Radikin Studios

2011-07-26T20:20:00.001-04:00

Hey, check out my new blog for a new post!

http://danielhardesty.blogspot.com/

Turning a new page...

2011-03-06T22:38:00.003-05:00

I'll slowly be letting go of this blog and my Radikin Studios website in the months ahead. You can continue to check out what I'm doing on my new blog (link below) and eventually my new website. Thanks for stopping by!

The Art of Daniel Hardesty

Animatic work for Breakaway Games

2010-07-02T20:07:00.019-04:00

Here's some storyboard/animatic work I did for Breakaway Games awhile ago that I never was able to post. My contact was primarily with the art director/lead concept designer who was not only a pleasure to work with, but also turned me on to SketchBook Pro! Thanks Mike!

All of these were based off of loose ideas or sketches and were to be used in an animatic (a form of pre-visualization combining illustrations or images in sequence) for various cutscenes in a video game. However, as is sometimes the case, this particular game was shelved. A great learning and stretching experience though. I'd like to do some more work for a gaming company.

Here's just a few of the panels I did. A couple of the images are instruction and direction I got from the company, then what follows is the clean-up. If you'd like a closer view just click on the images.

Have a great 4th of July weekend everyone!

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More stuff from work...

2010-06-28T23:32:00.020-04:00

Here's some more stuff I have the green light to post. Please note, all images copyrighted by and property of The Beistle Co.

Here's a sketch that never really made it to a final...I still think it has some potential though. Maybe someday I'll get the chance to pull it out again.

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Toy Show 2009!

2009-11-30T20:45:00.008-05:00

Stopped in at the 28th Greater York Toy Show on Sunday afternoon and had a good time walking down memory lane once again. One of the best gatherings of toy sellers I've ever been too and it's just plain fun! Here's some of the highlights...

Officer Big Mac hand puppet. Passed up with great angst by my 9 yr old, but he came away with a lot of other stuff he liked.

There were a bunch of cool, homemade robots. These are just a few that we saw.

The iron tooth robot tank flanked by his evil Santa henchmen...mwaaaaa haaaa haaaaa!

And what toy show would be complete without Cycling Daddy?

By far one of my favorites at the show, but way to pricey for my tastes. Love the copy on the box...the wig wag walk. Classic.

And here's the single item I picked up at the show, after exercising much restraint! Click on the image above for a closer look.

It's a repro, but looked so cool I couldn't resist for only $8.00! We're already planning our trip back again for next year, was a lot of fun!

Work for work, 2008

2009-10-04T16:30:00.005-04:00

Here's a few pieces from work that I'm cleared to post now. Hopefully will have a few more in the coming week or so.

Some Day of the Dead masks, a door cover, a DOD cutout, and some stickers for firehouses to give out to kids. (All images copyrighted by and property of The Beistle Co.)

Retro Fever

2009-09-01T22:36:00.001-04:00

Okay, after deleting a previous post, here's what I originally intended on posting tonight...grrr...

I love anything with retro art, especially any packaging ads from the 50's, 60's etc. Here's my attempt at that look with a few stickers...with my own twist thrown in.

I got a fever, and the only prescription is more stickers!

2009-08-28T23:17:00.007-04:00

I think I may have accidentally deleted this post previously, so here it is again. Just a few variations on the tree design, and of course an alien celebrating his birthday!

Some sticky ideas...

2009-08-20T13:43:00.004-04:00

Within the last couple months I've started to try and quickly finish some random (and I do stress RANDOM) ideas I've jotted down in my sketchbooks. I'm thinking about making stickers out of them, we'll see. At any rate, they're fun and not too time consuming which is a perfect combo. Here's the first round...

The LaCie 324...best monitor I've ever set eyes on!

2009-08-18T16:24:00.004-04:00

I don't usually do reviews of software or hardware, but I felt compelled to mention the monitor I recently got at work. After several months of research I decided on the LaCie 324 and I couldn't be happier. LCD monitors I've used in the past come up short, especially when painting digitally, but with the 324 the color depth, contrast, and subtleties are all there.This is by far the best monitor I've ever used and if you have the scratch order it now! You won't be disappointed!

