tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46195561056525932552012-02-02T16:30:01.193-08:00Like Mozart, But NotMatthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.comBlogger1941100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-831257316860842792012-01-26T13:01:00.000-08:002012-01-26T13:06:59.951-08:00

Been pretty busy, thought I would post a drawing I have just finished...working on it between all the chaos around here. I don't know what movie this is from, but I am pretty sure it is a still from a movie. I really liked the character of this chap...as well as the mood, lighting, and posture of the entire pose.There is so much to do, and so much I want to do...I feel tired as of late...I hope

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-65564003767128422082012-01-21T19:30:00.000-08:002012-01-21T19:35:31.659-08:00

Here is the latest work in progress. It is based off a photo from 2007 from when I was living out in San Diego with my roomate, fellow artist, and good friend Nick Navatta. I think I am going to change the scale to help out with the relationship and perspective a bit before I start the color...Should be another week or so before I am done, as I have a lot of things going on at the moment.Enjoy!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-52097658733847487582012-01-17T17:25:00.000-08:002012-01-17T17:33:17.738-08:00

Here is what I have been up to as far as regular sketching goes. I really want to create something that is more finished...but I just love sketching like this too much. I get a bit sidetracked with this and just the amount of ideas and things that I want to bring to a finish that I kind of sabotage myself a bit. This orange pen is money...I hope I can find more when this one runs out. Enjoy!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-2307375956776157682012-01-12T17:34:00.000-08:002012-01-12T23:49:00.474-08:00

Alright, so here are some studies of one of the greatest people of all time...Bruce Lee. The bottom, right corner is more of a failed attempt at a portrait. It was a really awkward spot/angle the drawing board was at. It felt like the drawing was in my lap...I guess I need to invest in an easel or a drawing table or something. I will need to redo a portrait of him again at some point. These

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-14848641692139681672012-01-08T17:03:00.003-08:002012-01-08T17:41:39.809-08:00

Top: Sketch samples for a prospective book project.Bottom: Caricatures out of my family photo albums. Well, just trying to mix it up on the bottom one...trying to exaggerate more, and approach things much looser...still not pleased. I really hope that I am picked up for this book project...it is something I would really be interested in doing. The book is a how to draw tutorial on various

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-5494231696062608202011-12-25T06:45:00.000-08:002011-12-25T06:49:42.693-08:00

Here are some Christmas gifts that I made for some people this year. I might be posting a couple more for new year too. Merry Christmas!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-81242540446921984742011-11-30T13:26:00.000-08:002011-11-30T13:28:41.452-08:00

A quick illustration...enjoy!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-73296827467071862522011-11-27T14:59:00.000-08:002011-11-27T15:23:15.418-08:00

I am doing a lot of character sketching inspired by 1920's-1940's style, especially gangsters. Here are some examples, along with some random animals and creatures. Enjoy!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-45653680752866058582011-11-06T20:51:00.000-08:002011-11-06T21:06:17.892-08:00

...that's how I roll. Hello again, back with some more explorations of art. The top drawings are out of my imagination unless otherwise specified in the drawing. The bottom is an exploration using a water brush pen and a good ol', 50 cent, Crayola Marker. The images were from photographs I searched on the web. I am doing some research for a hopeful series of film noir illustrations. I really like

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-58490028649960414722011-10-16T18:33:00.000-07:002011-10-21T15:38:12.002-07:00

The bottom page is a compilation of various artists redrawn in a linear, wire frame style...all the rest are mine.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-73385233595839048922011-10-08T13:18:00.000-07:002011-10-08T13:57:13.400-07:00

Just finished a really awesome project for a spot illustration in a poster advertising an upcoming comedy gig. This was a really great project to work on because I was working in collaboration with another artist (Jeff Pfoser), who actually happens to be a feature comedian at this comedy event coming up on the 15th.Jeff (better known as Pfoser) is a professional graphic designer who works with

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-1705559701233540792011-10-06T14:39:00.000-07:002011-10-06T14:52:17.591-07:00

