Chris' First Art Blog

Hey, new artwork finally!!

2011-08-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

I realized that this blog hasn't been updated in over a year,... which is pretty much due to my own laziness. I've been using Behance as a portfolio site so unfortunately the blog has been somewhat neglected, which is a poor excuse I know.

So here's some new work that I'm finally allowed to show off. The game is called "Voyagers Fortune." It's an old-style transportation themed slot machine. I created these images using vectors in Adobe Illustrator with various photographs used as reference material. You can see them as three of the reel symbols for the game.

I also used them as the base for bonus game animations which you can see on my Behance portfolio site here - Chris' Portfolio

New Portfolio Site,...

2010-08-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Just letting everyone know that I have setup a new portfolio site on the Behance network.

http://www.behance.net/stychentyme

Check it out of you get a chance.

For now I'm just in the process of putting stuff on the site and getting used to how it works. Most of the stuff I have on there has been here on my blog site at one time or another, but it will be a bit more organized.

I'm hoping to keep both sites updated with this one being a place to not only show my work, but also just to talk about stuff. The new one is going to pretty much just be a place to display my work. I'm hoping to get new work to show on both sites soon. I know I keep saying that,... but eventually it'll happen.

Assorted Characters,...

2010-06-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

I keep meaning to create some new stuff so I have some fresh things to show here, but for one reason or another (mostly plain laziness) I haven't got anything new yet. I did find some more character sketches that I have done over the years, so I thought I'd share them here.

These are a couple of character designs that I was working on for a possible animated project involving a couple of aliens. The animation hasn't happened yet,... but maybe someday.

I believe that this was a attempt at creating characters with different personalities for a children's story idea I had. I also wanted to practice drawing kids.

These are just a few miscellaneous sketches of random characters.

Logo Designs,...

2010-05-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a few logo designs I have created over the years. None of these were actually paid jobs, unfortunately, mostly just stuff done for friends.

This is a Logo I created for a local Mexican Dance Group. I had also edited a video for them from footage of their presentations that I had filmed over a period of years. If you need a Mexican Dance Group in B.C. for an event, you can book them here:

http://www.tierradelsoldancers.ca/

A few years ago I had been laid off from my previous job and was having problems finding work so I decided to try and start my own business. This seemed like a good idea since I was always doing free stuff for friends like filming and editing wedding videos and creating logos, so I figured why not try to make money at it. Unfortunately I discovered I wasn't a very good businessman, and without a definite focus, it didn't pan out. Here is a logo I created for my now-defunct business.

Here is a logo I created for a friend who was starting up her own daycare business.

While working at a pavement company as a Graphic Designer, my manager at the time asked me to create a logo for a side-business he was starting up. He wanted something temporary to use while pitching his company. Here is what I came up with.

Dusting off some old sketches,...

2010-04-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

I was going through some old stuff on my computer and I found a bunch of sketches I've done over my time at Rocket. Some of these were concepts that eventually developed for games, some were ignored completely, and others I have no idea what they were for.

This is a dragon sketch I did, but I'm exactly sure for which game. We eventually did a game involving dragons, but I never did any character designs for that one, so this guy is a mystery to me. Still, I kinda like him.

Here's another sketch of my character from our Lucky Loot game.

This one is a complete mystery as to his origin, maybe it was something to do with winning the lotto,... or maybe robbing a bank. Come to think of it we have done games involving lotto wins and burglars,... but this guy isn't in any of them.

This was a concept for a game called Big Mouth Boss. My character idea wasn't approved if I remember correctly because he was deemed too mean-looking.

Here's a parrot concept for our game Sneaky Pete.

This was an unused character sketch for a game that eventually became Safe Escape.

Here is a character concept for a construction-themed game that never happened.

Well Done Canada!!

2010-03-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

The Olympics are over and Vancouver, which have been crazy busy for the last couple of weeks, is now gradually getting back to normal. It has been an interesting ride. Never have I seen so many Canadians out showing pride in their country.

And not just Canadians. I saw flags and colours from all over,... Americans, Italians, Russians, Japanese, British, French,... the list goes on. People from so many countries in the world here to support their athletes and celebrate their national pride.

Canadians have always been accused of apathy and a lack of patriotism. While it may look that way to some, I think these games have proven that is far from the truth. Canadians are as proud as anyone else in their country and heritage. I for one am extremely proud to be Canadian, and salute each and every one of our athletes who competed in the games, and those involved in the organization and operation of this event. Well done Canada!!

