Purpose on Paper

Oh Yeah, I have a blog.

2012-02-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

I feel like a neglecting parent to this blog. I used to update it on a weekly basis or sometimes even more often but other things like my facebook page and Twitter seem to have taken over as my place to put my thoughts out there. I still need this blog though, because sometimes I have more to say than 140 characters like Twitter.

I've been busy. Art takes a lot of my free time. I'm a graphic designer by day, but after that 8 hours a day I have to balance art and my social life, or lack of one. I've been doing a ton of work doing roller derby posters and anything else I can. I also started a comic book called The Atomic Blonde which i am planning on self publishing promoting at local comic conventions once it's finished.

I've had a lot of changes in my life in the last year. I am dating my best friend and the only woman I can actually picture being around for a long long time (plus she's the only one who would put up with me). But I've also taken a couple steps backward from my ideal situation and moved back in with family so that I can get my finances and life back on track. So far things are looking up and I'm as busy as ever with my art. I hope it's not another year before I post on here again, but I can't promise anything.

A rough year & a new beginning.

2011-01-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

So I love having a blog. But I'm pretty awful at posting regularly. So awful in fact that it's been 8 months since I posted anything. I'm not really even sure if anyone reads this. For me it's a strange thing trying to talk about myself. But since I've been told many times, that if I want to make any kind of living at being an artist I have to be able to talk myself up and network with strangers and market myself like a pro. So since It's still the first month of a new year and I've already blow my first resolution (to eat healthier and exercise), I've decided to try to start posting entries more often. Even if no-one reads this or cares about what I have to say or show, it still helps me to get my thoughts and ideas out of my head and onto something tangible.

This year really marks the beginning of something new for me. I'm starting over in many respects. Last year was one of the hardest years I've had, It was the end of a 7 year relationship that saw its share of ups and a few too many downs. And now for the first time in 31 years I'm living alone. Well, not completely alone, I've got my four legged buddy Chloe, but basically It's the first time I havn't lived with family, friends, roommates or a significant other so it's been a bit strange. I have since met an amazing girl who I really click with and can see a future with, but for now I'm living on my own. Which isn't such a bad thing as long as I get some regular visitors.

As for my the various art projects I've done in the past 8 months, I've been busy. Last year the Gainesville Roller Rebels, a roller derby team from central Florida had me do a handful of their bout posters. They seemed to really love what I did and even did a photo calendar with the teams girls loosely re-enacting my posters. Great stuff. So this season the team asked me to come back and do ALL of their bout posters for the 2011 season. Something I'm really excited and pumped about doing. The first poster with the theme "Big Bruisers, Big Sisters" was started this week and should be finished soon. Check out the inked art below.

Also at the end of 2010 I was asked by my good friend and childhood artistic cohort Joe Kuzma to collaborate and do the colors for the comic Allied Forces that's being published by Earthbound Comics that he is doing the art for. Written by Sebastian Piccione, with art by Joe Kuzma, and Colors by me and Norman Wong. With a cover done by comic book veteran Karl Moline who has worked on many comics including Amazing Spider-Man & Rouge for Marvel along with Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Fray which he co-created with Joss Whedon (who created Buffy, Serenity and is directing next summers Avengers movie) for Dark Horse. The comic is premiering at the Orlando Megacon in March. Along with the colors for half the book, I did a pinup piece that will be included in the book. Check it out below as well as the sample of my digital coloring work with Joe's art that you already saw back at the top.

It looks like 2011 is going to be a crazy year and I'm excited to see what great new things happen.

Self-Centered & Calendar news

2010-05-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is was done for my cousin Erin who runs Self Centered Wellness, a holistic wellness practice in Hollywood, California. It will be used on her business cards, flyers and other various promotional material. This is the second illustration I've done for her and probably my favorite of the two.

Well, I've certainly been busy the past couple of weeks, Along with this project, I've been asked by the Gainesville Roller Rebels to do 3 more roller derby bout poster, and pleasantly informed that they are going to be shooting photos of various derby girls recreating all of the posters designed from this season in real life pinup girl style. Awesome can't wait to see it!!!

Beachside Caricature

2010-05-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Here's another caricature I did at my day job. A coworker is retiring after 44 years and I was asked to do this as a gift. They wanted to combine her current photo with her hairdo from her early years of employment, plus combine her hobbies and her love for the beach.

Derby Fever & Award

2010-04-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

Here is another roller derby poster for the Gainesville Roller Rebels. Decided to go for a horizontal design this time. This was supposed to be the last one for the season, but its possible I may design 3 more for later this season.

Also, I just found out that I took First Place in the Single Illustration category at the Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards for my Rock Hall of Fame induction cover of Cleveland Scene. I'm told that I will be getting a plaque or something rad. I was pretty blown away when I found out.

Memorial Slay Derby Poster

2010-04-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Here's the fourth roller derby bout poster done for the Gainesville Roller Rebels from Gainesville Florida. Decided to go with an alternative punk wonder woman theme since the colors are patriotic. This is probably my favorite one I've done so far.

IRON MAN etc.

2010-04-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

So I've been keeping very busy with art projects for the past several weeks. Here are two of my recent finished projects I've got another I'm waiting on approval for that I will post very soon. But for now, I give you IRON MAN.

I remember the exact day I first discovered comic books, I was 11 or 12 and I was spending a day with a friend and his brother and mom. She was driving us back from playing at the park and decided to stop at the local Dairy Mart. We went inside and my friend and I discovered the looming comic rack, filled with superhuman adventures. As we stared at them in awe, I realized at a buck twenty five, I could afford two issues and have some change for candy. So I grabbed two issues of The Amazing Spider-Man (Which I still have today) and took them to the counter to pay. Had I know as I walked out to the car and flipped through the pages, that this new discovery would cultivate and mold my artistic skills beyond what I could have even imagined. I may have put some of the candy back and bought a third issue instead. never the less, I was hooked.

I always gravitated toward Marvel Comics. DC comics was home to some amazing hero's including Superman, Green Lantern and Batman. But I could never seem to connect to them like I could with Marvel's Spider-Man, X-Men and The Avengers. Marvel had characters who I could relate to, normal people who were exposed to Gamma Rays or bitten by radioactive spiders to become who they were, not an alien from another planet who gets his power from the sun. Take Tony Stark, in the comic he had to wear the chestplate to his armor at all times, because the energy unit inside it was basically a magnet that was (same as the movie) keeping deadly pieces of shrapnel from entering his heart. Thus Iron-Man was born. Since I am such a fan of film, it was natural for my love of comics to spill over to the medium. I loved the first IRON-MAN. It's toward the top of a short list of superhero movies I can't get enough of. So of course I'm excited about IRON-MAN 2 coming out soon. What's even more exciting for me is that I know that these two movies are part of something even bigger. Marvel films has a plan of several movies that will interconnect and end in what's rumored to be the biggest superhero film ever made THE AVENGERS. Beginning with IRON-MAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, IRON-MAN2 and the upcoming CAPTAIN AMERICA and THOR films will be topped off with the AVENGERS film that will see Ironman, Hulk, Cap, and Thor as a team. It's exciting times for comic geeks like me. So with this inspiration driving me I thought I would try my hand at IRON-MAN.

