Project Review:The Fog-2005 Key Art 3D Illustration

 A re-post of the final 3D illustration that I gave over to Calvin to finish out for The Fog.

 An overhead view of the virtual set I built for the shot. the non seen walls are just boxes to block out the light[ I hid the back wall and ceiling see wires]

 A close up of the details in the panel door made from routered parts, as well as the bead board interlocking design set. I always model as much as possible vs. using texture maps, it helps a whole bunch with lighting and the final look of your scenes.

 A camera view w/o textures and lighting[ grey-scale]

 An up-shot of the door was an alternate idea we were going to have the kid block out the foreground lower on the floor.

 Here in quad view we can see the scene from outside showing the volumetric lights and the blocks in place[ an old trick I learned doing set design Live action] 

Project Review

The Fog-2005

Key Art 3D Illustration

Client: Columbia Pictures via The Cimarron Group.
Art Director[s]: Myself and Calvin Sumler.
Project Date: February 2005.

Back in 2005 while in-house at The Cimarron Group I worked on the remake of the 80's horror film, The Fog, for both the Motion Graphics department ran by Roland Mesa, as well as for the Priont Advertising division as well for Key Art posters. 

Today I post a comp idea that I had. My role at Cimarron was that of a Sub-Contractor providing specific 3D assets, so I usually was not given this type of opportunity, but when I was given the chance to pitch an idea, I enrolled the help of the very talented Calvin Sumler to build the comp, and he happily accepted.

A simple idea from the script, at one point the child of the main character was trying to keep the FOG out of the house, as the ghost pirate would rap on the door, so you would let them in. In one scene, the kid tapes the door frame so the fog cannot seep in and for the comp we had a backshot on a head with a kid huddled looking at the above door with the light coming in the cracks he missed.

I added lighting blocks outside to make it feel that someione was standing on the other side, and we added a green tint to the "Evil Fog" as well.

A bunch of items in here Cimarron sells on TurboSquid, so I used the door window, basketball, and the bear from my stock catalog.

Cheers, THOM

Behind the Art: Napkin Sketching PART XIII

 A Sketch for a fish with fangs, a bit shark mixed with whale and a vampire!

 A Cartoon styled old prop plane[ WWII-ish ]

 Yet another GumboMan Swamp house on stilts, the concept comes back alot in my doodles...

A tall thin character with a very loooooog chin.

Napkin Sketching Part XIII

 

 In this thirteenth installment of the Napkin Sketches, Drawings, and Doodles I do when I have a pen in hand, I have put up a variety of Characters, vehicles, and a background design for todays late 2D posting.

I sketch to stretch. It keep me limber as a designer, and using digital tools all day long it is very helpful to break out of that mold and use you skills elsewhere. 

I also do woodworking, coppersmithing, and various building projects to keep me sane along with these sketches. Keep a good variety of what you draw, and what creative activities you do, and never pass up a real challenge.

You can view the other parts as follows:

PART I

PART II

PART III

PART IV

PART V

PART VI

PART VII

PART VIII

PART IX 

PART X

PART XI 

PART XII

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Lost Skull[ IV] PART II: DC-3

 The DC-3 I built for some Motion Graphics pitches done at The Cimarron Group in 2008.

 A side shot showing the modeled panels, rivets, metal warps, and gaps[ no texture mapped fakes]

  A shot showing the engine pod detailing on the DC-3 from Indy 4.

 A Grey scale render showing the surfaces smoothed near the nose.

  A Grey scale render showing the underside of the plane, seen in bank shots.

  A Grey scale overhead render of the plane I made for Indiana Jones 4.

  A Grey scale render Showing the wing details with a back-light catching metal buckling on the wing skin etc.

 A Quad view of the model with sub-division OFF.

 Indian Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
PART II: DC-3 Model

Client: Paramount Pictures
Art Director[s]: Calvin Sumler, Joseph Stamper, and Chris A. Hawkins
Date: Spring 2007

This is second post for Indiana Jones four, The Kingdom of the Lost Skull, showing the work I did for the advertising key art, and especially for Motion Graphics work.

Today, we look closer to the DC-3 plane I built for trailers we pitched for Indy. We went with the red line animated on a map look from the films interstitials, but updated it to the plane POV done in full 3D. The animator Ehren Addis, a pilot himself, rigged and finished the work out for them.

