Brian Wells Illustration

Don't Back Down

2011-08-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

When life give you lemons, that's your cue to reload.

Self - Portrait

2011-08-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Had a couple spare hours for once and decided to create a replacement for my badly outdated profile image. Of course, this usually means I'll change my hair or add glasses or something within a week or so, making the image totally obsolete almost immediately.

Mod End Image Bonanza!

2011-07-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Bringin' the Mod to a close with one more piece and the finished versions of the last two.

The Battle (WIP)

2011-07-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

And another.

Wolf

2011-07-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

Another piece from my DFS. Fun times with metal spirit wolf things!

The Observatory Suite

2011-06-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

Fruits of my DFS (directed focus study) - a six piece collection of concepts and model sheets.These may still change slightly (the class doesn't end for three weeks), but they're pretty dang close to finished.

Mod 4: Modulus

2011-05-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hiya. Post. Made one. Read it?

Resistance Environment

Environmental concept for Insomniac's Resistance series I created in my last 2D art class. The series depicts massive environmental change, so I invented a level in a sunken sea bed. The world features many types of coral, none of which evolved to be easy to render.

District 9 Assault Rifle

My first ever properly normal mapped project. The process relies on a high poly model, sculpted as accurately to the concept or, in this case, reference as possible, to cast normal information onto a low-poly model a game engine can run in real time. The work to create the high poly is often substantial, but it gives the impression that the in game model has much more geometry than it actually does. This gun comes from the movie District 9.

Crystal Space

A couple of pieces from my second TGP (Team Game Production). Crystal Space is a wholly ludicrous, not insubstantially awesome sort-of-early-eighties-ish type gravity manipulating shooter thing. It contains a shade of hot pink scientists just recently discovered at the Large Hadron Collider. Above the is cover, a quick turn around project finished about five hours after it was discovered we had to do a cover. Below is a concept sheet (work in progress) for the Gravity Gun, which in no way resembles the Gravity Gun from Half Life 2. I'd just like to stress that.

Ilunga

My second (third?) ever normal mapped project. 'Ilunga' is Congolese for a person who will certainly forgive an offense once, possibly twice, but never a third time. It's also the name of this four-horned alien rhino-type creature. The tubules on its chin are organs for culturing anaerobic bacteria that are drawn up through the mouth and intermixed with saliva to aid in the pre-digestion of its otherwise toxic food source, a type of swamp grass. If you actually read all of that sentence, step away from the computer and go outside.

Next mod I begin my first independent study and should have a lot more to post. Stay ... tuned? Logged on? Whatever it is the kids are saying these days.

Final Splash Page

2011-02-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

Ice Nine

2011-02-02T20:46:00.001-08:00

Mother Nature, in yet another attempt to murder her children, recently converted the state of Texas into an enormous ice rink. Like most of my fellows here at the Guildhall, I was huddled inside, pining desperately for warmth and daring not to venture into the pitiless glass sea that stretched endlessly in every direction. Condemned as I was to remain ensconced within my apartment until the sun saw fit to free me, I actually had a bit of time away from class and classwork. So, hey, blog update.

I don't get to do much drawing anymore, I'm sad to say - most of my time is poured into modeling and texture work. (My last sketchbook lasted four months!) On the rare occasion that I get to actually illustrate something, I end up throwing a lot of time into it. The above were for matte painting and splash page assignments, respectively. The splash page isn't technically due yet, so it may change.

We started character modeling this 'mod' (Guildhall slang for 'eight week temporal chunklet.' Not to be confused with a quadmester, which sounds both sillier and more academic at once). Above is a model sheet and turntable for Chashmal, created in the style of Unreal Tournament 3. We're getting into rigging him for animation later.

I'd like to say that I'll be updating more regularly, but I'm trying not to lie to you. My schedule is morbidly hectic and I can only rarely find this time; still, have patience, I am not dead, and I have not forgotten you.

