
Mechanical Text - One
I had trouble working out whether I wanted '1' to just be a vertical stick, or if I wanted it to have the serifs that would make it more distinct from an 'i'. Then I realised, I could do both, and I made my first transforming number! So, as you can see, this is a serif-style 1, but it can also close up into its shell, and become a sans-serif 1! The colouring definitely helped here, as it let me differentiate the inner layers from the outer. because the colours would be import

Impirium Pistol design (2)
This is another side arm for Impirium, one that maybe looks a bit like a sci-fi Uzi. Like the taser-inspired designs, I wanted this one to be an energy-based weapon, rather than a firearm, hence the business end of it having a closer resemblance to a TV remote than a conventional gun barrel. #Impirium #yelkrabstudios #conceptart #finishedart #weapons #PrimalKhaos #scifi #sketches

Mechanical Text - Zero
OK, not to be confused with the letter 'O', this is very definitely the number zero. See, it even has a dash going through it. Looking at it, i think I borrowed the colour scheme from the Transformer Dirge. #lettering #letters #sketches #finishedart #typography

Impirium - Boarock Grenade Launcher
Oh, I still have Impirium art to share! This time it's a grenade launcher. I based this on a real design, and went for something that was just functional, and looked like it would deliver a suitable amount of damage. The no-frills idea seemed a good fit for the Boarock race, so I had this in mind as a signature weapon for them. #Impirium #PrimalKhaos #yelkrabstudios #conceptart #sketches #weapons

Some more typography and Photoshop skills
As promised, here are some more examples of how I used my vowels as a pattern. The first one was more complex than it perhaps looks - I had to erase this guy's t-shirt, and do two versions of the pattern, one with black lines, and one with a white outline. It was worth it though, as I'm really proud of how this one came out. This other one is more conventional, but involved trying out a different pattern. #mechanicals #lettering #letters #typography #finishedart #photography


Flashback - Clash in the Old Vic Tunnels
This week's flashback is another piece that ended up being the first in a series, Portals in this case. I remember just wanting to have a go at a traditional superhero image, so we ended up with this Man-Who-May-Or-May-Not-Be-Super, probably influenced by M.D. Bright's version of Milestone's Icon. With all the androids and cyborgs I'd been drawing, it made sense for his opponent to be robotic. I'm happy with the pencilling, apart from the superhero's right leg. I think I got

Put some vowels in your kid's bedroom (OK, that sounds weird)
As promised, I've been busy with the old Photoshop. Having a complete set of vowels meant that I could start using them as a pattern, and putting them onto some things. Talking with Vinh at ArtSHINE, we decided that using them as a wallpaper / mural design would be a good look, and I am (a) Happy he suggested that, as it's a cool idea, and (b) Very happy that my Photoshop skills let me mock up these images. I mean, look at them! Wouldn't these have been cool rooms to have as


Flashback - Acquisition Page 1
I don't think I've got a single piece of work that went through as many changes as the first page of my Acquisition comic. I started Acquisition as a learning experience, and I'm so glad I did it, as I think it's informed everything I've done since then. It was something I was always working on between other projects, so there would often be large gaps in time between pages, but I knew it was something I wanted to do. I remember having a hard time getting the perspective righ

Mechanical Text - U
The vowels are finished! I've made a few patterns out of the vowels as a set, so I'll put a few of those up over the next few weeks as well. In the meantime, please enjoy the letter U! #sketches #letters #lettering #finishedart #typography