Sketch Blog

new mini blog

2011-10-18T12:46:00.004-04:00

Hey folks, it's time for me to simplify and change up formats, so I'm phasing this 'ol gal out and I've started up a new little tumblr page for my sketches, blogging, and the like. You can subscribe via RSS, tumblr, or any reader. So from now on look for updates over at http://pettapiece.tumblr.com/

Hope to see you there.

dragon dance

2011-07-07T08:43:00.003-04:00

Another editorial illustration for the folks at Denizen magazine. Read the article here.

As usual, I never seem to be able to plan the time I'd like to devote to these illustrations. This one fell right during the 4th of July weekend and I still had hot dog in my teeth and sparkler dust in my hair when I finished it up. In the end this forced a simpler, tighter shot composition, which I think actually worked to its benefit. Either way, I knew I wanted to draw a lion/dragon dance costume for this, and I had a lot of fun just making shapes. I could probably zone out and draw patterns & shapes all day.

Bonus: I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 over the weekend which was beautiful and full of great action. Recommended!

The initial colored sketch.

radish

2011-06-22T13:23:00.002-04:00

Messin' around in Flash last night with some character sketching...

a big bushy beard

2011-05-11T09:05:00.005-04:00

This guy has been lying on my desktop for weeks giving me the stink eye and waiting to be finished...

denizen mag

2011-05-10T20:34:00.009-04:00

Here's a little editorial illustration I did the other day for the folks at Denizen online magazine. You can see and read the article right here. Big thanks to Elaina for bringing me on board the illustration team.

I didn't get to dedicate as much time as I would have liked to this, but I was glad for the brain stimulation/challenge. I actually had fun drawing in the travel-themed background, a real field day with google image search let me tell you. Having text to adhere to and coming up with a concept was a needed change from my recent creative sluggishness. Gotta get more freelancing under my belt so this pokémon can evolve. Keep on the lookout.

sneaky peek

2011-03-01T09:06:00.003-05:00

Turns out I wasn't dead, I just hadn't posted in a very long time here. Sorry if you lost a bet over it.

Here's a little in-progress peek at what I'm up to... stay tuned.

mug gremlin

2011-01-14T13:08:00.003-05:00

My mugs keep disappearing at work. I suspect mug gremlins.

yeti yoyo

2010-12-30T11:47:00.008-05:00

A hint of things to come...

hootenanny

2010-11-30T23:40:00.004-05:00

Owl sketch in photoshop, just playing around with shapes.

baboon 2: the coloring

2010-11-07T13:34:00.003-05:00

He looks untrustworthy to me.

baboon

2010-11-04T09:29:00.002-04:00

These are what my drawings look like before I clean them up/apply color. Filthy!

Sometimes I'll flip through my reference books and pick an animal to draw, as an exercise in playing with shape and style. Stay tuned for color on this little guy!

rockadoodle

2010-10-14T12:57:00.004-04:00

Here's an illustration I just finished for my office's holiday party invitation.

I actually had fun working on this, and think it turned out ok (talk to me in a week). Since there weren't any real restrictions on this, I figured it might be a good opportunity to play around and experiment. I've been wanting to test out using textures, so I started slow with a stock paper texture. It really added a neat effect to the overall image once I was done with the final drawing. I think as long as you don't overplay/rely too much on textures, they can be a great tool. Maybe I'll try my hand at creating some custom textures in photoshop some time.

A little color comp to figure out placement and silhouette. I wasn't sure of the hues at this point so it looks like the rooster is either underwater or in a doomsday volcano's ash cloud.

crocodile

2010-10-12T13:54:00.006-04:00

Sketching in Flash..

I'm currently reading J.M. Barrie's unabridged Peter Pan, having realized after doodling this, that I've never actually read the book. Strange, but true. The storytelling voice Barrie uses to address the child listener is full of tangents and stream of consciousness. It's similar to how a kid may tell a story, but with the slyness of knowing what will happen next.

So far, I've learned that the crocodile that hunts Captain Hook is actually female, and that all the pirate dialog is playfully violent. Smee, for instance, has a cutlass named Johnny Corkscrew, so named because he likes to twist it in a victim's guts after he's stabbed them. Delightful.

Epic Win

2010-10-05T10:14:00.004-04:00

A little shaman/witchdoctor guy inspired by EpicWin.

So what have I been getting a kick out of lately?

This great little app called EpicWin, which combines To Do list/task management with the fun and ridiculousness of a fantasy RPG. Right up my alley. I've always been a checklist gal, and garner a good amount of satisfaction from crossing things off lists in the name of productivity. With EpicWin, it's just that, but with added, gorgeously designed incentive. The graphics for the app are a treat to behold, and the interface slick and easy to use. When you complete tasks, you earn gold, and eventually discover loot. All things befitting of a warrior gone a-questing. The loot you can earn is hilarious and offbeat, from "Helmet of Questionable Appeal" to "Flask of Soured Cat's Milk".

