This is departure in style for me. I was going for a cartoon network look. The miner is marching up the mountain to stake his claim. The donkey is burdened with the tools of the trade.
I intended to give the goldminer a determined look to find gold amidst the desolation. The donkey looks up at his master begrudgingly.
William Orville Douglas once wrote, “Man is about to be an automaton; he is identifiable only in the computer. As a person of worth and creativity, as a being with an infinite potential, he retreats and battles the forces that make him inhuman.”
I think this is an interesting statement which may soon need revision to include the possibility that a self-operating artificial intelligence, an automaton if you will, shall rival the worth, creativity and potential of a man. Man may retreat from his own humanity in the modern world at times, but there is unyielding desire to reassert our humanity in the technological world through our creations. An artist struggles similarly with his art all the time.
This is a character design whose name is Automaton. I tried to give him a playful and child-like personality which I reinforced with wide eyes, lots of energy and movement, a general brightness, and with a sense of curiosity. I hope I have given you an opportunity to pause and contemplate the man in the machine.
As many of you may have noticed, I have released a series of digital paintings reimagining the Wizard of Oz. This piece is of the Wizard himself.
Personally, I am kind of partial to the title “God-head” and the reason for this is that if I ever saw a giant glowing head, the only thing I would think is that I must be seeing God or perhaps a combination of God and the Devil. If you have ever seen Terry Gilliam’s film Time Bandits you might know what I am talking about.
In the digital painting, we see the monstrosity of a giant head connected to all types of mechanical parts and wires almost like a giant snake Sentinel from the matrix. It is hovering a little bit above the ground and looking down upon Dorthy and her gang of misfits who include the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man. Dorthy is bowing presenting the broom of the Wicked Witch who she has defeated.
Scarecrow without a brain stands there without fear, but the Tin Man and the Lion kneel in fear and supplication. The famous man behind the curtain or a mechanical pod in this case, is the actual Wizard, just a man, controlling this mechanized abomination. The number 23 signifies that this is just one of 23 machines which the Wizard has created to cultivate his epic persona.
As I will continue to try to do, I am providing the visual development of this piece. I start with abstract compositional thumbnails, then flesh out those thumbnails into a more complete thumbnail. When I come up with something I like and if I am doing widescreen, I blow it up to a little smaller than 11X17. I then design my relevant props for the composition and sketch my layout. This is a multi-stage process and here it is for your inspection.
This is a reimagination of classic Wizard of Oz. A protective Tin Man defends Dorthy from the cowardly king of Oz, the Lion. Meanwhile, the timid Scarecrow runs off only thinking of saving himself.
Given the title of this blog I thought it might also be of interest to you to witness my process of thumbnail and concept sketching which leads to such a piece.
I think the Scarecrow with his pumpkin head is very Halloween appropriate not to mention the fantastical realm of Oz itself.
A Swamp can be a very dangerous place. In fact, it can take years off your life wondering what new organism my creep up on you in your sleep from its watery depths. It has strange beauty too, but to really appreciate the glory of its stagnant mossy pools you must become one with the swamp.
The face in the tree is the Guardian of the Swamp. It watches silently, but vigilantly. Chances are if you came across him, you would not be harmed. You probably wouldn’t notice him at all. However, if it saw you as a threat, your very existence would be in doubt.
The second character is a local native of the swamp. Like something out of the Heart Darkness he exudes the qualities one might expect after having been isolated in such a place for such a long time. He is unaware of the Guardian, but roams freely without fear and naively is about to tie his boat off at the Guardian’s long reaching roots.
Finally, the dog senses the Guardian and smiles knowing such a protector exists. So do I.
Like bats out of hell the flying monkeys emerge from the peak of the Wicked Witch’s citadel on a single mission: kill Dorothy and bring back the ruby slippers. I’ll get you my pretty and your little dog too. Fly my pretties, fly.
The Halloween series continues…
On any journey away from home, innocence is lost. Certain things that you see, as much as you want to un-see them, are burned into your brain forever even in a digital painting.
Protecting your mind from the sleaze of the world is futile. So you might as well embrace it while you can.
I find myself stumbling on the docks. What will this collection of the artistic musings become? Who will find it meaningful or interesting?
With uneasy sea legs effected by the unsteady ebb and flow of the ocean and also a belly full of liquor I stumble on wondering…
“The Battle at the Bridge” is a digital painting representing the struggles we all face. We all have our bridges that must be crossed and the epic foe which stands in our way. But, to not fight would only mean death and unhappiness. So I choose on this first post to fight for every last breath and to entertain the wide world with my art.
I want the people who follow my artistic musings to be struck by an emotion or idea. It is my goal that all my pieces will do just this. Sometimes my art will be fully composed and other times, perhaps most of the time, they will resemble more of a sketch. Regardless, I hope I have given you something to think about and something you will enjoy.
I also want to share with you my process. The following are the various stages of the visual development of “The Battle at the Bridge.” It shows off the trenches in which my artistic battle was waged.
Brace yourself, for the commencement of Jay Zuck’s Sketches of the Day…