In the Hunt

Howdy folks! Yeah, it’s been a little while but hopefully you’re all still hanging with us. I keep trying to convince Greg to just sleep every other day, but he’s not buying it.

I just returned from an awesome visit to my parent’s secret lair in Rhode Island. We did some fishing, hit the beach, and toured some amazing galleries. We were finally able to check out Norman Rockwell’s studio which was a lot like going to church. Also, if you’re ever in the Newport area, be sure to hit the National Museum of American Illustration. The place took us completely by surprise with a remarkable collection of Leyendecker, Rockwell, and Parish to name a few. It was truly an inspirational kick in the pants.

I’ve really been missing working traditionally lately so for this week’s post I stuck with a brush pen for the inking. I almost abandoned the image a couple times while painting (with a few rants for good measure) but I figured all the trouble was a good sign that I needed to work it out. More to come soon!

Ratchet and Clank: Cover 3

Just got news that the 3rd cover for the Ratchet & Clank comic book covers was released into the wild! These have been super fun to make. Cronk and Zephyr are some of our favorite characters from the franchise, so it was great getting to put them in action. Can’t wait to see these hit the stands!

Buggin’ Out!

This piece was something I’ve been wanting to try out. The idea is personal. I worked on my Jeep all weekend…it’s something I’ve had for years. I got it at the same time as I got my dog who passed on last spring. Lately I’ve had the most vivid dreams of him. After tearing my knuckles apart under the hood of my beater all weekend, my dreams were filled with nostalgic rides with my boy through the old trails in Southern CA we used to bump around on. He was a great sport!

The other side of this piece was to try to integrate my 3D models with an illustration. I’ve been modeling in 3D apps for over a dozen years now. So I took a piece I did a while ago of one of my Story Tellers and tried to work the two disciplines together. I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. I think we all understand the crutch and integrity issues involved, but I’d love to hear what you all think about it…

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One

Well folks, the cat (and his motley crew of friends) have been let out of the bag! At Gamescon in Germany last week, Insomniac Games announced two new projects: Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and Resistance 3. It was great to finally get the news out there.

Greg and I have been extremely fortunate to be working along side an awesome team for the new Ratchet title. It was a big move for many of us leaving Los Angeles but the highly neurotic family we’ve formed has been well worth it. If you’re looking for more info about the games, check out the links below!

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One Trailer
A41 Press Conference Playthrough
IGN’s A41 First Look
Resistance 3 Trailer

In other news, Greg and I have been crawling through some pretty deep trenches. Hopefully we’ll see some daylight one of these days! Thanks for hanging with us – we look forward to showing a few things we’ve been up to in the coming weeks. Ok, enough yapping, back to the Cintiq!

Sketchbook Diving

Spending years staring at computer screens for 10+ hours a day can do all sorts of things to you. Aside from gently frying your eyeballs, you may also develop a hankering to get back to the traditional side of drawing. Digital can be great for all sorts of stuff, but lately I’ve really missed pens and pencils. As a result I’ve been trying to make a point to stay active with the sketchbook and tend to bring it around with me. It can be a bit awkward at times, especially during those romantic times with my wife, but I’m gradually learning to adapt.

For sketching I tend to go for the tools that feel right at the time: Ballpoint, Pitt pens, brush pens, col-erase pencils, etc. I’m going to try and put a post together that covers some of the madness pretty soon. I’m always up for new tools, so if you guys are using anything fun, hit me up!