The team that put this little gem together started up a development blog for user input and newly added features, as the app continues to grow. Give the app a try, your chores will never be the same again.

You start out choosing one of the five characters to battle your way through quests (i.e. laundry, take out the trash, call your mom for heaven's sake). Behold, my little shambling undead minion, Knuckleduster.

An example of the loot you earn from completed quests. Tasty.

I can't wait to go home and do my laundry.

peter pan & pirates

2010-09-17T10:23:00.002-04:00

Warmup sketch that turned into a mischievous Peter Pan concept. Might play around with this more...

The other day I discovered something I have been waiting for for a long, long time. A classic Lucasarts game has been made available as an app for the iPhone/iPod. I have a lasting love for the games that Lucasarts put out in the early 90s, in the days before it was all Star Wars all the time. The games were witty, interactive, fun, and had a consistently high level of quality poured into them. The games took a bit of inventiveness to figure them out, but there was freedom to try anything and players weren't restricted to an exact order of doing things either.The graphics and environment art always had a twisted charm, whether it was Route 66, a pirate shantytown, a roadside convenience store, or another planet (I remember desperately wanting to work for the company :D).

If you missed out on these games you can get a good refresher here.

Splash screen for Monkey Island 2. The image alone sells it.

The control options work well on the small screen, aside from the occasional blind tapping. The background art gets a crisp update for the app, but remains true to it's roots. The tombstone reads: "Marco Largo LeGrande, hell on sea or sand. The good news, he's dead. The bad news, he bred."

Ah, the good ol' inventory. Where you can construct sentences like: "Use wood polish on peg leg."

Buy the app now for just .99 cents. It's worth the doubloons.

riffraff

2010-09-06T20:52:00.003-04:00

Hey readers, sorry for the hiatus.

Here are some riffraff doodles I've done in the past week. I'm working on some bigger blog posts to come so stay tuned.

ImagineFX

2010-08-02T09:17:00.004-04:00

Newsflash: people actually read this thing.

The folks over at ImagineFX magazine featured my blog in their "Events/blogs to follow" section this month. It was quite a surprise to be casually flipping through the latest issue and see my name. Especially in the vicinity of illustrator Scott Campbell and concept artist Paul Richards whose works I both enjoy immensely. Thanks, ImagineFX and to anyone who may have put in a kind word. It rocks my socks.

sketching

2010-07-30T10:12:00.008-04:00

A few weeks ago I visited the New England Aquarium and managed to fit in a little bit of life drawing before they closed the doors for the day. It's been a while since I've been able to do some good observational sketching so I'm a little rusty, but it's definitely one of my favorite things to do. Also the comments you get from aquarium visitors and tourists are pretty entertaining. I plan on revisiting for some longer sessions in the coming weeks so expect more posts!

hulkbiscuit

2010-07-12T16:19:00.004-04:00

I photoshop photography for a cooking company. I also like comics. And drawing on my lunch break.

djinn

2010-07-09T13:20:00.004-04:00

Sooo... I tried out a brush and inks. And I had a lot of fun!

I tend to get really uptight inking things, and with this guy I did a super rough drawing in pencil and left most of the detail for the brush to determine. Instead of trying to nervously adhere to a tight pencil drawing I was left just making the rest up as I went and getting to play around. It started out as a yeti and and sort of ended up a yeti/djinn/demon thing. Hope you like it!

red panda

2010-06-25T09:56:00.005-04:00

It's catch up week here at the blog, so here's a drawing I did for a friend's birthday recently.

I think I'll petition to put him in the TMNT 'verse.

zatanna

2010-06-18T15:08:00.005-04:00

Presto bloggo!

gorilla grodd

2010-06-04T12:14:00.006-04:00

A quickie of Gorilla Grodd... or just an excuse to draw a gorilla.

A-heh.

To my buddies going to Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC this weekend, have fun and knock 'em dead!

venetia toco

2010-05-28T09:15:00.003-04:00

A pinup done for my friends Christian Sager's and Andrew Sides' marine fantasy webcomic Border Crossings! You'd be wise to check it out.

I've had the pleasure of seeing this comic evolve into the whizbang adventure it is today, and I really enjoy the world-building and characters it has to offer. Here's Venetia and her badass dreadlocks battling a thresher shark.

right hand of doom

2010-05-21T14:02:00.006-04:00

Just a quick one this week, folks. More next time!

