12.15.2012

Photoshop WIP




has been taking some time, and I realize the posts have been few and far between, so here is some current progress that I am excited to reveal. A new cd cover in progress, and my first go at an entire digital piece in years. I studied up and got the rust out with some Photoshop studies and experiments that I will show in a later post. These helped me to re-familiarize myself with the process of layering and "painting" in Photoshop, and to give me a fresh look at some of the techniques and effects that I wanted to show in the final piece.
This is a detail section of the final cover, and an area that is receiving more light than some of the areas of the piece. I have also included a color experiment of cool greens, to see how the contrast is working on the spacecraft. Thanks for taking the time to stop through, and I have more coming soon, keep the dial tuned.

11.26.2012

22nd Annual Holiday Miniatures Show




at Abend Gallery, opening reception is December 7th, from 5-9pm. Here is the exhibition flyer featuring one of the paintings I will have on display. Every year Abend puts on this holiday show and it brings in so many new artists, established artists, and many times national painters that we otherwise wouldn't see their originals, except online. So to say the least it is a showcase of a wide variety, and so many great painters who can capture their vision in a condensed format, often times all artworks are no larger than 8 x 10. I have a handful of paintings that are new works from this past year, and many are some of my favorite studio works in miniature, including the "Capital Protector" seen on the flyer, which began as a plein air work during DPAAF 2012, and was competed in studio. I hope to see friends, family and collectors at the show, and I may be doing some demos during the month of the show, more information on that in later posts. Thanks for stopping in, look for more posts this week.

                                           Abend Gallery Holiday Miniatures Preview

11.22.2012

DPAAF 2012 Juried Competition






was a great showcase of both new and established Plein air painters. Best in Show and 1st Place was awarded to Jim Beckner for the second year in a row, and his work speaks volumes towards this award.
I was honored to have 5 paintings accepted, and even more psyched to be awarded an honorable mention for "Shapes and Shadows", the first painting I completed for the competition.
I was a little disappointed that I was not able to get out and paint more works, and larger works. It is always gratifying to know that the more painting on location I indulge in, the better my speed, accuracy, and value organization becomes.
These three attributes are only a mere step towards being a better painter, but I hope to push myself, and my ability to be comfortable out of the studio, and working from observation.
Other award winners and the entire exhibition can be viewed by visiting the GTMD.org website. Above are my framed submissions, and my fourth year in a row, (shameless self promo) award winning painting. Framing done by the wonderful folks at Abend Gallery, thanks!
A warm thank you and appreciation to everyone who follows the blog, promotes the work, and takes the time to stop through and see the information in this blog. On this day of thanks I have to extend my gratification to you all, and those who support and (share...hint hint) artists and their careers.
I have new information and platforms that I will be using for promo, process and the like, look for info on tumblr, and Instagram feeds soon. I will still post on this blog but am aiming to split up process steps, and final works in a more meaningful online direction.
Have a happy thanksgiving from me to you!

11.07.2012

Subterranean Tunnel Mural









Collabo w Scot Lefavor is complete. The final work is a combination of spraypaint, paint marker, and acrylic. The inclusion of all the tunnel occupants adds a nice final touch and seams the soft realism together. The clean outlines add and enhance the feeling of light streaming through the tunnels. Spot color also helps focus the attention on the activities of the creatures and their surroundings . Many of the prop items were added at later stages to create a small amount of dialogue and add some fun touches to tunnels that were somewhat barren. The panoramic shots are taken with DMD Panorama an IPhone app that allows me to take a seamless picture of the entire piece given the constraints of the mural area . The overall finish and feel is more children's book,classic illustration style. The mural was created in this manner because the client has a kids playroom directly in front of the painting on the interior of the house, giving a creative glimpse into the subterranean world of worms, gophers, field mice, rabbits for her children. Thanks for stopping in to view the completed mural, more posts soon.

11.02.2012

Denver Plein Air 2012 Exhibition

opening reception is November 13th, from 5-9pm at the Denver Public Library. 10 West 14th Avenue Parkway, Level 7. With the inclusion of the Colorado Mountain Parks, and the Youth category this exhibition is sure to be larger, better, and a more extensive display of outdoor works from numerous artists. I am excited to see the competition winners, and all of the other works, in which I had 5 pieces chosen for inclusion. Special thanks to GTMD, Abend Gallery, and everyone involved with DPAAF 2012, always a pleasure to get out of the studio. Hope to see you at the show, and thanks for stopping by. More posts soon. 

10.27.2012

Afro Predator Skateboard Final


for the 303/Indy Ink Artist Edition skateboards, and one of my favorite projects for the year. Set for release in November, I want to let the work stand for itself on this one and I will talk about the concept in a later post. One of my favorite characters now on a skatedeck, score! Thanks to Dan Castillo on the digital help, and thanks to everyone for stopping in to view the work. Click the link above to check the 303/CLFX site.

