Delton Demarest Arts

Infinite Monkey Theorem Quickie

2012-02-20T22:51:00.000-08:00

Currently finishing up the eighth IMT barrel top, or is it the bottom?, not really sure which it is honestly. Nonetheless this round of paintings is looking great. I love the stained wood, sharp lettering, and weathered look that give these such a cool buried treasure feel. The finished paintings have been getting the Denver scatter as they will be adorning walls of establishments carrying IMT. I will post the detail shots, wood brand shots that distinguish which vineyard these are from, and final photos of all the barrels soon. Thanks for viewing to all you folks on Blogger and beyond.

Napa Portrait Commission

2012-02-19T20:11:00.000-08:00

Final of a portrait commission that I have been working on and off for some time now. This piece was a great challenge in the combination of references that I utilized in painting the final. Also was a learning experience and a lot of fun in the final portrait stages. Thanks to Brian Smith for the opportunity, was an honor to create. Thanks for dropping in, more tomorrow.

8Bit Skull Final Painting for Studio 72 Pixel Arcade Artopia 2012

2012-02-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Lengthy post title, tons of progress photos, so....I will make this short. Third hand painted pixel, 8bit painting and I decided to tackle a skull. Well at first it seemed daunting, but as soon as I had figured out the value study I was confident it would be a go. The process is tedious and very exact, but the result is well worth it. The medium is spraypaint for the entire piece and you can see a photo of the palette instead of me having to ramble off brand types and colors.

The final piece will be for sale and on display at Artopia 2012, Studio 72's Pixel Arcade will be located on the 2nd Floor of Vinyl alongside Dr.Sketchy's for the evening. I will have multiple sized prints and trade card sizes for sale, our custom interactive NES unit will be open to players of all ages, along with new work from Stereo Abstract and Bureau A. Come through and look for ticket info at the links below. Okay it still wasn't short but thanks for viewing and reading if you do that.

Artopia 2012 Lineup and Info

Dr.Sketchy's Anti-Art School Denver Branch

Studio 72 Facebook

New Mural Rough

2012-02-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

New mural concepts in the works. Thumbnails in charcoal, portrait studies and rough concept are graphite on paper. I created the color sample in Photoshop, and will be continuing to hone down the details. I have kept the figures fairly crude at this point as I will search for models and reference to finalize the drawing. Also might wait until the weather here in Denver starts to warm up more significantly to start. Look for more progress on this concept and more on the 8 Bit skull painting and Daughters portrait soon. I may also be looking to do a timelapse on this piece if anyone is interested please contact me in the comments, or via email. Thanks for viewing!

Infinite Monkey Theorem Round 2

2012-02-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

Round 2 of the IMT painted wine barrels has begun at Studio 72. Hand drawn, transferred, and exacto cut five color stencils on a whole new batch of less crystallized wood. This set of Monkeyshine IMT works is going silky smooth and I will post some really nice details shots in a later post. A special thanks to IMT for their donations to the Jen Mericle WJ Bradley and Slow Food Holiday Celebration as well, both the red and white are really tasty. Support a local winery with experience and class, dont zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Round 1 Infinite Monkey Theorem Wine Barrel

Infinite Monkey Theorem Website

Minnesota Wild Red Rocks

2012-02-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

Photos of some ugly dudes from Karma at the first Winter on the Rocks concert and some photos I took of the great seats we got to sit our mugs in. Also a photo from grind time at studio listening to webradio and seeing that your artwork pops up, always a cool feeling. Good times, good people, dirty hands.

Thanks for dropping through, more tomorrow on a number of things.

Atmosphere Headlines first Winter Concert at Red Rocks

New 8 Bit Painting

2012-02-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

Process sketch of an up and coming event piece, stay tuned for more and check your local Westword you might notice Studio 72 activities. Thanks for dropping in.

Daughters Spraypaint Portraits 2

2012-02-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

More progress from the dual portrait being executed in spraypaint on board. The layers are piling up and the figures are slowly being sculpted out using the drawing and reference hand in hand. I have also put a small process of the Adidas Shelltoe painted to a near finish. Amazing how one item of clothing can indicate so much about a person, even at a young age.This painting is a great challenge based on the scale and age of the subject matter, but is a lot of fun pushing and pulling the tones to a unified state. The first portrait is still in the works and I am moving through other areas of the piece to ensure the lighting and overall color is in a cohesive field. I feel one of the main difficulties of working in this manner is that all spraypaint is a base tone, whether its a tint or shade, you must either mix your own colors, which is a great deal of extra work, or you must use the stock tones and manipulate them to your own palettes vision. The difference for me from traditional painting is the aspect of applying direct color in one manner, and utilizing complex mixtures on the other, completely different platforms to create realism upon.

For instance, I am using about 60 different colors to create this piece, but the relationships of those colors when applied right next to one another create the illusion of realism. I will talk about this more as the painting moves closer to a finish. The brands of spraypaint that I am using are as follows: Molotow Belton, Evolve 004 Premium, Montana Alien,Mtn 94, Montana Hardcore, Rustoleum, and Flame

Thanks for dropping by!

