paintbook (TAD dump September 5)

[Jska]

Did some warm ups today before tackling a few freelance projects... some pen and ink, and an old sketch for the CHOW that I didn't have time for

I'll probably update with a few new paintings soon, I landed a live painting/art show thing at Common Ground for next First Friday in Vegas... I'll upload the flyer when I get it.

[BohemianChaos]

your productivity pleases me.

I have updated my sb per your request as well, lol.

do tell about all this NY gallery business... please please please please please!!!!

[Jska]

Hey hey Janaenae !! The gallery in NY wants my Rot & Assimilate piece - I guess they were going for more dark and twisted. So the watercolor girls I just did aren't going. But that's ok - I'll probably show them at my show in June

I have to ship that painting off this week... should be interesting because its kinda LARGE, and I have no idea what it will cost me yet!

(edit) I was bumped down to 3 stars and no crits from anyone??? Lame sauce

[BohemianChaos]

I was bumped down to 3 stars and no crits from anyone??? Lame sauce

at least you have stars.

btw, on shipping, UPS is really reasonable. But you save a lot of money if you pack it yourself... so go dumpster diving for big boxes if you can.

I shipped a large framed drawing to a show in Missouri last week... for shipping it there and back, plus insurance, it was a little over $100. But I had to buy a box ($26, wtf?!?) because the one I fabricated was good enough to get it there but probably wouldn't be in good enough shape to send it back to me if it didn't sell. It was roughly 11 lbs. Hope all that info helps.

[Jska]

Janae - truly! Gotta work hard for those damn stars!

I downloaded some Loomis stuff today and decided to throw out a few quick studies... I am trying to get into doing orthos and this quick anatomy brush up certainly is helping

I love you Mr. Loomis

[Jska]

I'm going all for this contest. Every category, I have nothing to lose. I really need some concept work for my portfolio, which I feel at this point is ridiculously outdated and not specific enough for the kinds if industries I want to work in.

I have been severely self critical lately
Anyway, I mashed out a conceptual story-line that I am deriving most of these concepts from. Mostly I've just worked on environments so far. I taught myself sketch-up yesterday and have been utilizing it to mock up some 3D models for some of the scenes I want to work on.

I seriously have a notebook filled with about 20 pages of hand-written notes. I have been compulsively searching for textures, documentaries, DVDs, anything I can get my hands on... I've not yet resorted to listening to humpback whale ambient music cds, but its probably not out of the question. haha

Sooooo lemme know what you think. This book is gonna be my dumping grounds until I can organize it better for the categories.

First: the LOGOS - it may still change if I get sick of it and think it's cheesy





THE STORY! (this is rough and needs more details, but hopefully it seems plausible?)

THE PROJECT
The year is 3013. The Earth’s atmosphere has been deteriorating for a thousand years, and the sun’s rays barely penetrate the thick layer of pollution and grime that has formed. Soon the whole Earth will be in total twilight. Scientists and scholars have been working together to develop technology to better the human condition, but the atmosphere is beyond repair. They have turned their hopes to the last place left on Earth to survive – the Ocean Floor.

Thus was born D.E.E.P. – the Darkened Earth Emancipation Project. Armed with the latest technology, this project aimed to escape the uninhabitable surface and make a new society under the waves. Using nanotechnology and a constant supply of hydrothermal vents on the bottom of mid-ocean ridges, vast stores of energy were tapped and a new civilization was born.

TECHNOLOGY
Hydrothermal vents, located on mid-ocean ridges (areas of the ocean floor where new sea floor is being created, near underwater volcanic activity within the earth’s crust) spew out chemical rich scalding hot water from deep within the earth. This water is full of metals and other essential building blocks of life. Using nanotechnology, scientists have “programmed” nanomachines to grab molecules from this metal and mineral saturated brew to build electrodes, cathodes, and anodes for a never ending supply of battery power.
In order to supply the civilization on the sea floor, vast amounts of hydrothermal vents must essentially be “farmed” in large numbers.

There is also a catch-22 when agreeing to live in this environment. Every inhabitant must be injected with a solution that renders their cell structures unsuitable for living on land ever again. Using knowledge of the physics of deep sea creatures, scientists have developed a way to make the rigid lipids in the cell walls of land-dwelling creatures into the more fluid lipids of deep sea creatures, thus changing their cell structure completely. This procedure is only required for those who desire to live on the bottom permanently, and all new residents are given a choice. They are allowed a 3 month “trial” period, where they are kept in a pressurized living area where they can experience the ways of D.E.E.P. living. At the end of these 3 months, a decision must be made – the people who decline the procedure return to the surface, and the people who opt to undergo the procedure are taken to the “Conversion Zone” where they are put in a deep hypersleep. Here their bodies are changed inside out, cell by cell, to be more suitable to the pressures of the sea floor.