The only drawback, and I hesitate to mention it because of the awesome performance of this monitor, is the buttons you use to adjust the settings. The out of box settings are fantastic, but I needed to adjust things to match our in-house needs. They can be a bit of a pain, but once you set them you don't need to touch them again.

Click HERE for the exact specs on the monitor! Just as a sidenote...what sold me on this particular monitor was a review in MacLife magazine where the LaCie got a better review than the new Apple Cinema Display right on the opposing page!!! Wow!

Trade Shows Part II...

2008-09-08T21:06:00.003-04:00

Well, the next trade show up was the Licensing International Expo, a really cool show that had a lot of big players involved shelling out TONS of cash. Of course those areas were roped off and clearly marked as being for "bigwigs only", heh heh.

Right inside the door this is what greeted us and I knew the show was gonna be good. An actual Ecto-1!! Whew! There to promote the upcoming Ghostbusters game.

The place was enormous and actually was the same place that the Stationery Show had been. Downtown NYC at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

Who could resist getting their picture with Kung Fu Panda...not many I daresay!

A cool poster for an upcoming Dreamworks film. Don't know much about it other than the fact that it's based on a kid's book. Looks great though, love the conceptual art if nothing else!

LEGO, still going strong after all these years. It never gets old!

A slight pause now...for the random man who stopped by the Smurf to gaze uncomfortably at me.

Nickelodeon had an awesome, HUGE setup and it was cool to see Spongebob like 30 ft. tall.

Another outfit, can't remember their name at the moment, did lifesize bobblehead replicas and also regular hero/character replicas. Pretty neat.

If could afford it, this would definitely be in my living room. After some high-end family negotiations with my wife.

Don't know too much about him, haven't taken the time to check his material out, but I can't resist the Domo.

Do I look as uncomfortable as someone could who's been roped into getting his picture taken with 3 large blue gnome-like creatures? Yeah...heh heh...this is...fun. Yeah.

These huge wall scale graphics were really cool. Talk about punch! SMACK!

And of course, the caped crusader in Lego.

One of the more elaborate "booths" at the show.

Classic! How'd you like to have that for one of the walls in your house?!?

And then as we rounded a corner...

Not too much, they weren't giving a whole lot away, but this was some kind of one man earth mover prop to draw some attention. I hope the movie can live up to the hype it's getting and will receive!

And again, LEGO is everywhere! Go Speed, go!

Pit stop with the George.

Lucasfilm's booth was pretty amazing with full size replicas of the Clone Wars characters and the SW's movies playing overhead. Again, the perfect place for one of these replicas? In my home. :)

Let me tell ya', one of the busiest booths at the show was Marvel's! There were suits everywhere around this one. Even the higher up's have caught the superhero bug. There was a little standup on a table confirming what many may already know about a Captain America, Thor, and Avengers movie slated for release. And note the poster for Iron Man Armored Adventures. They were playing clips on a TV there and it really looks promising. Cool superhero action, doesn't get any better than that, eh?

Another special moment with giant stuffed dolls of the ugly persuasion.

So that about wrapped it up for the Licensing show. There was a whole lot to see and it was well worth the trip to get the creative juices flowing and exciting to look forward to what all these companies have coming up in the near future.

Next, and last, trade show of the year...Wizard World East in good old Philadelphia. Until then, excelsior!

Freelance, facebook, and a feline...

2008-09-04T21:06:00.010-04:00

One of the opportunities I had this summer was to do some freelance work with a video game company called Breakaway Games. It was a lot of fun and I hope to work again with them. As soon as I get the okay to post some of that work it'll be up, but until then my lips are sealed or those same lips will find themselves in court. Heh heh.