This second piece is a character created for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) I am told he will be animated and put into a short film for a presentation. I was basically asked to create an anthropomorphic FAFSA form who has the attitude and sunglasses of the Fonz from Happy Days.

April Showers of Pain!!!

2010-03-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

So I just finished this new roller derby poster for the Gainesville Roller Rebels. I was going for an old school pinup look. And I chose to go with cooler colors because of the "April Showers of Pain" theme and the fact that both teams colors are similar. Gainesville's colors are royal blue & black and the Beach Brawl Sk8r Dolls colors are light turquoise & black. I am doing two more of these bout posters for GRR and I was thinking I need to do one with an angrier woman, I like the ones i've done so far, but I think I need to depict them tougher in at least one of these. Because frankly these are some tough women. They are always constantly practicing and working towards getting better. The proof of how hard they play & how dedicated they are can often be seen in the various team photos I've seen. Where there's usually a girl or three with crutches, leg braces and arm casts in every photo. despite their injuries they still wear their uniforms and pose proudly for photos. Although the rules of the game are confusing to me and I haven't actually been able to see my sister (Ruby Typhoon #77)'s team play (because GRR is in Florida & I live in Ohio). I am really proud of my sister and her entire team.

Here's a detailed view of her face.

New Caricatures

2010-02-26T11:17:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of recent caricatures I've done.

HOLD FAST

2010-02-10T21:46:00.001-08:00

Just finished this and thought I would put it up, it's a personal project to see how realistic I could get using my Wacom. I'm pretty happy with it. What do you think?

The Fisticuffs of March

2010-01-31T17:32:00.000-08:00

Here's the newest Gainesville Roller Rebels bout poster I recently finished. I went for a boxing match theme, I think it turned out great.

SLAM-entines Day!

2010-01-19T16:13:00.000-08:00

I was asked to create a bout poster and flyer for the Gainesville Roller Rebels in Gainesville Florida for their first game of the 2010 season. The theme was anti-valentines day. I was free to do pretty much whatever I wanted, which was awesome. If only everyone were as easy to please. I'll also be working on a poster for their second bout as well, look for it soon.

The Holiday Season

2009-12-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

Every year I have big artistic ideas for things like christmas cards and different holiday theme pieces to give away as gifts, but always procrastinate until I only have the time to make one. So this year I haven't been in the holiday mood yet so I wanted to make something that wasn't a Christmas theme and wasn't a snow covered scene, so I decided to just draw what I see this winter in the small wooded area next to my apartment. Leafless trees and flying chirping cardinals.

I also have a couple of other project that I just finished, the first is a poster I'm really proud of because it's for my sister's roller derby team in Gainesville Florida the Gainesville Roller Rebels. My sister Ruby Typhoon #77 is Co-Captain of her team and they are planning on using this as a promotional poster to raise money for the many organizations they support. Go GRR!

The last project was a digital color job for my friend and fellow artist Joe Kuzma. Joe provided the B&W art of The Hulk & Wolverine and I provided the color via Photoshop. Turned out pretty great. Nice job Joe!

OUT-OF-THE-BOX gallery show

2009-10-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

I'm very proud to be participating in this years Out-of-the-Box Exhibition & Auction. This project was really fun because I got to make something 3 dimensional rather than my usual 2 dimensional work. The piece will be on display at the Summit Art Space gallery in downtown Akron from Oct 29 thru Nov 7. And will then be auctioned off at the Akron Area Arts Alliance (AAAA) awards ceremony on Nov 15. All proceeds will go to AAAA to help with their operating costs.

My box is entitled The Kraken & The Sailboat.

Projects from work...

2009-10-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the different projects I've been working on at my job at the Akron Beacon Journal. Over the last year I've been doing a lot more art related projects for them.

The first is a series of logo and character designs for a new job search related site called Job Jungle.

Also anytime someone has reached so many years of employment at the Beacon Journal they throw a party for them and I usually do a caricature of them to be signed by the staff. Last week I got to do two of them...

Last is a piece, featuring Zippy, the Akron University mascot, high-fiving the Akron Beacon Journal mascot Browser. This will be used on a table setting for a private dinner at the new InfoCision Stadium during an upcoming game.

BLUE MOON #2

2009-09-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Click image to enlarge...

Issue 2 of my new comic BLUE MOON. Comments are welcome.

BLUE MOON - My new comic!!!

2009-09-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

Click image to view larger version!

So after attempting to do this for a few years I've finally started what I think could be a really fun project... an online comic book titled "BLUE MOON."

To describe "BLUE MOON", I would say it's an action packed, scary, monster filled, detective mystery, thriller!

It's really an experiment for me too because I wanted to do something that wasn't exactly formatted like a traditional comic book page, but simply a single horizontal panel at a time (Kinda like a widescreen movie). when 3 of these are completed I can combine them and make a traditionally sized comic page (just in case I plan on getting this published or printed some day).

I also am trying a unique approach with this for the writing, because basically I have a really solid outline of the story in my head, but I will be fleshing out some of the details as I go. This will be a good exercise for me because I'm really good at piecing things together to make something great.

Well, I know it's not much today, just one panel, but I promise you are in for a fun out of control ride with "BLUE MOON"!

ABJ Mascot Contest

2009-09-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

I did these different characters for a mascot contest they had at work. Basically the sales team split into 4 different groups and came up with these four teams... The Flasher-Roos, The End Zone Warriors, The Beacon Boxers, and the STEALERS. Two of mine were chosen the Warrior and the Boxer.

Vampire VS. Slayer

2009-08-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a new comic book inspired panel. I thought a vampire attacking a vampire slayer would sum up all these warm feeling I've been having towards the show True Blood. My girlfriend told me the guy with the stake reminds her of Ken or Ryu from Street Fighter and David Hasslehoff! Is that funny or what?

I do have a small announcement though. I've been working on a new comic book concept for the past several weeks and am very close to starting it. The comic will be a heist story with a monster twist. I will have a tittle soon. and maybe some concepts. I'm still unsure how I will publish this or if it will be b&w or color. This story is really great so I'm more than likely going to have a ball with this. I attempted to do a comic last year, but the concept and story just weren't coming together. But I'm excited!

