On the road..

I'm currently traveling through Bali in Indonesia with my sketchbooks and my house on my back :) I'm still working on different projects at the same time, between the fruit cocktails and the incredible ceremonies and vistas. So here's one of the concepts I've recently finished for a french project. It's the only one I can show for now. More infos about this project and more artworks soon... (click on the picture for hi-rez)

Lighting exploration

Here are some color studies for the Coriolis Conspiracy, one of the projects I'm developing on my free time.

Ti Gouya Almost Done !!

A few more finished ones. This project is almost coming to an end. I feel happy and exhausted like I just gave birth to a baby mammoth or something...

Quelques illustrations finies de plus. Ca sent la fin. Jme sens heureux et fatigue comme si je venais d'accoucher d'un pti mammouth ou un truc dans le genre... avec plein de poil...

The Siamese Twins - Concept art

(click on the picture for full size version)

Another character concept for my personal project The Chase. Hylwys !

Drole d'Oiseau

I realize I've never posted the final stage of this illustration here. You can find the work in progress in previous posts below.

Je viens de me rendre compte que je n'ai jamais poste la version finale de cette illustration dont j'avais montre les differentes etapes sur ce blog il y a quelques mois. C'est maintenant chose faite.

Star Truc

Just saw Star Trek. Amazing ! It doesn't stop from beginning to end. So I just ran home with the urge to paint sci fi stuffs. This speedpainting is directly inspired from one scene. It's not the most spectacular at all but the contrast and sense of scale was really striking and had a lot of impact. Anyway, live long and prosper...

Je sors juste de Star Trek... Fantastique film ! Ca arretes pas du debut a la fin. Je suis rentre direct au studio apres le film avec un grosse envie de peindre de la SF. Le speedpaint ci dessus est directement inspire d'une des scenes du film. Ce n'est pas la plus spectaculaire du tout pourtant c'est celle qui m'a le plus frappee par son contraste, son atmosphere et la sensation d'immensite de la structure en arriere plan...

Thoughts

Here a few of my latest sketchbook wanderings :







Hylwys

Ti GOUYA - Day 41 - Creative bliss

I'm getting more excited than a flea on a dirty puddle's back ! Here are 3 of the finale illustrations. I'm almost done with 6 other ones. Should be there by Monday. I have to start thinking about the cover now... I listened to the first part Adam Hughes's interview on Sidebar today and fortunately he was full of insights about that matter. He's also a really funny guy... Thanks AH !

OYO in CFSL ARTBOOK 3 !

190 auteurs et 573 images images seront publiées cette année.
190 authors, 573 images will be published this year !

Merci à toute l'équipe CFSL de permettre a autant d'artistes d'etre regroupes sous la meme banniere et dans un ouvrage de cette qualite!
Les selectionnes cette annee ici.

Thanks to the CFSL team for their efforts to put this book together again and to allow young artists like me to be published in such great quality. The list of selected artists this year is here.


Couverture Remi-F (http://www.remifarjaud.fr)
Quatrième de couverture Clo (http://clochette.ultra-book.com)

OYO !!!

Ti GOUYA - Day 39 - Meaaaat !

Ti GOUYA - Day 37 - Pushing through

This is the best part of the project. It's all about refining, testing, experimenting, adding, removing, making everything consistant, just really cool to explore and explore again. In between brushstrokes, I've spend my day looking at Marmotte, Kekai and Tentacle Eye . Awesome inspiration. Thank you! you sexy people with your sexy brains and skills .

Ti GOUYA - Day 37 - Sunset burns

A new take on the illustration 12, opening the perspective to something more epic...

Ti GOUYA - Day 35 - In the land of the Burned One

Today's painting... Couldn't help not thinking about the Lord of the Rings, again so much fun pulling out that scene and try painting a convincing stylized volcanic eruption from a lizard point of view.
One illustration left until starting the refining stage and putting the icing on all these illustrations I've been doing since 3 weeks !

Ti GOUYA - Day 34 - The invisible riddler

Back on colors at last !!! The last few days without painting felt like eternity. I had so much fun on this one ! As I was saying yesterday, because I was already satisfied with my drawing and composition, today I could only focus on the colors and how to use them to make that drawing and composition even better.