Now for some it is gambling, for some it may be TV, and the list could go on, but I have found my addicition. Obsession, thy name is facebook. What compels me to download an application that will tell me how smart I am compared to my friends? Why do I need to know what LOTR character I am? Well, all I know is that now for some reason my day wouldn't be complete without knowing that I just outscored my mother in Bowling Buddies! ANYHOOO...

More importantly, Radikin Studios is now on facebook! You can search facebook under that name or follow this link:

Radikin Studios on Facebook

Sign up and become a fan. I'll be posting discussion topics, artwork, and other stuff that won't be available on my website or blog there so check back for updates when you get a chance. I recently added a batch of robot sketches which I'll be updating periodically so keep an eye out!

The summer has also been full of logo work for me which is most often quick but challenging work. My contact with the Teleosoft group is still going strong and here's a sample of some of the logo work I've done for them recently.

Proving once again that video game systems are not just a mindless waste of time, these next logos were done solely on my Nintendo DS using Colors. If you have a DS, are an artist of any level, and haven't checked it out I would highly recommend you do so! These were for some new groups forming at my church.

And finally, what blog post would be complete without a silly picture of a completely comatose and lazy cat? None I say, none! So here's my cat Hobbes, doin' what he does best.

Thanks again for stopping by and if you'd like to share a critique or just say hello, post away my friend, post away. I'll be uploading pics of the next trade show soon, so stay tuned true believers. Take care!

Trade Shows aplenty!

2008-09-02T19:40:00.012-04:00

The posts have been few and far between for the last several months, but fortunately it's been due to a busy schedule. Such is the vexing conundrum of the blogger. So much to blog, so little time. :)

I've had the opportunity to attend several trade shows this year and this will be the first of 3 posts concerning the 3 shows I went to this past summer. All were interesting in their own way and gave me some fresh ideas.

The first show was the National Stationery Show in NYC. They didn't allow any photography in this show so I've compiled some samples from the company's websites that are representative of work I saw at the show. Lots of great stuff...who says greeting cards and wrapping paper are boring?!?

These first couple are from an outfit called Atomic Soda (site still under construction, but you can order their stuff here: http://store.heliotropehome.com/atsopago.html)

Cute stuff and great characters. Another quirky but very cool company that had some great stuff was Spitfire Girl (http://www.spitfiregirl.com). Those circus punk dolls have really taken off lately, pretty funny.

There was no shortage of really great Halloween material, here's just a couple of the many examples from a company called Ghastly Greetings (http://www.ghastlygreetings.com)

L|2 Design Collective (http://www.l2designcollective.com/) had some great stuff, my favorites were among the Halloween items.

Even some owls for Valentine's Day, who would have thunk it? Owls were huge though at the show, all over the place. It was definitely the year of the owl...more on that later.

One of my very favorite places though was a company called Hello Lucky (http://www.hellolucky.com/). I love anything with a retro style or feel and these guys had it down pat. Just check out these fun designs!

LOL, an octopus for Valentine's Day. Perfect!

And, as promised, just a small sampling of the permeation of the owl that seemed to be everywhere at the show. But hey, can you really have too much owl in your life?

As I said, this is just a sample of what I saw at the show, but some of my favorites. I was really pleasantly surprised how much the greeting card and paper scene stimulated some of my thinking. It was well worth the trip.

Next post...trade show #2! The Licensing International Expo with sneak peaks from Dreamworks, Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm, Marvel...the list was big for this show. Keep an eye out!

Philly style...

2008-04-19T17:31:00.007-04:00

Things have been busy at home and at work so the posts are slow in coming. Hope to have more soon!

The kids have been studying Philadelphia and it's history in school and to help out I created a series of icons that represent different historical buildings or locations in the city. We'll be visiting there in early May and the kids all have maps that these icons go on as well. Should be fun!

If you'd like a closer look at any of the icons just click on the links below:

Independence Hall
Elfreth's Alley
Franklin Court
Liberty Bell
Betsy Ross House
U.S. Mint
Christ's Church Cemetery
Christ's Church

After Christmas revisions...

