Brian Perez Design

Graffiti of My Girlfriend Friend

2009-02-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do a quick painting of Rachel on her Facebook Profile and I did not know it recorded your strokes. I must say, it looks pretty cool to see how the painting evolves.

The Shatakk, The Living Below Redux

2008-08-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

I painted this creature, known as the Shatakk (roughly translated into "Living Below") a while back which is included in my original portfolio. I decided to go back and see the outcome if I redid my old paintings. This took me three hours, beginning with Painter and then moving into Photoshop. I love the way Painter captures brush strokes from the Wacom, so much more responsive than Photoshop, although I love Photoshop.

Daniella and I

2008-08-18T23:46:00.000-07:00

A little painting of my niece, Daniella, and I in my room. She's a delightful little girl, and she's pretty funny too! It's amazing at five months how much personality a little being can have.

Nokia

2008-08-13T00:49:00.000-07:00

After a long day at work and no left over chocolate chip cookies waiting for me, I decided to paint something real quick before I get some shut eye. I looked over, lo and behold, there was my Nokia...

Castillo del los Mosca

2008-08-12T03:20:00.000-07:00

I needed to get some painting out of me before I went to sleep. I had pictured a castle set by a foggy canyon and I went from there. I may take this one further and develop a story for it.

Castillo del los Mosca means Castle of the Fly, since while trying to paint this piece, a pesky fly was irritating me by buzzing around my head. Interestingly enough a window of opportunity appeared open to rid myself of this insect, and upon accomplishing my task, I looked back at my monitor and felt my piece is done.

An Alaskan Duty

2008-08-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to paint something with cool colors, and dim Sun. That's all there is to it. I needed to create something from scratch versus just copying something directly. I learned a lot from this, customizing my brushes accordingly, and fine tuning how I set up photoshop to work with the Wacom most efficiently.

I mainly wanted to try a different approach to digital painting: I really enjoy looking at juicy pieces that have full confident colors, as opposed to very transparent layers piled on top of one another. Sitting down and closing my eyes, I tried to visualize how I would go about digital painting in the same manner as I would traditional painting. This is a step in the right direction.

Watchmen Painting #2

2008-08-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

Another quick painting from Alan Moore's Watchmen. Here we see the anti-hero Rorschach walking down a hallway in a dilapidated house.

Artistic Hiatus

2008-08-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since I returned from my unexpected month long vacation. I had expected to be in Puerto Rico for a week, but ended up being out and about for a month. I did not bring my art supplies figuring I will be back soon enough. Big mistake.

However, back home, I wanted to continue with my painting. For inspiration, I turn to Alan Moore's Watchmen: I merely painted the panels for practice, to let the stylus feel comfortable in my hands again.

Blacksmoke Paintings

2008-07-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

Now...

Before...

Way Back When...

I have been trying to paint Blacksmoke for years. He is my own comic hero whom I have developed over the course of nearly my entire life. Slowly, but surely, I am getting better at digital painting, actually learning more from trying to touch up photographs. Since I draw, I try to draw while painting, when I have to more appropriately paint from the beginning. However, I must constantly stay in tune with my methods of illustration, which I tend to lose focus a little while painting digitally. The final painting here, I really tried to stay in tune with all aspects of my draughtsmanship and while slapping more juicier parts of color on the canvas.

The hardest thing about this character is that as I suck less with drawing, I revisit Blacksmoke and redraw him. So I am barely satisfied. However, I have been spending several months drawing him and trying to use my new techniques in developing the character. I do not post those drawings on here as I am scared of someone stealing one of my most precious creations.

Texture and the Ball Point Pen

2008-06-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

From my last storyboards, I realized I had incorporated a combination of Anime styled drawing with a traditional Western style. Within my sketchbook, I began exploring this look, and attempted to add a sense of detail and texture I normally didn't think about. With my Star Trek drawings submitted to the late Perpetual Entertainment, I eagerly waited for my response. They told me how I needed to incorporate tightness, completeness, and texture into my drawings. So with this in mind, I began my self-motivated education towards achieving this.

