Purple People Eater

I haven't done much personal work lately and have been spending most of my spare time with the kids.  My eldest daughter has been taking dance classes for a couple years now, but this year she started a competitive number that uses the song "Purple People Eater".  I thought it would be fun to design a character and make an image the kids could use as a sticker.  I'm really look forward to seeing how all the kids in her class react to them once they arrive!

Dancing Butterflies

This year we had the unique experience of raising monarch caterpillars with the kids and seeing their life cycle first hand.  It was a fascinating process to watch, that likely captivated my wife and I more so than the kids!  This also coincided with our kids return of the school year and the start of their weekend dance classes.  They both had the fortune of receiving butterfly wings from the grand parents too.  All of these things coupled with their joyful personalities inspired me to put this illustration together, which I hope comes through in the work.  I don't have the time I use to for personal projects, but I have managed to squeeze this in over the last two months when the time allows for it.

I created this final piece using Adobe Animate.

Yoda and the force

With all the buzz about the upcoming new Star Wars film I wanting to do an illustration of a character from the series whether it be from the new films or previous trilogies.  Even though I've done a piece featuring Yoda before I felt obligated to try a rendering him in Flash in a stylization similar to some of my more recent work.

Mid way through the rendering I got the notion to try using the initial art to make a force ghost version that would use the art from the default version.  In the end it seems to have turned out quite well with some clever planning and problem solving.

I may very well do another in the future perhaps before the new film comes out?...

Cheers!

Undone by the Blood

This past March I was pleasantly surprised when I started playing Bloodborne.  However I didn't immediately appreciate the game.  In the first couple night I nearly had me put it down for good, like many people out there I found it's punishing gameplay discouraging.  As I kept on playing I began to see how amazing and clever the soul series format really is.  The need for checkpoints and instant saves in the game became less relevant.  Most AAA titles I have played this year (and in the past) now seem very unrewarding in comparison, or feel very clumsy in their combat.  The gambling of souls/echoes in Bloodborne really makes each venture into the world mean something and forces you to be careful and learn your surroundings and the enemies within them.

This game has easily become one of my all time favourites for many reasons, which I'd love to elaborate more on but I'm no writer, and would rather show my love for the game in an illustration. But to sum it up briefly it's entire setting, atmosphere, the challenging combat and of course the amazing lore make this a unparalleled experience.  If you haven't played it and like a good scare and love a good challenge...pick it up!

I really wanted to illustrate something to sum up the game, but I had too many memorable moments to pile into one image.  Most of the boss fights really stood out for me, and I think Gascoigne's fight may have been the most distinct with it's difficulty curve being a cliff, and the lovely surprise of his "undoing" transformation two thirds into it which left my hands trembling afterward.  I can't wait for more Bloodborne and hope it receives a well earned sequel/prequel.

This illustration was created in Flash CC.

Wolverine

Wolverine is certainly one of my favorite comic characters, and I think his portrayal in film has been nailed down by Hugh Jackman performance and likeness.  I've never drawn him before and felt inspired with the idea of taking all the elements I love about the clawed brute and put them together.  Originally had him in flat colours but my love for rendering took over.   I also intended to do two head one masked and one Jackman but given my laundry list of character art I'd like to get to it'll have to wait.

This illustration was created entirely using Adobe Flash CS6.

Sauron: the Lord of the Rings

Getting rid of cable TV earlier this year have been a big help with eliminating distraction as well as providing my wife and I with more time to be productive in our personal endeavours.  With two children it's certainly a challenge to muster the energy after they fall asleep.  These days I'd rather lose myself in my own imagination or get lost in inspiration than bask in the low-grade entertainment on TV.

After I created the previous post of the Nazgûl, I felt compelled to keep going with the LOTR theme once again.  I'm not sure if I'm done with it yet either!  I have a few other ideas brewing and am flipping the mental coin on which to pursue next.  I'll be revisiting my process next time around and will do grey scale roughs in photoshop like I did with the GH slot tiles which I found helped at the colour stage in flash.

So, back to the subject matter!  I decided to create Sauron, who's technically another wizard of sorts (not unlike Gandalf and company) and I think he looks smashing next to his Nazgûl minion.  I love PJ's film interpretation of this character in the battle of the last alliance and I started with that reference and later added some magical fiery aspects similar to the Balrog.  I wanted to throw in the eye of Sauron in there but later felt it'd be too much.

