Robot Petrushka

The art teachers in the Alvin ISD High Schools got together and had a secret Santa exchange this year, with everyone picking a theme ahead of time. I got Meghan Anderson and her theme was Robots (very cool!) I have always wanted to do a petrushka doll set and this seemed like the perfect opportunity, so after doing a few little thumbnails in my sketchbook I primed and painted the wooden dolls with that chrome spray paint. Then I painted on the details with a Pitt Brush pen and then sealed it with Crystal Clear. Now I want to make some more!

Happy Holidays!

Here is this years card, and as a first I'm also going to include the process by popular request. First I did a little blue pencil sketch about 3 inches tall, then did a tighter graphite pencil over the top. Scanned that in and enlarged to 8"x10" and tweaked it a little. Printed that out and then inked on hot press Bristol Board and Pitt Pens. Scanned that in and then did all the color in Photoshop (you'll notice that I even changed a few things on the inked art in Photoshop even at that stage). I'm really in to trying to simulate a watercolor look these days, although I still like to do the real thing.

NYC Placemat

Just got back from NYC (more on that later). Here is a little sketch I made on a placemat at a diner close to our gallery. We were right on the East River and I could see the Chrysler Building peeking over the other buildings from where I was sitting.

Evolve Group Show

On Friday and Saturday I was a part of a group show called Evolve at Winter Street Studios here in Houston. It was mostly a bunch of old friends from the long gone Houston Society of Illustrators. It was great seeing everyone again after so many years, and I even made a little cash to boot. That's Sydney in the lower top photo. All photos by Miss Anne.

Drawing At School

I apologize for the lack of posts, but for those who don't know I just started teaching High School Art so I've been rather über busy. I'm teaching mostly Cartooning and Digital Graphics and Animation. It's amazing that they offer stuff like this for kids now days, they really don't have any idea how lucky they are. Every once in a while I'll sit down with them and draw the same project (hopefully more in the future), and here is a little something I did today. Pencil on paper.

Elephant for Lunch

Sydney had a field trip to the Zoo which called for a little art for the lunch. No bag this time though, it had to be in a clear, zip-lock bag (so they can throw them all in the cooler I guess). So option two is a napkin drawing. I think I was channeling a little Suess on this one.

Sketch Klubb: Houston's hardest crew

Our opening last night was covered by the online arts people at the Houston Chronicle. There's even a video interview with Russell and Rene and a shot of a spread that shows a page of my drawings, pretty cool! Check it out quick!

Random Heads & Stuff 3

Odds and ends from Sketch Klubb. Our show is this Saturday, June 20th at The Joanna. If you are in Houston come by between 7pm and whenever to see what a bunch of weenies we are.

Peter & The Wolf

Another illustration for Stages Repertory Theatre. This production is modernized a little I think (the duck doesn't die in this one). These are always a lot of fun. Inked, scanned then colored in Photoshop.

Days Long Past, No. 21

This is the latest for the DLP sketchbook, drawn while at ComicPalooza (see previous post). This image was found in a stock photo book. Pitt Brush pen and green Copic marker on paper.

ComicPalooza 09

Comicpalooza is the free comic festival held each year here in Houston. I'd never actually been myself because it involves leaving the safety of the "inner loop", but a bud of mine from Scanner Darkly days (Kennon James) asked if I would share a table with him on Artist's Row. Now I've never done something like this before so I didn't know what to expect but it was a lot of fun, and I actually made back my investment too. When I do something like this again I'll be more prepared by having more things to sell. As it was I just put together a couple of Ash Cans to sell. One with monster art and the other with the old photos I like to copy. It was fun just to sit there and draw all day too, but people do have a lot of strange questions.

Stone Soup

Sydney's first grade class put on a production based on the Stone Soup story. I did this quick illustration for the program cover.

Deiselpunk Factory

At least that's what it reminds me of. I especially love the giant analog gauges on the giant wall instrument panel. Can't remember where I found this photo though. Pitt pens and Copic markers on paper.

Two Ladies and a Beach

I haven't been working in my Days Long Past sketchbook lately, trying to remedy that. Pitt pen and watercolor on paper.

ClothesPin-Up

Another weekly challenge at Austin Sketch Squad. Theme: Pinup.

Rabbit Challenge

Weekly challenge at the Austin Sketch Squad blog. Rabbit, bunny, same difference...right?

Lucy & Amelia

A friend commissioned me to make a portrait of her daughters for her husband's birthday. I've never really done that before so I freaked out for a couple of weeks about how I was going to do it, but they were super happy with the results and I am too!

R2-D2

Well it's field trip time again so that means a new paper bag drawing. This time I asked my daughter Sydney (female, age 7), what she wanted on her bag and she said R2-D2. 'Nuff said!

A Picnic At The Park

Here's a fun project I just wrapped up, illustration and design for the annual fundraiser for First Steps Montessori School. It's a picnic themed function being held down at Minute Maid Park in April. I was going for a "Golden Book Vibe" on this one.

Kennon's Collaborative Sketchbook

A bud of mine from "A Scanner Darkly" days started a collaborative sketchbook back in 2006, and I was privileged enough to get a crack at it. The story goes one page at a time in Exquisite Corpse style with each new artist having full reign on what they get to add. Go check out the other participants at Kennon's blog to see the story so far, and also check out his own work while you're there (especially the TMNT work), he's got some awesome stuff!

QFF

This is one of those things that I'm always doing here at work that I'm not supposed to show. I'm not going to name the project or the client, cause last time I did I got "Google Busted" and had to take it down. I was going for a pseudo Dragon Ball kind of look, but I have a hard time escaping my style sometimes. I will say it's for a project to get teens to stop smoking...if that help make a little sense of it.

The Most Important Element

This client wanted an approachable "indie comic" look for the front page of their site. It's an offshoot project from a company that specializes in employment and retention as an extra resource for employees, but with a more fun look than the corporate site. I had to also make the word bubbles and boxes big enough so they could periodically change the copy (so that's why it doesn't fit perfectly). See if you can find my cameo! To check out the live site go to The Most Important Element