Well as the title implies, I spent my time drawing trying to improve on my ability to draw heads. I started out by drawing some various heads I found in a comic book, trying to imitate what the original artist had done. Nothing too glamorous but I've gotta share today's work!
Practising Heads
Practising Heads by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
After finishing those, I decided get in some practice with drawing the head from different angles/poses.
Form Practice
Practice Male Head Structure by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
As I said, not the most glamorous or exciting, but that's what I did today, I've said from the start I'm trying to get better so some day's will be like this!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Day 9: Spider-man Coloured
As the title says, today I coloured the lineart/sketch of Spider-man that I drew yesterday. I used a different method to colour him compared to the deadpool I did. This time I used different layers of progressively darker/lighter shades of blue/red to convey depth, just trying to experiment.
Day 9 [12-4-12]: Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-man
Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-man by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Let me know what you think, as always I would love feedback!
Day 9 [12-4-12]: Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-man
Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-man by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Let me know what you think, as always I would love feedback!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Day 8: Spider-man Returns!
One of the many things I want to improve on, is my form/figure drawing, and I don't mean being able to replicate someone else's illustration. Most of my drawing has been from someone else's work, and though I definitely think it is worthwhile and teaching me lots, I don't want it to be a 'crutch' for me.
Spider-man's costume is easy enough to draw (and I don't even have to try and draw a face - though I should be practising that more as well), and that enables me to focus on drawing a completely unique and original pose from my imagination. Not that I'm trying to draw an amazingly dynamic pose, just practising the basics.
Spider-man Sketch
Spider-man Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Spider-man Lineart
Spider-man Lineart by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
I hope to get this coloured, as well as the final details (need to add costume webbing still) completed soon. As you'll have seen from earlier posts, not all my work is taken to the same point of completion, and that is simply because this is just practice and learning. Some work's I will continue to take further into the process, but not all, though I hope to revisit past sketches in the future as I get better and can improve them.
As always, I'm very open to criticism, comments and advice. Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog!
Don't forget to check me out on DeviantArt and follow me on Twitter !
Spider-man's costume is easy enough to draw (and I don't even have to try and draw a face - though I should be practising that more as well), and that enables me to focus on drawing a completely unique and original pose from my imagination. Not that I'm trying to draw an amazingly dynamic pose, just practising the basics.
Spider-man Sketch
Spider-man Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Spider-man Lineart
Spider-man Lineart by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
I hope to get this coloured, as well as the final details (need to add costume webbing still) completed soon. As you'll have seen from earlier posts, not all my work is taken to the same point of completion, and that is simply because this is just practice and learning. Some work's I will continue to take further into the process, but not all, though I hope to revisit past sketches in the future as I get better and can improve them.
As always, I'm very open to criticism, comments and advice. Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog!
Don't forget to check me out on DeviantArt and follow me on Twitter !
Monday, December 3, 2012
Day 7 [12-2-12]: Deadpool
As I often do my drawing in the evenings, I'll likely have a one day delay on most of my posts. I think that also allows me to think a little clearer, and gives me a little more time for self evaluation.
Anyways, we're on day 7- it's been a week and I think I pulled out my best yet. Late evening on day 6, I did a rough sketch with my green pencil, but it wasn't till the next day that the picture really came together. Here's the basic sketch after I brought it together
Deadpool Sketch
Deadpool Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Having been quite happy with how that turned out, I decided to try my hand at doing the line work for it, as that is a very important part of comic book art.
Deadpool Lineart
Deadpool Lineart by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Again happy with this step (although looking back I feel I could have emphasized the line work more in general), I decided to take it to the next stage and try to paint the image. Using photoshop and a very basic knowledge of how to colour comics, I set the base colours and used the dodge/burn tool for my high/lowlights. I hope to get a hang of truly painting properly in photoshop, though I'm having some trouble using a mouse for it. Anyways, I'm still happy with how the final product turned out!
Deadpool: Merc with a mouth
Deadpool: merc with a mouth by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Again, I'm very happy with the turnout, although I still want to learn a lot more about photoshop painting. I added the speech bubble just for a little flavour, most of Deadpool's fandom is due to his... interesting take on things.
Anyways, thanks for checking out my work. You can check my gallery out over on Deviantart, I'm hoping to get any and all feedback I can, just want to keep getting better!
All the best
Anyways, we're on day 7- it's been a week and I think I pulled out my best yet. Late evening on day 6, I did a rough sketch with my green pencil, but it wasn't till the next day that the picture really came together. Here's the basic sketch after I brought it together
Deadpool Sketch
Deadpool Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Having been quite happy with how that turned out, I decided to try my hand at doing the line work for it, as that is a very important part of comic book art.
