http://robertsmess.blogspot.com/

Onion Tummy

2011-11-18T06:03:00.001-08:00

Well its late Nov and me and my wife are now playing the waiting game for our new baby boy. Were hoping he will be here late after thanks giving but we were told Dec 5th would be is actual do date. Good news is were prepared and ready.So the new Zbrush R2 has been out for well over 3 months now and I have to say they have really added some amazing new content. Dynamesh in particular is a dream come true and will definatly be a permanent addition with in my work flow. Its been well over a year since I have sculpted anything so i decided to work on something playful and silly from one of my old sketches. I still have more to do with this guy and ill be uploading some turn tables soon as i finish with him, but i thought i would share some test renders.

Study time!

2011-10-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

Decided to do a study of one of my favorite sculptures " The Well of Moses" by Claus Slutter. I really wish i could have painted this one from life, i found a decent bust shot to work from on google though http://www.lib-art.com/artgallery/16941-well-of-moses-moses-claus-sluter.html I took some liberties and changed a few things like his 3 quarters angle the curls in his beared. My goal was to understand and translate the forms, and lighting of the sculpture and photo. Alright on to some Zbrush Sculpting!

New Speedy

2011-09-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Thought i would try out something random like a cyber punk chick. Im looking forward to the next speedy which should be a monster concept a buddy of mine is letting me advance upon :)

Speedy # 2

2011-08-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here is today's 5 hour speedy. I'm really having a lot of fun with these. I think what I enjoy the most is the freedom of it all with not really knowing what the next design will be is quite exciting. Looks like I have a medium bust shot on my list for the next one.

Speedies and artistic growth.

2011-08-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Well the time has come for me to pick up where I left off and push myself to new levels of artistic achievement. Im not quite sure where the last 2 years went lol but one things for sure I have no regrets, only ambition and humility. I decided to jump start the the journey with a quick 3 hour speed monster RAAR! I plan on doing at least 4 speed designs a week each under 4 hours max. Ill be posting the speedies here and also in my old digital sketchbook Cheers! http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=47127&page=16

Dont F.E.A.R the reaper!

2011-08-05T05:21:00.000-07:00

So I finally got around to picking up fear 3 not to long ago and I have to say the game is quite addictive. 20 minutes into the game I entered the second act and found myself in a murky sewer filled with dead bodies me and my team created for the game . It was a fun little surprise to see day1 studios really made full use of the content me and Exis Interactive produced for the game. I decided to take a few shots of the bodies I made. I really had a lot of fun working o this game and hope to work with day1studios again in the future. Here is a link to the rest of the art work Exis created for this game. http://www.exisinteractive.com/art-of-f-e-a-r-3/

Boss mode update!

2011-06-29T18:44:00.001-07:00

small update on my boss character. Decided to give him a Surrogate to his right. This character will function as a spy and allow the boss to slip in and out of the urban surroundings unnoticed. Did a quick color and material test as well. Still working on finishing the other 2 orthos and then its on to the sculpting.

New Work in Progress.

2011-04-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well I figured it was time to jump start this old Buick and take it out of the garage one last time. It's been a year since I have posted and 2010 brought many things my way both good and bad but in the end I have grown and learned so much from all of it. So in the new year another chapter is beginning for my family. Three weeks ago I learned that Im going to be a father and its been the most humbling experience day after day. I still cant believe Im going to have a child of my own. I cant quite explain it but the news has made me want to be a better person and artist through and through. So far 2011 has been fruitful for me and Im going to continue use art as my source for exploration with in myself and the world around me. This current post is work in progress on a character driven project focusing around my new 2011 avatar. Right now im creating his orthographic sheets and then it will be on to the modeling and sculpting process. Im pretty excited for this particular project since im not putting a rush on any aspect of it and simply focusing on the personality and refining the design. Once he all is finished ill be creating the environment and armor/ props to house his narrative. More to come.

Good bye 09!

2009-12-21T13:40:00.000-08:00

Well its been a while since I have posted, and there is so much I could say seeing as how its been almost 5 months since the last update. I guess what ill do is reflect on what 2009 has taught me. Well for one I have been reminded once more that everyone is the master and dictator of their own destiny. So if you want something out of life you go after it and never look back. This year has also taught me that while on that journey remember that your past is a compliment to your future so never forget where you came from. There were so many losses this year and I think that life works in cycles of rebirth so I am confident that 2010 will bring new prosperity to everyone. No matter how big or small it may be, simply keep your eyes open for it. Alright so enouph preaching. I recently decided to jump back onto my "Whang jang lee" portrait project since it had gotten a little side tracked do to my busy schedule. I promised my self to have him completely finished by the end of spring 2010 and I intend to make due on that promise. Keep an eye out for more updates because they will be coming more frequently I also have post additional work on my site so feel free to stop bye from time to time http://www.robertakbrown.com/3d.html. Oh and go see Avatar! This movie is pure digital magic.