This piece was created using Adobe Flash CS6.

Nazgûl

I'm a big LOTR fan, I love the movies and the stories, the mythology and I find if I'm looking for inspiration I often think of the various characters and places from Tolkien's books.  I love the grim reaper like appearance of the Nazgûl.  Having done the varous wizards from the films I wanted to take a "stab" at doing one of these bad guys.  I started of ambitiously wanting to illustrate the Ringwraith on the back of a fell beast but quickly realized using Flash that would be a big undertaking.  Perhaps another time!  I'd really like to do a version of Sauron, a Balrog, the blue wizards or a Cavetroll with a Moria Orc on it's back.  I'm still undecided!

I created this using Flash CS6.

Frozen Birthday Card

It seems this year, like the last is speeding along.  We've had many things to celebrate and look towards.  Our second born arrived in April and our first turned 3 last week.  Between sleep deprivation and trying to adapt to the new dynamics at home, my wife and I impulsively decided to make a Frozen themed card for our eldest.  She's very fond of Elsa and tends to identify with that character so that was a given.  With our combined efforts I'm quite happy with what we managed to produce in just two very groggy nights....  I contributed with the illustration/caricature and my wife put it altogether with the awesome paper craft you can see below.

the Joker

I've always liked Batman, and for me his enemies seemed to make the character's world seem even more interesting.  The Joker has been one in particular that through the decades has not only lost his whimsical innocence but become more complex, intriguing and above all frightening.  I personally feel the voice of the Joker is secured in Mark Hamill's rendition, even the persona in the recent Arkham games seems to cement this character in convincing manner.  Bruce Timm's character designs also seem to have evolved into something more menacing before Batman TAS ended.  Although Nicholson and Ledgers renditions where excellent, the advantage to a CGI character seems to be the visual tie to the source material becomes much more accurate.  I also enjoy the writing and dialogue they've used in these recent games that really showcase his intelligence.  Don't get me wrong both Jack and Heath nailed the character in their own right, they were also complimented by the brilliant costuming and writing.

Anyhow here's my take on the notoriously maniacal character, incorporating aspects of all the Joker's I've found appealing.  I wish I could say how long this one took.  I'm hoping to add more characters from the Batman realm in the future when the time permits.  I made this image using Flash CS6.

2013: What a year.

Well life can certainly throw you challenges and make you question everything you know at times.
I'd say 2013 was a good year but I'd be lying.  Now that being said it wasn't all bad.  We were fortunate enough to find out we were expecting a new addition to the family arriving in 2014.  And eventually in the many months to follow that great but scary news, I found a full-time job working for and with the good folks at Bitstrips.  Well that about sums up the good.

I'd say the bad started when I watched EAH come to an end when the company closed its doors June after 6 months of declining work.  We did some great work there and I admit it was probably the funnest job yet in terms of creative freedom and the ability to add work to my portfolio.

After the companies doors closed, I was now unemployed and self-employed through necessity with no real plan in place.  It was at this very same time we discovered our new family member and a mix of joy and fear began to overcome me.  I had a shot at working with Disney in Kelowna as well and after many interviews I came in second place for the job.  I also lost my grandmother a couple months later, who I did not know very well but still meant a great deal to me.  A mentor of mine also departed in November at a young age and left behind his wife and son adding further bewilderment to an already crazy time.  I know I'm likely forgetting a lot of other downers but I'd rather move forward and hope for the better.

Life is short and you never know what lies ahead for good or for bad.  Hope that the course is steady, but never forget that bad things come to all of us and like the good they won't last.  I personally find it a real struggle and the level of difficulty to life seems to just increase with every year that passes.  I'm fortunate to have many good friends, colleagues and family who assisted me in finding work listening to my troubles and being there when I needed it most.  I owe a great deal of thanks to my wife too.  She suffered the same uncertainty I did, and watched me nervously scramble to solve my employment situation as I inhabited the basement.  I couldn't have got through this year without her.

I am very greatful for what I have, who I have and the life I live.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!

Witch's Lair

Here's a spooky isometric background that's depicting a witches lair, I created this for a test.  I added a few points of interest that tell a bit of story like Hansel and Gretel's clothes on the wall, a necronomicon, as well as mounted minotaur, cyclops and unicorn skulls.

I love isometric work!

