Blankenstine Unleashed

IF: Silent

2011-11-15T21:45:00.000-05:00

IF: Perils of Hibernation

2011-09-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

"Ok who farted?!?!"

Because even if you don't want to admit it farts can be funny...

IF: Mesmerizing

2011-09-21T12:30:00.002-04:00

IF: Boundaries

2011-09-12T15:16:00.000-04:00

"Sure she's a hottie...but don't let her get her hooks into you or it's nothing but trouble..."

No Boundaries

IF: Public Ed...Mysterious

2011-09-02T18:39:00.000-04:00

May need to click to read...I'll get it all out of my system...eventually...

IF: We Have a Swell Marriage

2011-08-12T16:36:00.000-04:00

You might have to click to read it...

Been a while! Lots of changes have been going on since school let out...but I'm finally bringing it all back together!!! And I have plans lol...hopefully now I can get back to keeping up with everyone...one of the things I've really missed over the past few months has been not only doing more art but seeing everyone else in action for inspiration...

Student Redraws

2011-06-04T22:40:00.000-04:00

(click images to enlarge)

I spend a lot of time teaching the students about the art of refinement. This year I helped students follow the creative process to design templates to redraw in Illustrator. They often had good core ideas but weren't seasoned enough to really see what I was pushing them to...I get excited when I see the base potential there but the struggle is to get them to realize what they have. It was also their first Illustrator attempt and the tools can be clumsy until you get used to them. So after the students finished I took several templates to show them how just little tweaks here and there can make a world of difference. Too often they are satisfied with very 'raw' work. The purpose of this wasn't to embarrass the students but really an attempt to say 'you have it...now you just have to polish it!"

IF: Public Ed...Shadows

2011-06-04T10:41:00.000-04:00

(click to read)

The only problem with being done with the school year is I still wake up at 6am...and there aren't even any good cartoons on at that time...It was a weird year...but at least now I can get on blogger...

IF: Soaked

2011-05-20T12:51:00.000-04:00

What a Shar Pei looks like after you let it soak too long in the bath...

IF: Ed's Discount Safari

2011-05-13T22:06:00.000-04:00

"Any particular reason you decided to blow through that stop light?"

IF: Public Ed: Lesson

2011-05-04T15:54:00.001-04:00

click to blow up and read...

My apologies for not being able to comment on others work the past bit...unfortunately filters are screwed up at work which has made it pretty difficult to post and comment...but I can still stalk and view...if you haven't viewed Dan vs. on the HUB then you probably should try to watch Dan vs. Technology...it is one of the better ones and funny for a variety of reasons...Unlike Dan vs. Art...which really was terrible...

On a related note...one of my students asked if my cartoons were about them...my official policy is that all works created are fiction...any similarities to actual persons or events is purely coincidental...purely coincidental...

Real finished poster

2011-04-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

We actually got to print these off on a large format printer today...turned out pretty nice...

Here are the mask files.Clearly I had to change the guy mask color but I blame the outrageous color shift on photoshop...Not sure why a document from illustrator won't keep colors intact when x-ferring to pshop...My quick fixes for printing didn't work out with these colors and when printed from photoshop the items looked like they had sat in a sunny window for a month...Illustrator printing='d perfect.

IF: Bicycle

2011-04-26T16:04:00.000-04:00

In West Virginia if you are REALLY poor you have a bicycle up on blocks in the front yard rusting down instead of an automobile...either that or you are trying to make the rest of the folk think you are an athlete...

Being from WV I can make these claims and give you permission to laugh...it could probably hit home to some Kentucky or Georgia people as well...but they probably don't find it as funny...

Spring Showcase Poster/Postcard

2011-04-20T21:59:00.000-04:00

This will be the first year that we are doing a gallery show...usually we are pretty pooped from dealing with portfolios...but the opportunity came up so we're giving it a shot...not the strongest class but they do have some good work...so we'll see how it goes...I'm excited and hope it works well for them.

IF: Journey 2

2011-04-18T16:43:00.000-04:00

Meeting day at school...so it was drawing time...the original idea was just the blank vast distance between the bed and the alarm clock and what a terrible journey it is each morning...but that wasn't an accurate representation of my room...vast or empty...plus I had another hour and a half to kill whilst listening to our guest speaker...

IF:Journey

2011-04-15T15:57:00.001-04:00

(click to enlarge...and then you might have to click again to bump it up one more time...had to do the critter a bit smaller to fit the scene in....)

After doing the sea monster one I figured I would do another one for the IF topic...there's a bridge at the local community college that I snapped a pic of and figured this would be a nice place to throw in a hobo critter. I saw a post on a portal a few years ago where people were putting drawings in everyday settings but can't recall what it was...because I'm getting old...and my mind is bad.

Poster Prep Item 1

2011-04-14T21:52:00.000-04:00

First created for use on a poster for an upcoming event...

IF:Bottled

2011-04-11T19:51:00.000-04:00

IF: 'DU-ET! DU-ET!'...Suicidal No-Talent Singers on the Ledge...

2011-04-05T08:05:00.000-04:00

"They thought the crowd was chanting 'DO IT! DO IT!' and jumped...I guess it could've been worse...they could have complied and actually started singing..."

IF:We said DUETS only...

2011-04-04T12:34:00.000-04:00

"Well you blew it for us again Larry."

It was funnier in my mind...I think it had to do with coming off a spring break where the average temperature was 33 degrees...I'll try to do better next time...Larry is the head on the far right just in case it was eating you up to know.

IF: Toy

2011-03-25T13:08:00.001-04:00

When I was little I had lots of monster toys...I had the Kraken from Clash of the Titans (the tail and flippers ALWAYS fell off when you played with it)...Godzilla with shootable fist (his tail always came off too...and his toenails were broken pretty easily) and my favorite of all time...especially because it held together really well...Rodan...I'm not sure when exactly it disappeared but it had flapping wings, a mouth you could open and close by a switch on the neck...and real grasping action claws...being I couldn't think of anything funny (which is often what I hear when I do draw something with that intent) I decided to look my toy up and do a quick sketch...It's hard to believe that I thought it looked so cool back in the day...now it just seems like a bad plastic muppet to me. The good news is if you are a kid nowadays and aren't sucked into video games 24-7 there are lots and lots of really well designed and manufactured toys out there. Check out the Gremlin toy on this page and watch the video on the air sharks at the very top...

