The last couple of days have been hard. I found out that my hometown is on fire. Southern California is notorious for wildfires. My family is ok for the most part but some of them had to be evacuated from their homes. Needless to say I’m a bit tense and wish I could be down there right now to help.
On a lighter note, The Morae River blog is back up and running. I’m glad I was able to perform some updates on it – it had been neglected for so long. There are still some minor glitches but for the most part it seems to be running smoothly. The image above is the most recent species to be added to Tul. I will be posting the full profile soon.
In other news, a former instructor and friend of mine is having a solo show. If you live in the Bay Area you should come out and see some art! Robert Hunt will be showing his landscapes at Periscope Cellars. This collection is stunning so be sure to stop by if you can. Here is a video of him painting if you’re interested.
Lately, I’ve been trying to come to terms with my sketchbook. I’ve never been to proud of my sketchbook, which is why I rarely post anything from it. So in an effort to become a little more comfortable with it, I need to start posting it here.
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Anyway, as you can see my sketchbook isn’t very exciting but I need to keep working in it. I know that if I begin to post it here I will be more obligated to keep it filled with work.
Something that I found in the “sketchbook” folder of my computer. I try to draw something everyday to further my understanding of photoshop and digital art. Mostly, they get deleted or just thrown into a folder. I didn’t really like the way it turned out at first and I still don’t really like the image but I thought I’d post it anyway. Maybe I’ll put all of the little random doodles into a giant image one day.
Today is grey. It’s been grey since Monday and while I usually welcome a cooler climate with open arms, sweaters and tea, I can’t help but feel a little unmotivated. I suppose It’s good weather for reading – I have a lot of that to do. I’ve been reading a lot of comics lately. I took a class about comics during my last semester of school. Since that class, I’ve been hooked. I love comics. They make me care about everything. I will probably end up making a links section on this blog soon so I can link to all of the comic creators and web-comic that I follow. For now though I will share a web-comic that I read last year in class.
It’s called When I am King. Most web-comics are just like paper comics, but on a screen instead of paper. This particular comic, along with others, is one that uses the web for what it is capable of – motion, scrolling maybe even sound. I will most likely post a few others in posts to come. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this adventure.
I recently bought a book that was created by a friend. If you are into creature design like I am then you’ll definitely want to pick up this book. Planet to Planet is a collection of sketches by artist Mike Corriero. The book is stuffed full of doodles, drawings, sketches and studies of creatures and animals. The artwork is beautiful! Check it out here: Planet to Planet on LuLu.com. It’s a must-have for creature design lovers. You can also get a 15% discount on the book by entering this coupon code: BEACHREAD305 when checking out. Be sure to have a looksie at the book!
Finished up the Pygmy Esorifleu for CGHUB’s creature planets. These were lots of fun to do. I’m currently working on the next species for topic # 15 – Viscinian Scavenger. These are just some rough sketches of the overall form that I want the organism to have – following the guidelines provided in the prompt.
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This forum activity has been really good for me. It a lot of fun to help run but its also pushing me to try new things with creature design and even graphics. I’ve been producing the banners for the activity with direction from Shane Watson – CGHUB’s community director.
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click for larger view
In case you’re wondering, I did not paint the actual planet. I use Flaming Pear’s “LunarCell” to produce it. Creating a banner along with stats and a creature for the activity each week can be a lot fo work and so any shortcuts are vital to get things done on time. I did, however, paint the galaxy and produced all of the other graphics on the banners (except for the little icons on the top banner, those are winning entries) Anyway, This has been loads of fun for me and my partner in crime (co-runner of creature planets) -Ogi Grujic. As the activity progresses, I’d like to re-work the layouts of the planet banners and such but for now these seem to be working ok.
Like I mentioned in my post before, I’m wanting to share things that inspire me, things I find funny, and things that I think others should watch. This was a short that brought tears to my eyes. I love how animation is able to span gaps and make you care about lumps of dirt on the moon. Enjoy…
I’d like to start using this blog for the other word that is listed in its description: “inspirations”. I’m on the internet way too much. One of the characteristics (and vices) of being a digital artist is that you have the entirety of the internet at your finger tips at all times. In any case, I see lots of weird, touching, fascinating and just plain hilarious videos, pictures, blogs and profiles scattered about the web. So I’d like to start sharing some of those things that I find inspiring and that end up touching in me in some way or another. Ill start with this: My Milk Toof.
Ickle and Lardee from: My Milk Toof
This adorable and endearing web-comic brightens my day every time I look through it. Inhae, creator, artist, and author has transformed her milk teeth (or baby teeth) into unforgettable characters, Ickle and Lardee. The two teeth embark on epic adventures and hilarious skits around the house and out in the yard. Its a beautiful combination of sculpture, photography, and comics. These are some of my favorite strips but be sure to look through all of them.
This blog is kept by Brynn Metheney -
a freelance Illustrator and Concept Artist. This is one of the many places where she posts her scribbles, sketches, ideas and inspirations.
In other news, a former instructor and friend of mine is having a solo show. If you live in the Bay Area you should come out and see some art! Robert Hunt will be showing his landscapes at Periscope Cellars. This collection is stunning so be sure to stop by if you can. Here is a video of him painting if you’re interested. 