Deadpool Lineart
Deadpool Lineart by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Again happy with this step (although looking back I feel I could have emphasized the line work more in general), I decided to take it to the next stage and try to paint the image. Using photoshop and a very basic knowledge of how to colour comics, I set the base colours and used the dodge/burn tool for my high/lowlights. I hope to get a hang of truly painting properly in photoshop, though I'm having some trouble using a mouse for it. Anyways, I'm still happy with how the final product turned out!
Deadpool: Merc with a mouth
Deadpool: merc with a mouth by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Again, I'm very happy with the turnout, although I still want to learn a lot more about photoshop painting. I added the speech bubble just for a little flavour, most of Deadpool's fandom is due to his... interesting take on things.
Anyways, thanks for checking out my work. You can check my gallery out over on Deviantart, I'm hoping to get any and all feedback I can, just want to keep getting better!
All the best
Daily Challenge
So I've always loved everything to do with video-games and movies - and all the art and graphics that goes in to them as well - but I also have a long standing passion for comics & good books. At a young age I always wanted to be a comic book artist, and used to draw super heroes and villains constantly.
Drawing was something I was always pretty good at, though I never took classes or was too dedicated to it. Recently I picked up a new cheap sketch book, and started trying to draw again - and to my surprise I found I'm better than I was before, even years after (I attribute to a better understanding of anatomy, and values such as depth perception).
Blood Elf by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 2 [11-27-12: Lara Croft Sketch
Lara Croft Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 3 [11-28-12]: Spider-man Sketch
Spider-man Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 4a [ 11-29-12]: Spartan Warrior Sketch
Spartan Warrior by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 4b [11-29-12]: Steampunk Girl Sketch
Steampunk Girl Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 5 [ 11-30-12]: Exalted Monk Rough Sketch
Exalted Monk Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 6 [12-1-12]: Female Warrior Sketch
Female Warrior Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
I don't claim to be a fantastic artist, but simply hope to improve through persistence and practice. Check out my page on Deviantart.com and please give me your comments and criticisms, hope you enjoy!
Drawing was something I was always pretty good at, though I never took classes or was too dedicated to it. Recently I picked up a new cheap sketch book, and started trying to draw again - and to my surprise I found I'm better than I was before, even years after (I attribute to a better understanding of anatomy, and values such as depth perception).
I've read on many websites and forums that the best way to improve artistic ability is simply to practice, so I committed to making time each day to work on my drawing. No matter how good or bad they turn out, I'm keeping track of each day's work and progress, and hopefully will get better each day!
So without further delay I'll update my progress so far:
Day 1 [11-26-12]: Female Blood Elf
So without further delay I'll update my progress so far:
Day 1 [11-26-12]: Female Blood Elf
Blood Elf by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 2 [11-27-12: Lara Croft Sketch
Lara Croft Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 3 [11-28-12]: Spider-man Sketch
Spider-man Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 4a [ 11-29-12]: Spartan Warrior Sketch
Spartan Warrior by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 4b [11-29-12]: Steampunk Girl Sketch
Steampunk Girl Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 5 [ 11-30-12]: Exalted Monk Rough Sketch
Exalted Monk Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
Day 6 [12-1-12]: Female Warrior Sketch
Female Warrior Sketch by ~HiringHenchmen on deviantART
I don't claim to be a fantastic artist, but simply hope to improve through persistence and practice. Check out my page on Deviantart.com and please give me your comments and criticisms, hope you enjoy!
Monday, November 26, 2012
More than a beta: Firefall
As I mentioned in my post "Whats on my computer?" a review of the Firefall beta would soon be coming. I originally wrote that post before the most recent milestone - Red5's version of a large content patch - and the game has only improved since, so lets dive in to it!
Huh? Whats Firefall? [check out the cinematic trailer here]
Firefall is a relatively new game [currently in Beta] that is being developed my Red5 Studios. The game is a massively multi-player shooter, with an open world, instanced PvP matches, and is an amazing blend of RPG and FPS (well, 1st or 3rd person). Sounds great, but that's not even close to the best part; when the game hits store shelves its going to retail for... free?
From the Dev's mouth:
The game itself:
Also, don't forget to follow us on twitter @HiringHenchmen for our updates, and we'll tell you about other contests and info we think you should know too!