Illustration Friday-Tango

2009-07-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Update: I've finished the full color version and I think it turned out decent. Check it out!!!

Well, it's been a long time, but I decided to participate in Illustration Friday this week. The topic was "Tango". But instead of drawing a couple dancing the Tango, the first thing I thought of was Dave Tango from SyFy channel's Ghost Hunters. So I did this illustration of Steve Gonsalves (left) and Dave Tango (Right) hunting some ghosts.

This isn't quite finished, as I need to ad color, but I wanted to put something up before the topic changed. Comments Welcome.

Wedding Caricature

2009-07-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I just finished this caricature for a client, and am going to show it to her on Monday. As I've said before I've never been a fan of caricature style drawing, but I'm starting to find doing these more enjoyable. I've been really lucky so far with fantastic clients who have been really great to work with. Thanks.

New Tattoo

2009-06-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

I got a new tattoo, done by the amazing Eric Starr, owner of Arkham Tattoo in Akron Ohio. It's a red winged blackbird, which I designed. If your in the area and want a top notch ink job, Eric or any of his amazing artists can handle it.

Sick about stolen artwork!

2009-04-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

I've made some mistakes in my life, but a positive intention turned and bit me in the ass and regularly pops up so I can't forget an amateur mistake I made a few years ago. (Above, my tattoo. Below, the original artwork in my sketchbook.)

About 4 years ago I decided to start promoting my artwork online. the idea was that I would promote myself as an illustrator and a custom tattoo designer all at the same time. I had plenty of illustration examples, but only a handful of tattoo designs, which happened to be most of the designs for my own very personal tattoos and a few other things I had done. Well, I didn't have my tattoo designs up for more than a few months when I began getting emails asking permission to use my designs. I was dumbfounded, surely these people meant that they wanted me to design them a tattoo. Wrong. They were asking if they could use the designs as is. I would reply in a friendly manner that the design was my own personal tattoo, but that I could design them something similar for a fee. Most of the time the reply was a sorry and they liked my artwork but no one actually hired me to draw for them. The final straw was when I received an email from a guy in Germany. Who, in very very broken english thanked me for my swallow tattoo design and sent along a photo of his brand new rip-off tattoo. I was furious and took down the tattoo artwork immediately. (unfortunately I don't have the photo any more because I deleted it out of anger.)

Fast forward to today. I still continue to find my tattoo designs online on a regular basis. I will just be searching on google checking out tattoos when BLAM. There it is, one of my designs. Usually on someone's blog or myspace page, but worst of all I recently found 3 of my designs on a foreign tattoo flash website, promoting them as "Free Tattoo Flash Art" They even had the nerve to set it up so you can email yourself your favorite ripped-off artwork so you can easily print it out and take it to your tattoo artist. The problem is the entire site is German or French (my foreign language knowledge is limited) and there is no email address for me to complain to. I even looked through the source code to see if it was stored there. Nothing. So if you are more knowledgeable than me at finding email addresses please help me find this. Here are the links. (Note: the original artwork had copyrights on them but they were photoshopped out.)

LINK 1, LINK 2, LINK 3

I also just today found someone on Etsy, who is using my Swallow art for necklace designs. I am furious about this and don't even know what to say to her in the email she is making money off of my artwork ARGGGG. I will write to her but I need to cool off first so I don't blow my top completely in the message. Any suggestions of what I should say to her? Here are the links and a couple photos of the stolen art.

LINK 1, LINK 2

Here another example of someone using my image for their own gain. This girl even lives in the same area as me and was using it to promote her photography business on Craigslist. As far as I know she stopped using it after I emailed her.

The other is a professional xtreme skiier who claims to have come up with it himself, but it is clearly badly traced or copied. Here's that link and a pic.

LINK 1

I do know that I made a mistake in believing in the goodness of people and now know that not everyone respects or understands art. Especially tattoo art. Everyone seems to think that the internet is just full of free tattoo artwork and that it can be used with no respect. So The lesson today is, ask your talented tattoo artist to design something for you, and if you just "have to have" that swallow tattoo you found on the internet, at least ask your tattoo artist to alter it so that the original art stays original!

Scene, Space Girl Pinup, and Car Salesmen Monsters!!!

2009-04-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

Hello all. I had the opportunity to do a cover for a really cool weekly news magazine for the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction issue, and was very pleased with how it all worked out. The final cover exceeded my expectations and looks super cool with the typography.

I've also just finished another illustration of a retro space girl pinup. I tried really hard to get that old school 1950's pinup style and think that I've nailed it.

Lastly just a couple monsters for ya. At my day job I'm occasionally asked to do some minor illustration, and these were created for an extremely picky auto dealer, who wanted to advertise his "Monster Car Savings Sale". so after other artists created about 8 monsters that he was not happy with they asked me to come up with something. His reference for a monster was Mike Wazowsky from Monsters Inc. So it was pretty obvious he just wanted some monsters that looked like they could be from that movie. So I created 2 that look like slightly sleazy car salesmen. Maybe that's why he didn't end up using them.

"Fight or flight"

2009-01-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

Detail view

I finished this tonight and I thought I would upload it immediately instead of putting it off for a few days like I usually do. I'm not sure why this seemed important to me, it's not like very many people if any are actually looking at this blog. It's more like just a place to catalog my art during this part of my life, and not a place to show off my successfully published or popular work like so many other artists blogs. The older I get the better my work seems to get, but it also seems like my chances of being successful as an artist are slipping away. I know I need to buckle down again and work on getting my name into the mainstream somehow, It's just very frustrating sending out hundreds of promo postcards out and never receiving any feedback from them. What I really need is an illustration agent, who will go and find me the work, who has the connections to get my name out. The bad part is, agents like these typically won't take you in until you've had work published. It's a vicious cycle.

As for the above piece... it doesn't have any hidden meaning other than whatever you take from looking at it. I call it "Fight or flight." This idea popped in my head unexpectedly late last year. You know when your minding your own business and then a memory from the past just pops in to say hello? sometime last year I was sitting in my car in a parking lot wasting time before I had to go to work. Outside seagulls were eating some scraps of bread someone had left, when several crows swooped in to claim the food. They bickered and screeched and fought over the largest piece while there were plenty of smaller crumbs to be had. Then one of them grabbed the piece and flew away, two of them followed and a fourth one picked up something that looked like a shiny ribbon or candy wrapper then flew off. I guess this is a good reminder that everything has to fight to survive, let alone succeed.

The Holidays are here.

2008-12-17T20:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it's hard to believe Christmas is already here again and I'm scraping ice off my car, wondering why fall was so short.

