Getting Sketchy

For the first time I tried out life drawing digitally. I think it's great! You can expand the canvas while you draw and it's a little more approachable to do value study drawings, which require a little more set-up if you want to work with oil paints, for example. However, it's a little harder to be deliberate with line--I think I end up with sketchier drawings. Then again, it has been a while since I've done quick sketches, so I could just be rusty. The line drawings are from 5-minute poses and the value drawings are from 20-minute poses.

This second sketch is a landscape study I did to get some practice in for my next illustration, which is landscape-based. I made a second one that I managed not to save, unfortunately. At least I got the practice in!

Exciting Happenings

Several great things are happening! I have a new shop on INPRNT where you can now purchase my work. I ordered some test prints and can vouch for their excellent quality.

Also, I have a framed print of my "Monocle Mantis" that you can find at the Port City Review gallery show that runs from January 26 to February 6 at SCAD's Alexander Hall gallery. A reception will take place on January 30 at 6:30pm.

If you can't get enough prints, then I have some signed prints you can find at an upcoming print show called "Transitions". It will be in Savannah, GA at Whit's End Gallery on Friday, February 7th 6:00pm. You can find out more about the event on the Facebook page. 

Swamp Bird WIP

What happens when you cross an egret with a carnivorous plant? You probably get something like this...

I'm creating this creature design for Outcast Odyssey's "Card Master Challenge". The creature came together relatively quickly with the help of a maquette that I made. However, the background is going to be a challenge. The similarity of greens in the creature and the background help it blend a little too well with his environment, which is great camouflage, but not very good for that immediate visual punch you need in card art.

I made the maquette from wire, foil, and tape, which means he's fully poseable. A quarter serves as a counter-balance to support his spindly legs.

Silhouette Thumbnails: Symphonie Fantastique

I just read a bit of Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers and decided that I should try out tonal thumbnails instead of doing my typical linear thumbnails. What's so great about these is that they are more readable at a smaller size than line drawings. They also seem faster as well--I'm less self-conscious with creating clean silhouette blobs than keeping lines in check, which for me can accumulate into a cobweb of nonsense. This set of thumbnails is for the first piece in my M.A. Final project series, which will include poster artwork to advertise several different performing venues and genres. In this case, we have a "classical" concert featuring programmatic works. Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz is the highlight of the concert and will be the focus of the poster illustration.