The MGFX team bought a model online but it lacked the details, and the level of finish needed to sell the idea, so I was tasked at re-doing the entire outer skin of the plane. 

You can view PART I here.

Cheers, THOM

3D Conceptual designer posts pass the 3000 mark.

3D Conceptual Designer Passes 3000 mark for Portfolio Images

I started this blog to create an online record of my Entertainment Design work and to provide a resouce for aspiring artists to review actual production work in the conceptual design fields of, theme park, theatrical advertising, product design, and general entertainment design.

Late last week I passed the 3000 mark for images that I have posted here on my design blog since I began in October of 2009. You can search this blog easily via the Google toolbar, up top on the left,[white box] using standard keywords, or you can search via the tags on the right based on topics like, 3D-Logos, or sketches etc.

I plan to fully archive my work online here over the years with 2D, and 3D related design posts, along with stories of interest, tips and techniques via tutorials as well. I have about 1/3 of my work up so far.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Blood and Chocolate : Motion Graphics Style Frames 2006

 Verdigre aged Brass Type over concrete for this style frame for Blood and Chocolate.

 A Procedural layered Concrete with cross hatched lower layers with a dirt shader on this look.

 A brighter Golden look over Purple material[ satin-ish]

 This was fun in motion, as the background is a cracked glass in red so it is reflecting the type and skewing the reflections to create the shattered red effects behind the test, and when I moved the light it really read as a thickness.

 We had one tag line I modeled in 3D and animated as well, here was what we sent over.

An alternate early look with a blocked font over a cave wall [ prior to going back to Trajen]

Inside a Gothic cathedral I developed this look where the type did a slow drift forward.

Project Review

Blood and Chocolate

Motion Graphics Style Frames 2006

Client: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer[ M.G.M.] via The Cimarron Group.
Art Director: n/a.
Project Date:Fall 2006

After 6 years running a 3D department of one, at The Cimarron Group, I got the chance to work on over one hundred film Theatrical Trailers, with 80+ finishes, so it was a regular occurrence to create what are called "Style Frames".

These illustrate the intended look for the moving type, to be used to sell the looks for buy off before the labor to move it around is approved by the internal client first. I was asked to develop a few looks and so I did.

Though none of these were used in the finals, they all were shown. And as always I built the type as a Single Pointed Bevel with the Trajan font[ used every week in Advert's] and did a series of looks using the procedural textures I build in Dark Tree.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review:DVD Menu Design for The Cimarron Group Home Entertainment Reel 2008

 The first concept 3D design I did was this large single monitor CRT design, here it is rendered in ambient material with a dirt pass to exaggerate the cracks and design elements.

 Here is the textured color pass on the above first draft scene. A bunch of the 3D models they sell on TurboSquid are found in here[ Mic,Generator, etc.]

Here I clumped a bunch of various monitors together that would animate to create this menu. All types of video screens are found here.

Here is the above scene with a few monitors removed for the Blue RAY Menu.

 The final design, though not used was rendered at a full 1080p HD size for the final menus and intro aniamtions.

Project Review

DVD Menu Design for The Cimarron Group

Home Entertainment Division Reel 2008

Client: The Home Entertainment Division of The Cimarron Group.
Creative and Art Direction: George Anderson, and Brian Larson.
Project Date: June 2007- March 2008

While in-house as a 'One Man Army', running my little 3D department, I did a few projects for them, so they tasked me with the DVD Menus for the yearly reels we would send out to solicit business, and to highlight the accomplishments of the various teams.

I had in the past done quite a few DVD menu assets, animated and stills, for the Home Entertainment department, and an occasional 3D logo, so they had me design out theis menu screen with a Stempunk flair to it with a set of animated video monitors, and old TV's that would show off the companys work.

The project dragged out over they next year, and the assets as far as I know were never used, but as all design work is subject to the cutting room floor, that in no way discounts the great learning curve, and quite frankly the FUN I have doing the work.

I love steampunk, I did a lot of Jules Verne inspired designs since I was a kid as I grew up with Disney s 20,000 leagues Under the Sea, and that was the hot item growing up in the 70's for what is now called, "steampunk". Old TV's and all the hardware is fun to assemble along with the cast iron Victorian era-eaque' frames and wheels.

