Holy Karpe

Trojans: Mural Finished

2011-09-10T17:29:00.003-04:00

Here is the final image. The mural was presented to the school during the graduation ceremony. I heard there was an unvailing. Alas, I was not there. I was on vacation a little early.

Trojans: Colors Applied

2011-06-20T19:23:00.005-04:00

The book I've referred to for this project is The Mural Book: A Practical Guide for Educators by Janet Braun-Reinitz and Rochelle Shicoff. The authors recommend using Golden Paints. When I found out that Golden acrylics cost about $25 for an 8 oz. tube I nearly passed a stone. Thank God there was a more affordable option for me at Michael's. I ended up getting Liquitex's students-grade Basics acrylics. They were very creamy and covered a large area. I ended up buying double of what I actually needed. I'd recommend them to anyone. Especially, since they were only $8.99 for an 8 oz. tube. Here's one of the seniors up on the ladder.

So far so good. Next, the kids outline the entire image with black.

Trojans: Traced

2011-06-19T11:58:00.003-04:00

I printed a grayscale version of the final image on a transparency sheet and put it on a transparency projector and blew it up on the gymnasium wall. In an earlier experiment I found that using pencils to draw on this type of masonry is not efficient. I needed to sharpen the pencil every 10 seconds. So I thought charcoal sticks or oil pastels might be too messy. It was then I happened to have discovered Korn's Lithographic Crayons hidden in one of my cabinets. They look like they could be 100 years old. Who knows how long they were in there.I had the students trace the projected image with the crayons and it went pretty well.

Trojans: Wall Primed

2011-06-18T11:34:00.004-04:00

The area of the gymnasium wall on which the mural will be has been successfully primed thanks to the work of my students. Students and faculty who aren't in the know have been making fun guesses and questions due to the irregular shape of the image. Some have guessed correctly about the spear and arm.

Trojans In Color

2011-06-08T17:42:00.002-04:00

As you can see I hacked out some colors in Photoshop to nail down what the final colors will look like.

Trojans In Black & White

2011-06-07T20:19:00.005-04:00

Here is the final black and white design. I've never done a mural before and I had no idea where to start so I did an online search for school murals and came across some really great artwork. I cannot take too much credit, though. I did steal some design elements that I thought were amazing from another muralist. I took his sunburst circle background and the ribbon/banner in the front.

Trojans!

2011-06-02T18:24:00.002-04:00

I fixed a couple of things and inked these Trojans.

Trojan Warrior Woman

2011-05-31T19:36:00.007-04:00

The mural project must include a lady Trojan. So I had to research what a Trojan warrior woman looked like. I found some very interesting cos-players, strange video game designs and some interesting revealing anime characters. I then started researching the goddess of war, Athena, Pallas Athena, and Minerva. That's when I hit reference gold. I sketched three poses and was finally satisfied with the fourth.

Trojan Warrior

2011-05-31T19:21:00.003-04:00

My school's senior class wanted to gift the school a mural in the gymnasium. They approached me to help them. There are a couple of problems. First of all it's the end of May and they've just asked me to help. Secondly, I would have to design it because their design isn't fully realized and there's no time to help them flesh it out. Lastly, it's their gift to the school. I'm not doing it for them. I finally decided today that it's too late in the year for them to complete this mural. However, as I started to sketch out my ideas I started getting into it. I may save this as a project for a future class. This first sketch was easy for me. It's a manly Trojan. It's a pretty classic pose. No biggie.

Birthday Girl

2011-05-16T22:02:00.004-04:00

Today is my wife's birthday so I thought I'd draw a little portrait of her. The image is taken from one of my favorite photographs of her. Happy Birthday, sweetie!

2011 Grads

2011-04-07T11:02:00.003-04:00

This year our school's yearbook adviser made advertising space available to staff. So I bought a space. Above is my ad. featuring caricatures of our school's graduates.

Rick Geary On An Envelope

2011-02-19T11:39:00.005-05:00

I love the work of Rick Geary and I also love Recorded Books. I doodled this little homage/plagiarism of Rick Geary's logo for Recorded Books on the back of an envelope I sent to Recorded Books.

Chicken La Maison

2011-02-16T19:53:00.002-05:00

"What's for dinner tonight?"
I'll tell you what's for dinner. I made Chicken La Maison for me and the wife. I got the inspiration from the great Stuart Immonen and the recipe from here. Try it. You'll like it. It's as good as it looks.

