Old illustration...

Just an illustration I did few months back.  Hope you like!

Tech Talk

Hey all!  I was given a small illustration assignment for The Friend magazine several months back and it's finally been published.  It's a little thing, but I think it's pretty cute.  Look for more illustrations in the December and February issues of The Friend.

Also, there's still time to vote on a composition for the P&P Promotional poster.  Many of you haven't done it yet.  Yes, I'm talking to you.  Just go to the last post and leave a comment or email me directly (andrew@bosleyart.com).    Hope to hear from you!

A New Epic Tale...and a chance to be a part of it!

Hey all!  I've started working on a old story again with the intention of turning it into a motion graphic or short graphic novel.  It's the story of a farmer that discovers a very special hill deep in a forest and then some things happen (of course!).  At the moment, I call it Plain and Precious, or P&P.

One of the first things I want to do is create a poster/splashscreen for the story.  I did some quick thumbnails in my sketchbook last night and thought it might be cool to get your feedback.  Do any of these compositions look cool to you?  Like the idea, but think it could be better?  Please leave a comment or email me directly.  I'll consider all thoughts and then move forward and show you the results in a final poster. 

I might do this a lot over the process of making this something big, so get in on the action early!  Pass the word around!  One day you'll look back and tell your grandkids, "You know that epic tale that has changed the world with its awesomeness?  I was a part of that from the very beginning."  And they'll go "Wow!  I always thought you were lame and crotchety.  But you're actually really cool!"  So there you go!  Don't miss out!

The Banishment of Beauty...

Passing along a very thoughtful documentary contrasting traditional art masterpieces with modern-day abstract paintings.  Created by Scott Burdick.  Amazing!  Found here.

An update and some art...

Hey all!  I promised to post every Monday and I let you down.  It's been about two months since I lasted posted and a lot has happened.  First, I have moved from the beautifully lush country of North Carolina to the beautifully rocky mountains of Central Arizona.  I pretended to myself that it would not impact things too much.  Packing up would happen sometime, then a quick 5 day drive cross country, and then our house would be magically unpacked shortly after arriving.  But I was ridiculously wrong.  Maren and I moved a lot when we were first married, but the last time we moved this far, we had 2 kids and much less stuff.  With a bigger family and a bigger home, it was much harder.  But we made it!

The other big change is work.  I am now officially a full-time freelancer!!!  I have worked with some great people and great companies over the years, but to be able to work from home, be around my kids more, and have the time to work on my own projects... I couldn't pass up the opportunity.  It's always been my goal.  I feel very fortunate that my freelance work has steadily increased over the years to the point that I can take this step.  And it happened much quicker than I had ever hoped!  Sometime soon, I'll do a post about my new studio space (compared to my old one).

So...anyway.  New stuff.  Thanks to the referral of a great artist, David Malan, I have started doing work for my church's magazine publications.  The first to be published was an article in the New Era (an uplifting magazine aimed at teens), titled "Joining the Lord's Army".  Good article, fun assignment.  More to come soon.

Anyway, now that I'm a little more settled, I'll make sure that I get back on the regular blogging routine I had before.  If any of you that read this blog have any questions, feel free to throw them my way.  I'll try to address it in a post.  Until later!

Process: Fun and Games

A friend once told me that your "style" as an artist develops out of necessity.  Its the product of months and years of tight deadlines, a time when you don't have the luxury of finding yourself.  I found that true of style's close cousin, process.  Early in my professional career, I experimented with a variety of techniques, never quite comfortable with my own painting process.  As work demands required quicker turnarounds, I was forced to focus on the getting the job done in the most efficient way possible.  Through that experience, a process developed on its own that worked perfect for me.  Whether I'm painting a children's magazine spot or a fantasy book cover, the way I work doesn't change much.

Below is a piece I did recently, titled Fun and Games, and a breakdown of how I did it.

1) Sketch... I always start an illustration with a sketch.  Sometimes it's done traditionally, like this one.  But, most of the time, I sketch digitally.

2) Flat local color and block-in... After a sketch is completed, I head to Photoshop.  I set the sketch layer to Multiply mode and reduce opacity to 30-40%.  Using the drawing as my guide, I block in the basic silhouette of the main elements using solid colors on a new normal layer (under the sketch layer).  These colors are used to define the true hue of an object, independent of any lighting.  No shading here.

