tree in the hot sun..

yipes...time for an update i suppose..

after a (way too) long of a bout with vertigo, i can sit at my desk for a while without falling out of the chair.  the things you take for granted...so, here's a tree, then..

life first or art first?

here's a digital rework of this.  it's a marker sketch i originally did a while back, and still think it has a nice simple graphic element to it.  i have every intention of turning in this into a run of screen printed posters soon.  hopefully sooner than later.  you know..

#lifefirst #artfirst

deep in the forest..

here's a fairly quick pencil sketch i did over the weekend.  i was thinking about old science fiction book covers, star wars and the game of thrones.  all good subjects.  i find myself often wondering 'what to draw' when i open the book--maybe i'll start with these things in mind more often..

super quick..

pretty crude sketch using the line tool.  i'm trying to see if i can put down what's necessary using different drawing methods--i mean, ones i use rarely.  i can't say i use the line tool that often.   i think it needs to either be softened a bit, or pushed the other way so it's more angular and graphic.  maybe i'll try both and see what happens..

bridge work..

i guess this is still a work in progress--it started as a warm up sketch yesterday, and although i like where it's headed it still needs some work.  i've been trying to teach myself to draw a with a bit more dynamic perspective, so i guess this is a start..

blue halo..

i've been drawing digitally a lot more than usual.  mostly to try and play with different brush settings, instead of always using the same one all the time.  this is no great experiment, by any stretch--but it's a start.

square and head..

a page from the sketchbook.  no one in particular, or is it?  i hope it's not..

dj morpheous?

a friend of mine asked me to do this after a conversation that got out of hand.  the chat got so ridiculous i guess it was necessary to start requesting drawings.  thing is--i wasn't part of the conversation, so i don't even know the story..

at any rate, here it is..

process sketches..

a couple of very rough street sketches for a project i was working on recently.  these comps ended up getting scrapped, but they served well as a means to the end result--which i might post sooner or later...

wayfarer..

this dude has been on the trail a long time.  real long.

c..

the third letter of the alphabet, everyone!

marker fun..

i was a bit apprehensive about sketching with markers at first.  maybe too much commitment for me...i'm starting to quite like them though.  scratched this one up late last week. 

striped pyjamas..

i decided to try a brush style pen for the first time the other day.  turns out it not nearly as hard to work as i once thought it might be.  in fact, i quite like it.  too bad it lost it's point after about four of these little sketches...too felt-y.  gonna try a more synthetic one next.  i hear better results are had...

meeting doodle...

that's all this is.  not even a great sketch, really.  just trying out the opacity of a new blue marker...alas, here it is.

burmese future girl..

quick sketch.  good news is i've been doing way more sketching lately...bad news--i never post any of them.  maybe that's just as well...

pair..

one of those sketches that happens in pairs...

b...

here's some more fun with letters...for some reason i think about the alphabet a lot.  i know--wierd.

storm..

a little while back, some folks from work decided to select a single word and do a sketch/illustration about it.  not really that uncommon in the industry, but it's fun to take part in these sort of things for so many reasons...

my scanner is on the fritz, so the iphone pic is going to have to do, i guess.  if you move your head from side to side, it helps reduce the glare from my heavy handed graphite application, yes?

human head...

i guess the reality is that everyone is busy, so not posting because of that is just an excuse.  especially for me, given that i've been doing a lot more drawing on paper these days than i typically do.  this is good.  i AM busy, so here is my post.

taffi -- 2013...

the results are in!  great weekend and great festival.  if you haven't been to TAFFI yet, i suggest you go next june.  i saw some great animated film screenings from both professionals, filmmakers and students, plus attended a slough of great workshops and panels from state of the industry addresses to how to take an idea from a napkin sketch to a fully produced series...i also ended up doing a run for some proper cigars for one david silverman, director of the simpsons for the last 24 years.  i'll tell that story another time..

one of the workshops that i attended over the weekend was an environmental drawing workshop from layout and design veteran, scott caple.  i was fortunate enough to speak at length with scott and i learned that not only is he a hell of an environmental artist, but a friendly person willing to make new friends in the industry.  seeing as i was at the festival partly to meet some new folks in my industry, it was nice for me to have been able to meet and chat with someone who's work i greatly admire...

here's a few scratches i did during the environments for animation workshop..

scratches for the sake of them..

this is a fairly recent sketch that relates to no one specific.  he does, however, feel a little like a washed up early-mid eighties punk/post punk icon--sorta like iggy pop, tom verlaine and richard hell all rolled into one...

a..

this is how i see the beginning of the alphabet in the future...

morestache..

