I saw a bear in the den...

The lyrics in Owl City's music, although highly eccentric, is very poetic and surprising descriptive. This illustration is based off of a line from his song Plant Life.

Benedict Cumberwhat?!

A little sketch of Benedict Cumberbatch I did a few months ago. Boy what a face. A ridiculous, ridiculous face.

Also, you may have noticed a bit of a website facelift. I decided over the weekend that it was time to update and unify the graphic design on my various online sites (twitter, tumblr, etc). I'd love to hear what you folks think of the new look! I think I like where it's headed, although I'll admit I'm still getting used to it.

Olive

This is my latest addition to my personal Pushing Daisies fan art collection. Olive has some of the best lines and character moments on the show. I think my love for Pushing Daisies might be reaching an unhealthy level of obsession, mostly because I continue to drool over the production design. Oh well! I’m sure that infatuation will run its course, but for now, you folks will just have to put up with it. A shame, I know. 

Baltimore Comic Con

(Wow, look at that big 'ole shit-eating grin)

I just got back from the Baltimore Comic Con today where I sold my art for the first time at a convention in the artist alley. Wow, what a doozy of an experience (both prepping for and during the convention)! But boy was it worth it. I got to meet and swap art with talented colleagues, met up with some college friends, and had the chance to talk with several friendly folks who where kind enough to stop by my booth and buy my stuff. A big thank you to everyone who came by to say hi. I had a blast spending time with you this weekend. 

I thought I'd post some pics from the event.

(The merch)

(Jen Keith, Nate Taylor, and Stephanie Hocutt being awesome)

(Princess Leia? o_o)

(When I was four, I wanted to be the Red Power Ranger)

(Emma and Molly stopped by to say hi)

Several people asked me about an online store and my availability for commission work. I'm currently setting up a store on ETSY, and I am also available for commission work. The store will be up by this time next week. Check back over the weekend for an announcement. I'll have commission and pricing information available on the site by then too. Until then, contact me via e-mail if your interested in a commission.

Life Drawing Series: Part 2

Sketch night at Society of Illustrators in NYC keeps getting better and better. This week, the jazz band played selections from my favorite duo: Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto. Might be why these turned out half-way descent. What's yall's favorite albums to listen to while getting in the art groove? I've noticed extreme productivity at work to the following albums:

1. Sergio Mendes

2. George Winston

3. Gypsy Kings

Also anything by Pogo

Cletus and Brunhilda

A tiny lumber-jack and a voluptuous viking woman. Quite the combo, right? I can't tell you how badly I want to animate these two.

More Life Drawing

I’ve been knees deep in photoshop experimental mode the past couple weeks, both at work and in my personal art. I’ve been heavily inspired recently by old photos, lomography, and photography/cinematography and I’ve been trying to figure out ways to incorporate that inspiration into my illustration work. Luckily my collection of life drawings from the society of illustrators has given me some work to experiment with. Figured I’d show you folks the results, and see what you think.

MTA

The morning and evening commute via the NYC subway system is ripe with a smorgasbord of characters just waiting to be captured in my sketchbook (or sometimes iphone nowadays). The variety of cultures, clothing, personalities, and mental stabilities amongst MTA patrons is surprising and impressive (and makes me giddy with devilish excitement just thinking about it). This illustration is based on a sketch I captured earlier last week. I'm not sure why I specifically choose to render this individual, but I will say the combination of pure disdain on her face, with the harsh over-head lighting may or may not have been contributing factors. 

Life Drawing at The Society of Illustrators

My buddy Chris Martinetti and I have started a new tradition on Thursday evenings where we go to the life drawing session at the Society of Illustrators and afterwards enjoy a filling meal at Chipotle. The society really creates a warm and fun environment for sketching. Every week features a new music group, a selection of tasty drinks at the bar, and a variety of nude and clothed models to thoroughly exercise all of one’s observational drawing muscles. Above are a few of  last months spoils. It’s been almost a year and a half since I last attended life drawing. It feels great to get back into it. Chris and I are trying to come up with a catchy title for the evening. So far all we’ve come up with is Boobs, Booze, and Burritos but in spite of it’s nice alliteration, it still has a third grade tone to it. Anyone else want to give it a try?

The Dark Knight Returns

Pencil and Inks: Drew Zucker

Color: Matt Doering

I had the pleasure recently of working on my first collaborative art piece with my buddy Drew Zucker, a fellow SCAD grad and rising sequential artist. This is our entry for the Dark Knight Returns tribute/competition sponsored by the 2011 New York Comic Con. Selected artists get their piece published in an anthology. I’m so glad Drew asked me to color this piece! He sure did a spectacular job making Batman look epic as hell. Needless to say, it was a fun piece to color, and refreshing to dive back into the comic world for a change. Wish us luck, and take some time to show Drew’s blog some lovin! 

Pushing Daisies

I’ve been on a “Pushing Daisies” fan art kick recently (mostly because it gives me an excuse to look up production stills from the show). Such a whimsical and gorgeous show! 

