[lazydead]

Hello,
I thought that I should get off my ass and introduce myself. My name is Howard Hallmark.
I just recently found sijun and it has rekindled a fire in me. I haven't really drawn or painted or 3d'd since I gave up on "design" work over a year ago. Doing corporate interface design for years will kill your creativity. Well it did for me...

That is until I found sijun. *angels sing*

This place is packed with amazing talent as I'm sure you all know and I hope to be able to contribute at least a little since I learn from you guys on a daily basis. I don't have a tablet yet but it is in the mail. Found a nice 6x8 artzII on ebay for cheap. So hopefully it will help.

Until then, using a mouse isn't all that bad... it's how I did this piece shortly after finding this place.
and yes, it is zombies rising from the grave.




Half Res 844x1125
Pencil Sketch 480x640

640x480 Details:
Arm and Grass
Fence and Lightpost
Shoulder
Tree

c&c are appreciated.

I hope to continue to post frequently... as it seems I'm churning stuff out like mad now thanks to sijun.

Thank you.

-lazydead

[ November 28, 2001: Message edited by: lazydead ]

[Gandalf-]

Oh my goodness. This is wonderful! So unique. Great work man, thanks for sharing it.

The only thing I could suggest would be to vary your values a bit more. The middle section of the pic seems to lack contrast.

Again, jaw-dropping stuff!

[[666]Flat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by lazydead:
Doing corporate interface design for years will kill your creativity. Well it did for me...

---

OH Y3Z I KNOW WUT U MEAN (ALTHOUGH nobody will believe me for some reason). Sijun is for me the perfect place to be the creative shitfucker I am. Let's be honest: where in the dang biz do you get the possibility to do what you want to? Designing web sites is sooo boring nowadays, everbody has his friggin guide lines and they're so damn restrictive you're wondering why they even bother to ask you for designing a site when they could it do themselves as well since they know exactly "how it has to be" from tip to toe and won't accept anything else. creativity == ground zer0

And y3z, there's talent en masse on this forums.

Your work is simply great, by the way!

[silber]

I agree with Corn Pops
there is a lack of contrast here and there
I think fixing that would push it a lot
really great details

more please!

[lazydead]

Thanks for the quick replies!

Are we talking about:
1. The hazy dark shadow area in the foreground.
2. The hazy light area to the left of the subjects shoulder.
3. The hazy area directly around and behind the head.
4. All of the above.
5. Other

These are the three main problems I'm noticing. Or is it something else?
At first, after I did so much work on the main figure I was thinking that the hazy diffuse dust would kind of frame the sharp detailed main figure and then I worked around from there. Trying desperately not to have too much detail plastered all over the canvas distracting the eye. Maybe that's not working...
I've been staring at it so long I'm having trouble seeing the picture now. I'm sure you know what I mean.

You asked for more so...
Here is one I've been working on the last few days. Not finished obviously.


1024x1024
Pencils

How about something a little more traditional. This was the first painting I did after finding sijun and getting all pumped up and excited.


Reference

Any ideas for backgrounds on the wasp demon thingy? Or is this not the right forum for it? Maybe I should start a different thread later for that in WIP.

[666]Flat:
Design was fun when it was fresh, new and exciting. Now everything new is just poorly recycled crap and for some reason everyone seems blind to it all.

I seem to remember recently stumbling across something from faustgfx that illustrated the point very well.

-lazydead

[ November 28, 2001: Message edited by: lazydead ]

[JickyJak]

Very nice work. I can also agree 100% with you on the interface design thing...beleive me.

On the last pic (my personal fave) I love the mood and lighting, great stuff. Did you have a reference for this?

[yeah bob]

awesome!
great colours!!!!

[eyewoo]

Did I read correctly that you are doing these images with a mouse -- A W S O M E !!!

Can't wait to see what you do with a tablet (get one!), if I understand it correctly that you're using a mouse...

[yeah bob]

with mouse????
impossible..

great work

[Manik Monkei]

They are all great. Amazing attention to detail--I wish I had the patience I'm in love with the wasp/mummy creature though (what do you call it?)

You say it's not finished.. what are you planning to add?

btw: did you ever work as a texture artist for games/3d? you've got the eye for detail

[ November 28, 2001: Message edited by: Manik Monkei ]

[ceenda]

lazydead: Firstly, welcome to Sijun. That's some awesome work you've got there!

And you use a mouse.. to do this??? Darnit, I'm gonna go out and buy you a Intuos oversize right now!

Anyway, the concepts IMHO are well executed here. However, I think it would be a good advantage to study form, light and tone a bit more. Obviously, coming from a 3D background you understand these concepts, but it's worth practicing even small geometric scenes (e.g. charcoals and chalks, or even digitally) just to try and 'bring out' the elements in you paintings a little more. I think this would also help with the contrast issue that people mentioned (hehe, contrary to popular belief the Photoshop contrast adjuster does not work miracles).

Another thing, it also appears that there are light sources in your pics, but that it's hard to define where they are coming from. Even in the excellent portrait of the Indian man.

Anyway, I really like the atmosphere you have in these pics, especially the first.

Oddly enough, I submitted a nasty wasp pic to digitalart and epilogue recently. Not as terrifying as yours, but they seem to be in vogue.

Look forward to more of your work here.

[Lukiaz]

Welcome

Awesome unique style. Love it.

That flying insect is trippen me out...its strangely 3D'ish.....very weird style.....very cool.

[FluffydUCK]

the detail onthe sholder is awesome!

very impressive

[DiXter]

you use mouse??

That's awesome..
the zombiepic rules very much! all crit have been said already..

