Mauricio Abril's Art

Harley Painted

2012-01-16T02:47:00.000-08:00

Been really good with working on my children's book project so I thought I'd treat myself to a break from working on it. So I spent that time painting the sketch from a few posts below and it was both a STRUGGLE and FUN. The struggle was in getting her face just right (wow, painting girls is extremely delicate) and the fun was in practicing my material indication.

Environment Thumbnails

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Thumbnail sketches I did the other night. I was generating random ideas as opposed to going for something specific, but I knew I wanted to do more architectural comps as opposed to organic natural ones.

Happy New Year!!!

2011-12-30T12:12:00.000-08:00

2011 is almost and one of my goals for 2012 is to do more drawing. All of my artistic exploits, be they for work or for my children's book, are currently done in Photoshop and even then it's a lot of painting. I've hardly done any pencil to paper drawing in a long time, so I made a personal goal to do more sketching and drawing. It's amazing how even after years of training and practice, the age old motto still applies:

"If you don't use it, you lose it!"

So instead of waiting for Jan 1, 2012 to officially start, I committed myself to sketching out a character/costume design for the character Harley Quinn. My inspiration stems from a punk/rock influence, and the costuming should be more visible in the painting, which I hope to complete soon. Until now, here's the rough sketch, with mistakes and all.

Cheers and thanks to everyone who stops by or visits. I do my best to visit back or even randomly blog jump to find out what other cool stuff people are doing. I'm really thankful that we live in a time that allows us to connect across continents and oceans through the shared pursuit of making art. Let's keep it going in 2012, at least until the world ends :)

Composition for Print

2011-12-19T00:27:00.000-08:00

Extreme vertical compositions that would not work for film, at least not for a traditional widescreen shot. Panning up and down is another case.

Notice the nice rhythm from the flow of Batman's cape in the first panel that originates bottom left of the spread and gets picked up with his fingers in the next, continuing on through Joker's eyes and finally ending on Batman's head top right of the spread.

Nice layering of environment and silhouettes that also take into account the spine of the book and adjust accordingly.

Smaller repeating panels of similar size can denote story beats that are all equally important and that usually build up to a bigger release, as in the splash page.

Very nice spread utilizing the principle of extreme size variations to further enhance the storytelling through the composition.

This spread utilizes a nice division of space that creates very graphic shapes for a quick read but with details for further viewing.

These are some slides from one of my last lectures of the quarter. They cover some points that show how composition for stationary mediums like print are both similar and different from that of film. These beautiful illustrations are credited to the respective creators: Dave McKean ("Arkham Asylum" graphic novel), Barry Jackson ("Danny Diamondback" children's book) & Shaun Tan ("Emigrantes" graphic novel).

The main driving point here is that the difference for stationary mediums allows the artist much more creative freedom with regard to the layout and composition. Since the viewer can gaze upon a single image for as long as he or she would like, the artist can therefore explore less conventional compositions and even play with the read of the image by making it less clear than if it were for film.

The other points are that stationary mediums allow for much more interesting aspect ratios that are not of film dimensions. Of course usually these are set by a publisher or art director, but the freedom to play with vertical compositions and extremely distorted proportions can make the storytelling that much more fun.

Last but not least is that there exists a greater interaction between the art and the viewer. The viewer can go back and forth, skip ahead if so desired, or really dive deep into a singular image. All of these factors and more allow for different needs of the composition than the standard clear read that is required for film because of the length of time on screen of any particular shot.

I hope these help. I've been making good progress on both my children's book and another personal project, but since I don't want to post them until they're finished, I'll try to sneak in another personal sketch or something like that before the new year. Cheers!

Childhood Imagination

2011-12-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

When I was a lot younger I had the privilege of being around during the airing of the BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES in the 1990s. Aside from the reruns of the campy 1960s Adam West show and the Tim Burton live action movies, this was my primary window into the world of Gotham City and the mythos surrounding all of the characters. I bought the dvds when they came out a couple years back and recently re-watched the entire series, and they are just as good today as they were over 10 years ago.