Vancouver Olympics 2010 - Go Canada!!!

2010-02-21T13:38:00.000-08:00

The Olympics are in town and of all the events, the one that holds the most interest for me is Hockey. Here's hopin' our team brings home the Gold,... GO CANADA!!!

Some new artwork,...

2010-02-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

It's about time I put some new artwork in here. Here are a few character designs I created for a casino game called Fresh Fruit. I included a couple of sketches as well. The colour versions were created in Adobe Illustrator. All images in this post copyrighted by Rocket Gaming Systems.

This is the User Interface I helped design for the game. Created in Photoshop.

Christmas Movie Originals

2009-12-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

I love watching Christmas movies. There are so many to see, but I prefer the classics to the more modern films. "It's a Wonderful Life" is one that comes to mind right away. I also love all the Rankin-Bass stop motion animated films like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "The Year Without a Santa Claus," and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." And we can't forget "Frosty the Snowman," and "Charlie Brown's Christmas."

There are a few Christmas movies that have been remade over the years, and even though they might have done a good job with those,... they will never replace the originals. Here's a few of my ultimate favourite "Original" Christmas films,...

Some people like the Jim Carrey version, but the only Grinch for me is Chuck Jones' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." This is one on a long list of animated Christmas movies I have to see every year.

"Miracle on 64th Street" is a wonderful Christmas movie. It's one I've loved since I was a kid. They made a remake of it, and even though that one is okay,... the original is so much better. A timeless classic everyone should watch.

There are so many versions of this movie that have been made over the years, live action and animated,... but I will not watch any other version of "A Christmas Carol" than the one starring Alastair Sim. To me, he is the one and only. It wasn't the first film version of this story, but I think this one is the best. Any other is just a pale imitation. I actually managed to see it twice this year,... in black & white, and the colourized version. Even though it's the same film,... it's much better to see it in the original black & white.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

More game symbol designs,...

2009-11-29T17:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of Symbols I created for the casino game "Cosmic Sevens." Both were modeled in 3D and lit with different coloured lights. They were rendered and then touched up in Illustrator and Photoshop. Images copyright Rocket Gaming Systems.

This is an unused symbol idea I just kinda like. Created in Illustrator.

Lest we forget,...

2009-11-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

Nothing new artwork-wise today. Since I have a blog now, I thought I might take the time this Remembrance Day to honour those that gave everything so I could enjoy the freedom that I take for granted every day. The things that I have now come in large part to their sacrifice.

More illustration work from Rocket,...

2009-11-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some more examples of work I have done at Rocket over the last few years. These are symbol designs I created for some of our video slot titles. The artwork is first hand-drawn and then vectorized in Adobe Illustrator. All images are copyrighted by Rocket Gaming Systems.

These are some examples of Bonus Game User Interfaces I helped design for 4 of our recently released titles. Typically, UI's are hand-drawn in the design phase, and then final artwork is created in Adobe Photoshop.

And here are a few Main User Interface examples from 3 recently released titles.

Some more 3D stuff,..

2009-10-26T22:03:00.001-07:00

A few years ago I was hired by a paving company called Integrated Paving Concepts to assist in the development of their latest products. Most of the work was 2D design concept art, but I also did some 3D modeling concepts as well in order to give customers an idea what the products might look like in the real world. The modeling was done in Maya and the textures were created in Photoshop.

Some 3D stuff,..

2009-10-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

I figured it might be a good idea to put some 3D work I've done in the past on the Blog. This is a personal modeling project. Created in Maya.

And here's a 3D western town model I did for an online game while working at a company called Goblin Studios a few years ago. Also created in Maya.

Game UI's

2009-05-24T23:33:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of User Interface examples I helped create for Rocket. All images in this post copyrighted by Rocket Gaming Systems.

Glass Art Creations,...

2009-05-18T00:36:00.000-07:00

Hey there! I'm posting some more artwork created at my current employer, Rocket Gaming Systems. These are examples of glass art created using some of my character designs for two of Rockets casino games. Everything in this post is copyrighted by Rocket Gaming Systems.

Some more characters,...

2009-05-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a few characters I've created for for the company I currently work for. All images in this post copyrighted by Rocket Gaming Systems Inc.

Getting my feet wet,..

2009-05-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

Okay,... this is my first post, so I thought I'd start by putting up a couple of my earlier character drawings.