Colin's Blog

Happy Holidays 2011!

2011-12-25T15:10:00.000-08:00

"The Holidays are about flightless birds drinking alcohol in the snow, with presents"

Merry Christmas

-Colin

Resistance 3 Terraformer

2011-11-27T00:56:00.001-08:00

This is the first concept that began to flesh out what the Terraformer looked like above the cloud line.

Here is one of the first images with the 'final look' of the Terraformer. However this is not the accurate scale of the final version, it became much much bigger.

Front and side Orthos, there is no scale indicator here, I'll just say it's "Stupid Big".

Mid-section details, with and without extending pylon.

Detail of one of the structures at the base of an extending pylon with red stalkers for scale.

Terraformer "Gills" detail.

Originally there was some gameplay on the exterior, this was a first pass at where you would have been dropped off, and had to fight your way inside.

The first hall of the interior, you can see the lighting changed a bit from this first pass.

Lighting and ice pass of one of the rooms with a big generator in the center.

Diagram of one of the 'vertical generators' feeding energy into the core.

Evolution of the moving pistons. The left most is the final design.

Spinning 'carousel' gear that the player can use as cover...as it rotates.

Vertical shaft details, originally for the final falling sequence, some details where used in the various elevator shafts'.

A diagram of the central beam structure in the heart of the beast, the scale here is also 'stupid big'.

This was a drawing of the original design of the final room sequence, similar gameplay, but completely different arraignment.

Drawing of details of the new final room.

The end of the game , destroy this machine feeding energy into the core and it goes crazy and stuff blows up.

Though i worked on many parts of Resistance 3, I spent the longest on development of the terraformer. Not only was it one of the first things i worked on, but it was also one of the last things I worked on. It was almost a project within a project, being so different (completely alien) from the rest of the designs in the game. Though there was some Chimera architecture here and there, it was always nestled in the ruins of humanity, this was its own monster. The designed changed quit a bit here and there, and I think we're happy with what we got in the end. I think when you play through the level, you really feel like you're climbing into the cold heart of a giant mechanical beast. As a sci-fi lover, designing a "miles high" alien death machine was a art-nerd dream come true.

Though Ratchet and Clank: A crack in time was really fun to work on, Resistance 3 has been my favorite project so far. I think the team at Insomniac did a really great job with the gameplay and art of the campaign. It's also my favorite Resistance! Bias!

If you haven't you should totally check it out! If you have no idea what it is check the Insomniac Site!

-Colin

Resistance 3 Round 2

2011-09-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Random Props

Here is a bit more variety of types of concepts for R3. I also included some sketches of the Washington Square concept from the previous entry. There's a turret here that you'll see if you go up against higher levels in Multiplayer (which here are now quite a few. ) . The radio looking thing is an actual recording device from the lade 40s/ 50s that I redesigned a bit to help match what it is used for in the game, though you just pick these up and they help tell you stories about the world.

The first image in the entry is a chimera Interior that was suppose to be the inside of a machine that carried you around. The chimera wall is really massive and impressive in-game. Note the scale of the red marks in relation to the structure. Massive. There are quite a few more things to share, and in a few weeks, or months, I'll do an entry about the Terraformer, which I spent most of my time on the project on.

Get the game! :D

-Colin

Resistance 3 Concept Art

2011-09-08T01:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a few concept pieces I did for Resistance 3. The first few images are for the first section of the game seen in the trailers. The other couple are early concepts for later campaign levels. The planet is seen in the opening/loading cinematic and you can see it through a giant 'wormhole' in the sky that you're fighting to close. You wind up seeing the destroyed version of this several times in the game.

Below are some props for various Multiplayer (MP) modes and the campaign. The turret is special to the MP mode 'Breach' where they protect a core that the enemy team is trying to destroy. Below that is an early version of a chimera set piece. The last prop is from the MP mode 'Chain Reaction' and if the enemy team activates it after a base dug of war with your team, you loose.

I have a ton of other images that I'll upload later. Some of them are sketches and pretty much all the ammo pick ups etc that you see in the game. There are more images from some later levels, but I want you to check those out for yourself first :) . So go get Resistance 3 so you can check it out for yourself!

Until then, keep on drawing!

-Colin

Resistance 3 Launch

2011-09-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

Resistance 3 is Finally out!!! This is the first game I've seen go from a written idea to release in my time in the industry (Ratchet and Clank a Crack in Time was already started when I joined Insomniac). I am proud of my team and the work we did on this. I'm totally bias in saying this, but it is definitely the best Resistance game! I can say from an art standing we all worked very hard to create well crafted spaces in the environment. It also has a sweet multiplayer competitive, and campaign co op!

This is a painting for the weather FX of the Chimeran Terraformer approaching Haven , OK, where our hero and his family are holding out. Not for long....

I could go on and on, but you should check it out.
Also heres the launch Trailer:

Until next time! Or when I have time to upload more work!!

-Colin

Double Trouble

2011-08-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

A couple weapons from last week. One is a bit 'Resistance' themed, the other is more compact sniper. Theres a bit more photo ref in the first one, the second one is mostly drawing. Love me some guns! (not to scale with each other btw)

9 days to R3!!! Almost there!!!

Crayons are Tasty!

2011-08-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a story plate from Ratchet and Clank: a Crack in Time, aka RCF2. As I'm counting down the weeks to Resistance 3's launch (Two more weeks!(or so) I've been looking through my old images and found this gem. In the game you see this at a point where Nefarious is going crazy and trying to find himself. This was a render over an in game model to bring it up a bit higher quality for this story image. The best part of this, however, was 'developing' a 'crayon brush' . Then drawing these lovely wall decals....

Of all the images, this shows the extreme difference between the too franchises and how much fun it was to work on. Resistance 3 is going to be awesome and I hope everyone can check it out!

