SKETCH DUMP

Here is a sketch I did a couple of days ago... I've been noodling around with some ideas for doing a series/portfolio with some of my characters and monsters etc... I am working on doing a few images of greek/roman gods and goddesses. This is the Roman God Vulcan--god of fire. He is the maker of arms and amour. He also is supposed to be sort of an ugly cuss. Y'all let me know what you think! I really need some constructive comments! I desperately need to get some self promo pieces out... Gotta make some money yo!

On the upside... My parents want me to do a picture book about Francis Marion which will be geared more towards third graders. They're gonna pay me and pretty well I might add. I'll also get some royalties and some pretty awesome portfolio pieces when I'm done.

FLIGHT (ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY)

This, as the caption shows, is a piece I did for self-promotional purposes. I have a thing for flying machines--especially rocket backpacks. Who knows why?

LEARNING IS FUN!!!

Earlier today I was surfing web-related tutorials and came across this great tutorial on creating some killer N.C. Wyeth-looking clouds. I did this while I was on the phone with a client--about 20 minutes worth of work.

There are more awesome tutorials here. These tuts are geared more towards digital artists in the commercial art/motion picture/gaming industry--but the lessons are applicaple to ANY kind of illustration. Craig Mullins has a couple of great tutorials as do several other artists. I spent several minutes today just looking through them. I would invite you, gentle reader, to also browse through this wonderful site and engage in some "tutorial joy."

Cheers all!

A ROOSTER AIN'T NUTHIN BUT A CHICKEN!

As a Clemson, SC native and a die-hard tiger fan, I couldn't resist the urge to poke a little fun at my University of South Carolina brethren (their mascot is the Gamecock). I graduated from Clemson in 1993 with a degree in English. I still think of Clemson as my home even though I have lived in Atlanta for over 6 years now. I grew up going to football games at Death Valley--tailgating with family and friends before every game. Even now, I still get a wee bit emotional when I am amongst the pageantry of Clemson Football. In spite of how morally bankrupt and insideously revenue-driven college football has become, I can't help but swell with pride when the tigers run down the hill...

ALIEN-ATING 2

Just a little sketch for the homies. This is another in the alien/monster series I've been working on. I am REALLY starting to feel the burn to get into something other than just plain illustration. For frequent visitors to ARTSMEAR, this will come as no real surprise. I go through one of these career upheavals a week these days. It's just that I don't really see myself as an animator per se--although I do see myself working with the moving image in SOME capacity. I guess a lot of it has to do with the fact that I was in Borders the other night looking around and ran across THE ART OF ROBOTS. From what I can see in the book, the forthcoming film by Blue Sky Studios looks beautiful. The book features some of my favorite artists and storytellers--among them: William Joyce, Chris Wedge (dir.) and, my man, Peter DeSeve (although his work isn't featured as promintently as others.

These "The Art of..." books have been an obsession of mine since my mom bought me THE ART OF THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. I looked at that book until the covers literally fell to pieces. They are a very special source of inspiration for me. These books--whether they are by the great people at Pixar or Blue Sky or even at ILM, are a wonderful way to get some rudimentary knowledge of how the animation/film industry works... Anyway, I think I have an idea--it just came to me. I'll get back to y'all.

FRIENDSHIP

I am always fascinated by the symbiotic relationships that exist in nature. Something about those little birds perched atop those great hulking, moving mountains... I wonder if they "greet" one another. The bird arrives and says something sort of like, "Morning! Just going to be up here picking ticks and other parasites off for a while. Just give a holler if any areas need my particular attention!" In return, they live in relative safety--unmolested by other animals. I guess it's kind of like the nerdy kid who lives under the protection of the school bully in return for letting him copy his homework. Symbiosis. What a concept!

SO SORRY...

Geez, I'm sure sorry... That last post was a real downer--in spite of the quirky Gibson caricature... I'll be back in my happy place tomorrow!