I've got a couple new pieces here. The first was a commissioned piece for a Christmas Card. I usually can't stand big headed illustrations, but I made sure their faces weren't distorted and demented looking (I can't stand that) like a lot of caricature's I've seen. The second is a piece I did as a gift to some of my family members and friends. It kinda captures the mood of the winters here in Ohio and reminds me that there is no escaping the snow. I've got a couple other projects in the works that I will post soon. Happy Holidays.

Some new work! Finally!

2008-10-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pieces I've done recently. The first is just something for fun, I wanted to do a fun piece where I could work on some shading techniques and basically have fun. I'm really pleased with this. The second is a caricature that I did for my day job as a graphic artist. I'm not sure how I went from designing newspaper ads in a horrible environment to doing illustrations in a horrible environment, but I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that they have laid off something like half of the employees I work with. I guess it's just best not to tell anyone you have an art talent so that it won't be exploited like mine is starting to be. I don't like it.

On a happier note I've decided that I'm going to do some dabbling in comics again. When I was in high school I was pretty into comics and me and my friend Joe decided to give it a shot. I ended up doing about 2 and half issues and then kinda lost direction with it. Mostly because I was just making it up as I went and it was getting pretty tough to keep the details straight. This time I've got a really great idea and I'm writing every detail down and making an outline before I start. I think that I should be able to tell the story in less than 50 pages. It's not your typical superhero thing either, it's gonna be a bank heist story with an action sci-fi twist. When I'm finished if it's good enough I may try to get it published or at least self publish it. Anyhow, wish me luck.

I am going to try to make more of an effort to post more often on here. But truthfully I'm not sure if anyone reads these anyways.

Illustration Friday: Electricity

2008-05-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

It feels like I've been gone from blogging forever, seriously. I am going to try to post more often as I work on new material. So anyhow, here's my entry for this weeks topic "Electricity". I'm not sure where the idea for this came from, but I kept drawing it a lot in my sketchbook and I thought it might look good as a finished piece.

Also below are some other recent projects including my art for a future Guitar Hero Party that I am planning on using for invitations. Also a portrait of Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl for my friend Janet, Lastly is my attempt at a logo for my Sisters roller derby team the Gainesville Roller Rebels. Comments are welcome.

SOME NEW ARTWORK etc.....

2007-09-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I've updated this blog, and it's about time I put some new work up, right?

This one was created after playing alot of Guitar Hero 2 on my xbox 360. It is eventually going to be made into a promotional postcard that I can send out to potential clients (and I'll tell ya I've been mailing alot of these type of promos recently and hand addressing all 50-60 of them is no picnic). I really like my alien tentacle slug monster (for obvious reasons...he ROCKS), and I think he may appear in a few more rock poster esqe illustrations.

Here's another one. The idea for this came from reading an article about how major auto dealers are now releasing the next years model much earlier in an attempt to jump start excitement and sales of there newest cars. In fact this year Daimler Chrysler decided to skip the 2007 model of the Viper entirely and just sell the 2008 version instead. So this sleazy salesman is trying to "Sell the car of the future, TODAY! This ones going to be a promo postcard also, but it's missing some type as you may be able to tell by the emptyness of the left top and left bottom sections.

This next one was a commisioned piece by my cousin Erin. Erin has a holistic massage therapy company in California called SELF CENTERED and she was looking for a unique illustration for her new business cards. This piece shows the seven body chakras starting at the top down. The Crown Chakra, The Knowledge Chakra, The Expressive Chakra, The Heart Chakra, The Personality Chakra, The Sexual Chakra and The Root Chakra. (Immpressive that I know these huh? actually I just had to look them up again)

And finally another commisioned piece that a woman from work asked me to work on. It's a gift for a teacher named Manuel Halkais who is a speech and debate teacher at her sons former high school. I was also asked to include the teachers greek heritage and have him speaking at a podium.

I've been doin most of my illustrations digitally and have really improved with my Wacom tablet. I'm missing working with watercolor though and may do some actual painting soon for a change. Hope everyone liked what they saw and I welcome any comments or critiques.

I Spy...A Robot from the Sky

2007-03-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

I've been absent from Illustration Friday for awhile now. Life gets crazy from time to time and I tend to lose focus if I don't alot enough time to actually be creative every week. Above is this weeks entry "A Robot from the Sky" and as an added bonus (below) another illustration I finished this week called "Treehouse Factory", which could be a great illustration to accompany an editorial piece about child labor. Comments are welcome!

Illustration Friday: Help

2006-12-19T18:30:00.000-08:00

Help unlocking her heart. It's been awhile since I've participated. I didn't create this for this exact topic, but thought it might fit somehow. I spent alot more time on this one and I think it shows. I've also included the various stages of this project. Comments are welcome.

Halloween Trick

2006-10-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a project I was working on for the Black & Orange gallery contest illustrator Penelope Dullaghan has created. (here's a link that you can copy and paste since I'm incompetent and can't create a link): http://penelopeillustration.com/projects/halloween2006/index.html

I thought it would be nice to share my process with this one and show the different stages of completion. Plus a glimpse at my workspace.

Here is my computer workspace. I use a Dual Pentium Imac with a Wacom tablet for all of my digitally colored illustrations.

Here's my drafting table with some of the stuff I use when I work on a project like this. I use Canson Smooth bristol board, Derwent pencils, Micron Pens & Generals Tri-Tip erasers.

Illustration Friday: Quiet (Night Powers)

2006-10-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

Well although this wasn't created exactly for this topic, I think it kinda fits. Comments welcome!

Illustration Friday: perfect (MATCH) or "Tough Love" PT2

2006-08-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

FOOLED YOU!!! Okay so no new illustration just wanted to spend some extra time finishing last weeks. I know it's lame to post under this weeks topic, but I want to know what people think of the color. Here's another look at some of the details...

Well, here is my post for this week. As you can see it's not yet complete, but I wanted to get it posted while I could. Because I feel like I've been rushing through the Illustration Friday entries the last couple of times and I'm not spending enough time on the color. So check back soon to see the full color version soon!

Ok, I just realized I forgot to link to a static page...Penelope is gonna be mad!!!! Sorry!!!

Illustration Friday: Play

2006-08-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

Well here is my extremely late Illustration Friday post. Enjoy! Comments are welcomed!

Untitled Woman (Wacom Practice)

2006-07-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a sketch I did that I decided to ad color to and practice with my Wacom Tablet. It's taking a little time to get used to but I'm pretty pleased with how I'm doing so far. Comments welcomed!

Illustration Friday: Sticky (Bubble Gum)

2006-07-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Here's my entry for this week. I spent last night working on this and finished it up a few minutes ago. This was a fun piece and didn't take me a ton of time. I need to get back to doing IF every week. It sure has given me a great portfolio. Comments are welcomed.

