So I need to apologize her to Ted Mathot for a mistake I made with some concept art for our game. If that doesn't sound interesting to you feel free to stop reading now.
We started working on the game back in 2006 and at the beginning obviously I had no idea what it would like like. Whenever we start a new project I start by looking around for some kind of inspiration. In the case of our game it was one image. The cover to a comic book called Rose and Isabel. It had the exact pallet and "feel" that I though would be good for the game. So I sat down a did the very first piece of art with Gabe and Tycho and FF Prime in the background. I used the pallet and even the composition from the Rose and Isabel cover. When it came to do the ruble I couldn't get it right. My rocks looked like shit and I loved the way he did his. So I used them. In my head this piece was just something to kick start the project, to supply a direction and help visualize the world.
It might not make sense but I had to do that piece before I could do my own pieces like the one below. I realise they are not very similar but in my head there is a direct connection between the two. I could not have gotten the one without first doing the other.
The problem is I allowed it to go out as a "sneak peak" image at PAX back in 2006 before I had done any other art for the game.I never intended it to be the cover or even be the "official" artwork for the game. It just happened to be the only thing I had at the time. It was the first thing I made and really not Representative of the final art. So I need to give my honest to God most sincere apology to Ted. This is difficult for me because "obviously" I'm a huge fan of his work. I should never have let the piece get off my hard drive. Totally 100% my fault.
I've always said my work is very derivative of Stephen Silver. I look at his work daily and try and learn from it. recently I mentioned that I had started trying to get better at expressions and "acting" after looking at John K's stuff. I look at Kazu and try and improve my pacing and colors. I look at Kurtz and try and copy his fluid lines. Sometimes I will literally redraw some of Ben Caldwell's stuff just to try and figure out how he does it. I'm not as good as these guys but I'm taking from as many places as I can in an effort to improve. That stuff is always just for me though and the problem this time is that I let it go out. Again, Ted, I am really sorry.
-Gabe out
