Eclipse Phase: Gate Crashing

I got the opportunity to work with Rob Boyle on Eclipse Phase again.. I did three images for their first book, but only one chapter opening this time around.

It was a fun assignment, an I tried a new approach this time around.. One of my first commissions when I did everything digitally.. I got to spend some time on a friend's Cintiq, so I went from concept to final all in Photoshop.

Here's a quick overview of the plot of this RPG,

Gatecrashing takes you through the mysterious Pandora Gates:
* The 5 solar system gates and the factions that control them
* 30 extrasolar locations of interest to Firewall
* Exploration operations and hazards
* New morphs, new gear, and rules for gate use

Learn more here on the Eclipse Phase blog

here are some of my steps thru the process:

Here are the thumb nails that I sent out to the Art Director. I had more, but I felt these two were the
strongest. And unless I got direction to do something different, I wanted to go with these.

After the initial concepts were approved with some small notes on compotion, I started with a BW tonal painting.. I pushed and pulled the forms and toyed with the composition until I came to a final image that I liked.

This is on the way to the final image.. I played with the "Pandora's Gate" ( depicted at the bottom of the composition) I had it on a separate layer, so I could push pull and stretch it until I got a composition that I liked.

D&D Gamma World

I did this assignment early 2010 for Jon Schindehette at Wizards of the Coast.  When I first got the commission, I thought I was going to have a chance to create some really awesome and crazy looking weapons..

But as I got further into the assignment I realized that I was just going to draw pretty straightforward guns, and that's it..

But it was still fun, and my first assignment with Jon Schindehette.

I've included the rough step of the process I used for this assignment.. I started everything on paper, scanned it, and then added color and clean up with photoshop.. It was time consuming, but it gave me the level of polish that I was looking for.

Sinestro.

I've been working on this painting for sometime now.. Not everyday, just a little here and there. Everytime I tried to make an end rally to finish it, I never liked it, so I ended up repainting quite a few time.. And then it just became too much time spent. so I scanned it and did a paint over in photoshop..

I plan to repaint the original based on this photoshop image. The model for this was Chris Burns

Cancelled Project: Animated Music Video

I did this with Nathan Massengil, inker extraordinaire. But on this project he was the art director and animator.. This would have eventually turned into an exciting music video but the project was cut short at some point..

The BG colors we're done by Dominike Stanton, soon to come out with a Marvel book with his credits on it.. He did an amazing job, and the colors he did for the cars were superb.

enjoy this project from my dead file.

Blast from the Past. Gen 13 Submission

I did this 4 page sample around 91 or 92 when I was living in Japan..  I lost the originals when a crap load of my stuff was stolen when I was moving out of my apt back in Osaka.

Luckily a friend of mine had already put these on the web( I knew almost nothing of how to do webpages at the time) Of course a few months later I put together my own website in Go Live- so I wasn't that far behind the curve..

I still like these pages, but I think their biggest short coming is story.. Not only story telling, but the actual story is pretty boring.. I'm driven to draw better stories now-a-days.. Even if I do samples I feel compelled to do an entertaining story,,

Another Kerebos Sneaky-Sneak.

I liked this page a lot too.

Sneak Peek to Keberos

Here's one of my favorite panels from the story I'm currently working on with Director/Actor Kely McClung.. It's a prequel to his independent movie Kerberos..

Check out the movie page here.

82: Babe Monday... on a Tuesday.

Worked on this last night.. Naga the Serpent from Slayers.. Never seen the animation, but she fit in the babe category.

81: Pop Wednesdays: The Bieber Guy..

I cannot fathom the fame of this guy.. I don't hate or begrudge his "success"( he seems nice enough), but he honestly can't sing.. And he looks like a cherub.. But anyway,, He's a pop phenom,, and that's why I drew him..

80: Thursday on a Tuesday.. Gritty

Kerberos comic

I'm currently working on the comic prequel to the movie Kerberos.. It's directed by Kely McClung, and he's also the starring actor.. It's been picking up awards at film festivals across the country, so take a look at the website

Here's a sample page.

Okay. I've been a wayward blogger

October came and deadlines hit from every side.. Work work, freelance work, life stuff. I just had tons to do , and little time to do it.. To keep my sanity, I had to walk away from my blog for a time..