Desert Station

2011-08-12T09:14:00.001-07:00

R3 Story Trailer

2011-08-03T18:36:00.001-07:00

IGN.com has just uploaded a bunch of new videos including this sweet trailer for the story of R3!

only 1 month to go! (give or take a few days)

I recommend watching this on youtube in HD!!

heres a link to the rest of the recent IGN coverage : http://ps3.ign.com/articles/118/1185990p1.html

Now to get back to drawing....

New Town

2011-07-28T02:06:00.000-07:00

A small thing started this past Sunday. Keep it up!

The Batmobile

2011-07-25T22:12:00.001-07:00

Just for fun! Love me some batman!!

The Journey Continues

2011-07-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

So here we have a collection of images i've been noodling away on after work when I have time. Things have been very busy at work as we approach the launch date for Resistance 3 (9/6/11) as well as production of Overstrike. These where started at various times and other then the last landscape I concider these to be 'done' or rather im not going to work on them anymore.

Also for resistance there have been a TON of great previews coming out from all over the web. IGN has a nice preview (here) as well as a neat article describing R3 as "The Road" of video games (here).

We are very excited to see how everyone responds to the game, though I'll say of the games I've worked on so far in the industry, I am the most proud of this one, all Insomniacs should be proud! Also, currently playing the only beta, super fun.

Also Also went to E3 this year, saw a lot of neat games, but seriously, most excited for Sonic Generations. All the power of modern consoles, going into revisiting the classic game play we know and love that is Sonic the Hedgehog. And of course Battlefeild 3.

Take care until next time!

-Colin

Bonus! Original tank sketch and Golf cat!

New Insomniac Game!!

2011-06-08T17:13:00.001-07:00

Finally, here is "Overstrike" , our new game!! Also our first multi-platform game!!

Thanks to our friends at Blur Studios for making this AWESOME trailer!!

And heres a Link to the trailer!! On Youtube!

The characters where designed by Carlo Arellano and Rodrigo Riberio, Darren Quach handled the gadgets and FX, I handled the guns and some props in the environment, Blur did an awesome job with everything else!

Check out the Overstrike Website and Facebook page!

In other news, R3 has had a great presence at E3! On Monday a great Playstation Move + lightgun + R3 Bundle was announced, as well as a new 24 inch Playstation Brand Sony 3D tv that includes a copy of the game. Outside E3, there was a Nike store that was completely decked out for R3, and included a demo of the game. Also the Blu-Ray of Battle LA comes out later in the year with a demo of the game. Thats all for now!

Have a good day!!!

-Colin

Resistance 3 Box Art

2011-05-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

By Olly Moss!

Heres a couple more!

Thanks Olly!!

Get the game 9/6/11!!

Future City

2011-01-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

Future City. I want to go to there.

These Sketches are Unrelated:

Bonus!

Dancy Dog!

Have a good one!

Alien Tech

2011-01-07T15:39:00.000-08:00

Me + V2 Marksmen

Designed by Darren Quach and has some additional design stuff from Carlo Arellano. This was one of the replica's used in the Live Action Trailers for Resistance 3.

Also this week is the start of the 3rd year at Insomniac! So far its been totally awesome, and we have a few awesome projects in the works so it stays fresh!

Happy new year everyone!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T18:19:00.001-08:00

Have a safe Holiday season!!

Also Check out these sweet images from Resistance 3!!

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=24892117&postcount=386

And the VGA Directors Cut trailer!!

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/12/16/resistance-3-watch-the-vga-trailer-directors-cut/

The games coming along quite well! Until Next time!!

-Colin

Game Informer Cover

2010-10-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

Game Informer November Cover

The Full Spread.

Game Informer Article

Looks like Game Informer Announced today their cover for November. We're really excited and proud that it is Resistance 3. This was a collaboration between Carlo Arellano and Tae Choi, both senior members of our concept team. Look for the upcoming issue at a Gamestop near you or your mailbox for details on the game. (also it looks like there's some info on the last guardian in there too which is also pretty cool )

Hope Everyone's having a good time with work and classes! Until Next time!

-Colin

Predator

2010-08-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

Roar!

A little break from the normal. Drawn for fun as well as an alumni blog in free time after work. I enjoyed Predators, it was exactly what I thought it would be, a wild romp through the forests with predators going after some silly archetypes. There where explosions, and they where glorious.

Until Next time!

The New Games

2010-08-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Here is the game I've been working on :

Info at Insomniac Games

As well as what our NC studio has been working on.

Info at Insomniac Games

Everyone at Insomniac has been working very hard on both projects. We're very excited to share with everyone. It's been fun working on Resistance as it has a completely different style and demands then the previous project. It has really helped me grow as an artist and a game developer, as well as some teamwork lessons mixed in. I am really happy with how things are moving forward with the project. Kudos again to everyone at both studios as both projects are coming along nicely!

Have a good day!

Current Adventures

2010-07-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here is some of what I do after work and when I'm not out wreaking havoc on the town. These images conssit of some gray scale drawings, some color thumbnails, a shuttle sketch demo for a friend, and of course... Fat Jet!

My process is still largely the same, the only factor that affects it is time really. I am still learning a lot from my co-workers so I don't think that I will be taking classes any time in the near future. Tae Young Choi (the newest member of our team who started last November) is a total beast. Carlo is still kicking my butt too, though in a less painful way. He and Darren are currently kicking a lot of student butt over at the Concept Design Academy. Speaking of which, there is another 'Concept Design' oriented school that just opened up Red Engine Design.

The school, made up of experienced members of the design community such as Jung Park and several others, really solidifies the fact that Los Angeles is the premier city in the country (and possibly the world) for learning about Concept Design and the industry from talented professionals.

I've been in LA now for almost 2 years. Though it was a major risk moving out, and I really wasn't clear of my future, once I started taking classes and networking my future sort of filled itself. Now at Insomniac for over one and a half years, and thinking about the future, the future is good. I've also finally accepted Los Angeles as my home, at least for now! Now get of the internet and get back to drawing!

Also, here's a fat bee!

PS: SEE YOU AT COMICON !