2007-12-27T23:36:00.000-05:00

Well, the game went over well! The kids really seemed to like it and are anxious to play it. Yes, that's right, they haven't actually played it yet! LOL! This is due to 2 reasons. One, their dad is obsessed with getting everything perfect before they do actually play it. And two, a cool gift like a Game Boy Advanced and a Nintendo DS tend to overshadow any other gift on Christmas morning! LOL!

At any rate, the game should be totally complete within the week. Here's a few more shots of some finished artwork. If you want a closer view most will be clickable!

"Inside the house" portion of the board:

House exterior:

House interior:
Spinner:
...and a pretty blatant clue concerning the name of the game. Heh heh. So stay tuned, all will be revealed shortly. It's nice not to have to keep it a secret anymore! It was driving me crazy!

Hope everyone's Christmas was even half as good as mine! Happy New Year everyone!

Is it time to freak out yet?!?

2007-12-17T11:48:00.001-05:00

W A R N I N G !

For those of you who have contact with ANY of the kids, please remember that this is a surprise for Christmas. You've seen nothing...you know nothing...there is no gammmmmeee...thanks!

It's crunch time as Christmas draws near! Working hard on finishing up the game. I think there's some long nights in the not too distant future for me. Ah well, those munchkins are worth it!

Here's a couple more progress shots...some of the 3D elements and a look at the artwork for the stairs:

And then a sneak peak at the actual game board! This is a sketch of the outside half...you can click on the image for a closer view:

More progress on the game...

2007-11-27T21:48:00.000-05:00

Made some more progress on the game...kid's game pieces are done as well as cards for two draw piles that will be used during gameplay. One for good things to happen, and one for bad! Mwaaaa haaaaa haaaaa!

This other shot is of a great set of test tubes I found at an online educational site that will be perfect as one of the game props. Will be a 4 player game so the number of racks and the fact that they turned out to be 4 different colors was very cool!

I do finally have a name for the game, but I think I'll wait and reveal that when I do the cover. Well, back to work!

2007 Beistle work and more!

2007-11-13T21:24:00.005-05:00

Well, the calendar year at Beistle is run by when our catalog is done, at least for the art department, and that came to a close this past week! Whew! Our crew of just 12 managed to complete/introduce over 800 new items to this year's catalog so we're mighty proud! Here's a sampling of some of the work I did this year, some of my favorites. If you'd like a closer look a lot of them will be click-worthy!

I think these next pieces topped the list for my favorite things to work on this year, a set of pirate skeleton cutouts!

Santa and his elves as clings for your window or mirror. I think they call them "peepers"...heh heh.

And a sign for all those happy little children going back to school! LOL! The apple on the right is actually a real tissue apple that opens up and had to be designed around.

Here's an idea I came up with that I hope takes off. I can't believe it's a totally original idea, I'm sure they're are things like it out there, but Beistle hadn't produced anything like it at the time and I didn't find anything readily available on the web. They're sticker sheets you use to build the Gingerbread man and house. It seemed like it would be fun to me, so why not, eh? My kids seemed to really like it, let's hope more do!

And my second favorite project of the year was designing and illustrating a new theme for Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). It's a traditional Mexican holiday, and if you'd like to know more just click here. This theme was tons of fun to do and I think it shows.

Aside from my work at Beistle, I am happy to say that my relationship with Teleosoft is still alive and strong and I am currently working on a new round of logos for them. It continues to be a real pleasure to work with those guys! I'll post those in the near future when complete and given the green light.
Here's a few other items that fell into 2007...
I did a test for No Greater Joy ministries which is in production on a full color comic version of the Bible. I didn't end up getting the job, but the experience I gained from the test was worth the time. On the left below was the page I was given, on the right is the color job I completed which was what the test was.

I had the pleasure of designing a new logo for my church which turned out to be a bit tougher than expected, but a very fulfilling job to say the least.

So that's the year so far folks, we still have about a month and half left and I for one still have LOTS to do! Thanks for dropping by and leave a comment if you want! I loves me some comments! Have a good rest of the week!

