Tattoos two...

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!

Dear Diary...

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 concious effort a while back to simplify things down as much as I could, to see the overall design. There is still much to be done in that regard...but I feel like I can start some secondary designing (with in the overall design).

I like thoughts :)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Movie House

3 Humming birds...

And a beer...iiin a tree.

Stuff

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.

Bunnies and Bodies

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

Practice

Just messing around.

B-day

For a recent B-day.

College Times

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 out many problems in my work, but the montra of the fine art department was always "bigger is better" But we now know that it isn't the size of the boat, but the motion in the ocean right... ...right!?

Baby back, baby back, baby back...

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

humming bird progress

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.

Some more old stuff...

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 with a mysterious medical condition. Still don't know what's wrong...it's almost been a year now...crazy how time goes. Doctors have ruled out pretty much every major thing (heart, lungs, nervous system)...everything is normal, yet I still feel messed with. I haven't been able to laugh without feeling like I was going to pass out for such a long time.

Needless to say, I didn't finish the drawings...so I figured that I would post them anyway in their unfinished state. Its just one of those things where you leave a drawing and situation so long you lose some of the feeling of it that drives you through...I hope I can remember that again someday and finish these off.

More humming birds and flowers...

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.

Elvuuuuus!

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.

Chicks in Bikinis

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 differences. Later on that night, our cat got into a bit of it...I slept in the living room, but that night...I didn't sleep at all because the cat was bouncing off the walls. Good times though...good times.

Nightmare on E Street

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 hard time recalling what they sounded like. There really isn't anything like that where I am living now...you have to go into the cities. None the less, it was a fun challenge to try and draw them while they were performing.

2007

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

More from 2007

Damn...2007 must have been a soul-searching year or something...wish I had that energy still :D

These 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...especially live. As Crispin Glover's charcter George Mcfly would say, "I'm affraid I'm just not very good at...confrontations."

2007 flashback...and a recent event

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?

More Pen Studies...

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.

Digitally Remastered

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.

Enjoy!

2007

More studies from my parents' wedding photos

Sketchez

Here are some sketches from the summer of 2007

He Say You Braid Runner...

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 music and movies as a time gauge...kind of like the movie Hudson Hawk. For really complex projects, my favorite thing to do is play a trilogy, or a series. Star Wars, Lord of the Ring, Matrix...

If I know that I am going to be drawing all day...I will play the entire series of Nightmare On Elme Street (except part 2...haha), Friday the 13th, Jaws, or anything else I can find. I really like movies from my childhood. Eighties movies are a big staple in my selections. There is something about that decade that was so horribly awesome...it was like pop culture had exploded and the market was open to any idea, no matter how vulgar or campy...and movies were no exception. Hulk Hogan ice cream bars...need I say more?

Layin Studies 2008

These were poses out of an artistic nude book...the goal was speed...it still ended up taking me 15-30 minutes on each, but I like the result.

Lego Madness 2008

Drawing Night 2009

This was from another drawing night at studio 2nd street...good times.

Good Times

Alright, so the bottom is a study from one of my all-time favorite illustrators, J.C. Lyendecker. It was done right before New Year...which is why I chose to draw a baby (one of his trademarks was his "New Year babies"). I tried to be as painterly as I could with the strokes...concentrating on economy and efficiency. It seemed to go pretty smoothly, and I really felt as though I had connected with something in the style and approach...then again, it could just be because I didn't have to imagine any of his incredible design work...it was all laid out there.

The top one was done in 2009 at my friend, Justin Fox's house...a really down to earth artist. The dogs were inspired by his dogs...mainly Bella, although the other dog was much more of a character...can't remember his name...want to say Barney??? Anyway...these were some people that were there. I had more drawings of this event, but they are lost somewhere. I will have to post them once I find them. Enjoy!

Dr. Zeus Dr. Zeus

Amadeus...my second favorite movie, with Cinema Paradiso as the first. These were done in 2008 at an attempt to better understand composition and storyboarding. It ended up being just me drawing the still as fast as I could. These took about 15 minutes a piece. Done in ball point and a dried out crayola marker. This was one of about 4 pages I did.

It was no surprise how many awards this movie won back then. You have excellent story, acting, environment, and a soundtrack by Mozart. Each frame of this movie could be an illustration on its own, so finding interesting screenshots to draw was easy and enjoyable.

Paris Studies

This was done in the summer of 2007...near the end of the Paris Hilton fad...thank god. Almost everybody was drawing her because she was in every single magazine pulling various publicity stunts. These are actually flattering drawings compared to most artist interpretations.