Mole Men and Friends

2010-03-30T00:32:00.000-07:00

Mole Men Tank

Mole Tank V1

Mech Leg

Mech Thumbnails

Orion Alpha Sketch

Orion Beta Sketch

Star fighter Sketch

So this past month has been pretty busy. With work and adventures outside. This is some of the collective personal work I hammered out (though the rest is mostly just sketches and doodles here and there). So all the robots at the top of the post came from the thumbnails midway down. Originally I was working on a draw up of the mech above the mole tank, but it got to the point where I was over designing it, so all that I am posting for now is one of its legs. It was easier for me to envision the mole tank because its generally hilarious. Though I took the time to think of a shock absorbing system for the base of the legs, in general its a silly looking machine, which would probably look interesting as it walks down battlefield. Though clearly it's red eye ports mean business. I would drive one.

The next few images are me getting back to my roots. I love me some space ships. The first two are sort of a star wars/ star trek hybrid. Though there needs to be some more work on incorporating all parts of the hull, as par a suggestion from a reliable source, I am still fairly happy with it for now. Though if I want to take it to final render, it needs more work. The same can be said about the small star fighter looking ship underneath both. I've been told its a bit flimsy, so that will need to be fixed before final render.

Lastly a couple environments. I think at this point I just wanted to get out finished and unfinished pieces, so they stop staring back at me. I think they all need some work, but for now , they are a good representative of many things I have learned over the past year of work. I really do encourage everyone to work on their own work outside of career and life. Staying 'frosty' keeps you one step ahead, or maybe just one step in line, better then falling behind!

Ratchet and Clank Bits and Pieces

2010-02-16T02:37:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the many things that I worked on for Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time (RCF2). I had a lot of fun working closely with Darren, Carlo and the rest of the art department, and learned more about art and design then I could have imagined. I'll put more up on a website... when i make one... Have a good day!

Boom Boom

2010-02-13T16:17:00.000-08:00

So this is sort of practice for doing useful weapons. I 'll updated this post when i do some mods and attachments for this, which are planned, but lack of time means not right now. This was fun for various reasons, mostly wondering around holding my arms up like i was holding the rifle, and making shooting sounds. For now I'll just say that I imagine the piece in front of the clip on the underside can be removed and a cart with a larger caliber can be attached. I will no doubt do more in the near future, take care!

The Forest Den

2010-01-19T00:47:00.001-08:00

Hello again. This is me shifting gears to try something new. I experimented with painting with pattern 'brushes' and such. Early on in this I lost the original sketch, and some how got to distracted by all the craziness to fix the bendy roots and trees. Fortunately I am viewing this as a painting exercise , and not a design exercise . Having said that I kinda like it. Though I have 'painted' in the past, I had generally made more rigid design choices in the forms before. This is one of the first ones where I just let the forms find themselves after the original sketch, which was just a bunch of squiggly lines. Originally I had planned to put various creatures in some sort of festival throughout it. Since I didn't include them in the original sketch or painting, i could see it getting messy fast. Not to mention its time to put this down. It was fun while it lasted , time to move onto something new!

Otherwise things are good, starting my second year at Insomniac. The first was pretty epic, no doubt the next will continue the trend. I am very thankful and fortunate to be in a place with ridiculous artists and teachers. Also the kitchen is pretty sweet too. aha!

Also good luck to all you SCAD students who just started the winter quarter! I hope all those out here and Cali where able to sign up for Concept Design Academy classes before they filled up!

Until Next time!

-Colin

Into The Future!

2009-12-15T01:52:00.001-08:00

Well It has been a little bit since I posted something. I've been noodling on this sketch off and on this past week. Its time to put it down. I though it would be a fun break from other things going on. Intuous 3/CS3

In other news Ratchet and Clank a Crack in Time has been out since late October. I've played through the whole thing myself and its very entertaining. For the first time I've been on the other side of development, and have been able to see some things I, and others designed. I was able to work some amazing talent during the project in-house as well as contract. A trend that will continue into the future!

In the mean time, heres some more doodles:

This guy was suppose to be up with the last batch:

First CS4 Sketch:

CS3 is fine.

"Pen Sketches"

So I've mentioned here and there that I often do a lot of pen sketches. For these I used a uniball Pen on straight printer paper. These doodles occupied time in between work and fun. I've filled up many pages, but have no aquired a small sketchbook to keep with me so I can keep things focused. For these I just corrected a few lines in photoshop, as well as erased some of the excess so you can actually see the lines that matter, as well as added some light sources so the forms are more apparent.

That's it for now... more stuff to come soon. Happy Holidays Everyone! Travel Safe!

:D

Sketch Dump and Other News

2009-09-22T02:14:00.001-07:00

Multi-Purpose Mech

Fat Plane

Deep Research

Space Cargo

Semi Plane

Bonus!
Rocket Bee

Small Carrier

Hey everyone! So it has been quite some time since I posted. Things have been pretty busy at work, as at the end of next month we release our game!! In the mean time, as things have been winding down, I've had some time here and there to study various art and machinery and things. Finding some time here and there over the last few weeks ive done some sketching, of the sketching these got a layer of value and some clean up.

My favorite is definitly 'Fat Plane' . He started as a very quick scribble and turned into .. pretty much what the scribble was. Since I've been doing so much drawing at work, and of course being around insainly good artists / co workers, ive been able to take many things ive learned and put them into sketching and drawing in general. We dont have forever to do something at work, so thinking quickly and producing something that is legiable, and tells a story on its own is key. I have really gotten into sketching ideas out in pen, and then re drawing them digitally, pen means less chance for chance, more focused thought. Though all of these where digital (intous 3 action), I had a shape or subject in mind when i started, and as soon as a half decent shape was present it was done, just layered on some details and functionality and tada! Fat Plane!

Ratchet and Clank!

I also need to give a shout out to the awesome team I work with! Our concept team, and art team, and everyone else in the company has done a great job in bringing the game together! I have learned far more then I ever thought I would in an insainly short amount of time. Go team Insomniac!

