Sketchy sketch sketch

new sketches for future projects. San Diego, spanish for a whales ....... return of Burgundy should be good....lacking sleep so I'm turning in, thanks for taking a trip to view the work. 

Glee Gun Watercolor

is a piece that was a rough during the last blown covers submissions, that I just had to move to final and paint. When you see the palette while working the line drawing I feel there is something there to be explored, and so here is a great process and final for you. Take it as you will, it is a small watercolor cartoon that tells a story that we are hearing often. Thanks for taking a stop in and please share and re-post on your social media, this one deserves some attention I think. More tomorrow.

"O Glee Gun" Watercolor on BFK Rives 5.25" x 5.25"

Scorpion Posse Watercolor

is yet another small painting that I used a rough line drawing to work from. I did not transfer the drawing using the lighttable as I have with many of these on Rives paper because it is thin enough to work your drawing from underneath. I utilized a new rubbing transfer that I have been using and the image was ghostly at best on the watercolor paper. You can see this in the first few steps, the face, hands, and pistols are almost non-existent in the transfer. This made for more of a challenge in the painting, but also allowed for more exploration of the forms and the lighting. I had a lot of fun pushing and pulling the form in the final stages of the portrait, you can see how much fun in the detail shots. Look for many more watercolors and client work in the next few posts. Thanks for stopping in on this Memorial Day.

"Scorpion Posse Gun" Watercolor on BFK Rives 4" x 6.25"

Blown Covers The Gays Submissions

was this past weeks Blown Covers submissions. With both political and social agendas focusing on the right of same-sex couples to get married, this topic was full of great visual candy. Not to mention this month marking the first Marvel comic cover to have a same-sex marriage as the showcase, this theme is one new to our society, but distinctly the right thing, if two people who care for one another want to annoy each other for that long, more power to them. I had so much fun working both political, and individual plays on the theme. The military Obama idea I did not flesh out, but I do have another version that I will talk about soon, stay tuned.  Visit the blog to see the winners and runner-ups, more tomorrow. 

The Gays Winner & Runner-ups

72 Cartoons about Gay Marriage

Caterpillar Creates Watercolor

is another small piece that was destined for some washes. Here is the painting with initial washes and the final. I have a few more in the works so stay tuned on my watercolor adventures. Short and sweet thanks for stopping through. 

"Caterpillar Creates" Watercolor on BFK Rives 4" x 6.25"

"New Kicks" Clean up

was a refurbish, revamp, revitalize varnish for an oil painting that was a gift for my brother. This piece is from 2007, I could be wrong on that, but it needed a facelift, so I took it out of the frame, put a new coat of clear on it, and re-secured it. Here are some detail shots of the work and looking quite nice back in the frame with a shoeshine on it. Thanks for viewing more posts tomorrow.

"New Kicks" oil on board, 2007, 9" x 12"

Railhead Watercolor

is another small concept piece. I have been posting a few of these paintings because I enjoy watercolor so much but I am not very good at watercolor. While working through this different subjects I have been touching up on my skillset and I think that I am starting to get the hang of it again. I am sure that my working technique is most likely backward in some way, but for now I think the results are coming along. I recorded some process on this work that you can see in the shots below the final. One final is the scan and the other is a photograph to see the washes better. Look for another post today and thanks for stopping in. 

"Railheads Southwest" 2.5 x 6.25 Watercolor on BFK Rives 

Caterpillar Falls Watercolor

is a small concept piece in progress. You may recognize this image from The Childrens Hospital "Many Hands Create" collaborative murals w children that I participated in during 2011. This was one of the concepts that wasn't accepted as a mural proposal. However, this one was so much fun to create I had to put some real layers of paint on them. I have also placed the digital concept from the TCH mural program so you can see where the concept stemmed from. Look for this finish on this soon. Thanks for stopping in. 

TCH Mural Concepts

Blown Covers Graduation Submissions

was the ongoing Blown Covers theme for last week. Here are my submissions and links to the blog and winning submissions. I had a lot of fun working through these ideas and drawings and really enjoyed my main submission the "Trapdoor Tassel". A few ideas I played were better worked by others, you can see the detail shots of these particular scenes, a zoomed angle and minimal elements would have helped these concepts.

I think that many of us who were graduates may see the field a bit differently these days, as far as I'm concerned it seems like you can get as valuable an education through great research of workshop, artists, and those organizations and schools that have these showcase events. With the amount that can be spent on a college education versus specialized workshops and demos it almost isn't a question anymore for artists whether college is a good choice.

I loved my education, but also see the value in specialized workshops for lower cost. My submissions centered more on the pitfalls of graduation, although I do feel it is valuable for those who need more direction over extended periods of time. Head on over to the links and look for more tomorrow.

Graduation Blown Covers Winner

Blown Covers 75 Graduation Cartoons

Posse Gunslinger

pencil final for the upcoming Indy "Posse" graphic which I have posted about in the past. This post is more focused on the working of this drawing and certain things that I love to do in order to get the sketch to work. The first thing you will notice is that I have posted the original pencil, and the flip of the image. The reason for this is to show that the image reads differently when flipped, and the other reason is that it will show off flaws in the drawing process when you reverse it in the working stages. 

As I work through the drawing I am constantly flipping the sheet of vellum on the light table to ensure that the image reads strongly, both regular and in reverse. It also helps me to check mistakes and flaws as they arrive, versus realizing there are many flaws when the drawing is near completion. I also do this because our brains get lazy when looking at something for too long, so by reversing the image the receptors in the eyes and brain are re-engaged by a new image and will key on certain details, shapes, or overall flow that may have been overlooked when working on the image for a length of time. 

This particular sketch applies to many of these ideas, notice the lift of the leg is more obvious and the movement of the gesture to draw the pistol is more animated in the flipped version showcasing the gunslingers action. Another reason it may read better is that in flip his first draw will be with the right hand. I don't or wouldn't notice these subtleties if I was not looking to check the accuracy of the drawing in reverse. I am excited to see this character take form as he is the main figure of the "Posse" grouping and is somewhat of an anchor for the entire graphic. Look for more as I finalize this piece in ink, and here are a shot or two of the past working process as well. Thanks for stopping in.

Iron Gorilla Watercolor

is another addition in the ongoing and ever expanding IronApe Army that has been on the concept board, and  not intentionally being put in posts because of our summer blockbuster, but because they are just too cool to hold back on. Look for more on the development of this idea and more on some great client projects soon. Thanks for stopping in to take a look at the work.

"IronGorilla" Watercolor on Canvas 3" x 3"

I Love Drawing

in all the shapes and forms one can imagine. I specifically love when drawings tend to flow off the pencil or pen and continue to flow in an almost thoughtless or seamless manner. Many of the drawings you see here were part of a day that reminds me how much I love to draw, whether it is rough thumbnails, more rendered pieces, or lettering there is a certain zen tranquility that goes with pouring the mind on to paper. The R.I.P Seau is from reference, others from imagination. Thanks for viewing, more info on projects tomorrow. 

City Slam

is a rough sketch and color study for some future works and series that I have had in mind and the sketchbook. Short post for today as a few new projects are amping up, thanks for stopping in and look for more tomorrow.