Starflayers, Jellyfangs, and CHAOS!
Added 2023-07-25 19:21:39 +0000 UTCRecently, we ran a poll for which martian creatures to paint next. "The Starflayer, Flying Starfish, and Jellyfangs," were all at the top of the list.
After the poll closed I dove right in and had a blast painting these monstrosities, all of which were based on their delightful little real-world counterparts.
While painting them, I put together a new brush set! You can download it here:
The set contains an updated version of the Viper's Fang brush for drawing, (Called the "Frogfoot" in honor of the many frogs it has been summoned to draw.) There are also several new painting brushes, and some highly useful texture brushes.
Two in particular are "Deadly Viscera" and "Specular Glints." Both are irregular patterned brushes which are perfect for adding lighting effects to surfaces. A great example of them in action is the final frame in the detail process guide below. If you compare it against the second to last frame you can see one of the key differences is the highlights on the "gums" and teeth of the creature. These highlights look really intentional and rendered, but is actually just a quick swipe with this brush. The irregular pattern is perfect for this kind of detail work that simulates a shiny, organic surface!
I had hoped to finish a full family of Jellyfangs, and add a spread on them to our growing book of interstellar pests, ...but a tree fell on our house during a storm last week and we have been knee deep in broken glass, angry garden gnomes, and severed branches ever since. It may be a while before we are back to normal life again here.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the brushes and our growing collection of stellar oddities!
