Character concept art, doodles, sketches and digital paintings

WAIT FOR ME!

2012-02-13T20:51:00.000Z

A pencil/watercolour that blossomed from a simple S shape on the paper. I had drawn a little boy running earlier in the day but had no idea what he was running from. Once I had the monster it was just a case of pairing them up. I have no idea why there's an orange snake/worm with them. Digital prints available soon with a few minor changes to bring out some of the colour that was lost in the scanning process.

Dentist

2012-02-13T20:47:00.001Z

This started as a simple doodle of a monster. I had the basic shape and colour in mind before starting but the dentist idea came later. Pencil and watercolour on acid free 300gsm paper. Mounted on textured snow white, acid free mount board. £25 for the original. Digital prints available soon.

Make a start

2012-02-12T17:45:00.001Z

I have always avoided posting anything that gives an insight into my life because I'm quite private but I've been inspired to provide a bit of info by Jeffrey J Miller http://runningforrestitution.blogspot.com

I am married with children and work full time so I have very little time to do anything for myself. A few months ago I decided that if I'm going to fulfil my dream of working as a freelance artist I need to change that.

My baby boy wakes at least once every night but I decided that no matter how many times he gets up, I wake at 4:45am to draw. I don't run marathon's or face terrific hardship each day but trying to find creative energy when I'm stifling my yawns and my eyes are stinging is a mental battle.

Jeffrey Miller said that among other things he just focuses on starting. We should all do the same in pursuit of our dreams. Make a start...

Little monster at the dentist

2012-02-11T12:26:00.001Z

Finished. For sale from Monday. £40 mounted. Prints will soon be available at a lower price.

Hooray

2012-02-08T21:08:00.000Z

This is the orange monster's brother. I got a little too obsessed with making things perfect on this one and lost the loose feel. A worthy addition though and every mistake made is one step closer to my goal.

I'm sorry - colour

2012-02-06T21:18:00.001Z

My amazing brother gave me an iPad 2. I heard amazing things about Procreate and it has not disappointed. This took about 40 minutes but that's after about 1 hour and 30 mins using the app. One of the most intuitive paint program's I've ever used and only £2.99!

I'm sorry

2012-02-06T19:40:00.001Z

I don,t know what he's done wrong but how could you tell him off? A quick 3 minute sketch so I have something to post. I haven't had much time over the weekend to get anything more meaningful done.

Enjoy

Sad news - Al Rio has committed suicide

2012-02-04T08:59:00.001Z

Al Rio is one of the most talented comic artists I've seen in all my time browsing the web for inspiration. He has an immediately noticeable style and his attention to detail and workmanship is almost unmatched. Unfortunately, for whatever reasons he recently committed suicide. If you've never heard of him and even if you have then please take a look at his work via this link Al rio's website. I think that sharing his work is perhaps the most fitting way of remembering a man that contributed so much to the comic industry.

Sneaky monster - pencil and watercolour

2012-01-31T19:39:00.000Z

Here's the finished article. He's now looking a little scary and sneaky but I still think he's mint.

The previous images are the works in progress. Feedback is welcome. Thanks for looking at my work.

Spidey WIP

2012-01-26T22:21:00.001Z

Here's 2 Spidey pics. It's a work in progress and I can already see where I want to change little details just to tighten it up. One of my favourite characters and I've really enjoyed drawing him in my own style. The first pic is the latest version and a proper scan whereas the previous one was a photo from my iPhone.

Spidey running through the air

Batman extension

2012-01-25T00:17:00.002Z

I was looking at the original Batman image I sketched and realised it was missing some context so I decided to include one of h classic enemies in the picture and add some text. I think it works much better.

Sports Day - YouTube

2012-01-23T06:14:00.000Z

Another very old animation, but still fun.

Dolly - On reflection - YouTube

2012-01-23T06:12:00.000Z

One of my old animations from around 10 years ago.

Batman Cape Fail

2012-01-18T05:26:00.000Z

Rough Rogue finished

2012-01-13T16:15:00.000Z

Now I have a good idea of where the light source is and where I need to tweak the drawing I am starting the final version. This version is on 80 g/sm and has a few corrections but it's available for sale for £7.50. Please email if you're interested.

Rogue

Refined Bats (Batman)

2012-01-13T16:11:00.002Z

I've tidied up and inked two of the sketches. The scan has worked better this time. I think I prefer cheesy grin Batman.

Why so serious?

Holy Cheesy grin Batman

Funny Batman sketch 1 of 3

2012-01-11T21:39:00.001Z

I had a few spare minutes today and felt inspired to draw Batman. The three images were drawn in just a few minutes but only one of them is posted here. Go to www.facebook.com/mattbryanart to see more.

The quickest way of updating the blog is to use my phone to photograph the images but it results in some unflattering gradients across the image. Better quality scans of any images I upload like this will be uploaded a few days later.

