100th Post! the Alligator process

wooooooot! it's my 100th post! and to celebrate I am going to post the steps of the Gator Memoirs piece.

Step 1 - First I came up with some ridiculous idea, like two rosters playing space chess (ooooo, now I'll have to do that one later.) or in this case an alligator typing his memoirs. then I did a sketch using Faber Castell brush pens and a white pastel pencil on Bogus Recycled Sketch Paper (that is really what it is called) and took a cruddy picture of it. My main concern was value and composition at this point.

Step 2 - I took it into Photshop and refined the drawing (lines). Using my secret technique of tracing...

Step 3 - Using a few layers in photoshop, I put down blocks of color. I mostly used the value of the original sketch and just laid down solid colors under a Vivid Light layer (that process changes a lot depending on the project)

Step 4 - Next I added shadows with a multiply layer. Yep... pretty straight forward.

Step 5 - I like to think of this step as the atmosphere and mood stage. Using multiply layers, levels, saturation, and other digital hocus-pocus, I create the mood I'm going for.

Final Step - To finish it off I went in and added little details (things like cup stains on the table) and extra highlights. This is the "cherry-on-top" step.

Anyways... happy 100th to me! and to you if you are reading this. I enjoyed this little piece and hope you enjoyed seeing the process. I'm thinking i'll put up prints for sale. Anywho... my process tends to vary from project to project but a lot of the same steps and methods are used...

And with this I bid thee farewell.

Troll Close Up

Right now I'm working on a somewhat larger piece, and loving it. So, anyways, here is a close up of a section of the in progress illustration.

I'll keep you updated as it gets closer to being finished.

If you have any questions about freelance work or would like a quote send me an email.

Alien Abduction... of salt shaker

Yeah... this is weird. But my brain felt it was on a roll. That little guy gives me the gibblies.

On a side note... go check out the tentacle blog for regular updates of some sweet, sweet tentacle art.

Alligator Writer

that's right, he's busy writing his memoirs... alligator memoirs.

type type

"... and then I stuffed the guy under a rock to save him for later."

type type


oh man... alligators are evil... yet I'm so fascinated with them!

This one is traditional with a bit of digital wonderment... okay, a lot of digital wonderment. But it's wonderment so that's okay.

anyway... I hope you enjoy. And if you call me and the secretary starts hissing at you, you'll know why.

On a side note, I get a lot of visitors on this site that come here by googling "crocodile man" weird.

Thunder… thunder… thunder... THUNDERCATS HO!

I had a crazy idea that wouldn't leave my mind. So… here it is.

What an awesome show that would have been! Japanese Thundercats?! Samurai Lion-O?!

I will always love the original Thundercats. Lion-O's man-mane was something else. He put Fabio to shame. Honestly I haven't seen the new series yet… but I'm not itching for it or anything.

Hope you enjoy cause it was fun for me.

Oh, and go check out the tentacle blog.

It's Banjo-Pig Time!

I could resist it no longer!
I Banjo-Pigged... and Banjo-Pigged in a classical way.

This was my piece for the delightful Dueling Banjo Pigs blog
It was fun... In an Aristocratic Redneck way.

You can go over thar and see this very piece in all it's exact same glory!
But you can also go see a slop full of other Banjo Pigs by some great illustrators and Artists.
Check it our before you Wreck it out. (I think that works)

Once again, This is Cam Kendell... Freelance Illustrator, Artist, Designer, writing on a blog. If you are interested in getting a quote for illustration work shoot me an email.

cam@camkendell.com

Oh, and stay tuned for more outrageousness.

Caught In the Headlights

Yes my deer... this is another piece. Puns are so punny. I'm continuing to try new things and techniques. I call this Sambar En Repose. He looks so distinguished and fancy I feel underdressed while typing this. Plus he almost looks mad... like maybe we've disturbed him in his study.

sorry, we'll let you get back to whatever you were doing.

This one involved, traditional, digital, and photographic trickery.

