"Footprints" commission... complete!

Hi folks! So here's the final result of the "Footprints" poem I was commissioned to do by a friend. Finished it two weeks ago now I think, & took me [all in all, counting the hours] roughly 2-3 days to complete. Enjoyed working on this & as always, learnt a lot... Aside from a few niggly things that [I feel] I didn't quite nail, I'd say it's pretty close to what I originally envisioned reading the poem... so I'm happy!

Thanks to those who dropped feedback on the first WIP post I made; Nathan, Ant, Dawn & Shaun. Thanks especially to Shaun for taking the time to put together the image breakdown directly below. Shaun was kind enough to take a few minutes out to do a rough paint-over on my WIP to help break up some of the symmetry with subtle shape/ compositional shifts... Thanks again dude, it definitely helped. Hop over to Shaun's site to check out some of his amazing work & say, "hi".

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And here's my lovely friend [& pleased to say, "happy customer"] Tanya, sat next to the super high resolution artwork I emailed her just before she headed out to get it printed, framed & wrapped as a Christmas gift for her friend ; )

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*** If interested & would like to make an inquiry on personalised/ custom artwork, feel free to drop me a line at max@maximajination.com Should hopefully have an online store up & running soon [just working out the business end] so you'll also be able to purchase my artwork from there*** ;)


Thanks for stoping by folks!

-M-

A Merry Christmas card!

1 down... 1000x more to go...! Here's a fun lil' Christmas card I just did for a friend & fellow artist. Hop over to his blog & check out his stuff ; ) Happy Holiday's Mike!

... and a little time lapse recording of it in progress... Enjoy!


-M-

Footprints [painting commission]

Hi guys! So it looks like 2011's just about done eh? Man, I remember January- February, but what happened after that...? Anyways, bring on 2012 I say! Lots I'm praying- expecting- preparing for, so very much looking forward to the new year; & I hope you guys are too?

OK, so I was recently commissioned by a good friend to do a painting on my own rendition of a well known poem written in 1936 by Mary Stevenson* titled "Footprints". The poem basically is about a person having gone through many tribulations in life; thinking God absent to them; but questioning Him, only to discover He was there all along, & in fact the sole reason they were able to get through it...

I actually remember having this poem framed in the house as a kid, & always loved the imagery... Typically, since the poem paints a picture of a beech & footsteps in the sand, every presentation of it generally has the same scenic photo/ beech composition, with the seashore to the side... I wanted to change this up a bit, making it a little more personal to her [or rather, the the friend she explained she's giving it to as a framed gift]. Did quite a bit of research on the many photo/ illustrated variations there are of this poem just so I had a sort-of cliché guide [so to speak] of what I didn't want it to look like. Here's the one we had in the living room growing up [still love the image].

Below is a WIP of my own version... The two directly below are the line work/ layout guide [left], then a 1st rough colour mood [right]...

... & where I'm at so far.

I hope you guys like how it's coming along, & as always, feel free to drop me a comment & let me know what you think ; )

-M-

T-1000 [Planet Pulp Fan Art]

Came across this fun blog a couple months ago called planet-pulp. Basically a bunch of guys who share a keen interest & love of everything 'Pulp culture'; from old TV sitcoms to classic movies, comics etc... Every month they have a chosen theme in which they produce several pieces of art as homage to that particular bit of Pulp.

Being a real lover of this kinda stuff, I decided to throw something in myself... This months theme tributes the legendary VFX master we knew as Stan Winston... A dream theme for any kid alive in the 80's, who loved films with monsters & scribbled with pencils #spoiltforchoice! Let's see, there was "The Thing"? "Terminator" #1? "Predator"? "Aliens"...? & that's just to name a few in the 80's, not to mention the icons he created in the 90's...

I decided I'd go with Terminator #2 Judgment Day's T-1000... As I resist all urges to write an essay on how much I still love this film, I'll just say watching this as a 11-12yr old, Robert Patrick scared the CRAP out of me, haha! Anyways, not so much a caricature as it is a character re-design of how I saw him in the movie as a kid, here's my submission, hope you like it? Drop a comment below, FB share, Like or Tweet & let me know what you think. THANKS GUYS!

©Maxwell. A. Oginni 2011

Hop over to the Planet Pulp blog also & check out the awesome submissions there... For outside contributors [of which I am] , if you'd like to take part, add them on twitter for details.

-M-

Shhhh... Poster #3 Sneak Peak...

S'up guys! Excuse my short absence on here due to setting up the second blog for my sketch-work... Been working like a mad man these past few weeks/ months on various projects; all very much worth the grind though, Hard work + Diligence + Patience = PROGRESS!!! Speaking of progression, I'm very nearly done with my next Vintage Movie-poster piece- WOOHOO! I'm now basically working on several posters at a go... So far it's working out pretty well but as always, I'll keep you updated with my progress in stages. In the meantime here's a little teaser section of my next piece... Hope you guys like it so far?

























