moving into new house/flat in Southgate.
Its like 1 min to teh oakwood tube station so that is pretty nifty but out in zone 5 (damn Ken livingstoen for wanting to increase tube prices even more +++)

Still awaiting pipex to install ADSL, so not onien for teh next 10 days..sigh

Molly - thanks dude/lady. Will work ehr more. Your tornado is having a real blast. lets see a cool finsihed pic

Kim - Nice composition, looks pretty epic in the background. I wonder why the lady in this picture is looking at....mysterius

[Dirty C]

Awesome man, its all coming together. Why did you decide to get rid of the cobblestone ground?

This is a different pic - the composition has changed, and i felt it made it easier to understand. I'll have to clarify it all a bit more, and since I only have tonight, it'll have to be quick :)

[Dirty C]

erm, how do i enter my pic?

[DavidCousens]

Mail it to Matt Dixon, [email protected]

I've sent mine btw, and I have a feeling I'm not going to win this one. :[

[koshime]

more wips of OC at yer local starbucks. Thank god for Wi Fi

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/koshime/DSG/fishwarrior2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/koshime/DSG/drunkenwarrior.jpg

[Alex Kaiser]

Hellooooooooo

Sorry for being not here, I haven't really done an entry, even though I have had a challange (it has been a reaaaaaaaaalllllllllyyyy hectic 2 weeks) so when is the final final due date (when is judging), maybe I can pull something out of my a.. I mean draw something quickly to enter.

So, hope your all doing well

Watch out for the flamingos,

-Alex.

[koshime]

Flamingos? (as in flamers?)

[Alex Kaiser]

Nope, as in the pink birds that stand on one leg, (look behind you there might be one looking at you.)

Kinda like spacemonkeys. But a little different.

[koshime]

i dont get it but oh well. pink flamingos it is

[Schlo-mo]

Awesome Thunderdome entries guys, made me kinda dissapointed I didnt participate. With all the excitement I got psyched up and did some painting of my own, and since everyone Is sharing I thought id drop a line here.. check it out Here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=311377#post311377)

[lowpolymatt]

Awesome Thunderdome entries guys, made me kinda dissapointed I didnt participate. With all the excitement I got psyched up and did some painting of my own, and since everyone Is sharing I thought id drop a line here.. check it out Here (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=311377#post311377)

You should get in on the next one Schlo-mo! Its a great way of motivating yourself to do a piece of structured work, and within a set time frame...

Incidentally...who are we going up against once we've beat Dallas? Peeps?

[Aly Fell]

Incidentally...who are we going up against once we've beat Dallas? Peeps?

I dunno... it seems our colonial chums are happy to fight it out amongst themselves at the mo, what with the suggestion of a US East v. West TD. :\

[young paddy1]

who's left in the middle we could have a go at them, but I think jetpack wanted to take on the winners from our T'dome.

[Crane]

Some kick ass pictures for the challenge.
Shame I didn't take part. probably will next time.
Woulda looked stupid putting my picture up.
something like; Awesome, awesome, awesome, a joke, awesome awesome..you get the point.

My faves were; Whoevers Meat wagon, man that ruled.
Mollys Twister elemental. fucking ouch.
and That nazi looking girl with all them blimps. woo...hot.

But they all ruled!
Shameful Acuna.... tutut.
Anyway. I better get some art up...fuck..need to install scanner again, and thats HARD.

[koshime]

well, guess I'll chip in in the next one

[Dirty C]

i'm personally keen to sit it out for awhile. Everyone seems really busy round this time of year, with uni and work starting properly after summer hols and whatnot. I'd like the next one we enter to have a really full-strength complement of folks and really kick ass, rather than dragging it out and having loads of no-shows like this time. I reckon the Uk name has to stand up to scrutiny, know worra mean?

[koshime]

yeah, incidentally, I wont be able to make it for the 3rd October. Working that weekend in hosp. bugger huh

[sketchling]

Im keen for a break too...it looks like im not going to have freetime till next year... like may or something... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG. Think a social life might be unlikley too. Can make 3rd october if im not working, but if we do a thang on the second sunday, the 10th...well, im not gonna be able to make it.... got a visitor from Berlin :bashful:

[Schlo-mo]

Any of you guys gonna enter TD8?
Im pretty excited about it and Im already partway through my entry.

[koshime]

prob not, i've got a few personal projects in the eaves, plus i do want to have a period of self study until i have somethign to show/share with you guys. So, going into art hybernation/study mode

[pixelherder]

Any of you guys gonna enter TD8?
Im pretty excited about it and Im already partway through my entry.

I'm not going to commit myself definately, but i had a look and it seems like a good one. So time permitting - I'm in!

[Molly]

Im keen for a break too...it looks like im not going to have freetime till next year... like may or something... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG. Think a social life might be unlikley too. Can make 3rd october if im not working, but if we do a thang on the second sunday, the 10th...well, im not gonna be able to make it.... got a visitor from Berlin :bashful:

*Ah-hem* - is it Sarah by any chance? (that was her name right?)
ooooOOOOooooH - hehe :wink:

Nice work everyone with the BEEFDOME, results up now go check it out...

As for further challenges, I'm not too bothered. I wouldnt mind at least to take on a Europen sketchgroup, but reading through the posts here, looks like attendence would be sparse from the UK side. People have Uni/work etc going on, so thats cool.
IF anyones still up for challenges in the future, just let me know. We got the Europeans joining in the fun now, which is cool. And I know by Christmas, Jetpack and his lot, (well, the whole USA) would like to take on the rest of the WORLD, it would be fun......

As for the Official Thunderdome 8 - I am so in!!!
If your gonna take part in this one, post ur W.I.P's here, we can help eachother out with crits and stuff...



Mollyx

[Dirty C]

Yup, definitely up for a rest guys. Bummer we lost, but there you go. Life takes over sometimes.

[DavidCousens]

Congrats to everybody on our side who won, you did us proud! :)

I'm gonna skip the next Tdome, after losing 2 in a row and getting rejected from 3 jobs in the last two days, I need to rebuild my confidence a bit!

[Rhaucan]

So everyone is going off to there hidden training locations and dojos I hope . I know for certain i've developed hugly from that one meet and these two domes, and i'm more inspired than ever to carry on.

So when we decide to challenge again i'll be eager to redeem my loss and hopefully more able than ever.

I never did get a chance to give comment on everyones work but I really could find alot with everyones I was really impressed with

My mum peers over the screen alot and asked me to pass on how impressed she was with Molly's Tornado Elemental.

[Molly]

- haha
Alright Harry, how's you?

Glad you enjoyed the last meet and found it helpful. Keep posting here and get some feed back from us guys :)
Also, glad to here your mum liked my picture too hehe!

Mollyx

[Dirty C]

Maaan, nobody's mum ever likes my drawings :'(

[Madoliane]

Maaan, nobody's mum ever likes my drawings :'(


I'm somebody's mum and I like your drawings ! :confident

[Alex Kaiser]

Hello, Sorry I missed out on this tdome, timing bad. I am just posting to say I'm having a house party (birthday-type party, was 20 yesterday, ie giant pissup) on saturday. In Oxford, if anyone is interested. Going to try get it going through the day.
Congrats to the people who did the drawings.

Alrighties.

-Alex

[Molly]

Hey Fellas,

Right, soz - BIG WELLDONE TO CARTOONFOX! (WOOT!) For gettin himself on the final list for the conceptart.org t-shirt!!!!!!

Aw man - I was chuffed - bigtime seeing his name there - such a cool design!

Please guys, go have a look and vote, there is some stuff in there I want ALL of them on t-shirts.

*big hug for cartoonfox*

Mollyx

[Reotharmus]

Just wanted to say hi really,


and bring a bit of northern soul to the UK thread.. i hail from Manchester (and no i dont sound like a gallagher)


still new here.. so lots to see and read

cheerio

[lowpolymatt]

Just wanted to say hi really,


and bring a bit of northern soul to the UK thread.. i hail from Manchester (and no i dont sound like a gallagher)


still new here.. so lots to see and read

cheerio

Welcome to the UK thread Roetharmus (I'll refrain from shortening your name to reo...sounds too much like a duran duran song).

Great to see new UK peeps in here...plus it means we have more people for the art thunderdomes!

[Reotharmus]

yeah was looking through that thread (thunderdome) some really exciting stuff.. would love a crack at one of them.

and no i dont dance in the sand :dur:

[lowpolymatt]

Hey Reotharmus....hehe...sorry buddy, if I've insulted you, just ignore me, I was only joking around...it was the first (domb) thing that popped into my head at this time of morning.

Incidentally...Old Simon Le bon and John whasisface frequent my local videoshop...and I can tell you he has make up on his ears...


Oh and they sound so poncy...


Anyway....enough crap trivia...

Are you going to get in on Thunderdome 8 then?

[Reotharmus]

insult me.. hahahaaaahaha will take more than that... (though please dont consider this a challange)

yeah i will be up for it.. once i stop chewing my biro...

why dont they make these things flavoured

[Molly]

Hey Reotharmus,

Welcome to the forum!

..if they do ever make flavoured biros, I'm buying a whole box for myself...

Thunderdome 8 - I'm in... lowpolymatt - what you gonna re-design? Im a thinkin bout Danger Mouse....


Mollyx

[Dirty C]

Man, flavoured biros... that's a million dollar idea right there. Imagine if chupa chups started making them..

Welcome!

[Dirty C]

Oh, and thanks Madoliane! I'm hoping to win the Concept art Housewives' Favourite award (not that I'm pigeonholing anyone with kids, I just wanna win it :D).

[Reotharmus]

im thinking for thunderdome either Alvin and the Chipmonks (have to check date) going very Nu-Metal/Punk

or

Godzilla spin... Modzilla.. on the London to brighton run with godzooke on Lambretta Li125's :bashful:

think i might copy write the flav-biro combo..

[lowpolymatt]

Hey Reotharmus,

Welcome to the forum!

..if they do ever make flavoured biros, I'm buying a whole box for myself...

Thunderdome 8 - I'm in... lowpolymatt - what you gonna re-design? Im a thinkin bout Danger Mouse....


Mollyx

Molly - I think I'm going to do a rework of Dominion Tank Police. I was well into this as a kid so I think a rewokr of the cute tank and the crew is in order...bring it up to date and make it more realism than manga...

I'm playing with the idea right now...if not...I dunno what else.

What flavour Biro though....?

[Reotharmus]

biro flavour menu:

Medium Rare Fillet stake with order of Garlic bread.

Oreo

Banana and Macadamia Nut

Whimberry

and the one i have currently: Ink & Plastic (need to learn when to stop chewing)

[Madoliane]

Oh, and thanks Madoliane! I'm hoping to win the Concept art Housewives' Favourite award (not that I'm pigeonholing anyone with kids, I just wanna win it :D).


Dirty C I'd love to be a housewife but my husband <3 is a slave driver and makes me go out there and earn my crust ! Being a housewife would be cool....I might actually get time to learn to draw instead of getting frustrated at juggling a million things at once.

[Madoliane]

Mooly - I think I'm going to do a rework of Dominion Tank Police. I was well into this as a kid so I think a rewokr of the cute tank and the crew is in order...bring it up to date and make it more realism than manga...

I'm playing with the idea right now...if not...I dunno what else.

What flavour Biro though....?


saying nothing ! :nohope:

*ducks*

[Schlo-mo]

haha, Do you guys take turns to post?

[Molly]

haha, Do you guys take turns to post?

Yes, it's my turn now...

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Biro

Marajuana flavoured Biro
(it can act like a nicorette patch, for when I'm at work, and have withdrawals...)

Mollyx

[Reotharmus]

i'll have a word with mr wonka (apparently now johnny depp??????) and get him to work with Bic and then my ungodly alience will be complete and the office munchy market will be mine MWAHHHH HAAAHAHAHAAAAAAA :D

[young paddy1]

hi Reotharmus first thing I thought of after reading your name was, what's king arthur doing in Manchester, his armour's gonna rust.

You need to get a chew proof end on your biro before the flavours, I always end up biting it off, and the writing bit keeps disappearing inside the body. Full roast dinner with yorkshire puds flavour for me BTW.

LowPoly, you gonna do a re-design of the ultimate deterent? ;)

Going for a slightly more violent Thundercats, death, destruction, Snarf eating Monkian's face, that kinda thing.

[Reotharmus]

Hi Paddy, WD40 is the key, works wonders on my armour..... my horse (Tidgypud) doesnt like the weather though.. and wasnt too happy when i creasoted her either.

oh and you're the 1st person ever to actually know what my name means.

chewproof end good thinking will work on that some how i think Titanium may be a bit harsh on the old gnashers.

i've changed my mind for this thunderdome peice (seing as its my 1st wanna do something special) though the modzilla is something im doing for fun lol... think im going with a Mario re work into a slayer.. got picture of him in my mind holding sonic's decapated head in one hand and huge sword in another.. maybe even Luigi with a Crossbow or somethin.. and dont even get me started on princess toadstool and toady.

i need my medication. :\

[Aly Fell]

Just wanted to say hi really,


and bring a bit of northern soul to the UK thread.. i hail from Manchester (and no i dont sound like a gallagher)


still new here.. so lots to see and read

cheerio

Hi Reotharmus! Where-abouts in Manchesthair are you? I used to live in Didsbury and work in Chorlton, but now hail from Buxton, in't Peaks!

