Replicant 76

Overwatch's Soldier 76 exposed!?  I think someone better call Deckard...

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I think this is only the second time I have posted something that is not an original sketch or illustration, but I saw this picture of Roy Batty again today and I couldn't un-see the similarities.  One original meme every few years is acceptable, right?

On a related note, Overwatch is GREAT.  The look, game play, characters, outside story content support, and in-and-out-of-game clues and mysteries combine to make this the best game in years.

Friends also don't let friends...

...paint their children...flying what might a sci fi warship...on posters?

Doing this as a first birthday present for the son of two friends (their daughter's first birthday poster is here).  Initially, I went for an Art Deco, old time astronaut helmet and rocket ship idea.  Unfortunately, that didn't work out as planned, so I switched to full on Mass Effect, drowned in blue to complete things.

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I really have to stop...

...using people I meet as image references.  It is an addiction.  I know it.  Are there support groups for this sort of thing?  "Hello, my name is Brian and I cannot resist drawing hot women I meet..."?  No?  Nothing?

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Friends don't let friends...

...paint their children...aged up about 20 years...on posters?

Doing this as a first birthday present for the daughter of two friends.  I'll get to a printer and send off the poster as soon as possible.  Posting this low-res version between full time and extra time of the World Cup, and hoping the parents aren't actually paying any attention to the blog!

SketchUp Sample #2

I finally downloaded the updates for the new SketchUp and tried it out with an interior model of the county's disaster recovery warehouse:

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The output on the current free version still looks the same as the old version, and some of the 3D warehouse models I used really slowed things down, but I still like the program and think it has a ton of potential applications.

Friends Don't Let Friends Draw Friends II: Bang!

Quick update - heading to a birthday party where the theme is the extremely fun card game Bang!.  I thought it appropriate to whip up something for the birthday girl (who believes that she is both a pirate and a ninja):

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Draw Yourself as a Super Villain

I was digging around in some old folders and found a "Draw Yourself as a Super Villain" image from an even older ConceptArt.org exercise.

A bit of proportionality wonkiness, but nice and silly nonetheless.

I think I may still be using this in an "About Me" photo on one of my other sites...which is probably not the best idea in the world....

Misc.: Dancer in London

A few weeks back I showed off a couple of rejected logo designs done for a dance studio based out of southern New Jersey.   I was happy to find out today that the owner used the central images (the dancers) as part of a banner for the studio's trip to the 2012 Olympics in London!  Take a look:

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There is still a bit of time before the studio changes names and is able to use the new logo, but it will still be cool to see a shot of the banner from one of the performance venues in London next month.

(Photo copyright of Artistry Academy of Performing Arts/Absecon Academy of Performing Arts)

Rejected Logos

I enjoy making logos.  At times, some of my favorite designs never see the light of day.  There are always various issues that pop up (printing, usage, style, naming, etc.) that can force a design to the cutting room floor.

Here are two recent designs for a dance studio which wouldn't work based on company printing needs and naming issues.  The dancer portion of the logo will show up in the final version, but these two samples get their moment in the sun here:

(Copyright Artistry Academy of Performing Arts/Absecon Academy of Performing Arts)

Straniero Images - Tumblr

I have recently started a Tumblr to complement this blog.  Everything that is there will be over here of course, plus this site will continue to have all of the WIP, miscellaneous sketches, and drawings as well.  Think of the Tumblr as the "Image" and "Cartoon" tabs from this site combined into one tab, but in a Tumblr-y format.  Check it out:

Straniero Images - Tumblr

A Lion in Pixels

A warm up using Alchemy -  create a number of random pages of shapes and patterns using the program and try to piece together something out the randomness:

Two random, warm-up pages created in Alchemy

Here is the what I was able to piece together:

Photoshop's selection tool was used to single out and rearrange the shapes,
and the warp tool was used bend and distort the shapes to more closely fit the idea.

I am not sure whether this will ever be used in an image, but knowing that I often go back and work on things years after they were started, I think it is worth saving for a future post in 2014 or so.  ;)

Misc.: Halloween 2011

No Straniero Art here in this post, just a Halloween nod to Brad Neely (site and content NSFW) and one of the greatest sets of irreverent cartoon protagonists I know of: the Professor Brothers!

Saturday, a good friend and I will be attempting to do Frank and Steve justice (you would be surprised at how difficult it is to find a partially bald wig to cover up a mostly bald head...).  Photoshopped name tags should help:

Please visit his videos page (remember, NSFW!) for all of the Professor Brothers goodness you can handle.  Next year, I may seriously consider going as another one of his characters, Baby Cakes:

Happy Halloween to all!

W.I.P.: The Eyes Have It

A bit of work in progress from last week, to distract me from today's chores and obligations.

Lots of options on how to proceed, but the key will be 
to keep the eyes as the focal point!

And yes, I really have no shame when it comes to post titles....

Google SketchUp Sample

I am not a 3D modeler by any means, so I cannot say how Google SketchUp performs in relation to other 3D programs, but I can say that I like it a lot.  It was pretty straight forward to learn, the sharing of resources is very convenient, and the stylized rendering of a finished scene really made it worth the time and effort to use.

As a sample of what can be produced, here is a to-scale model and rendering of an actually room at an old office I used to work at:

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Splash Page Graphic

A quick Home Page graphic I threw together for a portfolio website I'd like to get up-and-running sometime in the very near future:

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Buried Treasure, Turning Garbage Into Gold...

...or maybe, how to bring an old image back from the dead.  Digital necromancy!

A number of years ago, when I was learning how to paint in Photoshop, I created an image for a contest on the ConceptArt.org forums.  The image was a good step forward for for me at the time, but it was far from perfect as it was riddled with anatomy issues, texture issues, positioning issues and the like.  The odd part was that the background image was the thing that stuck with me the most.  Years later looking at the PSD again I think that, while the process of doing the image was incredibly important for me to do at the time, I may have to rework the background and make that an image in its own right.

Also, to continue with the my personal theme of self-deprecation as a humbling tool, here is the image in question complete with the initial mistakes I later noted!  If you look closely, you can see the hawk floating around in the background at 25% opacity.

In truth, now that I look at it again, I may use the face (corrected and updated) as a basis for another image.  Should I change the title to Dr. Frankenimage instead?

Friends Don't Let Friends Draw Friends

Friends don't let friends draw friends, or they will end up...

...as a faux magazine cover of their awesome self!  The wonderful magazine ImagineFX  released a template for their covers awhile back, so I had to take advantage of this windfall to honor the woman that got me into digital art!

...as comic strip caricatures of their awesome selves!

...as not-quite-watercolor, possibly-muddy-sponge-like, versions of their awesome selves!  This one was outside of my comfort zone by a good bit, so I appreciate them bearing with me on this.

...as faux graffiti art of their awesome former co-worker self!  You know how you mention liking something one time, in passing, to your parents and you are doomed to received that very thing as a gift for the next 5 years?  This is sort of what happened here...

(Thanks again to these understanding friends, and others, who must realize by now that they could end up inspiring an embarrassing digital version of themselves at any point, often with no warning, rhyme or reason.)