Look what the Sonoran wind just blew in!

[Zorrentos]

Nice work on the last few artworks! I had a suggestion for one of them! I hope it can be of some use! : )

[Kassatay]

Great variety of drawings you have here! Are these all from imagination?
I like the paintings also but I think you can push your values a little bit more.

Keep it up:)

[Jephyr]

Greetings people of earth!

Thanks so much Zorrentos! I really appreciate the suggestion and paint-over!!

Thank you also Kassatay.  Yes — almost every sketch I do starts from imagination and then I'll turn to references if I need to refine things.

I usually use a scribble technique to start out — just lightly scribbling on the page to look for ideas.  It's kinda like seeing animals and faces in clouds.

I've also found that as I've worked on this part of art it's gotten better — just like everything else we do in life.  :)

Thanks for the suggestion too.  So much to always keep working at!  :)

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Here's some newer schtuffz, as well as a composite of "Keep It Down" from 2019 — I'd never posted anywhere before:

[Jephyr]

Deleted one of my images from the last post so I could fix an issue.

Here 'tiz again.....

[cgmythology]

Nice character design with your latest! I think you can push your values a bit more with your paintings to give it a more 3D look as some of your shading is a bit flat, but that could be a stylistic choice on your part as you seem to be concentrating on lines. Great work otherwise, keep it up!

[darktiste]

If i can add something from my own experience is that symmetry and side view tend to flatten a drawing if you add on top of not necessarly showing a good 1,2,3 read as scott robertson would say you will have the flatness issue.A good way to fix flatness is to show atleast the x y z of an object that mean you should be showing at least three face of an object in general.The minute you only have 2 face it start to look flat and 1 face it even worst.Object occupy space that pretty much the core of what i am sharing here.

[Jephyr]

Thanks so much cgmythology. 

I’m trying to speed up my process and changed from a more painterly approach with my digital paintings — slowly building up layer upon layer — to more of a color flatting, shading and highlight approach as seen in Marc Burnet’s video on the previous page. 

This has sped things up a lot but I’m still learning the tricks of that trade. 

The valuable suggestion I keep getting though is to push values (as you said) — so with today’s offering I tried to do that.   

Feel kinda like I’m re-learning painting though — so I hope I’m understanding the advice I’m getting about that.  Anyway — thanks again!

darktiste Thanks so much.  That’s really excellent advice — thinking about it as XYZ was like a light-bulb moment for me.
 
I’ve been working on character design and haven’t been thinking as much about composition but know I need to do way more of that. 

Today's first offering was just painted over and old sketch I did from 2019 so I wasn’t able to make use of your suggestion.  Anway — thanks so much again!
 
Here’s the latest at the top and a few older sketches below it that I'm planning to paint next  — and a look at the older style of digital painting I used to use - slowly building up layers.  It's kinda a photo-real / caricature.

Thanks for looking in

[Jephyr]

Greetings fellow humanoids and 'others' (you know who you are : )

Hope yer having a great summer so far.  I've been broiling in the Sonoran desert sun — but because I'm half lizard it hasn't been too bad....

Things have started to open up around here again and I found two great public libraries near me I can digital paint and sketch at — and at long last check what I post on other computers there.  I hadn't been trusting my desk-top at home and did find that it was not good to try and do color correction etc on it.

One library window looks out on a riparian preserve and so as I work I can sit and watch people fishing and see all kinds of wild-life like ducks and heron etc.  At the other library  I found a window that looks out on an area that has all kinds of birds and little squirrels who spend the day digging and chasing each other around.  It's been pretty cool.

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Anywho — here's some of the latest — straight out of Krita on my lap-top (and one older one I'd color corrected and 'leveled' on my desktop but am also posting straighht outa the software).  I'll check the library computers to see which one I like best and am hoping the one I'm posting now will look more like the original).

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*Edit:  Forgot to add something.  Met a dood recently who is into wood carving and it got me interested in digging out my tools and doing a bit of it myself.  I took a branch from a tree I'd cut back and carved the head I'm calling 'Ancient One' in two sittings. It's approximately 5 inches long....

[Jephyr]

Reprinted from my website:



In 2019, I drew a sketch of this 'gator for the 'Sonoran Marsh and

Swampland Society.' When famed Director, Jacques Couscous, saw my

drawing he began weeping and fell into my arms for an uncomfortably long

hug — and through his deep sobs, he finally choked out that was one of

the most accurate illustrations of the creature he had ever seen.


It took a while for the group's financing to work its way

through their internal systems — but more recently, at long last, I was

commissioned by the Society to digitally paint my sketch — and just

finished and submitted that effort to them in the last few days.



Commonly called the Sonoran 'Gator, its true genus

name is Travoltapolis Horribilis, and was thought to be extinct until a

recording of its low rumbling mating call was made in 1962. A distant

photo of the elusive and shy animal was finally captured in 1976 — and

though it was poor quality, research biologists were able to confirm

that it was the reptile.