As for the Thunderdome, I'm going to be in foreign climes for a while, but really want to do a submission. I'm still going to re-design Penelope Pitstop and if I can get him in, Sylvester Sneakly as they were in a Hanna Barbera special in the eighties! ;) So there!

[Reotharmus]

I'm t'other side of Manchester up in prestwich near Heaton park.

up in th' hill's now then.. its nice up there actually was over there last weekend...

Sylvester Sneakly wasn't he the hooded claw?? and im sure thye meant that to have the sexual conitations...!!!!!

[Aly Fell]

Sylvester Sneakly, alter identity of The Hooded Claw. Who was really just Dick Darstardly in another guise really without Muttley. Sexual connotations... dunno what you mean guv! It was just an innocent cartoon surely! ;)

[Reotharmus]

god dammit... i've just had some inspiration!!!! Catch the sodding pidgeon!!!

[Aly Fell]

Don't you mean 'Dag nabbit' you've just had some inspiration! Or was that Deputy Dawg? Hanna Barbera have wealth of wonderful stuff to plunder for this, I'm suprised not many people have mentioned them. Just think: Wacky Races, Catch the Pigeon, Josie and the Pussycats, Huckleberry Hound, Scooby Doo, Hong Kong Phooey.... the list is endless. :}

[Reotharmus]

my nickname used ot be huckleberry hound so cant do that too many bad memories...

im stuck between catch the pidgeon and Mario now... can see Mutly in an A10 warthog lol..

[young paddy1]

You're gonna have ta stick a rocket up the pidgeon's arse, and one serious flak jacket, on it's tiny body.





currently listening to the prodigy

[Reotharmus]

who said the pidgeon survives this one!!!

at last mutley earns his medal..

would post up a quick scribble of this but damned if i know how!!

[Rhaucan]

Hi Reotharmus! Where-abouts in Manchesthair are you? I used to live in Didsbury and work in Chorlton, but now hail from Buxton, in't Peaks!

As for the Thunderdome, I'm going to be in foreign climes for a while, but really want to do a submission. I'm still going to re-design Penelope Pitstop and if I can get him in, Sylvester Sneakly as they were in a Hanna Barbera special in the eighties! ;) So there!

Wow, its great to see all the manc represent, a small world made smaller by the internet. Didsbury you say, i'm from East didsbury, and I go to school at Parrswood if that meens anything.

Hi Reotharmus. Speaking of wacky races, and heaton park . My only memory of heaton park was a cross country I was mad enough to take part in. But I seem to remeber it being a very nice place. A place i'd like to return with a sketchbook.

Speeking of drawing http://www.thebigdraw.org.uk/ For this october only.
Pretty much speaks for itself. Events up and down the country, lots of cheap/free drawing things (some figure drawing).

[Reotharmus]

my primary school used to take us to parrswood once a month so we could dig up worms and stuff... only remember the hotchocolate machine though.. mainly because it would let us have the chocolate with no water..... MMMmmmmmmmm powdery goodness :teeth:

[Rhaucan]

hahaha yeah here at parrswood we have all our food in powder form. I don't think they do the old digging for worm lessons anymore, the worms are probably all but extinct from over hunting. A worm hunter.. should recommend that to the Daily sketch group section.

[young paddy1]

And you've got a pretty good cinema too.

[troymcoy]

word up, are meetups off for a while?

[koshime]

i dunno man, been kinda busy myself. most people settling into autumn/winter doldrums perhaps?

[Dirty C]

Winter doldrums is exactly it. I'm currently doing two to three different art classes every week (life drawing Monday, life painting Friday, painting for six hours every second Saturday) and it's raining. So while I don't pretend to speak for everyone, I'm feeling slightly snowed under just now. if someone wants to organise something, absolutely go ahead - there was never an intention to make things really 'official' or anything.

Personally, I was thinking it might be nice to take this month off and do a bigger, more planned one than usual next month, hopefully getting as many peeps to come down as we can, and maybe even having something a bit more structured,mini-workshop style.

What does everyone think?

[Reotharmus]

"hahaha yeah here at parrswood we have all our food in powder form. I don't think they do the old digging for worm lessons anymore, the worms are probably all but extinct from over hunting. A worm hunter.. should recommend that to the Daily sketch group section."

worm hunters i like it.. probably a fearce bunch lol

[Schlo-mo]

Hey,
"something a bit more structured,mini-workshop style" sounds really good. Where abouts are you taking your classes? Im thinking of attending some life drawing classes while im here, but Ill be going somewhere local.
Im currently working on my TD8 Entry which ive practically finished, Im not sure how much I like it so Ill post it here and hopefully you guys can crit the fuck out of it. Ill probably end up doing another one anyway.

Im keen for more meetups,I learn so much at each one.. even if all we do is sit around and take the piss out american, master painters like Ryan Church.

[acuna_read]

Been collecting nuts ready for winter :zzz:

[Molly]

Hey People,

I'm heading off to the Victoria & Albert Museum on Sat, to draw some statues and stuff.

I feel the need to do so.

If anyone wants to join me, you are more than welcome!

I'll post directions later on tonight.

Then we'll find a cafe, crash there and we can discuss TD8 entrys, ideas and draw blah blah.

(i'm going saturday cos I cant do Sunday, soz)

Mollyx

[Dirty C]

Hmm, knew this would happen :)

I'll be painting all day Saturday at art school.

I can feel myself retracting into my own little world :(

[sketchling]

YOU are retracting into your own little world? welcome to the club. :\

Scales... im dreaming about frikken scales. twitch... twitch. Id love ta join ya molly, but ya know... :bashful:

enjoy! Hope to see people again soon!
K

[Reotharmus]

EEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee it's grim up north...

there's gotta be some of us northern monkey's getting together??

though the exibit at the Urbis right now is "ill communication" so would probably only lead to much aerosol abuse.... woooooo hooooooo :wink:

[Molly]

HAHA - REothamus, maybe you should organise a Northern UK meet???

I would love to have a proper UK meet, and I know it will HAVE TO BE somewhere in the middle of England. That I wouldnt mind. :rendered:

As for a UK mini-workshop thang - that would be cool. Im sure some of us could help with organisation etc, but that would be defo in the future, next year some time. (maybe CA will have one here, eh???)

Anyhoo. Saturday. If you can you can, if you cant you cant. I'm dying just to sit somewhere and draw something that aint gonna move.
Those of you who cant meet during the day, we could meet up for drinks in the evening???? We dont do enought of that:) and I gotta meet up with ma boys, see how yous all are....

Mooollayx!

[Dirty C]

I've got a good model contact as well, if we wanted to organise that sometime. And no, it's not a girl. He's also asked me to do a painting of him on a commission basis, so if we're really lucky we could trade in my commission for his pay (or part thereof).

**edit** And yeah, having a northern uk chapter wouldn't be a bad idea for you manchesterites. I mean, it's one thing that you can't make it down to see us, but it shouldn't stop you benefiting from each others' experience. Ya got the one like Summer Pud up there now too, so if you can drag him out, I'm sure you'd learn loads.

[Rhaucan]

Well i'm up for for an up north meet. And I really like the idea of a workshop/bigger meet, i'd love to come down to london again. I just wont be able to do it as regularly as I would like. Heh , the ultimate aim would be to be able to sell a drawing for enough to cover the £££ of the trip, on the trip.

Theres no end of things going on in manchester all the time though. And I know the chinese bakery of legends in the city center, two of them actually.

Theres lots of odd life drawing classes here and there this month. I've been able to get onto 2 drawing / painting classes, free or very cheap (hooray for the title of student) And could probably get on more if I started missing college.

[acuna_read]

You could all meet somewhere in the middle (of the UK), in a field (or other conveniant place where they sell alchohol.

Just a thought :perv:

[Reotharmus]

Chinese bakery of ledgends????????? i go to Ho's bakery every day before work.... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Rhaucan]

YES! Believers exist, Ho's captures the sweet and savouries of heaven in pastry, and also my heart <3

[Reotharmus]

Is truely the food of the gods... if they fancied a pork dumpling that is...

glad im not alone ;)

[Reotharmus]

back (almost) to my point if there's anyone else oop north who fancies a get together sure we could muster up something and somewhere...

keep saying i wanna go back to royal armouries in leeds that place has some awesome stuff filled me with ideas last time..

anywhoooo..

[Rhaucan]

You read my mind. I remeber picking up a leaflet for that and and my brain clicked :!: CA.org meet. I remeber seeing an advert in london showing off pretty cheap tickets to leeds, so you londerners have no excuse!

[young paddy1]

Haven't been there in ages, see the war elephants and tilt yard and all that, it's pretty cool, I like it ayway.

[Reotharmus]

there's a plan forming here....

[Molly]

...Victoria & Albert Museum

Right I am still going this weekend if you London folks are up for it.
Acuna_read PM'd me and says he'll pop along...

Directions: you need to get your self onto theDistrict Line Or Circle Line going west to South Kensington. From there, follow the directions. You'll also see signs to the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum too, you want the "V&A"
I'll be in there about 12-1pm-ish. Call me on my mobile 07932907779 when you turn up.
Im not going to wait around at South Kensington to meet people, sorry:)

Mollyx

[Badger]

Thought I should at some point pop my head up from behind the Chilterns.

Hello all, I've been keeping up with the UK thread, its not the easiest task given how often u guys post.

Oh and as I was there Wednesday, the V&A is out the tube-station at the exit saying "Victoria and Albert museum" (in case u hadn't guessed....) then turn right, follow the road down, it should tail to the left then its your second right... I believe :^^;: And the main entrance is slightly to your right, That’s an idiots guide.... Because I am off ill, so have too much time on my hands, there was no need really to put it but I’m filling in time.... SORRY I’ll stop digging

I'll go back to watching 'Quincy' and 'Murder she wrote'

Cheerz

[Reotharmus]

murder she wrote... jessica fletcher was a genius... little did the dumb cop know (formally Mr C out of happy days) that it was dear old jessica who murdered all those transients and missfits.. she was just so damned good at framing people.

J Fletcher USA's most notorious serial killer, Cabbott cove you are warned!!!!

[Molly]

Reo - yeah man, J Fletcher - I had a feeling it was her all along, sly ole fox, AND she wrote about it and made some money!!

Hey Badger - welcome to the boards! Hopefully at some point we'll have another UK meet, and you'll pop along....Thanx for the directions too, even tho I know the way, I just really couldnt be bothered to write it down, Im such a lazy cow....

As for watching TV anyone been watchin the Green Wing? (I may have mentioned this before) but man, it's so funny....

MooooooOOOOOOoooooollyx

[Badger]

Molly - Green wing, well at a quick glance at the radiotimes, it’s on a Friday night! which means the Badger is down the pub, drinking ale.

Though on Tuesdays after work. I have been catching NY-LON, but I admit it to very few people. Oh and after that 6 feet under...

Anyone know when the new series of Little Britain starts... I kept seeing posters about London... then I forgot :zzz:

Cheerz

[Molly]

Greenwing - repeated Sat round 10.30pm-11.00 - ish

Little Britain - on BBC3? Or ITV 3? dunno...

" I am a lady, I am I am"

Mollyx

[Reotharmus]

if only i had time to watch the old goggle box...

damn shame im on alternate shifts :( (says me typing in work lol)

[acuna_read]

I'll give you a bell whenever I wake up Molly.

For Little Britain its the 19th of this month on BBC3. Ive just bought the first series audio CD and its go some other really good shit, different characters :perv:

Greenwing's alright.

[Crane]

Hey peoples.

Yea Ain't posted on here for damn ages. Nuffing to say or watnot.
Still ain't either. just felt like posting for the sake of it.

@badger. Welcome Furry critter.
@Molly. Greenwing kicks ass!
@Everyone else. Hi.

I should draw. Ain't done so for like. a week. not even a sketch, collage kinda sucks. real boring. Prob stuck In my writing era right now lol. I write stories to go with pics and stuff..and poems for my Girlfriend and songs too. anyway..i'll bugger off now.

Neeerr
Greenday rule!

[koshime]

nothing much happening on my end. I think october is a cool down period.
Just setting up desktop pc system this weekend, then down to devon next weekend, and final move to London at the end of october, before thigns start to pick up again hopefully. How aout you guys, is there any particular time comign up that you are free on a weekend/day?

[Dirty C]

So did you guys go on Saturday or what? I was busy painting very simple things in a very organised way - the way you do in stage 1 painting at art school haha.

Don't seem to be able to sign into msn today, which is a bunch of arse.

Let me know how it went.

[Molly]

Hey dirty_c & other Fellas...

I went to the V&A on Sat, bout 2pm. I got up late due to hangover, but hey, I actually went so... Took me a while to sit down and draw, so much to see there. I went to the Cast room, and drew Perseus holding the head of Madeusa in his hand. Such fanatastic sculptures there - like life drawing, but the model can hold the pose forever!!!

I will post asap, need to scan and upload.

I'll be going again this weekend, theres plenty more there to draw!!!

Also ppl- if your entering the TD 8, hows it going? Would like to see other peoples W.I.P's if poss. I show you mine if you show me yours....

Mollyx

[lowpolymatt]

ooo...lots of UK'ers currently active...hello y'all!

[Dirty C]

I show you mine if you show me yours....

Mollyx

Sure sure, heard that one before..