PASSION OF THE PASSION

Since the Academy Award nominations were announced last week, there has been a wee controversy surrounding the supposed "snubbing" of Mel Gibson's film, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. I feel like adding my own humble comments to the fray given that I am both an avid film-goer and a devout Christian (although, I lean WAAAAAAAY far to the left of many of my fellow Christian brothers and sisters).

First, PASSION is undeniably an important film. Whether you share Mel's religious world view or not (I, as it happens, do not), it's hard to argue otherwise. PASSION was one of the most talked about, studied, debated and argued over films in the last decade. Religous leaders were encouraging congregants to attend this film en masse even as others, including Jewish activists, denounced it as anti-Semetic and gratuitously violent. Up to and well after its theatrical release, PASSION was a hot topic of discussion and debate.

I, myself, have mixed feelings about the film. I don't know how best to view this film--through whose eyes? As an artist and someone who appreciates good film? As a Christian?

As an artist, I think that THE PASSION is a beautifully rendered, however flawed film. Technically, the film is masterful. The beautiful cinematography by Caleb Dechanel in particular stands out. Somehow, even the most brutally violent scenes in the film retain an almost sublime beauty as John Debney's haunting score wails in the background. The performances are great--and not just for the actors adeptness in delivering lines in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew. Jim Caveziel's performance, though buried under prosthetics and, in the last half of the film, enormous amounts of gore, is still appropriately nuanced. There are no Charlton Heston moments of oratory--nor are there saccharine moments of doe-eyed adoration. His performance is, in a word, human. The story however dwells far too long on the graphic and brutal. There is little attention given to Christ's work and ministry. I sometimes wondered how people who had no biblical understanding or background would feel watching this film. Without the context of Christ's works, his suffering is simply suffering. The audience is left to wonder what exactly it is we are gathered to watch. By the time the film reaches it's brutal crescendo, the viewers are rendered numb and with a burning desire that it just end already. The compassion and sadness that we as an audience are supposed to feel upon Christ's march to Calvary is strikingly absent--which is unfortunate since we have already invested over an hour and forty minutes in this journey. By film's end, I am more troubled than I am uplifted...

Which brings me to my take on the film as a Christian. The film is, to my best knowledge, a pretty faithful interpretation of the Gospels. Christ's final moments are, for everyone to see, terrible and beyond the pale of human suffering. I am a Protestant (United Methodist), a denomination which chooses to de-emphasize the gory truth of Christ's suffering and death and, instead, focus on the Resurrection and Christ's ultimate promise of everlasting life. Mel Gibson is a Catholic, in fact an adherent to a particularly devout branch of Catholocism which entirely embraces Christ's suffering as an essential component of religous observance. Personally, I believe that Christ's suffering and death are important, yes, but only within the context of his works and ministry--especially in his fight for social justice on behalf of the poor and the cast aside. I found little of that in this film. For me, to separate Jesus from his works and simply focus on his torture and death is to separate him from his divinity-- to separate him from the good news that his ultimate resurrection brings.

It's tough to be sure. I still don't know where I stand or what I think... I do know that there is no way I'll ever be able to sit through that film again...

I realize that I have not yet addressed the question as to whether or not the film deserves more attention from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. I don't know... I don't think it's up there with MILLION DOLLAR BABY or SIDEWAYS... We'll see...

GLUTTONY REDUX

Thanks everyone for all the comments about my Illustration Friday submission. Here is an old illustration that I think also illustrates gluttony. It was originally intended to be a poster for a Clemson University Theatre Production...

I received several inquiries as to the medium and techniques used to create the previous Gluttony Illustration. First, it's completely digital. I create most illustrations in Corel Painter these days--which is almost impossible to manage without a tablet and a stylus. First, I create a very tight sketch which I then copy onto a seperate layer. I ususally paint underneath the sketch layer with the sketch layer set to MULTIPLY so the everything but the blackline is transparent. Once the color block-in is complete I then go in and refine the image and blending and painting over the original sketch. Then it's just a process of tightening and blending and refining etc...

