The Official Blog of David Chen

Tuesday WIP

2012-01-13T22:48:00.001-08:00

Man! Working with Illustrator has been easier than expected, yielding results pretty close to how I want them. I'm still a baby to the program, but so far, I've been enjoying the crispness of the vector world. See for yourself! I was pretty happy with the progress so far. One thing that bugs me is that I can't really control the gradient like I can in ToonBoom (still newb), which I'm thinking Flash can actually do better.

Another one to add to the pile!

2012-01-07T22:23:00.001-08:00

Timed sketch, 10 minutes!

Tuesday Color!

2012-01-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I got a chance to work on a student film called Tuesday, and I'm doing a color script for it :D.

I'm trying a new approach since I think that it'll really flow with the visual style of the film in terms of workflow. Hopefully my documenting it will make me remember later on in life. Basically I'm going to do my traditional bit with the Photoshops, but then I want to try moving everything to illustrator so I get a more neat look, and get solid colors. I've posted step one! Still gots a lot to go.

Lyendecker!

2011-12-12T00:55:00.000-08:00

Another study with lyendecker, this time with painter. Man! this guy blows my mind. Does so much with so little.

ANND... borrowed time.

2011-09-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Did a lyendecker study, a few hours. It's fascinating to see how he interprets forms with the brush, and how he uses the medium. Smudges of white are applied heavily, like smushing a teardrop of color, so they leave a bit of the underlying color in the middle.

Flash

2011-06-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

Some sort of Flash

2011-06-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

So Mike has been telling me that this Flash is the new craze, that I need to use it more. So I'm gonna try to juggle this plate too :D. Something I put together in 20 minutes. Not much, but hey, gotta start somewhere...

toothorn

2011-06-12T23:50:00.001-07:00

toothorn

2011-06-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

Toothorn!

2011-06-11T11:51:00.001-07:00

Toot Toot.

Annd.... we're trying to come back here!

2011-06-07T23:47:00.000-07:00

time is now in the hands of me, so with the time... i sketch :D

and now for moar stuff :O

2011-03-08T01:41:00.001-08:00

Two posts? in one night? on finals week?! madness!

INtuos4, an hour, because it's paul's birthday :D

inclass sketch !

2011-03-08T01:39:00.000-08:00

intuos4, 1 hour, theme... is a mix of steampunk robot, polite dragon, and snowman in a snow storm... I kinda left out the snow storm...

NOW WITH MOAR SNOWWW

BOB

2010-12-29T02:59:00.000-08:00

waacom intuos4, reg nib, 20-30 min, painter11

2048 pts of pressure!

2010-12-25T22:31:00.001-08:00

painter11, intuos4, regular nib, time... about an hour?

2009-12-24T01:35:00.001-08:00

wacom, sketchbook pro.

2009-08-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

well take 2 on the moth, this time as a whole piece. nothing else besides the main body has been replaced yet, so dont judge those :P

2009-08-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

well then, here it is. wireframed. you can see some porblems if i will have to join these together :D

2009-08-03T01:43:00.000-07:00

The model is live and up! now fo the fixin's and then it's on to rigging! and also if John could show me how he does his screenies that would be cool... all i know how to do is render preview :P

2009-07-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

first ever zbrush scuplt! I havent figured out anything in zbrush yet so i just dabbled around :P

2009-07-20T01:38:00.000-07:00

so this is an environment that i'm making that has been slaying me for the past few days... and i dont know how much i can show so i'm not posting the most current WIP... but it's way more awesome than this pille of crap :P

i started messing around with painter 11 right after the last one was done... and painter 11, and i still think it looks a lot like painter 9. so there. but it's cool because i didnt know paitner allows you to modify your brushes sooooo much :D which is awesome if i only knew how.. but i'm getting th ahng of it so, it'll hopefully be more wieldy... i already see the potnetial it holds as a paitnign app over PS CS4... well for one there's that pen control sensitivity stuff...

2009-07-10T23:48:00.000-07:00

fighting with sketchpad has yielded a failure overall. :( this is a failed profile pic. for that quizttime waster that was formerly known as a networking site. (yeah that one)

sketchpad keeps crashing on me, something that has to do with its neat Protexis Licensing application, which must run alongside corel products in any condition.

or else it likes to say that it's closing by flashing the "there has been an issues and need to close"
window intermittently, the crippling you one tools at a time.

how cruel. i was just getting to like its brush-imitation look.

