The Waystone Inn
Overhead Design of the Waystone Inn from Patrick Rothfuss’ The Kingkiller Chronicle | Personal Work
Medium Digital
Study of Daenerys Targaryen
Title: Study of Daenerys Targaryen
Year: 2012
Medium: Digital
Size: 8.5″ x 11″
Notes: This is a study of Daenerys Targaryen I worked on from a still frame of the final scene of HBO’s Game of Thrones Season 1. In this scene rises from the funeral pier cradling three newly hatched dragons. I chose this to study this shot in order to practice my digital painting skills – particularly rendering form and texture – and because I hadn’t yet painted a dragon.
I started with a lineart sketch with the scratchboard pen, then rendered the forms with dull conte, worn oil pastel, and a touch of digital airbursh with generous blending – all in Corel Painter. Working in greyscale first helps me concentrate on getting the lighting and forms right before I introduce color. I took some small liberties with the design and adjusted the lighting slightly in order to make Daenerys and her dragon read better.
The Nightcowl
The Nightcowl Creature Concept & Orthographic | Personal Work | Featured in the 2013 Academy of Art University Spring Show
Notes: This design came after intense study of the great horned owl and small wild felines.
The Great Horned Owl
Personal Work | Featured in the 2013 Academy of Art University Spring Show
Notes: A close study of a great horned owl in preparation for my own creature design: the Nightcowl!
Self Portrait
Title: Self Portrait
Year: 2011
Medium: Digital
Size: 8.5″ x 14″
Notes: This piece was an exercise applying new techniques I recently learned for digital painting, in particular when applied to portraits. I thought it would be wise to try this out on a portrait of myself before applying it to a family member, friend, or client. In the end it was a wonderful opportunity to experiment with brushes I hadn’t used before and learn to create digital portraits more efficiently. I was also surprised by much of what I’ve learned from traditional oil painting worked for the digital medium – it really goes to show how interconnected the disciplines of art are!
I’ve also included the draft sketch as a before-and-after glimpse at my process. It also served as the first layer of the painting. Big thanks to my friends and fellow classmates, especially Ideation: AAU’s Production Art Community, for their excellent feedback to help kick this up a notch!
Glowing Underground Keep in Digital Watercolor & Chalk
Title: Glowing Underground Keep in Digital Watercolor & Chalk
Year: 2010
Medium: Digital watercolor & pencil in Corel Painter 11 & Intuos3 4x5Wacom Tablet
Size: 6.1″ x 8″
Year: 2010
Notes: I was inspired by Minas Morgul from The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Notre Dam and created an image that could be used in a childrens’ book. I prefer to sketch directly in Painter rather than scan in one created on paper as it involves fewer steps and the result is cleaner. I used the Sketching Pencil variant in dark grey on Fine Hard Grain paper. Then I switched to a Pavement texture and colored it with the New Simple Water variant of the Digital Watercolors brush. I created the grainy texture of the stone with Variable Chalk. The carved figures lining the door are thematic. Women on the right and men on the left, and from inside to outside they are soldiers, scholars, and merchants young to elderly. Created as an educational project.