IMC Report - Part V

Today's post is dedicated to the incomparable guest of honor,
Iain McCaig.

Probably best known as the concept designer for the most memorable characters in the last three Star Wars movies, and the author of the most creatively imaginative art-retrospective book I've ever read (which I did. The minute I got it in the mail. Cover to cover. I documented it here).

He gave two outstanding lectures, showed lots of awesome work, gave many a critique (complete with role-playing and sound effects), and did several demos. He is possibly the most frenetically energetic human being I've ever seen! And boundlessly generous with his expertise.

He did one Creature Design demo that I did not photograph, but Chris Burdett did, and you should read his report on it here. (In fact, he's posted a really great day-by-day IMC description. Do check it out!)

The midnight demo I did photograph was a watercolor portrait. He started out painting Jonny Duddle in a nice earthy pigment -

...adding some tonality...

...strengthening the contours....

At this point, he decided to paint a more Gandalf-like portrait, and swapped Jonny out for Aly Fell.

(Jonny and Aly. Our favorite Brits.)

He added attributes of Aly -

- decided Jonny's underpainting was much too cheerful and started wiping it out and altering the features...

Once he had the face, hair and shoulders more like he wanted them, he started to add some color -

-using the magic pigments of Indian Red and Ultramarine Blue (a legacy from Alan Lee and Brian Froud).

Adding definition...

Coloring the hair, the jacket, adjusting where necessary...

Isn't he beautiful?

The third demonstration I watched him do was a personal one-on-one watercolor demo at 2:30am the last night of painting. He spent an hour with me - going over the way he approaches watercolor. I was nearly teary from the gorgeousness of paint application, the unbelievable generosity (and stamina) he was exhibiting and the extreme lateness of the hour after an incredibly intense week.

All in all, I must say that Iain McCaig is one amazing human being, on so many levels, and one of my all-time personal heroes.