Thanks for taking a look.

Cheesy Grin Batman

Rogue - further work in progress

2012-01-11T17:52:00.000Z

Further work in progress on the Rogue image. She's really coming together now. There's some areas that need a tweak for the final version but really happy with the progress so far.

Rogue WIP

2012-01-10T20:48:00.002Z

I had planned to show some progress on the Rogue image but scanned image won't open. It will have to wait till tomorrow. : (

Facebook and Twitter integration

2012-01-09T06:07:00.000Z

Good morning (At least it is as I am typing)

I have now added some facebook javascript wizardry and a little twitter button over on the side panel so it's much easier to keep up to date with information and new artwork.

The biggest issue with having a blog as opposed to a dedicated website is that I can't as yet keep certain posts at the top though I am working on it.

The only real way to convey which pieces of my art are for sale is to direct you to my profile on http://comicartcommissions.com/Bryan.html but I haven't added any pieces there yet because I have to add some paypal wizardry and all this admin stuff gets in the way of why I'm really doing this and that's to share my work.

If you are interested in buying a piece or commissioning me then please do get in touch.

Standard prices can be viewed via the right hand side bar.

Thank you for visiting and for reading.

Rogue X-men work in progress

2012-01-07T07:44:00.001Z

I have now joined a website called www.comicartcommissions.com in the hope of selling some work or even being commissioned I felt I should draw some traditional Super Hero's in my own style.

I thought I would start with women because they're my favourite and seem to get a little more attention from those that visit this blog and see my drawings in person. This is based on an older drawing with but the original pose wasn't quite right. A sullen Rogue seemed to fit with my feelings about the character so here's the concept.

Wonder Woman work in progress

2011-12-28T07:44:00.000Z

Not much to say really but since I have now joined a website called www.comicartcommissions.com in the hope of selling some work or even being commissioned I felt I should draw some traditional Super Hero's in my own style.

I thought I would start with women because they're my favourite and seem to get a little more attention from those that visit this blog and see my drawings in person.

Flirting

2011-10-06T07:33:00.000+01:00

This image was developed from a very small sketch on a post it note. I noticed a woman flirting with someone and thought her pose was great. I captured it on a Post-it and then redrew it from that and my memory to create this. I really like this image and I'm currently offering it for sale at an art shop called 'Artisanne' in Clarks Yard, Darlington and on www.comicartcommissions.com

Unfortunately some of the wonderful detail has been lost in the scanning process but I still think it looks great.

Project One

2011-06-16T07:39:00.000+01:00

This image is of a character from an un-named project I'm working on. I'm unable to add any details about him or the story itself but I hope you like it.

Sexy lady in a catsuit

2010-04-03T22:27:00.000+01:00

This is an older drawing but it was only ever a sketch. I've shaded it in what I think is an appropriate comic style.

Sexy but not too revealing. At least that's what I was trying to go for.

Asajj Ventriss

2010-02-06T06:54:00.000Z

Since the birth of my son it has been difficult to keep up with drawing but here's a new image I've completed. Unusually it's an existing character from Star Wars called Asaaj Ventriss rather than my own concept.

Comments are welcome as always.

Beautiful Woman / Secretary?

2010-01-15T07:25:00.000Z

Obviously this needs some cleaning up and could do with being shaded as well. The clothing is based on something a colleague wore to work one day. The pose is simply one I concocted. One of my favourite pieces.

Flying Super Hero

2009-11-19T07:10:00.000Z

This image was drawn as part of a set so a group of youth's could work on a 'Design your own Super Hero' project. Some of the colour schemes were superb but this is the original outline only. I need to paint it at some point but children have a habit of preventing quiet time at the computer.

Story - Lakeside - complete

2009-10-08T06:58:00.000+01:00

Following the birth of my son in June it has been difficult to keep up with work but I have finally completed the 'Story - Lakeside' image. I will leave you to interpret it as you see fit.

The Woodland keeper

2009-09-01T18:55:00.005+01:00

This is the fruit of my labour over the last few weeks. I have entered the piece into the "Digital Artist 2009" competition and I have high hopes for it. The story behind the image is that this lady's sword is imbued with magic from the natural world. The magic prevents it harming the earth, trees and plants so when she rests her arm on the sword there is no danger of it piercing the earth. Her armour and sword are meant to reflect her unity with nature, hence the leaf motif of the shield. The rest of her clothing also focuses on organic forms to further convey her love of nature. If you go to a much earlier post you can see the original pencil sketch. Enjoy.

Lakeside Story w.i.p.

2009-06-22T07:01:00.004+01:00

I'm already beavering away on the next painting in the series and wanted to give a sneak preview so here it is. The early version is the lower of the two images on display. The top is the finished version of the painting. Enjoy.