IF 'Cult'ivate...the secret order of the turnip-headed moon worshippers

2011-03-21T08:29:00.000-04:00

"Sorry my boy but you can't join...all of our members are homegrown..."

Dad's Night Poster

2011-03-15T09:15:00.000-04:00

A poster I did for a guy I work with...I think they get together and shoot things...while playing music...and eating hog...I hope I didn't misunderstand and this is really some kind of black tie event or I did this all wrong...

IF: Stir Fried

2011-03-11T13:22:00.002-05:00

"Excuse me...could one of you gentleman direct me to the location of the Vegan Rally?"

Earlier when I thought I only had 10 minutes I did a poorly drawn cartoon with the Kool-Aid Man attacking kids at a party and was going to title it "Stir Crazy"...you know because you stir kool-aid...and in essence you figure that would effect his brain since the fluid somehow has to relate to internal organs...somehow...but then I found out I had 25 minutes so I could think of a better yet equally dumb and poorly rendered idea without having to continue drawing running and screaming kids...

So I thought about 'stirring up trouble'...and then I thought...vegan walking into a hunting lodge...and then I thought...that guy would get fried...and hey...you use vegetables in a stir fry...and then I thought about what I was going to get for lunch...and it has been all down hill every since...

Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

2011-03-09T14:47:00.000-05:00

Church doodle...

You might say that isn't a very good attempt at a sheep disguise...I'm afraid it doesn't take much anymore...I could give you some crazy statistics and evidence but I'll just leave it at this...
"My people perish from a lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6

Self-Portrait IV

2011-03-08T12:07:00.000-05:00

Updates

2011-03-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

A while back I did a ptero head and had plans for doing a large new pic...

I did lots of body sketches and it took me a while to try and figure out what I wanted to do. I even did a maquette with biohazard trash-bag wings to try to figure out how the wings would go as they were folded in certain positions.

Of course because it wasn't painful enough trying to finish up my large styraco rendering in pointillism...I almost went for graphite...and then almost went for colored pencil...but I enjoyed doing the stego head so much that I decided to go for pointillism again...the board size is the same size as the styraco and I do have the entire body sketched out at but I need to work on the scenery. I like it so far and I'm glad I decided against the turtle and went with the octopus. I did do turtle drawings but it just looked a bit less fluid and forced...so far so good.

And of course here is the progress made from last time...I did get started on the water which seems to be turning out okay. I do have more background work to straighten out and I'll have to go over the entire body and head to adjust values...and I added some elements in the extreme foreground. Estimated finished date...June 15th...of 2024...

IF:Unheeded Warning

2011-03-04T13:27:00.000-05:00

"I told you their fries were salty..."

IF:Swarm

2011-02-25T12:34:00.000-05:00

Swarm of Sock Monsters... it almost makes you nervous to know what is in the underwear drawer...

Colored Stegosaurus

2011-02-18T13:27:00.000-05:00

After I do my pointillism items I like to color them after I've made prints. Our new printer lets me run through watercolor and heavier stocks of paper...which allows me to print the original size of the work. In times past I had to shrink everything down to fit 8.5x11...not anymore! And as mentioned...even better...I can run through much higher quality paper...I do have prints of this as well as my oviraptor from earlier for sale...you can see that info here

IF: Layers

2011-02-18T13:19:00.001-05:00

I recently moved to a new apartment and have been surprised at the large number of cats...I've counted 6 'regulars' to this point...and not just any cats...but all of them are very large...and they are always drooped over railings with flaps of skin and fat acting as a grip. One particularly large feline that hangs directly over where I walk I nicknamed 'Layers'...because he's got them.

On a seemingly unrelated note...I'm a school teacher...and as most folks know school teachers often help out of pocket with supplies...I demand a lot out of my students because I know what they are walking into as they shift into college...and I understand that they sometimes have less freedom to go out and get items they might need for projects...I want them to have the best shot at scholarships possible because there are times that is the only way they will be able to get their foot in the door for college. That might mean buying actual art supplies or even driving around and searching for props...one of the funner ones was driving around to every goodwill and thrift store within a 3 hour radius to find a certain shirt logo...To help with this I am selling some of my stuff or creating some work specifically to sell. If you wouldn't mind on occasion pop on over to my Blankenstine Is a Sellout blog and see if there might be something you like. Or if you've seen anything I've done in the past you liked I might be able to recreate or even sell the original (provided it hasn't been promised to my own kids).

IF: Heavy Sweater

2011-02-16T12:24:00.001-05:00

I had this big running deal making fun of myself and how when I ride a bike in 100 degree weather I barely sweat...go the gym barely sweat...play basketball with my screaming savages barely sweat...but if I sit at home on my couch and draw I look like I've been in a swimming pool...but I figured that would be TMI...I blame this sketch on froggie and her 'draw a shape and then turn it into a person idea...so yell at her if you so feel inclined...but it is a fun exercise...and she's a great artist...and really funny with her big stories that go with her posts...

IF: Public Ed:Reverse

2011-02-04T14:10:00.000-05:00

Click it to read it...may take a couple...

Pointillism Stegosaurus

2011-01-31T12:25:00.003-05:00

I finished this item up a few days ago...I had done some head sketches a while back but didn't really like how they had turned out. A stego head isn't nearly as exciting as some of the other dino heads out there. So the trick was trying to find a way to make a rather boring 'why do it' sketch turn into something that pulled off halfway decent. There are a couple of small things here or there I'm not happy with but I like the redesign much better. Now I have to figure out how the new printer works so I can run some of these on card stock and throw in some color....