[DavidCousens]

I show you mine if you show me yours....

Ah, that takes me back... :^^:

[Crane]

Yea. Msn is being a tosser!
I could log in but couldn't send messenges. poobumwillyhead.

Today wasn't bad. Went up to london to the nat history place (i can't spell musiesm) pretty much free to do what we want. I was gunna go visit Molly, but kinda forgot I had no idea where Ya work, and if i did, I wouldn't know where to go to get there lol.
Pretty fun today. drawed some pics of dinos and them massive moose antlers. pretty impressive. and a rather good dino head. one in the glass box, its fake of course, got big yellow eyes, i'll have to post it. cept i ain't got a scanner...again. damn comp.
Brought a brownie, which tasted like complete non brownie tasing shit. £1.55, fucking rip off. Mates were laughing, they had hot dogs, but they cost like £3.55. and were pretty pants anyway.

A new member Might be joining, my mate Aaron, showed him this site and stuff so ya, have to see where it goes.

Other than this bollocks, Hi to everyone.

[Molly]

...right...

W.I.Pclick here.. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v57/Tekura/DMPF_lores2_tm.jpg) for 1 of my DangerMouse&Penfold re-design.

I've gone for a different style with this, something not me. I dont wanna be doing another god-almighty-digi-paintin. Keeping it clean and simple.
No color added as yet, just wanted to get figures positioned correctly..

Comments and crits please...

Mollyx

[lowpolymatt]

here (http://lowpolymatt.co.uk/mattimages/dominion_03.jpg) and here (http://lowpolymatt.co.uk/mattimages/dominion_01.jpg)

Still working on design rather than composition or colours...Just aiming for a nasty looking fuck off tank.

[lowpolymatt]

...right...

W.I.Pclick here.. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v57/Tekura/DMPF_lores2_tm.jpg) for 1 of my DangerMouse&Penfold re-design.

I've gone for a different style with this, something not me. I dont wanna be doing another god-almighty-digi-paintin. Keeping it clean and simple.
No color added as yet, just wanted to get figures positioned correctly..

Comments and crits please...

Mollyx

I like it a lot. Could be a very stylish piece this...waiting for an update now!

[Molly]

...hehe thanx matt..:)

I like the color of dominion03 + style design;
and the raw style/design of dominion 01...

nica man - hey you too! I wanna see more!

Mollyx

[Dirty C]

That is fuckin SWEET! The forms are defined really nicely. I kinda think the lower body (everything below the shoulders) should be to the left a tiny bit, but it's me being picky. Really nice.

And hey, surely Tom has a nice digital camera? Should get him to take shots of your oil paintings so you can show us.

[Dirty C]

Hey Matt, nice ass!

[Schlo-mo]

I need some help with my entry.. So far ive totally trashed my dino riders pieces and gone with a totally new subject (you can find some of my dino-riders stuff on my temp website at here (www.djohnston.i8.com)), my new sujbect is brave starr. Im well into the piece, but im having trouble with the last aspect of the character, the head.. Id appreciate it if anyone could do any overpaints or any recommendations.. I just cant get it the proportions of the head to look right along with a cowboy hat. Ive scrapped all my head designs thus far.

heres a link to the brave starr piece wip: here (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/Ace0r/bravestarr.jpg)

[Crane]

Whoa Molly, thats some reDesiGn.
Real awesome. I would add crit too, but I'm not experianced enuff, and if i was, I highly doubt Crit would be needed.
Love the whole 'On the shoulder pose' and the kool darknessy goodness.

Man, I'm in love with Tanks and warfare etc, Lowpoly, it just kickass man! inspired me to draw tanks too. I always get the turret wrong tho...should work on it. Anyone got any good refences for tanks? and other Stupidly kool tech?

Collage is boring and depressing.
Signed Me.

*EDIT* Don't Know Brave starr to well, but it looks fucking awesome.
Pretty funny without a head. :blah:

[lowpolymatt]

http://www.tankhistory.com/
http://www.interdacom.ru/~tanks/
http://www.mainbattletanks.czweb.org/indexeng.htm

and my fave...
http://www.army-technology.com/index.html

[Crane]

Now Thats wat I call refencey goodness.
Thanks a ton!

[Rhaucan]

Good to see the UK is being so well represented. Molly that piece just screems coolness. I want all my old favourite childhood tv charectors recreated. I bet "rosy and jim" grew up to some bad ass crime fighters or something. Or might have given up the whole duck thing for a dragon or something. Ignore me :p

Matt, i especially like that second tank. Heh I didn't notice the ass until Dirty C pointed it out. But theres was something subtly sexual in it. I think the charectors love for his/her tank might be a little deaper and darker than some would say natural. No but seriously inspiring excellent work as usual as what i've seen from your other stuff.

Oh and for anyone in the manchester area. Theres a Walter Sicket exhibition on at the whitworth, called "drawings the thing". I have allready mentioned it prob. I went along and i've been sketching people at every oppertunity since. I can't remeber when I was this inspired to draw. Oh yea, the last UK meet. :^^:

[Schlo-mo]

Thanks for the comment BNB, So anyways I just got so sick of the image that I decided to finish it regardless of how much I liked it.. the hat is so ugly it makes me laugh. laugh so much i cry.



(btw matt I forget to mention I like the feel of dominion_01 but the turret for 03 has a really nice shape)
ThundarDome ATE Final IMage (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/Ace0r/theshiz.jpg)

[lowpolymatt]

Kaboom! (http://lowpolymatt.co.uk/mattimages/dominion_04.jpg)

More working up...just testing out some bits n bobs wasting my lunch time away!

Rhaucan- There was something 'sexual' between the tank and the girl in the dominion series...Im just trying to make the most of it...

Dirty C - Thankfully it's a conceptart ass and not mine you're talking about. ;)

[Crane]

Nice tank once again. I love the Green eyes coming outta the darkness. very smooth. And the way its all dark and just sitting there alone. so powerful...awe struck
yea, i'm not to good at explaining what feeling i'm getting from this piece...
Thats new. Sexual vibes with a tank. kinky.

I'd be honored if someone said I had a nice ass. especially dirty c.. hint hint. lol joke.........or is it, find out...in next weeks post!! dun dun dun.

[Dirty C]

I'd be honored if someone said I had a nice ass. especially dirty c.. hint hint. lol joke.........or is it, find out...in next weeks post!! dun dun dun.

Well man, I have to say, you gotta picture of a woman as your avatar, you want me to compliment your ass... and I'm not saying shit about what we did when you fell asleep at my flat :devil:

[Crane]

Well man, I have to say, you gotta picture of a woman as your avatar, you want me to compliment your ass... and I'm not saying shit about what we did when you fell asleep at my flat :devil:

Yea, That woman is my Girlfriend. And anyway. doesn't matter, I'm a bisexual lol. hush hush.

[Dirty C]

Guys, all go read this:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=325425#post325425

[Kakahiro]

:bashful: hi there all. This is my first time on the site (Molly introduced me to it last night at some meeting). Can any of you give me a little intro on how it works? I've got lots of pics but dont know what to do with them. K

[lowpolymatt]

Welcome Kakahiro!
I guess the first thing to do is decide if you want to post 'finished work' or sketches or whatever...then go post em in the relevant sections of the forum.

In the New post window you'll see some buttons for font style and so on...and one with a little picture Icon. If you click on this it will bring up a pop up box that you can use to post your picture. You'll need to host those pictures somewhere...www.photobucket.com is a good place to start. Upload your images there, then link to them in your post as I've just explained...


That should get you started.

Matt

[Kakahiro]

[QUOTE=Kakahiro]:bashful: hi there all. This is my first time on the site (Molly introduced me to it last night at some meeting). Can any of you give me a little intro on how it works? I've got lots of pics but dont know what to do with them. K[/you may think you're safe now, but one day you'll turn around and i'l be there, doing stuff]

[tnt2]

We have just opened a new art Gallery in Co. Armagh N.Ireland. We would appreciate anyone who would visit the site and offer feedback

Eakin Gallery Armagh - Irish Art (http://www.eakingalleryarmagh.co.uk)

Thanks

[Molly]

We have just opened a new art Gallery in Co. Armagh N.Ireland. We would appreciate anyone who would visit the site and offer feedback

Eakin Gallery Armagh - Irish Art (http://www.eakingalleryarmagh.co.uk)

Thanks

tnt2 - nice website, and very good fine artwork on there too.
By the way, are you trying to sell the work here?
Welcome Karakiro! Glad you made it here! no go look round, get some feed back on yer work!

Mollyx

[Crane]

Hey welcome To CA and the uk thread KaraKiro.

Yea, you'd better check out the parts and places. especially daily sketch books.
I should Really great round to checking out more places :bashful:

Sayonara

[Badger]

*Ahem*
Fellow Britains!
As i guessed most of your have been through, are going through the education system of this country, i was wondering if u could help me out.....

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=31903

As no one as posted and i'd like the opinions of a few of you guys, or someone to answer....

CHHHHEEEEERRRRRRZ

Badger

[DavidCousens]

Hey Badger, we covered this one not too long ago in this thread. Click a few pages back and you'll see it, but to reiterate my point, don't go to Swindon!

[Badger]

Aah!
Cheers mate, they should make a sticky, there are countless threads about it, and I did do a few searches before my post, oh well....
Though that was slightly depressing. seems everyone says it's all happening in America, BUGGER. :[

Now I feel slightly shitty, better have a pint of ESB.

Right I better get back to my to offline life, I have a love life that is currently more complex than Ryan's from the OC. he he.

Thanks Dave the Original!
-Badger-

[DavidCousens]

No problem mate. Don't get me wrong though, it could really be worth taking an illustration course in this country, just because Swindon's was a shambles doesn't mean the rest are.

Even better advice would be to stop drinking Strongbow! If you're old enough to be applying for Uni, you're too old to be drinking ESB! ;)

Have fun!

[young paddy1]

did you mean Fullers' Badger, that is some harsh crap, it's like a bitter alco pop.

not keen on beer, prefer k brew, it's cider it's 8.2% it's smooth as a baby's bum.

[koshime]

A lil alky now and then - good. Its teh regular exposure esp to cider that knackers your liver, and your drawing abilities (beer gut ++ ) :)

[young paddy1]

mine's more of a food gut. :)

saw a lad on T.V. yesterday he was 13 and 27 stone.

[acuna_read]

I saw some weird thing about two families trying too loose weight so they could get a holiday at about mid-day today. Not that their health matters much.

For anyone interested on my trip to the V&A I noted (having never before seen him) that David does indeed have big hands and a small knob (relatively). And that old men farting are cause for humours giggling. :blahblah:

"humourous" was spelt wrong above, rather than edit that ill fritter these extra few seconds away with nonsense :[

[koshime]

I hear this week the Raphael exhibit is opening, at the National gallery?

[Badger]

Hey, I'm not a cheap cider drinker! he he, I meant Fuller's ESB, it's a nice ale, usually 5.9% in the bottle, and was 5.5% on tap, I guess for the sake of transport and stuff. Anyway, its not the guest ale anymore, old speckled hen is.... I’m rambling again...

Didn't David have big hands coz he was originally meant to be mounted high up? Did u see that bloody huge fig leaf? for the prudish queen lizzy?

My mate John who does 3d modelling is getting an impressive belly, but his teeth are more impressive, due to a dramatic uptake of haribo, I think he's addicted...... anyway, the are looking yellow'er than a pikachu driving one of those custard yellow Citroen saxos.

Any recommended exhibitions on at the moment?

-Badger-

[Crane]

Hey cider drinking fluffball.
I dunno alot about places in Uk since i'm like 16. But I've heard KIAD does a good illi course. In kent obviously.

Anyone else: Wat course should i take after my basic art one? kinda stuck here.

[Dirty C]

Hey guys, the venue and date are now set for the gig. Go reread the first post:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=31942

[Hazzard]

Hey guys. Names Aaron, im doing university BA 3D computer animation in Swansea right now and im on my last year.

[Schlo-mo]

Hello Aaron, welcome to the AA.

[Molly]

Hey Hazzard!

Welcome to the Forum! Would love to see some 3D work if poss!

Any questions about 'here' just ask :)

Mollyx

[Schlo-mo]

Hi,
I did a speedpaint dedicated to Kim (sketchling) . He was kind enough to sit down and teach me perspective and the tricks of drawing enviros. In the two times which I went to UK meet ups he taught me a rediculous amount of stuff in such a short time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/Ace0r/4kimweb.jpg

Cheers, Danny

-keen to see you lot again at the miniworkshop

[sketchling]

First off, anyone wanting a free, excellent and fun paint program, got ot: http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html Simple but very cool.

haha, schlo-mo, Im flattered. Um it doesnt work though. Cant get to the link. Glad I helped you mate. Its great to pass it on considering id only just learned a lot of that myself. Glad I could help!

Um dirty-c, im going to have to wait a while before I give you confirmation. hope it doesnt mess with you too much cause I have a visitor from sa ariving the day before... so chances are I wont make it. Bugger. Painting too... id just LOVE that.

Anyways, ill be seein ya guys soon I hope.
:) Cheers
K :bashful:

[Alex Kaiser]

Hello,

I've been absinthe from here for a while, insane workload at the moment, but I made some video tut (well, kinda tuts, it's me talking to myself while painting.) I put them in a thread here, http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=32431 they were for www.3d-palace.com the link be http://www.3d-palace.com/video.php?vid=59

Alrighties, talk to you later. Might make it to the workshop, not sure yet, mmmm deadlines.

