philipstraub's CGPortoflio Gallery

Keldon Megolith

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:17:21 +0000

Another one of my paintings created for the popular card game, Magic The Gathering. Many thanks to the Art Director over there for allowing me the freedom to have fun with this.

I hope you like

Phil

Infinite OZ - opening scene

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 03:56:41 +0000

Since the Sci-Fi miniseries, "The Infinite OZ" begins tonight, I thought it might be timely for me to post this scene. This is the opening sequence for the Infinite OZ "zoomable experience" promo piece coordinated by B-reel. It included something like 12 superb artists from all over the world.
It was uniquely challenging since each painting had to zoom in and out of the next and the focal point had to be dead center on the canvas. Anyone thats read my tutorials on composition knows- this is a big NO NO. Still, solving this visual problem was challenging and fun. The other big issue to overcome, as with any matte, is the resolution- this one was over 10,000 pixels on it largest side.
Anyway- I hope you enjoy

Phil

Llanowar Reborn

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 03:21:04 +0000

One of the Magic The Gathering cards I painted about a year ago. I swear I repainted this thing about 6 times until I got the look I was going for. The image depicts a dead forest that has been reborn (thus the old stumps sprouting new trees) I think I made about 100 foliage custom brushes in Photoshop and a bunch of nozzles in Painter to achieve the effect.

This image is also available from my print dealer, The Gilded Griffin. The run is limited 150 hand proofed, signed and numbered by me. If you're a magic collector check them out they're selling through pretty fast.

http://thegildedgriffin.com/llanowarreborn.aspx

I hope you like

Phil

Death Dealer

Sun, 18 Feb 2007 22:04:22 +0000

...and yet even more from the speed painting and custom brushes sessions. This one garnered a bit more time than the other to get the destructive effect I was looking for. Not sure why I've been doing all these end of the world pics...anyways, they are fun!

Phil

In Search Of

Sun, 18 Feb 2007 15:44:18 +0000

Another image from the speed painting series I've been doing as of late. The goal here was to juxtapose organic structures with alien technology. Something like 3 hours on this one...with more custom vrush experimentation as part of the process.

Ashes

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:42:31 +0000

A really fun painting to do! I've been experimenting with finding a marriage between abstraction and realism. The actual location is supposed to be this massive futuristic garbage dump thingy...

somewhere between a speed painting and something finished...

I hope you like.

Once again..please check out the large version

Best,

Phil

Industrialize

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 18:59:37 +0000

Another painting originally created for the Q and A section in Uk based fantasy magazine, ImagineFX. If I recall correctly the question, was "how do I create a high tech environment quickly." All in all the image probably took about 2-3 hours and I utltilzed a variety of custom brushes in Photoshop to complete the image quickly.

As always, all crits and comments are welcome. Thanks for looking.

Best,

Phil

Battlestar

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 18:53:46 +0000

A painting created for the Q and A section of UK fantasy magazine ImagineFX. At the end of the day, this really became an experiment in using and creating custom brushes- all in all I think I made close to 500. The painting was primarily made using Photoshop with a touch of Painter thrown in.

All crits and comments welcome ....and I thank you for looking

P.S. make sure to check out the larger version...please

Best,

Phil

The Creep

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 22:07:40 +0000

Another Concept painting from one of my side projects I had some fun with the combining organic shapes with technology....plus exploding planets are fun!

I hope you like..

Phil

Protos Revisited

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 17:25:21 +0000

Most of the stuff I've been doing lately has been covered under strict NDA's but, Finally I have some work that I can share with the public! This was some production art for a little side project I've been working on over the last few weeks. I hope you enjoy...comments welcome

Reckoning Day

Sun, 21 May 2006 15:04:06 +0000

A painting made for the upcoming issue of ImagineFX magazine-there will be a full tutorial on the making of this image as well as an interview, and gallery of my work. I hope you like.

Afternoon Light

Fri, 19 May 2006 13:44:28 +0000

Another painting in the fantastic landscape series I've been doing as of late.

Faceplates

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 19:06:55 +0000

An older piece of mine and is half oil and half digital.

Where Fears Roam

Sun, 10 Oct 2004 13:08:37 +0000

Yet another painting from the book project I've been working on as of late. I've been trying to hold out and not show to many of the pieces until the book is nearly complete. However, this one just seemed like it wanted to be seen
This painting was one of those pieces I just couldn't finish, the minute I thought I was done I would see another thing I wanted to add and fix. I agonized over the little details here, much more than I have in any of paintings lately.
Crits and Comments Welcome.
Enjoy
>> Hi resolution image <<

Coming Home

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 01:29:27 +0000

A painting created for a short story being developed as a film.

Enchanted Forest

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:41:43 +0000

A painting made for children's merchandise.

Conceptial Oil Painting, Philipstraub (2D)

Sat, 09 Aug 2003 16:43:43 +0000

An editorial piece on censorship in America.

Silent Morning

Sat, 04 Feb 2006 21:17:47 +0000

A little more "realistic" than some of the other Concept Art and Illustration I post here, this is another painting for the book project. For this one, instead of having a million things going on in the scene I wanted it to appear peaceful and atmospheric. I hope you like
Phil

Cohabitation

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 01:51:11 +0000

Another Concept painting for my little book project. This particular piece explores the idea of 3 civilizations coexisting with each other as they evolve.
I hope you like
Phil
>> Hi resolution image <<

Illuminations

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 19:16:29 +0000

A painting created for my personal book project that was also used as promotional material for Painter 9.

