Thursday, July 2, 2009

Been a while



I'm back. Man, I had no idea that having a baby in the house would be so much work. He's by far the pushiest roommate I ever lived with. I have been working on some things for myself since jobs seem to have up and vanished lately. I have worked in this business for over 12 years and this is by far the worst year of work I have ever had. Don't know if it's the same for everyone or not right now.

Oh, by the way, the piece above is a civil war actor. I went to a mock civil war camp last weekend and took some pictures. It was something I had never been to before. The North one the morning battle and rumors were spreading that the north was going to win the afternoon battle.

5 comments:

sara.b said...

Awesome piece Steve!!! Beautiful lighting, love the mix of textures, and the attention to detail is marvelous. If I had to critique it my only concerns are the wrist of his hand...it seems a bit "floppy" or too long in my opinion, the fingers of the other hand seem too cartoonie for the overall piece and could use a bit more detail (nails, skin lines, etc.), and where the paper cuts off at the shoulder (I think it's to deep of a cut off). Other than that, I love it!

How fun to watch the replay. I've always wanted to sit back and watch one. :)

pete said...

Cool illustration, Steve!

I like tons about this one. I like the way you used light and how you captured a candid moment. He looks like he's listening to a story or just being himself. He's very dimensional and I think lots of that is a credit to your use of shadow. It's very effective.

To me, something about the right shoulder (from the viewer's perspective) looks incomplete, maybe a tad too large, or out of place. Something there seems amiss. It's really the only thing that stands out to me. My eye may be drawn to it because the uniform color there is different as well...not sure though.

It's a great character illustration! The individual whiskers and reflections on his glasses are awesome. Nicely done!

And good luck with your newest member of the house! Babies will not be denied their attention, will they? Just wait for that first night, when they sleep through...ahhh, it's the best! :)

Unknown said...

Sounds like it's time to leave the baby out on the curb...cut your losses before you lose your sanity!

This is a terrific piece! So much attention to details in the face and hair and hat and hand!

I'd have to agree with Pete - about the left hand...the tips of the fingers look like they could use a little more attention...and there's something about that left (his left) shoulder...like maybe we're seeing too much of the front and the side of it...?

Anyway - I really like this! I'm terribly jealous of how you well you did the hair!

Carmen Medlin said...

Steve, this rocks!! It was hard for me to find anything to critique about it. The lighting is awesome, particularly around his face. I like the strong cast shadows and bright highlights. Great expression and in the moment-ness.
The one thing that bothers me if I study hard is his shoulder, as others have said. I think it is too large in relation to the other shoulder, and probably that upper arm too large as well. I'd shorten the distance between his beard and his sleeve top, and maybe add a bit more of the bluer tone to the shadows to make it tie in more with the rest of his uniform.
Oh wait, I just noticed another thing, heh -- the arm that he has tucked under needs to come up in angle to avoid looking like it is totally disconnected from his hand. Or, you could get rid of the fingertips that show and that would take care of it too.
Other than that, seems perfect to me! Fantastic piece.
Oh boy, I'll bet it's quite an adjustment with the new baby. I remember the days! (I raised my niece for the first 2 years). You'll be amazed though at how fast he'll grow and change, and things will get easier. Tons of work though, I know... Hang in there. :)

Christy/Tiddly Inks Digitals said...

I love this and I think you got enough feedback on the critique end of it. :)

Having a baby is a total blessing and a curse. LOL Don't worry...it gets better --and worse. :) The great thing is that you will be so in love that the worse won't matter...don't know if that helps or discourages. LOL Fall in love and don't worry about the pushiness....that stops in about----how old are you now? LOL