2009-07-09T02:33:00.000-07:00

haha my "actual" venture into the painterly look via painter!

it offers some stuff that sketchpad doesnt like symetrical drawing, but then i cant do THIS in sketchbook.

so... someone combine these two already!

half hour, wacom, Sketchpad

2009-07-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

that totals 26...

2009-07-08T03:53:00.000-07:00

30 min, wacom, sketchbook pro

2009-07-01T02:21:00.000-07:00

whoops... looks like i'm nowhere near done! well we can say that i have a T/THRs class instead of Mon/wed ... :D oh i also seemed to have chopped off two fingers in one pose... :/ (excuse: i am emulating Julia Childs! honest!)

2009-06-27T00:32:00.000-07:00

So more hand it is... and no feet.

2009-06-25T00:49:00.000-07:00

i dont kn0w what this is- ok i wanted to draw a woman. well i guess this is what happens when i draw feet. :P

2009-06-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

so it's going down... Hands study.

so in lieu of the new summer quarter that has started. (and my plan are wayyyyy behind)

i have begun drawing hands.

sktechbook pro, ? time, Wacom

edit:: FEET TOO i have put here.

2009-06-24T01:27:00.000-07:00

so... checked out that sktechbook pro... and after a while, I have to say, it offers better control.

see? i couldn't have done this in photoshop. I actually enjoyed this one, and knew what i was doing, rather than hoping that a form will appear on the blurs i slap into PS canvas.

2009-06-22T01:27:00.000-07:00

this one was more fun than the last one. it's a dire rat.

2009-06-19T02:38:00.000-07:00

so it's smaller than i thought, ah well i'll work in 500 pdi next.

It's a doodle. wacom, PS, two hours?

it's unfinished, but i dont think it's good enough to finish/ polish

oh! Nifty thing I found out... Jpeg format only supports 8-bits/channel.

2009-06-12T01:08:00.000-07:00

for a light and edge value study, we have... HOLY KITTY.

2 hours, wacom, cs4 ps

Sketching during D&D is bad for immersion

2009-06-06T00:25:00.001-07:00

So i did these during D&D today... and made the DM mad because another player was using his iPhone and i got associated as not being in the game. So i stopped.

on a side note, i found this while uploading:

Spybot was telling me during finals that my C++ program (Para-Medic) was harmful to my computer. and that i should delete my final. so it won't harm my computer anymore.

of course I unchecked it! (I had to do a triple take to see that it was actually the program i was debugging that very moment)

So that's saying that my coding work is so bad, it's harmful to the computer. lol

funny how this quarter turned out...

P.s. if anyone's following the post in March, I didn't yet. because I'm lazy.

Summer is here!

2009-06-05T01:59:00.001-07:00

and so is free time! so i did some heads. PS CS4, wacom, one hour?

2009-03-15T02:49:00.000-07:00

Placebo, evil mastermind, attempts to write a speech of... diabolical proportions.

It's my final for ANIM I. of course you can't see anything; it's on a tiny screen with crappy resolutions and bad color. i just put it here so you can get a moving thingie to look at. i'll try to get another one where i compile all my ANIm I stuff. hopefully. before the quarter starts and i lose all of it, becuase it's still in ToonBoom format in my Dropbox.

now, my final for Digital Form, Space and Lighting:
it's Sheeler's Suspended Power. this is my rendition... yes i know it's not completely accurate, but i lost the final .mb file for this, so I'm giving up on it. :P

2008-12-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

well, after having been notified of Conceptart.org's weekly contests (if it wasnt for my good friend Dan) I've decide to spring for one. :D

2008-12-23T03:31:00.000-08:00

ooh! a girl! :O

ooh! a femme fatale!...

PS, around 40 min. i found out that there are advantages to using different nibs on the WACOM pen. there's a Stroke tip, a felt pen nib and the regular plastic. I lost my stroke nib a while back... but i ordered new ones after i rediscovered i had more control when i use the felt tip. (i ordered spares for both nibs.) The felt one is more draggy, and allows me more control when drawing, and is especially notable in creating hatching (read: diagonal lines.)
i'm still not sure when the recommended tip change pd is. i guess they dont tell you so you dont presuppose a nib change. for the best i guess.

(btw, the felt nibs are CHEEP! (cheap chick goes CHEEP CHEEP) 5.40 dollars for 5 nibs, a good price to pay for a more controlled stroke. and FREE UPS GROUND :O the stroke nibs have a spring in them, and cost double. i dunno why. more parts i guess. i'm not even sure if it'l be better than the felt ones. but i got them anyways.)

Another speed doodle

2008-12-19T02:55:00.000-08:00

Busy doing damage control for PNK, did this little one in <30 min.

i really should start making better quality ones that take longer and aren't as rough (read: don't suck). his face is teh mess.

double post!

2008-12-16T01:52:00.000-08:00

in one night!
wacom
PS CS3, 21 min.

make of it what you will. it was for fun. :)

ok my controlling self compels to tell you that this is a samurai being taken down by an agile ninja withing an enclosed space.

there. now you can't make of it what you will.

So, line art is worth something after all...

2008-12-16T01:07:00.000-08:00

after the completion of my first TriWu vs PNK episode, it seems that I'm not sure which side to go on: the side of traditional lineart, a world of crisp, clean lines (like Frank Miller or Jim Lee), or the more "edgy" (lol pun) side; using pure color and shade to make paintinglike comics (Ashley Wood). This is something i must thnk about.
and here to help me decide is a concept character! (yes. i know he's extremely bottom heavy/ not exactly matching.)ok not really, he's not here to help anything.

i dont think i'm getting the point of blogging. i'm just blah blah blahing about what's going on in my endeavor to better myself... and not really getting technical at all.

well then, that can be fixed... for now

*highfalutin voice*

Wacom
PS CS3, 30 min. (est.)
with reference.

I KNOW! it took me 30 minutes WITH reference to push that rough out. need to keep drawing faster.

doodle

2008-12-09T01:39:00.000-08:00

lol a doodle.

yeah, it's additive.

2008-12-04T02:06:00.000-08:00

there. another one. this time with a photo. i redid some rocks, and added a tiny house inset the rocks. it's even got a little boat :)

i got bored with it after an hour.

another one!

2008-12-03T03:37:00.001-08:00

made after the previous post. blue man aiming arrow at yellow caped man standing on rock in canyon. if you had to read thi to get the picture, tell me i have a problem with visual storytelling.

OMG challengers!

2008-12-03T03:15:00.001-08:00

need to step up my game... some of my SCAD friends have created sketchblogs as well...
well, no comic tonight. so i give you this. and that is all i will say about this piece. besides that it was a SPEED SKETCH (looks around suspiciously... eyes are everywhere...or nowhere. aw... i made myself sad). yeah. trying out one aspect of the Blizzard way... the OMG silhouettes Ftw thing. he's pointing at you. yes. you. you are special too :). and he clenches his fist in anger. but you can't see his face. someone has put a mask over his head. i'll stop now.

after a while...

2008-11-27T00:24:00.000-08:00

apparently i'm on a roll... in terms of the comic. don't count on it lasting though, there will be an inevitable end to this daily thing....
but i do realize that i'm a sucker for comments, so post some. I feel less lonely and more productive when someone posts. makes me feel like i'm not wasting time amusing only myself and taking up more Triwu webspace. so give me your comments (not here, on my comic. no one ever visits here. Josh. :) ) .

so, down to business:
havent done much recently, finally have time to doodle, did this bit [if it's too 'personal' for you (read: poorly drawn) it's a guy on a motorcycle, and a girl is shooting a rocket at him from behind. he is looking back. ] I find that my visual storytelling needs work, since, as it was apparent from the early beginnings (this is the late beginnings, i'm not out of the 'beginnings' woods yet) that no one can understand anything that goes on in my comics.

i'm actually beginning to feel a tinge (just a bit, mind you) of accomplishment with this project... it's nice to have more than a few pages to click to and from. maybe i'll plan something for christmas/new years... of course, you wont hear anything about it until you need to, then it's if you hear it at all.

but i find that i'm more comfortable emulating Shinkawa a la Ashley Wood. I'm going to try this style on for size... we'll see if it's home based on the feedback. if i get any.

