Jun 202015
 

war_horse_banner_tnour digital horse in action

I recently kicked off a series of pastblast posts digging up old but interesting projects that I didn’t have time to write about when they were happening. One of the most interesting and enjoyable visual effects projects that I have worked on is Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of War Horse.

The story follows Joey, a farm horse in rural England, onto the battlefields of World War I. Being a war story, you can imagine there are a few upsets along the way, and Joey inevitably finds himself in very dangerous circumstances – circumstances too dangerous in fact for real ‘horse actors’. Cue our digital Joey.

CREATING THE DIGITAL JOEY


Our digital horse stretching his legs

Continue reading »

May 262015
 

3dArtist magazine tutorial covering the important anatomical structures of the faceclick for larger

3dArtist_cover_tnI recently completed a tutorial for 3dArtist magazine about the making of this facial anatomy ecorche. In the article I go through the steps used to create the digital sculpture in ZBrush and about the importance of understanding facial anatomy and why it helps improve portraiture. The tutorial is in issue 81 of the magazine.

Sep 162014
 

Moai Ipad docking station based on the Easter Island figures
click for larger

We are proud to introduce our latest design – the Moai iPad docking station. Inspired by the serene, eternal vigilance of the monolithic icons of Easter Island, we’ve upgraded and remixed them for a tongue-in-cheek poke at the persistent distraction of modern digital life.

Moai ipad Docking Station profile view. Remixed from the ancient Easter Island statues.click for larger

Sep 142014
 

Amy Winehouse Memorial Statue, Camden London. Profile.click for larger

My life-sized bronze sculpture of Amy Winehouse has just been unveiled on what would have been her 31st birthday. The memorial is located in the Stables Market in Camden, London – Amy’s home for many years.

The piece was commissioned by Mitch Winehouse and I hope is a fitting tribute from a father to his daughter. I have immense respect for Amy as an artist and wish she was still making music.

Portrait of Amy Winehouse - Scott Eaton's Memorial Sculptureclick for larger

Jun 232014
 

CannesLion_Ceremony2014

Our Megafaces Pavilion for the Sochi Olympics won the 2014 Cannes Lion Grand Prix for Innovation. Created by architecture studio Asif Kahn Ltd, engineered by iArt and with art direction and graphics tech by yours truly, the project was a monumental collaboration that tied together amazing creativity and a mountain of technology to create a compelling visual experience for visitors to the Olympic park.

Find the official Cannes submission video HERE.

WithTheGrandPrix_tnCelebrating the Grand Prix in the green room

Feb 102014
 


click for larger

The White Horse is finally installed in London. This is the project of artist Mark Wallinger and was originally planned as a towering 50m tall horse (as tall as the Statue of Liberty) to be erected in the countryside of Kent and visible from the Eurostar. But around the big crash, arts budgets downsized and so did the scale of the horse. Now it is only a very average ‘life-sized’, but it is still striking in its crisp white finish and realism. About a year ago I worked with the team from Sample & Hold to refine the digital version of the horse, based on a scan of Mark’s actual horse. I spent time adding anatomical accuracy and life to the head, face, legs, and hooves (at the time my horse skills were primed, having just finished Spielberg’s War Horse).


click for larger

After a bit of massaging the data was sent off for fabrication. Through a combination of 3d printing, CNC machining, and casting, the piece was brought to life – albeit at a scale smaller than originally intended. But if you are in London and want to check it out, it will be on display on the Mall (just off Trafalgar Square) for two years.


fabrication, in progress

1200-British-Council--Mark-Wallinger's-White-Horse-032-tnlit at night. © Copyright Sutton Vane Associates

Feb 012014
 

Ogre Digital Sculpture - early concept designclick for larger

Every so often I get the chance to work on fun, creative visual effects projects. I was approached by Realise Studio in London to help them with a character design for a commercial – an Ogre. The script had potential – a father has been transformed into an ogre by the pressure of his day-to-day life, a much-needed family holiday transforms him back to himself. Short and sweet. The proposed methodology combined prosthetics with selected digital-face replacement, as good strategy to reduce the amount of work in post-production (as opposed to creating a fully computer-generated face for the entire commercial as in the Audrey Hepburn piece).

Continue reading »

Oct 012013
 

Hercules Tablet Stand in the Times
 
Hercules_XIII_TimesInterior_tnOur Hercules XIII tablet stand was named one of the top 10 pieces at London Design Festival 2013 by the Times. This is quite an honour considering that there are thousands of designers exhibiting at the festival in locations all over London. It seems Hercules’ baroque design sense is an appreciated counterbalance to the simple minimalism emerging in things like Apple’s iOS7.

Find more on Hercules at EATON.london

Sep 102013
 



I recently contributed to this ambitious visual effects project. If you haven’t yet seen the Galaxy chocolate ad with the reincarnated Audrey Hepburn it is worth checking out here. The piece is bound to stir up controversy – bringing a beloved actress back from the dead to flog chocolate bars may not be everyone’s idea of good taste. However, the technical achievement is clearly impressive and full credit should be given to the visual effects team at Framestore for pulling it off with very tight deadlines!

Continue reading »

Sep 062013
 

Zombies are everywhere this year – WWZ, Plants Versus Zombies (2), the Walking Dead, the Last of Us, and on and on. They are taking over the world and I am partly responsible for this zombie apocalypse as I developed some of the early concept art for World War Z.

Here are a couple of the zombie “studies” I did for the film. Perhaps not to everyone’s taste, but as someone commented on my Facebook page, there is touch of Giacometti in them. Yes, I try to bring art to zombies.

World War Z Zombie Concept Art

click for larger