I love doing my sketches a day, but I have a looming deadline that I have to dedicate myself to in order to be be on-time. So for the meanwhile I'm just going to post tidbits of things I'm working on.

RiqArt is in the gutter.. okay "The Gutters"

See the complete image on The Gutters website

Yep.. I'll be in the Gutters Friday, Oct 8th. Okay.. no, obviously nothing is wrong. In Fact everything is right..
"The Gutters" is a comic centered online parody series. Created by Blind Ferret Entertainment, they feature three artists every week, mon, tues and fri,  to illustrate a funny/sarcastic viewpoint comics and the comic industry.
And I illustrated tomorrow's strip.. so stop by The Gutters and take a look.

79: Babe Mondays: Pin-up girl

Okee dokee.. today a quick pin-up.. I tried to knock this one out quickly yesterday but I didn't like the result enough to post..


I wen't back at it again today, found a way to simplify things, and I'm happier with it now.

Here's the inspiration for this image: click here.

Bad Kids Go To Hell- Get's sexy

I did the cover for the Trade Paper Back- The creators shot me these photos at a recent convention they attended.. Can you be jealous of a cover?

Babe Monday: Misty Knight

I've been jonesing to do a Misty Knight Since her redesign some years ago.. Why did I wait so long.. I think she came back with a bang, and then fizzled a bit toward the end.. But I finally did it..

Blast from the Past..

I have a deskful of work, and when I'm not doing stuff that was due yesterday, I'm hopping on stuff that's due in 5 minutes.

so to keep the blog rolling foward,, I'm going to post up older work that I still like..

This blast from the past is from a comic proposal I did with a friend around 2002 or 2003.

Dragon Con Commission

80: Pop Wednesdays : Lady GaGa

Okay.. I only know her name.. Until I did this pic I didn't really know who or what she was.. But she gives a lot of fodder for a visual treatment.  I've probably heard her music and didn't know who to attribute it to.

79: Pulp Tuesdays: Dejah Thoris

I'm leaning more toward the pulp side today, going for a color image of the classic Dejah Thoris..

I'm listening to "The cat who Walks Through Walls" by Heinlein, and he just mention a character named "Dee-jah" Thoris, so the bug was placed in my head, and this was the only way to get it out.

It's an interesting color composition.. Might make a good painting..

78: homage to babe monday: sketch

I didn't like yesterday's post and I saw some inspiring image from Anna Fischer's flikr account. Here is a sketch I did based on one of her pics..

77: Babe Monday: Quick Sketch

Skipping around..

Sorry for the lack of Updates for wed, thurs, and friday..

I have work that beckons me somedays, and I'd rather wait than crap out just anything.. But I'll try to be as consistent as possible in the future..

76: Noir Tuesdays: Sam Freeman.. again.

75: Babe Mondays: Red Sonja

Guess I'm sticking to a theme right now.

74 Free for all Friday: Akira

Not Quite a sketch, but I did spend the whole of Friday working on it. 

I did this piece for the Akira exhibition that's touring the US and Europe. It's available as a print.. If you're interested, give me a buzz.

BTW.. It's either Free For All Friday, or Word of the day Friday depending on what's cooking in the kitchen.. I think I'll be back to a Word of the day Friday this week.. I have something brewin' in my head that needs to get out.

73 Gritty Thursdays: SuperGirl

Okay. I'm playing catch-up from last thursday, but I didthe grawin's.. I just didn't have time to post the. Wuz at Dragon Con over the weekend.

72: Pop Wednesday: Black Eye Peas

71: Noir Tuesdays

Had car trouble yesterday morning, so I'm a little late on today's post. More Sam Freeman..

70: Babe Monday: Atom Eve

69: Word of the Day Friday: Courage

Okay.. I did two Friday Pieces..

68: Free For All Fridays

Okay I've deviated from Word of the Day Fridays.. But I do have a Word of the Day Pic too, coming later.

I think this is how Red Sonja would really look like if she's as badd a$$ as she's portrayed. She'd have to have a lot of upper body mass to weild a sword as well as the dudes.. and well the skimpy coverage of the ta-ta's would distract even the most focused of men.

That's my two cents and I'm sticking with it.

riq.

67: Gritty Thursdays