-M-

Speed paint #11

Hi guys, I've set up a new blog just for my warm-ups, sketches & development work. I figured I'd just keep this blog specifically for finished stuff so it's not all over the place... You'll now find my sketchwork at maxidoodle.blogspot.com. To those already 'following' me here, I'd LOVE your 'follow-support' there too... to new visitors, if you likes what ya see, feel free to 'follow' me here & on my Sketchblog... I'd appreciate the support & some lovely company. Thanks guys! ; )


Oh, here's Today's Sketch-ercise... This weeks theme...? '1940's-50's Hollywood Glamour' [character exploration]... Ps: Hot dang, check out the chin on her!!!

-M-

Sketchpad doodles...

Hope you're all having a good'ol weekend? If not, don't worry, here's a bunch of mostly disgruntled faces to cheer you up = )

-M-

Speed paint #10

Here's Tuesday's Sketch-ercise...

Click image to view in correct size

-M-

Speed paint #9

Hi guys, here's Monday's sketch-ercise... Originally thought I was gonna end up with some sort of misty lake-type scene but then my hand did this... There's an awesome vid of American painter/ illustrator George Pratt where he explains, "if I just dive in & let the line- let the drawing tell me where it needs to go, I'm open to more happy accidents... trust your instincts"... I try to take this on board as much as I can these days... George is an amazing talent; he gives great advice & is also a real nice guy- check out some of his online video workshops if you get a chance [definitely worth it].

Click image to view in correct size

-M-

'The Jewel & the Thief'

Okay, I finally finished off this piece from a few weeks back [here's the original post I made]... Having now properly attempted this process of working monochromatically [to begin with] for the first time, I have to say I really do appreciate the method; definitely does help with locking down tonal values early on, without having 'colour palette' decisions as added equations for your brain to calculate... just helps to break up the process. All in all, it's a great way of speeding up your workflow if you're on a tight deadline or just generally... Bellow is the finished piece & a slideshow of the key stages I went through to completion... I did want to place the images here, but because of how sporadic blogger always seems to place 'side by side' pics, I opted for slides. If you have any idea how to get around this, please... enlighten me ; )

'The Jewel & The Thief' ©Maxwell. A. Oginni 2011

My mood board.

-M-

Speed paint #8

Here's a study I managed to squeeze in over the weekend since I missed my session lastweek Thursday. Had no idea what I was hoping to end up with on this one, except the lighting I wanted & that it'd be based above cloud level. Started blocking out random shapes & somehow ended up with this monstrosity of an airship...

Click image to see in correct size

Just for kicks [purely my own I'm sure], there's actually a little story in this; if you look real close you'll see what appears to be a group of dots huddled together on the far left side of the image... those are smaller ships... you'll also notice quite faintly, the lager ship has a front cannon deployed which is smoking... Just at the tip of the airship, notice something falling from the sky.......? No...? Aaahh f'geddit!  Have a great day folks ; )

-M-

Speed paint #7

Hi folks. Here's Wednesday's study... Hopefully make up for Thurs/ today over the weekend. Out celebrating a friends birthday this eve, then tomorrow having a long overdue outdoor photography session with a good pal; may share some pics on here next week [should be fun]. As always, wishing you good people a fun filled weekend too ; )

Click image to see in correct size

-M-

Speed paint #6

This morning's speedpaint session. Spent a little more time on this one as I kept getting distracted... Note to self: "Don't ever again log into Skype whilst working!" [Thanks Bernie!] ; )

Click image to see in correct size

-M-

Speed paint #5

Mornin' folks! Hope you all had a fun weekend & ready to start a fresh new week...? Good stuff! Here's this morning's warm-up study.

Click image to see in correct size

Have a Blessed day!

-M-

Speed paint #4

Hey folks! Was out super early yesterday morning at the airport [sadly no not flying, escorting] so didn't have time to do my morning session. Made up for it this evening though, so feel I've now earned the right to retire for the day... A little about this quick study: Was doing some research on rainforests this week & found some great images. There's so much beauty & mystery in these places, from the vibrancy of colours, the misty canopies of those colossal trees & variety of wildlife [absolutely amazing]... I wanted to try & capture some of this in my morning study, so here it is. Would definitely love to develop more concepts like this in further detail, although the real dream would be to actually go there & do it in the flesh... On that note folks, I bid you a goodnight & pleasant dreams ; )

Click image to see in correct size.

-M-

Speed paint #3

Morning all! Here's this morning's sketch-xercise. Have a positive day ; )

Click image to see in correct size.

