Trolls (UPDATE: July 12th)

[Mon]

They don't let me out of the box much, but these last few days I've been doing some work for myself. First one is your regular space alien:



I've been thinking a lot about trolls lately. The real ones, not the cheap, ugly ones you'll find in modern fantasy. The ones that live in Lappland, that you might spot just after sunset at the edge of the forest. And for the real deal, you have to go straight to the source:

John Bauer 1882-1918

After a bit of playing around I did two pieces. I'm hoping to do more, and maybe incorporate more of Swedish/nordic mythology in them. That stuff is awesome.

[J May]

Nice work, I love the quality of light in all these pieces. Quick or not, you're hitting the right colours to really show light effects.

Nice work.

[Fellah.]

This is really really good man! Nothing else to i can say.

[loomer]

DUDE - i like everything, but that last one is fuckn' ace!
It's got so much solidity.
cheers
-salty

[CKWorth]

Really like your work Mon and I am fascinated by your colors. I like how you've used a warm shadow and warm background against the cool colors of the space alien.

I love those trolls too! The artist you linked to has beautiful work. I see where your designs are coming from. Once again I love your rich palette. I can't stop staring at that last one, so much texture going on. The selective detail in their faces is perfect.

Trying really hard to find something to critique on... if there is one thing that bothers me it is your paint application. Kind of strange to use that term when talking about a digital medium. What I am trying to say is, I think the amount of impasto should be less in less detailed areas. Something like how a real painting might be if being built up over thinner washes. Mostly this only applies to the sketch of the troll, as the unfinished areas have a distracting amount of impasto. That's only my preference, you (and others) may feel differently and that is cool.

[joeynono]

nice job. are you using painter?

[Chuck,mate.]

love it all.
really great brush work, and the color choices are fascinating.
the 3rd one is my fav. amazingly well done.

[robikillborn]

Realy great, all of them.
I love the colors you used, i feel like i can almoast touch them
The 3rd one is my favourite - cool lightning and it has a special feeling witch atracts me

[emily g]

Ah yes, the real trolls!

I love 'em!

emily

[el coro]

awesome. so glad to see you posting something new! hope yer doin well -c36

[Aly Fell]

These are great! Looking at Bauer's stuff again, makes me think Brian Froud must have definitely been inspired by them as well for The Dark Crystal.

I love your painting style. The oils and colour blocks are just right! Smashing!

[Matt Dixon]

Hey, Mattias. I'm sure I sound like a dribbling fanboy whenever I reply to one of your posts but, well...that's because I am. These are just wonderful and the light and mood in the last one is completely captivating. Rockin'.

[SIggE]

if you want to go back in history with trolls and old scandinavian mystery, you realy should check out Theodor Kittelsen.
his trolls are moore in the root of the folk tales of norway/sweeden.

[Mort]

cool trolls. yea it looks like those old paintings almost.

[tayete]

What can I say? I am your biggest fan, and you make me suffer keeping so much time between your sparce master works

[duddlebug]

I LOVE the troll images!! They're just beautiful!!

The third image is just perfect. I love all the impasto stuff because it looks so much more 'real' than most of the stuff i've seen from Painter (it is Painter, isn't it??). ANd i don't think it detracts from the troll. I think it adds interest to the surface of the painting. The light across the troll's face works well in making him the focal point.

You've inspired me to have another play with Painter... i always give up in a quagmire of brushes and trundle back to Photoshop with my tail between my legs...

Excellent stuff... i shall have to peruse your website...

[vigostar]

the third one is super dopeness...

[bluefooted]

Beautiful impressionist quality to these! No crits - they're just too nice to look at.

[Mon]

Thanks for the wonderful response folks

J May - Cheers. well they're quick in the sense that I work fast, aggressively. Though it sometimes take a lot of time to get where I want to

Fellah. - i apprecate it

loomer - cool!

