Sketch Meat 016

A quick gouache sketch of a wizard-type character with a strange hat.

Marowak Resdesign - Final

Alright, here is the final version of the Marowak. The poll is up over at CG Hub, so if you are a member make sure to go vote for your favorite entry! In case you missed the description of this guy, check out this post I made last week.

Photoshop

Marowak Redesign

This WIP is for this week's CG Hub Creature Planets Activity. The topic is to redesign a Pokemon as though it were a real creature. Naturally, I picked something involving skulls and death. Marowaks wear the skulls of their dead mothers, have an ornery temperament, and walk around throwing bones at their enemies. Cool.
The original Pokemon version:

And my version so far:

The entries are due on Nov. 24, so be sure to check out the thread over at CG Hub!

Sketch Meat 015

This week's sketch meat is a bit more detailed than usual, mostly because this monster seemed too weird to leave as a scribbly sketch. I call him Cephalophant and he likes to jump very high.

 

On a side note, I'm offering my prints for sale directly through the blog. On the right margin, you will find the current print available and a "buy now" button. If you see another image that you like from my website or blog, I can make prints of those as well. Just give a shout: darktreestudios@hotmail.com

Log Monster Concept

This is a digital WIP and some sketches that I've been working on for a bit. It was created for the Log Monster challenge for Art Order. I'm also working on a traditional painting of this concept. 

graphite sketches and Photoshop

Sketch Meat 014

Iguana Guru.

He likes chips.

I also have the pleasure to announce that I have joined the Creature Spot blog. If you enjoy creature art and want to see some truly inspiring stuff, please check out the site!

Tuber Troll

This is what he looks like in color:

Gouache, Ink, and Watercolor

Oddly enough, I have a sweet potato that has sprouted in my kitchen.

Sketch Meat 013

This guy is a tuber troll. They are created when you leave a sweet potato on top of your microwave for too long. It sits around waiting to be eaten and when it figures out that you're not in the mood for sweet potatoes, it goes all troll.

Battle Scene

This piece was created for the "Gotta Have a Hook" challenge from Art Order. Participants were given a brief description of a D&D art commission and were required to submit thumbnails, a detailed sketch, and finally a finished piece of art. Read more about the challenge on the Art Order blog, here. Visit the Art Order Ning to see the various threads containing all the work.

Gouache and Ink on Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper

Sketch Meat 012

Monsterpillar!

I would read a graphic novel based on the larval stage of giant mutant Lepidoptera. Any one want to jump on that?

Sketch Meat 011

Deep sea fish are really cool. I would love to have a fish pet like this.

Sketch Meat 010

Creatures of night brought to light!!

Sketch Meat 09

Whew, I had to take a break from all that meat! Seriously, though, things have been busy in the Negaverse Industrial Art Compound of Doom. I will endeavor to resume my weekly postings, although, many may suffer a famine from time to time. Such is the way of nature.

rawr

Volithar: Mutant Lionfishman

This is the final version of my entry for the Mutation Nation challenge over at Art Order. Check out the specs for the challenge here.

While brainstorming ideas for this guy, I began to build a story about the behavior and culture of these mutant humanoids. Lionfish and humans share a few traits (as far as behavior), so it wasn't too difficult to merge the two together.

The Volithar are slow moving, yet incredibly strong. They use their strength to swim through the turbulent post-apocalyptic oceans to scavenge and pillage from weaker species (like humans). They generally travel in tight knit family groups, usually no more than twenty individuals. Volithar are fiercely loyal to their own families, and will often fight or kill other creatures perceived as a threat. Because of this, vast areas of ocean may be devoid of large predators if a Volithar family has claimed it as their territory.

This species is opportunistic and will make use of any material for weapons (even their own bones and spines) and will consume just about any organic matter for food. They have an extremely high tolerance for radiation, pollution, and other toxins and will often live in areas where other creatures can't survive. A unique feature of their metabolism allows the Volithar to safely absorb toxins which are then secreted as a potent poison from glands at the base of their dorsal spines.

