Homefront Pre-Pro | Concept

I've been digging through old work that was done on homefront and wanted to scatter it across this blog. I like looking back to see what we started with, and what we ended up with in the final game. This concept was basically an idea we were playing with, with the idea of the game taking place in a flooded manhattan. The idea was that the city was linked with man made bridges between buildings in the city, something that could have been very cool.



This second image was a detailed sketch of how we wanted the US Heavy Assault soldiers to look. I think the final color pallete and most the packs ended up completely different. but the heavy ballistic mask and everything else remained. The biggest challenge to creating the military MP characters was keeping them a "real world" military force while still making them feel like they lived in a starved grim future.

Started as a speed.. got more into it.

Started with a mexican space station.. then over an hour later.. it became the backend of a wrecked ship in a swamp / jungle? not sure. I'm having alot of fun playing with the shapes on this one and constantly changing it... so this one will become more than just a speed paint. I enjoyed the shape of the last speed painting but wanted to do more with it. Right now I want to keep it in black and white for awhile so I can concentrate on values.. this one will get posted updates.

Speedpaint 4/15

Had a bit more time today. I felt like i was more focused on building shape and color more than anything else. Which is nice after doing concepts all day where you have to worry about the small detail that a modeler may need to know. I also think i have a strange love affair with the lasso tool. (1hour)

Speedpaint 4/14 #2

Had more time to kill today. I started just making shapes and it turned into the "generic" city view concept that I feel like you see alot of artists do.. but they are still pretty fun. There is alot more i wanted to do to it.. but I made myself stop at an hour. I hadn't even figured out what the ivory structure was in the middle. I'm trying to explore more with shapes and sharper brushes. I feel like this has the same lighting composition as the last one. Not to mention the insect creature looks like a giant penis..cripe.

Speedpaint 4/14

Been a busy couple days but managed to have about 30 minutes today to crank something out. This was actually probably 20 minutes.. pretty simple. Its more brush and color than anything. I got about 20 minutes done with it.. and it just felt right for what i wanted to convey.. this was based on an idea of a fallen angel.

Speedpaint 4/6

In an effort to get myself to paint more often and to loosen up, I am going to try to put up atleast a couple speed paints a week. Ranging from 30 minutes to an hour. I expect these to be pretty messy and quite sloppy at first, but I hope over time, my ability to block down serious color right off the bat will improve. I also hope for these to be more color and composition studies more than anything.

Spoke Art presents : Quentin vs Coen

This is the piece I will be presenting at the upcoming quentin vs coen show at the Bold Hype Gallery opening April 7th. You can check out the gallery @ http://www.boldhype.net/

The show will only be open 3 days in New York so definately check it out.. I'm honored to be able to present my work with other such talented artists. There will be a very small set of prints available at the show and probably on spoke art afterward. There will be about 30 signed and numbered prints.

Been awhile.

I figured it's been awhile so it's probably time for some kind of update. ALOT has happened in the past few months that has taken my attention away from this. Recently hit the unemployment line with fellow artists from my previous position.. something that was totally unexpected. After the panic fades and you have time to actually make a coherent thought, the whole process really makes you re-evaluate what you want to do in the next step of your career. After alot of thinking and planning, we are officially making the move to Austin, TX! I will be joining the awesome team at Kingsisle Studios, which I am very excited for. The New York chapter in my life is seemingly coming to a close... something that is somewhat heartbreaking for me. NYC has been a life changing experience and something that I will always carry with me.

Happy New year 2011

Here's to an awesome 2011. I just recently found out about a Mad Men inspired show coming up and I will be contributing 2 pieces for. The show is in April and will be shown in NYC this time around. More details to come since I don't have alot of info right now. I'll post sketches and idea's soon as well.

Fighting for freedom

Another post of some work from this previous year. I was pleased with the final of this image.. This image was based on the idea of the American resistance fighting with generations of US armed forces by their side. Another Homefront piece of course.

Some things work, some things don't.

After some time of drawing things in and out of this piece.. I have about no idea where this piece is going or even where I want it to go. I hate it when a piece hits a wall.. and I can't seem to find the exit.

Personal update, the mermaid.

Once in awhile, I end up sitting down and sketching things that my wife just loves. She is a huge mermaid nut and has been bugging me about painting a mermaid for her for years... I've done tons of thumbnails and sketches of mermaids in the past years but nothing really seemed to sit right. I had trouble thinking of one that didn't look like a disney cartoon. I think Ariel is just too ingrained in all our brains. I would say this is about 35% complete. I'm mostly trying to figure out colors and composition right now. Trying some new colors.. some added detail. I want the environment to be something interesting, but am having alot of trouble thinking of anything. A mermaid just hangs out in the ocean right? I really didn't want just a sea of ocean behind her.. so if anyone has any ideas, post them to comments! All ideas would be awesome!


I have to shoot reference for the hands.. Anything past blurry quick sketch hands I am awful at ;)

Homefront Officers

Alot of images and work is coming out for Homefront recently, a project I was recently involved with for about 4 years. So in the next few months I will be able to update shit blog with alot of work that was done on it.


This first mock was done for North Korean officers.. made to be a little more substantial than the average foot soldier. They wanted a real attention to detail when it came to pack variations and the way they carried them. There also was a need for a base vest, that would carry over to all the soldiers, so we wouldn't bog the modelers down into making 20 different vests.

Alice print available for sale!

Just another quick update. The holidays have been crazy so far and we haven't even made it to xmas yet! I did manage to get the Alice print up for sale.. it's a small run
of only 50 prints. they are signed and numbered!

http://myelectronicdays.bigcartel.com/

new shop is live!