Here are some samples of doodle sheets that I frequently do before I start any drawing...it is a chance to warm up before a study session, leading to a finishing session. I am still trying to bring the control of my rendering up to par with those illustrators that I really look up to. I feel pretty good about the control I have when it comes to pen renderings, but I still feel a bit clumsy when

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-42269069693346830212011-09-04T16:30:00.000-07:002011-09-04T16:44:15.827-07:00

Alright, so the top is just experimenting with colored pencil over the top of that marker technique showed earlier. The bottom are some isolated studies of J.C. Leyendecker done in colored pencil. I like colored pencil because they are neat, cheap, less toxic, and more portable. They are a bit more tedious to use than paints because once you mess up, there is no going over the top or erasing.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-62030325019446822302011-09-03T14:59:00.000-07:002011-09-04T17:00:04.457-07:00

Alright, so here is a portrait I did of my mom from her wedding day. I have done some other drawings from these photos, as I find them very interesting. The bottom sample of four was made because I do not have the proper lighting and photo equipment, and I was catching some glare from the graphite. The actual value of the drawing is somewhere in between these samples. A pretty

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-16356446956266509742011-09-02T18:54:00.000-07:002011-09-02T18:57:30.381-07:00

Here are some random things...the last image is a bit too dark, and lost some detail. The middle is from reference, and the top is one of about a zillion little practice pages where I just experiment. More to come really soon.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-26062511992522528832011-08-28T08:54:00.000-07:002011-08-28T09:06:23.564-07:00

Here are some drawings that I had done before my summer of caricaturing ended...I really was starting to finally feel free in caricaturing, and content. Although my park drawings were not as exaggerated as these...they were finally starting to move in that direction...the problem is that most people who sit down don't really show their true personalities (or they don't have

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-37400640410774476132011-08-12T15:51:00.000-07:002011-08-12T15:55:18.863-07:00

Just some practice away from the park.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-87176123475626850292011-07-20T19:42:00.000-07:002011-07-20T19:48:02.538-07:00

I managed to do a couple of drawings in the 100-120 degree heat index weather we have had for the last week. It was very awful, but now, it is just a memory.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-56532014791097388602011-07-13T20:35:00.000-07:002011-07-14T06:07:47.631-07:00

So here are some caricatures of some of the staff out at Valleyfair and also a sheet of random faces. I hope to do the rest of the staff before the summer is out, but my airbrush is pretty jammed up at the moment. A couple of these were done in pencil, but the majority were done with a black Crayola Marker and a 30% grey scale marker and then airbrushed over the top. I should also note that, on

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-25717708855316077582011-06-19T12:53:00.000-07:002011-06-19T12:55:22.107-07:00

Some I like, some I don't...Enjoy!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-59774986683042082072011-06-11T12:07:00.000-07:002011-06-11T12:11:46.810-07:00

Here is a sheet of some sketched out celebrity samples. I don't know if I am going to fill the spaces any further or not...just trying to explore a bit.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-57314346361999980682011-05-30T22:01:00.000-07:002011-05-30T22:08:52.413-07:00

Alright, so it has been a little while since I have posted...been having more regular work again, so I am a little unbalanced when it comes to posts. Anyway...here are more of my favorite types of studies. I just watched a bunch of concept artists drawing tutorials, so I am really inspired to draw...but I am also really inspired to watch more concept artists. I hope to do some in-depth designs

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-56438772817046447872011-05-10T22:12:00.000-07:002011-05-11T09:43:57.013-07:00

Alright, so this one got a little carried away with the details, but I feel it was essential to at least indicate some of the intricacies. I am pretty happy with the piece, accept for the guy on the end (right side)...his face is a bit off in the likeness, but the expression is there and I know what would need to be changed, so I am at peace with it.I kind of want to switch to a more traditional

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-357647003538471002011-05-07T22:34:00.000-07:002011-05-07T22:38:07.907-07:00

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-24143523765543117092011-05-06T07:13:00.000-07:002011-05-06T07:20:59.449-07:00

Here are some core shadow mapping exercise doodles. These studies are from photos, imagination, life, and various artists such as Vallejo and Vanderpoel. I ended up losing some of the halftones in the photoshop clean up, but you get the just of it.Enjoy!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-48592301002462301622011-04-24T22:44:00.000-07:002011-05-11T09:46:51.897-07:00

