Dragon Rider - Sketch

Dear Blog,

I think I'm going to write to you more like a diary...I mean journal from now on...

Yesterday, I drew a picture of a girlie riding a feathery-dragony creature.

It's not quite finished yet, but I hope you like it so far!

I think I'm really gonna colour this one and turn it into a real nice new piece for my portfolio!

I know you are just a blog, but leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Soon I will be posting some concepts for a new comic idea I've been tossing around in my head and on paper-actual and digital...

See you soon,

Mat.

A Couple Late Night Sketches...

Hey!

In an effort to keep up with posts...again... I am going to start posting more random sketches and such, regardless if they are quite "up to par"...

Here's a wee guy I sketched up last night...

 This mysterious little critter appeared before me in my yard, poking around a pile of firewood (a.k.a. old roof shingles from last fall!)... 




I saw him through my patio doors as I got up to make a Caesar for me and my Squeeze...

P.S. I make the best Caesars in the world...according to myself.

Sadly, he quickly turned into a wet garbage bag of broken asphalt shingles (also from our roof last fall-one of five layers of previous shingles!)...

MAT - Thought Bubble - "...Have another Caesar, Mat..."

...But not before I could get a rough sketch in!

Sneaky. But not sneaky enough.

I gave the sketch a quick colour pass for fun...We'll give it a break and see how we feel about going back and cleaning it all up or just moving on...

I think now that I've been spreading my blog to more people, I've been putting more pressure on myself to post something wonderful every time, which, in turn, has held me back from posting much at all, and still not being proud of what I do post...

 

MAT - Thought Bubble A - "I don't want everyone to think that I can't draw worth crap by posting unfinished work or mediocre sketches!"

MAT - Thought Bubble 2 - "Get the %$@#!* over it already!"

 

...Which, of course, creates a vacant and boring blog,

 and then no one stops by for tea and strumpets no more

 

Which, also of course, sucks.

*Pardon the French. 

For some reason, 

I only seem to remember the bad words...

So it may not be perfect, but here's another rough sketch, whether we like it or not!

This Sketch was another late nighter after an 

early(ish)  night mural painting in Edmonton.

Pretty rough..'specially his hand, but whatch'a gonna do?

Hmmm... Some sort of Dragon-Cat-Master-Wizard-Warrior-Monk-Shaman...Guy.

I actually really like this sketch and will probably...maybe...finish it.  I liked where he was at the time, so I gave him a little colour and here he is for now.

...So that's it for this post.  A couple rough sketches and a rant...

I'll be back with more. Thinkin' new thougthts on how to approach the ol' blog...


Lemme know what you think, and stop by again real soon y'all hear!?

Peace,

Mat

Murals Galore!

Hey Again,

Thought I'd post some of the murals I've been painting recently at Celebrations and Jubilations!

I only got my new phone after changeover at Celebrations for "Johnny Be Goode", so I currently don't have photos of those walls yet, but I did take pictures of the other two changeovers!

If you're in the Winnipeg, Edmonton, or Calgary area and have some time to check out a show, or even just swing by and scope out the art and sets, you should! Always a good time!

Here are some of the pieces I painted for "My Big Fat Edmonton Wedding" at Jubilations Dinner Theatre, West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada a few weeks ago.

I actually painted the same image in Winnipeg's run of the show,
pictured here...  The Edmonton version was a little bit larger took me about half the time as the Winnipeg one.

I like them both for different reasons...



These are a couple pieces I did for the previous show in Calgary that I took pictures of before painting over them...

This one was based on the T.V. show  "N.C.I.S".

And lastly, here are some of the most recent murals I painted in the Calgary Jubilations Theatre last week for their current show "Big Boom Theory"

Don't forget to leave a comment to lemme know what you think of my work and my blog! I appreciate the feedback!

Until Next Time!

Tweet Tweet!

Hey hey!

So apparently something's wrong with Blogspot's link page updates, to which they are "looking into a solution".  My friend Kara pointed out that I didn't have my Twitter link anywhere, but unfortunately, it won't let me update my links right now for whatever reason, stating I must "correct the errors on my form"... Hmmm...

Anyways!

Feel free to find and Follow me on Twitter by clicking this link!

or add me at your leisure.  My Twitter ID is

@Mat_andre1

Check back again soon for more updates (or sign-up for Email subscription), and lemme know what you'd like to see more of! 
Take Care and Thanks for stopping by!

Faeries and Stuff!

Hey There!

Been painting up a storm (well, more mystical forest) at Celebrations Dinner Theatre these past few days for their new production...

Haven't gotten a lot of art in, but I did do a piece a few days ago for my Niece's 4th Birthday...

I was only informed of the party the day before, so I ended up being pretty pressed for time on it, but I like where it turned out all things considered...

I'm not super pleased witj how the bottom of her dress and legs ended up, and I would like to go in and polish it a little more, but I ended up having to give it to her as is, so I think I will release it into the universe and move on to more Faeries another day...

