# Vielmond's Works



## Nihal (Jan 27, 2013)

So... I'm not sure of what exactly I've googled to end here, but when I noticed I was already devouring the forum contents. I only know I've stumbled on the most interesting discussions and decided to join the fun.
(English isn't my mother language, I apologise in advance for any spelling mistakes and funny sounding phrases)

I am a concept artist and I work mostly with games. A concept artist is a kind of illustrator, but not exactly... Often we have to put someone else's ideas on paper like an illustrator, but it's even more common to receive a really generic briefing like "the game is about a boy and it have puzzles, make it awesome, ok?". So, like a storyteller we not only come up with designs but ideas.

I'm not spectacular or anything, I earn my living and I could be considered one of the good ones of my area, but I seriously think of myself as a student. I'm shit at global level, slow, lost and not really creative. ^^'

Anyway... here goes a bunch of personal works.
Kinda old, but I like it. I played some D&D campaign using her. An anti-hero warlock who actually helped the heroes party... but was, in fact, really as evil as she looked like and was using them reach the target of her revenge. Yay? 








The ones below are related to my own story, it's a kind of sandbox that I use to hone various skills.

Here I was trying to pretend that I know how to do line joins (dunno the correct term, it's a kind of technical lineart >.<'). Those vehicles often have bird-like feet and they run to take flight. The most of them aren't designed for long journeys, and this type below is an "interceptor" class, it was created to literally harpoon other of these out of the skyes.

Sorry about the name, it's a placeholder until I think in a better name, and a big lol to my handwriting.






Sometimes I just need to spit out an idea. It's not really meaningful to anyone else besides me.






One of the wisest and most playful (even a bit wicked) characters I've created so far, Doon. Yes, those are real wings. Why not turn the leftovers of your meal into a beautiful outfit?





I died painting this one. Really...

Ok, I've reached the 4 pictures limit, now I'm going to blend in the internet shadows again.


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## The Writer's Realms (Jan 28, 2013)

Very cool! I love your style. Would love to see some more.


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## CupofJoe (Jan 29, 2013)

I think your work look great and I love the idea of the Avis...


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## Nihal (Jan 29, 2013)

Thanks The Writer's Realms! Some people say they like my style, yet I've also heard say I lack a style, hahahah! Anyway, I'm glad you liked it.

CupofJoe, I liked the idea so much that it has been with me for years, hah. A vehicle that can literally run appeals for me in a way I just can't understand. I just imagine being inside it while it's taking flight, how it would swing when each leg touchs the ground.

I imagine its pannel with all sort of controls and levers and how you would be able to control the legs manually pulling some specific devices. The design itself is inspired by Leonardo DaVinci's designs (they're pure epiciness), I love the idea of blending nature concepts with science.

... but, well, I'm not settled yet with the general style of this class of vehicles.

More works... :<

Random landscape...






And another random one!







I passed a whole year drawing things in this style. It's not like I don't like it, but I guess that the short deadlines and the thighness of the lineart made me a bit crazy.







Oh, another running machine! It's a scrap for a game that never saw the light, the briefing was "Create a crazy-looking vehicle for a dreamland. I like the look of different parts and things into one.". Uhm, ok. The fishes are a bonus!


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## Jamber (Feb 4, 2013)

Fantastic art, just fantastic, Nihal. Bit of Miyazaki in that last one? Beautiful. My favourite though is that long black chamber with the flowing red-trained figure moving through it, so haunting.

Oh, and the little red spaceship one... And the wavy line art one... And the anti-hero warlock...
Actually all of them.
Seriously, they're terrific.


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## Jabrosky (Feb 4, 2013)

The first picture (the one with the "barbarian"-looking warlock) is my favorite by far, but it's all good stuff you have here.


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## Nihal (Feb 5, 2013)

I'm glad you liked it!

Jamber, yup, it endend turning in some kind of Howl's Moving Castle. I stole my own idea of bird's feet from the Avis vehicle, and mixing with different elements it ended so... Miyazaki. Well, I like Miyazaki!

It's funny you liked the red cloak one. People usually don't care so much about this one. I like it too, I have a problem with colors, I like to use many many colors and the work usually ends too happy.


Jabrosky, I think I'm going to play using her again. I'm going to change her personality, she won't be evil anymore but gloomy and a bit sarcastic anyway. I can finally get rid of this "unfinished business" feeling and enjoy more a barely used character. Yay!

Oh, well... some more stuff.

Fake fake fake book cover! I like this one, even if it's sketchy. I find black a hard color to use.