Let me know what you think of it.

the art of Dungeon Dice

DUNGEON DICE is live!

Right now on Kickstarter you can pledge to get a copy of what I think will be a really fun game.

The game was created by Sam Coates of Potluck Games and his has a load of dice. Who doesn't love rolling dice!

Anyway, I did the illustration work for the Kickstarter campaign so I thought I'd post the illustrations here. starting with my favorite one....

The Goblin Guard

This one was incredibly fun. Who wouldn't kill at the chance to get paid to draw a goblin sticking a key up his nose?! 'Twas a blast. Next...

The Rogue

Watch out! she's got a whip! Or is that just to distract you from the fact that she has a crazy squiggly, stabby dagger?

The Viking

I dare you to tell me who doesn't like vikings... well, may those they pillaged... but they are by far the exception to the rule.

And lastly, here is the main image for the campaign

The funnest part was probably the spider webs in the cave... don't know why... I hope that elf dodges. Stone guy gonna smash you!

And there you go. Definitely a fun project to work on. Go check it out and pledge! You'll get an awesome game when it is funded and maybe I'll get to do more illustrations for it!

Pledge Here

Critics Wanted for Goblin on Giant Armadillo

As you can see I ended up going in a completely different direction than I had planned in the last post. I like it better.... HOWEVER, I want to improve my game.

So... load the cannons and light the fuses.

I would love some honest, constructive criticism. Tell me what you like, what you don't like and why, how it tickles you, the reasons it makes you ill, the ways in which it offends your very core... anything you feel like telling me... about the image (no personal jabs please, I'm not that thick skinned)

Thanks...

Some work in Progress

well, here is a work in progress I thought I'd share. I'm playing around with the process on this one. Trying out new techniques. I'll post the final when the time comes.

Again, I am open for illustration work. Contact me for more info or a quote.

Atsy Fartsy and Random

This post is complete randomness. A warmup illustration of some kind of Dryad guy and.....

Fine Art... in Oil... yeah. I'll be setting up a Store shortly where I will probably have prints and original art up for sell.

Professor Grape's Kickstarter

time for another Kickstarter Project.

It's the next Perilous Paths ebook by S.B. Coates

As you know the last one was Zombie themed. This one takes the reader in a "choose your own adventure" style time traveling adventure.

For $8 you can back the project and receive a copy of the book upon completion. You can also get a copy of the first Perilous Paths book Zombies Ate My Teacher through backing the project. And, as always, you have the option of getting an illustration of yourself (done by me) probably in Caveman form into the final book.

So, go check it out! The Author has to reach a funding goal of $1000 to get the book produced, have me do the illustrations, and onto your mobile device or computer.

Indiegogo Zombies

Here is the cover for the ebook Zombies Ate My Teacher!

and there is still time to get a zombie version of yourself in the book!

Click here (Kickstarter) or here (indiegogo)

The Kickstarter campaign to get funding for more illustrations in the book has less than 70 hours left!

And the Indiegogo campaign was just recently launched!

The writer only needs to raise $500 to get more art to grace the pages of the book, so check it out.

Raising the Dead

ooooo, this post has a definite theme...

First this marks my return from the blogging dead... I'm alive again and so is this blog.

Second I've posted the above image before so the Image has returned from blogging past.

And lastly, this is to let everybody know that there is a Kickstarter project I've been involved with that has returned. If the project is successful I will be doing additional illustrations for the interactive ebook; Zombies Ate My Teacher by S.B. Coates

So check it out and feel free to back the project.

yep.

Kaboom! Kickstarter campaign is live!

Hey Everybody!

Just to let you know that Big Squid Studios has teamed up with Potluck Games to bring you a fantastically fun card game called Kaboom!

The Kickstarter campaign is live now and ready for Backers. If you get in on it early, you can get a deck for a very reduced price.

So, check it out here:  Kaboom! Kickstarter Campaign.

Plus you can watch the Intro video below.