Hello everyone!
I've played with computer-assisted imagery for as long as I've had a scanner and a copy of Paint Shop Pro (which, in those days, was before Corel bought out JASC). I used to regularly participate in contests on a well-known Photoshop site and my images tended to place very well. I also used to create graphics for various DOOM levels. But until 2013, the only realistic CGI-specific software I used was Terragen, and I used that mainly to create more pleasing skies to replace dull skies that ruined otherwise good photographs.
The artwork you see in my gallery is all current, and created in DAZ Studio. My usual post-processing tools nowadays are Wingnut's Lo-Fi and GIMP. I use Lo-Fi mainly for the film textures, and GIMP for all other work. I'm the only person I know who continues to use Lo-Fi, and one of the few worldwide who still use it at all, but I love that basic little program too much to upgrade to one of Alien Skin's current products. When I need custom textures I use either Genetica or Filter Forge.
Most of my images fall within fantasy or sci-fi genres, with a bit of humor wherever possible. I am a guitarist, and often include musical references in my visuals. I deliberately try to include ambiguity in my narrative images to intrigue you so that you can decide what will happen next in the scene. I think it's fun for you to think about what might happen next and resolve the suspense for yourself. I'm a hobbyist, not a trained artist, and I am grateful that I've met many people along the way who have much more talent than I do, but who were kind enough to point me in the right direction and encourage me to improve.
My favorite artists are probably on almost everyone's list here - Frazetta, the Brothers Hildebrandt, Alex Ross, Norman Rockwell, Hajime Sorayama, Rembrandt, Bouguereau, Guayasamin, James Gurney, Max Ernst, and Bosch. I love Ray Harryhausen's creature designs, particularly that Cyclops from Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, and the visual look of Ridley Scott's movies, particularly Blade Runner and Alien.
Thank you for looking at my artwork, and I hope you liked what you saw!
Comments (2)
giulband
Wonderful and suggestive image, great use of light !
mmitchell_houston
Great use of light. If you want to minimize the "unease factor," I'd suggest getting rid of that pile of human skulls! :-) Next, turn the head a bit more toward us, and consider adding some green foliage to it. A little green could help warm it up and make it seem less like a scene from a lower right of hell and more like a Lost World in some forgotten jungle. Finally, consider doing some post work to add some footprints... that could enhance the realism. Good job -- I look forward to seeing what you do next.
mightymysterio
These are all great suggestions. I only included the skulls to give an indication of the beast's size, but perhaps different types of shrubbery could have the same effect. I think I would also make the helligator slightly larger in the frame. Turning his head would be a great idea, because it could make it look as if he just saw the 'photographer.' Muddy tracks would be a great idea. I hope I can return to this scene in a few days and share it again with you. Thank you very much for your time and critique.