Arch's Book of Stuff

[Archreux]

Hey thanks florent, much appreciated! :]

Gotta start getting back with more stuff more often, haha. Sorry no personal stuff, only more schoolwork this time, more storyboards for our project and cartoons of said boards that I'll be turning into full illustrations over these next few weeks to come. These classes are certainly good at keeping me busy.

I'll be back with more, cooler, personal stuff soon. I promise! :'''D

[Archreux]

Trying to post more things everyday, so much other stuff to do. Here's a WIP from the WIP pile, haha. No Ctrl-z, no layers, one brush. It's been a fun challenge so far, haha.

[florentK]

I like your studies portraits. love the dynamic in your thumbnails :p and i m jealous when someone can make head troll like you did.. your dragon looks cool but i think it need more speculare or wetness in some parts like the eyes :) keep at it ! looking good !

[Ignatz]

Hi Archreux. Really like the lighting and atmosphere on this last dragon picture. I think you should really push this one; I think it has the makings of a really good illustration.

[Archreux]

Hey, thanks florent and Ignatz! I'm most definitely working on that dragon piece a little more, I've built up myself a pretty large pile of WIP's I can't wait to get to when I've got some free time. Glad you guys are liking my stuff. :]

More school related work. Layering pieces of stuff is interesting; learning some cool things about puppeting in After Effects. I can't wait to see all my stuff moving, it's going to be awsome. More personal stuff this weekend!

[pnate]

Oo those storyboards are a nice change of pace! If I could give advice I would say to not be afraid of ripping off shots directly from some action movies to get that cinematic look. Also maybe taking a look at some reference for the poses to get a more believable stance for the characters (although it looks you are going for the more cartoony style as I can judge from the goblin dude). That dragon painting is a cool idea but I do think it would be interesting to add a stronger light hitting him from either the foreground, background, or underneath to push the drama, since he's kind of dark right now. Keep pushing man! good stuff :)

[Archreux]

Thanks for the feedback, Pnate. I agree, although we are going for something more stylized to lighten the workload for this project I definitely gotta get back into using/finding pose reference, hehe. I'm definitely hitting getting in all that lighting you mentioned on the dragon, it's been fun, I'll have another WIP up soon. Thanks again. :]

Some sloppy life paints: The first two are older ones from a month or two ago, this last one was done last night while hanging out with some friends, none of them were more than 2 hrs. I'm all over the place. Haha.

[Archreux]

Green things love to scout. The WIP pile grows.

[Archreux]

Here's some half baked goods.

[Archreux]

Back again, I think I've done it. I'll be back with more. ;D

[Nimao]

Back again, I think I've done it. I'll be back with more. ;D

the last design looks really interesting!
daaaarth vaaader ;O

[Izzual]

Really cool stuff ! Loving the last one :)

Haha Nimao this is so true ! Medieval Darth Vader !

[Archreux]

Hey, thanks Izzual and Nimao, I appreciate it. :]

Almost two weeks since my last post. What's wrong with me? Haha. Almost have a week off to really feed my hunger that's been growing these past couple of weeks, I'm tired of school work, I just can't wait to dig into my own stuff and get better!

Here's that one sketch I'd been fiddling with in my free time. I feel like I'm killing it a little, I dunno, I will still try to make it something good. Any feedback would be appreciated! I know it may be a good idea to just let it go, I dunno. Thanks guys!

Inb4 No dragon body anatomy, haha. I forgot.

[Baoto]

I agree with Nimao and Izzual, the darth knight piece is awesome and the lighting makes me jealous. Some of your sketches have some really great looseness, but it seems this doesn't show through in your more finished works. I think it might be cool to keep a little more spontaneity of the previous sketch in.

Concerning the latest piece I'd suggest defining the character more. The hood looks great, but the arms and the armor don't read as good as before.

I hope you can find the time for your personal pieces aside from your schoolwork. And also have some fun and relax. ;) Keep rockin!

[Archreux]

Thanks for that feedback, Baoto. I'll be sure to put it to good use. :]

Only one week off meaning I need to paint as hard as I can before shcool starts back up again, so a friend and I have devised a mock atelier schedule where we'd be doing different studies and whatnot to focus on what we need to improve most on. Simple study focusing on composition, lighting, and texture.

Day 1:

[Archreux]

[Archreux]

Taking part in the Spit Paints over on the FB group. I am so new to this, haha.

[Archreux]

[Archreux]

Hey Daggers! I've got a quick personal WIP, and some information I feel I'd like to share with the community. I feel many of us have such things we all share in common, and they are just some of the many hurdles we face to become something much greater.

In brief, I have quite Dark Souls; I am retiring (like some old vet, haha). It's been a game that has found a place in my heart, divided much of my time up among my craft and in all honesty a time sink. Personally, this is something that had been a long time coming. Attempts to abstain from play were not enough, and only ended in long days of binging off of the system resulting in further loss of time, it just had to go. It feels good, it was a hard decision, but I know that in the end it is ultimately in my favor. I was really into the PvP, I like the online aspect and it was pretty much addictive.

Anyways, moral of the story? Games can be good, definitely. In my case it was a matter of coming to terms with the problem at hand, and finally having the resolve to see through that it would not pose any greater harm to my future, or growth as an artist. The time investment is just one thing there is no getting around when improvement is needed. Sacrifice is required, I've come to a full realization of this. It all requires courage to see it through.

To anyone out there who may be struggling with similar, or even drastically different problems regarding time. . . Just do whatever it takes to ensure you are spending it wisely. I will hate myself a bit in the morning when I am fully awake, rested and want to play. In the end it's for you, and you will love yourself for making what may seem like a painful decision at the time. :]

Happy painting, Daggers!

EDIT: I am no mathematician: 1 yr = 8,765 hrs, 800hrs/yr = 40hrs/week = 5 months. In response to the 400+ hours lost to gameplay, I've decided I double the amount of time I now spend painting in honing my skills. It will be an interesting year to come. 9/28/14.

[Madzia]

Nice works, really creative ideas. I would only work more on values composition. Sometime you have strong contrast sometime almost non. keep going :)