Lu Vazquez Blog

Shameless back pattin'...

2011-03-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

Back in January, I was given a 2 page spread in ImagineFX magazine. I didn't find out about it a few weeks later, and it took longer to get my copy of the issue. It's nothing you can't see on my website, but still... It's nice to see your art showcased in a publication that supports this particular art community and helps it thrive.

You can still buy a copy, just click the image to order. It's the January issue, #66. Look for me in the Fxpose section!

Some 'Thing' new...

2011-02-15T12:40:00.000-08:00

Been feeling the itch to do a super hero image or two, and I'm having trouble making up my mind on who to pick. There's just so many to choose from. Another problem is, I can't remember the last time I picked up a comic. Much as I still love the genre, I'm woefully out of touch with who's new, who got a make-over etc.

I figure I'll go old school, and see what that brings. One of my possibles is good ol' Ben Grimm, aka The Thing...a rock solid choice I think. (pun very intended) Not much different in the overall appearance, though I decided to go with a layered sediment effect for his rocky appearance...like you'd see in the Grand Canyon walls or shale quarry, instead of the usual broken up chunks of rocks. Just sketches so far...still haven't decided who I'd like to paint...maybe Powergirl...mm!

Have Blog, will update...

2010-12-30T14:50:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd end this year by completing something I started earlier on. So many distractions this year, and the fun projects end up getting put to the shelf and forgotten. It's a Dunkleosteus, probably my all time favorite prehistoric fish (you can keep your megalodons). This guy's teeth look like they did some serious shearing, and with all that armor plating up front, Dunkleosteus took as well as he gave.

Most portrayals of Dunkleosteus favor the 'ancient shark' approach, but I lean more toward the 'finned appendage' crowd, so I decided to make him look less a shark and more fish. In fact, I was heavily influenced by Big Mouth Bass; used to love fishing for them at my aunt's in the summer. They're a good choice, as there's a bit of similarity between the Denkleosteus and the Big Mouth Bass as far as their head plating and gill structure go. Anyways...Happy New Year, more updates to come!

I'm on the hunt, I'm after you...

2010-04-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

I had this idea of a Hunter image, but maybe with a bit of storytelling involved. At first glance, a Hunter stalks his prey. But there's more. This is not a Hunter in the usual sense; no bow, no spear...but swords instead. This isn't about food, it isn't about capture; it's about death.   Blood has been shed, and this hunter bears arms to slay his quarry...for vengeance most likely. But as he closes in on his prey, so his prey draws ever closer to him.   Who then, is the Hunter..and the Hunted?

It occurs to me that being a freelancer is very much like being a Hunter. You're out stalking the wilds of the world, portfolio/weapon in hand hoping to bag that elusive Client who will provide sustenance for you and your family...at least until the next hunt.   Interesting world, innit?

Don't be Koi with me...

2010-04-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

The latest results of my gene-splicing experiments for the Mutation Nation challenge over at ArtOrder. It's a melding of a Japanese Koi fish and a gorilla, a 'Koirilla' as it were. The colors are a bit nuclear for my tastes, but I suppose that's natural given the post-apocalyptic setting of Gamma World, for which this challenge is based.

Had a lot of fun with this one, and I'm really liking the ala prima approach I've been using these past few paintings. It's much freer, more spontaneous and a bit frightening at times, but it keeps things interesting.

Alas, my gene-splicing experiments must come to an end ...for now. The deadline's sunday and I'm away for the weekend. Koirilla...gasping for breath at a toxic waste swamp near you.

The other other white meat...

2010-04-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

My latest experiment in gene splicing for ArtOrder's "Mutation Nation" challenge. Consider it my contribution to solving world hunger. Part Wart Hog, Part Rhino, it's big, it's delicious with a bit of foul temper. It's Swineocerous...the other other white meat!

On a side note: Big ups to Jon Schindehette over at ArtOrder for his regular art challenges. Not only do they inspire the creative juices, it's a fun way for our little community to get involved and interact with each other. He's truly a gift and inspiration to artists everywhere, and I for one, am thankful for his tremendous generosity.

Behold!

2010-03-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

ArtOrder had a sort of mini-challenge recently, the idea being your take on the Eye Tyrant, more commonly known as a 'Beholder'. I submitted a speed-paint of an old-school Beholder; more armored sphere of eyes than the angry floating skull of doom type made popular by Todd Lockwood.