The story

2009-06-15T22:23:00.005+01:00

It's finished and it's posted here in all its glory. It will be on sale as a print from Yarm originals shortly too. Enjoy.

Frogman

2009-05-09T11:54:00.007+01:00

Materials: As before but painted using Photoshop.

As promised here is a painted version of one of the new creatures. I've done away with the black outlines and moved into a more painterly style for this one. Also of note is the backgound, which is unusual for me as I like to focus on the character without distractions. I'm really happy with this and spent a considerable amount of time on it over the last few days. Enjoy

2009-04-21T15:23:00.006+01:00

Materials - Originally drawn in pencil as you can see then scanned and enlarged to 3000 pixels high. Lineart redrawn and mistakes corrected, see face, jaw, length and size of nose and angle of the ear. Coloured using cel shading to allow the lineart to take centre stage. Background is simply a number of horizontal selections that was skewed to increase the width on one side. The selections were fuilled in Blue, leaving sharp white lines.

I really like this drawing and have done for a long time but I've tried colouring it a few times and it's never been right. A friend suggested Orange and Blue and it seemed to work perfectly. Enjoy.

Beauiful training lady

2009-03-22T06:13:00.007Z

Hi all, Jumped back on the drawing/painting saddle in the last few days, it's been too long.

Materials: Pen and paper (original sketch about 2 inches high.) Scanned at ludicrously high resolution and then made a new line drawing in Photoshop and painted using large brushes with base layers adjusted by dodge and burn.

This image was inspired by a very small figure drawing I sketched whilst in training in my last job (Drawing in training wasn't the reason I left btw). The Trainer was wearing similar colours and was really expressive in her movements. I captured her as best I could and I have used artistic licence with the pose and her height but she was quite fascinating. Enjoy.

Trognoth DNA

2009-03-17T07:59:00.001Z

At the time this screen was waken the Dwarf Hunter's pet stood in such a position ot suggest he had become half Dwarf half Beast. Most amusing... for me anyway : )

Fishing

2009-03-15T14:46:00.004Z

An image from WoW depicting the ludicrous amount of time one must spend to increase Fishing skill. Again, not one of my sketches but an in joke for my fellow players.

King Ymiron

2009-03-11T21:49:00.004Z

This is a screenshot from World of Warcraft depicting a celebration of sorts, as we had just defeated King Ymiron. Certainly not one of my sketches : )

Dynamic pose - Quick paint

2008-11-09T01:54:00.004Z

Materials: Pencil and paper, quick painted in photoshop using large brush sizes with low opacity.

I really like the pose of this character. She has so much movement and by painting this quickly I feel I've kept that motion. I'm still working on the woman with the huge weapon but did this while having a quick break from it. Enjoy.

Giant

2008-10-23T19:21:00.006+01:00

Materials: Pencil and paper then painted in Adobe Photoshop

The original drawing is shaded with the markers I mentioned in an earlier post but I really wanted to add colour to him and so I set about using a bright Red/Orange light from the right side and and a cooler light from the left. I altered his face, the length of the chain on the flail and tweaked the shape of his head and helmet as they didn't quite work for me. Before you question the dog heads, I do not intend any creature harm, however, I felt that they best illustrated his no s**t attitude towards life. Just don't get hit with the mouldy foot! Enjoy.

Obi Wan - quick sketch

2008-10-17T18:42:00.004+01:00

Materials: Pencil and paper

Though I love the Star Wars movies and some of their related paraphenalia I've never bothered with any drawings of the characters. After I saw the work of Tom Hodges I had to give it a go and this sketch of Obi Wan was a bit of fun. I really like it however, as you will find out, I tend to stick to my own creations rather than draw existing characters.

Arianna: An old favourite

2008-10-16T12:34:00.004+01:00

Materials: Pencil and paper then some smudging work in Adobe Photoshop

Created for a computer game I designed for a competition. Arianna was one of the characters and looking back she really doesn't have the most practical outfit! I recall a few comments when I first showed this drawing as I had never created anything quite so sexy before. Still one of my favourites as it's one of my earliest images drawings that really started to show my knowledge of proportion and anatomy (okay the bottom is a little big). I recall that things just clicked when I drew this and the next few I attempted were rubbish by comparison... Don't know if other artists experience that but it can be frustrating. Anyway, enjoy.

Wandering warrior: An old favourite

2008-10-16T11:59:00.004+01:00

Materials: Pencil, Fine liner and coloured using Kurecolor markers

Drawn around the same time as the Cleric but this concept just flowed onto the paper. I didn't plan anything in particular but felt the person was a traveller of some sort. Nothing else to add really, I just think he's cool. Enjoy.

