Helzon's SB: update 11-18-06, Lights are out, doors closed.

**Helzon** · April 5th, 2006, 11:47 AM

Hey Joel..it's pencil bro..just ramped the contrast so it gets a bit darker.
But ultimately I'll end up doing what i did for the zombie..which is what dave(the wise) suggested and that's to lower the opacity and colorize it so that it's harmonious with the colored up version.
Thanks for the kindness bro. Will jump on after a quicky lunch and post on everyone's sb...cheers!

**Flaskpost** · April 5th, 2006, 12:59 PM

i love that line drawing! awesome! will be really cool to see it colored!

**redehlert** · April 5th, 2006, 02:08 PM

SWEET! I like that Mike!
I was just playin' around on my interpretation of this clockwork fella too.

I got some new brushes and just had an orgasm.
Cannot wait to see this fleshed/iron-ed out!
Cheers!
D

**bdfoster** · April 5th, 2006, 03:13 PM

:: wipes Dave's mess off the sketchbook ::

Love the new update bro. So much for All's well... But I'm glad for it!

Can't wait to see it colored. I think it'll define some of the forms a little better than they are right now, but it's hot schtuff nonetheless.

**Lone Wolf** · April 5th, 2006, 03:52 PM

Hey Mike, great work again. I do have a skethcbook it's pretty old, but i'm gonna start uploading stuff again.

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=48343

**JoshK** · April 5th, 2006, 06:29 PM

Damn that is really cool I like how you lighten the side that is further away.......I agree with the rest....color it...its gonna be sick

**bwkeough** · April 5th, 2006, 11:17 PM

excellent work! color that sucka up! only suggestion is that you need something to give scale reference: clouds with birds flying by, etc.

**Helzon** · April 6th, 2006, 08:02 PM

Okey dokey..did some marker stuff....meh...still need to get the hang of em..but the upper image is what was done at sketch group..the other was while I waited at the garage for the mechanic to get done with his job.
Oh well, just pulled shapes out of the chaos of scribbles...

**redehlert** · April 6th, 2006, 08:05 PM

woo-hoo! such sweet departure and rapture divine!
i know it will take a while to get used to, (i'm still getting the hang of it) but oh man oh man...i'm giddy!
that second one is just a great sketch pure and simple.
go out and get a sakura white pigment pen and hit some hilites in the blackness of the first one....that'd be sweet.

cheers!
d

**Helzon** · April 6th, 2006, 08:17 PM

Flaskpost : Hey big man, thanks for the kind words...i hope to get the colors settled up before deadline on Sunday.
Dave :My brutha...I saw your clockwork colossus..and trust me..my pants were warm and brown at the end of the viewing. Fantastic work sir..and this new approach even with the tribal commune is really shattering new ground for you. Your experimentation is really taking you into such fertile ground. Great stuff!
Ben : Hey ben..yeah...I should have thought to laminate the pages of the sb so that Dave "Squirts" Ehlert's shmoogin would be easier to remove...but alas...

:burns mop and handiwipes in backyard:
Mack : Hey!...thanks for the kind words man..I dropped in on your sb bro..keep up that fine shwag.
Josh : Bro you are a scream...here you're complimenting me when your work has infitely more discipline and killer figure work. Totally green with envy over here.
Brendan : Hey bro..will do on the scale thing...and don't leave a friggin detail out when you come back from Art out loud man.
Cheers all..will post the colored up version of Aether as soon as it's done.
[EDIT]: Thanks bro...I am humbled before your kindness. I will get right on that Sakura and pick it up straight away!..thanks man for the info on how to treat the markers. Cheers!

**bdfoster** · April 6th, 2006, 08:23 PM

I think the marker stuff is such a great addition to you bag of tricks. I personally think the first one kills, especially from where I saw it on Wed. Did you add some pen in there with the pencil? (I need to get me one of those Sakura pens Dave's talkin about).
I always raved about your organic stuff, but your mechanicals are just killing me. You've got such a clean style that I'm just getting blown out of the water. I need lessons, cause I can't seem to find it bro.
What are you looking at (if anything) for you mechanical "anatomy"?

