The Amazing Environmental Art Of Robh Ruppel

(Via)

Robh Ruppel is an absolute juggernaut in the art direction field, with over two decades of experience at companies including Walt Disney, Naughty Dog (Uncharted) as well as being an instructor at Art Center and the Gnomon School Of Visual Effects.

I'd run into his work multiple times, mainly showcasing his film and videogame related work, but his blog is where the magic truly happens. Robh has been engaged in a practice called digital plein-air paintings, a painting from life practice typically reserved for fine artists minus all the equipment. Deriving inspiration from the likes of Edgar Payne, he's been engaged in a 'less is more' approach, simplifying life into geometric shapes and applying his incredible sense of color and light to create some truly incredible paintings. A close up of the image above...

Yields an incredible painting constructed using nothing but a rectangle selection, square brush and line tool, starting with big shapes and working his way down to the finest minutia. Limiting his tools in Photoshop truly reflects the way plein air painters work, small canvases, limited brushes, bold paintings. Many digital artists have taken an interest in this approach, which reinforces the need to think less about detail and more about shape relationships, value and color. Check out more of his amazing work after the break!