It really helps to have a rudimentary understanding of painting techniques and different media. Painter is pretty good at mimicking traditional media but it helps to use a little ingenuity in creating and setting different brushes etc... Anyway, I HIGHLY reccomend Corel Painter for illustrators. It's a LOT less messy than oils and there's no smell:).

GLUTTONY

Here is my latest submission for Illustration Friday. The topic was "gluttony" and this is what sprang to mind. It's also sort of in keeping with my latest series of drawings and sketches on aliens and monsters. I am culling my old sketchbook and refining images here and there and hoping to post some as I get them done. Anyway, y'all let me know what you think!

ALIEN-ATING

Been busy folks--but not so busy that I couldn't whip up a little alien for ya! I started this as a doodle in my sketchbook a while back while I was watching CASABLANCA on AMC. I decided to take it to full color. Let me know what you think.

I'm beginning to realize that I love creating characters--designing characters. I look in my sketchbook and amidst the sketches of our animals and other meaningless doodling are tons of characters. Still trying to figure out where to go with all of this but I'll keep you all posted!

CRAIG MULLINS

I've been pretty busy this week which is why I am posting art by another artist. Okay, SOME MAAAAAAD PROPS HERE to this guy. For those of you who don't know, Craig Mullins is a Hollywood concept artist. He also happens to be a master with Painter.

What amazes me about this guy is his almost preternatural ability to convey such drama and detail in just a few strokes.



As I stumble through life looking for inspiration wherever I can find it, it's nice to run across a genius like this.

THANKS Y'ALL!!

I just wanted to take some time and thank all of my artsmear peeps who took the time to offer their thoughtful and, as it turns out, helpful comments on my latest creative dilemma. I don't know, we'll see what happens. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I thought I'd post this long lost painting from several years ago. It was rotting in some flatfiles next to my studio. I think I sort of hated it at the time I finished it but now that it's emerged from hiding, I think I kind of like it. Y'all let me know what you think--and thanks again for the support and comments!

Cheerio

ILLUSTRATION vs. ANIMATION

Well, faithful readers, you are all going to bear witness to my grapple with this dilemma--whether I should push forward as an animator, or whether I should concentrate on honing my skills as an illustrator. Of course, the two are not mutually exclusive. However, I do find the process of teaching myself the craft of animation to be INCREDIBLY frustrating... All of this in spite of the fact that I have people like Ward and Jared to guide and mentor me... I am too impatient and I find myself too zeroed in on the drawing rather than the WHOLE process of animating (drawing, performing, thinking, planning).

I don't know, weighing the two together, there are several pros and cons. On the pro side, animation can be a new and exciting evolution for me as an artist and storyteller. I can call on my love of acting and theatre as well as bring a whole new "dimension" to drawing--that being time. It would be a process of breathing life into some of the more interesting characters I create. Illustration is finite in terms of performance and storytelling and this would be a great opportunity for me to break through into something different. Also, I feel like I was destined to work with the moving image in SOME capacity. In theory, it sounds like a no brainer...

However, then we have the con side. I draw well. Pretty well. Well enough to make a living. However I could ALWAYS be better. I sometimes find happy accidents sketching and drawing--things totally unexpected but delightful, that make the whole process worthwhile. I have yet to find this feeling (perhaps due to my impatience with the process) animating. Animation also seems to shine a glaring light on what my weaknesses are as an illustrator and I am at a loss as to how to address those things--as an illustrator would or as someone who is still "learning" how to animate. Another con is that animation is VERY time consuming and I make my living as an illustrator and graphic designer. In the time it takes for me to cobble together a horrible piece of animation, I could be kicking out much more interesting illustrations--getting better at the craft of illustrating.

