Continuing on the mission to make 2012 mine, I completed a second ink today (don’t miss the first one, here). It was a challenge, in more ways than one, but I think it turned out well. The ink is of a Lampade, from Greek mythology. Lampades were companions of the goddess Hecate, and were nymphs of the underworld. They held torches, the light of which could turn someone mad. I took a little liberty with Read more…
The end of the year didn’t go anywhere nearly as well as I thought, art-wise. Of course, the whole year was… yeah. But this is a new year, and I have a lot of catching up to do. Though I’ve been working on art behind the scenes, here’s the first posted one of the new year. I have a few to catch up on for Alphabeasts, and this is the start of the process. I Read more…
I’m gradually starting to get caught back up, after a disastrous few months. I decided that I didn’t want to end 2011 with nothing completed, so I manged to kick out two pieces of art in the last couple of days. The first was the skatedeck art, The All-Mighty Dollar (see it here), and below is the second one. This one doesn’t quite catch me up to the current Alphabeasts letter (it’s about to be Read more…
For awhile now, I’ve been interested in trying new materials to work with, something other than canvas or paper. A few artists that I know paint on wooden skateboard decks, and I thought that would be something very interesting to try. My friend at the local Rendition Gallery (go check it out folks) ordered a few skatedecks for the upcoming show at the gallery, so I picked one up from him to get started. It’s Read more…
I’ve been busy for some time now, and I haven’t been able to post the newest ebook cover that I created a couple of months back. I thought it was time to show it off, so here it is. For those that follow this blog (both of you), a few months back I was in the middle of creating a very nice, calm seascape (see it here). I joked on the social networks that, while Read more…
This is my latest ink for the Alphabeasts project, and hopefully the last one I need to catch up on. I started with “C” (here), coming in a little late, so this one catches me up to the current letter. An algul is a mythical/legendary vampire woman, in Arabian mythology, and I thought it would make an interesting ink work. I’m having fun playing with harsh light on these inks, and this one is no Read more…
For my Alphabeasts entry this week, being still in an “experimental” mood after that last painting (here), I went with a different effect than I normally have. Usually, I have quite a lot of crosshatch marks on my inks. I decided this time to try something with far less lines, but with just as much planning and reliance on the contrast in the image. It wasn’t easy, but I think it worked out fine. One Read more…
Being an artist, to me anyway, involves taking chances. Though I value consistency, there’s something to be said for experimentation. Experimenting with techniques and styles gives me a chance to explore areas I haven’t tried before, and really challenge the concepts of art. Not just in how I make things look, but the difference in procedures as well. To tread on unfamiliar ground, and attempt to survive it, is how I grow as an artist Read more…
For this week’s Alphabeasts entry, I decided to stick with Valve’s games, albeit a slightly older one. From the Half Life series, there are these little creatures called “headcrabs”, which I thought would be fun. Headcrabs like to throw themselves at you, and can be pretty annoying. With the trusty crowbar they aren’t too hard to beat (BA DUM CHEE!), but when they attach themselves to a victim they make the person a zombie. Those Read more…
For many years, coming from both illustration and graphic design, I’ve heard different discussions about what people charge to do their work. Sometimes it even sounds like a big, secret mystery, as if you aren’t supposed to talk about it in front of anyone. Which, as all of you who are consumers would be quick to see, makes it difficult to know what it costs to do the business that you need to. From the Read more…
Every so often, I get some idea rolling through my head that I just have to investigate. On this site of mine you’ll find experiments as dark as The Lost Nightmare, as wacky as zombie muppets, and many others that I just thought would be fun. After a discussion online earlier today with artist Chris Zenga, one of those things clicked into my head. I stopped my cover editing and ebook creating to give it Read more…
Here’s my new entry for Alphabeasts, G is for Gremlin. It’s one of those films I grew up with, and now my own children have seen it and are growing up with it. In fact, it’s on my daughter’s suggestion that I’ve created this ink art, of the vicious Stripe. She, of course, didn’t want just a cute mogwai. Here it is, it’s ink on 140 lb. Cold Press (5″ x 7″). As always, let Read more…
I missed the opening couple of rounds of Alphabeasts this time, so I’m gradually catching up with “A” and “B”. Today, I managed to get “B” out of the way, with an ink I’ve wanted to do for some time. One of the films that has always inspired me (from a twisted direction at least) is the 80’s remake of The Fly, directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jeff Goldblum as the unfortunate scientist. I Read more…
Once again, I’ve created a new ink for the Alphabeasts project (alphabeasts.tumblr.com). This time, I had a bit of a quandary, since there are a few creatures that start with “F” that I thought might be interesting. Of course, there’s the faun from El laberinto del fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth). But I have an interesting ink in mind to show both the faun and Ofelia, and I didn’t think it would work for this project. The Read more…
A few months ago, a former graphic design client of mine asked me to do a traditional painting for her, something she could give away as a present. She had been on a long trip to the Mediterranean, and wanted to repay her hosts with something more than just a “thank you” card. I thought it would be a good challenge, and something that I might learn a lot from, so I said yes. This Read more…
I’m having fun with the Alphabeasts project (visit http://alphabeasts.tumblr.com/ for more info), it’s making me really think about what I want to do for it. The creatures are all different as well, so it’s a good challenge to come up with different textures and ideas. On top of that, getting away from working with photos, while a good project on its own, has been good for my confidence. This week’s creature is an Eloko, from the Mongo-Nkundo language. Read more…
My second entry into the great Alphabeasts project (visit http://alphabeasts.tumblr.com/ for more info) is based on the race of beings called “The Deep Ones”, from H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. I’m getting more comfortable working on inks without photo reference, and this one didn’t have any at all (other than a quick google search for “frog eyes”. Make sure you visit the Alphabeasts site too, and see all the other great entries. Here’s mine for this week, D Read more…
A great new collaborative project is online, called “Alphabeasts”. The idea is that artists each week have a letter, and they must create a piece of art of a fictional creature starting with that letter. I’ve been looking for a nice, regular sketch sort of thing to do each week, and I think this will be a great challenge. First up, since I missed “A” and “B” (I’ll go back), here is my “C” entry: Read more…
My children tell me that they love that I’m an artist, and that I have a vast knowledge of how to pull things off for Halloween. Now, of course, they just tell me that so I’ll let them stay up late to watch movies. But I have to admit, I think that their excitement with Halloween, and their interest in doing really cool costumes, is great. If my knowledge of art and technique helps them, Read more…
My good friend Patrick Douglas has a new book coming soon, and I created a new art piece for him to use as a signature sheet. The book itself is great, and tells the story of an outcast girl who has stumbled into a lost tribe in a cave system. Signature sheets, at their base level, just need to have a space for authors to sign, place notes, or even have numbering. Otherwise, they are Read more…