Definitely more treats than tricks!

2007-11-01T22:50:00.000-04:00

Another Halloween has come and gone and this one was a doozy! I whipped up some paper mache and went all out with my costume this year to help our art department in the annual costume contest at Beistle...

...and with a small amount of help from Photoshop there ya' have it! Not my background, just a snag from the web (thanks anonymous guy whom I couldn't find to give credit to!), but although enhanced somewhat for the pic I did have real lights in the eyes and it looked pretty cool. Here's the whole department in all of their scarecrowedly-goodness...

...and I am very happy to report that, for the second year in a row, took FIRST PLACE in the contest! And much excitement was shared by everyone.

Then it was on to the main event and I had tons of fun last night trick or treating with the kids. I found that children tend to be skittish around a man with a giant pumpkin head, hmmm. Heh heh! Here's my crew and their awesome costumes! They looked great and brought in lots of loot! (Note the flour on the chef's face, and the pot was used as his candy bucket! LOL!)

So from Pumpkin Head and his roving band of well fed, cheerleading ninjas...HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone!

It's late and things are getting weird...

2007-10-16T00:13:00.000-04:00

Digital pic of slowly shrinking spongey Spidey...

...and strange sketch inspired by afore-mentioned sponge Spidey.

Why? Who knows. I think I still like the photo better.

Lots and lots of notes!

2007-10-04T22:54:00.000-04:00

My tablet is somewhere under that stack...sheesh.

But the more notes you take and the more you think things through the easier the execution will be. At least that's the theory. I think I'll probably run into quite a few snags that I just haven't thought of!

Here's a few random pages from my scribblings, tryin' to figure things out:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!...

2007-10-01T22:42:00.000-04:00

Well, at least it is in my head. This year I'm determined to make something special for the kids for Christmas so the sooner I get started the better. I want to give them something that not only lets them know their dad loves 'em a bunch, but a gift that's more fun than just the junk I'm already seeing on the toy shelves. So, I've determined that I'm going to make them their own board game! I've got a rough concept of what I'd like to do and so it all starts with a sketch...

This is the basic shape I want the game to take. I have no idea how I'm gonna' pull off that upright section, but I'll get it done somehow. So much cooler to go vertical with these things, much more interesting.

And the kids are all gonna be in the game, including their cousin, so my next step is to sketch them as playing pieces...

I'll keep posting my progress as I get things done!

Monster Character Painting II

2007-07-10T22:47:00.000-04:00

WEEK FOUR: HAIR

Week Four was spent working on hair and fur. Here's a couple sketches from this past week. Starting with week five we'll be gearing up for our final monster due on Week Eight, so I'll have to start thinking on that!

Monster Character Painting II

2007-07-04T10:44:00.000-04:00

WEEK THREE: TEXTURES

Week Three found me a little bogged down, partially because I was sick for some of the time, partially because I just got carried away by this piece and really wanted to bring it all the way to a final look more than others. I really enjoyed getting into the lighting and metallic textures. Week Four came and went, but I'll be posting sketches for both that and Week Five soon enough. Click on the pic below for a closer view!

HAPPY 4TH EVERYONE!

Monster Character Painting II

2007-06-20T20:32:00.000-04:00

WEEK TWO: TEETH, TUSKS, & HORNS

And into Week Two! This class has been fantastic and I'm really enjoying it. I decided to try and incorporate the week's principles into my work more than last time through the class and it felt a lot more natural than just doing static studies.

Monster Character Painting II

2007-06-09T15:22:00.001-04:00

WEEK ONE: EYES

Taking Monster Character Painting II, once again with Don Seegmiller, teacher supreme! Here's some work from this week...

Monster Class: Eyes

2006-11-26T20:30:00.000-05:00

Taking a new class, online, with instructor Don Seegmiller at the helm. He's been around for quite a few years and is well known artist in the community. (www.seegmillerart.com) The class is called "Monster Character Painting" so I'm pretty excited to have started it.