Daughters Portrait Stage 1

Pacifico Kegs Statewide Distribution

2012-02-12T22:59:00.000-08:00

Here are the final shots of all six painted kegs for Pacifico, they are destined for different locations throughout the state, but you wont see any of them in Denver. Aspen, Vail, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and one other region that escapes me will be receiving these pieces. Also final shots of the straggler w the final vinyl logos and some of my personal favs from the bunch. Special thanks to Todd Voigt, Kevin O'Brien and everyone at Pacifico for a great second round. Thanks for viewing the work.

February Open Studios

2012-02-11T15:46:00.000-08:00

Come down to the Wazee Union Tonight! New works and prints from myself, Stereo Abstract, and Karma Leigh. Hope to see you there!

Character Concept Ink Cleanup

2012-02-10T22:57:00.000-08:00

Further ink drawing process of the kitty hawk inspired character for an upcoming project. These are so much fun, still putting some more layers into them, and aiming to shrink the span of the character yet keep the feel of a vintage airplane. More soon, thanks for dropping by!

Straggler Pacifico Keg Final

2012-02-09T22:55:00.000-08:00

With some of the other ongoing projects and new ones getting going I left out the last keg in the series of six. Here is the final painting from all angles with a detail of the main section. This piece was a nice transition from the smaller figure paintings that the other kegs contained. I also really enjoyed the palette chosen for this particular piece based off of the color study. Look for final photos of all the kegs together and a recap of the project. Thanks for taking the time to gander.

Keg 6 progress ( I make it sound like it was done, just getting ahead of myself.)

Pacifico Stage 3 Vinyl

2012-02-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

For the final stages of the Pacifico keg paintings I have been clearcoating and applying vinyl logos for the branding on the barrels. I had custom vinyl created to place the Pacifico brand on the final painting as to avoid any unnecessary paint spatter or touchup that might arise from handpainted lettering or stencils over the finished work. The great printers at Accessprint created the vinyl and it is a nice touch to the finished paintings. In the photos above you can see it applied to five of the kegs. These are destined for pickup and distribution soon, look for more from Pacifico in the near future.

Link to AccessPrint

Daughters Portrait Progress

2012-02-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

Here are the beginning stages of the daughters portrait I am working on. Here you can see the pencil sketch enlarged and used as the transfer. The final transfer is then used to directly paint the figures and background. This process will take some time as I am using aerosol as the medium and the layering process takes patience and long sessions. The final painting is 3' x 5'. Look for more process as I begin painting the figures to a finish. Thanks for viewing the work.

New Character Design in Works

2012-02-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

In previous posts I have shown a few different character designs all with a Colorado flag twist, I will be able to talk about what these concepts are for soon, but for the time being, here is the fifth in the series in progress. This will most likely go through a few stages of ink and changes to find the best possible illustration to benefit this print job, here is the thumbnail sketch and first ink stage. Kitty Hawk inspired! Thanks for viewing the work and more to come on multiple projects!

Character Designs in Previous posts
Character Design 2

Phat Thai Cherry Creek 2 Final

2012-02-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

Final painting at Phat Thai Cherry Creek is complete. As I had envisioned the final effect is all that I had hoped for and more. The dark values of the main negative shape area combined with the Shadow Black edge give this mural a great dimensional feel. This mural image is a personal favorite as of now, with the shape inclusion of the multiple elephants, and the colors, I hope that this will resonate with others for some time. The feedback so far has been great, and many folks are surprised when they notice the different images incorporated into the whole painting.

There are a few progress photos of the small brush touchup, and the application of the Montana Shadow Black to the edge of the image. Special thanks for the third time to Stereo Abstract for the assistance, and to Mark Fischer for the opportunity.

Phat Thai Day 2

2012-02-04T22:46:00.001-08:00

Mobile progress shots from the painting session at Phat Thai Cherry Creek today. I managed to forget my camera digging the car out of a five foot drift. Here are some decent shots from the exterior, really enjoying the progression of this second mural. Getting excited for that Shadow Black emboss edge effect that will come tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some links and reviews on Phat Thai, always good to hear what the people think. Look for more soon, and again thanks to Stereo Abstract for the help. As always, I appreciate you taking the time to view the work, please share!

Phat Thai Denver Eater

Phat Thai on Yelp

5280 Info about Mark Fischer's Phat Thai

Snowdown Pacifico/NS Final

2012-02-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

Here is the final painting started live at Snowdown and now destined for one of you lucky art lovers out there. The lettering and logos were all applied with stencils and spraypaint. I put a few more layers into all of the characters and environment for the final finish. Each of the "sponsor" inspired characters was a blast to work up from sketch to final miniature acrylic painting. Overall this piece went really well and each layer helped to enhance the motion and feel of the composition. For all the info on the giveaway go to Corona Colorado Facebook to get scoop. Special thanks to Anya Grind, Gavin at NS, and Pacifico for the opportunity.

Phat Thai Mural 2 Underway

2012-02-03T15:32:00.000-08:00

The second mural for Phat Thai Cherry Creek has begun and here are some progress photos from the first day of work. I began in the same manner as the first but had an extra set of hands to assist on this one. Special thanks to Stereo Abstract for the help. The progress went quickly and efficiently and the mural should be completed in a few days. As I mentioned in previous post about this mural, you can see that is is being flipped from the first mural, both in orientation and palette. Look for more from Phat Thai Cherry Creek soon. Thanks for stopping by.