I ve got a big dilemma with the clouds here. It's more graphic and solid way to draw, it also useful cause you can put a lot of nice solid curves in there which can be used to lead the eye too. But on previous illustrations in the book, they're more soft and gaseous, more realistic which I like too. And it was relevant to the situation as the clouds were only there in the background for "decoration" or filling space, giving depth...

Ti GOUYA - Day 33 - New sketches

I recently listen to an great interview of Jason Shawn Alexander who made me realize how composition and drawing are the most important part of telling a story.

Then I've been studying lots of Disney / Pixar / Dreamworks movie recently especially the compositions. I usually pause and take a screenshot or digg concept arts on internet... and I've learn a lot doing this ! One of the many lessons learned was to take stronger decisions/ commitments with my compositions, another one is to use every single object to lead the eye toward the focal point ( I knew that concept already but I really realize how far it can be pushed by studying Seth Engstrom's concept for Sinbad and Spirit and Michael Spooner's on Lilo and Stich and of course KungFu Panda, Ratatouille, etc.)

So for the last 3 illustrations left in the book, I decided to focus way more energy on those points Which means go back to thumbnailing and trying to work out better composition and drawing for each, here is where I'm with these so far...

Works published in Happenstance Magazine

Last Friday saw the launch of Flood Studio's new design magazine :

HAPPENSTANCE , a locally-produced and designed read that celebrates a range of cultural pursuits including bikes, art galleries, morgues and sex shops. Some of my traditional illustration works (below) are featured in the Rough Pages section alongside amazing artists such as bohemian concept artist Adam Paquette, elegant Gemma O'brien and fontgenius Dave Foster. The magazine also features works from my friend James Jirat whose striking imagery never stop to inspires me.

Thanks again to Dittmar and Aaron and to their combined efforts to bring this beautiful project to life, it's a great honor to be part of this new exciting journey.

Long live Happenstance !






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Ti GOUYA - Day 31 - Never trust an Italian crab

Ti GOUYA - Day 30 - Wasps !

Ti GOUYA - Day 28 - Par monts et vallons

Another illustration in progress...

Ti GOUYA - Day 26 - No lizard's land

Ti GOUYA - Day 25 - Going for a ride !

Ti GOUYA - Day 24 - Stroll in the Vacoas Forest

Here is today's painting. Ti Gouya taking a peaceful stroll down the Vacoas Forest down South... Nothing much to say about it except that I really enjoyed it because it brought back memories of week-ends spent chilling out with my girlfriend, fishing, rock climbing when I was living on La Reunion island almost 3 years ago...good times... It really helps to have experienced with your 5 senses the environment/atmosphere you're trying to depict. Something a photo can't give you... That was the first reason why I started travelling 5 years ago... And why I will do it again as soon as possible... :)

Morning view - Study

Ti GOUYA - Day 23 - Gran Diab !!!

I'm quite satisfied with today's painting, the mood is right where I wanted it, now I have to render and give a nice form to everything so it doesnt look that flat... thanks Adam and Jannica for their precious comments and critics...

Zen Approach

A little 35 min study... Even if this kind of exercise is purely about working out color and values muscles, I also always try to build up a little story within so it's less boring to watch... at least for me :)

Une petite etude de photo faites en ~35 minutes... Meme si ce genre d'exercise a seulement pour but de faire travailler les petits muscles visuel de reconnaissance de couleur et de valeur, j'essais toujours de rajouter une petite histoire par dessus, un peu de mystere et di sonsasionnellleee !... ca rends la chose moins chiante a regarder... au moins pour moi... :)

The title "Zen Approach" is also track from Dj Krush and like my favorite tune of all time I think, it's worth listening to...if you ask me :)

Ti GOUYA - Day 22 - 3 more color sketches

Quite a productive monday ! I think I've nailed the style i was looking for...

A lundi bien productif ma foi ! Je pense enfin avoir mis le doigt et le pinceau sur le style que je voulais pour ce livre... et j'en suis ravi ! C'est ma tournee !!

Ti GOUYA - Day 21 - First showable color sketch

Finally ! Here is the sketch for the first page, I ve started all the 16 illustrations but so far this one is the most satisfying attempt to create the mood I have in mind for that book... The journey begins !