Here's some digital sketches from the first week of classes!

Weeks 5 to 8 in painting class...

2006-11-09T20:06:00.000-05:00

Well, my class is officially over and I know I'll miss it! Here's the last study I was able to produce in the class.

THE LIVING DEAD WALK THE EARTH!

2006-11-05T23:13:00.000-05:00

Well, Halloween was a lot of fun this year. Not only with the kids but at work as well. Our department decided to dress up as zombies and here's the results...

First we have BobZombie, one of my co-workers, looking not too far off of a normal day for him. Heh heh.

Here's a shot of RickZombie, my art director. And it's probably the only time I could get away with saying, "Boss, you're a complete mess!" LOL!

And of course me, slaving away at my desk. Working so hard to meet deadlines that it actually killed me!

And the whole gang, such a sharp looking bunch. Winners of the company costume contest this year too I might add!

Then finally, one with the kids, who were definitely looking wayyy better then their dad at this point! I did manage to scare a few kids over the course of the night. So I guess dressing up like the dead does pay off. Imagine that.

Weeks 3 to 4 in painting class...

2006-10-24T21:31:00.000-04:00

I guess we could have had a bit more interesting subject, but it's just a study all the same. Okay, two paintings down, a gazillion to go! Heh heh!

ROBOTS!

2006-10-22T22:31:00.000-04:00

I have plans for an interactive, painted version of these robots, but here's the sketches for your viewing pleasure. They've been in the works for a lonnnnng time, but at least this stage is finally done. Just one of those projects that I've been chippin away at on the side. Just click on the pic below to view all 100 mechanical beauties! Heh heh. Hope you like!

A look back at 2006...

2006-10-19T21:29:00.000-04:00

Well, 2006 isn't quite over yet, but here's a bunch of stuff that I've done from the beginning of this year until now! A lot of the following are just thumbnails so click on them for a better and more detailed view.

First the work stuff:

One of the things that I've spent most of my time with at Beistle is a new product for them called "Insta-Theme". It's basically a wall mural you can purchase and customize with different "props" yourself. I worked on three of these this year, a Luau, Pirate, and Christmas theme (just an FYI, the human figures in the Luau and Pirate themes were done by my supervisor Joe).

Just click the thumbnails for a more detailed view! There's a lot to see in these shots!

Luau:

Pirate:

Christmas:

These Insta-Themes take quite awhile and have been the bulk of my work this year, but here's one other piece I finished up recently. My buddy Tim did a cutout set for Mardi Gras but was only able to finish 3 of the 4 cutouts needed before he was pulled for another job, so I completed the last one, click on the jester for a detailed view and the other 3 cutouts that Tim did!

I also did a bit of freelance this year, here's some odds and ends...

A logo for a software development company called Teleosoft:

Another logo for a baby clothing line:

And a quick ad for a business:

And last, but not least, is the classes I'm currently taking. The first is on Monday nights and is an introduction to oil painting course. Challenging but very fun! Here's the my first oil painting, just a monochromatic study done in roughly 2 hours:

The other class I'm taking is with comic artist, Mike Hawthorne, and it's called "Draw Like You're Getting Paid For It!". It's a great class that examines the freelance art scene, how to get work, how to deal with clients and contracts, etc. We have weekly assignments in this class as well and here's a couple of those:

A self portrait meant to convey whatever we want about ourselves

And then an illustration based on a news headline of our choosing. Here's the link to the headline/article I chose: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2028549.html?menu=

And here's my illustration:

So, that's it for the time being! As always, I hope this update finds all of you well ! Enjoy the Fall as it comes on strong, it's always been my favorite time of year and I plan to make the most of it! Take care and see you next update...which will be ROBOTS! Many, many, many robots. Heh heh! Later!

New wheels for the gang!

