Space Shuttle

Call of Duty Environments

I'm the Juggernaught, b*tch!

Very early designs to update the Juggernaut from the Modern Warefare series.

That's Not A Knife

Some early knife concepts.

Vis Comm 3 - Materials Rendering Demos

For the last few months, I've been fortunate to be teaching at Art Center College of Design in the Entertainment Design program. Visual Communication 3 for Entertainment is about realistic materials rendering using Adobe Photoshop. The technique is fairly repetitive, but can rapidly produce results with the creative combination of some basic Photoshop tricks. Here are some class demos in the 30-45 min range. Enjoy!

Original Sketch

Matte

 Rubber

 Bronze

Gold 

Metal

Wood

Stone - Rough

Stone - Cracked

Stone - Brittle

Stone - Marble

Fabric - Tiger

Fabric - Blue Tiger

Fabric - Red Denim

Fabric - Digital Camo

Combined Materials

Guitar Hero Art Dump 1: Tattoos and Posters

Happy 2013! After a very difficult last few months, I've decided the beginning of the new year was the time to get things back on track. A few years have passed since the popularity of Guitar Hero and the world probably considers these relics by now. Here are a few posters and tattoos I created for the game:

Art Show Update!

Thanks to everyone who showed up at my first gallery show! It was an interesting experience. It's very easy to forget what other styles and artists are out there when behind a desk all day doing production art. Below are the two pieces I created specifically for the theme of the show, which is "What We Knew When We Were Small." Below are the captions I created after the fact. The next show is already being planned and should be coming up sometime in November. Enjoy!

P.S. Please be patient as I am working to fix previous image links and also working on new website. Stay tuned and check back soon! 

"Streak Racers" 2012

digital on canvas, 48" x 30", (available for purchase)

When I saw about five, the auto craze continued. While too poor to afford Hot Wheels, I managed to get my hands on a set of Matchbox Streakracers. Corvette, BMW, Pontiac Firebird, TR8 were the only pieces of information I could derive from the toys. It marked the first time that I came across a question that I would continue to ask for years to come.... "But which one is FASTER??" :) 

"Airborne," 2012
digital on canvas, 24" x 30", (available for purchase)

For my 4th birthday, my dad took me to a local Long's Drugs on a rainy evening. The fluorescent lights were dim and it was creepy, like they were about to close. We slide into an aisle and stopped. Not knowing why, I glanced up. About two feet above my head a bright red form caught my eye. In Cantonese, he asked me if I wanted it.

  I nodded yes and he bought it for me. This was not only the first gift I got to pick out for myself, but also my very first car.

For years, I stared at it and analyzed each vent, scoop, and chrome painted wheel. I've seen Enzos, F50s, F40s, Pebble Beach Testarossas and 250 GTOs. But never ever have I come across a 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO. And maybe that's a good thing. Because this painting is what I did to that car over and over and over again.

Starting from Scratch

I realize it's been almost three years since my last post. During that time, I have had the opportunity to pour my heart into some great projects. It has been over five years since graduation. Ten years since I've ventured on my own to become my own man. I've learned that while becoming an effective tool for your employer, it is very easy to loose that creative explorer that got you there in the first place. Work hours become days. Days become months. Months become years. The chance to explore and nurture your creativity grows slimmer and slimmer with time, age, and industry.

After all these years, I have decided that I am ready to return to my personal work, as well as reinventing myself, my brand, and my website! To launch this new point in my career and life, I have participated in a collective art show featuring many local LA artists. The show launches tonight and while short, has made a mark on my artistic soul that I have neglected for so long. I will be showing two pieces I've created in the last month while working two 60 hr weeks and teaching two night classes a week. Join me at the show or leave a comment.

It feels good to be back!!!

-S

P.S. Ignore the missing images below. My previous host provider closed my account and removed all my files. Over the years multiple hard drives have crashed and locating these files will be difficult. While resolving the past is tempting, I am more interested in the future work I will be creating. Stay tuned!

Skull Cave

Just some quick value sketches inspired by some recent movies I've watched. Can you guess which ones?