Threadless.com - Best t-shirts in the world
Type Tees - Amazing tees created from submitted slogans!
The Select Series - Artist edition limited invite only tee shirt designs
Threadless Kids - Designer kids & baby clothing
Rockslide
Rockslide aka Rocky Davies is a 31.02 year old boy, has been a member since September 6, 2005, has scored 11361 submissions, giving an average score of 1.35.
Alumni Club Member
  Jun 04 '06 by Rockslide        41 Comments        Watch this      Share:  Share on facebook    Share on delicious    Share on digg    Share on MySpace    Tweet this    Stumble this    Share this on Kaboodle   
I used to have a thread with some of my illustrations to show off here. I thought I'd start it up again. All done in Adobe Illustrator. No gradient mesh or anything. Simple 2-4 bucket gradients.

Over the last couple years I've done all the art for a cartoon series called Junior's Giants. I did this today for promo cards for the new video release.






If this doesn't fit in your screen Click Here

Rockslide
   Rockslide on Jun 04 '06 at 2:17am
And spacesick, you'll be happy to know that all the characters on the new website splash move on mouseovers, its fun to play with.
yellowman
yellowman on Jun 04 '06 at 2:20am
so im learnin illustrator, and man i hate it. Granted i work in photo shop to color stuff so thats prob part of it. but illustrator makes me feel dumb so fast. Hats off to great work in illustrator
spacesick
   spacesick on Jun 04 '06 at 2:23am
ha! that's beautiful man. I don't think I hate gradients any more.

make sure you let us know when the new mother's up, or else I'll take my name off the rockslide fanlisting.
pilihp
   pilihp on Jun 04 '06 at 2:24am
dang... i'm impressed. doesn't 2-4 bucket gradients make the file HUGE? i really like your style.
realslimnatey
realslimnatey on Jun 04 '06 at 2:25am
holy crapola thats awesome! i just lost all faith in myself in trying to learn illustrator...ill never be that good!
jublin
   jublin on Jun 04 '06 at 2:26am
yeah this is so gooood! i don't understand illustrator at all and i'm quite afraid of it actually.
Rockslide
   Rockslide on Jun 04 '06 at 2:26am
Gradients are our friends. As long as a single gradient doesn't take up over 20% of a single image, you know like in the 80's when they invented super-gradients. They also invented neon and the little band that could, Menudo.

They best way to handle illustrator is to think of working in it like you would with a big box of construction paper. How would you make a picture out of construction paper? Only the construction paper is magic. Kinda like neon and Menudo.
angelito
angelito on Jun 04 '06 at 2:27am
Teach me Obi-wan, show me the ways of the force!!





uh.... please?
realslimnatey
realslimnatey on Jun 04 '06 at 2:28am
the only thing i understood in that was menudo, the band
OddlyConfident
OddlyConfident on Jun 04 '06 at 2:29am
What are 2-4 bucket gradients?
yellowman
yellowman on Jun 04 '06 at 2:29am
I'll keep that in mind Rocky
spacesick
   spacesick on Jun 04 '06 at 2:30am
ahaha
Rockslide
   Rockslide on Jun 04 '06 at 2:31am
I'll have to setup a tutorial section on my website. That might be helpful to some.

Basically I start out with a sketch, wait- maybe I'll upload the sketch so y'alls can see it. It was just simple and quick.

Then I use the pencil tool (I have a Wacom Tablet) and I draw in the basic outline of shapes. I keep the head outlines on one layer, hands on another layer and so on. This keeps the parts of the image separate and easy to later move and manipulate.

Then I switch the outlined shapes to filled shapes with gradients.

Then I start adding details and smaller fine tuning shapes on top. Sometimes I adjust their transparency too and build multiple transparent shapes on top of eachother.

Do all that for about ten hours and it will look just like this!
spacesick
   spacesick on Jun 04 '06 at 2:33am
oh yes! thanks for the tutorial, sucker!

now I'm off to make millions.
stickymike
   stickymike on Jun 04 '06 at 3:50am
nice man, im impressed, I cant do shit in illustrator
adam antium
   adam antium on Jun 04 '06 at 8:14am
great job up there Rocky!!
you are a colours' master!...great, great lights/shadows effects.
congrats dude!
graphic frost
   graphic frost on Jun 04 '06 at 9:37am
its incredible!
Gringz
   Gringz on Jun 04 '06 at 10:26am
thats great!

great colors as well
Rockslide
   Rockslide on Jun 05 '06 at 10:43pm
I'm planning on doing each of the 12 Chinese years/Zodiac animals in samurai garb.
d3d
   d3d on Jun 05 '06 at 10:49pm
how long did he take? looks like a lot of hours.
theRtist
theRtist on Jun 05 '06 at 10:54pm
$5
Rockslide
   Rockslide on Jun 05 '06 at 10:58pm
It probably took...ten hours I'm guessing.