My Favorite Children's Books 3

2010-08-19T19:47:00.007-04:00

This next book is the last one but most importantly it's the one that made the biggest impression on me. I finally found it through one of the local libraries. The first thing I did when I opened it up I took a big breath to smell that old familiar smell. Of course, you know what I mean. It's that musty, comfortable scent that takes you back.

Below I've included the pages that really hit that old childhood nerve. These pages delighted me and haunted me. It's hard to describe but it is truly wonderful. This book is wonderful. And if I could find it without paying an arm-and-a-leg, I'd buy it.

Suppose You Met A Witch
By Ian Serraillier Illustrated by Ed Emberley

As a child I definitely had a fear of
drowning after seeing the image below.

I was definitely glad that nasty, old witch got
her comeuppance but it was quite a ghastly way
to go. Later on, a farmer sets a match to the thistle
hedge that the witch is tangled in.
"And that was that."

My Favorite Children's Books 2

2010-08-16T07:45:00.007-04:00

Here is another children's book that made a big impression on me as a kid. Once again, I had no idea of the title, author, or illustrator. I could only remember that there were some very odd creatures and monsters in the book. I remember copying the illustrations of some of the weirder creatures as a kid. I recently read these books to my nieces who are 3 and 4 years old. As I read to them I realized that these books were pretty horrific and that many of the latest kids books I've seen recently are pretty tame.

Grandpa's Ghost Stories by James Flora

I imitated the image below in my own drawings as a kid. I found the cross section of the cave fascinating. To be able to see inside and out of the cave was genius.

The image of below is something that disturbed me a kid and still does.

My Favorite Children's Books 1

2010-08-14T12:03:00.010-04:00

Recently, I've thought about children's books that I had vague memories of. I couldn't remember the titles, authors, or illustrators. The only thing I could remember were certain illustrations that stuck with me these 30 plus years (give or take). These illustrations had made an impression on me as a kid and probably were a gateway into my interests in artwork and other things.

I challenged myself to try to hunt these books down and identify them. Remember, I was only going on vague memories of illustrations. That's it. No names or titles. My first step was to go to the public library I frequented as a kid. I went through their entire Easy-Reader and Juvenile sections. I didn't find any of the books but I did come across one book that featured illustrations of a similar style to one of the books I was searching for. I took down the illustrators name and did a search online and came up with the following book.

One Monster After Another by Mercer Mayer

As a kid I was interested in anything that involved monsters. That's still true today. Below are some of the images that have stayed in my mind all of these years.

Check out these pages that feature a Lovecraftian horror.This image is from the stuff of nightmares. I love it!

Grad Caricature 4

2010-07-16T10:00:00.005-04:00

This is the final graduate caricature. It was also my most difficult to complete. I really struggled pinning down the likeness while trying to achieve some sort of exaggeration. In order to create a successful caricature I really need to experience a person's attitude and personality. This girl was always subdued in my presence but I knew well enough that she was quite fun-loving and mischievous around her friends outside of the classroom. That left me drawing solely from photo reference, which bore no fruit. After days and many sketches later I came up with the above drawing to my joy. I think that I balanced the likeness with exaggeration pretty well. When I finished the image it felt like I just gave birth.

Grad Caricature 3

2010-07-15T10:41:00.003-04:00

Here's the third caricature I did of our school's 2010 graduates. After I finished this one I realized that it kind of looks like Tracy Morgan.

Grad Caricature 2

2010-07-07T09:12:00.003-04:00

Here's the second graduate I drew using pencil and Photoshop.

Grad Caricature 1

2010-07-06T12:07:00.003-04:00

The senior class asked me to create caricatures of them for the graduation day program that was handed out for the ceremony. Here's the first one I did using pencil and Photoshop.

Crayon X-Men Caricatures

2010-06-09T16:17:00.003-04:00

I know the end of the school year is upon me when I start doing caricatures of students. I don't start projects during the last week of classes because we probably won't finish them. So, as a form of classroom management I will pick a student in class and draw a fast caricature. The three knuckleheads in the image are from a class I refer to as the "Sweat Hogs." I've drawn these three many times before because they have faces and personalities that lend themselves to exaggerated caricature. The boy represented as Wolverine has recently become obsessed with the X-Men so I decided to represent these three as such. All three caricatures are on an 11"x17" copy paper. They were penciled and colored with some crappy crayons. All finished in a 45 minute period. From left to right: Nightcrawler, Beast, Wolverine.