What I've Been Up To Lately

2010-09-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hey, everybody. Long time no see. To those of you have may have missed the announcement, I started grad school at the Guildhall at SMU this August. I'm learning to make art for video games. It's been busy, busy times, so I haven't had much to show you, art-wise.

Anyway, I'm nearing the end of my first Module (we have some sort of bizarro quadramester system here) and I'm starting to get stuff put together enough to show you.

Early concept art for the first Team Game Project, which starts next Module. Each student pitched a single concept and eight of the 41 were chosen. Lucky me, mine made the cut, and as a bonus perk, I'm automatically assigned as Lead Artist for my team.

99.95% of all video games contain crates and barrels regardless of how insane it is to actually find a crate or a barrel in many of the locations in which they are found. (Seriously? Why is there a stack of barrels on the wing of this jet fighter?) The simple reason for this is that they're dang easy to make. This is a render from my very first 3ds Max Lab. The crates and barrels where modeled and textured after actual examples here in Plano.

The minor course of the art track is essentially designed to get students unfamiliar with Photoshop up to speed before 2d games start next semester. Most days involve a 30 min to an hour speed painting (as seen above). In addition, there are two larger projects, an animation cycle and an assignment to copy a portrait photograph down to the pixel level. Though not totally done, I'm a little ahead on both of those.

Also, if you're a fellow student and first time visitor, please, have a look around. Oh, and you can click on anything to see a larger size.

Samael

2010-07-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

Seraph

2010-06-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

Self Portrait, in a Hard-to-Define Setting

2010-06-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

I am afraid of cubes or something.

Lifeline/Spelunkers

2010-05-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Victor (Plus Process)

2010-05-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

I know I swore I wouldn't be producing finished illustrations for a little while, but it somehow turned out to be unavoidable. So, as long as I'm making paintings, I may as well be sharing them. Since I had the good sense to use Photoshop's iterative save for once, you can get a look at the process in addition to the final.

Process

The beginning sketch isn't much more than an idea. Normally I'd generate a lot of thumbnails and pare down, but this piece really began as an experiment in perspective around the foreground figure.

I begin by refining the forms and layout. Photoshop makes it easy to nudge, shift, scale, build and rebuild. I also begin to detail the foreground character. I'm not great at line work in Photoshop (okay, I'm terrible), but adding details gives me a better sense of where I'm heading. If I'm uncomfortable with the forms, I occasionally make a light print out and draw over it in pencil.

Refining the scene. Earlier versions of the soldier character seemed diffuse–I refined the overall look using reference from Roman and Japanese armors. I also straightened the stairs to clarify the figure's upward direction and removed the small plateau in the background.

First color pass. A lot of Photoshop users begin with grayscale washes; I like to start with color. It takes more work to place the values, but tends to give a more brush-like impression when color and value are applied with the same stroke.

Refining the colors. I use a lot of cloning and layer effects to get the right feel. At this point, all that's left is detailing. A lot of the piece is painted over to help separate the planes and control the focal points.

The final piece. It's possible to go on refining a piece forever, but for personal work, I usually call it quits when it seems less educational to continue than to move on.

Trifecta!

2010-05-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

One: It's been a long time in the making, but I've finally opened an online store over at www.brianiswells.com/store.html. Have a look around, perhaps there's something to enliven that blank patch of wall, to gift to a friend, or to terrorize an enemy.

Two: A new painting, or another fairly inaccurate depiction of a mythological specimen: Alecto, of the Furies.

Three: I'm putting a halt to finished illustration work for a little while–I know this is disappointing, but have faith, something much bigger is coming. Archetype is getting my full and undivided attention for a little while.

Don't worry, I won't leave you in the dark–I'll post process and progress on a (somewhat) regular basis.

Nicholas*

2010-04-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for waxing regressive for a moment. See, I can't say that this painting deals in any significant aspect with any of the new ways I'm working. But it has a centaur in it, and that centaur is a robot, and that centaur robot has wings. And sometimes that's alright.