With the wes anderson show going up this weekened, the prints are for sale from the show!

its 11x17 and they are numbered and signed! (100 available from me and 50 from spoke art).

http://myelectronicdays.bigcartel.com/

quick update!

just a quick update! the upcoming bad dads show will be at the:

Lopo gallery
1171 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA, 94109

opening reception @

Saturday at 8:00pm - November 20 at 6:00pm

My original giclee print will be there along with 50 signed and numbered prints (out of 150)...

In about another a week my online store should go online where I will have the other 100 for sale. working hard to get all this online asap! Once all this goes up, there should be ALOT of working coming out on it. I'm hoping this gallery show presents more gallery work for myself!

upcoming show - bad dads

For the upcoming show in San Francisco, titled Bad Dads. A show dedicated to the films of Wes Anderson. Will post gallery name, location, and opening when I get more details. My entry for the show

17x22
Giclee on Watercolor paper.

back again.

Good to be back writing this again. My life lately has been one crazy whirlwind, and it's going in a place that I'm very much looking forward to. There is going to be alot more "out of work" art beaing created so this blog is going to get alot of attention. I have one gallery show I'm contributing to at the end of October (more details soon), and more gallery work in the future as well. I've changed jobs lately and I feel like it's going to really let me see and produce my full potential.

It's great to be excited about creating work again.

Dave.

40k final

Here is my near final 40k Final for the recent sketch I did. I wanted to get this piece done this week so I pushed pretty hard on it, probably making it a little higher rez than it needed to be. After getting advice with some close 40k fans.. we turned this more into a Alpha Legion Chaos Marine.

I actually enjoyed working on this piece alot.. and I think some of that came through. So maybe alot more Warhammer 40k pieces to come!

dave.

- sketch updated-

Just bricked out a really quick black and white off the recent sketch. I'm not sure I'm gonna take it much further.. something doesnt sit right for me with it. I may take some elements of it later on for a piece.. but for now I'll probably call this one a constant wip.

dave.

- v3 2010 -

So here is my near final. I think there is alot of small stuff to tweak on this but I'm pretty satisfied on where it came out. Really putting in an effort to add more than on subject or character in a piece... even if they are unfinished or only parts of one. Hoping this piece will kick start a whole new series of more dynamic pieces (compared to my older works). So LETS HOPE in the next few days i can get a couple sketches online here to start on the next! If people ever even saw this page I'd ask for comments on ideas for another piece.. ::crosses fingers::

Dave.

- v2.2 2010 -

Started adding color and detailing. I probably should have put up some more versions before it got to this stage.. but I got sucked into working on it and lost track of time. I'm trying to work both my lights and darks at the same time.. so right now its lacking some contrast and some form. I am also unsure about his helmet design as he is starting to look like some kind of superhero.. which is not what I'm going for. There should be quite a bit more work to be done on this in the next few days or so. I want to be able to able detail alot of the armor that is happening on the foreground figures along with some of the background characters. Also to be able to finalize some lighting and color.

- v2.1 2010 -

Wanted to do a quick update with the greyscale blocking that's being done. I've always wanted to do one of those "mid battle" action shots.. so here's my chance!

- v2 2010 -

Finally back to starting a new piece. What I wanted to do was take part of an old design I did for cghub and update and actually finish it. I liked certain elements of the design before but that it was way to thick, blocky, and lifeless. I wanted to create a piece that had alot more dynamic motion and energy to it, while also creating a more interesting composition.

More updates soon.

- final -

Well here is the final for now. I guess it's enough for what I would like to do to it. I could have kept adding details after details... but in the end.. it invoked the mood and color I wanted it to have. More pieces to come just this week!

- update near final -

Totally changed my whole idea for this. I felt like it was two worlds that didn't make any sense with each other. I also wanted to beef up more fantasy / sci fi stuff for my portfolio. So i totally redid the outfit on the girl. Maybe she kills these huge birds to protect these little space monkeys. Theres still alot more rendering to be done.. her feet.. hands.. maybe more of a "living space" that these little guys live in. Also maybe a dead carcass of a huge killer bird.. not sure.

- update -

Started to block in some more values.. detailing those little space monkeys out. Trying a new technique on how I'm using my brushes as well. Painting with a hard edged brush and erasing out almost all of it.. then repeating it. Right now... I'm not sure where this piece is going and that bothers me. I want the piece to tell a chunk of a story.. even if a simple one. A girl in a fleece surrounded by space monkeys just isnt doing it for me. I may have to do some major revamps to the subject matter... updates on that soon.

- new piece larger -

Here is what the larger piece will look like. theres still alot i want to edit and figure out. I'm probably nixing those wierd wings by her head..sometimes my hand thinks on its own. Also what shes wearing below the waist and how shes positioning her legs. I wanted it to be a sweet and innocent peering down. But right now it feels like she might have to go to the bathroom. ;x

Still figuring out more line work. i really want to bring these little creatures to life.. give them a small little village that shes stumbled upon. I'm hoping for a pretty detailed piece.

- new piece 2010 -

Happy new year everyone. I wanted to kick off the new year with a new piece. I wanted to go back and show the stages of this piece as it goes. I'm probably only about an hour into the piece.. just starting with a quick outline of some of the main characters... This is actually a zoomed shot of the larger piece. I will hopefully have it all blocked in very soon.

This piece is basically a rehash of a very old piece of mine I wanted to modernize. So lets see how it goes!

- sketches -

Going to start getting some more sketches going on in this blog. This should atleast give me more reason to just dig back into my sketchbook.