Deer Under Stars 3 - Final

2010-03-30T20:46:00.004-04:00

Here's the final composition for the deer illustration. Hopefully, they'll figure out where to go out to eat.

Deer Under Stars 2

2010-03-30T20:39:00.006-04:00

Here is the final inked image.

Deer Under Stars 1

2010-03-27T16:35:00.005-04:00

Here is a sketch of three deer getting together to plan the night's events. This sketch is for a new book illustration.

The Hangover - Zach Galifianakis

2010-01-23T10:33:00.004-05:00

The Hangover - Ed Helms

2010-01-20T06:51:00.001-05:00

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2010-01-18T06:29:00.004-05:00

Here's the work of my students.

Dr. Martin Luther King Exemplar

2010-01-09T12:05:00.003-05:00

Here is an exemplar I made for a lesson on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that I will be doing with on of my elementary classes. His birthday is coming up.

Nutcracker Suite

2009-12-18T16:45:00.002-05:00

Here's the finished image colored with Photoshop.

Nutcracker black & white

2009-12-18T06:32:00.002-05:00

This is a simple illustration of a nutcracker done with pencil, brush, and ink on paper. This was done as a visual aid for a project I'm doing with some of my classes.

British Bulldog

2009-12-17T15:54:00.002-05:00

Bassett Hound

2009-12-06T12:44:00.002-05:00

Cocker Spaniel

2009-11-30T12:29:00.001-05:00

Here's a black & white cocker spaniel I made as part of a teacher exemplar for a portrait painting lesson that I'm doing with one of my elementary classes. More dogs to come!

Cardboard Train

2009-11-27T10:50:00.003-05:00

One of the teachers at my school came to me with a request for a visual aid of a train she needed for a presentation. I didn't get much more of a description than that. I had a couple of free periods that day so I got an old stock image illustration of a train for reference and hacked this out quick. It's black tempera paint on about 3'x5' cardboard. It took me about 30 minutes and I have to say it felt good. Almost like relieving yourself.

Where the Wild Things Are Toilet Paper Rolls

2009-11-25T11:23:00.002-05:00

These are exemplars I made for a lesson I will do with one of my classes in the future. The idea for this came from one of the great craft blogs that I follow. Check it out.Max is a cardboard tube from a toilet paper roll while the monster is a cardboard tube from a roll of wrapping paper. Both are painted with acrylics. Think about that next time you use toilet paper!

Royal Pain 2

2009-08-13T13:31:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of tighter head shots. I like a more sallow pallor. He shouldn't look too healthy. I think that I'm going to go into a slightly different direction with the coat. I inadvertently found out through my research that the coat I'm trying to make for Royal Pain is actually considered a "pimp coat."

Royal Pain I

2009-08-12T17:24:00.008-04:00

The following is one of a few characters I've been obsessing over and fleshing out. These characters are a comic book villains that are inspired by actual friends of mine, who shall remain nameless.

You may notice the atrocious digital coloring. I've recently borrowed a small WACOM tablet from my friend Andy. I've always wanted to try one of these things. As you can see I'm just trying to get the hang of it.

So without further adieu I give you the Royal Pain.

River Otter Final

2008-04-29T18:06:00.003-04:00

Put a fork in this one 'cause it's done, man. Notice the expression change on the otter in the 2nd panel. He need to look more optimistic and hopeful.

UFO Sighting 7

2008-04-29T17:58:00.004-04:00

OMG! We've finally come to a concensus and I'm actually happy with it. Here is the final version.

UFO Sighting 5&6

2008-04-28T22:05:00.012-04:00

The author preferred to see all the individual trees. Luckily, my experimentation with the cloning tool saved me a lot of time with that major change. I still am not happy with the decision to not have the mountainside in stark silhouette. So I proposed meeting the author half way. I kept the spotlight on the action but halved the opacity of the black mountainside. Now you can see the trees and you still get the sense of nighttime.

Non-shaded mountainside.
Shaded mountainside.

UFO Sighting 4

2008-04-28T20:55:00.007-04:00

I've redesigned the "cigar shaped" U.F.O. I kind of like this version better. Also, I really like the stark black quality of the mountainside. Oh! Check out the happy accident I had experimenting with Photoshop brushes trying to create a light reflection on the water.