Animation is a truly AMAZING art form. People like Ward and Jared and others who have the fortitude and patience to see it through truly have thr right stuff. It's almost like a religon with its ritual and the devout nature of the wonderful artists who bring these images to life. These mad monks of animation have my undying respect. They are indeed, a breed apart. Based on my understanding of the craft, I will make this analogy (with apologies to those in the medical field): Illustration is to animation as internist is to neurosurgeon. I don't know...

Back when I used to harbor the notion of becoming a professional actor, a wiser, older (and much more accomplished) actor once said to me, "If you can picture yourself being happy doing ANYTHING other than acting, then do that." He was a good deal older and had been working as an actor since he was in high school. He was single, nomadic--constantly moving from place to place. His car was held together with duct tape and he never had any money for beer. But he was the happiest person I knew at that time. He was a working actor.

I'm not sure what the lesson there is for me except that I feel like I could be happy being a better illustrator as opposed to a terrible animator... I don't know... I really need to think about it a bit.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

I was watching ATTACK OF THE CLONES with a friend's kid yesterday and I was inspired to whip up my own sith lord. Too busy to write much but I thought I'd shar this with everyone. Basically, the costume consits of a long-sleve form fitting lycra material. The headgear is just a kind of wrap worn by the bedouins in north Africa--only, it's made of leather. The face is ghost white with black tattoos around the mouth and dark shadows in the face (under the eyes, etc...). The gauntlets are wrapped leather or other material with some stray strapping coming off. They come half-way up the arm. On the shoulders, there are matte-metal armoured plates. The pans are dark grey pantaloons with typical black riding boots or black leather puttees. The lightsaber handle is curved as a foil would be and is weilded one-handed--okay, I've already spent too much time on this. I am SUCH a geek but I CAN'T HELP IT!!!!! (Sigh)...

SWAMP FOX MADNESS

This friday my documentary CHASING THE SWAMP FOX will air on South Carolina Educational Television. Check out the feature on ETV's website at www.scetv.org. This illustration is featured prominently in all the press and it's one of the illustrations I'm LEAST proud of. Anyway,...

Yesterday, my co-producer and very good friend Wavy Davey taped a radio interview for Walter Edgar's Journal. It was quite an experience for me--I've never done anything like that before. Walter Edgar is one of South Carolina's most prominent historians if not THE most prominent historian. Our interview was really just a conversation with Davey and me and after awhile I forgot that I was even taping a radio show. Apparently I was quite animated and passionate--although I was unaware until Davey told me so. After the radio show, we traveled to Orangeburg South Carolina to tape a television program for a smaall local-access show called Orangeburg Inside Out. We'll see what happens.

I'll post more stuff about my latest forays into animation later this week. I am SLAMMMMED today and will be most of the week!

GIVE ME A HAND WILLYA!

Still working on some animation at the moment but I want to continue with the posts so here is another selection from the sketchbook. Hands can be a real bitch to render believably. Whenever I am creating a figure rendering, I always try to pay particular attention to the hands and feet--mainly because hands are a big area of focus in any figure rendering. They can be as expressive as any face. The masters used hands to convey a whole spectrum of emotions. Look at the delicate way that this hand, from a painting by Da Vinci, cradles the ferret(or whatever the hell this thing is). Peep these examples--also by Da Vinci. Geez... You can see how these sketches influence my sketchbook style. Why mess with what works? Anyhoo, I have a hell of a time drawing hands. At one point, I got a small sketchbook and filled the thing--front and back, with drawings of hands. Some of them are little more than gesture drawings. Others are full on renderings. Some are better than others and some I will never show anyone because of how bad they are! Hands still give me a hard time but I do feel much more confident. Now I feature hands as much as possible...

SETCHBOOK DIARY2

Currently, I am working on some animation tests based on the characters I've mentioned in previous posts. Man is it hard work!! I am trying to teach myself to be an animator--learning by doing and from some great books by Richard Williams and Edweard Muybridge. I'll post some as soon as get something worth showing.