Huh? Whats Firefall? [check out the cinematic trailer here]
Firefall is a relatively new game [currently in Beta] that is being developed my Red5 Studios. The game is a massively multi-player shooter, with an open world, instanced PvP matches, and is an amazing blend of RPG and FPS (well, 1st or 3rd person). Sounds great, but that's not even close to the best part; when the game hits store shelves its going to retail for... free?
From the Dev's mouth:
"Firefall is a sci-fi MMO shooter set in a future Earth. A starship disaster unleashes a titanic energy storm called the Melding. It envelopes the earth, wipes out most of the planet, and spawns hostile creatures who self-proclaim themselves the Chosen.
Players must band together. Uniting in the form of armies, players will need to collect resources to craft weapons and vehicles to fight back the apocalyptic threat of the Chosen invasion. Special Nano-technology suits of armor called Battleframes enhance the human race in this future Earth and allow players to jumpjet across battlefields, wield a variety of exotic weapons of heavy destruction, and employ special abilities to reclaim the world.
Created by seasoned developers including the team-lead for vanilla WoW and the lead-designer of Tribes 1 and 2, Firefall’s combat is fast paced, furious, and plays like a top tier action oriented shooter. But Firefall is equally an MMO, plunging hundreds of players into an all-out Player vs. Environment war against the Chosen army. It is the largest co-op shooter made to date and offers a unique gameplay experience not found any where else."
Check out Red5's CEO Mark Kern talking about Firefall's open world concept.
PvE:
As I mentioned above Red5 recently released a huge PvE content patch, and there is so much for players to do in the open world right now (and lots more to come I'm sure). Players can go out in the world 'Thump' for resources, fighting off the local wildlife it attracts. These resources are then used to craft upgrades for your battleframe (class) and include things such as primary and alternate weapons, armour plating, and jet boosters.
As I mentioned above Red5 recently released a huge PvE content patch, and there is so much for players to do in the open world right now (and lots more to come I'm sure). Players can go out in the world 'Thump' for resources, fighting off the local wildlife it attracts. These resources are then used to craft upgrades for your battleframe (class) and include things such as primary and alternate weapons, armour plating, and jet boosters.
There are also always enemy invasions to fight off as well; the Chosen are an enemy race that invade via drop pods, patrol, and can assault/capture outposts. There are several dynamic events going on all the time in the world of Firefall, keeping players busy and providing a different experience each time they log on.
PvP:
Myself having not played shooters that much fore a while, this game reminded me a bit of the original counter-strike, though with many staggering differences. While in the open world players can que for instanced pvp matches, with 3 different match types currently.
Myself having not played shooters that much fore a while, this game reminded me a bit of the original counter-strike, though with many staggering differences. While in the open world players can que for instanced pvp matches, with 3 different match types currently.
In regards to E-Sports, Firefall and Red5 are all for it. Firefall is also being developed to provide a solid E-Sports experience, with many in game features to make watching, shoutcasting, and recording matches even easier. There have already been PvP tournaments held in the beta, such as the Brontodon Brawl hosted by Brontodon.com.
Beta...
Firefall is still in a closed beta, but unlike most other companies, this is true beta testing. By this I mean, the game is still in development. Most game companies will finish development, and then allow player's into a game in its nearly-completed or polished state, acting more as a marketing tool to get players interested than anything.
Firefall is still in a closed beta, but unlike most other companies, this is true beta testing. By this I mean, the game is still in development. Most game companies will finish development, and then allow player's into a game in its nearly-completed or polished state, acting more as a marketing tool to get players interested than anything.
Red5 has been running the Firefall beta for a while now - and already has a fairly sizeable player base already - but the main thing to know is that this game is still being developed. Why is this better? This method blows the typical beta scheme out of the water because Red5 is focussed on player feedback to dictate their development... unreal! There have been several examples of Red5 implementing suggestions from the community, and asking for feedback on the forums (I got to help name a creature, how cool is that!).
Free to play, how good can it be?
It's good... really, really good. Trust me. Honestly I don't think this game should be free-to-play, because it is simply too awesome. I have no doubt that Firefall would be successful if you had to buy it, but Mark Kern wants to make it accessible for everyone. The nice part is though, right now there is the option to purchase "Founders Packs" to support Red5 and get some exclusive stuff (both in-game and out). I got the base Founders Pack to get into the beta, but upgraded the the biggest once I fell in love with the game, just to try and help support Red5 for their stellar job.
It's good... really, really good. Trust me. Honestly I don't think this game should be free-to-play, because it is simply too awesome. I have no doubt that Firefall would be successful if you had to buy it, but Mark Kern wants to make it accessible for everyone. The nice part is though, right now there is the option to purchase "Founders Packs" to support Red5 and get some exclusive stuff (both in-game and out). I got the base Founders Pack to get into the beta, but upgraded the the biggest once I fell in love with the game, just to try and help support Red5 for their stellar job.