Here's another two I started last week and will likely finish this weekend...

One of Medusa...

This picture just kind of came up while I was doodling...I like the idea of a young Medusa that's been cursed, but doesn't want to be.  It becomes a very terrifying and lonely experience when every person you lay eyes upon, even fondly, is immediately turned to stone forever.  Bummer.

And this picture from my sketch book that I altered a bit and have begun colouring.

EDIT: I didn't notice till after I posted that the coloured version has a weird spot where her eyes repeat above her head. lol. ..This is due to using Photopshop's "Clone Stamp" Tool to fill in a couple patches of the background (which I will be changing anyways) after some edits.  I knew her hair was duplicated, but I wanted to give it a little more height, so I was going to work it over eventually, but I only noticed the eyes now. Weird...

Anyways... Here she is so far, regardless.

Lastly, a work-in-progress music piece I've been working on...


I wrote this years ago in MTV Music Generator 2 for Playstaion 2 and have since begun to re-write it using Cubase and Halion Symphonic Orchestra.

There are still things to tweak about the beginning, and its still needs the ending, but I like where it's going so far. I hope you like it!


I'm interested if anyone besides me is actually checking this Blog out so far... "Pageview" statistics are pretty hard to base any ideas on, so please leave a comment and if you have any suggestions of what you'd like to see in my upcoming posts, lemme know!

Thanks again.

Until next time!

Re-Connecting With My Roots

Hey!

Here's a new piece I did last night.  RJ-17-Z is one of the first characters for a science-fantasy video game I have always wanted to bring to life... 

I played with a re-design here, but I think he's maybe a little too typical and a little too hard lookin', but  it's exciting to bring back some of my original concepts into the digital realm and to see how much I've improved along the way, particularly over the last few months. 

 Buy This Print!

Leave a comment to lemme know what you think!

My life has been, and coninues to be taking a very postitive turn as of late, and I will likely be able to focus more on creating my art for my own reasons even more so very soon!  It will be interesting to to recreate my old visions and let them inspire all new ones.

Don't forget to sign up for Email delivery of my Blog!  Near the top right of the page!

Next time, I will aim at posting some of my new, self-tutored figure drawing class studies!

Thanks for stopping by,

See ya Soon!

New and Improved Blog!

Hey!

Thanks for checkin' out my New Blog Design!

I have recently added several design tweaks and pages to my Blog related to some of my ever-growing list of passions - Please give them a look-see when you've got a few moments and lemme know what you think! I will be updating these pages, as well as my Blog, as I continue to develop! 

I haven't gotten in as much art time as I'd like lately, but I have been training myself as best I can, when I can, through online articles and tutorials.

While browsing art tutorials on YouTube, I came across a few really insightful ones by Darrel Tank;  mainly revolving around portraits created using a technique called the Five Pencil Method.

With just a few short lessons, I've improved my realism and painting without line a lot more.

Here's a piece I painted in Photoshop a couple weeks ago of a beautiful Elven warrior.

I hope you like her!

Buy "Try Me!"

I've also written a new fantasy piece!

Please Enjoy Growing!

Hope you like my new design and I hope you come back soon! 

Don't forget to sign up for an email subscription to my Blog. When I post new material, you'll be sent a notification directly to your inbox, so no need to check in! When I post something new, it comes straight to you!

Thanks again, and Take Care!

Just Blog On By!

Hey!

Here's another couple pieces I worked on today...

One of a girlie -

 

Again, trying for more realism and working without lines...but it still looks pretty stylized to me... Hmm... Practice, practice...

...And a work-in-progress environment piece with some floating islands and stuff...

As I mentioned in my last post, I  have been working on some fantasy orchestral music for a trailer for an upcoming novel by Amanda Heller entitled "Walk of the Red Wolf".

It is a novel based in the distant future on what was once Earth, in the region around what used to be Ireland...

The world has been reborn as a more magical place where Werewolves and Humans now have begun to thrive again.

This musical piece is inspired by a part of the story when the main Werewolf character has a meditative and conteplative moment... His emotions build until He is overwhelmed by a enlightening epiphany that causes him to break free from the oppression and abuse of his family and society.

The story has a deep story, rich history and characters, intense emotion, a strong focus on Wolves, Celtic, and Native American influences and an adventurous, epic feel, and I have attempted to compose the music to reflect that. it!

While there are some small tweaks and some final mixing and mastering to be done, this first track is nearly complete

Please Enjoy My New Track -

 "Break the Chains That Bind"!

I haven't been composing for long, and as with most of my talents, I'm self taught and disciplined, so I'm always looking to hear feedback and critiques on my music as well as my art!

Leave a comment and tell me what you think!

I'm off to Calgary to paint murals for changeover again this week, but I will try to keep up with posts... 

...Maybe with some pics of the murals we're painting!  

Peace!

Back Blog of Posts...

Hey You!

Well, it's been a while since I've posted, but in my time in Edmonton I've been offered the opportunity to become a more "permanent" member of the set change crew for Celebrations/Jubilations...