Well, here is the second illustration in the series. The guy on the right is the head of the mob gang named Eddie Arkadian. He owns an arcade on the side. And the goon on the left is named, "Rock," or, "The Rock," or, "The Great White Hopeless." He received this nickname from a failed career as a heavyweight boxer. Rock is played by actor Mike Starr, who is notoriously pigeon-holed as playing

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-60998880157799140552011-03-20T13:07:00.000-07:002011-05-11T09:47:37.778-07:00

...SHO'NUFFThis is the first parody of a series I am working on from the movie, "The Last Dragon."This movie was definitely a staple of my childhood experience, and I am always interested to ask people if they have seen it. If so, they will usually quote a line (as there are many) from this memorable character, Sho'Nuff, played by Julius Carry.Although the movie seemed to be a failed marketing

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-76716773400163110262011-03-10T11:52:00.000-08:002011-05-11T09:49:02.659-07:00

This is a painting of a sketch that I had done earlier. I just wanted to see how it would look in a more painterly style. This style takes much more time to do...in fact, I may consider just doing it in regular, traditional paint (eventually). I don't know which would be more efficient in the end...I suppose I just need to do more of them to figure it out for myself.The only thing I don't really

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-63869322398789145042011-02-28T22:02:00.000-08:002011-05-11T09:49:52.608-07:00

So here is a personal project I did for our annual St. Patrick's Day party. Originally, I had wanted to do a cartoon of Otis, but my dad was the one doing the graphic design and mailing of the invitations, and he needed something sooner, and I didn't want to just crap out a drawing from any of the sketches that I did, because I am not totally set on any of them. I take personal projects like

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-37945870030715790782011-02-25T17:55:00.000-08:002011-05-11T09:50:51.242-07:00

Here are some more studies of Otis. His birthday is either close to, or the exact date of St. Patrick's Day. My family usually does a card for St. Patrick's, and I usually do an illustration. None of these studies will be used for the card...I will be posting that soon. The bottom drawing is a 3 hour warm up...his head was turning out very wobbly and ill proportioned, so I stopped. I still like

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-42511477356638995912011-02-24T17:39:00.000-08:002011-05-11T09:52:24.615-07:00

So this is a quick drawing of myself when I was young. I did this in 2009, and I can definitely see some errors in proportions. However, I am most dissatisfied with the way my left eye turned out. I should say too, when using conte, you end up running into bits of rocks and grog in the clay, and they leave deep grooved lines that cannot erase. You can see these going diagonally across my

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-19466739220484669042011-02-23T19:25:00.000-08:002011-05-11T09:53:07.579-07:00

I apologize in advance if I have posted any of these drawings. This is a study done in 2009 of my parents from their wedding album. The fashion and style is so dated and interesting to me, as well as the fact that my parents look so young. This is done in charcoal and white pastel on 18X24 newsprint.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-47919109562388604782011-02-22T15:38:00.000-08:002011-05-11T09:53:57.344-07:00

These two drawings are under 2 hours. The first is a drapery study done in about 20-60 minutes. The second drawing is another 2 hour drawing from open drawing at Studio 2nd Street. These were done in 2009.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-31898751483694855532011-02-21T17:19:00.000-08:002011-05-11T09:54:27.062-07:00

This is another 2-3 hour charcoal drawing on 18X24 newsprint. I really wish I was faster, as I liked how this one was turning out. Her right shoulder is a bit out of perspective, but I am fairly happy with the face and hands, which was and is always my goal for live drawing from a model.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-86582300488826972152011-02-20T16:38:00.000-08:002011-05-11T09:55:08.878-07:00

Here is another 2-3 hour charcoal on newsprint...18X24" This is one of my former roommates, Taylor Smith...you can view his art in my inspiration column.We (Taylor, Antwan Ramar, and I) all worked at Lego Land doing caricatures, and we all biked there since none of us brought a car while we lived out in California. I really enjoyed biking along the beach when there was no rush. However, I really

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-43707129205266444042011-02-19T12:31:00.000-08:002011-05-11T09:55:38.261-07:00

