I, Steampunk

So I have got the fever. It's true. I never realized how bad I had it until I started researching my IMC piece. Steampunk kicks ace. Its true. Not just any and all, but GOOD steampunk. I'm talking Miyazaki and Otomo good. People slapping gears and valves on crap and calling it punk is lame, but well researched and fantastically viable Victorian style low-tech steam punk is the bomb. With that said, I am developing a series of book covers focused around the exploits of two steam engineers. I will be building maquettes for all of the vehicles and steam-jacks depicted. The finale will be a 20x30 battle scene depicting the heroic engineers and the standard Germanic empire baddies. Think Valkyria Chronicles meets Porco Rosso fighting across the Iron Kingdoms. If all 3 of these references don't strike a glorious chord, you don't know steampunk. I will make it my mission to educate your properly. It is my goal to have these pics done by Gencon.

The pics above are concept sketches for "Earl" the clockwork golem (steam-jack) as well as production and completion pics. I will be painting him up over the next few days to bring out his inner glory. He has taken about 10 hours to scratch build, and all of his limbs, torso and head are fully moveable and poseable. The fingers even come out if I need to change the grip. A big shout out to Jim Gurney for getting me to take this to the next level. His support and enthusiasm are the most blessed of contagions. I hope you guys like it.

IMC Day 2

Day 2



With the arduous task of trying to sleep out of the way, I started the day ready to work. I had to wait until 11am to get my piece printed out at 18x24, so I doodled and doddled around for a bit. I really should have used this time to composite my precision sketches, but instead I drew that damn bike, in detail, for the umpteenth time. I am starting to realize I should be doing this all the time. It was at this time that I finally got to meet James Gurney. He was upstairs touring around and happened to be back critiquing near my semi-final drawing. As he rounds the corner I hear “Oh Wow! Whose is this?”. He loved my idea and delivery and then seemed delighted by my model Jetbike.



Break



Here are the main reasons I built the bike:



1.) I knew I would need the reference.

2.) I wanted to impress James Gurney

3.) I still love to build models

4.) I wanted to impress James Gurney

5.) If my concept sucked, at least I could show my dedication with my model

6.) See 2 and 4



We talked about this kit bash and different glues for a bit and I got a pat on the back (literally) and a Gurney smile. Score!



After a moderately brief visit to the print shop I snagged my drawing, had some lunch and head off to the James Gurney lecture. Needless to say I own Gurney’s first Art guide, Imaginative Realism, and it has been inspiring. But to have him present his thoughts and ideas was a real treat for everybody. His pleasant delivery and easy jokes just made me feel relaxed and delighted. Plus, in the middle of his lecture, he references talking with me specifically about modeling reference. I was done. Wheeeee.



Most of the afternoon was spent fleshing out the final transfer image and I got the first stage of mounting done with Sam’s help. Sam Flegal is a great friend and a valuable reference. Check out his blog if you haven’t yet. When I think of Sam, the Golden Girls theme song always pops in my head. Thanks buddy.



Dinner was knocked out with no ceremony and I headed over to the Donato and Manchess multiple figure demo. 2 hours of the artists’ inspirations, preparation and direction and I am left feeling lazy and overly inspired. These guys talk about the most technical concepts in the most basic and casual terms. The combination provokes a very challenging blend of emotional responses. I think if I can overcome my personal obstacles and make myself push harder, I might one day far down the road develop ownership of these concepts. Uggghhh



The next 5 hours are spent mounting my final and shooting references for my second piece: a steampunk version of Beauty and the Beast. The lovely Anna Christenson posed as the short, spunky mechanic in what should be a fun piece. I don’t really care too much if I finish this one while here, but I really wanted some figure/clothing work with Dan. If I can knock the composition and her role out, I will be satisfied. Feeling like I had made it over the hump, I tooled around with the guys and had a few drinks. Talked with Dan about picking up one of his originals in the (hopefully near) future. He is going to go through his remaining work and pick out a few pieces that are particularly technical AND cool. Dan Dos San Tos remains one of my favorite artists and if you are not familiar with his name, you ARE familiar with his work. Now if only I could get Fortunato out to IMC…

IMC

IMC



Day 1



Sooooo. Saturday, June 12th. After a terrible night’s rest, and a decent breakfast, we rushed over to the studio to get a good spot. I set up in a window corner with the rest of the Drawn Today guys, bookended by the inestimable Aaron Miller and the lovely Kim Kincaid, and prepared for the whatever. Rebecca Guay started off the day with an introductory greeting and slideshow. It left me feeling incredibly emotional and in a state of turmoil that would not subside for the rest of the day.



From there, we rolled upstairs and started the sketch critiques. In a moment of mixed blessings, my sketch went first. It was well received and well critiqued and left me in shambles. Nah not really, but it was encouraging and humbling at the same time.



After our Safety lecture at 1:00 we went back to the studio for 4 more hours of critiques. What a tough time. I made sure to pay attention to each sketch and review; both out of politeness and for the valuable information. Got a few sketches of the bike done in that time; a few of which paved the way for the final.



After dinner, we headed over to the Photo reference lecture. Donato and Rebecca walked us through the basics and then the particulars of not only shooting your references, but how to choose the right pic and how to embellish your work off of it. This was a great lecture in both the application and the worth. We hear and say to not be a slave to your reference but this lecture really struck home with me. Can’t wait to bring this level of clarity and decision making to my own work.



With the reference lecture finished, we headed back to the studio for a very frustrating 6 hours of doodling and dwelling. In my search for criticism and direction, I started to feel really desperate and self-conscious. Once I finally cornered DDS and got him to really comment on the quality of my new direction, I felt much better. Of course, it was only at this point that he said he thought the original was badass and just needed to be tweaked. Ah well….


Instead of staying up till 5 drinking, I decided to call it a day and went back to the room for some much needed but undelivered rest.

The Jetcycle

So here are a few pics of the final piece. I am working on the Production Sketch right now and should have that posted tomorrow. Having a viable presentation of perspective for this painting is invaluable.

Sneak peek

I just thought I would post a few quick progress pics of my IMC Jetbike Model. More to come!


Update: Just added another progress pic. About to go prime it!