*My coworker named this one. The current plan is to appease him and hope he quietly forgets. Honestly, 'Nicholas' is a person name. It's for people. :)

Redshift

2010-03-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Archetype: Book I, seen pinned to the wall of my studio. (Technically my kitchen/laundry/dining room as well, but I forgot that distinction a long time ago.) Current build stands at about 140 pages, but I'm aiming for the final product to be closer to 100. While the whole of Archetype is pretty massive, I want to keep the individual segments relatively breezy and compact, lest it collapse from self seriousness.

The book finally earned itself a subtitle. It's called 'Redshift', although you'll have to solve a cipher to actually find the name inside. That's right, folks, Relativistic Doppler Effects and cryptography! In case I've been too coy about this, let me state it plainly: Archetype is a war on your mind.

Secrets, Mirrors, Signs, and Spin

2010-02-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

Sketchbook

2010-02-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

I find it helps me remember something if a fictional person says it.

Smoking is a terrible habit. I haven't drawn his lungs, but, believe me, they're just awful.

Which Lich is which?

This took about a half an hour, which it turns out is way too long to hold a mirror stationary in one arm.

I've been drawing these string things lately. The round, concentric ones I've taken to calling 'barnacles.' The system is heavily involved in representing Archetype's 'mana.'

Weird coincidences make for some cool effects when you overlap drawings.

I draw this hand a lot.

Random girl, tenuously attributed to an airport queuing line.

A full page. They're mostly like this.

A family pet reclines.

A family pet thinks of Socrates in grids.

I mean, seriously. Also from an airport.

I don't know either.

Tarentino does the American Revolution.

I think I may have stabbed this guy with an 8-bit sword a couple thousand times.

From Archetype. Stating and restating the scenes now as refine the for the final build. As in all design, grids seem to accelerate the process. Also, trying to get by with as little text as possible.

Alien feller.

Holiday Fail

2010-02-13T15:36:00.000-08:00

I started out making a painting as commentary about Valentine's Day, but I got distracted and then ... actually, this works pretty well.

Re: 2010

2010-01-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

i. Thanks to everyone who ordered a Christmas Card. I hope you like them; I'm out of them.

ii. In 2009, I set out to produce a piece a week. I produced 32 pieces, reaching 61.5% of that goal. D-. Oddly enough, in 2008, I produced 50 pieces. A. It sort of counter-indicates the whole idea. Obviously, there are a number of variables to consider, but, surprisingly, they more or less neatly cancel out. I'll be dropping the strict production schedule in 2010 and continue to point out updates on Facebook, Twitter, and wherever else the cool kids 'hang.'

iii. I will be offering prints. Soon.

2010.

2010-01-25T18:01:00.000-08:00

The year sounds massive and I aim to make it so.

Christmas Card Offer

2009-12-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

I've got left over Christmas Cards for anyone who'd like to have one. Just email me your mailing address at brianiswells@gmail.com and I'll send one your way. Each is high quality matte print. Quantities are limited, so first come, first serve.

Episode 01: Process 02

2009-12-18T16:57:00.000-08:00

You won't see this cover again until the book is finished.

The Times They Are A-Changing

2009-12-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus hasn't changed much since the 19th Century, even if the toys he delivers have. An illustration for my family's annual Christmas Card.

Episode 01: Process 01

2009-11-21T11:04:00.000-08:00

Beginning work in earnest on the cover. Still far from complete, but the basic elements are in place. I'll let the story explain some of the abstractions.

A sketch of Geira's leader, known (for now), simply Madame Minister. Age seems to hit like a brick in Archetype–I confess, it's only because the old are much more fun to draw.

All of Archetype's action takes place in Altusbein, the so-called World of Worlds, a place of staggering age and size that defies every attempt at comprehension. In the more civilized areas, thousands of cultures may exist in cramped quarters. Trying to create this kind of cultural immersion is a bit tricky. To handle the multifaceted language barrier, I've borrowed a trick from Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes and replaced the foreign sounds with a kind of symbol language.

That's all for now.

Archetype Est.