**Helzon** · April 6th, 2006, 08:40 PM

Hey Ben,..bro..that was straight out my rotten noggin man. Wish I could say that oh I had this or that in mind..but seriously...it was a mass of chaotic lines and from it these shapes just started filling themselves in. It's a weird but cool process, and the beauty of it is; it's easier than you think. Absolutely no need to fear it, or over analyze it. Trust me I'm a fuckin labotomized chimp..so if I can do this man..you will friggin rule..once you relax and let it flow.

**tensai** · April 6th, 2006, 09:09 PM

really like that new marker stuff - would love to see you do some more of that I.D stuff with it.

**guggemmaneuver** · April 7th, 2006, 01:58 PM

mike!

holy crap i love it when there are TWO amazing drawings on one sheet of paper

Damn that bottom one just has so much space ethereal atmosphere. I can hear the white noise of space in my helmet almost and my breathing is clearly audible. Wait, that's my sinuses. Anyways, the perspective on this is really nice for a quick sketch ... great work! I've just started to get some more familiarity with the marker of the beast and i'm loving it like golden upturned breasts on a fast food restaurant. is the darker line there pencil? What exactly were your materials on that one? Using Letraset tria, prismacolor, or copic?

I feel like in the sketch jam one you got just a little bit too dark, but as this was a collaboration, i'm guessing that that was probably beyond your control. Also, this ( know i already geeked about it

) looks really great and kind of exemplifies the whole steam-punked thing at it's best moments. was that an influence?

thanks!

joel

P.S. Also a little bonus message from 2001:ASO, a little message for that slimy red-med-illin monacled jerkface from Seattle: "Dave, you're hurting me."

**redehlert** · April 7th, 2006, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by guggenmaneuver

P.S. Also a little bonus message from 2001:ASO, a little message for that slimy red-med-illin monacled jerkface from Seattle: "Dave, you're hurting me."

roflmao!! oh man...priceless. priceless! thanks joel...ya made my fri-fri.

**bwkeough** · April 13th, 2006, 09:27 PM

fuck! that marker page kills! great work with those dark darks after I last saw it last wednesday, and that gantry/crane thing kicks booty, too!

more more more!

**Helzon** · April 14th, 2006, 06:51 AM

Hey there guys..sorry I've been away from the sb...been working on breaking a guy's process, the clockwork colossus..and a mess of vector work for other things, however..i did want to post a wip of what I have so far. Thanks so much for the kind words bw...i worked the markers a bit more on that space scene..and will hope to have that up by this afternoon. Thanks again..
man do i have to get around to everyone else's sb...jeezus..how the time flies.

**GunTrouver** · April 14th, 2006, 06:54 AM

Hey, your creatures are xcellent done. Scary designs and the lifedrawing of the sitting woman, on the first page, is great.
Keep it up

**Helzon** · April 14th, 2006, 11:32 AM

Hey GunTrouver: Thanks man..I hope to keep things rolling right along. Once I have this painting process under my belt...I'll try to slap a supercharger on my productivity..and get things moving. Thanks for stopping by.
Here's the marker scene pushed a bit more..the only thing I did in PS was to colorize the marker a bit toward a bluish cold tone. CHeers all!

**Flaskpost** · April 14th, 2006, 12:49 PM

lovely marker sketch! really fine and detailed style!
no crits from me! keep kickin it!

**Helzon** · April 14th, 2006, 12:53 PM

Hey Flask: I'm on the case bro!

**bdfoster** · April 15th, 2006, 10:16 AM

Dude--

Your color stuff is getting so much better. The collossus really has some form now. I can't wait to see that bad boy finished. And you know I got nothing but love for the marker space scene.

