Self Portrait debt, with romantic interest.

Muahahah! So I was talking to a friend about "things™". She mentioned that it's been "proven" by relationship councilors that if you draw a picture of your self as a part of a couple, your romantic situation will improve. Of course, I had to try it out. The skinny kid on the left is me. My facial hair comes in like that, yes. I don't own a portfolio like that, no. I do own that pair of shoes, I just don't wear them because they rub against my ankles in a surprisingly painful way.

So, perhaps.. seasonally this is a couple of months early. It's still not feeling quite like Christmas to me.. just yet. That being said, Valentines day also happens to be something I"m never in the mood for either. But unlike Christmas, which requires snow and ice for me to really make the connection. Couples counseling and self affirmations are truly pan seasonal.

I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas time.

Ah, here's a couple of sketches that I'm working on.

Here's the 'favored' thumbnail for the horse pic, the color is still rough, and I might fiddle with the back ground some more here, but I really liked the energy in the horse and where it was going n' all. The other sketch is proof you can do water color on anything, just be prepared for a few wrinkles. Still, even in it's wrinkly state: I like it a lot. Maybe I'll make it a back ground layer and digital it all out. Still... love the expression on this one.
Enjoy you guys.

So, what's on my easel?

This is on my easel. No digital anything, pure acrylic baby. This has been a displacement activity for me of sorts. Work's been slow, and I'm polishing up the portfolio. I like to think I'm in a good place. If one were to ask what I do in my spare time, I can say I paint, draw, do comic books. And the artwork I do I like. Now, I'm always seeking to improve. I'm in no danger of having my head not fit through tight door frames. But it's big enough that I'm actually going through doors. Or will be after a couple more of these. I think I'm going to paint a horse in my next piece. But, I don't wanna give too much away. I mean, what would be the fun in that?

I've got it! it's scanned. Beware!

Seriously, I'm so excited about this thing. I almost didn't attend the 24 hour comic book day. I had work that morning, and was seriously intimidated by all the cool work that was up when I wheeled in at about 7pm (9 whole hours after it all started!) So, I stuck to what I was good at, what I loved. And I wrote for myself, who not only is my favorite audience, and biggest fan: But is also the critic I love most. My evil plan (Muhahaha!) is to get this thing onto drunkduck.com and release it page a day style. So, to read it.. You're going to have to wait, or corner me. I'll let you read it then. As far as a title? Meh, it'll come to me sooner or later.

Enough Verbage, let me show you what you came here for.

Well, the comic is getting close to being back in my hands. To celebrate this fact. I'm going to be painting a cover for it.

Here's the sketch:

Ah, a photoshop painting.
Check,
My favorite subject matter.
Check,
Lot's of smoke and a couple of stylistic affections that I like to effect.
Check, and Check.

Done?

For now.

AAU 24 hour comic book challenge!

Ahh, this was a lot of fun. Here's some pics stripped from the photo site that Dan Cooney has posted on the web. http://24hrcomic-academyart.blogspot.com/ if you're looking for something fun to click on. I've got a couple of photo's and in them there are a few pages that I did that you can see. I'll be posting the comic up in it's entirety on a wonderful web based comic book site. Probably Drunk Duck or something like it. In the mean time, enjoy some photo's of me hard at work on my 24 hour comic. And yes, it did get done.. with a half hour to spare, no less.

Shoe guy, leg man.

Ah, another great day of Clothed figure 3. Great model, great drawings, even a great lecture provided by Chuck Pyle. Figure I'd share some drawings. 15 min, 5 min. Both on smooth newsprint.

Color Rough

Eh, Magenta.

I'm excited about it. =D

Pointed girls with guns, or exhuming relics.

I've got to mention my Roman Coppola synchrony weekend. It’s tenuous, but I’m counting it anyway. I picked up CQ, and The Life Aquatic a ways back, and I watched them both over the weekend. And then I turned around and watched them again with the Commentaries. I was very surprised to listen to how often Roman Coppola was mentioned in both commentaries. Not the least of which was writing, directing, and doing the documentary on of and about CQ. Which, if you haven't seen it and you’re looking for a good flick about: an aspiring artist finding inspiration in everyday life, cool 60’s movie chick space action flicks, and/or a really hot blond. This may be your perfect movie. It’s one of those films that just make you want to turn around and make a film. Yeah, he was second unit director on The life aquatic. Which, if you haven't seen it, as about the other side of the hill.

I also watched the fat boy slim video for Praise you, but I'm pretty sure that’s a different Roman Coppola.

Which brings me to this gem of a sketch. I usually don’t work on my images after they’ve been in my sketchbook a year, I usually don’t cut up my sketch books either. And I nearly never do so in that order.