2-3 hour life drawing. Charcoal on newsprint...2009.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-55411754306452604892011-02-18T16:40:00.000-08:002011-02-18T16:47:57.785-08:00

So, I finally broke down and bought a new tripod after my last one was busted. I have a bunch of newsprint drawings both new and old that I am going to be posting. I hope to post one a day for the next week or so, unless I forget or something. These are a couple of recent studies from a month ago done in black prisma color pencils on newsprint. I took about 2-3 hours per drawing. My goal

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-40944407668045269422011-02-13T00:03:00.000-08:002011-02-13T00:09:50.891-08:00

So here is yet another drawing of my favorite model...I am going for a looser look in the paints. I may end up coloring the other two designs. I like them all, and the photographer did a great job.Enjoy!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-57402314697303061122011-02-07T20:12:00.000-08:002011-02-07T20:24:57.896-08:00

What's up? Well, here are some digital works, drawn in traditional pen and ink, scanned, and then painted in photoshop. The first drawing is a preliminary sample for a potential client that ended up going nowhere when she told me that she would pay me $35 per each page for her book about her dog. I may be desperate, but not that desperate...furthermore, I did this part for free. The second

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-59160086708385747472011-01-26T14:46:00.000-08:002011-01-26T14:53:10.764-08:00

Alright, so I did this while watching "Hoffa." It was an alright movie...Jack Nicholson was my main motivation for seeing it. I really like the genre of Film Noir. My favorite movies of that genre are probably Chinatown and Blade Runner. I haven't gotten into any of the old melodrama Film Noir. These drawings were loosely inspired by my idea of those time. I hope to do more of these, and

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-60803360908018753732011-01-01T15:07:00.001-08:002011-01-01T21:39:04.171-08:00

So here are some more studies of my brother's dog, Otis. Some of these are revised studies from my previous drawings of Otis, but many are new versions. While I like many of these versions as drawings on their own...there are only about 2 or 3 that I really think resemble Otis. These are really fun to do, and a great exercise to develop as an artist.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-10443038421947546852010-12-25T08:56:00.000-08:002011-02-06T15:55:24.205-08:00

Alright...so I will start of by saying something I should have a while ago. The references I used for these drawings were photos by another professional photographer...unfortunately, I don't know their name, otherwise I would give them credit and a link to their work, as they did a really great job. Having said that, these drawings are mainly intended as exercises in my growth as an artist, with

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-74835224677320215422010-12-24T10:03:00.000-08:002010-12-24T11:13:54.386-08:00

So this is a redo of a caricature of a friend I have from college. I used to draw caricatures for people who lived on my dorm floor for their birthdays or significant others, and for Paige, I kept the tradition alive until about 2006/2007. She had recently posted one of the caricatures I had done in 2007 on her face book, and I was pretty ashamed of it. It must have been one of those things where

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-40934059840839155742010-12-21T21:07:00.000-08:002010-12-21T21:19:41.266-08:00

Alright, so here is the caricature version of the Elektrodolls. I had a lot of fun working on this...it was quite a challenge for me, but nothing I couldn't handle. The above drawings are just a few of the many studies I did to try and gain the feel of what I am going for. I am still not quite there, but I am really quite happy with the result. I wanted the feel to be a mixture of humor,

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-54545905005822305652010-12-19T18:14:00.000-08:002010-12-19T18:28:51.952-08:00

Here's a little stocking stuffer for the art blog. This is my brother's dog, Otis. This weekend was a rare occasion where me, my brother, and my parents were all united again as my brother was playing in the Alumni Tournament at Shakopee High School. Although it will never be the same as it used to be, it was still good to be together again, and will probably become rarer and rarer as we age.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-70531570680332006002010-11-26T09:16:00.000-08:002010-11-27T12:45:30.070-08:00

Happy Birthday to Andrea Salinas! Today is her 26th, and Golden Birthday. Here is a picture of her with her hooping buddies...together, they are the Elektrodolls! They posses the powers of hypnotic hooping. Andrea is the founder of Elektrodolls, and also of Hula Hula Workshop. She and her group perform in venues all across Ecuador. She is a Hula Teacher, and Hula Aerobics Instructor too.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-18930614745131634062010-10-11T16:11:00.000-07:002010-10-11T16:16:34.834-07:00

