[spooge demon]

Here is a piece that I did for Bungie's Halo. They did not like it much and it was never used as production art for the game. The idea was half mechanical, half baroque/ornate ruins. The gameplay is cooperative, thus the three guys holing up the freak in the clown suit with the claws. Hehe.

I am curious, though. This image was done pretty fast, as you can see. A lot of earlier work I did was pretty highly finished. My problem lies with boredom and diminishing returns. I can finish this out, but to what end? It will "improve," but will it improve proportionately to the time invested? I don't think so. It does flatten off after a while. And the time I spent turd polishing I could make another image. And that is what is fun. I solve the problem, and my motivation goes waay down.

I am sure that everyone has there preference from "I like it rough, baby" to "spell out the boltheads, please." I know that it is easier to sell highly finished stuff because more people can relate to the craft. But for the reasons outlined above, it is not as fun.

Remember when someone from an older generation would talk about the imagery that came to mind from listening to old radio shows? The imagination, like a muscle, needs excercise. So much media spells things so clearly now. Maybe someone will sue moviemakers for stunting their imaginations



I want to thank Fred for all the time he is putting into helping out with this forum. He has said a lot of things that I could have said or I have been asked but I don't have time to type. I know Fred doesn't have time either, so I will try harder to help him out.

[synj]

spooge,

hey neat i really like that piece.
reminds me of concept art for starwars
older episodes only a bit more thorough
with color.

you probably already know my view of how
long something should be worked on.
so i definately agree with you on
allowing the brain to fill in its
own areas. bravo!

-synj


[This message has been edited by synj (edited July 15, 2000).]

[BooMSticK]

Spooge! that is frickin' amazing! finish it! or I'm gonna finish it, and you don't want that now do you!?!

Just kidding. It's really looking awesome as it is! maybe just leave it and use the saved time to write a good lengthy feature or something...How about that, uh?

Glad you will be helping Fred out here on the boards some more....

,B

[RooFPiG]

I like it alot


the colours are great

[ozenzo]

I'm curious Spooge, when you do a piece like this do you start with a pencil sketch or do you just start spooging paint around, and see what happens.
The painting as with usual spooge style looks great, in my opinion what more is there to finish, it's only deatails.All the important stuff is already there. The thing that amazes me is that you can get a realistic look even without putting in the minute deatails.How do you do that, I went to your sight and was checking out your paintings and was just amazed. How you hint at something with just a little bit of color value......How do you learn to get those values just right...is there something I can practice doing? Any suggestions welcome.
Once again great art ,don't change a thing IMO.

[Doc Holliday]

Man spooge your stuff looks alot like Berkely, the sci fi artist that does those cool looking ships. His first name escapes me right now, it really looks similar. Which is cool cause I dig berkely's stuff

[Rinaldo]

I love the yellow. it's got that alien dreamy feel to it. It's mesmerising. your control of colour is amazing.

I have always been attracted to sketches. Mostly becase lots of artists let themselves down when it comes to "spelling out the boltheads" they just get sick and tired of the image, and all the life slowly, but surely, drains away with each pasing brush stroke.
I always hated using traditional media becase of how I would get attached to the early stages of the painting. wanting to leave it unfinished and full of life. I can now simply save out those stages that I like and finish the job as required.

I think that because of your skill with nailing the right colour and value from the word go, you can leave it at any point nad still have a valid painting. Certanly as this picture stands it will improve with work. but it already gives the viewer all the information I think is needed.

There ae very few artists who can really finish off a painting and still retain that spark of life. And really I don't think its all that necessary unless a brief calls for it specificaly.


There's mystery to this painting due to its "unfinished" state.
I could stare at it for hours.

(and probably will)

[Frost]

Nice work Craig.

Don't bother finishing it up if you don't feel like it. You're an extremely talented artist and it's up to you to feel if a picture does it or not for you. Don't live for your portfolio (which you already have awesome works in), but have fun in your own time to do the things you like -- you're already kept down in your freedom at work, let it loose at home and let it flow! Don't feel obligated to finish something that doesn't interest you, instead start a new one that will. =)

In any case, I'm always amazed at your work Craig, I've come to the conclusion that lighting (hue, saturation, value, volumes) is possibly one of the most important aspects of an image, nearly putting shapes secondary... you're such a master at that... I certainly wish you would be around to comment my pics and show me where I've turned wrong since I still get the feeling my work looks flat or too 'cartoony' still.

Keep up the excellent work.

[Kain Victus]

Wow, thats a great Peice. In my opinion let it be. I love seeing the brush strokes you have made, and I think that is what makes it alive as a painting.

Curious though. Do you use the Smudge tool at all? Or is it just solid color contrast?

Anyway, keep up the good work!

[psi burn]

the image is amazing, but it doesnt really fit the "halo" atmosphere, from what ive seen in the game. the game looks really colorful and futuristic, that looks like a boggy starwars scenery type of place.

either way, i love the image!

[Farwalker]

How so quickly you bring a painting to life, it just amazes me.

You have got me wondering what is behind those claws.

Like Frost said, your lighting is outstanding. It just brings my eyes around the whole painting to see how the light and shadow has altered the mood of a certain area of the painting.

I love the rougher style paintings you do.

It attracts me to have to imagine some parts of the painting and fill in the detail myself.

Keep inspiring us all Craig!!