2006-10-15T20:10:00.000-04:00

Hey folks, just wanted to pass along some news. The family has a new minivan and here she is:

Now the children's complaints and threats of rebellion can finally be put to rest. I think if we would have gone any longer without giving them some space things could have gotten a little messy. :)

It's been a long time since my last post, but as I'm sure all of you can relate, things have been super busy. I'll have some new pieces from work that were done over the last year to put up soon. I'm also currently taking two classes, one to learn some oil painting techniques, and another to try and get my freelance efforts more focused. And just on the side, I've also finally completed the sketches for a project I've been working on for quite some time now so hopefully those will be up soon as well. Hope all are well!

Long time no post!

2006-01-13T22:37:00.000-05:00

Greetings all! I'm finally getting around to posting! It's been an unusually busy couple of months so I apologize if I haven't touched base with some of you. I'm finally able to put some of the recent work up on the blog and eventually my site. The Beistle Company 2006 catalog recently came out which allows me to show a little of the work I've been doing.

One of the major sources of decorations that Beistle produces is cutouts. These are simply pictures one can hang up and are done for all holidays and many different occasions. Within my first week there I was given a set of cutouts to do, and this was followed quickly by another, then another! Heh heh...trial by fire to be sure! The deadlines were aggresive. But things went well, so here's a set of Luau, Halloween, and Valentine cutouts that were done in roughly a month...

So there you have it, just some of the work that I've been cranking out! Keep me in your prayers at the moment. I've been put on a project with one of my supervisors that has a deadline coming up. I've been told it's the biggest venture that the art department has ever embarked on and after all the work we've done in the past couple months...I believe it!!! Take care everyone, hope this post finds all of you well!

IT'S OFFICIAL!

2005-09-15T19:17:00.000-04:00

Well, I am now an official employee of The Beistle Company, getting PAID to be an artist!!! Woo hooo! Praise God for not only his provision, but for allowing me to do something that I have a talent for and actually will like doing! LOL! Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers out there, they mean a lot.

I start tomorrow, no more break for the unemployed! Thanks again everyone!

Freelance work

2005-09-14T08:02:00.000-04:00

Hello folks! Just wanted to update you all on what's been going on. I'm currently working on a freelance job for The Beistle Company. Can't share any sketches or pics with you due to copyright/contract constraints, but there is a possiblity that it could turn into something full-time in the near future so keep Erica and I in your prayers. If you want any more detailed info just give me a call or shoot me an email.

Hope this update finds all of you well!!

Crunch time!

2005-09-03T20:49:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm working on two different tests at the moment, both illustration/graphic design work, for two different companies. Things are going well. I'll post the results, if allowed, here and on the site. Even if nothing happens with either you can bet I'll be using this work at least on the site! LOL!

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, they are much appreciated!

Radikin Studios gets a makeover!

2005-08-15T23:16:00.000-04:00

Hey gang, just wanted to let you know that the new look for the site is up and running now. Definitely time for a change and I think the streamlined look is much more fitting . I'd be interested in your opinions so post away and let me know what you think.

You can access the site by clicking on the "Radikin Studios" link to the right!

Done and done!

2005-08-02T14:58:00.000-04:00

Here's the completed sketch...

Loose color study in progress

2005-08-01T21:03:00.000-04:00

More in the direction of what I wanted to do with a skeleton in the first place instead of that mess several weeks ago! Heh heh...

Hellboy sketch finished...

2005-08-01T13:26:00.000-04:00

Finished sketch, don't know what I'm putting in the middle yet but I'll come up with something! Heh heh.

CLICK ON PIC BELOW for a larger view...

Hellboy!

2005-07-27T11:08:00.000-04:00

Here's a sketch I've been working on that will be a part of a larger painted piece. Been itchin' to do Hellboy and now I'm finally hittin' it!

CLICK ON PIC BELOW for a larger view...

You know the drill...heh heh.

2005-07-22T11:59:00.000-04:00

Ancient visitors?

2005-07-20T18:59:00.000-04:00

CLICK FOR LARGER VIEW...

Here's another I finished today

2005-07-20T00:48:00.000-04:00

You can CLICK ON THE PIC BELOW to see a larger version...

