Look what the Sonoran wind just blew in!

[mixedmax]

I'm loving the idea of taking an older sketch and turning it into a fresh piece.
I don't know if the word recycling does the whole process justice, but I love taking older stuff and reworking it. This method solved so many creative blocks for me.
Great piece here, I really love the mood and the story behind your pieces. It all feels very personal. I can't really put my finger on it yet, but there's a warmth and energy to some of your pieces that makes me feel like a little kid again, browsing through an old picturebook I just found.

Keep it up!

[Jephyr]

Thanks so much CG.  I appreciate it.  You are KILLING it over your way for sure — so I'll gladly receive any praise or kind words about my work from you!

Thanks MM,  Yeah — let's call it up-cycling.    I often spend a LOT of time on ideas in my sketchbook and often intend to paint them — and have a huge back-log of stuff I still need to get to from over the years.  It does indeed make it a little easier — over scratching my head for ideas about what to paint next.



Thanks so much for your observations about my work.  I do try to infuse it with my personality — more than just cranking images out without adding any meaning to them.

I've re-visited your website and CD sketchbook and feel like your work does the same.  I really enjoy the humor you put into a lot of your pieces (like the boy with the cat and robot).  Really funny!

Anywho — thank you both again.  I have a pic coming spoon but just thought I'd say hi until then.

Ciao fer now CD!

[Jephyr]

Hope everyone who celebrates it had a good Easter! 

Saturday, I was in a check-out line at a grocery store and a woman in front of me had a cart FILLED to the top with Easter candy and baskets etc.  Her bill came to $281.00 and it took her attempting to use three different credit cards before the last one cleared. 

She said, 'I hope my husband doesn't see this.' 

Cue the divorce proceedings.....  



---------------------------

On to art work:

Today's image started out as a quick digital sketch way back in 2016.  Once in a while, I'd open that file and work on it up until 2017 or so and had the final layout more or less as you see it — but still very sloppy and unpolished.

I kinda burned out on it and then that PC's HD failed and I had to move everything over to a new drive and THEN the artwork on that 'puter languished in a 'works-in-progess' graveyard.

Recently, I re-opened this one and decided to finally add some much needed polish and finish it off.

Whew!  It feels good to finally have this one in the can after all this time!

The original 'quick sketch'




Roughing in a body and background




Once I had the body I began adding to that — starting with Leif's little rabbit buddy, then their bear, and finally their female companion (HOORAY!) — and that's when all progress stopped.

Anywho — here's the final piece — just finished and all polished up purty-like.




Finally here are some close-up crops




And a look at the scroll ( if you can't read it — it's a proclamation of a gold reward for the head of a giant — which are still wreaking havoc here in the Sonoran desert).




That'll do it for today.  Thanks for stopping by!

Gotta start/finish another one to get that shiny 'new-pic' dopamine rush.

hahahaha

[JosephCow]

It's cool that you decided to finish something started way back. I have some stuff like that on my computer where I had an idea for something, but ran into a point where my skills weren't really enough to follow through on it so there it sits.

I like the squad. is the bear a companion or like a slave that carries their stuff? The bounty proclamation i think would work better if you didn't have to zoom waaaay in to read it. Like if it were on a post or a wall nearby and it had a drawing of a giant's head and the word 'bounty' legible that would probably be a little more effective. But yeah it's hard to really make text beyond one or two big words work in paintings imo.

[Jephyr]

It's cool that you decided to finish something started way back. I have some stuff like that on my computer where I had an idea for something, but ran into a point where my skills weren't really enough to follow through on it so there it sits.

I like the squad. is the bear a companion or like a slave that carries their stuff? The bounty proclamation i think would work better if you didn't have to zoom waaaay in to read it. Like if it were on a post or a wall nearby and it had a drawing of a giant's head and the word 'bounty' legible that would probably be a little more effective. But yeah it's hard to really make text beyond one or two big words work in paintings imo.

Thanks JC — I kinda figured that a graveyard full of half finished WIP was common among us art peeps. 

Like you — I found my skills had improved a LOT between those old 2016 files and the way I work now. 

Fortunately, when I moved the psd image file over to Krita, it preserved all the curves, levels, color balance layers etc — and I found if I deleted those filter/efx layers it didn't alter anything (they were no longer useful anyway). 

But almost EVERYTHING had some kind of filter or efx on it.  < hangs head in shame. 

I'm def glad you like Leif and the gang.  I'll explain a bit about the bear below.

First — I LOVED your suggestion.  Wow sometimes you get so myopic as you work on something a great solution like that escapes yer brain matter.

So here are a coupla versions keeping it as a poster/scroll on the ground.  I'm going back and forth about which one I prefer (leaning now towards the second one).  Does anyone else have a preference?




And one with text




Thanks again JC!

----------------------------

So a bit a bout the bear (and this story will be a bit long so I understand if you just want to move on to p'chures).