So, I did another of the abstractions...my airbrush skills are a bit shakey...and the brush itself is kinda jacked up...so this one isn't as polished...but still sellable. If I ever have a better studio setup, I would like to try this with more opaque paint, rather than water based. There are many possibilities to explore.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-14363205334465116362010-10-05T18:44:00.000-07:002011-01-10T17:15:03.766-08:00

Well I'll be...if it isn't Georgia O'Qweef herself. So, I have done these paintings before...and from the long days this summer doing caricatures, I made some more (or was making some before customers came). These were inspired by an artist named Justin Moberg (I hope I am spelling his name correctly). I saw his airbrushed paintings in college and was really amazed by them. So, I decided to try

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-52090514923563303702010-09-28T17:14:00.000-07:002010-09-28T17:19:10.455-07:00

Here are some more sketches of me and my parents from memory. I ended up deciding to bring this one of my mom to full color. I think this style works...I would like to experiment with some water colors.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-88356613466936047962010-09-14T19:59:00.000-07:002010-09-14T20:10:49.719-07:00

Alright...so here are my latest subjects. This is my cousin Joe and his girlfriend who I have not met yet. It was hard to judge how to caricature her from this one flash photo taken in a bar...and also not having met her, but I enjoy a challenge I guess.I used a bic pen for the linear layin, plus a micron for any larger areas of black. Then I scanned and photo copied the drawing. Next I added

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-68996051258319440792010-09-07T12:32:00.001-07:002010-09-23T08:50:02.962-07:00

Alright...so here we have, Mr. Bean...Ice T...and my self. These were all done this summer with what little energy I had at my job of 10 years at Valleyfair. The season is now down to just weekends. I don't really like that Mr. Bean anymore, but I would like to redraw him. Rowan Atkinson has a great face...and I think I would like to explore a more exaggerated expression of his. The Ice T is

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-89763589628888934322010-09-02T16:49:00.000-07:002010-09-02T20:15:46.996-07:00

Well...this is try #2 for this pose...and guess what...it is almost exactly the same as the first try (sigh). It is a bit of a 3-point perspective, but even so...the head is too big. The hoop...still too wobbly.On the plus side...at least I am consistently solid in the academic sense of drawing a convicing figure/portrait...but my eye still becomes lazy at times...even taking frequent breaks

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-11693524065245539772010-08-04T22:44:00.000-07:002010-08-07T07:00:20.562-07:00

Enjoy

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-81987069365254052332010-07-09T20:42:00.000-07:002010-07-09T20:47:12.896-07:00

...kerplooey.Well, it appears as though I just can't get enough of plain old red pen and pencil drawings...yeeehaawww!!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-58888951511561790662010-06-24T22:13:00.000-07:002010-06-24T22:21:58.551-07:00

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-46008657616989245972010-06-22T19:40:00.000-07:002010-06-22T20:11:01.129-07:00

Some caricature studies...the second from the bottom is a quick one of me from memory...the rest are celebs from photos

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-65981889528765505232010-06-17T16:36:00.000-07:002010-06-17T16:39:14.952-07:00

So this is the last of all 8 of my cousins to finally graduate from high school...I officially feel really old. This is for his grad party. Congrats Wilson!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-49555030148849257862010-06-14T21:54:00.000-07:002010-06-14T21:56:46.966-07:00

Little sketch I did...not sure if this is going to be the final background.Enjoy!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-20186819308557685212010-06-11T13:43:00.000-07:002010-06-11T13:50:14.753-07:00

Alright...so this is one that I had done a rough sketch of a while back...I have had it at this stage for a while...but am still wondering where I want to take the narrative. I am kind of working in reverse order...which is my favorite way to create.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-62877131543124130762010-05-19T21:28:00.000-07:002010-05-25T20:59:27.229-07:00

