A quick little color study of a lost Viking coming to realize that the desert nomads have no problem finding a way around his defenses.

Don't know why I've been thinking about Arabian designs so much... it's just such an interesting aesthetic.

Belly Dancer

A caravan bellydancer form the kindly south lands of Rassilon.

Boar Corps

Dwarf Calvery of the 12th Armored Boar Corps. Just a fun little quick experiment with sunset lighting.

Check out my new website: www.kuhlart.com

www.kuhlart.com

Sorry it's been a while for the updates, I'll have some fresh posts soon!
I'm going to be at Gen Con for the next few days so be sure to hit me up at the art show!

The Jabberwocky: Phase 1-rough concept

Here's the first installment of a quick rundown of my process. This is a personal piece I did for an art show a little while back. The theme was 'Dragons' and my wife Brooke suggested Lewis Carols quirky creature and I decided to add a little terror to the children's poem.
Step one is rough conceptualizing and layout.  Because this is a stand-alone poster, I decide to split the image between the poem itself and the visual and select a long format to accommodate the text. I want the Jabberwocky to be scary, but also a little whimsical and non-senseical. I want it to feel like he is a creature of chaos, like he's part bird, lizard insect and plant all in one. I also want to highlight the bravery of our young protagonist by choosing a composition that shows him plunging into a roiling mass of monster.
At this stage I avoid color so I can just focus on getting a value structure down. Next I'll refine this concept into a sketch.
(1 hour total time)

The Jabberwock: Phase 2-value sketch

Here in step 2 I'm focusing on refining the forms and figuring out the values. I change the face of the Jabberwocky to make it a little more odd than my first idea, giving it round, almost surprised eyes, a block-like head, pig nose and rabbit teeth. I also want his claw to be odd and a little deformed, it helps for me to keep going back to the poem to keep my mind focused on absurdity and strangeness. I want a strong shaft of light  to illuminate the hero and highlight his might vorpal sword which will soon be going snicker-snack!
(2 hours total time)