Friday, July 17, 2009

From The Vault - Space Trucker 1995

As I start reading the third book in the John Carter of Mars series I can't help but be wrapped up in the world that Edgar Rice Burroughs created.

My mind is full of images of fantastic landscapes, brave warriors, beautiful women, epic battles, freakish aliens, and high adventure.

It led me back into my old portfolio to pull out this painting I did almost fifteen years ago.

An everyday man, trucker hat on head, having adventures in space armed with a laser pistol and sword. How it took me so long to start reading the Burroughs' Mars series is beyond me. You can tell just by looking at this piece that I already loved this sort of thing. I guess I just didn't know how cool the Mars series were. Why didn't someone shove these into my hands back then? Ah well, better late than never.

The piece was done mostly with airbrush, Doctor Martin's Dyes, and acrylic paint. I loved painting with the dyes because they were transparent and vibrant but you can see the problems they have. Over the years water somehow hit this piece and the dyes all streaked. It's not the best medium to use if you want your painting to last a lifetime. The figure work on the hero is a bit wonky but, like I always say, if I can't see something wrong with pieces I did fifteen years ago then I can't be getting any better. But, I really do like the space sky and planets I painted. Those are still cool.

Looking back at this piece and reading the Mars series I just know, somewhere in me, sometime in the future, you'll be seeing a John Carter of Mars piece come out of me and hitting this blog.

Stay Tuned!

5 comments:

Jeff Lafferty said...

Wow, I don’t remember seeing this one, cool! Do you ever get the urge to bust out the airbrush and dyes again and do some of that stuff again
Jeff

Sean Tiffany said...

The urge to break out the airbrush and dyes again??...um...nope...not even a little bit. I'm happy with my pencil and brush and ink and then the magical digital world of color.

rob! said...

Didn't you do this while at Budd Lake? I seem to remember having seen this one!

"Space Trucker" sounds like a Saturday Morning cartoon show, doesn't it?

Sean Tiffany said...

Robbo, I must have..it was 1995, the year you, Keith, and I all lived together. So, that would be the right time frame.

"Space Trucker"...I'll work on that concept next...isn't there a song from the 70's called Space Trucker?

I'll have to ask McNabb.

Anonymous said...

Wow; don't remember this one at all. Love the colors and concept. Hmm, a potential side character that the band runs across. Just rewatched Thelma & Louise and there are definitely some similarities!!! Dad