Here is a project that I was working on a couple months ago for a company called Urban Threads. They are an embroidery company who house a bunch of illustrators who make vector illustrations that are later translated into stiched patterns. I worked with an in-house illustrator who ended up taking the first design of the six samples you see on the bottom, and digitizing it in illustrator to the

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-18565677418394868742010-05-14T08:01:00.001-07:002010-05-14T08:02:17.945-07:00

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-53570099285696680902010-05-07T19:24:00.000-07:002010-05-07T19:39:56.000-07:00

Alright...so the top page is more studies of Labyrinth, and then the rest are self explanatory. I draw heads a lot...and I like to keep the hair off until the end. I believe if you can draw a strong design without the hair, then the design of the hair will accentuate that well. I am trying to use more reference photos, as it is clear that my approach is at a stand-still. That is the best

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-42965369053090600202010-05-03T17:20:00.001-07:002011-05-11T10:06:00.227-07:00

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-80631330818632872502010-04-29T08:46:00.000-07:002010-04-29T08:55:27.169-07:00

Same technique as the previous post. I am using a Col-Erase colored pencil and a red Bic pen. I think it looks a bit stronger when it is done completely in pen, but I also like this...mainly because the large, even tones (such as her jacket) are much easier to achieve.There is a large empty space in the upper left side...I might go in and put some text or something to give more balance...I

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-57553309584358391382010-04-28T11:23:00.000-07:002010-04-28T11:33:39.499-07:00

This is a redraw I did of a talented artist/co-worker pal by the name of Casey. The first drawing I did was live at the park, after a slew of descent park drawings. I always freeze up when I draw people I know live...I freakin' hate that. Anyway, the drawing turned out horrible...I mean really horrible. What's even worse is that she went to be drawn by Tom Richmond probably 5 minutes after

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-22840480997837398072010-04-21T12:47:00.000-07:002010-04-21T12:50:03.686-07:00

I've lost my only friend, that's what I've done. ~Hoggle

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-39980063234761941852010-04-18T19:03:00.000-07:002010-04-18T19:26:26.406-07:00

Alright...so it has been a while since I have done a self portrait. This one took about 3 hours, so fairly quickly. I used the same technique, starting with vine, smearing it out, redrawing it in Derwent Charcoal Pencil (dark), smearing it, and then I used a Wolfcarbon 4B for the finishing touches this time (instead of conte). Before the finishing stages, I went back in with a kneaded eraser to

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-69383158375474742782010-04-15T10:48:00.000-07:002010-04-15T11:04:15.261-07:00

Dear Diary...Alright, so, I give this a 7 out of 10. Q: Why such an easy going score? A: I challenged myself.I like the challenge, but I think the positions of the hands became a bit skewed, and that is why the hoop looks a bit deformed yet again. One of these days, I am going to get it. I actually stayed pretty true to the distorted nature of the photo, which is what I liked...and I actually

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-73808831911675847422010-04-03T21:06:00.000-07:002010-04-04T07:07:37.366-07:00

Here is a piece I did for easter. It is very inspired by a painting of one of my favorite illustrators ever, J.C. Leyendecker (top image). My initial sketch looked more like a deer with rabbit ears (middle image), so I tried again and came up with the design you see here (bottom image). I was going to add more texture to the fur, but once I started to put down the strokes...I realized that would

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-23115770377091305952010-03-16T08:49:00.000-07:002010-03-16T08:53:24.133-07:00

Some color practice. Did this while watching the Tina Turner story on VH1.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-15710569800319080322010-03-09T21:09:00.000-08:002010-03-09T21:22:34.599-08:00

Hands and, my favorite...edge work. The first page is a bunch of studies of Milt Kahl from Disney's "Sword in the Stone." The rest is just me trying to figure out hands from my own. It is cool how much studying animation teaches you about anatomy...even more so than realism. Probably because realism is all about slight and subtle indication...where cartoon is a heightened exaggeration of that

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-47625041940970545222010-02-19T22:45:00.000-08:002010-02-19T23:00:40.150-08:00

Alright...so this is something that I was working on for our annual St. Patty's Day party that is hosted at my partents house...there have been invitations for each year. This is the second invitation that I have done...since I have no freelance at all. The final illustration is pretty sellable, but I like my initial sketches more (as usual). As it turns out...even my parents had requests to

