I recently bought a Ricoh Theta S 360 camera. So like many of you one of my first reasons was to easily take HDRI on the fly. At a later date I'll do a review of the camera the workflow and the apps you can use, for now here are some free HDRI produced from the camera. I've included some back plates as well.
My logic on making them free is simple, as am still nailing the perfect workflow and combo of apps and exposures to get a good mix of speed and range, it seemed a good idea to make them free. The back plates were done on my HTC One M8 phone (as when you have two kids with you , the last thing you want is to be carrying a heavy camera, tripod and lenses...trust me lol.)
Enjoy and feel free to use on anything non commercial all HDRI are at a resolution of 5376 x 2688 and are taken with differing amount of exposures (depending on how much my kids were harassing me at the time ;) ) If you do anything that looks nice with them I've love to see.
I'm finally allowed to show some of my work on Fantastic Four as Lead Lighting Artist at MPC in Montreal last year. This is only a temp reel (cut together in about 40 mins)..and remember folks...it was very much a massive team effort. I was responsible for the environment lighting on the planet zero end sequence. And......thats probably about as much as I can say :)
Enjoy
...and no I still haven't watched the film..... or my last film or much else I've done really.
Its that time of the year again when I do my review of my year, I'd thought before working back over the last years blog that I'd actually done not to much of interest really in comparison to other years ...boy was I wrong!
My year started with me flat broke, life was sort of in a good place on a personal level but career wise fairly fucked. But the year took off as it continued onwards only for me to be hit with a few sets of bad news on the personal front which side tracked me away from the 3D personal art side this year. So as a result I've only done Four 3D models this year, although obviously many many more than that from a work point of view.
So lets breakdown things into months as it may be easier.
January
After doing 4 or 5 solid days lecturing at the University of Herefordshire in Hatfield going for an interview for a 2nd job at another MPC branch that I turned down....
The notable events were the 15th anniversary of the main site www.DashDotSlash.net and also I got so mind numbingly bored one afternoon that I wrote the game 'Flappy Dildo' which of course was a piss take on the game Flappy Birds. What can I say? I have a weird sense of humour and it was a VERY boring day lol.
I also did a fair few paintings including the inverse painting of Keith Richards
February
February was a 'paintings' month as at this point I'd been surviving on painting commissions for the start of the year. I also did a one for the Help for Heroes charity to raise money at an auction.
March
I decided to record a few tutorial videos for YouTube as I was bored and had a bit of spare time...
I did Two painting commissions for Neil Hazzard of Autodesk a one for the British Army and a self portrait as I had an extra canvas going spare at the time and lots of red paint I needed to use up.
April
In April I moved to Montreal to work as Lead Lighting Artist at MPC on the Fantastic Four film.... which I still haven't seen. As I knew I'd not have my easel or paints I sort of went a bit mad on paintings this month before I left finishing on just 24 hours before I left.
August
Unfortunately due to some serious health problems of someone back home in my family I had to give up my job at MPC and move back to my home town. This meant coming back deeply in debt up to my eyeballs, but sometimes you have to put family first...for once I did.
I also released my 7th commercial music Album under the name GSMA called The Dark Library (available on all good streaming services..a few shit ones and Amazon and iTunes)
The 1st trailer for the Fantastic Four film I worked as lead lighting artist on came out this month as well. while in Montreal I'd started watercolour painting again after about 20 odd years....
This one was for my work mate John Volny I was working with at MPC montreal
another few paintings on canvas as well...
September
Only a single painting this month a commission of Heath Ledgers Joker
December
After another few months busy with both personal life stuff and work for a client I cant mention I did a commission for Ste Hall who happens to run my favourite bar in the world (The Turf in Consett, my home town) of blues legend Robert Johnson as an Xmas present for his wife Juliette.
So with just 24 hours or so left of 2015 my tally this year was: (of the things I can tell you about outside of any NDA's)
30 paintings(one never shown...in case your interested it was a acrylics on canvas one of my girlfreind)
1 music album release (The Dark Library by GSMA)
1 game made(personal)
1 film made (Fantastic Four)
4 3d models(personal ones - mess arounds only as no time for anything serious)
6 YouTube tutorial videos on all sorts of 3D stuff
1 video time-lapse
1 painting time-lapse
1 music video(Dead by Dawn by GSMA ...which is one of the names I record under)
So all in all I've been very busy this year... although when I take into account the personal / private side its been a year of epic ups and epic downs. My classical concept album was also STILL not finished and is now about to run into its 3/4th year of composing and recording.)
So I give you all my best wishes for 2016 and wish you all a very Happy New Year.
Its been a fair old while since I updated my blog, but alas a lot of what I am doing work wise at the present time I cant actually mention. So there's not a whole lot to talk about. I was asked to do the above painting as a commission for Ste Hall as a present for his wife Juliette (Ste and Juliette run The Turf ...my favorite bar on earth).
On other news I still haven't watched the Fantastic 4 film I worked as lead lighting artist on ... although my children have bother requested it and a blue ray of it is now in the house. So I may not be able to resist much longer. (I rarely watch anything I have worked on or play any games I ave contributed to either... usual a personal thing as I find all you end up doing is remembering the crazy stories etc from when you were working on said thing. :) ) So if I can avoid watching something I've worked on...I usually do...although in this case I may not be able to manage that without my kids being disappointed lol.