Afterwards I got to thinking I wasn't quite done with the whole Beholder theme just yet. I felt like there was at least another Beholder painting in me that needed to see the light of day. This time around, I wanted the Beholder to look a bit more scary... like something you definitely don't want to meet while spelunking the UnderDark, yet still retain something of the old school Beholder. I'll probably tweak it some more here and there, but I think the Beholder urge has been satisfied with this piece...for now.

Everything Old is New again...

2010-03-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

Last night I received a great compliment about my work, in that the person making it was honestly unaware that the body of my work in the last year or so was entirely digital. But what makes this particular instance even more of a compliment to me is that this person is someone who I've known since my days at art college. Someone who is very familiar with my work before there was such a thing as 'Digital Illustration'. Back when I was pushing thick swaths of oil paint across painstakingly prepared Masonite or Illustration board. Back when every image began as a broad, flurry of shapes, color, and light; slowly but surely carved into focus and detail where needed. I say it's a compliment because when I made the decision to 'go digital', one of the things I wanted to preserve was the look of traditional painting technique. Easier said than done when the majority of the information on painting digitally is based on techniques that more often than not, result in some very obviously digitally rendered images.

My last image, Cthulhu, and now this latest are the result of a 'new' approach I've been trying out while painting digitally. Up until Cthulhu, my images have been the result of all manner of photoshop techniques; complicated layering, image/color manipulation, masking et al. With Cthulhu, I decided at the onset to simply paint like I used to, and to just lay down broad shapes, color and light, refining those further and further until an image began to appear. I chose to limit the amount of layers, and even moreso, forgo as much of the little photoshop tricks and techniques that seem to scream at you from so much of today's digital art. If a color needed changing, I simply painted it in. If this arm wasn't quite right, I repainted it etc. Ironically, going 'back to basics' seems to have not only sped up my painting, but really made the entire approach a bit more enjoyable. I would even venture to say the images are better.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie..."

2010-03-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

That I love H.P. LoveCraft is no secret to those who know me. In my opinion he's one of the greatest writers of Modern Horror and has probably influenced the genre more than any other. And to love the man, you must love the monster who's essentially the icon of H.P. Lovecraft's worlds... Cthulhu High Priest of The Old Ones.

I decided to base my Cthulhu on the scattered and vague descriptions found in Lovecraft's seminal "Call of Cthulhu". Here he's described as "vaguely anthropoid..bloated, corpulent..." with a "Octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers". There's a little conflict when he describes the wings though. In one description, they're "rudimentary..." and in another they're "long and narrow..." I opted for the rudimentary description, since I didn't really see such a massive, bloated figure flying under the power of his wings. Maybe at one time before the fall of Ryleh perhaps. Cthulhu is also described as "Miles high...a mountain walked or stumbled". I scaled him back a bit and chalk the size as a little exaggeration of the witnesses who were no doubt driven to immediate madness upon the sight of the monster.

Overall a fun piece to work on, a definite labor of love as it went 3 revisions before I was happy enough to go to a finish. Cthulhu fhtagn!

I need it bad....

2010-02-22T15:02:00.000-08:00

Art is truly an addiction. Earlier today, I underwent some intense oral surgery. I had 2 impacted wisdom teeth that simply had to be removed and complication after complication arose during the procedure; one of the teeth cracks, another is fused to the jawbone, not enough novocaine et etc. What at all does this have to do with art, you ask?

Well, throughout the harrowing experience, I remained fairly calm and relaxed, much to the surprise of the doctor. He later commented on this, to which I responded "Just thinking good thoughts Doc". What I was actually thinking of was a painting I'm working on, and how much fun I'm having with it, and how I can't wait to get home and start working on it some more. It's an image of Cthulhu, High Priest of the Old Ones from H.P. Lovecraft's mythos.

I've decided to post one of the abandoned, unfinished versions. The image itself has given me no small amount of frustration, and the current version I'm working on is the third attempt. But I love the character, I love the lore behind it and most of all, I love love love art.

Cleanup, Aisle 3!

2010-02-08T15:49:00.000-08:00

Doing some much needed maintenance on my various image files. A little editing, but mostly arranging, deleting extraneous reference and interim saves which are no longer needed. Painting digitally is no different from traditionally in this sense. When I used to paint in oils, after each painting, there was always the cleaning of the work space, the clearing away of the dreck that inevitably builds up around you while you're in 'the zone' and can't be bothered to toss that empty chicken nuggets box so it actually goes into the garbage instead of the floor. Or the crumpled rolls of masking tape stuck to your taboret etc.
The cleanup is important though...even digitally. It frees up memory and space on your drive, sure. But it also preps you mentally for the next image...refreshes your perspective, as it were. On a side note, I admit it...I got lazy with the cityscape behind my original Dragon King image, and it's been haunting my dreams ever since. So today I buckled down and revised it. Still not 100%, as non-organic forms are kryptonite for me, but I'm determined to change that by and by. Original's on the right.

