Flight Delay = Sketch-o-rama! Part 2

More airport scribbles.

Flight Delay = Sketch-o-rama! Part 1

On my way back from Syracuse, my connecting flight from Philadelphia to Baltimore was delayed by a couple of hours, so that's prime sketch-time! I also met a couple of guys coming back from the Ron Paul anti-convention in Minneapolis. They liked my art.... maybe Ron Paul would too?

Crushing Dreams

Ten years after I left the hallowed halls of that institution known as Syracuse University, they had me back to talk to the media arts (illustration, design, etc) students about life as a video game concept artist. I went there with the intention of warning them about the difficulty of breaking into the business, the long hours you have to work, the lack of recognition....

But as I stared at the students' faces, and thought back to how only a little over a decade ago I too sat in those chairs praying for some glimmer of hope for my future, I softened.... a little.

In all seriousness, it was a blast. I enjoyed talking to the students, and I was happy to see that they are very eager to learn everything they can about concept art, digital illustration, etc. I told them they need to fight to have the best equipment if they want to be prepared for the reality of the business, which is that digital illustration is basically industry standard.

I also did a quick painting demo of a creature from my sketchbook, which unfortunately was very low res, so I don't think I will be keeping him.

Hopefully they will invite me back some day... even though I did an impression of one of my professors, Roger DeMuth (that's him all blurry in the nosebleed section with the blue shirt).

Light at the end of the Digital Easel

Progress on these pieces. My wife thinks they have a similar color scheme, and I think she is right. She thinks maybe there is some deep inner meaning behind the color choices.... I think she's a loon-bat! These colors mean nothing to me....NOTHING! I HATE these colors.... they beat me as a child.

Anyways. The Smoking guy is almost done except for the background and some other small details, but I was thinking about adding some wallpaper back there... what do you think?

Some news - I will be teaching a Fantasy Art class at Maryland Institute College of Art starting in the Spring semester of 09. I am excited about it, but nervous too... this will be my first real class that I have taught on my own... but what an exciting thing to teach! There is so much to think about! Let me know if you have any ideas about how I should approach it.. I want it to be an intelligent class that encourages the students to break new ground with Fantasy Art, and not just tread the same old tired ground....

Other news - I just finished 4 freelance pieces for Wizards of the Coast. When I am able to post them, I will.

More Transmissions From Planet Sketch...

What's On My (Digital) Easel?

Once again, a smoking alien/creature. This guy, though, loves his c-cat (?), and is contemplating all of the horrible things he has done as VP of Explosions for Planet Crushers Intergalactic, Inc. His (Cat) doesn't judge him though, it loves him unconditionally. Ah, the love of a pet.

Taking the same approach to this piece as the Globe Chaser one. Digital inking first.

Some real people, and some not so real.

Occasionally I like to draw actual people (I know, crazy, right?). Especially when I am waiting in line at the DMV, or hangin' at Barnes and Noble.

But not to worry, below are plenty of drawings of people that YOU will recognize as non-real people, although only I know the truth, for I can see things that no other man can see..... especially when I am drinking heavily.

My new publicity photo

With all the fame and fortune* I am experiencing this year, I figure it's time to update my publicity photo**.
In so doing, I came across this gem, which was taken in the Spring while picking strawberries with my nephews. That's when i discovered this very strange looking strawberry, twisted and knobbly....like my soul.




* - Fame = 11th place in Dominance War 2D / Fortune = a check for $200.

** - I never really had a publicity photo before this....

Also, below are some sketches from the sketchbook. Enjoy.

P.S. That's my wife in the reflection of my glasses. She is my PR specialist and official Muttonhead Industries Photographer.

If I press my face up against it, I can almost entirely escape from reality....

I recently purchased a new, 24" Samsung monitor, pictured on the left (No that is not my permanent setup, just the temporary digs while the wife and I look for a house in Baltimore). I had once thought I would save up for my very own Cintiq, but I ultimately decided to wait and just get a huge-ass monitor to go with my huge-ass tablet instead (besides, i get to use a Cintiq at work, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both).

So anyways, below is the first thing I drew on the new monitor, sans color for now (still working out the color and brightness settings), but what was neat about this was I drew it with the monitor turned vertically. Now, many of you are probably saying: Sean, this is all old news to us, I have been rotating my monitor for years, get with the program, we are not impressed. But what you don't know is I have, up until now, been working on 19" CRT monitors. Why so late to the game? I have no idea. Leave me alone.

Thumbnail Sandwich

More sketches, including a couple pages of random thumbnails.... mmmmmm....thumbnails.....

Can you feel the sting?

Jam it!

Been a while since my last update. Here are some sketchees from me sketchboooooook... AARRRR!

Dominance War entry finished!

So, I actually DID finish my Dominance War pieces on time. Here are the final illustration, and the model sheet. Wish me luck! I can SMELL the Cintiq!

My friends' NIN "Ghosts Film Festival" entry on Youtube

My good friend Dave Haddock has put together a really awesome submission for the Nine Inch Nails Youtube Film Festival, where fans were invited to make videos to go along with one of the songs from NIN's new instrumental album "Ghosts". I think his entry is one of the best I have seen for this, and it has awesome visual FX too... pretty impressive for one guy, a camera, and a computer. Check it out! Link Here

More work on the Fishy Cleric dude....

I got into Spectrum! YAY!

After years of trying and trying, i have finally made it into the hallowed halls of the Spectrum annual "Best of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art" competition. All I know right now is that I got in, and that is according to Spectrum's own website. I am listed as Sean "Muttonhead" Murray.

What I do not know is which piece got in, but I think I can safely assume that since I only entered 2 pieces, it's probably THIS one, since I think it is the better of the two that I entered:

Anyways, I think what happens now is I have to do a nice digital print so that it can be displayed at a gallery show or something (at least, that is what I have seen them do in the past), and then the piece will be printed in the annual book which usually comes out in October.

Yay!

Fish-Cleric for Dominance War

OK, so my pace hasn't been very steady, but I am determined to finish this before the deadline, despite the book cover commision and the overtime at work. here is the final drawing for my entry: I have decided to make him a "clericon" instead of a wizard. His weapon will be a blunderbuss that uses Holy Power as it's source of energy, and he uses it to blast the faces of heretical robots in the FACE! YEAH!

Dominance War RESEARCH!!! YEAAAH!!! KICK ASS!

I went to the Walters Art Museum to get some inspiration for my Dominance War concept. I ended up doing a bunch of drawings of the old flint lock guns. Maybe my character will be a cleric that uses a powerful gun that uses Holy Powers to vanquish enemies. It could be carved with all kinds of religious iconography.

The view from my apartment...

So, as I mentioned before, I now live in Baltimore. Now, bear with me here: I have been working for Big Huge Games for more than a year now, and they are in the suburbs of Baltimore, yet, I was LIVING in New York State, that's where my house and my wife were. I had been a contractor for Big Huge up until this past September, whenI agreed to come on full time.

During this time, I was working from home every other week, and the weeks I was in Baltimore, I rented a room from an old lady in a neighborhood close to the Big Huge offices.

Last month, my wife moved down here and we got an apartment together (what a crazy concept, living with my wife! Fancy that!). The apartment we are renting is on the 14th floor of a building in downtown Baltimore, in a neighborhood called Mount Vernon. Baltimore was never a place I thought I would live, especially having grown up in the Northern Virginia suburbs, where most people consider Baltimore to be barely better than Chernobyl.

But it turns out, I kinda like it here!

Now, I ain't sayin it's all wine and roses. Two people did get shot a few days ago in a road-rage incident the next neighborhood over. But I have to admit, Baltimore is a city with a lot to offer, and so far, the wife and I are enjoying ourselves, and looking forward to the day when our house in New York finally sells so that we can start looking for a real home here (anybody wanna buy a lovely cape-style house in the heart of the Hudson Valley with shining wood floors, a double lot, and a 2 car garage?), but until then, I will stare out my window onto this creepy, but cool old church tower.