Permanent D.E.E.P. citizens are then moved to the permanent dwelling areas which are less pressurized than the temporary areas, where they can gain employment, have a family, and live life not unlike that on the surface. Not pressurizing these areas saves energy and puts less limitations on the shapes of these structures.

If injury or other medical emergencies happen to arise, nanotechnology is utilized. The patients are again held in a state of hypersleep, where nanomachines are specifically sent into the body to repair the damage. Once the patient is awoken, they are held in a medical area for further observation until discharge. Although these medical advances exist, there can still be situations where the damage is too great for the technology to help. Patients can only be held in a state of hypersleep for a period of 2 weeks – any more than that and the brain will never wake, resulting in a permanent state of coma. Any amount of damage that takes more than 2 weeks of hypersleep is asessed case by case, but in most cases is deemed fatal and no intervention is taken. This would also hold true for the case of old age – because the technology can only utlize the healthy DNA of similar cells to aid in repair of damaged cells. In older patients the DNA is simply not in a good enough state to replicate properly, thus making the concept of “eternal life” an impossibility.


SOCIETY
Everyone in the D.E.E.P. society plays a valuable role, and each person is expected to play their part in the niche. Education is taken very seriously, and it is available for people of all ages. Those who wish to educate themselves in a new field may do so. All opportunities are available to everyone, provided they complete the necessary education and various tests to get there, and do not disregard their current responsibilities.
Because each part of the civilization requires maintenance, work, repair, and attention, these “jobs” are given to the inhabitants. This gives them a sense of being part of a greater whole – because if they do not do their part, the whole will fail. Jobs vary from generic to specialized covering all aspects of life. Doctors, teachers, mechanics, farmers, craftsmen, you name it – if it is required, it is there. No one is forced to do something they don’t want to do, it is just required that you must work to earn your stay.
For efficiency, all meals are served in common meal areas, which also reinforces a sense of community. Food is rationed to each person living in the community, but how they spend those rations is their choice. Recreation and education are in common areas as well. Living quarters are for rest or privacy only.

Due to the limited amount of living space, people who desire families must get approval to do so. (Inhabitants are rendered sterile as part of the acceptance agreement, which prevents over population.) Offspring born to permanent residents are born with modified cell structure, due to their parents’ DNA being fundamentally altered to reflect this modification. There are currently only first generation D.E.E.P. citizens. Families are housed in family specific communities where children can grow up and attend school together, much like living on land. These living units are larger than those who occupy only single inhabitant units.

EVERYTHING is recycled, even waste. The advanced nanotechnology available allows waste to be “reassembled” into useful things – energy, soil, building materials, food, clothes, etc. The waste is incinerated and the molecules are extracted to be filtered through these nanomachines to be used through different interfaces throughout the community. In this way, everyone benefits from everyone else, reenforcing the mutual appreciation these citizens have for one another.

COLONIES
Because of the ever expanding population and the constant influx of new citizens, new colonies are produced on a continual basis. Special teams go out and settle new venting areas, and build a “pod” on top of these structures. Each pod houses a colony. Each colony houses roughly ________________ citizens. Although these structures are independently functional, it is possible to travel from colony to colony, and even move there if one wishes. This is possible through a series of trams that run from colony to colony. (This way, food, supplies, and extra help is also shared.
…to be continued…

(edit) and here's a screenshot of a Hydrothermal vent "farm" I am working on in SketchUp:

[Jska]

Ok well, just a few studies out of me today. I've been pretty stressed with a bunch of crap going on in my life, so studying has been almost a vacation for me. Did a few graphite portrait studies, working on some orthos, yada yada


quick 1 hr graphite study from ref


detail


some chick


ditto

I've been working on stuff for DEEP too, just gotta get it to a point where I want to post it... I also have a few paintings I'm working on for my show on June 6th. Busy busy

[Ash888]

Wow, read your concept and that is really good stuff.
what inspired it?

