Hatching an Egg

I noticed a lack of landscape and fantasy work in the latest incarnation of my portfolio, so I've decided to hit a couple of birds with one stone, and start a fantasy landscape.
Went with a fairly simple idea: The broken shell of a dragon, already departed to do it's own thing, and what might go on around it.

Once again, I find that I have to force myself to work despite the distractions of the modern age. Setting some time aside at night and playing a podcast helps.

Started with the typical process. Value studies come first. (There is a second set, which I'm not sure is interesting enough to show, but I used it as well)

Next I loaded up photos I took with interesting colors, Googled some inspiration, and did color studies of a few of my favorite monochrome sketches, redrawing each rather than overlaying color so that it won't affect my choices and so that I might stumble on some happen accidents:

 Next I've taken an additional step I usually don't, and enlarged a few of my color studies, cleaning them up and adding more details, looking to tell more of a story.

I'm also trying to see if juggling multiple, unrelated projects helps me keep my momentum, so I've done some sci-fi gun silhouettes, with some quick shading thrown on top to give it more form. (need props in my portfolio, too)

Speed paint dump:

Letting Things Go

I have been reworking another speed paint I liked, but decided things weren't clicking just right. The perspective has some deep rooted issues, and the composition ain't great, so I'm letting it go at this stage:

I've also started polishing my Silverhawks, but that's also a bit on hiatus, as I figured I need something showing more progress as expected from a concept artist, utilizing my contemporary skills. I want a minimum of last year's work in my portfolio ready for GDC Europe. (Waiting for volunteer applications to open up for 2014, I've already booked my flight and hostels, with a couple of days in Dusseldorf.)

A Dieselpunk vacuum tube night fighter is the idea that came to mind. I just love aircraft and I'm going to have fun with the lighting. Here's where I'm at so far:

 

 Speed Paints:

Miss Big Booty

Miss Big Bottom is a speed paint (I'll post on the bottom as usual) I've enjoyed more than some of my other work and decided to flesh out further into possible inclusion into my portfolio.
I've been working on it a little at a time and I think I'm ready to call it done (even though I'm not sure the legs actually match each other.)

I've also been keeping up with the Silverhawks characters. There are a few more characters I could tackle, but I might just end it with these and go back and polish them.

Speed paints:

(This was my most popular Tumblr post ever, no idea why)

More Silverhawks

Lost my job a couple of Saturdays ago, as my boss can no longer afford the control room. Mom is naturally concerned and hoping I would find something else, even though she knows I'm planning to go to Germany in August and South Korea in September.

I'm enjoying being unemployed though, so I'm not sending out resumes with much enthusiasm.

You would also think I would spend more time on my portfolio, but I tend to procrastinate as usual. Never been very good at working from home.

Been working on more Silverhawks redesign stuff, from adding more characters to working on the Miraj - from more thumbnails to a painted model.

Also did a page of random landscape thumbnails when I didn't feel like working on Silverhawk stuff

And as usual, speed paints: