Nick's Rage Against the Machine Spot

[Boxy]

Those wips are incredible Nick.

[Nickillus]

Thanks for the encouragement, and sorry for the long silence. Keep forgetting to drop stuff in here. Before I do though - do take note of Boxy's links just above this entry and note the fact that Piggotty Wood is out as an e-book now. Outstanding work Sav.

Here are a few WIP's for an oil brush painting I'm working on just now.


And if you are in the mood to be put to sleep, Imaginefx have uploaded a vidcap I did to accompany an entry in their Q&A section about painting an armoured owl. You can find it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBeIk7zCfkU
I've dropped the same link into the tips and tricks - video tuts here section too - so don't make the mistake of watching it twice - you may never wake up.

[limey-g]

I just love this thread, your talent is amazing , really enjoy the WIPs.
Geoff

[Boxy]

Thanks Nick! Wow, that is an amazing WIP. Do you use refs? The lighting from the window works so well. I really liked the owl clip too, didn't fall asleep once!
Cheers

[Arjen Vriezekolk]

Hi Nick,

Love the piece above!!
Your tutorials are so much fun to watch.... So much to learn still... *Sigh*..

Arjen

[Caesar]

Dear Nick, another amazing creation from You going through its spectacular formation.
You do have full control of Your imagination world and characters! You succeed to define so well them all as if Your mere will generates a core of activating physical laws deploying Your illustration by itself, perfect, credible, real down to the last detail, the smallest smart note, such as, for instance the shadow projected by the hat where some lighter reflections of fibers give texture to the wooden bench.
You may say it's natural because You followed courses, You made a huge experience by a long on the job training, that it's Your work... All true, but I think that You don't create all this to just earn money to live, You absolutely enjoy what You do, to pursue Your own top targets, You don't spare any more time and effort which are required even if they aren't paid or appreciated in full by Your customer. In my modest opinion this is more than professional, it's a quest for an artisanal perfection which follows Your inspiration and idea up above to become art.
Congratulations!

[eighty+]

Jeesus Nick Looks like I've got to go and Kick the Cat if I can find him

[Nickillus]

Well many thanks for the kind words of encouragement chaps.


Limey-G -
That's a very kind thing to say. Much appreciated, thanks.

Boxy -
No reference, but I must have looked at loads of imagery like this in the past and it's stuck. The lighting was just built up slowly with various layers set to multiply until the darks seemed dark enough and the mid tones seemed about right to make it moody. Being me I can't resist sticking a line round things though . . . .I must be a Graphic Artist at heart.

Arjen -
Your own stuff is so much fun, I don't want you picking up any of my restricting habits and losing that wonderful personality that always pokes through. You are doing just fine my friend.

Caesar -
Er, um, I'm not sure what to say to such an undeserved outpouring of appreciation. Except many thanks of course. I don't think I'm different to anybody else in that my ego drives me compulsively to strive and make every piece the best I can do at the time. With the time I get to spend drawing and painting to scrape a living, I ought to be a darned sight better than I am. That would take me standing back and taking an objective view about which areas and skills to work on specifically, and I just can't be cold and calculating like that. Or maybe I should say disciplined. I recognise I have a very limited skill-set that I push as far as I can. There are so many thousands of folk whose skills put mine in their place, that I am thankful every day that the Internet allows me to savour some of their offerings and draw inspiration from it.

EIghty+ -
Is tht the RSPCA I hear breaking my door down? What's that? Incitement to make others hurt their pets? I totally deny the charge and think you need to look elsewhere for the reasons behind certain behaviour. Cats can be darned annoying for instance. I know ours are at times.

Here is where I had to abandon that piece because I have no more time to spend on it.

[Arjen Vriezekolk]

Kind words from a kind man.... Thank you Nick :-0

Arjen

[Boxy]

Boxy -
No reference, but I must have looked at loads of imagery like this in the past and it's stuck. The lighting was just built up slowly with various layers set to multiply until the darks seemed dark enough and the mid tones seemed about right to make it moody. Being me I can't resist sticking a line round things though . . . .I must be a Graphic Artist at heart.

I love a line and colour painting. I don't know why or what or how, but a dark border around things gives them some other special quality. Such a good mood to this and even more impressive that it is all from your head!