Spud's Art: THE ALSO RETURN!

[naitvalis]

a perfectly clean and well done work on this character, only one thing but pheraps is just in my eyes, i see the hand too much inclined.
i like this steampunk line of characters, and could be even more interesting if there is other study of the same character in the same page, maybe with a little description.
this is just a suggest cause this is already a great work.

[bearded]

wow.
why aren't you making a strip? can't write?
seriously, i would read a strip based on the art alone.

[Outcast]

You know, when i first glanced at the drawing, i thought it was MJB's character that you've drawn...  

It's truly amazing to see that just from a simple sketch, you were able to transform it into this fully detailed character in one sitting...(nice background song too.)

Not so sure about the sword... i thought clerics weren't allowed to use swords.

[captainspud]

a perfectly clean and well done work on this character, only one thing but pheraps is just in my eyes, i see the hand too much inclined.

I realized that last night... the hand is turned too far to the right (ie, too far "palm facing viewer"). I'll fix it next time I have a couple spare minutes.

Not so sure about the sword... i thought clerics weren't allowed to use swords.

In core D&D they aren't, but this setting's far more permissive on the subject. Besides, even the traditional restriction never made sense-- it was supposedly so they wouldn't draw blood, but anyone who's watched Dexter or CSI (both truly bastions of scientific rigor) knows that blunt trauma isn't exactly bloodless.

[Reepicheep]

First time I peaked one of your youtube videos. That was really entertaining to watch, and the result is awesome. Spiffy!

[Deaths Jester]

Nice work, Spud..really like how he's a bit tubby...makes him more realistic compared tot hsoe over muscled types you normally see in the fantasy/rp scene.

[PreRaphaelite]

My only critique is that the front fold on his tunic just looks odd and out of place. Seems like there is something under there holding the robe up like that. o.O!

only one thing but pheraps is just in my eyes, i see the hand too much inclined.

I have nothing constructive to add that hasn't already been said by these two painterly types. Instead, I'll quickly voice the things I like and then leave it at that.

I love the texture you've given to his hair, and the weight and detail you've given to the hanging book. The bunching at the neck works nicely, especially with the contrast between the tighter undershirt and the baggy robe. I'm liking the war-ravaged soldier-cleric vibe, and the shoulders are very funky, notably because they appear to have a descent range of movement to them - they don't come across as completely impractical/immovable adornments. Personally, I'm not a massive fan of the three-quarter length arm (would have preferred a half or complete arm, as I keep expecting him to pull his hand out of his sleeve for some reason!) but that's entirely subjective, based solely on my aesthetic tastes. Moreover, it might have been nice to vary the colours of the shield a tad, to stop it from reading like some kind of back-armour/connected to the shoulders.

Out of all the characters so far, this guy resonates the greatest sense of having a personal history, and I find that compelling.

[captainspud]

And now, for another thrilling installment of Meejub Wishes He Was A Baby Marmoset Monday!

I'm away from home this weekend and have relatively limited computer access, so I had to dig through what I could find on my server.  I ended up with a decent one-- it's from a couple years ago, and was the first picture I ever drew for the fantasy/steampunk game setting.



It's another goblin, but this one is a mechanic who works on giant steampunk robots. No video because he predates me knowing how to make those.

And stuff!

[Outcast]

It's great to see some of your earlier work Captain Spud. Old or new, your drawings are really impressive to me. The only thing i noticed here is that the shading for the construct the Goblin is sitting on looks a bit unfinished or maybe rushed?

[Panther_Gunn]

Ok, I don't comment very often in art threads, due to my lack of talent & training, but that is friggin' awesome!  Seriously, that looks like it should be interior artwork for a game book, or even a module cover.  Please tell me that you are actually getting paid for using these skills, if not for this particular genre of artwork.

[vamp]

I really love your latest (in posted order) piece. I think you mixed all the those genres fairly well. And I love the color and shading. Gives off the perfect mood.

[PreRaphaelite]

Hey, cool pic! It's a great mood piece. The shadows and highlights on the Goblin enhance the dark, weary, grimy atmosphere while at the same time being excellently applied. There is also a great balance of solid dark areas and very thin, technical lines coming into play. My favourite parts of the image are without doubt the accessories and the pose; the goggles, the leather apron, the notched spanner wrench - each piece stands strong in their own right thanks to the different brushstrokes and tones used. His pose is perfect for the scene, I get the feeling he's taking a split-second breather to contemplate his next task before moving on. His creased/wrinkled maw is also very nicely textured.

I must agree with Outcast that the shading and modelling of the construct he's resting on is a tad sloppy compared to the focal character. I would even venture so far as to say the background as a whole comes across as a bit incongruous with the rest of the piece. I think I can see what you were aiming for; trying out a hazy out-of-focus background, maybe a heated furnace? Somehow it doesn't quite seem to work for me - I think because it reminds me a teeny bit of a photo that's been thrown through a bunch of filters. But that doesn't stop the picture from being a real pleasure to see. I think your use of shading and form is very impressive, and I hope to see you start some current drawings again soon.

[captainspud]

Another week, another Meejub's Heart Is Two Sizes Too Small Monday...

I was super busy last week, so my artistic output was in sketches instead of full, polished drawings. These are all NPCs for the fantasy/steampunk RPG, and the common thread here is "citizens of steampunk Pseudorussia".


Greylords are FBI wizards.