Snowdown Snowboard Studio

2012-02-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

I have been at work finalizing the layers on the Snowdown NS/Pacifico board in the studio and I had a friend stop by to visit. While he was there we were talking about the Pacifico keg paintings and he said he was really curious to see what my palette looked like when working on these pieces. First off I really enjoy Liquitex jar colors, smooth and easy to mix, series 3 and above are awesome. Second, I use water, I do enjoy gloss mediums, but more so for tromp l'oeil techniques.

With acrylic my palette is more of a color puddle, and pure colors on the perimeter of the plate. You can see mixtures on the rim of the plate and in the middle, these are areas where I will generally build up washes and glazes, allowing the colors to run back into the color puddle. This helps me to keep the colors clean for certain mixtures, and dirty for others. I will work in series of glazes and dry brush, in addition to wet on wet. I keep a spray bottle handy to keep the acrylic paint wet while I am working on it.

For oil painting I do not use as similar a setup, but will go over that in a later post. The board is near completion and lettering has been applied so look for that and the final painting in the next few posts. Thanks for stopping in.

Final Pacifico Keg Mountain Rider 2

2012-01-31T09:46:00.000-08:00

Here is the sixth and final Pacifico Keg painting. I was finalizing this simultaneously with working the NS snowboard for the Snowdown event. Like I had mentioned in previous posts this was the second in the pair of Mountain Rider concepts. The first was a primary palette, this piece being a titiary palette shift towards blue green, and purple. Pleased with the final product and am getting lettering ready to send these off to the distributors. Look for final shots of all the keg paintings and more info from Pacifico soon. Thanks for viewing the work.

Spectrum 19 Entry

2012-01-29T14:28:00.000-08:00

My submission for Spectrum 19 is the "For Better or Worse" cover art. Created in the summer of 2011, I hope that the judges consider giving it a nod. Links to more info about the project, and to the Prime Element website can be found below. The work was created for Prime Element emcee A.V.I.U.S.'s sophomore EP. This concept derived from talks and ideas about the marriage of mic and turntable. This was a great project and really fun to work from thumbnail to final painting. Mediums were acrylic, oil, and a small amount of digital finish. Giclee being sent to Spectrum produced by the Painted Pixel at Wazee Union. Special thanks to A.V.I.U.S. and Prime Element for the opportunity to create for sound. Thanks for viewing the work.

For Better Or Worse Print

Other Prime Element Cover Work

FBOW Digital

Prime Element Website

Painted Pixel

Wazee Union

Atmosphere at First Winter Red Rocks Concert

2012-01-28T13:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked the first ever winter concert held at Red Rocks Ampitheatre. The headliner for this concert was the one and only Atmosphere, who I had the honor of working with and have displayed the artwork above. Was absolutely freezing, but worth every minute, one of the best shows I've attended, and we had the pleasure of getting VIP, which meant we had some of the best seats in the house (photos in a later post) and we could actually escape the cold every now and then and grab some free drinks. The cherry on the cake was Brother Ali joining Slug for a dope encore, by far one of my favorite emcees and performers of all time. Special thanks to Icelantic, and to Slug for hooking up the homies.

Sad Clown Bad Spring #12 Info

SNOWDOWN Progress

2012-01-27T15:07:00.000-08:00

Process shots of the characters painted live at SNOWDOWN, info for the giveaway of this custom Never Summer board can be found at Corona Colorado Facebook. Since this was a replay of one of the previous keg paintings I designed and installed the other characters to give the piece a new feel and look, both for my enjoyment and to make it an event unique snowboard.Thanks to Karma for the event photos.Look for the final shots of this and all the kegs for Pacifico soon.

SNOWDOWN Concepts Live

2012-01-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

Here is the Pacifico/Never Summer snowboard and concepts to be painted live at SNOWDOWN this evening. Hope to see you there!

Pacifico Mountain Rider 1 Details

2012-01-25T22:43:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post these detail shots from the first Pacifico Mountain Rider. The surfer's finished James Bond/MI style was not my intention but it enhances the action and I really dig his jet black wet hair. Hope you do as well, thanks for eyeballing the work.

Pacifico Mountain Rider 2

2012-01-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

The final painting for Pacifico is in progress and here are some shots of the painting in studio. For this piece I am sticking very closely to the color study and it is going great. It is not yet complete but here is the painting at about 60 percent. All of these kegs have been completed using spraypaint and Liquitex jar color acrylic. Live painting with Pacifico for SNOWDOWN tomorrow evening has me spending the majority of the time prepping the brand new Never Summer board for paint and I aim to finalize the kegs over the weekend. Thanks to Stereo Abstract for the working shots, it was slightly cold in the studio today, hence the hoodie setup. Appreciate your time viewing the work.

Pacifico Mountain Rider 1

2012-01-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

Final Painting of the Mountain Rider 1 Keg for Pacifico. I strayed from the color study slightly as I wanted to warm the scene up and add more contrast, pleased with the results. The last of six paintings is in progress and I will post the final in a later post. Special thanks to the boys at Crown Imports for the painting food. It feels a little bit more like summer in the studio already. Look for SNOWDOWN concepts to be painted live on Thursday. Thanks for taking a trip to see the work.

Pacifico Goggle 1 Pickup

2012-01-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

Final of the first Goggle keg painting. This one was picked up and sent to Vail today. The final two paintings are in progress and I will be posting the progress on those in the next few posts. Such a nice feeling to start pulling tape and clearcoat. Thank you for viewing the work.