3) Shadows... Now that the silhouette is defined and the local colors have been chosen, it's time to add shadows.  At this point, I add a new Hard Light layer with Clipping Mask applied.  Many people use Multiply layers for their shadows.  I think Hard Light simulates real light properties better.  If I want to create a rich, saturated shadow, I can get that with Hard Light.  Multiply seems to muddy colors together.  But be careful.  The saturation and value levels of the color you choose can make or break this effect.  Try saturation settings between 4% and 8% and value settings between 30% and 45%.  You'll be surprised at how vibrant the shadows turn out.  The clipping mask option assures that this shadow layer will not break the silhouette of the block-in layer underneath.

4) Lights...  New layer with clipping mask applied.  This time set the blending mode to Vivid Light.  Vivid light works much like Hard light.  Keep your saturation levels very low and the value setting just a bit higher than 50% (55-70% usually works great).

5) Massaging... With the local color figured out and lights and shadows applied, I have a color scheme completely resolved.  At this point, I usually merge all the preliminary layers into one and then just paint away until it's polished and I'm happy.  Truth be told, I usually keep a copy of those prelim layers hidden in a folder within the psd, just in case.  But working with just one layer allows me to chisel away at the edges very conveniently as needed.

6) Final touches... After the painting is all done, I usually tweak things with a couple adjustment layers and maybe a textured Overlay layer.  And then it's done.  Breaking the image into stages makes it so much easier to wrap my brain around it.  I can tackle each stage with confidence, which strengthens the picture as a whole, but also makes things go faster.  I can usually finish a piece like this in under four hours.

Anyway, I hope this peek into my workflow was informative.  If you like it, feel free to pass it along.

Fantasy Artist Magazine Interview...

Last year, I was interviewed by Fantasy Artist Magazine on the topic of painting fantasy armor.  It was nice to reflect on what I'd learned over the years and share some thoughts with others.  I wanted to make sure I posted it here for you to read as well.  Feel free to pass it along, if you find it insightful.

FA: What familiar tropes/clichés are there in fantasy clothing/armour? And how do you use/subvert these?

AB: It’s a very interesting question.  There’s a fair amount of tropes out there in fantasy art.  And there’s good and bad sides to that.  In fantasy art, the clothing/armor that a character wears defines his/her role.  You have your standand classes of characters (mage, warrior, thief, etc.) and each has iconic elements in their costume that make them easy to identify.  In an illustration, where you’re portraying a moment in a story without the help of text, being able to read the moment quickly is an important thing.  Some of these tropes can help with that.  However, if we’re lazy and rely too heavily on those clichés, it leads to bland and shallow characters.  I think a healthy balance is key.  Take those tropes and twist them.  Combine them.  If you’re painting a wizard, giving him a staff will help sell the role quickly.  And that’s o.k.  Embrace the staff, but do something new with it.


FA: How important is it to you to create some new and different?

AB: I’m sure the concept artist side of me is speaking up here, but painting an illustration that isn’t new or different is not very fulfilling to me.  I like to design things.  And I want people to remember my illustrations and the characters in them.  No one’s going to remember something that looks like everything else. 


FA: How do you feel about female armour/clothing (or the lack of it) in fantasy art?

AB: That’s a good one.  We all want the strong women in our illustrations to look attractive.  I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.  But the longstanding trend in the industry is to create female sex objects, devoid of purpose or depth.  Bikini-clad eye candy.  I’m not sure if it’s artist-driven or audience-driven, but it has always seemed like a lazy, and slightly adolescent, design choice.  I’m of the personal mindset that modest is hot too, so I try to prove that in my illustrations as much as possible.  Fortunately, I’m seeing others try to break the trend as well.



FA: How much time do you spend researching costumes? Do you work more from historical examples or more from your own inspiration?

AB: I’m not an expert in armor or costume design, but I do a lot of reference gathering.  Both historical and fictional.  Even if I’m designing something completely imagined, understanding the principles from real life is crucial.  Centuries of intelligent thought has gone into designing real armor and clothes for real people.  Tapping into that knowledge will make your costume design more intelligent and believable.
    

FA: How much time do you spend thinking about the materials involved?