2009-11-13T16:44:00.000-08:00

No formal painting this week. After, oh, ten thousand hours or so, I'm finally reaching the point where Archetype is something bookish. Above is an early comp for the cover. Expect a (pretty rough) sampling of the interior in a few days.

In a Mirror, Darkly

2009-11-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

These self portraits are pretty experimental, so I don't always know how they'll end up. This one turned out a bit, well, Caligula. Which is surprising, as it's been an alright Thursday, by and large.

Phoebe

2009-10-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Of the Titans, who never really got a fair shake.

Sequel.

2009-10-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hello, again. Long time no see. As you may have noticed, this blog looks a bit different. The change of wardrobe coordinates with my updated main site.

If you'd like to have a look, it's viewable here:

http://www.brianiswells.com/

Regular blog posts should recommence shortly, so don't wander too far.

Boo!

2009-09-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ah, that's better. Things were getting a bit frilly around here.

In the Flowers

2009-08-18T17:59:00.001-07:00

Guardian of the Valley (Finale)

2009-08-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

100 hours later, I'm calling it done. I haven't been so exhausted or educated by a piece in a while. My gift to you on the this happy eve? The biggest, highest quality png google will allow me, plus, for the first time ever, detail shots.

Yin-Yang

2009-08-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

Self portraits are a good way to study observational principles and technique...

... but I hate appearing over-serious.

Please Hold.

2009-08-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

All of our operator is currently engaged in designing a website. Your viewership is important to us. Please enjoy the following B-Sides while you wait.

The Rabbit Hole is Deep

2009-07-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

A second pass on 'Guardian of the Valley,' aka 'The Mountains of Madness.' Easily the longest execution for a single painting in a long time–it'll probably get another once over before being incorporated to the new site look.

Whateley

2009-07-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

Lovecraft reminds you to go mad while you still have the chance.

Stand Alone Complex

2009-07-01T21:47:00.001-07:00

Echo! I guess this is my response to 'Up'? I didn't dawn on me until near the end, but there's some pretty solid visual similarities here to Pixar's helium odyssey and a few responses I've seen since. The subject matter is actually pretty different, but I've ended up oddly convergent. (Apologies all around!)

Oh, if you haven't seen 'Up,' you should do so. It's, well, an upper.

Guardian of the Valley

2009-06-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... the png version is lacking oomph, unfortunately... Looks like I'm going to have to figure out how to navigate Blogger's color settings...

Still here.

2009-06-20T10:29:00.001-07:00

My once a week ideal has fallen a bit off the rails of late–I apologize. I've been short on time, and working a lot on a new identity/website. I'll be back as soon as I can... Thank'ee kindly for your understanding.

Magnetic

2009-06-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Nothing but Lies and Pictures of Also Lies.

2009-05-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

As part of my General Life Over-Complication Plan, I refuse to post actual photos of myself on Facebook–I paint these instead. For those of you wondering, I actually look like Kermit the Frog. Flippers and everything.

The Myth of Sisyphus

2009-05-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

So the topic was Stubborn, and, in retrospect, the connection seems a little indirect. Sisyphus is most known for his futile lot, but I figure anyone giving more than a half hearted push on the eight billionth go-round must be a bit hard-headed.

Fortuna

2009-05-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Time is an illusion.

2009-04-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

And thank heavens for that.

Now for something completely different.

2009-04-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

And with that, I am officially shot for a little while. My fingers are protesting incessantly at too many long hours, and my brain is apt to join the picket lines. We'll call this the painting for the week, I need some time off to recover.

The Big Sleep

2009-03-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I used Painter. It's good to return to a medium that's a little less abstract once and a while, especially as my Photoshop is more and more reliant on splicing graphs.

Never Say Die

2009-03-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Another four hours never hurt anything. Except my hand. Carpal Tunnel, here I come!