[Jska]

Ash - thanks man, no real inspiration except for a few science documentaries I've been collecting. BBC's Earth Story gave me the idea for hydrothermal vent energy, and lots of good info on plate tectonics, magma plumes, etc. From there its just kinda who what when where why

I actually have more story here to post, just a few added notes to make it more interesting and involved.


THE FOCUS
Because this should be game oriented, there has to be an interesting way to bring in the story so an active participant can be involved. Therefore, the main story and game play will be following a special group of vent “scouts” who go out into the deep ocean finding areas of active hydrothermal venting. This allows more variety in design elements, allows them to encounter different “species” and problems to solve. It also brings in more interesting industrial design elements like modes of transportation and equipment.

THREAT/ENEMIES
D.E.E.P. is not the only project that aimed to bring civilization to the ocean floor. Other projects (yet to be named) also started migrating there. D.E.E.P. is more of an open invitation, to those who are willing to work and be part of a functioning community. There are obviously those in the world that feel they do not have to work to get there, and these are the social and rich “elite” … These people have used a twisted form of science to get “the upper hand” so to speak, and have utilized genetic alterations to create a race of predator humans capable of roaming the open ocean in search of D.E.E.P. colonizers to exploit. Because the hydrothermal vents utilized for energy are only active for a few decades at a time, there is a struggle to find the right kind of area with section large enough to sustain a colony. These are areas in mid-ocean ranges that are located near plumes, or areas under the earth’s crust where molten rock is in a constant state of activity. These plumes are not easily mapped and must be scouted with special equipment.

The Scavengers are the predator-human hybrids that seek out to destroy the teams once they have found a good area to settle, and in succeeding, the rival colony steals the spot for their own. These societies are run by slavery, not mutual work. D.E.E.P. citizens are in great danger of being kidnapped if they stray too far out into unsettled territory, and are made into these enslaved hybrids against their will.

The leaders of D.E.E.P. have found a solution to this problem. Because the Scavenger colonies largely depend on large numbers of slave laborers, they have developed a serum that converts these people back to their original state. It is hypothesized that if enough are turned over, the scavenger colony would be rendered helpless and the small number of “elite” citizens would have to surrender their hold. Our special team is in charge of such an endeavor, and aim to take over a nearby Scavenger colony that has kidnapped many of their citizens against their will. If this colony goes down, it only means that others are able to be converted. It is a pivotal point in this underwater story.

Who will prevail? …dun dun dun

[Jska]

I'm doing some work for a few shows I am participating this summer, one being tomorrow night @ the Bunkhouse in LV (which I am also live painting at... eek!), the other is a group show in early July called Revelations II (apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic show) presented by local LV artist Biggs, and then a show for the San Diego Comic Con in late July.

I just have a studio shot and a quick in progress shot of my current endeavor for now, but I have a sketchbook full of a few sketches that I'll upload and add as soon as I can.

Lots more work to go on that thing

[Jska]

blurry picture though... hopefully i'll get a better one soon :/

[Jska]

a quickie I started and finished today, heat set oils on birch, 12"x24"

Just playing with an old character called "the smoker" (a death angel that puts out your life with her cigarette butt) heh



Not really happy with how the picture turned out but you get the idea. I may still work on the smoke trail, but I like the rough semi undone look it has so far.

[Onir]

Hey Jska, if I'm not mistaken I remember seeing some of your things in another sketchbook like a year or two ago? Either way, after looking on your website I was able to notice some of your older pieces and I must say that you have improved quite alot. your sketchwork is great and these paintings are all wonderful. I really like the way you composed this latest one; the eyes and the light of the cigarette tip create some really nice points of interest to move around. The yellow of the smoke and the shapes in the background have a nice graphic element to them as well. The figure is great too, but the way her head and torso touch looks a little off to me. Not much else I can really see to crit... I probably should have posted this in the crit section (which is how I found your sketchbook actually), shouldn't I? Well, regardless nice piece and nice sketchbook Best of luck to ya, I'll keep an eye out for what ya put up next!

[Jska]

Onir - Yep I had a different sketchbook a while back and opted for a new one I really wasn't finishing anything I put in the old one, but then again that's before I started freelancing... Thanks for taking the time to crit my piece I definitely appreciate it!!

For today's update, I have a portrait commission that has been a pain in my arse for ummm a few months now. This client has constantly changed her mind about she wants, and has made me repaint this thing approx 4 times. Ugh. Hopefully she likes it this time... its a fine line between "looking like him" and "idealizing him" ... and she wants both, so yeah. Difficult to say the least. Anyways I posted a shot of the painting along with the reference she gave me. This piece had to be done in 2 days, so that's all I had with it. Crits are appreciated!!


on the easel


close up (sorry about the glare)


the ref ... ughghghg (eff you cheap photoshoppery for the glowing border and diffused glow effects!)

