Cinema 4D - Beginnings

This weekend I decided to learn a 3D package. I've always admired other artists 3D work and wanted to learn a software package well enough that I could integrate 3D into my own work from now on. I've chosen to learn Cinema 4D because it runs natively on mac, but more importantly because its nice to look at, has a tidy layout and seems more friendly for designers. I thought that Maya and 3DS Max looked a bit too nerdy.

I spent most of day one (Saturday) studying google and youtube for tutorials on how to navigate my way around Cinema 4D. I learned a lot about modelling and stopped there. Next I'll learn texturing and lighting. After spending the day studying I walked away with this.

It's nothing to shout about, but it was encouraging to see this after one day of effort. 

I spent most of day two (Sunday) out, but when I came home I wanted to get my head straight into Cinema 4D and see if I could create a model from scratch. I had an image in my mind that I wanted to create and this is the outcome. The model looks very similar to how I hoped it would end up. But the textures were nothing like what I hoped for. So, I really need to learn that next. I also had a few dodgy polygons that are hidden by the lighting. Overall I'm pretty impressed with how intuitive this software is and what it allowed me to achieve in two days. Back to work this week, then hopefully get some more time 3D time next weekend :)

Please find my main portfolio at www.leontyler.com 

Switchin' it up (again)

Happy weekend, everybody! This is a quick post to say that I'm changing my network around a bit. From now on my actual portfolio website can be found at:

www.concretesoldiers.com

But, this page won't become redundant and will continue to be my blog page. But, instead of just my work, I will use it to post anything and everything inspiring that I find. Expect to see a lot of music videos posted here and various art from other people. So stay tuned and please take a moment to visit my new site. Any feedback on it is welcome through the contact form!

Thanks!

Street Art: Shoreditch

Quite regularly I hit Shoreditch to check out the constantly changing street art and graffiti all over the walls. I went out this weekend with the intention of testing out a new lens I bought. But, actually ended up shooting some video. When I got home I decided to stitch the footage together and make a little Street Art / music video.. Enjoy..

Audio: The Herbaliser - Battle of Bongo Hill

This is Kitten

Another character illustration for my sticker project. For Kitten I wanted to push the detailing of my characters further than I have previously and aimed for a sexy, stylish hottie with plenty of attitude. I used to try and keep the simplicity of my characters down to quirky shapes and vibrant colours. This year I'm going to refine my colour palettes and spend more time on the finer details. I'm not really sure what a good amount of time is to complete a character like this. But, Kitten took me a day and a half to complete. 

Hopefully, once printed, she's going to *pop* from the urban environments she'll be stuck in :)

..and the process shots.

The Warrior Stance

I'm currently working on a series of characters for a sticker project. It's all about pushing my Photoshop style and getting back in the character illustration game. There's a lot of great graffiti and street art around east London. This year I'm aiming to carve my place in the scene!

..and a set of progress images.

Some Kawaii love

Hello All! Man, have I had a bizarre year! So, this year started with me getting made redundant, my lung collapsing and REALLY living the starving artist lifestyle. Since then I have started a brilliant new job that I love and relocated to London. My whole life has flip-turned upside-down. My day job is now as an Augmented Reality designer for a company called Blippar (you can see what we do here). It feels great to finally have a job that is not only using the art skills I have learned, but also pushing them daily.

Anyway..

Now I've moved city and job, and settled into both, I decided it was time to get back on to the digital art scene. So, yesterday I did a 10 hour marathon in Photoshop. I wanted to push my style, as always, and produce something a bit sexy for y'all. I exported process images at each stage. Hope you like her :)

Much love (and I'll try uploading more often now) x