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-39445177515082948492010-02-13T22:34:00.000-08:002010-02-13T22:43:13.718-08:00

Well...here are some conceptual stages leading to a finished work.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-9151085277287566962010-02-11T21:59:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:11:53.189-08:00

Some things in the works...lots of editing still needed. It is hard for me to finish things after this stage. As an artist, sketching represents much more insight than a finished piece does...so I am always interested in looking at other artist creations.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-49284113912770726722010-02-06T16:21:00.000-08:002010-02-06T16:40:51.172-08:00

Yet another sketch of the hoop master herself. I had actually finished this a while ago, but forgot to post it. I was also hesitant to do so, as the elipse of her hoop is done pretty poorly...but then I got over myself and posted anyway.I think if you can draw an elipse, a perfect circle, a strait line, and perfect "S" curves, you can pretty much draw anything. For me, the elipse and the

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-66130337384980306462010-01-12T16:36:00.000-08:002010-01-12T16:52:19.960-08:00

I saw the movie Avatar in 3D the other day...it was a pretty cool movie, very well imagined. I have been really inspired by a couple of futurists lately...namely Syd Mead and John Berkey. There is something inside of me that wonders about the field of industrial design still. It has been a while since I have done that sort of stuff, and I remember that I entered that field because of artists

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-73710495387612816732009-12-28T08:06:00.000-08:002009-12-29T09:59:40.854-08:00

Here are some tattoo redesigns. I had originally posted the rough version of this somewhere on this site. I decided to work on it some more. These are more polished, but still not complete.I like tattoos!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-85403341176984462852009-12-26T08:03:00.000-08:002009-12-26T08:16:24.452-08:00

Here is a gift I did for a friend for his girlfriend. There were more photos, but I ended up going with this one in the end. She likes ice cream, history and Jane Austen. She is German, and has a male Beta fish called "Orchy"...at least I think that's right. I like the simplicity of this style...but I think its time to change it up a bit and get more involved with the detail. I made a

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-62474523735424549222009-12-24T14:28:00.000-08:002009-12-24T14:32:11.628-08:00

Merry Christmas Movie House

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-25925893924978937382009-12-16T20:32:00.000-08:002009-12-16T20:34:08.412-08:00

And a beer...iiin a tree.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-65797870300321017672009-12-03T08:03:00.000-08:002009-12-03T08:10:30.771-08:00

More of the studies...this time with hands...some flowers too. It seems as though everything can be made into simple platonic forms...then secondary forms are added later, then tertiary, then texture and effects. Just a way of fun approach.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-55603141440923950862009-12-02T10:46:00.000-08:002009-12-03T15:39:00.548-08:00

Some more studies...been drawing a bunch of bunnies lately...enjoy!

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-48521178660183039512009-12-01T09:43:00.000-08:002009-12-01T09:45:13.780-08:00

Just messing around.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-63564302281639316392009-11-28T16:44:00.000-08:002009-11-28T16:45:58.722-08:00

For a recent B-day.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-37076567519178656972009-11-20T21:36:00.000-08:002009-11-20T21:43:07.696-08:00

These were done way back in the day (2002-2003). I saw an artist who used a similar technique and thought it was interesting, so I gave it a try. These are 11x17, prisma color pencils on black matte board. I can't believe how much bigger I used to draw everything, although at the time I considered 11x17 to be small. Later on in college I realized that if I worked small, I would still figure

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-14800941148589679772009-11-18T15:22:00.000-08:002009-11-18T15:28:52.568-08:00

So here are some more ideations for a couple of BBQ sauce lables...I looked at it as another opportunity to draw my favorite subject...women. Enjoy

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-47659031068401042962009-11-14T13:09:00.000-08:002009-11-14T13:17:38.448-08:00

Here is some progress of a piece I am messing with. It is a little off balance yet, perhaps another bird would help. Fun times. I found out today that I am 27...then my brother reminded me that I am actually 28...I can't believe that. Time is going by too fast.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-5893777434810675122009-11-12T17:49:00.000-08:002009-11-12T18:04:39.751-08:00

