Some Concepts by Robh Ruppel

Making Of 'Space Opera'

Whenever I create an image for myself, I'm looking to explore the pure abstract qualities of art. For a job there are constraints; the image needs to fill a need or illustrate a design. But when I sit down to do something for myself, I want to go for a ride where I'm not sure of the destination. It's exploration. It's undiscovered territory. It's the whole journey versus destination thing.

Making Of 'Steampunk Village'

I generally start by making a series of simple compositional sketches. I'm looking for a pattern that's both dynamic and interesting. I do several on a page so I can compare them and not fall in love with one idea too quickly or keep repeating the same idea (Fig.01)

Making Of 'Come With Us'

I was thinking, for a few days, that the best idea concerning this tutorial would have been to explain the steps, one by one, the conventional way. But after a while i realised that there was probably not much to talk about, as the major interest of the image can be found in the three first steps.

Afterwards, it is just a matter of fixing details, and working very simply on the image, in order to bring more visual elements to the piece, giving a more realistic aspect to the whole thing. In other words, my principal worry was, how could i escape from the abstract concepts that had helped me building the piece in the first place? I don't speak about it often, as it is a very difficult process to explain. But yes, concerning personal work, i tend to trust abstraction a lot, at first. from abstraction, realism can then come up. My goal will be to grab the elements away from these first abstract forms, give them a second life! Of course, i cannot use the same process for professional works, as for this particular case, have to decide everything by myself. abstraction is not welcomed. But for my personal art, my decisions may ary according to these very vague forms that i first organise on my blank electronic sheet.