Desert Tower | Concept Art

I am really enjoying this concept art thing.  I have been able to produce allot of really effective concept art and it has put me in a mode that lets me draw with ease.  I am feeling better about character design and environment design.  I am feeling up to the task.  And, thank goodness, it is going to be a huge task.

I will definitely post some more stuff.  Including character designs and fonts.

But a little news on things to come.  We are picking up an outside app project, and interactive children s book.  I won't be able to say much more, but I wanted everyone know that blog posts may be a little scarce for the coming month.  But again they may not.  I might plan ahead a little bit on my posts to fill the famine.

Concept Art Among Other Things

Again, sorry for the lack of posting.  I have been busy with a few things.

First, Thor Media's new live wallpaper has been delayed for a couple weeks, so I have been working around that.  Also, I have picked up a smaller VFX job.  Just some small tracking and green screen work, which I will post a little later on.

But, in between things I have been able to tidy up the script for our up coming game, and work on some concept art.

I decided to tackle some of the environments first.  There are good reasons to do this from a production stand point, but the main reason why I started painting environments is because I have very little experience in painting imagined environments.  Especially long shots of out door environments.  So, to see where I stand on that skill-wise I did a few paintings of some environments in the game.

And, to give myself a little critique, I have a long way to go.  I think the lighting in the painting with the sunset is good, but it struggles because there really isn't anything special about it.  I know when designing for video games, the worlds are very, very small, compared to the real world.  So to liven up these imaginary worlds, they need to have things exaggerated, things that stand out.  In fact from what I know, it is very similar to character design.

Then the Mountain Slope painting lacks depth.  I was trying to go for a more diffused lighting, but there is obviously much to learn before I can pull it off.  Direct lighting seems to be easier to work with right now.

I did record one of the paintings, I hope you enjoy.  Let me know what you think, or if you might have some good references for me to look at.  There will be allot of learning in the next couple months on the this project.

And speaking of learning.  I just got an awesome new art book.  It's called " The Art of Journey".  It includes a ton of the production art.  From doodles to finished concept art.  And what amazes me is that most of the art was done by one person.  It gives me allot of hope in this project we have just started.  I am thinking about using the book as a model for the kind of process I should go through to produce the art for this game.

Templar Nation | Wrap Up

This post has been waiting in the cellar for a long time to come out.  And I am glad to finally be able to talk about this production.

I have posted about Templar Nation a few times before.  But here is a run down of the project if you don't want to spend the time reading earlier posts.

Around December 2011 Thor Media LLC was approached by Joseph James Films to handle the CG and some camera work for their next movie.  Called Templar Nation.  A film that runs in the same vein as Indiana Jones with a mix of Nation Treasure.

Our company was, and still is, new to producing good CG.  In this case environments.  But we jumped on the ball and started to learn about motion tracking/mach moving and proper green screen practices.  Its funny how these thing work out.

(Unfortunately, because of bad planning, we had too small of a green screen studio to work with.)

Right when we needed the ability to do 3D tracking, Blender had just been making updates in that direction.  Which is something that I am really thankful for, as I have gained quite a liking to the process of match moving.

The film went into full production about mid-January, and finished filming two weeks later.  Jacob, Bryce, and I was responsible for recording information for match moving, and making sure that the green screen and match moving work was done right, on set.  We ran into a slew of problems with this, which I will get into later.

(I got to do some character design!)

Bryce, Jacob, and I were very much involved with post-production, as you might have already guessed.   But due to lack of budget Bryce and I had to stop working on post production work.  This was due to poor pre-production, since most of the design work for CG sets, props, etc., was done in post production.  Reducing the amount of time we could actually work on tracking and compostiting.

But regardless of us being involved with pre-production, Jacob continued on, and a final product will be sold to another studio in the near future.

But before I get into the the great things that came out of the project, I would like to talk about some of the road bumps we had during production.