Here are some attempts at my drawing instructors and founders of Studio 2nd Street Ron and Vanessa Lemen. Still not really happy with them...sometimes my characture turns into more of a beasticature...this has happened many times before...especially when working form memory like these. Sometimes I just go with it, but sometimes I don't. These sketches were done sometime before I was overcome

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-58398924699649170352009-11-11T08:02:00.000-08:002009-11-11T08:06:43.550-08:00

This is a work in progress, still feels a little empty, but I am happy with it so far. Not sure what I am going to do with it in order to finish it...a back drop perhaps, maybe some colors? We'll see.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-5492873313485354322009-11-09T20:37:00.000-08:002009-11-09T20:42:08.845-08:00

Taking another break from my "old sketches" stint. This was one of a bunch of studies done to prepare for a finished illustration for a bbq logo design. The other designs were based off of a Marilyn Monroe, and a J-Lo looking character. The client wanted a way simpler style in the end...something I am not really used to doing...but it was an interesting challenge, and I managed to compromise.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-50125489496070275482009-11-07T06:42:00.000-08:002009-11-07T06:55:34.484-08:00

This was an experiment with colored pencils in a monochrome fashion. The chick with the dark hair has small body syndrome, but oh well. I did this in the middle of a spontanious coke party...and I don't mean the classic kind. Considering that I am as strait-edge as possible...I felt pretty out of place...so I turned to my sketchbook. I guess I need to be more open to people despite our

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-5364290384438795562009-11-06T14:08:00.000-08:002009-11-06T14:19:15.290-08:00

This was a sketch done at a cafe called the E Street Cafe...less than a block away from the school I went to in California (Studio 2nd Street). Every once and a while, there would be a live musical performance...and one night, a bunch of us went there to draw and listen. The atmosphere was chill, and these guys were pretty descent, although they were not really my kind of music, and I have a

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-61570319918121567332009-11-05T11:37:00.000-08:002009-11-05T11:39:03.967-08:00

These are a selection of figures done in 2007, influenced by various pinup artists.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-21646633365365065382009-11-04T07:23:00.000-08:002009-11-04T07:32:18.808-08:00

Damn...2007 must have been a soul-searching year or something...wish I had that energy still :DThese are yet another page of studies. I think they were influenced by artist Joe Bluhm. After looking at his art, I always ask myself if I am exaggerating enough...the answer is always no. Nothing wrong with that, just how I like to interpret things. But I still admire an artist who can do that...

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-80231332923586975302009-11-03T08:54:00.000-08:002009-11-03T09:00:59.363-08:00

So here is a bowl of vegetables I prepared yesterday, and was about to eat...'till I noticed something odd about them...do you see?

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-37856079719609940552009-11-02T03:43:00.000-08:002009-11-02T03:50:23.058-08:00

Taking a break for a second from the "Blast from the Past" series...here are some studies...took about 3 hours each. The face on the top left is about the size of a nickle...so it lost a little likeness there.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-29000118849461581642009-10-30T11:51:00.000-07:002009-10-30T12:01:44.427-07:00

Alright so here are a selection of drawings from the open life drawing sessions in San Diego 2007. Pretty straight forward...5-10 minute poses, later finished from memory and imagination. I have already posted most, if not all of these...but at the time I had digitized these drawings, the only thing I had was a camera...now that I have a scanner I decided to create a clearer representation.

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-78944887988327776172009-10-29T07:12:00.000-07:002009-10-29T07:14:31.272-07:00

More studies from my parents' wedding photos

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-49898384793510876302009-10-28T09:48:00.000-07:002009-10-28T09:49:06.467-07:00

Here are some sketches from the summer of 2007

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619556105652593255.post-84190900590439660902009-10-27T12:19:00.000-07:002009-10-27T12:40:41.259-07:00

Alright...I think this is late 2007. I am not sure, but I kind of remember being originally inspired by Blade Runner while doing this page...and then it just turned into another imaginative figure study. I like to watch movies while I draw...or I guess listen would be a better word (occasionally I will glance up and watch). Its really weird how fast time goes when you draw. I like to use

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983558928955876068noreply@blogger.com0