Sketch... I'm trying to muster some courage to paint this one. He's not supposed to use an armor, but I need to create a gameish demo for my students and armors are a tricky subject, if you overdo the reflections it looks really bad. u.u







The guy's face.







My real life sketchbook. It's a safe haven where I can study real life things and other artists works and design solutions.


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## Nihal (Feb 20, 2013)

Two of the first character... One is recent, a lazy doodle to visualize her clothing, the other is older, I've found on my old HD and tweaked it.












Emo feelings fitting well my awful rolls.

Ok, enough of her. When my hands get better I hope I can go back to the elaborated paintings. u.u


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## Zero Angel (Feb 20, 2013)

Nihal said:


> Two of the first character... One is recent, a lazy doodle to visualize her clothing, the other is older, I've found on my old HD and tweaked it.
> 
> Emo feelings fitting well my awful rolls.
> 
> Ok, enough of her. When my hands get better I hope I can go back to the elaborated paintings. u.u



Really dig your style, Nihal. Thanks for sharing the new images! 

What happened to your hands? Are you OK?


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## Nihal (Feb 20, 2013)

Thanks! I'm fine, no need to worry. Tendinitis I guess, in the past I stopped for some days and I would be fine, now it's not going away.

I've already scheduled a visit to a doctor.


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## Jamber (Feb 21, 2013)

"lazy doodle", heavens above -- she looks ready to spring to life. So much energy in your style, Nihal.
Good luck with the tendonitis (if that's what it is).
Thanks again for sharing,
Jennie


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## Nihal (Feb 26, 2013)

It's funny, because I find my style so... boring. Hahaha. I like to draw semi-expressionless characters and such.

Today's doodle. Her temporary name is Rowena, she's an old secondary character from my "sandbox" story. I don't know why she's wearing an armor while holding a flame (??). She's one of the owners of an inn and her weapon of choice is a kind of crossbow. Well, when you get possessed by inspiration you don't ask questions, you just draw. ._.







P.s.: Went to doctor today, he passed a bunch of exams. Let's see wtf I have.


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## Ankari (Feb 26, 2013)

I do like your style.  It has an edgy, gritty feel.

Hope everything is well!


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## OGone (Feb 27, 2013)

Been through your deviantart, in love with your art style and character designs. Thanks for sharing all of these!


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## Zero Angel (Feb 27, 2013)

Nihal said:


> It's funny, because I find my style so... boring. Hahaha. I like to draw semi-expressionless characters and such.
> 
> Today's doodle. Her temporary name is Rowena, she's an old secondary character from my "sandbox" story. I don't know why she's wearing an armor while holding a flame (??). She's one of the owners of an inn and her weapon of choice is a kind of crossbow. Well, when you get possessed by inspiration you don't ask questions, you just draw. ._.
> 
> ...



I'd say this is my favorite I've seen of yours so far. Very cool. Kinda' reminds me of the style Final Fantasy XII had for their characters.


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## Nihal (Mar 9, 2013)

@Ankari
Thanks, sir! I'm still searching for a sweet spot where I can keep it painterly, but not too much.

@OGone
Yay, thank you!

@Zero Angel
I often like the FF franchise designs, although I didn't play a single game of them, hehe.


I'm fine now, the medications prescribed for me are working really well! I'm going to start with physiotherapy too, it seems.

*Fun fact: I have no idea of the true colors of the artworks below, I did all of them on my laptop and the display sucks. I hate pale colors anyway. *

So, I was practicing random faces and such to train some varied skills. The top two of them are these two portraits, I advanced a little further in these.











And... this one. I was painting it, did a stroke of red on the woman's face and thought "Hey, she looks like Delphine!", a character from an anime called Last Exile. So, suddenly, fanart!


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## Sparkie (Mar 9, 2013)

How did I miss all this before?!?

You're awesome, Nihal!  Terrific stuff!  I could easily see you doing book covers professionally.  Hell, if I could finish something literary I'd have you do the art for it.  Have you ever considered illustrating a story?


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## JoseVega (Mar 9, 2013)

Hey Nihal!!!!
Great works... its great to see a fellow artist around here!


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## Zero Angel (Mar 9, 2013)

Nihal said:


>



This is a spectacular portrait! (they're all good, but this is especially so in my opinion).

Glad to hear you've been successfully doctored!


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## Nihal (Mar 10, 2013)

*@Sparkie*
Thanks!!~~

When a child, as any child, I doodled, but I started to draw again when the fourth Harry Potter book came out. I loved the covers, so, yeah, you can say I wished to do covers, haha. Unfortunately there aren't so many fantasy writers around here (willing to pay, at least. They love to offer "divulgation" xD), so I stuck with games, which is an awesome area too.