IF: Public Ed:Almost Time to Surrender

2011-01-31T12:20:00.002-05:00

Click it until you can read it...

IF:Dusty

2011-01-21T15:06:00.003-05:00

Inservice day...which meant meetings...which meant checking IF and cutting loose...we actually had lots of good discussion today...I had another 'art person' grouped in which meant we could go on the offensive vs the other 30...they never stood a chance...

IF: Chicken

2011-01-14T14:03:00.003-05:00

Click to enlarge to enjoy the full glory and fine craftsmanship....carefully developed by artisans with over 100 years of tradition in the kilns of northern ireland.

Pig Maquette final...maybe...

2011-01-09T20:15:00.001-05:00

The final painted pig...I ran into a couple of problems that diminished the quality of the paint job...besides my lacking capability...that always goes without saying...so if you are reading this and know some insights, please clue me in. I had many panicked moments wishing I had just left it unpainted...and part of me still feels that way.

First thing I did was spray a primer down on certain parts. The primer never really dried all the way...I thought it might have had to do with the humidity levels but after placing it at multiple locations it still remained tacky. I believe people usually use acrylic when painting sculpy but thought I might have better luck trying modeling paints.

After waiting for it to dry I went ahead and used spray paints to set base coats...which those too after over a month are still a bit tacky. Not tacky like wearing a 1970's type shirt to a formal dinner event...but not dry tacky.

I painted individual parts with the small bottles of paint, which some are dried and some not.

Finally, because everything was glossy I threw on some flat clear-coat hoping to knock the sheen down a bit...and hoping it would help it to dry. I don't know why I thought that...but I think it knocked parts of it down a bit too much. To restore the shine to eyes and teeth I slathered on some gloss nail polish clear-coat.

So I guess it is kind of done...now I just have to see how many months it takes to dry and then figure out where I'm going to put it.

IF: Deja Vu

2011-01-07T13:44:00.005-05:00

Click image TWICE to enlarge big enough to read...and then after you laugh you can pretend to be offended...

Pig Maquette Process

2011-01-05T13:03:00.018-05:00

Previously I showed a process that we did to create sock puppets...this year we turned them into maquettes...

Started with just a basic wire structure (in the background you will see "Bridge on the River Kwai"...a classic if you haven't seen it...)

Threw on some foil to get the base shape (Batman Beyond...a cheesy futuristic Batman done a few years back with low rent animation)

Got a couple of glass marbles and painted some iris and pupil areas...

Glued said eyes to the structure...(Bert the Conquerer...that was the episode where they used a four-wheeler to make a giant human slingshot.)

Slapped on some sculpy and started to add some detail.

Started dealing with the lips and baked the tusks separate so I could mold around them and keep them separate...leaving them unbaked made it impossible to form a lip around...(Something on DIY network...too bad I don't own my own home to practice tearing crap up.)

More detailing (WVU football game...they actually won that one...)

Added some ears...(Bonanza...)

Gave him a collar and tie...(And more Bonanza)

Front view...(and even more Bonanza...I think that was the episode where someone got kidnapped and someone else was going to be wrongfully hanged while one of the guys was being nice to the recently widowed woman with a daughter...)

Arms baked separate!

And finally pieced all together before a final baking...

Coming up....the tragic story of painting...

Out with the Old

2011-01-05T11:55:00.004-05:00

Recently moved and in doing so I went through my pile of work...and like any good spring cleaner would do in the middle of winter I evaluated to suckopotamus factor on several of the items I thought I wanted to save. Not that I didn't learn stuff from the hulking pile of pooh...but I just hated them...and I'm sure as I look at other items I will delete them too...there is only so many times I can look at some of the things and say to myself "what was I thinking"...I mean I know everyone produces a junker now and then...and when you're 'sketching' or just fooling around with compositional items that it happens because of problem solving...but these item were intentional...just not intentionally bad...so like a penguin purging its gullet I trashed a bunch of stuff...

styracosaurus head in pointillism...burnt...I found out that trying to do pointillism on a smaller scale wasn't working for me...for a head 10x15 seems to be the right size...but the small size looked just goofy and sophomoric...when I compare it to my first effort it is clear the severe drop in quality...

my triceratops hunching on it's back legs...used to scrape barnacles from a canoe...I worked bigger but the details were smaller...and that tree...I tried to make it look like bark had been stripped away from a larger herbivore...I don't know what happened...but I know once you start with a plan using ink and dots it had better work cause there ain't no goin' back...I like parts of the tree...I like the pose...but it just doesn't pull together...maybe with some watercolor? Maybe if I had stuck with graphite...maybe if frogs had wings....the really funny part is someone begged me for this picture...but I couldn't stand the thought that years down the road they would let it slip that it was my work...I have enough bad work that I didn't trash with my name attached.

This item that I am STILL working on (it is taking forever) looks less cartoony and if I don't screw it up along the way I might feel better about it...provided the illo board doesn't turn to dust. But again it seems like a much higher quality.

Of course this even had its own special terd origin...thankfully the illustration board was thick enough that it protected me during a ninja attack....but I'm equally as grateful the work died in the process...

This item I did as an exercise with regards to a description based on the chupacabra...I liked the idea but hated the results...I was just trying to throw in some landscape to get it done...and it shows...

The head shot I like much better...but mostly because of the chicken...that may be my finest chicken drawing moment...it almost makes me want to draw another chicken...what happened to the full body picture? Dog scoop...if you know what I mean...

And who could forget this monstrosity...which I swore I would cut the eye out and bury the rest...and I did...

After doing this junker I managed to pull out this one...which made me infinitely happier...

Then there is the grandaddy of them all...

I really had good intentions with this...it was a really neat assignment based on using a whale skull that was found and people were trying to guess what it was...but once I got the figures done I was hoping to do some background work...maybe if I had tried to jazz it up into a pop-work piece of art then I could have made it into something classically bad...you know...like a good godzilla movie...instead it is just bad bad...and it sat in my closet looking at me with its awkward stare of disappointment, begging me to put it out of its misery...so I did...I used it as a sled on a half mud-half snow hill...

