Rockahoney

So, I'm getting an illustration put together to be considered for a group show. No guarantee that my piece will be put in, but I'm doing my best on this one.

I have been wanting to do this concept for over a year, and I finally have opportunity to do it. I was going for a tribute/parody to Mucha's Job Cigarette lady (look it up) with a rockabilly character. Obviously, I didn't really have a good grasp on the rockabilly look in the first sketch. Also, it's a girl.

I've really got the look down in the second one and I still really like it, but the composition and pose are too closely related to the reference image.

So, I went back to Mucha's original compositin and changed the girl to a dude. What? Rockabilly guys are hot. I love the way he looks and the smoke is pretty awesome too. If frustration has a visual look to it, I'm pretty sure it's his leg.

Traced the sketch and transferred it to illustration board to be inked and painted. I added in some other elements, like his tattoos. He's got lips on his neck, lucky 7 and flaming dice and a snake with a rose on his left arm, the king's crown on his right hand, the nautical star on his right wrist, a rockabilly heart and scroll and a pentagram on the right arm. I might add another one on his chest...

The borders are swallows with scrolls that lead into 8 balls. As in, you know, billiards.

I'm excited; I hope this turns out well!

I also hope you have a fun and relaxing holiday. Cheers!

Illustration Friday - Rambunctious

Note for my own benefit: as memory often gets the better of me, I just want to remind myself that I did do an illustration for last week's prompt ("similar"), but it came out so hideous that I deleted the entry.

Here's this week's IF: rambunctious.

I immediately thought of 2 things: small children and puppies. I love both. Kids often try my patience, but I love working with them; they're not afraid of anything.

So, here's a small child.

Take care.

Illustration Friday - Balloon

I gotta be honest with you, kids...I didn't have any good ideas for this prompt. So, I just drew a picture of a balloon. Cool kids will know the reference. Potentially cool kids will should know it's a Led Zeppelin reference.

Take care.

Le lys vert

3 illustrations based on mid-Victorian illustration, NOT PAINTINGS. Jesus. There's more to life than paintings, believe it or not.

Pen and ink. 6 hours each.

Sorry, didn't mean to yell.

Take care.

Illustration Friday - Opinion

I wouldn't say that this is my opinion in its strictest form, not by a long shot; I love all types of music, but I am definitely always in the mood for something loud and heavy.

RUN TO THE HILLS! RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIIIIIVES!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Take care.

UP THE IRONS!

Illustration Friday - Pretend

Pretend the floor is made of lava...

Take care.

Adventures in watercolor...

World's Most Boring Assignment: take pictures of people working or in uniforms and paint them. It's a good exercise, no doubt, but if we were just exploring the possibilities of watercolor, I think I would have preferred a still life or something. The paintings were supplemented by colored pencil (watercolor and colored pencils are one of my favorite ways to work).

I do like the fencing one though (and you may be able to tell that I spent the most time on it); the figures look great. I tried to give it a little bit of color by making the shadows blue.


An illustration for a children's book that I'm putting together. This assignment allowed for more freedom; notice that the bushes, her hair, her jacket, etc. are not a single color. It's fun! I'm starting to get the hang of it.

For some real awesome watercolors, check out Mr. JT's blog (to the right).

Take care.

Illustration Friday - Wise

Did someone take the keys? Why in the middle of the night? Who has what it takes?

My tribute to Edward Gorey.

I tried my best to make this visually interesting, since I felt the concept was kind of abstract/weak. Besides, everyone else was drawing owls and I wanted mine to be a little bit different.

Take care.

Illustration Friay - Vacant

Well, when my friend announced to our class that this week's topic was "vacant," she failed to enunciate the "t," and our teacher thought she said "bacon." I didn't want to lose the idea of bacon, since I thought it was so funny. So, I did my best to convey "vacant bacon."

SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME BONUS ILLUSTRATION:


When I think of "vacant" sans bacon, I think of Johnny Rotten's strange gaze, so I did a picture of that as well. Don't get used to it.

Take care.

Illustration Friday - Repair

My illustration for illustrationfriday.com This week's theme is "repair."

Original character.

Take care.

Kali-Ma Comic

Just a little comic.

About my LIFE.

Take care.

GO AMERICA!

Thanks for the economic crisis, America! I didn't want to make money or anything. That'd make me a sell out.

Watercolor and pencils on illustration board.

Take care.

EDIT: My teacher hated this and told me to do it over.

Robits 101

I maded some robits! :D Our teacher asked us to design 2 robots and we had to show a cultural influence. I'll let you figure out wear these robits come from.

Hopefully, I can get some more hand drawn stuff up here. My children's book illustrations are looking pretty good (in my opinion), so maybe I'll get that up here next.

Take care.

Loteria designs

Our next communication studio project is to redesign the famous loteria cards. This is a game similar to bingo; there are no numbers or letters, though. It's these iconic images.

Loteria Cards

We (the class) picked numbers at random and I picked 3, 7, and 42. The Lady, the Ladder, and The Skull.



I think this was the most difficult: making a ladder interesting. I tried to think out of the box a bit by making a diagram, a pool ladder, and a depiction of the wrestling maneuver.




The Lady was a lot of fun. The first 2 have to do with the female body. The last one is a cross dresser/drag queen.





The skulls were fun too. The top ones kind of play with the idea of skulls making faces or having expressions and personalities. The second one is a skull influenced by a lot of music, mainly psychobilly and punk.

Take care.

More of the circus story...

Some delving into storyboards, as per the teacher's command. Um...these are fun to do, in that I have to think very quickly and efficiently. How can I communicate my story in so few frames? Hopefully, you get the gist of what's going on. There is a sequence of events, but there isn't really a story.

Take care.

If I may be so self-centered...

This is a bookmark my friend made. It's a picture of her (Adriana, left), me (center), and her boy Jon (right) doing the doubled-handed-death-metal-claw. I love it so much! I feel really special when she draws me; like she's thinking of me some times. I love her and Jon; they're good people. It makes me feel loved. Besides, she makes my big 80s hair metal hair seem really cool!

Take care.

The Forest Girl: Before and After

So, here's the painting. One up top is the first incarnation, which received some criticism (obviously...I mean, I go to art school...it's kind of what we do: learn to be passive aggressive).

I like the second one better; my teacher really knows his stuff, even if I think he acts jerky.

Take care.

The new girl...

I re-did my girl, as per the instructor's command.


Done digitally, of course.


And she's on her way!

Take care.

There's one with this idea...

Here they come
Here come the bastards
I heard it from a confident -
Who heard it form a confidant
They're definitely on their way
There's one with this idea
Something about a hammer head shark
Nosehairs and flatus
Best keep your distance because
Here they come here come the bastards
Bury your head deep in the sand
Anonymityis a virtue in this day and age
Amazing hand dexterity
Flagrant misuse of security
Better run, run, run, run, run
Run Run Run Run, here they come

Mixed media: acrylic and colored pencil.

Take care.

Care to humppa?

Troll forest. That girl will probably get eaten.

WIP, obviously.

Take care.

Blinded by the bright lights...

I'd run away and join it if I could...

Take care.

More tablet nonsense...

Self explanatory, really.


Our assignment was to get familiar with the tablet's basic functions. We were told to copy a portion of a marble statue. This one is Laocoon (he and his sons were killed by sea serpents, I believe).



It turned out ok, I suppose. It was my first try...

Take care.

Lights close their tired eyes

No big pictures today because, well, these aren't very good. Or detailed. My first attempt at the tablet, though.

Ugh.

Anyway, school is back in session, so hopefully, you'll be able to see how well I work with direction. I'm sure updates here will suffer a bit.

Take care.