------ www.gamingvault.com

[Joachim]

really nice. I love the colors and lightning. Also, it's always cool with that earth technology meets ancient "technology"

To bad that Halo guys didn't like it. In my opinion they have nice technology, but they could have really needed some art direction on that game, when it comes to color and tech-design. So, in my opinion you're picture should have inspired them to make things a with better "taste" and thing that looks more believable ..well, that's just my opinion.

Joachim

[AliasMoze]

That's really nice. I'd have gone with more purples and pinks first off.

It's difficult for me to look at this without going, "Well, I couldn't do it this well."

Spooge, as I've been learning I've had to do more and more background painting. One thing that's happened is my excitement about doing an image diminishes as soon as I've blocked it out. It's great to see one finished, but the rest always seems like tedious detail work. Is this a trend that will continue as I learn?

Your work is inspirational, as always.

[Fred Flick Stone]

S.Demon-another amazing image. THe bounce lighting on the armor is beautiful.
Of course I can see why an art director would cringe at this image. It's too bad that many art directors don't also have art skills, and the ability to see through a comp, when this is exactly what they asked for in the first place.

And thank you for the kind words, and for helping a bit. The points that you have seen in the past on some of the images, I would never have seen, but now I am aware of them too, and look out for them as much as all the other dilemmas an image may have residing in it...

Hope the FF stuff met your approval, I know how getting pushed through deadlines can often lead to unsatisfied work finished...

Thanks for the great visuals and well spoken philosophies, the are greatly appreciated...

[Anthony]

*Plunk* Another drops into the vast "Spooge" directory on G:\. I hate finishing work too...but since I don't do 2d for $$ I give up whenever I like, which is usually too early. At least having it as a career has gotten you to work through to a decent degree, even when you think you're giving up early. ^_^

------------------
-Anthony
Carpe Carpem

[Muzman]

I'll usually pump for a pic to be "finished" as much as possible. But that's mainly because I want to look at the contrast between the two. This is also because, in spooge's case anyway, the enhanced details are always really interesting. Spooge "greeblies" are great and fully fleshed out landscapes and scenes are so rare in the graphics game, and done by so few people.
However, its in stuff like the above that 'the process' really comes to light for me. So I'm kinda in two minds.
Whatever floats your boat is fine

[samdragon]

Sometimes, an unfinished image can be more interesting than a finished image, in your case it can work.
As for turd polishing.. I have always said " you can't polish a turd, but you can put a neck tie on it"

[spooge demon]

Heya Broomstick, go ahead and do your thing to it. I would be curious. mayber just a head or torso if you are short on time.

Orenzo, I used to start with a scanned pencil sketch, but now for something like this I just paint it. The endless workability of pixels is great, and it just gets richer as you correct something. Always be painting your figure and ground at the same time.

The values are something that I have always had. I could always just do it. I have learned what I am doing by analysis, because you have to be quite reliable to do things professionally. All the other stuff I have had to stuggle with. I think shape design is still my weakest area.

If you want learn to show form with value, do basic shapes. It's the best way that will give you a lot of freedom later on.

Doc, yes I like John Berkey, but not as much as you might think. Come to think of it, I would have done well to study his work more carefully, as his shape sense is really amazing.

Rinaldo, I remember when I was painting with acrylics and gouache and would do a neat little sketch. Then time to do the full size finish. It is tough, like copying splatter patterns. I found in the end that it took a lot of doing to get the confidence to be as free with "finished" work as the sketch. But with digital, the challenge is less. You can do anything with no risk! That's why I bought a computer in the first place.

Frost, I have seen your stuff and I like it a lot, and as you area more advanced than some, I always thought you would figure things out for yourself soon enough. I will look more carefully and give you some more pointed feedback if you want.

Kain, I don't use the smudge tool much. Almost never on the color channels, as it destoys edge details. I use it more when painting on masks.

Joachim, yes, this was the first and only pic I did. The plug got pulled. Working remotely is a problem, you either come up with something totally new and original, or you go over territory explored and discarded three months ago. But I would have liked to try some others.

Aliasmoze, That is exactly what I am talking about. Solve the problem, cool!, let's move on. I think the trend will continue. I am always playing tricks with myself to make my ass stay in the chair.

[chumps]

oh well since everything positive has been said already...

i think i can bs some stuff

i think the perspective comes off a little flat, the reflected light gives it dimension but i think i can understand why the bungie guys didn't like it. You mention baroque/ornate ruins but I don't see too much of that, in fact it's difficult to tell exactly what the wall under shadow is supposed to be.

i think the placement of the dudes and that monster thingy is a bit arbitrary. the guy on the left looks like he's casting a spell or something, the middle dude looks cool, and the guy on the right just looks tacked on, especially the way his weapon is so level.

i guess you could count me as one of those who 'like it rough', but in traditional media, or digital media that looks like traditional media. i dont think sketches or paintings done with the regular circular brushes w/ zero texture come off well when 'rough'. it's like airbrush, a sketch w/ airbrush wouldn't look to nice because of the nature of the media, it's difficult to explain but i'm sure you know what i mean.

regards,

------------------
Stroke my ego.

[DeathbyDuplicity]

Yep!

[BooMSticK]

spooge,

Ok, I might give it a try. But for now I'll just save it since my holidays are just around the corner. In a few weeks time I might be able to do some dreadful doodles on this fab pic. I'll mail it to you before posting it here...

boomer

[ozenzo]

Hey thanks spooge