This colored pencil item made me much happier even without dinos...seemed to be much better planned and complete...

The good news is that I think I've grown...I got to explore some different media and found a couple of things I like to do, so it wasn't entirely a waste. Here's to a new year and to hoping that as long as we're still around that we all get better and more honest so that we can grow. Looking forward to more inspiration from those around me and the hope that I will get better with perseverance and hard work.

IF:Resolutions

2011-01-04T08:13:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

Finished Dino

2010-12-08T14:55:00.001-05:00

Finished it up...and corrected a hideous anatomical error with the back arm..

Dino Sketch

2010-12-06T15:32:00.001-05:00

The sketch that preceded the colored pencil one I'm working on...

IF:Prehistoric

2010-12-05T23:44:00.005-05:00

Close to being finished and pooptastic lighting conditions for the picture...but white death is descending on my little corner of the world and it is almost midnight so we're going with it for now...

Attendance Award?!?!?

2010-11-23T21:44:00.007-05:00

Our school does a weekly attendance award and this year they even got a 6 foot tall trophy to pass around. Each class that wins it puts a little something something to make their mark...automotive put a spark plug...criminal justice their shoulder patch...Physical therapy wrapped one of the columns like a broken leg...architecture engineering design did some sort of plastic spiral thing around a column...so what did we do?

I did a dragon carrying off a maiden and sheep...it is very symbolic...but I haven't divulged the meaning yet...my students are trying to guess...so far they have that they are the sheep...now the question is if it will get past the no-fun police that sometimes pop up as being too 'outlandish'...you know...should've just put a paintbrush or pencil on there...but that top area was begging for a dragon...

Dino Update

2010-11-21T15:20:00.003-05:00

This one is really slow going but it has to be. Too quick and I'll mess up because it gets mindless after a while. I've been adding in the background and then will work on the water. After that I will have to go over the entire item a final time to get values adjusted. Between the off and on of this I've got about three other projects I'm hitting...a hand puppet maquette I'm 75% finished with...a t-shirt for a guy at school that I just started...and plans for some more Illustrator work to help hone my skills as I try to (still) switch from Freehand...which again makes me want to strangle Adobe for not incorporating the tools that are BETTER from Freehand or at least selling off Freehand so that someone else can let it live...

IF:Sneaky

2010-11-19T21:04:00.004-05:00

The worst monster of all...one that steals candy from a babies...

IF: Eat your peas and then afterwards...

2010-11-05T15:00:00.002-04:00

It doesn't matter what the 'afterwards' is...parents know this...that's why you always get the most of the worst...you can't do it..."You didn't finish em all this time...maybe next time you'll get that pet unicorn/dragon/giant robot."...if a parent feels like doing something they don't care if you eat anything for a month...there...I'm a whistle blower...kids know the truth...

Hog Hand Puppet Process

2010-11-05T13:53:00.007-04:00

We are about a week into the process for the hand puppet this year. I did the complete process myself to try and give examples of what expectations were/are.

Because I knew there were a set number of thumbnails to do I gridded the page off for the format. And because I knew that all the puppets had to fit a hand I started of sketching the hand shape in each box. This enabled me to have a starting foundation and to help ensure some consistency. As I always try to say... a little work in the beginning and smart planning now saves a lot of heartache later.

The next step was quickly filling in details. The point of thumbnails is to try different things and to visually problem solve. They should be clear enough to see what is going on but they aren't hanging in a gallery. Some things work...some things don't...but variation is the key. I keep trying to reach them with the fact there needs to be variation and attempts at drawing things with different styles. Sometimes they get locked in with "there are only so many ways to draw something" after 3 or 4 thumbnails...but this is never true. There are endless ways to draw anything without losing the character of the starting animal...look at how many different ways people have drawn rabbits and ducks.

After they get a thumbnail approved they move on to the rough stage...if their thumbnails are weak and more development needs done we will do mini-roughs...bigger than thumbnails (usually 1/4th of a page) but not as big as the finished product. This was the last of the three roughs that I did and probably my favorite...once again proving the general law that your first isn't usually your best.

This was my second rough.

This was the first...at first I really liked it...but now not as much...

The next step will be doing the maquette this weekend and next week we will be doing a final in colored pencil.

IF: Spent

2010-11-02T15:05:00.002-04:00

My initial drawing was going to be of a trillion dollar bill after having been taken from the working class and having had to walk to Washington,DC...and he was going to say..."Shewww...I'm spent."Because that is waht politicians like to do...But I didn't get to it...and we had meetings all day...which made me spent...so it was a drawapoolooza...and I started by using the term spent for a possum that had been run over...and it just blossomed from there like a beautiful rose...

New Hand Puppet Rough 1

2010-10-27T13:33:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again...last year I did an armadillo hand puppet to show students how to use blue pencils to sketch with instead of doing a tracing paper transfer. Since last year's item was more of a hard surface with regards to form I wanted to do something a bit hairier to work without a lot of burnishing. It also helped students in dealing with the creative process...

This is the second major process drawing the students are doing because we have been focusing on observation drawing the first 9 weeks. Students are through the brainstorming stage and dealing again with thumbnails. They vast majority of problems tends to be a lack of pushing through thumbnails and using it as a tool to help come up with creative solutions.I call it drawing with intent vs. drawing to fulfill an obligation. So instead of drawing, say a rabbit, 20 different ways with variations on eyes, ears, nose, muzzle, head, etc...I will get 20 rabbits drawn exactly the same with a hat thrown on...

Once they get through the thumbnails we move on to 3 or 4 mini-roughs to get a good solid idea followed by a full-scale rough. Then the final product...

Dragon Dump

2010-10-27T12:13:00.005-04:00

My net buddy and fellow artist Steve always does sketchbook dumps...now that I put dragon dump down I have come to a realization that will always make me look at that in a different context...

Rules for the dragons...15-20 minutes per sketch...one a day until work catches up with me...and since it is political season...I refuse to endorse the quality of any of the sketches...