Adirondack U.F.O. Sighting 3

2008-04-22T22:04:00.005-04:00

Apparently, the '73 Olds was exited the area from a different direction according to the author. It did not cross the bridge. In actuality it's a pedestrian bridge. Note the tiny Photoshopped car in lower right of the image.

Adirondack U.F.O. Sighting 2

2008-04-19T14:28:00.004-04:00

The blank mountain side will be filled in black with Photoshop. I think it'll look more stark and striking rather than overload the details of drawing each individual tree. The author's description doesn't specify where the '73 Olds sedan is supposed to be. I only know that the driver was trying to flee the area. I think it looks kind of nice coming towards the viewer. Plus, it's a nice view of the car.

Bear Scare 7: You Choose

2008-04-13T14:17:00.004-04:00

Which one is better?

Version 1.Version 2.

Adirondack U.F.O. Sighting 1

2008-04-05T13:33:00.006-04:00

Here are some sketches of a "cigar shaped" UFO. I did these at another staff meeting at work. Love those staff meetings.

Bear Scare 6 Final

2008-03-24T09:10:00.006-04:00

I fooled around with Photoshop to get the tonal pattern sky and I had to redraw the 1st hunter's head because his dialogue would not work with him looking directly at the bear (see ealier Bear Scare posts to understand what I'm talking about).

Thanks, Easter Bunny!

2008-03-23T10:05:00.005-04:00

Here are three Easter Bunnies that I made as an exemplar for an art lesson I'm doing with one of my classes. These are made from Sculpey and painted with acrylics. They started out as Easter eggs with individualized bunny faces. I tried going for the extreme. Happy Easter!

Interlude

2008-03-22T14:22:00.004-04:00

I think that it's officially Spring. This image captured at my girlfriend's house.

Bear Scare 5

2008-03-18T16:36:00.002-04:00

Black bear.

Bear Scare 4

2008-03-17T22:55:00.006-04:00

Sketch inverted in Photoshop.Inked.

Bear Scare 3

2008-03-14T17:08:00.003-04:00

Bear Scare 2

2008-03-13T15:35:00.005-04:00

Bear Scare 1

2008-03-09T12:32:00.004-04:00

To the left is the concept sketch I was given by the author of the book I'm doing these illustrations for. I thought that it'd be interesting to see that and compare it to the final image.

Here's the pencil version of the uprooted tree. I stuck to my original concept but ironed out a few things with a some Google Image searching.

Uprooted Tree

2008-03-07T16:40:00.005-05:00

Here's a sketch I did on the back of a handout I received at our teacher inservice day today. The meeting was boring but I was kind of amazed I could do the sketch below from imagination.

The Spa 2

2008-02-24T23:18:00.002-05:00

Here's some more hackery.

The Spa 1

2008-02-23T16:08:00.004-05:00

Here's a sketch for a spa, circa 1880s. I did this with a brush and India ink. May you rest in peace.

River Otter 4: The Final Image

2008-02-21T14:31:00.006-05:00

Here is the final River Otter illustration.

River Otter 3

2008-02-20T08:07:00.002-05:00

Here is are updated sketches of a different facial expressions and a different design for the trap.

River Otter 2

2008-02-18T15:28:00.004-05:00

Here is the stump of a conifer and three birch stumps. Check out those textures! Our friendly river otter is supposed to be caught in a soft catch or padded trap. The chain to the right will be attatched to the trap later using Photoshop. I'll be experimenting with adding each element in the illustration with Photoshop. This ought to be interesting.

River Otter 1

2008-02-17T11:28:00.003-05:00

Welcome back. That was quite a hiatus. I know. I know. I'm sorry. There have been a few things that have happened this past year, all of which are great, that set me back as far as updating new images. So here are some sketches for an illustration for a friend's book about the Adirondacks.

Sign for Friendship

2007-05-16T07:19:00.001-04:00

This is the sign for friendship. It is part of a design I was asked to do for Student Appreciation Day at school. Staff at school volunteer as waiters and serve the students lunch. This design will appear on the top of the cake that will be served for desert. I'm not sure how they do that, though.

Totally Inappropriate

2007-05-09T21:13:00.001-04:00

Imagine a bottle of beer in the dude's hand and a gold tooth in the chick's mouth.

Hail to the King, Baby!

2007-05-08T12:50:00.001-04:00

Tonight, I dine in HELL!

Evil Rabbit

2007-05-07T19:04:00.001-04:00

Can you figure out what's happening here?