Ti GOUYA - Day 8 - Planning/ sketches complete

(click on the picture for full size )

So eerrrr... daily update fail. I tried very hard but it was too much hassle to scan everything evernight, I chose to sleep instead... Anyway, here are the final sketches for the pages. I ve done almost the triple of this researching and trying every single angle and idea I could approach the action from... I'm quite happy where this is all going. I'm trying to visualize the final result as much as I can at this stage in term of color atmosphere. This is a new approach am trying after studying the process of Shaun Tan, Greg Manchess and Jeffrey Jones. I'm really curious to see in which way this will improve my work ( or not).

The feminine mystique

A quick portrait, trying out few stuff about values I just read from Jeffrey Jones Artbook.

Caniche Wars !

In the middle of a page surrounded by smily happy nice animals for Ti Gouya appeared this lovely creature... I couldn't resist to give him more love and life thourgh colors :) back to the rainbow stuff now...

Au milieu de toutes ces creatures mignonnes et souriantes a vomir que je dessine depuis 3 jours, est apparue cet etrange et affecteux petit etre, expression de mon amour et admiration pour cette perfection genetique, preuve vivante de l'existence de Dieu : le caniche.

Day 2-3 / Thumbnails and Character development

First of all : the synopsis :

So Ti gouya's story takes place on La Reunion Island and is the story of a little lizard called Ti Gouya who lives in the mountains and never saw the sea. He's dying to discover the world all those tourists are talking about when they stop at the backpackers where he lives. One day, after his mother told him to go to school and he refuses, he decide to leave the nest and jump into a backpacker's bag heading down to the sea...

Donc Ti Gouya, ca se passe a la Reunion et c'est l'histoire d'un pti margouillat nomme Ti Gouya vivant dans les montagnes et qui n'a jamais vu la mer. Il reve de decouvrir le monde dont parlent tous ces randonneurs de passage quand ils s'arretent dans le gite ou il habite. Un jour, apres que sa mere lui ordonne d'aller a l'ecole, il decide de s'en aller et saute dans un des sacs poses sur le sol par un randonneur, direction : la mer !

Nothing to show on day 2, spent my time at the cafe next door analysing the script and extracting thumbnails and ideas about the general direction of the book. I came up with 4 or 5 thumbnails for each pages and hundred of notes. I will probably scanned them when done or completely filled.

For now, I ve started doodling on characters and differents elements, trying to familiarize my brain with the style i d like to develop and laying down some of the most charismatic characters I remember from my years on the Island... Ideas often come from random little sketches in sketchbooks which have no sense or interest in the first place. It strikes you randomly, most of the time when you dont pay attention... Here are some of them :

Voici des recherches et gribouillages de personnages et autres elements, j'essayes ici de me famialiariser avec le style et de poser sur le papier les souvenirs les plus marquants que j'ai de mes annees passees a la Reunion. De nombreuses idees peuvent emergees de ce genre de ptits croquis sans but premier que de s'amuser. Ces idees frappent souvent quand on s'y attend le moins apres plusieurs jours quand on reviens sur ces pages et que le cerveau commence a associer les dessins entre eux et a y trouver un sens particulier...

Ti GOUYA - Day 1 - Character Design

Today is day 1 of the production of my new children book "Ti Gouya". The deadlines is in 8 weeks with 16 full color illustrations + cover. Can't wait to be there !
I'll post work in progress for you to check out on a daily basis. As a starter, above is the style test illustration I've done few months ago which got me the gig and here is the first character style sheet on our hero :

Aujourd'hui est officiellement le premier jour de production de mon nouveau livre pour enfant " Ti' Gouya". La deadline est pour dans 8 semaines avec un total de 16 illustrations couleur plus la couverture et tout les ptits trucs lies a la production d'un livre. Il me tarde d'avoir fait tout ca !
Je posterais tous les jours l'avancee des travaux afin que vous puissiez partager avec moi cette experience et me donner votre avis, echanger, discuter. Et donc, pour commencer, voici la premiere illustration test que j'ai realise il y a quelques mois et qui m'as permis d'etre engage sur ce projet ainsi que ci-dessous la premiere planche de recherche sur notre petit heros :

Narcotic Moment of Creative Bliss - Solo Show 18 th March at the Wall !

