Solo Show 8.03.13

A solo show is coming up shortly!

Also, please consider attending IlluXCon, a convention celebrating the original paintings behind some of the world's best fantasy art! I will be exhibiting in the spotlight showcase, in the company of some incredible artists.

Anthrocon 2013

Of all my conventions I attend, Anthrocon may be the biggest and most exciting celebration of character designs. The only commonality found is having something to do with animals. While I'll have a presence in the art show and other nuances, head on over to Dealer's Den table N-03 to say hello!

I'll also be sharing a table with the pocket art-rocket Taí, so be ready for the best table on the floor!

In The Details

Welcome back, friends! It's been some time since my last post. While at the tail end of recovering from a chronic illness I am pleased to show some more current work on my blog. My standard for work has become faster and more detailed since working in the gaming pipeline, an experience I am very grateful for! See for yourself:

In case you are interested in my creative process, please view this animated gif showing the entire construction of the last image.

Game In The Works

If you follow me on my Facebook page, you'll already know I've been the art director and lead artist on an MMO start-up. It sports some exciting classes, some of the coolest races I've seen to date, and even an engrossing story! Most of the new art is non-disclosure, so you'll not be getting many related updates in some time. Until then, things to whet your appetite!

A diverse line-up of playable races 

Token Human-race, specializing in light-melee and time-manipulation

It's hard to remember to update a blog when you're busy on commissions. On the bright side, I'll soon be uploading those here, as well! 

Prometheus

Isn't it about time I did Sci-fi? As much as I enjoy the genre, I rarely gave it any art love. After seeing Prometheus I felt compelled to screen cap one frame of every shot. Here's what I have so far:

Greetings, All! My recent endeavors have been more focused on art than ever before. My sleep schedule has truly been tempered around the idea of freelancing, a much needed adjustment that prepares me to squeeze as much out of each day as possible!

Here are some collections of warmups and photo studies I have completed in the last week or so:

Black and Whites

Straight outta the art book, in the works. Have some black and whites:

I'll end this with a current work in progress for the 72 Demons Project

Cardstock Part 2

Hello, folks. I'm back from an interesting, stressful, educational holiday season, with many projects under my belt. I'll leave a few commissions here for your viewing pleasure. These serve as a response to Yoji Shinkawa's work in the Metal Gear series.

More Cardstock

Still experimenting with cardstock. The surface doesn't hold darker values well, but the smooth texture is wonderful for my workflow. Very cheap alternative to using Hot Press illustration board, especially if you plan on a digital finish.

Graphite, coloured pencil, digital

India Ink, digital

Wallpaper!

I've been on a blog kick recently. Within the last two days I've saved over four-hundred images. If you like fashion inspiration as much as I do, you'll check out Twisted Lamb. It's run by a fashion artist in the game industry, and she is superb. 

The two drawings seen here are from that blog. The full-sized image is 1920x1080, so feel free to make it your new desktop image!

Chaotic Figures

Following the portraits, I decided to offer figurative commissions in a slightly different style. The focus was on keeping dynamic strokes and gestural quality through to the finish (something I try to do normally). Below is the collection of finished sketches:

Next up is are ink drop portraits. Hope this example encourages more people to try this style:

--\-

The dash-dash-slash-dash ( --\- ) is a signature I started using over a year ago. You'll usually see that symbol hidden somewhere within my images, but what you probably don't know is why I use it.

The symbol came about when I was eating a cookie. I looked at the shape my bottom teeth made when I bit—turned out one tooth was crooked. I liked that pattern enough to use it. But sometimes I forget how to  do my signature and have to bite something as a reminder.

Search the symbol in Google and see what happens.


Not very many results at all, huh? It's far more exclusive than "Jonathan Duncan", or even "Jonathan Vair".  Eventually, it will only post to my work. My goal of having an unobtrusive and effective signature will then be realized.

It will eventually come in handy when someone posts your work on Tumblr, it gets famous, and the original poster never credits you. And to all the folks on Tumblr, it's graphite, not charcoal. :)

Asura's Wrath

Capcom was holding a contest. Submit your art based off of the game, and if they like it it'll be used within the game somehow. It sounded a bit shady, but I figured it was a good time to break out the oils. 

Here is my entry. If you'd like to see a GIF of the process, click the bottom image.

I have been busy.

Well, it happened. I am officially published. To think, I was at in the computer lab at school and thought, "I like Sims' stuff. I should do art for him," and then I did, and then he used it the images on his latest EP. Artists, that's all it takes.  

Life Never Gets Less-Crazy

One of my favourite things about my life—besides having the greatest friends in the world—is being constantly entertained. I literally cannot remember the last time I was bored. This is due to being an artist constantly trying to see my world objectively, but also comes from being thrown into situations bigger than myself on a regular basis. 

For example, in the middle of creating new work for this contest via ImagineFX, I had to apply for a last-minute passport after winning a contest to SIGGRAPH, a convention I wanted to return to this year, but couldn't afford. Now that my new images are done, I have to finish a cohesive concept portfolio as fast as possible. After that's done, I'll be finishing an EP package for one of my favourite hip-hop artists. From there I'll be completing two more designs for a snowboard company. From there, I'll probably hound Arenanet the rest of the year until they blacklist me or hire me. 

If I'm lucky, somewhere along the line I'll get paid! 

Here are the three images I completed in the last seven days. New record!

Environment Sketches

I've been meaning to do this for a while: I took the last two days (three if you count this morning) and completed a several environment sketches. Soon I'll be comfortable to the point of intelligently abstracting environments without references, and then my work is going to seriously level-up!

Most of these are referenced from my photos in Old San Juan. Such a great art opportunity!

Jonathan Duncan: ORIGINS

I owe a good bit to videogames. Ever since I was in Middle School anyone that knew me could attest to the fact that I was always drawing videogame characters from copies of Electronic Gaming Monthly or taking videogame guides into English class for mandatory reading time. It started out as an obsession, but after I matured (maybe) I came to appreciate games rather than have an unhealthy obsession with them. 

Metroid was one of my favourite franchises. It was by unlocking concept art in Metroid Prime that I knew I wanted to do concept art in videogames for a living, and Samus Aran is by far the character I've drawn more than any other. After a mother of an old friend found a rendition of Samus painted on her basement wall from around eight years ago, I decided to give it another go, for old time's sake:

There's something endearing I've lost with the newer version. 

Maybe it's the broken arm or the glam-rock boots. 

The Start of Summer

I apologize for my absence. In my defense, many things have happened! I visited Old San Juan, I moved to Columbus, and I've been sketching. 

Here's an update for the Guild Wars folio, just to prove I've been working. Each of these sketches will help actualize my goal for a Guild Wars class that revisits good aesthetic choices from earlier in the franchise, enhances the culture of the world, and offers more exciting real-time combat opportunities. My website will have the finished versions, including descriptions of each.

Now that I've graduated college, my desire to work in-house has never been stronger.  Wish me luck as I make that last push!

Guild Wars Post 1

Working on several images to develop a new class for Guild Wars 2.

Bad Time Zoo, 2 of 2

Gift for SIMS and the Doomtree crew

If you're a hip-hop artist, you're good at what you do, and you're looking for an artist, send me a note!