Summer is in full swing and things remain busy at the studio. This just a short update to mark the return of my Drawing Commentary series. It seems like ages since I did full episode of the drawing process from start to finish. The subject of the latest episode is the iconic Ridley from the Metroid video game series. Check it out here:
Normal posts and events will continue per the normal as will streams. Announcements will be posted over on Twitter!
I put up a post on DA earlier explaining the launch of a design series I've been working on for a while. In fact, I've been working on entries for the series occasionally on my Design Streams on Twitch. These designs are pixel-based pieces inspired by old video game graphics.
For the collab portion, I'm working with Meltpixel on DA who specializes in perler bead sprites. He's going to be working on perlers for my original sprites and posting them on his main page. We'll be trying to coordinate the posts and linking them accordingly.
We're already into Spring now and while things have been quiet on the update front, a lot has been going on behind the scenes. My regular content on Deviant Art and Youtube has been staying consistent. The current Let's Play going on is Milon's Secret Castle and will be wrapping up soon. I'm going to be experimenting with a new format for Quick Looks after this so expect that to kick off after the LP is finished.
I've also continued to host (mostly) weekly streams over on Twitch. They've primarily been Design Streams and you can find out when the next one will by following me over on Twitter. Occasionally when I feel like embarrassing myself live, I'll switch formats to one of my Gaming Streams where I attempt to beat NES games with often catastrophic results. We played through the original Ninja Gaiden last time and it was painful.
Let's talk about some upcoming projects. Those that have been tuning into the Design Streams may have seen some hints about the next big project I'm hoping to launch in May. It's going to be a cross-media ongoing collaboration project which will be a significant deviation from the design and papier mache work I've done. I've also mentioned the debut of a new ongoing Design series that will run parallel to the other series. The mache work has been on hold for a bit lately but I do plan on posting another entry in the Mache Miniatures series at some point soon. I'm also in the process of sketching out some drafts for a new wearable piece. That one is going to be a bit more complicated and will probably end up stretching into October. Hopefully that will coincide nicely with Halloween.
That's about it for now. I plan to schedule these update posts a bit more frequently so the information isn't as sparse. As other things come from the rest of the studio, you can expect to see posts here as well.
We're off into the new year and it's time to finally wrap up a project I announced in March of 2013. Yes, I know that's a really long time. This project was shelved due to some of the other more pressing things I was working on but recently I decided to not only finish it, but to turn into an ongoing series. The Mache Miniatures unlike my masks, full-size monsters or dragon trophies are a much smaller sculpture series constructed using the same methods. These are meant to be more like desktop pieces and not "miniatures" like figurines. As a way to wrap up a loose end while starting a bunch of new ones, here's Venomous Reptile Dokudra:
I tried some new filming and photographing techniques with this one. Both my digital camera and video camera are many years old and seem to be rendered obsolete by my more recent smartphone. I recorded and photographed all of the parts of this project with it. Here are the final shots of Dokudra. You can find the WIP phases of its construction here.
Full Shot
Face Close-up
Back Shot
For Dokudra. I went with the "standard" monster model for its body using the opportunity to see how the structure would hold up in a smaller piece. Thanks to the cloth skin and it being overall very light, the pieces stands up fine on its own. For future pieces, I'll experiment with more dynamic poses. It's also worth nothing that all of the spikes, teeth, eyes, and claws on Dokudra glow in the dark. More than the glowing effect, I've found that the polymer clay color works really well for teeth or horns.
That just about does it for this post. I'll be doing more with the Mache Miniatures going forward in between other projects.
We're well into the holidays now with the end of the year rapidly approaching. I've posted a new video in the Drawing Commentary series. The Design Retrospective is a detailed look back at the work I've done since I started doing 2D drawings in Rhinoceros. The first video shown here looks at a sample of works from 2006-2013. I know these are very long videos but if you're interested in how the processes have evolved over time, check them out!
That should do it for now. We'll be updating the site with projects as we launch into 2018!
This year's Halloween project features an entirely new character that exists in the Summoner's world. Here's the Stoneskin King, Garion:
Just like all of the other entries, there's an accompanying lore post for Garion as well:
<>
After six long months, the Stoneskin King returned to the
city of Irusekh and its people. While unwavering in his constitution, the
leader of the Naetherspawn was haggard and weary. His detachment of twenty
warriors returned with only three and all badly injured. After they had been
taken to the royal palace at the heart of the city, Garion informed his
advisors of what they had witnessed. The demons had begun organizing themselves
into an army with a structure and zeal that had never been witnessed before. They
appeared to be awaiting the return of Megiddo and had begun bolstering their
numbers using arcane rituals and artifacts. The frequency of raids in the lower
realm had been on the rise with many living in constant fear. Garion’s forces
had encountered a raiding part near the eastern continent. The demons attacked
with skills and weaponry beyond anything the Naetherspawn had seen. Even with
their sharply forged battle disciplines, Garion’s detachment was overwhelmed
and barely escaped the skirmish with their lives.
Shrugging off his own injuries, the Stoneskin King ordered
his advisors to see to his wounded warriors and inform the families of those
lost. He stood before the remaining council members in the palace and ordered
them to prepare for the Rite of Awakening. If the war to decide the fate of the
realm was quickly approaching, Irusekh would need to be prepared. It was time
to awaken the demonic blade, Khelboros-Nil.
Finally, before Garion could retire to his
chambers and rest, one of his advisors stepped forth to recount a recent story
to the Naetherspawn ruler. One of the Skypiercer Knights’ greatest warriors,
Thalgre had recently fallen in combat. Though his story was fragmented, the
advisor recalled the presence of a foreigner in Irusekh that had slain Thalgre.
Garion commanded his advisor to assemble any and all witnesses of the event for
questioning. If this new entity also threatened the people of Irusekh, it would
soon face the wrath of the Stoneskin King himself… <>
For the various stages of the construction for both Garion and Khelboros-Nil, check out the imgur album linked here. The WIP album contains shots of the sword not used in the video.
This particular entry was meant to introduce another character that will become important in the later chapters of the Summoner's story. As you can tell from the background lore and this post, Garion is from the same race as Thalgre, featured a few events ago. I like the idea of building a narrative with different characters that share similarities and differences in their background and motivation. While this project was a bit more straight-forward than previous years, I intend to work on some follow-on pieces in the coming months.
This year's Halloween project is finished. I'm working on the showcase video for it which will be going live on 10/31. As a sort of intro to the project, I've prepared some lore which will establish the setting and character.
<Chronicles of the Stoneskin King>
The proud Naetherspawn inhabit the sprawing city of Irusekh
high above the rest of the realm on the skypeak. Fairly secluded, they keep to
themselves and rarely interact with the rest of the races. In order to prepare
for conflict, the Naetherspawn constantly train and hone their abilities in
combat. Those that have encountered their warriors have noted their exceptional
battle prowess.
Over the many generations, the Legacy of the Cloudborne
chronicles the rulers of the Naetherspawn kingdom. Highly decorated warriors
and commanders that show unwavering loyalty their people compete for the throne
and the right to lead Irusekh. The longest ruling leader in the legacy was the
revered Garion. Named the “Stoneskin King”, Garion was one of the few of the
royal line to have served in the frontlines of war. In the great Battle of
Bloodspire, Garion led the Irusekh Skypiercer Knights against hordes of demons
that threatened to breach the city’s gates. One of three great detachment
commanders, Garion slew hundreds of demons and brought his entire battalion
back without a single casualty. His skill and fierce devotion to his people
earned the respect of even the governance council beneath the throne. When the
time came for the throne to revolve to the next ruler, Garion ascended with
little competition, officially adopting the title of Stoneskin King.
Garion ruled for many years with a stern but fair hand. He
was beloved by his people and the Naetherspawn flourished. When rumblings of
the demon lord, Megiddo’s forces reached the skypeak, Garion turned his
watchful eye to the skirmishes happening far below the city. The encroaching
forces of chaos in the realm concerned him since Irusekh had gone many years
since an attack by hostile groups. Even the dragons which the Naetherspawn had
a tentative alliance between had been strangely silent. Against the advice of
his governance council, Garion decided to investigate the matter personally. He
took a detachment of his most trusted warriors and departed the city. It has
been three months since the investigation party embarked and Irusekh has heard
not a word from its king…
<>
That's it for the intro lore post. See you on Halloween!