Heres a trailer that pretty much demonstrights the amount of awesome that goes into making a game like this:

Video Games | Ratchet & Clank Future: CT | PAX 09: Weapons Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Also this on is my favorite:

Video Games | Ratchet & Clank Future: CT | GC 09: Clank's Destiny Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Kudos to our animation team for that one! totally awesome.

I am also very excited for the host of other games coming out this fall, though who knows when I'll have time to play them as I plan on taking another class, and drawing, a lot.

Good Night and Good luck!

-Colin

Another

2009-03-09T01:07:00.000-07:00

Another one for now... hopefully ill get more done before an upcoming trip. This was pretty fun. I already have another few sketched out, we'll see what i can get done.

SCAD STUDENTS - GOOD LUCK ON YOUR FINALS!!!! and goodluck to everyone else in general.

This week...

2009-03-02T01:39:00.000-08:00

So this weekend Khang Le gave a lecture/demo at the Concept Design Academy. I had originally done some other peices for my class with James Paick. After Khang's demo I scrapped them and started two new ones. It was a combination of burst of creativity as well as oh man Khang is awesome. I might rehash parts of the other two at this point, but for now this is good enough.

Until nextime, goodnight!

Back In Class

2009-02-22T20:38:00.001-08:00

Im taking Jame's Paicks class again to get a better grasp of the subject matter. This term he is having us move much faster then before. So far so good, the first one was slightly revised after an in class crit/draw over he did.

Other then that things at work are going well. I really enjoy what im doing, as well as everyone i work with. Take care!

AWESOMENESS!

2009-01-27T00:31:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! for those who don't know, about 4 weeks ago started at Insomniac Games as an Associate Concept Artist. This is basically a junior level concept artist position. It has so far been totally amazing. I know I really lucked out, though it was the result of lots of sacrifice, moving to LA, taking several months of classes, and no clear outcome in site. Fortunately, it more then paid off. I am very happen where I am, and have some amazing talent around me to learn from. Jackpot. Really though it is very fun, they have you hit the ground running, and its been both exciting and relatively manageable. I now get paid to draw all day, specifically scifi oriented stuff. Dream job achieved!

You can do anything you want, if you are ready to find out what you need to know, and what you need to do, and then go do those things.

And Now here's some sketches I've been doodling, I mostly do them for fun now:

Also Happy new year everyone! have fun!!

Old Town

2008-11-27T04:16:00.001-08:00

So This is something i started last two weekend ago, but wasnt really able to work on it or other things since my computer died. A a week, and a new computer, later, ive made some ehadywa on it. Probably lots more little things to do, but for now here it is. Also here is the basic sketch where it started.

And here are a few quick sketches, just to keep my mind working in between the longer works.

Also, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Im currently working on some revisions on older works, trying to bring them up a notch based on peer and instructor crits. You can only do better.

Valley of the Ancients

2008-11-18T07:17:00.001-08:00

Started it yesterday, finished it last night. So far there are no photos in there. So i guess its more of a straight up painting. Lord of the Rings-ish for sure. I might go back and add textures/folieage. This was originally going to be one of the 'Overgrown' series, but i wanted to see what it looked like without plants. Though one could say the castle is fairly overgrown. I imagin it was carved out of the rock, and then they added to it.

Heres where it started. I think i made a good choice by changing the color scheme.

Overgrown# 2

2008-11-15T02:11:00.000-08:00

"The Lost Land"

This one was fun. Originally there was to be a space ship flying through this environment, following the river. I replaced that with some flying critters, and a raptor. At that point it changed into "lost land". More so a reference to the old Turok Games for n64. Id like to see them return to a place like this. No pictures where used as they are, except for maybe some fo the surface of the water. Everything else is mashed up and as it was originally.

I'd visit this place.

Also, heres the Sketch where it started:

When you look at both of them small like this it looks like i didn't do too much. hah.

Overgrown #1

2008-11-13T03:22:00.000-08:00

This is one of several I hope to do for this weekend; assuming i have time with all my other work. I am pleased with how this one turned out. Its some sort of ruins on an alien world. This sort of combines two ideas from my sketches from yesterday, towers that seem to support something massive, and the sort of open thing. Though in the sketches i had a light coming from within. I might add a subtle amount of light later, but for now its fine as is.

Some Progress

2008-11-12T00:55:00.000-08:00

I have been able to work a little more on this space. I plan to go back in when theres time and mess with my mark making so its not as systematic. Most likely by adding in some photo textures. It is very easy to get lost in color.

No these guys are technically "Color Sketches 3" But they are different in that they where done straight up just painting. I had a vague idea of what i was looking for eaith each one before I started, and i tried to get there as fast as possible by blocking in shapes, and adding a couple details here and there. Cutting out the whole photo thing really saves a lot of time. If I could id just like to be able to a ton of these a day. Unfortunately this wasn't even part of an assignment and was just experimentation, so I'll have to work a little extra now on the actual stuff. hah. Though not directly for my current assignment, these will serve as some idea for the direction of color and composition I'll be going in next. The theme word for these is 'Overgrown" .

until next time, peace.

Dragon

2008-11-11T04:16:00.000-08:00

So this is another one of these shiny cars. Mostly a study of rendering the surface. As with all of these I've been working over quick sketches, sort of sculpting the detail with the rendering. Because of the amount of work I have this guys going to stay how he is until I have the time to tweek all the little things, and give him proper rims.

Push Bot Sketch

2008-11-07T01:26:00.000-08:00

He can only push forward. He can't even turn his head. The upgraded version can pull backwards.

A quickish render over a sketch that wasn't going to get developed any further. He is symmetrical so your not missing anything. hah.

Coffee Shop

2008-11-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

So this guy went from start to finish in a coffee shop. He isnt as well designed as his predacessor, which will stand through now matter how I try to render him, but for all the distractions he came out pretty well. He suffers from lack of continuity between shapes, and some car related proportional issues. He's sort of 'curvy muscle' but not in the cool way. Though at this point I am still more focused on learning this rendering process. I learned from this to never color your object the same color as the sky, then it doesn't stand out as well against the sky. haha.