Mr. Shiftlet

2009-03-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Squalor Victoria

2009-03-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't said anything in a while, have I? Seems like it, anyway–I'm accustomed to nattering. This one was made pretty quickly, as nice days can be pretty disasterous for my productivity. That's probably why so many really great authors lived in the foggy ice torn islands of the bitter European north. Dickens was so thoroughly surrounded by malevolent attitude and sullen, stick-to-itive damp that writing about the struggles of orphans was his only in-road into a sunny world.

I, however, have a mild fascination with pompous headwear.

Rook

2009-03-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

Red-Breasted Lego Warbler

2009-03-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

Close Enough.

2009-02-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

That hand should be over an inch. Or his head more to the right. Also more fire. And, somehow, it isn't _bright_ enough. But it is Monday enough, and too little Sunday, so I suppose I'm done, and nary too soon for my sanity.

Yoof

2009-02-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

Eminence Grise

2009-02-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

I am become Febreze, the Destroyer of Smells.

2009-02-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

Smells, for all their lymbic potency, are absent from pictures. Pictures must be sad about this.

...Wait, what? Nevermind. The topic was Malodorous. I tried to get by without stink lines or flies. After staring at it for a few hours, I'm not really certain what I think of the outcome.

Hard Times for a Prophet

2009-01-26T19:54:00.001-08:00

Prophecy seems to be the ability to wander out into the desert and justify it afterwards. Don't get me wrong. There's a certain insensible romance to aimless ambulation that inspires deeper, less perishable thought. If you can put up with the vultures, then the desert may be the brute naive's paradise.

This title isn't.

2009-01-25T12:42:00.000-08:00

Week 1: I did some math and I am a liar.

2009-01-20T18:32:00.001-08:00

Turns out there are more days in 9 days than there are days in 7 days, therefore I am an outright fabricator, scoundrel, and general ne'er-do-well. Math is a pitiless master with a heart of quadratic loathing.

Commitment Issues

2009-01-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

I take New Year's Resolutions really, really seriously. Enough so that they dictate much of my behavior for the rest of the year--I can't break them unless they are proven to be impracticable or incongrous with their intent. I have to be really, really careful about the ones I make, because I will tether myself to them like Ahab's whale. This is why it has taken me until eleven days _after_ the New Year to write the following:

I will update this blog once a week with a complete painting.

Godspeed, me. Other stuff coming down the pipeline: a new CSS website that will absorb and incorporate this material, and actual Archetype pages, thus far the Skunkape of my blog.

Edit: Also, I'll grammar and spell check these posts.

Liminal Messages

2009-01-09T18:06:00.001-08:00

If you duct tape my mouth, squiggles come out of my ears.

A Mirthful Solstice.

2008-12-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

From the family Christmas Card, which I'm hopin' has made its appointed rounds by now. Amidst all the frenzied consumerism, it's good to remember the real reason for the season is hypothermic warfare.

Hellion

2008-12-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

Gnostic

2008-12-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

I made this in acrylics. Who knew painting also occured in analog space?

Old priest, young priest

2008-11-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

I'm definitely on a chthonic streak lately.

Halloween is a state of mind.

2008-11-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

Most recent round of experiments has been producing some pretty out there results. I'm surprised at how much faster this method is, and it gives a much more 'real media' feel. I may very well be reworking my whole process in response.

But seriously.

2008-10-31T17:20:00.000-07:00

I apologize heartily for everything I just posted.

Please, go vote, but for the love of all that's holy, study the candidates, the nation, and the issues first.

Rockin' the Vote or Ataturk, RIP or Vox Populi, Vox Meh

2008-10-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

Apparently, there's some sort of electa-diddle coming up. I know--I was surprised, too. Thank goodness I StumbledUpon this article on CNNTurk.com while searching the internet for supercool graphic T's based off of eighties movies:

Ohio eyaletinde kampanya yapan McCain, "daha önce de defalarca yaptıkları gibi gözlemciler bizi sildiler. Birkaç puan gerideyiz, ancak yetişiyoruz" dedi.

Son yapılan kamuoyu yoklamalarından New York Times-CBS anketi, Obama'nın McCain'in 11 puan önünde gittiğini, anketler de farkı 3 ile yedi puan arasında gösterdi.

