Weapons Line

These are just some quick throw-down pieces I did a while back after looking through some firearm images-I wanted to do something different and so ended up designing a line of firearms for the heck of it. Each is meant to be reminiscent of the others, as if they came from the same manufacturer or were part of a set. All are helical magazine fed, and the classes are as follows: shotgun; assault rifle; bull pup rifle; pistol; sniper rifle; SMG (they are not to scale, unfortunately). This was done on 9X12 paper in graphite. I am curious about these, so leave a comment below letting me know your thoughts. Vaya con Dios.

Animal / Texture Mash-Up

Some layouts and designs for a character class I took. The idea was to take an animal and add an specific texture-type to it and create a unique character / creature - I chose a jaguar and an industrial texture (this assignment was the bane of my existence for a few weeks-I don't know how many concepts and designs I came up with before finally settling on this one). Everything is digital except for the bottom left, which was done on 9X12 paper in blue col-erase pencil with a graphite overlay. The color render was a test to see how it could possibly look if colors and textures were to be added. Vaya con Dios.

Cliffhanger Motel

Gray-scale Photoshop render of a hotel design I came up with for an environment class I took a few quarters ago. The concept was to create a hotel in the middle of the jungle / forest; I came up with about four different concepts until finally settling on this design and doing a digital render. The hotel is called "Cliffhanger Motel", and you can see a small monkey clinging to the sign as he waves to welcome guests-it overlooks a stream with a small waterfall. I would love to know your thoughts on this piece, so please leave a comment below. Vaya con Dios.

Perspective at MARTA

 

Some sketches of different MARTA stations in Atlanta, GA. Some I had a little more time to do than others. All were done purely as perspective practices. Each was done in graphite on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper. Vaya con Dios.

SIEGE 2012

I did this quick little piece back in early October during the 2012 SIEGE conference in Atlanta, GA. Nothing special about it, really-just sitting around one day in between session blocks and I decided to just sketch, and this is what came up (there was a lot of NoS...a LOT). I may, one day, do a final piece of the same concept. Comment below what you think. This was done on 8.5X11 computer paper in graphite while under heavy influence of NoS energy drink. Vaya con Dios.

Original Star Wars Character part 1

This is a concept / design process image of an original Star Wars character I came up with. She is a non-canon character and is the daughter of Kit Fisto and Aayla Secura. If you are as avid a Star Wars fan as I am, you'll realize that many of the alien characters are humanoid, and given that fact there wasn't much for me to do design-wise on her from the neck down. However, when researching Kit and Aayla, I noticed that they each had one thing in common, albeit different - they each have head tendrils. Aayla has two long tendrils, while Kit has many (I call them dreads lol). Also, Kit has some awesome looking eyes, and with that being said, I fused their tendril styles together and put in the large eyes. Her costume is loosely based on Aayla's, being skin tight on top, but I decided to keep it loose on the bottom. More information on the character itself will be put in on the next post when she becomes more finalized. As for now, Vaya con Dios.

3D Museum part 1

Here is a screenshot of my museum that I am building in Maya. The top-left screen shows my homage to my program - Game Development and Design - with the dome being shaped like the D-pad on most standard remote controllers. Most of the content in the museum itself are pillars, benches, and pedestals; I am keeping it very simple and basic for the moment until I texture it in Unity and add some particle effects, triggers, and sound effects to make it interactive for the audience. I will be adding more screenshots as I continue to show my progress. Please tell me what you think. Vaya con Dios.

New posts coming soon...

Hello everyone, this post is intended as an apology for my failure to make any new posts lately. I've been doing quite a bit of work, lately, and therefore have been unable to draw, scan, or post regularly as I used to. Please, be assured, however, that before this month is over I will have at least one new post for you to look at, and it will be a good one. Until then, unfortunately, Vaya con Dios.

Creature Designs

These are a couple quick creature sketches. The first one is a combination of a mosquito, a dragonfly, and a scorpion-you can see my notes for quick reference. The second is a combination of a casowary and an armadillo-again, you can see my notes; I'm not too happy with the second one, but I will surely further develop both of them, perhaps even change some of the incorporations. They were done on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper in graphite while riding the train home. Let me know what you think so far, though. Vaya con Dios.

Quick Environment Sketch

A quick environment sketch I did; I didn't want to delve too deep into the details and tried to keep it very rough so as to get the design across, more or less. It is a mountainous terrain with a large archway to signify the approaching of a temple or holy place. On the very top you can see a hint of a shape-I intended it to be the actual building...this was done on tonal paper in warm grey copic markers, prismacolor pens, and a bit of white china marker. Vaya con Dios.

