If you look closely you will discern the signature photogenically unlovely features of one Depardieu.

Three renders of my first foray into hard-surface modelling. Above is the initial model, and below are a couple of variants on the theme (I got giddy painting a model for the first time). Higher resolution turntables after the click.

Work in progress. It’s an effort at arriving at a method of defining hierarchies of colour. Alright, on one level this is a very simple thing – all in the image is essentially of an earthy tone except for the man of steel. This is enabled by the fact that the action in the image is a stand-alone element, cut off from the environment. I’ve chosen to make it this simple. What would happen if I wanted to set up an actual colour scheme for the background, the environment? What I’m trying to do is figure out what the likes of Jon Foster are doing when they set their colours against one another in an organised chaos of harmony. When it works it is totally invisible.

More mask-sketching. This time taking a notebook thumbnail (above) as a starting point.

So this was an excercise in mask-manipulation. By working into adjustment layer masks, inverting and reworking the same, the whole image can stay very fluid right up until you flatten the image. You can even take the masks you’ve made and apply other adjustments to them.

I don’t know why. I’m trying to get used to pencil again, as it’s been a while.

A nice, farcical juxtaposition, I thought. Both the circus and trench warfare involve farcical elements. We’ve seen gas masks on horses and dogs: I thought an elephant could have nice design potential. Of course retrospectively, googling “elephant” and “gas mask” predictably throws a lot of results at you. Not a few of which are, predictably, “steampunk”. Of which no more will be mentioned on this blog.

Monstruo. Some demonic alien and a fearful little protagonist. I found an ancient thumbnail sketch in an old notebook, and wanted to elaborate. I think originally there was going to be someone sketching this creature through a Dürer grid, arriving at some sort of logo design.