**Undertow** · April 15th, 2006, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Helzon

Hey GunTrouver: Thanks man..I hope to keep things rolling right along. Once I have this painting process under my belt...I'll try to slap a supercharger on my productivity..and get things moving. Thanks for stopping by.
Here's the marker scene pushed a bit more..the only thing I did in PS was to colorize the marker a bit toward a bluish cold tone. CHeers all!

dude.. this is sweeeet. Please tell me that you're down to do some art for CTech.

**Helzon** · April 15th, 2006, 01:11 PM

Hey my brutha...I'm always down to do some work for ya

Keeps the bar set high and only pushing it higher. That stuff that you let me scope is about the dopest shit i've seen in a long time. And personally i can't wait to see your portfolio pieces...i'm sure they are gonna fuckin rock!
Cheers...and thanks for the kindness!

**guggemmaneuver** · April 15th, 2006, 01:19 PM

shewt hel this is looking so nice ... Vector schmector i know what you mean... wish i were in raster mode more often

one minor crit on the space scene would be (just my opinion) that it seems like the darker areas might cause some of your lighter areas to lose some of their initial power... i struggle with this in my marker work all the time... you have to constantly double check to make sure that you are still in control of the overall value scale... because the darks will make your light marks magically disappear from the page. I am interested to see what you do with this page, though, and will stay tuned. Of course, you will have to have some darks if yr going to render THE VOID OF SPACE

cheers friend!

joel

**bwkeough** · April 15th, 2006, 02:10 PM

dood, the color work on the flying colossus kicks ass! where did that come from? looks like you jumped a couple of learning steps. great additional work on that marker tech image, you're really finding your groove.

**Idiomatic** · April 15th, 2006, 03:52 PM

This is some amazing work, Helzon. . . great line and tone work, and you've done an admirable job of giving many of your designs a sense of cultural or decorative detail (shapes, graphic motifs, et cetera). If I had any constructive crit, it might be to agree with bdfoster et al on your color contrast (something I also wrestle with). You might want to try zooming out to check your shape and light logic (as well as greyscale conversions) - when you've got your balance right, the image should resolve appropriately at almost any percentage. Great stuff!

**Helzon** · April 16th, 2006, 09:54 PM

To everyone...I'm sorry I haven't written back sooner..but the holiday being the holiday is usually frantic mess of cooking and such..this year being no different. Hope you all had great ones.

Ben: Hey brutha...much appreciation for all the encouragement. Hope to see ya at Wednesday sketchgroup. Gotta fill me in on the finer details of Art Out Loud. (I did read the thread in the Lounge, but of course..one always has questions.

Salut!

Joel: Many thanks my good man..and I will definitely keep your words in mind with my next marker sketch. I wasn't going to take the Stratoliner any farther...just wanted to keep it relatively simple and just keep that sense of space. Many thanks again.

Brendan: Hey bud...thanks so much for the kind words. The colossus actually is coming from the brushes and such I was telling you about at sketchgroup a couple of weeks back. Finally it's something that I don't want to rip my hair out over and actually look forward to doing. Gotta get my eyes over to your sb and see what's been doing over there, i'm sure unparalleled work. Cheers man..and hope to see you this Wed.

Idiomatic: Bro..I am humbled to my roots before your magnanimity.
Will keep all of this advice by my side as I finish up on the colossus and works in the future. Thank you so much...and personally can't wait to see what you come up with next at your sb...I'm sure it's going to just rock!
Best to ya.

**JoshK** · April 16th, 2006, 10:57 PM

Hey just want to say the last couple pieces are really good and my favorites out of this sketchbook, its like all of the sudden everything is clicking for you. Keep it up =)

**Kenny Fuller** · April 18th, 2006, 11:15 AM

Mike, great SB dude! I suppose it was about time that I finally made it over to your sb. Really love the Gellatinous Cube sketch. Maybe one day I will start my own sb. Cheers!