ZX-TREM 21 Mech Design

Just finished up the latest Demo for Visual Design. This time around students were taught how to construct a Mech character using pre-visualization tactics, interconnecting forms to construct a mech and hard surface rendering techniques. 

The assignment was an excellent next step in showing students how the rules of perspective could be used to create complex formations using primitive shapes as a foundation.

Admittingly I was a little nervous going into this one – The ZX-TREM 21 battle Mech is my first real shot at the genre. Pleased to say in the end, it all came together. In fact, I wouldn’t mind smashing out a few more of these mecha beasties in the not too distant future.

Here’s a quick description of the design – The ZX-TREM 21 was designed as a battle Mech which would be controlled by cyborg soldiers during battle. This particular Unit has been reprogrammed by a half cyborg, half human super solider experiment named AL to aid in her escape from the NEXZ Complex. The ZX-TREM 21 arsenal consists of High Powered Propelled Laser Cannons capable of instant incineration. It's weaponry, and the Mech itself is powered by a heavily armored Fusion Core.

Enjoy
-Clayton

http://www.claytonbartonartist.com/

Gorgrilla Creater Concept Design

Remember those Gorgrilla sketches I posted up a few weeks ago?

Well, I decided to polish one of the critters up into a full blown creature concept as a demo for my Visual Design class.

Now he may not win any beauty pageants, but he’s a more then welcome addition to the creepy creature kingdom that’s for sure.

For those wondering, 5 and a half hours of tender love and care went into this beast.

Enjoy
-Clayton

http://www.claytonbartonartist.com/

Character Design Demo - Gorgrilla Creature Sketches

If you're curious about the creation of these gorgeous Gorgrilla's, here's a sped up review demonstration that'll take you through the entire process from start to finish.

In realtime these critters took 03:12 hours.

Gorgrilla Prototype

The semester has only just begun and we're already taking on the beastly topic of Creature Design. This first demo focused on teaching students how to conjure up interesting and unique ideas by describing various attributes about their creature inside a Word document. This allowed for the cultivation of a visual interpretation that would give them a place to start working from. The design itself was then prototyped down onto the canvas through a combination of silhouettes and sketching.

For the demo I came up with this ghastly abomination - The Gorgrilla. Amoung his many merits, this guy is able to vomit acidic slime from his mouth as a defense mechanism. This slime is toxic even from a distance due to the potent fumes it unleashes. The Gorgrilla also has a venomous bite it uses to paralyze it’s victims. Once infected, the bacteria in the venom floods throughout the hosts body, and later turns it into a zombified carrier of the Gorgillas offspring. The Gorgrilla is also extremely aggressive in nature making it an excellent weapon of war."

Over the next few weeks we'll be taking these creature drafts and developing them into finely polished creature concepts.

Character Design Demo - Post Apocolyptic Mutant

This is a recording of the Apocalyptic Mutant Character Concept. The video is sped up from about 2 hours down to about 15 min, and demonstrates the entire work flow from start to finish.

Check it out and enjoy the video. 

Post Apocalyptic Mutant Character Concept

Another glorious inhabitant from the post-apocalyptic, war ravaged Earth theme.

The catastrophic, intergalactic weaponry used by the alien invaders during the war created a fallout of pollution and toxins that caused severe genetic anomalies throughout humanity in the years to come.

The character concept you see in front of you describes one of the beasts left lurking around after the invasion.

This guy was demoed during class in about two hours.

Fraktalvoid Gears up for the Release of They're Latest Mobile Game App

Video games are a unique genre of entertainment aren’t they?

I mean is there anything else out there that allows you to immerse yourself and interact within a world created purely from imagination on that kind of level? That’s what get’s us so hooked so quickly!

Because games are an art form in and of themselves that allow us to communicate our ideas with one another more potently then ever, here in this modern age of technology.

As much love as one might have for Games, there’s no question that setting out to make one is ambitious. In fact often times it’s quite frankly a struggle, especially when there’s only 4 of you pulling every ounce of passion, motivation and drive to make that killer idea become a reality. If you’re part of a small indie dev team you know what I’m talking about.

For the last few years, myself, dev leader Chris, magnificent manga artist Nirza ‘Scyfon’ Khan, sound magician George and the rest of us at Fraktalvoid have been doing just that. We’ve finally made Speed Blazers 2 a reality, with over 72 levels, 8 kickass playable characters, each with unique abilities, and a refined gameplay.

Here’s the exciting news though…

We’re really pushing to get it into your hands within only a matter of weeks from now.

So I'm quickly sending this post out to you because I'd like to invite you to check out http://fraktalvoid.com/ .

Any updates and news about the game will be available for you right there, along with a whole bunch of development content we're currently putting together.