Kurt Russell

2007-05-06T22:24:00.001-04:00

Here's the inked version and colored version of Kurt Russell. I'd also like to say that I really enjoyed Grindhouse. It's been a while since I've witnessed an audience applauding scenes in a movie. Very fun!

Death Proof

2007-04-07T09:34:00.001-04:00

I'm going to see Grindhouse at the movies today. I've been anticipating it for a while. Last night I saw a really cool image of Kurt Russell from the Death Proof portion of the film and had to sketch. It doesn't get much cooler than Kurt. If you're looking for a good movie recommendation I'll steer you towards his involvement with director John Carpenter. The Thing is an excellent, ground-breaking horror flick and Big Trouble In Little China has always been one of my favorites.

Pondering

2007-03-09T14:39:00.001-05:00

Here's my exemplar for the Self-Portrait unit I'm doing with my middle school classes. Self-Portrait, Tempera on paper. 10"x 16."

Montage

2007-03-05T14:44:00.001-05:00

All of the previous images relate and were put together in a montage composition. What's your interpretation?

Coffee, Tea, or Me?

2007-03-02T13:26:00.001-05:00

I have to admit that I'm kind of proud about this one. I like how this image is composed and I really like everyone's gesture. Since I don't sketch on a regular basis I forget how to do certain things. It took me a while of sketching out the body structures using simple line and then geometric shapes to figure out the proportions and perspectives. I'm really satisfied with the sitting man with crossed legs because I didn't have a model to look at.

Young Lovers

2007-03-01T14:36:00.001-05:00

What's with all the romance? I don't know. I was trying to go for a bit of anonymity with the female character by keeping her in heavy shadows. However, I think that it looks more creepy than anything. I think the old man should be leaning towards the viewer to indicate more forced perspective. That would make the fact that he has no shadow on his face more logical.

Flower Arrangement

2007-02-27T14:41:00.001-05:00

There's nothing like the smell of fresh cut flowers.

Budding Romance

2007-02-26T12:51:00.001-05:00

Isn't love grand? At least, that's what I've been told. Enjoy this tree and young fools in love.

Character Designs

2007-02-25T11:44:00.001-05:00

Here are some character design sketches. We shall see where these lead to later.

Chimp!

2007-02-24T14:30:00.001-05:00

All that waiting for a new post and the only thing you get is a chimp. How do you like those apples?

The Hall of Shame

2007-01-26T16:16:00.001-05:00

In a previous post I showed some caricatures I did as gifts for retiring staff at my school. My cruel drawings are not only directed at staff but also students. Whenever we have free time in a class and there's nothing to do until the end of a period I'll pick a student and do a quick caricature sketch. This technique keeps my students entertained and out of trouble because as we all know idle hands are the devil's tools. The kid who is the subject usually sits very still and patient while the others crowd around with rapt attention. After I finish the pencils I'll complete the sketch with ink and post it on a bulletin board I like to call The Wall of Shame. Other students will come into my room at times and make a game of identifying who's who. It's great fun and it gives me the opportunity to stay in practice by doing fast, exaggerated sketches while maintaining a likeness.

The Return

2007-01-15T01:28:00.001-05:00

I won't go on how I've neglected the poor old sketch blog. I will present a sketch done while watching the season premiere of 24. After I finished the sketch I wanted to add a little color. Then I was inspired by the various "motivational posters" I've been seeing on the intrawebs. I'm sure that the whole thing is probably an old fad by now but what the hey!

Guy of the Dead

2006-11-02T18:20:00.001-05:00

Happy belated Halloween, everybody! I hope you and yours had a eventful one. I know that I did. I got bitten by some maniac and then I felt really ill and then I went to sleep and woke up with an amazing hunger. I bought some steaks and decided not to cook them. I then went to some parties and decided to mingle and chow down. What a mess! Anyway, have a great day.

Skull Fudge 2006

2006-10-22T12:38:00.001-04:00

Here's the new flier for my party. I'm kind of please with the coloring and the whole layout. Feel free to lambaste me.

Skull Fudge

2006-10-21T08:24:00.001-04:00

These are the fliers I made for my past two Halloween parties. It's become an annual event and my friends who come always ask if I'm going to have another. How can I refuse? It's a good time and some wild things happen. Certain rooms of my apartment have been christened before I got the chance. What the hell's up with that?