-M-

Speed paint #2

A little morning exercise... Morning!

Click image to see in correct size.

-M-

Speed paint #1

A little morning exercise... Morning!

Click image to see in correct size.

-M-

Random 'Adventure' themed sketch...

S'up y'all! Ok so currently working on my next VMPV [the last two in case you missed them, 'TERROR' & 'MORLOCKS']; but I'm also doing a few smaller projects [exercises really] in between just to keep creativity & discovery flowing... I'll make a little post & fill you in on what my next poster will be based on but for now, here's a little piece I started working on the other day. Going as planned so far, so hopefully I can carry the rest through in the same direction.

Ah, almost forgot to add I'm actually trying a different technique here to what I'm normally used to. I'm working monochromatically to begin with, then adding colour after. I'm sure many of you are very familiar with this method but I've actually never tried it... I'd come close, but then as my very impatient brain can be at times, it would all of a sudden begin calculating colour combinations & ideas; next thing you know, I've thrown a bucket of red paint over the entire thing & dabbing away at colours like an overexcited 6yr old >=D

Anyway, for those who don't know, this process is to help establish your *Tonal Values* right from the get go before jumping in with colour [which is incredibly important]... There are various ways to go about adding colour once values are established but I think this totally makes sense [as one good option].




I've seen a lot of videos & heard a lot of people encourage the use of this technique; so far for me it's definitely working. For those who are a little unsure of how to go about it, here's a little crash course I came across by the talented Dave Rapoza... Another vid that's worth checking out is this one by Marco Bucci; a slightly different approach but more or less he does mention these same principals at 02:50.

Happy painting!
Ps: & this was supposed to be a short post = O

-M-

Random 'Western' themed sketch...

Believe it or not, there was one [very small] stage in my preadolescent life where I actually wanted to be *Fantasised* about being a great, bow-legged Cowboy... Yup!... As every kid did I'm sure, I used to watch a load of Western John wayne & Clint Eastwood movies; Rawhide too every Sunday so no wonder really. Thankfully though I wised up & realised just how melodramatic TV made the Cowboy lifestyle seem...[it wasn't for me]; although back in mid 18th- early 19th century, I'm sure it was probably no joke being one... Anyways here's my lil random 'Western' themed piece for this week. 

'Gun Ho Jack' [outlaw] ©Maxwell. A. Oginni 2011

Ps: Keeping in the spirit of the Wild West, here's the intro to one of my 
fave SNES [Super Nintendo to you youngsters] shoot 'em up games as a pre-teen... 
***SUNSET RIDERS*** Yeeeaahh!




-M-

'Femme Fatale' piece...

And here she is... Really enjoyed working on this piece. The concept came about just as an exercise with this fun lil 'creative group' I take part in every week [it's an open group so feel free to join]... So as I mentioned in my last post, I've always loved those old B/W photos of early 'Hollywood' movie stars; the shallow D.O.F of the cameras, the lighting, the mood etc... So this exercise was the perfect excuse to try my hand at mimicking that timeless look in a painting...

'Lust Widow' ©Maxwell. A. Oginni 2011

As with every painting/ study exercise, I'm really trying to explore & learn new things. In the past two months or so I've been studying from a few different artists; all having different techniques & philosophies but probably the one most unifying lessons I've gotten from them all is the 'value in making mistakes'...

One artist I'm currently learning a great deal from right now is American illustrator Greg Manchess. A truly amazing talent & super nice guy too. Check out this video trailer of his 2 part DVD series  "Above the Timberline", where he explains his creative process & philosophies as an artist & how to become a successful one. I think it's still available to purchase so grab yourself a copy if you can- well worth it!

Here's a direct >link<
Enjoy ; )






-M-

Random 'Noir' themed sketch...

A little W.I.P. of a 'Noir' themed 'Femme Fatale' piece... It's pretty late/ very early morning right now [don't ask why I'm still up], so not gonna write too much about this here, but I will say I've secretly always had a thing for vintage photography such as >this<... Pure elegance...Should have the finished piece up later today... Hopefully get time to do a few more & explore this whole look at some point ; )

                                       

-M-

'Sea Monsters' continued...

Here's where I'm at with this concept. A lot still to add but really just using this as a study piece... Not quite sure what deal's going down here with these two characters, but feel free to interpret.

Ps: Happy Friday y'all!!!

-M-

'Sea Monsters' sketch...

SketcHHousE PoWER HoUR back on... Come join in!

The main objective in this new 'term'? To develop greater imagination & creativity within conceptual art [character design, creature design, landscape, set design etc]... Here's a sketch from yesterday mornings session. We've kicked things off again with the theme 'Sea Monsters'. I quite liked the concept here so decided I'd flesh it out a little more & see what life I could bring into it. Will post it up wherever it's at tomorrow morning.