You can also follow us right here on Google Plus. https://plus.google.com/+FraktalvoidGames/

Thanks, and talk soon!
-Clayton

P.S. By the way, if you've got any questions about the game that you'd like to ask, you're welcome to post them in the comments below. I'd be more then happy to answer them.

Character Design Demo - Post Apocolyptic Gaurd

Here's a 10 minute recording of the Post Apocolyptic Guard Concept I demo'd earlier this week. It's sped up of course, from just under 1:30hrs and takes you through the entire process from start to finish.

Check it out and if you enjoy the video, be sure to like and share the love.

Godzilla Asia Trailer

GODZILLA is looking more incredible than ever. The design is flawless, the story intriguing and the performances promising. Cannot wait to see it! 

Check out the new Asia Godzilla Trailer

Post Apocolyptic Gaurd Concept Art

This semester we're focusing on designing character and environment concepts for a post apocalyptic world. Planet Earth has been ravaged by a war between two planets, the remaining survivors taking refuge in the scattered ruins across the globe.

Today's class demo is of a guard  keeping watch outside one of these hideouts, in charge of warning the rest of the clan against threatening intruders.

 - Clayton Barton

This One's a Beauty

Hi,

it’s Clayton here, bearing a gift for you in the form of a brand new drawing tutorial. How to Draw Female Heads - Picture Perfect Portraits, is fresh, hot and just published. It’s there for the taking, so hit the link below and check it out!

http://www.howtodrawcomics.net/#!how-to-draw-heads-chapter-3-0/c8ty

 

This one kinda had me biting off a little more than I could chew.

It’s becoming a problem too. Not just because of my high caffeine levels and off the chart sleeping patterns either. You see fellow artisans; I seem to have a problem one upping every new tutorial that’s published!

If they get any longer this site is going to end up more like the How to Draw Comic’s Encyclopaedia… Wait a second… That would be awesome!

In any case, one can never do with too much information so I’ve done my best to pack as much into this tutorial as possible.

I’ve received a load of feedback from you guys on how I can make these walk-throughs the best they can be. Thank you! Since the main benefactor of these tutorials is YOU, your feedback is highly valuable.

A majority of the suggestions focused on two things; a more in depth look at drawing hair and the process behind detailing (rendering and lighting).

You will be pleased to know, I’ve heard your cries for help.

Although these topics will ultimately be expanded into individual tutorials, I’ve made a point of explaining them on an even deeper level in the new How to Draw Female Heads - Picture Perfect Portraits tutorial… And I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

So what is this exciting new addition to How to Draw Comics .NET all bout anyway?  Well as you’ve probably already guessed this time around you’ll learn how to draw the head of a female comic book character.

Funnily enough, the basic construction is all very similar to the How to Draw Male Heads - Picture Perfect Portraits so at least that part will be easy peasy for you guys.

BUT, the purpose of this tutorial is not to teach you what you already know…

You see as an artist, you very quickly realize that drawing women is kind of A LOT MORE DIFFICULT then drawing men.
Here’s why…

Men have bone structures and facial muscles that are more pronounced then women. This allows us to use distinctive lines with stronger shadows to describe the prominent, sharper features of the male head in order to achieve that masculine resemblance. In short we’ve got more building blocks to play with.

When it comes to women though, it’s not so easy! There are less bread crumbs laid to help us out along the way. Their faces are smoother, softer, and subtler.  This gives us fewer lines to use, less obvious forms to draw, and ultimately results in a considerably constrained approach to drawing. 

Lucky for you guys, ‘How to Draw Female Heads - Picture Perfect Portraits’ has been specifically designed not only to address these issues and how to deal with them, but it will also explain ‘why’ the physical differences between men and women exist.

If you let me take you by the hand and follow my lead, I’ll have you drawing your own super, sexy, powerful heroines in no time!

Here’s a list of gems you can expect to glean from How to Draw Female Heads - Picture Perfect Portraits

• Learn the illusive elements that define womanly beautyDiscover what to draw, and WHAT NOT TO DRAW to create a youthful, feminine appearance for your comic book heroines. 
• How to draw, style, and render hair using the ‘BANG’ method.
• Find out ‘why’ less is MORE when it comes to detailing women. 
• Learn to draw alluring eyes, lips and other facial features that exude femininity.   
• Take an in depth look into the process behind lighting and rendering.

