The iPod Returns

Life became really busy this past month. March should be better though.

The mother-board design looks excellent on green. No? Lasers might just be my new favorite medium to create art.

Home Stretch

I finally have a double-take design in the fog! Please vote, because, I can't win without you. And it's pretty cool too.

Mind: Blown

So I didn't make this, but because it is so inspirational, I had to share it.

I've worked with 3D modeling, but nothing like this! This is simply superb.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

And best of all; it's 100% CG! This guy is amazing! If you can watch it in HD, do it.

Cerulean Galaxy

I love looking at galaxies! Each one has a unique identity: shape, size, spiral. I wanted mine to be blue. Also, I wanted it to have a bright center and chaotic spirals. Like, maybe its just being formed and new life is still bursting from it's core!

Anyways, that Photoshop cloud-brush comes in real handy.

A Present From The Past

So, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, I made a cute little water molecule shirt design. It was a splash! And then I sold my soul, and tried to capitalize off of it again. I'll let you know how it goes.

Night Billboards

It was a cold, foggy, dark night. The billboards along the free way made the low hanging clouds all-a-glow. It was very cool.

Wooden Bridge

I like to combine materials and add color. (bridge image source)

Batteries For Robots

Found these in a drawer.

Forgot My Camera

So I got to go skiing yesterday! It was excellent. Fresh powder, clean air, and fun! My only complaint is that I forgot my camera. Clouds and fog filled the valley floor, but at the peak it was crystal clear with bright sunshine. Looking down from the top, the world looked like a sea of clouds. I nearly crashed a couple of times because I was distracted by the beauty of it all. The above image is my attempt at recreating from memory what everything looked like. Also, this is the first time I've used my tablet in about a week. Oh tablet, I missed thee!

Old Time-y Photo Processing

So my brother, who is living in the Czech Republic, sent me this photograph he took of a town square:

I thought it was pretty cool, but decided it could be AWESOME! I wanted it to have a 1960's sort of feel to it; vibrant colors, texture, vignette, etc. So, with a little experimentation in Photoshop I came up with this:

It has a kind of a retro feel to it. Much better!

One More Pastel Painting

This is another soft pastel painting. This one will join the other in being framed and hung in the gallery. The only thing I love more than looking at red rocks is painting them!

Ice, from SPACE!

So I recently ran across some super cool images of ice from space. I thought they'd make a great base for some abstract wallpapers. Ta-dah!

Step 3: Details and Edges

The last step takes the longest. Finishing up details and edges can make or break a painting. I'd say this painting is about 95% done. At this point, my eyes are too accustomed to looking at this picture. I'll revisit it in a couple of days with fresh eyes in order to fix any problems. But I decided to post this today since I said I would have it posted two days ago... yeah, life got busy. Anyways, I'm pleased with where this is going and I can't wait to get it finished, framed, and hung in the gallery.

Step 2: Some Color

Now in Technicolor! Today involved laying down some color. Basically I'm just trying to block in major shapes. I got a little carried away in some places and put too much detail too soon. Oh well. I just get so excited! With pastels its best to lay down mid-tones and then add highlights.

The fore-ground could use some resolution... More tomorrow or Saturday!

Step 1: Value Study

Behold! I paint landscapes in soft pastels. Yep, I'm granola. Mostly I like to paint them on-site or "En Plein Air", which is French for "in the open air". Anyways, it's really cold outside and snowing so I'm painting from a photograph. The location: Kolob Canyons. It's part of Zion National Park in southern Utah. Its BEAUTIFUL! Google it, I dare you.

I like to start my paintings with a basic layout sketch and value study. From there, the rest is just coloring within the lines. I use "Belgium mist" toned Wallis paper. It's basically a big sheet of sandpaper and it's awesome! For sketching I use Nu-Pastel. And for the coloring I stick with Rembrandt and Sennelier brand soft pastels.

I'm going to finish this by Saturday, so you'll see updates daily ( I hope!)