Illustration Friday - Portrait (MI:3)

2006-06-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

It just so happens that I am working on a fun project that fits with this weeks Illustration Friday topic. I was thinking about how I need to work on likenesses, because if I want to get hired by some of the magazines I want to work with, I'll need to be able to draw a pretty decent likeness of anyone. I also am a huge movie geek, for the last couple summers I put off seeing all the movies that I wanted to see in the theatre for various reasons and later regreted it and wished I'd made more of an effort. So this summer I've made a promise to myself. I am going to see all of the movies that interest me, in the comfort of the Theatre on their opening weekends. To go along with this I am going to do several illustrations of my favorites after I see them. So here is my first entry for MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3 which I thought was one of the best spy action movies that I've ever seen. Better than both of the previous installments combined (and I really enjoy the first one alot). Even though it didn't make as much money at the box office as the studios would have liked I really thought it was completly genius, and I can't wait to see what first time director J.J. Abrams (creator of the tv series ALIAS, and LOST) turns out next. I've also already seen Xmen 3 and the DaVinci Code and started my DaVinci Code illustration last night (I've opted not to do xmen3 because I felt it was not as good as it should have been). So in case you were wondering here is my list of not to miss Summer Blockbuster Movies.....

- Mission Impossible 3 (Fantastic Movie 5 out of 5 Stars)

- The DaVinci Code ( 5 of 5 stars. Another great movie, I was afraid that it would be the occasional Ron Howard bomb, but it was pleasently great!

- X men 3 ( 3 of 5 stars. I enjoyed this movie but felt it didn't have as much heart as the 2nd installment. This movie was made for general audiences not fans of the Xmen comics. Unfortunatly too many storylines were smooshed together leaving the best parts of all the stories out. And the scene at beginning with the Sentinals...why even put a scene in with the towering Sentinals if your not going to at least show them in there 90 foot tall glory.

- Cars ( Another Pixar/Disney slam dunk. I'm not worried about this one, it's pretty much guaranteed to be great.

- Nacho Libre ( Comic genius Jack Black plus Napolean Dynamite Director Jared Hess, School of Rock writer Mike White, and genious musician Beck handling the soundtrack...plus the scene in the trailer where Jack Black flexes his but cheeks and it makes the whip cracking sound cracks me up everytime I see it (despite the fact that my girlfriend thinks I'm gay for laughing at it)

- Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift ( This one almost didn't make my list, I loved, loved, loved the first one....and wished the 2nd one could have even been close, So I'm hoping that a new storyline and direction by Justin Lin will help. Just one thing though, why the hell is Lil Bow Wow in this? Shouldn't he be at the babysitter?

- Superman Returns ( I'm gonna get teary eyed seeing this in the theatre... Superman 1 and 2 are amazing and the fact that this isn't a reimagining but a homage to the original is fantastic)

- Pirates of the Caribbean 2 ( Enjoyed the first one, this one looks even cooler with all the squidy tetacle looking pirates)

- A Scanner Darkly ( Richard Linklater's unique animated movie of Philip K. Dick's futuristic story about paranoia and the governments war on drugs.

- Lady in the water ( Probably my favorite director ever, M. Night Shyamalan. Even though I didn't really like the village, Unbreakable has to be one of my all time favorite movies)

- Miami Vice ( Ever heard of a guy named Micheal Mann? Well he directed HEAT and COLLATERAL and alot of people don't know this, but he also created Miami Vice...I think this movie as cheesy as it sounds could be kick ass!)

- Talladega Nights: The ballad of Ricky Bobby (Okay this looks hilarious....Plus this is Will Farrel where he belongs. this movie is brought to you by the same people who did Anchorman: The legend of Ron Burgundy....I love the fact that these comedies have really long drawn out titles!

- Clerks 2 ( Kevin Smith has apparently come up with something really great here. I love the rest of his "Jersy" films and the first Clerks holds a special place in my fat little heart...From what I hear the movie premiered last month at the Cannes Film festival and received a wonderful honor after the credits rolled...an 8 minute standing ovation from the audience...I saw video of this and the audience surrounded Kevin Smith and wife and the actors and clapped for what seemed like forever...and apparently this hardly ever happens either. )

My Business Cards!

2006-05-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

TADA...here are my new business cards. I attempted to make them like little works of art and made them 2 sided. I got them printed on 4over4.com and I have to say they did a fantastic job. I left room on the back of the card to write information like price quotes, phone #'s or anything really. I should have my first set of self promo postcards soon..I can't wait to mail em out!

Illustration Friday - Under The Sea

2006-05-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

well I missed a really great topic last week with "robot" but I'm trying to make up for that lost opportunity with what I think is a decent illustration for a semi lame topic (Under The Sea? seriously, enough water themed topics). I wish that I could find the time to participate every week, but I've decided that If I'm going to get more illustration work, I have to start doing alot more self promotion, I'm supposed to get my first set of professional business cards soon and I've ordered my first batch of self-promo post cards. I'm also compiling a mailing list of people, publishers and businesses that I think could use illustration work like mine. Along with this I'm in the process of leaving my current full time newspaper graphic design job for a much better paying job at one of their competitors. So basically things have been crazy & I've been having a hard time finding time for alot of things.

I am making time though to go see Mission Impossible 3 this weekend. If you can put Tom Cruise's crazy personal life aside. I've heard that if you want to go see a really great spy flik with alot of great action and cool stunts that actually has a great story. Go see this movie!!! If you were dissipointed by the first two and want to see it done right...Go see this movie!!! This time of year is a special time for me because it marks the beginning of the summertime big budget blockbuster movie. There are so many movies coming out in the next few months that it's making my head spin. Last year I only saw a couple of the movies that I wanted to see in the theatre, but this year, I swore to myself that I would see all the movies that I'm interested in. It will take focus but I think I can do it. Alright enough of me dorking out! Go see some great movies this summer!!!

I'll post some pics of my new business cards and postcards as soon as I get em. Hope everyone has a great week. Comments are more than welcome!

Finished Farmer Zombie

2006-04-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished full color version of my "Monster" Entry from a couple of weeks ago. Comments welcome!

Illustration Friday - Speed (rocket man)

2006-04-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well here is my rediculously late submission for Illustration Friday. I did the entire digital coloring on my new Imac with a scanner, Wacom tablet and my rediculously expensive copy of Adobe CS2. Now all I have to do is make enough money doing freelance this year to cover the cost of it. Anyone want to sponsor an underfunded freelance illustrator? Let me know if you want to donate money to the "please help me pay for my computer fund". Or even better hire me to do an illustration! Then I won't have to be a bum and beg for money. Anyhow enjoy. Comments welcome!