Anywho, From what I've been able to piece together from various conversations I've had with members of the group —  (that's another story in itself!) the bear had been following them for weeks and raiding their precious supplies if they were left unguarded.

The bear was a little younger and smaller then and so they set about to either capture or kill it.  Remember in 732 AD — high in the mountains — there aren't any markets and so it's a matter of life and death if supplies disappear.

So they set a trap and when the bear sprung it they all jumped into action — and a ferocious fight began.  Leif was badly wounded and still has the scars on his chest and belly as evidence of that fight — AND he ultimately lost his leg below the knee after it became infected from a deep gash. 

The 'girl' (as they call her) still has a beautiful scar on her face as a reminder of that day.




During the battle the bear ended up tumbling down a rocky ravine and they found him in a heap in some boulders.  Unfortunately, he sustained some brain-damage and so Leif and the gang took him in and he's he's slowly been regaining his full bear 'brain-power' since then.

Later as winter approached the bear's natural instinct to hibernate kicked in and so the group reluctantly let him go.

The next season he was no where to be seen — and so they figured they'd seen the last of him.  Then the next spring they came across each other again and the bear lumbered over to them and they had a joyous reunion — and they've been able to reconnect every year since then.

One time, he had a full pack loaded down with supplies and wandered off the trail and they lost sight of him — and it took the group a better part of a day to find him — so he's kept leashed to keep him from wandering away and he seems perfectly agreeable with that arrangement.

It's important to add, he's definitely more than just a 'pack animal' though — and is especially protective of the others — and has been a valuable asset in numerous battles.

--------------------

A bit about the rabbit.  He has the intellect of any human and is able to converse fluently in what we might call the 'old tongue' — that they all (excluding the bear) speak.

The rabbit is quite willing to talk about his experience with an angel of God who visited him, spoke over him, and gave him what he calls a 'human mind and abilities' — and a greater size than most mountain rabbits.

Once you get him started — He'll talk endlessly about that experience — but I'll save the re-telling of that that for another time.....



It must be said that he is a capable fighter and a VERY valuable asset to the group as well.

The end —

[JosephCow]

Huh, I didn't realize the backstory was this well developed. Cool

I like the second option with the word Reward, I think that makes it very clear

[Jephyr]

Huh, I didn't realize the backstory was this well developed. Cool

I like the second option with the word Reward, I think that makes it very clear

Thanks!  Glad you like the story.  I kinda always create one as I'm painting — it helps the image come alive in my gray matter and also makes it more enjoyable

Glad you like the second one too — That's the one I'll go with.  Thanks for again for the suggestion and sharing your preference

---------------------

I have a large piece in the works — having a ball with it and looking forward to sharing it — hopefully soon.

Until then — happy arting ever'body!

[cgmythology]

Really nice updates here, always enjoy looking at your work as you have a great style. In terms of critiques, I think the image with the 3 figures could be improved by incorporating some darker shadows, and perhaps some darker values in the foreground to enhance the sense of depth. Other than that it's a solid piece, very well drawn and painted overall! Keep it up!

[darktiste]

Careful when you start adding cast shadow and occlusion shadow you should find those shadow across every object not just a few of them.

I tried something different i am not sure dawn is the right moment to set the seen midnight seem more fitting.

[Jephyr]

Really nice updates here, always enjoy looking at your work as you have a great style.  In terms of critiques, I think the image with the 3 figures could be improved by incorporating some darker shadows, and perhaps some darker values in the foreground to enhance the sense of depth.  Other than that it's a solid piece, very well drawn and painted overall!  Keep it up!

Thanks so much CG!

I appreciate your feedback and think dark really nailed it with that paint-over which suggests adding some darker values as well (and improved lighting).

Thanks as always for stopping by and offering feedback!

[Jephyr]

Careful when you start adding cast shadow and occlusion shadow you should find those shadow across every object not just a few of them.

I tried something different i am not sure dawn is the right moment to set the seen midnight seem more fitting.

Your paint-over and suggestions are sooo good.  I LOVE 'em! 

I've written before that I've restarted digital painting and 'color' more recently (over the last year and a half or so) and know I'm still a little timid and overly conservative with it.

I'm working on a new piece and will try to add some of the concepts you demonstrated here — and since I'm a little burned out on this one I'll let it rest for a bit — but plan to tackle it again and I'm going to try and incorporate all of your great ideas!! 

BTW I read your paint-over as a night-time piece and think that suits exactly what seems to fit the feel I'd go after; Love the idea of the torch too.

Thanks so much for taking the time to help make this a better image!

[Jephyr]

Hello fellow humanoids and Zed <reminder:  if you drop a body part please let the front desk know.  Last week we found a rotting human tongue someone left on the mezzanine)

-----------------------------

So I've been having all kinds of 'modern problems' of late. 

