Just a little taste. Can't give away the surprise...
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
General Process
I finished a new Improvised Weapons piece earlier this week, this time on commission. I've done enough of them now that it's a pretty set process for me, and I thought I'd document it.
I have little rules that I follow to keep the series consistent. For one, the kids always have helmets on, and I try to get some variety in what kind of helmets they're wearing. So the first thing I usually do is pick out the helmets, then the objects they're holding. There are rules about the objects, too. First, they can't be weapons. They have to have some other purpose. Second, I prefer that it be something with a handle, something that is meant to be held, to be used for something.
So for this drawing I picked out a SWAT-style helmet and a rake vs. a hard hat with a tennis racquet and dustbuster.
First I block out the general position of the two kids on a piece of scratch paper, which you see at the top of the drafting table. This saves me a lot of back and forth on the watercolor paper, getting the positions right. Sometimes I change my mind between the scratch paper and the final; in this case, I originally had the dustbuster extended in the left hand, and I swapped it for the tennis racquet in the final. On the watercolor paper, I start very rough in pencil to get the general blocking down, then I go around the drawing and get the details penciled, though it usually stays pretty rough until I ink it.
In this case, I'm inking with a micron 03 pen. You can see that a lot of the pencil lines are still rough. Once the piece is inked, I erase my pencil lines and color the kids with watercolors:
And that's it. Here's the finished piece:
I have little rules that I follow to keep the series consistent. For one, the kids always have helmets on, and I try to get some variety in what kind of helmets they're wearing. So the first thing I usually do is pick out the helmets, then the objects they're holding. There are rules about the objects, too. First, they can't be weapons. They have to have some other purpose. Second, I prefer that it be something with a handle, something that is meant to be held, to be used for something.
So for this drawing I picked out a SWAT-style helmet and a rake vs. a hard hat with a tennis racquet and dustbuster.
First I block out the general position of the two kids on a piece of scratch paper, which you see at the top of the drafting table. This saves me a lot of back and forth on the watercolor paper, getting the positions right. Sometimes I change my mind between the scratch paper and the final; in this case, I originally had the dustbuster extended in the left hand, and I swapped it for the tennis racquet in the final. On the watercolor paper, I start very rough in pencil to get the general blocking down, then I go around the drawing and get the details penciled, though it usually stays pretty rough until I ink it.
In this case, I'm inking with a micron 03 pen. You can see that a lot of the pencil lines are still rough. Once the piece is inked, I erase my pencil lines and color the kids with watercolors:
And that's it. Here's the finished piece:
Friday, August 28, 2009
September: Gimme Coffee
Dan Bones and I are going to have some work on the walls at Gimme Coffee at 495 Lorimer in Brooklyn, NY for the month of September. Here's a little sample:
Go check it out but for God's sake please don't get any coffee on the art.
Go check it out but for God's sake please don't get any coffee on the art.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Dr. Ph. Martin's
Becca Solow gave me a set of Ph. Martin's concentrated watercolors last time I saw her, and I've been playing with them some. They're vibrant. I like what I get out of 'em. Still feels a little unfamiliar, but I'm getting used to making bolder choices.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Haliku
So this is where it went.
Also, if you're looking for a soundtrack to this image, I recommend The Mofos.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Haliku pencil
did this sketch on bristol at dinner tonight.
This guy's origin was a drawing I did for my brother Aidan. I think there's more to him than that drawing, so I'm seeing where it goes.
Sometimes you draw something that ends up sticking with you; this is one of those. I always liked the muse take on creativity, the idea that inspiration comes not from within one's self, but from somewhere else, somewhere hidden but for those rare moments when a spark gets through and ends up on paper. This is one of those cases where I feel like there is an idea somewhere telling me to give it a face and a name. So I try to pay attention.
This guy's origin was a drawing I did for my brother Aidan. I think there's more to him than that drawing, so I'm seeing where it goes.
Sometimes you draw something that ends up sticking with you; this is one of those. I always liked the muse take on creativity, the idea that inspiration comes not from within one's self, but from somewhere else, somewhere hidden but for those rare moments when a spark gets through and ends up on paper. This is one of those cases where I feel like there is an idea somewhere telling me to give it a face and a name. So I try to pay attention.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Orcus/Submit to Satan
My friend Thom asked me to contribute to his heavy-metal-themed art zine Submit to Satan. This is what I made for him: The head on the monster is an orca skull (a.k.a. killer whale), and they're named after Orcus, underworld god of unpaid debts, or something. There's also a metal band named Orcus it turns out, but I listened to some samples on iTunes and didn't really like it.
Anyway, here it is.
Anyway, here it is.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Bike Blog NYC logo
I did a logo for Michael Green of Bike Blog NYC:
It's also a great case study of my process. Michael came to me with a very clear idea of what he wanted: handlebars and stem, fists clenching the grips, visible knuckle tattoos in classic tattoo lettering, with "NYC" on the head tube. With this information, I gave him a few variations from which to mix & match his ideal:
The feedback he gave me was very specific (which I always appreciate) as to which elements he liked and wanted to see in the final product. With some faith that he'd be able to envision the final result from a sketch, I sent him the pencil rough of the final logo:
He loved it, so I went ahead with the ink, and there you have it. The final result, with some minor tweaking in Photoshop, is what you see above.
And that's how I do it.
It's also a great case study of my process. Michael came to me with a very clear idea of what he wanted: handlebars and stem, fists clenching the grips, visible knuckle tattoos in classic tattoo lettering, with "NYC" on the head tube. With this information, I gave him a few variations from which to mix & match his ideal:
The feedback he gave me was very specific (which I always appreciate) as to which elements he liked and wanted to see in the final product. With some faith that he'd be able to envision the final result from a sketch, I sent him the pencil rough of the final logo:
He loved it, so I went ahead with the ink, and there you have it. The final result, with some minor tweaking in Photoshop, is what you see above.
And that's how I do it.
Badge Design for Dead River Company
My buddy Lindsey is in Brooklyn's Dead River Company and asked me to design a badge for the band. Here it is:
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
CHE LA ink
I've been working with Jim Mahfood, David Brodell-Lake, and Ray Ting on a new project called CHE LA. Not gonna say much more than that for now, but here's a preview:
More as it develops.
More as it develops.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
For a Film
Illustration for a screenplay pitch - client wanted Nigerian militants with future weapons.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tracklocross Flyer
Made this quickie for Mattio and Drew's race this year. The content was inspired by Luke Stile's photos of the first race in 2008, which I helped plan.
When I have time, I'm going to color it. I'm thinking brown mud, gray cyclist. Keep it simple.
When I have time, I'm going to color it. I'm thinking brown mud, gray cyclist. Keep it simple.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
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