Getting Head

2006-10-20T18:35:00.001-04:00

Here's a little taste of an image for a flier I'm making for my annual Halloween party. I really love this time of year.

Remember, Remember the 16th of October

2006-10-16T23:55:00.001-04:00

That's when I watched V for Vendetta on DVD and made this lovely, little sketch. I love that movie.

The Arsenal

2006-10-09T13:15:00.000-04:00

I love to see what tools other artists use. Here is my arsenal.
From top to bottom:
My handy little pencil case, the col erase non-photo blue pencil, Staedtler lead holder, .05 mechanical pencil, Staedtler Mars plastic eraser, Speedball Super Black India Ink, Faber-Castell Pitt artist pens (S,F,M,B), Royal Clear Choice Brush, Hunt 107 crow quill pen nib and holder, a kneaded eraser, and my hardcover sketch book.

I have a few faves of the bunch. The mechanical pencil is great for really tight pencilling. The Pitt pens use waterproof India ink. I love the Pitt brush pen especially. I enjoy inking with a brush but it's just not feasible for sketching on the go. This brush pen gives you the great line variation, waterproof India ink, and its easy to carry. I also can't live without the kneaded eraser. It takes off soft lead without a trace. Same goes for the eraser pen. I don't like the sketchbook because its heavy and I've broken the binding without much effort. However, the paper is of good quality and has a nice smooth finish with nice tooth.

Jason Egitto

2006-10-04T17:57:00.002-04:00

Here's a caricature sketch of an illustrator pal 'o mine, Jason. You'll notice a black and white and a Photoshop color exercise I did. It's the first time I tried multiplying layers. I loved the technique and I'll have to experiment more. However, I've come to the conclusion that I hate using a mouse, exclusively. It feels like trying to draw with my feet. I'm definitely going to look into buying a Intuos Wacom tablet.

Fries With the Shake

2006-10-03T16:43:00.001-04:00

Here is the finished artwork, penciled, inked, and a splash of Photoshop. Aside from some things I like how it came out. Facial expressions are my strength while perspective and backgrounds give me a pain in the ass. I just don't draw that stuff frequently enough. If anyone can give me some good tips on rendering glass I'd appreciate it. More practice is what I need. I do like the girl in the dress at the end. She definitely has sass.

The Dress Unit

2006-10-02T01:12:00.001-04:00

These are character sketches and thumbnails for another French unit. I'll post the finished drawing tomorrow. I just realized that this is the first time that I've sketched a sexy woman in a while. Oh. I also saw a cool picture of Robert Rodriguez in a magazine so I drew him, too.

Costume Designs

2006-10-01T12:07:00.001-04:00

Here are some period costume designs I did for one of the high school French units.

MISTER MIDNITE

2006-09-19T13:27:00.001-04:00

Ok. Here I go again. Excuses. Excuses. School's back in session and I've been house hunting, which means I've had no time to draw. In order to keep my loyal fanbase entertained I came upon these old (at least, 5 years) comic pages I did for my good friend and amateur author, Bob. He created a small press character called Mr. Midnite. The following is a four page story I did for Bob's entry in the United Fanzine Organization's annual. Check out my early attempts at Photoshop.

This Is Bat Country!

2006-09-03T14:43:00.001-04:00

Unbeknownst to my buddy, Rob Shimshack, I borrowed his Fear And Loathing DVD. I loved it. It's funny because when the movie originally came out I didn't really enjoy it that much. I couldn't understand why people were raving about this movie that had no story or plot and that seemed to glorify drug use and bad manners. After watching it again just a couple of days ago I have a new appreciation for the film. I realize that the story is actually an in-depth examination of a drug experience. The whole movie is about the 'trip.' I loved it. I loved the performances and the whole visual experience that Terry Gilliam provides. I even loved Hunter Thompson's commentary track on the DVD. So here's my tribute. As a side note the Photoshop coloring was done following a tutorial provided by Kazu Kibuishi. I have yet to read one of his Flight books.

Droog

2006-09-02T10:38:00.001-04:00

Ah, the magic of Netflix. I recently watched A Clockwork Orange and did this sketch of Alex. I inked this at ye olde Barnes & Noble using some new pens I purchased at A. C. Moore. I will post about those later. I definitely think I heavy handed it with the more bolder lines. Keep practicing.

