SFBC: ENDER'S GAME CONCEPT ART

Earlier this year I decided to revisit the design process for the Ender's Game cover I did for Science Fiction Book Club.  Since I still have 3 years worth of concept work I can't show, I wanted to work up something quick that I can. The following is basically a more thought out view of Ender's flash suit I designed for the cover. 

 Ender is basically playing laser tag in zero G. My approach treats the flash suit as more of a child sports uniform with protective padding for collisions with other teams or the battle room walls.  I'm eager to see if this approach was thought of along the concept pipeline for the film.

Since Ender seemed kinda dark and Emo, I revisited what he might look like as an adult in Speaker for the Dead.  Would he keep up with the fashions 3000 years from the events in Ender's Game?  Would he embrace various tribal rituals of those he speaks for (tattoos, piercing etc).  What if he was constantly getting into fights with people who disagreed with how he spoke for the dead. These were fun to do.

MARS ATTACKS: SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2013

"INVASION BEGINS" Oil on Panel 13"x18"

Good News Everyone!!  Here is the first of 3 new collectible cards I painted for TOPPS revival of the Mars Attacks card series.  Here is the official press release.  “To jumpstart the release of their forthcoming revival of MARS ATTACKS trading cards this fall, The Topps Company, in conjunction with IDW Publishing, will give away an exclusive, limited edition tie-in card at San Diego Comic-Con, July 17-21.   This exciting exclusive will be distributed only at San Diego Comic-Con and will feature brand-new hand painted artwork by science fiction artist Eric Wilkerson.  

The card, entitled "Invasion Begins" will be card #0 and will include an all-new story that will kick off the upcoming Mars Attacks: Invasion card set, the first all-new story-based MARS ATTACKS card set in more than half a century, due in stores this October.  

The upcoming set will include all-new artwork by some of the industry's top talent, including Earl Norem, Joe Jusko, Greg Staples, Glen Orbik, Alex Horley, Manuel Sanjulian, Dan Brereton, Jim Nelson, Jeff Miracola and others.  The story will tie in to current and upcoming MARS ATTACKS comics from IDW.

During San Diego Comic-Con, fans will be able to pick up the exclusive #0 card at the IDW booth (#2643).  Quantities will be strictly limited and supplies are expected to go fast.”

For fans of the series, if you are not able to make it to comic con this year, I will be getting a ton of artist proofs of card #0.   Proofs, prints and original art are available. 

Seen below is the final card. The TOPPS banner for IDW booth #2643 and facebook promo banner.

"I,ROBOT...ZOMBIE" Process

   The "Zombie" show at Last Rites Gallery starts tonight.  If you are in the area come check it out. 
Today we continue the behind the scenes look at making a robot zombie.  Here is my rough sketch.  

The palette wasn't worked out for the painting at this point. Mainly just working with values and playing with thoughts for the overall concept. 
A photo shoot with a model was scheduled soon after completion. 

After the shoot I realized I would need much more information to pull off a painting of a robot with splayed open flesh.  The next day I started sculpting a reference maquette. 

A proper level of imaginative realism was needed for this to look somewhat convincing. So I believed my painting would succeed or fail based on the level of finish given to the sculptural details.  Way too much unnecessary pressure!

resting in a pile of miniature garbage bags

With the sculpt baked, lights were set up to re-shoot my reference for the painting.

Half way through I realized that there was no info for how hue changes from 3 light sources would affect the flesh or metal finish I wanted for the chest.  I could have made it up while painting but I’d already come this far…

So after getting some advice from a professional sculptor for DC comics, and a bit of nervous procrastination I started painting a maquette for the first time. There is a great anime model kit shop near my house that had all the needed supplies.

I sprayed an even flat base coat over the maquette and painted the flesh in acrylics.

The metal parts were painted with gold and silver metallic paints.

Once dry, I sprayed the whole thing with a clear semi gloss coat.  Clear nail polish was used for a more glossy liquid look around the eye. 

 This was almost a second option for my composition. I loved the hue changes across the skin from the light sources.

 

                                              I'm no Jordu but I think it came out ok.

With all this information, combined with many photographs of intestines, zombie faces and scrapyards, I proceeded with the final line drawing and then the painting.

 Thanks to artist, Brian Despain for all his advice while developing this image.  Every once in awhile it helps to have an objective eye look at your art.  The reception is tonight so I'll post pics for those interested. 