Obama, ülke çapındaki üstünlüğünün yanı sıra, eskiden Cumhuriyetçilere oy veren ancak şimdi kritik nitelik taşıyan 6 kadar eyalette önde gidiyor.

Bu ortamda Obama, seçimden önceki son günlerde, daha önceden Cumhuriyetçi olarak bilinen eyaletlerde kampanya yaparak "taarruz taktiği" uygulayacak. Bu çerçevede dün Virginia ve Florida'da kampanya yapan Obama, bugün de Missouri'de konuşuyor.

McCain de şimdi kritik olan eski Cumhuriyetçi eyaletlerde "kalelerini savunmaya" çalışacak.

Bu arada, Obama'nın kendisini artık başkanlığa çok yakın gördüğünün bir ifadesi olarak Demokrat adayın kampanyasının yetkilileri, başkan seçilmesi durumunda Beyaz Saray genel sekreterliğine İllinois eyaleti milletvekili Rahm Emanuel'i getirmeyi düşündüğünü söyledi.

Now, I don't know what it says, but the picture tells me that McCain knows karate. And that probably means he's wicked strong on defense. Would you mess with the most powerful man in the world if he also knew how to bicycle kick? No. No, you wouldn't.

On the other hand, Obama "seçimden önceki son günlerde." I don't know what that means necessarily, either. However, it doesn't necessarily preclude me having a beer with him. And as Joe Six-Pack, I have at least four additional beers I probably won't be drinking. I hate to see things go to waste.

I guess I'll probably do what I normally do on election days--walk into the booth and vote whoever's name is a slightly prettier color, or maybe ask my psychic. She's a cat. (Animals are a lot more sensitive than people. You know how you can just look at a cat, and just know it knows something super-secret? I think they're more in touch with the spirit world.)

Anyway, folks, I just wanted to say that you should get out and vote, because if you don't, we could totally get taken over by Iran! I read it on a blog!

Salem

2008-10-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

Messin' with Photoshop again, trying to replicate more organic painting techniques. The trick is going to be combining a bunch of strains of painting I've done in the past into the structural discipline I've recently acquired. Could fall flat entirely, but in the meantime, should be good fun.

Michelin Star

2008-10-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

My entry for 'A Feast for the Eyes.' My internet capabilities are fully restored, so look for a blitz of content here soon.

A Feast for the Eyes

2008-10-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

My former professor, Barry Fitzgerald, is throwin' an art show for his wife's business. You should go in check it out. There's contributions from a lot of cool folks, like my good friend the very talented Julia Icenogle and yours truly. Opening reception is tonight from 6:00-8:00. (Sorry for the late notice. Been in moving flux for a bit). Otherwise, the display runs for a full month. So go check it out. It's good art, food, and probably karma.

6th and Wakarusa
4931 W. 6th Street
Lawrence, KS 66049
785-856-2656
blueplatedinners.com

On Transigence

2008-10-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

Enough. Life is entirely too short and precious to spend any more of it putting scale texture on imaginary bugs.

I am, for once, not being sardonic, sarcastic, or purposely obtuse. 11:40 PM. A Saturday night. Somewhere in the eighteenth hour of my ever lengthening quest for the perfect carapace, I officially had enough of the bizarre hyper-realist fit I'd nursed on and off for the last several years. At what point, I wonder, did I conflate 'goodness' with 'detail'? I'm not really certain. But, it's weird, kind of unhealthy, and not nearly as satisfying as it once was.

I'm going to be making a turn towards efficiency: the most psycho-symbolically accurate, purposeful use of each form. More planning, less muddled execution. That way, maybe I can get back to enjoying the things I enjoy, leave the house on occasion, and let nature handle the exoskeletons.

Website Again

2008-10-07T10:58:00.001-07:00

I updated my official website to include the absent multimedia topic and correct an odd rollover error. Somewhere along the way it turned into a pretty comprehensive redesign.