Aeon Flux

2006-08-30T11:32:00.001-04:00

I did this sketch while watching my Aeon Flux DVDs. If you're into well done, thought provoking animation then I cannot recommend Aeon enough. It's disheartening to think that Aeon is probably one of the most worthwhile things to come out of Mtv in years aside from 120 Minutes and Yo Mtv Raps. What's that you say? What about The Real World, Road Rules, Laguna Beach, or My Sweet Sixteen? Why don't you do yourself a favor and end it now because there's no hope for you, my friend.

Rob Shimshack

2006-08-29T13:09:00.001-04:00

This is my good friend and talented artist, Rob. Here he is penciled and inked. He's also a snappy dresser.

Gorillas On a Bus!

2006-08-28T00:20:00.001-04:00

Here's Sam Jackson about to get 'murked' by Kaa from The Jungle Book.

Family Portraits

2006-08-23T14:21:00.001-04:00

Here's a little illustration for the text book featuring a series of old portraits of mom, dad, and two daughters. The text calls for one of the daughters to be quite homely. The stairs and crude picture frames were hacked away at with Photoshop.

Heads Up!

2006-08-23T09:09:00.001-04:00

A while back I talked about some illustrations I was doing for a proposed French text book. I haven't had to draw anything for it all summer but I've started up again. Here are some character sketches for the new unit. When the unit is finished I'll post it.

The Return of Sketching: Jack Sparrow

2006-08-23T00:38:00.001-04:00

My God, what have I done? I had no idea people were actually checking in on the old blog. Some of my friends asked what was up. I wholeheartedly appologize for not updating in a long while and thanks for stopping by. July was an extremely hot and humid month for us in Upstate, NY. With intense heat my apartment becomes as hot as an oven. A running computer raises the temperature another 10 degrees. The heat also just kind of sapped my creativity. I've been very unmotivated to do much of anything. Therefore, my triumphant return is heralded by Jack Sparrow which was sketched shortly after seeing the movie.

Superman Returns

2006-06-29T12:13:00.001-04:00

I went to a preview screening of Superman Returns on Tues. night with a bunch of friends. I really enjoyed the movie. When it comes to summer popcorn blockbusters it doesn't get much better. The other night I was at my local Barnes & Noble and saw an official Superman Returns magazine. Here are a collection of sketches resulting from a fever pitch of inspiration. I used a lot of photos from it for reference. I think you'll be able to tell which.

Napoleon Dynamite

2006-06-21T15:18:00.002-04:00

This is a sculpture of Napoleon Dynamite I made as an exemplar for a project I did with two of my high school classes. The assignment was to create a sculpture based on any person they chose. It did have to be an actual person. No cartoon characters. The point was that they had to create the sculpture ala someone like Randy Bowen or a conceptual design artist. We started off with finding photo reference and then created a drawing of the full body. Then we laid out wire on top of the drawing to act like a skeleton over which we added wadded up newspaper. The newspaper was kind of like the figure's muscle mass. Over that we added layers of paper mache for skin and clothes. I forgot to mention that before any of the paper was added we created the head, hands, and feet with Sculpey. Slap some paint on and there you have it. The kids had fun making these.
One student made a sculpture of Paul Teutul, Sr. from Orange County Choppers. It so happens that a relative of one of the staff at school works at the O.C.C. garage and arranged a field trip. To make a long story short, the kid brought his sculpture and got it signed by Paul, Sr. Pretty cool huh? I was told that Paul, Sr. was very flattered.

A Parting Slap In the Face

2006-06-12T14:20:00.002-04:00

It's nearing the end of another school year for me and another batch of staff retiring. Within the past year I've become the "go-to guy" for retirement gifts. I've become sort of famous at school for drawing caricatures of the students and lately some of the staff. I draw up a caricature of the victim and put them in a one panel joke.Above, left is my old boss at his retirement party. He's holding his gift. This was the first caricature that I've done that was given as a gift to a retiree. You can see everyone cracking up around him.
To the right is a closeup of the image. As you can see it depicts him playing golf on a student's head.

This year our school was hit hard with the amount of retiring staff. Here they are in the order that I completed them.

First is the school nurse.

Second is my principal.

Last but not least, is the school audiologist.

I am a huge procrastinator. I didn't start drawing them until the last few days. I actually finished the last one just a couple of hours before the party. That last one really held me up because I couldn't think of a gag. I couldn't find inspiration anywhere until one of my high school students gave me the idea for a giant hearing aid toppling over the little kid. Once lightning struck it was off to the races. But I honestly think I work better under pressure.