*@JoseVega*
You should create an topic with some of your works. Don't forget the dragon heads, I fell in love with their designs. ^^


*@Zero Angel*
I'm always picking some points out of my comfort zone to draw. This one was this angle, and hair rendering.

I'm starting to pick up again with my daily routine. I was really down in December-January, but now I'm fine. Yay!

--
Update. A 30min speedpaint made after the storm last night. I'm really comfortable with grasslands now, they're a great thing to paint to relax. In a real work this would be the first stage only.


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## Jabrosky (Mar 10, 2013)

Are those dark green things toward the background trees or mountains?


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## Nihal (Mar 13, 2013)

Jabrosky said:


> Are those dark green things toward the background trees or mountains?


At this point, they could be anything. 

The trick here is, since it's not a commissioned work with a tightly defined idea, to worry more about the composition and mood and less about the details until you advance further in the painting. Just have in mind the possible outcomes (mountains, plants, ruins, bones, etc) and let them float in your mind until you need to refine them.

----
Update, one silly painting and two random things.

It has been a time since I last draw some doll-ish character. So I went through a page I haven't visited for a while, of an amazing porcelain dolls maker (*NSFW *- Beauty and the Beast - Enchanted Doll by Marina Bychkova) and made a lazy study of one, trying to figure out what makes it beautiful, painting a hair color I don't usually do, etc.








My little secret when I'm painting landscapes - well, when painting anything usually. I look at the thumbnail! If it reads I know the composition and contrast are ok.
(fullview)






Aaand, what I've been doing lately. Not a painting, really.
Some time ago I created a stylized map using the 3D from photoshop to give it a nice effect. The problem was that it's 3D engine is highly inefficient, crashing when I tried to create a print-size version.

I decided to look for a workaround and finally managed to get something satisfactory with the less wheel-reinventing possible.
(fullview)






To whom may concern: Basically I loaded my land's cutout in Illustrator, transformed in a vector using some automatic functions, exported in a new format, loaded in Blender (awesome opensource 3D software), transformed in a mesh, treated and extruded aaand exported back to PS. Uff.

Expect a fancy map soon.
(Yes, mayhap I have creative ADHD xD)


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## Zero Angel (Mar 13, 2013)

The thumbnail tip is brilliant, and I always appreciate all of the suggestions that you have concerning art. 



Nihal said:


> The problem was that it's 3D engine is highly inefficient, crashing when I tried to create a print-size version.



Common English issue (since your signature asks to correct your English): "it's" is always "it is" or "it has", and "its" shows possession of an object. So we would say "its 3D engine". 

Still, over weeks of seeing you on the forums, this is the first time I've noticed an issue. Most native-born speakers have more difficulty than you.


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## Nihal (Mar 13, 2013)

Zero Angel said:


> The thumbnail tip is brilliant, and I always appreciate all of the suggestions that you have concerning art.


You're welcome.

A sketch like this can take 20 min only when you're at your best shape, so, it's better to start with big brushes and determine these points than taking 2h+ to refine a painting and discover that the composition won't work as expected.




Zero Angel said:


> Common English issue (since your signature asks to correct your English): "it's" is always "it is" or "it has", and "its" shows possession of an object. So we would say "its 3D engine".
> 
> Still, over weeks of seeing you on the forums, this is the first time I've noticed an issue. Most native-born speakers have more difficulty than you.



Oooh, thanks! My English classes at school weren't good (standard stuff like "the book is on the table"), but a teacher taught this one *wrongly* - as if "its" didn't exist, saying that "it's" was possessive. I was really young and it's so deeply rooted in my mind that I have to constantly watch out for this mistake.


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## Jabrosky (Mar 13, 2013)

I rather like the map!


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## JoseVega (Mar 13, 2013)

hey!! cool stuff!! like your painterly feel!


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## Nihal (Apr 9, 2013)

I should post here more often! I'm too lazy to find where I placed the file with my new avatar–It's nothing oomp anyway, just a floating head–, so will post the most recent random painting I've done. I created a timelapse (oooooooh), but it's a bit wonky, heh.

A new rpg character deserves a new portrait! I've made a bunch of alt versions, just for the fun. Actually, I do a lot of this while painting, sketch alt designs and scrapping them later.



Full version






















Full version Full version Full version


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## Nihal (Apr 9, 2013)

The timelapse! It won't allow me to post 5 images. u.u


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## Ireth (Apr 9, 2013)

*squee* Yay, it's Eth! ^^ She reminds me of Merida from _Brave_.


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## Nihal (Apr 9, 2013)

Thanks!

