Todays goblin is an alchemist. The alchemists work in labs creating new explosives. They contain the explosive potions in glass bottles that will shatter when hitting a target. Some of the potions are acidic to cause damage to people while others are meant to light buildings on fire. The alchemists fill barrels with gun powder and roll them towards enemy lines and blow them up. Most cases it back fires on their own ranks, but the alchemists are determined to make it work.
Monster Monday- July 14, 2014
This week's monster is an orc warlord ready to rally the troops into battle. Orcs often find there way into my sketch book, along with goblins and treefolk and lots of other creatures. This piece started out as a thumb nail on a scrap piece of paper and evolved into a drawing. Currently I am flatting color in photoshop for the drawing and plan on working on it over the next few days.
Continuing to prepare for Illuxcon in September!
Monster Monday- May 26, 2014
Another goblin, sometimes I feel like I draw them too often. This goblin is a shield striker. It can block with the shields on it's arms as well as hit opponents with the spikes or sides of the shield. Shield Strikers are heavily armored since they move slow due to the weight on their arms.
Later this week, I'll post the digitally colored piece that I am currently working on.
Happy Birthday J.R.R Tolkien
Today is J.R.R Tolkien's birthday and in his honor I made a toned paper drawing of Fingolfin from the Silmarillion. Fingolfin faced off with Morgoth and was the second high king of the Noldor. Tolkien's books have been a huge influence on my childhood and now my adulthood.
As a kid, I always wondered who J.R.R Tolkien was because he was often mentioned with Narnia creator C.S. Lewis. In sixth grade, my mom purchased me a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. I carried it to school everyday and it took me all year to read the book (that was clearly above my reading level). Also in sixth grade I did a report on J.R.R Tolkien for my English class. The next year in my English class I did a book report of The Hobbit. I created an illuminated book of the scenes and characters of the book (which ended up inspiring my thesis). In High school, I continued to read Tolkien's works of the Last Tales and other texts. Many of the characters and creatures were drawn in my sketch book while sitting in class.
In college, Tolkien no doubt was inspired my work. I focussed on character design and fantasy illustration. I did an independent study of watercolors for the Hobbit. And created two digital illustrations in another independent study for my final semester. And I am still continuing to sketch new illustrations for Middle Earth. It's hard for me to think of what direction my work and life would be like with out reading Tolkien.
Monster Monday- July 15, 2013
Taking a break from a post about the Legendary Monsters. This week is full of creatures who fill my sketchbook. Keeping a sketchbook is important for me to brew ideas and designs, so I thought I would share sketches done in the past 2 months.
These little guys are going to be used for a series of chapter headers. It shows how the leaf sprite changes with each season, not just physically but emotionally as well. (i really like the little sassy sprite)
The left side of the sketchbook has some fish monsters that I designed to be used in a character spot illustration for a role playing game manual. The right side are designs of dragons, one thing I know that I should be able to draw better are dragons. After all they are important in my books and video games.
I show spreads of my sketchbooks to show that not every page is filled. Sometimes just to get a fresh feelings, I'll hop to another page. The right side is covered in lumpy, weird mushroom creatures. These guys mumble to themselves as they run around stealing real mushrooms.
More designs of forrest sprites. The orb was to glow at night and guide the lost out of the forrest and back to civilization. The other page was my first attempts are Ice Giants, I have more pages that explore the idea as well as compositions for the watercolor I completed a few weeks ago.
The Imp designs on the spread are being used for a watercolor of a thieving imp sitting on a wooden beam. It's another illustration that I can be seen used in role playing games, more for a written adventure. The Imp steals a valuable necklace of importance and its the adventures task to return it.
These are designs for the Irish Phooka, a known changling, that takes the shape of small animals like goats and cats. I used the animals as reference to make the phooka more animalistic.
I've been drawing my version of high fantasy elves for a while and haven't used any of the designs in an illustration. Here is the costuming and armor for an archmage high elf character for a role playing game character profile. The next page is my idea of how a explorer might catch smaller creatures of the wild. Many will-o-wisps trapped in jars, they kind of look like little ghosts.
And finally, basic rock elementals. I made it different from every other elemental using ruins to enchant the rock into an humanistic form. He has a strong body structure and cracked rocks of billowing smoke.
Thanks for checking out all of my sketches. I'll be posting one of these images a day of my tumblr.
Toned Paper Drawings
I had left over pastel paper from the past year, as a break I decided to free draw on them to relax at night.
Here's a goblin that was inspired by the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual 4.0 for the skull cleaver goblin. His armor was fun to draw.
Here's more of a folklore goblin. He journeys through out the garden and is in charge of locking the gate at night to make sure no one way can enter the Fae realm.
Merfolk that are half human half fish never seemed to make sense to me. People aren't built to be superior swimmers. The Merfolk has human characteristics but I wanted it to feel more aquatic with lots of fins and a slender build. I want to do a more detailed piece with some architecture to show more of the Merfolk culture, but I'll add that to my long list of pieces to create.
Elf Knight
I have many paintings lined up for the next few weeks and wanted to get some of the pieces that are close to done finished. Here is a little practice piece I started a few weeks back at school. Elf armor found it's way into my sketch book after I created a ink drawing for my friend Ginette's birthday. As I have stated before, I don't draw elves often, so it was a nice change.
The elf knight was great practice for the larger pieces that I have planned to be working on in the next few weeks. I have a goblin assassin piece and I need to finish The Green Man as well. Plenty to keep busy as I continue the search for a part time summer job.
Monster Monday-March 11, 2013
I created this sphinx to challenge myself to draw a creature with four legs. Lion and bird reference was used. I see this creature as a wise, battle elder. Sorry its a day late and I'll replace with a scan once I get back to my apartment after spring break
Orc Chief Watercolor
created over my winter break as a practice piece.