I learned early on, NOT to care if it finishes, enjoy the process the creation you made, as I know that the decision process in almost NEVER based on a good idea or art execution, but the temperment of the cilent that particular hour of the day, or even minute by minute[ just wait a minute they will change their mind again!].

Advertising is all about the clients EGO's, so for the young designers with wild eyes out there it is a wake up call, as to what they say in Design School, and as with all of life, some can deal with this sad truth, and some not.


Cheers, THOM

Project Review: The Phantom 2040- PARTLXXXIX [89th]-Various Video Displays

 In Sparks apartment, there was an Old 90's cathode ray tube TV[ CRT] needed in the script so BAM!

 A beat up dirty wall mounted display screen[ Like an intercom/pay phone]

 A Holographic Display box.

A heads up display from The Phantom 2o4o.

Phantom 2040-PART LXXXIX [89th]

Various Video Displays

Client: Hearst Animation Productions.
Art Director: Myself.
Project Date Spring 1993.

This is my 89th posting here on my design blog for my contributions to The Phantom 2040, and here I have posted four different technology displays that were used in the scripts for The Phantom 2040.

I Had to design lots of circa 2040[ current time for The Phantom] products, but I also had much  older props like 1990's displays as well. And bear in mind that I did the show in the 90's pre-flat screen era we enjoy now.

The variety I show today is a sampling of what I did on a regular basis as Art Director and Conceptual Designer for the series. A holographic cube display, that was a 360 display box. The World of The Phantom 2040 was filled with flat screen with touch based tech everywhere in the 90's, and this is where the great writing for the series really set it apart.

If you are a FAN of The Phantom 2040, and on FACEBOOK, there is a group dedicated to the show here.

There is a TAG on the list to the RIGHT for other Phantom 2o4o entry's, but you can click this as well.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review Game Show Key Art for X-Box: 2011 PART II

 Here is the new Game Show Set full 3D Illustrated Cover Key Art for Who Wants to be a Millionaire for 2011.

 A very simple back cover frame made from the "2011 Edition" plaque used on the cover art above sized to the screen grab.

  A Lower 3rd type of asset, this Contestant row with stage floor was rendered out and used for the Key Art for the 3rd years offering of 'The Price is Right' X-box cover I have worked on for Nomadic.

 

 Here is the back cover frames for the assets and description, a quick pick-up render made after the front is signed off on as well.

 

 

Here is a line up [again] generously provided to me by my client Greg Orlowski at Nomadic.

Project Review

Game Show Key Art for X-Box: 2011 

PART II

Client: Nomadic
Art Director: Greg Orlowski and Wynn Burton.
Project Date: Summer 2011.

In this, my second post for the 2011 versions of Game show Key Art, I have two additional games to review, Who wants to be a Millionaire, and The Price is Right. PART I for 2011 is here.

The main logos for both were reused from the existing logos that were created by me for Greg and Wynn last season.

The X-Box Game Who Wants to be a Millionaire 2011, was a full set and a large build to do. Also, it required the longest rendertime as the entire floor was reflective and refractive, as it was purple plexiglass. Also, the podium is frosted plexiglass, so I used the Sub-Surface-Scattering material in Final Render, there as well to simulate the effect of the lights on the actual podium.

The second was a smaller project with a contestant row with some microphones as well as the old styled "LED" readout in front of the Real Time Characters from the game. I also provided assets for the back covers for the screen grabs from the video game itself, which is a usual pick-up jog after the Key Art for the covers is done.

You can view the 2010: Key Art that I did here.

You can view the 2009: Online game screens for the X-Box titles here.

 

You can view the 2009 original Key Art here.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Logo Design for Homes by Farr: PART I

This first pass is always a 2D font picking exercise, with the main looks in both black on white, and white on black to get a general sense of the weight. From this image the craftsman influence came into play as the new direction, so this step , though off base for finish,  helps to pin point that direction.

Upon the direction, I had only one craftsman font installed[ that I owned] so I mocked this up and the direction was right, but we needed a better font.

Mike found a great font and bought it for the project and I developed a few looks and stacking to finalize the process[ a quick one].

 Once I built the 3D Single Point Beveled type for the main logo I did some craftsman gradients as some color tests.