-Alex and his spacemonkeys.

[young paddy1]

I can't believe i forgot about all the cartoons from round the bend and stopit and tidyup when I started doing this thunderdome thingy.

I'm well gutted, y-fronto and the thunderpants or Wee-man and his arch rival skeleface, psycho the magnificent, or transformabots, would have been pretty cool to do.

Or Rhubarb and Custard.

damnbumwillypoo.

[Molly]

Hey People,

Its that time of year again (my favourite:)), where we wrap up warm go stand in a field and watch things explode for a bit...
Yep, its Guy Fawkes next Friday 5th Nov, and on Saturday 6th November 04 there will be a fireworks display up on Blackheath, near Greenwich.

To find out more click here (http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/EnjoyingGreenwich/EnjoyingGreenwichNews/BlackheathFireworks2004.htm)
It starts at 8pm and goes on for 'bout 1/2hr, and is FREE.
- edit: its a mahooosive display! -
All are welcome. If your gonna attend please let me know(PM me email, txt blah blah). I'll be walking up to Blackheath from my flat, with beer and smokes. After, we'll warm up over a beer in the pub!

Remember also folks, the UK mini-workshop will be on the 7th Nov, so if your gonna pop along maybe best keep the drink to a minimum eh? (ahem...'yeah right')

Anyhoo, there ya goo!

Mollyx

[koshime]

the mini workshop doesnt sound too far off.
Have we confirmed all teh places, if still remaining....I want in....

Hmmm guy fawkes night, let me check my hosp rota.....how far is that from hammersmith?

[Dirty C]

hey me and liz might be up for this. and if anyone's gonna be in town early for the workshop, might be a good time to meet up as well. y'know, get to know a few faces before i make the smallest ones get naked. you do know that life drawing comes with a mandatory volunteer programme, right?


(begun the smoking bit already :P)

[Dirty C]

Koshime, you're in, I'd already assumed that. The numbers are pretty close to right already, so I'll go through all the names and check it out in the next day or two.

[Molly]

Hey EVERYONE :) -

@ Koshime - Hammersmith is quite a way away from Blackheath/Greenwich.

Directions: from Hammersmith take the District Line to either Bank/Monument or Tower Gateway and take the Docklands Light Railway towards 'Lewisham' and get off at Deptford Bridge I'll meet ya there....

Its about a 10 minute walk to Blackheath where the fire works are. On the way, we drink beer and smoke. After the display, we go find a pub and settle in.

Mollyx

[koshime]

oh blimey, its THAT part of town....
hmm might go the alexandar palace fireworks display then, adn come on Sunday for hte mini workshop. pls pls dont let them make me start my first weekend on call *grin*

[niq3d]

I’ve been a member of this site for some time, without realising until recently that this UK thread existed, (because I’m too lazy to go through all of the threads and I’ve been too busy to visit all that often). So I thought its about time I introduced myself.

I’m a 31 year old, self employed multimedia designer, trying to get better at drawing and regretting taking a multimedia degree when I should have done illustration or art. Dagnabbit! (yes I really said dagnabbit!)

I’m hoping to go along to the mini workshop this weekend (if there is room for me that is) so I hope to meet some of you guys there.

That’s pretty much all I’ve got to say, so erm, I’ll shut up now.

[sketchling]

Welcome! Im not going to be at this weekends workshop, BUT im sure ill be seein ya round. Once work chills out a bit ill actually have time for a ca.org life too!

Koshime - you livin in hammersmith? or where? If so we MUST meet up. im just down the line near wimbledon. Be good to go sketching somewhere sometime.

Cheers n hopefully see ya all sometime soon. Sorry im so out of touch guys.
K

[Molly]

Welcome to the Boards niq3d!
Hopefully you and other UK peeps will attended more meets.

This weekend is gonna be so cool! Looking forward to it big time!

SKETCHLING! - where have you been bro? Missed ya nuff!

Will be seeing you all this weekend - hey - who IS coming?
Hands up so we can count....1, 2, 3......


Mollyx

[koshime]

Heya Kim,
You'v ebeen a busy man.

I still live in Southgate (piccadilly line) but work in Charing Cross Hosp (hammersmith Tube station 10 mins - Fulham Place), which is nearby your vicinity. We do definately need to get together...

I've been trying to improve my artistry, by just doing more values
Hope to catch up with ya

[niq3d]

thanks for the welcome guys,

by the way, molly I love your sketchbook, and Sketchling your work is superb.

I'm running out of excuses for not putting up a sketchbook, so I guess I'm either gonna have to make up some new ones or dust off my scanner.

[Dirty C]

You better believe there's room niq. You were one of the first to contact me anyhow. Glad to see some new names have popped up, like lionel and richie (yes, really in that order). If you're lurking out there, speak up!

[grezzit]

I thought I'd stop lurking and say Hi to everyone.

I've heard on the grapevine that theres gonna be drawing workshop in Islington some time soon. Is there any chance of jumping on the boat or do have to wait for the next one as I'm a bit of new boy sat here in the corner?

:^^:

[Alex Kaiser]

Hello pollies,

Who here is going to the SF workshop? I saw molly and cartoonfox be going, anyone else? i'll be in maine from the 30th-7th, and this is the reason I'm thinking of popping over to sf, but it's going to cost :) Think I should go? (it's going to cost in the region of about £750 not including spending... need to figure out a way to get vodka there....... and I was thinking of staying a few days after since it will be a while before I'm in the us again. Anyone else doin that?

hmm might sell a kidney, I only suspect I'll get about a fiver for it though. damn.

[Lionel]

I do lurk around mainly due to the fact that I haven't been producing all that much art atm :/ (Mainly becuase I have been distracted trying to learn the guitar). I living in Cambridge atm (which is well worth a visit btw) so doesn't take to long to get to London. I put some of my self portraits up on a friends computer here (http://sil.ly/gallery/index.php?cat=10004) as my old host has been taken down :/. Anyway I look foward to meeting you lot.

Lionel

[young paddy1]

Evenin' all, hope you enjoy both your workshops, in my world of too much work and not enough money I can't make either. Suppose it's my fault for buying a new comp, now I've gotta find 3 grand, from somewhere.

But it has reminded me that I need to do more life studies, well some life studies would be good, as I haven't done any since college.

[acuna_read]

Alex, fuck going to San Fran!

Save up a few hundred quid(to cover everything) then go to Prague next April. Cheap, cheap, cheap, drink!

I dont think anyone will get any work done, but will be good, wonder how many arrests we can get on the CA boards in 3 days. Shit it's Prague, were gonna get our asses kicked by the police! :O :bashful:

[Rhaucan]

Just raising my hand to show i'm still alive. And looking forward to this weekend. I just had my first life drawing session about a fortnight ago and loved it. I can just tell there loads of great tips you'll have.

[Molly]

niq3D - thanx man
Grezzit & Lionel - welcome to the boards and the UK Sketchgroup!

Alex - come to San Fran if you can (that ryhmes) and save for Prague too, I can tell you it will be an experience not to miss...but if moneys the problem, then wait till Prague...As far as not getting any work done at a w/s if or when they have it in Prague - trust me, there will be work done. You are guaranteed to fill your sketchbook at least half way, and be inspired by others around you to carry on and finish the whole sketchbook...

People, cant wait for the weekend, it shall be cool to meet everyone again and hang out. Rhaucan - glad to see your so up for it. There's gonna be lotsa info flying about - you'll prolly learn more, in our 1 day session:)
Black_Neon_Bullets - are you coming? Post boy!

Take care people!


Mollyx

[Summer Pudding]

Prague you say? Is that official?

PS: dirty_c, a coupla pages back, you suggested creating a Manchester chapter of the UK crew. I'd love to be a part of something like that, but when I go back there on the weekend, it's a 48 hr playathon with my kids. I don't have time to scratch my arse let alone draw!

:nohope:

Big luv

Pud'

[Dirty C]

Bummer, Pud! But then again you draw for a living so maybe i shouldn't be too sad for you :)

Real pity you can't make it down this weekend. Be great if you'd ever get the chance to pop along again. Though this weekend's starting to look really really full - so if any of you are thinking of inviting more mates, you might wanna give that a miss :)

[koshime]

prague official ?

[Molly]

PPL- as far as Prague goes, lets wait and see ya? I heard things about it, and I hope to god they have one there, at least then the UK sketchgroup has a chance of meeting up as one!!!! (I will ask for us:))

Anyhoo!

Today, Sunday 7th Nov 2004. UK-mini workshop!
Many, many thanks to dirty_c for organising the event. A bloody good turn out today, and much work done. We met Grezzit, niq3D, Lionel, Imery(the LOTR bloke! wayhey!) Liz(dirty_c's bo)....again, thanx to Rhaucan for travelling all that way good to see ya man, Koshime(nice sketchbook as always), Schlo-mo (you were all over the place man! good to see!), Black_Neon_Bullets(WAKE UP!) - etc for turning up and making it a good 'en.

Lets make sure more people come to the next mini-w/s. It was fun, we met more UK peeps, and excelled in our art...fantastic.....
and in true Brit stlye, we ended up in a pub...

Lovely jubbly..

Mollyx
(P.S - those of you who missed it? - shame on you, shame-on-you!)

[niq3d]

I have to join Molly in expressing much gratitude to Dirty C for organising yesterdays workshop, the model was fantastic, and it was realy nice meeting all you guys.

hope it happens again, I'd certainly advise anyone that couldn't make yesterday to get along next time.

Nice one DC, greatly appreciated! :teeth:

[Dirty C]

I wrote a big entry last night, and in the usual way of these things, had to close down all the applications so that um, I could register something.

Anyhow, thanks loads to everyone for coming. After spending a week freaking out that 100 people would show up, then 48 hours thinking that I'd made a mistake and it'd be me with no model and no mates, we in fact had exactly the right number, and no cock-ups!

Really pleased to meet all the newbies and hope at least a few of you become regulars. Like I said, I'd love to try and do this about every three months, and given that we now have some of the materials, it should be cheaper next time. I'd also like to organise something in the evening, probably involving wacoms, projectors and pizza. And next time I intend to bully a few more of you into trying painting as well.

Lastly, I'd like to hear from anyone who has any specific suggestions for improvement. We have people coming from crazy places like Manchester and sometimes Cardiff, so I'm really keen to make this sort of thing as valuable as possible for everyone.

Cheers,
DC

[koshime]

My thoughts about using paints (which i woudl love to do...but too cowardly to apply with, is)

One could surmise, if you can paint fabolously IRL, you can make a fantastic job of it digitally. However, the vice versa of it may be a more uphill gradient.

Challenges to surmount.

1/ Paper and brush Texture affects quality of colour/value absorbed/represented. A satisfying splat and gettin your hands dirty

2/ Aclimatising to using and mixing paints: Paint/Oil/Pastel/Guache - give interesting diff outcomes, I guess the main paints would be paint/washes/watercolours/guache and acrylics

3/ Midtones achieved by mixing paints manually - may appear with a different final outcome when dry (unlike digital media)

End result is, if one is not a reasonable competent painter with brushes, a life drawing coudl perhaps be a bit of a mod-advanced approach to using paints.
Whereas perhaps a still life/landscape appraoch to learning paints prior to utilization in a lifepainting class could be in order.

hence, if one coudl come to represent a very good life painting, i am sure it woudl result in real bonuses and benefits in digital painting media/painter.....but coudl we perhaps have a painting workship - or how to paint...(in numbers even?)

[sketchling]

First off: Apologies for not making it myself... :nohope: :uzi2:

About the painting thing... yeah. you'r not kiddin Koshime. 3 things get to me above all...

1) no colour dropper tool :(
2) no hue/saturation/brightness control :S
3) No... undo... :404sign: :dead:

BUT that said, Im VERY keen to have do more painting... I used to do a lot of watercolour and some acrylic before the computer ate into my artistic life. (and guashe... but that stuff is morally wrong... yuck. Like chalk sludge and it tastes crap >:{ ) Anyone want to meet up on a fairly regular basis to paint? Im very keen to get back into my watercolour. And to be honest it would be nice to have a change from 13hours a day in photoshop. (though only just) Ill defo bring my watercolours to the next meet... :)

anyways, keep well all!
:)
K

[sketchling]

P.S. Love the new Avatar Dirty_C... nice. :nohope:

[Dirty C]

Ok, if I read that right, you think that painting would be helpful, but you wouldn't know where to start, right? Fair enough, and to be honest, it takes alot of work to get good. But I have found that it's helping digital stuff alot.

The main point of having the paints available to people is that then people can paint away happily and not feel afraid of making a mess of it. So yeah, sure I'm happy to help out to a certain extent (though if I perform like I did on Sunday you'd be better off finding a bum outside to help you haha)

I'd like to get people using as many different kinds of media as possible, as they all contribute to your overall understanding not only of that medium, but of how to make marks and compose pictures in general. Their limitations are what make them interesting, not inferior. So I'm happy to do a bit of paint tutoring, and also charcoal, which is the best intermediate step between the two.