I guess the comparision is inevitable... I can't think of many redhead characters without an unnatural straight hair, I think Merida is the most outstanding one.


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## ThomasCardin (Apr 10, 2013)

Beautiful work. I love your loose style and textural quality.


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## Nihal (Apr 27, 2013)

Something I did in January, I think, and dug out of my old PC. Again started as a random rendering study and ended becoming a Claymore fanart. I just can't draw those hairstyles that look like a helmet! ^^'







Timelapse, of course.






I've been thinking about recording a whole painting process, speed it up to not take 2h+ heh, and commenting it. Not sure if people will enjoy it.


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## JoseVega (May 2, 2013)

very very cool!!!!! keep it up


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## Wynnara (May 8, 2013)

Love the painterly, gritty quality of your style. A lot of pro-stuff I see feels overly polished and artificial, but this has that great hand-made feel to it even though it's done in Photoshop.


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## Zero Angel (May 16, 2013)

Nihal said:


> I've been thinking about recording a whole painting process, speed it up to not take 2h+ heh, and commenting it. Not sure if people will enjoy it.



Well you know I will enjoy it, but I enjoy everything you post. I'd say, it if it's too much trouble for you that lots of people might find it helpful or informative.


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## Asura Levi (May 16, 2013)

I believe is not the first time I tell you but your style is wonderful. It always make me wish I had any artistic (drawing/painting) talent.


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## CL Frey (May 19, 2013)

I love your painterly style!


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## Nihal (May 19, 2013)

Thank you, guys! Once I went to this free style I didn't want to go back, heh. I only need to tame it now.

@Zero Angel
Hehe, it's an idea I've been toying with for a while. I want to make it right, so it'll take some time until I can really start to do it. Get the setup ready, have the time to record and edit, record the commentaries (I think I'll go for two videos, one in english and one in portuguese) etc.
---

It's impossible to use my display at the moment, so I've been taking it as an opportunity to get other things going on my free time (coding my portfolio *cough cough*). So, here goes a little teaser from something I've made ages ago for a yet-to-be-released game. It was a huge landscape in wide-format and took me many, many hours, even if it's a bit empty.


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## Nihal (Sep 2, 2013)

I even have stuff I can post, but I've not posted here for a while because... I'm lazy!

Shameful self portrait. I don't like to do self portraits, I'm afraid I don't know my face well enough (lol). I did this to change my deviant ID, I hated the previous one and... boom. Daily deviation. It was scary. o.o








WIP of something for a serie of mysterious somethings I hopefully will be able to finish before the year ends. =.=








Another something. This one is more advanced than the screen below, almost finished, but I don't want to kill my PC atm opening the full file.








Doodle! A character called Idris and a dragonling (working name).


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## Zero Angel (Sep 3, 2013)

Fantastic as always! I know I've said it before, but I love your style. All your paintings are gorgeous. I loved the dragonling and your humans were beautiful.


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## Jabrosky (Sep 3, 2013)

I like the dragonling too. He reminds me of the feathered tyrannosauroid dinosaur Yutyrannus.


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## Nihal (Sep 4, 2013)

*@Zero Angel*
Thank you! I like pretty things, heh, so it's fair I try to keep up with my standards. xD

*@Jabrosky*
Yeah. Feathered dinosaurs and creatures like the dragon from the _Neverending Story_ played some part in this creature idea. I wanted to deviate from the classical dragon, create a gracious creature to fill the role of pretty-but-deadly predator.

One old sketchbook page with dragonling doodles:








I've never painted one until this artwork in my last post. Tell me about procrastination... :x

***

Oh, anyone here reads the Order ot the Stick? Here is my take on Durkon:







I was proud I got out of my comfort zone with this one. A little disturbed by the wonky result, but still happy I've accomplished something heh.


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## Nihal (Oct 31, 2013)

A witch for your Halloween! 
I'll be working on some prints for November-December, therefore I expect to have some new stuff to show here.







Timelapse, etc: Coming this November... Exclusive sneak peek! (...) - Vielmond's Blog


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## Zero Angel (Nov 1, 2013)

As always, LOVE YOUR WORK!

That last image took my breath away!


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## Nihal (Nov 1, 2013)

Thank you, sir! I'm glad you like my work this much, that means a lot to me.

I'm trying to learn to sketch as those insanely good people who sketch things I drool all over. I'm bad at shading and I hate to get graphite smudges on my hands hahaha. Here are the pages immediately after the one I posted, with studies from random photos and stuff.







Since I'm already posting, one close up from one old piece I'm working on right now, aka Ms. Badass:


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## Abbas-Al-Morim (Nov 2, 2013)

Things on the right page of the sketching book are from Dark Souls, no? I recognize the talismans used by clerics. And the big shield looked familiar too. 