Kick ass Cleric: An old favourite

2008-10-16T11:39:00.006+01:00

Materials: Pencil, fine liner and coloured using cool grey Kurecolor markers

One of the few images I have where I have included the different stages. Every game I played that featured a cleric seemed to show the same old stereo types and I had the thought "What would a cool cleric who kicks ass look like?" On his back are two small hammers and he has his staff of course. The bottom right image is the quick visualisation version that lacked movement. I liked his clothing but the image felt flat and boring. With the top right version you see I added movement to the fabric and cleaned up the design. The largest image is the final version and was one of my first experiments with the Kurecolor markers. They are really expensive but when used on bleed proof paper their effect is fantastic. Definitely one of my real favourites and I hope you like it too. Enjoy.

Beautiful Ranger: An old favourite

2008-10-16T11:32:00.005+01:00

Materials: Pencil and paper

I must have drawn this character about Five times before I reached a design that worked for me. I wanted her armour and weapon to reflect her respect for her natural habitat. The leaf shield, boots and leaf like curves of fabric round her back are one aspect. Her sword is decorated with a vine like motif to further emphasise her love of the forest. Admittedly she may have used a little too much Herbal Essence on that shiny hair but there's nothing wrong with a bit of artistic licence. Enjoy.

Trojan: An old favourite

2008-10-16T11:28:00.003+01:00

Materials: Pencil and paper

One of the few images that I really can't remember what inspired it other than wanting to draw someone with a mad weapon. As if it's not enough to be hit with the hammer the thought of being smacked round the head with spiked balls is just not fair. His hammer arm is too long but I wanted to emphasise the power in his body and left it that way. Enjoy

Folium Viridis: An old favourite

2008-10-16T11:19:00.005+01:00

Materials: Pencil and paper

My brother used to play Everquest and his main character was an Elven Ranger. As a gift I drew his character for him and of all the Everquest characters I illustrated this is by far my favourite. There are one or two anatomy issues such as the height of the arrow and bow (should be higher) and the thigh of his front leg is a tad long. Still, I love it and that's why it's here. Enjoy.

Beautiful lady: An old favouite

2008-10-16T11:01:00.005+01:00

Materials: Pencil and paper, then scanned into photoshop and painted

I was inspired to try out a more angular, simple way of defining forms when I looked at the work of Tom Hodges. He is an amazing artist and has worked on some Star Wars projects amongst other things. I was astounded by how simple some of his drawings looked and yet when I tried to emulate and experiment with his style I found it difficult. This is one of the best examples of my interpretation of a more angular figure. I like the clean lines, dynamic pose and the simplicity of the forms. Enjoy.

Greb the swamp creature: An old favourite

2008-10-16T10:48:00.008+01:00

Click the image for a larger version

Materials: Drawn in pencil then inked with a fine liner, scanned ito Photoshop and painted.

Inspired by Dexter Jetster From Star Wars episode II Attack of the Clones. Dexter has Four arms whereas Greb has Two and there really aren't many similarities. I liked the way Dexter's weight was illustrated through his movement. I loved the texture of his skin, his muscle tone and how his folds of fat seemed real. I tried to convey that Greb is aquatic and has elements of a frog (facial features and neck) and an alligator (armoured back.) I wanted his skin to look softer on the front but more scaly and hard round his joints and fingers etc. I hope you enjoy it.

Dragon Slayer: An old favourite

2008-10-16T10:41:00.007+01:00

Click the image for a larger version.

Materials: Pencil and paper

One of my favourite pieces of work and perhaps one of my best. This is a re-imagining of the original piece of work that wasn't quite what I envisaged (trying to find a scanned version to add). Here you see the original pencil version and the shaded final. The design process was to create someone who respected their prey and therefore all his weapons and armour have trinkets taken from the creatures he has slain. He made his armour from dragon scales, uses claws and teeth as parts of his sword and daggers and so on. Enjoy.

A new beginning

2008-10-16T10:23:00.002+01:00

For quite some time now I've hosted my artwork online but not made anywhere near as much effort as I should have to get it noticed. With this blog and www.conceptart.org this will change. My old website is still available to view at www.sketch.talktalk.net but due to family life I stopped updating it last year. My old site was a pain to update because the design I used required updating of at least 3 parts of the code for a single image. I've chosen a blog because I can update it from anywhere, quite easily and it's far easier to upload images.

This blog will host my favourite pieces and will be home to my latest updates. Some of which may appear in their rough form before being fleshed out as the days go by. I draw whenever I can get a few spare minutes and I find that sitting on the bus, whilst being a little too bumpy for anything other than pre-vis is a good place. I draw inspiration from the world around me and it may take the form of seeing someone in unusual or striking clothing, someone I think is beautiful or interesting either because of their physical appearance or their attitude, an unusual pose, tv, adverts, games, artwork on the web... The list is endless.

I hope you enjoy looking at my work and I look forward to your constructive comments and feelings on my pieces.

Thank you for reading