The Future in XCOM 2

An early take on the Alien-ruled future of humanity in XCOM 2. It was used for a limited edition lithograph at ‎FiraxiCon‬, (Firaxis Games' Convention in Baltimore) this year! 

Nepal

I've finally finished a piece that I started way back in April as a sketch responding to Nepal's devastating earthquake, and over time became a more involved painting. The effects of the disaster go well beyond aftershocks - they are still being felt today by millions of Nepalese people in several other forms, many of which are intangible. This is my personal attempt to capture that feeling. Whether that's in literal or symbolic form is up to interpretation.
-P

XCOM 2 Announced!

I am proud to announce XCOM 2, the sequel to the critically acclaimed XCOM: Enemy Unknown!! I am so happy to be able to show some of what we've been up to. I am posting links to the images on the articles themselves for now, and will update with large sizes if available.
I specifically did the "New world order mood concept", the "Sectoid Concept" and the "Propaganda Center atrium concept". I also did this image of the "Avenger" from the first IGN article.
Check out IGN's coverage during the entire month of June!

Screen capture from IGN

Canyon at Dusk

This is a piece I've been toying with for a bit. The idea started as a color study after a trip I took to the Grand Canyon and Sedona's amazing red rocks. I had read up on the history of the Canyon and how rangers would patrol the early roads ahead of caravans to make sure they were safe, Since Pumas (or Mountain Lions, as they are also called) naturally live in this habitat, I thought it would be interesting to create a moment of tension between the rangers and the puma. This is clearly the puma's territory, but the men seem to be armed? What will happen? 

I'll be posting a couple of earlier WIPs soon -- I'm currently at CTN Expo and the bandwidth here is terrible so I'm uploading what I can.

Fantasy Color Sketches

I really enjoy doing quick color exercises.Some of these were really simple to make, like the one ion the top left, while others were "massaged" for a much longer time, like the bottom left. 

I basically start with a very simple composition choosing two colors, one that will provide the main atmosphere and another one that will contrast it. Once I have these I start adding other colors that inform not just the composition further, but also nudge the mood as needed (sometimes I go by the seat of my pants). I hope to be uploading some more of these again sometime soon (I hope).

Jellyfish Evolution

Here's an image I've been dabbing at for a bit in my precious spare time. I have a sort of fascination with jellyfish, not just visually, but scientifically and environmentally. As our oceans become more acidic, jellyfish are becoming one of the fastest growing species (in numbers), not just because of their ability to adapt, but also because of the lack of predators and the increasingly unbalanced ocean ecosystem. Who knows what evolution might bring hundreds - or thousands - of years into the future!

National Geographic photo study

I am a subscriber to National Geographic Magazine, which I've always loved to read and look through. It often has arresting images, and in this case I found an amazing photo in an article about Breton women and their traditional dresses and hats. 

This picture in particular caught my attention, and I decided to do a study from the physical magazine. However, when I compared the printed image to what I saw on National Geographic website (located here), the colors were way off, so I decided to do the study from the image on the screen instead. Since this is a study, I painted strictly from observation without any color picking or overpainting.

I also tried out some compositional changes to fit the figure in the frame a little differently. The photo is gorgeous and masterfully taken, but I wanted to see how changing the weight of the figure and the direction of certain lines would change the flow.