Pacifico Kegs Ripcurl Ram

2012-01-22T20:50:00.000-08:00

Final photos and color study for the fourth Pacifico keg painting. I would like to talk more about these works but I have a few yet to complete, and I hope you enjoy the pieces so far. These are going smoothly despite another very tight deadline. Completing a 18" x 24" painting a day on a cylinder is not easy. Look for lettering and the final barrels soon. Thanks for viewing the work.

Pacifico Final Color Studies

2012-01-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

Here are the last two color studies for the Pacifico Keg project. The concept with surfer riding the rip curl over the mountains was also a favorite amongst the marketing department, so we decided to play this idea out in two paintings as we did with the Goggle concept. The first uses a purple shifted color key, and the second is a primary color key, both will be similar, with the variation being met through the color difference. Look for the final keg paintings in the next few days. Thanks for stopping by.

Pacifico Kegs Goggle 2

2012-01-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

Process photos of the second Goggle piece for the Pacifico Keg project. The concept had enough strength that it was to be painted twice. I stayed w my color study key and this piece went like clockwork. I am getting fairly anxious to pull the tape and clearcoat these. Alas, I must wait until I have finished all six kegs, and also placed the Pacifico lettering on each piece before I take those final steps. All of these paintings are in acrylic, and I work thin to begin with, layering more "fat" paint on top as I move towards the finish. As always, thanks for viewing the work.

Pacifico Kegs Stage 2 Cont.

2012-01-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

Next keg in the series of 6 that are being painted is nearly completed and the third is underway. One of the larger compositions, this piece incorporates fusion of kayak and halfpipe, this painting went a little bit quicker than many of the others because it contains larger compositional shapes. Overall really like the motion and energy created from the water splash and gesture. On to the next one, which you can see a small preview above.

Pacifico Kegs Stage 2

2012-01-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

Progress photos of the first Pacifico barrel as the paint is layered up.This painting is nearly complete and two others are in the works. I will continue to post progress photos as I move forward on the additional pieces. Thanks for viewing the work. Share and Re-post, please credit my name and link, and stay tuned for concepts for SNOWDOWN 2012.

Pacifico Color Study 2

2012-01-17T13:27:00.000-08:00

The first set of color studies for the Pacifico Keg art was only half of the pieces I have to complete. In this post is the second Goggle concept, with new color key. Also the scene that is reflecting in the goggles is a different one, leading me to completely adapt a new palette for this piece. I think a more cold background, with warmer water in reflection was my goal. Look for the final painting to begin in the next few days.

Pacifico Kegs Stage 1

2012-01-16T10:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some preliminary photos of the Pacifico Kegs as they are getting started. These are three of the color studies I created to get a better feel for the final paintings direction. Each study is about 2" x 3" in acrylic. All the kegs have been primed and I am painting them one at a time. Will post more progress photos as the paintings begin to take shape.

Link to Pacifico Final Concepts

Martin Luther King Day

2012-01-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

As we celebrate a day in honor of one of our greatest social activists, I have regularly done artwork of MLK on or near this day for the past few years. I feel a strange drive to paint his likeness and think about the sacrifices so many made during segregation. No matter the controversy or hoopla surrounding Dr. King's personal life, he stood up and acted, spoke and inspired others to look at this world in a different way. For this, and so much more, I am proud to paint Dr.King.

New Portrait Sketch

2012-01-15T10:38:00.000-08:00

Pencil sketch for an upcoming portrait painting. The final painting will follow the same orientation and be

approximately 3' x 5', executed in aerosol. Some slight tweaking to the drawing before the final is transferred to the board. I will be conducting the final in a similar fashion to the Pilot Portrait completed last fall. A great privilege to work on this piece, considering the father is an old school painter well known for his style and technique. Thanks for visiting.

Posse Lettering

2012-01-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the final ink for the bullet-ridden saloon sign for the Indy Ink Posse graphic. Look for the last elements to hit the light table soon.

Wazee Union Open Studios Jan 14th

2012-01-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

Please join us at Studio 72, Wazee Union for tomorrows Open studios. All the artists spaces will be open for display from 7-11 pm. Harrison Nealey, Karma Leigh, and myself will have new work for sale, and a great preview of the new years upcoming projects. Hope to see you there!

Pacifico Final Concepts

2012-01-13T09:51:00.000-08:00

Final value study and pencil comps for the Pacifico Half Keg project. With a bit less of a tight deadline on these I will be making some variations during the final painted stages but overall the elements will be as we see here. The image orientation was changed midway, and I don't think it negatively effected the work, in fact on many I think it enhanced the compositional flow. The Kegs have been plasma cut in half "long-ways" and have a mounting unit welded to the back for hanging. Two of the four concepts will be painted twice, in order for them to be distributed to a wider audience. I am working on color studies for each piece and then jumping in on the final paintings. Each Keg is approximately an 18 x 24 painting.

Also have been notified that I will be doing some live painting for Pacifico at the SNOWDOWN 2012 event at City Hall featuring Dilated Peoples! Look for more info on that very soon.

Thumbnail sketches to Value Study Link

Stereo Abstract 2012 Preview

2012-01-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

These are works from my partner in crime, Stereo Abstract.We work out of and share a dual studio space at the Wazee Union. These are drawings that he creates by hand, and many times in a "one-line" style or by placing the pen to paper and not picking it up until the image is complete. The image is .then vectorized, laser cut, and frame mounted into some amazement. This is merely the beginning of great and inspiring work from Studio 72. He has many more in the works, and a really big public art project that I am pulling for him to lock in, so keep your eyes peeled and tuned to the Stereo Abstract.