The first picture a complete drawing from a simple doodle I had made at SCEA (as a game tester). I liked the drawing so much, except that it was on some blue scratch paper with other stuff on it. So I redrew it. The second my version of a Xenomorph to try to practice organic texture. I got carried away and worked on my Reaper character in the next two images.

The Girl From Yesterday

2008-06-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted to my blog in a long time, and a lot of things happened. But primarily, I just simply stopped drawing for several months when money got real tight, and I had to work a lot. After a while, a friend bought me a sketchbook, and I was back into it again!!!

Here are the some of the storyboards for The Girl From Yesterday by Huy Vu. It is a quaint little tale about a guy who likes a girl who likes candy. He commissioned me to draw up some beats for his script so that he can present it to his class. I really learned my style of drawing and my method for creating storyboards. Though tedious, this project actually helped me out to get reinspired with drawing.

These are just few of the scans. Notice how the first few pages are really sporadic and not organized. As I carried on I developed my little system and the characters became easier to draw and work with.

The Maniacal Man

2007-12-01T01:21:00.000-08:00

After getting the book, The Art of Midway for Christmas, I wanted to get back into painting more concept stuff. By using brushes that simulate the way I draw in real life, I have come one step closer to my goal. Here is a quick painting (probably 3 hours) I did of Steven Drowser, The Maniacal Man. I picture him as someone from a wasteland, but in an era reminiscent of steampunk with a Star Wars bounty hunter touch. I may explore this character further, creating more story telling poses.

eCards?

2007-08-26T23:32:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a bunch of eCard designs for the owner of Seabowl. I need to make a BUNCH of stuff, so I have been really looking at a lot of illustrations and trying to get a varied approach...to make it appear as if all these are not done by one artist. I am really learning a lot by working on these; also I have been discovering which application works well for this environment: Photoshop or Painter. For me, it seems that painting is done in painter, but touching up, color, and layout is best done in photoshop. Painter gives that nice randomness that one gets from real life painting, so for that I am a fan. However, I still love my Photoshop!

The goal of these pieces is not to spend too much time on them, but to get a lightning fast process, while retaining a whimsical feel.

A Funeral Piece...Part 1

2007-04-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

My cable guy, Don, once came over and saw some of my drawings on the wall while working on my internet. Impressed with my pieces, he asked me if he can commission me to draw a portrait of his recently deceased father. He brought a photo, and here you have it, a reverse charcoal drawing showcased at the wake.

Candy/Toy Ideas - Toxic Dump & Shark Attack

2007-04-11T04:01:00.000-07:00

These are the final designs for my toy candy dispenser. As you can see I got two designs, Toxic Dump (left) and Shark Attack (right).

Toxic Dump: A flavor yogurt or gelatin dispenser, with bits of trash - small gummi figures resembling various trash items. With just a pump of the lever, the candy is dispensed into the green vat, where it can be consumed with a spoon. Lights on the top illuminate and a small pressure gauge registers the pumping.
Shark Attack: A plastic designed cup to hold blue gelatin with gummi surfers and fish. The person would use the provided spoon to scoop the gelatin out and can even use the lollipop shark top (with moveable mouth) to capture the victims in the water. The shark top is color changing and will turn red when placed into the gelatin, resembling blood.

Candy/Toy Ideations

2007-04-11T04:30:00.000-07:00

Shape and function ideations for the toy candy dispenser.

Abyustat: Irrigator of the Maori

2007-04-11T04:32:00.000-07:00

According to Wikipedia.org article on the Taniwha:
: The Taniwah are beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers. Some can tunnel through the earth, uprooting trees in the process. Some taniwha are credited with creating harbours by carving out a channel to the ocean.