[ReXX]

Yep, awesome work. For a mouse it's the best stuff I've seen yet in this forum.

[catnip]

Hi Lazydead,
I LOVE YOUR WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!
If this is what you do with a mouse, I can't
imagine what you will do with a tablet.
This is the first time I have seen any of
your work and I bet the "dead body" was done
by a mouse, and the other works were "scanned
in" and "touched up" with the mouse.

I will look for your "name" everytime I visit!
PLEASE!...Post more!!!!!

[Jezebel]

Wow... don't even have anything to say about it. These are all amazing! Very nice work!

[lazydead]

First, thank for your responses.

To clarify... yes, all I use is my Logitech MouseMan 3 button mouse. OldSchool style. It is the best mouse I have ever encountered and I have been using them since the line was released. They are getting harder to find when they need to be replaced but they are really worth it. Whenever I find them I usually buy several for backup. I have become VERY attached to my mouse over the years. :P
I make a lot of noise when I paint. Incessant clicking. I have to put the headphones on so I don't distract myself with it.

JickyJak:
There's a link to the ref under the pic.

fleabrain:
Wow, to get a compliment from you really means a lot to me. It was your candle tutorial that got me excited about digital painting and gave my a basis to work from. Thank you. The guy in the turban was a direct result of my first effort. I hope I may be so forward to ask a question or two, and I have probably missed this somewhere here on the forums but... I noticed you mentioning that you use the pencil tool frequently. What have you found to be the difference? I love how your work has this crisp freshness in it and I was curious if this has anything to do with it.
I just wandered over and looked at cdeditions. WOW. That is the best translation of value from traditional to digial media that I have ever seen. That is such a good model for doing this.
BTW, UPS should be showing up any day now with the wacom. Can't wait!

Manik Monkei:
No name yet, sorry.
With a pic like this I just take it as it comes. It starts with a sketch and just sort of evoles into a picture and I never really know how it ends until I get there. They're really fun.
I've just added some small fore-legs coming from the chest region...beyond that...I'll just let you know when I get there.
I have done a bit of 3d. A commercial, a studio demo, a few 3d presentations... and some compositing over live action. That was the best, doing the effects work. No games work though. I frequently daydreamed how wonderful it would be to be in gaming. I've fiddled with some level editing in Q2 and UT at home. I think it's a blast.
If you know anyone hiring let me know

ceenda:
Thank you for the feedback. This is exactly what I need.
I was fairly sure they weren't talking about the filter lol Adobe should take that damn b/c filter out!
I am assuming that it is an over-all need to better express the contrast/form between shapes/objects?
I know, I need to do more drawing from life instead of faking it. I've been trying to make some time at work everyday when I just stop and draw an object that's near me in the room...wherever I am. It feels like good practice. I will continue it and make more of an effort now.

ReXX:
Please don't say that. I'll get a HUGE ego. No one wants that. :P

catnip:
Thank you. I'm glad you like them. To be honest I was nervous before I posted. You make me feel welcome.
The zombie originated from a pencil sketch. The rest was mouse.
The wasp (I guess it's a wasp) started as a pencil sketch also. Just the head though. The rest is made up as I go along.
The portrait started from a photo that I traced *gasp* a few main lines from (like in fleabrain's tut) then the rest was mousework.

Jezebel:
Thank you.

To everyone else who I didn't pick out seperately... Thank you for taking the time to post. I'm glad you like them and I will surely post more. Like now for example...

Demon?
- Full Image 1548x1280 77k -
- Pencil Sketch -




Dead possum I found near my friends house. I just had to get some footage of it for reference. It's dark.
- Full Image 1280x864 98k -
- Reference -



Here are some more from the portrait.
- Full Image 900x1500 76k -

- Detail Collar -
- Detail Eye -


If I keep taking this long to post I'll never have time to paint!

-lazydead

[ November 29, 2001: Message edited by: lazydead ]

[Cos]

awesome work man! love the gritty, moody, textured style you have. Are you using heavy textures or painting and applying them more subtely? Would be really cool to see a little tutorial on how you work.

[lazydead]

hi Cos.
I love your work too.
As for technique I just let the brushstrokes lead the way. They always seem to lend themselves to a nice crackled texture. I just build up from there.
To get the texture all I do is start drawing in the cracks or major patches over the underpainting. I use a very small brush, just a pixel or two and paint in with a dark color. Usually a brown of some sort. I just tool around clicking like a fiend as I define the texture always following the lead of the largers strokes of the underpainting.
That gives me an area to specifically define as a patch of skin or whatever (I did the bark the same way in the possum pic). I then highlight the raised/lit side of the patch using the same mad clicker technique.

Simple really. Just hard on the left mouse button.

The wasp creature is a good example of what stage an underpainting is at when I start adding texture.

I will put a tut on the agenda. Give me a little time though.

-lazydead

[egerie]

Man oh man that's some crazy texture detail ! You're going to ruin your eyes f you keep that up

Your work is really nightmarish and unique. I REALLY like that "Rising" pencil sketch Perhaps even more than the finished pic.
Oh and hey, that turban guy assignment was so looooong ago lol ! You must've been here for a while then

I'm thrilled you got back to your pencils and stylus !

[Jacks True Self]

I think a person of your talent shouldn't waste themselves doing 'corporate interfaces'.

Great stuff, amaizing detail.

[Cos]

oh sheet, thought you were overlaying textures along with painting. See what you mean now, like on the zoom in of the first piece, on the grass.. Crazy detail man, I might give that method a try on something too, see what result I can get. Look forward to more of your work Howard =)