Even back then I knew there was something special about that show. It just seemed...different. It wasn't like any other show on TV as it felt more like short movies what with the voice acting, the music, the art style, and most importantly the storytelling. And now that I am much older, all of the subtleties of the artistry of that show are visible to me and I appreciate that much more.

Not only that, but that tv show inspired me. Being a kid already prone to daydreaming about worlds more interesting than our own, it allowed me to dive into the world they created for Batman and to simply let myself get lost in it. To this day, that incarnation of Batman is what I perceive to be a masterful project produced by multiple sets of talent coming together. It inspired me to strive to make my own personal creative endeavors as rich and wonderful as that series was.

So I created this piece in the style of their unique title cards as a 'thank you' to all those involved in creating such a wonderful piece of television history. Thank you to all those involved, and especially, wherever they may be if they ever see this - Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Eric Radomski, Jean MacCurdy, Glen Murakami, Kevin Altieri, John Calmette, and someone with whom I have had the pleasure of befriending thanks to today's technology - my friend Ted Blackman.

Here's to good tv! Cause if all tv shows were as good as that one, kids sitting in front of the tv all day wouldn't be so bad I think.

Studying Composition from Film

2011-11-22T23:38:00.000-08:00

A lot of artists are familiar with doing film studies, and they're a great way to understand a film's certain aesthetic for composition or color or lighting. In addition to doing those, I recommend analyzing key frames from films in the context of at least these 3 questions:

1. Who is the "star?

Sometimes the star is obvious and everything in the composition points to it, other times it's less obvious yet still recognizable. In the first example, Aladdin is the star and the composition literally points to him and reinforces his being surrounded and trapped. In the second, none of the people are the "star" because in the context of the movie, the scene is about the information in those documents and the lighting really helps to highlight that the "star" of this scene is what the guard is holding.

2. What happened right before or will right after?

No composition exists alone, and if you find yourself not understanding a composition, consider what was shown right before or will be shown right after to help put it in context. In the Aladdin scene, it might seem a bit odd that the composition is somewhat symmetrical and that the center of interest is rather in the middle, but it makes sense that such a stable composition would be used right after an exciting and dynamic chase sequence to reinforce the peace and quiet Aladdin and Abu have earned.

3. What am I supposed to feel?

These two compositions both elicit different and rather opposite feelings. The first encourages the feeling that Aladdin is feeling down and insignificant in the context of the size of the city and its imposing nature on him. In the second, we get the opposite feeling. This scene from "Lawrence of Arabia" suggests the feeling of openness and how the landscape is both prone to be explored and its massive presence in contrast to the minuscule presence of the people in the scene.

Hope this helps anyone trying to understand film a bit better. Remember, compositions aren't just dark and light shapes on a screen. They're a visual device to help serve the story.

Composition Guidelines and Breakdowns

2011-11-06T16:32:00.000-08:00

These are just a few slides from my Composition & Layout class that I wanted to share. The main idea behind these is that when you're studying a well composed image or want to make one yourself, there are a few key principles that must be in effect in order for it to be compelling. Please note that these are NOT my layouts but those of amazing artists whose work I found online or scanned from books I own and I show them here ONLY for the purposes of instruction.

It all comes down to what your FOCAL POINT is and where you want to place that in the frame of your image. After that, it's a delicate and artful balance of how you break up the SPACE further and place the elements of your image in a way that they create DEPTH and RHYTHM that help to lead the viewer through the image.

I recommend doing some analyses on some of your favorite images and hopefully you'll see that there's more at work in the image than what you originally thought.

Everyone hail to the Pumpkin Song!

2011-10-27T01:37:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy seeing people's Halloween posts throughout the blogosphere, so I thought I'd contribute to the fun. It was my first time carving pumpkins since I was about maybe 10, so, yeah...it's been a while. Let me just say that drawing on a pumpkin is incredibly challenging. Had fun though!

The first one is Shere Khan from one of my favorite Disney films "The Jungle Book" and the second is...pretty self explanatory...hopefully.

