Playing with Lino Prints!

Thomas Gomes "Junk Ship" (Lino Print) 2014

Thomas Gomes "Junk Ship 2" (Lino Print) 2014

Here are a couple of Lino Prints that I've been doing as part of my college work.  I absolutely love the way that the print isn't perfect, I intentionally left behind some "bits" in the background to add a little bit of texture.  I enjoyed the process and I am really glad that it was possible for me to digitize the entire piece.  I even went as far as making notebooks that have original lino prints on them which will be sold as part of a "Stuff Fair" hosted by my College:

Thomas Gomes "Junk Ships" (lino print notebooks) 2014

Long Absence - Busy, busy, busy!

Hi all,

First of all I would like to apologize for my long absence from the blog, I've been really, super, duper busy recently with my degree.  The upside is that I have generated a LOT of Illustrations.

Also, it is worth posting that I have a new website which I will be using as my portfolio!  Click here to visit it.

Okay!  So, here is some of the work that I have been doing:

Sequential Image Making

Thomas Gomes "Moth in a Bottle" 2013

My first foray into the world of comics and sequential images.  This is a story about a moth that becomes trapped in a bottle and cast out at sea.  I'm really please with the results of this comic, I love the colour palette and character.  My favourite part has to be the underwater panels.




Editorial Illustration

Thomas Gomes "Gadget Editorial" 2013

I have shown my interest in Editorial Illustration on this blog before, however I never explored it to the extent that I have with my degree.  Bellow are some illustration I have done for some articles (not real commissions).  Each one had its own set of problems to be solved.  Through all the stress I found out that I have a genuine LOVE of editorial illustration! 

Thomas Gomes "Net Generation Editorial" 2013

Thomas Gomes "Net Generation Cover" 2013

Thomas Gomes "Omid Editorial" 2013

Thomas Gomes "Privacy VS Facebook" 2013

 
Observational Drawings

As you might have noticed from my editorial work, my illustrations are following a very particular style, this is something that I am currently exploring with my work.  I have used this style of illustration on a couple of observational drawings:

Thomas Gomes "Apple Observational Drawing" 2014

Thomas Gomes "Tiger" 2014

For those of you interested in buying a canvas, t-shirt or ipod case of the "Tiger" illustration, you can go to my Society6 Page.

Phew!  Hope you like all the illustrations and I hope this update finds you all well in the New Year!

Illustration - Alternative Travel

Thomas Gomes "Alternative Travel" 2013

I've had this idea for a couple of weeks now and ended up scribbling it in my sketchbook of; a boat being pulled along by a balloon, almost like an alternative to sails.

Anyway, so I had this idea sitting in my sketchbook and came across it yesterday, I really liked it and wanted to develop it into a full, completed illustration.  I did what I usually do, making a pencil version on thick paper and then overlaying it with black ink before scanning it into the computer and editing it in photoshop.  I did have a problem with the ocean.  I wanted to have a texture which complimented the rest of the illustration, but also linked in well with the ocean.  I found a photo texture I had taken a couple of years ago of some rocks and added it into the illustration using the "Overlay" layer mode.  I'm very pleased with the result and would be happy with any feedback people could offer.

If you would like to use this image then please use the "Contact Me" panel on the right side of the blog.  Also, if you would like this illustration on a t-shirt, laptop skin or as a print on canvas then go to my Society6 page here.

Stock Image - Feet

Thomas Gomes "Feet" (Stock Image) 2013

So I was working on a logo design for my Dad's reflexology business and wanted to create a pair of feet as a background or even as the logo for the business.

Ultimately he wanted to go for a different logo design but I still really loved the look of these feet.  Originally the feet were just black and white with a blank background but, seeing as I was putting the design up on my blog, I wanted to edit the illustration in my style.

I consider this sort of illustration as a "Stock Image" in that it can have several uses in various situations and doesn't have a specific meaning or idea to convey.  For example, if you wanted an image for a leaflet about caring for your feet or, like my Dad, you wanted to have a design of some kind for reflexology.  The illustration is designed to be used by different people with different needs.

If you are interested in using this image please use the "Contact Me" box on the right of the blog.

Also, just a general update, I'm going to be returning to my illustration degree course at the end of September so it might be a little bit quiet on this blog for a while.  However I do intend to update the blog as much as possible with the work I have made on my course.

Illustration - Outer Space

Thomas Gomes "Outer Space" 2013

Thanks to my brother I have been able to get another illustration done!  This illustration started life as a doodle my brother did while he was at work, he gave it to me to do it professionally.

As with my other illustrations I started with an initial pencil sketch which I inked and then scanned into the computer.  Next, using photoshop, I added the colour layer, shading and highlight as well as a couple of paper textures. 

The lighting was a bit of a problem with this illustration.  My brother wanted the drawing to have radial light coming from the sun and the earth.  With the sun it was easy, gradually decreasing the saturation and opacity of the yellow colour until it faded out.  However, when I tried it with the earth, it didn't work.  Instead I've worked backwards having the lighting, less saturated colour closer to the black outline which gradually gets more saturated but more transparent as it fades away.

Interested in getting this artwork as a print, laptop case or t-shirt?  Go HERE for my society6 page!