New Portrait series!

2009-08-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

Well I recently decided to do a portrait of all the influential actors and characters from my child hood. The First on my list is Hwang jang lee! Anyone who grew up watching clasic late 70s kungfu movies might recognize this kungfu icon. Hwang was more then a inspiration to me as a kid and its an honor to do a portrait of him. This current shot is only about 50% of the progress thus far. The final model will be fully rendered with all the necessary SKin shaders as well as card and software driven hair instead of the current place holder mustache and eyebrows. Some of the other actors ill be doing portraits of are Rutger Hauer, Peter Kwong, Vincent Klyn, and Clancy Brown. Lots more to come on this project.

Getting back to the basics

2009-07-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

Well a lot has gone down since my last post. Looks like i might have landed a second job doing concept work for an animation studio out in sweden. I have been recently allowing myself to get back into improvisational illustration/automatic drawing. Allowing my self to expunge my subconscious collective of shapes lines life references and aesthetics. Well see what happends :) I had a live stream session the other day which was a blast because a lot of my old and new friends showed up and we all entertained each other into the early morning of the next day which followed. This is what i created during that session.

3Ding it up yo~

2009-06-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

alright back to sculpting. This is a Character in development for a gaming project me and a co worker are putting together. Im having fun with this model becasue im doing all the sculpting with one tool ( the move tool) and seeing how it affects my thought process toward push and pull aspects of construction. Also I now host a live sculpting session every sunday here http://www.livestream.com/characterdesign around 5-6 pm estern standard. Alright till next time.

DW4..

2009-05-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

This was a very fun activity. This was my first time entering DW and any art competition for that matter.When i heard t hey were going to be adding a new demon class this year that was all i needed to hear and i new i was sold. This competition was also an excuse for me to consentrait on making more finished 2d works. The creature i created is an abomination class demon known as the mockingbird Demon. For the final i was going for more of a mood piece that captures the creature taking its trophy from a recent kill... I really had to squeeze time in to get this finished and thus rushed it a bit, but if i had more free time I would never have stopped *sigh* anyway hope you enjoy.

a few other concepts

2009-03-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

just a few others :)

DW4!

2009-03-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

http://www.gameartisans.org/forums/showthread.php?p=113885#post113885

well iv entered dominance war 4 and with this being my first time entering i have this is the most fun iv had in a while. Whats really made me enter was the new Demon class they added this year :)which was all i needed to see lol. My demon is known as " the mockingbird" which is an abomination class demon. The mockingbird demon is a conniving and illusive creature that can be used for a multitude of purposes ranging from full frontal horde attacks to guarding dark trinkets. The demon is a collective of meshed animal and human parts all joined together creating a creature whose very existence is a perversion of the natural world.The specter on the demons back is actually its true form and the body is simply a vessel. The demon spirit is the mockingbirds only true weak spot. successfuly cause a mockingbird specter to dismount and you will destroy its body. The demon gets is name from its distinct habit of keeping the skull of its last victim and using it as a puppeteer device when hunting its human counterparts. The demon does not have a conventional face seeing as it does not interpret the world is ravages with normal human senses ans perception. So here are the first few sketches and a proofing shot with which i will start to lean some of my orthos toward. I was originally thinking of making the mocking bird a pet to a demon prince. The idea is still resonating in the back of my head and if i have some extra time i might try do it. As of now though im gonna start making this guys orthographic shots so i can have the rest of my time to think about color palette and final composition.

Bit by bit

2009-03-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

Ok so just a small update on this guy Im currently working his mid section rebuilding proxy parts and inventing untop of the original design. I decided to bring in a 80k version of the unfinished body which is allowing me to construct everything on his bulk mass. Still loads more to do!

update time

2009-02-25T20:13:00.000-08:00

Well I guess it was time for an update. well right now I'm rebuilding all the proxy targets I created in Zbrush and having fun doing it ^_^ its kind of mindless but meditative at the same time.

Yay its warming up again!

2009-02-11T21:42:00.001-08:00

Finally its starting to feel like Florida again. Last month we were having some crazy wind chills down here which is odd for a tropical state. I think the coldest it got was like 30 degrees at one point! So far the last 4 days have been some nice 70 degree and 60 degree nights ^_^! Alright in other news I decided to try some different profile shapes seeing as how people kept mistaking my hero guy with some general ant character from the ants movie lmao! Well i think im gonna stick with this profile which has more of the original idea i was envisioning.

Hmmm....?

2009-02-10T19:22:00.000-08:00

Ok so I went to see coraline the other day and I have to say although it was a great film i was left with a kind of un fulfilled or empty kind of satcifaction. It honestly bothered me becasue i new i had just wached a great movie but it didnt impact me as the way i thought it would 0_0? Maybe its a sign of my jadedness... Anyway small update on my dude still got lots more to do with him. Cant wait to get his armor started!

second month of the new year 0_0!