Finished

2005-07-15T17:08:00.000-04:00

Well, this one's done. Probably noodled it more then I should have. Oh well, live and learn. I think I like the way some of the stages looked better then the final. LOL! Anyway, if you'd like to see the progression of this piece just CLICK ON THE PIC BELOW!

New concept in progress

2005-07-14T17:16:00.000-04:00

Well, after watching a DVD Jon lent to me I feel reborn! Heh heh! This piece is in progress but even though it's not done I find it interesting. Just CLICK ON THE PIC BELOW for a larger shot of it.

Much better...

2005-07-14T00:11:00.000-04:00

Brother Jon posted previously that the astronauts looked a little kiddish and I agreed, so I think this is better...

More environment studies

2005-07-13T20:57:00.000-04:00

These are fun but hard for me right now! The first one went fast, but I got a little too wrapped up in the second though I think. Learned a few things that maybe I won't do next time. You can CLICK ON THE SECOND PIC TO GET A LARGER SHOT of it if you like...

Color studies

2005-07-11T20:05:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick study (turned too long) of a skeleton I'm working on, probably won't finish this one like this. It's just taking too darn long!

And here's some quicker environment color studies. These turned out alright and went much faster. Between one and two hours each...

Finshed MP soldier ideas

2005-07-08T14:22:00.000-04:00

Here's a more fleshed out look at the MP soldiers. CLICK ON THE PICS BELOW to get a full shot of both!

Rockback creature color study

2005-07-07T21:13:00.000-04:00

Here's the finished color study on this creature...good enough start anyway.

Creatures and guns!

2005-07-06T00:19:00.000-04:00

Here's a painting I'm working on of some kind of rock creature...not near finished but it's coming along...

And something actually finished! LOL! If you look down a couple of posts you'll see a soldier of sorts holding a rifle. Here's the rifle as a more finished concept. You can CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW for a full shot of both the rifle the soldier is holding and a variant.

Cat-like Tribesman

2005-07-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

Another creature...be sure and click on the pic below for a shot of the complete sketch!

Time to go techno...

2005-06-29T09:39:00.000-04:00

I'm planning on using this sketch as a springboard for what I hope to be a slew of uniforms, weapons, and military type equipment. Tally hoooooooo...

Getting my "painting feet" wet...

2005-06-20T10:01:00.000-04:00

Well, time to dive into painting. Intimidating, but necessary...but first, a few sketches. Also trying to revamp my sketching style. It's way too tight so here's some attempts at a more flowing style:

And a few painting concepts I'm working on from some old sketches. Trying to go fast and keep it loose, but as usual finding myself getting caught up in the details. LOL! Ahhh well, I'll have to learn to work faster. Better sooner then later! And again, you can CLICK ON THE PICS BELOW for a detail shot...

DWE light/value study...

2005-05-29T16:43:00.000-04:00

...just getting a feel of things.

Deepwood Elder in progress...

2005-05-27T08:43:00.000-04:00

Here's some sketches revisiting a concept for a trading card from Magic: The Gathering. The card's name is "Deepwood Elder"...

...and it seemed kind of boring. So here's my take on it, for what it's worth. You can click on the images below for a hi-res version if you like!

Some ship ideas...

2005-04-27T14:03:00.000-04:00

Here's a few ship ideas as of late. The attempt was to try and create some similarities between the different concepts to appear as if the same "company" built them.

The journey begins!

2005-04-07T08:04:00.000-04:00

Greetings all!

Well, there are so many blogs on the web that I was hesitant to start one. However, it is a good way to keep anyone who's interested informed about what's going on, a good way to have a roundabout discussion of things, so...here we are!

My main reason for setting up this forum is to document my attempt to mature artistically in the next several months. I'll be posting sketches, drawings, paintings, etc. in an attempt to see some kind of progression and to get people's feedback. So it should be interesting. Please say a prayer for me as this process can often be frustrating and kind of "out there". All comments welcome! Into the fray I go!