Links to Stereo Abstract

Yoda Block In

2012-01-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

I have been working on a series of Star Wars inspired paintings, and here is a progress shot of Yoda. Palette and application info in later posts. Stopping by, thank you for.

Phat Thai Mural 2 Sample

2012-01-12T18:33:00.000-08:00

The second mural at Phat Thai Cherry Creek will begin soon. Here is a digital sample of the exterior view of the mural concept. The image will be the reverse of the first mural, painting in the negative space of the image and leaving the positive shapes as the wall color. Thanks for stopping by.

Portrait Progress

2012-01-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

A great deal of layering, scumbling, and glazing has been going into these portraits. Final details in a later post.

Posse Graphic Nearing Completion

2012-01-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

The Indy Ink Posse graphic is nearing the final stages. I have been working out compositional details on the computer, and am finalizing the last two ink sections of the illustration. Also have been playing with the placement of the saloon sign on the rattlesnakes chain. I have it all ironed out, but here is a progress shot. This is a really fun graphic, I also created some custom designs for the leather insignias on the posse members boots. Will post more detail shots and progress soon.

Thanks for stopping in.

Pacifico Half Barrel Roughs

2012-01-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

Thumbnail sketches for an new upcoming project with Pacifico. Working along a similar theme of SoCal and Colorado fusion, I aimed to incorporate some more nature elements in addition to the adventure lifestyle. Will be narrowing these down to six final concepts for painting on kegs that have been plasma cut in half, pretty cool stuff. Look for progression and paint slinging soon.

Laser Cut Vector

2012-01-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

Quick post for the new year and we will be getting in to the real fun stuff shortly. Laser cut vector stencils.....for promo. But oh so many other things coming from the workshop to you very soon. I will use a future post to showcase some of the work being done at Studio 72 for the new year. Thanks to Harrison Nealey aka Stereo Abstract for these.

Happy New Year and Pacifico Article

2012-01-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

Recently stumbled upon the write-up about the Pacifico on Draft Keg Art project I completed in September. Here is a link to the article written by Jonathan Shikes. I am displaying the concept work, final painted kegs and a good old promo shot from the unveiling at Crocs. Look for more from myself and Pacifico in the new year.

Delton Demarest paints for Pacifico

Phat Thai Cherry Creek Mural Complete

2011-12-27T11:35:00.001-08:00

Final photos of the mural completion at Phat Thai Cherry Creek. Phat Thai is open for business, serving lunch everyday at 11am and dinner at 5pm. Those times may change but from the time I have spent there thus far they have a fairly strict schedule for the meal times. Be sure to stop in and enjoy some great Thai. More from this location soon. Special thanks to Mark Fischer for this great opportunity.

Merry Christmas from the Lab

2011-12-26T10:37:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Studio 72 Lab, and Delton Demarest Arts. Looking forward to 2012.

Jen Mericle WJ Bradley Screenprinted Canvas Bags

2011-12-23T18:39:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are some product photos of the screenprinted Canvas bags with the Jen Mericle illustration. Printed by John LeDrew at KSE printing, these turned out great. The linework and tight detail translated well and there were so many folks that received one on their way through the event. Honored to create this for my friend Jen Mericle and great to see all of her green, caring ideas come to fruition for this event. Was a great night shared by all!

Phat Thai Near Completion

2011-12-22T14:42:00.001-08:00

Photos above display the final design of the Phat Thai Cherry Creek mural. The final steps aren't captured in progress photos, that step was to trap the emboss edge with blue tape, and then apply a glaze of Montana Shadow Black to the mask, giving us the transparent edge that we see in the photos above. The photos show the piece as it was completed in the evening after dark, and the design in natural morning light. The lettering is the next step and some final cleanup on the main image.

This has been a challenging piece given the decor obstacles you see that were worked around, in addition to the prep dinners and construction going on around me, but the result is all that I was expecting and more. Look for final photos and details of the project in the next posts.

Phat Thai Progression

2011-12-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in earlier posts, the mural at Phat Thai Cherry Creek is moving steadily. Here are progress photos from the first three days of work at the new location. From bottom you can see the 1) Full scale print out alignment and leveling 2)Line drawing transferred to the wall 3)Block in of the exterior shapes and trapping of the entire silhouette shape 4) The final shape block in of the elephant design and interior elephant portrait

This is about 20 hours working time, and there are a few steps yet to go. More on that in the next post. Thanks for viewing the work.

Phat Thai Mural Underway

2011-12-19T08:03:00.001-08:00

The mural at Phat Thai Cherry Creek is being transferred and prepared for the painting. With the installation of decor furniture and lighting the placement of this mural may change, but the color and design you see will remain very close. Obviously color swatches used digitally are going to vary in real paint color, but these offer me a great amount of information to use as I prep and begin painting the final. Progress shots and more to come.