I am in a coffee shop because I woke up this morning to the sound of water filling something up. I jumped up and realized that my ceiling light fixture was filling with water. I ran to get my land lord, and then waited there for a short while, trying to hold up the light fixture so it didnt fall and shatter, dumping the water everywhere (which wound up happening anyway). Long story short the power is still off in my room while they are working on fixing the problem. So I became uber behind on my work, thus tried to draw and render a car at a coffee shop. Once again, I think under the circumstances it turned out ok, haha. If and when I get to go home I will try another one.

peace.

*Edit* so this looks way different on my monitor at home compared to my laptop. oops. haah.

Speed Demon

2008-11-05T03:32:00.001-08:00

This was sort of a focused render practice I did after watching a demo from a professor. I broke down his process and was able to replicate it on a vehicle of my own design. I also took a few steps more to completion since I had more time then the demo , though he was able to get really far really fast, hopefully with a few more practice rounds I'll be as fast. Side note, this is actually a really hardcore version of a car I designed last summer, which I think i drew subconciously. As with the portraits this wasn't looking so hot in the beginning, but given the time to figure things out I think it came together pretty well.

All photoshop, hopefully the first of many in this style.

Irony

2008-11-02T22:31:00.000-08:00

"I'm not impressed" said the raccoon.

Someone said this would be a funny picture. They where right.

More Color!

2008-11-02T02:32:00.000-08:00

I spent a lot longer then i wanted to on this one. Originally it was one of the color sketches, but I kept fiddling with it. I think i got too caught up in the fiddling on details, working in isolated areas and didnt always check to make sure what i was doing was working for everything else. It looks pretty good small (and from a distance) so I im happy with it.

Here is a a little preview of another thing im working on. I blocked out all the colors and composition pretty quickly, and now its just a matter of deciding on what level to take it to. If i have time hopefully I can finish it early this coming week.

This has definitely been a very busy, productive week. One of many to come.

Color Sketches 2

2008-10-30T01:36:00.000-07:00

So here are some more color sketches. Clearly i took them a little far beyond sketching, but its really easy to get into it. I love photoshop, when its not crashing.

Color Sketches

2008-10-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some color sketches done with some photomashing. Im not sure if thats the correct term but bascially you take shapes from a photo and then move them around looking for interesting shapes they create. So bascially trying to create images with photos without just using them literally, like not just putting a picture of a mountain into your image, using the shape of it to be something else. (the mountains on the 4rth one are painted and the shape was made using the lasso tool). I think the first one fails to do this, but became an interesting photoshop collage of images. The fuselage of the vehicle started as a boat. These where probably more detailed then we had to do.

Enviornments

2008-10-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

Cave City

Rock Forest

Here are a couple gray scale environments. The second one is a fine tuned version of one of the previous sketches.

Avatar 2099

2008-10-24T04:57:00.000-07:00

For fun, and a sketch challenge at my old school. I think it would be entertaining. The rest of the work is going good, I should probably get back to it...

The Infected

2008-10-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Fangtooth

SpiderSnake

Fleshbabies

Zombies

These are what the hero will fight. All of them are related, and came from a virus. The tree goes infection> Zombie> Eggsack> Fleshbabies> and then evolution into any number of creatures, borrowing DNA from living things. Had fun with these, done all in photoshop. They may change pending a crit.

Also, heres a color test on a sketch of fangtooth:

Western Style...

2008-10-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Version 2

So heres the second version of the badass. Now He actually looks like what hes suppose to; a cowboy of some sort, or at least a man of the old west.

1898

Enviornment Sketches

2008-10-18T05:36:00.000-07:00

Tonal value studies of imaginary environments done in photoshop. The focus was to create environments that strictly follow the value degradation with space, as well as working on composition. Some how i wound up doing way more fantasy images then planned. Ultimately i think they where more fun, so i kept doing them. I guess all of the fantasy images fall into some sort of plotline that would be cool for a game, thus, the boss fight:

My favorite one is at the very top, the 'Rock Forest'. There will be more later.

Robot Thumbnails!

2008-10-17T01:15:00.000-07:00

Thats pretty much what they are. Bipedal for the most part. Theres one quadruped in there somewhere. Joints are indicated using small circles. In some cases its subtle, in others its just a circle. Had fun doing them, mostly because I like robots.

Supreme Badass v1.0

2008-10-12T19:14:00.001-07:00

Thats pretty what much he is. This design will change a lot by the time I am done. Didn't need to g all out with the rendering, but it was good practice like the previous studies, in understanding the shapes of the face and how they can be made to be distinct. His story is that he is a late 1800s cowboy who gets transported into present day and has to fight monster aliens from the future that have come back in time. It sounds wonky, but my quest here is to only make things that look good, and are functional for the subject matter. Not to mention he is a total badass, who'll cut you down with a glare. I came up with a fun story for the scar on his face. When asked, he said it was from a small grizzy bear. Until he fought back, then it was just dead. Badass.

As instructed, his re-design will be more distinct, and focus on giving him more character attributes related to the fact that he is a cowboy.

Also this is what he looks like in a hat, the same hat he had on during the grizzly attack. It still works as a hat so he kept it:

Badass.

Thumbnails!

2008-10-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some Thumbnails I at the beginning of last week. I was planning on doing more for practice but had other work to do. The theme [for most] of these was "overgrown" . I did almost all of them in 16x9 format, and I was reminded that there are other screen ratios. So I also have 4 in anamorphic windscreen, er approximate. I should have, and will do more as that allows for much more epic images. epic!

Most of the earlier ones are tooooo busy, after reading a bit of Hans Bacher's 'Dream Worlds' i toned it down a notch and tried to focus more on shapes. Except for the last two. hah.

SURPRISE!

2008-10-08T04:09:00.001-07:00

Says the Party Monster.

Needed a break from everything else. I doodled his head on a thumbnail I working on, and then decided later go go and sketch his body out. I might do a more detailed rendering later, but for now heres this. The more detailed one will most likely have body parts here and there and a martini glass in one of his hands.