IF: Racing

2010-10-25T15:13:00.003-04:00

"Every time they drive by it sends my heart racing...but I'm not sure for which reason..."

How To Train Your Dragon contest... : (

2010-10-19T13:01:00.005-04:00

Whilst watching Cartoon Network the other night they released a promo for How To Train Your Dragon DVD release...and announced there would be a contest to create your own dragon...the winner will be chosen and have their dragon used in cartoon...

#1. How To Train Your Dragon was probably the best movie I saw all summer of the 5 or so I went to...

#2. The contest is limited to those between the ages of 4 and 12...which makes me sad...I may not artistically have had a shot before but I'm definitely not passing for a 12 year old. So if you have a kid that hits that area have at it...

#3. They reserve the right to change and adapt the dragon created for their specifications and purposes because 'animation is tough'...I've seen some contests with that type of disclaimer before and the artist's original work is completely dismantled...so imagine Billy or Suzie getting picked and watching the episode and waiting for their dragon to appear...only to find out they saw their dragon but it didn't look anything like what they designed...

#4. James Gurney talked about doing a poster contest at the age of 13 and he was disqualified because they didn't believe he did it...so if you have a superstar artist is that a pitfall?

#5. I decided to do some dragons anyway...I received a new sketchbook from CCAD during their presentation so I'm going to fill it up with dragons...which means I have 4 sketchbooks going in different directions...and then there is the one I lost...at the park...when someone took it while I was playing with my kids...sketchy come home...so I'm going to do a dragon a day...until I get bored...

#6. Professional development for my job means that I get to actually do some stuff with this...sculpy...and Illustrator...and Photoshop...once I get it approved by our "Committee"...

IF: Spooky

2010-10-18T13:50:00.004-04:00

I usually hate for work to pull a double duty...being the elitist I am and all...but with four million meetings and a lot of grading I had to bow to the pressure. I got tired (again) of seeing the kids have all the fun in class...we were working on an assignment involving making maquettes and I wanted to play too. So I did. I'm hopefully going to get a chance to photograph the student work and will include a link to it too...many turned out very well for only the second attempt at sculpy and I'm excited to see how things progress for them.

I had only worked in sculpy once before myself while making a very rough item to do some light work. I enjoyed the problem solving that went along with working in a pretty new medium...Our next stab will be making another head and then a fully body detailed maquette.

IF: What Lies Beneath? Claws

2010-10-01T13:00:00.003-04:00

I actually kind of like this one...I'm going to change the snake to a stuffed one and slap it in Freehand or Illustrator and see what happens...of course I still have to finish the turtle and fish from way back when...

IF:Old Fashioned

2010-09-24T13:31:00.002-04:00

"Gawd...my parents are SOOO old fashioned...they only let my boyfriend Billy sleep over on weekends...they're afraid I'll be too tired for school if he stays over on weeknights..."

IF: When Acrobats Get Demoted...

2010-09-17T13:29:00.002-04:00

"So...how do you feel about getting shot out of a cannon..."

Self-Portrait III

2010-09-15T15:12:00.001-04:00

Couldn't leave out Sonics...they have great sweet tea...and awesome ice...but too often they get a little heavy on the ice and after three drinks...done...

I used to appreciate their foam cups until my daughter tried to steal my tea out of my hand...my reaction was 'squeeze hard as someone is trying to swipe the tea'...the result was my thumb going through the bottom of the cup and all my tea pouring into my lap...

As for my bowling shirt...RIP...it was the best $2.35 silk shirt I ever bought...unfortunately I ripped the armpits out of it while stretching one day...

IF: Dessert

2010-09-03T12:49:00.001-04:00

"I hope you're coming to tell me he was playing in the brownie mix..."

Rat Crow vs. Chicken Lizard Final

2010-08-24T23:43:00.002-04:00

I decided to fill in the sky to add some depth to the final work. I added some gradation to give it a bit of depth and a sense of 'clouds'...I also filled in the rest of the posters/pictures for the backdrop...just a little something to add some visual interest. I'm not sure if it blows up large enough to tell but put me in dressed as a farmer...the overall piece is pretty and it always feels good to complete something...but then there is that bit of 'depression' that tends to come as I try to figure out what to do next...other than work on my styraco...which I have officially started adding in the background!!!

Rat Crow vs. Chicken Lizard VI

2010-08-23T23:24:00.004-04:00

I added grain to the boards...For a poster in the background (not put in yet on this snapshot) I located some KY county fair posters and loosely based the sketch.

One note about the expression of the girl. I threw that in because I usually get that slight look of disgust multiple times on 'the drive'...usually after one of my spectacular songs I create discussing my admiration for my children's very large feet or how they got freckles...(you wouldn't believe it if I told you the true origin)...I thought it fit in well with this pic. The young lady is 12 and is kind of in that 'Dad, you are such a dork' phase...I did take a reference shot for the pose but the expression wasn't there...it just came out as I was drawing it....

Next post will be the finished work...I said that last time but this time I mean it...

IF:Atmosphere

2010-08-22T20:57:00.001-04:00

"Crab keeps inviting me to the beach for a 50's theme party...but you know I just don't like that atmosphere."

You may have to think about that one for a second...

Rat Crow vs. Chicken Lizard V

2010-08-18T23:41:00.002-04:00

To help add some detail without being overwhelming I decided to have an unfinished inside shack type of look. I thought with originally doing 'chipboard' between the boards but figured it wouldn't pop very well...back in the day (maybe still now) I remember going into some old building and between the framing they had a dark 'tar paper' that had a brownish black coloration. It was probably originally black but time had caused the brown to seep in. I decided to put this between the planks and to not burnish it, but rather to allow the texture of the paper to show through...I also planned on putting some stuff here and there on the walls to break it up a bit more but not to 'overwhelm' and draw attention away from the characters.

The next big decision came with the window. I debated between keeping the background color and giving it an 'evening' type look or adding a sky effect...I could picture it working either way but really like the pop of the direction I decided to go...up next...the finished item...