In the meantime, here is a page from my sketchbook that I doctored in photoshop. It started as a drapery study but sort of turned into a kind of character sketch. I sort of like it. Kind of reminds me of King Lear for some reason--or maybe some other sage-ish character from Shakespeare. Prospero? Who knows? Anyway, here 'tis. Lemme know what y'all think!

STORYTELLING 202

Continuing from yesterday's post, here is a sketch of one of the savage dinosurs that will be chasing our hero through the dark woods on his way to school. I am spending way too much time on this but I can't help it! I dig dinosaurs and any excuse to create some cool stories where evil, twisted, mutant dinosaurs chase children... Who doesn't want to see that?

I am currently storyboarding some of this stuff. Luckily, I am between freelance gigs at the moment so I have the time to fritter away on this. It's either this or fritter away hour after hour playing video games:)

STORYTELLING 101

Here are a some sketches of a new character I've been cooking up for some small animated tests. I'm not really an animator, but I am really wanting to try some different stuff and animation, it seems, is a logical evolution for me.

The big idea is that this kid, call him Jimmy, is sort of getting into all kinds of scrapes on his way home from school--out-running rampaging dinosaurs and large apes, etc.... I haven't really storyboarded much of it yet but I hope to as my schedule permits. It's sort of a homage to the old Ralph Phillips cartoons which were directed by the great Chuck Jones. It will be a great opportunity to hone my skills as a storyteller as well as to create some cool characters and stories.

I have no idea what this will lead to or if I'll even ever finish any part of it. After immersing myself in the American Revolution for the past several years, I just want to do something totally different. I just feel myself being pulled in this direction at the moment. Luckily, there are a ton of communities and resources on the web for resourceful artists and budding animators. Stay tuned!

LONG LIVE THE SWAMP FOX!!

Well, the date for the big premiere is set! After three years of researching, drawing, painting, reading, traveling, speaking with historians, filming, editing, etc... CHASING THE SWAMP FOX will finally air next Friday at seven o'clock on South Carolina Public Television. Check out their press release here:

http://www.scetv.org/corporate/pressroom/highlights/2005/jan/SwampFoxRelease.cfm

This will be the first substantive production of this type on Francis Marion (that I know of) ever. The show is an hour long and highlights Marion's partisan (or guerilla) campaign against the British during the American Revolution. He is one of the most well known, if not THE most well known historical figure in South Carolina--and yet, very little is actually known about him. Hopefully, this production will help to increase scholarship about Francis Marion and the Revolution in South Carolina.

I couldn't be more excited. Hopefully, this will lead to similar projects in 2005. We'll see. Right now, I'm just happy that this thing is finally going to air! My very good friend Wavey Davey has been a tremendous partner in this and without his hard work and advocacy at ETV this would never have come into being. Anyway, I have some cool stuff coming up in the near future--a couple of radio interviews and an appearance on a small, local access television show in Orangeburg, SC. It all sounds like a lot of fun... We'll see what happens!

SKETCH DIARY 1

I was looking at some of Muybridge's books on animals in motion yesterday and was inspired to whip up this sketch. I could look at his work for hours and hours. These images have really been invaluable to me in my illustration work. As I try to maintain a certain amount of motion and drama in my work, Muybridge has been a great source of inspiration. Frederick Remington was also very much impressed by Muybridge's work photographing horses. His paintings and sculptures depicting western vignets with horses running in mid gallop had a sense of motion and drama never before seen in illustration, and reflect a great deal of Muybridge's influence. What we as sophisticated, twenty-first century viewers now take for granted--seeing horses and people in motion and realistically rendered, must have been incredibly difficult for an artist during Remington's day to capture. In watching the special features of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING DVD last night I was amazed at how detailed the work in animating the Mumakils (giant elepants) and CG horses was.
Anyway, as I ramble on, I am amazed at how far reaching the legacy of a pioneer like Edweard Muybridge is... And, if you haven't yet, make sure you see the extended DVD of RETURN OF THE KING. It rocks.