Abyustat is a Maori tribesman who is last in a long line of Taniwah trainers. These trainers are used to irrigate their native lands of New Zealand by using their creatures to dig trenches and rivers through the dirt. My idea for the Taniwah is that it would consume dirt and is able to create water from it. It particularly fancies a special blue shell, to which Abyustat uses like a treat to lead the creature. His equipment consists of a training rod, a treat chain, a climbing crook, and devices to catch the crustaceans that live in the special blue shell.

John Henry vs The Railer

2007-04-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

My concept of the tall tale of John Henry dueling The Railer. Inspired by art from =Enrique Fernandez and Doug Fraiser

I wanted John Henry to have a certain strength to his shape, yet remain friendly faced. I particularly remember the Tall Tales episode with Danny Glover. He has a very friendly and warm feel. I wanted the shapes to portray that as well, while also bearing the almost stereotypical African-American features as I am pushing this to more of a caricature.
As for The Railer, I wanted it to have a somewhat menacing feel to it, and have an overall shape. It became more like a house with a drill on the end of it because it reminded me of a moving granite mine. This machine drills, lays down track, and stakes all at once... a difficult opponent for Henry.

Shatovee - The Living Island

2007-04-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in a far off land, there is a quiet lake. On this lake is a small island. On the island a community of people live peacefully. They are known as the Shatoveh - translated from their native tongue means: The Living Above. What then is below them? A massive creature known as the Shatakk (The Living Below). I have designed this creature to be a massive creature with a mountain on its back, which is actually akin to a giant nail. The Shatoveh people have carved out into this nail various caves and edifices to which they live. The creature lives in a near constant hibernation, even eating while sleeping by swallowing and filtering water with its baleen. It uses two giant air sacs to maintain stability, and only moves during the colder seasons to the warmer side of the lake.

Lobsang and Kaatyoma: Shadow Puppeteer and Beast

2007-04-11T05:11:00.000-07:00

Lobsang Keenwa is a himalayan shadow puppeteer who enjoys traveling in his makeshift - yet beautifully crafted - water buffalo drawn cart. He lived during the early 1900's and was originally a monk at a Tibetan monastery at a young age. There he encountered a Persian man named Roshan - another shadow puppeteer. Roshan took Lobsang under his wing and they both traveled together, performing shadow plays. However, after a tragic accident where the cart fell off a ridge, Lobsang found himself without a mentor and a home, thus used the left over parts of the cart to craft his own. Together with his laborious water buffalo, Kaatyoma, he goes on to continue what he loves to do: the spreading of children's laughter.

2007-04-11T05:16:00.000-07:00

A quick sketch of Darkman.

The Native American Portrait

2007-04-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

This is a reverse-charcoal drawing I did a couple of years ago. It is from a photo, but I forgot who is the photographer. If you have any idea who the photographer is then leave a comment.

The Hunter's Lodge

2007-04-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

This is a pencil drawing of a Hunter's Lodge with a special history:: He was a hungarian officer from WWII, who was downed in Africa. He had to survive with his trusty carbine in the wilderness for a month, when he came in contact with a mighty rhinoceros. Nearly killed, he killed the beast...which was white, with a long mane, and a long twisted horn. He was found shortly thereafter, with newspaper's detailing how he killed a unicorn. Then he set out to find the beasts that inspired all myths.

A Funeral Piece...Part 2

2007-04-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

My friend's close grandfather recently passed away, and he asked me for the favor of drawing the different stages of his grandfather's life. I was glad to do it, though some of the reference materials were in horrible condition (i.e. old photos with cracks and faded). The family was enthralled at the piece, and I think to this day, the children all fight for the piece.

Ambigrams...Part 1

2007-04-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

My most recent fascination has been the design of ambigrams, inspired from the story Angels and Demons. The artist who designed the ambigrams is John Langdon. He has a very interesting site, and is very proficient in creating these works of art. Far from the super-computer based designs stated in the book, ambigram creation is very cool and provides interesting results. I have made the logo of a coworker's band, Malicious Wishes with the "M" and the "Wi" being a flippable design, and I have also made my name into one as well.