I put a spell on you...

2010-02-02T07:01:00.000-08:00

A Warlock from the World of Warcraft mmorpg. A bit of a problem getting started with this image, as I was struggling to keep it faithful to the game design. But the color scheme as depicted in the game just wasn't working for me. In the end, I tossed out Blizzard's version, and went with a color scheme of my own. A bit un-professional, I know...but in the end, it looks better and I'm happy with the results.

Island Pride...

2010-02-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

My sister's opened up her very own shop on the web, which features merchandise centered on Puerto Rico and Boricua pride. What's this to do with me, you ask? Well, I'm working on a few images that will be showcased on her merchandise and if you're so inclined, head over to Islawear where you can buy a T-Shirt, Mugs, Print, Mousepad etc with my artwork on it, and display your Boricua pride!

Better late than never...

2010-01-28T06:34:00.000-08:00

Blizzard finally posted a piece I did back in August '09. It's a piece of fan art for their World of Warcraft mmorpg, and I was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to post it, or if it had gotten lost in the shuffle. I like the image, though looking back, I can see where I'd do some things a little different.

Isn't that always the way though? No painting is ever really finished; there's always some small detail to tweak, or some accent to jot. There's an old saying "It takes two artists to make art...one to create it, the other to tell them when it's finished".

Blue Devil

2010-01-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

My entry for the latest challenge over at ArtOrder; a re-envisioning of the Assassin Devil, one of the denizens of the Abyss. Looked fun, it's supposed to look like an actual vignette from the Monster Manual. Overall I'm pleased with how it turned out, but painting this image served to spotlight something in my work that has always...troubled me.

One of my major artistic challenges is getting rid of these outlines I tend to surround my figures with; it's like I'm afraid to paint over them and fill all the shapes and just let the color and and light define the composition. Mind you, there are great artists where the drawing is featured prominently in their images, and they do gorgeous work...Carlo Arellano comes to mind. And maybe I should just embrace that way of painting. But something inside screams Alla Prima! which I know for a fact is possible with digital medium. I need to summon up the courage to paint outside the lines again, like we all used to before we were taught not to.

Dark Sun! Dragon Kings! Aaaagh!

2010-01-22T06:31:00.000-08:00

Dark Sun has been revised for 4th Edition DnD, and I couldn't be more tickled pink! In my ever humble opinion, the Dark Sun campaign setting is on of the best campaign worlds created. Dragon Kings, Defilers, Feral Halflings, Thri-Keen and Muls...oh my! All set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world where magic is a rarity, and psionics is the rule of the day. Ah, memories...

Well, needless to say I was inspired by this news to paint a Dragon King image. Ok, so maybe it's more of a Defiler enacting the ritual for the next stage of his Dragon King metamorphosis, but you get the idea.

Quickie update

2010-01-12T20:41:00.000-08:00

The website is updated to include the latest images. Link's to your right. I feel it's finally finished, and I'm ready to take the next step and start approaching Art Directors. Wish me luck.

Tis but a Scratch...

2010-01-12T07:58:00.000-08:00

I love the monsters, truly I do. Can't get enough of them to be honest. But every once in awhile, I feel the need to paint some regular folk. Just people. Blades a' flashing, plated armor glinting in the fading light, defiant heroism...and blood everywhere. No antennae, no feelers, no gills, claws, glowing eyes et al. Just...people.

Of course, having said that I'm suddenly gripped with the urge to paint something creepy crawly with antennae...and gills...and claws...and and glowing red eyes!

New Year, Old tricks...

2010-01-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

So lately, with all this digital mayhem going on, I've found myself looking at art by the Old Masters and wondering if I could maybe capture some of that feeling and influence into my digital work. I dug up an old sketch and decided to paint it up, and try to incorporate a bit of Old Master goodness and see what happens.

While I'm happy with the overall result, as far as any Old Master influence goes...I think maybe it got lost in the process. Not sure what I'm looking to capture really; it's not impasto brushwork or style. I guess the Old Masters just had a certain way of seeing things...and bring it to life. Ah well, it's not the destination, it's the journey right? So onwards...to the next image and the next lesson. Hell, I'm having the time of my life here...so no complaints :)

End with a splash...

