Concept Art Painting

Got inspired the other day looking through an Imagine FX mag and painted this. It has a sci-fi fantasy vibe. Enjoy!

Sketchbook - Character

Here is a character I created. The concept appears to be a cross between a mouse and an insect. I took a picture of the image with my camera and then cleaned it and made it presentable in Photoshop. In the future I hope to make a 3d model out of him. Enjoy!!

Specular Highlight Tutorial

Ok, So I am sure everyone knows several ways to accomplish this task. Various tutorials on specular map creation can be found all over the web. The most interesting thing is most of them have different steps. As artists we must remember that there is never a right or wrong way to do something. Only the end result matters. Only with experimention and trial and error will our creations ever look exceptional. My goal with this tutorial was to figure out a way to accomplish this task using Photoshop. In this example I'll show you how I was able to accomplish this task. So lets get started.

1. Desaturate Diffuse

After I have the diffuse texture complete. I flatten the image.
Then I desaturated the image like in the image #1. Desaturate can be found under Image-Adjustments-Desaturate. The result can be seen in image #1.

2. Minimum Filter at 1 pixels

Next I duplicate the layer from above and place it ontop of my desaturated diffuse. Set the blend mode of this layer to Difference. Next, run this layer through the Minimum filter with a value of 1. The filter can be found under Filter-Other-Minimum. The purpose here was to define edges and areas that would appear a bit lighter. I ran mine at 1 pixels but it isn't an exact
science. Feel Free to experiment with your settings. The results
can be seen in image #2.

3. Overlay a third copy of the diffuse.

Last step!! Place an unaltered copy of the colored diffuse over the top of the first two layers. Set the layer blend mode to Linear Dodge (Add). This helps lighten some of the edges and helps with blending. Lower the layer Opacity to 25%. With this step we are coloring the specular so that the highlights from the object matches what would actually be cast under real light conditions. The result can be seen in image #3.

Ambient Occlusion Tutorial

Ok so I am sure everyone knows several ways to accomplish this task. Even in Maya you can bake out an Ambient Occlusion pass. My goal with this tutorial was to figure out a way to accomplish a similar effect using Photoshop. In this example I'll show you how I was able to accomplish this task. So lets get started.

1. Desaturate Diffuse

After I have the diffuse texture complete. I flatten the image.
Then I desaturated the image like in the image to the right. Desaturate can be found under Image-Adjustments-Desaturate.

2. Highpass Filter at 2 pixels

Next I run the image from the step above through a Highpass
filter. The filter can be found under Filter-Other-Highpass.
The purpose here was to define edges and areas that could
appear a bit darker. I ran mine at 2 pixels but it isn't an exact
science. Feel Free to experiment with your settings. The results
can be seen in image #2.

3. Adjust threshold
Almost there! With this step we are still refining the outline/defining the dark areas that should appear shaded. So we make a threshold adjustment in this step. The Threshold adjustment can be found under Image - Adjustments - Threshold. The result can be seen in image #3.

4. Multiple the layer over the diffuse at a 35% opacity
In this last step we are just creating a layer on top of the diffuse and then using our third image with a photoshop blend mode. I set the blend mode to multiply and lowered the opacity to 35% to help fade out the effect and make it blend better. The result can be seen in image #4.

Save the Date!

This is an image of a save the date wedding card I did for a friend. She provided the photo and copy. I created the layout. All work was done in Photoshop.

Psychedelic Grand Canyon

This is an image of the Grand Canyon I found while searching the internet. The image was altered in Photoshop using various selections, layers, color adjustments, and filters.

Stage Tech Mailer

I created this mailbox flyer for a client. They provided the images and the text. I put together several versions using Photoshop. After some revisions we settled on this design.

T-Rex Terrorizes Indianapolis

With this image I tried to capture the intensity and hectic behavior that someone would show if they were encountered by a T-Rex. This image was created using Photoshop.

Ethereal Xbox Box Art Concept

This image was also created for the fictitious game Ethereal that a group of students and I concepted and documented in a game design class. Another result of this is this box art. Ethereal was going to be the first Xbox MMO game released for xbox live. Actually that could still be true if any of the team members paths cross and we revisit the idea. The image was created using Photoshop.

Ethereal Magazine Layout

This is a promotional image for a fictitious game idea that a group of students and I came up with for a game design class. The name of the game was Ethereal. The concept was based on the premise that angels and demons fight for power and influence on society everyday. We as humans can't see this because it is hidden from us. Only a select chosen few can see what goes on in the Ethereal realm. The Ethereal Realm is like a parallel universe to our own. The images were combined in Photoshop using various layer settings.

Color Restore Exercise

This image was given to me by an instructor. The assignment was to revive the black and white original photo by adding color.

Nike Poster Color Exercise

This Nike ad image was taken from a magazine and scanned into the computer. I then used Photoshop to add color to the image.

Gold Fish Haunting

This image was created using charcoal. I then took a photo of the image with my digital camera and added the red color and fish to the picture using Photoshop.

Gates Reveals Microsoft Mech

This image plays to the idea that Microsoft is taking over the world, or better yet already has. An image of a Mech was combined with an image of Bill Gates during a press conference. The result is the unveiling of the Microsoft Mech. Images were combined in Photoshop.

Sept. 11th,The Real Story

This image is titled Sept 11th Mutation. With this image I combined an action figure into the shot of ground zero. Images were placed on separate layers and blended together Using Photoshop. This photo pokes fun at the rumors surrounding Sept 11th. This image posing the question "What if it was this guy?"

Finding Nemo Tribute

This image is a tribute to Finding Nemo. With this image I continued with the photo manipulation studies. The background image I found using Google. The cartoon elements I created using Illustrator. All elements were combined into a single image using Photoshop. It kind of has a "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" feel to it.

Vietnam Mutation

With this image I combined an image of an action figure with a picture of the woods. I cropped out the background in the action figure image and then placed it on a layer above the background of the forest. This image is titled Vietnam Mutations. My tool of choice was Adobe Photoshop. This is probably one of the first images I ever did in Photoshop.