i wasn't gonna post this yet cause it's not finished -- or anywhere near finished for that matter.  truth is, it takes me sooo friggin' long to get through these, i thought i'd throw it up and maybe someone will offer something constructive.  i've never been a good painter, but i'm trying to improve that skill.  it's a long road for me...

chinois...

 the thumbnails were drawn the old fashioned way, then scanned in later for reference to what in blazes i was attempting to do...

started to rough things out a bit...

continued to hash things out a little more--this ended here though, the overall direction changed completely after this and it was abandoned for lack of time.  one of these days i will revisit this for fun though--i liked where it was going.

as you may or may not be able to tell, i drew this in flash.  mistake.  i should have anticipated that the file would get very large very fast...got very slow in a hurry.  when i come back to this i will most likely finish it up with sketchbook pro.  at the very least--if it must be 'flashified'--save the final linework for flash.

scheister...

quick sketch using sketchbook pro--more of a warm up drawing, i guess--sleazeball...

shut your moustache...

an unfinished sketch using sketchbook pro--which is a program i'm really starting to like, btw...i figured it was time i started posting more sketches to keep myself challenged and inspired, so here y'are..

first play with sketchbook pro...

so i finally pulled myself out of the dark ages and got myself a copy of sketchbook pro.  i kinda like that it's a very simple and easy to use without all sorts of bells and whistles.  chances are i'll use it a lot for sketching until i get a little deeper into the program...

who will move into this neighborhood...

a sketch i did recently.  i'll work it up some more eventually--maybe finish it a few different ways to force myself to experiment a little...

funny how that works...

interesting--i've been here 2 times in the last year or so and both times i brought a tree.  figures...

tree...

this is a drawing that i did a while back when i used to draw with ink a lot.  having worked digitally for the last several years, i realize that it's something i miss more and more.  i think it's time to embark on a phase of drawing on paper some more..

is this thing on...

i'd be lying to you if i told you things weren't absolute madness around here.  been super busy with work, and some other projects i've been working on that'll have to remain under the covers for a little while longer..

the show that i just finished working on is airing now, so you should check it out.

a couple from a show i've been working on...

these are probably safe to post now, given that the episodes that they appeared in have aired.  this was a really fun show to work on.  the style is modelled slightly after comic book genius charles burns' work.

duck...

happy new year!

this is the most recent thing i've been practicing with.  it's taken quite a lot of fuss to get it to this state--but not surprising given my first attempt at painting an animal/furry/feathery type of character.  i think it has a few tweaks necessary to 'finish' it, but i'm pleased with it so far.  i'm starting to really dig this digital painting racket...

more colouring...

here's the coloured version of an earlier post.  i realize that this painting still has a ways to go yet, but i feel as though it's on the right track.  any suggestions?  remember, i'm pretty new to the digital paint realm, so go easy...

colour...

alright.  as promised, here's the coloured version of an earlier post.  i tightened up the value study quite a lot before adding any colour--and very glad that i did.  it made the colour stage much easier to navigate.  remember, this is my first real attempt at digital colouring (beyond the ol' 'click and fill') so go easy...

domo origato, mrs. roboto...

still tryin' to wield the ol' digital paintbrush.  gettin' there...

le paint...

i finally decided to delve into the wonderful world of digital paint.  given that i've only made three half assed attempts at using a digital painting program before and only a handful of attempts using traditional methods i'm fairly content with this value study.  i'll post the colour version when it's done....

this is old, but i'm posting it anyway...

a while back, i made a couple half-assed attempts at painting digitally.  this was one of them.  although i'm happy with the result for now, i have no clue as to how i really got there--i mean, i was working blindly in photoshop.  i think there's a lot more happy accident here than there is painting...

i'm looking forward to learning the intricacies of painter.  i'm looking forward to being able to understand (even in part) the digital process..

almost two years...

it's official--i've been absent from blogging for far too long.  it's time for a renewed focus on a lot of things in my life, including regular posting on my blog (mostly for my own sanity).  that said, it'll give me another thing to manage, but hopefully provide some fun, feedback and inspiration at the same time.

let's start, then...

what does radio have to do with it...

k, it's been a while since i've been here...and i'm on the radio now.

goto: www.cklu.ca and click on the streaming option every tuesday at 8pm EST. i play all of the music that inspired/inspires secks streetwear. you'll like it.

dig it.

molly...

hopefully, this explains why i haven't been around much lately...io think i'll be back to gettin some more drawrin's up over the holidays.

happy festivus!

there's no place like home...

i gotta get to this a lot more often than i do. working in flash has robbed me of all my pencils, but i stole one back. take that, flash!

profile...

i did this drawing the other day at a drawing session organized by some work mates. good ol' fashioned graphite on newsprint. felt good. it's nice to draw from life again...