2009-12-28T10:40:00.000-08:00

Thinking this is my last entry for '09, and I couldn't think of a more fitting image to end with. One of my first attempts at digital painting, proved more frustrating than enjoyable. I eventually shelved the image, but I've always liked this idea and as the year approaches it's end, I figured 'let's finish this image'. Pulled it up in Photoshop, dusted it off and voila, it's done. It's based on eyewitness testimonies, rather than the 'Plesiosaur' theory, hence the knobbed horns and horse face.

On a side note, I love Cryptoids, even if I don't necessarily believe in them. They're the quintessential 'What Ifs' in this world and despite what my inner skeptic believes, I keep hoping they are real. Hey, ya never know.

Full Circle...

2009-12-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

What a year it's been. When January 2009 first loomed on the horizon, I decided I wanted a fresh start with my art. New portfolio, all digital. Easy enough, since I've revamped my portfolio a number of times over the years. 2-3 months, and I'd be golden. Riiight.

Well, it turned out that creating digital art is in many ways completely different from traditional mediums, and I quickly learned I would literally be starting over from scratch. Not only with a new portfolio, but with a new paint medium, of which I knew barely anything about. I also realized this wasn't going to happen in a couple of months. I gave myself a tight deadline. By year's end I needed to learn enough about digital painting to produce decent art, and a finished portfolio.

Throughout the whole process, I joined a few forums, where I encountered alot of great and generous people who shared much of their experience and insight as to not only technique, but the industry of illustration as a whole. The folks over at Conceptart.org are amazing, and artists like Daarken, Dave Rapoza, Bobby Chiu, Todd Lockwood...all very generous with their time. Jon Schindehette over at Art Order...who I think should be nominated for saint hood. Great people, and I owe them all big time...even if they don't know it.

Anyways...I ramble. The website's up...all new, all digital. Link's over to the right.

It's been a journey...but what a journey it's been.

"...nipping at your nose..."

2009-12-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

I love Jack Frost, and for 4 years running now, my holiday card always features this harbinger of winter in some form or another. The lore is as varied as it is fascinating, and he's always held a special place in my heart, ever since I saw the Rankin Bass version of his tale.

I was sorely tempted to do a zombified version of Jack Frost this year...literally nipping at someone's nose, but since this is going out to family as well as friends who don't quite share my enthusiasm for monsters and such, I figured I'd play nice. For now. Happy Holidays everyone!

It's not easy being green...

2009-12-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

I realized a few weeks ago that my portfolio to be had not a single dragon image; I mean, a fantasy portfolio without a dragon? Blasphemy! Well I had to correct this situation pronto. I decided to stick to the Dungeon & Dragons setting, since they have a fairly structured catalog of dragon types, most all of them pretty cool looking as well. I didn't want to go with the usual suspects in the DnD line-up however. Y'know...Red, White, Bronze et al.

With the release of the 4th Edition of DnD, the Green Dragon had undergone a huge cosmetic makeover, and so I figured it would be a good choice. Toss in some Orcs and we've got a party. The hardest part was the breath weapon, as it's not your typical cone of fire, but a spray of highly corrosive gas. After finishing it, I realize I now want to do another dragon...or twenty.

Aaaannnd release...

2009-10-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

Rough past couple of weeks. Between getting sick (twice), bouts of insomnia and just plain life juggling, I've also been working on this piece. It's somewhat of an ambitious piece for me...I wanted to do an image involving multiple characters, with a fairly detailed background and just for sauce, with a dynamic perspective tossed in. I can't tell you how many times this image changed during the course of its creation, but the one thing I knew for sure, it needed to involve a big demon type monster. Took a bit longer than I expected, what with the aforementioned life happenings, and any number of artistic challenges the image itself represented...but in the end, I think it's a keeper.

Yeats

2009-10-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

"And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?" I admit I'm not the most fervent reader of W.B. Yeats, but the little I have read just sends me. This last line especially, has always made me ponder all manner of beasties, harbingers of the coming doom of the world. And while Yeats describes something more akin to a Sphinx, complete with lion's body and human face, I've had a different imagining of it. Part demon, part bull, part lava flow...Doom comes to town, hide your pets.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

2009-09-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

I'm on a creative roll lately...Photoshop seems to be my weapon of choice, especially since I've basically shelved Painter for the nonce. Speaking of Painter...