Project Review: 

Logo Designs for Homes by Farr

PART I

Client: Mike Farr Owner Homes by Farr.
Art Direction: Collaboration with Mike and I.
Project Date: Summer 2011.

As a designer, I get the opportunity to help out folks with my design skills, and on certain occasions I get to do this for friends as well. These projects are very different since I know the client, so it is a bit of a change up from the "stranger" type of client who is only a professional contact, and this is 95% of my work.

Today is a posting of PART I, on the Corporate Logo I designed for Mike Farr,owner of, Homes by Farr out of Littleton Colorado, where I grew up. Mike is a fellow woodworker like me [ we both met in wood shop in 9th grade] so for this job, we went with a Craftsman style, a joint love of us both.

Today I cover the original designs in picking the font, as well as the first simple gradient color studys I did for a base direction. 

I plan to post the second part, with final 3D rendered logos used on the business cards and Real Estate Yard signs, as well as the website assets, though you can peek at them here.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Game Show X-Box Key Art 2011 PART I

 For 2011 I got a new Game Show title from Nomadic, the cover for Hole in Wall, for X-Box.

 Here is the back cover artwork for Hole in Wall, a re-purpose of a few items with a window wall for game shots[ typical]

 

 Here is the podium[ foreground element] used on the cover Key Art in front of  the 3D real time screen grabbed characters.

Here is the background bulb wall image used behind the foreground podium and characters on the cover for the 2011 edition of Family Feud.

Here is a line up generously provided by my client Greg Orlowski at Nomadic.

Project Review

Game Show Key Art for X-Box: 2011 

PART I

Client: Nomadic
Art Director: Greg Orlowski and Wynn Burton.
Project Date: Summer 2011.

I have had the pleasure of doing 3D Illustration work for Nomadic for about 5 years now, and every time, I have alot of fun with the subject matter.

I have done the last few years of Game Show Key Art 3D Illustration for the cover art front and back, so this year I had some additions to the existing logos that were reused from last season.

Today, in  PART I, I cover the Family Feud, and a new title this year, "Hole in Wall". I had a lot of fun working with Greg and Wynn again, a great client, helping to create the 3D assets that are used in their own final comps. We reused the logo, but all the foreground was new.

Next week, I plan to post the last two games shown in the above line up image, I did this season for them as well.

You can view the 2010: Key Art that I did here.

You can view the 2009: Online game screens for the X-Box titles here.

You can view the 2009 original Key Art here.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: The Phantom 2040- PARTLXXXVIII [88th]-More Misc Prop Designs

The Inductance Rope the Phantom swings from comes out of the Power-cuffs and expands out. Based off a Chinese Finger Trap.

Kit has everything in those cuffs he wears when he is The Phantom, this is a small detonation device.

The Phantom would regularly 'snoop' on the Madison gang, or Graft, so he had a little directional Microphone that animated out of the cuff.

Sean One wore a 'Wearable PC" on his forearm while floating in Zed-G.

Phantom 2040-PART LXXXVIII [88mph]

More Misc. Prop Design Sketches

Client: Hearst Animation Productions.
Art Director: Myself.
Project Date Spring 1993.

This is my 88th posting here on my design blog for my contributions to The Phantom 2040. Today I have added more cuff gadgets.

Working with a superhero that wears "Power-Cuffs" like our hero here, The Phantom 2040, I had to constantly create new little things that would pop up in the story out of the cuffs. I also did some arm based computers like the wearable PC Sean One uses in zero gravity spce as seen above as well. Sometimes they are a fast design,a nd soem required a bit more thought.

Above posted today, my favorite is the Inductance rope. As an ID[ Industrial Design] grad, I am always trying to figure stuff out via reverse engineering, so how the hell can you fit a long rope in a cuff[ Yea Spiderman, where the hell to you store the wrist web goo, WAIT!!!, I do not want to know]].

So for my design I looked to a toy from the 50's, those little woven Chinese finger traps. I figured that you could compress some ultra thin carbon fiber woven fabric down to get a good 200 feet squeezed down into a compressed Air-Bag to deploy the rope out to swing to save the day.

If you are a FAN of The Phantom 2040, and on FACEBOOK, there is a group dedicated to the show here.

There is a TAG on the list to the RIGHT for other Phantom 2o4o entry's, but you can click this as well.

Cheers, THOM