Carfax - Hey thanks a lot. I heard someone say that "warm sells better", or somthing to that effect. It does lend a lot of weight to a piece, but from a painting point of view i might go for a cool base color just as well. Been in love with Bauer's work since i was a kid, there's a lot of warmth and compassion in his work that I really want to see more of in my own stuff. I can see where you're coming from on the texture issue, might be that i went too far in places. Still i believe it's a valid tool in creating interest in a painting. It detracts attention from the strictly figurative aspects and opens up areas to a more free interpretation. That's what i was shooting for in the first troll piece anyway, were the only physical volume is the head and the body is basicly a flat surface - kept alive by brushstrokes and texture. Hmm.. lots of rambling here but i hope you see my point of view thanks a lot for your feedback, i really appreciate it!

joeynono - yeah, painter ix, and some detail work in photoshop.

Chuck,mate. thanks!

robikillborn - that's great =)

emily g - glad you like them, gonna get started on *real* gnomes next, the mean, grumpy kind that will kill your horse unless you feed him porridge and ham yeah i must be losing my mind...

el coro - thank! yeah it was pretty hectic just before E3 but now things are going back to normal. Still good to be doing this full time anyway

Poshspice - Oh I totally agree! still he did a pretty good job with it i think. cheers!

Matt Dixon - oh you can't be serious thanks a lot man, i really appreciate it!

SIggE - good tip there, i'll look into him.

Mort - cheers

tayete - thanks!! highlights are far and few in between, wouldn't want to show any of the crap i usually paint

duddlebug - oh i can totally recommend using painter. As soon as you've found two or three brushes you can live with you're home free. all the other stuff is just a bonus and a way to kill time when you don't know what to paint. thanks a lot buddy.

vigostar - thank you.

bluefooted - i' m glad to hear it!

[glikster]

wow. the volume and lighting and texture.... wow.
That last one is insane. I love em!

[SIggE]

hej tjenaren
sorry i didnt see that you were from sweden hehe

[PaulDavidson]

Fantastic....the loosness, while still keeping the control to discover the nice forms is not an easy task.........you make it look easy, though!

Very impressive stuff.

Paul

[Yoonjin]

Är du svensk?

[Tigermilk]

Swe: Gahh!! Jag blir helt extatisk! Helt underbara trollbilder. Det är precis som du säger. Det är troll som man precis kan skymta vid en solnedgång bakom en mossbeklädd sten och två granar. Helt underbart, snyggaste och mest fantasieggande bilder jag sett på ett bra tag. Vet du vem Alvaro Tapia är? Om inte, kolla upp hans teckningar. Det finns grymt mycket inspiration att hämta där. Han gör bland annat illustrationer för det svenska rollspelsföretaget Riotminds. Känner du kanske till RM och Drakar och Demoner 6? Svenskt rollspel.

Helt underbart.. ljuset i den andra bilden med det stående trollet är så vackert, träden med den hängande grenarna. ojoj.. så mitt i prick.
Det skulle vara guld värt om du hade lust att göra några såna här till. Helst i ett traditionellt medium.

All the best,
Staffan

[Pattern Recognition]

Colors are f-in... awesome. I am majorly impressed.

[Main Loop]

i saw these at your website.. awesome, i love em.. when i first got a wacom i tried desperately to mimic your technique.. obviously couldnt do it heh..

[robinchyo]

You, sir, are the texture king! I love how you handled the foilage/vegetation in the third image and the monster in the first image is just awesome! Bravo!

[BAKI]

amazing techniques, the lighting is incretible on the 3rd piece
great textures

[Mon]

glikster - Cheers

SIggE - yeah

PaulDavidson - Thanks, for me that's the main thing really. No sketching on these as I think it might limit your options. thank you

Yoonjin - yes

Tigermilk - I know of Alvaro (mostly for his work on the Harry Potter book series), a great artist. I'm not too familliar with Riotminds, I remember they were on my to-do list on places to pimp my stuff but I never got around to it. I've seen some books tho, but in my day it was Äventyrsspel who were calling the shots =) Might be that I'll do more of these, given time and inspiration etc. Cheers.

AngryScientist - thanks =)

Main Loop - I just press all the buttons and use all the tools at once. seriously.

robinchyo - glad you like them!

BAKI - thanks

[keun-chul]

i like last one
awesome!!
great job