Festive Tiles

This is a rough mock up of festive themed tiles done in photoshop for a personal project I'm working on with a former colleague and friend Javier Mora Cano.

http://moracano.com/javier/research.html

Hopefully we'll have this ready in time for the holidays!

the Ghosts of the Realm: Lazmuth

This is a concept illustration done in Flash of a character name Lazmuth in the Ghosts of the Realm storyline.  He's a sadistic individual who traded his mortality in exchange for demonic powers.  His sole purpose is to set his master free and destroy those who oppose him.

My Chloe Pony

Here's a post for my 2 year old daughter who's a fan and admirer of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cartoon series.  My wife and I will be painting her room and I thought it would be a good opportunity to paint or illustrate something she likes on the wall.  It didn't take long for me to make her into a pony using the same style as the show while incorporating some things about her into the image.  So this is my take of her as a pony in the My Little Pony style.  I'm not sure if I'll use acrylic or investigate making this into a wall decal.  Paint might be the cheaper option.

By the way google search becomes a scary place looking up My Little Pony images without a content filter.  Bronies draw some mind boggling stuff.

the Ghosts of the Realm: Arcadia

Here's another photoshop concept of a character from a story line I have.  I've tried to spend time getting a feel for rendering in photoshop which is proving to be an adjustment from my usual clean and colour in flash.  I'm definitely considering a multitude of process to get the results I'm after.  I'll be sure to post more work as I go.

Cheers!

Eric

Scarecrow

Here's a character design I came up for a potential tv series concept and an image that also helps kick off the first week of fall.

The Warlock

Here's a character I've been meaning to render and explore.  He was once a man cursed by circumstance and granted supernatural powers.  I did this image in photoshop with a much more loose approach than the last post for Ghosts of the Realm.

Barnacle Bart

Here's a recent commission I did for a friend who's doing a pirate themed magic show. He wanted a fun and playful logo that depict something magical and appeals to kids.  I had a lot of fun with this one and I hope it comes across.

the Ghosts of the Realm

Here's another concept piece depicting a character from a storyline I've had going on in sketchbooks and a few ongoing google docs.  Since I've had some "free" time lately I was able to draw this guy from line to render using photoshop, which is not my usual approach but I believe I managed to sum up the the idea here.  I'm strongly considering added other characters in a line up after having it suggested by a friend.

Heralds of the Deep

Here's a mock comic book cover I made up for a story idea I've had brewing for a while.  I have a few more I'd like to post when I get the chance.  The majority of the work was done in flash but the initial drawing was a based off a hand drawn sketch.

Gamehouse Casino: Captain Nemo Tiles

We've had the pleasure of creating a wide variety of art for Gamehouse Casino's slot machines.  With every project we do it seems that each theme presents it own set of challenges.  Every theme has been a tircky when trying to create a different feel when it relates to a popular story that's been made into a well known film, animation or storybook.  It can be tricky to wipe your mind clean of using any imagery from previously established versions of characters and places.  I think we've been able to create new art that is not only immediately recognizable to the story it belongs to, but also unique in it's take and presentation.

This tile set is for a Captain Nemo themed slot game.  This one may be one of my favorite dealing with the themes of sea life, steampunk, fantasy, adventure and mystery.  With the helpful direction from Dan Kristjanson and Brett Clarke, I think this machine and it's tiles stand out.  Please check out this awesome machine and it's amazing backgrounds painted by the very talented Justin Nieuwland and Min Zhou on facebook.

enjoy!

Drawn to the Sea: Rum Jetty 2013

Last week we went on vacation, and I don't think we have had a getaway vacation like this in quite a few years.  We were very fortunate to be invited to join our good friends (and their new family addition) to stay at Rum Jetty once again.  Having been there once before I have to admit not even my memories can seem to accurately portray just how beautiful this spot is.  With every turn of your head and blink of the eye lies a perfect post card photo for the mind.  From the smell of the sea, to the sights of wildlife, Jamaica possess endless beauty.  I managed to squeeze in this single pen and marker drawing in the time we were there.  I long for the chance of being able to do this for a much longer extended period of time someday.  I'd love to do oil paintings to capture the rich palette of colours you just don't see here in the north.  It's safe to say this place will always have a place in my mind as one of the most beautiful spots on the planet.

One day I hope that I'll be able to say I lived in this climate so I can scratch it off my bucket list.....and may be forget what winter is in the process.