Jen Mericle WJ Bradley and Slow Food Holiday Celebration

2011-12-18T22:55:00.000-08:00

The two pieces that I produced for my friend Jen Mericles Holiday Celebration are "Franken-Clause" and "Hand of Doom". Both are 20 x 30 Aerosol on Canvas. The completion of these paintings served a dual-purpose. The two illustrations were near completed line drawings or value studies intended and used for other projects or jobs, and now these full color studies will serve as a jump off for the next step in the job process. In addition, both pieces were silent auctioned at the show, and they sold. This is the ultimate prize, both the event promoters, and the beneficiary of the silent auction all received gifts for the holiday. Thanks to Jen Mericle, Harrison Nealey, and all the other artists involved, we made it a special night.

Phat Thai Final Color Samples

2011-12-15T02:59:00.001-08:00

Basic digital color according to the paint swatches of Phat Thai. Really excited for this mural to begin and will post progress shots as it gets underway.

Concepts Near Completion

2011-12-14T07:02:00.000-08:00

Numerous ink concepts near completion, from the drawing table to you.

Monkeyshine Barrels Progress

2011-12-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

Some more detailed shots of the barrels and the intense crystallization that is being painted over. You can also see a bit more of the natural coloring that is created from the wine stained wood. More from IMT soon.

Abend 21st Holiday Miniature Show

2011-12-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

The following pieces are on display at Abend Gallery for their 21st annual Holiday Miniatures Show, the show opened on First Friday Dec. 2. Always an honor to be invited to display works at such a prestigious and well established gallery. A sincere thanks for having me be a part of the show, and the series of Star Wars pieces will be unveiled soon, stay tuned. Thanks for taking the time to view the work.

Hand of Doom Process 3-step

2011-12-10T08:55:00.001-08:00

Process of the first of two pieces for an upcoming show. The concept is for Witches Brew Ink, and also has some more in the works. Aerosol on Canvas, 20 x 30. Thanks for stopping by.

Jen Mericle LoHi Illustration Process

2011-12-05T12:04:00.001-08:00

Process for an upcoming graphic that will be on a different fabric than usual. This graphic is for Jen Mericle, and she does mortgages for WJ Bradley. We wanted a caricaturized style, with a realistic feel. Its usage is for giveaway items for a holiday celebration later this month. I worked from thumbnail sketches up to final ink. The final had to be a black image only for screen printing purposes, so I focused on conveying as much information as possible on the final ink illustration. Look for product shots soon. Thanks for visiting.

Oil Study

2011-12-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

Oil Study for a larger piece. This is 5 x 7 on canvas board, using Winsor & Newtone Griffin Alkyd Quick Dry Oils. The palette is Phthalo Blue, Winsor Red, and Winsor Yellow. Thanks for stopping in.

"Heavy Duty" Honorable Mention

2011-12-02T00:32:00.001-08:00

Amongst everything else I hadn't posted that my piece "Heavy Duty" received Honorable Mention at the 2011 DPAAF. Special thanks to the judges, galleries, and everyone involved w GTMD and all other sponsors. Look forward to next year and more oil painting! Show photos will be up soon.

To view all of 2011 award winners including Best In Show: DPAAF Award Winners

DPAAF 2011 in previous post: Accepted Entries

Color Sketch 2

2011-11-29T23:43:00.000-08:00

Digital Color Sketch w Ink Outline.

New Color Sketches

2011-11-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

Digital color sketch.

IMT Barrel Heads Underway

2011-11-22T16:35:00.000-08:00

The wine barrel tops are coming along nicely. You can see the sample top w lettering in the photo above. The layers are getting cut and ready to paint, look for some progress shots very soon, and the crystallization on some of these gives a really interesting play between painted texture and light reflection.

New IMT Concept

2011-11-19T22:53:00.001-08:00

Sketchbook, ballpoint pen. More to come.

Character Design 3

2011-11-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

Third character concept sketch in the works. This is the second layer from rough thumbnail to ink. I will be continuing to clean this up in preparation for the digital stages.

Monkeyshine Barrel Tops

2011-11-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

Color samples for upcoming project for Infinite Monkey Theorem artwork on wine barrel tops. Stay tuned.

ULC Benedict Park Place Showcase

2011-11-15T14:39:00.001-08:00

In simultaneous timing with the opening of the DPAAF 2011, I am showing select works at The Urban Land Conservancy for the next month or so in conjunction with the Benedict Park Place grand opening being held on Nov 18th. Thanks so much to Valentina and everyone at ULC for the opportunity, and if you cannot attend the Plein air opening, stop through this location for a variety showcase of my works.

DPAAF 2011 Opening Show Nov. 15th

2011-11-14T01:06:00.001-08:00

The 5th Annual Denver Plein Air Arts Fest opens tomorrow on the 7th Floor Gallery at the Denver Public Library. I am honored and excited to have three pieces in this years exhibition. I hope to see you all at the show. Seen above is a plein air piece from outside Estes Park completed in September.

"Fading Light" Oil on Linen 8 x 10

TCH Mural Unveiling

2011-11-12T18:58:00.001-08:00

The dates have been announced for the Children's Hospital Mural unveiling in which over 90 works of art were created. Excited to post final photos and shots of the other artworks that were created. Look for show info and final photos soon. Seen above are my submission concepts, and the first image is from the transfer before the kids went to town on it.

Character Design Progress

2011-11-11T20:23:00.001-08:00

Ongoing layered process of the character design for brand labels. More to come from this project just around the corner. Stay Tuned.