Check it out at: www.brianiswells.com

Creative Quarterly

2008-09-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, I had the good fortune to land a couple pieces in Creative Quarterly Journal #12. It's out on theoretical news stands everywhere and actual news stands somewhere as well.

Skullbie

2008-09-24T18:11:00.001-07:00

I had a dog named Skullbie once.

No, I didn't.

Vanity.

2008-09-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Last one for a long, long time, I swear.

Tornado Warning

2008-09-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

Having been raised in Kansas for all my memorable life, I know that the appropriate reaction when one is menaced by whirling debris is to eat dinner, laze slowly to the basement, and then screw around on the Internet until Nature's Wrath has made its appointed rounds. So here I am now, and I figure I may as well toss these up here. The first is another random head of the kind that happens _continuously_ when I'm not really thinking. The second is a brush/tone/value test related vaguely to Maxfield Parrish.

Liquidity

2008-09-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Water is a pretty complicated problem. I've got probably two dozen 'wave' brushes, none of which actually work, which means ever river, stream, gully, and ocean is a unique issue unto itself. On the other hand, even a modicum of success is worth some jubilation.

2008-08-29T08:56:00.001-07:00

Quick! Make something up!

2008-08-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

Ignatius Rourke only caused people happiness in life. In death, he must now endure eternity chained to super euphoric glow balls.

ERZ Olympia

2008-08-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

More about Paris, 1863, than Beijing, 2008. Olympia, Dirge's 'daughter,' gets only a single scene in the entire story.

Golden Arches

2008-08-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

I keep shoving ridiculous self portraits off on you guys. I feel like Chairman Mao. And, in this case, Geordi La Forge.

Sometimes I just post things here so I'll quit working on them. I could really use to not be painting this one anymore.

So be it, then.

2008-07-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

Since the last one was so melodramatic, I went for slightly ridiculous this time. May have overcompensated a smidge.

Good Morning, Planet Earth

2008-07-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

It is always reassuring to wake up and discover the planet is still there.

Sorry, all, for my recent bout of reclusion. I haven't gotten much painting done while I've been job searching, but let these images serve as proof that I, too, still exist.

Website Up

2008-07-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

My portofolio site is up and running (and this place has been remodeled a bit to match).

Check out the new site:

http://www.brianiswells.com/

Happiness

2008-06-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Creative Quarterly, a national magazine for emerging artists/illustrators/designers what have you, came out with its list of winners today, and it looks like I got some pieces in. Huzzah! The website is apparently still under construction, but when it's ready, I'll let you guys know.

Dimensional Hyper Gnat

2008-06-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

Trying to keep up a steady diet of Photoshop sketching, which isn't so difficult sans employ.

Sturm, Drang, Gradient Filters

2008-06-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Couple of newbies. I'm working with lower contrast/less color for a while. Hopefully, that'll make it easier to nitpick subtle details when called upon to do so. The bottom one is a wonkish self portrait I like anyway.

Axial Symmetry

2008-06-10T19:41:00.001-07:00

I fear I am repeating myself, which is apt to happen when I just noodle in Photoshop for a while. So, after this, something _completely_ different.

This guy is from the early days of Archetype. His name is Graen, after a municipality in Austria. Yes, my naming strategies are precisely that random.

Timing

2008-06-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

I painted this today for a contest that apparently ended a month ago. It's June, Brian. June. Temporal displacement aside, I'm trying to soften the 'black cutout' appearance from my promo pieces.

Crowd Surfing

2008-05-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

Crowd control is an interesting problem. Complex pieces have to be handled as fractals, more or less, applying the same compositional thought to each portion while monitoring the whole. Still, managing complex imagery is necessary for convincing world building. It's easy to tell when someone's gone through conniptions to avoid acknowledging their setting. I'll be doing some more complex studies for a while to see about tackling the issue.

For those who are wondering about how Archetype is actually coming alone (and for those aren't, but are compelled unreasonably to finish reading to the end of sentences), I'm pleased to say I'm working pretty steadily on a draft of the first volume. Having huge stockpiles of even the most trivial data on the story is proving rather helpful. Characters and settings can volunteer solutions of their own accord.