The other day I paid $5.70 a gallon for gas.  In March it was 3.49 — and in December 2020 it was 1.88.  I put $55.00 in and it didn't even fill my tank.  Grrrrrrr

I spent a month trying to get my Doctors office to refill a prescription.  I left a number of messages and spoke to his assistant several times and even had a conference call with my insurance company and his office.  It wasn't until I insisted on speaking with the Office Supervisor that my Dr's assistant FINALLY took care of it — THAT SAME DAY!!

I was having trouble with my internet and called for repair.  They kept saying they'd send a tech and I had to be here.  Then they kept cancelling and closing repair tickets.  I musta called a dozen times and used their chat feature at least that many times over ALMOST a month before it was finally repaired.  Oh — and one time I waited on hold and HOUR AND A HALF!!

I could go on but I'm boring myself with it.  If you've ever read 1984 or seen The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (not a great movie) or Brazil (weird but OK) — our world has become just like that.  Endless red tape and bureaucracies.  harrumph

-----------------------------

Ok — so you came here for the art not all that junk.

Just finished another old one I started AGES ago — and I used a lot of Darkiste's ideas from my last painting (thanks again Dark).

It's 40 X 28" — so something like a 16:9 aspect ratio.




I gathered 100s and 100's of reference images — and here are a few I used:




The copyright remains with the original owners — if you'd like me to add a references or link — or remove your image — please let me know

Here are some 'detail' close-ups







I'm a little fried on this one — but I'd be interested in feed-back — even if I don't apply it to this one I will 'go to school' with any ideas y'all have.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ciao fer now

[darktiste]

I would say the proportion on the last one specially the second horse might need to be scale down a little.Sorry for the quick crit don't have alot of time to day.

[Jephyr]

Thanks and no worries Dark  I feel like your last paint-over will give me tons to go to school with.

As for proportion on this one (your eye is serving you well) — though I definitely played around with it all over this piece.

So for the center horse/unicorn (I think is the one you're referring to) — I was indeed going for a larger draft/shire horse — BRED WITH A UNICORN. 

I thought it made a good focal point in the center and popped a little brighter lighting on it.

Draft and shire horses have the feathering around the hooves that really sets them apart.  The other white horse is an Arabian which are lighter and smaller and a lot quicker.

I saw an awesome video a few years back (that I couldn't find just now) of HUGE Russian draft horses bred to haul lumber.  THEY ARE MASSIVE and it was one of the coolest animal videos I've seen!

Here are some pics of some BIG'UNS










Ok so I just looked and found this vid of a giant draft horse pulling lumber at a competition.  The music is HORRIBLE but the horse is a BEAUT!



Anywho — thanks again Dark

I'm working on several new pieces and hope to be able to post something soon.

[darktiste]

I forget how much breed size is massive in horse.

Don't forget that your flame don't shine white light but more toward flame tone so what around the flame should get reflected light in those tone.Also your flame to uniform in term of color range(see the example and look at the grass of the picture and than compare with your picture).Most of what in combusting is a bright yellow and where you see flame you get a mix of opacity in the flame which give the gasous feeling of the flame

[Jephyr]

Hi, Dark I was still in here and saw your post on a refresh.

Excellent point about the fire and light. I kinda fudged my last pic without using references for that. The photo you shared nailed it!

Once I let this one rest a bit — I may give those flames and lighting a touch up.

Thanks for your feedback!

[cgmythology]

Nice work with your latest, very solid comp and great value work. I do think the lighting can be a bit more dynamic and convincing overall, however. Keep up the solid work!

[Jephyr]

Thanks so much CG.  I was kinda burned out when I posted that one but I'm starting to feel up to making some of the changes you and dark are suggesting.

I also have a new pic that expanded until I'm now thinking it might be better as cartoony panels.

I have the whole concept in my head and now just need to see if I can make it happen. 

So look for that — hopefully soon.
 


Thanks again, George!

[cgmythology]

Glad to hear it, looking forward to seeing what you cook up!

[Jephyr]

Thanks George!  So here's a look an early lay-out test on my VERY cartoony panel thang — based on an illustration I did with my niece's kids in mind.

I actually have a LOT more done on this but just wanted to post a little progress update on it. (Polished it up a lot more — added panels, characters, word balloons etc and moved elements around since this early test).





It's been interesting to find that I as I went from the concept I had in my head to actually making it happen — how much that and layout I envisioned have HAD to change from the idea to the actual panels (which is proving to be much more difficult than anticipated)

I've always been interested in creating more graphic novel type stuff so this is becoming quite an education about that!



BTW — I created my own font for the 'Chicken King's' text on the banner in Inkscape.

I used to do calligraphy ages ago (an aunt gave me a cool book that still came in handy all these years later)

Inspired by that I downloaded a couple of font maker apps I may try sometime down the road.

Thanks for looking in.