The first thing I learned was, pre-production is a must.  Not just for getting a script together, finding locations, finding actors, finding sponsors, etc.  But also for CG work.  Something we did not have the time or money for, was a storyboard for the CG scenes.  Storyboards are essential for CG sequences for various reasons.

 First, it will save time in the long run. There is a big difference between going onto a green screen set with a physical picture in your hand of what the shot will look like, and going on set with no idea of what the final shot will look like.  The actors and director will obviously have a better idea of what the characters are interacting with.  Lighting the scene is actually doable because you have an idea of what the final shot will look like.  It is hard to grasp correct lighting when all that you are looking at are green walls.

Another good reason for doing a CG storyboard is that it can help the artist or designer image what should be in the shot.  For example.  The artist is thinking about adding a balcony to the side of a CG building in a outdoor party scene.  If the artist doesn't know what the shots are, how can he/she know if they will need to design and create a balcony for the building.  If you are going to have a balcony in the back ground, should certain details be added to it, like a group of people having a conversation on the balcony.

My point is, is without a storyboard there will be no way to consider certain details that cannot be thought of during shooting.  It saves time, money, and headaches for all those involved.

This really was the one thing that made the production very difficult for most of those involved.  And because of it, this has become one of my requirements before becoming heavily involved in a large production again.

As you have probably already seen, we worked on everything from full CG environments to props.  So overall it was a great learning process that provided some things that we can show off.

Now there are a whole bunch of things I could continue rambling on about this production, but I won't.  I am willing to answer any questions you many have, in the comments.

To close this whole thing up in my mind, I would like to thank Bryce and Jacob with all of their help on the CG end of things.  And besides listening to me complain allot, Jacob did the bulk of composting, while Bryce helped me with allot of the design work on the 3D environments.

Without their help we wouldn't have been able to get out what we did.

We hope, if the movie sells, they will want Thor Media to do another pass on the CG.  Because of budget and time, there were allot of sacrifices made to quality.  And it would be great for our portfolio, to go through and polish what we have.  I'm crossing my fingers.

Legend of Zelda Redux | Twinrova

My competition piece was Twinrova with a "Tron" twist on the character design.

Well, this is a much more completed version of the digital painting in the competition.  And that is what I get for procrastinating.  But here it is.  Head over to the finals thread and check out the other great entries from other amazing artists.  This, again, was a very humbling experience.

I had a very hard time keeping myself motivated for this painting.  I originally thought that the idea would come together pretty smooth, but I ran into some difficulties.  One difficulty was making sure that the character would be recognizable, based on the original.


I had a hard time designing the outfit in such a way that it would keep well to the original, but also have the simplicity of the costumes in Tron. Not to say that the costumes in Tron are overly simple, but that the two worlds designs are drastically different.  And because of this problem, I don't feel that the original character represents, good enough, in this new design.  I should have spent just a little more time  trying to figure out how to bridge that design gap.

And another difficulty, that was self imposed, was my overall process.  I wanted to work from a line art base, to a more realistic finished product.  I hadn't tried this kind of process for a long time, and I felt very insecure about this painting because of it, until about the last hour of painting.  This seems to be a common technique, and I should keep up with it by switching between value and line.

But as for positives.  I like the composition, pose, color, and depth in the painting.  I tried to simplify the background as much as possible.  Seeing this is a character design competition, I should probably try to bring the viewers focus to the character.


Also, a few things that I haven't really done before.  Trying to simulate refraction with glass in the foreground and other areas of the painting.  Another, being the black hi gloss surface of the face plate.

Overall I am happy with painting, and it seems to show that I am progressing in the areas of composition, anatomy, material rendering, and color theory.  Some progress is better than none, right?

Pira Tess, Space Brigand | CGHUB CharacterFORGE 2D Entry

Another CGHUB competition piece, done in the Gimp.  You can check the finals thread here.  Everyone's pieces should be posted by the end of the day tomorrow.

I don't think I will get many votes, simply because of the amount of other great artists on the thread this time around.  But it is good to see the different techniques and styles involved.  I can obviously see where I need to improve.  Its a humbling experience every time I enter one of these kind of things.