Wazee Union and Studio 72

2011-11-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

Very excited for the new projects and new horizons for 2012 with Wazee Union and Studio 72. Stay tuned for web updates, new website and twitter feeds and more. Thanks for viewing the work.

"Trackside Mantid" Photo by Delton Demarest

Happy Halloween Blogger

2011-10-31T14:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween from me to you. Frankenstein Concept which is still incomplete, but that will get handled soon.

Few more in the works

2011-10-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

Some more concept sketches and color sketches for in progress projects. Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping in.

DPAAF 2011 Accepted Entries

2011-10-29T17:26:00.001-07:00

I am pleased to announce that three of my submissions have been accepted to be displayed in this years exhibition and competition. The three pieces can be seen above, framed and ready to deliver. The online preview is live as well so please take a trip on over to the Golden Triangle Museum website and see the paintings before the show opens. 2011 DPAAF Online Preview Link

The accepted works are as follows:

"Knight of Loyalty" Oil on Board

"Heavy Duty" Oil on Board

"Dome Skeleton" Oil on Board

New Concepts in Progress

2011-10-26T20:33:00.001-07:00

A process sheet of a new concept in the works, I wont say much more as the wheels are turning on this project, will post more as the artwork and site build progress.

Soundwave Illustration

2011-10-24T18:21:00.001-07:00

A glimpse at the EnStereo Soundwave graphic in progress. This one is a blast to work up, final adjustments and ink, digital still to come.

Super Crunk Bros Ink

2011-10-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Process of a graphic that has been in process for a little while now. More as it is finalized and ready for print. I know I had a previous post where I showed some of the very rough pencil sketches. Those can be found at this link: Super Crunk Bros

Indy Ink Rough

2011-10-22T15:53:00.001-07:00

Rough concept for a new tee graphic, Posse style. More to come as this image progresses through the layered stages. Pretty hyped to get it going. Thanks for stopping in to view the work.

8Bit Video @ Family Affair

2011-10-21T17:21:00.001-07:00

Fresh video with a glimpse of all the great art and Vid Game paraphernalia that the 8Bit Show brought out at Family Affair in Denver. Special thanks to all the artists who laid down precious time to participate in this show.

TSR Flourish Lettering Mural

2011-10-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

New large scale exterior mural for The Sharpest Rides in Englewood. This surface was slightly challenging with foot and a half gutters in addition to being entirely corrugated. The closeup shot above gives a good idea of what it was like to paint a 30 foot straight line that tapers on one end over this surface. A great challenge and quite please with the turnout. About 14 hours working time, all with Evolve Premium brand spraypaints. More murals and concept art to come from TSR in the near future.

8Bit Show Collabo @ Family Affair

2011-10-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

The collaboration between Harrison Nealey and myself I spoke of in earlier posts turned out to be an amazing piece, and one that I think we are going to explore in future works. Without too much wordage to take away from the imagery, both Harrison and I dug in and created an artistic interactive gaming experience. If you have any questions or comments as to the process or creation of this work please feel free to drop a line to either Harrison or myself, but for the time being we are letting the images to the talking. Fresh works from a number of other local artists, including Karma Leigh, Xencs Lil Wing, Gabe Filthe, and more.

Materials include: 1/2" Acrylic

1/4" Aluminum

1 Nintendo Entertainment System

2 8Bit Spraypainted Characters

Much Much More

Civil War Figurines Final

2011-10-17T01:27:00.000-07:00

Wont rattle on too much about this particular post, finalized the painting of these Civil War figurines, really brought them to life from their initial raw stages. More on these in later posts.

8Bit finished rough

2011-10-11T03:31:00.001-07:00

A collaboration I am very excited for coming to you soon. For an upcoming 8bit Show that I was notified that that someone pulled out of the show and no one would take the filler spot, so here at Studio 72 we decided to put our brains together and I think you all will be pretty psyched to see what the product is. Rough sketches of some of the imagery to come.

GreenMan progress

2011-10-10T15:12:00.001-07:00

More process of the Greenman concepts. Finalizing everything in ink and then putting some spot color on digitally for t-shirt samples. Will have the finals and product coming to you soon.

Open Doors Auction and IMT Monkeyshine Release

2011-10-10T02:12:00.001-07:00

Some quick photos of events that I had the honor of being a part of. First was the IMT Monkeyshine Release Party held on the roof of the Ghost building in downtown Denver, great turnout, real nice setup for the party. Second was the Open Doors Auction that Habitat for Humanity put on featuring artwork created from donated doors and auctioned to support Habitat's ongoing success of putting in-need families in homes. I donated one of the spraypaint pieces from a series, and was so glad to see that someone purchased the piece to support the event. Thank you so very much! The event was a huge success with a huge turnout as you can see from the photos above, the top 3 finalists displayed impressive works and rightfully were auctioned as well. Look for a second annual in the near future, and special thanks to all the volunteers and employees of Habitat for Humanity and the cause they represent.

DPAAF 2011 Final Submissions

2011-10-07T16:44:00.001-07:00

I submitted six pieces for this years Denver Plein Air Arts Festival, and am excited to hear back from the panel of judges to see which of these works will be accepted into the show. I will post the final submissions once they are chosen and always remember to attend the opening on November 15th, 2011.