GEEK ALERT!

2006-06-03T20:52:00.002-04:00

I went to my first big convention over the past Fri. and Sat. with my good buddy, Andy from Ravenswood. He had and extra ticket to get in to the Wizard World Philadelphia convention so I went along. Andy wanted to meet some pros and get his portfolio looked at and I wanted a road trip, see this con, and meet some pros whose work I enjoy.
Stay with me. This will be a little lengthier than usual. I've included many pictures.

Here is a panorama at the entrance. Pretty big, eh?

I bumped into Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. Someone shouted to Beetle, "Hey, you're dead!" I also saw a cool Spiderman and snapped a pic of the manliest Superman I've ever seen.

Left is another garrison of stormtroopers. Check out Gen. Grievous hiding in the background. I don't even remember seeing him there. To the right is a tubby snowtrooper. The Empire must be getting desparate.

Later that night Andy and I went out to dinner at a cool restaurant called Doug & Buster's. To the left is me having a huge glass of Yuengling lager. To the right, Andy appears to be worried.

After dinner Andy went back to the room and I stayed outside to enjoy the view and a smoke. Right outside the hotel was a cool view of the Benjamin Franklin bridge. I asked someone to take a picture of me with the bridge. After that I had to document the girl who helped me out. Thanks to whoever you were. I never did get your name.
I was surprised as hell to see two old small press buddies of mine who I haven't seen in a couple of years. These guys are hitting the indy big-time.
Left is Brent Erwin, publisher of Ape Entertainment and a great guy. Right is artist and scoundrel, Dave Hedgecock. Thanks for the books, Dave. You're the man now, dog!

I got to meet one of my artistic heroes, Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan, Fury, Punisher: Born, Toxin, upcoming, The Boys). Andy met Marvel's EIC, Joe Quesada. Andy said that Joe could've dressed better considering all the money he has. I agree. What you don't see is the cut-off sweatpants Joe's wearing.
From left to right are some artists I saw but didn't get a chance to meet: John Romita, Jr., John Romita, Sr., and one of my favorites, Rags Morales. Rags is one of the most underrated artists working right now. His figure work, gesture drawing, and facial expressions are amazing. I got hooked on his artwork with Hourman and then followed him to Hawkman. Identity Crisis was his swansong.

At the con I also was able to get a book signed by Steve McNiven and shake Mike Deodato, Jr.'s hand. I also met Paulo Rivera who's artwork is just beautiful. I met Alberto Ruiz who's blog is something I visit daily and read his Illustrator tutorials in DRAW! magazine. He's super talented. Speaking of DRAW! I met the editor, Mike Manley, and got one of his sketchbooks.
Did I mention I met Jim Lee? What's his problem?

In closing, I want to leave you with a picture I snapped as we were leaving the convention hall for the last time. Andy and I were riding down an escalator when he pointed out Spiderman sitting on a window ledge. I think this image of Spiderman summarizes my experience at the Philly Con. It was fun going with Andy and walking the isles of the con. I had a blast meeting all the creators and seeing what the dealers had to offer but I was damn tired and ready to head home.

Rob Liefeld getting extreme.

(Stock photo)

p.s. One of my goals for the con was to meet Rob Liefeld. Andy even bought one of his books to get signed. He was scheduled to be there all weekend. He wasn't. What happened, Rob? The way I see it, you owe us both a sketch, Rob.

501st Legion, Garrison Excelsior

2006-05-29T09:25:00.001-04:00

I wish I would've posted these pictures sooner. Last weekend I went with some friends to the Syracuse Comic Book Expo. As far as cons go it was small with a few guests. I did see Marv Wolfman who is famous for writting Teen Titans and Crisis On Infinite Earths. I also met Frank Cammuso who is an editorial cartoonist for the big Syracuse newspaper, The Syracuse Post Standard. It was really nice being able to talk shop with him.

The 501st Legion, Garrison Excelsior was represented at the con. This is an organization of dedicated Star Wars fans who go all out with their costumes. They're really impressive. Especially, Chewbacca. The guy inside the suit was actually walking around on stilts. Also, at the con was this guy. I'm not sure who or what he was supposed to be but he did eat ten tacos for justice. I think he was supposed to be a hero but he looked filthy and homeless. After each taco he ate he cried, "For justice!" I stayed to watch him eat the last taco, which he did. He looked like he was going to barf.