When I visited the company in southern California last week to give my composition lecture, Ben agreed to model for a twenty minute portrait demo.
He has posed several times before as an instructor at Cal State Long Beach, but he said it was the first time he got to watch a portrait of himself as it was being made.
Ben’s face has dynamic planes and a dramatic quality, like a stunt pilot, which makes him fun to draw. I was conscious of keeping the modeling of the values segregated into two groups: very light tones on the illuminated side of the face, and dark, rich tones in the jacket, hair, and background. I downplayed the random cast shadows from the glasses.
Blizzard Entertainment recently announced the new book of Diablo III: Book of Cain
,The book has newly commissioned artwork by Jean Baptiste Monge, Iain McCaig, Brom, Alan Lee, John Howe, Petar Meseldžija, and me. (Photos courtesy Blizzplanet)
(Video Link) Here's a cinematic trailer for Diablo III. I enjoyed immersing myself into the unique form vocabulary of the Blizzard universe. I did several pencil drawings for the book, though we'll have to wait until the volume is out in November until I can share them.
Previously on GurneyJourney: A Visit to Blizzard Entertainment (2010)
Ten Tips for Drawing Glasses
