Seeing Things

"There are many ways of seeing things. When you saw the thing and it looked beautiful to you, you saw it beautifully. Paint it as it looked then." -Robert Henri

Razer Nostromo for Digital Painting

Hey, I just wanted to share something that has GREATLY improved my digital painting setup.

For several months now I have been using the Razer Nostromo, a keypad designed for games, specifically for digital painting. It lets me compact all my most-used hotkeys into an ergonomic gadget.

I would consider this a must-have tool for the serious digital painter. I can hardly work without it now.

It was about $50 on Amazon a while back. Apparently there is also a new model out, but it is much more pricey. I would probably stick with this one.

Note: this may not work for you if you are left-handed

Jalopalope

Jalopalopes are camel-like creatures that roam the deserts of a distant planet.

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This is the first of many creature concepts for my sci-fi story, currently in development.

Monolith Desert

On a dying planet, only the stumps remain of a massive forest which thrived with life nearly a thousand years ago.

This is more concept art for my sci-fi story, currently in development.

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Other work from this series:

Sky Puffs

Silent Night

Merry Christmas!

Sky Puffs

The is a concept of a sci-fantasy creature that floats in a planet's atmosphere; commonly referred to as "Sky Puffs".

Filled with a gas lighter than air, they are carried around by the wind. While they do have wings, they are only good for stability, not propulsion.

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This is the very beginning of visual development for a personal sci-fantasy story. Much more to come!

Fiona

Set in 1780's Scotland, Fiona looks back to see her mill burning to the ground.
Cover for C.A Hope's Novel, New Lanark: Spinning New Lives 

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I enjoy painting simple scenes like this because it allows me to focus entirely on the emotion of the character rather than secondary details. Though, one small requirement was that her shell bracelet be visible. This somewhat dictated the placement of her arm, but I think it works well in this case.

Below is the "sketch" I submitted for approval. When working digital, I've started going full color and paint for these sketches. It really doesn't take much longer than a b/w drawing would, and I rather solve most of the problems at this stage so that after the sketch is approved it's just a matter of making it look good.