Design Process Analysis

2011-10-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of the slides I made for a recent lecture I gave in my Project Preparation and Research class at the LA Academy of Figurative Art. The topic of that week covered design fundamentals and I used the great William Joyce's airship sketch (found online) from the "Meet the Robinsons" Disney movie as an example of just beautifully thought out and executed design.

I just started teaching a second class, Layout and Composition for Entertainment, this past Saturday and both of these endeavors have kept me considerably busy these past few weeks. I will still find time to keep working on my children's book project and hopefully other personal art as well, but if I don't get around to that, I'll try and post some of the stuff from my classes so that they may hopefully inspire and inform others.

Paintings

2011-10-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

Painted these a while back starting from abstractions.

"The Gift" part 2

2011-10-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

Some more character sketches from my aforementioned story "The Gift."

On another note, preparing lectures and slideshows for my upcoming class is more time consuming than I had expected. It reminds me of my presentation days back at UCLA when I was doing lab research and I had to prepare powerpoints and be prepared for an onslaught of questions from faculty trying to find any holes in my process. I guess compared to that, my class should be much more fun!

Pre-Glittery Vampires!

2011-09-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is an old layout I did for a class in which I re-interpreted the book "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice. The specific scene for anyone that knows the story (or the movie) is the scene where Louis, the main character and narrator, is transforming into a vampire in the middle of the night in a New Orleans cemetery.

I did it in charcoal on Strathmore illustration paper (about 16"x9"). I remember at the time specifically doing it traditionally despite everyone else doing their pieces digitally because I was really in love with Simon Varela's charcoal pieces from the art of "Finding Nemo." As any bright-eyed student who's tried to emulate a great master's style or aesthetic knows, it's not so easy. Probably the last old piece I'll post up for now, but I like how it holds up even after a few years so I figured I'd show it.

Rediscovering Some Older Works

2011-09-17T23:55:00.000-07:00

Been busy with work and personal matters lately, so I apologize for the infrequent posts. While prepping for my upcoming teaching job at LAAFA, I've had to go through a lot of my old art archives for examples and so forth. I found these layout line drawings that I had done for my Galapagos graduation project and realized that I had never posted them before. I had fun revisiting those memories of when I was working on it, so I thought I'd share the work.

I'll probably be posting some more old work along with new work, so hope you like 'em. Thanks for stopping by!

The Grandest Canyon of Them All!!!

2011-09-05T23:38:00.000-07:00

Mather Point

Yavapai Point

I just came in a few hours ago from spending a long weekend at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. It was my second time and I still cannot describe its beauty in any words that could do it justice. All I can say is it's breathtaking and a must for any fan of natural wonders.

Being an artist, I just had to separate from my friends for a few hours and do at least one painting. After all, how many chances will I get to paint the Grand Canyon FROM LIFE? So I sat down and did a little gouache sketch in my sketchbook. Earlier at a different viewpoint I had done a pencil sketch while the rest of my group was taking pictures.

The atmospheric depth the canyon creates is just unbelievable, and I just had to humbly try and capture that impression for myself. It was quite amusing, too, how many fellow tourists would look over my shoulder. I had never felt so self-conscious while painting in my life, especially during the lay-in stage. I kept wishing I could tell them - "don't worry, it'll look better later...hopefully." A few people asked permission to photograph my painting and myself painting it, with which I had no problem. It still makes me laugh to think that in multiple hard drives and albums across the world, there's a random picture of random me and my simple painting amongst the rest of their vacation photos.

Teaching this Fall at the LA Academy of Figurative Art

2011-08-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I received the honor of being asked to teach at the LA Academy of Figurative Art in Van Nuys, CA. They are primarily an Atelier school focusing on a strong foundational approach to drawing and painting, but they have recently started introducing Entertainment based classes into their curriculum.

I will be running a class introducing the principles of composition and layout as they apply to Entertainment mediums. I've always felt that a lot of classes only cover composition as it applies to the specific piece being critiqued due to time constraints, so I wanted to focus on really understanding the design principles that create interesting and compelling compositions.