Boredom Illustrations

These are just some sketches I did at different intervals in time, either to practice something, pass time, or because of sheer boredom. All were done in graphite on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper. I hope you all like these little throw-outs...

This is a sketch I did with the intention of over exaggerating perspective between two figures. I had been playing around with this piece for a minute before settling on this one, and I still might go back to it after receiving a critique from my art professor.

This piece was done while I was passing time in the airport terminal. I was trying to play around and see what other styles I could put out and what would work, and so I put out this. He is a Frenchman, given the name, and I made him, in a sense, that he is sort of like a businessman, but perhaps there is more to him than what is seen...I have been told that he looks like the Shadow Man from Disney's ''The Princess and the Frog'' - I had no intention to make him appear so, but I have no complaints about it.

I was still waiting in the airport terminal when I put this on paper. Some soft jazz music was playing over the speaker system, and I figured I'd go with the mood and put something out coinciding with it. I wanted to do a different style from the previous version, and so I thought of old stylized paintings of musicians and wanted to incorporate a bit of my own style along with it.

Headless Horseman part 2

This is the final design for my Headless Horseman character; he is the final character for the Halloweenies compilation. Obviously, as with the rest of the cast, he is intentionally quite typical compared to other designs. However, I did want to change up his attitude and make him more emotional than others, hence his Jack O' Lantern having an expressive face; it serves to show two emotions - the saddened expression represents the Horseman's sadness for losing his horse, and the fire represents his anger for losing his head...yes, the Horseman lost his horse. I figured it would serve as an interesting story bit later on down the road when I do individual digital renders and then the group shot. One thing I am unclear of in my own design is how his shoes look similar to modern day sneakers; I really don't care, either-they come off as interesting to see - a long-passed figure wearing sneakers...it's funny. Either way I am happy with how it turned out, and I can honestly say that now, for me, the hard part is to come-digitizing them all and then composing them into one shot. This was done on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper in graphite. Let me know what you all think. Vaya con Dios.

Headless Horseman part 1

This is the Headless Horseman character for my Halloweenies compilation I am doing; he is the final character that will be affiliated with them. The idea behind him was that since zombies, skeletons, vampires, goblins, and witches are such typical and overly used Halloween figures a headless horseman character would not only be somewhat different but also look cool in collaboration with the rest of the characters. You can see from the sketches that I wanted him to not steer too far from the familiar idea of a headless horseman-being without a head, a sword, traditional garb, and sometimes a flaming pumpkin / jack o' lantern. These sketches were done on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper in graphite. Final piece coming tomorrow. Vaya con Dios.

Roll

Just a quick fanart of Roll from the Megaman series. I wanted to make her spunky-looking but also incorporate a bit of a literal interpretation to her name, hence the wheels being integrated into her feet. I'm thinking of doing another one but better and more ''fresh'' looking. This was done on 8.5X11 computer paper in graphite. Let me know what you think. Vaya con Dios.

Duo-Prism

I honestly have no idea what this is - I was sitting at my drawing station one night and I just decided to draw a couple 3D triangles, on on top of the other, and now you see where that took me. Normally, something like this I wouldn't pay too much attention to, but for some reason this sticks out to me, so I decided to post and share it with the rest of the world. This is one of the few pieces from me that is open to interpretation. Done in graphite on 9X12 sketch paper. This is definitely one of those where I'd love to have your comments posted so I can see how others view this piece - I might even digitally render this in color. Vaya con Dios.

Demon part 2

This is the final product of the demon character I created for my Halloweenies compilation I'm currently working on. His final design was intended to be quite simplistic and classic-looking, hence the long horns, spade-tipped tail, and pitchfork. The reason for him facing away from the viewer is to give off a sense about his personality - stubborn, arrogant, and prideful. I thought of him as a demonic prince, and so I figured he would not allow himself to be looked upon by those deemed unworthy, so I faced him away. Although his origins are demonic, I did not intend for him to be inherently evil, but more misunderstood. His pitchfork is also meant to serve more as a symbol of power and status rather  than a weapon, which is why I did not make the points longer or sharper than they are. Also, I unintentionally created a ''D'' shape out of his tail and the shaft of his pitchfork; I must admit I like it. This piece was done on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper in graphite. Comment, critique, concerns...leave them here. Vaya con Dios.