In that respect, it seems that every painting I do, I see allot of personal progress.   Getting my nose into those books, practicing the techniques presented, and analyzing great artists, has been a huge boost to my learning process.  And I am loving every second of it.

Sorry for the jumping around towards the middle of the video.  When you are getting into details, it is hard to avoid.  But I did go through over 10 hours of footage to improve it the best I could.


One other thing I would like to mention is one of the artists in particular, mdonze.  This artist made an interesting post about his painting here.  Beside the painting being amazing, in my opinion, he used a process similar to the way a 3D application would render and image out.  I have heard about this process before, but this is the first time that I have actually seen it used for a 2D piece.  And somewhat explained.

This is something that I am planning on practicing in the future.  I do have an idea of how a computer pushes a 3D scene through passes (specular, ambient occlusion, color, alpha, etc...).  And I think a technique like this will help me use both my 3D experience with my illustration to improve my skill set.

Solar Power Live Wallpaper

Here it is, as promised.  Solar Power live wallpaper.  This is the most recent app from Thor Media LLC.  And I have to say, it really is awesome.

Anyone who is into astronomy or sci-fi is going to love this.

Basically, it is a star that you have complete control of.  You can fly around it, change the colors, tap and unleash a few flares to destroy the surrounding populated planets, add some orbiting asteroides, etc...  

We have a big update that is going to improve changing the settings, and make it so it never goes over 40mb of ram.  It is really cool and I hope you will take the time to enjoy it, if you have an Android device.

And like usual, I would like to give thanks to our programmer, Bryce Thorup.  He is very talented, and without him, we would be no where with this stuff.  I would also like to thank Eric, kathleen, Lance, Jacob, and julie.  For there input and any additional work that they put in.  All of their great input helped create this, fun, visual masterpiece to our Android devices.

My involvement inclued, modeling, texturing, animation, camera placement (composition), functionality design, and overall art director.  The programs that I used to create assets were Blender and the Gimp.  This one has been a while in the making, but it was well worth it.

Lucky Paper Lantern | Live Wallpaper

Another wonderful app by Thor Media LLC.  Lucky Paper Lantern.

Again, I would like to thank Bryce, Eric, Kathleen, Julie and Jacob, for all of their input in making this a visually and functionally fantastic live wallpaper.  Make sure to check this one out.

There is a free version of Lucky Paper Lantern you can download here.  But I suggest you go for the full version here.  Not only is it worth the $0.99 we are asking, but you are supporting what we are doing.

Here is the current description:

""
Get your own, 3D, lucky paper lantern for the background of your Android device! This app is for anyone who likes anything about Japan, Korea, Singapore or China. Or if you like to show off how beautiful your phone is with wonderfully designed paper lanterns. Watch as your lantern swings back and forth, gently, in the wind.

Choose your design, color, and message to create a unique oriental feel for your Android devices background. With many options, including:

• 6 different paper lantern designs (More coming soon).
• 20 different Chinese character combinations. With the option to have it change randomly whenever you return to your home screen. (More choices coming soon).
• Choose any color lantern you want. Also, the option to have the lantern change colors randomly, every time you return to your home screen.
• Several different backgrounds with Asia oriented settings. (Old Japanese Village street, Bamboo Forest). Including other abstract backgrounds. (More choices coming soon)
• Adjust the way the background scrolls with your homescreen. Let it take its time to rotate around the lamp or have it match the speed of your normal home screen swipes. It also has a lock option.

Updates Coming Soon-

More animal lantern designs! (Zodiac animals and pandas!)More choices for what is written on the lampLight flicker optionAccelerometer control - Let the tilt of your phone determine the movement of the lamp.Dust particlesAdd a moth.

""

So, pick up your lantern.  A green lantern, or a more traditional red lantern, perhaps.

Are goal, is to make visually and functionally outstanding apps for the Android Platform.  We will not release anything unless we know it stands out.  So, we thank those who have already supported us in our endeavor, and encourage those who haven't had to check out our great stuff, to do so.  You won't regret it.