I should probably go finish that game sometimes, even though it has caused me several depressions so far.


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## Nihal (Nov 2, 2013)

Exactly. I've got my hands on the artbook and some stuff there seemed to have interesting designs/textures/shading to do some studies. xD

I haven't played the game yet, but I'm curious given how difficult it is.


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## Abbas-Al-Morim (Nov 5, 2013)

It's a beautiful game with great atmosphere. The game mechanics are wonderful, the visual style very appealing and very much in tune with the game's content. 

But you should probably invest in some handkerchiefs before playing it.


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## Joe the Gnarled (Nov 7, 2013)

Nihal,

I read your first post and did a quick run through of the rest of this thread.  I love your work.  This is the opinion of someone who lacks any artistic ability, but I think you have talent.  Keep it up!


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## Nihal (Nov 22, 2013)

Thanks Joe, I'm glad you like it. Every time someone says they like my work it makes my day. 

An update of the little close up I've posted earlier while I wait deviantART's print system proccess it... Here goes the finished version:







*[Close-ups!]*

YES, eyepatch+dual crossbows, deal with it!


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## Jackarandajam (Nov 22, 2013)

MORE!!!! Just found this… Incredible work!


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## Quillstine (Nov 23, 2013)

These are utterly fantastic........


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## Nihal (Dec 7, 2013)

Thank you! 

More stuff I've just released recently, some dating back to October. They might look familiar!
That's sad, I can only post 4 pics.












Poor desolated stick salespeople.


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## Zero Angel (Dec 7, 2013)

It's so nice since I started following your blog I get to see these as soon as you post them!


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## Nihal (Dec 8, 2013)

You also get to see the bad ones. =P

Actually, I've been posting with some delay even there. Some things I'm supposed to post on fridays or earlier, but I'm just not having enough time to do that. I have a stash of nearly finished personal WIPs just waiting to be finished and brought to the daylight.


Random blades doodling.






Random "I forgot how to _arm_" sketch.


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## The Construct (Dec 8, 2013)

I'd give my left ear to be able to make works of art as good as your *random doodles*!


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## Foah (Dec 8, 2013)

I've always wanted to learn how to paint well, and got my butt up and started practicing this week. Now I'm not sure at all, your work is just mind=blown good; hard to imagine ever being able to paint like this, not even after a decade's worth of practice ^^


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## Nihal (Dec 9, 2013)

Construct, you can keep your ear and invest time and effort instead. It's very similar to writing. =P

Oh, Foah... You know nothing, Jon Foah. :x
If you don't slack off like me and keep your mind open you'll be much better in 10 years.

In 2008 I had this character. This unfinished painting is a good example of the apogee of my skills at that time, and I had gone through a looong journey of in-class doodles already.






In 2012, I was here:






In December of 2011, I tentatively painted this scene. I had already entered my textured/no lines phase, but I had no clue of what I was doing, and landscapes were terrifying.






In December of 2012, I repainted the scene recreating the same conditions (time, level of finish, random canvas ratio...).






(I have a better example, from 2004, my first digital painting, but I didn't finish the rework yet, so you'll have to wait for that one. I can say it's gold, haha!)

Sometimes you progress in leaps. Others it's incredibly, painfully slow. You look at your work, you clench your teeth, you ask yourself why do you bother, you wonder if you'll be ever good. It's never good enough. During 2008—2012 I spent a whole year not drawing; I suspect that even if I kept drawing I wouldn't have improved during that convoluted times. I hadn't the eye, I hadn't the maturity. To put it simply, I wasn't ready.

During 2011—2012 my skill level didn't change that much, but the way I perceived the world changed. My dedication also changed.


Give one step at a time. If you try to grasp too much at once you will fail and get upset (I do, at least!). Observe the world around you, try to understand it instead of literally copying it and _never_ skip something because you will never use it, "it's not your style" or something. That's self sabotage!

In 2008 I couldn't imagine I would end using nearly no lineart and texture work. I kept my lineart discreet but shied away from mixed colors, same-layer works, messy edges. It wasn't "my style", I didn't want to even try, I feared them. Silly me.


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## Nihal (Dec 9, 2013)

P.s. because I can't post 5 images at once: If you want to see Doon grinning creepily in another thanking post...








I know I can do better but I didn't bother–my lack of patience is my greatest enemy nowadays, sometimes I just think "**** this ****" and leave personal works kinda half-assed. I'm still giving one or two steps at a time.


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## Wynnara (Dec 9, 2013)

The Construct said:


> I'd give my left ear to be able to make works of art as good as your *random doodles*!



