The Blog is MOVING!!!!

Hi everyone, I'm migrating the blog over to be part of my updated website lukewatsoncreations.com.

The actual link is this... http://lukewatsoncreations.com/theblog/

 Obviously...

So this blog will remain here for you to look at, misty eyed, longing for the good old days, while the new blog and website will be up to heaps of new stuff.

So thanks so stopping by 19472 times over the past few years and please come over to the new blog, RSS, and catch up with what I'll be doing in the future.

Cheers,


Luke

The Cropdusters Step-by-step

Step 1: So I had this idea, of old time crop dusters.  I found some pretty good references to get me started, but not a great one of the old style bug sprayer...but I did up a loose sketch to get the layout how I had in my mind.

Step 2: I've added a low opacity mid tone to the canvas ( as always ) and began to block in the face an body, the face is nearly there.  At this stage I ised two or three different references, but I still haven't found what I'm after with the bugsprayer, and I don't have one lying around to photograph myself, so I've left it blank.

Step 3: The main character is done and I have still left the arm blank.  Ready to start on the background and I'm pissed off at this stage about the right arm...

Step 4: Added the sky, I'm pretty happy with it as it only took about 5 minutes to paint using a a blue to white gradient, a couple of standard PS brushes and the gaussian filter.  The plane I painted in quite a bit of detail as I wasn't yet sure of how I wanted the depth of field to play out in the final version.  It was fun to paint as well.

The right arm has founf it's place after I finally found a couple of good reference shots.  It's at a different angle to how I initially imagined, but I think it gives the character a strong pose and a tight grip on the bug sprayer.

Step 4: Added some extra people in the background, painted quite loosely as I knew that they would be dropped out of focus in the final version.  And yes, I also added a lense flare, shut up.  It's because at this stage I know I'm aiming for an older looking style to the illustration...

Step 5: I've added the crop below and some basic shadows.  I've also worked out how I want the depth of field to work and resixed a couple of the elements to better fit the overall look.  I'm also adding highlights and spray details.

 Step 6:  I've added a texture Overlay layer to age the illustration and a low opacity, black to white, gradient on a multiply layer to add a bit more shading...

Step 7:  The final step is to add an old polaroid as a texture layer to add a bit of fun to the final piece.

Thanks for reading,

Luke

The Cropdusters

A new piece for the old portfolio. I'll post a step by step tomorrow or the next day!

Thanks for looking,

Graphic Stuff

Mostly I just illustrate and draw cartoons - that's the fun stuff.  But invariably I'll get asked by clients to do them up a logo or the like for their new product - on which I'm doing the illustrations.  It's not my area of expertise but I'll always give something a crack.

So here's a few that I've been filing away...

Confabulation - my new web comic

Hi everyone,

I'm ready to launch my new web comic, Confabulation, which follows the real conversations I have with my wife that make me burst out laughing, plus lots more!

It's funny so check it out.

http://confabulation.com.au/

Bjork for CS3000

I didn't have much time this week for the Caricaturama Showdown on FB, but the subject was Bjork, so I had to try something.  I tried to break her down to simple lines using PS, which suit her sharp features.

Lemmy for CS3000

This weeks Caricaturama 3000 subject on FB is Lemmy from Motorhead.  Who could resist?!

Jerry Seinfeld Portrait

I had an inkling to do a portrait of someone...that someone ended up being Jerry Seinfeld.

Why not huh?  I pushed pretty hard in the detail and it's come up pretty well.

Portrait Update

Just an update of a self portrait I started last year.  My wife said I looked like a serial killer...

WIP

Here's a portrait WIP, got a great reference so pushing pretty hard on the detail.

Michael Jordan for Caricaturama 3000

I started with a very rough sketch to save time - which I didn't have much of..

 

Next I started blocking in. I wanted this to be a caricature using shadow to form the features, and because Jordan is so recognisable it was my goal to use as little detail as possible.

Here I'm refining the features in the face.

 Starting to block in the jersey, not being too precious about it and keeping it loose.

 The level of detail is where I want it, but it needs to look a bit looser still.

 So I add some retrospective arty-fartyness.

Shark!

Here's a shark (grey nurse to be precise).  Just a portfolio piece, process below.

Social Icon Illos

One of my great clients ARB ( a 4x4 accessory company) asked me to do them some bespoke social icons for their new website. Results below.

If anyone reading this wants to personalise their business website with some unique icons or images just let me know.

cheers,

Old Faces

Here a couple of faces from a few years ago that I stumbled across.

Different Caricature Style

Late last year I had a couple of clients ask for a different style of caricature.  It was fun to do and hopefully I'll get the chance to do a full piece like this soon.

45 min Sketch: Ryan Gosling

A few areas of my art improved last year, but sketching definitely wasn't one of them...I seem to be getting looser and looser with the sketches I do for paintings because I know how it'll end up once I finish it.  This is fine for me, but bad for clients who can't see directly into my mind.

So here's a sketch of actor Ryan Gosling to start the improvingness...

Echonet Cover

Here's a cover I did for the independent newspaper Echonet (see it here) as they launched their new digital tablet version of the paper just before christmas

Fox Hunt: step by step

Here's a step by step guide of how I put together my Fox hunt illustration.  All up it took about 15 hours, done on Photoshop.

Okay, so here is the final artwork...

 Step 1: Here I've laid out my idea using some rough reference photos to get an idea of scale etc, the initial idea is a bit different than the final artwork, but a little way in I realised that the fox wasn't working.

 Step 2: On a new layer I've refined the sketch to get an idea of facial expression and detail using some more reference photos (I've coloured matched the photos to one another to make sure they'll all have the same look).

 Step 3: A mid tone is laid down (mid to the horses and backround) and I start blocking in the first details on two layers (horses and fox).

 Step 4: I've separated the front guy and finished the painting to a pretty high level of detail, focusing on expression and lighting.  As he's the main guy, his colour and level of contrast will be the base for the other elements as I progress.

Step 5:  The fox is gone and I'm painting the secondary figures while trying to figure out what to do in its place...

 Step 6: I've blocked in the background figures on two new layers, to allow me to adjust the depth of field later on.  I've also started to rough in the background colours to match them in.

 Step 7: I managed to come up with a new idea to pop in the foreground (two dogs) which I painted to final level striaght away, before I changed my mind again...

Step 8: I cropped the artwork for better balance and have started adding the little details, extra dogs, more background detail, and contrast on the ground to match the lighting of the figures.

 Step 9: Background details are finished and then depth of field is added to draw the focus to the bits I want people to look at.  This also means that the background woodland can be a lot looser ans the blur will tie it all together.

Step 10: Final flourishes are added, some splashing and light reflections behind the different elements to soften the look. Done.

Cartoonists Exhibition

Happy New Year All!

I've been ridiculously busy and have a lot of stuff to post, but I'll try and resist chucking it all up at once.

Here's a little cartoon exhibition I organised to show off the work of some colleagues.  It's at a great venue near my house (Jinks Creek Winery) and it showed the work of some great Australian cartoonists, and friends, Jason Chatfield, Mark Knight, Alex Hallatt, Nik Scott, Paul Harvey, Bev Aisbett, George Haddon, and myself...naturally.

Below is a piece I did for the exhibition called "The Fox Hunt", I've got a step by step of how it came together to post in the next couple of days.