This class won't be a heavily digital class as no painting is required, and quite honestly, very minimal value as well. By removing the need to render or light, I felt that I could really focus on the elements that form the composition - namely shape, line, rhythm, proportion, style, gesture etc to name a few.

If you know of anyone who could benefit from such an introductory course, please visit LAAFA's website for more information or to enroll:

http://www.laafa.org

"The Gift"

2011-08-25T01:30:00.000-07:00

I wrote yet another story that I would eventually like to develop visually when I have time (but THERE'S NEVER ENOUGH TIME!) It's based on my own family experiences somewhat, but it's mainly about a mother-son bond. These are but a few of the character designs I explored recently. I'll post the others soon.

Rated Arrrgh!!!

2011-08-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Spending most of my free time on my personal children's book project is refreshing, but it generally means my blog posts aren't as frequent as I'd like because it's either not ready to be shown or I don't want to reveal too much just yet. Anyway, here are some recent drawings (2-5 min) from a few costumed models, as well as some doodles of fellow drawers :)

"Long Day at the Office" Pt 3

2011-07-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

Here's the third in my series. It's my take on Bruce Wayne coming home and one that I feel is not often showed or explored. I mean, he's human, right? So I would imagine that in order to keep up his energy and physical strength, he'd have to eat a lot and it'd have to be healthy and quick - cause Batman don't have time to sit down and chew 20 times.

So in my piece, I really wanted to play up the fact that at the end of the day, Batman's an athlete, and he has to tend to his body the same way any serious athlete would - with energy shakes and all kinds of crazy supplements. Hope you like it.

1...2...3...Draw!

2011-07-03T00:57:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a few weeks since I've last posted, but I have been working a lot after work on my personal projects. I just don't want to post any of it here because its either too undeveloped or I'm simply waiting to unleash a more finished product.

In the meantime, here's some really quick (30 seconds or less) gesture drawings from a recent trip to the zoo. I went with a lot of story artists, and my goal was to capture the complete essence of the pose and action with the simplest marks, hence the pen. I feel I've gotten better at that. The next step now is better shape design, which I find tough to do while you're trying to scribble the pose in. Haha, I guess that's why drawing ain't easy! I've also been doing a ton of copies and I've been wanting to post them, but they're just studies and don't make for the best viewing material at times. Oh, well, we'll see :)

"Long Day at the Office" Pt. 2

2011-06-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

Here's the second version of the "Spidey Comes Home" piece I had imagined. I wasn't sure which one to do, since one was more of a figurative piece and this one is more of a scene. So I painted them both after realizing that they can be sequential, so this is part two. I hope to do more super heroes (and villains) in quiet/candid moments like this.

"Long Day at the Office" pt.1

2011-06-05T23:58:00.000-07:00

So now that I can scrounge up some free time after work, I've decided to sketch what I've always loved as a kid - superheroes! So this is a piece that I've had in my head for a while. It's by no means a "finished" painting, it's just a sketch that I did in between dinner and going to bed one night after work. I have another variation that I want to do, so that'll be part 2.

Grabbing the Bull by the Horns! It's a metaphor for life!

2011-05-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is the last attraction design I created for my "Land of Legends" project and it's based on the Epic of Gilgamesh. If you can imagine a ride that blends the speed of Disney's Space Mountain with the adventure of Indiana Jones The Ride, it would be this ride. Do not ride this if you are pregnant, have a heart condition or are lactose intolerant.

Anybody in the mood for some Mexican?

2011-05-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

As part of my theme park project, I really wanted to do a themed restaurant as it's also important (in fact, more important since there are more restaurants/lounges being built than rides) and because after all, people gotta eat! Since I had done a ton of research into ancient Aztec culture the year before for another project, I thought I'd save myself the research time and use that as the context for my restaurant. So here it is...and if you stop by, tell 'em I sent you - you'll get extra churros on the house :)

More Legends, More Adventure!

2011-05-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

It's been really busy for me these past few weeks since graduating, but I'm thankful for the opportunities. I wish I could post some of the work I've been doing for some of my clients, but unfortunately I can't. Until then, here is some more work from my Land of Legends project that I did in my last term. I hope everyone's well!

