Mac Tire's sketchbook - updated with atelier work!

[MacTire]

Worked up the Repin a bit more, to try push it further would be mostly an insane amount of very subtle colour and saturation tweaks. I'm still getting the hang of percieving the correct colour, more often than not here each time I selected a colour the colour I was aiming for was more saturated. Ah well, that will come in time I suppose, all a matter of learning.

Here's another sketchy B+W random char from the characterdriven generator, coincidentally, a viking again. The description went filthy, jolly, mentor, viking, and yes, I know horned helmets are wrong, but they are fun to draw!

[MacTire]

Sketches from today, some sort of chrome bot/alien, and some sketches of colossal mechanical knights:

[MacTire]

Inspired by the scale within some of the pieces Karl Kopinski produced for Warhammer 40k, I thought I'd have a rather ambitious go at making something out of those mechanical knight sketches from the previous post, so included is how it looks so far, just trying to block things in at the moment. Also included are some studies I thought would help:

[MacTire]

Progress:

[isra-ac]

That last concept of medieval robots is very sweet!!! The sketches you previously did are interesting as well, can't wait to see it finished : D

[MacTire]

Isra: Thanks Isra! I appreciate the comments!



Just when I was getting motivated (especially about finishing that siege colossi piece), I fell ill. It's drained all energy and motivation, but I did manage to get a few bits and pieces done.


The spheres were just an exercise to try and familiarisse myself with certain material textures at a closer level, in particular metals. So, they're trying to represent; stained metal, polished metal (although it's a bit too mirror-like for what I wanted), matte grey paint, rusted metal (not rusted enough though), metallic blue paint (like that on a car) and flesh for good measure.

[MacTire]

Here's some stuff (mostly studies) done since the last update, including some Bargues done in anticipation of starting at LARA in just over a week:

[Joe777k7]

Wow you have been busy since i last saw your sketchbook. rendering is getting solid!! I remember drawing those foots in the past, they were a pain. Great job with everything! Nice thumbnails as well!!!

[Gpozzo]

Grea update man, those Bargue are quite nice and i really really liked those last studies, you got some great textures in them, keep at it man, i'll keep an eye

[MacTire]

Joe: Thanks Joe!

Gpozzo: Thanks man!

More enviro fun from today, a couple of quick studies and a sketch from imagination with the obligatory improbably standing stone... could do with a bit more contrast though..

[kingkostas]

Yooo mate you produce some great stuff lately. Love the mechanical constructs up there. Both improvement in fantasy and landscape works. Keep it up

[Asterisk]

I just love seeing your art and improvements. Keep posting!

[MacTire]

Kostas: Thanks mate! Happy to hear that!

Asterisk: Thanks man!

Some more quick studies and a quick sketch, need to start doing longer ones to actually start getting stuff out of them:

[MacTire]

Ok, so I've moved to London and started at LARA. Here's my efforts from week one; the first being the very faint current stage of how far I've got in the first two week pose, and the block-in of my first cast. Also included is a knight who's a bit worse for wear, just blocked in colour so far, hoping to really push this one.

[MacTire]

Here's the finished image (but still open to any points anyone has to make):

[Gpozzo]

great, loving the textures on these last landscapes you've been posting, http://bit.ly/ViaXb1 i find this one interesting, keep at it man!

[MacTire]

Gpozzo: Thanks Man!

Finished a 40 hour pose today at LARA. Quite happy with the results given that it's the first rendered (well, rendered to a recogniseable level) long pose I've completed. Also, here's an armoured Celt I've been working on over the last few nights:

[lionheartGFX]

WOW! just wow at that long pose master values at work here! you should be really proud of that pose man! on another note i love your originals they always have something that i dont expect and gets me thinking just great! cant wait for what you do in the future!

[kingkostas]

Yo Conor whats up mate? You are doing great with these studies. The long pose if awesome!!!. For the armoured guy i did a paintover to point some things.
First you had to make a more definite decision about lighting and follow it. The work cant read that well because the light seems to be here and there. Keep in mind always that next to dark there is light and the opposite. Putting a so bright grey in the background would make the picture read only if you had extreme whites in the foreground. Everything should be harmonious [read loomis creative illustration for that]. You have to decide if you will work high key or low key or whatever, just keep values in consistent contrast [but still in the background everything will have less contrast]. Breathe space by adding some lost edges. These will connect your character to its surroundings. Add more contrast and detail on the focal point and less on the others.
Anyway here some things to consider next time

Man since i am looking for work in uk, i was checking some rent prices, damn thats really expensive!!! Any advice on how to search for good place, what to look for etc?

[llex_paul]

looking good, and a good paintover from Kingkostas, keep up the studies and painting!

[MacTire]

Kostas: Woah mate!!! You are awesome! Thanks so much for the paintover, I can't hit the thanks button enough! I have so much to learn, I look forward to taking on these suggestions and improving the piece. Oh and thanks for the Loomis reminder, better take a look at that and really study it. Thanks again!!!

llex_paul: Thanks! Will do!



Here's an enviro from the Crimson Daggers forum enviro challenge:

[MacTire]

Update following a crit from Kingkostas on CA and some suggestions from tutors at LARA: (hmm probably too blurry now...)

[kingkostas]

hello conor here i played some more with it. I think it needs more work on the composition. It might be that, since the main subject is dark/in shadow, it needs the background to have more detail to keep the balance. Anyway here so it may give you some extra ideas, although i am not happy with it, i think the colors need to be better composed.
The enviro is great, keep up!!!

[Marine_Blue]

Some nice work mate. I personally think studying edges on your landscapes would help you a bit. I'm talking fine touches here and careful observation from nature that will have a big impact. A great resource for this is Guide to Landscape Painting (Dover Art Instruction)
by J.F. Carlson. I think you will benefit a lot from it. Otherwise, keep up the hard work, it always pays off.

Digital Sketchbook

[MacTire]

kingkostas: Kostas you are too good! Thanks for another paintover! I'll definitely have to bear that in mind in future in general but also if I choose to return to that piece. Thanks mate!

Marine_Blue: Thanks! Yeah, edges are a big weakness for me, something I really need to tackle in my work. Thanks for the book recommendation too, I'll definitely consider that. I've been going through some of the Dover books in my collection (mostly the staple anatomy ones) so I reckon that one should be good too.



Somehow forgot to update since the end of my first term at LARA.Thoroughly enjoying it so far and constantly learning there. I even managed to get my a cast drawing onto their website! Anyway, here's the work produced in term 1, plus a refined version of that undead chap following some crits and advice:

[Lucarky]

Kostas: Woah mate!!! You are awesome! Thanks so much for the paintover, I can't hit the thanks button enough! I have so much to learn, I look forward to taking on these suggestions and improving the piece. Oh and thanks for the Loomis reminder, better take a look at that and really study it. Thanks again!!!

llex_paul: Thanks! Will do!



Here's an enviro from the Crimson Daggers forum enviro challenge:

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L environment and anatomy poses! A joy for the eyes!

[MeteorCat]

Excellent work!

[SMILEFACE]

RAHHH WOW BROTHER i REALLY DIG POST#604 AN 607 AN THE LIFE DRAWINGS RRR TOPS!!! XDXDXD

[kingkostas]

Yo Conor!!! Awesome drawings mate!!! Lets keep it up !!!

[Mane]

ahh good to see more people from the uk heading towards the academic route on CA, is it true lara are selling casts now?