The reason that I picked this sketch out to work up and redo was very simple to me. It's cool as hell! But when I drew it a year or two back I was really into over rendering out faces. I’m not talking about spending 20 minutes shading upper lips or anything like that. I mean that I explicitly defined her cheekbones. The poor girl looked like she was on Meth, or maybe Heroin (not Heroine... that’s different.)
Where was I? oh yes, my simple reason was this. It was awesome, but it needed one more pass. That, and the jacket was too cool.
Straight against curve? Whatever do you mean kind sir, why would I do that?

The halo she’s sporting is yellow highlighter. The gun is ray. Um, and she’s about to produce the beat down. Look at those zipper’s fly.

Rocking the blue pencil

Hit a clothed figure workshop, had a blast. Great model here. Mallory rocked it out, and a good time was had by all. Talked about the costume carnival, looks like it might be on Nov 1st this year. The day after halloween, I think it's awesome timing... I"m just worried that all the students will all be hung over when they get there. Oh well.

And, the Blue Col-erase pencil... Hard to find a better sketching pencil.

Another day, another few hours pumped into it. I'm having a blast. Blew two hours tweaking the face, didn't like it so I changed it back. I like it better this way. I'd also like to shout out some thanks to my model on this one. She's worked some long hard thankless hours, and even though it was quite a few months ago, I hope she finds some comfort in knowing that those photo's are being put to good use.

Homework

Ah, homework. Twist my arm! Yeah, I'm having a blast. I've been thinking a bit, about how I'm going to make myself stand out from the pack. There are tons of chick w/ gun pictures in Imagine FX. They all have hooks, some better than others. Anything from a really cool and involved back ground, to a really cool and involved character, or even a really cool and involved technique. Frazetta said it first though, he just tries to cram his paintings full of the most drama that he can. Color, value, and composition drama, all pushed to the max. That was Frazetta's hook. I try and think of that when I'm doing thumbnails. That, and what's going to be the most fun I can have. Having a story in there is all win too.

Chucks class

So, these are from a clothed figure class. Five minute drawings each, we were just warming up that first day. Fun stuff all over. Our model was pro, and was doing interesting stuff all day long. That's got to be hard when you have 6 hours of class time. So, school is back in full swing. I'm scrambling for work, and I've got Thumbnails for a dream homework assignment due by saturday night for my online class. I've got the best idea for it, I've got the worst idea for it. See, I hate drawing other peoples concepts for homework. There is something in me that wants the high beams of my brilliance directed at the class, unfiltered by someone else's kick ass designs. Say, if I was going to paint a mob of super assassins for instance... I'd fret about how they would all need to be my super assassins. Even if the idea is just as awesome when it's done with someone else's super assassins. •I know what I'll do.• I'll call it an homage. Problem solved. It's good to know that most of my serious creative problems can be solved with a little vocabulary. Anyway, enjoy my saucy news print.

Busy busy day.

Crazy, I'm back in the Grad program at the AAU. I'm seriously excited about it. I haven't felt this level of enthusiasm since i was a freshman here in the first place. Something about realizing a goal that I've had for a long time I guess. Also, the iron is hot, the blog has been blogged in with sketches like crazy. Almost, gasp, to the point that I don't get comments any more. Meh, it's all good. Having a ton of work online is it's own reward. Here's a 'doodle' I did on painter, I really just got carried away with the hair here. Eyelashes too. It's small, but running around all day makes for a tired guy who needs to sleep. Also, online classes with famous Illustrators are fun. If nothing else, it gives me a worthy target for my 'forum mania.'

Yar, I'm going to bed.

Counter intuitive

I spent a large portion of today painting. Molecules, not digital. I've been working with this super cheep student brand of liquitex acrylic paint. It's awesome! It's so weak sauce that it never obscures my drawing underneath. The super diluted with medium paint is just what I'm looking for, I'll admit that I felt so dirty when I started buying it. I mean... I'm a paint snob. I've got a palate of Lacscaux for Pete's sake. Anyway, here's one of my mini's that I did while I was waiting for paint to dry.

Back

Had a great vacation, was really just what I needed. Something about clean air and an actual real live summer. I highly recommend well timed vacations.

Anyway, here's some art.

p.s. did blogger invert my image?