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

2011-04-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

This is a concept for a slow moving boat ride called "The Wrath of Set" based on the Egyptian legend of Osiris. Warning: Do not ride if you are pregnant or know of someone who is pregnant!

Welcome to Executive Bathroom Island!

2011-04-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

This is the layout and bird's eye rendering for one of my senior projects - LAND OF LEGENDS. It's a fictional theme park based on legends and mythology from around the world. I'll write more and post more, but I'm super busy right now preparing for my graduation from Art Center this weekend. Hope you enjoy!

"Land of Legends" / Upcoming Grad Show

2011-04-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

So I'll be finishing my time in art school this Saturday when I graduate from Art Center. It's been a tough and crazy couple of years, but well worth it in the end. This is just a sneak peak at the other senior project I did, which is a theme park concept, and a series of shots of my wall, which I also plan to post better pictures of in the near future. Until the next time!

It Just Needs Something...

2011-04-12T00:48:00.000-07:00

AFTER

BEFORE

Does this ever happen to you: sometimes you look at a piece you've done and you're proud of it, and you put it away for a while, and then you look at it and you're like, "this needs something" but you don't know what. Well, that's what happened with this piece. I did it last December, put it away and then looked at it this past March and saw a few things I wanted to change...hopefully for the better.

Stay thirsty, my friends!

Going a little Sci-Fi (Part Deux)

2011-04-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

Although I'm more of an animation style guy, this little foray into video game-esque sci-fi isn't too far from what I grew up liking, which is mainly dynamic action based comics and movies/shows. Anyhow, here's an updated version of another piece from this project, whose goal it was to force us to create art and designs that we would not normally create - in other words, to go out of our comfort zones. I'm definitely not used to doing this kind of stuff, but it was fun to play around with a different subject matter and genre.

Going a Little Sci-Fi, (pt 1)

2011-03-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

Here's an environment piece from my "Astroknights" project that I started this past December. I gotta say, this one was tricky because it was an interior that is supposed to be lit by a lot of artificial lights coming from all directions. But thanks to a lot of trial and error and some good tips from a few instructors, I feel like I was able to capture the sense of space and illuminated vibrance that I saw in my head. Hope you enjoy!

The Design is in the Details

2011-03-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked by photographer Stephen Berkman to help him with some environment and set design for an upcoming shoot he has. His photos are really unique and great, and have a charm to them that takes multiple viewings to get. They're also highly thought out and every detail of the image is meant to serve the story. You might recognize some of his work from Nicole Kidman and Jack White's prop photos from the movie "Cold Mountain" as well as for The Raconteurs album cover. As an "entertainment" designer, it's often that I'm browsing the web for inspiration from other entertainment artists, but it's always important to delve outside our fields and see what other artists are doing. I definitely enjoyed learning about his process so if you got a minute, check out his work and see what inspirations you find. Enjoy!

Speaking of deatils, this "Lord of the Rings" piece is actually a touched up version of something I did a while back. But as I've learned, while the strength of an image lies in its simplification, composition, drawing and value, the DESIGN is in the details. So I went back and detailed it enough to really fit into the production design of the movie.

Phun with Colour

2011-03-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

In the past six months I feel like I've developed a better understanding of color as a painting tool and a design tool. So to keep that going, I decided to do a short pass for a few color keys from my story. And below is an updated version of one of my props from the story.

'Rockscapes'

2011-02-25T12:18:00.000-08:00

I've been really busy with another project (a theme park) that I will soon introduce on here, but in the mean time, here are some quick explorations for the rocky landscape of my aforementioned "Galapagos" project.

Welcome to Ganua Village

2011-02-21T22:30:00.000-08:00

Here's an environment exploration for my "Galapagos" project. Though most people probably give painting more weight than drawing, I learned from Robh (Ruppel) the true value of a detailed worked out drawing. So I did the value studies first to help me figure out the feel and overall landscape in terms of broad shapes and proportions. Then I did the drawing to refine the composition and detail out the environment. Hope you enjoy!