Illustration Friday - Monster

2006-03-30T06:07:00.000-08:00

Inked Version

Here is my half finished entry for "Monster". Nothin more scary than a redneck zombie! I'll have the finished piece up very soon! Comments are welcome! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Illustration Friday - Feet

2006-03-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

These are my Hobbit like feet....enjoy! (Ink & digital)

Well, it's been several weeks since I've participated in Illustration Friday, Many things have happened since my last post. I've moved from a giant apartment to a tiny apartment (and managed somehow to get all of my stuff into it), done some freelance work (thanks to my website), ruined 2 computers (that I've been nursing along for awile), and managed to be generally stressed out for like a month straight. Now that things have slowed down & I can for the most part think straight. I plan on trying to participate alot more, but I'm also trying desperatly to find the money for self promotion, so I can get some self promo post cards printed that will hopefully bring me a couple of freelance illustration jobs.

Illustration Friday - Simple

2006-02-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how exactly to relate this to the topic "simple" but I think it fits somehow. I didn't have any ideas for several days until the image of a small leafy plant at the center of a frame came to mind.

On a side note, I may be taking a break from blogging for a couple of weeks because I'm in the process of packing and moving to a new apartment. So until I get reconnected to the interweb I'll see ya around.

Illustration Friday - Chair

2006-02-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

This is one of the dining room STEFAN chairs from IKEA that we have. I love them because they are sturdy, lightweight, and believe it or not pretty comfy to sit on. Plus they were well priced at $20 each, which was surprising because nice chairs are usually really expensive. I used to live pretty close to an IKEA when I lived in Pittsburgh, and it was nice because you could get half decent looking furniture for your college apartment and still have money for beer & art supplies.

Illustration Friday - Glamour

2006-02-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

Original Inked art

I felt like drawing some flowy blowing hair. Just so happens to fit the topic very well. Enjoy!

E is for Electricity 2 (COLOR REDONE)

2006-01-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

I wasn't particularly happy with the results on the coloring for this piece for Illustration Friday a couple weeks ago, so i messed around with the colors till I thought it was an improvement. I'm happier with this one.

Illustration Friday - Cats (or in this case CAT)

2006-01-26T06:09:00.000-08:00

This is my Cat Chloe. The topic of Illustration Friday was a perfect excuse to try something different and draw my favorite four legged friend. I did this using Prismacolor pencils on green paper. Comments are welcome!

On a side note I'm amazed at how many people are participating in Illustration Friday now. I actually remember when I could check out almost everyones work and when I'd post I could acutally be in the first 200 or 300. Now I'm in the 700's. Penelope Dullaghan has really created something everyone can enjoy. Check it out www.illustrationfriday.com

Illustration Friday- E is For (Electricity)

2006-01-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

I'm not really sure why this came to mind when I found out the topic. It represents the idea that there are other resources for energy in the world, and we need to persue them before we run out of natural resources like oil. I'm not sure if the idea fits the illustration exactly but I gave it a shot. Let me know what you think!

Illustration Friday - Sea (Stella)

2006-01-11T07:05:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: Color Version done with watercolor dyes.

Here’s the unfinished B&W. Color coming soon!

So my inspiration for this week came to me from a song called “Stella was a diver and she was always down”. by the band Interpol. From their first album “Turn on the bright lights” (which is a pretty great album). Comments are welcome and always appreciated.

I've been tagged!!

2006-01-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I put the challenge out there to be tagged, and it was answered by Carla at http://anonyrrie.blogspot.com I’m not really sure how many people I’m supposed to tag back (maybe someone could tell me) But here goes. 20 things you may or may not know about me.

1. I lived in Pittsburgh for awhile and went to school at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
2. Before I went to College I wanted to be a film director. (I changed my mind)
3. I have far too many Star Wars related items (toys)
4. I’m slightly Obsessive Compulsive (in college my roomates would mess with me and re-arrange things. It drove me nuts, and they got a good laugh)
5. I can’t cook, but I can grill.
6. I question authority regularly.
7. I get paid as a graphic designer, but I think about being a full time illustrator constantly.
8. I’m underpaid and overworked (yay)
9. Sometimes I make up stupid songs and sing to my cat.
10. I love the movie Anchorman (it makes me laugh hysterically every time I see it)
11. People have told me I remind them of George Costanza from Senfield. I like to think I look more like a combination of Keifer Southerland and Bruce Willis. (this always gets me a laugh from my girlfriend)
12. I’ve never seen the ocean. (although I’m told I was there when I was an infant)
13. Snakes and spiders scare me
14. People are always surprised when they find out I have tattoos.
15. I am constantly listening to, and keeping an ear out for new music (currently I am listening to Minus the Bear, and I’m rediscovering Deftones)
16. I love to play sports but can’t stand to watch them on tv.
17. I like to take my car out and drive way to fast
18. my apartment is haunted by an old man in a bellhop suit, and a little black dog (weird stuff often happens and my sister swears to have seen both ghosts several times)
19. My apartment used to be a hand carved horse drawn hearse company. The part I live in was the storage area for the finished hearses & is big enough to ride bikes, rollerskate, play pool, or have really big parties in.
20. Past jobs I’ve had include.....A Janitor, a grocery bagger, a cemetary groundskeeper, a bicycle assembler, a computer sales person, and currently a graphic designer.

Illustration Friday - Flavor (Flava Flav)

2006-01-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

And here is the original Line art.

Yeah Boyyy! It’s Flava Flav! He's so crazy! It’s been several weeks since I’ve participated in Illustration Friday & I gotta say I missed it alot. I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Let me know what you think of my illustration!!!

This year Instead of just one resolution, I'm going to try several.

• Paint more often
• Draw in my sketchbook more often
• spend more time outside
• rent more movies
• discover a lot more music
• See every movie that looks good in the theatre
• Go to more art museums & galleries
• Network with more artists & illustrators
• Eat healthier
• Exercise
• Stop procrastinating
• Get a new job
• Win the lottery
• Sleep in
• Take a vacation from...everything!
• Go for walks
• Find more inspiration around me
• Smile more
• Scowl less
• Make the best of every situation
• Make more friends
• Drink more beer (I like beer but don't drink it enough)
• Take my girlfriend on more dates
• Move somewhere cool
• Make lots of money
• Swear less (damn it)

Oh yeah is anyone ever going to tag me with that 20 questions thing? Or am I going to have to be lame and do it on my own?

Christmas Portrait

2005-12-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is. It's a portrait of my friend Sam's grandparents Pat & Jim. I've finished it just in time for christmas. I'm planning on starting Illustration Friday up again very soon so keep an eye out for new illustrations. I hope that everyone has a great holiday season. Take care.