Since then, there have been numerous unconfirmed sightings

— and many of those fortunate enough for those encounters, describe

its odd, upright, wide legged pose it takes when startled: Remaining

perfectly motionless; with one arm extending upward and the

other down; and one leg forward and the other back.






There are unsubstantiated rumors that its low mating rumble

was imitated for the bass-line from the Bee Gee's song 'Night Fever'

and that John Travolta mimicked its odd stance for his iconic dance

move in the film, Saturday Night Fever — but neither the group

or actor have ever made any public comments about it.



Some believe that the reptile’s over-sized feet allow it to

'walk on water' (so to speak) — but this has never been officially observed

or confirmed through photo or video — though some claim to have

witnessed the act. However, most experts remain unconvinced it has this

ability— in part because an adult males are estimated to grow to

as much as 19 feet long and weigh well over a ton.



Trapped inland as the fresh water Great Tijuana Sea began

evaporating over 17 Trillion years ago — the habitat of this extraordinary

and magnificent reptile used to extend through-out central South America — and

into most of the south-western region of the present day U.S. Some

researchers even insist there is compelling evidence it once roamed

as far as the upper reaches of present day Canada.



Environmentalists hope to flood and reclaim large parts of their

original land habitat — meaning that much of Tucson, Phoenix, San Diego

Los Angeles, and Las Vegas may someday be under water.


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


And coupla thumbnail practice thingyz

[Pubic Enemy]

I enjoy your traditional sketches and style. It has a strong individuality to it.

I have one suggestion, which is to leave in a little of the pencilled-in sky when you digitally paint over the sketches. I think the smooth digital sky clashes a little bit with the rest of the picture, which has richly textured pencil strokes everywhere. This is just my opinion, of course.

[Jephyr]

Thanks so much PE — and for the helpful advice.  I'd already painted over most of my BG lines on today's update — but drew back in a little sketchiness — and will keep that in mind for future efforts.

I'll look for your sketchbook when I have a bit more time.  Thanks again.

Post a newish digital painting:




And a look at a coupla process steps along the way

[Pubic Enemy]

I'm glad that was helpful. Your latest piece looks very harmonious, so I'd say the sketchiness worked out well!

[cgmythology]

Loving your style as always, great updates here as well. Those figures are very solid!

[Jephyr]

Greetings earthlings, pure-bloods, hybrids, and others!

Had a family member in the hospital earlier — and it kept me from making art for a while.  But thankfully, Things are returning to 'normal.'

Public Enemy:  It was indeed.  Thanks so much too!

cgmythology:  Thanks so much — I appreciate it!

So here are some of the latest:




And an early color test




An illustration - Disney story-board artist Bill Peet is an influence




The original sketch




And a quick color version of a sketch I made based on a documentary quote




Ciao fer now

[Pubic Enemy]

Welcome back, hope the situation improves further.

Very cool concept with that winged creature in Ezekiel. The dark rocky landscape with ruins and waterfall is awesome.

Interesting mix of whimsy and grotesqueness in New Ribbons. Really good sense of perspective in the landscape. I think the critters look a little too smooth and maybe too high-contrast compared to the rest of the picture, but it otherwise fits together nicely. Love the ducks.


Looking forward to the next update!

[Jephyr]

Thanks so much PE — Appreciate that.  They're out of ICU and home at this point  — but recovery may take a while.

Thanks as always for having a look at my posts and for the feedback.  I'm glad you like Ezekiel.  I did have enjoy tweaking and expanding that background.

Looks like I slipped back a bit after your earlier comment about cohesiveness on the Ribbon pic.  Hafta keep that in mind for sure.  Gotta say — the ducks and other critters were fun to create though.

BTW — Got some interest on that one.  They want me to do other scenes with Juh-Nay — so more images with her may be coming down the road.

Today's offering is a 'spec' piece — that'll be presented to some decision-makers tonight.  I'd normally add a LOT more polish and tighten it up quite a bit but I was under the gun on that dead-line.

I'm beat — so I hope to find some time soon to peruse some sketchbooks and comment here.

Until then....

[Pubic Enemy]

I wouldn't call that slipping back, since I think that's the first picture in the thread with so many critters. Different sort of challenge.

I have to say the likeness in that caricature is very good, because I recognized it before I scrolled down to the syringes, haha.

[Jephyr]

Thanks so much PE.

It is much more of a challenge to expand a single character piece and add other elements and characters — but I've been enjoying trying my hand at that.

Glad you recognized my caricature victim...er... portrait. : P I'm still waiting on feedback from the folks I submitted that to. sigh.... : )

Thanks again

[Jephyr]

Greetings people of earth!  

Just finished t'days digital-painting offering.

Still mining older sketchbook drawings - this one was from 2019.




and the original draw'ring




Cya again soon

[Zizka]

Those charicatures are just really, really well executed and are really standing out in my opinion.