Lastly, I’d like to personally thank everyone who entered the How to Draw Male Heads - Picture Perfect Portraits competition. You all did brilliantly, and being able to physically see the results you ended up with by following these tutorials is incredibly rewarding, not just for you but for me aswell.
The winners have been announced and you can check out their entries over at the new Winners gallery. http://www.howtodrawcomics.net/#!how-to-draw-contest-winners/c1d0o

If you missed the comp last time around you’ll be pleased to know that another one has just been launched for the new How to Draw Female Heads - Picture Perfect Portraits tutorial. For more information be sure to hit the link below.

http://www.howtodrawcomics.net/#!how-to-draw-comics-competition/c3tw

As always, it’s your feedback and suggestions that help make How to Draw Comics .NET the best possible drawing resource out there. So if you’ve got any suggestions, constructive crit, or input for the site, you’re more than welcome to e-mail me at claytonbarton@howtodrawcomics.net . Of course, if you’d just like some good old fashioned one on one help with your drawing, I’d also love to hear from you.

Until next time Comic Artisans,

Keep learning, keep drawing, and keep the dream ALIVE,
-Clayton

Morgan Freeman Finger Painting

You certainly couldn’t call me a Picasso when it comes to finger painting, let alone an IPAD finger painting Picasso. But guy’s, this is incredible.

How to Draw Male Heads - Picture Perfect Profiles

Hey everybody.

How are you? I hope you’ve had a pleasant week thus far.

And if not… Here’s a treat that’ll make it better regardless.

http://www.howtodrawcomics.net/#!how-to-draw-heads-chapter-2-0/c14yy

That is the link to the newest addition in the How to Draw Heads series over at http://www.howtodrawcomics.net/. I’m not quite sure, but I think I’ve managed to pack even more into this one then the first. 

This time you’ll learn a step by step process that can be used to draw the classical Male Head from the side. 

If you managed to fly through the first tutorial without a problem, you’ll absolutely ace this one. In fact, it turns out that the Side of the Head uses the same proportions as the Front. 

Which means you can take what you learned in the first tutorial and apply it here too! 

It’s not always sunshine and roses though. Because although the proportions of the head remain the same… The way the features are drawn is completely different. Not just from the side either, but from every angle! It’s a bit of an obstacle for us artisans to overcome, but this tutorial has been especially design to give you the tools needed to tackle it head on.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s covered in the tutorial:

-          Creating a base blueprint that’ll make drawing head profiles a piece of cake.  

-          Laying out proportional guidelines to ensure your heads looks correct each and every time.

-          Drawing facial features from the side. You’ll be surprised how easy this one is!

-          An in depth look at layering hair using ‘the bang technique’.  

-          An overview on how to use shadow and rendering to refine form and create 3D depth.

If you liked the first tutorial, I’m confident you are going to get just as much out of this one. Please enjoy, and good luck!

-Clayton

P.S.

Got some feedback or suggestions on how these tutorials could be made even better? Maybe you’ve got some questions about the site or upcoming content? Whatever it is, I’d be more than happy to hear from you!! So send your e-mails to claytonbarton@howtodrawcomics.net, and I’ll personally reply to all of your questions and suggestions.

P.S.S

And one more thing! Turns out a lot of people missed out on the competition I ran on howtodrawcomics.net last week for the Picture Perfect Portraits tutorial. And it’s my fault for hiding it on the very last page… 

So I’ll be leaving it open until next week. Here is the more… exposed link for more information on the comp and what you can win.  http://www.howtodrawcomics.net/#!how-to-draw-comics-competition/c3tw

How to Draw Male Heads - Picture Perfect Portraits

Hello everyone.

Well, it has been a long time coming.

As I type this, I’m running on about 4 hours sleep. Yes. I’m fully aware that’s probably not good for my health. But the reason why I’ve been up so long is so I could get this to you.

http://www.howtodrawcomics.net/#!how-to-draw-heads-male-front/c108u

I’m pleased to tell you that How to Draw Comics . NET is now live. And when you click that link you’ll be taken to the first, new and completely free tutorial available on the site.


This first comic art tutorial focuses on how to draw the front of the male head, leading you step by step through the technique I personally use for all my characters.

Bear in mind, this is the very first tutorial in a series of many. So be sure to keep a close eye on your inbox; that way you’ll be sure not to miss out on any new releases.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s covered in the tutorial.
- A simple, easy to remember method for drawing the human head.
- Nailing down the classical proportions of the head and face once and for all.
- Correct placement of the facial features, the jaw and cheek bones.
- Helpful tips on creating stylish hair do’s and how to lay them on the heads of all your characters.
- An overview of various shadow and rendering techniques and how to use them.
- How to create an endless variety of unique and memorable heads using a single method.

Enjoy the tutorial guys,
-Clayton

P.S.

I’ve never written a how to draw book before. In fact this is really the first time I’ve documented a step by step written guide for my drawing techniques. So if you get something out of the tutorial (or if you don’t), your feedback and suggestions are more than welcome.

Game of Thrones Season 4 Trailer

For those on the hunt for a little inspiration - There is still 3 months to go. But season 4 of Game of Thrones is shaping up to be absolutely EPIC.