Manga Studio

I picked up Manga Studio on offer the other day and decided to give it a quick try this evening. Some of the brushes are really nice and capture the look of traditional media. I'll need to have a play with this and test it out for future projects.

For now, here's a test based on something poignant a friend once said.

Will-o'-the-wisp Rewispited

I wanted a red version of this picture for a background image.

A Brief Encounter with Death

I returned to a project Moleskine to do some work and found some sketches I'd forgotten about.

Positronic Brain Revisited

The Positronic Brain is one of my favourite pieces of work, however one bit has always been bugging me. The brain. When it came time to create the chrome casing of the brain it became apparent I'd need to actually create some kind of environment. I  came up with a slightly-futuristic room for the sake of creating realistic reflections, at the time not realising how prominent it would be in the final piece. At first it seemed to work, but when I really started to look at it afterwards I grew to dislike it. It really spoiled the scene for me. It detracted from the mood. The environment wasn't right. It was like seeing the sound stage and craft services table reflected in C-3P0. So tonight I finally got around to reworking it and spent a few hours crafting a more apt environment.

A picture tells and a story, and God is in the details.

To see the original version of this picture and where it came from, and read about what this picture means to me, check out this post.

Positronic Brain

EDIT: There is an updated version of this work here.

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I'm a big fan of Asimov's robot stories and I particularly like the concept of the positronic brain (meaingless as the name was), which has since made it into several other science fiction titles. I like the idea that truly effective humanoid robots would need something beyond programming; that they would need something more complex and even more physical to achieve the level of interaction (and even learning) needed for societal integration. It bridges the gap between robots/computers and a living, organic mind. It offers a much greater chance to unplanned or unpredicted behaviour. It begins to bridge the gap between soulless machine and life.

The picture was based on this previous piece I did, only this time I wanted to go for a more realistic look. It gave me a chance to try creating different kinds of metal surface, which was challenging and fun.

Close-ups of my original drawing.

Will-o'-the-wisp

No Escape

My pic for this week's Sketch Jam topic "The Game". If you don't know what "the game" is, read this.

The Bone Collector

My piece for this week's sketch jam topic "movie poster". I decided to invent a movie based solely on the title of another. For a while I've had the idea for an ever-changing creature that is entirely comprised of the bones of its victims. I came to call the Bone Machine, or The Bone Collector... I've yet to find an original name for it.

Here's the creature on its own:

In this form I imagine he runs on all fours, but might stand up on two legs to fight or intimidate. One thing to think about is that in most situations, it has no real desire to kill you, it merely wants your take your bones. You might survive...

EDIT: 'Bone Chilling'. 'Bone Chilling'! I spent so long trying to come up with a tagline, why didn't this wording cross my mind until now?

Nessie vs Kraken

My pic for a sketch jam theme 'myths and legends'. Not the most original choices, but I don't know that I've ever seen them together.

Testing Mobile Uploads

Advent | 23 | Bill

Advent | 22 | Han

Advent | 21 | Dead Men Tell the Trails

A bit of a speed painting. I didn't bother with any reference imagery, so my medical and forensic art graduate friends will probably be quick to spot the inaccuracies in this drawing. I've spotted a few myself now, looking back on it.

Advent | 20 | Remains to Be Seen

Advent | 19 | Han Gliding

Advent | 18 | Seen the Light

Advent | 17 | Captive Audience

Advent | 16 | City View

Advent | 15 | Dream a Little Dream of Me

Based on this.

Advent | 14 | Flamer