Bat Gramps

Wow, it's been quite a while since I posted an actual drawing on this blog. So long, infact, that I bet you thought I had given up on it. Not true! I've been drawing up a storm and here's a picture to prove it. As a companion piece to last years "Darth Paul" I decided to draw my grandfather as none other than the caped crusader himself! I still have a little more work to do on this one, but I thought it was finished enough to share with you guys. I'm planning to continue this series just as soon as I think up some more characters for my grandfather to be. 

If you have any suggestions let me know in the comments!

Bovine Picture Day

Last night was the opening of a group show I participated in called "Found in Translation." 

"Found in Translation is a group exhibition making use of a process similar to a game of Telephone or Exquisite Corpse. An object is made and passed chronologically amongst participants whom then make a work in reaction to the one they receive, being sure to maintain a clear formal or conceptual connection to the previous piece. Each artist only sees the piece immediately preceding her or his own and gives their work to the next person for inspiration. This creates through-lines that become visible only after all the pieces have been placed side by side for the exhibition." - Description from the press release. 

Here's a photo of the piece by artist Leif J. Lee that was the inspiration for my piece.

And here's a look at snippets from each piece that show the threads between each artwork.

I'm very excited to be part of this show which can be seen until March 28th at The Lodge Gallery in the lobby of Allied Works Architecture at 1532 SW Morrison and SW 15th in Portland.

Darth Paul

I'd like to note that the above image does not reflect any personal or negative feelings I have towards my Grandfather. I'm just a big fan of puns.

Jellyfish Tattoo

In keeping with the conversation started last week on style here are two stylistically different versions of the same drawing.

Which do you think is more effective?

Stylin'

I've been experimenting with different styles these days, which also means revisiting some old styles. One common misconception about art is that every artist has one distinct voice, but the truth is that art is never a stagnant thing. It's always moving around and changing. A single piece of art has the possibility of going in a hundred different directions and who knows if the final product is the best incarnation of that idea? I'm constantly struggling with which direction to go in in my art, which probably accounts for the erratic nature of some of the pieces you see on this blog. Sometimes you just want to do it all!

Above is a drawing of a friend of mine from a photo I took over four years ago. If you're curious, here are some drawings I was thinking about when I did this one.

Drawing #1

Drawing #2

Root Beer Dog Redux

 Hey Everybody! Well, October is over and with it goes all the dreams of more pumpkin carvings. With that my jack-o-lanterns slowly rotting away in the compost, breaking down into nutrients for next year's garden, it's time to quite literally get back to the ol' drawing board.

Months ago my wonderfully creative fiancé left me this delightful drawing in my art studio of an exposed dog rootbeer genie/party animal.

I've always been a fan of visual conversations and thought it would be a fun exercise to reinterpret her line drawing into my more realistic style. Check out the results below!

This was a lot of fun to do, so expect to see more collaborations like this on here in the future. And be sure to check out her artist statement and blog HERE and HERE!

In other news the Advanced Style Coloring Book can now be purchased at New Seasons grocery store on NE Killingsworth and 33rd here in Portland, OR. For those of you outside of Portland have no fear! The coloring book is also newly available for sale at Urban Outfitters! It's only on their website at the moment, but if it sells well there maybe they'll start stocking it in their stores. If you could help us out in making that happen we'd be forever grateful. Thanks anonymous internet user!

Grandfather Triptych

When trying to work out an idea I find that it's helpful to draw the same picture several times incorporating a different style each time. Each style reveals something unique about the subject. The above drawing was my first pass which is basically me being fairly faithful to the source picture. Below is an earlier version of the second drawing. 

 I decided to try out a warm monochromatic look for my second drawing. This was done in a quicker sketchier style than the first. I especially like how this one and the first look next to each other, but at the same time I don't really feel like anything new has been brought to the portrait. Below is the beginning stage of the third drawing.

I like the simplicity of this version, but I had to take it further. 

The third version realized. I really like how this one came out, it's probably my favorite of the three. I love the discovery process of art, how one project will lead you to an idea that probably would have never formed on its own. I feel like this is direction I'd like to explore more. 

Kithaba the Sailor Man

I feel like I gave you guys a fair warning that you might start seeing portraits of the background creatures from Return of the Jedi on here. Well that time has now come to pass! This is Kithaba, a Klatoonian from Jabba's skiff in Return of the Jedi (I had to look part of that info up). As you can see, instead of his usual garb I decided to dress him up as an American sailor from the 1940s. Between you and me I think he wears it quite well. Just look out for him when he's on shore leave. 

Which breed of dog do you think he was inspired by? My guess is Boxer.

Side Order of Fry Guy

For the second installment of colorful creatures from my childhood we have one of McDonald's Fry Guys. Thanks for the suggestion Lannice! I had pretty much forgotten about these dudes, but if you take the McDonald's association away from them they're actually pretty cool little characters. Amorphous googley eyed, glasses wearing pom pom creatures sporting socks and high tops? YES! I'd like to see a movie/tv show/comic strip about a whole society of these guys. And what do they have to do with french fries? Yeah I get it that their hair (fur?) resembles shoestring cut fries, but come on, that's a stretch. And even if that is all there is, that is totally weird. 

I probably won't do any more affiliated mascots after this one, but I'm still taking suggestions for other creatures to draw. My default is to just draw monsters that appeared in the background of Jabba's Palace so if you don't want to see that then let's hear those suggestions!

E.T.(ree's Lounge)

"I haven't phoned home in years. Don't think I have one to go back to."

Remember that ultra depressing Steve Buscemi movie from the 90s (Tree's Lounge) where he plays an alcoholic? As I sat down to draw E.T. last night, like I sometimes do, I realized that he started resembling a down on his luck Steve Buscemi, so I gave him a cigarette a blue background to complete the scene. 

It sure was a nice break to draw something quick and fun since the majority of the work I've been doing the past few months has been so precise and line based. Hoping to do more like this in the future of some of my other favorite creatures. Any suggestions?

"Eye'll have what he's having"

I've been interested in body parts and facial features lately and I'm still figuring out the best way to explore this interest.

 In the meantime here's a drawing of my brother eating a rather glaring portion of  eyeball cake. 

Grandparents

I recently got back from visiting my family and friends down in San Diego (and got a nice little break from the cold weather too). While I was down there I also paid a visit to my Grandparents which I always look forward to. At 93 and 92 years of age they are still very much with it and live alone in the same house they've lived in for 40+ years. I also never get tired of using them for portrait studies, so while messing around in my studio with colored pencils a couple months ago I produced these two drawings.

I especially like the way this one turned out and I may turn it into a full scale painting.

I also gave them a copy of the Advanced Style Coloring Book, and a box of colored pencils. I hope they actually end up coloring in it; I'd love to see what they come up with. 

My Grandfather doing his best to hide his pride. 

Glaring in Red

I can't take credit for the image, but I was inspired by this photo of my friend and was compelled to draw it. I find that I gravitate towards confrontational poses and extreme angles, which is probably why I'm such a huge fan of Egon Schiele's work. 

Also experimenting with monotone coloration. 

Fox and Bear

Last Spring I was commissioned to draw this picture as a wedding present. The facial features of the fox and bear are based off the facial features of the happy couple, however the clothing is taken from a vintage photograph that I have. This actually turned out to be a much tougher task than I thought it would be, but it all worked out in the end.