Halloween -Sketches and design

This is going to be really tricky. So many ideas, so different from one another. So little time.

First idea: The Zombie Detective

First off, zombie detective, sitting in his office smoking a cigarrette. His desk and walls should be decorated with halloween themed objects. 

Pros: it could be really useful to practice lighting, since this one is all about the setting. 

Cons: It's the one that has less to do with Halloween from a purely visual standpoint.

Second idea: Trick or Treat.

A kid doing the trick or treat, with the creepy monster he's dressed as lurking behind him. I tried two different perspectives in this. If I finally decide to go with this one, the second will be the perspective used in the final piece. 

Pros: Pure Halloween, simple idea, very visual, works great. 

Cons: Maybe it's too conservative as the perspective and character poses are really basic.

Third idea: Zombie Pin-Up

Zombie waitress in a typical american burger restaurant (circa the 60s, I would say). On the plate, she's carrying a lighted pumpkin, as if it were a birthday cake. It's meant to be in the style of some sort of vintage postcard, hence the "Happy Halloween" inscription.

Pros: I really like this idea, and I'd been dying to draw one of those american restaurants. I have been dying to draw pretty much everything in this picture, even to came up with a lettering style that matches is something I'm looking forward to.

Cons: I don't have as much time as I need to give this idea the treatment it deserves. I'd probably end very frustrated if rushing it makes it worthless, maybe to the point of not even attempting this drawing again.

So, who knows. Time to make my mind up.

PD: If you're reading this, Steve, any comment to make me decide over one of the ideas will be much appreciated :)

Halloween -Moodboard

Since the project for this week is so wide of a concept, I have several ideas on how to tackle it.

For the first ideas I've got this two moodboards. I'll attempt either a noir style illustration with a zombie detective in it, or a noir zombie pin-up. The halloween references will be there, maybe with a desk lamp with the form of a pumpkin or something like that. I just don't want to do a random monster for this piece.

Second idea, a child dressed as a halloween monster, with that same monster he's dressing as following him. This will be a more Halloween-centered idea, and could give me the opportunity to go both creepy and cartoony with it. I'll probably do sketches for both, and maybe I'll throw more ideas into the mix as I approach the final piece. We'll see.

Tree -Finished Piece

So that was it. Yes, I made my tree with a lot of roots, and kind of tentacle-y, to accentuate the alien (or fantastic, if you prefer) origin of the tree. To make it even more weirder, I gathered the leaves into a crystal sphere that is being held by the log. The orb is broken by one side, so you can see some of the glowing leaves escaping. You can see the leaves are in constant movement inside the orb, as if there was heavy wind inside it.

I watched quite a few tutorials to make this piece. I still think I exceeded myself on the glowing colours, kinda made it much more unicorn-friendly than what I intended. Below you have the black and white version, which is, at least in the feeling it conveys, superior in my opinion.

Also, below that is another coloured version, without the added "glass" effects to the orb. It may be an improvement for some people.

Trees -Sketches and design

Tree concept. The basic idea is that it will have black roots and log, and white leaves. It's designed for an oniric, mysterious environment. Wheter the leaves glow or not it's yet to be decided.

Tree -Moodboard

Searching for the perfect tree. My goal with this is still unclear, so I did a bit of research about every kind of tree I'm interested on: a tree for a horror film, an alien tree, maybe a more cartoonish, average looking tree.

The only thing I have cristal clear as for now, is that I want to make mine with a lot of roots, hence the pictures above. Stay tuned until I make up my mind on what to do!

Surrealism - Finished Piece

Finished piece. Below, an attempt to improve the piece and the original lines with flat colours. I used a few brushes to do this finished piece. While I tried to paint it first without color, I changed back to my usual method after a few attempts. I still need to get a better sense of depth with colour.

Surrealism -Sketches and design

Sketch to see if the composition and ideas work. A faceless man sniffing his own brain out of a bowl placed in a roman column? While being accompanied by She-Tutankahmun and a skeleton with an artificial lung and Mickey Mouse ears? Why not, I guess!

Surrealism -Moodboard

I'm aiming for a oniric and weird composition, mostly based on dream sequences out of movies (Big Lebowski being an example) or videogames (Max Payne 2). 

For the style, I may come across with way more creepy imagery than what I've selected in here, just so you know. I may be striving for a realistic look instead of an exaggerated one, so the weirdness of the ideas themselves can speak to the viewer directly.

Robot -Finished Piece WIP

Work in progress.

 

 

Robots - Sketches and design

 

 

Robots -Moodboard

Searching for a humanoid robot. Insides included.

Tentacles -Final Piece

Tentacles - Sketches and Design

Tentacles -Moodboard

Moodboard for the Tentacle project. My goal is to make a humorous creature, reminiscent of old, nasty, theatrical villains. The twist is to make a being whose tentacles are more of an annoyance for him than a danger for the others. I'm having Jabba the Hutt (Star Wars) and Ernst Stavro Bloefeld (007) as the main references behind the vision, and the work of Mignola (Hellboy) and Pixar (Monsters, Inc.) as the main references for the style.