Everyone's favorite beast of the apocalypse, Hellboy.

frazetta

2010-05-14T13:11:00.003-04:00

My little tribute to the late artist Frank Frazetta, who passed away this week.

His work helped introduce to me the worlds of fantasy and scifi when I was young and boy am I glad of it. He was a master of his craft, and will be missed.

gesundheit

2010-05-11T12:16:00.002-04:00

Little sketch from this morning while I was waiting for my coffee to brew...

cornelius

2010-04-30T13:08:00.004-04:00

Cornelius from Planet of the Apes.

Another of my favorite movies growing up. It blew my 8 year old mind inside out and I loved the special effects makeup.

Peep the photos from on set.

rogue

2010-04-23T12:59:00.003-04:00

Care to play a few rounds of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, sugar?

taco night

2010-04-22T17:22:00.005-04:00

A little something I sketched up during lunch today. Musta been hungry...

no eyes

2010-04-16T20:42:00.004-04:00

Hey remember these guys?

I'm about 3/4 of the way through coloring them, but figured I'd post an in-progress pic.

black canary redux

2010-04-05T09:00:00.007-04:00

Hey ohhh. My entry for Project Rooftop’s Black Canary re-design. Regardless of outcome, I definitely aim to enter future contests for practice. I hope they do a villain one sometime because I would be all over that.

To be fair, my only familiarity with this character is from the Justice League cartoons I marathon binge from time to time while I’m drawing, so I started there. Black Canary has this great tough looking silhouette that goes hand in hand with her bare-fisted, no holds barred fighting style. The general elements of her costume consist of a black half jacket, tunic, and fishnets. I love strong broad shoulders in female superheroes, and Canary’s half jacket is a great feature for framing/emphasizing that. The short cut of the tunic has a nice hourglass shape and also puts the focus on those gams of hers.

For my swing at this, I went for something that might be worn in a wresting match/ring as Black Canary is more of a practical fighter. It’s also a nod to her mentorship by boxing great, Wildcat. The design might be too conservative overall... oh well. One noticeable thing about Black Canary’s costume is that it lacks any real connection to, well… “canary-ness.” I don’t really have a problem with it since I don’t see her as the type of superhero to sport a big brazen logo/emblem. I think it would just seem like commercial advertising or Nascar. I gave her a semi-cape-let for her shoulders that mimics feather shapes, and also on the bottom of the tunic. I was never a fan of the black fishnets (how 80's!), but I did want to incorporate tights or hose (no giggling, now) into the design somehow. The tights fade into a pair of boxing boots with free access to the laces. You want those boots snug when fighting baddies. Lastly, I stuck to her black/blue color palette for the most part but put in a smidge of yellow on the shoulders, inspired by red-winged black birds. So there you have it, I laid out all of that horrible nerdery in plain sight. I warned you.

black canary

2010-03-26T13:23:00.004-04:00

Would you look at those gams! *wolf whistle*

My entry-in-progress for Project Rooftop's latest competition. I played it pretty basic on the overall concept, sticking to the key shape/silhouette of her existing costume, but I have a few more things to add later on to help spice it up. I'm holding off on final colors until I've done a few color comps to test what works, since color can have a lot of sway on rebooting a design. As Tim Gunn would say, "Make it work."

kelpie

2010-03-19T17:49:00.002-04:00

To be fair, I did the sketch for this here kelpie in the midst of a four day rain storm here in New England.

So even though it's unseasonably nice weather now, it was not always so.

As a side note, belated Happy St. Patrick's Day. Be wary of stray little ponies who are also suspiciously wet all the time.

samus

2010-03-13T15:22:00.006-05:00

Samus from Metroid.

I didn't have time to color her properly, so for now you get the trucker mudflap decal version.

twi'lek

2010-03-05T12:37:00.008-05:00

Sith Twi'lek with dual lightsaber action!

She'll break your arm, and your heart.

space pirate

2010-03-01T14:49:00.006-05:00

If you request I draw a "space pirate" I will not pass it up.

on erasing

2010-02-28T14:26:00.004-05:00

Thumbnail warmups of some visored helmets.

I am trying to break myself of the bad habit of erasing all of the damn time. I've come to the hard realization that erasing is seriously slowing down my thought process. It's allowing me to get hung up on a drawing or letting it become too "precious." Gonna try to cast my uptight perfectionist tendencies aside, at least when it comes to getting things started. Polish can come later. It's pathetic really, how difficult it was to just keep drawing these little guys one after the other. My eye kept tugging back to the previous one "ack, I need to fix... don't you see that's off just there... hey wait!" It helped me ease up and focus on shapes, although admittedly I didn't really push any of these to extremes, they're fairly conservative. The next round, I can start by picking a handful of promising ones and taking them further. Just after I finish breathing into this paper bag.

banner

2010-02-26T10:18:00.005-05:00

In progress pic of some characters for a web banner..

house brownie

2010-02-21T15:55:00.002-05:00

Remember to leave out small offerings of porridge, cream, or honey for your household brownie.

