# ERS Art Book - Jeffrey Koch



## Jeffrey Koch (Feb 11, 2008)

Hello everyone, 

 I'll be posting my progress here in the coming weeks, and hope you kind folks will join in the conversation.  I'd appreciate any feedback I get on this project.  In the end, my art director Jeremy Mohler has the final say, but that doesn't mean I can't learn and use what you guys have to offer.  A little explanation (from Jeremy) as well as my thumbnails for my part of the project lies below. Thanks!



Welcome to our studio wide Art Book project.

Just to give you an idea of what we are planning to do, this art book will be entirely assembled by Empty Room Studios - from organization, to artwork, writing, and layout.  We will be putting this book together from cover to cover.  The book itself will feature interviews from each of our members, samples of their work (both art and writing), as well as original artwork made specifically for the book by each of our artists (which, incidentally, you'll get to see in the coming months right here as we develop it), and last, a variety of the best of their work from over the last year.

The book will be available for purchase around the middle of 2008.


 Now here's the write up given to me.  Sorry for all the text. More art, less words in the later posts.*__*

Barbarian:

   I hear it before I see it. A low rumbling in the ground, a trumpeting distress distorted by the fog and cliffs. Could be coming from anywhere, but it’s definitely coming closer.
   After three months of trapping in the Icepeaks, only to have my partner sneak off with the donkey and the furs last night, this’ll be the icing on the cake. I’ll be damned if I sit down and take it, though. I pull out my bow and nock my best clothyard shaft. Whatever’s coming. It’s big.
   I throw myself into a snowbank as the mammoth tears out of the fog, tusks and trunk and ten tons of shaggy death. It skids around me and rears, the rider on top shouting and waving.
   Few things can top a mammoth in full glory. One of them bounds into sight as I pick myself out of the snow. Half as big as the mammoth and twice as mean, the sabertooth snow cat snarls over its three-foot long fangs.
   One part of my brain’s busy calculating how much I could get for a pelt like that. The other part, the screaming part, is gibbering that I’m between the big kitty and its prey. The rider, meantimes, is shouting something. Probably Get out of the way. Too late for that.
   The big cat snarls and gets ready to pounce. I draw my bow and aim. Next thing I know, I’m being pulled out of the snowbank from under five tons of white speckled fur. Clean through the eye. Guess my luck’s turning.
   The mammoth rider leans down and unwraps her headdress. Smiling blue eyes sparkle like a summer’s day. “Hey there, stranger. Going my way?”







We've decided on the bottom right one.  Opinions Go!!!


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## Jeffrey Koch (Feb 14, 2008)

*watches tumbleweed roll by*...anyway, here's what I decided to do with the fourth thumb turned rough.  I didn't like his static "I'm not worried about the huge rumbling" stance, and decided to make him more unstable and ready to do something one way or another.  Any suggestions?


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## Lalato (Feb 14, 2008)

I like your choice of making him appear a bit more dynamic in the picture.

The only thing I can't tell is how far away is the giant thing coming out of the smoke?  It appears to be really far away sometimes... and really close other times.

Nice work... can't wait to see more.
--sam


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## Jeffrey Koch (Mar 17, 2008)

Sorry for the delay.  Here is the final drawing before going to paints.  Not much difference from the rough besides finer details, but the majority of the pic will be having blustery snow obscuring things.


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## blobsticks (Mar 19, 2008)

Ooohh looking good Jeffrey, I can't wait to see the next stage


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## Jeffrey Koch (May 12, 2008)

Thanks, Scott!  Veeeery sorry for the lack of updates.  I've finished and will be showing the progression, although, it isn't all that significant.

Here was the midway point of the painting.




Here was what I thought was the finished product...glad I was informed otherwise.  Too much going on, and I wasn't giving it my full attention.




More improvements.




More contrast added.




And the final few details added.





 Thanks for looking everyone.


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## Matrix Sorcica (May 13, 2008)

Wow.


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