Thank You!

A small note on how I was involved and what I produced.  I was considered the Art Director on this project.  I came up with the original concept, and did the designing, will input from the above mentioned people.  I was the modeler, texturer, and previsualizer.

All of the models and texture mapping was done in Blender.  Texturing was done in Gimp.  I also did a previs video for this wallpaper.  Check it out!

Commercial | Empowered Life Solutions | Logo and Bumper

This one has been one a while in the making.  And I am very happy to post about it.

Thor Media was approached by Josh Lee.  Someone who we have done work for before.  Specifically some CG work for a short film based on the book "Alliance" by Gerald Lund (I posted about it here).  And Josh asked if we could put together a logo and a bumper for Empowered Life Solutions LLC.

It was slow going, because of different scheduling difficulties.  But, so far, this has been one of the best work situations I have been in.  And learned allot on how to deal with timing and other issues that may arise with a client.

Here are some of the process sketches and other ideas that we played with. Also a shot of website with the new logo.

Charcoal Drawing (Gimp Paint Studio 2.0)

(Click to enlarge)
Yes, another portrait.  I just cant' express the feeling I get when I begin to see a face come out of the blank canvas.
I actually tried to do a time lapse on the last painting that I did.  But I couldn't get a desktop recorder to work correctly in Kubuntu.  But I managed to get something working this time around, so, ounce again, I can share my process with everyone.  
I really enjoyed the charcoal presets in Gimp Paint Studio 2.0.  I think I managed to get a very realistic medium look with this preset.

Rope the Beast | Gimp Paint Studio 2.0

This painting was done in Gimp Paint Studio 2.0 (GPS), and took approximately 3 hours to complete.

This calls for celebration! Mr. Ramón Miranda was so kind to port Gimp Paint Studio (GPS) over to Gimp 2.8.

For those of you who aren't in the know on this. This is a wonderful set of brushes, color pallets and a slew of other stuff, geared for artists that use the Gimp. I really enjoyed using Gimp Paint Studio with Gimp 2.6, but when the move was made to Gimp 2.8, some of the functionality for the predefined brushes were broken. rendering it useless for my work flow.

 But the sun does come up in the morning, and this wonderful man has done a great favor for us all. And I dedicate this painting to him.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 For those of you who are interested in installing it, it is really easy.

First go to the download page HERE

And download these files:

• sessionrc para GPS 2.0
• GPS_Extras _old
• GPS_Gimp_Paint_Studio_2_0

When you are finished downloading the files, unzip them and dump them all in the Gimp 2.8 folder.

In Linux this is located in you "Home" folder under your username, and it is hidden.  So, you will need to be able to see your hidden files.  To do this completely depends on the file browser you are using.  I suggest doing a search to find out how to make hidden files view-able for your specific file manager.

In windows, by default, it will be located at C:\Documents and Settings\<your_username_here>\.gimp-2.8\  .  It is also, most likely, hidden, and you will have to enable 'view hidden files and directories' in your view options.

Pistol Whip

(Approx. 4 hours to completions).

Terishian - Competition Piece

Here is that competition piece I was talking about.  I encourage you to go and see all of the other, very impressive, submissions.  Lets just say, it was hard to post my stuff when going against artists with much more experience than I have.  But it is a good learning and humbling experience, and it helps me see where I need to improve.

I also recorded my experience to share with you all.  Enjoy!

Midnight Light Live Wallpaper

Another Live Wallpaper out.  I did the concept and did most of the asset creation in Gimp and Blender.  Kudos to Bryce for all his hard work on the programming end of things, and getting it all put together.  He is a freakin genius.

We at Thor media would be very grateful if you would go out of your way to purchase the app and review it. Or if you want to check out the free version and just review that, that would be great as well. Here are the links for the PAID and the FREE versions.

Also, if you are interested, been doing some really simple web design on the the Android Development page on thor-media.net. Check it out!