The one that lives in my apartment has other tastes.

brownie

2010-02-17T09:09:00.005-05:00

Little sketch from last night that I'll probably color later. Methinks earthy hues: browns, tans, straw color.

I wanted to revisit drawing "lanky" for lack of a better word. Similar to previous posts here and here. I tend to oscillate and also struggle between drawing realistically and cartoony, mostly because I like qualities of both. My hope is, down the road, I can somehow combine them into some hybrid drawing horror. Look for it here first!

falcor

2010-02-12T10:10:00.006-05:00

Color sketch of Falcor the luck dragon from The NeverEnding Story as a belated-birthday giftlet to my good friend Kelley. May his jowls flap eternally in an endless sky.

Here's a snapshot of the pencil sketch.

lobster johnson

2010-02-06T12:05:00.003-05:00

A special request for pulp vigilante Lobster Johnson which proved too irresistible to refuse.

abraham sapien

2010-01-29T10:32:00.002-05:00

Everyone's favorite fishman, Abraham Sapien from the B.P.R.D. comics.

I only really follow about three comic titles, and this is one I've been picking up since it began. It's just that good. Man, now I want to draw all the other characters...

he really likes jam

2010-01-22T10:44:00.008-05:00

Blah. Not so hot, but I guess they can't all be winners.

Also, this made me laugh.

kilowog

2010-01-15T10:21:00.005-05:00

A bit of a last minute drawing of Kilowog, a favorite of mine from the Green Lantern Corps.

That's what happens when you fritter away precious time by watching video game trailers on youtube.

I need to get my mitts on an xbox360 one of these days.

friday fanart

2010-01-08T08:10:00.003-05:00

tgif chewbacca

This Friday marks the start of a little pet project of mine, which we'll call Friday Fanart.

Each Friday I'll draw a character from movies, books, comics, pop culture, etc as practice for myself and hopeful enjoyment for you, dearest reader. My hope is that this project will help me brush up my drawing/coloring, learn and try some techniques for improvement, and share things that I get a kick out of. Please drop a comment or two to let me know how I'm doing, feedback is always appreciated.

In addition, if anyone is interested in purchasing the original drawings or prints of these, email me forthwith and I'll happily negotiate.

And just incase you need it: Instant Chewbacca

Hobbes

2009-12-28T18:19:00.005-05:00

On Dec. 23rd at 3am on a very cold night, I had to make the decision to put my little ferret Hobbes to sleep. It was the toughest thing I've ever had to do, holding him, as I said my goodbyes. But it was the right thing for him, and for myself, as hard as it was to do.

He was my buddy, my friend, and a beloved pet. I know he's somewhere now breathing a sigh of relief that I'm not constantly after him with medicines and "here comes the airplane!" eyedroppers full of ill-tasting concoctions. I'm grateful for the time he gave to me, for making me laugh no matter how bad my day had been, and for the unconditional love. I'm going to miss him terribly.

A big thanks to those friends and family members who were there to comfort me and for me to get snotty tissues and tears all over. I will pay for any and all dry cleaning bills.

Yule Bringer

2009-12-22T10:21:00.004-05:00

Hoping everyone has a magnificent holiday.

cheers,

Bonus Yule Links

Rare Exports & Rare Exports 2

I post these every year around Christmas, because they're just that good.

If you've seen them before, enjoy them again. If you haven't... prepare.

And what's this?

seconds

2009-12-16T08:04:00.002-05:00

No, no, I simply could not eat another piece of pie.

experimentation

2009-12-10T09:01:00.002-05:00

I did this rough sketch over the weekend, and decided to try experimenting with it instead of being lazy. You know, broadening my horizons, or whatever you want to call it.

Most of the drawings I'm still able to look at without shuddering, are simple loose sketches. I've always had trouble capturing the energy and overall 'oomph' of a sketch when translating it to a final drawing or finished piece. Sometimes I end up overworking the thing, and it's a lost cause. Most of the time I just keep at the original sketch and build it up to a final. The finished drawing usually resembles a half crinkled, half eraser-bare mongrel with smudges resembling an 18-wheeler jamming the breaks at 90mph on the pike. In a word, messy. I picked up a $30 lightbox at Dick Blick (aka Art Warehouse) on Saturday because it's one of those things I should probably have lying around. I put another sheet of paper on top of the rough sketch and drew over the rough shapes, editing where necessary.

