Thanks for the comments.

@andyc: Cheers mate! Mattepainting has been taking up a lot of my time recently - not so many opportunities for sketchup useage , nor for straight digital painting

Hopefully I can remedy that this year...

AJ

Just Painter X, and Photoshop for the final colour correction

Thanks for looking - final image now resized so it displays correctly on the forum.

AJ

I just realised how long it is since I've posted anything at all here - so here is some new work.

This one was done for as a test for a very good job I'm hoping to get, so fingers crossed...

SU render:

Final painting:

Full description and more work here:

Page not found – aj-concepts.net

(www.aj-concepts.net)

Comments / critiques / workflow suggestions welcome

Enjoy!

AJ

Coen -

If I knew how to program html sites , I would probably do that.

Unfortunately, I don't have the knowlege, the software or (to be honest) the time to learn it all. Knowing flash was sort of a by-product of doing animated presentations - I learnt flash long before I knew you could also use it as a developer tool.

I guess, like everything, it's a trade off - not having to pay a web developer vs. having a flash portfolio.

I know it would be better, though, so it's on my long list of things I need to learn

Thanks for the feedback!

AJ

Thanks for the feedback, everyone...

Sod... guess I'll have to redo it.

AJ

All feedback is great - negative is probably more useful than positive, to be honest.

Looks like I might have to redo it slightly. I made this one 1240 px wide, which displays nicely on my 17" laptop (1400x900). I thought that would be fine, but I must have misjudged slightly, if everyone is having problems viewing it... I always view webpages in a full screen browser window, though.

As to the flash 'fullscreen' mode - is this really unpopular? I only found out it was possible a week or so ago, and I thought it looked great - since it means the page DOES draw properly on all screen resolutions.

Cheers Jackson;

Thanks for the feedback. Which browser are you using?

Unfortunately, the 'press escape to exit' message is something that's locked into the flash player - you can't disable it!

AJ

Greetings...

I've FINALLY got round to re-doing my portfolio website. It's now live (or rather, half of it is), and I was hoping I could have some help with some testing.

If anyone gets a minute, could you go to:

(www.aj-concepts.net)

...and see if it works?

Tested on a mac, using Safari and Firefox - not a very large sample.

Comments regarding presentation, usability and weak content would really be appreciated.

Many thanks

AJ

I play the accordion, and have done for about 10 years. That probably puts me on a similar level to the Edinburgh bagpipers, though I don't tend to inflict my music on anyone who hasn't specifically requested it

AJ

Cheers Guys!

It sucks having to go to work on your birthday, though I'm going to have to scan (and post) the Birthday card the compositing team did for me.

Apparantly, I look a lot like Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter for those who don't read credit lists...). What with the film out last week, and the book out this week, well... have a guess...

Take care all

AJ

Greetings from London's monsoon season...

Anyone from Macedonia here?

Apparently, the Macedonian government has just declared a state of national emergency due to their current heatwave. BBC weather is telling me it going hit 46 degreees celcius there this coming week.

Crazy stuff.

AJ

In house matte painter and concept artist at Rushes Post Production ltd, Soho.

Rushes Website

Rushes does VFX work on commercials, film, tv and documentaries.

And, since I usually have to explain what a 'matte painter' is:

Matte painting - Wikipedia

(en.wikipedia.org)

AJ

BTW: Beautiful work, Alan!

I'm an audiobook fan myself - I own quite a few, and my local library now lends them for free.

Seems to help me concentrate far better than any playlist - listening to a story must use a completely different part of the brain to painting. Strangely enough, as soon as I start compositing I have to turn it off, as the two start competing for brain space.

Just painted about four hours straight to 'Thud' by Terry Prattchet.

AJ

Just to be REALLY pedantic (don't shoot me...)

CO2 is carbon dioxide, and is completely harmless (unless that's all you're breathing, I guess)

CO (without the '2' on the end) is carbon monoxide, and is lethal at atmospheric levels of about 0.25%, apparently.

Take care

AJ

Concept Artist / Matte Painter

(www.aj-concepts.net)

Interesting...

Strange how 'the ultimate cocktail' seems to have been read by all as 'Drink most likely to get you utterly hammered'.

In that, erm, spirit (sorry), I found a recipe for a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster on the net today:

THE REAL RECIPE:

Take the juice from one bottle of that Ol' Janx Spirit

Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V

Allow three cubes of Arcturan Mega-gin to melt into the mixture (it must be properly iced or the benzine is lost).

Allow four litres of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it, in memory of all those happy Hikers who have died of pleasure in the Marshes of Fallia

Over the back of a silver spoon float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract, redolent of all the heady odours of the dark Qualactin Zones, subtle sweet and mystic.

Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian Suns deep into the heart of the drink.

Sprinkle Zamphour.

Add an olive.

Drink...but...very carefully...

Non-beetelguisian version:

45 ml Polish Pure Spirit (80% spirit from Poland)

120 ml DNA alcoholic spring water (from Australia)

75 ml Frozen gin (gin from the freezer)

1 Bulb nitrous oxide and a home soda stream

25 ml Peppermint Schnapps

1 Berocca tablet

Sprinkle of cinammon

1 olive to garnish

'The Colour Wheel'

Ingredients:

1 Shot Vodka
1 Shot White Rum
100ml Orange juice
100ml Mango juice
Dash Each: Sloe Gin (or grenadine), Midori, Blue Curacao, all chilled
Three coloured cocktail cherries (Red, Blue, Green)

Method:

Put the vodka, rum and fruit juice in a shaker with plenty of ice. Shake well.
Put four ice cubes in a large hi-ball glass.
Strain the shaker into the glass.
<Carefully> pour a dash of each liquer down the side of the glass, choosing a different position of the glass rim for each one.
Garnish with the cherries.

Since we're all lazing around in the sun, and cocktails are quite definitely in order...

What's your ultimate cocktail recipie?

Post here please...

You didn't use Sketchup!

Traitor.

I no longer sign any of my work. A few years ago I had a (completely innocent) misunderstanding with a boss. I thought he had agreed to let me sign some images that were going out to be published, he thought he hadn't, and didn't bother to check. The images went out with my signature on them. I nearly got fired.

Ever since then, I haven't signed any of my images - just requested appropriate credit where necessary. Stupid, possibly, but I'd prefer to have very slightly less recognition than get made redundant, annoy a client, or get myself sued!

AJ

Has the series 'Grand Designs' migrated to the US? That seems to (usually) feature genuine architects, adventurous clients, and long-term projects, rather than quick turnaround interior design paintjobs. Of course, it always goes wrong, but that's what makes it good TV.

I'm not a fan of any 'makeover' shows, especially since they seem to make people think that all they need to be an interior designer is to have watched a couple of series' worth, and buy some MDF. Bizarrely, though, the biggest camp culprit in the UK (Laurence L. Bowen) isn't actually gay, despite what the dress sense would have you believe - he's married with a couple of kids!

I do have to say that 'extreme makeover' is quite entertaining, though. I have no idea what the budget is (it must be pretty large), but there is something so big, brash, and AMERICAN about it that it's pretty good fun.