OLDIE BUT GOODIE

The holidays are slipping away from us but I still have many miles to travel before I can find solitude in good old artwork... This is an old illustration I did for a long defunct picture book called "THE BOOK OF MOOD." It was originally supposed to be a character portfolio but, like everything else, I haven't really had time to get back to it. Perhaps after the holiday...
I hope everyone had a happy holiday!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

I hope that this holiday brings many blessings and happiness to all y'all!!! I will be "off-blog" for the next week so please, everyone, have a happy and healthy holiday!!
Peace!

THE OTHER REASON I WANT TO WORK IN ANIMATION

This sequence says it all... It's from BULLY FOR BUGS, another Chuck Jones classic. I really love the facial expressions--especially the last one. Someone really has to know the face to pull of this kind of artistry. Knowing the ways that a face can twist and distort and change with a person's mood is something that only a ton of life drawing can teach you. I find that every day I spend with the kids in my wife's preschool class, I learn more and more about expression and emotion and how these things come though in the most subtle of ways... No matter how much we may internalize something, it will be evident outwardly to anyone willing to look hard enough.

WHY I WANT TO WORK IN ANIMATION

ONE FROGGY EVENING is quite possibly the best film EVER made. This five-minute cartoon, Directed by Chuck Jones in 1957, is the reason I want to work in animation/film someday. It's storytelling in its most purest form--striped bare, streamlined. An aspiring artist/filmmaker/actor/animator could learn a lifetime of lessons in this simple story.

First, the narrative is simple but strangely familiar. There is no real subtext, no complex character arc. This down and out construction worker finds a box containing a singing frog and he naturally assumes his financial troubles are over. Over, that is, as long as he can get the frog to cooperate--which it never does (hence the humor). This is storytelling down to the barest of bones.

The characterization is also amazing in this film. The emotion and expression in one take to the camera pretty much says it all. I remember as a young actor in college how directors used to tell me to simplify simplify simplify... Acting isn't hard. It's actually very simple. Find out what the character wants, why he wants it and what he needs to do to get it. Of course, what's simple in theory isn't always simple in practice. I am known for making things more complicated than they need to be.

Pixar, to me, represents a real apex in animation and artistry in filmmaking. They take these time-honored lessons very much to heart. As much as people try and re-invent the wheel these days with all the digital doo dads, it's still storytelling that's going to pull the wagon ultimately. I remember seeing MONSTERS INC. and thinking that, in one scene, they had payed homage to another Chuck Jones cartoon FEED THE KITTY. Stick with what works man.

WAYWARD KITTY

About four years ago, our cat Theo disappeared never to be seen again. Before Theo, I was a strict "dog person" who would have little to do with cats. When Theo went missing, I was inconsolable--forever hoping that he might show back up someday.

As I was mourning the loss of our cat, I began to create this elaborate narrative about him running away to join the Taliban...

The story is this, after 9-11 Theo's dislike of the waste and spiritual corrpution of the west reached critical mass and he felt he could no longer exist in a country that continued to, as he put it, subjugate the faithful and victimize the poor in favor of a corrupt commercial empire. We had had several heated discussions on the matter. I said some things I now very much regret. Eventually we stopped speaking altogether. Consumed by wanderlust, he siply left. His litterbox and toys--the trappings of his existence as a tool of the western infidels, lay as he left them. In October of 2001, he called me from Pakistan where he was living in a madrasa with other cats--likewise cast aside. To say I was worried was a gross understatement. I wired him about 200 dollars and told him to take care. He told me that he was a faithful and loyal servant to Allah and his prophet Mohammed, what could happen to him? Oh Holy Hell, I thought.