Redesign of My Own Design

2011-02-18T01:36:00.000-08:00

This is a second pass for the character Izzy that I had created a few months back but this time done with the guise and tutelage of the great Robh Ruppel. If you don't know who he is, then just visit his site and be prepared to be amazed by his artistic prowess. Hope everyone else is well in digital land. More to come as promised!

Going back to "Galapagos"

2011-02-10T01:22:00.000-08:00

Here are some character studies from my "Galapagos" project. Figuring out Ulysses' shell in 3D was a pain but fun at the same time. Is that even possible? More to come from this really soon!

More Sketchin'

2011-01-28T17:30:00.001-08:00

Some recent sketching from the "Supernatural" project I did a few months ago.

New Year Sketchin'

2011-01-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

So I told myself that I'm going to sketch more this new year, and specifically things that I like - such as superheroes for example.

When I first started art school, I felt a negative stigma toward subject matter such as mainstream superheroes. If there is any regret I have, it's not drawing them as much as I used to as a kid. Screw what others might think, I like drawing buff guys in tights and sexy pin-up girls. That's art to me, baby!

End of the Year Posting Bonanza!!!

2010-12-22T16:32:00.000-08:00

GALAPAGOS

Here's some visual development work I did recently from a personal story that I have been developing over the last couple of months. It is "finished" for now, but my plan is to revisit this project in the near future and expand upon it to really get into the character and design of the story. Hope you enjoy looking at it as I did working on it!

ASTROKNIGHTS

This project derived its production design from a series of experimental processes designed by Nick Pugh to help us break out of our artistic shells and find more originality in our design. In an ultimate sense, it was a chance to have fun and potentially create something that you would neither have thought of yourself nor could have using your already tried and true methods. The story and subject matter were up to us, and I chose to use another personal story of mine to provide a context for my designs.

Digital Paintings

Chinatown

Descanso Gardens

"Supernatural" FINAL

2010-11-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

The "Supernatural" project that I have been working has come to a wrap. It definitely felt really good to work on an intellectual property of which I am a huge fan. Here's my take on a young Dean Winchester and a young Sam Winchester.

Hope you enjoy the work and the process that led to it!

Happy Trees =)

2010-10-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

I've been going out and painting with some friends and lucky enough to be under the tutelage of Robh Ruppel himself, who is just by far a great artist in every sense of the word. His advice and guidance have definitely helped me tackle the wide and crazy world around us with nothing more than a simple stylus, tablet and the human eye, and so I figured I'd post some recent digital paintings I did from life with some touching up at home (due to small battery life) but with no photos.

They're portraits of some happy trees. Even the second one, who had just taken a shower. Enjoy!

Recent Speedy Gonzalez(es)!

2010-09-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

These are some recent speed paintings of invented landscapes using photoshop techniques and brush manipulation. They've really helped me develop a new way of designing environments and incorporating more naturalistic elements and movements without getting too bogged down with the blank canvas staring at me. I'm really looking forward to what else I'll be able to get out of this process.

Now that I'm back at Art Center, I'll be posting more often considering I couldn't post anything I worked on over the summer. Look out for some new stuff really soon. Hope you enjoy these for now.

Portraits

2010-09-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a sketch I did of an alien named Henry. I was inspired by my good friend Arron Ingold, who's got his pipeline down and gave me some help in the process.

And here's a portrait of Venom

Oil Study...for FUN

2010-07-19T02:14:00.000-07:00

I went to a painting workshop about a month ago, and I was surprised that the old oils weren't as hard to manage as I remembered. Hadn't painted with them in a while, and I have to admit it was nice to put brush to canvas instead of stylus to tablet. But the cleanup wasn't as fun!

"The Emperor's Runner"

2010-04-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

Take Jules Verne's action story "Michael Strogoff" and place it in 15th century Meso-America at the height of the Aztec Empire, and you get "The Emperor's Runner"

Here are some rendered characters, key scenes and visual development for the story. Hope you enjoy 'em!

Welcome to Arkham!

2010-03-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

You can check out anytime you'd like, but you can never leave!

Crash Bandicoot! Wait...what's a bandicoot???