This was the main antagonist for the party's last story arc.


My goal with this dude was to make someone the party would immediately want to murder. I was successful.


This is the guy who cut off the cleric's hand. He's so smooth that the party isn't even mad at him.

Random note: I'm not sure why, but for some reason I have way more trouble drawing eyes on the computer than I do with a pencil. I had a ton of trouble getting the shape and pupil direction to look even borderline passable, and even then they're still pretty terrible in this and most of the other pictures. I have some theories about what I'm doing wrong, but I won't be able to test them until I do another sketch day. In the meantime... FREAKY EYES EEEEEEEEEEEK!


It's quite common in fantasy art to see the past-their-prime knight done as a bearded man, but I'd never seen it done with a middle-aged woman before, so I took a stab at it. Also: yes, the armor's ridiculous. It's a canon design that you're supposed to pretend makes sense.


This one turned out terribly, which I took as my cue that I was done drawing for the night.

Each sketch took about 20 minutes. There's video here, but the licensing on the backing song doesn't let it play in the US, so consider this fair payback for every time a blog, forum post, or news aggregator has posted a stinky Hulu link that 95% of the world can't see, you inconsiderate dicks.

[naitvalis]

ahh i can see "the magic" here! "the freshness" of this sketchs stimulate immediatly the fantasy of the observer.
this is a fact.
the observer can even immediatly knows what kind of personality the character have with a simple look, and this is another awesome fact.
now,
i was courious and i watched that video, if i can say a thing, in certain case (like for example on certain places of paladin armor ) you have used some "too rough" texture wich in my opinion was not needed.
however the first 3 (leyla, guard, greylord) not suffer from any loss of " the magic", the others, unfortunatlely, are good but not have the same power (at least for me) .

one last thing, i love this studies, first for your nice tecnique, and second cause they are "pseudorussia" related, but i have enjoyed them even more with  some "full figure" near the face (especially for the paladin).

[BentonGrey]

Wow, these are beautiful Spud!  This is fantastic stuff.  I'm always amazed at how much talent this community has.  I really like the one with the crazy old inventor and the robot.  These remind me of Arcanum, which is awesome.

[captainspud]

Yikes, I completely forgot about Meejub Doesn't Think Latvians Have Souls Monday. But it's still technically Monday here for... three minutes. @_@

Not enough time to check my hard drive for old art! Instead, here's something that was already uploaded-- a model I sculpted last month.



She's 32mm to the top of her head, and not my design.

Back to proper art next week. Promise.

[MJB]

Wow! That is great, Spuddles.

[PreRaphaelite]

Ooh, that is very cool. The details are astounding! There you are, sculpting away, and here I am without even the skills needed to peel an orange properly.

Of your quick sketches, the first three are probably my favourite, most notably the Winter Guard Captain who has such a delightful sneer. I do so enjoy seeing sketches and character designs, so thanks for sharing.

In all, some good stuff here - and sorry for the late reply! 

[captainspud]

Wheee! Meejub Killed An Old Woman For Her Sunglasses And Doesn't Think Anybody Saw, But I Did, Oh Yes I Did Monday returns to form with more rpg colouring. Here we have the old mechanic's hired bodyguard, whom he calls "The Boy" because he never bothered to learn his name.



Click for Tubery.

Two more weeks of these and I'll have the party finished.

[XStream]

So when you say that you sculpted that model...do you mean from scratch?

[captainspud]

[PreRaphaelite]

Jeez, now that is commitment. I'm beyond impressed - very cool sculpting photos.

As to the latest RPG design, I'm really digging both the simple costume and the awkward pose. You're very good at telling a story in a single scene, and I feel I'm given a great deal of information about the character without need of any detailed explanation. I think the inking is clean, bold and comes off well, and I think you have a real knack for giving weight, solidity and authenticity to objects, such as the axe and the shield. For me, the guy's face seems a little flat, and his hand is positioned a little uncomfortably under his chin/cheek, but overall it's a solid, clean image.

[captainspud]

Just a quickie this fine Meejub Molests Wallabies Monday. There's a series of gimmicky miniatures that were done for charity-- the Legion of Justice and Caeke. Sadly I can't find the drawings for them anymore, but you can see tiny versions in that link. I love these designs, and wanted to add my own member to the Legion's storied ranks:



I drew that over a year ago, but never found time to sculpt it. However, one of my sculpting sites is running a contest this month, and the theme is "musicians", so I'm finally going to get off my arse and do it.

Aaaand... that's it.

[PreRaphaelite]

Aww, she's so cute! I didn't know you could do cute.  Something about fingerless gloves and a hood on an anthropomorphised tapir just seems to work... Yeah, keep us updated with the sculpting, I'd like to see how you progress.

[captainspud]

Aww, she's so cute! I didn't know you could do cute.

I'm Spud. I can do anything.

[MJB]

Spud can do anything except act modest.

[captainspud]

Pfft, totally can. I'm amazing at it.

[Deaths Jester]

Actually Spud can do anything but act undead...I cornered that market long before he could!

[MJB]

I believe I won the "Battle for Monday".

Monday passes & you have new MJB art & no new Spud art.

All shall bow to my greatness! MJB now rules Mondays!!

Suck it, tater!

((j/k love your stuff))

[captainspud]

Taking a three-week break while my schedule beats me bloody with a spiked baseball bat. Nothing next week, back the week after.

Sorry.