Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I'm about to drop off the radar for a few weeks to enjoy Christmas with my family and friends.

So I'd just like to wish everyone who passes this way a Happy Holiday and a prosperous New Year:


Best wishes and see you all in 2010,

N

(P.S. It's snowing a blizzard here at the minute, lovely!)

3D World Article: Colonial Marine

In the latest issue of 3D World, themed around thew release of James Cameron's Avatar, I have an article about producing digital maquettes for production use, here's the official blurb:



"In issue 125: We go behind the scenes at Weta Digital for a closer look at the much talked about Avatar, before sitting down with the 3D World advisory board for our 2010 industry predictions. Plus software and resources worth $293 on the CD"


My article (above) runs to about 10 pages chock full with information on how I approach CG art, using 3DSMax, Zbrush and Photoshop - now, that's got to be well worth a purchase!

As a taster - here's the final image from the piece, an Off-World Colonial Marine:

Job done!

The Bananaman Returns!

This is a piece I did for fun quite a while ago now - my favourite superhero, Bananaman à la The Dark Knight:


I used to love getting Nutty comic every week - I used to copy out all my favourite characters on to sheets of A4 paper.

Nutty, Eagle and the annual Oor Wullie and The Broons collections were my reads of choice - I got into 2000AD and American comics much, much later.

Anyways, I wonder if Chris Nolan will pick up on this - could be a winner!

Poster Boy (Megazine 292)

Just a quickie to say that in this months Judge Dredd Megazine (#292), I'm one side of a thrill-packed poster - one side is yours truly, the other is a right corker from Greg Staples.

(Above)

Megazine #292.
Cover by John Higgins

So - let's get this straight: cover by John Higgins, a poster by Me and Greg Staples and the collected Rogue Trooper by Dave Gibbons and Will Simpson - plus all the other great stuff in there. Go out and buy one, now!

Cyclops... AMOK!

Here's a personal piece I recently finished for my portfolio, "Cyclops... AMOK!":

(Above)
Cyclops in a blinding rage.
Is that an X-Team symbol
I see being blown apart?

I wanted to have Cyclops in his classic Giant Size #1/ Second Genesis outfit - although the yellow gloves look a bit like marigold kitchen gloves. The thumbnail was pretty much how the final piece turned out, as I had such a specific idea as to the composition of the piece:

(Above)
The composition was an X shape.
From the rays of his beam at the top
into his visor
and back out into his stance at the bottom

I've got a real soft spot for Cyclops/ Scott Summers - I feel he always gets the 'bad end of the stick' when it comes to being a decent superhero and X-Mens field leader.

I've always preferred him to Wolverine and I think his visor is one of the coolest looking pieces of tech I'd want to see in the real world.

(Above)
Detail.
Pushing the expression as far as I felt comfortable.
Take that, Wolverine!

I'm getting off topic, but it sits up their with Robocop, Boba Fett's Helmet and the old-skool Cylons. (Geordi LaForge's headgear is pretty groovy- but it always looked like a hairband had fallen over his eyes)

(Above)
Cool visors/ Helmets.
Also an excuse to Google these images

That's all for now. I need to get on with a new 2000AD cover - see you soon!

In the news...

Hello,

Just a quick post as I try to turn the internet back on itself. I've made it onto the superb FPI blog, which has a nice little post about my recent 2000AD work:

(Above)
The FPI Blog.

Go check the blog out if you haven't already - it's a great place for the latest SF/ Fantasy/ Comics/ Toys/ Everything/ Anything news.

...and be sure to tell 'em SkinnyElbows sent you!

Cover: 2000AD Prog 1665

Tharg is being very good to me at the minute - he's given me plenty of lovely covers to do and here's the latest cover for Prog 1665: (Sinister Dexter) "The Deadliest Duo":


It was great fun working on this one as it's a step away from the explosions and gritted teeth that usually appear in my work. Also, I love the way there are no header/ footer bars on this, the image just bleeds off the page - luvverly bit of design, Tharg!

As always it starts with a sketch:


Then my wife took a few reference photos with me 'in costume' holding various plastic toy gun props - hey, no sniggering at the back!:


Then I painted up the final version, paying close attention to their expressions, I wanted them to look like they'd just stepped out of a futuristic/ cop/ buddy/ hitmen film ( a sort of Beverly Hills Cop meets Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer):


Here's a little fact, fact fans... Dan Abnett, the writer of Sinister Dexter, is also one of the fantastic writers for the Horus Heresy series, of which I do the covers - Oh, and did I mention that Dan is an AWESOME chap!

The great thing about 2000AD covers is the quick turnaround - you do the illustration, next few weeks it's in the shops - sorted!