[Dirty C]

P.S. Love the new Avatar Dirty_C... nice. :nohope:

Haha, yeah, I gotta change that again. I'm sick of the gasmask one, and it was only ever intended to take the piss out of Seattle. Guess what? Nobody got it :S

[Schlo-mo]

Hey all,

First off big thanks to Christian for making it all happen, It was a real success! I had alot of fun seeing alot of you again, and seeing the newer people. I guess some of the highlights for me was the general drawing/atmosphere, seeing molly's Sketchbook in the flesh, seeing koshimes DSG and watching Imery and Christian paint.
I'm really keen to see Imery's work posted, even if its just in our private little United Kingdom thread, regardless of wether he wants critiques or not! When Christian described the concept for your project it sounded really interesting, also seems you got skills to boot!
As for future/larger workshops I think we could step it up a level and perhaps get more people down here, maybe some more Industry professionals.. we could get some Demos running with wacoms, laptops and projectors.

And to all the people who were talking about World of Warcraft, open beta signups are live, and I gots myself an account!

Cheers,
Danny

[grezzit]

Hey Guys :wink:

Just thought I'd take moment out of my hectic schedule of phone gymnastics to say what a great day Sunday was. Thanks D_C!
It was really great to meet you all and to see so much fantastic stuff being created and well done to those who travelled wide and far...
Anyways look forward to it again.

[Rhaucan]

OH DEAR. I just read schlo mo mentioning that World of Warcraft Is in open beta and everything i was about to say has just melted.

CHEERS to everyone for being so welcoming, making my silly adventuring to London worth it, and especially Christian for organising the whole thing. You've really encouraged me to try and get something going on up here in the cold lonely north.
I'm not going to say anything to soon but I don't know if i'll be able to come every 3 months. The cost might eventually start to add up, and I can see doctors telling me 4-5 hours sat on a train isnt something that should be attempted regularly.

I really like the suggestion of doing more things in the evening. The pub was a jolly good time and i'd like more time to talk like that. And to look through sketchbooks as well, seeing you all draw/paint and the results always gives me buckets of motivation

As for suggestions, it would be nice if we had some time aside to talk about technique as a class. People could suggest things, maybe attempt excercises as a class, generally make it all even friendlier. Feel the love people!

Oh I've just come back from Leeds today where there was the CGI festival.
I made a games company, said I was a concept artist for them,
I'd hoped it was going be like the film "Catch me if you Can" but Tom Hanks didn't appear. Any of you who are interested in 3D programs and winning T-shirts i'd recommend going along to the London one. http://www.cgnetworks.com/story.php?story_id=2504
Oh and also I saw the Royal armoury in Leeds which would be an excellent place to visit if there was a Northern Meet. It's easily my favourite museum, it doesnt even have museum in the name.

Oh and i'm going to change my Alias soon to something a bit closer to Me, Rhaucan sounds like some Egyptian Warlord and I dont want to get peoples hopes up.

[Martial Loh]

*stops lurking*

crap..i forgot about the 3d festival thing.. i'll definitely go to the london one though. is it worth going even if you don't go for the seminars? those things cost too much for bums like me.

oh..and hi all UK ppl! im a grad from Bournemouth's computer animation course. jobs are scarce..so in the mean time im hoping to polish up my drawing skills.
you could see some of my cg-stuff here -

www.certaindoompossibly.com

10 cookie points for guessing where the webpage name came from:)

any good free places to draw stuff in London? I was at the V&A for a while yesterday but kept losing concentration.
heh heh

[koshime]

rhaucan and Schlo-mo - I hate Blizzard Mpq unpacker and torrent download client. buggy as heck, and near impossible to download with. if anyone of you managed to get int eh game after downloading that 2.5g beast, let me know - because my accoutn sure as heck aint working *grin* :frustrated:

[Molly]

Yay i can fianlly post. stupid life.

Anyway, yea Thanks Dirty_C for the class! Thank god that model was hot......ish. I have to say I thought it was a waste of my money since I was to damn tired and really not up to drawing that day, all my fault.


Didn't like people looking at my work. Might as all have threw a tomato at me and called them crap. Ya, you can tell i'm not a people person...damn people..*goes on muttering about people*

I only knew like Molly, in person like. But that was enuff.
And excuse me for voice my prejudices but that Aussie woman had the most annoying laugh ever! (don't let it bother you, just some unimportant bum saying) Sorry :bashful: .
And that fucking drum player, ok they was good, but they need to learn a diff solo damnit.

Didn't like the enviroment either, not really my kinda place, i like bright small and lots of space and a nice big chair..hmmm hm!

If anyone has a prob with me being a pessimist, go get buggered, lol joke. Tell me and I'll tell ya personally to get buggered lol. but ya, watever people, its just life.
Back to the world of art. scanners down again, fucking hell. collage sucks so much. ned to take part in DSG when my scanners up, lots of fun.
And anything else interesting, but i don't know alot of stuff going on and so on neer bleh.

....Dunno why i'm posting, no ones gunna read this.....mutter mutter...... >:| :dead: :nohope:


Tony,

If the Life drawing class was a waste of your money - why did you come? DC organised it so we could all participate in something that we all love - and want to do. If you felt honestly, you would not do any work, or get bored- you have a mouth, say something, or dont come.
As far as the environment goes, dont knock it. DC found that place for us, organised it so we could be there. Personally, I found the room to be very intimate, and it was bright enough - do you think if we were in a smaller brighter room, it would have made any difference in your attitude towards drawing?
Also, you should have more confidence in your drawing. You may think its crap, because you are comparing it to others around you. Not everyone in the group on sunday was up to scratch, BUT thats not we're concentrating on. We want you all to grow and learn by yourselves and from eachother.
The new students in my life drawing classes on Tues, are of the same level as you kid, but they showed their work, and are determined to get better. I have introduced them to conceptart.org, and hopefully it will be enough inspiration for them to keep going.
The drummin in the background was not that bad, but actually added some background noise to the silence of our room.
The aussie girl was DC's friend. Sure her laugh was loud, but serious, that one you coulda left..

Tony, I too have no idea why you posted this. You have just knocked DC's hard work. He took time out from his weekend, bought us all paints and brushes, organised a fantastic model (who cares if she was hot-ish?) and room for us all to work in. I asked you along because I honestly thought you'd appreciate it, that you wanted to improve your life drawing, and get better.
It seems I had wasted my time.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I have work Im proud of, and I hope to god we can do this again real soon, because it was worth it. My 2hrs-a-week class was nuthin compared to the 6hr Sunday meet.

DC - fantastic work thank you. :)

*If anyone has any comments or suggestions on meetings/places/dates etc please do so in a constructive manner*

Mollyx

[lowpolymatt]

I have to say it sounds like you had a really succesful session. Has anyone posted thier work from this meet yet? I'd love to see it.

[Molly]

Martial Loh - welcome to the boards!
Theres loadsa places to draw for free, just sit in a cafe and watch the world!
V&A - is a very good start, you should go find the 'Cast' room, with the Statue of David and Perseus and the Gates of Hell - great drawing ref...

Lowpolymatt - I have a ton of life drawing to scan in, a coupla weeks worth, will be doing that digitally on Friday, the BF has a free day, I will post my work then....

Cheers!

Mollyx

[Schlo-mo]

Koshime- The downloader is TERRIBLE. I have to shutdown almost everysingle program before it starts to work, also if I click on the downloader (to check my DL rate) too many times then it freezes my comp. So I pretty much cant use the computer for a few days if i want to play this game.Ah well, Im glad I got an account, all my friends missed out!

Also, Something I forgot to add to the post abovet:
I heard lots of great ideas bouncing around in the pub, some very interesting suggestions for some UK group projects being talked about between Molly and Koshime! I cant remember what you said, I only got the gist at the time, but it certainly got me excited. Tell us all what you were thinking?



-Danny

[Molly]

Koshime - what the hell were we chatting about?

Was it something to do with Game Designing? Environments, Vehicles, and Characters?

Schlo-mo - maybe I need some beer in me to remember...

What I do remember, was Koshime wanted me topost the idea...

I think Koshime should :):):)

Mollyx

[koshime]

damn - multi posts...hehe

1/ I think the life drawing sessions were fab. The setting, very grunge/modern (the music was an intersting distraction but seriously, you had a live model, not a 50 year old flabby man, whose musculature and droppyness made for interesting pastiche). A lot of us had grappling difficulties with trying to envision a better drawing be it with paints, pencils, charcoal, and getting simple issues like gestures and values in. Overall, I would love to have mroe drawing sessions, but i guess it also involves a sense of growing artistic maturity and broadening of an artists horizons, to beter understand the need for being serious in such udertakings related to digital and 2D art

2/ Imery, Molly and I were thinking of concept design, and the idea, that many of us concentrate on being better artists but not necesarily making good design. Eg. If someone were to ask you to make a anti-hero character in a medieval setting, most coudl perhaps do a fantastic rendition or heroic fantasy painting/sketchign, but how many woudl consider the necesarry impact of armour, weaponry and clothign to fit a time period. A logical design that spoke of an authenthicity to fit with the enviroment.

In short, drawing for artist should also involve good design, where form follows function

In terms of the UK group, i was suggesting perhaps we have a monthly brief, where we are limited to three rules to define a project brief, and to allow variosu artist to do thumbnails 9 3-5 minute sketches) to develop a character/object./enviroment and thus generate a good design.

This would consequently, follow on to stage two, selectin ga good cocnept design and visualising/fleshign it out

The purpose of this is two folkd, it is exactly how art projects in the game industry/post production or movies are made. One is given a short brief with limitations, and one has to choose a few designs that the art director woudl use. However, just becasue your drawing looks cool, or is realistic in a way doesnt mean it is the suitable picture to use.

To reduce downtime, and to help generate ideas, the idea of doing lots of thumbnails, small rapid images and forms (sillotes) help an daartist to quickly visualise and select a semi finalised form to devlop further.

Phew....

3/ World of Warcraft. I've downloaded the best, but it wont let me install beyond terrain.mpq or says the BNupdate is corrupt towards teh end, anyone with a working downloaded verison, please burn a DVD copy for me, I'll be extremely grateful.....(if it doesnt work out, i'll not play WOW, as it means fuure patches will f*rk teh game up)

[Crane]

:[ Sorry.... :nohope:

Yea I really shoulda not post that.
I was having a really shit time, and when i do i just take it out on everyone, ya ok, i'm not using it as an excuse, its bad and unforgivable and i'm a bastard, always have been always will be, i really don't think much of life.
Sorry.

I'm sorry to everyone offended here. I really did apperciate (sp?) All DC's hard work, its just my fault for being in a bad mood that day, don't work well around new and lots of people, kinda get nervous and kinda lash out.

The hot ish model thing was a joke..jeez..no one has a sense of humour these days..

I Just got a rant from Kim saying the same thing Molly, damn.. :[ :(

Yea i feel really bad about that, and i should. Anyway. Sorry everyone, I doubt anyone likes me now, so i'll just bugger off and try and work my own way thru life. Sorry
Cya around, or not, but ya...bye

[Dirty C]

My word, it's getting interesting in here :D

Bullet - apology understood. One of the defining characteristics of artistic people is that most of us have had to learn not to be too sensitive. Life is about making mistakes - good lad for living then haha.

With regard to the music and distractions, including the V&A comment - that's the reason I always have my iPod. It was a big topic of discussion at the Amsterdam workshop at one point, I remember. But the point is, you've always gotta find your own way to blank out what's going on around you. If you get inside your own head as much as possible, you'll always end up creating better work. Music's a great way to do it.

What Koshime was talking about isn't a bad idea, for the project thing. I'm kinda lacking a project at the moment, and since I've got to know Imery, I've definitely been focussing more on good ideas and designing individual elements more thoroughly. We've had a pretty bad run with getting assignments done regularly in the past (read the first 3 or 4 pages of this thread) so I think we have to be careful how we invoke the idea. But y'know what? Kicking something like that off as a meeting would be a great idea. That was how Kim, Molly and I envisioned the group originally, but we didn't do much to push it. Coming up with a quick idea before we meet, then giving everyone an assignment to be as completed as possible that day might be a good way to get motivated and do something interesting. The concept of creating virtual games is a good idea too, as one or two people could concentrate on environments, and others on characters, and Koshime on vehicles haha. And better yet, everyone can swap roles at each meet.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Hopefully we've really started something here :yayca:

[Dirty C]

Oh, and I won't be posting anything I did - got a bit pissed and left it all at the Bierodrome on Upper Street :/

[koshime]

only one thing to add, if everyone sub specialises into their respective areas, they will not broaden their horizons....therefore, the topic shold either be A

1/ Character
2/ Terrain
3/ Transport

The next type of setting is

1/ Compositions
2/ Effective storyboarding (must tell story without words)

And everyone visualises the same topic. That way, those good at a particular field become the natural teachers of teh day, BUT, they may not naturally be good teachers, but it is a good way to consolidate ones existing art knowledge and apply it in a tutorial format.

[Schlo-mo]

Sounds good.
Im keen to get this ball rolling.. Shall we start coming up with the title topics or briefs, or whatever were working from? Brainstorming sessions are fun.

[Rhaucan]

Wow, alot of posts for a day, the UK is all excited.

Martial Loh : Hey there .The cgi thing is generally alot of sales pitches for the 3D modelling/animation programs. I felt I learnt quite a bit, but I didn't know very much. Theres presentations, showing like, how the new features of 3ds max can be used for games design etc. Oh and tons of free pens I won a t-shirt. Keep posting from time to time.

DC, totally agree with you on music. seeing you with headphones on reminded me to do the same, and probably made my last couple of hours there alot more fun and fluid.

WORLD OF WARCRAFT!. I was only a few hours off missing it. If i hadnt read schlo mo's post or spoken to koshime about it at the meet ... well I did. I'm dling it fine it seems and i'm doing it slowly because seeing it minimised in the background makes me happy.

The points that were made about concept design there really stuck with me. About it just being about illustrating the concept, explaining it visually. This is something I think you can practice at whatever level of drawing. I guess for me practicing the imagination is even more important than the artistic skill.


A project sounds exciting. The CA acadamy have suggested similar saught of stuff like a comic book project but it hasnt really gone ahead. It'd be really great to have something we could work on as a group and progress together. There will be lots of different valuable ideas in everyone i'm sure.


So for projects are we talking Films? Games? Comics?

Something that covers most peoples interests would be good, I think i'd enjoy pretty much anything really. And keeping it simple to start off with, save the detail complications for the concepting.

[sketchling]

Whey hey Koshime... you n molly av been up to some philosophisiniging.. sorry, toung tripped (over the keyboard?? strange lad...)

ANYWAYS, Im VERY keen to get a bit more of the design aspect into things... Iv been spending a lot of time tryin to get my head around designing objects and stuff... Iv been trained to design a letterhead/corporate ID/logo or posters... but bring it into designing 3d objects and 'things'? different kettle of fish entirely. So id love to chat more about it.

Also, there is another side of things... more of an illustrators take on stuff (dirty_c and molly have heard me goin on about this before) and that is telling a story in a single image... and in coming up with a story worth telling... For me there are 2 main divides in image making...

1) images who's focus is the aesthetics of the image... like say an evocative landscape or a naked woman in a chainmail gownless evening strap. These images you are designed to convey a feel, a mood, a design or some kind of visual information relating to an object or a scene... Almost all concept art is about this kind of thing, as thats the point of concept art :)

2) This kind of imagery focused more on the thought behind the image... the idea itself... instead of concept art its 'conceptual' art... about more abstract themes... for instance, how would one ccreate an image to portray anger... without showing angry people... Or communicate that someone is a warrior without a sword, armour and the traditional trappings... Its the use of metaphors, allegory and puzzles to make the viewer fill in the gaps. Its tricky cause its all about breaking with assumptions and doing something very different...

But anyways, my point with all this is that there could be alot gained with a little bit of exploration down route 2... it provides one with a different way of thinking... it will make you take idea's which are stale and over-used (eg naked chainmail chick) and turn them around... give them something new. Combine route 2's more critical, out-of-the-box conceptual thinking with the skills to make images look as good as in route1... and then you have a winning combination.

Anyways, I think we should spend some time talking over this stuff... what makes things different and fresh. That was the purpose of the renaissance alien, but I guess we got a focused on the aesthetics themselves (nothing wrong with it... I know I certainly have!), so maybe its time to get back to work on generating origional idea's again!!!! Lets surprise Ca.org a bit... be a bit different.

(Oh, and about the game thing... yeah.. .im SO in. Again though... what kind of game... for that ya need origional idea's... )

Anyways... hope some of ya managed to read through this tome... sorry so long... I get carried away!!! :blahblah:
K

[Martial Loh]

molly - yeah i found the David after a few random turns. i'll definitely spend some time in that room next week. next time i'll try to get there earlier when theres some natural light hitting those casts..(though i forget if its just a ceiling in the David room!)
I goto a life drawing class on Tuesdays too... its not the LSE one you go to is it? I found it by typing in "cheap ass life drawing london" , into google heh heh.

rhaucan - lol well i've registered up for the London edition now. I'll make sure i get myself £10 worth of pens...(beat the system!!) I'm also thinking about going to the Alias 3December event. That one's free...but it'll just be Alias pimping off their huge library of software.

Koshime et al - sounds very interesting.. now that uni is finished and i tend to laze around a lot when not doing 3d stuff, I've gotta improve my drawing in terms of designing and technique.. One thing i would say, is that I tend to get lost in philosophising designs.. If you ain't careful, you can convince yourself its a good design...just cos you've pondered over it for so damned long!

[acuna_read]

hello, life-drawing sounded good, I got stuck doing fire drills alot longer than expected. Luckily didnt leave an empty space by the sounds of it ;)

Your design thing sounds good. How about going one step further than a comic and making an animation? There must be some sort of editing program that would allow us (you) to create a modern CG enhanced old style 2D animation. So instead of lots see through sheets of thin perspex being shot building up those layers in Photoshop etc then laying a moving 3D character over the top.

Would take alot of work but it's something slightly different and new although I beleive 'Belleville Rendez-vous' used something similar. You have the access to all this equipment and the talent to use it so why not push yourselfs rather than making an online comic which to be honest could end up with you just going through the motions after a few versions if your not careful.

Would be a good project imo, just a thought.

Toodle-pip :bashful:

EDIT: Just read about the game idea, isnt that already been done on here? I just prefer the control of animation i guess, just bias.

Just re-read Sketch's post properly again and sounds great. I'm sure someone (you?) will come up with the soloution.

[sketchling]

Um... 3d over 2d with layers built up in photoshop is remarkably more complicated than it looks... trust me, I see it every day. Ever heard of compositing? Yeah... but if people are keen on that kinda thing I can definitly help :) spent a year doing just that so far! But... to be honest, I dont think anything like an online comic or an animation is really team-oriented.

If we could come up with a world, a whole universe that we can work on together... that might be more achievable. That would require design of craft, culture, hirtory, environments, character... and could lead to animation or many things. It would be hard to keep it coherent, but maybe we could do some kind of voting thing or something... That would allow a lot of VERY different people to contribute when and how they will...

But yeah, if you are keen on animation and that kinda thing acuna, we must chat at the next meet... il show ya the stuff I did in south africa... just that kind of 2d-3d mix (appauling 3d :( ) And one animation of just sand.... :)

K

[Schlo-mo]

ugh, I had written out some beastly reply when my comp died on me.

I Think that creating an actual animation would be way too much too fast. Like Christian has said, if ca.org knows one thing its expanding too fast can be Hazardous to your cause, whatever it is.

I think what Kim is saying about creating a universe is a great idea, it got me think about how Markos created and visualized the Degensis universe. Think Tolkien, he spent years creating the universe in which his books are set in. The history of the races, the wars, the languages, the terrain and land in which it is set etc. Tolkien wasnt only a linguist and a story teller, he was also an artist.

This Idea has got me really excited. The universe/world doesnt have to be for anything at all (books, movies, games, animation, comics) but I think creating this universe and fleshing it out visually could both be fun and educational (yes, thats right kids!). It would provide the foundations for us to put in place all the concepts, techniques and pracitices talked about in this thread, without the dangers of over-reaching.

Sorry for the non-sensical spam, but this idea got me exicited.

-Danny

[Molly]

Theres some really good ideas coming out here, ppl keep it up!

acuna - yep there is the ca.org design studio, but I think we could do just as well here. We are local, can meet up and chat, and I believe that would be more beneficial to us all.

Sketchling - yep - a world we can all create would be so cool. Each of us can work towards something we are all good at OR try something new...

If the project ends in an animation - then so be it, I wouldnt complain:)

Mollyx

[Schlo-mo]

More spam sorry,

Dr. Wong, I found a way of getting around the dreaded W.o.W installer, It came to me while i was paying a visist to the ivory godess in the bathroom. If you check normal torrent sites like supernova, you can actually find they have quite a few seeds running for it. Im downloading from demonoid.com, its private but its free.. you must register.

-Molly, I was also wondering how your new job is going? hope it good.


-Danny

[Dirty C]

My personal feeling is that the design is all important, and most of our aspirations are 2d. So let's start with the ideas, before anything else. The way I see it, we have a few basic choices for how we proceed.

1.We go the usual route, which is to create a world with races and factions. This is a bit cheesy, but it's obviously an easy way to move ahead, and quite traditional. It's good for game design, etc, so it almost automatically lends itself towards fully blown graphic depictions of warriors and weaponry.

2.We do something a bit less usual and start with a city. Similar to the first idea, but the ideas would group more readily around normal characters and social interactions. It can get interesting, like Judge Dredd etc. Definitely makes for some cool stuff to do with religions, etc. Can also expand into doing various stages of the city's history, break it up into different quarters, blocks, etc, for different design fundamentals.

3.The Imery route (:D): we start with a story and design the elements. This way requires a central story, aand a few unifying ideas. It sounds the simplest, but is almost definitely not, as it requires alot of creative control, and the design will require a strong direction.

What do people think of these ideas? Or how about some others? My personal favourite is the city, kinda obviously, as it leads us away from the humdrum orcs vs elves vs hive creatures stuff which the game heads are obsessed with, and allows us all to branch out and have different ideas. It also gives us a place to set stories in and have characters who don't necessarily need to meet each other, unlike the linear idea of a story or game. It also doesn't need to have a starting or end point. It also lends itself to the thought of starting a website if we got several months' worth of consistent material going.

What do people think?

[Dirty C]

Wow, I just had a shower, and I have to tell you that my mind is buzzing with ideas about this city. Think about the way history works - it's full of people saying bullshit about how things used to be better. In a city, this could root itself in a myth of the founding fathers, like Romulus and Remus. Then we could show in another piece of design or storytelling that in fact it was nothing of the sort. We could have entire civilisations develop which are then written out of history by later religious regimes. Design principles could briefly flourish based on the historical elevation of a kind of flower which went extinct, and nobody actually ever cared about anyway.

The space for irony and satire is almost unimaginable..

Course you're all probably drunk by now.. let me know what you think when you surface tomorrow. I'm off to life painting and then a massive drinkfest. Wahey!

[Schlo-mo]

Hey, Im glad you kicked this off with that post, C.
Im in agreement about about the second idea, although I think the Imery route is really appealing, youre right in saying it is by far the hardest of the routes.


It also gives us a place to set stories in and have characters who don't necessarily need to meet each other, unlike the linear idea of a story or game This got me thinking about Terry Pratchets DiscWorld, all those novels based within this universe (mostly based around the city of ankh morpork) with some completely non-related characters, but they all follow the same zaney themes and rules of the disc.

I think if we went along this route of designing the city it would provide a good deal of structure, with a decent amount of flexibility. Like Christian said, it would be nonlinear.

[koshime]

well, then how about this.

On the City of GoldHeim, its people lived an existence of a constant era. Folk heralded from before and to travel.

To the East, lay the Gate of GodSend, and to the West, lay GodWrath.

The city was old, built on the bones of many ages and yet its people constantly finding a new block or existence appearing the day before, or the next.

To the people of Goldheim, it was a city that existed in MULIPLE of ages at any one time. If one were to travel, (if it were possible) from one end to the other, one could and would pass through a varying range of architecture, time periods, aeons and cultures of its many peoples in this diverse city. Its perimetere shaped roughly in an egg ending with two massive monolithic arches of the Godsend and the godwrath.

And yet,
to an outsider this may have been a misnomer but to the Goldheimling they appeared nonchalant to such abberations of notions.

The world and city of Goldheim was secular.

It appeared to travel trhough many regions of the known world/universe/ages. Many who left GodWrath were never to be seen in the city again, and always there were new influx of travellers appearing through Godsend, stumbling somehow across this miss mash of human existence....

[acuna_read]

What sort of relation/similarity will this place have on earth?

By this I'm on about basic natural occurances, do they breath air as we do, what sort of physics apply. I know this sounds anal (and will be) but without this stuff it's not quite the same, I realise this is setting boundaries, but it's still on a very basic level so loads of movement.

Just a though!

[koshime]

Well, at the moment, i jsut wrote a pseudo fanasy. it woudl be fair to assume basic things, Within teh city, there is air...but beyond the east and west gates, its for otehr folk to write the legend

[lowpolymatt]

What if the characters were our conceptualisations of ourselves? Like I could concept myself as a robot...or Molly could be a giant rabbit ...n so on...all living in an alternative UK...? Or something....

Kim could be a chicken with all those eggs he's been painting recently...
I'll shut up...

[Rhaucan]

The city idea is definitly a good choice judging the excitment, its sent my head racing. With a city there is a complete freedom for creativity really. An excellent location is always something that really encourages people. Tatooine from starwars for example, I could probably list a million and get excited about them all. If you want to include stereotypes thats completely possible just as is ground breaking new ideas. There space to include every aspect of human existence, we could all bring together our different interests and knowledge and make something amazing.

Some people could move straight onto charector design if they wanted to,
Could explore say powerful figures, politics and corruption are always interesting. That might lead right onto factions, possible civil wars etc.

Koshime your idea really reminded me of Planescape:Torment a game made by Black Isle, hugely underated and missed. The concept of the city it was in may be one of the best I've ever come across. I'll explain and refer back to it later if that might be helpful at one stage.

Theres the reviews to "planescape torment" but i'll try and find a better description of the idea of it all.
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/planescapetorment/

[Dirty C]

dude. the eggs are mine. kim will tell you.

yes, i'm drunk. go back through the thread and count how many times i'vebeen drunk. if you have enough fingers hahaahhahaa

[young paddy1]

I really like the sound of this city thing, ended up with sort of bladerunnery (reading do androids dream of electric sheep ATM) fifth element type of image in my head, where the richer you are the higher up you live, and the buildings lower down are older and house the illegal trades and low end religions, with the odd crazy little shop.

