Steampunk Myths and Legends Entry: Jonathan Heaney

#1

Jonathan Heaney is entered in the “Steampunk Myths and Legends” update: View Challenge Page

Latest Update: Concept / pre-visualization: Steam trooper pencils.

#2

Hello all :slight_smile: Although I am a very frequent visitor to CGS I’ve never really had the need to join. I have been running my own animation company for almost 8 years now mainly dealing with advertising work i.e. 3D, photo composites, pack work etc.

Recently I found out that 16hrs a day in front of a computer screen was starting to damage my eyes. Basic stress causing imperfections in my vitreous fluid, meh!

The downside is I’ve had to cut my hours dramatically. The upside is I have started to draw again! :slight_smile: I’m a doodler but never made the time to draw properly (napkins and page margins don’t make for the greatest workflow.)

I’ve been a huge fan of steampunk since before it was even called that so I thought this would be a good exercise in getting my work up to a decent level. Any tips are much appreciated! Especially RE: getting materials looking right.

This is an idea I’ve had for ages about steambugs that fall from the sky as the start of an invasion. Built extremely tough for their meteor like landings, they unfold after impact and start corrupt the local inhabitants… My next wip will explain how.

#3

This is my first attempt at digital coloring (ever :). It was also the first thing I did on a WACOM pad. Long story short I’ve always been a die hard mouse only PC fiend but recently a freelance job meant I had to work on site on a Mac (gasp!) and I hated the acceleration curve on the mac mice so much I grabbed the wacom from the resident storyboard artist and haven’t looked back. WACOM FTW!

#4

This is what the bug looks like unfolded and stuck into one of the locals. nom nom nom nom

Will post my 2nd attempt at coloring shortly.

#5

Ok here it is with a bit of colour and far too little gore for what is happening :slight_smile: Want to get the stretching of the face skin a lot more pronounced and the spikes that curl under the ribs really look like they are pulling hard.

The idea is the bugs injects a controlling device (pneumatically of course!) into the spinal column at the back of the neck (have a concept of hta somewhere, will have a look) so the host is alive but under control of the bug. Kinda like those wasps that do a similar thing in nature. Bugs are scary when you on their scale :confused:

#6

Nice tie:D. haha. Good luck with the comp.

#7

Ok and here is the character that will form the hero part of my composition. No jokes this is the first full character I have ever drawn. I duffed up the pose a bit, wanted to make it look like the force of his grenade launcher had put him on the back foot but I over-did it and he looks a bit like hes falling over. I’m only now exploring techniques such as sketching out a pose/composition before I get stuck in. I’ve always known that this was the procedure and have seen other artists working for me go through the process many times but knowing and actually doing are two different fruits. :slight_smile: Hopefully this will be the last time I just draw a face and work my way outwards having no idea what the rest of the drawing is going to look like.

This and my other 2 concepts will be in my composition. At the moment I’m thinking bugs and man-bugs stalking hero who has just blown the stuffing out of another bug in a war torn factory setting (so i can really push the steam punk in the environment.)

#8

Thanks Brett on the first comment :slight_smile: Looking forward to Comment straight out of Alberton :smiley:

For all you other steam punks out there this is my favorite artist at the moment, his name is Bjorn Hurri and his Steampunk take on the Star Wars characters is brilliant.

http://gorillaartfare.com/author/bjorn-hurri/
http://gorillaartfare.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/steamer_suit02.jpg

The rest the site also has so magnificent work, well worth a look.

J

#9

Hey Jono - nice concept work :wink: - maybe start your final image with a tone composition - draw it loosely in photoshop with a hard black brush set to 30%. It can be lo res - it’s just for composition and focus. And you can flop (flip canvas horizontal) the picture every now and again to get a fresh perspective. You can also do that with a mirror if you’re working with a pencil and paper. Good luck & cheers Rupert

#10

Thanks, sounds like some sound advice, will def give it a go.

#11

Cool stuff so far! One suggestion, when you start to go color, try and use a slightly grey canvas in whatever program you use, this way the colors you put on for the actual painting will appear… less transparent… sort of like the colors on the humanoid. Just makes it easier to achieve full color range and highlights.

#12

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