The Apparition

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:34:27 +0000

A bit looser and expressive than some of my other paintings, I played with quite a few different custom brushes for the painterly effect.

The Last Stop

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:30:11 +0000

Another image from my book project...this guy was featured in Expose 3

Projectile

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 01:02:29 +0000

Another Concept Painting for my book project that is doubling as a tutorial for a workshop I'm putting together material for.
Time is so limited these days for me with freelance and work, it was so nice to spend a couple hours to bang out the imagery I love to do.
I hope you enjoy...
crits and comments welcome.
Best,
Phil

Hex of The Wicked Witch

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:38:20 +0000

A painting created for the cover of the comic book "Hex of the Wicked Witch."

The Gathering

Tue, 23 Aug 2005 17:10:31 +0000

Here we go....
another painting for my book project. It sure has been difficult for me to find the time to produce my own artwork with demands from work and freelance projects but, I was able to find a few evenings to put this one together.
..and Oh..CHECK OUT THE LARGE VERSION
I hope you like
Best,
Phil
>> Hi resolution image <<

Winds of Change

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 22:44:26 +0000

A painting made for the Ballistic publishing release Dartiste.

Raison D'�tre

Wed, 08 Sep 2004 04:03:03 +0000

Some concept art for..well, you know...my little personal projects
So....I don't normally do the technology/city/spaceship stuff so I thought I would have some fun. This image did go through a few revisions until I decided on this one. All in all it was a fun little piece and now I have about 100 different ideas from doing this painting...better go work on them, before I forget.
Crits and comments welcome.
Thanks for looking.
>> Hi resolution image <<

Celestial Queen

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 01:23:08 +0000

A character from my book project. Created using a bas Maya model brought inot Photoshop and Painter.

Hidden Treasure

Tue, 01 Mar 2005 05:27:31 +0000

I've been super busy with work and freelance stuff but, I wanted to share my latest with you all. I haven't posted anything here in awhile and what I have posted has been mostly on the darker side for my book project.
..and now for something completely different and sugary sweet. This is image is one in a series being developed for an animated children's puzzle project.

Ghost Train

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 01:34:12 +0000

A painting created for the Ballistic publishing book D'artiste. Ghost train was one of two featured tutorials I contributed to the book.

Dreamcoat

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 01:18:32 +0000

Another image from the book project...this one was included in Spectrum 12

Monolith

Mon, 09 May 2005 04:09:33 +0000

Hiya all,
Here we go...another painting done for my workshop. I thought it would only be fair for me to do one of the assignments I was asking my students to do. I won't tell you what exactly the assignment was though
It was fun to do and was a nice break from writing the course notes. About a days work here.
Crits an Comments Welcome. Thanks for looking.
Best,
Phil

Enchanted Evening

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 12:20:58 +0000

One in a series of images I call "Secret Places" which are being developed as children's puzzles, wallmurals, and a children's book. This one of my favorites of the bunch.
I hope you like ...crits and comments are welcome.
Best,
Phil
>> Hi resolution image <<

The Hive

Sun, 29 Aug 2004 20:20:37 +0000

Another concept painting for my little book project.
I think I've finally found the right equation in Painter to duplicate the feel of oils. Just some custom brushes combined with the Painter oils. The great thing is no mess and no clean-up
Crits and comments welcome
>> Hi resolution image <<

Incubus

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 17:24:29 +0000

Hey all,
Here's another painting from the book project. This is one of the first, if not the first character painting I've posted from the book. The style is a bit looser and expressive then some of the Environment Concept Paintings I post here. It's been a bit controversial since some people that enjoy my work feel its too much of a departure from what I normally do...others have said its a favorite of thiers. Either way, I say, you have to grow and experiment as an artist and I did enjoy doing the piece.
I hope you like it to.
Best,
Phil

Christmas Town

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 17:57:47 +0000

Hey Everyone,
Here a festive little piece to hopefully help you all ring in the New Year with a smile.
Originally from New england but, now living in Florida, I really do miss the snow and seasons. Its mighty wierd to spend the holidays in 75 degree weather. Since I can't get snow in Florida I'm forced to paint it
I hope you like
Best,
Phil
>> Hi resolution image <<

Crossroads

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 01:44:33 +0000

Another painting created for the Ballistic publishing book D'artiste.

The Nightmare Factory

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 12:08:47 +0000

A concept painting for a book project I'm working on. This image evolved from the daily sketches I've been doing as of late. I was very conscious of mantaining a controlled color palette and defining the scale. I really wanted the "nightmare factory" to appear massive withn the canyon. The images was mostly painted in Painter 8 with a little Photoshop mixed in and generally 1-2 layers throughout the process.
Critiques welcome. Thanks
Phil

Rain Forest, Philipstraub (2D)

Mon, 11 Aug 2003 14:36:32 +0000

A painting for a children's CD Rom game. Photoshop 7 and Painter 7 used. Some custom nozzles made for this one.
I was the Lead Background Artist on this project and was able to convince my boss that we could do some disney style backgrounds for the product. Fun stuff!
Painting by me, Layout by me and Paul Pham.
Copyright Vivendi Universal Games