No flying cars though (still have flying vehicles) more of a venice style bridges all over the place, and the roads a bit like minority report/LA.

It gives plenty of room for gangs, religions, general workers and super rich/powerful business men and mofiosi.

[sketchling]

Geez... that spark caught fire! hehe. (btw eggs ARE DC's... dinosaurs... dems MY biatch.)

I read a couple of books recentlywith ideas you guys might like.

1) Arthur C clark - city in the stars... only 2 cities left on earth ... one is the mechanised utopia in its perfect form... the other a natural man-in nature with telepathy city that had also reached perfection... worth reading for anyone looking for a very interesting set of idea's. Anyways, one part of it is where the main character goes to visit the 7 planets of the galactic centre... where humanity 's height had its centrwe of power... every planet was built... purpose made like a palace. one was a garden world... a world of parks... run rampent over the ages. Another was the government centre... think athens x 300 000 000. another was a prison planet. The whole solar system was engineered to be perfect... and then all the people were killed.

The other book... cities in the sky by... cant remember! will have to check. anyway, in this book, a device called a spindizzy was able to lift all matter in a radius of itself and place it outside of the effect of gravity... out of space-time, allowing incredible speeds. Also it meant that ships didnt need to be built... in fact they were not. Whole cities were flown off earth en masse to start industries the universe over... so these wandering cities flew between populated worlds and worked for money before moving off to new worlds... sometimes even discovering and populating worlds. A city does not have to stay in place... So it can pick up all sorts of people.

Anyways, those are just a couple of sparks to further widen the flames :)

I think an interesting idea would be to start generating idea's from something VERY unlikley... Something that has nothing to do with anything we have seen before. (and then pull the idea back if it gets too whacked) Anything from a magazine on farming to an argos catalog (imagine a robot city where all argos products are revered like gods... by their number. Robotic religion...?)

Have a look at the ecosystem in a pond and try to imagine what would happen if all the creatures were sentient and had had to adapt to living out of water though artifice rather than evolution.

look at a desert and think of it as a city with each grain of sand a house.... what would the rocks be? Cliffs? Cacti?... hehe. lizards? What would a culture need to do to adapt to such an environment?

What if our minds could constantly alter reality when we dream (book by ursla le guine) But only truly balanced people could creat stable realities... the rest fizzled. Bit of a hard one to conceptualise.

Yeah, its a tough one, ESPECIALLY as in both tolkiens and Marko's case... there was one decision maker... we are simply not going to get a coherent set of designs... so we have to make something which doesnt need that and just inspires people... Though a focused brief helps... dunno. its 5am... not asleep yet, so I have NO idea. see yers all soon :)
cheers
K

[Dirty C]

Right, I'm buzzing about San Fran now, and we're getting momentum here. How are people for saying the second weekend of Dec for the next monthly meet? That would be the 11th or 12th.

And personally, I'd like to work on this idea as much as poss. Maybe we start by establishing a rough timeline (city formed by shepherds, 500 years later discover something which brings trade their way, suddenly important, then overtaken by nearby city-state, discovery becomes obsolete, goes through dark period for 300 years... kinda thing.) If people are keen to work on the idea, I guess we need to find a space we can work in. My place might still be the best idea..

[Badger]

Hey y'all long time no post for me, not that I really regularly post.

Hope the workshop went spiffingly, sounds like it did. I had no time that weekend, literally: all my year was back from Uni, I had to work, plus I had my assessment 1st thing Monday morning, suffice to say I was more tired than a hamster being told he had to power a star destroyer using his running wheel.... well maybe not.
So my apologies and I shall be fuzzing about next time, if there is one.

I really like LopolyMatt's idea of using bits of our recent drawings or personality to affect our character design in someway, make the whole thing more personal I guess...
I also like the idea of keeping it open, transversing all time and stuff!

Anyway, back to my Badger set.

[Molly]

[Quote] Right, I'm buzzing about San Fran now, and we're getting momentum here. How are people for saying the second weekend of Dec for the next monthly meet? That would be the 11th or 12th. [Quote] dirty_c

I'm up for that - anyone else? As DC has said - I'ma buzzing too re SF and working more on these ideas too! Amongst us are people who draw vehicles, environments, characters, creatures, 3D modelling etc...I think if we all pull together we can get something outta this. For personal growth, and portfolio!

So, 11th or 12th Dec (4 weeks) anyone, anyone???


Mollyx

[Dirty C]

I have the go-ahead to use my place if we need to that weekend as well. Of course if there's somewhere better (where we'll actually get something done - been a problem in the past with public places for you newbies) then that's cool too :)

I love this city idea, btw - I keep coming up with ideas like how every civilisation has its own distinctive pottery early in its evolution. And how we can think about stuff like if its near a volcano, it might have clay tinged red and black, or how if they're close to the sea (or in it) they might have skipped that stage completely and instead carved pottery and other vessels directly out of colourful blue and green coral.. which they keep in water so that it keeps growing organically etc etc

[Schlo-mo]

Hey,

Molly and I came up with the idea of creating an MSN group for the project. We thought it would be great if everyone could come together and discuss our ideas online, a few nights before/after the meet up via MSN.
This will allow us to easily come together and sort out the premise and story for the project, brainstrom, steamline ideas etc.

The only hard bit is finding a time when we can all come online for the 'conference", and rounding everyone up for it. Of course, if we all add eachother to msn and have seperate discussions when others arent about, and we can save logs of the meetings and post the ideas and words for those unable to meet up on MSN.

Anyways just post your thoughts on this (and your msn adresses if you dont have them available in your CA.org profile)

Also, as I said to most of you already another meet up at Dirty C's house sounds really good.


Cheers
-Danny

[sketchling]

Ello all

Iv just been thinking about this city thing... I know ill have very little time to work on it myself at the moment... certainly till I get back in Jan, but Ill throw suggestions and ideas aplenty :)

1) The quickest way to kill an idea is make it TOO wide... I think some central theme... be it a word (eg 'timeless' or 'energetic'), climate (rainforest or desert... even 'harsh' or 'ever changing' would do) or a concept (eg 'everyone is telapathic' or 'if you die you return somewhere immediatly... like a game')... it should hold everything in this 'world' or city together. Just SOMETHING that everyone agree's on... it can even be discarded later, but it would put some ground down that seeds could grow in... at least that would look more like a garden then :) Thats my thought anyways :) Am very willing to be shut up ;)

2) It might be a good idea to look into 'inventing' a world for a massivly multiplayer online game... as these are very popular at the moment and portfolio work people produce would have more weight then. It also allows for a lot of creativity and an imagined use for it... rather than just 'because' Define the theme or central premise of the game as mentioned in the first part and yeah... it may help things stay cohesive.

Iv been playing with an idea for a game involving tribes and advanced civilisations etc etc fighting it out on islands held high in the sky a dence atmosphere and inordinatly huge hollow tree's and plants filled with gas... (you DONT wanna know whats on the surface of the planet to make tree's run away... or do you?) so sky-based islands with hi-tech treehouses over voracious terrain... fun fun fun. Dunno if any odd idea's come to ya, but thats something i'd like to explore :)

cheers
K
off to life drawing ;) !!!

[troymcoy]

hey , what is all this talk of cities and volcanoes?
I haven't been on here for a while,
My Illustration course isn't great, but I met some cool people on it. and i'm back into 3d modeling, maybe if I finish the model i'm trying to do at the moment I can be of some use to this project, whatever it is...

oh and isn't half-life 2 out tommorow,anyone getting it?

[Badger]

Not that I have any weight of opinion, I’m just avoiding work, but:
I agree with sketchling on the narrowing the field idea, a central word would help us from getting lost or all disappearing in other directions.
Schlo-mo: All my msn is [email protected] if that’s going ahead.
Troymcoy, where do u study illustration? if u don't mind me asking...

-Badger-

[troymcoy]

Its Lincoln University, but in Hull - so in the Hull faculty of art and design..
Going to do it for a year then either look for a job as high poly character modeler in games etc or a course like the cg/modeling one at VFS in vancouver.

[Badger]

Okies, sweet, Yeah Highpoly is an arse at the moment, especially with the normal mapping debate at the moment. Not used much in game though... one of the guys I know did the cinematic games for Ghost Recon 2, said it was pretty boring. Left soon after actually, not sure why.... crazy lad.
Good luck!! I'm sure u don't need it.
-Badger-

[troymcoy]

Just got to make a good demoreel...

maybeI can send it here one day, heh : http://www.ark-game.co.uk/
Theres a nice new facial animation called 'jenny', check it

[Rhaucan]

Sketchling you say you have no time to work on this and yet your giving us gold :). Rather than worry about what the theme is to much we could take one of your excellent suggestions just so we don't burn out our imaginations on completly different city concepts.
I particularly like timeless myself, what do you think?

oh and my msn is [email protected]
however I don't really go on as it is the ultimate time gobbler.

Maybe MSN gobbled the time from our city.

[Dirty C]

I agree that we need to narrow the scope a little, as the ideas could get a little too loose and out of hand. I must admit though, I'm not 100% happy with the idea of doing a game. The reason being that most of the design on these boards goes straight into vehicles, weapons and characters modeled directly on violence. It's one of the really 'male' characteristics that kinda holds back some of the potential for creativity and lateral thinking. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that some of the designs are intrinsically 'violent' - but it's so so very easy to fall into the same cliches when the system in which your ideas live are intrinsically based on competitive structure rather than social or narrative structures. For a start, every character tends to have a strength built in. Even if they're fat, they're strong and can kick your ass, or psychic or something to compensate. It begins to seem like a bit of a narrow corridor.

I kinda had the view that I'd like to see if we can do something a bit different to what the rest of the board's doing. Maybe I'm just being too snobby here..? I'm completely willing to accept that people might be massive gamers, or just think that that kind of design is what they want to do. The last thing I want to do is take over the thread because I've been doing a bunch of traditional stuff lately and have come over all high falutin all of a sudden :)

[acuna_read]

For some reason im envisaging a monkey island type game but soooooooooo much more endless/broader. And also without the storyline to follow.

So something that you just roam in. Trying to think of a game like that now :\ . But then your travelling between areas. A bit like 'Animal Crossing' on the Gamecube if anyone's seen that? A bit like a life in a game.

Also I like the development thing in a similar way to Age of Empires. But without having to meet criteria it just happens. Perhaps cross that with a 'Doctor Who' regenaration slant whenever your killed or just die?

If your gonna do vehicles and for products i'd much rather go for a more natural process, like your coral pots. Perhaps taking certain aspects of materials available to us then creating something from that which may not necessarily exist. Explore different options to what exist to us. Why do we use fossil fuels? Will this place use fossil fuels or perhaps run on something that doesnt yet exist. What about living vehicles, pinching the idea from that Sci-fi program which ove forgotten the name of. The same with products, why not make inclusive design alot more important. So disabled people are integrated alot more into general society. Will dissabilities be cured or the people be made outcasts?

This is gonna take forever! should be fun.

How about that as your 'game title'? Forever, just kidding lol :bashful:

[sketchling]

Badger- Normal mapping!! We are using that on the Dino project im working on at work... they are great, but fixing mess-ups and editing them is HORRIBLE. :( Still, the results rock. They DO need someone to generate the hi-poly meshes to do the normal maps from first though... Or scans.

Hehe... Dont worry Dirty-C... I have the same problems with games as you do... the thing is they done HAVE to be anything.... (if you dont need funding...) Because the main market is 12-22 yr old males, marketers just assume that what has worked... will work again... hence : 'bla-di-blah III' Return of the guy you thought was dead last time but..wasnt!!!!! (now with normal mapping... and... more guns and stuff)

But look at the Sims... on paper it doesnt even qualify as a game... its household managment. Its also one of the MOST succesful games in history... and marketers wanted nothing to do with it at first!! ???? Then the game 'the movies' ... where ya make movies with your actors...

Anyway, the point is that a game can be anything... it really is only limited by imagination. But, that said, im not pushing the game thing too much. I just thought it would give a bit of structure to how people interact in a vast world... but then again, it might well just chain the imagination to the chicks-in-chainmail genre... up to everyone to figure out really... we kinda need to meet. Im leaving for south africa for 3 weeks come december 12th... so I wont make that meet.

Another option is to do 3 month worlds... where every 3 months the same world advances by 200/300 years... so we evolve our cultures, societies, races, lemmings and...lemmings? eh em. Yes. We evolve them as we go along.

Got to get to work now... :\

[Aly Fell]

Having seen the States have organised an East/West Thunderdome, I was chatting with Mr Matt Dixon and we were considering the idea of a Norf/Sarf UK Thunderdome. So here I am poking the ice here to see if there is enough enthusiasm to get one up and running...? This might not work, but who knows, it could be fun.

Molly... what do you think?

[Molly]

Hey PPL

I totally agree with dirty_c. The main reason for the 'City' project, is to get ppl thinking up 'concepts' with actual functions than focusing totally on producing a working game. When faced with idea generation for characters or vehicles, we tend to go for the obvious...

We need to discuss how we are ALL gonna approach it; have some guide lines on the story etc so we dont stray off in different directions; teach ourselves to produce loadsa small thumbnails so we have a variety of concepts to color or model in 3D etc etc..