My review of my year (such as its been) will be up at some point before new years eve.
This painting is something special, as the lucky buyer (1st come 1st served, there's only one of them!) gets to attend the next filming of red dwarf and get it signed by The Cat himself, Mr Danny John Jules!
Luckily I know Danny and he has agreed to sign this and have the person at the filming of the next series of Red Dwarf. So feel free to check I'm telling the truth with him on Twitter or Facebook etc. So if your a fan of Red Dwarf, this might just be for you, a painting of Danny in character by myself (who has done a fair bit of 3D work for Danny over the years).
The lucky buyer would have the painting immediately shipped to them and then Danny would be in touch about attending the filming to meet him and get it signed. The painting is 50cm x 60cm in size on canvas.
I'm sticking a price of £200 on it (non negotiable unless your wanting to raise the price lol). If your interested give me a shout either by email or on Facebook or twitter.
I painted this one on Thursday/ Friday evening, a one I did for sale. (Being a Newcastle United supporter for many many years it seemed to make sense to do a one of a local hero and football legend. I'm sticking a £100 pricetag on this (p & p extra).
A painting from a few nights ago of a mate of mine, Mr Danny John Jules who plays the Cat in the British TV series Red Dwarf in character. Its 60 cm x 50xm acrylics on canvas. Now Danny has said he will sign this if someone buys it...oh...and that will occur at the taping of the next series of Red Dwarf.
...So if your a red dwarf fan maybe this is your thing?
I'm sticking a £200 (plus P & P) price tag on it, so if your interested ping me on twitter or Facebook.
Details:
The painting once bought would be mailed to you and then Danny would pass you details about attending the filming of red dwarf and getting it signed. Feel free to check with Danny on Facebook or Twitter to ensure I'm telling you the truth.
I'm guessing as this films been released now that I am OK to mention that I worked as lead lighting artist on it. I haven't seen it yet, and given recent reviews of it you may be assuming I am depressed or very down about the whole thing. However this missed the entire point of both VFX or working in computer games. An artist will have zero input over anything other than the job he is contracted to do,and no should he or she. So my reaction is the same as it'd be if it had won a boat load of Oscars.
You do your job to the best standard you can given the constraints of time, resources and money. You make sure that your job is done to the best standard it can be. That's it...nothing else about a film or show or game should concern you.
I'd like to add that I had a wonderful team of guys both under me and alongside me at MPC in Montreal, and met some fantastic people. So now we all have the dubious accolade of having worked on 2015's Fantastic Four film, which shall always be good for a bar story. :) I cant really go into details about what the specifics of my job or what sequences I may or may not have been lead on... maybe at some point I'll be able to. (Unless of course its sunken in 100 feet of concreted by then lol...*joke*).
Its been a very busy week here in Wayne Towers (otherwise known as my office). Its sen both the release of a non 3D, non art , non music book by my alter ego and pen name (that I try to keep separate as possible from the 3D and art side). I have to admit being somewhat pleased with that. It wont be the last book written under my pen name, with more penciled in for release soon(ish).
It has also seen the release of the film I was working on while I was over in Montreal ..the Fantastic Four. Before you ask...No I have not seen it yet...and for anyone #curious as to my reaction it'll be exactly the same as for anything else I have worked on. As VFX and game artists our job is to make sure our stuff looks as good as time money and resources allow. The rest is of no concern. But I'l mention that properly in a separate blog post (as makes for better click bate lol).
GSMA's second Album - "The Dark Library"
GSMA "The Dark Library"
I have also just released my 7th commercial album in about a year and a half / 2 years. Its the 2nd released commercially under the name GSMA and is called The Dark Library. Its very different from anything else I have released and it could be argued sees the creation of a new style of music that is a cross between heavy metal / thrash and techno. I'll put some links up below to both free to listen to Spotify version and the paid versions(as music doesn't get made for free..electricity etc costs money.)
1 - Dead by Dawn 2 - Ishmael's Groove 3 - GSMA Vs Rev Jim Jones 4 - Bible Black (The Black Mass) 5 - The Blue Line 6 - Goodbye Stone Sun 7 - Wake Up 8 - Consensual and Legal 9 - H.A.R.D. 10 - Incognito 11 - 8 Bit Paradise 12 - Paranoid Pete (ALARM) 13 - Messed in the head (Having a breakdown) 14 - Thrash Bastard
As usual every song title has a meaning and some songs contain certain things coded in for those clever enough to work them out. Some obvious seriously not. So there are songs in a fair number of musical styles in this one. (I should point out that yes..I am STILL working on my classical album, its about 1/2 done after about 2-3 years, so don't expect that to appear soon.)
So you've got everything from songs with an anti Rape message (Consensual and Legal), to ones feature the Rev Jim Jones, the man behind the Jonestown massacre, to a song featuring parts of a 1936 Black Mass to ones covering various aspects of mental health issues (Those ones should be fairly easy to work out by their titles. LOL).
So enjoy...be sure to give it a listen. Everything is played , composed, mixed and sound engineered and mastered by me.