I love watching TV via Netflix while I draw. It’s the perfect time for me to catch up on shows that people have recommended to me, and unlike my iPod playlist, it never gets boring. I just finished the first season of 24 last night. What are you folks currently watching? Anything suggestions I should add to the queue?


Update:
I've received some great TV show suggestions as a result of this post:
1) The Wire
2) Sherlock (BBC)
3) Battlestar Galactica (the new version)

Spirit Guardians

Folks, sleep is a magical substance that invigorates the soul and makes one extremely productive, at least it does for me. Sadly, I ashamed to say that I have found myself neglecting to get to bed on time the past couple of weeks in favor of staying up late to get some extra drawing accomplished. Unfortunately the extra hours are never that helpful and the lack of energy makes me even less productive on the days that I do have time to draw. Balancing a work life with a “work” life is tricky business when your hobby is also your second job. 


I’m taking a break from the birds in favor of another project involving boyscouts. I’ve been doing some color tests for two of the main character. I’m trying to develop a coloring style for the project (which will probably be a comic (perhaps)). Does the coloring look familiar? I’ve been using direct color reference from two popular sources to help jumpstart experimentation and creativity. Can you folks name the two films that inspired the coloration you see before you?  

My First Tast of Immersive Theatre

Preface: I don't normally do non-art related posts, but I had to make an exception for this case :)

I got off the elevator, I turned a corner, and I was in the hallway of an empty household. I knew I was in for an exciting evening when I entered a dimly lit room containing an empty bassinet and tangled baby dolls hanging in a cultish like pattern from the ceiling, hovering just a foot above the cradle. Slightly freaked out I went back into the hallway where I happened upon a pregnant woman hastily packing a suitcase in her bedroom. She slammed the suitcase shut, loosely draped a coat over her shoulder and down the hall she ran. Curious, I followed behind. I ducked into a tight passageway and then suddenly found myself in a hotel lobby, where a strange older woman was attempting to give the pregnant woman a glass of milk. A forceful ballet suddenly took place between the old woman, the pregnant woman, and the hotel bellhop, who was trying his best to prevent the pregnant woman from drinking the (what I later found out was poisoned) milk. 

This and other strange, frightening, exhilarating, and sometimes repulsive scenes unfolded during a performance of “Sleep No More” last night. It is easily one of the most engaging and intoxicating theatrical experiences that I’ve ever has the pleasure of witnessing. The show itself takes place in a five story warehouse, filled with rooms intricately decorated in 1930s style fashion. The story itself is loosely based on Shakespeare's Macbeth. The audience is given the opportunity to freely roam throughout the warehouse. In any given room, characters in the show may randomly enter, act out a scene, and quickly exit, prompting you to either stay put and see what happens next or follow a character to their next destination (which will likely lead you to another intense scene and other unexpected surprises). The beauty of the show is that you can completely customize your adventure, and every audience member comes out of the show with a unique experience that they can then share with friends and fellow theatergoers. 

The timing of scenes was impeccable. Characters might act out a scene in a room for a solid 20 minutes, leave the scene, and arrive in perfect synchronization with other characters in another room on a separate floor of the warehouse. The production design, another impressive aspect of the event left not a single detail out of place. I remember sitting at a nurses desk, flipping through papers on a clipboard, and sure enough, there were detailed notes on Lady Macbeth’s stay in the psych ward on the fifth floor hospital. 

I will say that the only disappointing aspect of the show was a lack of closure. I became invested in certain characters that in the end, I never had the chance to see how their individual stories resolved. This in essence was also part of the fun because it prompted heavy conversation amongst my friends once the show was over. We sat down for a good 45 minutes over dinner discussing what we saw, attempting to flesh out the story gaps for each other.  I’m ready to purchase tickets for a second viewing. I want to experience that world again. It’s like wanting to fall asleep so you can relive a dream in the hopes of developing a deeper understanding of it. 

If you find yourself in NYC before the end of June, you are doing yourself a serve disservice by not seeing this show. 

Demo Reel 2011

I'm excited to finally showcase my animation demo reel. I put this together back in the winter. Seams like now would be a good time to post it. Time to start working on a new one!

Hearts to Japan

I’ve been aching for Japan recently. I spent a wonderful two weeks in Tokyo my junior year of college, an experience I consider to be among the most inspirational of my life so far. The country itself is breathtakingly gorgeous. To hear that this country that I’ve grown to love is suffering is just painful to me, even more so that I have several friends who have family in Japan. 

I’ve been looking for a way to participate in the relief effort, and low and behold, my co-worker and fellow SCAD Grad Shiho Hoshino has been working her tail off to put together a wonderful project called “Hearts to Japan,” a way for artists to aid Japan through T-Shirt design. Check out the page over at Skreened.com. My co-workers and I, along with the help of other NYC SCAD alumni have contributed a few designs to the project. I myself did the panda sketch above (and yes, it is available in booth T-Shirt and Onsie). 

I’d be so grateful if any of you would be willing to support this fantastic project that Shiho has put together. If you’re interested and would like to contribute a T-shirt design yourself, please let me know!