New Profile Pic

2010-08-17T16:20:00.000-04:00

Back to work in just a few more days...in celebration a new profile pic is in order...

IF:Public Ed...Stargazer

2010-08-17T01:51:00.002-04:00

Dedicated to all those that graduated...and have to pull off their shoes or use a calculator to figure out 8+7...

Rat Crow vs. Chicken Lizard IV

2010-08-16T15:14:00.002-04:00

Instead of going with the gas pump idea I decided to throw my daughter in looking through a window. This played off the repetition of the squares of the crates and eventually would help to have some more depth.

Rat Crow vs. Chicken Lizard III

2010-08-11T18:11:00.002-04:00

At this point I started working on the foreground and developing the 'story' that was occurring a bit more. There was about a month or two break between where I was at in the last post and what I have here. I changed the theme a bit and decided to have the story occurring in a shed and to put a girl in the window watching. I sketched it all in...To avoid the characters being in the foreground I put two bowls to hold captured chess pieces. I also changed the table to a crate and added two different types of crates to start adding some depth. Because of the difference in color schemes between the two critters I knew I would have to use different crate colors so that items didn't 'blend'.

One major problem I noticed at this point was the wax leeching out of the drawing. I have really never had an issue with this because I typically get the item sprayed before this happens...and at least one other colored pencil project took longer than this without and issues. So I was surprised when I lifted off the protective covering and the wax leech was happening. There was a fine film of wax 'ash' that was dulling all of the colors. I can only figure that the high humidity after the AC was turned off had a lot to do with the leeching being accelerated. I carefully took a slightly damp paper towel and wiped off the wax. I had to do this several times over a couple of days before it all stopped. Either it leeched as far as it was going to go or the humidity conditions changed enough for it to stop.

Rat Crow vs. Chicken Lizard II

2010-08-11T17:42:00.005-04:00

After I had a pic in my head of what I wanted and had done the sketches I went out and bought a piece of Canson toned paper. I saw this color and it fit in nicely with what I initially had in mind. I used white prisma color to sketch out the two main characters. Sometimes I will draw everything out and use tracing paper to make a transfer but not when using colored paper...just doing a colored pencil sketch with a lighter color works out fine and blends in nicely when slapping in the color.

Because I like to do detail work I usually don't 'fill-in' the background. I have a pretty good literal picture in my head of what direction and general composition I want so I don't get too panicky. Even though the background did change drastically from my original plan the composition didn't. I first thought I was going to have the two playing at a gas station and have an old time fuel pump in the center and oil cans on the sides.

Rat Crow Vs. Chicken Lizard I

2010-08-10T00:46:00.003-04:00

Another meeting sketch. I started out drawing a crow but thought the feathers on the body reminded me of fur...so I threw a rat tail on it...that's where all the trouble began...Initially I was going to just do a 'scientific journal' type of illustration with watercolor and micron...about the highly intelligent rat crow...I was going to have it grasping a chess piece for symbolism...but then I thought there had to be an opponent...one that was at the opposite end of the spectrum...

That brought about the chicken lizard...so then I was looking at a two-page spread...but that little voice in the back of my head started going on about "When was the last time you did a drawing with a background?" So I went out and bought a big piece of toned paper...and readied the prismacolor...

Head Sketches

2010-08-09T02:12:00.004-04:00

This guy is getting prepped for colored pencil treatment...I sketched out the head and have the overall general idea for what I am going to do...(hint...turtle in the mouth)...I am in the middle of a large scale color pencil drawing right now but will need something to keep me active as I start tackling the pointillism Styraco again...I have less than two weeks left before school starts so I should finish the Colored pencil drawing tomorrow...then it will be a hard week on getting Styraco done...by working slow I keep getting ideas which has generally paid of in the long run for me...

Earlier in the year I purchased James Gurney's book Imaginative Realism...(and if you haven't grabbed it you should...as well as checking out his blog)...I've been planning on trying his painting technique with oils so I think this guy might be a good candidate for my stepping back into that game in September...not too difficult a subject but with some opportunities to learn and still have some detail work.

If all goes well then I have a scene to paint involving this guy...a little dragonish critter...He also looks like a good candidate for a sculpy playdate! I have tools ordered and have been formulating some of the 'know-how' the last little bit...

IF: Caged

2010-08-07T15:06:00.002-04:00

click to blow up...then click image again to read...

IF: Artificial

2010-08-03T12:17:00.003-04:00

Click to enlarge and then click image again so you can read it...and then soak up the subtle irony...

styracosaur in progress

2010-07-23T23:28:00.003-04:00

(click to enlarge)
Taking forever but I've been doing smaller projects here and there to keep from going crazy...this is probably the biggest item I can remember doing and to top it off using pointillism doesn't help the speed factor...If you start placing stuff wrong or mess up a value patch you're pretty much in a world of hurt...90% finished with the dino...birds are all pretty much done...In a week will be starting on the really tough part...the background...then it will just be a matter of value adjustments...I still have to finish out darkening the back area from the back leg down the tail and finishing the tail tip...

IF: Double Dipper???

2010-07-23T21:28:00.003-04:00

"Madam, you are clearly mistaken...this would be the third time this particular chip has entered the dip in question...

Pointillism Triceratops

2010-07-23T14:59:00.005-04:00

(click images to enlarge)

Finished this about a week ago and have been busy working on a couple of other items. I worked smaller (15x20) than some of the other pointillism attempts which made it go quicker (I just finished 90% of the detailing on my styraco and now must tackle the background...and I've been working off and on on that for months)...but not sure if I'm happy with the level of detail. Usually at this point I would run some prints and then paint it in watercolor. At this time I have no printing option that would allow me to print it to scale and do this...and printing it smaller would probably not be too good because of the detail issue. So I have to debate if I want to try the one shot deal on the illustration board...

I tried to post the image and for some reason the central area comes up blurry...so I posted a close up...

