How to Train Your Dragon 2

Guess what I've been working on the last few months! How to Train Your Dragon 2 won't be in theaters until 2014, but I am already letting you know that it is going to be one of the best movies we've ever done. It's really going to be something you haven't seen before in an animated feature. I've had the privilege and pleasure of getting to bring Toothless back to life for the sequel with a completely overhauled surfacing and shader setup. Toothless was originally surfaced by the ever talented Jeremy Engleman, but with a new pipeline, software tools, and for story reasons we had to update Toothless (and all the characters)for the new movie. So if you don't like the new look, you know who to blame. Hopefully I did him justice. The new look just got approved and is ready to go into production. (this pic isn't the new look fyi).

Puss in Boots

Go see the latest movie I worked on!

Puss in Boots!

Good times at the Con!

Had a great time at SDCC2011! Met so many really cool people. Just getting the chance to say hello to a lot of artists and writers I really admire was a treat in itself. The creative people in the industry are some of the nicest and coolest people around!


Two of my friends got inspired to put together a sketchbook by next year...maybe I should get on the wagon and show off more of the stuff I've done that I haven't posted here and start collecting odds and ends for a sketchbook myself. Now...where did I put all that 'free time'..... (goes searching...)

SDCC 2011 Business Cards

Going to SDCC 2011 in a few days so I figured I'd better make up a new card to trade with people. One of my favorite things is seeing everyone's cool business card designs. So here's my new one with 2 color variants.

KUNG FU PANDA 2

KUNG FU PANDA 2: THE KABOOM OF DOOM!

(he's riding in "my" rickshaw ;)

The first feature film that I had the chance to work on will be in theaters starting Memorial day weekend 2011! (2 weeks from now!) So this is the only time I'll blurb about the little things I worked on that you might see in the film. Don't blink or you will miss them!

My job is to make gray models look real by painting them and doing techy stuff to them in my magic computer box. I surfaced a bunch of props mostly. You can see some of it in the trailer (Po's bandages, Master Shifu's scroll) Woks,lanterns,ropes,rickshaws,carts,baskets,buckets,backpacks, wagons, drums, instruments, trees, pots, vases, and other things that I can't say because they are part of the plot of the movie :) etc.

"Sooo many signs...." Yep did those too.

The coolest stuff I worked on were the Villains and Kung Fu Masters' weapons.
Swords, Throwing knives, axes, bow and arrows, knives, and the coolest characters' weapon, Master Thundering Rhino's Thundering Hammer. ;)

Digital Figure Painting

This is a figure painting I worked on for about 4 nights after work. I made a progression time-lapse to show how I worked on it, but photobucket isn't letting me post it for some reason...working on fixing that

Sad Girl Painted

Did a painting just so I could mess around with adjustment layers and masks in Photoshop. Also tried out a few new custom brushes that I made. Very cool tools once you get the hang of them.

Space Girl knows Kung Fu!

Wanted to do a character piece from start to finish tonight. Thought I'd save out versions and show my progress as well. This is an update on my wife's super hero she made up "SUNSHINE HAPPY BRIGHTNESS!!!""

TOPGUN VECTORS

A few images I've made from TOP GUN. I was trying out a new style and some vector tools to see what I could do. It turns out vector art is much more difficult and tedious then I like. I'll leave this style to those that enjoy it. Just wanted to give it a try.

Diving Update 2

Found some time to finally work on this some more.

Blend Brush- quick smeary paint test

Trying out the new blend brushes in CS5. Haven't done anything in awhile so I thought I'd do a 5min quick paint warm up using the only the blend brush to see what it does.

Quick Rough Concept Art

Here's a quick painting I did for a friend trying to visualize a shot he's working on in his own writing project.

American Bombs

Yep, this one is just ridiculous. Went as tastefully tacky as I could go with this little image. This was my entry for the TATA Gala in Sarasota, FL. It's an art show to raise funds for breast cancer research. Just doing my part to help save the boobs of the world!

