Gandalf Oil

A little while back I did a quick sketch of Gandalf in anticipation of the opening of The Hobbit. At the request of a collector I did a finished oil version of it and wanted to share it.

 Oil on panel 

11" x 14"

A little side note for anyone who has followed along with my misadventures in oil these past few years: You have probably heard me complain many times before that I couldn't seem to work in oil without using solvents, but that if did use solvents, that I would always end up having this allergic reaction where I would grow fangs, claws, and an unruly beehive haircut. I would then of course go roaming about the neighborhood howling at the moon, ravening for meat-flavored things.  

This oil was done without the use of any solvents whatsoever. It was done using only walnut alkyd oil, and using only oil pigments that tend to dry faster. (siennas, umbers, pthalos, etc.) So far I haven't grown a single beehive haircut, which is pretty exciting.  

Early sketch on toned paper

Baron Von Fiddleworth

For Christmas this year, my girlfriend and I exchanged oil paintings. At the time, I was into fruit bats and World War II documentaries.  So naturally, this is what I came up with for hers:

Baron Von Fiddlesworth

9" x 12"

Oil on Panel

We had agreed that we would exchange 8" x 10" sepia paintings so that it wouldn't be too much panic on each other during the holidays. For hers, I did what I think everyone would agree is a completely reasonable amount of cheating and and painted it 9" x 12".

Digital Sketch

But she did a clearly unreasonable amount of cheating by painting mine in color. Which I think everyone can agree is pretty messed up when.  Hers is also amazingly gorgeous. You can see it here: http://anniestegg.com/gallery/#/antiquated-thoughts/

  

Color Comp and Painting for the Boar Rider

In my last post, I went through the layout phase of the boar-rider. Today I have the finished oil painting and for comparison, my initial color comp.

Color Comp in Photoshop

This color comp is a little unusual in that I took it really far, and I did it over top of drawings that were already pretty tight.  This tightness in a color comp can be dangerous because it can make me feel a little locked in and there are less happy accidents and explorations that go on.  It trades the energy of spontaneity for an idiot-proofed coloring stage.

Painting, Oil on Gessoed Panel, 12" x 16" 

As you can see I ended up sticking fairly close to my initial color comp. The only major difference is the heavier glazes that darkened the image overall.

 Detail

Lamp Post Guild Update:

#1 My course has launched!  And the powers that be have given me this:

Use the discount code MUDDY to get 25% off. This is limited to the first 30 takers. Act immediately.   

Check it out at:

http://lpg.pathwright.com/school/catalog/course/the-craft-of-illustration-justin-gerard/

#2 My Llama-herding course has been post-poned indefinitely.  Please do not ask me anymore about it. 

Layout Tricks

Here is a a new piece I am working on and some layout tricks I use when designing a scene:

Thumbnails and a digital comp

At the beginning I just draw really sloppy.  Sloppiness helps you because.... ok, it's not really helpful.  But nothing is perfect at first.  You always have to refine, refine, refine.  

What goes here?

After I have drawn up a comp based on my initial thumbnails I will sometimes draw a background separately from my character.  Sometimes I will draw the background behind the character, which allows me to move the character around a bit after dropping them in.  This can allow you to experiment with different layout options.  In this case I was too cool to experiment with different layout options and left a boar-shaped hole in my scene.

 A dwarf riding a boar

I then draw my character separately.  This is especially helpful in scenes with multiple detail figures.  Here I have done the drawing on toned paper to also start to get a better feel for how I want to treat the lighting.  

Combined layout

Then, using devilish trickery, I combine everything into a workable layout.  Now the layout is ready to be transferred to my final painting surface.  

Next Post: Color Comp

Valentine's Story

Happy Valentine's Day all!

I have no art to share today. Instead I have a short story I contributed for a painting done by Annie Stegg.
Check it out here!

2013 TLC Workshop

Hey Guys! I am doing another TLC Workshop in Seattle this year, August 16-18.  Only this time I am teaming up with superfriend Cory Godbey to offer double the excitement, double the fun.

If you are unfamiliar with Cory's work, check it out at http://lightnightrains.blogspot.com.

Last year's course was a lot of fun. Seriously, it was a blast. And people learned things.  Great Things:

We are looking forward to the same this time around and hope you will join us there.
For sign-ups and more info check out: www.tlcworkshops.com/p/illustration-workshops-2013.html

The Silmarillion: Glaurung Final

For a long while I have been wanting to go back to several pieces from the Silmarillion and monkey with them digitally. This image of the battle against the dragon Glaurung in particular was one that really kept coming back to mind.

Most of the time I am really against this sort of thing.  When it's done it's done, and should probably just be left alone.  But other times, I just don't feel like I ever truly caught what I was originally shooting for and it bothers me.

For this one, I had always wanted to hit something a little closer to the digital color comp.

Digital Color Comp

Photoshop over Watercolor on Bristol

I still really like the original watercolor for it's old manuscript feel.  But here again I can't help but tinker with the colors and values digitally to push them into a higher range. I'm not sure which version I like more, but the digital one is always the one that is closest to what was in my head when I originally set out to create the image.  

Wizard's Apprentice

12" x 16" Underpainting

Oil on canvas

Digital color (CS5) over Oil

A Few Preliminaries

Of an oil painting I have been working on... 

Hope everyone's 2013 is going well!

Merry (Day After) Christmas!

Hope you survived the Holidays!  

Every other year I try to make a Christmas card. Some years it gets away from me though, and I just can't seem to get to it. This was one of those years.

So, since I failed miserably, (and since I have never posted this online) I am posting this card I made for Christmas 2005. It depicts a heart-warming situation where everyone got just what they wanted for Christmas. Well, most everyone anyway.

Enjoy, and hope you had a wonderful holiday wherever you were!

So.... Anyone else excited about The Hobbit this week?

Illuxcon Treasure!

Drive-by post today!  I just got back from Illuxcon.  As always, it was an immensely rewarding convention and one from which I always leave tremendously humbled and inspired. And like most who attend, I also leave with a sense that I just can't wait to get back to the studio and start painting again. I can't wait to try out new techniques and start on new ideas.

But the best part of this year's Illuxcon for me was picking up this amazing little gem from Omar Rayyan:

Omar has long been one of my favorite illustrators.  I love his work for its lively brushwork, its wonderful sense of humor, and for just the sheer charm of his characters.

I knew as soon as I saw this one at his booth that I was going to be walking out of the show with less money.  The new tires? Fixing the broken washing machine? Meh, those can wait. I knew that what I really needed to do is put this on my wall as soon as possible.

It was a great show. If you haven't been to Illuxcon, you should try to get out there and see it.

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In other news tonight:
As of this writing, The Lamppost Guild Kickstarter has reached $27,000! It's been amazing and I am really looking forward to getting the courses out there and into everyone's hands.

Also, if the kickstarter reaches $30,000 by tomorrow night they will be adding a new marketing course to the line-up. To learn more check them out at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pathwrightpress/the-lamp-post-guild