In early 2003, I learned that Theo had been captured and was now a detainee at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Apparently, he was caught in the cave region of Tora Bora by the Northern Alliance while trying to get back into Pakistan. Now calling himself Ahmed and speaking in a thick accent, he was thought to be of Iranian descent--until his name and photo appeared on a CIA and INTERPOL registry as "flagged." He was detained in Cuba for 10 months and thoroughly questioned by the CIA. The State Department finally released him on the grounds that he was, well, a cat and no significant threat to national security. At his request, I sent him another 500 dollars via Western Union. We spoke on the phone for 5 minutes. He thanked me for the money but said that he could not return to Atlanta. He said that he has to find a new life for himself in a new city. I was dissapointed but, frankly, relieved since we had no gotten a new cat, Frodo. She isn't very supportive of our relationship with Theo. She thinks that by sending him money we are enabling him. Of course, I think that she's just jealous.

About a month ago, I got a surprise call from Theo--who now wishes to be called Carlo (he just remembers a happier time in his life when he was called Carlo). He is doing quite well and living in San Clemente. He is working at a local Starbucks and living at the beach in a large house with his new friend Drew. Drew is an independently wealthy and morbidly obese tabby with three legs and a pronounced lisp. Theo--I mean, Carlo is now a Bhuddist and a vegetarian who sells driftwood mobiles on the weekends for extra cash. They seem happy and I certainly wish them well. I had hoped that Carlo and Drew could come for a visit this holiday but I think it's a little soon. In the meantime, we communicate via email and the odd (and I do mean ODD) phone call here and there.

Anyway, that's the long and sad tale of our wayward cat Theo. Above is a drawing of theo as I envision him... I do hope he is well and having a happy X-mas with Drew.

YOU'RE TOO KIND...

This is an especially unkind sketch of a woman who was overheard making several idiotic comments at the artists' market this past weekend. I had never tried to sell anything at a group market type setting like this so I was a little apprehensive about the whole experience to begin with. What I was totally unprepared for were some of the comments that were being made by some of the people browsing at the market. This woman was by far the worst. By the look of her, she was in her late forties--but desperate to look twenty-two. If that weren't sad enough, she was dressed in this outfit that would have looked strange on a transvestite. Her make-up was ghoulish as was her hair which had been teased and dyed and God-knows-what-else so that it had the appearance of having been glued in clumps to her skull. In addition, she had her large-ish feet stuffed into tall leather boots with five-inch heels. This made her walk like a stroke victim or someone with palsy of the lower extremities. She and her toadies loped from booth to booth while she dissed everything in site. She was pretty kind to me actually. While looking at my work, she managed a lipstick-smeared sneer--which was far better than she gave anyone else. As she left, and without ever once looking me in the face, she hissed through her collagen plumped lips this one, solitary word: "Cute."

The market was fun although I only sold two small pieces. The promotional cards I had with me, however, were quickly snatched up. I also had a couple of inquiries about commissions--one about a caricature of the family dog. The kids were the ones that really responded to my work, which was really the best compliment I could have recieved.

DISJOINTED SELF

This sort of illustrates the way I am feeling today... Sort of dislocated and out of sorts... I guess it's this crappy weather.

I am, however, excited about drawing again. I am thinking of all kinds of projects that I want to take on right now. It's just hard to know where to start. Oh well...

DINO PAINTING

This was one of the first pieces I did in Corel Painter, which is the one piece of software I just cannot live without. It doesn't replace the joys of painting on canvas--mixing paints and working over a large surface. Rather, it is a very efficient tool when creating illustrations quickly and without the mess. It does however help to have at least a rudimentary knowlege of the painting process. Setting up brushes in Painter takes some work and is really a necessary, however tedious, step.

I am fond of this image for several reasons, most especially because I am proud of the drawing. At the time, I really had dinosaurs on the brain and had been sketching and drawing these big T-Rex typ dinos when this guy sort of popped out. He is one of the velociraptor-esque dinosaurs--the kind with the sickle claw on the feet. He just looks like he could hop right off the screen.

LAUGHING ALL THE WAY...