"Afro Predator" Ink/Digital  

10.23.2012

Air Cavalry Process




includes a GIF of the oil painting process from sketch to opaque layers. This piece was in process during the OTMAM show at Leon and I had intentions of displaying it earlier but I got caught up with other projects. This piece was inspired by past color studies and some plein air studies on location, which I previewed in earlier posts. I may also be watching Apocalypse Now a little too much as the "Air Cavalry" concept came to me during the drawing stages, in which I had the character and creature more grounded. I worked up a small maquette for the creature and you can see a small preview of that in the final photo. This always help to keep lighting accurate and more importantly to think about the form and structure of the imagined creature. I will be adding some more glaze layers to this work before it is finalized, and I hope to post that soon. A shout out to Dan Castillo for showing me help with GIF files, and I hope to do some more of these for process purposes. Thanks for taking the time to stop in, more info in later posts. 

10.16.2012

8Bit Hellboy Final


for the 2nd installment of the 8Bit art show hosted by OptWon and the 1up at Family Affair Denver. First and foremost I have to thank KarmaLeigh for the help with this piece, for the process photos, and for helping push through on a late night deadline in which I wasn't sure I would make it. With that said, I am really happy with the finish on this piece and on the NES unit, there are some blowout mistakes on the NES console, but the main painting made up for that. The additional photos are mobile collages with some process, some working shots of the studio in paintmode, and the final piece as it was displayed at Family Affair. Prints are available for this piece, and the full display is for sale. I fall more in love with this technique and the process the more of them I complete, so look for more 8Bit fun in the near future. 

"8Bit Red" Spraypaint on routed Aluminum 

10.09.2012

8Bit Hellboy WIP



and a sneak preview for the upcoming show on Saturday. Look for more on the final painting and setup as the week comes to a close and the 2nd 8Bit show gets underway this Saturday. The process is pencil worked over the silhouette shape, then honing down details, next is the color study layered on top using colored pencil. Haven't done this step in the last three paintings and I think it will help in the final. I don't care what anybody says, having a lot of fun with an 8bit Hellboy homage. Real hyped to get some spraypaint layers on here. Thanks for stopping in to view the progress. 

10.07.2012

Posse Saloon Signage



was the final touch to yesterday's Indy Ink Posse final, including the matching 3 Color separation. I have been working on ways to enhance the depth and overall effect of my apparel graphics and with the help of our in house magician Dan Castillo, I think we are getting great results. I completed the separation on this piece myself, and only with Dan's tutelage would I have been able to do so. The saloon sign with some style was a necessity for my vision of a Wild West graphic, and I am hyped to see the final product. Always a pleasure to work with Indy Ink and an honor to see your artwork go to print, look for more posts soon. Thanks and salutations for stopping by. 

Indy Ink Posse




final graphic and color separation is complete. I have included the sample sheets, final ink on vellum, and palette studies to see how the color variations will play out. There is a second section to this graphic that I will share in a future post. Overall really pleased with the finish on this ink illustration and digital coloring. Also, the Afro Predator skateboard is complete and I will preview that soon, have to keep you waiting on that one. I  had to post this final first because it is another nice echo to the Afro Predator shirt for Indy, and as I said in previous posts, get on the horn and call Indy and 303 for pre-order information as we quickly approach the winter seasons. Very pleased to share this with you and can't wait to see it in print. Thanks for stopping in and I promise I won't have such a lapse on posts this coming week. 

9.28.2012

Afro Predator Final

Ink w digital color is ready for print and completes the first portion of this graphic for 303/Indy ink set for release in November. The final separation for this Tshirt graphic was done by my man Dan Castillo, thanks again for the hardwork. Excited to see this go to print and to unveil the final skateboard graphic. Look for more info and a full process post soon, thanks for taking time to view the work. Contact either Indy Ink or 303 for pre-order information. Thanks for stopping in! Have a great weekend.


Ink and Digital process

W.I.P.'s on the light table and the beginning of the digital coloring of the ink illustration for an upcoming project I am very excited for. Look for the finish on this in the next few posts and information for pre-order links and event information. I have since added the final touches on this character and am finalizing the full image, which I am psyched to share with you, stay tuned.
Thanks for viewing the process.

9.23.2012

Blown covers Autumn submissions

Was this past months Blown Covers theme, and a fun one with all the color and change of season aspects that go along with this theme. I focused on a few concepts that came to mind initially, diving into piles of leaves, and the last two political leaves on the tree, our presidential candidates for this November! The latter idea I worked up to a final watercolor painting you can see above, in addition you can see the first sketch below that. My submissions weren't considered for the runners-up or the winners, but per the usual a great learning experience and challenge to take on the themes amongst the ever growing talent of the Blown Covers artist stable. Look for next months theme of Halloween to be one of the best , I know I am excited for the concepts.

Final watercolor is on Rives, 4" x 5"

Autumn Blown Covers Link
http://blowncovers.com/post/29628612065/this-months-contest-theme-autumn

9.22.2012

Plein Air 2012 Final Paintings






have been photographed and sent to the judges. We will see what comes of this year's submissions, and overall I am pleased with the works, a more extensive and full color display is something I think these works contain. Look for more and to see which pieces if any make the cut, and with most likely the largest turnout it looks to be a great final show at the Denver Public Library in November. Stay tuned, and thanks for dropping by.