Diversionary Tactics.

2008-05-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I think that robot would hit its own antenna every time it fires its old-timey revolver. Still, I hear the NRA is interested in further development.
Been trying to replace that self-portrait in the upper corner for a while now. This is about as good it's gettin', folks.
Virot, like Hitchcock, prefers to stand in slightly aloof profile.
Toot.
The one on the left was drawn a meager fifteen seconds before the one on the right. During that brief moment, all my volumes went to pot.
Drawing my left hand is much easier than drawing my right.
Whenever my paintings get particularly complex, my sketches tend to get pretty simple.
Using Staedler Calligraph Pen here. Rather like the hair.
My London Guide, an English Professor, called this 'interesting.' She pronounced the quotation marks. I think she just wishes she had a robot.

Final Fourteen

2008-05-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Angnor-ance and the Doomsday Clock.

2008-05-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

I did these, like, a long time ago, but they needed some help.

The first three are from my cryptically named, oddly violent, and sporadically verbomaniacal "children's" book "The Knights of Angnor." It's about trolls, knights, bridges, ferrets, and the upside of deforestation.

The last is a black and white take on the Man, Woman, Bird, Dog, and Banana in a room assignment, which is about exactly what you would think. I have no idea what the story actually is in this scene. I just know that he hates that fire so, so much.

In other news, it's four days until the Senior Show, which promises to be a tapestry thrillingly interwoven with failure and delight. With almost four years over, it's time to take stock. And print. One must always be printing.

The Big Ben.

2008-04-17T17:21:00.001-07:00

Following the London pilgrimage, the group is making a book. As the Resident Illustration Buddy, I volunteered to paint the cover. It's done in Painter, a program that allows me to paint when I don't feel like moving four feet to my left to my actual work desk.

The Big Chill

2008-04-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

Two things:

1) We lost the bid for Costner's logo. This is not particularly surprising, given the studio's stated preference for a competitor's work early on in the process. So it goes.

2) I won't be adding anymore of my Illustration projects to this blog until they're finished, which, by the grim, ineluctable hand of fate will be in two weeks regardless of, well, anything. I may try to post some sketch book stuff in the meantime.

Wish me luck, all. To my illustration comrades: this will be our finest hour. Or a bunch of pretty okay days, more than likely. Godspeed.

Colonel Kurtz

2008-04-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

Found this artifact nestled between strata of ancient projects earlier. Way back in High School, I made my first stab at Archetype, back when it was called Archetype: Precursor, which is sort of a really terrible name for something that isn't a prequel of any kind. This scene contains a really early version of Tapaesan Isuko, right, and his sister, who may or may not have had a name at one point in history. She was later written out of the story for having terrifying hot dog fingers.

I am not certain how Tapaesan's hair works. Presumably, he must staple the side bits on.

(the horror...)

Perfect Attendance

2008-04-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

All fourteen of my illustra-doodles for the Illustration project. These are irrationally fun to make.

(For the last time, he isn't a robot. Not even a little bit.)

(This guy has a squid for a hat. Fashionable.)

(Kids, smoking isn't cool.)

Drew Tiny Little Pictures of Skeletons

2008-03-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

Actually, no, I didn't. But someone did. Probably they did. Maybe just sang about it.

I went to London this Spring Break. I have nothing witty or sarcastic to say about it. I think I've always wanted to get out of wherever I was. Though I'd been across the country and into parts of the Caribbean, I've always travelled with family. London was the first time without that context. It's good to know, definitively, that the world really is much bigger than my small circles.

Really, I look at what I draw, why I've drawn, and it's always about the same thing: gaining insight into a wonderful kinds of places I've never been, or in some cases, can never go.

I think, if I'm able, I'll make it a point to travel all over when I'm older. And I'll try to keep records wherever I go.

There was going to be a picture with this post; it won't load. So the opening quote won't make any sense, really. Don't know that I care.