The hide of the Volithar is extremely thick and tough. Sharp objects are often used like needles to secure clothing to their bodies. Colorful bits of cloth and trash are added in layers to create a crude form of clothing. Although Volithar have a basic form of culture, their language is complex. Comprised of guttural rumblings as well as body posture and position of dorsal spines, Volithar can communicate audibly as well as visually over great distances. 

Gouache and Watercolor

Lionfish Man WIP

This guy is something I've been working on for a bit. I've always liked lion fish and I thought it would be really cool to imagine what a mutated anthropomorphic version would look like. I'm entering him in the Mutation Nation challenge over at Art Order, which is due April 11.

There are several other sketches I've done, and I have a few other ideas for compositions, so my final image may change. Right now, he's naked and has no bad-ass weapon to pillage and plunder with - other than his venomous spines, of course. I'll have to remedy that in the next post.

Photoshop

Sketch Meat 08

What is it?

Sketch Meat 07

This is what you get when you leave your spaghetti with clam sauce in your refrigerator too long:

 This is based on the concept of the "Beholder" from D&D, by the way. It's for a sketch contest over at the Art Order Ning

Demon Assassin Final

You may remember the WIP I posted a while back of the Demon Assassin inspired by an Art Order challenge. Well, I finally got around to finishing it. It's mixed media - gouache, watercolor, ink, graphite, and Photoshop.

This was quite fun to work on. I've got a bit of free time coming up, so I plan to enter the next challenge for Art Order (Mutation Nation). There is no way I could resist the urge to create horribly mutated creatures in a post apocalyptic setting - nothing but win can come from this. Sketches and WIPs will be posted in the coming weeks.

Sketch Meat 06

I'm not sure where this one came from. It's a mix between a rabbit, a tarantula, and a Chinese-style dragon....yeah, definitely don't know how I got to that. I suppose one would call it a Rabbantula Dragon.

 

Also, here's a robot:

 

Sketch Meat 05

This is a Demon Summoner that I've been working on for the last week. I'm using ink as well as graphite.

 

full image

detail

February was a great time for sketching and brainstorming for more ideas. Sketch Meat has been a great way for me to keep up creative momentum and as a result I've got a lot of projects in the works. For March, I'm planning to finish up some of the in-progress images and sketches that I've posted.

Sketch Meat 04

One could call this creature a Squid Monster or it could also be a Squidapus.

full image

detail

Sketch Meat 03

Monsters are fun.

Sketch Meat 02

Here is the second post in my yet-to-be-determined-numbered part and newly renamed series, "Sketch Meat". If you derived any sort of sense from that, I applaud your superior intellect. And now for the meat:

Mmmm, tasty.

Monster Cat

It's a monster cat!

Gouache on illustration board

Demon Assassin WIP

I started this piece for an Art Order challenge but wasn't able to complete it on time. This is a second version that came from the first draft I started. Originally this looked quite different, but part of the way through I hated it and just smeared the paint around. I really liked how the brush strokes turned out and so I was inspired to continue with the current version.

Gouache, Ink, and Graphite on Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper

Sketch Pages 1,2, and 3

In an effort to post more frequently, I will be adding pages from my sketchbook each week. To start things off, these are some recent monster and animal studies. I'm working on some new portfolio pieces and I've been looking at a lot of reference material. Some of these sketches will end up as fully rendered illustrations, but most of them are just preliminary studies and brainstorming exercises.

Bromide Final in Color

Alright, I finally finished it. I ended up working much larger than I normally do, so it took a bit more time. It was a challenge to choose the color palette for this piece. I wanted something that would be plant-like, yet I also wanted to suggest that this guy is a bit alien. I looked at a lot of orchid and insect photos and eventually developed the palette from those references.

Gouache on hot-pressed watercolor paper