'class' work is starting to pick up so my time for personal work and posting on here will probably be limited to once a week. With the exception of this guy, or girl, or whatever. PARTY MONSTER!

Happy

2008-10-03T01:58:00.000-07:00

So here is round 3. It was intense, but I made it. Its interesting because each one I do makes me want to do more.

Still using photoshop and creating colors without color picking.

Red Sweater

2008-10-01T03:26:00.001-07:00

From random internet photo, no color picking.

Another day, another digital painting. I think I like this one better because of the lighting. Yellow (sun) light just looks better. This started the same as the other, frustrating and all over the place. It is a bit more difficult for me to draft on a tablet then on pencil and paper, but with more practice I should get over that.

I might do some more, once you get past the frustrating phase, this is pretty fun. Not to mention good practice.

Also, I visited Blizzard headquarters today, its pretty amazing and castle-like (well, 3 castles). Theres a bunch of really nice and talented people there; a pretty well functioning company thats for sure.

Gnight.

Digital Self

2008-09-30T02:26:00.000-07:00

100% Photoshop. Used photo reference, though NO color picking.

Detail:

This was sort of a "try painting in photoshop" type exercise. I approached it as if i where working on a pastel drawing. Had I picked colors directly from the image i was looking at, I would have limited my color options drastically. Usually while doing a pastel drawing I will try to utilize as many of the colors that I can actually see in the figure or image. Which in reality is a lot, but photos usually can't capture as much as the naked eye. So for this I sort of pushed what little information was there, and just used hues/tones that had appropriate values for their locations.

This was fun, I think I'll Do another.

Into the Future!

2008-09-25T02:41:00.001-07:00

Photoshop over pencil sketch, its the future.

So now I live in Pasadena, In a really sweet 112 year old Victorian house. In a few days Ill be going down to Laguna College of art for the 2 Day opening workshops for the Concept Design Academy. In addition to classes there I am taking a class at Gnomon for digital painting. These are all great because they are night and weekend classes, as the instructors actually have working lives. The professor for the Digital painting class is Hugo Martin, interestingly enough we will be classmates in a class taught at the concept design academy by James Paick, who offered to teach another section due to popular demand. The same day as the new section was announced it filled up. So im fortunate to have the opportunity to take his Enviornmental Design Class. Im also taking a class on drawing mechanical things like vehicles and mechs with John Wu, . Finally I will be taking a class called Entertainment Projects. In meetings with Kevin Chen, founder of CDA, he explained it as a class where you go through simulated projects you may encounter in the real world. It will be taught by Carlo Arellano. I'm pretty much going to have an insainly full schedule for the next ten weeks. Of course its going to be very exciting, and I have spent some time scowering craigslist to create a pretty sweet work area. No going back now, haha.

Also this past weekend I visited San Francisco. I saw many friends, some from as far back as highschool, and made some new ones here and there. One of which is a very talented artist, Kinman Chan. His work ethic and thought process where very interesting to experience first hand, as well as just hanging out in general. Hes got pretty much every video game system and movie ever made in his house (thats an exaggeration and I'm pretty sure he only plays rock band) . Really though, as many artists I have encountered in this field, very knowlagable and down to earth.

Since I spent so much time talking about it, heres some of the CDA brochures including the opening weekend workshop (I think most everything is full by now, but you can check the CDA website and blog):

Time for learning!

Experimentation..

2008-08-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

So these are utlizing my 'advanced' knowledge of photoshop, to make something that looks less digital and more fun. I do stuff like this on my down time, and it tends to be more appealing to a broader audience then the rest of my work. Also it makes people smile which is always good. These are also tests for a possible children's book in the future.

Interestingly enough I use a lot of the same process for these as I do with the more complicated renders.

In other news pending on anything I hear from contacts made at Siggraph, I'm going to move up to Pasadena and look into some of the schools up there. Except in the reverse order (find school then move).

Until next time, have fun!

Siggraph 2008

2008-08-15T00:36:00.000-07:00

Very amazing. Learned many things, met many people, generally had a good time. Though I couldn't get into the legendary Blur party, I had more then enough great experiences to surpass what awesomeness I may have missed. In actuality I think some of the expreiences I had surpassed the Blur party, even if I had had the opportunity to go. Enough about the blur party! Of the many companies I was able to interact with, Lucasfilm, Imagemovers Digital, Rhythm & Hues, and Blizzard where the most positive experiences. Not necessarily because of job opportunities, but general quality of people. I was able to gain great and positive feedback from them as well. I only had one negative experience with talking with a company, but it didn't even come down to criticism of my work or behavior, simply the treatment of a potential hire and customer. I learned from that experience that I wouldn't want to work for, or recommend anyone to a company that treats people in that fashion. Especially when they are definitely on a lower level then the above mentioned companies. I also believe in karma.

I definitely recommend Siggraph to anyone who is seriously considering a job in the industry. Though I missed going to Comicon this year, when asked about it, and the choice i made, it simplay came down to "i wanted a job". I hope to catch both next year if i can afford it, they are both very fun, but Siggraph is something that will further your career lightyears in the right direction. Even just attending you learn more then you will anywhere else.

Monster Sketches and a Building

2008-07-10T13:57:00.001-07:00

So these are some quick sketches for developing a monster. Pencil, pen, and copic markers. There was a lot of experimenting , but its pretty clear i like creatures that stand on thin pointly legs. The creature at the top with the human scale is the one i chose in the end. Though i put him in another project, i will do a separate rendering of him soon.

This is an orthographic turn around for a smaller building that one might find in the east village or pretty much anywhere in NYC. I found and modified some images that might best fit the surface textures of the building.

Hopefully ill get some more new stuff up here soon. Until next time, hoohaa!

New York and Beyond!