Update: Carpe Diem

2005-12-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

You may or may not have noticed the lack of posts in the last couple weeks. With the holidays so close and several other projects on the burner. I had to give Illustration Friday a short break, although I hope to start it up again shortly. Here is one of the projects I've been working on. It's my new tattoo design that I'm having inked on my right arm tomorrow afternoon. This will be my 6th tattoo (all of which are easily hidden under a t-shirt, I hope to have upper sleeves completed in the next couple years) Carpe Diem is the Latin term for "seize The Day" which basically means to make the most of every day of your life. (if you've seen Dead Poets Society you know what I'm talking about, if not I Highly recommend the movie) The other project is a commissioned portrait of a coworkers grandparents. I will post a pic of it when it's finished in a few days.

Illustration Friday - Small (The Smallest Christmas Tree)

2005-11-29T10:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I can finally admit it. I'm now in the holiday spirit. My girlfriend and I put up our Christmas tree last night and as soon as we were finished I felt like I was prepared for the weeks of holiday music and shopping that I have ahead of me. I've always been alot more excited about giving gifts rather than receiving them. And although I don't follow the religious aspects of Christmas. I try to make it a time where I bring happiness and joy to people. Okay, enough of my corny nonsense. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Illustration Friday - Free (Falling)

2005-11-23T19:07:00.000-08:00

I guess by calling this "Free Falling" it fits into the category of "Free" for this week. It's been a busy stressful couple of weeks for me designing ads at work in preparation of the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow. Usually I will have an idea or an inkling of what I want to do, but this week when I finally had the time to sit down and draw I had no clue where to start. So I decided just to do some free sketching and draw whatever came to mind. And this falling bird/angel woman was one of the things that appeared. I'm really pretty happy with how this turned out, since last week I threw my entry together half assed and It shows. As always your comments for this week are more than welcome!

Illustration Friday - Strength

2005-11-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

Well Today is my 26th birthday and I'm starting to feel old. I know, I've got alot ahead of me and all that crap, but it still feels like I'm ancient. I guess that it's because I'm not as optomistic as I once was, Things that once held unimaginable wonder are everyday routines now. It would be so great if I could just go back and be a kid again, and rough house for awhile with childhood pals who've moved far away by now. It would be great if I was as optomistic as my Illustration Friday subject and could lift all these lame adult problems above me like that car. Oh well, I'll just take every day as they come. And do my best to keep a good attitude (and I tell ya, sometimes that can be a challenge). Let me know what you think of my entry this week. I really appreciate all of the comments on my work recently, thanks.

Midweek art - Screaming Siren

2005-11-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

I have been working on this idea for a week or so and I just finished it this morning. The idea came from the previous weeks Illustration Friday topic “broken” which I wasn’t particulary happy with my entry that week. I like this one much better. Let me know what you think.

Illustration Friday - Night

2005-11-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

Here is my entry for this week's Illustration Friday. It's later than I would have liked, but it's finished non the less. I almost didn't have time to finish it due to other projects, but I felt compelled to work extra late nights this week, so as not to break my streak of work (I'm proud to say I haven't missed a week of Illustration Friday yet). So let me know what you think of it. As I've been doing for several weeks, I used Ink and digital color. Thanks for checking out my art blog. Later.

Illustration Friday - Broken

2005-11-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

My entry this week illustrates that specific feeling when you've just had enough. That moment when something clicks and you do something drastic, like blow up at a coworker or boss, or just plain walk out. For me, I've had enough of my current job. More and more often I feel like my job as a newspaper graphic designer (a no respect job if there ever was one) is going to drive me crazy. The combination of stress, ridiculously tight deadlines, and mismanagement culminates into a tornado of pressure. For those who are interested I will share my master plan....I would like to find a decently respectable full time graphic design position in an urban area, so that I will be closer to more possible clients for my little side project...Freelance Illustration. Then eventually I will have so many happy clients of my illustrations that I won't need to deal with office politics any more, and I can quit design to start a lucrative full time career as a Freelance Illustrator. Ta Da! And there you have it. As always let me know what you think. I really appreciate the support!

Midweek art - Flame Punk

2005-10-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

I had one of my rare bouts of inspiration last week and quickly drew a sketch on some scrap paper, my idea grew into this. Apparently he has some superpowers involving fire. This is ink with digital color. Enjoy!

Illustration Friday - Remote

2005-10-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

I was not happy with my entry for last week one bit. Mainly because I threw it together at the last minute half-ass'd, and I hate doing that. Well this week I was determined to come up with something unique. Every week I start out with the same thought process. First I try to figure out what the most common illustration might be and try to avoid it and come up with something unique. In this case "Remote" only leaves you with a few options of subject matter either it's going to have a remote control or a "remote" place as a subject. I couldn't find my way around them this week & gave in to my first impulse, a zombie eyed kid pointing his weapon of choice "a remote" at an unsuspecting TV. For only spending a couple hours on this I am happy with the finished work. I've included the original B&W below. Let me know what you think of my entry this week. It kinda keeps me going in the right direction.

Illustration Friday - Cold

2005-10-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

This week I needed to take a little break from spending so much time on an illustration, so all I did was a Star Wars sketch which only fits the topic because all of the things I sketched were from the bleak frozen planet of Hoth which can be seen in Empire Strikes Back. I know, this week I'm reaching to fit the topic but oh well. So I've included an added bonus below.

As you may or may not know I am a very huge fan of movies, and I'm even more crazy about a particular series of movies...STAR WARS. Here are some photos of my immense (and always growing) starwars action figure collection. Let me know what you think!

Illustration Friday - Lost

2005-10-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Here is the FULL COLOR version! Enjoy.

Locke, Kate and Jack from LOST

All right I have to admit, as soon as I saw the topic I knew exactly what I was going to draw. I am completly adicted to J.J. Abrams series LOST. You may not be too familiar with abrams but you'll probably be hearing about him sooner rather than later. He is not only the creator of LOST, but he's also created other shows such as ALIAS, FELICITY, and will soon have his movie directorial debut with Tom Cruise in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3. So if you haven't seen LOST your missing out on a really great show full of mystery and suspense! Watch it Wednesdays on ABC!

Alright enough shameless plugging. I may or may not ad color to this weeks illustration due to time constraints. I would really like to know what you think, so leave me some feedback!

Illustration Friday - Float

2005-10-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

"Floatin on the Blues"

Every week it seems that I am getting my submission posted later and later. Where does the time go? It feels like I'm getting this done early enough, but once I post this it will only be valid for like 3 days. I feel like I'm being picked next to last for kickball or something. But instead of the jocks picking me last it's my busy crazy life. This scares me when I think about it because I would like to start doing some more freelance in the near future, but when will I have the time? Sorry for the rant, but ideally I would love to have my illustration posted Sunday night or Monday morning.