Obviously the company does still have to make money, and they do this through completely optional in game sales of character & battleframe customization items, vanity items, experience boosts, and other such goodies. Pay attention to what I'm about to say; this game is not pay-2-win. I think people assume free-to-play games are like that, because most are. However, Red5 only sells convenience items, to save players time, and stuff to customize their character. There is no way to buy better weapons or armour, this is only achieved by gaining experience and resources in game (and is totally free to do).
Sounds great, how to I get involved
Currently Firefall beta is closed, but that doesn't mean players still can't get in - all levels of the above mentioned Founders Packs include instant beta access. Players can also get beta access by being active and participating on the Firefall forums.
Lastly, Firefall is hosting one last Stress-Test Beta weekend from Nov. 30th to Dec. 2nd. This will give you beta-access and let you experience everything Firefall has to offer, check out this link to get your weekend beta key.
Currently Firefall beta is closed, but that doesn't mean players still can't get in - all levels of the above mentioned Founders Packs include instant beta access. Players can also get beta access by being active and participating on the Firefall forums.
Lastly, Firefall is hosting one last Stress-Test Beta weekend from Nov. 30th to Dec. 2nd. This will give you beta-access and let you experience everything Firefall has to offer, check out this link to get your weekend beta key.
Still got questions?
First thing to do if you have any questions is post a comment below, and I'll answer it in a jiffy. You can also head over to firefallthegame.com and check out the videos and forums.
First thing to do if you have any questions is post a comment below, and I'll answer it in a jiffy. You can also head over to firefallthegame.com and check out the videos and forums.
Also, don't forget to follow us on twitter @HiringHenchmen for our updates, and we'll tell you about other contests and info we think you should know too!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Spike TV VGAs
Friday December 7th at 9pm ET will be the tenth anniversary of the Spike Video Game Awards, a yearly show that recognizes the best computer and video games of the year. Spike TV always puts on a great show, with top performances, coming game previews, and Samuel L Jackson hosting it all.
Headlined in the awards every year is 'Game of the Year' and the 5 nominees are:
- Assassin's Creed III [Ubisoft]
- Dishonored [Bethesda/Arkane Studios]
- Journey [Sony/ThatGameCompany]
- Mass Effect 3 [Electronic Arts/Bioware]
- The Walking Dead: The Game [Telltale Games]
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nBqjHm4p2to" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Awards are highlighted by Dishonored & Mass Effect 3 (each at 5 nominations), Assassin's Creed III (at 6 nominations), and leading the way is Journey - with 7 VGA nominations. Journey is an adventure game developed exclusively for PlayStation 3, and was nominated for the following awards:
- Game of the Year
- Best PS3 Game
- Best Song in a Game
- Best Original Score
- Best Graphics
- Best Independent Game
- Best Downloadable game
This year players can vote for the 'Most Anticipated Game" and "Character of the Year", so be sure to head over to the Spike VGA website and do that. I'll be following the VGA's as they go on, so follow me on twitter (link right of page) to find out whose winning. I'll also be doing a recap post afterwards for those that couldn't watch. Leave a comment below, and tell me who you think should win 'Game of the Year'!
Headlined in the awards every year is 'Game of the Year' and the 5 nominees are:
- Assassin's Creed III [Ubisoft]
- Dishonored [Bethesda/Arkane Studios]
- Journey [Sony/ThatGameCompany]
- Mass Effect 3 [Electronic Arts/Bioware]
- The Walking Dead: The Game [Telltale Games]
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nBqjHm4p2to" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Awards are highlighted by Dishonored & Mass Effect 3 (each at 5 nominations), Assassin's Creed III (at 6 nominations), and leading the way is Journey - with 7 VGA nominations. Journey is an adventure game developed exclusively for PlayStation 3, and was nominated for the following awards:
- Game of the Year
- Best PS3 Game
- Best Song in a Game
- Best Original Score
- Best Graphics
- Best Independent Game
- Best Downloadable game
This year players can vote for the 'Most Anticipated Game" and "Character of the Year", so be sure to head over to the Spike VGA website and do that. I'll be following the VGA's as they go on, so follow me on twitter (link right of page) to find out whose winning. I'll also be doing a recap post afterwards for those that couldn't watch. Leave a comment below, and tell me who you think should win 'Game of the Year'!
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