The Spa 2

Here's some more hackery.

The Spa 1

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

Here is the final River Otter illustration.

River Otter 3

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

River Otter 2

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

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

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.

Hail to the King, Baby!

Tonight, I dine in HELL!

Evil Rabbit

Can you figure out what's happening here?

Kurt Russell

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

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.