Figure Drawing XII

colored pencil drawing that I didn't like. Tried to do something with it in photoshop, but I think I only made it worse. Oh well. I got to the point where I could keep doodling and be unhappy no matter what or just move on to the next drawing...so ..blah.

Diving - wip- roughing in idea -[updated]

[version5]
[UPDATE] So after a crappy colored pencil attempt at figure drawing I decided to come back to this piece and see what else I could do to work it up a bit. I think I'm starting to like it now...
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[version 1]



coming up with a few ideas for a splash page I might get to do.

FIGURE DRAWING XI

3-5 Minutes sketches from figure drawing today. Pretty rusty after having not gone to a session in a few weeks.

BATMAN

[updated version]

BATMAN! Haven't painted anything in awhile so I thought I'd give the ol' cape crusader a go. I was messing around with the liquify tool and got over-zealous I guess. Just a doodle, on to the next one.

THE RINGLING 100

http://www.blurb.com/books/1476592
WE DID IT!!
THE RINGLING 100 IS ON SALE NOW!!!!

Go to blurb.com and search for "TR100"

THE RINGLING 100 by Greg Hettinger, Scott Zitta & Jorge Garcia | Make Your Own Book

Stan the Man

Got to see one of my childhood heroes. Stan Lee! Thanks for all the stories!

Work/Play

Where I work!




Where I play!

Shrek Day

Don't you just love those days when you come to work and Shrek is just waiting for you...?

Haven't updated in awhile, but I've been kind of busy finishing a book. Something I've been working on with a few friends for a few years is finally finished. It's in it's last round of approvals and then it will be put up online for sale. All the money it makes goes to create scholarships for Ringling kids, so it was really just a volunteer thing. It was fun and challenging, but I'll definitely feel a sense of relief once I'm not in charge of it anymore. Just go to blurb.com and search for 'The Ringling 100'

FIGURE DRAWING X

1 hour pose

FIGURE DRAWING IX

1 hour pose

Figure Drawing Part VIII

20 Minute Pose, charcoal pencil, with a few little touch ups.

1-3 minute poses, marker, charcoal pencil

Red Cliff Homage Pic Finished

Started this awhile back after seeing the awesome movie Red Cliff. This is directly inspired by the movie poster but I made my own character and background. I kind of like how it turned out. I would work on it longer, but my wife is telling me it's time to go to sleep. I tried out my new signature for a new decade too.

Figure Drawing Part VII

This was about a 40 minute pose, charcoal pencil. Did some thumbnails before I got started. Learned some great shading tips from Karl Gnass that I will apply to future drawings. Didn't really get them into this one because it came at the end. I did some digital touch ups with this just to give it more of a contrasting value range because the photo (like all the others) is taken in bad lighting with my phone camera and then uploaded to my computer. One thing I really dislike is trying to draw eyes, lips and facial details with a charcoal pencil. No matter how sharp I make my tip I always end up making fat dark lines around the eyes! I'm trying for more then just value splotches, but charcoal line work is frustrating!

Samurai Pic: Updated

I found a little time to go back and work on this pic tonight. Just cleaning up a few things around the face and limbs. I'll come back to this soon.

Figure Drawing Part VI

3 Minute Poses, charcoal pencil, ehh ... wasn't feeling it during this session. Oh well, I'm posting the good, bad, and the ugly to show some improvement eventually.

Mouse Guard fan art

After I read through one of my old Mouse Guard books I decided to knock out a quick sketch/paint before I went to bed. Just sort of made these guys up out of my head, but they are based on the characters by David Petersen. http://www.mouseguard.net/

Before I did my thesis I had actually pitched a different idea about a Mouse and Frog that got into a misunderstanding that caused a war. Batrachomyomachy :Definition:The battle between the frogs and mice; - a Greek parody on the Iliad, of uncertain authorship.
Then during my research for character design I came across Mouse Guard by David Petersen. My original character so closely resembled his characters that it was one of the sticking points why that idea didn't get approved. And after seeing his designs it's hard to come up with a mouse character that is any better.