FEATURED

Jun 192019
 

click for larger

TITLE: Humanity (Fall of the Damned)
MEDIUM: Archival print on Aluminium
DIMENSIONS: 210 x 165cm
EDITION: 5
DATE: 2019

Inspired by Peter Paul Reubens’ altar piece, Fall of the Damned. Hand drawn but painted using my bespoke “Bodies” neural network. Featured in my Artist+AI:Figures&Form exhibition at Somerset House, London in 2019. Subsequently exhibited at Ars Electonica & the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG).

drawing for Scott Eaton's Fall of the DamnedThe ‘cartoon’ for Humanity

Scott Eaton's Humanity (Fall of the Damned) at the Vancouver Art GalleryHumanity (Fall of the Damned) at the Vancouver Art Gallery

Jun 112019
 

Invitation to Scott Eaton's Artist plus AI: Figures and Form exhibitionclick for larger

EXHIBITION OF WORK
19-23 June, 2019
10-5:30pm daily
Somerset House, New Wing, room G16

My new exhibition showcasing work created in ‘collaboration’ with AI is running from the 19-23rd of June at Somerset House in London. It is a free, but ticketed event, so you will need to book in advance. Please get your tickets HERE.

“This exhibition showcases the recent work of artist Scott Eaton combining the latest in generative artificial intelligence (AI) with the centuries old practices of drawing and sculpture. The show’s featured works are the result of the dynamic interaction between Scott’s traditionally-trained hand and the AI tools he has ‘taught’ to work as his assistants. In this show, Eaton, an interdisciplinary artist with backgrounds in sculpture, anatomy and design, underscores the impact AI is set to have on the art-making process.”

Jun 102019
 

Scott Eaton's Fall of the Damned, work in progress.

Behind the scenes – prepping a piece for my “Artist+AI: Figures & Form” show opening next week at Somerset House. Suffice it to say, this will be a LARGE composition (22,000 x 17,000 pixels!). My drawing hand aches.

Show is free and runs from 19-23rd of June, so squeeze in a visit to Somerset House if you are near London.

Apr 122019
 

Artist+AI: Scott Eaton Lens Series 1Drawing plus AI – created using a bespoke neural network trained on my figure photography

I’ve just recorded and uploaded an extended version of my recent Creative AI talk. This talk summarises the last two years of my exploration into combining AI with my interests in photography, drawing and sculpture. The talk gives a good synopsis of the amazing creative potential of these tools. This is the first time I’ve shared the work in public, as I now feel it is mature enough that I am comfortable showing the results of my explorations. There are many more experiments and works-in-progress to be shared in the coming weeks and months, and of course mark 18-23 June in your calendar for a visit to my exhibition of this work at Somerset House, London (admission is free).

Please find the lecture here:

Nov 022018
 

Scott Eaton's Essential Anatomy Masterclass, with Framestore artistsIntro showing some of the studios I’ve taught over the years

I’ve just finished an intensive, one-day Essential Anatomy session with the talented artists from Framestore, London. Sixty artists and I convened in the Somerset House screening room for a day covering critical lessons from both human and comparative anatomy. I don’t often run anatomy courses this short (most are a minimum of two days), so it was a challenge to distill the essential lessons from many years of teaching anatomy into a format the could deliver the maximum amount of useful information in a single day course.

In class ecorche studies - Scott Eaton's Essential Anatomyin-course anatomy studies over old master drawings
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May 242018
 

Homo naledi reconstruction, v2

A producer friend recently asked if I had time to put together a quick sculpt for a pitch he was giving to a potential client. The request was for a concept of what the extinct homonid species Homo naledi would have looked like in life. I happened to have a relatively free day and was excited to do some digital sculpting so I said I would give it a try.

First, who or what were Homo naledi? It turn out they are fairly recent relatives of modern humans (ca. 250,000 year ago) – discovered in 2013, to great acclaim, by a pair of cavers fumbling around in a South African cave system. The species appears to be a interesting mix of human and primate characteristics – hands and feet very near our own but with shoulders and pelvises closer to our primate ancestors. We know they were short of stature, possibly standing barely five feet tall, and had small skulls exhibiting primitive features including reduced cranial capacity (half of a modern human), robust orbital tori, reduced/absent chin, but with small teeth and gentle canines.

Taking these few data points and a handful of images of the incomplete skulls of homo Naledi, I put together a couple versions. The first, below, pushes the facial characteristics more towards primate, but with the spark of intelligence one would expect of the genus Homo. The second, and my preferred version (above), leans toward a more human interpretation of facial characteristics. It includes a quick torso study for context and posture, as well as what I imagine to be a mass of matted, dirty hair. A timelapse of the sculpting process coming soon.

Homo Naledi portrait study, v1

Jan 032018
 

Pixar Animation Studios front entrance gate

I’ve recently returned to London after a busy couple weeks on the West Coast – this trip taking me back to Blizzard Entertainment and Pixar for anatomy talks and workshops. I’ve been to both studios a number of times in recent years, but this visit was for something new – the inaugural sessions of my Comparative Anatomy for Artists course.

blizzard dedicated to entertainment plaque.

What is comparative anatomy? Simply, it is the study of animal anatomy. More accurately though, it is the study of the relationships between the homologous anatomical structures of different animal species. For example, how a horse’s humerus (upper arm bone) differs from a human’s, and how that differs from a mole rat’s, or elephant’s, or dolphin’s in structure, function, and appearance (unbelievably yes, a dolphin has a humerus, as well as forearm, hand, and finger bones, all hidden in its front flipper!). There is a treasure trove of fascinating and bewildering adaptations that have taken place in the natural world to fit the general “animal vertebrate body plan” to many different environments and ecosystems. This course explores these amazing adaptations and how we apply this knowledge artistically to create, imagine, sculpt, draw, and animate better animals and creatures.

My Comparative Anatomy for Artist course will be running in London in the Spring of 2018, dates to be announced (sign up to the mailing list for news). If you are a games/visual effects/animation studio interested in an onsite workshop, please get in touch.

Scott Eaton running comparative anatomy workshop at PixarWith the giant Luxo Jr sculpture outside Pixar’s lobby

contrast in styles - orcs versus cartoonsOrc v. the Incredibles, a battle of campus art