The paper is just white computer paper because that's what was at hand, and the last time I used my printer was probably a year and a half ago before it ran out of ink.

Here's the "cleaner" drawing, after a bit of nip/tuck. I purposely made the lines thicker and more pronounced like a cartoon design so that I could try some additional experiments in photoshop.

After 30 wash cycles in a conventional washing machine, the drawing on the right is still at it's brightest whites!

In photoshop I tried my hand at coloring linework for the first time, using the tutorial I had read on Mike Laughead's blog. As an experiment it was pretty fun, and it was good to learn something new and change things up a little.

I threw on some rough colors, because I like the concept but don't feel it's quite there yet. I'll have to do a bunch of little mountainfolk drawings and see what I come up with.

dilophosaurus

2009-11-09T08:49:00.004-05:00

Dilophosaurus!

You know what's fun to draw? Dinosaurs.

And not just because I spent the majority of my childhood drawing them.

It's because they're just cool. You can quote me on that one.

I'll have you know these are not toys, they're articulated visual reference models.

djehutynahkt

2009-11-01T11:07:00.005-05:00

Dancing mummy sketch because I couldn't think of anything good to draw and I was on a sugar-high from eating too many kit kats.

On Halloween I went to the "Secrets of Tomb 10A" exhibit at the MFA. Because creepy crumbling mummies and Halloween kind of go hand-in-hand. Here are a few pics..

The amazing hieroglyphs painted on the coffin. This one reads "eye owl vase legs gosling feather seated person upside down bowl vulture." Couldn't have put it better myself.

Before leaving, I had to stop by and visit what my brother and I call the 'Harry Potter portrait hall'.

Oh, and p.s.: It's pronounced "je-hooty-knocked."

barbarian

2009-10-13T08:16:00.005-04:00

Oh, she's a toughie alright.

Eager to finish it up then get to coloring. I'm thinkin' grizzly or black bearskin. Polar bear was so last year.

swimwear

2009-10-11T16:22:00.003-04:00

I'd hurry up and put in your order for Summer 2010 before all the sizes are picked over.

ex libris

2009-10-06T08:01:00.001-04:00

Part of a drawing for my web banner. I kinda switched things up and gave him a big bear-type nose and smooshed his head proportions to look more solid/compact. I like how it's turning out.

Have I ever told you how much I love libraries? Man, they are tops.

Last night I spent the evening working on some drawings at the awesome Brookline Public Library. The historic building and recent renovations make it a great destination to hunker down and get some work done. In the lower level there are a row of pod-like study carrels that protrude from the outer wall of the building. These are great but I've never had success getting anything done in them, mostly because I felt like I was being punished in a time-out corner or about to be jettisoned into space. This visit, I chose the spacious reference room in the back of the library. Filled with fat, classically-bound books abutting study tables and framed by oil portraits of stuffy old men and stoic civil war generals, this room was much more my style. I plunked down at a table, spread out my stuff, and was able to 'enter the zone' for a solid two hours. Bliss.

Lately I've been having a bit of a hard time avoiding distractions, disruptions, and staying focused when I'm working. I love my studio apartment, but sometimes it is downright horrible for working when you're surrounded by potential distractions like books, action figures, internet, food, you name it. It doesn't exactly say "workspace" so much as "hey sit on this comfy corduroy couch and read that new book and maybe while you're up be a doll and get me an ice cream sandwich". Hence my predicament.

I expect to be visiting the reference room at the library regularly now. Because I can only equate drawing 'in the zone' to a bizarre combination of clarity, hypnosis, and whatever it is that cats feel when they tango with catnip.

wossname

2009-09-30T09:04:00.002-04:00

I don't know, you tell me.

Maybe it's a sirrush. Maybe I'm just a big nerd.

the science of 8 limbs

2009-09-24T10:28:00.005-04:00

On Tuesday I attended a free screening of Ong Bak 2 at the dashing Somerville Theater.

Little did I know I would discover a newfound love of martial arts movies. Not that I didn't like them before, but it's almost as if I wasn't ready for them. I cite animation as my major influence in drawing and you really can't get more animated than the choreographic tangle of limbs and flying fists showcased in these types of movies. The fights are both elegant and brutal, humorous and cringeworthy. Granted, another great source to look at for pose and gesture is ballet. However, I find ballet sorely lacking in rooftop chases, rope darts, and stuntwork involving elephants. I'm picky like that.

Hungry for a knuckle sandwich.

Sweep and recover.

Thumbnails done on the T.

Um, this one wasn't in the movie.

buggy

2009-09-21T09:24:00.004-04:00

Quick sketch before the workday pulls me into the void. I need to get my hands on some Legos again.

In the meantime, I'll continue to haunt The Brothers Brick.

dive dive

2009-09-20T11:03:00.004-04:00

Thoroughly impractical and purely ornamental dive suit sketch.

I love how some of the early diving suits seemed to be fashioned more from suit of armor aesthetics than scientific ones. I guess that's why steampunk is so visually pleasing.

quickie

2009-09-18T10:24:00.005-04:00

Quick little sketch of atomic robo while I wait for my coffee to kick in this morning.

Pardon the neglect that has fallen upon the blog. I feel like I forgot to feed the goldfish or somethin'. I'm working away on making things for the new website, so it won't be long now! Eventually, I'll be switching to a new blog there, leaving this one for digiarcheologists to find in the year 3020.

In the meantime, please don't go belly up on me.

MNU

2009-08-23T12:33:00.003-04:00

Wikus van der Merwe from District 9.

Go see the movie. I can't speak highly enough of it.

hellhound

2009-08-16T09:19:00.006-04:00

Born of the unholy union between a pokémon and a charcoal briquette.

So, the posting has been a bit sparse lately, yes? Well things have gotten busy in the work and life categories, but I've also been working on my portfolio-in-the-making and prepping for a new website. That's right, be on the lookout soon for an honest-to-goodness, genuine website with pictures and words and things you can click on. Because if I don't do something with all this stuff, I will indeed, lose the last of my marbles.

In the meantime, I'll be right here. Eating cheese doodles and not answering your calls.

versipellis

2009-07-24T09:15:00.005-04:00

He's the hairy-handed gent who ran amuck in Kent
Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair
Better stay away from him
He'll rip your lungs out, Jim
I'd like to meet his tailor.

-Warren Zevon, Werewolves of London

loup-garou

2009-06-28T22:05:00.004-04:00

Finished drawing

Sketch

Sorry vampires. Werewolves will always be cooler.

cat's meow

2009-06-27T21:19:00.011-04:00

The rewarding part of taking the time to work in layers and masks in photoshop is that it results in a highly customizable image. In other words... let's play dress up!

I think I'm going to have to draw the little lady a fella so's she can go out dancing...

bee's knees

2009-06-16T01:06:00.009-04:00

1920's gal.

Drawn after watching The Painted Veil. I'll fully admit and it should come as no surprise that I'm a sucker for period pieces, mostly for the costume design, settings, and period language. While the photography was beautiful and the bleak story well-acted, I'm partial to the one review on Rotten Tomatoes which simply stated:

"If the cholera doesn't get you, the dialogue probably will."

deatheater

2009-06-13T08:30:00.005-04:00

A Deatheater/dark wizard from the Harry Potter series.

Not sure who this guy is yet, but I definitely wouldn't mess with him.

bot

2009-05-27T15:06:00.004-04:00

Note the contrapposto. Oh that's right, I paid attention in Art History, it only looked like I was napping.

I think this guy deserves a proper coat of paint in the near future...

sabretooth & wolverine

2009-05-21T10:24:00.010-04:00

Because they should have made a movie out of the opening credits of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

I'm just sayin'.

In addition to some mad researching, this was practicing styles, playing with proportions, and trying out some new techniques. And boy, did I learn a lot on this one. You wouldn't think that drawing hands and feet stupidly big would be that much fun. But it is.

storm

2009-05-12T14:41:00.002-04:00

Lunch sketch at work.

Ok, so I'm on a bit of an X-men kick. Bear with me.

magnum

2009-05-10T16:15:00.006-04:00

Hey mom, I know you read this thing.

This one's for you. Happy Mother's Day.

stars and garters

2009-05-07T08:57:00.004-04:00

Yay!

Beast from the X-Men.

If you ever have a few spare minutes, I highly suggest checking out the Library of Congress' Flickr photostream. Chock full o' history goodness and intense stares. Like Captain Poncelet, here.

atomic robo volume 3

2009-04-29T08:49:00.008-04:00

Hey kids! Atomic Robo volume 3 kicks off today with Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time #1. Get thee to your local comic book store and pick up a copy. Atomic Robo is genuine and downright quality stuff, put together by an amazing team. You just can't go wrong. Also, Brian and Scott were kind enough to have me on board for a mini-comic in the back of this issue.

That's right, Jenkins is in it. So you know you're in for a good time.

wonder woman

2009-04-22T09:15:00.008-04:00

Diana, queen of the Amazons. Kicker of asses. Wearer of fashionable, yet practical sandals.

Finally got around to finishing this one. Turned out worlds different than what I started from, which given the fact I had left it lying around for a while, isn't surprising. The sketch was looking too 'vampy' and not at all like the Wonder Woman I would draw. She should have presence. Y'know, like she could beat the snot out of someone, but still be distinctly feminine. Girl power and all that....stuff.