I'll second that!


I'm actually really interested in what sorts of Photoshop brushes you use for your technique. A lot of what I've done so far comes out looking quite soft--an uber-airbrush sort of look which is okay, but I'm not super wild about. What I really like about your stuff is that textured painterly effect to it. I don't know if you have any tutorials or work-in-progress flows for your pieces, but if you do please point me that way.


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## Zero Angel (Dec 9, 2013)

Nihal said:


> You also get to see the bad ones. =P



There's no such thing!


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## Asdrubael (Dec 9, 2013)

These are absolutely beautiful. I love your use of texture and color. c: Can't wait to see more.


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## Lumani (Dec 11, 2013)

A couple of other members were bragging you up so I had to come take a peek! You have some amazing talent!!  I will definitely be coming back to view more of your work!


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## Nihal (Dec 11, 2013)

Stop threatening your poor ears, people! D:

Zero Angel, you liar! Oh, and Lumani, who bragged where? 


@Wynnara
I use hard edge brushes unless I'm adjusting the contrast/colors with overlay layers or adding some atmospheric fog. I'm the pen-pressure type of artist, so I usually keep it on for my brushes instead of doing manual opacity control. However, I lower the tablet sensibility and sometimes change the minimum brush opacity to avoid muddy colors.

I also do not rely on blur and smudging tools to blend the colors, which helps to avoid the soft look.

My preferred brushes are the simplest ones, a flat one in SAI, a round brush with no texture on PS. I'm experimenting with other brushes on PS now, some flat and angular stuff that help to build the "perspective feel" quickly + one bristled-ish, vegetation stuff, but usually I only work with textures towards the end.

I have this old, stinky half assed step-by-step here: [PT - Intermediate] Coloring Technique by vielmond on deviantART
Sometimes I do timelapses too, but they have no explanation. I don't have exactly a workflow, I do what I think it'll better. I'm pretty chaotic. Right now I'm leaning less towards the texture image overlay approach and more on the brushwork approach, experimenting with sharpening effects and chromatic aberration after done painting.

--

Just to update that thing, a sketch I've done another day: Vaarsuvius from the Order of the Stick. S/he doesn't look ambiguous enough.


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## Lumani (Dec 11, 2013)

GeekDavid and a few other senior members mentioned your wonderful talent lastnight and urged me to take a look!


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## Wynnara (Dec 13, 2013)

Thanks for all the tips. I took a run at it last night and you can see the result in this thread. Obviously more practice is needed, but it was really fun to just let myself be rough and not obsess over a bazillion Photoshop layers.


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## Zero Angel (Dec 23, 2013)

*Don't know how to comment on your blog* -_-

Congratulations on being approved for INPRNT!


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## Nihal (Dec 25, 2013)

Thanks! Wynnara, you're welcome. Isn't it fun? You should try the bigger brushes to smaller brushes approach next, you'd be surprised by how quickly you can build shapes and volumes this way. 

Zero Angel, thank you! Their print service seems to rock, and their artists selection is impressive. I'm flattered to be accepted there.
I'm lazy and didn't implement comments on my Tumblr, I don't get many accesses anyway. People usually message, use the ask option or reblog to comment on things there, but I don't think it's possible to do those things without signing in.


Just to say I've posted something, photo studies I've done some while ago. Too lazy to scan/save other things, and I have a bunch of WIPs I don't want/can't post yet.


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## Nihal (Feb 17, 2014)

The thing with working with games is that they take a considerable time to be finished. I don't always get to show something fresh, and by the time I can show something I've already improved my skills and have better works to expose.


This is a three panels environment I've created 2 years ago for a local game studio, the prompt was "make something badass", haha. Unlike most old works I've liked this piece in particular, so, enjoy.


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## Svrtnsse (Feb 17, 2014)

I guess it's NDAs etc that prevent you from showing off recent work?
Did the game get released and how did it end up looking if it did?

Looks like a pretty harsh environment


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## The Construct (Feb 17, 2014)

THAT definitely looks pretty badass.


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## Nihal (Feb 18, 2014)

The Construct, I reckon I can say "mission accomplished!" then. 



Svrtnsse, smaller studios either have no NDA at all or really strict ones. Once a studio wanted to make me sign an agreement on top of a NDA that would forbid me to work on any other project with similar themes (e.g.: Painted a fantasy landscape? No more fantasy landscapes for anyone else!). xD

The studio I've done this landscape in particular had no NDA, I've waited out of courtesy. Since they put a version of this painting on their site I've added it to my portfolio too. This game wasn't released yet.


