bookcase for the kids.

This is a bookcase that was originally going to be auctioned off at a gala event for the Beginning With Books organization. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled, but they are planning on exhibiting these works at a venue, which is yet to be announced. I finally got around to finishing it up for them and this is the result. I was planning on writing, 'Catch the Reading Bug' along the front of the bookcase, but I ran out of time to add it before they came to pick it up. The idea was for the animals to be distracted by these bugs near them during the act of reading and storytelling, hinting the animals would catch (eat) them. I painted it in oils and had some good results. Had I worked longer on this with a few more detailed layers, I think the result would have been extraordinary for my few attempts at oils.

shoes... for your feets.

a friend of mine that i worked with asked me if i could paint a pair of canvas slip-ons for her. i told her that i would and so she was quick to go and purchase them soon after this discussion; back in the fall of this past year. happens i finally got around to finishing them for her as she was becoming slightly disgruntled that she was not able to wear them since the season has begun to turn fair. in any event, here is the outcome.

napkin doddles and lazy bones magee.

my boy lyle recently paid another visit here, where we did our best to meander all over the city. we spent most of our time and money on food and beer, which is always a good investment during these sorts of occasions. during our escapades, i was scribbling on those square white coaster napkins that are typically intended to soak up the perspiration of your drink. here are a few that i thought were rather interesting.

for anyone here.

well, i suppose that these posts are indirectly written to myself, but here it is. i recently noticed that Bittersweet Harvest has featured my recent Meeting of Important People poster on there blog, with some kind words about my drawings (which i do greatly appreciate). also, i recently accepted a position with Excel Sportswear, an apparel design company close to where i live. i'm only four days in and it has certainly been slightly frustrating tinkering with digital manipulation of line and such, but today i feel i started making headway. the art director, dan mcmanus is a savannah college of art and design alum, who has put his faith in me and i am doing my best to not let him down. my first assignment there was to create a sketch for a jetski rental business that portrayed a voluptuous hard nippled blonde carving the waters on a yamaha skidoo. since then, i have been battling corel draw x3 and adobe illustrator to trace mechanical objects, such as buildings and cars. i do feel extremely fortunate that this company has asked me to be apart of their success and am doing my best to adapt and produce at a quick pace. all of the artists there have been very pleasant to be around and are very good at what they do; i hope they keep me aboard. anyhow, i am way behind on finishing the bookcase for Beginning with Books, here is an update on my painting thus far. that should be enough for now.

meeting of important people poster

this is another poster i threw together for meeting of important people. took this old clown sketch and added some other elements to it with the hat and hair. i wanted to make it look more polished and simple than chaotic.

face marks.

these are some stylized drawings of some notable people. i managed to first make heidi klum look ugly, followed by a michael j. fox that has downs, and then threw together a sean penn that is somewhat resembles the hard look he typically wears. i also contributed two drawings of musicians, kurt cobain and jimi hendrix for articles written on their legacies by my friend craig mcnair. i think that these two are somewhat interesting in the use of shape and line, but still believe certain features can be better manipulated and exaggerated. the final two portraits at the bottom are depicting a motown singer and the very important composer steven foster. i am about to start taking classes to do caricature work at a theme park and am struggling on the fast pace that i need to work at. i certainly spent too long on most of these sketches, but thought that there were good aspects to each of them as i try to understand the craft of cartoonish drawing.

new promotional postcard

i haven't really been doing much promotional stuff lately and felt inclined to do something about that. i would say that the hardest thing in doing this was to pick a piece that best exemplifies the kind of work i am planning on doing. i suppose i that by my selection, i am looking to grab some attention with my sketches and the digital color/texture complements. the layout of this piece was already perfect for a 5x7 inch postcard and so i decided to design something around it. i'm going to await printing it until i get some feedback from my peers and before i go and throw money into them. your opinions are greatly appreciated. i have also been working on a bookcase that i need to start painting very soon.

here is a shot of the drawing thus far on the one side.