2009-01-31T22:53:00.000-08:00

Well its 2am in the morning as Im writing this e_e so bleh,......... .....oh wait yeah i wanted to say Happy birthday to my sissy Cherry!! Happy Bday!!! oh and I finaly started sculpting out one of my 3 new characters for my new reel. These are just very early work shots, lots more to do with this guy.....

A new dawn 0_0

2009-01-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

Wow what can I say... ok I guess sorry would be a start for no updating this thing. There has been so much which has taken place with in the last 4 months like me and my FIANCE getting engaged! This was something I new I wanted to do a week after she and I had been dating and I just wanted to wait for the right time which was on her birthday :) ! It was a very special moment that she and I will never forget. OK what else ..... oh ... oh we have a new president 0_0 and get this he is of African descent! Barack Obama couldn't have come at a better time. We as a nation need a leader such as himself in these dire times of job loss and financial collapse. OK so its a new year and have I made any resolutions, well... kind of. I have concluded that self promises our well meh.. ( oh and by the way that's an official word now ^_^) god I'm cheesy. Instead I'm going to hold off on the resolutions and simply do what I know I need to do which is push into new areas of focus outside my comfort zones. I am also going to be making a new Demo Reel this year seeing as how I havent made one in over 3 years 0_0. Alright and now for some sketches. Most of this work is coming from my online sketch book. http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=47127&page=10

Todays my Birthday

2008-09-02T23:20:00.000-07:00

happy Birthday to Me!

2008-08-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

Work in progress.....

New beginnings

2008-08-03T11:32:00.001-07:00

Man its been a while since I updated this blog, so much has happened in the last few months. Well me and my girlfriend moved into our new apartment about 3 and half weeks ago, and luckily we didnt have whole lot of furniture to take with us so the move was pretty smooth. The only major obstacle was getting a king sized bed up 2 flight of stairs 0_0. Im also now teaching character design and digital scupting at fullSail University a great place with very large body of young eager students. This is a character I have turned into a small side project I update him when ever I have a window of freetime .

Lines here, lines there.

2008-01-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

I made time to do some character work over the weekend and as soon my pencil touched the paper i felt like my old self again. Like the tin man finding a can D-W40 i found my rusty gears starting to turn again. Iv decided to do a 1 character every week which seems doable with my current schedual.

Color!

2008-01-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

well its a new year.... and global warming is starting to really show its affects...
I found some time last week to start texturing this guy which is good because i had started to lose interest in the project. Im still planning the back round elements and should have his texturing done in about another week.

Update

2007-11-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

Happy belated turkey day! The other day was great I spent the holiday with some family friends from my girlfriends side, and I was given a very warm welcome and a full plate!Well Im still on my holiday vacation and Im trying to use my time wisely updating this guy a little at a time. Still not finished with his modeling but id say he is about 70% modeled at the moment. Well until the next update......

Found time

2007-11-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

Well today I found some time to work on this guy a little. I still have alot more to do on him like cleaning up his geometry and refining certain areas and after that ofcourse im going to texture and light him. I did a quick color and light concept frame just to get some ideas for the final compostion and created this quick 10 minute thumb.

Update

2007-09-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

well its the weekend again and I finaly got around to buying a car. Kia optima ex 07. Not a bad first car. Well when i got home i decided to do a little more work on this guy I still have a ways to go before he is finished but this is a descent middle point. I also finaly got a scanner so i can show you the sketch im basing him off of .

2007-08-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well works has been keeping me pretty busy which Is great. So I made some time the other day to work on this guy a little more. Still have alot more to do on Him like make his clothes and finish sculpting his body.

New sculpt in progress

2007-08-10T04:53:00.000-07:00

Well this is a new character W.I.P I started a few days ago, he is roughly based off of a schetch I did a while back. Still have alot more to do with this one, but more updates will fallow.

The big move

2007-07-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Well I havent been doing much outside of getting ready to relocate, but I make time to practice renders and randome sketches. I got my hands on Z3 last month and just got a chance to play with this amazing tool not to long ago.

Some doodles

2007-06-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Im always drawing and its the first and last step in every thing I do artsiticly.

Thesis stuff

2007-06-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

heres some stuff from my final thesis presentation.

You can view more of it here at this link

spreading my wings

2007-06-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well I'm free! After 5 years of art school I have finally completed the journey and its a journey that i will never forget. In 2006 i had the opportunity of Interning at EA of Orlando which was such a success it landed me a full time job which ill be starting this august. While working for this prestigious company ill continue my artistic investigations with in my personal work. I will update this blog as the months come and go with my various render test concepts.