IF:Breakfast

2010-07-21T02:24:00.002-04:00

They Never Made it...pt II

2010-07-15T20:48:00.002-04:00

I was sketching out a plan to get back into oil painting a while back...this was the start...space limitations in my apartment unfortunately ground that one to a halt...one of these days lol...seems like I am stuck with colored pencils, graphite, and pen and ink for a while yet...

Non-traditional Pose

2010-07-15T01:56:00.002-04:00

A sketch trying out a non-traditional pose...used it to create another pointillism item which I'll show in a bit. One thing Gurney talked about in his blog was 'trying something different'...not only can you have fun with educated guesses on appearance but dinosaurs and had to do all kinds of things other than fight or running around trying to eat each other...

Robot

2010-07-12T23:42:00.002-04:00

Another project we do as just bit of a creative exercise is creating a robot from something around the house. I started a sketch of a robot based on system controllers...I didn't get around to finishing the base but believe I'll vectorize him at some point...but it won't be tomorrow...because I'm heading to Cedar Point for a Wednesday rollercoasterpalooza at the best amusement park on the planet...then when we come back hopefully I can finish up two of the three big drawings I've been doing over the past few weeks...and start a few more...summer is fading fast...

Pan Head

2010-07-03T12:22:00.002-04:00

During the year we talked about themes for playing cards and the importance of references. At this time Gurney was doing posts with regards to creating a Pan figure and he too was discussing the importance of drawing from life and doing studies even when creating imaginary characters. Even when it feels that characters have been 'done to death' it is still possible to create something unique, especially when paying attention to detail of life subjects. Gurney brought in skulls, human models, and I believe even animals. There were lots of different solutions to the problem proving that there is always something new that can be done even if at times it takes a little digging. These were a couple of head shots I did trying out a few different takes.

IF: GiAnt

2010-07-02T23:04:00.001-04:00

I think we're gonna' need more spray...

They never made it..part I

2010-07-01T22:45:00.004-04:00

This started out as a meeting sketch...I still have the image of what I wanted to do...

I even started making more refined character sketches...

But as what happens sometimes in life I got sidetracked...I've done a lot of pics since I started wanting to do this...and at some point before I die I have plans to finish this out because I think it would turn out pretty nice. I think I got caught up in trying to figure if I wanted to do it in pointillism, graphite, or colored pencil. That issue has killed several projects and caused me to restart others...(example...the styraco which I have been working on pretty diligently the last few weeks and will give updated pics on later...started it in graphite and then got disappointed in several things and switched to pointillism.) I get excited looking at the sketch and beat myself up a bit for not following through on it..but I'll get to it eventually. If someone would donate 20 acres of land and build me an art studio I'd even get back into oil painting...heck, I'd probably even give them the picture for free...

The missing text...

2010-07-01T22:37:00.002-04:00

Finally able to sit down and draw for the past few weeks...been quite the hectic summer...I had posted a project from back in my college days but the text was MIA...I stumbled across my portfolio original and had to scan it in for posterity...It was one of my favorite projects that we did...we had to design an 8-panel CD insert plus an advertisement for the project. We were working on some mailers at the same time and I spent so much time working on this I did a very mediocre job on the mailer...I received a great compliment from the instructor though...he said it turned out so well he was automatically lowering everyone else's grade a letter...those were the days...

IF: End of the Trail

2010-06-05T14:34:00.006-04:00

Another year in wild world of teaching comes to an end. We had some good success (250,000 in scholarship for portfolios) but perhaps one of the most mentally challenging years I've had. Things I always try to teach the students:

Potential without dedication and action means nothing. Art can be fun work but the majority of the time it is still work...don't run from it but rather embrace it...art work is better than screwing nut A on bolt B 8 hours a day 5 days a week.

Learning to be a good or great artist means more than just being able to draw and paint well.

There's always an excuse to fail...always a reason to play the victim...but true success comes when a person adapts and overcomes obstacles.

Learning to learn is vital...be a student of life because it will open up your creative stockpile. The more you can do the more dangerous you are in the art world.

Proper planning will usually get you further than throwing crap against a wall and hoping something sticks. There are happy accidents but don't count on them. There are shortcuts but don't always rely on them...your skills will diminish.

As one college instructor put it...you have to get out of the mentality that good is good enough. Don't let it grind you to a stop where you do nothing but stay hungry enough to push yourself and learn to be self-critical.

People will often notice what is wrong more than they will what is right...If you paint great faces but your hand renderings look terrible they are going to focus on the terrible hands much more...so don't give them an excuse. People will usually try to say something nice regardless but it is the pruning that produces the most fruit.

Family is often the worst place to get a critique. They love you and will say nice things and defend you because you belong to them. My daughter drew an elephant that looked like a deformed beagle. I told her it was one of the best elephants I ever saw. That is what we do. If you are 17 years old and not related to me and draw an elephant that looks like a deformed beagle...and you want to be an illustrator/animator or whatever in commercial art...I am not doing you a favor by telling you it is the best elephant I've ever seen.

ALWAYS make the time to cultivate your inner artist. That doesn't mean to neglect your work but what you learn by playing will often come in handy at other times.

If you created something you think is great by waiting until the last minute, think of how great it could've been by spending the proper amount of time on it...and usually when you wait until the last minute truth be told it probably isn't that great.

Artists tend to procrastinate...that doesn't belong in the 'good characteristics column'.

Your first idea is usually shallow.Use the process to dig deeper. Explore the problem.

Everyone has a limited scope of reference...there are always people out there that have been down your road and trying to help you avoid the pitfalls they've already been through. Be grateful and humble.

And finally...easy clients, teachers, and people are easy to deal with. Most people don't need to learn how to handle them. Often teachers that appear 'difficult' are really trying to help you so you don't end up in the fetal position on the floor sobbing when you hear someone say something you don't like with regards to your work.

IF: You're a bit Early...

