6 Months in the life of - A Digest

Hey there guys! I haven;t posted here in awhile and have been focusing on my main website: www.grantcooley.com. That website features a blog, gallery and all kinds of goodies. Subscribe/visit there for up to date info!> IN the meantime, here is a cross section of the past 6 months' work! Hope you dig it and are doing well out there! G

Wonder Woman 3

Here is today's Study: Wonder Woman. Another 3 hour portrait for the old ebay.

Superman

Hey there guys! Again, sorry if you have been checking here and haven't had updates. I have been considering killing this blog feed and going with www.grantcooley.com exclusively. If you would like me to keep positing here, perhaps going back to a more content/artistic review, please drop me a line at grantcooleystudios@gmail.com and give me your feedback. I'd be glad to expound if someone is listening. In the meantime, here is my latest Icons Portrait: Superman!

Darkness

Howdy guys! I know it has been a while since I have posted here. I have been doing most of my updates over at : www.grantcooley.com . It has been one crazy summer. I have gotten to spend a lot of time with my little girls and it has been amazing. Here is a moderate scan of my latest piece, "Darkness". I'll post the final scan at my website and on FB. If you haven;t been there, check it out! Hope you are all well out there! G

Device

Hello all! here is my latest illustration: Device. The original will be displayed at Libertycon in July. Hope you dig it!

New pics of New (and old ) Work!

Hello all! I finally shot some better pics of my new work and, while I was at it, shot my very first oil painting: "Big Arms". Just some different stuff that I have been showing at art shows across Nashville.

Sam Final

Hey there guys! Here is the Sam Final. 18x24 Oil on Board 130 min. Worked off of a toned board this time and actually added some original elements. Working from a great portrait painting book that is helping with my color understanding. Also, it is worth pointing out, that these are done in 2 sessions. Sam was 50 min and 60min. respectively. I drop in the traditional figure study layer first and then come back within 48 hours and pop out the deeps and highs. This helps keep the painting from being muddy and allows me a second dive.

Gimli Final

And here is the Gimli study. I had a lot of fun with this one and it took no time at all. FYI, I finally started an ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Grant-Cooley-Studios . I am selling a lot of my originals in order to buy a house for me and my daughters. Take advantage of some of these great deals while I still have the pieces!

Aragorn Final

And here is the Aragorn Final. 18x24. Oil on Board. 127 Minutes

Elrond Final

Here it is; the Elrond Final.18x24 Oil on Board 132 minutes. Two LOTR portraits in one day. Wheeee. This one I really tried to push the colors and bend the reference. From now on I am really going to stretch the likeness out and go more for structure analysis and rendering. No sense being a famous cover band...

Saruman Final

And here is the Saruman Final. 18x24 Oil on Board. 105 Minutes.

Legolas Final

And here is the Legolas Final. 18x24 Oil on Board 120 Minutes. Details and progress shots are up on grantcooley.com

Gandalf Final (casual Photo)

Hey everybody! Here is the final for the first LOTR portrait. I will have a final scanned in sometime soon and priced on the website (grantcooley.com). Prospective buyers can contact me in the meantime with inquiries. Be the first to own the first in an epic collection of inspired portraits! Or at the least just tell your friends and spread the word.

Legolas Prelim

Hello! Here is the prelim drawing for Legolas. Had my girls for the past few days so was busy running around playing hide-n-seek instead of painting. I'll gladly take any rebuke. I think I will knock a few of these portraits this weekend so check back soon for goodies!

Lord of the Rings niftiness

Hey there guys! For those of you who haven't switched over to the grantcooley.com blog, at a glance, here is the past two days. The first Gandalf painting is about 30 min and the second is about 80 min. in. Hope you enjoy!

Hey there! I decided to do a series of Lord of The Rings Portraits as a figure painting exercise. For each character I will do a sketched rough, a preliminary tonal drawing (seen here) and then a full painted portrait without an underdrawing. I won’t make any prints of these as that would be lame sauce, but the original studies will be for sale.

First Dawn Preliminary

Hey there Guys! Just thought I would pop in and post a pic of a sketch I completed for one of my new paintings "First dawn". I am trying to work out my dragon concept through a series of developed roughs and painted studies. By fully rendering out the concept even in "roughs" it is is much easier to realize stylistic strengths and weaknesses. I Think the next version will have larger more fully extended wings and a more puffed out chest. We'll all see soon!

Conooga Review

Hello everybody! This year I attended Conooga for the first time. A 3 day event in Chattanooga, TN, Conooga is a young convention that prides itself on its party battles and friendly atmosphere.

My overall take on Conooga is very positive. It had a wide open space, very friendly and accommodating staff, and a decent attempt at programming. Being a a young show, they didn't really have any heavy hitter stars there, but that isn't really a draw for me as much as an indicator of a show's reputation/success. I thought it was a very pleasant and casual show.

In Summary:

Conooga
February 18-20
Chattanooga, TN

Pros:
Very open atmosphere in a nice venue.
Friendly and helpful staff.
Great reputation for such a young show. This just means upward growth and improvements all around.
I was allowed to runa very interesting panel on the art of retrofuturism.
Very open to new guests and contributions.
Good traffic flow with a diversity of tastes.

Cons:
The majority of the attendees were young anime cosplay kids. Not there to spend money or do anything but be looked at.
It is still a young show and will take a few more years to be a serious draw.
No real guests or programming...yet.

Overall:

A fun show that is worth heading out to. My space was comped this year and that goes a long way in showing me their commitment to a diversity of contributors. For the majority of youth, there were still a solid number of art enthusiasts and gaming fans. Would I go back? Absolutely. There are few shows I can vote so confidently on, and I am pleased to give this one a thumbs up. If you have a weekend to kill and promote your work while making a few shekels, put Conooga on the books.

God as the Architect II WIP

Hey guys! I will be tossing up my review of Conooga in the next few days. In the meantime, here is a progress shot of God as the Architect. I don't know if I will have it done for this weekend's art show, but I will have it done soon. Just keeping you guys posted!

God as the Architect

Few things are finer than blasting some metal on a beautiful day and working on a new painting. This WIP is entitled" God as the Architect" and is inspired by William Blake's classic concept. It is 24x26 on Gallery Canvas and should be done in time for "The Hang Up" art show in Nashville on the 26th. I don't normally like to post WIPs of Illustrations, but with my personal work, I would like to have a journal for myself and you guys of how my mind unfolds.

Anyhoo, back to work. Hopefully it is as beautiful where you are as it is in Nashville today!