I've always liked this image, which I did as a test image in Painter. I tried to use Todd Lockwood's technique, and with a little coaching from the man himself, I managed to get version #1 done. A little bland, not much going on overall, but a successful test. Still...I've always felt with a little tweaking, this could be a stronger image. So with a little downtime on my hands, I decided to just push this image a little further using Photoshop, fixing some of the more obvious errors and voila, version #2. A little more eye candy, and I like to think, a better image.

And the meek shall inherit...

2009-09-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

So I entered the 'Creature of the Week' challenge over at conceptart.org, and it turned out to be more of a challenge than I thought. Design a Bipedal Insectiod; no gear, no extras, no eye candy of any sort. Just a straight up specimen of the species. Simple enough, no? Well..perhaps not. You'd be surprised how much little extras like clothing, gear, etc add to a character or creature's overall design. Not to mention, insects are probably the most diverse species on the planet. Then there's the maddening array of colors to consider...oy! I decided to base my concept on existing specimens, but without simply patching various parts together. It needed to look like something that maybe could actually occur somewhere, somehow. Anyways...coming to a picnic near you...

Only a man who is pure of heart...

2009-09-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm actually excited about the new Wolfman movie that's due out soon. By all accounts, it seems they're paying some serious homage to the original Wolfman movie starring Lon Chaney Jr., right down to the makeup. I love werewolves. Tortured souls, cursed to stalk the night, slaves to their most primal, savage and bestial nature. And more often than not, their own loved ones become their victims.

The original film was made all the more tragic by the slaying of the beast by his own loving father. Such a good movie...I have high hopes for the re-make. Meantime...to satisfy my own savage instincts, an homage of my own. AwwoooOOoooOoooo!

More chompy goodness...

2009-09-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

If it's not obvious by now, I have a thing for anthropomorphic creatures; that is, creatures who are part man, part animal. Killer Croc, pictured below, is one of my favorites. One of Batman's arch-nemesis, Killer Croc is one of the few comic book villains who is truly scary. Aside from the incredible strength, speed, claws and toothy grimace, there was always the possibility that Killer Croc might actually eat you if you caught him at the wrong time.

A tragic figure as well, Killer Croc suffered through a life of abuse, rejection and ridicule, his mind slowly devolving to a more primal, bestial state. While not a major player in the Batman line-up, I'm never disappointed whenever Killer Croc is showcased. Oh, and venom or no venom, Croc can kick Bane's tights wearing arse any day.

Yellow yes...but terrible?

2009-09-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

Seems like artists all over are creating images inspired by Maurice Sendak's classic "Where the Wild Things Are", in homage to a work that's touched their lives in some form or another. For me, 'Wild Things' was one of the biggest influences on me as a child, inspiring both my art and my love of monsters. After seeing some of the artwork that's happening, I felt inspired to do my own.

As a child I'd always wondered what would have been, had Max opted to stay in the land of the Wild Things. I imagine over time, eventually he would perhaps even become a full fledged Wild Thing, complete with fangs and terrible, yellow eyes! And so that's the basis for my own tribute to Maurice Sendak's gift. Thank you Maurice...for showing us where the wild things are.

and now for a little turf...

2009-09-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to do the latest challenge over at ArtOrder, but at the last minute I decided to just go for it. If nothing else, it's an opportunity to paint a land based critter. Something furry...and chompy. The challenge is to re-invent the OwlBear, the idea being that instead of a mish-mosh of Owl and Bear, we have a creature that is it's own entity, with features that at first glance can be described as 'Owlish' or 'Bear-like'. I'm happy with the results, but I think I might've pushed this one a little further had I not waited til the last minute to do it. As well...here's my take on the thing which is neither owl nor bear.

The Life Aquatic...

2009-08-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

I sense a nautical theme developing here. Still soaked from working on the Creature from the Black Lagoon, I figured I'd take a swim around the ocean this time and see what I could see. Lo, and behold...Gelugos, the Sea Titan. Very gentle, and seemingly more curious than carnivorous...I just had to capture his image. The colors borrow heavily from Todd Harris' 'Meg' image, though the concept was conceived long before I ever heard of him.

Well hello there...

2009-08-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

Actually, I already have a blog with another company, but I figured I'd give these guys a shot and see how I like it here. Basically, a journal of my progress as an artist and illustrator, and whatever else comes up.

First up, The Creature from The Black Lagoon. An all time favorite of mine, and not so much a re-imagining as an update, which is hard because the original design was just so advanced for it's time. It still good creature design even by today's standards. I may go back and fiddle with it though...maybe more fins, spines...etc.