2010-05-21T13:34:00.000-04:00

IF: Cocoon

2010-04-30T14:30:00.002-04:00

In another Women Are From Venus Men Are From Mars moment...you ever notice that when it is 72 outside with a slight breeze women will wrap up their infants like they are taking a trip to the north pole...men on the other hand will take their babies outside during a blizzard in a diaper and long sleeve shirt while the wife shoots that "What the @$%&#! are you thinking" glare...of course we know we have the car already warmed up...and the diaper is extra padded...if your bum is warm what else do you need to worry about...

IF:You know...

2010-04-27T10:01:00.002-04:00

I just can't seem to get ahead...

Ba dum dum...cheeeeee....

IF:Detective

2010-04-16T09:55:00.003-04:00

"Gentlemen...I believe we have our first clue..."

Meetings!

2010-04-14T11:32:00.002-04:00

Not one but TWO meetings. The first meeting I started this, drawing things around my desk...and don't act like yours doesn't look like this or we will have to revoke your artist card...The second meeting was not around my desk but in our auditorium...and my supervisor came to me immediately and said, "You'd better not draw me or I'm going to put you on THE LIST..." Of course that is like giving a kid a fork and pointing to a wall socket and saying, "Don't put this in there." You just know it is going to happen...

IF:Linked

2010-04-09T21:35:00.009-04:00

(click to enlarge)
I had some blue toned paper and of course raptors were still on the brain. Since the other two large projects are taking forever and I hadn't done any prismacolor work for a month or two I figured to kill three birds with one stone...toned paper used...check...prismacolor used...check...IF done...check...actually completed a project from start to finish check...wait...how many birds was I trying to kill?

IF: Skinny Dip?

2010-04-02T16:50:00.001-04:00

"Can you really call it that when a hippopotamus is involved?"

IF: Expired Roll

2010-03-23T12:08:00.001-04:00

I know...this seems inappropriate...but don't say you haven't been there and felt that same sense of panicked frustration...

Park doodle

2010-03-23T09:26:00.003-04:00

This weekend was the first warm and sunny day in months...so we were actually able to go outside and roam free. We had a whiffle ball hitting contest...which only resulted in two of the three kids crying..one for the catcher getting a touch of bat to the face...one when the other took a babe ruth swing and the whiffle ball took a chunk of finger (I told her she must not have been swinging her hardest or it would have taken her finger off and she needed to do better next time.) Then we played freeze tag...after about 45 minutes in I started getting the gimp leg for some reason...probably old age...and those tricky kids kept managing to tag me right next to a bench...at which point I would sit down and doodle for 5 minutes here and there. And of course having raptors on the brain I did this...

Top Secret III

2010-03-22T13:57:00.004-04:00

One dino outlined. I've seen lots of good work where there is no variation in the stroke of the line, but I always like to use the expand stroke feature to add a touch of visual interest.

The next step will be to add the flat fill color and do any additional linework adjustments or additions.

TOP SECRET II

2010-03-18T12:37:00.006-04:00

I was planning on the second portion of the layout with my turtle...it started out I was going to just use a big dinosaur head and thought it would have worked out okay...

But I wasn't really happy with it...as a matter of fact the more I looked at it the more I thought...wow...that stinks...and after watching DinoShark on SyFY this past weekend I am pretty sharp on what terrible is...

While in the middle of talking to a student a new and hopefully more exciting idea hit me...the finished pic just popped in my head. So I spent a couple of day sketching it out and figuring placement of characters. I did some rough drawings and cut them out in photoshop to work out a bit more of the details. I wasn't worried too much about the arms at this point only the general mass of the group.

Once I got that generally sketched I decided to draw all the characters involved even though there tends to be a bit of overlapping with the composition. It may seem like more work now, but I've learned it is better to draw everything and be able to make slight or even major adjustments...in times past when I would on draw the visible areas I've gotten caught when I've had to move objects...for the most part I believe I am okay with these although I'll have to upgrade the detail work a bit.

The final product will be zoomed in, but by doing all the creatures I think I will be able to make a poster where I can have it zoomed out and show everything...trying for dramatic compositions or doing the cards makes me feel like I'm not keeping in practice with creating the whole...then you get accused of not being able to draw anything but floating heads and half bodies...of course I now have to go back and finish the lower portion of the turtle that is a floating half body...the one episode of Star Trek the Next Generation I accidentally watched they gave kids a 'wand' that could read their mind and some sort of laserish light would create the art merely by their thoughts...can't wait for that Wacom update to come out....

TOP SECRET

2010-03-16T10:17:00.003-04:00

As previously stated I'm a bit behind on all kinds of things. My Styraco is still moving very slowly, I have a bunch of new sketches to help finish out my playing cards...but this is the item on the front burner...this is a part of an item for a project the class and I are doing as a group...It lacks shading and color adjustment at this point...hopefully this afternoon will get the rest of the image complete and then be able to get to shading...when everything is complete I'll post and explain what the entire project is about.

And Detlef...if you read this...nobody can comment on your blog because no word is showing up to prove the poster isn't a spambot...

Paper Doll

2010-03-16T10:07:00.002-04:00

They chose Willy Wonka for the prom theme...so of course he had to have an outfit that was appropriate for this completely inappropriate image...I'm sorry...I know I should be ashamed...and somewhere deep inside me I am...We did a test prototype of the real thing...there are some bugs that need worked out...

Pointillism Styraco

2010-03-04T09:25:00.005-05:00

Click to enlarge...Excuse the poorly executed paneling of the item...It took about 10 scans and I just threw it together without trying too hard to make it blended and pretty...so obvious blotches are the effect...those aren't really there in really life...

So where I stand on this...I usually spend a couple of hours here and there throwing in the points...it takes a long time because I am trying to establish some sense of form after the first fill-in...(towards the rump you can tell the difference of the flat fill vs. the front where I've established some value range)...if I'm not careful I will just end up with flat expanses that don't flow properly because I was mind numbingly filling in space...

Once I get the dino finished and the other bird I will work at filling the background...I have it loosely sketched in and planned out but it definitely needs more development...hopefully this will balance out some of the areas that scream out (the solid black areas on the birds).