Demon part 1

This is the demon character for the Halloweenies compilation . As a personal note made public, this one really worked my nerves when designing and perfecting him. I had started out thinking of designing a demon that I had never done before, but then I looked back on my other characters and opted for a more contemporary and classic design; simple and to-the-point, the design was what I liked most about him, and so came the issues with the pose - you can see I wanted something a little different from the rest, and it almost caused me to give up on him. However, I decided to keep at it, and sure enough, I finished him and I was greatly happy, if not a bit embarrassed because it took me so long to do such a simple design and character. All in all, though, I'm glad I did what I did and how I did it. This was done on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper in graphite, the last image using a bit of red and blue Col-erase pencils. This is the first of two posts. Vaya con Dios.

Ghoulies part 2

These are the final ghoulies for the Halloweenies compilation I'm doing. They're design was loosely based on that of typical ghosts - gas-like creatures that are semi-transparent - but with a slight addition of character and personality unique to each. While both are meant to be tricksters, the one with the three head frills and ''beard'' is meant to be more sadistic in his antics, thinking them all to be in good-spirited fun, while the one with one eye leans more towards taunting and jeering. Both share a linkage to one another, but remain separate altogether. Their names are, from left to right, Charlie and Jaunty. They were done in graphite on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper. Post a comment and tell me what you think of them. Vaya con Dios.

Ghoulies part 1

This is a quick little rough's spread sheet I did for a character for the Halloweenies compilation. These are designed to be ghostly or spiritual figures comprised of unearthly materials so as to add a sense of mist-like properties; typical ghost stuff. As can be told by a couple of the designs, I really wanted to play around with different shapes. With these I decided that a simpler design would be cause for a better design overall. They were done on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper in graphite. The final design will be posted later this week. Vaya con Dios.

Scarecrow part 3

This is the second scarecrow design I came up with. From the style sheets you can see that I wanted to have one with more of an action-feel to it, and thus spawned my oriental scarecrow fighter. This is a little closer to my character styling without going too much into the details. Long story short, the souls of two individuals - an American living in -insert Asian country- and a warrior from -insert Asian country- clashed and merged while traveling the intermediary plane (realm of the dead) and entered an old scarecrow. Due to the clashing of souls, and therefore cultures and everything else that makes a person who they are, the scarecrow reformed itself to  accommodate both. Some design notes - one hand is a scythe and one eye is stitched shut due to the warrior's battle scars. The pattern on some of the clothing is meant to be pleated to show a bit of Americana; same goes for the patchwork and stitching. This was done on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper in graphite. Comment and let me know what you think. Vaya con Dios.

Scarecrow part 2

This is the first final scarecrow design I did and the same one I'm going to use for a compilation I'm putting together called The Halloweenies. My inspiration for this design was loosely based on the generic stick figure ideology, and the style was meant to be a combination of the DC Universe animation and my own style, all while holding a bit of a sense of a Burtonesque feel to it as well. The scythe was made big so as to offer a slight balance between thin and thick; also, although it was unintentional, the handle and blade combined seem to make an ''S'' shape, so it works out for me. The raven atop the scythe is meant to serve as a familiar - I figured that if a scarecrow is meant to scare crows away, why not have one that isn't afraid and instead becomes the scarecrow's pall. His gesture will be explained when the final compilation is put together and posted. This was done on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper in standard graphite. Please post any and all comments. Vaya con Dios.

Scarecrow part 1

Just some draft sheets for a scarecrow design I had been contemplating for less than a day. These are a good representation of my current design and drawing processes. All were done on 5.5X8.5 sketch paper. Comments, complaints, thoughts - place them below. Vaya con Dios.

Digital Comic Test

These are the images that make up my digital comic I had to do for an Animation II class. The idea behind it was loosely based around a water world and the main character is considered a nobody even though her occupation is of the utmost importance. However, she must give it all up when she discovers that there is more to water than it just being a source of survival and livelihood. All of them were done on 11X17 paper in Col-Erase pencil. The course had run out of time - it runs for only ten weeks - so the comic never got to the digital stage, however I am thinking of finishing it on my own time, if I find any. Vaya con Dios.

Level Design

A level I designed in class; the basic concept was that the Disney Fairies universe went through a black hole and their magic transformed while in a new dimension - my idea was to have it transform into music -- the magic lies withing the music, hence why the structures resemble musical instruments. I thought it was a cool and different take on the concept, and thus I decided to create an actual character to place within the realm - I will post it soon, I just have to prioritize my projects first. Although this is only the final piece, the entire production process took the initial seven hours as printed in the upper right-hand corner. This was done on 11X17 paper in warm grey copic markers. Please leave a comment and tell me what your thoughts are. Vaya con Dios.