AB: Not as much as I should, honestly.  Knowing what material your costume is made of and being able to paint it accurately will allow you to convey more info in your illustration and give it more confidence.  It’s something I’m constantly trying to improve. 


FA: How much do you worry about how practical the costume would be?

AB: Maybe not as much as some, but I think about the practicality of the costumes a lot.  I try to educate myself, through research, about what makes sense first.  Then I may choose to embrace that reality or ignore it depending on the content and style of the illustration.  If my illustration is more historically based, then accuracy is more important.  If it’s purely fiction, then I take more liberties. 
    

FA: Aside from actually dressing the character then, how important are clothing/armour in defining the world you are illustrating?

AB: Costume has the potential to define whole kingdoms and worlds, if we allow them to.  Think about Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Ring films.  Every character’s costume is purposely designed to reflect the culture that character came from.  The smooth, organic shapes in Legolas’ clothes and armor are design elements mirrored in everything else Elvish.  Seeing Legolas gives us a glimpse of an entire civilization.  The boxy, geometric patterns of Gimli’s costume do the same for the Dwarvish world.  I try to put this much thought into the costumes I create as well.  



FA: What shortcuts/tricks do you have to creating clothing/armour?

AB: I don’t have many tricks, but Photoshop has some great tools that help in the process.  The use of custom brushes in Photoshop really helps to streamline my work.  I have brushes for chainmail, fur, stitching, brushed metal, leather, as well as others for nature, creatures, and architecture.  Being able to add texture to my painting so easily is a huge asset.  I also composite photos into my work, on occasion.  If I’m able to find the perfect costume element (leather scale armor for example) in a photo, I’ll often grab it, throw it in my piece, and then tweak it so it fits in with the rest of my painting.   


FA: What do you find the hardest elements of the process?

AB: Personally, I think its breaking those clichés.  Whether it’s for a client or for myself, time is always short.  And it’s easy to fall on the same old formulas when you’re in a hurry.  And sometimes you have clients that don’t fully appreciate the value in trying new things.  You have to check yourself and remind yourself that it’s worth the effort.   

Spectrum Live 2 Review...

Hey all!  As mentioned in an earlier post, I was fortunate enough to attend the Spectrum Live event in KC over the May 17th weekend.  It was the first real illustrator-focused convention I had ever been to and I wasn't sure what to expect.  But the experience was great for me and I thought I'd share a little of what I learned, for the benefit of anyone thinking of attending in the future.

First off, I'm lame and didn't take many pictures.  I took three.  All outside of the convention. 

My view from just outside the convention doors.

 Found this gem on my way back from having lunch with a friend.  It was much grander in person.

 This is a sculpture made by my good friend Matt Kesler.  He's a Senior Illustrator at Hallmark Cards.  This piece, a beautiful tribute to M. Sendak, is now permanently displayed in the Hallmark Library.

They help preserve some good memories, for sure, so I share them above, but somehow I missed all of the great artists and art found inside the convention.  I'm sure I was a little awestruck.

As hoped, I got to see or meet many of the artists that I've been admiring for years.  People like Ian McCaig, Greg Manchess, Mark Shultz, Justin Gerard, Cory Godbey, and Jon Foster.  But I also got a chance to meet a lot of other artists.  Artists that are either a little less known or who's work strays a little from the traditional RPG fantasy genre.  Artists like Cory Loftis (huge influence), Brian Fyffe, Brenna Lindblad, Drew Baker, and David Petersen.  All were very friendly and put a reclusive and shy artist like me at ease right away.  Most were very willing to review my portfolio and give feedback.  I also had the chance to listen to some of the big art directors (Jon Schindehette, Irene Gallo, Lauren Panepinto, etc) speak and had portfolio reviews with some of them.  If you're starting out in fantasy illustration, definitely follow the Spectrum Live website and look for the portfolio review signups that open up a few weeks before the event.  Spots go fast, so you got to be quick.  There were also a ton of great lectures going on through out the weekend.  Covering things like illustration history, character design in film, and what an art director looks for in an illustrator.  The convention itself is inexpensive and there are plenty of nice perks for those that get a 3 day pass.  Lots of extracurricular activities going on around the event and easy access to great food and culture right outside the convention doors.  

