Spare Time?

What do I enjoy in my spare time? Aside from watching Science Fiction or Anime (about sci-fi) I have been playing Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures by Fantasy Flight Games.

I haven't been serious enough about it to play competitively. I don't think my skills are that good. But it is a fun take on turn-based combat. I particularly enjoy the non-linear aspect. Players can choose where to go based on the maneuvers of other ships on the board. Out maneuvering your opponent for the best attack with Star Wars themed ships and weapons is amazingly fun. 

I love being able to share stories of flying a tricked-out B-wing through an asteroid field to attack an Imperial Shuttle and its escorts. 

What I have also discovered is that it is fun to paint the miniatures too. Like this Jolly Roger-themed B-wing. The miniatures are only a few inches long (most are 1/270) so the level of detail is impressive and painting is a challenge.

I have a few other ships that I have painted as well but those are for another post. 

Seems I am never far from my strength!

Lego Rocks (And Here's The Proof)

Anyone who has known me for a while has probably heard me go on and on about the anime series Super Dimension Fortress Macross. Over here in the U.S. it aired under the title Robotech and was combined with two other series from the same studio (for continuity of animation) to meet syndication standards.

Since first becoming hooked in the early 80s, I have eagerly consumed any and all Macross information I could find. I have even seen all the associated series and movies. Some with some pretty dubious dubbing or subtitles.

Recently I came across some interesting information about the creator Shoji Kawamori. It turns out he uses Lego in his design process! In the following video you'll see what I mean. If you don't understand Japanese you might want to turn down the volume if it is too distracting. Pay particular attention at 2:20.



The mecha he created is for the Macross Frontier series which I think is the slickest and visually detailed of the Macross Universe. I particularly enjoy how he is able to take his Lego design and make it transform!

Here is another article from the Lego site about a visit to the Denmark Lego HQ.

All this Lego creativity has me feeling not too bad about borrowing a few legos from my son to crate a maquette for the bridge of a starship. Photos from that to follow.

Going Back To Move Forward

I have decided to go back and rework a painting I did a couple of years ago because I wanted to make use of a few techniques to see if they really helped my process.

A while back I created a painting of the Apollo 11 descent stage on the moon bathed in earthglow. As much as I liked that piece there were a few things I couldn't resolve in the painting. Therefore I decided to borrow a few pages from James Gurney and build a maquette of the lander and light it. Already I discovered a few things that needed adjusting and I think I have a new approach to it.

One thing I've been reluctant to admit is that I sometimes need strong reference to create a realistic image. To that end I have invested in some basic maquette tools and did some research. So far I have enjoyed the results immensely.

Lighted LEM model

I am also learning that as much as I want something to look "realistic" it is also sometimes necessary to embellish a bit to get an image that is also visually pleasing. That's not to say that it couldn't also be realistic. Chelsey Bonestell, in creating images of the moon, knew that the mountains were not craggy and sharp but he also knew that smooth, rolling hills were not part of public perception. He painted what the art directors wanted and not what he knew was right.

Sometimes you have to compromise to get the sale.

Alien Maquette: First Look

I am pleased with the creation of the alien for Abandoned Worlds. The process went pretty smoothly and the FIMO baked hard in the oven. Over all I am amazed how well it went. There was also a great sense of satisfaction over the design of the creature.

Maquette Alien copyright C. Jouan

Something I was also immensely pleased with is that I simply enjoyed the creation! I used to make model kits as a kid and also made clay creatures. Having a model of a creature from my imagination brings it more to life and gives me a solid base to work from.

Maquette Alien copyright C. Jouan

Maquette Making

Following the lead of James Gurney I decided to work on creating a maquette of one of my aliens in the Abandoned Worlds story. Once I put all the materials together I found that the simple process of creation was very stimulating.

I am looking forward to using the maqette to get a better understanding of the anatomy of my creatures. I also found that I draw better from life than I do from imagination. Or at least I enjoy the results better.

I'll post photos as I get them prepared. Right now I have progressed to the point of detailing the creature and will be ready to "cook" it to hardness.

The techniques I have been learning from Mr. Gurney's blog feel like pieces of a puzzle I have been missing from my training as an artist. It has been hard stumbling around in the dark of ignorance.