(click on picture for full size)

Fresh new works
Champagne
Good dj's !
18th of March
World Bar
Sydney

Pimp my tide !

I recently had the chance to flex my design muscles with the new identity of Innersoul Australia. (FYI a trendy jewelery Australian surf brand.) I worked in their Mortdale's studio for 3 days and had complete freedom on the art direction. Their studio being equipped with a photolab, I experimented a lot with the mountains of rings and pendants and such available in the warehouse. I had a great time working with the AD Erez Beker, who happens to be a very cool guy and a really good sandwiches cook. I ended up producing the new catalogue covers and layouts, several posters, a dozen stickers designs and the new website layout which will come up online very soon. Below is one of the posters (my favourite). Just for, this is my new layers record : 112 for a 1.2gb 300 dpi PSD file.
Gentlemen start your tricycle engines !

Morning Sketches

One study a day keeps the stress away

No need for introduction.Very interesting to study, I wish I could find more high rez of masterpieces like that... like the Laocoon or the Hell's gate.

Bon Annif Lolo !!

Bientot dans ta boite aux lettres... :) J'espere que la vie est toujours belle pour toi mon pote !

Values, values, values, values ...

Started as a brush test, ended up as a 1h speed painting of a dinosaur under a burning sun with Maya ruins (so yea... rocks) on its back and a stupid samurai dude who thinks he can take it down on his own with a single sword and his ninja ballz...

The Chase - sketch

Today's sketch for the Chase project : road babe ( finally), rocket launcher and desert mammoths... Blackadee !

The Chase - Sketch

Quite a productive afternoon... here is a concept for a post ap illustration featuring Bakfat, a vigilante character I ve been working on for a while...

The 7 Samurai Bastards - Sketch

This is an early stage of a group character design for a personal project...
Back to my first love with a samurai story ! Au menu : Lost honor ! Outrageous battles ! Sexy geishas ! Woohoo !

Would Icarus be a parkour master ?

A little study from a photo with a bit of parkour inside. Et la caravane passe...

Hylwys

So I was listening to an interview of Celia Calle and scribbling at the same time. This girl is just so much fun and her works looks so fresh and impulsive to me...great inspiration... so yea.. you know... get high !

Eye Candy

Self-portrait by the sea

Taken by my friend Rei at Bondi beach at sunrise a week ago while a dawn chorus was performed just behind by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Fantastic sensorial experience .

Allligatoooo NinjaRei ! Hug !

hylwys

Sometimes you just can't wait ...

A quick sketch done yesterday night at 4am just after coming back from a great party with some great friends at the Hibernian House. Woohoo !

Sneak Peak

A little snapshot of my desktop.I ve been working completely out of my comfort zone lately, I like it... more soon ! Stay tuned !

Hunger - .. .

yesterday late night speed painting after CJ and after the Courthy and after an outdoor graffiti session with a bunch of crazy chimps ... hylwys...

Journey to the East !

Tonight's speed painting, drawing and painting girls never gets old ... hylwys...

Surreal Sunrise

Bonjour et bonne annee a tous !

A fantastic and totally unreal beginning of the year for me. After watching the fireworks on rooftop of a friend's building, and by randomly following friendly people in the street, I ended up partying in a penthouse on 3 levels on top of another building with a hidden jacuzzi watching over the whole sydney harbour and equiped with lots of bubbles and intoxicated creatures ( i can still hardly believe it myself). After such a good time and good energies exchanged... I decided to go and welcome back our divine goddess the Sun on the cliffs of Bondi Beach and create my first artwork. My partner in crime Adam joined me moments after I arrived at 4.30am, we sat in the twilight zone and started jamming with a good wine and marshmallows while a little crowd gathered behind us... Life is good... Salute !

Me drawing, taken by a friendly drunken girl ( who could have guessed )

5h47 a.m. Adam painting, the crowd chatting, the sun just rising over the horizon
and that bloody skilled fisherman taking a fish every 2 minutes and shouting !!!
Am really happy with how this shot turned out. To me, it really captures the energy
of that moment :)

at 9 am, artwork finished, sun already burning, time for a swim...

Title : Sleep Now In a Fire.
15 x 30 '' pencil and markers on canvas

Happy new year spacemonkeys !

HYLWYS