I'll now be traveling to Edmonton and Calgary each changeover and will be getting salary as opposed to hourly, which is awesome!

It's certainly nice to have a bit of a job safety net and the ability to relax and enjoy my art a little more now...

I jumped into freelancing pretty hard after I quit my last job this past summer in an attempt to make some survival money, but I haven't had the opportunity to really focus on improvement and building a strong foundation until now!

It's been years since I've really taken the time to get back into art, so I am now trying to find a balance in just creating at random to keep it fresh and improve at a constant rate, and still get some high-quality finished pieces to showcase in my portfolio.

This week was focused more on quantity than quality,  so I've been playing around with a couple more tests and ideas I wanted to try out...

...and here are some of them!


...First off, the rough blocking in of colour of the last sketch I posted... 

  

I was originally going to go with a traditional fantasy feel, but as it progressed I got this "Neo-Fantasy" idea going... I will still be finishing up with this one later, but the Goblinish creatures in the foreground inspired me to do this sketch of a Neo Goblin...

 

    

I got to thinking about this "Neo Fantasy"  idea... 

..Probably not the first to do so, but just the idea of classic and original fantasy races and creatures, but in a more sci-fi setting...  Like if Goblins and Elves survived past that medieval "Middle Earth" state, where their technological and societal advances and histories would've taken them...

For instance, Goblins would be likely to have dirty, cheap, bio-mechanical enhancements and dark technology, focusing on power and destruction...whereas Elves, quite on the contrary, would have an advancement toward light, sleek technology, highly focused on universal energies and a growth based on natural cycles and spiritual enlightenment.

I think I may continue with this idea further very soon...

I am focusing on improvement in various areas, primarily personal fundamental re-training, but some major areas I need to get better at are realism, environments and hard surface design (like mechanics, electronics, vehicles, spacecraft, etc...)

So I have worked on a couple spacecraft concepts...

 

Insectships A 

  

One Down! 

All the ship designs began with silhouettes, rather than line drawings. Just random solid black silhouettes, then I use white in passes to slowly pull out shapes, depth and details.  Because the range of tones are all there (from dark black to bright white), it's easy to colourize and add different effects to them on other Photoshop layers...

This is starting to become one of my favourite techniques, especially for designing sci-fi elements... It also led mt to create some Mech designs...One of which ended up in it's own finished piece-!

 Buy "Mech Attack!"

I really like how this piece turned out! I thought of polishing up the background, but I really like the illustrative, almost graffiti like style it has.  I find the chaos of the surrounding environment brings  focus to the central mech and creates the right sense of intense, gritty, mayhem I was going for.

...Speaking of gritty mayhem... The last two images for today...

  

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Purchase this Picture! 

More tests at getting some detail and realism to my digital art... There's still line in the first, and they both have elements that lack realism, but I'm getting there!  

My next post will feature links to a couple work-in-progress orchestral pieces I am working on for a novel realease trailer for "Walk of the Red Wolf"  by Amanda Heller!

 

Thanks for stopping by! See you soon!

The Blog Strikes Back!

Hey All!

Here's today's sketch!

Powerfist! - Playing with action and depth. I like where it's going so far... I think I may colour this one...

I am off to Edmonton from now until Friday, painting wall murals for the next production at Jubilations Dinner Theatre in West Edmonton Mall...

We tend to work 14 hr days to get it done in under 5 days, so I will be keeping busy this week!

I'll be doing my best to post daily sketches, but if I miss a few, I'll be back on track by the weekend!

Thanks for the support!

Return of the Blog!

Hey Everyone,

Here's another couple sketches...well, one sketch than I tweaked so much, it ended up as two!

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This first one kind of looked like Zombie MJ (Long live the God of Pop!) to me... I liked it, but I wanted to go a little more sinister...

 Purchase the Print!

...so I messed around till I came up with this!

The Blog Lives!

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to my Very First Art Blog Post!

In an effort to force myself to practice more, expand and improve my skills, network, and ideally find new and exciting commission and employment opportunities, I have decided to start this wonderful blog!

I  will be posting sketches and practice studies as often as possible (Daily as much as I can!), personal and commissioned works-in-progress, and completed works! 

In addition to my art, I will be posting links to my music, interesting articles, tutorials, videos and all that great stuff!  Pretty much anything that tickles my fancy...and hopefully your fancies will be tickled as well!

Of course, for those of you lovely enough to be reading this blog, a lot of what I will be posting  will be exclusive to my Blog, and/or released for "sneak peak" to  all my followers first! :)

That said, here is my first Daily Sketch - A random Cyborg Girlie! Started off as a facial proportion test, then I went a little crazy.  

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Tell me what you think!

I am open for commissions, daily sketch suggestions, feedback, and critiques (I'm always looking to improve; don't be afraid to hurt my feelers!), so please leave a comment and tell me about your project, what you think of my work, or just to say hi!

Hope you enjoy my first Sketch, and thanks for taking the time to check me out!