Gamehouse Casino: Robin Hood Tiles

Here's another Gamehouse Casino tile set we created in a Robin Hood theme.  These were also done in Flash like the previous sets.  The tiles I enjoyed the most, involved the Nottingham soldiers.  The initial idea was generic soldiers in each specific location and it evolved into each group appearing to be bumbling dim-witted soldiers. We also decided to make them distinct in uniform face and body for the type of area they would be patrolling.


If you haven't visited the Gamehouse Casino on Facebook yet please do!

You can find more of our works here.
http://easyarthouse.com/

Gamehouse Casino: African Safari Tiles

Here's another set of tiles we did for Gamehouse Casino in a safari theme featuring some iconic animals from the savannah.  These were a lot of fun to work on, I only wish we were able to add more animals!  Like the rest of my work these were illustrated in flash.

If you haven't yet, play this game by going to the Gamehouse Casino on Facebook.

You can find more of our works here.
http://easyarthouse.com/

Bioshock Infinite: The Murder of a Crow

Here's a piece I created using Flash that's a variation of another image I submitted hosted by contest by Dark Horse and Irrational Games for Bioshock Infinite fan art.  I was inspired by the imagery in the trailers for the game and a particular mood setting moment experienced in Bioshock. Specifically, when you arrive at Neptune's Bounty.  If you've played the game you likely remember the treatment a resident of Rapture received for being a smuggler.

Gamehouse Sherlock Tiles

We've been pretty busy making graphics for Gamehouse Casino this past year and started doing their premium games at the end of last fall.  They've been a tonne of fun to work on, experience building and challenging given they're made entirely in flash.  This is one of those slot tile sets with the theme of Sherlock Holmes.  Above is the range of suspects and below a variety of weapons that the player goes through to solve the crime.  You can play the game today on facebook on Gamehouse Casino.

You can find more of our works here.
http://easyarthouse.com/

Bilbo Baggins

St. Patrick's day will be here soon and what better way to celebrate it than enjoying a nice mug of Black Orc Stout alongside a bit of Ol' Toby.

Here's my take on Bilbo Baggin's which will be assembled in a scene with the other 3 wizards posted below in the coming weeks.

Cheers!

Saruman The White

Here's my 3rd and final Wizard for this piece I'm working on.  I wanted to depict Saruman the White and his costume to be as miserable and tainted as he is in the films.  Using drab colors, dirty whites and a bit more grey in his hair.  Ive also added more straight lines and angular shapes to make him more serrated to contrast againts the organic curves of Gandalf and Radagast.

Next inline, will involve a Hobbit and his home.

Radagast The Brown

Here's my take on one of my favorite characters featured in the Hobbit, Radagast the Brown.  I think the costume design and playfulness of the character really caught my attention as a viewer.  Absurd, and crazy, his garb and use of wildlife for transportation just adds to the richness of Peter Jacksons films.  You may not like the films but the work involved is very inspiring to any artist who appreciates hard work and a vivid imagination.  The crew at WETA digital is very talented.

I'll be posting the last wizard in the trifecta soon.

Cheers!

Gandalf The Grey

Well instead of griping about not being able to create or post any personal work, I decided I'd just start somewhere and progressively finish an illustration.  In the past two years I've found new ways of getting what I want out of flash without ever really having to use Photoshop.  I'm compelled to use these techniques now on my spare time to fire out some of the many ideas that linger in my head from one day to the next.   A part of me is stubborn perhaps knowing that by using Flash's vector art I can eliminates the set boundaries in Photoshop when committing to specific sizes of documents.  Plus, Flash is clean and very precise and I can get pretty sloppy if I am presented the option.

On that note, this image is one of several to come this year.  I have illustrated several rough drawings I will likely post later (or you can find on my facebook) that together will complete a spot illustration.  As of late I've been re-inspired by the beautiful work and characterization presented in Peter Jackson's  Lord of the Rings films and of course his latest, the Hobbit. My idea involves a few familiar Wizards and a hypothetical scene that could explain the onset of certain perceived events in the films.

This post in particular, is my nearly finished vector art of Gandalf the Grey contently smoking some Ol'Toby.  I'm eager to reveal the rest and will do so as I complete one character and setting at a time.

Cheers!