2010-03-18T12:36:00.001-07:00

Storytelling! Storytelling! Storytelling!

2010-02-25T02:15:00.000-08:00

These are narrative speed paintings. We were only given one week to do each one, however, each one has roughly 3-4 more hours of corrections worked into them based on their initial crit. I really enjoyed pushing my concepts with each narrative sentence. Hope you enjoy them!

Oil Sketching

2010-01-27T14:09:00.000-08:00

I had a serious hankering for some REAL painting, so I got a good ole' Sargent book and did a few quick studies. I worked small to prevent me from rendering or going for unimportant details. The goal was to capture the whole of the painting within an hour.

Return to The Drawing Club!

2009-12-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

Last Drawing Club session of the year - with a Santa Claus dressed model! It was fun sketching just to sketch again. Looking forward to doing more drawing and painting that I want to do this break! Happy Holidays, Everybody!

I Believe I Can Fly!

2009-11-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"

2009-11-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

These are my character designs for The Princess Bride done as an animated feature. I'm ashamed to say that I had never seen the movie until this project, but I'm glad I did. "Inconceivable!"

"Light" (work in progress)

2009-06-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

This is a personal piece that I decided to do one night. It was inspired by my friend Jackie's project in which you do a drawing based on a word, in this case the word was "Light."

I quickly sketched it out (see pen sketch above) and then I decided to do it in photoshop directly without a line drawing (which is unusual for me ). I took it as far as I wanted to for the time being and then added all the logos. It's still unfinished, but I don't have much more to go on it. I just thought I'd throw it up here as a work in progress.

Re-Design of 101 Dalmations

2009-06-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

Just kidding. These are some rough environment sketches that I came up with recently.

Peter Pan and the Legend of Neverland

2009-04-21T10:46:00.001-07:00

Here it is! My color theory final project - Peter Pan! I chose to slightly modify the story by setting it in 16th century Spain, at the beginning of the discovery of the "new world." The Darling family was set as middle class Spanish citizens, while Peter and the world that Neverland represents was based upon the European view of the "savagery" of the Americas. And Captain Hook was based upon the naval authority of the Spanish armada of the time.

Rollin' with STYLE

2009-04-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

These are the pieces from the Style class with Mike Humphries. The bottom one is from the third assignment, which was to design a tree honoring a musical artist in the middle of a town square. I chose Al Hirschfeld as my style artist and The Beatles as my musical group. I did it in pen and ink like Al Hirschfeld, and because Hirschfeld doesn't really do environmental pieces in color, I was free to color it anyway I wanted.

The middle piece was from an assignment in which we had to design a children's restaurant playground. I chose illustrator Lane Smith as my style artist and decided to make my restaurant a dinosaur themed venue. Like Lane Smith, I did this one in oils.

"Oh, Say Can You See"

2009-02-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

This is a drawing I did from a class last semester. The model was wearing this old-fashioned bathing suit, so I decided to push that concept further and make her into an archetype of an American tourist lounging by the pool in some unnamed country.

More Digital Scrapbooking

2008-12-09T09:29:00.001-08:00

Digital Scrapbooking

2008-12-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Dynamic Sketching Pages

2008-12-09T09:24:00.001-08:00

Dynamic Sketching Pages

2008-12-09T09:23:00.001-08:00

Dynamic Sketching Pages

2008-12-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

Dynamic Sketching Pages

2008-12-09T09:17:00.001-08:00

Dynamic Sketching Pages

2008-12-09T09:15:00.001-08:00

Selected Pages from "Dynamic Sketching" Book

2008-12-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

Portraits! Portraits! Portraits!

2008-12-09T08:30:00.001-08:00

Sit down, shut up and SLOW DOWN!

2008-10-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

At least that's what my teacher would tell us before starting our drawings. Well, everything except for the 'shut up' part. Each drawing was done on a separate day in a very long pose format, except for the male portrait. That day my class got a special guest lecture from Illustrator Luba Lukova, whose conceptual work is just amazing. And then we got out even earlier so that we could watch the presidential debate.