WORK IN PROGRESS :: SATYR GUY ::

I was at my favorite Starbucks a few weeks ago and I was drawing dinosaurs and elephantine robots and on that day, I was drawing poorly.

When I am in such a state, faced with a plague of sucktasticness but determined to improve, I generally start drawing the people around me in an attempt to re-calibrate my brain and drawing arm.

My friend Christopher walked in.  He was wearing this awesome blue jacket and this blue tie.  He also had grown his beard out since I last saw him and it had this kind of goatish look to it.  (I do not mean this as a negative.  It looked very cool.  …yet goatish.  Not goatee-ish, goatish… like the animal.)

So I started drawing him.  The face in the drawing doesn’t look like his face.  I actually think I did that on purpose, believe it or not.  …but that’s definitely his torso, arms, beard…  When I went to look up at him to draw his legs on, he was gone.  I stared at the drawing.  Since the goatish vibe was already there what with the beard and all, I put some goat legs on him.

Then, since the resulting image was so weird, I decided to give him a cool makeshift bow-and-arrow with some kind of explosive tips.  I thought it would contrast his suit nicely.

I haven’t figured out the colors or values yet, but I thought I would share what I have so far.  I hope it tides you over until I can get the next podcast up.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

IN THIS EPISODE::

This is the third official episode of Chris Oatley’s ArtCast.  This episode contains further discussion about color and how I approach the creation of a color-comp.

Read the rest of this entry »

Subscribe to the ChrisOatley.com Digital Painting Tips Newsletter and get access to LOTS of FREE PHOTOSHOP BRUSHES designed by Chris Oatley.

You can download the brushes by subscribing to my Digital Painting Tips Newsletter via the Green Box at the top of the right sidebar on this site.

As some of you know, I’ve been working on an illustration of Wolverine Vs. The Hulk.  I realized yesterday that it was time to make a set of ‘Splatter’ brushes for Photoshop.

Previously, I just painted splatters by hand or I used some of the other free splatter brushes that I found online.

However, I have not been able to find that ‘comic-book-blood-splatter-look’ for which there are many applications.

So subscribe to my newsletter now and get this set of 14 Splatter Brushes instantly for FREE!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

IN THIS EPISODE::

This is the second official episode of Chris Oatley’s ArtCast.  This episode contains some discussion about color and how I approach the creation of a color-comp.  Also:  A charge to always present a fresh point of view when drawing or painting popular characters.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Tribute to Street Fighter book by UDON Entertainment will be released to the public on July 23rd.  I had the honor of providing an illustration for the book and now I have the satisfaction of showing it to you good people.

I’ve been a fan of Street Fighter 2 since its first appearance in the arcades.  Needless to say, being able to put my own personal spin on two of my favorite characters from the game (Chun-Li and Blanka) was a veritable artistic hootenanny.  I sure hope you like it.

One of the podcast episodes that I have been working on (they ARE coming, friends, I’m really not making this stuff up) will go into more detail about the creation of this piece.  I am trying to get that done to coincide with the launch of the book on July 21, and I am hopeful that my schedule will allow this.

Until then, go well.

Enter the poll to WIN an original Star Wars sketch by Chris!  [link]

I love the scene in Star Wars: Episode Four: A New Hope where Han-Solo suggests that there might be a less-cuddly side to Chewbacca.  Here it is, courtesy of IMDB.com:

[R2-D2 and Chewbacca are playing the holographic game aboard the Milennium Falcon]

Chewbacca:  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrgh

C-3PO: He made a fair move.  Screaming about it can’t help you.

Han Solo:  Let him have it.  Its not wise to upset a Wookie.

C-3PO:  But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid.

Han Solo:  That’s ‘cause droids don’t pull people’s arms out of their sockets when they lose.  Wookies are known to do that.

Chewbacca:  Grrrf.

C-3PO:  I see your point, sir.  I suggest a new strategy, R2: let the wookie win.

I think this scene is hilarious.  The actual performances make it even better.  And I love this idea that Chewbacca (my personal favorite SW character) has a ‘loose cannon’ aspect to his personality.  The only thing is, we never really get to see his ‘Wookie Rage’ come out.

I have had this idea for a Star Wars illustration since 2002.  I even started painting a version of it back in ’02 but it sucked egregiously so I abandoned the project.  But over the years I kept thinking…‘I want to see Chewie in all-out WOOKIE RAGE mode.’  Every time I heard Han Solo utter that line (which, as many of you know is very often) I was reminded of my abandoned ‘Wookie Rage’ piece.

I wanted to see Chewie doing what I would consider to be the defining ‘Wookie Rage’ action… …pulling someone’s arms off.  But who would be his victim?  I initially thought it would be a Stormtrooper, but the Stormtrooper’s lack of indentity compromised the intensity of the idea.

So then I thought that I would invent a Star Wars-like creature for Chewie to maul.  However, this made for even more disconnect.  It had to be personal.  The viewer had to feel the Wookie Rage.  Nobody cares if Chewie is pulling the arms off of some Chris Oatley character.

So it would have to be an established Star Wars character.  Who might Chewie have tangled with in the past?  Who might he tangle with in the future?  Of course.  Boba Fett (who happens to be my second-favorite character…)

Last October, I revived the idea.  I shot some new photo reference of friends and got to work making thumbnails and tiny color-comps.  I have been working on this thing intermittently in my free time for months and I finally have a drawing/ composition/ color palette that I am happy with.  Though there are a few things that need to be tweaked, I feel that this drawing will provide a strong foundation for the painting.

Something I haven’t really done yet here on my blog is share works-in-progress as they are actually in-progress.  So here goes.  This is where I am right now with the piece.

In addition to any feedback, encouragement or critique about the work-in-progress, I would love to hear your thoughts about why we witness a rageless version of Chewbacca The Wookie inStar Wars: A New Hope.

Be sure to enter the poll: “Let The Wookie Win” (in the right column of this page) and send me an email [coatley (at) mac.com] letting me know that you entered (honors system – play fair).

When the painting is finished, I will put all of the names in a ‘hat’ and draw out a winner.  The winner will be announced on a future episode of Chris Oatley’s ArtCast and that winner will receive one of the original sketches that I did (or will do) during the creation of this piece.  Fun, huh?

…and if you haven’t seen Star Wars, Now is the time.

I know its Monday and there is no podcast (this podcasting thing is hard).  Bear with me.  Its on its way.