Heroes: Andrew Loomis

When I was around twelve, my dad brought home a bundle of books for me from a local library sale, one of which was a well-worn copy of "Fun With a Pencil" by Andrew Loomis.

The book contained some of the best draftmanship, caricature, and studies of the human figure I had ever seen. It was published in 1940, and looking at it now, much of the content is un-PC in an almost comical way. But damn, the man could draw. You looked at his work and knew that he was a master at what he did. I admit I never really used any drawing instruction books when I was little, and that's not out of any pretentious conviction. I was more interested in trying to duplicate the finished product, so I could care less about going through any series of steps or jumping through hoops. I learn through imitation, mimicry, and my own stubbornness.

Unfortunately, to my knowledge all of Loomis' books are out of print. However, I recently discovered that some wonderful soul has scanned/made pdfs of them. It's an amazing treasure trove, so don't say I never gave ya nothin'.

Andrew Loomis book collection

wonder sketch

2009-03-28T19:19:00.012-04:00

Wonder Woman work in progress. We'll see where it goes from here...

run ironman run

2009-03-24T10:35:00.006-04:00

Yet another drawing done during a meeting at work. Ha haa!

Lately my default doodling has centered around robots and the like, I think simply because of the opportunity to play with shapes and interlocking things. It's probably just residual memory from my Lego days.

armor

2009-03-22T13:29:00.007-04:00

Sketching up some armor..

Might finish it, might not.

In other news...Happy Birthday Sketchblog! You are one year old.

I may just take it upon myself to messily devour a cupcake in your honor.

Links

Pet AT-AT

I am now mildly obsessed with tilt-shift photography

conchords

2009-03-11T17:19:00.005-04:00

Doodle of Jermaine while watching Flight of the Conchords...

Links

Foxes on a trampoline

We call it Book.

rocketeer

2009-03-10T13:48:00.004-04:00

Yeah!!

Links

Ancestry.com commercial

31st floor paper airplane

sketchdump

2009-02-21T23:18:00.000-05:00

Well, hey there.

Been busy lately with some projects (more on these later), so in the meantime here are some random sketches from the last couple weeks...

Undersea/space suit. Oven mitts come standard.

From a dream I had involving an antique bookstore and werewolves. That's really all you need to know.

Barrrarrarrr!

Atomic Robo. Doing... something.

Lion-o, lord of the kitty cats.

Links:

Bear Sleeping Bag

Awareness Test

One-Eyed Ophelia Jackson

harpooner

2009-02-10T19:20:00.009-05:00

A quick sketch during lunch at Bruegger's today.

I'm a sucker for many things: bad fantasy films, cereals that include toys in the boxes, 3D glasses, a good rootbeer, and anything corduroy... to name just a handful. But one theme I've always been drawn to is things nautical. I think I was born with an interest in the nomadic and the survivalist, heck, one of my first* book reports was on Robinson Crusoe. Something about the self-contained-ness of life on a ship at sea was both fascinating and scary. What really did it though, was probably this:

The wreck of the Howard W. Middleton.

I grew up around this shipwreck, spending every single one of my summers poking around it near our family cottage. I guess it was sort of my version of the tree-house.

Just... slippery-er.

* the other was Bunnicula: The Celery Stalks at Midnight

Links:

Glossary of nautical terms

Booty Juggler

yeti

2009-01-29T14:26:00.004-05:00

Just a quick one during lunch...

Links:

Anatomy of a gummi bear

for the love of graffiti

pew pew pew

2009-01-28T13:03:00.001-05:00

A few concept sketches for "science" guns...

Conceptual art can be great fun or just plain frustrating depending on how you go about it. Too often I find myself getting wrapped up/bogged down gathering research (visual, textual, etc) and I lose sight of the fact that "concept" is supposed to be simple and quick visual brainstorming.

Just go. It's not supposed to be perfect, nor is it going to work right away. It's trying things without your usual filters on, no matter how rough or impractical they may be.

Having said all that, I try to approach most concept work with the following mindset:
as long as you believe it could work, it can.

Links:

"Hair Buddy" CalArts short

Brushes

2009-01-24T13:40:00.011-05:00

Found: a great new painting app to use on my iPod touch called Brushes. (I've talked about the other painting program I've used, NetSketch, here.) So what's all the hullabaloo about?

One of the best things about Brushes is that it supports transparency, so basically it is much more true to mimicking the layering and building of color that occurs when using paint. The best I can describe it is "dynamic finger painting."