Overall, I felt Spectrum Live was a great convention! Especially for illustrators trying to break into the industry.  It wasn't crazy crowded, which was nice for me, and provided easy opportunities to talk with great artists about their work and process.    I didn't land any immediate jobs, which was a secret hope leading up to the event, but that's cool.  The most valuable thing I got from Spectrum Live was the chance to meet great artists and develop new friendships.  Definitely looking forward to next year!

Great Artists I Wish I Could Paint Like or GAIWICPL #2: J.C. Leyendecker

It's funny.  I don't really know a lot about Joseph Leyendecker.  But, somehow, I have become known (by a small community) as an expert in all things related to the artist.  It started in 2007, when my wife's wonderful parents gave me a collection of Saturday Evening Post covers from the 30's.  Within that collection (compiled originally by my father-in-law's father) were 30-something Leyendecker covers as well as some newer Rockwell covers.  Seeing this treasure as something many artists would love to have access to, I scanned them and shared the high res images on a new blog called A Little Bit of Leyendecker Greatness.  I passed it along to Charley Parker, who runs Lines and Colors, and he posted the link immediately.  It got lots of circulation and, slowly but surely, I started getting emails from everyone seeking to explore the great expanse of my Leyendecker knowledge.  I've been approached by people to authenticate artwork, to give value estimates on Leyendecker treasures, and to discuss the accuracy of recent books on J.C.  I even had a professor from Duke University take me out to lunch so I could review a scholarly paper he was publishing on Leyendecker.  I fooled them all!

In truth, I do have a little knowledge of J.C.'s bio, but it's really his art that has had the most impact on me.  It's so clean!  So rich!  And he's one of the few artists that my wife and I both equally appreciate.  We actually have several of those previously mentioned Saturday Evening Post covers framed and hanging throughout our house.  

For more info on Leyendecker's life, Charley (at Lines and Colors) has provided a good collection of resources found here.  For a sample of his art, see below or check out my other blog (see link above).

 This one (above) is hanging over my desk right now.

Speed Painting practice...

Just some speed paintings I was working on the other day.  Found a color scheme I liked and gave myself a theme and ran with it.  I think the total time for all of these was around 8 hours.  I was pretty happy with that!  I haven't had a chance to develop any of these further, but I thought each was a cool environment worth exploring.  Hope you like!

Process: The Ref Sheet...

So, most everyone who's around me when I work knows that I can be a little insecure when it comes to my own process of creating art.  I'm always thinking that it should be done a different way.  I see some great artist do a demo and I say to myself, "Hey idiot.  He's good.  Do what he does."  And try that out for a week or so, adopt some that artist's practices.  Then I see another great artist and say to myself, "Hey idiot.  He's good.  Do what he does." And so on and so forth. 

Because of this, there are not a lot of things that I can call mine.  Things that I can say I came up with on my own.  There are exceptions though.  One such exception is THE REF SHEET.

When I was at SJSU, one of the first courses I took was an illustration class taught by Alice "Bunny" Carter.  One thing that Alice stressed was the need for good reference.  I remember gathering pictures from wherever I could find them (internet, magazines, my own photos) and taping them all to a board and having that in front of me throughout the whole drawing and painting process.  I learned that reference could inspire me, teach me, and also prompt new and interesting ideas.  But it was important that those images were in my face all the time.

When I left school and got a job in games, I often didn't have the time to print out tons of pictures and organize them nicely on physical boards or the space to put them anywhere.  So I developed a new way of organizing my images.  THE REF SHEET!  I'm sure it's not entirely original, but it was a great solution that merged the things I loved from my traditional days with the digital workspace I use now.

I start in Photoshop with a blank, black document.  I then peruse the World Wide Web for images that will inspire my concepts and drag and drop them straight from the browser to my document.  The images I drag in tend to fit into two categories.  1) Other artists' work that might inform the style (and just look cool) and 2) photos for subject and texture reference.  Each image needs to be fairly large and awesome.  No grainy pictures in this dojo!  One of the funnest parts is the organizing.  Each photo needs to fit well with the page as a whole.  It's very Mr. Miyagi.  Zen-like and soothing.  The black background serves to keep the ref images as the focus.  White or grey backgrounds tend to fight with the ref and can be a distraction.  Once my ref sheet is done, I keep it on my second monitor where it stays until the assignment is done.

 

It can get pretty extensive!  

 

Anyway.  Revolutionary it may not be.  But very helpful.  And its a good way of keeping your reference in it's proper place:  nearby, where it's accessible and inspirational.

Getting ready!

The flight has been booked.  The hotel has been reserved.  And I got my transport, a little Kia Rio, waiting.  Come mid-May, I'm taking a trip to Kansas City, MO.  What's in KC, you ask?  Well, one, the greatest BBQ in the world.  Two, Hallmark Cards (and the great friends I met when I interned there). And, three, the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 fantasy illustration convention.  Chowing down BBQ'd burnt ends and seeing some old friends will be great, but the purpose of the trip is #3.

I've never been to a convention like this!  I'm very excited and nervous at the same time (but mostly the former)!  For those that don't know, Spectrum Fantastical Art is a juried annual publication that showcases some of the best illustrators in the scifi/fantasy industry.  It's been around for many years and their books are always a source of inspiration for me.  Well, last year they created a very successful convention that brings all the greatest talents together in one place for a weekend.  I wasn't able to make it last year, but I decided I couldn't miss this one.  Looking through the list of exhibitors is crazy!  All the fantasy artists that I've loved for years will be there.  And I can go and chat with them.  There will be seminars, demos, and even portfolio reviews (I was lucky to secure three interviews Saturday morning!).  Should be a great time and I'll let you know how it turns out after it's over.  In the meantime, here's the promo card I got printed for the occasion.  I'll probably do a process post of this illustration later.

Hope it goes well!  Thanks for stopping by!

Great Artists I Wish I Could Paint Like or GAIWICPL #1: Adam Rex

I can't remember how I was first introduced to Adam Rex' work.  But as soon as I saw it, I immediately told everyone else about him.  Fantasy artist, children's book illustrator, writer, poet!  He does it all!  One of the things that stood out to me right away about his work is the way he bridges the gap between children's lit and fantasy work.  His work seems equally appropriate for both genres.  I love children's books and fantasy illustration and struggle to pick a genre to focus on.  Looking at Adam's stuff makes me think it might be possible to entertain both sides of my art and be successful at it too.  I even had the chance to meet him (though he'd never remember) several years back when he was on a book tour, here in Raleigh, promoting one of his award winning books, Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich.  My son and I sat in as he made up a story for a group of kids and, afterward, he was kind enough to give me some valuable industry insight.

 His art and stories are beautifully created but also have a strangeness to them that I love.  Superhero Abraham Lincoln fighting a giant squid on the moon (as seen on his blog), for example.  Need I say more?  No.  I don't.

 Adam is also a fantastic blogger and a really funny guy!  He knows his readers and cares about them. He answers people's questions, challenges his readers to write poetry, and will even pour chocolate syrup over his head for his readers, under the right circumstances.

Anyway!  Check out his art, news about his books, and his bio on his site.  To catch a glimpse at his process and other random cool stuff, check out his blog!  Enjoy!

It's time for a change!

Alright.  I've been wanting to do something more with my blog for a long time.  But I wasn't sure what.  For those of you that currently follow this blog, you know that I'm not the most consistent blogger.  And I appreciate your patience with me.  But I'm feeling a change in the wind!  I'm motivated!  I'm excited!  And I've got a plan!

So, moving forward, my goal is to post every Monday. But instead of posting finished illustrations or concept work (which can be found on my portfolio site), I want share the things that are inspiring me.  Other artists.  New techniques.  And a lot of the crazy ideas running around in my head.  Hopefully this blog can become a new source of info and inspiration for you!  If you like what you see, please let someone else know about it!  And please comment!  I'd like to get to know y'all better!  Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

I'm famous now...

No, not really.  So I'm a fan of cghub and gather tons of inspiration reference every week from the great artists that are showcased there.  I started a profile a while back, but only posted 4 or 5 images.  To be expected, I had no traffic.  But recently I decided to add more of my stuff in hopes that it might get my work out to more people.  Well, yesterday I was totally surprised to see one of my pieces show up on the "Popular Now" mosaic on the cghub homepage.  A tiny little square with a tiny little thumbnail of one of my pieces.  I was totally stoked! 

Anyway, I had a hard time finding that thumbnail again, so I took a screenshot to document the moment...

Feel free to visit my profile on cghub.com and if you're on there already, please send me a note.  Happy to exchange contacts.