US Spying on EU - Editorial Illustration

----- Based on this news article from the BBC News website -----

After listening to the news and reading the above article I decided to do an editorial illustration based on the allegations that the US has been spying on the EU.  In the article it talks about how trade talks with the US has helped to soften the anger that the EU is feeling.

Thomas Gomes "US Spying on EU" (Editorial) 2013

So here is the illustration.  As you can see the American (Uncle Sam) and member of the EU (The old, bald man in grey) are at a poker table.  Uncle Sam is pushing money toward the EU (representing the trade talks) and is using a mirror to see what cards the EU member is holding (representing the NSA spying on the EU).  It's quite a simple illustration but I think it works well.  I find that the most important thing about an editorial illustration is to show a story visually but not make the article redundant.  I'm hoping that it's not immediately obvious what the drawing is about, particularly the imagery of the mirror and the money being moved.  I want the audience to use their prior knowledge and the information in the article to understand the illustration and give it some context.

"The Rain Man" - Illustration

Thomas Gomes "The Rain Man" 2013

Apparently it's summer here in the UK...After a couple of really bright, sunshine, clear sky days, it is now really dark and raining.

In the spirit of this wonderful weather I have made a new illustration "The Rain Man".  I imagine this illustration being used as a stock image for weather or forecasts.  I have stayed with the blue hues of the colour spectrum to push the idea of the dark and cold that the UK is experiencing at the moment.  I've added the yellow colour in the sun pattern, this helps to create a contrast between the blue umbrella and the golden suns.

If you're interested in using this image then please contact me using the "Contact Me" form on the right.

As always, feel free to leave comments and thoughts.  Also consider sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter or Google +, thanks.

"I love Coffee" - Illustration

Thomas Gomes "I love Coffee" 2013

Although I'm not so keen on coffee I realize that a vast majority of people in the world, particularly illustrators, do drink it on a regular basis.  So I decided to do an illustration based on the love that people show to coffee.

To make this illustration I made an ink drawing over a pencil sketch and then scanned it in using my new scanner.  Next I imported the ink drawing into Photoshop and worked on the drawing from there.  I've based the colours on those found in coffee, but I've also included the coffee bean in the middle of the cup to further suggest the subject matter.  The heart is there to reinforce the idea of love and attachment that people feel towards this drink.

I found that adding my own paper textures into the illustration helped to make the drawing more visually interesting. 

If or when I make the next version (most likely tea) I will try to use the same composition in the hopes of making a series of "hot drink "illustrations rather than just a one off drawing.

Concept by Silhouette - Sci Fi Drones

Here are some concept designs that I have done for a science fiction (Sci Fi) flying drone.  I gave myself certain constraints to generate a specific type of drone.  I wanted the drone to have small mechanical arms (for picking up and moving material) and an antenna of some kind for communication.  As you can already see design number 7 doesn't fit into these constraints making it standout like a sore thumb.  Also designs 3 and 4, don't have antennas.  I mostly used these designs to help generate other ideas; you can see how designs 12 and 16 are very similar to 7.

Making concepts by silhouettes is a really quick and easy way to generate a lot of concepts in a short amount of time.  The more concepts you make the more options and various that you have the potential for developing.  It also gives the client more options to choose from, there might even be different elements from different designs which a client likes.  For example you might like design 10, but you want it to have elements of design 6 in it.

To make the silhouettes all you need to do is block colour (with a normal brush) onto a blank canvas.  Then, using the eraser tool, I have added details to the silhouettes to give the designs more interest and make suggestions as to have it works.

I'm hoping to develop some of these designs further and I'm very interested to see what you think of them.  Try picking out your three favourite designs and posting a comment below.

My First Self Portrait

Thomas Gomes "Self Portrait - Imperfect Man" 2013

I've never attempted to create a self portrait before because I didn't really know where to start...

Thanks to a project that I'm working on in my degree course I had the opportunity to do a self portrait.  Also I feel, seeing as this is my first official post on this blog, that  I would like to share a little of myself with you! 

First, it's worth nothing, that I didn't take a realistic approach to my portrait (the four arms and four legs is a big give away), but each item tells a little bit about my personality.  The watch represents my time keeping abilities, the pens and pencils as my use of physical materials, the magnifying glass is my researching and critical approach to work, the odd cube is my skills in 3D CGI, the papers are my ability to write and explain my ideas and work, finally, the graphics tablet, is my skills in Photoshop and general digital understanding...

Leonardo Da Vinci "Venetian Man" taken from:  http://eccentricparabola.blogspot.co.uk/2012_06_01_archive.html on 04/06/2013

You may recognize what my self portrait looks like and you would be right.  I based my design off of Leonardo Da Vinci's "Venetian Man" which is considered to be the perfect man.  Now, I realize that I am FAR from perfect, so I approached this self portrait with a little bit of cynicism.  For example rather than a perfect circle for the proportions I chose to do an oval and my cartoon style makes it more a parody than anything else.  I've also titled it as "Self Portrait - Imperfect Man" because perfect people don't exist, and I think they never will. 

Please leave comments and thoughts on this post.

Challenge!

Consider doing your own self portrait.  Try populating your portrait with items that describe you, maybe you like sports and want to add sport equipment or, if you're an artist, the mediums that you favour.  Why not ask others what they think about you?  Maybe convince them to do their own self portrait and compare them!