I use the wacom tablet a lot and that saves a ton of time. I'm making a deconstructed face so people can see how I do it, all the shapes that make up the head.
pilihp
   pilihp on Jun 05 '06 at 11:02pm
wow... all 12 zodiac animals. can't wait to see them all.
sonmi
   sonmi on Jun 05 '06 at 11:05pm
that's so cool. i like your profile picture too.

are 2-4 bucket gradients harder or easier to use than gradient meshes? i only know how to use the latter.
tracerbullet
   tracerbullet on Jun 05 '06 at 11:06pm
Holy crap I have a lot to learn about illustrator. I had no idea you could make stuff like that. Awesome.
Rockslide
   Rockslide on Jun 05 '06 at 11:08pm
there's the busted out shapes version, kinda like a tutorial on how I do it. I hope that helps a bit.
Katie_ladie
Katie_ladie on Jun 05 '06 at 11:10pm
....*stares in awwwwe*


holy crapa crapa!

i love you man
Rockslide
   Rockslide on Jun 05 '06 at 11:11pm
whoa that kinda looks like the Lawnmower Man movie, haha.
Rockslide
   Rockslide on Jun 05 '06 at 11:14pm
sonmi- the simple gradient buckets are much easier to use
squigey
squigey on Jun 05 '06 at 11:50pm
Awesome work. But as a screenprinter, I cringe at the site of gradients. Give me spot color or give me death!
rrich76
rrich76 on Jun 05 '06 at 11:59pm
illustrator is daunting, to say the least. I've just begun learning it and I see a long road ahead of me, but I can't give up. Seeing awesome work like this only inspires me!
amy122166
amy122166 on Jun 06 '06 at 1:37am
you have serious skills!
littlem
littlem on Jun 06 '06 at 1:45am
sweet!
Rockslide
   Rockslide on Jun 06 '06 at 4:54pm
new Junior's Giants work I just finished today
d3d
   d3d on Jun 06 '06 at 4:59pm
nicos left hand looks a bit backwards, but everything else is totally sweet. the exploded monkey is every bit as daunting as i expected.

my latest vector effort:
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/deadartist/design/sin9.jpg
Rockslide
   Rockslide on Jun 06 '06 at 5:00pm
d3d that is crazy! it reminds me of Bedazzled. Was it for a liquor company?
d3d
   d3d on Jun 06 '06 at 5:35pm
kinda, it's for a Service Industry Night (sin) at a bar called the Thirsty Turtle.
d3d
   d3d on Jun 06 '06 at 5:36pm
it's going to be a 7 foot tall freestanding cardboard cutout
d3d
   d3d on Jun 06 '06 at 5:38pm
oh, and during the process the client asked me twice to make the breasts bigger and the bikini bottom smaller.
eskimokiss
   eskimokiss on Jun 06 '06 at 5:41pm
those are some amazingly sweet (vector) breasts!
helladelightful
helladelightful on Jun 06 '06 at 5:43pm
that celia.. is she the babe of juniors giants?
i assume?

haha, lovely job!
You must be logged in to leave a comment.
Check me winner more


My gallery photos

My designs

All about me
I like to draw. I also like robots, aliens, monsters, and any battling combo of the aforementioned.

Visit my Nerd Blog!

My store!

My art portfolio!

I made Lost a Wheel and Nerds Unite! and Some Choices..., and Misplaced Divinity, but you already know that don't you.
Threadless.com Submission - And the Joker Got Away.
Threadless.com Submission - Nerds Unite!
Some Choices are Just Out of Reach. - Threadless, Best T-shirts Ever
Misplaced Divinity - Threadless, Best T-shirts Ever

Cool people everywhere use this link
when making an order. Try it today!

Thanks a ton to all of you lovely people who give me STP's all the time. I appreciate it and I'm adding them up for my next NERDBLOCK challenge!