My version of Conan titled "The siege of Aquilonia" which I posted on
Conan.com. It also comes with the process which has a quick sketch where
I wanted things placed, then on to a detailed sketch followed by a final
rendering all in one.
http://www.conan.com/invboard/index.php?showtopic=8342
Conan:
The siege of Aquilonia
Between the time the oceans drank
Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed
of. Hither came Conan destined to bare the jeweled crown of Aquilonia
upon a troubled brow.
One of my all time favorite movies
was Conan the Barbarian. It was such a powerful movie of revenge, and
how a man who once was a slave became king. The movie made me want to
know more about Conan, and how did he actually become King. I did some
research and found out Conan became king of Aquilonia which was a large
kingdom. I found out that Conan escaped imprisonment and staged a revolt
against the tyrannical king Numedides. I love films, and I wished so
badly for another good Conan movie but not a remake. It’s as if
Hollywood left us fans in the dark, never getting to see Conan become
king on film.
The illustration I made was always
put down by art critics that reviewed my art portfolio. I’m actually
surprised that this made it into the Frazetta tribute. I was told that
everything was too centered and focused on Conan.
With this Conan piece, I did my own
take on the revolt against Aquilonia. I wanted to convey that Conan was
not a dumb barbarian and was fully capable of leading an army and
marching formations. I wanted to show that Conan was a leader.
The illustration was done using
Photoshop. Its original size is 24”x 11” and I also used Glenn Danzig as
a reference for the face, but most people don’t know that unless I tell
them.
I know I’m not a fantastic artist,
and there is a lot to learn. Currently I’m focused on character
development and trying to convey a story. I put everything I’ve got into
it and consider myself an art student until I die.
Bio
Patrick has been drawing ever since
he could pick up a pencil. Patrick grew up in the 1980’s and fell in
love with the explosion of sci-fi and fantasy films that came out during
those times. These films, mostly Conan the Barbarian, inspired Patrick
to illustrate muscular heroes slaying their foes. Patrick also fell in
love with video games and comic books during his childhood.
Patrick’s father was always
supportive of Patrick’s artistic side. His father introduced him to many
classic artists to educate him. Nothing moved Patrick more than the
works of Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo and comic artists in the 1990’s.
Later when Patrick was a teen, he
was moved by the graffiti art movement in the 90’s. It was a wild and
sometimes dangerous time. Like some teens, Patrick got into trouble and
paid for it. The path Patrick was going down was only going to have him
end up in jail or dead. Patrick decided to join the army as a young man.
Patrick wanted to become a man of honor and also wanted to make up to
his father for being troublesome teen.
In Patrick’s military career he
would still draw and play video games on his free time. One day in
Patrick’s 3rd year of service, a fellow soldier told Patrick he should
go to college to work in video games. Patrick’s father always wanted him
to go to college, but school was not for him. When Patrick came home
from his last deployment, his father started dying. These were the
saddest of days for Patrick.
When Patrick’s father passed away he
was unsure what to do anymore until he met a lovely young lady. She had
the same birthday as him, and was an art student for several years. She
inspired Patrick to take his art more serious. Patrick’s father once
used a quote from the movie “A Bronx Tale” that there is nothing sadder
in life than wasted talent. Patrick’s father was proud of him for
joining the army, but he really wanted Patrick to go to college. Patrick
remembered his father telling him that if Patrick truly wanted something
he would get it.
All Patrick really wanted was to
make art, and if he can earn a living from something he loves he’ll give
it a shot. Patrick went to college for game art and design with his
lovely new girlfriend. Patrick is currently in his last term of college
and has dreams of working in the film and video game industry. Patrick
is unsure of what life will be like in the future, but he knows that art
will always be there paid or not.
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