Character Design

A character I created for my character design class; his name is Malik - M. Ali K -- first letter of my last name. I decided to break my comfort zone of more detailed and realistic pieces by doing him in a more stylized/cartoony style all while still maintaining a certain reality to it. Unfortunately I never came up with a backstory for him-leave a comment if you think I should make one or if you have a suggestion. This was done on 9X12 smooth Bristol board in standard graphite pencil. Vaya con Dios.

Different Console, Same Controller

Okay, so I was having a discussion with a friend and I've come to realize entirely-gamers need to stop saying they can't play a game properly because they're used to playing on Playstation instead of Xbox - it's the same freaking controller. So what, one is black and one is white; so what, one is a bit bulkier than the other-the button layout is exactly the same people. So on Playstation it's ''X'', ''Triangle'', ''Square'', ''Circle'' and on Xbox it's ''A'', ''B'', ''X'', ''Y'' - its the same thing if you simply say ''top button, bottom button, right button, left button'' - same exact layout people; even the top buttons-left trigger, right trigger, left bumper, right bumper. Stop using the excuse that you lost because of the controller - don't blame the controller for your ignorance of simple and similar button layouts and configurations. You lost because you suck, not because of the controller. Vaya con Dios.

Story Premise / Gameplay Styles for Fighting Games

Okay bloggers, this is my second post and I've decided to post about how most fighting games these days are pretty much about the same thing - tournament. Mortal Kombat-tournament; Tekken-tournament; Dead or Alive-tournament; Soul Caliber-tournament; even Street Fighter became tournament-based. It seems that fighting game creators cannot think of anything to base their games off of other than a tournament showcasing fighters abilities or to save the world. Of course with some of them, such as Tekken and Dead or Alive, there is a tournament held by a huge corporation to ''enlist'' new recruits to join the franchise. Others like Mortal Kombat host tournaments to save the world - been there, done that. Now by no means am I knocking these games - Mortal Kombat is my favorite out of these -- GO SCORPION -- it's just that I feel there are unexplored premises to base a fighting game's storyline off of.

Of course many, if not all, of these games go further and deeper in regards to story with their individual characters, Mortal Kombat seeming to be the most prevalent and intriguing in terms of creativity and conjunction between characters. And although this does add spaces for favoritism, the primary basis for the game itself is no different than any other. Not trying to sound like an expert on story art, but even a child can say ''hey, lets have all the fighters fight each other in a tournament.'' Of course there isn't much room for creativity in terms of making a fighting game different story basis-wise, but there are some options that have yet to be recognized [and I'm speaking only for myself]. Something that could be done about this is to spend a little more time thinking of stories that would make for a uniquely new challenge in terms of differentiating stories between fighting games - for instance, take out the whole tournament idealistic process and in turn create a story based on a single character that has the opportunity to be branched out from and expanded upon. One such game that I feel ''tested the waters'' on this style is Marvel Nemesis-Rise of the Imperfects. Of course, reviews were not all that positive for this game, but I feel that it was a pioneer in trying something new, and for me, that made for an open door.

To give a brief image for those who have not played the game, the basic idea is that you play as one character at a time, being allowed to switch back and forth between four at a time, and once an individual character's story is finished a new character becomes available, and continues on as such until the end of the game. Now this style of gameplay will create a linear story arch, but all fighting game fans will not be surprised as that is how most all already are. But a solution to this is that the Mortal Kombat idea of taking and heeding fans' suggestions will allow for greater playability and a bigger fanbase in the coming sequel[s]. Imagine it - playing as any character you want at a given moment, playing his / her story through and finishing it, seeing each character's interaction with other characters, and possibly even being able to make certain choices within the game come to instead of the standard side-scroll fighting game [although I personally do enjoy side-scroll fighters] -- that could even be an option - 2D or 3D gameplay. It's all just a matter of fans joining together and having their voices be heard. As always, this is just my opinion without knocking any games mentioned or not mentioned. Please leave a comment and let me know what your thoughts are on this, and any suggestions / critiques you may have, but please keep all critiques professional. Vaya con Dios.

Intro Blog

Hello blog-readers, this is my first-ever blog, so I figured I should make it short, sweet, and to-the-point. The primary focuses of my blogs will consist of my art and psychology, but given my personality, almost anything will be posted, so try and bear with me if you are the type who likes consistency. A little about myself - I am enrolled at AIU-Atlanta in the game design / development course studying to get into character / creature / prop design within the entertainment industry. I am called quite often as being random, and I cannot deny that. I enjoy playing football, handball, and swimming. Three words some of my friends have used to describe me are ''funny, optimistic, and daredevil''. Well I guess that's enough for now; leave a comment if there is anything else you want to know. Vaya con Dios.