Art Archive BLUEWORLDS (Ugnaught concept WIP 2/19/06)

Beautiful pieces! What I love about your work most is your confidence with your lines. You know the line you have selected is placed correctly and therefore you only need to use one or two. The cleanness or simplicity is very striking and makes for very smooth, confident designs which are wonderful. I don't know if that made sense at all but anyway...great work and hope to see some more imaginings soon.

 

Again--another very cool creature design! I have to agree with Corellian_Rogue's comments about the "confident lines:" it's so very true, and really lends a wonderful weight to even simple outlines. Each of these creatures seems to have a definite "volume" to it, even with just a few lines. This most recent one is no exception--adding the water/liquid around the waist-area also gives a great sense of natural habitat, too. It would be great to see this one painted/colored--for some reason I picture it as green and orange... ?? Another wonderful creature, j_a!

FF

 

thanks C_R & FF for your latest comments! at the moment, i'm trying to design as many different kinds of aliens and creatures to start work on a new body of work i need for the end of the year. most of the time i already know what the texture, fur, etc. will look like with each design. when i go back to a concept for "completion" is often when more changes are made. there do come times when one just has to stop on a design and go with it. changes can be endless, even when the designs are just in a contour phase.

here is a new version of a quivry from Antar Four from The Essential Guide... books. the eyes will be light-colored to match the fur. i will design additional animals to accompany the hunted quivry herds of Antar Four. this particular female will be called a Greater Quivry.

[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SW.0006.jpg]

(FF - i will keep those colors in mind for the last design) - ja

 

[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SW.0006M.jpg]

here is a concept for a male Greater Quivry... -ja

 

Quite interesting...I like the llama-like neck. You could imagine this creature living on plains with long grasses, with that long neck and high eye placement lending to being able to camouflage in the grasses while being able to have members of the herd acting as sentries. This is what I love about creature design especially, I see the design and without even knowing any information about it, I start thinking about where it came from, what adaptations help it to survive, how each structure is used, whether it be for communciation, defence or a function like body temp regulation. I pore through the "Art Of" books doing this, and I'm glad I can do it here also. Great work, and I love it when the male and female are shown, really gives the viewer the sense that they could acutally exist.

Can't wait for the rest of your ecosystem to be designed.

 

thanks C_R for your last post! those "confident lines" take many lines to get there. here is what i was doing last night so you can see how these things start. the sketches are all various sizes and stages of realization. i'll scan and resize these for printing on regular 8.5 x 11" paper. i'll trace the prints using a lightbox/window pane for drawing a more completed image. these are concepts for a planet called Sol Three. i'll be working on these today... -ja

[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00001.jpg][image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00006.jpg]
[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00002.jpg][image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00004.jpg]
[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00005.jpg][image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00003.jpg]

 

Oh, I missed the Quivry post!


What a great animal, j_a! It very much reminds me of one of the large species of antelope found on the African continent, but with a very long neck and that great "ruff" of long hair! I agree with C_R that this must be a grazing animal that congregates in herds--the "sentry" behavior would be a very believable one for this creature, with the elevation of the eyes. One gets the idea that it would be very fast, too, with the strong, muscular haunches and flanks... Beautiful--it has a sort of grace about it, too...

And what a treat to see your collection of sketches! I love the little animal on the upper right--it reminds me of a beaver, particularly in its posture--I could see this little fellow being an water/swamp dweller, making its way through its environment using its strong tail and hind legs. The "digger" on the bottom left is another favorite--only I get the impression this is a very big creature, and might not be as unthreatening as the tiny mole he intitially reminded me of! lol!

I love the way you create texture and "feel" to these animals--with the fur and the rolls of hide and flesh on them, they really seem to be actual nature studies, drawn from the actual creatures on far-away worlds... Wonderful!

Thanks for sharing your "process" with us--it's just so fascinating to see all these exotic creatures! Most of us draw humans or species already "realized" in some fashion (comics/book covers/guide books), but you bring forth all these marvelous new creatures! It's soooo cool! !

FF

 

FF! Thank you for taking time to look and write about my stuff!!! i really appreciate the input!!!

this work in progress is going to be a donation for an auction at a fundraiser at the local art museum. i'll post the final image later this week. -ja

[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00004.jpg] [image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00004A.jpg]

 

A donation, eh? That's very generous of you! I hope it brings in plenty of money for the museum!

I love this animal: with the "toes" on its feet, and the shape of its head, it's sort of a cross between a hippo and an anteater... Well...to me, anyway! What a great volume you've give it with the shading--wonderful! Again, best of luck with the fundraiser!

FF

 

Your images are just so weird, and I mean that in a good way! It's great to see the rough sketches - I love the wilder line. Do you sketch the rough in charcoal, or graphite?

 

thanks, FalconFan & Soitscometothis for your last replies! well, i've started a new version of the donation drawing. it just kept bothering me at work today and i thought i'd start over. for me, the drawing lacks the look and feel of the original thumbnail. plus, i've never shown a drawing like this before at the museum(you never know who will be there). i want the animal to appear as repulsive as possible!

Soitscometothis - the sketches are done in graphite. charcoal is great but too messy for what i'm doing with the sketches. i erase constantly and change the design until i get close to what i imagine.

FF - initially, the idea came from the shrew. i'm totally fascinated with Darwin, evolution, speciation, etc... the Sol Three animals are futuristic creatures, most will be genetic-specific breeds, others will be naturally selective. -ja

 

The animals you are making are really unique and nicely done. I look forward to seeing the completed versions.

