Death Proof

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

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

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

Coffee, Tea, or Me?

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

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

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

Budding Romance

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

Character Designs

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

Chimp!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Arsenal

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

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

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

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.