2008-07-10T13:27:00.001-07:00

Good

Great

Ok, so this is a long time over due. I went to NYC a few weeks ago for a week and had a great time touring the city. Though I had lived there last summer, I never really did any 'touristy' type things. During this visit I went to the Frick Gallery, the Met, the Whitney, the Drawing Center in Soho, the PS1 in queens, and a many more. This included a walk through many of the galleries in Chelsea. I also took a river boat tour around the southern part of Manhattan.

There where many other adventures this week, including going to see Kung Fu Panda. I must say this was the best Dreamworks Animation film I've seen so far. Simply put it had a decent story, developed (main) Characters and a solid moral follow through on its concept. Of course then a few weeks later Wall-E came out. That was just amazing all around. A new level in computer animation, not just for the kids anymore. The end.

So now I'm Going to post some things from art tests I've taken Since graduating, as well as the above, a brief add for Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda.

More very soon!

GRADUATED!

2008-06-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

sort of, finally. Go to NYC this next week and that will be it. Then im done. Finally, after 5 years and one pre college program. woot. Ive been doing all sorts of moving and art tests (ironically after school there are more tests, always tests!) . Looking to the west for work, interestingly many companies are receptive, you just need to email them. Hopefully there will be more work later, when everything calms down...

good night and good luck!

AD SPACE

2008-05-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

The following is the development process for a visual to go with a proposed space advertising project.

Original Nasa Photograph

Sun added, along with pieces from another space shot of the earth.

That was the fun part. The rest was merely bending something to make it look like a giant screen in space. Although the actual design is not solid, it is made up of a massive grid of pipes and other materials, which hold and suspend arrays of RGB lights in place. This way it isn't a solid piece floating up in space. This means that when turned off its visual stamp is pretty small. That is important because of legislation passed in the 90s in regards to a "space billboard" project that called for massive ads printed on massive sheets of mylar to be suspended in space. In addition to legislation that made it illegal (over the United States) all the investors backed out because of maintenance concerns.

Heres the final version, minus various space ships and other little objects. Credit goes to Mark Montgomery for a last minute logo design.

And now on to graduating! less then a week!

-peace

Go Speedracer Go!

2008-05-21T22:39:00.001-07:00

So last summer I interned at Animation Collective up on NYC. While i was there i was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be able to do some work on the show as more then an intern. I designed the main villian's SUV type car thing. I will post it on here later when the thing actually airs ont he show, for now though its living on my website:

www.colingeller.com

For now i should focus on homework for once... and graduate in a week.

Hope to make it down to Savannah to see the friends one more time,

peace.

Final Muno Designs

2008-05-20T08:39:00.001-07:00

[Used w/ Helmet]

[New]

[Clothes]

[Muno]

So heres what i did this weekend. The final/ more high end renderings of the Muno Character. Each of them are my usual layering process in photoshop. The space suit PSD file is set up so you can turn the helmet on and off as it is in its own group. Going to go get portfolio materials printed now, peace.

Near the End...

2008-05-15T00:38:00.000-07:00

Of two things. One being this current project. This is a slight re-design of the character Muno. I combined the older version of his character, and the recent design, into one, older looking design. This is pencil with some quick photoshop over it.

The other thing that is ending soon is school. Im all over the place with producing work, applying places, and classes. The job search is a harsh one, but must go on!

Muno Costumes

2008-05-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

[Used]

[New]

[Work]

[Un-used]

So this is where i am right now. Ive gone ahead and started working out some costume concepts. I figure hes sort of a gear head, good at figuring things out. Of course hes probably going to wind up in space at some point, so why not a space suit? The bottem image is a suit that i drew up, and although i plan on using the helmet design later, it was pointed out that visually it doesnt look as manuverable as a space suit could be. So i did another one.

As these are concepts, they will be changed and corrected by the final version. In Fact Muno is going to be redesigned again to push him back to the sloping neck and arched back of the older version i drew previously. This will help push his silhouette back to something more interesting, hopefully. Either way the finals of these are going to look pretty sweet.

Re-designs coming soon...

Muno's Species

2008-05-12T02:22:00.000-07:00

So i drew another version, this one a bit younger then the actual direction im looking at. Mostly playing with his species' anatomy. Humanoid with lots of reptilian influence. Although he has gills under his armpits. I realize that i like the head of the elder type version better. I guess i will go back with another re-design with that head. Although i did this without getting any designs approved first, either way all the designs will go in the portfolio as process.

Finding Muno (2)

2008-05-11T02:34:00.000-07:00

And here are some test renders over a few pencil sketches from the previous post, once again, all are for the creature/character Muno.

So its pretty clear from what ive done so far ive narrowed the Species and look of Muno down to 2 species. One is more mammalian and the other more lizardish. Ill keep working until i come up with a good compromise. Or not, haah. Beyond the assignment my goal is to create a fully realised design that i can render different ways, including one in a space suit (thus the first image). I do like the idea of taking a main character down the "old and wise" path. That way he can have more history on him. Not to mention the "hobbit" type legacy he could have. Old , grumpy, and going on adventures.

This one was a test render over one of the simpler sketches, that probably wont make it past this stage. I may do more, as its just so silly its awesome...

I call it "FOOP"

Goodnight'

Finding Muno (1)

2008-05-11T02:25:00.000-07:00

The following are thumbnails and sketches for the creature/character Muno. Explanation below.

These are some of the sketches for a class project i am working on. The next assignment is for a creature, Muno, who is an amphibious organism. He lives on a rain forest planet and is in the middle of the food chain. Above are the majority of the thumbnails and sketches i have been working on thus far. There will be more sketches, as i am still searching...

Having said that i did choose a few sketches to render out, to help me visualize the possibilities of the character a bit better.

*recently added another page of more refined thumbnails*

It's H.E.L.P.eR. to the rescue!

2008-05-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

For a school weekly sketch thing, also mostly for fun. Its a robot, how could i not do it.

In other news the job search is up and running... all over the place. Soon the mailers and portfolios go out. We'll see how those go, hopefully well. If not, still planning on going west, one way or another. Schools almost done, 3 weeks and counting. No pressure.

(Go Team Venture!)