Okay enough complaining. Here is my submission for Illustration Friday with the topic of Float. It's kind of off topic a little, but I was thinking isn't it great how the blues can make you feel like your floating a few feet off the ground. So here it is "Floating on the Blues".

Illustration Friday - Fresh

2005-09-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Okay so it's been a busy week and I finally had time to sit down for a bit and draw something. I had a more grand image in my head for this but time constraints dictated otherwise. at first I didn't have a clue what I was going to illustrate. Then it came to me. The coffee where I work can be a scary thing. Sometimes it is so far from fresh because it's been heated all weekend that it's just sludge. After several gross encounters I won't touch the stuff anymore. So I realized that every weekday morning I go out of my way to get a FRESH cup of Joe somewhere else. Thus, the idea for an illustration of coffee in a cup came to me. Ta-Da!

On a side note, I want to thank everyone for all of the really great comments that I've received. Frankly I was in a slump and couldn't draw much of anything in the last year or so, until I started participating in Illustration Friday. All of your positive comments have given me the boost I needed to start drawing and being more creative & productive. THANK YOU! Also I would like to thank my beautiful and talented girlfriend Jenna for all of her support & understanding. I LOVE YOU!

Illustration Friday - Escape

2005-09-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

This week I wanted to do something a little different. I thought about what kinds of things you would need to escape from, and how I could make that work as a painting. What better subject than a high profile thief stealing some item of great value, stashing it in his bag and finding his escape by crashing through a window into the night air (with the safety of a climbing rope of course). I did this with ink and again did all of the color in Photoshop. Please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Upon request, here is the original black and white version for your viewing pleasure.

Illustration Friday - Depth

2005-09-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, here is my Illustration Friday project for this weeks topic of depth. It's a bit late, but I can't seem to make time to do this on the weekend. So I saw a great movie last week called Sahara, and it got me in the mood to draw something adventurous. So what's more adventurous than a diver searching for sunken treasure. I approached the project differently this week and did all of the color in photoshop (to save time). Needless to say I spent more time than usual on this but I'm really pleased with the results. Click on the art to see a larger version and you can see the original black & white art below. And as always your comments are welcome.

Midweek art - Werewolf

2005-09-08T05:43:00.000-07:00

I was feeling like drawing something a bit more intense & scary, and since Halloween is now right around the corner it makes for a spooky addition to my blog. Boo!

Illustration Friday - Roots

2005-09-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

I found this weeks topic a bit dry, and I really had a hard time deciding what I would draw. Even though I've never seen the movie "Roots" all I could think about was LeVar Burton, reading rainbow and Star Trek. As I looked over other peoples entries on friday. I could tell there were going to be a lot of drawings of trees with roots, drawings about ancestors, and my favorite, drawings of girls who need to re-dye there rootastic hair! I decided since I couldn't come up with any ideas that didn't include any of the top 3 choices. I would combine a couple and see what happens. Actually I'm lying. I didn't purposely combine the tree roots and ancestery idea. It just came from my frustration of not being able to create something new. So I just started drawing a tree. What you see before you is a combination of what my old art teacher would call happy accidents. Enjoy!

Here is a photo of LeVar Burton (who was in the movie "ROOTS") Click on it to see a uselessly huge picture of him!!!

Illustration Friday - Dreams

2005-08-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

The topic this week for Illustration Friday was "Dreams". I started racking my brain for an idea and it didn't take me long to come up with one. For years I had dreams where I could fly. And they always gave me a really great feeling when I flew, which must be what Superman feels. It's a feeling of complete freedom. It's been 5 years since I've had a dream like that. But I think that maybe it's because of the strange and kind of scary thing that happened with the last one.

I was busy with school at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and living on the 9th floor of a 10 story apartment building with my 2 roommates. My room, if you could call it a room (Technically I lived in the dinning room) was connected to the kitchen and the living room. Off of the living room was our balcony, other bedroom and bathroom. Soon after I fell asleep one night I began to have a very vivid dream. In my dream I woke up from sleep to find it a bright sunny day. I walked to the living room, opened the sliding glass door, and stepped outside to the edge of the balcony, gripped the railing and pushed off into flight. I flew around downtown pittsburgh, dodging buildings and swooping under bridges. I even saw someone else flying around, but damned if I couldn't catch him (he had a rocket pack on his back). After giving up on catching him, and flying around for what seemed like many more hours I started to get cold and decided it was time to go back home. So I flew back to the North Side, found my apartment building and landed back on my 9th floor balcony grabbing the hand rail as my feet touched down. Still feeling cold, I started to feel the pull of reality and began to wake up. Something was wrong, instead of feeling the warmth from my blankets I was still feeling a bit chilly. Which was strange. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see that I must have still been dreaming because I was still on the balcony, but instead of a bright blue sky there was a hazy black one. As I stood there and realized that I wasn't dreaming, I noticed I was still gripping the handrail and felt that I was leaning slightly over the rail. At that point I got really freaked out, because I had apparently sleep walked right out onto the balcony in the middle of the night and almost leaped to my death. I realized how much it would suck if I woke up from my dream and was falling to my death. It took me a few day to get over it, and it took me almost a year before I told anyone what I had almost done. How weird is that?

Anyhow, have a great week, your comments are welcome as always.

Midweek art - Windy Girl

2005-08-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

Here is another illustration I did last week. With ink & colored pencil. I was feeling really eager for fall to get here when I drew this, after having such a horribly hot summer. Comments are welcome, have a great day!!

Illustration Friday - Reflection

2005-08-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

This week for some reason I had a really hard time coming up with an idea. My first idea was of a child looking at himself in a puddle, but after looking at some of the other entries I realized that alot of other people had the same idea and I didn't want to be lame and copy them. So I scrapped it. I then remembered a photo that I had taken for the local newspaper I work for, and it had everything that I was looking to capture in this weeks illustration. This is a drawing of a mill viewed from underneath the bridge in downtown Kent, Ohio. This is kind of a departure for me I usually only use people as a subject, but I thought I would try a scenic view this week. Your comments are more than welcome. Enjoy.

Illustration Friday - Wisdom

2005-08-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is my first drawing for illustrationfriday.com Basicly, there is a topic posted every friday, and you have a week to finish it and post it on your site. It's pretty neat I think, plus It will get me back into doing sketches more often, which is an exercise that I need some discipline on.

So anyhow I chose an old man because the older we get the wiser we get. So I've heard. Although I've seen a few older people who seem to contradict that.

First Post Ever!

2005-08-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome to my very first blog post. This will be a place where I will post my art, photos, comments and ideas that flow through my giant melon of a head. Mostly this is so that the things I think of won't just flash through my brain before I can write them down or draw them. keep coming back to see new stuff!