Previous Posts Plein Air: City Park Progress

Infinite Monkey Theorem Release Party Ghost Plate and Tap

2011-10-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

Amongst all the other commissions and competitions, I recently helped The Infinite Monkey Theorem to prep the entry room for the Rooftop Release of Monkeyshine XXX. Myself and a team of other artists took to the fourth floor rooftop and proceeded to put a little bit of the street into the historic building located on 18th and Stout. I will let these teaser photos do the rest, and if your around downtown tonight come on through, its open to public and free after 8. Thanks to los Rebels for all the help, and most definitely will be more from IMT and myself very soon.

Thanks for stopping in.

Open Doors Auction @ Habitat for Humanity

2011-10-06T13:26:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, a great event and fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. Many amazing works of art, and door art are being auctioned by the Habitat family to help raise money for families in need of basic house ownership and more. I donated one of my large scale aerosol portraits, seen in the photos above, so you would be a little on the stupid side to not make a trip over to the Habitat store on Santa Fe and bid on these amazing works. Help support those in need, as many of us have been there before.
Link to more info and directions to HFH: Habitat for Humanity Open Doors

GreenMan Concepts

2011-10-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

In recent posts I had shown new concepts underway. Here are both graphics in a nearly finished state for the Greenman Colorado company. More to come on these as I finalize the ink and digital portions of the graphics.

The Greener Side

2011-10-01T09:32:00.001-07:00

Quick post, recently completed a custom sign for my goodfriends down south. Aerosol on Board, approximately 4' x 8'. The concept was drawn up quickly from thumbnail to line drawing, and I completed the painting and process in just under 36 hours. More to come soon.

Warren Weikle Flight School Portrait

2011-09-30T21:10:00.001-07:00

The third mural commission for WW2 Pilot Warren Weikle, is a portrait of the pilot fresh out of flight school in his "Pinks and Greens" in 1943. As you can imagine, doing a portrait of a living person nearly 70 years after the photo was taken, and to give it the accuracy it deserves and requires to make a great likeness, is somewhat difficult. Not to mention, Warren is very sharp and attentive to the smallest details, thus paving the path for a great portrait, one that is accurate in every way, all the way down to the texture and finish of the Pilots cap.
With all that said I will leave the photos to tell the rest of the story, I have included a few progress shots from the previous mural, and one with myself and the pilot in deep conversation about the movement of a "Finger Four Formation". There is also a note included about the details of the wings that adorn a pilots formal dress, there was more to the note, but I will leave you with this excerpt to get a slight understanding of how fun, and challenging it was to undertake this commission. I love history, and learning, and both were pushed to a healthy limit on these projects. Both this mural and the previous were completed with 90 percent Evolve brand spraypaints, some Montana and RustOleum were used as well.
There are some more things in the works with this client, and I will post about that before long.
Hope you enjoy the work, and I appreciate you stopping in to view the work.

"Portrait of Warren Weikle- Flight School 1943", Aerosol on Door, 36" x 48"

Ink Monstr Sticky Situation Recap

2011-09-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

Quick post and some flicks from the show at Weisco Motorcars, of the Ink Monstr Sticky Situation show setup. All the finalists submissions were printed as large scale stickers and applied directly to the brick wall, pretty fresh display! I will let the photos do the rest of the talking, and congrats to the winners, Kevin Daviet, Daniel Crosier, Johnny Tragedy, Nick Hughes, and Sarah Ford.

Multiple New Concepts in One Post

2011-09-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

Going to attempt to get a few birds with one post, new mural concept for the Sharpest Rides, new mural concept for an upcoming release party, and a new character design for a tshirt concept commission. More on each very soon, and thanks for dropping by.

Final Plein Air "Dome Skeleton"

2011-09-27T13:38:00.001-07:00

Quick post, the DPAAF ended on Sep 20th, this is from the second day of setup on this piece. I had painted from the opposite side of the Civic center in previous years and was intrigued by the new construction going on where the demolition was happening this time last year. All the submissions have been turned in and we are awaiting the word on the excepted pieces. Stay tuned and I will post all of my submissions once I have heard the verdict. Get out and paint from light, it is inspiring and a great learning tool.

Pilot Mural Completed and Clearcoated

2011-09-26T20:06:00.001-07:00

As I had mentioned in previous posts, the mural for the WW2 Pilot was near completion. It is now finished and you can see the final shots above. It is a true challenge dealing with historical artwork, and an even greater challenge working with a living piece of history. I don't mean challenge in a negative way, but one that describes the amount of dedication and diligence to see the job through to the end despite any changes or issues the client has with the work. In this instance, we are talking about the specifics of flight gear and attire that are nearly 70 years old, and the specifics of aviation from the same era. In more than a few instances I was asked to change or better describe the details I was painting.
For example, the "Finger Four" formation, has a very specific look, and reason for the positions in which the aircraft fly, this detail was hashed out in a few different sketches, and then changed on the fly in the painting stage. At one point, adding red coloring to the rear fins to indicate the planes were the "Tuskegee Airmen", another great story that the client had included and wanted to have reflected in the artwork.
So many other fine tuned details were worked through and learned about during the duration of this painting, and I feel blessed to be able to share this with a living WW2 era pilot.
I have begun the first stages of the second mural project for this particular pilot and will be posting about that soon. Thanks for stopping in.

Trip to the Mountains

2011-09-24T15:25:00.001-07:00

Plein Air piece from my birthday trip out of town, this is outside of Estes Park. About 2 hours working time. Thanks for stopping in.