Woot, flying home tomorrow

I'm flying back to idaho for a week starting tomorrow. I'm pretty thrilled about it. I've spent most of my time tonight looking up old 2005 penny arcade web comics instead of packing. It's only a week, and I find I take less and less with me each and every time I return to the mother land. Of course I'm taking my new phonebook sized sketchbook, and enough pens and markers to easily bust the 4 liquid ounce limit. I'm concerned I might have to abandon the pantone trias to the airport lost and found. Found a new Japanese restaurant that sailed to the top of my favorite Japanese restaurants list. It's called Medicine. It was good. A designer brought in a metric ton of tootsie pops. That's right, we had our spoon full of sugar. So, go there. get the Medicine roll. And marvel at the beat stained rice, as you ply your way through the water cress forest of that end cap roll. I was introduced, by the way, to a new mechanic of the chop stick. Apparently, if you try and eat one of these "end cap rolls" that have a second rolls worth of carrots, crab, and what have you sticking out of it: you can use the two sticks together as a sort of battering ram. I can't recommend doing this with a fork, as the risk of injury is too great. And doing it with a spoon risks disfigurement of a far worse kind. (ask me about "Mad dog Madson" one of these days.) Point being, I’ve only got a rough sketch for you tonight, and am going to be out in the sticks for the next week. Have a good weekend all.

Oops, I mean... Great! part two

Slow going, I'm neck deep in catalog ooze. But that doesn't mean that I'm not filling my spare hour or two with productive stuff. So go there now, and look at my under construction page. I'm quite proud.

Breaking in nibs

Woah, I'm tired. Been working long hours doing art for a catalog. Strange though, how that makes me want to draw. Broke in some nibs the other day. This is the result. Was done on hot press watercolor paper. If you have the means, I highly recommend it. If nothing else, it's a challenge to exist without the undo button.

Rawr, Giant robot

Some of the best giant robots out there are the Battletech ‘mechs. There are quicker robots, sleeker ones to be sure. Few, with bigger guns. They were some of the first giant robots to really take my imagination (or sketchbook, as the case may be) by storm. I was an addict from an early age too. Not the computer games, I’m talking the pen and paper stuff. One of the first things I regularly drew was Battlemechs. Well, them and a lot of Transformers. But the Transformers never had a board game. Robotech did, but I didn’t discover that until much later. Here I am, many years later returning to my early roots here. It's a giant robot homecoming of sorts.
Anyway, enjoy the lasers.

The "other" marker tool

So, don't get me wrong. I love digital drawing and all the little tools and tricks. But by far, my favorite "marker tool" is made by Prismacolor. Specifically in this case, Scarlet Lake.
The idea here is a giant robot pilot. Helmet ring, cooling vest, and goggles that tie directly into the fire control sensors.

Guess this means that I’ll have to draw the robot she pilots.

Pro Sketchbook

So, I'm fiddling around my hard drive, and i find this sketchbook program. It's the sketchbook program, apparently, the Pro Sketchbook, with capitol letters. It was a demo, of the non sequential variety. Meaning that you have 15 "24 hour" periods to use the program. I've got 5 days left. 5 days of Wacom Bliss. It was an Alias product, when I got the demo the first time. Now it's Autodesk.
I don't know what improvements Autodesk Sketchbook Pro have over Alias Sketchbook Pro. I know that one of the aforementioned is getting my money. I suppose that's not the important part, in this purist search for Digital Art Nirvana (yeah, Capitol letters.... © even.)
So, the important part. I threw this dapper gentleman together while listening to music after coming down from a particularly challenging day at work. Channeling because I had a head cold. Nothing like drawing kids when you’re the one with the runny nose.

Oops, I mean... Great!

Fate handed me a spectacular opportunity the other day,
my website went down. Don't worry, it's only temporary. When it comes back, it will be better, stronger, and faster than before. Well, maybe not faster. Nor will it cost six billion dollars, I'm hoping. Truthfully, I've been very unsatisfied with my website. It is a student website, after all. I did it for a class. Now that I've been working for three years, it's time for a website that reflects more of who I am now as an artist, and not who I was three years ago.

An art post is coming soon, I just have to code some Flash first.

Always feel a bit horrible if I post without artwork. It's a bad habit, but it can be an interesting hurdle as well. Not that I don't have anything to post up, but the choosing of the artwork that I put up is always a challenge. I don't want to show anything "too" unfinished, but then I don't want to post'pwn (it's a real word... lol ) posting up projects that I'm working on either.
Right now I'm painting over a gouache (how's that for an imaginary word) painting in Painter. I'm finding it a challenge to retain all the texture and fun that the paper allowed me. I mean, if I wanted to I could polish this thing until it nothing of the physical painting remains. I'm sure that there's artistic damnation in that direction. For me, that is. It's a personal choice, but I get more of my milage out of physical paint. Digital paints great, Photoshop is a thing of beauty don't get me wrong. But I'm still married to molecules. Gratefully, my minor infidelity with digital media hasn't gotten me in trouble yet.

So, just a little poster I've been doing for a client.