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## Nihal (Mar 4, 2014)

I am lazy, I won't scan my sketchbook pages. Here is a shameful speedpaint where I've played a bit with the dreaded blur and some edge highlight effects instead.


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## Lumani (Mar 5, 2014)

Nihal said:


> I am lazy, I won't scan my sketchbook pages. Here is a shameful speedpaint where I've played a bit with the dreaded blur and some edge highlight effects instead.



I really love this view point T_T I've seen the blurred affect before but havn't been brave enough to try...I might have to suck it up sometime! I am very jealous of your painting technique!


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## Nihal (Mar 5, 2014)

It's scary, isn't it? I really want to master the "blur by big brushstrokes" approach, more or less like this (less than more!):







...but mastering the traditional defocused effect is fundamental. The rights tools for the right work, you know.

In the stick saleswoman piece instead of relying on the smudge/blur tool—which can lead to a serious case of _smudgetitis_—I've tried the Lens Blur filter. It's neat! By creating a mask (then disabling it and selecting the artwork layer) you can control the focal distance and other details, and it looks really professional.


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## Nihal (Apr 22, 2014)

Many WIPs or works waiting to be released, nothing from the last month interesting to show, so, have a funny looking study I've digged up another day instead:


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## Nihal (Jul 13, 2014)

Quick update, personal stuff first. 4 images limit...







Ris Megroth is not a single volcanic region or island, but a whole blazing continent. It’s said you can see the fire on the sky and taste metal on your tongue before you’re able to spy its shores. It’s thought that such inhospitable land is uninhabited. It can’t be said for sure–you just don’t sail anywhere close it.

When ash fall occurs in the southern shores of Thyse, all the way across the ocean, be sure a cruel, long winter is about to happen.

---

My own take on RagnarÃ¶k Online's thief. Sweet memories.













Meanwhile I'm still doing studies and doodling on my sketchbook, but it's mostly worthless stuff.


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## Nihal (Jul 15, 2014)

It has been some time since I last did a timelapse gif, and I've not draw something from my own stories for a long while as well, so, enjoy; and sorry for the flood. :x


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## Nihal (Aug 8, 2014)

I've set some very clear goals for myself and I'm determined to improve, so lately I've been stepping a lot outside my comfort zone and trying new techniques. In the last months (maybe years? haha) I've started a lot of personal pieces, now I've been rescuing and slowly finishing them. Added to some recent commissions they'll be used to renovate my portfolio. 











She's quite a charmer. For some unknown reason people liked her very much! Quite a feat for a female without cleavage.







And a rough WIP. For someone who paints fantasy themes the lack of dragons in my portfolio is shameful! Time to change that.







Images limit reached, I'll post more stuff another day.


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## Sir Tristram (Aug 12, 2014)

These are all amazing.


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## Nihal (Sep 19, 2014)

Thank you!

I had a number of personal projects going on for months, and since I last posted I managed to finish at least one of them, my new portfolio site: vielmond.com.br

There are still a number of WIPs fermenting on my HD. I use them as a warm up, study for other pieces or just to chill by painting something rougher. Cards can be very draining, and sometimes I just want to do something less polished.

I'm working on some stuff I can't show yet, and what I can doesn't is too crude still, so here is one of these warm ups/studies.


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## Addison (Sep 19, 2014)

....WOW! :coool!: I am blown away, your work is amazing. Terrific job.


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## Nihal (Oct 28, 2014)

One or two months ago I've set my little project in motion again. First I've written quite a number of chapters, and planned a couple more.

Then I rescued some sketches from my bottomless WIP folder. Some ideas have been sitting there for two years! I'm using them as studies as well, of course, sharpening my skills. There's no better opportunity to experiment than this.


Scene from a legend of this world, linked to the origin of magic and the big bads.







Ashfall. First glimpse at the place the book starts.







A splash of color to break these grays a little! Also a scene from the beginning of the book. Same forest from above seen through over-saturated lens, in different angle and season.







Partial timelapse of one of those other WIPs. The main character reveals her face, at last!


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## T.Allen.Smith (Oct 28, 2014)

Very nice as always.

That timeplapse is interesting. I wonder if you could include timelapse art effectively in an e-book somehow?


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## Nihal (Oct 28, 2014)

Interesting line of thought.

I believe it's not in the standards, thus the support across readers will be inconsistent. I know that some versions of Adobe's reader support SWFs (flash animations) for PDFs, Calibre _should_ be able to display animated GIFs for EPUBs, this sort of thing. I wouldn't make from this a central idea in a project.

This is the reason online art magazines still feature written tutorials with regular images, coming bundled with separate videos at best.