Demon WIP

2008-05-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

So I've been working on and off on this thing for about a week now. I had originally done it quite hastily for a demo, and then after some peer review, some issues where brought up. I am currently changing those issues, mainly in his right wing and overall composition, but here it is as a work in progress. As part of the re-working of it i have extended the frame, which is why there is an unrendered portion of the tree. Had some fun with the lighting and texturing. Should be done soon....

The head is basically one of the Chimera creatures from the game, Resistance Fall of Man. I think its a really sweet design, but i would have liked to see more non-humanoid designs. So here you go, but now its a demon. Whos having a conversation with a fairy (light source).

The Fowl Larva

2008-05-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

So this is what the bigger creature grew from, a larva of sorts. Continuing my new process of no pen work, and just focusing on form value and texture. Think it turned out pretty ok. More soon...

Final Fowl Creature

2008-05-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, here he is. Its clear that ive used some photo collaging for background texture. Pretty much my most detailed thing ever, not just because of the photo textures, i definitely put in extra time to make form without actual line work inside his shape, and NO pen.

more soon hopefully!

A Fowl Creature...

2008-05-03T20:39:00.001-07:00

Final-ish version of previous "Bird-Man" looking creature. Definitely went in a different direction.

Pencil/Photoshop . No pen this time.

The Guppy

2008-05-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

Heres a little ship i prepared for a demo yesterday, finished it today.

Going to see Iron Man!

later.

BIRDMAN!

2008-04-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

So this is a quick photoshop render over a pencil sketch. Originally designed for a creature class, it has been pointed out that it is too human. Dispite it not being my final design, i couldn't help but render it, as i love rendering. So now its just a bird-man hybrid for myself and portfolio. This isn't the exact process but helps to break down some of the layers. Most notably the light layer which is the second from the bottom, gives it the most life. Not so bad for not that much time. This was a nice change as i usually go in with pen over the pencil before the render, i might do more with just pencil and rendering.

Piranha Bug

2008-04-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

This was originally done in pencil, as with the last Creepy Crawler, and then gone over with some pen. I decided to post the one with and without a background as it is easyer to see all of its structure without the background.

Goodnight!

Creepy Crawly...

2008-04-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

I'm working on some creepy bug designs, this is the first of the few. Going to take a break tonight, back at it tomorrow. Job search is going ok, sending out lots of internet things, soon to be snail mail things.

Long Sword

2008-04-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, so heres another sword, this one is a bit longer... and with more points. Im a fan of those big-ole-swords from those games, you know what im talking about. This was a more organic approach to those, although still more of a focus for me to practice my low end texturing. I think it turned out pretty good, although the contrast present in the phoenix sword is much more effect. I have it up there for scale. I really like making things look dirty/scratched up. Ill be taking a break from the 3D for a few days to work on some environment and prop renderings in photoshop.

This new one has 438 tris.

peace.

The Four Swords....

2008-04-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is the last post involving this sword. I had some time today to go add more texture layers, and render just the polys. In order from left to right :poly render, clean sword (i darkend the blade a bit do give it more contrast), cuts and scratches, and finally a dirty bloodish sword. The First two have some shine to them, and the last has none (as far as lambert and blinn go). This has been fun exercise to get acquainted with maya's texturing process.

Have a good night, should be more soon.

The Phoenix

2008-04-20T23:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, so ive been back at doing the modeling thing today. I did some sketches in photoshop and brought them directly into Maya and did some simple modeling over them. The goal here was to creat some 'in game' type 3D modeling and textures. So basically low poly stuff. This is the Phoenix, which is clearly modeled after the firery bird.
I plan on doing a "Dirty" version tomorrow when i get more time. I also have a couple more from the same file in the works, heres where they stand.
In the mean time need to finish some illustration homework....

Soon ill move onto objects and hopefully characters.

peace.

You Are What You Eat

2008-04-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Its true.

For class.

Hope to get back to portfolio related things soon...

Now in 3D!

2008-04-19T01:31:00.000-07:00

So after several years away from it, i have now ventured back into the world of 3D. Tonight i spent a little time making a simple 3D model and then attempting to texture it. So here it is, a slightly dinky sword with some texturing. I think i could like this texturing thing...

More to come soon.

Good day.

New Project

2008-04-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

Hey, so i guess this is fan art, for some company, probably no ones ever heard of. They made a game about a world of crafty war. They are also soon going to be releasing another game about craftyness in the stars.

Did this test render last night over a sketch, currently working on a new, larger, more detailed version...

peace for now!

CAREER MADNESS!!!

2008-04-03T21:55:00.001-07:00

Currently down in Savannah, GA. There's a major event happening here tomorrow, the Annual Career Fair.

Website has been updated, there is an error with one of the images on the main page. Thats not as bad as the earlier issues that caused it to not be online.

Well, hope i see some other career seekers out there, its going to be pretty exciting and intense.

Goodluck!

Into The West

2008-03-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

So right now im at my friends place in Pacific Hights , San Francisco. Over the past couple days i visited a friend at Pixar and Industrial Light and Magic. Both where pretty surreal experiences , and both have amazing food in their cafeterias.

Mostly Amazing.

Schools Out

2008-03-13T11:20:00.001-07:00

For a week.
Plans:

1) work on new stuff

2) go to san francisco

3) visit friends at ILM and Pixar

i will come back after that.
and work on more stuff. and hopefully get some
sort of job type situation soon there after.

back to work...

-colin

Space!

2007-07-21T23:09:00.000-07:00

here is an example of my latest batch of spaceships. This is mostly just a test for me to see how to use the image posting set up. I love me some space ships.

-CMG

Let there be ART!

2007-07-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

I should really be working, although i think thats what everyone who does one of these thing says. Work will appear as i produce it soon, along with dreams and anything else that happens to come out of my head. Last weekend of school work from my horrendous last quarter at SCAD- Savannah. Comicon in less then a week. My geekometer is already going of the charts, its going to be a good one. hah. Let the art begin! hoohaa!

-CMG