More enviro thumbnails

Some more quick ideas for later development.

Enviro Thumbnails

Just a couple of quick Enviro thumbnails before bedtime. Working small and using nothing but the shape and clone stamp tool and very little brushes. This allows me to generate ideas quicklyand with little thought or effort. I can take these to completion at a later date.

Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness Monster (Scottish Gaelic Niseag) or Nessie is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. The most frequent speculation is that the creature represents a line of long-surviving plesiosaurs. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next. Here is my version of what this beestie might look like. I wanted to do a painting that had a bit of an impressionism look to it, so this was as good an excuse as any. I think the poor fisherman could have used more life and action, but then again he may just be frozen stiff from fear. lol Below is the finished piece, followed by a shot with a Fibonacci Spiral which I used to aid me in guiding the viewers eye through the composition. And lastly a close-up of the main subjects.

Tony Montana-Process Tutorial

Al Pacino is one of my favorite actors, I have been wanting to do a caricature of him for awhile now.  I went with a Scarface because it is one of my favorite roles he has played and I figured with the new enhanced Scarface bluray  that is out now, it would be fun to do.  I have alot of Pacino pen doodles floating around my sketchbooks. Here is one of Tony Montana.



This is a picture of a collector toy my wife got me for my birthday a few years back. I guess I'm kind of a fan:)



And a picture of my subject, Al Pacino in character as Tony Montana, "your never gonna see another bad guy like me, let me tell you."



This a quick breakdown of my process along with the process shots. I did this all in photoshop. First I start with a loose sketch and blocking in tones.



Next I make a new layer and fill it with a medium grey to tone the canvas. I lower the opacity so that my original sketch shows through, and on a new layer I proceed to clean up the sketch adding details to the face and background, all in greyscale.



more of the same, getting the tonal values right and trying to keep all the attention on his face, which I want to be the main focus of the piece.



Now I start to think about color, so I glaze the canvas with a brown and contrasting blue hue.



Here I continue to make adjustments and add colors, separating the character from the scenery. I also continue to refine the drawing along the way, which has still remained pretty loose.





All that is left is the details and finally the textures, and what would a Scarface caricature be without all of the cocaine.





I hope you enjoyed reading my process as much as I enjoyed Painting it and that you may have learned something that will benefit and motivate you in your own creations.

Machine World

It appears the Machines are just as stupid as us after all. They are bound to self destruct as well:) As it is written, "A house divided among itself, can not stand".

Starring Sonya Devereaux issue #2 is a wrap

I just handed in the final colored pages of the comic Starring Sonya Devereaux #2 titled " Vampire Academy 4" Follow the face book page by the same name to keep up to date on the upcoming news of this extremely funny comic series. written by my good friend Todd livingston and Nick Capetanakis, illustrated by talented twin team: Brenden and Brian Fraim, and colored by me: Rafael Rivera a.k.a. DARAF

Amy Winehouse

Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album, Back to Black, led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made Winehouse the first British female to win five Grammys, including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

On 14 February 2007, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She won the Ivor Novello Award three times, one in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for "Stronger Than Me", one in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for "Rehab", and one in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game", among other distinctions. The album is the biggest seller of the 2000s in the United Kingdom. Winehouse is credited as an influence in the rise in popularity of female musicians and soul music, and also for revitalising British music.

Winehouse was found dead on 23 July 2011, at her home in London. Police have said that the cause of her death is "as yet unexplained" and that the death was "non-suspicious". Winehouse's family and friends attended her funeral on 26 July 2011. In August 2011 her album Back to Black became the UK's best selling album of the 21st century.

Here is my attempt at paying homage to this very talented person. R.I.P. Amy Winehouse



and here is the photo I used as reference: