Over 5000 views!

Wow, thanks everyone for stopping by the site, since March of this year this site was looked at over 5000 times! whoo hoo! I'm sure that's no big deal to some, and I'm sure it's nothing to brag about, but I just noticed it on the counter and figured I'd mention it to start out today's blurb. So thanks everyone!
OK, well I can't believe it's fall already and this month is almost gone! We started up our local church college group this past friday and there were plenty of eager new faces ready to learn more about Genesis which is our focus this year.
Other than that there's no real news to report, just working away and still drawing! I'll have more to announce at the start of next month, but for now I'll just post a sneak at some recent sketches I've working on here and there.... and yes... more cars:-)

more cars....

Hey there, here are 2 more car sketches that are a little rougher than the ones in the previous post, but I think I like 'em the way they are. Both of these as well as the 'bull car' in the previous post were done entirely 'in the box' and no paper was harmed in the making of them :-P
So enjoy these as well.

car crazy!

OK, So anyone that really knows me, knows I'm a huge car freak, especially German cars like VW, Audi etc... So I had some extra minutes this week and banged out a few cars. Not all were meant to be VW's some I just slapped the badge on at the end. But the GTI is one I intended to be a VW as I drive both an '86 GTI and an '04 Golf R32. I thought I'd take a stab at making the next gen a bit more ...sexy and aggressive and less pedestrian and boxy. I also got a request from a friend to see me do a few WRC ralley inspired versions, so I'll be doing those next. But for now enjoy these few. The 'Bull car' is something I did on the fly, thought it might appeal to some mega rich Texas cattle owner somewhere...:-) The 'Sports Hybrid' is more a form study, where the motors are contained within the wheels, so there is no need for an engine compartment.
My summer travels took us to Greece, Turkey, Rome, London and Sydney...phew! It was loads of fun, but now it's back to the usual grind ....as I have no more vacation time left :-P
OK enjoy and I'll be adding these and others to the main site soon as well.
God Bless!
-ALX

On a break

Hello All, thanks for all of you who have left comments or written to me. If I haven't written you back yet, please bear with me as I have been taking a break and doing some traveling off and on with my wife. This is also the reason I was not at the San Diego Comic Con this year. But I hope to be there next year in force with some of my co-workers to show our wares.
I know Tranformers has just been released in some countries, so I hope you enjoy! This is one film that I would've loved to have been in Japan to see :-) I've recieved many emails about an Art of Transformers book. I wish I had an answer, I've been in contact with Ben Procter and we're inquiring on this issue.
OK well I'll have more once I'm back at it. But for now I pray you are all well and like I've told many of you, the best practice is to just draw! draw! draw!
And if you are in the Dallas - Fort Worth Area hurry up and go see the Star Wars Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit! Where I am part of a (pre-recorded) panel of WAY smarter peers talking about how science can influence movies, but also how movies have influenced science!
Ciao for now!
-Alx

CG Society Profile Article!

OK, back from a much needed break. One big bit of news is CG Society just posted a very nice article about the work on Transformers and an overall look at my career in film design! Check it out! And let them know if you 'digg it' ,overall it was a very nice piece. There was no ILM art department in LA, it was the LA art department they sent me down to, and plenty of great artists there who deserve just as much credit, namely Ben Procter, Paul Ozzimo, Ed Natividad, Feng Zu, Tony Kieme, Ryan Church, James Clyne and more! Great work guys! They were responsible for the bulk of the design work of the robots.
I've got another month of Sketch of the day ready to scan in. I also hope I responded to anyone who emailed me recently, if not please forgive me and buzz me again.
I hope you all enjoyed Transformers, it was a fun, fast paced ride for sure. A little bit on the silly side for my tastes, but it worked in context. I saw it opening night with my family and a full house of TF fans who all seemed to eat it up with a cheer. My wife and #1 fan made sure that my credit was duely noted throughout the theater at the end.... thanks babe.
Oh and here's that Sub attack pic a little better resolution for ya.

Website update

Hello all, well I finally got March sketch of the day scanned and up on the site, April is almost done so I'm slowly 'catching up' :-P . I Also added a few more pieces from some other Old "Wild" show. Not much else to report at this time. Still have a few things in the works and will share more about those in July. In the mean time, there are some great books just out. For a new look into the making of Star Wars, Jonathan Rinzler's new book The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film. This is a great new look into the stories and unreleased photos of making the original Star Wars. Also in that same line is Lorne Peterson's book, Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop. this is a book full of great behind the scenes stories and photos of the modelshop's work on the Star Wars movies. (and it doesn't hurt that I'm in it :-P ) On another film, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean. Is an awesome art book packed full of , well... art and huge full page and even fold out size high quality prints of the great artwork from all 3 films. Aaron McBride, a fellow ILM co-worker is featured heavily in it as well as some Warren Fu, Brian Kalin-Oconnel and Wayne Lo, all ex-ILMer's. And many other great concept artists. Those should keep your eyes busy for a while.

April 12th EVA wip

Well, I've been quite busy lately, and have not had much time to work on my own stuff. But I do have some things in the works, as well as the sketch of the day still going (although behind a bit).
I've had a few questions about how I work, wether all digital or not. I mainly sketch on paper first although i've been trying more lately to start 'on the box'. I'm also looking into a Cintq tablet to help that :-)
Usually I'll start in ballpoint pen or do a small thumbnail and then blow it up as a guide. I'm not big on overlays, but I do at least one depending on how tight it needs to be. I also still do some of the drawing part in blue col-erase pencils and then scan those in and change them to black and clean up the line work to taste. I'll then put the line work on a layer (photoshop) on top and make it in 'multiply' mode. The do the color on a layer below. This keeps the lines from being covered up. Then as the color blocking becomes tighter and more detailed I may erase out some of the lines or make them less aparent. I used to have lots of layers, but have found I work faster if I flatten some layers as i go so I'm only working with 2-3 layers. One layer for black lines, one layer for color, and another on top for highlights. other times I may do all the shading in grayscale, and add the color with an 'overlay' layer so i can easily adjust colors later if needed.
Well, if you have any specific questions, please ask through the comments below or through my email.
In the mean time here is another 'work-in-progress' image I've had on the back burner. Now that Transformers has been made a reality, i can't wait to see what a Evangelion or Macross film would be like!
enjoy!
-Alx

April 8th Happy Easter!

Well, March was a busy month! But everything is going well. Transformers is on track and looking awesome, and I've managed to also secure a few good freelance jobs as well. So my Sketch of the day has taken a bit of neglect already, I think I'm only up to March 24th right now. But I'll get back on track a bit this weekend. Speaking of this weekend I pray you all have a good Easter as we celebrate the biggest holiday (at least for those who know the real menaing of it, and not the holiday about bunny's laying eggs and leaving them all over the place :-)
Yes it's the basically the whole point of Christianity, the sacrifice and resurection of Jesus Christ for the sins of the world. ('the world' is YOU and ME, and yes we ALL sin) In fact I think it's funny that people think that Christians are 'goody two shoes' and that they've got it all together. In fact someone who believes in and accepts Christ as the Son of God is claiming that they are indeed NOT perfect and NEED a SAVIOR. The fact that they choose to take the steps to become 'right' in God's eyes is not really they're doing either. It's like if you're dying, you need a cure. And then you get a package in the mail for free. And there's a letter on the package that says what it is and how amazingly expensive it was, and it's the cure and something you've been looking for your whole life, but yet you leave it sitting on the floor in the entryway. Get up and open it up!
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." -- C.S. Lewis

Well, I'll be updating the Sketch of the day this week, so please check back often!
And don't be shy, leave a comment!
Hope you had a great easter and continue to think above and beyond!
-Alx

March 22....My Birthday!

Whoopie!
I'm getting old-er. But It's all good, and I thank God for each day I get. He's blessed me with so much, that it would be a slap in His face not to. So on this day I'd like to thank my wife, my parents, my lil' bro and big sis and my friends and Co-workers here in California and my friends in other parts of the U.S. as well as my friends overseas, Like Michael, Lucas and Steffi in Germany! Thanks for all your birthday wishes!
So to celebrate, here is some more sneak peaks at the march Sketch of the Day and some other work-in-progress! -Enjoy!

Above is the 'sketch' and below is the Work-in progress painting....

March 20th

Hello again, it's been a busy week. Spent half the weekend doing taxes...yippee! Anyway, I finally finished off a sketch I did when I was testing a WACOM Cintiq tablet a few weeks ago. I gotta get me one of those! It's been around, we tested one a few years ago and I didn't like the lag and the feel of the old ones, but this new one was awesome, even had felt pen tips to simulate the feel of a marker or pen. They aren't cheap, $2500 but it is a monitor and a wacom tablet, and being able to draw right on the screen is the closest to drawing on paper!
I just finished a cool freelance job for a racing team doing the graphics for their cars and their logo. It was a blast :-)
Hope you enjoy this piece and I'll have more soon!
thanks for lookin'
and think above and beyond!
-Alx