Here is a sketch of what I would like our Christmas card to be this year. It will, of course, be stricken by my wife. I'll probably just go ahead and do the regular caricature of the pets in a holiday setting--which is totally fine. My sense of humor is totally in the gutter, especially when it comes to hallowed holiday traditions. Something about Santa heeding the call of nature while delivering toys... I mean, it COULD happen. He's out all night, eating all of that rich holiday food. He obviously struggles with his weight--which is also an issue. You can't tell me that he doesn't make fast use of the facilities while he's at your house. My suggestion, forget the cookies. Make sure the bathroom is nice and clean for Santa on Christmas night.

I don't know... I might just send this card to people I know will appreciate my silly sense of humor.

HOW DO IT KNOW??

Looking at the wonderful work of Peter De'Seve, I often ask myself this very question. It's a question that an old family friend of mine used to ask whenever he was mpressed beyond his ability to verbalize... How do it know??

I can look at one of his pieces for an hour--trying to reverse-engineer it. What kind of paper does he use? What kind of pen? I have really decided however that it must come down to the drawing. His draftsmanship is deadly. If his work has anything to tell me as an aspiring illustrator, it's that you can never draw enough. A firm foundation in drawing, life drawing, sketching, gesture drawing, observing, looking... Filling up page after page of meaningless doodles and sketches. If I have any regrets about my schooling in college, it's that I didn't spend enough time drawing from life. Another drawing master that I have long admired is Henrich Kley.

I often see shades of his work in old Disney films. It is said that some of the characters from FANTASIA were based on some of his drawings. His work really inspired me to push myself harder in my drawing. As I continue to get better, I think how far I really have to go--how much more there is to learn. It's REALLY exctiting and I look forward to new challenges. Eventually, I hope that my work will evolve into something else--another discipline. I don't know. I am just wicked happy to be able to do this for a living.

Selling Artwork

Here is an example of one of the large canvases I am selling at the upcoming neighborhood artist's market. I am also selling a ton of smaller paintings. Who knows how they'll sell? I've never tried to sell anything like this before so we'll see what happens.

As I look at this painting again, I am reminded by how many different artists influence me and my work. As a largely self-taught artist, I am always looking for new artists to copy from :). Herer are a few of my immediate influences.

This is Peter De'Seve and he is THE MAN. His artwork has been seen EVERYWHERE--The New Yorker, Newsweek, Dewar's Ads. He is one of the best draftsmen I've ever seen. He makes it look so easy--but, be warned, his style is impossible to mimic. A virtuoso with watercolor and ink, his work almost jumps from the page. It's no surprise that he is one of the most sought-after illustrators in the animation industry.

Mort Drucker is one of the great living caricaturists. His work has been featured mostly in MAD MAGAZINE. I remember as a kid, lying on my stomach in my bedroom looking at old MAD MAGAZINES from the 70's--back when it was a great showcase for art and satire. My favorite piece of his was a satire of THE GODFATHER where he managed to recreate scenes exactly from the movie. To this day, whenever I see THE GODFATHER, I relate every scene back to that issue of MAD. Drucker and the rest of the cadre at MAD (Jack Davis, Harry North, Bob Clarke, Sergio Aragones, Al Jaffee) are probably the biggest influences on me.

J. C. Leyendecker is a favorite of mine from the "Golden Age of Illustration." He is most famous for his Saturday Evening Post covers. As I become a better painter and draftsman, I find myself looking again and again at his work for inspiration. His distinctive style of loose strokes over an extremely tight drawing and underpainting gives the appearance of the illustration looking almost unfinished. I much prefer his work to Rockwell for this reason.

I just LOOOOOVE Ralph Steadman's work. Not really an influence on me per se. I just dig his style. Again, very recognizable.

Oh, and I can't forget my mom... Probably the BIGGEST influence--next to the guys at MAD.

As I look at these images, I see again and again that, as my personal style continues to evolve, so does the bevy of artists who are a direct influence on me and my work.