2008-10-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

my first 2d animation... pretty bad. it's supposed to be a bunch of flying cars passing two buildings, then the camera zooms into and falls down the middle of the two buildings, then zooms out to reveal that it was a reflection on a windshield of a rapidly descending car, when it crashes into another oncoming car, resulting in mass explosion. I'm planning on redoing it, since initial reviews were "confusing," "hard to read," "camer mvmt not believable," "needs more in-betweening," and "too fast." all of theses are true.

btw it also loops. and see if you can tell where i mixed my sounds from...

2008-09-28T00:38:00.001-07:00

a few adjustments here and there...I think my mind was on the lich king when i did this... it started out like any of my other doodles... but then i guess a struggle appeared...

2008-09-19T20:13:00.001-07:00

so finally, i sent this in an hour before it was due. at least i think i sent it in on time.
Took me a better part of the end of summer to beginning of quarter. A lot of reference. You know what's the killer? the Flower speakers were added in at the last minute. I kinda like it better than most of the picture.
well, here's to the odds of winning...

2008-09-09T02:28:00.000-07:00

This is getting kinda pathetic.
here it is. after a long time, these are the results. a metal gear ripoff. :'(

2008-08-26T01:54:00.000-07:00

So, obviously what we have here is the defining symbol of sensuality....
The curved lines are meant to emphasis the beauty of the line, and how "sensual" lines can be, especially in this case. If you look closely you can see the curvy lines overlap each other, and the short, bristly blue line running down the right side of the curvy line signify the abrasions that come with sensuality, creating a form of perfect balance, stopping at the point at the bottom. I drew this while in a state of alarmingly deep self-realization, and this piece means is SO VERY PERSONAL YOU WOULDN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND IT UNLESS I EXPLAINED IT TO YOU. YOU DON'T KNOW ME! This piece is...like so many other modern art drivel.

All sarcasm aside, long time since last post. did this when I had some energy left over from working on the comic. It even comes with its own excuse.

Now, I don't have any beef with Modern Art, it's just that some of them just boggle my mind as to how they can be defined as actual work. Sure, some effort was put into every piece of art created, but abstract art... is both really hard and easy to pull off.
Maybe this is my subconscious calling to return to art school.

still don't get Rothko.

lol boobies.

2008-08-19T02:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, but i am not dead, to some's discontent. Making sure the my system was stable was priority one, so i had to secure that before i got bored. And so i did. And did this one randomly.
hopefully I will have time to do more...
and I also updated the comic. twice. but i don't think anyone noticed. or care. But I will NOT let the comic die. I will not abandon. This I promise you.

2008-08-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

Maybe , with a little polish, it can look even better over time :)

hm...

2008-08-10T03:19:00.001-07:00

well, look familiar? I'm emulating Frank Miller.

LOOMIS ROCKS

2008-07-13T01:17:00.001-07:00

finally got a look at one of the Loomis books... amazing stuff. i'm only on pg 22, and is practicing skull/spherical construction/ awesome stuff. i just wish they still sold his books.

2008-07-12T03:28:00.001-07:00

ah i liked the color scheme so much, that i made a scene:
of course the whole color scheme is based off of the new HL2:ep3 concept art, becuase none of my ideas are original :( yet.

costume design

2008-07-12T02:29:00.000-07:00

did this to try out some costume concepts. but i think i just ended up drawing a man. he's wearing a pullover and a coat under an ascot, mind you.

2008-06-29T03:12:00.000-07:00

inspired by the new Diablo3 art, I made this.
oh, those tricky concept artists, and their special photoshop tricks...

HAH! I FOUND IT!

2008-06-29T00:59:00.001-07:00

MWAHAHAHAHA!!!

*manical laughter, thunder claps

wow they look better smaller

IT"S ALIVE!!!

2008-06-29T00:54:00.000-07:00

As a result of my primary provider of webspace for daily art uploads going downhill due to some unknown errors, I have established a base by myself to post frequent pieces I create for the rest of the internet to discover and jeer.

now I just need to know how to upload pictures easily...