Hopefully tomorrow I bid this headache farewell... *crosses fingers*

[Dished]

heyyy youre from vegas too? awesome! nice sketchbook by the way. are you showing this stuff for july's first friday?

[Jska]

Hey Dished!

Yep I'm in Vegas! Although the piece I'm showing in the group show at the Box Office for First Friday isn't in my book yet It will be when I'm done though! If you check it out you should say hi if you see me!

[Jska]

Just redid my website tonight, I'd love some input... http://www.jskaphobe.com

I have to start bulking up my illustration portfolio HARDCORE... I am not very pleased with the kind of stuff I have up so far. Blah.

[Jska]

old ones for a painting i'm doing, one new one for another painting...







...boop

(edit) I forgot to post these... some rejected character concepts for a client... they're too "cute"





I guess its more geared towards adults, so I gotta skank the chick up a bit, and who knows what else...

[Jska]

I'm still doing studies for a new painting I'm working on for a group show on First Friday for July... here's a recent mechanical pencil study I did today in about 2 hours of an emaciated horse:



I may exaggerate his bone structure a bit when I paint him but I liked how most of his body emerged from total shadow in this ref pic

[SEVANS]

Wow. I can't believe I never noticed this thread before. Some great paintings and watercolours in here.

I love the smaller watercolour portraits the most, just like the vibrant colours and the clean simple lines.

Cool stuff, will keep watching.

[Jska]

SEVANS - thanks for checking out my crap

Stumbled across a pretty intriguing skull and decided to do a quick graphite study of it for warm-up before I get to painting...


3-4 hour graphite study of a twin-headed sheep skull, 2b pencil

I wanted to get some darker darks in there, the scan is looking weird to me on here though.

...mmmyep

(edit: decided to add the ref picture, because it is so freaking neat and is worthy of sharing)



i wants one

[InvertedChalupa]

thanks for stopping by my sb : )

got some nice stuff here man... keep it up!

[Jska]

inverted chalupa - thanks for stopping by mine too!

new stuff - just some pics of the painting i'm hanging for the group show called "Revelations II" at the Box Office gallery here on the 4th... I call it "The Messenger" ... the theme for the show is the apocalypse, so the incorporation of religious imagery and symbolism is intentional.


22x28 mixed media on canvas
(acrylic underpainting with heat set oils on top)


a detail of the mouth area


a shot of it on the easel

I drop it off tomorrow... eeeep

[brentos8]

It's inspiring to see how your stuff has progressed and how many different things you are trying out, looks like your enjoying your craft completely. I'd never heard of that genisis paint.

really digging that last one- wicked design of that black shape

SKETCHBOOK http://www.conceptart.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=128243
WEBSITE www.brenthermsmeyer.com

[Jska]

brentos8 thanks! interesting enough, black wasn't used at all in this painting. the darkest value is 100% undiluted viridian green (similar to a greenish prussian blue I guess) but on top of the orangeyred underpainting, it appears black

[BohemianChaos]

mad sexy creep work, m'lady.

[UCT]

Get traditional paintings. Really smooth stuff.

[Beelow]

I might be showing as well. I work with the person that is running the show. I have to finish my piece though. I am completely swamped with work at the moment. Unfortunately I won't be there as well. I have to watch the kids and my lady works that day. Have fun and thanks for sharing.

[Shpow.Iain]

I read about your 'problem' (if you can call it that) in illustration. Well, I've done a few jobs illustrating (Band covers, Magazine covers, posters, banners etc). Textures and a large array of fonts is a must!

I normally use Macromedia Flash to edit the font (You can break it down to vectors and then change shape and a few other things manually) then I export as a PNG and open with photoshop, or simply continue using Flash.

Textures are brilliant, especially for quick illustrations. i.e

http://www.lyzrdstomp.com/tutorial_rustyface/ Not mine, but it should help nonetheless n_n

Equation for rust;

6O2 (g) + 5H2O (l) + 4Fe (s) → 2Fe2O3.5H2O (s)

[BohemianChaos]

lol... I know, I know... I actually forgot my camera, so I'm waiting on people to send me photos. :| Sorry! I know I need to update haha