Hope all this helps someone out there. Questions, comments? Drop me a note.  

I,ROBOT...ZOMBIE!!!

ZOMBIE Opening Reception at Last Rites Gallery

Saturday May 25th 7pm -11pm

                                                                              I, ROBOT... ZOMBIE
                                                                             16"X20" oil on panel

"It can be hard for an android to find love...

One day Henry the Labor bot decided to pay for a low end model Hooker bot

and contracted a nasty trojan horse virus known as Cerebus.

Cerebus rewrote his operating system and reprogrammed the lonely android with an insatiable desire to kill all humans.

The virus spread quickly from mecha to mecha, all turning on their owners, murdering humans by the masses.  After a long bloody human resistance, the city of Newburgh, New York was quarantined as a techno-biohazard zone and has become a dumping ground for infected robots.  Somewhere in the twisted remains of his positronic brain, Henry spends his nights wishing he had paid for a human hooker instead.  Sadly, Robosexual relations between humans and robots are illegal."

Good News Everyone!  This original oil painting was created for the upcoming Zombie show at Last RitesGallery in New York City.  When guest curator, Travis Louie invited me to participate in the group show I knew exactly what I wanted to paint.

My idea of painting a zombie robot lurks in a largely untapped sub genre within the popular zombie craze.  I thought if I go this route, it’ll be on the fringe of what is considered a zombie but it should also be pretty cool to paint.

I’ve never done a gallery show before so I got really excited and maybe a little carried away with the prep work for the piece.  Since this could be the only gallery show I ever get invited to I didn’t want to phone it in or do something half assed.  The next few posts will chronicle the making of this painting leading up to the opening reception this Saturday night.  

Here are a few details.

 

ENDER'S GAME / SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD #4 Speaker hologram WIP GIF

click image for larger view

ENDER'S GAME / SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD #3 Final Drawing and Rough Color

Presented here is my final line drawing and first wash of color for the painting.

There is an empty spot in the background drawing because I couldn’t decide if I wanted a second gateway door or a simple wall.

The color palette and lighting scheme from the movie Prometheus were very inspiring.  While researching the work of the design team from Prometheus and eventually the Ender’s Game film, I wanted to try and use the same visual look for my illustration only a bit more saturated.

After the base color was filled in I had to make a little quick model of the background.  No fancy 3D modeling, just a good old cardboard cut out and a clip lamp on the floor.  I felt more confident painting the background once I had a basic idea of how the light source from a nebula would shine through the space station windows.

close up of final background

And again with a bit of that chromatic aberration gimmick that’s all the rage right now among concept artists.  It's a pretty neat way to add quick depth of field to a digital painting without the permanent effects of blur filters.

 

 

ENDER'S GAME / SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD #2 Color Sketches

The battle room is such an integral part of Ender's young life.  His actions in that room shape the man he is destined to become, so in all the sketches I thought why not hint at what the room looks like or at least the entry corridor.

 I went through numerous roughs while listening to the audiobooks of both stories.  I did a few throw away ideas of Ender floating in front of the battle room door but since this is an Omnibus I had to find a way to represent both stories with one cover.  The challenge here is that Ender is an adult in the second book.  Here are two of the 3 sketches I sent off for approval.

Sketch 2 – this wraparound pitch is a conceptual approach that encompasses both stories. The somber contemplative young Ender in front of the bleak dimly lit battle room, the weight of the world on him. He's standing back to back with his older self.  A stronger more confident pose, holding the last of an alien species he completely destroyed.  The palette would intentionally move from dark to light.  From the cool sadness and misery of battle school to the warm hope of a fresh start on a new world.

Sketch 3 - In the first book there is a scene where Ender is playing a game and looking into a mirror only to see his older brother Peter gazing back at him.  I thought that might be an interesting way of introducing the Speaker for the Dead into the composition, except with holographic displays surrounding a huge gaming console.  This ended up being the approved sketch with 2 minor adjustments. I was asked to put Ender in the flash suit from sketch 2 and get rid of the frame around the hologram of the Speaker.

The book really didn't portray the battle school as a positive place to be so in both sketches shown here I felt the corridor should lean more cold gritty gunmetal than porcelain white with lens flares.  Knowing that some of the same designers from Avatar worked on the upcoming movie it's my guess that they'll take the same approach.