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Some new stuff…

I’ve been posting some random sketches and such as I make them on twitter (twitter.com/NecroticDesigns) Follow me there for up-to-the-minute (or whenever I’m working on them) sketches and shit. I’ll also be posting here on the upcoming series of prints/pieces I’m hoping to churn out. Water color is in the near future as well. Stay tuned!

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New Quick Paint

I’m planning on doing a full session on detail for this, but just a preview of what I was playing around with trying to learn the differences between painting with photoshop versus corel painter. I’m not really sure how I feel about it, but it was definitely easier and faster than playing with the multitude of settings in corel.

WIP Alice

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Top 5 Most Creatin’est Albums

I decided I wanted to really analyze the aspect of art that fuels the creativity (from my perspective), the music. For a long time I’ve been exposed to a lot of different genres and types of music throughout my existence. The whole reason I started listening was because of my parents, my dad liked Metallica and Ozzy, while my mom liked Aerosmith and Elton John. So I decided looking at my gallery and sketches that I would outline some of the most influential artists/albums I’ve found to really drive the creation process. So here we go!

I have always found that the best feeling from listening to music comes from the feeling that you are being driven somewhere with the combination of instruments and vocals. However I think the real ascending point is when you can feel yourself moving with the music, then like a slingshot being released, you are launched into this void where the sounds surround you, but no longer push or pull you along. The first album that best demonstrates this throughout the creative process: Undertow by tool.

A heavier tone mixed with some of the greatest rhythmic bass and drum I’ve ever heard, this album ranks at the top of my most listened to, as well as the best vehicle to get you into your groove and crafting a wide array of vibrant pieces that hold a macabre tone to them. There is really nothing more I can say about this album… The music literally speaks for itself.

Second album: Haunted by Poe

This album from start to finish takes you on a roller coaster of emotionally provocative lyrics and flowing sound. My personal favorite is the title track Haunted, however the entire album shows that you can get multiple different channels of creation open over an ever changing musical scheme. The album overall (even for it’s slower parts) is a very bright and tonally poppy (not “pop”-y) and brings out a very modern artistic feel.

Third album: Cannibal by Static-X

There are many Nu-Metal bands out there to choose from, but for my personal creative tastes, if I really want to be drug through the mud and pummeled with unrelenting sound while I create the darkest and most primal pieces of work I can come up with, Cannibal delivers. The album itself feature a good amount of simple yet noticeable bass, with extremely heavy, but not muddled, guitar. Following this vehicle into the abyss yields darkness without the depth of image depending on how many times you keep the album on repeat during your session. This album is also a great example for use during a speed paint.

The Fourth Hors — album: Mutter by Rammstein

It was extremely difficult for me to choose ONE of Rammsteins 5  full studio albums. Now, I have no idea whatsoever what the lyrics to these songs are in english, so already I go into this album each time with a clean slate in a sense. I hear the music every time and am still amazed at the evolution of the works I create just by allowing myself to be carried by the music and tone of the vocals. A mix of grinding guitar, keyboards, and pulsing drum make this album an utter treat to work with each time, bringing a very contrasting neutral color scheme to mind. Heavy highlights and shadows trail for a harmonic depth to match the vocals.

And the fifth: Vegas by The Crystal Method

What can I really say… I don’t think I’d be much of an artist if I didn’t have some type of trance, techno, bass-y, repetitive thing in my arsenal. In all seriousness I love this album for it’s evolution throughout. The changes invoke a truely vast array of creative potential every time you pick it up. Whether it be for background music, or the true vehicle of driving creation, this album, for me, offers as much as I’m willing to listen for. The color schemes are endless and the imagination for each session is the only restriction.

So that’s a quick look at some of the albums playing and why they’re playing at my workstation. Of course there are a ton more, but these I thought were the ones that stood out the most for me personally. Hope you enjoyed and give them a listen 🙂