A real media environment study using a limited chroma palette - it helps emphasize focus on where lighting is.  Especially for when trying to utilize rim lighting.  This was done using Prismacolour pencils, so it took some time to really lay down the thick, dark colours.  The actual piece is 9x11 inches, I think, on Graphics Marker Paper.

I'm always sad that there isn't more figural accents in modern architecture, when there are accents at all, so I wanted to utilize caryatid structures.  With all the lacing and buttressing and vaulting I was hoping to create a decadent, oppressive femininity within the environment.

It never hurts to visit other styles and workflows.  I usually work in a fairly painterly, 5 values scale of rendering out whether working digitally or with physical media.  I really admire super clean, cell-shaded styles as well, however.  The jury seems out as to whether using vector pen tools or hand inking with the brush set to 1px is cleaner/better.  Different stroke widths for different folks.

So here's a combination hand-lining and pen-tool wielding progression of a character I kicked out in about 2 hours for some practice. 

As well as a portraits.  The tan girl is Pandora, whom is a character owned by Jen Analias.

  I really adore using copic markers.  I really enjoy taking personal commissions for people's characters and giving them new visualizations.  I also enjoy supporting charity - the Art Institute's Game Art and Design students formed up the 'GameArt GlobeTrotters' and participate in the Extra Life event.  Gamers select the children's hospital they want to play for during registration.  The Game Art GlobeTrotters last year and this year will be supporting Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.  Donation is/was tax-deductible and ALL PROCEEDS go to help kids. Last year, Extra Life raised more than 1.2 million dollars to save kids, and the AIP GlobeTrotters raised $1,289 dollars on our event day October 15, 2011  with a team of only 12 people.   

I was  the highest 'earner' on the team last year because I offered a waist up copic vignette for every $25 donated as a thankyou - it was super fun. I'd like to do more of the same this year if I have time.  We'll see.  

Each one usually takes about 2-3 hours from sketching, correcting, and then markering.  I just asked for description and/or a reference shot of the character's design and a common expression. 


These characters are owned by their respective commissioners.

This was for the Extras gallery within the in-game menu interface.

Hotel scene painted up by Keith, the banana-car model by the Vehicle Team, the web layout and skinning by myself.

The skinning and layout for the gallery pages - character, vehicle or environment.  The characters were designed mostly by Max Davenport and then Brittany Cloud.

I could not have had a better introduction to the Team GAme Production class/effort than what I managed to luck out with.  Every game has a rotation of 3-4 quarters to create a 5-10 minute playable demo experience.  The whole class acts as a game studio, working in teams beneath leads and using Scrum.  It was the final quarter, so there wasn't as much offical 'concept' work for in game models, props, characters or environments left for DGPX - a racing game.  I worked under the incumbent Concept & Design Team Lead, and took on the role of graphic and marketing materials artist - website design and assets, help in the User Interface, In-store posters and advertisements, In-game fictional advertisements, and learning and researching the RAD Tools for Environment Team so that we could implement some Bink videos.