Gamehouse Casino Work

Most people have probably been wondering what I've been up to at Easy Art House, and as of this week I can finally show you what our team and I has been up to for the better part of a year.  We've been creating artwork for the Gamehouse Casino on facebook, we've been making a lot of the artwork for there Casino games that range from Slots, poker and bingo.

I've posted two tiles sets I had the pleasure of working on from concept to finish done entirely in flash.  The framed tiles mean they're tiles that possess animation.  So if you play the game you'll also see the animations (if you're lucky enough to get 3 in a row).  Our goal with the tiles is to make artwork that could appear to be done in photoshop and work with the backgrounds, but in actuality be done in flash.  I think the end result has been pretty successful and with each new set the results seem to be getting better.  We have more in the works and a few more that are pending release which I'm quite excited to share.


If you enjoy casino games or just want to see what we've done you can play and see more of our work using this link.

http://apps.facebook.com/gamehousecasino/

If you'd like to see more work we've done at Easy Art House feel free to visit our site.

http://easyarthouse.com/

Merry Christmas 2012

                                     

I haven't update this blog in ages it seems and it's not from a lack of desire to do so.  I've had tonnes of ideas but life seems to be very busy for us these days.  I would be very upset with myself if I didn't get a Christmas  card made, I can at least say I did that in 2012!

Here is our Christmas card for 2012, made in flash.  I was much later getting it out the door than in previous years, but I think it turned out okay?  It was a few moments shy of never being made. I wish I had more time on it, but then again I say that for most artwork! 

Merry Christmas everyone and a happy New year!

Enjoy!

Size relationship

Here's the size relationship between Goblin and man assuming the human is 6 feet or so.
This image is another rough drawing of Paragon Greystone thats baesd off an older post. I've revised the character a bit and will do more digital revisions. I'm doing the linear drawings of these 2 character in flash and then adding colour through photoshop to see how the characters look a finished pieces. I've been debating inking them traditionally but I think that may prove to make more lengthy process for colouring. Unless anyone out there knows a more efficient way? Please share!!!

Commander Ocrit

Here's a sketch I've done for a character I've been developing (along with many others!) for The Hands of Doom. I hope to have a character line up done sometime this year along with a logo and map to boot!

Enjoy!

Goblin Commander

Here is a concept I've created for the Hands of Doom. This fellow is a prestigious warrior and once a leader to the Goblin army of the North land.

Merry Christmas 2011

Every year I try to get one of these out in time for print, process and mail. It seems like a task when everything else in the mix like Christmas shopping and working around our daughters schedule limit the time. Despite all that it's a fun project to partake in and one I always feel satisfied doing annually. I think if I didn't I'd feel more guilty than not! Well enough of me griping, here's our annual family Christmas card featuring our new addition in the company of our two feathered friends, furry feline-son Le Roy and us of course. I hope you enjoy it!

Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year!

the Paragon

Here's a sketch of the main character to my story that Ive been working on. It's my first pass on the character and I can already see a lot I'd like to improve on. Overall the concept is there and I'll be sure to post more of my development as I continue on.

Enjoy!

the Hands of Doom

Thanks to the Pitt pens and a nice moleskine A4 sketchbook I've been able to press my ideas out faster with more detail than previous sketch books. Here are some sketches for a personal project that's been brewing for a long time. I've found on my commute home or in between programs crashing at work my mind will wonder to this imaginary world I've been creating. The premise is centered around the return of 5 demonic gods in another world not unlike our own. So you can see the reason for the horrific imagery. I look forward to posting more development sketches as I progress. I hope to have a nice package of design work to start sketching out some book pages in the near future.

May the 4th

Here's my little contribution to celebrate May 4th. It was a last minute idea but I managed to squeeze it out tonight. Cheers!

Darth Sidious' Secret order 56 close up

I accidentally deleted this post when uploading the full illustration. Here's a close up on the work I did on Darth Sidious on his deathstar speeder.

Order 56

Here's an idea I've been wanting to illustrate for a while. Being a big Star Wars fan I've always wanted to draw my own rendition of Darth Sidious/Emperor. The idea came to me one day at work while on lunch and like many other ideas, I sketched it out as a thumbnail and tossed it into my personal concept morgue. I also wanted to get this done before May 4th as it's international Star Wars day as well as our first born's due date! So here's to Star Wars and to a new generation I'll be passing on a piece of nostalgia to. May the 4th be with you!

The Warlock

Here's another PITT pen sketch of an evil sorceror or Warlock.