-M-

Random 'Hero' themed sketch...

Unfinished, but just a quick piece... I'll complete it over the weekend ; )

'Everyman' ©Maxwell. A. Oginni 2011

-M-

Random 'Horror' themed sketch...

'Night Prowler' ©Maxwell. A. Oginni 2011

-M-

'Morlocks' Painting Progression...

Mornin'! Here's one painting progression as promised...


-M-

'Chamber of the Morlocks'

Hi everyone! OK, here's my next piece titled 'Chamber of the Morlocks'. For any newcomers to my blog, firstly thanks for stopping by; this is the second piece of my Vintage Poster-art Venture; you can check out the first piece >here<... So for this painting, I'd decided to pay homage to the 1960 classic adaptation of H.G. Wells' 'The Time Machine'; more specifically, the subterranean race known as the Morlocks... I'll save going into all the  nitty gritty details here but will post up a little process breakdown possibly tomorrow.

Here's the scene from the movie that inspired this painting >click<... All in all, a slightly less optimistic outcome for our hero, but here's my 'No B/S' interpretation of what really should have happened... I think you'll agree? ; )

'Chamber of the Morlocks' ©Maxwell. A. Oginni 2011

[Special Appeal from the F.A.F. 'Freelance Arts Foundation']:
Like this artwork enough to 'Tweet', 'RT', 'Like' or 'Share' on BookFace & you'll feed this artist for a month... Also if you find this blog helpful & enjoy what you see/ read, feel free to 'Join this blog' or 'Follow'. Thanking you in advance. x

-M-

'The Morlocks' teaser...

Afternoon y'allz! Hope everyone's good & having a great week thus far? Well as per usual for any working Londoner, the past few weeks have been pretty darn busy with work, family visits & other bits & pieces; once again, finding worthy time for my personal work just seems to be getting increasingly harder & harder...

That repetitive rant being said, I've decided it time to [so to speak] summon up my inner 'Balboa' & FIGHT BACK! As of this week I've made a bold but healthy decision to remove myself from commercial work [for a short while] & will be focusing on a few of my most prime projects. I won't go into them now but in procession of my current venture, below is a little teaser section of my next, very nearly complete painting now titled 'Chamber of The Morlocks'. Just a few hours off now... Hope you like?

As always feel free to comment, 'like' if you like & 'share' if you care ; )
Happy Wednesday folks!

-M-

Render Doodles #3

Faces...                                                                


-M-

Render Doodles #2

A few quick doodles while my computer renders in the bg...

-M-

'Morlocks' in progress...

A little work in progress...

Image #1

Image #2

I was having some compositional issues with this piece in the beginning [image #1]; mainly with the pillar/ subjects tied to it & far BG... In relation to the foreground subjects, something about it didn't quite sit right; eventually I came to realise it was the depth between them all [or lack there of]. It was nowhere near dynamic enough so the resulting problem was that same experience you get when staring at an image on a screen or a painting too closely... there's no sense of depth & everything looks 'flat'. To get around this I scaled the middle & BG down by about 60-70%, keeping the base of the middle ground relatively in the same position as was originally [image #2]...

Image #3

Image #4

Felt & looked a lot better but I now had a lot of dead space... [Doh!]... Decided to give the composition an added description to help sell the sense of depth even further & bridge the gap between foreground & middle ground; so threw in a shadowy cave entranceway [image #3]. I'm hoping to get across some nice 'under-lighting' here; part highlighting the mysterious Morlocks & a little spilling onto the roof of the cave entrance they're peering out from.

I won't be spending as much time on this piece as I did the 1st painting but as always would love to hear your thoughts & welcome any feedback. Peace out y'allz!

-M-

... Morlocks!!!

 Hello all!

So I was watching the 1960 classic adaptation of H.G Wells' 'The Time Machine' [directed by George Pal] a couple months back; it had been a while since I last saw it but totally fell in love with it again! There's just a real charm to these classic films & the way they were made back then; everything from the well thought out dialogue/ acting, fantastic costumes, amazing set designs, to the various colour process' they were shot in [specifically during the 1950's to 60's], they're just great to watch no matter what mood you're in... Also looking at the SFX in this film, [to me] they still look great- in that sort of 'hand crafted' kind of way.






Soooo, since the first painting I did was thankfully well received, I'm that much more convinced to continue down this Vintage Poster Art Venture. As you've now guessed my next piece will be in homage to this awesome movie but more specifically this cheerful bunch otherwise known as...

<<<------The Morlocks!

Stay tuned!

-M-

Render Doodles #1

No time to twiddle thumbs... DRAW DRAW DRAW!

-M-