Here's a little portrait of Yoda I did to show how the transparency and layering can really help you build shapes and textures. It's also very intuitive if you use more of an add/subtract method of painting, much like using an eraser on a charcoal drawing to create highlights.

The app features your standard tools: a color picker with sliders for tint and transparency...

...an eyedropper tool and zoom in/out capabilities....

...three different styles/textures of brushes with variable size sliders...

... and a multiple "undo" feature, of course. *guilty look*

So that's Brushes in a virtual blog-based nutshell. Bottom line: great features, nice little interface, and gosh-darn it, it's fun.

links:

Brushes Flickr Group

The Real BatCave

batgirl

2009-01-22T14:06:00.005-05:00

Do you sometimes get the urge to draw Batgirl in meetings?

OMG. So do I. Let's get married.

new year

2009-01-13T00:38:00.008-05:00

So hey, it's 2009 now.

I took a bit of a blogging hiatus over the holidays, but now that I've had time to properly survey the damage, clean up the bottles, and find my other shoe, I can safely say it's about time I started showing this blog some proper love again. And much like those tv infomercials you find yourself unable to turn away from despite it being 2am and needing to pee like a racehorse, there's more... There will be some bonus features popping up in the coming posts. I'm not even going to make you work for them. Because I'm just that nice.

Animation

Watch as I make things move before your very eyes! I'm learning Flash amongst other things, so I'll try to post some of these experiments with the sole purpose of making myself laugh.

Tech

With the help of friends, the internet, and the metal plate in my head, I've found and been exposed to some great little programs, devices, and apps that are great tools for creatively goofing off. My technology: let me show you it.

Tutorials

There's been some interest in how I go about making the stuff on this blog. I don't claim to know what I'm doing. Let's just get that out of the way right off. However, I'll gladly share my processes and experimentations as best I can with in-progress pics and completely-made-up-techniques-with-cool-sounding-but-blatantly-fake-names.

Purchases/Reviews

Sometimes I buy things that make me geek out (rapid speech, dilated pupils, strange sounds, and small dance movements). It could be a book, a game, a movie, or some music that sets me off creatively. And... if I think it's cool, shouldn't you too?

Entertainment

Links and things, silly stuff...that kind of thing. Like this or maybe even this.

So that's that. Let's go have some fun.

sir nigel daisington

2008-12-02T15:51:00.004-05:00

Hour and a half meeting about company open enrollment health care benefits and changes to the 2009 plan.

john locke

2008-12-01T11:03:00.003-05:00

A quick one done at the airport.

I'll tell you what I can't do. I can't wait for the new season of Lost to start.

For Pete's sake comeaaahhn already...

colorz

2008-11-23T23:39:00.005-05:00

This one was just begging to be colored.

And really, why just look at colors when you could be eating them.

banner

2008-11-17T20:50:00.006-05:00

Banner-in-progress for a friend's blog.

It radiates a 30ft wave of pure, concentrated macintosh geekery. And it's resistant to fire spells.

A sneak peak of the coloring:

flop

2008-11-16T22:07:00.003-05:00

I completely forgot that I had downloaded the full version of Flipbook a few weeks back. I also forgot about this little animation I made *ahem* after having a few drinks last weekend.

beep boop bleep

2008-11-09T21:15:00.004-05:00

Um..I think this is purely video game nostalgia mishmash. What, you'd rather I say hodgepodge? Fine.

danger is my middle name

2008-11-05T18:59:00.010-05:00

I tried a little experiment on my walk home from work. Because, well, I'm easily entertained.

Q: Is it possible to finger paint on my iPod in NetSketch and walk at the same time?

A: Apparently. But I don't advise it.

da bears

2008-11-03T18:52:00.006-05:00

Sketching at the Stone zoo in Stoneham, MA. The black bears were definitely the highlight. I also underestimated how cold it was outside and despite fingerless gloves being great for drawing dexterity they suck at keeping you warm.

poot

2008-10-30T12:25:00.006-04:00

Doodle during a meeting.

Note the "poot" which was added by my boss.

pudgy

2008-10-24T08:16:00.002-04:00

Spacesuit...thing. I dunno.

rooster? I don't even know 'er!

2008-10-21T10:04:00.004-04:00

Old-timey invitation made for a company holiday party.

Gee-whiz!

and this is where i keep my different lengths of wire

2008-10-16T11:30:00.007-04:00

I have no idea what this is.

But it entertained me during a book meeting, so I'll just call it "notes."

Fringe

2008-10-15T01:45:00.006-04:00

Has anybody been watching Fringe?

I'm really starting to like where the show is going. Some great wacky science as well as some serious X-Files nostalgia going on. Also, John Noble plays a darn good mad scientist. Delightful.

(Seriously though, I'm still waiting for Lost....)