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## Philip Overby (Oct 29, 2014)

I have a question. What do you use to make this art? I'm always wowed how cool it looks. I'm experimenting with art these days and I'm looking for different ways to experiment (actual paint, software, etc.)

I really like the time lapses as well. It's cool to see how it evolves.


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## Nihal (Oct 29, 2014)

I use mainly Photoshop + Wacom Tablet (drawing tablet, not those pseudo-pcs). I have an Intuos4 and a Bamboo for backup purposes, which is smaller and perfect for travel or for when I feel too lazy to set up the Intuos. My desk, so you can see the tablet:







I use the default hard round brush a lot, and I've been fooling with other brushes lately. I talked about specs and posted links for the sets here.

I rarely do traditional stuff, and I have been always incompetent with real paint, ending with more of it on my forehead than on the paper. It's ironic that someone with a "painterly" style never touched a canvas, but that's the truth. That doesn't keep me from observing traditional paintings though, and attempting to learn from them.

You're more than right in doing experiments! Painting is all about observing the world, looking for answers and trying new things.


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## ascanius (Nov 13, 2014)

Nihal said:


> I use mainly Photoshop + Wacom Tablet (drawing tablet, not those pseudo-pcs). I have an Intuos4 and a Bamboo for backup purposes, which is smaller and perfect for travel or for when I feel too lazy to set up the Intuos. My desk, so you can see the tablet:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Cant believe I didn't see this post till now.

I'm having the opposite problem.  I get the color theory behind oilpaints, I still suck but I get the idea of using the split compliment to go lighter or darker.  Doesn't work with digital painting to my continual frustration, the colors behave weirdly and you cant really mix colors like in real life.  Though I read Photoshop can now do that.  Adding black or white feels wrong but I'm getting used to it.  Thus far I've mostly done still life but their turning out very nice.  My biggest problem right now is textures.

Your work has a very oil painting with the knife quality mixed with impressionism.  Do you go for that look or does it just happen.  Have you done any other styles?


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## Nihal (Nov 17, 2014)

I suppose the saturation and vibrancy are more noticeable in digital paintings due the nature of the medium. If you always mix pure colors it'll look very saturated and even muddy. I can't really compare with oils since I've never used oils, but painting digitally takes a little practice to get the colors right. I not only use triadic colors as a starting point but I do a initial soft stroke, colorpick the result (Alt hotkey) and use _this_ color.

I've been also experimenting with less saturated colors, including grays, due their flexibility when placed next a cool or warm color. Truth to be told I don't follow specific rules, I just try to understand the reason behind the things and twist it to my purposes, first and foremost following my guts when it comes to color choices.

Speaking of Photoshop I hated the blending tool. Too slow and unnatural.

I love the texture of "painterly" things. It's intentional, and I had various accidents along the way before figuring out how to control my brushstrokes in an acceptable way, haha. I painted in other "styles" in the past, doing a smoother rendering, even very anime-ish, but that's boring. I did some stuff like that for games in studios I've worked at too. E.g.:







The guy was made by another artist, but I had to change his expression and pose, and did everything else in the splash excluding logo design. Not exactly my cup of tea.

--
Just to say I've posted new things...

My second experiment to verify the viability of incorporating 3D in my workflow.














Young Kvothe! I have this absolute love and hate relationship with _The Kingkiller Chronicle_.







Yep, I'm perfectly aware that he doesn't look manly.


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## ascanius (Nov 18, 2014)

Haha, know what you mean about the kingkiller chronicles, though i'm leaning more towards right now.  

Took me a while to understand the saturation problem you mentioned.  My first go at digital painting I went with saturated colors and like you said it makes things muddy.  

If you don't like the photoshop blend tool you might want to check out krita.  It's geared towards digital painting so lacks a lot of the photo editing aspects and tools that are present in gimp and photoshop.  The one thing I love about Krita is I can blend/smudge and paint with the same brush.  I hear that it can be slow on windows though.

My biggest problem is getting the colors right, taking the time to do still lifes has helped a lot.  making the transition from greyscale to color for volume took getting used to.

If I may offer some crizicism.  In the painting with the floating metalic orb I think light would be reflected off the orb and light up the rock face on the right rock formation.  I think it might help to create better intigration with the 3d and 2d.

One other question.  What dimensions/ppi settings do you use?  In the painting i posted I use 7200x10800 though I noticed when I scaled the image to post it became grainy.


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## MartinHall (Jan 6, 2015)

Hi - just want to say I love the style of your work.


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## Folderol (Jan 24, 2015)

Very fresh, Nihal, with excellent energy -- entirely captivating.  Makes me want to learn digital!


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