Heavy Snow, Chance of Sentinels
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Labels: Color Studies / Covers / Digital Color
Here's my final contribution to Wolverine Art Appreciation Month, an N.C. Wyeth-inspired composition. I knew from the beginning that this would be a tough one to pull off, as Wyeth doesn't have a signature gimmick. In addition, I was not permitted to do an homage to a particular painting (as with the Coolidge copy).
I'm not sure it "screams" N.C. Wyeth, but I was happy with the result, nonetheless. He's one of my major influences, so it was a fun experiment to try and get inside his brain.
This is the monochromatic underpainting stage — nothing but watered-down sepia gouache on bristol. The face is the only real clue that's it's based on Wyeth. But even the classic Wyeth uni-brow probably isn't enough to reveal the source of inspiration.
This is the pencil stage, just prior to painting. I like to leave it pretty loose, so I have the chance to "draw" while I'm painting. This is especially true for landscapes.
The process began with a simple digital color study. Wyeth is all about composition, so this was the most important step by far. I actually saved some of the rough stages throughout the process of composing, which I plan on sharing next week.
Update: here's a link to the post detailing the compositional process.
To purchase the original artwork, please visit Splashpage Art.
N.C. is a damn good influence to have. This is a beautiful painting, the attention to composition really paid off.
ReplyDeleteLove your work man, thanks for posting.
Damn, man. This is really awesome. I think you'd make NC proud! I was just at the Brandywine River Museum not too long ago admiring the NC Wyeth pieces from treasure island.. there's a few in particular that come to mind when seeing this one.
ReplyDeleteThis one in particular: http://tinyurl.com/c7loh8
Regardless, the composition looks great and I love the way the story is being told.. clever use of that "wyeth" lighting by having another sentinel approaching from off the panel.
Thanks for posting, can't wait to see the other rough stages of the process.
this is a killer piece.
ReplyDeleteeven though ive stopped reading marvel comics for the last 4 years, your Mythos series is the only one i have on order :)
this sentinel illustration would look nice on a wall. (my wall)
Nice one!
ReplyDeleteAnother great peace!
ReplyDeleteLove the colors and the light, as always.
i have no idea who N. C. Wyeth is, but you, and this rocks. and i should also thank him for inspiring you.
ReplyDeletepeace out
kinda Wyeth-y in the sky and clouds. Seems more like his later stuff than his earlier chunky painted period, cool though
ReplyDeletei do love this man. as i do love all your stuffffff!
ReplyDeleteReally great piece! I like how you use light, reflective and so on. Adds a lot of realism to your work. Great composition too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, guys! Glad to see this one struck a nerve.
ReplyDeleteDustin, I was just on your blog the other day and was about to leave a comment, but I don't think I did. That Red Carpet piece is awesome!
Before I even read that this was an homage to Wyeth, I could tell that he influenced your painting. It came out beautiful and stunning. I work at the Montclair Art Museum and we have a big Wyeth family show up, so I'm up there at least once a week in the NC section. You definitely did him justice :)
ReplyDelete