Many of you here already produce thumbnails in your sketchbooks, using markers etc....And many of you here are studying 3D design....soooo..

If we turn it into a Game in the future, then all the more better for us.

Mollyx

([email protected])

[lowpolymatt]

Norf vs Sarf sounds great!!!

Do you northerners get the north londoners too? ;)

Sarf Landan Rulz!

*Ahem....anyway, I'm up for that...

Twiddles Thumbs..

[sketchling]

Yeah... im VERY keen to do a thunderdome like that. But not for a a while... till mid/end jan im gonna have no time/ not be in the country :)

[Molly]

Having seen the States have organised an East/West Thunderdome, I was chatting with Mr Matt Dixon and we were considering the idea of a Norf/Sarf UK Thunderdome. So here I am poking the ice here to see if there is enough enthusiasm to get one up and running...? This might not work, but who knows, it could be fun.

Molly... what do you think?

Hey Poshspice

Norff vs Saaaf 'Dome, I like it hehe...
For this we'll HAVE to get ALL the UK'ers in on it, to make up numbers, maybe we could get the lurkers in too, so if you know any, tell em where to come!

For now tho mate, (seeing as christmas is fucking creepin up on us..ergh) -
- Would people mind waiting till the New Year for a UK 'Dome?
If and when we have the next meet, we could discuss it more?
I presume DC the next one's round yours again? Sun 12th Dec? If so, Posh, Matt Dixon - why dont yers come down???


Mollyx
(BAAA HUMBUG!)

[Martial Loh]

norf vs sarf sounds like good fun. probably wouldnt be a bad idea putting it off till next year, so we gots time to get good(er) :P


sketchling - oooh what dino project are you doin' ? i finished (ish) a mid-poly dinosaur recently and was contemplating making some normals for it. I sussed out mixing it up between Z brush and Maya ( have a look - GALLERY-DINO-AT-BOTTOM ( http://www.certaindoompossibly.com/gallery.htm))

any feedback would be nice.. so far I've been told to choose between high or low poly and it pains me to do either..no one loves the middle man:(

[cartoonfox]

hey y'all UK folk, how's it going?

i havent been here in a while, been busy with uni.

anyway, im off to london next tuesday/wednesday (23rd-24th) with my class to go looking through various galleries. and in the evening im free to do whatever i want, so who's up for meeting me in the evening of tuesday (probably around 6/7/8pm is, not sure yet) for some drawing action? ^-^

if no one can, then no worries i can just chill with my friends, but most of them are off clubbing *cringe* so i thought i'd see if theres eomthing else to do instead ^-^



peace :7up:

[Molly]

Cartoonfox!

How's things in uni?
You sound busy and enjoying yourself - thats good!

I'll may be able to come, tho I got my life drawing class on Tues evening, so maybe afterwards???
Depends - where are you staying in London?

Mollyx

[cartoonfox]

hey, i have no idea where im staying, all i know is its a hostel, and its in london ^-^ .... wait, mayvbe i should read this info sheet i was given ^-^

*reads*

ah here we go, "generator student centre, macNaghton house, compton place (off tavistock place)
nearest underground is russel square
you know where that is? i will have a day pass so traveling to somewhere else aint a problem, i like the tube ^-^
... oooh, reading this looks like i just go where ever i want in the day too, having a list of recommended musuems.galleries, if so i can hang out with some peeps in the day too ^-^ and after the museums close i can start trecking around, so i think i'll be free fully from after 5/6 pm actually, cool ^-^

anyway, yeah after your life drawing is cool, i have all night ^-^ and i havent stayed up till the wee hours of the morning drawing for ages ^-^


hope to see you soon (and others who want the pleasure of my company ^-^)



peace :7up:

[Rhaucan]

CIVIL WAR, excellent, i'm definitly eager to do another dome thing. When you say everyone from UK I thought it be great if we were able to get like EVERYONE. Does anyone have Alan Lee's phone number? And what about Cos in the "best of" at the moment, i've been making mess with graphite ever since seeing his work, Just out of interest, does anyone know anything more about him? Like what he's worked on or anything. More importantly, is he in the North? :P

[Dirty C]

Alan Lee!! Yeah I'm sure he's totally up for it hahaha

Anyway, civil war sounds excellent. Scheduling it at the moment is a bit of a bitch, with crimbo lurching up at us and the workshop after that. But How about we make it the first order of business after that? I wonder what people think about timescales this time. That first Tdome we did against Seattle seemed to go really well when we limited the whole thing to two weeks. So maybe we weanna limit it again, rather than dragging it out and letting things slip like in the second one.

Kim's idea with a three-month age of the city is a really good one. I'd been thinking of something similar, but I think he's nailed it down.

And thank God you said all that Molly, I was beginning to think this whole thing was going to become one huge game project bound to go absolutely nowhere. No offence, Kim, not really based on what you or Acuna said, I just don't seem to be able to get enough sleep to top up the reserves this week :S

Right, now we have all these ideas. Everyone gonna be ready for the weekend of the 11th / 12th? Cause we can't have all these ideas and then not meet to galvanize things. Workshop lesson number 32.

[Aly Fell]

Yup, maybe the new year might be the best time, with people fresh and sparkling, eager and optimistic, champing at the bit... But we were wondering where the division line should be. I suggest Bromley, but that might be a bit of an unfair split...;)

Alan Lee, doesn't he live with pixies and elves somewhere in Somerset, or is that Brian Froud? Of course that would make them southerners...

[Dirty C]

Yeah, I thought it was something like that.

Btw, when we get a bit of a flow going with the city idea, my plan is to open a thread in the DSG where we post all the ideas and whatnot. Obviously people are free to post their own things elsewhere, but I think the idea generation should all go in there.

And yo, Matt Dixon, you out there??? Pity you couldn't make it to the Workshop, but don't go being all shy cause you didn'tmake it. Especially if someone's gonna have to call you out soon :D

with the north vs south thing - where's Bromley? Would that make Derby in the South? (I'd e happy with that - though I would like the opportunity to lose to Matt myself, hehe)

[niq3d]

This is likely to be a long post, so if ya’ wanna skip it, I’ll not be upset!

first, I could probably make a Dec’ 12th meet.

I’m cool with this city idea as long as I get to draw the inhabitants of the local zoo!

I too am concerned though with the project getting too big, I’ve been involved in a number of projects that barely got off the drawing board before collapsing under their own weight. I reckon 99.999% of them do.

As a starting point, might I suggest we need to agree on what we want to get out of it? what are the boundaries and when will it be complete?

not easy with so many great ideas floating around.

I’d just like a project to work on so that I can develop some designs ideas not necessarily sourced from my own head for a change.

Building upon and working with other peoples ideas and or restrictions is how design of any type works (in my experience.)

I know it’s a bit pedantic, but this is a concept art forum, so I feel somewhat safe to presume that this is most people’s main goal? To get into (or involved in as a hobby) ‘concept design/art’ as opposed to game design. (Therefore designing the visual aspects of the medium as opposed to designing the interactivity/story/history).

I know all that other stuff is cool, but its sooooo easy to get carried away with, discussions could be endless and I for one would get bored and start scribbling monsters.

I’m not saying ignore the setting of the project, because that obviously is of paramount importance. It needs to be based in something. But why not have someone in charge of that stuff, and then we all start drawing? (The lengthy discussions put me off of the whole ‘game design studio’ thread.)

The issue with ideas generated this way is that, (in my experience) half the people would go yay cool! The other half will go, ‘oh I wanted to do medieval’ or ‘more naked robot chicks’ (personal preferences aside).

I’ve learned that in the design industry in general, you don’t get to choose what to design too often, (and there’s the challenge). You want to design a paleolithic female martian topless ninja robot riding a foaming skornbeaster into battle, but instead get asked nicely to design a table lamp… oh poo.

Perhaps a series of shorter projects each month or so might satisy? (I remember I think, something like this being suggested earlier, but I can’t remember who by and I’m too pressed for time to re-read the whole thread, sorry!)

Perhaps a new person could write the brief each time, perhaps once a month or so, rather than a massive project, that way if you don’t like the brief, you can do something else that month (like write your own brief for next time). A brief can be loose or tight. And how much you want to get involved could vary with each project.

It would force us all to think in new ways and bring more breadth and variation into our art and ‘folios.

I figure for anyone trying to get into the industry, this sort of thing might be more useful for development than the risk of a large failed project that you sweated your guts into, but came to nothing.

Basically a sort of development of the DSG, a monthly design group giving us time to build and develop some reasonably finished artwork across a range of base concepts.

Just my 4,768 cents, feel free to shoot me down, as various conditions have resulted in my thickened epidermis.

Thanks.

[Crane]

I agree with this guy *points up*

*Edit*
This City project sounds great!
gunna get my scanner up, or try to in a sec so i can post some shit for people to throw insults at.

Talked to molly yesterday about it, and ideas and watnot.
Ya still have to decide wat kinda city its gunna be right?

(Milita sci fi) ahem.

Dunno if this is planning to go anywhere or if its just a little project thing for fun, ya probably said somewhere, but i didn't see it.

Hopefully my scanner installs and i can get some crap up.

[Aly Fell]

...with the north vs south thing - where's Bromley? Would that make Derby in the South? (I'd e happy with that - though I would like the opportunity to lose to Matt myself, hehe)

Bromley's in sarf Landan, it was my pathetic attempt at humour... :nohope: Realistically, the divide should probably be a straight line across country somewhere around Brum.

[Matt Dixon]

Heh - I'm still here, DC. Always up for a spot of rough and tumble, if you can't wait until next year...

When the time for the civil war arrives, we should get all interested parties to declare their involvement then draw a wiggly line so we get two equally-matched sides.

[Matt Dixon]

Oh, yeah - I came across this the other day. Looks pretty old, but those of you who know jsweet's work might find it interesting if you've not seen it before -

Justin Sweet painting demo (http://www.pinwire.com/article90.html)

[Rhaucan]

Niq3d that all sounds very logical. Work expands to fill the time aloted. If we dont put some kind of time frame nothing will get done. Rather, split it up in managable tatsy bitesize chunks, with lots of intermediate aims. We need a ruthless dictator/designer really.

On the 3 month world Idea it sounds interesting but I don't think I fully understand it. Would the inhabitants be aware that their city was evolving so fast, or would they be dieing. Hmm its probably not important. But I take it the idea is that we get to do a range of time periods.

You could combine what Niq3d said with this evolution idea . A new project each month, however the new project could be an evolution of our city by 200 years. A Different person could take the role to outline how they saw the city as progressing. Then everyone else would switch what they concepted, so like if you did charecters one month (say the "city guard"), then the next month you could do buildings, etc. However being flexible to peoples enjoyments is important as well.

Hmmm a month would be far too long for that,every week/fortnight might be better.

[Dirty C]

Heh - Rhaucan, the idea was to take three months to depict an age, not for them to evolve that quick :)

But you're right, a ringmaster is called for, and we need to establish some goals.

How about:

1.design for the city - basic cityscape and some further definition of monuments / significant structures

2.design for a scene in the equivalent of the parliament (bunch of cavemen round a fire at first, druids later, knights, then a proper parliament, then whatever. A dictator at some stages? A bunch of priests..? Quite alot of possibility here, like displaying them performing a human sacrifice at the summer solstice, or signing a declaration of war, etc.

3.depiction of a pivotal event(s): Discovery of fire, a mythical event in the founding myth of the city, they're under seige, a volcano explosion, political assassination, yadda yadda.


That's a few to get you started. They're not just speed paintings of random scenes though, because first, as a group, we have to define a look for the era and a little bit of history to run with. Any other suggestions to make up the list??

[koshime]

one could consider two options.

1/ A game design approach
2/ A industrial design approach

to surmise, the object woudl be to provide folk with a good grounding in design.

Design, to be able to rapidly sketch out a wide variety of thumbnails and ideas according to ANY brief, and in this regard, one needs to be able to expose the group to a range of the mundane to heroic fantasy; from Game art to MTV to movie production.

In this industry, there shoudl be no borders between game, movie or any design, all are part of a wide umbrella called concept art.

As such, I propose that we alternate assignments ranging from

1/ Industrial design briefs - Cool chair/futurisit car
2/ Game design - Character/fantastical landscapes/vechiles
3/ Logos/Letterheads/Web design for fictional companies.

What does the group think?

[sketchling]

Yeah... thats a very good point. Hmmm. Media should not matter... design is what underlies it all.

Wanna see good design... check out Half Life 2... OMFG :jawdrop:

Personally I would like to work on my design the most. Idea and design are quite inseperable, so ill learn a lot. An idea might be to set some pretty narrow problem solving-type briefs... Like something where you have to keep to certain criteria... bad explaining...hmmm.

say like this
1 ) Imagine a kind of terrain... rocky, desert, jungle, whatever. Write down a description of it and interesting things like maybe gravity or humidity or climate.

2) Design something (or some things) for this place... A creature, A craft... a dwelling... or all three together.

3) Visualise that scene in several thumbnails.

4) Place the creature, craft, dwelling or all 3 withing this environment in a final peice...

That would leave plenty room for us to make stuff up, but force us to design for the environment or circumstances we WRITE DOWN FIRST... :) We each work on our own individual idea's and/or share them. I come up with an environment and someone else is welcom to make creatures for it... Or if I read about an interesting environment... Ill try to visualise it and vehicles that suit it...

What ya think?