AG88

 

*grins happily*

Thank you so much for sharing your process with us here. It really is great to see how your thought processes are worked out onto paper. And secretly it's a relief that your beautiful work does start out as rough lines at one point! I am really impressed with the strength of ideas in your prelim work, it is obvious you are striving for a feel or a feeling from the viewer and don't rest until you are satisfied. Thanks again for sharing.

And as for the little critters, they're all so diverse and wonderful. One thing I can think of in particular that makes all your work stand out is that you bring a bit of reality to the creatures. Most people (myself included) aren't interested in drawing the smaller, less dynamic creatures that make up complex ecosystems. But the fact is these do exist and they may not have huge teeth, a pretty muzzle or rippling muscles but they are just as important! And also the fact that you don't make your creatures over impressive (I don't know if that came out right so I apologise for my lack of good words to describe). They are just so believable.

Bleh...I rambled again, sorry. By the way I love the little shrew with massive teeth, such personality in a great sketch! Looks like he's going to attack my ankle or something.

With the musuem fundraiser piece, you said you weren't happy with it because it was repulsive enough. This may be slightly bizarre but this little guy reminds me of a toddler, with all that puppy fat and smooth skin and folds! Maybe harsher scaled skin, with maybe some even coming off (similar to a snake shedding skin)?

I could listen to lectures about evolution all day! They make for some interesting sketches in your textbooks that's for sure!

 

thanks, academygrad88 for your post!
thank you, Corellian_Rogue, for your generous thoughts about my work! i really liked what you wrote!

well, here is the new donation drawing...i have to turn it in thursday(today)-ja

[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00004.jpg] [image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00004A.jpg][image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SOL.00004B.jpg]

 

...preliminary Darth Vader concepts -ja

[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SW.D001.jpg] [image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SW.D002.jpg] [image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SW.D003.jpg]

 

Oh, the museum donation creature is wonderful! They have to be delighted with this (even though they probably have no idea what it is, or where it came from, lol!)! May it bring in a big wad of cash for the museum!

Your Vader studies are great--as we always say around the forum here, we love the "quick sketches:" they really allow us to see the artist's process, and these are no exception--they really flash me to Ralph McQuarrie's work, the concept drawings/paintings for Lucas' first film. Thanks for sharing these!

FF

 

FalconFan - thanks for the post! yes, i have Ralph McQuarrie's images nearby for reference. i'm going to be doing lots of these Vader concepts until i get a pretty different design. i want his helmet and clothes to change through time. -ja

[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SW.D004.jpg][image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SW.D005.jpg]

 

Your Vader concepts are rather wonderful. Very strange, with an obvious animal influence beginning to become apparent. I think your designs are much more organic than McQuarrie's, and a little creepier. Are you also drawing inspiration from insect life, or is it largely mammalian and reptilian aspects that you are using?

 

soitscometothis - thanks for your post! i have the early McQuarrie designs nearby for reference and inspiration. eventually, i want my designs (like Vader) to look very different from what we have always known from the films, McQuarrie, etc. (i guess the best way to describe this project is simply a personal visual revision of the SW universe)
with Darth Vader, i'm mostly concerned about the mask/helmet since it's so important. i want it to be functional and intimidating. it just can't look like the original. it will probably take a hundred or more sketches before it evolves into it's own unique design. C3-P0, R2-D2, battle droids, ships, enviroments...everything will appear different.
i am always inspired from the natural world. there wasn't anything in particular i was thinking about when i was doing the recent masks. i didn't think about this until now...i do wear a respirator at the shop all the time where i work. -ja

 

Howdy,

I really like your work! I remember one of my favorite published SW reference books being the one that came out after TPM showcasing the wildlife and worlds of that film. Your drawings remind me a great deal of that. You don't showcase characters or battlecruisers, but rather present us with the little details that can make the environment so rich. Every world has to have it's ecosystem and food chain, so it's nice to see someone giving it attention.

Besides all that, your skill and talent in making them believable is very impressive!

 

Siths_Heralds, thank you for taking the time to look and comment about my work!!!

p.s. the donation piece above was part of $110,000 raised for educational programs for the South Texas Institute for the Arts!

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from blueworlds!
[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SW.0007.jpg]
This is the latest alien concept I'm working on tonight. It's a new concept for a Mon Calamarian. More to follow... -ja

 

i'm working again on the essential guide to planets & moons. hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! -ja


[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SW.0008.jpg]

system: Dantooine
planet: Dantooine
species: Fabool

 

Hey ja! Happy Holidays to you, and a big congratulations on the wonderful "haul" you contributed to for the arts institute!! That's so awesome!

The Mon Cal creature is very interesting--would this be one of the rarer, terrestrial species on the "water world?" I really like the sort of crouching posture of it, and putting the weapon into its grip rather reminds me of a bounty hunter for some reason! Very cool! And I love the Fabool--is this a very small flying critter? I thought it might be, with the tiny curled up feet and the "flapping" appendages--sort of hummingbird size...? I could see him covered with a downy fur that was sort of irridescent...

Great new additions, and I hope you have a great New Year!

FF

 

[image=http://www.blueworldsfanfilms.com/SWa.jpg]

Thank you for your last post FF!

What do you think of the direction where this species is going? Guess, these are going to be from Bespin! -ja